The Bluffton news. [volume], August 03, 1939, Image 1

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BLUFFTON NEWS
The Advertising Medium for
Bluffton Trade Territory
VOLUME NO. LXIV
QUIET PRIMARY
IS ANTICIPATED
No Interest Is Evidenced As
Election to Settle One
Contest Draws Near
Democratic Candidates Have No
Opposition Only Contest
On G. O. P. Ticket
What is expected to be one of the
quietest primaries in Bluffton’s his
tory will be held next Tuesday when
the town goes thru the routine of a
regular election to determine one con
test on the Republican ticket.
Otherwise Republicans and Demo
cratic nominees have no opposition,
and with little interest evidenced in
the election it is expected that the
vote will be one of the lightest of all
time.
The sole contest is for nomination
of Republican candidates for the board
of public affairs, four candidates seek
ing the three nominations. Little ac
tivity has been noticed and it is ex
pected that the primary will come
and pass as quietly as any in the
memory of Bluffton electors.
One Contest
In the race for the contested nom
inations are Eli Deppler, A. E. Kohli,
E. S. Lape and Chas. Lloyd.
With no contests on the ticket the
Democratic vote undoubtedly will be
very light, inasmuch as it is only a
matter of formality which resulted in
presenting the ballot.
Altho all indications are to the ef
fect that voting will be dispirited,
board of elections officials are taking
no chances, and have ordered 400 Re
publican and 575 Democratic ballots.
Complete Tickets
Complete list of candidates as they
will appear on the two tickets is as
follows:
Republicans—Mayor W. A. Howe
clerk, James West marshal, Carl
Burkhart treasurer Ralph Badertsch
er council, Munson Bixel, Carl Cahill,
Wm. Edwards, Armin Hauenstein,
Harold Kennedy, Cleon Triplett
board of public affairs, Eli Deppler,
A. E. Kohli, E. S. Lape Chas. Lloyd.
Democrat—Mayor, A. D. Wells
clerk, Carold Steiner treasurer, Sam
uel Bixel marshal, Lee Coon council,
Menno Badertscher, Evan Basinger,
Fred Hofer, Ralph Patterson, Orden
Smucker, Jesse Stratton board, of
Public Affairs. Cal Balmer, Wm. Lug
inbuhl, A. C. Burcky.
H. S. Instructor Gets
Year’s Absence Leave
Orden Smucker, Bluffton high
school instructor, will receive a
year’s leave of absence to take grad
uate work and also teach at Ohio
State university in Columbus.
Mr. and Mrs. Smucker will leave
the middle of next month for Colum
bus where they will reside during
the coming school year which (Tpens
October 1.
His work as instructor will in
clude teaching freshman and sopho
more sociology classes and also edu
cational sociology to advanced un
dergraduates in the department of
education.
During this time he will carry a
half-time program of courses for
the Ph. D. degree in the department
of sociology and also some work in
journalism.
He will continue his contract here
as adviser to the publication of “The
Cutlass”, Bluffton high school stu
dent paper.
There was no indication the first
of the week that any instructor will
be employed to fill Smucker’s place
on the high school faculty here dur
ing the coming year and his classes
will probably be taken over by mem
bers of the present teaching staff.
Attend Convention
At Portland, Oregon
Mr. and Mrs. Ross Bogart of
Cherry street and Mr. and Mrs. A.
L. French of Washington, C. H.,
left Wednesday afternoon on a motor
trip to Portland, Oregon, where they
will attend the National Rural Let
ter Carriers convention, August 15
to 18.
Mr. Bogart, president of the
Fourth Congressional District Letter
Carriers association will attend the
national convention as a delegate
from the Ohio state organization.
Mrs. Bogart will be the delegate
from Ohio at the meeting of the
Women’s auxiliary.
Following the convention Mr. and
Mrs. Bogart and Mr. and Mrs.
French will visit the San Francisco
exposition and other points of in
terest. They expect to be gone for
one month.
