Gy 6-3283 ? Ten Cents ' ? Louisburg. N. C? Thursday, July 10, 1969 (Ten Pages Today) 100th Y?r-Number 42
Post M6rtem Of The 1969 N. C. General Assembly
As Reported by the Institute of Government
The Legislative Institution
The 1969 General Assembly will be
remembered as a source of many
innovations in legislative institutions^
and processes. Two new data process
ing systems spewed forth computeriz
ed bills and video vignettes of legisla
tive progress. A third experimental
project was tested for computerized
bill indexing. An important first step
was taken toward strengthening legisla
tive staffing by the creation of a new
position of Administrative Officer of
the General Assembly.
Breaking with a long tradition of a
multitude of standing committees,
chaired largely by non-repeating chair
men, President Taylor and Speaker
Vaughn made significant alterations
this session, reducing the number of
committees and placing greater stress
on continuity of chairmanships. They
also restructured the Appropriations
Committees, dividing them initially
into four subcommittees along subject
matter lines. In doing so, they sought
to involve more members meaningfully
in the budget-making process and to
meet objections of control of the
budget by a small group of members.
Several other - measures looking
toward more fundamental change re
ceived serious consideration but did
not pass. Foremost among these were
three proposed Constitutional amend
ments ?? to grant the veto power to the
Governor, to permit the Governor to
serve two terms (either of which
would have significantly affected the
legislative as well as the executive
branch), and to provide for annual
legislative sessions. A proposal for a
Legislative Fiscal Research Agency (or
"watchdog group", as it came to be
known) received strong support from
the House, even to the extent of being
tacked onto an unrelated proposal for
a Legislative Services Commission, but
the Senate failed to approve it. The
Legislative Services Commission itself,
which will oversee the administrative
and clerical operations of the Assemb
ly, was enacted into law.
As the session drew to a close the
Assembly created a Legislative Citizens
Advisory Committee to undertake a
thorough examination of the legisla
tive institution - which assures, if
nothing else, the continuation of the
ferment which has been activated this
year, into the 1971 session. The
Assembly also assigned over two dozen
separate subjects to be studied by the
Legislative Research Commission or
independent study commissions or
State agencies in preparation for the
1971 Session.
In terms of volume and duration
the 1969 General Assembly left most
of its predecessors in the shade. It set
an all-time record for length of session "
-? running for a total of 176 calendar
days or 121 weekday sessions plus one
working Saturday, far outdistancing
the 1967 mark of 106 weekday ses
sions. And it set a new modern record
for the number of bills introduced of
2347, eclipsing the 30-year record of
2184 set in 1967. In this century only
some early 1930's sessions overflowed
this high water mark (the highest,
2469 in 1933).
Local Government
One of the hardest working study
groups active between the 1967 and
Fifth In Negro Enrollment
Franklin Is One Of
53 Units In State
With Total Integration
The Franklin County administrative
school unit is one of 53 in North
Carolina with 100 percent integration,
according to fnformation released by
the State Department of Public In
struction this week. The county unit
ranks fifth in the number of Negro
students attending integrated schools.
The Franklinton City unit, with 58.94
percent of enrollment Negro has 21.36
percent integration.
The report shows that the Frapklin
County unit had a total enrollment of
5,284 pupils last year of which 3,112
were Negro. This represents 58.90
percent of the total with the county
unit listed as 100 percent integrated.
Franklinton City had a total enroll
ment of 1,549 of which 913 are
Negro. Franklinton had 195 Negroes
ittending integrated schools.
Four units in the state have more
Negroes attending integrated schools
although none of the four are totally
integrated. Mecklenberg County has
the largest number. The report lists a
total enrollment of 83,111 students of
which 15,401 are Negroes attending
integrated schools. The unit's percent
age against the total is 63.53.
Fayetteville, Gaston and Forsyth,
follow. Fayetteville has 80.47 percent
total integration, Gaston has 88.01
percent and Forsyth has only 29.13
percent.
Beaufort and Chowan units are
Patrol Car
Wrecked ?
? From The Henderson Daily Dispatch
At 12:30 a.m. Sunday on U. S. 1,
two miles south of Kittrell. a patrol
auto operated by Trooper C. G. Todd,
Jr., who is stationed in Louisburg, and
an auto driven by Richard Henry
Hlcka, 24, of Raleigh, were in colllaion
and each vehicle received about $600
in damages, reported Sgt. R. I. Weath
ertbee, the Investigating officer. No
serious injuries were Indicated.
