Newspaper Page Text
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Editorial
COMMENTS
Covington Gas, Electric Issue
A business must spend money to muke money.
The operation of the gas, electric, and water sys
tems of Covington is a big business. The operat
ion of the water system at best is a break-even
proposition. Operation of the gas and electric
systems is a different story.
The gas and electric systems of the City are the
money making departments. Anytime these two
systems are expanded, the cost of the expansion
is paid off with money earned through the additional
service made possible by the expansion.
On December 6, 1967, the registered voters of
Covington will cast their ballots on a proposal
for the City to issue $1,000,000 worth of Gas and
Electric Revenue Certificates. Wow! That sounds
like a lot of money. It is a lot of money and, where
is it coming from?
It will not come from tax money and there will
be no tax increase to pay off revenue certificates.
Only bonds are paid off with tax money and when
you go to the polls to vote you will not be voting
on a bond issue. You will be voting on the issuing
of revenue certificates to repair and expand the
electric and gas systems of the City of Coving
ton.
These revenue certificates^ if the issue passes,
will be sold to the bidder giving the lowest rate
of interest to the City. These certificates will be
paid off solely from money produced by the gas
and electric systems, over a penon oi years. By
law, no tax money can be used to pay off revenue
certificates.
The City of Covington has outgrown its present
gas and electric systems and desperately needs the
funds that this revenue certificate issue can provide
How long has it been since you saw a silver
dollar? Or even a fifty-cent piece?
Well, there is a reason you haven’t seen a sil
ver dollar for a long time. As of July 21 of this
year the metal content of a silver dollar was worth
about $1.61. Os course the Treasury Depart
ment has a ban on melting of US coins. The
maximum fine is SIO,OOO and a prison term of
five years. But at those prices it would be a
naive native who believes that a lot of silver
dollars haven’t overheated and become syrupy by
accident or otherwise.
So, there is to be a new and less messy met
hod of turning a profit on silver dollars. They’re
going to be traded on the New York Mercantile
Exchange. Starting now you can contract to de
liver 1,000 coins in a single canvas money bag.
They may ne the so-called Morgan dollars, minted
from 1878 to 1904, or the Peace dollars, issued
from 1921 to 1936. No silver dollars have been
minted since 1936. You won’t really have to appear
lugging a canvas money bag filled with a thousand
cartwheels. Change of ownership will be shown
by transfer of depository receipts issued by banks
in which the coins are deposited.
The silver shortage which government spokes
men were assuring us would never come to
pass is now a nightmare for citizen and mer-
You have probably seen some of the ads warning
car owners to "Remove Your Key — Lock Your
Car.” Perhaps you gave a quick glance and hur
ried on.
We want to add a few words to the message con
tained in those advertisements, covering some
points that you may not realize when you walk
away from your car leaving it unlocked with the
keys at the ready. In case you want some specifics
on the prevalence of this practice, 59 percent of
all the cars stolen during the past six years were
left by their owners ready to roll.
This is an important reason why auto theft is
now the nation’s second most costly crime, one that
takes a half-billion dollars out of people’s pockets
every year. (Burglary is number one). And it
might be mentioned that auto theft losses don’t
come out of the other fellow’s pocket, nor do they
come out of the insurance companies’ coffers.
They are paid by everyone who owns a car and
pays insurance on it. That means you.
The careless or stupid driver who leaves his
car unlocked with the key in the ignition is, to all
intents and purposes, an accomplice in crime and
in some states this is recognized. However, this
The greatest business in the world is the U. S.
government. The voters of the United States hire
managers for this business—the President and
members of Congress. They and officials appoint
ed by them in the cabinet, bureaus, boards and
commissions regulate and control virtually all
industry and activity financed and operated by the
private citizen and taxpayer, and yet they have no
financial stake in what they regulate.
Many of the official managers are conscientious
and competent, but the variety of complex mat
ters they are charged with overseeing is often
beyond their comprehension. Worse yet, some of the
official regulators and managers directing the
affairs of an industry have little or no practical
experience or knowledge of that industry. Over
the years, the managers of the people’s govern-
THE COVINGTON NEWS
1118-1122 PACE STREET. N.E., COVINGTON GA. 30209
MABEL SESSIONS DENNIS
Editor ond Publi*h»r
LEO S. MALLARD
A**i*t«nt to Publisher
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF
NEWTON COUNTY
AND THE
CITY OF COVINGTON
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(Best Coverage: News, Pictures, and Features)
to expand the present facilities to serve our growing
city.
