The El Dorado Times from El Dorado, Arkansas • Page 4

commentary local Editorial Parkland demand Response to the Interest in El Dorado and Union County should not be particularly surprising to anyone. The evaluation, conducted by the 4C Council recreation task force under guidance from Arkansas Polytechnic College, shows an overwhelming interest in outdoor activities. Respondents also favored a bond issue to support purchases of needed facilities, indicating that present facilities were totally inadequate. In the months ahead the group will formulate a park plan to include prospective locations. The survey reflects a national trend toward looking to local government to provide for leisure activities as well as necessary services.

Experts have been warning for some time of the approach of an age of leisure, when days of work are few and activities will be needed to fill the extra time. It may seem science fiction to us today, but by the year 2000 27 years from now) most people will average 225 days of ease each year, experts predict. Think back 27 years for a comparison to today, and the projection may not seem so unrealistic. The rising costs of land acquisition and the costs of maintenance of facilities make parkland a touchy subject among local government officials. But, as the real estate brokers tell us, making any more With the indication of citizen approval presented by the recent recreational survey results, officials should feel confident that parkland is a top priority which they work for with full support.

In strong position In domestic production and export sales, the economic picture looks exceptionally good The United States completed the third quarter and entered the fourth quarter with no signs of a slowdown in its continuing economic expansion. For the three months ended with September, the U.S. realized a surplus of $2.1 billion in its balance of payments vuth foreign countries, a sharp increase over the S463 million surplus in the second quarter. The two quarters were the only three-month periods in years in which the U.S. achieved surpluses.

Not all of the improvement was due to expanding exports. Increases in foreign purchases of U.S. investments and a change in international bank transactions also helped build the flow of dollars back into the U.S. Industrial performance for the month of October was equally pleasing. According to Federal Reserve Board figures, the industrial production index rose six-tenths of one per cent, a faster rate of growth than and up more than 7 per cent from the same period last year.

Coincidentially, the Commerce Department reports government revenues for the third quarter exceeded expenditures by $4.2 billion At least, as the nation heads into a period of energy problems and other shortages, it is doing so from a position of strength Familiar atmosphere Soviet and United States negotiators charged with putting together some kind of agreement in round two of the strategic arms limitations talks probably feeU a little more at home these days. The Mideast showdown coupled with Secretary of State beaming presence in Peking must have created the kind of climate between Moscow and Washington negotiators from the two sides are more accustomed to. Detente hung over SALT I talks like a heavy fog. Every time one of those present wanted to say something nasty about the other side, he remembered that good relations were the order of the day and forced himself to refrain That is a good way to develop frustrations and ulcers. Conditions are a little more honest now.

Both sides continue to proclaim the spirit of detente, but they also have had a taste of the cold war strategy of old. Now maybe the Soviets will stop trying to develop a numerical superiority through disarmament and the Americans will stop letting them Calendar time New calendars are rapidly making their appearance and the large ones to hand on the wall are illustrated with the standard art depicting pastoral scenes, sea waves on the rampage, pretty girls and even horses and dogs. The art is seldom timely because calendars are printed months before they make their appearance. The pads showing the days of the week, look the same as last year, except it says 1974 at the top of them To many persons it may seem that this cannot be, but it is. The name of the establishment which handed out the calendar is always prominently displayed, and this is as it should be.

