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* i "Hubert, I May Need That Myself, Later On..." MISSION ACCOMPLISHED In these final weeks of the John son Administration, each department of the Federal government is busy, busy preparing a history of the John son years in Washington. One chap ter in that history which will surely deserve bold-type treatment is the epoch of Secretary of Agriculture Or ville Freeman’s successful campaign against soybean farmers of the land. The soybean is a relatively new crop in the United States. It came into prominence only after World War II. It was introduced in some areas of the country to replace crops which required very great numbers of seasonal laborers. Desperate farmers who literally could not harvest their traditional crops because of the lack of part-time, seasonal help, pioneered a new and untried crop. And because it was a p p w crop, it was not produced in surplus’, nor fettered by complicated and costly government control pro grams. Then, on March 19, 1965, Mr. Free man went before a House Appropria tions Subcomittee and complained that soybean prices were out of line. Too high, he said, and he urged that land which had been taken out of produc tion by the government under the feed grain subsidy program be opened up for soybean production. Soybeans, he said, were “in short supply and prices are very high . . If we had another million acres in soybeans today, we would be in a stronger and more com fortable position.” That editorial “we” followed the phrase “would be in a stronger and more comfortable position,” isn’t very clear. Mr. Freeman certainly didn’t mean the soybean farmers. In 1966 and 1967 Mr. Freeman paid cooperat ing farmers not to plant feed grains, but authorized them to plant soybeans on the “idle” land. And then last year, and again this year, he encouraged the cotton farmers to plant the “idle” cotton acres in soybeans. What happened? Cooperating grain farmers and cotton farmers contrib uted millions of bushels of soybeans to the harvest, there’s an over-produc tion of soybeans, and the price has started skidding. Mr. Freeman succeeded in encour aging, or forcing, enough farmers to plant soybeans to glut the market and depress the price. Mission accomplished. A bureaucrat can find many ways to drive a competitor to the wall, and the fact is that the Department of Ag riculture has become a competitor of the farmer in recent times. SCOTCH WISDOM Back in the 1930’s, in that period which has since come to be known as The Great Depression, millions of fam ilies received assistance from various federal government agencies. In the worst of those years, 1934, a total of 6,633,000 households receieved aid of one kind or another from either fed eral or local governments. The total federal expenditures for the year 1931 were $3.6 billion. This was the first year in which spending exceeded collections thereby causing what has come to be known as a defi cit. The national debt stood at $18.5 billion. Since 1931 it has risen on a curve like a Saturn rocket; there have been only six years without a deficit since that time. In passing we will note that federal expenditures in 1934 were $6.7 billion, but they rose to al most $8 billion in 1937, although the high-water mark for relief payments had been reached three years earlier. Today according to U. S. News & World Report, the Government is hand ing out government checks to 33,000,- 000 individuals of voting age. In ad dition, there are 3 million farmers who receive at least occasional conser vation or price support or other type of check which add to the income of an estimated 10 million people in farm families. Still to be considered is the so-called anti-poverty program, which is disbursing at an annual rate of $2 billion. Meanwhile, that $18.5 billion na tional debt has rocketed to $352 bil lion. The annual interest on the debt is a fantastic $14.5 billion. And there is another trillion dollars of what the late Senator Byrd called “legislated and contractual obligations” of the federal government. Yet we are living, we are told, in the longest period of greatest prosper ity that our country has ever known. Have we reached the danger point of which Professor Tytler, of Edin burgh University warned nearly two centuries ago? That canny Scot de clared:” A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until a majority of the voters learn that they can vote them selves largess out of the public treas ury.” POUCE SALUTE “Why don't you ■write something nice about the Clinton police force? We had to call them the other night and they arrived in only a few min utes. They were very helpful and un derstanding.” A local businesswoman made that comment. Then last week, a local dotor said, “You know, Clinton is very fortunate in the calibre of people it has on the police force. I have some dealings with them and I’ve been very impress ed with the type people who are serv ing as policemen here. It’s something you don’t often find in a town this size.” Clinton is -fortunate in this re spect. They are fine men who are dedi- acted. Dedication probably is the key word because many of them have to have part-time w or k to supplement their incomes. This is something Clinton City Councilmen should keep in mind in planning for the future. As with school teachers, the day may come when we can’t depend on dedication alone as the basis for a strong police force. TELEPHONE S»-«541 OFFICE SUPPLIES THE CHRONICLE 14—THE CHRONICLE, afill ovember 14, 1968 Business Snows Interest In Social Progress WELLESLEY HILLS, MASS.