The Bluffton news. [volume], September 04, 1947, Image 1

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BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live
VOLUME LXXII
BLUFFTON SCHOOLS
HAVE ENROLLMENT
OF 485 THIS FALL
Student Registration Off For
Tenth Time in Last Eleven
Year Period.
Grade School Total is Up With
258 Mark High School
Drops to 227 Total
Bluffton’s public school registration
for the opening day of the fall term
Tuesday was 485, one less than in
1946, marking the 10th time in 11
years there has been a decrease in
the number of students in local grade
and high schools.
A marked decline was apparent
this year in junior and senior high
school enrollment, while at the same
time there was an increase in pupils
in the first six grades.
From the seventh grade thru the
twelfth there are a total of 227 stu
dents this fall, as compared with 239
last year. In the first six grades,
however, registration increased from
247 to 258.
Another drop in the upper grades
may be expected next fall, for a class
of 47 seniors will be graduated next
spring, and the sixth grade which
will advance to junior high in an
other year numbers only 40.
Decline Strarted in 1937
Bluffton’s downward trend in en
rollment started in the fall of 1937
when the public schools here had 669
pupils. This represents a total of
184 more than the schools have this
fall.
Top enrollment in the grade school
this fall is in the third grade, where
there are 49 pupils. In the high
school the sophomores have 50 stu
(Continued on page 8)
Coaching Assistant
Hired At College
Walter A. Zimmerman, 29, Akron,
who had three years’ wartime ex
perience as a physical education di
rector in the Navy, has been em
ployed by Bluffton college as an as
sistant to Coach A. C. Burcky, it
was announced this week by Dean
J. S. Schultz.
An upper class student, Zimmer
man also will complete his college
work while serving on the coaching
staff. The new coaching assistant
is a graduate of Akron Buchtel High
school, where he captained the bask
etball team from 1935 through 1937.
Master's Degree
at Ohio State U.
Charles Suter, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Elam Suter of Pandora received his
Master of Arts degree from Ohio
State university, Columbus, at the
August convocation, Friday.
His wife, the former Magdalene
Oyer of this place and his parents
attended the exercises.
Mr. Suter has resumed his duties
as supervisor of art at Fostoria high
school and the couple have moved
into their newly furnished apartment
in that city.
Mrs. Suter has resigned as Latin
and English instructor at Rawson to
accept a similar position in the
Arcadia high school.
Apple Blossoms And
Fruit On Same Tree
Apple blossoms and ripening ap
ples on the same tree is an attrac
tion in the orchard of Menno Schu
macher northwest of Bluffton. A
branch of the tree was brought to
the Bluffton News office Wednesday
by Noah Diller where it is being
exhibited in the window.
While fruit trees occasionally have
a few blossoms while fruit is ripen
ing, a large number, such as this
tree bears, is said by orchardists to
be unusual.
Real Estate Deals
Dale Trippiehorn’ has purchased
the A. R. Scheele property on Spring
street. Mr. and Mrs. Scheele have
moved to Lima where they have
purchased a home. The deal was
handled by Mrs. H. W. Althaus.
Frederic Andrews has purchased
the Clenna Donald property in Beav
erdam, formerly occupied by Wm.
Lutterbein who purchased the Cora
Weaver property. Mrs. H. W. Alt
haus handled the transactions.
Kindergarten To Open
Kindergarden classes will open at
the Grade school building, Septem
ber 15. Hours 9 to 11 A. M.
Orange Club Wins
State Fair Awards
Gold Star 4-H club of Orange
towmship was one of the winners in
competition at the State Fair in
Columbus last week, receiving
awards for three dresses and three
canning exhibits.
Winners in the dress classes were:
Virginia Criblez, sports costume
dressup dress, Judith Montgomery
school dress, Rosemary Montgomery.
