cYlew* - cjhumal fMMwB |U MWMMM * Mr ? PR E< ASSOCIATION riitiHAirt Ererj Thimdaj .t RWord. N.C. 2S376 1 19 W. ENood Akwm Sabecriptioa RiIm b Adnace Per Year ? S8.00 6 Moalhs ? $4.25 3 Month* - $2.25 PAUL DICKSON SAM C.MORRIS MRS. PAUL DICKSON MARTY VEGA SUZANNE APUN Second Class Posugc at Raeford, N.C. . Publisher ? Editor General Muf SocM; Editor Reporter THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 1977 Handcuffs on energy agency After all the talk about the urgency of the energy crisis, Americans once again are being left with the impression that not enough is being done about it in Washington. Both houses of Congress now have passed a bill to establish a new Department of Energy, but their treatment of the proposed agency seems designed to erode its powers. The House of Representatives, for example, has just refused to give the head of the new department authority to set natural gas rates. And concurrently, a Monitor survey indicates that President Carter's proposal for a standby tax on gasoline likewise will not earn approval on Capitol Hill. Congress has its reasons for going slow and setting up safeguards on the Energy Department's scope and powers. It has some reservations about Mr. Schlesinger as the President's new energy "czar," dating back to earlier experiences with him. And there may be some justification for its reluctance to give one man in one department complete sway over so vast a problem as nationwide energy. But the other side of this coin is that handcuffing the Energy Department with restrictions is scarcely the way to get the necessary quick action in improving the energy situation. A weak Energy Department, in short, would be ill equipped to come to grips with such problems as how to deal with natural gas, gasoline, and other fuels which are basic ingredients of the overall energy crisis. And if a new Energy Department emerges without adequate powers to do its enormously complex job, then the United States will be little better off than before. Both the House and Senate are well aware of the urgency, of course. And there is little opposition to the idea of a single department to coordinate the nation's energy activities. Where the rub comes is in Congress's reservations about granting powers that it regards as too sweeping or unclear, as in the case of natural gas pricing. This certainly is the proper time to be raising and debating questions about the new department's role. But Congress should be careful, at the same time, not to unduly shackle or emasculate the agency whose purpose it is to get the country rolling on the imperative quest for an energy solution. Action and movement, not just handcuffs, are needed. -- Christian Science Monitor C all agh aii's call A new warning to the white mi and Rhodesia to change theujwlici q ^ ^ ^ Commonwcalth Britain's Prime Minister Cag-^ made a vigorous plea to conference in London, th t block the path of negotiated - - onw means of winning freedom be prove^ g Britain feels about the His comments left no doubt now wrej j most of Mr. situation in southern but by United States officials Callaghan'sCommonwwUh^neagu ^ Jttlcmcnt Df Rhodesia working jointly with the Bnteh tc 8 f e and war, of ?'Today more than ever before .the ** ^ balance .. Mr. racial harmony or wU1 ?he minorities of southern Callaghan pointed out. Which pam Africa choose? ? . ~aa-a -that the cornerstone -I would like to make clc"?? * unshakabie belief in the rights of of our policy is our deep-sea regardless of color and the individual and in the capacity of all ?mJuai respect." " clnl -rSs'"bu? Z targe,. - CM*. Science Browsing in the of The NewirJoornal 25 years ago Tharaday, Jane 12, 1952 The heat wave that moved into Hoke County on Wednesday of last week also brought with it destruc tion in the form of a hail storm that in some cases caused over a 50% loss of crops. * * ? Ten local girls have entered the "Miss Hoke County" beauty pageant to be held at the armory on Friday, June 27, by the Raeford Junior Chamber of Commerce. ? ? ? The State Highway Commission completed 10.20 miles of new paving in Hoke County during the month of May, Commissioner George S. Coble of Lexington reported today. ,? ? ? Sunday morning the local guard unit will depart for their annual two ? weeks training at Camp Stewart, Ga. A 1 5 years ago Thursday, June 14, 1962 Local business leaders this week reported "a strong possibility" that the now Shuttered Priebe Poultry Plant might soon reopen under new management. ? ? ? Free summer recreation for children in three different .age groups gets underway next Mon day, June 18. and will continue through August 17, Director George Wood announced this week. ? * ? Lawrence McNeill, C.L. Thomas, Bernard Bray and Tom McBryde will attend the World's Fair in Seattle. Wash, next week as part of the Wachovia Agribusiness Caravan. ? ? ? State Softball Commissioner Jim Day announced this week that Raeford has been selected to host the district Slow Pitch Softball Tournament in the latter part of July. % by Marty Vega Tha Chnatian Scwoc? Mon?o< Need Info Fast ofBJ^?a pte*--The subjcct P "U^alo Springs came up recent question is, how did this area get such a name? Some of us were under the ?mre???nr thlt buff*lo didn't come this far east. Buffalo were only out in the plains. . S? we need to find out fast. (This ?s very important) Does ?yb<Sy name? W BufflUo brings got its ? ? ? ""J hcre hopping mad over the announcement from Wwhtngton that the public works grMts got turned down. Again little more