Newspaper Page Text
VOL, 102 NO. 21
County Faces Ambulance Service
Funeral Homes No Longer
Able To Provide Service
Ambulance service will be
discontinued in Houston
County by three funeral
homes after December 1,
county commissioners were
told Monday night.
Watson-Hunt Funeral
Home of Perry and Mc-
Cullough Funeral Home and
Christopher Funeral Home
in Warner Robins, have
signed an agreement to
discontinue ambulance
service spokesmen for the
feneral homes told com
missioners. These three are
white funeral homes, and no
representatives of the four
black funeral homes in the
county were represented.
Where ’s
The Fire?
PERKY FIRE DEPT.
Fire Chief Sirah Lawhorn
reported that the city fire
department made no calls
during the past week.
HAYNEVILLE-GROVANIA
Members of the
Hayneville-Grovania
Volunteer Fire Dept, an
swered a call to a mobile
home fire at midnight
Sunday at Cheyenne Trailer
Park on U.S. Highway 341.
The mobile home was the
residence of a Mr.
Coverhouse.
CENTERVILLE
The Centerville Volunteer
Fire Dept, answered one call
during the past week, to an
unoccupied residence on
Corder Road.
BONAIRE-KATHLEEN
The Bonaire-Kathleen
Volunteer Fire Department
did not make any calls
during the past week.
State Gets $697,000,000
Houston Gets $9,775,000 In
Federal Government Funds
To what extent is Houston County sharing in the
billions of dollars of Federal funds that are being
distributed by the government annually in the
form of grants-in-aid?
Os the $29 billion handed out by Washington in
the past fiscal year, how much reached the local
area?
Based upon Treasury Department figures and a
state-by-state analysis of them made by the Tax
Foundation, a non-profit organization that keeps
track of government taxation and spending,
Houston County’s share was relatively large.
An estimated $9,775,000 went to the local area
under a variety of community aid programs.
The grants made throughout the State of
Georgia as a whole totaled $697,000,000, the Tax
Foundation reports.
They were for such purposes as urban renewal,
welfare and public assistance, highways, food
stamps, job training, health, education and many
others.
The figures take into account only grants-in-aid
to states and their communities, it is noted, and do
not include other expenditures made by the
The Houston Home Journal
The Perry Area's Favorite Newspaper For The Past 100 Years
Riley Hunt, Perry funeral
director, said that his move
was made necessary
because of legislation passed
in the last General
Assembly. Costs to funeral
homes of complying with
standards set by this new
law would be prohibitive,
Hunt said.
Under this legislation,
ambulance drivers and
attendants are required to
have extensive training. In
addition, the present
vehicles now operated by the
funeral homes become ob
solete, and the funeral
homes would be forced to
maintain two different type
fleets of vehicles, the funeral
directors said. They no
longer find ambulance
service profitable and want
to get out of the business.
All funeral homes in the
county tried to get out of the
ambulance business two
years ago, but changed their
minds and continued. Now,
according to the agreement
reached by all white funeral
directors, the effective date
of midnight December 1,
1972 “is not subject to
postponement or change in
any way.” Their decision is
final.
All agreed to continue to
furnish ambulance service
until the date indicated to
give the county ample time
to make other arrangements
for such service
Going over a list of
specifications issued by the
Georgia Department of
Public Health for vehicles
and personnel acceptable for
ambulance service, Hunt
said they immediately made
every vehicle Watson-Hunt
Funeral Home owned ob
solete, and probably all
ownedby every funeral home
in the county obsolete. He
also said it would not be
feasible for funeral homes to
attempt to keep all personnel
qualified under the new
regulations.
“Look at these
specifications,” Hunt said,
“they call for a minimum of
54-inch headroom, which we
don’t have, and a minimum
of 100 inches from partition
to rear doors, which we don’t
have. And the list of
measurements and equip
ment seems endless. Why,
we’d have to hitch a U-Haul-
It to the back of one of our
ambulances just to haul all
of that stuff.”
