Newspapers / The Pilot (Southern Pines, … / July 7, 1955, edition 1 / Page 2
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THURSDAY, JULY 7. 1955 PAGE TWO Southern Pine. North Carolina “In taking over The Pilot no changes are contemplated. We wiU t^ to keep tto a go<^ paper. We will try to make a little money for all concerned, mere feere everybody fny the niiWic vood we will try to do it. And we will treat everyoo y sion to use our influence for the public good we will try alike.”—James Boyd, May 23, 1941. School Boards Should Be Elected If a machine runs smoothly, it doesn’t nec- generally think ygt' tn essarily mean that it’s the best possible machine ficials, but look what happ . ^ _^r even that it is the best machine for the job Watauga County when the it is doing. the General Assembly wanted to appoint om It’s hiunan nature not to look beneath the county , school board and surface or examine the whys and wherefores if ' things roll along pretty nicely. We’re thinking these thoughts in connection with the way county school boards and a good many city school boards are chosen in North Carolina. We have no reason to believe that the county board of education, and the Southern Pines board of school trustees are not doing as good a job as would similar groups elected by the people. Maybe they are doing better jobs than would 100 per cent elected boards. We’re not thinking in terms of next week or next year, but rather about what is the most satisfactory way to fill public offices in a dem ocracy in the long run. If good and capable men to appoint another group. They never got to gether and now Watauga’s county board Of ed ucation is to be chosen, or maybe has been chosen by this time, by the State board of edu cation-taking the matter completely out of the hands of the local folks of whatever faction. As for city untt school boards, they are elect ed in some cities and appointed in others. In Southern Pines, members of the school board of trustees are appointed by the town governing body, the town council. Little-d democracy pre sumably enters the picture because the people have elected the council and so the council can speak for the people in choosing school officials. This is what is known as keeping politics out run. rr ^uuu unu n,.,, of education, but it is our observation that the and women fill appointive offices that handle politics of appointment are at least as ^volvea thousands of dollars of the public’s money and administer educational systems that have a personal importance to practically every family in the county or city—we can congratulate our selves on our good luck, but not our good judg ment. It may sound misleading to say that county boards of education are not elected, as they are nominated by Democrats—and Democrats only .—in the Democratic primary in May of one year, but then are appointed by the General Assembly in the Spring of the follovfing year. Regardless of all other considerations, this lag of nearly a year between “election” and taking office is a mockery of responsive demo cratic government. It is a glaring example of the “lame duck” muddle that was eliminated from the Federal government more than 20 years ago when the President and Congressmen, elected in November, did not take office until the following March. County board of education members and potentially vicious as the politics of elec- tion. One result cf the lack of school board elec tions at town and county levels is growing pub lic apathy about school affairs. School business tends to become hidden business, because no candidate is compelled to defend openly his stand on school issues in order to hold his office in a free election. It is our opinion, therefore, that school elec tions on both town and county levels, should be non-partisan, just as the Southern Pines town council election is nOn-partisan, and also that these elections should be held at a time when no other election is being conducted. Such a procedure would instill new vigor and public interest in operation of the schools and might bring out as candidates persons who would have much to contribute as school ad ministrators and who now either can not or will not advance themselves for such a public office. ( Historic Sites Drawing Interest Inquiries to the North Carolina News Bureau about historic buildings are becoming so num erous that it has issued a new bulletin entitled “Historic Homes and Buildings” which is avail able free upon request to the Department of Conservation and Development at Raleigh. Although the bulletin lists 141 structures in 49 localities, it represents, says the News Bu reau,’ “only a sampling” of the historic buildings in North Carolina. It lists,'for instance, the Shaw House in Southern Pines and Old Beth- esda Church near Aberdeen, but not the “House In The Horseshoe,” site of a Revolutionary skirmish, in Moore County’s Deep River Town ship. Of course, restoration work at the House in The Horsesljoe is not complete and interest in the bulletin is focussed on buildings that are open to the public. Yet many of those listed are not indicated as open to .visitors. What interests us here is not whether or not the House in The Horseshoe is listed, but that “inquiries. . . are becoming so numerous.” Enough persons, in and out cf North Carolina, are interested in the architecture and other tangible evidences of the past to sit down and v,’rite to the State News Bureau for more infor mation—indicating not a casual interest, but a real desire to know more about the historic sites of the state and presumably a desire to visit them too. In displaying this interest in old things, the public is catching up with the relatively small number of astute and informed persons who for years have been trying to preserve historic buildings and articles from destruction. In ap proving the present widespread interest in the past, we do not neglect to honor the pioneering persons who have fought for years for preser vation and recognition of the past, when it was not an especially popular viewpoint. Such persons are members of the North Caro lina Society For The Preservation of Antiqui ties which has a number of members and two officials in this area—Mrs. Ernest L. Ives of Southern Pines on the board of directors and George H. Maurice of Eagle Springs as vice- president for the Eighth Congressional District. A key to the current interest in antiquities may be found in the first paragraph of a letter sent recently to members of the above-named Society by Mrs. Charles A. Cannon of Concord, president, who had been directing the activities of the Society from a sickbed. The letter opens: “We had a marvelous an nual meeting in spite of the fact that I couldn’t he there.” And then this: “Indeed great was our awareness that we do not inherent Freedom but that we must work, fight, even die for it. Our ancestors did just that.” The motto quoted at the bottom of the Socie ty’s stationery may offer another clue to the ris ing interest in historical things: “To preserve and revere our past is to insure our future.” The average man may not be consciously aware of the philosophical implications of his interest in the past, but we believe that the im plications are there and that people are looking backward in time not as an escape from the present, but in order to gain inspiration and strength for the all-too-often uninspiring nature of life today. They're Saying The Child In Need What happens when a father or other bread winner in a family dies or becomes incapacita ted? We’re looking now at the problem of the dependent child in North Carblina through the eyes of a revealing study published by the State Board of Public Welfare. Some of the answers are astonishing. In 1937 North Carohna became a part of the Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) program un der the Social Security Act. By legal definition a “dependent child” is “a needy child under the age of 16 or under the age of 18 ... if regularly attending school, who has been deprived of pa rental support or care by reason of the death, continued absence from the home, or physical or mental incapacity of a parent, and who is living with . . { a close relative) ... in a place of residence maintained by one or more of such relatives as his or their own home.” Such a qualifies for assistance with the cost borne largely by the Federal Government but shared in by the State and county. And in brief this aid iij a substitute for the old-fashioned children’s home. North Carolina emerges from the study (made by an outade agency) with fsurly good marks. For instance: wmem imsssi Crains of Sand '(■A m & RESTP. .M m nm 'WSi / fiS’S’. CHfCASO •-PAIES The Fourth-Ranking Reason In N. C. Desertion And Welfare Payments Dirring the past year, there has been considerable pubhcity given,, in Moore county to problems cre ated by fathers who have desert ed their families. The problems included efforts of the courts to locate fathers in other states and force them to pay for support of their families, through the Uni form Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act; and also problems of providing for the needs of abandoned families through the county Welfare Department, usually by Aid to Dependent Chil dren payments. One case was uncovered last year, during a court trial of a father, in which apparently there had been collusion between the absent father and the “abandon ed” mother in order that the fam ily might receive Welfare pay ments. While this kind of thing is rare, it tended to arouse publm suspicion of a procedure that is an invaluable social service in the vast majority of cases. Funds Less Needed? instituting Aid to Dependent Chil dren payments. Desertion is the fourth-ranking cause. Desertion as a cause for receiv ing aid to dependent children is discussed and placed in its proper perspective in an article in “Pub lic Welfare News,” quarterly pub lication of the State Board of Public Welfare. This article fol lows: Because tax funds are used in Welfare payments (of which the county’s share runs to only about one ninth of the total, the re mainder coming from State and Federal sources), the public has a direct interest in the adminis tration of Welfare funds. Occa sionally there is an assumption that these funds are less needed than Welfare Department Admin istrators contend; sometimes the current “prosperous times” are cited to bolster the argument that Welfare needs