CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES
Cwrtarat County'* N?wipapar
EDITORIALS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1958
Gravy Train?
When emotion comes in the door,
reason flies out the window . . .
The controversy over menhaden
boats at the Moore dock in Beaufort,
over which there should be no contro
versy if merely the law were followed,
is certainly fraught with emotion. The
emotion, mainly, is fear that the
pocketbook will be robbed if the boats
are moved.
This fear is a snap reaction not based
on analysis of the situation. It is true
that the menhaden season means more
business for Beaufort and Morehead
City. But businessmen who think the
menhaden fleet is a gravy train are
wrong. Businessmen may make money
but they also pay. The pay is disguised.
They pay in this way: higher taxes
? and though they won't admit it, fear
that their way of life will be disrupted.
1. Taxes: influx of a temporary pop
ulation always means more financial
headaches for the welfare department.
Each season there are usually one or
two (maybe more) fishermen who die,
either by violence or otherwise. There
is no money from his family to bury
the fisherman or send him to a home,
if he has one. The welfare department
? financed by our tax money ? pays.
From seven to nine months after the
menhaden fleet leaves, a crop of babies,
to unwed mothers, arrives. Who pays?
The taxpayer. And these illegitimate
children must be supported by welfare
funds, usually for 16 years.
Welfare funds are low. The county
welfare tax will probably have to be
raised this coming year. We wonder if
the businessmen who are riding the
menhaden fleet "gravy train" will take
the increase without a whimper.
As for the health department, they
"ride the gravy train" this way. A fed
eral public health officer comes when
the fleet is in and tests all crewmen for
venereal disease in an effort to curb
transmittal of the disease to the local
population. The crewmen have always
been most cooperative but such testing
? and treatment ? is costly. The tax
payer pays.
As for town police and county law
enforcement ? thefts increase when
the fleet is in town (anyone is free to
check the statistics) ; usually there are
knifings, sometimes murders and, the
processing of simple public drunken
ness cases is costly. The taxpayer pays.
2. Disruption of our way of life: Just
last year, families on East Front Street
were disturbed because a colored maid
who lived back of the home she served
was entertaining, regularly, overnight,
a gentleman. The mayor was called, the
police were called and there was much
maneuvering before the matter was
straightened out. Some of these same
people, distressed last year, are now
inviting everybody to "come live with
us."
Now this editorial will be interpreted
in many ways. Fo'r those who want to
read things in it that are NOT here,
this is what it really says:
The menhaden fleet and business
that comes from it is most welcome. But
it is not all "gravy". Nobody gets some
thing worth having without paying for
it.
Man, through his stages of "civiliza
tion" has found it is advisable to live
under laws. Man, occasionally, in emo
tion-fraught moments, wants to do
away with certain laws. But standards
must be followed. To change those
laws, without thoughtful consideration,
or to disobey those laws can result in
trouble, and sometimes, chaos.
Facts in the Tax Matter
Persons who complain that the coun
ty "lets some people get away without
paying their taxes" noted, we hope,
that the boom was lowered on back
sliding taxpayers last month.
Property on which taxes were owing
was sold at auction at the courthouse
Saturday, Oct. 25. This was done with
proper public notice. As a result, many
of the delinquents paid the taxes and
thus saved their land.
For those who didn't, the land pass
ed into the hands of the county, if it
wasn't purchased by individuals.
The county commissioners and the
sheriff's department are to be com
mended ? the commissioners for car
rying through on tax collection as pro
vided by law, and the sheriff for carry
ing out his job in tax collecting.
For him, it's a thankless job. People
who owe taxes sometimes become an
gry when they're asked to pay. They
don't get mad at the laws written in
the law book, they get mad at the of
ficer who asks them to pay up.
Thus, the sheriff comes in for some
undue criticism. The fact that he's re
elected by a walloping majority when
election time comes around attests to
the fact that he can handle a prickly
job and still keep most people calm.
Also due a lot of credit on the county
tax collecting job is the tax collector's
office. Without consistent diligent work
there, the sheriff's job would be twice
as difficult
Nobody wants to pay taxes, buf
everybody wants to share In the bene
fits that accrue from them. The age
old demand from the people is "Less
taxes and more benefits" which is ob
viously impossible.
As for readjustment of land values,
the county board is continuing its prac
tice of recent years: if you want the
value of your land readjusted come be
fore the board at its equalization meet
ing in March. That meeting, and that
one alone, is the only time that the
commissioners, as specified by law,
may consider land revaluation.
