The Mail-Journal, Volume 19, Number 31, Milford, Kosciusko County, 18 August 1982 — Page 4

THE MAIL-JOURNAL—Wed., August 18,1982

4

Editorials

Property Owners light trouble spots Members of the Wawasee Property Owners Association are having 6,000-lumen mercury vapor streetlights installed at six intersections and potential trouble spots on roads around Lake Wawasee. They are to be commended for their action. Even if only one life is saved the cost of the lights will be worth it. \ A list of places where lights have been installed, and are to be installed appears in a page 1 article. The property owners care about the area they live in and their projects reflect this. They currently also sponsor a lakes patrol on Syracuse and Wawasee Lakes, sought erection of railroad crossing gates at the East Shore Drive crossing, are doing a study of fire protection needs for the south end of Wawasee and the Papakeechie area and last year the association held a dispatchers' seminar for local police and fire personnel. Farmland values are down in Indiana Farmland values in Indiana dropped an average of 13 percent during the 14month period from Feb. 1, 1981, to April 1, 1982, according to state-federal agricultural statisticians at Purdue University, but the decline came as little surprise to some economists. ' Os the 48 contiguous states, only Ohio’s farmland, with a decline of 15 per cent, showed a greater dip than Indiana’s. Valued at $1,972 per acre on Feb. 1, 1981, Indiana’s farmland was reported worth an average $1,715 per acre as of April 1 this year, statisticians said. This is 6 per cent below the average value of $1,833 per acre reported Feb. 1,1980. and the first drop in Indiana farmland values since 1970, they said. Nationwide, farmland values fell an average of 1 per cent during the same 14-month period, statisticians reported. This was in contrast to a 9 per cent increase during 1980 and a 16 per cent increase during 1979. It was also the first downturn in farmland values nationwide since 1954, reports indicated. While Indiana and Ohio farmland values were slipping, major increases occurred in Texas (up 17 per cent), California (up 10 per cent) and West Virginia (up 10 per cent). Other states suffering notable decreases were Delaware, 10 per cent; Illinois. 9 per cent; and Pennsylvania and Georgia, both with 8 per cent, statisticians noted. While average US farmland values slipped 1 per cent, the consumer price index gained about 8 per cent; causing the real value of US farmland to drop by roughly 9 per cent, statisticians reported. Real farmland values rose an average of 6 per cent a year during the 19705, but dropped 2 per cent in 1980 as an 11 per cent gain in the Consumer Price Index offset the 9 per cent rise in the price of farmland, they said. J. H. Atkinson, a Purdue agricultural economist, said the reported Indiana decline was not unexpected. “Farm managers and rural appraisers met at Purdue in February and their collective judgment was that land had dropped about 10 per cent since early 1981,” he said. “In some areas, so little land is changing hands that it is difficult to estimate current prices,” the economist continued. “There have been some recent sales reported at near year-earlier levels; and. at the other extreme, there have been some sales as much as 25 per cent lower,” he said. Atkinson said the basic cause of the decline is a combination of high interest rates and unfavorable 1981 farm incomes. In addition, some areas such as eastern Indiana suffered from poor yields in 1981, he reminded. Many Ohio farmers also had poor yields due to delayed planting. "Further declines in farmland values may occur,” the economist said; “but these should be moderate in areas such as central Indiana where profits from livestock production are important.” A decline in interest rates would also tend to halt the decline in land values, he said. Postpone a trip until everything is “all set” and you’ll stay home forever. It’s time to start shopping for Christmas presents — December is only about ten weeks awav.

