VOL. 2, N 0.32
Scarcity Os Beef Caused By Freeze;
Yancey Markets Receive Frugal Supply
By Jody Higgins
It's been many years since
shoppers in this country have
gone into a supermarket and
not found any beef. But thath
the condition that threatens
Yancey County as well as the
nation this week, and perhaps
even until the price freeze is
taken off meat in September.
According to Harrison Buck
ner, Manager of Ingle's Super
market in Burnsville, that store
may have an empty meat case
unless they receive a shipment
Thursday. Meanwhile, the
case is sparsely filled with
some beef, pork and chicken,
and the remaining spaces have
been filled with cheese, pick
les, canned sausages and fro
zen pizza.
Buckner said that he only
received one-half of the beef
he ordered last week and none
of Tuesday's order.
Buckner added, "We have
been able to get pork until
now, but I don't know for how
long. Pork prices have really
gone up. "
” t
One store official atBI-LO
refused to comment for the
newspaper on whether their
source would continue to sup
ply meat to keep their cases
filled. 81-LO manager Paul
Rhymes however, did say "Go
look for yourself. We've got
plenty. " He refused further
discussion on the matter.
A number of smaller, in
dependent stores are also suf
fering from the meat shortage.
However, David Peterson,own
er of Burnsville Supermarket
has not felt the pinch of meat
shortage as yet. "I've got
plenty now," he said. "I
don't have a shortage yet. "
The stores usually get their
meat supplies in halves of beef
or quarters and cut it up them
selves. Or, more expen
sive price, can buy already
trimmed portions such a s
round (thigh).
What has happened this past
week, is that stores can't get
the halves of beef and are get
ting the cup-up portions with
more fat left on them, still
at the higher prices.
The real squeeze began last
week. Until then ineatwas still
plentiful, even in halves and
quarters. One local business
man stated that all the news on
TV and in newspapers about
meat shortage has caused a
"run" on the meat counters at
grocery stores after the fashion
of the run on the banks during
the depression. "This may have
contributed as much to the short
supplies on supermarket meat
counters as the actual shortage
of meat from the suppliers, " he
said. "People fear that they
will be left without meat. "
The reason for the scarcity
of beef at the moment isn't that
less beef was raised this year.
According to Carlyle Bled
spe, Yancey Agricultural Ex
tension Agent, there are numer
ous reasons for the shortage but
the major one seems to be that
THE YANCEY JOURNAL
"price controls are creating an
artificial situation and the sup>-
ply and demand concept is not
operating efficiently. "
The freeze on beef prices is
not scheduled to go off until
September 12 and the feeling
among many cattlemen is (that
they -won't take their animals
to market until the price is high
er. Meanwhile there is ample
beef being raised to supply the
meat needs of the country.
The freeze may be lifted be
fore the September 12 deadline
NCSU And TV A Administrators Tour
Three Farming Operations In Yancey
Administrators from N.C.
State University and the Tenne»
see Valley Authority toured
three farming operations in Yan
cey County along with visits in
four other Western Counties.
Among those attending were:
Parkway Playhouse Offers
Smash Hit Musical,'Oliver'
The thrilling Broadway mu -
sical "Oliver!" is the final at
traction of the Parkway Play
house season and it is one of the
mc*t memorable staged at the
Playhouse in years. This
company and staff at the Play
house have been extraordinarily
talented and this fine musical
showcases their talents in a
strong light.
There are many reasons for
the success of "Oliver!" First,
it is one of the best musicals
ever written. Second, it is dir
ected by Parkway veteran Laur
en K. Woods (director of this
season's "1776" and "Life With
Father"). Third, the cast is led
by special guest artist Bob Wald
ron as the old thief Fagin. Fourth,
the Playhoise has gone to great
pains to employ an orchestra of
great size and talents. Fifth, the
rest of the company give fine
performances. Sixth, the set
tings and the lights are marvel -
ously professional.
It doesn't seem there is much
more this musical could offer,
but the Parkway troupers keep
heaping one treat upon the other.
Mr. Waldron as Fagit brings
this fearful and loveable charac
ter to us with depth, humor and
charm. He is thoroughly
ful as he tells Oliver of the joys
of crime in "Pick a Pocket or
Two" or as he pondets his fate
in "Reviewing the Situation".
And young Kenny Woods as di
ver is a fine performer for his
11 years. He sings and dances
with fine professionalism and
seems to really be Oliver. He
handles the tender ballad "Where
Is love" with strong command.
