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7 f 'i \ The Chronide Strives To Be A Clean News paper, Complete, Newsy and Reliable * * (Pi? (EUnlntt Cljrnnirl? If You Don't Read The Chronicle You Don't Get the News Volume LIV Clinton, S. C, Thursday, January 15, 1953 Number 3 =£=£ SALES TAX INCREASE SHOULD GO TO SCHOOLS, SAYS WILSON The “increase in sales tax reve nue” should go to public schools of the state, Senator Ralph T. Wil son said in a statement as follows: “Many people in South Carolina believed that if the sales tax were passed all of the funds from in creased revenue would go to the public school system. According to figures from the State Auditor as quoted by the South Carolina Education Association such is not rrue in practice. “In 1949-1950 public schools re ceived 37. per. cent of the state’s to tal revenue. In 1951-1952 public schools received only 35.4 per cent of the total revenue of the state al though the state received more than thirty-seven million dollars from the sales tax. During this year the public school fund had an increase of less than half the revenue that came from the sales tax. Many millions of dollars of the state’s increased revenue from the sales tax went to other state functions. “Because of the failure to use all of the increased funds, from the sales tax for schools, local and county areas have been forced to add levies in addition to sales tax funds for paying teachers and for administrative expense. “I undestand from reliable sourc es that the sales tax this year will bring in over ten million dollars more than the amount collected last year. Should this increased amount be used for paying teach ers an adequate salary by the state, then there would be no necessity for local supplement for teachers’ salary and thus there could be re moved most of the 27 mills levied in Laurens county for schools of the county. “It is my belief that this in crease in sales ax revenue should go to public schools of the state and I shall use all possible efforts to that end. SHbuld I be success ful in having this increased reve nue from the sales tax go directly from state to schools in each coun ty, then I shall strive to have said increase go direct to the counties and then the delegation from each county can direct it to the public schools of the county or foy some other purpose and thus reduce the millage now on county property, and thus cajry out the intent of sales tax reVenqe, namely thgt it would go for school purposes or that it would make a reduction in certain other taxes. “If the state is to take away con trol of the schools from local areas and direct the school program, then the state should pay the full bill including adequate pay for teachers and adminstrative ex pense; but above all the state, should not break faith with her people by having them believe, as a basis for pas&ubg the added tax, that all the' increased revenue would go for public schools.” Wilder Heads ' March of Dimes Campaign Now On The annual “March of Dimes” drive for funds to carry on work for the National Foundation for Infan tile Paralysis is now under way, with iron lung collection boxes plac ed in business establishments in the dinance and named Miss Frances Pinson as an assistant in the office of clerk and treasurer. The principal change in the license city. ordinance was in the section licens- R. Fr WildeFTs "chairman for " the Ing merchants. As the ordinance now Council Reduces Some License Fees City council, meeting in a called session Monday night, made some revisions in the‘business license or-| show art income increase similar Hotel Stockholders Hold Annual Meet, Good Report Given The annnual stockholders meet ing of the Clinton Community Ho tel corporation was held Tuesday night in the banquet room of the hotel. A majority of the stock was represented in person or by proxy. The meeting was presided over by R. L. Flaxico, chairman of the board, with R. P. Hamer as secre tary. The chairman gave an en couraging report of the operation and financial status of the hotel. He stated that after considerable delay and red tape the commit ment from the Reconstruction Fi nance Corporation was approved several months ago, the money ad vanced and the construction loans made by three participating banks paid in full. The loan is for $125,- 000 at the rate of 4 per cent per annum, with payments due‘quar terly to meet the loan payment, interest, taxes and insurance. The first payment was met as due in December, and similar payments will become due each