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PRESS
ASS OC IATION
Published Ewrj Thanda; X Raeford, N.C. 28376
119 W. Etwood Avenue
Subscription Rales In Advance
Per Year ? $8.00 6 Month. S4.2S 3 Moolh. S2.25
PAUL DICKSON PabOaber- Editor
SAM C. MORRIS GmmI Manafer
CHARLES BLACKBURN Associate Editor
MRS. PAUL DICKSON Society Editor
CASSIE WASKO Reporter
Second Class Postage at Raeford, N.C.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1978
Downtown project
Peter Batchelor. professor of architecture at N.C. State
University, told a group of local residents recently that a project to
rebuild and improve the downtown area of Raeford will have to be
financed largely with local funds.
There just aren't any federal grants available for this purpose, he
said.
It doesn't come as much of a surprise. It would be difficult to
justify the use of public money to improve private property, which is
mainly what the project seeks to accomplish.
But the revelation underscores the necessity for 100 percent
cooperation by downtown merchants. It's going to take an all - out
effort if this revitalization project is to work.
Many good ideas were presented by Batchelor at the meeting here.
While attendance was fairly good, more people need to become
involved in this project. Nothing can be done without community
support.
With the large shopping malls in Fayetteville, and others
scheduled to be built in Lumberton, Red Springs and Southern
Pines - Aberdeen area, Raeford has been placed in a do or die
situation. A lot of dollars are going out of Hoke County and into
these places. The economic drain can only get worse unless action is
taken.
McCainto stay open
State officials announced last week that McCain Hospital will not
only continue to operate but will become the state's major in -
patient tuberculosis center. The news comes as a great relief.
For more than a year now the fate of McCain, the state's first
sanitarium, has been in question.
After allegations that the state's three specialty hospitals were too
costly to maintain, a legislative task force was appointed to
determine if any of them should be closed.
During a public hearing at McCain last November that question
was answered by area legislators, health officials, city and county
officials, and former patients with a resounding "NO!" Everyone
who spoke that day let it be known that McCain is vital to the health
and economic well - being of a large part of North Carolina.
It was a heartwarming and often moving appeal and couldn't have
failed to impress the task force.
If nothing else, state officials learned that McCain has a lot of
loyal friends and supporters who would not sit idly by and see the
hospital closed.
Satirical Prophecy
We never thought of H.L. Mencken as being a prophet, but read
the following, which was written in 1928.
"When I fear the Republic has trotted before these weary eyes
every carnival act in its repertdire, 1 cheer myself with the thought
that some day we will have a President from the deserts of the Deep
South. The President's brother will gather his loutish companions on
the porch of the White House to swill beer from the bottle. The
President's cousin. La Verne, will travel the Halleluyah circuit as one
of Mrs. McPherson's soldiers in Christ. The President's daughter
will record these events with her box camera. The incumbent
himself, cleansed of his bumpkin ways by some of Grady's New
South Hucksters, will have a charm comparable to that of a leading
undertaker of Dothan, Alabama."
Whatever you may think of the Carter Presidency. Mencken's
vision has a certain photographic quality.
LMD FOR LMIW
Manufacturers and distributors
of defective (harmful) products can
be sued for damages by the injured
user or consumer. Such product
liability now results in liability if
the plaintiff shows merely that (1)
the thing was defective when it went
into the market for sale, and (2) the
defect caused the injury to the
plaintiff, and (3) the plaintiff was
using it in a reasonable way.
But this stern rule of "liability
without fault" is very harsh. It
means that the defendant can be
held liable even if he proves that he
was not negligent at all. The
justification for such a tough law is
the need to protect the average
consumer, who cannot be expected
to carefully test and check every
thing he buys in our modern
mass-production world. But some
say that it also encourages sloppy
carelessness in purchasers and
consumers.
Yet, the courts do permit
exceptions to this harsh law when it
clearly would be unjust to enforce
it. For example, if the defendant is
a retailer, and had no way of
knowing that the product he sold
was harmful, the law will excuse
him.
