Page 2A—MIRROR-HERALD—Tuesday, October 4, 1977
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opimon
Meet another born loser
Rescue aid problem
could cost taxpayers
Representatives from five of the six rescue units now operating In Cleveland
County were on hand at a public hearing on ambulance service held by the
county commissioners Monday.
It was more reiteration of Information previously stated than finding a solution
to the obvious problems facing the rescue squads, the commissioners and all of
the county taxpayers.
Upper Cleveland County, Bolling Springs, Grover and the new Kings Mountain
Emergency Services, Inc. will operate on a volunteer — no fee basis. Kings
Mountain Rescue and Shelby Rescue will continue operating on a fee basis with
subsidy help from the county.
However, dissatisfaction with this situation was evident In Monday’s public
hearing, although It was never held like a gun to the county commissioners’
heads. The volunteer units said operation at no fee will continue, while Shelby
and KM must charge a fee and depend on the county subsidy.
An aU volunteer no fee program throughout the county would solve the
problem one way and an all-fee - plus subsidy program would solve It another.
However, In the latter the taxpayer Is going to find another big bite being taken
from his pocket because the county cannot Indefinitely continue forking over the
cash without having another source of Income to tap.
Congress trying to
flatten our pocketbooks
Most Americans, we suspect are feeling flat In the pocketbook these days. But
the House of Representatives seems to feel that those pocketbooks are bulging
and need to be tcq>ped for congressional benefits,
r You know, of course, that all members of Congress got a raise of $12,900 In'’
February. ’That’s costing us taxpayers an extra seven million a year. ’Ihen, In
March, ^e House Increased Its members’ office expense allowance by $6,000.
’Ihere goes another two million.
Last week the House decided to take a couple more bites. First, It passed. In
lightning fashlcm a resolution giving Its members nearly $8,000 more a year to
spend on district offices. ’That adds up to another 8.6 million from the taxpayers,
because If any member doesn’t want to use the money for district offices, he can
divert It to some other spending account.
Then, on Friday, the House approved a pension boost for congressional
members about to retire. Instead of basing their pension on average salary for
their last three years (which would Include the lower salary they got up until
February), benefits would be computed only on final one-year earnings. This
could mean extra pension up to nearly $8,600 a year. And while we don’t know
what the total cost will be, 26 congressional members have already announced
they’ll retire next year or run for some other office, and this bonanza awaits
them — unless, let us pray, the Senate knocks It down.
In all this, the best we can say Is that the North Carolina congressmen from
this area — Broyhlll, Gudger, Hefner and Martin — voted against the district
office amendmait. But the nearest South Carolina congressman, Ken Holland,
voted for It. And, on the pension bill, there was no vote at all, or even discussion.
It Just sailed through on a "unanimous consent” provision.
Since all this Is a way of making your pocketbook flatter, we thought you ought
to know about It. You might have a little complaining to do. — WBTV
EDITORIAL
I must be one of those born losers I
keep hearing about.
I have a friend who recently built
himself a game room onto his home by
enclosing his carport. In that room he
has a Bumper Pool table. It has a series
of wooden stobs with rubber rims
situated in the center of the table. The
balls ricochet off the rubber rims and
that’s where the “bumper” part comes
in.
Back in my jaded youth when I used to
spend a little time in the pool hall I
became fairly decent with a cue stick.
No Minnesota Fats, but fairly decent.
But never have I run up against
anything so devastating as a bumper
pool.
I have managed to win about one
game in 20 against my friend, but as a
rule he skunks me pretty good. Last
Wednesday night I thought I had him.
He had been celebrating an early
retirement and was (1 thought) at the
knee - walking stage, so I challenged
him to a game.
You guessed it. Weaving around the
table my friend sank shots no sober
person would even have attempted. He
beat me three straight games.
Then my friend’s son came in. He
played me. I thought I could take him^
mainly because he had just received
four stitches to close a deep cut in his
thumb that afternoon.
The boy beat me three straight
games.
Wanna know how it makes a person
feel to be skinned by a rummy and a
cripple all in the same evening?
Don’t ask.
Appointed
Mayor John Henry Moss has
been appointed by Governor Jim
Hunt to serve on the Cleveland
County, plann^ig com^ttM for
Bala^ed'Gra^i andl^^momlc
Development.
Seventeen Lead Regional
Organizations (LOR’s) will
assist the Governor In con
ducting a county conference In
every coimty of the state prior to
the Governor’s Conference.
’Ihese county conferences will
serve to gather local Ideas on
specific growth and development
problems relating to the needs of
each Individual county.
County planning committees
are charged with the task of
organizing and conducting the
county conferences and to draw
up detailed reports for In
corporation Into both the
Governor’s Conference on
Balanced Growth and Economic
Development and the State
Board on Goals and Policy.
TOM
MclMTYRG
-oOo-
You’U never guess what we received
in the mail this week. Nope, it was a
letter to Santa Claus.
Nick always forwards his mail to The
Mirror-Herald so we can let the folks
know who’s been naughty or nice.
The first Santa letter of the season
was written by young Gary Bess of KM.
He has listed eight items he wants under
the tree this Christmas. The items are
complete with the department store
prices.
Gary wants a new Six Million Dollar
Man, the New Look Ken, Charlie’s
Angles Game, Nerf Football, a pair of
Walkie Talkies, a Sno-Cone Machine
and a Mickey Mouse Sing-a-long AM
Radio.