It's entitled to the free advertising. If the various firms with which we do business give us these works of art, be compelled to buy them Exchange members showed optimism before decline By JOHN CISMFF Business NEW YORK (AP) A little more than two weeks ago the New York Stock Exchange distributed to member firms the consensus view of 46 leading forecasters Not one of them foresaw lower stock prices in 1974 Asked by the exchange own economist, William Freund. What are your feelings about the direction of stock prices in about iJ5 per cent responded that the market would rise, while 5 per cent said there be no change Since the survey results were released to member firm planning officers the market has, so to speak, run out of power About two weeks later the Dow Jones industrial average was nearly 100 points lower and falling Such a broken-cable descent is enough to shake anyone, even some of the hardy foreign investors who had been pouring their money into the market during September and October A fall from that height doesn produce a bouno Nevertheless, a random sampling of economists and market buffs of varying credentials, some of whom might have been included in Freund's survey, shows a remarkable degree of optimism, or maybe obstinacy. Wliile conceding the very rough estimate that for each percentage of energy shortfall you can deduct 1 per cent or more from the Gross National Product, they generally maintained their confidence Some in fact were already looking over the valley to the peaks beyond, maintaining that the energy shortage would galvanize the nation, spur it to a renewed dedication, and cause the economy to shed some old angle irons Domestic energy will now be produced in quantity rather than lying inert, said one Production will take equal billing with ecology, said another Waste and inefficiency will be eliminated, said several One forecaster who conducts daily polls and who is still synthesizing the results of interviews over the past few days went so far as to suggest the likelihood of a stock market boom beginning sometime in the next few months He maintained that in terms of mental attitude the American public has in a recession for a month or so. He argued that when tftat point is reached, many people begin making their plans for the coming expansion A lot of people, he said, are looking at those low price-earnings ratios and for the first time in years are feeling the attraction of a little speculation Prodded for details, some forecasters maintained they were working night and day during the past week and were still in the midst of their analyses Therefore, they said, it was difficult to document their optimism A state of mind, perhaps, and maybe a very odd one, too As analysts, institutions and individuals reach their conclusions over the next week a more conclusive pattern should emerge Is it conceivable that all this bad news can be sorbed9 Why Nixon readies rationing By LOUIS M.

KOHLMEIER WASHINGTON A special White House task force of nearly 100 energy experts, hastily pulled together from a half- dozen government departments and agencies, is drawing up plans to ration heating oil, gasoline and other fuels. The task force, working long hours in tight security, appropriately is housed in an old Central Intelligence Agency building on Sixteenth Street, near the White House requires a massive planning job and going ahead with said a Presidential aide in a White House interview. President Nixon, of course, still has not decided officially that rationing is necessary He opposes rationing, except as a last resort, and has not decided what action is necessary Therefore, the task force is all means of dealing with all possible situations Within a few weeks, it will lay before Nixon all the alternatives. He then must decide His delay is compounding what his aides privately call the and unnecessary that has been going on for months, partly because of Watergate distractions The fuel shortages now worsen daily own task force is giving first priority to heating oil because winter almost is here The Senate already has come within eight votes of forcing Nixon to start gasoline rationing Notwithstanding Nixon's abhorrence of rationing and his indecision, rationing plans are going ahead because the alternatives are even more unacceptable to the White House, and for some surprising reasons Nixon has three basic choices to reduce total U.S. fuel consumption and spread out short supplies.

Gasoline would not shoot up to SI 20 a gallon, as some predict But prices would skyrocket, enough to reduce consumption by all except the rich Price decontrol therefore is unacceptable. because high consumer prices and windfall profits for oil companies would produce a "very bad political backlash Second, consumption could be reduced with new federal fuel taxes taxes would discriminate against poor and middle classes, like decontrolled prices This drawback, however, could be overcome with new personal tax deductions CAN HE PUT IT THROUGH? Inefficiency coverup use of energy crisis Still, the tax alternative is unacceptable for another reason. Each penny of new gasoline taxes would mean SI billion of additional federal revenue The tax thus would be a fiscal that Congressional democrats would celebrate by increasing government spending and size The White House will have none of it. And, thirdly, rationing. Nixon resists because rationing will mean government regulation of oil companies as well as consumers Yet, rationing is the least unacceptable alternative The political backlash should be small, since each family probably will be able to buy 10 gallons of gasoline weekly at only slightly higher prices The rationing bureaucracy could be limited, if consumers needing less than their ration can sell their coupons to those needing more Filling stations, rather than a massive bureaucracy, can become coupon brokers Moreover, Democrats will be as anxious as the White House to abolish the bureaucracy as soon as possible Theoretically, another alternative is to do nothing more than Nixon has already done As Nixon vacillated, White House in-fighting became every man for himself John Love proved a weak energy czar So Melvin Laird, although inexperienced, pushed his advice Experienced William Simon was pushed out In this Nixon has done almost nothing Continued indecision would carry great political and economic risks.

