Newspaper Page Text
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Iffen anybody reads this it will be after the Nov. 7
election, ’cause it is writ before the Nov. 7 election, see. I
don’t reckon there will be any more big elections in 1972,
unless there is a run-off of some kind or somebody gets
shot (some elected official, that is).
If half of the charges and counter-charges of some of the
candidates for major offices were true, none of ’em would
be worth a toot. (That “toot” is just an old saying.) But
whatever we’ve come up with, we’ll get along just the same,
or a little samer, maybe; ’cause, after all, a bird in the hand
will keep the doctor away. Oophs! That should have been
an apple a day is worth two in the bush.
Oh, well, this election is supposed to draw the line
between Democrats and Republicans. ’Course, there won’t
be much of a line, but as 1 say, supposed to and in some
cases it will, I reckon.
Calls to mind a story about a man running for Governor
in a certain state (not Georgia), and he stopped in a rather
small country town to make a speech. Sort of special plans
had been made for his appearance, but lo and behold,
nobody had thought of building a platform of any kind for
the candidate to mount and blast forth his political oration.
After several of the natives rushed into a huddle, wondering
what could be done, an old farmer came up and said,
“Simmer down and take it easy—l’ll be right back.” Off he
went and within a very few minutes, returned with an
oldtime manure spreader, drawn by his team of mules. He
placed the spreader in exactly the right place, and the
candidate, along with his introducer, climbed aboard.
Following a flattering introduction, the would-be Gover
nor expressed his pleasure and all that and then said in part:
“Well, folks, I was born a Democrat, am still a Democrat,
and I expect to die a Democrat. But, I must admit that this
is the first Republican platform I’ve ever had to use to
speak from.” (That can be used either way-could have
been a Democrat platform, see.)
By the way-Cuz. Charlie, check with Horace and find
out iffen he had heard that one.
• * *
Then There —Was the candidate who yelled, “Let me
tell you, ladies and gentlemen, it is the working classes that
have made this country what it is today.” And he hesitated
in expectation of applause. Instead, an angry listener
shouted: “That’s the way with you politicians, blame
everything on the poor folks.”
* • *
Finally—There was the more or less formal invitation
to a SSO-a-plate fund-raising dinner, giving the place, time,
etc., then the last paragraph read “Donation SIOO per
person—Roquefort Dressing, $25 extra” (Ah shucks, ain’t
that what you say, Billie?)
* * *
’Bout to Forget—Well, wasn’t about to forget either,
just hadn’t gotten around to it. Within the last few days, me
and the other half made a dash to Atlanta, New Orleans,
Baltimore, Washington, D. C., and back. Yeah, you guessed
it-checking on the younguns and grandyounguns. Special
note—Always visit the kids around the first of November
and set the stage for Christmas. Sorta be discreet about it,
but in a round-about way, let ’em know that just anything
they want to send you for Christmas will be entirely all
right. But, insist on them not spending over S4O to SSO
each for gifts, see. Always glad to pass along such valuable
information to my friends with children and grandchildren.
Might mention the fact that Washington was as dead as a
door nail (just another old saying). Congress adjourned, and
the President, Vice President and nearly all the big shots
were in Georgia and other Southern states trying to weed
out Democrat candidates for The Congress, and particularly
the Senate.
• • •
Oldy—Yeah, this is an old one indeed-A traveling
salesman was trying to sleep in an upper berth on a train.
There was a rather persistent tapping on his bed, and this
old spinster kept saying, “Mr. Collins, oh, Mr. Collins.”
“Yes, what is it?” “Mr. Collins, it’s very cold down here.
Would you mind getting me another blanket?” “Lady, I’ll
tell you what. I’ve got a wonderful idea. Let’s pretend we’re
married.” “She giggled shyly. “Oh, I think that would be
very nice.” “Good, now get your own damn blanket.”
♦ * *
’Tis True —We ask the Lord to bless our food and then
dare Him to give us indigestion-(Why is that, “Miss” Helen
Cureton?).. . Two employees were talking. Said one, “1
hear that young man I employed last week is dishonest.”
