Cold, Hard Facts Murray Nixon, a fishery owner on the Chowan River, predicts that in two years the industry will be dead. His prediction is supported by a fish harvest report compiled by the Water Resources Com mittee of Edenton-Chowan Chamber of Commerce. The cold, hard facts for the period from January 1 to April 13 show a tremendous economic impact on the industry. One station sampled showed a significant decrease in earnings from $36,768.69 in 1978 to $8,382.69 in the three and one-half month period dted. The second station further up ttie river shows a decline from $117,246.92 to $93,903.29, but $40,000 of this year’s figure shows pur chases from Albemarle Sound. All die figures are what is paid directly fishermen, so the real impact on the economy is not yet known. In 1972 the first station pur chased 1,133,418 pounds of river herring. This year only 72,109 pounds have been recorded. To dramatize the problem, Capt. A1 Howard relates a fisherman’s woe as late as Thursday when six pound nets were fished. The total catch was one herring, 12 white perch and 25 catfish. Not hardly a day’s work by any standards. The cold, hard facts are that farmers who derive a second income from fishing, and vice versa, are in deep, deep trouble. They may not be able to hang on with the decline in fish catches and double digit inflation playing havoc with agriculture. Harry B. Caldwell North Carolina remains essentially a rural state; and few • leaders have done more in the 20th century for the improvement of agriculture than Harry B. Cald well, the longtime master of the State Grange, who died here March 4. Any listing of the handful of ablest state agricultural leaders, indeed, would automatically in clude both Caldwell and his dymnamic wife, Margaret Hood Caldwell, who rank along with Dr. Clarence Poe and Governor W. Kerr Scott as individuals of great vision and energy for farming causes. Harry Caldwell, a tall, im perturbable farm boy from Ohio, came to North Carolina in 1929. That was a period of depression in U.S. agriculture. It was also a time when the Grange movement, strong during Reconstruction, had weakened. Caldwell, along with Dr. Poe, editor and publisher of “The Progressive Farmer”, and the Scotts of Haw River, set about changing all that. Perhaps the peak of their efforts at agricultural renaissance came in the election of W. Kerr Scott as Governor of North Carolina in 1948. Scott, a vigorous, candid farmer, had a simple straight forward program. It incorporated paving farm-to-market roads, providing electricity and telephones for rural people and sustaining and improving North , Carolina’s remarkable one-foot-in ■ the-farm, one-foot-in-the-factory economy, which many today see as the wave of the future in Continued On Page 4 I I S . A 1 |u ■ ▲ ißfr SYMPOSIUMHELD —The Edenton Symposium on History, Architecture and Furnishings of the Nineteenth Century was held Thursday and Friday of last week. Hie photos above show John Tyler, chairman of Historic Hope Foundation in Windsor, lecturing on Federal furniture. His presentation was made Friday afternoon at St. Paid’s Episcopal Parish House. It was reported that 24 persons attended the full symposium with an equal number attending individual lectures. Persons from as | far away as Charlottesville, Va. and central N. C. turned up for the series. THE CHOWAN HERALD Vol. XLVI-No. 17 $7.5-Million Pledged For Clean-Up Os River Federal support of efforts to clean up the algae-plagued Chowan River has been pledged on the level of $7.5-million, an EPA regional official told members of the Chowan River Task Foree at its first meeting last Friday. Alec Little, deputy director of EPA Region IV out of Atlanta, Ga., said those funds are ear marked for development of land application waste treatment facilities in municipalities along the Chowan River Basin. He went on to say that federal funds will also be made available to assist programs of the Agricultural Extension Service. According to Little, some 14- million has already gone into the river project. He said the type algae in the Chowan River is the most in sidious they deal with and that it is time to stop the studying and get on with doing something to clean Seven Charged With Larceny Seven Chowan County men, including two whites and five blacks ranging in age from 17 to 20, have been charged with lar ceny of gasoline and batteries during an investigation by the Chowan County Sheriff’s Department. A total of 38 warrants, 10 for gasoline and 28 for batteries, were served by officers during a round up of the suspects, Tuesday night. All were released on written promises to appear in Chowan County District Court, May 27. Deputy Melvin Evans and Chief Deputy Glenn Perry spearheaded the investigation of thefts alleged to have taken [dace between January 29 and April 1.