Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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FRIDAY 1013 The I worked hard for the Sairet-Coop- er. When the question of creating toe Authority was before the General Assembly there came to my office in the Farmers and Taxpayers League every day at least fifteen or twenty members of the Senate and House. At times forty members came. We had a special room for large meet ings & studied bills together. Repeat edly I urged creation of the Authori ty & not only spoke to these gentle men in mutual • confidence, but I wrote letters to the press. Since I am preparing a background, I use this occasion to prove whether my efforts probably were of any effect. In that same room in the Carolina Life Buliding forty-five members of the General Assembly agreed to fight for a five million dollar appropriation and, at my suggestion, chose T. Y. Williams of Lancaster as their House leader in the fight. On their behalf I telephoned to Mr. Williams after eleven o’clock at night and told him of the action of the group. He agreed to serve as leader. That was the real beginning of the cry for a five mil lion dollar limit. tee-Cooper. The reason, they say, is to prevent the Federal Government from buying them. Nothing is said about that in the interesting little folder sent out by the Santee-Cooper, but the leaders tell us that. Now w e are told that “the bankers’’ will put up $40,000,000; and “The Bankers” have agreed on the price, etc. “The Bankers”! What bankers? Who are they? How did they get into this? Who called on “The Bankers”? Is it true that “The Bankers” are those same bankers who bought the bonds of the Lexington Power com pany before the heavy power taxes were put on for the schools and teachers? Would they not reap a handsome reward if they could ex change those bonds for new bonds which the State will guarantee—the State, mark you—against taxes, both on the bonds and the interest? And, if by any chance that should be true, who is representing “The Bankers”? This is State business, public busi ness; let’s have all the facts in the open! The Santee-Cooper, in sending out a folder with questions and answers THE NEWBERRY SUN taxes and kilowatt taxes. Even if the Combine or Power Colossus should swell into an Octopus and pay all they would like to pay (as they say), the State would still lose $239,800 a year in the kind of money we now spend on the schools. So, the Santee-Cooper is not entirely frank about that. By no reasoning can the proposed trust be justified on the ground that “it will not create, but subdivide an already existing monopoly”. Where and what is that monopoly? Is The Holding Corporation? Well, it is not a monopoly in South Carolina. Are the two Columbia Corporations a monopoly? Well, adding them to the Santee-Cooper will certainly not un scramble the dish of eggs. And if the Santee-Cooper does not dismiss many of those now working for the Columbia Corporations wherein do they expect to effect economics ? They probably are right n promising to retain “all efficient ;mployees’. What I fear is that the payroll might in time show many imployees not necessarily “efficient” in the power business, but wondrous !y “efficient” othenvise. RATIONING OF MEAT, CHEESE BUTTER, OILS TO BEGIN 29TH Washington, Mar. 12—The new meat-cheese-butter-oTs rationing will start March ’4, the government an nounced today, and there will be no | sales “freeze” beforehand a? there j “across”. Have you thought of that? ' We*i, let’s do some thinking before it is tob late. PAGE FIVE was on other ration'ny programs. Price Administrator Brown fol lowed up with details today the < r- der of Secretary of Agriculture Wickard for rationing mea;. cheiie, edible fats and oils ; -minding but ter, a nd channel fish with fie red coupons of the number two tation book. Each person, regardless of age, will be allowed 16 points a week for Noted Artist Paints War Poster ... — - "■n.ii questions ana answers It may have been forgotten that must submit itself to a criticism of the Farmers and Taxpayers League hat folder. I don’t regard h e fold- was the organizing force Which wen!- er as a frank, open and clear state into every community and preached nent to the citizens of South Caro retrenchment. Its efforts resulted in lina; and I shall prove my point, af- the biggest overturn in the Legisla- ter finishing with the points raised ture in our history. Only twenty four were re-elected and many sena tors were left at home as fast as their terms expired. With that background, I may claim that my earnest and constant advo cacy of the Santee-Cooper was prob ably of some small service, at least by me. The Santee-Cooper has no public rate. Men soliciting industries to ■ome here have told me that they could not quote a rate for power from the Santee-Cooper. It is equal ly true that the Utilities Division of the Public Service Commission has . *-<^ «« oct vice commission nai Some prominent names in connection io information on the Santee-Cooper with the Santee-Cooper in recenl We know nothing about the real years do not occur to me as active ondition of the Santee-Cooper. Who during the formative days of the ire its customers? Where and what Authority. I had come under the ire the industries brought to South spell of