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Which Way, Now? We have turned the comer on another year and the arrival of 1969 finds Laurens County continuing to grow and prosper. The total property assessment in the county increased over $1 million from 1967 to 1968 and the county has broken the $20 million mark. The 1968 property assessment total is $20,- 788,330, compared to $19,425,570 in 1967. School District 56, which in cludes the Clinton-Joanna-Cross Hill- Mountville area, is getting its share of the growtjj. The assessment in the school district grew from $8,239,- 800 in 1967 to $8,972,240 in 1968. That’s an increase of $732,440. The ‘total county increase is $1.3 million, so over half of the county’s taxable growth has been in this area. The growth is good but the ques tion now is—what are we going to do with it and with continued growth? Are we prepared to handle it in an or derly fashion? There are several projects on the drawing board w'hich could mean much to Laurens County in general and this area in particular during the coming year. These include: —The proposed “ring road” around Clinton which would help alleviate traffic congestion in the downtown area. —A proposed new city hall for Clin ton and a new county courthouse in Laurens, both of which are needed for more efficient operation of gov ernment. —A proposed countywide water system. This is now in the esmbryo stage but it deserves study and con sideration during the coming year. —A proposed rural fire system. This one has been kicking around for a couple of years and should be ready for some action. If rural areas are to share the growth enjoyed by the mu- THE CHANGEOVER Hope springs eternal in the human breast, and not for the world wxmld we have it any other way. But hope 5 needs to be tempered with the shiver ing winds of cold reality, too, and it is this wintery draft that we want to loose, briefly. The Nixon spectacular on TV in which he introduced his new cabinet may have caused some to hope ex cessively for change in our domestic and foreign plight in the days ahead. A word of caution is necessary. New faces, new attitudes and new ideas surely will bring change, particularly in the field of international relations. But the terrain which the new admin istration must travel has been heavily ^mined and booby-trapped. Beyond the Cabinet posts are those • many outposts manned by Kennedy- * Johnson men and they are going to be 7 there, for the most part, throughout j the first four years of the Nixon Presidency Only if he wins reelec- ■: tion in 1972 will that changing of the guard be possible. It happens that i way. In the final days of the Eisenhow- *'er Administration, the Democrat-con trolled Congress declined to act on a long list of Eisenhower appointees to the administrative agenices which have proliferated in the post New Deal days. By actual count there are more than 100 of these headless rulers of our destinies. The intent was to hold the nominations open for the in coming Democrat, John F. Kennedy. It was sucessful. But in the final days of the Demo crat-controlled Congress, Johnson ap- ^ pointees were steam-rollered through ‘over the Republican minority, and the consequence is that it will be at least 2 years in a few cases, and at least 4 years in most cases, before Presi dent Nixon will be able to put control ling-vote appointees in those critical bureaucrcies. Who suffers? Primarily the small businessman in the country. With rare exceptions, these are the corporations, boards and commissions which hold influence over >the well being of businessmen across the land who have less than 500 employees. However, some have the power of life and death over giant industries. A case in point, the civil aeronautics board. Last August the Senate hast ily put a Johnson-nominated Texan on the agency board. It will be 1972 be fore Mr. Nixon can possibly alter the Democrat-party majority on that im portant board. In short, the regulatory agencies are going to be Johnson's for the next four years, with very few exceptions. i ' nicipalities, a rural fire protection sys tem is a must —The four-laning of the Clinton- Joanna road from Clinton to the in dustrial park. Preliminary work has begun and this project should be com pleted sometime this year. , —A new YMCA building for Clin ton. Preliminary work is progressing and local residents probably will be called on for support this year. This could be a tremendous step forward for the Clinton area. —The elimination of one set of railroad tracks through downtown Clinton. This has been under consid eration by railroad officials for some time and one official has publicly stat ed that it would be accomplished. However, this is in the hands of rail officials and now apparently depends on a proposed merger. We hope local officials will cooperate in any way possible to accomplish the removal of a set of tracks and work toward using the space for desperately needed down town parking. The year 1968 was one of planning. We hope 1969 will be a year of action because that’s what it’s going to take to keep Laurens County and this area moving forward. .t It will be interesting io see what progress has been made on these proj ects when we turn the comer of 1969 and move into 1970. GUN GIFTS One of the sad aftermaths of Christmas is newspaper accounts of deaths from guns which were Christ mas presents. It is tragic to read of the waste of young lives because of accidents which sometimes happen in the excitement of the Christmas season. If a young man in your family re ceived a gun, for his sake and the sake of others please make certain he knows and thoroughly understands the safety measures which are absolutely neces sary for responsible