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VOLUME 87 — NUMBER 27
Live B lj th Rate Shows Decline in Chattooga County
Chattooga County’s live bir 3. * ' following a state trend
that began in the 6O’s-it’s decli _ § th rates, however, are up
slightly.
Vital statistics just released by the Department of Human
Resources show that there were 353 live births in the county in
1972. That’s a decrease of 48 over the 1971 total of 401, or a
drop from 19.5 births for each 1,000 persons in 1971 to 16.9 in
1972.
Statewide, the report shows that there were 87,366 live births
reported in 1972, a decrease of 6,114 over the 1971 total of
93,480.
The total in Chattooga County for 1971 breaks down to 353
white births and 48 nonwhite. The 1972 totals are 301 and 52,
respectively.
In 1972, some 98.2 percent of all live births in Georgia
occurred in hospitals—99.7 percent of the white births and 95.2
percent of the nonwhite births.
While the total birth rate declined throughout the state, births
reported to school-age mothers increased in 1972. Os the 87,366
live births recorded, 16,000-or 18.3 percent-were recorded as
births to mothers 11 through 18 years of age. This is an increase
of 18.2 per 1.000 live births for 1972 in this category. Os these
Project
To Aid
Youths
A job placement service is a
new program to help students
at Chattooga High School, as
well as those who have
dropped out of school or are
unemployed, to find full or
part-time jobs.
“For a variety of reasons,
some young people have been
unable to fit themselves into
local business and industry,” a
spokesman for the project said.
“We are aware of the fact that
many jobs into which young
people could fit are not being
filled. Through our services,
employers will be provided
with an employee who more
accurately meets the em
ployer’s needs and conversely
we will be placing a student
into a job situation which
would meet his needs and as
pirations.”
Chattooga High School is
now providing the community
with a job placement service
through its vocational division.
The job placement coordi
nator is Jack Mayo, whose re
sponsibility will be to help any
one in the community who is
seeking employment to find a ■
suitable type of job. Mayo will
be surveying the employers of
the community, and will main
tain a list of job opportunities.
Any employer who has jobs
available should contact the co
ordinator so that these jobs
may be included in his records.
Any person seeking employ- ,
ment should contact Mayo to |
enlist his help in finding a job.
He can be reached by coming
by or calling Chattooga High
School. Mayo maintains an
office in the vocational office |
of the high school. His phone j
number is 857-2402.
Police Blotter
The Summerville Police De
partment reported 22 arrests I
during the past week. Fines
and forfeits amounted to $935
for the same period.
Cases were listed as follows:
—Reckless conduct with an
automobile, 3;
-Public drunkenness, 4;
-Disorderly conduct, 2;
—Driving under the in
fluence, 6;
-Driving on the wrong side
of the road, 1;
-Failure to have vehicle
under control, 1;
-Reckless driving, 1;
-Violating antinoise ordi
nance, 1;
-Reckless conduct with a । j
motorcycle, 1;
-Driving with an improper (
tag, I;and
-Driving without a license, I
i
1- i
' ————— J
Burglaries Listed
Two break-ins were re
ported during the weekend. On
Sunday at 3.10 p.m., SmUey
Ray reported someone had
broken into hjs house on
Bellah Avenue. Reported miss
ing were three pocket watches
Curtis Ellis reported at 6.45
p.m. Monday that his house at ]
333 Edmondson Street had
been burglarized. Reported
missing was $lO in change and (
a number of coins.
These break-ins are under
investigation by local officers. I
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DISTRICT GOVERNOR VISITS LOCAL LIONS
Frank H. Durham Jr., governor of District 18-A,
Lions International was the guest speaker at Tuesday
night’s semimonthly meeting of the Summerville
Lions Club, which was observed as Ladies’ Night. The
district governor covered all phases of Lionism, and
told local Lions how they could help to meet the
GPC ASKING PERMANENT RELIEF
Rate Hike Hearings Begin
Wednesday Before GPSC
The Georgia Public Service
Commission Wednesday began
hearings on an application
from Georgia Power Co. for a
permanent increase in its rates
to retail customers.
This increase, if granted in
full, would add an estimated
SB6 million to the system’s j
revenues and would amount to j
an annual rate increase of 17
percent, based on revenues for
the 12 months ended Septem
ber, 1973.
Georgia Power was granted
a temporary rate high of sll
million Aug. 6. The temporary
increase which took effect '
Aug. 13 was for three months,
after which the permanent rate |
increase would become effec- :
tive, if it is approved.
