Newspapers / The Pilot (Southern Pines, … / April 22, 1955, edition 1 / Page 2
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THE PILOT—Southern Pines, North Carolina FRIDAY. APRIL 22. 1955 mi North Carolina Southern Pines “In tafeing 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 occa sion to use our influence for the public good wa will try to do it. And we will treat everybody alike.”—James Boyd, May 23, 1941. Did They Do Right? The Southern Pines town council was faced with an ornery problem last week when it was called upon to sign a blank check, so to speak, ccmmitting the town to pay its one third share of the costs of rights-of-way for the proposed Highway 1 route through town, before those costs had been determined. It decided to sign. Four councilmen voted yes; one abstained. The man who held out based his action on the fact that it is bad business prac tice, as well as dubious governmental practice, to sign blank checks. He asked for delay so that further means might be tried to get seme idea of the sum involved. This newspaper has had reservations as to the route chosen, one of them being this matter of cost to the town, combined with the fact that many people are doubtful of the benefits,to the town of this particular route; however we have always held that it had many good points. Com missioner Lockey has stated he hopes to make this piece of road one of the most attractive in the state and, if the provisions he has out lined are carried out, there is little doubt that it will be just that. But we are not now concern ed with this phase of the matter. What bothers us is the way the meeting to decide this ques tion was handled. Why, specifically, was the council given only 24 hours t6 study this agreement, so important to the town? Why was not a scrap of informa tion about possible costs divulged. . . it is obvi ous, all denials to the contrary, that some man ner of cemparative figures could have been of fered for discussion. . . Why, in a matter that has been going on for months, was it suddenly necessary to move so fast? One more question: it had seemed that this was to be a briefing session to gain information from highway offi cials meeting with the council for the first time. Should not such a gathering have been held informally with no public attendance, when the views of all those present could have been fully considered and the agreement itself work ed over in all its ramifications? The town has voted to commit the taxpayers to an unknown expenditure of funds, a pro ceeding few businessmen would tolerate. It is not only going against the old maxim: “Never buy a pig in a poke,” in that much information about the road project is still lacking, but it is going further than that: the farmer is pledging himself , to buy his only half-known pig for a sum of money whose extent he doesn’t know at all. Whether the rights-of-way the town is pledged to pay will be $5,000, or $50,000 is any body’s guess. . • u t Why? The only reason we can imagine is that the commissioners who voted for this measure preferred to take' the chance that the sum will not be beyond the town’s means than to run the risk that if any sum is mentioned in advance of securing the rights-of-way, prqperty owners along the road will try to hold up the town for exorbitant payments. This might perhaps be a valid point, though given the calibre of the majority of landowners involved, most of whom favor the project, we hardly believe it was worth the risk. Further more, even a slight delay would have allowed options to be obtained and definite commit ments to be made. This would have been, we submit, a sensible and desirable way to handle it, for it is likely that far more effective argu ments could have been advanced by persuasive and friendly townspeople than will be the case now. For once the resolution has been duly signed, the matter of rights-of-way, we under stand, will be handled not by the town but by the state, which will make the arrangements v/ith property owners and then send the bill to, the town. That is one reason why this newspaper re grets the haste with which’this-affair has been handled. We find it hard to understand why such an important matter had to be rushed through • so fast and decided on so little information, v/ith so little discussion and in the face of such reasonable requests for delay. Needed; A Will To Find A Way It looks as if there were need for citizen ac tion in the matter of the clinic building in West Southern Pines, used jointly by the Moore County departments of public health and wel fare. The status quo is that the building belongs to the town of Southern Pines. It is donated to the county for its use, free of rent. And here there appears to be an impasse. The town feels that as no rent is charged the county should take care of the upkeep of the building; the county has never appropriated funds for the upkeep of such clinic buildings; it is, presum ably, reluctant to assume this responsibility for property that it does not own. It is to be feared that unless there is some sensible and reasonably prompt action, the old building will fall apart. And meantime it is only too evident that the people who work there and the people who come there for treat ments or consultations are not being properly accommodated. Pregnant women, feeble old people, mothers holding heavy babies must all sit crowded on narrow wooden benches, back less except where they stand against the wall; the workers often have to go on a hunt for a needed chair where the person to be interview ed, or even the worker herself, may sit down. As for the building, it badly needs