BLUFFTON NEWS
The Advertising Medium for
Bluffton Trade Territory
VOLUME NO. LXIII
POSTOFFICE DOES
RECORD BUSINESS
Receipts for Past A ear Go to
New High Mark, Post
master Announces
December’s Total was Largest
for Any Single Month in
Office’s History
Total receipts of the Bluffton post
office for the past year of 1938 went
to a new high mark, it was announced
the first of the week by Postmaster
Ed Reichenbach.
Total for the past year’s business
$25,190.12 represented an increase of
$1,660.88 over the business of the
previous year of 1937 which was the
largest at that time.
Reflecting an upsurge in Bluffon’s
industrial and commercial activity, the
two closing months of last year show
ed the largest volume of business of
any similar period in the history of
the postoffice.
Monthly, Quarterly Records
November with receipts of $2,813.60
established an all time record for any
single month only to be surpassed by
December with a total of $2,837.36.
Receipts for the last quarter of 1938
totaling $7,720.06, also hung up a new
high mark for any three months’ bus
iness in the office here.
Total receipts of the Bluffton office
for the past five years are:
1938—$25,190.12
1937—$23,529.24.
1936—$23,136.02
1935—$20,922.06.
1934—$18,029.24
With the increased volume of busi
ness present quarters for Bluffton’s
postal service are cramped, the post
master stated and the construction of
a new building affording better facil
ities will enable the office here to give
improved service to its patrons, he
said.
Vocational Night
Classes Open Here
A three month’s vocational night
school course opened at the high
school here with the first meeting
on Tuesday night. M. R. Marshall
of the state board of vocational ed
ucation was here Tuesday making
arrangements for the course which
is being held under the Smith
Hughes vocational training act.
The course will be along electrical
lines and will be open to those em
ployed in that field, or formerly in
that field and now temporarily un
employed. Classes will meet for two
hours twice each week.
The course will consist of one
class in shop drawing, diagrams and
blue print reading under direction of
George Klay and one class in ap
plied shop electricity taught by Jack
Remde. Both instructors are con
nected with the Triplett Electrical
Instrument company, Klay being
superintendent of the machine shop
and Remde an engineer in the lab
oratory for development and re
search.
Hold Short Course
In Home Economics
The first meeting of the short
course in home economics will be
held in the home economics rooms at
the high school next Monday night
at 7:30 o’clock.
At this time plans will be made
for the subjects to be discussed dur
ing the course. Tentative plans in
clude demonstrations of vegetable
cookery and cooking electrically, a
speaker on furniture and room im
provement, tours of new and re
modeled homes, a program by the
Home Economics club- and movies
on food and nutrition.
Meetings will be held each Mon
day night for ten weeks. All women
in the community who are interested
in home betterment are invited to
attend.
ORANGE TWP. RED CROSS
The sum of $76.30 was raised in
Orange township in response to the
annual Red Cross roll call which
closed recently. Announcement of
this sum was made by Mrs. J. A.
Warren, township chairman. The
total represents an increase over last
year’s figure of $64.45.
TO ADDRESS BROTHERHOOD
Rev. G. T. Soldner will address the
Men’s Brotherhood of the Methodist
church at its monthly meeting and
covered dish supper at the church
next Monday night at 6:30 o’clock.
Music will be provided by a male
quartet.
Early Spring
Plowing Starts
On Farms Here
VITA RM and dry weather of the
past week has resulted in ex
tensive spring plowing on farms
throughout the Bluffton district.
Horse teams and tractors have
been busy, almots without inter
ruption.
Temperatures which made a
high mark in the middle sixties
over the week end dropped some
what the first of the week but
not sufficiently low to interfere
with spring tillage operations.
ASK ORDINANCE
TO HIT PEDDLER
Bluffton Merchants Request
Action from Council at
Meeting Monday
Would Bar Out of Town Ven
dors Unless Specifically
Invited to Call
Request for enactment of an anti
peddler ordinance for Bluffton was
made by a group of local business
men who attended the meeting of the
town council Monday night. Action
on the proposal was deferred pend
ing a conference on the matter with
City Solicitor Francis Durbin.