quarter. All indebtedness of the corporation has been paid in full with the excep tion of the RFC loan. The stockholders were informed that it requires an income of $1100 monthly to meet the principal and interest on the loan. The report revealed that the past eight months has shown an increase of 41 per cent in the corporation’s income over the same months last year. Each month the past year has shown a substantial increase over the previous year the report show ed. The treasurer reported a cash balance on hand of $9,121 as of the date of the meeting. The directors expressed the be lief that if the next eight months Clinton area with the following co- workers: Mrs. John Spratt, mailing list. Mrs. Eva Land, Clinton Mill com munity. Mrs lone Wallace, Lydia commu nity. E. M. Watt, Presbyterian college. Wilmot Shealy, Florida St. school. D. S. Templeton, Academy Street school. Miss Margaret Blakely, Providence school. Mr. Wilder stated that $7,000 was received last year from the National Foundation to help carry on the work in the county. The Foundation is not included in the Community Chest recently set up because it would lose its affiliation with the national or ganization. An appeal is being made for lib eral and increased donations, since thousands of children will be inocu lated in an effort to determine if this method is effective, which will re sult in increased expenditures. The drive will be completed at the end of January. Col. Lott Purchases Farm Near City Col. L D. Lott, and Mrs. Lott, now on an overseas asignment in Germany at division headquarters, plan to return to Clinton and build a home when his term of service terminates. Mrs. Lott is a niece of Mrs. J. Lloyd Adair. Their little daughter, Kathy, is three years old. Col Lott has bought a 200-acre farm near the city recently where they expect to make their future home. reads it imposes a tax of $20.00 for the first $10,000 in gross business and 75 cents per $1,000 above that figure. Photographers and money-lending agencies also came in for reductions. Photographers are now assessed $20 annually on business up to $2,000, and $30 if gross business exceeds $2,000. Finance companies, lending agencies or individuals who lend money are assessed $75 per year. License fees in these categories were set at substantially higher fig ures in the ordinance passed by city council in December. Monday’s ses sion of council was called by the mayor to hear protests from anyone dissatisfied with the fees set for their business to operate in Clinton for the coming year. About a dozen indi viduals appeared and presented their pleas to the mayor and aldermen. At the meeting of council imme diately following revisions were made. # Council also passed a resolution authorizing the mayor to borrow up to $50,000 if needed. However, it was pointed out that no necessity for borrowing is anticipated and that the resolution was merely a techni cality in connection with notes that the city has outstanding and which will be renewed. Mayor Terry stat ed that the city has not had to bor row any money for more than two years. Postal Receipts Up $8,076.12 Clinton' postal receipts for 1952 exceeded 1951’s total by $8,076.12 according to Postmaster W. D. Bailey's Bank Entering Upon Sixty-Seventh Year M. S. Bailey & Son, Bankers, the oldest bank in the county, and one of the strong financial institutions of* this section of the state, an nounces the observance of their 67th anniversary in a statement ap pearing in today’s paper. Bailey’s BanK, as it is general- Adair, ^jLjBercentage ‘increase °t|ly known, was established in 1886. 13.6 per cent. Its founder and president until his? Receipts for the past year were. ^ath was s, Bailey, with his $67,263.29, with the intake for the so^-the late W. J. Bailey as cash to the past eight months, the hotel would be operating dh a profitable basis. The present board of directors was re-elected for another year by the stockholders: R. L. Flaxico, C, VT. Anderson, T. E. Addison, J. Ice land Young, H. L. Eichelberger, R. P. Hamer, D. O. Rhame, D A. Yar borough, C. C. Giles, Robert M. Vance, R. E. Wysor, III, P. S. Bail ey, W. C. Baldwin, and W. W. Har ris. J. B. Hart was elected as a new member of the board. At a subsequent meeting of the directors R. L. Plaxico was re elected president; P. S. Bailey, vice-president; R. P. Hamer, secre tary; W. C. Baldwin, treasurer. G. W. Johnson, Kinards Resident, Passes At Hospital George W. Johnson, 70, died last Thursday afternoon at Joahna Memorial hospital after