are over-estimated. Statistics of the State Depart ment of Welfare show that death of the father in a family is the chief dause in North Carolina for Desertion by a parent is less frequently the reason families re ceive aid to dependent children (ADC) in North Carolina than in the nation as a whole. About 15 per cent of the fami lies receiving ADC in North Caro lina need this help because a pa rent has deserted, according to studies by the State Board of Public Welfare. In the nation as a whole this cause is responsible for about 26 per cent of the ADC cases. In every case of desertion where an ADC grant is involved, the county superintendent of pub lic welfare gives the name and all information available regardmg the whereabouts of the deserting parent to the law enforcement of ficial's. The courts have the re sponsibility lor following through to secure contributions from the deserting parent for his family. A Federal law effective since July, 1952, gives added support to the long time efforts to enforce North Carolina’s support statutes. father is second with 23 per cqnt, Fathers in an institution (usually prison) is third with about 19 per cent in this group. In only 15 per cent of the ADC cases has the father deserted his family. The facts for the nation show that the incapacity of the father is the major cause, fallowed by desertion, then death of the fath er as the third cause, and only eight per cent of lathers in insti tutions. North Carolina is one of 52 jur isdictions which have the Uni form Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act which provides a le gal method lor requiring a de serting parent to contribute to the support of his dependent children in another state or jurisdiction. In this State the Superior Court is designated as the court having jurisdiction in the initiation of action under this law when the dependent children are in this State. That court also executes .similar actions for out-of-State dependent children whose desert ing parent is in this State. 'Wash ington, D. C., is one of the lew major jurisdictions which does not have this law. Children in this State are aided for a shorter length of time—in 72 per cent of the cases for less than three years—^because of effective re habilitation work. Juvenile delinqiiency “is almost non-existent in ADC families and many of these children have been outstanding in scholarship, citizen ship, and leadership.” Average monthly payments to the some 45,- 000 children—one of the smallest numbers pro portionately in the country—average around $57 per family, or a little more than $15 per person. Small as this is, it is only a certain percentage of the minimum need. Death of the father accounts for 28 per cent of the North Carolina cases; desertion for only 15 per cent; and one out of five cases is brought about b^ the father’s being in an institution, usually prison. The study accords North Carolina’s program credit for ‘"tooney well spent.” The grants of course are a pittance by modem living stand ards and costs of living, yet in this important area of humane concern a great deal has been done for a very little. Today’s dependent child in North Carolina often is tomorrow’s leader. Surely that is praise enough. —Editorial from THE ASHEVILLE CITIZEN Death First Cause In North Carolina, desertion is fourth in order of frequency among the reasons aid to depen dent children is needed. Death of the father comes first with 28 per cent Of the cases occasioned by this cause. Incapacity of the Court Action Court action is necessary in re quiring a deserting parent to con tribute to the support of depend- NEW CITY SERVICES CALLED FOR If 100 New Families Move in\ When 100 families move into a mediunn-large city, what hew services wiR they caR for and how much wiR it all cost? The American Society of Plan ning Officials has worked up an answer to that question. FoRow- ing are some of the highRghts of the society’s finding: One hundred new famihes mean about 450 new people. The children will create a need for 2.2 more grade school rooms and 1.65 high school rooms, which will cost about $120,000. About 50 of the children will be in gram mar school, 25 in jxmior high, and 25 in senior high. Four more teachers will be needed. AR told, the 100 famihes wiU add some $30,000 a year to the school oper ating budget. The famRies wiR mean more street cleaning, more garbage col- ilecting, more tax coRecting, and Icity parks and city health wiU need more looking after. The water department wRl have to pump about 10,000 extra gaRons of water a day. The city wiR need to buy about four acres of land; one each for grammar school, high school, parks, and play areas. AR this will mean hiring more municipal employees. The city will need 0.84 new employees in the police department and two- thirds of a new fireman. Probably four others will have to be added to the city payroll. The new staff will up the police budget $4,510 a year, add $2,820 to fire depart ment expenses, and boost the general payroR by $12,000 to $15,- 000 Other odds and ends that the society figures the 100 new fam- ihes will require include: a new hospital bed (price $10,000); 500 new books for the Rbrary (add ing $675 to tbe library’s