The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1958-09-12
LET GEORGE DO IT" AGAIN
CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY AT
STOCKHOLDERS MEETING
Only "a Of 500 Customers Appear to Aid in A.
fairs Of Cape Ha++eras Lighting System Tues
day When Annual Meeting is Called; No Quo
rum. Nothing Transacted While Business Con-
+inues to Run in Red.
By VICTOR MEEKINS

1HC O1u HldAiIIi, Leu GSOISC DO
1t" was never more unanimously
endorsed than at Cape Hatteras
Tuesday night, when for the third
year in succession the required
quorum of so failed to show up
to transact business of the Cape
Hatteras Electric Membership Co.
OPP. OF 900 members of this i'm
portant facility, only "a attended.
Capt. George Harrison Meekins
of Avon, serving as the President
of the coop opened the meeting
and presented several visitors.
First was w. T. Crisp, Attorney
of the N. C. Association of Elec-
trio Membership Co-ops. T. B.
Slade of Enfield, Gilbert Whitley
of Farmville, G. L. Rucker of Tar
boro and v. E. Taylor of Rich
Square, all heads of co-ops in their
respective communities, expressed
pleasure at being present, offered
an invitation to others to visit
their annual meetings and said
they were having some of the
same difficulties that prevail at
Cape Hatteras.
Mr.. Whitley is president of the
State Association.
Mr.. Crisp gave a splendid talk
on co-ops in North Carolina, illus
trated with colored slides, which
included some views of Hatteras
and Ocracoke. He mentioned that
of the 50 co-ops in North Carolina,
stretching from the sea to
Waynesville in the far west, Cape
Hatteras was only the largest of
the three smallest, those at Ocra-
coke and Harkers Island being
smaller.
For three years, despite all their
grumbling about high rates, the
members of the coop have failed
to show up when the annual meet
ing is called to discuss the prob
lens of the REA Of Hatteras Is
land. 1t is ably managed by one
man, Herbert Oden, and nobody
knows what would happen if some
thing happened to hHl. He does
office work, gives pfA lnpt service
in all kinds of weather, drives a
truck, climbs poles and there
isn't anything he can't do OF
doesn't do. His hard work and eff
ficiency no doubt lead people to
think it's all right to leave every
thing up to him.
The Coop, which serves seven
villages from Hatteras to point
north of Rodanthe, an area of
about IS miles long has splendid
plant at Buxton, now with capa-
city of producing 1,700 kilowatts.
1t has twice been enlarged. With
out having actual figures at hand,
this has been provided for these
people by loans from Uncle Sam in
an aggregate amount of upwards
of q million dollars. 1t has never
operated in the black, and actually
considerably much in the red were
property depreciation figured. A
paper operating margin of $53 is
shown this year. But this doesn't
consider the depreciation which
should be earned for replacement
of the investment.
In theory, this plant, serving
6O3 customers, it having gained
only three more during the year,
is to belong to the people who buy
its current, when it has repaid
Unde Sam for the money adj
vanced. It's income is limited, for
the average household customer
paid only $7.7S monthly the year
just past, and $3.50 monthly the
year before. The average "small''
commercial bill, apparently high,
was $44.90 this past year and
STAG monthly the year be-
fore. The report read by Capt.
Meekins showed the operating loss
had slumped from a profit of 1928
I for the year 1857 to an operating
loss through the year just ended
of $2,116. This In spite of con-
staatiy increasing consumption OF
current, due to the rapid growth
Of BUSINESS incident to the Sea-
| shore Park tourist trade, and the
growing Naval facility at Buxton,
what most people don't take
inte consideration, when grumbling
about the high cost of current, as
connpared with areas served by the
big power companies, is that at
Cape Hatteras, It's costing more
than three cents per kilowatt hour
to manufacture it. The problem is
how to effect economies, and in
crease business, but the customers,
who have all to gain, don't care
enough about their own interests
to attend the meetings to find out,
and devise plans.
Now with enough effort, a suf-
ficient number of people could be
rot to attend these meetings, but
those in. charge for some reasons
don't put out the effort to get
49,. thara We don't know the