paint; win dow panes need replacing; floors a good going- over; a thorough clean-up of the yard would also be advisable. We do not offer any suggestion as to how the town and the county might work this thing out between them but where there is a will there is supposed to be a way. SUch a clinic building is a real town necessity; in fact, this town impera tively needs a bigger and better building than the one now in use to serve as a welfare cen ter for the whole community. As for the furnishings; it seems as if it would be an easy thing to obtain donations of a few chairs and a table or two to make the folks a bit more comfortable. It strikes us that this is something that some of the women’s organiza tions might like to take up. How about it. Civic Clubbers, Does, Junior Women, Federated Clubwomen, Church groups? Tax, Tax, Tax... Who’s Got A Tax? The tax battle in Raleigh still goes on, bring ing out a pretty appalling amount of irrespo-nsi- bility among the law-makers, as well as a lot of good sense, too, fortunately for everybody, t We find ourselves looking at the question in ktwo ways. We have a strong feeling, for one filing, that a lot more money could be obtained arough stopping up some of the loopholes in |e present system of tax collecting than is be- obtained now. We think of all the items at are being listed, right and left, as “busi- ps expenses” and therefore deductible, the as”, the private planes, the parties. We ik of all the other dodges to “take it off your returns,” indulged in, high, _ wide and idsome, by a lot of crooks but, also, by a lole lot of upstanding good citizens, who, fould tium white at the thought of cheating Anybody but the government. . . as if the gov ernment wasn’t anybody and themselves, too. Just more thorough checking of the records would divulge many other sources of revenue, if only slips in tax payments made through or dinary human error. In this connection, it is interesting to note that the federal government is today auditing ten percent more returns than a year ago and esimates that every dollar spent for the checking is xmcovering $25 to $30 un paid taxes. That angle, of getting more tax money through better auditing, and plugging some of the loopholes is something to think about. As for the other way of looking at the present state tax battles, we find ourselves in strong agree ment. .. and, let us say, not for the first time... with Editor Clarence Poe of The Progressive Farmer. Writes Mr. Poe: North Carolina must indeed go forward and the money to enable it to do so must be found. While the most painstaking and conscientious care must be exercised to find those new tax subjects which will be least hurtful in their effects, we venture to say that no tax or combination of taxes yet pro posed would be as hurtful to our state and its people as a failure to maintain the mo mentum of progress in which our people have justly felt so much pride. With this sentiment we believe the ^eat masses of North Carolina farm men and women would heartily agree. cine. ■% Bombs and Weather j space and hopes to hear from J. R. Marsh of 5C5 Morganton them both again On Various topics I Hail Good News And Dr. Falk Maybe some day the dimes can stop march ing. That is the good news that comes to the world in. the reports of the success of the ex periments made last year with the polio vac- Road believes there is a connec tion between explosion of atomic bombs and such freak weather as the disastrous freeze of a couple cf weeks ago. He says that he is not alone in that conviction and that he and a local man of his acquaintance have been discus sing the matter over the past year. The vast quantity of hot gas re leased by the atomic explosions disturbs air currents, Mr. Marsh thinks, resulting in unseasonable weather over wide areas of the earth. of their choosing.) Beauty That Was And Will Be Again Gardeners tried hard to find the silver lining to the bad freeze this spring. For a while it looked like a vain attempt, but it’s dif ferent now. Grey clouds are fading as folks are finding that many shrubs and flowers are staging a rousing comeback, and late blooming plants and dogwoods have not been harmed. So there’s hope that the gorgeous azaleas at Homewood, shown above, and at Clarendon Gardens, HoUytree Nurseries and other fine Sandhills garden spots will bloom again. FROM THE SMITHFIELD HERALD Resolution Is Wishful Thinking Contrary to the wishful think ing of many people in the South, the Supreme Court decision against segregation in the public schools is the supreme law of the land, and the decision will be fol lowed by the actual abandonment of segregation in the South as elsewhere. That is not to say that the end Of segregation will come in every community in the South simul taneously—at an exact hour de creed by the Court. A decree to end segregation everywhere at a single instant would be as un workable as it would be unwise. Time must be allowed for psy chological readjustment to a new pattern of life. Attitudes with deep roots simply don’t change overnight. Sbme communities are ready for desegragation now. Others are far from ready. Some conununities will require more time than others for readjust ment. There is evidence that the Su preme Court understands the dif ficulties involved in desegrega tion. When it declared segregation to be unconstitutional, the Court refrained from handing down any decrees to make its decision immedi^ately effective. It prefer red to postpone decrees until the states most affected by the deci- sicn had opportunity to express thoughtful opinions about how desegregation could be accom plished. The Supreme Court has taken a reasonable approach to the prob lem—a more reasonable ap proach, we think, than the ap The Final Word A quick reply from Fred Brind ley, local light versifier, was elic ited by Mrs. J. R. Lynes’ last—or as we wrote it “last(?)”