\ : ARE ° aT od, . voluntary health insurance to blan- ~ body’s mind who this somebody is? reads to the older group up to Editorially Speaking: This Is A Workable Plan For ‘more than sixty years this newspaper has watched all efforts to bring Dallas Borough and Dallas Township Schools together—die in committee. For twenty of those years, this newspaper has worked for consolidated schools—not for the taxpayers and politicians but for the kids that use them. On Tuesday night E. S. Teter, County Superintendent of Schools, presented the first workable, sensible plan for such an accomplishment, Through the formation of a Joint Board by Dallas Borough, Dallas Township and Franklin Townships, these ~ three communities can give their children superior and economical education. His plan has the added merit that it can be put into effecti almost immediately—and, because of state aid, at very little addi- tional cost to the taxpayers, If it dies now, the three districts involved will—because of compulsory increased teachers’ salaries—within three years be in grave financial condition. This is alarming! Mr, Teter has suggested that Dallas Borough School be con- verted into an elementary building, grades one to six, for the children of all three districts. This will involve the expenditure of $275,000 for additional class rooms, owned jointly by the three districts. Under his plan Dallas Township High School will become the high school for grades six to and will become the property of the three districts. Since the first construction would have to be in Dallas Bor- ough (there are more grade school pupils than high school pupils) it would appear on the surface gain most from the arrangement. This is false. The first new con- struction will be in Dallas Borough; but eventually the joint dis- trict must enlarge”its high school building. Lehman and Jackson Townships have already entered into a joint Board agreement. Lake, Noxen and Monroe Townships have their plans well laid. Joint instruction for their children and substantial state aid will lower their costs. This state aid is not Since Lehman and Lake are many steps ahead of Dallas Borough, Franklin and Dallas Townships, they will not consider a proposal for a million dollar central high school to serve the Tue Darras Post MORE THAN A NEWSPAPER, A COMMUNITY INSTITUTION Vol. 60, No. 6 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1950 6 CENTS PER COPY BOX SCORE Sack Mountain Highway Deaths ai Serious aceldents since V-i Day Hospitalized Killed The building will be twelve, for all three districts— that Dallas Borough stands to boards will give them superior available to individual districts! whole Back Mountain Area. Lake Board rejected the idea Wed- nesday night. Lehman's application for a loan from the State ‘Building Authority to construct additional school facilities has already been approved. ~~ This leaves Dallas Township, Dallas Borough and Franklin ~ Township to work out their own salvations. : g Superintendent Teter has pointed the way. It will be well ~ for every parent to study his plan for its acceptance breaks down the barriers of seventy-five years—and opens the way to the kind of schools the Back Mountain deserves! xx FROM. PILLAR TO POST By Mrs. T. M. B. Hicks, Jr. Without presenting a mass of indigestible statistics, it seems to us that ‘the matter of Compulsory Health Insurance, which being freely translated means Socialized Medicine, should be discussed pro and con as freely as possible and as quickly as possible, before a system is foisted upon us. ~~ Boiled down to its bare ‘boiies,v- the issue at stake is this: are we willing, as citizens of the only free nation left on earth, to exchange our birthright of freedom and ac- tion for a mess of political pottage ? Is there anybody who can doubt that a compulsory health program will add so many bureaus to an already dangerously overloaded fed- eral government, and so increase the already staggering burden of taxes that the net income of the nation after taxes have been de- ducted will shrink to an alarming extent ? The medical profession, honored through the ages by tradition as well as by accomplishment, is fighting for its very life. Once allow a doctor to be reduced to the rank of a warrant officer and the foun- dation has been laid for the aban- donment of the medical profession as a career by every promising young man who has more than av- ‘erage brains and ability. The qual- ity of service will inevitably deter- jorate, while its cost to the ulti- mate consumer, the patient, sky- rockets. Voluntary Health Insurance is a fine