THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
VOLUME 42 NO. 25 10-PAGES TODAY JANUARY 6, 1971 SOUTHPORT, N. C. 5c A COPY PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
Standing Watch
This is Christopher Byfield standing watch in
the rain on the deck of his 16-foot sloop which he
and a companion plan to sail to the Galapagos
Islands, a distance of 4,000 miles. The sailboat is
being made ready for this sea voyage at the
Southport Boat Harbor, (photo by Spencer)
Youths May
Register Now
“The United States
Supreme Court has ruled that
all states must allow person
18-20 years of age, who are
otherwise qualified, to
register and vote in National
elections only,” said H. Foster
Mintx this week. He is
Chairman of the Brunswick
County Board of Elections.
“This means that North
Carolina will commence
registration of those persons
18-20 years of age who are
otherwise qualified under the
state requirements. All other
prerequisites must still be met
and the only change is the
minimum age.
“It is important to un
derstand that these newly
enfranchised voters will not be
qualified to vote in State or
local elections, but will be able
to vote in National elections,”
said Chairman Mintz. “In
other words, the first election
in which the 18-20 year olds
will be eligible to vote will be
the 1972 election for president,
vice-president, U.S. Senate
and Congress only."
This ruling went into effect
January 1.
Registration of 1820 year
olds must be done in the office
of the County Board of
Elections at Bolivia.
Each chairman, executive
secretary or other authorized
officer must register these
newly enfranchised voters
during regular office hours in
the office established by the
County Board of Elections as
required by GS-163-67 and
State Board Rules and
Regulations for establishment
of modified full-time offices.
. Office hours in Bolivia are
•Tuesday, Thursday and
Saturday from 9 to 5 o’clock.
Registration shall be on the
same forms as are now used
for all other registrants.
Each registrant will be
\ (Continued On Page Two',
Sailor Planning Voyage
A 22-year-old skipper who
never sailed a boat is making
final preparations for a 4,000
mile ocean voyage to the
Galapagos Islands aboard his
16-foot sloop which is being
outfitted at the Southport Boat
Harbor.
He is Christopher Byfield
and both he and his 20-year old
mate, Ross Mosley, are from
Toronto, Canada. They
arrived in Southport two
weeks ago after towing their
craft on a trailer during a 24
hour automobile trip.
Mosley also is without prior
experience in sailing vessels.
Plans call for their small
raft to be repaired and
overhauled here, then the
young sailers will travel down
the Intracoastal Waterway to
Florida so they can get some
experience in handling their
craft. Key West is the point of
departure for their ocean
voyage.
Already while in Southport
they have licked one bit
ot inexperience. One day last
week they went out black
fishing with Capt. Frank
Hutton aboard the Nola Dare.
When the photographer first
spied Bvfield Tuesday he saw
him standing on the deck of
his boat, which was in the
cradle at the Boat Harbor. He
had on foul weather gear to
protect him against the rain.
When asked what he was
doing up there, Byfieki replied
that “it is getting a little close
inside.”
A 16-foot sloop does not
provide a lot of cabin space.
Highway Fatality
Total Indefinite
There is some discrepancy
in the total number of highway
fatalities for 1970 as compiled
by Coroner Lowed Bennett
and the State Highway Patrol.
Coroner Bennett’s report
shows there were 16 traffic
e And Tide
In our issue of January 8,1936, announcement was made of the
Supreme Court decision bringing an end to the Agricultural
Adjustment Administration. Announcement from the office of
the U.S. Army District Engineers in Wilmington reported that
the final link of the Interacoastal Waterway was nearing
completion.
One of the pioneer President’s Birthday Dances was
scheduled for the recreation hall at the CCC Camp;
arrangements had been made for the sale of automobile license
plates here in Southport; and Southport had been excited over
the false report of the presence in a local barber shop of one of
the ten most wanted crinimals in the United States.
On the front page of The Pilot for January 8,1941, there was a
full-length picture of Mr. and Mrs. J. Melville Broughton and the
caption announced plans for his inauguration on the following
Tuesday as chief executive of North Carolina. A landmark in the
Town Creek section had been lost when fire destroyed the
Lindsey Walker home. Bald Head Lighthouse was back in use,
this time as the location for radio signals.
