Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 61, Number 94, Decatur, Adams County, 20 April 1963 — Page 1

VOL LXI NO. 94.

f\ - ■-- IRe ' ~.' *£* 1 *W Fl *'* , ■ * M ' ”0 b MWIBLJFI r i UnO COUNTY SPELLING BEE— Miss Constance Gerber, standing, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clyde L. Gerber, 115 N. Fourth St., and a seventh grade student at St. Joseph Catholic school, won the Adams county spelling bee Friday night at Monmouth. Other contestants are, left to right: Betty Foreman, Jefferson township; Hans Lehr, Immanuel Lutheran; Brenda Crozier, Monmouth; Jane Friedt, Decatur Zion Lutheran; Dianne Fuhrman, Friedheim; Joy Meyer, St. John’s Lutheran; Charley Joray, Hartford township; Ronald Reinking. St. Paul Lutheran; Cynthia Fuelling, St. Peter’s Lutheran; Debby Neuenschwander, Geneva.—(Photo by Mac Lean).

St. Joseph Student Spelling Bee Winner Censure and chaos were no obstacles to Miss Constance Gerber, St. Joseph Catholic school student, as she won the Adams county spelling bee held at Monmouth Friday evening. Miss Gerber, 12-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clyde L. Gerber, of 115 Fourth St., defeated Charles Joray for the right to advance to the area finals in oFrt Wayne next month. A seventh grade student at the St. Joseph school, the young miss spelled "chaos" after Joray had misspelled the word, and then correctly spelled "censure,’’ to win top honors in the bee. Joraf 13 and eighth grade student at Hartford Center and a resident of route 1, Geneva, copped runnerup honors. Represent Adams Co. The Decatur girl will represent Adams county in the area finals at North Side high school in Fort Wayne Saturday. May 11. The area winner will represent this area in the national finals in Washington, D. C., June 10-15. Eleven Adams county schools had representatives in the contest, and Dean T. Dorwin, guidance counselor at Decatur high school, acted as pronouncer. Judge for the annual bee were Adams circuit court Judge Myles F. Parrish, city clerk-treasurer Laura Bosse, and Nelson Doty, General Telephone accountant. 950 Starters Actually, Miss Gerber won out over a total of 950 students, the original starting field in the contest. Other finalists in the Friday contest were Debby Neucnschwander, route 1, Berne; Cynthia Fuelling, route 1, Hoagland; Ronald Reinking, route 1, Decatur: Joy Meyer, Hoagland; Dianne Fuhrman, route 1, Decatur; Jane Friedt, Decatur; Hans Lehr, route 5, 'Decatur: Brenda Crozier, route 5, Decatur; and Betty Foreman, route 2, Berne. Mrs. Martha Beitler Is Taken By Death Mrs. Martha Beitler, 82, of Monroeville route 1, former Linn Grove resident, died at 1:20 p. m. Friday at the Adams county memorial hospital. She was a member of the Union Chapel Methodist church. Surviving are three sons, Emile Cooper, with whom she resided, Harry Cooper of Campbell; Fla., and Laverne Beitler of Fort Wayne; a daughter, Mrs. Chester Grace of Mohawk. Services will be held at 1:45 p. m. Monday at the Marquart funeral home in Monroeville, and at 2:30 p. m. at the Union Chapel Methodist church. Burial will be in MRE cemetery at Berne. Friends may call at the funeral home after 2:30 p. m. Sunday. Decatur Temperature Local weather data for the ending at 9a m. today. * 12 noon — 58 12 midnight .. 48 1 p.m. .. 48 J ara 46 2 p.m 48 2 a.m. 5 p.m 54 5a m 40 7 p.m 56 7 a.m 38 6 p.m. i 52 8 a-m.. — 44 9 p.m 50 9 a.m 48 10 p.m 48 11 p.m;— 48 Rain Total for the 24 hour period ending at 7 a.m. today, .80 inches. The St. Mary’s river was at 3.62 feet .

