Real Versus Intangible
We do not want to comment on
the equity of Senator Marc
Basnight’s proposed sales tax on
real estate transfers—if Dare
County wants it, that’s all right
with us—butwe do want to discuss
some aspects of taxation in
general.
Here we have a governor who is
asking it to the General Assembly
to repeal the tax on intangible^
and a senator/put a 3 per cent tax
on all real estate transfers in Dare
County, the money to be earmark
ed for badly needed public
projects.
Thus, we bring face-to-face
tangibles and intangibles and
their use as a revenue base. Is one
more just than the other? Does
either the one or the other bear
more heavily on those least able
to pay: Is if, somehow, more
moral to speculate in real estate
than in stocks and bonds and other
evidences of debt? Or is it the
other way around?
These are interesting and very
complex issues; and it will be
worth watching to see how the
legislators move, in their
sometimes mysterious ways,
their wonders to perform.
Just for the record, the repeal of
the tax on intangibles would be a
great benefit to us personally. As
the holder of a block of notes and
“other evidences of debt,” we are
required to make a sizable con
tribution to the state treasury
each year and it will continue for
several years.
On the other hand, we do not
buy and sell much real estate; so,
even if we lived in Dare County,
Senator Basnight’s bill would not
bother us very much as a revenue
producer. But a sense of fairness
compels us to ask if intangibles
Should be sheltered from taxation
any more than tangibles.
Let’s suppose two brothers start
out in life with different goals. One
goes into real estate, buying,
developing and selling and is very
successful. Despite ad valorem
taxes, he accumulates extensive
holdings and is very wealthy. The
other goes into stocksundbonds,
deals’ in iiWlIl
money market. He, too, is very
successful and accumulates great
wealth. Both brothers are subject
to income and capital gains taxes.
The question is whether the one
should have to pay a tax on the
value of his real estate holdings
and the other not have to pay tax
on the value of his intangible
holdings.
Under present North Carolina
law, both have to pay a tax based
on the value of their holdings,
although the rates per $100 is
usually much higher on real pro
Continued On Page 4
Brandi Farmer
Wins Poetry
Competition
Third grade White Oak student
Brandi Farmer won first place in
the North Carolina Poetry Socie
ty competition.
Her poem, "Feelings” will be
published in the award winning
poems booklet and she will be
receiving a $15 prise and an
engraved cup at an awards
presentation and reading to be
held in Southern Pines.
Brandi is in the poetry writing
class sponsored by' Edenton
Chowan Schools and N.C. Arts
Council.
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY — This week (March 24-30) has been
declared “Focus on the Family Week” in Chowan County, a week to
celebrate the family. Families are urged to do something special
together this week and that’s just what the DeVine family (above) did
S3
by going on a family fishing outing on Tuesday afternoon. Pictured
(from left to right) are Kirk, 9; Lei; Sugar, the family dog;Cyndy;
and Jatrret.u.
Volume XLIX-No. 11
Eden ton, North Carolina, Thursday, March 28, 1985
Single Copies 25 Cents
■SMI m
LECTURE— Wendell Garrett (right), Editor and Publisher of the
magazine, ANTIQUES, lectured on “The Decorative Arts in a Chang
ing America” at the new Chowan County Courthouse on Monday,
March 25. He is shown here with Virginia Wood (left) and Beth Taylor,
members of the Chowan County Committee for the N.C. Museum of
History Associates.
North Carolina Tornado
Anniversary Is Observed
Editor’s Note: One year ago today
(March 28) a series of deadly tor
nadoes ripped through North
Carolina claiming lives and causing
millions of dollars of damage.
Here in Chowan County,, a twister
hit the Nixon’s Beach-Greenfield area
damaging two houses and tearing up
the surrounding wooded area. For
tunately, no one was injured locally,
but it is believed that that same tor
nado was responsible for the death of
•Snug Harbor resident, Teresa Ann
Miller, 28. In Gates County, tor
nadoes were responsible for two
deaths and millions of dollars of
damage.
On this the anniversary of last
year’s deadly storms, we are printing
Jaycees Plan
Bloodmobile
Hie Tyner Jaycees will be
holding their spring Bloodmobile
this Saturday, March 30 at the
Tyner Jaycees Building, Highway
32 North, from 10 a.jn. until 2 p.m.
Refreshments will be offered to
donors. -
“Our goal is 75 units,” said Dar
rell Britt, chairman, Tyner
Jaycee Bloodmobile.
Assisting Britt with chairman’s
duties this Saturday will be Jay
White, who has recently been ap
pointed co-chairman
helping
up and taking the load
Britt. “He’s been
in
agreat
background information on tornadoes
supplied by the North Carolina Office
of Emergency Management and given
to us by Doug Belch, coordinator,
Chowan County Emergency Medical
Service.)
Even though their times on
Earth are usually shortlived, tor
nadoes are nature’s most violent
and destructive atmospheric
phenomenon.
They are capable of toppling
buildings, lifting and rolling
mobile homes and automobiles,
and hurling people, animals, trees
and debris hundreds of yards
through the air.
The United States has the
dubious distinction of having the
most severe, damaging tornadoes
of any country in the world. The
combination of moisture, cold air
and strong winds east of the
Rockies provide the perfect ingre
dients for tornado formation.
North Carolina is included in the
tornado-prone area.
Producing the deafening sounds
of roaring jet engines or rumbling
freight trains, destructive tor
nadoes usually travel in a path
averaging nine miles in length,
ten yards to a mile wide, and at
speeds ranging from 35 to 45 mph.