What others say — Most unemployed mistaken in understanding benefit funding There is a major misconception among the bulk of American workers when it comes to two things, worker’s compensation, which applies to on-the-job injuries; and unemployment compensation, which offers benefits to people who lose their jobs. A major share of the working public seems to confuse these benefits with social security and income tax deductions from their paychecks, and are of the opinion that they are funding both injury compensation and unemployment benefits. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is nothing deducted from a worker’s paycheck for either of these programs. Both are totally funded by taxes paid solely by the employer. And the great tragedy of it is that not only do workers not understand the funding; neither do the TV interviewers who nightly project people who mistakenly think they have a vested interest, exclaiming loudly “I’ve been working since I was 16, and now I can’t get.... ” All of this implies they’ve made a contribution which is absolutely not true and are now being denied benefits because the fund (unemployment) is running out of money. Not only that, but the unemployment fund has been abused, at least in Illinois and probably elsewhere. Particularly at fault is the construction industry. Many of these people, including operating engineers, who handle cranes and many other such as oilers, wipers, stationary engineers, and others, justify their strikes and attendant astronomical wage settlements on the basis that they only work “six months.” Many sources tell us that these same union people then claim unemployment benefits during the months they are “unemployed.” These, and similar lenient allowances by the agency which permitted payments to people who quit their jobs on a whim, or even to move to another state, have essentially put the Illinois fund in bankruptcy. The time has come to “bite the bullet.” It may not be politically expedient, and may even be detrimental to Republicans among those persons who are not very perceptive of the problem. The truth of the matter is: the United States has been on a 40-year financial “drunk” and the hangover is now at hand. If the voters choose to hang the horsecollar on the Republican party for finally calling a halt, so be it. Atleast they have brought the nation to its senses, to where even a majority of the congress attended a rally Monday to back a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget. At long last, Washington gets the message: you can’t forever spend more than you take in. The guys in Congress ought to trade places with the average American housewife. — J.H.R. -THE FAIRBURY (ILLINOIS) BLADE

I Jr 'dM NIPSCo employee John Nemeth and Wawasee Property Owners Association president Bill Spurgeon discuss new lights for Wawasee roads.

Letters to the editor

Costly operation

In the past 34 years, the present administration of the Sheriff’s Department has aUowed at least four escapes including the recent one from the new Justice Building Complex. A person, a known escapee from a prison at St. Brides Correctional Center in Virginia was left unattended in an observation area The prisoner escaped rather easily by opening only one door. This escape could have been prevented had he been placed in a maximum security area, which requires a person to pass through at least three (3) electronically controlled doors. The maximum security area makes attempted suicides nearly impossible. This escape and ensuing search included. a) two (2) helicopters — refueled several times

Unsung heroes —

WO ’ V • VvW i * r/ )'- *7 ■ ■ ' &wh B F z _-rJi DICK MITCHELL

Dick Mitchell filled need of North Webster Fire Department

When Dick Mitchell joined the North Webster Volunteer Fire Department in 1959, it was because he recognized a need if the community was to have adequate protection 24 hours a day. “At that time. I ran a service station right across the street (from the department),’* Mitchell said. “I saw that there was a big need for firemen who were available during the day, as so many of the men worked out of town. That's when I joined.’* During his 23 years as a volunteer fireman. Mitchell has been very active within the department, serving as the company's president for several years in the 1970 s Mitchell said the biggest changes in fire fighting during his years on the department had come in terms of addition of vehicles. “In that time, we’ve added two ambulances and four trucks,” he said. One of the more memorable days of his fire fighting career came a few years ago when an arsonist set a number of grass fires in the North Webster area. “There were several fires out on the game preserve,” he recalled. “If any one of them had got out of hand, we could have had a real tragedy.”

b) one (1) airplane c) four or five dogs from other counties d) Etna Green Marshal e) Pierceton Marshal f) Warsaw Police Department — several officers g) Winona Lake Police Department h) Syracuse Police Department i) Indiana State Police j) Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department — ten (10) men k) North Webster Police Department This resulted in a costly operation for Kosciusko County by the present Sheriff’s actions. Throughout the manhut there was a seeming lack of organization and proper procedures followed. A controlled (Continued on page 5)

Mitchell said incidents involving a death stay with a fireman for some time. “The loss of a life in a fire sticks out,” Le said. “It’s something you don't soon forget ” A South Whitley native, Mitchell moved to North Webster in 1957. He lives in the Barbee area with his wife. Sue Ann. Mitchell has a son and daughter and two stepchildren. He is presently employed at Accur-Cut Machine Company m North Webster.

