The Winkler County News (Kermit, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 63, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 24, 1974 Page: 9 of 23
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FJage 10, Sec. 1
The Winkler County News, Kermit, Texas
Thursday, October 24, 1974
i
KERMIT, TEXAS
Telephone 586-2561
OOLDEN WEST FREE PRESS, INC.
109 Poplar
Zip Code 79745
Second class Postage Paid at
Kermit, Texas 79745
M. M. Donosky ............................. .Publisher
Bill J. Beckham.............Vice-Pres. and General Manager
Phil Parks.................... .. ft..... Managing Editor
Maud Green...................................Editor
Robert Wingrove..........................Sports Editor
Jane Inskeep............. .........Advertising Manager
Winnie Spikes ................Composition Superintendent
Marie Butts........................... Circulation Manager
Don Cox .......... .....Press and Camera Superintendent
This newspaper is dedicated to the spirit of civic progress; to the
unification of the townspeople in a common purpose for the
betterment of our community; to our churches, schools and
homes, that Kermit shall ever be a good place in which to live
and rear our children. And, above all, honesty, decency, justice,
tolerance, faith in Almighty God — These shall be our citadel.
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HIGHLIGHTS AND SIDELIGHTS 1
From Your State Capital I
bv Lvndell Williams *
CBS Hoodwinks
The U.S. On Guns
*
5 Network television, which in some qualified opinions
Exercises an excessive and potentially dangerous influence on
{American thinking, is back at its old game of playing atrocious
{tricks on the public over gun control. Some TV networks have
-favored gun control as a substitute for crime control while
{whooping it up with crime shows and wild gun play. Recently,
"•something new — that wasn’t new at all — turned up.
■ The Columbia Broadcasting System revived on its
{“Retrospect” program a 1964 television confrontation on
firearms. Two of the principal figures, U.S. Sen. Thomas Dodd
"and NRA Executive Vice President Franklin Orth, have been
{dead for years. Much of the 1964 debate was equally dead and
{gone insofar as it might apply to the present. The 1968 Federal
►Gun Control Act changed the situation, for better or worse, in
«many respects. .
i But CBS failed ignobly to make that fully clear. In its
.»straining effort to make a partisan case for more gun controls, it
Viet the 10-year-old program come through as if the same
V conditions applied today. At the close, an announcer skipped
vagilely over the 1968 act and said in effect, “No new gun laws
* have been passed in the last five years.”
NRA President C. R. Gutermuth in a protest to CBS
•President Arthur B. Taylor asked, “How, in good conscience,
{could CBS knowingly and wittingly mislead the general public
{with that flagrant distortion of the current situation? Dr.
{.Gutermuth termed the 10-year-old videotape, which was shown
* on prime time Sunday night, Aug. 4, “obsolete and wholly
’•misleading” in leaving the impression that there are no laws
* against private ownership of machine guns and modern cannon,
{or against mail-order gun sales or sales to minors, and much else.
{ “I am therefore asking the Federal Communications
* Commission whether or not the media has any responsibility at
'all to the citizenry under the First Amendment, which grants
► television and the press the liberties they enjoy under the right
l of free speech,” Dr. Gutermuth wrote CBS.
I In another protest arising out of the television field. NRA
" Executive Vice President Maxwell E. Rich notified William Link,
co-producer with Richard Levinson of ABC’s television show
* “The Gun,” that the NRA never cleared or approved the script,
t Link was quoted by a Los Angeles Times writer as saying
: “We’ve done it so well that the National Rifle Association read
* the script and made no objections.” Link said he was
► misquoted. Gen. Rich wrote him:
l “The publicity in question has focused attention on the show
: and alerted NRA Members to watch for it critically. We mention
this because we hope this is not ‘just another’ television assault
on legitimate firearms ownership such as some other networks
have made in the past. Would you care to give us an assurance
on this point under the fairness doctrine?” This Link did.
The Foxes of Inflation
Everyone knows you don’t hire the fox to guard the hen
C house. But what can you expect when the farmer who does the
* hiring is one of the foxes?
\ Well, it happens in the nation’s capital, where your tax
{• dollars are collected and spent. Congress gives federal
} bureaucrats the job of making the surveys to determine pay
\ increases for 3.5 million federal civilian and military employees.
*; The law under which the increases are computed is intended to
{ make government salaries competitive with jobs in private
{■ industry.
