February 3, 1965

Why Gov. Rhodes Pushes Tomato Juice

"If every person in Ohio drank a two-ounce glass of tomato juice every morning, we would put 4,200 more Ohioans to work!"

Seemed like every time I turned around last week there was Governor James Rhodes telling me that Ohio is the nation's largest producer of tomatoes and urging me to gorge tomato juice.

His exhortation on behalf of the luscious red fruit is the governor's somewhat facetious way to getting into what he considers a most important subject — four amendments to the Ohio Constitution which voters are asked to approve in the May 4 elections.

They are:

• State Issue No. 1 — Provide for state guarantees of loans to Ohio resident college students to help them meet expenses of attending an institution of higher education.
• State Issue No. 2 — Permit a $290,000,000 bond issue for industrial development, capital improvement, natural resources and educational facilities.
• State Issue No. 3 — Apportion the Ohio House of Representatives in accordance with the U.S. Supreme Court decision of June 15, 1964, and an order by the U.S. District Court of Oct. 15, 1964.
• State Issue No. 4 — Permit the state to make and guarantee loans for industrial development.

The Guv declares emphatically that these proposals will not (I repeat "not" as a favor to him) result in any new or increased state taxes.

"Ohio is the best location in the nation," Rhodes declares during his current whirlwind tour of the Buckeye state to sell the amendments. "When we vote the four issues passed by the last Assembly, we will be in a position to move into first position in a lot of other endeavors besides tomato farming."

The proposed constitutional amendments have much to recommend them, and we certainly hope they are okayed by the voters.

Three issues relate directly to building Ohio's economy — the ultimate answer to all our state-wide problems.

Issue 1 will enable an Ohio high school graduate to obtain an "education loan" from a private bank. Many such loans now are made on guarantee of collateral or credit of a co-signer. The poor student without a close and solvent friend can not today qualify for private assistance. The amendment will, in effect, permit the state to co-sign a note for a college student with adequate grades.

I feel strongly that this is the proper area for public assistance to education. It starts where required public education leaves off. It is a loan, not a handout. The choice of school is made for himself by a person of judgment. Control of the plan is with state, not federal, government.

I concur with Rhodes' belief that a well educated citizenry is the principal asset in attracting and keeping industry. This proposal, at least, merits hearty approval by the voters.

Issue 2 is a catch-all for capital improvements. Included are new lakes for water supply and recreation. Aside from the recognized need for adequate water for human and industrial use, there is an important advantage to recreation facilities.

Rhodes points out that Ohio is the transportation center of the country. More people travel THROUGH our state than any other. If we can get more tourists to stop here, even if only for a day or two, we can develop our tourist industry into a major factor in our economy.

Tourism is the number three industry in Michigan and Florida. Thousands of jobs are provided there in the accommodation of travellers. Perhaps Ohio cannot rival Michigan and Florida, but with the number of motorists driving through certainly we can expect more tourist dollars with better tourist attractions.

As a first step in this direction, Rhodes is printing five million new road maps and a new promotion booklet titled "The Wonderful World of Ohio." A copy of each will be given every purchaser of an Ohio auto license, and thousands will be sent to travel bureaus throughout the U.S.

There has been some criticism of the new bond proposal from Democrats who contend that this is deficit financing for which Rhodes denounced them. The governor declares there is a vast difference between going into debt to pay for day-to-day operations (for such things as salaries, supplies and welfare payments) and borrowing money for new facilities which will earn their way and create new wealth.

Amen!

Issue 4 is Governor Rhodes' pet. If approved; it will permit the state to loan money to local Community Improvement Corporations for new industries. The Assembly two years ago enacted legislation for this purpose. However, the Ohio Supreme Court held it invalid because of a conflict with the state constitution which prohibits the use of public money for private interests.

The purpose of that clause in the constitution was to prevent the conversion of public funds into the private businesses of politicians and their friends. This is still a worthy consideration, but the wording of the constitution should be changed to give Ohio the same kind of industrial development law now enjoyed by 30 other states.

Community Improvement Corporations (CIC) are non-profit organizations run by local civic leaders. A CIC may qualify for state loans, borrow money from banks, issue bonds and make loans to private industry. CIC will be the vehicle for channeling state assistance to new industry. Any community that doesn't have such a non-profit corporation had better get on the bandwagon if it doesn't want to get left behind in the economic push coming up.

Industry is the economic base of our modern economy. Competition for wealth-producing and job-producing plants is keen. Issues 1, 2 and 4 will give Ohio the tools it needs to move ahead.

Author: Lindsey Williams