Canning exhibit winners were:
Violet Bales, vegetables Juanita
Keller, fruit Rosemary Montgom
ery, complete dinner
Also participating in demonstra
tions at the fair were: Sarabelle
Willele and Edith May Henry in fire
prevention and Marilyn Gallant in
dairy foods.
CHLORINE IS ADDED
TO CITY WATER NO
CHANGE IN TASTE
No Noticeable Difference Is
Found Since Chlorination
Started Week Ago
Equipment Purchased Last Fall
Put Into Operation At
Municipal Waterworks
Chlorination of Bluffton’s city
water supply was started last week
at the municipal waterworks plant
and, as indicated previously in board
of public affairs’ statements, there
has been no noticeable difference in
the taste of the water.
Approximately two pounds of
chlorine gas are being added daily
to the water flowing thru city mains,
a sufficient quantity to assure safety
without any apparent change in
taste.
Ordered Year Ago
Operation of the new chlorinator
was started last week, approximately
a year after its purchase from Wal
lace and Tiernan Co., Inc., of
Newark, N. J., at an installed price
’of $1,531. Contract was let last
October.
Night Softball In Brilliant Harmon
Field Setting Popular With Fans
Bluffton’s city water supply always
has rated satisfactory in tests, but
installation of chlorination equip
ment was the result of orders from
the State Board of Health as a safe
guard against possibility of contam
ination.
Delay in delivery of critical com
ponents in the equipment, following
which the board of public affairs was
unable to obtain chlorine in quanti
ties resulted in the overlong period
of time marking the start of opera
tion. i
Chlorination equipment is housed
in a separate building erected over
the main lines, near the water works
building.
Ends Controversy
Installation of the chlorinator fol
lowed a long period of controversy
between the board of public affairs
and state board of health.
While it was admitted by state
i health authorities that Bluffton’s city
water has always been found satis
factory it was pointed out that
w’ater taken from wells in the im
mediate vicinity of the plant is near
potential sources of contamination.
Heavy chlorination treatment is
not required, but the amount could
instantly be increased should con
tamination appear at any future
date.
Whent acreage in the Bluffton
district may establish a new record
this fall if the proper breaks in the
weather come during the seeding
season this month, a survey of
farm planning indicated this week.
Much more plowing than usual is
in evidence everywhere in the area,
as farmers rush their work in pre
paration for getting the winter crop
of wheat in the ground, and if the
com crop is out of the way in near
normal time a greatly increased
acreage devoted to wheat will be in
evidence.
Unusually w*et weather last spring
is a contributing factor in trend
toward the expansion of w'heat acre
age, for fields which farmers now
are getting into condition for seed
ing represent land they were un
able to till during the late spring
period of continuous rainfall.
On nearly every farm there were
fields which were permitted to grow
up in grass as grazing ground for
Turnout For Games Greater
Than In Pre-War Years
Interest Expands
Mood Of Relaxation Apparent
In Those Who Follow
Home Teams
Organized recreation activities at
Harmon field were tapering off this
week, after a busy summer program
featured by a resurgence of inter
est in night softball play.
With two local teams engaging in
inter-city competition on a three
nights a week schedule, night soft
ball play has attracted the largest
spectator crowds in history.
On many nights, the large sta
dium was filled to overflowing, with
townspeople lured by the prospects
of good ball, plus the fact that the
verdant greensward glistening under
the brilliant lights provided a pleas
ant setting for an evening of relax
ation.
Spectator turnouts for some of the
night softball contests have been
virtually as large as those attracted
by the high school football team, but
the spirit of those in the stands is
marked by an entirely different sort
of attitude.
Good Relaxation
Instead of the tense and belliger
ently partisan mood that keeps a
football crowd on edge, softball spec
tators are good natured and relaxed.
Although there is the natural desire
for the home team to win, no one
gets all “hot and bothered” about
the game’s outcome, with the result
that good plays can be cheered re
gardless of who makes them.
