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* PAGE FOUR THE NEWBERRY SUN tm 1218 College Street NEWBERRY, S. C. 0. F. Arm field 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., f 1.50 per year in advance outside S. C., $2.00 per year in advance. COMMENTS ON MEN AND THINGS BY SPECTATOR Men are probably better than they were in the Middle Ages; they may be better than the heroes of a century ago but the world is not ready for the millennium yet; not by quite a wide margin. Ex-President Hoover tells us that the mili tary services of the nation have so grossly padded their re quests for money that great savings could be made through strict superivision and account ing. Ex-Secretary of War Pat terson agrees with Mr. Hoover and says that the war cost some billions unnecessarily. These men are not guessing; nor are they merely talking; they know what they are talk ing about. Usually we say that what we need is to bring business, men into the Government ser vice. Businessmen might be helpful, but a little horse- sense and common honesty would help even more. Inci dentally, it is said that the modern driver operates at a greater risk than his grandfa ther because the grandfather’s horse was a steadying factor in travel. Let us hear what Mr. Hoov er and Mr. Patterson said: “The air force requests an appropri ation to build nine hundred and ten family houses in Alas ka at a cost of $58,350 each.” Just off-hand, those houses would be quite attractive. Al lowing for heavy additional overhead, a $58,000 houses in dicates “a person of some con sequence,” as we used to hear. Beyond a doubt a man who builds a $58,000 house has his troubles now—and lots of con sequences. In this case, the American taxpayer would have the burden NOW and THEN the consequences. Mr. Hoover brings out an other interesting item: the army asked for $100,000 each to modernize 102 M-26 tanks, which it has not. That, is a small matter—102 times $100,- is about ten million, two hun dred thousand dollars. If the army had the 102 M-26’s the price might seem high, but since the army has not those tanks why limit the moderni zation to a mere $100,000 each? When the imagination “gives to airy nothing a local habitation and a name,” as Shakespeare ascribes to the poets, there need be no limit. There may be poets in the Army; I had not thought of that. At any rate, in spending the taxpay ers’ hard-earned dollars let us insist on some degree of reality. Some brass hat sent in a re quest for $30 000,000 for 135- millimeter howitzers for the National Guard. Then a math ematical wizard added up the figures and found that the to tal should be $9,000,000, not $30,000,000! On such small de tails do we thrive. Some one in Congress is quoted as saying: “Congress allocates billions without ac curate knowledge as to why they are necessary and what they are being used for." Who checks the expenditures of the public services? A check is needed not merely by paper re cords, but are the weapons and goods actually delivered? I investigated a public ser vice in a foreign country a long time ago and found all the books in order. It required a long check of the actual sup plies to prove that that Gov ernment was receiving twenty five to forty per cent less than it paid for. Sometimes I wonder if an actual check would be useful. Of course we must be wide awake. There is such a prac tice as checking in a manner to protect friends, as well as the prestige of the service. Some of the buying for the Government would be just as efficient if left to the wisdom and technical proficiency of a school boy. And I suggest ser iously that a woman buyer would be much more expert than the common run of men. Naturally one hesitates to ask the ladies to sample gun pow der or play with bombs. Still, the average man understands that a woman is quite capable of throwing a bomb!! The Army requested $108,- 290,859 for “tropical worsted uniforms.” That would buy “838,000 uniforms at $129 a piece.” Quite nifty for the boys, isn’t it? Im sorry to spoil this, but thd newspaper man who transmits this must be an ex-brass-hat himself, for his arithmetic is weak. As I find it, the $108,290,859 will buy 839,464—and a fraction— tropical worsted uniforms at $129 each—almost 1500 more, including the fraction. But the fraction being only 3-129 must be a bit of cloth for a patch. This cloth is for the enlisted men only. And the Army wants $213,- 519,000 for stockpiling uniforms and personal equipment, for getting all about the goods ac cumulated for eight million men awhile back. Naturally we know what happened: the army sells a lot of stuff at a song, gives away a lot, abandons a lot. then buy more! Every great service of our Government is in some degree an overgrown, swollen and bunglesome aggre gation of ineptitude and ex travagance. The Government cuts down on the postal em ployees and the income tax service, but in some other ser vices it doesn’t scatter, but dumps the taxpayers’ money. I’m emphasizing the taxpayer: men and women