University of South Carolina Libraries
l, Pajre Four s "'HE CLINTON CHRONICLE Thursday, May 24,1956 in (E^rouirlr Established 1H« PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY BY THE CHRONICLE PUBLISHING COMPANY Subsection Rate (Payable in Advance) One Year $3.00, Six Months $2.00 Entered as Second Class Mail Matter at the Poat Office at Clinton, S. C., under Act of Con*res« March 3, 1879 „ ^ - ■ ■* - - - - ■ ■ — The Chronicle seeks th,e cooperation of its subscribers and readers—the publisher will at all times appreciate wise suggestions and kindly advice. The Chronicle will publish letters of general interest when they are not of a defamatory nature. Anonymous communications will not be noticed. This paper is not responsible for the views or opinions of its correspondents. Member: South Carolina Press Association, National Editorial Association National Advertising Representative: AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION New York, Chicago, Detroit. Philadelphia CLINTON. S. C., THURSDAY, MAY 24, 1956 tinued to have the “Communist threat which this financiea says is protection against degression. It is true this threat causes pur government to con* tinue to spend about $35 billion a year for defense purposes, and it is true that this much expendi ture also gives an appearance of prosperity. But it does not allow any-cut in taxes and it does not allow us to pay anything on our national debt. And again we repeat such spending does not pro-, duce prosperity. But apparently most of the peo-' pie think it does. Does thinking a thing is so make it so? , There is anoUier aspect to the attitude express ed by this financier and by the thinking of so many people referred to above that is rather strange. The Communists have been taking the position that they could force us to spend our- sblves into bankruptcy by threatening us mili tarily. Yet here we find the opinion that it is this very war threat that is causing us to continue pros perous! That when this Communist threat dies out, then we shall have depression! If that attitude ever once gets across to the Communists, then we can surely expect peace and quiet in the world. Communism being what it is, we can be quitq certain that the Comniunists will do everything in their power to destroy free gov ernment wherever it is located-Land the strongest free government on the face of the earth is still right here in the United States of America. We had better dp some serious thinking about what ye should do to keep it that way. , AT PAWLEYS The following young ladies ac companied by Mrs. J. K. Dill and Mrs. Julian Bolick will leave to day for a stay at the Bolick cot tage at Pawleys: Misses Dell Wild- LLnda Milan}, Kathy Hart, Thomas, Rachel Ann Wilson Julie Bolick. They plan to re- and turn Monday. High School Commencement r Selecting School Trustees It is true that representatives of the peo ple in most public positions should be elect ed by the people of the governmental sub-> division concerned, but many of our citizens feel that School Boards of Trustees should be appointed rather than elected. It is not the purpose here to advocate either that school trustees be appointed, or that they be elected. A referendum is to be held in Laur ens county June 12 to let the people decide by. ballot whether they wish to-elect trustees, or whether they wish to have them appoint ed by the County Board of Education as at present. Every citizen should think the mat ter through carefully and completely to de cide which w^uld be better for the schools, to appoint or to elect trustees. The present trustees were appointed b^ the County Board of Education. The members of the County Board of Education were appoint ed by the governor upon the recommenda tion of the senator and the majority of the House delegation, which is the same thing as saying that the County Board of Education was selected by the Laurens County Legisla tive Delegation. Some thought-provoking questions come to mind in connection with the selection of trustees. First of all, school trustees should be good business men because the operation of schools now is big business. The position of school trustee is'not a political one, and this positibn should not be used by anyone as a political stepping stone. It is not a position to be sought because of personal grudges or animosities. It is a position of sendee with out pay in the interest of the youth, of the community involved. It is a position, which requires time, study, and a deep understand ing of people. It is a position which requires the ability to take a long-term view of edu cational needs, and also the ability to project plans ahead so as to take care of future needs. The position of school trustee is more impor tant than many people think. Many men have served as trustees to help build and improve education even in the face of severe criticism aimed at them by people who took no trouble to inform themselves of the real facts. Some questions which may help in stimu lating the thinking of the public on the mat ter of selecting trustees are asked below. 