mn ownership. THE BOWL ORGY The wives of football fanatics have once again survived that television football orgy known as the New Year’s Day bowl games. Now maybe the wives can get the garbage taken out, the yard raked (why do leaves have to fall during football season?), some wood chopped and some fathers reintroduced to their families. OK, just as soon as we see the Pro Bowl, the Super Bowl, the North- South All-Star Game, the Hula Bowl, the Runner-Up Bowl, and the AFL All-Star game. If there had been televised football when the settlers first came to this country, the United States probably would include only New England, may be Virginia, and the rest would still be a wilderness. (“What’s that dear, you say In dians are attacking? OK, I’ll fight ’em at halftime, just as soon as I see the replays on those touchdowns.”) STRICTLY FRESH How • To • Stay - Sober Dept.: By the time you say “1959 Wiltinger Kupp Trockenbeerenauslese Orig- inal-Abfuellung Bishoeflich- es Priesterseminar” to your friendly beverage store owner, the place will be closed (It’s the official handle for a German wine). • ♦ * Another nice thing about newspapers: You don't have to listen to commer cials unless the guy next to you on the bus lip-reads the ads. • * * The boss can’t confuse his secretary. She comes to work in that condition. Tokyo transit officials hire pushers to jam com muters into cars, but Americans refuse to relinquish their amateur status. , • • • Know-who is a poor sub stitute for know-how. * • ’V Taking candy from a baby may be easy, but it is not recommended that you try it with any of our r :: " "if You Want To Know Who We Are, We Are Gentlemen From Hong Kong!" "Zscw 1 cue" 1968. A Good Year BY DONNY WILDER Editor, The Chronicle Mark 1968 down aS a good year for this area. There were numerous accom plishments, many of which will carry much significance for the future. In an editorial elsewhere on this page, we called 1968 a year of planning because it was a year in which several major pro posals were born, proposals HflIEESW IGHTS AND FREEDOM— It is time to counter the trend f over-applying concepts such s freedom and rights to the oint that they are no longer ecognizable; time to re-estab- sh the balance between the ole of government and the esponsibility of the individual, ^e must affirm the ethics of ndividual strength and substi- ute them for collective depend- nce,” said Rep. Olin E. Teague, D.-Tex.). “And we must never orget that freedom is not a aft, automatically bestowed, ut something not easily at- ained and difficult to keep.” which will move us forward with some giant strides. But 1968 also was a year of sonv significant events. To re fresh the memory and show what can be accomplished by unified, concerned efforts, we remind you that 1988 was the year when; ---the Laurens County tax re- evaluation p/ogram got off the ground and became a reality. ---The County Planning and De velopment Board was re organized and reactivated. ---A 40-acre site nearCUnton was purchased for a Presbyter ian Horn? to serve the Piedmont region. Construction of the fa cility is still a few years away but it will be a significant addi tion to the Clinton area, ---Construction began on a nursing home facility adjacent to the Bailey Memorial Hospital. ---The Laurens County cam paign for funds for Presbyterian College went over its $600,000 goal, topping the $750,000 mark. ---Contract was awarded for four-laning Highway 76 from the Clinton city limits to the in dustrial park. ---A Junior Achievement pro gram was organized and put into operation for Clinton’s young people. ---Preliminary legislative work began to put Laurens Coun ty on a ‘'home rule” basis with a county council method of opera tion. ---The new Clinton Element ary School was opened and that school and Joanna Elementary were accredited by the Southern Association of Schools and Uni versities. ---Planning was completed for the new Clinton city hall. ---A countywide water system was proposed. — Public hearing was held on Clinton's ‘ring road" proposal. These were a few of the ac complishments which were rea lized as Laurens County's citi zens went about their day-to- day business with an eye on the future. // HEY! Let Me In! // 10—THE CHRONICLE, CUnton, S. C., January 2, 1969 Role Of Gold Needs Review WELLESLEY HILLS, MASS.- The international monetary sys tem has received som^very pun ishing blows over the (test year or so. A few of these could have been almost fatal, had it not been for concerted rescue measures. As a result, gold has become a focal point of interest on a world wide basis. Demand for the yellow metal became so great that it was necessary to adopt a two- tier price system: On the one hand, the official pegged price for gold of $35 per ounce; and on the other, the fluctuating free market price for gold which has been hovering around $40 per ounce. from - ffhtBiUl Always and for everything giving thanks.