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PROGRESS SENTINEL
VOL. XXXXVI1 NO. 31 USPS 162-860 ' KENANSVILLE, NC 28349 AUGUST 2. 1984 16 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
Tobacco Market Prepares For Opening Day
Wallace warehouses began last week unloading piles of
local tobacco to fill the opening day sale August 1.
?Wallace markets are the only tobacco warehouse in
Duplin County and they have over 10 million pounds
designated for sale this season. Pictured above tobacco
is unloaded and weighed at the New Duplin Warehouse
and place on the floor for the opening day sale in
Wallace. Last year the Wallace markets average $1.81
per pound of tobacco sold.
Eastern Tobacco Belt Opened
In Wallace Wednesday
Sales on the Eastern tobacco
market belt opened Wednesday in
Wallace at Hussey's Warehouse.
Sales continued through the day at
all of the Wallace tobacco ware
houses.
According to Duplin Agricultural
Extension Service tobacco agent J.
Michael Moore, price supports on
tlj? leaf have remained the same as
lasf season, with only changes to add
Asome new grades.
^ Even though, the market opened
operating at capcity in Wallace,
warehouse owners are expecting to
run sales with less than a full floor
during the first couple of weeks of
the season. Wallace holds sales an
average of three days throughout the
market season. '
"There should be enough tobacco
to keep the markets operating,"
J.Michael Moore said. "But, farm
ers will not have a lot left in their
packhouses.
"At this point farmers are two
weeks behind in harvesting com
pared to normal years. Normally,
most farmers have started harvest
ing by Jul; 4ihT-3t, this year only a
few had barned tobacco by that ?
date," Moore said. "I expect that 90
percent of the growers will have
began harvesting by this week." The
late season is a result of drought like
conditions following planting and the
excessive rains of the past few
weeks.
Like many Duplin farmers. Paul
Phillips just began harvesting tooac
co last week. And, Phillips, owner of
New Duplin tobacco warehouse in
Wallace, pointed out many growers
are usually approaching the half-way
point of the season when the Eastern
Belt sales begin.
"The tobacco on the floor for the
opening sale is as good as we ha'
hart .the warehouse has betin
open, Paul Phillips said. "The crop
is clean and bright." Wallace tobac
co warehouse has more than 10
million pounds designated for sale
this season. The designation is up
more than 1 million pounds over
1983, Phillips said. Last season the
Wallace markets averaged $1.81 per
pound.
Quinn Company Of Warsaw
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To Supply More Stores
The Quinn Co. of Warsaw has
reached an agreement with Malone
& Hyde of Memphis. Tenn., for
Quinn to supply Piggly Wiggly
stores in eastern North Carolina.
The agreement means more jobs
^and business for the Warsaw area,
^company President Gerald Quinn
said.
Quinn said the agreement means
addition of 75 jobs and an increase of
30 to 40 percent in the company's
business volume. It nows employs
245 people.
The Quinn Co. now does about
$200 million worth of business a
year, he added,
Quinn said the Memphis firm
holds the franchise for 56 Piggly
Wiggly stores from Greensboro to
^fthe coast and from Virginia to South
Carolina. The agreement calls for
Quinn's company to supply the
groceries, meats, diary, baker and
frozen food products to the Piggly
Wiggly stores starting in October.
n will add 10 to 12 tractor
trailer rigs to its fleet of 41 tractors
and 57 trailers, Quinn said.
The Quinn Co. now supplies 56
IGA stores, Wilsons', Hill's and
Byrd's stores and several smaller
independents.
The Piggly Wiggly stores have
been serviced from a Piggly Wiggly
warehouse in Kinston. That ware
house will be closed as planned
expansion of the Quinn warehouse
south of Warsaw is completed.
Quinn said employees of the
Kinston warehouse will be offered
jobs in the Warsaw operation.
The cooler and freezer capacity of
the Quinn warehouse will be doubled
from 36,000 to 72,000 square feet
with construction to begin as soon as
plans can be completed.
