The Mail-Journal, Volume 9, Number 27, Milford, Kosciusko County, 2 August 1972 — Page 4

L PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY The Milford Mail (E*L 1888) Syracuse*Wawasee Journal (Eat 1907) Consolidated Into The Mail-Journal Feb. 15, 1962 DEMOCRATIC ARCHIBALD E. BAUMGARTNER, Editor and Publisher DELLA BAUMGARTNER, Business Manager T .8 . - M Box 8 Syracuse, Inch, — 46567

Meet Woodsy Owl Remember Smoky the bear and the good he has done in reminding people to be careful and prevent forest fires. The USA now has a new animal friend which we will be seeing more and more of in the years to come. His name is Woodsy Owl. Woodsy’s theme is Give a Hoot! Don’t Pollute. He has 104 ways to stop pollution. Woodsy is now in schools, churches, forests and cities. He’s even on the radio and television. Carol Burnett, Carroll O’Connor, Lorene Green and Rich Little are on the air to help him and so is Arnold Palmer. But, Woodsy needs you too*

200th Birthday Celebration

Four years hence, the United States will observe the Bicentennial of the American Revolution — and the founding of the country. Largely unheralded, planning has been underway since 1966 to prepare an appropriate response on our nation’s 200th birthday. Digest tells of these preparations in an inspired feature entitled “Ring Out, Liberty Bell!” by Mr. Robert O’Brien. The theme of the observance for not only a Bicentennial Day but a Bicentennial Year and Era as well as “A Past to Remember —a Future to Mold.” Noting the approaching event, President Nixon has remarked, “We must put our minds to it, we must put our hearts to it. America is 50 states. America is big cities, small cities and small towns. It is all the homes and all the hopes of 208 million pe0p1e....” Mr. O’Brien describes the master plan for

. Lover, Beware Data recently made available by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) indicate that “Marriage On the Rocks”, has a lot more meaning today than merely the title of an old Doris Day flick. The NCHS, a branch of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, says that the national divorcemarriage ratio has reached an alltime high of 455 divorces per 1,000 marriages. Put another way, this discouraging statistic means that in nearly a third of the United States more than half of those entering holy matrimony will eventually be making their way out again. What young married would pause to consider that chances of staying married are only about as good as winning at the Las Vegas craps tables — less than even money. Yet this is exactly the case. The national ratio of 455 is up from 428 last year, according to the government statistics for the first four months of 1972. The report covers 43 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data from the remaining seven states — including 'Nevada which might raise statistics even more — were not available. A numerical breakdown of breakups for the first four months of 1972 goes like this: 528,117 were married and 240,409 were divorced. From the same period of the previous year marriage increased by 16,684 while divorces rose by 21,344. In a state to state picture, young lovebirds get a picture of marriage that is even grimmer. k Montana has a divorce-marriage ratio of 803 and has the dubious honor of

Social Security Q— My wife and I were retired and getting monthly social security payments. My wife, who never worked under social security, died last month. My neighbors told me that I should apply for a lump-sum death payment to help with the funeral expenses. Is this correct*

EDITORIALS

A— No. The death payment is only made when a worker, insured under social security, dies. Q — I’ll be <5 near the end of this year and I’m planning to retire then. Since my earnings up to the time I retire will be well over |ICM, should 1 delay applying for retirement payments until early next year?

He is sponsored by the Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture in cooperation with the Public Service Council. Everywhere one looks the environment is being threatened by pollution. Wild flowers along the roadside are being picked rather than admired. Smog is killing trees, it’s forcing birds to find new homes. Fish are running out of clean water. Just what’s being done about it? A lot. But the country has a lot more to do, a long way to go. Let’s all do our part. And help keep the birds, animals and flowers alive. Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute.

the Bicentennial observation. It consists of three interrelated programs in which all states and communities are called upon to participate. He reports, “The first — Heritage ’76 — is an on-going commemoration of great moments and lasting legacies from the nation’s past. A second program — Festival USA — encourages us to travel, to discover America for ourselves, and to Open our hearts and homes to people of other lands. The third, and most important — Horizons ’76 — challenges us, in the President’s words, ‘to dedicated effort for the fulfillment of national goals yet to be attained.’ This is a call for action to improve the quality of American life ... .” The Bicentennial Era provides an unparalleled opportunity to affirm our faith in the United States. And, as The Digest observes, to move “. . . toward the mountain top of a more perfect union.”

