Friday, June 13, 1969

\ \

Misguided Measure Ran Aground

irS A LONESOME SORT OF GAME I

The Senate Judiciary 1 Committee has acted properly in killing a bill which would have prevented publication in North Carolina of the names of rape and other sex crime victims.

While it is true that innocent victims in sex crimes often have to suffer through public trials which increase their apguish, any law which prohibited the use of their names would be detrimental to freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Such a law could give rise to a situation where the husband of a victim could be identified, while his wife could not. In such a case the reader \vould have little trouble identifying the rictim.

Moreover such cases at times attract widespread public attention. At those times if not one ^ _ __ _ 1 f e

word appeared in newspapers or was heard over ra- UV JMO lAi L/0 VlOpiHCIllS (Ho or television, the case would be widely dis- *

cussed in the community where it occurred. With the facts being passed by word of mouth it would

not take long for the story to become garbled. And it might be that persons who had no connection with the crime could become identified as the victim as the rumors went around.

The news media has an obligation to report suth cases along with all the other new's w'hich develops. It should be done unemotionally. How-ever, newspapers should not be hobbled with laws w'hich prohibit them from reporting full information in cases which concern the public.

No Longer Staggered

Crossfire Over nterest Rates

By WILLLAM A. SHIFES

Tleflector Raleigh Bureau

RALEIGH - Legislators tr\ing to shape new laws on legal interest rates and credit regulations have become caught in a crossfire.

On one side there is pressure to approve increases in interest rates charged for loans for home mortgages, business purposes and so-called *small loans. The

present legal maximum in North Carolina is six per cent Which, according to almost all financial sources, has led to a drying up of the money available for loans in North Carolina.

On the opposite side is pressure to hold the line against any moves which wcaild add to inflationary tendencies. These sources say that an end to the Viet Nam war would bring a resounding reduction in inflationary pressures and interest rates because more money would be available for the domestic market.

For the present, however, legislative committees-spec-ifically the Banks and Banking committees are having to wTestle with unknowm factors.

Prime Interest Rate*

No sooner had a House committee approved an eight per cent interest rate on residential borrowing than major out-of-state financial institutions went to a prime interest rate of 8.5 per cent.

One committee source said, **we are trying to keep up, but I dont know how we can. They are leap-frogging very-thing.

Some of the committee mombers felt that the effect of increasing interest rates

was to put a damper on borrowing and credit at all levels.

Rep. Chris Barker, D-Cra-ven, said the new day in credit has arrived. This, he indicated, is the credit card system, under which the lending agency charges up to 18 per cent interest Barker offered a series of amendments to a banking and credit interest bill which, he said, reflected this is going to be the way in the future.

Much riuctoatioB

Conflicting views and positions have led to the further rruring of the c(wimittee in confusion on just what sort of bill it will offer.

One committee, m.ember, obviously discouraged by the continual wrangling, said,

theyre offering amentkments to their own amendments.

The committee, headed by Rpo. Joe Eagles of Edgecombe County, has been bpfk and forth ovpr the idea of high versus low interest rates, and sliding scales for interest charged on credit card accounts, whether to allow for immediate intereat on credit card charges up to Hz per cent for unpaid balances, and whether to exempt certain credit card charges from interest charges for a period of up to 29 days.

Votes on various amendments offered to the House bill have been close, decided by only one or two votes. In most cases, a count of hands has been necessary and this has caused nervousness on the part of chairman Eagles.

An amendment to set a sliding scale on credit card interest charges failed last Tuesday by a 10-S vote. An-o<her amendment to put the discount rate on a competitive basis failed by 10-9 vote.

The Stale Legislative Council, an organization composed of statew'ide civic, church, professional and social organizations, attacked the legislatures failure to reduce the 18 per cent interest rate that banks charge on credit card purchases and loans.

In our opinion, a Council spokesman said, 18 per cent is just too high.

The Daily Reflector

INCORPORATED

Established 1882

Published Monday Through Friday Afternoons and Sunday Morning

DAVID JULIAN WHICHARD, Chairman of the Board

JOHN S. WHICHARD-DAVID J. WHICHARD

Publisher

Rntered it P<Mft Office, Gi^eiiTine, N. C.

n second class mall matter

#

SUBSCRIPTION RATES Hems Delivery By Carrier or Motor Routo Woek 40e By Mail, Payable In Advance

One Tear ...................................\. .......118.0

Six Moatlis ........................................

