The Bluffton news. [volume], January 29, 1948, Image 1

About The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current

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BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live
VOLUME LXXII
LOW BID ON LIGHT
PLANT ADDITION IS
FIXED AT ,$30,800
Bids of Four Contractors Range
From $30,800 Low to High
Mark of $38,700
Ijma Contractor’s Bid Is Low
Board Has 30 Days To Let
Contract
Bids ranging from $30,800 to
$38,700 seeking the contract of con
structing an addition to the Bluffton
municipal light plant’s boiler room
were opened Tuesday noon by the
board of public affairs.
With R. H. Marker of the Toledo
firm of Emery, Marker & Emery
engineering advisor to the board un
able to attend the meeting because
of a business trip to Iowa, the four
bids received w’ere taken under
advisement by the board, during
which time they will be turned over
to Marker for review. Previous to
opening the bids Marker had estimat
ed the cost of the work at $35,000.
The board public affairs has 30
days to act on the contract bids,
Clerk Charles Emans said.
Lima Firm Low
The low bi submitted by H. B.
Tuttle, Lima contractor, was $30,800.
Tuttle’s bid allocated $t?,400 for
labor and $15,400 for ials.
Green and Sawyer, also of Lima,
ranked next with a bid of $33,280,
comprised of $18,280 labor, and $15,
000 materials.
Third bidder was Friebel and
(Continued on page 10)
Funeral On Friday
For Lamon Henry
Lamon Henry, 62, retired farmer
of Orange township, died at 5:45
p. m. Tuesday in Lima Memorial
hospital. He suffered a stroke 11
days ago.
Born Dec. 22, 1885 in Orange
township, he was a son- of Mr. and
“Mrs. Zechariah Henry. He married
Phoebe C. Wdodruff whd died in
1943. In 1945 he married Miriam
Rice who survives with one son,
Leonard EL Henry, Route 8, Ada.
Also surviving are four grand
children, two sisters, Mrs. Eugene
George of Lima and Mrs. J. A.
Weaver, of Bryan, and one brother,
Lester of Forest.
Mr. Henry was a membei’ of the
Bethel Church of Christ of Orange
township.
Rites will be held in the church at
.2:30 p. m. Friday. Rev. C. D. Read
officiating. Burial will be in the
Hassen cemetery.
The body will be taken from the
Paul Diller funeral home, to the
residence Thursday afternoon.
Recreation Committee
Names New Officers
Reorganization of the Bluffton Re
■creation committee was effected at a
meeting Tuesday night in the Bluff
ton High school cafeteria, with six
new members added to the group
and a new roster of officers taking
■over direction of the organization.
Wood row Little, new chairman,
will be assisted by Paul Diller, vice
chairman Leland Diller, treasurer
and Norman Edinger, secretary.
New members of the group are
Ed Badertscher, Ed Chamberlain,
Charles Steiner, Arthur Lewis, Nor
man Edinger and Ralph Reichen
bach. Continuing members are Levi
Althaus, Harry Bogart, A. C.
Burcky, Kent Cotterman, Leland Dil
ler, Paul Diller, Silas Diller, Wil
liam Edwards, W. A. Howe, Ralph
Lanham, Woodrow Little, Gail Mum
ma, Rev. V. C. Oppermann, Don
Patterson, Dave Risser, Eugene Ben
roth and Norman Triplett.
At Tuesday’s meeting, tw’o recrea
tion films were shown. They stressed
the fact a recreation program must
be a community venture, and cannot
be carried by one organization alone.
Support of municipal government,
clubs, churches, etc., are essential to
success.
Features planned for the coming
yeai to rathe funds for recreation
purposes include the second football
preview on September 10, a pro
■osed boxing match and a basketball
carnival.
Newest addition to the features
■on this winter’s recreation program
has been the start of ice skating on
the college tennis courts, it was an
nounced at the meeting. The skat
ing rink is lighted this year for
after-night use.
Recreation committee meetings will
be held the third Tuesday of each
month in the offices of The Triplett
Electrical Instrument Co.
