Newspaper Page Text
Inside Tip
Nixon
See Page 11
Hospital optimistic
on expansion plans
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Old foes all smiles
WASHINGTON—Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey, D-Minn.,
presents President Nixon with a certificate and medal
from the Capitol Historical Society. Humphrey, vice
president of the society, made the presentation in the Oval
office of the White House in appreciation of the
President’s support of historical programs. (UPI)
Denver
Is Watergate good for us?
By JACK OLSON JR.
“Every country has the
fovernment it deserves,’’ a
rench diplomat once noted.
Armed with this disconcerting
maxim, we asked six barten
ders here if they thought the
Watergate scandal was a rea
sonable product of American
society.
Bartenders maintain a self
less vigil at the pulse of the
nation, someone said. If Wat
ergate was a predictable so
cial aberration, certainly they
would have sensed it.
And if they did, where does
it leave us? What lies ahead?
Deepening distrust of govern
ment? Os all our institutions?
Or did the Waterbuggers inad
vertently launch us into an
era of revitalization?
Unfortunately this survey
might have been better spent
on embalmers than barten
ders. The only consensus:
Figures misleading
Sheriff says he needs more men
to beef up patroling schedule
Sheriff Dwayne Gilbert said
that figures quoted at a County
Commissioners meeting con
cerning the number of deputies
in his department are
misleading.
Commission Chairman Jack
Moss had said county records
show the Sheriff’s Department
has seven cars, one van, and 15
deputies, not including the
sheriff.
Moss made the comment
when Mrs. Pat Moore of Wilson
street complained that there
were not enough men in the
Negotiating with builder
Denver, Colorado (pop. 514,679), is the
largest city between St. Louis and San
Francisco and is situated one mile
above sea level in the foothills of the
Rocky Mountains. Founded in 1858, it is
today one of the country’s largest distri
bution centers and a major tourist area.
Watergate has been good for
the liquor industry.
Even habitual light drink
ers, it seems, caught up in the
fascinating tales of Magruder,
Liddy and others, are sticking
around for three and four
shots, the bartenders say. Not
that discussing Watergate is
painful. Rather it seems to be
fun.
The Senate Watergate hear
ing is provoking enough belly
laughs (and during the gravest
testimony) to make an enter
tainer envious. This is the
mood, according to barten
ders. As the British are redis
covering, everyone loves a
scandal.
Could Watergate be a balm
we have yet to recognize?
“That's conceivable,” says
Conrad Mcßride, a University
of Colorado political science
professor. “I would hope we
recognize that we are culpa
ble. With Watergate, we may
turn a corner."
“We've been suspicious of
our institutions far too long."
Sheriff’s Department to answer
calls quickly.
She told of her daughter and a
friend having to wait about an
hour and a half one night for a
sheriff’s car to come investigate
the vandalism of the Moore
family car. The auto broke
down, she said, and while the
two young people were walking
to a house to telephone for help,
vandals spotted the deserted
car and damaged it extensively.
Mrs. Moore said she thought
they probably were planning to
strip the vehicle.
DAILY<NEWS
Daily Since 1872
Griffin-Spalding Hospital
officials are optimistic that
something can be worked out
with a contractor to get con
struction started on an ex
pansion program.
Carl Ridley, administrator,
said hospital officials and Ar
chitect Gerald Bilbro worked
with the Reddick Construction
Company of Thomaston yester
day on shaving costs so the
program hopefully can be
brought within the money avail
able.
The Reddick Company of
Thomaston not long ago com
pleted an expansion to the
Georgia Power says
money plight worse
ATLANTA (UPI) — Georgia
Power Co. has told the state
Public Service Commission that
proposed sll million emergency
worsen” during testimony on a
psopoed sll million emergency
rate increase sought by the util
ity.
Former Gov. Carl Sanders, at
torney for Georgia Power, told
the PSC Wednesday that June
earnings were almost $1 million
under projections by the com
pany.
Edwin Hatch, president of
Georgia Power, said if sufficient
capitalis notraised, “the state’s
future power supply, and there
fore its economic future, will be
in serious doubt.”
says Harold Mendelsohn,
chairman of mass communi
cation at the University of
Denver. "Maybe this will
change our attitude.”
Russell Shain, a University
of Colorado journalism profes
sor and public opinion expert,
says he thinks Watergate has
“unsettled” a segment of the
electorate. Namely those who
violated political allegiance
last election to vote for Nixon.
Unsettled people, he main
tains, cause change.
Still wondering if American
society produced and deserved
Watergate, we found some
“unsettled" people of varied
occupations. There was Glen
Chambers, an elephant keeper
at the Denver Zoo
“I’m more suspicious of
government now,” he says.
