54 - • opinion

Hculd & lantern 15 June '83

An Editorial Bumping Bottoms Mow'd you like to schedule your employes according to the gravity pull of the moon? . That's what sometimes happens to Cape May’s commercial fishing industry which doesn't have enough "pull" of its own. Thus trawlers sometimes bump bottom at low tide on their return to Cape May Harbor Nothing wrong there a good dredging couldn't fix. . Dredging of Cape May County inlets reportedly dates back 140 years. Sometimes it must seem to the county's $65-million commercial fishing industry that there hasn't^jeen any since. The U S. Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Environmental Protection don't appear to know who's responsible for what And if they don’t know, no wonder the fishing industry is unclear where to complain. The problem seems mired in three shortages: communication, coordination and political clout. The latter, already puny because of the county’s size and location, is further atrophied by local legislators so intent on tourism that they don't seem to understand the problems of the county’s second-largest industry Thus, no one in a position of power is creating enough waves to get some action. Some people's bottoms should get bumped so that ship bottoms won't Industry representatives met yesterday with a Corps of Engineers official in an effort to improve communications Fishing captains were invited, a smart move They're the ones best able to impress bureaucrats with what it’s like to have a trawler scraping sand in the harbor 'Our Readers Write Entrapped In Cape May To the Editor If the governing txwrd of the city of Cape May has been looking for an effective way to turn away the tourist trade, they have certainly found it ! refer to the parking "entrapment ■’ on Jackson Street On May 29, we had the traumatic experience of having our car towed away, stranding us on the streets of Cape May with no clues as to where we might retrieve our car 'MS towing fee plus a trip to a distant lot. we eventually learnedi This unscrupulous removal was being carried out by three, vulture like tow trucks, despite the fact that there was not a single sign posted on the north side of Jackson Street between Carpenter Ijme and the beach Seeing 10 * or 12 other cars already parked on the north side of the block, and noting that there were no prohibiting signs on ^ i Page r»r> Please i

Commercial fishing vessel In Cape May Martyr. _ *

Lookin' and Listenin' One Leaf: 50

By DOROTHY D. FHEAS Ixxiking at a tree, you are seeing a water-tower, an incubator. a factory and a designer If this sounds surprising. let's look into these statements. When we look at a maple leaf, we are looking at approximately 50 million cells. Considering that fact, what a parade of ciphers it would take to cover the total number of cells in all the leaves on a tree However, grown trees are only one percent living cells We have seen half of a hollow tree that can and does produce leaves each spring The living cells nave tremendous lifting power, used to draw water upward. There arc miles of roots on a medium-sized tree, drawing water and chemicals from the earth at a rate, the scientists tell us. of at least four gallons an hour This moisture or sap. rises through the trunk and up into the leaves. AFTER USINCl what fluid it needs, the tree leaves give off water in unbelievable quantities Figures quoted for evaporation from a large tree are as high as seven tons of water on a sunny day. When the trees get that feathery green look of early spring days, we say "the buds arc opening” but we speak of less than half of the buds on the tree. Spring-time of one year finds a tiny bud above the base of each opening leaf, and this bud will not open for a full year A tree forms buds called "winter buds” in miniature, which do not grow very much in size until the end of June, The following three months, they grow larger, but within a covering Inside this waterproof jacket are tiny crumpled leaves, and usually the flower of the tree is in there too. dormant from August until the end of winter, when the warm days will coax it open IN DECEMBER, we cut a small twig from a tulip tree i Liriodendron tulipifera) which had one large bud, threequarters of an inch long, plus two smaller ones After the brown scale-like covering was removed, two moist green ones covered it still When we carefully lifted these off. a tiny yellow-green "tulip flower” was visible, artd pressed against one side was a perfectly shaped leaf, each delicate

