Willetts, Strong
(Continued from Page One)
cumbents, completing their
second two • year terms, won
fe - nomination.
'-But incumbent J.T.
Clemmons, the vice
chairman of the board, was
eliminated when he failed to
win his township, which is
Lockwood Folly. He wu
defeated In the townahlp by
Carolyn R. Roberts, who was
making her first try for
public office, in the major
upset of the voting day. She
polled 617 votes while
Clemmons, who Is finishing
hia second two - year term,
had SOS.
The other incunbent, John
Bray, could be Involved In a
runoff primary. He placed
foirth In the race with 628
votes. Fifth place In the GOP
primary, with 622 votes, went
to John J. Child, Jr., who is a
political newcomer.
The other GOP candidate,
Richard L. Appling, who had
announced that he was not
running despite the fact his
name appeared on the ballot,
received 218 votes.
The out - come of the race
will not be known until all the
votes can be canvassed
Thursday. Election officials
pointed out that Com
missioner Bray, Childs and
Mrs. Roberts could be in
volved in a three • way run off
Unofficial Primary Election Returns
primary for the two seats on
the board. Or, Commissioner
Bray could have a majority
and gain re • nomination for
his seat, It was noted.
If the second alternative
happens, Mrs. Roberts could
call a second primary with
Child in a two - person race
for the fifth spot on the fall
ticket, it was reported.
The final decision,
however, will not be known to
the election board until the
Thursday canvass.
Sheriff Willetts, who has
headed law enforcement In
the county for the past eight
years, had an unexpected
stiff fight on his hands before
Anally beating Alvle E. Lewis
for the GOP nomination for
sheriff. Sheriff Willetts had
817 votes while Lewis, a
Southport surveyor, polled
529 votes.
Hermon Strong, who is the
Southport police chief,
headed the three - man field
for the Democratic
nomination for sheriff, but
could face a run - off primary
since he did not gain a
majority. Strong rolled up
2,178 votes while D.E. Tripp
hwl 1,231 and J. Walton Willis
966. Since Strong lacked 20
votes of having a majority In
the unofficial results, It ap
pears that Tripp, a seafood
dealer at Shallotte Point and
veteran candidate, will be
diglble to call the second
primary.
Bowers, a Holden Beach
real estate man, defeated
Andrew Gray in a close race
to win the Democratic
nomination for the Board of
Commissioners from Lock
wood Folly. He had 1,892
votes and Gray finished with
1,415.
Bowers will join four other
candidates, who had no
primary opposition, to face
the Republicans in the fall.
Representative Harrelson
had no trouble gaining re -
nomination to the State House
of Representatives. The
incumbent, who has served
two terms in the state house
in Raleigh, was the top voter
getter on the GOP ticket
despite losing at Leland and
Ash. The Southport
businessman ran up 989 votes
while BUly 0. Rivenbark of
Pender County had 261.
Rivenbark beat
Representative Harrelson 91
to 68 in Pender county, ac
cording to unofficial and
incomplete reterms. But
Representative Harrelson’s
large Brunswick County
margin insured his re -
nomination.
nepreseniauve narreiaun
will face Ward, an oil
distributor and farmer from
Thomasboro, in the fall
general election. Ward, a
political newcomer, had an
easy time defeating V.A.
Creech, Jr., 2,693 to 1,787 in
Brunswick County in what
was predicted to be a close
race. Creech, who U from
Leland, resigned as chair
man of the Democratic party
to make the race. But Ward
still topped the Democratic
ticket in the county, although
he lost the Northwest section
of the county.
According to incomplete
and unofficial returns, Ward
also won big in Pender
county. He polled 1,763 votes
in Pender while Creech had
809.
Brunswick Democrats
supported Edd Nye, who
placed first in the 11th
District, in the race for the
state senate nomination from
Brunswick, Columbus and
Bladen counties. Nye had
1,841 votes in Brunswick
while Frank T. Grady of
Bladen had 1,066, J. Morris
Britt of Bladen had 614 and
Claud Spivey of Columbus
270.
