PAGE POURTHE DAILY REFLECTOR. GREENVILLE. N. C

Thurfday,^ March 9, 1961

Thusday, March 9, W61

He Wants To Be Ready

No Longer In Realm Of The Abstract

North Carolinas enthusiasm for better schools as the predominent opinion appeared* to be/Its worth outlined by Gov. Sanford can be better evaluated in that much and more. We need it. the weeks td come as the people of the state count th.e , Now Gov. Sanford has spelled out those cost fig-

cost of the proposed program in terms normally better ures in different terms and public reaction is reflect-understood than mere figures with dollar marks, in mg less unaniniity of opinion on the issue of great edu-fropt of them.r cational strides.

iB-twrxiieated. party primaries the people of the Qu^Mimday evening Gov. Sanford spelled out the

rtate indicated their support of Gov. Sanford s school ^grms of a three per cent sales tax on food and

improvement pro^am by giving him the greatest every other item that heretofore has been e.xempt from number of votes in a campaign in which education^ state's sales tax law. This caused the public to^iook was the paramount issue. Since the primaries almost ^jjg school proposals not in terms of niil-

a year ago public sentiment has appeared to be m- Hons of dollars, but in terms of adding three per cent creasingly in favor of the governors program enrich- 'to the food cost of each family;, in terms of adding ing public education of North Carolina. three per cent to the cost of medicines and other

Through it all. cost figures of the proposed school necessities as well as to the cost of other items that] Improvement program were talked of in terms of mil- pi-eviously have been exempt from sales tax.

lions of dollars, and although the sum sounded high,

Prefer

lo

Waiting

Bill

r

x'he

Bt Lt'XN N'ISBET

REACTIONReacnon of nearly all the lobbyisLs. a majority f business men interevlewed and a large number of legislators to Governor Sanford's second budget meamre has been: Let irait until re see his bill.

The reason for that attitude Is that Governor Sanford in one sentence recommended removal f all exemptions from the present general sales tax of 3 per cent. In other sentences he proposes specific exemption of products of the farm sold for further processing and subsequent taxation, gasoline already taxed by another method <and presumably alcoholic beverages also taxed by another method'; and a sales tax of only l per cent on the farm and industrial group cf items and equipment used in production: and increase from 1 per cent to 2 per cent on motor vehicles with the present top limitation of $30 per sale.

Practical effect of that-provis-lon is that purchasers of automobiles at less than $4,000 will have their sales taxes doubled: while purchases above $4,000 will have no tax increase. Also there is room for wide diversity of interpretation of what may be Included in items and equipment used in production, and products *of the farm sold for further processing and aiAsequent taxation.

Some of the legislators see in these general prov.sions room for favoritism for truckers. Cadillac owners, commercial forestry and lumbermen. There aLso is room for diversity in statutory or administrative rulings about whether air-conditioning, radio, spare tires, etc., are Included in the purchase price of an automobile, or if because they are billed separately they constitute separate "Items. So the smart fellows are waiting to see the text of the proposed tax collecUng statute before expressing opinion on the total program.

PLEBISCITEA unique sug-gesUoD is the Governors message Is that the tax program which he ph?oscs bc^enactcd by the present General Assembly to become effective July 1, 1961, and that the proposition be submitted to vote of the people next fall" to determine whether this tax and level of support shall be continued after July 1, 1963. Some legislators were not sure wh^her the suggestion is for a special lclih "next fall (1961) or at the time of the regular general election next year (l%2) when members of the General Assembly will be up for election. Majority opinion is the nominating primaries next spring will serve as a fairly adequate "election on popularity of the laws enacted by this General Assembly.

The verdict then wl be rendered not on the general administration program, but on the effect of laws enacted by this Assembly. The suggested submission to the people of the tax bills is new, and few people think the issue will be submitted

simply and directly. It will be submitted in the candidacies of prospettive members for the next legislature, and that will be settled mainly in the spring primaries.

There have been numerous instances of tax levies being submitted to vote of the ^bple. Nearly always the question is presented before the tax is levied. The Idea of an "election on continuing an entire fiscal program after it has been in effect. and without specific issues such as so much tax for a library or a playground or a supplemental teacher salary sched-uel. is something new.

