Newspapers / The Pilot (Southern Pines, … / Feb. 18, 1955, edition 1 / Page 2
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PAGE TWO THE PILOT. Southern Pines. North Carolina FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 18. 1955 North Carolina Southern Pines “In taking over The Pilot no changes are contemplated. We will try to keep this a good paper. We will try to make a little money for all concerned. Where there seems to be an (xc&- ston to use our influence for the public good we will try to do it. And we will treat everybody alike.”—James Boyd, May 23, 1941. Governor Proclaims Heart Sunday Give Them Time Rome wasn’t built in a day and the cease fire in the Formosa area, and what that may mean for the whole critical situation, isn’t going to be won easily or quickly. It will be best if this point is recognized and accepted. For if one thing is certain it is that we shall for many weeks and probably months to come be in the midst of alarms, serious or trifling, as the sides jockey for position, each trying to move ahead without damaging its own prestige and strength. Yet that each one will move ahead seems to be indicated. At least, as things look right now. There is plenty of sabre-rattling on the part of the Chinese leaders on both sides of the For mosa Strait and it is unlikely that inflamma tory statements and even acts will be elimina ted entirely from all United States participation in the struggle, but that on both sides there is the desire to avoid major war seems to be very clear. That, right now, is the point to focus on. We liked the statement of Ambassador Lodge, U. S. delegate to the UN. He said that while the Chinese proposals had been of ecurse rejected by the Security Council, and with the satisfac tory vote of 10-1, the council has not concluded its consideration of the proposal for a cease fire made by the delegate from New Zealand, Sir Leslie Monroe. “Indeed,” said Mr. Lodge, “it has hardly be gun to consider it. In these circumstances, we would have done the council and the cause cf peace an injustice if we were to allow discus sion of the ^Soviet proposal to becloud the issues of the urgent matter at hand.” ’That is a sensible attitude expressed in sen sible language. It is understood, now, that ne gotiations will continue but they will be car ried on in private session, so to speak, through diplomatic chaimels. This is a good idea. It should have a quieting effect on peoples and, it is hoped, on leaders now deprived of their oratorical platforms; it should facilitate the bargaining which, we may as well admit, must go on while through personal contacts may be established a basis of sensible human relation ship. Out of all that may come what the world is looking for. Secrecy Ren^ins The People’s Business ■^e note with interest that Congressmen in Washington are making efforts to end secret meetings of committees in the national legisla ture, just as such meetings have become ah is sue in North Carolina. The Pilot stands four-square behind any and all efforts to extend freedom of information on municipal, county, state and national levels. In Raleigh, the House and Senate have re pealed their 1953 “secrecy law” that permitted closed sessions of the Appropriations Commit tee and have substituted "‘rules”—not laws— that allow secret meetings now of any commit tee. This is one step forward and two steps backward, as we see it. We ccmmend Moore Representative Cliff Blue of Aberdeen for his stout championship of open sessions in 1953 and this year. When the matter came tup in the House this year. Blue was not there to record his vote, because of a heavy snow storm that held him up on the road, but he made it clear publicly and pri vately where his convictions lay. Senator Haw ley Poole of West End has, we feel, acted un wisely in voting for the secrecy rule in the Senate. We think Senator Poole voted his hon est conviction, as he has an obligation and a right to do, but we cannot support him in this action. Secrecy on town and county levels should be the concern of the people, as miuch or more so than secrecy in Raleigh or Washington. For this reason, we are most interested in how the town ocuncil and the county commissioners are handling this problem. The council has an enviable record in this respect. Since the present administration took office in 1953, not a single secret session of the town council has been held. This newspaper has been notified of regular and special meet ings, attendance of reporters and the public has been encouraged at all rrieetings and town officials have been not only willing but cpoper- ative and eager to reveal any and all informa tion about the town and its affairs, when ques tioned by reporters. . At the county level, the picture is not so bright. The commissioners have held some secret sessions, barring reporters, in the past year. Though clcsed meetings were