IS! e.ff In the current issue of the North Carolina Christian Advocate there is a picture of the propped up north side of the local United Methodist Church. And because Mrs. Bess Tyree Suiter of Rocky Mount saw the picture she promptly sent a check to Bud Ambum, who is the new chairman of the church building fund. Accompanying the check Mrs. Suiter told of the in conveniences and hardships when the old Rocky Mount church was tom down in order to build a new church. Mrs. Suiter taught school in Edenton in 1918 (maybe a few of the old-timers remember her) so she says she has a warm place in her heart for everything here. And in commenting on the Herculean task the Edenton congregation faces in order to raise enough money to build a new sanctuary Mrs. Suiter wrote: ‘literally, where there is a will there is away and here’s hoping you can hold the roof on.” Anyway, Mrs. Suiter’s check is very much appreciated and so will any others who wish to make a donation. Edenton Masons will observe Past Masters’ Night at their meeting tonight (Thursday). At this time the custom is for all past masters to fill the various stations and places which is more or less a test to discover how much the “has-beens” have remembered or forgotten while they were master of the lodge. Yours truly is the oldest living past master of Unanimity Lodge and is scheduled to be among the others who will stumble through the work. J.D. Elliott, master of the lodge, is looking forward to seeing most of the past masters on hand as well as a large number of the lodge’s members. Having eaten for so many years here’s one who thought he had eaten just about everything fittin’ to eat (except chitterlings). But at the Methodist Men’s Club meeting Wednesday night Qfjast week a new kind of meal was served by some of the ladies of the church. Asking what I was eating, I was told it was GOLUMKI. I was in formed that it was a Polish dish and the best I could figure out it was green cabbage leaves wrapped around some kind of meat, together with tender string beans sprinkled with noodles like those used with chop suey. Whether they knew what they were eating or not, some of the “boys” went after seconds, so that the whole works apparently en joyed the meal. Well, a fellow is never too old to learn. —O— Things are about back to normal at The Chowan Herald office. Hec Lupton turned up Monday morn ing after spending a few weeks with his daughter and family way out at San Diego, California. While out on the west coast he and the Missus enjoyed the delightful weather but did keep up with the weather we’ve been having on the east coast byway of television weather reports. And like most of us say, it’s so very nice to go visiting or on a vacation, but it’s a darn sight nicer to get back home. Then Becky Bunch, who handles The Herald’s advertising, reported for work Monday morn ing after about a week’s tussle with a case of flu or a virus as they call just about every ailment a person has these days. Anyhow, she had a hard time during her illness but she didn’t lose her cheerful smile and hearty laugh. Frank Curran, down in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, Thursday, March 10, 1977 The Chowan Herald Box 207, EDENTON. N. C. 27032 Published every Thursday at Edenton by The Chowan Herald, Inc., L. F. Ambum. Jr., president and general manager, 421 425 South Broad Street. Edenton, North Carolina 27032. Entered as second class matter August 30, 1034, at the Post Office at Edenton. North Carolina, under act of March 3, 1070. L. F. Amburn, Jr., President-Gen. Mgr. J. Edwin Bufflap Editor , E. N. Manning Production Supt Subscription Ratos One Year (outside N.C.) $7.00 One Year (inN.C.I $0.24 Six Months (outside N. C.) $4.50 f Six Months (InN.C.) ~ $3.50 than from our most offensive industry. The quietness with which the aquarium at the National Fish Hatchery along the Public Parade was closed is almost deafening. The aquarium was felled by an “economy” ax on November 30, 1974. Thusly, we lost one of our most interesting and diversified tourist attractions. A not so quiet move is now afoot to get the facility reactivated so that the local people, as well as the traveling public, might become more familiar with the friends who inhabit our waters. In addition to SIO,OOO annually being requested for maintenance and a guide, it will take $20,000 to get the facility, which should never have been allowed to close, reopened. Although operation of the aquarium is a burden of sorts to personnel at the national facility, strong support for its reactivation is being generated by Elliott At ,stupenas and his co-workers. At the time the ax fell locally, 11 other of the 17 warm water fish hatcheries in the Southeastern United States felt the same blow. Many have since been reopened. The aquarium here was opened in the late 50’s when the hatchery was moved to a new site. Over the years visitor load averaged