The Tulia Herald (Tulia, Tex.), Vol. 66, No. 3, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 17, 1974 Page: 1 of 19
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Swisher Pioneer Memorial
Fund Now Exceeds $31,000
The TuLrn Herald
The Pioneer Memorial Fund re
ports contributions of $31,190 at the application is made to
present time.
This is about ten per cent of the
amount needed from local sources
to build a complex to house the
be as large as possible before an
a founda-
tion. A number of local citizens
have indicated interest in the pro-
ject but have not yet contributed
The project would be a memor-
county library and museum as well ial to Swisher County pioneers and
as other needed facilities. appropriate recognition will be gi-
lt is believed that with a sizeable ven large donors as the complex
amount contributed by interested becomes a reality,
persons, matching funds can be se- Several types membership are
cured from one of the foundations being offered in addition to large
which participate in such projects, gifts and memorials Youth mem-
It is important that the local fund bership is $10; Adult, $25; Fam-
ily, $50; Contributing, $100; Sus
taining $250. Benefactor, $500 and
Life Membership. $1,000
Gifts are deductible under Sec-
tion 501 of the IRS code.
Total cost of the project is esti-
mated at 600.000 with half raised
locally.
Grants from philanthropic foun-
dations as well as contributing, sus-
taining and benefactor member-
ships are cumulative toward life
membership. A permanent plaque
will honor each life membership.
★ ★ COVERING SWISHER COUNTY LIKE THE SUNSHINE *
VOL. 66. NO 3
TULIA. (Swisher County) TEXAS 79080
THURSDAY. JANUARY 17, 1974
THREE SECTIONS
Death Claims J. Lee Griffith,
Longtime Merchant Of Tulia
%
‘ (S© 18!If SUM!
By H. M. BAGSARLY
■felD YOU KNOW that Stanley Marsh III, owner
m3 of KVI1-TV, is on the White House “Enemy
List”?
mwARGARET HARPER mailed releases to area
iwl newspapers on Friday, Jan. 4, announcing
auditions for the Texas cast to be held Jan. 19.
She hoped to have the stories in last Thursday’s
papers.
But nothing happened.
So Thursday she liegan calling the various
papers, only to learn that the releases had arrived
the same day as her call.
It took from Friday to the following Thursday
for the release to travel from Canyon to Tulia — 30
miles!
Even though the stories were mailed at bulk
rate, we think Mrs. Harper and the newspapers
of this area deserve something better.
m^AJOR STORY in the Amarillo Daily News
Wl Thursday had the headline, ‘ $1 Bread Seen
If Exports Not curbed.”
That Big Lie, told by Bill O. Mead, chairman of
the American Bakers Association, is typical of the
rubbish being fed to the American people by greedy
Big Business interests who want to feather their nests
at the expense of the people.
KjL«E CERTAINLY DO not approve every aspect
W of the Russian wheat deal. It was mishan-
dled from the beginning. It permitted Big Busi-
ness to reap the leward instead of the growers of
the wheat. The price to Russia was too cheap and
we even loaned her the money to buy it. Then she
sold much of it to other countries at a profit!
But in principle, exporting American farm pro-
ducts is what we have been working for for the past
25 years!
That’s the name of the game.
£INCE THE EARLY 1950s, when the price of
D agricultural products began to dip below the
cost of production, we have had “overproduction”
crammed down our throats morning, noon and night.
We were told that there was no demand for our
wheat, cotton, grain sorghum, practically every-
thing we raised. We were chided that the govern-
ment was paying farmers not to grow food and fiber
because the nation didn’t need it Farmers were en-
couraged to take land out of production. They were
encouraged to divert “unneeded farm land” to golf
courses and other recreational uses. “Do anything
with it but farm it!” So they said.
wjkfE WERE TOLD that cotton was practically
ft obsolete, having lost out to synthetics. We
were told that fertilizer and efficiency had so
increased our wheat production that we couldn't
begin to use what we were capable of producing.
