Newspapers / The Coastland Times (Manteo, … / May 16, 1958, edition 1 / Page 1
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VOLUME XXIII —NO. 46 COMMISSIONER’S JOB PAYS HANDSOMELY TO THOSE WHO DON’T CARE HOW IT COMES Telling How Chairman Duvall Used The Office to Hi-Jack the Timber Company Out of Thou sands at Heavy Cost to the People; Also How He Tried to Shake Down Monthly Graft From Fire Warden Applicant at Manns Harbor. Many people often wonder why some people move Heaven and earth trying to hold on to the of fice, while telling their friends they cannot afford it, and will not run again. Baloney! There are in stances where the office of county commissioner can be made one of the highest paid in the county, as well as most costly to the taxpay ers. Take the case of Commissioner Chairman Claude C. Duvall, who has the sharpest mind of any member of the board, and has been running rings around them all the time. In five years he has been profit ed in a single instance by more than |13.000 through a simple case of high jacking, but which cost the taxpayers at least $40,000 which had to be met by increased taxes. It is likely that the sum could be much larger. The $13,000 received by Mr. Duvall has come from the West Virginia Pulp & Paper Co. who put him on their pension list at fifty dollars per week, when he was fighting to put their taxes up. The sum of $40,000 is the tax money they have saved, since putting Mr. Duvall on the pension list. Early in 1953, sitting back alone in his store in Buffalo City, where the state is now planning to build him a $63,000 road, Mr. Duvall figured out how to hi-jack the company out of something worth while. He had been chagrined be cause the company came into the area and ignored him. In fact a company manager said Mr. Duvall was one man they never expected to employ. For many years Mr. Duvall had lived out of those tim berlands back of Buffalo City. A tremendous lot of business came to his store from the moonshine -stills in these woods during prohi bition days, and he was engaged with others in a saw-mill business '* which for many years prior to World War 11, had flourished from the stumpage cut from these woods. During the war years, Fred Maloof became owner of these | properties. Mr. Maloof somehow got the impression that it was not to his interest to allow Mr. Duval! to continue to cut the tim ber, and he summarily ordered it stopped. This closed down the mill. See DUVALL, Page Five TAXPAYERS IN DARE PROTESTING RAISES THREATEN A STRIKE strong Movement on To Refuse to Pay Taxes Until Mess Is Completely Corrected A well defined movement is un derway with plans for meetings and petitions to be circulated on Hatteras Island, organizing a gen eral strike by taxpayers in pro test against the ridiculous system of valuing property, recently done bv the Commissioners at a cost of $22,000. Citizens of Hatteras township report this week that many citi zens say they won’t pay any more taxes until the mess is cleaned up. One man said: “Let ‘em advertise the property, anyway; nobody is going to buy it, and I am damned sure nobody is going to move in with me.” It’s a pretty serious thing when a movement of this kind gains un controllable momentum; it can reach the stage where no appeals, no’ officials and nothing else can A Stop it. County officials with common sense wouldn’t have let the situa tion heppen, and once it has hap pened, these now in office cannot be expected to know how to correct the conditions. Hatteras Island people, being of vigor and courage, while easy going, accommodating and help ful, are very determined people in the face of what they consider in justice, arid may be found a very unyielding group in this move ment, which, is spreading through out the county. WANCHESE P.T.A. BAKE SALE 4he P. T- A. of the Wanchese School will have a Bake Sale at the school on Saturday, May 17th beginning at 10:00. This is to be the last function of the year and all interested persons are urged THE COASTLAND TIMES PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA JOCKEY RIDGE TRADITION FOR GOOD FOOD CONTINUES MHHFI HlO j .. i J *'* Jr ; V ♦ MRS. MARGIE SUTHARD of Nags Head is not going to allow the tradition of the Jocky Ridge restaurant at Nags Head and its fame for good food to die. Mrs. Suthard was associated with Mr. and Mrs. Pat Bayne in the opera tion of the old restaurant which the highway wiped out last year, after nine years of success. She is a native of the Washington, D. C. area, and is a woman of rare per sonality and ability. Her new place is just south of Gray’s Gift shop, and near the Carolinian Hotel. TURKEY DINNER SATURDAY A turkey dinner with all the trimmings will be served from five until eight o’clock Saturday evening, May 17, in the Manteo school lunch room. The affair is sponsored by the sophomore class of Manteo High School and they will be assisted by the grade mothers. Plates to take out will be provided for those who request them. IS THIS EITHER COMPETENT OR INTELLIGENT? THIS HOUSE ON COLINGTON is owned by James Beasley. It was considered by the New Jersey outfit which is to get $22,000 for valuing the property of Dare County as worth SBOO. The County Commissioners consider it worth only $560. The old shack is 12 by 24 feet. It was for many years a kitchen owned by the late Jim Crank, and he gave it away to move off the property. As may be seen from the picture, it is almost worthless and Mr. Beasley had been unable to get even $lO for it. One might throw a cat through the roof. There are many other similar instances of the intelligence, or lack of intelligence used in the valuation of property in Dare County at so heavy a cost to the people. 