&i COMMISSIONER LANIER RAISES ISSUES ABOUT HIMSELF AS WELL AS OTHERS By Jack Rider Last Tuesday, July 19, North Carolihalnsuranoe Commission er Edwiii Lanier held a news in Raleigh in which he gave hut some most specific figure# about fraudulent hail in surance daims made over a 3 yeaf period in Eastern North Carolina^ Lanier, however, mentioned no names, and geheralized his report by sweeping in all of Eastern Carolina with the charg es of fraud; Among the allegations Lanier made was that a total of $ 189, 844.20 had been paid out in fraudulent claims in this per iod; that this figure included 11 claims paid to farms on which no tobacco is grown, amounting to $101,463.12, claims amounting to $34,347 on fictitious farms SI three claims amounting to 072 paid out but not to the actual farmer in whose name the claims were filed. Immediately all across East ern North Carolina complaints began to pour into Lanier’s of fice over the manner in which he had conducted the press con ference, by mentioning specific figures, but by jiot mentioning any names. This failure to mention names cast a cloud of suspicion over every farmer, every insurance agent and every insurance ad juster working in Eastern North Carolina. Obviously, the innocent resent ed this unnecessary abuse and it surely didn’t make the guilty any more comfortable since they know very well who they are, whether Lanier publishes their names or not. Worse, perhaps than the im mediate cloud of suspicion cast by Lanier’s poor judgment was the flood of rumors he set into motion. No doubt every county in which flue-cured tobacco is grown in Eastern North Carolina has had people in it who immediately as sumed that the whole conspiracy took {dace in their county, and in Lenoir County this is surely, the chaff that is floating about. Lanier Silent In the July 19th press confer ence Lanier said more news would be issued and that the re lease of that day was just a “pre liminary report.” Now more than a week has pass ed. The rumors grow faster and wilder. Lanier will not answer his phone, nor return calls plac ed by anyone in Kinston. Lanier was appointed Insur ance Commissioner July 5, 1962 on the death of Charlie Gold, so if his statement of last week is correct he and his staff have known of these abuses for three years. And the only action taken so far has been to permit increas es in hail insurance rates suffic ient to offset the losses by actual hail or by fraud that have tak en place in this 3-year period. If rate is a yardstick in this matter Lenoir County appears to be a likely suspect since the hail insurance rate per $100 in Lenoir County is $6, while it is $4.50 in neighboring Duplin County, $5 in Greene apd just $3 in Onslow. The companies who have been hit by the fraud apparently have been more interested in getting back the money they paid out than in prosecuting those doing doing the stealing. The insurance commissioner, having admitted that this is a 3-year affair, also leaves himself open to charges for not having acted more forcefully. Among the rumors that per sist is that a meeting was held in 1963 in which all agents writ ing hail insurance were warned to “straighten up.” This, as with the case now at hand, was a gratuitous slap at those agents who had been operating honest ly and it was less than a slap on the wrist to those who were stealing. One thing is obvious, Lanier has permitted the honest farm ers to repay the losses to the in suring companies, and to this injury Lanier is now permitting those honest farmers to also suf fer the slanders that are now street comer gossip in every part of Eastern North Carolina. If Lanier knew fraud was com mitted in 1963 and if he knew who was doing it he is guilty of failing to protect both the pub lic and the honest insurance peo ple, both of whom look to the office of insurance commission er for protection. :THE JONES COUNTY JOURNAL NUMBER 13 TRENTON, N. C„ THURSDAY, JULY 28, 1966 VOLUME xvm Three Get Medals, Cash for Saving Man's Life in Wreck The Carnegie Foundation this week announced making its medals for heroism awards to three local men, who also get a cash donation,.of $750 each. The three are The Reverend J. C. Parker, former pastor of Lane’s Methodist Chapel and