Atta boy, Gary. Get your name in
early. Avoid the rush. Be there fustest
with the mostest.
-oOoO-
Poet’s
Corner
There seems to have been some
confusion among certain citizens over
the meaning of one of the commissioner
agenda items last week.
The item was authorization for the
city codes department to coordinate
with the redevelopment commission on
utilization of the building adjacent to
city hall.
Know what? The wording of that
action is confusing. It sounds as if the
city hall and redevelopment boys are
planning to use the building for
something.
But it isn’t true. That building, or
group of buildings along W. Mountain
St., will be demolished by Bradley-
Jenkins of Gastonia. The company
already has the contract and is just
waiting for the okay.
As soon as the new Citizens Service
Center is completed the supplies now
being stored in the condemned buildings
will be removed and the demolishers
will set to work to clear the property.
The city has already agreed to purchase
the property from the redevelopment
commission. The next step will be to
plan a use for the property.
The original plan called for
developing a mini-park and vehicle
parking area. The second plan was to
use the lot for construction of the new
city hall, which is now underway on W.
Gold St.
What will the property be used for?
Perhaps the original planned use.
Perhaps not. Got any Idesis? After idl. If
the city purchases the lot It will belong
to the public, so your Idea has as much
merit as anyone else.
THE SEASON TAKES A CHANGE
Summer has turned to beautiful fall
To paint the leaves with a cover all.
Of Amber gold and pimento red
To leaf a coveriet for the flower bed.
As green leaves turn to wave goodby
Birds -ore the rooftop fly.
Fall flowers are blooming
With the fear of Jack Frost
Pretty roses are ruffled
Contemplating the cost.
Summer has turned to beautiful fall
To enhance the season to enchant us all.
But the days grow short In September
The bright daze of summer
I love to remember
VIVIAN STEWART BILTCLIFFE
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.9^ SMITH
1780 in Chailotte Town
Cornwallis ran into ‘Hornets’ Nest’
The British Army
under Lord Charlee
OomwalUa reached the
tiny frontier village of
Charlotte Town on
September 26, 1780.
For several hours the
Invasion of North
Carolina was stalled
while the ragged local
mlUtla under Colonel
WlUlam R. Davie
popped away at Lord
Cornwallis’ proud
Grenadier Ousutls frcm
behind the fences, walls
and trees of the hamlet.
Eventually, the
weight of Rsdcoated
numbers offset the
accuracy of frontier
hunting rifles, and
OomwalUs claimed the
town as his. Pesty bands
of guerrillas dogged the
Redcoats eveiy step,
however, and within two
weeks the British defeat
at Kings Mountain
would persuade His
Lordship to abandon his
Invasion of this state, at
least temporarily. He
retreated into South
Carolina, calling
Charlotte Town a
"Hornets’ Nest” of
rebellion.
His principal op
ponent In the
Mecklenburg skir
mishing, Col. Davie,
would go on to become
one of North Carolina’s
most Important eariy
statesman, serving as
Governor, signer of the
Constitution and
"Father” of the
University of North
Carolina.
-oOo-
Also In late Sep
tember, exact date
unknown, there oc
curred one of the few
recorded clashes bet
ween Whigs and Tories
In the area that now
comprises CleveUuid
County. The Incident
also furnished this State
with one of Its few
heroines of the
Revolutionary War,
Susan ’Twltty.
Colonel William
Graham (no kin to the
later governor of that
name) was com
manding officer of the
TVyon County mUltla,
an area Including what
Is now Cleveland,
Gaston, Lincoln,
Catawba, Ridharford
and Polk Counties. His
home, known as
Graham’s Fort, was a
targe log structure
located on Buffalo
Creek. It was being used
as a refuge by a large
1:?
fs
number of Whig
families In that area
when Tory raiders
attacked It In late
September. ’Ihough full
of women and children,
there were only three
men present. Graham,
his teen-aged stepson
and one elderly man.
The Whigs suc
cessfully defended
themselves, however,
with Col. Graham’s
stepdaughter, Susan,
filling In loading and
firing a rifle alongside
her brother William.
She was credited, in
fact, with killing one
’Tory who had pierced
the fort’s dstsnsea and
was pointing his gun at
her brothsr.
-oOo-
Another Tar Heel
woman Is also Involved
with this week In our
state’s history. On
September 27, 1792,
President Washington
appointed Mrs. Sarah
De Crow of Hertford, S.
C. the job of Postmaster
In that community. She
Is generally regarded as
being the first woman
postmaster In the
United States.
-oOo-
On September 2$,
1778, a restless, oscure
frontiersman named
Daniel Boone left his
home on the Yadkin
River In Nor'Jt Carolina
to explore . "the 8
dark and dangerous
Ground” of the Ken
tucky Territory, a trip
that would b^g him
everlasting feme as a
pathfinder and settler of
the American frontier.
Acting as agent for
several land q>eculatars
from Salisbury, N. C.,
Boone would make
several long ventures
across the mountains
Into the Kentucky area,
eventually leading a
group there to settle and
tame the wilderness.
Ironically, though
Indlsju would torture
and kill one of his own
children, and Daniel
himself would twice lay
claim to large areas of
frontier tend, all of his
efforts and sacrifices
would avail Boone
nothing. On both oc
casions Daniel Boone
would nee his land
claims set aside by
court actions brought by
men who had faced no
dangers In the
wilderness, and he
would die penniless,
living on rented land.