Sulphur Springs News-Telegram (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 102, No. 103, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 30, 1980 Page: 4 of 28
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4—THE NEWS-TELEGRAM, Sulphur Springs, Texas, Wednesday, April 30,1980.
rum
Jack Anderson
In our opinion
Sulphur Springs doesn't
qualify as small town
Richard West, a widely known
Texas writer, is entitled to his own opi-
nions. And whether you agree with him
or not, it is intriguing to follow his
trend of thought as he lists the top
small towns in Texas.
West’s reflections about the best
small towns in Texas were carried in
the latest issue of Texas Monthly, and
the story details, in part, his research
of the pleasant project.
He found that Fredericksburg,
Alpine, Canadian, Navasota and
Shiner rank in the top five. Visitors to
these five towns will agree that they
merit wide acclaim. They are attrac-
tive to visitors, each with unique
strong points, and all have one com-
mon beneficial factor-town boosters
Nothing to gain from
stalling on inevitable
Historically the Hopkins County
Commissioners Court never has been
noted for a readiness to make quick,
clear-cut decisions.
Instead, the tendency has been to
find the decision process a painful one
and to postpone definite commitments
as long as possible.
On some occasions the stalling
habit has proved advantageous by ex-
hausting the support behind dubious
proposals with a minimum residue of
antagonism. More frequently it merely
serves to delay the inevitable and to
add to the complexity and cost of the
matter at stake.
It is hard to see where there is any
advantage to be gained from the
court’s tabling action, on a request
from the Hopkins County Tax Ap-
praisal District for $6,432 to help get
the new agency’s ambitious program
for reassessing all property in the
county off to an early start.
State law requires that the new ap-
praisal be completed and ready for use
as a common valuation base by all tax-
ing agencies in 1982. The job is a big
one and must be done right if the coun-
ty’s people are to be treated fairly.
It is true enough, as one commis-
sioner remarked, that the money at
issue is not in the county budget, but
this is a familiar problem for which
solutions are available.
Cities, school districts, the hospital
district and other taxing agencies all
will share in the benefit of the ap-
praisal board’s program and are all
being asked to help finance its work.
If everybody -gets into the game of
holding back support as long as possi-
ble, important momentum will be lost
and the quality of the work is likely to
suffer correspondingly.
The new approach to property taxa-
tion is a creation of the state
legislature and it isn’t going to fade
away because of reluctance of local of-
ficials to give it their support.
Sulphur Springs Needs....
•Cooper Reservoir
•Broader Vocational Education
•More Downtown Parking
•Continued Industrial Development
•A More Prosperous Agriculture
•A City-County Health Unit
'•City Beautification
•Enthusiastic Citizens
•Minimum Housing Standards Code
•Improved Streets & Drainage
p ■■
Consumers' alert:
. ' >• * j
baby cribs can be lethal
who love the way of life in their chosen
communities.
Texas has many towns in the 1,000
to 10,000 population bracket, so West
may not have had the experience of
sampling all of them. Undoubtedly,
there are other small towns that might
rank equally with West’s top five. At
least for this year, they will not have
the “best” attention drawn to them.
Sulphur Springs could not be judged
in the small town category because its
.population is above the cut-off 10,000
level, but if it had qualified, it probably
would have been judged near the top.
Don’t you agree that Sulphur Spr-
ings is one of the top small cities in
Texas?
WASHINGTON - The
fiery deaths of thre? young,
people in a rear-ended Pinto
recently led to criminal
prosecution of the Ford
Motor Company Although
the auto maker was acquit-
ted, the trial set an impor-
tant precedent.
The court recognized that
a business firm and its exec-
utives should be held respon-
sible for the safety of prod-
ucts they design,
manufacture and market. In ■
that sense, the Pinto prose-
cution was not a failure
Corporations are. now on
notice that they must
answer to the public if they
put profits ahead of lives.