1. Are you getting good trustees by ap pointment as at present? 2. Would such men as would make good trustees be willing to enter a political race in order to qualify as trustees to serve with out pay? 3. Would the voters be sufficiently inter ested in election of trustees to vote in suffi cient numbers to assure that trustees elect ed would be truly representative of all the people? What has been the situation in the past ? 4. Would the election of trustees put the schools in too close contact with politics? 5. Would the election of trustees cause some candidates for trustee positions to seek favor and support from other politicians, thereby putting themselves under obligations to those politicians. 6. If you were qualified to serve as a trus tee, which would you prefer to campaign for the position or to be appointed to it? 7. Which causes more confusion, friction, and dissatisfaction in school circles, election or appointment of trustees? 8. How would the best men be secured for trustees, by election or by appointment? 9. Would candidates for trustee positions always be men or women actuated by a de sire to serve the youth of the community or would these candidates often be in the race because of an axe to grind, or a grudge to set tle, some favoritism to bestow, or for some other personal reason? 10. Who is in the best position to determine the person best fitted to be a trustee, a group of responsible men serving us as a County Board of Education, who are constantly in touch with the school situation, or the general public, many of whom do not even have chil dren in school, also many of whom do not take the time and trouble to inform themselves about school affairs? These questions have been asked not with the idea of influencing anyone’s vote, but it is hoped that the importance of the matter of selecting trustees may be emphasized to the point that the citizens in general will think o the matter over most carefully, then vote either one way or another, whichever they think may be best for the schools, which is the same thing as saying whichever is best for the boys and girls of Laurens county. Poli ticians come and go, trustees come and go, administrators, principals and teachers come stage to serve for a while. The schools are not operated for any of these, but for the youth which forms the developing citizen ship of the future; the youth which flows into our schools in' an increasing number from year to year. This is one case, the manner of selecting trustees, where all personal considerations should be laid aside, and where the ballot should be exercised by every person entitled to vote with the sole purpose in view to best serve the boys and girls of Laurens county. Profits Not To Blaine This year, as has been the case for some time, there is a great deal of talk about the '‘spread” between the money the farmer re ceives for food products and the price the consumer pays when she goes shopping. In 1955, the farmer got about $18,300,00(y,000 for the food." and selling price at retail was some $46,300,000,000. The difference, of $28,- 000,000,000, represents marketing charges of one kind or another. This great difference has led many people to wonder if wholesalers, processors, retail ers, and others involved in the marketing job aren’t making excessive profits at the ex pense of the farmer, the consumer, or both. An article in. a- U. S. Department of Agri culture publication casts some revealing light on that. The article points out that “consumers are demanding and getting more convenience and services with the foods they buy—more pre cooked, frozen, packaged, and easier-to-serve foods.” It also observes that firms marketing food products were paying their employes 44 per cent more per hour in September of last year than in 1947-49. And then it presents these facts about the profit situation: A group of 46 leading