Sep 1978 - On-Line Newspaper Archives of Ocean City

I
editorials & comments
Twice as nice
For anyone who might have been
skeptical about September being
"super" in Ocean City, this past 29
days should have quashed the con-
cerns of the most doubting of
Thomases.
Dazzling days of warm sun, dry air
and surf temperatures near 70 made
the term "super" seem almost un-
derstated. More than 1,000 people took
advantage of the senior citizen
discount package tours earlier in the
season and thousands of others in-
dividually came here for the lower
accommodations' rates and leisurely
pace of a fall at the shore.
With September now closing out with
weather that still sparkles for the sun
worshipper and casual shopper alike,
October promises to be "twice as
nice."
There really isn't anything that can
match the romantic charm of a fall at
the shore. The air has the refreshing
hint of coming winter, but the af-
ternoon sun is warm enough to draw
people to the beach and boardwalk.
Sea gulls seem to be most active
during the fall and their calls com-
bined with the background of a rolling
surf provides the kind of relaxing
music that can make any activity
enjoyable.
For the fall foliage connoisseur, a
brief ride along the Garden State
Parkway can provide a panorama' of
colors that will please the most
discriminating of tastes.
And, for the avid shoppers, board-
walk and other area store sales are
extensive enough to keep one busy for
at least two days saving on Christmas
and birthday presents along with
personal items.
The public relations department is
still busy during October too
scheduling special events to keep
visitors and residents alike en-
tertained. Weekend events scheduled
free on the Music Pier, Moorlyn Ter.
and the boardwalk, at 8 p.m. include a
light verse poetry reading with all
poets invited to participate on October
6; a sing-along on October 7; a concert
by the Jubileers Gospel Singers on
October 13; the Elizabethtown College
Concert Band on October 14 which will
be preceeded by a recreation depart-
ment look alike contest; a Showtimes
Variety Show October 20; ball room
dancing with the Happy Hoofers on
October 21, and a USO variety show on
October 27.
October really is twice as nice at the
shore and the Sentinel-Ledger invites
the uninitiated to visit — it's an ex-
perience you'll want to repeat year
after year.
I
Vandalism
a 'damn shame'
By KATHLEEN BYRNES
The Somers Point Rescue
Squad was hit by vandals over
the weekend, setting back a
volunteer organization that is
involved in a major building
program.
A plate glass window was
shattered by the culprit or
culprits and the windshield and
side window of a station wagon
owned by the squad which was
parked outside were destroyed.
The damage to the station
wagon is covered by the
squad's insurance but the cost
of replacing the plate glass
window will probably come out
of money earmarked for the
building program.
There are no leads on who
committed the vandalism to
the squad's New Rd. location
and, as police point out, it is
difficult to solve a vandalism
case unless someone comes
forward with information.
Hopefully, it was a spur of the
moment action and not
designed to directly damage
the group. No matter how it's
shaped, though, in the end two
groups suffer. The squad
suffers because more money
will have to be raised to replace
the added expense and get
ahead and those people who
rely on the squad to transport
A question of fraud
Presidential trip test of strength
The frightening and bizarre story in
today's Sentinel-Ledger about the
unscrupulous solicitation methods of
an out-of-town advertising publication
points out how even experienced
business people can be victimized by
high-powered hawkers of pie in the
sky.
With questionable, if any, cir-
culation and a less-than-reliable
badkgxoUndv tBlB Catitf Uay^County
Historical:fiaad BufiJAess'Review, a
misnomer for a' purely advertising
brochure, sold several merchants in
the Ocean City area very small, one-
time advertisements for nearly $250.
Many of those who indeed authorized
the advertising, which was written up
in advance and read to them over the
phone, told the Sentinel-Ledger that, at
the very least, they were misled. But,
being honest business people, they
went ahead and paid the exorbitant
fees. "I don't really think it was fair,"
one businesswoman said, and another
reported, "You fall once, but you won't
fall again."
For those who were merely vic-
timized by the high-pressure sales
techniques and the misleading claims,
the only damage is to their pocket-
books, pride and faith in some
publications.
For others who did not authorize
advertising but whose ads appeared in
the publication anyway, the harm is
continuing and more serious.
The firm printing the piece, Jersey
Publishing Co., which is comprised of
a husband-wife team and several of
the pair's children, is dunning these
businesses and threatening to ruin
their credit rating.
Attempts to reach the "collection
manager" by both the Sentinel-Ledger
and the businesses here have been
fruitless, but still the dunning letters
keep coming.
In this age of governmental concern
with consumerism it seems incredible
that this type of practice can even
exist, let alone continue.