The primary contention in
these new hearings is the same
offered in several previous fil
ings for rate relief over the past
few years: that an adequate
supply of electricity cannot be
assured for the people of Geor
gia unless the company is per
mitted adequate earnings.
A GPC spokesman said,
“Expansion is essential if the
people's demand for adequate,
reliable, and reasonably priced
electricity is to be met over the
next few years. The public is
doubling its needs for electric
power needs every seven years. !
This growing need for power
requires far greater amounts of
money for construction than
the company has ever had to
raise in the past.”
The temporary raise upped
the average residential electric
bill by SI.OB a month. If the
permanent rate schedule is ap
proved, it is estimated to raise
the monthly bill to home
owners by $3.04 The utility is
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA 30747, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1973
births, 648 were to mothers 14 years of age and younger.
There were 7,721 immature births—newborns weighing less
than five and one-half pounds-recorded in 1972 in Georgia. The
1971 figure was 8,215, representing a rate change from 87.9 per
1,000 live births in 1971 to 88.4 in 1972.
The incidence of immature births is much higher in younger
mothers: 148 per 1,000 for mothers under 15; 123 for mothers
15-17; 101 for mothers 18-19; and 82 for mothers 20-24 years of-,
age.
Deaths of Georgia residents reported for 1972 increased by
1,383 over the previous year. The figures stand at 42,919 for
1972, and 41,536 for 1971. Based on estimated population, rates
per 1,000 persons increased in 1972, also.
Again following the state pattern, the leading causes of deaths
in Chattooga County in 1972 were heart disease, cancer, cere
brovascular disease (stroke, hypertension), and motor vehicles, in
that order. The greatest increase in deaths in 1972 was in the
heart, stroke, and hypertension categories.
In 1971, however, influenza and pneumonia were the fourth
greatest killers in Chattooga County.
In both 1971 and 1972, heart disease was responsible for the
deaths of 78 Chattoogans, according to the department’s report.
also seeking an increase in
summer rates, which would
raise monthly bills during June
through September by $3.34,
according to one estimate.
In answer to a question of
what will happen if the full
increase is not granted, a com
pany spokesman said: “The
most immediate effect will be a
further curtailment of expan
sion plans that may require
Georgians to cut back on their
power usage several years down
the road. We could also en
counter a further reduction in
the financial ratings of our
bond issues, each of which
NO SERIOUS ACCIDENTS
Labor Day Holiday
Quiet for Chattooga
A “quiet” Labor Day week
end was reported by the Chat
tooga County Sheriff’s Depart
ment. Sheriff Gary McConnell
said no felonies or serious acci
dents were reported during the
long holiday weekend that
began at 6 p.m. Friday and
ended at midnight Monday.
The sheriff’s office reported
85 arrests were made during
the past week, bringing the
total for the year to 2,501
Cases were listed as follows
Hit and run, 1; criminal
damage to property, 2; simple
battery, 2; following too close
in an automobile, 1; public
drunkenness, 6;driving with an
expired motor vehicle inspec-
DEATH RATE IS INCREASING
goals set for the year. Shown above, left to right:
Harry Chappell Jr. of Rockmart, deputy district
governor; Durham; Martin Palmer, local Lions presi
dent; and Clyde D. Selman of Rome, zone chairman,
Zone 2.
raises the cost of interest and
adds additional millions of
dollars to our interest costs
over the life of the bonds.”
Edwin Hatch, president of
Georgia Power, indicated the
additional money is needed so
that the power firm can build
additional power plants.
“If we build plants, it hurts I
us financially, but it’s for the
benefit of the customers,” he
added. “We’re spending about ■
twice as much money in con
struction as we take in.”
A company spokesman
added that even with the in
crease, power rates in Georgia
tion sticker, 7; arrested on a .
bench warrant, I; probation, 1; ।
theft by taking, 2; deer hunting
with a spotlight, 2. labor day
Also, driving with an im
proper license, 4, permitting
another person to use license,
I; forgery, 2; driving under the
influence, 11; driving without a
license, 13; making terroristic
threats, 1; abandonment, 2;
peace warrant, 2; capias, 3; i
driving on a revoked license, 3;
larceny after trust, 1; littering
on the highway, 1; driving with
an improper tag, 2; driving on
an expired license, 1; speeding, :
2; failure to grant right of way,
>•
Cancer took 31 lives in 1971 and 37 in 1972. Stroke and
hypertension were the cause of 22 deaths locally in 1971 and 29
in 1972.
