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i THE NEWBERRY SUN 1218 College Street NEWBERRY, S. C. O. F. Armfield Editor and Publisher PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY Entered as second-class matter December 6, 1937, at the Postoffice at Newberry, South Carolina, under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In S. C., $1.50 per year in advance outside S. C., $2.00 per year in advance. COMMENTS ON MEN AND THINGS BY SPECTATOR What do you know about the Government? We Americans have so many governments that we don’t take any one very ser iously until it treads on our toes. These of us who live in towns or cities have a town gov- ernent on our hands, or .per haps, on our necks. The towns impose taxes on property, and sometimes seem to conduct the public business by leaps and bounds, increasing the levy overnight and upsetting the wis est plans of mice and men, though the mice take from the frugal and thrifty, in the most approved Communistic attitude of sharing the wealth. Then we have school government, a con stantly more expensive under taking. This expanding school government is due to the in crease of enrollment, in part, and to larger salaries for teach ers, in part. Most of this can To The Merchants Candy! Candy! CIGARS - CIGARETTES - CHEWING GUM - MARSHMALLOWS - RAISINS TOY BALLOONS - ETC. Don’t Delay—Now is the Time to Get Your Candies For the Christmas Trade Big Shipments Coming In Every Day— Cigars and Cigarettes Are In Christmas Wrappers Come Place Your Order Early i R. DERRILL SMITH & SON, Inc. Wholesale Grocers Newberry, S. C. | be justified by wages in other ! fields of activity. It has one weakness, that the scale of pay I is not based on efficiency. But I that is true in most other acti vities : the highly productive worker is not rewarded; while the drones and incompetents are highly overpaid. Hand in hand with rising cosft for teaching come the numerous , side issues, always creeping in. We have Superin tendents, principals, practice teachers, inspectors, and a lot of other payrollees, drawing sus tenance from the State, while the counties repeat much of this. We are over-organizing; ninety nine per cent of effec tive school work is done—and must be done—in the class room. The school program is being charged with a lot of sal aries which means little or noth ing to essential work. I wish we could eliminate the word “program”, and throw out most of the programs, too—all programs, objectives and goals. Just as soon as some one has a small headache, he formulates a program, that gives all of us a headache. Recently I was speaking at a mass meeting. One man advo cated the publication of all county expenditures. Another man answered: “We do that.” ‘‘Well, where are the expendi tures for schools,” spoke up a third man. Well where are they? Why shouldn’t every dol lar of school money be reported to the public, in detail? The Supervisor’s report is probably for less than half the public money received and spent. Let’s have light. Then we have County govern ment. Let’s call it County gov ernment, just to establish the point that we refer to the Courthouse in every County seat. County government in South Carolina is neither fish nor fowl; it is more like a can of synthetic meat, without bone and almost without meat. It is a group of officials operating under the Senator and Repre sentatives, who are State offi cials, but who use the General Assembly to pass any law which the County group may ask for their respective county. They decide where the roads shall be; which roads shall be paved; where, when and how a school may operate—and just anything else. All constitutional provis ions seem to be suspended in favor of unrestricted liberty of action by Legislative Delega tions. One observation may be made: no County Delegation has increased its pay, so far as I re call. All increases, including heavy official expense accounts and mileage each way every week, are provided by the Gen eral Assembly, with the approv al of the Governor. Little things creep in. Truly eternal vigilance is the price of something; whether liberty or not, it is hard to say. There has grown up a practice recent- ,y for which there can be no reason: Some town School Sup erintendents insist on receiving all the money due the teachers, so that they may disburse it. Why? That is the County Treas urer’s prerogative: everybody on the County payroll should re ceive his pay directly, individ ually, and exclusively, from the County Treasurer. Sometimes these Superintendents are not even citizens of the County; and they never are bonded as fin ance officers. I am not worried about the bond, but even the records can not be as well made and preserv ed, as when kept by the officials elected for that purpose. Say, would you believe it, I intended to comment on the wondrous tints in the swamps and forests. Along the road from Sumter to Columbia, es pecially through the Wateree swamp, the coloring so far sur passes all art, that the most ac complished painter would pro duce a pale picture of what na ture is serving us. Nor need you travel through the long pass of the Wateree: every swamp, every bit of woodland, treats us to an amazing variety of color. It must be an insensitive person who can see the richness of the foliage and not agree with the hymn; “The unwearied sun from day to day Does his Creator’s power display; And publishes in every land The work of an Almighty hand.” who pay, receive less than those who don’t pay, though obviously the person who suddenly drops from $3000 a year to this little pension is in worse condition that the person who had noth ing and suddenly receives $30 a month as a “Welfare Client.” We not only make charity re spectable, but we make it profit able, comparatively. Nor will the Government pay the Insur ed man anything if he has, or gets a job that will pay him more than about $15 a month. It almost looks as though the solution would be to accept the Old-age insurance payment and then to solicit at least an equal payment from Welfare. The Welfare operation seems not a charity, but a career. If we were relieving only destitution, such a degree of destitution as would properly be the concern of the State, the cost should not exceed a million dollars. Someone asked me “Do you worry about Government abuses, high taxes, legislative expense accounts, extravagance in aid to Europe—and all such things?” Well, no; I don’t worry