Larry Treu, as the Artful Dodfpr,
Fagin's prime crook, is a joy
singing the showstopper "Consi
der Yourself". Mara Sage and
Cynthia Sherman are double
cast as Nancy and give moving
and well sung performances. And
David Hart as the arch - villian
because pressure is being ap
plied on the government as pack
ing houses close down, and su
permarkets and families gowith
out meat.
Once the freeze is lifted and
cattlemen market their cattle,
there should be enough beef for
winter... if the consumer can
afford it.
Considering the dramatic
rise in meat prices last winter,
the heights to which the cost of
a pound of hamburger may go
this year is a staggering thought.
Dr. George Hyatt, Jr. ,Director
of N.C. Agricultural Extension
Service, Mr. D.D. Robinson,
Extension District Chairman,
Dr. Porter Russ, Chief, Re
source Development.
Wayne McCvury, his wife
Bill Sikes is excellent.
The acting and singing right
down the line are fine and chor
eographer Sue Atherton is to
be commended for creating top
notch dances for the superlative
chorus. A great deal of humor
is handled in the performances
of Donald Treat and Valerie
Coyne as Mr. Bumble and Wi
dow Comey. They sing the de
lightful "I Shall Scream" and
"Oliver" and Mr, Treat gives
"Boy For Sale" a. lovely haunt
ing quality.
This musical is a treat far
the entire family. The lovely
sets are by Michael Voss,whose
fine work all season has brought
much to each production & have
the beautiful costumes created
by Lynn Emmart and the light -
mg by Michael Castania.
Don't miss this thrilling mu
sical which will play through
Saturday with an 8:30 curtain.
Tickets are available by call -
ing the box office at 682-6151.
lost
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',' A jaH
THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 1973
ft „ £ <
Officials View Westall Farm; Study Mechanization Os Burley Tobacco Handling
Betty and son Dean, showed vi
sitors their seven tenths straw
berry planting and their one
acre Trellised Tomato Enter -
prise Demonstration.
Johnny Harris, son of Mr.and
Mrs. Charles Harris, told the
visitors how he had worked with
his "Cash Crops for Kids" To -
mato Project.
From Bolens Creek the ad
ministrators moved to the farm
of Grover and Warren Westall
to observe research in progress
to discover practical ways to
mechanize handling and curing
of Burley Tobacco. The project
is concentrating on a portable
scaffold system that could en
able one man alone to handle
cutting and bam ing operations.
If the system can be perfected,
Burley farming can be much
easier for mountain peopffe.
The visitors enjoyed a "Coke
Break", courtesy of Lacy John
son Company, while asking
questions and summarizing the
tour. They were highly im
pressed with the Yancey pro
jects and the fine work of Mc-
Curry, Harris, Westall and
other families in the county.
Pack Meeting
Cub Scout Pack 502 of Burns
ville will not meet this evening
(Thursday, August 9). There
will be a meeting next week,
Thursday, August 16 at Higgins
Memorial Methodist Church
from 7:30 to 8:15 p.m.
,
■ jTf JWmL . . M .i.
Wayne McCurry, Betty And Dean
Open House Scheduled At
(reps Research Station
What are agricultural scien
t! doing to improve the pro
tion of apples, cucumbers,
potatoes, beans, tomatoes and
Other crops important to Wes
tern North Carolina?
Yancey County farmers can
seam the answer to this questiai
ly attending Open House atthe
Mountain Horticultural Crops
Research Station on Tuesday,
August 14.
W. C, Bledsoe, County Ex
tension Chairman, said visitors
will be shown more than a do -
zen research plots, and have an
opportunity to talk to the ento
mologists, soil scientists and
horticulturists who are doing
the research.
The research on apples deals
with such things as varieties,
pruning, spacing and tbe-epn -
trol of tree size,
insects. The research tffm/oVqa
toes deals with such !as
soil management, irrigation aW
the control of diseases, nema -
todes and weeds. Otherresearch
compares methods of fertilizing
pole beans and shows how new
varieties of potatoes are be ing
developed.
Bledsoe said visitors will also
see demonstrations of equiprrsnt
and supplies, and theycan hear
an address by former Governor
Robert W. Scott, now execu -
tive vice president of the N.C.
Agribisiness Council, Inc.
Starting time for OpenPiuse
is 9 a. m. A Dutch lunch will
be served. Yancey farmers will
depart from the courthouse at
7»30 a. m. All farmers interes
ted in attending should make
arrangements with the Extension
Office for the trip. Several
fanners are already slated to
attend.
