EDITORIALS:
WILLIAM BARNUM KEZIAH
One of the richest rewards that has
come to us from our chosen profession
las been the close association it has
brought with W. B. Keziah, the most
unforgettable character we have ever
known.
The first time we saw him was 25
years ago, when we came to South
port to see him on a matter of business.
Soon the question at hand had been
pushed into the background, and we
were discussing the prospects for de
velopment for this town and Brunswick
county. Abeady he had been preaching
ie gospel of undeveloped resources,
and he never let up until the day a lit
tle more than one month ago that he
enlei,T r,the hospital for the last time.
ill Keziah loved Brunswick county
ana its great potential, and he felt an
o bigation to tell everyone with whom
he came into contact about the wonder
nil prospects for development that he
nad envisioned. From the lips and the
pen of a less interesting man this cease
less hammering might well have be
come tiresome; but not from Bill Kez
He was progressive, for he coulrf no1
abide the thought of standing still. He
was unselfish, for not once in all of the
projects to which he gave his support
id we find one that gave prospect of
great personal gain for him. He was
wise for on the day that the Sunny
i oint Army Terminal was dedicated,
ns dreams for the great natural harbor
facilities at the rhouth of the Cape Fear
river were realized. And he was a
lglitei. Most of his battles for recogni
tion for his beloved area of North Caro
lina were fought alone, but he never
shrank from combat. His weapon was
us trusty typewriter and his resources
came from a brilliant mind. Governors,
> Senators, Representatives and heads of
governmenta1 departments and agencies
telt the sting of his verbal lash, yet
were numbered among his friends.
ill Keziah was host and official
greeter for the community that he lov
ed. He never permitted the fact that he
was deaf to interfere with his social or
business contacts, and for many visitors
an opportunity to talk to him was one
°f lh<Lhlgh,lghts of each triP to South
rlTiere are hundreds of persons in
North Carolina who can spell on their
Ungers today simply because they learn
ed in order to be able to talk to him.
He was honored by the Outdoor Writ
ers of the World with a life member
ship and in 1954 he was “Tar Heel of
ie Week” as selected by the editors of
the News and Observer.
His restless energy and rapid pace
id not make him unmindful of some
of the greatest blessings of life in a
small town. He loved children, and in
turn was beloved by children. He had
a matchbox trick that has held count
less youngsters delighted and spellbound
or hours on end. He loved horses, and
was a good horseman until a few vears
ago when he gave up the sport. ’ And
he loved fishing; freshwater fishing,
that is He took great pride in his abil
ity to lure perch and bass from their
natural habitat, and some of his most
enjoyable hours were spent upon the
lakes and ponds of this area.
In the years to come the name of W.
Keziah will be remembered with
reverence and affection; for althought
i 6 n° £rea^ material possessions to
leave them, he has left an indelible im
pression upon the minds and hearts of
his fellow citizens, who some day may
see the fruition of the dreams he held
tor his beloved Brunswick countv
IT WON'T STAND STILL
senator Harry Flood Byrd, lifelong
crusader for economy-in-government,
and chairman of the Joint Committee
on reduction of Non-essential Federal
Expenditures, has reported that in the
month of January, Uncle Sam’s civilian
payroll hit the billion a month level!
Employment during this month to
taled 2,387,015 civilian workers, and a
House study committee has stated that
all essential tasks” of the Government
can be performed by two million—or
less. Certainly this would seem to be
help enough to run a country ostensibly
dedicated to the principle that “the
best government is the least govern
ment.” But the worst is not yet.
The Council of State Chambers of
Commerce reports that in non-military
agencies the Administration is in the
process of adding a total of 85,655 new
jobs to those in existence last June 30.”
It estimated the cost at $450 millions in
“salaries and other expenses.”
Tae Council calls attention to the bill
nf j!en®f;or ^°^nst°n, chairman
of the Senate Post Office and Civil Ser
vice committee, which would provide a
pamless’-' cut m i*e#err * *
" -- «iro mj u
a ceiling- for employees in the Executive
Branch at 2,125,000. This gradual, 16
month reduction in force would elimi
nate 293,461 jobs. “On a full year
basis,” says Eugene F. Rinta, research
director of the Council, “this would pro
duce a budget savings of about $1.5
billion. ... If this reduction occurred
evenly throughout the year at about 18
200 a month, the savings in the 1958
budget would be close to $600 million.”
If you would like your Congressman
and Senators to vote for Johnston bill
(S.1683), you’d better tell them. The
lawgivers are showing sings of weaken
ing under Administration pressure and
need your support—again. One thing is
sure, that billion-a-month payroll won’t
stand still. If it doesn’t come down, it
will go up !