Covington’s electric system is presently op
erating at maximum capacity and it is expected to
double within six years. This system must be im
proved and expanded if it is to give efficient elec
tric service to this city.
Covington’s voltage is presently regulated by the
Georgia Power Company. The construction of a new
regulator station within the city would make possible
the regulating of our own voltage and would, in turn,
prevent the periodic occurrences of high and low
voltage now being evidenced throughout the city.
Increased demands on Covington’s natural gas
system and recent engineering reports indicate
the urgent need for rebuilding the City’s natural gas
regulator station at Walnut Grove. Engineering
reports also stress the extreme importance of a new
natural gas supply main from Walnut Grove
regulator station to the City of Covington. These
recommended improvements are classified as ne
cessities to the future well being of Covington’s
natural gas system.
Only you as a voter can help pass this gas and
electric revenue certificate issue of $1,000,000.
Your vote for this "issue” is good, sound business
for your city. The passage of this issue is vital
if your city is to offer the gas and electric service
that you as a citizen demand.
This newspaper endorses the passage of this
$1,000,000 revenue certificate issue and urges
you as a voter to vote "FOR” its passage. We
urge you to vote your conviction in the Mayor
and Council race, but vote "For” progress and
better gas and electric service for the City of
Covington.
chant. Manufacturers of silver-bearing products,
tableware and film are faced with an increase
of more than 40 percent in the cost of silver.
The housewife is faced with Washington’s tender
reassurance that there will be no coin shortage
because there is 8.5 billion of nickel and copper
coins in circulation. Very quickly now some
body is going to start manufacturing a special
harness for the housewife to don when she goes
shopping so that she can tote a handbag filled
with 19 pounds of nickels and pennies without
wrenching her back. And in theory, the vaults of
authorized banks will be piled high with canvas
money bags containing a tidy 1,000 cartwheels
each.
Meantime, the money managers are feverishly
trying to work out a new international currency
and the US delegation headed for Europe telling
all who would hear that what was really needed
was "paper gold.” That’s what they said, "paper
gold.”
Why not cellophane gentlemen? It’s lighter,
more durable, cleaner than paper, and we all can
see through it anyway.
Oh yes, and the space for the amount leave
that blank. It can be filled in when Big Brother
announces the figure each morning on the White
House hot line.
action becomes all the more reprehensible in the
light of car theft statistics which show that 64
percent of all those arrested for stealing cars are
under 18 years of age. Thus it would seem that
the people who leave their cars ready to go are
also contributing to the delinquency of minors.
To many teenagers cars are almost irresistible
and it is obvious that an unlocked, untended car,
particularly a sleek, racy model, presents a tre
mendous temptation in this permissive age.
Nor does it all end there. Criminologists point
out that car theft starts many youngsters on what
used to be called the "downward path.” Certainly
it gives them a record that can prove a tremendous
handicap as long as they live. But there is more.
According to the Justice Department in Washing
ton, more than 90,000 of the 550,000 vehicles sto
len last year were involved in accidents. Another
grim note-. 15,000 of those cars caused personal
injury to one or more persons.
It’s something to think about the next time you
slip out from behind the wheel. The unauthorized
hand that turns the key you leave in the ignition
could become involved in a fearsome tragedy.
And you, of course, would be a party to it.
ment have mortgaged the people’s property with
the greatest dJbt in the world’s history and are
forcing their employers (the taxpayers) to carry
ever more burdensome and destructive tax obli
gations. Adding insult to injury, they do not hesitate
to tell their employers (the taxpayers) how to run
their properties.
Why shouldn’t our public employees have their
efficiency and spending checked by independent
agencies? There will be no relief for the taxpayer
if the tax spenders are left to check on themselves.
This is something to consider before we face a
S3OO billion annual budget The alternative is to
awake one day and find that our hired managers
have not only made off with our savings but also
the threadbare sock in which we had them hidden.