Draft of an ordinance which the
petitioners said had proven effective
in many other municipalities was
submitted for consideration of the
council. While there was no specific
business designated, it developed dur
ing the discussion that the major
cause of complaint was in dryclean
ing and pressing lines.
Much of this business, it was
charged is being taken by out of
town competition thru the medium of
lower prices and resultant inferior
workmanship. There also appeared
to be some objective from the
grocery lines.
Must Be Invited To Call
Draft of the ordinance submitted
would make it a misdemeanor for
any solicitor, peddler or transient
vendor to call at any residence with
in the corporation for the purpose of
selling merchandise without having
been specifically invited by the house
holder. Violators would be subject
to a fine of $25 to $100 for each of
fense.
In this discussion, it was pointed
out by council members that enact
ment of such a measure would bar
farmers of this vicinity from door
to door retail selling of their
products in town.
Under the present arrangement
any farmer is free to sell from door
to door within the corporation any
produce of his own raising. For
produce not his own, a license fee of
$2 per day or $10 per year is
charged.
Bixler Will Speak
Ot Lions Meeting
Roland Bixler, managing editor of
The Exchangeite, nationally distrib
uted magazine of The Exchange
club, will be the speaker at a din
ner meeting of the Bluffton Lions
club, at 6:15 p. m. next Tuesday in
the Walnut Grill of the Pine res
taurant.
The son of Mr. and Mrs. D. W.
Bixler, of Kibler street, Bixler was
graduated from Bluffton High school
and Bluffton college. He now is lo
cated in Toledo.
Herb Oyer Second
In Peace Contest
Herbert Oyer, representing the
Defenseless Mennonite church of
Bluffton, one of Allen county’s two
Prince of Peace Declamation contest
winners, captured second honors in
the district contest held at Ada last
Sunday.
First place in the district meet
was won by James Long, of Pros
prk *■, Marion county. Winners from
A en, Shelby, Auglaize, Union, Lo
gan and Marion counties competed.
ATTEND INAUGURAL
A number from Bluffton were in
Columbus, Monday attending the in
augural festivities of Ohio’s new
governor John W. Bricker. Included
in this group were: Mrs. J. A. War
ren, Mrs. Edgar Hauenstein, Aldine
Kohli, Herbert Siefield, Robert Lewis,
J. A. Thompson, Supt. and Mrs. A.
J. B. Longsdorf, Mrs. Lysle Baum
gartner, Miss Marcella Niswander
and Racine Warren.
CITIZENS BANK
ANNUAL MEETING
Reports to Stockholders Tues
day Night Reflect Growth
Of Institution
Dividend of $4 Share is Paid on
Common Stock Preferred
Holdings Reduced
Reports of business during the past
year were submitted to stockholders
of the Citizens National bank at their
annual meeting, held in the bank lob
by, Tuesday night.
Statement as of December 31 show
ed total footings of assets and liabil
ities as $1,108,026.49. A cash dividend
of $4 per share on the common stock
was announced.
Earnings for the past year were
$24,887.90. Of this amount $10,767.
90 was added to the undivided profits
and reserve account valuation of the
banking house and lot showed $3,775
written off $1,000 added to surplus
and $5,400 of government holdings of
prefrred stock paid off and $3,945 al
located for dividends.
Of the dividend fund $3,840 will go
for the payment of $4 a share on 960
shares of common stock and the bal
ance $105 for payment of dividend on
the preferred.
President’s Report
Report of Dr. C. Henry Smith, pres
ident of the institution showed that the
original $30,000 in preferred stock
held by the Federal Reconstruction
Finance corporation has been reduced
to $7,000. It is the intention of the
bank management to reduce this still
further early this year with the re
tirement of $3,000 of the preferred
stock.