Both were headed south on U. S. 1
at the time, with Hicks attempting a
left turn into State Road 1555 just as
the trooper started to pass. Sgt. Weath
ersbee explained that hia investigation
showed Trooper Todd was in pursuit
of an unidentified speeding motorist
and had his siren and blue light in
operation aa he approached behind the
vehicle driven by Hlcka. Information
was that Hicks pulled to the right as if
tp yield to the patrol auto but then
suddenly turned sharply left to State
Road 1566 just aa Trooper Todd
began to paas around the Hicks auto,
and the colllaion reauHed, Sgt. Weath
ersbee pointed out.
The patrol car veered to the left in
an effort to avoid the crash and came
to a halt in a grassy area between U. 8.
1 and Seaboard Coast Una Railroad
tracks, while the Impact spun Hicks'
car around In the highway. Following
the Investigation Hicks waa charged
with failure to see that movement
could be made in safety.
closest to the Franklin County situa
tion of any of the 157 units in the
state. Beaufort is 100 percent integrat
ed and has 2,397 Negro students out
of a total of 5,041 for a 47.55 percent
ratio of Negro to white enrollment.
Chowan, also 100 percent integrated,
has a total enrollment of 3,036, of
which 1,716 are Negro for a ratio of
56.52 percent or the closest to that of
the Franklin unit.
The Cherokee and Graham school
units report no Negro enrollment at
all. Cherokee has 1,220 students and
Graham has 1,553. Clay County has
100 percent integration with only four
Negro students among a total enroll
ment of 1,187. Mitchell County, also
100 percent integrated, has nine Negro
students in its total enrollment of
2,930.
Hyde County, scene of heated
racial troubles in recent months, has
17 Negro students attending integrated
Khools out of a total Negro enroll
ment of 71 the past year. The total
enrollment in Hyde including both
races is 689. Negroes have boycotted
the schools and this is reflected in the
Hyde totals for the year.
Anson County,- acene of racial ten
sions over schools in recent years, has
1,233 Negroes attending integrated
schools out of a total Negro enroll
ment of 3,698 and a total of both
races reaching 6,304. Anson is 33.34
percent integrated.
Neighboring units have fared some
what better than Franklin in that most
have been given more time to fully
integrate their systems. Warren County
is lilted as 13.96 percent integrated;
Vance has 26.84 percent integration;
Granville has 16.79 and Nash has
20.65. Wake, largest of the neighbors,
it listed as having 23.51 percent inte
gration. Raleigh City has 21.47 per
cent.
Patients Go
To Umstead
The North Carolina State Depart
ment of Mental Health ha* announced
that, effective July 1, 1969. all alcoho
lic and mental itatus admission* to
state mental hospitals from Franklin
County will be handled by John Um
stead Hospital at Blitner, North Caro
lina.
In accordance with this transfer.
Franklin County will be transferred
from the South Central Mental Health
Region to the North Central Mental
Health Region which includes Vance,
Warren, Granville and several other
counties in the north central part of
North Carolina.
Patients admitted to Dorothea Dix
Hospital before July 1, 1969, will not
be transferred to John Umste^l until
after September 1, 1969.
For Information concerning the
change of jurMlction or proper ad
mission procedures, call the Family
Councellng and Education Center,
496-4111, or the CSerk of Court's
offkte at 496-5104.
1969 sessions was the Local Govern
ment Study Commission. When the
1969 session convened, this Commis
sion was perhaps best prepared of all
the major study groups to introduce
and forward bills to implement its
proposals. As a result, legislation con
cerning local government held the
limelight much of the time during the
early weeks of the session; and con
tinued to hold its own throughout the
spring. This unusual focus on local
government was stimulated by the
home rule proposals of the Local
Government Study Commission, invol
ving recommendations to repeal local
exemptions from general enabling
laws, to let localities determine their
own government organization and the
salaries of their officials, and to autho
rize county commissioners to adopt
regulatory ordinanaes.
In the process of its consideration
many; questions involving state and
loial ' relationships were seriously
examined and debated for . the first
time in' recent legislative annals. A
substantial part of the Study Commis
sion's home rule package was enacted
without significant change -including
legislation relating to county ordi
naqce-making powers, selection and
compensation of city and county
governing boards, uniform statewide
fees for registers of deeds, and county
officials' salaries. Another major item
in the Study Commission's and the
Governor's program, was an act creat
ing a new State Department of local
Affairs, and a companion measure
relating to State and regional planning.
