The Mail-Journal, Volume 17, Number 25, Milford, Kosciusko County, 9 July 1980 — Page 4

THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed., July 9,1980

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Editorials

Missed a good chance for a PR ploy Striking Northern Indiana Public Service Company workmen missed an excellent chance for a perfect public relations ploy, in our humble opinion. The Saturday wind and rain storm is old news by npw, except for those who still do not have their electrical service restored. If the striking union had declared a 48-, 72- or 96- hour moratorium on its strike, restored service, then gone back to their posts as strikers, they would have captured public sentiment for their cause. One commented that they “would have had the public in their hip pocket.” This was suggested to several strikers, and the answer was a string of vitriolic charges that the breach between company and workers would not be resolved, evep for a brief period, by such a union move. In short, forget it. Worse than that, some crews working overtime and Sunday to restore service, have been harassed to the point where local and state police have been called upon to restore order. This is no way to run a union. J 00 years Os all humanitarian organizations dedicated to the relief of suffering, the Salvation Army is high on almost everyone’s list of most deserving. Those who have traveled the world over know well the familiar sight of bluesuited men and women, often on street corners with musical instruments, doing what they can to guide and help the needy and destitute. It’s a hard job, with little financial compensation and often carried out in “field” conditions. The Army goes out the needy; it's not one of those charity organizations with lush offices and nice salaries, which does its work through the mails primarily, and through grants. This year is the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the Salvation Army (from England) in the United States. It operates today in 83 countries — and usually where conditions are worst, among the forgotten and the most forlorn. It deserves the support of all citizens; when vou next see the blue suiters standing on the street tooting their horns (or have another chance to give) be reassured in knowing these Christian workers have something to toot their horns -about. « . . Train news b From Germany comes both good and bad train news. The first stretch of magnetic track — which means a train rides on a cushion of air — is already under construction there. Trains will glide over this track at speeds of better than 200 m.p.h. While only a short section is now being built, it may be a glimpse into the future for the railroads. And if trains can move between 200 and 250 m.p.h., they’ll recover much of their lost passenger revenue on short and moderatedistanceruns. The second news item is that some new German trains are now carrying passenger cars with row seating, as on American passenger trains. This is a step backward. One of the nicest features of European trains has traditionally been their many separate compartments, their privacy, their individual heating and cooling, and their smoking and no-smoking designation. On the open, row after row cars used traditionally in this country, these advantages are lost. One suspects after a few years the German public will demand a return to compartmented passenger travel, rejecting open, drafty, noisy cars now being experimented with for the first time. Americans hope for just the reverse — the adoption of compartmented cars in the U.S. Hard work hasn’t killed nearly as many people in this country as one might suppose.

