North Carolina Newspapers

CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES Cirtont Countj'i Nawipaper EDITORIALS TUESDAY. FEBRUARY 14. 1956 \ Pig in a Poke Letters on the new tax valuations have gone out and as expected, many questions have been raised. While we' believe revaluation is a good thing, there is one matter which should be settled before the situation proceeds any farther. County commissioners who set the tax rate should set now a TENTATIVE taxe rate figure. How can anyone de cide whether his new valuation will either hurt or help if he doesn't know how to figure his tax rate? The commissioners are right when they say they can't set a definite rate until they know what the final total val uation will be. But they must have some idea. That idea may not be the official, final rate to be adopted but people familiar with tax matters, as certainly our county tax officials must be, should be able to give taxpayers an approxi mation of the rate. They could, for example, say "it will be no less than $1.35 and no more than $1.50." From tomorrow through Feb. 29 tax payers may go to the courthouse and check their valuation figures, compare them with neighboring properties or with businesses similar to theirs. That's all right as far as it goes. But doing this without knowing the tax rate is like sword-play in the. dark. Nobody knows for sure what he's doing. A person unhappy about his valua tion complains on the basis that it's higher than it was before, which he de clares is "too high." Nobody can say whether his taxes will be "too high" because nobody, at this point, knows what the tax rate might be ! It's like buying a pig in a poke. You get the poke home, open it up, and find that instead of a pig you have a turnip. Unless we miss our guess, there is going to be lots of needless fury over these new valuations, needless because there is nothing concrete on which to base a discussion of the situation. In the minds of tax experts, an "ob jective appraisal" is sufficient basis. But that is not enough for the taxpayer. Most taxpayers will grumble but are willing to pay a few dollars more in taxes. What bothers them is "HOW MUCH MORE?" And how can they be answered un less a tentative tax rate figure is set? This figure ought to be announced prior to the meeting of the Board of Equal ization March 19. As we stated before, revaluation is necessary for the economic well-being of the county. But we do think too much is being expected of the taxpayer when he is asked to accept a shrug of the shoulders in reply to his query, "Can't you give me SOME idea of what the new tax rate will be?" Something New . . . Something new has been added on the front page of THE NEWS-TIMES. In the upper left hand corner are the words, "Priie-Winning Newspaper of the Tar Heel Coast." As we have said before, our primary purpose is to publish a good newspaper for the people of Carteret County and the surrounding area. If, incidentally, in that process newspaper experts think the paper is good and worthy of recog nition, that is pleasing to us and helps to sell Carteret County to the world. A newspaper is an ambassador. Its policy and the events it reflects in the area in which it is published reveal more than anything else the real per sonality of its locale. In all respect to Chambers of Com merce, who do well in selling their lo calities, we say that nothing can tell as much ? and tell it as objectively ? as can your newspaper. In a newspaper the discerning reader, who may never have seen the paper's place of publication, can tell what kind of an area the newspaper represents. A hard -to -read newspaper with a thrown-together look does not encour age a businessman or tourist to go take a closer look at the paper's "birth place." A well-printed newspaper, pleasing typographically, carrying news well written ? and filled with ads says to the reader, "This newspaper is probably published in an up-and-coming prosper ous area. I should visit there. It might just be the place for setting up our branch business." Of course, a good newspaper can't be produced without support of the people in its area. THE NEWS-TIMES is fortunate. People like to read it, they are the ones who make news and they help to keep us informed. And the ad vertiser knows he gets full value for his advertising dollar. His interest in doing more business, by advertising, makes it possible to expand the news paper. When there are more ads, we can print more news and thereby interest more people. When we interest more people, we sell more papers and the advertiser gets his message to more readers. It's