Bogart Is Re-named
To Election Board
M. M. Bogart of Bluffton was re
elected to the Allen County Board of
Elections at a meeting of the Coun
ty Democratic Executive committee
in Lima, Tuesday night. He will
serve for a four-year term.
The committee also named Arden
Baker, Bluffton mayor, as a county
delegate to the State Democratic*
Convention to be held at Columbus
next summer.
RECORD LOW MARK
OF FIVE BELOW
ZERO WEDNESDAY
Coldest Weather of Winter
Grips Bluffton Area This
Week
Cold Goes LTnhroken Into Third
Week* Winter Worst in
Three Years
January’s wintry assault, giving
this area its coldest weather in
three years, continued into this week
after establishing a new low mark
of five below zero on Wednesday
morning, on the heels of the winter’s
heaviest snowfall.
Wednesday morning’s drop in
temperature was one degree under
that recorded Sunday when the
mercury fell to four below for what
was at that time a record mark for
the winter.
The previous low, recorded a
week earlier, also on Sunday, had
been three below, and shivering
Bluffton residents looked back on the
record of an unbroken frigid wave
which has had the temperature be
low, at or near the zero mark daily
for more than two weeks.
AJtho the winter’s low mark came
Sunday morning, last Saturday’s
weather was the worst of the sea
son. With the thermometer never
climbing higher than nine degrees,
a strong northwest wind churned up
a snowstorm of blizzard proportions
thruout the day.
Approximately five inches of snow
fell from shortly before daybreak
until two hours after nightfall on
Saturday, and in some places drifts
two and three feet high were re
ported.
Main highways generally were
clear of snow, altho a few secondary
roads were blocked by deep drifts.
The prolonged cold wave has
brought a renewed plea for home
owmers to conserve on use of gas in
every way possible. Patrons have
been asked to shut off water heaters
and not to use stoves or ovens for
heating purposes. Industries for
nearly two weeks have been cut to
a minimum on gas fuel, with no
relief in sight until the cold wave
subsides.
Radio Entertainers
To Be At Beaverdam
Hoosier Cornhuskers, radio enter
tainers will appear at Beaverdam
high school auditorium next Monday
night at 8 o’clock in a program spon
sored by the Beaverdam fire depart
ment.
The Cornhuskers are heard twice
daily over Findlay radio station
WFIN from Monday through Friday
and have a large following. Pro
ceeds will be for benefit of the Beav
erdam fire department.
Application forms for Ohio state
bonus payments to war veterans will
be available on March 1 through
county service organizations, it was
announced last week by Chester W.
Goble, state bonus director.
War veterans may apply for the
bonus payment as soon as forms are
available, and payments will be made
on a “first come—first served’ basis,
Goble said. He declined to name
the date payments will begin.
First application may be made
only by living veterans, and sur
vivors’ application forms will be is
sued later.
Under the state’s bonus plans,
Ohio veterans will receive $10 for
each month of domestic service and
$15 for foreign service in Woflrf
War II, up to a maximum of $400.
The minimum payment will be $30.
To See Or Not To See—Aye There’s
The Rub—We’ll Know Next Monday
Application For State Bonus
May Be Made After March 1
Bluffton Eyes Groundhog
Weather Forecast Coming
Next Monday
Coldest Weather in Three Years
Adds Significance to Ground
hog Day
To see or not to see his shadow—
aye, there’s the rub as Shakespeare
the immortal bard of Avon might
have said had he stood watch over
a Groundhog’s burrow on the second
day of February during a hard win
ter.
And whether you believe in the
Groundhog as a weather prognosti
cator or whether you put it down
as just an old wives’ tale told by the
fire on a long winter’s night, there’s
no denying that the event every
year holds a measure of interest far
out of proportion, perhaps to any
scientific basis of fact.
Anyway next Monday is Ground
hog Day and tradition has it that
this is the time when the little
animal awakens from his winter
sleep to poke his nose from his bur
row and survey the skies.
