V

PAGE FOUR

Monday, May 8, 1961

THE DAILY REFLECTOR, GREENVILLE, N. C

An^Eye Dropper Wont Save It

Monday, May 8, 1961'

Administrations Difficult Period

the munism while the U.S. stalled for time which obviously

President Kennedys first four months in the munism wmie ine u.o. sneuxv. w WhitV House apparently have brought to an end the was working in favor of the Reds.

de^nsive Tension has mounted throughout the world tration has talked a tough policy to the Soviete, but in defensive.^ Tension nas mou a Ulk has not been back-

KBrxs" ; =r;= ...u.3

"T:rL.t.d .<. wwrt

Kennedy sanctioned, represented dents program through Congress than had been an-

serious defeat for the UnUedS ates under the nw ad- f^,tJhat the DemocraU con-

ation. There can be little doubt that it caused ^^e congressional branch of the

ministration.

. drop in U.S. prestige around the *54Xs

time. Laos, the tiny Asiatic country the had pledged to protect, was being gobbled up by corn-

party

Ma Ye

or Issues nresolvea

Bt LYNN MSBET record - The 1961 General Assembly is going into its 13to full week. Monday marks the 9lst endar day. the 77ih legislative day since the session con-\-ened on Februarj' The twelve and a half weeks which have gone before have seen some definite accomplishments written into the record. But an inordinately large percentage of the majOT issues which were recognised when the Assembly

and approve the whole business

carried - again by a

small . but adequate majority

^^Meanwhile the Joint finance committee spUt on the proposition to send the tax bills to a Joint subcommittee, and House and Senate groups agreed to act separately. The administraUon forces were able to get approval for appointment of subcommittees. Whether they will sit together or continue their Inde-had not been

has not been content to serve as a rubber stamp for the President. There have been some administration victories-as in the case of the minimum wage legislation but progress in this direction has lagged far

behind the timetable that was contemplated in Jan-uary.

All things considered, these factors lead to a questioning of the initiah Kennedy plan'whereby the President would personally make practically all policy decisions rather than delegating this authority as was done under Eisenhower and other Presidents. Many of the theories advanced by the Kennedy braintrust of professors at the outset of the new administration obviously have been exploded in actual practice in the past few months. It remains to be seen now whether the new administration will follow through with its original plan of organization, or will make alterations to better adjust to the conditions it faces.

These first few months-and particularly the last

few weekshave beeii a difficult period of adjustinent n.FO'RriF ^OTCOLSKY for the new administration. The success of the adminis- J3y IjIiiUKijli bVJJS.ULOiV X

tration in the years ahead may well depend upoR hovr

^dT^TaTs u^iinder reverses such as it ^ TVTnnnTlOlV ID. W^SCOm

MW of oven that w>u weeks, and how well it learns from some of .. N L/ IViwi ^ -*-J- -L V V XkJV-otWJ. x J- ^

the glaring mistakes which have been made.

begicning to think and talk about adjournment. According to the ilTlar and the clock it is time for such consideration. In view of the status of many important measures any talJc of adjournment is premature.

Another favorite topk: for offside conversation is the extent of Governor Sanfords inflaence in the Legislature. On nearly all minor matters he has been accorded the cooperation and support which has been traditional lor the first session in an administration. Practically every request of reorganization of government agencies has been granted.

He experienced no difficult in tetting t^oval for terminatirvg tenure of all members of the Highway Commission, the Board of Conservation and Development. the WUdlife Resources Commission, and giving him a free hand to appoint not only replacements but to materiallv increase the number of appointees. Also he was given authority to appoint four additional special siq>erior court judges.

The same legislators who went along with Governor Hodges in reducing membership on some of these boards. Just as cheerfully acceded to Governor Sanfords request for enlarging

MAIN ISSUE On the main Issue of the Sanford program, during his election campaigns and in the General Assembly, Governor Sanford is definitely ahead although final decision on appropriations and taxes has not been made.

The full Joint appropriations committee, comprising half the membership of the House and Senate, voted several weeks ago to add the $70 million requested iay the Governor over and above the Advisory Budget Commission recommendation for education to the biennial appropriation bill. The vote on that point was close enough to Justify continuing pressure from the Governor, but adequate for the purpose of getting the blanket amount included.

Last week when that part of the big appropriations bill was before the subcomntlttee. and some four million dollars had been whitUed off, a motion to quit item by item consideration

get together before a final report

is made. ^ .

