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Vol. 21 NO. 48 "85 Stowovf Co<p. All right! r«wrv»d

November 27, 1985

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Low Wages: A Jobs Inducement?

By JOE ZELNIK COURT HOUSE - Cheap labor. To some, a pejorative term that brings to mind the Far East or Latin America. But, under the more dignified term, "low-cost labor." it was at the heart of a jobs creation discussion by the county's Economic Development Commission last week. The county 's low wage scales are viewed in two lights : as a plus in enticing new industry. and as a minus responsible for sending people to the dole, or to other places to live. The commission's new director. Walter Sachs Jr.. last month had asked his board members to come back with their ideas on how to achieve economic development. Ironically, it was a non-low-cost vaca-

tion — cruises — that initiated the low-cost labor discussion. MICHAEL BELANSEN. who owns the ; Golden Eagle Inn in Cape May. Grand Hotel in Diamond Beach, plus Cape May County Holiday Tours and Seniors on the i Go Inc., said he'd met a person on a cruise s who had "set up an umbrella assembly t plant in Korea" because of its low labor costs. i And commission chairman G. John Schreiner Jr. said he'd been astounded, on a cruise, to see cartons unloaded at a 0 Caribbean port, so that low-cost laborers could sew designs on brassieres. r Belansen said he thought something like 1 "the umbrella assembly, "a clean opera n tion," would be logical for this county with its "low-cost labor factor." i- Joseph Hagerty. administrator of the

county's Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) and Private Industry Council (PIC), said he didn't think his agency could support such a project. For example, he said. "We're not sending any more large groups of OJTs (onthe- job-training) to the glass factory (Container Decorating Corp.) because $4 (an hour) is tops. A woman with two children could find it more beneficial to be on welfare." "The concept is possibly there." said Freeholder Herbert Frederick, "if not that specific project." is there a wage strata we're aiming at?" asked Belansen. "I'm thinking of young people who'd rather be on an assembly line than a dish washer The restaurant industry has mostly low-paying (Page 65 Please)

Courts : Expansion T wice-Delay ed

By GREGG LAWSON COURT HOUSE — The county's planned courthouse expansion project was dealt a double setback last Tuesday when the Middle Township Sewage Commission and Planning Board both delayed approval In back-to-back meetings at township hall, hearings on the renovated complex's sewage hook-up and site plan were tabled to next month. The sewage commission, reacting to its engineer's reservations about the system's ability to carry sewage to the planned Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA)

treatment facility in Crest Haven, voted 3-2 to deny a hook-up. The matter was postponed to the Dec. 19 meeting, unless enough information on its capacity can be gathered for a special earlier meeting. At 11:30 the same night, testimony was still being given on a site plan review when the planning board tabled its until Dec. 17 meeting. The board found parts of the county's application incomplete, had reservations about parking lot size and traffic flow, and just plain ran out of time. AT ITS OCT. 15 MEETING, the sewage commission unanimously approved the ex-

pansion in concept, pending the completion of the MUA Seven Mile Beach-Middle Region treatment facility and a study of whether the township's existing lines can handle added flow from the larger building. Its engineer. Charles Kona. said the study would take longer than the four to six weeks requested by the county and said the county could proceed with its own study if it wanted the application to move forward. Assistant county engineer James A. (Page 65 Please)

MUA: Middh By JOE ZELNIK COURT HOUSE - Middle^iownship Committee is expected to intro£3)| an ordinance next month to create a township MUA (Municipal Utilities Authority) and dissolve Middle Township Sewerage District No. 1. The new MUA. according to Mayor Michael Voll, would be appointed by township committee, but provide a buffer between the committee and the public. The MUA's first responsibility would be to prepare the township to connect to county MUA regional sewage treatment plants. The Seven Mile Beach/Middle plant, slated for completion in 1987, will serve the Crest Haven and Court House areas of the township. The Wildwood/Lower plant, due for completion in 1988, will serve the township's Rio Grand, area and Florida Motor Court. The township MUA's responsibilities would include deciding which locations (within a county MUA-designated area) would receive sewage when, and how to pay for the expansion. VOLL TOLD this newspaper he would prefer a five-member MUA with one apiece from Del Haven, Rio Grande and Avalon Manor, and two from the Court House area, the township's only sewered area. r Dissolution of District No. 1 is a politically sensitive issue since the 10-month-old, five-member commission has been highly respected because of its devotion to handling all business in public and without favoritism, procedures in contrast to the three-member board it replaced last (Page 65 Please)

e's Choice for Sewage 1 in J MX NECKTIE PARTY — Megan Saunders, left, and Chrissane Gibboni, 10-year-oTd'fK graders at Middle Township Elementary School No. 3. use neckties for Tom Turkey's feathers in a creative writing project for teacher Jacqueline Stites of Court House. Megan's parents are Mr. and Mrs. Mike Saunders of Rio Grande; Chrissane's are Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Gibboni of Court House.

I tor,. U ant HE'S SAFE — Don't feel bad; this Torn Turkey probably will still be around next Thanksgiving, lie's part of a collection of tame animals and fowls belonging to the Ronald Kludzuweit family of Swainton.

1II^NEWS I ifesfS?/ DIGEST f^/ IT) I The Week's If If II T°P *oWes Hurry, Hurry COURT HOUSE - You don't liave much time to get your ads and news in next week's issue. Today. Nov. 27. is the deadline because this newspaper's office will be closed Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday. Sloan vs. Redditt'/ AVALON — With 434 of 457 signatures on a recall petition validated last week, a special election on the recall of Mayor Rachel Sloan has been set for Tuesday. Jan. 28. The mayor will be a candidate. Planning Board chairman James H. Redditt is considering opposing her. Sloan backers released a list of 14 recall petition carriers that included Redditt. five Realtors or developers, and three persons who work in business or county government for Philip Matalucci. county treasurer and Republican chairman. County Names Broker COURT HOUSE - County freeholders were scheduled yesterday, too late for this newspaper's deadline, to award a nobid. professional services contract to New Jersey National Associates Inc. of Cape May to be "broker of record" for the county's insurance business. The firm, headed by Charles Pessagno, was one of two finalists recommended by a Baltimore consulting firm to take over the previous in-house responsibility of „ ( Page 65 Please ) ^

—inside COOKING turkeys, step by step. Joyride, page 67. HARRY Emerson Otto tells each of us why we should be thankful, Planetarily Speaking, that is. Page 50. GRIEVING: a too-early lesson at Lower Cape May Regional. From the Principal, page 10. COUNTY'S heritage displayed at the • county museum. Antiques, page 6.

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