MARY SESSIONS MALLARD
Aoocioto Editor
LEO MALLARD
Advertising Manager
Entered at the Po*t Office
at Covington Georgia, as
mail matter of the Second
Class.
OUR WEEKLY LESSON FOR/
Sunday School g
WHAT GOD REQUIRES OF MAN
Devotional Reading: James
1:22-27.
Memory Selection: He has
showed you, O man what is good;
and what does the Lord require
of you but to do justly, and to
love mercy, and to walk hum
bly with your God. Micah 6:3.
Intermediate - Senior Topic:
What Does God Require of Me?
Young People - Adult Topic:
What God Requires of Man.
We are now to have two les
sons from the prophet Micah,
and there is also a short por
tion from this prophet in the
Christmas lesson of December.
Micah was a native of More
sheth, a town on the Philistine
border of Judah. The place
survives and is known today as
Marissa. Throughout the cen
turies it has remained a small
town or village.
In the first verse of his book
Micah says that he prophesied
during the reigns of three kings
of Judah, namely, Jotham, Ahaz,
and Hezekiah. Jeremiah con
firms his prophecy during the
latter reign and quotes Micah
as saying that Jerusalem would
be plowed like a field (Jer. 26:
18).
Ahaz was a wicked king who
reigned between two good kings,
so the prophet Micah could ob
serve for himself the effect of
good and evil rulers and apos
tasy and restitution.
The date of the prophecy of
Micah falls in the second half
of the eighth century B. C. He
began as Hosea ended his prop
hetic ministry, and was a con
temporary of Isaiah. In essence
Micah was bringing the same pro
phetic message in his smalltown
that Isaiah brought in Jerusalem
and Hosea in Israel.
In the first two verses of ch
apter 4 Micah prophesies of the
eventual universal extent of God’s
kingdom. We should remind our
selves that in a sense this has
come true in our own generation,
nearly three thousand years after
Micah. The Church of Jesus Ch
rist has in the last few years pen
etrated to every country of the
world.
The name Micah means “who
• *
Layona Glenn
M Says . . .
We call ourselves a Christian
Nation, and send Missionaries out
to other peoples not withstanding
the mess we make of our own go
vernment; and we wonder what Is
ahead of us, and what we should
do to meet it. If we turn to the
Bible, and n Chron. 7:14 we can
find the answer; as God through
High prophet gave it to Soloman
when he asked for guidance:
“If my people, who are called
by my name, shall humble them
selves, and pray and seek my
face, and turn from their wicked
ways; THEN will I hear from hea
ven and will forgive their sin, and
will heal their land. . .But, if ye
turn away, and forsake my statu
tes and my commandments, which
I have set before you, and go and
serve other gods, and worship
them, will I pluck them up by the
roots out of my land which I
have given them.”
As a place of refuge God gave
to our forefathers this great land,
which we proudly call "The land
of the free, and the home of the
brave,” and they laid the foundat
ions of our nation on their faith
r 'Rqwi J
The PTA can never be con
tent with the status quo, in this
world of ours today. No mat
ter how full and satisfying our
lives may be, we must work for
richer, fuller, and more satis
fying lives for all children. The
PTA’s concerns Its self with
future generations as well as
the present. Therefore, it im
pels us to take risks, but with
knowledge and preparation, with
courage and persistence.
One way our present and fu
ture generation can be helped
Is to educate and help parents,
teachers and other Interested
persons to gain knowledge of the
child - his growth and develop
ment. Growth and development
morally and spiritually as well
as physically. These develop
ments generally recognized as
necessary to human well-being.
The absorption of spiritual gra
ces and moral values begin at a
very early age. So early an age
that the child himself is unaware
of it - hence the significance and
importance that parents and home
have in the life of each child.
The school, church, and the com
munity also are very closely re
lated influences. All four share
responsibility tn that they are
integral sources of the child’s
education.
