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PROGRESS SENTINEL
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VOL. XXXXV1I NO. 9 USPS 162-860 KENANSVILEly NC 28349 MARCH 1,1984 16 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
^Warsaw Fireman Puts Out Grass Fire
Warsaw and Magnolia fire departments were called to a grass fire that
burned down a tobacco barn at the old Ritter Farm east of Warsaw near
, ? ?? i w m m im..~ * ?#" *
Johnson's Church. The fire began when an electric fence fell and started a
grassfire. The fireman with the hose is Robert Earl Price.
Dr. Jeff Margolis, M.D.
Resigns From Faison Medical Clinic
Goshen Medical Center opened in
Faison with Dr. Jeff Margolis, M.D.
on staff in 1981, but when his con
tract ends June 30, the internist
plans to leave the Duplin facility.
Disturbed by the guidelines of
operation established by Rural
Health Initiative of Atlanta for the
federally funded Goshen Medical
Center, Mareolis said physicians are
pfishJSI Beyond reasonable limits to
? meet the regulations. Adding up his
time sheet for an average seven-day
work week, Margolis totals at least
87 hours from seeing patients at the
Center, attending to hospital rounds,
and emergency calls.
Doctors at federally funded
medical centers such as Goshen are
required to see 10 patients on site
each day. On site visits are used by
Rural Health Initiative in deter
mining the number of doctors
#
needed per health facility and
Goshen Medical Center has just
been refused the addition of a third
physician. Currently Margoiis and
Dr. Ken Lee. M.D., are working both
Goshen Medical Center and Plain
View Medical Center, another
federally funded health facility lo
cated in Greene vers. The additional
workload of the Greenevers clinic
prompted the request of a third
physician by the Goshen Medical
Center Board of Directors.
"If I was an office oracticioner
only, Atlanta's goal would be easy to
meet," Dr. Jeff Margoiis said. "But
with a hospital practice, consulting
and emergency calls, a doctor cannot
always meet the required' on-site
encounters."
"I think the most ludicrous policy
of all is the philosophy that only
patients seen on site inside the
center have merit. Much of my work
goes on away from this building ana
after its hours of scheduled opera
tion. To ignore such contribution in
the compilation of statistics is ab
surd," Margolis wrote in his letter of
resignation to the Goshen Medical
Center Board of Directors.
According to Margolis, a staff
physician at Sampson Memorial
Hospital, six or more patients froir
the Goshen Medical Center service *
area are hospitalized and require
attention as well as walk-in patients
at the clinic. He added. Dr. Lee is
responsible for patients admitted to
Duplin General Hospital.
In his resignation Margolis re
quests the Goshen Medical Center
directors waive the distance exclu
sion in the contract between him and
the clinic. The contract prohibited a
physician from establishing a
medical practice within 30 miles of
the medical facility in which formerly
employed.
Margolis hopes to gain a waiver of
the distance exclusion clause and set
up practice in Clinton. The physician
and his wife and son plan to remain
residents of Faison. Setting up a
private practice in Faison is an
option. Margolis said, open but "at
the present time it is not the most
^attractive offer received."
Concerned about neglecting
family obligations, Margolis stated
consideration of joining another
physician in a private practice in
Sampson County. However,' he
stated no definite plans.
Through his resignation, Margolis
hopes the Atlanta office of Rural
Health Initiative will begin to review
their guidelines for physicians and in
the future include work the doctor
does outside the federally funded
medical facility in compilation of
statistics.
JSTC Fills Several Needs
James Sprunt Technical College
will celebrate its 20th year on its
campus south of Kenansville April
26. William Wagoner, chancellor of
the University of North Carolina at
? Wilmington, will be the speaker.
JSTC began as a branch of Wayne
Technical Institute of Goldsboro.
Until it obtained its own campus, its
courses were taught. in whatever
buildings were available throughout
Duplin County.
Dr. Carl Price, president, said
1,833 students have graduated from
the school's curriculum programs
and 868 from the high school
diploma equivalency program.
