The Independent-News, Volume 88, Number 25, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 18 June 1964 — Page 4

More Work On S. R. 23 Coming

Every so often a big brown envelope comes across our desk from the State Highway Commission. Always this is opened and examined for work to l>c done in this area and usually we are disappointed in the lack of things for this section of Indiana, particularly Road 23. But at last it happened! The contracts last week fulfilled a statement made at the recent hearing in North Liberty that the Indiana Highway Commission would resurface the Walkerton to North Liberty section this year if possible, since the major improvements weren’t scheduled until possibly the 1967 year. The following contract was

Summer Recreation Programs Underway

Summer Recreation programs are underway in both Walkerton and North Liberty for the youth of the communities. These projects, sponsored either with the cooperation of the towns and schools or one of the other, offer a program for boys and girls alike in the summer

Fund Raising Underway

The new Little League Park in Walkerton is now getting down to .serious stages of construction to supply the Little League with a better and certainty much, safer place to play baseball. A good job of getting a park was done several years ago for the Little Leaguers, but the location of the park proved to be slightly hazardous and with the cooperation of the Town Board, the Little League

Our Offer To You

The ladependent-News Company is again offering a new subscription to anyone who does not presently take the paper delivered through the mail. For three days this week Thursday, Friday end Saturday, we will offer a new subscription to all for $1.50 for the first year. A convenient blank is displayed on the front page of Voice of the People The people of Oregon towa^hip are having a second chance to express tlietr wishes as to wtiat, where and how they waig their school system to be. Their first chance was three years ago when over 60 per cent of you p it your signatures on a petition to be released frem Starke County so we could go into a corporation made up. at that time, of Polk and Lincoln townships. K was a legal petition, rertified by the Court Clerk; but through sour maneuver, it was knocked around * r ntii it was eventually, over tv** years later, ruled invalid by the court. j Since Sept. 1, 1963. we have been a part of a merger with Davis township, an arrangement That does not meet the minim unr standards up by Ui* BUL* Commimim for School Raorgat4zation, and which has been refused permanent approval by that mard. On May Sth of this year, a delegation from our township was reassured that no permanent approval was pending, either now or tn the future, and that it Was possible to still do away witi fhis inadequate corporation ana go with a larger school corporation, in our case, Polk-Lincoln-Johason being the most logical. We realize that a part of our township lies in and near town of Hamlet and the jxonle from that areo are not as' entbusi; stic about this proposal as are we who live north of U. S. 80, but the fact remains that

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printed in the last release: “St. Joseph, M-64812 Bituminous resurface on State Road 23. 5.8 miles from west junction ot I’S 6 northeast to junction of State Road 4 Low bidder ReithRiley Const. Co., Inc., Goshen. Ind., $114,010.00. Engineers' Estimate $153,836.50.” With the speed and completeness of the job this company did on the same highway south of Walkerton to the Starke County Line, it looks like the first stretch north of 23 will soon be a smooth black surfaced road like we now have to the south. This is most welcome and a fine improvement for our area.

months. We urge participation in the programs for all. Schedules for the two towns have been printed and. continual nows about the programs will appear from time to time as organized recreation in the summer months is a great asset to the communities.

officials and the Athletic Boostci's Club, the plans have not only been started, but work has been as well. It will take a considerable amount of money to furnish the new park, but donations have started and the Athletic Boosters are promoting a fund raising to help with this <s welt We urge your support of this program.

this issue for any new sutteerfl)era to take advantage qL just simply fill out and mail’to us with $l5O, or Uring it to our Walkerton office or te the North Liberty office, located in Bob's Reeeed Bhn® This offer is for new subscribers only as an introductory offer to give you an opportunity to wbscribe to our paper. Jiu. . _.ri <■ , 60 per cent of the children going to Grover-town, live within a radius es one mile of Koontz Lake, and ae it seems only fluir that w« be allowed to expire* our views. We recognise a great conflict of interests within our township. We know that some of dur people have roots that spread over into Davis touiukip, and tltar sympathy for the people in Hamlet particularly, has strongly Influenceci their thinking in the -matter of ther feelings and also reeognie® that it has been our biggest hurdle ter going with PoHc-LiecoLv Johnson School Corporetion. The town of Hamlet has hit an economic low Mnce the new highway by-passed £ and it*p citizens are naturally concerned that the loss of its high school will harm It still more. We ate truly sorry that this is so, but newspapers, magazine# and television tejj us that thia is happening to sntaU towns all over tho country; large shopping ceptexa. the move to suburbia, super-highways, school reorganization, have all contributed to this condition. However, we must move with the stream, Jf we do not move with the stream we do not see to it that our younger generation is given a better education that their grandfathers got. then we will not be moving, but will stagnate. It is no longer sufficient to teaxh the three R's. Band and Physical Education Our children deserve, and in order to compete must have, the same educational advantages as children in city schools We can give them this with a corporation Chat is big