There is evidwit strong objection to a sales tax < foods and jx-escription medicine which Sanford advocates, recently as last week new s^ stitute sources were proposed. Governor Sanford has often said he is not nearly so much concerned about the source of the money as about getting enough to effectuate his program

U.S. Future In Needs More Than Cash

The successful space flight Friday by the ^ first U.S. astronaut has brought from both the administra-

copyright. 1961, King Features a home. The result would be

Syndicate. Inc.

This is in response to a letter from a lady in Louisiana, who writes:

Without knowing much about the Russians, I am sure that their development and accomplishments are spotty and I think we should be told about it.

develop-

effectuate ms program- astronaut nas uruuaiii, develop-

OTHER MATT^ - tion and from Congress the expression that more funds ^ent has been remarkable^ but

eSirt^'lLr'law feU stortTf must now be spent to accelerate the nations space what^bout theirs in comparison

the Governor's goal program. I'imagine that they lack aes-

endoi^ it as a long While funds are a key factor to the rate of ad- sense. Their interests are

vancement of tho United States in the space field, that act require money is not the only need. The iater-aBency conflicts, ^ are heard

and rivalries which have been evident in the U.S. space ^ philosophy. ^

nroirram have sapped off a part of the strength the Do you reali^ how wonderful Zfrtc^n s^aceji^gram. might otherw^ S/dir JlldT'c.L^^rRus-

people to put it into the con-stituion.

A this time it appears that the small loan regulations to be written into the law will also fall short of the Governors wishes. There is serious doubt that he will obUin the extension of the minimum wage law which he advocates, and a bill is pending to repeal the whole minimum wage act. Several traffic safety bUls which Uie Governor favored are in doubtful status.

Whether failure of some or these measures can be charged against the prestige of the Governor is doubted, because up to now he has not put out" for anything except his school pr^ gram. With that big item virtually assured of passage, he has indicated he may give closer attention to others.

In a formal statement read at his news conference last week he pledged all our concern for traffic safety. At the same conference. but less formally, he indicated that he might move Into the field of redistricting for seats in the State Senate and the National House of Representatives. This has been recognized all along as one of the most bothersome and time-consuming problems facing the General Assembly. And honest reporting compels the statement that it is not much nearer solution after three months than it was when the legislators ' came to Raleigh early in February. , ,

Opinion grows that a special session may be necessary to dispose of the matter._

horrid. An American woman can develop a charming home with soap boxes and a little paint. Our working ^ girls have the grooming and good taste of debutantes. Things like that are not superficial. They require admirable qualities.

Perhaps the weakness in our position as regards Soviet Russia is that we have underestimated the Russians. The assumption in the above letter is that the Russians are barbarians, although there is a history of more than a thousand years of culture and civilization of a very high ordr. As long as we believe that every Russian is a moujik, we shall continue to underestimate the peoples who live in the vast area which is marked Russian on the map.

How can anyone say that the

Duplication of effort and lack of coordination in space among the second band

research and development have taken their toll of tax tores and teU her to develop dollars already devoted to space projects and will continue to do so unless more effective organization Fr itnrC* SnVinn

of work on the program is achieved. Wliiei DUiLUi b y iily

Allotment of more funds for the space program is only a part of what is needed for the United States to forge ahead. Greater efficiency in using the funds already designated for the program, plus other funds that w-ill be forthcoming, is also an important factor in the future rate of space accomplishments by the United States.

-Censorship

?rice

Consumer

Continues

'i^ise

The Daily Reflector

INCORPORATED

Published Every Afternoon Except Sunday E.stablished 1882 DAVID JULIAN WHICHARD, Publisher Entered Port Office. OrecnvUle, H. C.. m second els msll mstter.__ ^_

SUBSCRIPTION RATES By Carrier (In Town.) Week

By Carrier (Motor Route.) Week 35c

BY MAIL, Payable In Adance _

OreenvlUe Post Office, Pitt County, RobereonvUle. Vancebwe Washington and Chocowlnlty

Three Month* ..............................

Six Months ............................ ,22

One Year .......................-............ "

North Carolina (other than Hated above)

Three Months ............................... $2

Six Months ..................... *2

One Year ....................................

An Other Outride North Carolina -

Three Month .............................. J*

8iX Months ........ i.W

one Year ....................................

MEMBEB associated PRESS The Associated Preaa Is exclusively entitled to use for publlcetlon aU news dlapatchea credited to it or not. otherwise credited to thl* paper and also the local news publlriied herein All rigbte of pubUcattoD of special dkqiatches here are also reserved.

