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City revises fees;
changes election rule
New business fees
The revised city business license fees approved by the
city commissioners last night provide :
That no minimum license to do business is less than SSO
per year; and that maximum number of businesses $
possible are licensed on gross receipts at rate of $2 per
SI,OOO for the first SIOO,OOO of gross receipts (not the $1.30
heretofore), $1.50 per SI,OOO of gross from SIOO,OOO to S:
$300,000 (not the $0.98 heretofore), and sl.lO per SI,OOO of
gross over $300,000 (not the $0.78 heretofore); and that all
manufacturers come under one schedule - up to 3
employees $50,4-10 is slOO,ll-20 is $l5O, 21-50 is S2OO, 51-75
is $250,76-100 is $300,101-200 is S4OO, 201-300 is $550, 301-500 *
is $750, 501- or more SI,OOO.
skeeter ‘probable 9
Joe is jogging
I for city post
U Joe Williams, retired city
■employe, said today he planned
Ito qualify as a candidate for city
■commissioner in the fall
■election.
I He will seek Post One.
fl This presently is held by Scott
■Searcy who will not be eligible
Ito succeed himself in that ward
Kecause he does not live in it.
fl Searcy was named to
Kepresent the ward when the
■commission was expanded from
■hree to five members.
fl The Fourth Ward post held by
Kt. L. (Skeeter) Norsworthy will
Ke up for election again this
wear, too.
|| Norsworthy said today that as
■ar as he knows now, he will
Keek reelection to the Fourth
Kvard Post.
I Williams, asked if he planned
■o run, quipped “I’m jogging
■low.”
fl Williams served 31 years as a
■city employe as a policeman
Knd later in the Sanitary
■department.
H He predicted he would be
Klee ted.
fl Williams said he would be his
j, -'A x .
r /
I
~ ; | ** \ I iVg V'l iNHMk.
‘ V \ 4 ’
/ • i Wife.
\ Wfc 1 :
I What’s in a name?
OMAHA—When Dr. Merle E. Sjogren, an Omaha psychiatrist, drives down local streets, he
causes many heads to turn, because the license plates on his car bear witness to his
profession. They were ordered specially from the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles.
Prestige [dates such as these cost car owners SSO each, and $25 per yearly renewal. (UPI)
own man on the board and that
he had no ax to grind and had no
city employes he wanted to see
fired.
He said he would sell his
package store business, if he
could, and would be able to
devote full time to being a
commissioner.
Williams said he would not be
a “yes” man commissioner and
when he recorded a no vote, he
would want it in the newspaper
so the people could know what
was going on and how he stood.
The city election will be on
Nov. 6 and the deadline to
qualify for the races is Oct. 22 at
noon.
“Folks used to discuss things
which today they only debate.”
GRIFFIN
DAI LY # NEWS
Daily Since 1872
Griffin City Commissioners
put on second and final reading
last night a revision of business
license fees with one minor
change made in the original
proposal.
A committee representing
Chamber of Commerce mer
chants had asked the com
missioners to reconsider the
revisions.
The commissioners also
changed the city code so that a
candidate for city com
missioner does not have to own
land in the city.
The change will apply to the
upcoming city commission
elections this fall.
The business license fee
revision will net the city some
$22,000 in revenue.
The merchants committee
which discussed the proposed
revisions with the commission
ers had suggested that if more
revenue were needed, then all
citizens should share in the
change and no special group
should be singled out for in
creases.
A group of Griffin doctors had
presented the same arguments
months ago when the com
missioners raised fees charged
professional people.
The commissioners said they
proposed the business license
revision early in the year so that
any objections to them could be
heard before final action was
taken.
The commissioners skipped
several regular meetings before
putting the license fee hikes on
second and final reading.
The minor change that was
made involved creation of a new
category in manufacturing
licenses.
But essentially the business
license were approved as they
were proposed originally.
Louis Goldstein, chairman of
the commissioners, said follow
ing the meeting last night that
the changes were more for
equalization than for revenue
increases.
He said the city probably
would go to some sort of fee
system based on a volume
profit ratio. The commissioners
reason that the markup in some
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Wednesday, August 15, 1973
merchandise is higher than
others and this works a hard
ship on those with a low mark
up.
For example, the chairman
said, the mark-up in furniture is
much higher than in groceries.
