Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 62, Number 97, Decatur, Adams County, 23 April 1964 — Page 1

VOL LXII. NO. 97.

City Takes Option On Land For Water Reservoir

The city of Decatur has an option on 188 acres of the Anna Moltz farm, owned by Harry Dailey, until June 1, as a possible site for a city reservoir to hold a six-months supply of water, Mayor Carl D. Gerber announced today. 'Die land is located on the north side of the St. Mary’s river, on a small creek which drains into the river. River Not Feasible Because of the “fall” in the

Decatur Reservoir Site Under Option As Seen From Piqua Road Wednesday

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Second Attested In - Horse, Buggy Theft A second local youth has been arrested in connection with the Saturday night horse and buggy theft, and a third may follow, according to information received this morning from Adams county sheriff Roger Singleton. Herman L. Dellinger, 20-year-old resident of 1209 Master Drive, has been charged with theft by obtaining and exerting unauthorized control, and is presently in custody in the Adams county jail. He is the second local youth to be arrested in connection with the theit. Dennis Lee Scott, also 20, of 328 Bollman St., was ar-* rested Monday evening, and is charged with the same offense as Dellinger. Sheriff Singleton said this morning that the investigation is still continuing, and that another arrest may yet be made in the case. Dellinger was arrested Wednesday evening, with formal charges being filed today. On Suspension No bond has been set for Dellinger, who just began a six-month pericd of a suspended sentence. Last Thursday afternoon, uellinger was fined $25 and costs „ and sentenced to the state penal farm by Adams circuit court Judge Myles F. Parrish. The sentence was suspended by the judge, however, during good behavior. Dellinger and Marvin Mv'-rson. route 5, Decatdr, were fined and received the suspended sentences, and at that time Judge Parrish ordered both youths to be off the streets between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., and ordered them not to consume any intoxicating liquors or-’ alcoholic beverages. Sent Immediately At that time. Judge Parrish warned both that if either was arrested he would be immediately jailed and taken to the penal farm to serve the sentence of six months. Thus, it does not appear likely that bond will be set for Dellinger, although he will stand trial on the latest charge. Scott has been released under SI,OOO bond. Scott and Dellinger are accused of stealing a horse and buggy Saturday evening, which waij owned by Nate Wickey, 22, of route 4, Decatur. The horse and buggy were taken from the Kroger park- • ing lot pnd later the horse bolted from a country road into the path of a pick-up truck operated by Edmund W. L. Ihieme, route. 5, Decatur. Thieme and his wife suffered minor injuries, and his 1965 model truck was totally demolished. The buggy was also demolished and the horse was killed instantly by the impact of the crash.

Give To Canter Society Crusade — — April 20 To 25 DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

river, only about one foot in a mile, it is not feasible to place a water reservoir on the river itself, Mayor Gerber stated. Several different engineers have suggested using a creek entering the St. Mary's river. The house, and 25 acres on the north side of the Piqua road, are not included in the optioned area. Will Check Borings The district U. S. soil conservation service soils engineer, Chelsey Miller will spend a day dril-

Chy Receives Bids On Paving Materials Three bids on paving materials for the Decatur street department were opened and taken under advisement, the recommendation of chief of police Grover Odle that Pat Nelson be accepted as a regular uniformed policeman as he has completed his six-months’ probation, was accepted, and a letter from the Decatur volunteer firemen was made a matter of record by the Decatur board of works meeting at 4 p. m. Wednesday. The complicated bids from Ayres Asphalt and Paving, Celina, 0., Meshberger Brothers, Linn Grove, and Mohr Construction Co., of Kokomo and Markle, will be studied to see how much of each type of material is needed, and which bid is actually the lowest. Just listening to the bids as read by city attorney John DeVoss, the bids appeared to be as listed above, with Ayres as low bidder and Mohr as high bidder, but a study of the actual amounts - used may show differently, the board explained. Nelson, a former radio operator, was promoted to the uniformed police force more than six months ago. The placing of his name on the permanent ranks is a formal recognition of his passing the probationary period. Request Pay Raise That Decatur volunteer firemen, through their secretary, Maurice Teeple, requested a raise in hourly pay to: $4 for the first hour: $2 each additional hour; and $2.50 a practice. The board members — Mayor Carl D. Gerber, and city councilmen Dr. Ralph Allison and Chalmer Deßolt—discussed the present appropriation, and decided that the amount now available would not permit .raises for the remainder of this year. However, they discussed including the proposed rates, or a modification thereof, in the budget for the next year. Meet April 29 The board of works will meet at 7:30 p. m. Tuesday, May 5, for its next regular meeting, the mayor stated. They will also meet at 4 p. m. Wednesday, April 29, to take bids on a new truck. The members of the city administration, including the board of works and mavor, will attend the hearing next Monday at 4 p. m. in the circuit court room on the proposed changes in the city plan and zoning ordinance.

