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THURSDAY. OCT. BLUFFTON A Good Place to Live VOLUME LXXI LIGHT PLANT BOND ISSUE OBJECTIONS ARE IRONED OUT Contract Approved by Council After Objections to Terms Are Adjusted. Action Monday Night Opens Way For Issuance of $125,000 In Revenue Bonds. Issuance of $125,000 in revenue bonds to finance improvements at Bluffton’s light plant “had the green light” again Tuesday, after more than a month of negotiations had succeeded in ironing out the muni cipal government’s objections to con tract terms originally offered by the bond buyers. A revised contract was signed Monday night at a special meeting of the municipal council, after City Solicitor Dan R. Tripplehom report ed to the group that every conses sion requested by councilmen when they refused to sign the first con tract had been acceded to by Strana han, Harris and Co., Toledo bond buyers, who were low bidders on the issue. Every point at issue in council ob jections to the contract submitted on Agust 19 were adjusted to the satisfaction of the town with the city solicitor handling Bluffton’s ne gotiations in the matter. Principal Changes Principal contract changes affected foreclosure provisions, furnished a recapture clause protecting the town in case of foreclosure, relieved the municipality of liability for street light payments and materially alter ed franchise right sections of the document. Dissatisfaction with the original contract resulted in revisions, as fol lows: 1—Foreclosure: Proceedings must be instituted by 50 per cent of the outstanding bond holders instead of 25 per cent Village has recapture protection allowing it to regain pos session after six months if foreclos ure is instituted by paying only ac tual cost of foreclosure purchase price. Street Light Free 2—Street Lights: There is no municipal liability during the life of the bonds for payment for current now provided without cost for street lights. (3—Franchise: In case of fore closure, rates will be determined by the town and new plant owner, or if they fail to agree by impartial arbi tration. Earnings under the fran chise are restricted to no more than a six per cent return on the actual investment. With council objections eliminated, the contract was approved at Mon day’s special meeting of the group, and Stranahan, Harris and Co. now can proceed with actual issuance of bonds. The light plant bonds will be re tired over a 20-year period, and will bear a low’ interest rate, 1.98 per cent. Earnings of the plant provide the only security for the bond issue. Legion To Entertain World War II Vets World War II ex-servicemen are invited to be guests of the American Legion at a fish fry in Legion hall, next Monday night. Speaker of the evening will be Thomas F. Gallagher of Lima. Among other features on the even ing’s program will be installation of new officers of the organization, all of whom are veterans of World War II. To be installed at Monday’s ses sion are Frederick Reichenbach, commander Stanley Basinger, vice commander Bernard Jacobson, adju tant Maurice Fett„ finance officer Rev. Paul Cramer, chaplain Gail Rakosky, sergeant-at-arms James Fett, service officer and Raymond Greding and Robert McCune, his torians. All who served in World War II are invited to be guests of the Le gion for the affair. Swiss Male Chorus A cordial invitation is extended to all men who in past years sang in the Sw’iss Community Male chorus and also any others who wish to join. The organization will meet at Pandora school music room next Monday night at 8 o’clock. Stores Vitamin The body can store vitamin A in the liver and kidneys and release it into the blood to be carried to the tissues. Three new’ houses now’ under con struction are expected to be suffi ciently completed to be available for occupancy before winter. A frame house is being built on J. C. Deppler farm on Bentley road for his son-in-law’ and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Marion Burkholder. Mrs. Burkholder is the former Marjorie Deppler. A pre-fabricated house is being built by Wayne Lugibihl on his lot on East Jefferson street in the Fred Mueller addition. C. D. Hilty is finishing the base ment for a new home on Spring street at the foot of Franklin street. Mr. and Mrs. Hilty now’ living in the former Geo. Lewis property on Spring street now owmed by Edgar Bixel w’ill occupy the basement of their new house this winter and build the superstructure probably next summer. BLUFFTON’S TWO GRAIN ELEVATORS ARE CONSOLIDATED Farmers Grain Co. Takes Over Operation of Bluffton Milling Co. New Purchaser Expanding Capital Stock Structure to $75,000 Consolidated operations of Bluff ton’s two grain elevators became ef fective Tuesday when the Farmers Grain Co. took over the 36-year-old Bluffton Milling Co. Merger of the two establishments marked the culmination of a busi ness transaction made early in Aug ust when shareholders of the Mill ing Co. approved sale of the plant to The Farmers Grain at a purchase price of $35,000. Both elevators will be operated under an expanded business pro gram projected by the Farmers Grain Co. In financing the new operational setup, capital stock structure of the Farmers Grain has been expanded from $25,000 to $75,000. 