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‘Blind’ man Vol. 35—No. 12 Newberry, S. C. 29108, Thursday, July 15, 1971 $3 PER YEAR NATIONAL PRESIDENT VISITS—Ar turo Carrion, of Puerto Rico, president of the National Exchange Club, was guest and featured speaker' when Exchangites from the upper state gathered at Kauf- mann Hall of Newberry College Tuesday night. Howard Cook, 3rd from left, Dis trict Director of Exchange, welcomes Mr. Carrion to the city. From left are Newber ry club vice president George W. Summer, Immediate past National President Robert G. (Bobby) Scarborough of Charleston, Cook, Carrion, and Jack Wilson, member of the Pendleton Exchange Club, who served as master of ceremonies. (Sunphoto) City council votes increase for out-of-town customers is rosarian BY ELOISE RAMSEY To the majority of folks in Whitmire July 1st was just another day in our lives but to one of our citizens it was a red letter day—a date that will long be remembered; for it was on that July Thursday that Mr. Claude Eugene Singley became a member of the All American Rose Society. Now Whitmire is blessed with several successful rose growers and of these we are justly proud but Mr. Singley is a bit unique in his pursuit of this hobby. What makes him different? Well, Mr. Singley is a victim of near total blindness. On April 9th, 1965 Mr. Sing ley was forced to give up his job in the weave room of the local J. P. Stevens plant where he had been employed since August 1936. Industrial Blind ness was the name given as the cause of job termination. We had heard of Mr. Sing- ley’s hobby and how, although handicapped, he was to become a member of the A.A.R.S. so on a recent Saturday a friend and I visited him and spent a delightful afternoon discussing not only the cultivation of roses but a variety of other topics. When we arrived Mr. Sing ley had just finished mopping his kitchen and a clean, fresh smell greeted us as we entered his neat as a pin home. It is a compact little house where he lives all alone and does his own housework. In the course of the after noon we learned many interest ing facts about this amazing, amateur gardener. Mr. Singley was born in 1918 in the Bush River Community of Newberry County and the place of his birth has given him the nickname by which he is known to the majority of his Whitmire friends. It seems City council Tuesday night accepted recommendations of a study committee and raised wa ter and sewer rates to custo mers outside the city limits of Newberry. The Uitlity Study Committee, chaired by Councilman C. A. Dufofrd, Sr. recommended that outside residential and commer cial consumers be charged 100 percent above consumers liv ing within the corporate limits of the city. Minimum billing charge was set at $6.00 per month instead of the present $4.50. The committee recommended a minimum billing for sewer service charge at 100 percent of the water bill, or $6.0 Oper of the water bill, or $6.00 per month. This applies to custo mers using city water. For those using the city sewer but not water a service fee of $108.00 per year had been ini tiated with that am >ayable in advance. The committee also recom mended that effective imme diately all customers request ing new water or sewer service be required to purchase elec tricity from the city if the city deems that selling electricity to the customer is economically feasible. Incorporated in the resolution was the discontinuance of cus tomer deposits for utilities. In lieu the owner or agent of the property being sreviced will sign a formal contract assum ing full responsibility for all utility cahrges not paid by oc cupant and providing that un paid bills will constitute a lien against the property. Councilman L. D. Gardner suggested that further study be given to the recommendation and action be taken at the next meeting. Councilman Dufford explain ed that the recommendation was to be effective on Sept. 1 and if action was not taken, he doubted if the city could set up bookkeeping procedures by that time. Councilman C .D. Coleman said that the fee of $108.00 seem ed high and was afraid it would work a hardship on people in financial strain. He questioned the purpose in making the fee payable in advance. City Manager K. W. Riebe said that when the customer was served with both water and sewer, water service could be easily terminated for non-pay ment, but cutting off sewer ser vice was another undertaking. He stated that only a few cus tomers were served with sewer service only. He stated that the city had experienced difficulty in collecting from several of the customers. Councilman Coleman moved the adoption of the resolution. All members of council voted for passage except Councilman Cecil Kinard who voted against the measure. Mayor .C A. Shealy, Jr. pre sented certificates to three city employees during the meeting. Alvin Jackson received a cer tificate for participation in a workshop on motor vehicle ma- nagment; Edward H. Shealy, certificates for completion of courses in waste treatment plant operations and for trainee permit for wastewater treat ment plant operation; and Danny W. Cook for completion of courses of instruction in wastewater treatment plant ope rations. In other business council heard first reading of a pro posed ordinance to provide for showing of family type movies in the city limits on Sunday nights after 8:30. The body had previously allowed movies to be shown during afternoon hours on Sunday. Accepted a bid of $1,440 for purchase of an arc welder. This item had been budgeted at $1,- 050, according to the city ma nager. Heard first reading of pro posed ordinance to annex three acres located on Kinard Street owned by Newberry Convale scent Center, Inc. The city (Continued on Page 6) Academy building drive underway At a meeting held at New berry Academy on Thursday, July 1, for tne purpose of dis cussing building plans, the pa rents attending voted unani mously to begin a building fund campaign. Mr. Jack Davis, Dr. Thomas Riggin, Parent’s Coun cil chairman, Mr. Franklin Swy- gert, and Mr. Herbert Baucom, Headmaster, will compose a steering committee to formu late plans for the campaign. It was agreed that the drive will begin immediately and that each family in the Academy will pay a share of the amount to be raised. The campaign got off to a good staid with a substantial amount pledged by the Board of Directors and by individual families during the meeting. The building will be erected on the Academy’s Smith Road site. Work is already in pro gress with the clearing of the lot and the foundation complet ed. The patrons of Newberry Aca demy welcome the interest of the community and solicit their help in efforts to further qua lity education in Newberry County. Anyone interested in contributing to this campaign may do so by sending a con tribution to Newberry Academy Building Fund, Newberry Aca demy. All contributions are tax deductible. Named chairman planning group C. D. (Pete) Coleman of New berry was elected chairman of the Central Midlands Planning Council at a meeting last Thurs day in Columbia. He had served previously as vice chairman. The council is made up of 26 members representing New berry, Richland, Fairfield and Lexington counties. Other members from New berry County on the council are C. E. Hendrix and Ollie Moye. Babb on carrier USS MIDWAY - Navy Sea man Randall J. Babb, son of Mr. and Mrs. Carson M. Babb of Route 1, is now deployed to the Western Pacific aboard the attack aircraft carrier USS Midway for duty with the U.S. Seventh Fleet. (Continued on Page 6) WHO’S THE GARDENER—This healthy tomato plant with two large tomatoes was found growing, of all places at the corner of Boyce and Nance streets, in the sidewalk next to city hall. Knowing that a number of city employ ees are avid gardeners, could it be that some one is trying to tell them it isn’t such a big thing to grow large toma toes? (Sunphoto)