The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, September 10, 1948, Image 4
THE NEWBERRY SUN
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1948
sStw
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
The cost of government in
the United States has become
not only a heavy burden but
a burden that is indefensible.
There is an explanation for the
constantly increasing number of
employees, but the explanation
does not constitute a sound rea
son for the inflated expense.
Ordinarily we point to the
swollen Federal Bureaucracy to
prove the charge of extrava
gance, but look into the affairs
of th e Counties and States. Ob
viously the cities and towns
need not be overlooked for they
are great spenders.
Why do the municipalities
cost the taxpayers so much?
One need not discuss New York
and Chicago; let’s take a small
town in South Carolina. Col
umbia expects to operate on
thirty two mills, though the
rumors of a bond issue of $600-
000 for a stadium and other pos
sible issues for other public
services may affect the millage
payments and annual payments
rate, as bonds require interest
on the debt itself. Columbia
is a city with a large police
force, an adequate fire depart
ment, and all the other ser
vices commonly prformed by a
municipality. What does a small
town render to its citizens for
forty mills, fifty mills, some
times sixty mills? In most
cases the taxpayer’s difllar buys
far less in a small town than m
a city. Does the taxpayer re
ceive full value for his dollar
in any town? If so, why the
higher cost in small tewns?
The reason generally given is
that small towns receive even
proportionately less revenue
than cities because there are
fewer industries to bear the
load. I remarked last week
that three textile plants in one
Cohnty pay a total of proper
ty taxes of two counties. The
textile plants are usually out
side the towns and cities. The
values are in the larger towns,
however, including the vastly
greater number of homes, stores
and other taxable intrests.
Th e taxes in smaller towns
may be higher because of the
sale of liquors. I wonder if
that can be so. I' know a small
town which once had two po
licemen, one for the day, the
other for the night. That was
when there was a State Dis
pensary. That was also true in
th e early Phohibition days. I
am not arguing the question
of Prohibition at the moment;
it might be better to leave that
matter to the more efficient
leaders of the Federation, after
they conclude their campaign
for the salt and pepper Demo
cracy qf Mr. Truman.
What I should like to know
is this: are the liquor shops
the cause or the occasion for
the employment of more police-
mn? I do not make the charge;
I ask the question.
It is a fact that the towns re
ceive a part of the liquor reve
nue received by the towns off
set the additional police ex
pense of the towns? If a town
has two additional policemen
because of the sale of liquor
is the -town receiving five thou
sand dollars a year in liquor
revenue? And that would mere
ly serve to cover the extra ex
pense—swapping dollars, one
might say. Of course I’m not
discussing the right or wr^ng
of the liquor business.
What about ' the Counties?
They should be in good condi
tion. They have a lot of money
quite a stream of it coming
from the State.
It should be interesting to
read a clear statement of a
County’s financial operation for
a year. How much comes in
from the Property taxes? In
this I again point out that us
ually a $5000 cottage on a farm
pay much less than a $5000
cottage in town, although the
town house is subject to town
taxes. House for house they
are the same, the land is sep
arately assessed.
What comes in from the
State? ' That shouuld interest
every citizen. And what about
fees for Magistrates^Court fines
the Poll tax? How do we fin
ance the schools? Education,
as w e loosely call school and
college attendance, is now a
very sizeable bill. One cannot
hope that this is an expense
which yields a harvest of one
hundred per cent. It is a ven
ture in faith, with a large mea
sure of hope. The State has
been—and is—very liberal with
the schools. We have not the
sources of revenue which en
rich some other States, but we
are doing well, I think. Not
withstanding all the contribu
tions made by the State, the
school districts and counties
continue all, or most, of the
regular and special school taxes
of the long ago. We have mul
tiplied agents and agencies of
every kind, superintendents, su
pervisors, practice tachers, field
workers—and what not—but
there is a general idea that the
schools are not measuring up to
expectations. Perhaps people
expect too much; certainly the
teacher can’t always succeed
where the parents sadly fail.
They do succeed sometimes, in
spite of the parents, hoWever.
The teacher of today has to
compete with the automobile
and the rhovie; he is in fre
quent competition with the
pops and sandwiches of the
drug stores, the comics, the
trash of magazines and books.