The Texas Water Plan was opposed by people
who deplored spending billions of dollars to irrigate
farm acreage for which there was no need in the
first place!
THE FARMER was faced with two choices:
^ 1. Apologize for living and move to town and
get a job. or (2) try to develop a market for his
“surplus" and unwanted products in other countries.
We arc all familiar with Rill Nelson of the GSPA
who traveled over the world trying to find a market
for our despised grain sorghum. So it was with wheat
and cotton. The farmers spent their own money try-
ing to publicize the merits of cotton and wool They
tried to find new uses for surplus farm products
through technology.
They did this so as not to be a burden to the
country which was subsidizing agriculture, held in
esteem just about as high as the horse and buggy.
gARMERS HAD LISTENED to so many “sup-
■ ply and demand" sermons that they were try-\
ing to up the demand so as to justify the supply of
which they were capable and anxious to produce.
But when they succeeded, all hell broke loose
here in America!
Soon we learned who had been crying for the
subsidy teat — and it wasn't the farmers' It was
the American Bakers Association, city housewives
and others who had sort of grown used to cheap
food and fiber! They, not the farmers, had been
the ones subsidized!
f»OST OF WHEAT in a loaf of bread at pre-
sent prices is 4.8c. In order for bread to go
to $1 a loaf WITH JUSTIFICATION the price of
wheat would have to go up 800 per cent!
But the facts are. the ABA probably is right!
Because the farmer who has been living on 70 per
cent of parity begins to get 89 per cent of parity,
the processors and middlemen who have beer, get-
ting from 130 per cent to 150 per cent of parity
ask for a wage boost too! And by the time all get
a boost, bread probably WILL be $1 a loaf.
For a person getting 70 per cent of a fair
price to get 89 per cent is one thing. For one al-
ready getting from 130 to 150 percent of a fair
price to get a hike of 19 per cent is something
else!
BJOW IF OUR DOMESTIC needs have so in
lw creased that vc can consume all our food and
fiber at home and not have the “law of supply and
demand" drive the price down to 70 per cent of
parity, fine! Let’s look after our own needs first.
But first, let us make dam sure that Mr. Mead
isn’t suggesting 70 per cent of parity, such as he
has been enjoying in the past, for the farmer before
we curb our exports!
A^BOST AMERICANS are too close to their in-
■▼I dividual situations to be aware of the na-
tion's economic health. If John Doc has a job, a
car, and a TV, then he assumes that the United
States is in good economic health; but if John is
in economic trouble, then he assumes the nation
has gone to pot.
Since Tulia is enjoying good economic health,
it is natural to suppose that God is in heaven and
all’s right with the world!
MORE OBJECTIVE way to measure the
country’s health is to note such factors as its
real annual growth, its average annual unemploy-
ment, its average inflation rate.
Again, figures mean little to the layman ex-
cept as a basis for comparison. For instance, real
annual growth during the Truman administration
was 4 9 per cent. Under Eisenhower it was 2 4
per cent. During the Kennedy-Johnson era it jumped
back up to 4 8 per cent And under Nixon it is
back down to 3 7 per cent.
VHERE ARE MANY factors affecting real an-
I nual growth and we have experienced all of
them between 1947 and 1973. . . but is it only coinci-
dence that there seems to be .. relationship between
economic growth and the political philosophy of the
administration in the White House?
^%URING THE TRUMAN administration, over-
lyage annual unemployment stood at 4 per cent.
During Eisenhower it jumped to 5.1 per cent. It
dropped to 47 per cent during Kennedy-Johnson,
and is at 5 per cent during the Nixon period And
of course 1974 unemployment is likely to up the
average for Nixon when the figures are in.