T. C. Williams, the real fa- Carolina by it? It is largely another ther of the Santee-Cooper. Hour af- renerating enterprise, selling its ter hour he held my attention with oower to existing and taxpaying accounts of his explorations & test? rower companies. These existing in the vast river and its valley. From him I caught the vision of the possibilities of the power which onr mighty stream could make in it" natural fall of forty-two feet. I am a proved friend of the great Santee project—a friend whosr friendship is not based on jobs oi fees or positions, honors, rewards oi hopes of emoluments or perquisites I am still a friend of the great pro ject, as it was originally planned though sorry it became such a poli tical factor in campaigns for office I am opposing the ambitions swellinr of the Santee-Cooper in the guise of a legitimate power development. De velopment? What will it« develop unless it be a great crop of hangers- on, grasping politicians, a nd a gen eral subservier.-e of every interest to the ring which will inevitably de velop ? I do no like to think of the re ports which have already become current—of offers of attorneyship? and other “ships”. Even today ru mor, widespread already, tells of the gathering clans, of those who wil 1 feast at the board of the enlarged magnified, aggrandized Santee-Coo per, if it should realize its ambition to swalow competing corporations. No personal or business animositv inspires my opposition. No power company, nor official of one has spoken or -written to me. On the contrary, I have a warm regard for many of the most active sponsors of this bill and I admire and esteem the president of the power company which wishes to sell itself to the Santee-Cooper. I speak as a citizen of South Carolina; as one who would warn his fellow citizens to speak out in denunciation of what may bring more grief to us than did the Dispensary in its all-embracing and devastating influence. The Dispensary nad many clean and able men among its original sponsors; so has the Santee-Cooper; but as a light touch may start a gi- gatnic stone down hill, so these pro jects mry (and usually do) get be yond control of the statesmanlike and pure-minded originators. Ask yourselves these questions: Why should the Santee-Cooper buy the Columbia corporations? Who initiated this proposed pur chase—and why? Who will put up the forty million dollars—how and why? What commissions are to be paid— and to whom? W!here is the man in the wood- pile? Can you put your finger on this? Or is there something hidden about it? Do you know anything about the Santee-Cooper? Has it impressed you as such a successful business en terprise that you would blindly au thorize it to double itself by absorb ing two corporations which now pay taxes? Does the Santee-Cooper pay taxes? Would the two Columbia corpora tions pay taxes, if swallowed by the Santee-Cooper ? Is the State of South Carolina a party to this? What, do you know about this pro posal which -would justify you in promoting it? Let’s consider the questions: When I ask why the Santee-Cooper Should buy the Columibia corpora^ tions, I receive the same reply from everybody connected with the San- oower companies even pay a State ax on the power they buy though the Santee-Cooper pays no tax eithei m generation or sale of power hough all other companies pay it— ind that one item costs the two Co umbia companies alone about $275,- 100 a year in one State tax. The Santee-Cooper may pay prop- ■rty taxes, as it proudly declares: <ut it cannot be compelled to pay hem. It must first pay interest on tends and operating costs. Even so t does not pay a dollar of State axes The Santee-Cooper is escap- rrg State taxes which today cost the wo Columbia companies $569,000 a ’ear. Has the Santee-Cooper paid n $569,000 to the State Treasurer ‘to the general fund of the State to ’ower taxes’? as they promise in the 'older? They may answer that the Santee-Cooper hasn’t operated long nough. Well, and that immediate- 'y suggests the question: If they haven’t proved what they can do, by ioing it, are they not merely making hopeful premises, based on—what? In truth, what do you know about the Santee-Cooper, other than the po- ’itical activities commonly ascribed o it? Let’s consider some points in the colder; No county, school district or mu- iicipality can depend on the Santee- Jooper to pay property taxes. It nust pay other claims first. Read the Act creating the Santee-Cooper. The folder says that “the people have an equity of $21,325,493.33 in the Santee-Cooper”. Well, now, 1 nave an “equity’ in the State House snd in the White House and in every ching owned by the Government of .he United States and the State of South Carolina. I have “an equity” in all the billions in gold stored by our Government in Fort Knox. An equity? Yes, but what is it? The Columbia corporations, if tak en over by the Santee-Cooper, will pay property taxes, though the San tee-Cooper itself cannot be forced to .io so. An odd thing about the pro posed merger, combine, trust or mo nopoly is this: the Columbia com panies will pay property taxes—yes; and they will pay State kilowatt taxes as'of a year before the pur chase, and on the power sold. Other power corporations pay on the pow er granted. But even so, no kilo watt-hour