THE MID-EAST MESS
Acceptance by Israel of the demands
of the UN, the US and the Arab '‘sum
mit" conference at Cairo, for immediate
troop withdrawal from Aqaba and the
Gaza Strip (as confidently predicted at
this writing) seems unlikely to pour the
anticipated oil on Suez waters.
Presumably the Israeli acquiescence
was purchased by US promises to de
fend freedom of navigation in the Gulf
of Aqaoa and to protect Israel against
Egyptian raids from the Gaza Strip. At
the same time, the four Arab leaders,
King Saud of Saudi Arabia, King Huss
ein of Jordan, President Kuwatly of Sy
ria and President Nasser of Egypt, con
cluded their conference by signing a
The State Port Pilot
Published, Every Wednesday
Southport, N. C.
James m. harper, jr.Editor
Entered as second-class matter April 20, 1028
at the Post Office at Southf art, N. C., under
the Act of March 3, 1870.
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joint statement of neutrality which de
manded the immediate and uncondition
al withdrawal of Israel from Gaza and
the Aqaba straights and pledged mu
tual support of “the sovereignty of
Arabs over their lands and territorial
waters.” The joint communique em
phasized the sovereignty of Egypt over
the canal, while Egypt maintains that
the Gulf of Aqaba, lying between Egypt
and Saudi Arabia, belongs to the two
Arab nations.
These developments would appear to
leave the Middle East just as tense as it
has been sinpe the Franeo-British-Israeli
invasion—and place the US in a posi
tion of deeper involvement and greater
confusion, officially and unofficially.
Americans are asking (as it is said,
President Eisenhower asked when he
was called back from his Georgia vaca
tion for secret conference with Congres
sional leaders): “IIow on earth did we
get into this mess?”
More difficult and considerably more
important, however, is the question:
“How on earth do we get out of it?”
The diplomacy of expediency which we
have been pursuing since the first Lon
don conference on Suez seems only to
have drawn us deeper into the mid-East
quicksands.
It takes hundreds of nuts to hold a
car together, but only one in the driv
er’s seat to scatter it all over the high
way.
WHERE Wit
NEW JOBS FOJ
COME FROM IF MURE
CAPITAL FOR THeWtH
OF NEW BUSINGS
AND NEW PROfS
IS DESTROY!'
Letter To
Editor
Editor
The State Port Pilot
Southport, North Carolina
Dear Sir:
We are, as always, enjo ig
your fine publication each w k.
I have noted with interest ill
through each year you sup rt
in
JUU ouy
each drive being sponsored am
Brunswick County and Southp -t
Public education and intei si
achieved through the medium o:
your publication are immeasural h
more valuable than the funds esfi
organization is able to collect. '
As you can see from this let
terhead, X am intensely interestei
in Mental Health. X have note
there is no Mental Health Asso
ciation in Brunswick County, am
therefore there is no organiza
tion to mobilize community sup
port for increased mental healtl
facilities or to work toward th<
promotion of mental health in th<
community.
As you are undoubtedly aware
Mental Health is the No. 1 Health
problem. X hope you are also
aware that I am very interested
113—-’ i i ---i
phase, and I think every individ
ual should be made aware of good
mental health.
Many millions of dollars are
spent yearly for research in polio,
cancer, tuberculosis and heart dis
ease, and the results have proved
to be well worth the cost. Much
less is spent in the United States
yearly on mental health research,
notwithstanding the fact that
mental illness counts for more
hospitalized patients today than
all other diseases combined. More
than a billion dollars of taxpay
ers’ money is spent yearly to care
for those suffering from some
phase of mental illness. In indus
try it shows itself in absenteeism,
accident proneness, alcholism and
instability in the employees. These
problems are expensive ones and
cost industry as a whole untold
millions of dollars in slowed pro
duction and personnel turnover.
Mental Health Week throughout
the nation takes place from April
28th to May 4th. I hope you will ■
find it expedient in your sched- •
ule to include some sort of article
to bring this problem to the pub- 1
lie. i
I fee! a great concern about ’
this matter, not only because it 1
is a public responsibility, but also ‘
because I know the tremendous
toll this affliction takes in our 1
state and our communities. What J
I do to help others, I also do to ‘
help myself and mine. ‘
Sincerely yours,
Frances Graham Key ]
MAN WHO STARTED
Continued From Page One
wrote many stories about “Boun
cing Log Spring”, a source of an
enormous flow that he sought to
have used for industrial purposes.
He visited the scene hundreds of
times, and among those who went
with him were Governor Luther
Ii. Hodges, State and Federal
geologists and representatives
from several major industries.
One of his roles was that of
serving as a one-man greeting
committee to strangers to South
port, and in making these con
tacts he actually was able to use
his inability to hear to an ad
vantage as he would inform new
comers of the fact that “I have
not heard a word spoken in more
than 60 years, but every day i
run into folks who are a dau.ged
sight dumber than I am”. His
eagerness to make new contacts
and to meet new people gamed
hundreds of friends for him and
for his community.