legalized, ostensibly through error, by the 1953 General Assembly it appears that the guarantee of open sessions of county boards will be restored at the current session in Raleigh. Compliance, of course, depends on local response by couilty State Withholding Tax? The red tape headaches of businessmen and industrialists are sufficiently pervasive at pres ent, without their, having to take on more of the same—but we think it makes sense to put state income tax on a withholding basis, like the Fed eral tax. A representative of the state revenue depart ment told us recently that perhaps 50 per cent of the people in Moore County who should be paying state income tax aren’t paying. He said that gradually, through checkifig federal in come tax returns, state tax men are catching up with these people. But, when faced with a de mand for several years back state income taxes, many persons are not able to pay. If human beings were cast in the perfect mold that they should be, everybody would save enough from income each year to settle federal and state taxes easily. But given the general run of human nature, the ‘"’painless” withhold ing technique is the way to make tax-paying easier for the victim and-more lucrative for the government, federal or state. At this time, when North Carolina is des perately looking for more revenue, withholding of state income tax should be carefully investi gated. As a taxpayer, we agree with The Char lotte News which recently summed it up this way: “It is far better to be nipped lightly every pay day, than to be swallowed alive on one or more tax deadlines.” boards. Law or no law, the guarantee has been and can be evaded. Minutes of the county commissioners are glaringly inadequate. Practically nothing is re corded but the final vote on any matter. Last week, for instance, the board conducted a whole day’s business, with but one item re corded on the minutes. The t)resence of delega tions with requests, the nature of the requests and the response of the commissioners, short of- a vote, are consistently ignored. ’The clerk is frequently dismissed from the room prior to adj-c-iimment of the meeting—a violation of the state statute covering the duties of the clerk. Appeals are often made to reporters not to give publicity to some fact or item of infor mation that comes up in meetings. Lawmakers on all levels of government are, it appears to us, becoming more aware of their legal and moral obligatioAs to guarantee and encourage freedom of information. Though led by the press, as a medium of information, the effort for conducting public business in the open is basically the people’s business. The effort win be successful, in the end, only if the people back it up. ‘‘J. A. P.” Those initials, signed at the end of an article in The Pilot, stood for June A. Phillips. It is hard to realize, it is a very hard thing to accept the :^act that this newspaper will not go on CEirrying articles so signed. The articles were klmost always about one thing. In a broad sense they were about this town of Southern Pines, but in a closer, deep er sense they were about children, about the fact that they were important, that they must be cherished, helped, recognized for what they are: the hope of the world. The Master said: “Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Does it seem a far cry, perhaps even irreverent, to- go from that phrase to the accounts of the basketball games and football games, school rallies amd sports about which June Phillips used to write? We don’t think so. Because of the feelings that were in his heart as he wrote. He insisted that the scoring sh-ould be correctly listed, of course, and that every player’s name should be entered and that no body should be left out. But that was just the routine business of writing a good news story . , . and he thought a lot about that, for he was a keen reporter. It was what prompted him to write these articles that counted. It was because he understood the fuU meaning -of that sentence up there, and lived it. 'June Phillips’ interest in the children and young people of this town, in their schooling and their recreation, has meant a very great deal to Southern Pines. We think of the big booming Halloween Party put on by the Ro- tarians, of which he was the guiding spirit, as he was always a leader in that service organi zation. We think of his enthusiasm for the school band, for anything that promised good things for the young folks. And we think of the high ideals which he held and which brought him their respect and their devotion. His was a personality full of gentle charm and whimsical humor, with a depth of friendli ness and warmth that once felt can never be forgotten. He was kindly; he had an old-fash ioned courtesy and at the same time cheery oc-mradeliness that won him a host of friends. He will be deeply missed in this community. As for his influence over the young