- NATIONAL ADVEETI8INO REPRESENTATIVli Thomas P. Clark Co, Inc., New York,. Chicago, AtlanU. Member Audit Bureau of Circulation. , '

All edvertlelng copy must be received at least one day beX^ publicaUon data. ^

By RALPH ROBEY

One of the disturbing items for the past many months has been the upward creep of consumer prices. The rise has not been rapid, but its persistence has had unhappy Implications. The figure for March has just been released and it is the same a.s that for February. Too much, however, must not be read into this stability.

The figure we refer to is the Consumer Price Index compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a compilation of the price.s of many hundreds of commodities and services, and the Index is weighted by the spending habits of both white-and blue-collar workers in a selected group of cities acros.s the nation. This is the neare.st thing we have to a cost of living index, and in many wage contracts it is used as a basis for not only bargaining on the amount of an increase, but also for adjusting wages during the life of a contract.

The index is prepared with the utmost care, and there Ls no Ideological Wau( involved. None the le.sfi, there Ls a constant stream of criticLsm directed at the bureau for the manner in which it handles this assign-Hient-

It is charged that the index does not take adequate account of changes in quality. The bureu admits that there may be something to this complaint, but emphasizes that whenever an improvement of quality can be priced it ls taken out of the index. Beyond that it is not possible to go, although everyone wishes there were not such a limitation. A perfect example is provided by automobiles. As cars got larger and had greater horsepower, it w'as not practicable to price out these changes. Then with the Introduction of compacts, and their much lower prices, the question immediately arose of how they could be put into the index without causing serious distortion. The only answer was to phase them into the index gradually over period of months.

It also is charged that the Index does not take proper steps to allow for such devel(M>ments as medical services more and more expensiVe, while stays in hospitals have become

much shorter. This gives an upward bias to the index, and there is no really effective manner lor eliminating this consistent slight error.

Finally it is charged that the weights used no longer are accuratethat many new items are on the market, and some things have disappeared. The answer to this is a new expenditure survey, and that is now In process. This new survey was undertaken, not because of the criticism, but becouse it is generally recognized that every index deeds to be updated every few years.

In spite of these and many other accusations the index Is as good as can be. compiled with the budget allocated to this function. Granted the figure may not be absolutely accurate, and it may have a slight upward bias, but any change from month to month may be taken at face value. Only when a comparison Is made between, say, today and the figure of some years ago, are the claimed defects of importance.

Now what of the fact that March showed no-change from February, and why do we say too much should not be read into this? -

The lack of change was not the result of all prices remaining constant. It was caused by the increases being exactly balanced by declines. That, of course, is always the case when an index is stable. And the bureau thinks April also will show stability, or perhaps a fiUght decline.

But there is no certainty about such a showing for April. The programs of the Kenhedy Administration are just getting

started, we have a substantial

federal deficit ahead of us for both this and next year, and whenever possible business must Increase prices to offset the growing cost.-of production. This IS unfortunate, but there Is no other way to read present signfi.

j- J

; Quote...

(Washington Daily News)

President Kennedy has proposed that the news media of this nation Impose upon themselves a sort of self-censorship.

Our American constitution guarantees all people in this country certain freedoms. Among them are freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and freed(Mn of assembly.

The real trouble Is that news media sometimes confuse freedom of the press with license of the press. When this happens, newspapers suffer, but the people being served by newspapers suffer, too.

To say that all news "should be printed without regard to what the news contains leaves the newspaper open for argument. We realize this fact. President Kennedy did not appear to have any desire to suppress news. What he wants newspapers and other news media to do is to use self-restraint in reporting news concerning national security. When a story contains news vital to our national security, we agree that all news media ought to use self-restraint in reporting the facts.

The communist nations can probably get more Information from our press media on what IS taking place in this country than we can get out of their countries through any central Intelligence system.

Russia put a man in space, but the world does not know how many times she failed because failures are never reported. We do not advcate reporting only successes, but we

sia the world only knows what Is good news and never gets an opportunity to know failures.

Censorship is an ugly word.

It is a word which sends cold chills down the spine of every self - respecting newspaperman. The president used great wisdom in proposing that censorship today be of the self-imposed type. And to our way of thinking news media in this nation might do well to adopt a code of ethics which will at all times protect the natlcmal security. The national security we try to protect in turn protects us. We should never forget that fact. Reporting a story because we- have the information available if that story could do great harm to our national security, ought to be considered carefully.

North Carolina Press association has a code of ethics. The American Newspaper association might do well to join with television, radio, magazine, and other news media in an attempt to u.se common sense and wise judgment in the dissemination of news pertaining to our national security.