1 • HOPE By ,Grace. Nowell Crowell So long as there are homes to which men turn at the close of the day; So long as there are homes where children are: where women stay; If love and loyalty and faith be found across those sills, A stricken nation can recover from its gravest ills. So long as there are homes where fires burn, and there is bread; So long as there are homes where lamps are lit, and prayers are said; Although a people falter through the dark, and nations grope, With God Himself back of these little homes, we have sure hope. TIME TO PUT THE LITTLE COURTHOUSE OUT OF BUSINESS J '-A K SIRS! ?/ ?1 - -- - - - wan.. rf.-.-’xi',..*!.-.... THE TIME has surely come to take back the business of the people from the little courthouse at Buf falo City where Commissioner Chairman C. C. Duvall sits and cooks up schemes for his benefit, and for keeping under his thumb the Board of Commissioners, whose full control he shares with Melvin Daniels, who lives to dictate from the branch office in the courthouse at Manteo. Since Mr. Duvall took Dare County affairs back into Buffalo City, he has done right well’ by himself. He has shaken down the Wset Virginia company for at least SIO,OOO at heavy cost to the people; he has tried to get people to pay him graft for getting jobs for them which he can’t influence at all. He has allowed Melvin Daniels and Lawrence Swain to take over and waste the county’s money in the most reckless manner in its history. He has even joined them in spitting on the people by ignoring their wishes at the polls. He has plunged the county in the darndest wrangle in history, wasting $22,000 for a tax assessment of high ly questionable value, and of which it is said: “It cost $22,000; will cost another $22,000 to get it straightened out, and the people will not live down its memory in 22 years..” The author of this bright saying is unknown, but it is attributed to tax Supervisor Pennell Tillett, on whom has been thrown the obnoxious, task of straightening out the most useless and damphool job in history. But Chairman Duvall, who pays the county only $24 a year in taxes, can sit back in his Buffalo city store, (value $200) and shake his sides about what saps he has made out of the boys in the courthouse who, no matter how he treats the people, break their necks when he cracks the whip, and are now telling everyone to vote for him. And he is smart. For this man who has only a S2OO store back in the woods, is going to have the State of North Carolina take $63,000 of Dare County’s road money, and hard-surface the road to his door. MANTEO PEOPLE TO GET SHARP TAX INCREASE Few people realize just how bad this new tax appraisal is going to serve the people of Manteo. For people in Manteo are going to suffer additional pains from it. The valuations adopted by the Commissioners will be increased to Jthe.same.sunis.in-.the .town of.Mgn teo, and taxes will be levied on the basis of the higher values. This means a stiff increase in taxes for many homeowners in Manteo, whose people are now pay ing their town tax which is an ad ditional sum almost as great as the county taxes. If more people in Manteo were See INCREASE, Page Eight MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, MAY 16, 1958 UNCLE DOCK FROM DUCK SAYS— Dreams How The Courthouse Crowd Figures To Fool the Voters in The Coming Primary Dear Mister Editor: I thought you might be interest ed in a dream I had last week, which kinda seemed so real, that it could almost be true. I dreamed some of the courthouse crowd held a meeting, and was making plans just hov. to fool the people again and carry the lection and get back in office. All agreed that this was just too good a thing to give up. And when I heard ’em talking it was goin’ like this: “Oh that damn paper,” was a continuous refrain. “Why not do something about the paper,” one guy says. “We are doing it” says another. “We tell everybody its all lies, and we tell a lot of lies about the editor. We can’t make ’em believe it, for he prints the figures right from our record.” “Well by gosh, tell the voters something,” said big mouth. “Show ’em how much we done fer ’em.” “We do tell ’em, but they com plain what we’ve done mostly is raise taxes and wasted the money. One good thing might be to get Lawrence Swain to promise to get rid of mosquitos. He’s pretty good at promising for he’s telling ’em across the sound now how much money he is going to get ’em from the Small Business outfit.” “Better stick to mosquitos,” said a third fellow. “Everybody is against mosquitos.” “Yes, if mosquitoes hadn’t come so early this year, we’d all had