Banner Graphic, Volume 12, Number 37, Greencastle, Putnam County, 20 October 1981 — Page 2

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The Putnam County Banner Graphic, October 19,1981

Bureaucrats delay toxic wastes removal, Seymour mayor charges

SEYMOUR, Ind. (AP) Hazardous wastes, toxic chemicals, flammable liquids and even some explosives have been collecting at the abandoned Seymour Recycling Corp. plant for more than a decade. Some local officials are beginning to wonder if it will take that long to have them removed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has spent nearly $2 million to remove 500,000 gallons of hazardous waste from 99 storage tanks. Explosives found on the site were so unstable, Army demolitions experts could not risk moving them and had to detonate them in a nearby field. Wells have been drilled around the area to determine if ground water is being contaminated. But there are some 60,000, 50-gallon drums containing dangerous chemicals still littering the 15 1 -acre site. “There’s a whole list of chemicals in there,” said Robert Hartian, a spokesman with the EPA regional office in Chicago. “Some drums continue to leak," he said. The soil, fouled from absorbing the chemicals, has the consistency of quicksand. "We don’t feel it’s threatening the city at this time,” Hartian said.

Machinists strike at Churubusco CHURUBUSCO, Ind. (AP) - A strike by machinists has closed the Dana Distribution Center and Victor Oil Seal plant in Churubusco, plant managers say. Members of Local 2034, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, struck Sunday after voting 399-30 against ratifying a new contract proposed by the Dana Corp., the worldwide firm based at Fort Wayne. The two sides have been negotiating a three-year contract since Sept. 9. The current agreement expired at midnight Friday, and talks ended Saturday afternoon, the union’s chief bargaining agent said. Gretna Morgan, manager of the distribution center, told a news conference Sunday the company was surprised and disappointed by the vote. Dana officials would not comment on areas of disagreement. Frederick Roberts, District 113 business representative for the union, said Sunday night the strike is mainly over seniority rights the company wants to remove. The proposed 78-cents-an-hour pay increase over three years wasn’t the main issue and might have been acceptable had the company not proposed taking away certain conditions of seniority within the two plants, Roberts said. Base pay is now $6 an hour, and tool-and-die makers at top scale now earn $9 an hour, he added. While no new talks were scheduled, Ms. Morgan and Gary Moody, plant manager of Victor Oil Seal, said they are willing to negotiate. The two plants have a combined workforce of about 560 with 40 workers laid off.

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Kathy Larson of Orlando, Fla., holds her son, Edward William, who weighed 14 pounds and 13 ounces when he was born by Caesarian section Oct. 9. The hefty baby broke all weight records at Florida

'Beacon of freedom 1 Z No wall, no curtain can shut it out, Reagan says at Yorktown

YORKTOWN, Va. (AP) President Reagan today affirmed the United States as a “beacon of freedom” shining on totalitarian nations as he and President Francois Mitterrand of France celebrated their countries’ victory at Yorktown, which ended the Revolutionary War 200 years ago. “Our Revolution was won by and for all who cherish the timeless and universal rights of

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That is little solace for Seymour Mayor Christopher D. Moritz, who is angry at what he considers bureaucratic bungling by those who are supposed to clean up the dump. “I have argued for the last year and a half,” Moritz said. “I’m tired of arguing. I just want them to get on the stick and get done what they promised they would do.” Hartian said that process could take a long time. Results must be obtained from tests conducted at the site early last summer. Then, he said, “The state has to say, ‘This is what we want done.’” But Jim Hunt, with the Indiana State Board of Health, says that decision has already been made. State officials compiled a list of of hazardous waste sites and put them in priority for cleanup. According to Hunt, Seymour Recycling Corp. is “No. 1 on the list. ” But Seymour is not at the top of the federal list, said Hunt, even in Indiana. That dubious distinction belongs to a site near Gary. Predictably, money is the real problem. Officials have estimated it will cost as much as S2O million to clean up Seymour Recycling. The state must come up with half that amount because the site is in a municipally owned industrial park. Officials say neither

Hospital in Orlando. Mrs. Larson, who is five-feet, four-inches tall, underwent extensive tests to convince doctors she wasn't carrying twins. (AP Laserphoto)

man,” Reagan told celebrants who gathered on the battlefield where George Washington finally defeated the British on Oct, 19,1781. “We have come to this field to celebrate the triumph of an idea,” Reagan said. The dramatic finale of the four-day Yorktown commemoration ended six years of Bicentennial celebrations that began in the Massachusetts