The specifications covered
four typewritten pages. They
were compiled to meet or
exceed recommended
specifications by the
National Academy of
Engineering, the National
Presbyterians To
Honor Rev . Gutzke
The congregation of the
Perry Presbyterian Church
will honor the Rev. and Mrs.
Mark E. Gutzke and their
family at a reception in the
Fellowship Hall Sunday,
May 28, following the
evening services.
Rev. Gutzke has accepted
a call to the North Shore
Presbyterian Church in
Jacksonville, Florida ef
fective the first of June. He
has served the local church
for the past six years,
coming here immediately
upon graduation from
Columbia Theological
Seminary in Decatur.
The Gutzkes have four
children, Mrs Pat Carlson,
of Springfield, 111.; Miss
Elaine Gutzke, student at
Emory University Hospital;
Miss Ruth Gutzke student at
Perry Junior High; Walter
Gutzke, student at Perry
High School.
government in local areas for goods and services.
As to the cost of these benefits, it comes out of
Federal income and excise taxes that are
allocated to the grants-in-aid programs.
Houston County’s share of these costs amounted
to approximately $7,429,000 last year, it is
estimated from a breakdown of the Tax Foun
dation’s figures. The statewide contribution is
listed as $529,000,000. This is exclusive of the
amount that must be paid in matching funds.
In some states, the costs involved exceed the
benefits received. In others the reverse is true.
There is no intention of striking a balance in that
regard. The awards are intended to be made on
the basis of local requirements and needs.
Many communities are not getting as much as
they might from the grants program because they
are unaware of what is available and therefore
have not submitted applications.
In fact, according to Senator William Roth of
Delaware, there is no one in Washington itself that
is aware of all of them. With much difficulty, he
states, he has been able to compile a list of 1,350
grant possibilities.
PAGE 1-A, PERRY, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, MAY 25, 1972
Research Council, and the
American College of
Surgeons.
“Actually, the public will
benefit immensely by all
ambulance services having
to meet these
specifications,” Hunt said,
“I know I would rather know
that the equipment is the
best and the attendants well
qualified if I needed am
bulance service. We’re not
kicking the new rules, we
just can't afford to meet
these new specifications
while operating a funeral
home.”
The new law is effective
January 1, 1973.
County Commission
Chairman Robert Byrd said
this is a problem that the
county must face, that of
providing ambulance ser
vice. He said commissioners
will meet with the county
hospital authority next
Monday night and discuss
the problem.
Friends are invited to join
the members of the
congregation in a farewell
tribute to the pastor and his
family.
Dr. Mark Gutzke
JSm*- EJ JJ Jr* m ... -
Judge Alton Rainey shows the GET WELL card
he circulated around the courthouse in Perry for
signatures to mail to injured Alabama Governor
Methodists Honor Dr. Cochran
On His Retirement Here June 4
Hy Kuby C. Hodges
The United Methodist
Church of Perry is making
plans to honor their pastor,
Dr. Ijeonard H. Cochran, on
Sunday, June 4, Dr. Cochran
is retiring from the active
ministry in June after nearly
43 years of service in the
South Georgia Conference.
Invitations have been sent
to a number of Dr. Cochran’s
friends in his former
pastorates asking them to be
guests of the Perry church
on this special occasion,
June 4.
Special music is being
arranged by George Francis
Nunn, choir director. Guest
vocalist will be Sam Tim
berlake of Auburn
University, Auburn,
Alabama, who will be ac
companied by Crockett
Odom, organist, of Macon,
Ga.
Following the worship
services, dinner will be
served at noon in the
Fellowship Hall. Benches
and chairs will be provided
on the church grounds.
Every family in the Perry
United Methodist Church has
been requested to bring a
basket dinner with sufficient
food for the invited guests.
The highlight of the
morning worship services at
nine and eleven o’clock will
be Dr. Cochran’s sermon.
