Are You Just Going to Sit?
A lot of people won't go to the polls
tomorrow.
And in this county they can keep on
being poor citizens year after year, al
ways shrug their shoulders and say,
"Well, if I want to vote, I can."
Not so in Mecklenburg County. In
1955 Mecklenburg put a law through
the legislature to allow the Board of
Elections in Mccklenburg to remove
from the registration books anyone
who hasn't voted in six years.
This, primarily, removes from the
books the dead and those who have
moved away. But it also catches those
people who sit on their hands every
election day and let one of their most
precious birthrights, the right to vote
as they choose, go by the boards.
In the last nine months, Mecklenburg
has taken 4,000 registered voters off
the books. Small -county politicians
don't like to take voters off the books
because, in a pinch, they can vote the
dead ones or drag to the polls the peo
ple who haven't been out of the woods
in 10 years.
But the principle of purging registra
tion books is good. Those who are com
pletely disinterested in going to the
polls won't care if they never vote
again. Those who have just a small
amount of civic conscience Will take
more care to see that they don't abro
gate their citizenship rights by failing
to use them.
Are you going to the polls tomorrow
? or are you going to sit back, let your
neighbors go and thereby live under a
government that they choose for you?
Two Years Too Late
Well, it came too late to save the
dairy industry in this county, but the
State Milk Commission this month is
sued a ruling making dairy firms finan
cially responsible for milk losses be
tween the farm and plant, when the
milk is being transported in bulk by in
dependent haulers or haulers under
contract.
Before several Carteret dairy farms
went out of business here, they were
selling milk to a plant at Wilmington.
The milk, when it left Carteret, was
grade A milk, but by the time it reach
ed Wilmington, the plant there claimed
that it had deteriorated to grade C
milk.
Dairy farmers got federal inspectors
here who vouched for the fact that the
milk was grade A. The dairy plant
then said, "We don't care whether it's
grade A or not. We re going to pay
grade C rates."
Efforts to get the dairy farmers to
band together and haul their own milk
failed. One dairy farm, still in busi
ness, hauls its own milk to a processing
plant. Others that produced milk in
large supply have curtailed their op
erations or have gone put of business
because they couldn't afford to sell a
high quality product at a loss.
Now, two years later, the milk com
mission comes out with the ruling that
could have saved a lot of the Carteret
dairy business. The new ruling, of
course, protects the farmer.
Some dairies are in favor of the rul
ing. Two have spoken out against it.
One of those two is the Wilmington
plant that knocked Carteret dairying
in the head.
Hush Your Mouth!
Carolina Telephone Company is cer
tainly doing the most effective thing to
keep us from squawking in these parts
about the high telephone rates ? new
rural lines are going up in. several
areas, in addition to the proposed
Beaufort improvements announced
some weeks ago.
We predict that we had best pay at
tention to the improvements being
made now. It will probably not be un
til the next rate-increase request that
we will get any moVe.
A Harkers Island customer poses an
,'interesting question. Her phone ? and
all the phones on the island usually ?
faU to work on rainy days or on days
wnen the dew is heavy. Sometimes
there is no phone service for a couple
days. The phone company has told her
that when there is no service, she will
be given credit if the phone company
, is informed of the trouble and they fail
to fix it.
This is a fine gesture. But again, the
phone company wins. Somebody is go
ing to have to go to the mainland and
make a phone call, or else make a trip
to the phone office, to report that the
phones are out.
Sometimes it is not convenient for a
person to leave his business or a mother
to leave her home to track down the
telephone company to report a service
problem. As much as 24 hours may
' elapse before a report can be made.
This business of giving credit on phone
bills sound good, but how often does it
happen?
We've got a new system here in the
newspaper office, put in at our request.
There's another problem now. Before,
we had two numbers. When one line
was dead, we could usually use the
> other to report the trouble. Now that
we have only one number, we shall
have to scout around the neighborhood
to find a phone that works or else go
to the telephone office and tell them
in person that the phones aren't work
ing.
The telonhone company recently re
leased a statement reporting that sub
scribers in the Carolina Telephone ter
ritory paid a total of $1,619,339 in fed
eral excise tax in 1957. That's a
healthy sum and we certainly agree
that the federal excise tax, 10 per cent,
should be eliminated.
But we also object to phone com
panies' trying to put the blame on
sources other than itself for the high
telephone rates.
Matter for the DAR
(The Charlotte News)
"Yes, Santa Claus," a Tar Heel ed
itor once explained, "there is a Vir
ginia."