It was more than three
years ago that I first report
ed Ford knew from its own
tests how to position fuel
tanks to give greater protec-,
lion in rear-end collisions I
cited suppressed documents
from the company’s own
files as evidence that Ford
could have made safer auto-
mobiles by spending a few
dollars more on each car
1 “Secret tests by Ford have
shown that minor adjust-
ments in the location of the
fuel tank could greatly
reduce the fiery danger," I
reported on Dec 30, 1976
Now 1 Jim investigating
another case involving the
Bassett Furniture Indus-
tries, Inc., a leading maker
of baby cribs Six infants
have died in Bassett cribs
since 1977. The tots j>ot their
heads wedged between the
decorative finial on the cor-
ner post, headboard or foot
panel. According to Consum-
er Product Safety Commis-
sion experts, the infants
strangled when they tried to
pull their heads out of the
trap.
The company knew as
early as September 1977,
CPSC investigators have
charged, that its cribs could
kill or injure infants, but it
failed tp notify the commis-
sion as required by law Ear-
lier this year, Bassett signed
a consent decree with the
CPSC which requires it to
take extensive remedial
action and pay a $175,000
civil fine
But I have obtained docu-
ments, not included in the
consent decree, that illus-
trate the true insensitivity of
the corporate brass
In March 1978, a Bassett
customer named Richard
Ball wrote the company
about the crib he purchased
in July 1976. “At that time,
we were assured by the
store salesman that the crib
had been designed so that it
was impossible for a child to
get their head caught in the
headboard," he wrote
“Our daughter did get her
head stuck ... on two sepa-
rate occasions. To say the
least, this was a very trau-
matic experience for her
and a most frightening one
A case of red tape
PHILADELPHIA (NEA) - The words differ slightly, but the
music is identical to the theme song being heard all across the
land as part of a determined corporate propaganda campaign
against allegedly oppressive federal regulation.
In this case, the lyrics belong to the pharmaceutical indus-
try, busily promoting the notion that only insensitive bureau-
crats at the Food and Drug Administration stand between mil-
lions of ailing Americans and the new vistas in drug therapy
that could ease their pain if not save their lives.
For example, the FDA is blamed bv Lewis A. Engman,
president of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association,
for producing little more than “a steady stream of over-regu-
lation ... needless red tape ... and excessively detailed require-
ments."
IN WASHINGTON
Robert Walters
But now unfolding in this city is a saga that provides a
compelling case for more — not less - government regula-
tion of an industry whose products can produce needless
deaths and life-long suffering as readily as they can fight dis-
ease and save lives. — -
It involves Selacryn, a new drug approved last May for
nationwide marketing by Smith Kline & French Laboratories,
one of the nation’s largest pharamaceutical houses and a sub-
sidiary of the Philadelphia-based SmithKline Corp.
Selacryn was believed to represent a major advance in
treating high blood pressure, because in addition to relieving
hypertension it also produced several other positive clinical
effects. Unknown at the time was the impact of negative side
effects.
Federal law requires that pharmaceutical firms report to
the FDA “as soon as possible, and in any event within 15
working days” if they receive “information concerning any
unexpected side effect, injury, toxicity or sensitivity reaction”
in connection with drugs they are distributing.
No such reports were filed by SmithKline relating to liver
damage suffered by Selacryn users But buried in a routine
quarterly report filed with the FDA last November was the
disclosure of 12 such cases of seriously impaired liver func-
tion.
The problem went unnoticed in Washington for more than a
month, partly because SmithKline failed to use a reporting
system specifically designed to provide federal regulatory
officials with prompt warning of potentially serious danger
When company officials finally were summoned by the
FDA to an urgent mid-January meeting, they arrived with
reports of an additional 40 cases of liver damage. The new
total of 52 cases included 30 instances of jaundice — and five
deaths.
The day after that meeting, SmithKline began an emergen-
cy recall of Selacryn. By that time, however, the drug had
been prescribed for more than 300,000 patients and more than
500,000 bottles of Selacryn were on the market.
SmithKline continued to receive reports of death and illness
among Selacryn users, but sought to minimize unfavorable
publicity In March, for instance, the company revealed that
the casualty count had soared to 363 known cases of liver
damage — including 24 deaths.
But the format of that disclosure was a most unusual one
The information was buried in the middle of a thick financial
prospectus the corporation was required to file with the Secu-
rities and Exchange Commission in conjunction with its plans
to acquire a company that produces contact lenses.
SmithKline notes that no cause-and-effect relationship has
yet been firmly etablished between Selacryn treatment and
the illness and death suffered by its users. But the company is
reluctant to discuss any details of the episode.
