Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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PAGE TWO THE NEWBERRY SUN THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 1954 1218 College Street NEWBERRY. S. C. PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY O. F. Armfield, Jr., Owner 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: $2.00 per year in ad vance; six months, $1.25. COMMENTS ON MEN AND THINGS By SPECTATOR The weather was our topic a while back. There is much to be said and I expect to tell more about it, according to a very interesting study which has come to me. What about water? Wind and weather and water. Do you recall the remark attributed to the Kentucky Colonel, in discussing water? “Water? It may be suitable for bath ing purposes but no gentleman use it for a beverage.” Pm reminded of a remark to me by a distinguished son of the middle west. He inquired about conditions in this State and I told him that we had been having heavy and frequent rains. This was some years ago. “Well,” he said, “you can’t produce anything without water.” We think of water as pre-eminently associated with grow ing plants, but industry uses vast quantities of water, mil lions of gallons in a short time. Hereds something interesting about water: “In England, where one is never served a glass of water in a restaurant unless he demands it, water is defined as ‘dog soup.’ When you journey over to Paris, you find this prec ious substance described as ‘a substance used more for mak ing oceans than anything else.’ You and I know that water is by far the greatest factor in our lives. Even our bodies are composed of 77% water—and, as a matter of fact, only a minor part of the earth itself is land. 71% of the whole globe is composed of oceans or frozen areas. Below the Equa tor, the oceans comprise 81% of the entire area. The most important things in life we take for granted, including water. Because someone else takes care of the problem of water in our life, we are apt to forget that the very civilization under which we exist is dependent on water. Thomson King, in his book ‘Water, Miracle of Nature,’ says: “Above all, water is the bearer of life. All life is sustained by and in protoplasm, which is a suspension of solution of a number of substances in water. Without water, there can be no protoplasm. Without protoplasm, there can be no life. Not only human bodies, but those in all forms of life that ever existed on this planet, animals, birds and bacteria, have been largely water and could not have existed without it. So, to the manifestations of water, we must add all beauty and grace of living things, of waving grain, of blossoming trees and flowers, of flying birds and leaping fish; with out water, none of these could be.’ Research in connection with weather showed beyond the slightest doubt that there, too, a revolution is taking place in respect to the relationship of water and mankind. Let us discuss, first, what is taking place in the waters in the ocean and in some of the great lake areas of the world. Suppose you read in your daily paper, for example, that the water level in Lake Ontario was now the highest since the year 1860, and that this very high level was typical of what was occurring throughout the Great Lakes area. In another column of the same paper, you would read that large areas in the southwest are suffering from one of the most serious droughts and that millions of people are effected by the greatest, lack of water in the'history of Africa and South America. Earlier I have stated the observation ot Huntington that a rise of 4 degrees in world temperature would have a dis astrous effect for mankind. Meteorologists have estimated that a rise of only 2 degrees in the earth’s temperature would melt all of the ice in the polar seas and increase the height of the ocean level by 150 feet. And let us not forget that the large amount of polar ice has a profound effect on the climate of most of the western world. This polar ice has lowered the temperature in the past in the United States and Canada by many degrees. It is the most important fact or in controlling the temperature of the ocean, especially at great depths. The icebergs and the large amount of polar ice definitely control the temperature of most of the ocean at great depths. We see, then, that anything which affects the temperatures of the polar areas of the world will com pletely change the course of nations and the balance of power in the world today. “As I see the irrigation situation, there are a few basic facts which we must always keep in mind. First, the population of the country has increased so enormously in an area which nature evidently originally meant to be an arid or semi-arid area. Second, mankind has been very wasteful in destroying the trees that hold the water which nature gives in those areas. Now thdre are two ways to reclaim and get water for irrigation. The first is by sinking wells, which we find is no solution at all if thousands of others sink wells and lower the water level. A second system is to hire a ‘rainmaker/ But I prefer to call such individuals ‘rain thieves’ and not ‘rainmakers/ It is true that if there are clouds going over a specific area, a ‘rainmaker’ can, by chemical methods, hasten the precipitation of that moisture and get it to fall on an immediate area when nature itself would have carried the moisture to a more distant