Taking a closer look at unemployment under
the last five Presidents, it is interesting to note
the trends. Under Truman unemployment dropped
from 3 9 per cent in 1947 to 2 9 per cent in January
of 1953 1
Under Eisenhower, it rose from 2 9 per cent in
1953 to 6 7 per cent in January of 1961
Under Kennedy-Johnson. it dropped from 6 7 per
cent in 1961 to 3.5 per cent in January of 1969
And under Nixon, it has risen from 3 5 per
cent in January of 1969 to 5 per cent at the pie
sent time. Some are predicting unemployment will
climb to 8 per cent this year!
yHE ARAB OIL EMBARGO as it affects the
I United States is a contemptible act. one that in-
spires a lot of new and more colorful cuss words'
Retaliation will likely not go be>yond colorful words
and evil thoughts!
(Continued on page 4)
Funeral services for J. Lee Grif-
fith, 69. wellknown Tulia merchant
for many years, were held Satur -
day afternoon in First Baptist
Church. The Rev. Gerald Tidwell,
pastor, officiated. Burial was in
Rose Hill under direction of Wal-
lace Funeral Home.
Mr Griffith, who moved to Tulia
in 1928. died Thursday morning in
West Texas Hospital in Luobock.
Born March 19. 1904. in Taylor
County, he came to Tulia from
Grandfield, Okla. He opened a pro-
duce house here which was ex -
pandid into a food store and later
became the largest su|kt inaiket
in the county.
Mr. Griffith provided an im -
oortant service for residents dur-
ing the depression era, buying their
eggs, chicken, cream, hides, and
other farm items which in many
instances was the only source of
Grand
Champs
Named
The annual Swisher County Jun-
ior Fat Stock show ended Tuesday
night with the sale.
Grand champion steer was shown
bv David Evans. Tulia 4 11. grand
champion pig, Walt Via. Happy
FFA; and grand champion lamb,
Kelly Beavers, Kress FFA
Reserve champions were Kyle
Todd, Happy FFA, steer. Jan Ki
ker, Tulia FFA, pig; and Richard
Obcnhaus, Kress FFA, lamb.
Commemorative Medals
On Sale At Chamber
J. LEE GRIFFITH
Carliles Attend
Funerals Of
Relatives
Mr and Mis M.iizin Carl ill* are
in Abilene today to attend funeral
cash. Many farmers depended upon
bartering their produce for food mess interests including sbxk in
items which they could not grow the local theatres,
on the farm. lie was a member of the First
Mr. Griffith grew with the com- Baptist Church
munity, expanding not only his re- Survivors include his wife, Vet a;
tail business but acquiring farm two sors “.(hard of 1’ortah . N
property. W and D- l’aul Griffith, prui.-v.
In 1952. at Ihe height of his bus- oi at Texas 'lech; a daughtfi.
iness career, he suffered a stroke Carolyn Blackburn of Canyon. Ii- services for his’brother, Ray, who
from which he never fully recover- hranan at Amarillo College; two died Tuesday Burial will be in
ed. Ilis son, Richard, just our of brothers. I)cbs Griffith of Tulia and Aspermont A resident of Albany,
college, assumed management of Walter Griffith of Roswell, N M ; he had Ix-en in failing health
the Griffith business interests. The three sisters, Mrs Chloe Little of wm, .,|s(, m jan
food store was housed in a no- Amarillo whose husband died Iwo « . • the hl. ‘
dern new building The business weeks ago of a heart attack. Mrs , Mrs „erman „ulM.y who dled
was later sold and the buildirg laiellis Anderson of I’elcrsburg and suddenly
leased lo 1'iggly Wiggly. Mrs. Wilma Dyer of Denver City; '
Mr. Griffith also had other bus- and six grandchildren.
Jack Blair
Is 40 Years
A Merchant
Jack Blair of Blair’s Quality
Cleaners observed his 40th anni-
versary as a Tulia merchant Tu
esday.
