CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES I
Cartartt County's Newepeper
EDITORIALS
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12. l?5t
Phone Company's Retort
Continuing under the guise of a com
pany wronged by the utilities commis
sion, Carolina Telephone and Tele
graph Co. sent out ita version of the
news on the commission's ruling. The
ruling last week granted the phone
company only a fl'/i million increase
I in rates.
The phone company "news release"
states, "Company spokesmen express
ed disappointment in the action of the
commission and stipulated that its abil
ity to attract capital in the competitive
market might be materially affect
ed . . ."
? The news release also included these
words, "The Commission also question
, ed the advertising expenses of the com
I pa?y, a major portion of which is in
curred for newspaper advertising, in
these worHs: 'There seems to be very
little need for advertisement of its ser
vices on the part of a company holding
7,400 applications for service.' "
In view of the fact that the above
' release was probably provided all
. newspapers in Carolina Telephone's
territory, this statement is undoubtedly
intended to scare newspapers into get
ting off the phone company's back; the
veiled threat being that the telephone
company is not going to advertise any
more because the utilities company
?questions its advertising expenditure.
The fact that the utilities commission
I even questions the newspaper advertis
ing expenditure is a comment on the
strange thinking in which the utilities
commission indulges.
Could it be possible that the tele
phone company now has 7,400 applica
tions on hand because it HAS adver
tised in newspapers in its territory?
Could it be possible that the phone
company knows that advertising brings
applications for more service, meaning
more business, and thus giving it a
point on which to argue before the util
ities commission?
Any business that has a product for
which the public has a use knows that
advertising that product wisely, brings
in more business. Any company in a
monopoly position, as is the Carolina
Telephone Co., backs itself into a cor
ner if it does not advertise those ser
vices. Advertising expenses, too, are in
come tax deductible as a cost of doing
business.
In national publications, phone sys
tems advertise their services ? for ex
ample, the advantage of using long dis
tance, the advantages of having several
phone extensions in a home. Should an
independent phone company, as do a
lot of independent merchants we know,
ride free on the coat-tails of the per
sons, or firms, who do advertise?
If the phone company thinks that
withdrawing newspaper advertising
will solve its many problems, then the
phone company management is even
worse than we thought.
Same Old Stuff
t It started with Daisy . . . the same
misinformation blared forth north and
south of here relative to the damage
done on the Carolina coast due to the
hurricane.
Persons in Jersey City called rela
tives here. And they wtere surprised to
be able to complete the call. They said
I (that news flashes reported all tele
I phone lines down in this area. They
I ? placed the call just on an eff chance
that they could get through. Another
set of relatives at Anderson, S. C., re
ported similar announcements of ex
tremely high tides and flooding in the
4 Morehead City area.
Not only is this news distressing to
, relatives, it is damaging puolicity.
We don't know where the news ser
vices get their information. Certainly
no news service queried The News
Times during Daisy's approach and
demise. Probably they don't get the
Jcind of answers they want.
On one occasion two years ago when
an upstate wire service office phoned
here for information on "the hurri
cane", the caller undoubtedly thought
we were handing him a lot of baloney
because we said, "No, the wind isn't
blowing very hard. The branches of
the trees are moving but nothing un
jisual."
"No, the tide isn't flooding any
, waterfront streets. It's about a foot
higher than usual, but nothing alarm
ing."
Since then, we haven't been con
tacted.
It depends a lot on the manner in
which a question is asked as to kind
of answer that will be obtained. Per
4 sons not accustomed to dealing with
news gathering agencies are often led
t to say things they don't exactly mean
and in the second place, they're usually
so flattered that they are being regard
ed as a source of hiformation, that they
want to "make it sound good".
For example, the inquirer asks, "I
4 guess the wind's blowing pretty hard
down there?"
Informer: "It sure is, it's a-blowin'
a gale." (The inquirer, not knowing
that "blowing a gale" is a common ex
pression here for almost anything more
than a brisk breeze, immediately
checks his wind chart and sees that
"gale" velocity is 39 to 54 miles an
hour. He prefers the 54 figure, uses
that in the bulletin he sends out over
the wire, describing what he imagines
happens when the wind blows 54 miles
in hour) .
Other examples could be cited, but
that's just one way a lot of misinfor
mation gets out about our "hurricanes". >
Continual inaccurate publicity about
storms along this coast is damaging to
real estate values and almost every
other phase of business.