Harmon field’s physical equipment
for night play is distinctly above
the average, and the equal of any
thing Lima of Findlay can provide.
The lighting system is excellent, and
the spacious stadium provides plenty
of seating space.
Plowing Under Way For Fall Wheat
Acreage Which May Set New Record
Elsewhere at the field, other ac
tivities also were popular through
out the summer. Particularly of in
terest was the new playground es
tablished for kiddies adjacent to Col
lege avenue the field tennis courts
organized activity for children thru
out the daylight hours, and evening
softball leagues for men.
Births
The following births at Bluffton
hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Norman Triplett,
Bluffton, a girl, Pamela K., Thurs
day.
Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Agner, Ot
tawa, a girl, Doris Maxine, Thurs
day.
Mr. and Mrs. Miles Hefner, Beav
erdam, a boy, James Lee, Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. Leland Nonnamaker,
Bluffton, a girl, Sue Ann, Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. Willard Shulaw,
Lafayette, a boy, William Phillip,
Saturday.
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Moser,
Columbus Grove, a girl eray An
nette, Saturday.
Mr. and Mrs. Merlin Withrow,
Rawson, a girl, Judy Lynn, Monday.
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Weller,
Ada, a boy, Larry Robert, Monday.
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Long, Ada,
a girl, Patricia Lee, Tusday.
Mr. and Mrs. Orland Willke, Ada,
a girl, Wednesday morning.
HEADS MINISTERIAL ASS’N
Rev. Paul Cramer, pastor of the
Methodist church was elected presi
dent of the Bluffton Ministerial as
sociation for the coming year at a
meeting Tuesday morning.
cattle, and in some cases farmers
just let land lay idle for the sum
mer season.
Plentiful rainfall in August, an
unusual circumstance, has softened
the ground, putting it in excellent
condition for working. With no
crops on them there has been noth
ing to hinder plowing for wheat
seeding in early fall.
Indeterminate factor in the size
of the area’s w-heat acreage, how
ever, is the question as to how soon
the corn crop can be gotten out of
the way. Altho most corn was
planted quite late last spring, it
now- looks as if fields generally are
as far along toward maturity as in
normal seasons, and if so the usual
acreage should be available for
wheat.
Preparation of corn land for the
seeding of wheat is a simple matter
once fodder is removed, for discing
soon can complete tillage of a siz
able acreage.
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, SEPT. 4, 1947
EIGHT TEAMS IN
FOOTBALL PREVIEW
HERE FRIDAY NIGHT
Blurt’ton, Pandora, Mt, Cory,
Rawson, Col. Grove, Lafay
ette, Ada, Forest Here
Proceeds from All-Star Presen
tation for Town’s Recrea
tion Program
An action-studded presentation is
in store for area grid fans Friday
night at Harmon field, when eight
crack Class elevens tune up for
their fall campaigns with competi
tion in Bluffton’s first football pre
view-.
In the preview- schedule there will
be four 16-minute games, as follows:
Mt. Cory vs LaF.ayette
Pandora vs Rawson
Ada vs Columbus Grove
Bluffton vs Forest
Stadium seating space is at a pre
mium for the all-star classic, with
each of the eight competing schools
allotted 100 reserved seats. There
will be a sufficient supply of general
admission tickets, however. All tick
ets sold prior to the game are sub
ject to a 10-cent discount.
In Bluffton, tickets‘are being sold
at the high school office, and are go
ing rapidly after being put on sale
Tuesday morning.
Of the competing elevens in Bluff
ton’s first preview, Fo’est, Pandora,
Lafayette and Columbus Grove are
members of the Northwest Confer
ence of Class teams Rawson and
Mt. Cory play in the Hancock Coun
ty Little Nine Bluffton is defend
ing champion of the Western Buck
eye league, and Ada is an independ
i ent.
