The Mail-Journal, Volume 23, Number 3, Milford, Kosciusko County, 15 January 1986 — Page 5

Twelfth And Final Article In Series

Journalists return from the USSR byway of Japan

By DELLA AND ARCH BAUMGARTNER

TOKYO, Japan, Saturday, October 26 — As we flew off to Tokyo in what was to be the last leg of our month-long trip through the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), we had lingering memories of Khabarovsk, the east Siberian city not far from Vladivostock.

But inasmuch as Vladivostock is a military base, those riding the Trans-Siberian Railway had to disembark at Khabarovsk. This is a beautiful city of a half million population, nestled on the left bank of the famous Amur River. , Our Intourist guide, Svetlana Zamanskaya, did a magnificent job of showing us her city and proved an excellent interpreter when she took us to the large (1,020 bed) Territorial Clinical Hospital. We met with three doctors (one man and two women) who explained the workings of a hospital as it is structured in the Soviet Union. (Note: As stated earlier, 85 percent of the doctors in the USSR are women, 15 percent men, but this made little difference in medical care as it is delivered here.) The three doctors patiently ex plaihed that there are no private hospitals, but that all are owned by the state, and that all employees at their hospitals are workers of the state. The whole state system was ex plained to us as it pertains to health care. Any Soviet citizen can get medical assistance at any hospital in the USSR, and there are generous sick leave policies between the workers and their respective unions. The good doctors told us they emphasized preventive medicine in the Soviet Union, and that a physical examination is required to get a driver’s license, “Anyone who travels should have a doctor’s certificate,” we were told. This big hospital has 17 specialized departments with diagnostic services. It also has a heart center. On the day we Visited the hospital it had 1,030 patients and provided 25 different diets. , There are absolutely no financial relations between the doctor and his patients. There is a special cancer dispensary in the city of Khabarovsk where chemotherapy and radiation treatment is being done. Something is right, for the life expectancy in the USSR is 70 to 72 years. Great attention is paid to the environment, and an effort is made to move smoke-stack industry outside the cities. Doctors:’ licenses can be removed for malpractice, with no financial recourse to the doctor, and a patient can collect a disability pension when malpractice is involved. If a patient must go to Leningrad or Moscow for specialized treatment, the state pays his air fare and other expenses. The doctors told us they have 'never heard of AIDS, which is receiving so much attention in Our own country. This hospital has 200 doctors and 400 medical assistants and 400 nurses. To our surprise, doctors in the USSR are held in no particular high esteem unlike the United States. But the spirit of caring prevails, very much so. And yet it is hard to attract good, qualified people to the profession. Our hosts asked us about Blue Cross Insurance and how it works in our country, and said they had a record of seven million cancer patients cured. “We are rich when we are healthy,” the male doctor commented. MeetWWll Veteran Going down the hall we noticed red stars on several rooms, and inquired about it. “Patients in those rooms are war veterans,” our guide pointed out. One door was open in a vet’s room, and we noticed a forlorn fellow sitting on a straight-back chair, head bowed. We asked about him, and " “Lana,” our guide, said he was a veteran of World War 11. When Arch told h«T he also served in Europe in the war, he was introduced to the aged veteran. He immediately went into a heated discourse about being in Berlin on March 2, 1945 in the closing days of the war. “Everything was aflame,” tie told us through the interpreter. Then his energies subsided and tears came to his eyes. Arch told him he was in Berlin at the same time, which was not quite accurate, inasmuch as the American troops stopped at the Elbe River to let the Russians take Berlin. A picture of the two “old veterans” was taken, and one was mailed to our “comrade in arms.” Hope lie receives it. - [ To our surprise we found the rest rooms in the other vise spotless hospital not up to American standards. The toilet, for instance, had no seat anc tine room lacked toilet paper. This was consistent with what we found throughout the Soviet Union. Rest rooms have a very low priority. Other rest room accommodations were “plain”. At the Intourist Hotel in Khabarovsk, where we had dinner in the dining room the land played American music, and