“We are continuing to cooperate fully with the FDA in a
review of our recall of the product and the data which led to
that decision,” says a vaguely worded corporate statement.
"Until this review is completed, we don’t think it appropriate
to comment further.”
Unanswered remains the crucial question: Why did SmithK-
line fall for so many months to report to federal officials the
toxic effects that the FDA says became apparent within two
to 13 weeks after patients began Selacryn treatment?
(NIWIPAPm ENTERPRISE ASSN.)
for us. We did discover her
before /any serious injury
occurred Such a situation
. could have proved fatal."
Ball concluded “We feel
that there is faulty design in
this model crib and that to V
represent it as a safe design
is misleading
Bassett's general counsel,
Frank Snyder, replied with a
chilling corporate putdown
“I suggest." he wrote, that
you have over-reacted to the
experience of your child
Certainly, the suggestion
that the situation could
have proved fht¥l' magnifies
the incident out of reason-
able proportion.”
He then recommended a
way to make the crib safe
(by removing the finial), but
added “Naturally we disa-
gree with your charaetenza-.
tion of the design as ‘faulty’
Furthermore, you should
understand that the Bassett
crib ... complies with every
single federal regulation rel-
evant to the construction of
cribs.
Ball was understandably
furious at Snyder’s sugges-
tion that he and his wife had
overreacted "How would
you be able to make such a
judgment’’ Were voU
there0"
* The irate father added
"The fact that the crib com-
plies with every single fed-
eral regulation’ did not pre-
vent my child from getting
her head caught, did it0 "
Snyder told my ^associate
Gary Cohn that at the time
he had heard from Ball, the
only incidents involving
accidents in;- the company's
cribs (one fatal, one near-
fatal) involved a different
model crib. Asked about sub-
sequent deaths in the same
model as Ball's, Snyder said,
“Looking back, we all have
20-20 hindsight."
Footnote: Snyder stressed
the corrective’ action being
taken by Bassett -- as
required by the consent
decree. Consumers who have
either the Mandalay or
Candlelight model should
call the company toll-free at
1-800-336-5223 Virginia
consumers should call Bas-
sett collect at 703-629-7511.
extension 340
LAUGH TRACK: Could
Mobil Oil make it on "Satur-
day Night "Live"0 The far-
out satrioal program is
willing to let, the oil indus-
try’s most outspoken mem-
ber try But Mobil apparent-
ly isn't interested
The whole bizarre possi-
bility arose from Mobil’s
outrage at a recent “Satur-
day Night Live" program
that featured consumer
advocate Ralph Nader as a
guest. Nader is not exactly
renowned for his shnse of
humor, but with the help of
the program's resident paro-
dists, he managed to get off
a few jibes that sent Mobil's
even less humorous execu-
tives into a veritable frenzy:
Nader plugged Big Busi-
ness Day - an anti-big busi-
ness celebration. He also
noted that Mobil had tried,
unsuccessfully, to purchase
the Long Island Press and
the Washington Star, and
, ^Bded: "I think they should
buy a publication more con-
sistent with their image.
Like Screw Magazine."
As Saturday Night goes,
this was pretty tame stuff.
But Mobil’s hotshot publi-
cist, Herbert Schmertz, pro-
tested to NBC and demand-
ed equal time. The network
spoke to Schmertz and dis-
cussed the problem with Sat-
urday Night's producer,
Lome Michaels
. But Michaels professed
astonishment that Mobil was
hurt by anything on the late-
night comedy show. He said
he had no objection to
Schmertz as a program host,
but added "Fdon’t think he’d
be very funny. I mean, have
vdu ever read their stuff on
The New York Times' op-ed
page0;'
Schmertz told my report-
er Richard Chimberg he's
not interested— the script
would still be-done by Satur-
day Night's irreverent writ-
ers.
Copyright 1980
1 piled Feature Syndicate Inc
Child's nutritional needs
By William J. Darby, M.D.,
PhD.
(Eighth in a series)
NEW YORK (NEA) - Child-
hood is the best time to estab-
lish the good eating habits
that are essential for main-
taining health throughout life.
But family practices, cul-
tural attitudes, economics and
personal preferences can all
interfere with the child's
development of healthy atti-
tudes toward food.