One significant sentence bearing on the probable "election date is found near the end of the speech. Governor Sanford said that in submitting the issue to the people the Legislature would not be passing the buck, and added; "I have faith in the vision of our people. If you will do this. I will join with you THISPALL in carrying our crusade to every county in the state

CONSTITUTION There are other reasons for expecting a general election to be called for the fall of 1961. Also certainly there will be several constitutional amendments submitted by this Legislature for approval of the voters. Such of these as affect representation in the General Assembly or the Congress must be ratified before the 1962 spring primaries if they are to be effective in the 1963 sessions. Such amendments as affect the courts need to be ratified before January 1. 1962, or at least a year .will be lost before the proposed improvements can be effectuated.

There may be still other reasons for a special general election later this year, one being the section in Article 1 of the State Constitution, known as the "Declaration of Rights, that "For redress of grievances and for amending and strengthening the laws, elections should be often held.

It is axiomatic in practical political circles that organizational workers must be kept busy if they are to remain efficient. It is also recognized by practical politicians that particular programs have better chance of approval if submitted at different times from the election of constitutional officers. That is why the Scott road bonds were submitted at a special time, and why the constitutional amendments effectuating the Pearsall Plan for public schools and changing date for convening of the General Assembly were submitted at an election in Septem-' her instead of w'aitlng for the regular election in November in 19.j6.

An interesting thought Is that the Sanford tax program and the several court reform and redis-trlcting prqgi-ams may vie for priority of attention in a special election this fall to such extent that none of them will get the serious consideration they all deserve.

It also raised the questions of whether the amount of money proposed to be spent on schools would raise school standards to the level anticipated; whether there were means to more effectively spend funds already being provided for public schools.

And naturally tfie governors proposals for raising the necessary additional revenues brought questions about other tax sources that had been considered and discarded by the governor and his revenue experts before he made public his views.

The basic question now is.this:

Will the people be a$ enthusiastic about improving now that they can directly relate the cost to their own pocketbooks instead of looking upon the cost to the state in terms of abstract millions?

There is also the question of whether most of the people favor the broadest possible base for additional tax revenues, or special levies on specific items in order to create the illusion that someone else in footing the cost of school improvements?

North Carolina' under no circumstance should undertake in the next biennium to spend more on improving its public schools than it can effectively bene

fit from. Neither should the state attempt to spend on ALiVLN TAYLOR school improvement more than it can afford regard- J ^ ^

less of the sources from which the revenues may come.

At the same time, the people in counting the cost in more personal terms cannot escape the fact that North Carolina desperately needs many improvements in its public school system. The relative position of North Carolina to other states in the future will depend heavily upon what the state does now to imprce the educational opportunities offered its young people.

What had formerly been looked upon as a problem of school needs vs dollar.s now becomes a struggle between school needs and individuals pocketbooks.

Which will the people of North Carolina favor?

pok At Subiect

"mDressions Of America

Need

Force

Of UN Police Stressed Anew

Conditions that have developed in the Congo in the past week offer another good example of the need for a permanent United Nations police force under direct control of the U.N. rather than individual nations.

At a time when efforts are being made to

What image does the Englishman have of the average American?

Well, the American is loud and boistrous. He invariably wears sunglasses, day and night. He probably carries a camera. He probably smokes a cigar, an expensive item and only for the man of substantial means in England.

Encouraged by a favorable rate of exchange, he throws pound notes around freely.

And the Americans home town is overrun by the underworld, to the Englishman. There are gang wars and bombings.

To the eastern North Carolin-'ian, who toils all day in the field with his tractor, this tjrpical American is a dream character.

But the the Englishman, he is very real. We have that on the word of Ivor Preece. an English engineer now working in Tarboro

with a plastics firm and living in Rocky Mount.

Preece spoke to local Jaycees on Jaycee International, an organization for improving relations between countries through the world Jaycees clubs.

Preece told the local club that the English have strong views on Americans. The United States soldiers, who have been in England now since 1941, created their impression. Tourists who have flocked to the country since World War n helped confirm it.

Its all been tied together by the British newspapers and by American Films.

Preece painted a picture a soldier away from home for the first time. He doesnt want to be in a strange country to begin with. So he buys some cigars, exchanges his money for pounds aad has a big time.

The American tourist is worse. "He seems to have a very loud voice. Preece said. "H^ is very proud of being an American and wants everybody to know it. The tourist is having a ball so we 'hafurally assume that Americans arc like that all of the time.

"In short he appears to us a* a Texan does to you.

Films shown in England are American to a great extent and thus the British get the impression of Errol Flynn winning the war singlehanded.

