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PAGE 4—The Newberry Sun, Newberry, S. C. Thursday, August 17, 1972 Soil types be cataloged A state-wide project to map and catalog the various types of soil in South Carolina is underway, according to the State Board of Health’s Bureau of Environmental Engineering. When the survey is complet ed, district engineers will be able to look at a map, read the code for a particular piece of ground and tell if it will support a septic tank, according to Henry Duffy, Upper Savan nah Health District engineer. Duffy instigated the project in the fall of 1971. Working with the Department of Agriculture’s soil conserva tion service and soil scientists throughout the state, the dis trict engineers are running tests to determine the rate at which the earth will allow water to infiltrate. “Wp dig a hole about 36 in ches 'deep and put two inches of gravel in the bottom,” Duffy said, explaining one way of test ing the absorption ability of soil. ‘‘Then we pour water in it and allow it to stand overnight. The next morning the hole is filled again and we start the read ings. It is usually reported in inches per minute. A good rate is an inch every 20 minutes. Duffy said that between 30 to 50 percent of the land in some areas of South Carolina will not support a septic tank, particu larly in Greenwood, Saluda, Laurens and McCormick Coun ties where there is a lot of Carolina slate. ‘‘An individual or developer should have the soil checked before building on a tract of land,” Duffy emphasized. “It will save him money in a long run because if it is unsuitable for a septic tank, we cannot approve it. “Soils that will not let the water penetrate rapidly are very poor for septic tanks be cause the sewage will come up, causing a failure of the tank,” Duffy said. “Ordinarily, a good sandy soil is the best type.” He further explained that while some soils absorb at a slow rate, others will take it much faster. “If the water penetrates too fast it will go deeper before it is diluted or filtered to any ex tent and may pollute a well or an underground stream,” he added. “We find that penetrating too fast is as severe as too slow. Duffy said that each lot in a sub-division must be evaluat ed before it is approved for a septic tank. Normally, this is done by an engineer associated with the builder who verifies that the soil will support a tank “But if an individual buys a lot not in a sub-division he can come to us and we will check the soil and give him an idea of its suitability,” the engineer said. “But, we are not soil scientists. It would be best to contact the soil conservation service. “Not all of the soils in the state have been mapped,” he concluded. “But if it has been mapped, we can look in the book and tell the prospective builder the soil condition.” Rifle Association faults gun law Wash. D. C. — MGEN Max well Rich, executive vice pres ident of the National Rifle As sociation today voiced strong op position to the Senate approved handgun control bill sponsored by Sen. Birch Bayh of Indiana. “This bill has been widely misrepresented as a proposal to prohibit the sale of poor qual ity, crudely-made and unsafe handguns usually called ‘Satur day Night Specials’, a meaning less catch-phrase never success fully defined” he stated. “Actually,” Gen. Rich contin ued, “The Bayh bill goes far beyond its stated purpose. It would immediately restrict the sale or delivery of handguns to those approved by the Secretary of Treasury, and would elimi nate the sale or delivery of one- third of all handgun models now made in the U. S. without reference to quality or price.” In addition the NRA executive officer commented the bill as passed would discriminate against handguns of high quality which would not fit into the vague and undefined category of “sporting purpose” or suitable for self-defense. The lawmakers reiterated the Congressional po licy that self-defense is a legi timate reason for owning a handgun. “If this bill passes the House of Representatives as now writ ten,” Gen. Rich pointed out, “it would disqualify many millions of dollars of annual production of high quality handguns made for legitimate use and require the government to purchase ex isting stocks of banned handguns at an enormous cost to the Am erican taxpayer without assur ing that criminals Would be without firearms.” The NRA official noted that the Association favored certain amendments to the Bayh bill including those which remove .22 caliber ammunition from record keeping requirements, that allows for personal impor tation of long guns by private citizens without going through a dealer and further allows trans fer of long guns between non resident family members with out involving a licensed dealer. General Rich concluded by stating that with the exception of these few amendments the NRS must strongly oppose the so-called “Saturday Night Spec ial” bill as misleading and as meaningless as a crime control measure. A new California state law prohibits the authorizing of any tule elk hunts until the total population reaches 2000 an imals.—SPORTS AFIELD BODY WORK PAINTING Trained Mechanics Prompt Service Rental Car Available TUGGLE CHEVROLET OLDS INC. WE LEASE CARS