North Carolina Newspapers

The^n eu?4 - journal NATIONAL NEWSPAPER WKIffW Ca/io?ma. PRES S ASSOCIATION Published Every Thursday at Rieford, N.C. 28376 119 W. Elwood Avenue Subscription Rates In Advance Per Year - S5.00 6 Months - S2.75 3 Months - SI.50 PAUL DICKSON PuWirfier-Editor SAM C.MORRIS General Manager LAURIE TELFAIR Associate Editor MRS. PAUL DICKSON Society Editor MARTY VEGA Reporter Second Class Postage at Raeford, N.C. As We See It THURSDAY, JULY 10, 1975 00 bv Laurie Telfair The near tragedy at Rockfish Creek recently should he an alarm to spur the community into action to get Hoke County's recreation program on the move. After several years of talk, some appropriations of funds and efforts by the volunteer recreation committee and others, the recreation program still consists primarily of summer softball and baseball. This is not to belittle those who organize and staff the softball and baseball program. The leagues are popular and provide an excellent service to participants and the community for recreation and entertainment. But there should be more. County residents need a year-round, organized program and better community recreational facilities. And a program that will really serve the needs of the community goes beyond the administrative service that a volunteer committee can reasonably be expected to give. Obtaining a full time recreation director should be the first, and immediate, goal. Next, a comprehensive program for the entire county should be developed and explained to residents. When this is done, Hoke Countians should ask themselves if they want to add a creation tax to themselves as residents of other counties have done. This is one way to assure the funds for a good program, but it is a decision only the people can make. At the least. Hoke County needs a public swimming pool, so youngsters would not be so tempted to cool off in unsupervised and dangerous ponds and creeks. Also needed are several tennis courts and additional playgrounds located throughout the county. To that end. why aren't the school facilities being utilized more during the summer. Baseball fields and playgrounds already exist at the schools. They could be put to use to expand the recreation program without increasing costs for developing additional facilities. A letter from the (associate) editor: This is my last issue. The year that 1 have been back in the county has (Town and 1 still have projects that 1 have promised and have left undone and people whom 1 wanted to visit that I have left unseen. For that, 1 am sorry and offer my apologies. And I'd like to thank a number of people who have gone to a good bit of trouble this year to make it easier for me to keep you better informed. These include T.B. Lester and John Caddy, who spent much time in providing access to records and explanations of budgets, programs and costs; Tom Cameron, for much background information on airports and flying; airport committee members and the fixed base operators for their help: school officials and faculty for going out of their way to provide information; law enforcement officers and officials both paid and volunteer, of many, many programs throughout the county who have been helpful. Browsing in the files of The News-Journal 25 years ago Thursday, July 6, 1950 President Truman-signed the new draft law Friday which leaves him unrestricted authority to order inductions resumed at any time. The Hoke County Board of Commissioners at their regular monthly meeting Monday lowered the county's tax rate from S1.25 per $100 valuation which it was last year to $1 lOper SI00. * * * Starr McMillan said yesterday that the supply of water will be short for the next few days, as one of the two pumps is broken down He urged NO lawn sprinkling, etc., until next week. The sound of the auctioneer will be heard in the land and money will start flowing across North Carolina with the opening of the 1950 selling 9eason of the state's biggest cash crops ? tobacco ? in the North Carolina Border Belts on Tuesday, August 1. The dam at the power plant of the Raeford Power and Manufacturing Company on Rockfish Creek, "Lake Upchurch," broke last Sunday night al about 11 o'clock. ? * ? Funeral services were conducted at Antioch Presbyterian Church at two o'clock Tuesday afternoon for Mrs. Lula Parks, wife of Milton Parks of .Shannon RFD. 15 years ago Thursday. July 7.1960 The Red Cross Bloodmobile will spend Tuesday. July 12 in Raeford collecting blood for the new program financed with $800 allocated by the United Fund during its drive last year. Things were extremely quiet over the Fourth, officials of the various law-enforcement agencies report. From Rockfish News: When you don't hear anything about the Nail Keg Club you may know it is doing O.K. The attendance is very good these hot days. Members of the N.C. Highway Patrol in Hoke County report a total of 47 tickets issued during the period from June 27 through July 5. Wingate B. McLauchlin, 87, died at the home of his niece. Miss Willa McLaughlin, in the Antioch Community on Monday. Between the devil and the deep blue sea - by Marty Vega Army Sign Confusing They finally changed thai sign at Yadkin and Reilly on Ft Bragg that causes so much trouble with its my sterious messages. I wish I could tell you all the things that happened last month when the sign said 'Think Security-Don't Discuss Classified Info Over the Phone", but I don't want the CIA to start a file on me and ruin my career. I've got nine mouths at home to feed. see. But if onlv I could loll what happened when right before the Super Solid Badge '75 exercise when the 508th got the call. 