fun to play on a team like this. THE NEWS-TIMES may do a bit of quarterbacking, but the readers, the news-makers, the advertisers are our linemen. There's another thing, too. We may not, in the future, win prizes EVERY year, but we are always going to try to produce a good newspaper, one that will be a credit to Carteret County and the Tar Heel coast. Hollering at a Possum (Sanford Herald) Off Starita Road, beyond Charlotte, a possum hunter's hollering upset a res ident (probably a commuter to a job in the city). He thought someone was in distress and called the Mecklenburg County Police. "What," asks The Charlotte News in expressing keen interest in this occur rence, "was the hollering all about?" Why, the hollering was about possum hunting. What do you hunt possums for except to holler? If your dogs aren't trailing, you holler to encourage them. If they strike a scent, you holler your approval. If they tree, you holler to the folks with you to tell them whether it sounds like the pos sum's up a limb or down a hole. Also, you holler at the dogs to impress them with the necessity of tending to busi ness. In between real hollers, you practice hollering. The News doesn't think a man would spend the night tramping around in the woods and swamps just to catch a pos sum, does it? Man, the hollering af forded by one good run is worth more than the fattest, hisaingest, ugliest pos sum ever dumped into a croaker sack. And it is sad news indeed that ur banism has crowded out one more little area where a possum hunter used to be able to go about his sport as loudly as he ought to. Carteret County Newt-Times WINNER OF NATIONAL EDITORIAL ASSOCIATION AND NORTH CAROLINA PRESS ASSOCIATION AWARDS A Merger o t The Beaufort Newi (Eat. 1913) and The Twin City Time* (Eat IBM) Publiahed Tueadayi and Fridaya by the Carteret Publiahlaa Company, Inc. 804 Arendell St., Morehead City. N. C. LOCKWOOD PHILLIPS ? PUBLISHER ELEANORE DEAR PHILLIPS ? ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER RUTH L PEELING ? EDITOR Hail Ha tea: In Carteret County and adjoining counUea, $8.00 on* year, $$.80 alx montha, $1.28 oaa atoaU, alaewhere $7.00 one year, $4.00 aia montha, $1.80 om Booth. Member a t Associated Preaa ? N. C Press Aaaodatioa National Editorial Aaaoclation ? Audit Bureau of Circulatlooa National AdTertiaing Representative Moran * flacker, Inc. M Madiaon Ave., Now York 17, N. Y. The Aaaodated Proaa it entttled excluaively to oaa for republication of local m prfeiUd in UUa iwnnr, aa wall at all AP newi dispatch*#. ?stand a* Socosd (laaa Matter at Marabaad Cttjr, N. C, Under AM af Mareh $, 1(7$. 1 lit. m?m?mmmmmmmmlmmm i i i i THEIR STAR TAX CUT . HOPEFUL Ruth Peeling Complications a Zero Can Cause! This is one for the "How's that Again?" department. There arc 7,001 members in the Carteret Burial Association, Inc. But it seems as though that num ber never comes out that way in the paper. This item appeared in Friday's paper: "Figure in Error "Membership in the Carteret Burial Association, Inc., Newport, is 7,0001 and not 701 as stated in the financial statement of the association in Tuesday's paper:" These paragraphs constitute, ab solutely, the last attempt we're going to make at getting the thing to read 7,001. If it comes out any different, the burial association, with headquarters at Newport, will just have to increase its member ship to Kveaty thousand and one or reducc it to 701! We regret that we seem plagued with excess zero-itis. Our vivacious home agent, Floy Garner, said that before she was married she had four pet theories for solving problems with children. Now that she's married, she has four children, she says, and no theories. Quite an honor has come to our "country architect," Burett H. Stephens, Beaufort. Mr. Stephens was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the North Caro lina State Architectural Founda tion. Purpose of the board, which is affiliated with the American Insti tute of Architects, is to see that excellent men arc obtained to teach architecture at State Col lege. In other words, the board sees that the money is raised to pay the kind of salary which will attract top-flight professors. If you ever have occasion to visit Mr. H. L. Joslyn's office, beware. Or else be sure you have your own pencil. Not only can you pick up a fine looking pencil from his desk, which will merely bend un der pressure because it's made of rubber, but he has one of those automatic' pens. You push on the point (which looks retractable); and the top of the pencil flies 3 feet up in the air. It produces the same affect as having a fire crackcr