thing. Insurance companies are offering such service at a reason- able rate, available to everybody, at a cost not exceeding normal ex- penditure for small luxuries. Good health insurance is an ace in the hole against ruinous medical ex- pense. It should be the norm, a regular part of every budget. Much progress has been made; much more is in the cards for the near future. Compulsion is something which does not go down with the rank ‘and file of Americans. We suspect ‘too paternalistic a government. We like to manage our own affairs, make our own mistakes, paddle our own canoes. We feel that educa- tion in better health habits and ket the cost of unavoidable illness is the answer, not a staggeringly in- |" “creased load of taxation to support bigger bureaus. : Somebody has to pay for all paternalistic benefits, just as some- body has to pay for the school system. Is there any doubt in any- Library Story Hour Now Has Two Readers The Library Story Hour every Saturday morning from 10:30 to 11:30 continues to grow in pop- ularity with many mothers leaving their children at the library while they do their shopping. So large has the group of listen- ers become that it is now into two sections with Mrs. Janet Smith ‘reading to the smaller children while Mrs. Elizabeth McQuilken | Franklin Street, Heart Campaign Gets Under Way Citizens Are Asked To Give For Research Red plastic hearts of the Am- erican Heart Association appeared on the counters of all stores and in the offices of all physicians in the Back “Mountain area this week as the American Heart Association opened its campaign here for funds to continue research work. Appropriate to Valentine Week, the red heart banks will be one of the means by which local citizens can contribute to the 1950 cam- paign. Henry Peterson has charge of this phase of the campaign. Small plastic heart banks will also be distributed in all schools by George Taylor, principal of Lake Schools, who has charge of school solicitation. Mrs. Charles W. Lee, co-chairman for the Back Mountain Region opened the campaign Wednesday night when she spoke at the meet- ing of Dallas Senior Woman's Club. She will be assisted by Mrs. Harry Ohlman who will have charge of direct mail solicitation, and contact with all club and church organiza- tions. Herbert Dreher will be in charge of distribution of literature and the Heart Quiz. General chairman is Howard W. Risley. Those who wish may send their contributions direct to Back Mountain Campaign Headquarters, % The Dallas Post or to Northeast- ern Heart Association, 130 8S. Wilkes-Barre. See the 1950 Heart Campaign advertise- ment on page 3 of this issue. Damage Traffic Standard A large U-Drive-It truck from Scranton delivering merchandise to Hislop’s Market and driven by Jack Taylor crashed into the traffic light standard near Henry's Jewelry Store Wednesday afternoon. Dam- age was slight and soon repaired by one of Paul Shaver’s electricians. Rotary Ann Meeting Women of Rotary will meet at Thursday, February 16. Reserva- the Irem Country Club for dinner tions should be made with Mrs. L. L. Richardson by Tuesday. Book Club To Meet The first meeting of the Library Book Club under the leadership of Mrs. T. M. B. Hicks will be held Wednesday afternoon at 2. There will be a book discussion and other Principals in the first graduation ceremonies at Jackson - Lehman Veterans Vocational School Tues- day night were: left to right, back row, William Kiel, instructor; Ray- mond Searfoss, instructor; William Holloran, Veterans’ Administration; Charles Nuss, president, Lehman- Jackson Board; Howard Newcomb- er, area supervisor of vocational agriculture; Russell Ruble, shop in- structor; front row: graduates Ed- ward Dropchinski, Stephen Skopic, Fred Stroud, Stanley D. Keller, Michael J. Niemchick, and Charles L. Patla, Warren Sutton, also a Seven Veterans Graduate From Vocational Course graduate was not present when this picture was taken. The graduates have attended the school since Sep- tember 1948. Entertainment was provided by Lehman High School Band with vocal solos by Charles Aiducavage. PHOTO BY HUDSON James Hutchison, Luzerne County Farm Agent will speak on Farm Ponds and show two motion pic- tures, ‘Reducing Rural Fire Haz- ards” and “Construction of Farm Ponds” at the meeting of Back Mountain Volunteer Firemen’s Association Tuesday night when it meets as the guest of Nexen Fire Company at Noxen. Having epproved the applications of Huntington Mills and Franklin Fire companies for admission, the Association now numbers twelve companies. Appointed representatives of each company to the Board of