- During the past few years busi ness has shown vastly increased awareness of the nation’s urban and farm problems. Steadily the commitment of the business com munity to social progress has been expanding. If this trend can be encouraged and implement ed, urban ghettoes and rural slums may actually become but a memory. . .and without the need for huge additional bites on taxpayers to finance such re newal’ PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION Business is uniquely equipped to make new corporate approach es to public problems. Indeed, the scope and variety of pre sent business involvement in community problemsf and pro jects is already encouragingly wide. Large corporations are providing leadership for pro grams to furnish more job op portunities for economically de prived Negroes and Indians, and for unskilled workers in the lar ger cities and in the pockets of poverty found in Appalachia and other areas where unemployment is a festering sore. In many core cities, banks and/ or insurance companies have ad vanced funds for mortgage pools to make home ownership more easily attainable and to build low- and mode rate-income housing u- nits. Smaller firms, too, are proving that private sector par ticipation in community planning and projects can pay off hand somely. Some companies under write costs of solving local healtt problems, while others provide day-care centers for working mothers. GOVERNMENT REMEDIES TOO EXPENSIVE Public health and public hous ing programs are among the more expensive services presently be ing rendered by the federal gov ernment. While health and hous ing needs are quite proper con cerns of government, it is ques tionable whether the huge Increa ses in the federal bureaucracy -- and their maintenance costs -- can be justified in the face of evidence that private, prof it-mo tivated firms could do the work more efficiently and at less ex pense. Actually, it wouldbe very much to the advantage of business to retrieve as many as possible of the balls it has lost to govern ment through default. Instance af ter instance could be cited of the imposition of government regu lations necessitated because business pays a hundredfold since legislative remedies invariably bring controls and higher costs. And all of us pay through the nose for the administering of such government programs. PRIMACY OF THE INDIVIDUAL In America, and elsewhere in the world, man seeks -- as al ways -- a better way of life . . .economically, politically, and spiritually. But ancient shackles and taboos rankle as he gropes toward that better way. Surely it is up to us to prove that the vaunted freedom, peace, pros perity, and equal rights for all are obtainable; goals in our land -- and even bfeyond its borders. When business has failed to practice self-discipline, it has had discipline thrust upon it and paid dearly in the process. And unless all of us in the private sector renew our faith in the pri macy of the individual, curb our acquistiveness and greed, and stop pressuring the government for handouts and special consid eration for specific groups, it is entirely likely we shall wind up a slave state. GOVERNMENT ALWAYS AN INDIAN GIVER Almost certainly, business will continue to interest itself in the solution of community problems, advancing remedies not involv ing the expenditure of tax dol lars. And this will make for a healthier social climate and a vastly improved economy. For the more government gives, the more it takes. The more of our lives it controls because of our failure to practice self-control, the less we have left that we may call our own. Government is always an Indian giver! Annuties And You BY RICHARD GANTT Attorney Presbyterian College All of us are concerned with our retirement plans. The use of an annuity is considered by many an attractive means of investing for these important years. If your sources of lifetime retire ment income appear modest, then some additional lifetime Income is essential. An annuity contract can provide lifetime income, by providing you income for the rest of your life or for a certain number of years. It is important to arrange for enough guaranteed lifetime in come to cover your probable tx*. sic living costs. This minimum will enable you to be independent and not a financial burden to your relatives. fThere are several ways to start an annuity. You can add to your savings account and purchases of securities until retirement age. With the amount accumulated you can buy a single premium annuity that pays a monthly amount for life. You also can purchase a de ferred annuity now and pay re gular premiums until retirement age. The insurance company pays a minimum return of around 3 percent on deposits. Usually this is higher based on actual per formance of the investments of the company. Income you receive from sav ings accounts, and most bonds and stocks is taxable. Therefore you must report this on your fed eral and state returns. The tax you pay must be taken into ac count in evaluating the return received from your investments. However the interest credit ed is not taxable as income until after you begin receiving the an nuity income. This is helpful in that you will probably be in i lower income tax bracket at that time. nuity is designed to provide a hedge against inflation. It offers a retirement yield that corre sponds with the economy level at the time it is paid. The money you invest in such an annuity is invested in long-range growth stocks by the insurance company. The payments are based on the value and dividends of these di versified stocks. This provides some-means of having your an nuity ridF* *rith inflation and thereby offer a way of keeping your retirement annuity in line with the economy. A variable an nuity will adjust with the econo my, depending on how well the stocks selected adjust. A fixed annuity would be better there fore only if the economy reversed itself. Certainly annuities should be considered by a person who is interested in providing a re tirement income for his family. Next week I plan to cover some of the valuable income tax ad vantages of a charitable annuity. * * * OUR DAILY BREAD —The price gap between the farmer and the consumer is graphi cally illustrated with the price of bread, according to Rep. H. R. Gross (R.