An upstage visitor got bored while on a deer stand and climbed
a tree to gather pine cones for his wife. He was interrupted in
this harvest by the appearance of a big buck passing near the
base of his tree. He tried to jump on top of the animal, but
(Continued On Pftf* Dour)
fatalities on the highways ol
Brunswick County last year
plus one death resulting froir
a tractor accident but not on £
state-maintained road, and i
death from having ai
automobile fall on the ownei
and crush him to death. Thi:
also was not on the highway
The Highway Patrol figure:
show 13 traffic deaths, and thi
reason for this lesser total i:
that they claim three death:
charged to highway accident:
should not be thus credited
since the victims burned t<
death.
Bennett admits that fire
caused their death, but says
their automobile burned after
being involved in an accident.
“The fire may have caused
their deaths,” Bennett said,
“but it was preceded by an
accident. That’s why I have
them charged to our traffic
fatality total.”
This three-death tragedy
occurred February 21 on the
Midway Road near Bolivia.
The victims were Herman
Elbert Johnson, Elizabeth
Johnson and Rufus Bellamy.
Coroner Bennett reported
that there were seven deaths
attributed to drowning in
Brunswick County during
1070
State, Federal Charges
Of Vote Fraud Possible
And the election goes on...
A public hearing will be held
Tuesday that probably will
decide which of the two
candidates for a seat in the
House of Representatives will
get the job.
The State Board of Elec
tions, which ordered a com
plete investigation by the SBI,
has announced its decision to
reopen the election dispute
between candidates Thomas
Harrelson and Arthur
Williamson. The public
hearing will be held at 9:30
a.m. Tuesday in the Columbus
County Courthouse,
Whiteville.
Also, federal action is
possible in the charges of
fraud and forgery in South
Lees Precinct, where FBI as
well as public attention has
been focused.-A grand jury
session will be held in New
Bern on Monday to hear
evidence pertaining to the
alleged election irregularities.
The public hearing ordered
by the State Board of Elec
tions will start one day before
the 1971 General Assembly
will convene in Raleigh. J.
Hubert Norris, who is in
Sunset ABC
Volume Low
The ABC Store at Sunset
Beach may be instructed to
sell only on a parttime basis
unless sales in December
show an increase over the first
eight months of operation.
f%- The store does not sell
enough liquor to show a profit,
according to James W. Pierce,
administrator of the State
ABC Board. “Unless the sales
in December show some
improvement,” he said, “it
may be necessary for the
Board to recommend that
sales be cut back to a parttime
basis.”
December falls in the
middle of the off-season at the
Brunswick County resort
beach.
Pierce said the store is not
in serious financial dif
ficulties, but business is not at
the profit-making level. No
ABC store in North Carolina
has ever had to go out of
business, he added.
"I’m sure the local Board
won’t let the situation get out
of hand,” the administrator
continued. “But like any other
business, our stores have to
make a profit to stay in
business.”
According to Pierce, the
store did $7,417 in business
during October and $5,757 in
November. He did not say how
much improvement was -
necessary during December
(Continued On Page Two)
I
charge of facilities in the
Columbus County Courthouse,
said the District Courtroom
has been set aside for the
hearings both Tuesday and
Wednesday of next week.
The State Board earlier had
announced that the House
contest ended in a tie, but
further allegations by
Harrelson caused the five
member panel to reopen the
case. It ordered a "complete
and thorough” investigation
by the SBI, which followed
another investigation by the
federal bureau.
Apparently, the decision of
who will get the House seat
depends on the outcome of the
investigation by the SBI which
has not been made public but
probably will be aired at the
hearing.
Alex Brock, executive
secretary of the elections
board, said that notices of the
public hearing were sent to
attorneys for die two can
didates on Monday. When
Action On Jail,
Landfill Delayed
Action on new jail con*
struction and a county landfill
system was deferred by the
Brunswick County Board of
Commissioners until its next
meeting January 18,
Preliminary discussions
with state officials were held
Monday at the board’s first
session of the new year.
