is Fer ER) Tris “wy ak AER DURING CALVING, TO HELP THE WATER SUPPLY, FOR THE PLOWING — BY NOW YOu MUST HAVE HIM 50 Years Ago - March 30, 1934 Announcement by John E. Morgan of Tunkhannock that he would resign as Superintendent of Schools in Wyoming County was the signal for the opening of a spirited contest among school heads who would seek appointments to the position. The vacancy on Dallas Borough School Board resulting from the resignation of James Besecker was filled at the borough’s meeting by the election of Eugene R. Lazarus of Machell Ave., Dallas. Elimimation of Orange and Noxen from the four-way contest for the championship of the Rural Basketball League left Dallas and You could get--Mayonnaise, pint jar, 15¢; bread, 20 oz. loaf, 10c; ‘coconut bars, Tic 1b. ; stuffed olives, 11-0z. bottle, 21c; red cherries, 2-6 oz. bottles, 29c. 40 Years Ago - March 31, 1944 Thousands of bushels of Back Mountain potatoes were finding their way to industrial alcohol plants where they were distilled to aid in the manufacture of synthetic rubber and other products vital to winning the war. Harold Sommers “Duffy’’ Hislop, six-week-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hislop, Jr., of Franklin Street, was reported to be doing fine. The Red Cross Drive held during the month of March in the Back Mountain region had exceeded the quota of $4,085 by $904, totaling returns at $4,989. A $430,000 fire swept through the Root Transfer Warehouse on West Wyoming and completely gutted the building, destroying furniture stored there were in the service or who were working in defense centers. Deaths--George M. Traver, Beaumont; Mrs. G.A. Baur, Dallas. You could get--Oranges, 33c doz.; pkg. tomatoes, 29¢; bacon, 8 oz. I 25¢ 1b. ; liver, 31c 1b. 30 Years Ago - April 2, 1954 One hundred and fifty persons voted overwhelmingly in favor of Union School Districts over further jointures at the conclusion of the town meeting held at the Dallas Township School. Dallas-Shavertown Water Company's new 390 foot well on Ferguson Avenue was waiting only for an official state permit to start supplying water to Druid Hills and portions of Shavertown. Back Mountain school districts showed slight fluctuations in reimbursement fractions for 1954 and 1955, with Dallas Borough Franklin, Ross and Lehman Township's fractions raised "and Dallas Township, Jackson and Lake Township’s lowered. Deaths--Mrs. Sheldon Bennett, Trucksville; Louise Antoinette Booth, formerly of Trucksville; Bruce Miller, Idetown. You could get--Kidney beans, 12 16-0z. cans, $1; tomato soup, 3 cans 29c; donuts, pkg. of 12, 19c; potatoes, 10 1bs., 45¢; lettuce, 2 Ig. heads, 29c; oranges, 29¢ doz. 20 Years Ago - April 2, 1964 The end of an era was symbolized when Harry H. Ritts, Jr., Church Street, in his 35th year with the Lehigh Valley Railroad, was granted permission to take the sign from the officially-closed station. David Cochran, a resident of Smith’s Pond area, Lehman Nesbitt Memorial Hospital after suffering severe face injuries from a dynamite cap explosion at a mine stripping in Plymouth Township. Fire completely destroyed an unoccupied 55-foot house trailer at 0’Connell’s Twin Lakes while firemem from Idetown and Harveys Lake fought to keep the blaze from spreading through surrounding fields. “The Starfires,”” a Back Moun- tain rock 'n roll band, make their To first 45 rpm recording at a major New York Studio. Deaths--Mrs. Calla Beaumont; Clark Hildebrant, Dallas. Married--Jeannine Ann Kocher, Noxen to Albert Backowski, Tunk- hannock. You could get-Steaks 69c Ib.; lettuce, 2 1g. heads, 29c; carrots, 2 pkgs., 13c¢c; mushrooms, 45c¢ lb.; alka Seltzer, bottle of 25, 38c. 10 Years Ago - March 28, 1974 The Pennsylvania Gas and Water Co. presented several plans for solving its water probkems to Kingston Township residents, but plans the firm claim would provide the cheapest and most extensive service would involve setting up a water authority - a prospect most resident of the area found hard to swallow. Residents of the Back Moimtain were dusting off their bikes getting them ready for a few practice runs before entering thre “Ride A Bike for the Retarded’ bike-a-thon scheduled for April 21. A rash of burglaries continued to Pariish, Smith restaurants and a school the main targets. Deaths--Lena V. Misson, Dallas; Valley; Frances E. Clark, Harveys Lake. You could get-Ground beef, 88c Ib.; turkeys,59c lb.; ice cream, half gal, 58c; white bread, 3 loaves, 89c; cake mixes, pkg. 38c; grapefruit juice, 46 oz. can, 39c. LIBRARY NEWS BY NANCY KOZEMCHAK I The Back Mountain Memorial Library would like to wish a happy .80th bir thday to Dr. Seuss. Anyone who is in any way connected with children has probably heard of Dr. Seuss. He really is Theodor Seuss Geisel, a tall, shy, amiable gen fleman with a neatly trimmed white beard, who lives with his wife Audrey and a tankful of tropical fish on a mountaintop overlooking La Jolla, Calif. He has no children of his own, but through books like The cat in the hat, Howw the Grinch ham, Horton hears a who, Hop on Pop, and If I ran the zool”, just to name six, he has become a beloved father figure to millions. He is celebrating his birthday by publishing a new book, his 49th or 50th, titled, ‘‘The Butter Battle Book”, about an escalating arms race between the Yooks, who eat their bread with the butter side up and the Zooks, who prefer it butter side down. Tiny creatures are just as important as big ones, preser- ving the - environment is everybody’s job, patiience and