Newspaper Page Text
\ PERR Vl C
OUR 108TH YEAR ■ NO. 36 PERRY, HOUSTON COUNTY. 6X731069, THURSDAY, SEPT.'Y, 1978 2 SECTIONS 26 PAGES 15- ~
Just In Time For Winter
City’s Gas
Rates Rise
City council voted to
increase natural gas 29
cents per 1,000 cubic feet
during a regular session
Tuesday.
The vote to raise gas
prices was made after
Mayor James McKinley
explained that the city
had been advised to take
the action by Welcome
Associates, the city's gas
consultants.
Mayor McKinley said
the increase means that a
gas customer that pays
about $222 for gas per
year, will realize an in
crease in his annual bill
of about $24.
The mayor said the
price hike was necessary
to cover recent increases
billed to the city by
Southern Natural Gas Co.
In making the motion to
raise the price of natural
Poole Seeks Price
Rollback From PSC
Perry merchant and
consumer advocate Joe
Poole dispatched a letter
Monday to Ben T.
Wiggins, Chairman of the
Georgia Public Service
Commission, asking for a
chance to appear before
the commission before a
final decision is made
about a $97.6 million
increase rollback in
electric rates by Southern
Company, the firm that
Gentry Blasts Council
Upset because none of
his colleagues on city
council would second his
motion to buy equipment
New Postmaster
Named For Perry
Sectional Center
Manager - Postmaster
Forrest A. Hartley, Jr., of
Macon, this week an
nounced the appointment
of John P. Kane as the
new postmaster at Perry,
Georgia effective im
mediately.
Kane, 45, a native of
Texas, has served as
Supt. Postal Operations,
Marshall, Texas for the
past two years.
Postmaster selections
are made on the basis of
merit from a list of
qualified candidafes
submitted to the Regional
Management Selection
Board. The Board,
composed of a
representative of she
United States Civil
Service Commission, a
Postal District Manager
and two postmasters,
selects and recommends
to the Postmaster
General the best qualified
person for appointment to
The Houston Home Journal
Serving The People In Georgia’s Heartland Since 1871
gas, Councilman Al
Baggarly explained that
the increases were
recommended by the
city's consu Iting
engineer, and that
council had no alter
native but to follow their
advice.
The new rates became
effective on Sept. 1, and
will be reflected in bills
mailed to customers on
Sept. 30.
Councilman Draper
Watson announced that a
committee composed of
himself and Coun
cilwoman Barbara
Calhoun had been in
vestigating computer
service for the city.
Watson said members
of council should be ready
to review proposals for
computer service from
NCR, Burroughs, IBM
and Sperry-Rand. He said
operates Georgia Power
Co.
"You promised me that
you would write me and
give me an opportunity to
appear before the Public
Service Commission
before a final decision
about the $97.6 million
increase rollback," Poole
slated. "1 am looking
forward to hearing from
Cont’d Page 2-A
he felt is needed by the
police department,
Councilman Ralph
Gentry accused them of
each vacancy.
Mr. Kane has served as
a Postal Clerk in
Shreveport, La.,
Management trainee at
Tyler, Texas and Officer
In Charge at Henderson,
Texas, Carthage, Texas
and Dangerfield, Texas.
John Kane
each firm will present
proposals for city com
puter service, and that he
had been advised by City
Auditor Edgar Barfield
that might be a feasible
course of action for the
city to take.
Councilman Baggarly
said Tribble and
Richardson, the city's
water consultants, had
advised him of a state law
that requires surveyor's
seal of certification on
property plats. He made
a motion to adopt such an
ordinance after approval
by the city planning and
zoning board, and after a
public hearing is held to
discuss the subject.
Councilman Georgia
Nunn informed council
that city tax bills
are ready to be mailed
out to property owners
within 10 days. Nunn
made a motion to set Oct.
15 as the deadline for
paying city taxes.
The motion was
seconded by Baggarly
and passed by unanimous
vote.
Nunn said he had been
advised by Rotary Club
President David Pierce
that the club will operate
a "haunted house" at the
Rosemarte Bldg on the
courthouse square on
Oct. 26.
He said Pierce was
requesting that the club
be exempt from city
business I icense
requirements, and made
a motion to grant the
request. The motion was
approved.
being "eratic" during a
regular session at city
hall Tuesday night.
"Sometimes we act too
liberal, and at other
times we act too con
servative," Gentry said.
"But it seems to me as
though this council has
acted somewhat eratic
tonight."
Gentry added that he
would regret it if Perry
city council gained a
reputation as an eratic
governing body.
Gentry's remarks were
made after he introduced
a motion to buy a
typewriter and three
filing cabinets for the
police department. He
said the new equipment,
which would cost
$1,148.85, was needed to
handle the increased
workload.
"The number of cases
handled by the police
department has in
creased from 400 to 600
within the past year,"
Gentry said. "And that
doesn't include an
average of about 20 cases
being made here every
day by state troopers
apprehending speeders
on 1-75."
Even though these
speeding tickets are
issued by the State
Patrol, Gentry explained
Perry Trooper Nabs One On 1-75
This Georgia State Trooper from the Perry post 15 writes
up a trucker on interstate 75 in the Perry city limits. State
troopers here were out in force over the Labor Day weekend
and have issued hundreds of tickets to violators of the 55 mile
Patrol Only Enforcing 55 M.P.H. Law
Speed Trap Charges Made
Charges of speedtraps
have been flowing freely
in the Perry area since
post 15 of the Georgia
State Patrol began
"cracking down" on
violators of the 55 miles
per per hour state speed
limit law.