ling on the property May 7 to see if borings show that the land would hold water if a reservoir is excavated. A large amount of excavation would be called for, Gerber stated. The land is not yet purchased, and will not be, unless it proves usable, he added. The city has more than $900,000 set aside in the water improvement fund for a reservoir from the sale of the Decatur electric plant. This money may be appropriated to help with the pro-

Nationwide Strike On Rails Is Averted By Johnson’s Action

WASHINGTON (UPD—President Johnson, buoyed by his triumph in averting a nationwide rails strike, held out hope today for lasting labor peace in the strife-torn railroad industry. The President announced settlement of the railroad work rules dispute in a ra di o - television appearance Wednesday night — little more than 48 hours before the scheduled shutdown of the nation’s vast rail network was to begin. The settlement came on the 13th lay of the 15-day truce that the Chief Executive had arranged so he and a special team of federal mediators could try to get a negotiated agreement. The crisis had developed when a surprise strike against the Illinois Central Railroad threatened to spread into a national walkout. Johnson forecast continued economic advances now that the threat of a national transportation tieup was removed by the rails agreement. Must Be Ratified Union sources said the settlement, which still must be ratified by rank-and-file members of the five operating brotherhoods, was a “pretty, good deal.” Observers said the railroads were not happy with the terms but felt they were the best they could get and avoid a crippling strike. It was believed to be the first labor - management agreement worked out under such close White House scrutiny since President Harry S. Truman’s time. Johnson declared it was “just and fair.”'He said it would allow modernization and still take account of human problems created by technological progress. “But most of all'this agreement prevents — we hope for ail time —a most crippling and disastrous strike in the railroad industry,” the President said. “Our robust economy can continue its healthy and encouraging forward movement,” he said. “Business and labor ■V ~~ £■ - The meeting was held in the mayor’s office, as the council room upstairs is presently being remodeled.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, 46733, Thursday, April 23,1964.

ject, the mayor stated, and will help keep down the direct costs to the taxpayers. Mayor Gerber was one of five Democratic members of the Decatur city council which set the money aside at the time of the sale, and which steadfastly refused to fritter it away on other projects. Serious City Problem Water has long been a serious background problem in Decatur. All water is presently obtained

can take neW encouragement. All of us can remain optimistic.” Speaks For Unions Roy E. Davidson, grand chief engineer of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, was Gray Ladies To Hear Judge Myles Parrish

Judge Myles F. Parrish

Judge Myles F. Parrish, of the Adams circuit court, will speak at a meeting of the Gray Ladies of the Adams county Red Cross chapter at the Indiana & Michigan social room Monday evening. Judge Parrish will speak on “Our American Heritage,” to the 36 members Gray Ladies. Following the judge’s address, there will be a brief coverage of rules and regulations, and all Gray Ladies are urged by Mrs. Leo Sheets, chairman, to attend. Mrs. Sheets said the need for Gray Lady service has grown rapidly in Adams county during the chapter’s first year of service, but the most important assignment for the Gray Lhdies is still visiting patients in hospitals, institutions and clinics. A request for Gray Lady service may come directly from a hospital, institution, or agency, but it may also result from a chapter analysis or community need.