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

4,509 Persons Registered To Vote On May 7 A total of 4,509 Decatur residents arc registered to vote in the May 7 primary election, it was learned this morning from county clerk Richard Lewton. The 4,509 registered to vote in the city’s primary election is slightly higher than the total of 4,411 that were registered to vote in the primary election in the city in 1959. In the city election in the fall of 1959, some 4,624 were registered to vote. In last year’s primary votingfbr county and state offices, 4,660 were registered, and 4,837 were registered to vote last fall. 2-A High Two of the eleven Decatur precincts show more than 500 persons registered to vote, with the top figure of 538 in 2-A. Precinct 1-A has just six less registered, 532. The third highest number of registered voters is in 3-A with 480, and 1-D ranks fourth with 469 registered. A total of 352 are registered in 1-B, 348 in 1-C, 311 in 2-B, and 302 in 3-C. The least number of registered voters are in precinct 2-C, with 297. the only precinct of the eleven with less than 300. Full Slate The Democrats have a full slate for the primary, with two races on the ballot. Carl D. Gerber, presently a city councilman, and Adrian Wemhoff, a candidate for the nomination in 1949, are both running for mayor. Councilman Lawrence Kohne is a councilman-at-large candidate, as is James H. Kortenber. The Republicans have five candidates on their ticket, with no races. Mayor Donald F. Gage is seeking reelection as mayor, and four council candidates are on the ticket. The Republicans have no candidates for third district councilman, clerk-treasurer or city judge. The Republicans failed to have a single candidate in the 1959 primary election. Sample ballots have been printed and are now available in the office of county clerk Lewton, in the Adams county courthouse. Compare Totals Following are figures showing this year’s registration, the 1959 primary, and the 1962 primary registration figures: Precinct May 7 1959 1962 1-A 532 444 490 1-B 352 311 384 1-C 348 370 372 1- 469 448 456 2- 538 514 565 2-B —. 311 356 361 2- --- 297 300 304 3- - 480 520 496 3-B 463 450 504 3-C 302 318 312 Dec.-Root 417 380 416 Local Lady's Brother Dies This Morning Leo J. Reffelt, 64, brother of Mrs. Anthur J. Miller of this city, died at 5:30 a.m. Friday at his home, 1727 Lindley Ave., Fort Wayne. He retired your years ago from the General Electric Co. in Fort Wayne. He was a member of the G. E. Quarter Century club. Surviving are three other sisters, Mrs. Clyde Smith of Bear Lake, Mrs. Eugene Robillard of Massachusetts, and Mrs. Cyril Addis of Albion. Friends may call after 7 p.m. today at the Klaehn funeral home. Services will be held Monday, at a time yet undertermined, with burial in Covington memorial gardens.

Preble Accepts Bid To School District Preble township, through its trustee and advisory board, has accepted an invitation from Root township to join school corporations in forming a metropolitan school district, Robert kolter, Preble township trustee, said this morning. Root township extended the invitation to Preble for the purpose of attempting to form a metropolitan school district, combining Union, Root and Preble townships. According to a letter written to Edward Selking, Root trustee, the Preble township trustee and advisory board have been petitioned by more than five per cent of the registered voters of the township, and have been certified by county clerk Richard D. Lewton that the petition has been signed by more than five per cent of the registered voters of Preble township. Members «of the Preble township advisory board are Martin Selking, chairman, Alfred Buuck, secretary, and Louis Reinking, Jr. The letter states, “since we, the governmental body, of Preble school township corporation, have been petitioned by approximately 90% of said registered voters of Preble township, Adams county, Indiana, we hereby accept your invitation to form the above-men-tioned metropolitan school district.” The Root township school corporation has given the invitation to Preble township’s school corporation on April 6, to join them and Union township in forming a metropolitan school district, pursuant to chapter 226 of the acts of the general assembly of the State of Indiana of 1949, as amended. NOON EDITION Shoaff Is Named As Wildcat Director Fred B. Shoaff, truck superintendent for the local Central Soya Co., was announced this morning as a new director added to the board of directors of the Decatur Wildcat League Association. Shoaff, who resides at 209 Stratton Way with his wife Marjorie, joins Deane T. Dorwin, Bill Kuhnle, Ferris Bower, Bill Zoss, Norman Steury, Dick HelleL_Jr., and Roahrig, as members of the board of directors of the association. Carl Braun is commissioner and chairman of the board, while Kenneth Gaunt is deputy commissioner, Warren Druetzler is secretary and Arthur Heimann, treasurer. Heimann said this morning that $395 more in cash contributions have been turned in, bringing the total of cash contributions to $984.75, plus a number of pledges from local residents. The league has a month in which to raise its goal of $3,600, to wheih will be added $1,200 by the local Central Soya company. Anyone desiring to pledge an ajpount, or make a contribution, .IB asked to do so immediately, ■Ending the contribution or pledge to Decatur Wildcat League, Box 4, Decatur, Ind. The latest conrtibutors include: Tate Knapke, Fred Shoaf. Bill Lose, Jr., Dick Heller, Jr., Bag Service, Gene Rydell, R. Ross, W. L. Harpel, W. L. Soldner, Kiddie Shop, Jacvk McEwan, and Dale E. McMillen, Jr.

Decatur, Indiana, Saturday, April 20,1963.

