THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, May 20, 1996 TAG: 9605180003
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
Virginia Transportation Secretary Robert Martinez disclosed proudly at the 76th annual Hampton Roads Maritime Association banquet recently that a joint shipping enterprise by Sea-Land Service Inc. and Maersk Line could boost annual cargo volume through Hampton Roads' busy marine terminals by up to 50,000 containers.
That was great news. Hampton Roads is a prime destination for merchant and naval ships. The Virginia Port Authority counts more than 116,000 port-related jobs in the Old Dominion. These jobs contribute almost $2 billion to the commonwealth's economy. Cargo tonnage through the ports totaled 51 million in 1994, with most of that attributable to bulk cargo - mainly coal - and 8.5 million to general and break-bulk cargo.
The additional container cargo that will start flowing through the terminals next month will be moving to and from the Far East by way of the Suez Canal. If the Sea-Land/Maersk venture prospers, other shipping companies may sense opportunity, too, and set sail for Hampton Roads. Sooner would be better than later. Dialing for help
The Virginia Lottery rakes in hundreds of millions of dollars annually for the commonwealth. Some of the money comes from people whose obsession with gambling is ruinous to themselves and their families and society.
It's not too much to ask that the state set aside a tiny portion of the profits it reaps to help counter gambling addiction. It could begin by setting up a 1-800 help line that could be used at any time by those whose gambling is out of control or by their loved ones. The 1-800 number should be printed on every lottery ticket.
Texas does it. Baltimore does it. Other places do it. The Virginia General Assembly should do it. Aid for gamblers desperate to kick the habit is harder to find than aid for alcoholics. The state should point the way to rescue gamblers in trouble. Mulch ado about clippings
A reader assures us that not all recycling is necessary. A flyer from the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station discusses grass clippings that ``some landfills no longer accept.''
According to a professor of environmental science and a turfgrass management specialist, ``It is desirable to leave grass clippings uncollected on the lawn so that they are recycled, contributing to soil organic matter and supplying part of the fertilizer needs of the lawn.''
If only glass, plastic, paper and other refuse were so easily dealt with, But leaving them where they lie is not a viable option. Who's next, O.J. Simpson?
There must be a shortage of good fathers this year.
How else to explain tennis ``bad boy'' John McEnroe's selection as one of four ``fathers of the year'' by the National Father's Day Committee?
The prizes go annually to men considered to be father role models.
Let's see, at last count McEnroe had three children by his ex-wife Tatum O'Neal and a 4 1/2-month-old child with his girlfriend.
When illegitimacy is at an all-time high, and people from the president on down are wringing their hands about its effects on American society, couldn't this committee have found a married man with all his offspring confined to one woman? The South takes the lead
In the 1960s, when then-President Lyndon B. Johnson signed landmark civil-rights legislation, he said he was delivering the South to the Republican Party.
He was right, at least in national elections. Not only has the South been delivered to Republicans, but the Republican Party seems to have been delivered to the South.
Key leaders in the Republican-controlled House are Southern, including, of course, a Georgian as House speaker. Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole is likely to be succeeded by either of two Mississippians: Trent Lott or Thad Cochran. The Republican message is being delivered with a Southern accent.
One wonders if a Mississipian (state motto: We're number 50) will be the best person to argue that states can do things better than the federal government. by CNB