During his illness he rev ved
scores of get-well cards and let
ters, and among his messages Was
a telegram from Governor He tges
and a personal note from Sector
W. Kerr Scott. Although he waa
a man of simple tastes, d 5ens
of floral designs -were sen by '
his friends to decorate his last '
resting place.
Funeral services were con Uet
:d Sunday afternoon at 2 o’clock j
from Trinity Methodist Church
jy his pastor, the Rev. R. H.
Iordan. He was assisted by the
Ftev. L. D. Hayman, a former pas
tor. Active pallbearers were Ool.
SVm. F. Murphy, Steve Wall. Don
ild S. Tydings, G. V. Barbee, Dr.
Ft. H. Holden and Dempsey Cole
man.
Following funeral services here,
his body was taken to Waxhaw
for burial in the family cemetery.
Interment was held late Sunday
afternoon, with brief graveside
rites conducted by the Rev. Mr.
Martin.
Mr. Keziah had one sister and
one brother and one half-brother,
all of whom are deceased. His
only son died during World War
IX in an airplane accident while
serving in the U. S. Army Air
Corps. Only nieces and nephews
survive.
Fabulous Bill
Continued From Page One
some 10 miles from Southport.
Purest, crystal clear water pours
from the earth in a quantity and
steadiness that defies comprehen
sion.
"Some Southport people in Ra
1''1 uHn«
per Stuckey, state geologist. Most
of us had thought that Bill when
he wrote of what such a water
flow could mean in industrial
potential took Chamber of Com
merce license and added plenty to
the millions of gallons pouring
from the strange springs. Imagine
our surprise when we found that
Keziah had understated that to
tal,” a Southport citizen said.
Now Southport and the Depart
ment of Conservation are looking
for an industry that is looking
for multiplied millions of sweet
pure water daily.
rvezian knew from the first1
time he looked across the mouth
of the Cape Fear at Southport
that there was where, in all logic,
a state port should be. Today his
vision is confirmed in the multi
million dollar Sunny Point Army
Terminal a short distance from
the quaint village. Keziah was
never happier than when he
chronicled the news of this plant
for Brunswick and detailed its
progress.
The plant has added jobs for
many Brunswick people. It has
increased business in all lines at
Southport. “But it has not over
run ps," says James Harper
Southport editor.
But it was a life saver the
past two years. You know we de
pend on our sea crops of fish and
shnmp. For some reason, we had
almost failures both in commercial
risking 81,(1 shrimping in 1956. But
business held up because of the
impact of the Ammunition Load
ing Depot.”
Keziah was pleased too that
the Sunny Point project did not
overwhelm slow, quaint, ancient,
pictureque Southport. Its charm
remains undisturbed. The sea laps
soothingly at the shore, the Gar
rison stands a reminder of Colon
laJ days and of the earlier name
of Smithville, the peaceful little
park spreads its gnarled trees and
walks mvite one to relax and rest
his soul.
I regretted Keziah could not
tell me about Long Beach. I
missed him as we drove along
the beautiful strand with the At
lantic rolling in a stone’s throw
from the highway. There Hurri
cane Hazel did her worst. She
destroyed in one fell swoop 300
homes and cottages. Amazingly
enough, though the third sum
mer after the tragedy has not
rolled round, 125 of the homes
and summer places have been re
built. The storm opened a new
inlet on the far end of the strand
that cut off a couple of miles of
the loveliest beach. Southport
people are cheered by the news
the. Corps of Engineers has been
gvypn authority to proceed with
plqjys to close the inlet.
The shrimp boats, which now
DpeVate winters out of Key West,
vill be coming back to Southport
uo » week or so now.
His friends are hoping that Bill
Not Exactly News
Joe and Annie Laurie Ramseur have really had
their hands full for the past two weeks. Joe is
head man at Oaks Plantation and his wife works
in the office at Orton Plantation. Their daughter,
Carolyn, was a patient at Dosher Memorial Hos
pital in Southport; and his father, J. J. Ramseur,
was a patient in a Wilmington hospital. It took a
lot of work, worry and travel to take care of
their many interests . . . Our congratulations to
Mrs. Dallas Pigott for the splendid work she has
accomplished as volunteer director of the high
school glee club. We enjoyed the program the
boys and girls put on Thursday night at P. T. A.
Their work should help support the movement
for a full time music teacher for the local school
next year.
Harry Clark, Director of Industrial Promotion
for the City of Wilmington, is a brother-in-law
of the Rev. H. M. Baker, a former Southport
minister. Incidentally, we learned from him Mon
day that the Bakers have a new member of their
family, a boy. It is their third son, and brings
the number of their family to four . . . We had
an opportunity last week to observe that Repre
sentative James C. Bowman enjoys a fine measure
of friendship and respect from his fellow mem
bers of the State legislature.
