V
Page TWO
Thursday, May 15, 1958
ILOT
Southern Pines
North Carolina
“In taking over The Pilot no changes are contemplated. We will try to keep this a good
paper. We will try to mcike a little money for all concerned. Wherever there seems to be
an occasion to use our influence for the public good we will try to do it. And we will
treat everybody alike.”—James Boyd, May 23, 1941.
There Are Other Ways To fight Insects
applied to the skin, but which we admit don’t
In today’s Public Speaking column, a corre
spondent poses an appealing argument for
continuing the town-wide “fogging” program:
• the relief it would give children from a sum
mer insect nuisance that frequently goes be
yond the nuisance stage to bring on eye and
skin disorders. '
'The Pilot has opposed this spraying pro--
gram on the ground that lingering clouds of
bad-smelling mist are themselves a nuisance
on a pleasant summer night—and also be
cause there is considerable evidence that in-
• secticides and their solvents are physically
harmful to human beings, and that, if this
physical harm is hot immediately and incon-
trovertibly provable, it is common sense that
such a threat exists. Moreover, we have point
ed out that human beings have not lived with
inhaled insecticides of the newer types long
enough for science to know what their physi
cal effects are. When dealing with new and
complex chemical substances, in relation to
human health, we think that discretion is the
better part of valor.
Does this point of view, then, put The Pilot
in the position of dooming children to the har
assment of insects. With resulting physical
ailments? It would appear so on the surface—
but we believe there are other avenues of re
lief than indiscriminate mass spraying.
There are insect repellents which can be
No Foreign Aid? . . . Bankers Know Better
We trust that North Carolina bankers, re
cently convening at Pinehurst, were not im
pressed by the extraordinarily blind, isola
tionist and retrogressive speech made to them
by Thurman Sensing, executive secretary Of
the Southern States Industrial Council of
Nashville, Tenn.
Sample of Mr. Sensing’s wisdom as report
ed in The Greensboro Daily News: “It is folly
to think that the United States can cure the
ills of the world with dollars. . . Foreign aid is
the same as taking blood from a person’s left
arm and putting it into his right arm. . .”
And: If socialism' gets any stronger in the
U. S. Government, the nation will “betray its
heritage from Bunker Hill to Iwo Jima.”
> We didn’t know that anybody could get up
before an audience of intelligent people and"
talk like that these days and not get a horse
laugh. Maybe he did, from many of the bank
ers, whether visible or not.
That kind of talk was beginning to run thin
even before World War 2, an event in which
the United States was slightly involved in an
international way. Anybody who could speak
contemptuously of foreign aid after having
seen the Marshall Plan save Western Europe
in the post-war years is looking and walking
backward. And even the Republicans have
quit whipping Socialism up and down the
street since they discovered that the New
Deal’s economic and social reforms were what
people needed and wanted.
While some small percentage of foreign aid
may have gotten into the wrong hands or
been wasted, the vast majority of it was, is and
will be an investment in American and world
security—a concept that bankers should be
particularly equipped to understand since they
are accustomed to think in terms of invest
ment and returns.
The notion that the United States can live
friendless, uninvolved and alone behind its
Atlantic and Pacific fortresses was knocked
out by Pearl Harbor. So why keep trying to
revive it in, of all times, the age of the inter
continental ballistic missile?
Though conservative in many ways. North
Carolinians, by and large, are internationally
minded. Tar Heel young men were volunteer
ing in droves for all branches of the armed
forces, the Royal Canadian Air Force and
most anything else they could get into, even
before Pearl Harbor, because something was
happening overseas (a long way from the Old
North State) which they knew had to be stop
ped somewhere and they preferred to stop it
over there.
So it is with foreign aid. Better to use our
money overseas today than our lives here or
there later. If Mr. Sensing would look ahead,
instead of backward, he might comprehend
this fact.
Conservation Plan Geared To Future
A few weeks ago, we noted that Sen. Hum
phrey of Minnesota is sponsoring a bill in
Congress that would appropriate 11 billion
dollars Over the next 10 years to pay for the
work of a Youth Conservation Corps of 150,-
000 young men.
Having read a fairly long article by the sen
ator, explaining the vast needs in soil, water,
timber and grazing land conservation work,
we think the plan should receive serious con
sideration from the lawmakers in Washing
ton. ’This week, which is known as “Soil
Stewardship Week” over the nation, is a good
time to bring up conservation problems. The
national Week links the clergy and churches
with Soil Conservation Service administrators
in drawing attention to tjie soil as God’s earli
est creation and to the responsibility of caring
for it well. ^
Farmers and indeed all who have driyen
through the country with open eyes and a
memory of the past two decades understand
what vast strides have been made in soil con-
Household Workers And Social Security
Is there wide-spread evasion or neglect of
the responsibility by employers of domestic
workers (maids, gardeners, practical nurses
and such occupations) to list and pay Social
Security taxes? We hear now and then Of a
case in which the law is not being obeyed—
usually because' of ignorance of the law, but
in at least one instance, because of the down
right refusal of the employer to pay the tax,
even after so requested by the employee.
