The Bluffton news. [volume], July 25, 1946, Image 1

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BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live
VOLUME LXXI
RECOMMEND SALE
OF LIGHT BONDS
TO TOLEDO FIRM
Board of Public Affairs Takes
Action at Meeting Held
Tuesday Night
Four Bids Submitted for $125,
000 Issue Final Approval
Up To Council
Bid of Stranahan, Harris & Co.,
Toledo bond buyers was accepted by
the board of public affairs Tuesday
night for the purchase of $125,000 in
revenue bonds for improvement of
Bluffton’s municipal electric light
and power plant subject to approval
of the towm council.
The board indicated that it would
recommend the bid of the Toledo
firm for final approval at the next
scheduled meeting of the council on
Monday night, August 5. It is be
lieved that the council will follow* the
board’s recommendation.
Decision in the matter of awarding
the bid for the bonds was made by
Forrest Harmon, chairman and Har
ry Barnes, a member of the board.
A. C. Burcky, the third member was
absent, being called to Milwaukee on
business.
Four Bids
Bid of the Toledo firm was one of
four submitted Tuesday night. Others
w’ere those of Ryan, Sutherland &
Co., Toledo al joint bid from Roos &
Co., Toledo and Weil, Roth & Irving
of Cincinnati and another joint bid
from Walter, Woody & Heimerdinger
and Widman & Co., both of Cincin
nati.
The Stranahan, Harris & Co., pro
posal covered an issue extending
over a period of 20 years bearing in
terest at the rate of two per cent,
together with payment of a premium
of $2.24 on each one thousand dollar
bond, reducing interest cost to 1.98
per cent. This was the lowest inter
est cost proposal submitted, other
bids ranging upwards to a maximum
of two and one-fourth per cent.
The bonds are to be dated August
1, 1940 and will have as their under
lying security the electric generating
and distribution equipment of the
plant, not including waterworks as
sets. This suggestion was made by
the bond buying firm in order to sim
plify legal technicalities.
Forsee New Turbine Need
An added feature in the awarding
of the bond issue to the Toledo firm
was a provision that future bonds
might be issued after a three year
period provided that average earn
ings of the plant for the three years
immediately preceding would be suf
ficient to cover by 1.4 the amount re
(Continued on page 5)
Evan Soash Will Be
Alger High Principal
Evan Soash, son of Dr. and Mrs.
M. D. Soash, has been hired as prin
cipal and athletic coach at Alger
high school for the coming term.
Soash and his wife have been living
in Ada for the past year while he
attended Ohio Northern university.
He is an ex-service man and saw’
action with the Navy in the Pacific
area.
With Service Men
Dicharged from naval service at
Great Lakes, Ill., during the past
week were Robert Burkholder, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Burkholder
and William Klass, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Albert Klass.
Hugh Eugene Hilty, son of Mr.
and Mrs. E. M. Hilty of Bluffton
Route 1 who enlisted in the Navy
for two years has been assigned to
48 weeks of training in the navy
electronics school at Great Lakes,
Illinois.
Pfc. Gordon Bixel, Jr., of Ft.
Lewis, Wash., is spending a three
weeks’ furlough w’ith his parents,
Dr. and Mrs. Gordon Bixel of Spring
street.
Births
The following births at Bluffton
hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Schifferly,
Bluffton, a girl, Sandra Kay, July
IQ
o.
Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Haas, Bluff
ton, a boy, Thomas Jay, last Wed
nesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Donavin Amstutz,
Bluffton, a girl, Leslie Dian, Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Y’oder, Jr.,
of Goshen, Ind., a girl, Marsha Ann,
born at St. Rita’s hospital, Lima,
Sunday. Mrs. Y'oder is the former
Betty Amstutz, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. W. A. Amstutz.
Bluffton Graduate
Will Go To China
Miss Viola Amstutz, a Bluffton
college graduate, and daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. L. A. Amstutz, of
Pandora, will leave this summer for
China as a relief worker under the
direction of the Mennonite Central
committee, of Akron, Pa.
Miss Amstutz will go to Akron in
two weeks, and be stationed there
until she sails for China.
She was graduated from Pandora
High school in 1940 and from Bluff
ton college in 1944. For the past
two years she has been teaching in
Carlock, Ill.
