Bond Issue is Not Only Way ,
Nor Best Way to Get Schools
By HARRY H. MIZELLE
Newport, N. C.
What wf want to discuss is ?
home ? which we'll call Carteret
County ? that houses our citiiens
and nourishes their children (or a
better and more productive future
through the one essential means
we have today: education.
AU of us have heard the recent
plan formulated by the Citizens'
Committee for Better Schools,
working with complete approval of
the County Board of Education, for
obtaining our desires through a
bonded indebtedness of $2,500,000.
There are a large number of us
in this county who are greatly con
cerned with our home ? Carteret
County ? as to its ability to pro
vide current needs, future needs,
and projected long-term needs in
nourishing our children in this
basic essential of the modern age:
improvement of body and mind aB
a salable item for occupational and
personal needs.
Now let's discuss the facts con
cerning the case for education in
Carteret County as it presents it
self. First, to all those proponents
of plans for obtaining better edu
cation, let's end once and for all
the idea that we have to sell our
citizenry on the need for better
school buildings.
There may be a few who don't
care whether anyone goes to
school, but in this day and age no
Intelligent, clear-thinking adult can
close the door on the employment
requirements for their children as
future sellers of their abilities, on
the industrial and community mar
ket of human needs.
Second, another idea that is being
forwarded by the Citizens' Com
mittee I would like to try to end
once and for all: the idea that
there is only one way to handle
this problem.
That assumption is not only poor
planning but an admission that we
are dealing in the present with no
forethought for tomorrow and not
even a thimbleful of consideration
for projected long-term needs.
Now let's bite into the crust of
the matter, which is how to finance
our school building program and
where to locate our school plants.
The most important is how to fl
naiicc.
There are three program!, cur
rently possible, for achieving the
ultimate objective for our school
building and improvement program
(new buildings, renovation of old
buildings, landscaping of school
grounds, proper equipment for sci
ence departments, home economics
departments, agriculture depart
ments, commercial departments,
visual aids, etc.)
? First, a school bond issue
bringing us $2,500,000 immediate
ly, necessitating an estimated tax
rate of $1.70 outlined and explained
below.
w aecona, I oonu reunance pro
grim increasing our present inter
est rite from 2M per cent to 3 per
cent or more, requiring the board
of commissioners to spread the re
tirement of our bonded indebted
ness over a period of 10 yeari or
more, thus releasing moneys allo
cated currently for debt retirement
to be used for ichool purposes.
This would necessitate an esti
mated tax rate of *1.80 for eich
hundred dollars viluition, ai out
lined and explained below.
? Third, a courageous, bold and
thoughtful approach to the school
question by thinking taxpayers:
that of tightening our belts and in
creating our current taxes at the
beginning of the 1939 tax year to
*1.U per hundred dollars valuation
(outlined and explained below)
which would pay our current debt
off in two years while allowing us
U plan a well thought out and de
tailed program of school improve
ment and building ? on a paying
basil!
This would mult in a tax reduc
tion at the end of a definite period
(outlined and explained below) to
an estimated 90 cents per hundred
dollars valuation.
(AD figures concerning the pres
ent tax structure included in these
proposals are .based on the fact
that Carteret County baa an as
sessed value of $40,000,000. They
come from the office of the county
auditor).
Regarding the first plan as out
lined above, that of a bond issue,
let ui discuss some of the points
of interest that should be consider
ed by every homeowner, part-time
resident, businessman, and indus
trialist.
Tax Straetare
A. Current rate and use:
Debt service .U
School? construction, main
tenance, improvement _ JO
Other county services JO
r ?
Total current rata 1JS
B. Required new estimated rate,
with *2.500.000 bond iaaue, over
? 10-year period:
Debt service .T5
School ? construction, main
tenance, improvement _ JO
Tax rate, 1W 11 1.70
Let's diacaas asw the plan of
banding oar eoasty and ita aubae
gaant tax rate of ?LW per tlflO
?dfe- . A
and what it means to each tax
payer. Our current indebtedness
in Carteret County, as of Nov. 1,
is (870,000, and as estimated by the
county auditor's office will be $800,
000 at the end of the fiscal year
1868-1959.
We are currently paying about
$175,000 annually to retire this debt,
plus interest at 2Vi per cent or
$20,000 annually. Continuing the
present rate of retirement, at the
present tax rate, this debt will be
paid off in 1963.
