Newspapers / The Warren Record (Warrenton, … / July 28, 1977, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Warren Record (Warrenton, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Your Best fjmn Errorfi Your Best Advertising Medium V"' 44 4 4 41 4 4*4 4* Advertising Medium ..r pq /s Coverage Of Warren County Volume 80 15c Per Co — .ion, County Of Warren, North Carolina Thursday, July 28, 1977 Number 30 Warren's Profile: Recent State Statistics Paint A Picture Of Gloom By HOWARD JONES The average Warren County resident makes less money per year than does his counterpart in M other North Carolina counties. He is surrounded by the fourth highest percentage of unemployed of any of the state's 100 counties. In only four other counties can he find a poorer doctor-patient ratio. This is part of a gloomy composit of the average Warren citizen based on the latest figures available from state agencies, and ones which are used in a new profile of North Carolina counties just received by County Manager Charles Hayes. Prepared by the N. C. Department of Administration, the 1977 edition of "Profile, North Carolina Counties" is the fifth in a series published every other year. Yet, Warren County fails to stack up well in several areas used to indicate the quality of life in Tar Heel counties, there is a brighter side. For example, in the area of per capita income. The latest figures are for 1974. Hayes believe the county's ranking of nezt-to-bottom could have improved since then. There are obvious bright spots in the rankings, Hayes points out. Warren County's low infant death rate is the 11th best in the state. The county, according to the latest available figures, had the second lowest highway accident rate in the state, with only 13.6 road mishaps per 1,000 population. Seventy-nine other counties have a greater population density. And the county has apparently ended its two decades of population loss, and now ranks 21st in the state in the number of persons entering the county as opposed to the number leaving. While Warren was showing a net migration rate of 7.1 in 197S, each of its neighboring counties, except Franklin with a 3.8 rate, was losing population due to out-migration. The statistical profile also contained the following information about Warren County: VOTER REGISTRATION Figures compiled by the State Board of Elections based on October, 1976 figures show that Warren has 6,885 Democrats, 694 Republicans and 79 who fell into other categories. Total registration for the county was 7,658. INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENT The years between 1970 and 1974 were far and away^he most productive in terms of money spent lor new and expanded industry. During thoseyeari $1,MO,000 was spent for new industry and $3,707,000 for expanded industry. There were 125 new jobs added by industry and expansion added another 20 during the five-year period. By comparison, during the first half of the Sixties, no industrial investment was reported, with only $215,000 spent to expand industry. Accordingly, there were no new industrial jobs opening between 1960-64, and only 54 jobs provided in industry by expansion. An upswing in industrial activity occurred during the period 1965-69, when industry spent $1,800,000 to create 515 new jobs, and the expenditure of $1,443,000 accounted for 280 additional jobs. In 1975 and 1976, $54,000 was spent to create 80 new jobs in industry. Although there were no job openings created by expansion, industry spent $226,000 in expansion. AGRICULTURE During the 10-years from 1966-75, the numbers of acres in harvested and idle cropland dropped from 47,789 to 40,228, with estimated farm income rising during the same decade from $8,459,147 to $11,888,000. PUBLIC ASSISTANCE RECIPIENTS Aid to families with dependent children increased from 721 to 982 between the years 1966 and 1976. Aid to the aged increased from 274 recipients in 1966 to 589 recipients in 1976. Aid to the disabled rose from 155 to 414 and aid to the blind remained fairly constant during the same period. Twenty-eight blind aid recipients were reported in 1976. HIGHWAY MILAGE January, 1976 figures showed that the county has 82.1 miles of rural primary highway, and 4.1 miles of municipal primary roads. Secondary road mileage totalled 515.3 in rural areas, and 4.9 miles in towns. Of Warren County's total highway mileage of 606.4, some 380.3 was in paved highway, and 226.1 in unpaved highway. MOTOR VEHICLES Auto and truck registration showed Warren County with 5,395 vehicles in 1965. In 1975, some 11,424 vehicles were registered. During the 11 years covered by the report, the number of accidents rose from 186 to 226. Injuries and fatalities fluctuated yearly. During the period 1965-75, some 97 persons lost their lives on Warren highways, and 1565 were injured. EDUCATION ENROLLMENT Public school enrollment showed a steady decline between the 1965-66 and 1975-76 school years, when the number of pupils dropped from 5,947 to 3,744. During the past decade enrollment in community colleges showed a steady rise, with last year's enrollment of 378 being high