spot where in time it would precipitate itself by natural means. We see, then, that the so-called ‘rainmaker’ is, in most cases, just stealing the moisture from another area. A third method of obtaining water for irrigation is by I damming up rivers from mountains and hills and holding back the water so it may be ‘doled out’ throughout the year in ditches and irrigation projects. But, obviously, if the winter snowfall in the United States is steadily declining and the amount of rainfall is declining, there simply isn’t suf ficient water existing to hold back in the reserviors or dams. With glaciers of the United States decreasing in size, ob viously the amount of water running off into the rivers from the higher areas in the Spring will be lost. It is a peculiar quirk of fate that the area of the largest population growth and the largest increased use of irrigated water is in the Southwest part of the country—where NA TURE IS CREATING ONE OF THE MOST SEVERE DROUGHTS WE HAVE EVER KNOWN. The Department of Interior calls this drought ‘one of the eight most severe droughts in the Southwest since the 13th century.’ Year after year for the past ten years the situation grows pro gressively w r orse. The government defines the area of drought as consisting of all of Arizona and New Mexico, the Southern parts of California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, most of Texas and a small part of Oklahoma. It did not begin in all of these areas at the same time. Government records show that it began in Arizona in 1942, in New Mexico in 1943 and also the same year in Western Texas, in Southern California in the year 1945, and the year 1947 or later in Central Texas. The Eastern margin of the drought area has been until recently in Central Texas and Western Okla homa. Historians agree that the most severe drought in the past 700 years lasted twenty-three years and began in the year 1276. At about that time, a thriving Indian civilization founded on irrigation in the Gila River Basin disappeared, as did also the cliff dwellers in Southwestern Colorado.” Are you a cotton-farmer? Whether you are or not this State is geared to cotton, cotton as a raw product and cotton textiles. I am quoting from Bakersfied, California. Did you know that California is a great cotton State? Some years ago I was surprised to meet California cotton farmers. Later I went to a Cotton meeting in Los Angeles. On broad banners they proclaimed to the world that Los Angeles County averaged 694 pounds of lint cotton per acre. The Arizona and New Mexico farmers boast of two bales per acre and strive for three, on their irrigated land. We who are interested in cotton are compelled to reduce our acreage in cotton so that the cotton crop will not be beyond the demand of the spinners here and abroad. Well, hear the Californians: “The most efficient cotton-growing area in the country is getting Government orders to slash 1954 plantings to half of this year’s level. The growers’ reaction: Fight to soften the cutback, squeeze every last bale of cotton out of the re- Q—What has the government done to sell Its war-ttme-bnilt synthetic rubber facilities? A—On Nov. 20. the federal government began advertising for the auction sale of the 28 government-owned plants and facilities. Under terms of P L 205. a three-man commission is slated to report to Congress on proposed sale contracts by Jan. 31. 1955. Congress may reject the proposed sale, either in part or in toto. Q—Who are the oldest and youngest members of Congress? A—The oldest Senator is Theodore F. Green (D R. L), who is 86, the youngest, Russell B. Long (D La.), 35. The honors for age in the House are held jointly by Reps. Brent Spence (D Ky.) and Robert Grosser (D Ohio), at 79. Youngest Representative is William C. Wampler (R Va.), 27. Q—Are private contractors working for the federal government al lowed to practice racial or religious discrimination against em ployees or job applicants? A—Not according to law. Most federal contracts contain a provision forbidding discrimination. Agencies letting the contracts are re sponsible for enforcement, using contract cancellation as a weapon. The Committee on Government Contract Compliance reported that enforcement has been ineffective. President Eisenhower Aug. 13 established the new Government Contract Committee to help the agencies enforce non-discrimination provisions. Q—What are the chances for a national sales tax in 1954? A—Not good, according to recent statements by Reps. Daniel A. Reed '(R N. Y.) t Chairman, and Wilbur D. Mills (D Ark.), of the House Ways and Means Committee, which originates tax legislation. House Speaker Joseph W Martin, Jr. (R Mass.) and majority leader Charles A. Halleck fR Ind.) also have been quoted as saying the chances for enactment of a sales tax or a manufacturers excise tax are slim. President Eisenhower said Sept 30 he opposed a tax at the retail leve' but declined to rule out the possibility of recom- mending an in.p v t o manufactured products at the source. Some legislators bclievt Jt levying any new tax in an election year vould be politically unwise. tCopyrlgiii. IS53. CpncreHalonal OnarterlTl From the Eufala Tribune, Eufala, Alabama: The latest Commerce Department figures show Federal income taxes, in 1950. took eight per cent of the income in the &7.500 to $10,000 class family. Fami lies and non-dependent individuals with incomes over $10,000 paid nineteen