What may have been true of county
government some years ago is not true
today. And citizens who accuse the
county administration of not collecting
taxes are not keeping abreast of today's
affairs.
Famous Americans
The Hall of Fame of Great Ameri
cans is located on the campus of New
York University, in the Bronx, N. Y.
Names to be inscribed in the Hall of
Fame are chosen every five years by a
College of Electors, consisting of ap
proximately 100 American men and
women of distinction, representing
every state.
To be eligible, a nominee must have
been dead 25 years. There have been
86 individuals chosen for this honor.
The most recent ones, selected in 1955,
were Thomas Jonathan Jackson
(Stonewall, of Confederate fame) ;
George Westinghouse (inventor) ; Wil
bur Wright (pioneer in aviation).
v
The millstones of the human mind
go round and round ; if they have noth
ing else to grind, they must themselves
be ground. What is nervous prostra
tion, but the wearing out of the two
millstones with no grist between? Sug
gestion: Fill your mind with good
things.
Carteret County News-Times
WINNER Or NATIONAL EDITORIAL ASSOCIATION AND NORTH CAROLINA
PRESS ASSOCIATION AWARDS
A Merger cl The Beaufort New. <E?t 1112) and The Twin City line* (Est UM)
Published Tuesdays and Fridays by the Carteret Publishing Company, Inc.
SO* AreodeU St, Morehead City, N. C.
" LOCKWOOD PHILLIPS - PUBLISHER
RLEANORE DEAR PHILLIPS - ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
ROTH L PEELING - EDITOR
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printed ia this newspaper, as well as all AP news dispatches
Mil 1 1 aa SNoal Cteaa Matter at Morebead City, M. O, Under Act at March I. W?
FIRST, THE DOCTORS HAVE TO AGREE!
i
? A (bunCALLV
'/ ANEMIC G O? f
?&/?/?/.&? ^ ? llllil I Ml I ill Will linl
The Readers Write
The Problem of Piering the Pogy
Boats Presages Posthumous Rum
blings from the tombs of our fore
fathers, just the latest ones, too,
of those whose criei of offense
have so ridiculously even reached
the courts of the law.
The forefathers used to sit on
their porches and look, even ad
mire, and smell not only the boats
at anchor but the seines rolled on
reels on birdshoal. This in the days
of primitive methods of cleansing
and airing and sunning, in charge
of such chores just Nature itself;
and maybe a bucket brigade
which must have considered its
job silly and unnecessary, for who
minds a few smells; which will
just come again after th? next
trip to sea and the processing
plant.
Increased capacity and improved
methods have made the fish fac
tory and pogy boat of today smell
like perfume compared to the de
fe naive action of a akunk, which
was more like the stench of the
whole menhaden induatry of old.
Even the "tako" stunk, for with
out the present know-how it was
a losing proposition.
A foremother I know and still
alive still calls the pogy boats
queens of the sea. There is some
thing majestic about them. She
loves to hear their three long
blasts for the drawbridge, and
she could would even get up
in the middle of the night to
watch them all lighted up, glide
by, the sound of engines and the
hum of the generators just a lull
ing orchestral background to their
movement.
A lot of forefathers who used to
go down to the sea in ships must
be restless in their graves. I won
der if the landlocked lubbers are
envious of the rugged seamen
when placed in close proximity?
Do they regret their youthful op
portunities if they had them, for
only in youth docs one have the
nerve and yen for adventure. Now
old, we might even look at the
flood and ebb of tide in Taylor'i
creek with misgivings. I know,
for I am cautious now,
If all the waters in Beaufort Har
bor, in Fort Macon Channel, At
lantic Beach, Shackleford Banks,
the Inlet, and even Cape Lookout
were the same as when I was a
boy, I am sure I would not fear
to frolic with them any time, in
the belief each drop would caress
and nourish and buoy me up as
they did when I loved them, wal
lowed in them without care or
fear. But, alas, I am old, and even
if I was sure these waters were
the uiM, there would be no trust
in me.
With each generation of im
proved gentle living we probably
get softer and more refined, and
even if at heart we haven't, there
must be an urge to create the im
pression, or make sure somebody
believes we have reacted to our
environment, just for appearances'
sake; or to hush our consciences,
or to prove outwardly at least we
have completely shed the jungle
in our stage of civilization.