leading the nation in marital splits. Oregon with 768 held second place, but California’s ratio of 755 has a far greater impact on the national statistics. In the Golden State more than three divorces are granted for every four couples married. California’s liberal “no fault” divorce law has been cited as a main reason for the large number of divorces. The law recognizes “irreconcilable differences” as grounds for divorce. If this is true, then as more states liberalize divorce laws the proportion of divorces will continue to rise. With all of the talk the last few years about “open marriages,” trial marriages” and just plain “shacking up” among young romantics, one would think that more couples would be sure of themselves before taking the giant step. But apparently they are not. Conservative members of the older generation keep arguing to retain the familiar status quo. They wonder why youngsters seem dissatisfied with the institution of marriage as it now stands. The recent statistics, however, unquestionably indicate that something is amiss. Many psychologists, psychiatrists and sociologists — not to mention a few downright nosy people — have voiced their own ideas about how to solve these problems. Their solutions have ranged from eliminating marriage to legalizing polygamy, or even making it mandatory. Thus far, however, all of the proposed solutions have seemed to be less workable than our current system. Until a real solution can be found the best advice any person can offer is Caveat amator — let the lover beware. — By David Hendin

A— Definitely not You should apply for payments about three months before your «sth birthday. Regardless of your earnings for the year, you can still get a social security payment for any month in which you neither earn 1140 hi wages nor perform substantial services in selfemployment. You can also apply for Medicare protection at that time.

Join Woodsy Owl’s fight against poliution.ldday.

k 1 1 ’

Know Your Indiana Law _ By JOHN J. DILLON Attorney at Law This is a public service article explaining provisions of Indiana law in general terms.

Voluntary Unemployment

In a very difficult case the Court of Appeals of Indiana recently ruled that an employee who leaves his employment voluntarily for personal reasons, is not eligible for unemployment benefits. A claim was filed under

— Special Report from Washington — HANOI WILL TAKE THIEU By Jack Anderson 1972 Pulitzer Prize Winner for National Reporting (Copyright, 1972, by United Feature Syndicate, Inc.)

WASHINGTON-One of the stumbling blocks to a peace settlement in Vietnam may be removed soon. We have learned that Hanoi is secretly alerting its cadres that it may be necessary to accept President Thieu as leader of the Saigon regime during a cease-fire. In the past, the North Vietnamese have stubbornly refused even to consider a truce unless Thieu quits. But now increasing pressure from the Chinese and the Russians is causing Hanoi to re-evaluate its position on Thieu. It now appears that Hanoi will allow Thieu to remain as President of South Vietnam during a cease-fire—at least until a compromise coalition government can be formed. Meanwhile, the U.S. Air Command in Vietnam has informed the Pentagon that is has now hit all but the off-limit targets in North Vietnam. Undisturbed. the Pentagon has ordered the air war to continue. Hit them all again, the Pentagon has told our pilots. American air attacks have taken a terrible toll, wiping out as many as 50 per cent of some North Vietnamese divisions. But U.S. intelligence reports warn that Hanoi has replaced almost all the combat troops killed during the recent offensive. ’ These reports also claim that the North Vietnamese divisions still have plenty of supplies stockpiled in the south. In short. Hanoi has both the men and the material to keep the war going. As a result, the

the Employment Security Act. The claimant was suffering from failing eyesight and moved to another town to be with his children. He was unable to drive a car to his work. The court stated it was sym-

secret negotiations now going on in Paris continue to offer the only hope of settling the Vietnam conflict this year. —McKay’s Lessons— A few weeks ago. we reported that President Nixon had attempted to save the taxpayers some money by ordering his lieutenants not to fly first-class. The order, however. has been blatantly ignored. Every cabinet officer we have checked on—and most of their assistants—always use the comfortable, upfront seats. But on Capitol Hill there is at least one public servant who always flies tourist.' He is Congressman K. Gunn McKay. a moderate Democrat from Utah. McKay came to Washington without enough cash to buy a house, so he is renting. Once, his secretary was helping him with his income tax and she asked if he had any outside investments. He produced a slip showing he had earned $24 interest on a credit union savings account. A few weeks ago. McKay invited me to lunch. We dined in his office on sandwiches and trimmings that had been prepared by his wife and staff. Congressmen are permitted by law to go home 12 times a year at public expense. Most of them fly first-class. But not Gunn McKay. He sits in the back of the plane and saves the taxpayer $1,824 a year. The Presidents aides should take a lesson from Gunn McKay.

pathetic to the claimant’s physical ailment and he of course was not to blame for this malady. But quoting an earlier case the court said, “the law was not designed for the benefit of those who are voluntarily idle.” The law the court said was for relief of those unemployed through no fault of their own. But the claimant pointed out his failing eyesight was certainly not his fault. The court agreed, but stated that when one leaves an area where suitable work is available and goes to an area where work opportunities are entirely lacking for his personal or domestic obligations he is voluntarily unemployed. In other words, leaving the town, not the failing eyesight the court viewed was the cause of the unemployment.