Three Months ..... .M

One Month ............................................

(ITke Include saics tax wnere applicable)

BIEMBEB OP ASSOCIATED PRESS i

The Associated Press Is exdusivelj entitled to use for poblV

eetkw all news dispatches credited to It or not otherwise

^credited to this paper ani also tho local news publishod

berelB. AD rlfhta of pubUcations of special dispatches here are ehu> reserved.

UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL_

Advertlshiff rates and deadUnes aTallablo upon requeat Member Audit Bureau of Cb-culation.

Whilfe an announcement of successful test of a nuclear rocket engine piques our imagination, it no longer staggers it. /

Scientists at the U. S. Nu^ear Rocket Development Station announced the success yesterday.

However, for a world which has seen television pictures transmitted by men nine miles from the moon, such a rocket can be accepted as a natural dexelopment in space travel.

It has long been knowm that nuclear power was the answer to the tremendous energy needs for boosting pay loads in space and traveling to planets. So now the nuclear rocket is w*ith us, as space scientists have assured us it would be some day.

Nuclear rocket are another development whieh our minds accent in the great surge of technological advances which pile upon us daily.

More Wives 'h Work Force

By HAL BOYLE

NEW YORK (AP)-Things a columnist might never know if he didnt open his mail:

Wives are helping bring the bacon home in more U.S., households. A survey of the 27 million women who hold jobs found that 59 per cent are married and living with their husbands, 22 per cent are single, and 19 per cent are widowed, divorced or separated.

America must lead the world in headaches. Anvway, we consume approximately 26 billion aspirin tablets a year.

Could you escape from a smking car? Tests show that a car usually floats from four to eight minutes after hitting water. It fills faster if the windows are open or broken. Your best bet: Try to escape by rolling down the window wjiile the car is still afloat.

The ambition of most Broadway showgirls is to be able to quit saving dimes and start collecting diamonds.

Drug addiction is more of a

threat to doctors themselves than to college students or school dropouts. A psychiatrist estimates narcotics addiction is 30 times greater among physicians as it is among the general population.

Poor students make poor drivers. Auto insurance claims statistics reveal that students who made good grades have driving records from 25 to 30 per cent better than those who make low grades.

Why does a crocodile shed tpars? Well, it. isn't because of any sympathy it feels for its victim One scientific theory is that a crocodile

ART BUCHWALD

Gonzalez Raises Doubts

gulps its food so fast that It presses against the roof of the creatures mouth, thereby forcing tears from its eyes.

The suctom of eating three square meals a day is on the wane, particularly among young Americans in the to 24-year bracket. A research survey found that 16 per cent skip breakfast, 11 per cent miss the evening meal, and 22 per cent of the men and 18 per cent of the women do without lunch.

Fear or unhappiness may rarely cause a child to lose its hair temporarily or even permanently. Pediatricians say such sudden hair loss among children can result from emotional crises springing from weaning, abandonment, oirth of another child in the family, or serious accidents.

Worth remembering: The best ability you can have is reliability.Elmer G. Leter-man.

Nature notes: A shark will drown if ii remains still. Because it has no muscular gills, it must keep swimming in order to breathe. Some fish, such as the carp and halibut, are believed to be able to live 200 years. Rainbows som.e-tinies can be seen at night as well as by day. In damp weather a bloodhound can scent the man it is trailing half a mile away.

Opinions

,h Brief

He who wants to accomplish something does not achieve it by scolding about the wrong, but by endeavoring to do it right. Goethe

The will to perserve is often the difference bftween failure and success.'* David Sarnoff.

By ART BUCHWALD

WASHINGTONThe State Department is now hard at work trying to figure out what went wrong with Gov. Nelson Rockefellers trip to South America.

If they really want to know I think they should talk to my friend Gonzalez, a South American diplomat who told me what happened the other day.

You Americans are always going about these things in the wrong way.

Hows that?*

You think the solution to South Americas problems is to send an ambassador of good

will down there.

But President Nixon sent Gov. Rockefeller of South America to show the people that the United States has not forgotten them.

Si. That was your mistake. The South Americans thought you had forgotten them, and they were very happy. It is only when you sent Rockefeller down that they were reminded of all their grievances and decided to demonstrate. You should have left well enough alone.

You can say that, Gonzalez, but the truth is that President Nixon feels very close to

South America and he wanted to make a friendly gesture by sending Rockefeller on a tour of the Latin countries.

Are you certain of t h a t? Gonzalez asked.