Mosquito Swarms
Force Change In
Church Services
TN order to circumvent the
swarms of mosquitoes which
have been disrupting Bluffton’s
Sunday evening union church
services, the Ministerial associa
tion announced that the meeting
next Sunday night will begin at
7 o’clock, one-half hour earlier
than usual.
Services wili be dismissed be
fore dusk when mosquitoes are
most prevalent.
The meeting Sunday night will
be held in the Methodist church.
Rev. Chas. Armentrout of the
Presbyterian church will be the
speaker.
RULES ON SCHOOL
AREA TRANSFERS
Ruling from Attorney General
May Effect Orange Twp.
Controversy
Board Required to Make Trans
fer if 75 Per Cent Petition
Therefor
A new development which may
have a profound effect on the Orange
township school controversy appeared
from Columbus the first of the week
when Attorney General Thomas J.
Herbert ruled that county school
boards no longer have authority to
revamp boundary lines of school dis
tricts.
This authority under the law of
1935 ended with the plan adopted by
the Legislature for the school year
1938-39, he said.
A school board is now required to
transfer a district to an adjoining
exempted school district on petition
by 75 percent of voters in the district
seeking transfer .Herbert ruled.
Expect Showdown
With the Orange township sutua
tion apparently headed toward a
showdown just what effect the ruling
from the attorney general would have
could not be immediately determined.
Three petitions seeking transfer of
portions of Orange township from
jurisdiction of the Hancock county
board to the Bluffton school district
are now on file in the office of the
board in Findlay. Sponsors of the
petitions claim they bear the required
75 per cent of the voters in their re
spective districts.
Petitions are those filed by Jesse
Anderson, Joe Powell and W. W.
Scothorn and others. Territory cov
ered by the Anderson petition lies
contigious to the Bluffton district
while area represented by the Powell
and Scoihorn petitions lies east of the
Anderson petition tract and is separ
ated from the Bluffton district by that
area.
No Action on Petitions
No action was taken by the Han
cock county board of education at its
July meeting looking toward transfer
of territory as asked in the petitions.
Following the meeting it was stated
that A. G. Fuller. Findlay attorney,
retained as legal counsel by the Or
ange township group seeking trans
fer of the territory, was making a
study of the case. Action on the mat
ter is expected before the opening of
the fall term of school in September.
New Owner Takes
Over Dairy Here
Paul L. Detwiler of Souderton,
t»a., who was graduated in June
from Bluffton college has purchased
the Hy-Grade dairy from Homer
Gratz.
Announcement of the deal was
made Tuesday when Detwiler took
over the management of the dairy
which Gratz has operated for the
past ten years.
As a result of the deal, Gratz will
devote his entire time to the opera
tion of his fart v west of Bluffton.
Detwiler who. has been here for
the past month becoming familiar
with the details of the business has
also taken over the milk depot at
the rear of the Hub restaurant.
The new owner announced that
the dairy would continue to pas
teurize all milk products and main
tain the same service as under the
former resige.
Hog Market Lowest In Recent
Years Wheat Stages Recovery
OATS CROP IS HEADACHE, DEALERS SAY
Top of $6.20 Quoted for Prime
Porkers on Bluffton Market
Tuesday
Wheat Rallies from Seven Year
Low to 63 Cents Here
Wednesday
Hogs on the Bluffton market dip
ped to the lowest price level re
corded here for several years past
when top prime quality offerings
were quoted at $6.20. Top price
Wednesday showed an increase of
five cents per hundred pounds over
Tuesday’s figure.
Local livestock shippers said that
not in recent years has the price
dropped to Tuesday’s level. Reason
for the sagging prices on the hog
market is attributed to an increase
of hogs on farms throughout the
country and also large surpluses of
pork and lard in cold storage.
Surplus of Pork
The shippers quoted July 1 govern
ment estimates to the effect that
there are now 80 million pounds
more pork and 20 million pounds
more lard in storage than a year
ago.