How does this affect all three
above proposals? First, under the
$2,500,000 bond program, the state
now requires Carteret County, with
its outstanding debt of $800,000 to
refinance its bond program upon
request for a new bond issue.
This means we will have to bor
row and refinance to a total of
$3,306,000 at an interest rate of not
less than 5 per cent, maybe more,
which will be necessary if the
school building program of the Citi
zens' Committee is carried out.
Before the Board of Education
can let a contract for construction,
it is a state requirement to have
the money in hand. At 5 per cent
interest, $165,000 will be paid an
nually to bond holders, largely out
side Carteret County, a tremendous
sum of money to be spent for in
terest.
This is $85,000 more than the to
tal amount of money, $80,000, levied
against property for the use of the
schools in the year 1958-1959. All
this information was sought as a
result of the fact that the Citizens'
Committee and the Board of Edu
cation have announced their inten
tion to begin the proposed building
program simultaneously, therefore
must borrow all the money at one
time.
The executive secretary of the
Local Government Commission has
stated that he believes it inadvis
able to sell all these bonds at one
time; and that if they are offered
as one large group and rejected,
the interest rate on any smaller of
fering would be jeopardized.
Have these planners, even with
$2,500,000 in hand, assured us that
we will have high school plants in
all communities, constructed and
well-equipped, with athletic facili
ties consisting of gymnasiums,
baseball fields, football stadiums,
with the necessary additional
school buses?
The ClUsens' Committee has not
furnished ua with: definite sites,
blueprints, specifications, e s t i -
mates of costs of construction, and
equipment and facilities required
to meet state requirements for ac
creditation standards, for either
the new buildings or for renova
tion of existing ones to bring them
up from the substandard conditions
now existing in them.
We must insist that our younger
children in the old buildings not
suffer for the comfort of their
older brothers and sisters in the
high schools.
Host of the people in Carteret
County have already expressed the
continuous desire far high schools
in their own community, further
ing not only commercial growth,
but improvement of the close rela
tionship between school, teachers,
pupils and parents ? an element
so necessary tor the proper de
velopment of each student.
With $2,300,000 in hand, they have
assured us only of two tremendous
plants, one of which will bouse for
future and long-term needs 1,500
students in western Carteret
Certainly, any reasonable person
can see that thia might lead to un
desirable conditions such as
1. Parent* failing to take part in
school programs because of the dis
tance to the school.
2. Disciplinary problems due to
lack of cloae relationahip between
teachers and parent.
X Boredom on part of teachers
due to lack of a Versatile teaching
program, that is, teaching the same
course day in and day out.
4. Transportation problem that
be either costly or undesirable.
Under item 4 the cost side of the
program: additional buses would be
bought to carry students from the
Beaufort and Morehead City areas
to the large central schools.
I have been told that the county
would have to purchase about IS
new buses. Think what those buses
will cost.
The other proposed plan for
transportation, as explained to me
by a responsible individual in
volved in a consolidation plan, is
that the current buses owned by
the county with the addition of a
few more would be used on a pool
basis.
Those buses would first pick up
and carry all children, elementary
and high school, to one central
point in their area, such as the ele
mentary school, then would reload
and the high school students would
proceed to a loading platform
where they would be regrouped
and sent to the central high
schools.
In the afternoon the little chil
dren would have to wait a consid
erable time for their high school
brothers and sisters to be brought
back to this central point where
everyone would be reloaded and
sent home.
Parents, do you want this situa
tion with your children ? or the
high cost for approximately IS new
buses and their maintenance?
The second plan referred to
above:
Tax Structure
Debt scrvice 30
School building and improve
ment .35
School maintenance 30
Other county scrvice 65
Tax rate 1959-1976. 1.60
Discussion concerning this pro
posed plan indicates immediately
that only $140,000 annually could
be channelled from the tax levy to
ward our total school program,
above and beyond its current
needs.
This means that about five years
would be required to accumulate
money enough to begin the first
necessary school plant at More
head City. Needless to say, this
will take too long and we cannot
wait, because our schools are
buldging at the seams already.
Taxpayers in the county can look
forward to a long period in which
taxes are levied at this rate or
higher, if this plan is adopted.