people he loved so much it has been deep, so deep that it will be lasting. The finest memorial to June Phillips will endure in the lives of the young people he touched so- warmly, so under- standingly while he was here. That is the treasure this good man laid up for himself unconsciously, giving so generously of his time and strength with thought only for them: the young people of Southern Pines whom he lo\^d to work with and to work for. The Public Speaking Approves By-Pass Route To The Editor: I am enclosing a copy of a let ter I have sent- to Mr. Tom E. Cunningham, Southern Pines city manager, in regard to the pro posed No. 1 highway by-pass here. This letter may be of inter est to ybuT- r-^qders. EDWARD SCHNEIDER Southern Pines Editor’s Note: The text of Mr. Schneider’s letter follows: A lively five-year-old boy, Sandy Parker, climbed on Governor Hodges’ lap one day last week, to- the Gover nor’s obvious delight, and pinned a tiny red heart on his lapel as a gesture of thanks' for the Governor’s proclamation naming Sunday, February 20, as American Heart Sunday. For Sandy and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lee Parker, Jr., of Raleigh, this little cere mony was also- an expression of their gratitude for the heart research which led to Sandy’s recovery from an operation which cured a heart ailment from which he suffered from birth. The text of the Governor’s statement follows: “It is a disturbing fact that diseases of the heart and cir culation are responsible for approximately 52 per cent of all deaths in the nation and are the leadine cause of death in our State. They also con stitute a leading cause of dis ability and are responsible for a staggering economic loss because of lost productivity and medical-care expense. “The North Carolina Heart Association, an affiliate of the American Heart Association, is a well-known organization devoted to programs of pro fessional and public educa tion in the field of heart dis ease. It strives to achieve broader understanding of heart diseases and the urgent need to protect healthy hearts and to rehabilitate heart disease sufferers. “As a means of calling at tention to the outstanding work of the North Carolina Heart Association, I hereby designate February 20, 1955 as AMERICAN HEART SUNDAY and urge all citi-, zens to support the 1955 Heart Fund Campaign.” Mrs. Voit Gilmore of Southern Pines is chairman of the Moore County Heart Fund drive, "with Mrs. Nolley Jackson of Southern Pines as treasurer. Appeal letters will be sent out and a “tag day” collection will be made at the Southern Pines post office Saturday from 9 a. m. -to 1 p. m. I have read all of the artidfiS in the local newspapers pertain ing to the proposed by-pass of No. 1 highway, with a great deal of interest. In my opinion, the present ad ministration did a fine job using its ,i..iiaence and co-cperating with the Highway authorities to establish the proposed new route as indicated on the map posted in the court house at Carthage. I remember at a former .Town meeting when Mayor Clark said we will be fortunate indeed if the new route comes near the town and that the McDeed’s Creek route would be of benefit to the town. Commissioner Lockey later said that the Highway officials thought the rqute most satisfac tory from an engineering stand- pc-int, and he (Lockey) felt that the change would be of great benefit to Southern Pines, be cause it would be located proper ly, modernized and the municipal bottleneck would be eliminate^ The “limited access” with traf fic separations, as outlined, is de sirable to secure its being an ex press highway: too- many cross ings would defeat this purpose. In surburban Long Island, N Y., where I came from, many im portant arterial highways run through towns, but in the less densely populated areas. The Mc- Deed route is very similar; the population trend will be slow to increase in this area. Most of the land is unimproved (vacant) and not too valuable at this time. It seems that a few persons are concerned about the proposed highway running east of and close to our Mt. Hope Cemetery. One of the most exclusive and most beautiful Metropolitan area. New York, cemeteries, the Kensi- co Cemetery, is bounded on its easterly boundary by the famous Bronx Riverside Parkway. As a matter of fact, the beauty c-f this cemetery is enhanced by the landscaping of the Parkway. A “highway parkway” bound ing the easterly side of our ceme tery would forever eliminate the possibility of a series of undesir-^" able structures, junk yards, etc., and would aid in keeping our cemetery beautiful. Needless to say, the removal of highway U. S. 1 from the entire length of residential May St. will be a boon and a blessing to the residents of this thoroughfare. The serious and sometimes fatal accidents (traffic accidents) will be reduced to a minimum and mothers whose children have to walk to school, crossing May