Recognized as an eloquent
and forceful speaker, Dr.
Cochran will no doubt bring
a masterful message to
/
ft J
mm
Dr. Leonard Cochran
climax the termination of his
four years as pastor of the
Perry church and his nearly
43 years as a minister of the
gospel.
Dr. Cochran’s Career
In addition to serving some
of the largest churches in the
South Georgia Conference,
Dr. Cochran served on the
Board of Education, as
chairman of the Board of
Evangelism, as conference
Missionary Secretary and as
representative on the
general Board of Missions.
His services to the
Methodist Church at large
included membership on the
jurisdictional Study Com
mission, a delegate to the
North American Missionary
Conference, a delegate to the
Ecumenical Conference, and
membership on the
Southeastern Jurisdictional
Council.
Dr. Cochran was elected to
represent the South Georgia
Conference at Jurisdictional
and General Conferences in
1952, 1956, 1960 and 1964,
His evangelistic skill and
fervor made his services in
great demand not only in
South Georgia but
elsewhere. Dr. Cochran
preached several years at
the ocean Grove Camp
Meeting in New Jersey and
also at the Candler Camp
Meeting at lake Junaluska,
N.C. For 20 years, Dr.
Cochran preached at the
Indian Springs Camp
Meeting in Georgia, which
he also served as president
for several years.
The peak of his evangelical
work as a pastor came in
Methodism’s Year of
Evangelism in 1946 when 252
persons were received into
the church on one Sunday by
Dr. Cochran at Valdosta.
Characterized by great
preaching, progressive
leadership, and able ad
ministration, Dr. Cochran’s
ministry will go down in
history as one of the out
standing and most fruitful of
the South Georgia Con
ference. His record as a
George Wallace. With Rainey are Deputy Sheriff
Jane Chapman, left, and Brenda Greer, employee
in the Sheriff’s office.
church statesman, peerless
pulpiteer, effective
evangelist, and Christian
gentleman will be hard to
surpass.
Pastorates served by Dr.
Cochran include l,ake Park,
Pearson, Sylvania, Asbury
in Savannah. Valdosta First,
St. Luke in Columbus,
Mulberry Street in Macon,
and Albany First.
Among those invited to
help honor Dr. Cochran on
Sunday, June 4, are Dr. H.
W. Scoates, superintendent
of the Americas District, and
Dr. Koss Freeman,
superintendent of the Macon
District.
Uev. J. B. Smith, associate
pastor, will preside at the
morning services.
Richard Johnson, chair
man of the Administrative
Hoard of the Perry church is
general chairman of
arrangements for this
special day. Mr. Johnson will
be assisted by Dan Britton
Attention
Candidates!
The Home Journal is happy to offer all of you an
excellent medium for reaching the voters of the
Perry area and Houston County. As a matter of
fact there is absolutely no better way to reach the
voters in the southern portion of Houston County
than The Home Journal.
As a matter of long-standing policy to all can
didates, all advertising of a political nature will be
strictly cash in advance. There will be no ex
ceptions.
IMPORTANT DEADLINE: Any political ad
vertising must be received in The Home Journal
office not later than 2 p.m. on Mondays to appear
in Wednesday night’s paper.
We wish all candidates the best of luck and our
staff stands ready to assist you with your ad
vertising through the long, hot months of cam
paigning ahead.
-8.8.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
TWO SECTIONS
and Jim Worrall.
Mrs. Walter Gray, Jr. is
promotional chairman and
Mrs. Richard Talton is in
charge of the dinner.
letters have been sent to
the membership of the
United Methodist Church of
Perry requesting their co
operation in making Sunday,
June 4, a memorable oc
casion.
Honor Grads
Left Out
By Error
Because of an error last
week, on the part of Perry
High School, two of the honor
graduates were not listed in
the newspaper. The names of
Deborah Murphy and
Patricia JVlullis were left out
by mistake.
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