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I THE CLINTON CHRONICLE i ..Clinton, S. C., Thursday, inarch 3, I960 An Andior To Windward The American Medical Association is encouraging the ^voluntary health insurance industry not to cancel contracts covering people over 65 once medicare goes into ef fect next July 1—but to continue offering improved contracts in that age category. This is an important arid needed activ ity. And the older people should under stand that in many, perhaps moat, cases, voluntary insurance of one kind or another provides protections and services that should not be relinquished. It is an unfortunate fact that many of these people seem to believe that medicare will pay the bills for any medical problems that may confront them. It doesn’t. Cov erage is limited and in some areas there is confusion as to just what it will and will not do. Moreover, there are portions of the bill that many authorities think will lead to_ deterioration in the quality of medical care and disturb the all-important doctor-patient relationship. Experience may very well force repeal or major phanges in these por tions. And, of no small moment, no one knows what medicare will really cost and whether or not taxes and levies thus far authorized to pay for it will be adequate. The Times-Record, of Spencer, tVest Virginia, sums up the point clearly: “. . . we offer this reminder to all our elderly friends and neighbors—hold on to w'hat you’ve got until that bill actually goes into effect, arid then make sure you’ll have what you need.” Long before anyone thought of such a law as medicare a splendid sys tem of voluntary health insurance came into being, and it has grown dramatically. It should not be abandoned out of hand by those over 65. Schuster and his crew. While the car didn’t meet with everything in the recent fiction alized movie based on the race, it surmount ed real difficulties, so many that when we read a short version of Schuster’s "story in The Reader’s Digest, we wondered why ev ery other American car today i? not a Thomas Fiyer. Schuster’s book gives the answer. Im mediately after his triumph, the Thomas factory in Buffalo worked day and night filling orders. But the next^ two models were “lemons,” not only inferior to rival cats but more troublesome than the Thomas that won the race, Hundreds were return ed to the factory,' In 1912, the Thomas company went bankrupt.. It seems that there is a moral for 1966 an well as 1908 in this story^ It is that stunts are not a substitute for quality, character and reliability in an important product. rat American r r ’ WE CAN’T CALL IT A WAR.. IP WE. DO THE POWER OF SOGGESTIOM MIGHT A New Class of Poor There is skepticism, within both the parties, that the deficit for the 1967 fiscal year can be held to $1.8 billion, as forecast by the President in his State of the Union message. The projected budget is $112.8 billion. Anticipated revenues are $111 billion. The skeptics feel, for one thing that actual spending will run well beyond the antici pated figure—no one, for example, can now tell how costly the Vietnam war, which is being constantly escalated, will be. And they feel, for another thing, that revenues will not reach the estimates even if Con gress goes along with the presidential re quest to reimpose certain of the recently reduced federal excise taxes, which is doubtful. The trouble lies in the effort to wage a costly war on the one hand—while embark ing on all manner of social welfare projects on the other. We find its fruits in in creased inflation. The Portland Oregonian made a cogent comment in these words: ‘The truth is that inflation and the gov ernment’s vast spending to help the poor have already creatd a new level of poverty above the old. Ask anyone whose welfare or veterans benefits have been cut back because of the other-pocket addition of Social Security benefits. Ask anyone strug gling on a fixed-income in retirement There has been created a new class of poor.” There will be more new classes of poor if present inflation breeding policies, based on a “guns and butter too” philosophy, pre vail. This is the fact that now confronts Congress. Remember The Thomas Flyer? A tough little man named George Schus ter, who is still alive at 93 in Springville, New York, back in 1908 rode a Thomas Flyer around the world, driving himself through Siberia and Europe, to win the in credible, New York-to-Paris Automobile race. He tells its story in a new book, “The Longest Auto Race,” published by The John Day Company. It was such a great feat that President Theodore Roosevelt received and praised v ¥ .. «, ^ ^ Babson’s Point of View On The Need For Safer Cars ' By ROGER W. BABSON Babson Park. Mass., March'3 — Traffic deaths and injuries