THE MAIL*JOURNAL IUSPS 125M1 PabbsMd by Tha Mail Jaarwl wary Wsdnssday and entered as Sacand Class mattar at We Past Office at Syracuse. 44547. T Second class pestips po* at 143 E. AAbm Street. Syracuse, Indiana 44547 ano a» aow »»ona* y o*>tces. Subscription SIJ per year in Kmovska County. SIS eutsMe county. POSTMASTERS: Send chanfa at address terms te The Mail JeurnaL P.O. box iw. HRtimru, inutoraa

"CRUZIN AROUND 'CUSE"

HI, I’M David C. Maish, Pastor of Calvary United Methodist Church in Syracuse. Last week, Arch Baumgartner stopped by the church parking lot and asked me if I’d do his column this week while he is vacationing. He asked that I share my observations as a new pastor in Syracuse. Yon have to understand that I’ve only lived in Syracuse since June 12th, so these observations are based only on eight weeks of exposure. Each day I learn more about the community so my perspective is changing daily. Please forgive my inaccuracies. What follows is what I’ve experienced to date with a touch of what I expect I*ll find yet ahead. My first impression of Syracuse goes back to Foo and Faye's which is now Gropp’s Fish of Strohs. That and visiting occasionally O. D. Wissler, now deceased, or continuing education events at Oakwood were the only pre-appointment occasions I had to be in the Syracuse community. It’s not surprising that the interview meal to meet people from Calvary United Methodist Church was held at Gropp’s Fish of Strohs. The committee was warm and friendly and I felt somewhat at home as we had a Fish of Stroh near our house in Fort Wayne. Calvary Church was fairly packed the first Sunday with persons curious to meet the new pastor. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of music in the service for the size of church. Rev. Dr. Harold Hazenfield assisted in my installation and other representatives of the church carried in procession the symbols of ministry. The service was most celebrative and I felt like we were off to a good start. Because Mike Neff, Priscilla Juday, Allen Shively and others went out of their way to be sure that things were made ready for our arrival. I concluded that the people of Syracuse and Calvary are considerate and caring people. Dorothy. Beckie and Ronnie Thomas left a basket of fresh fruit, etc. to welcome us the day that we unloaded our furniture into the parsonage located just south of town. My wife. Sallie and I have received lots of fresh garden items from new friends since then also. My oldest son. Bill got a summer job at SmithWalbridge during the day and at South Shore some evenings to earn money for his third year at DePauw. Beth, my only daughter, who leaves this week end for Purdue, also worked at South Shore evenings doing the salad bar. Ken Bowton hired my son. Phil, occasionally to help with his yard. The kids were all glad to have some employment. We had lived in Fort Wayne nine years and are still not sure what it’s like to live in this small of a community. Everyone keeps saying that when the lake crowd leaves it really gets quiet. I rather like the lake crowd and am sure that I’ll miss them till they return again. They keep coming back so it’s obvious they like the area and eventually many of them choose to live here year-around in retirement. I can’t believe how generous the Mail-Journal is on space in the paper. The inclusion of pictures of most children's summer sports teams has to be a real boost to helping children be celebrated. Undoubtedly, the paper helps hold the community together in concert with its single high school serving Milford. North Webster and Syracuse. It’s great that the Mail-Journal can report jobs of new beauticians, etc., but I’m sure that it is sometimes embarrassing that they print the police log. The Mail-Journal will print coming church event pictures and articles. In Fort Wayne you were lucky to get a picture and a feature once a year or an occasional paragraph printed. Here they print almost everything that is submitted. There they wouldn’t print hardly any of what was submitted. I’m sure that there is less privacy in the small community. People are often heard to say ••You’ve got to be careful what you say because word travels fast.” Lots of the town folks are at least third generation and are consequently related to each other. One school official indicated that probably M per cent of the students are at least second generation and that while there are new people moving in all the time that many of them don’t stick. Syracuse is a two stop light town and it’s easy to go anywhere in town quickly. I can drive to the hospital in Goshen to visit parishioners in about the same amount of time that it used to take me to drive across Fort Wayne to see people in the hospital when I lived there. It’s reassuring to see the police, fire and emergency medical service in the area and the trained volunteers. Os course, we hope that we’ll never have to use them. We had heard of the pride the people take in their schools and expect oar youngest son. Phil to get a good education here in the public school. Wawasee High School is an impressive facility. I was pleased to find an optometrist in Syracuse who explained that he serves this whole area. I know that the community is disappointed to have one of its four medical doctors move his office to Goshen.