A good illustration is a 1977
North Carolina Court of Appeals
case. Batiste v. American Home
Products Corp.. 231 S.E. 2d 269.
In that case the plaintiff got a
prescription for a tradenamed pro
duct. from a physician, for a widely
used oral contraceptive drug ("the
pill"). She bought the pills in a
sealed container made and di
stributed by a pharmaceutical com
pany. The box and label carried no
warning of danger.
After talcing the pill for a while
the plaintiff suffered a stroke that
caused partial paralysis. Also,
other women using this pill re
ported serious side effects. Then,
after all this, the drug was known
to be dangerous.
The plaintiff sued the physician,
the druggist, and the drug man
ufacturer. for damages. She
claimed breach of implied warranty
of fitness of the product for use.
plus "strict liability."
The court threw out her claim
against the physician, as he had not
?old any product to her. and had
not been negligent nor unskilled at
a time when nobody realized the
danger of the product.
The pharmacy also was excused,
because it had no way of knowing
the danger, and only had the duty
to give to a purchaser the correct
packaged product called for by the
prescription.
The question of whether or not
the manufacturer had adquately
tested the drug, before selling it
wholesale, remained to be decided
by a trial.
Bird of pray
& U
T A T I
HOKUM
By Charles Blackburn
Since we have a story in this
week's paper about Carl tJoerch.
written by his granddaughter,
News-Journal reporter Cassie
Wasko. I thought it appropriate to
reprint a couple of anecdotes for
which he was famous. The follow
ing were taken from issues of The
State magazine, which Goerch
founded.
Innocent Meeting
The other night a group of
married couples were sitting
around the fire enjoying a nice
quiet evening. The subject got
around to circumstances under
which the couples met. Finally one
Puppy Creek
Philosopher
Dear editor:
"Finally." a man said to me the
other day, "we're going to get some
tax relief."
"You think so?" 1 asked.
"Of course. Look, everybody is
running on a platform of cutting
taxes. Republicans. Democrats.
Independents, you name them and
they're all committed to reducing
taxes. Regardless of who gets
elected, we're bound to get a tax
cut."
Maybe so. There's a saying,
"those who are ignorant of history
are doomed to repeat it," "but
that's only half the story. Those
who are familiar with history keep
on repeating it too. Frequently on
purpose.
Never in the history of man has
anybody ever run for office on a
platform of increasing everybody's
taxes, and never since the invention
of elections have taxes come down
to where you could tell it.
A tax - cut platform has been
used so often by candidates it's as
worn down as the hollowed - out
marble steps at an ancient cathe
dral trod upon by millions of
visitors over the centuries.
Not only are all the candidates in
favor of cutting taxes, the people
already in office with the power to
do it are in favor too.
Why. some Congressmen who've
been in office 25 years or longer
and have continued to raise taxes
are still running on the same
platform they first got elected on ??
cutting taxes.
But a lot of people say this time
it's going to be different, taxes are
going to be cut.
Come back a year from now and
let's see what happened.
Yours faithfully,
J. A.
of the group turned to a husband
who evidently wasn't enjoying the
conversation too much and asked,
"Who introduced you to your
wife?"
The man promptly came back.
"We just met. I don't blame
anybody."
Take Your Choice
Superior Court Judge Chester
Morris once tried a new wrinkle in
jurisprudence. In Wayne Court,
after the testimony was related on a
larceny charge, the judge turned to
the defendant and asked a
question:
"What do you think this sen
tence ought to be? You've been
thinking about this for some six
weeks, haven't you?"
"Yes. sir."
"Well. I'd appreciate any sug
gestions you have to make. I've
been thinking about it for ten
minutes. Surely you can give me a
good idea."
Silence.
"Which sounds best -- six.
twelve, fifteen years?"
"Don't neither one of them
sound so good to me." the man
said.
Whose Statue?
U.S. Marshal Charlie Price
drove me around Asheville one day
last summer. As we cut across Pack
Square, he called my attention to
the Vance monument which stands
in the center of the square.
"Not long ago." said Charlie. "A
tourist was w andering around town
and he saw the monument. He was
standing where he couldn't see
Vance's name on it.