What others say —

Americans Cut Travel Americans aren't driving as much this year as in the past several years. Highway travel during March was down 6.1 per cent from the same month a year ago — the second largest monthlv decline since the gasoline rationing years of World Warll. For the first three months this the decrease was 2.9 per cent. The decline would have been greater had it not been for the limited travel during the first quarter a year ago due to the severe winter weather. We all remember the blizzard of 1979 that kept us off the highways. Most of the reduced travel was on main rural roads, where travel in March declined 7.9 per cent nationwide and 9.5 per cent in Indiana. The reduction on intercity turnpikes was 10.7 per cent. For the 12-month period ending March 31, the Indiana Toll Road and the Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maine turnpikes showed an overall 5.3 per cent travel loss. That’s quite a bit of revenue lost by the toll road operators. The reduction in travel should come as no surprise. The soaring price of gasoline and higher unemployment due to the recession are good reasons why people must stay home. Add to this the inflated cost of almost everything a traveler must purchase and it makes driving expensive. According to a Gallup Poll, most of the travel reduction came from a cut in social and week end driving. Those Sunday afternoon rides we used to enjoy have become a luxury. The high cost of travel hasn’t cut down cruising in Goshen. Our young people are still meeting their friends on the move across the center line of Main Street in Goshen, the “cruising capital’ of Indiana and possibly the Midwest. Inflation may have something to do with this too because the young people can entertain themselves cheaper cruising down Main Street than they can going to a movie or eating pizza. But we doubt that half-price pizza or $1 movies would end cruising in Goshen. The cut in highway travel has been important to this country. Gasoline demand, from a reduction in travel and higher mileage cars, has been cut 550,000 barrels a day in January and February. The nation’s petroleum imports dropped 14.7 per cent in April, when nearly 1.15 million fewer barrels per day were delivered than in April of 1979. Saudi Arabia must have noted this in urging other OPEC nations to keep the crude price down. People are driving less, driving slower and buying fuel-efficient cars. So Congress felt there was no need for President Carter’s 10-cent gasoline tax. We agree. We have had too many other federal tax increases. House arid Senate conferees have approved a multibillion-dollar bill to launch a crash program to develop synthetic fuels. It took a year to start this ‘crash program’ but it may become a reality. We hope it doesn’t just result in more bureaucratic red tape and another place to spend our tax dollars. We’re glad it didn’t take this nation that long to develop synthetic rubber during World War 11. The success in conservation of gasoline and the development of synthetic fuels is of vital importance to this nation. Much of the U.S. economy is geared to travel. Despite all the emphasis on synthetic fuels, it still seems this nation should develop battery-operated cars that could be used for about 95 per cent of our driving. We would like to see government providing more leadership in this area, in addition to the development of synthetic fuels. The old electric car that some of us remember seeing around Goshen may have a very important place in our future. We think it should. Just think, wouldn’t it be quiet on Goshen’s Main Street on Saturday night? Maybe that would spoil the fun. - GOSHEN NEWS «

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Stranger helped stranger, friend helped friend. Only in.a small town Only in small communities like those found in the Lakeland area do you find people caring for each other as they did after last Saturday morning’s wind storm. Trees and huge limbs were down almost everywhere and volunteers turned out in numbers almost immediately with chain saws and trucks to clear away the debris. Those who had neither chain saw or truck helped with the loading and still others furnished coffee and cold drinks to refresh those who were working. Nothing like this would happen in a larger community; it’s only in the smaller communities that the closeness of neighbors are felt. Such a quick clean-up of the streets and roadways was the result of volunteer labor, joining together to meet a need. It’s times like this we can be thankful we live in the Lakeland area, in small communities where people love and care for one another.

Voice of the people A column on the opinions of the people of the Lakeland area . . .

QUESTION: "Should government relax air pollution standards to encourage utilities and industries to convert plants from oil to coal?." K

BKTTYARTHUR Syracuse (travel agent) “Certainly. We should have been doing it all along and we are very slow at getting it. Were letting the big companies do it now.”

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ROY SCHULTZ Milford (retired)

“To tell you the truth, I haven’t even thought of it. They do as they please anyway. That’s why I haven't even thought of it.'' GEORGI A HOTTELL Indianapolis (homemaker) “I don’t think they should relax the standards. We need to get rid of our dependency of oil, but not coal unless they can do something about the burn off from coal. 1 think they need to look for alternative sources. ”

Court news

COUNTY COURT The following residents of Kosicusko County have had fines assessed and have paid those fines in Kosciusko County Court, James Jarrette, judge: Speeding — Richard Gagne, 34, Leesburg, $35; John Phillippe, 58, Serving our country MICHAEL MORGANTHALER Michael Morganthaler, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Morganthaler, Jr., Syracuse, has been selected as maintenance Airman of the Month, in April. He was entered in the 12th Division Maintenance Airman of the month competition and won that honor also.

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JOHN PAMAR Milford (Chore-Time)

“I guess that they should

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PRISCILLA MYERS Milford (homemaker)

“I wouldn’t think so. No, I think we have enough pollution." ELEANOR LEIB Syracuse (summer resident) "Yes. because then we won't be in the hands of the oil producing nations and we can be on our own."