200 Stockholders Sale of stock in the cooperative business has been principally to farmers, with a limit of five shares to each holder. The company now has more than 200 stockholders, ac cording to officials of the concern. Officers of the Farmers Grain Co. include Fred Mueller, president Quinten Burkholder, vice-president Sidney Huber, secretary. Directors are Walter Montgomery, Clyde Klingler, Melvin Zimmerly and Waldo Huber, and officers of the company. Elmer Diller and Harl Mann tem porarily are remaining in the Mill ing Co. office to close up the busi ness affairs of that concern. Real Estate Deals Clarence Diller of Pandora has purchased the W. C. Boothby prop erty on South Jackson street occu pied by Harold Balmer and family. The deal was handled by Mrs. H. W. Althaus. Charles Wells of near Rockport has purchased the Warner Newlam property on West Elm street. World Wide Communion will be observed in the churches of Bluffton on Sunday morning, it is announced here. This celebration is in conjunc tion with the Federal Council of Churches, which organizes the oc casion in this country, and the World Council of Churches, which does so for the rest of the world. This is one time in the year when these co operating churches have Communion the same day. The churches in each country will have their services when it comes their time for worship. The day starts at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean. At the 11 o’clock church hour in Wellington, New Zealand, we are eating our Saturday night supper in Bluffton. When it is time for the service in Tokyo, Bluffton is full of Saturday night shoppers and pleasure seekers. When worshippers gather in Chunking our shops are closing up. _____________________________ __—-__ T_ I___—_____r-T— Fire Prevention Week Finds Town Has More Fires Than At Same Time Year Ago Three New Houses Are Started Here Bluffton Churches To Participate In World-Wide Communion Sunday V Cl.., Six Calls Answered By Volun teer Department To October 1, Only Three Last Y ear Fire Damage In Rural Area, However, Is Considerably Less So Far This Year With interest centering on a na tion-wide observance of Fire Preven tion w’eek, beginning next Sunday, a department report shows Bluffton firemen have answered six calls within the village limits up to Octo ber 1 of this year, as compared w’ith only three alarms during the same period of 1945. Damage from fires within the cor poration has been slight, estimated at $20, but last year there was no reportable loss suffered in the three calls prior to October. There has been a sharp drop in calls outside the town, however, with the department answering five alarms in the country up to October 1. In the first nine months of last year there were eight calls to the rural area. Rural fire damage so far this year is $1400, in comparison with a mark of $14,675 for 1945. C. V. Stonehill, clerk of the fire department, reported also that Bluff ton village had a fire loss of $750 for all of 1945 and there w’ere eight (Continued on page 2) Mrs. McCune Dies Funeral On Friday Mrs. Julia McCune, 69, died at her home, 160 Geiger street, Wednesday morning at 1:45 o’clock following an illness w’hich kept her bedfast for the past eight months. Death was due to complications. Services will be at the Paul Dil ler funeral home Friday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock with Rev. Pepper of the Assembly of God, Findlay, offi ciating. Burial will be in Maple Grove cemetery in Findlay. Mrs. McCune was born March 11, 1877, in Highland county, Ohio, the daughter of D. M. and Allie (Chap man) Thompson. She was married Setember 15, 1895 to Arthur S. Mc Cune who survives. The have been Bluffton residents for many years. Besides her husband she is sur vived by two sons H. B. McCune,of Cheyenne, Wyoming and Robert Mc Cune at home, and one daughter, Mrs. G. B. Stratton of Niagara Falls, N. Y. four grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Also surviving are one brother, C. J. Thompson of Phoenix, Arizona, and four sisters, Mrs. D. P. Olsen, Chicago Mrs. C. E. Deck, Cincin nati Mrs. L. A. Briggs, Wisconsiin, and Mrs. B. A. Holliday, Louise, Miss. The body will be taken to her home this Wednesdav evening where it will remain until time for the services. Gun Club To Hold Trap Shoot Sunday Bluffton Gun club will sponsor a trap shoot Sunday afternoon at the Gossard filling station two miles north of Bluffton on the Dixie high way, it is announced by C. V. Stone hill, club secretary. The shoot will begin at 1 o’clock with merchandise prizes for winners. And by the time it gets to Calcutta, Bluffton is mostly tucked in bed. Moscow, Cairo and Capetown, Berlin and Rome, have had their turn be fore the earliest Bluffton riser stirs on Sunday morning. The people