Carteret County News -Times
"Carteret CMity'i New^eper"
EDITORIAL PAGE FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, IMS
Timber Valuation N??ds Examination
Every year at this time the Carteret county board of com
missioners worries about ways and means of railing its share
of the cost of forestry service in the county. The state bears
63 per cent of the cost and the county the remaining 35 per
cent.
As usual, the only solution which presented itself was to
ask owners of large timber tracts, particularly the two paper
companies in the county and Miss Georgina Yeatman, to make
donations to help the county out.
There are at least three things wrong with this: the county
is placed in the demeaning position of seeking donations for
services after the collection of taxes; a mild form of legal ex
tortion is practiced in threatening to abandon the service if
donations are not forthcoming; and three owners make up the
difference for everybody.
The whole crux of the matter is that the county's valuation
on timber land is ridiculously low, probably no more than one
tenth of its real value. The auditor's office tries to fit most
real property valuations into a program at approximately one
quarter to one-third of the real value, though of course this
cannot be uniform and there are differences.
Obviously the county, if it is to keep the good faith of the
citizens, must make some adjustment of the tax structure so
that county services can be paid for out of legitimate revenues
without resorting to the dubious device of asking or demand
ing donations.
Now as a matter of fact, it is clear that the owners of tim
ber land are not carrying their fair share of the tax load.
This is as true of small timber land owners as it is of the pulp
wood companies and other large land owners since the forestry
service and forest fire-fighting services are extended without
discrimination to small and large land owners alike.
The reason for the low valuation on timber land is that the
county has not had a general re-valuation in many years. An
average of $10 to $15 per acre value on timber land might have
been a fair valuation 15 years ago but timber land has in
creased in value more rapidly than any other kind of property
in Carteret county during the intervening years.
According to legal opinion, the county cannot raise the
valuation on timber land without a general re-valuation. Our
guess would be that there are similar areas in the county's tax
structure where one group coasts on the tax payments of others
and a genuine, thorough-going re-valuation should benefit the
entire financial structure of the county.
If this is not done, there is no way of knowing which seg
ment of our economy will be asked for donations next.
Sound Finances
The present administration in Beaufort is living up to its
promises to give the people of Beaufort efficient, economical
government and to make every effort to keep the town on a
sound financial footing.
The efficiency of the government and the savings which it
has effected have been demonstrated by the manner in which
the town bas been able to reduce its debts.
Funds are already budgeted La. pay off the *11,238.11 in
interest funding bonds which are due July 1, 1954. These
bonds are scheduled to be paid when they fall due next sum
mer.
In addition to having enough money to meet its current
obligations, the town was recently able to purchase several of
the bonds which fall due in 1974. These bonds were purchased
at a considerable discount
These general refunding bonds, valued at $100 each, were
purchased for $83.50. The town was thus able to save $990
on the purchase of $8,000 worth of bonds. In addition, the
town was able to save the interest on the bonds for 21 years,
interest which would have amounted to $4,642.40. This made a
total saving to the taxpayers of Beaufort of $5,632.40.
The amount of 1974 bonds redeemed are merely a drop in
the bucket when one considers that there are still $405,000
in 1974 bonds outstanding. If the town is able to maintain
its finances on their present standing, however, it will be like
ly that many of these bonds will be retired long before they
fall due.
Under any administration it is quite likely that the town
would have been given the opportunity to purchase the 1974
bonds at such a saving. It is questionable, however, that
funds would have been available with which to purchase them.
Much of the credit for Beaufort's present strong financial
position must go to 'one man ? Dan Walker, town clerk and
tax collector. He is the one whose practices of saving money
and of seeing to it that the town receives the tax money which
is due it made it possible for the town government to have
money in the bank when the opportunity came to purchase
the bonds.
Mr. Walker can take pride in the fact that Beaufort's fi
nances have improved so ouch in the few years that he has
held office.
Prosperity Hurts Geld Business
On hot days when thing! are not going very well, all of
us sometimes need a little cheering or it that is not available
perhaps the knowledge that some people are "worse oil."
We noted recently that included in this class of people
who are "worse off" are gold mine operators in South Africa.
Their plight is sad and paradoxical.
They have no trouble aelling every ounce they mine, but,
like others, tbey are caught between rising coats, labor, and
taxes while the price on the produce has been pegged by the
U. S. Treasury. Some have closed down, and profits are steadi
ly sagging for all the others.
Their remedy is two-fold: produce uranium and hope for a
world depression. We prefer the first alternative if we have
a choice, even it a depression would make gold profitable.