A significant effect of the home rule
package was its impact on the volume
of local bills, both in the current
session and projected into future
years.
Working counter to the current of
the heaviest volume of bills volume
this year declined noticeably-a tribute
to the effect of the new home rule
legislation. Local bill volume this year
was lower than 1967 and the average
for previous sessions, this decade, both
absolutely and proportionately. Local
bill volume for 1969 fell to just 30%
of bills introduced, continuing and
accelerating a trend of the last four
sessions -? down from almost 50% local
bills in 1961.
(To Be Continued Tuesday)
Going To The Moon?
Men will be going to the moon next week, riding a contraption similar to that
shown above. However, they will not be using this one. While shaped somewhat like
a command module space ship, the object is actually what is called a "hopper" and
will be installed along with several others at the new Rishel Furniture plant here. A
blower will carry sawdust and wood waste into the hoppers for later disposal,
according to explanation of the uses 'of the peculiarly shaped objects. But. couldn't
some moon-struck youngster have a ball with one in his back yard?
Staff photo by Clint Fuller.
History Group Meet
Ends Here Today
The 12b delegates from nine south
ern states will conclude the annual
meeting of the Commission on
Archives and History of the United
Methodist Church here today at Louis
burg College with a special service
conducted by Rev. William E. Brooks
of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. and Reports of
the Conference Societies.
The group has been meeting on the
college campus for the past three days
and has visited historical Green Hill
house, owned by Mr. and Mrs. George
Davis just outside Louisburg and a side
tour to neighboring Halifax county.
Wednesday's session heard an ad
dress by Rev. Gordan Melton of Bir
mingham, Alabama in which he urged
those present to "aid the church's
confrontation in the present with the
great issues".
"We must not sit by silently," said
the Rev. Melton. "We historians are
only the church when we aid the
church In proclaiming her Lord in the
midst of a world gone mad," he said.
"We are called not to witness to
history but through history and by
history to witness to Jesus whom we
call the Christ."
The program got underway Tues
day afternoon at 2:00 p.m. In the
auditorium of the library building with
Dr. Harold H. Hughes of Annandale.
Virginia, president of the Southeastern
Jurisdiction Commission on Archives
and History, presiding. The afternoon
program included: Devotion by Rev.
H. Fred Edge, Hhennandoah, Virginia;
Reports; Addresses by Bishop Harmon
and Dr. Robbins; and ? display of
Materials on Green Hill by Rev.
Brooks Little.
That evening, Dr. Rives discussed
"Early Methodism in the Halifax
Area." Rev. C. Frank GrUl of Fayette
ville led the devotional.
Wednesday morning Dr. Potts dis
cussed "Personalities at the First An
nual Conference held at Green HIU
House, April 1784". At 10:00 a.m. the
group visited Green Hill House (1 mile
west of Louisburg). which is one of
the 12 Shrines of American Metho
dism. Here, Charles Davis, a descen
dant of Green Hill, addressed the
group on Green Hill and the Green Hill
House. Following this service, the dele
gates visited historic Whitakers Chapel
In Halifax County where the first
Annual Conference of Methodist Pro
testant Church was held in 1830.
Picnic lunch, a business session, and a
service of Holy Communion rounded
out the program at Whitakers Chapel.
Wednesday evening. Dr. Ness spoke
on "Bishop Milton Wright, A Man of
Conviction."
Franklinton
Fixes Tax
Rate At $1.75
The Franklinton Town Commis
sioners tentatively adopted the
1969-70 budget Monday and set the
tax rate at $1.75 per $100 valuation.
The new budget totals $227,043.28.
Water and Sewer take the largest
bite with a budget "of $59,104.15
followed by the Street Department
with $44,132.60.
' Administrative Expenses will re
ceive $37,483.45 and the Police De
partment Is budgeted at $33,074.86
followed in size by the $11,981.46
alloted to the Fire Department.
Other item* include Professional
fees. $1,600; Cemetery, $900; Civil
Defense and Auxiliary Police, $1,500;
Community House and Recreation,
$4,959 and the Rescue Squad, $800.
The Debt Service will tajte $31,507.76
from this year's outlay.
An itemized budget is on record in
the clerk's office) for public inspection.
School Case Expected
To Be Heard This Month
Members of the Franklin County
Board of Education and Superinten
dent Warren W. Smith are expected to
learn their fate sometimes this month
In the latest in a long-list of ap
pearances in federal court. The five
members and Smith are charged with
contempt of court involving five court
orders, which the U. S. Justice Depart
ment and the NAACP claim the six
men violated.
