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Hie Herald And The Lantern

Thursday, August 9, \919

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Assemblymen Defend Drinking Age Position

the Concofn Is Not II»oi Homiltoo Jo«don Is Child Ol StoH Ihe Cont«rn Is That

i Is Not 1 I StoH II

Jimmy Carter Is PRESIDCNT 1

Candidates Back Increased Drinking Age

VINELAND IvmneraliC Assembly • indittaies Handy Wilhelm and Jerry Livingston .mnntineed their support lor the raising of the drinking age in New Jersey irom IH to 19 Bill A 1590. which passed in the ^semhly and is now going ^ ih<* Sen.itefor action, proposes that teenagers not Im- allowed todrinkuntil the .liil> i following their IHth hirtlida> The problem this bill post's is that it doesn’t treat people equally under the law." said Wilhelm. ‘A person Who turns 18 in late .June willonlvhave to wait a lew days to purchase alcoholic beverages

legally, but a person with a birthday in August will have to wail almost an entire ‘‘year That's not equal treatment under the law," • | agree that it would he better to raise the drinking age to a flat 19." Livingston commented. adding that."One incumbant Assemblyman from the 1st District now claims that he wanted the drinking ag'* raised back in 1972. Me and ms running mate could have sponsored a drinking age bill every year since 1972. instead of trying to claim credit now. This shows his continuing ineffectiveness in the legislature "

WILDWOOD Assemblymen Joseph ,W Chinnici and James R. Hurley today charged that their opponents in the upcoming election for the (loneral Assembly have deliberately distorted the facts relating to their positions on raising the legal drinking age •My opponents are forgetting that I originally led the floor fight against lowering the drinking age to 18 years old back in 1972. There were only three 'other legislators and myself who fought to retain the older drinking age because of our concerns for traffic safety and the fact 'that this would lead to increased drinking among high school students," Chinnici said. "Frankly, my most important concern at this point is to sec that the drinking age is raised so it removes the consumption of alcohol from the high school age bracket. I have been willing to support measures which would raise the age to 19 or 20 years for alcohol consumption." the legislator declared. Chinnici said both he and Hurley supported the

recent move to postpone the drinking age until July 1st after an individual turns age 18 as a step in the right direction in order to remove the use of alcohol from high schools. "Most often students turn 18 years of age during their senior year in high school, and this measure will postpone drinking until after graduation. This will also help to stem the current practice of older students purchasing alcoholic beverages for use by younger students," Chinnici and Hurley explained. t Chinnicf said he is still hopeful garnering support n from other legislatore to raise the drinking age to at least 19 years of ag$. "Alcohol related traffic accidents among 18 year olds have quadrupled during the past few years, and this also has led to my concern for this issue." said the legislature. Chinnici added that he and Hurley are hopeful that their opponents in the .race for the General Assembly will not continue toconduct their campaign ftirough furl her distortions of fact.

fiughes Plan Nixes Gas Stickers

House Approves Funds

WASHINGTON. DC Hie House oi Kepresen Uilives has approved an* .iinendment sponsored by Congressman Hill Hughes l> \J' d-hich appropriates si:’ million to acquire land m the critical core oi New leive\ s I’melands Hughes said the land ■leipiisitinn funds are needl'd i'll cam out oik 1 of :hr most important • lemiMits oi te federal I’melands Protection, Act • hu h ( ongress passed last \ear With tins $12million, we will In* aide to move ahead with the, acquisition ot lands m the critical core of i he I’mi'lands which are euv ironmenta ily sensitive and .m danger nl being ( destroyed." Hughes ex plained "It is imperative ihat these lands be brought into the public domain, so ihiit they can be protected irom any development "The whole thrust of this legislation was to protect the I’melamis through acquisition, rat lie r than by overregulation." he continned "1 believe the Government should pay for land Hull it considers lobe in IN* public interest Confiscation of property through regulation is not an acceptable approach in the Pine lands." Joining Hughes in sponsoring the Pinelands amendment were South Jersey Congressman James Florio iD-NJ) and Edwin Forsythe iD-NJl. The three lawmakers were principal authors of the Federal Pinelands Act last year. It is estimated that approximately 30-50,000 acres of land in the core of the

Pinelands will lx' brought into public domain under ilie Federal Act These lands are lobe identified by the Secretary of Interior

WASHINGTON. D C. - The House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved an amendment offered by Congressman Bill Hughes 'DNJt to eliminate language in a fuel conservation bill relating tosocalled automobile

“sticker" plans.