pay taxes; they work for the money that is wasted. It is easy to take a shot at the wastefulness of our crown ing bureaucracy in Washington, but how do we fare nearer home? Are we getting full value for all the money spent in th e schools and other State services? Strangely enough, the schools are still a local in stitution, though largely sup ported by the State. Some of our people fancy themselves such devoted ad herents of the schools that they shudder at the thought cf any word of criticism, as though it were blasphemy. Look about you: ask yourself if we are spending money wisely and productively all the time. Any public service costing millions of dollars should be constantly under a strict public scrutiny. Everybody knows that a competent teacher is be yond all price. How many such teachers have we WOiat is necessary to protect such teach ers in a life-long service of high consecration? That is fundamental. Any great busi ness enterprise is built on a trained and experienced per sonnel. At bottom, we need to foster such a personnel, but it may be necessary to elimi nate some sideshows in order to build us the main show, the principal operation. Our first educational need is teachers. All emphasis needs to be placed there. We over do so-called supervision. A competent teacher needs no su pervision; an incompetent teach er should not be in the class room. We are not suffering for want of buildings and equip ment in the same degree that we may be afflicted with mis fits. The supreme need is for men and women of personality. Mere book knowledge will not avail, unless it be made effec tive in class. It used to be said that the ‘Model T’ deliver ed all its power to the wheels, and pulled through sand and mud, when cars of more power stalled. Well in life the power that counts is the power you can use. A teacher or pro fessor may be as wise as Sol omon, as learned as Aristotle, as eloquent as Demosthenes, as world - minded as Shakespear, but he is of small service if he can’t set somebody on fire or. at least, pedantically drill something useful. Merely being the learned Doctor X isn’t worth much in teaching. Of course if it be worth large sums just to gaze on that fur rowed brow, and wonder at the depths of his learning, we might strike a bargain by re producing him in bronze. We need the delivered power. Let’s lighten this a bit. For some reason I’m thinking of the time in Northern Peru when my Secretary Mr. Santo- llala, and I started on a trip of inspection from Lambayeque to Talara, including Pimentel, Palta and Piura. We took a ship at Pimentel for Paita- an American ship of some beauty and luxury. Arriving at Paita the ship did not dock, but anchored a mile or two The South Carolina National Bank i CONDENSED STATEMENT OF CONDITION APRIL 11,1949 ASSETS Cash and Due from Banks $ 45,842,602.85 U. 3. Government Bonds 65,201,130.74 State and Municipal Bonds 528,644.35 Fed. Land Bank Bonds and Fed. Int. Credit Bank Debs._ 1,820,787.47 Federal Reserve Bank Stock 127,500.00 Loans and Discounts 35,257,503.76 Commodity Credit Corporation Certificates 3,665,994.55 Banking Houses (11) $ 507,375.00 Less Depreciation 105,769.00 401,606.00 Furniture and Fixtures 247,364.22 Other Real Estate 1.00 Other Assets 126,263.72 $153,219,398.66 LIABILITIES Capital — Common $ 2,000,000.00 Surplus 2,250,000.00 Undivided Profits 1,272,630.06 Reserve — Contingencies • 750,000.00 Reserves — For Taxes .etc 815,217.04 Deposits 146,131,551.56 $153,219,398.66 OFFICES AT: ANDERSON BELTON CHARLESTON CHERAW COLUMBIA DILLON FLORENCE FORT JACKSON GEORGETOWN GREENVILLE LEESVILLE NAVY YARD NEWBERRY PICKENS ST. MATTHEWS SENECA SUMTER out. Fleteros scrambled aboard and offered to take passengers and baggage ashore in launches. One official of the Government was so attentive that he danc ed attendance on us day and night. I was at that time the Director Regional de Ensenan- za del Norto (if you care) and my jurisdiction was from Lima to Ecuador and from the Pa cific to Brazil. I had to in vite the attentive fellow to have meals with us. So I sent the Secretary to inform the hotel manager that Senor X was my guest. The Secre tary returned and told me in the nicest school book English ‘The Gerent (manager) says very well, because Senor X has not the custom to pay his debts.” I’ve met many peo ple who haven’t that custom. Nice way to put it, though. He wasn’t dishonest; he wasn’t a deadbeat; he wasn’t a sponge; he just had not the custom to pay his debts. You may recall that when a subject of his Bri tannic Majesty says “It isn’t done,” you have heard an over whelming reason for not doing what you have in mind. As in my case, when I wanted to order ice-tea in London, I was urged to refrain because “it just isn’t done.” Tne Span iard can be just as conclusive when he says “No es costum- bre”—it is not the custom. With that, they squelch your impulses. On that trip I was given a Panama hat, as it is called. It was made by an Indian woman all th e weaving being done under water. No Peru