Editorials
Of Roads, Education
As summer begins to wind down
and election day looms around the
corner of autumn, editors
throughout the state become
swamped with news releases from
various campaign headquarters an
nouncing candidate So-In-So "will be
in your area this coming" whenever,
and "we hope someone from your
staff will cover the event."
Of course, we are invited to come
out to personally meet the can
didate, exchange pleasantries and
shake his hand. We call it "grip and
grin" in the trade.
Part of the process of meeting the
candidate is listening to an itemized
listing of all the wrong things the op
ponent has done during his ad
ministration or term of office. And
usually, there is precious little said
by the candidate about what he will
do to right those wrongs once, if, or
when he is elected.
Here in North Carolina, guber
natorial candidates in both major
political parties have two favorite
issues that, in our opinion, have been
worn almost threadbare on the cam
paign stumps throughout the state
over the years. One issue is roads
and the other is education.
Candidates for the office of gover
nor know these issues strike a chord
in the hearts of the populace because
most people travel on and live beside
roads, and the majority have
children who have to attend public
schools.
To say that we need more and bet
ter roads in North Carolina is to imp
ly that our state lags behind others
in the quality of roads for motor
transportation. We submit that this
is not the case, and consider the
roads issue somewhat misleading to
a public which may not know better.
To drive on Interstate 40 west of
Memphis, Interstate 70 through
Kansas and Missouri, and most of
the state highways in other areas is
enough to convince us that North
Carolina is way ahead of other states
in the quality of our roads.
The decades of promises for better
education in our public schools have
proved to be without substance as in
dicated by the alarmingly increas
ing numbers of high school
graduates who did not learn to read
and write very well during 12 years
of public schooling.
State Senator Beverly Lake Jr.,
Republican candidate for governor,
and incumbent Democratic can
didate, Gov. Jim Hunt, have both us
ed roads and education as part of
their campaign rhetoric. The time
has come to let these time-worn
issues - "dead horses" if you will -
rest in peace.
Both candidates have good
slogans which have been associated
with their campaigns. Senator Lake
touts "principle above politics" and
Gov. Hunt speaks often of a better
"quality of life" for North Carolina
citizens. These slogans have merit
and would be better expounded in
the months remaining before the
election.
If both gentlemen would fully ex
plore and interpret their own
slogans, the "grip and grin" ses
sions along the campaign trail to
November 11 might be more in
teresting to editors and other voters
as well.
Support The Flea Market
The turnout last Saturday at the
Merchants Association Flea Market
was small compared to some
previous weekends. So was the at
tendance at the last Merchants
Association meeting. We certainly
hope this was caused by prior com
mitments or some last minute
changes in plans on the part of
association members and the public
which usually browses through the
market. We would not like to think
that the association members or the
vendors at previous markets are los
ing interest in this important effort.
The opportunity is here for all the
merchants on Main Street in Mar
shall to join together in an endeavor
that will benefit them as individual
businesses and the town as a whole.
The flea market itself is an oppor
tunity for those of you who grew pro
duce, on a large scale or small, to
show off some items your gardens
have yielded and pick up a few bucks
to boot. >
We look forward to seeing more
members, and new members, at
Thursday's Association meeting, a
nd numerous vendors in the parking
lot behind the Post Office this Satur
day.
Heard And Seen
By POP STORY
Every once in awhile a fellow does his
best on a problem only to find out it wasn't a
practical solution to the problem. Such was
the case with this writer last week. Every
summer kudzu covers more than an acre of
my property up at my house, rapidly grow
ing up the mountain, covering the trees,
fences, telephone and electric wires and
anything else in its wake. In past summers
Joe Eads has let his cows graze on the stuff
and they did a pretty good job of keeping it
from "taking the place." However, Joe sold
his cows and this summer the kudzu has run
wild and has also caused this writer to run
wild. As fast as I would attempt to cut down
the kudzu, it would grow right back quicker
than I could possibly make a dent in it. I've
had to fight the stuff to keep it from getting
to my home. Being a senior citizen, it's been
impossible for me to do much to the
"jungle" near my home. I consulted many
people and they didn't have a workable
solution. Many suggested that goats would
take care of it and they loved to eat it as well
as the roots. Since there were no cows
around, I finally decided to purchase a Billy
goat on Tuesday of last week. Knowing very
little or nothing about a goat, I got sugges
tions from the person I bought it from a fid
decided to give it a try. It was a very young
goat which had been dehorned and I was
told the goat would get rid of the kudzu. I
was assured it would not be objectionable
with its bleating and it had no odor. As far
as odor was concerned it didn't bother me
but the bleating (similar to crying) did
cause me concern at night and early morn
ing. I petted the goat as best I know how,
and even named it "Kudzey" (for kudzu).