for the period. During the past decade, high school graduates entering colleges and universities climbed from 232 to 277. CORRECTIONS Prison admissions figures for adults during the nine-year period 1968-76 varied from a high of 46 in 1969 to a low of 15 in 1975. During the nine years, the parole population ranged from a low of 4 to a high of 11 and the probation population ranged from 27 to 105. LABOR FORCE AND INDUSTRIAL EMPLOYMENT A six-year period, 1970-75 was covered by the state figures. During the years covered, the total labor force increased from 5,220 to 5,630, but the number employed dropped from 4,940 in 1970 to 4,820 in 1975. The number of unemployed jumped from 280 to 810 during the same years. Industrial employment totalled 2,580 in 1970 and the same number six years later. RETAIL SALE8 A constant increase in retail sales was shown from fisca 1^1965-66 to fiscal 1975-76, as sales climbed from $13,102,347 to $28,655,278. Sales Expected To Be Light At On Outset Leaf Market Will Open Next Week By HELEN HOWARD Sales are expected to be light when the Warrenton Tobacco Market opens the 1977 season on Wednesday, August 3. This season the market will have the same five warehouses operating. Currins Warehouse will be under new management but will have the same name. Firms operating warehouses are Thompsons, Farmers, Currins, Centre and High Dollar. The Warrenton Tobacco Market will share a group of buyers with the Louisburg Market. The market will open for this area in Louisburg on August 2 with Warrenton's first day being August 3. George W. Shearin, sales supervisor for the Warrenton Tobacco Board of Trade, announced Tuesday that the market will open the season with sales at Centre Warehouse, followed by Thompsons, Farmers, Currins and High Dollar. No time for the market opening has been set thus far, Shearin announced. Shearin anticipates all major buying companies to be represented on the market as was the case last year. Shearin provided warehouses and allotted pounds for the first day sales as follows: Centre, 34,755; Farmers, 34,545; Currins, 40,586; High Dollar, 144,220; and Thompsons, 36,286. He emphasized, however, that the market«ill probably not sell half of the first day's quota. He said he was "hopeful" that prices would be better than those reported on the GeorgiaFlorida belt. He suggested that farmers clean the first primings as much as possible to rid the pile of sand, grass and foreign matter. He noted that the cleaning process would be helpful to the farmer in selling the tobacco. Thomas Watson, county executive director of the A.S.C.S., reported that 8,689,040 pounds of tobacco have been designated through his office fc* warehouses in the area. Only 769 farms planting tobacco are included in this poundage figure. Watson said that last year 888 farms planted tobacco and that 11,283,145 pounds of tobacco were sold on the Warrenton Tobacco Market. He noted that farmers who have not designated a warehouse for selling tobacco will be given an opportunity next week, August 1 through August 5. This time can also be used to redesignate poundage, Watson explained. With fewer farms producing tobacco and a decrease in poundage allotted, farmers may be helped with an increase in the price support, he said. The stabilization program has announced an average price support of $1,138 per pound for the 1977 crop. This is an increase over last year's rates. The lack of rain and the extremely hot temperatures have taken their toll on the tobacco crops this year. L. B. Hardage, chairman of the Agriculture Extension Service for Warren County, estimates that only about five percent of the tobacco crop has been harvested so far. He said on Tuesday that rain within the next few days could help the farmers save at least two-thirds of their tobacco. If the desperately needed rain comes, the 1977 tobacco season would be at least an "ordinary" season for Warren County, Hardage said. Warren Votes Against Self-Help Beef Program Warren is one of only three counties in the state whose cattle producers voted against a self-help program during the recently concluded Beef Referendum. The majority of cattle producers in Jackson and Surry counties joined Warren producers ii egistering their oppositio.. to the measure. The referendum passed by an overwhelming margin in North Carolina and national results of the vote are expected shortly. Charles E. Messer, president of the N. C. Cattlemen's Association, said that North Carolina cattle producers returned an over-whelming 85.7 percent favorable vote in the referendum. "Due to the concerted efforts of the N. C. Beef Development Taskforce and the county extension livestock agents, plus countless others, well over the required fifty percent of the registered voters cast ballots," Messer said. Public Hearing On Board Agenda A public hearing on zoning and building codes will be held in the Warren County court room at 9 a. m. Monday morning prior to the regular August meeting of the Board of County Commissioners. At the commissioners meeting, scheduled to begin at 10 a. m., the board will meet to hear a number