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THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Commun^
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VO L UME 44 NUMBE R 20 14 PAGES TODAY SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA DECEMBER 6, 1972 10 CENTS A COPY PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
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Present Financial Crisis
Physicians Want
Hospital Nearby
Two matters of major
concern with regard to the
future of Dosher Memorial
Hospital were discussed at
great length at a meeting
Tuesday night in Southport
with no definite conclusion
being reached to either
question.
The meeting was called by
L.T. Yaskell, chairman of the
Board of Trustees for Dosher
Memorial Hospital, and in
vitations were extended to
members of the Board of
Countv Commissioners,
members of the Board of
Aldermen for the City of
Southport, trustees for the
hospital, members of the
medical staff and members
of the business staff. About 25
persons were in attendance.
Attention was first directed
to the location of a new
county hospital, a project
now under consideration by
the county commissioners.
Chairman Yaskell asked a
direct question of Chairman
W.A. Kopp, Jr., of the Board
of Commissioners, con
cerning the report that a site
near Supply has been ap
proved by his board.
Kopp explained that no
legal action has been taken
regarding location of the
hospital and that the report
referred to is that of a site
committee, a subcommittee
of the committee named by
the commissioners last year
to investigate the feasibility
' and to make a recom
► mendation regarding con
struction of a new hospital.
Kopp declared that if and
when a new hospital is con
structed it must be financed
by state and federal grants,
by gifts or from tax revenue.
He said that the latter course
will be possible only through
a vote of the people.
Dr. N.M. Hornstein, Dr.
Fred Burdette and Dr.
Norman Templon made
statements expressing
concern over the proposed
location, pointing out that the
majority of the doctors now
practicing in Brunswick
County live at Southport and
stating the obvious ad
vantages of having a hospital
located where it is quickly
accessible to members of the
medical and surgical staff.
J.T. Clemmons, vice
T chairman of the Bo-yrd of
Commissioners, said the
wishes of all of the people in
the county must be con
sidered in arriving at a
decision as to the location of a
new hospital, since it can only
be made possible through a
successful bond election.
Kopp agreed that before
any definite decision is made
the commissioners will meet
with the doctors now prac
ticing in Brunswick County
and with members of the
board of trustees of the
hospital.
At this point the discussion
moved to phase two of the
agenda, consideration of a
financial crisis now facing
the hospital.
Dr. Hornstein charged that
the hospital is on the verge of
bankruptcy and cited the fact
that several suppliers now
Continued On Page 2
Board Wants
Pier Okayed
The Brunswick County
Board of Commissioners has
aked the U.S. Secretary of the
Army to reconsider his stand
against development of Bald
Head Island and approved a
permit that would allow an
already-constructed pier to
remain.
The commissioners passed
the resolution during their
regular session on Monday.
The resolution reads:
“Whereas, Smith Islandt
commonly known as Bald
Head Island, is an integral
part of the County of Brun
swick, and the State of North
Carolina, and
“WHEREAS, a corporation
doing business under the
name of Carolina Cape Fear
Corporation has prepared
comprehensive plans for the
development of this island,
and
“WHEREAS, the Brun
swick County Board of
Commissioners has reviewed
these developmental plans
and specifications which
provide for the retention of
natural habitat to every
extent possible.
“BE IT HEREBY
RESOLVED that the
Brunswick County Board of
commissioners do hereby go
on record as requesting the
Secretary of the United
States Army to reconsider his
decision requiring disman
tling of a temporary pier
constructed to replace a
deteriorated pier on a shallow
waterway at Bald Head
Island, and since said pier is.
inconsequential in size, of
fering no obstruction or
danger to navigation or to the
ecology of the affected area
and thereby allow the
Carolina Cape Fear Cor
poration to continue to utilize
the existing facility until such
time as comprehensive plans
may be prepared reflecting
the proposed final develop
ment for any marine
facilities for which approval
would have to be obtained
from all cognizant county,
state, and federal offices.
Recount Hearing
Whether or not a recount will be allowed in the
Brunswick County contest for Register of Deeds
will be decided on Monday when the State Board of
Elections convenes in Raleigh.
Clark, who is authorized by law to remain in
office until a winner is declared by the local Board
of Elections, trailed Republican Arthur Knox by
ten votes after the official canvass. He alleges no
fraud, only the possibility of human error in the
tallying of such a large volume of votes.
Kopp Reelected
William A. Kopp, Jr., was re-elected chairman
of the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners
as the all-Republican body began a new two-year
term on Monday. J.T. Clemmons was named vice
chairman of the five-member board.
Among business discussed at the regular county
board meeting was possible reapportionment of
the county. Now, one of the county’s six townships
is always a representative on the board. The
matter was referred to the county attorney for
further study.
ONE OF THE BEST features of the Southport Boat Harbor
operation is the heavy-duty lift, here being used to haul a
Wilmington-Cape Fear Pilots Association vessel from the
water for repairs. The photograph was taken by H.A. Schmidt,
manager of the boat harbor for the State Ports Authority.
