VOL. 84 NO. 29 A group of Austrian college students, on a seven-week tour of the United States, enjoyed their first week’s stay in the Dallas area. The 11 travelers, six men and five women, left the area July 14, for Clarkesburg, W. Va. They will also visit Colorado Springs, Colo.; St. Louis, Mo.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Eugene, Ore.; and San Francisco, Calif., travelling as part of the Rotary Club’s Youth Exchange Overseas program. The stU@@mer program brought the group firft to Dallas by way of New’ York's airport and bus. They stayed with Dallas families. The host families, mostly Rotarians, were Mr. and Mrs. Fred Dingle; Mr. and Mrs. Paul Priebe; Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Connor; Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Weggel; Mr. and Mrs. John C. Barney; Mr. and Mrs. Spenser Mar- tin; and Mr. and Mrs. James Alexander. While in the area, the students were taken on a tour of the United Penn Bank in Wilkes-Barre, during which they lunched at the Hotel Sterling; they visited the Back Mountain Memorial Library Auction; and toured the Commonwealth Telephone Company. The Trucksville Search and Rescue Team gave the visitors a cook-out and swim party. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Schmidle hosted the affair at their home, 149 Lehigh St., Trucksville. Mr. Schmidle is leader of the search group. Each of the students received books, “Agnes” and ‘‘The Guide to Greater Northeastern Pennsylvania’, presented by James Kozemchak, photographer, who published both books. Mr. Schmidle and the volunteer search group gave each student a group picture taken that evening. Joennsil ania Atty. Gen. Israel packel Announced last week that the State Civil Service Ggmmission has upheld in a legal HOM July 11, the dismissal of Doctors Malcolm C. Borthwick and Nich- olas R. Lakatos from the State Correc- tional Institution at Dallas. The case was argued before the Civil Service Commission by Deputy Atty. Gen. Marc Kapustin on behalf of the Bur- eau of Correction officials, including SCID superintendent Leonard J. Mack and bureau commissioner Allyn Sielaff. Wilkes-Barre Atty. Joseph Kasper repre- sented Dr. Borthwick, and Nanticoke Atty. Mario Cipriani represented Dr. Lakatos. The twa doctors were suspended last March 18 by Mr. Mack and removed from their positions by former Commissioner Sielaff, now in charge of the corrections bureau for the State of Illinois. Dr. Borthwick and Dr. Lakatos were dismissed for their refusal to obey the rule of the bureau requiring them to visit inmates housed in maximum security cell blocks, and for their insubordination to their supervisors. Testimony in the Grace S. Hatch and commissioners C. Herschel Jones and John A. M. Mec- Carthy, who: presided. In the finding of fact in the adjudication document, the commission found that each of the doctors had knowledge of the administrative directive of Nov. 1, 1972 requiring a medical doctor to visit resi- dents in the maximum security blocks each day, and that each of the doctors re- fused to visit the inmates between Nov. 1, 1972 and March 9, 1973. The document also stated that in the case of each doctor, when orally ordered by the superintendent, orally refused to make rounds and visit residents in the maximum Security blocks. It noted that “the evidence of the appointing authority is substantial, credible, and convincing.’ The document said that under conclu- sions of law that each doctor ‘‘was sus- pended for good cause under Sect. 803 of the Civil Service Act,” and each doctor “was removed for just cause under Sect. 807 of the Civil Service Act.” “We can imagine,’ the commissioners wrote in the decision, ‘‘that the atmos- phere of the Behavioral Adjustment Unit (maximum security) at the Dallas State Correctional Institution is not pleasant but one would hardly expect to have a drawing room scene at such location. Each doctor has spent years of service at this institution and apparently became accustomed to the conduct of the resi- dents. It should not have been an unex- pected shock to learn that the rules and the orders of the superintendent required daily visits to that area. Such service is the obligation of the Commonwealth. Each doctor became very technical in (continued on PAGE TWENTY FOUR) by Marie McCandless The Pennsylvania Gas & Water Com- pany is processing applications for new June 25 release from the company’s Office of Public Relations. Potential customers being considered include those who had been placed on a priority list three years ago when the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission embargoed the gas company from fur- ther expansion of its natural gas lines in the light of the developing gas shortage. In addition, according to Frank Loch of the public relations office, customers who had been sold liquid propane as an inter- im substitute for natural gas connections are now being investigated for natural gas service. He said the investigation is to determine how economical it will be to extend existing mains to the propane cus- tomers. The more than 400 PG&W propane cus- tomers had filed a class action suit in the name of William Morgan of South Abing- ton Township to recover $10,000 each in actual and punative damages earlier this year after PG&W announced a plan to in- crease the cost of propane sold to those customers which would have doubled home heating costs. The utility is cur- rently selling propane