The Independent-News, Volume 105, Number 40, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 13 March 1980 — Page 4

MARCH 13. 1980 - THE INDEPENDENT-NEWS

EDITORIALS

INTEREST IS SHOWN This year is a primary election year. And with the primary election each two years comes an election for the school board of the Polk-Lin-coln-Johnson School Corporation. This has been an elective office since the formation of the corporation back in the 19b()’s. This year’s election for the school board differs slightly from those in the past. The mechanics are the same, all three townships have a scat available, but the difference is that each township has a contest this year, in fact, one of the three townships has five people seeking the single vacant position. Each of the other two townships have two men running for the single seat available in each township. This is ven good. In the past interest in the school board elections has been rather lacking. In fact, on one occasion in Lincoln Township, no candidate filed and an appointment had to be made after the election to fill the vacancy . The job of a school board member is in many ways another of those thankless jobs with little pay. No one runs for the money involved, and very few have been interested in past years to accept the responsibility of serving in this capacity. However, running a school corporation even the size of the PLI corporation. certainly not a big one as school districts go. is big business. The board is not there to worry and make decision on little matters w here the responsibility has been passed on to various employees, they are there to run the business of the school. The only disappointing thing about those that often run is that very seldom have we found business people interested in helping to run this business. More often than not. it is a parent of a student w hose interest comes in other ways than that of running a business . . . that is until they get their feet wet and realize that it is a big business they are called on to run. It is refreshing to see the number of candidates seeking the posts this year. It can be assumed that various reasons are behind different candidates as the nine candadites cover a wide spectrum of individuals. The ages and vocations of the candidates vary a lot, there are those who are big taxpayers, those who pay little. There are parents and those who do not have children in school. There are sdhie with business backgrounds although not necessarily a retail merchant or company president. The choice that will be available varies a lot. And it must be remembered that all three townships vote for each position, not just Polk Township for the candidates in that district, Lincon and Johnson the same way. The top vote getter in each township w ill sene a four year term on the five-member board and then in two years, only Polk and Lincoln Townships will have a vacant scat to be filled. Even though the election isn't until luesday. May 6. each taxpayer, parent or interested party should plan to vote in the school board election when it arrives. Many people shy away from primaries for many reasons, but this alone is reason enough to make a person turn out and vote. Running a school is a big business and there certainly is big business to be conducted continually in the school corporations. Your voice can make a difference. FS^'emembeS^l WHEN... (TAKEN FROM THE FILES OF THE INDEPENDENT-NEWS)

1975 Attention to all girls and boys ages 7-14, the Walkerton Jaycees are sponsoring a shooting education program with registration set for Saturday. March 15. At the registration an officer from the Walkerton Police Department will conduct a discussion on proper gun handling, fire arm safety and competition with firearms. The children of Claude E. Houser will he hosts at an open house at the Walkerton Communit} Building on Sunday. March lb. from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. in celebration of Mr. Houser’s 90th birthday. At the market pork steak was selling for 89 cents a pound; pork cutlets at 99 cents a pound; bulk sausage at 85 cents a pound; bacon at $1.29 a pound; boiled ham at $1.79 a pound; duh crackers at 79 cents for a pound box; an 18 ounce jar of Planters peanut butter for ^9 cents; a gallon of two per cent milk at $1.19; three pound can of Folgers coffee for $2.69; 32 ounce bottle of catsup for 69 cents; lettuce at two heads for 30 cents and a dozen juice oranges for 49 cents. 1970 The adult education department at John Glenn High School will offer a class in golf. The class will meet for five sessions beginning on April 27. The classes will he held at the Swan Lake Golf Course. Moving rapidly into the actionstage of its second phase, the $10.(XX).000 hospital fund drive today acquired a “new look" and a new name. Formerly identified as “the St. Joseph County Hospital Development. Inc ." hospital fund