food processing compa nies averaged a net profit of 1.8 cents per dollar of sales in 1954—slightly less than in 1953 and substantially less than in 1947-49. Five large wholesale food distributors aver aged one cent per dollar of salesJn 1954 and this, too, was slightly less than in 1953 and substantially less than in 1947-49. Final ly, eight food chain systems averaged one cent profit per dollar of sales in 1954, as against nine-tenths of their industries. It is obvious that big profits are not the cause of the farm to market spread. The inflationary' forces which mushroomed costs in every seg ment of the marketing industry since the 1947-49 period, and the constantly increasing food convenience demanded by the housewife, are factors to be considered. and go. These people simply pass across the ? ea g^£ t “ prosperity. THE NEWS By THURMAN SENSING ExscutiT* Vic* President Southern States Industrial Council PROSPERITY BY THREAT One of the most widely known and most suc cessful financiers in the country visited our home city the other day. While being interviewed by a newspaper reporter, he was asked if he saw any danger of recession or depression. He said to the reporter, “I can’t see a depression in our lifetime, so long as 1 we continue to be faced with the Com munist threat.” Thsi financier may be right—but what a ter rible way to depend upon prosperity. Does that mean we shall always have prosperity so long as there is a threat of war? Does that mean that when the danger of war is no longer with us, then we shall have depression and hard times? These are questions worth thinking about—and perhaps we need to do some soul searching in' connection with them. There is one thing we do know from our his tory—that this nation was not built on and did not grow under a war prosperity. Actually, of course, there* is no such thing as war prosperity. Why, then, do we seem to have now reached the point where we must depend upon war or threat of war to keep our economy going? Perhaps we do not have to search too hard to find the answer. When the New Deal took over the government of the country in the early 1930’s, it refused to let the natural laws of economics work us out of the depression we were in at the time. We had always come out of depressions with out government meddling before—and stronger than ever—but not this time. This time the Government tried to bring pros perity pack by doles and aid and pump-priming of various sorts. It did not work. Then along came the Second World War—and it seemed like we had prosperity again. With very slight recessions, it has seemed like we have had it ever since. It was this appearance of prosper ity under World War II condiitions that has un doubtedly led the people into a war prosperity frame of mind. , Actually, of course, we did not have prosperity during that war. Our incerased economic activity wais financed with borrowed money. We increased our national debt from $38 billion to almost $300 billion. That is not prosperity. The greatly increased economic activity follow ing the war was also a type of war prosperity, be cause it was caused by the shortage of goods that had arisen due to the war. Then when things seemed to be slackening again, along came the Korean War—and again we seemed to have pros perity. But it was a war prosperity and, we re (continued from page 1) 7 Bill Sease, president of the jun ior class; and the following hon or students: Elaine Addison, Jen ny Addison, Mary Keith Adair, George Blalock, Margaret Ann Bolick, Betty Jane Hamer, Ron ald Passmore, Charlene Turner, Hazel Wehunt, Florence Winn, and Jessie Mae York. Class Day Obsreved Class day exercises were held Tuesday morning at the high school. The student body, par ents, and friends were present for the traditional exercises. Leanna Young gave the class history; Charlotte DeVinney, the prophecy; Tom Cooppr, the poem; and Neil Dailey, the will. Ed Pitts, president, presented the class gift, which was accepted by Mr. Wilder. Two songs by the class and and the alma mater by the audience were also on the program. Class officers are: president, Ed Pitts; vice-president, Jane Pitts, secretary; Jean Nelson; treasurer Rebecca Finley. , Members of the graduating class are: Furman L. Adams, Clinton. Willette Asbill, Clinton. James R. Cagle, Clinton. Joan Cannon Lee; Clinton. Gennelle Carley, Laurens. Henry G. Chandler, Clinton. Judith Chanev. Clinton. /udy Cole, Clinton. % itfancy Cole, Cross Hill. Jaimes