Nye, who is from Bladen
County, received 7,464 votes
or about 46 percent of the
total in the district. Since he
did not poll a majority,
Grady, who had 4,636 in the
district, can call a second
primary.
J. Wilton Hunt, Jr., who
won the Democratic
nomination for district judge
from the 13th Judicial district,
took Brunswick County with
2,384 votes. Willis R.
Robinson placed second in
the county with 860 votes.
Robert Morgan, who won
the Democratic nomination
for the U.S. Senate state -
wide, had no trouble adding
Brunswick County to his
total. With 18 of the 20
precincts in the county
reporting, Morgan had 2,009
while Nick Gal if lan aids had
1,668 and Henry Hall Wilson
had 162. The other Brunswick
County senate votes were
split between the other seven
candidates for the
nomination.
William E. Stevens, the
GOP candidate for the U.S.
Senate in the fall, had an easy
time winning in the county
and the state. He polled 697
votes in Brunswick with 19 of
20 precincts reporting.
Congressman Cliarles Rose
III, who won re - nomination
and re • election since he
faces no Republican op
position in the fall, took
Brunswick County with 2,313
votes. Hector McGeachy had
1,482 votes in the county and
Peter Ft. Davis 325. The
results are based on reports
from 18 of the 20 precincts in
the county.
No results of any state race
for Judge were available to
The Pilot at press time.
County Tobacco
(Continued From Page 1)
discus increasing their crops
this year. The ASCS office
has a long list of people who
want to have their tobacco
leased.
“If a county farmer with a
tobacco allotment will visit
us, we will be more than
happy to supply him with the
names and telephone num
bers of people who have
acreage for lease,” the ASCS
manager said. “The visiting
farmer can then make
contact and increase his
tobacco acreage.”
This is the first time in a
number of years the ASCS
office has had a list of people
who want to lease their
tobacco acreage. “Last year
this time, we did not have any
tobacco in the county for
lease,” Manager Price
pointed out. “We had no list
because we had no names.”
After talking with a
number of Brunswick County
tobacco farmers, manager
Price said he has discovered
a number of reasons why the
county probably will not meet
the quota this year.
“I found out that the large
increase in our quota is just
one reason,” he noted. “Some
of the other reasons involve
changes in farming that have
been going on for years.”
One of the reasons is the
high cost of production, in
cluding fuel, fertilizer,
pesticides, etc., which has
contributed to driving people
from the farm, he reported.
Another important factor,
Manager Price found, is the
shortage of labor.
“All farmers today are
having a hard time finding
labor to work their crops,” he
added. “It is a real problem
because the little available
labor is so expensive.”
Still another reason the
county will have trouble
filling the quota is that a
large nixnber of county
farmers have quit farming to
accept employment in in
dustry.
“I found that our older
farmers have had to retire
because of age and health
problems,” he stated. “The
number of retiring farmers
seems to grow each year and
they are not being replaced.”
The final reason Manager
Price found is that the
marketing situation last year
caused some farmers to quit
tobacco growing. Last year,
county farmers had a hard
time obtaining floor space to
sell their crops.
“This is not expected to be
a problem this year because
federal officials have acted to
correct the problem,” he
stated. “But some farmers
still have a bad taste in their
mouths because of the what
happen last year.”
“I would love to see all the
Brunswick County acreage
planted this year, but I un
derstand the situation,”
Manager Price declared.
The tobacco situation is not
unique to Brunswick County
this year. “I understand that
a number of counties in the
southeast will not meet their
quotas this year,” he pointed
out. “However, the more
central counties plan to meet
and perhaps exceed their
quotas.”
Trail Chapter
Holds Meeting
The Indian Trail Chapter of
the American Buslneaa
Women’s Association met
April 25 for its monthly
meeting at Long Beach.
' Guest speaker was Dr. Otis
Carnes, retired professor of
literature and philosophy at
Pembroke University. He is
immediate past president of
the Southeastern N.C. Art
Council. He spoke of the arts
and craft festival at Lake
Waccamaw.
Members discussed the
scholarship that the club
gives each year to a deser
ving Brunswick County high
school graduate.
Five new members were
installed.