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I } WHAT ABOUT THE OLD COURTHOUSE? Laurens County voters will go to the polls April 22 to cast ballots in an other courthouse referendum. Voters will be asked to approve issuance of up to $1.8 million for construction of a new courthouse. They will be asked to give their preference as to a site for the new courthouse: (1) The old Cen tral Elementary School property or (2) The Todd property on the out skirts of town. As voters consider the proposal, one particular question keeps popping up: What will happen to the present courthouse in the center of downtown Laurens? We posed that question to Rep. David S. Taylor. The delegation previously has an nounced that, if voters approve con struction of a new courthouse, the cur rent courthouse will be offered as a i gift to the Laurens County Historical r Commission, provding no county funds will be allocated to maintain the buiki- i n g. The Historical Commission would have to find a way to finance maintenance of the building. Could the county sell the property and apply the money toward con- .struction of the new courthouse? Taylor, who is in the real estate business in Laurens, answered, “I doubt it. Frankly it would be very ex pensive to tear down the current courthouse. Although the property is in the heart of town, I don’t think any- , one would want to tackle the expenses and problems of tearing down the courthouse just for the property in volved. Either way, I don’t think the county could realize much, if anything from the sale of that property.” raw, harvestable timber on Federal lands reflects the general situation with bid prices in many cases four times higher than two years ago. The big lumber producers with great pur chasing ability are able to stay in this inflationary market; the smaller mills —^traditionally the balance wheel in the pricing structure—have been fold ing at a rapid rate. Domestic needs for lumber are now critical; it is urgent that the new Ad ministration and the Congress act to halt the enormous outflow of timber to foreign countries, and revise Forest Service management practices to per mit the maximum cut of timber for home-building consistent with sound conservation practices. ‘AH». spring Wtom ant! W WoooM fdrfK..." 1 1 BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT A couple of weeks ago, we edito rialized on the general idea that Clin ton garden clubs could help beautify the town, working in cooperation with the City Street Department. Now we have a specific project in mind. On the comer of Broad Street and Carolina Avenue there is a strip of earth between the sidewalk and the city parking lot. The city has sown the strip in grass. It would be a fine spot for some bushes or slender trees. Mayor Harry Layton says he would like to see some slender cedar trees planted there. He said, ‘T wouldn’t want to plant cedars which spread out, of course, but there is a variety of ce dars which grows tall and slender and I think it would look very good there.” If any local club would like to donate such trees, the city would fur nish the labor to plant the trees. THE LUMBER PRICE CRISIS Any reader of this page who has gone to his lumber dealer recently for some plywood or softwood lumber is certain to have returned home sadder, wiser and perhaps empty-handed. Prices have doubled, in some cases, tripled within the past year. Too of ten, the lumber just isn’t available, or delivery is uncertain. As a consequence the cost of hous es is going up and up. Builders who are trying desperately to hold costs down and to build for low and moder ate income families who so sorely need such housing are shocked. Lumber dealers and wholesalers can no longer quote firm prices for softwood lumber and plywood, nor can they guarantee delivery dates to builders. As a result planning and cost estimates are thrown out of whack. Softwood lumber and plywood are the major components of a house. They consume approximately 40 per cent of the nation’s total timber products. The magnitude of the crisis is clear from the fact that softwood lumber prices have gone up at least 50 per cent in one year and plywood prices up 100 percent. Why? For one thing softwood log ex ports have increased tenfold in 8 years, with most of these exports going to Japan. In fact, the increase in log ex ports in 1968 alone was more than 30 per cent over the 1967 level—at the very time the U.S. housing industry was attempting to fill the country’s pent-up demand. In addition, the Forest Service has come under increasing criticism for its overly conservative management poli cies which, to cite a recent Treasury Department study, allow much timber to “rot on the ground” serving neither the public good nor sound conservation practices; Wildly inflationary bidding for i>v »j' *r» f \ 15 MINUTES AND OUT The Rev. Theodore M. Heeburgh, president of Notre Dame, responded to the threat of campus violence a few days ago, in a letter to faculty mem bers, students and their parents. Said Father Heeburgh, in part: ‘‘Anyone or any group that substi tutes force for rational persuasion—be it violent or nonviolent—will be given 16 minutes of meditation to cease and desist “They will be told that they are, by their actions, going counter to the overwhelming conviction of this com munity as to what is proper here. If they do not within that time period cease and desist, they will be asked for their identity cards. “Those who produce these will be suspended from this community as not understanding what this community is. Those who do not have or will not produce identity cards will be assum ed not to be members of the commun ity and will be charged with trespass ing and disturbing the peace on pri