Walt,
I verified that before I posted.
Well it turned the root cause was caused by a monkey (someone that shouldn't have a tool)...Should have known that.
I had to work out all the other carburetor problems to get to the root cause. I too was thinking the worn throttle shaft was the problem.
1. Throttle shaft worn by .oo4 ovaled.
2. Butterflies were worn out from constant use. They looked like they were filed down at the throttle shaft sides.
3. Leaky main jets.
4. Leaky needle valve while in operation.
Oh well for these I just overhauled the carburetor plus install new jets and a throttle shaft kit. Actually all this make it worst.
It turn out someone had mess with the base idle speed adjustment to condensate for surging idling which turn out to be a miss adjusted idle restrictor in the governor control assembly.
1. Set base idle speed at 1300 rpm base; would not idle at 1200 rpm due to age of the age.
2. Set governed idle to 1850 instead 1750; same problem surging was worst at the lower speed due age.
3. Then set the idle restrictor arm per manual.
With these adjustments and repairs it now idles down nicely; although, it dies once or twice when first cranked if idled all the way down.
The truest measure of society is the how it treats its elderly, its pets, and its prisoners.