CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES Carteret County's Newspaper EDITORIALS FRIDAY, MAY 15, 1959 Nothing Solved An undercurrent of dissatisfaction with certain phases of Carteret's school program, which has made itself evident in recent months, should not be ig nored. The school bond issue, that one which was voted down, projected schools into everyone's consciousness. Following closely on this were the ap pointments to individual school com mittees (some of which brought unfav orable reaction) and still hanging over our head is the need for new schools. School administrators seldom seem to be able to swim in lukewarm waters. Either everybody ignores schools and administrators wish the public would take more interest in them, or every body suddenly becomes interested in schools and decides they want to revo lutionize the school system. More than one individual has ex pressed the opinion that he would like to vote for members on the county board of education as well as for mem bers of the school boards in each dis trict. People should have more control over their school officials than they do. And the only way persons can exercise that control is at the polls. Most ad ministrators shiver when they think of popular election of school officials, be cause that means they cannot exercise the control over the boards that is possible under the appointment system. On the other hand, this country has gotten along pretty well with people doing the electing, so there's nothing inherently evil in electing school boards. Many localities do just that. And if school administrators are sin cere in wanting CONTINUING public interest in schools, one of the better ways to get that interest is through popular election of school officials. The problem of getting new schools hasn't been solved either. The sugges tion that individual school districts help improve their own schools went over like a lead balloon. That was to be expected. Everybody wants new schools as long as SOMEBODY ELSE pays for them. The states tell the federal govern ment to fork over the money. The coun ties tell the state to give them the money. You get down into the district level and the people say, "Let the coun ty do it" If anything is to be done to correct the school problems currently bother ing some of our folks, it must be done through legislative action. Legislative action may not solve the problem im mediately, but laws can be enacted now that will enable a change in the near future. Good Suggestion A. D. Fulford, county sanitarian, has a good suggestion for controlling dump ing along the Lennoxville Road. But making the suggestion work will re quire the cooperation of those who use the dump. Mr. Fulford suggests that a gate and fence be erected back from the high way, possibly on the line where the state's right-of-way starts and that a gate be put across the road. This gate then would be opened only at certain hours on certain days by oaa of the persons who makes Use at th0 dump. During those hours, dumping would be permitted and more control could be exercised over WHERE the trash is dumped. It certainly would be a feather in the hat of the Beaufort Woman's Club and its city beautification campaign if such a program could be worked out. Mr. Fulford states that several of the persons making use of the dump said they would be willing to pay 25 cents or so a week to help finance building of a fence and perhaps give a token pay ment to the person who would open the gate during the trash-dumping hours. A deep ditch has been bulldozed to the east of the road that leads into the dump. Persons are asked to put their trash there. When the ditch is full, it can easily be covered over. The prob lem, the sanitarian points out, is that without aome sort of control, people just strew" the trash everywhere. Mr. Fulford and the health depart ment have shown their interest in co operating with the folks who have to have a place to dump their trash. If a committee of them would go to him, we feel confident that plans could be worked out that would help solve the deplorable trash condition on the Len noxville Road. Best Lute Player in Florence (From Greensboro Daily Nows) Gerald Johnson has written a new book called The Lines Are Drawn, and in it he takes a crack at judges who choose Pulitzer Prize editorial car toons. Beneath this rather specialized criti cism is a deeper criticism of American journalism, the men who make it tick and the whole fabric of our society. For Mr. Johnson, an expatriate Tar Heel, is Baltimore's successor to H. L. Mencken. He writes incisive prose. He does not pull his punches. His thesis is this : The Pulitzer Prize cartoons, awarded since 1922, are astoundingly bland. They honor only the politely disturb ing, the things that everybody agrees are evil ? Hitler, Stalin, the H-bomb. They approve the Salk vaccine, world peace ? mother, home and flag sub jects, about which there is little con troversy. Mr. Johnson carries his point one step farther: During the very years the prize committee was honoring these obvious things, some of the same car toonists were slashing out at less ob vious but eqaally dangerous perils of our time ? the Teapot Dome scandal, the Ku Klux Klan, the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti, prohibition, the depression, the New Deal. Yet none of these cartoons won the Pulitzer Prize. They were too contro versial. It required more courage to draw them. Why should this trend be noticeable throughout the 35 years of the prize award? < .1 ' Gerald Johnson's answer: The judges usually represent "the most po tent (opinion) in the country." They are upper-middle-class Americans not particularly interested in controversy. And so, as Gerald Johnson views it, these prize cartoons, very much on the pallid side, do not represent many of the great issues of their time. His torians digging through the social and political issues may not find them ac curate signposts. "It is rather like," Gerald Johnson concludes, "that letter of the Medici to the Duke of Milan commending Leonardo da Vinci as 'the best lute player in Florence'." Carteret County N?wt-Tim?s WINNER Of NATIONAL EDITORIAL ASSOCIATION AND NORTH CAROLINA PRESS ASSOCIATION AWARDS A Merger o< Th? Beaulsrt News (Est. lfU) and Tto Twin Ctty Time* (Eft. 1*M) Published Tuesdays and Fridays by the Carteret Publishing Company, Inc. 504 Areadell St., Morehead City. N. C. LOCKWOOD PHILLIPS ? PUBLISHER ELEANORS DEAR PHILLIPS - ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER RUTH L. PEEL1NO - EDITOR Mail Rates: Is Carteret County and adjoining counties, $100 one year, $*-S0 sU meoths, tLSS one msoth; alse where tT.OO see year, <4.00 aU months, 1150 oat month. Member of Associated Press ? N. C. Press Assodstisa National Editorial Association - Aodit Bureau of ClrculsUsos National Advertising Represeatstire Meran A Fischer, Inc. 10 Baal 00th Street. New Vert it. N. T. Iko Assodsted Press is entitlsd exclusively to ue for rspublisation of local news ( Xntered as SecsBd Ctsss Matter at Morehead City, N. C.. Under Act of March S. 1ST* A POINT OF GENERAL INTEREST w, Facts on Firemen Pension Bills (Editor's Note: Last year THE N'EWSTIMES carried a series of articles supplied by the Morehead City Fire Department on the pen sion fund the firemen hope to establish by state law. The proposed pension fund is opposed by fire insurance companies. The reasons they oppose it art set forth in this article). The 1957 legislature passed a Firemen's Pension Fund Bill which imposed a tax of one per cent on fire insurance written in areas where fire protection is available, the proceeds of the tax going into a pension fund for firemen. The matter was taken into court and the North Carolina Supreme Court declared the act invalid. The firemen are again seeking to have the legislature provide them with a pension fund. In an effort to avoid the constitutional objections, the firemen this year are attempting to effectuate their schemc in three different steps rather than in one. House Bill No. 689 imposes a tax of 1 per cent on all fire and light ning insurance premiums in the state of North Carolina. House Bill No. (90 creates the Firemen's Pen sion Fund. One further step is necessary in the firemen's scheme and that is to have a line appro priation in the appropriations bill which will give the necessary funds to the Pension Fund. Although the firemen have tech nically aeparated the tax from the Pension Fund, it is quite obvious that this is a camouflage and that the tax ia really an integral part of the over-all scheme to create a Firemen's Pension Fund. In ef fect it is exactly the same as the 1857 Bill where the tax and the pension plan were in the same Bill. The primary objection to these bills U the same as it wai two years ago, to wit: the unfairness of a tax upon insurance premiums for the benefit of firemen. Cer tainly the insurance companies will obtain a rate increase to off-set this tax so that in the final analy sis it will be paid by the policy holdera just as was the tax under the 1857 bill. Thus, under this bill as under he 1957 bill, the legislature is limply taking money from the peo >le of the State of North Carolina vho carry insurance and giving it lirectly to the firemen. This is un iound legislation and opens the vay to gross abuses because of the langer that popular groups such is firemen will impose a tax on ess popular groups for their own (elfish benefit. The Justification that the firemen [ive for imposing a (ax on insur ince premiums is that firemen pro cct insured property and thus save noney for both insurance com tanics and insured porpcrty own ers. The glaring fallacy in this ar [ument is that firemen protect all iropcrty and not just insured prop erty and thus general local prop erty taxes and not just a tax on nsured property shoulc^be^r the jurden of paying for that protec iion. In this connection, this year's >ill is even more inequitable than :he last bill because it imposes a ax on all insured property and lot just on property in areas where 'ire protection is available. There 'ore, farmers and others who live n the country where no fire pre lection is available and who re vive no benefits from the fire nen will be paying a portion of :he firemen's pension. In addition to the inequity of im posing a tax on insurance pre niums to finance a pension