And custom insists that if the
Groundhog sees his shadow there
will be six more weeks of winter
weather. If he fails to see his
shadow an early spring is on the
America’s Groundhog day tradi
tion is said to have originated among
the Pennsylvania Dutch but today
is nationally accepted.
The Pennsylvania Dutch, however,
still have something exclusive in con
nection with the day for on every
February 2 the Groundhog lodge of
Quarryville holds its annual meeting.
This lodge, the oldest of its kind
in the country is made up of sub
stantial and influential businessmen
of the area. Membership is obtained
by invitation only.
Many weliknown Americans are
members including the President,
Lowell Thomas, radio newscaster,
and others. A Hindu potentate, also
a member has donated a small, cost
ly oriental rug on which the Grand
Patriarch of the lodge stands du*r
Tng each annual meeting.
On the second day of February
each year it is the duty of the pro
phets of the lodge to go to the fields
and keep watch beside Groundhog
holes until noon.
The day is rounded out with a
banquet in the evening when the
prophets make their reports, follow
ing which the group adjourns for
another year.
Business Men Will
Hear Findlay Man
Millard Saul, director of public
relations of the Ohio Oil company,
Findlay, will be the speaker at a
dinner-meeting of the Bluffton Busi
ness Men’s association at the Wal
nut Grill this Wednesday at 6:30
o’clock.
Music for the meeting will be pro
vided by the Richland Grange quar
tet consisting of Wilford and Leon
ard Gratz, Earl Matter and Morris
Bell with Mrs. Earl Matter as ac
companist.
Ohio Northern Choir
Coming Sunday Night
The Ohio Northern university choir
of Ada, consisting of 50 voices
directed by K. A. Roider will appear
in a concert at a union service at
the First Mennonite church Sunday
night at 7:30 o’clock. The service
is one of the monthly union meet
ings sponsored by the Bluffton
Ministerial association.
Humorist At Lions
Charter Night Meet
Mack Sauer, humorist nationally
known as an author and entertainer,
will be the speaker at the Sixteenth
annual charter night observance of
the Bluffton Lions club at 6:30 p. m.
ne,xt Tuesday in the Walnut Grill.
Sauer is editor of the Leesburg
Citizen at Leesburg, Ohio. In addi
tion to being known as a progressive
country editor, he travels widely
as a speaker, and has made appear
ances as an entertainer in 30 states.
PAPER COLLECTION
The Bluffton F. F. A. chapter will
have a paper and scrap collection
Saturday beginning in the forenoon.
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, JAN. 29, 1948
BLUFFTON’S $19.20
TAX RATE FOURTH
HIGHEST IN COUNTY
School’s Share of $12.80 Here
Is Highest School Levy
in County Towns
Bluffton Corporation, for Town
Government, Has Next to
Lowest Rate
Bluffton’s tax rate of $19.20 is
the fourth highest am mg nine Allen
county cities and villages, with that
position largely due to a levy of
$12.80 for school purp ^ses, an analy
sis of county’ taxation
this week.
tables showed
The Bluffton school tax is the high
est in any of the nine towns, with
Lima’s levy’ of $11.90 ranking second,
and Elida’s $11.50 third.
Bluffton corporation on the other
hand, for operation of the town gov
ernment has a rate of $3.60, the low
est city rate in the unty with the
exception of Cairo u hprp on Iv
cents is levied. Delphos has the high
est city rate, $10.6(
Lima’s $8.40.
followed by
Breakdown of Rate
Bluffton’s total tax rate of $19.20
is broken down as fo lows: Schools,
$12.80 Corporation, $3.60 County’
$2.60 and Township, 20 cents.
Beaverdam village 'las an aggre
gate tax rate of $17.6(), composed of
Schools, $10.60 Corpiration,
County, $2.60, and Township,
Bluffton corporation
from the total tax 1evy,
$9.50 and Ltelphos, $7.50.