being in declining health for several years and seriously ill for a week. The funeral services were con ducted Saturday afternoon from the Sharon Methodist church at Kinards by the Rev. James E. Kin- ard, assisted by the Rev. James B. Mitchell. Burial followed in the church cemetery. Mr. Johnson was a highly re garded citizen of his community where he lived a long and honor able life. He followed his wife to the grave only five days after her passing, the services being held at Sharon church on January 5. Surivivors include three sons, Ansel R. and Champ C., both of Joanna; and Mayer L. Johnson of Greenville; four daughters, Mrs. Louise Lathrop of this city; Mrs. Ruby Sharpe of Columbia; Mrs. Nell Johnson Livingston of Gaff ney; and Miss Mary Joyce John son of Kinards; and two sisters, Mrs. Emma Johnson Summer of Chappells and Miss Eliza Johnson of Chappells. Son of Former Clintonian In Inaugural Parade Brainard W. Gibson, Jr., whose parents, Mr. and Mrs. B. W. Gibson, live in New Zion, is enroute to Washington, D. C., from Korea to march with the inauguration color detachment on January 20. One of the 97 combat veterans selected for the honor, he will carry the colors of the 7th Infantry Di vision’s 32nd Infantry Regiment. He is a member of a division which has fought in every sector of the Korean peninsula. Elements of the Tth were the only United States forces to roach the Yula river. The inauguration parade will be a memorable experience in his com bat-packed military career, Sgt. Gibson said. “I’m looking forward to it,” he said. 1 “It came as a big surprise when I learned I was selected. A lot of the boys were bucking for it.” “My folks are all excited about it, too,” he added. The platoon sergeant wears the Combat Infantryman Badge and the UN and Korean Service Rib bons. f A 1947 graduate of Salem Central high school, New Zion, Sgt. Gibson graduated from the University of South Carolina at Columbia in 1951. He entered the army in August, 1951, and arrived in Korea last May. His mother was Miss Alliene Hipp, of this city before marriage, a sis ter of Mrs. W. C. Shealy, Mac B. Hipp and Irby S. Hipp. Bank of Clinton Stockholders Hold Annual Meeting The annual stockholders meeting of Bank of Clinton was held Tues day afternoon in the bank offices siding. Bridges To Offer Bill To Raise Teachers'Pay Representative Justin A. Bridges of Laurens, a member and secre tary of the county legislative dele gation, has announced that soon af ter the convening of the general as sembly this week he expects to in troduce his bill again to take the surplus funds derived from the three-mill sales tax and apply it to additional state pay of the teach ers. Mr. Bridges said he introduced a similar bill last year and it was “bottled up” in committee and was never brought to he floor of the House for consideration Under his bill, he said, the state would pay an additional 20 per cent on the pay of teachers salar ies and thus relieve the local school districts of part of their present tax burdens. Mr. Bridges said that he under stood that there was a surplus of $8,000,000 from the sales tax not ap plied to schools last year and that there will be an estimaed $10,000,- 000 or more his year. The sales tax was pased for school purposes,” he said, “and that is where.it should go.” Mr. Bridges said that he would have gotten considerable support for his bill last year if it had ever reached the floor of the house and that he believes it would get more support this year. . Credit Production Stockholders To Meet Here Jan. 24 The Clinton Production Credit Association will hold its 19th an nual meeting of stockholders here Saturday, January 24, at 10:30 a. ^ . TT . . meeting has been forwarded by President Hamer gave a state- Rex L an f on i j secretary-treasurer, month of December 4argely ac- counting* * ior the gain. The total receipts for 1951 \yere $59,187.17. Mrs. M. E. Browning Observes 92nd Birthday Monday, January 12, Mrs. M. & Browning, one of the city’s oldest and beloved residents, observed her 92nd birthday. Although no formal celebration ier. At the death of the founder W. J. Bailey was named as presi dent and held the position until his death in 1948. Following his death a nephew, Robert M." Vance, be came president and has headed the bank since ( then.' The statement shows capial stock and surplus of $600,000, with undi vided- profits of $197,297.28, and total assets of $(7,314,204.01. The bank has been owned and was held it was a happy occasiorv *maTTzffeed by the well known