Qiwij t coiumij T J ■ * *" "" L» i > wm_ u .. A Mandate To Ponder .. Inflation now represents a greater threat to a U.S. economy, centered on private or investor ownership of . industry and the competitive mar ketplace, than did the severe and crippling depression of the 1930’s. The massive unemployment and business collapse of the early and middle '30’s gave rise to public support for a new and active role for the federal government in the econ omic affairs of the country. The problems of unemployment was finally settled by World War II; and after the war, the maintenance of a high level of employment became a permanent federal responsibility by virtue of the employment Act of 1946. In the nearly 30 years since that time, the role of government in a multitudinous range of domestic social service programs has literally exploded. The main thrust of infla tion has been felt since this dramatic change in the role of the federal government. . .Historically, inflation has not been a companion of economic growth in America. Many things contributed to relative price stability for 140 years from 1800 through 1940. energy was cheap. Its application to indus trial production was being made on an everbroader scale and product ivity was increasing. The efficiency of electric power generating stations, for example, increased ra pidly with size. ..Now the picture has radically changed. Demand for many things has outrun supply for a variety of reason. Years of government deficit spending has contributed in a major way to increased money supplies and pressure on prices. Greater affluence in other nations has put more pressure on available supplies of raw materials. U.S. de mand for petroleum products, far outrunning domestic supply, has given a sharp boost to the scarcity and resulting higher prices of energy. Federal regulatory action restricting U.S. petroleum pro duction in various ways continues to aggravate this situation. . .But the shift in U.S. economic and political fortunes appears to coin cide with the federal government’s assumption of responsibility for full employment and other social goals. Full-employment policy means that when the economy slows, then federal action-usually in the form of budget deficits- is triggered to get the economy back on an upward track and reduce unemployment. Now, what will the public decide regarding inflation? Will Its control also be made a primary obligation of government just as in the ’30*s when it came to be accepted as a federal duty to maintain high levels of employment? If government is to assume the burden of controlling inflation as a substitute for citizen self-restraint, the pressure will gradually increase for the most stringent type of wage and price control and rationing. ..Projections are now running to ward a federal deficit of $10 to $30 billion in fiscal 1976. The subsequent effect on the process of inflation, as well as on public demand that the government do something to correct it, would be strong and immediate. .. In the shorter run, some see the Spring of 1975 as a dangerous period. Inflation may still be running at 6 to 8 percent. But with the economy on slow bell and unemployment rates high, the ongressional mood to in crease federal spending will be dominant and considered beneficial to the economy. If an economic upturn is stimulated with inflation running at a starting point of 8 percent, some predict that it could easily reach 15 or 20 percent within a year or less President Ford, facing a 1976 election, might be hard put to avoid scuttling the free economy in favor of wage and price controls and rationing also. Guest Editorial The Philadelphia Tribune Share A Pint Of Blood . .We commend WBT and WBTV for their combined efforts in sponsoring the annual Blood Give-In here Tues day. It is too early to tell • at this writing - what success the voluntary blood donation enjoyed. . .However, it must be remembered that only people can produce blood and that we all depend on each other for blood. . . Each of you has a pint of blood to spare. But, for some reason, not many people place blood donation high enough on their list of priority list. As a results, blood supplies become a major health problem. ..Adequate and safe blood supplies depend on public commitment to voluntary donation. Without a supply of voluntary blood, hospitals are forced to use commercial blood which carries a greater risk of hepatitis infection. .. Public response makes blood pro grams work well in many foreign countries. But in some areas of the United States hospitals are some times forced to scramble for blood - especially during the holiday sea sons. .. Red Cross collects 66 per cent of the blood hospitals use. Red Cross sees firsthand the crises created when blood isn’t there or when it can’t predict its availability. To try and assure and adequate blood supply through the holiday season. Red Cross generally launch a spe cial donor recruitment drive. .. Red Cross projected that it would have to collect 5,000 pints of blood during two-week period between December 23 and January 3 in order to meet the demands of hospitals. . .Now that the top officials at WBT and WBTV hav join the blood donor recruitment program, it is hoped here that blood donation exceeds the demands of the hospitals. ..We also hope tht the local public will become more aware of the fact that the voluntary blood system can’t function without strong public commitment. Lciiffi co uiam January 3,1975 Editor The Charlotte POST 9139 Trinity Road Charlotte, N. C. 28216 Dear Editor: ..I am writing in reference to Ger ald Johnson’s column, “As I See It,” in the December 19, 1974 issue of the POST. I am glad that Mr. Johnson noted the conflicts in the positions presented at the Public Hearing on the University Park rezoning petition on December 16. .. A Mr. Henderson objected to the University Park Improvement Association zoning petition because it would affect his property, as noted by Mr. Johnson in his column. The facts are that Mr. Henderson bought his two pieces of property in the rezoning area in 1953, nine (9) years before Mecklenburg County first zoned his property in any manner Secondly, there is a deed restriction on Mr. Henderson’s property, at the time he purchased the land, restrict ing development there to single family, even though his property is currently zoned multi-family. Mr Henderson objected to the Univer sity Park rezoning request, even though it will bring the zoning into agreement with the deed restric tions on his property. This fact doesn’t answer Mr. Henderson’s concern’s, but it does raise the question as to why a white attorney, who owns property in a Black neigh borhood, would object to a rezoning request which is in keeping with the deed restrictions on his property, which he was aware of when he bought it. Black people must be aware of other similar situations if we are to protect our neighborhoods