However, I discovered in a few days that
the young goat either didn't like kudzu or
didn't like his new home. I talked with Joe
Eads and he advised me to give it some
grains of corn. He even gave me some corn
in the husks but Kudzey wouldn't eat the
grains. I kept plenty of water where he was
staked on a 20-foot chain but he just
wouldn't eat kudzu. "Bill" and I discussed
the situation from every angle and decided
that the goat wasn't the best idea. I had
grown somewhat fond of the animal and so
had "Bill" but we decided it best for the
goat and us to return it to its owner and try
spraying the growth although there's too
much kudzu to think about killing all of it. I
contacted the owner and he then informed
me that the goat had never been on a chain,
and had never been away from its mother.
He took back the goat and I was glad to see
it returned to his mother goat. The decision
to return it made "Bill," me, the mother
goat, and Kudzey" very happy. It was a
three-day experience I'll never forget. I
then conferred with Wiley DuVall, Mike
Allen, and others about spraying the kudzu
and I'm now in the process of seeing what
that will do. If anyone has any cows they
would like to graze on my kudzu, please get
in touch with me and I'm sure we can reach
an agreement. If some solution isn't soon
reached I'm afraid I'll die of Kudzuitis, sun
stroke, or a heart attack. All this stuff has
"got my goat" so I still have plenty (and
more) of the aggravating stuff.
The new editor of The News-Record is
G. Nicholas Hancock, but his "easy to
meet" personality and his immediate in
terest in this area has resulted in everyone
calling him "Nick" although this is the se
cond week that he has been associated with
this newspaper. He is the type of person who
knows what an editor's work is all about. He
comes to this newspaper from Asheboro
where he worked with The Courier Tribune,
a daily newspaper, in the technical area of
newspaper production as well as feature
writer and photographer.
Having worked with Nick since he started
his duties here a week ago, I feel that the
people and subscribers of The News-Record
will cooperate with him in his desire to
maintain and improve this newspaper. So
far, he has made a fine impression on this
writer and I look forward to working with
him in every way I can.
5 Receive Master's
Degrees At Western
Five master's degrees were
conferred on Madison area
graduates at Western
Carolina University in
Cullowbee Friday night dur
ing commencement exercises
led by Chancellor H.F. Robin
son, head of the institution
Margaret Lloyd Anderson of
Hot Springs received a
?Mter's degree in reading;
Jem C. Moss, Rt. l, Marshall,
a master's degree in physical
education; Claudel Brooks
McKenzie, Mars Hill,
master's degree in business
administration; Barbara W.
Peek, Et. 1, Mars Hill, a
master's degree in public
school educational media ; and
Caroleen Buckner Hodge,
formerly of Marshall and now
residing in Asheville, master
of arts degree in education.
Thomas Edison patented an
electrical voice recorder in
1KB.
The News -Record
NONPARTISAN IN POLITICS | ?
6. NICHOUS HANCOCK, Editor
JAMES I. STORY, Editor ill Consultant
(USPS;
-m ? Inc.
??X *9 MARSHALL. NX. 28753
PHONE: (704) 449 2741
REPUBLICAN supporters
gathered in Mars Hill to eat lunch
and listen to State Sen. Beverly
Lake Jr.
The average size of a U.S.
farm increased from 427 acres
in 1975 to 490 acres in 1979. The
Agriculture Department ex
pects another three acres will
be added to the average in
HELP IN
CRISIS
M now suncx
|m , j j|
MENTAL HEALTH
649-2367
AUGUST HOURS
DR. ROBERSONS OFFICE WILL BE
OPEN FOR THE PRACTICE OF
OPTOMETRY.
EVERY MONDAY 9 TO 1
WEDNESDAYS
AUGUST 13.9 TO 12
AUGUST 27, 9 TO 12
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Flak tan
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Mar* Mill, N. C. 2S754
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