of reports and to appoint a tax supervisor for a two-year term. The Warren County Board of Commissioners is expected to meet with the commissioners at 10:45. At 11 a. m. a joint meeting of the Health and School Boards will be held to appoint a member of the ABC Board. in North Carolina, 1,660 producers were in favor of the referendum, 277 against. Warren County had 11 voting in favor, 12 against. In two counties, Yancey and Cleveland, the vote was evenly divided. Final county-by-county referendum results showed that Warren's neighbors voted thusly: Vance, 31 for, 2 against; Franklin, 22 for, 1 against; Halifax, 21 for, none against; and Northampton, 15 for, 2 against. The Beef Referendum is financed by voluntary collections from cattle producers. "If the beef business is going to get more profitable, producers themselves are going to have to make it more profitable. The Beef Referendum provides the tools — promotion, research, foreign market development, marketing information—to do the job," Mess»r said. "The beef industry's present research and information effort is inadequate by any standard. We spend a small fraction of what many other, smaller commodity groups spend. The referendum, if passed nationally, will generate the $30 to $40 million a year needed to solve our problems and strengthen our markets," he said. Freak Accident Hurts Participant In Softball Game Macon Robertson of Macon was injured in a freak accident during a Softball tournament at Wise on Saturday.-He was playing for the Haithcock Brothers ' team. According to a spokesman for the team, Macon and Will Alston, also on the team, were both chasing a pop-up ball and collided with Robertson hitting the back of Alston's head. Robertson suffered a fractured bone under the eye with possible eye injuries. He was transported by the Warren County Ambulance Service to Warren General Hospital and transferred to Duke Hospital. Soul City Company Hosts Warren County Chamber The Soul City Company hosted the July meeting of the Warren County Chamber of Commerce in Soul City Monday night. A social hour was held at the Magnolia-Ernest Recreational Complex where chamber members enjoyed pool and tennis court privileges. Following the social hour, members went to the SoulTech I building for dinner. A turkey dinner with trimmings prepared by Michael Williams, an employee of Soul City, was enjoyed. Scott Gardner, first vicepresident, gave the invocation. A slide presentation on Soul City was given. Floyd B. McKissick, Sr., founder and developer of Soul City, welcomed the group to Soul City and spoke to them about the progress that has taken place in the Warren County development. He mentioned the water and sewer works, employment and better edu cation. "As we grow so will the benefits for Warren County," McKissick said. Soul City's director of marketing, Jack Stewart, summarized the accomplishments of his departments in trying to get industry to come to Soul City and Warren County. Stewart urged the chamber to take the lead in efforts to let industrial companies know about the advantages of locating in Warren County. Charles Hayes, Warren County Manager, spoke to the group briefly about the need to invite industry to Warren. Hayes told them that since December, 1976, the Industrial Commission in Warren County has talked to more prospects than it had since 1962. President Bill Fleming called the business meeting to order and the minutes were read by L. C. Cooper. The nominating committee named Scott Gardner as first vice-president, Butch Meek, third vice-president and Jack Hawks, Bill Davis, J. T. Fleming and Charles Hayes as directors to fill vacancies created by resignations. Reports were given by chamber members who visited Wendell (Wake County) last week as guests of the Wendell Chamber of Commerce. Cooper said that he was impressed with the togetherness of the Wendell chamber. McCarroll Alston (Continued on page 3i Storytime Slated At Local Library STORYTIME is being held in Warren County Memorial Library each Tuesday and Thursday morning through August. Children entering kindergarten this fall should attend from 10:30-11 a. m.; those entering first grade should attend from 11:15-12 noon. For Secondary Upgrading Warren Roads To Receive $273,000 RALEIGH—Secretary of Transportation Thomas W. Bradshaw, Jr., announced this week that $273,000 have been allocated for improvements to secondary roads in Warren County for this fiscal year. This allocation is part of a $25 million statewide appropriation enacted by the last General Assembly, effective July 1, 1977. "The Warren County share of the funds is based on a formula that puts all counties on an equal footing by considering the number of unpaved miles of secondary roads in any given county and the relationship of this mileage to the overall mileage of unpaved secondary roads in the state," explained Jack Murdock, Department of Transportation's secondary roads officer. There are 217 miles of unpaved secondary roads in Warren County while the total number of unpaved state maintained secondary roads in North Carolina is 20,476. Murdock, along with