St., can. instead of praying to Al mighty God to protect their chil dren en route, give thanks that this dangerous situation has been eliminated. The life of even one child is worth more than many times the cost of the proposed highway project. As for May St., I predict it will become one of the most beautiful streets in all Southern Pines, a street that we can well be proud of. As a citizen and a taxnaver I extend my thanks to the Coun cil and City Manager for their in terest and splendid accomplish ments in this matter and , I trust they will not relax th“ir efforts to make this “new route” a real- itv. The Speeding Problem Still Around ManlyWellman was down here last week doing a bit of auto graphing of his new book of Car olina ghost stories, “Dead And Gone,” at the Country Bookshop party for him. He met a lot of 0I4 friends and made some new ones, we suspect. Manly said this was his second go at it. They’d had a party for him in Chapel Hill the week be fore. Up there he’d worked away, flourishing his signature across the page. He did it so often that, he said, it began to look sort of queer. Especially there, below the title of the book: “Dead and Gone,” and then “Manly Well man.” He decided he didn’t quite like the look of that, so he put an extra line in between. £0 his autograph in those fav ored volumes now reads: “Living and Here, Manly WeUman.” A Lawyer's Life . . . It looks so nice. If you don’t believe us, go up to court in Car thage and watch them. They sit there together, back of the long table. They tnay be, and generally are, on opposite sides of argument, but they look so palsy. They sway back in their squeaky chairs ;they gaze up at the ceiling; they lean together and talk behind their hands and then shake with laughter. Every so often, doubtless feel- the need of exercise, they up and make speeches, roll on their eloquent tongues fine phrases with many “if your honor pleases” and “hon orable gentleman”; they strut and pounce; they wheedle; they exhort. ’They make fiery attacks on each other, get red in the face,! shake verbal fists. Arid then they sink back into comradely relaxa tion again on their squeaky chairs. Outside the court, they get into huddles, three deep, that always break up with a roar of mirth. A lawyer’s life, at least in Moore County, looks like fun. The honorable gentlemen, how ever, paid him no mind. Not until they caught him trying on then- hats, one after the other. Mr. Sabiston was patiently. . . well, not too patiently . . . going through the hats stacked up on the rack in the commissioners’ room. All of a sudden there was a cry. “Hey, Bill, you got my hat!” Mr. Sabiston went on trying on hats. “And when you get another rack,” he said, “put it out in the register of deeds Office where some of us folks can use it!” Well, we got the judge a chair last year. Mustn’t be partial. Miss Maida, better write it down on your courthouse list: “1 hatrack, request of W. D. Sabiston.” Might Be Something In it Said one of the commissioners: “If they go on using this hatrack it’ll give out.” Said another: “We ought to charge 50 cents a hat. ’That’d stop ing jump They A Studying Lady We heard the other day that Katherine Pierson Dittman is looking forward to getting her graduate degree in Arts and Architecture this spring. Katherine, it will be recalled, was for some years this town’s leading interior decorator and designer, on the side, of several of its most attractive houses, the present Wallace Irwin home, for one. Also the charming log cabin, her own home, now the residence of Dr. Malcolm Kemp. Katherine did all her preliminary work at Yale and will now get her degree from the University of Colorado near Denver where she has lived since her marriage. We hear that Katherine doesn’t really plan to go into architecture as a profes sion, ust wants to know more. And maybe have that satisfying degree tucked away. A studying lady! Penny-Pinching? “Peerrs like Moore Countjr could afford a full-time, perma nent hatrack!” The remark from the lips of W. D. Sabiston, a leading attor-j ney cf Moore County, was deliv ered to the board of countv com-^ jniRpioTiprs in full session as-j sembled. Old Marriage License ■ An interesting item from the county’? nast has been presented to the Moore County Historical Association- by John Mare. It is a marriage license issued in Carth- aee in March, 1838, to William Kimball and Nancy Jackson. The license is signed by A. C. Currie Clerk. (Continue^ on Page 6) To The Editor: A bill has been presented to the State Legislature to increase the speed limit on N. C. highways from 55 to 65 mph. With the pres ent highway system admittedly at fault in engineering and cap acity, and with huge sums to be continually expended for the cor- recton thereof, the proposal is, to say the least, shocking to in telligent thought. ’The proposal virtually raises the speed limit to 75 with a prob able