crop disaster
in albemarle
worsens daily
THE CHOWAN HERALD
Volume XXXVII—No. 42. Single Copy 10 Cents
Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina, Thursday, November 4, 1971
Dr. George Hyatt Jr.
*
Farm-City Week
Speaker Is Chosen
Dr. George Hyatt, Jr., director of the
Agricultural Extension Service of N. C.
State Unlvtfrelty~~tn~~Rateigh, wiH— be
keynote speaker at a Farm-City Week
barbecue here November 22.
This announcement was made today
by Wallace Evans, chairman, and Pete
Thompson, co-chairman, of the big ob
servance which is expected to bring
some 600 people from throughout
Edenton and Chowan County to Na
tional Guard Armory.
Evans said announcement of further
activities during the observance will
be made at a later date.
Dr. Hyatt has been at NCSU since
1952 and has served as director since
1963. He joined the university staff
as head of dairy extension work and
later served as professor and head of
the Department of Animal Industry
in the School of Agriculture. He has
also served as associate director of the
extension service.
FARM BUREAU TO MEET
The Chowen County Farm Bureau
will hold its annual meeting at the
Chowan Community Building, across
from Chowan High School, on Satur
day night at 7:30 o’clock.
All members and their wives are in
vited and urged to attend, according
to C. W. Overman, president.
Guest speaker for the occasion is S.
L. Lowry, Pasquotank County extension
chairman.
‘ Need For College
(Editor’s Note: The following article was
prepared by 3. E. Fisher, administrative
assistant at the College of the Albemarle
and addresses itself to the question: ‘ “Why
a Community College I>istrict?”)
Stated simply, College of The Albe
marle which serves the Albemarle
region has outgrown the capability of
Pasquotank County to carry the entire
burden of the college’s local operating
budget. Ten years ago when the col
lege had an enrollment of 1-82 students,
(and when all cost indexes were one
third less than today’s costs) Pasquo
tank could carry the load. However,
with the present day enrollment of 946
students and with the cost of everything
up, the picture has changed drastically.
Another strong and logical argument
for all counties in the COA community
college service area to pitch in. and help
Pasquotank is that in reality Pasquo
tank is no longer the so-called, “home”
■** county of the college. Forty-two per
i cent of the total enrollment at COA
is from Pasquotank. Thirty-nine per
cent of the total is from the remaining
six counties of the seven eounty service
fiat wifi
•public parade
Color It Black
Farmers in Eastern North Carolina
are presently experiencing the greatest
crop disaster of this century. The lat
est estimate is that those who till the
soil along the Public Parade will lose
more than $2-million.
Without trying to make a pun, this
ain’t peanuts.
And from what we have seen. Pete
Thompson, Chowan extension chairman,
is most conservative in his loss esti
mates.
Total farm income in this county was
approximately $ 10-million in 1970. If
this amount, some $7-million came from
agriculture. This would mean, then,
there will be a minimum of 40 per .*ent
loss on the farm with maybe 40 per
cent being experienced by those who
deal primarily in crops.
The irony of it all is that the disaster
appeared at a time when through plan
ning and other good farming practices
to increase production, etc., area farm
ers were on the threshold of a banner
year. Produce growers had enjoyed an
unusually good year. Peanuts, cotton
and soybeans looked exceptionally good.
Even corn, despite the blight, looked
encouraging.
Then—the bubble burst.
Farmers can find comfort, however,
in the fact that area, district and state
leaders are going to bat for them. Ef
forts are being made to make lower
interest loans available through Farm
ers Home Administration as well as to
improve market conditions.
Rep. Walter Jones, Gov. Bob Scott,
Commissioner Jim Graham and Thomp
son are doing all within their power to
lessen the burden on the farmers who
have been crippled by the elements.
While one must without question
color the picture black, there still can
be many rays of hope.
Report From Raleigh
Rep. Jay Huskins, D-Iredell, recently
reported in his Down In Iredell column
in the Statesville Record & Landmark
on last week’s adjourned session of the
1971 General Assembly. What follows
is a detailed account which will be of
interest to those wlio meander along
the Public Parade.
We should report, we suppose, what
the special session of the General As
sembly did last week.
In a nutshell, we reorganized higher
Continued on Page 4
District Is Cited
has been requested from each county in I
the district. For example Chowan has I
12 per cent of the total enrollment and |
has been asked to provide for 11 per
cent of the local budget. Currituck
has 7 per cent on the enrollment and
was asked for budget support of slightly
less than 7 per cent.
Notably Pasquotank with only 42 per
cent of the enrollment, agreed to carry
53 per cent of the total local operating
budget.
