" iHipirn
PROGRESS SENTINEL
^Ik'OL. XXXXVll NO. 18 USPS 162-860 KENANSV1LLE. N.C. 28349 MAY 5. 1983 18 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
Area Growers To
Receive Baby Chicks
Coastal Production Credit
Association will continue to
deliver all baby chicks now in
the Watson Seafood and
Poultry Co. hatcheries to the
firm's contract growers but it
will place no eggs in the
hatcheries. PC A President
Roy Houston said last week.
The PC A, a major creditor
"^>f the financially ailing com
pany, took over broiler
operations April 12 under a
voluntary liquidation plan.
The company filed for
protection under Chapter 11
of the federal bankruptcy
code. Following a six-hour
hearing last week in federal
UBiini uplvj WUII UI i\aitlgll,
Judge A. Thomas Small
issued a preliminary order
-^Tuesday allowing the
company time to perfect a
reorganization plan, but
leaving the PCA in control.
AH of the broilers now on
hand will be grown out and
the growers' houses empty
by late June unless Watson
is able to develop a financial
plan satisfactory to its
creditors and the court,
Houston said.
^ If the company closes and
Ats production is not picked
up by another firm, the esti
mated loss to the county's
economy would exceed SIS
million a year.
Failure of the company
would have a disastrous ef
fect on Duplin County's al
ready depressed economy,
county Economic Develop
ment Director John Gur
ganus said.
Under the court order, the
company must have the
PCA's permission to place
any eggs in the hatcheries for
continuing chick production.
Houston said all the baby
chicks will be moved out of
the hatcheries in four or five
T T.I. UJ-*
uajra. U[||C? ifaiMlll can gci
permission to set more eggs,
the growers' broiler houses
will gradually empty as the
matured flocks are sold.
"We will allow the com
pany to set eggs in the
hatchery if it can cover the
expenses of doing so,"
Houston said. "Everybody
would benefit if the company
can survive, especially the
creditors."
He said Coastal PCA has
never been involved in a
stiuation having such poten
tially adverse economic im
pact in the area. "It's a
tragic situation for every
body," Houston said.
The county's unemploy
ment rate was 13.7 percent in
February, according to the
state Employment Security
Commission.
The company has 125 con
tract growers, 120 employees
and produces 285,000
broilers each week, provid
ing employment for about
220 employees of the,Rose
Hill Poultry Corp. broiler
processing plant.
Under the usual hrniler
programs, fanners pay for
utilities and provide the
houses and labor for growing
out the chickens. The pro
gram operators provide the
birds, feed and medication
and pick up the matured
flocks. The growers are paid
so much per bird plus some
bonuses for efficiency.
The PCA has been paying
between $50,000 and $60,000
a day for feed for the broilers
since April 12, Houston said.
The company now owes
creditors about $6 million,
nearly $3 million of which is
owed the PCA.
Houston said the PCA
would do everything possible
to help growers who owe
money to the credit associa
tion for their broiler houses
in case the Watson company
is forced to close. About 40 of
the company's contract
growers are among the
PCA's 2,500 members, he
added.
Despite the depressed
agricultural economy, he
said, the PCA has been
involved in only two farm
foreclosures in the past year.
One of those was forced by
action of another creditor, he
said.
The PCA renewed or ex
tended payment time on
loans totaling S42 million in
the past year. Houston said
most of the borrowers are
keeping up with the new
terms despite the condition
of the farm economy. He said
the PCA made $34 million in
new loans during the past
year.
PCAs are member-owned
cooperatives that provide
operating capital for farms
and rural businesses. They
obtain funds from the Inter
mediate Credit Banks, which
get money through the sale
of bonds on the nation's
financial markets.
Depot Backers Won't
Give Up On Restoration
? The tale of a historic depot *
with more than a cat's pro
verbial nine lives continues
as supporters of restoration
seek funds to move the
structure.
If it is to be saved, the
building must be moved from ?
railroad property to a lot
owned by the town.
The Magnolia Town Board
Jad planned to demolish the
VeP?t last year after finding
the cost of moving it was
more than the town could
afford.