\ Not surprisingly, under such a setup, federal salaries have
►{ outstripped those of workers in private industry. An article in
; Washington Report, biweekly publication of the Chamber of
{ Commerce of the United States, states:
l “According to the Department of Commerce, average federal
f pay is $12,984 per year, or 46% more than the average $8,900
* received in the private sector.
I “But that’s not all. A Department of Labor report states that
l Federal Government fringe benefits, as a percentage of pav. are
* about 12% greater than those of workers employed in the
* private sector. Federal Government employees, according to the
* report, receive better vacations, holidays, sick and leave
I benefits, retirement programs and health insurance programs
l than those employed in the private sector.”
* Because of rampaging inflation, which hits everyone’s
* pocketbook, President Ford asked the Congress to delay for
< three months a proposed pay raise of 5.5% for federal workers.
t The President said the action would save $700 million this fiscal
t year and was “essential” in the fight against inflation. Either
* House could override the President’s action by voting to go
{ ahead with the pay raises as scheduled for Oct. 1.
; Well, what do you think the foxes did?
C Ignoring the President’s plea, the Senate voted 64 to 35 to go
\ ahead with the pay raises, as scheduled.
y Surprised?
r
Economists
| Downgrade Controls
►; Wage and price controls have reared their ugly heads again,
t; Despite their failure only a few months ago, wage and price
ceilings or guidelines again are being proposed as an instant cure
►' for inflation. . ,
Little support for such an approach comes from the nation s
*\ business economists. According to a survey of the National
J: Association of Business Economists, 87.6% of the respondents
** opposed reinstatement of controls.
\ Carl H. Madden, chief economist for the Chamber of
r Commerce of the United States, who is the new president of the
{ NABE, reported the survey results at a recent meeting in
* Denver.
Vf
AT LAST A REALITY 1
AVAL.0M
StATU&S
Virginia Payette
Let The Politicials Help Us Win!
Before I enlist in
Commander-in-Chief Ford’s
new all-volunteer army I have a
few questions about who are
going to be my fellow
“inflation fighters” and
“energy savers.”
I mean, if we’re going into
this with a ragtag division while
everybody else drives 65 and
rinses their unmentionables in
hot water, forget it. We’ll never
lick those double-digits that
way.
This is one caper where the
Chiefs have to outnumber the
Indians. How can they expect
us to remember to tighten our
belts, bite the bullet and pin
our WIN button on every day
unless our elected leaders are
right in there tightening and
biting and pinning, too.
Loyal soldier that I am, I’m
perfectly willing to drive less to
save fuel. But when I do, I
want to know that all those
Washington biggies have turned
in their chauffered limousines
for the duration and are
car-pooling it with the rest of
us.
I’ll curtail my travels if our
distinguished senators and
congressmen will give up their
monthly or weekly flights back
home to find out what the
voters are thinking. I can tell
them right now what they’re
thinking; federal spending is
getting out of hand, that’s
what they’re thinking.
If they’re really interested,
they can get all the detail in
their daily newpapers. Which is
a lot cheaper than the
round-trip fare to Lower
Fencepost.
And while I’m on the
subject, maybe Commander
Ford ought to give some
thought to closing up Camp
David until the war is over.
That should save a bundle on
heat, lights and gasoline wasted
by all the advisers, servants and
reporters who follow along.
If he really wanted to set us
poor foot soldiers a shining
example, he could cancel his
winter ski vacation at Vail.
That would be a big sacrifice
(and Lord knows he’ll need a
rest by then), but wasn’t he the
first to admit his battle
strategy was going to make a
lot of people unhappy? (Could
you call celebrating Christmas
at the White House “tightening
your belt?”)
Mr. Ford also urged every
citizen to “waste less” of our
natural resources, including
food, gasoline, oil and coal.
Which brings to mind another
way he can set an example: He
can give up all his speaking
engagements. And Congress
could follow his example.
You wouldn’t believe how
much this “wastes.”
Just for openers, there’s fuel
for the presidential jet, gasoline
for the trips into the city (not
to mention the small army of
staff members who tag along
when the Boss leaves town)
and the dozens of hotel rooms
for his entourage and the
Secret Service’s demands for
security.
For one recent appearance,
for instance, the hotel was told
to block out 45 rooms: those
adjoining the Presidential suite,
those on either side, the ones
across the hall and those above
and below.
And there’s all the food that
couldn’t be eaten, and all the
gas that wouldn’t be used if
the guests stayed home.
While we’re dreaming, how
about cutting the
vice-presidential staff from 60
to 30 (or maybe even to zero
while there is no Vice
President) and the White House
staff from 600 to a generous
300? Does the President really
need half a dozen press
secretaries and two personal
photographers?