“Parts of this have really dis
gusted me. We ll have to bear
down and improve the situa
tion.”
Ambulance dispatcher Lin-
Deputies in the one car on ,
duty that night were busy an
swering other complaints and
took a while to get to the Moore
auto.
Sheriff Gilbert explained that
of the 15 men, there are only
eight men available to patrol
the entire county during the 24-
hour day. The other seven are
three jailers, three radio men
and office workers, and an
investigator.
Gilbert said that by time the
(Continued on Page 2)
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Thursday, July 12, 1973
Upson County Hospital. The
firm has a good reputation for
hospital construction.
Reddick submitted a low base
bid of $3,023,000 last month.
Ridley said the prognosis is
that an agreement can be
worked out with Reddick so that
the firm can build the additions.
The original proposal called
for the addition of 66 beds plus
some emergency room and
possible day clinic facilities.
Mr. Ridley said hospital of
ficials probably will be able to
cut out some desirable features
of the expansion program and
can come within the money
The testimony came during
the completion of cross exami
nation by the commission and
attorneys representing the
Atlanta Labor Council which
has opposed the hike.
At one point during the ses
sion, Commissioner Bobby Paf
ford charged that many letters
opposing the increase were “ob
viously...not coming voluntari
ly.” He questioned whether
“there’s been some deal worked
out.”
Georgia Power is seeking the
sll million immediately to help
finance a bond issue this fall. It
is also seeking a permanent SB6
million rate hike which the PSC
will take up later.
/ THE
\ MOOD OF (
da Ray thinks the federal
government “has made us out
to be dummies, and we re not.
Now we re proving it. People
are getting tired of the gov
ernment being so holy."
Denver jailer Dusty Frank
says: “We’ve lost the integri
ty we used to have. I’m sure
this country has been hurt
overseas. But we ll bounce
back probably pretty quick.”
There wasn't a Watergate
reveler among them. They
spoke with forceful optimism
and a sprinkling of humor. No
malaise was apparent.
“Babe," a Denver go-go
dancer (“That’s my dancing
name”) was apologetic in
answering our questions.
“I know so little about Wat
ergate,” she said. “I work
nights and sleep most of the
day. But it’s serious, isn’t it?
It may be good for us.”
She may have captured the
mood of people here.
(NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE ASSN.)
J ■
“If prices keep rising, folks
will learn to get along without
some of their necessities.”
GRIFFIN
available.
A capital accumulation of
some $2-million plus state funds
of some $912,000 is what the
Hospital Authority has been
counting on for the addition.
Carl Richardson, discussing
the project several months ago
in a civic club speech, said that
the addition would not mean a
tax increase to the people of
Griffin and Spalding County.
Hospital Authority members
present when the bids were
opened last month were
depressed when they learned
the lowest base bids were much
higher than they had figured
they would be.
Mr. Ridley thinks that the
authority and the contract
should be able to come to terms
within two weeks or so.
He said that the authority and
the contractor could negotiate
an extension of time to keep the
bid outstanding, even after the
deadline, if necessary.
Contractors were bound to
keep their bids open 35 days
after they were opened but this
could be extended through
negotiations, Mr. Ridley ex
plained.
The deadline didn’t seem to
be of particular concern to those
talking with the Thomaston
company.
Dollar
dives
again
LONDON (UPI) - The dollar
took a sudden nose dive on
world money markets today,
reversing steady gains made
over the previous three days.
The unpredictable currency
tumbled .89 per cent in value in
Amsterdam and slipped back in
Paris, Zurich, Frankfurt and
Tokyo. It held steady in London
and gained slightly in Hong
Kong.
On the big London bullion
market, the price of gold
jumped as the dollar sank—the
usual pattern. The metal went
up $1.75 to $120.50 an ounce
from Wednesday’s closing price
of $118.75. Gold gained $1.50 an
ounce in Zurich.
Dealers said the dollar was
dropping because there was no
solid evidence government cen
tral banks were intervening to
prop it up.
“The Americans are trying to
talk the dollar up rather than
pull it up,” said a bank official
in Paris. “There is no
confirmation the Americans are
doing anything,” said another
French banker.
“We still have no indication
any central bank has interv
ened to support the dollar,”
said a U.S. bank representative
in Frankfurt. This conflicted
with word from some experts
who said Wednesday it ap
peared government bankers
were prepared to come to the
aid of the ailing currency.
The dollar tumbled today to
4.08-4.09 francs in Paris, down
from 4.17 at Wednesday’s close.
In Switzerland it sank to 2.85
Swiss francs, down from 2.89.
Against the all-important
West German mark the Ameri
can currency lost a fraction at
the market opening, priced at
2.3875 marks compared to
Wednesday’s 2.4050 close.