At Ihe Tuesday Klwanis luncheon
he was presented a plaque from
Ihe Tulia Retail Merchants Asso-
ciation of the Chamber of Commer-
ce, commemorating Ihe anniver-
sary. Dale Rurch, business neigh-
bor on Ihe east side of the square
until recently, made Ihe presenta-
tion along with appropriate remar-
ks Robert I’crez of Ihe Distribu-
tive l-.dm atmn program at the high
school also presented Rlair with a
certificate in appreciation of his
participation in the OKU A program
Rlair lame to Julia in 1926 to
visit his relatives lie was employ-
ed as a tractor driver by Ihe late
J. W Miller.
While taking some dry cleaning
into a local shop, the proprietor
offered lo sell the business lo Rlair
Explaining that he had no money,
the merchant offered to trade the
First medal of the Coronado Ser
ies, Swisher • ounly 1974. is now
on public sale at Tulia Chamlx-r
of Commerce office, according to
Jim Perkins, president of the C-C,
and Charles /.cock, Coronado med
als chairman
The medal, pictured, is approxi-
mately the size of a silver dollar.
It has been minted m gold, silver
and bronze; however, the 50 gold
medals orders have all lx*cn sold
J'he medal comes in 999 sliver
and bronze set in a plastic case*,
serially numbered, at $25 |x-r set
1 here are 130 single 999 silver
medals on sale al $15 each, ser
tally numlx-re.l The serial num-
txTril bronze medals are $2 50 ea-
ch and the un-numbered bronze
are $2 each
The Coronado art work was done
by Tuba’s western artist. Kenneth
Wyatt The Coronado Series is to
be a Tulia U-U annual project and
the bacK.sid • .if the medal will de-
pict an event in Swisher County
tusioiy The historical brief will
be written by Rcxine McClure, au-
thority on Texas Panhandle his-
tory.
The se, ial No 1 gold medal an.l
silver and bronze set will lx* auc-
tioned lo the highest bidder at the
annual Chamber banquet Feb 15.
Any person desiring a medal or
more information may call or come
by the Chamber office. The supply
is limited.
New Federal Business
Loans Are Available
K
V
Jig
t§fj
1
JIM HONEA
JOHN HONEA
Honea Twins Selected
For Honor Recognition
Jim and John Honea, seniors in June and July of 1973
Tulia High School and t vin sons Honea is a member of lhc h irst
of Mrs Zo.c Honea, have been cho- Baptist churc h of Tulia and has
sen by the Merit Selection Com i ,ur- I with the youth eonec-il
mitec to receive honorary award ch" i-W tungton and J’crne, cc
recognition by being featured in Hone,, plans to attend Baylor
Who's Who Among American High i niversity upon (raduating from
Schcxil Students for the current l ull, u h Sc hool in May lie will
year. Less than two per cent of niai"- in law.
all junior and senior students na- i.,hn 1><. n a perc ussionist
tionwide are chosen for this reci.:- ,n i- s, in,, I,.,ml tor eight
nition. years, a I'll, medalist 4 years, All-
They are the grandsons of Mr I!* " Band lurnoi and senior.
Viola Honea of Tulia. D ind Stale 1 II- medalist
Jim has been active in school 111,1 1,1 >' '. Vo r president o' I hes-
orgamzations, played cornet m
Tulia Bands for 7 years, was I'll,
medalist 3 years. All-Region Ban-1
is a member of the Thespian !r -u
fx- and a mcmlxT of the Spani '
club He also placed first in Tin
Voice of Democ racy speec h cun
test sponsored by the VFW Aux-
iliary.
In June of 1973. Jim went to
Washington I) C on the Youth
Government In Action Tour, lion
pians junior year and president
senior year, received All-Star
Cast award in 3-AA l.'IL Drama
competition his freshman year,
Best Suj*jxirtin;’ Ac tor award, soph-
omore, Best Actor award, pinior.
Vice pn alciit of Tulia High S' h'xil
Raid Jo-, sophomore and junior
year, and president his senior
year, and was president of his
sophomore class.
John is a membe r of the First
Baptist church of Tulia and has
ea was sponsored on the tour by tnup I with the youth concert <h-
Swtsher Electnc Cooperative of
otr to Washington and North
Tulia as a winner of the orator- Kota IF is a membe, of
leal contest.
He toured Europe with The Ml
Student Band. USA. sponsored by
the Shenandoah t’onsc rvalory of
Da-
the
Youth * ounctl.