Teching is not easy; but if
it be a bore or wear you out,
quit it. Either a person is a
teacher or he isn’t. A real
teacher surmounts his difficul
ties; a teacher without the force
and appeal of commanding or
persuasive personality suffers
all the “slings and arrows of
outrageous fortune” in battling
with those angelic little demons
who are the joy, hope and
pride of the home.
The teachers are not the only
underpaid people; every body
thinks he is underpaid; and
everybody wants more. Men
like to say that the farmer’s
prices should be reduced. Why
the farmer? Has he ever been
overpaid? Did you ever keep
an account on a farmer and his
work? Has he ever been over
paid? Did you ever keep an
account on a farmer and his
work? If he charged loss, de
preciation, skilled time for him
self and ordinary time for his
family; if he added all the
items properly chargeable as
cost, would the farmer show
as much as others? ’ The Gov
ernment, perhaps, should not
have anything to do with farm
prices and maintaining parity,
but why should the Govern
ment establish minimum wages
by law and tell how many
hour's one shall work at that,
and then when time and a half
shall be paid? Ddes not the
Government require that em
ployees shall be covered by so-
called Social Security, one half
of which is paid by the em
ployer; and does not the Gov
ernment collect a payroll tax
of three per cent for 'unemploy
ment, evqry nickel of which is
paid by the employer? That
fund, the surplus, belonging to
“covered” employees in South
Carolina, is nearly sixty million
dollars today. And did not
the Government play with
John L. Lewis, allowing him all
sorts of special concessions
which now add probably three
or four dollars to the price of
each ton of coal? Mr. Truman
is even trying to persuade con
gress to establish a law requir
ing a minimum pay of one dol
lar an hour. By law; mark
, you.
i Speaking of the underpaid:
j consider the young 'lawyer,
, fresh from school. Who guar-
I antees him a living? He has
U/hen jQ&ypLe. ev&ufurhje/ue. agluee. on a pfuocLujci*
' you. know that pfzxxhjLct Id yood!
r
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- —
DAVIS MOTOR COMPANY
1517 Main St. Newberry, S.C.
spent large sums in preparing
to practice, but he has to wait
and wait, without money, with
out recognition, without sym
pathy. And then the physi
cian: When he starts he must
serve all those that have ex
hausted their credit with the
established practitioners; he
must dress well, have a car,
appear prosperous and busy,
with very little coming in. No
minimum wage for him; no
house-warmings' for him; no
“poundings,” no special cakes,
chicken and watermelons. By
day and by night, seven days
and seven nights a week,' every
week, in rain and cold, he
comes and goes; no one plead
ing for him, the most useful,
the most sacrificial spirit in
the community. And the Coun
ty editor—who speaks well of
all of us when we die, and even
tries to say good things about
us while we are living. The
City editors live on the fat of
the land and revel in milk and
honey all the time.
Who pulls his hair and groans
with grief because the physi
cians, lawyers, editors—and
others struggle for a bit of
bread and meat?
What about the State? Is it
managed well? Wte may have
a few clerks who are not need
ed; and several hundred tele
phones might be dispensed with
But the total of that in dollars
is not great. If someone wish
es to study the State let him
consider the unwisdom of our
recent financing. In the days
of plenty we did not have the
prudence to pay our bills or
put the money aside for future
payments on debts. We were
eager to spend it. And it was
spent. Some millions of it were
spent in buildings which will
.become a permanent invest
ment requiring more money
every year for upkeep. We still
owe a large sum of money.
We might easily have given the
taxpayer relief. Why was the
taxpayer not remembered more
generously? It may be said—
and truly—that the State shared
liberally with the Counties and
municipalities. But we haye
developed a small tendency to
ward dictatorship today; our
representatives think they know
what is best for us; and they
decide not to reduce the taxes
but to use the money on insti
tutions and services that we
might as well do without. It
would be worth a capable man’s
time to study the budget of
every public service and insti
tution.
Our method of financing the
Highway Department and its
work is entirely unsound. We
should use the present big
revenues to build an adequate
sinking fund; then we should
operate on a cash basis, not on
the sale of bonds.
This is not an unfriendly
point against the Highway De
partment; it operates accord
ing to the law"; the law should
be changed.
