PROGRESS SENTINEL
V
VOL. XXXXVIIN0.6 USPS 162-860 KENANSVILLE. NC 28340 ? FEBRUARY 10. 1983 14 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 t'ENTS PLUS TAX
TRUCKERS PARK ? Duplin County truckers parked their
tractor-trailers to join the nationwide independent
operators strike last week. Elwood Quinn of Beulaville.
pictured above, explained many independent truckers will
have to shut down permanently without some form of tax
relief. Quinn's trucks haul foodstuffs through the United
States.
, Local Truckers Join ?
Nationwide Strike
, ? By FuUiy Klllettc
Local independent truck
| ^rs joine-l the nationwide
strike last week and ex
plained state and federal
taxes have exceeded owner
' profits. Without tax relief
many truckers say their
businesses will fold.
Duplin trucker and busi
nessman Elwood Quinn of
Beulaville operates 12 tractor
trailers; he employs 23
people. Quinn and other local
^truckers say they are not
Striking to repeal the five
cent tax on fuel, but to make
the public aware of the
burden of taxes placed on the
operators. Truckers say the
five cents tax is fair but
request other revenues for
road repair, imposed only on
truckers, be shared by all
motorists. Laura Quinn. wife
and bookkeeper for her hus
band's trucking company,
^^xplained that states have
begun to impose road use
taxes in addition to truckers'
federal highway use taxes.
M Truckers have been paving
I federal road use taxes for
approximately 20 years. The
additional state road use
taxes began in 1980 and have
\javh*ir%.rtitkers' profit, fhe'
bookkeeper said.
"You cannot move
through a state without being
taxed." Laura Quinn said.
"The states are taxing us to
death. It costs $1,100 for
taxes on our six trucks
traveling in Pennsylvania
last year, and North Carolina
only charged Pennsylvania
trucks $1." Ervin Quinn's
trucking company employs
eight people and Laura
Quinn explained that 1980
was the last year the busi
ness made a profit; in 1982
the company operated in the
red.
"The five-cent gas tax was
fair because h applies to all
motorists," Elwood Quinn
said. "Trucks have been
paying highway use taxes,
and if the rest of the motor
ists had been financing their
fair share, we would have
good highways."
Federal highway use taxes
are imposed per pound upon
fully-loaded tractor-trailers.
The average tractor-trailer
will pay a highway use tax of
about $210 a year, Elwood
Quinn said. Excise taxes on
the sale of a tractor trailer rig
?"have also increased two per
cent. Truckers buying a new
tractor-trailer pays a
$100,000 purchase price and
an additional $12,000 excise
tax or sales commission to
the federal government,
Quinn explained. The 12
percent tax is not imposed on
auto sales. Rubber taxes on
tractor and trailer tires were
also increased, while smaller
vehicles were decreased. The
trucker's tax expenses will
be passed to the consumer.
"Most Senators are
putting the bill on the
truckers and letting them
pass it on to the consumer,
and it will eventually work
that way with the ones
(truckers) that survive,"
Elwood Quinn said. "But.
the bottom line, it will cost
Americans more money
going through the truckers
than through direct taxes as
part of the highway use tax,
rubber tax or excise tax.
Before the new taxes, a
trucker-hauled product
.would cost $1.26 and after
wards $1.51."
According to truckers, in
dependent operators are
moving the majority 4
perishable foods. Elwoo5
Quinn estimates 200-300 in
dependent operators of log
trucks, flat-bed haulers and
tractor-trailers reside in
Duplin County. Many of the
truckers haul food stuffs.
Quinn says his trucks carry a
great amount of frozen foods,
seafood and orange juice to
areas all over the United
States. Independent drivers
represent about a fifth of the
trucking industry and haul
approximately 90 percent of
the perishable produce ship
ments. There are an esti
mated 100.000 independent
truckers in the United States
Quinn explained the truckers
hope to call attention to what
they term the "unfairness"
if highway taxes on only
truckers and eventually be
able to pay less use fees
while other motorists begin
to carry their "fair" share of
road repair costs.
The Beulaville-based
truckers say the strike will
continue at least two weeks
and result in employment
lay-offs all across the nation.
While striking. Quinn and
other truckers will keep busy
making repairs to their rigs.
Duplin Improves Physical Education . .
?Gilesple Named Charity Principal
Willie Gillespie, assistant
principal of Warsaw Junior
High School, was named
principal of Charity Middle
School east of Rose Hill this
past week by the Duplin
County Board of Education.
' Gillespie assumed the
Aposition Monday. He suc
^^eeds W.J. Powers, who died
on Christmas Day.
Superintendent L.S. Guy
said Gillespie had been in the
Duplin school system for 12
years. He lives in Kenans
ville.
Charles Blanchard filled
the position temporarily. He
will return to his position as
assistant principal of the
school.
^ The comparative perfor
mance of Duplin County
students in physical educa
tion classes has improved in
the last three years, ac
cording to Mary Wellons,
coordinator of physical edu
cation for the school system.
She said the performance
has improved despite the low
priority the system gives
physical education.
0 The need for physical edu
cation classes in the schools
is increasing, she empha
sized. "h seems like the
f
furtocr we get into the
computer age, the more the
youngsters are sitting in
front of computers, pushing
buttons and pulling levers,"
she said. "They're getting
less exercise than ever."
She said studies show
students learn more, their
motor skills improve and
they become more alert as
their physical abilities im
prove.
In 1979 she said 4,772
Duplin students were given
physical tests and 75 percent
met county objectives, with
40 percent of them earning
awards of excellence. Third
grade students had the best
performance; the weakest
were the .'jurth and ninth.
Girls outperformed boys in
Grades 5. 6, 10 and 12 and
tied the boys in Grade 7.