- Walter Smith, 18, of Rt. 3 is charged in 10 warrants; Clarence Evans, 18, of Rt. 3 and Rodney Perry, of Rt. 1, Box 109 are charged in eight warrants each; Ronald Armstead, 20, Rt. 1, Box 73 is charged in six warrants; Willie Perry, 19, Rt. 1, Box 109 is charged in one warrant; W. George Perry, 17, Rt. 1, Box 109 is charged in three warrants; and Richard Armstead, 18, Rt. 1, Box 73 is charged in two warrants. All charges are for misdemeanor larceny, but total value of the stolen property has been estimated in excess of SSOO. Only two of the stolen batteries were recovered. Sheriff Troy Toppin said other warrants for larceny as well as receiving stolen goods may be issued pending completion of the investigation. According to Deputy Evans, a break in the case came April 1 on information supplied by an in formant. He later learned the stolen batteries were being sold to a local junk dealer. The first theft officers have been able to link to the group occurred January 29 when a battery was stolen from a 1963 Chevrolet owned by Clarence Lupton, a resident of Rt. 3. Lupton was hit again on March 14 and 21 when a the river up. EPA officials said the Town of Edenton is “receptive” to land application of treated waste but there seems to be a problem with file high water table. The announcement of the federal funds came one day after Gov. Jim Hunt wrote to EPA administrator Douglas M. Costle asking for their support. “Although 75 per cent of the basin in Virginia, North Carolina has carried the brunt of the bat tle,” Gov. Hunt said. “We have no way, other than negotiations between the two states, to in fluence Virginia dischargers.” He went on to say that Region IV has so far been only in a review and advisory role and that Region 111, responsible for Virginia, has not been involved at all. “A positive attack on the pollution problem will not result from a buisness-as-usual ap total of some 40 gallons of gasoline were stolen. Then on February 26, another battery was stolen from Lupton’s 1967 Chevrolet pick-up truck. Henry White of Rt. 1 reported that on March 15, a battery was taken from his 1968 Chevrolet. That same day, two batteries were taken from trucks owned by Home Continued On Page 4 Democrats Debate Resolutions During Convention Chowan County Democrats, meeting in convention Saturday, adopted three resolutions aimed at county commissioners. They concern township election of board members; redistricting along the one man, one vote doctrine; and more equal representation on boards and committees. In the keynote address at the courthouse convention, L. F. Amburn, Jr., cited successful Democratic administrations in state government saying it “is because our great party has long shown that not only is it a party of vision and dreams, but that it also is a party of action, responsibility and achievement.’’ Census Workers Still Needed Census workers are still needed and anyone can apply and be tested. Testing of prospective employees is scheduled for this Friday at 11 A.M. in the fourth floor conference room of the Chowan County Office Building. Additional information may be obtained by calling Debbie Parker at (919) 585-0994 after 6 P.M. IpHi nfs | M H I ■ Edenton, North Caroline, Thursday. Aoril 24, 1980 proach,” Gov. Hunt wrote. Gov. Hunt specifically asked for the appointment of an audit team to review every detail of the state’s dean up program, to have Region HI begin immediately to evaluate the adequacy of RIVER TASK FORCE The 18-member Chowan River Task Force met last Friday with state and federal officials to discuss clean-up of the algae plagued Chowan River. Dr. Neill Grigg, director of the Chowan River Restoration Project, is shown above in the foreground with Brent Bower of the J. E. Serrine consulting firm to his left. At the end of the table is Capt. A1 Howard, task force chairman. Other members of the group are shown seated in the background. The publisher of The Chowan Herald continued: “There are principles, facts and a party record of service which attracts people to the Democratic Party.” He cited registration figures which with 72 per cent of the voting age people on the books only 500 are affiliated outside the Democratic Party. “And when Chowan County goes to fulltime registration even more people will become registered voters.” The keynoter added: “We must be flexible enough to be both a Democrat in the general term and a Democrat in the partisan sen se.” Furthermore, he said times change, economically and socially as well as politically. “As citizens, and yes as Democrats, we must be able to adjust to change without being captives.” Also, he compared Gov. James B. Hunt’s victory in 1976 to that of Gov. Augus W. McLean in the mid 1920’5. Gov. Hunt’s mandate, he said, followed “four years of stumbling and fumbling; regression rather than progression...” There was spirited debate during the convention, held at the new courthouse. The resolution from Yeopim precinct concerning Public Hearing On Vepco Requested WASHINGTON-The United States Office of Consumer Affairs has joined