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VOL. XXXXVII NO. 32 USPS 162-860 KENANSVILLE. NC 28349 AUGUST 11. 1983 16 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
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BUYERS SELECTIVE OPENING DAY - The opening sale of the Eastern
Tobacco belt in Wallace was held at the Blanchard-Farrior Warehouse
with 550 piles of leaf on the floor. According to warehouse officials, 226 of
the ^iles of tobacco on the opening sale were purchased by the
stabilization program. The sale averaged SI.41, just one cent more than
the 1982 opening day average for the warehouse. This season 9,030,735
pounds of tobacco have been designated to the four Wallace tobacco
markets. The Wallace markets averaged SI.76 per pound in the 1982
season. Pictured above, the opening day sale at the Blanchard-Farrior
Warehouse in Wallace.
? Tobacco Market
Continues To Slump
Eastern North Carolina
Type 12 tobacco markets
opened Wednesday with a
chorus of dissatisfaction from
farmers, who insisted their
Q tobacco was not selling for
enough money to cover pro
duction costs,
"It'U be a long cold sum
mer at this rate and we won't
even be able to get into
winter," said Douglas Odum
of Sampson County, who
rejected the price offered for
18 piles of tobacco in Clinton
and took them home for
future sale.
?
As in the Georgia-Florida
Type 14 and Soutn Carolina
North Carolina Border Type
13 opening sales, an esti
mated 25 to 35 percent of the
Eastern offering went to
Rue-Cured Tobacco Coop
erative Stabilization Corp.
because the tobacco failed to
bring bids of more than $1
per 100 pounds above the
support level of the grade.
Companies seldom paid
more than SI more than the
support level Wednesday.
Buyers also refused most of
the more expensive grades.
Nearly all the mid-stalk to
bacco went to Stabilization,?
which operates the price
support program.
While the average tobacco
support price is $169.90 per
100 pounds, each grade car
ries a specific support price.
This may be higher or Tower
than the overall average
support.
Lower-stalk tobacco gen
erally carries support levels
lower than the average.
Upper-stalk tobacco, unless
it is damaged or unripe,
carries support levels higher
than the average.
Marvin Taylor of northern
Duplin County said Stabi
lization received all 13 piles
of mid-stalk tobacco that he
offered for sale in Wallace.
This grade carried support
levels of $170 to $187 per 100
pounds.
Duplin County Tobacco
Extension Agent J. Michael
Moore observed, "The com
panies don't seem to have
the money for the better
tobacco grades yet."
While many piles of fair
primings, comprising leaves
from the lower portion of the
tobacco stalks, went to Sta
bilization, most of these
grades went to R.J. Reynolds
Co. of Winston-Salem, J.I*
Taylor Co. of Daqville, Va.,
Philip Morris Co. of Rich
mond. Va.. and American
Tobacco Co. of Durham. The
principal fair priming grades
are supported at SI32 per 100
pounds. Most sales of the
grades were at $133.
Unofficial preliminary re
ports indicated one Wallace
warehouse averaged $145.58
per 100 pounds. $4.42 more
than on opening day last
year. In contrast, a Clinton
warehouse averaged $139.11
per 100 pounds, slightly less
than on last year's opening.
Meanwhile, the Chad
bourn market of the Border
Belt posted an unofficial
average of $152.73 Wednes
day, the second day of its
season. That was a gain of
$12.19 per 100 pounds over
its official opening day aver
age of $140,54 Tuesday.
"Farmers are taking a
courageous step to feeze
prices to make it competitive
worldwide, and in return the
companies ought to pay a
good price," Gov. Jim Hunt i
said as he opened the t
Eastern Belt market in 1
Wilson Wednesday. "The <
amount in stabilization has 1
?fcot lo come down. Farmers
are having to pay every
penny of the interest on the
stored tobacco in stabiliza
tion, which hurts every
farmer."
John Cyrus, tobacco
affairs specialist with the
N.C. Department of Agricul
ture, said opening rows at
some markets contained
some tobacco that he termed
"sunbaked and sunburned"
as a result of the period of
extreme hot, dry weather in
July.
Cyrus said he would be
"awfully disappointed" if
more than 39 percent of the
crop goes to stabilization,
surpassing last year's levels.
"There really is no reason
for that much tobacco to go
under loan," he said, be
cause of the quality of leaf
available.
Cyrus said a freeze on
price supports came too late
to be of much significance
this year.
Meanwhile, Sen. Jesse
Helms hopes to debate a
tobacco bill before Congress
recesses for the summer
faded because of a deadlock
jver other aspects of 1983
farm legislation.
Wallace
Tobacco
? Market Opens
Tobacco companies pur
chased only a little more than
SO percent of the leaf on the
warehouse floor. Herbert
Whaley's seven sheets of
tobacco were sold for one and
two cents above the support
price on the opening sale of
? the Eastern Belt in Wallace.