from deep wells in the limestone which underlies the county. This' water is extremely hard and contains many dissolved minerals which limit its usefulness, and make it unpalatable. Use of rain water, collected in a reservoir, will cut down considerably on the mineral content of the water, the mayor predicted. It will also make it possible for Decatur to support one of the many industries which requires greater water resources than the

spokesman for the five unions and iheir 200,000 members who were involved in the dispute. “The groundwork for collective bargaining in the railroad industry has been re-estab-lished,” Davidson said. The railroad spokesman, J.E. (Doc) Wolfe, anticipated a “rebirth of cooperation” between manage* ment and union leaders. “The settlement we have made, at President Johnson’s request, means a brighter future for America’s railroads in an atmosphere of free enterprise,” Wolfe said. The agreement is to be put into contract language with the aid of the two private labor experts who helped produce the solution: Dr. George W. Taylor and Theodore W. Kheel. It will be subject to ratification by the unions but this is not expected to upset the settlement. Film On Dentistry Shown Optimists Dr. Robert Irwin, local dentist and program chariman, presented a film entitled “Challenge of Dentistry,” -at this morning’s weekly meeting of the Decatur Optimists. Dealing with dentistry as a vocation for those seeking a vocation that i> both satisfying and financially rewarding, the film gave a brief resume of the requirements and academic schedule of students. Two years of pre-dental and six years of dental school are required before one can practice the art of dentistry. Microbiology, bacteriology, chemistry, plastic surgery, nutrition, and X-ray are just a few of the many subjects that a student must. take. Special training, is taken in the care and treatment of cleft palates, an infancy deformity, that has been a scourage for centuries. Detection of abnormalties and diseases such as. cancer and anemia are also a part of the dentist’s job along with oral hygene care. At tiiis morning’s meeting, reports were given on the oratorical contest, the Scout O’Rama scheduled for and the next travelogue set for April 28.

: city now has. t. ! \ The city is presently drilling ’ Another deep well, and probably > would continue to use well water, 1 but would be able to rest them, and store up water for any kind of emergency, the mayor explain--1 ed. At present about a dozen ’ wells are in use, but are rotated L so that they will recharge from ’ the porous aquifer at intervals. Still Fanning Land > If the land is purchased, the ‘ present farm tenant has the right

Waning Appointed Wildcat Director “Boys like to play baseball,” says George Waning, director of Decatur’s Wildcat league, “and they want to play well. It’s a genuine pleasure to help them.” Waning, coach at Decatur Catholic high school, has again been appointed director of the 1964 Wildcat League, in which boys through their early teens learn and play competitive baseball. Other members of Waning’s staff are to be selected later. “Wildcat gives every boy a chance to play baseball,” Waning adds, “and if he needs help in developing skill, he’s got a coach right there who is trained and experienced in working with boys.” The Wildcat League, founded in Decatur in 1963, was born in Fort Wayne by D. W. McMillen: Sr. The philosophy of Wildcat is to help boys learn to develop their potentials, and to make sure that each boy plays on a team. Operating on the theory that money invested in developing skills rather than uniforms, the Wildcat league retains a professional coaching staff, while limiting special clothing to a cap and T-shirt. INDIANA WEATHER Cloudy with some scattered showers early tonight. Considerable cloudiness with no important temperature changes later tonight and Friday. Low tonight 45 to 54. High Friday 62 to 70. Sunset today 7:31 p.m. Sunrise Friday 5:55 a.m. Outlook for Saturday: Cloudy and warm with scattered showers and thunder-' storms. Lows in the 50s. Highs upper 60s to mid 70s. Trustees Name Board Member This Evening The township trustees of Preble, Root and Union townships will meet this evening to select a North (Adams school board member from the rural area, including the three townships and part of Washington township, to serve on the North Adams community schdol board, Wilbur Blakey, Union township trustee, and chairman for the meeting, said today. The three will select a successor to Louis Krueckeberg, who is completing his first term on the ooard. Robert Kolter is Preble township trustee, and Ed Selking is Root township trustee.

to farm it until March 15 of next ‘year. All property south of the Piqua road is included in the optional site, including the farm buildipgs. Solving Decatur's water shortage problem was one of the positive pledges made by Mayor Gerber when he was elected last fall. The mayor, who keeps regular office hours in his new office, from 10 a. m. until 2 p. m., daily, has been quietly working away at keeping each of his pledges.