per cent of their income to the Federal government as in come tax An interesting part of the report is that which shows the national family income, before taxes, to have been about $4,460 in 1950. The report shows that family in come is up considerably but the average Federal income tax is not as high as many assume • • • From the Dearborn Independent. Dearborn, Michigan: Governor Hugh Gregg of New Hampshire recently said, “Remember this: No government, federal or state, can give you anything which it has not first taken from you." t might seem that so undeniable a proposition would be known to everyone But it is plain that a great many of us still cherish the illusion that government can give us all kinds of services and benefits at little or no cost to us Actually, of course, we get pack from government much less than it takes from us Waste and ex travagance are the great depreda tors of our tax dollars From the Southern Standard, Arkadelphis, Arkansas: It has been said that “accepting government aid is like taking drugs—pleasant at first, habit-forming later, damn ing at last.” Dependence on government, like dependence on drugs, saps the moral and ethical fiber of the peo- ple^ It makes government the master, not the servant. And. far enough, it can bankrupt us * • * From the Page News and Cour ier, Luray, Virginia: Many a citi zen who thought days ago he was getting along all right finds him self with a hole in his pocket now. But that is the way it will forever be. No one is ever ready for the tax collector There is consolation in the knowl edge that in this and other Virginia counties we are getting a lot for our tax doUar We may criticize and scorn, berate the supervisors and school board, and all the offi cials. but everything said and done it’s not too bad when we consider what we get for our money For instance there is police protection, welfare aid. health services, schools, good roads and numerous public benefits such as access to a library and aid to volunteer fire companies and a lot of other things. Without these public bene fits, it would be a sorry place in which to live PaieCarmigie ★ AUTHOR OF "HOW TO STOP WORRYING AND START LIVING” jV/f E. HEARN. 203 S. Ham, Pratt. Kansas, was raised on a farm * *• and as a young man had some small success selling life insur ance to relatives and close friends. Then he decided that the citv was the place for him to make his fortune. After a few weeks of fruitless work, and being kicked out of what seemed to be all the offices in Kansas City, he became discouraged—and hungry. He answered s salesman’s advertisement in the Kansas City Star to call on the grocery trade. He got the job, which consisted of selling a kitchen cleaning compound. He made his clients the small stores in Kansas City, thinking that they would be easier to sell. Aft er several days of riding street cars and lots of foot work, he had not made a single sale of even a minimum order, which was three cases. He was so afraid of a store manager that he just couldn’t call on any more stores. One day he stopped in front of a large grocery store and went in to buy a pack- CARNEGIE age of cigarettes. He was ‘carrying his sample case, but he had not the slightest intention of asking anyone to buy anything. The manager happened to be walking past; thinking Mr. Hearn was - waiting to see him, told him to come to his office. So frightened that he couldn’t present his sales talk, the manager sensed his fright and embarrassment, looked over his samples—and ordered twenty cases. Then he gave this fearful salesman some good advice—never to be afraid to call on anyone, and curtly dismissed him. To this day Mr. Hearn doesn’t know that manager’s name But twenty years later he still thinks of that incident and he has never since been afraid to call on any man SPIKED CORN ... A simple trick tn keeping your poultry yard cleaner and your chickens healthier is the use of a spiked board to hold ear corn as shown. Spikes should be driven through center of wide board in order to provide feeding room on both sides. duced acreage. Rural postmen are now delivering the sad news to every cotton grower here in the broad San Joaquin Valley, heart of cotton’s Western empire, as well as across the state line in Arizona, a smaller producer. As of now, the law says that to help trim back the na tion’s cottonlands by 27%, Californians and Arizonans will have to give up 52% of their present acres—irrigated and mechanized fields that, ironically, produce twice as much cot ton per acre as lands elsewhere. The allotments are based on the average cotton acreage each state had in the years 1947-49 and 1951-52. So such states as California and Arizona, where cotton plantings have tripled since 1947, stand to lose more of their 1953 acreage than long-establish ed cotton states, with relatively unchanging acreages. The entire U.S. Cotton Belt, of course, will feel the pince of the 1954 restriction, brought on by huge cotton supplies in the nation. Prospective 1954 supply is over 21 million | bales, while expected demand is only 16.5 million bales. To balance supply and demand—and stop the record flow of cotton into Government warehouses, present farm laws call for a slash from 24.5 million acres this year to 17.9 million acres in 1954. Growers have complained however. And in election-year 19,54 Secretary of Agriculture Benson is expect ed to ask a willing Congress to increase the