Leesburg, S4O; Blanche Schroeder, 38, North Webster, S4O No fishing license — Cliff Wendt, 26, Leesburg, $35 Expired registration plate — Mark Kissell, 18, Leesburg, $35 No lifesavers — Kirk Stichter, 16, Milford, $35 Permitting a violation — Kirby Lemond, 25, Leesburg, $35 .No chauffeur’s license — Arthur Spencer, 53, Syracuse, $35 Furnishing alcohol to minor — Michael Overfelt, 21, Syracuse, $lO6 plus 20 days in Kosciusko County Jail suspended.

THE MAIL-JOURNAL U S P S 325 8401 Published by The Mail Journal every Wednesday and entered as Second Class matter at the Post Office at Syracuse. Indiana 46567. Second class postage paid at 103 E. Main Street. Syracuse, Indiana 46567 and at additional entry offices. Subscription: sll per year in Kosciusko County, sl3 outside county POSTMASTERS Send change of add ress forms to The Mail Journal. P O Box 188, Milford. Indiana 46542. IS

Q3JZIN around GUSE

ALL THE recent talk about park playground equipment has brought to the surface a small booklet, “A Tribute . . . William Edgar Long,” brought to our attention by Don Baumgardt. It was written and compiled by local citizens in cooperation with the Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce. May 1957. * Mr. Long predicted that such a delightful spot as Syracuse and its environs would one day become widely known as a niecca for home-building vacationers. And he was so right. Long, who made his fortune with the invention of a bread slicing and wrapping machine, first came to the area in- 1927 when he purchased lake front property on Kale Island One of the first projects he proposed was to make the city dump into a park, what is now known to thousands as Syracuse City Park. The area was strewn with tin cans, ashes and refuse across a mosquito-infested swamp, the booklet relates. A persuasive man. Long induced Elwood George and C. C. Bachman, both owning adjoining land, to donate some of the land to expand the park and its parking area Then hong put up SSOO (a lot of money in those days) toward the cost of filling in the area, Ross Osborn and Roscoe Howard helped get a WPA appropriation of SS.(HH) for labor to fill in the swamp and others, including the Ladies of the Round Table, came up with funds, and Milford florist Henry Beer donated a grotto in the northwest corner as a gesture of good w ill. The booklet continues, "Because of the helpful cooperation of friends and neighbors, the SSOO Long had contributed to the park fund was not used. With it was purchased the last few shares of stock needed to round out the capital assets for opening the Syracuse State Bank following the Bank Moratorium in 1932-1933. When this Stock had grown in value to $1,250, he withdrew it and turned it back jjito the park fund, where, with contributions from the Business and Professional Women's Club, it was used to build rest houses w ith fireplaces. Mr. Long realized any small town worth its salt needed a theater. So he bought the entire block of buildings on the north side of Main Street from Huntington Street west to the alley. He engaged a well known theater architect and proceeded to draft a theater and business block in Old English architecture such as would excite the pride and admiration of residents and visitors. Mr. Long brought speakers to the theater and held open symposiums to build community pride. He sought to have the name of Syracuse changed to “Wawasee.” but old timers bucked at this suggestion. This was perhaps the only thing the Chicago philanthropist ever suggested that fell on deaf ears of local residents. The building, known by now as the Pickwick Block, was opened May 11. 1937 with a street parade of beautifully decorated floats and spectacular fireworks. Never had Syracuse seen such crowds. Governor Clifford Townsend, the then Lt. Governor Henry F. Schricker, future Illinois Governor Dwight Green (who hailed from Ligonier), V. S. Senator Jackson of Fort Wayne and the Commandant of the Lake Forest Military Academy. Lake Forest, 111., were on hand.

ft Bk i ....fl KAhjT'ralHinn, nr $2 7 » 1155 Jftll SPhtaßp ■« THE ORIGINAL PICKWICK BLOCK — Uptown Syracuse