Surplus of the institution at the close
of the past year stood at $41,000 the
report disclosed. Undivided profits
were $26,128.41 and reserves $13,336.
86.
The entire board of directors re
elected for the coming year are: C. H.
Smith, E. C. Romey, Hiram Locher,
Noah Basinger, L. .Greding, Edwin
Amstutz and Henry P. Huber. The
bank has a total of 99 stockholders.
Mayor Re-appoints
Present Incumbents
All of Bluffton’s appointive offi
cials whose terms expired at the
close of the old year will be contin
ued in their former capacities for
the present year it was disclosed
Monday night when incumbents were
re-appointed by Mayor W. A. Howe
and confirmed by the council.
The list included Albert Reichen
bach, night police, $100 per month
Lee Coon, street commissioner, $100
per month, and Albert Benroth,
caretaker of the town clock, $50 per
year.
Former standing committees of
the council were continued. They
are:
Finance—Soash and Romey.
Streets—Bogart and Badertscher.
Fire and Light—Hauenstein and
Basinger.
Firemen recommended by Chief
Guy Corson and re-appointed by the
mayor were: C. V. Stonehill, H. L.
Augsburger, Fred Martin, Lester
Niswander, Chas. Young, Harold
Stonehill, Isaac Brobeck and Edwin
Radertscher.
Former Well Known
Hay Buyer Is Dead
James L. Turner, 77, widely known
thruout the Bluffton district for
many years as a hay buyer, died at
his home in Columbus Grove Mon
day morning at 7:30 o’clock follow
ing a six monthsr illness.
Funeral services were held at the
Columbus Grove Presbyterian church
Wednesday afternoon with Rev.
Chester Armentrout, pastor, officiat
ing. Burial was in Truro cemetery.
He was born near Columbus Grove
and resided thruout his life in that
vicinity. During his early years he
taught in the Putnam county
schools. He was a member of the
Presbyterian church and various
Masonic bodies.
Surviving are his wife and one
daughter, Mrs. M. L. McKercher,
both of Columbus Grove.
Real Estate Deal
A tract of 27’2 acres located
south of the Bluffton corporation,
line on the Dixie highway belonging
to the late Cha.'. Steingraver has
been purchased by Howard Stager.
The land was sold by E. C. Romey,
administrator of the estate at the
appraisal of $2,600. The sale was
made subject to approval of the pro
bate court.
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INT ERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 1939
Bluffton’s annual farm institute
will be held this year on Friday and
Saturday, February 3 and 4, it was
announced the first of the week. The
institute this year will be independ
ent instead of state aid.
Three speakers announced for the
institute will be Mrs. C. I. Lau of
Swanton for both days and L. L.
Rummell of Columbus and Rev. R.
Wobus of Sidney for one day each.
101 Births, 231 Operations, 28
Deaths Reported by
Superintendent
Directors Organize at Annual
Meeting: Officers are
Re-elected
In the Bluffton Community hospital
during the last year there were 101
births, 231 operations and 26 deaths.
These figures were included in a
report made by Miss Stella Burkhold
er, superintendent, at the annual hos
pital meeting last Saturday afternoon
in the Bluffton high school cafeteria.
Total number of patients for the
year was 454, an average of 14.4 per
day. Capacity of the hospital is 19
patients, but the biulding is designed
that it can be arrangtxl to accommo
date a maximum of 22.
Income of the hospital during 1938
was $17,521.18, and expenditures
amounted to $17,007.41, Miss Burk
holder reported. This leaves a bal
ance of $513.67.
In organization of the board of di
rectors, the four officers who served
last year were re-elected. They in
clude N. E. Byers, president Dr. S.
K. Mosiman, vice-president Cal Balm
er, secretary and Edgar Hauenstein,
treasurer.
Three directors were named at the
meeting, Balmer and Hauenstein be
ing re-elected. Mrs. J. A. Warren
was elected to fill the place caused by
the expiration of Mrs. C. H. Smith's
term. Mrs. Smith requested not to
be re-elected.
