Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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V - i HE NEWBERRY SUN ' Sun 1218 College Street NEWBERRY. SOUTH CAROLINA O. F. ARMFIELD Editor and Publisher Published Every Friday In The Year treasure will have been poured out in vail. Entered as second-class matter December 6, 1P37. at tht postoffice at Newberry, South Carolina, under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. SPECTATOR The Governor requested that Feb ruary 4th be set aside as a day of | fasting and prayer for special ap-: peal to Jehovah for guidance in oui'! diplomacy so that there may be no ( future wars. The Governor issued. his proclamation in furtherance of a! resolution introduced by Represen tative Suton of Richland County. Nothing could be more appropriate than an appeal to Jehovah for guid ance of all other governments. .We know that millions of most heai t- felt petitions have come from moth ers fathers, wives and children of men in the services. They usually oomend their loved ones to the mercy and care of Jehovah; but the most notable omission on our part as a Nation seems to be the failure to commit our nation and our policy to the wisdom of Jehovah. We Ameri cans have emphasized wages, .profits, food, so-called security, which is man made; and our reliance has been on guns moie guns, fire-power, numbers of men, warships. Rather than com mit ourselves to Jehovah, with the implements as instruments, we have built up a grrisly material philoso phy of our own might and power. Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord. If we have leanred anything since the First World War it is the ex treme fallibility of human wisdom. This awful war springs from the blunders of men who relied on hu man wisdom. If the Nations do not recognize and invoke the Supreme wisdom of Jehovah all the blood and Has the State of South Carolina a surplus in the treasury? We hear on all sides that there is a disposa ble current surplus of 85,009,000 an- 1 that about the same sum from last year will give to the State treasury a clear surplus of more than ton mi - lion dollars. On the strenvth of this many plans have been formulated, ail aiming at the surplus. The question persists; have we a surplus? Our surplus is a bit like that of a young woman who deposit ed $200 in a bank early in Decem ber and proceeded to d'-aw against that, right and left, for the ordinary and extra-ordinaiy Christmas csll«.; Shortly after drawing checks for distant towns she called at the bank and asked to be told what her bal- ! art e was.* She immefiatply drew against that and was called by the; Hank » few days later for an over-1 draft Now the truth is that she had J the money when she drew the Dst! checks but she failed to provide for) outstanding checks. Let us look at the State: Does the State owe anything? I find that the following bond issues are out standing: Issued by the State for highways $45,812,600; and County road bonds assumed by the State to tal $7,933,802, a total of more than fifty three million dollars. The State has splendid highways, which are a magnificent asset but are not bankable security for $53,000,000. The debt of the Highway Depart ment is a special charge against the gasoline taxes, and it is a reasonable expeettion that those revenues will take care of the debt; but banks and all well-regulated business enterpris es build up surpluses, as well as special funds for contingencies. It is a weakness of our Highway legisla tion that there is virtually no re serve for payment of bonds as they mature. The sinking fund provision is inadequate. Our Highway Department has pro ceeded according to the law, but ‘the idea of building roads by bond is sues is no longer valid; we should plan this differently, letting the in come take care of maturing bonds as well as covering construction. Of course this can’t be done in one year, but let us re-arrange that. The Highway Department was once censured by many because it is sued bonds to cover building costs, instead of waiting for the revenue from the gasoline tax. On.- or two ciitics were of the type who were supposed to be well-informed. Prob ably the Highway Department was the target of more uniformed criti cism than any other public service; it has done splendid road-bu’ild- ing, but has not kept the public in formed. One* day I wondered how any group of men persuaded the Legisla ture to adopt the Highway Act, with a provision for selling $65,000,000 of bonds. That was an enoimous sum of money in 1929. Of course $65,- 000,000 would not excite us now. We have become financially numb. Please allow me to remark that I said numb, not dumb. Millions and billions are now*all the same to us. It occurred to me that the Act must have had a preamble that caught the eye and the ear with all the persuasiveness of a siren of mythology. So I asked the late Ben Sawyer about it, and received from his efficient office a copy of the original act. To my amazement the act itself provides for most of the features for which the Department has been censured. Happily, that is of the past, so