We never quite grasped the mis
chievous subtlety of this pun until just
the other day when we received by
stage a copy of the Fauquier (Va.)
Democrat. It advised us that a bill to
rename Virginia's historic Little River
turnpike for Col. John S. (Gray Ghost)
Mosby had been tabled by the roads
committee of the Old Dominion's House
of Delegates. The action was taken, ac
cording to the Democrat, after commit
teemen were advised that the United
Daughters of the Confederacy were op
posed to the measure "because Mosby
became a Republican after the war."
Goodness! That was a close shave,
wasn't it?
But somehow we fear that another
rescue from the hosts of darkness is in
order. That entire state north of the
border was named for Elizabeth I, the
Virgin Queen. She was no Republican.
Worse yet, she was a r-o-y-a-l-i-s-t.
' i
Carteret County News-Times
WINNER OF NATIONAL EDITORIAL ASSOCIATION AND NORTH CAROLINA
PRESS ASSOCIATION AWARDS
A Merger of The Beaufort New? (Est U12) and The Twin City Time! (Eat. U3t)
Published Tuesdsys and Fridays by the Carteret Publishing Company, Inc.
S04 ArendeU St. Morebead City, N. C.
LOCKWOOD PHILLIPS ? PUBLISHER
ELEANORE DEAR PHILLIPS - ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
RUTH L. PEELING - EDITOR
Mall Rates: In Carteret Conty a?d ad>#atng counties, $$,$$ one year, BH ail months,
$1.25 one month; elsewhere 17.00 ooe year. $4.00 sto months, $1J0 one month.
Member of Associated Press ? N. C. Press Aasoeialkw
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National Advertising Representative
Moras * Fischer, Inc.
10 East 40th Street. New York 1$. N. Y. V
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printed In this newspaper, as well aa all AP news dispatches
Entered aa Secood Claae Matter at M or stead City, N. C., Under Act sf March $, Wl
LET US NOT FORGET ESPECIALLY NOW
Security for You...
By RAY HENRY
The House Ways and Means
Committee has started hearings on
some 500 bills proposing changes
in Social Security.
The committee? the group which
usually starts Social Security
changes through Congress ? prob
ably will spend at least several
weeks considering the proposals.
What changes, if any, will be ap
proved by the committee is any
body's guess at this time.
Even if the committee votes to
make changes, they still nave a
long way to go before becoming
law. Here, in general, is the road
any revisions must travel to be
come law:
The House will have to consider
and pass them. The Senate Finance
Committee will have to vote and,
perhaps, hold hearings on them.
The Senate will have to approve
them. And, finally, President
Eisenhower will have to sign the
changes into law.
Every step of the way, the W?y?
and Means Committee proposals
could be altered or halted. But,
the chances seem good now that
some changes will be made this
year.
There are several reasons to be
lieve so:
1. This is an election year. Con
gress has made major changes in
Social Security every election year
since 1950.
2. The last time Congress raised
Social Security payments for peo
ple on the rolls was in 1954. The
cost of living has gone up above 7
per cent since then and Congress
may want to catch the payments
up with living costs.
3. There's been some talk in Con
gress that Social Security pay
ments should be raised as an anti
recession measure. Whether any
action will be taken on these
grounds will no doubt depend on
which way the country's cconomy
seems to De neaacd in tne next tew
months.
Here's a summary of how Con
gress has changed Social Security
in recent years:
1950 ? Added ten million workers
to Social Security coverage, includ
ing most self-employed persons and
regular farm and household work
ers. Raised payments for persons
on the rolls by 77V? per cent. About
doubled payments to those retiring
in the future. Raised from $3,000
to $3,600 the amount of annual sal
ary taxed and increased the size
of the tax.
1952 ? Raised the payments for
people on the rolls by 12V4 per cent,
but not less than $5 a month.
Raised from $50 to $75 the amount
of earnings a Social Security re
cipient could receive without los
ing his payments.
1954 ? Raised payments for peo
ple on the rolls by an average of
$6 a month and for people who
come on the rolls in the future by
as much as $23.50 a month. Raised
from $3,600 to $4,200 the amount
of annual salary taxed. Brought
an additional 6H million persons
under Social Security coverage, in
cluding millions of farm operators
and farm hands, engineers, archi
tects, ministers. Added a disabili
ty provision so that a disabled per
son's payments would not be de
creased because of the time he had
no earnings.