(Note: the employee, a maid, quit her job and
sought employment elsewhere, because of the
employer’s attitude—^which is exactly what
she should have done.)
The law says that if a person is employed
in or around the home and is paid as much as
$50 cash wages in a calendar quarter (three
months), the work is covered by Social Se
curity. This means that the employer is sup
posed to deduct two and a quarter per cent
“Seventy-Six Candidates Led The Big Parade ^With
A Hundred And Teh V.P.’s Close At Hand”
always work perfectly apd which young chil
dren may get into their mouths or eyes by
mistake. There are municipal spraying pro
grams which concentrate on sources of insect
production—stagnant water, garbage dumps,
trash piles, vacant lots—and the like, without
shooting the poison at everybody in town
night after night. Screened play areas can be
provided for very small children who, be
cause of the extreme heat and strength of the
sun, must spend a good part of their summer
days in shady and limited areas anyway. Or,
people who do not find spray-type insecticides
objectionable and who have confidence in
their harmlessness can spray them around
their own property tp obtain local relief.
We feel, therefore, that opposing the spray
ing program may be showing children, more
consideration than advocating it. Whether or
not the spray is harmless to adults, it would
appear -that frequent or repeated inhalation
of a petroleum mi^t, poisonous or not, would
be harmful to young children and infants.
(The “fog” that is manufactured by the spray
ing machine is composed of ordinary fuel oil,
as a vehicle for distributing the chlordane in
secticide substance.)
Right or’wrong, but in .any case with sin
cerity, we believe that the bugs will harm
children less than the spray. There' are other
ways to fight bugs than mass spraying.
w.
w
The Public Speaking
Humane Slaughter Law: Pro and Con Opinions Expressed
' Action Urged To Back
Proposed Legislation
To The Editor:
I wish to commend most whole
heartedly an editorial which ap
peared in the Pijlot on May 1, en
titled: “Humane Slaughter Law
Should Pass.”
It is incredible to me that a
nation such as this, dedicated to
high and lofty purposes, could al
low this horrible situation to ex
ist.' I feel safe, in saying that in
no other civilized country in the
world are such inhumane prac
tices tolerated. This subject was
brought to my attention some
years ago by a pamphlet which I
chanced upon at the State Fair in
Raleigh entitled: “An Indictment
of the American Slaughterhouse.”
It was an eye-opener and has
haunted me ever since.
I hope that all who read your
editorial will take action by writ
ing our Congressman, and that
you will continue to keep this is
sue before the people until the
humane slaughter law is passed.
JEAN S. BUCHANAN
Pinehurst (Mrs. J .R.)
servation work here in Moore County and
throughout the State and the South.
Great areas of raw, wasted, gullied land
have been reclaimed. Thousands of acres have
been contour ploughed and strip planted.
Ponds by the thousands (many here in this
county) have been constructed for farm irri
gation, water conservation and recreation pur
poses. Yet much work, here and everywhere,
remains to be done.
The Youth Conservation Corps proposed by
Senator Humphrey would make it possible
for the nation to conduct a comprehensive
program that would meet the timber, water,
grazing and recreation needs of 25 to 50 years
from now. Fromi much of the investment there
would be an appreciable return—five per cent,
it is estimated, on work with timber, stand
improvement and reseeding.
During Soil Stewardship Week, we com
mend this program to our readers who can
give it a boost by writing on its behalf to their
legislators in Washington.
from the wages of the employee and, at the
end of each quarter add two and a quarter per
cent for the employer’s contribution and send
in to the Internal Revenue Service a tax pay
ment consisting of four and a half per cent
of cash wages.
No group of employees will need the bene
fit of Social Security pa5nnents in their old
age more than domestic and household work
ers who often, during a lifetime of labor, are
able to save little or nothing from their tra
ditionally low wages. Proper payment of the
tax is a social responsibility—a responsibility
that, in most cases, the employer must initiate
and administer.
Chiseling on a household worker’s Social
Security tax is q cheap and petty evasion.
What little the employer gains how is at the
expense of the worker in old age when Social
Security payments mhy stand between that
person and his becoming a welfare charge.
