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What is the real story at Chattooga Hospital?
These are some of the factors:
1- The Chattooga County commissioner has granted $15,000 so far
this year to the hospital. The latest grant, $5,000, was given only a week
ago today in response to a request from Administrator S. H. Gilkeson.
The average yearly grant by the county during the past eight years has
been $13,800. Nevertheless, some members of the hospital board feel it
should be more.
The year 1963 was a better one financially than either 1962 or
3. Although the year 1963 was a somewhat better year financially,
the patient load was still about as it had been for the two previous years
less than 50 per cent. This is well below that being experienced in other
hospitals of this area. The Trion Hospital, for example, has an average of
about 70 per cent.
4. The hospital has just been accredited by the Georgia Hospital-
Medical Council for a three-year period and the Council commended the
hospital for its “fine efforts at providing better patient care”. The Geor
gia Department of Public Health indicates the hospital has made some
progress but needs to put forth “continued concentrated efforts. ... to
achieve and maintain desirable. . standards.”
5. Local doctors have in the past complained on several occasions
about the administration and some services at the hospital.
6. The hospital board has held only seven official meetings during
the past year. This pattern has existed for the past several years.
14 Pages
Two Sections
GLUME 79 —NUMBER 28
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NATURAL GAS EXPANSION UNDER
WAY— Here is a scene on the Back Ber
ryton Road last week as expansion of
the City of Summerville natural gas
lines continued. Service has been ex
tended down the Lyerly Road from the
former terminus near Belmont church
Drag Strip
Site Found;
Says Groover
A site for a drag strip in Chat
tooga County has been located,
John Groover, president of the
Ridge Runners, announced this
week.
The location is on the Jerry
Hamby property on the Dry Val
ley Road and is about three
miles west of Summerville,
Groover said.
He noted that the hot rod club
plans to lease the property from
the Hambys and to finance the
drag strip with the aid of the
community.
Final details haven’t yet been
worked out, Groover said, but he
noted that members are enthu
siastic about the latest develop
ments and are hopeful arrange
mcnts can soon be made.
me club meets at 7:30 p.m.
each Tuesday at the Summer
ville Recreation Center. It has
some 25 regular members and
about 35 honorary members.
Some S4OO has been raised so
far by the Runners on the proj
ect.
Length o£ Student School
Day to Remain Same-Spence
Length of the school day for students will remain the same as
It has been, said Chattooga School Supt. James Spence this week.
He pointed out that although teachers will be on the job eight
hours a day, students will have the same schedule as last year.
It varied slightly from school to school.
Mr. Spence said there has been some confusion about the new
ruling requiring teachers to spend a full eight hours at school
each day.
Chattooga students will report for classes Tuesday, Aug. 25,
and this will be a full day of school, the superintendent said. All
school lunchrooms willl be open that day. Teachers will report
Tuesday, Aug. 18.
School bus routes will be the same this year as last, said the
superintendent.
Mr. Spence also reminded parents of prospective first graders
that the children must have completed four immunizations be
fore entering the county schools-— polio, DPT, smallpox and TB
skin test. Proof oi these tests must be shown.
Efficiency of Hospital Officials Questioned
to Berryton and back up the Back Ber
ryton Road. About three miles of addi
tional lines are being laid. Both Lyerly
and Menlo are investigating the possi
bility of getting natural gas service in
their areas.
JP’s to Be Chosen
In Sept. Primary
Justices of the peace and constables will be elected
under a different procedure this year, it has been learned.
They must run in the Sept. 9 primary if they run as
Democrats and, according to law, the deadline for qualify
ing as a candidate would be August 10—next Monday.
Menlo, Trion
To Play in
Tournament
By GARY LOWRY
Trion, Menlo and possibly
Summerville will go into a
double-elimination county Pony
League and Little League tour
nament tonight (Thursday).
The Trion and Menlo LL teams
will clash at 6:15 p.m. and the
two PL teams will meet at 8:15
p.m.
In the event Summerville
enters, it will play the winners
Tuesday night. In the event
(Continued On Page 4)
She smnwrmlb Nms
In view of this, it would appear
that the Chattooga Democratic
Executive Committee may re
open qualifications immediately.