The Sentinel-Ledger is contacting
the Better Business Bureau in the
firm's area and the state Division of
Consumer Affairs, listing those in the
Ocean City area who have been vic-
timized and asking for a complete
investigation of the other areas the
firm has hit.
Meanwhile, anyone who has fallen
victim to this firm should contact the
Sentinel-Ledger and these other
agencies: The Better Business
Bureau, Rt. 130 and South River Rd.,
Cranbury, N.J., 08512, and Division of
Consumer Affairs, Room 504, 1100
Raymond Blvd., Newark, N J., 07102.
For the protection of both the con-
sumers and respectable businesses,
this type of practice must be halted as
quickly as possible each and every
time it is discovered.
By TIM FAHERTY
On September 20, President
Jimmy Carter made a brief
visit to the area. How could we
resist?
My fellow reporter Kathy
Byrnes and I decided to travel
to NAFEC to cover the event
After all, how often does a
President come to South Jer-
sey? How often does the
governor come to South Jer-
sey?
Watching Walter Cronkite's 6
^ o'clocknew8,these presidential
stumping tripsteoato took well .
organized and the reporters '•
from the various media that
cover the President look calm
and efficient.
Perhaps our experience
serves as an insight to what
these events are really like.
Reporters are a strange
breed. In a society that con-
demns privileged groups
almost as fast as it
manufactures them,
newspeople tend to think they
have a few more rights than
anybody else. Imagine the
anxiety when they were forced
to use the same crowded en-
trance to NAFEC as everybody
else. As the long lines of cars,
trucks, and buses tried to
merge into one line to approach
the landing field, we could see
an occasional newsman
flashing a walletful of ID cards
at the security people directing
traffic. "Follow the line," they
were told.
It wasn't until the line
reached the fields that were
being used as parking lots that
newspeople were separated
from those whose only claim to
a look at the President was that
he is their employee.
Media people were directed
to their own parking lot, which
they were grudgingly sharing
with a small "army of
unauthorized school buses.' A
huge crowd had gathered
behind green lines painted on
the airfield to watch Air Force
One land. Many in the crowd
were school children carrying
flags and banners, anxious to
Ret a glimpse of their
President.
Kathy and I ducked under a
•:4tm ropes, by-pustng< the
crowd, and' causing the
adrenalin to pump in a few
security guards.
The press section, on the
other side of that green tape,
was relatively uncrowded,
since most of the media people
had huddled onto a platform to
get a better look at Carter.
Before the plane arrived we
had a few minutes to try to
secure the telephoto lens to our
camera and look over the more
famous members of the press
entourage. One busload of
White House correspondents
had already left to set up their
equipment at the Atlantic City
Convention HaD, where Carter
would later be addressing the
United Steel Workers of
America.
Buftbe calm within the press
section was soon shattered. Air
Force One landed and, at the
same time Carter climbed
down the stairs from the plane,
we heard a' low rumble behind
us. Suddenly there were bodies
everywhere. The spectators
had stormed the press section.
Edward Bradley, CBS
'correspondent, was overheard
to say, "I think this is what you
call a breach of security,"
The area was not set up in the
best possible way. The space in
front of the officials' platform
allotted to reporters, with their
platform on it, all but blocked
any possible view of the main
speakers' podium from the
assembled masses.
In a surge of democratic
feeling, the spectators had
revolted and charged the
privileged members of the
press, demanding .an equal
view.
Of course,"It 'oitm't appear
that way ' at the tune.
Newspeople clung to the front
ropes, holding their positions
against the wave of humanity.
Those that were lost in the
crowd struggled and regrouped
around the steps of the press
platform, as Carter approached
his chair.'
Throughout the program,
with a long series of in-
troductions and Carter's speech
itself, the Journalists battled
with the crowd, and each other
to hold their positions.
The only people immune to
this were the TV cameramen.
There seems to be something
about those brightly colored
metal boxes they balance on
their shoulders that T"»Vf» the
waves part before them.
The rest of us battled the
school children who, driven by
their teachers, tried to climb
into the press platform itself.
When they were turned away
by angry journalists and
NAFEC security men, they
began to climb on a plywood
wall adjacent to the platform
that threatened to collapse as a
dozen boys secured their
positions on it, each one forcing
a patent leather toe into the
neat of a newsman during his
assent.
I braved the shoes and
screams to brace myself
against the wall, hoping to hold
my position and hear Carter's
speech. Suddenly. I heard a
nearby voice saying "excuse
me." The voice was ac-
companied by an elbow in my
kidneys as a small oriental man
forced himself and his camera
betweauneandthewalll was
leaning «gamst, v.~.;•. .-w •"/
I later leam«d that this same
man forced his way in front of
Kathy who stood at the front of
the platform taking pictures,
and managed to destroy
several of her shots taking his.