go off under your chair. Mr. Joslyn chuckles and 9ays, "At last I've solved the problem Of hoyr to keep pencils on my desk." With This Article, Taxpayer Gets Information on Completing Short Form (Third' of a Series) By FRANK O'BRIEN Associated Press After you have claimed your exemptions, the next work in fil ing your income tax return is the business of putting down your total income and determining how much you can deduct from it, for bus iness-connected and personal ex penses. After that, you may be able to reduce your income subject to tax further by exclusion of pay re ceived while you were ill, or in jured. At line 5, on page 1 of Form 1040, you put down your income in 1955. Notice that you are di rected to put down all income. That means, put down your total income as though no deductions had been made by your employer for federal income tax, social se curity, union dues, charity con tributions, etc. But in osing Form 1040 you may have to go behind the scenes and do a little figuring before you put down your 1955 Income. This is because business - connected ex penses ire deducted here. There are four types of business connected expenses deductible at this point Just what is included under each heading is set forth in detail on pages 5 and 6 of the in structions pamphlet under the ti tle "trade and business deductions of employees." (Expenses of bus inessmen are not the subject here ?just business expenses of em ployees.) The point needing explanation is how these deductions are han dled. In the case of business-con nected expenses for which your employer partly or entirely reim burses you, (except expenses of travel and transportation) you add the amount of expense money he paid you to your wages. Then you subtract all the law allows you to deduct, up to the amount of expense money you re ceived. This may be less than the expense money you got, and that would mean entering at Line 5 the total of your wages plus ex pense money you cannot deduct. But if your allowable business connected deductions are more than the expense money you re ceived, you can deduct the remain der among your personal expenses, on page 2 of the form, under mis cellaneous expenses. In either case, attach a work sheet, showing your calculations, to your Return. In the case of the other three typee of buaineae-eonaected ex penses ? out-of-town travel eoeta, other transportation, and expenses of outside salesmen? you add to your wages the amount of expense money you received, then subtract the total of your allowable ex penses (whether less or more than the expense money you got). Enter the result as your total wage* for the year. This sounds complex, but it li worthwhile, becauac proper han dling of your business-connected expenses influences your adjusted gross income (total income leaa business -connccted expenses). And the adjusted gross income figure is the basic figure from which your tax is computed. The law allows you a minimum of 10 per cent of your adjusted gross income, within certain dol lar limits, as tax-free, personal ex 60SH! penaes. You can claim 10 per cent, or the dollar maximum. In the tax computation table at the bottom of pace 2 Form 1040. The dollar limlta are fl.OOO on a joint return, $300 for a married person filing acparately, or 11,000 for all others. If you think your deductible ex penses may come to more than that (this includes deductions of both husband and wife on a Joint return) you can claim the total by itemizing. You list your itemlted expenses in the special box for them on page 2 Form 1040. Deductible itema are listed, and their handling explained, in the instructions pamphlet, beginning on page 11. There has been no change In de ductions from last year. The change this year la that you can now itemixc your personal expen ses while using the short form. In a nutshell, deductible ex penses include contributions to churches, charltlea and many non profit organisations; interest paid by you Including interest often dis guised as "handling charges" In installment paymant contracts, within certain limits; moat mo ftdtril tax payments; your net loss resulting from fire, storm, auto accident, shipwreck or thefts; medical and dental costs over and above 3 per cent of your adjusted gross income, within dollar limits listed in the instructions (the dol lar limits, but not the 3 per cent rule, apply to persons 65 or over); expenses of child care under spe cific limits; allowable business connected expenses not deducted on page 1. Expenses reimburse'! by insure ance benefits are not deductible, but the cost (to you) of accident and health insurance