from 15,000 to 17,000 people a year. Cost of operation the last year was $6,000. Rep. Walter B. Jones of the First Congressional District has made an appeal to have the aquarium reactivated—including $20,000 to bring it up to snuff which would not be necessary if the bureaucrat’s dart had not landed on Edenton two and a half years ago. The area needs the diver sification in tourist attractions which the aquarium offers. We feel comfortable that it is now in the hands of our able congressman, who at times has been able to move not only sideways, backward, forward,'ahd quietly with the bureaucracy, but also up and down when the oc casion arose. More Than A Tad Gary Anderson is taking over the American Red Cross program along the Public Parade at a dangerous time. But, actually, there is no good time to follow W.T. Culpepper, 111, in a pro motional effort. It is an even more critical time since Allan Asbell, volunteer Bloodmobile chairman for Edenton Jaycees, is asking for more than a tad of blood during the visit from the Tidewater Bloodmobile here Monday. Friend Allan has operated a highly successful campaign since he took over the chairmanship from Friend Gary. Some say he may have gotton carried away with the program by establishing a 175-unit quota for! Monday’s visit to Edenton Baptist Church. By becoming a donor Monday you can do two things. First, you can keep the bloodmobile chairman from having to eat crow; secondly, you can get the new president’s regime off to a tremendous start. While we can’t be there Monday we promise to send our proxy.' Won’t you do the same? renewed his subscription to The Herald this week and enclosed the following brief note: “Dear Buff I enjoy your little comer on page 4, for I learn a little about folks who have left Edenton as I did. Then I hand The Herald to another Tar Heel from Greenville, N.C. So we have to keep up a little about that section.” Then Mrs. Mary P. Willis, now living in Windsor, in a note, had this to say: “Am enclosing check for $6.24 for Chowan Herald renewal. Even though I am not living in Edenton now, I enjoy reading The Chowan Herald. Hope all is going well with all of you. All good wishes to aH.” Edenton Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star elected a slate of officers for the year without speeches, handshaking, etc., at its meeting Monday night. Because Margaret Smithson and Jimmy NEW PROSECUTOR —Judge Grafton G. Beaman of Elizabeth City, above left, welcomed new Asst. Dist. Atty. David Blackwell as district court prosecutor for the seven-county First Judicial District, Tuesday. Blackwell, a native of Niagra Falls, N.Y., and former resident of Winston-Salem, obtained his degree from Wake Forest School of Law in 1976. In addition he holds a degree in American diplomatic history from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va. He completed studies there in 1972. Blackwell was sworn in by Superior Court Judge Herbert Small on January 31,1976. Blackwell is a licensed parachutist and enjoys audio equipment as a hobby. Take A Friend It is interesting to note that nearly half of the trips we make in automobiles are short trips around town and over half are with just a driver. An energy specialist at the West Raleigh Branch of the Greater University of North Carolina feels that this is where conservation should begin. Transportation accounts for 31 per cent of the use of primary fuels in North Carolina. Only coal for electric generation ranks higher at 43 per cent of the total fuel use in Tar Heelia. “By far the major tran sportation consumer is the private automobile,” explained Fowler W. Martin of N.C. State University’s Energy Group. Martin is former head of the Energy Division of the N.C. of Military and Veteran Afrairs. r “A high percentage of automobile travel is one driver occupancy for short trips,” Martin said. “Such usage is highly inefficient in terms of energy as compared with public tran sportation.” From national figures equally North Carolina, Martin reports that automobile travel accounts for 55.3 per cent of the total transportation of people and goods; trucks, 21.1 per cent; commercial air, 7.5 per cent; railroad, 3.3 per cent; and buses, water, pipelines, and other, 12.8 per cent. “In North Carolina we have a minimal amount of public tran sportation and depend heavily on trucks to move goods and farm products,” Martin said. Methods used to commute in clude automobile (driver only), 56 per cent; automobile (with others), 26 per cent; public transportation, 14 per cent; and other, 4 per cent. Only 25 per cent of the automobile trips which consume fuel in the United States are greater than 10 miles. Urban trips of lesS than five miles account for 15 per cent and urban trips of from five to nine miles add another 15 per cent. Oglesby hung up such an out standing record as worthy matron and worthy patron during the past year, they were just about