Influenza and pneumonia resulted in 15 deaths here in 1971
and eight in 1972. Motor vehicle accidents claimed 12 lives in
1971 and eight in 1972. Other causes of death were 11 and 12,
respectively, for 1971 and 1972.
The total number of deaths recorded in 1971 in Chattooga
County was 216, compared to 223 in 1972. This breaks down to
10.5 per 1,000 population in 1971 and 10.7 percent last year.
Motor vehicle accidents were the leading cause of death for
Georgians between the age of five and 14, the department report
shows.
Deaths by violence-all accidents, homicides, and suicides
accounted for 11.6 percent of all deaths in Georgia in 1972, with
the highest occurrence rate in the 15-24 age group, a staggering
77.6 percent.
In calendar year 1972, there were 1,733 infant deaths rec
orded which produced a rate of 19.8 deaths for each 1,000 live
births, down from 21.1 in 1971. As in the past four years,
respiratory disease (influenza and pneumonia) ranked first as the
cause of infant deaths. Fifty-one percent of the infant deaths
would continue to be among
the lowest in the nation. “In
fact,” it was stated, “based .on
the average residential bill,
electricity accounted for only
1.6 percent of median family
income as established in the
1970 census. ”
The amount totals SB6
million only because past re
quests were cut back sharply
by the commission, the com
pany said, and inflation has
since raised the costs of pro
grams that were delayed or cut
back by considerable amounts
due to a lack of financing. Al
though the previous requests
were trimmed sharply by the
commission, the company
spokesman said, the need for
them has not gone away.
Protests against the rate in
; crease have come from private
groups, as well as organized
labor. They claim industry is
being subsidized at the expense
of already overburdened tax
payers.
The company claims that a
utility such as Georgia Power
can expand to meet growing
needs only through borrowing
because customer revenues are
not sufficient to finance expan
sion.
—
Insurance Aid
A field investigator from
Comptroller General Johnnie
L. Caldwell’s office will be here
Sept. 12 to help local residents
with their insurance problems
and questions.
Field investigator James
Kirk will be at the Chattooga
County Courthouse from 9
a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
County’s Retail
Sales Increase
13.8 Percent
Retail sales in Chattooga
County during the first quarter
of 1973 gained a healthy 13.8
percent over the corresponding
period in 1972.
j The figures are contained in
| a report just released by the
| Georgia Chamber of Commerce
and cover all of Georgia’s 159
counties.
Retail sales in Georgia
| totaled $3,449 million during
' the first quarter of 1973 as
compared with $3,047 million
during the same period in the
previous year, according to the
Chamber survey. This repre
sents an increase of 13.2 per
cent over the 1972 period
throughout the state.
DADE FIRST
Chattooga County’s first
quarter increase compared
favorably with other counties
in the area. Dade County regis
tered the largest increase of the
surrounding area.
Retail sales during the first
quarter of 1973 (with the per
centage of increase over the
previous year) for area counties
show:
-Catoosa: $10.6 million,
12.6 percent.
-Dade: $4.1 million, 23.8
nprrpnt
-Floyd: $54.1 million, 12.2
percent.
-Gordon: $15.0 million,
22.8 percent.
-Walker: $20.0 million,
13.8 percent.
-Whitfield: $56.5 million,
12.8 percent.
59 PERCENT
Effingham County regis
tered the largest increase in the
state with 59 percent.
Nine Georgia counties
showed declines in retail sales
for period from 1972 to 1973.
These counties are: Baker, a
decrease of 17.5 percent;
Bleckley, a decrease of 3.1 per
cent; Crawford, a decrease of
1.0 percent; Jeff Davis, a de
crease of 10.1 percent; Long, a
decrease of 1.7 percent; Semi
nole, a decrease of 8.4 percent;
Wayne, a decrease of 1.5 per
cent; Wheeler, a decrease of 0.1
percent; and White, a decrease
of 3.4 percent.
According to the Georgia
Chamber of Commerce, tax
able sales in Georgia’s 159
counties are estimated by cal
endar quarters of business and
are based on Georgia Depart
ment of Revenue data for
adjusted gross tax amounts.
These figures exclude out
of-state purchases, which relate
to use tax amounts, and indi
cate place of sale rather than
consumer buying power by
place of residence.
Summers Explains Pension
E. G. Summers, senator of
the 53rd District, has explained
increased benefits made avail
able in 1973 Act No. 83 for
persons eligible under the Fire
men’s Pension Fund.