Concerning the change in the
election code, City Manager
Roy Inman said that recent
court rulings had eliminated the
requirement of a candidate’s
being a land owner.
The commissioners were
simply bringing the city code in
line with court rulings. They
believe now that the land
ownership requirement would
be invalid if challenged in court.
Contractor Roy Bass ap
peared before the commission
ers to request the city adopt
regulations on heating and air
conditioning installations. He
said he had discussed the
matter with city building of
ficials and they were in agree
ment with the idea.
The commissioners said they
would look into the matter.
C. B. Reeves, 215 Laramie
road, presented a petition for
resurfacing of Laramie road.
He said it was signed by 54
people in the area representing
27 households.
Reeves praised the board of
commissioners for the manner
in which they conducted city
business and made ap
pointments to city boards. City
manager Inman said the
paving would be scheduled
when funds were in sight and
the work could be done.
The commissioners put on
second and final reading an
ordinance requiring businesses
selling cooked or uncooked
meat and the like to use plastic
bags when disposing of waste in
city containers.
They put on second and final
reading an ordinance to curb
and pave Boyd row in fiscal
year 75.
The commissioners put on
first reading an ordinance to
create the office of Public
Safety Director. Leonard Pitts
already has been hired for the
job, effective Sept. 1. He will be
the top administrative officer
for the Fire and Police
Departments. He will be
promoted from his present
position of fire chief.
The commissioners accepted
Dauset drive and Rainbow
circle in Wesley Hills sub
division as city streets, as
requested by developer H. L.
Daughtry.
They also accepted as a city
street Gloria drive extension as
requested by real estate man H.
K. Singletary.
The commissioners accepted
the low bid of $134,540 from
Collier Construction Company
of Piedmont, Ala., for water
system improvements of
chlorine buildings at Head’s
Creek and Flint River pumping
station and a new water intake
structure. Six bids were
received with the highest being
$209,777.
The commissioners paid C. A.
Kendrick, Inc., an additional
$2,180 for additions and changes
in the original contract to
renovate the city offices
building next to the city hall.
The commissioners approved
payment of $4,454.73 to Joseph
B. Marrett, contractor from
Conyers, for work on the water
system study. The city is
evaluating its water system and
supply to see how much ex
pansion potential it has.
Wiedeman and Singleton
engineers received payment of
$50,794.10 for work related to
construction of the Potato Creek
water pollution control plant.
The Arthur Pew Construction
company payment of $27,630 for
work on the Potato creek
project was approved.
The commissioners approved
purchase of supplies and
equipment for the Light and
Water Dept, totaling $7,630.
Nixon
reports
at 9 p.m.
CAMP DAVID, Md. (UPI). -
President Nixon remained in
seclusion today to complete the
address he will make to the
nation tonight on the Watergate
scandal.
He will deliver the half-hour
broadcast starting at 9 p.m.
EDT on all national networks
from his desk in the White
House Oval Office.
Before he goes on the air, the
White House will hand out a
statement aimed at refuting
some of the allegations, mainly
from former White House
counsel John W. Dean 111, that
Nixon discussed with his aides
payment of hush money to and
executive clemency for Water
gate defendants.
Nixon flew to his mountain
top retreat here Tuesday
evening to work in solitude, his
usual pattern before a major
pronouncement. He already has
spent numerous days drafting
the speech which he hopes will
restore public confidence in his
conduct of the presidency.
With him were Rose Mary
Woods, his personal secretary,
and a small complement of
other staff members. None of
his top aides or speechwriters
were on hand as he polished the
final version of what one high
level aide has described as an
“interim report.”
Nixon’s statement had been
touted as the definitive word in
the aftermath of the lengthy
Senate Watergate Committee
hearings but aides now say
“it’s not going to end any
thing.”
Much as Nixon would like to
leave Watergate behind him, he
still will be accountable while
the Senate panel, starting in
September,conductsitsprobe
of “dirty tricks” during his re
election campaign, and while
Special Prosecutor Archibald
Cox continues a federal grand
jury investigation.
Tonight’s statement will be
Nixon’s third on Watergate. His
last report was issued May 22,
a 4,000-word document in which
he denied any prior knowledge
of the June 17,1972, burglary of
Democratic national headquar
ters at the Watergate complex
or participation in the cover-up.