The third plan, and the plan I
think the people of Carteret County
should adopt, calls for a courage
ous, bold, and thoughtful approach
to the school problem by thinking
taxpayers ? that of tightening our
belts and increasing our current
taxes at the beginning of the 1959
tax year:
Tax structure, for eight-year
period:
Debt service 1.00
School maintenance .20
Other county services .65
Tax rate, 1959-1966 1.85
Discussion of this plan brings im
mediate howls of anguish from
every taxpayer. Analyzing this
rate, however, indicates that the
$1.00 per $100 levy for debt service
will retire our current indebtedness
in two years.
This will allow a transfer of
money after the two-year period
from debt service retirement to a
school building and improvement
program, and if continued for six
more years at the same rate will
furnish a total of $2,400,000, a sum
greater by $75,000 than the amount
requested by Mr. Jotlyn and the
board of education for the 11-point
program as published in the Car
teret County News-Times Oct. 10,
196$ and outlined as follows:
\ STRAIOHT
l BOURBON
Lwhiskiy
Eleven-point program:
1. Morehead City ? 750
pupil high school % 750,000
2. Beaufort ? 500 - pupil
high school 500,000
J. Newport ? new high
school ?- 350,000
4. Smyrna ? renovated
auditorium and gym . 100,000
5. Camp Glenn ? audi
torium ? (0,000
6. Atlantic ? lour class
rooms and gym 110,000
7. Harkers Island ? au
torium 60,000
?. W. S. King ? shop,
gym, classrooms 105,000
9. Queen Street, four
rooms and gym 120,000
10. Stella ? new school 50,000
11. White Oak ? new
school 120,000
$2,325,000
The 11-point program was ex
pected to cover a period from 1958
to 1968. Your attention is called to
the fact that it can be achieved
under the third financial plan dur
ing the period 1959 through 1966,
two years earlier than Mr. Joslyn
and the board of education plans
called for.
At the end of this period, with
the favorable conditions establish
ed by no debt service, no interest
on debts, no necessity for major
school improvement or building
programs, Mr. Taxpayer can then
breathe a sigh of relief. A new
reasonable tax structure can be
established as outlined below:
School improvement fund 10
School maintenance .20
Other county services 60
$ .90
Many of you with whom we have
discusscd this program have ex
pressed two doubts: first, what as
surances have we that we will get
a school in our locality, and second,
that our tax rate will be lowered?
In answer to the first, I refer
you to the board of education's 11
point program. In answer to the
second, I propose that a commit
tee, possibly the present Citizens'
Committee for Better Schools,
working with the Carteret County
How Swine Producers
Can Up Their Profits
By R. M. WILLIAMS
Couaty Farm Agent
Jack Kellejr with the animal hus
bandry lervice, Raleigh, and Leo
Martin, field representative of
Swift Packing Co., Wilson, at a
swine production meeting at the
Beaufort courthouse Wednesday
night told our swine producers
that there was a strong demand
and a good market for hog pro
ducers in this area.
The new Swift Packing Co. lo
cated at Wilson will serve all live
stock producers and furnish a good
cash market for both swine and
beef cattle producers. Mr. Martin
pointed out to the swine producers
that his plant will need a lot of
good quality beef cattle and meat
type hogs. In developing a good
swine program, Mr. Kelley offered
these suggestions to swine pro
ducers who would like to do a
good, efficient job:
? Select gilts and boars from
large litters.
? Separate breeding gilts from
News-Times, be furnished detailed
auditor's reports for review. They
could then make periodic reports
to our citizens concerning our
school improvement and building
program, and most important of
all, our tax rate.
A special thought is at this point
directed to our business and indus
trial groups in the county. Think
long and well over this proposal
concerning our tax rate and how it
affect* you.
The first proposal calls for a tax
rate over a 30-year period of $1.70
per $100. The second proposal is
easier on the pocketbook, at $1,60
per $100, but extends over about
a 17-year period, and the needs are
more immediate; five years would
be required to begin the first
building under this plan.
The third plan calling for a tax
rate of $1.85 per $100 will continue
for only an eight-year period, fol
lowed by immediate and continued
tax relief.
Throughout the United States at
present ? not just in Carteret
County ? there is an educational
emergency. In times of emergen
cy, state and federal governments
come to the aid of local govern
ments, usually on a prescribed ra
tio of matching funds.
It is expected that bills will be
introduced in both the state legis
lature and Congress in the coming
sessions regarding this problem.
