The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, May 06, 1954, Image 2
PAGE TWO
THE NEWBERRY SUN
THURSDAY, MAY 6, 1954
1218 Colkjre Street
NEWBERRY. S. C.
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY
0. 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.
Don’t Miss The Boat
“For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The Saddest are these: ‘It might have been/’’
This poignant quotation from Whittier’s poetry has a
tragic application to the nationwide battle against can
cer.
In 1953, an estimated 73,000 American cancer victims
were saved by modern treatment administered in the early
stages of their illness. But the sad sequel is that another
73,000 died from cancer who might have been cured had
they received prompt, effective treatment.
The American Cancer Society, pioneers in the fight to
conquer cancer, has geared its public educational campaign
to the two-fold mission of telling Americans the most
easily recognized cancer symptoms and of persuading every
one to have a regular physical check-up.
We believe that everyone should know r the seven common
danger signals of cancer which the Society is stressing in
its educational program. They are:
1. Any sore that does not heal.
2. A lump or thickening in the breast or elsewhere.
3. Unusual bleeding or discharge.
4. Any change in a wart or a mole.
5. Persistent indigestion or difficulty in swallowing.
6. Persistent hoarseness or cough.
7. Any change in normal bowel habits.
Lest anyone feel that cancer is a remote threat to his or
her life, let us remember that America’s number two killer
will strike an estimated one in every five Americans at some
time during their lives. Of every seven deaths last year,
one was caused by cancer—the slayer that took a fatality
toll in the United States in 1953 estimated at 227,000.
This is the dark side of the picture. But remember that
about half of those stricken by cancer could be saved through
early diagnosis and effective treatment.
Might have been cured is not much help to those who
have lost a loved one. To strike out the might have been we
must strike back at cancer and the best way to do it is to
support the American Cancer Society. Its research pro
grams—totaling more than $29,000,000 since 1946—already
have meant much in years of life to many patients.
And this brings us to the crux of this editorial message.
The Society cannot carry on its three-fold program of public
and professional education, service to patients and research
without adequate funds.
This month has been designated Cancer Control Month
during which the Society conducts its annual fund-raising
drive. When an ACS volunteer calls for your contribution
to the cancer crusade, we hope that you will open your
heart and your purse.
And meanwhile, why not have that physical check-up
you may have been postponing?
COMMENTS ON MEN AND THINGS
By SPECTATOR
Did you know that Mr. B. M. Edwards, the eminent bank
er, was once a railroad man? You may know, of course, that
he is a director cf the Seaboard Air Line Rail Road, but
we don’t usually think of directors as rail road men. Well,
Mr. Edwards knows rail roads inside> and out because he
started at the bottom and learned the hard way. Hear what
Mr. Edwards told the Columbia Traffic Club:
“Before I was 22 years old I was general manager of a
short line railroad, 50 miles in length, performing all the
duties with respect to the supervision and operation of that
railroad, and I had the opportunity of seeing and, as a mat
ter of fact, handling every kind of railroad business. I left
the railroad service in 1918 and engaged in banking, which
I have followed since.”
I don’t know when and how Mr. Edwards acquired his
mastery as a timber and land judge, but he can walk around
a bit and estimate down to a penny, more or less, the value
of timber on a thousand acre tract.
I have enjoyed a close association with Mr. Edwards for
some years and I have been greatly stimulated by that
comradeship. I constantly marvel at his amazing fund of in
formation and I appreciate him increasingly all the time.
You will understand that I am standing aloof and apprais
ing my very able friend in a dispassionate manner. That is
why I do not say more.
Now about that illuminating talk about railroads:
“I hear quite frequently this, that and the other fellow
say ‘why doesn’t the Railroad do thus and so?’ The answer
is that in most instances there is nothing the Railroad can
do. The short haul passenger business has gone from the
Railroads, and it isn’t coming back. The Railroads cannot
possibly compete with the individual mobile vehicle, or the
bus which travels far and wide, rendering a service that
cannot possibly be done by the Railroad. The air lines have
taken over much of the long haul passenger business. When
you take into consideration the element of saving of time,
the Railroads cannot possibly combat the competition. The
private automobile of course comes into the situation in a
QUEEN FOR A DAY
big way. So far as the truck lines are concerned, the rail
roads do not have a chance in the world in competition with
them regarding some of the services they are performing.’’