“Oh,” said the other, “you shouldn’t judge by ap
pearances.” “I’m not-in this case, I’m judging by dis
appearances.” ... Check this one, Bro. Grant: “1 never
work on Sunday, except for the Lord,” explained a handy
man applying for work. “The pay isn’t anything to brag
about, but you can’t beat the retirement plan.” ... I hear
ye-Chas. H. (Harold) Cureton, down Macon way. ’Course
me and you ain’t planning on getting sick, but iffen we do,
let’s call on Dr. Murphy-Pay him? Why, shucks no, we
wouldn’t pay him a dime, see ... The “School Page”
(Indian Lore), Summerville News, is second to none in my
book, and I got a mighty big book.
• * •
Pa Dave —Observes that a super scout for the Atlanta
Braves agrees that it takes all kinds of players to make the
world of baseball. “On a player questionnaire," he once
commented, we asked for church preference, and one kid
wrote down ‘red brick’." ... Ann Lamb contends: “The
most destructive acid in the world is found in a sour
disposition” ... Adcox Adds: “Love is a beautiful story
and marriage is the talking version of it.”... Uncle Ed
vows that the Liberty loving are hard pressed by the
Liberty taking ... Carolyn Dykes had a perfectly good
birthday last Friday. How old was she? Well, she’s a year
older than she was at the same time last year-Anybody
ought to know that. Lots of Happy Returns and all that,
Carolyn!
City of Summerville Audit Reveals Interesting Items
As a result of an audit re
cently completed by J. Bradley
Haynes & Co. of Rome for the
City of Summerville, a number
of changes were recommended
to overhaul the operating pro
cedures at City Hall.
The financial statement,
which covered the fiscal year
ended June 30, was divided
into three sections: General
Fund, Gas System, and Water
and Sewerage System.
The General Fund account
showed an excess of expendi
tures over revenue of $46,029
for the period covered by the
audit. It was also shown that
the General Fund owed the
Gas Department a sum of
571,104 and the Water Depart
ment 54,863. Two of these
items were a 525,000 cash loan
in April, 1971, and another
525,000 cash loan in August,
1971. These amounts were
transferred from the Gas De-
Observations
By ELBERT-FORESTER
Editor, The Dade County Sentind
partment to the General Fund.
General Fund expenditures,
by departments,included:
-administrative and general,
538,631;
-Fire Department, 55.465;
-Police Department.
590.633;
-Street Department,
557,266;
-Recreation Department,
573.587;
-total $287 440
The audit also showed that
$4,361 60 in city taxes are still
owed by some 61 taxpayers
Some of these delinquent ac
counts go back to 1965.
In the report covering the
General Fund account, the fol
lowing recommendations were
made
I. A financial budget for
expenditures should be
adopted for the year by all
department*, including capital
item*. Alao, a budget of esti-
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Remember POII s
On Veterans Day
Once again Georgians are
observing Veterans Day on its
traditional date of Nov. 11.
On June 24, 1968, a law
was passed-effective in
1971-approving four Monday
holidays for federal employees:
Washington’s Birthday, Memo
rial Day, Veterans Day, and
Columbus Day. Many states
have since adopted the same
days of observance as legal
holidays.
Georgia observed the last
Monday in October as Veterans
Day for one year and then
reverted to the original date of
Nov. 11.
Veterans Day-or Armistice
Day as it was originally
called-is the anniversary of the
cessation of hostilities in World
War I on Nov 11, 1918 and of
the signing of an armistice be
tween the Allies and Germany.
Immediately after the war,
Nov. 11 was set aside in the
United States, Great Britain,
and France as a day of remem
brance for those who had given
their lives in the war.
After World War 11, it was
recognized as a day of tribute
to the dead of that conflict, as
well as of World War I.
In Canada, it came to be
known as Remembrance Day.
In Great Britain, the Sunday
nearest to Nov. 11 was pro
claimed as Remembrance
Sunday, and was devoted to
honoring the dead of both
world wars.
After the Korean War, the
president of the United States
signed a bill on June I, 1954
designating Nov. 11 as Vet
erans Day, proclaiming it as an
occasion for honoring veterans
mated revenues should be
made indicating any special
purpose revenue disposition.
The revenue budget should be
designed to show seasonal
fluctuations, and unnceded
funds should be placed in in
vestments on a temporary
basis.