we can calmly study plans today without being suspected of enmity. South Carolina has the best roads in the South, and among the best in the nation. That part of the work was magnificently done. The $53,000,000 in outstanding bonds is a State debt, and the pro perty of the citizens and residents of the State is the security for it. The State at that time didn’t know how to get millions of dollars with out security. Let me mention something of in terest: All bonded debts of State "in stitutions have been provided for, an the money is in a special sinking fund for that purpose. All general State debts have likewise been pro vided for. Going back to the Highway De partment, there is a sinking fund of $1,616,139, which has been set aside, as the law provides. It is obviously inadequate. Announcing the Removal NEWBERRY RECAPPING CO. to the Firestone Home & Auto Supply Building on Lower Main Street The Newberry Recapping Company is now located in its new quarters, which is in the Basement of the Firestone Home and Auto Supply Store. The new quarters are roomy and has been outfitted with the best equipment. We are in position to handle your recapping on short notice and invite you to visit us. We have plenty of Grade A rubber for your car or rruck, so bring them now. HERE ARE Get The Best.. A Some of the many items you can get at your FIRESTORE STORE Firestone Battery We have a complete stock of Bat teries of all models to fit all cars and trucks. You’ll get the finest service ever from a New Firestone Battery. —Truck and Passenger Car wheels. —Spark Plugs —Generators —Armatures —Brake Linings And a hundred and one other items. Firestone Bring Your Certificate Here For That New Firestone Tire We Have a Complete Stock of ALL SIZES tor both Passenger Cars and Trucks. You can’t do better than spend your Certificate for a new Firestone. Firestone Home & Auto Supply STORE J. ELLER BE SEASE, Proprietor Phone 572J for Newberry Recapping Co. Phone 572W for Firestone Home & Auto Store So I point out that those who come forward with great plans for the spending of the so-called surplus ignore the bonded debt of $63,000,- 000, assuming that the gasoline reve nues will take care of that. And they may, they probably will: But would a business concern spend .the few millions of so-called surplus, or play safe by holding them tar con tingencies ? In seeking information about the fiscal condition of the State I had the good fortune to consult Miss Rob inson of the State Treasurer’s office. She had all the facts at her finger tips. Most people don’t believe in simple arithmetic. Just figure this for yourself: All industries working not only full time, but double time and, some of them three shifts. Some of them are working not only three shifts but in a greatly expanded plant, an emergency set-up. All this is due to the vast demands of war; America is feeding, arming and equipping twelve million men and providing the millions of tons of am munition shot away in a short time. Moreover, in some measure, America is doing that for other Nations, oth er millions of people. When the war stops, certainly the enormous mili tary production will almost stop. Hundreds! of thousands of people will have no jobs. That is obvious and unavoidable. In many other plants, third shifts mry be laid off. That, too, is obvious and unavoidable. In suite of everything one may do, we shall have a period of readjustment. We have never had full employment; nq Nation ever had it unless it were the Jneas and, possibly the Soviets, both strictly totalitarian and abso lutely despotic. Nor need we cherish the fancy of employment for all. Loafing has always been practiced and will hardly disappear. Possibly we have a few Ipafers even now. (Continued on opposite! page) FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16. 19^ Announcing the Opening of Beck s Service Station Formerly Known as Lonnie Gilliam’s Station Located on the Cut-Off Pureoil Products Plate Lunches Sandwiches COLD DRINKS OF ALL KINDS Beck’s SERVICE STATION A. J. Beckam, Proprietor These odd-shaped storage tanks are part of the new plant operated by Sinclair Rubber Inc. for the Government. T ODAY the oil industry is busy making components for synthetic rubber to meet America’s wartime needs. The mod ern plant pictured above, operated by Sinclair Rubber Inc. for the Government \vithout charge, makes butadiene. From storage tanks pictured above butadiene flows to a compounding plant where, mixed with styrene, it becomes synthetic rubber—with a bounce. In addition to Sinclair’s wartime job of making components for synthetic rubber, BUY MORE WAR BONDS modern Sinclair refineries turn out the explosive Toluene, 100-octane gasoline, and a long list of fuels and specialized lubricants vitally needed for war-front and home-front use. All told, 10 great Sinclair refineries are now geaxed for war. • SINCLAIR DEALERS by keep ing on the job, keep war workers’ cars, delivery trucks and other vitally needed vehicles on the road. Let a Sinclair Dealer care for your car, too. AND STAMPS SI NC LAI R S. C. Paysinger, Agent NEWBERRY, S. C.