May 1979 - On-Line Newspaper Archives of Ocean City

editorials/comment
The Point master pi
Somers Point council recently
unveiled its new master plan and in
doing so began addressing some of
the tough issues that will face
Atlantic and Cape May County
communities as casino gambling
continues its, growth in Atlantic
Qty.
It doesn't take any kind of a
crystal ball to realize that the tens of
thousands of new people that will be
pouring into Atlantic and Cape May
counties looking for jobs as more
and more casinos open their doors in
the coming years will put a lot of
pressure on area communities in the
areas of housing, service industry
growth, traffic congestion and
crane prevention.
During the development of the
master plan in Somers Point, the
planning board refused to stick its
an
portions of the community for single
family homes and open space only
and restricts multi-family dwellings
to those areas already developed for
(his purpose.
To address the problem of
escalating housing costs in a city
where the number of available units
is restricted, Somers Point council
also plans to introduce a rent control
law, something that isn't very
popular among real estate
developers but something that more
and more communities will have to
consider as the big money of casino
gambling begins to filter down into
surrounding areas if older people
and those others who have lived and
worked in South Jersey for years
aren't to be forced out.
Finally, the plan has made
„ , f.*un uaa
t J ** v—.«««««iMau««s modest adaptations for new
head in the ground and pretend businesses to help keep the com-
these pressures weren't inevitable, n^ty on the road to planned and
Whether people want to admit it or controllable growth and have looked
not, the growth of casino gambling ^ the traffic patterns to pinpoint
in. Atlantic City is going to put arpac n.«« ~T_ •.-- • ^
considerable strain on surrounding
communities and
« (h
areas that can be changed to
enhance the flow of vehicles into and
through the city.
The planning board in Somers
Hie most significant statement of Point has tackled a tough problem
Amo.w—1-_.-.. - ,-„ tne development of
—MUHuiuuca aim me only way to
ease that strain is through proper
planning now.
most significant statement of
the master plan is that Somers Point
planners expect the maintenance of
the-city's residential character to be
a matter of policy and not left to
chance.
in
a
ana lair to cun
Hie master plan sets aside large business people.
r
* .» a com-
prehensive master plan for future
growth and the result seems to be
both forward-looking in its appraoch v
and fair to current residents and
views reviews Page Three, Section Two
Thursday, May 24,1979
Nautical terms
for the novice
On automobile sales
V
By TIM FAHERTY
If you were anywhere near
the bay last Sunday, you must
have noticed that the boaters
are back. Soon the balmy
weather, pleasant breezes
and weekday pressures win
cause the island to be
surrounded by an armada of
skippers, jibing and bounding
across the briney deep. This is
all weU and good if you're one
of those out hoisting and
bailing.
Unfortunately, boating
season can be a traumatic
experience for non-boaters.
You know how it is. You're at
* barbecue, successfully
igling with the other potato
salad Junkies, when some
iedseadog start*
blowing his bilge pumps: Soon
everyone is engaged in
nautical-type talk you don't
understand and you are left to
converse with the guacamole
dip.
But take heart, oh virgins to
the bay bayou. Never again
need you feel embarrassed
because you are ignorant of
Attorney general plans to prohibit dealer preparation fees
service to make life easier for
those ill-equipped to deal with
the 2Mh century, the Sentinel-
Ledger is proud to present
The Official Landlubbers v
Guide to Boating Ter-.
Simply memorize the"
following definitions, and you
never need hide below decks ~
during boating season again.
SAIL Asheettocatch 7
wind, the act of catching that,
wind, or what your boat
ahouldtofor. I
DECK — What the boom'
will do to you if you don't
duck.
STARBOARD — The right
side of the boat.
PORT — The safest place
for you and your boat.
POOP DECK — Where the
head is located.
ALL AHEAD FULL —
There's somebody in the
bathroom.
By ADAM K. LEVIN
t Director New Jersey
Division of Consumer Affairs
Should you be charged for
"preparation" services
performed on your new car by
an auto dealer who is also
paid by the manufacturer for
gvprerforming those same
•services?