Horn a plans to attend North Tex-
as State University upon gradua-
tion from Tulia Hi 'h Schcxil in
Music, Winchester, Virginia, in May He will major in music .
JACK BLAIR
A new federal program In financ e
loc al businesses or industrial de-
velopment will help improve the
economic climate in rural areas
of Texas, according to Mr J Lynn
Futch, State Director of Farmers
Home Administration, Temple
Already letters of pre application
are being received, Mr Futch
said, requesting financial assistance
to develop businesses under pro-
visions of the 1972 Rural Devel-
opment Act The Farmers Home-
Administration, a rural credit ser
vice of the U S. Department of
Agriculture, oversees the program
“Submitting a letter of pre-app-
1 lea I ton is the first step in this
program,” Mr. Futch explained.
Any inclividn.il or group that needs
financing for industry or business
ill Texas should summarize his i-
deas in a proposal and submit it
to the FIIA county office in the
Filing Deadline
Is Announced
Democratic candidates for conn
ty. precinct and one county dis
triet offices must file their applr
cation to have their name placed
on the ballot, with filing fee or in
lieu thereof petition, not later than
6 (HI B M on Feb 4
Applications and other forms
may lx- obtained from R I O'Dan
icl, Swisher County Democratic
t hairman, or Nell Cosby, Secre-
tary of the Swisher County Demo-
cratic Executive Committee
Candidates for statewide offices
and candidates for district offices
Icx-ated in more- than one county
file with State Chairman applica-
tion to have name placed on ballot
with filing fee, or in lieu thereof
petition, not later than 6 00 p m,
on February 4 1974
business for C.ljir’s car J’he keys
wen- exchanged and even without
a bill of sale Blair became owner
of a tailor shop with no means of
transportation' lie; bought a bicy-
cle whic h he used to solicit busi-
ness for the- tailor shop
Later he purchased a car from
Harold Jarvis, lex al implement
dealer, for $150
lie later mamc-d Hula Coleman
of Izx kne-y, a Tulia sc hool teaencr.
Mrs Rlair died several years ago
Mr Blair is a member erf the Cen-
tral ( hurch of Christ.
area, or to a private lender Pri-
ority will lx- given to projects that
strengthen rural communities by
improving economic and employ-
ment conditions as outlined in the
Rural Development Act."
If the prospec tive business meets
eligibility requirements, Mr Futch
said, the applicant will be request-
ed lo submit a formal application.
Major projects will be cleared with
appropriate local and stale official*
to assure compliance with develor
ment plans for the area
In addition to individuals, eligi*
applicants may Include part.*
ships, cooperatives, and coir
lions
Most borrowers will receive
advanced by private lenders |
antc-ed up to 90 percent by
(Continued on page 3)
1
r.'-wv meter connections reported
by the city of Tulia since last week
Danny McC'aslin. North Highway
87. Terry Fierce, Villa Apartments.
No 4 J It Schwede, 14 Houston
Road H A Mac k. Smith Trailer
Bark. No 19 Mrs Aubrey George,
216 N. Eastland
•
Marriage licenses issued hy the
county c lerk since last week
Victor S Lara, Tulia, and Cecilia
Jaime Reyna. Tulia, Larry Dan
Milner, Happy, and Mrs Linda
Fisher King Tulia Willie Gene
Hawthorne. Tulia. and Floridc- Mae
Thomas, Frank I'ovar Garcia, Jr ,
Kress and Maria Elena < ueras,
Kress.
•
HORN TO:
Mr and Mis Francisco Marti-
nez. Rox 122, Kress, a girl
Mr and Mrs Simon Mores,
Route V. Tulia, a girl
Mi and Mrs Gary Gruben, Rou-
te 1, Wayside, a girl.
