Page Four
Amendment Needed Already
We recommend the immediate amending of an ordi
nance passed only last Monday night by the town commis
sioners: the ordinance relating to compulsory sewer con
nection by Zebulon property owners.
Certainly no one, least of all us, will argue that an out
door privy not built in accordance with regulations and rec
ommendations of the State Department of Health is not a
menace to health. Well and good: this ordinance is aimed
at the persons who erect and maintain these privies which
are not sanitary, smell to high heaven, and breed flies
which carry the virus of infantile paralysis. The new law
will protect us by putting an end to such disgraces.
But the ordinance will also hit another type of proper
ty owner. Before the recent sewer extension was complet
ed or even projected, certain property owners built new
homes. Because there was no sewer line on their street,
they were forced to construct septic tanks. We maintain
that it is unfair to take action which will force them to
abandon these septic tanks which are approved by the
State Department of Health and connect to the new
town sewer system. Such action will in effect penalize
these property owners for building their homes and paying
taxes on them before the sewer was extended.
So we ask for an amendment protecting the rights of
these citizens, feeling sure that the commissioners, who
have thus far shown themselves a fairminded group, will
take necessary action.
Property Values Protected
The decision of the board of commissioners of Zebulon
to extend the fire zone to include the entire business zone
of the town is an action as necessary as it is commendable.
A fire rate will thereby be obtained for all cooperating
property owners which will be fair, uniform, and—best of
all from a financial standpoint—lower.
Something is wrong with fire regulations in a town
when a firm moves from one building to another in the
fire district, both buildings built in accordance with those
regulations, and the insurance rate immediately falls from
$2.67 to $1.30.
The fault in that particular case lies in the failure of
municipal authorities a generation ago to foresee the
growth of the community, and the need for zoning. The
damage is done, and no zoning ordinance can be made to
operate ex post facto.
The town board has followed establishment of the zon
ing Board last year with an equally forward step this year;
they have further stabilized property values by preventing
additional fire hazards. Certainly fire hazards already ex
ist in the business district, but official sanction of forth
coming parallels has been precluded by the board’s action.
Two Good Talking Points
The Zebulon Chamber of Commerce has two ready
made talking points to use when attempting to bring new
business and industry to our community: the high farm
ownership rate and the high residential ownership rate.
Local agricultural income is spread more completely
than in any other farming community we know. The fact
that our farmers can turn their cash into goods or use it to
improve their land holdings means a more stable business
economy.
Similarly the fact that so few of the many new homes
constructed in or near Zebulon are being built for rental
purposes is a stabilizing factor. Fire premium rates are
lower in these homes which are occupied by their owners,
which means fewer dollars in the form of premiums leaving
Zebulon for the big insurance companies. Home ownership
means fewer dollars leaving Zebulon for absentee landlords.
Local ownership of homes means better tended houses, and
as a consequence more stable property values.
We could go on and on pointing out the advantages
accruing to the community because of the enterprise and
economy necessary to bring about the present happy state
of affairs, but we will mention only one more, perhaps the
most important of all:
The community has a spirit of well-being and content
ment which is the aggregate of the individual feelings of
satisfaction possessed by each man and woman who finally
attain the goal most of us seek: a place to call our own.
The Zebulon Record
Ferd Davis Editor
Barrie Davis Publisher
Entered as second class matter June 26, 1925. at the post office
‘at Zebulon, North Carolina. «nder the act of March 3, 1878.
Subscription rate: $1.50 a year. Advertising rates on request.
The Zebulon Record
By Mrs. Theo. B. Davis
A small boy whom I know ran
in from play to tell his grand
mother of wholly unfair treatment
by some larger boys. He natural
ly, yearned to retaliate, but the
grandmother suggested that in
stead he try being specially nice
to his tormentors. “In that way,”
she said, “you can heap coals of
fire on their heads.”
The child listened doubtfully. “I
don’t know whether I could get
close enough to them to put fire
on their heads,” he replied, adding
hopefully, “but I could heat rocks
and throw at them.”
My sister told me of an old wo
man, who was seen sitting by a
bushel basket of tomatoes, eating
steadily and stolidly, cutting
wedges from the tomatoes, chew
ing them and swallowing without
even adding salt.
Asked-if she were specially fond
of this vegetable, the eater replied
that those in the basket were the
last she had and she was going to
eat enough of them to make her
so sick she would not want any
This is the second in a series of
articles about veterans’ problems
written for the Record by F. C
Sheppard of the Winston-Salem
office of the Veterans Administra
tion.
Veterans Administration today
answered the 10 questions most
frequently asked by World War II
veterans about G. I. business
loans.
Q. How does a veteran go about
getting a loan for business pur
poses?
A. As in the case of home loans,
he must first find a bank or other
private lender willing to advance
him the money.
Q. How much of a business loan
made by a lender will VA guaran
ty?
A. VA will guaranty 50 per cent
of the loan up to a maximum of
$4,000 if the loan is for the pur
chase of business real property,
and up to $2,000 for non-real es
tate business loans, such aS for
working capital.
Q. Can the veteran get a guar
Will has worked for us off and
ent pair of ears in Zebulon.
Will has worked so us off and
on for about a year, digging ditch*
es, cutting weeds, and doing like
tasks. We have found by sad ex
perience that you can shout your
head off at Will trying to make
him work a little harder, but he
will never hear a word you say.
