PROGRESS SENTINEL
i
0' VOL. XXXXVI NO 3 USPS 162-860 KENANSVILLE. NC 28349 JANUARY 21. 1982 14PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
Warsaw To Study
Cable TV Plans
The Warsaw town board
^ will compare two cable tele
vision service proposals in a
special meeting later this
month.
The town's first cable op- ?
erator, Clear-Tel of Hope
Mills, was unable to meet
franchise requirements and
relinquished its franchise
last month.
The town board approved
the first reading of a pro
^ posed franchise to Beasley
Cable Television Co. at its
last meeting.
Univision Cable Television
Co. of Richlands, which has
franchises for rural Duplin
County and for Wallace,
Rose Hill, Beulaville,
Teachey, Magnolia and
Calypso, did not make War
saw an offer until Monday
night.
# Following the Univision
presentation, the board
agreed to call a special
meeting to compare the two
proposals.
Univision has been slow in
meeting performance bond
requirements, but vice
president Gail Bailev said the
firm has provided $50,000 in
letters of credit in lieu of
bonds to Wallace and Rose
Hill. She said the county will
receive a letter of credit. She
told the board the company is
forming a limited partner
ship that will solve its fi
nancial needs.
Univision engineer Bob
Towers said the company has
spent $500,000 in Richlands.
where cable service will go
into operation in a few
weeks. He said the Duplin
town and county systems will
require an investment of
about $3.2 million. The com
pany will install its main
station near Chinquapin,
with microwave receiving
stations in each community it
serves.
Ms. Bailey said Univision
would be able to purchase
Warsaw maps and installa
tions from Clear-Tel which
would permit it to provide
service to the town in abou
six months.
In other action, the boarc
agreed to extend city watei
lines one mile beyond the
city limits on N.C. 24 anc
Wards Bridge Road east ol
Warsaw.
Howard Back
For
Sentencing
The Rev. Sheldon Howard
confessed murderer of Ine;
Jcrnigan. is scheduled to b<
returned to Duplin Count;
next week for sentencing it
Superior Court, accordin)
to the Superior Court eaten
dar for the week of Januar
25th.
Howard, who plead guilt;
to second degree murde
charges in Duplin Superio
Court in early December, ha:
been in Central Prison it
Raleigh and at Dorthea Dil
for evaluation.
Henry L. Stevens III wil
be the presiding judge.
Duplin Outdoor Drama
? Society Board Meets
The Duplin Outdoor
Drama Society met in De
'cember at the Duplin County
Board of Education to
discuss and make plans for
the 1982 Liberty Cart season.
James Strickland pre
sided. Jim Johnson, general
manager, presented the pro
^ posed budget and it was
w approved by members
present. Johnson announced
that THE LIBERTY CART
had received a state grant
from the theater arts division
of the North Carolina De
partment of Cultural
Resources. The $11,680 will
be used for salary support,
extension of the season by
one week, and the addition of
an alternate production.
GODSPELL. on Wednesday
nights of the summer season..
II was decided that John
sonv David Thomas, directo/
and Carol Hawkins, stage
manager, will attend the
Southeastern Theatre Con
ference in Louisville, Ky.,
and the Institute of Outdoor
Drama in Chapel Hill. The
1982 company will be hired
from these two auditions and
theatre job contact services.
It was also decided by the
society that the advertising
budget be increased to helf
reach a more diversified
audience. Individual
comments were made b>
board members. Present ai
the meeting also were
Russell Tucker. Annie M
Kenion. W.E. Craft. L.S,
Guy Jr.. Doc Brinson. Wini
fred Mosley and Tom Kenan.
For more information, call
Jim Johnson at (919) 296
0721 or write THE LIBERTY
CART. P.O. Box 470,
Kenansville. NC 28349.
i Group Gets Time To
Save Old Building
A group attempting to
save the former Rose Hill
school gymnasium for a
community athletic facility
was given 60 days to see
what it could do with the
deteriorating structure.
Appearing before the town
board last week were Jack
Frederick. Larry Price,
Donnie Butler and Ben
Mathis as a "save our gym"
committee.
Frederick said the group
had a petition with 350
V' signatures asking to have the
building opened for basket
ball and other activities. He
asked for permission to study
the structure's condition to
determine repair costs and to
raise funds for the project.
Mayor Ben Harrell and
Commissioner Keith Hinson
estimated SIS.000 to $20,000
will be needed to repair the
structure.
The board delayed
opening the four bids it had
received for demolishing the
wooden structure, which was
built in the 1930s.
Frederick will report his
findings to the board at its
March 9 meeting.
Price called the structure
the last landmark built by the
people of Rose Hill. Now
children and teens go t<
Wallace and adults to Mag
nolia for basketball and othei
such activities, he said.
Hinson. who heads the
recreation board, said the
town board had done very
little with the building for the
past three years.
"Supervision was the big
problem." he said. "I re
member when one bunch of
kids locked another bunch of
kids in the gym. and if that
building had caught on fire,
there's not enough insurance
in the town to have paid out
on what could have
happened."