Spokesman of Packing
Industry Tells Views
To The Editor:
Your May 1 editorial regarding
the Humane Slaughter Act makes
good reading but does not present
a true picture of what really hap
pens in the meat-packing indus
try, nor does it give the true rea
son behind this movement.
I believe you will agree that the
meat-packing industry is essen
tial to the health and well-being
of the American peot)le; also, that
when it comes to killing any red-
blooded animal, there is just no
“nice” way it can be done.
I have been in this business'for
over 30 years, and have seen ani
mals liquidated by almost every
conceivable method. The three
methods most commonly used to
day, all approved by the U. S.
Department of Agriculture, 'are
electricity, retractible gunfire, or
a quick merciful blow with a five-
pound hammer in the hands of an
expert.
Now the method advocated by
the Humane Slaughter Society is
strangulation or asphyxiation by
gas of as yet undetermined type.
Any one of these methods will ac
complish the same end result.
However, it takes three to five
minutes for the asphyxiation
method, while any one of the oth
er three named takes just one or
two seconds. Which is the most
humane or merciful?
The meat-packing business, like
other great American businesses,
is based on mass production. We
in this industry know that the
quickest way to liquidate any
animal is the most merciful and
also the most economical way.
Your editorial writer only fell
into the common error of repeat
ing biased matter without inform
ing himself—as indeed it might
be difficult to do—of the very
complicated background of this
controversy. In the industry it is
well known that this movement
for so-called more humane
slaughter originated with a mem
ber of the industry who has de
signed and patented a so-called
“gas tunnel.” He hopes to have
his tunnel written into law, so as
to receive royalties from every
packer in the country operating
under federal inspection laws.
If this should take place^ it is
the positive belief of the majority
of informed persons in the indus
try that (1) production will be
slowed to a dangerously low
point; (2) a dangerous quantity of
low quality meat will be produc
ed, and (3) millions of doUars will
be added to the meat, bill of the
American people. Also, the
slaughter operation will become
no more “humane” but in some
ways considerably less so.
Freedom of the press is a heri
tage this writer would fight for as
hard as any American right I
know of. This is a controversy
which should be fought out, but in
the light of full information, for
the best interests of the American
people.
SILAS O. NICHOLSON
Southern Pines.
(Editor’s'Note: The Pilot is
pleased to have both of the
foregoing letters which ex
press opposite pointlp of view
on humane slaughter legisla
tion. Our original item on the
subject (5-1-58) quoted with
approval an editorial from the
New York Times urging
adoption by the Senate of the
bill passed by the House (H.
R. 8308). As to the terms of
this bill, we know only what
The Times said, in summary:
it would establish as national
policy that livestock should
be slaughtered only by the
“mpst humane practicable
methods”—these methods to
be determined by the Secre
tary of Agriculture; and it
would provide that the feder
al government purchase meat
only from packers using such
methods. We do not know
the present status of this bill
in Congress. The Times edi
torial pointed out that need
less cruelty is not practiced
in all slaughterhouses, though
it does occur in “most’^ of
I-them. We accepted these
statements on the authority
of 'The Times. If any reader
has a copy of H.R. 8308 or
subsequent bills, we would
dike to see them.)
Spraying Valuable In Protecting Children
To The Editor:
Most of the letters written to
The Pilot against the town insect
spraying in the summer have
been written by peopl^ who could
stay indoors away from the in
sects, not by mothers with small
children.
It is impossible to keep chil
dren indoors during the gnat sea
son. So many get pink eye —
gnats in their eyes and ears—andl
the gnats bother them so while
they are playing. For the last few
years we have had a biting gnat
which raises terrible whelps, es
pecially around the head and
neck. Small children have gotten
sore on their scalps from scratch
ing.
Mosquitoes are already bad, so
Growth, Recklessness
To The Editor:
In the article “What Objectives .
fgr Youngsters?” (The Pilot,
5-8-58) it says, “No doubt it is ex
pecting too much to ask parents
to encourage a certain reckless
ness in their sons and daughters.”
I take exception to the word
' “recklessness” and put in its place
the word “growth.” To distin
guish the sort of growth that I
mean, I define it as “the fresh ex
pression of a purpose (or of an
idea), which keeps such continui-,
ty with its past and suffers only
such losses, by the way as it can
bear without losing its identity.”
Growth, like time, issues from
a past, is surveyed and oriented
from a present, and reaches into a
future. To be growing, which is
what I mean by being ethically
right, is to be conscious of the
three phases of time included in
ohe’s time-experience; it is to live
by the reality of the past, of the
present, and of the future.
Growth is the combination of a
Crains of Sand
Keep Your Distance, Babes!
