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Jackson Trngress-^rgus J. D. Jones Publisher (1908 1955) Doyle Jones Jr. Editor and Publisher (1955-1975) MRS. MARTHA G. JONES PUBLISHER VINCENT JONES EDITOR Published every Thursday at 129 South Mulberry Street, Jackson, Georgia 30233 by The Progress-Argus Printing Cos., Inc. Second Class Postage paid at Jackson, Georgia 30233. Address notice of undeliverable copies and other correspondence to The Jackson Progress-Argus, P.O. Box 249, Jackson, Georgia 30233. One Year, in Georgia $6.24 Six Months, in Georgia $3.91 Editorials A Welcomed Announcement The half-frozen Jackson popu lace, fatigued from fighting the rigors of the coldest winter in memory, warmly applauded the Thursday news release that property taxes in the City of Jackson were being reduced by 50 percent for calendar year 1976. Using the assessed values from the 1976 Butts County tax digest, the City fathers reduced the millage rate from the 10 mills levied in 1975 to 5 mills for the current digest. Two factors contributed to the tax cut, a rare phenomenon in an age where all of the pressures are upward and it is news indeed when a reduction is announced in the price of anything. The City of Jackson gets a healthy slice from the one cent optional sales tax that has been in effect since April, 1976. Although the collection experience is somewhat limited, it seems safe to assume that the City will derive approximately SIOO,OOO annually from this source. Under the law permitting the levying of the local sales tax, city governments are not required to make a reduction in property taxes until a full year’s experience with collections can clearly define the amount of revenue anticipated. For What Is Man? The movies for years have been trying to frighten our children, and childish adults, with the malarkey that society is threatened by killer bees, mon strous rats, infestations of flies and other insects or rodents that have experienced genetic aberrations that created monstrous threats to mankind. Modern script writers, not familiar with the nation’s agricul tural history, could well have used the boll weevil and the terrible impact it had on a whole region’s economy as a more believable model. Or perhaps they should have looked to the ant and studied his ways. The fire ant, that is. This pesky little critter has infested 150 million acres of land stretching from the South Carolina coast to Texas. And defied every attempt of man to eradicate him. It has been estimated that 150 million dollars has been spent in eradication efforts, but the pesky little red devil keeps working and You Deserve a Pat Today Go ahead. Pat yourself on the back. You deserve it, considering the commendable manner in which you are conducting yourself under one of the most extreme, frustrating and cold winters this section has ever known. Advance Subscription Rates, Tax Included: TELEPHONE 775-3107 OFFICIAL ORGAN BUTTS COUNTY AND CITY OF JACKSON One Year, Out-of-State $7.28 Six Months, Out-of-State $4.16 And, even then, the law requires a reduction in property taxes equal to the amount raised through the special sales tax for one year only. The Jackson city fathers, aware of the sales tax funds being held in escrow, decided to share the wealth with the taxpayers and reduce property taxes immediately based on anticipated revenue from the sales tax source. Of equal importance is the incontestable fact that the City’s affairs are in capable hands, that from Mayor C. B. Brown, Jr. to the last employee, there is a spirit of dedication and a careful shepherd ing of the taxpayer’s dollar. The operating efficiencies that result in tax cuts don’t spring into being automatically; they reflect intelligent, careful planning, judicious use of manpower and a total dedication to the principle that the government which governs the best often taxes the least--a principle rejected by most agen cies of government nowadays, which seem to believe that high taxes and poor service is what the taxpaying public deserves. So, we tip the Argus fedora to the administration of the City of Jackson and its staff for a job well done. stinging his way across the Southland. Although their stings are not lethal, they can be terribly painful and, in those people allergic to the sting, can cause serious reactions leading to nausea, breathing difficulties or even shock. Harvesters have the chief difficulty with the fire ants, mowing over their one-to-two-foot high mounds and bringing the wrath of the tribe down upon them and anyone or anything else in the area. Livestock, particularly the newly born, can conceiveably be killed by the numerous stings inflicted upon them. Mirex, once thought to be the ideal control agent, has