plan 'or firemen, it is our contention hat such a pension plan is un lecessary and unsound and should lot be adopted regardless of how inanced. At the present time paid iremen are eligible for Social Se curity and are eligible for benefits indcr local Employees' Retirement System. School and Your Child By JOHN WRtY Appalachian Stale Teachers College Do you force your child to cheat in school? Many parents militarily demand their "Juniors" to bring home top grades, yet permit them to engage in numerous side interests, such as school band, athletic teams, scouting, clubs and tv. High marks require considerable outside study. Most students, even brighter ones, find there's not enough time for this and extra ac tivities too. To relieve parental pressure and at the same time continue the high ly valued activities, many students copy each others' homework, ex change information during testa ? in short, cheat for the marks Mama and Papa require. " 'Cribbing' is prevalent in schools throughout the country and practically every child has been guilty at one time or another," contends Dr. Roy R. Blanton, prin cipal of the Appalachian State Teachers College demonstration high school at Boone. Iraaically, most of the cheating is not done by slower pupils trying to pass but by the brighter ones gunning for "A's" and "B's," saya Dr. Blanton. Facing up to the cribbing prob lem, the principal and his faculty have tried to determine reasons for it and worked out partial rem edies. His teachers name these causes: Psrents, especially those on high er social and economic levels, pres sure their kids for high marks. Yaaagsters Indulge in excessive activities. For example, It's diffi cult for a football squad member to practice hard in the afternoon, get needed rest, make out-of-town trips, undergo game-time anxieties and at the same time keep "up-to anuff" in studies. The infamous West Point crib Mag scandal proved the point Ite Army academy, well-known (or emphasis on honor, discovered its star footballers fudging to keep up. Students realise college entrance and scholarship awards ire based largely on high school grades. Most schools require pupils to maintain ccrUin marks to play sports and be eligible for covctcd organiza tions. Many yougsters feel much sub ject matter outdated and not worth the effort of learning. Students' moral values arc con fuscd by grown-ups' ambiguous standards. Cheating is generally considered not wrong but SOP (standard operating procedure), just like businessmen say "bus iness is business" when they flccce a green competitor. Dr. Blanton's teacher* imple mented these corrective mcasurea: Made cheating a serious offense. Guilty students stripped of honors and dismissed from athletic teams and clubs. Reported all instances of cheat ing to parcnta. Many schools try to solve these problems from with in and parents, who often can be more effective in correcting them, never know. Requested churches to take more interest in seeing that church taught principles are applied. Encouraged parents to assume more responsibility in teaching off spring moral values and stressing "right" attitudes. Tightened control and supervi sion in classrooms, reducing situa tions affording opportunity for cheating. Presented subject matter more colorfully in class so that students gain information by learning it rather than stealing it. (Editor's note: Readers having questions concerning rhraHis arc Invited to lead inquiries to School and Tow Child, Appala chian Stole Teacher* College, Bmbc, N. C.) Thus these firemen arc eligible for pension benefits on exactly the same basis as every other muni cipal employee and on exactly the same basis as every state em ployee and every teacher. How can the legislature possibly justify the granting of a special pension fund to firemen without granting the same or similar benefits to teach ers, state employees and other municipal employees? As for volunteer firemen, they all have other Jobs and are cov ered by Social Security in those jobs and possibly have pension plans in connection with those jobs. In any event, the responsibility for paying and pensioning the volun teer firemen should be upon the communities that they serve and not upon the insurance companies. It seems rather ridiculous to give a volunteer fireman a pension of $50 per month when you haven't paid him a dime during his entire service as a fireman. In addition to that, there arc very few volunteer firemen who will ever ierve as such loag enough to become eligible for the pensions, thirty years service being neces sary. This is a big city Firemen's Bill; make no mistake about that. Big city firemen arc simply using the volunteer firemen for political purposes. Another argument of the firemen is that they arc entitled to special benefits because of the extra haz ardous nature of the job per formed. Fifty years ago this was true and for that reason there was passed the Firemen's Relief Fund Bill, which provided for the pay ment of benefits to firemen and their families on account of in juries or death incurred in the line of duty. The extra hazard oui nature of the job is now substantially taken care of by the Workmen's Com pensation