The Bluffton news. [volume], September 21, 1944, Image 1

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THURSDAY, SEPT. 21, 1944
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VOLUME NO. LXIX
ALL EMPLOYEES IN
SCHOOLS HERE GET
RAISE IN SALARIES
Board Distributes $3,531 of
State Emergency Fund
Monday Night
Teachers, Janitors, Bus Drivers
and Others Will Be
Benefitted
Raises in pay for teachers and oth
er employees of the public schools
were authorized Monday night when
the board of education distributed a
total of $3,531 of the state emergency
fund earmarked for that purpose at a
special session of the Ohio state leg
islature last week.
Benefitted by the raise are:
Twenty full time teachers each of
whom will receive $11 per month for
12 months.
One half-time teacher who will re
reive $5.50 per month for 12 months.
Four janitors each of whom will re
ceive $10 per month for 12 months.
Four school bus drivers each of
whom will receive $5 per month for
9 months.
One cafeteria manager who will re
ceive $5 per month for 9 months.
One office secretary who will receive
$5 per month for 12 months.
Clerk of the board of education who
will receive $5 per month for 12
months.
Added to Regular Pay
The foregoing raises art in addi
tion to the regular salaries. The
raise is the second to be received by
teachers since the close of school last
spring since the board during the sum
mer voted an increase of $60 per year
for each full time teacher.
Except for the stipulation that the
money must be used for the payment
of salaries, there were no conditions
laid down by the state legislature for
its distribution which could be done
in any manner each board of educa
tion saw fit.
The board here was agreed upon a
flat distribution of the money—the
same amount going to all persons in
each classification, and that any dif
ference in amounts be determined ac
cording to the various classifications
of work.
$8 per Student is Basts
Amount of money alloted to each
school by action of the legislature
was on the basis of average daily at
tendance, $8 being al toted for each
pupil.
Bluffton’s average attendance dur
ing the past year was 451, making a
total of $3,608 for schools here After
distribution of the $3,531 Monday
night the $77 remaining will be held
in reserve to apply to the salary of
an industrial arts instructor which the
board of education hopes to employ
next semester.
A check for the $3,608 is expected
this week from the office of the state
auditor. The raise will be included
in salary checks at the end of this
month.
The salary raises were provided by
action of the legislature called into
special session last week to provide
emergency aid to school boards thru
out the state who because of lack of
funds were unable to raise salaries
and thereby prevent a general exodus
of teachers into better paying jobs.
Large Quota For
Surgical Dressings
Bluffton’s Red Cross has been as
signed a quota of 40,000 surgical
dressings to be completed by October
1, it is announced by Mrs. J. S.
Steiner, head of the work here.
To fill this quota on time more
workers are needed, she said, and
work room in the Grade school build
ing will be open every Monday night
at 7:30 and afternoons, Tuesday
thru Friday from 1:30 to 4 o’clock.
Material for the month’s quota
has been received and the work must
go on at an ever increasing pace to
meet the needs of the armed forces.
Pandora and Orange township
women have responded to the appeal
In a most helpful way and some
Bluffton women are working daily
while many women have not given
any of their time, Mrs. Steiner said.
This appeal is for those who may
find time for a few hours a week, if
they plan to do so, she said, stating
“If it were your boy that was
wounded could you plan your duties
to supply his needs?”
Navy Promotion
Word has been received here of
the promotion of Francis W. Lug
inbill, in naval service to the rat
ing of MM 2/c. He is a salvage
diver now in the South Pacific war
theatre.
Births
The following births in Bluffton
hospital:
Cpl. and Mrs. Dan Matthews, a
son, Friday. Mrs. Matthews is the
former Hope Kincaid of this place.
Rev. and Mrs. V. C. Oppermann
of South Lawn avenue, a son, Sat
urday.
Mr. and Mrs. John Rowe, Ft. Jen
nings, a daughter, Wednesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Morris Anderson,
Pandora, a daughter, Monday.
Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Stoody, Pan
dora, a son, Saturday.
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Schaller, Raw
son, a daughter, Sunday.
