EDITORIALS, FEATURES ... .
of orange county
THE NEWS—THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1963 SEC. II, PAGE 1
Here's a prerequisite
to that opportunity
Hillsboro’s “exciting history” a>rtd the “rare oppor
tunity” to capitalize on it were forcefully brought home
last week by Voit Gilmore, a man who is effectively for*
warding the “exciting liistory” of the United States of
America now as head of its Travel Service.
Mr. Gilmore might well have put the case even
more strongly: He might appropriately have challenged
us that Hillsboro citizens today have a moral obligation
to education and civilization now and forever more to
preserve the remaining tangible heritage of the colonial
capital of this- state. .
The HiUsborough Historical Society, a vigorous
and conscientious new organization, realizes this full
well, and is bending its every effort toward preserving
and reconstructing that which is important in old Hills
boro.
But it will take tar more than the effort of this ded
icated group to accomplish the task. It will take gen
eral support of the citizens, and in particular, of the
municipal government. Then it will take money, plen
ty of it, and likely a major underwriting from some large
philanthropic foundation. ^ “ ,
It is interesting that several times in his talk the
speaker, Mr. Gilmore, called attention to the need for
a “master plan” and to the need for steps to prevent the
further loss of old homes, defacing of the landscape, and
damage to property values.
Leads to this point . .
Tiw# leads directly to one starting point — an issue
this week revived locally: Zoning for the Town of
Hillsboro. You can be sure that no foundation, or po
tential donor of any significant means is going to give
funds for a Hillsboro restoration project until there is
some assurance through zoning that such a Bequest will
be protected "by reasonable land use controls.
And it is further., likely that without such sensible
controls the land of the Town of Hillsboro is not going
to be worth what it should be worth. And gradually, as
it already has, the yet significant heritage in old build
ings and homes of Hillsboro will continue to vanish.
Civil defense effort
merits support given
After more than to years a’borning, a civil defense
organization for Chapel Hill has become a reality.
The Ohapel Hill Board of Aldermen has unani
mously approved the request of local Civil Defense Di
rector George Spooner for an appropriation of $994 to
cover the remainder of the fiscal year. It is to be hoped
that the Town of Carrboro will come forth with the
modest $130 that is being requested as its proportion
ate share for the same period.
That nothing concrete has been done about civil
defense in Chapel Hill to date has certainly not 'been
the fault of the local directors or-of the municipal gov
Published Eir^y Thursday By
THE NEWS INCORPORATED
. Hillsboro, N. C.
Box 647
Chapel Hill, N. C.
Box 749
Telephone, 968-4444, Chapel Hill; 4191 Hillsboro
Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at
Hillsboro, North Carolina, under the Act of
March 3, 1879
EDWIN J. HAMLIN...Publisher
ROLAND GIDUZ ... Editor
Hillsboro Office ___N. Churton SC
Chapel Hill Office , .. .'_311 E. Mala St., Carrbortf
SUBSCRIPTION RATES _____ $2.50, mm p-sr;
$1.75, six KM. (IimW* N. C); SUCk mm mm-, mHsMo N. C.
Let's not be afraid to face it!
I -Wait Party miller, York Uoxettr * uam
ernments, for there has been an official “paper” organ
ization since 1951. The fact is that almost nobody oth
er than the director himself has given a hoot about civ
'll defense here.
Suddenly came alive ...
But somehow the issue suddenly came alive in Chap
el Hill. The local aldermen agreed there’d been ho mat
ter of business in their collective memories on which
they’d received so many letters, telephone calls, and per
sonal visits, all asking them to approve the civil defense
director’s fund request. — --____
Now that this has been done Ghapel Hill will have
a full-time paid office worker to aid the non-salaried di
rector in perfecting the necessarily^ intricate details of
this organization. This will make the community eligi
ble for the emergency supply stockpiles which will be
given by the federal government.