Bailey ivedi for Mrs. Browning who received! numerous gifts, flowers and con gratulatory messages from her many relatives and friends here and elsewhere. i NEW SUBSCRIBERS HONOR ROLL Where can you get so much for so little as a year’s subscription to THE'CHRONICLE? It will be a “welcome letter” in your hume for 52 weeks. . ment of the year’s operation and thanked stockholders and directors for their interest and support the past year. ~ " The financiad statement as of De cember 31, showed assets of $1,- 758,476.86. The report was com mended by several stockholders and a motion passed expressing commendation and appreciation to the officers and employees. The bank paid a 5 per cent dividend at the end of the year as approved by the board of directors and state bank board. An addition was made to the surplus fund. The state ment shows capital and surplus, re serves and undivided profits cf $155,078.09. The following directors were re elected: John T. Young, chairman; R. P. Hamer,’ T. E. Addison, F. M Boland, S. G. Dillard, John W. Fin ney, Sr„ J. P. Prather, W. W. Har ris, T. H. Copeland, H. D. Henry, and H. Y. McSween. At a subsequent meeting of the board the following officers were reelected: President, R. P. ‘ Hamer, vice-presidents, T. E. Addison and John T. Young; cashier, H. Y. Mc Sween; assistant cashier, Leaman D. Jones; bookkeepers and stenog raphers, Miss Margaret Holland, Miss Katherine Dicus and Mrs. Carolyn C. Barclift. Clubs To Join For Trophy Banquet It is announced that the next meeting of the Kiwanis club has been changed from January 22 to January 29 to participate in a joint meeting to be held in the college dining hall. The change of meeing is made m order that the club members may attend the Jacobs blocking trophy banquet at which tune trophies will be awarded. William and Hugh Jacobs have announced the event begun by their late fathei. Dr. W. P. Jacobs, is to be revived to the members. Five prizes of $5.00 each will be election will also be held for one director to succeed Lawrence F. Davis, whose term has expired. G. H. Aull, head of department. Agricultural Economics, Clemson college, will be the guest speaker for the occasion and his message is expected to be of interest and benefit to all farmers and other in terested citizens who attend. Two County School Projects Passed By Board Laurens County Board of Educa tion approved a total of $186,551 in expenditures for building and re modeling projects at Hickory Tavern and Gray Court-Owings schools at a recent meeting. The projects, recommended by District 55 trustees, will be start as soon as possible, J. Leroy Burn county superiritendent of education and chairman 6f the boartf, said. The Hickory Tavern program, in volving an outlay of $91,860, was unanimously approved upon motion of G. C. Roper, member of the board. Joel Babb asked for the Gray Court- Owings program, which amounts to $94,691 and was passed unanimously also. - m. in the Florida Street school au ditorium. A letter announcing the TOT 'the House and one -for tbe Sen- LEGISLATIVE SESSION COST HALF MILLION ' Expense Probobly Run $10,000 Day. New Ses sion Faces Many Problems. Columbia, Jan. 14. — No matter how thin you cut a legislative ses sion, it’s still going to cost about half a million dollars to run one each year in South Carolina. A new session that opened the 90th General Assembly here Tuesday at noon should be no exception, regard less of how long it lasts. For example last year the assem bly met for 38 days and for the fis cal year in which it met, it cost $497,- 466, or just a fraction under $500,- 000. 1950 Session 91 Days Yet the 91-day session of 1950, which you would expect to cost twice as much because it was more than twice as long, found the taxpayers shelling out $616,372 for its support. ,The 1951 meeting lasted 71 legis lative days* and the tab was $561,996. The major effect of a long session seems to be to reduce the daily cost. This was $12,775 last year, $7,915 for the 71-day 1951 meeting, and $6,- 773 a legislative day for 1950’s 91 days of deliberations. The biggest single item in any ’ year’s legislative bill is pay for leg islative attaches of the House, Sen ate, Council, and special services for both houses. This, including between-sessions services that must, or certainly do, operate the year around, usually comes to about $200,000. This is ex clusive of pay that is gathered, under the heading of approved accounts. Catch-All AccoanU These “approved accounts''—one ate—are catch-alls that only an ex ploration team could accurately ex cavate. Suffice it to say that the accounts’ drawn for, but members must be 1 principal inclusions are (1) between- _ present to receive any prize. Xn]sessions pay for a numJSer STTegT?