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City votes to keep it up for another year.
Ford may veto
housing bill
WASHINGTON (UPI) -
President Ford today indicated
he will veto the $1.35 billion
housing bill, House Republican
leader John J. Rhodes told
reporters.
The GOP congressional lead
ers held a news briefing
following a 75-minute meeting
with Ford on forthcoming
legislation which also included
the crime bill.
Busbee seeks accountability
ATLANTA (UPI) — Gov. George
Busbee Monday asked for “accountability
of state government” to try to trim down
the S4O million state budget deficit,
including a quarterly review of state
agencies which he hopes will prevent any
future budget deficits.
In a memo to the 29 state department
heads Busbee said their agencies would
now be forced “to account for the
effectiveness of state services.
“We can no longer afford to maintain
ineffective programs and or inefficient
operations that exist within continuation of
state governments.”
Under the governor’s new proposal any
state agency that does not accomplish
what it said it would, may find the
program will be scratched.
Court ruling
favors C&S
WASHINGTON (UPI) - The
Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3
today that federal antitrust
laws do not bar large city
banks from acquiring control of
smaller suburban banks when
there has been a close working
relationship between them in
the past.
The decision was a blow to
the Justice Department, which
had claimed acquisition of five
branch banks by the Citizens
and Southern National Bank in
Atlanta violated both the
Sherman and Clayton antitrust
laws.
It means that large banks
can more easily acquire small
er correspondent banks which
are legally independent but
have a close relationship with
the larger facility.
C&S National operates over
60 offices in six Georgia cities
from its home office in
Savannah, and has combined
assets of $1.7 billion. It has 30
Rhodes said the main reason
for the presidential veto is that
the bill “does not appear to
take care of the problem.”
He said that the legislation
was “not thought out” and that
with the increase in housing
starts, it would have little
impact.
Ford has until June 24 to act
on the legislation. Rhodes said
the veto message may be
Hie agencies will be asked to define why
they exist and detail why each program
should continue by outlining its effec
tiveness.
Clark Stevens, head of budget analysis,
said the process will give the state a highly
developed means of monitoring a
governmental budget. Before, Stevens
said state governments only had to
account for where the money went, and
state officials did not have to explain
program effectiveness.
The task of reviewing the department’s
performances will be done on a quarterly
basis. Stevens said he does not expect the
monitoring will be an easy job, but “we
really think its going to improve the
effectiveness and efficiency of state
government.”
per cent of the deposits in the
Atlanta area.
Since 1957, C&S National
acquired 5 per cent interests in
several smaller banks in Fulton
and DeKalb counties. Under
Georgia law, this was the
maximum control the central
bank could assert in attempting
to have branch banking facili
ties.
C&S National advised these
legally independent banks how
to operate and, after a change
in Georgia banking law, sought
to acquire them outright.
C&S National’s plan was
approved by the Federal
Reserve Board, but the Justice
Department filed suit, claiming
that C&S had conspired with
the branch banks to fix rates in
violation of the Sherman Act,
and that acquisition of the
banks would reduce bank
competition in suburban Atlan
ta.
accompanied by a substitute
bill because “the administra
tion is not unmindful of housing
needs.”
Backers of the bill which
passed Congress last Wednes
day said it would spur
construction of 400,000 houses,
prevent 100,000 foreclosures and
return to the government more
money than it costs.
Pot growing
at crash site
ROCKWOOD, Tenn. (UPI) —
There’s pot growing at the site
where a Lockheed Lodestar
crashed with a load of
marijuana May 29 near the
Rockwood Municipal Airport.
Charlie Jansch, Morgan
County agricultural extension
agent, said Monday that a
quantity of marijuana seeds
was mixed with the plane’s
cargo, and the seed were
scattered about the crash site.
“Though I haven’t been to the
site myself, Sheriff (Cecil)
Byrge has informed me that
the stuff is definitely growing.”
Jansch said he expects to kill
the weed with a herbicide
within the next few days. He
said there would be relatively
little danger to livestock from
spraying the poison on the
marijuana plants.
DAILY
Vol. 103 No. 143
City keeps garbage pick-up,
hikes residential fee to $5
Griffin City Commissioners
decided last night to keep
residential garbage pick-up for
another year as they put the
finishing touches on the 1975-76
budget last night.