been all but ruled out since it was found to produce cancer in mice. Besides such an energetic foe, puny man stands almost helpless. Maybe the script writers should concentrate on the fire ants as the eventual taker-over of the earth. At least, it would be more realistic and prophetically it would seem to be more infallible. Inspired by the exhausting schedule and personal sacrifice of the Mayor, you each have responded admirably, doing every thing requested of you to preserve a preciously small amount of natural gas, in order that the the JACKSON PROGRESS-ARGUS, JACKSON, GEORGIA The Last Straw BY VINCENT IONES As voices were lifted Sunday in the singing of that grand old hymn of the church, “Nearer, My God, To Thee." one could not help but recall the accounts of the hymn being played by the ship's orchestra as the unsinkable, Titanic slid be neath the waves of the frigid North Atlantic almost 65 years ago. It was said to have been a night of a thousand stars. The great ship, Titanic, racing for a record-breaking time in crossing the Atlantic had taken the shortest route, dangerously close to the iceberg-infested North At lantic. At 11:20 p.m., on April 14, 1912, a shudder ran through the ship as a monstrous iceberg, barely visible above the water, had torn a jagged hole the length of the hull below the water line. The engines stopped and passengers, peering from their port holes, saw the hulk of the iceberg disappearing into the darkness. A few on deck are showered by ice particles and joked about how convenient it was to pick ice from the deck to refresh tlieir drinks. Word is passed that the ship miraculously only grazed the iceberg, that there is no danger as the Titanic was designed to be the first unsinkable ship to ever sail the seas. Within five minutes, the engines start, sputter, and stop. The ship’s deep fog horns bellow into the dark ness, and passengers wonder why they should sound when there is no fog. The sea is as smooth as a backyard fish pond. The night is clear, cold and lit now' only by the stars. The first hint of disaster comes from the bridge where the captain, his voice booming through a mega phone. orders lifeboats to be lowered, and women and children only to be placed in them. Life preservers are passed out and the passengers told how to use them. There have been no boat drills, because on an unsinkable ship it w'ould be ridiculous to hold one. And, too, it might upset the passengers. Officers seize the women passengers, tear them from their husband’s grasp, and force them into the lifeboats. The officers know how precious little time is left. Struggling children, half awake, are placed in the bouts with their mothers. Soon, left on the deck is a handful of the world’s richest and most influential men. John Jacob Astor, Isador Straus, Benjamin Guggen heim, George Widener, Charles M. Hays and over 1,500 others who had not attained such financial or social positions, and would never have the opportunity. Mrs. Isador Straus refuses to get into the lifeboat, saying that she will not leave her husband after all these years. He implores her to save herself but to no avail. Instead, she takes her fine fur coat and places it around a mother and her sleeping child. On the tilting deck, the ship’s orchestra begins to play “Nearer, My God, To Thee.” The 1,500 doomed men, and the few women, pick up the strain and lift their voices to Heaven as the icy waters wash across the deck. The ships boilers burst with a tremendous explosion, and the great ship begins its long glide down into the icy depths. The dead and the dying struggle in the Stygian darkness. Hearing the distress signal, the Carpathia turned from its course many miles homes of the sick, elderly and young could remain reasonably warm. Good towns are made up of good leaders and good followers. One is not more important than the -v ia Cl 1 T * /w ' A Stroll Down Memory Lane News of to Years Ago Butts County Sheriff J. D. (Bud> Pope reports two stills destroyed during the week, one off Hall’s Bridge Road behind the old Greer home and the other, with a capacity of 2,500 gallons, in West Butts. Jimmy Earnhart, chair man of the road block for the March of Dimes campaign, reports that $525.27 was collected Sunday for the program. Martha King, a representa tive of the Combined Insur ance Company of America, has won a valuable prize in a contest sponsored by her company. She will get to play Santa Claus and deliver food and gifts to a deprived child in the Jackson area. Tom Webb, Walter Car michael and Byrd Garland, with the National Guard unit, lei l last week for basic training at Fort Benning. Miss Renee Robertson celebrated her fifth birthday with a supper