But if you mention in a whisper
that there is a watermelon out at
the woodshed for him, he’ll hear
you from 50 yards away, drop his
shovel, and take off like a scalded
duck in the direction of the water
melon.
It reminds us of the time Will
was being tried in the local court
for breaking and entering J. L.
Stell’s dry cleaning plant. Will
just sat all through the trial, never
hearing any of the questions asked
him about why he was in the
pressing club at two o’clock in the
morning.
But when Judge Gill said, in
the low tone he normally uses in
passing sentence, “Six months,”
This, That and the Other
Imformation for Veterans
Seen and Heard
more tomatoe# until they ripened
the next year.
One thing I do hope our school
faculty makes clear to high school
pupils is that requirements for
graduation and requirements for
entrance to college may not be the
same thing, though credit units
may add up to satisfactory sums.
High school electives may cause
confusion and trouble later on, if
not selected with an eye to the
future. Children seldom know
about this, their parents may not
know either, or may not think in
time, so they really need advice.
My friends used to laugh at me
for saying I’d rather take care of
twins under six months old than
one child from that age till old
enough to have a little sense about
what to do and where to go. But
one can, at least, have a fair idea
what babies too young to sit alone
are doing; feeding them, bathing
them, and changing diapers are
the main items.
Let a baby once begin to crawl
around or pull up by holding to
furniture, and there’s no more
peace for many months. The won-
anteed loan for any type of busi
ness?
A. If the lender is willing, the
loan may be used for any legiti
mate business purpose.
Q. Is there any limit to the
duration of a business loan?
A. Non-real estate business
loans are repayable in 10 years
or less; real estate loans may run
up to 25 years.
Q. Can a veteran enter into bus
iness with non-veterans and obtain
a guaranteed loan?
A. Yes, provided the interest of
the veteran is properly protected,
but the guarantee must be limited
to the veteran’s portion of the bus
iness.
Q. Doesn’t the veteran also get
a gratuity payment if some kind?
A. Yes. VA pays the lender, for
credit to the veteran’s loan, an
amount equal to 4 per cent of the
guaranteed portion of the loan.
For example, if the guaranteed
portion is $3,000, the lender will
receive $l2O from VA to credit
to the debt of the veteran.
Will let out a scream you could
have heard in Middlesex!
That street in front of the
Record office just will not stay
fixed.
About two weeks ago Bill
Strickland blocked off traffic on
Arendell Avenue. and began
pumping water from a broken
main with a sump pump. He re
paired the pipe, sealed the street,
and went his way.
Unfortunately more work de
veloped, and yesterday Willie B.
Hopkins, our local protector of the
peace, laid aside his police chief’s
uniform, and put on the white
coveralls he wears when he func
tions as superintendent of water
works. He and Artis Carpenter of
highpocket fame spent the better
part of the day tinkering with tie
water line.
As we go to press, we can’t
vouch for the final repair of the
street, but o»e thing we know for
sure: Willie B. got an awfully sun
burned neck out there yesterday.
Friday, September 5,1947
der is not that they get hurt so
often, but that any of them escape
being killed. It is not safe to leave
a very small child alone, though
at times it seem* one simply has
to do so.
If you have one of those almost
ankle-length, raglan-sleeved, big
collared, flare-bottomed coats we
wore about ten years ago, get it
out, brush it off, try it on, look at
yourself and see whether you like
the picture. For those burdensome,
weighty garments are almost iden
tical with the ones offered by sty
lish shops for this ffill and winter.
Wakelon’s new principal is not
among those whom I have met,
but I do know he likps flowers.
Last Wednesday morning early
Rachel (Mrs. Wallace) Temple
came to our house looking for
flowers, explaining that Mr. Smith
had asked for some to be placed
on the rostrum before opening ex
ercises that day, “even if only ev
ergreens.” I understand his feeling
and heartily approve, only wishing
that I might have cooperated to a
far greater extent than circum
stances permitted this week.
Q. What interest rates are lend
ers permitted to charge on busi
ness loans?
A. In most case, 4 percent is
the maximum. How'ever, the in
terest rate may be slightly higher
for certain types of insured busi
ness loans.
Q. Must the veteran be experi
enced in the line of business he
proposes to enter?
A. Experience is an important
element in the success of the aver
age business. The veteran should
be able to show a reasonable ex
pectation of success in his venture.
Q. Can a veteran get a G. I.
business loan to buy a pleasure
car or furniture for his home?
A. No. The loan must be used
by the veteran for business pur
poses only.
Q. Does a veteran have to op
erate the business himself?
A. Yes, the veteran must devote
his personal labor or supervision
to the enterprise, or to the prac
tice of a profession, on a full or
part-time basis.
Harold Taylor, colored worker
on Ted Hood’s farm, read in the
Record some weeks ago about the
local Boy Scout troop catching
some snakes, mostly red adders.
So when he caught a 4-foot black
snake last w'eek he brought it to
the printshop.
Unfortunately none of the local
Scouts wanted a black snake. They
wouldn t take the snake for love
or money, and finally he was given
to Robert Potter of Raleigh. Rob
ert kept the snake for two days,
trying to make a pet of him; but
he gave up finally, having been
bitten seven times in ten minutes
by his pet on the second day.
Tuesday Ted himself brought a
snake to town, a king snake this
time. This particular snake is, we
are informed, being rapidly do
mesticated—but not by us. Along
with H. V. Andrews and Hilliard,
we jump when anybody even says
the word “snake,” and when they
bring a snake in the front door
we go out the beck door, mucho
pronto.