Ml
CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES
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Camera News
By Irving Detfor
WITH AN AVERAGE VACATION picture-taking spree just finished,
here are a few do's and don'ts based on my experiences which might
boost your own picture average.
My priie "Don't!" is based on an effort to squeeze an extra frame
or two from a 35mm roll of color film.
All camera instructions stress the necessity of getting roll film prop
erly started. In 35mm, there must be no doubt that the take-up spool
actually grips and winds up the film. However, many photographers try
to shoot on the leader of color film in an effort to get 21 pictures on a
20-exposurc roll.
But 1 tried too hard, having been successful in this maneuver before.
I started the film in the take-up reel, closed the camera back then began
shooting pictures of our picnic. A few days liter shooting continued
at the zoo then I finished the roll at the beach.
However, when the film counter passed 22 and went on to 23, 24 and
25, 1 began to wonder . . . and worry. After 27 I knew something was
wrong because 1 felt no tension in winding film. Perhaps I had pulled
For the vacation album, look for the informal shots that round out
the story. This was shot from a low angle to suggest the beach back
ground with a minimum of clutter.
the film free from the cassette? That night 1 opened the camera in a
dark room but found instead that the film was back in its original cas
sette.
Had the film been exposed or was it blank?
I RELUCTANTLY mailed the film to the color processing lab to find
out. Hie results showed that I had wasted a lot of time, effort . . . and
color film ... at the picnic, zoo and beach. Now I knew that the film
had slipped off the reel at the start and rolled back.
You can be sure that I've followed the instructions sfnee then of see
ing the film being transported in the sprockets before the back is re
placed. I've heard that some professionals remove the lens of their 35mm
camera to watch the film being moved at the start of a roll. Proper
threading and moving of film applies to nonipagazine movie cameras
as wall.
Ob the credit tide, the incident pointed up the value of using separate
cameras for color and black-and-white. On each occasion mentioned,
havinf used both cameras, there is a black-and-white picture, record for
the family album. That's better than a complete blank.
Ob a later visit to the beach, a whole roll 61 color film was saved by
trusting a meter reading instead of my own judgment.
The sun had disappeared behind a cloud haze and stayed there. I
was sure, with the absence of sun, that an exposure of 1/S0th of a second
at about f 3.8 or f 4.5 was necessary. But the meter pointer insisted on
hovering between f 3.6 and f 8, even when pointed toward the sand.
After many efforts to see if it would change its mind to conform to
my judgment, I surrendered to electronic science and shot according to
the meter.
i ' ? '
THIS TURNED OUT to be a wise decision for the color was perfect.
It showed that diffused, open haze light at the beach is surprisingly
street. It Made for better color transparencies since it eliminated all
the deep black shadows that a strong sun usually brings.
It showd, too, that the game of estimating checking with a meter is
mentally Mandating and quite instructive.
My vacation also taught me that because of the expense of color film,
one can ba too cautious in estimating needs. 1 ran short of film and
regretted my economy? but this didn't produce any color film when I
needed it
I've learned since that my neighborhood camera dealer would gladly
have given me an ample extra supply, with any surplus returnable if un
used. In aur ease h would have been a good deal ... for him! I'd have
sfcof Iks wfaols works anyway and still run short.
y / ? _
Today's Birthday
GEORGE WILSON MALONE,
born Aug. 7, 1890, at Fredonia,
Kan. Junior senator from Nevada
and a civil en
gineer, Malonc
has a wide
knowle d g e of
flood control,
water supply,
and power. A
former state en
gineer, he re
signed to be
come adviser to
the secretary of
interior on the construction of
Hoover Dam. As senator he op
posed Marshall Plan funds and the
North Atlantic pact.
Washington
By Jane Eads
Washington ? Busiest woman in
Washington when the 17-year lo
cust popped up was Eleanor Clay.
The "Answer Lady" of the Depart
ment of Agriculture's office of in
formation, she was deluged with
worried queries about the noisy
horde of invaders.
"I'm just about frantic," Mrs.
Clay told me harriedly, "At first
it seemed we were getting as many
calls as there were cicadas (they're
not really locusts at all)? about
one a minute. People were worried
about losing property. Some re
called the Bibical story of locust
plagues In Egypt, asked it that's
what was happening. Some wanted
to know if it was true that the dis
tinct black 'W' toward the outer
end of the wings fortells war, or if
cicadas poison fruit by stinging
it"
Mrs. Clay and her four assistants
told questioners none of these
beliefs were true, that the cicada
is widely distributed over the east
ern half of the U. S. and occurs
nowhere else in the world, that it
doesn't feed on foliage, doesn't
sting, isn't poisonous and shouldn't
be confused with the locust, a spc
cies of grasshopper. Injury is due
primarily to the scars where the
female has laid eggs in tender
twigs of young oaks, hickories, ap
ple trees an^ grape vines.