at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Robertson, with about 25 ol her friends sharing the occasion with her. Deaths during the week: George Daniel, 80; John Benjamin Adams, 58. News of 20 Years Ago A contract for paving 4.635 miles on the Dodson Road, beginning at Union Ridge Church extending to State Route 87 in Flovilla, is expected to be let soon. Mrs. D. P. Settle of Jackson "adopted” Baik Shin Suk. a 10-year-old Korean girl, according to an announcement from Foster Parents' Plan, Inc., of New York City. The recently-organized Club Scout Pack will hold their first pack meeting at the Jackson Presbyterian Church on Monday. Rev. Wade H. Bell, Jr. is institutional representative, Vincent Jones is chairman of the pack committee and Milton Daniel is Cubmaster. Quimbv Melton, Sr., pub lisher of the Griffin Daily News, will address the Methodist Men’s Club of the Jackson Methodist Church on Thursday. The Jackson Kiwanis Club celebrated its 35th anni versary with a gala ladies night meeting, at which the Rev. Frank Prince, pastor of the Covington Methodist Church, was the guest speaker. With Mrs. W. P. Brooks presiding, the Liberty W.M.S. met at the home of Mrs. J.M. Washington with eleven members present. away and steamed to the rescue. It picked up hundreds from the lifeboats but death came quickly to those who were hurled or jumped into the sea. So the next time you hear this hymn, perhaps you too shall think of Mr. and Mrs. Isador Straus whose mar riage was so strong that they could hold hands and smile as the fog lifted in their throat and the salt spray slacked their thirst for life forevermore. They were born with too much money, but they left a deathless legacy for all of us on how to love and how to die. other, as both are required if the job is to get done. So, good leader and good followers, pat yourself on the back and be thankful that in the City of Jackson we still have both. THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 1977 News of 30 Years Ago The Lloyd Shoals power plant reported rainfall for January’s first 19 days measured over seven inches, two inches more than normal for the whole month. Mrs. Mike Allen, chair man, reported that Christ mas Seals sales in 1946 were $521.00, as compared to $352.00 in 1945. Certificates of Honor were presented six active charter members of the Jackson Kiwanis Club Tuesday night upon completing 25 years in Kiwanis. They were Byrd O'Neal, Elwood Robison, Park Newton, Harkness Thornton, David Settle and Doyle Jones, Sr. Jackson and Spalding split a basketball double-header Friday night in Griffin, the Jackson girls winning 25-17 and the Spalding boys winning on a forfeit when the Jackson team left the floor in the third quarter after protesting the rough play of the host team. Loretta Finney has been elected captain and Virginia Waits co-captain of the Jackson High girl’s basket ball team for the remainder ol the season. The Towaliga WMS met at the home of Mrs. Troy Pelt with Mrs. B. B. Campbell presenting the program. News of 40 Years Ago Butts County schools, both city and county, resumed work Monday after being closed last week due to the inclement weather and im passable roads. Butts Countians have raised S3OO on a quota of SIOO to provide flood relief through the Red Cross to victims in Louisville, Cincin nati and other cities that have suffered extensive flood damage. Indian Springs State Park lei all state parks in visitors last year, having over 250,000 guests. Vogel State Park was second. Butts County had ginned 4.238 bales of cotton prior to January 16th, 1,044 bales less than the 5.282 bales at the same time last year. Miss Elise Barnes, daugh ter of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Barnes and a senior at Bessie Tift College, has made the Dean's list for the fall semester. At a shooting fray Wednes day night near the depot, Eddie Lee Taylor was seriously wounded and Ar thur (Son Tank) Cook is being sought by officers in connection with the affair. The victim is not expected to recover. Deaths during the week: Mrs. R. A. Thaxton, 66; Glenn Barnett Carreker, 46. News of 50 Years Ago The Citizens Bank of I .ocusl Grove and the Bank of Locust Grove have been consolidated under the name of the Bank of Locust Grove. M iss Beverly Wheatcroft, ot the Georgia Library Commission office, has been in Jackson helping index and catalogue the books in the llawkes Library. Opened 18 months ago, the Jackson Library now has about 1,800 books. The chairman of the State Highway Department, Hon. \hmm By Mrs. Cindy Brown MY "SECOND"FATHER I had such a good response to the column I wrote about my mother-in-law a few weeks ago, that I decided to write a second column about her “other half”, my father-in-law. Generally