This brings me to the impor
tance of the second parent
teacher Object. “To raise the
standards of home life.’ ’ I would
THE COVINGTON NEWS
is like Jehovah.” The prophet
loved to make a play on words,
and the conclusion of his pro
phecy is a play on the meaning
of his name. It is indeed sur
prising that a resident of a small
village on the very edge of his
nation could write such marvel
ous Hebrew poetry. Os late
years scholars have come to
realize as never before Micah’s
genius not alone as a prophet but
as a poet. The Interpreter’s
Bible says,"Circumstanceshave
conspired to make Micah the
most habitually underestimated
and least adequately appreciated
among the prophets.” If that be
true, we should be thankful for
these lessons, and they should
mean much in our own lives.
In the latter half of the eighth
century B. C. the Lord sent to
Judah a quartet of mighty pro
phets. These were Amos, Ho
sea, Micah, and Isaiah. Certainly
Israel could not say that they
had not been fully warned of their
sin and the turnlng-away from
God and the destruction that would
follow.
Historically the prophecy of
Micah came when the strong
kingdom of Assyria in northern
Iraq had embarked on campaigns
against the Mediterranean coun
tries to the west. Syria with its
capital, Damascus, was con
quered in 732 B. C. The North
ern Kingdom of Israel with its
capital at Samaria was overth
rown ten years later. Judah re
mained as a small state in the
path of Assyria as it went on
toward its rival Egypt. Micah
knew that there was only one hope
for Judah, that they should re
pent and return and put their hope
in Jehovah. There could scar
cely be stronger warnings against
the corruption and social injus
tice and Idolatry that he saw in
high circles. It would seem that
the passage to which we have re
ferred (Jer. 26:19) would credit
Micah with having much to do
with the reform under Hezekiah.
Micah refers to nature, the his
tory of Israel, and the reasonable
service of God to show that the
Almighty is still ready to receive
and bless all who will turn and
serve Him in truth.
In Him, even stamping on their
currency: "In God we trust”.
He blessed our nation, and help
ed to make of It the most power
ful nation on earth.
Now that we have grown rich
and powerful, some of our lea
ders would have us turn our
backs on God, leave off teaching
our children to love and serve
Him, throw His word out of our
schools, try to fly to the moon,
and conquer space, thinking that
they are smart enough to direct
other worlds, even though they
are making such a mess of man
aging this one!
We stand amazed, and wonder
what is ahead of us, and what we
can do to avoid utter ruin. Our
Christian churches have the an
swer in their hands, and if they
WILL they can use their power
of petition, and God will answer
their prayer and establish our
nation on the firm foundation of
His word.
Let us who claim to be Chris
tians turn to our heavenly Father
and TRAY.
I
By Mrs. Robert I. Burall |
Tenth District Director !
Georgia Congress of Parents I
and Teachers |
like to suggest that all Local
units emphasize character and
spiritual education through out
the month of December. Encou
rage adults, children, and youth
to participate in religious educa
tion activities and to attend re
gularly the church of their choi
ce.
Character and Spiritual Edu
cation has been a basic part of
the program of the National PTA
throughout the years.
You May Check
Y our Social
Security Record
j
How can the people of the At
lanta area check their social se
curity record to see that it in
cludes all of their earnings?
This is important since the
amount of the social security be
nefit Is based on the credited
earnings. It could even mean
the difference in being eligible
for benefits or not.
John H. Ingle, District Man
ager of the Atlanta Social Se
curity Office suggests that all
persons Interested In checking
their account call or write the
social security office and ask for
Form OAR-7004. It is a simple
postcard addressed to the Balti
more Records Office which will
furnish a statement of the tax
able earnings posted to the wor-
(Our Advertisers Are Assured of Best Results)
Hymns: Product
Os Times
By KATHRYN T. CLINE
Music Department,
LaGrange College
The English people brought
their Metrical Psalters to Am
erica and then produced one of
their own, the "Bay Psalm
Book.” These and the hymns of
Isaac Watts dominated until the
early 1800’s when the evangelical
movement brought a new emph
asis to the personal side of rel
igion. People became concerned
with developing the mystic idea
of communion with God, and that
heaven was a reward for a life
well-lived on earth. This and
the stress on the winning of souls
through conversion brought about
the "gospel hymn.”