As for the relatives who may get up
set over inaccurate news reports, the
best thing to do is warn them in August
that they should downgrade every
"hurricane" report about this area by
75 to 100 per cent. If, by some twist
of fate the "terrible damage" reports
should match the actual thing, there's
nothing relatives several hundred miles
from here could do about it anyhow.
Along the Way
Life is like a road ? a road that is
always going around corners. When
we are quite young, we expect to find
something new and delightful around
every turn.
But the road gets harden as we get
farther along, and often there are rocks
in the path, and unpleasant surprises
meet us when we turn corners. And it
isn't always easy to be calm and kind
and honest.
Lines and wrinkles come, but if the
lines come from thoughtfulness, and
the wrinkles come from laughing at
ourselves, then there i> no need of try
ing to hide them with paint and
powder.
? Sunshine Magazine
Carteret County News-Times
WINNER OF NATIONAL EDITORIAL ASSOCIATION AND NORTH CAROLINA
PRESS ASSOCIATION AWARDS
A Merger of The Beaufort Newt (Eft. Ull) and The Twin City Time* (Eat UN)
Publiafaed Tuesday* aad Friday* by the Carteret Publishing Company, Inc.
504 ArendeU St, liorebead City, N. C.
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ELEANORE DEAR PHILLIPS ? ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
RUTH L. PEELING - EDITOR
Mall Ratea: In Carteret County and adjoining eeuntiee, **.?* mm year, *1.50 *ix month*.
HJS one moBth; elaewhere f!M ana year, *4.00 tlx i
1
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National Advertising RepreseaUtire
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The Aaaociated Pre** I* entitled exdudvely to u*e far
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City, N. C, Undar Aet af
of local new*
ONE PLACE IT DOESN'T REDUCE FRICTION
?????????????nieL.' tth ? mii? ?
The Readers Write
Sept. 6, 1958
To the Editor:
I have read with interest your
"Second Annual Football Section"
of Friday, Sept. 5, 1958. I wish all
the teams and every player a suc
cessful football season.
I must admit my interest was
aroused not only by the review of
football prospects, but by an aspect
of this issue that is of profound
importance to Carteret County, to
North Carolina, and to the nation.
This issue raises a scries of ques
tions that warrant some considera
tion; namely:
a. Has scholar, or any group of
scholars in the Carteret school
system, ever received the recog
nition, the publicity and the pres
tige accorded these athletes?
b. Has the Carteret News-Times
ever given equivalent acknowledge
ment to the endeavors and accom
plishments of any students for
their scholastic efforts?
c. Have any local commercial
establishments ever supported the
scholars of our schools in any man
ner comparable to the enthusiastic
support accorded these athletes?
d. Has any teacher, or group of
teachers, ever received the ac
claim extended to the football
coaches mentioned in this issue?
Form my observation the ans
wers to these questions are unani
mously "No"; not only in Carteret
County, but in almost every school
district in our nation. I believe
this reflects an extremely serious
lack of balance and misdirected
emphasis. I wonder if others do
not share this feeling.
Is there an appreciation of the
critical need for trained minds if
we are to meet the Russian chal
lenge that has been so vividly dem
onstrated by the Sputniks? Is it
recognized that the Russia school
system no longer challenges, but
has actually surpassed our sys
tem?
I am not a scholar or a teacher,
but a retired businessman. I feel
that it is deplorable that we habi
tually elevate the football hero to
a pedestal on one hand and scoff
at the serious student as an "egg
head" on the other. Which one
will have the most important ef
fects on the progress of our na
tion in this age of technology?
I have no objection to the pub
licity in support of the football
program (although I do feel that
we excessively overemphasize the
sport). Shouldn't we provide at
least equal encouragement to the
school activity that is critically
needed today? the training of able
minds?
Yours truly
W. 8. Kidd
RFD 1, Box 318
Morehead City, N. C.
Security for You...
By W. W. THOMAS
New Bern
The Social Security Amendments
of 1958 will provide increased
monthly payments beginning with
the checks which are due early in
February 1959. The amount of the
increase will be about 7 per cent,
although the increase in some
checks will be slightly more than
7 per cent and it will be slightly
less than 7 per cent in some others.
People who are already getting
social security payments do not
need to apply for the increase. It
will be automatically added to the
checks for January, which will be
mailed out early in February.
Under other changes made by
the new law, social security bene
fits will become payable to a num
ber of people not previously eligi
ble for payments. They must, how
ever, apply to their social security
offices before payments can start.