in London are in church when the dawn breaks here. Iceland and Rio de Janeiro have had their services before Bluff tonites leave their homes dressed in their “go-to-meeting” clothes. Then comes Bluffto'n’s turn, when the various churches of the community will participate in this sacrament, each in its own way. Even after we are through? others are still going to church. While we relax in the middle of Sunday after noon the churches of San Francisco will be ringing their bells for the service. And the cycle is complete at our supper time when Honolulu is celebrating this occasion. The local churches expect one of the biggest attendances of the year for this event. THE N NEWS, THE BLUFFTON NEWS A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY BLUFFTON, OHIO THURSDAY, OCT. 3, 1946 COLLEGE ACQUIRES GEIGER HOUSE AS DORMITORY ANNEX Residence Adjacent To Men’s Dormitory Will Provide Rooms For 16. Purchase Is Newest Housing Development Since Men Took Coeds’ Dorm. Bluffton college acquired addition al dormitory facilities with the pur chase during the past week of the Mrs. Amos Geiger property at South Spring and High streets. The building, possession of which is to pass into the college’s hands on December 1, is diagonally across the street behind Ropp hall, former women’s dormitory being used this year to quarter men students. After the residence is taken over by the college, it will provide additional dormitory’ space for 16 students, and w’ill help ease the present situation with men being forced to room in private homes because of a lack of facilities on the campus. This will mark the second time the residence has been used as a dormi tory annex at the college, for it was operated back in the early “thirties” to provide additional rooms for girls. It was later sold by the college when enrollment slumped, only to be re-acquired this fall when student registration at the school returned to normal. Principal development on the cam pus in the student housing shortage of course remains the “swap” which finds men occupying the women’s dormitory while the coeds take over the larger men’s dormitory. Lincoln hall, the men’s dormitory being used this year by women, has accomodations for 100, while Ropp hall, in which men now live, has rooms for only 52. With addition of the Geiger resi dence as a dormitory annex there will be total room accomodations on the campus for 68 men. Bible Service Series Will Start Sunday A two-week series of Bible serv lets will be Wld -ntgSjRy exwpt Sat urday in the Bluffton High school auditorium, beginning next Sunday and continuing thru Sunday, Octo ber 20, it was announced the first of the week. Rev. Wayne Buchanan, pastor of the First Baptist church, of Dana, Ind., w’ill be in charge of services during the first w’eek, to be follow’ed by A. C. Feigert, a Van Wert pub lisher. Special music will be pro vided by the Lima radio team of Frank land Neale. Services will start each evening at 7:30 P. M. Charles Schumacher Sails On Cattle Ship Charles E. Schumacher, son of Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus Schumacher, of College road, has sailed for Poland, as a cattle attendant on the S. S. John Barton Payne, carrying relief supplies to Europe, it w’as an nounced here this week. The Brethren Service committee at New Windsor, Md., recruits the helpers for the relief consignments of cattle. Firemen Extinguish McBain Grass Fire Bluffton firemen extinguished a grass fire at the Wilson McBain farm, in Orange township, last Wed nesday afternoon. Origin of the fire in a wheat stub ble field which had a stand of new clover was unknown. Births The following births at Bluffton hospital: Mr. and Mrs. Norbert Nolan, Ar cadia, a girl, Rosemary Lynn last Wednesday. Mrs. Nolan is the form er Marjorie Corson of Bluffton. Mr. and Mrs. Laurel Bracy, Pan dora, a girl, Marylee Sue, last Wed nesday. Mr. and Mrs. James Victory, Beav erdam, a boy, James Lee, Saturday Mrs. Victory is the former Dorothy Burkholder. Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Diller, Pan dora, a boy, Raymon Allen, Sunday. Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Beutler, Ottawa, a boy, Thomas Leonard, Sunday. Mr. and Mrs. Harold Rausch, Wil liamstown, a boy, Paul David, Sun day. ——r-------------------- Chlorination equipment for treat ment of Bluffton’s municipal water supply was purchased Tuesday night at a meeting of the board of public affairs after consideration of bids presented by tw’o companies. The chlorinator, a visible vacuum type, was purchased from Wallace and Tiernan Co., Inc., of Newark, N. J., at an installed price of $1,531. Installation was promised within 40 days, contingent on Wallace and Tiernan s ability to obtain a critic ally needed valve from one of their suppliers, indicating that chlorina tion of Bluffton’s water may be ex pected before the end of the year. Altho Bluffton’s water supply has never shown anything other than pure tests, adding chlorine has been urged by state health officials as a safeguard