vian gentleman would wear a Panama hat; they preferred felt hats and derbies and straw. I once urged President Leguia to wear a Panama so as to make it the style. Wthen I arrived in Piura the Governor (Prefect) sent his ad jutant to welcome me. The next day I went to pay a cour tesy call on the Prefect. Being near Ecuador, quite a garrison was there and the military feature was very pronounced. My Secretary told the sentinel that I was so-and-so, in his best manner, but it was all lost on the plain Indian sol dier. He stood rigidly at at tention and said “Est a’ bien,” but made no move to let us pass. In every day English it was as though he said “Well, whatfs that to me?” We were rescued by the adjutant who was on the look-out. Several times I’ve had a let down but never more decisive ly than by that Indian. Talara is an oil town. T was the guest of the American oil interests, with rooms in their guest house and meals in the Club. How to get away from Tala ra was the problem. As luck would have it, the trim little cruiser launch at the Oil Com pany was leaving at noon next day for Pimentel to bring back sugar. As there were only two cabins I sat all day and all night in an easy chair on deck, a sea -sick man had one cabin and a very sea-sick woman had the other. And they stayed sick. Arriving at Pimental we turned around and wallowed in the Pacific, nearly every body losing interest in life. The Captain could not put us ashore without permission of the Captain of the Port—who was away. F.nally, when flesh and blood couldn’t stand any more—and parts of us, not flesii and blood, rebelled openly, persistently and vio lently, I persuaded the Captain to send my Secretary ashore and he brought back a permit for us to land. The sick man and the sick woman were very grateful to me. They were sick, mark you—sea-sick—hop ing to die but compelled to live. Try it just once, to broaden your experience. FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 1949 TWO NEWBERRY MEN ENLIST IN RESERVES Herman A. Mack, 618 Weight street, and Virgil D. Gillion. 529 Crosson street, enlisted in the U. S. Army Enlisted Re serve Corps, last week accord ing to an announcement made today by M-Sgt Claude Blank enship, NCO in charge of the local U. S. Army and U. S. Air Force Recruiting Station, 1221 Nance street. Lt. Col. David Keisler, NG, Instructor,- executed the oath of enlistment for both reserve- ists. Both men were enlisted in grade 5. Any veteran can enlists in the reserves right here in New berry. Advantages are: Inactive duty pay; active duty training in form of Regular Army schools, and other type of ac tive duty open only to re- reserveists; Correspondence Courses and opportunities for promotion to higher grades. Any pay you receive as an En listed reserveist will be that of the pay grade you hold in the reserve corps. Remember, too, the stronger the reserves maintained by the United States the less likelihood of any of us having to fight an other war to protect our coun try—the greatest in the world. Price Alone Is Not The Answer! Dollar Days - APRIL 29 - 30 m ■ WE GLADLY JOIN IN NEWBERRY’S FRIDAY & SATURDAY with merchandise in abundance and desirability. You want value, and that means quality always, and such value as we nowoffer you in items throughout the store. In ready-to-wear you want Fit, Style and Good Materials, with these garments of fered at REDUCED PRICES go every service, such as alterations, delivery, etc., | just as you get at regular prices. Now we list a few. lAny{ Items You Are Interested In Ask About. They Will Probably be Reduced. SUITS Gabardine, faille and woolen crepes 1-3 and 1-2 OFF MILLINERY All spring Hats and many Summer hats GREATLY reduced EVENING DRESSES GREATLY REDUCED SKIRTS Now offered for DOLLAR DAYS at ONE-HALF OFF BED SPREADS About 35 full size woven Bed Spreads. Special for Dollar Days $2.95 EACH ONE TABLE WOMEN’S HANDBAGS DOLLAR DAY PRICE $1.00 One Lot Printed and Solid Color SPUN RAYONS ONE - HALF PRICE For Dollar Days BATH TOWELS Large size Cannon and Dundee, value 59c to 79c. FOR DOLLAR DAYS 2 FOR $1.00 20 per cent DISCOUNT ON ALL HANDBAGS FOR DOLLAR DAYS ABC SAFE-T-TONE PRINTS AND PLAIDS Our regular 79c values, good selection of Patterns DOLLAR DAY PRICE 1 • 59c yd. DRESSES For women and children, in rayon crepes, cottons 20 to 50 iper cent OFF $1.19 Printed CHIFFON VOILE ; Dollar Day Price 95c YARD 20 per cent DISCOUNT on all Cotton and Rayon Curtains. Tailored and frilled. One Big Table Women’s UNDERWEAR Including Slips, Gowns, Pajamas, Panties FOR DOLLAR DAYS ONE - HALF PRICE Galy and Lord Ginghams CHECKS and PLAIDS DOLLAR DAY PRICE 95c YARD FOR DOLLAR DAYS 20 per cent DISCOUNT On All NOVELTY LINENS $1.19 Genuine Powderpuff Muslin SPECIAL FOR DOLLAR DAYS 95c YARD One Table of GINGHAM CHECKS Rayon Prints, Curtain Materials, Etc. 29c YARD One Lot of About 25 Women’s UMBRELLAS FOR DOLLAR DAYS ONE - HALF PRICE 20 per cent DISCOUNT on our regular lines of Gowns, Pajamas and Slips FOR DOLLAR DAYS Carpenter’s NEWBERRY