Among the groups now eligible be
cause of the amendments are:
1. Dependents of people who are
SO or over who are now getting
disability Insurance benefits (chil
dren under 18 or disabled; a wife
of any age who has a child in her
care who is entitled to benefits;
a wife 62 or over; or a dependent
huaband 65 or over).
2. Disabled people 50 or over
who could not qualify for benefits
under the old law because they
did not have as much as IVi years
of work in the 3 years before they
were disabled. However, a total
of at least 5 years of work under
the law la still required.
3. Dependent parents whose son
or daughter died after 1830 and
who could not qualify for benefits
under the old law because the son
or daughter left a widow, widower,
or child. ' 1
4. Adopted children whose adopt
ing parent began receiving retire
ment benefits less that 3 years
after adoption. In many cases this
provision will also make possible
payments to the mother of the
adopted child.
5. A person receiving benefits
who marries another person also
receiving benefits can continue to
receive monthly checks, or can
become eligible as a dependent of
tbe new husband or wife without'
waiting 3 years.
Some people in situations similar
to thoee mentioned above may
have applied for benefits in tbe
put ud been notified Uut they
did not qualify (or payments.
These people should get in touch
with their social security district
offices promptly about filing new
applications, Mr. Thomas noted.
Disabled workers whose social
accurity disability benefits were
reduced or were not payable be
cause they received workmen's
compensation or other Federal dis
ability payments will begin to re
ceive the full amount of their so
cial security disability payments.
And these people do not have to
file new applications. Their social
security checks will be started
automatically with checks mailed
out early in September.
There is a slight change in the
rules on how much a social secur
ity beneficiary may earn and atUl
get social security benefit pay
ments. Under a new provision a
person's social aecurity benefit will
not be withheld for any month in
which he neither worked in his own
business nor earned over $100 in
wages.
Beginning Jan. 1, 1959, the social
aecurity tax rate for employees
and employers will be 2 Mi per cent
each. The rate for self-employed
people will be per cent. Start
ing with 1959 the first (4,(00 of
earnings in a year wUI be taxed
for social security and will count
toward social security benefits.
The New Bern social security
district office is at 305 Pollock St.
It Is open from Monday through
Friday, from 9 a.m. to S p.m.
It is not necessary for people
already receiving monthly pay
ments to apply for the automatic
increase. It will be added to the
January checks, which will be de
livered early in February.
Inquiries about the automatic
increase will slow down our ef
fort to start payments promptly to
the people who can now get pay
ments for the first time.
(Mr. Thomas is substituting this
week for Ray Henry, Associated
Press columnist, whose column
will be back next week.? The Edi
tor).
SmiUaWhiU
Perhaps you've heard the story
about the two Janitors in a Urge
city office building: They were
broomatcs; they even iwept to
gether; in fact, they were dust in
?sparable.
Comment... j. Keiium
Writing Sensibly
Authors suffer from a temptation
peculiar to the intangible arts: a
tendency to go on writing accom
panied by adequate reason or not.
This is excepting Dame Edith Sit
well's "Facade" and other such
literary amusements.
It is deceptively easy for some
people to string words into phrases.
Poets in particular may become
infatuated with sound to the ex
clusion of sense. For example,
Joseph Auslander begins "Thanks
giving, 1945" with this contradic
tory verse:
"How shall we thank Thee, Lord,
Who art
The searcher of the human heart?
Or by what means to Thee reveal
A tithe of all we think and feel?"
More complicated is shortsight
edness underlying whole theories
which may be presented in a very
convincing manner. This is true
of such theories as Norman Vin
cent Peal's Positive Thinking
which tends to curry pride and
ego? I shall make up my mind to
be Somebody and therefore I shall
be Somebody.
The biggest weakness of that at
titude Is that it is presented in
the name of Him who pointed out
to us that we cannot add one cubit
to our stature and instructed us
that "whosoever exalteth himself
shall be abased; and he that hum
bleth himself shall be exalted."
Perhaps Dr. Peale himself realizes
the falalcy of oversimplification.
After all, a half-truth is also a
half -untruth.
Blindness on the writer's part
can proceed very interestingly as
when Kahlil Gibran gives advice
he himself does not take ? in "The
Prophet", he says, "You too should
rest in reason and move in pas
sion." More careful and less un
reasonably paasionatc, writing
than Gibran's would be hard to
firid. He goes to great pains to say
what be means and even com
plains that, "thought is a bird of
space, that in a cage of worda may
indeed unfold its wings but cannot
fly."