perserverance are virtues worth cherishing--these are some of the lessons discreetly taught by Dr. Seuss. He explains, children are a tough audience. A kid can tell if you're faking immediately and if you lose him for one page, that’s it. Dr. Seuss and his books have been numberone on the children’s cir- culation list in our ‘children’s annex for many years. National Library Week 1984 is scheduled for Apri 18 to 14 and the Pennsylvania State Library has established an advisory committee to work with the American Library Association’s theme of Hnoviedge is Real Power’. : April 15 is just aroumd the corner. Before you file your return, acquaint yourself with the tax code provisions and IRS services designed specifically to aid older and retired Americans. They could help save you money! Perhaps one of the most costly items in an older American’s budget is medical care. Those who itemize their returns can claim a medical expense deduction equal to the amount spent on qualifying Medicare care, minus five percent of their adjusted annual income. Lab fees, X-rays, prescription drugs and medical examinations are included in qualifying expenses - and there are many more. NOTE that the separate deduction for half of health insurance premiums up to $150 has been eliminated for 1983 returns. If you itemize, you may add any on-taxable income like = Social Security, veterans and railroad retirement benefits to your ad justed gross income when akeullating the sales tax deduction. You are allowed a $1,000 deduction for each exemption you claim and an additional $1,000 exemptinif you are aged 65 or older by January 1, 1984. If your spouse is aged 65 or over, he or she also is ‘allowed an additional $1,000’ exemption. For those aged 65 or older, or retired under a public retirement program, the IRS offers a tax credit to reduce the amount of tax you owe. This credit can save you as much as $562.50 if you are married and file jointly. For more in- formation, consult the instructions for Schedule R&RP. In order to encourage charitable contributions, Congress amended the tax code to allow non-itemizers a deduction for such gifts. In 1983, you may deduct 25 percent of the first $100 contributions ($50 for a married person filing a separate return). The Internal Revenue Service also offers special services to assist you in filing your return correctly. These include a 24-hour ‘‘Tele-Tax’’ telephone information service, providing tax information tapes on about 140 topics. A listing of available tapes and instructions for using ‘‘Tele-Tax’’ are near the end of Forms 1040, 1040A and 1040EZ instructions. The IRS prepares many free publications that can help answer your tax questions as well. Of pecial intterest to seniors are publications humber 554, ‘Tax Benefits for Older Americans,” and 524, “Credit for the Elderly.’ Single copies of these and other publications are available Si the mail, using the order form in your tax package. And finally, through its tax counseling for the elderly (TCE) and volunteer income tax assistance (VITA) programs, IRS- trained volunteers assist in- dividuals aged 60 and over with their tax returns at many neigh- borhood locations. Check with your local IRS office for details about a program convenient to you. Keeping up with new tax provisions and filling out tax forms can be a very complicated and somewhat confusing process. To help older Americans claim every legitimate income tax deduction, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging has prepared an in- formation paper entitled, “Protecting Older Americans Against Overpayment of Income Taxes.” For your free copy, plese send a card with your name and address clearly printed to: U.S. Sénate Special Committee on Aging, Room G-33, Senate Dirkson Building, Washington, D.C. 20510. April is National Pets Are Wonderful (PAW) Month and the “purrfect”’ time to adopt a playful puppy or cuddly kitten from your local humane society or animal shelter. Phousands of animal shelters; veterinary hospitals, schools and libraries across the country are participating in this third annual celebration to encourage the adoption of homeless animals and to further understanding of responsible pet care in their communities, Pets ‘Are Wonderful Month. is sponsored by the Pets Are Won- derful (PAW) Council, a. national, mot-for-profit, public ‘serviice municating the many «joys: and rewards of responsible dog and cat ownership. Headlining PAW Month this year is PAW National Honorary Chairperson Betty White. Humane societies and shelters are not only fun and educational places to take children and the whole family on a regular basis, but they are excellent and economical sources of healthy, lovable puppies, dogs, kittens and cats. Select your pet, or a second pet, at a shelter for a number of r easons: A wide variety is almost always available in every color, age, size, temperament and activity level. And, research shows that mixed breed pets often are the healthiest and friendliest pets of all! All shelter pets have been thoroughly checked by a veterinarian and have been given necessary inoculations and a “clean bill of health.” Many shelters have special costs of spaying and neutering their pets. An altered pet is ‘a healthier and happier household companion! Shelter ‘employees are always available to give you free and personalized advice on your new pet and are concerned that both you and your pet are happily matched. In addition, some shelters provide free or low-cost training classes for dogs