drive, the campaign will now be knows as “H E P" — The Hospital Development. Inc.." hospital fund drive, the campaign will now be known as the area’s three general, not-for-profit hospitals; Memorial and St. Joseph’s hospitals. South Bend and St. Joseph, in Mishawaka. 1965 The Walkerton FFA will have a slave auction this Friday night at the Walkerton High School gym. The interested persons of the Lown of Walkerton make up the Walkerton After-Prom Party Committee and a meeting has been slated for Friday evening, March 26, at 8:30 p.m. in the Town Council Room. All groups and organizations are to plan to send their representatives for this and hopefully bring some ideas. The Walkerton Lions Club will meet Tuesday, March 23 at the American Legion Hall for their annual Athletic Night. 1960 Members of the Walkerton Order of DeMolay and their families, will observe DeMolay Devotional Day on Sunday. March 20. Special services have been arranged with Rev. Tunis at the Methodist Church. The observance is held each year on the Sunday nearest March 18. the date the Order of DeMolay was founded in 1919. Devotional Day is a world wide ob servance and is participated in by DcMolays in every state in the United States and in 12 foreign countries. At the Thursday evening meeting of the PIA, in Walkerton, fol-

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■ The role that agriculture plays in Indiana s economy is one of vital importance. Indiana tias joined the rest of the nation to set aside March 20 as Agriculture Day. for an opportunity to impress Hoosiers with the importance of agribusiness and to establish or maintain the dialogue between the consumer and the farmer Agriculture is Indiana s largest industry, representing one-third of the state's economy The agriculture exports of the state substantially impact our national balance of trade. While Indiana is the smallest state west of the Appalachians, we rank eighth nationally in receipts from agricultural product sales We rank first in the nation in popcorn production; third in hogs, seed corn and tomatoes, and fifth in corn and soybeans Cash receipts for livestock in Indiana amount to well over $1 billion a year The sale of farm products adds more than $3 4 billion to Indiana seconomy In spite of last summers flooding and heavy rams. Indiana s 1979c0rn crop at 664 million bushels, was the fourth largest production in the nation and a record in value

lowing the business meeting the entire group will go to the new school building and have a tour of the facilities. Since this will be the first opportunity for many to see the building, many parents are expected. Don Daube. Walkerton, compelling in the American Bowling Congress Tourney, in Toledo, Ohio, rolled into fourth place last week in the singles event with ab 45. Don rolled games of 224, 232 and 189 for the fine scries. Bob Lute rolled into first place in the tourney with a 1040 scries for the five game meet. 1955 The annual spring Convocation of St. Joseph County Federated Women’s Clubs will be held on Wednesday. March 30. in Walkerton at the Methodist Church with the Woman's Community Club and the Woman's Civic Club as hosts. Director Harley G. Hock, of the Indiana Department of Conservation. has issued a report on all oil and gas operations for the 1954 calendar year, 596 were dry holes and 326 were producers. During 1954. the 4,907 wells in production in Indiana produced 10,866,867 barrels of oil. Eleven new pools, one of which was a gas pool, were developed in Indiana in 1954. The total gas production for the year was 627,896.000 cubic feet. At the market T-bone steak was selling for 55 cents a pound; beef roasts at 39 cents a pound; bacon at 49 cents a pound; sirloin steak at 49 cents a pound; celery 19 cents a stalk; velveeta. two pound box at 75 cents; miracle whip at 51 cents a quart; gold medal flour at 10 pounds for 95 cents; blue bonnet oleo. 29 cents a pound and regular size carton of cigarettes at $2.14. 1950 Gus Schultz, having completed 29 years of service for the United Telephone Company and other companies which preceded it in Walkerton is now “basking in the sunshine" as a retired employee. He retired on March Ist. WILDLIFE TODAY By Roy Grime* Wildlife Biologist Indiana Division of Fish & Wildlife