In addition to this it is pointed
out that the spring hog crop is now
starting to the market and it is esti
mated that there are eight million
more hogs than a year ago.
In contrast to the slump in the
hog market, cattle were reported as
holding fairly steady, with no
marked variation in quotations.
Wheat Recovers
With the hog market scraping
bottom, the wheat market which
touched a seven-year low at 59
cents early last week showed a
sharp recovery with quotations at
63 cents per bushel here Wednesday
morning.
Sharp drop in wheat marketings
following the price crash last week
was given as one of the reasons for
the recovery. Wheat at the present
price is within one cent of the high
est quotation for the grain which
prevailed for a short time during
the harvest season last month.
Notwithstanding the recovery in
wheat and drop in hogs, reports are
current that a sizeable portion of
the wheat crop held on farms in
this district is being fed to porkers
being finished for the September
market.
St. Mary’s Lawn
Fete On August 9
Annual lawn fete for benefit of
St. Mary’s Catholic church will be
held on the church grounds, Lawn
avenue and Elm street, Wednesday
night, August 9, it is announced by
Rev. Robert A. Maher, general
chairman of the affair.
Lawn fetes sponsored by the
church have been largely attended
in past years and preparations are
being made to handle a large crowd.
In addition to Bluffton residents,
many will attend from Lima, Find
lay, Ottawa and other surrounding
places.
A number of new features will be
included in the program next Wed
nesday night, it was announced the
first of the week.
Committees in charge are:
Ice cream and cake tickets—Ed
Reagan, Mrs. Verne Dardio.
Ice cream—Chas. Hankish, Andrew
and Ed Herrman, Elmer Nusbaum,
David Fisher, Irvin Herrman.
Cake,s—Mrs. Dale McGinnis, Mrs.
Frank Zuercher, Mrs. Elmer Nus
baum, Mrs. David Fisher, Mrs. Jack
Fisher, Mrs. John Rogers, Mrs. For
rest Beemer, Mrs. Wm. Underwood.
Serving cafeteria style—Miss Ida
Owens, Mrs. Geo. Schmidt, Mrs.
Landolin Kindle, Mrs. Esther Wag
ner.
Coffee—Mrs. Wm. Jackson, Mrs.
Pearl Schmidt, Mrs. Clarence Bur
well, Mrs. Daniel Myers. Harry
Turner, Richard Nusbaum, Romanus
Zuercher, Chas. Hankish, Jr.
Sandwiches—Mrs. Harry Turner,
Mrs. Ed. Reagan, Mrs. Chas.
Hankish, Mrs. L. H. Foltz, Mrs. Joe
Gerdeman, Sr. Mrs. Rose Herrman.
Lights and Grounds—Wm. Jack
son. Clarence Burwell.
Soft drinks—Lewis Fisher, Jerome
Zuercher, Landolin Kindle, J. F.
Herrman, Verne Dardio.
Serving tables—Mrs. Jos. Gerde
man, Mrs. Herman Schmidt, Mrs.
11. Heffner, Mary and Marjorie Zuer
cher, Mrs. Reid, Mary and Adelaide
McGinnis, Mildred Leffler, Rita Nus
baum, Josephine Pence, Geneva and
Ruth Hankish, Evelyn and Ruth
Gerdeman.
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INT ERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1939
Wide Variation in Quality Re
sults in Corresponding
Price Spread
Much of Grain is Damaged by
Rains Quality of Crop
Below Average
Bluffton grain dealers are finding
a lot of headaches in the oats crop
this year. It’s all because there are
a lot of different kinds of oats—
not including wild oats.
Not in years dealers say, has
there been such a variation in the
quality of the oats crop—and as a
result a correspondingly wide spread
in the price.
Quotationson oats at the Bluff
ton market, Wednesday morning
fluctuated within a range of ten
cents with dry oats bringing a top
price of 32 cents per bushel. From
that figure quotations on marketable
oats ranged down to 22 cents.