"We're putting a lot of emphasis
^ on the basic education program."
9 Price said. "We have 100 students
enrolled in basic education this
quarter."
"We're just scratching the surface
of needs in this field," he said.
"Duplin County has about 9,600
people 25 years or older with less
than an eighth-grade education."
That is almost one-fourth of the
county's population of about 40,000.
The school offers 22 vocational and
' technical courses. Vocational courses
usually can be completed in one year
or less and technical courses, which
lead to associate degrees, in two
years.
"We're heading into computer
programs as fast as we can," Price
said. "We now have computer
instruction available to all of our
two-year technical course students
and hope to have a data processing
curriculum in place by this fall."
The local board has approved the
data processing curriculum. The
program is now before the state
department of community colleges
for approval, which is expected.
Price said
Students are showing much in
terest in the computer field, he said.
The school received a federal
grant of $500,000, to be spread
across three years, to buy equipment
fur its computer program and finance
some faculty training. It received the
first installment of $187,000 in
October.
The school also has a $40,000 Jobs
Training Partnership Act grant to
train up to 20 machinists for North
Carolina Hydraulics Corp. in Beu
laville.
One of the significant steps in the
school's history. Price said, has been
the contract with UNCW, begun in
1971, to offer the first two years of
college courses on campus. UNCW
accepts the credits when students
transfer there for their junior and
senior years. About 100 students are
enrolled in the college transfer
program.
Price said many teachers in Duplin
County took their first two years of
college work at JSTC, transferred to
UNCW to get their degrees and
returned home to teach. "My wife is
one of them," he added.
The school enrolled 800 students
in its on-campus curriculum pro
grams last fall and 3,000 students in
its extension programs. It has 45
full-time faculty members and 50 to
60 part-time instructors.
JSTC is operating on a S3 million
budget, of which $2.5 million comes
from the state. The school has
established a students services
career and job placement center to
help students into jobs and careers.
Duplin Approves
Albertson Sewer District Money
^ Resolutions authorizing grants
and loans for the Albertson Water
and Sewer District were approved by
the Duplin County Board of Com-'
missioners Monday.
About a month will be required to
complete all the paperwork, said Ron
Sessoms of Rivers & Associates, a
Greenville engineering firm over
seeing the water and sewer project.
He expects to advertise for bids on
the project in about six weeks.
The board also awarded a $78,750
P contract for repairing the roof of the
southern wing of Duplin County
Hospital. The contract went to Curtis
Roofing Co. of Kinston.
The Curtis company also entered
the lowest bid for repair of the
Herring building roof at James
Sprunt Technical College. The bid
was for $30,840. JSTC officials will
award the contract.
"The county should never permit
a flat roof to be built on any of its
b buildings again," said Commis
sioner D.J. Fussetl. "They just cost
and cost and cost us money."
Both of the biddings getting roof
4 9
repairs have flat roofs. r
By approving the resolutions on
the Albertson Water and Sewer
District, the board enabled the
project to begin.
One resolution authorized a
$314,000 loan from the Farmers
Home Administration, to be repaid
over a 38-year period. Other resolu
tions accepted a FmHA grant of
$697,900 and a state clean water
bond grant of $325,000.
Last year, voters in the district
approved a referendum authorizing a
bond issue of up to $425,000.
March 15 will be the last day the
water district residents can sign up
for water at low cost. They must pay,
$10 when signing up and $15 when
the water line is brought to their
meters. Those signing for water later
will have to pay the cost of extending
water pipes from the main line to the
individuals' meters.
With the approach of spring, the
commissioners have begun to think
about the budget for the fiscal year
that begins July 1. The board set
dates to hear departments' budget
4 V
equests.
The Duplin County Board of
Education will present its budget
equest to the commissioners at 3
>.m. April 16. Department heads
vill appear from 1 to 5 p.m. April 10,
18 and 19 to justify their budget
equests.
Departments' "wish lists" must
>e turned in to the county manager
>y March 15.