The Quinn Co., now listed as the
seventh largest privately owned
company in the state by "Business
North Carolina," began in Beulaville
where T.R. Quinn operated a general
store. Hip son. Milford Quinn,
moved to Warsaw in 1942 to develop
the family's fledgling wholesale
business. The move was made to
obtain access to a railroad.
Children's Show
?Opens At Cart
The Liberty Cart's 1984 childrens
production opened Sunday, July 29,
at the William R. Kenan Memorial
Amphitheatre in Kenansville. The
show is The Wind In The Willows.
The show features the escapades
of five animal friends. Wind In The
Willows is written by Moses Gold
berg and is an adaptation of the
stories of Kenneth Grahame. The
Awind In The Willows features Mr.
Toad. Mr. Mole. Mr. Rat, Mr.
Badger and Mr. Otter who live along
the banks of a river in the English
countryside.
The Wind In The Willows is an
action packed, filn filled play for the
young and the young at heart. The
show is directed by Lisa Saari, the
1984 Stage Manager for The Liberty
Cart.
The Wind In The Willows plays for
four consecutive Sundav evenings at
8:15.
Pillsbury Co. To
Buy Turkey Plant
A Pillsbury Co. officials say uiey
^planning to buy Joan of Arc Co.,
including its Sampson County plant.
Pillsbury spokeswoman Ann Cor
well saiii Wednesday in a telephone
Interview f.om Minneapolis, J' n.,
that the sale is not final but that
details should be worked out soon.
No changer 1
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Group Tries To Maintain
Rail Service Between New
Hanover & Wayne Counties
About 60 people met in Kenans
ville last Thursday to try to sidetrack
the possible abandonment of the
railroad line between Castle Hayne
in New Hanover County and Mt.
Olive in Wayne County.
Describing traffic as marginal
Seaboard System Railroad has said it
is studvinc the line for possible
abandonment. The line parallels
U.S. 117 through Pender and Duplin
counties. A spur between Warsaw in
Duplin County and Clinton in Samp
1 son County would also be affected.
Businessmen and government of
ficials from New Hanover, Pender,
Duplin and Sampson counties at
tended a luncheon meeting here to
try to get an early start in preventing
the loss of rail service. Clinton and
Sampson County officials formed an
association several weeks ago to look
into the railroad's plans, said H.L.
"Fes" Turlington, director of the
Sampson Development Commission
in Clinton.
That group was expanded Thurs
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?vas named the Southeastern North
Carolina Rail Users Association. A
Washington law firm, which has
assisted other communities in pre
serving rail service, has been con
tacted for possible assistance.
Mark Boggs, rail transportation
coordinator with the N.C. Depart
ment of Transportation, met with the
group to offer technical advice from
the state.
Several participants suggested
that Seaboard may be rerouting
traffic along the line to dry up rail
service.
Melvin Pope, a Magnolia town
commissioner and owner of L.E.
Pope Furniture Co., located beside
the track, said four freight trains a
day used to run through town. Now,
Pope said, only one train pulling coal
cars passes through. Pope said some
trains pass through the town at
night.
A representative of Quinn Co., a
major wholesale grocery distributor
in the region, concurred with Pope
that Seaboard appears to be trying to
"kill off traffic." He said he is
frightened because the railroad does
not seem to want to bloster traffic
?along the line.
Quinn Co. and Georgia Pacific
Corp. are two of the railroad's
largest users in the county, said
W.W. Brinson, economic develop
ment director in Duplin County.
W.C. Newby, transportation
manager with Georgia Pacific who
worked for Seaboard for more than
in UPars vairl ''Thpcp arr? fhp nomoc
(he railroad plays with you. They'll
begin to reroute traffic so it won't
move over the line."