Enrollment figures prove beyond
question that College of The Albemarle
is truly a regional institution serving
the educational needs of the ehtire Al
bemarle. It would seem then that since
the college is used and accepted as the
“local” institution of the region, the
people of the region would see fit to
nqj only use the college but to support
it materially as well.
We believe that the majority of Albe
marle citizens agree completely with
the preceding statement. This is Wit
nessed by the fact that six out of the
total seven counties in the COA service
area have adopted the Community Col
lege District Plan to support the col
lege’s local budget needs and provide
. a board of trustee member to the col
lege to- help develop it and guide it in
- its future growth.
v I
Ilfep. Walter Jones will attend a
meeting in Elizabeth City at 7;30 P. M.
on Monday to discuss with farmers in
the First District the problems caused
by the weather and the crop losses they
have suffered.
x M Swindell Lowry, Pasquotank County
§ xtension chairman, through Rep. Jones
d ? as invited U. S. Secretary of Agricul
are Clift Hardin, Senator B. Everett
.S ordan, aN. C. State University Farm
.£ £ lanagement Team, officials from FHA
£ £ nd ASCS, and State Commissioner of
■c m griculture James Graham, and others.
« The purpose of the meeting is to sec
§ o more help, other than emergency
tr. m ians, can be offered- to farmers to help
luiem overcome this disaster.
All 20 counties in the district have
been declared a disaster area and eligi
ble for loans through the FHA (Farm
ers Home Administration).
However, the interest rates this
Medicaid Limits Increased
Chowan Hospital will continue to op
erate its extended care facility. This
was assured Friday when the General
Assembly increased the maximum pay
ments to nursing homes under Medicaid
from sl4 to $18.50 per day.
The state will not participate in the
increased payments, leaving to the in
'///a
Judging Communities Judging the County Community De
velopment on Tuesday were from left, Tom Brown, Alma Hobbs,
and Msurice Coleman. They visited .13 communities kind saw ex
hibits in sewing, canning goods, quilting, and others.
Hertford Road Community Winner
By Patricia M. Arnold
Area judging of the County Com
munity Development was conducted on
Tuesday and Oak Grove Community
was selected the winner of the large
communities and Hertford Road Com
munity was the winner of the small
communities. Thirteen communities
were judged.
The judging was sponsored by the
AADA (Albemarle Area Development
Bundy Will Speak
Sam D. Bundy of Farmville will be
the principal speaker at the 16th An
nual Northeastern Area District Super
visors’ meeting to be held at the Nation
al Guard Armory in Windsor on Tues
day at 6:30 P. M.
■B| Bundy, a well
s known speaker and
humorist, is retired
m from the public
W iBH school system with
Ku < _ IP over 40 years of
'UTm service and is at
If. present a member
* Jap | of the North Caro-
JL. J' na G ener£| l Assern
- According to Lloyd
C. Bunch,
;V chairman, over 400
conservationists and
guests from the 19 Northeastern North
Carolina counties will gather to hear
Bundy speak and enjoy an evening of
fellowship, at the same time lending
their support to the Soil and Water
Conservation District Program.
Business Meeting
A meeting of Edenton Historical
Commission will be held at 12 noon
November 13 at Edenton Restaurant. A
dutch luncheon will be served.
Mrs. W. J. P. Earnhardt, Sr., vice
chairman, said this is an extremely im
portant meeting of the commission since
business includes recommended chang
es of the by-laws and the election of
new officers.
Mrs. Earnhardt presided at the call
ed meeting held April 23 when a nomi
nating committee was named. Named
to the committee were: Mrs. Elizabeth
Mason, chairman, J. Gilliam Wood.
Mrs. Edward G. Bond, Mrs. Fred B.
Drane and A. L. Honeycutt.
Mrs. Lena M. Leary serves as com
mission secretary.
month through the FHA is 5 per cent.
This will assist farmers to continue op
erations by paying interest loans on this
year’s debt and money toward next
year’s operation.
All farmers and businessmen in the
First District affected by the disaster
should attend this meeting, according
to Lowry.
Pete Thompson, Chowan County ex
tension chairman, urges all farmers in
Chowan County to attend the meeting
and participate.
According to Thompson, the estimat
ed loss figures have been presented to
the group for Monday night so the area
loss can be calculated.
A breakdown of the crop loss is: pea
nuts, $1,316,250; soypeans, $460,000;
corn, $192,000; livestock. $25,000; vege
tables, 90 per cent loss; and cotton,
not estimated as yet.
Thompson stated on the local scene.
dividual county the responsibility for
paying the non-federal share. The
federal share is about 75 per cent.
