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' VOL. XXXXVII NO. 21 USPS 162-860 KENANSVILLE. N.t. 28341 MAY 26. 1183 18 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
Murphy Wants Change In
Local Sales Tax Allocations
>
The basis of allocating
local sales tax money to
counties should be changed
to provide better distribution
of the funds to rural
counties, state Rep. Wendell
Murphy, D-Duplin-Jones,
said this past week.
Murphy said he does not
know how he will vote on a
House bill to authorize an
k additional 1-cent local sales
' tax. The bill calls for allo
cating funds based on where
they are collected ? as they
are now distributed ? and
not based on population.
Murphy told the Duplin
County Municipal Associa
tion last week in Rose Hill
that Duplin County low re
ceives about SI million a
year. If the allocation basis
t were changed from collection
? source to population, Duplin
would gain $500,000, he
said.
Counties with large shop
ping centers such as New
Hanover obviously receive
some local sales tax money
that "rightfully should go to
Brunswick, Pender and
Duplin counties," he said. "I
assure you 1 will be looking
for ways to change this
inequity."
Murphy's predecessor,
Douglas Clark, had promoted
a bill to distribute sales tax
revenue on the basis of
population. But Clark's pro
posal made little headway in
the General Assembly
against the opposition of
urban legislators. Murphyh
defeated Clark int he 1982
Democratic primary.
Wallace Mayor Melvin
Cording, a board member of
the N.C. League of Munici
palities, said that group sup
ports the bill to add a penny
to the sales tax.
He asked Murphy to sup
port the bill, but Murphy
said he does not know how he
would vote on it. "When you
have to spend 50 cents to get
25 cents, you might be
adding too much of a burden
to Duplin County," Murphy
said.
Curding responded, "Any
little bit will help."
Magnolia Mayor Melvin
Pope said, "1 agree with
Murphy. If you throw a
drowning man a string, he
may think it'll help, but he's
still going to drown. What we
need is a plow line."
Murphy also said the
General Assembly is moving
slowly on annexation.
He said a House bill which
would make annexation sub
ject to approval of those
affected seems to be fairer
than a competing Senate bill
which would continue to
permit annexation without
voter approval. The Senate
bill would stiffen require
ments for providing notice of
annexation and for providing
services to the annexed
areas.
"The financial well-being
of city and county govern
ments is a matter of great
concern in the legislature
and I doubt that any drastic
measure affecting this will be
approved," Murphy said.
While saying he still sup
ports the safe roads bill.
Murphy said, "In my opinion
the safe roads act could
create the biggest logjam of
untried cases our court
system has ever seen."
He said plea-bargaining
and consent judgments now
allowed in drunken driving
cases "would be removed
under the new law, resulting
in a great many jury trials.
This increased activity could
necessitate more judges,
more prosecutors and court
employees."
He said Rep. Billy Wat
kins, D-Granville, chairman
of the House Appropriations
Committee, has filed a bill to
provide the courts an extra
$5 million over the next two
years to meet those costs.
Asked about the possible
closing of Seaboard System's
Wilmington-Kocky Mount
rail line, Murphy told the
local officials, "1 will resist
evacuation of the rail line in
every way possible."
DUPLIN MUNICIPAL MEETING - Rose Hill Mayor Ben
Harrell and Rose Hill Commissioner Felton Rackley confer
with Representative Wendell Murphy at the Duplin
Municipal Association meeting Tuesday night at the Host
Hill Restaurant last week. Also in the picture is Robert
Hyatt. Wallace town administrator.
Board Debates Ambulances
>
The Duplin County Board
of Commissioners last week
agreed to have a broken
down ambulance repaired
after an extensive discussion
about buying a new one.
TI-. am kin son. e Ttergn
cy services coordinator, told
the board the engine "blew
s out" while the 1976 ambu
" lance was carrying a patient
to Wilmington. The ambu
lance has been driven 81,000
miles.
The ambulance has been
used to transfer patients
from Duplin General Hos
pital to hospitals in other
counties. The county also
owns an older ambulance
that has been driven about
200,000 miles and a 1981
k ambulance that has been
driven 82,000 miles.