I don’t mind keeping a
stopwatch on the cat to save
heat by limiting her exits and
entrances to 15 seconds, if
each of the brass on the Hill
will agree to cut his bloated
staff by even a modest 15 per
cent. Instead, they’re talking
about INCREASING their
basic staffs from 12 to 30. Is
that any way to Whip Inflation
Now (WIN)?
Not only that, but the
House has just passed a bill to
create a 14-member study
commission to do something
about the tons of papers
citizens have to fill out and
officials have to handle.
Representatives brushed aside
objections that this will only
create more paper to be
shuffled. It’s things like this
that could make recruiting
troops for WIN campaign one
of the toughest jobs in the
whole war.
AUSTIN — Statewide in-
terest in the general elec-
tion may be running at a
near low, a check of local of-
ficials across Texas indicates.
Even optimistic forecasters
place the turnout in the 50
per cent range. Many doubt
the 30 per cent showing of
last May’s primaries will be
improved on much. There are
an estimated 5.5 million reg-
istered voters.
About 55 per cent of eligi-
ble voters participated in the
1970 off - presidential - year
election, 48 per cent in 1966.
The spotcheck produced
these estimates on the turn-
out:
Harris County (Houston)
—40 per cent.
Dallas County—35 to 50
per cent.
Tarrant County (Fort
Worth)—30 per cent.
Bexar County (San Anton-
io)—35 to 40 per cent.
Travis County (Austin)—
45-50 per cent.
El Paso—Fewer than 30
per cent.
Even in counties where
local candidates are slugging
it out, voters don’t seem turn-
ed on. The governor’s race
between Democratic incum-
bent Gov. Dolph Briscoe and
Republican Jim Granberry
has attracted limited atten-
tion.
Observers report voters are
burned out politically by
Watergate scandals and Pre-
sident Nixon’s hasty depar-
ture from the White House
under fire.
Many voters are said to
distrust politicians and pro-
posed political solutions to
such major issues of concern
as runaway inflation. So—
apparently — they will sit
home November 5, and leave
it to a minority to decide who
gets elected.
INSURANCE HIKE DUE—
State Insurance Board staff
members recommended a
whopping 16.8 per cent in-
crease in auto insurance, but
the Board indicated it may
not go for the full amount.
The insurance industry
asked for 18.3 per cent aver-
age state increases on pri-
Paul Harvey
News
Electric Cars Will Solve
A Lot Of Problems
THE
FAMILY
LAWYER
Mittens for Pickpocket
Not long ago a man found guil-
ty of picking pockets was granted
probation on the condition that
he wear mittens whenever he went
out in public during the following
five years.
This order suggests the wide
range of possibilities that may
occur to a sentencing judge when
he allows a convicted person to
go free on probation. The idea, of
course, is to keep the culprit from
getting into trouble again.
I see the first ad for an electric car.
It’s on Page 5 of The Wall Street Journal. It’s a little bitty ad,
three inches of one column. But it says the electric car is here -
immediate delivery, $2,390.
This has to be the wave of the future.
Breathing may be hazardous to your health — even if you
don’t smoke. The American Medical Association’s Journal
reports research revealing that nearly half of Americans have
more than a safe amount of deadly carbon monoxide in their
blood.
If you smoke, the hazard is multiplied three times.
But even for nonsmokers in cities, automobile exhaust
creates a continuing hazard.
Environmental Protection Agency’s Assistant Administrator
John Quarles says, “The only way to clean the air of our
nation’s cities is to get people to park their cars.”
The gasoline-powered motorcar is becoming more a liability
than an asset.
A substantial portion of higher prices we’re paying for new
cars relates to antipollution equipment which is only so-so
effective and which, in fact, requires that we burn more fuel per
mile. That depollution effort is counterproductive.
Our nation’s red-ink balance of payments with other nations
and our stateside inflation are desperately worsened by higher
international prices for oil and its derivatives.
Yet, while bureaucrats sit around chewing their fingernails
past the second knuckle trying to figure out how to get more oil
to make more gas to run more cars to compound our problems,
six manufacturers around the United States, with little
encouragement and no money from Washington, are tediously
handmaking our nation’s first modern electric cars.
Heretofore the electric car has been disadvantaged by the
limited usefulness of unavailable batteries. No longer.
High performance batteries have been developed at Argonne
National Laboratory which will multiply the power potential.
