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PROGRESS SENTINEL
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VOL. XXXXVI NO. 38 USPS 162 860
KENANSVILLE.NC 28349 SEPTEMBER 23. 1982 16 PAGES THIS WEEK 10CENTS PLUS TAX
Factory To Turn Feathers
? Into Beds In Rose Hill ,
A "feather bedding" busi
ness will open in Rose Hill
soon, but it will mean work
ing, not loafing for 16 people.
Feather Processors Inc.,
owned by Ebern Watson Jr.
fpd his brother, Larry, is
eing constructed beside
U.S. 117 just north of Rose
Hill, not far from the state
animal diagnostic laboratory.
It is expected to open in
December with a monthly
payroll estimated at more
than $12,000.
The plant will process
chicken and duck feathers
and down (the prized fine,
Juffy feathers next to the
kin of adult birds) for pil
lows and other bedding
items, as well as down
padded outdoor wear.
Ebern Watson said he will
initially invest $600,000 in
the plant
The facility will replace a
plant that burned April 30 in
Raleigh. Watson said it will
not be as large as the original
alant at first, bcause the
^surance payment did not
cover the full value of the
loss.
Some machinery was
saved from the fire, but
much new equipment will
have to be installed, he
added.
The Watsons have a
broiler operation out of Rose
Hill so they decided to re
locate the plant near their
other firm, Watson's Seafood
and Pountry Co. The feather
processing firm was organ
ized in 1963,
Because the company buys
feathers from all over tne
East, Watson said, it makes
no difference where the plant
is located.
Ironically, none of the
feathers will come from the
Rose Hill Poultry Corp. Wat
son said t'ic broiler plant
uses its feathers to make
livestock feed and fertilizer.
Protein makes up about 90
percent of a feather's ma
terial.
"This will be a glorified
washing plant," Watson ex
plained.
Large washing machines
will take in 600 pounds of
feathers at a time, wash,
waterproof and dry them and
pack them in burlap wrapped
bales weighing about 550
pounds for shipment to
bedding and clothing indus
tries, he said.
The feathers will be strip
ped from the quills by ma
chine.
About 60 percent of the
feathers will be from land
birds such as chickens. The
remainder will be from ducks
and geese. Turkey feathers
cannot be used.
Watson said his customers
supply the armed services,
which use 300,000 to 500,000
pillows a year.
Two pounds of chicken
feathers will stuff one $8
pillow, he said. Only one
pound of duck feathers is
needed for the same size of
pillow. Seven ounces of down
will fill a pillow of the same
size, he added, but that
pillow will be worth >75.
Eight broiler chicks pro
duce an average of one
pound of feathers which sell
for about SI. Waterfowl
feathers now sell for S6-S8
per pound and down, $28 per
pound.
A laboratory will be neces
sary to insure the required
sanitation level of the fea
thers and down.
Warsaw Annexes National
Spinning Plant Site
m
The city of Warsaw's re
cent annexation of National
Spinning Co. property is
designed to qualify the plant
?for urban development action
funds.
The plant site's 61.24
acres are about three miles
east of the city limits. The
company waived water and
Asewer services in its petition
?o the city for the satellite
annexation that was ap
proved last week.
The town's application for
the federal development
grant was approved by the
Department of Housing and
Urban Development, accord
ing to Rep. Cha.les O. Whit
ley, D-NC. Warsaw is sche
duled to receive $1,040,000.
National Spinning also has
Received approval from the
Duplin County Board of
Commissioners for $10 mil
lion in tax-free industrial
development bonds, which
will be sold by the state.
The company plans to re
equip its plant with open end
spinning equipment, which
will manufacture yam for
such garments as sweaters
and men's hosiery.
The present equipment
manufactures a type of yarn
for which demand has de
clined. To continue operat
ing, company officers said
they had to change the
plant's product.
The conversion is expected
to result in 118 new jobs,
plus re-employment of a
number of laid-off workers.
National Spinning will
repay the town over a 10-year
period.
The firm will pay interest
at 60 percent of the prime
rate and will pay only in
terest for the first five years.
Warsaw will receive
property taxes from the com
panv starting next year.
In other action at their
Monday night meeting, the
following took pace:
? Frank Paul protested
the location of a Wilson's
store sign at the corner of his
building on U.S. 117. Paul
claimed the sign interferes
with traffic visibility.
The board agreed to write
a "friendly" letter to Wil
son's asking the firm to move
the sign.
? The request of Asa
Lee to locate a mobile home
on South Bay Street, a resi
dential area, was denied be
cause one adjacent property
owner refused to sign his
petition.
The other four adjacent
property owners have signed
his petition. But the town
ordinance requires agree
ment of all adjacent property
owners in a residential area
before a mobile home can be
located in the area.
? The board appointed
Everett Westbrook to the
board of adjustment for a
one-year term.
Thirty-one houses have
been condemned in the town,
but lacking a building in
spector, it cannot order the
structures to be either re
paired or demolished.
The board agreed to ask
county Building Inspector
Brice Sanderson to appear at
its next meeting to discuss
the question and the possi
bility of Warsaw coming
under the county building
inspection department.
Feather Factory In Rose Hill
Additional Costs Could Halt Plans
For Rose Hill Sewage Plont
A new sewage treatment
plant won't be built if the
local share of the cost nearly
doubles, Mayor Ben Harrell
told the Town Board last
week.
The state has proposed a
sharp increase in the local
share of such projects by
reducing the federal contri
bution in each so more
projects can be funded.
Rose Hill is one of many
towns with sewage treatment
plants that no longer meet
upgraded pollution stan
dards. Scores of North Caro
lina communities would be
unable to make required
improvements in their sew
age treatment plants to
reduce pollution, municipal
officials said at a Raleigh !
meeting earlier this month
when the state presented its
proposal.
