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Grand
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Driver
injured
People
...and things
Cute little girl dressed in Brownie
Scout uniform hiking home from
school, books in pack strapped on her
back.
Man, big and burly, holding frilly
little umbrella over his head this rainy
a.m.
Crews working on Experiment Street
railroad crossing which has been closed
for several days.
More at work
WASHINGTON (UPI) - Unem
ployment declined slightly to 7.8 per
cent in September, the first dip in the
overall jobless rate in four months, the
Labor Department reported today.
However, the number of persons
holding jobs also slipped for the first
time since June, the department said.
The 0.1 per cent drop in September
provided some small comfort to
President Ford in the final weeks of his
election campaign. It was the last
report on joblessness before the Nov. 2
election.
But the job market basically has
remained unchanged over the past
three months, and the recently stong
increase in total employment appeared
to be cooling somewhat. Ford has often
boasted about the 3.7 million people
who have found work since the
recession was at its low point in May,
1875.
Some 7.4 million persons were
unemployed in September, down from
7.5 million in August. This was the first
decline since last May, when
joblessness hit a post-recession low of
GRIFFIN
DAI NEWS
Daily Since 1872
Overcrowded classrooms in the
Griffin-Spalding Schools was a main
concern of the Spalding Superior Court
Grand Jury.
After meeting for four days and in
vestigating county offices and
property, the grand jury returned
presentments yesterday which
recommended that the school board
adopt the recent comprehensive study
of the system, made by the State
Department of Education.
It noted the plan would require a bond
referendum and stated the citizens of
Spalding County should be presented
with concrete solutions to the problems
of the schools by the school board.
Recommendations also were made
that the Spalding Sheriff’s Department
have two men on night patrol instead of
one and that the department have a
matron on duty at night.
Support of the constitutional
amendment No. 11 in the upcoming
Nov. 2 General Election which
The driver of this propane gas truck was taken to the Griffin-Spalding Hospital for treat
ment after the vehicle overturned on the Jackson road late this morning. Firemen and
police rushed to the scene because of the danger of an explosion.
Balloon man
is on target
MCLEAN, Va. (UPI) — A silver and
black helium balloon carrying Edward
Yost is “right on course” near the
midway point in what could be the first
crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in a
balloon.
“It’s gone off perfectly so far,” said
an associate of the 57-year-old Yost,
7.3 per cent.
Unemployment has been increasing
steadily since last May and many
administration economists feared it
might hit 8 per cent in September.
A total of 87.8 million persons were
employed in September, a decline of
160,000 from the previous month. It was
the biggest decline since June.
The total number of persons
available for work also declined
slightly for the first time in four
months. The civilian labor force now
totals 95.2 million persons, down 280,000
from August. It was the biggest decline
since February, 1975.
The decline in total employment
might have been larger had 100,000
striking workers not returned to work
in September —moat of them in the
rubber industry.
Although the number of discouraged
workers — persons no longer looking
for work— also declined, there was a
significant increase of 300,000 in the
number of persons now seeking part
time jobs out of economic necessity.
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Friday Afternoon, October 8,1976
Crowded schools concern committee
establishes minimum requirements
and qualifications for the office of
sheriff was recommended.
The grand jury also endorsed
amendment No. 14 which eliminates the
double majority needed for issuing
revenue bonds for municipal electric
and natural gas systems.
Support was given to the amendment
which requires the licensing of
businesses in unincorporated areas of
Spalding County.
It requested that the proper
authorities continue to look into the
feasibility and desirability of total
consolidation of city and county
governments and at the same time
determine the merit of consolidating
city and county services.
In investigating Probate Judge
George Imes office, the committee
found no fool-proof system of
accounting for cash collected and
recommended county auditors set up
who designs and manufactures hot air
balloons in his Sioux Falls, S.D., fac
tory. “He’s right on the course he
projected.”
Yost’s last reported location was
about 500 miles eastsoutheast of the
southern tip of Greenland Thursday
evening. His stateside crew expected
another report today when he hits the
halfway mark, which is about 1,500
miles into his journey.
“We haven’t had any contact lately,
but we just found out he is in contact
with Shanwick Radio in Ireland,” the
associate, Dick Keuser, said today.
Keuser said Yost is still experiencing
good weather on his solo flight. His
northerly course at about 6,000 feet was
specifically chosen to avoid normal
thunderstorm activity further south at
this time of year.
The Country Parson
by Frank Clark
OKs
Vr't VI Jasas. '•*
“No matter how much time
you kill — it will outlast you.”
safeguards to account for all cash.
The committee noted the accounting
system appeared to be the result of an
oversight following the change from the
fee system to the salary system for the
probate judge.
It asked that the county auditor be
instructed to set up a method of strict
control and accountability for county
funds.
The committee investigating the
office of tax commissioner, Mrs. Ruby
Hill, found taxes still uncollected for
1973 to be $3,382; 1974, $13,296; and 1975,
$51,223.
Four houses were being prepared for
public sale. The report stated the
amount of delinquent taxes and public
sales was normal.
