('.VMPKKM. PIIOTO THAIN TRACKS. Ihr railroad ties covered by the weekend snow, curve toward Cape May. They w ill see increased use in the decade ahead if plans materialize to save energy, and transportation costs via improved mass transit between the seashore resorts and major metropolitan centers.

Wednesday, March sj 1980

FIRSTCALL FOR3HELP 729-2255 Q. I am 31 years old and I have had two years of college. I feel that I have had enough life experience and knowledge since then to get a degree. Is there any way I could use my experience to earn college credits without going to school for two more years? A. Yes. Thomas A. Edison College. Forrestall Center. Forrestal Hoad, Princeton. N.J. 08054 has a program for people to get their degree without long periods in school By passing a series of tests (C.L.E.P. tests) you can earn credits without a large amount of classroom. Q. Are there any organizations in Cape May County, of a social nature, for single Parents? A. There are none in Cape May County, hut two in adjoining counties. The first located in Somers Point is Single Parents Society, Jersey Shore Chapter, 398-1788. The Second, in Vineland, is Parents Without Partners, 692-4115. Both Clubs have activities for Parents and their children and also social get-togethers for the Parents. Many people from Cape May County attend both organizations. + + + "First Call For Help" is interested in getting you the help you need when you have a Social Service problem which you can not solve. This service is confidential and free. It is not an Emergency Hotline for Fire. Police, or Rescue. If you have a question for the "First Call For Help" Column Write to: David G. Quinlan Jr., First Call For Help. Social Services Building, Rio Grande. N.J. 08242 or Call 729-2255.

A National Priority-Mass Transit-

Talk Up The Train H is \?ithin the memory of many Jersey Cape residents that steam trains from Camden and f’hilly chugged daily to the Jersey (.'ape during the summer months with hundreds of city folks anxious for a day of fishing aboard the Cape headboats. More recently was the race track Special that Iransported thousands over the course of the season to the Atlantic Cityjtace Course for a day at the races With cheap gasoline and big luxury automobiles rapidly heading for extinction hist#y will surely be repeating Itself in terms of the revival of mass rad transportation. ON'K OK Till: MOST helpful things the socalled average citizen can no at this time is to talk up' the bum and let your elected representatives know that you want improved train service now Now is the.time to do it. so that rapid rail service becomes a reality within the next few years NOW IS IMPORTANT because it will be government-subsidized or government-run railroad systems that will undoubtedly be albeit sadly responsible for bringing us back to the trains. It was the government that had the foresight to tear up the train tracks into Wildwood; the government that decided last summer was the time to shut down sections of the PRSL tracks on the Jersey Cape mainland for maintenance and repairs. Needless to say, we cannot afford to leave it entirely up to the government as to when we gel back on the right track New Fuel Facts About a month ago we editorialized (Fueling (iov’t) on the desirability of farmers and county government, at least, becoming actively involved in the production of their own energy sources through the use of distilleries to convert biomass into alcohol We noted there are all types of plant materials (both waste products and,those grown expressly tor distillation) that can be utilized in this conversion process, and that the end result would !>e decreased dependence on the use of fossil fuels and an increase of self-sufficiency on the part of the agribusioess and government user NOW THOSE WHO may be interested in the ixissibility of going into the home-grown energy business have an opportunity to learn firsthand just what 's involved and what can be expected. A special meeting, open free to anyone who is interested in attending, will lake place 7::to p.m, next March 11 at the County Extension Service Center on Dennisville ltd . Court House. There a specialist trom the state university will explain how alcohol and gasohol are produced. There wilt also be a question and answer session. One of the key points about the current energy situation is that there will he no one, single solution and it will take a concerted effort by the individual (as opposed to government and industry i to take that key. first step toward "alternate energy sources. Attending pext Tuesday night's meeting would lx- a good slant for anyone who has access to large quantities of plant materials.

X # f ' may 11 i 4 -v twalit

Irwry W»<mid«y »y P.O. BaiO Th« l—mmw CwpOTtten Aval**. NJ MMT

By Harrison Williams Jr. WASHINGTON - Some things never change. Certainly. America's dependence on the automobile is unlikely to change any time soon. Ever since the early 1900’s when Americans fell in love with Henry Ford’s Model T, the romance between the consumer and car has blossomed. At 29 cents a gallon, people could afford to commute to work from the suburbs. But at $1.30 or more a gallon, many people are beginning to have second thoughts. With the days of inexpensive and plentiful fuel behind

us. urban America has no choice but to pursue the efficient use of energy by encouraging the developmfent of mass transportation systems. AS HOMES SPREAD farther from the location of jobs, and as air pollution and energy shortages threaten our lifestyles and environment, the problems inherent in an auto-dependent society become more obvious For the pass two decades, I have been working in the United States Senate to promote federal assistance for mass transit. Twenty years ago. the Congress was far less receptive to the idea than it is now. But even today, in the face of critical fuel shortages, the government response to mass transportation programs is often a case of "too little, too late." The first transit assistance legislation, whichr I developed in 1960, has provided the basis for today’s system of federal grants to help transit operators pay for improvements in subway lines, buses and trains. CONSTRUCTION OF NEW train stations, the repair of lines and equipment, the purchase of new railroad cars

and buses, and transportation services for the elderly and handicapped have also been made passible under the program. A portion of the mass transit funds have also been targeted to financially-pressed commuter rail services to help cover operating expenses and offset the need for fare increases. Through efforts of this kind, additional transit ridership has been generated and millions of gallons of oil have been saved each year. Funding levels, however, have consistently fallen short

of our expectations and our needs, so that each year it becomes more and more difficult to halt the deterioration of existing facilities, and to increase service to meet the growing demand. IN AN EFFORT TO ensure sufficient funding in coming years for the host of mass transit projects on drawing boards in New Jersey and elsewhere across the nation, I have introduced a measure which would beef up existing funding levels, and extend until 1985 the range of assistance available for improving our transit network Much more remains to be done before mass transit can meet the demands of today's society, and before Americans can be wooed from their cars. This will take a serious and substantial commitment on the part of individual operators, the states and the federal government. Arresting the deterioration and completing the needed work on new urban transit systems must remain a national priority. Federal mass transit legislation such as the measure I have proposed, is a means to that end. Harrison A. Williams Jr. is the senior U.S. Senator from New Jersey.

...America has no choice but to pursue the efficient use of energy by encouraging the development of mass transportation systems.

John H. Andrw* II Editor Wlllloff' J. Adomi Advertising

Director

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