The gospel hymn is distinctly
an American contribution which
developed out of camp meeting
songs of the early nineteenth cen
tury. It was used in revivals,
Sunday schools and churches wh
ere the members were not very
well-educated and were more in
fluenced by emotion than literary
form. Tunes had to be easy to
sing and "catchy” as they were
mostly taught by note. A refrain
or chorus was typical. Some
familiar gospel hymns of the
better type are "I Need Thee
Every Hour,’’ "What A Friend
We Have in Jesus,” "He Leadeth
Me,” and "Jesus, Keep Me Near
the Cross.”
An outstanding musician of this
period was Ira D. Sankey, song
leader for the famous evange
list, Dwight L. Moody. P. P.
Bliss and Sankey compiled many
hymnbooks including "Gospel
Hymns,” numbers I-VI, contain
ing 739 hymns. Moody Bible In
stitute in Chicago was founded to
train song leaders and evange
lists. Fanny J. Crosby, a blind
poetess who died in 1915 at the
age of 95, wrote 8,000 gospel
song texts, including "Blessed
Assurance,” “I Am Thine O
Lord,” and "Rescue the Perish
ing.”
John S. Curwen in "Studies
in Music Worship,’ said: "The
American Gospel Hymn is nothing
if it is not emotional. It takes
a simple phrase and repeats it
over and over again. There is
no reasoning, nor are the lines
heavy with introspection. ‘Tell
me the story simply, as to a little
child.’ The feelings are touched,
the stiffest of us become child
ren again.”
Today, in the twentieth cen
tury, although hymnals are com
piled to serve the congregation of
a certain denomination, hymnal
committees have borrowed freely
from other faiths—an ecumenical
idea.
A hymnal is usually out of date
in one generation so that every
25 or 30 years a new one is pub
lished. Only three stanzas out of
16 of “Soldiers of Christ, Arise”
have survived. Ideas on sin, hell,
death, etc. change with the times.
The 50-odd years following the
Civil War saw many economic,
social, and religious changes in
America. People began to inter
pret the old theology in terms of
psychology, philosophy, and so
ciology. This reduced the num
ber of evangelical and evangelis
tic hymns and produced a new
type of non-theological Christian
hymn. There was a need to apply
the gospel to everyday life, and to
raise the standard of living. "Wh
ere Cross the Crowded Ways of
Life” was written in 1905 with
New York City slums in mind.
Hymns such as this one stress
active service and the welfare
of humanity and are called so
cial-gospel hymns.
During the past 100 years,
hymns have changed from emp
hasis on fear of God and judg
ment to expressions of love and
gratitude to God. Instead of
crossing over Jordan (death) and
going into the Promised land as
a reward for a good life in the
world, these hymns express a
desire for a more abundant life
in the world. Missionary hy
mns are more concerned now
with the gospel message of peace
on earth, instead of the conver
sion of the heathen.
Thus hymns reflect the
meaning and thought of the per
iod in which they are written.
ker’s account. Ingle also advis
ed that the OAR-7004 be sent in
every three years. If an error
Is found, it will be much easier
to correct than if detected years
after the error occurred.
Remember, earnings under so
cial security are Important for
retirement, in case of disability,
and for survivors benefits.
The Social Security District
Office for this area is located at
730 Peachtree Street, N. E. The
office is open one night a week
on Mondays. All services are
available on Mondays from 8:30
in the morning until 7:30 in the
evening. Tuesdays through Fri
days, the office Is open from
8:30 a. m. until 4:30 p. m.
Telephone 526-3161,
^t P^
to duet tide
SEE OUR .AD ON PAGE 16
NEW LOAN SERVICE
COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION
In Newton County if you live
outside the city limits of Coving
ton, Porterdale, Oxford, Mans
field, you have no fire protection
except that provided by the New
ton-Rockdale Forestry Unit.
Rocky Plains has a community
supported tanker truck as does
Almon, but Almon’s truck is an
old army surplus truck that won’t
even run. Salem has no protec
tion at all, nor Starrsville,northe
other outlying com munities of the
county.
The City of Covington and the
county were supporting the up
keep of the city’s old tanker truck
which was sent out into the county
to fight fires, but alas, this old
truck is now worn out and in
operable.
No city can send its fire trucks
outside the city limits to fight a
fire. Fire Underwriters won’t
allow it and neither will city
tax payers who pay for city fire
protection with their tax dollars.
