The Pilot Covers Brunswick County THE STATE PORT PILOT A Good Newspaper In A Good Community Most of the News All The Time VOLUME 42 No. 23 10-Pages Today SOUTHPORT. N. C. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1970 5c A COPY PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY Christmas On The Waterfront This is the U.S. Weather Bureau tower at the corner of Bay and Davis streets which has been decorated with Christmas lights this year. This is the view from the end of the new City Dock. In the background at the right are the lights in Garrison House; in the center of the Brunswick County Courthouse; and at the left the lights in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Grover Gore. Needless to say, the tower with its* blaze of color dominates the waterfront scene. (Photo by Spencer). School Board Sets Policy; Okays Bid For Hardware The Brunswick County Board of Education has adopted policies for individuals or groups to ap pear before the board. According to the resolution, any individuals or group wishing to appear before the Board of Education should make a request in writing to the superintendent of schools prior to the meeting of the board. This request must state the reason for appearing before the board and the number of persons wishing to appear. A written reply will be made to each request by the superin tendent of schools stating the disposition of such request. In formation will be provided as to when, where and under what circumstances appearances before the board may be made. Individuals or groups wishing to appear before the Board of Education should observe the following before drequesting to appear before the county board: “Local school problems and matters having local school significance should be resolved with the school principal, local school committee, and if necessary, the superintendent of brought before the county board;” “Matters having county-wide implications or involving county school policies should be presented and discussed with the superintendent of schools and, if necessary, presented to the county board.” ; The procedures set forth in these policies may be waived by the chairman of the board and-or the secretary of the board or by a resolution of the board should circumstances surrounding a * ""'on request to appear before Pfc Kleppinger Receives Honor Pfc. Edward H. Kleppinger of the Adjutant Division at the Military Ocean Terminal, Sunny Point, has been selected as winner of the eastern area Military Traffic Management and Terminal Service “Soldier of the Quarter” contest for October, November and December. In winning this award, Pfc. Kleppinger competed against other soldiers in the eastern area who are stationed primarily along the eastern and gulf coasts. In accomplishing this feat Pfc. Kleppinger demonstrated to a group of senior non commissioned officers a superior knowledge of current events, basic military subjects, organizational history, chain of command information, military occupational specialty training, job position subjects, general subjects, and courtesy and customs of the service. Also, he was judged on his personal appearance, military bearing and ability of expression. Soldier Of Quarter Pfc Edward H. Kleppinger is shown here as he is honored by Brig. General Owen B. Dunn, right, as Soldier of the Quarter for Eastern Area, Military Traffic Management and Terminal Service. He is stationed at Sunny Point. the board be of an emergency nature or otherwise be expedient for the board to honor, the request. “The policy is not intended to discourage citizens and groups from appearing and presenting matters before the board, but rather to set forth a systematic procedure and to allow the board to function in the most efficient manner,” the board stated. Bids were received for hard ware in the three consolidated high schools in Brunswick County. The low bid of $46,225, submitted by S.H. Basnight and Sons, was approved by the board. Other bids were from Jacobi Hardware Company, $48,250, and from C.H. Edwards Hardware House, $48,700. The board also designated Uniturf synthetic floor covering for the gymnasiums and Fry roofing material for the new buildings. In accordance with a resolution by the county commissioners the Board of Education authorized the $2.5 million bond funds be placed in a savings account with the Bank of North Carolina office at Shallotte. The money will remain there for 30 days and will draw five and one-half percent interest. Substitute teachers were ap proved by the board: Brunswick (Continued On Page Two) Board Appoints New Supervisor Henry L. Register was ap pointed Monday by the Board of Commissioners to serve as temporary tax supervisor for Brunswick County and tax listers were named to begin listing taxes on January 4. Lee Sullivan is the list taker for Northwest township; John H. Mills, Jr., Town Creek; Mrs. Mary Dilsaver and Mrs. Lulu McKeithan, Smithville and Smothville Beaches; Mrs. A.V. Phelps, Lockwoods Folly; Wanis Bennett, Shallotte, and Mrs. Betty Warren, Waccamaw. Remuneration for taxlisters was set at $12.00 per day plus 7 cents per mile for travel. The board authorized County Manager Jerry Lewis to pay current bills up to $200.00, subject to approval by the board at their next regular meeting. The board authorized the assignment of special deputies for school functions where this action is requested