Rep. Godwin Prepares For Legislature
(Editor’s Note: The writer of this
article is editor of the Gates County In
dex. Rep. Godwin and Rep. W. T. Cul
, pepper of Elizabeth City represent the
First House District in the General As
sembly).
By SHELBY HOWELL
GATESVILLE Cluttered calendars,
Christmas shopping, clearing up office
work and getting the house ready have
caused many Gates Countians to say
“Well never get through December,” but
the busiest man of the month award
probably should go to Phil Godwin, the
first Speaker of the North Carolina
House of Representatives from North
eastern North Carolina in this century.
Although the General Assembly does
not convene until January 13, Godwin
|3ttblir |laraiie
Off The Top
A good way to start the New Year
is to make a clean sweep and start with
a new sheet. We started on one of our
desks and two items we picked off the
top follow:
THE EDITOR’S DILEMMA
Getting out a newspaper has its
problems.
If a paper prints jokes, some readers
say it is silly.
Without humor, readers say the paper
is too serious.
If you ask for stories from others, you
are too lazy to write.
If you do not ask for stories, you are
too fond of your own stuff.
If you print pictures, you waste good
space.
If you do not print pictures, the news
paper is dull.
If you do not print contributions, you
do not appreciate the value of news, and
you spurn genius.
..If you print all contributions, some *
say, the pages fill with junk."" ’ ’
If you print something a reader does
•iot like you can be charged with radical
ism, facism, liberalism, conservatism or
any other kind of ism except American
ism.
Now, very likely, someone will say
that this viewpoint was swiped from
some other newspaper. It was.
BOLD OR STUPID?
Historians tell us that individual free
dom and responsibility are essential to
good citizenship, but if one wants to get
ahead in Chowan County socially and
economically, one better be a Con
formist!
Continued on JPnge 4
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The o/tf ams Vw Mrs. Goldie Niblett, agent for the License
Division, N. C. Department of Motor Vehicles, holds the 1971 state
and town license tags which go on sale Monday as Mrs. Patricia T.
Young compares them with a 1915 tag at Edenton Office Supply.
State license plates are sold at Edenton Office Supply and town
tagß are available across the plaza at the Municipal Building. Mo
torists have until February 15 to purchase the 1971 tags.
New Voter Registration Plan Slated
To accommodate the needs of the pub
lic in the means of registering to vote, a
person cuo register «sos January 4, any-
Election coara uiucc o» suy ivionuay.
Wednesday, or Friday from 9 A. M.,
1 P " IL#'■*.■*- i'j ' -;V' M '?*
started preparing a mo: «J.head. He
attended the National ■£ “ ference of
Legislative Leaders as c ~ber of the
executive committee in S Puerto
Rico, the first week of t | °onth, open
ed his Raleigh office D § 8-9 and
attended a legislative oi w ?!tion session
sponsored by the Institute of Govern
ment in Chapel Hill December 10-11.
Godwin was nominated at House
Speaker December 11 at the Democratic
caucus in Raleigh and is expected to
be elected by all members of the House
January 13.
The Gatesville attorney became the
first speaker from Northeastern North
Carolina in this century in 1969 when
Earl Vaughn resigned a day before end
of session and Godwin was named in
terim speaker. But his term expired
ii iii—p iw Maw—ign——ll—
CHOWAN HERALD
Volume XXXVII—No. S 3.
Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina, Thursday, December 31, 1970
Looking Back On 1970
By PATRICIA M. ARNOLD
A note of great prosperity can be seen
in Edenton and Chowan County as the
close of 1970 rapidly approaches.
As one looks around Edenton it is
easily seen what accomplishments have
been made. A modern and well facili
tated hospital has been built and is in
operation; a new shopping center has
opened; several new businesses have
been established in the downtown area
and one on the Base Road.
Several men have had tribute paid to
them for doing outstanding work in the
area.