BIG CROP QF OATS
ADDS TO FARMERS
STORAGE PROBLEM
Largest Yield In Four Years
Comes On Heels Of Bumper
Wheat Crop
Farmers Unload Surplus Grain
On Barn Floors as Storage
Bins Are Filled
Bluffton area farmers are busy
this week harvesting the district’s
largest oats crop in four years, with
yields in many fields reported as
high as 100 bushels to the acre.
Early marketing reports show a
high test of from 24 to 36 pounds
per bushel. Standard weight per
bushel is 32 pounds.
For the last three years, oats in
the Bluffton district has barely been
up to average, but early harvest
reports this year point to a bumper
crop.
Harvesting of oats is coming right
on the heels of a busy season in
which farmers raced against time to
complete wheat cutting.
Storage Problem Acute
With many farmers combining
oats, as they did wheat, the farm
storage problem is more acute than
ever. Bins on most farms are bulg
ing, and many barns have grain on
the floor, awaiting the time when
glutted elevators may be able to
handle the crop for marketing. Local
elevators are full and able to buy
more grain only as scarce cars are
available for making shipments.
This summer’s wheat yield was a
surprise, and altho the aggregate
acreage was smaller than last year,
the total amount harvested here was
about the same as last year’s bumper
crop. Average yield here was 35
bushels to the acre, in comparison
with the state average over a 10
year period of 15 bushels.
Cool spring weather with plenty
of moisture at the right time made
the good wheat harvest possible, and
excellent w-eather during the harvest
season prevented the loss of any of
the grain despite the fact that most
of the crop was combined.
To Raise Money
For Band Suits
To raise money for high school
band uniforms, the Band Mothers
organization will hold a social on
the Presbyterian church lawn, Sat
urday night serving ice cream and
home made cake.
The organization has already
paid for 34 band uniforms and three
majorette suits. However, additional
uniforms wall be needed for the
band, which had a membership of
44 last year. The additional uni
forms will be ordered and paid for
by the Band Mothers when school
opens in the fall.
4-H Club In Radio
Program On Friday
Busy Bee 4-H club, a high school
girls organization, will be heard in a
half-hour radio program Friday
morning at 9:30 o’clock from Find
lay station WFIN.
The program will include musical
numbers, a playlet and interview by
Miss Ruth Winner, county 4-H club
leader.
Appearing on the program will be
Dianne McKinney, Sara Jane Huser,
Lois Hauenstein, June Hochstettler,
Shirleen Klass, Louis Ann Reichen
bach and Mrs. H. H. Huser.
RED CROSS SEWING
Mrs. J. S. Steiner announces that
she has received some sewing to be
done for the Red Cross. Women
interested may call for it at her
home.
Versatile Youth Group Who Trim Trees
Or Lead Church Service Here This Week
Four Young People in Summer
Caravan Busy at Presby
terian Church
Recreation Night for Town’s
Young People at Harmon
Field This Wednesday
Four young people—three girls
and a boy—ranging in age from 17
to 21 years, members of a summer
traveling youth caravan are busy at
the Presbyterian church this week.
The group here is one of 25 cara
vans organized by the board of re
ligious education of the Presbyterian
church who are spending six w’eeks
this summer visiting churches of
that denomination in various parts
of the country.
They’re a versatile, up and doing
outfit, ready and able to do any
thing from tree trimming and in
terior painting to conducting a
prayer meeting and leading a church
service.
The wide range of the group’s ac
tivities is matched by their diverse
personalities and ambitions ranging
all the way from a career in Chris
tian education to ballet dancing.*
They received one week of train
ing at Bowling Green university and
now are on their five weeks rounds.
Coming here from Lima, they ar
rived in Bluffton last Saturday night
and next Saturday they will leave
for Detroit.
Caravan members are:
Dorothy Mueller, 21 year old lead
er of the group whose home is in
Indianapolis, a student at Hanover
college in Indiana, musician and
looking forward to a career in Chris
tian service.
Doris Standring, of Cincinnati,
junior at Ohio university, Athens,
and going into personnel and mer
chandising work.
Betsy Holmes, 17, of South
Orange, N. J., youngest of the
group who will enter a New York
dramatic school this fall.