Coach Kent Cotterman has only
(Continued on page 8)
Girl Falls Out Of
Car And Breaks Arm
Mary Margaret 6-ye old daugh
ter of Mr. and MriL'Nelson Steiner
of North Lawn avenue sustained a
broken upper left arm when she fell
out of a car in which she was rid
ing while on a vacation motor trip
with her parents Tuesday of last
week.
The accident occurred near Cook
son, Minnesota, w-here they had stop
ped along the road to view a scenic
spot.
In attempting to open the car
door the girl, unaware it was partly
unlatched pushed against it and fell
out of the car as the door suddenly
swung open.
She was given medical attention
at a hospital where she remained
overnight and the family returned
to their home here last Saturday
afternoon.
Robert Pannabecker
Ends Work In China
Robert Pannabecker, Bluffton High
school graduate, and son of Dr. and
Mrs. S. F. Pannabecker, of Chicago,
is enroute home after spending the
last year training Chinese farmers
to operate tractors and other mech
anized equipment as a part of the
United Nations relief program in
China.
When Pannabecker went to China
last year he first was assigned to
the agricultural machinery operation
management office to help expedite
supplies to the war devastated in
terior.
Later he was transferred to Ho
nan province in North China, where
he w-orked as an instructor in var
ious tractor projects in areas which
had been flooded by the Yellow river
when the Chinese broke the dikes to
stop the advance of the Japanese in
1938. The area is one of great ag
ricultural productivity.
Trio In New Mexico
Auto Crash Return
Mr. and Mrs. Orton Stratton liv
ing south of Bluffton and Mrs..
Daisy Pifer of Raw-son returned
here early Sunday morning from
Tucumcari, New- Mexico, w-here they
were hospitalized following an auto
mobile accident which claimed the
life of Mrs. Elvira Sutter Perry,
former Bluffton resident.
They made the trip east by rail,
arriving at the Pennsylvania station
in Lima. Mr. and Mrs. Stratton
were removed in the Paul Diller
ambulance to Bluffton hospital and
Mrs. Pifer to her home in Rawson.
Mr. Stratton left the hospital here
for the home of his son Raymond
Stratton south of Bluffton and his
wife is expected also to be removed
to the home of her son Raymond,
this week.
Tellers at the Cit
bank here w ere busy Tuesday as
many veterans of the Bluffton area
presented thei terminal leave bonds
to be exchang•ed for cash.
While there was no lineup of ex
service men iwaiting their turn at
the cashiers’ windows, there was a
steady stream of veterans through
out banking 1lours Tuesday present
ing their
bonds for greenbacks.
The bonds yielding 2’fc per cent
interest a yea for five years repre
sent pay for unused leave accumu
lated by ex-service men. They were
entitled to 30 days leave a year but
in wartime few- got that much. It
was stipulated originally that the
bonds could not be cashed for five
years but congress changed the regu
lation with Tuesday as the first day
for the exchange privilege.
Bluffton Area Veterans Cash Terminal
Leave Bonds At Bank Here Tuesday
As Corn Prices Go, So Goes
Cost of Meat, Dairy Pro
ducts, Poultry
Corn in This Area Making Ec
ceptional Progress Despite
Late Start
With corn making exceptional
progress to offset some of the handi
caps of late seeding, midsummer
prospects indicate a near-normal
crop in the Bluffton district next
fall, providing killing frost will hold
off until late September.
Similar improvement in the com
outlook thruout the nation has
resulted in a revision upward in
yield estimates, altho the big “if”
in the situation generally is the
same as here—“when will frost
come?”
Improvement in corn prospects
locally have brought optimism from
farmers for the first time this sea
son, as they see a brighter outlook
for large-scale operations in raising
corn and feeding it to hogs, long a
major farm operation in these parts.
Corn Affects Prices
Com—principal crop in the Bluff
ton area—is one of the vital key
stones to the country’s entire food
structure, a fact often overlooked in
(Continued on page 8)
Wade Mumma On
Scholarship List
Wade E. Mumma, son of Carl
Mumma, of Bluffton, was among
1,620 students in the distinguished
scholarship rating list for the sec
ond semester of the 1946-47 school
year at Purdue university. To at
tain this honor a student must have
an average of five points or better
in all subjects carried.
