PAGE 2 - WEST CRAVEN HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 2,1989
V,
AIL
INDS
I by; Gail L. Roberson i
This is the most important column I’ve ever written. This
month, “Eastern Echoes" celebrated its fifth anniversary ...
five years of sharing between you, the reader, and me, the
writer. My world has become wider, because of you. And
better. I sit at this old manual typewriter and think I'm giving,
when in reality, it is I who receive. Because of you.
I wonder if you realize what it’s like to live back here on a
dirt road in the heart of farm country in eastern North Caroli
na, and receive letters, telephone calls and gestures of
fl'iendship iVom as far away as Alaska and Switzerland. It’s a
little like Christmas all year long. Because of you.
You read this column, and thus, you know all about me. You
know that I cut a vein and write with my blood. You know I
can’t do it any other way. And you realize that’s how it should
be. So you keep coming back. Through the years. I’ve learned
about you, too. And life. We’ve shared our tragedies and joys,
and learned that our problems, priorities and pleasures are the
same, no matter where we live. 1 now know that what interests
people anywhere, interests people everywhere. Because of
you.
It hasn’t always been easy ... writing this column. Some
times I shake my head and the words just line up on the page
in perfect formation. Other times, they trip and fall over each
other, creating chaos unbelievable. When I think I can give no
more, I retreat to a quiet corner of my world to feed the chick
ens and lick my wounds. Before I know it, there’s a clean sheet
in the typewriter and an assortment of letters lining up again
across it to strut in full salute. Because of you.
Five years ago, I chose the logo, “Eastern Echoes,” to accom
pany this column through its difficult birth. And then, some
thing wonderful began to happen. It moved... awkwardly at
first, tottering like a one-year old just learning to walk. Then,
on wobbly legs, it took its first step on unfamiliar soil. And the
second. And then, the third. Before I knew it, I was romping
weekly with newfound readers and friends from the foamy
beaches to the misty Blue Ridge mountains, as editor after
editor gave the column a chance. And now, five years later and
in full adulthood, my little stories and pieces of life reach out
towards a new horizon. So, with great pride and satisfaction,
last week I gently laid "Eastern Echoes” to rest amid other
memorabilia from my life, and without hesitation, took up the
new logo now stretched across the top of this column, un
furled a fresh scroll, and set my sails to catch the winds of
change ... towards South Carolina. Because of you.
To “Miss Emily” up on the Blue Ridge ... I thank you for
your lovely teapot. I use it often for my herbal brews. To “Mr.
Clyde” down on the coast, who sends me a bucket of fresh
shrimp now and then... I thank you. To the man in the heart
of the Piedmont, who wrote of the pain he experienced when
his old mule died, and then sent me a wheel from his wagon...
I thank you. To the fourth-grade students of a nearby school
... yes,T love the cat mug you sent, and use it on my desk every
day. To whoever left the bushel of apples on my porch, thi
bouquet of peonies on my table, the book in the mailbox, the
sweet potatoes on the lawn ... I thank you, each and every
one. And, to the young man who telephoned to say, “I’m
dying, but I read your column faithfully, no matter how much
pain I’m in,”... you, my dear friend, will live on forever in my
heart.
I thank you one and all for everything you’ve done to make
this column the most rewarding part of my career. Your out
pouring of love and devotion has given me the courage to hoist
my sail even higher into a gently breeze ... in new direction.
Somehow, I’ve a feeling that, when “Gail Winds” start to blow,
as long as you’re still with me, there’s no telling where we’ll go.
Together. On the winds of change.
ASCS Notes
By CUFF MOURE
April 14, 1989 will be the final
date that eligible producers will
be able to enroll in the 1989 wheat
and feed grain programs.
Producers can participate in
the regular program which re-
quiresa 10 percent ACR set-aside
or theO/92 program in which they
can leave out their entire base per
crop and be eligible for a guaran
teed payment, based on the pro
jected payments under the 0/92.
