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lA \MblwS ’ H As* B^W4 - ST♦ ♦ ** *3 BhirMMF .nwy 1 BkMIL aS£ DAILY NEWS Daily Since 1872 Taxes won't go up County budget in final stages awaiting scheduled hearing The operational budget for the county’s 1978 fiscal year is finished, requiring only a public hearing before adoption. The public hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 21 at 3:30 p.m. in the county commission office conference room at the Spalding Courthouse. This marks the first year the county has prepared a budget that required a public hearing in accordance with the Federal Revenue Sharing State and Local Assistance Act of 1072 as amended. Having worked on the budget over a period of several months to present during the public meeting, the com missioners announced they were able to keep operational costs of the county down so as not to have to raise taxes. Weather FORECAST FOR GRIFFIN AREA — Showers and scattered thundershowers this afternoon and tonight dimishing Sunday morning. Partial clearing Sunday afternoon. Highs in the low 70s. Lows tonight in the mid 50s. Sights on first place Geese project is part of family’s standard Beth Bums is not the girl with the golden goose, but she is the Griffin High School senior who has geese as her 4-H project. Beth became interested in geese as a 4-H’er in the ninth grade and has been in state competition with her project for 2 years. This year, she hopes to become a state winner. Her 2 older brothers were state winners several years ago. Joe, the oldest, was a winner with a fruit and vegetable project, and Jim was a state achievement winner. The older brothers seem to have set a standard in the family and Beth is trying to meet it. They are the children of Dr. and Mrs. R. E. Burns. She has put a lot of hard work into her project to make it eligible for state competition. Beth currently has a flock of 18 Beth currently has a flock of 18 GRIFFIN Griffin, Ga., 30223, Saturday, October 8, 1977 “The commissioners were able to approve a budget that did not have an increase in taxes and one which would adequately meet the service programs of the county,” said Lewis Leonard, county administrator. The proposed budget for 1978 amounts to $4,299,632 as opposed to the 1977 budget of $3,181,458. The 1978 budget includes a federal grant of $316,000 for the renovation of the courthouse annex (old Grant building) and another $302,328 mental health grant. The actual operational budget that required local revenues totaled $3,586,307 which is a $404,849 increase over last year’s budget. County taxpayers will be paying taxes on a levy of 28.365 mills. Less than half of that will actually go toward county operation'al expenses. Some 17.149 mills have been set by the school board, Griffin Vo-Tech and for school maintenance. The school board and Griffin Vo-Tech under state law set their millage rates. Their annual budgets are not reviewed by the commissioners. The administrative budget showed an increase of $662,327 to $672,774. This reflects an increased budget for the Chinese geese in the backyard of the Buras home on East Mclntosh road. The geese have been in the Burns family for 16 or 17 years. “My parents got the geese because they are decorative,” Beth says. “The hardest part of the project is feeding and watering them and that is easy,” she said. The geese are fed cracked com and scratch feed. During the laying season, the females are: fed laying mash. Beth has made an incubator to help increase the number of hatchings from the geese. The female geese lay about 15 eggs during the laying season, which begins in January. Some of the eggs are allowed to be hatched by the geese and others are placed in the incubator. Beth also has helped to increase the yield by putting the young geese in a regional library from $8,400 to $25,000. The budget also includes contributions to the mental and physical health budget. The general appropriations budget was increased over the 1977 budget of $226,833 to $347,722. This increase is primarily due to the steadily rising costs of providing health insurance and a retirement system for county em ployees. A budget increase for the correc tional institution was from $221,061 to a proposed 1978 budget of $262,451. The increased amount will basically be applied to higher food costs and prisoner care. A minimal portion of the increase will go toward employee salaries. The sheriff’s budget for 1978 amounts to $519,334 as opposed to last year's $486,009. That increase will go primarily toward hiring 2 drug in vestigators. The clerk of court’s 1978 budget showed a decrease from last year’s $121,184 to $83,749. * The superior court budget was in creased to $75,505 as opposed to last year’s $23,422. A proposed $185,439 for CETA over last year’s SB,OOO should not be un- brooder until they are ready to run with the flock. Some of the geese will be sold during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. “It seems that is the season when the demand is highest for geese. We advertise them and people will come out and pick out the ones they want,” she said. “Geese are better watchdogs than our dogs,” Beth said. She said the geese will honk at any disturbance or when anyone