Wife Killed
By Husband
Southport Police have
arrested 28 - year - old
Richard Farmer and have
charged him with the shotgun
slaying of his wife here on
Sunday morning.
Police Chief Herman
Strong said that a call was
received by officers at ap
proximately 11:40 a.m.
Sunday from residents of
Stuart Road informing them
that a man was shooting his
wife in his front yard.
City Patrolman Frank
Hamel and Highway
Patrolman Steve Patterson
answered the call and found
Mrs. Shirley Farmer, 27,
lying in her front yard. She
had been shot twice, once in
the right thigh and again in
the head. The officers said
Farmer was standing nearby
with a 12-guage shotgun in his
hands.
Strong said Farmer
surrendered himself to
Hamel and Patterson without
a struggle and is being held in
the Brunswick County Jail in
Southport. Mrs. Farmer was
pronounced dead on arrival
at Dosher Memorial Hospital
Continued On Page 2
Republican Official:
GOP Election Fraud
Charge ‘Uncalled For’
An official of the Brunswick
County Republican Pary has
termed “unnecessary and
uncalled for” the charges
against Democratic election
personnel that were made in
connection with GOP can
didate Arthur Knox’s narrow
margin over incumbent
Register of Deeds Durward
Clark.
| Linda Packer, vice
chairman of the Brunswick
County Young Republican
Club who headed Governor
elect Jim Holshouser’s
campaign in this county, said
she did “not wish to be
associated with the reckless
attacks” against Board of
Elections Chairman Hubert
Bellamy, Democratic Board
Member A.H. Gainey, Jr.,
and Southport Precinct
Registrar Mrs. Jean
Fullwood.
The charges against the
.Si.!.ma_mm
Democratic election officials
were filed by Wilmington
Attorney George Clark in
support of a request that
Durwood Clark be denied a
recount of the ballots cast in
the November 7 general
election. The incumbent
county official, who trailed
Knox by ten votes after the
official canvass of votes,
asked for a recount on the
basis that human error was
possible in the counting of so
many complex ballots. He
alleged no fraud.
Instead, Attorney Clark
filed a brief that included
affidavits that alleged Gainey
wagered money on the out
come of the election; that
Gainey and Mrs. Fullwood
placed seals on the ballot
boxes just prior to the time of
the official canvass; and that
Bellamy said to Gainey after
the unofficial totals were
announced, ‘Tve got some
ballots in my pocket and I’ll
Continued On Page 12
Dock Permit Denied;
Court Battle Expected
The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers has rejected a
permit that would allow
Carolina Cape Fear Cor
portation to build a pier from
the well-publicized Bald Head
Island development into the
Cape Fear River.
Col. Albert Costanzo of the
Corps’ Wilmington offfice
issued the ruling on Monday,
denying persmission to build
a pier that would be used to
land construction material
and equipment on the island.
The request was made in
August.
Delay in consideration of
Parent Stabbed
In School Fight
A parent-teacher con
frontation at South Brun
swick High School Friday
resulted in the issuance of a
warrant against a man
hospitalized with stab
wounds.
Ken Mercer of Bolivia
reportedly came to the school
that morning, several days
after his son had been ex
pelled from the classroom
and told not to return without
permission from the
prinicpal. Mercer allegedly
confronted teacher Brutus
Begley about the matter and
a fight insued, with Begley
cutting Mercer severely
enough to cause him to be
hospitalized.
Mercer’s condition is not
known, although unofficial
reports are that he will be
released from the hospital the
middle of this week.
Reportedly, Begley has
signed a warrant charging
Mornor uritVl QQGQlilt urhila a
the permit, according to
Costanzo, was based on his
office awaiting a ruling from
the U.S. Secretary of the
Army, Robert Froehlke, on
another permit request for a
Bald Head Island pier that
was already constructed.
On Nov. 15, Froehlke
rejected an application for a
20-foot pier on Bald Head
Creek on the north side of the
island. The pier was built in
early 1971.
In addition, the Army
Secretary expanded his
opposition to the pier to in
clude all development on the
island as “contrary to the
public interest.”
in cureci acKnowieagemeni
to the initial pier rejection,
Costanzo ordered the present
pier on Bald Head removed
by January 1, 1973.
In a policy statement,
Costanzo reported the local
Corps on Engineers office
will only consider for ap
proval in the future “those
applications for permits for
work in the navigable waters
associated with a different
concept of development of the
island."
The pier rejection virtually
assures a major legal fight
over development of the
island. Following the initial
permit rejection, officials of
the Southport-based Carolina
Cape Fear Corporation In
dicated the ruling would be
challenged in the courts.
Major Joel T. Callahan,
Board of Commissioners Chairman Kopp Speaks Of A New Hospital ... Dosher Memorial Trustee L.T. Yaskell Listens.
counter warrant is expected.