The Forestry Unit does a fine
job in the county, but their eq
uipment is designed to fight fo
rest fires and is therefore limited
in fighting house fires. About all
the forestry unit can do is plow
around a house to keep a grass
or woods fire from reaching the
dwelling.
The smaller communities out
side the city limits of towns in
Newton County are growing at a
rapid pace and some type of coun
ty fire protection is desperately
needed.
County Commissioner Tom
Herman Talmadge
■
REPORTS FROM THE UNITED STATES SENATE
AMERICAN AGRICULTURE is the marvel of the modern
world. Our farmers, demonstrating a productivity and efficiency
that cannot be matched anywhere in the world, have provided
this country with an abundance of food and fiber that is un
paralleled in history.
Although the United States farmer comprises only about
7 per cent of our population, he currently feeds 200 million
Americans, 60 million people in India, and 100 million others
throughout the world.
Food in America is the best buy in the world, with
Americans spending only about 18 per cent of their take-home
pay for food, compared to almost 30 per cent in Great Britain
and a much higher per cent in Communist countries. It is also
noteworthy that for every dollar spenj on food in the United
States, the farmer gets only about 39 cents.
* ♦ ♦
DESPITE HIS COMPETENCE and the important role he
plays in our country, the farmer still does not occupy his proper
place of prominence in the American economy.
Farmers have been caught in a squeeze between rising pro
duction costs and declining farm prices. He is having to pay
more to grow his crops and is not receiving a just return.
We often hear about increases in gross farm income. But
these figures do not accurately reflect the true situation. In
Georgia, for example, average net farm income has increased
only about S3OO in the past two years, and this of course is in
terms of inflated dollars and a higher cost of living. And the net
income of the Georgia farmer last year was SB3 less than the
national average.
It is incomprehensible to me that agriculture, as vital as it
is to our security and well-being, should be relegated to second
class economic status in America. It is no less than shocking that
farmers in increasing numbers are having to flee the land in
order to make a decent living.
* » ♦
IT IS NOT GENERALLY realized, but consumers also
have a large stake in improving farm income. Unless we strength
en farm prices and make farming the profitable business that
it ought to be, production inevitably will fall sharply and con
sumer prices for food will rise accordingly.
x^A ^^A xj^A
i APPLICATIONS FOR ABSENTEE f
1 BALLOTS TO BE VOTED IN THE CITY 1
3 OF COVINGTON GENERAL ELECT- b
i ION, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6,
1 1967, WILL BE RECEIVED BY THE B
I CITY CLERK AT THE CITY HALL B
I ON OR BEFORE NOON, SATURDAY, i
i DECEMBER 2, 1967. NO FURTHER I
I APP LICATIONS FOR ABSENTEE BAL -1
LOTS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER
I THIS DEADLINE.
xXa
*7* *7* *7*
Thursday, November 30, 1967
COUNTY
FIRE PROTECTION
By: Leo S. Mallard
Bates and his advisory board plan
to discuss this problem at a mee
ting Tuesday morning, December
5, at 9:30 a. m. at the Commis
sioner’s office.
A delegation representing
Deerfield and Donald Stephen
son’s sub-division, along with
Mayox Walker Harris of Coving
ton, mot Fuday afternoon with
the Commissioner and talked ab
out the county fire protection
problem. Presently, these two
areas, as well as other parts
of the county, have no fire pro
tection.
The Commissioner recognizes
this problem and is considering
the purchase of a tanker fire tr
uck by the county. The truck
possibly would be kept at the
Covington Fire Department, wh
ich is a central county location,
and manned and malntenanced
by volunteer city fire fighters
who would be paid by the county
for each time they answered a
county alarm.
A tanker truck would probably
cost the county approximately
$12,000, plus cost of mainten
ance and volunteer firemen’s sa
laries. It would not be used to
fight fires within the City of
Covington, but would be on call
at all times out in the county.
This fire truck is a much nee
ded item by our county. Com
missioner Bates wants to fol
low the wishes of the people
in the county and I know he will
appreciate your Interest if you
will call or write him to let him
know your feelings on this im
portant matter.