I’ve often wondered about those marvellous campaigns,
in Virginia especially. Mr. Edwards sheds some light. Of
course there is no disparagement of the fine generalship,
nor of the soldierly qualities of our men.
“Incidentally, I doubt if any of us Southerners have ever
stopped to analyze the situation which existed in the War
Between the States. The Confederate Army, which was
greatly outnumbered by the Northern forces, and not fully
equipped with the implements of war, successfully waged a
bitter campaign of resistance to the overwhelming numbers
of well equipped Northern troops. They were only able to
do it because the South was so well provided with railroads
at the time, which made it possible for quick movement of
troops and war materials from one section to another to
meet the invader from the North. Had it not been for our
railroad facilities in the South, this War Between the States
probably would have been brought to a conclusion in less
than half the time it took for the Northern armies to over
come the Confederacy.”
Getting down to the railroads, let’s follow Mr. Edwards:
“I would like to talk with you some about problems of the
railroads, as I see them. First, railroads (and I mean the
management of the railroads) have very little latitude or
authority to operate their business. On a nationwide scope
the are encircled b ythe Interstate Commerce Commission.
I am not criticizing this Commission or any member there
of, but Congress enacts laws which the Interstate Com
merce Commission construes and puts into operation by regu
lation, leaving very little opportunity and practically no dis
cretion to the railroad management as to how they will op
erate their business. They are not permitted to fix any
rates or establish any charges without the approval of the
Commission. They can do no financing by the sale of securit
ies of any kind without permission.
Then there are the State Railroad Commissions and/or
Public Service Commissions which exercise authority and
control over intrastate business. In fact, there is no business
in America that is regulated and controlled as is the
railroad. The federal government, as well as the state
government, has exercised some jurisdiction and control over
banking, but I am frank to tell you that if banking were
tied down by laws, rules and regulations as are the railroads,
I think we would have to go out of business.”
Suppose a chain store or a factory had to get governmental
authorization to close a plant that was irretrivably in the
red. As you know, the railroads and the private power
companies are so tied with official red tape (and taxes)
that it surprises me that they can operate at all.
Says Mr. Edwards:
“I hold in my hand an advertisement from ‘Nation’s
Business’ of April, 1954. It says ‘Suppose the Government
forbade food chains to abandon unprofitable stores.’ You
"yaks vPTHesmW iFHoPe-. Give!"
know what would happen, if anything like that should take
place. The price of your grocery bill would have to go up in
order that the storekeeper could make enough money out
of his other places of business to support the unprofitable
operation; and you and I would have to pay the price. The
storekeeper couldn’t afford to do it. He couldn’t take that
loss; if he did, he would go broke and be out of business.
Yet, they think the railroads can do it.”
The real milk in the cocoanut is the cost of operating
under present conditions. Let’s quote Mr. Edwards on
that:
“Another serious thing facing the railroads is the cost of
doing business. That is why they have had to increase
freight and passenger rates. The railroads not only have to
stand the cost of increased wages to their employees, but
when the steel worker gets a raise, or the coal miner gets a
raise, or the people who are engaged in hundrds and hun-
drds of other different kinds of business get increases, then
the railroads have to pay a higher price for all the ma
terials and supplies they purchase in connection with their
operations.
“Statistics tell us that on the average, passenger train
engineers, who, in 1922 received annual compensation of
$3,001, had been increased to $7,630 in 1952. Passenger
firemen, who were receiving $2,216 in 1922, were increased
to $6,728. Passenger train conductors, whose annual com
pensation was $2,781, had increased to $6,744. Passenger
train brakeman, who received $1,844, were raised to $5,-
592. Local freight brakemen and flagmen, who received
$2,246, were increased to $6,118.
Wages to roadway employees had increased at even a
higher percentage. A roadway worker who received in 1922
a weekly compensation of $19.19, for slightly over an aver
age of 48 hours per week, received in 1952, $63.70, working
only 38.9 hours per week. My old group, the telegraphers,
who in 1922 received $32.68 for an average of 53 hours
per week, received in 1952, $82.77 for a work-week of 42.2
hours.
“I don’t say that these wages are too high; I don’t say
they are out of reason; but let me tell you something about
all this stuff you hear about ‘feather-bedding.’ It seems to
me that is where the real trouble exists. I am told that one
rather large Railroad in the Southeast (it isn’t the Coast
Line, the Seaboard or the Southern) during the month of
February, 1954 employed ll4 passenger conductors. Dur
ing the month they actually worked 15,994 hours on straight
time. They received pay for 26,959 hours, being paid, in
addition, overtime rates for 399 hours, also paid for con
structive allowances, 740 hours; or a total of hours paid,
28,098, of which 399 hours were at time and half rates.
