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.. 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 <J04) 392-1306 - 392-1307
Circulation 11,000
Bill Johnson.Editor - Publisher
Gerald O. Johnson/..Business Manager
Robert L. Johnson.Circulation Manager
Second Class Postage Paid at
Charlotte, N.C. under the Act of March 3,1878
Member National Newspaper Publishers
Association
National Advertising Representative
Amalgamated Publishers, Inc.
45 W. 5th, Suite 1403 2400 S. Michigan Ave.
New York, N Y. 10036 Chicago, 111. 60616
489-1220 Calumet 5-0200
*/ HAVE NEVER FELT THAT BUSING
WAS NECESSARY TO BRING ABOUT QUALITY EDUCATION“
PR t Slot nr FORD
THE BOSTON BOARD OF EDUCATION
VOTED DONNA COURT ORDER-3-2 >S»
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VERNON E. JORDAN JR.
Moral Bankruptcy