University of South Carolina Libraries
'Yes' For Courthouse On Todd Property We believe that Laurens County needs a new courthouse but we think it would be a serious and expensive mistake to construct it on the old Laurens Elementary School site. Fortunately, there is a good al ternative. We urge our readers to vote in favor of construction of a new county courthouse on the Todd property. When county voters go to the polls Tuesday, April 22, to cast their bal lots in the special referendum, these are the questions they will be asked to answer: “(1) Shall a new county court house be built at a cost not to exceed one million, eight hundred thousand dollars and issue genera! obligation bonds of the county for the payment thereof? YES ( ) NO ( ) “(2) If a new courthouse is fa vored by a majority of those voting, 1 prefer that it be constructed on : (check only one): “ ( ) The Todd property located at the corner of Garlington Street and U. S. Highway 76 By-Pass. “( ) The site of the former Lau rens Central Elementary School lo cated at the corner of Laurens Street and Church Street.” We urge voters to vote YES on No. 1 and to check 2-A. This will be the third courthouse referendum within the past year and a half. We opposed the first two ref erendum proposals for various rea sons but we believe the legislative delegation now has come up with satisfactory proposals and alterna tives. Questions which previously were lelt dangling have now been an swered. We strongly oppose the Laurens Elementary School site because it offers no room for growth, is poorly situated and is too expensive. The TV-i-acre tract of land would cost $75,000. It would cost an addi tional $18,000 to $25,000 to demolish the old school building on the prop erty. That totals around $100,000 for 71/2 acres in a congested part of Laurens. The. Todd property would cost a little over $60,000 for 20 acres. It is located on the “Clinton side” of Lau rens on the bypass and is more ac cessible to the Clinton-Joanna section of the county. It offers more room for growth and is located in an area which has better traffic flow. ? REMEMBER? j: You're over 35 if you can remember when a beard indicated maturity, wis dom or a centennial celebration. THANKS, SCL Clinton’s parking situation was eased considerably by the recent agreement with Seaboard Coastlines Railroad to give the city use of the lot at the corner of Broad Street and West Main Street. Seaboard has leased the lot to the city, free of charge and the city will use the area for free parking. It is expected to accommodate 40 to 50 cars. We offer our words of appreciation to both Seaboard officials and city officials. To the Seaboard officials, our thanks for working with us to help im prove the convenience of shopping in downtown Clinton. To city officials, our thanks for refusing to put meters on the new parking lot. City officials had a choice: put meters on the lot and split the revenue with the railroad company or not use meters and get the use of the property without charge. Offer ing additional free parking space downtown should be a boon to down town shopping. Although we have opposed the two previous two courthouse proposals, we have never denied the need for a new courthouse. The need is there. The current building is in a bad state of : repair, is a fire trap and doesn’t offer enough space for the governmental agencies to operate efficiently. 'THE MESSAGE' We are among those who do not lament the passing of The Smothers Brothers television show on CBS. Of course, we’re for freedom of speech and freedom of expression but we don't believe either principle ap plies to CBS’ cancellation of the Smothers Brothers. The Smothers Brothers were hired as entertainers and comedians. They were not hired for their opinions. They insisted their show must have a “mes sage”—based, of course on their own interpretation of what the “message” should be. The “message” of the Smothers Brothers Show should be quite clear: CBS intends to run its own broad casting company, without the assist ance of two opinionated singing co medians. "Disgusting, yes, disgusting!! All this violence on TV..." LB/s Hand-Me-Downs In U.S. Economy Change BY BABSON’S REPORTS INC. WELLESLEY HILLS, MASS.- When this country was first founded ours was an agrarian so ciety, meaning that most of our production and employment was in agriculture. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s we changed over to an industrial society*. Now, during the 1960's, we have tie- come the world’s first service economy. This is with reserva tions, however. For, while more than half of our work force is employed by the service segment of our economy, with production as the standard, we are still an industrial society. DEFINING A SERVICE Defining the service sector is rather difficult. It is generally accepted that it consists of the in tangibles -- i.e., insurance, re tail trade, finance; whereas the industrial sector produces the tangibles -- automobiles, steel, and the like. Using a broad de finition, the service economy is made up of a wide variety of per sonal, professional, and business services, retail and wholesale trade, repairs, finance, in surance, and government. SERVICE PRODUCTIVITY Although the service economy has expanded greatly in terms of employment, it has lagged far be hind both agriculture and industry in terms of productivity. Auto mation in the factory and on the farm has boosted productivity in these areas tremendously; but there has been only limited auto mation in the service sector. The computer has heightened pro ductivity of the larger service industries, but has had little ef fect on the smaller-size busi nesses which make up over 90% of the total industry. And it is difficult to see how the local bar ber, beautician, or insurance salesman can improve on his out put. Hence, while the service seg ment will undoubtedly enjoy im proved productivity in the future, it will be limited. ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE 1 • Employment and income in a service economy are quite dif ferent than in an industrial eco nomy. Employment in the former is relatively stable when com pared to that of the industrial worker throughout the business cycle. The consumer can put off buying a new automobile indefi nitely, but cannot react the same way when he needs a doctor. In the future, the fluctuation of total unemployment will be milder due to the growth of the service eco nomy. Average wages in the service sector are lower than in the in dustrial. There are several rea sons for this,’ among them pro ductivity, unionization, and the general employment mix. There is very little organized labor in the basic service industry, owing to the characteristically small number of persons employed in each company. Recently, how ever, the services do seem to be getting more organized. Teach ers, sanitation personnel, police, and firemen have joined forces to demand better wages. This trend has been gaining momentum, and the future results will be a clos ing of the gap between their wage structure and that for workers in inudstry. The fact that the service in dustry does not require strong physical endurance has resulted in a high proportion of women and older people in the work force, who have historically faced wage discrimination. Recent regula tions which forbid discrimina tion based on sex or age will bring higher wages for these people. REACHING PEAK Employment in the service area, which has grown rapidly over the past 30 years, will con tinue this trend but at a slower rate. Technology will advance productivity, but its potential is limited by the inherent personali zation of the industry. Income has been improving and will continue to as long as the demand for services continues. People are demanding more and more dif ferent services -- such as in terior decorating, income tax assistance, and medical attention -- which will account for most of the future growth in the industry. We are now a service economy in terms of employment and should remain so to an even greater degree in the future. But we will still be an industrial eco nomy when production is the basis for comparison. MIRACLE OF THE ACORN SEED MONEY The miracle of Hpringtime and the hmidin^ of tiny green shoots that started from seeds so small you could hardly see them might be likened to our nation's grow th. If you think of money in terms of a seed planted for growth, you can trace the flowering of America. If you have a savings account, pay life insurance premiums, own securities, such as stocks and bonds, participate in a pension fund, have an equity in home or farm, you are a capitalist—and these are all investments in America. Through investment in business and industry you have not only contributed to your family's inde pendence, but at the same time helped to provide jobs for others and to make a worthwhile contri bution to our national economic growth. This great reservoir of fluid money is never static, but is always searching for new and profitable out lets. It provides the basic ingredient for the nation's expanding growth and affluence. The week (April 28-May 4) —Invest-in-America Week—is a good time to reflect on creative ways to help America grow. \ Let’s continue to put our money to work—Invest in America. 2-B—THE CHRONICLE, Clinton, S. C., April 17, 1969 Sensing The News 'Great Society' Laying Plans For '72 Drive BY THURMAN SENSING Executive Vice President Southern States Industrial Council While the Nixon administration is trying to bring order out of the chaos created by the New Frontier and the Great Society, political elements that formed and supported those mistaken schemes to restructure the United States are laying plans for regaining power in 1972. New Frontiersmen and Great Society advocates have a built- in advantage that should not be overlooked. During the time they were in power, they managed to pack the federal service with ad herents and give them Civil Ser vice status. Thus the Nixon ad ministration is severely handi capped in introducing reforms or changing policy. Middle-echelon “liberal” elements still control many of the levers of power in Washington and in regional government offices. Unfortunately, the New Fron tiersmen and Great Society types have allies in the ranks of the opportunists, some of them in Southern states that long have been a bulwark of conservatism and good government. Some of fice-holders apparently have concluded that mass enrollment of new T voters in their states has decisively changed the character of the electorate