than that. turi^Vther,*?pliCants were SSS whT ** can't under How does the government decide who gets funded? What is the fonnJa used? Everyone want To Puppy Creek Philosopher Dear editor: According to the U.S. Depart 2J ? Just because I don't grow anv wheat is no reason why I c??t matter any more than a Congressman who adds on his SSc"c''mt7c? a^^??r-&;hrre,ahd upon the water and it will return a hundred-fold," could have a mod ern version: "Cast you wheat upon Illfi .m*rk*tand some smart guys mil Cents worth of 't and make a 60 cent loaf of bread out of nf?s is '^e taking 40 cents worth of cotton and making a S10 shirt steel and makios a SS 000 automobi'c. H., like taking a S?SS SS7 oon ??' t0r and mak?ng a It's nS ?a0J,greSSman out of him. StitfanH L1 an ex" Secretary of ?ii out of hS'nS * m??Ple b,a?e aJl this on the middle-man. As I understand it. in the case of wheat, the middle-men g^we^oTh b?Wetn the wh?t in tJttm and the some shrewd people to be able to squeeze from the middle and come out on the top only. You can't do it with an orange. tn I*"*55 the onljr answer to this is Inn I3?"' ?wn "heat, grind it up ?dom?ke own breVd You& fwng to run mto trouble though when you try to make that plastic stuff to wrap it in. P Times have changed. Nowadays iSlEiS* bread UP?" the water it s likely to hit an oil slick SSJE.1**!? it'snSre owifthem rCpa,r aPP,Un?? than a ?ifthef 1 fid' "A )ul <* wine. Yours faithfully J. A. The answer is the government has devised a very equitable formu la based on the number of syllables in the town's name. Two syilahle applications are given the highest priorities. This is why Whiteville, Red Springs, Fairmont, etc., got their money. But there is another factor the government considers. The syl lables must also spell separate words taken independently. This is why Raeford was ineligi ble for funding. Lumberton, al though it is a three-syllable appli cant. received more points because Lumber uses more letters to make a word. Unfortunately, Raeford cannot make a word, no matter if you go across down or sideways on the scrabble board. Neither will Hoke County. The only word you could make from Raeford would be ford, which could be a noun or a verb. You have to specify in the application whether you are using it as a noun or a verb. Of course, after the government gets all of the names down on the scrabble board, it might turn out there is some extra money left over. When this happens, then the government will review the county applications to see if there is anything deserving. If they find something which sounds deserving, then they will look for something irregular. Like Buffalo Springs. Read Ephesians 4:1 1-16 "We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ." (Ephesians 4:15 RSV) Near our home in California, several neighbors had tall redwood trees in their yards. Some of our most exciting boyish adventures involved climbing to the tops of those trees. One particular tree nearly reached the sky. My little brother and 1 started climbing it one day, and as we approached the top it started swaying. I climbed on, but he became less adventurous. To try to coax him on, I called out, "Come on up. Boy, you can really see far up here. 1 can even see Japan!" It was a childish imagination, and I have since matured, I trust. I no longer climb trees, nor do I pretend to be able to see around the circumference of the earth. But sometimes I wonder just how mature I have actually become. When I look at Christ and then consider my own life, I see bow far I have yet to go. I'm still struggling to conquer my pride, my fear of rejection, my selnsh ambitions. But I haven't given up. I'm still trying. And one day, praise God. I shall reach the full stature of Jesus Christ and become one with God. PRAYER: Help me, O God, to put away my childish ways. May I seek to grow up in every way into Christ my Lord. Ever keep before me that coal of maturity in Christ. In His name. Amen. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY The highest goal of Ufe is to be one with Christ. copyright - THE UPPER ROOM Tames O. Whitfield (Fort Collins, Colorado) Several bills have been intro duced in the Congress this year to create a Consumer Protection Agency. The formation of such an agency at the federal level has the tuppqrt of the Carter Adminis tration and is expected to be strongly backed in Congress. In 1974, when 1 campaigned for the Senate, I said I felt that the consumer needed some protection by a national agency. During my first year in the Senate in 19/5, a bill to create such an agency was introduced and 1 voted for it. Now, I am beginning to have reservations. After watching the Washington bureaucracy at close hand for the past two and one - half years, I have about decided that we have all of the bureaucracy we need or can stand. This proposed agency could easily wind up as another unre sponsive federal boondoggle. On consumer protection, I feel that my record is good. When 1 was Attorney General of North Caro lina, we started the State Consumer Protection Agency within the Justice Department. This became one of the busiest agencies in State Government, as citizens brought hundreds of complaints of alleged mistreatment in the market place. We were able to help a lot of individuals who would have had nowhere else to turn, and we also represented consumers before such agencies as the Utilities Com mission, where we were able to save energy users some $400 million dollars. Last year, the Congress put an additional weapon to protect