25 MEN TAKEN IN
SEPTEMBER DRAB
CALL OF BOARD 3
This Month’s Inductions Stay
Light for Third Month
In Succession
Farm Deferments for Youths
Under 26 May Be Void
In Next 60 Days
September draft call of Allen
Coutny Board No. 3, which took 25
men from rural Allen county last
week, for the third month in a row
is materially lighter than the whole
sale induction of last spring which
reached a peak in April when 170
registrants were sworn into the armed
forces.
No Bluffton men were included in
last week’s induction, and only one
registrant was taken from the area,
Robert Milbum Criblez, of Bluffton
Route 2.
Mark Garmatter, of Lima, formerly
of Bluffton, also was one of the in
ductees. He is the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Albert Garmatter, of Elm street.
Both Garmatter and Criblez were
sworn into the army.
Two More Than August
September’s call of 25 was only
two more than in August when 23 men
were inducted, but it took three times
as many registrants as in July when
eight men were called by Board 3.
October and November calls may be
slightly heavier, but the majority of
those drafted will be boys who have
just turned 18 and from the group
under 26 yeans of age who irave had
deferments.
Indication., are that draft calls
during the fall months will include
a number of farm youths under 26
who were deferred during the spring
and summer because of agricultural
work. Informed sources say there
will be little prospect for continued
deferment of those youths under 26
after the fall crops are harvested.
Funeral Here For
Former Resident
Funeral services for Mrs. Elizabeth
Boehr, widow of the late Peter
'Boehr were held at the First Men
nonite church Wednesday afternoon.
Mrs. Boehr died at Tiffin Sunday
where she made her home with her
daughter Miss Elizabeth Boehr, in
structor in Heidelberg college. Her
death followed a four months’ ill
ness.
The body was brought here Wed
nesday afternoon. Officiating at the
funeral services were Rev. J. N.
Smucker pastor of the First Men
nonite church and Dr. Josephson,
president of Heidelberg college. In
terment was in Maple Grove ceme
tery.
Mrs. Boehr was born in Kaiserlu
ten, Germany, and came to this
country 65 years ago. In 1924 the
family moved from Wisner, Ne
braska, to Bluffton where she re
sided for twelve years since which
time she made her home with her
daughter in Tiffin.
Surviving are three sons Jacob
Boehr of Newton, Kansas Henry of
Wisner, Nebraska, and John of Bluff
ton, and three daughters Elizabeth
of Tiffin Mrs. D. J. Brand of Jack
sonville, Florida, and Mrs. E. R.
Moser of Bluffton.
Also surviving are two sisters,
Misses Lena and Emma Schowalter
of Talmage, Nebraska, and two bro
thers Jacob Schowalter of Beatrice,
Nebraska, and John Schowalter of
Lincoln, Nebraska.
Harvest Home Service
At Emanuel9s Sunday
Annual harvesthome and home
coming festival will be held at Em
manuel's Reformed church Sunday in
two services at 10:30 a. m. and
2 pm.
Rev. Otto Gerber of Christ Evan
gelical & Reformed church in Orr
ville will be the guest speaker. A
basket dinner will be served at noon.
WILD LIFE SEEKS
WATER AS CREEKS
IN AREA RUN DRY
Animals Driven From Usual
Haunts in Desperate Quest
For YVater.
Long Stretches of Stream Beds
Dusty Gullies as Drought
Returns.
Wild life thruout the Bluffton area
is being hard hit by the recurrence
of drought conditions which have be
set this district with but minor inter
ruptions since last June.
Streams are at lowest levels in
recent years and stretches of dusty
gullies mark creek leds. Big Riley
in its upper reaches has ceased flow
ing and is completely dry from the
Nickel Plate railroad bridge to a
point beyond Fox Hill, a distance of
more than a half mile.
Drying up of streams has taken
a heavy casualty in fish. However,
residents along the creeks have in
some instances removed the fish to
other places. This occurred during
the past week when a quantity of
bullheads trapped in small pools of
Marsh run were rescued and placed
in the Buckeye quarry.
Wild Life Haunts Barnyards
Driven to desperation because of
the lack of water, wild life in the
Bluffton area has forsaken its cus
tomary haunts and ranges far and
wide to seek the few remaining
water holes in creeks and streams.
