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Volume 39, No. $1
PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
USPS 428-OtO
Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Wednesday, December 21, 1W3
25 CENTS
Shikara Elliott, a kin
dergarten student at Hertford
Grammar, is the winner of
the drawing for a $25.00 U. S.
Savings Bond from Hertford
Savings and Loan for her
"Letter to Santa." Shikara Is
a student in Mrs. Thelma
Finch's class. She is the
daughter of Sheila Elliott of
Stokes Drive in Hertford.
(More letters to Santa may be
found beginning on page 13. )
N ational Peanut F ederation suggests
more careful look at 1984 contracting
James E. Mobley, Chairman of the
National Peanut Growers Group
Steering Committee, said that
organization has advised peanut
growers to carefully weigh the
I possibilities prior to executing a
contract on 1M4 crop "additional"
peanuts. He said it now appears that
some growers may have acted too
hastily in signing contracts pushed
aggressively by some peanut han
dlers last January.
In a dramatic departure from
previous contracting patterns,
peanut handlers in the Southeastern
U.S. contracted huge quantities of
peanuts for export in January of IMS.
' During the five previous years of
contracting "additional" peanuts
contracting had occured for the most
part just prior to a spring deadline
sat by law. Unfortunately moat of the
peanuts contracted early .in January
of this year were committed at prices
lower than the levels of previous
years and in many cases below the
cost of production.
Under the peanut section of the
Agriculture and Food Act of 1981
peanuts may be forward contracted
to help satisfy demands of the export
market for U.S. peanuts. The law
sets a deadline of April 14 for the
completion and filing of such con
tracts.
As 1983 progressed, peanut export
prices showed slow but steady in
creases. By November some U.S.
handlers were offering growers up to
95 per cent of the quota price or
$522.50 per ton for "additional"
peanuts contracted prior to April 15,
under contracts permitting price
negotiations at harvest time. Con
tracts with the so called "price later"
provision have generally not worked
to the grower's benefit, but the
situation in 1983 worked in reverse to
prior years.
Considering the various options
and based on contracting history
growers are advised not to rush into
contracts at prices which when
considered separately are less than
the cost of production, Mobley said.
The National Peanut Growers
Group has in prior years advised that
growers enter contracts with han
dlers on "additional" peanuts only
when the price will assure the
growers a satisfactory net return.
Growers should be aware that the
world market level for edible peanuts
is reported to be much higher now
than in early IMS.
The grower leader said his
organization also suggested that
growers consider the possible con
sequences of committing their quota
peanuts at quota price to handlers as
a consideration for the handler's
contracting the growers "additional"
peanuts.
It is estimated in 1983 that about 80
per cent of the quota peanuts in the
Southeast and up to 60 per cent of the
quota peanuts in the Southwest were
committed under such a provision.
The NPGG spokesman said some
growers believe that development
effectively stifled the farmers stock
market last fall. Although premiums
ranging up to 5 per cent above the
quota support rate were paid by
handlers in the Southeast and South
west, for uncommitted quota
peanuts, many observers believe the
premiums would have gone much
higher under the short crop con
ditions existing in 1983, had growers
not agreed to the price "cap" at
contracting time.
Commissioners back
Board of Education
plans for high school
By JANE WILLIAMS
The Perquimans County Board of
Commissioners unanimously voted
to support efforts by the Perquimans
County Board of Education to con
struct a new high school on the
existing property in the immediate
future during their meeting on
Monday night.
Commisioner Charles H. Ward put
into action a motion that "The
Perquimans County Board of
Commissioners go on record sup
porting efforts to build a new high
school and make major renovations
on existing properties and to obtain
financing for this project through a
county bond referendum in 1984."
The motion was seconded by
W.W.White Jr. and had complete
support from the entire Board.
Board of Education Chairman
Clifford Winslow stated at the
meetings onset that the existing
building built in 1924 had "served
Perquimans County well" but that it
had outlived its usefulness. "It's
vitally important that the two Boards
work together to succeed and provide
better education in Perquimans
County. We can't continue to put this
project off any longer. We feel we
must make an effort. .this is
Perquimans County's biggest
priority today."
School Superintendent Pat Harrell
commented that he was well-pleased
at the action by the Board of Com
missioners. "We're pleased at the
support that was shown by the
County Commissioners tonight. In
1977 when we tried a bond referen
dum the Board did not give complete
support. Tonight the County Com
missioners voted unanimously to go
along with a bond referendum in
1984. We will proceed with our plans
to develop a model and plan to
present this to the Commissioners
upon completion."
Cost estimates for the proposed
new high school and renovations are
estimated to be between 1.5 million
but not to exceed 2 million dollars.
In other action, the Com
missioners:
?Heard a report from Keith
Haskett, Perquimans County Tax
Supervisor, regarding tax listings in
January. Haskett pointed out that
this year residents in the townships
of Belvidere, Parksville and Hertford
will list their taxes in the Hertford
office for the first three weeks of
listing and in the individual town
ships during the last week.
?Granted a bid of $1,500.00 for a
1979 Luv Truck to high bidder,
William Stallings.
?Heard a report from H.R.
Christensen, Chariman of the Board
of Directors for the Committee of 100,
on a proposal to possibly employ a
combination County Manager
Economic Developer. This resolution
has gained the backing of both The
Hertford Town Council and the
Winfall Town Council along with the
Perquimans County Chamber of
Commerce and the Perquimans
County Industrial Development
Commission.
The Board said they would con
sider this proposal after careful
study and report back to the Com
mittee of 100.
?Heard a presentation from Alvis
Jordan representing the Perquimans
County Homemakers on renovating
and building a new kitchen at the
Perquimans County Extension Of
fice. Paige Underwood, Juanita
Bailey, and Ann White also par
ticipated in this proposal.
Hunt to speak at
NNCT Banquet
Gov. James B. Hunt, Jr. will be the
guest speaker at Northeastern North
Carolina Tomorrow's annual
meeting banquet planned for March
9, 1984, here according to Joe Parker,
NNCT chairman.
NNCT will conduct its annual
board meeting from 2-5:30 p.m. with
the banquet following from 6-8 p.m.
Both the meeting and banquet will be
held in the K. E. White Graduate
and Continuing Education Center at
Elizabeth City State University.
While plans have not been
finalized, Don Hessenflow, NNCT
executive director, pointed out that
both the annual meeting and banquet
are open to the general public. Cost of
registration and the banquet is $15.00
and attendance will be limited to the
capacity of the center.
NNCT was established from the
results of Governmor Hunt's Nor
theastern North Carolina Task Force
which recommended that the region
come together and form a central
organization which could collectively
speak for the region.
In May 1981, approximately 60
citizens fromthe 16 most nor
theastern counties came together.
This groups of volunteer citizens.
concerned with the region's quality
of life and its lack of growth and
economic development agreed that a
regional organization be formed.
In early 1982, the efforts of these
citizens resulted in the formation of
Northeastern North Carolina
Tomorrow. This regional council
would seek maximum citizen par
ticipation and address the problems
of the region.
This group spelled out the purpose
of NNCT:
"...to further the development of a
broadly constituted, informed
leadership base which can ef
fectively address the issues facing
Northeastern North Carolina ; "
"...to encourage greater citizen
participation in the development of
policies and programs to meet the
challenges of the region; and"
"...to develop a sense of pride in
the region and thereby create a
unified effort to enhance the future of
Northeastern North Carolina."
"Today, it is the means which
individuals and organizations work
together to examine the problems,
share the concerns, and insure the
orderly growth and promote the
development of the region," Parker
stated.