danced the Charleston, reminiscent of America in the late 19205. Dancers imitated American free style dancing. The singers mouthed American words but we felt they had little idea of what they were saying. “I Ixxxxwe You” wasn’t 100 percent American. We remembered Alexei, our guide in Tashkent, saying, “Our love for you is as deep as Lake Baikal.” Lasting Memories As we waited at the Khabarovsk airport, some lasting memories of what we saw in Russia crowded our memories. We remembered seeing so many airplanes in the airports we visited, yet there wasn’t all that much commercial air travel. We could not account for this. And then there were the inevitable war photographs in the airports. For that matter, we saw the war pictures most everywhere, in public buildings and elsewhere. Most of them had to do with World War II scenes on the Russian front. They had blown these pictures up to about 10 by 15 size, and each of them bore a brief caption. There can Ire no doubt western Russia was aflame during this great war and they want to keep the horrors of war in front of their people at all times. There’s little doubt but that Russia wants peace. They really know what war is all about. When one considers they lost a million people (civilian and military) in Leningrad alone, and another 400,000 in Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine, it isn’t difficult to realize their longing for peace. They claim the United States has no idea of what war is really like. They might have something there. We were seeking no arguments, but we could have built a case for the fact, that if the United States had not sent convoys of military supplies to Russia via Murmansk, there’s a chance Russia would have not been victorious against the German military machine at all. We couldn’t help but see literature that criticized America for not entering the war with a second front in Europe in 1942 “as promised”. We know nothing of any such promise, but when one considers we never entered the war officially until December of 1941, our prospects of throwing any large amount of men and machines into Europe in 1942 were slim to none. A Closed Society The USSR is a closed society, make no mistake of this. This dame home to us when we landed at Leningrad from our flight from Helsinki. All our belongings were checked carefully, and in Arch’s case, his current Newsweek Magazine was taken from him. We wondered what it had in it, for the young inspector probably did not speak nor read English. What stories we wrote on this month-long trip were closely guarded, by us, but at Tashkent they were carefully inspected, v and the same thing occurred again as we left Outer Mongolia. We had some tense' moments, wondering if all this would have to be rewritten. Were we followed on our trip? We can’t be absolutely sure, yet we all felt the Russians knew where we were at all times. If our rooms were “bugged” we weren’t certain. We were Americans, to be sure, and spoke of the great American freedoms to our guides or to whomever else would listen. Russia is a police state, and of this you can also be sure. We saw soldiers most everywhere, even outside the American Embassy

So

TWO ‘OLD VETS*—ONE AN AMERICAN, THE OTHER A RUSSIAN “Talking Over The Closing Days Os WWH"

in Moscow — “for our protection.” We felt free to walk around Red Square and did this several times on picture-taking sojourns. We had no restrictions on picture taking, and young people in particular were cooperative in having their pictures taken. We had the feeling that, if we could speak Russian or any of they- other languages, we would have found the Russian people peaqs-loving much as Americans are. Americans seem to feel the Russian citizenry is held in bondage, but we didn’t feel that at all. They love their country and their government, as we do ours. On the whole, through massive apartment house building, their people are fairly well housed, and, in spite of their cropgrowing problems due to short summers, they appear well fed. Literacy is increasing and everyone compares their present life style with that of the prerevolution, and claim they like this so much better. Russia has no “street people” as we do, no begging at all, except perhaps for the young kids who shyly sidle up to an American, hold out a hand and say “gum.” The common people seem to have the goals of any one of us, foe peace and happiness. If it were for the common people, wars woulabe extinct. Dean Rdsk’s Views One member of our par ty, Mike Buffington of The Jackson Herald of Jefferson, Ga., interviewed former U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk prior to our trip. Rusk is now director of the Rusk Center on the University of Georgia campus. We were so interested in Rusk’s observations on a number of topics that we felt we wanted it to be a part of this record. Here are portions of his remarks: SUPERPOWER RELATIONS — “Our relations with the Soviet Union are never quite as bad as they sound in periods yon fellows (the Media) call a cold v/ar, and they’re never quite as good as they appear to some people to be when Mr. Nixon and Mr. Kissinger were talking abqut Detente ... it’s a mixture of the two at all times. “. . . we’ve learned that the fingers on the nuclear trigger are not itchy...” Mr. Rusk said that although the Soviets are committed l;o world revolution, the leadership has become less ideological in its dealings with the West, and has become more pragmatic. “Often they will not say directly what might be in theiif minds. They will leave it to you to pick up some hints in the language they use, or leave it up to you to read between the lines, “The Soviets do not like to be in the position ... of the one who does the asking.” THE SUMMIT MEETING — Mr. Rusk said there really won’t be enough time at the Summit for any real negotiations. He said that if they meet for 8 hours, one must cut that in half for translation, and then the remainder will be split between the two sides, leaving only two hours for each side to make its case. He said that traditionally Secretaries of State tend to be skeptical about Summit meetings. It is good, he Ijelieves, for those involved in negotiations to have someone (the President) to refer back to on major points for study and reflection. He said meetings of the heads; of state is “the court of last resort,” and cautioned that it may not be good for that court to come into session. He referred back tp the Kennedy-Kruschev Summit where the Soviets handed down an ultimatum, and used the word “war,” which Rusk said is almost never used in diplomatic talks. It is bad, he said, for the court of last resort to be in session using that kind of tough language. Finally, Mr. Rusk said, he still