Nixon has a lot riding on his
new report. He was described
as in an “upbeat” mood and
preparing to take the offense
while at the same time being
aware that his popularity polls
are at their lowest ebb.
ESTIMATED HIGH TODAY
89, low today 70, high yesterday
86, low yesterday 68, high
tomorrow in mid 80s, low
tonight in mid 60s.
Mystery said solved
NEW YORK (UPI) - State
authorities say they know
which New York City police
men, working on the inside,
helped steal $73 million worth
of heroin and cocaine from
police vaults—but are unable to
indict the suspected officers
Vol. 101 No. 193
< A.)
B w » J. ** -a
Solon didn’t meet him
WASHINGTON—Roy C. Willis, 60, sits with his bicycle near the Capitol after pedaling 970
miles from West Frankfort, HL, to prove he deserves a steady job. Willis, an odd jobs man
handicapped by partial paralysis since he was 13, made the 34-day trip to ask his
Congressman, Rep. Kenneth Gray, D-lIL, for help in getting a washing machine factory
established at West Frankfort. Gray was not on hand to greet Willis, but Willis did meet two
administration officials at Gray’s office. (UPI)
New father killed
in building mishap
A Griffin man who had just
become a father for the second
time Sunday died yesterday in a
construction accident at For
syth.
Eddie Lee Brown, 22, of 1233
North Ninth street, was working
on a building using an electric
drill. Fellow workers at the site
said he shouted he had been
shocked. They said he started
down a ladder but fell to the
ground.
Fellow workers attempted to
‘High’ auto ban law
difficult to enforce
ATLANTA (UPI) - Officials
of the State Highway Patrol say
they believe it will be extremely
difficult to enforce a new Geor
gia law forbidding altering a ve
hicle’s auto suspension.
The law, passed by the 1973
legislature, is designed to keep
private vehicles with jacked-up
rear ends off the highways be
cause they are hard to control
and therefore unsafe to drive
In an opinion issued by State
Atty. Gen. Arthur Bolton, he
‘French Connection"
without further evidence.
“We know who did it and how
it was done. We know the
names of the police officers
involved,” special state
Prosecutor Maurice Nadjari
said Tuesday. “Some of them
are still on the job and some
1st
First government of Spalding County
was by its Inferior Court which took
office in 1852. Such courts actually ran
Georgia counties until they were
abolished in 1868.
revive him and thought they
had done so but the man ap
parently died at scene without
regaining consciousness.
The electric drill may have
shorted, fellow workers
speculated.
His wife had given birth to a
girl, their second child, Sunday
at the Griffin-Spalding Hospital.
Mother and child were
dismissed from the hospital
today.
Mr. Brown was a lifelong
resident of Griffin and was a
said while the law effectively
prevents altering a suspension
system, it is not against the law
to drive a vehicle which has
been altered.
“Only a person altering the
suspension system can be pun
ished,” he said. “The operator
of such an altered vehicle is not,
by virtue of simply operating
such vehicle, violating the sta
tute.”
The law, which went into ef
fect July 1, says it is illegal to
are not.
“There’s one problem to
know who is involved, and
another problem to provide
evidence good enough for the
grand jury,” he said. “We are
still gathering evidence.”
The (New York) Daily News
sheet medal worker.
Survivors include his wife,
Mrs. Martha Melton Brown;
two daughters, Vanessa Dawn
Brown and April Lynn Brown,
all of Griffin; parents, Hubert
Lee Brown of Griffin and Mrs.
Velma Hand of Roswell; two
brothers, Danny Ray Brown
and Larry Joel Brown, both of
Griffin; several aunts and
uncles.
Funeral plans will be an
nounced by McDonald Chapel.
alter the suspension system of
any private passenger motor
vehicle more than two inches
above or below the factory rec
ommendations for the vehicle,
and carries a SI,OOO fine and a
year in jail for violation.
A patrol spokesman said Bol
ton’s opinion virtually makes
the law unenforceable as far as
operating is concerned. “Unless
we know who altered the ve
hicle, it will be kind of hard to
enforce anything,” he said.
said it had learned that six
detectives were inovlved in the
1971-1972 theft of drugs previ
ousy seized by police, which
included 67 pounds of heroin
confiscated in the famous
“French Connection” case of
1967.