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Pilot boredom, chatter.
Page 16.
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Centennial
Dr. William Flatt (third from left) presented mementoes to Spalding County County
Commission Chairman P.W. Hamil (1) and City Commission Chairman pro tern Raymond
Head (c) as the Experiment station in Griffin joined in the centennial of agricultural
research stations yesterday. At right is Marshall McCullough, acting resident director of
the Griffin Station which was formed In 1889. Dr. Flatt is the director of the stations in
Georgia including the one in Griffin.
Flooding hits
central Georgia
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. (UPI) - Flash flooding
touched off by six inches of rainfall in four hours knocked
out a central Georgia bridge and snarled traffic
Wednesday.
“I’m standing on a box in the telephone booth,” Allen
Price, an employe of the Garden Gate Produce Market,
said when asked to describe the scene in the Bonaire
community. “We’ve got watermelons and tomatoes
floating around here.”
No deaths or injuries were reported in the flooding.
Water depths up to five feet were reported in some
areas, with at least 25 cars stalled out by high waters.
Ernie Locker, 28, of Warner Robbins tried to cross
Sandy Run Creek in his tractor-trailer truck during the
deluge. The bridge collapsed, dumping the rig into the
water, but Locker managed to escape unhurt.
The Houston County sheriff’s office said there were six
separate accidents within an hour, including a six-car
pileup on Georgia 247.
In the Bonaire community south of here, houses and a
produce stand were under three to five feet of water.
Florida couple killed
DUBLIN, Ga. (UPI) - A
Bradenton, Fla., couple return
ing from the North Carolina
mountains died in the crash of
a small airplane Wednesday,
the Laurens County Sheriff’s
office said.
Shortage of money may make state roads bumpy
ATLANTA (UPI) — Thousands of miles of the state’s
highway could go without needed repairs by 1978, unless
something is done about the “bleak” revenue situation in
the state Department of Transportation, a joint House and
Senate committee was told Wednesday.
Dan Kelly, director of administration for the DOT, told
the legislators, who are looking into the changes in the gas
tax revenues, that the state will lose $290 million in
revenues by 1978 because gas consumption has gone down
since the energy crisis and the motor fuel tax has
dwindled. The motor fuel tax is the oniy support for the
state’s highways.
While Georgians are traveling more, they are getting
better mileage because they have switched to economy
cars, Kelly said. The situation is only expected to get
worse with a national study predicting that half the cars in
the country will be economy type by 1976.
The victims were identified
as E. W. Flath, 44, and his wife
Marjorie, 42.
Investigators attributed the
crash to poor visibility and high
winds caused by severe thun
dershowers in the area.
Wash tub
wasn luo
marijuana
confiscated
In two separate incidents this
week, police have confiscated
more than 100 marijuana
plants.
Yesterday Griffin Police
Narcotics Agent Dean Ray and
Officer Mike Cobb found 83
small plants growing in a wash
tub behind a house on South
Eighth street.
They were an inch or two high
and were thought to be about a
week old.
Tuesday Lt. Glen Whidby of
the narcotics division, along
with Spalding Sheriff’s In
vestigators David Head and
Larry Campbell and Deputy
David Taylor, went to a corn
field in Orchard Hill and pulled
up around 25 plants.
They were about a foot tall
and were several weeks old.
No arrests have been made in
connection with the plants,
police said.
He said revenues collected for fiscal 1975, which are
used to fund projects in 1976, were $227.3 million, but the
department had based its 1976 budget on expected
collections of $268 million leaving a shortage of 40.9
million.
“There is no way we can fulfill our responsibilities in
fiscal year 1977 and fiscal year 1978 without some form of
funding relief,” Kelly said.
He said the state could find itself with only $177 million
in 1978 compared to the $319 million it had earlier
expected and that could mean layoffs, which would come
as early as 1977.
“It doesn’t make sense to keep people on, if you don’t
have any work for them,” he said.
Dot Commissioner Tom Moreland called the situation
“bleak” and said the DOT is faced with the problems of
less money and higher inflation.
DAILY
Vol. 103 No. 168
Russians, Americans
have meeting in space
HOUSTON (UPI) — Three Americans and two Russians
docked in Earth orbit today and the U.S. commander said
“we have succeeded” in history’s first meeting of men
from two nations in space.
“Well done, Tom, it was a good show,” said Soyuz com
mander Alexei Leonov to Apollo commander Thomas
Stafford.
Stafford, Vance Brand and Donald “Deke” Slayton
brought the ships together at 12:09 p.m. EDT over the
European coast in full view of a television audience about
139 miles below.
“We are looking forward to shaking hands with you
aboard Soyuz,” Leonov said. He and Valeri Kubasov
began preparing their spaceship for the transfer of
Americans three hours later.