taxes will be obligatory unless all other claims ate met. Who are the experts who appraise the two Columbia companies at $40,- 000,000? The United States is full of solvent power corporations whose stock is today worth little. The stock of one of the greatest power corporations in the world can be bought today for $3.50 a share, though it sold for $24 a share four years ago. It is solvent and immense ly wealthy. Its stock ‘has a book value of $25 a share. So who puts the value on these stocks and bonds? The Santee-Cooper asks the ques tion Who profited by the profits of the two” Columbia Corporations? then it answers: “Holding Compa nies in other States”. Well, now, is that entirely true; or is this a little half-truth? The two Columbia Cor porations paid in taxes last year nearly $900,000 to the State, counties, school districts and municipalities. All this was compulsory—like your taxes and mine. It paid to the State $239,800, over and above .property Is the faith and credit of the State pledged in the Santee-Cooper case? No; but the State of South Carolina ■the State, mind you, solemnly pledges that it will not tax the new | oonds or the interest therefrom. So the State is dragged into it . Now | that lets the New York Bankers lap up the cream! I am very hopeful of the Santee- Cooper. My farm lands come within a ten-minute ride of the enterprise. As a power enterprise I’m for it as it is today; as a political enterprise! 1 hope we smash it to irreducible fragments. I have written at length because | I’ve tried to take up the allogations which this proposed Power Trust submits as its bid for favor and sup port. Our State, even today, is in the firm grasp of a mere group of men. Is that the sort of Democracy we ad- . vertise? Well lets not concentrate | any more power in a few hands. Only a few men ar e trying to put this Urging Americani In "Keep ’em Flying” through the purchase of mora War Bondi, the above poster trill toon make ill appearance in leveral hundred thou- land itorei and diiplay ipoli throughout the country. It tent painted by Georgei Schreiber, internationally known artiit, whole picturei hang in the Metropolitan and Whitney Muieumi in New York nnd other muieumi in varioui citiei. U. S. Treasury Department the whole group of new items to be rationed. There will be no ex act meat ration, although Wickard estimated that the amount of meat i available will average two pounds per week per person for home con sumption. Actually the public will be able to buy more* or less meat, depending on how many of the same coupons are used for the oth er rationed foods. The amount of meat also will depend on what kind of meat is purchased. Just what the 16-point allowance will buy canot be determined un til the OPA distributes in about two weeks the chart of point values— similar to the recent chart on can ned goods)—giving the coupon val ues for the rationing items. Restaurants will continue to be coupon-free to the customers, al though OPA will ration the supplies used by restaurants. Other details: Bouillon cubes and beef extracts, not rationed now with canned soup, will be rationed with meat. Not all cheese will be rationed. Hard cheese like Swiss and Ameri can will be rationed; soft or perish able cheese like cream cheese, cot tage cheese, Camembert and Brie will not be rationed. Canned fish will be rationed but fresh, frozen smoked, salt and pickled fish will not be rationed. No poultry or game will be ra tioned, whether fresh or canned. Weekly coupons will be good for a month. If any coupons are left over from the first week, they will be used with the second week’s cou pons. The same is true of the third and fourth weeks, until on April 30 all the first month’s coupons will expire together. Because meat cutting is inexact, point costs of meat will be figured to the nearest full point. Butchers will be allowed to give change coupons to customers not having the exact coupon price in their books. Miss Fannie McCaughrin is visit ing in Greenwood. FAN MAIL .his is a new kind of fan mail. It’s addressed to America’s Man of the Hour ... to the man in uniform. Brave letters from Mom and Dad... scrawled notes from Sis ... envious banter from the kid brother ... soft, sweet whispers from the girl who waits. Fan mail.. . weighted with inspiration and en couragement and love... sealed with silent, fervent prayers . . . voicing sturdy confidence in Victory and echoing a nation’s swelling hymn of hope for a happier world. The men and women of the Southern Railway System know what this mail from home means to a fighting man. That’s why we are so proud to handle it. That’s why we keep it moving, day and night. .. regardless of its ever-increasing volume .. . regardless of the thousand and one difficulties a railroad faces in time of war. We know, too, that the same faith and hope and courage which today enrich the fan mail of America’s fighting men, will tomorrow inspire a new and a greater Southland. That’s why we’re preparing today for the job we’ll have to do when Victory has been won; the job of handling the travel and the commerce of the New South with the same impressive efficiency that is today speeding troops and war freight — and the fan mail of the nation’s fighting forces. President SOUTHERN RAILWAY SYSTEM - - -— <H ——