The board authorized Norman
iandlin, tax collector, to hire an
idditional employee at $8,368 a year
o help collect delinquent taxes.
Earlier this month the board
ippropriated an extra $3,300 for the
ax office to cover costs of postage,
elephone and supplies in its drive to
tollect delinquent taxes, mostly per
sonal property taxes.
At the beginning of February,
5893,371 in 1983 property taxes,
nostly on real property, were delin
juent. Property tax billings in 1983
otaled $4 million.
In other action, the board:
? Awarded a contract to make
soil test borings on a proposed
landfill site to McDavid Associates
for $6,000.
? Eliminated a chain saw opera
tor's position, paying $8,745, at the
county landfill and authonzed a
mosquito control suoervisor's posi
tion at 11,698 a year.
? Asked the state to install a
blinking traffic light at N.C. 11 and
2.C. 111 near Kornegay and B.F.
rady School in northeastern Duplin
County. Several accidents have been
reported at the intersection.
? Agreed to ask for a $750,000
insurance policy on the former
Kenansville Elementary School.
? Appointed Russell Tucker,
county auditor, to the Neuse River
Council of Governments board.
? Agreed to sit as a board of
equalization and review at 9:15 a.m.
May 7 and 21 in the commissioners'
room of the courthouse.
? Scheduled a public hearing on
the county's revenue sharing budget
for 9:15 a.m. April 2 during the
board's regular meeting.
?
Duplin Still
First In Farming
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Duplin County's 1983 agricultural
production plus government
payments brought a gross return of
$234.8 million, according to esti
mates by the county Agricultural
Extension Service.
For more than a decade the
county's gross return from agricul
tural production has made it the No.
1 farming county in the state.
For several years, it has ranked
among the top 50 agricultural coun
ties of the United States. It has been
called the top poultry-producing
county of the nation for several
years.
The county's poultry industry,
which also creates hundreds of agri
business jobs, began developing un .
the late 1950s. The 1983 return of /
$2.1 million from commercial eggs,J
almost equaled the 1956 estimate of
$2.35 million for all poultry and
poultry products.
The estimated return from all
poultry in 1983 was $125.9 million.
The report shows 9.9 million turkeys
weighing a total 172 million pounds
were sold for $73.9 million.
Producers sold 31.2 million broil
ers weighting 134.4 million pounds
for a total of $31.3 million.
The county's producers are in
volved in all phases of poultry pro
duction.
The industry provides the raw
material for the Swift & Co. turkey
processing plant in Wallace, the
House of Raeford, owned by the
Nash Johnson & Sons firm of Rose
Hill and for several Virginia proces
sors.
Poultry and eggs are produced by
farmers who own the facilities. The
birds are owned by the program
operators or producers who provide
the birds, feed, medication and mar
kets. Growers are paid by the unit
and/or pound.
Among poultry companies operat
ing in Duplin are Perdue. Country
Pride, Carroll's Foods of Warsaw
and the Johnson and Swift firms.
While the return from poultry in
1956 was only $2.35 million, if
?
increased sevenfold in five years to ?
$16,76 million in 1961. The rate of
increase slowed between 1961 and
1966 with the return in the latter year
estimated at $26 million.
The return increased to $42.3
million in 1971 and $82.4 million in
1975. By 1981 the return from
poultry was estimated at $110.8
million.
The return from poultry began
topping tobacco in the early 1960s.
By 1966 poultry had become the
leading gross farm income producer
with $26 million compared with $19
million for tabacco.
Tobacco has fallen on hard times
with weak demand causing succes
sive production quota decreases. In
1982 tobacco brought a record $41.6
million to county farmers. Because of
severe quota cuts and a relatively
poor crop, the 1983 retufn fell to
$32.1 million.
The value of hog production is
approaching that of tobacco. The
return from hogs in 1983 was esti
mated at $31.1 million. Swine pro
duction has steadily increased in the
past 27 years. The gross return rose
from $2.27 million in 1956 to $9.3
million in 197! and $27.3 million in
1975.