First State Sales Tax, Gross Income Tax Boost Approved By Legislature

Tornadoes Hit Part Os State

By United Press International Residents of a half-dozen areas in a wide belt across Cetral Indiana today cleared up debris from a series of vicious windstorms and tornadoes which roared through the state late Friday. At least three persons were injured, two of them in the Vincenes area, where damage was reported heaviest from two tornadoes which swept simultaneously across Knox County. They were treated and released at Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes. The two twisters were reported by Mrs. Webster McGiffin of Vincennes and a co-worker at the McGiffin Dairy Farm office. The farm was not damaged. One of the tornadoes blew down a barn, wrecked three or four implement sheds and damaged equipment at a farm owned by the St. Vicent Orphanage southeast of Vincennes. The twister did not touch the orphanage building, located nearby. The tornado was believed, to have been the same one which hit St. Francesville, lIL, causing, an elderly woman to die of a heart attack and injuring between 20 and 25 persons. Home Demolished At least three homes were damaged badly in Knox County, and one was demolished. Authorities also reported a mobile home parked in the rear of a house owned by Leslie Roach was blown away. A short time later, Indiana State Police reported a torado demolished a home at Surprise, seven

Ask Restraint On Price Hike

WASHINGTON (UPI) — Preside! Kennedy says his only concern over the steel price increases is that their “psychological effect” may lead to a new pricewage spiral. Kennedy told the American Society of Newspaper Editors Friday that the steel industry “has acted with some restraint in this case.’’ He said he hoped the steelworkers union and industrial users of steel, particularly the auto industry, would “act with similar restraint.” Kennedy said he was not concerned about the actual effect of the steel price increases, which would only restore the idustry’s loss of 1 per cent in prices since 1959. “What I am concerned about is...that the psychological effect may cause a more general rise in prices which may therefore be reflected in additional wage demads.” Tn answering the editors questions, Kennedy appealed to steel users to absorb the added cost instead of passing it on to consumers. He specifically mentioned automobile producers, “who are making very high profits.” The Steelworkers union, he said, should recognize the need for “wage stability” and should “guide Pre-School Roundup On Tuesday Morning The pre-school roundup for children living north of Monroe street, in Stratton Place, and in Union township, will be held at the Northwest elementary school from 8 to 9 a.m. Tuesday. Children who will be five years old on or before Sept. 15 are eligible to enroll in kindergarten next fall. Children, who missed the earlier roundup at the Southeast school may enroll Tuesday. Those unable to attend either roundup are asked to call the principal of their school district so plans can be made for enrollment for the coming school year.

miles from Seymour, injuring the occupant who was identified as Bruce Redy. He did not require medical attention. Two churches in Surprise were heavily damaged, and police roped off one of them to keep passersby away- Five dairy cows on a farm in Surprise were killed when a barn collapsed after being struck by what residents said was a tornado. A windstorm of tornado - like force cut a five-file-long swath nine miles south of Seymour, leveling at least five barns and damaging about a dozen houses. An area resident said the storm picked up a farm wagon and deposited it a few minutes later in a field a half-mile away. Nine Counties Alerted Tornado and severe storm alerts were issued during the latter part of the day for Johnson, Knox, Brown, Bartholomew, Shelby, Daviess, Greene, Sullivan and Rush Counties. A woman reported spotting a funnel-shaped cloud at Richmond, Jr-H the apparent twister did not touch down, although the area was hit by severe winds which ripped off part of the roof of the Keystone Beverage Co. Police also reported a trailertruck was overturned at Edinburg o U.S. 31. A home was demolished and several barns were Mown down in a tornado reported by state police about a mile south of Freetown near Seymour. High voltage lines were reported down in the ares;

its conduct in accordance with its long-range interest, which is the national interest.” Kennedy stoutly defended his budget and his tax cut proposalsHe said he saw nothing in the economy “that would make the tax cut bill unnecessary.” Denonuncing Republican talk of cutting up to sls billion out of his proposed budget. Kennedy said he could “think of nothing more ruinous to the security of this country and our economy.” Many of the advocates of big cuts, he said, are the same persons who formulated Eisenhower administration policies that led to two recessions, a $12.5 billion deficit in 1958, and a sl2 billion outlay of gold and dollars. “We hope to do better,” Kennedy said. Probing Theft Os Railroad Property Indiana State polcie detective Sgt. Walter Schindler, the sheriff’s department, the city police, and the Erie railroad company detective are conducting an investigation into a theft of railroad property this week. A total of 36 journalbrass pieces were stolen from a number of Erie railroad cars sitting along a track west of town, near the crossing on extended Monroe street. The cars are out of service and considered obsolete, and are located on the storage track west of town. Each journal-brass weighs about 25 pounds, about 21 pounds of which is pure brass, and would bring a good price if melted down and sold, which is believed to be the reason they were stolen. Gasoline Prices Back To Normal Gasoline prices have shot back up to nortnal in Decatur and the surrounding area, after several weeks of a “price war," which saw gasoline drop eight cents a gallon for most brands.