2. A quarterly statement on
an accrual basis, showing
budgetary deviations, should
be prepared. In addition to the
quarterly statement and budget
comparison, a monthly cash re
ceipt* and disbursements state
ment should be made Cash
receipts ar.d disbursements can
be made easily and. therefore,
can be available at Council
meetings shortly after the end
of the month The record* are
currently maintained on a
monthly basis
3. Bank accounts which do
not have a restrictive purpose
of control should be identified
of all wars.
It is usually observed with
parades, speeches, and the
placing of floral tributes on the
graves of servicemen. Special
services are held at Arlington
National Cemetery and at
similar shrines in other coun-
Value of Veterans’
Organizations Told
Commander Tom Johnston
urges all VFW members of
Mason-McCauley Post 6688
who have not paid their 1973
membership dues to please do
so now as the post is working
to achieve 100 percent by
Christmas.
Dues can be mailed to
Quartermaster Charles Ander
son, Route 2, Lyerly, or they
may be given to any one of the
membership committee.
“I would like to congratu
late our two newest members,
John G. Crawford of Lyerly
and James N. Sweatman of
Summerville, both Vietnam
veterans,” Commander John
ston said. “We want to sign up
Vietnam veterans in our organi
zation.”
Application blanks can be
obtained at the Chattooga
County Memorial Home or
from any VFW member.
Below is a quotation from
the Veterans' Bulletin, pointing
out the value of service organi
zations:
"A vast number of veterans,
FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1972
with proper description.
4. Parking meter attendants
should be rotated on a planned
or regular basis. It is noted that
parking meter revenues have
decreased during the past
several years,
5. Old accounts should be
written off after approval by
the Council and recorded in
the minutes, showing th? rea
son for such determination*.
All tax receipts for taxes writ
ten off as statutory relief
should te destroyed by the
Council
6 The property tax evalua
tion within the city limit*
should be compared with state
ind county records to ascertain
if all property i* being assessed.
Individual parcel evaluation*
should also be compared, and
variations reconciled.
7. Purchases of supplies and
materials should be placed by
the person authorized in the
Second Front
tries.
Chattooga County has a
large veterans population and
its native sons have served with
distinction in all our country’s
wars. Its two service organiza
tions- VFW and American
(Continued on Page 3-B>
who do not join a veterans'
organization, really get a free
ride on benefits, it was pointed
out by Sen. Vance Hartke,
chairman of the Senate Vet
erans Affairs Committee.
“In a Senate floor state
ment, the Senator said recent
ly: ‘The organized veterans
provide the only ready repre
sentation, the only forum, the
only real say, which is accom
plished at the federal level.
Seldom does the non-joiner
give the veterans' group a
second thought. Content with
his benefits, he pays no credit
to those who gained them. We
have all heard the term “pro
fessional veteran.” That should
be in the realm of a compli
ment. It takes a professional to
win something. The organized
groups have worked long and
hard in the veterans’ behalf,
and they continue to insist,
from Capitol Hill to the state
houses, on assistance, better
hospital care, and rightful
benefits.’ ’’
office after a requisition ha*
been made by the department
head. Such purchase* should be
in keeping with the approved
budget. The purchase order
should be associated with the
invoice and receiving data in
the office before payment is
made.
8. It should be noted that
approximately 5130,000 is
available to the General Fund
from the gas system by the
underwriting provisions of the
bonded indebtedness. This
amount would include the pay
ment of amounts due to the
Ga* Department. Thi* contri
bution, if authorized, would
eliminate the deficit in the
General Fund and make fund*
available for current opera
tional expenses
9. There i* 5552.000 in
checking accounts of all de
partments. Approximately
$475,000 could be placed in
Davis Sets Up
House Agency
On Technology
Ranking
Democrat
On OTA
When Congressman John
Davis quietly maneuvered the
passage of his bill to create an
Office of Technology Assess
ment (OTA) last February, he
had no idea that its enactment
into law would touch off a
flurry of competition between
national political figures and
bring renowned scientists to his
doorstep in droves. What he
did know was that, if enacted,
his bill could possibly save the
federal government billions of
dollars, assure increased pro
tection for the environment,
stimulate industry and the
economy, and revolutionize
federal lawmaking.
The veteran legislator
admits that nearly a year ago
his bill was considered a
"sleeper” by those few who
even knew it existed. But all
that has changed and now the
term “technology assessment”
is being talked about openly in
the halls of Congress, in univer
sities and European capitals,
and throughout the federal
government.