Kenansville Elementary
School students showed the
best performance record in
1979.
Last year the system
tested 4,728 students and 78
percent met the county ob
jectives with 51 percent earn
ing excellent awards. Out
standing grades were the
third, eighth. 10th and 12th.
Weakest grades were fourth
and ninth.
Charity Junior High School
east of Rose Hill had the best
performance record. Boys
outperformed girls in Grades
4. 5. 6. 7 10 and 12 and tied
in Grades 8 and 9.
Rose Hill 18 Year Old
Is Charged In Murder
Ronald Spearman. 18. of
Rose Hill, was charged early
Sunday morning with the
first-degree murder of a 19
year-old acquaintance, San
ford Lane Lee. also of Rose
Hill.
Spearman surrendered at
the Rose Hill Police De
partment at 12:30 a.m. He is
being held without bond
pending a district criminal
court hearing in either
Sampson or Onslow County.
Spearman alleged!, stab
bed Lee in the upper light
part of the chest with a
butcher knife about 11 inches
long, according to Rose Hill
Police Chief Bobby Maready.
He said the men were ac
quainted and were arguing
"over some minor disagree
ments they have had in the
past." Lee was unarmed, the
chief said.
After the stabbing on
Circle Drive, a residential
area on tne west side of Rose
Hill, Lee walked about 100
yards to a friend's home to
get aid. The friends called
police and rescue workers,
but Lee was pronounced
dead at the scene by Dr.
Steve Griffith, Duplin County
medical examiner. ^
DUPLIN FARMERS RECEIVE NADA AWARDS Annual
awards were presented at the Neuse Area Development
Association in Kinston, Feb. 2. Local farmers received all
awards in the heavy turkey hens poultry category. Awards
are sponsored by the nine county Agricultural Extension
offices and participating area poultry companies. F.ach
winner received a cash prize and trophv. Heavy turkev
hens winners and Carroll's Foods representative are
pictured above, left to right. Carrots service manager.
Jerry Rhodes: third place winners. Mr. and Mrs. O R.
Blizzard Jr. of Kenansville. first place. Mr. and Mrs. Paul
Dail of Kenansville; Carroll's turkey production manager.
Joel Coleman; and second place winners. Mr and Mrs.
Dean Cooper of Route 2, Mount Olive.
LOCAL POULTRY FARMERS WIN AWARDS The Neusc
Area . Development Association, a nine-counts organi
sation. held their annual awards dinner Feb. 2 in Kinston.
Area farmers received all awards in the roaster-fryer
turkeys and heavy turkey hens categories. Roaster-fryer
winners pictured above, with Carroll's Foods company
representatives. are, left to right. Jerry Rhodes. Carroll's
service manager; second place winners. Mr. and Mrs.
Ronald Houston of Ketiansvillc: first place. Mr and Mrs
Jimmy Summerlin of Kcnansvillc; and third place. Mr.
and Mrs. Joseph D. Carter of Bculaville. Each winner was
presented a cash award and trophy.
Library
Quiz Bowl
Duplin County - Dorothy
Wightman Library has sche
duled the local 1983 Quiz
Bowl for Thursday. Feb. 10
at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at
James Sprunt Technical Col
lege in Kenansville. Partici
pating are East Duplin.
James Kenan, North Duplin
and Wallace-Rose Hill high
schools. The team members,
alternates and sponsors of
each are:
East Duplin: Brian Smith.
Camille Grady. Laura Hunter
and Elizabeth Frazzelle; al
ternates Rhonda Creech and
Brenda Judge; and sponsor.
Edna P. Grady.
James Kenan: Steve
Quinn, Andy Futreal. Karen
Wallace and Wesley Cas
teen; alternates, Carlton
Smith. Valerie Williams: and
Shirli Gaskins. sponsor.
North Duplin: Pat Simp
son. Mike Lindsay. Tim
Dazey, Curt Williams; alter
nates. Jewel Swinson and
Melanie Parker: Barbara
Guv. sponsor.
Wallace-Rose Hill: Dean
Butts, Marion Eddy. Robert
Evans, Douglas Rogers; al
ternate, Alex Powells;
Valerie Merritt. sponsor.
The teams will be quizzed
on information obtained from
Encyclopedia Americana,
World Almanac or Informa
tion Please Almanac. News
^ek and Time magazines.
This is the fifth annual
countywide Quiz Bowl to be
held in Duplin County. The
competition was started and
sponsored by public libraries
in an effort to recognize and
encourage the academically -
oriented students.
The teams have been pre
paring for months, so you are
invited to come on out on
Feb. 10 for a look at the
competion. The winners will
go to Wilmington on March 5
for the regional 1983 Quiz
Bowl.
POULTRY AWARD WINNKRS Duplin
farmer John Jarman won second place in the
Neuse Area Development Association
breeder hens category and Tom Wallace
placed first in the broiler awards. The
awards were trophies and a cash prize
presented during the annual NADA banquet
Feb. 2 in Kinston. Awards are furnished by
the nine-county NADA Agricultural Exten
sion offices and poultry companies. Pictured
above, left to right. AES agent Snodie
Wilson presents son. Avery Jarman and Ms.
John Jarman, second place breeder hens
award. Jarman grows poultry with Country,
Pride and Tom Wallace, New Hope Feeds.
SOYBEAN AWARD Kelvin Kornegay of
Route 2, Mount Olive, is pictured, left,
above receiving the third place award in
soybean production from Duplin Agricul
tural Extension agent, Snodie Wilson. The
award was presented during the Neuse Area
Development Association annual dinner
Feb. 2. Kornegav placed third in a nine
County soybean production contest; he won
with 58.77 bushels per aore. The award was
a cash prize. ^