The Bluffton news. [volume], October 16, 1941, Image 1

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BLUFFTON NEWS
The Advertising Medium for
Bluffton Trade Territory
VOLUME NO. LXVI
BLUFFTON’S REAL
ESTATE TAX RATE
$19.10 NEXT YEAR
Levy Slated to go to State Tax
Commission this Week for
Approval
Rate for Coming Year is $1.80
Per Thousand Higher Tax
Duplicate Larger
Bluffton taxpayers will pay higher
real estate levies during the coming
year notwithstanding the fact that
the total amount of taxable property
on the town’s duplicate will show a
sizable increase.
A real estate rate of $19.10 per
thousand dollars of taxable property
will be levied in Bluffton if the new
schedule worked out by the Allen
County Tax commission is approved
by the State Tax Commission at
Columbus.
Formal request for .confirmation
of the proposed rate is expected to
be made this week when the report
will be sent to Columbus by Floyd
Breakdown of Bluffton’s pres
ent and proposed real estate tax
rates, showing amounts levied by
the various taxing units inside
and outside the ten mill limita
tion appears on Page 2 of this
issue of the Bluffton News.
B. Griffin, Allen county auditor.
The new levy represents an ad
vance of $1.80 per thousand dollars
of taxable property over the present
rate of $17.30.
Township Rate Up
Likewise the rate in that portion
of Richland township included in the
Bluffton school district will be $15.20
under the proposed schedule, an ad
vance of 95 cents per thousand dol
lars of taxable property over the
present rate of $14.25.
In making up Bluffton’s rate of
$19.10 for the coming year decreases
in county and township levies were
more than offset by increases in
amounts granted for schools and
municipal purposes.
County taxes for the coming year
under the proposed rate •will be
levied at a rate of $3.80 instead of
$3.90 and the township tax rate is
set at 30 cents as compared to 35
cents as at present.
More
to
Schools
and
Corporation
Bluffton schools, however, will re
ceive $11.10 instead of $10, the pres
ent rate and the municipality will
receive a rate of $3.90 instead of
$3.05.
The rate as now set up makes no
provision for any levy for bonds for
new fire apparatus. This question
will be decided by voters at the polls
next month. A majority vote will be
required for a decision. Should the
measure receive a favorable majority
it would add an average of .56 to
the proposed tax rate.
Bluffton’s total valuation for tax
ing purposes shows an increase of
$34,170 for next year over present
valuation, it is reported by the
county auditor’s office. Total valua
tion of Bluffton’s tax duplicate as
announced the first of the week was
$2,304,623, for the coming year. This
total, however, may be subjected to
minor adjustments it is pointed out.
The valuation in Bluffton corpora
tion as set up for the coming year
is made up as follows:
Land ____ _____ _$ 356,060
Buildings 1,170,990
Public Utilities---- 467,970
Personal 309,603
Total ___________ $2,304,623
Beaverdam Student
Music Alternate
Robert Marshall, student in Beav
erdam high school and son of Mr.
and Mrs. Francis Marshall, was
named third alternate for an Oberlin
conservatory of music scholarship in
the high schol day contest held at
Oberlin, Saturday.
Some 1,200 guests, including 450
competitors in various scholarship
contests of the college and conserva
tory attended the high- school day.
Marshall, a flutist, competed in the
wind instrument class.
NO SCHOOL OCT. 24
In order to permit teachers to
attend the Northwestern Ohio Teach
ers conference to be held in Toledo
on Friday, October 24, Bluffton
grade and high schools will be dis
missed on that day, it was announc
ed this week by A. J. B. Longsdorf,
superintendent of schools.
Beaver Gridders to Clash with
Otterbein at Harmon Field
Saturday Afternoon
Dr. Maurice Troyer of Wash
ington, D. C., Vesper Speak
er Sunday Afternoon
Starting with the crowning of the
homecoming queen Saturday morning
at 10:00 o’clock a gala round of fes
tivities has been scheduled for the
annual week end Bluffton college
homecoming to be celebrated on the
campus Saturday and Sunday.
Miss Evelyn Hilty, senior from
Pandora, will be crowned queen in
special ceremonies to be held in the
college gymnasium. Miss Hilty was
one of four candidates selected by
the football team. She will be at­
CLASSES TO OPEN
HERE OCTOBER 27
Four Courses of Study Offered
To Young Men Without
Cost to Them
Metal and Woodworking, Auto
Care and Electricity Classes
Suggested
Four National Defense classes pro
viding eight weeks of training in vo
cational pursuits will be offered this
fall to Bluffton area young men, it
was announced Tuesday by A. J. B.