That's the way it was an day.
We never would have made it
out of the parking lot afterward
if we hadn't followed inches
behind a van from channel 6.
Even then, members of a
marching band that was still
playing as it dispersed, Jumped
m front of the car.
Don't get me wrong. I am not
speaking against the com-
petitive nature of the news
business or the desire to cover
events that draw crowds, but I
could not describe this event as
anything less than a zoo. And I
can't help thinking that in our
attraction to the flashy scene,
in our desire to beat out our
competition in reporting the
exact same story, American
Journalists are missing the
quiet stories. The stories that
do not sell papers but do change
lives.
But what the heck. I did get to
see the President
them to the hospital when they
are in need suffer because the.
squad's goal of better fatilitiijf
and more equipment is further
off. Acts of vandalism are a
•mindless pasttime which
causes people to shake their
heads and say, "what a
shame," Just as I am doing-
Perhaps no one can work into jf
ranting and raving mood
because not a lot can be done to
protect property from it. Police
officers cannot be everywhere
at once and residents cannot be
constantly looking out their
windows to check for distutW
bances. 9
Since we cannot control
people's actions we can't stop
acts of vandalism. -
The incident occurred late at
night, probably somewhere
between midnight and 4 arm.
when the squad had a run anjfc
discovered the damage. -An
automatic assumption when
vandalism is reported is that it
was committed by a juvenile.
This might be the case.
tt is surely disheartening to
believe that an adult mig>u
have vandalized the squatF
because then the likelihood of a
motive would be greater. .-
I like to believe a juvenile did
it while walking by, with no
plans to do it and with no un-
derstanding of the true im-
portance of a unit like thtj
rescue'squad.
I remember my one act of
vandalism with some degree of
vividness although much of it
has faded. It sticks in my mind
that I was in the second grade
and a girlfriend of mine and L
had taken some bright xv>o%
lipstick and decided to practice
our artistic ability on the
beautiful white wooden fence
owned by the Marathon station
around the corner from niy
house. (Correct , me if I'tn
wrong, Mom.) ;- '*
I have never figured out hojv'
my parents knew what I had
done before I even got home.il
• don't really remember whit
happened after my grand e -
trance but I don't think I w< s
severely disciplined. It wasn" _.
necessary, because \\M
remember the man who ownejcr
the station as a really scaijy
figure. My parents didnt need
to add anything. »
While my act of vandalism
was no more right than ttfe
vandalization of the rescu*^
if
f
*'.
features / comment
Page Three, Section Two
Friday, September 29, 1978
Consumer report
" Unit pricing 'an effective ally to hold down high cost of eating'
By ADAM K. LEVIN.
Director
New Jersey Division
of Consumer Affairs
officials who are responsible
for enforcing the laws which
protect you in the supermarket
In addition to checking for
short weight violations and the
As part of Food and Nutrition availability of advertised
Month, there has been a flurry specials, consumer protection
of coordinated activity in personnel focused on how well
September by local and state the stores have been complying
with unit pricing regulations.
Unit pricing can be an ef-
fective ally hi your fight to hold
down the high cost of eating —
if you learn how to use unit
pricing effectively. We want
you to get the most out of your
food dollar and we believe that
learning to use unit pricing can
be a great aid to many con-
sumers. -
As you walk through the
supermarket, you will notice
that the common measure of
food items varies with the type
of item. For example, the
common measure of oread is
the pound. The onmtnnn
measure of juice is the quart
and the common measure of
dinner napkins is the hundred-
count.
Unit pricing allows you to
compare like items by telling
you the price of one unit of the
common measure. With unit
pricing, you can tell for
yourself whether the so-called
large economy size is really an
economy or just larger and
more expensive.
Keep in mind that unit
pricing is not a price per item.
Unit prices will not tell you
about the quality of particular
* A continuing controversy
Will TV camera in court hinder the legal system?
The television camera in the
courtroom—regardless of how
. unobtrusive itis made—has an
important psychological effect
on the human mind which
ultimately could alter the
... American legal system, sayB a
i# ThomaB Jefferson University
psychiatrist.
Dr. Paul J. Fink, professor
and chairman of the depart-
ment of psychiatry, spoke
Saturday during the
*j Philadelphia Bar Association's
~ 20th Annual Bench-Bar Con-
ference on "TV in The Cour-
troom" in Atlantic City. •
"Any stimulus is going to
affect the behavior of people
involved in the activities in the
courtroom. The question is,
however, win the positive ef-
fects outweigh the negative
effects of the stimulus — the
television camera.
"For example, the presence
of a camera may make a
punitive Judge less punitive,
while a 'grandstanding* lawyer
may change his behavior as a
result of the TV camera. What
will this do totheoutcomeof the
trial?"