They can generate violently
rotating columns of air with
speeds of up to 300 mph.
A tornado usually appears as a
funnel-shaped cloud, spinning in a
counter-clockwise direction, and
extending from the base of a large
thundercloud to the ground. They
vary from gray to black in color
and can be seen when the air col
Continued On Page 4
Board Members To Fill
Vacancy By Appointment
A vacancy to become effective
April 30 will be created in Eden
ton’s First Township on the
Edenton-Chowan Board of Educa
tion due to the resignation of
Jerald Perry. By law the vacan
cy will be filled by an appointment
of the remaining members of the
School Board.
The person appointed to fill the
vacancy must be a resident and
an elector from the township of
the member he/she is appointed
Biennial
Pilgrimage
On April 12,13 and 14, ten
pre-Revolutionary and
antebellum private homes in
Edenton and the surroun
ding countryside will open
their doors to visitors for the
Edenton Woman’s Club’s
17th Biennial Pilgrimage.
Thousands of people tour
Edenton during the
Pilgrimage which draws
more nationwide attention in
tourism and historic preser
vation than any other event.
Headquarters for the
Pilgrimage will be Eden
ton’s Municipal Building
which will open at 9 a.m.
Here visitors can register,
purchase tickets and obtain
information about the
Pilgrimage.
Tickets for the complete
tour are $15 for adults and
$7.50 for students. Tickets
for individual homes are $3
for adults and $1.50 for
students.
For more information or
advance purchase of group
tickets, write: Pilgrimage,
P.O. Box 326, Edenton, NC
27932.
Correction
Last week, in a caption under a
front page picture entitled
“Honored” we mistakenly iden
tified Marjorie Allen as Marjorie
Hollowed. i
The new memorial chairman
for the local board of the
American Cancer Society is Mar
jorie Allen, not Marjorie
Hollowed.
We regret the error.
to replace. The person appointed
shall serve through November,
1986.
In the Primary Election to be
held for county officers in 1986, the
remaining term of Jerald Perry’s
office, through November 1988,
shall be filled by non-partisan
election.
The Board of Education has un
til June 30, 1985 to make the in
terim appointment. The public
will have the opportunity in the
1986 Primary to elect a person to
fill the term until November, 1988.
The Board of Education extends
its hearty appreciation to Jerald
Perry for his dedication to the
education of all the children in
Edenton-Chowan Schools. The
Board also wishes him well in all
future endeavors.
Superior Court
Session April 1
Chowan County Superior Court
will be in session the week of April
1; the Honorable William C. Grif
fin presiding and Kenneth W. Pat
terson prosecuting.
During the week, four men will
be tried on charges of Driving
While Impaired and two others
will be tried on charges of
Assaulting a Female.
Family
Week Fair
The Chowan County
agricultural extension is Focusing
on The Family March 24-30.
“We are looking forward to a
week of celebration of the fami
ly,” says Frances M. Ward.
Families are encouraged to do
something special together this
week. A good suggestion is to at
tend the Family Fair on Thurs
day, March 28 at the American
Legion Building from 5-8 p.m.
There will be educational exhibits
and special entertainment.
You can learn to install a peep
hole or a dimmer switch, make
delightful fruit and vegetable gar
nishes, get your blood pressure
checked, learn how to grow patio
vegetables, see the winning
posters, and learn about pesticide
safety. Exhibits will be set up by
Edenton Baptist Church Youth
Council, Shepard Pruden Library,
Agricultural Extension Service,
Rocky Hock Baptist Church,
Edenton Fire Department, Exten
sion Homemaker Organization,
4-H Council, and other communi
ty groups.
Entertainment is scheduled for
5:30,6:30, and 7:30 p.m. The pro
gram will start off with a special
presentation by the Edenton Bap
tist Church Puppeteers and the
Center Hill Baptist Church Youth
Choir. Other entertainment in
cludes clogging, tap dancing and
singing by Patricia and Ronnie
Casper, Mary Copeland, and
Alvin Downing, Sr. Door prizes
will be given during the evening.
Extension’s family focus is not
new. “Strengthening families by
teaching them to apply research
based knowledge has been a ma
jor mission of ours since the U.S.
Congress passed the Smith-Lever
Act in 1914,” said Fran Ward.
Extension offers a wide variety
of programs in Chowan County in
the areas of agriculture, home
economics, 4-H and youth
development and community and
rural development.
Focus on the Family Week was
begun last year as part of the
organization’s People’s Plan 87,
but extension works year-round to
strengthen, familfes with, pro
grams such as:
—Family farm development,
Continued On Page 4
Heart Fund
Auction
Plans for the 2nd annual Heart
Fund Auction are in full swing.
The auction will be held Friday,
March 29 at the American Legion
Building beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Admission to the auction is a
$5.00 donation per person which
may be used for $5.00 worth of bid
ding money on both the live and
silent auction. The donation is tax
deductible.
A display of some of the auction
items is set up in the lobby of the
main branch of Peoples Bank.
Throughout the evening cokes,
wine and cheese will be served.
Tickets may be purchased by
contacting Wanda Johnson,
482-3777; Pat Storie, 482-3237; or
Carolyn White, 482-8556. Tickets
are also available at Peoples
Bank and may be purchased at
the door the night of the auction.
AUCTION— Some of the items to be auctioned at the Chowan Coun
ty Heart Association’s 2nd annual Heart Fund Auction are on display
at the main branch of Peoples Bank. The auction will be held Friday.
March 29 at the American Legion Building beginning at 7:30 p.m.