—^word in last week’s Grains anent the the good-natured war-between- the-sexes needling that has been going on between the two verse writers (who incidentally have never met in person) since Mrs. Lynes started the ball rolling , ijj February with 11 lines of affec tionately patronizing comment on men in general. Mr. Brindley, a retired busi nessman, replied and Mrs. Lynes replied to the reply—aR three items appearing by way of sum mary in last week’s Pilot. Bright and early Monday morning, Mr. Brindley was in with his answer which evens the poetic comments to two and two for each side and which, we re should end It was based upon a sober analy sis of the psychology of North; Carolinians. It said that segrega-|Spec^u^y^j^^g/^^j^^^^ ^ ^ ia^TSSinll^Son^Selw haven’t the slightest doubt resolution, in effect, said to the but that most of the female read- Supreme Court of the United, ers of Grains still agree just as States, “Don’t force us-give us‘ time. There are many complica tions to be worked out. We must overhaul our psychology before we overhaul our school system.” But the Legislature, by striking out the word “forthwith,” has taken an unsound position. Of course, the Legislature was not defiant as some legislatures in the South are. The resolution, as adopted, did not say North Caro lina would pay no attention to the supreme law of the land. But the resolution did say, in effect, that the anti-segregation decision of the Supreme Court won’t ever work. This is saying much more than reason dictates. The Greensboro Daily News is on firmer ground than the Legis lature when it comments: “Our feeling is that the omission of ‘forthwith’ weakens rather than strengthens the resolution Changes in the racial picture in the South are bound to come in the future, as they have in the past. North Carolina should speak its mind on the Court decision— but it should net slam the door tight on possible revision in that thinking by oncoming genera tions.” The resolution passed by the Legislature weakens the strong case that we have had all along she had literally had the “last’ word—and vice versa with male readers and Mr. Brindley. If the question has remained a matter of argument over the thousands of years of mankind’s history, wO rather doubt if it will be settled in Grains now. Besides, we think Mr. Brindleyj adopts this time, as did Mrs. Lynes. in her last words, a very pleasant, compromising tone. Herewith, then, Mr. Brindley’s second contribution: proach taken last week by the for gradual desegregation. But it North Carolina General Assem bly. The. General Assembly passed a resolution declaring that the mixing of the races in the schools of North Carolina “cannot be ac- ccmplished.” The original version of the resolution had stated that the mixing of the races could not be accomplished ‘‘‘forthwith.” The dees mote than weaken our case before the Supreme Court. It gives support to wishful thinking in North Carolina at.a time when the great need is a facing up to the realities of our world. Sober, realistic thinking tells us that segregation is going to end, in fact as well as in principle. ’The only questions are by what pro original version was reasonable, cedures and in how long a time. Mrs. Lynes’ advice, so well worth while, I Is crammed with humor and with' guile. This is a mixture relished by men Who come back for more, again and again. . When in a lady’s eyes they see A gleam—-to them it’s “Ecstasy.” A man, and this I’m glad to say. Likes to see ladies happy and gay. Guile, yes, but the changing of mind Is irksome to man* and often we find That what was formerly ecstasy Is quickly changed to “Riddle Me Ree.” With a gracious lady of your age, I’m proud to exchange this badi nage. .. Mumps and A Poem Our esteemed colleague, repre sentative at Raleigh, best friend and bitter rival, Clif Blue, got the mumps in the middle of his de manding and strenuous work up there at the capitol. He was pretty sick about it; pretty sick, anyway, for that mat ter. Mumps are no fun. But he did get this satisfaction. The way his friends turned to and helped him out was something that warmed the cockles of his heart. They say: you never know who your friends really are imtil trouble strikes. Clif had his troubles but he also had his I friends. Another thing: Clif had, besides the mumps: he had a poem writ ten about him. By that grand old scribe of many friends himself. Skipper Oscar Coffin. It was pub lished in O. C.’s column in the Greensboro Daily News and we take most overwhelming pride in including it in this week’s Grains of Sand, as Chief High Cockelo- rum of All Grains: Candid Camera: Clifton Blue Really rating in Legislative Who’s Who Is a quiet newspaperman, Clifton Blue. Detests secret sessions? Sure, he’s that sort of fellow. But hasn’t pawed the earth or let out a bellow. ■When he came from Moore Coun ty to January in Raleigh It was not to- berate brethren for that obvious folly; For while he deplores laying Con stitution on shelf He’s confident the press can take care of itself. Best thought he gives, backed by splendid endurance. Tc' need to protect a simple citi zen’s insurance; And he has set for himself the laudable stint Of seeing that policies do not blur their fine print. I’m not going to claim that aU wisdom’s he’s got, But it’s his heart that’s warm, not his head that’s hot; And in lawmaking woods he’s a far abler sawyer