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Page 6 Employees Need Regular Visual Checks You live in a beautiful world of sunny days, smilingfacesand colorful plants. But, as the saying goes, “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” In fact, everything you do begins with wliat you see. And this is a special time of the year for you to see that you protect your sight. Whatever your job, your vision plays a vital role in helping you perform at peak effi ciency. Most of the decisions you make each day are based on information received through your eyes. Efficient vision helps you to eli minate waste of materials and time, to avoid injuries, to relax and enjoy your work, as well as to be more productive in the many things you do. When accidents happen, productiv ity is reduced or you go home irritable and with a headache, the cause could be your vision. Your vision changes constantly, many times without you being aware of it. Some times you will subconsciously compensate for these changes by squinting, tilting your head, or moving your work closer to or farther from your eyes. Because the changes in your vision can go unnoticed, it is important that you have regular eye examinations to detect any changes which may be hindering your job efficiency. In seeking such care, you should inform your optometrist or ophthal mologist of your specific vision require ments on and off the job. By discussing your vision requirements, you may find that your vision is good, but the demands of your job result in eye fatigue and bring about a need for vision correction spe cifically for those work hours. Just as your eyes are unique, so is your job. From the office to the plant, there is a common need for effective vision on the job even though individual duties may require different vi sion skills. You can find out some of the vision de mands of your particular job by first con sciously noting the various tasks required, their frequency, their distance and any vi sion difficulty encountered. A continuing awareness of your vision and some of the signs which might indicate a problem is the most obvious way to care for your eyesight. Here are some signs that may indicate vision problems: •Frequent headaches, nausea or dizzi ness. •Thrusting your head forward or backward when looking at distant objects. •Avoiding close work. •Short attention span or daydreaming. •Placing your head close to a book or desk when reading or writing. •Blurring vision at any time. •Frowning or scowling while reading or writing. •Excessive blinking or frequently rubbing your eyes. •Dislike for tasks requiring sustained visual concentration. •Unusual fatigue after completing a vision task. •Losing your place while reading or diffi culty in remembering what you read. •Poor eye-hand coordination or unusual clumsiness. All these are good reasons to consult someone trained in eye care. However, be cause a lot of these signs are not always present, the best way to maintain good vi sion is to make yearly appointments with an eye professional. American Made Products Preferred by Consumers Three recent polls show a trend toward consumer preference for American-made merchandise. A survey conducted by the Gallup Organi zation for “Newsweek” revealed that 94 per cent of those polled would choose American products over imports, if the quality and price were the same. In the same survey, 73 percent attributed the success of imports to the fact that over seas employees are paid less, while 55 per cent answered that overseas workers’ pride in their work was most important. Forty-one percent attributed the success of overseas products to the fact that overseas companies sell their products for less in the United States than they do in their home markets. In answer to a question as to comparative quality of various products and industries, 75 percent rated American clothing “best” and 18 percent rated overseas clothing “good or better. ” American shoes were rated “best” (68 percent) as opposed to imported shoes “good or better” (22 percent). Another survey, “Roper Reports,” states ".. .likelytosignal superiorqualitytobuyers are ‘Made in the USA’ and designer labels.” Overall, “Made in the USA” ranks first in conveying good quality as opposed to poor quality. Ninety-three percent of the respondents said “Made in USA”-labeled goods repre sented either fairly good or superior quality. Another study conducted by Dr. Kitty Dickerson, associate professor and chair man of the department of clothing and tex tiles, College of Home Economics at the Uni versity of Missouri-Columbia also showed that American consumers preferred U.S.A.- manufactured goods to imports. The survey done for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Ser vice and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Experiment Station at Blacksburg, Va., showed a keen awareness of American goods and that the quality of imported goods is less than that found in American-made products. Of the 1,350 persons polled, 55.3 per cent said stronger laws should be passed to limit the amount of clothing that can be shipped into the United States from other countries. o you made it. now ask for it. Employee profit sharing participants tell ing how well they were pleased with rapid growth in profit sharing plan assets ... Earl Nelson stopping by to see Hank Cronic about retirement benefits provided by the com pany ... Lydia card room employees observ ing cotton dust monitoring... Leonard Finley and Carroll Baker wondering how much scholarship aid would be available for their children in 1985 ... Charles Wesson review ing the safety rules for all warehouse em ployees ... Interested employees voicing overriding concern relative to rapid increase in joblessness brought about by textile im ports ... Ralph Lawson explaining to Clinton asso ciates how he was recovering from recent illness ... Roosevelt Jones and other fellow employees comparing “Crafted With Pride” logo on new trucks with older logos ... “Crafted With Pride” logo on company water tanks to once again show support of “Made in USA” activities ... Lucille White and Tru man Owens answering employees questions about group health care benefits ... and numerous employees telling Truman Owens how much they like the improved Clinton Mills service awards program—especially the belt buckle ... Hiram Mitchell looking with amazement at the number of looms in Plant No. 2 as he began his first week of work in the weave room ... George Cato looking at the Old Tim ers photos which the Clothmaker made when he received his 25-year service award ... Recent J. C. Penny catalog featuring numer ous apparel items “Made in the USA” attracting the attention of Clinton em ployees ... Robert Holland taking a break in the Geneva canteen and enjoying his usual lunch, especially that which he’d brought from home ... Ellis Stacey putting on respir ator and safety goggles as he “cleaned” a chute fed card ... Billy Osborne thinking about the chances involved in striking metal against metal and reaching for eye protection to avoid a serious injury ... John Willard being called upon for his expert advice on how to best choose a piece of antique furniture ... Brian Shealy and Rick Page talking about the many pro jects Lydia Shop had going on ... Nancy Coleman and Kathy Whitman taking turns at the main office switchboard as receptionist Doris Tumblin prepares airline reservations ... Dean Brannen being installed as treasur er of Geneva's First United Methodist Church’s UMW group ... Hundreds of employees telling why they wrote responsible government leaders to do something about the rapid increase in im ports ... Robert M. Vance being elected a director of the National Cotton Council ... Jacob Wessinger telling his fellow Plant No. 2 weaving employees about his farming acti vities ... A concerned card room employee and his family telling a local retail merchant they couldn't buy a particular printed gar ment because it was imported... Safety con scious employees buckling their seat belts before leaving Clinton parking lots ... Another load of x-3 looms leaving the Bailey plant to make way for Sulzer weaving machines... Jim Barton assuming new posi tion on Laurens County Water Resources Commission ... Kathy Walston commenting about her pleasant experiences of being a “clown” for various after-work activities ... all in an attempt to make life a bit more enjoyable for others ...