Producers may plant com also
under the 0/92 program; howev
er, guaranteed payments only
apply to the land left idle for
“conservation uses” or what is
referred to as C.U. acreage.
The amount of corn or wheat
planted under the programs will
be eligible for a projected pay
ment, meaning that no guarantee
will apply to the actual payments
receiv^ based on planted corn
or wheat.
Producers are eligible to re
ceive 40 percent of the projected
payment for corn and wheat as
an advance payment. The adv
ance payments are 35.6 cents per
bushel for com and 20 cents per
bushel for wheat.
The total projected payment is
89 cents per bushel for corn and
SO cents per bushel for wheat.
The producer or other who ap
plies to participate in the 1989
program must complete several
forms as well as certify the parti
cipating crop after it is planted
and before the certification dead
line for that crop.
The following forms need to be
completed:
—Form AD-1026-Highly erodi-
ble and wetland conservation
form must be certified for 1989.
—Form CCC-S02 must be com
pleted and approved by the
county committee.
All required signatures must
be obtained and all contracts
must be approved before an adv
ance payment can be made to the
producer or applicant.
Persons who are enrolling in
the program should
—Make sure to plant and leave
out land as enrolled in the prog
ram and certify the acreage cor
rectly so as not to lose any prog
ram benefits.
—Remember that set-aside
land may not be planted in any
crop for the purpose of harvest in
—Remember that wildlife food
plots are allowed on ACR land as
a mixture of three seeds.
—Remember that permission
may be requested to lightly disk
ACR acreage.
—Remember that grazing of
ACR land is not permitted dur
ing the nongrazing period.
—Remember to control weeds
on set-aside land and establish a
cover to protect the land from
wind and water erosion. Mowing
of the land is allowed.
ACR land must have received
planted or considered planted
credit, two of the past three
years.
ACR land certified as such is
considered planted every year it
is used as ACR if it meets the fol
lowing size requirements — the
land must be either in whole
fields or either 5 acres and one
chain wide in size.
One partial field is eligible in
order to complete the ACR re
quirement.
Cross compliance is a require
ment again in 1989 except for
oats. This means that all program
crops with the exception of oats
must be planted within their
base if participating in the
program.
However, each farm stands
alone and what is done on one
farm does not have an affect on
another farm tended by the same
person.
Our Opinion
Hunt Told Not To Take
On Helms Again In 1990
Teachers Demonstrate — But
Did They Help The Cause?
We read with more than passing interest that many ftiends
and former close political allies of Jim Hunt are advising him
not to run again in 19B0 against Senator Jesse Helms.
Now as we look back to the 1984 race between these two
men, we remember that it was a $26 million contest—the most
ever spent in a race for the United States Senate.
And it was a mean race with all the stops pulled out. When
the votes were counted in November of 1984, Mr. Helms re
ceived 1,156,768 while Mr. Hunt polled 1,070,488, a difference
of 86,280 votes. Thus Mr. Helms polled about 52 percent to 48
percent for Mr. Hunt. And in a race of this magnitude, a margin
of 86,000 votes means that it was relatively close.
But in 1984 Jim Hunt was governor. He had a ready made
forum, and he was on the IVont pages regularly in that position.
He toured the state as the official representative of North
Carolina. He cut ribbons, opened industrial plants, dedicated
state roads, parks, and bridges.
Now in private life, he has no daily public forum. He man
aged to raise many millions of dollars for that race. He had
close connections all over the country as did Mr. Helms.
Mr. Hunt had the most effective Democratic party machine
ever seen in North Carolina. In fact, it has been said that the
state did not have a Democratic party as such but rather it was
a “Jim Hunt party.”
So Jim Hunt waged a most active and a most intense cam
paign. He did all he knew to do, and he lost.
Now to take a good look at the present advice he is getting.
We have several questions in mind. If Mr. Hunt does not run,
does that mean that Democrats are conceding the office to Mr.
Helms?
If Mr. Hunt does not run, just who is there to run for the U.S.