The executive committee of the Cho
wan Hospital had announced plans to
close the extended care facility, con
sisting of 55 beds, if there was no
change in the clasification placed on
Association.
Working with each community in an
educational manner was the EIC (Eco
nomic Improvement Council) and the
Chowan County extension office.
The communities had made improve
ments in gardening, clothing, canning
goods, toilet and electric facilities, and
building improvements.
Many women at the judging exhibit
ed the canned goods, sewing, quilt work,
lamps and wall plaques they hadjpade.
The members of the Coifimunities
stated they had raised the money to
make the home improvements by bake
sales, talent shows, and selling dinners.
Judges for the day were Alma Hobbs
and Maricc Coleman with the Bertie
County Extension Office, and Tom
Brown, an Industrial Development Co
ordinator in Perquimans County.
Communities being judged were Hud
son Grove, Center Hill-Cisco. White Oak.
Oak Grove, Warren Grove-Green Hall,
Hancock, Ryans Grove, Virginia Road,
Mexico Road, Canaan Temple. St. John,
Hertford Road, and West Albemarle
Street Extended.
The communities complimented Earl
Jones and his staff. EIC. and the other
people who had worked in the com
munity and helped them to accomplish
their goals.
- -if* \ 4- -
m /r 2K./ J
Promote College Fund Drive —E. L. Hollowell, center, is shown
with Dr. Bruce Whitaker, right, president of Chowan College, and
Bobby Cross, director of development, as the college introduced
“Mission Possible” in Chowan County. The college is seeking
sl-million for a science-engineering facility at Murfreesboro.
peanuts are still drowning in writer
with the weatherman reporting more
rain. Also adding to the problem is the
extremely high temperatures. The tem
perature reached in the 80‘s several
times this week.
He stated many farmers are still try
ing to harvest their peanuts between
the showers but he urges them to start
harvesting mature soybeans as soon as
possible.
Thompson remarked that while a In-.:
ing damaged by the temperature and
moisture. It is his hope that the farm
ers will keep the damaged beans sepa
rated from the undamaged ones so that
the grade will be better and the dam
aged bean should be dried flown to
about 12 or 13 per cent moisture.
Thomuson remarked that while a loss
of about $2 million on total crops is
estimated at the present time, the
weather is still causing more damage.
Hospital Unit Aided
the unit. The Department of Social
Services had put the unit in the “nurs
ing home” class for the purpose of
Medicaid payments.
Thomas M. Surratt, hospital admini
strator, said it cost sl7 per day to keep
a patient in the ECF and 80 per cent
of those confined to this facility were
eligible for Medicaid. The loss to the
hospital was estimated at about $37,000
per year.
While the classification was not
changed, the increase to $18.50 per day
will enable the hospital to continue to
operate the unit.
How'ever, Surratt and hospital of
ficials have vowed to continue efforts
to have the unit classified properly.
They argue the ECF provides a greater
level of service than a nursing home.
Chowan Hospital is licensed by the
Medical Care Commission as a general
hospital operating acute, extended and
long-term care facilities.
Chow'an is one of 14 hospital across
the state operating such units under
the same umbrella of comprehensive
medical care. Two of the units had
closed prior to Friday’s action.
Chowan County commissioners met in
special session at 4 P. M., on Wednes
day of last week after learning of the
hospital’s decision. They adopted a
strongly worded resolution which placed
them squarely behind the hospital.
In addition to calling for proper
classification of the ECF and full re
imbursable' costs, the commissioners
said they were “deeply concerned over
the possible loss of this facility and
pledged that every effort would be ex
pended to preserve it in its current op
eration.”
Sens. George Wood and J. J. (Monk)
Harrington arranged a meeting in Ra
leigh attended by Commissioner C. A.
Phillips, Thomas Shepard, hospital pres
ident, Surratt, and L. F. Amburn, Jr.
At that time a representative of the
state department repeatedly claimed no
Continued on Page 4
Campaign Begun
Chowan College at Murfreesboro is
out to raise sl-million in a campaign
labeled “Mission Possible” to construct
and equip a new science-engineering fa
cility.
The campaign team came to Edenton
last w'eek and set into motion a local
organization to be directed by Merrill
Evans. Jr., and Rev. Robert Gray. The
co-chairmen were named by Dr. Bruce
Whitaker, college president.
E. L. Hollowell, local industrial exe
cutive and a Chowan College board
member, hosted the luncheon for about
a dozen community leaders who were
solicited to aid in the campaign here.
Dr. Whitaker and Bobby Cross direc
tor of development, told the Chowan
College story.
Dr. Whitaker said when speaking
Continued on Page 4