Now what do these gentle folk
do for recreation? If they have
the money'the whole world is their
playground. At least a night club
or a theatre is within convenient
reach. Or have thair kids to play
with, in the yard, at the school,
at a movie, or just in the living
room in front of the tv. They arc
at home.
How many of the staid parents
have been alone in foreign parts,
moat of the time like the pogy
boatmen? Up and down the eoatt,
home for a weekend, or gambling
they'll be in one place long enough
to have the family for a weekend,
only to find that after the family
arrive! they have put to sea again?
Suppose all these gentle folk
found themselves confincd to one
little pier, crowded by tha crews
of nine boats, and the problems
of supply and transportation and
recrcation? I bat there would be
a little unrefined noise, don't you?
Now and then I can imagine tho
pilot tired, sleepy, even disgusted
when there is a small catch, just
leaning on that whistle for the
bridge to open, saying to himself,
"Hope this'll wake a few of the
complacent sons-o' guns, whose
pockets we fill with money while
they sleep."
Well, it's a funny world. Each
unto his own, and condemn all the
rest! The unkindeat cut of all is
not the reflection on all the cap
tains and crews and owners of the
pogy boata, but upon the hospi
tality and fairness of most of the
good people of Beaufort. Just as
the charges the crews consist of
criminals and riff-raft of the wa
terfront, it implies our whole town
is also unjust.
Why in the world, unless there
arc unseen axes to grind among
ourselves? and that should not be
aired like dirty laundry in our
neighbor's face? wasn't there tome
warning or serious complaints, and
insistence upon some kind of super
vision, 'ere sach action I
A CitUen of Beaufort
F. C. Salisbury
Here and There
The following information if
taken from the filei of the More
head City Coaiter:
FRIDAY, NOV. ?, 1?1?
Dr. W. Q. A. Graham of Win
ston-Saiem spent several days in
the county visiting his former
church members.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Clyde
Helms, Sunday, Nov. 23, a boy.
J. B. Sawyer and Vernon Paul
and Mrs. O. B. Willis motored to
Aurora Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. M. L. Willis left
Wednesday morning for Norfolk
to spend Thanksgiving with Mrs.
Mattie Wallace.
Miss Helen Canfield left Tues
day for Winston-Salem to visit her
sister, Miss Reba.
Mr*. Betti* Lindsay of Beau
fort arrived in the city Thursday
for several days' visit with her
sister, Mrs. W. L. ArendeU.
A. 0. Honegger and D. E.
Thompson, who have ben employed
by the Ocean Leather Co., left
Monday for New York.
Mr. and Mrs. O. 0. Bell, Mia*
Lorraine ArendeU and Ralph Hau
scr motored to New B?rn Wednes
day to attend the musical comedy
"Blue Eyea."
The wedding of Miss Annie Ho
cutt and Alton Robinson took place
last Saturday evening at the home
of Harvey Hamilton. Mrs. Robin
son is the daughter of the Rev.
Hocatt of Atlantic. Mr. Robinson
holds a position with the Cherry
Whoelsale Co.
Guion Eubanks of Beaufort, I
ministerial atudent at Ayden Semi
nary, died Sunday in Sydney.
Miss Lila Wade, who haa been
clerking for Sam Adler, haa ac
ceptcd a position with J. O. Bax
ter Jewelry store in New Bern.
Gurney P. Hood, who has served
as cashier of the Bank o ( More
bead City since 1914, has resigned,
having accepted a aimllar position
with a bank in Tarboro. T. C.
Wade of Beaufort haa boeo elected
in his place.
Chalk * Bonner are advertising
the new Overland car with three
point cantilever springs that makes
the car seem to "Sail Over the
Roads."
icWMflykaMuNBflB
Comment ? ? ? J. Kellum
Reading Chaucer
Soldier, servant of the King,
sometime diplomat, secret sorvic*
agent, customs comptroller, clerk
of the King's works, Geoffrey
Chaucer was a busy and important
man who also wrote lively poetry
in the slang which later became
the language of all England.
To read his work, we must un
derstand at least a little back
ground ? the Middle Ages were
colorful times, full of plagnes,
wars, genuine realism, confusions,
earthy jokes and genuine piety in
stirring contrast to on* another.
His "Canterbury Tales" concern
a pilgrimage ? he wrot* more than
a century before the Reformation
?to Canterbury, even then an an
cient shrine. Spelling was not
standardized and he must have in
vented his own to convey the
speech.