English newspapers "believe sensationalism sells them better, Preece told the Jaycees. They are devoted to gang warfare in New York, bomb throwings, racial discrimination in the south.

strengrthen U.N. personnel in the Congo to avoid all-

ied WL

out conflict, some of the nations which have supplied troops to the U.N. command are calling their personnel home.

Some 400 Sudanese troops involved last week in the clash with Congolese soldiers are being called back home. Another 800 Moroccan troops reportedly refused to go to Leopoldville and are also returning home.

So long as individual nations have direct control over troops they supply to a U.N. military action, it is going to be ^tremely difficult to effectively carry out comprehensive operations. Particularly is this true

ner

3onner

Editors Saying Could Solve

It

(Goldsboro News-Argus)

Our political Fixer offers a novel, yet somewhat logical, plan to solve the problem of North Carolina losing a congressional district. Fixits idea if executed would add population to districts w'hich need it to come closer to the average population per district over the nation.

in A..situatim.&UCh. A6_,tht ...Sllnx^^Lc^mLnt'^cng^

will be tedious and extended over a long period of men from having to fight it ouf months. Cohsideratibn should again be given by the ^ district for keeping

members of the United Nations to the establishment thp nian wmiid rennirp a int

of a permanent international police force under direct ' " ' '

cohtrol of the U.N, to cope with .ierious trouble spots throughout the world.

as does serving xjs & Congressman. Fixit suggests the Maritime Commission. Bonners long chairmanship of the House committee with responsibility in this field would give him unexcelled background for such a new post for his talents.

President Kennedy most likely would give a careful ear to suggestions that his friend, Mr. Bonner, needed to ease up >

"The Little Rock aituation, by the w'ay gentlemen, was headline news throughout Europe, Preece said.

The point of his talk was this, the speaker cwicluded. If two countries as alike as England and United States could misunderstand each other to this extent "then the misunderstanding of America In other countries of the world must be tremendous.

Ooinions

3rief

bit but had experience and baSc-- "No matter what gVerimlt-

n]oys

Xennedy

Of Time

The Daily Reflector

INCORPORATED

Published Every Afternoon Except Sunday -E.sUblished 1882 DAVID JULIAN WHICHARD, Publisher

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received at iea^t one day before

lUxury

By JAMES MARLOW

WASHINGTON (AP) - By an accident of history President Kennedy Inherited the luxury of time, and hes using it.

Unlike his three predecessors in the White House he didnt have to cope with an immediate and overwhelming crisis when he took office.

Thus he had time to take care of his problems at home before having to plunge Into the long-range crisis of 'our time-dealing with Ru.ssla.

Pre.sidenLs Roosevelt, Truman and ELsenhower all had Instant cn.sps on their hands when they were sworn in.

. Roosevelt had to tackle the de-pre.ssion, Truman had to bring World War II to a succes.sful conclusion. Eisenhower had t settle the Korean War.

-TrWi wlicu Keuneiiy became prudent he faced a shambles iWnc Congo and .serious trouble in Lao.s He still does..

But there was no Instant and gigantic problem in front of him, as there was for the others.

Thus, he was able, as a new man. to take his time in preparing to talk with the Russians on disarmament.

And any immediate a confertnce with P Khrushchev was out of the quea tion -- and Khrushchev knew ituntil he had time to get his thinking and hLs hou.se in ordei-

Meanwhile he is using every minute of his time to get a host of domestic probleni.s out of the way before Khrusfichev needs all his attention.

This ixplaniA the rapid-fire volley of messages and programs with* which he has been bombarding Gobgijsas..

Just giving the messages and programs is only the preliml-

Now. with gathering speed.

Congre.ss will be working on Kennedys proposals.

Hell need more time for the necessary in-fighting putting pressure on individual members of Congress to vote his way.

This inheritance of times gives him the chance to get the bulk of his first yar.V work the work that has to be done at home before moving Into the foreign field in person.

It is notable that neither Kennedy nor his secretary of state, Dean Rusk, has yet made any profound announcements of foreign affairs.

The big statements in. that field will come later, as the need for his fullest attention to Congress begins to recede.

He cannot, of course, avoid being haunted by the possibility of a Communist victory In Laos or some sudden development w hich would'prov^ a disaster for the West in the Congo.

But at the moment he seems to be ti-ying ^ to handle those problemsthro'ugh his aides with one hand while he devotes his major attention to the immediate domestic tasks.

of doing. It also would require the cooperation and agreement of North Carolinas senior Representative, Herbert Bonner.

