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
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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