annual Mirror of Life . . . Newspapers, of course, are concerned with news. Unfortun ately, the unusual is newsworthy. Newspapers may look with con siderable regard on the millions of good people who go aWout their daily tasks with normal courage, humiUty and good spirit; but ex tremes are news—either extremes of goodness (like Albert Schweitzer) or extremes of bad ness (like Joseph StaRn). Palmer Hoyt, editor and pub lisher of the Denver Post, set forth the mission of a good news paper (in its news colunans) when ihe wrote as follows: Two Leland Stories Two stories by John A. Leland, brother of Mrs. E. T. McKeithen of Aberdeen and son-in-law of S. B. Richardson of Southern Pines, appear in current magazines of national circulation “The Enemy At liome” is in the July issue of The American Magazine and “Ambush On The Camden Road” is in CoRiers for July 8. Mr. Leland’s wife is the former Emily Richardson of Southern Pines. Mr. Leland has been an invaRd for the past 17 years. His writing for major magazines began sev eral years ago and he has had two stories in The Saturday Evening Post. He was able to write in longhand for some time but now, we are informed, must dictate to his wife who then types up the manuscripts. Friends in the SandhiRs have followed his career with interest. Against odds that to many per sons would be insurmountable, he is achieving notable success in the difficult and demanding field of magazine, fiction. In New York City We are most pleased to hesir that Professor Allen, who was principal of the Southern Pines High School in the late 1920’s and to whom we referred in this col umn last week as “the late Pro fessor Allen” is Rving in New York City, as is Mrs. ARen, and we express our most humble re gret at the wording of our refer ence to him. Old Post Card A post card received in the maR from J. B. Gifford of Southern Pines, now summering at Thous and Island Park, N. Y., pictures “Oak Hall,” a Southern Pines Ho tel which looked vaguely famR- iar as we glanced at it—a large, rectangular, three-story building ■with a veranda around the two visible sides. “Just came across this among ' some old papers,” Mr. Gifford wrote on the card. Thought you might be interested. In case you don’t remember, it is a part of the , present Southland Hotel” A big sign in white letters, “Oak Hall,” extends from the front of the hotel toward an ob viously unpaved street. When Several weeks ago, we queried whether any one knows the location of the “Ozone Hotel” which had been mentioned by a visitor to the Pilot office who said that his father worked there more than 50 years ago, we have heard fromxtwo sources that this, too, was the Southland. There is no date on the post card from Mr. Gifford, to indi cate when the picture of Oak HaR was made. Any information about either Oak Hall or the Ozone Hotel wiR be welcome. Thanks to Mr. Gifford for his contribution to The Pilot’s collec- ' tion of local history items. ent children, according to the studies of the State Board of Public Welfare which supervises the county-administered welfare program in Nbrth CaroRna. The fact that the whereabouts a large proportion of the de serting parents iS" unknown makes it exceedingly difficult to get sat isfactory results, the studies showed. Over against cases in which full information cannot be obtain ed, however, there are hundreds of cases in which payments from the deserting parents are secured as a result of the efforts - of the welfare department in coopera tion with the law enforcement of ficials. Desertion by a parent and the resulting needs of the children emphasize the service which can be rendered by case workers in county departments of pubRc welfare as they counsel with the remaining parent and children on thir family problems, the studies indicated. The PILOT Published Every Thursday by THE PILOT, Incorporated Southern Pines, North Carolina 1941—JAMES BOYD—1944 As I see the daily ne'ws- paper, it is a mirror of con temporary life. It must, if it is to be a good public servant, reflect life as it is. If crime and violence be a part of our Rfe, then the mirror must show crime and violence as it must also show construc tive and unselfish actions. AR elements of our Rfe must be sho'wn in the mirror of the daily newspaper in this prop er relation and balance. The problem, we admit, is se curing “proper relation and bal ance.” It is not easy to do, and the job becomes more difficult at South- when some newspapers distort me g^^ pjneg^ n. C., as second class balance of the news by playing mail matter. crime and violence aR out of pro-1 Katharine Boyd Editor C. Benedict News Editor Dan S. Ray Gen. Mgr. C. G. Coimcil Advertising Mary Scott New;ton Business Bessie Cameron Smith Society Composing Room Lochamy McLean, Dixie B. Ray, Michael Valen, Jasper Swearingen Subscription Rates: One Year $4. 6 mos. $2: 3 mos. SI budget); and a fraction of a cell in portion to their real news value. jSletrd)ef Nati^rf Editprial the jail. .tvia rjwenshopo Dailv News I find N. C. Press Assn. The Greensboro Daily News|
The Pilot (Southern Pines, N.C.)
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July 7, 1955, edition 1
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