If Carteret County shows a fav
orable financial situation, not bur
dened with a bonded indebtedness
of $3,300,000, we will be able to
participate in any such program,
with a possible reduction from
eight years of high taxes to a
shorter period.
Walter S. Morris, in his report
concerning his trip to Philadelphia
with Governor Hodges on an indus
try-seeking mission, said that com
panies never locate in a county
without detailed studies of the
county and its possibilities cover
ing periods of J, 10, 25, and SO
years.
Let's clean our house, then,
in the next eight years and show
industry that not only do we want
to present a favorable condition ?
good schools ? paid for, no debts,
but also a low tax rate.
Before concluding this report, it
might be wise to mention another
factor. There is always a possibil
ity of recession or depression. In
the event of either, a bond program
is not flexible; payments must be
made, regardless of lowered tax
collections or reduced populations,
or the bonds forfeited.
The eight-year program of high
taxes is the only proposed program
at the present that is flexible
enough to meet such an emergen
cy.
Mr. Taxpayer, this is a time to
sit down and start thinking about
your tax and school situation and
how you can solve it ? currently
to your own advantage, to your
children's advantage, and on a
long-term basis to your grandchil
dren's advantage.
Now Is the time to take a stand
on this tax and school issue. Get
off the fence, and let people know
it if you are thinking enough to
have an opinion. Write your coun
ty commissioners and let them
know how you feel. They are: H.
C. Howard, Newport, N. C.; S. A.
Chalk Jr., Morehead City, N. C.;
David Yeomans, Markers Island,
N. C. ; llarrcll Taylor, Sea Level,
N. C.; Gaston Smith, Atlantic, N. C.
fattening hogs, If pouiMe, at ISO
lbs.
? Breed gilts at not leu than
225 lb*, and eight months of age.
? Keep bred gilt* and iow gain
ing in weight. (At least 75 lb. from
time of breeding until farrowing.)
? Feed bred sows in dry lot 1
lb. of protein supplement per day
and if on pasture, V4 lb. from time
of breeding until farrowing.
? Feed 1(4 lbs. of total feed per
100 lba. of liveweight per day.
? Use a purebred boar from a
certified litter.
? Breed sows twice during heat
period.
? Breed sows for two litters per
year.
In order for producers to save
more pigs per litter you should
not keep sows for more than three
litters. It is important to record
breeding dates and farrowing
dates. Clean all surface dirt from
sows before farrowing. Get sows
accustomed to farrowing house 3
to 5 days before farrowing. Use
pole type farrowing house.
The pole type farrowing house1
is becoming a popular type build
ing among swine producers. One
reason for this is the more eco
nomical cost of construction and
the efficient use of this type of
farrownig house where a large
number of brood sows arc kept on
the farm.
A good number of our swine
producers are following the mul
tiple farrowing program. When
this system is applied !4 of the
sows are bred to farrow at a given
time. The sow and litters are kept
in the farrowing house for about
eight weeks at which time they
are sold for feeder pigs or moved
f
out to the feeding lot
Plan for the pale type farrow
ing house are available at our of
fice.
Reduce feed the day before far
rowing. Withhold feed and supply
plenty of clean water 12 to 14
boura after farrowing. Provide
very little bedding at farrowing'
time. Uae a pig brooder.
It la well to observe theae con
ditions in order to grow more pigs.
Keep pigs on pasture. Provide
shade and clean water. Creep feed
pigs. Castrate pigs three weeks of
age. Vaccinate. Keep pigs free
from lice and mange. Wean at t
weeks of age. In growing out mar
ket hogs a good goal to follow is
to market 8 or more pigs at ISO
days that weigh 200 lb. or mord
each.
SINCLAIR
HEATING OIL
with RD-JJ9*
COSTS NO MORE
Helps keep your ofl bond
ta top operating mndiUna
Automatic Metered
Delivery Service
? ? 1? ?
T. T. "Tom" Potter & Son
Phone Morehead PA (-321(
Phone Beaufort PA (-X57
Only Oil Heat U So
Safe, Clean and Modern
Sawmill Operators . . .
Please remember, every load of pine slab*
and strips you bring us saves a load of young
pines to grow into saw timber for future
generations.
DICK DANIEL
THURMAN CHIPPING CO.
5 Miles Below New Bern on Morehead Highway 70
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