We get good service from the
Highway Department; I join
those who know from trips all
over this and neighboring
States how efficient are our
people who serve in the High
way Department. But let us
take the .lesson of Joseph’s fat
and lean kine to heart about •
A
John T. Franklin
John Thomas Franklin, 66
died suddenly at his home on
Milligan street early Monday
morning, following many years
of ill health. (He was born in
Saluda county, the son of Eli
and Elvira Hart J’ranklin. He
spent most of his life in New
berry county and made his
home in Newberry for the past
25 or more years. During this
time Tie worked with the Ken
dall company, ge was a mem
ber of the Summer Memorial
Lutheran church.
Interment was in Cannon’s
Creek cemetery.
Mr. Franklin is survived by
his wife, and the following
children; Otis Franklin, David
Franklin, Miss Maude Frank
lin, Miss Dorothy Franklin,
anj Mrs. Mary Reeves, all of
Newberry and J. H. Franklin,
of Greenwood. Also the follow
ing brothers and sisters: Brown
Franklin, Chris Franklin, both
of Prosperity; W. K. FrankLf
Clinton; L. E. Franklin, New
berry; Mrs. J. C. Kinard, Pros
perity; Mrs. Murray Watkins,
Batesburg, and Mrs I. H. Wil
son, of Newberry.
LEONA PETRINA DOWD
- Lona Petrina Dowd, infant
daughter of Mr. 4and Mrs.
Berley M. Dowd of Newberry,
died at the Newberry County
hospital Sunday night. She is
survived by her parents, one
brother. Berley Dowd, one sis
ter. Judith Marie; maternal
grandmother , Mrs. C. K. Baker,
of Newberry, and paternal
grandmother , Mrs. A. L. Dowd,
Pomaria. Funeral services were
held Monday afternoon at 4
o’clock from Beth Eden church
with the Rev. C. E. Rice
Officiating. Interment followed
in-Beth Eden cemetery.
all our State financing.
Many industries are here
now; not only the very fine
cotton and rayon mills, furni
ture factories and enormous
pulp plants, but the great Sono-
co operations in Hartsville, and
the Crushers; and a thousand
other enterprises giving em
ployment to our people and
buying the products of our
lands. We need more industry;
every community needs a mill
or factory of some sort. What
have we to offer? Much; but
a citizenry of native stock is a
priceless asset. And we have
a people reared under our law
and customs.
We should offer every in
ducement to sound enterprises;
and we should make our con
ditions favorable—^taxation, as
sessment, workman’s Compen
sation,—everything. And we
nlust not let damage suits drive
away the payrolls that every
community needs.
It is not enough that our
conditions are no worse than
those found elsewhere; they
should be better.
Let us appreciate and stand
by the industries we have, both
great and small; and make our
State more inviting than other
States to those seeking places
1 of location.
—7
i I HAVE PURCHASED .
THE GULF SERVICE
STATION
* ^
\ On College Street
Formerly known as Rusty’s Gulf Ser
vice, and will operate it pnder the name
of
SPOTTS
Service Station
Drive in land let us check your car
thoroughly .and &et a tank full of that
Good Gulf Gasoline. You’ll find the
same good service you have been used
to here ■ \
Give Us A Try
We have a (complete line of Gulf pro
ducts and remember if it’s 'made by
Gulf, it’s good. i ,
BEN SPOTTS
It’s Here! Money on your Automobile,
Furniture or your Signiture.
$5.00 to $2,000.00
SPECIAL NOTE, AUTO DEALERS
We will finance your sales, no strings attached,
without recourse, no endorsements or re-purchase
agreements necessary—plus attractive reserve paid
date acceptanceof deal. Phone 736-M.
SERVICE FINANCE
COMPANY
1506 Main St.
—
Ginning Time
WILL SOON
Be Here
We are now ready to serve you with
the finest gin in this section of the state.
We have just completed installation
of a new Continental Overhead Burr
iftachine to handle mechanically-picked
cotton especially.
HAVE YOUR COTTON GINNED
THIS FALL AT
IRA T. COUSINS
Ginnery -
Newberry, S. C.
Listen to the market every day at 12:00
over radio station WKDK
Mr. Farmer
We have spared no expense in getting
our cotton gin in A-l shappe to give you
the best possible service.
We guarantee you as good sample
and turn out as you will find anywhere.
Our honest, efficient, courteous organ
ization always work to please you.
Your business will be appreciated.
THE SOUTHERN
COTTON OIL CO.