We would not want to see the government under any guise impose censorship. At the same time we realize that our government can left-handedly impose a form of censorship by refusing to give reporters the news. If Reporters are barred from the sources, then we have censorship of a type.

We honestly believe that great consideration will be given to the presidents proposal. After all, American newspapermen are Americans first and news-

do point to the fact that In Rua- , papermep next.

Russians lack an aesthetic sense, by which, I assume that my correspondent means ^that the Russians have produced nothing in the various fields of art. One need only know Russian music. Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, to mention only a few pre-Bolshevik composers; or in literature, Tolstoy, Gorki. Chekhov, merely to scratch the surface of the subject. In science, the Russians and Poles have a long and Important history, Including Copernicus (a Pole). Mendeleyev who worked out the table of valences. and among moderns many others.

I am not listing the wonders of Russia. That is their job, I am denouncing the Ignorance of those who believe that wisdom and knowledge can be the monopoly of any one people. After all, Avicenna, (bom in Bukhura in 980), one of the great philosophers of the Middle Ages, came from a country which is now become weak and backward.

It is not lessening the stmcture of the United States to recognize that there have been about 8,000 years or more of written history. Whereas we have been on this continent only three centuries. We have inherited from others because the culture of man is continuous. Greece and Rome and Palestine are the long ancestral history of England have played an enormous role in the development of the United States.

The assumption of exculsive-ness is distorting. It leads to false conclusions. We exaggerated the significance of Sputnik because we assumed that the Russians could never do what we could not yet do. Some folks, even yet. refuse to believe that there has been a Sputnik and a Lunik and it is this lack of understanding which is partly responsible for our failures in Cuba, the Congo, Laos and elsewhere. Someone spread the notion that there is some extraordinary gift called know-how which Is exclusively American. We have been shocked to discover that know-how Is exclusive to no people; that what one people knows is soon known to all.

In the 1920s we spoke of the United States as Gods own country, which was both unhls-torlcal and sacrilegious, for surely all the universe is Gods. The metaphor, however, meant that this was the best county on Earth to live in. which is true for Americans but not for Hindus, Chinese, Welshmen or Scandinavians. They like their own country as we like ours-Therefore, when the 1929 Depression appeared we morally dropped dead. When Roosevelt tried to convince us that a third of the nation were economically disabled, we forgot about (Continued on Page 8)

Merger

Problem

By ROGER BABSON BABSON PARK, Mass. The biggest headachs ol any corporation official in the United States will be suli^rd, zkot by General Electiic officials, or even those of the AT ft T. but by the man who must operate a Northern Pacific - Great North-ern-Burlington Railroad Merger. ATTITUDE or NORTHERN PACmC STOCKHOLDERS First, this man may sometime have the ill will of the former Northtna Pacific Stockholders who may feel they have been robbed. I will not brag of the railway traffic of the Northern Pacific. Like most railroads, ths ^

passenger business is a big loss; even the freight is declining. But the Northern Pacific has very valuable mineral, oil, gas, and other properties with^reat potential wealth. The only real hedge against inflation is land, of which the Northern Pacific has some of the most valuable.

Second, let me refer to the size of the planned merged railroad. I roughly figure that this will have the greatest mileage of any railroad in the United States. A large part of this mileage should never have been built. Yet with millions of bonds outstanding on these raUs. it w'ill be very difficult to get the necessary agreements by bondr holders to dismantle a major part of a railroad and liquidate the rails, bridges, aiid rights-of-way. A legal merger is simple, but a division of the spoils is exceedingly complicated.

LABOR AND SMALL TOWNS The only way to prevent such great merged railroad system from going into bankruptcy is to dismantle at least one-third of the mileage and reduce the number of employees proportionately. This thought causes great consternation among the labor unions. They will not only fight for their own jobs; but will feel In doing so they are fighting a battle for every railroad in the country which is now talking merger. But the expected discharge of railway workers likewise angers the thousands of little towns along the lines which should be abandoned. These towns and way stations think their life depends on having a railroad station, especially for freight. To a certain extent every railroad merger will have these handicaps.