Give validity to shelters ... , * V , '
Wheiv*4feese are received and properly dishrftmted,
the various locations marked by the yellow and black
shields around the campus and town will finally 'bear
some validity as practical shelters, in the event of an
emergenjCy. J 7“ ~
It is ajSpropriate that a community so concerned
with long-range planning as is Chapel Hill has finally
gotten around, to action on this potentially all-import
ant ultimate phase of planning. Basic credit for the fore
sight and follow-through needed to bring some results
out of years of passiveness is due Director Spooner—and
no doubt, also, the Cuban crisis of last fall. Surely it
will not be necessary to await other “Cuban crises” to
keep the citizenry concerned—and prepared.
Big government given
revolutionary proposal
The North Carolina Association of County Com
missioners is by no means* an un-progressive or reaction
ary groitp. And its officers, as individual county com
missioners, are certainly not persons who take lightly
their duties of financing necessary local services.
Thus it is of more than rhetorical significance that
the directors of this Association, meeting in Chapel Hill
last weekend, passed a resolution which in basic purpose
asks the federal government to halt its financial aid to
the public health, welfare, and educational programs of
the states and counties. \
The President of the Association called this “the
most important resolution adopted” by them in many
years. It was passed in response to a questionnaire from
a U. S. Senate subcommittee on government relations.
While the resolution actually asked the Governor and
General Assembly to study this matter and make recorn
mendations to Congress on their own, the county com
missioners group was quite plain spoken. It notes “bit
ter experience” with the restrictions the federal govern
ment levied in connection with its monetary grants.
$10 billion at stake . .
What is at stake is about $10 billion — the amount
the federal government is expected to grant local and
state governments In fiscal 1964- This amounts to more
than 10 per cent of the total United States budget!
In Orange County What is at stake—in the Welfare
Department alone — is about $350,000 in this fiscal year.
And this is 70 per cent of the half-million dollar over
all budget of this agency. This is what the federal gov
(Editorials Continued on Page *)
Newsman's Notepad . .
New museum
\ ■ -> ’* - ■+ ' V- . v '
near Durham
for youngsters
worth seeing
For a number of years there
lias been talk of. setting - up a
children’s museum in Chapel
Hill under the sponsorship of a
new or existing civic group. In
fact, the present building in the
Umstead recreation area north
of town was originally intended
for ,this purpose.
Of course the big drawback
to such a project is not in get
ting it set up, but in assuring
that it will be properly maintain
ed. On that rock all local ef
forts to date have foundered.
By contrast an example of a
rather good children’s museum
is that which has been set up *
for the past 15 years in Dur
ham. While sponsored by the Ci
ty Recreation Department and
located on municipal property,
it is actually run by a separate
non - profit group, the Child
ren’s Museum organization.
A 15-minute drive ... *
The Museum’s previous make
shift quarters in an old home
adjoining Hillandale Golf Course
in Durham were closed down
last year when the owners de
cided to develop the property.
Its new home is on a wooded 10
acre tract in Bragtown — actu.
ally 433 Murray Ave., about a
15 - minute drive from either
Chapel Hill or Hillsboro.
.. .Youngsters like the ani
mals at the museum...
The modest 30 by 50-foot
on* • room building opened
lest fall is the first unit of
what is planned as 11 struc
tures and developments on
the entire site. The Museum
association financed the en
tire $11,000 capital improve
ment project, and in fact pays*
for operation of the Museum
except for a small annual con
tribution from the city.
While yet in the early stages
of its reorganization, the Muse
um has a plant and an organi
zation worthy of the communi- 1
ty’s pride — and a series of
reasonably well maintained ex
hibits that children can enjoy
and learn from.
Soon re-open zoo . . .
It’s planned this spring to re
open the outdoor zoo beside the
Museum building. Meantime
there are a dozen or so live an
imals — squirrels, guinea pigs,
a parrot, possum, mice, turtles,
and fish in one section of the
building. There are also a num
ber of stuffed animals attract
ively mounted in a fenced - off
indoor setting.
There's an incidental serv
ice of mercy rendered by the
Museum, too. On a recent
Sunday afternoon The News
man's youngsters were ffascin
{Sce NOTEPAD, next page}