Senate? If Mr. Helms is to win by default or with only a “rinky-
dink” Democrat as opponent, will not the Democratic party as
such be weakened even more? Can any Democratic candidate
raise sufficient funds in 1990 to be a viable candidate for the
U.S. Senate?
Now as to Mr. Hunt, we know of no Democrat at the moment
who can offer the strength and appeal over the state who could
give Mr. Helms a close race. Mr. Hunt is far in the lead of any
potential Democrats who might be persuaded to run. So if Mr.
Hunt does not run, the Democratic party is worse off than
most of us realize.
Now we are not trying to convince Jim Hunt to run. We’ve
tried here to give the pros and cons. Several names have been
mentioned as possibilities, but most of them cannot make it a
close race.
North Carolina school teachers went to Raleigh and they
cheered, jeered, and demonstrated some 5,000 strong. But the
big question remains to be answered.
Did they help their cause? Their cause is money, and they
are asking for a salary increase. The average school teacher
salary today in North Carolina, as we read it, stands at $24,663.
Some stories are putting the figure as high as $24,900 |»r year.
So we are apparently safe in saying the average salary is some
where between $24,500 and $25,000 per year.
Two of the powers that be are the objects of attention and the
holders of power. They are the governor, Jim Martin, and the
North Carolina Legislature where we have 50 senators and 120
House members. They will tell the ultimate story.
If we ask a dozen members of the legislature the big ques
tion, some will say, “Yes, they have focused attention on a
serious problem and it will help.” But others will say, “No, it
has served to harden the opposition and coming up here to
Raleigh merely publicizes a lost cause.”
Frankly and tragically, there are legislators who talk ong^
way and feel another way. They are the ones who ride the tide
and do anything to pick up a few votes. They will tell the
teachers what a friend he or she is and how sympathetic he or
she is to the call for a salary raise while never raising a hand to
help when the chips are down. In fact, they might even be
opposed deep down to any salary raise.
In a purely political sense right now our school teachers are
being made pawns in a vicious political power struggle. Most
members of the General Assembly know the picture. They
know that the Democrats are determined to force Governor
Martin to call for a tax increase in order to give the teachers a
salary raise.
On the other hand Governor Martin seems equally deter
mined not to call for any tax increase, but to give them a 4.5
percent raise by taking the money from some other program.
Now both forces exhibit a sense of stubbornness, but some
thing must give somewhere along the line. If the legislature
grants a salary increase and increases taxes without gubef-
natorial approval, the Republicans will have a ready-made
issue in the next election. By the same token, if the governor
calls for a tax increase. Democrats will be off the hook and
they can point to the fact that it is a Republican governor
seeking to increase taxes. The very picture is fraught with
political dynamite.
To do the job necessary, we must get the “Reagan Demo
crats” or the ones we label as conservative to vote Democratic
again. That is exactly what the new N.C. Democratic Party
chairman, Lawrence Davis, is proposing. And he is being
attacked for speaking the truth, and there is even talk of
throwing him out.
It is past time the party talked about getting together. It
cannot win this way.
Winning is the name of the game.
But the big question needs a big answer. Did the teachers
help or hurt their cause by going to Raleigh and demonstrat
ing 5,000 strong?
Our answer is, “Yes, their cause has been helped.” While
there are some negatives involved, the weight of the evidence
is on the positive side. While some feel the present teacher
salary scale is fair and that a raise is not practical, the strong
teacher voice is bound to be heard. Those who say that
teachers are only concerned with salary and not teaching abil
ity will be drowned out in the final shuffle.
Yes, the teachers did help themselves. They will get a salary
raise but not what they are asking.
They never do.
Bassin* with the pros
Statistics show that fishing
with dull hooks is one of the ma>
jor causes for losing bass.
Anglers simply don't take the
time to put a sharp point on their
spinnerbaits» crankbaits and jigs.
“Hook sharpening is one of the
easiest things to do, too,’’ says
Fredda Lee, a professional bass
angler and member of the John
son Outboards Pro Staff. “It’s
something you can do in an even
ing while you're talking with
friends about all the big bass
you're going to catch in the com
ing season."