Other directors are Mrs. R. L.
Triplett, S. S. Bixel, Gid Schumacher
and Menno Schumacher.
Announce Wedding
Solemnized Last Fall
Announcement has been made of
the marriage of Wayne Hutchinson,
son of Mr. and Mrs. George Hutch
inson of near Beaverdam and Miss
Mary Condon, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Pearl Condon of Toledo, which
took place last October 26, at De
catur, Indiana.
The ceremony was performed by
I Rev. R. W. Graham, pastor of the
Decatur Methodist church. The
couple was unattended.
Bluffton Farm Institute Will
Be Held Here February 3 And 4
Movies Play Big Role In Winning
Friendship
454 PATIENTS AT
HOSPITAL IN 1938
Both bride and groom are gradu
ates of Lafayette high school.
After March 1 they will reside on a
farm near Lafayette.
Reported Gambling
Draws Mayor’s Fire
Violators of anti-gambling sta
tutes here will find W. A. Howe,
Bluffton’s new mayor hard boiled, it
was indicated Monday night. Re
ports at the council meeting of
gambling in connection with card
games in local recreation spots drew
caustic comment from the mayor.
Mayor Howe said that he would
inflict the maximum penalty of $100
provided by the state law on any
offender found guilty. The maximum
penalty of $300 he said, would also
apply in case of conviction of selling
liquor to minors.
Duties as head of an orphan’s
home are at least never monotonous
and Carl Smucker. head of such an
institution at Alliance, Ohio, is ad
ding another to his list of exper
iences this week.
Bring Runaway Negro Girl
From Chicago Back To Ohio
Smucker, accompanied by his wife
stopped here Monday at the home
of his mother, Mrs. B. D. Smucker,
as the couple were enroute by auto
Mrs. Lau will be remembered as
one of the speakers at the institute
here two years ago. She was asked
to return last year but was unable
to come.
Mr. Rummell, agricultural counsel
for the Ohio council of retail mer
chants and Rev. Wobus of the St.
Paul’s Evangelical church for the
past twenty-seven years have pre
viously spoken before Bluffton audi
ences.
Of South Americans
Natives of Peru, Mixed Indian
Descent, Copy Latest Holly
wood Styles
Youths of Teen Age Pick Up
English from Motion Pic
ture Sound Tracks
Hollywood movies are proving to
be open sesame of the United States
in South America, according to May
nard Mann, former Bluffton resident,
who recently returned from a busi
ness trip thru the South American
continent by airplane.
So popular are movies made in
Hollywood that they are practically
standardizing the Western Hemi
sphere, Mann pointed out in an ad
dress delivered at the annual guest
night of the Travel class, Bluffton
woman’s club, at the home of Mrs.
W. E. Diller last Friday.
In Peru, for example the popula
tion is dominantly Indian, the citi
zens have Indian ways of thinking
and acting—but all of them dress
as we do in this country, the result
of going to the movies. All the
women copy the latest Hollywood
styles.
English Sound Track
Practically all movies shown in
South America are made in the
United States and retain the cus
tomary sound track in English.
However, the South American thea
tres also have ingenious methods of
providing for Spanish interpretation.
Youths in their teens and younger
children, however, generally can
speak and understand a smattering
of English in all cities where thea
tres are located, because of the cus
tom of retaining English sound
tracks.
Unfortunately, the movies leave a
few unfavorable impressions, espe
(Continued on page 8)
Births
A son, born to Mr. and Mrs. Clyde
Grant of Ada at the Bluffton Com
munity hospital, Friday, was the first
1939 baby to be reported in this
vicinity. Mrs. Grant was the former
Kathleen Luginbuhl, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. J. I. Luginbuhl, south of
Bluffton.
Word has been received here of
the birth of a daughter Tuesday
morning to Mr. and Mrs. Carl Gier
man of Chicago. Mrs. Gierman was
formerly Miss Ada Steiner, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. N. F. Steiner re
siding west of Bluffton.
