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Doctor
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Consumer
Gov. Carter drafting
new consumer bills
ATLANTA (UPI)-Two tough
consumer protection bills — an
“Unfair Trade Practices and
Consumer Protection Act” and
a “Credit Code” — have been
proposed by Gov. Jimmy Car
ter for consideration by the
next session of the General As
sembly.
The bills at this stage are in
draft form and the governor
said he probably would be re
vising them before their final
form tales shape.
Both are expected to draw
some of the biggest lobbying
the legislature has ever seen.
The unfair practices act is
based on federal statute while
the credit code is molded after
an Alabama law.
The credit bill is expected to
draw heavy fire because it sets
up the maximum amount of in
terest that can be charged on
consumer loans. The new fig
ure, 30 per cent a year, includes
all the costs of credit such as
processing, fees and insurance.
The present rate is 60 per cent
if such extra charges are con
strued as interest.
The unfair practices act sets
up a list of business practices
which will be illegal, allows
the attorney general to seek in
junctive relief against mer
chants believed in violation of
the act and allows for class ac
tion by consumers.
Skeleton found in Fayette
may be that of fugitive
Fayette County Sheriff’s
Department investigators found
a skeleton yesterday afternoon,
thought to be the remains of a
man who shot his wife and fled
into the woods near his home
last April.
Identification in a wallet
found at the scene in north
Fayette County belonged to
Eugene Stokes, 32, of Route 3,
Fayetteville, who was the ob
ject of an intensive search by
police last April after he shot his
wife in the mouth and ex
changed gunfire with other
members of his family, accord-
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DIO Agent Bill Darsey (1) and other investigators check place where body was
found. X marks area where body was found.
The unfair practices act
would prohibit such activity as:
— “Passing off goods or ser
vices as those of another;
— “Representing that goods
or services have sponsorship,
approval, characteristics, ingre
dients, uses, benefits or quan
tities that they do not have or
that a person has a sponsorship,
approval, status affiliation, or
connection that he does not
have;
— “Representing that goods
or services are new if they are
deteriorated, altered, recondi
tioned, reclaimed, used or sec
ond hand;
— “Advertising goods or ser
vices with the intent not to sell
them as advertised;
— “Advertising goods or ser
vices with the intent not to sup
ply reasonable expectable pub
lic demand, unless the adver
tisement discloses a limitation
of quantity;
— and “Indicating that the
consumer will receive a rebate,
discount or other benefit as an
inducement for entering into a
consumer transaction in return
for giving the merchant the
names of prospective customers
or otherwise helping the mer
chant to enter into other con
sumer transactions, if the re
ceipt of the benefit is conting
ent on an event occurring after
the consumer enters into the
ing to police.
Stokes, a negro, apparently
died of a single small caliber
gunshot wound to the head,
according to DIO Agent Bill
Darsey.
A 25-caliber automatic pistol
was found near the remains and
tentatively identified by
authorities as the weapon
Stokes used to shoot his wife,
Mrs. Eddie Mae Stokes.
Extra ammunition for the gun
was found in a tobacco pouch at
the scene by DIO agents.
Fayette County Sheriff James
Jones specultated that the head
GRIFFIN
Daily Since 1872
transaction.”
The attorney general has the
power to instruct the secretary
of state to begin proceedings to
revoke the license of any indi
vidual, firm or corporation li
censed by the secretary who
has been found in violation of
the act.
In addition to seeking injunc
tive relief, the attorney general
would also be given the power
to seek restitution of interest,
money or property on behalf of
the consumer gilted by the un
fair practice.
Both the unfair practices act
and the credit code provide that
consumers can obtain “reason
able” attorney’s fees if business
are found in violation of the
act.
In addition, both bills give the
administrators the power to or
der investigations, to hold hear
ings and to subpoena witnesses.
Any person violating the un
fair practices act would be sub
ject to a fine up to $25,000.
Persons operating in violation
of restraining orders would be
subject to a fine up to $2,000.
Officials of the state attorney
general’s office said the pro
posed credit code would conso
lidate the laws governing sales,
leases and loans in one place.
The administrator of the
credit code would be the Com
missioner of the Department of
wound may have been self
inflected.
Sheriff Jones recalled search
ing for Stokes on April 18 with
bloodhounds.
“I just don’t see how we could
have missed him,” the Sheriff
said.
The remains were found less
than a mile from Stokes home
where the shooting spree took
place.