This begins the "Prologue":
"When that Aprille with his
akoures sot*
The droghte of Marche has perched
to Uc rote,
And bathed every veyne in swich
licour
Of which vcrtu engendered is the
flour;
Whan Zepliirus cek with his sweto
breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and
heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge
sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfo cours
y-ronne,
And smale fowlcs maken melody*
That slepen al the night with open
ye . .
For a trial, put aside commen
taries and translations of Chaucer
and simply go over those lines ?
read them aloud, too quickly to
consider every syllable. Lo, it
sounds like sense! It Is. Beautiful.
A picture of spring we can almost
smell.
Now try it with modern s palling:
When that April with his showers
soft
The drought of Marck hath picrced
to the root,
And bathed every vine In such
liquour
Of which virtue engendered if the
flower;
When Zcphyrus with his sweat
breath
Inspired hath in every holt and
heath
The tender crops, and the young
sua
Hath in the Ram his half course
run.
And small fowls making melody
That sleep all the night wiUi open
eye . . .
The word "eek" may be
dropped ; it is related to our "eke"
but not so easily usable in modern
English. From . Greek Zephyrus,
we retain the word zephyr, for a
light wind. And the Ram is, of
course, the constellation of that
name, noting time by astronomy
which used to be the accepted
method.
Even if ill-understood words are
skipped, this light-hearted reading
preserves his light-hearted ren
dering and so is truer to the song
than the popular translations.
Chaucer is meant to be fun to read.
Once we learn to automatically
recognize our words in his spelling,
read them In his music ? prefer
ably aloud? (as "En-ge-Iond" in
stead of the "England:' we know
him to mean), we have the key
to all his writing.
Smile a WhiU
?
A famous psychiatrist cenduct
ing i university count in psycho
pathology wai asked by ? atudent,
"Doctor, you've told ui about the
abnormal persm and his behavior
?but what aboat the normal per
son?"
"When we find him," replied the
psychiatrist, "we cure him."
?Irish Digest
tod? Splvy
Words of Inspiration
TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR OLDER PEOPLE
1. Don't (ive up your job too early. Keeping bu?y as long as possibtt
will keep you young, interested and interesting.
2. Don't live with your children if you can possibly avoid it Keep ?
place of your own, no matter how humble. Keep your freedom and in
dependence. Don't trade them for the conitant fear of treading oo some
one's feelings and causing friction with in-lawi and grandchildren ? ta
say nothing of your own son or daughter. The father or mother who
goes to live with children either becomes a rubber itamp or a firebrand
? neither of which produces much happiness.
3. Keep a medium tight hold on your pocketbook. Give your childraa
as mueh as you can afford, but keep most of your money ia your own
hands. Never turn property over to the children on the promise thai
they'll take care at you. A good child will not ask such a thing, a greedy
one will not bold the promise as binding. One of the best friends in old
age is a checkbook.
4. Keep your friendships in good repair and add as many new ones
as possible. Don't rely solely on the old ones; they have a habit a I
taking up residence in the cemetery, and you can get very lonely waiting
for someone to take their places. Make a business of cultivating people.
Write letters, send greeting cards, show interest in triumphs, and dis
asters. If you want friendship, you must earn it.
5. Keep yourself as attractive as possible. Age doesn't give you th?
right to appear sloppy, frumpy, or unwashed. Be meticulous about your
person.
6. Keep in the running by doing things for other people. Entertain
as much as possible ? and you'll be entertained.
7. Don't try to run your children's lives. Just because they arc your
sons and daughters is no indication that they share your likes or dis
likes. Furthermore, make allowances for the fact that "times have
changed." What was a wise thing in your day may be very foolish now.
8. Don't indulge in that common vice of old age ? conceit. Just be
cause you are in hailing distance of <0, you aren't automatically wise.
Don't act as if you had the wisdom of Solomon.
9. Don't think that age gives you the privilege of making yourself
disagreeable. Age doesn't give you the right to be peevish, fretful, de
manding or ill-mannered.
JO. Finally, don't be a repeater. Don't tell the same bygone stories
at-ain and again. Many older people can make fascinating tales out of
the past, and their grandchildren love to listen. Other senior citizens ?
and I'm afraid most of them ? just get boringly repetitious, with their
stories beginning, "Why when I was young, milk was six cents a quart."
As long as you can read the daily papers, listen to a radio, or walch TV,
you need not go senile in your conversation.
? Dorothy Dix
AFTER SEVENTY
Pamper the body
Prod the soul
Accept limitations
But play a role.
Withdraw from the front
But stay in the fight
Avoid isolation
Keep in sight.