Wynn Ward, of Huron, South
Dakota, entering college in his home
town this fall and aspiring to a
career in the ministry.
They come prepared to do any
thing in connection with the church
that needs to be done—conducting
Bible classes, working w’ith youth
groups, organizing play centers,
cleaning up grounds and minor re
pair jobs. They conducted the morn
ing service at the Presbyterian
church last Sunday.
Their activities, however, are not
limited by denominational lines and
they are ready to aid in community
projects one of which will be leader
ship in a recreation night for young
people of high school age and over
at Harmon field this Wednesday
night at 7 o’clock. The affair is
sponsored by the Bluffton Youth
Federation, an interdenominational
group.
The caravaners give their services
without pay and say they enjoy the
many diverse experiences in different
communities where their work calls
them.
Former Wrestler
Killed In Crash
Samuel Albert “Al” Akerman, 72,
of Lafayette, professional wrestler
who appeared in matches in the town
hall here some 45 years ago was
killed instantly Tuesday afternoon in
a truck-bus collision on state route
81 three miles west of Lafayette.
Ackerman, driving a pick-up truck
collided head-on with an Ada-Lima
bus line coach driven by Melvin Dan
iels, 24, of Ada. Daniels, together
with 15 of the 16 passengers in his
bus wrere treated for injuries at
Lima Memorial hospital. None of
the injuries is believed to be serious.
Investigators v.’ere told that Dan
iels swerved the bus to avoid strik
ing the truck which was reported
over the center of the highway.
Ackerman apparently swerved his
truck at the same time and the two
vehicles crashed. Neither was over
turned but both were heavily dam
aged.
Ackerman was dead when taken
from the truck. His pet cocker
spaniel "Lady” which constantly rode
beside him on the seat of the truck
also was a victim of the crash.
Ackerman for many years was
widely known in northwest Ohio
sports circles and was also promin
ent as a basketball player. Recent
ly he has been living w-ith his sister,
Mrs. Neva Fisher of near Lafayette.
Funeral services will be held Fri
day afternoon at 2 o’clock from the
Lantz & Cretors funeral home in
Ada, with Rev. M. A. Packard of
Lafayette Luthem church officiating.
Burial will be in Lafayette cemetery.
rHE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO THURSDAY, JULY 26, 1946
NEW SUBDIVISIONS
ARE TROUBLED BY
SEWER PROBLEMS
Lack Of Adequate Sewer Out
lets For New Building Lots
Raises Old Problem
Necessity To Run New Private
Lines To Creeks May Dis
courage Building
Bluffton’s proverbial “bad penny”,
the lack of a modem sewer system,
has turned up again, but this time
in a new form w’hich threatens to
hamper the development of several
newly platted subdivisions to the
town.
Attention was again focused on
the lack of adequate sewage facili
ties at last week’s meeting of the
municipal council, when buyers of
lots in the Caroline Matter sub
division, bordering Harmon road op
posite the hospital, requested the
town to construct a sewer from the
plat to Riley creek.
Town authorities pointed out at
the session that sewers locally are
private property, inasmuch as Bluff
ton is without a municipal system,
and for that reason construction of
sewers cannot be financed with public
funds.
Municipal Sewer Turned Down
Had Bluffton voters approved a
municipal sewer system back at the
time it was repeatedly turned down
at the polls when federal aid was
available in the “thirties” no prob
lem would be encountered today, for
the only requirement would be for
the property owner to run his
private line from his property to the
main in front or at the rear of his
house, it was pojnted out.
Today, however, the matter of
sewer outlets is expected to assume
increasing importance, especially in
view of the brisk sale of building
lots here since bast spring.
In some cases, the possibility of
the municipal sewer question coming
up again may serve to delay the
building of additional private sewers
and indirectly discoufige the sale of
building lots.
Await Municipal Sewer
Those who do not intend to build
immediately are not willing to incur
the cost of putting in a sewer, in
the hope that a municipal system
w’ill be provided by the time they
are ready to erect their homes.
As matters now stand most sew
ers are at capacity, and in many
cases newly opened subdivisions face
the prospect of being forced to run
new’ lines all the way to either Big
or Little Riley creeks.