at natural gas ¥ (continued on PAGE TWENTY FOUR) " = Gross Income Exceeds All Previous Records The 27th annual Back Mountain Memorial Library Auction grossed over $30,000 during its three-day sales, July 6, 7 and 8, according to early reports received by Auction publicity chairman, John Sheehan. Mr. Sheehan, says this year’s results were the best in the history of the community event. Quoting from the preliminary treasurer’s report, he reports gross round figures of $33,000. This compares to the previous high gross of $27,000, which was recorded in 1971. It appears, after subtracting expenses of approximately $7,000, that this year’s auction has earned approximately $26,000 for the running of the Back Mountain’s library facilities. Mr. Sheehan point- ed out that although $1,500 to $2,000 more is yet expected to come in, an equal amount of anticipated addi- tional expenses should leave the net figure remaining at $26,000. This was a record year for some of the individual booths as well. Although a final breakdown of monies is not yet available, it is known that for ‘the first time the “odds and ends’ booth brought in more than $1,000. The book booth set a new high with approximately $1,200 in receipts. DALLAS, PA. FIFTEEN CENTS by Russ Williams The Harveys Lake Borough Council meeting July 12 was the first in a long time that didn’t deal almost exclusively with the borough’s sewer problems. The subject did, however, come up. It then became obvious that some members of council, who had bowed to the will of the electorate by voting for the Harveys Lake Municipal Authority’s (HLMA’s) manda- tory hook-up ordinance, were still bitter toward that group. The sewer-related problem was raised by a letter to the council. The nwner of the former Girl Scout Camp Wildwoc . «tc the Lake, wrote that he wished to break up the property, selling it in quarter acre lots. He discovered that he could not do this until it was on the record that there is a sewer project in the borough. Accep- tance by council, of the Luzerne County Sewer Plan, or the passage of the borough’s own plan, is required for recognition of the project. Borough solicitor Joseph Kasper em- phasized that no plan has been approved because the HLM A %» = submitted no final plan to council. He reiterated his advice of last month, that the hook-up ordinance should not have been passed, because it was based on plans that had never come . before council for approval. Receives At recent ceremonies held at the Sha- vertown Fire Hall, Edward D. Carey, president of the Kingston Township Am- bulance Association received the keys for a new 1973 Cadillac ambulance which was placed into service to replace the old ambulance. Through efforts of Rep. Frank O’Con- nell the association received a grant from the State of Pennsylvania to purchase the new mercy vehicle. Community Affairs secretary William Wilcox and his deputy, A. L. Hydman helped expedite the paper work and enabled the association to re- ceive the ambulance sooner than expect- ed. Mr. Carey stated at the ceremony that, although the grant did underwrite the purchase of the ambulance, public sup- port would be needed in the fund-raising drive to enable the association to com- plete further plans. In the planning stage is a new emergency first aid center and ambulance headquarters to be situated along Route 309 between Trucksville and Shavertown. Mr. Carey also thanked the township supervisors for their assistance. Carl Swanson, acting chairman of council, referred to the ‘‘obstinancy of council...not giving us the plans we need to deal with problems like this.” A member of the audience said that he had seen the Luzerne County Sewer Plan. He reported that it was a very short plan, simply stating that ‘‘a sewer system will be installed’’ in a certain period of time. Solicitor Kasper did not agree with the man, that council therefore should accept the Luzerne County plan. He advised council, and council agreed, that the en- gineer of council and the Authority’s en- gineer should get together to discuss the problem. He gave the opinion that now the affair was more the problem of the Authority than it was of council, and ad- vised that the man take his problem to them. Tom Cadwalader, who had resigned as council chairman last month, after voting for the Authority’s hook-up ordinance, sat in the audience during the meeting, but did not speak. Mr. Cadwalader had re- signed after letting it be known that he oo people cf the Like wanted it, not because he agreed with the methods of the Authority. 3 The crowd at last Thursday’s meeting had been about 20, compared to the 50 to meetings. Fred Merrill, chairman of the police committee, told council that with the re- signation of borough patrolman James E. Faerber, applications would be accepted for full and parttime positions on the borough’s police force. Mr. Merrill ex- plained, to the question of councilman Bud Hoblak, that two men were being sought, because ‘‘it is the opinion of the mayor and the chief of police that with only three special police, we are also un- derstaffed in that area.” Mr. Merrill pointed out that applications could be ob- tained by contacting borough secretary John Stenger. moving to accept the resignation of Mr. Faerber, said that the man served very of probation on his work record was the fault of ‘‘internal problems on council’, not his. (continued on PAGE TWENTY FOUR)
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