is deductible, as a medical cost. Next comes another item that may be of considerable benefit to you. Like your business-connected expenses, it can reduce your ad Justed grass income. This is the sick pay exclusion. This provision of the 1954 tax code lets you ex clude (within limits) from your income amounts you received from your employer while you were away from work due to illness or injury. Here are the sick pay rules (more clearly and fully than aet forth in the instructions): . In the case of absence from work due to injury, your alek pay excluaion begins with the first dollar paid while you were away. In the case of sickness, it begins only with your second week's sick pay, unless you were hospitalized at least one day the first week. In that case, the exclusion begins with your pay for the first day away. It is easy to figure out the amount of your income yot! can aet aside, tax free (exclude) as sick pay. The top amount you can claim ia >100 a week. Therefore, if you make anything up to and including $100 a week, you can exclude all the sick pay you receive (except that the firat week's pay in the caae of illneaa ? not injury -may not count). Juat determine your daily rate of pay (your weekly pay divided by the number of days in your normal work week), and multiply that by the number of work days when you were absent and paid. That la your total exclusion. Since the top rate la $100 a week, persons who earn more than (100 a week get their exeluslona like this: Divide $100 by the num ber of days in your normal work week. That gives you your dally excluaion. Then multiply by the number of work days you were absent. That gives you your total exclu des. But remember that In tlx Coptoin Henry Sou'easter Gerald Hill straggled into the town board meeting Monday night. They uid he looked u though he wai battling wildcat*. Know what he said he was battling? Broad Street. If anybody wants a liver shaken loose or a mud bath (the non-deluxe type), it's all available on Broad Street. Bob Slater is one versatile fel low. Besides being a genius at boats, electronics, and a master at quite a few other occupations, he likes to play the organ. Delivered to the Slater house recently was one of these new home-model or gans. I've seen pictures of them. One thing about them, you don't have to worry about an aerial. It's interesting to see that there's an attempt to have another news paper in this neck of the woods. We were talking about it the other day. Folks seem a bit disappointed, though, that the paper, which is supposed to be published for the benefit of Beaufort, is printed at Mount Olive. It doesn't seem quite right that good Carteret dollar! ahould be drained oif to help support a print shop update. I always thought the point was to get dollars to come in here, not send them out. Maybe some day the paper might be printed here, but between now and then a lot of Carteret cash could be siphoned off to the west'ard. This is one of Cap'n Dave Beve ridge's favorite stories. A preacher was holding a revival and hit listeners were enthusiastically re ceiving the message. At one point the minister cried, "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away!" Upon hearing that, one fellow among the happy converts shouted, "Now that's a square deal!" I'm going out to the school house Friday night. I haven't seen a good home-blown talent show for years. Folks from all over the county are going to be in it Money from the show will be used by the Lions to buy an iron lung. In the Good Old Days THIRTY YEARS AGO The Seashore Transportation Co. had started a bus line from Beau fort to New Bern and another bus line, operated by Mr. B. Gunder son, ran from Beaufort to Atlantic. The annual county schools com mencement would be held in Beau fort on April 9. twenty-five years ago The C. G. Gaskill Brokerage Co. was erecting a large building on Lcnnoxvillc Road near Live Oak Street. Several small businesses were wiped out when a $25,000 fire swept the north side of Arcndcll Street, Morehead City. M. S. Snowden of Beaufort would represent the Corbitt Pack age Co. of Wilmington. TEN YEARS AGO The contract for the Beaufort War Memorial Civic building (now called the Scout Building) would be let next week. Thus far, $5,682 had been raised for the building. Beaufort Jaycees pledged $500 to the memorial civic building fund. Beaufort town commissioners were considering paving the un paved portion of Live Oak Street. FIVE YEARS AGO Three Carteret County Marines were killed in an airplane crash at Eastville, Va. Beaufort Jaycees would raife $1,000 to supplement salaries