The attorney general and
the state Division of Con-
sumer Affairs do not think
that this kind of double-
dipping at the expense of the
^consumer should be per-
Fmltted. So steps are being
taken to curb this practice. A
regulation has been proposed
that would have the effect of
barring a dealer from
charging a "predellvery
service fee" where the dealer
also receives payment or
credit for performing the
service from a manufacturer
or any other source.
A period for receiving
comments from the public on
the regulation ends May 31.
Following the end of the
comment period, the attorney
general is empowered to
adopt the regulation.
It is the view of the Division
of Consumer Affairs that,
regardless of the proposed
regulation, it is an un-
conscionable commercial
practice for dealers to charge
consumers for "dealer
preparation" where the
dealers are reimbursed by the
manufacturer for such costs.
The existing provisions of the
Consumer Fraud Act, in the
view of the division, proscribe
this practice.
During this interim period
prior to the formal adoption of
the regulation, the division
has urged all automobile
dealers to conduct their sales
practices accordingly.
The proposed regulation
would bar any dealer from
charging for "dealer
preparation" if the dealer is
reimbursed for such costs by
"any person or entity other
than a retail purchaser of the
motor vehicle."
The regulation also would
require . the following
statement be printed in a
conspicuous place in ten-point •
bold face type on the front of
any sales document:
"You have a right to a
written itemized price for
each specific pre-delivery
service which is to be per-
formed. The automotive
dealer may not charge for
PJ^-jleUvery services for
which the automotive dealer
receives payment, credit, or
other value from any person
or entity other than the retail
purchaser of a motor
The regulation also would
are required by the regulation
to have the following
statement:
"You have a right to a
written itemized price for
each specific documentary
service which is to be per-
formed."
After the consumer
negotiates with the dealer and
becomes committed to the
purchase of an automobile
for, say, $7,000, the dealer
casually tacks on a "dealer
preparation fee" or
''documentary service fee"
The regulation specifically when figuring out the bottom
„.......- , . - fine of what the consumer
owes. This is the point when
the consumer is most
vulnerable: The consumer is
already committed to a large
This regulation is designed purchase for thousands of
to curb several unacceptable dollars and the addition of a
prohibits dealers from
representing to consumers
that they are required by law
to charge a "documentary
service fee."
documents for a new car on
your own.
Even if a dealer performs
the service of obtaining the
documents, you should resist
paying any "documentary
service feeJ' Both this and the
"dealer preparation fee" —
where the dealer is not
reimbursed for the service—
are highly negotiable items in
the automobile sales tran-
saction and you should not
fed that you have no say in
the matter.
The
Under the proposed
regulation, repair dealers
would be required to obtain
oral approval, usually by
telephone, of the repairs and
the estimated price from •
consumers who present their
eanbefore or after normal
worktag hours. The rspalr
dealer would be requtreFto '
make a notation ofthts oral <
approval on the invoice .or
repair order. : *
Under both the curfeni"
regulation and the proposed'
amendments a r i h"
,-—~ —..auuuniMuiHmun The regulation would amendments, a repair shop'
require that any charge for practices. Many automobiles preparation fee of $190 or a require that the dealer cannot charge fat excess of an
preparation and processintf of dealers have Joined with the documentary fee of $35 does itemize #— ~,M~U — . - -
documents in connection with
the transfer of license plates,
registration or title
("documentary service fee")
be itemized. Sales documents
Division of Consumer Affairs
in opposing these practices
which are used by a small
number of unscrupulous
dealers.
m
not appear sij
There is „ to stop you
from obtaining your license
plates and the proper
registration and title
Assemblyman Hurley warns
"art - ll/nt^^l • • tom-Aspartofjlscontim
Buses and transportation Water 8 ate memories rekindled
F l By TOM HALLIGAN extendd l
For nearly five months now
coUndl has been discussing ways to
control bus traffic in Ocean City to
help avoid the congestion that
plagues resort roads during the
summer season.
Basically, council has restricted
all' bus parking to the parking
authority lots at 5th St. and West Av.
and at 59th St. and Central Av. and
has' also halted the loading or
unloading of buses at any place
other than 6th St: and the board-
walk.
By TOM HALLIGAN
There is a
Department of Transportation have
indicated that Ocean City planners
would be well-advised to develop a
transportation hub in the resort
where all forms of mass tran-
sportation would meet and would be
available to fan out throughout the
municipality.