“People today are tired of
having their congressman try to
second guess important legis
lation. One group says vote for
a bill and another says vote
against it, and especially on
ticklish issues, nobody seems
to have enough information to
make a truly intelligent deci
sion. We’ve tried to do the best
we can with the information
we have, but I would say par
ticularly on highly technical
matters such as the ABM or the
Alaskan Pipeline, the average
congressman has access to
about the same amount of in
formation as a well-read private
citizen.”
This last point is whut the
bill is designed to correct. It
sets up an “early-warning”
system, embodied in the OTA,
which would tell Congress the
probable good and bad impacts
of technology contained in
proposed or pending legis
lation. Davis says that it will
also perform the duties of a
“watchdog agency” by review
ing the operations of on-going
programs in the federal govern
ment.
Davis' appointment to the
OTA board as ranking Demo
crat came as no great surprise
to the Summerville legislator.
Davis was the bill’s sponsor in
the House and managed the bill
when it came to the House
floor. He also served on the
conference committee for the
bill, and managed the confer
ence report.
investment* to earn approx
imately 527.000 per year for
the several department*
10. A bookkeeping system
should be established for the
recreation department whereby
cash received and disbursed can
be accounted for. No books
were available for audit with
the exception of cancelled
checks and bank statements.
The Gas Department audit
showed operating expenses of
5100,732 and general expense*
of $43,611 for the period
covered. Net income for the
year wa* listed at $ 126,716.
A total of 3,558 gas cus
tomers was shown: residential,
3,484; industrial, 3; com
mercial, 47; and municipal, 24.
Recommendations for the
Gas Department included:
I. The accountability of gas
purchased should be im
mediately tested for leak* and
unaccounted-for consumption.
jnk
MEH
i^R9K
OK "
I I
■ ■
WHAT IS IT?
Mystery Picture
Entries Increase
Cards and letters identifying
last week’s Mystery Picture
really poured in, and only one
person failed to identify the
object as that of a cotton swab.
One reader thought it was “the
remains of what’s left of
cotton candy.”
For correctly identifying
last week’s Mystery Picture, we
are sending a free three-month
subscription to The Summer
ville News to: Monroe Butler,
Berryton; Mrs. J. E. Webb,
3870 Potosi Road, Pensacola,
Ha.; and Johnny Adams, 211
E. Sixth St., Summerville. Con
gratulations to these persons
selected for a free subscription.
This week, we offer another
Mystery Picture for your en
joyment. It is an object with
which most of you are familiar.
Gas billed was 34,667 MCF leu
than purchased for the year
ended June 30, 1972, and
32,373 MCF leu than pur
chased for the previous year
The monetary value of this dif
ference would equal approx
imately 575,000 for the two
year period.
2. The supply and material
inventory record system is in
effective in accounting for
charge* for system extensions,
meters, and maintenance. It
wa* recommended that the
system charge out all inventory
items to the work-orders
system and spread monthly on
the books. The work-order
system also needs improve
ment.
Operating expenses for the
Water and Sewerage Depart
ment was listed at 5154,578.
Expense* at the sewage treat
ment plant were 523,778, and
Look it over carefully, and
when you think you have iden
tified it correctly, send a card
or letter to: Mystery Picture,
Box 310, Summerville, Ga.
30747.
The rules for playing our
weekly fun game are simple.
Only written (cards or letters)
entries can be accepted. No
telephone calls, please. Cards
or letters for this week’s
Mystery Picture must be in our
office by noon on Nov. 14.
Winners are selected from all
correct entries.
Why not join the many
readers who play our fun game
each week. Send in your card
or letter right now. You might
be selected to receive a free
three-month subscription to
The Summerville News.
general expenses were 533,661.
Water customers billed in
June. 1972, totaled 1,525 in
the city and 1,672 outside the
city. Metered customers were
listed at 3,083, and unmetered
customers at 114.
Recommendations:
1. A system should be
initiated whereby water usage
as metered by the pump sta
tions should be accounted for
through monthly billing pro
cedures similar to the Gas De
partment's procedure in ac
counting for gas consumption.
2. The supply and material
inventory record syiiem -ta-uu.
effective in accounting for
charges for system extension,
meters, and maintenance. It
was recommended that the
system charge out all inventory
item* to a work-order system
and allocate monthly on the
books. The work-order system
needs study and improvement.