Board of Transportation members, will coordinate the planning and selection of construction projects within Warren County that will be financed by the $273,000 allocation. "We have been working very closely with local and county officials in determining those projects to be improved," concluded Murdock. Payments Authorized For Enerav Pinched The Franklin-Vance-Warren Opportunity, Inc., has been designated as the local administering agency to sponsor the special energy crisis invention program announced by Governor Jim Hunt on Sunday. The program is designed to make direct payment to utility and fuel companies on behalf of low-income households who have had their fuel shut off or threatened non-delivery because of fuel bills of the previous winter. Payments up to $250 will be paid by the program. Advance payments of $100 will also be paid to utility companies and fuel suppliers to cover future winter bills of low-income citizens over 60 years of age and older who have experienced financial hardships because of last winter's fuel bills. The program will be handled through the Community Organization Component of Franklin-VanceWarren Opportunity, inc. any county resident who feels they may qualify and have experienced financial hardships because of last winter's fuel bill should call Rosella Copeland at 257-4341 or go by the Community Center at 109 W. Franklin Street. All applications must be processed by August 31. Drivers Education Classes Scheduled A driver's education class will begin Aug. 3 at 3 p. m. at the John Graham Auditorium. This will be the first meeting of the session and all interested area residents are asked to be punctual. Timber Exemption: A Narrowing Of Tax Base A change in the state real estate tax law eliminating the taxing of timber products in Warren County went into effect for the first time this year. This law, which could have a wide effect on narrowing the ad valorem tax base of this and other timber growing counties, is far from understood by Warren County citizens. This caused The Warren Record last week to write the Institute of Government at Chapel Hill for clarification. This week J. S. Ferrell, Assistant Director of the Institute, sent this newspaper the following explana tion: "In 1973, the General Assembly added the following provisions to the Machinery Act: "Upon the date on which each county's next general reappraisal of real property under the provisions of G.S. 105-286 (a) becomes effective, (the following class of property is designated a special class under authority of Article V, Sec. 3 (2) of the North Carolina Constitution and shall not be listed, appraised, assessed, or taxed:) standing timber, pulpwood, seedlings, saplings, and other forest growth. (The purpose of this classification is to encourage proper fbrest management practices and to develop and maintain the forest resources of this State.) G. S. 105-275 (15). "This amendment became effective on January 1, 1974. Since Warren County's next scheduled revaluation took effect on January 1, 1977, it affecta your county for the first time this year. "As you can see, the justification stated by the General Assembly for excluding standing timber from taxation is to encourage good forest management practices and to develop and maintain the State's forest resources. Testimony before the legislative committees handling this legislation in 1973 also Indicated that a major reason for the classification was the impossibility of securing accurate appraisals of standing timber. It was said that none of the appraisal firms doing work in North Carolina had employees qualified to appraise standing timber, nor did any county tax office. "It is not strictly accurate to say that the tax on standing timber is paid when the timber la sold. Staatag timber is never taxed. When timber Is cut, it ceases to be standing timber and becomes another species of property. A close analogy is quarried stone. Before the stone is quarried, it is part of the real property in which it lies. If one were appraising a tract of land with a valuable stone deposit, the potential value of the stone would form a part of the value of the land. When the stone is quarried, it is severed from the real property of which it was a part and becomes personal property taxable to Its owner in and of itself. So it is with standing timber. So long as it remains "on the stump," it is a part of the real property on which it grows. The effect of G.SJ 105-275 (15) is to direct that that portion of the value of the real property attributable to growing timber is not to be appraised; only the capacity of the land to grow timber is taken into account. When the timber is cut, it becomes personal property and is taxable to its owner. "I would point out that the Machinery Act makes similar provisions for growing crops of a seasonal or annual nature. They are not taken into account is determining the value of the land on which they are growing. O. S. 105-117 fa) (1)." \
The Warren Record (Warrenton, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
July 28, 1977, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75