con sumers in the hands of the State Attorneys General. One section of the Anti ? Trust Bill which became law in 1976 gave the State the Report To The People by Senator Robert Morgan power to bring class actions in behalf of consumers in cases where companies were suspected of price fixing. So, I am very familiar with consumers' concerns and the pro tection that the general public needs, and should have, but 1 am afraid that a federal consumer agency might be too far away from the average citizen to give him much help. The federal bureau cracy 1 have observed is too often either aloof from those with whom it deals or else is busily engaged in pestering people to death with nit ? picking regulations. It may be that it would be better to leave the business of protecting the consumer in the hands of the several states. Many of the State Attorneys General have already established good records in this field and, with increased support, they could do an even better job. * There is a strong feeling among many members of Congress that the federal bureaucracy has grown too big. I share that feeling and I am loathe to establish still another bureau that could grow and grow and grow as other agencies have in the past. They start in a modest way but they have a way of expanding. Right now, in Washington, we need to cut spending and bring the national budget back to sanity. The President is committed to balanc ing the budget, and that is certainly one of my first priorities. Creating a new agency, one of doubtful value and one which would duplicate efforts at the state level, would be costly at the start and more and more expensive in the future. The consumer should have all the protection he needs, but I now question whether a new federal bureau is the answer. CLIFF BLUE... People & Issues ||4 ROBERT MORGAN -- Senator Robert Morgan is co- sponsoring in the U.S. Senate a Constitutional Amendment that would require the United States to operate on a balanced budget ?? just like North Carolina, under the law must do. Morgan's proposed Amendment would provide that the U.S. government be on a balanced budget within four years from adoption. In North Carolina it is manda tory upon the governor who is Director of the budget, to see that the state operates on a balanced budget. If the General Assembly spends more money than is coming in under the revenue laws, it is mandatory upon the governor to cut spending, and salaries across the board to bring spending into balance with revenue. We think Morgan's proposed constitutional amendment is en tirely reasonable and should be passed on to the people through a constitutional amendment for the people to adopt. Morgan's proposed amendment would also provide: unless there is a national emergency, that five percent of the national debt be paid off each year thereafter. The nation would then be completely out of debt at the end of the century. But such a sound proposal, we fear is too much to expect out of the crowd in Washington from the way they have been voting deficits during the past quarter of a century. PRISONERS - We note that Giv?, .blood unto others. Asyau would have them give unto ^ou and The American Red Croc* bills to put a small number of Tar Heel prison inmates to work on the roads and highways appears to be headed for passage in the House and Senate. Many people have long felt that there are no sound reasons for able ? bodied prisoners not to work on the roads as in by - gone years, but under humane con ditions. RECALL -- The proposed Con stitutional Amendment which would permit the removal of all elected officials through recall elections squeezed by the House constitutional committee last week by an eight to seven vote. However, the bill has a rough road to travel before the people get an oppor tunity to say "yes" or "no" on the matter. The "Recall Bill" was introduced by Rep. David Bumgardner of Gaston County and co-sponsored by Reps. John Gamble of Lincoln ' and E. Graham Bell of Gaston. It has the ear ? marks of a genuine "people's bill" and sometimes the legislators don't see eye - to ? eye with "people's bills." The "Recall Bill" would es tablish a system whereby citizens would be able to vote out all levels of officials, from the governor on down. The bill would require a petition of 25 percent of the number who voted for governor in the proceeding election before a recall elected could be slated. We understand that North Carolina is one of only 10 states in the union without a recall provision. We would hardly consider the recall bill "must legislation" but we are pleased that the House Con stitutional Committee gave it a favorable vote. The people could vote on the matter with no additional cost to the state election since it would be a constitutional amendment acted upon at the same time that gubernatorial succession is voted on. ZERO BASED BUDGETING? -- Another matter that we heard right much talk about when the General Assembly was convening, and before, was "zero ? based budgeting." Sometimes "solid and * needed" legislation steps on too many people's toes in taking away unneeded positions. "Whose ox is being gored" can have tremendous 4 effect on the passage of good and needed legislation. ALERT LEGISLATORS -? Now is the time for alert and able legislators to be on guard against bad legislation. The bill recently introduced which would allow the governor to name additional mem bers of the Wildlife Commission might be listed in this category.

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