The charges were lodged last
January 15 in a surprise move by the
plaintiffs in the case and the plaintiff
intervenor, the U. S. Department of
Justice. The move caught the Board by
surprise inasmuch as Board members
felt the system had accomplished total
integration last fall.
The Justice Department filed
charges first claiming the ,Board was
operating an integrated school system
with segregated classes. The NAACP
filed similar charges a few days later.
The Board issued a prepared statement
following the charges in which it
denied any discrimination in the sys
tem and termed the charges a form of
harassment against the Board and the
people of the county.
In February, the Board Tiled a
motion seeking to clarify the charges
and two other motions and some
objections were also Tiled. A hearing
was set before federal Judge Algernon
Butler for March 19, but was later
changed to April 8.
At this hearing, the government was
ordered to release the FBI report
compiled after an investigation by that
agency here and the Board was order
ed not to release the contents of the
report. The Board was also ordered at
that hearing to allow the government
to come In and copy certain records
'pertaining to the assignment of stu
dents to classrooms.
It was during this hearing held In
Judge Butler's chambers in Clinton
that the federal jurist reportedly said
that he would hole the full-scale trial
of the case in June or July. At the
time, he set up a schedule which called
for. -the completion of exchanges of
information between the plaintiffs and
the Board not later than April 28 and
scheduled an attorney's conference for
May 2 for the purpose of setting up a
schedule for taking depositions. De
positions were to have been completed
June 15.
Both sides have spent several days
here in the Board of Education office
taking depositions from local wit
nesses. The court has said it will allow
five witnesses for each side at the time
of the trial.
Board attorney E. F. Yar borough
said earlier this week that he has had
no indication as to when tfie case will
be called. He said the Board will be
allowed ten days from the call before
the actual trial starts.
Included in the charges against the
Board is an attack against a Board
policy of charging tuition for out-of
county students. The policy is based
on a ruling by the N. C. Attorney
General and the State agency has
entered the case in defense of the
policy. The Attorney General has filed
a brief in the case but no decision has
yet been announced by Judge Butler
on whether or not the State will be
allowed to present arguments in the
case.
The Board s policy last year was to
assign students to classrooms based on
a reading test administered the year
before to all students, according to an
explanation by the Board. In some
instances this resulted in segregated
classrooms. This and some resulting
segregation, in some homeroom classes
in the system is believed to have
prompted the January charges. The
Board was left with only nine days to
totally desegregate the system last year
after exhausting all avenues of appeal.
The original case against the Board
was filed in December of 1965 by
eleven Negro parents following the
Board refusal to assign 31 Negro stu
dents to predominantly white schools
under a lateral transfer provision of a
federally approved plan of desegre
gation. Ten Negro students were as
signed that year to predominantly
white schools under the Board's plan
calling for integration of four grades
under a freedom of choice plan.
Since the initial start of the case,
the Board has attended nine hearings,
two full-scale trials plus two special
trips to Washington. Attorneys for the
Board have attended these and several
more conferences with federal lawyers
and other government officials. The
Board has also met at least six other
times with representatives of the
NAACP In July, 1967, Judge Butler
killed freedom of choice in the county
and in August, 1968 ordered total
integration.
Board attorneys and members are
understandably quiet as to any specu
lation on the outcome of the current
charges.
Valuation By Townships
TOTAL VALUE
EXCESS
GRAND TOTAL
$5,318,098
4,229,588
3,999,063
9,667,339
2,754,059
3,127,448
2,222,002
4,164,933
1,768,400
14,067,281
$51,308,211
$1,091,265
224,990
621,645
458,371
$2,396,271
$6,409,363
4,229,588
4,244,053
10,288,984
2,754,059
3,127,448
2,222,002
4,164,933
1,768,400
14,515,662
$53,704,482
Tax Rates By Townships
TAX RATE COUNTY SPECIAL TOTA1
BY TOWNSHIP WIDE RATE SCHOOL RATE
Dunn $1.85 $1.86
Harris $1.85 $1.35
Youngsvilie $1.85 $1.85
Franklinton $1.85 $.31 $2.16
Hayesvllle $1.85 $1.85
Sandy Creek $1.86 < ' $1.86
Gold Mine $1.86 $1.86
Cedar Rock $1.85 $1.85
Cypres* Creek $1.86 $1.86
Louiabufg , $1.86 $.20 $2.06