Good nutrition is especially
vital in early life. The child
needs certain nutrients not
Dr Darby is president of The
Nutrition Foundation Inc This
article is one of a series written
In cooperation with the Council
on Family Health, a public-ser-
vice group funded by the manu-
facturers of medicines.
Child’s Mind. Child’s Body
only to maintain many bodily
functions but also to ensure
proper growth.
It is important to remem-
ber that growth begins with
conception. The cells that
make up the fetus not only
multiply but undergo the won-
derfully creative process of
change into different types of
cells and organs.
If the unborn child does not
receive the proper supply of
nutrients at crucial moments
of development, the growth
process may be impaired and
he or she may be born with
Berry's World
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'7 TOLD you then Is a substantial penalty for
early withdrawal."
abnormalities.
Except under extraordinary
circumstances, the fetus
receives the needed nutrients
from its mother's body even if
the mother herself is not eat-
ing properly. Nevertheless, a
woman should consult her
doctor about maintaining a
healthy diet as soon as she
learns she is pregnant.
Either breast- or bottle-
feeding will adequately meet
the infant's nutritional needs
for the first months of life
But by the third to sixth
month, the infant’s increased
energy needs usually require
adding solid food to the diet.
The variety of these foods
should gradually be increased
so that the child makes the
transition to a good adult diet
by his or her third birthday.
It is interesting to note that
children are born with inher-
ent likes and dislikes to cer-
tain tastes.
Sweetness is naturally
pleasing to a child and resuits
in positive attitudes toward
sweet-tasting foods. It has
been demonstrated that the
newborn and even the unborn
fetus react positively to
sweetness and negatively to
bitterness.
In addition to physical
requirements and inherent
desires for certain foods, the
child may develop “social”
food needs.
For instance, a child who is
always given a bottle or food
as a pacifier, especially when
hunger is not the cause of
discomfort, may develop the
habit of eating when bored or
tense. If dessert is offered as
a reward or withheld as a
punishment, the child may
learn to attach unrealistic
importance to that type of
food.
Desirable body image,
determined in large measure
by family or ethnic attitudes,
may also ihfluence the child’s
eating habits.
Families and cultures that
favor roundness or obesity
often encourage the child to
make a practice of overeat-
ing. This behavior might con-
stitute a health risk in later
life, increasing his or her
chances of developing
diabetes, hypertension or
other conditions associated
with overweight in adults.
On the other hand, certain
family and ethnic eating pat-
terns help maintain a trim
body and therefore reduce
those risks.
These socio-cultural atti-
tudes — often not consciously
recognized by the families
that adopt them — c£tn deter-
mine whether a child will
grow up with good eating hab-
its that meet his or her nutri-
tional needs.
A child’s physical activity
also plays a major role in
determining his or her food
requirements Activity varies
enormously not only between
youngsters of the same age
and sex but in a single individ-
ual from one period of child-
hood to another.
These variations are nor-
mally reflected in appetite.
The ravenous appetite of the
teen-age boy, for example,
reflects both his need for rap-
id growth and his unusually
great expenditure of energy
through physical exercise.
Most healthy children natu-
rally consume the proper
amount of food; parents
Should not be concerned if
their child’s appetite some-
times seems erratic.
As children increasingly
select their own food, they
develop new attitudes and
habits. Encouraging a variety
of foods in the diet is impor-
tant in assuring nutritonal
health for growth and adult-
hood.
No one food supplies all the
necessary nutrients and ener-
gy. Diets that meet normal
nutritional needs include
items from the “basic four”
food groups: fruits and vege-
tables; milk and milk prod-
ucts; meats, poultry and eggs;
enriched cereals and whole-
grain cereal breads.
Additional needs for energy
or food enjoyment can be met
by various beverages, sweets
and fats. The extent of such
foods in the diet, however,
should depend upon the ener-
gy needed for physical activi-
ty and growth.
(NEXT: Immunization)
(NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE ASSN )
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Keys, Clarke. Sulphur Springs News-Telegram (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 102, No. 103, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 30, 1980, newspaper, April 30, 1980; Sulphur Springs, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth824688/m1/4/: accessed June 20, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Hopkins County Genealogical Society.