Reports are current of squirrels
and raccoon being seen in increasing
number in farmyards drinking from
livestock watering troughs and a
number have been found drowned
when they inadvertently fell in.
With the opening of the squirrel
season, Friday, hunters are predict
ing that the best place to seek game
will be at water holes along creeks
and other spots where there is an
ample water supply.
Gideons To Speak
Here Next Sunday
Representatives of the Lima camp
of Gideons, Christian commercial
business men’s organization will
speak in four Bluffton area churches,
Sunday, it is announced by Wm.
Burkholder ot Bluffton and L. Shirl
Hatfield of Pandora in charge of
assignments in this districts.
The following speaking schedule
has been arranged:
R. C. Crosby of Lima at the
Ebenezer Mennonite church in the
evening. Assignments for Sunday
morning are:
Assignments for Sunday morning
are: D. W. Grisso of Ottawa at the
Defenseless Mennonite church F. G.
Conrad of New Hampshire at the
Bluffton Church of Christ E. J.
Wahlie of Bluffton at the Missionary
church and James Hartman of Lima
at Beaverdam Church of Christ.
Besides Burkholder and Wahlie,
other local members of the Gideons
are Waldo Hofstetter and John Tosh.
Lima Interests Buy
Two Dairies Here
Meadow Gold Dairy interests of
Lima have bought out Bluffton’s two
dairy establishments, the Hy-Grade
and Hofstetter dairies, it was an
nounced the first of the week.
The deal whereby the Lima con
cern took over the Hy-Grade dairy
was closed Tuesday afternoon and
announced by Paul Detwiler, Hy
Grade proprietor, whose dairy depot
is located on South Main street.
At the same time Detwiler an
nounced that beginning October 1 he
has accepted a position with the
Dunn & Bradstreet Mercantile agency
and has been assigned to the con
cern’s Toledo office. His family
will continue to reside here.
Purchase of the Waldo Hofstetter
dairy which was operated from Hof
stetter’s farm west of Bluffton was
announced two weeks ago.
Rodney Clements
Rites Held Friday
Rodney Jean Clements, infant son
of Ivan and Cleda (Binkley) Cle
ments, of Mound street, died last
Thursday afternoon at Lima Memor
ial hospital. The child was born
on September 11.
In addition to the parents, sur
vivors are the grandparents, Mr.
and Mrs. Lester Binkley, of Bluff
ton, and G. J. Clements, of McComb.
Funeral services were held Friday
at the Paul Diller funeral home.
Rev. J. A. Weed, pastor of the First
Methodist church, officiated. Burial
was in Maple Grove cemetery.
THE BLUFFTON NEWS, BLUFFTON, OHIO
rHE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, SEPT. 21, 1944
First soy beans of this year’s
crop were sold on the Bluffton mark
et this week. Basic standard price
for this year’s £rop has been fixed
at $2.04 per bushel by government
agencies, local dealers stated.
This is a material advance over
the price for last year’s crop of
$1.86. Any beans from last year’s
crop will continue to be bought at
the latter price, it was stated here.
Indication are that the yield this
year will run from 20 to 22 bushels
per acre which is about one-third
under the average yield. Quality of
the beans is said to be good.
Ammunition Is More
Year. So Sqi
Electric Current
May Be Off Next
Sunday Morning
I^LECTRIC current service in
Bluffton will be suspended on
several Sunday mornings from 7
to 10 o’clock in order to make
necessary changes in high volt
age lines it was announced
Tuesday afternoon by light plant
attaches.
It is planned to start the
work next Sunday morning un
less weather conditions interfere.
Navy Commission
To Bluffton Boy
Ralph Short of Bluffton received
his commission as a naval ensign at
graduation exercises of Northwestern
University Midshipman’s school held
at Chicago, Thursday.
His parents, Mr. and Mrs. E. L.
Short of South Main street and
Miss June Mowrey of Lima were in
Chicago to attend the graduation.
Ens. Short is at his home here
for a short leave after which he
will report to the west coast for
duty.
New York Attorney
Dies Reared Here
Sturges S. Dunham, 71, prominent
New York attorney who was reared
in Bluffton, died Monday at his sum
mer home in Westport, Conn., ac
cording to word received here.