Compton, Clinton. Thomas B. Cooper, Jr., Clinton. Robert Louis Corley, Joanna. Elaine Crocker, Joanna. Hartwell Cromer, Cross Hill. Frances Cunningham, (Jlinton. Neil E. Dailey, Clinton. Thomas E. Davenport, Kinards. William T. Davis, Clinton. Gary DeLoache, Joanna. Charlotte DeVinney, Joanna. Bill Dobbins, Joanna. Peggy Dunaway, Clinton. Judy Dunlap, Joanna. Peggy A. Edwins, Clinton. Bjury Ellison, Clinton. Robert E. Elmore, Jr., Clinton. •Roger Fennell, Joanna. Rebecca Kay Finley, Mount- ville. Grady D. Fuller, Laurens. Nancy Gamer, Clinton. Barbour Hitchcock, Clinton. Gwendolyn Holtzclaw, Clinton. Jesse E. Johnston, Jr., Kinards. Mary Ann Jones, MountviUe. Sylvia Ann Kyzer, Clinton. James E. Laney, Clinton. Joanne Leach, Clinton. Magdalene Leopard, Clinton. Nannette Loftis, Clinton. Mary Jane McLendon, Clinton. Barbara Milam, Clinton. Robert C. Neely, Clinton. Mary Ann Neighbors, Clinton. Jean Nelson, Clinton. Wesley Noffz, Cross Hill. Patricia Norman, Clinton. Wallace Patterson, Clinton. Bessie Mae Phillips, Clinton. Ed Pitts, Clinton. Jane Pitts, Clinton. Jerry R. Pitts, Clinton. Joanne Porter Holland, Clin- ton. Glenn B. Reaves, Joanna. Don Rhame, Clinton. Janet Sloan, Clinton Merron Smith, Cliriton. William F. Smith, Clinton. James W. Taylor,, Clinton. Edward E. Thomas, Joanna. Barbara Todd, Clinton. Lois Jane Todd, Clinton. Glenn Walker, Laurens. Marie Watts, Clinton. Irene White, Clinton. Alvin Whitmire, Clinton. •Alice Faye Whitsel, Clinton. Kay Yeargin, Clinton. Leanna Young, Clinton. •Paul Hardman. Clinton. • Certificate Fete Employees With Barbecue W. G. King, W. G. King, Jr., and Eugene were hosts to em ployees of W. G. King and Sons for a barbecue supper on Satur day evening at the King cottage on Lake Greenwood. About forty guests, including a number of members of the em ployees’ families enjoyed the oc casion. the gad of the Korean War we have con- NEW SUBSCRIBERS TAN M. RAY, J. E. BOSTIC, MRS. BETTY O’SHIELDS, MRS. JACK RED, A. E. MdENTOSH, T. R McELVEEN. S. C. BLACKMON. City MRS. B. g. BAKER, CHARLES PROWDER, MISS PEGGY BOATRIGHT, Joanna LT. JOHN W. DAVIS, c-o P. M., New York MISS CATHERINE EICHELBERGER, Columbia ' MRS. DAVID PITTS. Aiken Lifetime Protection... In Color! END UPKEEP FOR KEEPS! Let us install Ruberoid modern color-grained sidewalls •0 with the new exclusive Duroc finish on your home. Goes right over your old sidewalls and brings bright new life to drab, faded homes. Never Needs Painting. Will outlast your home itself. Enjoy a brighter, hap pier home while you pay. NO DOWN PAYMENT—36 MONTHS TO PAY Roofing — Siding — Sheet Metal Work Gutters — Downspouts — Metal Vents Insulation — Weatherstripping Aluminum and Ray-O-Lite Awnings Built-Up Roofs — Cy-Craft Fences For Free Estimates — Call or Write P. O. Bex 144 J. A. SMITH, JR. CLINTON, 8. C. Phone 967-J AUGUSTA ROOFING & METAL WORKS, Inc. AUGUSTA, GA. rm Furm HEM! Wa predict o bright futura for you *56 grods who start your careers hart in your own home town, took oround you.,. opportunity is ready ond waiting for you. Bank of Clinton Member Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 2% Interest Paid On Savings Accounts Semi-Annually MERCURY ANNOUNCES INCREASED HORSEPOWER IN ALL 18 MODELS at no increase in price i MERCURY CUSTOM HARDTOP COUPE—one of eighteen big M beauties in four price ranges that give you more usable horsepower and Safety-First Design. Now! At no extra cost... you get 235-hp in Montereys and Montclairs ... 225-hp in Medalist and Custom models when equipped with optional Merc-O-Matic Drive. Mercury’s new increased power gives you faster response than ever before . . . even more usable power for rapid acceleration and safer passing! the big M Medalist and Custom give you more horsepower-per-dollar than any other make of car* afyd the highest standard horsepower in their price range. • To match the low-cost Medalist’s power and t high compression, you would have to pay at least $173 more in any competitive car.* And only Mercury in its field gives you a 4-barrel carburetor as standard equipment on every model. Come in today. Prices start * , s below many models in the low-price field. *I.W on a comporiMfl of HMnufocfurori’ wgffoaW li«* or twetory ' ‘ Mi automatic troomunioai ond rotmil prtcoi far r Now—more than ever your big buy is THE BIG ERCURY Den t mla* the big televhloM hit, "THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW." Sueday evening, l:M te i:M, Stattei BALDWIN MOTOR GO. I North Broad St. — Clinton, S. C.