Fixits please - everbody stratagem would go like this.

Best informed politicos in Bonners First District have long been saying that be was of a mind to retire at the end of this term and to take things a bit easier. His district population-wise could be carved up. dismembered and added to other districts and other districts given some more people which they need to get a higher rank toward a national district average.

The Beauty of Pixits idea Is to have Mr. Bonner (described by Newsweek when he went to interview President Kennedy as "the venerable) step into a major Federal appointment. It would be one which would not require as much strain or energy

ground which would make his services most valuable in a Federal post. Bonner as of this writing probably Is closer to Mr. Kennedy than any other House member from North Carolina. Bonner voted with the Democrats and Speaker Sam Rayburn to add members to the rules committee. All other North Carolina Democrats voted against the proposal. Speaker Rayburn carried his point by a' bare five votes.

So Speaker Rayburn might be" amenable to helping Bonner, if he really wishes to ease up a bit. to step into some place which would not be as demanding.

al programs are aimed at unemployment and growth, no real progress can be made toward solving these problems unless investment increases in the private busines.ses of America. The wages, salaries and profits' of private business must support all governmental activity, obviously, for the government has no source of money but the taxes on the private economy. Petaluma (Calif,) Argu.s-Courr ler.

But Mr. Pixit, let it be said, Isnt hatching up a scheme to get rid of Bonner or the First District. Hes Just joining the speculation of how North Carolina can solve its problem of eliminating a congressional district with as little trouble as possible.

"The National Wildlife Federation finally has come up with a situation where the male can thumb his vest with pride. Women fishermen, statistics show', are 50 per cent more likely to be arrested for fishing without a license. Roseburg (Ore.) News-Review.

"I am satisfied that we are less convinced by what we hear than by what we aee.Herodotus.

By GEORGE E. SOKOLSKY

Copyright, 1961, King Features SyndicateTThc. .X. ... 4

The report comes out of Los Angeles that th^ Plasterers Local No. 2 has turned down a 12^ cents an hour pay boost in order to support President Ken- * nedys plea to hold the line against^ Mation. As novel as this sounds, it makes very good sense because If there is no work, there is' no income and despite everything that apologists and iH-opagandists say, prices are high. And a plasterer knows, as well as anyone else, that higher and higher wages are not an answer unless the money is good. It is possible to pay a man a milUon dollars an hour, if the million dollars is only worth one dollar in the Store. That is Its own true value its exchangeability for goods, services or taxes.

Money is not worth Its face value. It is worth what is accepted. In international trade this produces the business laio'wn as exchange or valuta, that is. the difference in the value of currency as It fluctuates In markets. Why should It fluctuate? Because of acceptability. For instance, the American dollar is not worth 100 cents in Canada. If you want 100 cents worth of something, it is necessary to pay more than 100 cents. A pound sterling when I was a boy was said to be worth $5 00, probably $4.85 to be exact. Today, that same pound sterling is worth $2 80. Thus, a British pound can buy fewer dollars than it used to.

In the domestic economy, we have not yet reached the day when we buy and sell quarters, dimes and pennies, but there are many parts of the world w^re the money-changers sit in stalls and meet the days or do better depending upon Ihe^arket.

Thri JiOs- Angeles plasterers face nother situation, namely, that as prices go up substitutes are offered. The substitutes may be better or worse but they are never the same nor do they require the same kind or same amount of labor. Substitutes in building materials are numerous and houses today are thrown together of materials which seem to have no substance, but they do stand up and their defenders say that actually they are stronger. They do not, however, give the impression of substance.

A man can only really havt what he can afford and If home-building becomes too costly, there is always the possibility of "do it yourself which is so-cially very unsound because it throws people out of work in an economy where unemployment can become a major disaster.

This then is the nub of the problem. Many industries are beginning to feel the pinch of high prices, less costly substitutes, imported items and "do it yourself operations. Newspapers. womens magazines and television have increased the amount of space devoted to do it yourself instruction.

It is true that in the good, old days mother spun and weaved and sewed and everything was home-made that could be, and father sawed and hammered and plastered and built and the neighbors came along to-give- a helping Jiandi.^But-JiL-those days, it was not socially necessary to keep 60,0(X),000 adults at work for a wage which would not only support families but provide the leisure time for children to go to'school to at least 16 years of age without earning a living. In some places, the law puts this figure at 18, which means that the wage-earn-ers in the family are reduced in number no matter how many mouths have to be filled.