Interested people from
Magnolia and other parts of
Duplin County came to the
depot's rescue and prevailed
-upon the board to delay
action pending efforts to
raise money to move the
120-year-old brick structure.
The town obtained the
abandoned depot several
years ago from the then
seaboard Coast Line rail
road, now Seaboard Systems
Railroad Inc. Saying they
may need the land in the
future, the railroad company
officials refused to sell or
give the town a long-term
lease on the site.
The town pays the railroad
SI36 a year in land rent and
an insurance firm $100 a year
for SI million in liability
insurance.
A hearing on the depot
was held Thursday night at
Town Hall. Nan Fesperman
of Faison, who was instru
mental in saving the Faison
depot, told the board that a
building mover had esti
mated moving the 8,000-ton
structure would cost about
$42,000, including construc
tion of a new foundation.
Mayor Melvin Pope said
the town's property tax reve
nue last year was only
$20,000.
The building, which is 30
feet by 84 feet, would require
extensive renovation after
being moved.
Pope said Seaboard is
anxious to have the building
moved. He said the town is
supposed to put a fence
between the building and
railroad tracks and board up
windows and doors on the
side by the track while the
structure is on railroad
property.
The board took no action
Thursday, pending a report
at its May 10 meeting from
Melba Laney of the N.C.
Department of Natural Re
sources and Community De
velopment on sources for
funding the move.
Only two local residents,
besides town officials, at
tended the hearing.
*18000 In Flatw?ar Missing
'Warsaw Silver Thefts
By Emily Killette
Silver thefts from Warsaw
homes during the last two
?weeks of April have
Amounted to $18,000 in
losses, according to town
police department reports
and Detective Sergeant Gary
Cook.
"Only silver flatware was
taken," Cook said. "None of
the silver serving pieces
were taken even though they
were located near the flat
ware. In my opinion, the
^silver thefts are not profes
sional jobs. Professional
thieves would have taken
everything, guns, brass,
jewelry and portable appli
ances.
"There is no evidence in
the cases of breaking and
entering the home. And, I
feel the theft may have been
someone who knew the vic
tims," Cook said. Stolen
silver can be sold to pawn
shops or on the streets of
large cities. Cook pointed
out. However, pawn shops
are provided information on
stolen items.
As a precaution against
burglary. Cook suggested
strong locks on home
windows and doors, an alarm
system, a guard dog, placing
valuables in bank safety de
posit boxes, and the commu
nity watch program. In the
event of a theft, Cook sug
gested, all property be listed
individually on an inventory
and filed with photographs of
the items, and insured. In
scriptions and engraving
patterns should be listed for
silver and gold items.
"Many times a photo
graph works like a finger
print when identifying stolen
silver," Cook said. "Even
though there are many sets
of the same pattern of silver,
each will have unique fea
tures." According to Cook,
the police department is
working on some leads in the
Warsaw silver thefts, but
currently has no suspect.
"We have tried in the past
to organize a community
watch program, Cook said.
"And, the program will work
if the people in Warsaw get
involved and watch their
neighbor's house and report
any unusual activity." One of
the two silver thefts hap
pened during mid-day. The
second theft happened at a
determined time. Cook said.
To organize a community
watch. Cook advises neigh
borhoods to plan a meeting
and a member of the Warsaw
Police Department will at
tend with information on the
program. Organizational
meetings can be held in the
Warsaw town hall. Addi
tional information on a com
munity watch program is
available at the Warsaw
Police Department.
The recent silver thefts are
the first in three years. Cook
said. The 1980 thieves were
caught and the silver re
turned. he added.
Truck Drivers Charged
i
* With Racing Near Wallace
The drivers of two 10- ,
wheel log trucks were
charged last week with J
racing on a rural paved road
east of Wallace after one of ]
the trucks swerved off the . (
road and hit a ditch bank and ,
^tree.
Albert Douglas Dixon, 31,
and Richard Burton, 31, both ,
of Route 2, Wallace, were
changed with "engaging in
spontaneous speed compe
tition," according to Trooper
R.N. Johnson of the State
Highway Patrol. Burton was
also charged with driving
under the influence, Johnson
said.
