THE STATE PORT PILOT A Good Newspaper In A Good Community VOLUME 44 NUMBER 25 12 PAGES TODAY SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA JANUARY 10, 1973 10 CENTS A COPY PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY SLEET THAT FELL in Brunswick County Sunday night and Monday morning and stayed because of sub-freezing weather cast a shiny coat over the countryside. Schools were closed through Wednesday, allowing children an extra vacation to enjoy the white — if not soft — covering. The break also gave hurried residents a chance to pause and watch the beauty that an unusual winter wonder adds to the scenery. School Asked ~ For Southport Representatives of the ' Brunswick County Board of Education met with the Board of County Commissioners recently to discuss the need for an elementary school facility in the Southport area. Board of Education members Mrs. Mae Barbee and W.T. Bowen, accompanied by Superintendent Ralph C. King and Associate Superintendent Robert Elkins, met with the commissioners and cited the urgency of an elementary school facility in the Southport area to replace the present sub standard trailer classroom units and the other Continued On Page 2 Bad Accounts Create ‘Cash Only’ Situation Effective last Friday, all out-patient services at Dosher Memorial Hospital received in the emergency room, laboratory, X-ray and respiratory therapy sections are on a cash basis only, unless the patient presents an insurance policy that covers the out-patient service. “Insurance that covers 80 Farm Bureau Names Officers The Brunswick County Farm Bureau recently in stalled six new board members and one young farmer - rancher board member at large to bring the present member status to 13. Each member serves a two year staggered term. “There are two members from each township with each year being an alternate election year. Thus, we have new board members and fresh farm ideas all the time,” stated Ira L. Chad wick, Farm Bureau president. Roger Z. Suggs of Supply is the “young farmer’’ for Brunswick County. “He has done an outstanding job of farming in his area and will be an asset to the Farm Bureau,” said Chadwick, “he makes his home in Supply Continued On Page 2 Ice Storm Brings Area Activity To A Standstill Southport and Brunswick County had its third straight Monday holiday this week, this one to be charged to ice and sleet. Residents of this area awoke Monday morning to assess the severity of an overnight sleet storm that had covered the ground, glazed the streets and high ways and lefi the trees bowed down with the weight of icy branches. Schools were closed throughout the county, most of the Brown and Root em ployees were unable to report for work, and about the middle of the morning a decision was reached to close down operations at Sunny Point for the day. The county offices called it quits before noon and most of the law offices followed suit. The two banks and Security Savings and Loan made a day, but several of the stores were closed. For the first time in memory the mail failed to arrive, and although the local post office remained open during regular business hours all that has handled was local mail. Everyone kept his eye on the thermometer at the Waccamaw Bank, saw the percent of out-patient service will be accepted,” said Dosher Hospital Ad ministrator W.F. Cupit, “but the remaining 20 percent will be paid before service is given. Other authority to receive any of the above mentioned out-patient ser vices must be services who owe old accounts, whether for in-patient or out-patient service) must settle that account before receiving any further treatment,” he ad ded. The strict policy is a result of an economic crisis at the hospital that Cupit said is getting worse. More than $100,000 is owed the hospital by individuals who either cannot or will not pay their hospital bills. “The hospital ad ministration is in the process of preparing a list of the non paving patients (who have received either in-patient or out-patient service) for publication in the local newspapers who throughout the years have made no effort to settle their hospital ac counts,” Cupit said. “I feel the public has a right to know the individuals in this area who refuse to meet their obligation in supporting Dosher Memorial Hospital for services given without question. “Ironically, most criticism of services at the hospital comes from the ron-paying patient,” the administrator noted. “On the other hand,” Cupit continued, “I would like to publicly thank the citizens who have paid their hospital bills each time upon receiving service, and those patients who come in each week or month without fail and pay on their accounts although it might be a small amount. “These are the people who are truly supporting the hospital,” Cupit said. needle hit the 32-degree mark, then dip to just below 30 and stay. A fine mist which quickly turned to ice fell much of the day. It wasn’t much comfort to ARC Chapter lasts Officers J. Hobson Bryant of Supply has been elected president of the Brunswick Chapter of the Association for Retarded Children. Bryant serves as president of the Union and West Brunswick PTA’s, along with serving in many other community activities. Mrs. Shirley Simmons of Supply is the new vice president. Mrs. Esta Mae Gore of Shallotte was elected secretary and Mrs. Betty Mintz of Leland, treasurer. The Brunswick chapter meets each third Tuesday night of the month at the Agricultural Extension Building in Supply, unless members are otherwise notified. They recently sponsored a Christmas Party with the help of the Shallotte school children. Special programs will be presented throughout the year by the trainable class for the ARC with the aid of Mrs. Simmons, teachers aide, and Mrs. Wilson, teacher. local residents that radio and television reports indicated that the weather here was typical of conditions prevailing over the state, with the depth of snow being greater in most other places. There were repeated war nings to stay off the high ways. The quiet of a cold winter morning was pierced before day by the sound of the fire siren, and the Southport Volunteer Department an swered that call quickly enough to prevent destruction of the Robert Jackson residence on Caswell Avenue. Just before noon there came another call, this one to the Sea Pines community on the Beach Road, where a trailer was destroyed before the local firemen could reach the scene. It was cold again Tuesday, but the sun came oat and people had had one day’s experience of how to deal with winter. Things were not back to normal, but at least they were moving again. AWARDS CEREMONY A Campfire Girls awards ceremony will be held Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Jaycee Building. Winners in the recent candy sales competition will be honored. Proceeds from this venture will be used to send the local Campfire Girls to camp next summer. There are 96 girls involved in this program. Island Developers Avoid Conflict, Build Platform Developers of Bald Head Island have avoided a direct confrontation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by removing a small pier that was built without a proper permit being issued. The Corps had directed that the peir on Bald Head Creek to be removed by Jan.l, which was done. But Carolina Cape Fear Cor poration, developer of the island across the Cape Fear River from Southport, is getting along very well without it. Jack Lockhart, spokesman for Carolina Cape Fear, said “We’ve entered into the action with full cooperation and our solution is now better than the one utilized before.” The “solution” is a landing platform extending from the shore of the creek, with no pilings below the high-water mark. The new landing, Lockhart added, is aestetically and ecologically more desirable than the pier built on the site last year. That structure replaced a delapidated pier that had served the island for several decades was considered unsafe by the but Bald Head developers. They repaired the existing pier and added materials to make it more secure-but without the permit required by the Corps of Engineers. After several months deliberation, the Secretary of the Army in November issued the order to remove the new pier and also gave his reasons why a resort community should not be created on the Brunswick County island. I.