TRENTON, N. C., THURSDAY, JULY 10, 1969 VOLUME XVD
Handsome Home of One of Newer Lenoir County Businesses
*
This most attractive building just north of the Kinstonian Motel on US 258 is the home
office of one of Lenoir County’s newest businesses: SMS Contractors. Frank Rouse, a native
of the Moss Hill section, son of Mr. andi M rs. Sam Rouse, is president and general manager
of the company. The principal business of SMS is fencing and guard rails along highways
and its contracts have carried its highly specialized crews all over the United States. The
firm is a new one to Lenoir County but it has been in operation in the Piedmont for many
years. Rouse, who flies his own plane about the country to supervise his company’s opera
tions, got tired of commuting so far to the old Piedmont offices and late last year decided
to bring headquarters closer to home. A large amount of the mechanical equipment belong
ing to the company is serviced, and occassionally stored in a large building which is located
immediately north of the handsome headquarters building.
State Veterans Board Awards 350
College Scholarships on Tuesday
Tuesday of last week th<
State Board of Veterans Affair;
awarded 350 college scholarship;
to children of veterans.
Of this total 150 are scholar
ships awarded to children' oi
men who died in combat, oi
who suffered 100 per cent disa
bility as the result of wartime
service.
Another 100 of the scholar
ships went to children of vet
erans who have a disability rat
ed over 30 per cent but less
than 100 jier cent by the Vet
erans Administration.
The /final 100 scholarships
were awarded to children of vet
erans on the basis of their fin
ancial needs and academic abili
ty
Effective this year the Gen
; eral Assembly has made these
1 state scholarships available in
in all accredited North Caro
lina colleges. Until July 1st of"
this year the scholarships were
only available in state support
ed institutions of higher educa
tion.
Members of the State Board
of Veterans Affairs are Chair
man Wesley Culllpher of Eliza
beth City, John R. Dickerson of
Monroe, William E. Bass of Hic
kory, Dudley Robbins of Willard
and Jack Rider of Kinston.
Ex-officio members of the
board are the state commanders
of the American Legion, The
Veterans of Foreign Wars, The
Disabled American! Veterans,
Trouble and Bananas Come in Bunches
At about 11 Tuesday night a Wayne County Deputy
Sheriff fell in behind a oar that later was found to be
driven by Willard Jones Jr., of 3702 Tyler Drive in Mount
Vernon Park just west of Kinston. Jones took off with the
deputy in hot pursuit. Then the deputy called in Highway
Patrolman K. R. Rose aiid when the high speed caravan hit"'
Lenoir County Patrolman D. O. Wiggins joined the parade,
which ended shortly after Jones' car hit that of Rose at
the entrance to Mount Vernon Park. Jones took off on
foot, resisted strongly being put under arrest and suffered
lacerations in the tussle which caused the officers to take
him to Lenoir Memorial Hospital. While there a Lenoir
County Deputy came (n end served a warrant on Junes
charging him with kidnapping a 14-yoarold LaGrange route
3 girl on Juno 23rd. Per the chase ho
an hour, drunken driving, driving while
hit apd run driyng, resisting arrest
World War 1 veterans, AMVETS
and Spanish American War Vet
erans.
Another Firm Deserts Kinston for Falling Creek Township
This is the soon-to-be borne of Poole Buick Company which is the latest business addition
to the economy of Falling Creek Township. This large and attractively designed building is lo
cated at the intersection of US 70 with Highways US 258 and NC 58. Occupancy is expected
late this month. Two other Kinston automobile dealers have purchased tracts of land in Fall-'
ing Creek Tawndhip and plan early construction of new homes in the area. Just east of the
Poole Buick Company Building Starr Beaton Chevrolet Company has purchased a large tract
of land and W. H. Jones Motors has purchased another large tract a bit further east and ad
jacent to the Richard Caswell Park where its new home is to be built ini the near future.
iiiinffliliMBliit ifi'ii 'Tin iiir m'Vi i"
.4
Debt Service, Schools Major Causes
Lenoir County Budget Up $575,096.36.
This week the Lenoir Coun
ty Board of Commissioners ap
proved the budget estimate for
1969 - 70 and it totalled
$3,542,872.25, .which is an in
crease of-$575,096.36 over the
’68-’69 budget and to bring it in
balance an increase of eight
cents in the tax rate will push
the countywide tax rate to $1.73
on the $100 valuation.
Principal items in this half
million dollar increase were a
jump of $277,617.25 in the debt
service department and an in
crease of $246,272 in the school
budgets.
Sale of $3 million hospital
bonds at 5.67 per cent interest
last month and retirement of
$1 million in bond anticipation
notes accounted for the major
jump in the debt service depart
ment, which went from $240,139
last year to $517,756.25 this year.
Total allocations to schools mov
ed from $1,418,061.41 last year
to $1,664,333.02 this year.
General fund allocations rose
from $554,059.52 to $579,889.12
Hospital funds went up from
$134,000 to $153,500.
The welfare budget climbed
from $307,149 last year to $363,
701.26 this year.
The Health Department bud
get rose from $106,068 to $111,
192.60.
The community college fund
rose from $122,500 to $144,000.
Under the general fund allo
cations for auditing and account
ing rose from $20,326 to $22,410,
the extension department rose
from $37,364.73 to $38,260.73.
the airport’s fund went up from
$20,855.98 to $25,785.66, defense
allocations dropped from $2,240
to $1,700, the coroner’s fund
rose from $1,900 to $2,250, the
county commissioners’ fund rose
from $8,500 to $9,500, court
house maintenance dropped from
$56,207 to $11,680, the election
board fund rose from $13,636
to $17,772, the $2,500 allocation
to the fat stock show remains
the same.
Forest and rural fire protec
tion rose from $13,243 to $55,
651.51, industrial development
rose slightly from $27,429.38 to
$27,489.34, insurance and re
tirement costs fell from $36,
975 to $34,845, jail operation
rose from $13,430 to $14,900, le
gal expenses went up from
$4500 to $4600, planning com
mission funds were reduced to
$700 from $1100, library funds
rose from $35,563 to $37,200,
recreation programs went from
$18,000 to $19,176, register of
deeds office went from $27,952 -
90 to $30,981.90, repairs and sal
es tax went from $2100 to
$7400, sheriff department rose
from $79,099 to $94,853, sur
plus food went from $6500 to
$12,000, tax department rose
from $62,961 to $66,700, record
er’s court and clerk of court
which were in last year’s budget
in the amounts of $10,421.85
and $11,735 repectively were eli
minated since the cost of court
operation is now borne by the
state and the item last year for
superior courts of $10,184 was
eliminated for the same reason.
The contingency fund was re
duced from $26,383.80 to $25,
736.60.
With the first big block of
hospital bonds sold at 5.67 per
cent interest, which is 41.07 per
|ce(nt higher than anticipated,
when the hospital bond issue
election was held, and with the
hospital trustees authorized to
spend $2 million more than orig
inally promised — an increase
from $5,775,000 to $7,775,000 —
the projected 35-cent tax rate
increase now looms something
more nearly like 60 cents, and
this presumes that the interest
rate will not go higher.
The general assembly has
passed legislation calling for a
vote in all 100 counties in No
vember 1970 on an additional
one-cent sales tax which would
be divided between the county
and the municipalities in the
county.
If this is approved by the vot
ers of Lenoir County something
very near to $1 million would
be divided in this fashion, and
presuming that the county re
ceived half of that million this
could absorb about 30 cents of
that looming 60-cent tax rate
boost.
Continued on page 8