allowable acreage to 21.3 million acres—a 13% reduction from 1953.” npHE BIG problem for Congress * is finding a way to get the Government out of the red, as well as to get the Red out of govern ment. Faced with a budget gap mounting into millions of dollars, the Eisenhower administration must have some action in 1954 that will bring in more revenue Whatever is done to bring in more revenue will one way or an other reach most American pocket- books Key congressmen and vet eran observers, however, feel that two outstanding lax proposals probably won’t be enacted in 1954 —a national sales tax or manu facturers excise tax. These are but two of many revenue and economy measures under study to secure additional income. Enact ment of one of these methods of taxing would offer the Adn>inistra- tion its best chance to “recoup” and to offset the fact that expir ing tax levies and high defense costs make substantia] revenue losses almost certain in 1954. Just what the Administration will do is a matter of speculation. President Eisenhower severe 1 months ago told a GOP rally at Boston that “no sacrifice—no labor, no tax, no service (is)—too hard for us to bear to support a logical and necessary defense of our freedom.” A few days later, at a press con ference, he said the Administration has no plans to ask Congress for a retail sales tax, but admitted that he was not ruling out a manu facturers excise tax. For much less than a nickel, one can get plenty of arguments around Capitol Hill as to the merits and demerits of this type of taxa tion. These arguments are based upon political and economic rea soning. Those who favor some taxation do not even agree on whether the tax should be im posed at the retail or the factory level. The prime argument for a uni form retail sales tax is that it would produce more revenue than a manufacturer’s excise tax of the same rate. (The catch, as far as John Q., is concerned, is that the tax would be tacked onto the re tail price of an item and would be paid directly by the consumer.) Proponents of a manufacturers sales tax stress the point that such a tax would be much easier to collect, since there are some two million retail outlets in the country, compared with about 250.000 manufacturers. Another argument for this cause, supporters say. is that such a tax, applied at the factory level on virtually all goods, (except, prob ably, food and food products) would eliminate discrimination through excises on “luxury” items. Those opposed to any federal sales tax argue that such would be an invasion of the states' sales tax field, pointing out that in fiscal 1953, 31 states realized 36.3 per cent of their total tax collections— about $2.4 billion overaU — from their general sales taxes. The arguments listed here, and the battle for and against sales tax might well explode on Capitol Hill during 1954. Rep. Noah M. Mason (R 111.) has said he will sponsor a bill to provide a five per cent tax on all manufactured goods except food and clothing— with a separate tax for liquor and tobacco. Both House Speaker Jo seph W. Martin, Jr„ (R Mass.) and House Majority Leader Charles A. Halleck (R Ind.) have expressed personal doubts that Congress will pass either a sales or manufac turers excise in 1954. WEEKLY CROSSWORD PUZZLE | ' ’ » u Here’s the Answer HORIZONTAL 1,6 Pictured famous pianist 14 Stop 15 Gratification 16 Arrived 17 Needy 18 Crimean river 19 Compass point 20 Dish-maker 22 Cover 23 Accomplish 24 Bachelor of Arts (ab.) 25 Atop VERTICAL 1 Agree 2 Cause 3 Domesticated 4 Employ 5 Concerning 6 Place ■ 7 Coagulate 8 In this place 9 Symbol for sodium 10 Man’s name 11 Papal edict 12 Stoat 13 Commander 17 Italian river 20 Processions 21 Turns Ti -S 3 iy Ll- a D T 1 3 V V T i 3 5? UN V r """ mam i /v\ n ki r-i 1 -nauumcl a s 1 T i*ii. a £ 2L o NfiiHV Jg N 3| N Is! u 0. O o| T hr n T EE o li s 3| 0 V [o d fa V D I Ti s fv] J| n r [s’ 3 i V LSI H lU 24 Moisten 26 He is a — artist 29 Cravat 31 Tiny 34 Shrubs 35 Jail 37 Concern 38 Horses 44 Fruit 46 Stockings 47 Always 48 Hearing organs 49 Thallium (symbol) 50 To 52 Mimic 54 Help 56 Either 57 Company (ab.) 28 Come in 30 Citadel 32 Girl’s name 33 Consumed 34 Rapidity 36 Seethes 39 Abraham’s home 40 Pronoun 41 Boy’s nickname 42 Preposition 43 Wire measure 45 Bedding 50 Indian 51 Continent 53 Elliptical 54 Poker stake 55 He is also 57 Named 58 Deriders 59 Scents bid- ■ Check correct word. 1. There (is) (is not) an historical record of the Exodus. 2. President Andrew Johnson was a (tailor) (lawyer) by profession. 3. All bacteria (are) (are not) harmfuL 4. Winters in places near the ocean are (colder) (warmer) than those inland. 5. The tenth wedding anniversary is the (ruby) (tin) anniversary. 6. Germany attacked Russia in (1941) (1942). 7. Condiments are (derogatory statements) (food seasonings). 8. Robert E. Lee (was) (was not) offered the command of the Union Forces. 9. The Tar Heel State is (North) (South) Caro-, lina. 10. A prawn is a (garden tool) (food). Check your answers, scoring yourself 10 points for each correct choice. A score of 0-20 is poor; 30-60, average; 70- 80, superior; 90-100, very superior. Decoded Intelligram •pooj-r-oi 'MI-ion—6 ’SBM—8 stfuiuoseas poo^—l '1*61—9 'uix—S JauueM—V ‘lou a.iy—8 “.lojiej,—z I 00 S I—I Jed Tolliver complaining to Painless Parker about the $5 fee for a few minutes work in pulling a tooth. “Well, Jed,” says Doc Parker, “Next time if you wish I could pull slowly.”