Mrs, Gladys Garlinger
Kaltenbach Succumbs
Mrs. Gladys Garlinger Kaltenbach,
51, who came here from Downey,
Calif., recently to visit at the home
of her father and mother, Mr. and
Mrs. John D. Garlinger, died at the
home of the parents, 135 Geiger
street, Wednesday morning at 3:30
o’clock. She had been ill for two
w'eeks with complications.
She was born in Bluffton, October
28, 1895 and on November 30, 1931
wa§ married to R. A. Kaltenbach of
Downey, Calif., who survives. She
was a member of the Church of
Christ.
Also surviving beside the husband
and parents is a daughter, Mrs. Ber
nadine Van Yrlack of Downey, Calif.
Funeral services will be held at
the Stanley Basinger funeral home
w’ith Rev. Lee Remaley of the church
of Christ officiating. Day and hour
of the services have not been de
termined pending word from her
husband and daughter.
Methodist Youths
At Lakeside Meet
Eleven members of the Youth Fel
lowship organization of the Metho
dist church will leave Sunday to at
tend the annual Y’outh Fellowship
Institute at Lakeside.
They will be accompanied by Mrs.
Forest Harmon, leader of the group,
and Rev. and Mrs. Paul Cramer.
Representatives from Bluffton will
include Donavan Augsburger, Rich
ard Kuhn, James Harmon, Joan
Harmon, Phyllis Hardwick, Lois
Hauenstein, Peggy Eckenweiler,
Marlene Berry, Bonnie Lou Burk
holder, Sarah Jane Huser and Su
sannah Kemph.
Building New House
John Swisher has begun construc
tion of a new residence at his build
ing lot on East Kibler street, form
erly owned by the late J. J. Bader
tscher.
Hardsurfacing 4000 square yards
of the Bluffton grade school play
ground and the unpaved ground
floor under the Harmon field stadium
was approved Tuesday night by the
recreation committee of the Bluffton
Business Men’s association, as a ma
jor summer recreation improvement
association.
The w’ork will be completed early
in August, with a hot tar application
to be applied with stone chips rolled
in, at a cost estimated between $900
and $1,000.
Hard surfacing of all parts of the
grade school playground w-here cin
ders and gravel now’ are used was
approved by the committee to elim­
Late Start And Damage By
Floods Offset By Excellent
Growing Weather
Average Harvest Expected to
Reverse Situation Where
Corn Price Tops Wheat
Altho handicapped by a late start,
followed by spring floods w’hich re
sulted in spotty fields generally, the
Bluffton district corn crop is over
coming early season setbacks and
appears to have the makings of a
better than average yield.
Aggregate acreage in the area is
estimated at less than last year, but
a near pre-w’ar harvest is anticipat
ed on the basis of present indica
tions.
Prospects for a good crop are ex
pected to reverse an unusual situa
tion w’hich prevailed at local mar
kets last week when corn quotations
by the bushel w’ere higher than
those of wheat. This represents a
reversal of the normal relationship
between the two.
Hot weather, with temperatures
in the upper nineties, together with
hot nights the latter part of last
w-eek have provided ideal growing
w’eather for corn and the spotty
stands in some fields have been dis
appearing. In the district north of
Bluffton where there was heavy
rainfall last week prospects are un
usually good.
Tivo-Day Mennonite
Meet Here This Week
Summer meeting of the Ohio
Indiana Y’oung Peoples Conference
of Mennonite churches will be held
this Saturday and Sunday at the
Ebenezer Mennonite church, west of
Bluffton, with approximately 200 del
egates here for the meeting.
Rev. Richard Riley, student at
Norman, Oklahoma, is the conference
speaker, and Rev. J. N. Smucker, of
the Bluffton First Mennonite church,
will teach the Sunday school lesson.
Other features will include a
camp fire meeting on the Ebenezer
church grounds Saturday night, and
a sunrise service on the Bluffton col
lege campus, Sunday morning.
Last Rites For
Catherine Basinger
Mrs. Catherine Basinger, 95, died
at 5 a. m. Friday at her home east
of Columbus Grove, after an illness
of two weeks due to infirmities of
age.