Banner-Graphic ''lt Waves For AH” (USPS 142-020) Consolidation of The Daily Banner Established 1850 The Herald The Daily Graphic Established 1883 Telephone 653-5151 Published twice each day except Sundays and Holidays by LuMar Newspapers, Inc. at 100 North Jackson St., Greencastle, Indiana 46135. Entered in the Post Office at Greencastle, Indiana, as 2nd class mail matler under Act of March 7,1878. Subscription Rates Per Week, by carrier *I.OO Per Month, by motor route ‘4.55 Mail Subscription Rates R.R. in Rest of Rest of Putnam Co. Indiana U.S.A. 3 Months ‘12.00 *12.55 ‘15.00 6 Months 24.00 25.10 30.00 1 Year 48.00 49.20 60.00 Mail subscriptions payable in advance . . not accepted in town and where motor route service is available. Member of the Associated Press The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for republication of all the local news printed in this newspaper

communities of Lexington and Concord in 1975 and peaked on Independence Day, 1976, the 200th birthday of the Declaration of Independence. It was Yorktown in ’Bl, however, that fulfilled the promise of Philadelphia in ’76, and some 175,000 Americans came here to see the celebration end on a high note of fun and prayerful remembrance.

Reagan budget plans face 'lot of juggling'

WASHINGTON (AP) - With the White House saying the next move is up to Congress, Senate Majority Leader Howard H. Baker Jr. is predicting “a lot of juggling” in President Reagan’s latest budget plans. A growing possibility, sources said, is more selective tax increases and fewer budget cuts than Reagan has proposed. Baker met Sunday at the White House with presidential counselor Edwin Meese 111, chief of staff James A. Baker 111 and budget director David A. Stockman to discuss mounting opposition to Reagan’s package. Baker refused to reveal details of the session but was expected to have an an-

the federal government, nor the state has that kind of money around. The so-called superfund established by the federal government, with a $1.6 billion budget over five years, does not have sufficient funds to cover all of the dumps in the nation. And priority is being given to dumps like the Love Canal in upstate New York and the Valley of the Drums near Louisville, Ky. Money will not even be collected for the state’s version of the superfund until January 1982. Funds will not become available until January 1983. Meanwhile, Wilbert Otte tends to his small herd of cattle on his farm barely a half-mile away from the site. His cows used to drink from Heddy Creek, which runs through his property. The creek, which still takes runoff from the site despite the building of a moat and collection lagoon, is now fenced off. Dead trees along the creek stand in mute testimony to the legacy of Seymour Recycling Corp. Otte has had to drill wells to provide water for his livestock. The water is checked periodically to make sure it is still safe. But there are no guarantees the chemicals won’t eventually seep into the water table and foul that supply, too. Otte is constantly reminded of the dump. When the wind blows in the right direction, a foul odor fills the air, making eyes water

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Top military officer new leader in Poland

Daily Telegraph, London WARSAW - Polish Communist Party chief Stanislaw Kania resigned Sunday and was replaced by Prime Minister Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski, according to the government press agency Interpress. Jaruzelski, 58, who also is defense minister, was elected by an “overwhelming majority” of the 200-member party central committee as the Communist Party demanded a ban on strikes and the renegotiation of all uniongovernment agreements. Jaruzelski thus becomes the only Soviet Bloc leader who is also head of the military and presents, in theory at least, a formidable focus of authority as head of the armed forces as well as the country.

No reason for marital law, U.S. says

c. 1981 N.Y. Times WASHINGTON The United States reacted with concern Sunday to language in a resolution of the Polish Communist Party Central Committee that it interprets as allowing the Warsaw government to use military force against striking Polish workers. “We see no reason for martial law in Poland,” the State Department said, adding that this step would only provoke reaction within Poland as well as from abroad. “In our view,” Susan Pittman, a State Department spokesman, said, “Poland’s best hope lies in the careful process of negotiation and compromise that has molded events” in the recent past. Miss Pittman noted that the official Polish statement on even-

“The surrender at Yorktown was a victory for the right of self-determination,” Reagan said. “It was and is the affirmation that freedom will eventually triumph over tyranny. It is and always will be a warning to those who would usurp the rights of others: time will find them beaten. “The beacon of freedom shines here for all who will see, inspiring free men and captives

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SEN. HOWARD BAKER Ball in his court