After the eggs hatch, in four or
five weeks, the tiny, barely-visable
young fall off the twigs and bore
into the ground, and that's the end
of them for another 17 years.
A new Agriculture department
booklet, "The Periodical Cicada,
The 17-year Locust." gives details
on the insects' development, time
and place of appearance, and ways
of combating it. (You may ob
tain a copy free by writing to the
Office of Information, U. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture, Washington
25, D. C. Please do not write this
newspaper.)
Mrs. Clay is used to requests for
information. Her department got
close to 60,000 telephone inquiries
and answered questions of some
18.000 visitors in 1052. These in
cluded such things as "can cigars
be kept in a home frccicr?" "When
an egg is laid is the shell hard, or
does it get hard after the air hits
it?" "Where do I get a health cer
tificate to get married?" and
"Where can I get a butterfly for a
New Year's party?"
Here and There
Bjr F. C. Salisbury
int. lujuru
August 7, 1914.
Miss Dola Simpson of Kinston
spent a few days here the first of
the week visiting her cousin, Miss
Amanda Small.
Miss Lcla Grey Wade passed
through this city the first of the
week on her way to her home at
North Kiver. Miss -Wade has been
visiting relatives and friends in
New Bern for the past two months.
D. B. Wade, jr., made a business
trip to Norfolk on Tuesday.
Miss Fannie Yarborough return
ed this week from Bogue where
she spent several days with friends.
Miss Rachel Royal of Marshall
berg spent a few days in the city
this week.
The Hon. John M. Morehead left
Tuesday afternoon for Charlotte
and Greensboro to attend to mat
ters pertaining to the convention
of the Republican party on August
26.
Robert Tayior, jr., spent Sunday
in LaGrange, returning home Mon
day morning.
The Rev. H. A. Humble, pastor
of the M. E. church of Kinston, and
about fifteen members of the Boy
Scouts of that place are this week
camping near Camp Glenn.
Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Gorham and
Mrs. Julia Bell left Monday on a
two-week tour of northern cities.
The Rev. Edwin R. Harris and
family returned Saturday from a
trip to Virginia where he assisted
his brother in a successful meeting
at Denbeigh Baptist church.
Hill Parham and family returned
to their home in Henderaon Mon
day after spending several weeks
here.
Mrs. J. E. Edwards and daugh
ters, Eleanor and Bessie, of North,
S. C., are visiting Mrs. C. Manly
Wade.
0. B. Willis and daughter Gieula
left Tuesday for Norfolk.
Miss Anna Landis of Oxford is
spending some time with Misa
Sudie Webb.
Miss Helen Chadwick is spend
ing a few days home with her par
ents since a recent illness while
attending school in New Bern.
Miss Lizzie White returned to her
home in Kinston alter spending a
few days here with relatives.
Mrs. R. L. Stroud and daughter
Louise who have been visiting Mrs.
Stroud's brother, Dr. W. E. Headen.
returned to their home in Chapel
Hill Tuesday.
Walter Freeman is spending a
few days in Norfolk.
* Mrs. L. L. Leary and daughter,
Bernice, left Monday to visit
friends in Danville, Va.
The district meeting of the sec
ond district Imperial Order of Red
men was held here Thursday, Au
gust 6.
While fishing for sharks off the
end of the Standard Oil company's
dock Wednesday morning, A. D.
Willis broke all records made by
local fishermen when be hooked a
large oaDy camagc on nib une arm
safely pulled it on the wharf.
By wire to the Coaster. Winston
Salem, Aug. 5.
State horse hose wagon races be
gan at 2:45 this afternoon. The
time made by the different com
panies are as follows:
Morchcad City 28 3/5
Burlington 303/5
Kinston No. 2 35
Sanford 35
New Bern No. 1 31 3/5
Fayetteville 35
Tarboro 32 2/5
Fourth Ward, New Bern.. 32 3/5
Lexington 39 2/5
Statcsville .. 37 3/5
New Bern, Atlantic 31 4/5
New Bern, Riverside 31 3/5
Caswell of Kinston blow off.