Stokes’ father-in-law, Grady
Cannady, said he fired several
shots at Stokes with a shotgun
as he fled in April.
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Wednesday, September 27, 1972
Banking and Finance if the bill
is passed.
The maximum interest rate
would not apply to corporations
or to parties which agree to
higher rates if loans exceed
SIOO,OOO.
On consumer loans, the bill
would also set a late charge of
not more than 5 per cent of the
scheduled payment after 10
days. The minimum charge
would be $.50.
Other major provisions call
for a single written transaction
containing all the terms of a
loan or credit agreement with
payments, due dates spelled
out with the exception of open
ended loans.
Other information required on
the forms would be a notice to
the consumer not to sign if any
blanks are left open. Also in
cluded would be the finance
charge in dollars and in annual
per centage rates.
Another provision would al
low the buyer to cancel a home
solicitation sale until midnight
of the third business day fol
lowing the execution of an
agreement.
Spalding awaits
digest figures
Al Hill of the Tax Assessors
office here said he expects to
receive some digest figures for
the community in a week or
two.
They are being figured on
computers by an Atlanta firm.
When the digest figures are
available, they will be sent to
the Griffin-Spalding School
Board and the Spalding County
Commissioners.
The two boards will set tax
rates based on the figures, Hill
said.
The digest figures along with
the tax rate proposals will be
sent to the State Revenue
Department, Hill said, for
review.
The Department has the
authority to adjust digests to
make them conform to state law
and to adjust tax millage rates
The act also declared in vio
lation a number of “unconscion
abile” credit practices such as:
— “Knowledge by those en
gaging in the practice of the
inability of consumers to re
ceive benefits properly antici
pated from the goods or ser
vices involved;
— “The fact that the prac
tice may enable merchants to
take advantage of the inability
of consumers reasonably to pro
tect their interests by reason
of physical or mental infirmi
ties, illiteracy or inability to un
derstand the language of the
agreement, ignorance or lack of
education or similar factors.”
Other provisions set up regu
lations on default of payments,
the actions of bill collectors, in
cluding a section on the pre
vention of harrassment and
abuse.
The administrator, under the
bill, would have the power to
issue cease and desist orders
against creditors. In addition,
compensation and punitive dam
ages would be allowed consum
ers subjected to abuse from bill
collectors.
to make them produce the
approximate amount of revenue
before the changes.
Even though the school board
here has set its rate at the
maximum 20 mills, the board
will have to review its rates,
according to Hill.
He pointed out that the rate
set earlier was on an assump
tion and not based on actual
digest figures. The actual
figures will not be available
until the Atlanta computer firm
turns in a report to the Spalding
Assessor’s office.
Colosseum
Closed to public;
By ERNEST SAKLER
ROME (UPl)—Legend has it
that when the Colosseum falls,
the world will tumble with it.
The Colosseum has not fallen
yet, but such big chunks of stone
and masonry have come
crashing down from its cornices
and arches that the superinten
dency of antiquities ordered the
1,892-year-old arena closed to
the public Tuesday.
Romans and tourists reacted
with shock to the measure,
which followed a brief closure of
the Roman Forum and Palatine
Hill.
Freed POWs to stop in Moscow
PEKING (UPl)—Three U.S.
pilots flew to Moscow today on
their way home from North
Vietnam where they were freed
from prisoner of war camps
nine days ago.
Air Force Maj. Edward Elias
of Little Rock, Ark., and Navy
Lts. Markham Gartley of
Dunedin, Fla., and Norris
Charles of San Diego, Calif., left
for Moscow aboard a regular
Soviet Aeroflot commercial
jetliner.
They were accompanied by
four American antiwar activists
who helped obtain their release
and Mrs. Charles and Gartley’s
mother, Minnie Lee Gartley.
The group was expected to
arrive in Moscow late this
afternoon after leaving Peking
Vol. 100 No. 227
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ROBERSONVILLE, N.C.—Mr. and Mrs. Eugene W. Robinson, grandparents (1) of William
Andrew Robinson hold a photograph of their grandson. At right is his father W. J. Robinson. The
North Vietnamese have charged that Air Force Master Sgt. W. A. Robinson has been receiving
spy-devices in his mail capable of revealing the location of their camps. Robinson was shot down
on a helicopter mission seven years ago. (UPI)
H
Waldo C. Ball, national
president of American Business
Clubs, will speak to a ladies
night of the Griffin Chapter here
tomorrow night. The meeting
will be held at the Moose Club
beginning at 7:30 p.m. Mark
Foster, president of the Griffin
Chapter, will preside. A native
of central Illinois, Mr. Ball
works part-time with the
Athletic Department of the
University of Illinois.