Reasons for giving or not giv
ing to the Moore County Mater
nal Welfare drive Saturday were
varied.
Said a tired, limply-fat lady,
on the elderly side: “Guess I’d
better give. . . for times past,’’
and dropped a shower of boins
into the big glass jar with a pro
found sigh.
A spry young gal took the op
posite view. Flitting up to the
table she clunked in a fifty-cent
piece, then bugged her bright
eyes: “Liable to need it myself
one of these days,” says she, and
went swinging off in a wave of
perfume.
An oldish gentleman showed
much interest in the tags with
the picture of the baby. He asked
several questions, looked some
more, finally drew out a well-
used old wallet.
“Guess I’d better contribute,”
he said. “ ’Cause I ain’t never
had to fool with one.”
It Took A Ticket
Don’t know, as of this printing,
what action the town council
may take regarding the com
plaints against the newly chang
ed parking system. Chances
are they’ll change it s5me, as
would seem to us advisable.
But we can at least report
some action taken by three busi
ness people. Two of them went
to work and fixed up their park
ing lots at the back of their build
ings so they could be used. And
are using them. The other ons is
now dolefully using the parking
lot he already had.
After getting a ticket for ova^
parking on the street. f
Definition ^
We recently saw “optimism”
defined as the ability to speak of
“my” car in the face of a chattel
mortgage with 10 payments still
to be made.
TEN payments! Why, you’re
really getting into the home
stretch when you’ve only 10 pay
ments to go! The real optimist is
the man who says “my” when
he’s starting a schedule of 18 or
24 payments—not to mention
those 36-month contracts that
looked so attractive back a few
years ago when they eased credit
restrictions.
Speaking of Cars
“Sing While You Drive” is the
heading of some lines we found
on our t3rpewriter when we came
back from dinner on Monday:
At 45 miles per hour, sing—
“Highways Are Happy Ways.”
At 55 miles, sing—“I’m But A
Stranger Here, Heaven Is My
Home.”
At 65 miles, sing-
God To Thee.”
“Nearer My
that it is hard to have a cookout
or picnic, which is a child’s favor
ite sport.
Most of the town’s citizens are
here all summer and those of us
who are here definitely know that
the spraying has helped.
Those people who are allergic
to the spray could close their
windows when the spraying is
going on or ask the town not to
spray on their street, or in front
of their house.^
As I understand, enough people
have to ask for the spraying to
have the town do it this summer;
if not, there wiU be no spraying
and many insects—so, mothers,
get busy!
MRS. R. L. CHANDLER, Jr.
Southern Pines.
Defined and Compared
particular identity with, the spe
cial novelties which from mo
ment to moment are essential in
the realization of a purpose. So
growth is in character, not to
wards character, in learning, not
towards learning. We could nev
er discover how to undertake our
journey of experience unless we
were already on the road. And if
we ever could reach an end of it,
it would have no meaning for us.
Growth has no end and no cause.
Recklessness perverts the ele
mental in us. It is intentionally
hairbrained. It is deliberate bar
barism. Recklessness, like all
self-deception, is a paradox and a
pretense. It is an old friend in
daily life, but when we try to
think it out it seems impossible!
For when the reckless man de
clares that he doesn’t care, he
proves that he does care. He
knows the restraint that he ig
nores.
REV. TOM O’NEIL
110 Highland Rd.
Southern Pines.
At 75 vniles, sing—“When The
Roll Is Called Up Yonder, I’ll Be
There.”
At 85 miles, sing—^"‘Loj^d, I’m
Coming Home.”
Smartest Animals
According to the National Geo
graphic Society, a zoo director
ranks the chimpanzee and orang
utan ahead of the elephant in
mental ability—^but the elephant
was rated ahead of the horse,
beaver, lion, grizzly bear, pack
rat, mountain goat and dog.
In the order in which they are
named above, says the zoo di
rector, those are the 10 most in
telligent ’ animals.
Hate to see poor old Fido bring
ing up the rear in this intelli
gence parade. Dogs will ijiist have
to take comfort in the fact that,
of all the 10, they still have un
disputed claim to their ancient
title: man’s best friend.
The PILOT
Published Every Thursday by
THE PILOT, Incorporated
Southern Pines, North Carolina
1941—JAMES BOYD—1944
Katharine Boyd Editor
C. Benedict Associate Editor
Vance Derby News Editor
Dan S. Ray Gen. Mgr.
C. G. Council Advertising ^
Mary Scott Newton Business *
Bessie Cameron Smith Socie^^
Composing Room
Lochamy McLean, Dixie B. Ray,
Michael Valen, Jasper Swearingen
Thomas Mattocks.
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