it made; think how he worked that gag last time and then didn’t send the rig otit to spray no more. Don’t think they will believe it twice.” Up spoke the first guy: ‘Don’t let Claude stop telling folks they’ll lose their old age pension, if the old crowd gets beat,” he said. Number two spoke up arid said: “I don’t believe that’s going to work as good as it used to. Most people have got wised up to the fact that the Commissioners have nothing to do with the old age nension. It comes by law, and is decided by the Welfare Depart ment. A county commissioner can’t put on nor take off.” Number three said': “Don’t for get we need some money. There are a lot of big people who ought to chip in for what we can do for them. Claude ought to raise some money. We can hire a lot of cars, and if we have some left over, we can save it for next time.” “Are you sure about all these folks working for the county?” number two asked. Nothing surer,” said Number Three. “We got ’em where we want ’em. “We’ll tell ’em the other crowd’ll fire ’em if they get in, and that we’ll fire ’em if they work for the other crowd. We got ’em scared to death.” » “What about Kitty Hawk,” ask ed big mouth. “That looks like a tough spot to fool; they’re pretty disgusted with the “courthouse.” I “Oh, we’ll tell Pennell to go up' “Also Big mouth is going to Kitty Hawk to tell ’em the true facts.” “Hey, wait a minute,” said num ber three. ‘Everybody knows bet ter than that. We can’t dispute the figures, and I believe Pennell is pretty disgusted himself. I’ve had suspicion all along that Pennell ain’t been swallowing this ap praisal deal.” “What are we going to do about Victor? He’s the main guy we got to keep out of here.” “Tell ’em anything. People like to believe a whispering campaign. Maybe we can get Melvin to tell everybody he stole from the county.” “Hey, wait a minute,” said Number Three, “I think we better get somebody else to do that job.” “What about down the Banks?” asked Number two. “Let’s try to get Frank Cahoon to take care of that. A lot of people like him and believe him.” “Hey, wait a minute” said Num ber Three. He won’t do a thing like that, and that is why people believe him.” See DOCK, Page Five LET'S GET THIS RECORD STRAIGHT It is reported reliably that cer tain County Commissioners who are so anxious to keep in office, and some of their stooges, are tell ing the people who receive social security payments and old age as sistance they will lose their pay ments if certain men are elected. Just how stupid and dishonest ueople can get is a mystery, but iny intelligent person knows this ’s as complete a lie as can be cooked up. No county official has the power to cut off anyone who is receiving this assistance, and any official who claims he got it for anyone in the first place, is a liar. It is not commonsense either, that any elected official would be so stupid and foolish as to deny any persons that which is due them and, which is needed, and such of ficial should be castrated along with the other kind of liar. But there is one thing that may happen. Due to the dumb persis tence of the present county offi cials, in declaring Dare County with a false and fictitious proper ty valuation of 38 million dollars, a jump of 20 million dollars in a year, Dare County may expect a sharp cut in the amount of State and Federal money that is allotted it for the Assistance program. The Raleigh office is going to take the position that you now have plenty of property by which to raise taxes, and we don’t need any help. And taxes will be raised in deed, for these needy people are not going to be cheated, just be cause we had some bad officials. A word to the wise: Follow the rule that one never should believe anything a liar says; then he CITIZENS URGE DARE BOARD TO COME TO SENSES AND SCRAP NEW JERSEY JOB Better to Forget The $22,000 Wasted Than tc Spend Another $22,000 In The Face of Strife and 111 Will of Taxpayers Forced to Lose Time and Money To Fight for Just and Reasonable Valuations, They Say. THREE DAYS OF TEACHING, PREACHING AT EAST LAKE Jmb jUt . ' S? jiff g . ..3 REV. EARL R. MEEKINS, a na tive of nearby Stumpy Point is coming close home for three days to hold a preaching-teaching re vival at the East Lake Methodist Church, May 20, 21, and 22, ac cording to Rev. George M. Kelley, pastor of the charge. Mr. Meekins is now serving a pastorate in Vance County. He formerly preached at Columbia and Hat teras. Rev. Mr. Kelley also announced daily vacation Bible Schools at East Lake church June 2-7; Stum py Point church 9-15 and Manns Harbor church June 16-21. Classes will be conducted daily for persons of all ages. LAST DAY TO REGISTER SATURDAY In order for one’s vote to mean anything in the County this year, it will be necessary to register on Saturday of this week, at the us ual polling place, where the county is paying a Registrar to sit all day, in each of the polling places in the county. Saturday is the last registration day. This is a Democratic primary, in that there are no Repulican can didates, and only those persons registered as Democrats may par ticipate. Many young service men, home on leave at this time, will