1956 ? Set up a disability pay
ment program for persons who've
reached 50. Lowered the retire
ment age for women from 65 to
62. Increased the Social Security
tax. Brought some 200,000 self
employed professional workers un
der Social Security.
(Editor's Note: You may con
tact the social security repre
sentative at the courthouse an
nex, Beaufort, from 9:30 a.m. to
12:30 p.m. Wednesdays. He will
help you with your own particu
lar problem).
This is the Law
By ROBERT E. LEE
For the N. C. Bar Association
WRITTEN LEASES
Are leases of real property re
quired to be la writing?
Leases and contracts for leasing
land (or the purpose of digging for
gold or other minerals, of whatever
duration, are required to be in writ
ing under the statutes of North
Carolina.
All other leases and contracts for
leasing land "exceeding in dura
tion three year* from the making
thereof" must be in writing in
North Carolina. An oral lease, for
example, executed today for a
period not in excess of three years
would be valid.
Jones orally agrees daring Octo
ber 1N7, to lease hli boose to
Smith for three yean beginning
Jan. 1, IKS. Is the lease valid?
No. Smith does not have a legal
right to enter and occupy the house
on Jan. 1, 195*. The' lease ia for a
period "exceeding in duration three
years from the making thereof."
The computation ia made from the
time of the making of the agree
ment to lease, and not from the
time of its going into effect.
If the lessee. Smith, enters the
house and occupies It under the
oral lease, he may be compelled
to pay to the lessor, Jones, a rea
sonable compensation for the use
and occupation of the premises.
The agreed rental under the oral
lease will be received in evidence
as the value of the use and occu
pation.
Where one goes into possession
at land under an oral lease "ex
ceeding in duration three yean
from the making thereof," hi* ten
ancy ?t the inception is a tenancy
at will. It may be terminated im
mediately by the lesser making de
mand for possession or by the
I
lessee relinquishing possession and
informing the lessor that he is do
ing such.
An oral lease for a period in ex
cess of three years frequently
evolves into a lease from period
to period. This usually arises
where the lessee Is In possession
and he pays rent which is accepted
by his lessor on a monthly basis.
In such a case, it is a lease from
month to month. If the rent Is paid
and ccepted on an annual basis,
it is a lease from year to year.
Such a lease may be terminated
by either party giving to the other
the statutory notice to quit.
Black leases a building to White
for a period of ten years. The writ
ten lease Is signed by White, bat
not by Black. Is Uw lease valid?
The lease is binding upon White,
but not upon Black. Both parties
must assent to the termi of the
agreement, bat only the party to
be sued need sign the writing.
In other words, Black can en
force the written contract against
White, but White cannot enforce It
against Black. Black may, If he
chooses, remove White from the
premises before the expiration of
ten years.
May i lease reqalred by law to
be in writing be signed by an
agent?
Yes. The written leaae or con
tract to lease may be signed by an
agent on behalf of either the lessor
or the lessee.
Since leases are not required to
be under seal, the authority of the
agent may be 'orally conferred.
A pessimist la a person who sings
the blues as if they were the Na
tional Anthem.
To the Graduate
By LEO BENNETT
One of the most precious things
which fresh high school graduates
are likely to miss is the thrill of
continued learning. True, you have
departed from the classroom, you
have closed your textbooks, and
have walked across the stage to
claim a piece of paper symbolic
of your commendable achievement.
But school, for you, is not over.
You may never write another
English theme, or solve another
"trig" problem, or do another
chemistry experiment; but do not
close the doors of your mind
against the new ideas that will be
humming all about you through all
the days of your years.
On the day when you neglect to
embrace some challenging new
thought, life will have lost 90 per
cent of its zest and thrill. You
have finished the academic curri
culum and have attained a notable
milestone, and you are now en
rolled as a full-time pupil 'in the
school of life, with all of its oppor
tunities.
Make the most of it!
Stamp News
By SYD KR0N1SH
Ecuador has issued a new set
of commemorative airmails to
honor the 50th anniversary of the
miracle of the Virgin Mater Dolo
rosa of San Gabriel College in
Quito.
There will be two designs. One
shows the image of the Mater
Dolorosa as it appears in the pic
ture hanging in the boys' dining
room of the college. The other ad
hesive depicts the gate of San Ga
briel College.
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
has issued three new stamps to
commemorate the 13th centenary
of ilie birth of St. Willibrod.
The denominations are 1 franc
red, 2.50 fr sepia and 5 fr blue.