Some transportation systems, factories, schools and hospitals would have no fuel The economy, already heading downward, could be plunged into serious recession and unemployment. Nixon, therefore, will decide something soon and, barring miracles for which the White House is not waiting, he will decide on rationing By JACK ANDERSON WASHINGTON While the Postal Service forecasts a Merry Christmas for mailers, insiders say postal authorities planning to use the energy crisis to explain away Vuletide mail slowdowns that are really the result of ordinary inefficiency Among middle-echelon officials. there is talk not only of slower mail, but of a post- Christmas limit of three home deliveries a WCCk proposals would have been heresy only a few years ago Already, an internal Paper has been distribut ed to middle-level postal executives for use in dealing with employes and the public when complaints of slow service begin no one is sure of the extent, the energy crisis could seriously impair our ability to transport says the document airline flights, approximately 300 have lost to us because of cutbacks connected to fuel Peanuts Our postal informants the 300 flights are in the overall picture and should not delay the mails However, the memo goes on, the extent of the fuel shortage and our ability to find alternate forms of energy are still not known, postal officials will continue to watch the situation But once these fears are expressed, the Situation Paper" points out that the Federal Office of Oil and Gas has so far solved problems of shortages for both highway and air traxi contractors," and dealt efficiently with other postal demands Actually, some top level officials loyal to impulsive Pitst- master General Klassen have heaved a little sigh of relief over the energy crisis In October, Klassen promised this Christmas would see one of the best mail deliveries in history Since then, Klassen has turn criticized for throwing fat contracts to his cronies, morale has dropped and postal deficits continue Rate hikes There is talk of first class rates of 20 cents or more by and inefficiencies persist Our informants insist that Klassen noble aim of having all mail by December 24 was impossible to achieve even before the energy crunc came Publicly, the Postal Service insists Klassen can still realize his aim if mailers comply with his recent bid for earlier Yule mailings For the record, the service denies vehemently the energy crisis is being used to cover upother postal problemsor that a three-tune a week home delivery schedule is in the off ing Terrorist turnabout The United States is try ing to deport an ex-guernlla leader to Syria where he fates possible torture and death on charges he embezzled $400 (MM) from Arab terrorists Ironically, if the United States sends him home, he can be forced to sign over at least $120. (KMl to the terrorists for against Israeli civilians and other targets The strange troubles of the ex terrorist, Mamdouh Barbour, began when he was a Syrian army major According to his account, he refused to cooperate with a Soviet adviser and. as punishment, was assigned to the dread Saiqa terrorist group Classified State Department documents pick up the story, saying Barbour, now 43, was number three man in Saiqa" which was in the wake of the June 1967 War (for) anti-Israeli commando andlerrorist activities "It.is estimated that Sajqa is responsible for eijjht per cent of all commando operations since 1967 Although ostensibly a Palestine organization it is.

for all intents and purposes a creation of the Syrian govern rnent As a Saiqa leader. Barbour was trusted with the funds needed for guns, payment of guerrillas and supplies Syria claims he heisted S4IMMNI0 while he was transfer ring the money from one account to another Barbour claims thte total was $140 inni at most, and the money was his inheritance and savings Everyone agrees Barbour left Syria in haste and used a forced passport from the little Arab land of Oman to go to anada where he stashed $120.000 in banks, then entered the United States illegally and made his way to friends in Texas In Texas jail There, Barbour was arrested by the United States at the request of a Syrian Interpol official Mumtaz al Feteih. even though the United States has no diplomatic relations with Syria For the last IK months, he has been in a Texas jail while the United States wrangles over what to do with him If the United States sends him hack to Syria as an illegal entrant. there is every likelihood he will be forced to release the $120.000 to Saiqa for iLs terrorist activities On the other hand, if the United Stetes grants Barbour asylum, it will be just one more slap on the sensitive cheeks of the Arab world which now controls the oil needed so despera tely by the United States FOOTNOTE lawyer, Jack Wasserman, has demanded from Syria the names of Saiqa leaders so they can be questioned about the Syria has refused so far. fearing perhaps if the names were made public, the Saiqa leaders would be sitting ducks for Israeli assassins Quirks in the news MADRID (UP1) Trade has grown slowly but surely between Spain and China since diplomatic relations were established in March.