When Burt Chapman, president of Plasterers Local No. 2. said, "we feel out present wages are sufficient. he uttered a slogan which both labor and management must take seriously. A halt must be called somewhera to the rise in wages and prices and consequent unemployment. So-called Social Security is no substitute for a job. nor Is dependence upon government a mqral equivalent of personal dignity and self-respect.

It is therefore necessary to face this problem honestly and (Continued on Page 5)

'Disciplining Needs Know-How

By ELMER ROESSNER

With the rise in unemployment, many employers tighten up on discipline. When there are unemployed available, manage

drinking, the attorney said. "You cant suddenly make diii^-ing a firing offense.""

The arbitrator agreed. The union offered a compromise; It

ment is inclined to demand that would agree to the mans being

c ivuMjaua

problem of i 1 O remier , . ,

"Lyndon Johnson remarked in Paris the other day that having a son Rave Mr Kennedv one more stake in maintaining the peace. Yon dont hate to l>e a lamlly man to abhor war, or to appreciate the blPRsUig of tranquility. But a couple of youngsters around the houss^even around the White Houseare a pointed reminder that what this geriertitm does or doesnt do may have a profound effect up-

those who have jobs follow the rules'. In facT.' 5ome 'tmplbycrs may now be tempted to use the rules to force the resignation of ''men and women who were tolerated during tight labor markets.

However, where there are union contracts, discipline must be applied with care. Contracts usually provide for arbitration and arbitrators seldom look tfp-on offenses as gravely as employers Furthermore, union officers have devised ingenious defenses.

One company fired a man for intoxication. His union brought it to arbitration. The union attorney argued that since (his was a fiist complaint, the penally was unduly severe.

"Butv he has been drunk on the Job many times before! the employer said.

"CONDONED . ^

"Was be dU)clpl!nedr' the attorney avSked.

fired with severance pay, but not without, -iiw A somewhat similar case was

. 44ei:aJ^,a:XiU. faplojter-.

have condoned his

cited by Richard L. Schlffer in the American Management Association's ma,gazine, Person-nel.

One Sffeve ducked out of a plant for a quick spot of Java at a nearby luncheonette, He was fired for leaving the Job without permission, and without punching out, evidence that he intended to cheat the company.

Again the union protested that this was a first offense. Management countered by producing a record showing Steve had broken almost every rule. It had been keeping tabs on him.

"Aha! said the shop steward. "A secret.file one more bit of evidence that you were dis-'crlmlnatlng against Steve. The' arbitrator ruled that Steves break for coffee was a first offense and cut the penalty to two week.s .suspension.

- -

Another pitfall' is' that most

arbitrators hold a man cannot be subjected to double jeopardy. Management has a reasonable time to decide on a penalty, Mr. Schlffer pointed out, but once it imposes a penalty it may not increase it.

He cited the case of a man

sent home for three days because he wa.s caught drinking on the job. When the company reviewed the case and found previous offenses, it fired the man. The arbitrator ruled it could have fired the man on the spot, but, not having done so, could not fire him later.

Almost all personnel counsellors make the point that rules must be reasonable and that, if not In a union contract, the union must be notified.

"The Industiial Relations News" adds these bits of advice:

Recognize contemporary customs; do not require workers to report Infractions by others,* or permit snitching to foremen. Dont make rules offend; say "unlawful possession of company property Instead of "stealing. Make sure everybody knows all the des- . , -u

Resist the temptation to make

favoritism. Dont permit rules to be violated "at the edge;

' if company consents to a five-minute break for washing up, it has little chance of punishing a worker who knocks off seven minutes early.

Dont 'Rftd' dharges against a"" discharged worker. Failure to" prove added minor charges will cast a shadow over the major charge. Document all disciplinary action; when a worker is warned orally, keep a record, with date; if warned in writing, get a receipt.

Almost all personnel authorities agree on this: Even la

periods of labor surplus, It is far better to encourage self-discl-pllne than to impose tough rulea on workers.

tlie way to the dharge of

VENEZUELA BEST FARM MARKET IN LATIN AMERICA

Venezuela has replaced Cuba as the United Stateas best farm products market south oU the border. ^ It brought $92,000,00

worth of U. S. farm products last year. Cuba to. sec

ond buying $8i).000,ooo worth.

bijying

.'I

I