against possible epidemics. Chlorination equipment will be housed in a separate building which will be erected over the main lines at the water works. Richland Township 1 Charge Existing Public Expenditure Council Claim Made Without Knowl edge of Facts, Alleged. Road Funds Remaining on Hand Last Jan. 1 Have All Been Spent For Improvements. Claims by the Ohio Public Ex penditure Council that excessive bal ances are existing in the operating funds of Riichland township, this week brought a prompt denial from township trustees. In countering the council’s con tention that existing balances could permit lower general property tax levies, spokesmen for Richland trustees charged that the survey quoted not only was misleading, but actually was without foundation so far as the real status of the town ship’s finances w’ere concerned. Inciting the wrangle, the public expenditure council had quoted a survey showing that Richland town ship operating expenditures in 1945 had been $9,330.60 and that a bal ance of $5,472.63 was on hand Jan uary 1, 1946. Six other Allen county townships also were charged with excessive balances by the council, said to be a fact-finding agency supported by a state-wide membership of persons interested in taxation. An illustration of the misleading statements in the report, Richland trustees said after a meeting last Saturday night, was the claim that road and bridge fund balances for the township were excessive. Trustees pointed out the township has no bridge fund, and for that matter neither do any of the other political subdivisions of the county. All bridge repairs are made by the county, it was explained by Fred Badertscher, chairman of the board of trustees, and he went on to ex plain there has been no bridge fund in Richland township for at least seven years. As to the road fund which the re port says has an excessive balance, Badertscher pointed out that the Jan. 1, 1946, balance of $5,472.63 had accumulated from the preceding year because very little road work could be done due to the fact that war requirements prevented obtain ing road oil. Plenty of road maintenance was required during the year, however, and farmers were complaining be cause the work wasn’t done. With road oil becoming available again this summer, all funds rep resented by the balance have been expended, since two years’ work was done in a single season. Trustees denied there were exces sive balances in «any of their funds, and added that the report was made without a full knowledge of facts. The past month was the dryest September on record in Bluffton with only .29 of an inch of rain recorded here. The 40-year average for the month is 3.27 inches. Not only was the past month the dryest September on record but also it was one of the dryest months ever experienced here. Unless exceeding heavy precipita tion occurs during the last three months of the year, the prediction that 1946 will be one of the dryest Chlorinator Purchased For Bluffton Water Supply Delivery In 40 Days September Was One Of Dryest Months Confirms Drought Forecast Apartments Filled In Remodeled House The Fred Badertscher property at South Main and Kibler streets which was remodeled into three apartments this summer was filled with tenants during the past week. Occupants are Mr. and Mrs. Paul Greding and family who moved from the Mrs. Lenore Myers property on College road Mr. and Mrs. Fred Reichenbach who have been living with the Reno Oberly family in the former Casper Herrmann property on Washington street and Miss Dor othy McCullough who moved from the Gazette property at North Main and Washington streets. The Badertscher property was re modeled after the former tenants, the Ben Shafer family moved to their present location in the Fred Mueller addition on East Jefferson street near the county line. Yustees Deny Balance Is Excessive RESTAURANTS WILL FIGHT OPA PRICE ROLLBACK ON MEAT Bluffton Restaurant Prices Re main Unchanged Despite OPA Announcements Restaurateurs Cooperating With Association Wrhich Plans To Fight In Courts Bluffton restaurants this week were ignoring OPA’s announced roll back of meat dish prices to their level of June 30, 1946, and there have been no changes in either menus or their cost for those who prefer to dine a way from home. Although no local restaurateurs will speak for publication there ap pears to be a tacit understanding that even when official OPA notifi cation is received no cutback in prices will be forthcoming. Their stand on the matter is said to be fortified by the Western Ohio Restaurant association’s decision to fight in the courts any attempt of OPA to impose the announced price rollbacks in this area. Working in cooperation with the association, most restaurants in this part of the state appear to be follow ing the same policy, and a final de cision in the matter may be weeks in the offing. Blast OPA Order In a blast last week at the OPA order, a spokesman for the restau rant association charged that the rollback to June 30 prices of this year