o a7 - er ALLAS “Complete Back Mountain News” OST VOL. 82 NO. 51 TUESDAY , DECEMBER 21, 1971 DALLAS, PA. PHONE 675-5211 FIFTEEN CENTS 1,100 Already Delivered More Sewer Assessments Due by End The third set of assessment rolls for Dallas Area Municipal Authority will be completed for delivery by the end of January. To date, 1,100 assessments have been delivered, according to information furnished the authority at their meeting De RY Spencer Martin Jr., authority chairman, emphasized that if a property owner feels his assessment is wrong, he should call the authority office (696-1133) and report it. ‘“The proper procedure is to call the office and not indi#idual mem- bers of the authority,”” Mr. Martin said. Assessment collections through Dec. 13 amount to $202,239.10. Other monies received were $5,000 in additional funds from the Environmental Protection Agency and $7,000 interest. uglas Diehl, project manager for Roy Weston Engineers, told that $343,000 is needed for additional costs on all 12 CO! acts and associated projects. There s a contingency fund of $386,000 set aside for this purpose. Mr. Diehl recommended that the full amounts of monthly payments due to Tri- Constructors, treatment plant con- tractor, and D&C Spinoza, pipe con- tractor, be made this month only ‘‘as the quality of work is good and they are on schedule.”’ It is customary in making payments to retain 10, percent. According to reports the secondary treatment plant is 70 .percent complete and.on schedule. The completion date of March 15 is expected to be met. A total of 1 feet of main line has been in- ed; 50,213, lateras$, 1 345, malitioles; > 269, “house connections. thority member John Casner rted that a number of applications have been received for thé treatment- plant staff, and that all vacancies should be filled by mid-February. Dr. Raymond Russin asked the authority about blasting damage and said Gate of Heaven Announces It Will 2 @harge Tuition At a meeting held in the Gate of Heaven uditorium Dec. 14, the Rev. Thomas \rdan, pastor of Gate of Heaven parish, announced that effective immediately, tuition for all grade school children at- tending Gate of Heaven Parochial School is $75 each, annually. Also, all high school students attending Central Catholic in Kingston will be obliged ‘to pay an ad- ditional $150 per year. The decision to implement a tuition for all parochial schools in the diocese of ~ Scranton came from the Most Rev. Bishop J. Carroll McCormick. There was previously no tuition charge for children are members of the Gate of Heaven parish; children who attend the parochial school from the parishes of St. Therese’s, Our Lady of Victory and St. Frances Cabrini paid $8 monthly before the tuition increase. Father Jordan explained to parents of Gate of Heaven students that under the new Pennsylvania State Legislature Law Housebill No. 1379 Parents Reimburse- ment Act for Non-public Education, parents of children attending private (continued on PAGE SEVENTEEN) The Public is cordially invited to Open House at The Dallas Post Thursday, December 23 from 2 to 5 p.m. 41 Lehman Avenue . Dallas, Pa. of January the contractors’s insurance company had denied his claim. He was told that he now has two recourses—(1) seek payment through his own insurance company, which, in turn, can seek settlement from the contractor’s insurance company; (2) sue the contractor’s insurance company for damages. Solicitor Merton Jones stated each contractor has full public liability and property damage coverage, but that there is nothing the contractor or the authority can do to make the insurance company make a settlement if the claim is denied. 17 Percent Hike Photo by Sandy Nixon Raindrops glaze the needles of a newly cut Christmas tree waiting to be sold. UGI Rate Increase Bid Granted Pending Revision Pennsylvania Public Utility Com- mission handed down a decision Dec. 15 indicating it would approve increased rates by UGI Corporation, Luzerne Electric Division, providing the utility filed a revised application within five days or by Dec. 24. PUC did not go along with a requested rate hike by UGI for $2,400,000, but denoted its approval if U:I’s Fequest was adjusted to $2,100,006. The: new rate, which . would amount to an increase of ‘about 17 percent’ in an average customer’s bill, would be effective five days after a revised UGI application is accepted by PUC. Originally, the rate hike sought by the utility company would have meant an increase to some 52,000 customers of approximately 20 percent. Richard Demmy, general manager and vice president of Luzerne Electric Division, stated the revised application would ‘‘definitely be submitted to PUC”’ before the Dec. 24 expiration date. A number of complaints against the rate hike has been filed. On record with PUC are complaints fiom James Lenahan Brown, et al; James M. Reinert, et al; Back Mountain Protective Association and F. Budd Schooley, M.D. These protests charged increased rates would be ‘‘unreasonable, exorbitant, unwarranted and illegal’, and asked that Photo by J. Kozemchak Sr. A new police cruiser was delivered to Dallas Township Friday afternoon, with acceptance ceremonies held in front of the municipal building. Will Keep Old Cruiser On hand were, left to right, Fred Hughes, Super- visor Fred Lamoreaux, Chief Frank Lange, Les Tinsley, James Richardson, Douglas Lamoreux, and James Kelly. Township Gets Police Car Dallas Township Police Department had its name on the list for Christmas de- livery of a new police cruiser, and was pleased when the 1972 Dodge Polara was turned over to them last Friday by James Richardson of L. L. Richardson, Dallas automobile dealer. The department will retain its present cruiser, a 1968 Plymouth, as a