Editorials
Industrial coup
It was welcome news that Faberge plans a $2 million expan
sion this year in the plant's manufacturing and warehouse
facilities.
Faberge has done much for the Hoke County community
since the firm began operations here.
The Raeford plant, which makes a full line of company
products, employes more than 500 persons, has an annual
payroll of $5.5 million and pays over $320,000 in local proper
ty taxes.
The announced expansion is significant, not only because
the move creates 200 additional jobs, but also because it
rekindles an atmosphere of industrial growth here.
Members of the county's industrial development board and
the Chamber of Commerce pulled off a coup when they got
Faberge to locate here in 1978.
Now, that a sewer moretorium has apparently been lifted,
and economic recovery is underway, let's hope that the
developers can make another masterstroke by landing a new
industry.
Irresponsible move
Seventh District Republican Party Chairman Ed Johnson is
apparently trying to make political hay at the expense of Hoke
County residents by fostering a campaign to convert McCain
sanitorium to federal Veterans Administration hospital.
Johnson launched his program last week, with the avowed
"permission" of Sen. Jesse Helms, and is attempting to gain
public support in an effort to head off state plans to use Mc
Cain as a prison hospital.
According to the Lumberton businessman, the lofty idea
arose out of a casual discussion with "some" Robeson Coun
ty vets.
"I think the people of Hoke County would rather have a
Republican VA hospital employing three or four hundred
people than a Democrat prison hospital," Johnson said in a
News-Journal interview last week.
The assumption is a wise one.
However, given a choice, most residents in Hoke County
would probably also select $10 million over a weekend in
Fayetteville.
Perhaps there is a little better chance of getting the VA
hospital than the $10 million, but not much.
As a Helms spokesman put it, the way Johnson's scenario
goes is, if there is a ground swell of public support for a VA
hospital here, and if the state is willing to sell McCain to the
federal government, then the Veterans Administration
"might give the matter careful consideration."
After a further check with state correction department and
federal VA officials, it became clear that either Mr. Johnson
did not do his homework, or he has been led astray.
The Veterans Administration is not looking for hospital
sites in North Carolina and has no plans to expand short term
care beds here.
In addition a spokesman for the state Department of Cor
rections in Raleigh noted that the prison system would suffer
a "setback" in expansion plans, and it could cost taxpayers
more if McCain were sold to the federal government.
Although there are plans to expand the out-patient treat
ment area, Fayetteville VA Hospital Director B.E. Phillips
said his facility is not pressed for bed space.
"We don't need it," he said, adding that a recent study of
VA district, which includes all of North Carolina's four
hospitals and one facility in Tennessee, has not indicated a
need for more bed space.
VA spokesmen in Washington and in Winston-Salem con
firmed Phillips' evaluation.
It is clear that the conversion of McCain to a VA hospital
would take years to plan and perhaps longer to implement.
Meanwhile, McCain's 200 employees would be jobless, and
the corrections department would look for hospital quarters
elsewhere, costing Hoke County more workers and state tax
payers more money.
Not only is the VA plan for McCain improbable, but the
way it has been handled by Johnson and Helms was irrespon
sible.
The^ eu?4 - journal
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Letters To The Editor
History of learning
To The Editor:
I wanted to express my apprecia
tion for the extremely interesting
and very well written article by
Sherry Matthews in the May 12
News Journal.
John Gilchrist, of whom you
wrote, is my great, great, great,
great grandfather.
In helping to firmly establish
education in upper Robeson Coun
ty (Hoke), he established a legacy
that has continued to this day.
A large proportion of his
descendants are educators. I am a
teacher in Titusville, Florida. A
great granddaughter of John
Gilchrist, Annie Coleman Peyton,
was instrumental in establishing
Miss. State College for Women in
Columbus, Mississippi.
Respectively,
Robert W. Gilchrist
Race not issue
To The Editor:
As I read the article, "County
Considering Moving Food Site," I,
was very puzzled. WouM you
please print an article on the pur
pose and requirements for the
nutrition centers administered by
the Council of Government in
l.umberton.
According to the article all
"Black" are receiving the free
meals because they are the only
ones on the rosters. Aren't there
several reasons why the majority
are Black other than the locations?
I'm not a senior citizen, but I'm
sure others have participated in
this program who weren't men
tioned.
Surely, everyone knows that the
South Hoke center was not located
in the middle of a "Black section."
Whatever section of the county a
nutrition center is located should
not matter as long as it serves all
the senior citizens who will attend
and is within the budget.
There are so many senior
citizens who will not attend these
nutrition centers regardless of
where they are located for various
reasons.