are climbirig steadily. This, despite the fact that, auto makers are installing new and more effective safety equipment on their cars and despite the more rigid and frequent state car inspec tions. The death toll on our highways— which President Johnson has termed our gravest national problem next to Vietnam— poses economic as well as moral and legal questions ... for which we must find an swers. THE PROBLEM IS ACUTE We are concentrating, in this column, on the topic of safety equipment for cars, be cause rising public concern about highway deaths and injuries has centered on the question of just how safe the cars them selves are. _ . The problem is acute, and in the absence of swift, decisive action by agencies of the federal government, state governments are beginning to take more of a hand in probing this field. Only a few weeks ago the At torney General of Iowa conducted hearings to determine “whether or not traffic fatali ties and serious injuries can be sharply re duced” even if the number of accidents is not lowered. The Iowa hearings, held at the State Capitol in Des Moines, centered on car safety equipment or the lack of it. WHAT THE CAR MAKERS SAT Except for an appearance by a spokes man for their Automobile Manufacturers Association, the leading car makers boycot ted the Iowa hearings. Their position is that hearings at the state level place too great a burden on the industry. Also, that “there is not and never will be a completetly safe au to.” They point, further, to an impressive list of safety devices which have-’become standard equipment on U. S. cars in recent years. For example: the wrap-around wind shield, designed to increase visibility; the use of safety glass in windshields, to resist shattering; lowering the center of gravity for car frame; safety locks; self-adjusting brakes; and seat belts. In addition, car makers contend that in general the public has been slow to purchase “optional” safety devices available for ad ditional fees—devices which often cost man ufacturers large sums to develop and per fect. AN ECONOMIC DRAG Probably no one would seriously argue that the car makers have not tried to make cars safer. The record amply supports their efforts. But today’s slaughter on the high ways has become truly massive; and it has become also a definite drag on the economy; hence, it is certainly in order to ask whether the car makers are trying hard enough to make their cars safer. Over the past few years, deaths on U. S. highways have risen to a scandalously large total, greater than all our casualties in Viet nam. The rapidly climbing claims against auto casualty insurance companies and the mounting costs of such insurance settle ments are appalling. And no computer could accurately assess just how much brain pow er and manpower the nation has lost through these traffic deaths and accidents. MORE CONTROLS IN THE OFFING Right now, a congressional investigating subcommittee is studying the relationship between safety equipment cm cars and the accident toll. Crash-injury research proj ects at Cornell and Harvard suggest that safer cars could be made. The industry must, then take its responsibility more se riously. If the manufacturers are already do ing their best, perhaps they should seek the help of outside engineers and researchers. This is a grave national problem . . . not merely an industry problem. If the auto makers do not solve it, they will be inviting federal and state controls. And such con trols—both troublesome and costly—would be bound to eat deep into industry profits. elected to form a new council for next year. Also, a new stu dent body president will be , elected to replace Tommy Johnson next year. i .ft l Social Security \ Stories Behind Words by William S. Penfield Dumbbell Centuries ago it required hours of practice daily over a long period of time to learp how to ring tunes on huge ..cathedral bells. The noise created by beginners was a nuisance, so a system of dummy ropes and weights was devised—al lowing learners to practice without disturbing the community. This noiseless device was called a “dumbbell.” The hours of pulling the ropes developed big muscles in the upper part of the body. When someone invented a similar device for taking ex ercise, it was also called a “dumbbell.” When a short bar with weighted spheres on each end was later introduced for exercising, the name “dumbbell” was transferred to it. Martha F. Pressly, district manager of the Greenwood District office of Social Secur- ity u today advised Medicare enrbllees to keep in a safe and secure place the health insur- anee cards that are now being mailed. « “A health insurance card is, in effect, the enrollee’s insur ance policy,” Miss Pressly said. “They should be kept at all times in a safe place; pref erably they should be carried in the enrollee’s wallet or some other safe place on his person.” The card is proof that the person has enrolled for both hospital and medical insurance benefits under the medicare program. When this program begins on July 1, the enrolled persons will have protection to help pay hospital and doctors’ bills. Persons enrolled are" urged by all means to' keep in force any private insurance until medicore becomes effective in July.’ The Social Security office said tat before July, enrollees will receive a detailed booklet which will tell all about the benefits under Medicare and how these benefits will be paid. “Meanwhile," the office said, “If you have any question about your benefits, look for the answer in the medicare pamphlet you received ear lier.” The Greenwood Social Secur ity office is doing everything possible to sign up all persons who are over 65iyears of age and the office urges all those who haven’t signed to come by the office and do so. Miss Pressly said that until April 15, the office will be open each Sautrday between 9:00 a. m. and 1:00 p. m. County Library To Join In Program The application of the Lau rens County Library to the South Carolina State Library Board for participation in the junior intern program for the summer of 1966 has been ap proved, according to Mrs. Phil D. Huff, librarian. This will be the fifth year the library has taken part in this program which is planned as a recruiting project to give qualified young people an in troduction to the profession of librarianship through the expe rience of working ip a public library. Qualified juniors or seniors who are interested may obtain information and an application blank from the library. IF YOU DON’T READ THE CHRONICLE YOU DON’T GET THE NEWS PHONE 833-0541 WnAMKi TODAY. MARCH 3-4-5 s* Consult W. ALVIN BUBBLE about this question: “We just bought a home for $16,000 and discover that it is in sured for only $8000. I wonder how many home owners stand to lose many thousands of dollars in a serious fire by being under insured? Wm itist a few dollars more pre mium provide insur ance to full value?” BAILEY AGENCY M. S. Bailey & Son, Bankers, Building Dial Day 833-0681 — Night and Sunday 833-0323 James Stewart msrMvmMmr MTRE AOVENTSK TUT JAMES \ MAUREEN STEWARlX OHARA THE RARE BREED TECHIICOLOr-PMVISlOirB Starts 3:10, 5:14, 7:10, and 9:10 Saturday: 1:10, 3:10, 5:10, 7:10, 9:10 MARCH 7-8-9-10 Where The Spies Are! David Niven as Jason Lane takes you where the spies are. Starts 3:27, 5:22, 7:17 and 9:12' Highlights From Clinton High JBy PATSY SIMMONS Tommy Johnson, our CHS Student Council president, came home Sunday after a two weeks’ stay at Self Memorial Hospital in Greenwood. At the hospital Tommy was treated for a dislocated hip, which he received during spring football practice at Presbyterian Col lege. He will remain in a cast for about a month. Since he will not be able to attend school, Tommy plans to do some of his school work at home with the aid of his teach ers. Everyone misses Tommy a great deal and is looking for ward to seeing him back at CHS again. Although many stu dents have been to visit with him, I’m sure Tommy would appreciate even more! • • • Last week the CHS Beta Club visited Jacobs Brothers’ Pub lishing Company. While there, the Beta Club members were conducted through the biulding by Hugh Jacobs. The students were fortunate to see the Beta Club Journal being published on the day of their visit. * • * The Student Council held a meeting Tuesday to discuss the upcoming election of new offi cers. Student Council represen tatives and officers will be Consolidated Upholstering Co. Whitmire Highway Clinton, S. C. Now OPEN To Serve YOU With Only The BEST In Uphoktery QUALITY WORKMANSHIP 9 FREE ESTIMATES IN YOUR HOME ALL TYPES MATERIAL TO CHOOSE FROM 100% GUARANTEED NO MONEY DOWN 12 MONTHS TO PAY Over 18 Years Experience in Upholstery ^ A CONSISTENT LOW OVERHEAD ENABLES US TO GIVE LOW PRICES • J. T. 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Anonymous communications wffl for the views or opinton* of Its correspondmts. Carolina Press Association, National Editorial New York, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia TOWLE STERLING of course •Sue had registered her pattern preference with us, so others knew exactly what she needed ... (could be you!) 4 Pc. Place Settings, from $.12.00 Teaspoons, from 15.75 - Serving Pieces, from $0.00 DILLARD' BOLAND JEWELER Pitto St. Clinton ■Artyom^ ca/t ACW&ffUHl&j. -AM n&ed& id co ^cwingA Account 1 ■ : , and pexAiAtmccs. W&Aupp&J on& oftkede/ itemd. % v • * M. S. Bailey & Son, Bankers EatabUahsd 1886 w , v Member FDIC CUnten, 8. C.. ,/ 4 1 /2% Interest Pojd On One Yeor Savings Certifcates" rv