Uk papi ■ Mini Employee Derk Kuhn | I I la Derk Kuhn has been employed by The I ■ *- I Papers Incorporated for the past 14 years and I J A recently switched from distribution to the commercial printing department at Milford . i Derk was born in Warsaw and now resides A near Milford with his wife, Kay. and their young Z daughter. Jenny. > He previously worked for R. R. Donnelley and Sons. Warsaw Derk lists his hobby as gardening.

REV. DAVID C. MAISH The small animal clinic at Milford has already come to our dogs* rescue — and it was fun picking and eating Miller’s strawberries. I’m impressed with the skills and integrity of many of the area people. The bank and businesses have been friendly. I’m impressed by Brocks and the many large and small businesses in the area. And United Telephone gives much better service than did GTE in Fort Wayne The Lakeland Ministerial Association is a real asset to Syracuse. Rev. David Hyndman, president, also chaired the recent fund drive for the Lakeland Day Care Center building and Rev. Michael Johnson has been a prime mover in the Hewitt Fund Drive. Also, the Lakeland Ministerial Association is responsible for the “Boat-In” just off the Oakwood shore each Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. If you haven’t been there yet, you should try it. I really have enjoyed being a part of it. The association uses the offerings to help transients and meet other emergency needs. While Syracuse doesn't have a lot of the chain drive-ins, it’s hard to beat Three Flags as well as others that are readily available. I’m personally kind of glad there is no McDonald’s here yet. Also the nicer restaurants are around and add a lot to the community . When you have someone like Allen and Millie Shively take you out to an evening musical or Paul Pritchard take your kids water skiing or John W. Cripe, who was perhaps the first in the pontoon business, take you on a tour of the lakes or see local scenes done on canvas by alocal artist. Betty Appenzeller, it would be hard not to enjoy the Syracuse area. Also, we were impressed with the leadership Stu Walker and J.R. Koher gave to the Pony League championship baseball team our youngest son played on this summer. Many folks here seeflTßrWmore appreciative of their jobs than was true in the big city. Personal safety and security seem to be a much lesser concern in Syracuse than Fort Wayne. But I must confess that an occasional trip to Glenbrooke or Concord Mall is welcomed and I already miss some of the varied cultural events to which we had grown accustomed. While Calvary Church has only one-third the number of members as the church where 1 served on staff before coming here, its attendance at worship and church school both are proportionately greater. The dedication of Calvary’s church school teachers under the leadership of Arlen Bobeck and the choir under Robert Jones would be hard to beat anywhere. In general. I think Calvary Church has top flight lay leadership and potential for good growth. They are service oriented as reflected in the kitchen band some of them lead each week at the nursing home in Milford on. Tuesday mornings. It is reflected also in the friendliness and sensitive helpful personal ministries many of them are engaged in. Calvary Church has been formed through mergers and expects to add more programs and buildings as it serves even more persons in the future. The Syracuse area has a reputation for being a friendly community of good people. I’m finding it to be so. During my first nine weeks here, I have genuinely enjoyed meeting those whom I have met. It is a privilege to minister anywhere and I appreciate doing it among such fine people. Even though a stranger, the new pastor on the block or as one youth said, the new-thing-a-ma-gig at the church, 1 have been immediately included by many to share in their joys, hopes, and sorrows. I hear stories of the Winter Festival and how the ice comes up on the shore at the end of winter and how lots of Syracuse folks go south to avoid it all. I remember how severe last winter was and I wonder to myself — perhaps, a good pastor should go south through the worst of the winter and call on his people who flee at all. But then, I wouldn't know what winter is really like in Syracuse if I did that — so. I’ll be here with you who stay and pray that it’s a mild winter. Well either way, I’m glad to be in Syracuse and wish you God’s richest blessings. P.S. Arch said that he usually only lets a new person write this column once. Do you suppose he’d let me do it again about next May?