actually means restoration of April 10, 1943 prices. The charge embodied a claim that on March 11, 1946, an 18 per cent in crease was absorbed by restaurants, and that on Sept. 9 of this year an other 12 per cent was absorbed. In the meantime what you buy at local eating places is priced the same as before the OPA rollback order, and the only changes in meat menus have been dictated by the shortage and not because of price differen tials. Union Church Service Next Sunday Night Rev. Paul H. Cramer, of the First Methodist church, will occupy the pulpit at a Union Sunday evening service sponsored by the Bluffton Ministerial association, at 8 P. M. next Sunday in the St. John’s Re formed church. Rev. V. C. Oppermann, pastor of the Reformed churches, will be in charge of the meeting. on record will, without a doubt, be experienced here. If this occurs it will tend to bear out the prediction of a Bowling Green university professor that the coming year will be marked by se vere drought. His forecast is based on a study of rings of growth in trees on which he has based a theory that droughts occur in cycles. Small rings indi cate drought years, he says in which growth was less than normal. PAGE THREW BLUFFTON A Good Place to Trade NUMBER 24 ORGANIZE CITIZENS GROUP TO BACK 2 MILL SCHOOL LEVY Members Will Serve To Promote Levy Support In Pre-Elec tion Campaign Rev. E. N. Bigelow Heads Citi* zen’s Group William Ed wards Secretary Civic sentiment favoring passage of a special two-mill tax levy to provide additional operating funds for Bluffton public schools was cys tallized Friday in the organization of a citizen’s committee to support the measure. In the meeting of the group at the high school, Rev. E. N. Bigelow was elected president and William Ed wards secretary. Function of the citizen’s commit tee will be to complete details of publicizing the provisions of the spe cial tax levy and in organizing to serve as neighborhood contact teams. The proposed measure which will be presented at the polls in Novem ber is recommended by the board of education to provide approximately $10,000 extra per year for teachers’ salaries and school maintenance. Meeting October 16 A workers’ meeting is set for Wednesday, October 16, following which contact work will be launched thruout the school district. Precinct captains in Bluffton, and section captains in the rural area will direct the canvassing of every home to present the need for the levy. The special levy is proposed for a four-year period, to expire in 1950, at the expiration of a special three-mill levy which has been in effect here for years. On a publicity committee named by President Bigelow are Donavin B. Conrad, Arden Baker and Eu gene Benroth. Nuptials Solemnized At St. Mary's Church Miss Margaret Jane Basinger, daughter of Mrs. Noah Basinger of South Lawn avenue and the late Mr. Basinger became the bride of James J. Mayer, son of Mr. and Mrs. G. A. Mayer of Shelby in an impressive ceremony at St. Mary’s Catholic church, Saturday morning at 10 o’clock. Rev. Alfred J. Mayer of Toledo brother of the bridegroom officiated at the ceremony before an altar dec orated with white chrysanthemums. Nuptial music was sung by Miss Anne McGinnis, friend of the bride. The bride who was given in mar riage by her brother, James Basing er, wore a gown fashioned of white metallic brocaded satin made en train with finger tip veil caught with a tiara of gold sequins. Her only ornament was a crescent of blue sapphire and pearls worn by her mother at her wedding. Miss Jane Hitz of Chicago was maid of honor and bridesmaids were Miss Barbara Hitz of Chicago and Mrs. George Swank of Columbus. All of the bride’s attendants wore gowns fashioned alike of metallic brocaded satin with long matching mitts and silver tiaras. The maid of honor, whose dress was chartreuse, carried a spray of white chrysanthemums. The brides maids, gowned in sunset red, car ried similar arm sprays. Best man was Francis Mayer of Shelby, brother of the bridegroom, and ushers were his college frater nity brothers Joe Bruzzese and John Rittenour of Ada. A wedding breakfast for the brid al party and immediate families was held at the Walnut Grill followed by an afternoon reception at the home of the bride. After the reception the couple flew to New York city for a short wed ding trip. For traveling the bride wore a suit of emereld green gaber dine with dark green accessories and green butterfly orchid corsage. The bride is a graduate of Bluff ton high school and later attended Bluffton college and studied in the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. Mr. Mayer is a senior in the col lege of law of Ohio Northern uni versity, Ada, where he is a member of Sigma Delta Kappa and Toast masters club. He is a graduate of Shelby high school and completed his pre-law training at DeSales college, Toledo. During the war he served in the Army and spent 29 months in the Pacific theatre of war. No one is mediocre who has good sense and good sentiments. —Joseph Joubert