The 1973 Act, passed by
the 1973 session of the General
Assembly, makes it possible for
a fireman or volunteer fireman
to join the State Fireman’s
Pension Fund and to pay back,
time into the fund during Sep
tember and October of 1973
occurred before the child was a day old, the report reveals.
Commenting on the figures, Dr. James Alley, physical health
director for the human resources agency, said, “The vital records
report for 1972 underscores the need for new and innovative
approaches to public health programs in this state. Here we see
the results of an excellent family planning program that’s causing
a drop in unwanted pregnancies and unwanted children in the
population as a whole and a favorable increase in hospital births,
yet other statistics suggest an urgent need for improvement in
family health care.
“Premature birth rates that’re often associated with teenage
pregnancies, and infant mortality rates, are cause for concern,”
Dr. Alley went on to point out. “So are death rates from
preventable causes, particularly accidental deaths that take such a
heavy toll in the young age groups.
“It was for the purpose of making public health services more
responsive to family and community health needs that the
Division of Physical Health was recently reorganized,” the state
health director stressed. “Once programs and services begin to fall
into place under the new organizational structure-provided we
bring enough mind power and muscle to the implementation
process -we should, within a few years, begin to see tangible
improvements in Georgia’s public health statistics.”
Federal Suit Filed
Against Commissioner
A suit has been filed in federal court seeking to require
the Chattooga County Commissioner to issue a Deer license
to a newly organized veterans’ organization.
Local Attorney W. Ben Ballenger confirmed Wednesday
that a suit was filed Tuesday in United States District Court
for Northern Georgia, Rome Division, by members of
Amvets Post No. 41, a Chattooga County veterans’ associa
i tion, against Harry Powell, Chattooga County Commis
sioner, alleging that Commissioner Powell had deprived the
members of Amvets Post No. 41 of the equal protection of
the law guaranteed them by the Constitution of the United
States.
The suit alleges that Commissioner Powell arbitrarily and
captiously denied and refused to issue a local beer license to
Amvets Post No. 41, but had issued-or had authorized a
license to, the Chattooga County Memorial Home, a meet
ing place of American Legion Post 129 and VFW Mason
; McCauley Post 6688, two other veterans’ organizations.
In the suit, members of the local Amvets post seek a
declaratory judgment as to the constitutionality of Com
missioner Powell’s action and an injunction against what is
said to be his continued refusal to issue a beer license for
their use and enjoyment. Ballenger said in response to a
question that the complaint may be heard in late October.
Subsidized Loans
Available Locally
J. N. McDuffie, state direc
tor of Farmers Home Admini
stration for Georgia, announces
that the agency has resumed
Reserved Seat
Paekage Deal
Now Available
Persons who bought re
served seats at Chattooga High
Stadium last year but have not
been contacted this year are
asked to call 857-151 1.
If you have not bought a
reserved seat ticket and wish to
do so, you may call the above
mentioned number.
Football fans may purchase
a packaged deal consisting of a
reserved seat, season ticket,
and a reserved parking space
for sls per seat.
only.
There are also pension bene
fits for firemen or volunteer
firemen who become totally
and permanently disabled as a
result of injuries received while
on active duty, as well as
certain disabilities which are
not service related.
“These new pension bene
fits were deemed necessary by
the General Assembly in view
of the hazardous public service
provided by Georgia’s firemen
PRICE 15c
making subsidized loans to
help low-income families buy
rural housing.
The program allows federal
ly subsidized mortgage interest
rates as low as one percent per
annum for low-income families
who could not otherwise af
ford adequate housing.
McDuffie stated that this
loan authority will be used to
provide decent, safe, and sani
tary housing for rural residents.
Loan funds can be used to buy
a lot, furnish water, and con
. struct a minimum adequate
i house. Funds can also be used
to purchase existing houses if
| they meet minimum FHA stan
j dards.
Anyone interested in addi
tional information about this
■ loan should get in touch with
’ George E. Weaver, county
; supervisor, or Mrs. Frances
Holt, county office clerk. The
office is situated on South
Commerce, and the office
hours are from 8 a m. to 5
p.m., Monday through Friday
and volunteer firemen. It^Wni—
our hope to provide some addi
tional financial security in rec
ognition of the services they
perform,” Sen. Summers said.
Any interested firemen
should contact Jim Stewart,
secretary-treasurer of the Geor
gia Firemen's Pension Fund at
720 Church Street, Decatur,
Ga., immediately.
The act went into effect
when it was signed by the
governor on March 28.