However, Chairman Earl B. Self
was out of town at mid-week and
unavailable for comment. An
other member of the committee
said a briefing is scheduled in
Atlanta today and that perhaps
further details will then be an
nounced.
All candidates seeking these
posts in the November general
election must be either a party
nominee or obtain a petition of
five per cent of the registered
voters in the district where he
is seeking office. Previously, they
qualified with the ordinary and
ran only in the general election.
That is the gist of a report
from Secretary of State Ben
Fortson. He said the new Geor
gia Election Code spelled out the
requirements specifically. He
added that the new law is al
most identical to a 1962 enact
ment by the General Assembly.
A petition would have to be
filed 50 days before the general
election and that doesn’t give
much time. Fortson also said
that all candidates for primaries
must file with party officials 30
days before the primary and
that would make the deadline
Aug. 10.
HYDEN ON TEAM
THAT WON TROPHY
Billy Hyden of Trion, one of
the students selected for the
Governor’s Honors Program at
Wesleyan College this summer,
was a member of the boys’ vol
leyball team which won in an
intramural event at the pro
gram.
The team received a trophy
which had been contributed by
the Governor’s Council on Phys
ical Fitness.
7. So far as can be learned by this newspaper, no formal budget has
been prepared by the administrator or hospital board in recent years
Minutes show that in January, 1962, when George Kling was board chair
man, he called for the preparation of a budget. However, no further men
tion of it was made in the minutes.
8. The 1963 audit report states the auditors did not confirm the ac
counts receivable balance with the debtors and did not verify the inven
tories. “The methods used in accounting for receiveables makes internal
control ineffective,” said CPA J. Bradley Haynes. “Because of the above
exceptions, our examination was not sufficient to permit us to express an
opinion on the accounting financial statement as a whole.” Almost the
exact statement was made in the 1961 and 1962 audits and perhaps in
others.
In early July, a Chattooga grand jury called on the Hospital Author
ity board, headed by Harry Lee McGinnis, to resign if it couldn’t do some
thing to improve the situation. It said “ the whole financial structure and
operation” of the hospital should be re-evaluated and new policies and
methods be substituted for those presently used “where they would re
sult in a more economical and better operated hospital.”
In addition to McGinnis, other members of the board are Mark
Strawn, Glenn Hendrix, George Doster and Dewey Hammond. L. C.
(Sadd) Dalton resigned recently. S. H. Gilkeson is the administrator.
The board has said it would have a statement in reply to the grand
jury when its attorney, Ed Surles, returned from Europe. He was back in
his office Monday but no statement has yet been made.
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, AUGUST 6,"1964
McConnell
On Leave
For Campaign
John Frank McConnell went
on leave Saturday from his job
as warden of the Chattooga
Public Works Camp.
Mr. McConnell is taking the
leave in order to campaign for
sheriff. The Democratic primary
will be held Sept. 9 and it is
assumed Mr. McConnell will be
on leave until at least that time.
Announcement of Mr. McCon
nell’s leave was made this week
by Chattooga Commissioner
John Jones.
Ex-Pros to
Play in
Benefit Event
Two Summerville men who are
former professional baseball
players will be in a Cancer So
ciety benefit game in Chatta
nooga at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21.
They are Robert Broome and
Ralph Brown, who were both in
the minor leagues some years
ago.
The forthcoming game will
feature the old Southern League
alumni against the 1952 cham
pionship Chattanooga Lookouts
team. Brown played with the
(Continued On Page 4)
Uncle Ned’s
Notes
I’m shore glad the S’ville
News is running them ar
tickles about the candidates.
And also about whut each job
involves.
Lotsa times a feller asks me
to vote fer him, sayin’ “I
wantye to help me’’ or “I need
yer help."
Well, course he does, and
that’s just a rutine thing to
say. But whut would impress
me more would be fer him to
tell me how he kin help the
comunity or whut kin he do to
improve things if they need
improvin.
ASC
Voting Now Underway
Nominees for the ASC com
munity committees have been
announced.
Voting will be by mail and
ballots have been sent to each
X V Al. -
Voting will be by mail and
ballots have been sent to each
known eligible voter. In the
event an eligible voter has failed
to receive a ballot, he may re
ceive one at the ASCB county
office in Summerville or by
calling 857-4591 and having one
mailed.
