The Bluffton news. [volume], October 03, 1946, Image 1

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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