have op portunity to register. Don’t forget Saturday is the last day to regis ter and it is important to see that one is properly registered. COUNTY CONVENTION IN DARE ATTENDED BY 35 Nine of 16 Preeincts Represented; Pres ent Officers Continued Another Two Years Nine of the 16 precincts of Dare County were represented at the Democratic County convention Saturday in Manteo, and the pres ent officers were re-eiected: M. L. Daniels, Chairman; Mrs. Herbert Perry of Kitty Hawk, Vice- Chair man, and Robert H. Midgett of Manteo, secretary. Remarks were made by various candidates for office, including George Fuller of 'Buxton, Woodrow Edwards of Waves, Horace Hoop er of Stumpy Point for County Commissioner; Melvin Daniels and Robert Lee Midgett of Manteo for Register of Deeds. It was the largest attended coun ty convention, held here in recent years, the last convention having 6 of tlie 16 precincts represented. | A resolution agreed that anyi Democrat in good standing might' attend the State Convention in Raleigh on May 15. A resolution of respect was ordered sent to L. D. 1 Tarkington, who is ill. He is a' former precinct chairman. A motion nominated W. A. Meekins of Rodanthe as a Vice- Chairman for tjie outer banka. A telegram was read from Congress-1 man Herbert C. Bonner. The only county officials at tending the convention were Sher-i iff Frank Cahoon, Register of Single Copy 7# Many citizens this week have appealed to the Dare County Com missioners to come to their sense, and scrap the Nev%lersey tax ap praisal job in an effort to restore harmony among the people and confidence in the county Govern ment. Some of Chairman Duvall’s most faithful friends called on him Sunday to beg him to consider the $22,000 spent on the appraisal as an error in judgement, and not throw more money after bad, for it is estimated a similar sum will be spent before the mess is straight ened out. At a cost to the taxpayers of several hundred dollars a day, for the board members sitting in ses sion five days this week, including the cost of legal counsel, apprais ers sitting beside them, and un called for travel expense to pro testing taxpayers, the Board has been hearing an angry stream of people pouring into the courthouse, all of them expressing bitter re sentment against the system, or rather lack of system, that has been used, and some of these peo ple have been something less than polite. They resent being forced to lose time, and to go to expense to come to Manteo to object to unreason able valuations put on their prop erty. They say it would be far bet ter to restore the old valuations and forget the $22,000 thrown away, for untold damage is done the county through the unfavor able advertising being given it by irate taxpayers and citizens. One business man on the beach says the progress of the beach has been set back ten years. But it is difficult to get the Commissioners to understand this, See CITIZENS. Page Five FLOWER SHOW IS EXPECTED TO DRAW MANY TO MANTEO From 3 until 9 p.m. on Satur day, May the 17th, and from 3 until 6 on Sunday, May the 18th, in the Community Building in Manteo, the Roanoke Island Gar den Club will hold open house with its spring flower show. When David Stick, the well known author and resident of Dare County, cuts the ribbon at the entrance doorway at three o’clock Saturday afternoon “Springtime on Parade” will be officially open. Previous to this ceremony, the visiting flower show r judges, Mrs. R. L. Munn and Mrs. W. C. Grif fin will have judged the more than 50 flower arrangements. The Art Exhibit, sponsored by the Manteo Woman’s Club, con sists of works from 15 local artists. This exhibit forms a colorful and appropriate background for the flower arrangements. While all the members of the I Garden Club are hostesses for this I occasion, the special hostesses for Saturday from 3 to 5 are Mrs. Pete Daniels, Mrs. Royden Tlilett and Mrs. O. J. Jones; from 5 to 7, Mrs. Fred Basnight and Mrs. John B. Peterson; from 7 to 9 Mrs. A. Q. Bell and Mrs. Leo Mid gett. On Sunday from 3 to 6 the hostesses will be Mrs. Robert Gibbs and Mrs. Lyna Harbour. Light refreshments will be served by Mrs. John Wescott and Mrs. Virginia Patrick. The public is most cordially in vited to come and see “Springtime on Parade”. FOUR VOTING PRECINCTS IN DARE MAY BE ABOLISHED The limited interest of voters heretofore may lead to the dis continuance of voting places in four precincts in Dare County, and interested votqrs provided with transportation to the next nearest voting place. Mashoes, Trent, Duck, and maybe Colington precincts are under consideration as long as the vote is so light. In the last primary for Gover nor, 10 votes were cast at Trent, or Frisco; 10 at Duck; 14 at Ma shoes; and 30 at Colington. It costs over SBO to hold each' election at these boxes, or a cost to the tax payers of $5 per vote cast Double this sum, and the year’s elections are covered.' k Should these precincts be abol ished, Colington would go to Kill
The Coastland Times (Manteo, N.C.)
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May 16, 1958, edition 1
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