Paul Butler of the North
Carolina Department of Local
Affairs met with the board to
discuss state assistance for
the county sanitary landfill
plan, which is scheduled to be
presented at the next board
meeting.
Representatives of the State
Department of Social Services
also met with the county
commissioners to discuss the
jail' situation but the board
postponed action on jail
construction, too.
The board ordered that
public hearings be held on
recently completed zoning
ordinances for Brunswick
County. The action came after
a meeting with Jackie
Stephenson of the count
Resource Development
Commission and Clifford
Stroussonburg, director of the
eastern area office of the N.C.
Division of Community
Planning.
The commissioners
received a report from Tax
Collector Homer McKeithan
that 1970 tax collections
through December amounted
to $906,577.08, representing.
59.3 per cent of the 1870 levy
and an increase of 7 per cent
over the amount collected
during the same period last
year.
The assistant . county
librarian’s salary was in
creased by $100 per month,
noting the person filling the
position has two year’s college
education and seven year’s
experience but was making
only $2,900 annually.
The board adopted a
resolution urging persons
from 18 through 20 to register
to vote.
The commissioners
discussed with Rep. R.C.
Soles, Jr., the upcoming
General Assembly, stressing
the need for erosion control
funds for Holden Beach.
The American Bicentennial
Committee includes Miss
Helen Taylor of Winnabow,
Bill Faulk of Old Brunswick,
Thomas Harrelson of South
port, J.G. Worrell and Mrs.
Doris Redwine of Shallotte,
Mrs. Mary Randolph of
Bolivia and Mary Randolph of
Bolivia and Mrs. O.W. Cleaton
of Leland.
contacted Tuesday morning, a
Columbus County Board Of
Elections spokesman said the
first he heard of the public
hearing was what he read in
the newspaper.
The local board turned down
Harrelson’s original request
for a vote recount, but the
candidate received favorable
action when he appealed to the
State Board of Elections.
The State Board’s latest
action results from a petition
from Harrelson that alleges
fraud and forgery In South
Lees Precinct; specifically,
the adding of non-voters’
names to the poll book and the
forging of the Republican
judge’s name to that book.
The reopening of the case
“doesn’t necessarily mean
that at this point the SBI’s
findings either will sub
stantiate or refute the
allegations,” Brock said. “It
is lust a matter, based on the
investigation at this point, that
the board made a decision that
a public hearing should now be
conducted in this matter.”
Brock said the board
probably would do one of three
things: reaffirm its previous
decision declaring the race a
tie, declare Williamson the
winner or declare Harrelson
the winner.
If there is evidence of either
fraud or forgery, or both, the
State Board of Elections
would forward such findings
to the appropriate Superior
(Continued On Page Two)
Student Busing i
Routes Change
Changes in the Brunswick
County school transportation
system will be implemented
Friday in compliance with an
order by the federal Depart
ment of Health, Education and
Welfare.
The action was taken by die
Brunswick County Board of
Education during its regular
meeting on Monday. Last
month, representatives of
HEW informed the local board
that changes were necessary
both in the school bus routes
and school faculties to meet
with desegregation rulings by
the federal government.
The board agreed to consult
with Waccamaw Bank and
Trust Company and Bank of
North Carolina—the two
banks that served Brunswick
County—to determine their
interest in funds to be in
vested. These are building
funds that would not im
mediately be obligated.
The board of education
decided to bid the funds if
either of the banks wanted this
to be done. Ralph King,
sig>erintendent of Brunswick
County schools, was
authorized to make in
vestment of these funds.
The board authorized the
signatures of the Board
secretary and chairman for s
the checking account with the
Bank of North Carolina at
Shallotte.
The position of deputy at
tendance counselor for the
Leland area was discussed by
the five-member board but no
action was taken on this
matter. Also, the board
agreed to finalize the ap
plication to acquire property
that has been declared surplus
by the Military Ocean Ter
minal at Sunny Point.
The brick style to be used in
construction of the new
consolidated high schools was
selected.
(Continued On Page Two)
Site Preparation Continues
Site preparation continues on the three sites for
construction of consolidated high schools for
Brunswick County. Heavy equipment has been
doing this work on the Western
near Shallotte. (Staff Photo)