"A native of Buncombe County,
from out in. the rural sections,
happened to come along. 'I say.'
said the toupist. can you tell me
whose momJfment this is?'
"Th,e native looked at the
monumerft. then looked at the
tourist and said: 'Hit's our'n.'
"And with that he calmly pro
ceeded on his way."
Did It Hurt?
One of the legendary ftgures of
Caswell County was Sheriff Jesse
Griffith, a giant of a man with huge
hands. With all his strength and
heartiness, the sheriff was a kindly
man. One time it was his duty to
hang a prisoner.
But when the trap was sprung,
the rope broke and the condemned
man plunged to the ground.
The sheriff rushed down to the
victim, and cried out in distress and
anxiety: "Did it hurt you. John?"
John assured him it had not.
"Thank goodness!" said Griffith
in a greatly relieved tone of voice.
"Well, get up. John, and we'll try
again."
Letters To The Editor
To the Editor:
I have convened a "Governor's
Conference on Library and Infor
mation Services" for next week.
October 19-21. at Raleigh's Civic
Center.
This conference is enormously
important to North Carolinians --
to give citizens an opportunity to
say what they want and need in
library services. We want every
North Carolinian to become more
aware of the services presently
offered and to consider how they
can be improved.
At the conclusion of the two and
one half day conference, recom
mendations will be forwarded to
the White House Conference on
Library and Information Services
planned for next fall.
I wanted to make sure that you
are aware of this conference, and I
invite you to consider its far -
reaching implications for the entire
state, and most important, for your
own community's library service
needs.
My warmest personal regards.
Sincerely.
J. Hunt
To the Editor:
I want to comment on The
Rockfish News.
I think Mrs. Watson did a
splendid job reporting it.
It just made my day. As I am a
shut ? in and can't get out and visit
my friends just reading about
them helps alot.
I am sure you have other readers
who enjoyed it especially our
college students and former resi
dents who have moved away.
Thanks again Mr. Dickson and
Mrs. Watson.
Mrs. N.J. Ritter
CLIFF BLUE ? ? ?
People & Issues
SCHOOL FUND RAISING . . .
According to an article in the
September issue of N.C. Educa
tion. the professional journal of the
North Carolina Association of Edu
cators (NCAE), Dr. Keith Hudson
and Dr. Maylon E. McDonald
point out that fund raising has
reached what they term "epidemic
proportions." According to their
report students and teachers in
North Carolina schools raise an
estimated $30 million yearly
through fund - raising projects such
as candy sales, carnivals, raffles,
suppers and king and queen con
tests.
GEORGE LITTLE . . . Rumors
are that George Little of Southern
Pines who served during the last
year of the Holshouser Administra
tion as Secretary of Natural and
Economic Resources, is being men
tioned by friends as a possible
candidate for the Republican nom
ination for governor in 1980. When
asked about the possibility, George
smiled and indicated that he
deemed it pleasant to be thought of
for a possible governor of North
Carolina.
JESSE HELMS . . . While
Senator Jesse Helms campaign
contributions have climbed to $6.2
million, with about half of it going
for expenses in the fund - raising
drive, it could dampen volunteer
help who might feel that there are
plenty of paid workers to do the
job. We suspect a dedicated volun
teer is worth the price of two paid
workers.
We suspect that Senator Helms
may have been too busy with Senate
obligations to have given proper
attention to his re - election
campaign.
According to Helms' campaign
manager, Tom Ellis, about 180,000
people have made contributions to
Helms campaign, about half of
them from outside the state with
the contributions averaging be
tween $10 and $20 with 2,170 of the
contributions being for $100 or
more.
INGRAM . . . Ingram's latest
report shows he has spent
$141,339.22 and that he has debts
of $20,800 at the end of September.
Ingram won the primary with little
money and with little organized
help. The insurance industry's fight
on Ingram and the General As
minium
sembly's reducing his authority
brought many auto owners ana
plain citizens to his support.
CLOSE RACE . . . The recent
poll of the Senate race by the
Raleigh News and Observer snowed
Helms leading, but when the votes
are counted it could be a real close
race.