THE FIRST PARTING .to , J.. I V take"goop L /Tl ENRV-nn vru I op mi COMB SON, MINO YOUR S XT I fawERS-OBEY YOUR COUR^K STAY A WHOLE WEEK? / ~ FAT WHATEVER YOU ARE SERVEP. ANO Do THEY HAVE ’ WATCH OUT FOR POISON WY to, A TELE PHONE HERE? / A H t)ONT ALL MDUR WEEKLY W tx- —— ‘ I allowance in one pay//m | WRFFE TO YOUR MOTHER < < V anp... ’ ii [if r > .2—ffffi

enough to foot the bill. The sitperintendent of a large corporation receives very little more salary than the superintendent of a small corporation. The M.S.D. of Oregon-Davis is top-heavy, bvdg-et-wise because ta addition to the superintendent who commands a salary of from $10,090 to $12,000 a year, we win now bear tho expense of supervisory principal and another principal as well Where wih the yaoney c*me from for other things so vital to a broader education such as good teachers who will teach only subjects they have majored in, library needs, laboratory supplies, etc. - The moue ctoldppn w have.enrolled, the more state aid is forthcoming. the higher degrees our teachers hold, the mere state aid we are eligible tor. It costs no more to pay a teacher to teach twenty-taw. thee to touch Ove. Betow fii’a there can be eo class, so each year at Grovevtown. pur students who need them, miss out os x*asuable subjeats because there aren't enough interested in that one particular .subject to make up a else®. The M. 6. D. of Oregon-Davis will be running in the red by the first quarter of 1565, gnd we will bear. the extra tax burden of money borrowed to tide us over. State aid, forthcoming in February. will not be sufficient because our enrollment is not great enough, 713 children as against the 1000 minimum set up by the State Commision for the Reorganisation of Schools. With an eproMmegit of 1700 pupils, which we would have if Oregon township joined with Polk-Lincoln-John-socu we could have a broader curriculum and at a lower tax rate than we have with Oregon-Davis. IRte urge citizens of Oregon township to not allow their loyalty to Hamlet, and their concern for its eecoomic situation, to cloud their judgement of what would be best tor their children's education. It is too greet a sacrlfice to snake, own for a i^nod neighbor, and we have no right to make eur children the victim of such a sacrifice. For the purpose of bearing our view's, the Countv Committee for School Reorganization, has called a public hearing at Grovertown, at which a member or members, of the State Commission for the RAoreanizatton of Schools will be present. We urge you to attend and

help us to help these men in making a decision that will mean a better, as well as less expensive school, pro rata, for our children. It will be held In the Qrovertown gym at 8:00 jun. oa June 22nd. Mrs. V. A. Keiper There are people who voted Cor pie fpr school board of the MSD of Oregon-Davis who question my present attitude toward that school system. Those who see my actions as inconsistent surely have forgotten how hanl and earnestly I worked ta 1982 to bring about Oregon’s consolidatinn with what has become the Polk-Ltoc^n-Johnson School Cotp. " t ' , It wa»Bot vatfl after the election that I found out this was just a donnaat issue and not e dead one. Investigation proved the Interest was still here and thas the state level said it was stm possible. But I was not one of thote who instigated that investigat|(iß. The passing years here tend me to believe that the Oregm-Davia consolidation will never achieve wtwt a larger unit will. By excessive taxation w^ mllgtet be nMe to offer the same benefits but. if you haven’t the students to make a decent size class, you rob what students you have of stimulating cotopetitian. and a teacher without challenging students becomes dull. The financial compariaon between the two school systems paints a clear picture of tha wisdom of joining with PoU-Lincota-Johnson. Oregon-Dav is has an a»aemed valuation of $6,650,640. If Oregon joined Polk-Lincoln-John-son, the assessed valuation would be over 15 million dollars. With the latter valuation and a building fund levy of 75c per SIOO a year, in twtaty years we would have over $2 000 000 and enough for an addition to our elementary school plus a new high school for the corporation. In twenty years at the sama levy, Oregon-Davis would not have collected the first million yet The building program as planned bv O-D will run approximately $1.700 000. Our Oregon-Davis administration has advanced the thought that if O-D should never get permanent approval, at least we would have our own high school even though it was administered out of Knox. It doesn’t appear

financially sound to me for Oregon and Daada tewnaMps to imreat unnecessarily all that money when both townships can save by splitting, and profit by being part of better school systems. Deane B. Marshall WrtkMton, Indiana Letter to the Bdltor: We would like to take this portunit^ to thank the many panpie who have helped make tMi year, Bbth in football and in fen dustrial arte, at the high sebed^ a little better. Our new auto-mechanics claaMl sailed heavily oa help from MM community. SpactficaMy. we waMM like to thenk - FeweU-Maan for the loan < gartge aad etjulinnettt. Doll’s Texaco Station tor we Ml autotaMtlwi esguipmtat. Brantley’s Service, tor UM < 4 wrecker and toola. Ronnie Trubtar, donation eC • V-8 engine and conoattatton. Al Stopro, donatifA of a met* William Sltaaer. *>nation of« motor. * 1 - Stortey Bets,.the loan • motor. The toettaM. p«<ram has qp* aeired a tot of top Walk« tea poeyle aM erganisatiogs. Among those ere would like Is thank are: The AtMetic Boosters for 4to* nations of new equipment, collepters at games, the linesmen, aid the announcer. Cfoongs Parks’ contribution for new eqaijanent. Tho Lions Club, donation tor pew equipment. The American I region, donatio* for new equipment Chamber of Commerce, for n«» equipment. P. T. A., donation for aert equipment. Business and Professional Women, donation. This list is not complete and marry people may haw been unigtsnttaaaHy overlooked. The poT' ents of the football players .<hoi<d alee be mentioned for their help and sunoort. The doctor* who donated their services and attended the games should also be thanked. Finally, the community ot Walkerton should tee thanked tor its sunoort in athletics. Its contribution to the classroom, and its support of Walkerton youth. Thank you, John Bingaman. Teacher Obey traffic regulations.