Currently the train terminates at
9th St. and Haven Av.; buses come out of retirement f
into 9th St. and the boardwalk; the nostalgic episode,
jitneys don't hit either of these TL—
points; taxi cabs are on
extended even longer.
The special adapted from
shows that
Shows such as, "The Mod
Squad." "The Wild Wild
West," "Giiligan's Island"
and "Father Knows Best"
have recently been brought
out of retirement for one more
during the Watergate era
The special is based on the
3"Hi d AmW "°n" charac-
terized many of the Nixon
staff members as to what I
always thought them to be, a
shady, pompous, corrupt
worth
summer as many government of-
ficials now predict, Ocean City will
want to be able to encourage the bus
companies to provide alternative
means of transporting people from
their homes to the shore.
Hie Sentinel-Ledger has pointed
out:before that it is inevitable that
the strains coming into this city
would become more and more
valuable as people either volun-
tarily or involuntarily begin to
search for alternatives to the
private automobile for tran-
sportation.
The Sentinel-Ledger has also
pointed out that officials in the state
These
_ _ official suggested that
the9th St. train terminus would be a
desirable point for all other mass
transportation vehicles to meet and
(he Sentinel-Ledger agrees.
If the jitney were to have a happy oneTras^w Abased
regular stop at the 9th St. train and on an «M M» —' •• -
(aid cabs
.-. .~..j u»a into
the modern up-to-date version
and end, as usual, with the
happily ever after routine.
But there is one "special"
being televised this* week
where the ending isn't
. were there regularly,
charter buses could unload there
before going to parking facilities
and give their passengers the op-
portunity for transportation to any
point in town.
on an
"The
Hearings.
old hit series called
Senate Watergate
Keep history alive
to avoid repetition
Because that show was such
group of misguided men who point hi Americairhistory is
being rekindled; and for that
fact the series is
watching.
It seems to me that
Americans have a "short
memory" when the blemishes
of our history are brought up.
We seem to have the attitude,
"Let by-gones be bygones,"
and mumble all those other
cute cliches when ducussions
of American atrocities and
blunders come up.
But I believed the only way
to guard against future
atrocities is to keep the
memory alive generation
after generation. The Jews
will not let the memory of the
Holocaust die a slow death.
The American Indians aren't
letting the "white man"
TACK—One of a number of
when you check your gas level
with a lighted match. :
WAVE — What you do to "
other boaters.
MIZZEN — What anything
you forgot to bring on board v
is.
MATE — Someone who
says you spend more time •
with your boat than with her. - (
DINGHY — What you say
the mate is.
SHEETS — What you wish -
you were between on rainy
days.
STERN — What mean ' ,
skippers are said to be.
BLOCK AND TACKLE —
Terms used in football, which
should not be played on board. -
Jai alai legislation should be carefully examined
„ _._—~ mm ulOlif Of.
the books written by the men
who took part in the whole
watergate mess evaded
personal guilt or passed the
blame to someone else. At
feast the memory of a low-
point in AmerkThi
who took part
Watergate break-
cover-un got ca
the memory of slavery dth
and The
watched the first of the
3S
letters/r readers Ocean
Page Two, Section Two
City Sentinel-Ledger
react
Thursday, May 24,1979
ANCHOR — .Primitive
nautical..braking "system.
TOPSIDE—The driest part
of the boat to stand on.
CAPSIZE — Something
which should be determined
before buying a captain's hat.
BOW — What you do to
avoid being decked by the
boom.
FIRST MATE — One who
bails.
BAIL—What you may have
to pay after a wild night in -
port.
BARNACLE: — Someone .
who hangs around to get a
ride on your boat. -
By JAMES R. HURLEY
Alterably Minority Leader
In Nobember of 1978, New
Jersey voters soundly
^defeated, by nearly 300,000
•Wes, a proposed amendment
to the New Jersey Con-
stitution to permit wagering
on Jai alai games. It now
appears the question will be
put to the voters once again
this November, although in a
4ty somewhat different form.
Clearly taking a hint from
the recent experience in
securing voter approval for
legaliifd casino gambling,
the supporters of the Jai alai
question have drafted it and
ttoonfined it to two cities —
Camden and Jersey City.
