Newspaper Page Text
I
N-power
good
or bad?
F "j
Kim Conkle one of the best sewers at Bleachery.
Kim
Faith and hope have special
meanings for Kim Phan Thi Conkle.
She clings to the belief that her family
is all right in Saigon, now that the
communists have taken over that South
Vietnam City.
Her thoughts of them often link her
with her home in Griffin and that in
ternationally famous city.
She met and married Joe Conkle of
Griffin while he was an American GI
, serving in Vietnam.
r They were married April 28,1973, in
Saigon. A couple of months later, the
couple came to America.
With a cease fire in effect then and
[ peace negotiations under way, Kim felt
a true peace for her native land was in
sight as she left for the United States.
The Country Parson
“I wonder what today’s
youngsters will tell their
grandchildren about the good
old days?”
IXAIIA
Daily Since 1872
Special faith and hope
She and her husband came to Griffin
where she entered training for end
hemming at Dundee’s Lowell
Bleachery.
Her teachers said she demonstrated
an exceptional learning ability. Her
weekly progress reports carried
ratings of excellent for 16 of her 18
week-training period. The other two
weeks had good ratings.
She now rates as one of the out
standing sewing machine operators at
the Bleachery.
Freddie Chappell, her department
overseer, says, “Kim Conkle has never
had a towel she has sewn returned to
her for having a bad hem. That is most
unusual in the light of the vast number
of towels that each operator sews on a
American Mills sends
clothing to Guatemala
Griffin’s Division of American Mills
is making something good come out of
bankruptcy.
They donated 4,000-dozen infants’
garments to help the earthquake
victims in Guatemala.
The clothing had been ordered by the
W. T. Grant Co. and was ready to be
shipped when Grant’s declared
bankruptcy. The garments were first
quality and had been made to Grant’s
specifications.
American Mills was left holding the
ATLANTA (UPI) - Industry
advocates extolled the safety and
economy of nuclear power Tuesday as a
church group prepared to call for its
abolition.
Paul Turner, vice president of the
Atomic Industrial Forum, cited a
resolution being considered by the
governing board of the National Council
of Churches as an example of
unwarranted criticism which ignored
the facts.
The NCC, meeting in Atlanta at the
same time as the AIF, will vote
Thursday on a resolution calling for a
moratorium on the use of plutonium as
an energy source, labelling it a
potential hazard to mankind.
“The nuclear controversy has
evolved from a few dissident scientists
to a cohesive, well organized movement
under effective leadership,” Turner
said.
“Having overcome assaults on its
technical and scientific merits, nuclear
GRIFFIN
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Wednesday Afternoon, March 3,1976
day-to-day basis.”
She enjoys her life in Griffin and has
faith and tremendous hope that her
family is well and happy in Saigon.
She has not heard from them for a
long time.
Her father is a barber and her mother
is a housekeeper.
She has a brother and sister.
With the rest of her family on the
other side of the world, Kim has to jump
mentally over the international
dateline when she thinks of them.
When she retires at night in Griffin,
her family in Saigon is getting up to
begin a day.
The 25-year-old transplanted Grif
finite finds herself frequently jumping
that dateline in her mind’s eye.
merchandise and decided to donate it to
the Guatemalans. They worked through
the Guatemalan Council office in
Atlanta.
That office notified the Griffin mill
Monday that the Atlanta Skylarks, a
travel co-op, would donate its Boeing
720 four-engine jet and a crew to fly the
merchandise to the stricken country.
The plant left at 7:30 this morning
with the 6,000 pounds of garments and
medical supplies and tools which had
been donated by other businesses.
power is now engaged in a fight for its
politicl survival.”
The continuation of modern
civilization is closely linked to the
survival of nuclear energy, he added,
because “nuclear power must play a
vital role in helping to close the gap
between rising energy demand and the
declining production of fossil fuels.”
At a briefing for the news media,
energy specialists responded to many
of the most prevalent criticisms
levelled at nuclear power.
E. Linn Draper Jr., director of the
University of Texas’ nuclear reactor
laboratory, said a lengthy study by the
old Atomic Energy Commission
indicated the potential public hazard of
nuclear power plants was minimal.
“The study shows with 100 plants in
operation (there are now 59) you could
expect an accident to kill 1,000 people
once in a million years — which is also
the statistical probability of 1,000
people being killed by a meteorite,”
NEWS
Power rate hike
may hit Griffin
City of Griffin electric customers
face a sharp increase in electric rates
and there’s nothing the city fathers can
do about it. The increase may be as
high as 20 percent.
The Georgia Power Co. has asked the
Federal Power Commission to approve
a $25.6-million wholesale rate increase
for its 50 municipal customers. The
wholesale rate hike would amount to
some 34 percent but would be passed on
to Griffin customers at approximately
20 percent.
Mayor Louis Goldstein explained the
city does not intend to go up to the
wholesale rate -and the increases to
individual customers would be only
what is necessary to meet the city’s
increased costs, x.
“The Georgia Power increase is a
serious thing and there’s not a thing the
commissioners can do. The increases
are beyond control of the city,” he said.
City Manager Roy Inman com
mented that the increases are an in
centive for cities to get into the
Municipal Electrical Authority of
Georgia (MEAG), an organization
whereby cities could purchase stock in
generating plants and thereby obtain
lower rates for their users.
“In light of the prospective Georgia
Power increases, if there ever was a
time to join MEAG, the time is now,” he
said.
The increases could be delayed as
long as five months, but may go into
effect within days after the request is
People
—and things
Crimson cardinal perched brilliantly
on fence just outside town.
Man in line at Courthouse waiting to
buy car tag tells others he has lived
both places and likes Griffin better than
Thomaston.
Stores report brisk sale of yard and
garden tools and supplies.