INDIANAPOLIS (UPD — The Indiana Legislature prepared today to adopt a sl-4 billion biennial budget to be financed in part by the state’s first sales tax, and end its special session at or near the legal deadline with two of its three major problems solved. A dramatic break in a 100-day impasse over 1963-65 revenue methods to raise more taxes for a record spending program paved the way for the end of the 40-day special session Governor Welsh called March 12 when the 61-day biennial regular session ended with no problems solved. Lt. Gov. Richard O. Ristine, staking his political future on one little word, shattered a 24-24 Senate tie on a 2 per cent sales tax measure by voting "aye” and explaining “I felt it was not good for Indiana to have another special session.” Governor Welsh had warned that if the budget-tax issue remained unsolved after the first special session, he would keep the lawmakers in session. Reapportionment Unsolved The only unsolved major issue among the “big three” was reapportionment, and it appeared the session would end with this issue still a thorn in the lawmakers’ flesh. Once the sales tax measure squeaked by, the second part of the multi-tax program hammered out by a bipartisan conference committee was quickly adopted. 34-14. This portion created a 2 per cent adjusted gross income tax and a 2 per cent corporation tax. Both bills now go to the governor for his signature. The legislature then recessed until nearly midnight. When it convened again the bipartisan budget conference committee, which had been sitting on the sidelines during the long revenue fight, presented its recommendation for a budget calling for expenditure of $1,422,345,942 during next two years. 'feoth the House and the Senate stopped clocks to maintain the legal fiction that today was Friday. Thus the conference report on the budget was filed one day and now can be acted upon today without suspension of rules. Both the House and the Senate set 2 p.m. this afternoon for reconvening. Budget Little Changed The budget awaiting final voting was not much changed from the one welded together during the regular session but there were a few new items which came as a surprise. One was a S2O per diem allowance for the next regular session of the legislature in 1965. This has the effect of hiking the pay of the lawmakers by $1,220, or a total of $4,820 for the two-year period. Sen- Charles Maddox, R-Otterbein, chairman of the budget conference committee, said the matter of per diem was a hotly debated one, with the Democratic members arguing for a SSO per diem, effective for this special session. Finally, the cimmittee compromised on a separate bill, already passed, which gave them $1,400 extra for the 40-day special session, and a S2O per diem for the 1965 Legislature, contained in the budget. State Auditor Dorothy Gardner paid the legislators their $1,400 for the special session Friday night, despite a warning from former Sen. Nelson Grills, D-Indi-anapolis, that she might be laying herself open to refunding the $208,000 total if he should win a suit pending in Johnson Circuit Court

Grills Filed Suits Grills, a longtime advocate of reapportionment, filed several suits challenging the legality of the current legislature for its failure to reapportion itself during the past 42 years. At the time the lawmakers trudged home early today it appeared such reapportionment would not be achieved this session either. A conference committee on reapportionment, which had hoped to at least gain passage of a constitutional amendment, ran into a roadblock when the Democratic senators refused to let their member on the committee —Dr. James Kirtley—sign the conference report unless a House plan for immediate reapportionment were adopted. A Senate plan which apparently is acceptable has been drafted. Maddox and Sen. Robert O’Bannon, D-Corydon, the two budget conferees in the upper House, and

Reps. John Coppes, R-Nappanee, and Richard Bodine, D-Mishawa-ka, the House members, cut sl2 million from the tentative budget to make it fit the revenue package, which is expected to produce $231 million above the estimate from present sources. The adoption of the new tax program, a departure from the gross income tax which has been Indiana's revenue mainstay for 33 years, came as a late Friday shock to many observers. The plan had squeaked by in the House but with both President Pro Tern D. Russell Bontrager, R-Elk-hart, and Democratic leader Marshall Kizer, D-Plymouth, opposing it, the outlook had not been good in the Senate. Sen. John Ruckelshaus, R-Indi-anapolis, one of the successful backers of the sales tax-adjusted gross tax plan, called the passage of the package a case of “the Indians telling the chiefs what to do.” Bontrager had attacked the package as “a departure from the established tax structure” and warned it would result in so much litigation a second special session would be prefereable. Even after the two bills were adopted, Bontrager repeated his warning, noting that some courts might interpret the wording of one of the bills in such away that all money intended for schools would be distribtrted on a per-pupil basis. The budget contains a formula which calls for $340 million in state funds to be distributed back to the schools using several other factors, including need, as a basis for the division. Only SSO million was intended by school authorities to be distributed on the perpupil basis. The budget contains slsl million for colleges and universities, a cut of $2 million from that tentatively approved, an item of $160,000 was put in a contingency fund for Hobart, whose school system is in financial troubles. Also added to the budget was a specification that the Indiana Port Commission may spend $600,000 of funds it already has on hand for preliminary tests and work on a proposed Lake Michiga port. O’Bannon told the lawmakers that “there nothing else in the budget on Indiana’s harbor.” The conference committee operating budget Contains increases over the 1961-63 budget totaling $242,336,277. It provides for only $5 million surplus.