'It's raining in W11 ke s? Ba rre-the jasmine is Puppy Creek Philosopher Dear editor: As you know, there's a great stir these days over bugging, hut as usual the high-powered columnists are talking more about the problem than the solution. As 1 understand it. bugging and wire-tapping have been developed to such a fine stage for example that a microphone no bigger than an aspirin tablet can pick up all the voices in a room and broadcast them to a receiver a mile away. Furthermore, since about three-fourths of all long-distance calls now go over microwave circuits, no wires required, some smart people have developed a method of picking telephone calls right out of the air. and the Russian F.mbassy in Washington has been suspected of doing just that, enabling it to listen in on all sorts of important governmental conversations, like who's going on the next junket to the Bahamas. Also, the wire-lapping of telephones, as against the law and as unpunishable as corporate contributions to a campaign, has been on the increase. As a result, the columnists have had something to write about for weeks now. denouncing this invasion of privacy, and rightly so. But I haven't read anything about the plight of the people who have to listen in to all that telephone talk. I have never talked to a Congressman on the telephone, but if they don't say any more on the phone than they do in a letter when you ask them something they don't want to answer or take sides on. the wire-tappers are in for some dreary listening. Imagine having to listen to a tape recording of everything a Congressman says on the telephone 24 hours a day for 30 days. You'd have to pan a mighty long time before you got any gold out of that undertaking, particularly with a Congress that didn't know any more than you and mc about what the CIA has been up to: in fact, a Congress that went a year without knowing we had a war going in Cambodia. Of course the answer to all that wire-tapping, like the answer to most problems, is simple: put everybody in Washington on an 8-party line. Best way I know to keep secret, juicy information from getting around. In three weeks time every telephone conversation in Washington would be painstakingly guarded. Yours faithfully, J A. blowing-The Tigers lost*, well, it would be some story. Somebody should investigate that sign anyway to see if its an official Army sign with official Army announcements on it. I've got my suspicions because that sign is changed so regularly, like once a week, or monthly, and yet. I go past that light every day and night at least six times and 1 never see "them" changing the sign l or the Army to change the sign, you know it's going to take a detail of a minimum of 16 men. with four sergeants, plus another eight from the motor pool, who will block off four lanes of traffic beginning at 6 a.m.. continue until the rush hour is over. stop, and then begin again at the afternoon rush hour, right? Vet no one actually witnesses this, the sign just instantaneously changes by magic. The sign now says 'Have a Safe and Happy 4th-Fnjoy the Holiday with On Post Fun.' Since I take the matter of the sign quite seriously, as I take all Army matters quite seriously, just as everyone takes all Army matters quite seriously. I obediently began the search for On Post Fun, as 1 was directed to do by the sign. The immediate problem was to ascertain what On Post Fun was. could it be a really heavy rock band, some new drink, a best seller on the fiction list0 The latter seemed the right idea, as last month the sign said 'Return Overdue Library Books-No Questions Asked.' (I'd love to tell you the consequences of this proclamation, too. but like I said. I've got nine mouths to feed ). But no. this was the wrong tack, as the library was closed for the weekend. So it must he a drink. I went straight to the Army package store (cash only, except F.-5 and up. all the checks you can write) and I asked the man. do you sell On Post Fun? "No." says the man, "you know these restrictive N.C. laws, they can't distribute it here. You can get it in New York, you can get it in California, you can get it in Wilkes-Barre. but you can't get it here, honey." So. sadly. I left the package store with only two fifths of Smirnoff, a case of Schht/ malt liquor with the Bull, and a couple of bottles of Mad Dog 20-20. iust in case, but no On Post Fun! When will we reap the benefits of a democracy in this Bicentennial year it wc can't get any On Post Fun? Repeal these oppressive laws so we can enjoy living in a republic! (and drinking in it. too.) CUFF BLUE ... People & Issues LEGISLATIVE APPOINTMENTS - Some weeks ago I made mention of the General Assembly going too far in granting appointment power to the House Speaker and Lieut. Governor. I made the statement, thinking in terms of too many public positions being filled by the House and Senate members with the suggestion being that it would be better for the representation to come from the general public rather than from the House and Senate. In discussing the matter with House Speaker Jim Green a few days ago Speaker Gteen said that he had no thought of trying to place legislative members on the boards and commissions other than for the General Assembly to have a closer contact of the needs for funds and how well the funds were being spent. Speaker Green's thinking is good, but. unless a close reign is kept on the matter it could get out of hand. EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY - In retrospect we can look back and recall that while the North Carolina General Assembly, with the governor having no veto authority, was called the most powerful legislative body of any state general assembly, it served as little more than a rubber stamp for some of our governors! The General Assembly in 1953 with the late Governor William B. Umstead in the executive office was pretty much a rubber stamp for the Umstead proposals. Tire General Assembly abolished boards and commissions at the governor's bidding to enable the new governor to name the membership to his personal liking. When Hodges. Sanford, Dan Moore and Bob Scott served as governor the situation was pretty much the same. Tire change in membership in the Highway Commission was an example. Hodges had it