“Instanbul" starring that old swashbuckler
himself, Errol Flynn, is the Monday-Tuesday fea
ture at the Amuzu . . . Manager Breman Furpless
of the Amuzu can take comfort from the fact
that movies are not the only thing that folks
stay home from. The Womanless Wedding Friday
night was a great histrionic success, but there
were too many empty seats to justify the discom
fort and embarrassment imposed upon the men
who were strapped and stuffed into their strange
apparel . . . Everybody in town should make a
trip out in the river on a boat so they can see
how pretty Southport looks from that point of
view.
The Supply-Bolton road really saves distance
and traffic for folks traveling; from Charlotte or
towns in that vicinity to Southport. Just follow
Highway No. 74 to Eumberton, then take Route
211 to Supply ... If this is a pretty week-end,
you should see a flock of visitors to Southport
and the nearby beaches. There still will be plenty
of azaleas in bloom, so a visit to Orton and
Pleasant Oaks should be well worthwhile . . . We
do not know of any sheep in Brunswick county
except those that have gone wild over on Bald
Head island.
From the whistling we heard last week, quail
have begun to break up Out of the covies into
pairs . . . And speaking of quail reminds us that
on last Wednesday only the fast and efficient
work of the Southport Fire Department and a
contingent from Sunny Point Army Terminal
saved a barn located on the Taylor farm near
Southport in which two bird dogs were penned.
The structure actually was ablaze when Wesley
and Charlie Johnson got the dogs out. Firemen
also were able td. save the building . . . Watch
for Gene Austin, grand daddy of all the crooners
and an old Southport'favorite, Sunday night on
Goodyear Playhouse.
Keziah will know that gladsome
sight. But they shake their heads
in doubt. He is sick unto death.
CAUTION FARMERS
Continued From Face One
soils will probably increase in the
future. But until a definite need
for these elements is known to
exist, Brunswick farmers would
be wise to apply only those cur
rently recommended, and then
only on those crops specifically
requiring them. Otherwise, they
may run into considerable trouble.
The fertilizer grade is the
guaranteed minimum percentage
of nitrogen, phosphate, and pot
ash contained in a fertilizer. A
number of grades are available in
North Carolina, all of which ap
pear on the Approved Grade List.
This Grade List is determined
each year at a public hearing at
which fanner representatives,
members of the fertilizer indus
try, N. C. Agricultural Experi
rap
ment of Agriculture meet with
the members of the Board of
Agriculture to consider the va
rious grades that are needed to
meet the different soil and crop
conditions of the state. The selec
tion of these grades, Knowles ex
plains, is based on N. C. Agri
cultural Experiment Station data
and the judgment of farmers and
industry representatives. The
grades appearing on the list may
then be manufactured and offered
for sale by the various companies
operating in North Carolina and
adjoining states.
To be certain that the purchas
er of fertilizer gets the quantity
of plant-nutrient elements guar
anteed on the bag, the N. C. De
partment of Agriculture main
tains an effective inspection serv
ice. State inspectors sample fer
tilizers present in warehouses and
other places of sale and in stor
age. These samples are analyzed;
and if they do not contain the
quantities of nitrogen, phosphate,
potash, and other elements guar
anteed on the label, the manufac
turer must reimburse the pur
I t urner an -amount of money suf
ficient to compensate for this
shortage.
As long as farmers purchase
these approved grades of fertilizer
in sacks or bags that contain a
clearly stated guarantee, they can
be reasonably sure of getting
their money’s worth. In fact,
farmers who in 1956 purchased
these aproved grades received, on
the average, plant nutrients in
excess of the guaranteed amount
that was worth 89 cents per ton
of fertilizer.
All facts considered, Knowles
concludes, a farmer will generally
do a lot better to purchase those
approved fertilizer grades which
will supply, in the proper ratio
and amount, the plant-nutrients
elements found by a soil test to
be needed for his particular crop
and soil conditions. And since
there is a grade or material for
all of these various conditions in
the state, there seems to be lit
tle justification for the trouble
and probable added cost of “cus
tom-mixed” fertilizers.
CAKE AND PIE SALE
A cake and pie sale will be held
at 10 o’clock Saturday morning
at Dan Harrelson’s store for the
benefit of the school piano fund.
1
SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT!
A happy family group. A snug home. Plenty of food. Sure, the birds
have it good.
But what about you and your family—and their future ? — Provision
for a snug home and for a life that is free from want can be made
through a program of regular savings. Start small, and watch your
Savings mount up. But most important, start your program of regular
savings soon !
Southport Savings & Loan Association
W. P. JORGENSEN, Sec’y.-Treos.
SOUTHPORT, N. C.