by the school authorities. The board voted to defer action on a more stringent electrical inspection plan scheduled to go into effect on January 1. Population Gain Small For City Claims that Southport’s population has experienced a major increase are not supported by the preliminary 1970 census report. The report indicates that only 57 persons have been added to the city’s population during the past ten years. The preliminary report shows that 2,091 people live here now. The recent influx of con struction workers at the con struction site of Carolina Power and Light Company’s nuclear power plant had estimates of the :ity’s population go as high as 1.000, but apparently most of the lew area residents are locating Dutside the city limits. The population has increased two percent since 1960, up from 2,034. Southport is the only Brun swick municipality included in the preliminary report, which lists only those municipalities with populations greater than 1.000. Brunswick County has in creased in population from 20,278 in 1960 to 22,838 this year. The 12.6 percent jump is among the highest in the southeastern part of North Carolina. Other counties lost population: Columbus, down seven percent; Bladen, down 10.6 percent; Pender, down 6.6 percent. New Hanover County showed a 12.5 percent increase, while Cum berland County experienced the greatest increase in the state more than 39 percent above the totai ten years ago. The Census Bureau compiles its head-count in three stages: a preliminary figure, an “advance final” total, and a final figure. The preliminaary figure does not (Continued On Page Two) SBI Conducts Investigation Of Fraud, Forgery Charges By ED HARPER In the child’s game of musical chairs, when the music stops each person looks for an empty seat and the one left standing is out. A similar, more serious exercise continues in the heated battle for a seat in the State Legislature. When the “music” stops, either Arthur Williamson or his young Republican op ponent, Thomas Harrelson, will come home, and the other will be seated comfortably in die House of Representatives. The contest isn’t over yet. Citation For Local Officer The commander of the eastern area Military Traffic Management and Terminal Service recently made his an nual, pre-Christmas visit to Sunny Point and presented a special citation to the director of operations and the contracting officer’s representative at the terminal near Southport. Brigadier General Edwin B. Owen, the eastern area com mander, visits the terminal each year to talk with employees and present various citations. He presented the special award to Major Oscar G. Oaks. Major Oaks, who has served as the Director of Operations and the Contracting Officer’s Representative (stevedore) at Sunny Point, received the Joint Service Commendation Medal for his performance of duty while assigned to Sunny Point His citation reads as follows: “For exceptionally meritorious service during the period March 1969 to November 1970 while serving as Director of Operations and Contracting Officer’s Representative at Military Ocean Terminal, Sunny Point. As the Director of Operations Major Oaks had the vital duties of directing the terminal operations for transshipping more than one million tons of ammunition for Department of Defense agencies. “He supervised the outloading of numerous ammunition vessels simultaneously, requiring massive coordination and supervision of inspectors, stevedores, railroad crews, and subordinate supervisors in such a manner as to be most economical (Continued On Page Two) Shallotte Man Shot Fatally Gilbert Simmons, white man of the Ash section of Brunswick county, was killed Monday evening when he was shot at close range by a .38 calibre pistol. Henry Pike, Sha.’otte painting contractor, has been charged with the fatal shooting. Details of the fatal shooting were unavailable this (Tuesday) morning as The Pilot went to press one day early Ti And Tide Times were hard back in 1935, so hard that one of the important off season sources of income was fur trapping. A front page piece in our ssue for Christinas Day of that year spoke of the fact that some ritzy tor pieces had their origin in the wilds of Brunswick. The county was glazed over for a white Christmas, with a blanket of ice covering the countryside. Groucho Marx—the same one that’s still on television—was the star rf “A Night at the Opera”; there was a reduction in cost of automobile icense plates in prospect for motorists; and Southport shrimpers had jot together to request a survey of the local shrimping grounds, with weeks and hidden obstructions to be marked. In our edition for December 18,1940, there was a report of an escape in horseback by a young Southport maiden from a pursuing mule. The race wound up a dead heat to the barnyard.) Don Carpenter, Washington, D.C., sports writer, had made another successful deep sea fishing trip here. The board of commissioners had approved plans for revaluation; thirty persons had qualified for Red Cross First Aid Instructor cer tificates; and Friday the 13th had been selected as the day to plant some early vegetable crops over on Bald Head Island. Manager Charlie Matthews was superstitious! It was the week before Christmas, December 19, 1945, to be exact, and hundreds of Brunswick County servicemen were to be at home for the holidays for the first time in several years. Large