New Soy Beans Reach Market Price
Is Fixed At S2.04 Yield Is Light
He was graduated from Bluffton I
high school in the tfN&VW 1991 and
later attended Ohio Wesleyan uni
versity. His father was Rev. E. S.
Dunham pastor of the Methodist
church here.
He was a member of the patent
law firm of Cooper, Kerr & Dunham
and represented a number of large
Cleveland firms in patent matters.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Stella
Secrest Dunham formerly of Chilli
cothe and a son, Lieut. Robert S.
Dunham of the Navy.
Also surviving are a brother, Rev.
Ray Dunham of Oxford, Ohio, and
a sister, Miss Florenca Dunham, li
brarian at the University of In
diana, Bloomington, Indiana.
Three From Area Are
In Airplane Crashes
Three men from the Bluffton area
were involved in airplane accidents
within the past week, one dying
from his injuries.
The dead man is Lt. (j. g.) Clyde
Steinhour, 28, of Columbus Grove
who died Sunday at the naval air
hospital at Ottumwa, Iowa, from in
juries sustained Saturday when a
training plane crashed as he was in
structing a cadet. The cadet was
not injured.
Two others injured were Sgt. Ed
Hottensmith, 34, and Clarence Dyer,
44, of near Findlay, both Civil Air
Patrol members when the training
plane which they were flying from
the Findlay airport crashed on the
Walter Swinehart farm near Raw
son Monday night at 7 o’clock.
Both men are in a critical condi
tion in the Findlay hospital. Hot
tensmith’s left leg was amputated
at the ankle in an operation at the
hospital following the accident Mon
day night. Dyer’s arm is broken
and he received other injuries.
Body of Lt. Steinhour was brought
to Col. Grove where funeral serv
ices were held Wednesday afternoon
followed by interment in the Truro
cemetery. His wife who survives is
the former Josephine Grainger of
Columbus Grove. Also surviving is
a daughter Sonya Kaye, his father,
two brothers and three sisters.
ENTERS BIBLE SEMINARY
Earl Dean Luginbuhl, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Gideon Luginbuhl of West
Elm street enrolled the first of the
week as a freshman in Cincinnati
Bible seminary. He was graduated
from Bluffton high school last spring.
Husband Is III
In New Guinea
Sgt. Frank Houston is seriously
ill in New Guinea, according to a
telegram received here Sunday by
his wife, Mrs. Marjorie Stratton
Houston.
The message came from the War
department which gave no further
details regarding his illness except
to state that she would be further
advised as reports of his condition
are received.
Plentiful This
lirrels Must BeWary
Squirrel Season Opens Friday
Many Hunters to Go Out
This Year
Guns of Those Hunting Within
Town Boundary Will Be
Confiscated
Although a shortage of ammuni
tion is cutting the interest in squir
rel hunting in some areas Bluffton
district nimrods have a sufficient
supply to insure as much hunting
here as in normal years, according
to a survey made this week by the
Community Sportsman’s club.
Few hunters will be kept at home
because of lack of ammunition this
fall and when the season opens this
Friday it .will be the signal for
hundreds of local sportsmen to de
ploy thru the wooded areas of the
community. Altho not much am
munition has been released so far
there has been enough to insure
squirrel hunting in normal propor
tions.
Open season on squirrels is short
again this year, for it will close on
September 30, which gives only two
Saturdays for hunting to those who
are employed in war plants and can
not get away on other days.
With the opening of the hunting
season in tfie immediate offing, mu
nicipal officials and game authorities
this week announced their intention
of “cracking down” severely on any
hunters caught shooting within the
Bluffton village limits.
The town boundaries will be pa
trolled thruout the season by game
wardens and other officials, who
have authority to make arrests and
confiscate the guns of those hunting
within the village limits.
To Confiscate Guns
Anyone caught hunting in town
will lose his gun until the close of
the rabbit hunting season next Jan
uary, and violators also are liable
to arrest and prosecution.
Game reserves in this district also
will be patrolled regularly, and in
the town particular emphasis will be
stressed on checking the creek dis
tricts and the area around the Buck
eye and National quarries.
Deputy game wardens sworn in
Monday night by Mayor W. A.