Caged even in his careful words
what truth he may have discov
ered about passion has failed to
fly into our field of vision. Per
haps he almost made it.
Literally, a miss is really ai
good as a mile. Or worse. When
the author has failed to get his
idea across, he may. instead have
gotten across an idea which he
never intended and which he him
self may possibly abhore. An au
thor possessing a gift for words,
who fails to say pretty nearly
what he means, may have made
an error at the beginning: namely,
that he did not have a complete
idea to start with.
We wonder if John Dewey rea
lized exactly what he was saying
when he said, "Ours is the respon
sibility of conserving, transmitting,
rectifying and expanding the heri
tage of values we have received
that those who come after ua may
receive it more solid and more se
cure, more widely accessible and
more generously shared than we
have received it. Here are all the
element* for a religious faith . . ."
("A Common Faith". Yale U.
Press).
He aeema to- have missed the
Japanese auccess in exactly that
field. Tbey call it Shirts.
Who Else?
This one is about Cary Middle
coff, who waa Just getting ready
to start a round at Augusta, and
a youngster who had been employ
ed as his caddy.
"What's your name," Cary asked
the youth.
"Po\" the boy answered.
"Po' what." said Middlecoff.
"Poe," replied the boy. "P-o-e."
"Oh," Middlecoff laughed. "Are
you, by any chance, related to the
famous Edgar Allan Poe?"
The boy looked up at Middlecoff
with big, sincere, baffled eyer
"1." be Mid, "is Edgar Allan
Poe."
. .. __ .
Lout? Splvy
Words of Inspiration
' GUESTS IN GOD'S BOUSE
It would be well for all of ui to remember when we enter the ?ane
tuary of the church of our choice, that we are guests in God'a houae.
It ia a place where reverence ia in order. This idea is beautifully ex
pressed in an inscription from a 12th century church in Holdre, England.
"Friend, you enter this church not as a stranger, but aa a guest of
God. He ia your Heavenly Father. Come then with joy in your heart
and thanks on your lips into Hia presence, offering Him your love and
aervlce. Be grateful to the strong and loyal men who, in the name of
Jesus Christ, builded this place of worship, and to all who be.autified
it and hallowed it with their prayers and praises. Beseech His blessings
on those who love this home of faith as the inspiration of their labor,
rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit, and may that bleaaing rest on
you, both on your going out and on your coming in."
WHERE A DOGWOOD STOOD
Today while I was walking in the wood
I stopped short where a dogwood stood,
Arrayed in its fragile white lace,
In a lovely, springtime-painted place.
So stirred was I by the beauty there
That I joined the dogwood in prayer.
Realizing that no one else but God
Could lift snowy blooms from the sod.
And, as we prayed, an Unseen Power
Pervaded the enchanted green bower;
No longer were there just the tree and I
But the Holy Spirit, too, with Heaven nigh.
Never shall I forget meeting God in the wood
When I stopped and prayed where a dogwood stood!
? Earl J. Grant
BEHAVIOR AT AND IN GOD'S HOUSE
"These things I write unto thee . . . that thou mayest know how thou
oughtrst to behave thyself in the house of God." (I Timothy 3:14-15).
This verse could mean the following:
Come at the appointed hour, not late. Deacons, committees, all.
Don't chew gum. Refrain from conversation. Offer a prayer for the
people, the minister, and for yourself. Join in the singing. Give the
minister the encouragement of your earnest attention. Keep in mind
the offering is an act of worship. If possible, never leave the service
until after the benediction. Don't walk down the aisle when God'a word
is being read. Don't stand outside after the service has begun; chil
dren wander why. ? Selected
If you must whisper, whisper a prayer.
Blaise Pascal saya, "There are three means of believing ? by In
spiration, by reason, and by custom. Christianity which is the only
rational institution, does not yet admit any of its sons who do not be
lieve by inspiration."
WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY?
In the home It is kindness; In business it is honesty; In society it If
helpfulness; In work it is fairness; to the unfortunate, it Is the helpful
hand; toward the weak it is burden bearing; toward the wicked it is
evangelism; toward the strong it is trust; toward the penitent it is for
giveness; toward the fortunate it is Joy; toward ourselves it ia self-con
trol; toward God it is reverence, worship and love. And the foundation
stone, the undergirding motive in all these motives, is the spirit of
Christ.
If absence makes the heart grow fonder, how some people must love
the church.
Some people who give the Lord credit are reluctant to give him cash.