At 12:02 p.m., the Apollo pilots turned on their television
camera and showed Soyuz ahead, its broad solar panels
extended from both sides.
“Please tell us when you begin your maneuvering,”
Stafford said in Russian.
“Soyuz docking system is ready,” replied Leonov in
English.
“I see your spacecraft,” Leonov said.
Brand replied that he could see Soyuz and, “it’s very
beautiful.”
"Three hundred meters,” said referring to the
distance between the two ships as Stafford fired control
jets to brake the Apollo and begin a few minutes of
formation flying before the linkup. Then Moscow control
said 50 meters.
The symbolic handshake between the two spacecraft
commanders—Stafford and Leonov—was scheduled for
3:17 p.m.
The astronauts first established radio communications
three hours earlier.
What’s to come
Friday, July 18
2:50 a.m. — Cosmonauts awaken.
3:20 a.m. — Astronauts awaken.
5:02 a.m. — Second crew transfer begins: Stafford
moves to docking module followed by Brand. Brand then
enters Soyuz. Leonov moves to docking module and enters
the Apollo for first time at 6:56 a.m. followed by Stafford.
Thus Stafford, Leonov and Slayton are in Apollo and
Brand and Kubasov are in Soyuz. (TV).
7:4oa.m.—Joint flight certificates signed in the Apollo,
and Leonov and the two Americans join halves of plaques
brought up in each spacecraft. Similar ceremonies are
carried out in the Soyuz between Brand and Kubasov.
8:53 a.m.—Television tour of Russia as seen from orbit
with commentary in English from Kubasov. (TV).
10 a.m. — Leonov, Stafford and Slayton eat in Apollo
followed at 10:20 with commentary by Leonov in Russian
about American space food. Joint meal also occurs in the
Soyuz with Brand commenting at 10:34 a.m. in English on
Russian space food. (TV).
11 a.m. — Third crew transfer begins: Leonov and
Stafford go to Soyuz and Brand and Kubasov join Slayton
in the Apollo. (TV).
11:47 a.m. — Forty-three minute telecast begins of crew
activities in docking module and Soyuz.
1:16 p.m. — Forty-one minute telecast of joint activities.
1:30 p.m. — Stafford and Leonov, speaking their own
languages, open joint, in-flight news conference with
introductory statements. Conference ends at 2 p.m. (TV).
2:41 p.m. — Brand, speaking in Russian in the Apollo,
conducts TV tour of Florida and the U.S. east coast.
3 p.m. — Brand and Kubasov sign joint flight
certificates and join medallion halves in the Apollo.
Kubasov presents Russian pine tree seeds to Brand and
Slayton. In the Soyuz, Stafford gives American pine tree
seeds to Leonov. (TV).
3:14 p.m. — Fourth crew transfer begins: Slayton
moves to Soyuz with experiment equipment and returns to
docking module. Kubasov moves to Soyuz and Stafford
returns to Apollo. Crewmen say farewell. (TV).
5:52 p.m. — Last crew transfer ends with Slayton
returning to Apollo from docking module.
7:30 p.m. — Leonov and Kubasov begin 7-hour 10-minute
sleep period in Soyuz.
8:20 p.m. — Stafford, Brand and Slayton begin 8-hour
sleep period in Apollo.
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Thursday Afternoon, July 17,1975
“We catch it on both ends. Not only in loss of revenue,
but inflation impacts on our maintenance costs.”
The maintenance problem is compounded by a state
statute which sets up priorities that mandates the way the
department. Under that statute highway repairs come
last with money for new construction and debts allocated
ahead of them.
Moreland said the department has no objections to the
way the priorities are set up, if the money comes in to
handle everything. But he said the DOT must “preserve
and maintain” the current 18,300 miles of state highways.
Jim McGee, operations director for the DOT, made
several suggestions based on what other neighboring
states have done to increase their revenues.
McGee’s suggestions called for additional funds brought
in by increases in the sales taxes on motor fuels, motor
vehicle registration fees, sales taxes on used and new
GRIFFIN
Richmond County will sue if
Georgia Power does not pay
AUGUSTA, Ga. (UPI) - An
official for the state Revenue
Department said Wednesday
that he knew of no basis for
Georgia Power Co.’s refusal to
make a $241,283.53 tax payment
to Richmond County.
Deputy State Revenue Com
missioner David Poythress said
utility taxes are assessed
centrally by the revenue
department at the year’s end
and “this may be the basis for
the company’s contention that
they are different.”
“But I don’t know of any
provision that would exempt
any taxpayer, including the
utility. If they are just claiming
they are flat-out exempt, then I
know of nothing in that statute
that would exempt them.”