Than many a solon who’s been li censed as lawyer. —O. C. (Ed. Note: For the benefit of readers who reached this ex,- change cf poems late, we’ll ex plain that “Ecstasy” got into th‘ verses when Mr. Brindley point ed that it’s something men will open wide their eyes to see Hedy Lamarr in, while Mrs. Lynes as serted it was more fittingly some thing for men to “keep the brakes Hens Can Take It While the poor humans may be groaning over the lugubrious ef fects of a shot of aureomycin, ter- ro-ditto, or any one or another of the strenuous mycin family, hark en, dear readers, to the tale of the hens. At the last corhmissioners’ meeting it was reported by As sistant Farm Extension Agent F D. Allen, that Moore County hens receive not one but three differ ent mycins when they catch cold, and ail in one fell shot. “They react just like folks,” said Mr. Allen. “About to die one day, and the next they’re up and strutting round, smart as paint.” Well, all we know is: we had just one of the ding things once and like to give up there and then. firm on.” ’The Pilot thanks both, Takes a hen to stand three, we’d Mrs. Lynes and Mr. Brindley fcrjsay. their lively contributions to this It is, of course, too soon truly to tell. Mean time, the surge of hope that has come to all parents of young children is truly electrifying. W’hen the dimes have marched along until all those who need care are provided for, when the experiments are thoroughly proved over a period of years, then the time to stop think ing about polio will be here: the dimes can stop marching then. It is good news. Good, too, to have this one more realization that man is going ahead, that the scientists are showing the way to true progress, to health and happiness. And if, by some this good news is shadowed by the bad news of atomic tests, of the dread fall-out, of threats of war, so that they sigh and think: “If it isn’t one thing, it’s going to be another,” to them we would say “Put your mind for a bit on the one thing, on this polio vaccine, and the children it will save, and, for a bit, stop thinking about all the rest. This is good news; let’s make the most of it.” RUDOLPH ELIE IN THE BOSTON HERALD Look Out! He’s Hot As A Pistol I have been pondering the simile—“hot as a pistol.” Now, then, how often is a pistol hot? It may be I only reveal an embarrassing ignorance about small arms, but I remember once shooting off a pistol, and it didn’t get hot at all. “As hot as a pistol” suggests the last word in hotness. It seems to create a picture of someone picking up a pistol that has just been shot off and dropping it as if he had seized a silver spoon left too long in boiling fudge. There are lots of old similes still kicking around. For instance, “like a bolt from the blue” means suddenly or unexpectedly, but with a more highly charged significance. Yet what, precisely, is a bolt from the blue? If the bolt refers to a bolt of lightning, how often does one spring from a blue sky? I’ve heard tell of such things, but always regarded them as old wives tales. . . but, hey, what’s an old wives’ tale? Now let us consider “eat like a horse.” As with pistols and old wives, my experience with horses is limited, but I never saw a horse eat anywhere near as enthusiastically as, for ex ample, a dog. “As pretty as a picture” distresses me, too, for the omission of what it is a picture of de prives it of any sense whatever. 'Would One say, “it’s as pretty as a picture of a pail of geir- bage?” or “as a picture of a deceased angle worm”? Another simile requiring overhaul is “as dead as a doornail.” Perhaps, when this one came into use a doornail was not k nail em- . ployed in the making of a door, but some kind of an animal that, when dead, was deader than anything 'else. If it refers to a nail in a door, however, is the nail deader than the hinge? Or the handle? Or the keyhole? As for being “dog tired,” is a tired dog more tired than a tired hen? This year, having been insane enough to plant a little vegetable garden, I went out one day to feel my cucumbers. Were they cool? You are quite correct. They were not. They were as hot as a pist. . . The list of tattered and meaningless similes may be extended indefinitely, but I append a select few for immediate limbo: As cross as a bear. (Bears aren’t cross at all; they are very playful critters until people poke them^in the ribs.) As green as grass. (You should see mine in August.) As good as gold. (Who’s got enough to know how good it is?) And, as fit as a fiddle. (I’ve got two that are a wreck.) However, having worked like a Trojan all day, being dog tired, as dry as a bone, ready to eat like a horse and feeling anything but sharp as a razor, I feel the time has come to drop the subject like a hot potato and slip away as quiet ly as a mouse to some near-by bistro. 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 Advertising 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. $1 Entered at the Postoffice at South ern Pines, N. C., as second class mail matter Member National Editorial Assn, and N. C. Press Assn. Mr. Allen’s reports always cheer everybody up. 'When he gets to telling about all those eggs being laid, and how there’s a, boom working up in broilers, you can almost see the commissioners begin to lick their lips. Visions of fried chicken, Moore County chicken, all hot and dripping, skincrackling waft through the air of the commissioners’ room. Even fetch in a few wanderers from the courtroom, now and then.
The Pilot (Southern Pines, N.C.)
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April 22, 1955, edition 1
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