Editorials
Behind Closed Doors
During last week's meeting, the newly reorganized Hoke County
Commission sequestered themselves behind closed doors for over 90
minutes, and spent most of what was the last public meeting of the
year in private.
The non-public session was called ostensively to discuss the coun
ty's need for more office space, as well as a contract with the Hoke
County Ambulance Service.
There is little question that under the 1979 North Carolina Open
Meeting Law that both items are justifiable reasons for an executive
session.
The commission has devoted several recent closed door sessions to
the acquisition of additional office space, and we recognize that
county employees are working in cramped quarters.
And that the sheriff s department has no room to interrogate
suspects or to interview witnesses privately.
The "Open Meetings Law" allows public bodies to go into private
session when negotiating contracts for the purchase, sale or lease of
real property and when public airing of negotiations would
jeopardize a transaction.
However, when public bodies go behind closed doors for extensive
sessions, it leads one to wonder if more than contract negotiations
are being discussed.
Over 60% of last week's meeting was conducted in private, and for
a body which is elected to serve the public and is spending taxpayers
money, the practice is at least questionable.
The public has a right to know what options are available to the
county and what the price tag might be for additional office space.
The public also has a right to know that the county is currently
paying the ambulance service more than $60,000 per year and how
that money is being spent.
There is some financial information available to the public about
the ambulance service, but even those facts are difficult for an
average taxpayer to obtain. Certainly more difficult than if they were
aired in an open meeting.
If the ambulance service needs more money, then the public
should have the right to know why.
It is hoped that the newly elected commission's first closed
meeting will not be a harbinger for future sessions during 1983.
By paying the bills and the salaries of its elected officials, the
public has earned the right not only to know what the commissioners
decided, but also how they reached their decisions.
We encourage members of the hoke County Commission to leave
the doors open, and allow the taxpayers a chance to see how their
elected officials are conducting the public's business.
A Costly Move
During the next month members of the Raeford City Council will
be faced with deciding whether or not to forgive sewer fees for two
small local industries.
Although the fees amount to little or more than a few hundred
dollars a year to the city, a move by the council to eliminate the
charges could establish a dangerous precedent and could result in
higher water and sewer fees for all city customers.
According to the revenue bond agreement signed by the city and
state regulations the Raeford water and sewer svstem must be
self-sustaining financially. Fees charged to the customers must
cover the cost of operating the system.
In order to maintain this balance, city officials have charged all
customers, industrial, commercial and residential, a fiat sewer fee
based on water consumption.
Under the present system, customers are charged 109% of the
waterbills. no matter how much effluent they discharge into the
sewer system. The only exceptions are a handful of residential
customers who have special monitoring devices for water that goes
on lawns and into swimming pools.
The county's larger industries, who grantedly have contributed to
Raeford's sewage treatment difficulties, but who only dump a small
percentage of their water consumption back into the city system,
have sought relief in the past and have been denied fee reductions.
If fees are forgiven for the two smaller manufacturers, then the
council would have opened the door for justifiable complaints from
the larger industrial neighbors.
In addition, a vote in favor of removing the fees could also weaken
the counsel's "get tough" position when dealing with the House of
Raeford's pre-treatment violations during next month's meeting.
We hope council members will put aside friendships, business ties
and personal commitments to fulfill their obligation to serve the
entire community when vote is taken on the sewer fee matter during
the January 10 meeting.
A vote otherwise could cost us all a great deal.
v?c? ; nan
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
ASSOCIATION
AS SOCIATION
PaMfched Erery Thanday at Raeford, N.C. 2*376
119 W Klwood Atcm
Subtrriptloa Rain la Advaoce
Per Year ? SI. 00 6 Moatfca? M.2S 3 Moatfca? S2.2S
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PAUL DICKSON
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BILL L1NDAU
MRS. PAUL DICKSON ....
8AM C. MORRIS
Editor
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. .Society Editor
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Pa Maker
Editor
ANN WEBB
Secood Oaaa Pottage at Raeford, N.C.
(USPS 300- MO)
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It's a Small World
byBMLMM
Purgatory Mountain, about six
miles south of Asheboro. is the
home of the State Zoo now, as
everybody knows.
Wild animals roam free and safe
out in the open, and some are in a
separate petting zoo. for children
particularly.