The federal government
now contributes 75 percent of
he cost of sewage treatment
jrojects under an Envi'on
nental Protection Agency
:onstruction grant to the
itates. The state contributes
,2.5 percent and the town,
12.5 percent of the cost.
The federal share in such
jrojects will be reduced to 55
lercent in fiscal 1985. (Oc
eber 1984 through Septem
jer 1985). State officials
want to spread the federal
jrant money across more
jrojects by reducing the
Federal share in each project
:o 55 percent in 1983. Under
:he plan, 13 additional
projects could be funded.
But local shares of the cost
would increase from 12.5 to
22.5 percent and the state's
share to 22.5 percent. State
money for the projects will
run out when the 1977 clean
water bond fund of $230
million is exhausted. Only
$27 million of this fund
remains, according to a state
brochure.
When state mone< runs
out. towns will ha?e to put up
45 percent of the cost of the
projects.
More than 60 officials at
tended the Raleigh hearing
and strongly protested the
state's proposal.
"There's no way we could
come up with another
$300,000 to $375,000," Rose
Hill town administrator C.T.
Fussell said-on Wednesday.
"People wouldn't vote for
another bond authorization.
"They'd be changing the
rules in the middle of the
game if they go through with
this increase," Fussell
added.
Rose Hill residents ap
proved a scaled-down
$375,000 bond issue in No
vember 1980 to provide the
town's share of the estimated
$2.5 million cost of a plant
that would meet EPA stan
dards. They rejected a larger
bond proposal in March
1980.
In the meantime, the
federal government reduced
the allocation to the state
from an average of $80
million a year from 1975
through 1979 to $46.8 million
for fiscal 1982.
Harrell told the board the
town's tax rate would rise
from 70 cents to $1.35 and
the water rate would double
if it attempted to meet the
increased share of the project
cost.
Rose Hill received ap
proval for $186,000 to pay for
engineering and specifica
tion fees for its project. "I
see no need for Rose Hill to
go into the engineering
phase if the cost goes up."
Harrell told the board.
Fussell said the town now
charges a minimum of $10
" ' A.
per month for water and
sewer service. It has 600
water meters in service. He
said many residents would
be unable to pay $20 or more
a month for the service.
He said the town includes
575 houses and 56 busi
nesses. It has a population of
about 1.600 and an assessed
property valuation of $16
million Income from water
and sewer service for the
current fiscal year is esti
mated at $145,000.
Duplin County
Fair Oct. 4-9
^ A
Duplin Agribusiness
Fair Highlights
By Ruth Wells
Publicity Chairman
More interesting enter
tainment has been booked
?or your enjoyment at the
Duplin County Agribusiness
Fair October 4-9.
A very unique feature will
be a religious service on
| Wednesday, Oct. 7th. Rev.
David Dickey, pastor of
1 Grove Presbvterian Church,
? Kenansvillc, will conduct the
B service. Choirs from
p throughout the county will
I participate.
!, A High school bands will
. perform throughout the
| week. East Duplin band
j under the direction of Rocky
||. Long, will perform Wednes
day night. North Duplin band.
a directed by Brian Hoxie as
'j well as the James Kenan
| band, directed by Tom New
| man. are scheduled for
jj Saturday. Wallace-Rose Hill
j. band, directed by Joe
f Hodges, is also scheduled for
Wednesday performance.
And speaking of bands ?
the military band from Fort
Bragg will be on hand for
opening ceremonies.
A featured attraction four 1
nights will be a play, "The
Fisherman." This production '
will be brought to you by the '
Duplin County Community 1
Theater. All their past pre
sentations have been out- 1
standing.
Tobacco Day will be very
interesting to anyone con
nected with the industry, 1
which is, of course, the entire
population of the county. The
county commissioners will be
featured in Thursday's acti
vities. 1
Clint Reese of the North '
Carolina Cattlemen's Asso
ciation, will have timely in- '
formation for the area cattle
men. He is scheduled to
appear on Friday. The ex
tension department will also
bring information on prepa
ration of seafoods, soybeans
(eating - not for planting),
pork and poultry.
A very special feature this
year will portray a dying skill
in Duplin County, drawing
shingles, riving boards and
tobacco sticks. Stacy
Andrews, Route 2, Beulaville
will take time off from his
employment to demonstrate
cne of the basic survival
skills for mankind once he
migrated out of the cave. The
"draw horse" and "drawing
knife" used in the operation
were as esstential to our
colonial ancestors as the
wheel is to modern man.
Another almost forgotten
art will be demonstrated by
Lonnie Andrews as he
cperates a "tarkil." If this
has no meaning to you, it was
a very important and lucra
tive operation in bygone days
when tar was <"xtracted from
"fat lighf'ard."
Sheriff Revelle assures us
that as always, the right arm
of the law will be on duty at
the fairgrounds. Duplin's
rescue units will each take
turns at the fair.
MAGNOLIA TOWN BOARD SAYS TEAR IT DOWN....
The on again, off again Magnplia Depot project is off again. Magnolia's
Town board advi ;d Mayor Melvin Pope to demolish the depot at the
August town board meeting. The depot, a historic landmark," was
purchased by the town of Magnolia in 1980 after a three-year running
battle with the railroad. Efforts to purchase the depot began in 1977 and in
1980 the town paid the railroad company $600 for the depot and agreed to
a land rental of $136 per year for the property on which the railway station
sets. Also, the town of Magnolia purchased a lot adjacent to the train
station for $2,500. The lot Is 76 feet by 175 feet. After all these years of
negotiation, phone calls, letters and tax money spent, the decision now is
to tear it down. Commissioner Ruth Quinn stated the bricks "are soft and
we (the town don't have the money to remodel it."