St. Willibrod is honored as the
founder of the Abbey of Echtenach.
The Readers Write
Philadelphia 44. Pa.
41* Church Lana
May 26, 1?U
To the Editor:
Congratulation* on your tenth
birthday. I have no he illation in
laying that THE NEWS TIMES
has developed and expanded to *
point where it equal* any paper in
its clau that I am familiar with.
Editorially, reportortally and a* a
medium (or advertiaing it com
pare! favorably with many metro
politan paper*.
Indeed, since the establishment
of THE NEWS TIMES I have seen
a number of big city newspapers
dry up and pass out of circulation.
I can recall the several news
papers that have been published in
Carteret County since the early
nineties and 1 remember how dif
ficult it was for them to keep their
heads above water. In fact they
all petered out except THE NEWS
TIMES
Having watched Carteret Coun
ty grow and expand as compared
with other parts of the country 1
feel positive that THE NEWS
TIMES hat and will continue to
contribute substantially to tb?
progress of the county aod to the
welfare of the people.
I am quite certain that the pub
lication of report* of Crimea, mla
demeanors and moral laxities cur
rently haa a restraining Influence
on violators of the law and that the
situation would be much worse
than it ia if no publicity were given
the matter.
The people of Carteret County
may well feel thankful for having
a fearless newspaper dedicated to
law and order and to the welfare
of all the people.
I wish you continued auccess.
Respectfully.
Thomas Carrow
(Editor's Note: We thank Mr.
Carrow for his kind and thoughtful
words. THE NEWS-TIMES is a
continuation of his hometown
paper. The Beaufort News, estab
lished in H12. and The Twin City
Times, established in Morehead
City in 193? The two newspapers
merged In 1948).
F. C. Salisbury
Here and There
The following information Is
taken from the filet of the More
head City Coaster:
FRIDAY, MAY 30, 1?1?
Miss Aileen Mason has returned
to her home in Atlantic after
spending the winter here, a mem
ber of the graded school faculty.
C. E. Stallings of Wilmington ia
spending a few days here visiting
his brother, 1. C. Stallings.
Lt. and Mrs Banks Arendell ar
rived in the city Thursday from
New York where Lt. Arendell was
recently mustered out of service.
Lt. Luther Hamilton and Mrs.
Hamilton arrived in the city from
New York where Lieutenant Hamil
ton was recently discharged from
the service.
V. A. Bedsworth of this city has
recently leased the Charles Hotel
from its owners for a term of five
years and will take charge June 1.
Dr. Frank Staton wishes to an
nounce that he has moved his den
tal parlors to the new quarters in
the Bank of Morehead City build
ing.
At the meeting of the board of
commissioners on Thursday night
M. A. Mathews was appointed city
clerk and treasurer. It was also
ordered that complete equipment
be purchased for the chief of po
lice.
The rooms In the Paragon build
ing recently vacated by the city
hospital will be furnished for a
Sailor's Club and opened for usa
as soon as possible.
Five small boys were put to work
on the streets for violation of the
law relative to jumping on and off
of moving trains. Each waa taxed
$1 50 or three days on the streets.
Provided with hoes, the boys fin
ished their sentence Wednesday.
F. Roland Bell, who has been
associated with S. A. Chalk for
the past several days, will leave
here Saturday for Plymouth, where
he will operate a drug business re
cently bought by Chalk and him
self.
Morehcad City was a loser in a
ball game played in New Bern
Thursday against the New Bern
team, the score being 5 to 2. Mem
bers of the team claim it was a
hard luck day with them.
At a meeting of the Fisheries
Commission Board, J. K. Dixon of
Trenton was appointed state fish
eries commissioner, succeeding the
late H. L. Gibbs.
Rumors that the Naval Air Sta
tion at Camp Glenn would be dis
banded and that only 25 officers
and men would be left to take car*
of the property, have proven er
roneous, according to a telegram
from Washington.
Note: There will be no items
from Ute Coaster for June. The
Insti for that month art missing
from the file.
From the Bookshelf
The Quirk Years. By Jea n Arias.
Harper. )3 9S
"My grandparents had been mar
ried 27 years when I was nine,
and five of their sons were young
er than I."
With thia sentence, which takes
a little getting used to, the girl
Sharon, granddaughter of Joseph
and Sarah, begins the fiery atory
of the Baer clan.