They voted to increase the
residential garbage fee from $3
to $5, however. This possibility
had been discussed earlier.
Over the long haul, the com
missioners believe that the city
Hospital problem
Some sick people help pay
bills of others who can’t
Sick people at the Griffin-
Spalding Hospital who are
either covered by insurance or
are able to pay their own
medical costs are helping to pay
the hospital bills of indigent
patients and authority member
Dick Hyatt does not like it.
During last night’s board
meeting, it was brought out that
some $18,620 in bills were
accumulated last month by
patients who could not afford to
pay the amount not covered by
Medicaid or Medicare.
The government pays 89
percent of hospital costs of
Medicaid and Medicare
patients. The $18,620 was the 11
percent balance which was to be
paid by those patients. It did not
include any write-offs or un
collectible bills.
NON-PROFIT
The hospital is non-profit and
its operating costs are paid
from accounts collected from
patients. Chairman O. M.
Women
hitchhikers
held
GLENWOOD, Ga. (UPI) -
Two women hitchhikers were
charged today with murder and
robbery in the shooting death of
a 35-year-old man whose body
was found in his car alongside
U.S. 280 near here.
Wheeler County Sheriff Mau
rice Johnson said Ronnie L.
Horne, of Rentz, was killed
with a bullet to the head late
Monday night. His body was
found by a passing motorist.
Johnson said Dessie X.
Woods, 31, and Cheryl Todd, 23,
both of Atlanta, were picked up
by police this morning just east
of Macon in Bibb County and
charged with the two crimes.
They were jailed in adjoining
Laurens County.
Police said Horne was robbed
of more than S3OO and they
believe he was killed about
10:30 Monday night.
Johnson said he could not
identify the type of gun used in
the murder until after the
autopsy.
“I prefer not to talk about the
details of the case,” Johnson
said and refused to elaborate
on why the two women were
suspected of killing Horne.
Blood pressure,
diabetic clinic
set Thursday
The Spalding County Health
Department will have a diabetic
and blood pressure screening
clinic Thursday at the health
center.
The tests will be given from 2-
4 p.m. and will be free.
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Tuesday Afternoon, June 17,1975
will be forced to go to some sort
of curbside garbage pick-up,
however. They say it simply is
getting harder to employ people
to do the work.
As the economic picture gets
brighter, it will be harder, the
commissioners believe.
The board expects to adopt
the 1976 fiscal year budget at
tonight’s meeting at the city
hall. The meeting will begin at
7:30.
Also in this story.....
—Work on new hospital wing is 77 percent complete and
it is expected to be finished by October. But it may not be
opened until next spring.
—Aurthority reviews retirement plan for employes.
—Cable TV wants to serve hospital.
—Hospital hopes to improve baby care.
“Pete” Snider brought out that
some departments (obstetrics
for one) are not self supporting
and must be supplemented by
other departments. Rate ad
justments need to be made in
these departments, he stated.
Hyatt said he thinks it’s a
crime for sick people who can
pay to have to pay others’ bills
also.
“I feel very strongly that sick
people should not pay for in
digent care. It is a community
City spells out
revenue share use
The city of Griffin figures it
will get $350,370 in federal
revenue sharing money during
fiscal year 1976 beginning in
July.
That amount is not included in
the budget the commissioners
plan to adopt tonight.
The biggest chunk of it,
$194,900, will go for heavy
equipment for the city’s landfill
operation.
City may challenge
state fuel taxes
Griffin City Commissioners
are thinking seriously about
challenging the state’s
collecting taxes on fuel the city
uses in its government
operation.
Chairman Louis Goldstein
said the city may challenge in a
court suit.
During the fiscal year closing
this month, the city has paid the
state $12,190 in gasoline and
diesel fuel taxes.
A /irt
H||W
“In Russia they discourage
church attendance. Here we
don’t — with about the same
results.”
GRIFFIN
It is expected to be an outlay
of $7,768,374, according to
Chairman Louis Goldstein. This
is about $148,000 above last
year’s outlay.
The commissioners slashed
about SBB,OOO for salaries from
the budget. They backed away
from a 10 percent across the
board cut in city employes.
The commissioners noted that
some departments were not at
full strength and this means a
problem. The community says
we should take the patients. The
community should pay, not
other patients. This is a com
munity hospital,” he said.
Dr. Tom Hunt commented the
money must either be raised by
increasing the room rates or
taxing the homeowners.