speaking, not too much is said about fathers in-law. I really can’t under stand why this is so, especially as they are a good part of today’s society. My own father-in-law is a caring, honest man who has meant a lot to me. His legal name is Hugh Brown; my name for him is simply “Dear”: a name he should daily be called by because of his honesty and caring. Hugh Brown is not a man of many words, but he IS a man of high ideals and down-to earth opinions. His herd of grandsons appreciate and love him very much and I am sure that their feelings will deepen as they grow older and more mature; it will probably be at that time that they really learn to appre ciate their grandfather for the life he lives and his humanitarian philosophies. Never once in all the time Bennie and I have been married, has “Daddy Brown” spoken ill to me or of me, to the best of my knowledge. I truthfully be lieve that if I were to call him and tell him I needed a million dollars within the tfrlfa/EdctM/ The Georgia Department of Transportation is asking all of us to get out and pick up some trash this month to beautify the state’s high ways. Doing this will not only improve the view at the roadside; it could save taxpayers some money. The DOT spends more than $2 million a year just to pick up the garbage beside the highways. Trucks with clean up crews travel around the state at a cost of about S2O an hour, working on the more than 200.000 cubic yards of bottles, cans and paper covering the landscape. The state spent $300,000 last year just to empty the trash .John D. Holder, has assured a delegation of local citizens that the state is ready to cooperate with Butts County in paving the Jackson-Indian Springs highway. The Butts County Educa tion Association will hold its next meeting at the Pepper ton school. Mrs. R. I. Knox, Mrs. R. W. Mays and Miss Eloise Beauchamp will be in charge of the program. Under the direction of Mr. A E. Wright, of Orchard Hill, the Jackson Hatchery began operations on Wednesday for another year. Deaths during the week: Mrs. Ghittie Cook, 79; Mrs. C. L. Redman; James D. Moss. 61. ruth at random By Ruth Bryant CHESTER’S HILL A carpet of brown sage is spread on the hill A curtain of post oaks is hung from the sky, A huge maple tree is standing alone ‘Mid sunshine and rain and clouds passing by! The morning is young and sunlight is new As pausing in reverence “both you and I,” Thank God for his beauty On earth and on high! hour or a ticket to Australia, he would make every effort to help me. Fortunately, my requests thus far have not been that extreme, but I know that if a time should come when I need help, even as extreme as that mention ed, Hugh Brown would come through. My father-in-law enjoys the simpler things of life - he is not a demanding person. I think he’s probably happiest when he can be outside, alone or with company, enjoying the beauty of nature. I have heard Hugh Brown tell hunting and fishing stories, which could delight even the MOST indoorsy person. Furthermore, “Daddy Brown” is a gallant person. His manners and demeanor are delightful. I have never been around him when I felt less honored than a Queen. I guess the best way to explain what I mean, is simply to say that Hugh Brown is a “Southern Gentleman” in the truest sense of that old description. By now, the reader may be wondering if the man described has any faults at all! Of course he does - he’s only human like the rest of us: He gets a little tired and cranky at times. Don’t we all? However, if there were such a thing as an Oscar for Fathers-in-law, I imagine he would win hands down, at least in my book. I am one lucky daughter-in-law. barrels; while many persons use them as they should, others use them as dumps for their home garbage. Littering is a misdemean or; those found guilty may be fined up to SIOO and forced to clean up the area they defaced. It is time to see that the law is enforced. Roadside trash won’t go away. While paper products may event ually dissolve, the ever present items made of plastic (such as styrofoam), glass and aluminum will stay there forever or until picked up, whichever comes first. Saturday, Jan. 29, is a big cleanup day sponsored by the DOT. A lot of organizations will be participating, but everyone should join in. Find an eyesore corner in your neighborhood and go clean it up. If enough people do this, it will give Georgians something new to be proud of in a state that’s already beautiful. And remember; cleaning up the roadsides is not a one-day affair. It is a year round business. Clean ing up one day won’t save much tax money, but continuous work at the problem will. Cary Patrick Ga. Dept, of Transportation Good order is the foun dation of all things. Edmund Burke