I hope a site will be chosen and
made available for all the senior
citizens of this county who will at
tend whether they are Blacks,
~ Whites, or Indians.
Because race shouldn't be the
main consideration in choosing a
site.
Sincerely,
Helen Davis
Puppy Creek
Philosopher
Dear editor:
One thing to be learned from the
"Hitler Diaries" is that hand
writing experts, like psychiatrists
at a murder trial, can come down
on either side. One expert found
the 60 volumens authentic, another
said they were fakes, just as one
psychiatrist can find a murderer
sane, another insane.
If 1 were a lawyer and had a
client who was so guilty the best 1
could do for him was to get a hung
jury, I'd like to have two hand
writing experts or two psychiatrists
on the jury. Regardless of the
evidence, each would be positive in
opposite directions.
But there was a story in the
papers far more interesting than
the fake diaries.
An outfit has been exposed sell
ing high school diplomas and col
lege degrees from schools that
don't exist. You pick out the
diploma or degree you want, send
them a check and get your cer
tificate by return mail.
Some people are outraged that
you can get a piece of paper certi
fying you're more educated than
you are.
What's wrong with that? High
schools and colleges do it all the
time.
In fact you might ask, if you can
keep a kid in high school four
years without teaching him
anything, why not let him spend
his time playing video games and
just hand him a diploma when he
reaches the proper age and save the
expense of holding him in a
classroom? Mail rooms issuing
meaningless diplomas are a lot
cheaper than classrooms doing the
same thing.
Back to the to-do over those
forged diaries. You never know
when such things will show up.
You reckon some of the Federal
courts' haywire decisions in recent
years have come about because the
judges were working with forged,
inaccurate copies of the Constitu
tion?
Yours faithfully,
J. A.
Letters Policy
Letters to the editor are
encouraged and welcomed.
Writers should keep letters as
short as possible. Names,
addresses and telephone
numbers should be included
and all letters must be signed.
Names will be printed,
however, other information
will be kept confidential. We
reserve the right to edit letters
for good taste and brevity,
letters should be received by
The News-Journal by noon on
the Monday of the publication
week.
Guns blazed in 1920 mill village
Editor's Note: It was about this
lime 63 years ago that a shooting
erupted in the cotton mill village in
Raeford. Here's how Editor D.
Scott Poole described the incident
in the March 25, 1920 Hoke Coun
ty Journal:
"There was a shooting affray
just above the cotton mill village
Monday evening between Mr. H.S.
Baker and Zan Watkins.
"It seems the trouble started
over a bad check Watkins gave
Baker on Saturday and there, trou
ble threatened over that thing
Monday.
"They live near together. Baker
went to see Watkins Monday even
ing carrying his gun and on his ar
rival at Watkins* house, Watkins
ran into the house and shut the
door.
"Baker then discharged a load
of shot into the closed door.
"Watkins then opened the door
and fired a charge from a single
shot gun into Baker at short range
tearing a hole through his right
arm, and a part of the load entered
his side.
"He was taken to Dr. Wilkins'
office who dressed his wounds, but
later carried him to Highsmith's
hospital in Fayetteville."
Store Breakin
In the May 6, 1920, edition,
Poole reported another breakin at
About This Time
the McLauchlin Company and the
capture of the culprits.
"Some thief or thieves broke in
to McLauchlin Company's store
between closing time Saturday
night and Monday morning.
"It looked like a slim chance of
overtaking the rogue, but Chief
Cockman brought his dogs up to
the store after 8 o'clock Monday.
They took the track and went
straight as the scamp went to
George Cromartie's room and to
his bed, got upon the bed and lay
down.
"George was taken into custody
and admitted his guilt.
"George has been employed by
McLauchlin Co. to drive their
delivery truck. He prized up a win
dow to gain an entrance.
"Not a great deal was taken,
and it it thought that he left before
he had finished his job, for a
money drawer was left open that
contained a $3 bill, and that was
not taken. He doubtless thought he
had been discovered.
"Later 10 shirts, recognized as
stock from McLauchlin Co.'t
store, were found in George's
quarters.
"George told officers that Bud
Purcell or Bud McNair had some
of the shirts and upon a search.
seven more were found in the
cook's house.
"So there is a good case against
George and Bud. They are both in
jail."
On another matter in the same
edition, Poole noted that "the
gentlemen from Lowell and
Charlotte did not buy the Raeford
Cotton Mills, but D.L. Gore of
Wilmington and associates did,
and they took over the property
April 22.
"They will manufacture cotton
for automobile tires."
Eye for business
"Early this spring a man in An
tioch township bought a mule
from Town send A Brewer of Red
Springs, giving a promise on the
mule and his prospective crop.