County Commissioner P. W.
Hamil, who serves on the hospi
tal authority, said Spalding
County paid out some $13,000
last year toward indigent
patients plus an additional
A total of $76,000 will be
marked for street department
equipment. Another $43,950 will
go for the Public Safety Depart
ment. It will include new
vehicles and equipment for the
Police Department and hand
talkies for the Fire Department.
A total of $25,000 will be set
aside for construction of a
center at the Fairmont Park.
Some $10,520 was set aside for
sidewalk repair.
The bulk of this, $9,898, was
paid in gasoline taxes.
The amount the city pays the
state in Juel taxes came up for
discussion when the com
missioners worked out the new
city budget.
Commission
vote today
Some Griffin-Spalding voters
went to the polls today to elect a
county commissioner.
They were to choose between
Dr. John Ellis and Frank
Thomas. They were the top
runners in a seven-candidate
contest three weeks ago.
One will be elected to fill the
unexpired term of Sandy
Morgan who resigned earlier
this year. His six-year term was
to have run through 1976.
The polls will open tonight
until 7 o’clock.
ESTIMATED HIGH TODAY
86, low today 66, high yesterday
85, low yesterday 65, high
tomorrow in upper 80s, low
tonight in upper 60s.
NEWS
savings to the city.
The commissioners believe
that the city will be able to get
by with the SBB,OOO less in
salaries.
The commissioners plan to
leave the tax rate at 10 mills,
the same as last year.
And they have not increased
business licenses either.
Some growth revenue will be
realized in the new city budget,
the commissioners believe.
$78,000 to operate the am
bulance service.
All surrounding counties
whose residents use the hospital
were asked to pay for then
indigent patients. Chairman
Snider said Pike County was the
only county which responded.
The others have neither paid
nor answered the board’s let
ters, he said.
One of the big problems at the
hospital, according to Adminis
trator Carl Ridley, is that fewer
patients are being admitted.
He attributed this partly to
the economy, the shortage of
doctors in Griffin, and to in
surance company’s paying for
some types of out-patient treat
ments which previously
required hospitalizations.
Dr. Hunt added that some
patients stay in the hospital
fewer days following surgery
than they did several years ago.
OCTOBER
The new hospital wing is 77
percent complete and should be
completed by October, accord
ing to Mr. Ridley. Payments on
the new addition through May
totaled more than $2-million,
with a balance of more than a
half-million due, he said.
This does not include equip
ment. Its cost will not be known
until bids are returned, he
explained.
SPRING
According to Chairman
Snider, the new wing may not
open until next spring.
A room rate survey by
Equitable Life Insurance Co.
which included 47 area hospi-
% .lag
Peach picking
It’s peach picking time at the Georgia Experiment Station
once again. Peach men picked a few yesterday, using
modern picking equipment. See how it’s done on nine.
Daily Since 1872
But they have pointed out
several times that the city is
operating several departments
with obslete equipment and the
days are approaching when
much of it simply will wear out
and won’t work any longer.
Much of the new equipment
was sliced out of the budget this
year in an effort to hold down
spending and try to live within
income, the commissioners
said.
tals, showed the average rate
for private rooms in the state is
S6O and $50.50 for semi-private.
Griffin’s rates are $43.50 for
private rooms and $36.50 for
semi-private. Atlanta hospitals
average $75 for private rooms
and $65.50 for semi-private,
Ridley said.
RETIREMENT
The finance committee is
studying a retirement plan
which may cover more em
ployes than the present plan. Its
cost will be around $68,000 for
253 employes, compared with
some $58,000 which presently
covers 159 employes. Jerry
Savage heads the finance com
mittee.
The board said it is continuing
to interview applicants for
assistant administrator.
CABLE
Griffin Cable TV has asked to
hook on to the hospital at a cost
of five-cents per tv set for each
day the set is used.
The matter will be referred to
the company negotiating with
the hospital to install the tele
visions.
The hospital has agreed for
Dr. J. N. Lee to cover the
emergency room during the
weekdays, beginning July 14.
BABYCARE
Beginning July 1 resident
doctors from Georgia Baptist
Hospital will provide baby care
at the Griffin hospital.
According to Mr. Ridley, this
service should enable the hospi
tal to better meet the commun
ity’s need without a financial
burden on the tax structure.