Burton's 5-year-old
nephew, Ernie Burton of
Wallace, was a passenger in
his truck and was slightly
injured in the accident, John
son said. They were treated
and released from the hos
pital, he said.
Both trucks were "bob
tailing," the trooper said,
driving the cabs without the
trailers. They were traveling
4
on rural paved road 1827 in
the Deep Bottom section of
Duplin County, 11 miles east
of Wallace. (
The accident occurred
about 6:40 p.m. when Dixon
was passing Burton, Johnson
said. Burton lost control of
his truck and went off the
road on the left side and hit a
ditch bank and tree, he said.^ 1
EAGLE SC3UTS RECOGNIZED. ? The Duplin com
missioners presented four county residents with certifi
cates of achievement in reaching the rank of Eagle Scout.
The Scouts and their families met with the Duplin
commissioners during their meeting May 2 for the
presentations by Chairman William ?tiu. Pictured
above, left to right, Costin. Mark Sloan of Chinquapin.
Craig Sybrant of Beulaville. Lee Whaley of Beulavilie. and
Herbie Tucker of Teachey . Craig and Lee are 14 years of
age and Mark and Herbie are 18.
DONATE BLOOD - The Faison Fire and Rescue
Departments sponsored the Red Cross Bloodmobile in
their town May 2. Annie Brown, a member of the rescue
squad, said the drive had reached more than half of its
goal of 100 pints of blood by midday. Pictured above, Alvin
Hackman. aCates employee, is being tested before giving
blood, fy Marv Lee of Faison.
Late Produce Planting Could Leave
Farmers With Low Market Prices
By Emily Klllette
Area farmers have just
begun to plant produce
crops, a job usually com
pleted in early April.
Northern farmers are begin
ning to plant for their pro
duce season and the outcome
could leave Southern grow
ers the low market prices,
Duplin Agricultural Exten
sion Service agent Phil Den
linger said.
uupnn s main produce
crops are cucumbers, squash
and pepper. Once a produce
crop is planted, a yield can
be expected within six to
eight weeks. Denlinger
pointed out. Horticultural
crops in Duplin do not repre
sent the highest income agri
cultural commodity, but al
most $14,000,000 came into
the county from horticulture
in 1982.
"This year will be a late
season for produce farm
ers," Denlinger said. "The
southern farmer's advantage
has been the early market,
but due to rain and late
frosts, produce crops have
not been planted on time. In
this area, farmers usually
expect the last hard frost
during the first of April and
Northern farmers the first of
May. There is the chance of a
late frost in the North, which
would help keep the demand
high for southern produce.
"Everyone is planting at
the same time this year and
northern markets will buy
the local produce to avoid the
cost of shipping southern
crops," Denlinger said.
Along with produce,
Duplin is expected to have
lost as much as 50 percent of
the local strawberries. Den
linger pointed out strawber
ries in full bloom will suffer
damage in temperatuics 30
degrees and below. Duplin
only produces 25-30 acres of
strawberries each year,
much of which is grown in
one- or two-acre patches.
Blueberries suffered from
the late frosts, but only a 20
percent loss is estimated by
Denlinger. Duplin has 500
acres of blueberries. Accord
ing to Denlinger. blueberries
will bear cold to 28 degrees
before suffering losses.
Duplin's peach crop,
approximately 10 acres, suf
fered the greatest damage
from the late April frost.
While the state peach crop
has been estimated a 98
percent loss, Denlinger feels
Duplin's peaches came
>nrough with less damage.
democrats express appreciation
- Melvin G. Williams served two consecutive
terms as chairman of the Democratic
Executive Commute, 1V/9-83. During the
1983 Democratic Duplin County Convention
held April 29 in the Kenansville courthouse,
Williams was presented t^o plaques ex
pressing appreciation for his leadership.
Williams is pictured above, right, during the
presentation of a nlanue from the Demo
cratic Executive Committee by Charles
Ingram, chairman. A plaqut of appreciation
was also presented to williams from the
Duplin County Convention.