Longsdorf, superintendent of the
Bluffton Public School system.
Enrollment will be at 7:30 o’clock
next Monday night in the Bluffton
high school cafeteria, when plans for
the defense courses will be outlined.
Course of instruction will be from
October 27 to Dec. 19.
Classes to be offered here if the
minimum enrollment of 10 or more
students can be obtained for each
course of study will be as follows:
Class No. 1—Operation, care and
repair of tractors, trucks and auto
mobiles.
Class No. 2—Metal Work.
Class No. 3—Woodwork.
Class No. 4—Elemenary electricty.
Enrollment in the classes is without
cost to the student. Instructors will
be paid by the federal government
and equipment and shops for the
work will be made available by Bluff
ton High school.
Registration for the classes is open
to, any young man between 17 and 25
years of age. Each class must meet
a minimum of 15 hours per week for
an eight week period.
Instructors named for the program
by the state board of vocational edu
cation are A. L. Daymen, industrial
arts instructor and Harvey Beidler
vocational electrical instructor, in
Bluffton High school.
Chas. Green, Former
Bluffton Man Dead
Charles Green, 80, former Bluffton
resident, died at his home in Bothell,
Washington, according to word re
ceived by friends here the first of
the week. Death followed a two
years’ illness.
Mr. Green was formerly employed
as janitor at the Grade School build
ing and later as an engineer at the
municipal electric light and water
works plant.
He moved with his family to Lima
about thirty-five years ago and later
moved to the state of Washington
where he has since resided.
Surviving are his wife, one son
Burl of Tacoma, Wash., and a
daughter Mrs. Fern McCullough of
Arlington, Wash., and six grand
children.
Sent For Military
Service To Hawaii
Donald Crawfis of Bluffton who
has been in military training at
Camp Callan, San Diego, Calif., is
now stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii,
according to word received by his
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Earl Crawfis
the first of the week.
His present address is: Batry A,
97th C. A., Fort Kamehameha, Hon
olulu, Hawaii.
Homecoming Will Be Celebrated By
Bluffton College Saturday And Sunday
Mutual Interests More Important Than
Sex For Happy Marriage, Speaker Says
DEFENSE
tended by Miss Frances Ramseyer
of Smithville and Miss Margaret
Berky of Bluffton.
George Swank, of Bluffton and
president of the men’s Varsity “B”
organization will escort the queen
to her throne and place the crown
upon her head.
Following lunch in the Ropp hall
dining room at 12:00 o’clock the tra
ditional tug of war between the
freshmen and sophomores will take
place across the Little Riley creek
near the dormitory.
A victory by the freshmen will
mean the discarding of the little
green caps but a sophomore victory
will mean the continued use of the
caps until Thanksgiving day.
Instead of playing the homecoming
football game at night as has been
the custom in past years, the Bluff
ton College Beavers will meet Otter
bein college from Westerville at Har
(Continued on page 8)
Dr. Roy Burkhart, Columbus,
Addresses Bluffton College
Marriage Course
Says Divorce Can be Avoided if
Common Concerns are
Numerous
Marriages may be made in heaven
but it takes a lot of earthly plan
ning and human adjustment to make
the relationship a success, said Dr.
Roy Burkhard, pastor of the Com
munity church at Columbus, in an
address to the student body of Bluff
ton college at the chapel Tuesday
mornig.
Dr. Burkhard, one of the popular
young ministers of Columbus who
built a small parish into a large in
fluential institution, has specialized
in problems of courtship and mar
riage adjustment. He has instituted
marriage courses for young people
and has written widely in the field.
Fun
on
Dates
The speaker deplored the tendency
of some young people in being too
exclusive in dating. Dating should
be a time of fun and companionship
in which some preliminary exploring
for a life mate can be made. If one
has had a wider range of compan
ionship he is much better enabled to
choose a mate because he knows
what qualities he wants.
With so much emphasis on sex in
the movies, literature and in the re
lationships of young people, the more
enduring qualities are sometimes
neglected. A marriage based exclus
ively on the physical aspect can nev
er endure because there is no mu
tuality to hold the couple together.
Mutual Interests
Married couples today do not get
close enough psychically and spiri
tually. Mutuality of interest is a
very important factor in the matter
of harmonious relations. Only aS
young people have numerous traits
and experiences in common can mar
ried happiness continue to grow, the
speaker stated.
The speaker gave five tests of a
happy marriage. These are:
1. The building of a happy com
panionship.
2. The extent to which the couple
can keep growing in rich experiences
and mutual concerns.