vate property and treated accordingly by the law . . . “After notification of suspension, or trespass in the case of noncommun ity members, if there is not then within five minutes a movement to cease and desist, students will be noti fied of expulsion from this community, and the law will deal with them as nonstudents .. . “There seems to be a current myth that university members are not re sponsible to the law, and that some how the law is the enemy—particular ly those whom society has constituted to uphold and enforce the law. I would like to insist here that all of us are re sponsible to the duly constituted laws of this university and community and to all of the laws of the land. There is no other guarantee of civilization versus the jungle or mob rule, here or elsewhere. ...” We hope that other colleges and universities will copy Father Hes- burgh’s letter* WORTH ?&!LM3© ABOUT The new scientific era that I urge then is really a scientific- humanistic era, one that could set the stage for the appear ance of what may well be “the renaissance man of the 21st Century.” But the role that such a man will play will be written today largely by our attitudes toward science and the way we apply it. And I should add that it will be writ ten primarily in the halls of our great universities and in the minds and hearts of you [students] who have gathered here to dedicate yourselves to the scientific spirit You are part of a quiet revolution. It is a revolution that gamers few headlines. It does not feed on fear or violence. It crosses national boundaries without suspicion or distrust. It speaks in all languages to all men who are willing to work, to learn, to change. And I think it is the one revolution that will pre vail—simply because it speaks a prevailing truth. —Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg, Chairman U. S. Atomic Energy Commission rescue Labor Watches Nixon BY BABSON’S REPORTS INC. WELLESLEY HILLS, MASS.- Most of the nation’s labor lead ers were highly suspicious of candidate Nixon when he was run ning for President. They didn’t like him or trust him, and they did everythingpossible to create an image of him as a dangerous foe of organized labor. Hubert Humphrey was the unions’ White Knight, and many fought hard for his election. The contest was hair-breadth, but Nixon won. Since his inaugu ration, labor officials -- and the rank and file -- have been watch ing to see if he would prove him self to be as much of a “reac tionary labor-hater’ashadbeen suspected. Nixon still hasn’t been in office very long, but he has had plenty of time to reveal any deep-set anti-labor bias. Thus far, he hasn’t shown any, and more and more labor authori ties are ready to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, the new Chief Executive has pro- Sensing Praises ABM Decision “Look what’o emerging from that egg!” BY THURMAN SENSING Executive Vice President Southern States Industrial Council President Nixon’s decision to proceed with development of an anti-ballistic missile system comes as a tremendous relief to Americans deeply concerned about national security. Ratifica tion of the nuclear non-prolifera tion treaty in the Senate, which in effect will prevent some of A- merica’s NATO allies from ac quiring atomic defenses, caused fear in some quarters that Mr. Nixon would scuttle the ABM plan that the Joint Chiefs of Staff long have held necessary for the protection of the American peo ple. It is immensely gratifying, therefore, that Mr. Nixon acted with realism about the national defense and with determination to fully protect the country, despite the outcry from foes of the ABM plan. While President Nixon said his ABM plan is strictly defensive in nature, he said it was “es sential for our security,’ adding that it is his “duty as Presi dent to make certain that we do no less. . .No President with the responsibility for the lives and security of the American peo ple could fail to provide this pro tection.’ Mr. Nixon described his ABM plan as a "minimum program," but it is apparent that his pro gram is considerably more com prehensive and realistic than the ABM system envisioned by the Johnson Administration. Mr. Johnson's plan, as formu lated by former Secretary of De fense Robert S. McNamara, in volved only a thin ABM system for defense against Communist Chinese missiles. TheNixonAd- ministration plan entails place ment of ABMs around the Minute- men missiles that are part of A- merica’s first line of defense a- gainst Russian attack. Thus the ABM system devised by the Nixon Administration very realistically will provide protection against Soviet missile power. Without a doubt, Mr. Nixonwill face furious opposition from emotional ele ments in the nation that are bent on reducing U.S. defenses in an attempt to appease the Soviet Un ion. Since he entered the White House, Mr. Nixon has not been the target of the leftist groups that conducted an unprecedented campaign of vilification against President Johnson and who vir tually beseiged him in the pre sidential mansion. In all likeli hood, the New Left will now launch a major campaign of abuse a- gainst Mr. Nixon. It is to be hoped, however, that Congress and the people won’t let the New Left ists get out of hand. The time has come for a crackdown on those who make a career of abus ing the nation’s Chief Execu tive. The ABM decision was the first truly major decision Mr. Nixon made as President -- the first tough decision with political con sequences. In recent weeks, a number ofcitizens have been con cerned about the tenor of some presidential appointments. It is comforting, therefore, to find that in the pinch Mr. Nixon has made a decision that long has been urged by conservative and real