Gov- ernors of the Association will pre- sent their credentials at the Noxen meeting and the Board of Gover- nors will then elect a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and other officers. Companies represented in the Association now cover more than 400 square miles of territory. The Noxen Company has re- cently obtained its own building and there will be formal ceremon- ies in connection with acceptance of the building. There will also be a number of committee reports. New Lion's Club Formed At Lake Calvin McHose Is Named President More charter members will be accepted tonight at a dinner meet- ing of the newly formed Harvey's Lake Lion's Club at Brokenshire’s Harvey's Lake Hotel. At an organization meeting held last week at the home of Ben Banks, Harvey's Lake, Calvin Mec- Hose was elected president; Dean Shaver, secretary, and Fred Broken- shire was appointed head of the committee to arrange for a charter meeting. Sheldon Cave was named chairman of the membership com- mittee. Attending the meeting were: Atty. Joseph O'Donnell, deputy dis- trict governor of Lions and Ezra Moyer, district representative; An- drew- Kizis, Emerson Schmaltz, Harold S. Donnelly, James O’Con- nell, Carl Shiner, Fred Brokenshire, R. Dean Shaver, Calvin McHose and J. Sheldon Cave. Flocks of Robins Visit Lake Orchard back of Mrs. Gilbert Carpenter's home at Harvey's Lake are fickle, usually showing up on blustery days and disappearing during pleasant weather. The first appeared there this year on January 9. Most of them left by the eleventh and didn't show up again until January 21 when a large flock arrived. Mrs, Carpenter believes they come to the orchard for apple seeds. But she helps out by feeding them raisins and bread crumbs. The past few days they have disappeared— possibly because the weather is twelve years of age. N 5 pS 7 aT interesting features. fair. The robins that visit the orchard HUTCHISON TO SHOW HOW FARM PONDS CUT RURAL FIRE LOSS SOME PEOPLE CARE, AND DON’T WAIT TO BE ASKED TO GIVE A few days ago Harry Ohl- man, Back Mountain chairman of the Red Cross Blood Bank, received a note from Mrs. Laura Rice. of Carverton Road offering to give her blood to the Red Cross Blood Bank and asking for a few donor’s cards. She said that she had received blood and now wanted to give hers to someone who -might need it. She was on no com- mittee and no one had ap- proached her. Yesterday Mr. Ohlman received another let- _ ter from Mrs. Rice. In it were six blood donor cards signed by her neighbors. More Veterans Offer Blood Will Install Five Basketball Boards Six additional blood donors signed up to give their blood to the Red Cross: Blood Bank at the meeting of Kingston Township Vet. erans’ Association on Tuesday night. - They are: John M. Fink, Robert D. Considine, Ralph Anthony, Ted A. Poad, Franklin T. Hemenway and Allen R. Malkemes. It was also announced that the Veterans are building five basket- ball boards to be placed in strategic vacant lots throughout the town- _& ship where youngsters can use them. They will be located at Carverton, Trucksville Gardens, Center Street, Cliffside avenue and Davis street. Few people appreciate the com- munity program sponsored by Vet- erans’ Association, but it was brought out at the meeting that the stone wall in front of Kings- ton Township High School Build- ing, which the veterans promoted, probably saved the life of a motor- ist this week who ran into it and would certainly have landed on the railroad far below had not the wall saved him. The Veterans were also among the first to point to the need of having’ the Center Street bridge widened, to support the short cut to Fernbrook and to agitate for the removal of obstructions from the footpaths along all county and State highways. Additional Blood Donors Announced Harry Ohlman, general chairman, has announced the names of the following new blood donors to the Red Cross Blood Bank: Huntsville Methodist Church, Col. and Mrs. Norman Smith, Alden F. Wagner, Carol Lee Wagner, Mil- dred Wagner; Jackson Fire Com- pany, Walter I. Palmer; Dallas Wo- (Continued on Page Five) Announce Party For New Parish Catholic Daughters Bid Gate of Heaven REV. EDWARD HAGGERTY General Chairman Court Our Lady of Fatima, No. 1478 Catholic Daughters of Amer- ica, St. Therese’s church, announ- ces a benefit party to be held Feb- ruary 21 in the church auditorium. Proceeds will be for the Gate of Heaven Church building fund. Rev. John J. O'Leary is honorary chairman. Rev. Edward Haggerty is general chairman. Mrs. Michael Chalowick is co-chairman. Members who will act on Mrs. Chalowick’s