Act which cAvera both regular and volunteer firemen, the volunteer firemen being compen sated on the basis of the money they make at their regular full time Job. Despite the fact that all firemen are covered by Workmen's Compensation, they are still cov ered by the Firemen's Relief Fund. North Carolina Is already a high premium tax state. This tax will raise the 'direct premium tax on fire insurance from 2V4 per cent to 3'* per cent, a 40 per cent in crease. According to a list of taxes in other jurisdictions, which list includes all fifty states, the Dis trict of Columbia and Puerto Rico, there are at present only nineteen taxing jurisdictions which have a higher premium tax than docs North Carolina. Four have approximately the same tax and twenty-nine have a smaller tax. This compilation In cludes not only the direct premium tax but also such taxes as fire de partment tax, firemen's pension tax and firemen's relief tax. If Howe Bill No. CM is passed, then only two states, Oklahoma and Louisiana will have a tax rate in excess of North Carolina and we would have approximately the same tax rate as Texas and Kan sas. All of the other 46 taxing juris dictions would have a lower pre mium tax than North Carolina. This high tax rate would be par ticularly devastating to domestic fire insurance companiea because of the effect of retaliatory tax laws which require a North Carolina company to pay in other states the same tax rate that foreign com panies pay in this state. Some 40 states have such retaliatory laws. Smil? a WhiU "Whatever made you marry an archaeologist?" one woman asked another as they met on the street "It's very simple, my dear," was the reply. "The older I get the more interested be becomes in SM." -Wall Street Journal lout? Spfrmr Words of Inspiration A GOOD WEKKEND Friday's mall brought mt a beautiful card with a lovely thought from our own Gordoa Davis, now stationed in Germany with the US Army. Gordon, you know, la the fine son of Mrs. Uldine Davis of Beaufort, who just a few years ago was named Carteret County's Mother of the Year. It was a very speeial card and aa I try to remember some little something that I might have dona in the past to make him remember me on this Mother's Day . . . well, I'm just really at a losa. Anyway, thank you, Gordon, with all of my heart. It ia these little things added together that really makes life worth while. I had a call from the floriat who asked if I wanted a red or white corsage for Mother's Day. It aeems my own "Secret Pal' had placed the order. Today aa I wore my white carnations pinned on my shoulder to church I found myself again counting my blessings. As we hsd silent prayer, I didn't get half-way through before the allotted time was over. My day had been truly bteased. Church services on Mother's Day are always impressive and beauti ful. Today's service was especially so. We attended the First Methodist Church of Morehead City and saw two senior mothers worshiping at the altar with their families. Mrs. C. D. Canficld, the oldest mother, with 14 descendants present and Mrs. Howard Wade with IS descendants. This Mother's Day has been especially good for me. My own family . . . although we couldn't have a reunion, has showered me with love and gifts, and I have had the opportunity to hear the Rev. Pat Conner, son of Mr. and Mrs. John T. Conner of Morehead City, preach. We have known and loved Pat since his high school years, and have seen him grow in stature, knowledge and brotherhood. He selected as his scripture Proverbs 31:10-31, and none could have been more fitting and to the point on this Mother's Day, as a man of God looks out upon a troubled world and perhaps wonders . . . where can I begin to help God's children? It has been said . . . says young Pat . , . "The hand that rocks the cradle, rocks the world." He continued, "This is no longer true, for now wc find that our young people arc greatly influenced by society and so many outside influences, not taught by good mothers. It is good to have a nation-wide expression of love and gratitude to mothers, but one may wonder why it is necessary to have a special day for children to say, "Thank you" to their mothers. Young Pat named many of the services a mother lovingly bestows upon her child through the years and says "It is a good day for family reminiscing, reunions, and paying some small tribute to mothers to make the day more mean ingful." What docs the word M-O-T-H-E-R really mean? I have seen and known women who have given birth to many children whom I felt com pletely unworthy of the name. Perhaps you have too. The title Mother belong to any woman who lives, loves and serves . . . according to the scripture read by our young pastor. It doesn't solely belong to a woman who has given birth to a child but to any woman who has given love and understanding to a child. It doesn't matter whether the child is her own or not. In many instances the name could belong to a favorite aunt or an older sister who took up the reins set aside by a mother. It could be a school tcachcr whose understanding has helped a child bridge the many emotional gaps in his growing up years, or a Sunday school tcachcr, > Scout leader, or a next-door neighbor. The title belongs to every woman who has made a house a home. It isn't the title that gives a woman a right to the name, but the love and kindness shining inside out when she says to her troubled child, "Everything will be all right soon." The word belongs to the woman who is gentle and kind. I believe that good mothers, living by the rules of God, and teaching their children as God has commanded, who in prayer has placed her children completely in God's hands, will find in her senior years a beautiful symphony of peace written in her heart. It will include work and service, laughter and tears, sickness and health, good decisions and bad ones and thousands of prayers. Interwoven in my own family memories of this Mother's Day, there is added happiness. The "spcciaf" white corsage from my "Secret Pal" ? Gordon and Pat made my day brighter and happier. These two young men are presenting to their own mothers ... the greatest gift a child can ever bestow upon his parents ... the finest life they know how to Uve . . . filled with scrvice and brotherly love. May God bless and keep them always. As the sun sets on this Mother's Day I will join millions of mothers throughout our land. We will take the bright memories of this day and bind them up with ribbons of love and appreciation and store them in the treasure chcst of our hearts. F. C. Salitbury Here and There The following Information is taken from the files of the More head City Coaster: FRIDAY, MAY IS, 1920 Mrs. Elizabeth Clarke of Black Mountain, Miss Frances Howcrton of New Bern, Miss Caivcne How erton of Maryland, Haywood How erton of Washington, D. C., and Mrs. Elizabeth Babbitt of Chapel HiU arrived in the city Thursday morning to be at the bedside of Mrs. W. F. Howcrton, who is cri tically ill. Miss Clare Fulford, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Fulford, was married to Eugene H. Wade Sunday evening at the home of J. L. Slade. The store and its contents, be longing to Thomas Styron in West Morehcad City, was destroyed by fire early this morning. The loss is estimated to be about $2,000. The Beaufort Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy was organized Thursday at Beaufort, there being eighteen charter mem bers. The name of the Chapter will be Fort Macon. Marriage licenses issued the past week: M. P. Marshall to Elizabeth Bratcher, both of Beaufort; Charles Lewia to Abeda Willis, both of Beaufort; W. B. Robinson to Gladys Nelson, both of Atlantic. The tenth of May memorial ser vices were held Sunday by the local chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy. The Confederate veteran* of this city composed of Henry Sloane, J. R. Kornegay, James H. Bell and H. C. Lockhnrt were tendered a dinner by the Daughters at the Little Jim Hotel. At the conclusion of the dinner, the procession was formed at the hotel and proceeded to the ceme tery. After the program, the Daughters marched in procession, led by Henry Sloane bearing the Confederate flag, and decorated the graves of the dead heroes. From the Bookshelf Fan 1m Europe. By Richard liar rlty. Duell, Sloan k Pearce. 13.95. 1 Harrlty wanders from England ! puba to rich Greek yachtsmen in the Mediterranean, visiting Dublin, Paris, Brussels, Vienna, Berlin, Luxembourg, Venice, Athena and other placca. He haa some odd blta of Interesting information, for In stance about tailora, about eara for hire, about plane service. But his idea of fun la pun, and even Europe isn't worth i sen tence like this: "Ah, It's a small whirl with 1'amour the merrier." 1 -W. G. Rogers Alexander's Path, From Carta to Cilicia. By Freya SUrk. Harcourt, I Brace. M.7S. The farther away from his home land Alexander marched, the more detailed were the contemporary records of It. But while he wai still within the area familiar to hia Macedonians and Greeks, they could have felt, aenaibty enough, too, that his goings and comlnga were hardly worth describing. Because of gape in the accounta of hia eastward progress through Anatolia, along the picturesque northern edge of the easternmost Mediterranean, Mias Stark aet out to Had what trace* tba could. She traveled by Jeep and horse hack, ? he roughed it; >he draw* significant conclusions about Alex ander'! idea of One World. But best of all thii ia delightful and exciting contemporary travel. Her photograph! of Greek and Roman sites ana the people now inhabit ing these distant region! are fine, but the moat evocative picturei appear in the text itaelf. ? W. C. Roger* Report from Practically No where. By John Sack. Harper $3.15. Lundy, Sark, Andorra, llonaco, Liechtenatein, San Marino, Athoe, S.M.O.M., Sharja, Swat, Amb, Pu nial, Sikklm ? ia this Sanskrit, doe* It ward off the evil eye, or an these naughty words? No, they are, instead, 13 countries ? he calls them countries which Sack visited on a trip around the world. Though he spent two years at it, he never law the thing! you know about, like London Bridge, Eiffel Tower and pyramid!. A concierge admitted Urn to ooe country, ho reached another by paddle wheel, a third afoot by a dixxy bridge of vines, and so on. The book ia ? storehouse af enjoyable and uao ?*" J- - -?? G 4 ? ?'M