As the abandonment of a railroads main line or branch lines -usuallv means that the roadbed will revert to the county, state, or Federal Government, the newly merged lines will continue to operate such portions of the Northern Pacific as have the mineral rights. This creates another paradox. Handling of tde freight by trucks would ordinar-ily be th answer; but trucks would not enable the Northern Pacific to hold ownership of all its valuable mineral and oil as-

WHAT NOTHERN PACIFIC STOCKHOLDERS MAY DO Such a merger awakens a sentimental recollection in my Hie which should be a lesson to all investors. An uncle of mine was once the operating Vice President of the Northern Pacific, with his home in St. Paul. Once when I was going to St. Paul to visit the family of my late wife Grace K. Babson my father, Nathaniel Babson of Glouches-ter, Mass., asked me to call up on my Uncle John and ask his opinion as to the value of Northern Pacific secifrtties. My uncle repUed:Tell Cousin Nat that the Northern Pacific bonds are good; that the preferred stocks will probably work out fairly satisfactorily; but that the common stock today is not worth the paper upon which the certificates are printed. Yet within, two years this common stock sold for one thousand dollars per share!

With this personal experience It is difficult for me to advise a present holder of Northern Pacific what to do. I think, however, that a good many Northern Pacific holders will sell their stock and switch into the stock of Union Pacific. The letters sells at about 32 and pays $1.60 dividend per year. Union Pacific is both rich In management and has great mineral, oil, gas. and other hidden assets. It is the shortest line between Chicago and the Pacific C<>at and has the least mileage to maintain when making the trip, largely on double track, I do not recommend any railroad or other stocks in this column; but I can report what I think large stockholders are doing.

The Circus Has Gone Cdmmercia..-

Sometimes it seems that all ue ever learn from experience Is that we have made another m 1 s t a k e.Cleveland lOa.) Courier.

Bv ELMER ROESSNER

Time was when the circus was the fun peak of the year, even topping watermelon - stealing time. Today the circus is an advertising medium, shot through with commercials. Some day youngsters and their dads may object to paying for circus tickets. feeling they should be able to see the show free, like Paladin-. simply by turning a knob.

The circus has become an old prostitute. Its charm is now for sale. Youngsters of all ages, filled with love of the circus, can,, now get pseudo affection for w'hlch some advertiser has paid with a brass check.

This Is no secret. F^or years ihe circus, like every other en-terprise, has been importimed to allow plugs to get by. Artful publicity men tried to get bands to play certain numbers* to get clowns and ringmasters to refer to or mention certain products.

CIRCUSES TURN HARLOTS

For years, circus owners resisted. The clown who tried to sneak in a plug for a shoe polish or a soft drink was sometimes left in the freight yard when the circus train moved on.

But now the circus itself has succumbed. It takes money like a streetwalker. Radio and tele-vvsion carefully identify commercial:; newspapers and magazines clearly Indicate advertising material. But the circus hides it in the folds oX. a wantons skirt-or a clowns act.

In one circus, a clown races around the rings shooting a tube of toothpaste as if it were a guh at another clown carry a toothbrush. Its whats -its - name toothpaste, of course, and the manufacturers adver-^tising agency is paying through the nozzle for the stunt.

HOW TO CLOWN DOWN HAIR

In one circus, a clown races around with outstanding hair. Another clown runs up with *

huge bottle of hairdressing and squirts it on the hair, transforming the first one into a handsome fellow.

Walter Gels, an old-time clown, has walked around clr-

arettes, food products and others offering to sell the hallowed tradition of the big top for advertising dollars. Soon it may spread to the shows and the fat lady and the thin man

cuses for 20 years seemingly ' wUl b^ome merely^ore-and-balancing a board on his head, after for a diet drink!

It remained erect no matter how he turned. This year theres no board, but a repUca of a candy bar. Another clownyouve seen lilm arid remember him well walks around with oversize, roach-crushing shoes. This year, when you'll see him, those big shoes wUl advertise a certain kind of sneakers.

" In the program for the circus in New York, theres a picture of a lion saying that, if he were people, hed drink a certain brand of coffee. In the circus Itself, there are two clowns, dressed like Uons. carrying jars of the same Qoffee What a paid-for coincidence! ,

Circuses are also dickering with makers of appliances, cig-

SHORT AND SIGNIFICANT ' NOTES ON BUSINESS Typhoon damage In the pearl fields in Ago Bay, Japan, and the rising demand for pearls in prosperous Western Europe are sending up the price of pearls ... .A National Committee for Repeal of Excise Taxes on Handbags and ToUetriet has been organized In Chicago. . . .The Credit Union National Association is asking Congreos to pass the truth in lending bl (S-1740) with the slogan, Any. business oiht to be willing to tell the customer the truth about the cost of credit. . . . Qgarctte sales in Great Britain rOSe 4 per cent last ygar.