"I sold the same cropping
last year for prices of $1.78 to
$2," Herbert Whaley, a
tobacco farmer from the
Magnolia area said. "I think
prices will be better as the
season progresses. In a week
or two> if I were to sell the
same tobacco as I had on the
floor today, I feel like I would
get 15 to 20cents more. But,
a I just thought I needed to sell
? today to try and pay some of
the crop expenses." Whaley
grows 20 acres of tobacco
which, he added, had en
countered problems with
drought, drowning, cold and
heat during its growing
season. He estimated" the
current crop to be one to two
weeks later than the 1982
tobacco crop.
The opening sale _ in
? Wallace at the Blanchard
Farrior warehouse, August
3, auctioned 550 sheets of
tobacco and 226 were pur
chased by the tobacco stabi
lization program. The sale
averaged SI.41 per pound,
just one cent more than the
1982 opening average of
SI.40.
"The opening sale has let
the farmer know that tobacco
_ companies art not interested
P in tobacco which is not fully
ripe and matured," Duplin
Agricultural Extension
Agent J. Michael hloore
said. "Tobacco companies
can purchase poor quality
tobacco in any country. The
large amount of the sale
purchased by stabilization
will hold the average down.
' and farmers will not get good
grades on their tobacco until
the crops mature and are
harvested when fully ripe."
Early harvests have been due
to the leaves bunting in the
field as a result of too little
rain and excessive heat,.
Moore said. According to the
tobacco agent, farmers are
having to weigh the problem
of unripe leaves burning up
in the field or a premature
harvest for no pfofit on the
crop.
Whaley's ? 1982 tobacco
crop averaged $1.9$. And, he
expects to average about the
same this season. According
to the North Carolina ('arm
Market report last season
11,479,549 pounds of tobacco
were sold in Wallace ware
houses for an average of
$1.76.
"According to the other
tobacco sold, I am pleased
with the price I got for
mine," Whaley said. "But, 1
feel like my crop always does
a little better than most on
the floor because I still
harvest using the stick barn.
And, 1 realize it cost more to
do it that way, so when it
sells a few cents higher it
usually takes that'extra'to
pay the expenses. I take
pride in my tobacco and
curing it bi bulk barns takes
the body out of the leaves
and many,times it won't gven
smell like'tobacco."
UNCLE REMUS TALES - The professional
csst of the outdoor drama THE LIBERTY
CART wilt present the last of three Sunday
performances of LIVIN' DE LIFE at the
William R. Kenan Memorial Amphitheatre
^August 14 at 3 p.m. This is a play adapted
from the tales of Uncle Remus and stars the
critters of the Briar Patch. Pictured sbgve,
left to right, are Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox and
Br'er bear as the perform i'n LIVIN' DE LIFE
at the amphitheatre in Kenangvillc.
Beulaville Traffic
Problems Unsolved
After some town citizens
turned out to express dis
satisfaction with traffic
recommendations from the
North Carolina Department
of Transportation during the
August 1 meeting of the town
board, Beulitville Commis
sioners voted to request a re
evaluation of traffic problems
on Smith, Lee and Railroad
Streets,
Reviewing suggestions
from DOT, Beul^ville Com
missioners had proposed the
removal of parking on the
north and south sides of
Highway 24 from a point 2S
feet west of Railroad Street
to a point 25 feet east of
Railroad Street and convert
ing Smith and Lee Streets
into one-way lanes.
"If the streets are made
one way that may prevent
some accidents but that may
cause some,too," Willie
White of Sandlin's Depart
ment Store said. "One-way
streets could inconvenience
more people than they would
be worth."
"I don't want to upset any
of my customers," Bobby
Miller of Miller Hardware
said. "But something needs
to be done. What is best for
the people traveling the
streets should be considered,
and no matter what the
decision is, some will be
upset."
"I don'i believe one-way
streets will run anyone out of
Beulqville, when it's done
with the safety of the town
citizens in mind," Cecil
Lanier, a Beulaville auto
businessman said. "1 don't
want it on my conscience to
know we had a chance to
change it (traffic problems)
and did not. Especially if
there is a terrible accident
and someone is hurt bad.
"There is a real traffic
problem and had the Depart
ment of Transportation not
seen the need for 'changes
they would not have made
any recommendations,"
Lanier added.
Commissioner Rabon Ma
ready stated the streets of
Lee and Smith should be
one-way. Maready said he
had purposely travelled both
streets a great deal since the
Department of Transporta
tion recommendations came
before the Board in April and
felt the safest solution to
traffic problems on Lee and
Smith would be one-way
lanes. In a motion by
Maready. the Board
approved the recom
mendation to have the DOT
re-evaluate traffic problems
along Highway 24 in Beula
ville. Commissioner EJvis
Sumner voted against the
the motion.
Bids on a town computer
system were opened by the
Board. Computer Store of
Jacksonville submitter' a bid
of 512,846.95; S iec'slize-,!