about any of it; I just see what is go ing on and comment on it: but I don’t lose any sleep over it; and have never missed a meal on account of it. We are passing to the next generation an enormous debt; we are also passing to them a lowered sense of public integ rity. The bright little boy of six today will find that he has inherited the heavy burden that we are passing to him and a feeble acceptance of loose con duct. The South Carolina Depart ment of Public Welfare askgi' the General Assembly for $10,654,- 000 for the next fiscal year. In 1933, as I recall, the whole State Government was conduct ed on a budget of about half that amount. The Economists were fighting to reduce a total bill of $11,019,000. A singular development of our idea of in dividual need in this; in 1937 the Old Age and Survivor’s In surance law of the Federal Gov ernment became effective. That is what most people call “Social Security”, though many other plans are included in what is called “Social Security.” This tax of two per cent on wages and salaries up to $3000 a year is paid by both the employer and the employee, each paying one percent. A man or woman who has paid this one per cent (and his employer paying one per cent) since January 1937 to January 1950, will receive, if he be sixty five years old, a monthly check of thirty five dollars, more or less, while many are receiving that much as a hand-out from Welfare. Those Christmas is in the air. We know, of course, that it has be come too much an exchange of cards and gifts—a great occasion largely exploited as a time of commercial harvest. Even so, there is already a glow and a tingle which make this a time apart from others. Suppose we didn’t have Christmas: how drab and drear it would seem! You’ve never known a year without a Christmas, have you? I had ten years with out the Christmas we know. I used to think oF the hustle and bustle, the lights, the eager children, far off in my own home—America. Once I told two Italian children about Santa Claus; several times I tried to have fruit cake, layer cake and mince pie, where those things were not known. Perhaps next week I’ll tell you about those days in the Andes. But Christmas shouldn’t depend on cakes and pies, nor cards and gifts. The Master, with His Supernal insight, told us a pro found truth, when He said: “Neither shall they say, Lo here; or lo there! for, behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.” So, with Christmas; it a PONTIAC A line car made finer Always good -always a great value Pontiac’s first rule of manufacturing is that every Pontiac car must be a good car. It must be soundly designed and quality built to serve long and dependably. But it must also represent an outstanding value. The price must always be reasonable for so fine a car. sounder investment. As a result, Pontiac’s reputation is the greatest in history—and is growing every day. Better make your own next car a Pontiac—the car that is always good—and always an out standing value! The Pontiac organization strives constantly for improvement in both these directions—to achieve even finer quality and even greater value. More and more owners are finding out what this means in terms of a better car and a DUE TO OUR UNFILLED ORDERS ON HAND, you may experience some delay in getting a new Pontiac. Place your order now to avoid further delay. In the meantime, let us keep your present car operating at top efficiency. Always Drive Carefully HAYES MOTOR COMPANY 1504 Main Street Newberry, S. C Hamiltons, Inc. isn’t being here or there; or having this or that; but the Christmas spirit is within you. Neither people nor money can nake Christmas; it is the peace of a quiet heart and tranquil spirit, the flow of good will to mankind. PERSONNEL CHANGES AT GILDER & WEEKS Dr. Roy Corbett, of Greenville, has recently joined the staff of Gilder and Weeks drug store as pharmacist. Cyril Abrams, who has been with Gilder and Weeks for sev eral years, has been transferred to the drug store in Goldville recently opened by Dr. J. N. Burgess, owner of Gilder and Weeks. TB ASSOCIATION ELECTS OFFICERS At the regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the New berry County Tuberculosis as sociation, the following officers were elected: President, R. Aubrey Harley; Vice President, Dr. Young M. Brown, Secretary, Miss Grace Summer; Treasurer, Ray Daw kins. The executive committee is composed of the officers, to gether with Mrs. J. G. Barnwell, Dr. Hugh B. Senn and Dr. Claude Sease. The office of the association is located on the third floor of the Exchange bank building. Mrs. T. J. Abrams, executive secretary, extends an invitation for citizens to visit the office at any time. ABRAMS WITH WKDK Joe Abrams, an engineer has recently joined the ^taff of ra dio station WKDK, replacing Ed Morris who accepted a job in Monroe, N. C. Mr. Abrams was formerly with radio station WRDW in Augusta, Ga. SMITH'S Drug Store Friday, December 19, 1947 YOU can wear this famous insignia The six-pointed red star of the famous Sixth Infantry Division has been through tough fighting In New Guinea, Sansapor and the Island of Luzon. The men who wear it are proud of their outfit’s valiant combat record. If you can measure up to the high physical and mental require ments. a 3-year enlistment will allow you to choose assignment to this great division, now sta tioned In Korea. It’s a rugged, re sponsible Job—for real men. You’ll be well trained before going over seas, and well paid from the start. You’ll have opportunities for edu cation. travel and advancement. Get full Information at your nearest D. S. Army and U. S. Air Force Recruiting Station today. This ad sponsored in the interest of Nation al security by: FRANK LOMINACK’S HARDWARE 1947 TAX NOTICE At the close of business on December 31, 1947 A ONE PER CENT PENALTY will be added to all unpaid 1947 State and County J. Ray Dawkins Treasurer CHRISTMAS RECORDS The Ideal Gift For Young & Old (( Single Records— WHITE CHRISTMAS SILENT NIGHT ADESTE FIDELIS JINGLE BELLS THE CHRISTMAS SONG CHRISTMAS DREAMING AVE MARIA and SILENT NIGHT By Vic Damone Albums— CHRISTMAS AT THE ORGAN CHIMES AT CHRISTMAS TIME MERRY CHRISTMAS—Bing Crosby CHRISTMAS HYMNS AND CAROLS HOLIDAY MELODIES MERRY CHRISTMAS—Perry Como “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” (Dickens) Lionel Barrymore Also Childrens Records Come In Now and Make Your Selections Wertz Music & Appliance Co. 940 Main St Phone 470