isn’t sure how good Mr. Reagan is on his feet in matters in which he hasn’t been briefed. HUMAN RIGHTS — “We in the West talk about human rights in terms of political freedoms,/ in the Soviet Union they talk about social rights, education, health care, poverty... so we tend to occupy each other’s rear when we go at each other about human rights.” STAR WARS — Mr. Rusk thinks President Reagan made a mistake in making his 1983 Star Wars talk because it “elevated that to the front line and interjected prematurely a kind of artificial issue into the arms talks.” He questions the feasibility of the system, its cost, and whether after all is said and deme, even if the system works, either side will have a strategic advantage. Despite these reservations, however, Mr. Rusk said he supports continued research on the matter. TRADE — Mr. Rusk said he is in favor of increased trade with the Soviets if the US gets something, such as raw materials, in return. He said he is concerned about the sale of high technology to the Soviets on credit where we get nothing in return. DETENTE —. . the persistent search for possible points of agreement is all the word detente means to me — it does not mean that a new heaven has arrived on earth... 1 * CONFLICT — “You might be surprised to hear me say that I myself have never seen any evidence of a Soviet intention to

498 measures are filed in Senate

The 50 members of the Indiana Senate fi led 498 measures for consideration by the Senate during the 30-day session of the legislature, which recently concluded its first full week of activity at the State Capitol. Foremost among the issues confronting legislators in 1986 are options for the problems of township poor relief funding, liability insurance availability and cost for both government arjd business, and consideration of tives to the license branch In addition, a number of ; address Indiana’s conticommitment to indents in our public educatem. Also on the legislative agenda are questions concerning the administration of welfare programs in the state, Phase 6 of the OrrMutz economic development package, measures to improve the coordination of probation service within the criminal justice system, and state' regulation of day-care centers. Proposals to initiate the Constitutional amendment process to permit a state lottery have been filed in the Senate again this year. .

"CRUZIN AROUND 'CUSE"

(Continued from page 4) Cromwell Advance, he kept several cats in his printing plant and often wrote about them, deftly putting words in their mouths. He carried a column for a time, "written” by one of his favorite felines. His wife Bea is no less a cat lover. When her favorite Persian cat died recently, Bea went in search of a replacement. (“Replacement” is probably a poor word for anyone who has a favorite pet.) Bea had little luck finding another Persian cat, but did find a beautiful Himalayan cat in Fort Wayne. “It’s almond colored and very beautiful," confides her close friend Ruth Banta of Lake Wawasee. Bea is proud of her new house guest and has been telling her friends about him. And now for a name for the new member of the Robbins household. The deceased cat was named “Ghengis” for the famous Ghengis Khan. The Himalayan has been named Katmandu, or “Mandu” for short, after the capital city of Napal, the tiny Asian country through which the broad

"Commit your works to the lord, and your plans will be established.” Proverbs 16:3 You Are Invited To Worship With Ills! 8:40 A.M. — Sunday School Opening Assembly 9:00 A.M. — Sunday Bible School Classes For ? fll UHHE All Ages ■ 10:00 A.M. — Morning Worship Service 7:00 P.M. — Sunday Evening Service Fred Walls wou ld °l so I’k® to invite you to Wednesday even ing Associate Minister services Ot 7:00 p.m. TRANSPORTATION is provided for Sunday mornings and for Wednesday evsmngs. Please calll 658-9151 or 658-5241. CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF MILFORD Fourth And Henry Streets 658-9151 Milford