- with local civic organizations in- vited to join in the sponsorship ofj *; 0 ! 1 s t-onimunny. cenUT the sports event. ' ° 3 ®‘ lative attaches, and (2) per diem, at $10 a day of meetings, and mileage for special committees of the legisla ture that meet between sessions.. During the past three sessions, these approved accounts totaled in the Senate alone, $42,491 lajt y^a:, $40,752 the year bfefpre,fand $43,46? the year prior to that, in the House were $28,432. $21,317 and $19,269, respectively. The salaries paid in the assem bly, exclusive of members’ compen sation, range from a few hundred dollars for page (of which, inciden tally, the Senate had 49 last year, and has had as many as 72, to serve its 46 members; while the 124 House members struggle along on a dozen to the $9,000 a year salaries drawn by the clerk of the House and the clerk of hte Senate). Pay Sizeable Hem Legislators! pay makes up a size able item each session, at the rate of $1,000 a legislator, plus extra com pensation for the Senate president and president pro tempore, and the House speaker and speaker pro tem pore. Printing costs are substantial. They were $60,730 last year, but have run up in the $100,000 bracket —as they did kn the 91-day session of 1950. Printing costs account for some of the higher costs of longer sessions, because there are more journals, cal endars and bills handled. Mileage and stationery for the lawmakers vary aftnost exactly with the session length, but make up a relatively small portion of total costs. The members get five cents a mile for weekly round trips to {hen- homes, the budget report shows. In „ . . ...... the short session last year, milcas« Candidates to receive in.t.at.on and s , ationc was In *. will be inspected by the dLs rit , 91 .day meet,n*..u was $32 15 , deputy grand patron Ray Davkins, | The ptlcc 0 ^ ti , w of Newberry inspecting officer. and Senate is tar from bet. Preceding the inspection meeting there w^ll be- a banquet at the Clin- Annual Inspection For Eastern Star The annual inspection meeting of the James B. Parrott chapter, Or der of Eastern Star, will be held Friday evening, Jan. 16, at 7:30 in the Masonic Temple. All members are invited to attend. ■at family since it was founded, its members being successfully en gaged in banking and the textile industry through the long period of years. Welcome and thanks to those on our Honor Roll this week: MRS. SARA JENKINS, ROBY CHANDLER, D. L. McGEE, LEE HASKINS, — '.- City, - - JAMES KITCHENS, HERBERT HURT, J. C. GREGORY, BO BROWN, • HUBERT SNELGROVE, MILLARD PHIPPS, FRED BODIE, Lydia. J. L. BARTLEY, Joanna. Kiwanis Officers Inducted Into Office At the first meeting of the local KiwaAis club for 1953 held last Thursday evening, newly elected officers were inducted into office and committees named by Presi dent J. C. Thomas for the coming yean—— ——£——- The club had as its guest for his first visit, Lieut. Gov. Harold P. Wheeler, recently elected as leader for the 9th division the coming year, and a member of the Gaff ney club. Lt. Gov. Wheeler con ducted the impressive installation of the new officers and charged them as to their duties in assum ing office. Shonds To Observe 82nd Birthday ifelong and high- ?mg m pro portion to membership. The charge is about $2,000 a year lor each Hou • member, bu; skits between $3,000 and $4,000 a year per senator. The number of attaches, fr< ters and page boys to * ' two bodies, ’ the annual low por- IC I oi w •itv sat- H, Shands ly respected resident of the will observe his 82nd birthday urday, January 17. Until his re-j _ tirement a number of years ago he r . . r\r recordPCOUt Court Of rum appruve 6 extra page ! year. had a long and enviable with the Seaboard Air Line Rail way company ms.-thturJdK*ai_agenJL The many friends of Mr. Shands will unite in wishing for him marty happy returns. LEGION AUXILIARY TOR MEEJT The American Legion Auxiliary will meet Tuesday, Jan. 20, at the Legion hut. The afternoon group will meet at 4 o’clock and the eve ning froup at 7:30. Honor Be Held At Lydia Church ; The Laurens district Boy Sebuts of America, court of honor will bv* held at the Lydia Baptist church Monday evening, January 19, at 7 o’clock. ^ Awards and merit badges for scout honors will be given. The public is invited to attend. \ > -X I- V-, _ •Ai‘