Generally, a farm owner, ten
ant, or sharecropper is eligible
to vote if he is taking part or
is eligible to take part in one or
more of the programs adminis
tered by the ABC Committees.
Envelopes containing marked
ballots may be mailed or re
turned to the ASCS County Of
fice anytime before August 21.
Another Big Govt.
Order Given Trion
Another big federal contract has been awarded Riegel
Textile Corporation and all the work will be done at the
Trion Division.
It is a $1,768,732 contrac
sense and is for three and oi
cotton sateen cloth.
Preston David, general man
ager of the Trion Division, said
JUris work will be done on only
a section of the looms and will
not cover the entire plant.
It and the other contracts on
which Riegel is currently work
ing assure the firm of full op
erations until at least May 1,
1965, David said. However, he
noted, this doesn’t mean the
firm wouldn’t have operated on
a full schedule otherwise.
Congressman John W. Davis
and Senators Richard B. Russell
and Herman Talmadge an
nounced the contract Monday.
It is among the largest re
ceived by the Trion Division in
recent years, but is not the
largest.
Taxes Pay for Less Than
Fourth of City Services
Taxes bring in only a relatively small portion of the City of
Summerville income.
The audit, completed a few weeks ago, shows that only
$90,000 of the total income of $420,700 last year in Summerville
came from taxes. Some $133,000 came from the sale of natural
gas and another $121,000 came from water and sewer charges.
In addition, the audit shows that the city took in some
SIOO,OOO more than it spent in 1963. Part of this can be attributed
to the fact that the city went on a new fiscal year basis last
year and this resulted in a 10-month “year”.
Here is a breakdown, in round numbers, of the major items
of income and expenditures:
Revenue:
Property taxes $90,000; interest and penalties, $5,000: busi
ness licenses, $11,200; franchise taxes, $7,600; parking meters,
$10^47; court fines and costs, $5,800; cash bonds, $8,440; gross
profit on sale of gas, $133,000; cut-Ins and inspection fees,
$9,100; commissions on industrial sales, $6,600; water and sewer
charges, $121,000; miscellaneous income, $12,800.
Expenditures:
Operating expense, $101,300; general and administrative ex
penses, $51,000; fire department, $4,600; sanitation department,
$9,000; police department, $28,000; street department, $25 800'
recreation department, $11,331; increase in allowance for un
collectible taxes, $1,535; debt service $87,239.
Nominees Told;
Ballots will be tabulated publicly
by the county committee on Au
gust 24, at 9:30 a.m. in the ASCS
County Office.
The following slates of nomi
nees for ASC community com
mittees have been announced.
Coldwater—Bob Brison, Paul
Cook, George W. Hubler, Bernard
Shaw, Mark A. Strawn, P. B.
White.
Dirttown — George Doster,
James Lee, W. B. Morgan, Fur
man Owens, W. C. Packer, How
ard Scoggins.
Lyerly—Bob Bullard, John
Fulton, Grover Jackson Jr., Clar
ence Joyner, A. W. Vernon,
Buddy Williams.
Summerville—Sidney Dooley,
Tommy Fisher, M. J. Hogg, Leo
Lanier Jr., John Shamblin,
Henry A. Woods.
The latest grant from the county was to help pay for re-flooring one
area of the hospital and to help pay off some pressing bills. The hospital
currently owes in the vicinity of $30,000, says the administrator.
In addition to the outright grants, paying for insurance and paying
lor gas and oil, the county has also during the past eight years paid about
SIOO,OOO toward the care of charity patients. The administrator says this
doesn't meet the cost of the care of these patients. He figures the hospital
loses about $5 per day on their care and says the hospital must absorb
this loss.
Many hospitals, especially the smaller ones, cannot operate on their
regular income and must have some help from government, foundations
or churches.
However, most have more patients percentage-wise than does the
Chattooga Hospital and consequently don’t require as much subsidy. The
Rockmart-Aragon Hospital had 80 per cent occupancy last year and is
now erecting a 15-bed addition. The Cherokee County (Ala.) Hospital
rate ranged from 65 to 70 per cent. The Gordon County Hospital had 65
per cent.
In 1963, the Chattooga Hospital sustained a loss of $12,470 but after
a $14,298 grant from the county, it has a “gain” of $1,826. Os course, it
didn’t actually make a profit—that $30,000 worth of bills was still star
ing it in the face, ready to eat up any extra money.