Most of the recent
reaction has come from
unwary tourists who
claim they did not know
the Georgia state
troopers were strictly
enforcing the 55 mile per
hour law. People in the
Perry and Houston
that the police depart
ment and city court had
to handle the paper work
and dispose of each case.
Gentry's motion to buy
the typewriter and filing
cabinets was greeted
with silence.
"1 think we ought to be
able to buy this equip
ment without a council
Pilot Club Sets
Hospital Project
The Pilot Club of Perry,
as a community service
project in December, will
sponsor a fund drive to
buy a special piece of
equipment needed by the
Perry Hospital, i.e. (I.V.
Infusion Pump). Letters
will be sent to local civic
organizations, clubs and
businesses informing
them of the project and
inviting them to support
the Pilot Cluhb in its
endeavor.
For a dollar ($1.00) or
more donation, a light is
turned on in memory of
or in honor of someone as
County area have been
warned through a
number of recent stories
in The Home Journal in
which the Perry post
commander, Sgt. John
Wright, and the head of
the Georgia Dept, of
Public Safety, Col.
Herman Cofer, both
warned repeatedly that
the troopers had been
issued orders to enforce
the 55 mile per hour law.
From all indications,
the citizen band radios
and "fuzz-busters" are
not hampering the efforts
squabble," Gentry said.
Gentry said he was also
mystified by council's
refusal to approve his
motion because money
for the equipment was
included in the police
department budget.
Asked to give an
Cont’d Page 2-A
specified on a form
furnished by the Pilot
Club. Gifts of love will
also be accepted.
Forms for donations
will be available
throughout Perry. A list
of places will be available
soon, along with the
names and telephone
numbers of personal
contact persons.
The lights will be on a
tree in front of the Perry
Hospital and as more and
more dollars are
received, more and more
lights will be turned on.
There will be a short
per hour speed limit. See this week’s opposite editorial page
for reaction from tourists on the recent crackdown.
(Photo By Frank Russo).
of the radar-armed Perry
troopers. They have
made hundreds of cases
within the city limits of
Perry over the past few
weeks. Most all of the
cases have been made on
interstate 75.
The "crackdown"
hasn't hurt the city
treasury. In recent
weeks, the city has
col lected severa I
thousand dollars in fines
from violators caught in
the city limits by the state
patrol and turned over to
the Perry police
department for either
collection or an ap
pearance in Judge
Herbert Well's municipal
court. Most violators pay
their tickets and move on
north or south. Since
most of those caught are
tourists, if is not con
venient for them to ap
pear in court, which is
held on the first Wed
nesday of each month.
While many may be
complaining and
charging "speedtrap",
records show that most of
program at the tree site
on the hospital lawn each
week in December at
which time names will be
read and more lights
turned on. A list of names
and all contributions will
be published in a local
newspaper as space is
available.
The Pilot Club invites
YOU to join with THEM
in the Lite-A-Lite
program for the benefit of
OUR hospital. If suc
cessful this year, another
facility-institution will be
selected for next year's
program.
those caught were
driving in excess of 60
miles an hour and some
more than 70 miles an
hour.
As one local police
officer said, "there are
signs all along the in
terstate that clearly state
the Georgia speed limit is
55 miles per hour. Nobody
Perry Patrol Makes
1,309 Arrests In Aug.
The Georgia State
Patrol at Post 15 Perry
announced today that 6
traffic accidents in
Houston County were
investigated during the
month of August. These
accidents resulted in 3
injuries and no deaths.
Sergeant J.W. Wright
of the Perry Patrol Post
said property damage in
the 6 accidents amounted
to $13,600.
I n the area of en
forcement by Post 15,
Sergeant Wright said his
officers had made 1309
arrests and issued 258
warnings during the
month.
Various courts in
' 1
Retail Sales
Up In County
According to a survey by the Georgia
Chamber of Commerce, retail sales in
Houston County during the second quarter of
1978 increased by 17 percent over the
corresponding 1977 period. Retail sales in
Houston totaled $62,802,000 during the second
quarter of 1978 as compared with $53,677,000
during the same period of 1977,
Merchants in Perry and Warner Robins
have told The Home Journal they felt the
period between now and Christmas will show
dramatic increases in retail spending. Most
merchants in this area are looking forward to
increased sales and profits.
Taxes
Going
Down!
See Page 2-A
■
is running a speedtrap,
we're just enforcing the
law and trying to save
lives."
Be warned motorists.
Don't drive over 55 miles
an hour. If you do, you
find yourself at the city
police dept, paying a fine.
The radar gun never
misses!
Houston County disposed
of 206 pending traffic
cases during the month
with the following; 5
guilty pleas, 200 bond
forfeitures, 1 case
dismissed, no cases no
record, and no nolo
contendre pleas.
Sergeant Wright ex
plained that cases and
arrests would seldom be
the same number for
each month because
some cases are carried
over into the next month
to coincide with court
dates.
He also pointed out that
fines and forfeitures
amounted to $8,833.00 for
the month of August