unanimously elected to stay on the job for another year. Others elected were: Louise Goodwin, associate worthy matron; Bill Goodwin, associate worthy patron; Ruth Overman, secretary; Mary Leary, treasurer; Virginia Karaska, conductress; Louise Dilday, associate conductress. Prior to the meeting Eastern Star members prepared another of their famous covered dish suppers, to which Masons and their wives and husbands of Eastern Stars were invited. As usual, just about everything good to eat was there in abundance/so that if anybody went away hungry it was their own fault, although a few did venture in the dining room after the meeting for a slight “midnight lunch.” Need Funds Continued From Page 1 the programs has improved, no new courses have been offered. The allocation of local matching funds, needed by July 1, will allow the program to continue next year at its present strength. The increase in the local match reflects statewide pay increases and other increased costs, Stalls said. Representatives of the school system met with state legislators Tuesday during School Board Day in the General Assembly. They discussed education-related bills pending before the assembly. Attending were Supt. John Dunn, Eugene Jordan, board chairman, and Don Lassiter, director of instruction. Dr. Dunn, at Monday night’s meeting, briefed the full board on legislation coming before the General Assembly. He expressed opposition to a bill that would guarantee a 30-minute duty-free lunch period to all school em ployees because of possible liabilities. One teacher would have to supervise two classes during lunch, opening the question of the school’s liability if a child was injured during that time. He also voiced opposition to a bill that would require the schools to open after Labor Day. A vote is forthcoming on the Governor’s Reading Program, a $45,000,000 primary program for grades 1-3. The appropriation would establish a statewide, uniform program providing a full time teacher and teacher aide, staff development, and student testing. A graduate competency test has been proposed at a funding level of $271,000 Dr. Dunn explained, that it would be a survival skills test, standardized, with confidential testing and grading. Also proposed is an annual testing bill for grades 1-3 and 6 and 9, costing $121,000. Dr. Dunn stated that there has been no report as to the status of two collective bargaining bills. Joanne Hanley, speech pathologist, reported that a total of 26 students, system-wide, are currently undergoing speech or language therapy in three 30- minute sessions each week. She said that 255 contacts have been made of which 18 are Medicaid eligible. Federal reimbursement for contacts made with Medicaid eligible chilcken is $36 per child. That money will be used as the basis for continuing the program next year. Trips within a city account for 43 per cent of the automobile travel. Mr. Martin’s statistics might not hold true to form along the Public Parade or throughout other more rural areas but we found them interesting. At least, conservation can be aided by asking somqone to go withyou the next time you get the urge to ride. Retail Sales: $4.4-Mi)lion In December, 1976, gross retail sales in Chowan County- amounted to $4.4-million, according to figures released this week by the N.C. Department of Revenue. State sales and use taxes collected were $91,443.92. The figure on collections does not contain any county sales and use taxes. In-the 10-county Albemarle Area gross retail sales for the holiday month exceeded $34-million. In addition Ur Chowan, sales in other counties were placed at: Camden, $710,231; Currituck, $3,267,207; Dare, $2,819,146; Gates, $1,279,960; Hyde, $1,002,064; Pasquotank, $12,915,445; Perquimans, $2,305,501; Tyrrell, $758,202; and Washington, $4,580,900. Retail sales in the 100 counties totaled $2.2-billion with the town’s with populations in excess of 5,000 accounting for $1.5-billion of it. In Elizabeth City sales amounted to within sl-million of the total for 1 Subdivision Continued From Page 1 Law and Order Association for purchase of a patrol vehicle for the Sheriff’s Department. Melvin Bunch, projector of the association, stated that an ap plication accompanied by a statement of intent must be submitted. Bunch also stated that S4OO should be appropriated next fiscal year to match a possible grant for pur chase of additional radio equip ment for the Sheriff’s Depart ment. Approval of the grant would provide for purchase of four portable field radios, six 12- channel scanners, and two scramblers. The equipment purchase would total SB,OOO and would, in Bunch’s words, “give Chowan County a first-rate communications system.” Sheriff Troy Toppin reported that CB’s have been installed in the department’s radio cars at a cost of $25 to the county. The rest of the tab was covered by an. ALOA grant; Ron Huffman, social services director, and J. Clarence