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opinion

Herald A iantem 9 Stptembgjr H

The State We're In \ - ' Economy Move Brings Beauty To Roadsides

MOORLSTOWN - Bergamot ta j lavender flower which srows in clumps in unworked fields and along roadsides, when allowed It s a tough plant of delicate beauty which exemplifies nature s willingness to prettify our surroundina* by sight and smell Being a member of the mint family, it lends a tangy essence tc the air which to me spells the advent of autumn ' , Thanks to an important decision by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT>, bergamot and a lot of other familiar but anonymous flowers have this year for the first lime been allowed to grow and bloom beside our sta|| highways — ‘ The rmult has been the most fundamental kind of roadside beautification, enlargement if the habitat of many kinds of small birds, aqd. thank goodness, a major saving of taxpayer dollars I guess it was for economy reasons that highway mowing schedules were markedly reduced this year, with only those areas needing cloSe cropping for safety purposes being mowed on a fairly regular basis WII.DKI.OWKRS HAVE BEEN SEEN alortg roadsides and in centeTTslands where they n^er .before had a chance to flourish In this hectic age. it’s been a pleasure to be able to drive down a highway and partake of nature’s simple visual bounty Now is the season when a certain type of grass <1 don't even kno* ita^iame) goes to seed and suddenly lends an elusive purple iridescence to our roadsides It’s.an esthetic plus Letting the grass grow high helps shield drivers’ eyes from the glare of oncoming headlights, while the cutback in mowing has given various shrubs a center-islaqd ‘foothold so that, if allowed to grow, they can offer protection'from cars which sometimes stray into incomiqg traffic • And. if allowed, center-island shrubs can serve as snow fencing in the wintei'time - at no cost to the taxpayer. It’s wonderful what nature can do for us if we only let herr LAST YEAR.! RECALL. I recommended the course or roadside action <pr inaction? > which DOT has been taking.

I asked interested persons to write to me or to Transportation Commissioner Louis Gambaccini. About 30 persons did so, and only one of them disagreed with the roadside

"You Seem To Have All The QuaMfcationi Ftx Bankruptcy.. With One Exception You Can't Afford The Legal fee.

live and-let-live premise, supporting parklike treatment where it was called for. ^ I also mentioned then (and will again) that other states Bave mowing money while beautifying their roadsides this way, even to tSe point of planting wildflowers and then publishing guides to roadside flowers. Texas is a leader in this area. Without ignoring'the superior engineering which has made the Garden State Parkway one of th% nation’s safest highways, I think it’s fair to note that its natural roadside vegetation helps give it that distinction, screening out ugliness and shielding motorists from harsh distractions. IT’S TOO BADyTIAT highway litter has been allowed to accumulate, for tRe\aforesaid economy reasons. Let’s hope that in the future, the money saved by* a reduced mowing schedule will allow for more frequent attention to litter. ' ^ As of this writing, DOT has been qonddcting fall mowihg along its roadsides. But we’ve been treated to nicer roadside vistas while knowing that mowing monejrwas being saved for other purposes earlier in the year. This idea deserves a more careful approach in the future so that roadsides could be allowed more.growth through what we call "old field succession,” the natural pyramiding of natural plant species, ultimately leading to a forest. We’ve spent untold dollars trying to plant exotic species along roadsides when native species would grow better and be at least as attractive. As with most things of this kind, what’s good for the environment is^ood for our collective pocketbook, too. I say, keep up the lack of work! David Moore fa executive director of the N.J. ConBerva- . tfon Foundation^

School Lunches

Available

British Seagull 387 Funny No One Stops Drug Pushers

by Ima Byrd

You might think it rather funny, but if you were a

Seagull you wouldn't be laughing. Last wefik some kid over in Avalon threw some stuff in the air and one of our friends gulped it down. It was Alka Seltze^and blew him

apart. £ My friend Straight Bird said I shouldn’tVven mention

irrem ncnooi year j x. things like this because ifldW it would Jive humans ideas Applications lor Free and Reduced Price Meoti havo“ and they have enough bad ideas already, But I m so angry .o cen, ,nihe lemilics 011,11 children enrolled. Annlica about the whole thing that I want it out in the open.