and homes. I .. The University Park Improve ment Association also beleives there is something wrong with the plan ning process in a City when it permits industrial zoning to adjoin residential zoning. This situation exists in University Park and many other Black neighborhoods, also; for example, Tryon Hills, Druid Hills, Garden Park and University Park North. .. There are other problems, too. Several of the main roads in the proposed Master Thoroughfare Plan (COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOP MENT PLAN FOR 1995) go directly from the heart of residential areas to industrial areas, thereby assuring that there will be heavy truck traffic on residential streets. This .is very poor planning. Many of the proposed thoroughfares of 4 or more lanes will pass next to elementary schools, which even the Charlotte-Mecklen burg Planning Commission says is bad. I think the Planning Com mission needs to pay attention to the concerns and recommendations of people in the neighborhoods which are most directly affected by the policies proposed in the Comprehen sive Plan. .. I urge the Charlotte POST to help make Black people aware of the situations described above, as well as many others which affect us, and to join with the NORTHWEST COMMUNITY ACTION ASSOCIA TION and other groups in the Black community to change the situations which exploit us. Yours truly. The Rev. Howard J. Campbell, Chairman UNIVERSITY PARK IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION TO BE EQUAL Economics Will Dominate New Year . .Few people think 1975 will be a good year; in fact a lot of people think it will be the worst economic year since World War II ended. . .Inflation, while supposedly tapering off, is still - barging along at a high rate. More serious, the country is settling into a deep recession, with joblessness plunging ahead at a tremendous rate. . .Last September - only a few short months ago - the Black Economic Summit Conference issued a call for immediate creation of one million public service jobs to take some of the unemployment burden off the backs of the long-term unemployed. ..Now that demand is sadly out of date. Since September almost another million people have been added to the unemployed. An emergency program we advised to cope with 5.3 million unemployed at the time, even if instantly im plemented, would barely match the increase in unemployment since September. ..So the big issue in 1975 is going to be the economy and what the country will do about increased unemployment. ..One answer was recently given by the Con gress. It extended unemployment benefits to include many previously not eligible for them, increased the period of compensation and, mot importantly, appropriated money to create about 100,000 new public service jobs. This would be in addition to the 150,000 such jobs for which money has already been passed. ..uespite these measures, it is safe to say that they won’t make a big dent in the problem. The total number of jobs, even if added to by further legislation, won’t do more than provide work for a fraction of the increase among the unemploy ed. . .Since the money will be sent directly to state and local governments to hire people for public service employment, chances are that the long term unemployed won’t benefit. Several big cities have been forced by the budget crunch to lay off civil service workers, and it is probable that the^rpublic service employment money will go to hire such workers. It’s a way of shifting costs from city treasuries to the federal budget without doing anything much about the millions of jobless. . .The program also has all the earmarks of an emergency measure designed to give the ap pearance of action where none really exists. It is clear that if 1975 is not to be the start of a long-term, 1930s-style Depression, a solid, more inclusive job program should be launched. . .Such a program should - at the very least - create jobs for the majority of the unemployed. It should include training components. It should, in addition to contracting job slots to localities, also consist of larger scale federal projects such as housing construction, and other unmet national needs. . .Above all, such a program should be the first big step toward a permanent national full employment policy that will create meaningful jobs for every single person able and willing to work. . .Such a program would finally get the nation off the seesaw of on-again, off-again, unemployment slides. It would grant a measure of economic securitv to its citizens. Black Publishers Unite BY GERALD JOHNSON .. The nine Black Publishers of North Carolina met Saturday in Greensboro, North Carolina to dis cuss possible ways of resolving common problems. Out of three hours of speeches, discussions, and dinner, the North Carolina Black Publishers Association was born. With the birth of the association came hopes of a better black press throughout North Carolina; a press more economically capable of ser ving the public. ..The meeting found everyone in accordance with the fact that invest igative reporting Is economically unfeasible as long as each publisher stood alone. However, pooling re I venues will eliminate some of the problems presently In existence. To expound on this point further, large daily newspapers with large advert ising revenues coming In can absorb the salary and the associated ex pense of hiring a specialized re porter. However, smaller weekly newspapers can not begin to give the public the in depth reporting found in daily papers. It is to this end that the newly formed organization can strive. Together enough money can be pooled to hire one or two special ized reporters. ..More efficient use of equipment was another idea discussed in the meeting. If centralized printing and typesetting facilities are arranged, a tremendous savings in production cost would free enough money to be used elsewhere. Also, this would give some control over the high rises in cost, guaranteeing a longer exist ence for all black newspapers in North Carolina. ..Other significant points made at the meeting were improving the credibility of the black press with the community; increasing our im pact on merchants In the advertising sales department; combining and sharing of talent; helping to resolve each others’ problems. . Much can be said about the North Carolina Black Publishers Associa tion but most important of all is mat the integrity and welfare of the black community in North Carolina might lie in the hands of such a group. It is with this hope and this challenge that brought this group together and I hope that it is the one thing that will keep us together. THE CHARLOTTE POST “THE PEOPLES NEWSPAPER” Established 1918 By A M. Houston Published Every Thursday By The Charlotte Post Publishing Co., Inc. 9139 Trinity Road - Charlotte, NX. 28216 Telephones S» .. \\A .. VERNON E. JORDAN JR. Moral Bankruptcy