•
New subscrilx-rs to The Tulia
Herald sinc e last week W D Pow-
ell. Jr , P O Box 425. Silverton,
Texas. Hav Pendergast, Rt. 2,
Rox 114 Tuba. Texas
Temperature extremes for the
week were 12 and 61 43 inch of
moisture from rain and snow was
recorded hy John Ballenger, offi-
cial weather observer.
Griffith Borrowed $150 For Move To Tulia
!-»•
CONSTRUCTION OF the enlarged First National Motor Bank is underway. When com-
pleted, four teller stations will be available instead of the present two. Late hour drive-up
banning has aready been added on Fridays. A minor cave-in Tuesday in the excavation
work resulted in no injuries but communica ion with the main bank was interrupted tem-
porarily. A new building is being added to the south of the present drive-in facilities.
(Herald photo)
By ROY E. MILLER
J. I.cc Griffith c ame to Julia in
April, 1928 lb- had entered the-
produce business earlier in Snyder,
later in Grandfield, Okla . and from
Grandfield cjme lo Tulia as a con-
signee for Wilson and Company of
Lubbock.
J Lee said that he had been
offered his c hoice of Tulia. Lcvel-
Laad • -r Littlefield He ckw Tulia
because of a promising outlcxik for
the county and Tulia was a young
town on the grow. He added that
he had always wanted to move to
Amarillo, and Tulia put him within
fifty miles.
At the time. Swisher was a
leading daj-y touiry, liu.uig 112
herdr of accredited dairy cattle.
D..,rj products in 1928 amounted
to $6-11,668 for the county. J'hirly
three standard dairy barns were
built here in 1928 and poultry re-
ceipts totaled $323,800
Between 1920 and 1930 S visher
County experienc ed a 67 3 per cent
.Min in jxipulatiun. from 4 388 to
7.343 Tulia - population was 2 202
J Lee borrow id $150 from his
banker-friend. George llipp, in Gr-
andfitdd to make the move to Tulia.
llipp later followed -I Lee to Tulia
where he bec ame manager of Tulia
Wheat Growers Ine.
In Tulia. J. Lee leased a building
on the corner of what is now S.K.
2nd and Uaswcll Avenue. A: th it
lime the property consisted of a
•wo story building. 50 by 1-50 f*-*-t
Jl.c building had gasoline pumping
facilities and J. lax- saw a possi-
bility of additional income in con-
nection with his consignee duties
for Wilson and Company. Ills street
wjs not yet a highway US S7 us«-d
what is nov Broadway through
Tulia. Here J. ',ec began buying
eggs, poultry and c ream for pro-
cessing and shipping for Wilson.
The cream testing facilities were
very important and were placed at
the front of the building where
they could be found immediately
Ujxin entering the front aoo.\ The
facilities were later moved to other
locations ui the building an 1 they
were discontinued in 1952
In I9J2 he went into business far
himself, buying and selling farm
products on a commission basis.
Between 1932 and 1935. depression
years, he acquired add.tional lots,
two smaller buildings, and mode
improvements to existing facilities
In 1935 a grocery department and
ice plant were added Between
1935 and 1940 the- grocery business
grew steadily from some $:88l,
(88i to $5lNi (Hal in annual sale*,
healthy growth consider,, ig the
times.
Also during this period he bought
the original two-story building, in-
corporated the two smaller build-
ing, ni'o the target building, con-
structed a lexkrr plant of some
4oci lockers, added a meat market
in 1937. and a fresh vegetable and
fruit department. By 1940 every-
thing being remodeled and built
together to form a store vith ap-
proximately 60 by 100 feet of sell-
ing area
This growth and expansion was
significant in itself, but more im-
portant. much of it had been built
by J I,ee. using some rather in-
genious methods The knowledge
of refrigeration or construction
techniques were not known to J.
Lee but na s’-!! i(instructed his lock-
er plan: from two discarded rail-
road box cars, built his own j.iimo-
(Contuiucd on page 4)
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Baggarly, H. M. The Tulia Herald (Tulia, Tex.), Vol. 66, No. 3, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 17, 1974, newspaper, January 17, 1974; Tulia, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth506590/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Swisher County Library.