Howe to patrol the town are Jesse
Manges, Fred Tschantz and Herbert
Rupright. Marshal Lee Coon and
Night Policeman Clayton Murray
also will help.
Bluffton High school students will
be excused from school for half a
day on the opening day of squirrel
hunting this Friday, providing they
present a written request from their
parents showing that they actually
plan to go hunting and that the par
ents have no objection.
On the eve of the opening of the
season, State Conservation Com
missioner Don Waters reported that
squirrels are more plentiful than
ever in most sections of the state.
The bag limit is four in one day
and eight allowed in possession after
the opening day.
Wayne Dailey Wins
Air Gunner's Wings
Wayne W. Dailey, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Dwight E. Dailey of near
Bluffton, received his silver gunner’s
wings when he completed the flexible
gunnery course for radio men at the
Yuma Army Air Field this week.
Prior to his training in flexible gun
nery, Corporal Dailey graduated
from the Radio Operators and Me
chanics School, Sioux Falls, South
Dakota. He is a graduate of Bluff
ton High school.
Mary Stalter, Of
WAVES, In Capital
Mary E. Stalter, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Frank Stalter, of Riley
street, a member of the WAVES,
has been assigned to duty in Wash
ington. She will replace a male
member of the Navy who will be re
leased for sea duty.
Real Estate Deals
The North Lawn avenue property
occupied by Don Reams has been
purchased by Paul Basinger from
Walter Marshall of Orange town
ship. Basinger expects to occupy
the property this fall moving from
apartments in the Ed Chamberlain
property on Cherry street, formerly
the Clymer property.
Gerald Swank, former Bluffton
barber who closed his shop on North
Main street to join the navy, has
purchased from Leland Sechler the
room occupied by the shop. Swank,
a coxswain in the navy, is stationed
at Jacksonville, Florida, and is here
on leave.
NO CROP LOSSES
DUE TO SHORTAGE
OF FARM LABOR
Farmers Draft Members of
Families to Cope with
Situation
Weather is Big Help in Wheat
Harvest and Corn Cut
ting Here
While the volume of available farm
labor this year is the smallest within
the memory of farmers in the Bluff
ton district, there have been virtually
no crop losses because of labor short
age.
The shortage of farm labor which
loomed large at the outbreak of the
war has been met successfully by
farmers usually by drafting members
of the family into service and plan
ning farm operations with’ii a scope
that may be handled within the fa i
ily itself.
The pinch of a farm labor short
age which became acute a year ago
was more severe this past summer,
however farmers proved sufficiently
resourceful to cope with the situation,
by planning farm operations within a
scope that could be handled without
outside help and cooperating with
neighbors on a labor exchange basis.
Weather Big Help
The weather, too, has been a large
factor in successfully overcoming the
labor shortage. While drought con
ditions cut yields, especially the com
crop, at the same time it provided a
stretch of more than two mid-summer
months of almost entirely uninter
rupted weather for work in the fields
thereby enabling the farmer to use
to the fullest his diminishing supply
of labor.
For the first time in years there
was no rain during the entire wheat
harvest season in the Bluffton dis
trict. Likewise the com cutting seas
on which started early this month has
had little interruption because of
weather conditions.
Widely publicized programs advo
cating city help on farms as an emer
gency measure found no response
here. Fanners pointed out that it
requires the time of sesaoned hands
to train inexperienced help in the use
of modern power farm machinery and
by the time they become sufficiently
skilled to handle the equipment the
period for its use has passed.
More Liable to Accidents
Also farmers point out that inex
perienced help is vastly more liable
to accidents in handling of livestock
and farm machinery.
The Ohio law makes a farmer per
sonally responsible for accidental in
juries suffered by employee if the
farmer, during the year employs three
or more workers and does not protect
himself by carrying state compensa
tion insurance.
Despite precautions, the farm acci
dent rate is higher than for any other
industry, but the cost of carrying
compensation insurance is small when
compared with some judgements which
have been awarded following acci
dents.
B-29 Pilot Reported
Missing Now Is Safe
Captain Boyd Grubaugh, of Van
Wert, brother of Captain Glover
Grubaugh and Miss .Nedra Gru
baugh, both of whom formerly at
tended Bluffton college, who had been
listed as missing in action in China
is safe and again on duty as a pilot
of a B-29 Super-Fortress.