Poythress said the Richmond
County statute, which calls a
bi-annual installment of state,
county and school taxes that
Georgia Power owes the
county, was consistent with
state law and could even have
provided for more frequent
quarterly installments.
Eleven Acres
sold; business
to continue
The home of “Eleven Acres”
on Carver road, well known
location throughout middle and
south Georgia for catered meals
and parties, has been sold.
Kenneth Williams, the owner,
said he and his partner, Damon
Handle, will continue business
as usual, except there will be no
parties on the premises.
They will continue under the
name “Eleven Acres” and will
cater at homes or anywhere
parties are given.
Williams said they have
leased back a small house on
the property which has been
converted into a large kitchen
and will operate the business
from there.
Charles Hutchison, Jr. of
Atlanta is the new owner. An
architect, Mr. Hutchison is
regional construction engineer
with Equitable Insurance Co.
“I’d rather folks would learn
from the past than live in It.”
NEWS
The Richmond County Com
mission voted Tuesday night to
sue the utility for the first
installment of their 1975 taxes
after the company said it would
not pay until the end of the
year.
County attorney Bob Daniel
said a lawsuit would be filed in
Richmond Superior Court after
July 30, when the taxes become
due, if the bill is not paid. Both
the commission and the county
Board of Education have
decided to sue in lieu of
payment.
Daniel said a one-month
extension on the bill that was
due July 1 was granted
Wednesday because of billing
delays. “We have an under
standing to wait until July 30,”
he said. “If they don’t pay by
then, then we’ll proceed.
“If we didn’t do something
then the other taxpayers in our
community would have utter
disdain for the installment
taxing system,” Daniel said.
“We just can’t ignore it. They
are throwing mud in our
No contract yet
in rail dispute
WASHINGTON (UPI) — Weary federal mediators
trudged hotel hallways between railroad and union
negotiators today but no contract agreement was reached
in more than 16 hours of talks to avert a nationwide strike
Monday.
The meetings were still going on late this morning.
Before going into the nightlong bargaining, officials on
boths Mes indicated progress in the dickering over a new
contract to replace one which expires at 12:01 a.m.
Monday. A rail strike could severely damage the nation’s
freshening economy.
“There are grounds for cautious optimism,” one rail
road spokesman said Wednesday night. The union
president promised to “try like hell.”
But despite the early encouraging signs, federal media
tors reported at mid-morning that no agreement had been
reached after 16 hours of meetings broken only by a 90-
minute lunch.
The negotiations continued, with White House chief
labor troubleshooter William Usery moving back and
forth between leaders of the two sides. From time to time,
they were shepherded into the same room by mediators to
discuss points face-to-face.
Usery was so busy with the railroad bargaining that he
postponed a scheduled 10 a.m. meeting to discuss
negotiations for the nation’s 600,000 postal workers, whose
contract also expires at midnight Sunday.
There were some definite signs of hope in the rail
bargaining.
“Some significant progress has been made,” William
Dempsey, chief railway company negotiator, told
reporters Wednesday. “A very large gap has been
appreciably reduced.
“There are grounds for cautious optimism.”
“We’re as close as we’ve ever been,” said C.L. Dennis,
head of the 117,000-member Brotherhood of Railway and
Airline Clerks. “We’re going to try like hell” to avoid a
strike.
vehicles, and drivers license fees. He said revenues could
also be brought in from an excise tax on automative parts,
accesories and tires and there could be a tax based on
vehicle miles traveled.
Committee Chairman A1 Holloway, D-Albany, said he
was opposed to the financial relief coming out of the
general fund and said he doesn’t see anyway to avoid a tax
increase.
Holloway said he thought “the cure is way down the
road. I think we have to determine the most equitable
solution to the problem.”
Holloway said some of the solutions suggested by
McGee were viable, but he said the committee would have
to study them further before making any
recommendations to the General Assembly. He said there
will be a meeting on the matter next month, but no date
was set.
Daily Since 1872
faces.”
Georgia Power Vice Presi
dent B.W. Rainwater said he
told the county his firm had
decided not to comply with the
installment plan because “the
tax bill does not apply to
utilities.”
“It’s just a difference of
opinion,” he said.
Daniel said all the other
utilities have paid, but Georgia
Power attorneys told him “you
can’t collect any taxes unless
the assessment is made.”
He said the payment due is
one-half Georgia Power’s total
annual bill from last year and
“adjustments are made in the
second installment.”
“The sickening thing is that
residential, commercial and
industrial properties have all
been pretty well assessed at
their market value but utilities
have been getting away with
murder as far as valuations go.
They’re trying two tracks now -
one that they don’t want to pay
like anybody else and the other
on valuations,” he said.