spare to be used in emergencies or when the new police car is not available. Supervisor Fred Lamoreaux, accep- ting the new vehicle for the township, said he was very pleased with its special engineering and heavy-duty features. The township board awarded the contract to Richardson’s on the basis of a bid for $2,650. Bids were submitted in Septem- ber. New equipment, although installed by the automobile firm, was furnished by the township. This included dual strobe lights, the PA system, and radio. The car was built by the manufacturer on specifications for police work. It has a 318 cubic engine with 240 horsepower. Police Chief Frank Lange reported the township has one of the largest areas in the Back Mountain to police. “We have over 28 miles of township roads to cover, plus state and county roads,” he said, “and department personnel will use both cruisers to good advantage.’ proposed rates be denied and present rates reduced. In addition, Dallas Area School Board, Dallas Township Board of Supervisors, Dallas Borough Council, among others, have gone on record as opposing the rate increase. UGTI’s electric division was granted a 15 percent rate increase in 1970. (continued on PAGE FIVE) Lake-Lehman Praised for Audit Report Lake-Lehman School District has received accolades from David H. Kurtzman, secretary of education in Pennsylvania, for its third error-free audit report made by the Office of the Auditor General for the Lake-Lehman School District. “On behalf of the Department of Education,” Dr. Kurtzman wrote, ‘it gives me great pleasure to again com- mend you and your staff for the excellent result you have attained in the management of your financial resour- 2 ces.” In keeping with Dr. Kurtzman’s request, the commendation was made a part of the minutes of the board’s meeting Dec. 14. Other business found the school board seating as its seventh member Kenneth Williams, Bloomingdale. Mr. Williams was unable to attend the re-organization meeting held Dec. 6, at which time Ellis Hoover and Arnold Garinger were sworn in. The school directors approved the purchase of two master clocks for the Lake and Ross Elementary Schools at a cost of $635 each. The IBM clocks presently in use are, according to Superintendent Robert Z. Belles, “worn out and cannot be repaired.” {eonsinied on PAGE ELEVEN) The PUC:A Five Member Board Governs Utilities The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is an autonomous body whose five members are appointed by the governor for 10-year terms. The governor also names the chairman of the group. Present chairman is George Bloom. He and three commissioners are hold-overs from previous governor’s appointments. The only commissioner appointed by Gov. Milton Shapp is Louis Carter of Lower Merion. At the time of Mr. Car- ter’s appointment, Gov. Shapp vowed to carry his fight for the consumer into the area of utility rate-making. Commissioners’ ‘salaries, taken from 1967 figures, are in the $19,000-$20,000 range. Inmate Stabbed At Chase Prison During Movie A State Correctional Institution inmate allegedly was stabbed Sunday afternoon by another inmate of the Chase facility. Supt. Leonard Mack identified the vic- tim as Thomas Preble, 24, of Scranton, who was examined and x-rayed at the in- stitution after he sustained multiple stab wounds of the chest and upper arm. Examining physician, Dr. Malcolm Borthwick, and institution officials de- cided to hospitalize Preble for a more careful check of injuries. Preble was admitted to Nesbitt Mem- orial Hospital, where he was listed as sat- isfactory. Supt. Mack reported Preble will remain in the hospital until such time as medical authorities determine he is in condition to be returned to the Chase in- stitution. The stabbing took place at 1:40 p.m. in the institution auditorium while a movie was being shown to inmates. The alleged attacker, James Hughes, 30, of Philadel- phia, was reported to have pulled a knife and stabbed Preble. (continued on PAGE SEVENTEEN) Approximately 350 persons are em- ployed by the commission, including 15 attorneys, 32 engineers, 42 rate analysts, 45 inspector-investigators, two security analysts, and two accountants, but no economists. These are 1967 figures, the latest available. The “Organization and Function of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Com- mission” states that “Commonwealth law requires utilities to furnish and maintain adequate, efficient, safe and reasonable service and facilities. The law also provides that rates for service must be just and reasonable.” It also states the commission’s duty is to regulate all public utilities in the “public interest’, and it operates ‘‘un- swervingly toward the end that service is good and rates are fair for both the con- sumer and the utility.” What happens when a utility files new rates? In general, the procedure is to file rate changes on 60 days’ notice to the com- mission, and the utility must submit, under oath, pertinent supporting data. The commission and its technical experts are required to make a thorough study of this supporting data, the rate structure and overall earnings. If it appears beyond doubt that the proposed rates do not contain any unreasonable features and the an- ticipated earnings are not excessive, the PUC may take no action and thus the rates become effective automatically by law. (continued on PAGE SEVENTEEN) Notice The Dallas Post will be published early next week due to the New Year holiday. We urge all who plan to submit articles for publication to do so early. We cannot guarantee publication of copy in the issue of Dec. 28 if submitted after 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 27.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers