jnconfron
as well as
Parade -
can absorb a
but whether Reaganomi
be superimposed upon the people of
North Carolina.
Like the President before him,
Gov. Martin has come into office
telling us that we can cut taxes and
increase spending, with the
resulting growth in the economy
making up the difference.
Now, after four years of red ink
in Washington, the President has
discovered that despite what he
calls solid economic recovery, the
country cannot grow out of a
deficit, which he is using as a lever
to force Congress to cut spending on
social programs while the military
buildup heads for outer space.
The parallel with the Martin pro
posals is inescapable. Nor should
we take comfort in the fact that,
unlike the federal government, the
state cannot constitutionally
operate with an unbalanced budget.
There are other ways to skin that
cat.
Should the legislature, as did
Congress, go along with the tax-cut
proposals, fund the Martin expan
sion budget and go home only to
discover that reduced revenues
were not meeting budget re
quirements, our constitution re
quires the Governor either to
balance the budget by cutting ex
penses or call the legislature back
into session to do it for him.
What would happen, of course, is
that the Governor would cut most
where it hurt less, in capital expen
ditures, construction jobs that could
be pushed into the future, salary in
creases and, of course, social pro
grams. Then, when the General
Assembly met again, it would be
called upon to rectify the problem
either by raising taxes or borrow
ing money, which would appear to
be the lesser evil in the midst of
hard times.
With its current tax structure,
North Carolina has become pretty
much a pay-as-we-go state. Without
a majbr tax cocfweimBW
to continue our highway program,1
our capital construction plans and
give some assistance to local units
in meeting their water and sewer
needs without borrowing. But all of
those things would have to be done
through bond issues if the tax base
is eroded at the rate of half a billion
a year.
The Governor would lift the 3 per
cent state sales tax from food and
drugs, with a revenue loss of $178
million a year. He would leave the
l-to-1.5 per cent local levies on food
and drugs intact, despite the
headache it would cause at the
checkout counter.
The rich as well as the poor pay
the sales tax, and we are willing to
admit that it bears more heavily on
the poor. But the poor are the prime
beneficiaries of other taxes they
don’t pay; while the wealthy would
be the prime beneficiaries of the
$178 million sales tax cut. We would
leave it alone.
The Governor would repeal the
intangibles tax at a cost of $90
million a year and would reimburse
cities and counties on a rising scale
tied to sales tax collections. Thus,
the $90 million would grow to
almost $100 million by the second
year. We doubt the repeal of this
tax would help business, but it
would certainly help wealthy,
retired individuals.
Continued On Page 4
Property Tax
Levy Is Passed
The Chowan County Board of
Commissioners on Monday
unanimously passed a resolution to
implement a levy upon the sale of
tangible personal property.
The levies will be used only in ex
treme situations where the tax
payer is making no attempt to pay
his taxes or presents no justifica
tion as to why the taxes cannot be
paid.
'
Volume XLIX - No. 8
Edenton. North Carolina, Thursday, March 7, 1985
. ■ i ■ .11. ■■!■■!! ■■■■■■
Single Copies 25 Cents
mm mm
BOARD OF DIRECTORS— This year’s Board of Directors for the Edenton-Chowan Chamber of
Commerce are: front row (I. to r.) Charlie Shaw, John Mitchener Jr., Steve Robertson, and Beth
Taylor; second row (1. to r.) Sam Noble, Jack Habit, Jerry Hendee, and J.P. Timberlake; third row
(1. tor) Marvin Shaw, Jim Blount, Bob Thomas and Gary Smith; fourth row (1. tor.) Cliff Copeland,
Chuck Smith, Tom Palmer and John Dowd. Not pictured is Bruce Gillikin. In 1984 the board attracted
a major industry to the county; implemented a Merchant’s Alert program, established a group of
retired professionals who volunteer their expertise to assist chamber members with business pro
blems; and scheduled a series of seminars designed to help management and employees achieve a
better and more productive business atmosphere. This year’s Chamber President John Dowd is stress
ing the need for open lines of communication between chamber members, officers, and staff. “It is
essential if we are to serve our membership properly, that they make their needs and ideas know
to us. We are committed to a year of progress for the business and citizens of Chowan County,” he said.
Dianne Jones
Maxway Gets
New Manager
Dianne Jones became the
manager of Edenton’s Maxway
store on February 21 replacing
David Mertz who was promoted to
the Lexington, Virginia store.
A native of Edenton, Jones began
working at the store as a part-time
salesclerk when she was still in
high school. In her senior year, she
was promoted to bookkeeper and
remained in that position until her
second child was born in December
1978.