Data Systems of Greenville,
$16,885; Northwestern
Systems, Ltd. of Steamboat
Springs. Co., $12,138; and
IBM/Ormsbv Associated of
Wilmington, $17,543. Bids
by Northwest Systems, Ltd.
and lBM/Ormsby Associated
were not accompanied by
cash bid bonds. Budgeted for
the purchase of the computer
system in the Beulaville
1983-84 budget is $10,000
Listed in the specifications
for the computer system are
capabilities for billing water,
sewer and trash collections
fees and accounting in
coming collections, tax
billing, tax collections, fixed
assets, budget preparation,
special report generation,
' budgetary accounting,
payroll and accounts pay
able. The bids on the com
puter systems for the town of
Beulaville are to be evalu
ated by the Department of
Urban Affairs at North Caro
lina State XJniversity.
The Beulaville Commis
sioners approved a recom
mendation from the town
planning board. The
planning board requested
property of Earl Gresham be
rezoned from R85 to R6. The
town commissioners
approved the request for a
public hearing on the zoning
change.
Duplin County Deputy Al
fred Basden asked the town
board to consider numbering
the homes an'' commercial
businesses in Beulqville to
assist law enforcement
officers and visitors to the
community.
Tobacco Workers
Are Excused From
Duplin Schools
Duplin County public
schools will excuse from
school attendance students
involved in tobacco produc
tion work at the request of
their parents.
The students will be
allowed to make up missed
work when they return to
classes.
The Board of Education
took this action last week as a
result of numberous requests
from farmers.
The board also approved a
$1 increase in the annual
premium for student health
and accident insurance dur
ing the school day. The new
rate will be $10. The $39
annual premium for 24-hour,
365-day student coverage re
mains unchanged.
The board also hired June
Allen Davis as a vocational
ag teacher at Wallace-Rose
Hill High School. The first
woman to teach vocational
agriculture classes in Duplin
County, she has a bachelor's
degree in agriculture and
animal science from N.C.
State University. She has
been teaching in Onslow
County.
During the discussion of
the need for students in the
tobacco fields during the
harvest, Board Chairman
Jimmy Strickland moved to
delay the school opening for
a week beyond the scheduled
date, Aug. 22. The motion
died for lack of a second.
Strickland said the tobacco
crop is as much as three
weeiis later than usual and
the harvest is the latest he
can remember.
"We don't need 500
people to come by and tell us
we have a problem. Some
things you can see for your
self," Strickland said.
Boardmember Carl Pate
said, "Some people are three
weeks into their tobacco har
vest and others have just
knocked the bottom leaves
off and haven't even started
harvesting."
"This is a farming com
munity and people will take it
for granted that we'll do
something." Strickland said.
Supt. L.S. Guy protested
the proposal by Strickland to
delay the school opening.
"The school calendar is a
good calendar and schools
are big business." Guy said.
"In the past we have excused
students for harvest work
and allowed them to make up
missed school work."
Last fall students who
worked in the harvest regis
tered on the first day of
classes and then were ex
cused. Parents will be re
quired to verify that their
student children are needed
in the harvest.
Guy said the schools need
to register on the opening
day all students, including
those to be excused for
harvest work. Otherwise, he
said, the county system could
lose some teachers.
New Employee
Hired In Foison
Faison Commissioners ap
proved the hiring of Dean
Norris in the town public
works department at the
regular meeting of the Board
August, 3 at the town hall.
Norris will be employed
full-time starting imme
diately on a 1.1-week proba
tion period. He will fill the
position vacated by Donald
Oates. in the Faison public
works department. Norris
begins at a salary of S3.50 an
hour. Upon the conclusion of
the employment probation
period Norris will be covered
under the town's health and
retirement programs.
Following a brief discus
sion Town Commissioner
Helen Britt made a'motion to
strike a prior ruling to pay
any town employee required
to attend meetiogs of the
Faison Board. Town employ
ees were paid at the same
rate as Faison Commis
sioners under the old ruling.
The motion was passed
unanimously by the Board.
The town clerk position was
excluded from the ruling.
Commissioner Rachel
Clifton informed the Board of
the collection 6f $4,400 by
the Faison Cemetery Com
mittee for perpetual care of
the Faison Cemetery.
According to Cl'fton $1,500
had been banked, in a 42
month certificate of deposit
and the remaining $2,$00
comprised recent contribu
tions to the perpetual care
project. Property owners in
the Faison Cemetery were
requested to participate in
the perpetual care project
with a one-time contribution
of$300.
A cemetery committee was
established at the May
meeting headed by Ann
Taylor of Faison and in
cluded Rachel Clifton and
Jane Precythe. At that time
74 property owners in the
Faison Cemetery had agreed
to participate in the per
petual care program and
Taylor estimated the annual
upkeep would be approxi
mately $2,000.
The town commissioners
agreed to submit a resolution
honoring Astronaut William
Thornton to the buplin
County Board of Commis
sioners declaring the week of
the space shuttle take-off as
Thornton Week in puplin.
Thorn top is a Faison native. '