A Spanish Trade Commission announced that the latest import from China was 88,000 poundi of frozep rabbit meat. CATCHES LLY SAN FRANCISCO (UPI) Officer George Galbraith hopped on his motorcycle and sped five blocks Monday before catching a 17-year-old speed was galloping away on horseback Galbraith said he clocked the horse at 25 miles per hour and cited the youtl; on a seldom used city code that ridirlg a horse a pace faster than a walk upon any pavement or crossing "I want to gel too close," the officer said, I might have gotten kicked DENT WINS McCLEARY, Wash (UPI) Trade grows Donald Dent, 30, a school teacher, has taken over as mayor of this lumber town from Ellsyvorth Curran, 57. whom he the two previous elections Dent, also a eity councilman, and Cyrran each received 219 votes in-the Nov 6 election Pat (tallagher pulled name out of a hat Monday to give him the job Four years ago both had 150 votes, and Dent lost when name was pulled from thti hat Looking Ahead i by Or. George S. Benson President NATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAM Searcy, Arkansas WHY COMMUNES SUCCEED The Group, a commune ruled autocratically by Dixon Bowles, is profitably operating a dozen enterprises iti the Ozark lake town of Greer's Ferry Incorporated as a non profit organization, it is profitably operating the Snug Harbor Dinner Theater, five lakeside motels, a butcher shop, a house-building crew, a pizza and ice cream parlor, a newspaper, and other enterprises The income goes into one pot.

Dixon Bowles told us. no commune member gets an income The economic rule is all for one, and one for all It is a form of collectivism or socialism We told 27 year old Dixon Bowles his commune exist for long because members are not perfect, and sooner or later some of the idealism and communal spirit would give way to fundamental human desires such as rewards for achievement, selfishness, the competitive spirit He disagreed with our forecast of failure, but he admitted we had touched a sensitive weakness in the commune philosophy of collectivism Priv ale Enterprise Yearning He gestured to the com mune's butcher shop across the street irom where we were sitting in the restaurant of one of the motels leased by his group Alsup, our but he said, at Swift and Company to learn the butcher business so he could better serve the commune and the public He has built up a market for our meat all over the lake area of 50 square miles The shop is making money Months ago Mike got married Several weeks ago, he came to me and said he wanted to buy the butcher shop I was shocked What did you do. we asked told Mike it was impossible he said reminded him we owed $4 500 on butcher shop equipment and a bank loan to take care of overhead expenses I said furthermore that the commune could not exist without the low cost meat which the shop buy and esses for our nearly 70 adults and 20 children We consume a lot of meat, and meat is expensive Mike was determined He said to me he could borrow the money to pay off the indebtedness and that be would supply the commune with meat at cost plus per cent handling charge He snid he wanted to continue as a commune mem ber but that he wanted the butcher shop as his own Break in ommune It tile We asked How did you an swer that7 said Bowles "I held him off a while, then, acting for our group I sold him the butcher shop for $10.000 He laughed working day and night to pay for it We chuckled too VNe didn't press the point But I know Dixon Bowles knows that there will be other Mike Alsups in the commune who sooner or later will want to own their own business or at least be rewarded according to their special individual skills and personal industry in time the all for one idea will be (Hit window If the commune survives, stern despotic rule will prevail at the expense of human freedom We did give the personable young Bowles this observation is a lofty, cherished ideal and goal But individualism is even a more fundamental human instinct When you seek to bury individualism, you are trying to cut out one of the vitals of human nature You cannot perform successfully such an opera Uon The Commune Record We asked Bowles about the tales of promiscuous sex He said there was no thing in his commune He said there were 14 married couples and about 20children He said the 35 single men and women were segregated in their one big living quarters Uter we read the new book by history professor Raymond Lee Muncy, entitled and Marriage in Utopian Communities in 19th Century It documents the fact that virtually all communes with religious motivation begin with the rule that the traditional family unit will be maintained, but that all wind up in some form of or free love A final observation on communes is that the goal of many to abolish poverty cannot be achieved studied all kinds of governments and societies from the very beginning of history on earth, and have travelled around world many times We found any nation or society or scheme which succeeded in eliminating poverty while at the same time retaining freedom.