Technically, the energy density of these new lithium-sulfur-type
batteries is five to eight times greater than the conventional
lead-acid battery.
Practically, what this means is that the new generation of
electric cars will have the acceleration and speed capability of a
present conventional compact. The electric car will go 100 miles
without recharging.
The first of these batteries will cost $800 but will last for five
years, so that with overnight recharging you will drive your
electric car at a “fuel cost” of about 1 cent per mile.
With some enthusiasm from on high, the pace of this
evolution could be accelerated. But even without outside help,
this fledgling industry is marketing cars now and will have
available these improved performance batteries — or something
better — within four years.
by Lyndell Williams
Texas Press. Associatioa "W
vate auto coverage.
Board Chairman Joe Chris-
tie noted that accident and
claim data used by the staff
cut off Dec. 3, 1973—before
speed limits were reduced
from 70 to 55 miles per hour
and before peak of the winter
gasoline shortage.
He used consideration of
more-recent data. No decision
will be made on the rates, to
be effective January 1, until
late November, Christie in-
dicated.
Under the recommenda-
tions, full coverage compre-
hensive policies would in-
crease 22.3 per cent on the
statewide average, property
damage liability 21.4 per cent,
bodily injury liability eight-
tenths of one per cent and no-
fault medical payments 2.8
per cent. Uninsured motorist
coverage cost would be re-
duced 20.1 jer cent.
ALLOWABLE UNCHANG-
ED—The November state oil
production allowable will re-
main at 100 per cent of po-
tential for the 32nd straight
month.
Texas Railroad Commission
agreed on that last week aft-
er noting that major buyers
asked for 17,582 barrels a
day (4,075,201 barrels) less
than in October.
Commission Chairman Jim
Langdon said leased acreage
for exploration is about as
high as it has been in 15
years and drilling applica-
tions have increased 40 per
cent. Actual increase in drill-
ing is about 15 per cent.
Langdon said the increase
would be far greater if it
were not for a shortage of
pipe and drilling rigs.
AG OPINIONS—Waiver of a
city-owned utility’s obliga-
tion to make payments to the
parent city is not an uncon-
stitutional gift but merely a
rate reduction, Atty. Gen.
John Hill held.
In other recent opinions,
Hill concluded:
• Copies of tests and test
results on mobile home tie-
downs should be made public
on request.
• Public officials must con-
fer with employees over grie-
vances.
• Child care facilities oper-
ated by local mental health
units or other political sub-
divisions are exempt form
licensing requirements.
CROPS FORECAST—Texas
upland cotton production this
year is expected to decrease
more than 1.5 million bales
from 1973, to a level of 3.1
million bales, according to
Agriculture Commissioner
John C. White.
However, White said the
October outlook for most
Texas grains—rice, corn, sor-
ghum and soybeans—remains
good. Rice production is ex-
pected to top 25 million hund-
red weight bags in the state
—an increase of 23 per cent
from 1973 totals.
The Commissioner sees
corn production at 69.7 mil-
lion bushels, sorghum at 925
million bushels and soybeans
at 6.5 million bushels. He
said 1974 will be a good year
for pecan production, esti-
mated at 40 million pounds. |j
Weather—drough, followed J
by a cool, wet September— ►
was blamed by White for the ►
decline in the cotton yield. ?
HERITAGE DAY OBSERV- ’
ED—October 14 was Family |
Land Heritage Day honor-
ing Texas farmers and ranch-
ers whose families have
worked the same land for 100
years or more.
Nearly 1,500 attended spe-
cial ceremonies at the De-
partment of Agriculture Food
and Fiber Pavilion at the
State Fair in Dallas.
Five hui dred and sixty two
individuals and families have
qualified for the inaugural
program. Registration for
the 1975 Family Land Herit-
age Program will open next
spring.
RECORDS SET—The state
last year received the high-
est annual oil and gas royal-
ty income from its lands—a
64 per cent increase—in his- J
tory, according to Land Com- ;
missioner Bob Armstrong. j
The receipts increased from >
$27.7 million last year to \
$43.3 million for 1973-74 on ’ ■
school lands. Armstrong said \
the figure reflects higher >
prices for stripper oil, new »
oil prices, and settlement of l
six fair market value law- *
suits against major oil and
gas producers.
Oil and gas receipts on
University lands increased by
75 per cent, from $18.3 mil-
lion to $32 million, Armstrong
said.