A pioneer resident of this district,
she was born May 10, 1851 in Put
nam county, the daughter of An
thony and Anna Kiene.
She was married Feb. 2, 1869, to
John Basinger, who preceded her
in death in 1907.
Among 166 surviving descendants
are one daughter, Mrs. John Kohli,
Columbus Grove and five sons, Wal
ter Basinger, Bluffton Fred, Chris
tian, John and Irvin Basinger, all
of near Columbus Grove.
Other survivors include 52 grand
children 88 great-grandchildren, and
20 great-great grandchildren.
Mrs. Basinger was a member of
the Ebenezer Mennonite church
where funeral services w’ere held
Sunday afternoon. Rev. A. C.
Schultz of Chicago, a former pastor,
and the present pastor, Rev. Charles
Warren officiated. Burial was in
Zion cemetery.
Miss Doris Diller, nurse at Johns
Hopkins hospital, Baltimore, who has
been spending a two weeks’ vacation
at the home of her parents, Mr. and
Mrs. J. A. Diller of North Jackson
street is visiting friends in Rock
Island, Ill., for several days. She
wdll return here Thursday night and
leave on Saturday for Baltimore.
Recreation Committee Will Hard
Surface Grade School Playground
Corn Crop Overcomes Early Season
Handicaps To Promise Good Yield
inate the accident hazards now’ ap
plying, and to provide better play
facilities in wet w’eather.
Application of the new surface
will allow yea r-a round basketball,
volleyball and tennis play.
In addition to the hard surfacing
project, the committee is proceeding
with installation of lighted croquet
and horseshoe courts.
The committee on the hardsurfac
ing program includes D. B. Conrad,
Paul Diller and W. A. Howe. Gail
Mumma is in charge of the lighting
project. Expenditures are being
financed from funds raised by the
recreation committee for this sum
mer’s expanded program.
MILK PRICE GOES
UP FROM 15 TO
16 AND 17 CENTS
Boost In Milk Price Is First
Since OPA Demise Butter
Price Downward
Adjustments In Meat Prices As
Demand Falls Off For
Higher Priced Cuts
Bluffton’s milk prices, uniform at
15 cents a quart during the first
three works following the demise of
the OPA, are jumping upward, with
one dairy putting a one-cent raise in
effect last w’eek and the other boost
ing prices two cents this Thursday.
At the same time, the price of but
ter after holding steady at 80 cents
for nearly tw-o w’eeks, broke down
ward to 77 cents in the face of a de
clining demand.
Other dairy price increases going
into effect with the boost in milk in
I elude a new’ price of 17 cents for a
half-pint of coffee cream, and a
markup from 18 to 19 cents a pound
for cottage cheese.
Retail ice cream prices have shown
scattered increases, some going up as
much ad eight cents a quart, but the
nickel ice cream cone is still selling
at the old price. Most fountain dishes
remain at former prices, but soft
drinks generally are going up from
five to six and seven cents.
Meat prices are undergoing some
adjustment, because of a sharp de
cline in the demand for some of the
higher-priced steak cuts. In the level
ing off process, some cuts are coming
down slightly, and at the same time
some prices of cheaper meats are ad
justed upward.
Meat buyers over the last few
w’eeks have become more price con
scious on the whole, and a difference
of a few cents a pound brings heavy
runs on some meats while at the same
time demand slackened for higher
priced cuts.
Rites Sunday For
Mrs. Mary Isham
Mrs. Mary L. Isham, 84, mother
of Mrs. Effie Herring, 482 W. Elm
street, died at 5:15 a. m. Friday in
the Grove Lawn convalescent home
at Spencerville, following an illness
of three months. She had made her
home w’ith her daughter here.
Born August 26, 1861, the daugh
ter of James and Susanna (Mum
ma) Bogart, she was married Dec.
8, 1878, to Levi M. laham, who died
in 1909.
Among the survivors are seven
children Mrs. Herring, with whom
she made her home Fay Isham,
Lima Mrs. Row’ena Siebenthal, Nor
wood, Ohio Mrs. Ida Campbell, In
dependence, Kansas Mrs. Ivalon
Clark, South Newport, Ky. Mrs.
Beatrice Harris, Battle Creek, Mich.
and Mrs. Alice Biteman, Sherwood,
Michigan.