Morehead City won first place
but for the fact that our man it
the nozzle was a little to quick in
disconnecting after water had been
taken. Burlington made a protest,
and of course the asaociation gave
them the money, but the president
says our time will be put on the
minutes of the association as it is
the best time he has seen in a num
ber of years. It is hard luck but
everything works against us. We
will enter the interstate races Fri
day and expect to make the same
time we did today and let the Judge
take the nozzle off when he sees fit.
Thousands of people cheered us in
making such a pretty run and think
we should have the money.
That the attack of "Dr." Warren
H. Booker of the State Board of
Health upon the town of Morehead
City ha? had the desired effect is
proved by the closing of the At
lantic hotel op last Sunday. While
hundreds of visitors are yet in the
city stopping at the Charles hotel
and the numerous boarding houses
it can be seen that the usual num
ber of summer guests are not here.
Vic Vet jays
oovfeu PLAN 10 TBAIN '
UNOEB "WE KOREAN 61
BILL?... VOUlL NEED A
photostat oe cebopied
copy of toue onflimw
Raleigh Roundup
By Kidd Brewer
BIG TIME . . . They aren't say
much about it yet but State college
powers- that-be have definitely de
cided to go big-time on the football
field. For several weeks last spring
they labored over the problem of
whether to get out of football al
together or to take the high road.
Now it can be revealed they have
finally chosen the latter course.
After this decision had been
reached, the question of whether
to start from scratch or improve
what they have faced them. They
have agreed to start from scratch?
unless Horace Hendrickson, head
coach at State, can perform a mira
cle this fall.
The third item to receive atten
tion on State's plan for big-time
football was selection of a coach.
Who would it be? He would have
to be someone with the stuff re
quired to do a thorough face-lift
ing job.
All signs now point strongly to
ward Maryland's Big Jim Tatum
as the man. He is nationally regard
ed as one of football's miracle
workers.
Naturally, Coach Tatum's coming
to State will create personnel prob
lems, but these can be overcome
without too much difficulty as
plans develop.
HODGES-OLIVE? . . . They are
whispering around Wake Forest
college these days that Good Alum
nus Hubert Olive of Lexington is
not through with politics. Re
ports persist in Baptist Hollow that
he is seriously considering running
for governor three years hence.
This would mean he must take on
Lt. Gov. Luther Hodges of Leaks
ville. for unless he changes his
mind. Luther Hodges is sure to be
a candidate.
Hodges is a hard man to down,
whatever he undertakes. This has
been so in the past and will con
tinue to be so if he keeps his
health. Friends who have seen him
since his return from the Rotary
meeting in Paris say he appears
to be in the pink of condition.
Now here we have a man who
"retreated" several years ago. He
looks not a little like the man you
sec in insurance ads having to do
with "how you can retire on $150
a month." For someone In retire
ment, he is exceedingly active?
perhaps more so than many of us
who still look forward to the
time when we can "take it easy."
Hodges is getting around, but
plenty, makng speeches here and
there, and with it all having ?
wonderful time. Remember how,
when you used to pitch horseshoes,
you would hold one up early in
the game, sight through it care
fully at the distant stob and mut
ter something about "getting my
distance?" Well, from here it
looks as if Lt. Gov. Luther Hodges
has come as near as anyone wc
know to finding the distance on
this thing called life.
If Hubert Olive runs for gover
nor?and has Luther Hodges as op
position?he will indeed have his
hands full.
VISITOR . . . Miss Merle Urn
stead visited her grandmother,,
Mrs. C. D. Davis in Rutherford
county a few days ago, returning
to Raleigh only in time for her
eleventh birthday on July 23. The
trip was not so important, but Miss
Umatead's return to Raleigh was?
the way she returned, that is.
With three cars at his immediate
command at state expense? and
others if he wants them, including
umpteen highway patrol flivvers
traversing the state? one might
think the governor would send one
of them plus his chauffeur up to
Rutherford to get his one-and-only.
Not so. She returned by bus just
like your own little girl might do ?
arrived home safe and sound, and
enjoyed the trip "immensely."
Incidentally, folks riding along
old Blount street by the mansion
last spring wondered who was the
nice looking elderly lady silently
knitting and sunning on the spa
cious lawn. That was Mrs. Davis,
who spends most of the time with
her daughter and son-in-law; and
helped keep things running
smoothly in the Umstcad house
hold a year ago in the campaign.
TRUSTY . . . Now that wmmer is
upon ut, prisoners out on the road
gangs are getting a yen (or the
open country. You read now and
then how one went up the road
to fetch some water and, well, just
kept moving? in the direction of
that green horizon. slipping
through cornfields and hiding in
the hedgerows.