When the legalized gam-
bling question was placed on
the ballot in 1974* it was all-
inclusive; that is, its approval
raised the possibility that
casinos could be located
anywhere in the state. It was
defeated rather handily,
despite pre-election predic-
tions that it would be ap-
proved.
Two years later, the same
question was submitted to the
voters, but with the provision
that casinos would be per-
mitted in Atlantic City only, a
qualification which many
persons feel contributed to
eventual voter approval.
Another-'— and perhaps more
telling factor in that approval
— was the condition written
into the legislation that the
tax revenue from gambling
operations would be used to
finance programs to benefit
New Jersey s senior citizens
and disabled.
The Jai alai supporters have
Police beef up patrols
j» m/f • •• -ant - 1 would work toward including
for Memorial Llay travel oneofthaemunldp-llUeain
adopted an identical ap-
proach. In an attempt to
counter a negative voter
reaction on a statewide basis,
the playing arenas — called
frontons — would be
confuted to Jersey City
and Camden, two of the
urban areas in need of
an economic boost. Further,
the legislation contains the
provisions that the an-
. ticipated tax revenue will be
used for programs for senior
dtizens and the disabled, a
qualification that they ob-
viously *iope will be as at-
tractive in this case as it was
in the case of casino gam-
bling.
Already, however, pressure
is building to expand the
provisions of the legislation.
Coinciding with the com-
mittee approval were
statements from New Jersey
shore area munidpal officials
— most notably Long Branch
and Asbury Park in Mon-
mouth County — that they
k tod i d i
itemize fees which are
charged for the preparation of
any document in connection
with the sale of the
automobile, including
documents for financing
purchases through retail
installment contracts.
A dealer gets a handsome
commission for every
automobile financing deal be
or she arranges. A dealer who
charges a "documentary
service fee" for preparing
your financing papers Is
asking you to pay him for
g in excess of an
estimated price without the .
consent of the «".«« ">"J consider that
everything bearing our
present name must be
JS 11
mignt add that during the
summer, the squad pays for
the salaries of two extra men
to provide the additional
coverage needed when our
Letter policy
The Sentinel-Ledger
encourages its readers
to express their views
on this page. Letters
should be brief, signed
and accompanied by an
address and, when
possible, a telephone
number. Requests for.
the name of the writer
to be withheld will be
honored at the editor's
discretion. The editor
retains the right to edit
letters whenjiecesssry.
While letters
a dtimately concerned
th political issues will
be published, li
titd l
p
motivated
not.
ill
, politically
letters will
Qty, N.J.
threatened?
Editor, Sentinel-Ledger: It
is very iterating to me when
politicanslikeMr. (James R.)
Hurley (Assembly minority
leader) complain that the
Supreme Court is un-
dermining the free press
(Sentind-Ledgc ~~
Powers the Constitution
not grant the Court.
did
HEAVE TO — What hap-
pens when a pair of lan-
dlubbers get seasick at the
same time. • *
YARD ARM — The she
arms you'd have to have to do
everything on your boat-
yourself.
CROW'S NEST — One of the.
things you may have to dean.
out of your boat before the
Yes,
May
right,
.17).
Mr.
you are
. . and it's _
oermining the Constitution #rf
theHnitod Stat« o n ^
«esues.Andit has been forthe
Our nation's dtizens and
enterprise have been
to cower under the
weight of the Court's
multitudinous rulings. Now it
is working on the nation's
foundation, the free press.
m stopped from playing the
role of supreme dictator.
.« Perhaps if we burned two-
psst« years since President thirdsof its restrictive rulings
Roosevelt's attempt to pack America ««u — K—>- -
»L. Potts
President
C*t»M«y County
RwciMSquM
_, During our
early Sears, we serviced not
on|y Qcean City but as far
west as Tuckaboe and as far
south as the interstctton of
Its. ftatd SO. This area was
•**•*- protected by our sub*
— which
our total in-
come la derived from
donations, we do not fee! this
money should be used for a
purpose for which it was not
intended- We have an
obligation to the people of this
• wethsjr.
repair dealer obtain a written . . -