The Mountain Horticultural
Crops Research Station is one of
16 agricultural stations across
North Carolina. These stations
are the result of cooperative
work between the N.C. Depart
ment of Agriculture, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, and
the Agricultural Experiment Sta
tion of N.C. State University.
H.E, Blackwell is superinten
dent of the mountain horticul -
tural station.
Wildlife Afield:
Real Solution To Litter?
With all the environmental problems facing us today-- un
checked land development, water and air pollution, fuel shor
tages—it seems almost nit-picking to write about littering.
After all, chucking a mashed beer can out of a car window
is strictly small potatoes next to ruining a river. But these
small potatoes cost you and me a cool two and a half million
dollars a year, and that figure is rising.
Two and a half million is the estimate of what it costs each
year for cleaning up the litter in North Carolina, and you and
I are paying that bill in taxes. Exports also say that this fig
ure is growing each year.
So what are we doing about it? Not a whole lot, it turns
out. In 1971, the General Assembly upped the maximum fine
for littering from SSO to S2OO, but if that's had a deterrent ef
fect on the litter-bug), it isn't noticeable. One need only to
look along the side of any road in the state to determine that.
True, slightly more than a thousand people were prosecu-tri
in North Carolina last year for littering, but the threat of arrest
and fine are clearly inadequate. For one thing, litter tossers
are hard to catch, and even if you catch one, it may not make
much of an impression. The litter-bug might even ball up the
receipt for his fine and absent-mindedly fling it on the ground
in front of the courthouse.
Facing the problem foresquare it is obvious that while many
people would no more litter a roadside than they would dump
garbage in their living room, there are plenty of others who
have no such qualms. In fact, for many people (I cannot re
sist the temptation to call them slobs), littering is as natural
as breathing.
Whatever the root causes, it is fully apparent that the prob
lem will not be licked by massi 'e public education programs
(which have largely failed) or through the slim threat of arrest.
The answer is, of course, to find some other, mare basic ap
proach to the problem. That's what several states are consider
ing, and at least one state —Oregon—has already found what
appeals to be a real solution.
According to a recent column by James J. Kilpatrick, Ore
gon placed its anti-litter law in effect October, 1972. The
law prohibits outright any cans with pull-tab opeaeis, and all
beer and soft drink containers MUST be refundable.
What this does is put a direct "price" on certain types of
litter, ft means that the man about to toss a bottle or can
out of his car window might think twice before throwing out
anywhere from two to 10 cents—the rsual refund value of the
item. Also, if the litter-bug decides to throw the can or bot
tle anyway, then that old American concept —free enterprise
—comes into full sway. Entrepreneurs—many of them no
doubt youthful—are fully aware that the roadsides are covered
with money, and they patrol the highways collecting refund -
able bottles. In either case, significant litter is controlled,
and the tax payers are no longer stuck with either a bill for
taxes or aesthetics.
In Oregon, the new law has worked remarkably well. The
results of a careful study along one 25-mile stretch of highway
y showed that during the month before the law went into effect,
there were 25,775 pieces of litter along the road. This inclu
ded 2,061 beer cans, 719 soft drink cans, 481 non-returnable
beer bottles and 86 non- returnable soft drink bottles. In May
of this year, a check of this test road showed that the total lit
ter had dropped to 7,933 pieces—a reduction of 69 percent.
There were only 153 beer cans found, 38 soft drink cam and
41 non-returnable bottles.
There have tffeen problems, of course. It is a nuisance for
retailers to have to handle returnable bottles, and there have
also been some jobs lost in canning plants. But those jobs may
be offset by increased employment in other aspects of the bot
tling and canning industry— at least that is the view of the En
vironmental Protection Agency.
At any rate, in the balance, these problems seem small in
relation to the obvious advantages, and it is certainly not too
early for North Carolina to take a serious look at Oregon's suc
cess. In a very real sense, it's the least we can do.
'Thank You' Ingle's
A heartfelt "thank you" goes to Bob Ingle and em
ployees in the meat department of Ingle's Supermarket
for their generous cooperation which contributed greatly
to the success of the Crafts Fair.
The Yancey County Chamber of Commerce was able
to buy 750 chickens at wholesale prices from Ingle's and
store employees cut up and stored the chickens free of
charge for Saturday's barbecue. Hotdogs and the chili
makings were also bought wholesale for the Journal's hot
dog booth--proceeds from which will go toward a Journa
lism scholarship for a high school student in 1974.
Chamber officials and the Journal staff appreciate
Ingle's support of the 17th annual Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair.
10 c