Castro Declares Aggression Known

MIAMI (UPI) — Premier Fidel Castro said Friday night the Soviet missiles which fomented last fall’s Caribbean crisis were brought into Cuba because he and the Kremlin had learned of an “aggression” planned by President Kennedy and Cuban exile leaders. Castro claimed that Kennedy discussed plans of aggression against Cuba in April, 1962, with Jose Miro Cardona, the exile leader who broke with the Kennedy administration this week, and that the Cuban and Soviet governments knew of such plans within two months. ‘‘The steps that were taken in view of the certainty of an aggression against our country were the steps related with the fortifying of our armed forces and the shipment of strategic missiles to our country,” Castro said. The revolutionary premier spoke in Havana at ceremonies commemorating the second anniversary of the abortive April, 1961, Bay of Pigs ' invasion. His threehour speech, -broadcast by Havana Radio and monitored here, ended shortly after 1 a.m., EST, and was one of his longest in recent months. Reds Remove Missiles The installation of Soviet missiles in Cuba brought about a direct confrontation of the United States and Russia in the Caribbean, leading the world to the brink of nuclear war. The Russians removed the missiles to the satisfaction of the Kennedy administration after the United States imposed a blockade around Cuba and the two sides subse-

SEVEN CENTS

Wheat Referendum Meeing On Monday Adams county wheat growers and other interested' persons are reminded of a meeting at the Farm Bureau Co-Op building Monday at 8 p.m. where they can hear an explanation of the 1964 wheat program and possible alternatives. Jack Armstrong, Purdue University extension agricultural economist, will provide factual information that may help Adams county wheat raisers decide how to vote in the nation-wide wheat referendum May 21. County extension agent Leo N. Seltenright points out that persons attending the meeting, which is open to the public, will have an opportunity to hear an analysis of the 1963 wheat referendum programs and possible alternatives and ask questions Seltenright adds that for the first time farmers with wheat acreages of 15 acres or fewer are eligible to vote, if they choose, and if they indicate their intention to participate in the 1964 wheat program prior to the May 21 referendum. Two major issues are involved in the wheat referendum. One is how high wheat prices should be supported and the other how wheat production should fee kept in line with needs. The two programs from which growers will choose in the referendum: One limits production to market - and export needs, provides an average pirce support of $2 a bushel on the bulk of their and offers payments for wheat acreage diverted to conservation use. The other provides no limits on production or marketings. Price support will be available to those growers who stay within their allotments at 50 per cent of parity, or about $1.25 a bushel. INDIANA WEATHER Fair and cool tonight. Sunday partly cloudy and a little warmer. Low tonight in the 40s north, 44 to 52 south. High Sunday mid 60s north, in the 70s south. Outlook for Monday: Partly cloudy and a little warmer.

quently negotiated a settlement. Castro charged that “the enemy” plans new measures against Cuba, but he said his government would follow a policy of peace if the United States did the same. He vowed to defend Cuba against any aggression and said an attack on his nation would start a world war. The premier appeared to support, in effect, the charge by Miro that Kennedy had agreed to a new invasion of Cuba, then reneged after the crisis last November over the Russia missiles7 Miro Hits Kenedy Miro resigned as head of the Cuban Revolutionary Council in Miami this week, charging that the Kennedy administration had backed down on promises to move against Castro’s regime. He issued a long “white paper” detailing the reasons for his resignation. Castro read sections of Miro’s “white paper” giving particular attention to the section dealing with Miro’s White House meeting with Kennedy a year ago. Referring to the Bay of Pigs invasion, Castro said it would not have succeeded even if the United States had given air cover for the Cuban invaders. He said U.S. planes would have been shot down. He said it was the arms sent by his Commuist allies that helped him score a victory. He said the triumph at the Bay of Pigs was a “decisive one” which “saved the revolution.”