It would be wonderful to report that
OQjy good news has been headlining the
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Safety Warning
Make your New Year’s resolution to
be a better driver during 1971 and start
out by avoiding the 900 traffic accidents
which may claim 17 lives and injure
over 500 persons on North Carolina’s
streets and highways during the long
New Year’s holiday, the N. C. State
Motor Club cautions.
The state will count its holiday high
way toll from 6 P. M., today (Thurs
day) through midnight Sunday, a 78-
hour period. Last year in a 102-hour
period, the casualty count came to 14
killed and 644 injured in 1,281 accidents,
In the past, a person had to register
on one of three Saturdays just before
an election.
Mrs. Hoskins reminded the public that
it is necessary to transfer your registra
tion from one precinct to another if you
move.
A person is qualified to register if
they are 18 years old, have lived in the
state one year, and have lived in Chowan
County for 30 days.
House Speaker From Northeast
prior to the 1971 session and the speak
er had to be renominated and re-elected.
According to Secretary of State Thad
Eure, another Gates Countian, a mem
ber of the House from Northampton
County held the speaker’s office in the
1800’s*.
Godwin’s duties as speaker will in
clude appointing all House committees,
chairmen and membership, which he says
he hopes to have done by the end of
the first week of session. The speaker
also presides over the House session,
appoints pages and pagcttes and serves
as chairman of the Legislative Service
Commmission during even years, as co
chairman of the Legislative Research
Commission and on the Legislative Build
ing Governing Commission.
Godwin predicted recently that the
paper for a year but of course this is
not so. The county has been struck
with tragedy in the murder of two young
boys as well as the fatalities on the high
ways and the drownings.
Another grim situation was the lack
of employment for the residents of the
county. The unemployment rate for
1970 doubled the amount of unemployed
for 1969 but now at the end of the year
seems to be leveling off. However, with
unemployment, those eligible for unplov
ment insurance did receive it. The
amount of $165,000 was put into the
economy through this employment in
surance.
The year 1970 was an election year.
This did not prove to bring any startling
fcMhgSs to' the past form'oT'idvernment
as most incumbents who ran won. The
big win was that of Rep. Walter B.
Jones.
On the local scene, incumbent Chair
man J. Clarence Leary of Chowan Coun
ty Board of Commissioners was re-elect
ed. Also elected were incumbent Com
missioner C. M. Evans and N. J. George.
Elected to serve on the board of edu
cation were Thomas Paul Griffin, Dr.
Edward G. Bond, incumbent chairman,
Mrs. Emily G. Amburn, incumbents, Dr.
J. H. Horton and Eugene Jordan, Morris
Small and Carlton Goodwin.
Mrs. Lena M. Leary was re-elected
clerk of court and Sheriff Troy E. Top
pin was also re-elected.
Starting off the news in January, 1970
was the murder of Marvin Edward and
Bruce Len Robey, Route 3, Edenton by
Joey Sawyer Scott, Jr., of Elizabeth City.
Before the night was over Scott com
mitted suicide so he was never to be
brought to trial.
Also, Charlie Overman, retired county
agent, was paid tribute to by approxi
mately 250 persons at the armory at a
dinner in honor of him.
Bob Weintraub won the Distinguished
Service Award given by the Edenton
Jaycees.
A federal grant of $329,500 was ap
proved by the Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) in Feb
ruary for town water and sewer improve
ments.
Harold Lloyd Bunch won the Out
standing Young Farmer Award given
by the Edenton Jaycees.
Continued on Page 5
Stamps Aid 700
Nearly 700 people in Chowan County
received aid through the U. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture food stamp program
in October 216 more than during the
same month of 1969.
These figures were released this week
by Russell H. James, Southeast regional
director of USDA’s Food and Nutrition
Service. The report showed more than
a quarter of a million needy North Caro
lina people received aid from one of the
federal programs.