Leary, Jr., chairman, told the com missioners funds for locating fathers of illegitimate children not paying support will soon be depleted. In addition the case load presently is so heavy that a full time position is needed, and there are up to 12 new cases coming in each month. Huffman added that the full time position would also provide a second line of authority for the entire Social Services Depart ment. At present there is no one with decision-making power in Huffman’s absence. The commissioners approved a $3,200 budget amendment to establish that supervisory job, to be held by Mrs. Logan Elliott. A transfer of several hundred dollars from the now defunct Day Care Center will offset some of the cost. Approved were the by-laws of the newly re-organized Edenton Airport Commission, chaired by Dr. Richard Hardin. Three commission members were reappointed and N. J. George was selected to act as ex-officio liason between the airport commission and the county commissioners. Transfer of funds from capital outlay reserve to the general fund was approved for purchase of property at the site of the Chowan County Courthouse Jail Project. Also approved was a motion by Commissioner Alton Elmore requesting DOT to establish a state maintained picnic area on county property off N. C. 32, near one of tiie water system elevated tanks. Community Calendar THURSDAY March 10th. 1:00 P. M.—Rotary Chib - St. Paula Parrish 3:30 P. M.—Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors • Chamber Office 7:00 P. M.—AADA • Association of Counties and Towns - Anglers Cove 1 7:30 P. M.—Regular Jaycee Meeting 7:30 P. M.—“ Limits of Dissent” - Chowan County Courthouse. SUNDAY March 13th. Attend Sunday Bchool and Church Services at the Church of your \ choice. MONDAY March 14th. . J 7:00 P. M. Lions Chb • Edentou Restaurant 7:00 P. M.—Jaycees N. C. Lung Walkathon Chamber Office. Pasquotank County. Williamston and Ahoskie both reported sales in excess of the total sales in Chowan County. Pollution Continued From Page 1 Municipalities surrounding the river are not without blame for pollution of the river. Town sewerage systems, many of which are undergoing federal 201 program updating, fail to meet required pollution standards. On the other hand, Chowan River is in good condition, ac cording to Division of En vironmental Management division. Cooke said there is nothing in North Carolina that points to major pollution. According to reports Cooke receives from Virginia where two-thirds of the river basin lies, no major pollutioh is entering the river. Still pollution enters the river. Town and industries cannot remove 100 per cent of their wastes. But according to Cooke, 85 per cent of better of all wastes are removed. Several questions remain unanswered for the river’s ap proximately 200 commercial fishermen, water sportsmen and the Environmental Management office. Cooke said the river is at a point where the slightest influx of nitrogen or phosphorous could trigger an algae bloom next summer. A rare disease for river fish has developed in perch. The disease commonly called, “red .sore” because of the sorelike marking that appears on fish, may or may not be related to pollution in the river. A three-year grant has been issued to study the disease, which generally appears among land locked waterways fish. A mobil& lab has been moved to Edenton to study the problem. Cooke said the Chowan River is the most carefully monitored river in the state. The largest portion of his division’s funding has been used to analysis the Chowan River during the past few years. Still, fisherman and some area people mistrust state officials who, according to them, acted too slowly to stop CF’s initial pollution of the river. Neither environmental protection officials, fishermen, river located industry heads or local residents know if the “Green Tide” will return early next summer. Only time will tell what is brewing the stilled waters of the river or the pro and anti-river industrialization forces. In the next two segments of this series, attitudes of these two human forces toward the river’s health and future will be ex pressed by fishermen, state of ficials, private citizens and river based industry management. High Court Continued From Page 1 something that simply did not occur.” It is further claimed that the split in the town resulted from “the manner in which members of the Town Council circumvented procedures and then tried to cover up their actions by changing the minutes.” “At issue is not simply an un popular rezoning of 10 acres os_ land but the very integrity of a governing body in refusing to follow the guidelines and rules set• up for it and the public generally to follow,” the petition reads. It is also claimed by the; plaintiffs that for Judge Peel not to deal with a petition to amend the l complaint “was the most pizarref and unprecedented occurrence on. the trial level.”