3. Development of a right attitude
towards money.
4. A happy and normal physical
union with enjoyment of this aspect
increasing as the years go on.
5. The extent to which two people
can find faith in God and themselves.
Divorce Increase
One of the reasons for the tre
mendous increase in divorce in re
cent years is that so many young
people are almost totally unconcerned
about the seriousness of the choice
of mate. Physical attraction, while
tremendously important, is too often
the only consideration. Research has
found that people who are much
alike in traits and interests have the
best chance for success in marriage.
The more interests a couple has in
common, the greater the mutuality
of education, religion, vocation and
interest in children, the greater is
the chance for success in this re
lationship, the speaker pointed out
in conclusion.
A forum period followed the ad
dress and the speaker remained on
the campus for the afternoon to
meet students in conference periods
for the discussion of personal prob
lems.
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
_____ A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, OCll 16, 1941
Queen
V
gVELYN Hilty, senior, from
Pandora, who will be crown
ed queen at Bluffton college
homecoming festivities in the
gymnasium Saturday morning
at 10 o’clock. In the afternoon
she will preside at the Bluffton
Otterbein football game at Har
mon field.
WIDEN BERM OF
DIXIE HIGHWAY
SOUTH OF TOWN
Earth from Abandoned Interur
ban Line Used to Provide
42 Foot Roadway
Project Believed Part of Plan to
Improve Road as Key Mili
tary Route
Increasing concentration of work on
Ohio’s strategic network of military
highways is reflected in an improve
ment program now under way on the
Dixie highway, U. S. Route 25, be
tween Bluffton and Beaverdam.
A ten foot widening of the present
berm, five feet on. each side of the
road is being provided by leveling the
old right-of-way of the abandoned
Western Ohio interburban line which
parallels the highway south of Bluff
ton. Much of the work between Bluff
ton and Gratz crossing, two miles
south of town, already has been com
pleted by the state hihgway depart
ment.
Although there is no official con
confirmation, it is believed that work
on the route is a part of the state
highway department’s program to
improve the Dixie as one of the main
north-south military roadways in the
state.
Leveling is Started
Leveling the old interurban right of
way to provide a berm 42 feet in
width on the west side of the present
pavement will prepare the way to
build a four-lane divided highway
over the route, it was pointed out by
observers.
Divided highways has been recom
mended for the entire route of the
Dixie from Detroit to Cincinnati in
line with the military road improve
ment program.
Present width of the Dixie pave
ment south of town is 22 feet, with
a five foct berm on each side.
Priorities Affect Work
Work of the state highway depart
ment for the next year is expected
to be almost entirely concentrated on
the 1,300-mile net work of military
roadways in Ohio, it was learned this
week.
This is made necessary by a recent
order of the supply priorities and al
locations board, halting all highway
construction except that essential for
national defense or to public health
and safety.
Route 25 is the only highway in
this section included in the military’
road network.
Shortage of Steel
The highway department has been
affected principally by priorities on
iron and steel. There are no priori
ties on asphalt, tar and other bitum
inous materials, stone, sand, cement
or tile.
Consequently, the highway depart
ment is free to operate on widening
and resurfacing programs, subject
only to shortages of materials, and it
can prepare specifications for non
priority roads by eliminating steel re
inforcing for concrete roads and com
pensating for the elimination of heav
ier bases.
However, every time such a project
includes the construction or remodel
ing of a bridge, the department is
stuck.
Even concrete bridges require
heavy metal reinforcement. Unless
the bridge is on a road which war
rants a low priority rating, no metal
can be obtained.
Miss Harriette Criblez, Bluffton
High School Instructor,
Talks at P.T.A.
Describes Trip to Europe in
Summer of 1939 to Study
And Visit Relatives
Activities ranging all the way from
meeting American celebrities on the
French liner Normandie to being jail
ed in Paris, France for photographing
an object deemed important by the
French gendarmes, were described by
Miss Harriet Criblez, Bluffton High
school language instructor, at the first
meeting of the Parent-Teacher asso
ciation held in the auditorium, Tues
day night.
Miss Criblez, the daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Alfred Criblez, residing east
of Bluffton, toured Europe and stud
ied at the University of Lausanne,
Switzerland during the summer of
1939.
Sailed on Nomandie
When Miss Criblez crossed the
ocean on the Normandie the vessel
had the smallest number of passen
gers in the history of its Atlantic
crossing. War scare had consider
ably lessened the amount of oceanic
passenger transportation.
