The coastland times., 1958-03-14
OLD SEA CAPT.
Continued from Page One)

wasted all the money they knew
how to get and got the county in a
bad hole, they sent up to New Jer-
sey and got some geofs to come
down here and to put new values
on our property so they can waste
more taxes. They didn't have the
nerve to do it themselves, they ev-
en- had law passed to put it off a
year, as we shall see why later.
Blind as an ostrich, they think the
people won't blame them for a
jump in taxes, and maybe not, for
the New Jersey fellers will have
packed up their bag with $4,000
Of our money and gone off looking
for another sucker. | doubt they
will find as big ones elsewhere as
we got in Dare County, and we
don't believe these Jersey jokers
had to grease anybody at all to get
this nice hand-out. We have most
peculiar Board. 1t operates mainly
on the Civil War principles, but
have advanced into foreign aid.
They have made Dare County the
first one in the state to initiate
Washington in the field of give
away money"
"How do you know this won't
wind up a good thing when the
Commissioners get through with
the figures" the Drummer asked
him.
When the old man had got his
breath, he renewed his attack.
"Sure it's going to be a good thing
for some, as l just aforesaid, par
ticular the guys who drift around
few months and get the $4,000.
But as for the rest of us, you can
bet right when you judge these
commissioners by their past deeds,
their history hasn't shown them do
ing the best things for the whole
of this county. After the Jersey
boys have packed up their $22, 900
and gone, the Board will sit down
to count up how much extra money
they can find to waste. First and
last, they will soak those hardest
who can't vote in Dare County.
Then they will throw it on the
fellow who has worked hard, bor-
rowed money and built a ne&
home.
"Now there are a lot of fellows
who want nothing more than a
shack, has no ambition to accumu-
late anything, always wants to
sock the folks who build up the
county. But he has more votes than
the other fellows. We hear the
Jersey guys were told to put down
in pencil the value of everything
100 per cent-maybe judged by
New Jersey values.
"The appraisers will be gone,
looking for another easy mark
when the Board will sit down to
look over the figures. If they find
the ocean front valued at $50 a
front foot, or $4,000 a lot, and the
big new houses at full value of to-
days building costs, they can
smack their chops, and say we will
order a cut of so per cent. That
means all up and down our beach
es, and among our new homes, the
guys will be paying three times as
much, while the fellow with an old
home or a small one, and six kids
going to school, will pay less than
now. So that will make votes. Now
if hard driving tears up a road
what kind of driving is this riding
over the people going to end up
in ?" asked the Old Sea Captain.
"I've often heard you have the
greatest drivers in the world
right here on these beaches" said
the Drummer.
Nobody else thought So" said
the old man. "Some of the foolish
and reckless young squirts didn't
have any better sense than to think
the quickest way was the sign Of
good driver. To my mind oul
Board of Commissioners are the
greatest drivers in their way. II
they don't drive the people crazy
with their high taxes and waste oi
money, they sure have drove away
people who used to come here tc
build houses and spend money, but
now don't want to invest here any
more. They drive away jobs, fol
building has long since slowed up
They are driving our people away
from home to look for work which
ought to be right here. Yessir, thii
Dare County Board of Commission
ers are not only the greatest
spenders and wasters; when i
comes to driving away SO many