Dallas Herring
?Pursues HIstorv
"Carolina Update"
W. Dallas Herring of Rose
Hill has finally found time to
pursue a lifelong interest ?
local history.
^ In fact, he has taken local
history into his home, pro
viding space for the library of
the Duplin County Historical
Society, along with microfilm
and photocopying equipment
to publish the society's re
search work.
Herring, who is 65, was on
the state Board of' Higher
Education from 1956 to 1972.
He was named to the state
Board of Education in 1955
V and became chairman in
1957, serving until 1977
when C^v. James B. Hunt
Jr. decided not to reappoint
him.
Herring, a casket manu
facturer. said in a telephone
interview that he is semi
retired.
Herring lost the sight of
his left eye in an air rifle
accident when he was a
child. He said glaucoma has
now affected his right eye
but he can still drive to and
from work and read a little.
He also suffers from high
blood pressure and uses a
cane to walk.
"But I'm doing very well,
relieved from the pressure."
he said.
His main activity, these
days is with the historical
society.
Herring said he keeps the
society's library open in his
home from 7 p.m. to mid
#
"'gilt aaily and there is
almost always somebody
there doing research.
Except for his membership
on the board of trustees of
James Sprunt Technical Col
lege. Herring is no longer
active in educational circles
and said he feels out of
touch.
"I know there are prob
lems that we didn't have,"
he said. "They're the result
of the time, the economic
crunch, declining enroll
ment. the struggle to bring
about some quality in edu
cation .
"...The testing approach?
I don't know. It may work. It
may not. It seems a stick and
you need some carrots to go
with it. 1 suppose that over
all, I'm encouraged."
^ ?GUY MUNGER
?p -
PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND Preservation Hall Jazz band, a
group of New Orleans musicians who have traveled the world playing the
famous music they created decades ago. will hold a concert on January 28
in the Kenan Memorial Auditorium in Kenansville at 8 p.m. Now in their
60s, 70s and 80s, the band members still play with the spirit and joy that is
symbolic of New Orleans jazz. The band is the third performance of the
1981-82 Tar Heel Fine Arts Society in Duplin County. Preservation Hall
Jazz helped bring musicians together the marches, quadrilles, blues,
' spirituals and ragtime which created what is known as New Orleans jazz.
Preservation Hall in New Orleans originally was a place where the
musicians could get together to play mostly for their own pleasure. Now
people from all over the wot Id pack the benches each night to hear jazz as
' ? it was plaved when it was^ac.Ued. In addition. Preservation Hall Jazz
Bands have trave^ftf ^hroughfcut the world to bring their masic lo
audiences everywhere. The music they plav is simple in technical terms
but complex in performance. Because they improvise as they go along,
each concert is an original that kill never be reconstructed in exactly the
same way.
Season membership tickets for the concert are available through
members of the Tar Heel Fine Arts Society board of directors ot at the "
door. The season membership will also include the final two presentations
by the Society for this year. Marco Valenti. a tenor soloist, will perform
March 4 and the season concludes April If with duo-pianists, the
Marlowe Brothers. Jeffrv and Ronald Marlowe are identical twins and
perform a series of classical pieces by Bach. Brahms and Mozart as well aS
the Beat; .. . ?*? aaifc' ? y
Wallace To Apply For
Sewage Treatment Plant
While start of construction
of the long-proposed Wallace
sewage treatment plant will
be at least two years off,
Steve Routh, town adminis
trator, said he had received
the go-ahead to make appli
cation for Phase II of the
project.
Phase II includes prepara
Kenansville
; Area
C Of C
To Meet
The annual meeting of the
general membership of the
KenansVille Area Chamber
of Commerce, Inc. will be
held Thursday. Jan. 21st at
the Kenansville United
Methodist Church. Bruce H.
Robinson Jr.. attorney, will
be the speaker-entertainer.
He is a professional magician
as well as attorney.
The meeting will begin
with a dutch buffet dinner
catered by the ladies of the
church, beginning at 7 p.m.
Jaycee
Week
January 18-24. 1982. is
Jaycee Week in North
Carolina. The Kenansville
Jaycees are proud of their
community and of the
services they provide. The
Jaycee Creed contains the
following line. "That service
to humanity is the best work
of life." and the Kenansville
Jaycees believe this line to
be of utmost importance in
describing the purpose of
what Jaycees are all about.
Some projects that are
undertaken each year by the
; Kenansville Jaycees include
monthly prayer breakfasts,
distinguished service awards
banquet. Christmas parties
for senior citizens at
Guardian Care and Whaley's '
Rest Home, and jelly sales
now going on providing all 1
North Carlinians with a buxn '
center in Chapel Hill. V 1
tion of engineering specifi
cations and drawings needed
before construction.
Wallace remains No. 40 on
the priority list for funding
for such projects. Routh said.
He added the priority list
includes more than 300 such
projects.