-Iowa). He ex plains, “In 1947, a loaf of bread coat 12.6 cents. Today, the The effect of inflation can pro- same size loaf sells for 22.2 doce problems for any retire- cents, and the farmer gets ment picture. The variable in- only 2.6 cents for the wheat.” "Saigon Government Will Not Recognize National Liberation Front Delegation At Paris Talks...We May Not Recognize American Delegation, Also!” Pick A Name V For Celebration What’s in a name? According to the South Caro lina Tricentennial Commission, it could be $300 in cash or ex pense-paid VIP tours of the state’s Tricentennial Exposition Parks in 1970. The Commission is looking for a name for the state’s 300thbirth day celebration, which will be held in 1970. Everyone is invited to send in suggestions through December 1, 1968. “We need somthing ‘catchy’ and yet suitable for the occa sion," said commission chairman Thomas O. Lawton Jr., of Allen dale. "We will use the name se lected on all our national pro motion as well as the three Tricentennial Exposition Parks." The person who sends in the winning name will receive $300 in cash and a trip for himself and two other persons to any one of the exposition parks in 1970. The commission also will donate $30.00 to the public school li brary of the winner’s choice. Three honorable mention win ners also will be selected, and they will receive expense-paid tours of the exposition center of their choice. Rules issued by the com mission indicate that entries should be made by letter or post card to “Contest," P.O. Box 1970, Columbia, S.C. 29202. They em phasize that the entrant’s name, address and phone number should be included on the entry. Every one is eligible except commis sion members, staff and their immediate families. A complete set of rules can be obtained at the above address. 26 Victims Failed To Use Seat Belts The amazing parallel between auto seat belt non-use and one- car accident deaths continued during October and the first week of November, the State Highway Department has reported. Accident records indicate that in 26 one-car fatalities the vic tim, either driver or passenger, failed to wear a seat belt when the accident occurred. This is a 100 per cent record of failure to wear a seat belt. There were no one-car accident victims found wearing belts during the period. While this study points out an interesting parallel between non belt use and one-car accident fa talities, few conclusive deduc tions can be drawn at thg pre sent time. This evidence suggests that there is a recklessness about one-car accident victims which makes them shun safety belt use while at the same time makes them drive too fast for condi tions or otherwise dangerously. But it could also mean that the number of seat belt users in South Carolina is very low and that only a small percentage of the driving public faithfully wear seat belts. There may be large number of drivers who never wear seat belts but who, never theless, escape serious accident. Most of the 26 fatalities oc curred during the hours of dark ness. There were four in Ander son County, three in Aiken, two in Colleton, Greenville, Green wood, and Lexington, and one in Charleston, Chester, Newberry, Richland, Union, Kershaw, Dar lington, Spartanburg, Chester field, Marlboro and Horry. There were three other one-car fatali ties in which seat belt use was not determined. Ketchuptown? It's In South Carolina COLUMBIA - Ketchuptown, Honey-Sa-Hook Swamp, Sapp’s Cross Roads and Pompion Hill are some of the names discussed in the current issue of “Names in South Carolina." Volume XV of the annual jour nal has just been published by the University of South Caro lina Department ofEnglish. Prof. Claude H. Neuffer is editor. Some of the feature articles in this issue deal with names in Barnwell County, Mullins, Ker shaw County, Horry County, Dor chester County, Clarendon Coun ty, Lancaster County and Char leston County. Other special articles are about 18th century Presbyterian churches in the upperstate, Colonial churches in the low- country and discontinued post offices in the state. USC history Prof. Daniel Hollis writes about names on the Old Campus at the University. There is an unusual poem by Dr. Thomas J. Casque, English professor at the University of South Dakota, in an article called “A Rhyme, And a Reason for Naming Our Rivers." A list of names taken from county maps of the S. C. State Highway Department asks read ers for help in explanations of origins. A few of the names and their locations are Lightwood Knot School in Aiken County, Susybole Creek in Chester County, Terr4* ble Creek in Fairfield County, Gridiron Chapel in Georgetown County, Sample Branch in Green wood County, Flat Rough in Lau rens County, Musterground Mountain in Oconee County, Scratchnose Swamp in Orange burg County, Nasty Branch in Sumter County and Nanny Moun tain in York County. Readers also are asked to pro vide information about the ori gins of these names, among others: Hammet Bridge Road near Greer, White City Park Road in Anderson County, Blind Tiger Road in GreenviUe County, Dead River in Lower Richland County, Sugar Hill Lane in Columbia, Tootle Hill in Aiken and Hog Bluff at Bluffton. “Names In South Carolina," in its 15th year of publication, now has a circulation of more than 1,000 in 43 states. * * * The most popular profession for Presidents seems to be that of a lawyer. World'BookEncyclo pedia counts 23 lawyers among our 36 Presidents. In the light of this finding, it would be wise for each motorist to buckle up for safety every time he rides in a motor vehicle, the Highway Department sug- gests. * * * WORTH ABOUT Make true equality of oppor tunity a major corporate goal —to commit the great human and economic resources of the business community to pro grams of affirmative action. We cannot delegate all the re sponsibility to our govern ment. We cannot delegate it to our corporations. We cannot delegate it to labor unions; nor even to temples and churches. Each of us must accept per sonal responsibility for mak ing our society one in which all of us may freely contribute our talents and skills. —Olcott D. Smith Chairman Aetna Life & Casualty A record of nearly 18 million tons of foreign steel will enter this country in 1968.