eommittee are: Mesdames William Boyd, Edward Miller, Herman Sei- ber, Thomas Wisnieski, Phillip Con- iglio, Joseph Cullen, Bolish Luzin- ski, Harry Jarrett, Alexander J. Wazeter, Edward Borton, Arthur Bouquet and Misses Elizabeth Be- line, Lorraine Lukasavage, Ann and Mildred Borton. Mrs. John H. Stenger Jr., chair- man of the ticket committee will be assisted by Mrs. Algert Antanitis and Misses Louise Evans and Nancy Stenger. Mrs. John Purcell, chairman of bake sale will be assisted by Mes- dames Stephen Tkach, Raymond Laux, Joseph Rother, Eugene Hin- dricks, Henry Mastalski, Daniel Cowen, Jacob Beline, Clinton John- son and Tillie Loveland. Mrs. Joseph Wallo, chairman of refreshments will be assisted by Mesdames Frank Ferry, Joseph Po- lacky, William Gavenas, Grant Sha- ner, Guy Dunham, Francis Barry and Mary Kamor. Mrs. William Boyd is chairman of publicity assisted by Mrs. John Bush. Mrs. Frank L. McGarry, Grand Regent of the Court will have the following officers of the Court assist her on the reception committee: Mrs. Robert Breslin, Mrs. Joseph Gibbons, Mrs. George Z. Keller, Mrs. Robert Williams, Mrs. Leland Guyette, Mrs. Albert Pesavento, Mrs. Robert Laux, Mrs. Henry Gal- lagher, and Mrs. Joseph Hughes. World Day Of Prayer Annual World Day of Prayer will be observed at Dallas Methodist Church Friday afternoon, February 24 at 2. All church societies and women of the Back Mountain area are invited to. attend. . Gay Nineties East Plans Are Laid For Back Mountain er Horse Parade Joint Board Is Proposed For Three Districts Grade School Would Be In Borough; High School In Township Before a joint meeting of Dallas Township, Dallas Borough and Franklin Township School Boards Tuesday night in Dallas Township High School Library, E. S. Teter, County Superintendent of Schools, presented a plan for the joint op- eration of the three districts. Mr. Teter, who was introduced by Supervising Principal Raymond Kuhnert, stated that the plan is an outgrowth of the State Building Authority's refusal to grant a loan to Dallas Township for school build- ing purposes. It is a policy of the Authority, Mr. Teter said, not to grant assistance to school districts that are building accommodations for non-resident students (in this case Franklin Township.) Mr. Teter then explained exten- sively how joint school boards op- erate. Each district maintains its own school board of five members, elected by each separate district. In a joint district composed of Franklin, Tallas Township and Dal- las Borough, the joint board would be made up of these fifteen school directors who might in turn ap- point a committee composed of members from each district to op- erate the schools; but the joint board, as such, would have no auth- ority to approve the budget or to approve employees. Each individ- ual board would adopt its own bud- get and by majority only of that board. Likewise approval of em- ployees would be only by majority vote of each board. In all other matters the Joint Board would have full authority. Establishment of a joint district will not effect teachers’ tenure, Mr. Teter said. Appointment of teachers would be on the basis of their ten- ure. If it became necessary to dis- miss some teachers because of the jointure, the last hired would be the first dropped. Establishment of a joint board is by contract among the participating boards; it does not require the approval of the electorate. With this as a background, Mr. Teter pointed out the advantages of joint board operation. Joint boards receive between 17% and 25% increase in funds from the State Department of Pub- lic Instruction as compared with separate boards. This means that the State's con- tribution to the joint District would cover all overhead costs, plus all in- struction times the reimbursement fraction. Here Mr. Teter deviated to ex- plain that under the present School Code which calls for $200 increases in teacher salaries each year for the next nine years and an addi- tional $200 increase for each teach- er holding a master’s degree, 63 districts under the County Super- intendent’s jurisdiction in Luzerne County will have to raise within their own districts one million dol- lars to pay these increases. After | the coming year the State will no longer provide the funds to meet these increases. Districts operating as separate units will face difficult financing problems but joint districts will re- ceive all overhead costs, plus all instruction costs times the reim- bursement fraction from the state. Because of this financial assis- tance the joint district has a tre- mendous advantage in educational