istic people in this country. It may be that the recent out spoken comments of conserva tives regarding presidential ap pointments and policies, led to a fresh realization in the White House concerning the strength and seriousness of conservative opinion. Another cheering straw in the wind was the appointment of Dr. Warren Nutter, Professor of Economics at the University of Virginia, as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Se curity Affairs, one of the key posts in the Pentagon. Dr. Nut ter is widely known in the coun try as a realist on the Soviet Union. In 1964 he served as an adviser to Senator Barry Gold- water in the latter’s presidential campaign. It is a fact of political life in American that there always is a battle for the mind of the President and his Administra tion. The man at the top is con tinually receiving advice, one way and another. If conservatives and other realists foil to make their case to the President, national policy will shift in the “liberal’ direction. Therefore, it is es sential that conservatives con tinue to make informed, logical representations to the White House concerning what they be lieve is appropriate policy for the United States on the entire spec trum of issues. Insofar as the ABM decision is concerned, ooe can be sure that opponents of stronger defenses will be working hard in the Con gress and in the public opinion area to reject the program ad vanced by President Nixon. It is tremendously important, there fore, that realistic citlsens con tinue to speak out in defense of a felly modern anti-missile de fense system. 2-B—THE CHRONICLE, Ointon, S. C., March 27, 1969 SENATOR STROM THURMOND REPORTS TO THE PEOPLE BOOM IN BUREAUCRACY posed no legislation to restrain union powers, so it is impossi ble for fair-minded labor repre sentatives to label him an arch enemy. In fact, even in his ear liest days in the White House, N ixon took some steps that could not fail to give courage to the AFL-CIO and its supporters. NO COMPULSORY ARBITRATION Federation executives noted with relief that Nixon allowed the East Coast dock walkout to run its prolonged course without asking for compulsory arbitration, even though the strike obviously dealt a serious blow to business and the public interest. It was recalled that, earlier in the game, John son had called for an 80-day cool ing-off period under the Taft- Hartley Act when the original stoppage was only two days old. Nixon’s stsincecertainlytndica^* , • ed stronger intention of protect ing the process of free collective bargaining than had his osten sibly more pro-labor prede cessors. Another surprise for the doubt- ing-Thomas laborites was Nixon’s immediate call for study of legislation that would guaran tee union organizing and bargain ing rights for farm workers, who are now denied them. While his demand for such a survey does not necessarily mean he would give solid support to the esten- sion of such rights into agri culture, union men see no reason for his making the suggestion if he is satisfied with the status quo in the industry. So, addition al reluctant converts in the house of labor have been drawn toward the President. Only a few die- hards say they expect Nixon might negate bargaining rights won for farm hands by proposing that har vest-time strikes be banned. Such a move would undoubtedly be avoided by Nixon, since it would smack of hypocrisy to the union leaders whose loyalty he is apparently seeking. GOODBYE TO GUIDELINES Murmurs of approval from the union camp arose when Nixon said a formal farewell to the guide line system of wage and price controls that proved completely ineffective under the Kennedy- Johnson administrations. This should now, however, be inter preted as White House per mission for wage-price infla tion to run riot. If inflationary fires are not cooled by money pressures, Congress could be asked to tie raises and price boosts to productivity gains by law. If Congress should go along with this the results would not be anti-labor legislation — al though the unions would probably so view it. The President’s campaign vow to do away with the Job Corps if elected seemed to many union people a sharp step away from the Great Society of Johnson. Whether or not N ixon thought bet ter of his threat to abolish the Job Corps, to date this contro versial agency rests in the hands of the Labor Department, operat ed by progressive staffmen ap proved by unionists. Clearly, Nixon does not want to offend labor. His success or failure In this direction will be determined when critical problems arise in volving strikes, Jobs, pay, prices, taxes, or labor legislation. The Senate recently passed and sent to the House a bill extend ing the time allowed to the President to submit plans for executive reorganization. In ef fect, this will give to President Nixon the same powers held by earlier administrations for re organizing and revitalizing the governmental bureaucracy. In so doing, the Senate recognized that the new President has his hands full in trying to cope with the swollen tide of bureaucratic power. BIGGER THAN EVER The task will not be easy. The Federal Government today is bigger than ever, and it moves with an ever-increasing momen tum. A recent summary shows that the Federal Government to day has 6.4 million employees, including 8.6 million in the armed services. These employees have a payroll of $89 billion a year. The Federal Government to day owns 760 million acres, or nearly one-third of the nation. It owns 421,493 bnikUngs at last count. All together, this real estate is valued at $103 billion. Nobody knows how much equipment the various govern mental agencies own. But in just one category alone, the Federal Government keeps ready 