The only problem found in the tax
commissioner’s office concerned
janitorial service. Mrs. Hill took the
committee her complaints about that to
the county commissioners have been to
Children suffered
under HEW foulups
WASHINGTON (UPI) - Nearly 5
million low income children needing
and legally entitled to medical help
were denied it last year because of
federal Medicaid mismanagement,
according to a House subcommittee
report.
It was the second time in recent
weeks a congressional panel has
charged the Department of Health,
Education and Welfare with mism
nagement in the sl6 billion-a-year
federal-state program of medical care
for the needy.
The charges, from both Democrats
and Republicans, generally have gone
unchallenged by the administration.
The new report by a House oversight
and investigations subcommittee said
about 12.9 million needy children under
21 were eligible for medical
examinations and treatment in 1975,
under a law that was to have taken
effect in 1969.
But 10.9 million of the eligible
children were left unexamined and
untreated, the report said.
“The subcommittee finds that
mismanagement by HEW of this
program has caused unnecessary
crippling, retardation, or even death of
thousands of children,” subcommittee
chairman John Moss, D-Calif., said in a
letter to the House Commerce Com
mittee.
The subcommittee report was ap
proved by a 10-1 vote with only Rep.
James Collins, RTex., dissenting.
Under the law, routine Medicaid
health examinations for poor children
up to age 21 and treatment where
necessary were to begin July 1, 1969.
But HEW was up to four years late in
issuing regulations for full im
plementation and has failed to properly
penalize states failing to meet program
requirements, Moss said.
Based on testimony at subcommittee
hearings, the report estimated about 1
million of the unscreened children
would be diagnosed and found to need
treatment for a perceptual deficiency
such as a significant hearing defect.
Ag people got hikes
ATLANTA (UPI) - Over sl.l million
in special raises were granted to 536
university system academic employes
last spring by the state Board of
Regents, it was disclosed Thursday.
The raises, made during a year when
most university system employes
received no pay hikes, went to
professors, research scientists and
county agents at the University of
Georgia College of Agriculture.
Regents finance committee chair
man David Tisinger of Carrollton said
the raises were discussed at a meeting
of the committee in April.
“The matter of giving raises to our
Vol. 104 No. 240
no avail.
A committee investigating the county
courthouse found the roof still leaking
but was assured by County Ad
ministrator Lewis Leonard that
problems with the previous contractor
have been settled and a new contractor
contacted.
It noted new fire extinguishers have
been placed throughout the building but
that no sprinkler system, smoke
detectors or fire alarms have been
installed.
The committee said that even though
Probate Judge George Imes’ office had
cleaned the basement to some extent, it
was still a fire hazard with “bundles of
newspapers, etc. scattered around.”
Installation of additional lighting was
recommended in the basement.
It also was recommended the ther
mostat for the courtroom facilities be
moved to a more accessible place. It
presently is located in Probation
A
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Special delivery
Fred Scott, 14, son of Dr. and Mrs. William Scott, 532 South Hill street, con
centrates on the sidewalk as he takes home a gallon of milk on his unicycle,
people was talked about and discussed
because we had serious salary
discrepancies which causes our
agricultural research and extension
efforts to suffer,” said Tisinger in a
prepared statement.
“Although no formal vote was taken,
as is the general practice at most
committee meetings, I felt there was a
feeling of concensus that the raises
would be handled by insertion of this
amount into the budget in the areas of
agriculture and extension,” he said.
Several of the regents on the finance
committee said they knew nothing
about the raises, and one said the pay
Weather
ESTIMATED HIGH TODAY 77, low
today 67, high yesterday 76, low
yesterday 56, high tomorrow in mid 60s,
low tonight in low 50s.
FORECAST: Occasional rain ending
tonight and turning cooler. Tomorrow,
partial clearing, windy and cooler.
EXTENDED FORECAST: Variable
cloudiness southeast Sunday. Other
wise, mostly fair through Tuesday.
Supervisor Lamar Conner’s third floor
office.
The committee investigating
Superior Court Clerk John Lindsey’s
office recommended microfilm copies
be made of the deed index books there
and that state legislators abolish the
notice of arraignment procedures,
since it serves no useful purpose and is
a waste of time and tax money.
Three former alternates to the
Spalding County Equalization Board
were promoted to serve as members of
the board. They were Robert Dixon,
Jr., Otis Blake, Jr., and Bill Ramsey.
The grand jury appointed three of its
members as alternates. They were
Mrs. W. Z. Martin, Wayne H. Brown
and Emily H. Claxton.
Pay for jurors and bailiffs was left at
sls per day.
Probate Judge George Imes who is
retiring at the end of the year was
commended for his many years of
service.
hikes “were obviously a major shift in
board policy and should have been
considered by all of us.”
The raises were incorporated into the
university system’s budget which was
approved by the board. The budget,
however, did not specifically outline the
raises.
Money for the salary hikes came
from federal funds appropriated an
nually to the agricultural school
because of its land-grant college status.
The raises upped the salaries of the
employes an average of 14.1 per cent