$4.2o
20 cents,
s cut of $3.60
compares
with other county cities as follows:
Delphos, $10.60 Lima $8.40 Elida,
$5.75 Spencerville, 55.40 Harrod,
$5 Beaverdam, $4.20 Lafayette,
$3.90 Bluffton, $3.60,
cents.
and Cairo, 80
School tax rates in ties has Bluff
ton topping the list with $12.80
Lima, $11.90 Elida, 11.50 Beaver
dam, $10.60 Harrod, $10.30 Lafay
ette, $10 Cairo, $10 Spencerville,
Bluffton Dealer
Enlarges Salesroom
C. F. Niswander, dealer in farm
equipment and household appliances
is completing an extensive moderniz
ing and enlarging of the salesroom
and service shop of his establishment
on South Main street.
The work which was begun last
summer will be finished by the end
of this month.
The salesroom interior, finished in
a gray tint and illuminated with
fluorescent lighting has been enlarged
with ample space for the display of
farm machinery and home acces
sories.
A newly designed system of hand
ling repair parts has been installed
and a large workshop at the rear
completes a modernized unit for
sales and service.
Beaverdam Man Is
Primary Candidate
William Amstutz of Beaverdam
has announced his candidacy for the
office of Allen county commissioner
subject to decision of the Demo
cratic primary, May 4.
Youth Choir At
Riley Creek Church
The Hancock County Youth choir
of thirty voices will provide special
numbers in a singspiration service
at Riley Creek Baptist church Sun
day night at 7:30 o’clock, it is an
nounced by the pastor, Rev. Robert
Turner.
Births
The following births at Bluffton
hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Gaylord Miller, Sr.,
Rawson, a boy, Gaylord Frederick,
Jr., Thursday.
Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Burkhold
er, Bluffton, a girl Judith Ann, Fri
day.
Mr. and Mrs. Doyle Rainey, Jr.,
Ada, a boy, Dennis Kent, Monday.
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Konst, Sr., La
fayette, a boy, Paul Edward, Jr.,
Tuesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Sheridan,
Bluffton, a boy born at Lima Me
morial hospital, Saturday.
Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Yoder, Jr.,
Goshen, Ind., a girl, Diane Lynn,
born last Wednesday in Elkhart,
Indiana, hospital. Mrs. Yoder is the
farmer Betty Amstutz, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Wilhelm Amstutz of
Bluffton.
Bluffon authorities Monday night
were ordered by the mayor to crack
down on interference with municipal
firemen, by arresting motorists who
drive their cars over fire hose and
who park or drive in the same block
where fire trucks are in operation.
Rigid enforcement of ordinances
covering the violations was set up
after Fire Chief Guy Corson ap
peared before council at its Monday
meeting, to report that the actions
of motorists chasing to fires not only
interferes with firemen but that
damage to hose often results when
cars are driven over the lines.
State ordinances prohibit motorists
from parking or driving in the same
block where fire trucks are at work,
crossing hose lines with their ve
hicles, or of following fire apparatus
at a distance of closer than 500
feet.
Regular Bluffton police officials
assisted by deputized firemen will
enforce the crackdown order, and vi
olators will be arrested, the mayor
Charter Membership of 9 6
Started Movement Here
April 26, 1919
Nearly Three Decades of Busy
Activity Backing Com
munity Projects
Looking back on nearly three
decades of achievement in social
service and community betterment,
Richland Grange, located three miles
south of Bluffton, will enter its 29th
year of rural community activity
next April.
Starting with a charter member
ship of 96 when organization was
completed April 26, 1919, the grange
has grown to a high mark of 372
members. During its period of
greatfest growth th® grange at one
th»e elected 108 members at one
meeting.
In the grange organization’s first
four years of existence, meetings
were held in the Gratz school build
ing, but in 1922 the present grange
hall was completed at a cost of
$2,000. Land for the hall was donat
ed by Andrew Gratz, and all work
on the building was donated by
members of the organization.
Pay Off Debt
Following dedication of the hall
by State Master Taber, the grange
(Continued on page 9)
Bluffton Man Will
Lecture At O. S. U.
Forrest Steinman of the Steinman
Bros. Lumber company here has been
chosen to address classes in the win
ter short course in lumber and al
lied subjects at Ohio State univers
ity, Columbus, it was announced the
first of the week.