the Dover Methodist Church, Henry Moore, a Kinston truck driver, and Reid Joyner, a Dover route 1 farmer. On July 1, 1964, Albert Wall er of Kinston was knocked un conscious in a wreck near Dov er and the truck he was driv ing brust into flames. The trio receiving the awards managed to fasten a chain to the truck cab and pull it open to remove the unconscious Wall er. Parker received burns about the arms and Waller escaped with minor burns, bruises and a concussion. Divorce Asked Clerk of Court Walter P. Hend erson filed one civil case in the past week. Henry L. Darden seeks a divorce from Frances Brock Darden alleging their marriage May, 1948 and their separation July 30, 1954. ONE ARREST Sheriff Brown Yates reports one arrest in the past week. Ric hard Dail of Trenton is charg ed with being publicly drunk. Butcher Makes Widow Happy by Returning Lost Money 'jv't Lewi* Newcomb, an employee in the meat cutting department at the Kinston . A & P store last Thursday made Mrs. Vivian Faison of 309-B Richard Greene Apartments mighty happy, and 1966 has net been a happy year for her up until then. On January 20th Mrs. Faison's husband, Ira, died after a long illness and on March 31st a daughter, Mrs. Iris Braddock, died after a brief Illness. Last week Mrs. Faison was making the rounds, buying groceries and paying bills with insurance money collected after the death of her daughter. She lost an envelope with no mark ings on it containing one $100 bill, two $20 bills and three $5 bills. Finally her luck began to im prove. She asked Newsman Jack Rider to announce h«- loss on one of his radio programs. He did without discovery to m.— ,Snr» {Hr re Tm wore tor M much hope of helping her. But NMveomb found the envelope, reported the r John Williams, who called Rider, who called Mrs. Faison, brought her . reunion with her money. Newcomb, who is a lay minister, accepted a Faison, who wanted to give him half of the money, bince as she said, "Half Newcomb assured her$20 etas enough and wished her well and profusely. ' '■ ' she . . . Recorder's Court Clears 26 Cases In Past Week; Traffic Takes Most Junes vsuuiuy ivecoraer s uourt cleared 26 cases in the past week. Ten people were tried for speeding: Samuel Griffin of Trenton Route 2 was found not guilty and the case was dismiss ed at the close of State’s evi dence. In the cases against Vin cent Joseph Chilla Jr. of Home stead, Fla. Gaston Kelly of Brooklyn, New York, the state took a nol pros with leave. Jul ian Drewry Duncan Jr. of Ports mouth, Va., Robert Carl O’Bryan of Pollocksville, Arthur D. Car lisle of Camp Lejeune, Joe Wil lie Cancer of Camp Lejeune, Charlie Harris of Fort Eustis, Va., Richard Loveland of Mid way Park, each paid a $26 fine. Mary Bailey Barnwell of New Bern had entered a prayer for judgment continued on payment of the costs. The state dismissed the cases against Vinnie Coombs of Route 2, Trenton, and George Phillips charged with slander. Hilton Mundine, no address listed, pled guilty to assault on a female, and was taxed with the costs. The plaintiff withdrew the warrant against Anthony Smith of Pollocksville for as saulting a female, and was tax ed with the costs. The plaintiff withdrew the warrant against Franklin Bryant of Trenton who was charged with being drunk, disorderly and assaulting a female. The state nol prossed the case against G. C. Arnold of Louis burg, charged with passing a worthless eep Run has been assigned to operate a highly specialized guerrilla and ambush school for the 25th Infantry Division in Viet Nam. Viet Nam Commander Gener al Williams Westmoreland, in announcing Howard’s assign ment, said the purpose of the school is “to teach our boys how to out-guerrilla the guerrillas and how to out-ambush the ambush ers” Horse Show The Griffon Little League As sociation is sponsoring a horse show on Saturday and Sunday of this week. The Tobacco Fes tival show will be held at River field Farm at Griffon and will include a full listing of all type horse show events. The show gets underway at 10 Saturday morning, contihues at 1 Satur day afternoon, at 7 Saturday night and the final contests be gin at 1 Sunday afternoon. All profits from the two day event will help sponsor Little League Baseball in Griffon.