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PROGRESS SENTINEL
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VOL. XXXXV NO. 51 USPS 152-860 KENANSVILLE. NC 28349 DECEMBER 18. 1980 24 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
SIXTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS - The David Byrd home will
be opened to the public on the sixth day of Christmas,
December 20. The home of David and Betty Byrd will be
decorated in fresh greenery and handmade chicken
decorations throughout the house. The home is located on
Rural Paved Road 1300, less than three miles off Highway
11 North. The home, along with Liberty Hall and the
Graham House Inn will be open from 2-6 p.m. on the sixth
day of Christmas.
Kenansville ABC Board
Lays off Employee
*' V ijto
y
The Kenansville ABC
Board agreed to lay off the
/Si>art-time employee effective
WJanuary 1, during the Dec.
15 Alochol and Beverage
Control Board meeting.
Two full-time and one
part-time persons are
presently employed at the
store. The part-time em
ployee at the Kenansville
ABC Store has been working
32 hours a week, said store
^manager Bob Hughes, at a
^fealary of $128.
Hughes objected to the
dismissal of the part-time
employee stating that two
employees would have to
work over a 40-hour week.
He added, 30 hours a week
are needed to complete the
bookwork for the store. The
store is open 72 hours a
week.
Christmas bonuses for the
ABC Store employees were
also denied by the board
during their meeting
December 8. A total of $809
in Christmas bonuses were
given the three employees
last year, which ABC Com
missioner Emmel Coggins
said, equals a week and
one-half salary per em
ployee.
In an attempt to trim some
of the bookwork. Coggins
said, the board moved to
change the payroll from
weekly to monthly. The
monthly payroll will become
effective at the beginning of
the 1981-82 fiscal year, July
1st.
An employees' handbook
was discussed by the ABC
Board, and adopted as
amended. The handbook will
be the first written agree
ment between employees
and the board since the ABC
Store was established in the
1960s, Coggins said. The
handbook will establish store
employment policies for
sick-leave, vacation, disci
plinary action, raises, em
ployment probation and
benefits, Coggins said.
"We have never had an
exact agreement," Hughes
said. "Up until now, we all
trusted one another, and it
was never spelled out as it is
in the handbook. By talking
with the board and the board
talking with us, we knew
what we had and we didn't
think anyone was trying to
take advantage of us."
And. a timer to automati
cally cut off the outside lights ,
at the ABC Store was ap
proved by the board. Two
850-watt flood lights are
located on each of the four
corners of the store building,
Hughes said. Each night,
and closing Saturday, the
lights are switched on to
burn until the store opens the
following business day.
With the purchase of a
timer, the lights will burn
only 30 minutes each night
after closing. Coggins said.
Light from an adjacent street
light and surrounding lights
will be sufficient to deter
break-ins after store hours,
he added.
The board adopted a new
insurance plan which will
increase the store's liability
and workmen's compensa
tion at a decreased cost of
$200 each year. According to'
Coggins. a package policy
has been put together for all
state ABC Stores through the
Fireman's Fund Insurance
Co. Kenansville will be
participating in the package
deal which increases the
liability insurance from
$100,000 to $2.5 million,
Coggins said.
A representative from the
ABC Board will appear at the
January 5 meeting of the
Kenansville town board. The
ABC Board will be request
ing the town's cooperation in
efforts to change the profit
allocation between towns and
the county. Coggins said, the
board will reauest the
Kenansville Commissioners
write a letter to Represen
tative Doug Clark asking that
legislation be introduced at
the end of the 1981 session
changing the ABC profit
distribution, ending county
funds and allocating the
entire profit to the towns.
The board feels the county
should not profit from ABC
funds when Duplin voted
dry, Coggins said.
The county receives 55%
of the profit revenues from
town ABC stores, which
amounted to .more "than
$65,000 in the last fiscal
year. Towns receive 45% of
the profit from their ABC
store.
? Ivey Bowden, ' store
employee, received a salary
increase to $5 an hour.
Hughes was authorized by
the board to attend the mid
winter State ABC meeting in
Charlotte, trip expenses of
$35 a day, plus 25 cents a
mile will be paid from the
store's budget.
Coggins received a $25
check for service on the
board. He refused the salary,
but endorsed the paycheck
which he donated to ABC
store employees as Christ
mas bonuses.
. Textile Plont
To Open
In Wallace
-
A Imperial Spinning Mills
" plans to begin operations in
its new plant in Wallace next
month.
The industrial shell build
ing erected just south of
Wallace several years ago.
was taken over by the new
company earlier this year.
Renovations are now
under way on the 40,000
square-foot structure.
In addition to completing
z^he interior of the shell, the
^a|m is adding 8,000 square
feet on the back of the build
ing and a 2.000-square-foot
office area on the front.
The plant will spin yarn for
use in sweaters and men's
hosiery when it goes into
operation. It will employ an
estimated 125 persons on a
24-hour, three-shift opera
tion.