380,800 vehicles, 46,742 planes, and 906 ships. All told, this transporta tion equipment is worth $200 billion, or twice as mnch as U. S. Government real estate. BIG SPENDING To maintain such a big es tablishment takes big spending. The United States Government is spending money at the rate of $184 billion a year. That breaks down to $3.6 billion a week, or $860,000 a minute. When we look at this spending as $360,000 a minute, we begin to get some idea of the vast scale of expenditure. All this spending has resulted in a debt of $364 billion. Al ready, indieationa are that the Congress will raise this limit soon to $377 billion. This situa tion illustrates one of the great est shortcomings of our present government; namely, that Con gress will not take its responsi bility to exert fiscal common sense. Time after time. Congress has allowed the so-called debt ceiling to be raised in almost ritual fashion. Congress has approved so many spending programs in the past, without heed for the fu ture, that the question of the debt ceiling becomes meaning less. CONGRESSIONAL SALARIES Another good example of Con gress’ own irresponsibility was the blanket permission voted to the last Administration to raise Executive and Legislative sal aries according to the recom mendations of a special commis sion, without a specific vote of approval by Congress. This re sulted in the latest round of pay increases to Senators, Congress men, and top executives at a time when the theme is sup posedly economy in government. Tlte question of whether or not the raises were justified in themselves has no bearing on the fact that they came at an inappropriate time. Merit is not enough reason when there is no money to psy such increases without going further into debt. In some cases, government agencies have become almost autonomous organizations, bent upon their own expansion and survival. Executive planners at tempting to cut back are faced with the conflict between the rights of civil service employees to their job status and the right of the taxpayer to efficient and productive service. The civil service system has gone a long way toward eliminating the in justices and abuses of the spoils system, but ways must yet be found to give the managers of governmental agencies the pow er to exercise discipline over unproductive employees. The Nixon Administration has been examining the budgets pre pared by the previous adminis tration with great care, and it is expected that at least $1 bil lion will be pruned away. That amount will make a small dent in the bureaucracy, but it will take time to accomplish a long term program of reduction. (Sot propmrod or prtntod at govonmont Private Annuity BY RICHARD GANTT Attorney Presbyterian College The use of the private annuity is increasing. It is a life income arrangement sold by someone other that a company than normally sells annuities. People who would find this spe cial type annuity useful would be men who own their own business and plan to pass it on to, per haps a son. It is advisable to transfer ownership in order to decrease the present owner’s es tate. Also, the owner may want a retirement income. A private annuity must be bought by a transfer of proper ty rather than cash. It must be a bonafide sale. The purchase of the business will ma/e regular payments during the lifetime of the seller. This is an advantage to the purchaser in that he is able to acquire the business on a time basis. The advantage to the seller is that he receives a regular in come for the rest of his life. A portion of that income will be tax RICHARD- GANTT free because it represents a re turn of his original cost of the business. So long as there is a legiti mate sale where the purchaser pays the fair market price for the property will be removed from the seller-annuitant’s es tate. The three year rule of ques tioning transfers in contempla tion of death will not have any effect here. The three year rule is only where a gift is involved. The most important item in the private annuity is insuring a legitimate sales price is set. The advantage to both buyer and seller are very real when the private annuity is involved. The Editor; I read with interest your edi torial in the March 20th, 1969 edition of The Chronicle con cerning The Clinton Chamber of Gonynerce and The Merchants and Businessmens Association of Clinton. In assuming the respon sibility of Chairman of The Mer chants and Businessmens Asso ciation I will truly try to be up to the challenge. Mr. Joe Holland reorganized the Association into one of the finest working organizations a- round, if I can maintain the staigiards of Mr. Holland it will be a good year. But the entire future depends not solely upon me or Mr. Holland, but upon the finest people to be found. I have lived In several cities in Virginia and the Carolina’s but Clinton Is wbsrs I wish to make mjr boms. In introducing me as the new Chairman of tbs Association at its meeting I was introduced as an *outsldsr* who has takan an interest in Clinton. Until I cam< to Clinton three years ago the term “outsider’wouldneverhav< bothered me. If anyone who come; to Clinton and meets its peopli still does not find happiness her they should look at themselve very hard. It is true that I am busy, bu certainly not too busy to devol some of the time God gave m to the things I love, one of thos loves being Clinton and its citi zens. My family lives in Virginia bi I like to refer to Clinton asbeini my home, and nothing woulc please me more than to be a goo Cllntontonian. So you see, Mr. Wilder, con trary to your statement I do no! consider me as the heart of i community but rather Clintot being a part of my heart. With kindest personal regard I am, Len Carlcofe hi