But Purgatory Mountain had
some different programs some time
before the land was taken up for
the zoo about 11 years ago. The
programs weren't financed by the
state of course, and they were
carried out according to the whim
of the individuals concerned.
For instance. Purgatory was
popular with lovers.
It also served from time to time
as a haven for escaped convicts.
One guy lived off the land of the
Purgatory wilderness for three
weeks and might have spent his life
there if he hadn't been captured by
the law . The livng on Purgatory was
good if you didn't mind eating roots
and berries and maybe a toad or
two every day. and being cold at
times. Of course. you needn't have
been cold, if you weren't an
escaped felon or other fugitive from
justice. You could always build a
Fire if necessary by the old. hard
way, if you weren't a fugitive, who
couldn't since he didn't want to
attract attention.
? ? *
Spending some time at the Dog
Pound causes a body to recall some
dog stories.
Seeing this huge Great Dane type
at the Pound (he's been adopted
since, by the way), reminded me of
a Doberman Pinscher remark 1
heard in a comedy movie a long
time ago.
A man had a Doberman in his
house when a woman visitor saw
the dog for the first time.
"Is that the kind of dog who bites
people?" she asked the pet's owner
nervously.
"No." he replied in a reassuring
tone, "he's the kind of dog who
pinches Dobermans."
* * *
A farmer had a horse he claimed
could talk, and he proved it to the
satisfaction of the visitors, skeptical
or otherwise. He'd ask the horse a
question, and the horse would talk.
English, that is. not just by pawing
with a hoof.
Wherever the horse went, a small
dog followed.
One time while a stranger was
marveling at the demonstration of
the horse making remarks, a farm
hand drew the visitor aside and
whispered:
"It's a fake. That horse can't
talk."
"He can't?" the visitor asked
incredulously. "But how..."
"The horse can't talk." the farm
hand said knowingly. "See that dog
there? Follows him around all the
time."
He paused to give the visitor a
chance to study the dog.
"That dog's a ventriloquist." the
farm hand said.
Utters To The EdHor
Thanks Given
Dear Editor:
Actually. 1 need a thesaurus to
find the proper descriptive word for
the delicious refreshments served
by the Hoke High School food
service class at the Teacher of the
Year Reception.
In addition to their skill in food
preparation, the young ladies who
served as caterers exemplified
graciousness. dignity, poise and
qualities of fine womanhood. Mrs.
I i
Harriet J Archer, the instructor of
the class, is to be commended.
May I also express my deepest
gratitude to the Teacher of the
Year Selection Committee for such
a beautifully planned affair, the
lovely corsage and plaque. They are
all treasures which 1 shall forever
hold dear.
1 am especially appreciative to
my counterparts who displayed
their cordiality by attending the
reception and expressed congratu
lations. It is a wonderful experience
Congress often deserves more
praise for the bills it doesn't pass
than for those it approves ?
especially during a lame-duck se> -
sion.
One such bilf was a Senate pro
posal to relive price-fixers of
millions of dollars in liabilities.
The bill had more than passing in
terest in this area because one com
pany owed some of those millions
is Burlington Industries. The bill
would have substantially reduced
the court-approved award Burl
ington won against a company it
sued for price-fixing behavior.
It is one thing to suggest chang
ing the manner in which such set
tlements are awarded in future
price-fixing cases. But it is quite
another to make those change^ ap
Congressional praise
ply retroactively to firms that had
already won court settlements bas
ed on existing anti-trust rules.
That's simply unfair.
But that is what the so-called
Anti-trust Equal Enforcement Act
sponsored by Sen. Strom Thur
mond, R-S.C., would have done.
Other senators disagreed and
organized a filibuster. But on a
vote to invoke cloture to limit
debate, supporters of the bill lost
44 to 51.
That means the measure won't
be considered in the lame-duck ses
sion. But supporters vowed to br
ing it back again in the next ses
sion. Eternal vigilance is the price
of sound legislation, too.
From The Greensboro Daily News
to be associated with such noble
persons. 1 relish being "given mv
flowers while I live."
It is with great anticipation and
enthusiasm that 1 prepare my
scrapbook and await my interview
with the Region IV Teacher of the
Year Selection Committee. Know
ing that 1 represent some of the
most intelligent, intellectural and
caring people in the county of
Hoke--those entrusted to educate
America's greatest resources--our
children.
