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The Newberry Sun, Newberry, S. C., Thursday, January 23,1969—PAGE 3 Infant deaths cut as result of Clinics At least 1,912 women in this county need family planning (birth control) services the S. C. State Board of Health said today. Figures released by the Board show that 19,757 women in South Carolina’s 46 counties now attend family planning clinics, but that over 140,000 more women need to. Why do they? According to Dr. Hilla Sheriff, Chief Bureau of Personal Health Services, S. C. has the highest rate of in fant deaths of all but three states, and highest rate of ma ternal (mother at birth) deaths of all states except Mississippi. “Many of these infant and mother deaths can be prevent ed if the mothers will attend our clinics and learn to prac tice child spacing,” Dr. Sheriff said. “Far too many die be cause the mothers are having children too often. They are not healthy enough to endure the burden of an additional preg nancy. And the infants who live suffer as a result of being unwanted, being born into un suitable environments, or to mothers not physically able to care for them. “We now have at least one family planning clinic per month in each of our 46 county health departments,” Dr. Sher iff continued. “Any woman in a low income group of child bearing age can attend. These women receive information a- bout different contraceptives so each can learn a method of birth control acceptable to her. “Before a woman receives contraceptives she is given a medical examination including a hemoglobin test, and cervical smear for cancer. The doctor then recommends the method he thinks will best suit the particular woman. None of these patients are denied con traceptives or clinic service be cause of lack of funds. “One of our problems is that many women miss appoint ments denying other women a chance for the service. Public health nurses follow these pat ients thru and set up future appointments for them,” Dr. Sheriff said. “Out of the nearly 20,000 women on the program last year there were only 365 preg nancies. And this shows more than anything, how much we could do if the 140,000 women who need the service would come to the clinics. Most of the 365 said they had become preg nant because they discontinued using the contraceptives or had used them inconsistently,” Dr. Sheriff emphasized. “We think that this low preg nancy rate among the women who attended the clinics is a proud attainment. An even more important score is that 6954 more women came to the clinics last year than the year before.” Dr. Sheriff said that family planning at the Board of Health goes back to 1939 when the State Medical Association and Board of Health made birth control one of its official ser vices. The purpose was to re duce the appalling toll of mo ther and infant deaths, and great strides have been made in death reduction since then. “But ignorance of the meth ods of control available is still widespread among the women of the state,” she said. “To be fully accepted by these people who need it most, family planning services must continue to have the cooperation of doc tors, nurses, social workers, health educators and volunteers. And this opportunity should be extended to all South Carolina women wanting it. “Birth control will provide a powerful tool to interrupt the vicious circle of poverty and disease for millions of people in our country and thruout the world. And it will contribute greatly to decreasing the num ber of maternal deaths in this state.” LEGION AUXILIARY JANUARY MEETING The American Legion Auxil iary held its regular meeting on Thursday, January 2 at the home of Mrs. M. F. Bowler. Associate hostesses were Mrs. Huston Long, Mrs. F. Scott Elliott and Mrs. Ida Martin. After the usual ritualistic service, members sang the National Anthem. The corres pondence was read by Mrs. Harry Epting, recording sec retary. Mrs. W. Roy Anderson, child welfare chairman, reported that she had a call for clothing for a needy family. She outfitted clothing for six little girls. Seven Gold Star mothers were remembered at Christmas with a card and a handker chief. Mrs. Frank Sutton and Mrs. Holland Sligh, patients at J. F. Hawkins Nursing Home, were also remembered with gifts. The Auxiliary voted a dona tion to the State Historical Society to help finance the out door drama, “The Liberty Tree.” For the program, Mrs. An derson, child welfare chairman for the Department of South Carolina, gave an informative report of the Area C confer ence held in Tuscaloosa, Ala., recently, where information was given on handling of the mentally ill and retarded. There are five institutions of this type in Tuscaloosa. The Amer ican Legion and Auxiliary are working together on this pro ject. Mrs. Anderson was asked to serve as Chaplain at the meeting. Following the program, de licious refreshments were serv ed. Retires from Highway Dept. (The following article ap peared in Carolina Highways, the official publication of the S. C. State Highway Depart ment.) One of the Highway Depart ment’s veteran women employ ees, Miss Helen Marguerite Burns, ended almost 17 years of service with the Department December 1, and immediately launched another career. Miss Burns, a stenographer In Public Relations, retired from the Department with 16 years, 10 months, and 16 days of employment behind her, which included stints in several sections. Her first assignment with the Department was January 16, 1952, when she began as a clerk in the financial division. In November of 1953 she trans ferred to General Services Ad ministration and one month la ter, to Accident Records. In April of 1954, Miss Burns was transferred to Traffic & Planning, where she worked for eight years before being transferred to Public Relations September 16, 1962. Miss Burns, with her sister, Miss Evelyn Burns, lives at the old family home, 706 Boundary St., Newberry. She was born September 5, 1904, at Newberry and attend ed Newberry High School. She later attended Furman Univer sity at the old downtown cam pus in Greenville, where she received a B.M. in music. Before entering the business INCOME TAX RETURNS Federal & All States JAMES L. KOON PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT Rt. 3 Phone 276-1862 world she took a course at G. A. B. Business College in Ma con, Ga. During World War II, Miss Burns was employed in Jack sonville, Fla. In the post war years of 1947-51 she served as a secretary for The American Legion in Columbia. In addition to her 17 years of Highway Department em ployment, she served as public school teacher in Newberry county ior some 16 years. For much of the time she worked with the Highway Department in Columbia, she commuted from Newberry every day. In leaving State government employment, Miss Bums has joined her sister as a federal employee. They are both em ployed in Newberry with a soc ial welfare agency. Miss Bums was a well-known figure around the Highway De partment and she leaves a large circle of friends and acquain tances. AUDITOR’S 1969 TAX ASSESSMENT NOTICE Returns of personal property, (vehicles, boats, motors, trailers, mobile homes, farm machinery, livestock, etc.); also real property, new buildings and real estate transfers, and poll tax are to be made at the County Auditor’s Office be ginning: January 2nd,1969 THROUGH February 28th, 1969 All able-bodied male citizens between the ages of twenty- one and sixty are liable to $1.00 poll tax, unless in service, or a student. All returns are to be made by Tax Districts. Your failure to make return calls for 10% penalty as prescribed by law. The books will be closed for making returns after February 28, 1969. JEANETTE K. HAMM Auditor, Newberry County PHILLIPS’ CAFE 1106 CALDWELL ST. NEWBERRY, S. C. Thursday Morning Salt Mackeral Breakfast $1.00 Wednesday Night FAMILY NIGHT Shrimp Supper 6 Shrimp, Slaw, French Fries, Tartar Sauce Hush Puppies, Tea or Coffee $1.00 Friday Night Roast Beef Supper Rice and Gravy, Green Beans Corn Tea or Coffee $1.00 Talk about South Carolina... and Santee-Cooper comes to mind! SOUTH CAROLINA PUBLIC AUTHORITY