On Sept. 7 his parents were noti
fied he was missing, but this week
they heard he was again on duty.
No details were given.
Pandora Man To Lead
Singspiration Sunday
Iner Basinger of Pandora will lead
the singspiration in the Defenseless
Mennonite church Sunday night at
9 o’clock. His wife will be at the
piano and they will give special
numbers.
PAGE THREW
BUY
VNITB9
NUMBER 22
END OF WORK ON
MAIN ST. BRINGS
SPEEDING PROBLEM
New, Smooth Surface Used As
Speedway by Drivers of
Trucks and Autos
Traffic Lights Now Operate All
Night As A Partial Con
trol Measure
Completion of the resurfacing of
Main street this week brought a new
municipal problem in the form of
controling automobile and truck driv
ers who succumb to the desire or turn
ing the wide, smooth thorofare into
a speedway.
Most of the trouble has been with
night traffic, and as a control meas
ure the three traffic lights on the
street now are being operated 24
hours a day.
In the past, the traffic lights have
been turned off about midnight, but
with completion of the new stieet
automobiles and trucks went speed
ing thru town at such high speed as
to constitute a definite accident haz
ard.
Tightening of all traffic regulations
also was announced by local police
who said that speeders and motorists
who “run” traffic signals will be par
ticular targets in the campaign to
promote highway safety in the vil
lage-
South Main street and College av
enue intersection has been an especial
dangerous spot for some time. Sev
eral accidents and many near- acci
dents have occurred at the intersec
tions and it will be one of the places
that will be checked carefully for the
next several weeks, as a part of the
safety campaign.
Wtith the completion of work on
Main street this week, the Churchill
Co., of Limn, has transferred its op
erations to Cherry and Church streets.
A new concrete-asphalt surface will
be placed over the present brick pave
ment, laid in 1904, which is the old
est in the town.
Wed In Pandora
Sunday Afternoon
Wedding of Miss Mary Lou Carr,
daughter of Harold Carr of Mt.
Cory and David Yoder of Landis
ville, Pa., Bluffton college graduate,
was solemnized Sunday afternoon at
2 o’clock in the parsonage of the
Grace Mennonite church in Pandora.
Rev. Forrest Musser, pastor of the
church, officiated in the double ring
ceremony. The bridegroom is the
son of Willis Y'oder of Gosher, Ind.
The bride was attired in a cherry
rose suit with black accessories and
a shoulder corsage of pink roses.
Darrel Carr, brother of the bride,
served as best man and Miss Joan
Carr also was in attendance.
A reception at the home of the
bride followed the ceremony.
The bride is a graduate of Mt.
Cory high school and has been em
ployed in the office of the Producer’s
Cooperative association in Findlay.
Mr. Yoder, formerly of Pandora, is
a graduate of Pandora high school.
After a brief wedding trip the
couple will reside in Landisville, Pa.,
where Mr. Yoder is employed as an
artificial breeding technician.
Former Bluffton
Man Weds In East
Announcement has been received
here of the wedding of Walter Klay
and Miss Bertha Eyler, both of
Waynesboro, Pa.
Mr. Klay is a Bluffton native, son
of the late J. J. Klay and a brother
of Mrs. S. H. Stepleton and Elmer
Klay of this place. For a number
of years he has been shop superin
tendent of the Landis Tool company
in Waynesboro.
The wedding took place in the
Thurmont United Brethren church
with the ring ceremony performed
by the pastor, Rev. Ivan Naugle.
The couple was unattended.
Prior to her marriage the bride
had been employed as secretary in
an industrial plant.
Following a wedding trip to New
York city they are living at 315
West Sixth street in Waynesboro.
Hours For Public
Library Announced
Bluffton’s public library at the
high school building is open every
week day from 8 a. m. to 5 p. m.
except Saturday when the hours are
from noon to 5 p. m., it is an
nounced by the librarian, Miss Ocie
Anderson.
The library also is open on Mon
day, Wednesday and Saturday even*
ings from 6:30 to 8 p. m.