According to James, 271,560 people in
* the state were assisted by the food pro
grams during the month—an increase of
64,874, or 31 per cent, over the same
period last year.
Single Copy 10 Cents
main issue he expects to come before
the General Assembly’s 1971 session will
be, as usual, appropriations and finance
and he foresees “many bills introduced
to repeal taxes passed by the 1969 ses
sion, such as those imposed on tobacco,
soft drinks and gasoline.” However, he
stated, “In order to keep the present
budget funded, we must have tax reve
nue from some source. There might be
some shifting of revenue sources, es
pecially since the governor has stated
he wouldn’t object to a four per cent
statewide tax. This might substitute for
some of the other taxes, but in any event,
the revenue must remain the same.”
Another “vast issue” named by God
win will be reapportionment of con
gressional and House districts. Under
the state constitution, North Carolina
must reapportion every 10 years. God
win stated that two committees will be
formed to make recommendations and
he believes “the situation will be most
difficult, but we are capable of solving
the problem without leaving it to the
federal courts.”
Continued on Page 2
New Board Takes
Office Monday
A new era for public education in
Chowan County will begin Monday night
when seven elected members will take
their oaths on Edenton-Chowan Board
of Education. Four of the members
will be serving for the first time; three
are hold-overs from the combined city
and county boards.
Mrs. Lena M. Leary, clerk of Superior
Court, will administer the oa.hs at 8
P. M., in the board room on the third
floor of the county office building.
Dr. Edward G. Bond, Eugene Jordan,
and Dr. J. H. Horton are the three mem
bers from the old board to be re-elected.
Mrs. Emily G. Amburn, Thomas Paul
Griffin, Morris Small and Carlton Good
win are the new members.
Supt. Bill Britt said the board will
re-organize following the swearing-in
ceremonies. The only other item on the
agenda is a general discussion of school
matters.
The administrative units of the two
school systems merged two years ago.
The seven board members were nomi
nated in the May Democratic Primary
and elected without opposition in the
November General Election.
ESEA Is Funded
More than one-third of the Edenton-
Chowan Schools will benefit from a pro
gram authorized under Title I of the
Elementary and Secondary Education
Act.
The projected budget for Edenton-
Chowan Schools is $227,351 for fiscal
1970. The local program is titled “A
Project to Improve the Reading of the
Educationally Deprived and a Kinder
garten Program” and serves 1,007 stu
dents.
SnHMHHHBUUP I - I ■ ,
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Ready For Listing Personnel in the office of Chowan County
Tax Supervisor Sherlon Layton has everything to begin taking
property listings Monday. Mrs. Pattie Byrum, left, and Mrs.
Myrtle Hare are shown with some of the abstracts to be completed
for about 9,000 property owners.
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Heading For Raleigh State
House Speaker Phil Godwin of
Gates appeared as a defense at
torney in Chowan County Dis
trict Court Tuesday for the last
time until after the 1971 General
Assembly. Rep. Godwin, recently
re-elected speaker, will take the
oath along with other legislators
in Raleigh at 12 noon January 13.
Chowan County
Tax Listing Set
Property must be listed for taxes in
January. Approximately 9,000 property
owners in Chowan County are expected
to flock to one or more of the four town
ships to complete this annual chore.
Tax Supervisor Sherlon Layton said
about 2,000 tax abstracts have been mail
ed to property owners who live outsid
the county. All others must personally
appear to return for taxation for the
year 1971 all real estate, personal prop
erty, etc., owned on January 2, 1971.
Also, all male persons between the ages
of 21 and 50 years are to list for poll
tax. Return of property and giving in
of polls are required under penalty im
posed by law\
Layton encouraged property owners to
list early, between January 4 and Feb
ruary 4, to avoid a 10 per cent penalty
for failure to list during this 30 day
period.
Townships, listers, dates and places
include:
First, Pattie S. Byrum. Myrtle W.
Hare, Gray L. Goodwin and Sadie H.
Continued on Page 4