Many of us were upset when some kids from Middle

COURT HOUSE - Low cost nutritious school lunches arc available to all public school children enrolled in the

current school year

Straight and I stood by wondering about the senselessness of man. An ambulance came and took the •boys away. We birds stood on the sidelines as people gawked at the disappearing ambulance. The boardwalk pusmer moved down the wooden walkway out of sight.

been sent to the families of bll children enrolled. Applica lion forms are also available at t|ie schools and apj!>licUoh

can be made at any time during the school year.

INFORMATION PROVIDED by parents will be kept confidential and will be used only to determine eligibility. The school Will advise parents as to their child’s eligibility

within 15 days of receipt of the application.

Any parent dissatisfied with the determination may contact the school for on informal conference or may request a formal hearing procedure by calling or writing the Chief School Administrator at the local school district. The chart shows the family-sire inebme scale for

eligibility.

Free Meals

Reduced Price Meals

Family Sire

Yearly

Weekly

Yearly

Weekly

1

15.600

$108

$7,970

$153

2

7.400

142

10,530

203

3

9,190

177

13,080

252

4

10.990

211

15:630

301

5

12,7BO

246

18,190

350

6

14,570

280

20,740

399

7

16,370

315

23,290

448

H

18,160

349

25,840

497

Each Add'l. Family Member

1,790

34

2,550

49

John II. Andrus 1L William J. Adams Ronnie Reina Darrell Kopp

Editor Advertising Director General Manager Publisher

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LANTERN

P.O. Bex «M Cold Spring. NJ.

Township blew up a kitten with firecrackers but this thing with the seltzer really hit home. We were wortdering if humans really know how rotten some of their kids are and I, Ibr one. think it’s about time some of the facts were

made known. * ■

••IT'S NO WONDER THEY DO such stupid, crazy things.” said Straight as he stood by the Wildwood boardwalk ramp. "Just look at that young punk over there," he added, pointing to a slender youth standing by a bench. The fellow approached two very young boys and talked quietly to them. The older boy reached into his pocket and gave the punk a handful of bills. In rettim he got a couple of little round pills. We weren't standing close enough but Straight said the night before he saw a number, 714, on the

pills.

"That stuff the kid is selling is deadly. It’s known as quaaludes or ludes and the kids in Cape May County are taking them all the time," Straight said- "One drink of alcohol with one of those and it’s goodbye Charlie." We followed the two youngsters down the ramp and under the boardwalk. One of the kids popped a pill in his mouth. The other kid did the same. We watched them for awhile. Then those kids did some strange things. They stretched and turned on the sand. Thfeir Ites rolled back in their heads and they seemed to be in a sRjpor. THEN ONE BOY REACHED in his jeans and pulled out several more pills. He didn’t seem to know what he was doing. His hand found his mouth and he took them all After a short time he stumbled toward the ocean falling down on the way. His friend remained stretched out on the beach. The older kid fell into the water. He was out cold and even the salt sea washing over him had no effect. An older man sitting nearby looked at the boy and then moved quickly. He pulled the boy out of the water and got him up on the beach. The kid’s pupils were gone and a vacant, white eyeball reflected the horror of the scene. The man raced to the boacdNvalk to call on a phone for help. The boy had gone into a coma. It seetned, quaaludes were more deadly and addictive than any of the boys realized. His friend earnest of it a bit and wandered,over to his buddy. Hb sat On the sand watching the still form. He was

too wiped out Urhelp.

The SOVEREIGN STATE of AFFAIRS

He’d haiYe to take another beat for awhile but no one would stop him from pushing his'poisons. There was to* much money Involved and too much red tape for convictions. Besides, it was a.common scene and humans had kind of accepted the disease. ALL SUMMER, STRAIGHT AND I had observed clusters of kids hovering around the pushers, like moths around a flame. We flew down the beach and sat on the boardwalk railing. Another pusher moved toward another youngster. He was pushing those same little deadly pills, and with great success. A policeman stood nearby. "Who makes all those pills?" asked Straight. "Beats me," I said shaking my head. "But whoever does is responsible for a lot of pain and havoc. Drug pushers don’t care who they hurt as long as they make the bread," I added: "The question is, why do the kids take them - are they already addicted?" "It’s funny no one stops them," Straight said seriously. "We’ve been watching these pushers all summer. I mean if birds know it’s going bn why doesn’t anyone else?" he asked. WEEK: Goodbye summer

DAVID BOYD

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S DECISION TO PRODUCE THE NEUTRON BOMB 7

I'M VERY MUCH OPPOSED TO IT'