"Thia family," complains one of
Joseph's daughters. "It's like liv
ing in a zoo." In fact it's a com
bination of zoo and goldfish bowl,
for many of these people are most
unconventionally uninhibited; and
the grand sire himself, goatish,
ribald and superbly intense, is fol
lowed from the time he wins 14
year-old Sarah till he becomes a
great-grandfather.
Thia Is a novel about a great
sprawling family life, and about a
sort of swaahbuckling fireside pa
triarch who rules his brood by his
invincible paaaions and stirs up a
What Can be Done to Curb
Printing of Lurid Tales?
A contemporary author ha? re
ceived $250,000 in royalties from a
current best seller and $70,000 for
movie rights to her novel. In the
15 months her book has been in
print, 4.5 million copies have been
published in hardbook and paper
bound editions.
It is estimated that one of every
37 Americans has read this story.
What is its attrition? The author
attempted to lift the lid from a
serene New England village and
to expose its social ills. The result
is a vulgar chronicle of unbridled
last and sordid crime.
The chicf villains in all the lurid
stories put into circulation tooay
art not the fictional characters,
not the authors who Invent them,
not the publishers who market
salacious literature. The real cul
prita are the people who read spicy
fiction and support both authors
and publishers.
Christian men and women are
not powerless against the traffic
in obscene literature. The most
effective weapon in the war on In
decent reading matter is the re
fusal to buy it. No magazine or
novel can reach a profitable cir
culation without readera.
?The Lutheran Witness
surpassing affection and envy in
his descendants.
Miss Ariss' frankness ? or rather,
honeat Sharon's? may disturb some
readers. It shouldn't. This moving
story eloquently salutes the fine
full everlasting love of the heart.
? W. G. Rogers
Seldmaa and Son. Elick Moll.
Putnam. $3.95.
Scidman, leading his dog in Cen
tral Park, introduces himself to
another man on a bench, and to
ua: Dressmaker, his wife, daugh
ter and son, dog named Samaon
haa been scratching itself raw ever
aince the boy went off to Korea.
The moment a dog appeara in a
novel, you can be sure it's a tear
Jerker, and thia is it, and a beaut,
too, richly sentimental and as
wholeaome shmolsome as corn
flakea, as Seidman would put it.
The boy cornea home a blather
ing idealist Impatient to reform
the world, or at leaat Seventh Ave
nue and the garment diatrict.
Remembering the poverty-strick
en Koreana, he can't let his weal
thy father buy him a $100 suit; he
wants to write, he stands up for
the tenants against the dastardly
landlord; he leads the revolution
in his father's own shop, and even
involves in his atarry-eyed dreams
the lovely model Marie, a Gentile
but aa you can bet a rich one.
Lota of novela are about the bad
thinga in life, and there's nothing
wrong with that. Moll writea about
the good, and there'a nothing
wrong with that. Indeed, in this
particular caae, just about every
thing is all right.
You'U love Seidman'a restful
talk, and the conferences and ren
dezvous and family sessions that
range from poignant to hilarioua;
and the warm fond telling of thia
story will tickle shmlckle you to
pieces.
? W. G. Rogera
Making the Most of Our Ports
(From the Gire??bon> Dally News)
Announcement that big tobacco
shipments arc moving through the
State Port Terminal at Morehead
City ought to drive home several
points to observant North Caro
linians.
These shipments, aggregating
some 1,500,000 pounds of tobacco,
bound (or Thailand and Germany,
emphasize the dependence of Tar
Heel tobacco growers on overseas
markets. Retention and develop
ment of such markets depend upon
our foreign aid program and the
reciprocal trade agreement act,
both of which are under congres
?lonal fire.
Also of significance, at the Tar
Heel economy is affected, U evi
dence that more bualneaa la being
handled through the Morebead City
port terminal. New packing facill
tiea and atorage apace for tobacco
must be given some credit for thia
increase. But the gaina go beyond
tobacco and Indicate that shippers
are becoming more cognizant of
Morebead City facilities and the
advantages which they offer.
In this connection we wooder
how much credit should be given
to the Southern Railway's acquisi
lion oi me uia Muiiei ure ana uie
direct rail connection between
More head City and pointa upstate.
A pertinent queation in that area
would alao be what has happened
to the Southern's effort! to stimu
late buaineaa and serve shippers by
offering a favorable rate structure,
one which woeld at least put More
head City on a comparable basis '
with other Sooth Atlantic porta
which have joined forces to retain
the prevailing discrimination.
North Carolina, aa operator af
two port terminals, has aa ohtifa
tton to make the moat It poaalbly
can of both of them.