Routh said need for the
Wallace project had been
established. The town has
been under a virtual "no
growth" situation due to lack
of sewage treatment capa
city.
However, he added, state
environmental officials do
not know how much money
will be allocated North Caro
lina for the federal share of
the cost of needed sewage
treatment facilties for fiscal
1982. Congress has failed to
pass the necessary funding
bill, even though the 1982
fiscal year began las' Oct. I.
"We need to have every
thing ready and in place,
when and if sufficient money
is alloted for us to receive our
share." Routh said.
In estimating construction
begin in about two years,
Routh added. "I suppose
they said the same thing two
years ago. too."
The federal government
normally pays 75 percent of
the cost of such projects, the
statb 12.5 percent and the
local government 12.5 per
cent. Wallace has available
its share of the cost.
The town board, meeting
Thursday night, concluded
its activity by recessing until
7:30 Monday at the town
Town Hall, when it was to
hear David N. Henderson,
former Wallace lawyer and
Third District congressman,
discuss the status of the
American Legion building
and ballfield. Routh said the
town has leased the ballfield
for summer sports programs
for several years.
The board Thursday night
instructed Routh to prepare a
referendum for town em
ployees on pension plans.
The board has been discuss
ing a proposed change from a
private pension plan to the
state operated plan.
Following a hearing on two
amendments to the town
zoning ordinance, designed
to allow town house de
velopment. the board sent
back the proposals to the
planning board for further
study.
Eastern Heritage Develop
ment Corp. of Florida is
proposing to build 40 town
house-type dwelling units.
Routh estimated the com
pleted project would have a
value of about SI million.
The town needs to define
the term "town house" and
establish regulations for such
a project, he added. No one
appeared in opposition to the
town house project or the
proposed amendments.
Routh also was directed to
obtain cost estimates on re
codification of the town code.
The last recodification was
done in 1941. The adminis
trator said cost probably
would range from $9,000 to
$10,000.
Whitley Speaks On Tobacco
V
Program At Rotary Luncheon
If we are to keep the
tobacco price support pro
gram. we are going to have
to make some changes and
police our own program. This
is the message Congressman
Charlie Whitlev gave at the
Warsaw-Kenansville Rotary
meeting Thursday.
Whitley stated that we are
going to have to look very
carefully at the program and
ensure there will be no cost
to the federal government
(taxpayers).
"Last year is considered a
good year; the best tobacco
crops in a long time. Yet the
stabilization program people
bought 8.6 percent. This is
not bad compared to other
years when stabilization
bought into the teens. How
ever. 8.6 percent is 106
million pounds. The average
price stabilization paid was
$1.50. This comes to $160
million. The interest on the
money used to purchase this
tobacco cost the government
a little over 14 percent. Thus
the stabilization program,
when it sells the tobacco,
must get the support price (a
price it would noptog on
the warehouse f.r'^'v'Us 14
percent, plus storage. To
ensure a no-cost situation,
we may be looking at a
penny-a-pound check-off to
create a loss reserve."
The tobacco rent price, if it
remains. Whitley noted, may
come under some type of
control, possibly tied to a
percentage. He noted there
are many factors, ". . .It
adds to the high price of
American tobacco competing
on the world market. Some
elderly people are depending
on it as a Social Security
supplement. . .Young jfai
mers who arc renting are
straining to keep their heads
above water. They need
lower rents. . .Our opponents
in Congress argue it is a
'feudal system.'.. .The argu
ment goes that 'We are
paying someone for a federal
right' and 'That shouldn't
be.' "
Whitley said, "I think we
are definitely going to have
to make some changes. To
keep this support we must
demonstrate we are sincerely
trying to change the program
in a way that will avoid
costing the federal govern
ment. And, for our own
protection, I think we need to
change it in a way so we
won't price ourselves right
off the world and domestic
markets. We have cigarette
manufacturers here in
America today who are buy-'
ing increasing amounts of
offshore tobacco. If they can
get the quality of tobacco
they need, and increasingly
the quality of overseas tobac
co has been getting better
while ours has been goind
down as a result of. .partially
as a result of just our present
harvesting and culture prac
tices. . .mechanical harvest
ing. . .bulk curing. . .The
way we handle it now. .
.certainly tends to depress
the quality from a few years
ago when we had a lot of
hand labor in it."...
"Hearings will be held this
year in Congress with input
from all segments of the
tobacco industry. . .the allot
ment owners, the growers,
the warehousemen, the
buyers, the manufacturers. .
everyone involved." says
Whitley. "We will get the
very best evidence we can
and make changes to the
program as fair as possible to
all concerned. . .And help
preserve the program which
is so' important to the
economy of eastern North
Carolina."
On the economy. Whitley
said he believed the budget
will come up $100 million in
the red. He believes a tax
increase is almost a cer
tainty. He will not vote for a
tax increase on gasoline. He
stated he believes it is wrong
to put taxes on gasoline to
offset deficiencies in areas
not related to roads. *