Million Cells

vein showing under the lens. It was exciting to find such perfection in color and form, hidden away in winter, just waiting to add to the beauty of another Spring. Our Readers Write Needlessly Alarmed To The Editor: We believe the New Jersey License Beverage Association — has continued not only to misrepresent the facts and intentions of 1863 (the beer and wine permit legislation), but also has needlessly alarmed the public This has all been done under the guise of protecting the public when, in reality, the real concern of the New Jersey Licensed Beverage Association has been only to protect their pocketbooks. The very group of people responsible for the drunken driving and the illegal drinking in this State have fought this legislation with unbelievable pressure, intimidation and harassment. It is difficult to understand how the NJLBA can consider itself a "responsible State Trade Assocation. " They claim to be cognizant of their responsibility to educate the consuming public to sensible drinking habits. Yet, their members continue to offer "Happy Hours" to patrons. They advertise alcoholic beverages as "half-priced” or "2 for 1," hence, enticing patrons to drink more for less money. We strongly believe the liquor industry monopoly is the last one that should make moral judgments as to what is best for the people who consume their products. Sincerely, ANTHONY BAIAMONTE President Garden State Restaurant Association for Beer and Wine

isten for My Name Goodby; Thanks for Everything

By JOE ZELNIK This will be my last column American Family Publishers has notified me that I almost certainly have won one million dollars in its sweepstakes As a "preferred customer," they sent me a special letter that includes a "million dollar eligibility document” and, from the way it's worded, I can tell I've won Actually. I've received two of those letters, presumably the result of having made so many moves in the last two years that the post office has four addresses for me. Each letter contains nine prize claim numbers, giving me 18 chances to win, which should be more than enough. My name will be announced on the NBC Tonight Show Friday, probably at 11:30 I'll be quitting my job at 11:31 and then drive to Stone Harbor to celebrate by doing something I've always wanted to do — buy a round of drinks for all the girls upstairs at Henny's. By quitting my job seconds later, incidentally, I hope to gain a mention in the "Guinness Book of World Records,” beating out Jacqueline Landry of Longueuil, Canada, who chucked her newspaper job two hours after winning $3.9 million in the Loto-Quebec jackpot in March I know that some people who strike it rich continue to work I gave this a great deal of serious thought — about three seconds worth — but could think of no reason to keep toiling if I could sit in sidewalk cafes instead. I will continue reading the Herald and lantern every Wednesday, of course. My immediate plans are to buy a home on the beach in Stone Harbor — about 108th Street I should think — for April through October, and a home on Sanibel Island, just off Fort Myers, Fla . for November through March I would appreciate it if realtors would write me rather than call since I expect my phone to be rather busy 1 suppose a lot of bankers will be calling, too Those of you who turned down my requests for a VISA card — you

know who you are — needn't bother In leaving, I would like to thank my publishers, who gave me total freedom in this job, and all the readers for putting up with me. I poked fun at some of you and nobody ever punched me out. Cape May Countians have a great sense of humor, I especially want to thank those who sent me advice, particularly various methods to fight mildew. Fortunately, I won’t have to go through with all those complicated procedures. If it mildews, I'll throw it out. Not that I'm going to be extravagant. I will get rid of my 1976 Oldsmobile, for example, but not my 1950 SmithCorona portable typewriter, I'll switch from Philadelphia whiskey to Canadian, from Wilkes-Barre beer to Belgian, and from "No Frills” to name brands. No more trying to hide the "seconds” mark in my shoes or the "irregular” stamped on the inside of my shirt collar. I'll be able to do some things I've wanted to do, like return overdue books to the library desk and pay my fines rather than sneak them into the outside drop box. I expect to be generous with those of you who have less. For example, I’ll double my Red Cross donation. And if everybody gave $2, the agency would be in the black. I also will be giving away six — no, make it five — polyester sportcoats with slightly wide lapels. Size 39 long. Any countians who qualified for surplus cheese or butter will be eligible, but applicants should be prepared to show their 1040s to prove need. Finally, and this may hurt some feelings, now that I have a million dollars, I intend to date women at least 10 years younger than me. This is not meant to imply there is anything wrong with women my age. I just don't think they should be dating. Besides, I'm very immature and find it much easier to relate to younger women.