She came back to the store in
November, 1980 as a part-time
Christmas salesclerk. Manager
David Mertz talked her into staying
on' and in February 1984 she
became permanent assistant at the
store.
Jones and her husband, Sam,
reside in Edenton with their two
children, Connie, 9 and Brian, 6.
TONY JORDAN — was the
master of ceremonies for one half
of the Good Things presentation for
the Board of Education at White
Tyrrell Resident Appointed
Chowan Hospital’s Board of
Directors, along with the Chowan
County Board of Commissioners, in
Board Gives
Authorization
In a special meeting Monday,
Edenton Town Council unanimous
ly agreed to authorize just compen
sation in the amount of $726,000 to
Walter, Charlie and Minton Small
for the purchase Of approximately
- 580 acres of land off-Mexico Road;
The land is the site of Edenton’s
proposed land application treat
ment facility.
Project Bids
Are Accepted
The Edenton-Chowan Board of
Education unanimously agreed to
accept low bids on the D.F. Walker
renovation project at a regular
school board meeting Monday
night.
Superintendent Dr. John Dunn
said that contractors will be
notified immediately and he hoped
work on the project will begin
sometime next week.
“We can manage the construc
tion with kids on the campus,
because the construction areas will
be fenced off,” said Dunn.
Those low bids were: General
Contract - J.C. Edwards Construc
tion, $359,215; Heating and Air Con
ditioning - White’s Heat and Sheet
Metal Works, $17,750; Plumbing -
George Raper and Son, $8,340; and
Electrical - Stilley and Alexander
Electrical Contractors, $14,902.
Subscription
Rates Increase
Due to increased postal
rates, taxes and other costs,
the Chowan Herald finds it
necessary to increase
subscription rates for the first
time since the end of 1981.
Effective April 1, the annual
rate for subscribers living
within North Carolina will go
to $11.50, including sales tax.
Out of state rates will rise to
$12.50. Sue months rates will be
$7.50 for both in and out of
state subscribers.
Because we regret the
necessity of raising rates, any
subscriber who renews for at
least a year between now and
April 1,1985, will be allowed to
renew at the old rate^provided
his check is accompanied by a
copy of this notice.
E.N. Manning,
General Manager
... .— ' ' .
realizing the importance of inviting
citizens of outlying counties to have
a voice in healthcare decisions af
fecting them, has appointed a Tyr
rell County resident to a 3-year
term on the hospital’s Board. Per
quimans County has been
represented on the Board for the
past 6 years.
Appointed from Tyrrell County is
Lucy Rhodes, a third grade teacher
at Tyrrell County Elementary
School. Among other activities,
Rhodes is a member of the Tyrrell
Cbunty Rufal Health'Association;
the Tyrrellian Club, and the PTA,
as well as a member of the National
Education Association and the N.C.
Association of Educators. She is
married and has one child.
Welly White, Chairman of the
Perquimans County Board of Com
missioners, has also been appointed
to a 3-year term on the hospital’s
Board. White is also Chairman of
the Perquimans County Com
munications System and a member
of the Chowan-Perquimans
Landfill Committee, Hertford
Rotary Club, Chamber of Com
merce, Committee of 100, and past
Continued On Page 4
AWARD WINNER— The 1984 County and State Peanut Production winner was Byrum Farms, Inc.
Pictured from left to right are: Joe Carroll Byrum; Fahey Byrum; John Anthony Gosser; and Car
roll Byrum. Not pictured is Fahey (Butch) Byrum Jr.
Byrum Farms Recipient Of Production Awards
Byrum Farms, Inc. was>the reci
pient of both the county and state
PMnut production awards for 1984
for growing 4,975 lbs. of peanuts on
85.7 acres of land. The awarcfcs were
presented at the Chowan Coun
ty Peanut Production meeting held
on Tuesday, February 5.
The Chowan County second place
production award went to Joe Ward
for growing 4,801 lbs. of peanuts per
acre on 113.4 acres; and the third
place went to David Bateman with
4,613 lbs. per acre on 64.3 acres.
Also at the meeting, Certificates
of Appreciation from the
Agricultural Extension Service
were presented to farmers who
cooperated with last year’s peanut
on-farm tests and demonstrations.
The tests and th©formers were: No
Till Peanuts, John Wood; Kylar on
Peanuts, James Carroll Brabble;
Southern Corn Rootworm Control,
James Carroll Brabble; Thrips
Test, Marvin Evans; Line-land
plaster, Billy Nixon; Variety, Mike
and George Jordon; and Nut Sedge
Control, Ray and Willis Ray
Byrum.