Entirely accidental was the prize
won by Miss Criblez for being the
first to sight land as the vessel ap
proached French shores. Her watch
having stopped, Miss Criblez went on
deck to see what time it was and
found that it was very early in the
morning.
Sighted Land
Not wishing to go back to bed she
decided to stay on deck and watch
the sunrise. Just as the sun was ris
ing Miss Criblez sighted land and en
thusiastically announced the fact.
Not even knowing there was a prize
offered for being the first one to do
this she was summoned to the cap
tain’s cabin the next day and told that
she would be privileged to go on the
first class deck and meet the celebri
ties.
Here she met Norma Shearer and
Mary Pickford, American movie act
resses and late Ignace Paderewski,
the great Polish pianist and states
(Continued on page 8)
Hartman-Basinger
Wedding Sunday
In a quiet ceremony at the home
of the officiating minister occurred
the wedding of Miss Sylvia Hartman,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Purl Hart
man of Orange township, and Free
man Basinger, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Walter Basinger of Pandora, at Mt.
Cory, Sunday morning at 9:30 o’clock.
The wedding vows were received by
Rev. Irvin Kaufman, pastor of the
bride, in a single ring ceremony.
For the wedding the bride wore a
street length dress of wine transpar
ent velvet with blue accessories. She
wore a corsage of red roses and white
chrysanthemums. Her only adorn
ment was a gold bracelet which her
mother wore on her wedding day.
Attending the couple at the wedd
ing ceremony were Miss Glada Wilk
ins of Bluffton and Robert Basinger
of Pandora, friends of the contract
ing parties.
The bride is a graduate of Bluff
ton High school in the class of 1936
and the groom graduated from Pan
dora High school also in the class of
1936. Since that time he has been
engaged in farming.
Phyllis Trippiehorn
To Teach In Florida
Miss Phyllis Trippiehorn, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. D. R. Tripple
horn of South Main street, has been
appointed vocal and orchestral in
structor of the ML Verde School
near Orlando, Florida, and will
leave this Wednesday night for
Florida to begin her new duties.
The school is a private co-educa
tional institution for boys and girls
between the ages of 10 and 18 years.
Most of the instruction given is col
lege preparatory.
Army To Get Test
Sets Made Here
Bluffton-made test sets will be
used by the army to check its radio
communication apparatus it was an
nounced the first of the week when a
contract was awarded for this equip
ment to the Triplett Electrical In
strument company. Contract for the
test sets was let by the signal corps
division of the army. Production of
radio testing equipment for the army
is expected to take precedence over
the plant’s output for civilian needs.
High School Teacher Jailed In Paris
For Photographing Forbidden Objects
Man Hit By Bicycle
Ridden On Sidewalk
Harry Shrider, Jr., filling station
attendant, received painful injuries
when he was struck by a bicycle rid
den by Neil Schmidt, Bluffton high
school junior, Tuesday night.
Schmidt, riding his bicycle on the
sidewalk in front of the Hankish con
fectionary struck Shrider who was
thrown to the sidewalk by the impact
of the collision and received a bad
cut on his head.
Shrider was removed to a physi
can’s office for medical aid and late?
taken to his home where he was re
ported recovering Wednesday morn
ing.
Births
The following births at the Bluff
ton hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Carl Davis, Ada,
boy, Tuesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Faze, a girl
Tuesday.
27 TEACHERS GIVEN
NEW CONTRACTS IN
BLUFFTON SCHOOLS
No Longer to be Hired Annual
ly as Under Previous
Arrangement
Continuing Contracts for 23
Teachers Four Get Limit
ed Contracts
Abolition of the arrangement
whereby Bluffton public school
teachers are hired annually by the
board of education was effected when
23 teachers were given continuing
contracts at a meeting of the board
Monday night.
The continuing contracts, required
by the recently enacted teacher
tenure law, were awarded to in
structors who have completed five
years as faculty members in the
Bluffton schools last June and who
hold either professional, permanent
or life certificates.
Contracts Continue
The arrangement in the past has
been to hire the teaching corps at
the end of every school year. The
law now provides that the contracts
will continue in force until retire
ment or reason for dismissal as pro
vided in the tenure law.
Teachers who have taught in the
system for less than five years will
be given limited or provisional con
tracts and after five years of service
may be given continuing contracts at
the discretion of the board. Four
teachers will receive this type of
contract.
The administrators are also in
cluded in the continuing contract
arrangement. The new contracts
were granted subject to all employ
ment regulations set up by the local
board and in effect at the time the
state law was passed.