Rates were little changed in
London and see-sawed on Asian
markets. The dollar dipped
slightly in Tokyo, selling at
264.40 yens compared with
Wednesday’s 265 quotation. In
Hong Kong, the dollar went up
to just over 4.99 Hong Kong
dollars.
Vol. 101 NO. 164
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Bird in court fight
HUTCHINSON, Kansas—A parrott was the subject of a custody battle in magistrate court
here. Plaintiff, Helen Erickson maintained that the bird, given as a gift, failed to return
home after a routine release for exercise. Defendent Terry Crossman, pictured below,
maintained that the bird was sold to him. Custody was awarded to Erickson. (UPI)
Social Security benefits
are going up in mid 1974
WASHINGTON (UPI)
cial Security benefits for almost
30 million Americans will
increase by more than 5 per
cent beginning in June, 1974.
President Nixon signed the
compromise legislation author
izing the benefits increase
Wednesday. The measure would
also increase to $12,600 the
maximum wage base on which
Social Security taxes are
imposed on wage-earners.
“The critical feature of this
bill ... is an increase in Social
Security benefits of more than 5
Food costs expected
to go even higher
WASHINGTON (UPI) -
Today’s record food prices are
really “deceptively low,” and
consumers will be shocked
when the food industry finally
passes on the increases it has
been absorbing during the
temporary price freeze, a
leading industry executive has
warned Congress.
C. W. Cook, chairman of
General Foods Corp., in a wire
sent to all members of
Congress July 3 and made
public Wednesday, warned the
lawmakers not to be misled by
rosy hopes growing out of
Agriculture Department reports
this week that farm production
may set new records this year.
Cook said that because of
past and present control sys
tems, current retail food prices
are based on raw farm product
prices far below the actual
current cost of raw products.
“When sharp commodity
price increases are reflected at
retail, as ultimately they must
be, the resultant rise in food
costs is certain to shock
consumers ... Even excellent
crop prospects this year will
not be sufficient to curb this
spiral significantly,” Cook war
ned. “...We believe the consum-
per cent next year in order to
meet the rising costs of living,”
Nixon said in a written
statement issued by the White
House.
White House officials estimat
ed that the benefits increase
would range between 5.6 and
5.8 per cent, with the first
checks to be paid in July of
next year.
The legislation also provides:
—The amount of money an
individual may earn without a
reduction in Social Security
ing public should be made
aware of this distasteful pros
pect now because we fear many
consumers expect food prices to
hold steady or possibly decline
once new crop estimates are
in.”
President Nixon met for two
hours with his Cabinet Wednes
day on plans for a Phase IV
anti-inflation program to follow
the temporary freeze. A spokes
man said the new plan will be
announced “relatively soon,”
although no final decisions have
yet been made on it.
Agriculture Department offi
cials said they expected some
further increase in food prices
after ceilings are relaxed, but
the potential big harvest of
grains and soybeans would ease
the situation by spurring
increases in livestock and
poultry production beginning in
the fall.
Weather
ESTIMATED HIGH TODAY
88, low today 69, high yesterday
86, low yesterday 69, high
tomorrow in mid 80s, low
tonight in mid 60s.
Forecast
Warm
Map Page 6
benefits would increase from
$2,100 to s2,4oo—effective next
Jan. 1.
—lncreased welfare benefits
for more than six million aged,
blind and disabled recipients.
The increases, also intended to
compensate for advances in the
cost of living, lift the monthly
payments from $l3O to $l4O for
an individual and from $195 to
$2lO for a couple, starting next
July.
—States must supplement
federal welfare benefits to
make sure no recipient receives
a benefit cut when welfare
programs shift from state to*
federal operation at the end of
this year.
The Social Security increase
was attached to an amendment
on a minor bill passed by
Congress in the closing hours
before it began its July 4th
recess.
The measure was a compro
mise which the administration
agreed to accept after threaten
ing to veto a more generous
version.
Nixon objected to one section
of the new bill postponing until
Nov. 1 the effective date of
regulations, adopted by the
Department of Health, Educa
tion and Welfare (HEW), to
limit the social services which
states may provide under
programs requiring a federal
reimbursement.
“As the Congress knows,
neither I nor my predecessors
have been able to accept such a
‘coming into agreement’ be
cause it infringes on the
essential responsibility of the
President and the executive
branch, and on the separation
of powers doctrine,” Nixon
said.
In separate action Wednes
day, Nixon signed legislation
extending temporary increases
in railroad retirement benefits
from June 30 until the end of
this year. This measure also
permits men with 30 years of
railroad employment to retire
at age 60 with full pension.