“Is all of Rome falling to
pieces all of a sudden ?” asked a
horse cab driver outside the
Colosseum. “If this goes on, I
will be left without places to
take tourists to. What’s the
matter with this city ?”
The answer, experts said, was
a combination of heavy traffic,
record rainfall, weeds and an
acute shortage of funds for the
upkeep of Italy’s unique
monuments.
Experts who ordered the
Colosseum closed after inspect
ing it for the third time in four
at 7:25 a.m. (7:25 p.m. EDT
Tuesday).
They arrived in Peking
Tuesday following an overnight
stay in Nanning, the capital of
China’s Kwangsi Province
which borders North Vietnam.
David Dellinger, leader of the
group, said the former priso
ners of war and the others in the
group would be in New York by
Thursday “if all goes well.”
Dellinger said the flight to
New York via Peking and
Moscow was the arrangement
made by “someone.”
“It wasn’t in our hands,” he
said.
There was speculation that
the Communists switched the
route through China in appre
hension that American authori-
City spends
quarter million
City Commissioners ap
proved spending more than a
quarter million dollars for out
right purchases of supplies and
equipment and the lease
purchase of some vehicles.
The commissioners already
had gone over the thing to be
considered for purchase and
whipped through the 16-item
agenda in about 15 minutes.
Among the purchases ap
proved was for a new fire truck
valued at $32,663. It has a 1,000-
gallon capacity.
The commissioners approved
the lease-purchase of a loader
for the Sanitary Department at
a cost of $38,018. The city will
make monthly payments of
$1,680.71.
Four rear-loader packers for
the Sanitary Department were
approved for lease-purchase for
$65,398.16 with monthly
payments of $2,891.60.
A cab and chassis for the
Sanitary Department was
approved for purchase at a cost
chunks are falling
days said the main structures of
the arena were still standing
firm. But they said traffic
vibrations, weeds and the
weather had caused chunks of
brick and stone, weighing up to
45 pounds each, to come
crashing down in recent weeks.
Elveno Pastorelli, a fire
brigade engineer who headed
the team, said they ordered the
arena closed to the public and
part of the surrounding square
cordoned off to traffic.
He said experts were studying
ways to keep one of the
ties might seize the freed pilots
in Vientiane, Laos, and ship
them back to the United States
by military aircraft. Such
action might endanger the
release of any more U.S. POWs
from North Vietnam.
Chinese officials tried to keep
the Americans from talking
with newsmen while they were
in Peking. . Both at the airport
and at their hotel, officials
rushed them ahead in an effort
to elude the press.
(In Washington, Defense De
partment spokesmen said the
POWs technically could be
listed as absent without leave
(AWOL) unless they turned
themselves over to U.S. milita
ry authorities “reasonably
soon.” However the officials
Weather
Cloudy
Map Page 3
di $3,893.56.
The commissioners said the
new equipment should improve
garbage pick-up service.
The other expenditures in
volved payment of contract
commitments, purchase of
uniforms for the Police Depart
ment and purchase of supplies
and equipment for the Light and
Water Department.
The commissioners scheduled
paving East Central Alley
between Third and Fourth
streets in 1974.
The commissioners agreed to
widen, resurface and curb
Beatty street from Spring
Valley Circle west to the Ex
pressway.
Weather
ESTIMATED HIGH TODAY
92, low today 67, high yesterday
89, low yesterday 67, high
tomorrow in upper 80s, low
tonight in mid 60s. Sunrise
tomorrow 7:33, sunset
tomorrow 7:22.
entrances open so that tourists
could get at least a panoramic
glimpse of the arena where
gladiators fought and—accord
ing more to tradition than
history—early Christians were
thrown to the lions.
The Forum and the Palatine
Hill closed last week when the
experts ruled they too were
unsafe. The forum has since
reopened, but the palaces of the
Caesars on the Palatine have
remained closed pending the
cordoning off of some shaky
structures.
said circumstances surround
ing the release of the men are
complex enough that the AWOL
regulations were unlikely to be
enforced in this case.)
“Folks who are struggling
with their faults are more
interesting than those who have
none.”