Not Life Terms
No lifetime tenure, however, will
exist according to a recent statement
of Walton B. Bliss, executive secre
tary of the Ohio Education associa
tion, the organization which sponsor
ed the bill.
There are definite grounds for
terminating such contracts as set vp
by law. Bliss stated that teachers
as a body are just as anxious to
weed out incompetents in the pro
fession as is the public. The right
of a board of education to dismiss
incompetent teachers is contained in
provisions of the law.
The grounds for dismissal as
specified in the act are inefficiency
or immorality, and violations of
reasonable rules of the board of
education. The procedure set up for
such dismissals includes written
notice of the reasons, the right of a
hearing with witnesses before the
board and the right of court appeal
if desired.
Former Bluffton
Dentist Succumbs
Dr. Delbert Rhoades, 70, former
Bluffton dentist died in Columbus,
Monday, according to word received
by friends here. Dr. Rhoades prac
ticed dentistry here about forty
years ago. He has lived in Colum
bus for a number of years.
The remains were taken to his
former home at Plymouth, Ohio,
where funeral services were held
Wednesday followed by interment at
that place.
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live and a
Good Place to Trade
NUMBER 25
DAIRYMEN BENEFIT
AS PRICE OF MILK
IS INCREASED HERE
Retail Price of Milk Advanced
One Cent Per Quart in
Bluffton
Farmers Receiving $2.40 Per
Hundred for Four Per Cent
Butterfat Milk
Increased prices being paid to
Bluffton dairy farmers for raw milk
were reflected in a one-cent raise in
milk prices paid by Bluffton consum
ers effective the first of the week.
With raw milk commanding a
price of $2.40 per hundred at the
local plant of the Page Dairy Co.
representing an increases of 12 cents
within a month, price to the con
sumer has been raised to 11 cents a
quart.
The greatly increased demand for
milk is reflected in the large amount
of dairy exports being made at the
present time to foreign countries.
Volume of raw milk handled at
the Page plant is nearly 20,000
pounds daily greater than under
normal conditions, it was stated this
week.
Increase
Between 65,000 and 70,000 pounds
of milk are being processed daily
at the plant in comparison with a
normal average of 50,000 pounds.
This year’s production exceeds that
of last year by 12,000 pounds per
day.
Bluffton district farmers are paid
on the 1st and 16th of every month.
Every pay period has witnessed an
increase in the amount for raw milk
and the new period starting this
week may witness another increase.
It is not unlikely that the figure
will reach the total of $2.50 per
hundred pounds or five cents a quart
for raw milk, observers have point
ed out.
The figure of $2.40 represents an
increase of 65 cents over the base
price of $1.75 quoted at this time
last year. With wholesale prices of
daily products at the highest levels
in years, farmers who sell cream
also are reaping additional income.
Butterfat was commanding a price
of 36 cents a pound on Bluffton
markets Wednesday morning. This
quotation is two cents under the
peak price of 38c for the present
market movement, which prevailed
last week.
May Save Sight Of
Eye Hurt In Crash
Melvin Long, Jr., 21, Orange town
ship youth, who received a serious
injury to his right eye in an auto
mobile crash was removed from
Findlay hospital to the home of his
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Long
east of Bluffton, Tuesday afternoon.
Long’s eyeball was pierced by a
fragment of glass but attending phy
sicians expressed the belief that it
would be possible to save the sight
as he was released from the hospital.
The accident in which Long was
injured involved three cars and oc
curred on the Dixie highway south
west of Rawson on Wednesday night
of last week.
Also injured and in the Findlay
hospital were Mr. and Mrs. Semiah
Neiswander, an aged couple of Find
lay, who received cuts and bruises.
State highway patrolmen said the
accident occurred when Long, headed
toward Bluffton, attempted to pass a
vehicle operated by A. M. Gilliland
of Findlay which was going in the
same direction and then tried to get
back into his own line of traffic when
he saw Neiswander’s car approach
ing from the opposite direction.
Longs* car struck the two other
machines and then went into the left
ditch, hit a utility pole and upset.
The other two machines were knocked
off the road to the right.
Former Resident
Dies In California
Mattie Steiner, 82, former Bluff
ton resident, died Tuesday at her
home in Upland, Calif., according to
word received by relatives here.
She was the youngest daughter of
the late John and Katherine Steiner,
born on what is known as the Adam
Steiner farm three miles northwest
of Bluffton.
About twenty years ago she left
for Califomia and has since resided
at Upland. She was never married.
Funeral services will be held at
Upland followed by burial at Pasa
dena, Calif. She was the last of her
family and a number of nieces and.
nephews are the only survivors.