Quality Below Average
An unusually large portion of the
crop this year is damp and quality
suffers accordingly, dealers stated.
Quality of the crop as a whole is
below average.
The oats crop has been plagued
wnth a jinx since early last spring
when heavy rains during the plant
ing season made it impossible to get
a large part of the crop in the
ground.
As a result of this condition much
of the acreage earmarked for oats
was diverted to soybeans. At har
vest season, too, heavy rains inter
fered with the cutting of the crop,
much of the grain being damaged
as a result.
0. K, ON BUDGET
Will Cost $67,568 to Operate
Municipality in 1940,
Estimate Shows
Budget for Coming Year
I.ower than Estimate for
Present Year
The 1940 budget is slightly lower
than anticipated expenditures of $67,
859 for 1939. In 1938 considerably
more was spent, an aggregate $92.
516.20, but approximately $15,000 of
the sum was re resented in cost of
the construction an addition to the
water works plant and installation of
a new boiler.
The proposed budget of $67,568 for
1940 is slightly her. however, thai
expenditures in 1H-.7 when a total of
$64,561.53 was distributed the town
clerk pointed out.
New Budget Figures
In the new 1940 budget, $6,918 has
been alloted to the general fund $2,
000 for street maintenance and re
pair $50.00 for the waterworks and
electric light fund, and $8,650 for
bond retirement.
Anticipated receipts for the coming
year have been estimated at $96,
299.06 This figure includes General
fund. $13,302 street maintenance and
repair, $2,099.01 gasoline tax street
repair fund, $4,598.05 water works
and electric light fund $69,000, and
general bond retirement fund, $7,300.
Bluffton’s estimated tax valuation
for 1940 is $2,266,675, according to
Steiner’s budget report. In addition
it is expected that about $1,300 will
be obtained as the village’s share of
the classified property tax during the
coming year.
Bring Remains Here
For Funeral Services
Andrew Althaus, 74, former Bluff
ton resident, died at Toledo hospital
Monday morning. Death was due to
a heart attack.
Mr. Althaus was born in Bluffton
June 13, 1865, the son of the late
Rudolph and Barbara Althaus,
pioneer Bluffton residents. He was
a painter by trade and has been in
Toledo for many years.
One sister, Mrs: Fred Hahn of
West Elm street is the only sur
vivor.
The remains were brought here
for services at the Diller funeral
home, Wednesday afternoon with
Rev. Emil Burrichter of the Re
formed church officiating. Interment
was in Maple Grove cemetery.
*1
is
A budget estimating municipal ex
penditures during the 1940 calendar
year will amount to $07,568 has been
approved by the Bluffton village coun
cil and will be submitted by Town
Clerk Carold Steiner to the Allen
county budget commission.
Former Bluffton Woman was
Nurse at Peiping Hospital
For Three Years
Now N.
Meets Niece
rived
Meet From Ends Of The Earth
MISS Elizabeth Moser (left) and her niece, Miss Elizabeth
1 Martin (right) who met Saturday at the home of Prof, and
Mrs. G. A. Lehman in Rochester, N. Y. Mrs. Lehman is a sister
of Miss Moser and an aunt of Miss Martin.
Miss Moser has just returned from China where she was
surgical supervisor in a Peiping hospital. Miss Martin, reared in
the interior of Brazil, South America, where her father is a mis
sionary. is a student in Wooster college.
In the above picture. Miss Moser, showing Chinese curios, is
demonstrating the use of a fingernail guard.
Elizabeth Moser, Home From War
Torn China To Arrive Here Soon
Visiting in Rochester.