The course has been laid out by
the university in order to give young
men coming up in the lumber busi
ness a practical background and
working knowledge of that field and
prominent lumber men throughout
the state are on the staff of lec
turers supplementing the regular
classroom instruction.
Steinman will speak on lumber
yard arrangement and sales display.
The company’s yard and salesroom
here are among the most modern
and efficiently arranged in this sec
tion and frequently visited by lum
bermen seeking ideas and sugges
tions in that field.
Each year the company enrolls one
or more of their employees in the
course which continues throughout
the month of February. This year
Paul Reichenbach will go. Miss
Emma Dickman, clerical employe in
the office who previously took the
course was the first woman to be
en rolled.
Dorothy Anderson To
Graduate at University
Miss Dorothy Anderson, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Anderson of
Orange township is one of 60 stu
dents to be graduated from Bowling
Green State university this month.
She will receive a degree of Bache
lor of Science in Education with a
major in physical sciences.
She is a member of Kappa Delta
sorority Kappa Mu Epsilon, mathe
matics honorary Pi Kappa Delta,
speech honorary, and Kappa Delta
Pi, national education honorary.
Mayor Orders Arrest Of Motorists
Driving Over Hose Lines At Fires
Richland Grange To Enter On Its
Twenty-ninth Year This Spring
Infantry Chorus
Here Next Week
372nd infantry, will be presented in
a concert in the high school gymnas
ium at 8 p. m. Wednesday night of
ext week under auspices of the
Bluffton college department of music.
Billed as the finest musical attrac
tion to come out of World War II,
this unique choral group, conducted
by de Paur, now is on its first civil
ian concert tour.
The 35-voice chorus is the same
which since 1942 presented 2,500
concerts, most of which were over
seas. In the novel program of the
chorus is included the music of
many lands, songs of World War II,
modern arrangements of art songs,
and liturgical chants of the orthodox
church and spirituals.
PI
BY HAR.R.Y L. HAL»
Editor’s Note—This is one
of a series of articles to appear
in the Bluffton News dealing
with early Ohio history. Others
will appear in forthcoming
imies.
Greene County
Holds Court
Fumbling among the few books on
a peg-supported rough shelf in the
one-room log cabin, Arthur St. Claire,
Cincinnati, took down a volume and
lisped: “Gentlemen, thith book lookth
juth like a tethtament.”
It was the June, 1804, of the
yea^-old Greene County ^kurt of
Causes anid Si. Clyalr, prosecuting
attorney, was hunting for a Bible
with which to swear in the grains
jury.
After taking their oaths the jur
ors retired to a small pole corncrib
back on the cabin to hear witnesses
in secret session. Then somebody
looked at the book. It was an old
copy of “Arabian Nights Entertain
ment.” That did not matter—the
court went on with its business.
Court Proceeds
The court was in the one-room
cabin of Benjamin Whiteman, near
Owen Davis’ log cabin mill on Beaver
creek, five and one-half miles west
of Xenia. Xenia, laid out the year
before, had but one log cabin, built
in April, 1804, by John Marshall in
the southwest corner of town.
The county itself wasn’t much.
There was the first cabin built in the
settlement—that of Daniel Wilson,
put up April 7, 1796, in Sugar Creek
township the cabin of Thomas
Townsley, built in 1798 near the falls
of Massie's creek, eight miles from
Xenia that of James Galloway built
the same year on the Little Miami
River two miles north of Oldtown
the hut of Isaiah and William Garner
Sutton, built 1799 in Caesar’s Creek
township, five miles south of Xenia
and the cabin of T. Carneal, built the
year after he had laid out Caesars
ville in 1800. Caesarville was intend
ed to be the county seat but some
thing slipped and it went to Xenia.
At the time the first court was held
there were a few other cabins of un
identified persons in Caesarville.
Every cabin had a stick chimney,
(Continued on page 10)
Boy Scout Paper
Drive Saturday
Boy Scouts of Troop 56 will collect
waste paper Saturday afternoon.