reduced. Sanford, Moore and Scott had it increased Holshouser. being of opposite political affiliation from the General Assembly was unable to do much other than to see Democratic members from the General Assembly placed on the commission through membership on the roads committee. Back in 1953 State Senator Terry Sanford spoke out against the General Assembly being a rubber stamp for the governor. If memory serves us well, the N'&O caption over Sanford's picture was "A Frosh Speaks." We hope that the General Assembly will show as much backbone when the next Democrat occupies the mansion on Blount street as it has shown during the Holshouscr administration. CAMPAIGNS -? Candidates are now talking in terms of a million dollars or more for statewide races. When the legislature moved the State primary from May to August our estimation is that it could add at least 25% to campaign expenditures. It will simply make the primary campaign longer than heretofore. Despite all the modern conveniences of communication, daily newspapers, radio and television, which can get the message across so much faster than in the horse and buggy and model T days, it seems that the campaigns start j earlier. One way to shorten the campaign would be to have the second primary two weeks after the first primary which is done in some states. Oftentimes as much or more money is spent in the second primary as is spent in the first primary. We still feel that lots of money is wasted in political campaigns. But reducing spending in political campaigns can be likened to reduced spending in military affairs. Was it former Congressman Ruth who said he was sure that 25% of the defense budget was unnecessary but he didn't know which 25% it was. The same reasoning no doubt could apply in the minds ol the political candidates in regard to their own political spending. The astronomical manner in which political spending has risen in the last four years may well cause some of the would-be candidates to stand aside for the lack of campaign funds. BASIC FLAW? - Editor Gene Smith of the Havelock Progress says: "One of the biggest flaws in a democratic government is the lack of interest from the citizens of their government." Yes. Gene is right. Too many will criticize without moving into action. We suspect if 10 percent of the people organized together they could elect almost any capable and honest person to the legislature, governor or even president. I Report To The People by Senator Robert Morgan When I went to Washington in January to start a six - year term in the Senate. I went with the determination to he the best senator my talents and judgment would let me he. I wanted to help promote programs that are really needed, and to seek and find the programs that are wasteful and unnecessary and get rid of them. 1 still want to be that kind of senator and 1 still want to cut waste and work toward a balanced budget. Relative to these desires, I think I ' should explain my vote for a recent Senate action that seems to have been generally misunderstood. This was the Senate proposal to allow each Senator to draw up to SI02.000 more annually for staff aides to help with committee work. Before I can represent North Carolina intelligently in the Senate, I must understand the issues that arc being raised and the bills that are introduced. Anyone familiar with Congress knows that the real background work is done in committees. At present, I serve on three committees and several subcommittees and up to now I have gotten very little assistance from staff aides on committee work. Senior members who serve as committee chairmen have access to large staffs but I have found that this does not apply to first year senators. If I do not have some assistance to do research and hunt for wasteful situations, then I simply can't be of maximum value to the people of North Carolina who sent me to the Senate. North Carolina, in fact, has been cheated. Let me cite an example. The other day at 10 a.m. I was due at two subcommittee meetings, and at a meeting of the committee investigating the CIA and was also due to preside over the Senate, which I did. I needed someone at those meetings to tell me what went on during my absence. 1 feel I can be instrumental in saving millions of lax dollars if I have the assistance required to do adequate research. I cannot use my present staff for dtis as they have other duties that occupy their entire time. It might be of some interest to note that on the only subcommittee on which I have any staff aid, I was able to help block a multi ? million dollar project which I felt was not needed. I doubt that my office will use the full SI02,000 which it has been allotted. The top legal salary for a senator's aide is 537,050, and no one on my entire staff makes that amount. All I want, since I have been sent to do a job for North Carolina, is to have adequate help to be able to do that job as it ought to be done. Over the years, I believe I have built a reputation for moderation in public spending. I firmly believe that securing these research assistants will save money, many time the salaries they will be paid. If I had not belived that, I would not have voted for the money to hire them. Stories Behind Words Bv William S. Penfield Trophy It was customary for victorious Greek armies to erect a victory monument at the site of a battle. The monument or memorial was erected at or near the place on the battlefield where the enemy was turned back or routed. If a tree was nearby, the captured arms were hung from its limbs and some of the other spoils of battle were heaped at its base. If there was no tree close by, a post was erected to serve the purpose. Since the memorial designated the spot where the enemy was turned back, the Greeks called it a "tropaion" - turning point. "Tropaion" entered Latin as "torphaeum," passed into French at "trophee" and emerged in Englirft at "trophy" - a memento signifying victory or accomplishment.