? Jack Herbert
Free Wheeling
By MIX CROWELL
Motor Vehicles Department
LEARNING . . . Nearly every
week night, somewhere in the
state, lights go on and a strangely
similar group assembles for study.
Textbooks are opened, pencils
brought out and sharpened, and a
teacher arises to say, "Tonight we
take up rules of the road."
And with that another driver im
provement clinic gets under way.
Administered by the State Depart
ment of Motor Vehicles, errant
drivers for the next couple of houra
will be exposed to the hard facta
that traffic violations and costly
?physically sometimes, financially
nearly always.
What's behind the clinics, most
of which have been turning out
graduates since esrly spring?
"A basically new approach to
the multiple traffic offender," mo
tor vehicles commissioner Edward
Scheldt explains. "Any driver in
curring an unusual number of vio
lations within, say, a relatively
short period of time needs help.
We suspect that a wrong attitude,
or an air of indifference, is to
blame in moat cases. Our princi
ple concern through the clinics is
to get these drivers 'back on the
beam' so to speak."
A violator isn't forced to attend
a clinic, despite a dirty traffic rec
ord. Moat applicants now enrolled
in . the 33 such schools currently
operating are there because of a
sincere desire to have experienced
personnel point out what'a wrong
with their behind-the-wheel be
havior.
"And most of the time," says
Scheldt, "the cure Involve! noth
ing more than a tactful uprooting
of the 'me first' attitude ?o preva
lent among driven today. That
plus a thorough re -indoctrination
Into traffic laws, highway safety
and the general safe handling of
a motor vehicle."
The clinics welcome applicants
from local courtrooms, in some
cases. Others are enrolled from
the files of the Motor Vehicles De
partment itself. Chronic bad driv
ers seldom escape the attention
of licensing auhtorities. An invita
tion to attend a clinic usually fol
lows. All in all, some 450 Tar Heel
drivers are attending the one-a
week sessions.
And a majority, after the first
couple of meetings, profess a gen
uine regard for the inatruction.
The happy result, of course, is that
a great percentage of the "stu
dents" returns to the roads far
better driven than they were be
fore.
The clinics are under the direc
tion of Wallace Hyde, a depart
ment division head, professional
school master and presently candi
date for a doctor's degree. Work
ing directly under Hyde is the
teaching staff? three trained in
structors for each of the S3 clinics.
General supervision of each clinic
is in the hands of a department
driver education representative,
assisted by members of the driver
licensing division and the State
Highway Patrol.
8UDDEN THAWT ... A modern
teen-ager U one who thinks more
of passing the car ahead than he
does of passing an examination.
From the Bookshelf
Abandon Ship! Death of the USS
Indianapolis. By Richard F. New
comb. Holt. $3.95.
In the firat II minutes after mid
night Monday. July 29, 1945, the
heavy cruiser Indianapolis took
three torpedoes and sank. They
were delivered by the 1-51, one of
the list big Japanese submarines,
In the fitful light of I last-quarter
moon as the war was drawing to
a close? the Indianapolis was out
there in fact on a top-secret Job
of transporting uranium and the
1-51, Just before It struck, had
heard radio reports of some fresh
catastrophe at Hiroshima.
It happened half way between
Guam and Leyte. One of our older
ships, it had no sonic sub-detec
tion devices, it was denied an es
cort and its communication wires
centered hazardously in one spot.
Of 12 officers, 15 survived; of a
compliment of 1,1M men, too died.
It was the last major vessel we
lost in the war and our all-time
wont naval disaster, lays New
comb.
. Xtawfc Um Jihiw tctuo ?
rcctly cost some lives, most o f
the deaths were due to the fact
that the ship was "lost;" the Navy
just forgot to count noses.
It was only by blessed chance
that a plane discovered the
wretched men afloat in the tea or
on rafta three and a half entire
daya after the sinking, with first
rescues four days after.
The charitable explanation. New
comb suggests, is a calamitoua
combination of unlikely coinci
dences. But he alao points out that
the Navy tried, as if maybe it
had something on its conscience,
to duck responsibility for the ne
glect of the vessel and that, finally,
nagged on by the victims' families,
it picked on four scapegoats and
reprimanded them with a lot of
publicity only to withdraw the
reprimands later in a very still
small voice.
Newcomb la a first-rate sleuth
be ia alao an Associated Press
editor? and he has worked some
gripping drama into this book. I
hope Navy brass will read it
-V. C. Bagara