Beware of reminiscing
Except to a child
Re: forgetting proper names
Be reconciled.
Refrain from loquacity
Be crisp and concise
And regard self-pity
At a cardinal vice.
? Olive Prouty
Security for You...
By RAY HENRY
Ymr Social Security Ux goaf
up Jan. 1.
How much depends on your
earnings and whether you wark
for yourself or somebody else.
If you work for someone else,
your tax will be 2^ per cent of
all your earnings up to $4,800. It
has been 2 '4 per cent of your
earnings up to $4,200.
The Increase ? in dollars and
cents? means you'll have to pay
$120 tax in 1969 if your earnings
are $4,800 or moro, compared with
$94.30 this year.
If your earnings next year arc
less than $4,800, your tax will be
less than $120. For example: Sup
pose your weekly earnings will
average $80 for a total of $4,160
a year. Your tax will be $104.
Thai's 21* per cent of $4,1(0.
Averaged over the year, the
most the increase can cost you is
a small fraction more than 49
cents a week.
Whatever your Ux la, your em
ployer will have to match it.
If you work for yourself? that
is, you're self-employed ? and
you're covered by Social Security,
your tax for 1959 will be 3% per
cent of your net earnings up to
$4,80*. It has been 3% of $4,200
a year.
This means, if your earnings are
$4,800 or more next year, you'll
have to pay a tax of $180, com
pared with $141.75 this year if
you have net earnings of $4,200.
Remember: If you're self-em
ployed, you pay the Social Security
tax only once a year at income
tax time. The tax paid then 1a for
your previous year's earnings.
For example: Between Jan. 1
and April IS. 1959, you'll pay your
Social Security tax. Since the tax
will be for your 1958 earnings, it
will be at the 3% per cent rate
on your net earnings up to $4,200.
It won't be until you pay your tax
in I960? for your earnings In 1959
?that you'll have to pay the new
3% per cent tax.
The Jan. 1 raise in tax will not
be the last. It *ill be raised again
in 1960 and every three years after
that until a final jump in 1969.
There may be even more if other
changcs arc made by Congrcas in
Social Security.
Hcre'a a table of the scheduled
increases:
Em- Em- Self-Em
Yean* pleyec ployer ployed
1960-62 3% 3% 4%%
1963-65 3^% 3Mi% S'4%
1966-68 4% 4% 6%
after 4V4% 4V4% 6%%
1969 and
(* The percentages in the table
all apply to earnings up to $4,900.)
The reason for the tax increase
next year is the raise in payments
which goes into effect Jan. 1, and
for the other changes made re
cently in Social Security.
The future increases are to take
care of the heavier demands which
will be made on the Social Security
funds in the future. For example:
By 1971, nearly everyone 65 or
older will be eligible for Social Se
curity retirement payments. Pres
ently, only about two out of three
are.
(Editor 'a Note: Yea may cas
ta et the aeclal seearlty repre
sentative at the caarthaase an
nex, Beanfart, from 9:3t a.m. to
aoea Tuesdays. He will help yea
with yaar awn particular preh
lea).
Georgia-Grown Hate
While the police were raking the
debris of that bombed synagogue
in Atlanta, columnist David Law
rence confided to the world that
it all might very well have been
? Communist plot.
And Georgia'a Senator Tal
madge, in the first shock of the
explosion, toyed with the same
idea in examining how such a
thing could have occurred in At
lanta.
Since then five men have been
arrested and indicted by a grand
jury. There is not the slightest bit
of evidence that any one of them
is a Red. There is a good bit af
evidence that any one of them is
a consummate hater and that his
hate was manufactured in Georgia
and nowhere else.
Lawrence and the senator wera
merely engaging in a modern
American pastime. All that is low
and evil you blame on the Com
munists. If something happens
that defies normal aiplanatiao.
then the Russians must surely
have had a hand in it.
Even in an inflamed South it ia
hard to believe that anyone would
use dynamite on a church. Thus
the answer (or such conduct must
lie elsewhere.
A good bit of the evil in the
world is hatched inside the Krem
lin, it ia true. The Soviet plan of
conquest is linked to fomenttnf
discord. Sabotage and subterfuge
are basic to Red techniques.
But much of the South's present
woea are native American. And
thoae who would understand a
local bombing might look first for
a local explanation.
?Charlotte Newi
Just in Patting . . .
The trouble with a fellow who
talks too fast la that ho la liable
to say something that he hasn't
?ren thought at yet.