—(Eph. 5:20). It is more blessed to give than to receive and it is some times easier to give than to receive. We need to remind ourselves that there are two sides of giving — the joy of giving and the joy of receiv ing. If we find joy in giving, let us remember that we bring joy to those who give to us by expressing our appreciation, by being good receivers. FEARS OF FURTHER MONETARY STORMS Despite the recent successful rescue of the franc, at least on an interim basis, the world mone tary scene is marked by pro nounced fear of additional fi nancial upheavals. Many experts feel that the international mone tary system, and specifically the role of gold within that frame work, mast be reviewed and re vised if financial stability is to be achieved; that failure to do so could result in chaotic monetary conditions, and/or the world could again be faced with a re strictive international trade cli mate which could lead to econo mic depression. Despite de Gaulle’s austerity program to salvage the franc, it is questionable whether the peo ple of France will endure its rigors for long. Now, there is also tho specter of possible trou ble for the Italian lira. Trou ble for either or both of these currencies could spell problems for the British pound, which is still very much on shaky ground. The dollar could also be engulfed. DISAGREEMENT AMIDST UNANIMITY While there is agreement on the necessity of revising the m ine- tary system of the world, there is little accord on the future role of gold. It is felt in some quar ters that the only solution is a boost in the official price of gold and thus a devaluation of the dol lar. In other circles there are p’.eas for a demonetization of gold, for withdrawing gold per manently from the monetary sys tem. Both schools of thought can be rationally argued, and both are open to criticism. But the basic fact is that most member nations of the International Monetary Fund, including the U.S.A. are not yet ready to adopt either course as a remedy for the world's money ills. THE AMERICAN VIEW ON GOLD This nation's policy (under the Johnson Administration) has been aimed at the longer range while striving to maintain continuity with the past. It is based on four major premises: (1) That gold will be retained as a monetary reserve; (2) that its official price will continue to be $35per ounce; (3) that the world must not be dependent upon gold alone as a monetary reserve; and (4) that Special Drawing Right (or paper gold) will be created under the International Monetary Fund to augment gold reserves and pro vide added liquidity. It appears that the Internation al Monetary Fund is moving to ward a policy which will encom pass these four points. However, opponents decry the plan as a stopgap measure which can only delay the adoption of a more per-' monent solution. Actually. . .the future course of world events may well dictate the remedy. HEDGE INVESTMENTS Despite the complexity of the problem, Babson's Reports be lieves the overall assessment points to higher gold prices eventually. But this should not be construed as a carte blanche re commendation to buy gold stocks. While odds favor higher gold prices some day, the timing is obscure. Adoption of stopgap measures could long delay a hike in gold. Nevertheless, some feel the need to maintain a hedge in the f >rm of investment in gold stocks. There is nothing wrong with this, provided the investor does not go overboard and pro vided he is willing to sit pa tiently with his gold stocks. Bab son's Reports' strategy would be to go witl/either Homestake Min ing, the leading U.S. gold pro ducer, or American-South A- frican > Investment Trust, a closed-end trust with a large portfolio of gold-mining stocks. Both are traded on the New York Stock Exchange, so convenient to follow. Wish I’d Said That “The reason so many Con gressmen are anxious to be re-elected is that they’d hate to try to make a living under the laws they passed.” - Duane C. Griggs, The New London (Iowa) Journal. “Any more deductions in our take-home pay and some of us will not have a home to take it to.”—James H. Russell, The Belton (Tex.) Journal. Is This Your Will? BY RICHARD GANTT Attorney Presbyterian College I bequeath to my wife the pro perty she is entitled under the laws of S.C., a law suit if we have minor children and the pro perty must be sold, the job of locating all assets and seeing that all bills are paid, many details to attend, many legal headaches, a forty-five page Federal Estate Tax Return to prepare. . . I bequeath to my son, who has spent it as fast as it came in, who is always looking for a fast profit, complete freedom to do whatever he wishes with his share of my property. . . I bequeath to my daughter an equal share of my property al though her physical condition will necessitate expenditure of all or more for special care and medi cal services. . . I bequeath to my other daugh ter an equal share, however, with the duty of caring for it, even though she has no exper ience in investing, managing,and conserving assets. I bequeath to my church and alma mater, in which I have re mained closeby interested and which benefited from my support during my lifetime, NOTHING. I bequeath to the tax collector thousands of dollars in family capital, possibly the business fronj a forced sale, which if I hatf thoughtful enough to spend a few hours in planning might instead have been retained for my beneficiaries. If you have no will, or have * RICHARD GANTT not taken the necessary steps in volved in financial planning this could happen to you. The laws of S.C. provide that certain relatives will receive your property if you have no will. If you have children, they will receive a share. If your wife needs to sell the house or mort gage it to meet living expenses a law suit will be necessary to authorize the sale or mortgage of any minors interest. Your untimely death could place funds in the hands of young children who may be over twenty- one but have not mastered the ability jf handling money wise ly. Close relatives with unique problems need special planning to insure their problems are met. Statutory distribution does not take this into consideration, a will does. Often, your financial problems are too great for any member of your family to solve. A trust may be advisable to assist them. Many times the taxes saved in proper planning could provide a handsome gift to your church or Some other institute. Proper planning will benefit you and your family. However, you must take the first move.