* W ■ > o WILLIAM EDGAR LONG Syracuse benefactor Green made a dedicatory speech at the park and affixed the plaque on the stone on which the treaty between the U. S. Government and Chief Wawasee was signed. The booklet states Lt. Governor Schricker made an eloquent speech at a dinner for the dignitaries at the Sargent’s Hotel. Long suggested the planting of Magnolia trees in lawns and public places so the vacation season could open with a profusion of magnolia blooms He encouraged the Business and Professional Women's Club to dear and beautify the area on South Huntington Street now known as Crosson Park. Long’s personal contribution was the Indian statue which symbolizes the person of Old Chief Wawasee. From an area covered with discarded road-building machinery. huge stacks of sewer and drainage pipe, and other unsightly debris, this bit of city property has become an attractive recreational center for our youth and the site of the Scout Cabin. Through the efforts of Mr. Long, working with Governor Townsend and Lt. Gov. Schricker at a 1937 conference, Tri-County Game Preserve was established as a state park embracing the territory from the north end of Papakeechie Lake to the southern tip of what is known as the Hoss Hills. Mr Long beautified his own Kale Island property with the erection of the Chinese Gardens, which became a spectacle that drew thousands of onlookers to his home and to the lakes region Unfulfilled plans of Mr. Long’s included boulevard lighting from Main Street to the B. & (). Railroad with a solid mass of flowers the full way between the sidewalk and curb. He also encouraged a hotel on Syracuse Lake to foster winter sports as well as summer recreation to the town. Mr. Long even established a daily newspaper for Syracuse. It later became a free newspaper, a forerunner of things to come, but it died for lack of a good, forceful editor The town of Syracuse will long remember the efforts of Mr. William Edgar Long, although his original Pickwick Block

) _____ ? llt ir i"wtfLr THE ORIGINAL CHINESE GARDENS — Lake Wawasee

burned to the ground. (Note: There have been three fires in the Pickwick Block and it is now rebuilt as Pickwick Place.) As a small token of gratitude to Mr. Long, the Syracuse Town Board unanimously adopted a resolution on May 21. 1957. changing the name of Short Street (an extension of East Main Street, around the city park Long fostered to what was then the town’s city limits) to W. E. Long Drive, the name it has today It’s interesting that a small squabble over a mere 11.000 for park recreational equipment could resurrect the memories of so generous a man as W, E, Long who did so much personally and through his broad influence here and elsewhere to bring us the parks in the first place. It's a fair guess he would be ashamed at word of the impecunious attitude of the Syracuse Town Board He'd likely say. "Forget it. I’ll give it to you myself." > —o— ALL OF which brings up this current saying. "It’s difficult to soar with eagles when you’re surrounded by turkeys.” —O—OR. AFTER all is said and done, there’s more said than done —o— THE TOWX of Syracuse was hard hit by the early Saturday morning wind and rain storm. Trees were down all over town, and considerable damage done. NIPSCo workers were right on the job and did a fine job restoring service to the community. Power was off in the rural area for a longer period of time, but these workers are to be commended for the long hours they put in while regular company workers continued on strike. Louise Byland, a resident of 318 South Lake Street, said. "Guess I don’t live right." Trees were down at her home doing considerable damage. She had reference to the fact that a week earlier, while she was visiting in Richmond, her home w as entered and burglarized. —o — SYRACUSE TOWN” board member Clifford Boyer had words of high praise for the Syracuse police for the work they did over the Fourth of July week end policing the parks and other areas w here people ongregate. —O'ANITA BRICKEY. 119 West Washington Street, is leaving Sunday for Corpus Chri’sti. Texas, where she w ill work w ! jth Ron and Ruth Easley in their beauty parlor. Hair People. They owned Curls in the Village for a number of years and Anita worked with them here —o— SUNDAY’S LAKE Wawasee Flotilla was great, but also on the lake was a large number of sail boats. Are there really more sail boats on Lake Wawasee. as some state, due to the high cost of fuel? —o— IF YOU’RE not 21 years of age or over, don't read this one: As we heard it. former President Harry S. Truman was (Continued on page 5)