intent of no speed limit at all—except destruction and death. The bill also proposes an addi tional spanking to those whose lack of wisdom permits top-of- the-hill passing. This is its .only virtue. The bill will positively aid the full throttle release of goOn men talities. In its stupidity it can only cause a greater traffic haz ard for the innocent—and the witless. If we cannot control j highway deaths to less of trag edy at 55 mph, by what process of reasoning do we expect to al leviate the situation with greater speed? The Human Factor ’The individual has tempera ment, , judgment, coordination, skill, and the power of concentra tion. The qualities of these safety factors are unknown. What we are interested in is to know how far they will stretch and function with safety under the stress of driving. They definitely begin to fail at speeds of 55-65 mph. As speed increases, one or more of the weakened safety factors become tattered, so to speak, and are finally blown astern in the jet wake. Their ensuing loss is not apparent, although there is a physical and emotional conflict, and a seeking of relief ^ from strain. At this point the human factor may correct itself. In this near Out of control period which is still not apparent, there is near conceptive blindness with coor dinate paralysis. The driver is crippled. The average person does not have the faculties to drive at 75 mph. An Added Danger With the human factor failin'' at 55-65, it preimposes an added danger upon a problem in physics —the machine itself. Disregard ing all the bally-hoo to the con trary, the modern car also begins to lose qualities of stability at 65 mph. The basic problem is e-'""* the same: a pound of weight times speed equals kinetic pow er; and with present weights and speeds this power constitutes a force that cannot be steered, skid ded, or stooped without tortuous stressing of design andi materials Regardless of how good a high way is, and bearing in mind a permitted 65 will actually cause 75 or full gun. there is no foun dation for the belief a car will not unravel at 75 mph. I So would you give them th“ green for 75 when 65 is beyond fhe Rofotv of a used tire? Two-Phase Evolution In the evolution of the automo bile there are two distinct phases In the first, the basic purpose of % the industry was to produce a utility of simple and sound en gineering. Reliability, economy of maintenance, safety, comfort and luxury followed, always with improvements. Speed was net an objective. With some exceptions horse power peaked at about ”5 with top speeds of around 80 mph. The great era of the indus try’s fidelity to need was o-ver in ’42. Thf* second phase began in ’46. The industry has declined in true value and service: some ihiprove- ments have bben made, but a nile Of worthless junk has been offer ed. There are many components of more established use that are complicated and faulty. Relief from all the gadgetry, if any, will be slow and costly. Wte pav for the lack of integrity in design while the antidote of purity li^s on the shelf. In the light of whet, is actually known, the present car is an antiquated vehicle" e paradoxical statement when pres ent horse power peaks at 260 with an objective cruising sneed of I'^O. and a top of about 120 mph—for the amusement of death. 'Lethal Instrument' The bright boys in Detroit, the Boards of Policy and Engineer ing, know all of this that is 'vrit- ten—and vastly more. They kno-iv that what you receive is a lethal instrument, and a product of a law of diminishing returns. Th""'' have known that for reason of competition a new code in nnPnv is necessary to attract your re sponse in dollars. In the human factor they found precis“lv ih" needed element to appeal to: It is vanity—your vanity. So. codod thusly, this is what you are o'^'o-- ed: luxury for easement, glam- cur befitting your beauty, do'^^w-i enhancing your poise, alleoo.s safety for contentment, a-'t above all, for.your seat, foot, health and hand—Povmot for self assurance, flight and conquest. Said one policy to another to effect: “And what of speed—th" number one killer?” Said th° oth er, “If that is what they wknt we won’t deny them. We won’t m^n- (Continued on Page 3) The PILOT Published Every Friday by THE PILOT, incorporated Southern Pines, North Carolina 1941—JAMES BOYD—1944 Katharine Boyd , Editor C. Benedict News Editor Dan S. Ray Gen. Mgr.||_ C. G. Council Adverti.sing^i^ Mary Scott Newton Business Bessie Cameron Smith Society Composing Room Lochamy MeLean, Dixie B. Ray, Michael Valen. Jasper Swearingen Subscription Rates: One Year $4. 6 mos. $2; 3 mos. SI Entered at the Postoffice at South ern Pines, N. C., as second class(( mail matter Member National Editorial Assn and N. C. Press Assn.
The Pilot (Southern Pines, N.C.)
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Feb. 18, 1955, edition 1
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