adopted from the shelter. Shelter pets are economical - and generally range from $10 to $50. Month Remember that shelters are non- profit organizations. Your tax deductible donations and funds services to the public. Shelters have numerous older dogs and cats that shouldn’t be overlooked, especially if you are single, or if everyone in the household works full-time or at- tends school. Older pets are less active and often are. already housebroken - qualities preferred by people-who lead hectic lives. For such people, also, two pets are always better than one, since they can keep each other company while ‘the owner is away. Fora freeb ooklet, “How to Select Your Four-Footed Friend,’ and a “Pets Are Wonderful’ button for PAW Month, send a large, self- addressed, stamped envelope to the Pets Are Wonderful Council, 500 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611. @ Here is a summary of important + events that occurred on Capitol Hill last week from Rep. Frank Coslett, 120th Legislative District. NEW CAR buyers will have a measure of protection in the event they purchase a defective vehicle under a bill passed by the House and sent to the governor this week. The so-called ‘lemon-aid”’ legislation requires that manufacturers give car owners refunds or replacement vehicles of equal value if they cannot satisfactorily make repairs during the first 12 months or 12,00 miles, whichever comes first. The bill allows car makers three attempts at fixing a defect which ‘‘sub- stantially impairs the use, value or safety’ of the car. 0: LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES would have the power to increase wage taxes on both residents and non-residents, while lowering the tax burden on busiensses and in- dustry, under a controversial bill passed by the Democratic- controlled House Urban Affairs Committee. The legislation allows municipalities to abolish the existing $10 occupational privilege tax in order to impose a flat $50 municipal service tax or a one quarter of one percemt earned in- come tax. It would also permit school districts to hike the wage tax by one-half of one percent in return for eliminating nuisance taxes. The bill was sent to the full House by a 13-4 vote. Voting against it were Republicans Jeffrey Piccola (Dauphin), Frances Weston (Philadelphia), Marvin Miller (Lancaster) and Thomas Swift (Crawford). Miller said the bill would benefit special interest groups at the expense of the wage earner. -0- PUBLIC ACCESS to records of the state Judicial Inquiry and under legislation introduced in the House this week. Co-sponsored by Reps ~~ Lois Hagarty (R- a member of the House Judiciary Committee, the bill would also restructure the inquiry board and give it the power to discipline judges. The proposal follows the board's decision last year against discplining state Supreme Court Justice Rolf ‘R. Larsen, charged with politicking and making racist remarks, and the board’s vote to close the record of the proceedings to the public. A portion of the measure would require a constitutional amend mnt to ttake efffect. -0- THE HOUSE unanimously adopted a resolution urging Gov. Dick Thornburgh to declare a state of emergency in ares of the Com- monwealth affected by an outbreak of giardiasis - a water-borne in testinal ailment. The parasite carrying the disease has con taminated the drinking-water J supplies of some 300,000 people. LETTERS Dear Editor: There is legislation pending in Pennsylvania to exempt church- related schools from responsibility to comply with state laws or regulations that were written to assure the best possible education for all children. That move is now set to’ become law in the form of House Bill 1293. On the surface, HB 1293 appears to strengthen the requirements of private and parochial schools. But there is one section of that measure which its sponsors don’t like to talk about in public. the Commonwealth of Pennsyl- vania can’t evaluate the. private and parochial schools for com- pliance with state law until and unless those schools consent to such an audit. That’s like saying any cor- poration will be free to operate above the law unless it consents to monitoring by state agencies. HB 1293 is clearly an attempt to give private and religious schools the opportunity to hire non- certified teachers, adopt their own curricula and-in general--operate as they see fit with no regard to proven stan- dards of quality required by the School Code. Parents of children in both public and priwate schools, along with other taxpayers, should contact their representative to protest the passage of such a hill. Nancy M. Noonan President Pennsylvania State Educator Association Dear Editor: Thought for the day. Take my heart and let it be, Open always Lord to thee. Take my days to serve thee well, Joy and happiness to tell. Give me light that I may see, God is truth to make me free. To abide with me each day, Give me strength that I may be, Faithful always Lord to thee. Give me love that I may see, Peace of soul revealed to me. - Guide me on the road of life, Freedom from worry and strife. Give me knowledge of thy word Far and wide they voice is heard. Give me love that I may share, Love for others who need care. Help me now my faults to know Trhough they love and grace to Erow. Faith and trust in thee will be, The kingdom of God to see, Take my soul and let it be, Dedicated Lord to thee. F.BUDD SCHOOLEY, M.D. DALLAS P.S. This is the period of Lent. As ‘we approach Easter, I hope this -original verse is appreciated. -