of a public school music teacher and band director and a football coach at Beaufort . school. Fire destroyed part of the for mer Navy building at Ocracok*. E. Laurence Palmer ? Wild Coatis Amuse, As Well as Bother Campers Whether we read the accounts of early explorer naturalists or those of current tourists in Mexico and Central America we are likely to hear of the antics of coatis. They may be seen in zoos but they apparently are at their best in a semi-wild condition where they are frequent visitors to camps. A mail coati may measure over 4 feet with half this length being a highly eloquent tail. The animals may stand a foot high at the shoul der and weigh nearly 30 pounds. Usually they are smaller, how ever. with the males being larger than females. Coatij walk flat footed and each foot shows five toe marks. The Coati nail marks may or may not show. The track looks something like that of a cat only it is half again as large and the toe pads are more elongated and are usually closer together. It is reasonable that these ani mals should remind one of a rac coon because the two animals are closely related. Coatis like rac coons can iwim, climb and are' good travelers on the ground and they are more likely to be active in the day time than are the rac coon, and are apparently least ac ease of illness, the first week's pay may not count. The Revenue Service has ruled that pregnancy itaelf is not art ill ness. So if you were on paid ab sence due to pregnancy, that alone does not make your leave pay ex cludable. But if you were actually ill dur ing any of that time, your pay for the work days you were ill Is de ductible. You may have changed jobs dur ing the year. If so, your employers may have collected more than the ?84 00 maximum of Social Security (F.I.C.A.) lax. If this happened, you can claim credit for the surplus you paid at Line 3 Form 1040. page 1. Write "F.I.C.A. tax" In the "where em ployed" column. 1 If you are filing a Joint return and both have thia type of credit, compute and claim them separately. Also, you may have made esti mated tax payments in IBM In ad dition to withholdings from your salary. You get credit for thia on line 17b of Form 1040, page 1. Persona with wage and salary income only, now have the infor mation they need to complete the new "wage earner's short form." tive around midnight or noon. Like raccoons coatis feed upon ? variety of things. They may eat birds and their eggs, insects in various stages of development, crawfish, mussels, squirrels, mice and other small animals. They also like fruits such as apples, peaches and berries. The young are born in spring or early summer about 11 weeks af ter mating. There are usually from 4 to 6 young In a litter. Coatis arc found within the Uni ted States? in Texas, Arliona and New Mexico?but always rather close to the Mexican border. Ap parently they are pushing their range farther to the north aa seems to be the case with so many other animals. Coatis are clowns when they want to be. They have a varied group of sounds which they pro duce ? grunts, screams, snorts, whistles and hisses ? with each probably signifying a different re action of the animal to the situa tion in which it finds itself. This unique mammal i* of in terest to the student of nature who visits its range in the Southwest ern United States. And despite its occasional troublesome habits where it livea near man, it has a definite place in thoae animal communities of which it is a part. The Readers Write North Carolina State Board of Health Raleigh February 8, 1956 To the Editor: Your editorial entitled "Sh-h-h-h!" appearing in the Feb. 3, 19M laaue of your paper haa come to my at tention, and I wish to commend you on that editorial both from the standpoint of the manner of your presentation of the problem a? well as your public-apirited in terest in support of our activities in cooperation with your local health department to combat the venereal disease problem In Car teret County. Your interest la particularly ap preciated at the preaent time in view of the rise during calendar year 1S55 of reported syphilis in the State of North Carolina. Of course, the bulk of the problem is in eastern North Carolina. H is obvious that you appre ciate that without the support of the press as well as community leaders any program attempting to benefit the health or welfare of the community ia in Jeopardy and deatined to frustrating f Again let me thank you i press our appreciation for ; tcrest in better venereal control activities in yo< Sincerely yours, Wsrfield Garson, *D, Venereal DiseaM Cool Division of Epidemiology