What are you driving at?

ART

BUCHWALD

Other Editors Say ust Not Necessary

Get away from the crowd when you can. Keep yourself to yourself, if only for a few hours daily. Arthur Brisbane.

Strength For Today -j-q Review Moiling CostS

(Goldsboro News-Argus)

A national magazine probing, through student interviews, the causes of campus unrest and frustration carne up with a number of complaints against todays institutions of higher learning.

But one in particular should bring all of us up short make us take a long, hard look at the trend of recent years.

Students in the larger colleges and universities complained of not feeling like tliey were a part of the institution. ,

One commented tiat h i s counsellor did not even know his name. There is no rapport between students and professors.

The professors parrot from memory what they have par-rotted from mamory for 25 years.

Students, because classes are so large, have little if any contact with their teachers or advisoBrs. Often they have to guess at what courses to take.

Getting the desired course is, in itself, a problem. Some students told of having to wait in line for two days to sign up.

They feel no school spirit. They often get lost on campus.

One student was quoted as saying the only way one might get any individual attention would be to crinkle his com-means or whatever its puter card. . .

It is easy to see how such frustrations could provide fertile ground for any leadership that could, by whatever its means or whatever its cause, get the ear of the school administrations and the public.

Many students. It seems, have something to tell the administrations and the trustees and America. But it also seams that the spokesmen who are getting the attention of America are the wrong students and are not saying what really needs to be said.

Institutions of higher learning have enjoyed phenomenal growth since World War II. They have moved into instructional fields unheard of a few year sago.

They have moved to meet every challenge of the space age. They have shown that in physical growth they can outstrip the wildest dream.s of graduates of the previous decade.

But perhas they have grown so rapidly and .moved so far ahead so fast, it is time they paused, looked around and reached back for the students.

Who was the most famous good will ambassador to South America in our time? Richard Nixon, when he was Vice President under Dwight Eisenhower.

And what happened to Nixon when he went to South America?

He was pelted with stones and tomatoes and vegetables. Si, Gonzalez said. Now, having received such a reception there, why would he send Gov. Rockefeller? Because . . .because . . . Gonzalez, youre not implying that President Nixon knew what Rockefeller would be in for?

President Nixon has never cared too much for Gov. Rockefeller, has he?

I dont know If theyre warm friends, but I cant believe President Nixon would . . .then again he might . . . Gonzalez, this is a terrible thought you have put in my head.

It is possible Pres 1 d e n t Nixon may not have done it consciously, but even Presidents of a country as big as yours do things subconsciously

The old Nixon might do that. But the new Nixon would never do it. I will shut my ears to such blasphemy. Senor, said Gonzalez, the difference between N o r th America and South America is that in most of our countries we jail or exile o u opposition. But in your conn try, you send them on good (Continned On Page 5)

What

"ndustry

Seeks

By JOHN CUNNIFF AB Business Analyst

NEW YORK (AP) - What type of environment does a corporation seek when it wishes to relocate or build a large branch plant? An almost perfect one, judging from the checklists use by some companies.

Basic considerations generally are well known: the plan| sites available, transportation, power, water, tax rate. But the religious and political attitudes of people also are given high priority.

In a remarkably candid talk with bankers in Nashville, Tenn., this spring, John Harper, president of Aluminum Co. of America, ran down the list of considerations in choosing a sita for a large fabricating facility.

High on the list was t hequal-ity of a community, its attitude toward schools, its initiative in tackling pollution problems, the ability of its leaders.

The initial studies began with the selection by high Alcoa officials of states in which the facility could be located. Among the criteria: the fairness of taxes, attitude toward business, fiscal responsibility.

Despite all other attractions, said Harper, we will not consider locating in a state unless there is clear evidence o! a continuing policy of reason and fairness toward businesi and industry.

The job of selection then wai handed to a building site committee made up of a representative of the companys transport tation, engineering, operating, sales, public relations, legal ani! real estate departments.

This convnittee narrowed thi area to one-half of a large state, and then to four communitiei containing five sites of at least 500 acres. These five sites then were compared with each other The first consideration wai loning and land use, and tha chances for obtaining zoning changes so that part of the sita could be set aside for future expansion and not taxed as industrial land.

An important consideration was the anticipated residenMal buildup near the sites, because problems result from industry and housing being too dose to each other. Population growth projections ranged from 27 to 264 per cent.