Announcement has been received
of the birth of a daughter to Mr.
and Mrs. Maurice Dally of Haw
thorne, Calif. Mr. Dally will be re
membered as formerly of this place.
Word has been received of the
birth of twin sons to Mr. and Mrs.
Arthur Schaaf of Salem, Mich. Mrs.
Schaaf was formerly Miss Evelyn
Schnegg of this place.
HOLD FUNERAL SERVICE
Funeral ervices for Guy Brown,
51, former Bluffton resident, were
held at the Diller funeral home Fri
day afternoon with Rev. E. G.
Steiner of the Defenseless Mennonite
church officiating. Interment was
made in the Clymer cemetery.
Brown died at the Allen county home
near Lima on Wednesday of last
week.
mobile to Chicago to take charge of
a runaway negro girl.
The girl who escaped from the
orphan’s home in Alliance was
picked up by Chicago police last
week. After learning her identity,
Smucker was notified. On her re
turn to Ohio she will be placed in
the state girls industrial school at
Marysville.
Patterson Is Again
School Board Head
Ralph Patterson, president of the
Bluffton board of education for the
past year was re-elected head of the
board at the annual organization
meeting Monday night.
Peter Gratz, vice president, was
re-elected to that office. Other
members of the board are Dr. W. M.
Niswander, Forrest Steinman and
John Tosh.
The board re-elected Leland Diller
clerk.
MENNONITE FARM
INSURANCE MEET
Mutual Aid Society Carries Over
Three Million in Risks,
Report Shows
Association has 840 Policy Hold
ers Losses During Past
Year $7,363
Annual meeting of the Mennonite
Mutual Aid Society, an insurance
organization covering much farm
property in this section, was held at
Pandora last Saturday.
Reports submitted at the meeting
showed a total of $3,947,660 of risks
carried by the organization at the
close of the past year. This figure
represented an increase of $100,000
over the total of a year previous.
Losses paid during the year were
$7,363.94.
The organization also has a total
of 840 policy holders, an increase of
twelve during the past year. Report
of the treasurer showed a cash bal
ance of $352.57.
Three directors whose terms ex
pired, re-elected for a three year
term each were: D. J. Basinger,
Albert Winkler and L. G. Phillips.
Organization of the board was as
follows: Pres., Jerry Basinger vice
president and appraiser, E. E. Buch
er secretary, D. J. Basinger as
sistant secretary and appraiser,
Albert Winkler treasurer, A. S.
Hilty appraisers, Gideon Schumacher
and L. G. Phillips.
Elizabeth Moser Is
Enroute From China
Miss Elizabeth Moser, formerly of
Bluffton who for the past three
years has been on the nursing staff
of the American hospital at Peiping,
China, is enroute home, according tc
word received here the first of the
week.
Miss Moser left Peiping last Wed
nesday for India where she expects
to spend two months at Janjgirl
visiting a former Bluffton college
classmate Miss Martha Burkhalter,
a Mennonite missionary at that
place. Miss Moser will also do nurs
ing duty in the Mennonite hospital
at Janjgir during her stay there.
She will return home by way of
Palestine and is expected to arrive
here in June.
Miss Moser, former head surgical
nurse at the hospital in New York
city operated by the Rockefeller
foundation, has for the past three
years held a similar position in the
American hospital operated by the
Rockefeller foundation at Peiping.
She is a graduate of the nursing
school of Johns Hopkins hospital in
Baltimore.
Gideon Bibles Will
Be Used In Schools
Bibles recently dedicated to the
Bluffton public schools by the Gid
eon’s organization, a non-sectarian
laymen’s group, will be used prin
cipally in religious education classes
it was indicated by Bluffton board
of education acting at its meeting,
Monday night.
The board in a resolution reaf
firmed its previous policy of permit
ting scripture reading without sec
tarian comment. However no spe
cial period has been designated for
such purpose and the matter of
scripture reading will be optional
with each teacher.