j— Flood Damage— East Coast is still recovering from last month’s • devastating floods which in ’ Pennsylvania alone caused property damage estimated far over one billion dollars. One story in the tales of misery coming out of Pennsylvania is the plight of the private colleges. Seventeen colleges suffered damages inPennsylvania. Not one of them is eligible for federal money to pick up and start again. Worst hit was Wilkes College in Wilkes-Barre. The school, which has an enrollment of 2.600 students, suffered $lO million in damages. Wilkes’s president Francis Micheleni told us candidly. “I don’t see how we’ll survive without substantial help from somewhere.” Wilkes lost everything from grand pianos in its music department to expensive lab equipment to 23,000 volumes of books. The library was so badly damaged that the school had to order a bulldozer inside the building to clean up the muck. “In most of the 58 buildings on campus, we re still ankle ’ deep in mud.” Micheleni told us. “You’ve got to see it to believe it." —Pressure Tactics — Small minority businesses which get government contracts are being pressured to support President Nixon for re-eliection. The heat is coming, appropriately, from a fuel oil dealer acting with apparent encouragement from the President himself. Charles Wallace, who heads the firm of Wallace and Wallace in New York, has sent hundreds of letters to other companies which have either gotten contracts with the help of the Small Business Administration or are trying to get them. Wallace encloses a letter President Nixon sent him thanking him for his sugges- .. tions. Also enclosed is a questionnaire demanding to knoy<' if the company will work for President Nixon’s re-election. The letter extols the SBA’s assistance to minority busi-

& THE EDITOR

Reads Editorials

Dear Editor: The fact that I’m replying should be ample evidence in the affirmative. So long as you can please some of the people some of the time, we vote to continue.

Suggestions Made

Dear Editor: Because I am not a citizen of your community except for last and this summer I am not a regular reader of your editorial page. But I am concerned that you are considering discontinuing it. I felt your editorial “Do you Read the Legals? ” was a good editorial. I am sure you have written others that I have not read. May I suggest these things: This ruling basically hinged on the proposition that the employee did not dismiss the employee because of failing eyesight, and if he was available to work, his job was still available. Subjective cause to the employee is not “good cause” which justifies ‘ termination of employment entitling an employee to compensation. It must objectively relate to the employment and not reasons personal to the employee. The court said it was the intention of the legislature to deny benefits of the Act to those individuals who are unemployed due to their own personal reasons. In view of this decision the legislature will undoubtedly be asked to clarify what are subjective and what are objective causes attributable to an employee when leaving a job. Copyright 1972 by John J. Dillon.

nesses as “the most dynamic program that has ever been instituted for minorities.” Then comes the pitch. “I cannot tell you." writes Wallace, “how important it is that we go out into the field and try to get the President reelected.” He stoutly denies it. but Wallace’s mailing suggests that he is e acting in concert with the administration to use the minority business program for political purposes. This use of his corporate resources to promote a political cause is also an apparent violation of federal laW. — Washington Whirl — High Road for Agnew?— President Nixon’s new campaign manager. Clark MacGregor, has been meeting privately with Nixon and Agnew urging the two to wage a dignified campaign this year. MacGregor specifically hopes to persuade Agnew not to take thfc same low road he took in the 1970 congressional campaign. MacGregor that a rough, name-calling campaign could drive conservative Democrats, sympathetic to the President, into-the McGovern camp. ITT and Taxes —Remember" how embarrassed George McGovern looked earlier this summer when he incorrectly claimed that ITT had paid no federal taxes in three years? McGovern sheepishly retracted his statement when he learned that several ITT subsidiaries did pay their taxes. We can now report that McGovern was not so off as ITT had claimed. ITT’s effective tax rate in 1971. we have learned, was less than five per cent of its income of $4lO millions. Classic Government Fence Sitting —The U.S. Department of Transportation continues to hedge on Ralph Nader’s favorite subject: the safety of the Corvair. The Department issued a report two weeks ago claiming the Corvair was as safe as many ’ similar cars. Last week, the Department was hastily preparing a letter to warn owners of the ‘ Corvair’s potential dangers.

A pause for you to think to write and select, and a pause for us to read and think is mutually healthful. Sincerely, LaMar Stoops

Offer valid points from both the left and the right of the political spectrum to foster sound political debate that is as free from emotion as possible; continue your informative editorials, as mentioned above, to keep readers informed of your purpose as a newspaper; keep the eye on elected officials who spend citizens tax money; and also provide the Spanish speaking — and reading — community editorials and relevant news in their native language to aid their move into our cultural setting. This could be done on a regular basis. I think these suggestions would offer your readers an enlightened view that, is not available elsewhere in Kosciusko county. Perhaps your readership would increase. Best wishes to you as you attempt to make the decision. Respectfully, Dennis L. Brown Camp Mack r 1 Milford 4 Doni pollute.