attack Western Europe or the US. Those who (pyt forth) such an intention do so on the basis of capabilities ... but at the political level when you base decisions on capabilities you can go wrong.” Mr. Rusk said it bothered him that the Soviets still preach to their people a fear of a U.S. attack, even though the leadership knows that the West has no such plans or intentions. AGREEMENTS AND NEGOTIATIONS — “ ... the Soviets sometimes take advantage of our impatience to reach an agreement...” Mr. Rusk is overall positive about working out agreements with the Soviets. He is very proud of the fact that in the last 40 years no nuclear weapon has been used. He said there are two threads in our relationship: One is the common interest in avoiding nuclear war, the other is our continuing line of confrontations in various parts of the world. “. . . despite the dangerous Berlin Crisis... and then the terribly dangerous Cuban Missile Crisis, we set in chain things that produced the nuclear test ban treaty, a civil air agreement... a consulor agreement. . . two important space treaties... you can have agreement between those who do not trust each other if you can ascertain performance on the agreement.” Off To Tokyo > We flew from Khabarovsk to Tokyo, Japan, in an hour and 48 minutes, bidding goodbye to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic. We enjoyed our visit

Due to the state’s economic forecast, which shows economic conditions remaining relatively stable through mid-1987, additional spending programs will have to be carefully considered during this legislative session. The two-year state budget adopted by the General Assembly in 1985 appears to be close to the target for the amount of revenues projected to be received through June of next year. Essentially, this means that programs and services funded by the state will not have to be cut. Examination and discussion of bills consumed most legislators’ time this week, as lawmakers undertook the task of becoming more familiar with the issues to be debated this session. Work of the Senate committees will be the focus of legislative activity beginning Monday, when the hundreds of bills assigned to the committees for hearings come under the scrutiny of committee members. In next week’s column, we will take a closer look at some of the issues being discussed, and report on the progress of bills making their way through the legislative process.

Himalayan mountain range runs. BUILDING IS continuing in the lakes area to fill the need for more homes and condos, both for sale and as rentals. ; I ■ ■ ’ e . ■ An example of this is the announcement this week by Todd Realty that the firm will buiild eight two-bedrooms, one-bath condos, with air conditioning, pier and carport on a tract of land situated just across the channel from the Shrimpboat, with a 135-foot frontage. All units will be of the "garden type” variety, with screened in porches, all facing the channel. Building should begin in the reasonable future, with occupancy expected in the spring of 1986. According to Joe Todd, they should be priced in the mid-sso,ooo’s. Todd Realty built the 30-unit Syracuse Lake Condominiums on Medusa Street, and has 28 of them sold. Robert Kiefer of Kalamazoo, Midi., was the architect on the Syracuse Lake Condominiums and will be the architect on the proposed project.

there, considering it among the best of our many overseas trips. Those of us who sort of “rode along” enjoyed ourselves immensely. But those in charge, especially Nancy Mathews of Tracy, Calif., who was often frustrated when she consistently met with “Nyet” and “Impossible” when she; requested side trips and interviews off the beaten path. If Nancy felt she let us down, this; was not the case at all. We landed at Niigata, Japan, just 200 miles north of Tokyo, and were struck instantly with the culture shock, as some of us called it. Rest rooms were immaculate, floors were scrubbed and polished, there was plenty of all kinds of merchandise for sale,

Court news

County Court The following persons have befen assessed fines and have recently paid those fines in Kosciusko County Court, Judge James Jarrette presiding: Public intoxication — Mark E. Mayo, 23. Leesburg, SIOO and one day KCJ Illegal consumption — Chad Ray Freel, 17, Syracuse, SB6, 6C days KCJ suspended, one year probation Operating motor vehicle while intoxicated — William Lee Kruger, 50, North Webster, $278. license suspended 90 days, six days KCJ with good time credit; James A. Howard, 25, Syracuse $328, license suspended 90 days six days KCJ with good time credit Possession of marajuana — Scott A. Coverstone, 23, North Webster. S2OO, six days KCJ suspended No operator’s license — Carla S. Henson, 118, Milford, $68.50 Failure to give half of roadway — Dean W. La Meer, 17, Milford, SSO Disregarding automatic signal — Janne R. Sult, 36, North Webster, SSO No operator’s license in possession — Thomas W. Madden, 44, North Webster, SSO Disregarding stop sign — Terry L. Stump, 28, Syracuse, SSO City Court The following fines have been levied and pa id in the Goshen City Court: Speeding — Thomas J. Bachota, 26, Milford, $47.50 Circuit Court The following complaints have been filed in Kosciusko Circuit Court, Judge Richard Sand presiding: Complaint Maple Leaf Exports, Inc. versus Zim American-Israeli Shipj>ing Co., Conrail, Midwestern Container Services, Inc., Sea Express International Inc., Trailer