PATTY HEARST . . . Many
people may feel that Patty Hearst,
who is serving a 7 ? year prison
sentence in California after having
been kidnapped on Feb. 4, 1974 -
more than four years ago, should
be paroled without delay in view of
the ten years to life given her
kidnappers - William and Emily
Harris.
To be sure, Patty seemed to have
turned against her people and
society in general while with her
kidnappers, but she certainly didj
not cooperate in her kidnapping.
She went through much turmoil
and we believe the young heiress
should at least, be paroled. If she
hasn't learned a lesson about
snuggling up to criminals, she will
never learn it.
CC PRESIDENT ... Last
Friday and Saturday I attended a
meeting of Trustee Chairmen of the
community colleges and technical
institutes of North Carolina in
Burlington. Interest has been
manifest among the community
college and technical institute
trustees as to who will be named to
replace Ben. E. Fountain, Jr.. who
served as the N.C. Dept. of
Community Colleges until recently.
Several names were mentioned.
However, I came away feeling that
the new president will come from
one of the three, to name them
alphabetically: Dr. J.F. Hockaday,
President of Central Carolina
Technical Institute, Sanford; Dr.
Gerald James, President of Rock
ingham Community College,
Wentworth; or Dr, Raymond A.
Stone, President of Sandhills
Community College in Moore
County.
EMERGING . . . President
Carter seems to be emerging into
presidential stature as he vetoes
bills and lets the Congress and the
people know that he is determined
to slow down deficit spending
Our thinking is that the people feel
more secure when the man in the
white house is a person with his
hand on the throttle.
Browsing in the files
of The News-Journal
25 years ago
Thundaj, October 15, 1953
The North Carolina cotton crop
for 1953 is forecast at 460,000 bales
by the State - Federal Crop
Reporting Service.
* ? ?
More than 60 Raeford residents
will appear next Tuesday night in
the spectacular Minstrel revue and
Follies sponsored by the Ellis
Williamson Post No. 20 of the
American Legion.
* ? *
Congressman C.B. Deane was a
visitor in town today and will
address the Kiwanis club tonight.
? * *
The remodeling program which
the Raeford Presbyterian Church
has been planning for a year or
more started this week, and of
ficials estimated the work would
take about four months.
* * *
From School News:
Beginning next Monday, Oc
tober 19, the First grade pupils at
the John W. McLauchlin School
who have been going home at noon
will go on regular primary schedule
and will remain at school until 2:00
p.m.
? ? ?
The assets for the Town of
Raefordd as shown in a Statement
of Financial Position were
S594.244.86.
? ? ?
Several people here attended the
Sandy Brothers program Friday
night at the 71st auditorium and
reported a nice time. Leslie Sandy
played with the Grand ole Opry in
Nashville, Tenn. some time back.
15 years ago
Thursday, October 17, 1963.
Raeford Airport Commission
today stood more than a thousand
dollars short of its $10,000 goal to
build a new airport here.
* * *
Hoke County United Fund
kicked off its 1963 - 64 fund
campaign Monday night and
during the next two weeks expects
to raise more than SI 8, 000.
? ? ?
Finander Bederry Sexton, Rae
ford civic and church leader fqA
about 60 years, died in a MoorP
County nursing home Saturday
night after an illness of several
months.
? * ?
Merchants of Raeford are
sponsoring the Halloween contests
this year for all the youngsters who
care to enter and compete for cash
prizes.
* * ?
Raeford's Bucks Finally put their
offensive machine in high gear
Friday night, grinding out a 45 - 12
victory over hapless Rohanen.
* ? *
The Upchurch Eagles made it
two in a row, defeating the Person
County Panthers of Roxboro, 14 -
6, at Armory Field last Thursday
night.
* ? *
Mrs. R.E. Neeley will leave
tomorrow for Raleigh where she
leaves by bus for the meeting of the
National Council of Home Demo^
stration Clubs in Little Rock, An^> '
? ? ?
The annual Community De
velopment Awards Night will be
held Wednesday night at the J. W.
McLauchlin School Cafeteria.