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Page Six THE NEW BERN MIRROR, NEW BERN, N. C. Friday, August 10, 1973 A$ Seen in The Mirror'i SPORTS of Athletes and Events Should Food Be Cheap? The argument that today’s pitchers are better than the ones faced by Babe Ruth can’t be supported with facts and figures. The year that the Sultan of Swat clouted 60 home runs, the season of 1927, the total number of round trippers by all American League players was only 439. Which means that approximately one out of every seven homers came off the Bambino’s booming bat. The season that Roger Maris hit 61 homers, there were 1,534 round trippers in the American League. Which means, of course that Maris accounted for only one out of 25 homers that year. After 154 games in 1961, (the number in a season when the Babe played) Maris had 58 homers. In the eight additional game he hit three more. Roger came to bat 50 more times in 1961 than Ruth did in 1927. No one will ever know how many homers the Sultan of Swat would have added to his 60 with 50 more times at bat. That’s why Maris, who proved to be a flash in the pan, didn’t truth fully surpass Ruth’s record. As for Hank Aaron, whose greatness no one can deny, at the start of 1973 he had already come to bat 10,896 times, compared with the 8,399 times at bat that comprised the Babe’s entire career. And Hank had only 673 round trippers despite those extra 2,497 times at i»t. A little figuring will show that in clouting his 714 homers, Ruth averaged one in every 11.7 trips to the plate, while in hitting his 673 round trippers through 1972, Aaron averagedione every 16.2 trips to the plate. Far be it from us to take anything away from Hank Aaron, who will certainly deserve his place in the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, being not only a great star but a man of fairness, he realizes that in the national pasttime, George Herman Ruth For Food Famous from Maine to Florida The Answer Is— WILLIAMS RESTAURANT Middle at Broad J. W. SMITH AGENCY, INC. • Automobile • Fire • Home Owners • Workmen's Com pensation • Life • Hospitalization 2003 Neuse Blvd. Over Carolina Power 8 Light Company ME 7-5500 - ME 7-6954 stands alone and always will. No other ball player loved children more, and he never brushed off a kid seeking an autograph. Once when he had been put out of action by a wild pitch, he painfully scrawled his name with a bandaged hand for 25 youngsters who visited him at the home of a friend. It was typical of him. COLEMAN ‘WHERE SERVICE COMES FIRST" Highway 17 South Phone 638-4011 Dealer No. 701A iTitiiiiiiiiiiH Prepared by Extension Economists. Department of Economics, NCSU, Raleigh With all of the talk about high food prices, it may seem foolish to ask if food should be cheap. The answer is not as obvious as it may seem. It depends on what we mean by cheap. If by the word cheap, we mean that food should be produced and marketed as efficiently as possible and sold at the lowest price that will yield a reasonable prit for producers and marketing firms, then fo^ should be cheap. But, using this criteria, everything else would also be cheap. If, on the other hand, by the world cheap we mean that everyone in the food industry should operate at a loss so that everyone else can afford to buy T-bone steaks and polish^ apples then why should food be that cheap? Food is essential to life, but so is clothing and shelter in most areas of the world. In a modern society such as ours, one might WHOLESALE LIGHTING itt S^cct^Uceit S&tvicc 418 BROAD STREET NEW BERN PHONE 638-1949 iiiMiiiiiim argue that transportation is also essential. But who protests clothing prices? Style changes in clothes make costly war drobes outdated long before they are worn out. And cer tainly not everyone can afford tailor-made suits and original design gowns. Who cares? People simply don’t need stylish clothes, tailored suits, and original designs to stay warm. Let the poor people buy the imported synthetics at the discount stores. The same seems to hold for housing. Certainly not everyone can afford a twenty-room mansion on the hill surrounded by ten acres of landscaped scenery. But society is not concerned about this problem. As long as the poor people can afford a small mobile home or three- room apartment, their housing needs are met. Who cars if the price of a $100,000 home goes to $150,000: And what about the price of automobiles? The manufacturers often quote modest prices on their standard models, but luxury cars are only for the rich. And even if a person can’t afford a car, there is always public transportation. Society reasons that not everyone should be able to afford a Mercedes Benz. But when it comes to food, values are different. If the price or steak goes up, there is a cry that poor people are going to starve. Everyone is entitled to eat steaks and chops, or at least everyone is entitled to eat red meat. If everyone can’t afford steak, it is a "national sin” perpetrated by farmers and middlemen. And even the people who live in mansions, wear original designed clothes and drive a Mercedes Benz are up in arms when the price of a steak increases 20 cents a pound. Maybe everyone should be able to eat steak. But if they should, shouldn’t they also have fine clothes, luxurious houses and expensive cars? It is not the value system that is questionable, it is the in consistency of values that is questionable. It may well be agriculture that is at least partially responsible for the situation. For years, agricultural organizations and agencies have been telling consumers that food is cheap. If consumers have now been convinced that food should be cheap, it is certainly not surprising that consumers rise in anger with rising price of food. Boss giving work" to employee: “No hurry on this Ed . . . take all weekend if necessary.’’ ViTA-VAR PAINTS al MITCHELL'S HARDWARE 220 Craven Street ME 7-3100 Final Summer Clearance OUR ENTmE SUMMER STOCK NOW REDUCEO TO Vi PRICE Coats Dresses Swimwear Sun Wear Shoes Bags Accessories Sportswear GROUP OF FOLDING SLIPPERS !/2 PRICE GROUP OF CANVAS FOOTWEAR 'A PRICE OUR FALL & WINTER MERCHANDISE IS DAILY The Fashion Center Your Center For Finer Feminine Fashions 219 MIDDLE ST. DOWNTOWN NEW BERN
The New Bern Mirror (New Bern, N.C.)
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Aug. 10, 1973, edition 1
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