Y. Will Motor Here
Middle of August
Miss Elizabeth Moser, former
Bluffton woman who arrived in New
York city last Thursday after three
years in China as surgical super
visor in the Peiping Union Medical
college is expected here the middle
of this month to visit at the home
of her brother, Ezra Moser
family north of town.
and
late
now
Miss Moser, daughter of the
Noah Moser of this place, is
spending two weeks in Rochester,
N. Y., at the home of her sister,
Mrs. G. A. Lehman and family. She
will motor here with her brother,
Alford Moser and son Jimmy of
Chicago who met here in New York
city last week and are now
her in Rochester.
with
from Brazil
An unusual incident occurred at
the home of Prof, and Mrs. Lehman
at Rochester, when Miss Moser ar
was
there Saturday where she
(Continued on page 8)
Remains Brought
Here For Burial
Burial services for Levi Messinger,
56, native of Bluffton, were held at
Zion Mennonite cemetery three miles
west of town, Sunday afternoon.
Mr. Messinger died suddenly Wed
nesday night at his home in Middle
to a
had
bury, Indiana. Death was due
heart ailment from which he
suffered for several years.
Mr.
He left Bluffton about forty
ago living in New Stark and
and later moving to Indiana.
here
The remains were brought
Sunday and brief funeral services
were held at Zion cemetery
Rev. G. T. Soldner officiating,
lowing the service interment
made at that place.
with
Fol
was
Messinger, son of the
late
Mes
farm
David and Angeline (Ream)
singer, was born on the home
three miles southwest of Bluffton
now occupied by his brother Aaron
and sisters Ella and Ruth
singer.
Mes-
years
Lima
Surviving are his widow and son
Silvan of Hiddlebury, Ind. daugh
ter Mrs. Zelma Lochen of Prescott,
Arizona two brothers Ami of Elida
and Aaron of Bluffton and two sis
ters Ella and Ruth Messinger of
this place.
Rev. Grabill Resigns
Local Church Charge
Tendering a farewell to Rev. Clif
ford Grabill, who will leave his
charge at the Bluffton Missionary
church on Sept. 1, members of the
congregation gathered Tuesday night
at the home of Elijah Cramer on
South Main street.
In the farewell program short
talks were made by Esther Welty,
representing the young people of
the church Sylvia Fett, of the mis
sionary society, and Harry Welty,
representing the Sunday school.
Rev. and Mrs. Grabill also spoke
briefly.
to
A studio couch was presented
the retiring pastor and his wife
the congregation as an evidence
their appreciation of his services
here.
by
of
Rev. Grabill’s resignation is effect
ive Sept. 1, but he is not yet sure
where he will go from Bluffton. An
nouncement will be made at the an
nual church conference in two weeks
at Ft.
Wayne.
Arthur Albro, now of Elkton,
will be Rev. Grabill’s suc
here, and w-ill take up his
Rev.
Jan
wav
Miss Moser left Peiping last
uary coming to this country by
of India and Palestine. While in
India she visited Mennonite mission
stations at Champa and Janjgir
where Dr. and Mrs. Harvey Bauman
and Miss Martha Burkhalter, former
Bluffton college students are located.
Mich.,
cessor
new duties on Sept. 1.
Leave Monday For
Hawaiian Islands
Miss Evelyn Niswander of Cleve
land, daughter of Mr. and
Noah Niswander of South
avenue will leave Monday for
Hawaiian Islands where she has
cepted a teaching position for
coming yeaer.
rs.
Lawn
the
ac
the
She will be accompanied as far as
Los Angeles by her father and
mother together with her brother
Rheuel Niswander and his daugh
ter Patricia of Sylvania. The party
will make the trip to California by
auto, leaving Monday morning.
Miss Niswander will sail from Los
Angeles, August 18 on the liner
Lurline. She will begin her teach
ing duties September 1 at Maunaolu
seminary, a private boarding school
for girls on the Island
The island, one of the
group, is a night’s ocean
Honolulu.
of Maui.
Hawaiian
trip from
same boat on which Miss
sails will be Mr. and
Geiger formerly of this
are returning to their
On the
Niswander
Mrs. Wm.
place, who
home in Honolulu after a summer’s
visit with relatives here. Mr. Gei
ger is an instructor in the schools
in that city.