Owen Pride, a spokesman in
Seaboard's main offices in Jackson
ville, Fla., denied that the railroad
was trying to dry up traffic. "A
reduction in trains is a reduction in
traffic," Pride said Thursday. "The
frequentcy of service has not been
reduced in anticipation of an aband
onment," he said.
Pride said two freight trains travel
that route six days a week. Two
trains out of Goldsboro that travel
short distances, called switchers,
also run six days a week, he said.
Walt Pennington, a representative
of The Barcalounger Co., which is
located on the Warsaw-Clinton spur v
in Turkey, said the "railroad's first
olbligation" is to contact users with a
marketin and sales plan to try to
increase traffic. Pennington said
Seaboard abondoned offices in Clin
ton and train traffic has dropped
from one train a day to three trains a
week along the spur.
Pride said, "We are constantly
trying to increase the traffic level on
all our lines. At the same time, we
need assistance from iocal economic
development people to see that
happen."
Shippers along the Warsaw-Clint
ton spur are being notified that the
railroad will list thai line in "Cate
gory II" in the near future. Pride
said. Category II means that the
railroad plans to study the line for
possible abandonment.
Pride said Seaboard does nol have
immediate plans to abandon the line.
To stop a possible abandonment.
Newby suggested that rail users
identify freight that can only be
moved by rail. Several businessmen
in agricultural-related businesses
said recently that large farm equip
ment can only be moved by rail.
Another participant said the users
need to get the public's support. If
the line is abandoned, consumers
will be affected because prices will
go up. he said.
Mother And Son In
Jail After Hearing
A mother and her son were in
the Duplin County Jail Thursday
aiternoon, lonowing a court hearing
on a second-degree murder charge
involving the death of the son's 4
year-old child.
Thomas Thurman Brown, 24, of
Route 1. Rose Hill, is charged in the
death of his son, Thomas David
Brown. The child died after a one-car
crash May 30 on Bay Road between
Wallace and Greenevers.
Brown was in District Court Thurs
day for a first appearance, in which a
judge outlines the charges and sets
bond.
During the proceedings, a woman
shouted an epithet at District At
torney Dewey Hudson. State High
way Patrol Trooper Steve Mc
Corquodale pointed out the woman,
who was identified as Genevieve
Balock Strickland, 44, Brown's
mother
Judge Kenneth Turner sentenced
her to 30 days in jail for contempt of
court.
Following the crash that took his
son's life, Brown was charged with
.felony death by vehicle, driving
while impaired, careless and reck
less driving and operating a vehicle
with no insurance.
The car, which crashed into a
bridge railing, broke into two pieces,
investigating Trooper B.E. Floyd
said
Hudson later changed the felony
death by vehicle charge to second
degree murder charge based on
recent state Supreme Court decision
permitting the more severe charge if
malice can be proven.
The court upheld the second
degree murder conviction of Lance
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sentenced to 20 years' imprison
ment. Three people were killed in a
crash involving a car Snyder was
driving.
Hudson said the Supreme Court's
statement indicates that evidence of
cruelty, recklessness or deliberate
mischievousness is sufficient to show
malice even though there is no intent
to injure any particular person.
Therefore, Hudson said, he
charged Brown with second-degree
murder. The maximum penalty for
that offense is life imprisonment.
Bond for Brown was set at
$50,000. The hearing was continued
until August 20. Both Brown and
Mrs. Strickland were in the Duplin
County Jail Thursday afternoon.
Cast Performs The Wind In The Willows
The family fantasy featuring animal characters at the William R Kr - n
Memorial Amphitheatre began Sunday. The 1984 Liberty Cart children s
production is WIND IN THE WILLOWS, by Moses Goldberg and it plays
St; ? <v evenings at 8:IS through August 19, in Kenansville. The play is an
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' s> \ Kenneth urahame ana is
directed by Lisa Saari, the 1984 Production Stage Manager for The Liberty
Cart, historical outdoor drama in its ninth season at the William R. Kenan
Amphitheatre.
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