The plant's payroll is ex
pected to top $1.3 million per
year when it enters full
operation.
Duplin employment
officials reported that three
to five persons had applied
for every job at the plant.
The county's official
unemployment rate is placed
at about 8 percent: however,
that figure fails to take into
account the underemployed
persons and those not
registered with the job ser
vices office. An estimated
15,240 persons are employed
in the county, while 1,320 are
listed as actively looking for
work.
^ Medical
Explorer Post
,JI ? a
Richard E. Harrell, ad
ministrator of Duplin
General Hospital, has an
nounced the formation of a
l^ledical Explorer Post spon
sored by the hospital "We
will hold our first-nighter to
organize ai)d sign -up mem
bers on Wednesday nigiu,
December 17 at the hospital
at 7:30 p.m.
"Exploring is for young
men and women of high
school age through age 20,
and is one of the program of
the Boy Scouts of America,"
said Harrell.
Trap Snares
Four Suspects
A night's wait paid off for
0. B. Brown, who owns a
country grocery store at
Lyman, when he appre
hended four suspected
bottle thieves Saturday and
held them at bay with a
shotgun until sheriffs depu
ties arrived.
Brown said he had missed
two or more cases of bottles
Thursday and Friday nights,
so he decided to stay in the
store after he closed on
Saturdav.
Brown said he heard
people moving around the
cases about 9:30 p.m. and
called the Duplin Sheriff"s
Department. When officers
arrived, he had four suspects
lying on his driveway under
threat of a shotgun.
Arrested and charged with
larceny were Ronald Mar*
Lanier. 16 and Terry Daniel
Smith, 16, both of Route 1,
Chinquapin, Ricky James
English. 18, Route 2.
Wallace, and Berry Jeffrey
Mobley, 16, of Route t,
Beuiaville.
Deputies found eight cases
of bottles taken from another
store in the suspects'cat- ^
Cable TV Proposed
At Warsaw Board Meeting
Cable television for town
citizens was proposed Dec
ember 8. during the regular
monthly meeting of Warsaw
Board of Commissioners by
Clear-Tell. Inc. of Hope
Mills.
The cable television com
pany proposes 35 channels
vhich will allow the addition
of networks as demend
increases. Clear-Tell has
been working in the towns of
Warsaw and Wallace
surveying the potential for
rable service. In Warsaw,
1,200 potential customers
have been identified through
the company's survey. Town
Clerk Alfred Herring said.
According to Herring, the
company tentatively plans to
offer Warsaw customers free
hook-up within the first 60
days of service. After the
first 60 days, a hook-up fee
will be charged new cus
tomers, and a monthly rate of
$9,50 has been tentatively
set for each customer's cable
service, Herring added. In
cluded in the cable stations
will be Home Box Office,
Herring commented, which
is the optional pay television.
The optional service will
allow customers to monitor
special broadcasts, such as
fights.
The board asked Town
Attorney Jene Thompson to
investigate the company's
offer comparing the Clear
Tell -reposal with neighbor
ing! 1 ns serviced by a cable
teli W-* .canchise. If ap
proved by the town board.
Herring said, a public hear
ing will be called before the
company is issued a
franchise in Warsaw. If the
company is granted a fran
chise. a base office will be
established in Warsaw with
service beginning in approxi
mately one year. Herring
added, if the deal is turned
down by either Warsaw or
Wallace, the company will
service the remaining town.
Dr. Mett Ausley appeared
before the board requesting
the town take responsibility
for the railroad crossing into
Stewart Creek Apartments
on North Front Street.
Ausley had been contacted
by Seaboard Coastline re
questing the crossing be up
graded to meet the Rail
road's standard.
Ausley. the former owner
of the property, had signed a
contract with Seaboard
Coastline agreeing to main
tain the crossing. The con
tract continues to be binding,
Ausley said, and could cost
him several thousand dollars
to repair the crossing on
property which he no longer
owns. Ausley added he
would close the crossing
before spending the money
necessary to repair it as
requested by Seabord Coast
line.
A motion to repair the
crossing at the town's ex
pense was made by Com
missioner Frank Steed. The
board agreed to send a letter
advising Seaboard Coastline
tha1 the town would assume
future responsibility for the
crossing. .
The board approved $200
for a historical study in the
town of Warsaw. Mrs. Henry
Stevens. Jr. requested the
board contribute to help the
study of historical Warsaw
homes over 50 years old.
According to Mrs. Stevens.
60 homes have been studied
so far. The project is
being done in conjunction
with the University of North
Carolina at Wilmington and
the Department of Housing
and Urban Development,
and the Historical Preser
vation Society, she said. The
project involves students
from UNC-W who do the
survey work and receive
college credit for the work.
During the research. Mrs.
Stevens said, several houses
in Warsaw have been found
to be over 150 years old.