David Little Struck
By Auto In Toledo
Injuries suffered when he was
struck by an automobile in Toledo,
Sunday afternoon kept David Little,
five-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs.
Wood row Little, of South Main
street, from enrolling in the first
grade of school here on Tuesday.
Playing in front of the Toledo
residence of Mrs. Little’s sister, the
Bluffton boy was struck as he step
ped into the path of an oncoming
car in an attempt to see past a
parked automobile.
Thrown beneath the parked car
by the impact, David received a
broken collarbone and numerous
bruises.
He was taken to Mercy hospital
where he remained until Tuesday
afternoon when his parents brought
him home, where he is confined to
bed.
Gets Master’s Degree
From Seminary
Karl Schultz, son of Dr. and Mrs.
J. S. Schultz received his Master of
Arts degree from Chicago Theologic
al seminary, affiliated with the Uni
versity of Chicago, Friday. He will
be here next week for a short visit
after which he expects to leave for
further study in the University of
Southern California.
Returns From Two
Weeks Duty In Navy
Gayion D. Thomas of the Stein
man Bros. Lumber company has re
turned after two weeks active duty
with the Navy. Thomas, a member
of the organized reserves served
four and one-half years during the
war in the submarine service in the
southwest Pacific.
Missionaries Coming
Home From Africa
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Seneff, mis
sionaries who have served for the
past eight years in the African Con
go region are enroute to this coun
try on furlough. They are expected
here the latter part of this month
or early in October.
Mrs. Seneff is the former Lillian
Welty of Bluffton, daughter of John
Welty of Cherry street. They left
their station in the interior of Af
rica on June 20, starting on their
return journey. Mr. and Mrs. Sen
eff work under direction of the Af
rica Inland Mission, an interdenom
inational board.
mproved Corn Prospects Renew
Hopes Of Holding Food Price Line
N) VOTE ON SEWER
BOND ISSUE HERE
BEFORE NEXT YEAR
Hope Entertained That Con
gress May Make Federal
Aid Possible
Could Vote on Measure at
Three Regular Elections
Next Year
Altho final plans and specifications
for Bluffton’s proposed intercepting
sew-erage system and a sewage dis
posal plant wil 1 be completed by
early fall, there is little possibility
of a bond issue to finance the pro
ject being presented at the polls
this year.
It already is too late to hope to
get the issue on the ballot for this
fall’s general selection, and spokes
men for the village administration
have pointed out factors favorable
toward delaying a vote at least un
til some time next year.
Principal advantage of waiting
until later for a vote is the pos
sibility that federal aid for installa
tion of the sew-age disposal system
may be made available in the next
session of Congress.
Federal Aid Possibility
Under legislation proposed in
Congress more than a year ago, but
which has not yet come up for vote,
it would be possible for the village
to obtain federal funds to cover ap
proximately one-third of the cost of
the system.
There are three regular elections
next year, spaced at three-months
intervals, at which the sewage bond
issue could be presented .to voters,
thereby eliminating the cost of a
special election for that purpose
only.
The regular elections will fall in
the spring, summer and fall. First
will be the May presidential pre
ferential balloting next comes the
state and county primary in August
and the third will be the Novermber
general election.
Plans Near Completion
In the meantime the completion of
plans and specifications for the oft
deferred sewage disposal system
marks the first step toward com
pletion of any phase of the work in
nearly two decades.
Proceeding with plans for the
proposed system has been made pos
sible thru an interest-free $8,000
loan from the Federal Works Agen
cy, which is to be repaid if and
when a bond issue for the project is
approved by voters.
Plans and specifications for the
system of intercepting sewers were
completed last week by the Toledo
engineering firm of Finkbeiner,
Pettis and Strout, and completion of
work on the sewage disposal plant
specifications is set for early fall.