His election as party boss means supreme power in Poland is now concentrated in the hands of the military in a way unprecedented since the 19305. Kania, chief architect of the party’s program of reform and cooperation with the independent union Solidarity, submitted his resignation to the central committee and it was accepted, the official news agency reported. Kania, who was re-elected party chief just three months ago at the emergency party congress, came under bitter attack for failing to quell unrest in Poland. In a desperate attempt to find a response to the independent union Solidarit’ the Communist Party’s 200-member central

alike, and no wall, no curtain nor totalitarian state can shut it out.” Reagan also took advantage of the historic occasion to promote his own political program, attacking big government and opponents of his defense spending plans. “The men and boys who fought on this field somehow understood that government must be close to the people and

nouncement today on how Senate Republicans intend to proceed. “There is going to be a lot of juggling,” the Tennessee Republican said Sunday, in Reagan’s call for $3 billion in new tax revenues and sl3 billion in extra budget cuts for the fiscal year that started this month. Chief White House spokesman David Gergen, with Reagan in Williamsburg, Va., for today’s bicentennial celebration of the FrenchAmerican victory at Yorktown 200 years ago, said no final decisions on GOP budget stragegy were reached Sunday. And deputy White House press secretary Larry Speakes,

and breathing uncomfortable. “We don’t like it,” Otte said. “But there isn’t any money to clean it up.” The federal government has filed a lawsuit against the owners of Seymour Reycling, but the company is in receivership. The court-appointed receiver, William L. Vance, said there is barely $2,000 in the receivership account. That won’t make a dent in the more than $200,000 in claims against William Kovacs, the owner of Seymour Recycling. Most of the marketable equipment at the site has been sold to settle some debts, Vance said. Some other equipment, such as above-ground storage tanks, are being kept in case they can be used in the cleanup of the barrels. The federal government has also filed suit against the city, and the local airport board, which owns the industrial park, to recoup money already spent on the cleanup. According to Moritz, that suit is still pending and probably will be for a long time. Just like the cleanup at Seymour Recycling, Moritz complains. “Those people promised to keep me informed of what was going on out there,” Moritz said. “I haven’t heard a word from them. But nothing is happening,! guess there’s not much to tell.’

committee issued a resolution criticizing the ruling Politburo for lack of decisive action and said the authorities would use the * full force of the law to defend vital state interests. The resolution to ban strikes and renegotiate uniongovernment agreements will have to be voted on by the parliament, but it represents the essential ingredients for allout confrontation with solidarity. If it is passed, which is by no means certain, it wipes out every concession the trade unions have fought for since its first strikes in August, 1980. The resolution said: “Solidarity’s leadership has unilaterally violated social agreements, usurping the role

ts in Warsaw Sunday stated only that Stanislaw Kania, the party leader, “had tendered his resignation.” “Beyond that, we are not prepared to comment,” she said. It is the view of the United States that the Polish people should be permitted to work out their own problems. Asked if it appeared that hard-liners might now be in a position to take more control in Polish affairs, the spokesman said that it was too soon for a full assessment, she said. The State Department said of Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski’s appointment as head of the party, “While it is too soon for a full assessment, we note that as minister of defense and, since February, as premier, Jaruzelski has associated himself with the policy of seeking negotiated solutions with Solidarity,” the independent trade union.

responsive to them,” he said. “Today, in our country, those concepts are threatened by government’s bloated size and the distortion of its true functions.” “Our people are struggling under a punishing tax burden many times heavier than that which ignited our first rebellion,” Reagan said. “Regulations that inhibit our growth and prosperity v juld be

also with the presidential party, added, “They (top White House officials) are having continuing discussions with (Senator) Baker and the leadership. We are listening and suggesting that Congress come up with something if they disagree with us. The ball’s in their court.” Baker insisted the administration is not wavering in its commitment to cut spending by SIOO billion over the next three years to balance the budget and to save sl6 billion this year to hold the 1982 deficit to $43.1 billion. But there has been increasing speculation that the deficit will exceed Reagan’s goal. And the president acknowledged Sunday for the first time that the

of a superior force to dictate to the community, the parliament, the government, social organizations and institutions. “Solidarity’s leadership thus entered on a path contrary to the interests of the nation and state and, above all, of the working class. “Proclaiming itself in favor of dialogue and accord, the central committee says it is urgent to renegotiate the agreements between the government and unions so as to resolve contentious issues and work out a positive platform of cooperation. “The methods so far used by the politburo and secretariat of the central committee in pursuing the general political line have proved of little effect."

incomprehensible to the colonists who revolted because of the Stamp Act.” Mitterand joined Reagan in commemorating the oldest alliance in American history. Britain, the enemy of 200 years ago, was represented and pledged the three nations “in everlasting friendship to remain.” The final pageantry featured a grand parade

nation is in at least a milcf recession, which could drain government revenues. Senate Republicans said last week they probably will approve less than a third of the sl6 billion package the administration asked to be enacted before Congress adjourns for the year. The GOP leaders said the Senate is unlikely to act before next year on Reagan’s call for $3 billion in increased tax revenues and $2.6 billion in cuts from government programs that pay benefits to individuals. In addition, they said, Reagan probably will get no more than $5 billion of the $10.4 billion he wants in additional 1982 budget cuts.