Slate Auditor Opposes Delay In School Pay - INDIANAPOLIS (UPD—State Auditor Dorothy Gardner objected strongly Wednesday to a decision by the State Budget Agency to delay full payment of the quarterly state tuition aid to local school corporations. She told fellow members of the State Board of Finance that the action would force some school corporations to borrow money. She said she felt the state should go ahead with the full quarterly distribution of $31.4 million. She voiced her objections when the board took up and approved a recommendation that •it transfer $16.3 million from the general fund to the tuition fund for distribution. “I don’t see why we couldn’t pay the whole thing this time,” Mrs. Gardner told Governor Welsh, chairman of the threemember board. “We had $39 million in the general fund at the end of March. I don’t know how much we got in this month but it’s sl4 or sls million.” Mrs. Gardner said she understood the Department of Public* Instruction favored going ahead with the entire payment at one time rather than splitting it. Welsh told her, “I’m in agreement but only if we have the money.” ® Commissioner John Hatchett of the Department of Administration urged the delay. Hatchett was in Chicago when the board met but he told newsmen earlier that he feared the general fund balance was too low to permit full payment in a lump sum. Mrs. , Gardner disagreed and said she based her belief on the theory that general fund spending other than for tuition. support “averages about $lO to sl2 million a month.” She maintained that left enough of a balance to allow payment of the full tuition distribution. The board approved a $46,000 loan to Scottsburg from the postwar planning fund for extension of a sewage system and cleared the way for the State Highway Department to pay an old bill for corn killed by a weedkiller sprayed along a highway. The SSO for the payment had reverted to the general fund.

SEVEN CENTS

For the obvious purpose of keeping land values within reason in the area under consideration, negotiations for the land, and other sites, have been kept as quiet as possible, the mayor said. As soon as any concrete developments materialize, the public will be fully informed, he promised, but premature rumors and leaks would hurt the chances for making an agreement suitable to both the people of the .city and the present owners of any land areas involved.

Monroeville Chief Os Police Is Dead ■ * Herbert J? (Tiny) Renier, 56 chief of police at Monroeville since 1958, died Wednesday morning at his home following a heart attack. • A lifelong resident of Allen county, he served as a deputy sheriff until being named Monroeville police chief. Mr. Renier was a member of St. Rose Catholic church. Surviving are his wife, Jean; a daughter, Joyce, at home; two brothers, Bernard of New Haven, and Floyd, of Fort Wayne; a Sister, Mrs. Gerald (Mary Louise) Holliday of Fort Wayne, and a stepson, Wayne Ertel of Monroeville. Funeral services will be held at 9:15 a. m. Friday at the Marquart funeral home in Monroeville, and at 9:30 a. m. at St. Rose Catholic church. The Rev. Andrew Matthew will officiate, and burial will be in St. Louis Catholic cemetery, Besancon. Friends may call at the funeral home from 7 to 10 p. m. today. Expand North Adams Guidance Program The North Adams community schools board decided Tuesday night that they would expand their guidance program into the junior high area, and that the junior high guidance instructor will also be the North Adams attendance officer . At present, Harvey Haggard, retired Adams Central teacher, is filling out the rest of the school year for Mrs. Mildred Foley, who resigned to become court bailiff. However, Haggard is not interested in another year; he is presently attendance officer for all three school areas. North Adams now has a guidance program for the high school years only. Guidance is strongly recommended by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, which sets college admission standards, for all 12 grades. The board voted to expand guidance locally to include the seventh and eighth grades next year. Several teachers have already applied for the position, but none has been chosen as yet, Gail Grabill, superintendent, stated. Ihe attendance officer and guidance man win probably operate out of Lincoln school temporarily, since there is more room there than at Monmouth. Both schools maintain junior highs.