Girl Hurt In Crash
To Be Brought Home
Kathleen Nisw’ander, who has been
in the Findlay hospital for nearly
two weeks following an automobile
accident is expected to be biDught
to her home the latter part of this
week.
Miss Niswander, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Edwin Niswander, resid
ing north of town on the county
line was badly injured when the
car which she was driving struck a
bridge abutment.
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Trade
NUMBER 20
PRICE OF HOUSES
SOARS AS COST OF
BUILDING GOES UP
Last Spring’s Budding Boom
Withered by Higher Costs
This Summer
Older Houses Coming On
Market At More Than Double
Pre-War Price
Altho construction of one more
new house is under way here and an
other residential structure has been
moved into town for remodeling,
Bluffton’s summer building boom
has tapered off to a program of little
activity, following a promising start
spring.
High cost of building is held re
sponsible for the drastic curtailment
in local construction activity, a de
velopment that has been particularly
unexpected in view of the fact that
last spring’s building activity indi
cated a boom of record proportions
over the summer months.
Instead, soaring costs of materials
and labor have cut into the home
construction program, to the extent
that the start of a new' residence last
week marked the first new building
program in nearly two months.
Starts New House
The new house launched last week
will be a tone and one-half story
Cape Cod structure, in the King ad
dition on Harmon road. It is being
built for Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Roda
baugh, who now
porary quarters
site.
are living in tem
on the building
Rodabaugh’s ho
crete blocks with
is expected that
me will be of con
a stucco finish. It
the home will be
(Continued on page 8)
Teachers Leaving To
Assume School Duties
A number of Bluffton teachers are
leaving to assume teaching duties
in various schools and colleges for
the coming year. Among these are:
Dorothy Schumacher, public school
music instructor at Wyoming, a
Cincinnati suburb.
James Basinger, instructor in air
craft, Purdue university, West La
fayette, Indiana,
Barbara Jean Triplett, public
school music instructor in a Van
Wert school.
Rita Hankish, public school music
instructor, Whittier school, Lima.
James Griffith, instructor in po
litical science, Kenton high school.
Roberta Biery, instructor in Latin,
Northfield School for Girls, East
Northfield, Mass.
Theda Hankish, instructor in home
economics, Lima Central high school.
Marceille Steiner, instructor in
home economics, Salem hijjh school,
Upper Sandusky.
Geneva Hankish, commercial in
structor, Defiance high school.
Esther Berky and Helen Greding,
instructors in primary grades, Tur
tle Mountain Indian reservation,
Bellecourt, North Dakota.
Nelson Hauenstein, instructor in
music, University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor.
Ruth Hankish, commercial in
structor, Wauseon high school.
Edward Schumacher, instructor in
industrial arts, Bowling Green State
university.
Adelaide McGinnis, instructor in.
languages, Put-in-Bay high school.
To Show Mennonites
Migration to Paraguay
Actual scenes taken during the
migration of 2,311 Mennonite
refugees from occupied zones in
Germany to their new’ home in Para
guay, South America, will be shown
tat the high school gymnasium, Sun
day night at 7:30 o’clock by Mr. and
Mrs. Peter Dyck, European relief
workers.
The pictures will be shown in con
nection with an illustrated lecture to
be given by Mr. and Mrs. Dyck who
have recently returned from the
war stricken districts of Europe.
Their appearance here is sponsor
ed by Mennonite churches of the
Bluffton-Pandora area which have
been active in support of the relief
program. Because of the widespread
interest in this work, the meeting
will be held in the high school gym
nasium in order to accommodate the
large crowd which is expected.
The films will show many aspects
of refugee work including life in
Berlin and the exodus to Bremer
haven, embarkation and life aboard
the Dutch vessel Volendam, camp
life after debarkation and life at
Asuncion, Paraguay.