The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, December 19, 1947, Image 4
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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