Sincerely,
Ethelyn H. Baker
West Hoke Elementary
Puppy Creek
Philosopher
Dear editor:
I'm just guessing, but it may be
that the proposal for a 5-cents a
gallon tax on gasoline came about
when a Congressman, demanding
that "we get this country back on
the road," got out on a highway
himself and discovered it was full
of pot holes and the bridges were
shaky.
It's a problem for the Lame
Duck session of Congress, as
distinguished from a regular ses
sion, which I supposed is called a
Well Duck session. I've never been
to Washington and wouldn't
know.
Anyway, the Administration in
Washington says the tax isn't a
tax, it's a user's fee. Let the people
who use the highways pay for
repairing them and at the same
time give work for the
unemployed.
Yours faithtuiiy,
J. A.
CUREdUf ...
PtapU & l?Ni
THURMOND. ..U.S. Senator
Strom Thurmond is a most
unusual man. He has been a
Democrat, Independent, and
Republican. He has served as a
democrat governor of South
Carolina, a third party candidate
for President and a republican
United States Senator. He is now
80 years old and the people of
South Carolina are urging him to
seek re-election. Thurmond says he ,
is considering a bid for a sixth
Senate term in 1984.
Not many people can get elected
Governor; run for president of the
States Right Ticket, and lose, and
get elected to the U.S. Senate as a
Republican.
NUKE PROTESTER. ..Every
few days somebody tries a stunt to
get publicity. Last week it was a
66-year-old Miami Beach han
dyman, dressed in a blue jumpsuit i
who held police at bay, trapped
nine people in the Washington
monument for several hours and
forced the evacuation of thousands
of capitol workers in a reckless
bluff. He claimed to have
dynamite in his white van. de
manding that newspapers and
broadcasters devote 51 percent ot
their time on a "national dialogue
on the nuclear weapons question." ?,
Policemen, not knowing what he
would do, shot him dead as he
started to leave.
UNION?. ..The Northern and
Southern Presbyterian churches
are moving in the direction of
"union."
The Presbyterian Church was
split over the civil war and the
Southern and Northern
Presbyterian churches have
operated separately ever since.
About a dozen years ago the Nor
thern and Southern churches
began discussing union again.
The arguments between the two
churches got pretty hot, so they
decided to let it cool off for awhile.
Well, things have cooled off and
the two divisions have been talking
again and now are preparing for a
vote in January.
MAYOR KNOX. ..We notice
that Mayor Eddie Knox of
Charlotte received a good home
town rally in Charlotte a few days
ago. Among the home town
leaders listed present at the rally
were: NCNB Corp. President
Hugh McColl, the party's master
of ceremonies; former Mecklen
burg County Commissioner Chair
man Liz Hair; Charlotte Motor
Speedway Board Chairman,
Bruton Smith: former School
Board chairman. William Poe.
Delegations from Avery, Burke,
Caldwell, Pitt, and Wilkes coun
ties were in attendance. The take at
the rally before expenses was
around Si 50,000 reported the
Charlotte Observer.
Another possible candidate for
governor from Mecklenburg is
former Mayor John Belk. It could
be that the Knox candidacy will
make it hard for both Knox and
Belk to run, but, it now appears
that Knox is out ahead.
However Belk is a good name in
North Carolina with the many
Belk stores throughout the state.
Belk is a former mayor of
Charlotte, while Knox is the pre
sent Mayor.
MINISTER'S SIGNS. ..The
Rev. Ricky James has put up 1,080
street markers in Stanley County
during the past 11 months. The
sign project was sponsored by the
five member board of county com
missioners. James, a Baptist
preacher in Stanley County, put up
all the signs. "1 dedicated all my
markers to the Lord to thank him
for giving me the strength to do
this work that will help people in
their traveling about." A job well
done which took 11 months of
hard labor!
REPUBLICAN DEFEAT?...
What caused the big defeat for the
Republicans in North Carolina on
November 4?
People have had time to think
about it and come to a conclusion
for the set back.
When we have high inflation
and unemployment we have lots of
people concerned. Pocketbook
issues will effect thousands of peo
ple. Nationwide, the Republicans
were in charge. While Reagan was
telling the people that better times
were just around the corner, peo
ple without jobs just could not see
that far ahead.
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ceived by the Nrm-Jottmal by
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publication week.