Those having paper to donate are
asked to have it in bundles and on
the curb by 12:30 o’clock.
MATS ON MONDAY
All news and advertising mats in
tended for publication in the Bluffton
News must be in the office not later
than Monday night of the week in
which they are scheduled to appear.
Each week a number of illustrations
are omitted because of late arrival
of mats.
TO COLLECT TAXES
A deputy from the Allen county
treasurer’s office wall be at the
Citizens National bank, Tuesday and
Wednesday, Feb. 3 and 4 to receive
real estate taxes of the December
collection.
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Trade
NUMBER 41
HOG FEEDING LOTS
EMPTY ON FARMS
HERE THIS WINTER
Corn at Record High Mark Of
fers Better Inducement for
(ash Sales
Some Cattle Being Fed, Prin
cipally to Use Up Unmark
etable Soft Corn
Almost completely reversing the
normal BluffUztf area farming practice
of raising corn in the summer and
feeding it to hogs in the winter,
many farms in the district haven’t
a single hog in their pens this year,
a survey showed this week.
nparalled in the memory of
farmers hereTThe situation represents
unwillingness to gamble on feeding
high-priced corn to hogs at a time
when the farmer can obtain an ex
cellent cash return simply by market-
other livestock has been largely
curtailed on farms for the same
reason, and the winter feed program
of the district where normallv
thousands of bushels of corn are used
in feeding programs is at its lowest
ebb since prior to World War I.
Feed at Record High
With corn prices holding at $2.50 a
bushel cats at $1.25, wheat at $3,
and mixed hay’ at $20, farmers be
lieve there are too many* hazards
involved in high-priced feeding pro
grams.
Older op-wators recall what hap
pened in 1 ”32 when livestock prices
broke, an* feeders lost heavily be
cause of t.w» high-priced initial in
vestment buying stock, plus an
additional oss on costly’ feed.
Curtaitm«’jit of cattle feeding local
ly has no: been as pronounced as
the decline in hog production, since
it is more practicable to feed the
soft com o* last fall’s crop to cattle.
Ft* 4,Com to Cattle
Ininw*.mre corn can be handled in
cattle Y*^ng much better than with
hogs, i»d those ji^ith sizable qtianti
ties W soft cftrn have maintained
cattle herds as a means of utilizing
the grain to their advantage.
Those farmers who have good
corn, however, have earmarked it for
cash sale when they think the market
is right, and very little is going into
feeding programs this winter. Many
farmers are said to have some com
on hand from two year’s yields, dat
ing back to the 1946 crop, which they
plan to sell when they think the
market has hit the high mark.
With com at $2.50 a bushel now,
many’ observers^ are predicting $3
corn by spring, and they point to the
fact that it’s not only more profit
able but a lot less work to sell the
grain than to attempt feeding pro
grams.
Earl Matter Heads
Community Institute
Election of officers for the coming
year was one of the highlights of
the closing session of Bluffton’s an
nual two-day’ Community Institute,
last Thursday afternoon in the local
high school building.
In the two-day meeting, talks by
outstanding speakers, including
Joseph Fichter, state Grange master,
and varied entertaining features
were the principal items of interest
to farm and community residents.
New officers of the men’s institute
group include Earl Motter, president
Harry Anderson, secretary-treasurer
and the executive committee is com
posed of Carl McCafferty, Francis
Basinger, Henry Huber and Truman
Bixel.
Officers of the women’s institute:
Pres., Mrs. Gerhard Buhler vice
pres., Mrs. Ezra Moser se$., Mrs.
Andrew Hochstettler.
Collect Clothing
In Relief Drive
Clothing for relief purposes will
be collected Saturday in a project
sponsored by the First Mennonite
church and students of Bluffton col-
The entire town will be canvassed
and those making contributions are
asked to place the bundles on their
doorsteps by 9 o’clock in the morn
ing.
Beaverdam Gets
New Fire Truck
The Beaverdam fire department
has received the new fire truck
which the village purchased some
time ago. Members of the fire de
partment are holding weekly meet
ings to familiarize themselves with
the equipment.