shipments of holiday greenery were being shipped from various points in this <Oo*rt*m«a On l*mf» Torn) Monday, the State Board of Elections asked the State Bureau of Investigation to look into alleged fraud and forgery that could determine the outcome of the House race that ended in a tie. Regardless of any decision by the State Board of Elections, the case appears headed for court. The latest development in the much-publicized House race is the State Board’s request that the SBI investigate the alleged voting irregularities in Columbus Keceives Citation Major Oscar G. Oaks, left, is shown as he receives the Joint Service Commendation Medal from Brig. General Edwin B. Owen when the latter was here on an official visit last week. Court Revisions__ Due January 1 The court system in this district, improved considerably by the new District Courts that began two years ago, will be further modified January 4 when the new Superior Court solicitor is sworn into office. Lee Greer, who has served as District Court prosecutor since the system was started in Columbus, Bladen and Brun swick counties, will be the Superior Court solicitor. Wilton Hunt, a Whiteville attorney, will have the new job of assistant solicitor. Until now, the solicitorial district and the judicial district did not coincide. When Greer takes office both districts will include the three counties— Columbus, Bladen and Brun swick. Also, the Superior and District courts will be more closely connected than before: Greer will be responsible for all criminal cases in both courts; Hunt will assist the solicitor in Superior courts as well as prosecute District Court cases. Greer said he also would assist Hunt in the District courts. The new solicitor, a well-known Whiteville resident with a background of public service, said the most significant change when he switches jobs will be that most Superior Court cases are felonies. This entails a more thorough preparation for trial. Sometimes as many as 400 cases are tried during a week of District Court; in Superior Court, it is uncommon for more than 20 to be tried during a court session. The 60-year-old Greer, whose wife Marguerite teaches at Whiteville Senior High School, has served on two governor’s commissions: juvenile courts and correctional institutions, and guardianships. He was Recorder’s Court solicitor in 1938 and judge of the same court in 1940-41. After the war Greer was elected Clerk of Court, a job he held until two years ago when he became District Court prosecutor. The Greers have two children: Laura Greer Vick, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina; and Bubba (Lee, Jr.), a junior at the Chapel Hill school. Greer said it has been a pleasure working with Judges “ (Continued On Page Two) County, and especially in South Lees Precinct. Harrelson has charged that fraud and forgery in the precinct has affected the voters’ right to choose who represents the Brunswick Columbus district in the legislature. The fight started in the November 3 general election when unofficial returns showed Williamson with a four-vote margin over Harrelson, a South port businessman in his first political contest. Democrats outnumber Republicans in the two-county district, and Williamson has claimed he would win easily if another election were held. Anyway, no one expected the contest for the second House seat to be so close. The Brunswick County canvass was held first and resulted in a net gain of nine votes for Harrelson, giving him a five-vote lead over the Chadbourn farmer businessman. Then the Columbus County cavass was held and Williamson picked up seven votes—all in the controversial South Lees Precinct. All voting materials, including the ballots, poll books and un sealed ballot boxes, were im pounded under order of Judge Hamilton H. Hobgood. Harrelson presented several petitions that alleged voting irregularities, and the State Board of Elections allowed a recount of votes in South Lees Precinct where the unofficial election returns showed 13 votes for Williamson but the “official” returns indicated he had received 20 votes. The recount showed that 19 votes were cast for the incumbent legislator. Examination of a “spoiled” ballot by the State Board caused the five-member panel to allow (Continued On Page Two) Live Nativity Scene Presented The Ocean View United Methodist Church, seeking to recapture the true meaning of the birth of Jesus Christ, concluded a presentation of the Nativity Monday evening. The Senior UMYF, each member seeking to re-live for himself that event which took place so long ago, performed the Navivity in pantomime to a tape recording they had made of the biblical account of the Birth of Christ. Hie biblical account was in terspersed with appropirate Christmas Carols. Adult members of the congregation pitched in to build the manger, install an outdoor sound system, provide lighting and assist with costumes. The pageant was a group effort designed to involve the Oak Island community a celebration of the Christmas Story. Through sharing in the celebration of the (Continued On Page Two) Live Nativity Scene The young people at Ocean View Methodist Church have been participating in a live nativity scene on the grounds of the church each night this week. Many persons have driven over to see this unusual observance of Christmas.

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