The board decided it
should consider teplacing the
old ambulance before re
placing either of the newer
vehicles. Brinson estimated
the cost of repairing the
broken-down vehicle at about
$1,200.
The state will pay 25
percent of the cost of a new
^ ambulance for the Beulaville
Rescue Squad, which is
fourth on the state priority
list, Brinson said. New am
bulances cost from $23,000 to
more than $30,000. he said,
depending upon how much
eqi>-T~<r.eit? is purchased with
the new vehicles.
Duplin County furnishes
ambulances to the rescue
squads, although some of the
squads have some ambu
lances purchased with local
funds. Duplin County owns
nine of the 14 ambulances in
the county, Brinson said.
In other business, tax
supervisor Frank Moore said
assessed valuation of real
property in the county has
increased $5,814,100 in the
past year, about half the $10
million-a-year increase of
recent years. He attributed
the lower rate of increase to
bad economic conditions.
Moore said he will have
the total valuation figures
ready for the board this
week. It needs the figures to
determine how much money
each cent of the property tax
level will bring.
No one appeared for a
second hearing on revenue
sharing. The board expects
to receive $461,000 in federal
revenue-sharing funds for
the remainder of the fiscal
year.
Representatives of the
newly organised Duplin
General Hospital foundation
told the board they have
found strong support for the
hospital everywhere in the
county. The foundation was
formed to raise funds from
contributions and grants for
equipment and improve
ments to the hospital.
Foundation members
Marjorie Overman of
Wallace, Charles Ingram of
Warsaw and Violet Phillips
and Amos Brinson of
Kenansville said the com
mittee agreed with the
board's hiring of a consulting
firm to study the hospital
situation.
Other members of the
group are Arliss Albertson of
Beulaville, William Buckley
and Robert L. Smith of
Wallace, Dr. Alice Scott of
Pink Hill. Betty Lanier of
Rose Hill, W.L. Hennessee
of Faison, Haze! Ruth Kor
negay, Gerald Quinn of
Warsaw, and G.F. Landen of
Chinquapin.
Ten volunteer organiza
tions or individuals from
Duplin County will be en
tered in the 1983 governor's
statewide volunteer awards
program, said Walter Erov r_
director of aging ahri vofcun*
teer programs'.
They are: Faison Volun
teer Fire Department, or
ganization category; Coles
Chapel of the Lyman area of
southeastern Duplin, relig
ious volunteer; James Hilton
Lanier of Wallace, adminis
trator-coordinator; N.H.
Carter of Wallace, individual
human services; Harriett
Farrior, school volunteer; the
Rev. W. Aubrey Jones of
Wallace, one-on-one cate
gory; Charles F. Cates &
Sons Inc. of Faison, business
and industry volunteer in
volvement: Kelley Byrd. a
teacher at B.F. Grady
School, youth volunteer;
Dorothy Evans Shue of
Wallace, individual commu
nity volunteer leader; and
Margaret Hunter.
The board reappointed
Doris Sitterson of Kenans
ville to the jury selection
committee.
Destroy Plant
Beds After
Transplanting
By Emily KHIette
Blue mohfcases have been
reported across the state and
as close to Duplin as
Sampson County. J. Michael
Moore. Dnplin Agricultural
Extension tobacco agent,
said. A guard against blue
mold is destroying the plant
bed as soon as transplanting
is complete, Moore pointed
out.
"Most of the reported
cases of blue mold have been
on plant beds not treated
with Ridomil." Moore,
Duplin AES tobacco special
ist said. "We (NC Agricul
tural Extension Service) are
encouraging farmers to disk
and destroy the plant beds as
soon as they have been
depleted or the owner and
the area farmers have
finished transplanting. Plant
beds can harbor diseases
such as blue mold and in
sects. The build-up of the
disease on the plant bed will
eventually move to the
field." A chemical recom
mended by Moore for the
treatment of blue mold is
Ridomil. According to
Moore. Ridomil has been
marketed since 1979. the last
year in which Duplin's to
bacco crop suffered substan
tial damage from blue mold.