opportunities for students as well as in costs over the individual dist- rict. After taking all aspects into ac- count, Mr. Teter said, his office had come to the conclusion. that the solution for Dallas Borough, Frank- iln and Dallas Townships is a joint board. = The plan he outlined calls for the creation: of a central secondary school in Dallas Township High School where there are adequate facilities to take care of grades seven to twelve of the three dist- ricts. This building would be ex- panded as the number of pupils increased. An elementary school would be created for grades one-to six in Dallas Borough by the construc- tion of a $275,000 addition to the present building. The jointure, he said, would re- sult in slight increases in taxation for the three districts. Current expenses for each of the districts, Superintendent Teter Business Association Sponsors Event To P. Held Easter Afterr Plans got underway - Monday night at the meeting of Lailas Business Association for a Gay Nineties Easter Horse Parade to surpass any previous horse parade held in Luzerne County. More than 100 horses are already entered in the event which will be theld Easter Sunday afternoon at 2 under the sponsorship of the Association. Backers are confident that as many as 235 horses will | eventually be entered. ; The parade route will extend for two miles from the intersection of Route 309 below Dallas to the Rob- inson Farm on Harvey's Lake High- way, where arrangements will be made for the convenient loading of horses into vans. Speaking for the Parade Com- mittee, Al Bowman told the Asso- ciation there will be no prizes and no commercial entries although ar- rangements' will be made to pro- vide horses ‘and vehicles for any group or organization that wants to enter a Gay Nineties float. He said it is hoped that spectators as well as those entered in the parade will wear Gay Nineties costumes. William Stoeckert, general chair- man, showed motion pictures of previous Easter Horse Parades held in Kingston that attracted between 75,000 and 100,000 spectators. Mr, Stoeckert suggested that the local crowd might run between 30 and 40,000. ! Harry Bittenbender of Plymouth, one of the directors of the previous parades held in Kingston, said there would be no parade in the valley this year, and that all horsemen will cooperate to make the Gay Nineties Parade an outstanding suc- cess. ein Arrangements will be made with State Police and Volunteer Firemen to police the parade route. : The Business Association will shortly have posters and entry blanks printed and "all eatries should be mailed to George Turn, secretary. At the conclusion of the discus- sion on the parade, Harry Smith, president, and George Turn, secre- tary, spoke on the Red Cross Blood Bank campaign and six members signed as donors. - Attending the meeting were Francis Ambrose, Grace Cave, Jo- seph Hand, Timothy LaBar, Norti Berti, Lawrence Updyke, Dr. R. M. Bodycomb, Harry Lee Smith, George Turn, M. J. Brown, Harry Bittenbender, Al Bowman, Eugene Sick, Ord Trumbower, William Stoeckert, Herbert Hill, Clark Hil- debrant and George Stolarick. Buto Teeters On Embankment Guard Wires Weak Around Reservoir Mrs. Harry “Buck” Edwards of Huntsville had a narrow escape Monday night at 8:30 when her Mercury sedan slipped on the icy road near her home, crashed side: wise through guard wires and bal- anced precariously over the Hunts- ville Reservoir embankment, A motorist on the other side of the reservoir saw ‘the car go over the embankment and came quickly to her assistance, but not before Mrs. Edwards had got out of the car and started for her home a short dis- tance away. Olivers’ wrecker was summoned and after considerable difficulty and with the aid of several men towed the car back up the embankment. There was no damage. > The highway at the intersec- tion of Overbrook Road and the reservoir road is treacherous. Guard posts and wire are in poor condi- tion and of little protection. In spite of that, the road was unashed Monday night or Tuesday, no lan- terns placed where the guard posts were broken and no attempt has yet been made to repair the break. The next motorist who slips on the ice at that point will land in the res- ervoir. To Hold Alumni Banquet At Township School Reservations must be in by Wed- nesday, February 15 for the Dallas Township High School Alumni Ban- quet which will be held in the High School Saturday February 18 start- ing at 6:30. - Miss Marjorie Kitchen will act as toastmaster and Miss Stella Goldsmith give the invocation. Ron- -d (Continued on Page Five) ald Doll will be guest speaker.