Complaints have reached us of
guards permitting their trusties
to call on farm homes to get water
for the prisoners repairing the
roads. It does seem like a bad
practice. These prisoners are crim
inals?the best of them who are
in prison for committing a wide
variety of crimes from stealing te
murder. It has been shown time
and time again that, given a little
leeway, many of them will just nat
urally take to the bushes One of
them, working at the mansion here
recently, took off in one of the
state cars. At best, a trusty is
potentially dangerous. Some of
them set up good behavior records
merely and only for an opportuni
ty to create confidence and effect
escape.
They go to a farmhouse, "case
the joint," and can use it as a
means of escaping apprehension
at a later date in the event they
decide to hit the open road. All in
all, it's a pretty bad practice: this
thing of sending trusties into farm
homes for water or anything else.
A solution would be for the road
crews to keep barrels of water on
hand.
Or, maybe better, if the guards
feel so free to turn them loose on
the countryside in search of water,
why not give them a gi r and let
them watch the prisoi.:rs while
the guards fetch the water?
BONO VOTE . . Gov. William
B. U instead has set October 3 as
the date for the school bond elec
tion. That means that there can
be no more beer or wine elections
in this state until after December
3.
The law provides that no beer or
wine election can be held within
60 days of any other election. The
chances are there will be no elec
tions on wine or beer during the
holidays, so it looks as if an arm
istice will exist on this battlefront
lor the remainder of 1953.
This reminds us that a lew para
graphs run in this column several
months ago about the Department
ol Revenue's holding a beer-wine
taxes lor Concord and Cabarrus
county have finally come to life.
The Concord Tribune a few day*
ago announced in a copyrighted
story, if you please, that someone
in Cabarrus county should go alter
that money which now is ncaring
the $165,000 total.
The real fact is that the beer
wine election in Cabarrus was less
than 60 days -51 to be exact- from
a primary election in Concord. If
the courts uphold the contention
that the beer-wine election was il
legal, then Concord and Cabarrui
county will receive their proportion
? about $165,000 ? ol the funds
which are distributed by the state
to the beer-wine counties.
IKE CATTLE . . . Growers of
beef cattle have been grousing for
several months now about the sharp
decline in prices they are receiv
ing. At a cattle sale in one of the
western counties last week, a pretty
good beef cow was knocked down
at four cents a pound. As the
sale was completed, one old fed-up
cattleman stood and said so every
one could hear bim: "I like Ike!"
Then he sat down.
They said it pretty nearly broke
up the sale.
WESTERN HORN ... Up in
Boone two weeks ago we went to
see "Horn in the West." It's a dilly.
It is regarded by many as the best
ol the North Carolina dramas play
ing outdoors from the mountains Ut
the sea. It never drags, folks, ha?
a strong religious and patriotic mo
tif, is full of historical fact, good
music and some fine talent. We
don't want to plug one show over
any of the others, but go see "Horn
in the West" It's good!
The Readers Write
Morehead City,
Aug. 3. 1953
Carolina Telephone and Telegraph
Company,
Morehead City, N. C.
Gentlemen:
Enclosed please find check for
$5.06 covering July bill which was
accompanied by a notice of an in
crease in rates.
After having read this notice
which was a rather poor explana
tion and an even poorer excuse for
such an increase, I am still won
dering why it is necessary to pay
$3.08 per month for no other rea
son than having to listen to a tele
phone ringing incessantly day and
night as is now necessary on a ten
party line.
Why must I pay <9.06 per month
when one waits for hours on end
to get through an emergency call,
finally giving up in complete frus
tration and being forced to drive
into town and send a telegram. Qr
why should 1 be told by in- town
and out-of-town subscribers that
they tried far days to call by tele
phone only to be told time and time
again that "the line is busy?" All
of this to the tune of 15.06 per
month.
All of this comes down to three
important questions:
(1) Is this your company's idea
of gaining public good will?
(2) Is this the best that can be
done commensurate ?rith a fair re
turn to the investor?
(3) Or, is it what might be ex
pected from a monopoly in com
bination with a utilities commission
in a "one party state?"
Better take it a little easy boys ,
and not overplay your hand or the
whole thing might backfire.
If it should, dont call it "creep- !
ing socialism." Because then the ;
voters would be called upon to de
cide between "creeping socialism" j
and "galloping reaction." Guess
which would win?
I await your answer with later- '
est
Respectfully yours,. J
W. S. Kidd
Copies have been sent te the 4
NEWS-TIMES and the State Utflt J
ties commission.