"It is time for the second
application of Ridomil to
plant beds." Moore said.
"And. 1 think it would be '
advisable for the farmer to
nnnlo tlin cao.tnd annliisatiitn '
uppi> liiv. S* ll I * ' ? I
of Ridomil even if the plant
bed is depleted and ready to
be destroyed." Along with
checking plant beds and
transplanted tobacco for blue
mold. Moore suggests
farmers be on the look-out
for the cutworm and the bud
worm. "This year farmers
will be having higher than
normal problems with
cutworms and wireworms
because of the late season
and cool weather. The 1983
"Tobacco Information"
booklet can be a good source
of information on treatment
of the early season insects."
The "Tobacco Information"
booklets are published an
nually by North Carolina
State University and avail
able at the local Agricultural |
Extension Service offices.
"In order to produce and
sell a quality tobacco crop
this year, farmers will need
to harvest ripe leaves and
prepare them well for
marketing in order to draw a
good price." Moore said.
"And, the first step in pro
ducing a good, uniform crop
is not over-applying nitrogen
after transplanting." Moore
foresees a normal growing
season for tobacco if the
weather continues in its
present trend. However, he
added, if weather conditions
changed to last summer's -
pattern of temperature and
rainfall, a lighter than
normal tobacco crop can be
expected by area farmers.
"By the calendar, farmers
are about two weeks behind ^
the planting season." Moore ;
said. "But. according to the ^
season, farmers are right on
time. I think you have to farm 5
with the weather and those
producers who had the early
tobacco plants have been
hurt by the late Cold snaps."
According to Moore, cold
temperatures lead to early
flowering in young tobacco
plants. Many Duplin farmers
who purchased tobacco
plants from Georgia and
South Carolina have reported
early flowering this season.
Moore said. To avoid early
flowering. Moore suggested
area farmers depend on local
plants to complete trans
planting.
GUARD AGAINST DISEASE - Duplin Agricultural
Extension Agent J. Michael Moore stressed the im
portance of guarding tobacco crops against disease by
destroying plant beds as soon as transplanting is
complete. Plant beds car harbor harmful diseases and
insects which will eventually be transmitted to the crop
field. Moore said. Moore is pictured above in a plant bed
overtaken by weeds and ready to be disked.
Wallace Sewage Station
Delayed For Lack Of Funds
L
f
An anticipated shortfall in
revenue will prevent the
Town Board of Wallace from
going ahead with a sewage
pump station project until
July, when the next fiscal
year begins.
Bids on the project were
opened May 3, but the'board
is afraid to let a contract
o because of the money prob
^ lent.
About half of the esti
mated $70,000 shortfall
stems from the state's dis
covery that the J.P. Stevens
Co. plants are just outside
the Wallace city limits.
Mayor Melvin Cording told
the board last week on
Wednesday.
The discovery means the
town will not receive about
a $30,000 to $35,000 as its
' share of state franchise taxes
on the plants. This is money
the town has been receiving
and that it had included in its
budget estimates. Cording
said.
The remainder of the
shortfall stems from the
sharp reduction in Stevens
plant operations during the
past year, which reduced the
, plant's use of water. Stevens
is the town's largest water
customer. The cutback in
plant operations cost the
town $35,000 in anti
cipated water revenue.
Cording said.
The board hopes to obtain
an extension of time on the
low bid until after July 1,
when the new fiscal year
begins. Town attorney Rich
ard Burrows told the board
bids usually are good for only
30 days. Burrows also told
the board it cannot legally let
a contract this fiscal year
and pay tor it out of next
year's funds.
The board's main concern
is that the low bid was nearly
$21,000 under the next
lowest bid. It fears if the
project must be rebid, the
low offer would be much
higher than the low bid of
$28,599.40 from R&B' Con
tracting Co. of Princeton.
1 he secona-lowest bid was
$44,500 from TransCon
Iroup Inc. of Rocky Mount.
Cording said the $31,800
in revenue-sharing money
expected in the next fiscal
year will be used to pay for
the lift station.