Sales Tax Man To
Be Here Thursday
Ross Turner, sales tax district
manager, announced that a sales tax
examiner will be in Bluffton at the
mayor’s office all day Thursday to
assist vendors in filing their semi
annual tax reports.
Attention is called to the fact that
the sales tax law provided a delin
quent fine of $1 per day for failure
to file within the specified time.
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live and a
Good Place to Trade
NUMBER 37
NEW POSTOFFICE
SITE SURVEYED
Construction Engineer to Make
Further Investigation of
Property
Work Will Not Be Started On
Building Before Early Next
May or June
Preliminary survey of the site se
lected at Main and Franklin streets
for Bluffton’s new postoffice buiiding
was made here Monday and Tuesday
by a construction engineer from the
procurement division of the public
buildings branch of the United States
Treasury department.
J. D. Levin, the engineer in charge
has established temporary headquart
ers at Paulding, where he is supervis
ing the construction of a new post
office building.
After completing preliminary sur
veys Monday and Tuesday, he an
nounced he will be here intermittently
for a period of about two weeks.
Detailed Investigation
During that time he will make a
detailed investigation of the site that
hsas been purchased, embracing the
lots of Edgar Chamberlain and A. D.
Gratz. He will take photographs of
the location, gather information rela
tive to sewers, etc., and make tests of
the soil and sub-soil to a depth of
about 15 feet.
Levin said his instructions from
Washington contained nothing rela
tive to any additional purchase of
land.
Local civic organizations have sent
telegrams and letters to the capital
suggesting the Mrs. Clara Geiser
prop-rty, which adjoins that of Gratz
on the north, also be added to the
site. It is their belief the present lo
cation, with a frontage on Main street
of 86 feet, is not sufficiently large for
requirements.
Let Contracts in Spring
Contracts will be let for the work,
and construction will be started before
,the close of the government fiscal
year, June 30, the visiting engineer
announced.
Work on the structure likely will be
under way early in May, and 300 days
w_i be allowed for completion of the
building. However, in most cases,
work is enoded within seven months.
Labor Controversy
Is Settled Here
Settlement was effected this week
in a labor controversy of nearly two
years standing between The Triplett
Electrical Instrument Co., the Read
rite Meter Works and the United
Electrical, Radio and Machine Work
ers of America. The agreement was
worked out thru the National Labor
Relations Board.
Of the number of former employes
involved in the controversy, the two
companies have agreed to re-instate
12 who are not now on the payroll,
providing they wish employment.
In settlement of claims for back
wages, a compromise sum of $5,000
has been paid to the union.
Claims that the union should be
recognized as a bargaining agent
were waived in the agreement, and
under terms of the settlement no
employe organization has authority
to act as a collective bargaining
agent.
Makes Long Trip
For Golden Wedding
Motoring from Belmont, Massa
chusetts, near Boston, Mr. and Mrs.
David Diller, Jr., arrived here
Tuesday morning at 11 o’clock just
in time to take their places at the
family dinner which marked the
Golden wedding of his parents, Mr.
and Mrs. David D. Diller.
The arrival of the son and his
wife from Massachusetts was a sur
prise as they had not been expect
ed here for the event.
The family dinner marking the
Golden wedding was held at the
home of the couple’s daughter, Mrs.
Edward Lugibihl, south of Pandora.
Mr. and Mrs. Diller’s six children,
all living, were present for the din
ner. They were: Mrs. Lugibihl,
Mrs. Aldine Amstutz of Columbus
Grove Waldo of Cairo Mrs. Alvin
Burkholder, Findlay Paul of Bluff
ton and David, Jr., of Belmont,
Mass.
Mr. and Mrs. Diller are lifelong
residents of this vicinity. Mr. Dil
ler is aged 75 and his wife 71. They
reside four miles west of Bluffton.
One hundred and eighteen guests
called at the Lugibihl home in the
afternoon to offer congratulations
and well wishes to Mr. and Mrs.
Diller.