The traffic department supplied the site committee with details of transportac costa whle the engineering department was estimating tiie supply and cost of power at all five sites. Tax projections were made also.

Two other criteria were examined'' at this point: the price of land and the availability of water. Land ranged from $125 to $10,000 an acre. Watw supply varied, and as Harper put It, A site easily may be eliminated on this single factor.

The work of the site committee now was about half completed. with perhaps the more difficult portion remaining. It had to determine if skilled labor was available and at what rates, and how peaceful were management-labor relations.

The public relations people meanwhile tried to determine if the communities really wanted industry and if their leaders would support industrialization. They sought to determine If religious or cultural attitudes might present obstacles, such as a refusal to work on Sunday.

The leadership of the communities was examined to determine if they had progressive at-(Cootinaed On Page D

Calculate Carefully

Astronomers tell us that the number of heavenly bodies in our galaxy alone is a hundred thousand million billion. In this planet at the present time live about three billion people. Can we possibly have any con-u,equence whatsoever**

Yes, we not only have consequence but every individual in the w'orld has a destiny. God had a purpose in putting every one of us here m the world, and that purpose is a matter of importance to God and to us. Jusr as the jigsaw puzzle IS never completed until every last piece is chosen and put m its place, so the divine purpose is not fulfilled until our destiny is fulfilled We may hold no position of importance, have no wealth achieve nothing that w'ould earn us even a line in the newspaper. Nevertheless, the jigsaw puzzle is not complete until weour lives, our work our place in the confimunily, our duty in family life and

friendshipare somehow accounted for.

We all have a destiny. All of which should lift us up when we are inclined to become depressed. It. seems at tkmes that the big old world and the universe appear to get along fairly well without much help from us. But this is all in appearance. We are appar < ently a lot more important in the eyes of the (Creator than we are sometimes in our own eyes. To think too much of ourselves is bad. To minimize our importance and perhaps .scoff at it is also bad. Vanity is a vice, but depression can be a vice also.

Stand up and be counted. We c^n be our own worst enemies if we think of our selves more highly than we ought to think or without due appreciation of our true significance in the world and in the universe.

By Earl L. Douglas

By ELMER ROESSNER

Postal rate rises, both arniind the corner and further down the road, mean that the time has come for businesses to take another hard look at their mailing practices.

Special delivery fees for letter mail and air parcel post are scheduled io mmp from 30 to 45 cents (on July 1. Special delivery f4r other mail is to increase 10 cents.

Registered mail fees are also going up at midyear. As examples, registering an or-dinary letter will cost a nickel more at 80 cents while registered mall valued at $1,000 will go up a dime to $3.25. Certified mail, for which the Po,st Office gives the sender a receipt showing delivery was made, is to increase a nickel to 15 cents.

Collect-on-delivery mailings are rising 10 cents so that an ordinary letter will cost 70 cents, for example, and mail

valued at $200 would cost $1.10. P. O. Prerogative ..

Special postage fees such as these can be changed by the Post Office Department on its own authority. It does not need Congressional approval. On the other hand. Congress is mulling over proposed general postal rate boosts and the Post Office wont impose higher special fees if Congress howls.

Advance announcement of

the proposed special fees hikes, of course, is a trial balloon to see if Congress or the general public is opposed enough to shoot it down.

But ecnnom.y is the watchword in Congress; Post Office deficits are huge; and postal workers keep up a year-round din for higher wages. Congress will most likely grumble a bit about the special fees, but no more. It wall also tinker with higher general postal rates, but eventually approve them.

The Post Office claims the new rates will bring in an additional $200 million a year. More likely they will cut down the public's and businesss use of the special services. Either way, there will be a saving.

Couotermove

Business can take a number of steps to trim postage costs, including.

Reduce au* mail spending by using surface mail for addresses within a radius of 1,000 miles and for weekend mailings.

Use certified mail instead

of registered mail when th contents have no intrinsic value and only assurance of delivery is needed.

. Check private mail services in Metropolitan areas see if tliey are cheaper than the Post Office, taking into account speed and raliability.

. Use lightweight paper and envelopes to cut poftage.

. At the same time, make sure mail is weighed carefully and that too much postage isnt being used.

. Consider telephoning instead of writing when tha advantage outweighs tha narrowing cost differential. A 10 cent local phone call way be quicker, more reliable, wore reliable, more productive and cheaper considering typdng and postage costs.

In certain circumitanoas even telegrs.ms and long - distance phone calls are better bargains than the U. t. Poet Office.