The fact that television can
alter behavior has already been
seen by the Americanpubllc, he
said.
"When the congressional
hearings on the Watergate
scandal were on television,
participants changed their
entire schedules to coincide
with the broadcasts," he said.
"They reorganized their
thinking because of the mass
audience Involved — 80 million
people."
Bringing television cameras
into the courtroom takes away
the anonymity of Jurors and
witnesses, Dr. Fink explained.
Such public exposure may
change the way witnesses
testify, or the decisions Jurors
make, if their faces are flashed
across millions of television
screens. Nobody really knows
what the effect of television has
on the 'performer' — the juror,
witness, attorney or Judge, he
said.
"Research has been con-
ducted on the effects of
television on the viewer, but
there's no valid research
documenting television's effect
on the 'performer' In a real life
situation.
"On the other hand, the
positive effect of allowing
television cameras into the
courtroom is the education of
the American public about the
legal system. The public ought
to know that it isn't 'Perry
Mason'."
Unfortunately, the debate
over positive and negative
squad, I feel safe in revealing
t th bli itht f
q ,
to the public without fear
being shunned and chastise i
for something I did 20 yea$>
ago. Either the lipstick came
off with soap and water or the
fence had to be repainted..
Probably I should have beehm
forced to clean the mess i$
myself, yet even without that
humiliation I learned my
lesson.
Maybe vandalism is morje
harmful nowadays cp
demonstrated by t he damage al v
the rescue squad. Daring to"
sound dramatic, destroying
property of the squad is the
difference between life and
death because it takes away
from a lifesaving operation. •
It's nothing but a damn
shame. i h
Some background
•Unknown Soldiers 9 burial grounds sacred
By KARLF. GREEN
Barracks ZZM.VWWI
The most sacred spot on
American soil is the burial
• place of three Unknown
Soldiers from World War One,
World War Two, and Korea.
Their identification (dog) tags
were lost in battle but there was
no question that they were
American flgfrHng men. Three
years after World War One, on
November 11, 1921, an
Unknown Soldier was returned
from the American Ex-
letters /readers react
The Ocean City Sentinel-Ledger
Page Ttco, Section Ttoo Friday, September 29,1978
Soifer's column "unfair 9 to bus company
Editor, Sentinel-Ledger: I
am writing in response to Mr.
Mark Sotfer's article entitled
"The Senior CltizenB* bus
marked 'Alaska' is really from
Cleveland" In the September 15
edition of the Ocean City
Statind-Ledger. I feel there
are some facts that Mr. Soifer
as public relations director
failed to uncover when be
reported his news findings to
the public. I also fed be
neglected to Investigate the
intent and motivation behind
(be bus company with the
Alaska destination sign. Using
such words as sham, pretense
and negative activities in
describing a part of our
' business casts a bad light on M*
Thus as a corporate member of
'; tbe bus company involved I fed
fa mjr duty to enlighten Mr.
ganoaetn using Alaska, Nova
Icatto or any other dty on the
flnt of all we are a privately
ny which
in tour
operations. We are not a
regular route operator where
people must look at the
destination sign in order to
board the correct bus so that
they can arrive at a particular
point. Basically we serve
people such as we brought to
Ocean City. They hire ourDuses
to transport them to a par-
ticular place or places for
perhaps one day, several days
or possibly weeks.
Secondly. I think It is an In-
sult to the intelligence of your
readers to even suggest that if
they saw Peking on the bus
destination sign, they would
believe they would only have to
board the bus, sit back, go for a
ride and eventually arrive at
Peking.
Now to answer why w« use
Alaska, Nova Scotia, or any
other city on our rtMHnattan
sign. Mr. Soifer has made that
answer obvious by bis article.
Alaska caught bis attention as
we hop* tt would catch 4M
attention of thenubttc. Andtasn
hopefully, they would inqobrt
further and learn that we
operate package motor coach
tours to all parts of North
America. We only put eye-
catching destinations on our
signs as an informative
traveling' billboard to promote
for our bus company not for the
reason Mr. Soifer mentioned in
his second paragraph. He felt
he had to "unmask tham,
pretense, and other negative
human activities." We had no
intention of deceiving the public
as to the actual home of our
passengers. These people are
our bread and butter. Why
would we want to offend them?
In conclusion we truly hope
Mr. Soifer was writing this
article In an Art Buchwald
fashion. But we feel he has a
fcng way to go — perhaps the
distance from Ocean City to
Peking. To quote Ben Franklin
"Carelessness does more barm
than want of knowledge."
Lyle Anderson
Vice President
Andcnon Tours
Editor's note: Mr.
8olfer'«