Also surviving are one sister, Mrs.
Ella McHenry, Bluffton and three
brothers, Ross Bogart, Bluffton
Earl Bogart, Lima and Joseph Bo
gart, Ada.
She was a member of the Bluffton
Church of Christ, where funeral
services were held Sunday afternoon.
Rev. E. J. Penhorwood, of Lima,
officiated, assisted by Rev. A. S.
Lenhart. Burial was in Maple
Grove cemetery.
BLUFFTON MARKETS
Wednesday Morning
Grain (bushel prices)—Wheat
$1.88 corn $1.60 oats 68c soys
$2.04
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Trade
NUMBER 14
WORK UNDERWAY
ON FIELD FOR NEW
BLUFFTON AIRPORT
Clayton Bixel Launches Project
On 80-Acre Farm East
Of Bluffton
y
Flyinp School For Veterans To
Open At Air Field Early
Next Month __ K
Development of the former A. J.
Owens farm of 80 acres in Orange
township, one and one-half miles east
of town, as a new Bluffton airport,
and the opening of a flying school for
returned war veterans was announced
this week by Clayton Bixel, local
automobile dealer and an aviation in­
I-----------------------------------------------war.theduringstructor
Work on the field was started this
week, with the goal set at providing
a three-runway field with hangar,
qualifying as a Class I airport, Bixel
said.
In connection with the development
of the airport, Bixel said that the
flying school for senicemen will be
opened next month.
Associated with Bixel in the pro
ject will be Harold Carey, of Lima,
who sened as a wartime flight in
structor in Florida during the war.
Flying School
Instruction for ex-sen-icemen under
the G. I. Bill of Rights will be star
ted with a class of 20, according to
Bixel. Three planes will be provided
for flight training, and improvements
now under way embrace the remod
eling of a five-room house now on
the farm into class and office quar
ters, a repair shop and hangar. A
water system also is being installed.
An average of six months’ train
ing is required for a private pilot’s
license. This permits a pupil to fly
his own plane, but not a commercial
plane for hire. To meet the cost of
instruction, the G. I. benefit program
in most cases provides up to $500
for each veteran enrolled.
Completion of the airport develop
ment will give Bixel a Class I field,
representing the minimum in airport
eqtfipme'h’r Class I airports in this
vicinity are at Pandora, Ottawa and
two at Kenton. Lima and Findlay
have Class II airports.
W ill Move Hangar
Bixel now has a hangar on the
farm of William Beagle, his father
in-law, across the road from the new
airport site. This he will move to the
new flying field, as work progresses.
During the war, the Bluffton man
was an instructor for army and navy
cadets in Colorado, Chicago and
and Bowling Green.
If the development was a munici
pally owned airport, it would be eli
gible for a federal grant of $17,000,
money which is expected to be
available within the next six months.
Mennonite Churches
Raise Relief Fund
Raising of a fund to provide for
European relief is under way in
Mennonite churches of the Bluffton,
Pandora and Lima district, it was
announced Tuesday. Contributions
will be received until August 11.
Money raised in the current can
vass will be used to buy milk and
cereals, it was stated by the com
mittee in charge. Milk will be ship
ped in condensed or powdered form
and cereal will be a combination of
wheat, oats and soy beans, commer
cially processed especially for relief.
Shipment will be made thru the
Mennonite Central Committee at
Akron, Pa.
Cooperating are the First Mennon
ite of Bluffton, Ebenezer and St.
John and Grace church of PandorS.
and First church of Lima.
Later in the summer a canning
project will be inaugurated consist
ing of meat and vegetables to be
put up in No. 2 or 2^2 tin cans of
standard size for convenience in
shipping.
Youth Program Here
This Wednesday Night
A Presbyterian youth caravan of
four college students here this week
at the Bluffton Presbyterian church
will be in charge of a recreation
night program for all young people
of high school age and older at 7:00
P. M. this Wednesday on Harmon
field.
The meeting is sponsored by the
Y’outh Federation of All Bluffton
churches, and the program will in
clude games and refreshments. All
young people of the town are in
vited.
All other activities at Harmon
field scheduled for Wednesday night
have been cancelled.