The Wilmington morning star., 1940-03-03
AL E H
B r E FS
Star. News Bureau,
Sir Walter Hotel.
BY N AVERILL

tic and East Carolina railroad Is
doing unusually well under it's priv
ate management and has so far
been able to meet every obligation
it undertook when it leased the old
Mullet road from the Atlantic and
North Carolina, in which the state
was the dominant stockholder.
That, at least, is the very pretty
picture painted by E. r. Buchan,
vice president Of the road, who has
his headquarters in Kinston. Mr..
Buchan said that the road has just
mailed a check for February rent.
al, making it paid-up in full through
that month, the sixth under priv.
ate operation.
Not only that but the A. and
E. c. has already laid, in the first
half-year Of its lease agreement,
more than half the ties it agreed
to lay during the first year. More
than $4,000 new crossties are a
part of the %roadbed, he said, ever
though none at all were put down
in the first sixty days after the
new operators started business.
The agreement calls for laying
$4,000 new ties in the first year un.
der lease.
Mr.. Buchan has become q most
enthusiastic booster Of eastern
North Carolina and Of Kinston, in
particular.
There isn't a finer. more hospit-
} able people in the world" he told
your Raleigh reporter. II haven't
5 found a bad man in eastern North
carolina"
The supreme court Of North
Carolina hasn't any mo coaching from
the sidelines" rules such as are in
effect in football and some other
sports. That, at least, was obvious
Friday morning when W. S. OBJ.
Robinson, senior counsel for the
Duke Power company, repeatedly
"cued" his younger associate, w.
s. Mcclure, while the latter vas
arguing the High Point power
cases.
: - r-'-nN
1t may have been just for show,
or it may have been because his
associate carried the expense
money, but Wilmington's Mayor
Tom Cooper strengthened the i'm.
} preston he will run for governor
as the "broke" candidate by Dor.
rowing five dollars from Finance
Commissioner Louis Fisher of Will.
mington, when the two city Off
Gals found they'd have to stay
over in Raleigh Thursday night
after a hearing before the highway
commission OF the matter Of con.
structing a truck lane around Will
mington.
Attorneys are always respectful,
sometimes almost to the point of
being obsequious, when arguing be.
fore the supreme court, but once
In a while one let's the justices
know that they have only them
selves to blame if the argument
sometimes goes far afield.
For instance, in Fridays High
Point power case hearing, the Duke
Power company's chief attorney,
W. S. OBJ. Robinson, had talked
on and on, bringing out points
about which he had been asked
specific questions.
IF I can ever get back to where
I started, I'll take that up" he
said as the chief Justice queried
him on a new angle. 1--WE been
answering your honor's questions
and it's taken me a long way from
where I was"
1t went into the supreme court
record that the some more than
a score Guilford industries which
finally interviewed in the power
controversy thought for a long
time that the city was merely bluff
ing about building a power plant.
I'VE thought the whole thing
was a bluff to force better rates
from the Duke Power company"
said Carter Dalton, attorney for
the in~dustrialists, land it wasn't
until we saw that the city actually
intended to 60 through with build.
ing a plant that we got in"
And you got some concessions.
didn't you," asked Justice Heriot
Clarkson.
"oh, yes, we did," replied the at.
torney.