Capitol Commentary Governor Otis R Bowen

Few businesses can parallel the farmer s accomplishments in increased efficiency and contributions to the economy and the American way of life Besides providing America s food, and enough extra food to help the starving nations, farmer s are being called upon to provide alternate fuels At the same time, the costs to the farmer are skyrocketing The Hoosier farmer gets less than one-third of each dollar return from that spent on food purchases The cost of agricultural land has risen faster than any other type of land, partly due to the purchase of more and more agricultural land for other uses This cost increase is also partly due to the fact that the farmers margin of profit per acre is decreasing, so to make more money, he has to farm more land, increasing the demand for agricultural real estate Equipment costs, interest rates, and fuel costs also are increasing The farmers’ role is a vital one in Indiana, in the nation and in the world Agriculture Day. March 20. is just one small way to bring it to everyone's attention

Have you ever witnessed the special relationship between a good ole "mutt" and the corner fire hydrant or backyard tree? If so then you have been introduced to the concept of territoriality. The dog is obediently giving in to a wild instinct which insists he "mark" his territory at regular intervals thus leaving a calling card and a warning to intruding dogs that this is his turf (the dog is a cousin of fox, coyote, and wolf). Nature has many ways to control the number of a given species of wild animal in a certain area. One of her techniques is predation upon surplus prey or starvation of excess predators thru a lack of prey. In other words. Mother Nature can control the number of hawks, owls, or foxes living in a certain area by limiting the numbers of rabbit or other prey species on which they feed. Or vice-versa when rabbits become too numerous nature mav respond with increased number of predators too dine on the rabbits. These types of population control are termed interspecific competition meaning competition between different species. Nature has another somewhat similar method of population control and this is termed intraspecific competition or competition between members of the same species. 1 his form of overpopulation prevention is often seen as the phenomenon called territoriality. Besides the dog and his cousins other animals that exhibit this form of population control (actually a dispersion mechanism) are: drumming ruffed grouse, singing cardi nals, and tree clawing grizzlies. A few weeks ago another more obscure form of territoriality was brought to my attention by an Indiana Conservation officer. The officer contacted me to relate a problem one of his county’s residents was having with a local downy woodpecker. It seems that this troubled homeowner had a neighbor who enjoyed the popular activity of attracting and feeding birdlife with backyard suet and grain feeders. One of the birds attracted next door was not content to remain on the suet feeder but felt an urge to occassionally drift next door to beat on the neighbor's home. In fad this woodpecker's activity was

so regular and persistanl that h< was actually pecking tiny holes in the neighbor's new siding Through the conservation officer this woodpecker's victim wanted me to tell her why their house was being picked on (pun intended) and what to do about it. The downy woodpecker causing the problem had a small red patch of feathers on his head indicating that he was a male. Another clue in this woodpecker my stery was th< fact that an easily attainable food source was merely a few feet awav requiring much less energy to ob lain than anything under the siding. A woodpecker hammers trees, posts, etc. for a couple of reasons one of which is to secure as food the liny creatures living on and underneath the tree's bark Another reason for tree thumping is to inform other wixxlpeckcrs within listening range that this feeding and or breeding area has been spoken for and male visitors arc unwelcome! So, the question as to why this woodpecker chose to peck on the house seems to be that this house made a better "drum than any nearby trees and thus abnlliant signaling device to ward off competing male woodpeckers. As for the second question, how to discourage this pesky "houst beater" involves fighting fire with fire! I instructed the homeowner to find a small hammer and a resonant spot on the home's inter ior wall and wait for the wixh! pecker’s return. When the ag gressive vandal returns and begins lapping his message the home owner should tap back just a little harder but carefully mimicing the woodpecker's tapping pattern. It the homeowner is a talented woodpecker inpersonator ihe marauding bird should recognize the hammer tapping as a more dominant male woodpecker and leave the home to his successor, in search of a less competitive location. By the way. 1 also suggested that the resident might want to battle this bird when there is no company present. Thomas Jefferson once smuggled rice seed out of Italy for planting in South Carolina and Georgia.