enters the yard. “Mother says they even honk when a bird or crow flies over,” she said. Geese may be an unusual project for a 4-H’er, but Beth feels it is the one that is going to make her a state winner. Who knows what the project will be that will get younger brother Bobby, a ninth grader at Spalding Junior High, into state competition? Vol. 105 No. 239 derstood as an increase in the budget for 1978. The increase will be offset by a federal grant which will be used for fulltime employees such as for animal control officers and some secretarial (Continued on page 2) People ...and things Lady driving into service station shortly after 6 a.m. today and asking for oil change for her car. Referees tossing ball around and having their own fun game before Pike County-Harris County game. Young man rushing into post office shortly after the windows closed only to find there’s no way for him to get 13 cent stamp. ■ : .1 : ■■ -- I B . <7 - js| I/f "’7 - * Z’s//-’ , sb ■ ’W-j-k- M&rt’k t w ; - -r.■■ -. - - •*> w ■ 1--- W. > ~ -■**—- ' • - V-- \ -*■**'♦ •* • *» ,u ** *'•' ■ **>■ * vl* '• *“ 4L • • EEmk •• s *;r - ■■ Beth Burns checks her geese each day at feeding time. Gates open Monday The 31st annual Spalding County Fair, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Griffin, will open with exciting en tertainment suited for all tastes on Monday, Oct. 10. During its 6 days of operation, the fair will include such events as livestock •shows, 4-H exhibits, canning contests, crafts competition, needlework con tests, rides, games, and much, much more. This year’s theme is “It’s Your Fair — We’ll See You There,” with Jack Smith serving as the manager. The gates will open on Monday at 5 p.m. Individual exhibits will be judged and the Kiwanis Club and Belle City Amusements will be open. Tuesday is School Day. All students in grades 1 through 12 will be issued an admission ticket at their schools. Poultry and flower judging will take Canal pact Senate panel wants more info WASHINGTON (AP) - With pressure continuing to mount against • the Panama Canal treaty, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is in viting 34 witnesses including military officers, two former secretaries of state and Canal Zone residents to register their views on the pact. Henry A. Kissinger and Dean Rusk, during whose term as secretary of state the treaty negotiations began 13 years ago, will appear toward the close of the week-long hearings on Friday. Both support the treaty. But more than half the witnesses listed by Sen. John Sparkman, D-Ala., committee chairman, are expected to oppose ratification. They include Adm. Thomas Moorer, retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and spokesmen for veterans and conservative groups. President Carter acknowledged on Friday that the canal treaty is in serious trouble in the Senate. He called on Democratic party leaders to help him build support for the ratification vote expected next year. Meanwhile, Gen. Omar Torrijos, Panama’s head of state, said during a visit to Sweden that Senate rejection of the treaty could lead to the closing of the canal. He did not explain how this could occur but, in an apparent attempt to increase world pressure, said the treaty does not concern the United States and Panama alone. “Innocent countries will be suffering if the canal is closed,” Torrijos said. Senate resistance to the treaty centers on apparent differences in the way U.S. and Panamanian officials place on Tuesday at 10 a.m. The gates will open at 1 p.m. and a special feature, the tractor pull, will be held at 7 p.m. The gates will open at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Beef cattle will be judged on Thur sday as the gates open at 5 p.m. and the swine judging will take place at 5:30 p.m. Dairy cattle will be judged at 6:30 p.m. Gate time on Friday is 4 p.m. On Saturday, the last day of the fair, gates will open at 1 p.m. and prizes will be awarded at 11 p.m. Admission to the fair is $1:00 for all over 16 and 50 cents for those 16 and under. Chairmen of the fair events include: Jack Smith, agriculture; Jet Russell, livestock; Bill Wages, poultry and rabbits; Mrs. Gayle Cox, 4-H exhibits and Mrs. Janice Massey, needlework. interpret provisions concerning the ca nal’s security after it is turned over to Panama in the year 2000. One previously announced treaty supporter, Sen. John C. Danforth, R- Mo., said Friday he was reconsidering his position. He told Carter in a letter he had been led to believe the treaty provided for permanent U.S. rights to use and defend the canal. The State Department says the treaty would allow the United States to in tervene militarily if the canal were threatened and also would give U.S. ships priority passage in wartime. But Panamanian officials say the treaty does not provide such guarantees. Carter told the party leaders the United States will have a right after the year 2000 “to ensure that the canal will be open to all commerce and neutrality guaranteed.” But he stopped short of saying this means this country would be able to intervene with military force if it saw a threat to the canal. The Country Parson by Frank ('lark !’ 11' kJ II = ~ “It’s deceitful to be a little bit honest.”