Mayor Harrell Fed Up
With Electric Supplier
“We are sick and tired of seeing
people struggle to pay light bills
just so our engineers and lawyers
can make millions of dollars,"
Mayor Roy Harrell told those atten
ding a regular monthly meeting of
the North Carolina Eastern
Municipal Power Company in
Wilson last week.
In fact, the mayor is so fed up
with NCEMPC, Edenton's electrici
ty supplier, he wants the town of
Edenton to be released from its
contract with the agency.
Along with criticizing the agency
for paying high salaries to manage
ment and staff members, the
mayor says the contract signed bet
ween Edenton and the power agen
cy on September 15,1981 no longer
exists. “We bought into an agency
that was to have four new power
plants. We’ve had three to cancel
and one still is not complete.”
“We question the intent of leader
ship that would make a deal to pur
chase 12.9% of these power plants
that closed and left us with the bill
only a few months later," he added.
Harrell also complained that six
of the larger municipalities belong
ing to the agency carry more votes
than twenty of the smaller member
towns put together.
The mayor wants NCEMPA to
buy out the town’s 1.6 percent in
terest in the agency. At the meeting
in Wilson, he said, “We want out
clean and not with any contractural
agreements.” If the town is not
released from its contract, Harrell
said Edenton is ready to fight the
agency by obtaining legal counsel.
Although Harrell did not ask any
agency member towns to join in
Edenton’s cause, he did say he
would accept invitations from civic
organizations to discuss Edenton’s
reasons for wanting to leave the
agency. “We’re going to need the
peoples’ support,” he said.
Edenton signed on with NCEM
PA in 1981 with hopes of obtaining
electricity at rates lower than were
being offered by its former sup
plier, The Virginia Electric and
Power Company at the present
time, VEPCO’s retail rates are 4
percent lower than rates charged
by NCEMPA.
Because of the higher rates from
NCEMPA and the strain it is put
ting on Edenton’s electrical
customers, the mayor is ready for
a fight if the town is not released
from its contract. “When I took this
job as mayor, I understood I would
be fighting for the people when they
need help,” Harrell said. “There
has never been a time when people
needed help before. I don’t know of
a single person who can afford the
pressure they are under with their
light bills.”
Hertford Man Arrested
Issac Nelson Jones, 24, of Hert
ford, was arrested Wednesday,
February 27 after he attempted to
buy a watch at the Revco Drug
Store in the Edenton Village Shop
ping Center. Jones wanted to pay
for the watch with a check made
payable to Ray Winslow and sign
ed by Johnny Corprew.
According to Edenton Police Of
ficer Linard Bonner, Jones attemp
ted to purchase the watch from
clerk Debbie Elliott at approx
imately 12:30 p.m. But when Elliott
saw the check, she became
suspicious and took it back to the
store’s manager to have it
approved.
>Vhen Elliott was gone, Jones got
nervous and left the store.
The Revco manager then ap
proached off-duty police officer
Fred Spruill, who happened to be at
the shopping center, and told him
what was going on. While the
manager called the police station,
Spruill followed Jones and watched
him lie down in the back seat of a
car in the parking lot.
Soon Officer Bonner arrived-and
he and Spruill approached the car
and asked Jones to go into the store
with them. As the three men were
walking toward the store, Jones
took off in a southerly direction and
headed for the swamps behind the
shopping center.
The Sheriffs Department was
called to assist the two police of
ficers and soon officers from the
department arrived along with ad
ditional officers from the police
department, an SBI agent, and a
state trooper who had heard the call
for assistance over their scanners.
The law enforcement officers
then proceeded to chase Jones
across the Parrish Farm, into the
woods, across another farm and in
to a swamp.
State Trooper Bill Long finally
caught up with Jones in a swamp
near the Creek Bridge on Highway
32 South.
Jones was arrested and charged
, with breaking and entering, y ses
sion of stolen goods, forgery, utter
ing, obtaining property on false
pretenses, and delaying and
obstructing a police officer. He was
placed in Chowan County jail
without bond.
On Tuesday, Jones stood trial in
Chowan County District Court. Pro
bable cause was found in four
charges and the cases were boon I
over to Superior Court. Jon
found guilty on the ch; f
resisting arrest. He was sentei ; d
to 90 days suspended for 2 years on
the condition he pay a fine of $100
and cost of court. Jones chose to
serve his 90 days.