Duplin farmers grossed $12 mil
lion last year from vegetable and
fruit crops. These crops have been
important in the county's farm
economy for many years. Their share
of the total gross farm income has
decreased, however, as poultry and
swine production have soared.
Duplin was a major cotton-pro
ducing county in the 19th century
and early 20th century, but that crop
has disappeared in the county. By
1971, the return from cotton was
estimated at onb' $14,150.
Com has been the major grain
crop. Last year farmers gained $17.3
million from corn they produced and
were c .-riited with $4.3 million,
mostly in corn, under the federal
government payment-in-kind pro
gram.
Fair Plans
Underway For 1984
Plans for a horse exhibition and
riding show have been included in
the 1984 Duplin County Fair. The
fair is scheduled for October 1-6.
The 1984 Duplin- County Fair
committee met Feb. 21 to begin
planning the third annual event. The
fair will be held in Kenansville at the
fairgrounds surrounding Kenan
Auditorium. Along with the fair day
set exclusively for horse competition
and exhibition, the Duplin County
Livestock Association plans to
increase farm animal shows. Ac
cording to David Byrd. chairman of
the Duplin County Fair livestock
exhibitions, shows for swine and
junior and yearling heifers are
planned by the Livestock Associa
tion. Each category is expected to
have as {nany as 15 entries, Byrd
said.
The fair committee also agreed to
sell tickets at the back gate this year
in order to increase the traffic
through the old elementary school
exhibition hall. In the past only the
front gate sold admission to the fair
which opens into the Kenan Audi
torium exhibition hall.
According to Duplin County Fair
general manager Jim Johnson, a
carnival group has been signed for
the 1984 fair and will provide a
greater variety of rides and games
for the midway than was available in
1983. An estimated 10.000 people
attended the 1983 Duplin County
Fair and Johnson said the addition of
new exhibitions for horses and the
increased competition planned for
livestock will bring even more
visitors to the 1984 fair.
Plans to begin renting commercial
exhibit booths are scheduled to
underway in early summer and will
be assigned on a first come basis.
Chairperson for the 1984 commer
cial exhibitions is Emily Killette.
Outside exhibitions, including farm
implements, will be handled by
Larry Sanderson. Concession booth
chairman is Tom Rouse.
The 1984 Duplin Fair chairman is
Lewis Smith; other officers include:
educational exhibits, Mae Spicer;
public school exhibits, Austin
Carter; treasurer, John Smith; horse
show and exhibition. Donna and
Carey Wrenn; entertainment,
Yvonne Patters 3U and Billy .
Knowles; and catalog sales, LAvis
Smith and Cathy Fonville; and
publicity. Ruth Wells.
Will Go To Convention
Duplin Commissioners
All but two counties in South
eastern North Carolina will be repre
sented at the National Association of
Counties Legislative Conference
March 17-20 in Washington.
Pender County Finance Director
Howard Holly said the board decided
not to send members.
Duplin County Manager Ralph
Cottle said commissioners Allen
Nethercutt, Calvin C. Turner, Dovie
Penney and D.J. Fussell plan to
attend, along with county finance
officer Russell Tucker.
"I do think it is beneficial," Cottle
said. "It helps them understand
local government better because it
does get complicated."
? I m m mm . ?
rerry Launcnea wirn
Duplin Cellars Champagne
The ferry, Governor James Baxter
Hunt Jr., was launched last Thurs
day in Palatka, Fla., following a
christening with a bottle of cham
pagne from Duplin Wine Cellars of
Duplin County.
Frances Roberson christened the
vessel as her husband, Transpor
tation Secretary William R. Rober
son Jr., and,Jeanette Carl, a member
of the state Board of Transportation,
* i
looked on.
The ferry should be in service by
May, when it will run between
Hatteras and Ocracoke Island. The
date of the dedication ceremonies
will be announced later.
The ferry is 129 feet long and 40
feet wide and can carry 20 vehicles.
It was built in Palatka by Offshore
Shipbuilding Inc. at a cost of $1.4
million.