A former Griffinite, Hamp Vason, is
general manager of the Atlanta
Skylarks and was to make the trip. This
afternoon he was slated to present the
gifts to the wife of the Guatemalan
president in ceremonies there.
Other airlines said they would furnish
gas for the flight.
Al Thrasher of American Mills was
invited to make the trip but had to turn
it down since he had not had the
necessary shots.
Draper said. “Basically, then, the
accidental death risk is far less from
nuclear power than from most
manmade or natural disasters.”
E.R. Johnsen, president of E.R.
Johnson Associates, Inc., and an
authority on disposal of nuclear waste
materials, said some of the most
misleading criticism involved the
transport and disposal of radioactive
materials.
“There has been an excellent safety
record in the handling of military
material and we draw heavily on that 30
years of experience,” Johnson said. “I
would say the transport of spent fuel
and nuclear waste is clearly a minimal
risk. There is simply no reason for
concern on that.”
He said the special lead shipping
casks used to move materials by truck
or rail had passed a variety of
strenuous tests, including being
dropped 2,000 feet from a helicopter
(Continued on page 3.)
Vol. 104 No. 53
Also in
this story:
—City to get tough on dune buggies.
—Police crack down on golf course
trespassing.
—Commissioners push Eighth street
grade crossing.
—Vandals attack street lights.
—City studies request to reopen Sixth
Street Recreation Center.
made.
The city will strictly enforce city
ordinances concerning dune buggy and
motorcycle racing at the Griffin airport
and harrassment of golfers at the city’s
golf course.
City Manager Inman told the com
missioners during their morning
meeting yesterday that the airport
property is being used as a raceway by
trail bikes, motorcycles, dune buggies
and “you name it”.
Since the area is for airplane usage,
not only is the racing a danger, but it
will cause erosion, Inman said.
A couple of weeks ago police were
called and found 65 youngsters racing
in all kinds of gear. One had lost control
of a dune buggy and had suffered a
broken leg and other serious injuries.
The commissioners agreed to ask
police to patrol the area and to make
cases against all offenders.
In a special called session, the
commission also voted to direct Public
Safety Director Leonard Pitts to begin
a police crackdown on trespassers on
the Municipal Golf Course at City Park.
Commissioner Preston Bunn told of
several incidents that recently hap
pened at the course, including the use of
profanity and threats on a life by an
irate player, harrassment of women
and other golfers, stealing balls, and
general trespassing.
“There’s danger and tension out
there. We’ve got to get it under control
and stop it. People are not going to pay
their money to play golf and be
harassed. It’s our responsibility to get
it cleaned up,” he said.
On a motion by Commissioner Bunn
and seconded by Commissioner
Raymond Head, the commission voted
to pursue the Eighth street railroad
crossing this year.
Mayor Louis Goldstein said he thinks
the crossing is an “absolute must” to
help the downtown area.
“We must do everything we can to
keep downtown property values up. It’s
necessary to open the town that way
especially because of the new Post
Office and mental health facility which
will be located in the old Post Office
building,” he said.
Shoal Creek property owners can
either pay the difference in the cost of
the city’s cheaper street light fixtures
and the more expensive ones presently
located there, or the city can install the
cheaper one there like those used
(Continued on page 3.)
: V J
Weather
ESTIMATED HIGH TODAY 79, low
today 58, high yesterday 81, low
yesterday 49, high tomorrow near 80,
low tonight in mid 50s.
EXTENDED FORECAST: Chance of
rain northwest Friday. West and north
sections Saturday and statewide
Sunday. Turning a bit cooler Sunday.
News
summary
By United Press International
Jackson, Ford
President Ford and Sen. Henry
Jackson won the Massachusetts
primary in their respective parties, and
in Vermont the President also won
handily, but Jimmy Carter took top
votes for the Democrats.
The Vermont primary was merely for
presidential preference, but the
Massachusetts race involved delegates.
Birch Bayh, third from the bottom of
the list of Democrats in the
Massachusetts vote, said he would
reassess his campaign. It was
conjectured he would quit.
Bailey mistake
SAN FRANCISCO (UPI) - Attorney
F. Lee Bailey conceded he made an
error when he requested a special
hearing today on the admissibility of
evidence seized at the last hideout of
the Symbionese Liberation Army.
He told Judge Oliver J. Carter he did
not know federal agents had carried on
a 30-hour surveillance when he signed a
stipulation allowing the evidence to be
used by the prosecution at Patricia
Hearst’s bank robbery trial.
Bodies found
COLUMBIA, N.C. (UPI) — The
bodies of five persons—a woman about
50, a girl about 18 and boys 16,10 and 6
were discovered Tuesday after a forest
ranger was sent to fight a brush fire in a
stand of reseeded pine trees and found
the first two.
The unidentified bodies were soaked
with gasoline and were smoldering in a
freshly dug grave and have been sent to
the state medical examiners office in
Chapel Hill for autopsies.
Pancake winner
LIBERAL, Kan. (UPI) — Sheila
Turner,22, is now a two-time winner of
the annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake
Race. For the second year in a row she
took the honors by beating the winner of
the Olney, England competition.
In her first effort she set a world
record of 58.5 seconds over the S
shaped, 415-yard course. This year she
was a little slower, it took her 59.7
seconds, beating the Olney winner,
Susan Hiller, by 1.3 seconds.
Hopes dashed
BELFAST, Northern Ireland (UPI)
— Hopes for a coalition government of
Protestants and minority Roman
Catholics apparently has failed and
threatens to rekindle sectarian violence
in Northern Ireland.
“It looks as if direct rule (from
London) will continue for some time to
come,” Northern Ireland Secretary
Merlyn Rees said Tuesday.