A motion to put up for sale the land on which the Home Demonstration curb market in Morehead City is located died without a second in the county board meeting yesterday at the courthouse.
The motion was made by commissioner S.A. Chalk, who contended that it is not fair that the county furnish free a place for private citizens to do business at a profit.
He proposed that the two lots, on which the curb market is located, be offered for sale at an appraised price and if not bought by operators of the curb market in 30 days that the property be sold at public auction, the date and time of sale to be set at the August meeting.
“I think the curb market is rendering a valuable service,” Mr. Chalk said, but he contended that the principles involved are the major issue. He said that government does lots of things for people that they should be doing for themselves.
He added that the county should not furnish a business place, free, for rural women any more than it should furnish fish dealers or other businessmen with a place to do business.
The commissioner said he wants to see the land go back on the tax books and the county get some return from it. He pointed out that the curb market operators pay a bookkeeper, pay weter and light bills and maintain the building, but pay no taxes.
Mrs. Floy Garner, county home economics agent, who was called into the meeting, said that other counties do more for the Home Demonstration curb market program than does Carteret.
“That’s not the point,” Mr. Chalk said, “we’re doing a lot of things in this country that shouldn’t be done, just because “we’ve always done them.’”
Mrs. Garner said that the Home Demonstration club women want to do what is right, but she said she could not see Mr. Chalk’s viewpoint when the curb market is part of the extension program supported by the state and county.
Commissioner Chalk contended that the extension program moved out of the realm of education of rural women when the women went into business and realized a profit from that business.
Mrs. Garner asked what the cost of the lots would be. She was told the appraised value was $920 each or a total of $1,840. Mrs. Garner stated that the curb market has been offered a lot at Broad Creek, free of charge.
Mr. Chalk said that was fine and that when the curb market became an owner of the lot, given by a private individual, the market would be paying taxes on it, as it should be at the present location.
When the chairman, Moses Howard, called for a second to Mr. Chalk’s motion, there was none.
In another matter involving taxes, the county was asked to waive the taxes on property owned by John Memakis, Morehead City. The property includes a building being used by the Morehead City rescue squad.
The board felt that as long as the property is privately owned, taxes are payable on it, regardless of who is using it.
From the front page of the Carteret County News-Times, Morehead City and Beaufort, N.C., Tuesday, Aug. 2, 1960
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