Appearing before the
board was Ernest Frederick
with a building proposal at
his business site. Frederick,
owner of the USS Agri
Chemical dealership on
George Street, informed the
board of plans to construct a
3b ft. x 3b ft. building on the
lot. The building would open
to the railroad tracks and be
used for bulk storage of
fertilizer. The building would
be used as part of the
existing business. Frederick
said, and not conflict with the
zoning ordinance. No oppo
sition was expressed bv the
board.
Quinn Co. Saves By
Controlling Energy
The Quinn Co., a $100
million-a-year wholesale
firm, reduced 'ts electricity
costs in the past year despite
rate increases by using an
electric energy managing
system, according to Gerald
Quinn. vice president.
Quinn said the company
reduced its use of electricity
by 16.7 percent or 638,430
kilowatts in a 12-month
period. It paid $8,542 or 7.55
percent less for electricity
during the period.
During the year ending in
October /s2?9, th^ firm used
3.826.600 kilowatts, for
which it paid SI 13,204.97.
During the same period
ending in 1980 the firm used
J, 188,170 kilowatts and paid
SI04.S62.b7.
Quinn said the firm is now
using $293 worth of elec
tricity per day. Last year at
this time it was using $302
worth of electricity a day.
It used 25,479 gallons of
LP gas in the October to
October 1978-79 period at a
cost of $9,512.74. During the
same 1979-80 period it used
20.125 gallons of LP t"is and
paid $10,049.51 TM price
increased 33.8 percent.
Quinn said the firm spent
$12,500 on an electric energy
managing system, which in
cludes timing devices on
lights and heating units.
Lights go out at 3:30 p.m.
closing time except for se
curity lighting. Lights come
back on at 6 p.m. for the
night shift to load out trucks.
Lights go off again whenever
the night crew has the trucks
loaded.
Quinn said the system
saved enough money in the
first eight months to pay for
itself. "It took a lot of talking
to convince me to spend
$12,500 for the system.
"We thought we had been
doing a good job of switching
off lights, etc. manually, but
apparently we were not."
Quinn said. He said not
much can be done about the
new temporary increase of 25
percent.
"All of this didn't just
happen. It took a lot of work.
Employee cooperation helps.
The less costs we have, the
more money we make and
the more we can pay our
employees," Quinn said.
Quinn Company
Will Supply Produce
Renovations have begun at
the Quinn Company in War
saw, which will establish the
wholesaler as a full-service
supplier to independent
grocers, said Gerald Quinn of
the Quinn Company.
The company plans to
begin supplying fresh fruit
and vegetables in April after
20,000 square feet of reno
vations are complete. The
expansion into the produce
department and structural
renovations are costing
$500,000, Quinn said. The
renovation of an existing
building at the Quinn
Company has been designed
to utilize the latest tech
nology which will ensure the
most efficient and sanitary
distribution of the products
from the growing area to the
supermarket, he added.
"This is the last step of the
plan to become a full-service
supplier," Quinn said.
"And, it is something we
have been planning for
years."
Quinn Company is one of
the many expanding busi
nesses in Duplin County.
Since the beginning of the
year, four additional busi
nesses in Duplin have ex
panded operations, said
Duplin Industrial Develop
ment Director John
Gurganus. Swift in Wallace
expanded early in 1980,
adding $3 million in con
struction. The renovations
included the demand for 25
new employees in the turkey
stuffing process added at the
facility, Gurganus said.
North Carolina Hydraulic in
Beulaville expanded adding
$400,000 in construction and
27 new employees. Reeves
and Guilford East, both of
Kenansville, improved their
facilities over the past year,
Gurganus said. Reeves
underwent a $450,000 ex
pansion, adding shipping
and storage space, while
Guilford East spent $1
million to upgrade waste
water treatment facilities.
New industrial invest
ments in Duplin County
during the year will have the
potential to employ 355 per
sons, Gurganus said. New
operations whic^i will employ
additional persons include
Georgia Pacific at Hiwdens
and Imperial Spinning in
Wallace. Georgia Pacific is
employing 60 persons and
the yarn-spinning operation
to base in Wallace will have
the potential to employ 125
persons, Gurganus said. The
Imperial Spinning
investment represents $4
million, while the sawmill at
Bowdens is a $3.5 million
operation.
Three additional industries
have purchased operations in
the county. Bell and Sons of
Calypso employs 25 persons
at the site of the former
Calypso Manufacturing Co.
The $250,000 investment by
Bell and Sons at Calypso
came after the sewing opera
tion closed, Curganus said.
Similar to the Calypso manu
facturing operation, Warsaw
Apparel closed and was pur
chased within this year, he
said. Warsaw Apparel re
opened this month and will
have the potential to cmplov
as many as 125 persons.
Warsaw Meat Company
opened this year, Gurganus
said, and employs 20 per
sons. The meat company,
located on Highway 24, was
once owned by Carroll's of
Warsaw. At the meat
company, pork is slaugh
tered and deboned before
being shipped to other loca
tions for further processing,
Gurganus said.
Miss Duplin County Shari Jones Appears In The
? j
Fcftson Christmas Parade