The sticker proposal, which would have

and the I’in elands Planning authorized the President to ( ummissinn on the basis or keep each car off the road "critical ecological values one day a week on the basis

which are in immediate danger oi being adversely affected or destroyed." Hughes stressed that the amendment applies only to land m the immediate core, and not in I lie fringe areas ol the Pinelands Although the land will he acquired by tlx* Secretary of Interior, the Federal‘Act provides that it may ultimately be transferred to the State or local authorities in' accordance with the management plan which is currently being drafted by the Pinelands Planning Commission. "It is my hope Ihat this management plan will be one of the most imaginative and innovative conservation programs ever proposed in this country." Hughes said. The approval of these land acquisition funds addresses a major element of Ihat plan I hope that the Senate will follow the lead of the House in approving these land acquisition

funds,"

Hughes added that he still intends to seek changes in the Pinelands legislation which the New Jersey Legislature approved earlier this year, to bring it into full compliance with the Federal Pinelands Act. However, he pointed out that land acquisition in the critical core of the Pinelands has never been an issue of controversy.

of a color-coded sticker, was part of a larger rationing and coaservation bill considered by the House, The Hughes amendment would allow, hiit not require, the President to consider the sticker plan as a conservation alternative. „ Hughes argued that the sticker plan would favor the thirty-one percent of American households which own two or more cars at the expease of those who can only afford to maintain a single car. Hughes said that two-car families would simply put a different sticker on each

car

“To the extent that the plans works, the burden will fall heaviest and hardest on low income people and others who do not have the good fortune or resources to own two or morecars." Hughes said. Hughes alsojirgiied that the bill woiATpunish the frugal aloltyk with the wasteful byyifnaking no distinction Between fuel efficient uses, such as small cars, fringe parking and carpools. and other uses which are wasteful or extravagent. At the same time, however, the Hughes amendment replaced the language of another amendment, offered by Hep. Matthew Rina Ido <RNJ). which would have flatly prohibited any sticker plan. Hughes said that, in devising conservation plans, the President should not "have his hands tied" by either mandatory or prohibitive language on the possibility of sticker plans. The Hughes amendment was adopted by a vote of 4l3to3.

Gas Hotline Report

hotline

COURT HOUSE - The May County Gasoline Hotline, operated by the Cape May County Chamber of Cdfcmerce in cooperation with the Cape May County Board of Freeholders handled 1.500 inquiries for the week of

July 23 to July 29. The telephone

operates 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and has the support and cooperation of the Cape May County Retail Gasoline Dealers

Association.

Visitors and Vacationers needing gasoline or automotive services may call the hoUine at 465-2111 during the above stated

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CAPITAL COMMENTS By Assembly Minority Loodor v

Jamoa R. Hurloy

Since 1973, voter participation in Primary election in New Jersey has never exceeded 28.1 percent—less than three in every 10 eligible voters— and in some counties the turnout actually fell below 10 percent. The highest turnout of 28.1 percent was recorded in 1976. a Presidential election year, a fact which normally attracts greater voter participation. The oilier yean and percentage of turnouts are: 23.9 percent in 1973; 16.4 percent in 1974; 13.9 percent in 1975, 28 percent in 1977. and 20 percent in 1978. Other than the Presidential year of 1976, the highest turnouts were recorded in 1973 and 1977 - gubernatorial election years which normaUy attract greater Participation. While Primary elections h*ve -been known traditionally as "party" elections, they are crucial, indeed, since those who are nominated will be the only candidates whose names will appear as major party candidates in the November general election. As a result, the tighter the party leadership control is over the Primary election, the greater the possibility that the candidate that the leadership favors will be victorious. Four year ago. the leaders of the controlling party in the Legislature took a major step toward tightening that control by enacting legislation •requiring that a voter who wishes to change his party affiliation must to so 50 days before the Primary Election date, even though the candidates for either party may not even be known at thatAioint since the deadline / for filing nominating pttions is 40 days before life election. the argument put forth by supporters of this legislation- was that it would prevent massive party affiliation switches by one party in an effort to

affect the outcome of the opposition's Primary election. The practical effect of the law, however, is that it narrows the Primary Election process even further by making it exceedingly difficult for independent voters to participate in the process. Less than two weeks ago, the 50-day rule was upheld by the State Supreme Court on the basis that the law did not unconstitutionally deprive anyone of the right to vote. While that is obviously, accurate, it is. in my viev^somewhat off the point; namely, that its practical effect to one of depriving someone of the right to vote by depriving him or her of advance knowledge of who the candidates will be. One of the justices dissented, writing that the 50-day periou was excessive • because "voters are thus deprived of the opportunity to make an informed decision as a party affiliation in light of the available candidates." Many of us who argued that the 50-day rule shuts down the electoral process at a time when it is vital to government’s credibility to open that process, suggested that the waiting period by reduced to 30

days.

In this way. the candidates of both parties would be known, but it is a sufficiently long period of time to discourage socalled "raiding" by one party on the other. T fear, however, that with the official Supreme Court sanction of the 50-day rule, all efforts to change it will be futile. Supporters will seize on the court decision to give the rule legitimacy and argue that it passes Constitutional muster. What the ruling will do is reinforce the description of an elected official as someone who receives 51 percent of the votes cast by 40 percent of the 60 percent of the voters who registered.

hours. The Cape May County Gasoline Hotline services all 16 municipalities and townships in Cape May County. The hotline has receivetfsone 5,103 calls for the month of July up to and including the 29th day.

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