"He then came to Raeford and
bought another mule from Morris
Bros., giving a mortgage on both
mules.
"He then went to Garris in
Parkton and bought a horse, giv
ing a mortgage on hit two mules
and the horse.
"Then Morris Bros, found out
something and went and took
theirs; Townsend k Brewer sent
and tot theirs, then Garris took the
horse back, and all this before the
man began plowing.
"So a progressive citizen was
thwarted in his designs on big
business."
CLIFF BLUE . . .
People & Issues
I' COMMUNITY COLLEGES ...
Last week marked the 20th An
niversary of the Community Col
leges and Technical Institutes in
North Carolina.
Having been Speaker of the
House of Representatives in North
Carolina in 1963 I was right much
involved in the establishment of
the program which set up the
legislative machinery under which
the community colleges and
technical institutes were establish
ed.
Having served as Chairman of
the Finance Committee of the
House of Representatives in 1959,
traveling over the state and visiting
every state institution, I became
more than a little interested in the
few community colleges and
technical institutes.
In 1961, if I remember correctly,
there wfcre four community col
leges, Wilmington, Charlotte,
Asheville and Elizabeth City.
There was a technical institute in
Alamance County.
In 1963, Governor Sanford ap
pointed a Commission on Educa
tion beyond the high school to
study the issue and report back to
the 1963 General Assembly.
Members of the Commission
were: Irving Carlyle, chairman, W.
Lunsford Crew, vice chairman;
John L. Sanders, secretary; and F.
Stuart Chapin, Miss Bonnie E.
Cone, Lewis C. Dowdy, Alfonso
Elder, William C. Friday, Mrs.
Samuel C. Hair, Deryl Hart, W.
Dallas Herring, Addison Hewlett,
Jr., Leo Jenkins, John R. Jordon,
Jr., Colvin T. Leonard, H.A. Mat
tox, L.P. McLendon, John Alex
ander McMahon, Thomas J. Pear
sail, Mrs. L. Richardson Prayer,
Mrs. Harry B. Stein. Thomas J.
White, J. Shelton Wicker, Thomas
H. Woodard and H. Clifton Blue.
The commission worked more
than a year on the idea and in
September 1962, made their
report.
Today, there are 58 community
colleges and technical institutes as
a result of the commission's work
and report.
Today, there is a Community
College or Technical institute
within reach of almost every per
son in North Carolina.
DALLAS HERRING. ..Chair
man Dallas Herring of the State
Board of Education was a great
leader for the community colleges
and technical institutes. On May
5th, this month he made a speech
in which he discussed the com
munity college and other people
who were involved in the work,
they being, Wade Martin, Barton
Hayes, Charles McCrary, Dr. Guy
B. Phillips, Dr. Charles Carroll,
Dr. I.E. Ready, Dr. Gerald James,
Ed Wilson, Ned Delamar, Russell
Swindell, Tony Bevacqua, A.C.
Davis, Joe Porter, Senator Robert
Lee Humber, Rep. Ralph Scott,
Dr. Edgar J. Boone and President
William C. Friday.
Dr. Dallas Herring was for
many years chairman of the state
Board of Education. In his speech,
May 5, 1983, in Raleigh, he quoted
another great Tar Heel statesman,
Charles B. Aycock when he said:
"I would have the strength to bear
the burdens of the weak and to lift
them up and make them strong,
teaching men everywhere that real
strength consists not in serving
ourselves but in doing for others."
Let's listen to Dr. Herring, a
coffin maker in Rose Hill:
"While the adoption of the
Community College Act in 1963
was a great milestone in the pro
gress of universal -education
beyond the high school, it was not
the beginning or even the first
milestone. It is hard to believe by
today's standards, but it is true
that we began the Industrial
Education Centers with a budget
of only a half million dollars in
1957-58 under the leadership of
Governor Luther H. Hodges.
The response of the people was
both instantaneous and over
whelming. The fledging communi
ty colleges brought together and
enlarged under the Community
College Act of 1957 as a separate
system also caught the eye of the
public and they began at last to
grow and expand their service.
When Terry Sanford assumed
office in 1961 the growth of the
two systems, which were becoming
more and more alike, clearly
demanded a comprehensive study,
which the Governor provided
through the appointment of the
Carlyle Commission.
The work of the Commission
culminated in the adoption of acts
making it possible to unify and ex
pand the University of North
Carolina and to unify and to ex
pand the existing IECs and com
munity colleges. The restructuring
of higher education, which the ma
jority of the Carlyle Commission
envisaged, was eventually achieved
by Oovernor Scott."