They only worked a little over half that many hours,
15,994.
“I understand this same condition exists in practically
the entire transportation field, so far as engineers, fire
men, flagmen and brakemen are concerned. You can there
fore see that it isnt so much what it is costing the railroads,
*.
Holiday
Notice!
_ NEWBERRY 7
Federal Savings
AND LOAN ASSOCIATION
OP NEWBERRY
will not be open for
business
%
Monday, May 10
in observance of
Southern
Memorial Day
JOHN F. CLARKSON
President
I
/
J. K. WILLINGHAM
Sec.-Treas.
for time actually worked; what Ls killing to the situation
is that they are paying for so much time that no one
works.”
Friend, how long can a business thrive under such treat
ment as that, now?
“I understand there wa^s an incident on the Coast Line
Railroad in this State. A roadway force working on a switch
or something needed a small piece of casting or some ma-
teriaL They called the storekeeper in Florence and told him to
put it in a burlap bag, put it on the locomotive, and tell the
fireman to throw it off to the work gang as the train passed
by. He did it, and about a year later some Union official
heard of the incident, filed a claim with the Railroad on be
half of the fireman for an extra day’s pay for having per
formed a service out of line with his regular duties. The
engineer heard about it and also filed a claim. In the final
analysis the Coast Line had to pay.”
Mr. Edwards is not opposed to Labor; nor is he fighting
Unions of Unionism; but he puts his finger on a tender
spot:
“I am not criticizing the Brotherhoods or the Railroad
men, or the Railroad management; but I do want to tefl
them that the public is paying for the service they get, as
well as the service they are not getting; and in my
opinion it behooves them to do something about it.”
Well, now, after all, just consider this state of affairs:
“Then the railroads have this terrible situation to face:
Along comes the increase in price 6f all the materials and
supplies they buy and consume, caused possibly by additional
wage increases, or advances in other costs. And on top of
that the Railroad employees come in and start negotiations,
getting an increase in their wages—and in practically every
instance retroactive for several months. All during that
time the railroads are continuing to carry freight and pas
sengers at the established rates. After these wage increases
are put into effect there is a Lag of months and months that
the railroads have to fight out with the Interstate Com
merce Commission a plea for a rate increase to offset their
additional cost and loss.”
Are we treating the railroads as enemies? Rail Roads pay
for their right-of-way; they pay taxes up and down. Do we
want to enjoy lower rates, or more frequent service? How
can we expect either?
PHOTOSIIAPH tV RICHARD RCATTIf
What we still
don’t know about cancer
—and one of the reasons why
IN THE PAST FEW YEARS, OUF knowl
edge of the nature of cancer, and
how to treat it, has grown encour
agingly. Ratients, who would have
been considered hopeless cases
even five years ago, today are
being completely cured. And even
those who apply for treatment
too late can usually li#e longer—
and less painfully—because of
modern palliative treatment.
All the same, there have been
defeats as well as victories. We do
not know—to take a single ex
ample—why so many more men
are now dying from cancer of the
lung. In 1933—just twenty years
ago—lung cancer killed 2,252
men; in 1953, some 18,500. That’s
a great increase—which even our
expanded population, and other,
known factors, can’t possibly ac
count for in full.
Well, why haven’t we found
more of the answers to cancer?
Not only because cancer is an
immensely complex problem: dif
ficult to diagnose, and difficult to
treat; challenging to the best re
search minds.
All that is true enough. But
there is another reason: wt do not
have enough money.
Last year your gifts to the
American Cancer Society were
more generous than ever before.
But they were not enough.
You gave the Society almost
twenty millions to fight a disease
that—at present death rates—
will kill twenty-three million liv
ing Americans.
Less than one dollar for each
American destined to die from
cancer. Much more is needed for
research, for education, for serv
ice to patients. Won’t you please
do your part . . . now?
Cancer Man’s crudest enemy Strike back—
American Cancer Society
gentlemen:
I I Please send me free information on cancer.
I I Enclosed is my contribution of $
to the cancer crusade.
>•••••<
City Stats
Simply address the envelope:
cancer c/o Postmaster, Name of Your Town
OR OIVI TO YOUR UNIT OF THI AMIRICAN CANCER SOCIETY
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