the State of North Carolina in requesting a public hearing of complaints filed by the State and by Operation Over charge before the Federal. Energy Regulatory Commission claiming mismanagement and imprudence resulting in unjustified electric rates being charged by the public utility to the consumers of Nor theastern North Carolina. In a petition to intervene the Office of Consumer Affairs goes even further to request that the public hearing and evidenciary proceeding cover the entire operations of Vepco so as to protect consumers in Virginia and other areas served by Vepco. The petition claims that lack of management of oil fired units and failure' to convert them to lower cost coal, and the failure to recoup losses brought about by mistakes in design made by third parties Virginia’s programs for reducing nutrient inflow into North Carolina, and to ask EPA Region IV to provide technical assistance, approval of construction grants and enforcement activities. Rep. Walter B. Jones of the First appointments was defeated when wording included only Democrats. “I agree with the intent,” Com missioner Alton G. Elmore told the delegates, “but I don’t think we are ready to see it in print.” After the defeated motion, a second was passed by voice vote leaving out the reference to party affiliation. The convention, with 51 delegates from six precincts voted 34-13 with four abstaining votes, to request township nomination and election of candidates to the county board for seats ap portioned to that township. The second resolution from East Edenton dealt with reap pointment, It was adopted by voice vote. Thomas Shepard, party treasurer, spoke against the township election plan, as did George Alma Byrum, former mayor of Edenton. Byrum said it would take away the vote of the people. In such a small county he said the change would be “spin ning our wheels in the wrong direction.” Mayor Roy L. Harrell told the delegates that it would create the same system (ward voting) as was adopted by Edenton. “I have designing plants for Vepco have cost consumers extensive amounts of money that Vepco should not have been al lowed to charge to its customers. The action by the Office of Consumer Affairs has intensified efforts by the State of North Carolina and by Operation Overcharge to get public hearings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on their complaints. The consumer affairs action is the latest in a long list of steps taken by agencies and organizations supporting the State and Operation Overcharge in their complaints. Governor Jim Hunt, Jr., has dispatched a letter to Chairman Charles Curtis of FERC, pointing up the importance of the public hearings to give the State and other parties an opportunity to prove their complaints against Vepco. Single Copies 20 Cents. Congressional District, made an appearance before the group convened in the Chowan County Courthouse, to personally pledge his continued cooperation in the project. He said he talked with Continued on Page 4 seen no problem whatsoever,” he added. Another speaker, Rosa Roun tree, said the time for equal treatment in the county is long overdue. On the other side of the question was Mrs. Lena M. Leary, clerk of court, pointed out that “we have had mighty fine” board members and entered a plea not to take away the right of any person to vote on all nominees. Confusion developed over voting on one resolution with N. J. George, party chairman, making two or more rulings before the final tally. Die chairman said redistricting would only affect voting and in dicated that some legal problems would develop if the realignment according to population is not carried out. Lester Copeland, a county commissioner and the long debate from Wardville Precinct, said percentages of registration now were: First Township, 61 per cent; Second Township, 19 per cent; Third Township, 9 per cent; and Fourth Township 11 per cent. Chairman George also recognized E. N. (Pete) Manning, chairman of the board of elections and hailed the manner in which Continued on Page 4 Meanwhile, FERC has called for a ‘private” investigation. The Office of Consumer Affairs, in its petition, finds no fault with the FERC investigation but says it is not sufficient to protect consumers and that the public hearings should be conducted by FERC. “We heartily agree,” J. Larkin Little, Chairman of Operation Overcharge, said today. “The pressure is growing on FERC to carry out a public type hearing against Vepco,” Little said. “Such action is needed to bring the evidence into focus,” he said. Meanwhile, he said those communities that have begun to worry about where their electric power is coming from, if and when Vepco leaves North Carolina, should get active in the effort. “It’s those communities that have caused the most trouble in this entire undertaking.” he said. ‘'They should have been spending I tHiliniHtl »n |

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