Miss Niswander has previously
been engaged in social work in
Cleveland. The institution in Ha
waii where she will teach is sup
ported largely by a wealthy Cleve
land family.
Her father and mother together
with her brother and his daughter
expect to visit places of interest in
the west before returning to Ohio
early in September.
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live and a
Good Place to Trade
NUMBER 14
ASSERT BARBERS’
ORDINANCE LEGAL
Letter Received Here from Sec
retary of State Board of
Barber Examiners
Opinion Expected from City
Solicitor for Meeting of
Council Monday
Legality of city ordinances in Ohio
regulating hours of barber shops has
been upheld in the courts, it was
stated by Paul Flavin, secretary of
State Board of Barber Examiners in a
letter to Ralph Patterson, Bluffton
barber shop proprietor.
Flavin’s letter was written in re
ply to an inquiry sent him by Patter
son following the meeting of the town
council a week ago when the question
of regulating hours of barber shops
was brought up.
In effect in Ohio at present are
about 60 ordinances regulating bar
bers hours, according to Flavin.
For Council Consideration
Information received from the sec
retary of the state board will be pass
(Continued on page 8)
Returns To Mission
Work Among Chinese
Steiner, formerly of
will leave this week
work as a missionary
year’s furlough in
Rev. J. F.
near Bluffton,
to resume his
in China after a
this country.
Steiner and
and Geneva
two
Rev. and Mrs.
daughters Betty
been living in Wooster since
arrival here last summer. The
ily will remain in Wooster for the
present while Rev. Steiner will start
the last of the week on his return
to the Far East.
have
their
fam­
Enroute he will stop at the home
of his brother-in-law, Rev. Armin C.
Steiner of Pandora, Saturday to bid
farewell to his relatives and friends
in this district.
On Sunday he will leave Lima for
San Francisco from where he will
sail August 11 on the liner President
Pierce for the island of Hainan off
the coast of China where he is sta
tioned in a Presbyterian mission.
For the past twenty-five
Rev. Steiner
mission work
was wrested
the invading
February. The
were unharmed during the fighting.
years
has been engaged in
on the island which
from the Chinese by
Japanese army last
mission buildings
Last Rites For Mrs.
T. A. Kitchen Monday
Mrs. T. A. Kitchen, 84, Bluffton
resident for many years, died at her
home on Cherry street, Saturday
afternoon. Mrs. Kitchen suffered a
broken hip two years ago and had
been confined to
time.
her bed since that
the former Irene
in Putnam county
She has resided in
her marriage to
fifty-six years ago.
she was an active
Mrs. Kitchen,
Clark, was born
near Ottawa.
Bluffton since
Thos. A. Kitchen
For many years
member of the
here and also the missionary so
ciety.
Methodist church
Surviving are her husband and
thee sons Dr. Clyde Kitchen of
Delaware Coral of Kokomo, Ind.,
and Oliver of Pittsburgh.
Funeral services were held at the
Diller funeral home, Monday after
noon with Rev. J. A. Weed of the
Methodist church officiating. Burial
was in Maple Grove cemetery.
Return To Hawaii
After Summer Visit
Mr. and Mrs. William Geiger of
Honolulu, Hawaii, who spent the
summer visiting relatives here will
leave the last of this week, return
ing to their home in the islands.
They will sail from Los Angeles
on August 18 on the liner Lurline.
On the same boat will be Miss
Evelyn Niswander of Bluffton who
will teach in Hawaii during^ the
coming year.
Mr. Geiger, who formerly lived
northwest of Bluffton, has been an
instructor in the schools at Honolulu
for a number of years. He is a
graduate of Bluffton college. His
wife, the former Magdalene Frank
houser of Wayne county, also grad
uated from college here.
Births
The following births at Bluffton
Community
Mr. and
Beaverdam,
hospital
Mrs. Marvin Reigle of
a son, Sunday.
Mrs. Robert Edinger of
Mr. and
Lima, a son, Tuesday.