and the balance of political power. They are be ginning to trim their sails ac cordingly. In plain language, the oppor tunists believe that the influence of the conservative white collar and blue collar citizen is on the decline, and that the real poli tical strength in future lies with herded masses of voters, many of whom are getting organized in welfare and public employee unions. It is tremendously important/ therefore, that responsible vo ters keep a close eye on those officeholders. The politicians’ response to the overblown non issue of the day, hunger, bears close scrutiny. If formerly con servative Congressmen start making moises about “hunger,” if they begin to urge their fel low-countrymen to take part in an orgy of emotionalism on this issue, then it is safe to say that these politicians are on a new and dangerous tack. Politicians who cater to the ex tremists of the welfare unions can’t be for responsible govern ment, and don’t deserve support of thoughtful, middle-of-the-road voters. Now, more than ever, the coun try needs level-headed lead ership. The lack of progress by some elements in the country is indeed a serious problem, but this lack of progress has to be considered in strictly realistic terms. Where there are pockets of poverty, they have to be dealt with realistically, not emotion ally. More and bigger federal handouts aren’t the answer. Free food stamps won’t uplift back ward people. If backward people are to be effectively aided, if they are to be brought up to the point where they help support the country in stead of being supported by it, they must acquire social disci pline. They must be tutored to the point where they don’t insist upon instant gratification of their ap petites. Giving them more mo ney isn’t a substitute for the dis cipline they need. Political opportunists aren’t thinking about the real needs of the poor or of society in general. They simply want to find a new formula for getting elected, for winning the support of the “gim- mie” element in the electorate. They intend to ride the “hunger’ horse into office. Indeed oppor tunists can be expected to de velop a series of related is sues between now and the 1972 presidential election. Opportunists undoubtedly see Senator Edward Kennedy CD- Mass) as the leader of the new movement growingViut of a com bination of campusimilitants and welfare unionists in the cities. Senator Kennedy’s recent speech favoring recognition of Red China, his link with defense a- bohtiomsts in r >ppo<ring“ttye anti^ ballistic missile, and his con- T tinuing emphasis on catering to welfare elements--together give an accurate picture of his in tentions. It could be politically advantageous to Senator Kennedy to have a “liberal” running mate from the South, an officeholder who has taken to lecturing his own people for alleged neglect. It will be interesting to see whether op portunists in this region will try to fit themselves to a Ken nedy design. You May Prevent Vacation Burglary BY RICHARD GANTT Attorney Presbyterian College key outside in a convenient place, such as the nail near the door, or under a mat. Summer is approaching and many of you will be planning trips to see relatives or take that de served vacation. One concern a- bout leaving home for any ex tended period of time is the pos sibility that your home may be burglarized while you are gone. FBI statistics prove that one bur glary is committed in the U.S. every minute. What then should you do to pre vent that possible burglary? There are several things you can do. Let your neighbors know when you plan to leave and your ex pected time to return. If pos sible let a friend come by and check your home every day. This person could pick up any mail or newspapers and hold them for you. Uncollected mail and news papers are a certain give away that no one is home." You may think that your home doesn’t have sufficient valuables to interest anyone. The profess ional burglar is more interested in the average home than a big house. Also, the loot he gathers from an average house, such as, TV sets, radios, weapons are disposed of easily. Certainly you should notify the police that you plan to 6e gone. They will be most happy to check your home. Leave a light on in part of the house to give the impres sion that someone is there. The practical way to view this is to consider yourself how you can make your home appear lived in while you are gone. If you can ac complish this, you will not be in viting problems. F inally, never leave your house If you follow common sense rules of prevention you will stand a better chance to keep your home safe and sound. ♦ * * COOL THE ECONOMY— Discussing the rise in prime interest rates, Rep. H. H. Gross (R.-Iowa) said, “This nation is facing a financial crisis. In flation is still shredding the economy, and how much higher is it proposed to increase inter est rates in an effort to stop it? There are at least a few in Congress, including this mem ber, who are absolutely con vinced that higher and still higher interest rates will never put out the flames of inflation. It will take a hard-nosed, dras tic application of spending cuts and the Administration had better get into action right now!” Old -lomw. ‘The handiest travel folder when vacationing is still money.”