Nevertheless, the showing was better than in 1962 when the hospital
had a loss of $30,750. This was reduced to $12,800 after the county came
(Continued on Page 4)
t from the Department of De
ne-half million cubic yards of
Rep. Davis said funds for the
material were included in the
Defense Department authoriza
tion and appropriation bills ap
proved by Congress this year.
Riegel’s Mr. David said It
takes “joint effort on the part
of all concerned” to fill the pro
duction and qualify require
ments on this style material.
“But,” he continued, “the
Riegel management is confident
that the entire work force will
again take pride in being given
the opportunity to help serve
our armed forces.
“The high quality of Riegel
employes performance Is a big
factor in getting additional con
tracts for cloth for defense,” he
concluded.
Teloga—Paul Campbell, J. T.
Clark Jr., Bernard Cordle, Henry
Chappelear, L. B. Gilreath, Elgin
E. Keen.
For each committee, three
regular members and two alter
nates will be elected. The chair
man, vice chairman, and regular
member of the elected ASC com
munity committee will also serve
as delegate, alternate delegate,
and second alternate delegate,
respectively, to the county con
vention where the ASC county
committee will be chosen on Au
gust 28.
Questions on eligibility to vote
and hold office, or on the elec
tion procedure, will be deter
mined by the ASC county com
mittee subject to appeal to the
ASC State Committee.
School of Journalism X
Univ of Georgia
Countian Seeing Action in
Viet Nam; Another Gets Medal
At least one Chattooga Countian is in the midst of
ground action in South Viet Nam.
So far as can be learned, however, no countians are in
volved in the critical naval and air actions which have
been underway during the past few days.
SP4 Harold L. Bishop, a paratrooper in the U. S. Army,
has been seeing action in the Southeastern country for
several months. He went overseas late last November and
is expected to remain there until this December. Bishop
is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Bishop of Lyerly.
Another Chattooga Countian, Capt. James Max Gayler
returned some weeks ago from Viet Nam and last week
was awarded the Army’s Air Medal for aerial combat
there. He is now stationed at Fort Sill, Olka. While in Viet
Nam, he was an advisor to the Vietnamese Army’s air
wing.
Gayler is the son of Mrs. Margie Gayler of Rome, for
merly of Lyerly.
Bishop can’t write much about his activities in Viet
Nam, says his mother. However, he did report that one of
his closest friends, a father of three, was shot and killed
as he parachuted down in his last mission before return
ing home.
Bishop is in the Special Forces group of the Army, hav
ing received special training for the work he is doing in
Viet Nam. b
State Patrol Calls Meet
On Vehicle Inspection Posts 7
Davis to Pass
Up Democratic
Convention
Congressman John W. Davis,
of Summerville, is among those
named as delegates to the 1964
Democratic National Convention
which opens Aug. 24 in Atlantic
City, N. J.
However, a spokesman for
Rep. Davis said he doesn’t plan
to attend.
Instead, he will be in the dis
trict campaigning if the Con
gress has adjourned by that I
(Continued On Page 4)
Keep Up With Candidates;
Read News Column Each Week
Keep up with the candidates!
And learn what the duties of the various offices are.
Read this week and every week between now and Sept.
9 in The Summerville News “The Offices. . .The Candi
dates. ..” a column which is found inside.
This week, the offices and candidates of the junior
judgeship of the Lookout Judicial Circuit, the solicitor
general of the Circuit and the solicitor of Chattooga
City Court are discussed.
Next week, the offices and candidates for coroner and
ordinary will be disussed.
A Prize-Winning
Newspaper
1964
tX&SSStt Better Newspaper
Contests
The State Patrol has an
nounced a meeting for tonight
in connection with the estab
lishment in Chattooga County of
vehicle inspection stations.
The session will be held at 7:30
p.m. at Marks Auto Sales in
Summerville.
Charlie Crow, of the Dalton
State Patrol Office, will be on
1 hand and he urges all interested
persons to attend.
In compliance with a new
state law, Inspection stations
will be established throughout
the state, effective Jan. 1, 1965.
They will be at garages, dealers
and some service stations.
The meeting tonight is de
i signed to inform interested deal-
I ers, garage and service station
I personnel of the details.
10c PER COPY