SHORT SNORTS
Fifteen more Texas cities
and counties were designated ,
National Bicentennial Com-
munities. They are Ballinger,
Beaumont, Breckenridge,
Commerce, Farmers Branch, ;
Flower Mound, Greenville,
Jefferson, Killeen - Harker «
Heights, Marshall, Moody,
Port Arthur, Weslaco, Wheel-
er County and Winkler Coun-
ty.
Governor Briscoe asked
Secretary of Agriculture
Earl Butz to declare Bee,
Presidio and El. Paso Coun-
ties disaster areas due to re-
cent winds, hail and rains.
October 20 was set as
deadline for plow-up and
stalk destruction by cotton
farmers in the Upper Gulf
Coast area.
Attorney General Hill nam- .; \ <
ed an advisory committee on
bail bond and forfeiture laws.
The U. S. Supreme Court
referred back to the U. S.
Circuit Court in New Orleans
a Texas suit challenging
presidential impoundment of
$6 million in water pollution
control funds.
TURN ONS
HES GREAT
CAN DO
ANYTHING'
WITH A
basketball
YES, EXCEPT
AUTOGRAPH
ITl
As a matter of law, the judge
has considerable leeway in setting
conditions. Besides the usual re-
quirements, such as avoiding asso-
ciation with criminals and keeping
in touch with a probation officer,
special limitations have also been
held lawful.
Examples:
1) that a bookie should not
have a telephone in his
home;
2) that an assaulter should not
go near a certain woman;
and
3) that a labor “goon” should
not be eligible for union
office.
On the other hand, the law is
leery of conditions that are too
freakish (because they are hard to
enforce) or too severe (because
they are hard to live up to).
Also, there are constitutional
limits that must not be trans-
gressed.
In one case, a court granted a
man probation on condition that
he donate blood to the Red Cross.
But this condition was thrown out
on appeal because it called for “in-
vading the physical person in an
unwarranted manner.”
Equally invalid was a condition
in another case that the felon, who
was a promising athlete, not play
any college or professional basket-
ball. The appellate court said that
such a restriction, rather than keep
him out of trouble, was more like-
ly to get him back in.
A public service feature of the
American Bar Association and
the State Bar of Texas. Written
by Will Bernard.
© 1974 American Bar Association
id SMALL
BUSINESS
AS HEARD
BY HEARD
No Stop and Start
There seems little question
that to all segments of the so-
ciety, inflation is the major
problem of the times.
* * *
But it is perhaps most un-
likely to expect that the prob-
lem can be solved overnight.
* * *
The reason for this is that
inflation in the United States
was carefully nurtured by gov-
ernment policies over three or
four decades.
* * *
For example, the huge for-
eign give away programs
which have reached at least
$200 billion in money the gov-
ernment had to borrow, has
been a major factor.
* * *
Over the years the nation’s
independent business people,
voting through the National
Federation of Independent Bus-
iness, have long called for an
end to foreign aid programs
which in most instances have
amounted to nothing but major
squandering of money with no
useful purpose achieved.
* * *
In addition to the fact that
the Federal treasury, which in
the final sense, is the American
taxpayer, is being drained to
pay interest on this global
squandering, the foreign
give aways have set up all
around the world huge pools of
dollars for which in a normal
stabilized trade situation there
is no home.
* * *
The result has been that
American timber, wheat, wool,
© National Federation of Independent Businc ss
cotton, and other basic com-
modities are bid up by these
dollars looking for a home.
* * *
For example, in Oregon and
Washington independent ply-
wood mills are being forced t
tb close, throwing people out «
of work. The big reason is that *
the Japanese have so many ex-
cess dollars that they bid up
the prices of logs to such a
level that domestic producers
cannot meet the price.
* * *
This, in turn, has resulted in j
the big slump in the home j
building industry.
* * *
Recently President Ford said j
he would have inflation licked
by July 4th, 1976.
* * *
This is in many respects a
strange statement.
* * *
Just how it is possible in
less than 24 months to not only 5
stop, but reverse a trend that
has been going on for at least *,
450 months is something that J?
kind of boggles the mind.
* * *
The course of inflation is noty
like traffic signals.
* * *
There are not “stop” and “go” 5j
lights that automatically con-J
trol the situation. And as the"
time of the November hust-
lings draws close, the voters
would do well to bear in mind
that when any candidate flatly
declares he or she will stop
inflation if elected, the question
should be asked as just what
the candidates plan may be.
<
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Parks, Phil. The Winkler County News (Kermit, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 63, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 24, 1974, newspaper, October 24, 1974; Kermit, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1034970/m1/9/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Winkler County Library.