Fredda recommends putting a
three-point edge on hooks. This
produces both a penetrating
point as well as cutting edges
that help keep the point penetrat
ing as the hook is set.
“You’ll notice that many hook
points are flat on the back side
and slightly rounded on the
others," she explains. “What you
should try to do is file these
rounded edges flat, too, so the
three edges form a type of
triangle.
“Make certain you don’t file
the very end of the point too thin,
because if you do it will be
weakened and will actually bend
before it penetrates."
Lee thinks many of the hand
flies available on the market now
are suitable for hook sharpening,
but the electric models can be
used much faster. They can be
set up on a desk or table, and can
sharpen a hook in about 10
seconds.
The Johnson Outboards pro
also recommends carrying a pair
of split ring pliers and a small
box of treble hooks along in your
tackle box, in case you have to
replace hooks on your favorite
lure while you’re fishing.
“If you snag a lure on a rock or
log and pull it free, you often
bend the hooks,” says Lee.
“These hooks should be re
placed, rather than bent back
into the proper shape, because
they’ve been weakened and may
break.
“It's a good idea to replace
single hooks, too, if you snag and
bend them," she adds. “It’s just
like re-tying your lure after the
line becomes frayed. Before you
re-tie, just slip on a new hook."
Many hooks will rust says Lee,
especially after they’ve been
sharpened and their protective
coating removed. She suggests
melting some old plastic worms
and dipping the hooks into the
melted plastic. As the plastic
cools and hardens, it will put a
protective coating over the point.
Miss McCarter Seeks Scholarship
Precinct Plans
Meeting March 9
Chairman Scott Thomas
said tha the Vanceboro Demo
cratic Precinct will meet
March 9 at 8 p.m. in the Vance
boro Town Hall.
All registered Democrats in
the Vanceboro precinct are
urged to attend.
Thomas said the purpose of
the meeting is to elect precinct
officers and delegates to
attend the Craven County
Democratic Convention to be
held April 22.
“Grassroots organization is
vital to the future success of
the North Carolina Democrat
tic Party. Precinct meetings
provide a meaningful forum
for local input and involve
ment,” said Thomas.
Stacy Nicole McCarter, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Aaron McCar
ter of Vanceboro, a student at
West Craven High School, is one
of 220 semiflnalists in the North
Carolina State University 1988-
89 Merit Awards Program scho
larship competition.
She has been invited to take
part in a scholarship interview.
From the 220 semiflnalists, 80
finalists will be chosen to receive
scholarships for the 1989-90
freshman year at NCSU. More
than 1,250 seniors from 23 states
applied for the awards.
ITie finalists will compete for
awards between $1,000 and
$5,000. Finalists will be eligible
for several other scholarships
awarded by individual colleges
and schools at NCSU.
CRAVEN COUNTY BUSINESS AND SERVICES
Toler it Son Garofo
Owrvof ft Oporoior Louis Toler
Custom EiImusI t Mulfltrs
RaJiatoi - rransmisihm
$ Motor Saivico
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Vancdboro
24 Hour Wraefcar Sarvlea
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Hwy. 17 N. ViMiceboro 244-1481
244-1381
H. M. B.
Morris Plaza
Vanceboro
Complete Family
Insurance Coverage
Farm Llf« Rorist
OFFICE 244-2S19
Affer Hours Call:
Elva 244-1036
Jean 244-0847
Eve Ann 637-4437
tss lOIDDtl BT.
NBW BBUN. N.C. MS4B
meetioMB ssr-ssss
9joux ^^iamondSloxi
MINOR PLUMBING
Repairs on all makes
Water Pumps & Sink
Faucets
”40 Years Experience”
Vanceboro 244-0610
TlKRellahleCarparollan .
'tVa* Drfil'rr CirsfArUFi Lf4,*drfi4tn‘**
Robinson Inouranco
Agoney, Ino.
n.O. Box 177
Now Born, NC 20800
633-1174
Q
atsiocimu. XAunaMte
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