The board also faces a
decision on increased acci
dent and health insurance
premiums for town employ
ees. The Blue Cross-Blue
Shield individual insurance
premiums will increase from
$35.39'per month to $51.64
per month and the family
coverage from $97.67 to
$143.14 per month July 1.
The town pays the premiums
for its employees, who pay
the difference between indi
vidual and family coverage.
A $100 deductible plan is
ueing considered, with the
first S100 of medical care
paid by the employees, the
individual premiums would
increase to $44.48 and the
family coverage to $123.71
per month.
The insurance company
reported paying benefits of
$59,744 to town employees
and their families last year
compared with premiums to
taling $46,928.77.
The board "delayed action
on a request for a no-parking
zone in front of a mail drop
box on Main Street while it
obtains the opinions of mer
chants in the area about
losing parking spaces.
Sealed bids will be opened
at 2 p.m. June 24 at Town
Hall on a lot on West Stevens
Street that was declared
surplus property.
341 Youths Register To Vote
The Duplin County Elec
tion Board's in-school voter
registration effort netted 341
new registrations, Carolyn
Murphy, board secretary,
said last week.
Late in each school year
the board directs registrars
10 the county's four high
schools to register students.
This year the registration
was for people who will
become 18 years old by Nov.
18, date of the municipal
elections.
^ Mrs. Murphy said regis
tration was uuwn this year. ?
Usually about 500 register.
"We're not sure if there's a
lack of interest because the
only elections here this year
are the municipal ones," she
said.
Registration numbers ^by
schools were: East Duplin
101, James Kenan 122, Wal
lace-Rose Hill 50 and North
Dujplin 68.
The municipal election fil
ing period will be from noon
Sept. 16 to noon Oct. 7.
Registration books will close
at 5 p.m. Oct. 10.
Duplin To Keep School Program
A special federal reading
and mathematics instruction
program will be continued in
the 1983-84 school year in
Duplin County schools.
The program is authorized
by Chapter 1 of the federal
Education Consolidation and
Improvement Act. During
the 1982-83 school year.
2,295 students have been in
volved in the program About
8.t>00 students are enrolled
in Duplin County schools.
The 1983-84 program has a
budget of $862,675. which
will provide for 34 teachers,
two less than in the current
year.
Under the program, eco
nomically deprived children
in grades 4 through 12 who
score in the bottom 45 per
cent of those tested on the
California Achievement Test
receive special help in read
ing and children in grades
7-9. special help in mathe
matics.
Fourth- through eighth
grade pupils receive 30-45
minutes of special instruction
in reading or mathematics
laboratories. High school
students receive special in
struction every other week
during study hall or English
class periods.
While it is a federally
funded program, local
boards of education can ap
prove or reject it. The Duplin
Board of Education approved
the program at their meeting
last week.
The board also approved a
proposed vocational study
program fir 1983-84. The
proposed vocational program
budget is $1,119,116 of
which $347,903 would come
from local funds and
$771,213 from state appro
priations. The proposed pro
gram would offer 14 sub
jects. Fifty-three teachers
would be employed.
The board expects an en
rollment of 4,445 students in
the vocational division from
grades 7-12.
Subjects and anticipated
enrollments are: pre-voca
tional, 676; industrial arts
education. 6Sj; agricultural
education, 428; marketing
and distributive education.
173; health occupations edu
cation. 1.312; carpentry, 117;
masonry, 120; mechanics,
120; drafting, 47, and three
classes for handicapped stu
dents, 42.
Two houses built by voca
tional students at North
Duplin and Wallace-Rose
Hill high schools will be
offered at auction sales June
25.
The Wallace-Rose Hill
students built a 1.232-square
foot, three-bedroom house
with horizontal hardboard
siding. It will be offered for
sah at 10 a.m. on the school
grounds.
The North Duplin students
built a three-bedroom house
with vertical cedar siding,
fiberglass shingles and plas
terboard walls. The sale will
he held at 2 p.m.
The board will meet at 8
p.m. on the first Tuesday of
June, Julv and August and
return to its twice a month
schedule in September. It
also will hold only one meet
ing in December. ^