Wed., January 15,1986 — THE MAIL-JOURNAL

and the sales clerks were well groomed and pleasant. After the most minor purchase, they would put their palms together and give the buyer a slight bow and a thank you. After the USSR this was real pampering. We were headed for a Bullet train ride into Tokyo, and for some in our group it was a new experience. The velvet-smooth ride of 130 miles per hour whisked us through the countryside and through one tunnel of over 20 miles in length to our destination in Tokyo. (Note: We had a Bullet train ride in the fall of 1979 when we came out of China the first time.) We were bused to the New Takanawa Prince Hotel in downtown Tokyo which had all the amenities of modern living.

Train, Inc., and Pyramid Motor Lines, Inc. The plaintiff is seeking judgment against the defendants for the sum of $287,388.28 plus interest to date of judgment, attorney’s fees and all costs of action, for damages incurred in the loss of plaintiff’s shipment of products to Tokyo. Superior Court The following complaints have been filed in Kosciusko Superior Court, Judge Robert Burner presiding: Complaint For Damages Carolyn A. Hall versus Billie L. Foltz, r 2 box 247, Milford. The plaintiff is seeking judgment against the defendant for the sum of $250,000 plus attorney’s fees and costs of action, for injuries and damages received in an automobile accident Jan. 23,1984, in Elkhart County. Plaintiff requests a jury trial. Complaint On Accounts Northeast Lindsay Water Services versus Dennis K. Lewis, 352 Jefferson, Cromwell. The plaintiff is seeking $371.20 on a past due account. Marriage Licenses The following couples have applied for marriage licenses in the office of Kosciusko County Clerk Jeanne Weirick: Baier-LeCount Darren Howard Baier, 25, r 2 Leesburg, and Bambi Dee Ann LeCount, 23, General Delivery, North Webster Knispel-Yorg Steven Jeffery Knispel, 28, r 4 box 708, Syracuse, and Janet Marie Yorg, 35, 315 Leedy St., Warsaw

Member: The annual meeting of the Kosciusko County Fair Association will be Monday evening, January 20, 1986 at 7:30 p.m. in the SHRINE Building. Reports of officers and committees will be given. There will be an election of 3 (three) Directors. A lunch will be served after the meeting. You are cordially invited to be present. Very truly yours, Emra Stookey, President Kosciusko Co. Fair Ass’n., Inc.

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En route through the city we passed through the famous Ginza shopping district, easily one of the world’s finest, and saw all the lights burning in the late afternoon dusk. It was beautiful. This surprised us, when we heard that Japan imports 99.7 percent of its petroleum. As someone commented, “These people understand merchandising.” Then Home We flew from the ultra-modern Narita Airport at the north edge of Tokyo to Los Angeles in nine hours and eight minutes, and spent the night there before returning to Chicago then home. We enjoyed dinner with the Hoy Joneses at the Hyatt Hotel at the LA International Airport the one night we were there.

Marriage Dissolutions The following couples have filed for marriage dissolutions in Kosciusko Superior and Circuit Courts: See -- Marsha J. See, r 2 box 195-2, Leesburg, and Rick J. See, r 2 box 195-2, Leesburg. The couple was married April 6,1972, and separated Dec. 30, 1985. There are three minor children. VanNess — Thomas J. VanNess, 805 Tennis St., Winona Lake, and Christina Lynn VanNess, r 1 Leesburg. The couple was married April 15, 1982, and separated Dec. 31, 1985. There is one minor child. fl A lj "2" II baa Q. My husband and I are raising our two grandchildren. Next year my husband is going to retire. Can we get any Social Security for the children? A. In some cases Social Security benefits are payable for grandchildren. The children’s parents must both be either disabled or deceased and the children must be dependent on their grandparente. If the children are adopted before a person becomes eligible for Social Security, they can also be entitled.

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