4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, November 10, 1993 t The Dallas Post Honoring those who served, sacrificed At atime when true sacrifice and altruism seem forgotten, we come upon Veterans’ Day, November 11. This annual recogni- tion of allwho have served in our military is a welcome reminder that true courage and heroism existed once, and still do. Veterans’ Day began as Armistice Day, to forever remind us of the end of the “war to end all wars,” World War I. Alas, it was not. World War II erupted only two decades later, and quickly surpassed the first in scope and ferocity. Since the end of that world-spanning war, U. S. troops have served in Korea and Vietnam, and many smaller conflicts around the globe. Most recently, Americans have led the effort to stop starva- tion in Somalia, at great and sometimes fatal risk. That has always been the case for those who serve in the armed forces, and no matter how many incentives are offered to recruits, the knowledge that they may be put in mortal danger is always present. Veterans’ Day has been set aside to honor all veterans, to whom we owe a debt of gratitude for their selflessness and service. But for many of us, it calls up the memory of friends or relatives who never returned from one of the world’s con- flicts, or who did so forever scarred in body or mind. This day is a special reminder of just how great was their love for us. Kingston Twp. shows good fiscal sense The Kingston Township supervisors showed uncommon concern for the people they serve when they moved to abolish the personal property tax in the town. They also demonstrated that a well-governed community can provide excellent public services efficiently. Kingston Township is a “home rule” municipality. Under Pennsylvania's outdated rules, boroughs, cities and townships are restricted in how and how much they tax their residents. The rules also affect the structure of local government. Kingston Township became a “home rule” community in 1976 following a referendum in which residents chose that course. Doing so gave the township more revenue-raising options, including the right to tax wages at a higher rate than is allowed in towns that aren't home rule. Thus, the earned income tax rate in Kingston Township is 1 percent, while most other local towns are limited to 1/2 of one percent. In high- income communities, that makes a big difference. Most people feel that income taxes are more equitable than property taxes, especially at these low levels. “The township has benefited from more than its government structure. While it hasthe largest local government of any Back Mountain municipality, it puts the personnel and expense to good use, with sensible but firmly-enforced zoning, building and safety regulations. That has made it a mecca for people who want to live there, and who want to be assured that their investment will be secure. The temptation must have been great to maintain the property tax, even though it generated only about $75,000 annually. Government officials are no different than anyone else, and no doubt there is a piece of equipment that could have been purchased, or a pet project that might have gained funding. Instead, Kingston Township officials decided to forego the income, and let taxpayers make their own choice of what to do with their money. They should be congratulated for the decision. Publisher’s notebook My, how fall has changed So, whatever happened to fall? Or spring, for that matter. It seems that recent years have been reduced to two seasons— summer and winter—with a brief transition between. At least the gloriously-painted leaves told us that fall had arrived, though wind and rain have now pretty much knocked them flat. And the snow! On Halloween! Perhaps nostalgic memories of bright, crisp days and strolls through blazing forests aren't reliable. Maybe only one or two fall weekends were truly wonderful years ago, but it sure seems like there were more of them. Of course, those were the days when leaf piles looked like mountains and it was hard to get my fingers around a football. Maybe that’s the difference. Ron Bartizek Do you agree? Disagree? Editorials are the opinion of the management of The Dallas Post. We welcome your opinion on contemporary issues in the form of letters to the editor. If you don't write, the community may never hear a contrasting point of view. Send letters to: The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas, PA 18612. Please include your name, address and a daytime phone number so that we may verify authenticity. We do not publish anonymousletters, but will consider withholding the name in exceptional circumstances. We reserve the right to edit for length and grammar. The Dallas Post Published Weekly by Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 Telephone: 717-675-5211 Ronald A. Bartizek Charlotte E. Bartizek Editor and Publisher Associate Publisher Peggy Young Grace R. Dove ,Advertising Acct. Exec. Reporter Paul Rismiller Olga Kostrobala Production Manager Classified/typesetting Jill Urbanas Office Manager MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION AND THE PENNSYLVANIA NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER'S ASSOCIATION Along Route 118, Dallas Township Photo by Charlotte Bartizek Reporter's notebook Golden days and ringneck pheasant By GRACE R. DOVE Post Staff Golden fall days and the start of small game hunting season always conjure up many fond memories of days and dogs gone by in my mind. My first and “favoritest” place to hunt small game was the farm owned by my husband's uncle, Chester Wishnewski, overlooking the Susquehanna River outside of Tunkhannock. My husband, Matt, had spent many summers working there, so small game season was also a time for him to reacquaint himself with his family and favorite childhood haunts. The night before we went hunt- ing we'd repeat the familiar ritual of checking our ammo and clean- ing our .12-gauges, managing to spray WD-40 everywhere imagine- able. IfMatt’s cousin, Johnny Holena, planned to go along with us, we'd fix him. up: with a venerable .16- gauge bolt action, one of Matt's first guns. Hunting day dawned early. After bundling lunch, guns, beagles and a sleepy-eyed Johnny into the truck, we'd head up Route 309 to Tunkhannock. Bright sunshine, a crisp breeze and flaming foliage greeted us at the farm, as Uncle Chester told us the most likely places to try our luck. “They just started to harvest the corn. It's loaded with birds that were stocked last week,” he'd say. “Or try the old hay field. I kicked out a couple of rabbits there yes- terday.” Usually Matt's beagle, Old Buddy, couldn't wait to get his nose into the field, while my sweet Shandi took her time, sniffing the breezes and wagging her tail while waiting for us to don orange vests and hats and load our guns. Once we encountered several hunters leaving a weedy hay field. “Didn't see a doggone thing,” they grumbled, stomping off down the dirt road. But we had to try. Turning the dogs loose, we started to work the field. Take a couple of steps, then stop. Take a [ew more steps, then stop. Wait. It takes longer to work a field this way, but we and the dogs had all day. We could see something moving ahead of us in the weeds, but weren't sure what it was. Moving very slowly, we worked our way to the corner of the fence line. Suddenly the field erupted with birds. BLAM! BLAM! Two nice ring- necks bit the dust. “Look!™ Johnny pointed 10’ the fence corner, where'a’hen pheas- ant, obviously stock farm raised, calmly pecked her way along the ground. Laughing at her dumb antics, we pumped four more shots her way, only to miss. She must have thought that she was still home on the farm and that it was lunchtime, as she continued to peck away at the shower of lead falling around her. Finally Malt got his act together and bagged her. We might explore a field over- grown with blackberry bushes, where the dogs usually kicked out a rabbit. One day, it was lucky for the rabbit that Buddy was getting old and Shandi was tired, or Mr. Rab- bit would have been our dinner. That darned bunny must have been really chuckling as he sat sale and snug in his hole polishing his whiskers as two frenzied, frus- trated beagles sang at his front door. We also liked to work our way along the edge of the cornfields, where the squirrels and grouse sounded like elephants as they thundered through the dry leaves. Lunchtime was always a special treat—thick, trucker-size sand- wiches and coffee or soda. We had to guard our lunches carefully because the dogs were also quite adept at hunting munchies. Sometimes Matt's godfather, Norm Augustine, would show up and Uncle Chester would break out the homemade applejack. (Johnny and Buddy had to settle for water or soda, while Shandi had her customary cup of luke- warm coffee with extra cream.) . Uncle Chester is gone now, and faithful Old Buddy has been re- placed by a kinder and gentler Buddy, who would rather hunt kitties than rabbits. Like sweet Shandi, also gone to that great rabbit field in the sky, our new Buddy regularly stakes out his place on my bed and defends it against all comers. But I still think that there's no better time of year than small game season's golden days, when the sun glints off the ringnecks' feath- ers as they rise in the afternoon light, and no prettier sound than the song ofa flop-eared little beagle hot on a rabbit's trail A. Case for conservation Solar energy works, even in Pennsylvania By ALENE N. CASE Most of us tend to be quite cynical about our governments and about their use of OUR money. So, it was a pleasant surprise for me to discover recently that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had actually produced something useful and was distributing it to interested citizens free of charge! The Pennsylvania Energy Office, chaired by Lt. Governor Mark Singel, published the Pennsylva- nia Solar Manual in June of this year. It is available locally by calling the Northeastern Pennsyl- vania Energy Center at (717) 655- 5581. The major thesis of the Manual is that a wide variety of solar energy options “work, even in Pennsylvania.” It clearly describes each option and then proceeds to prove that it can be used here — not by dry statistics but by real examples being used by real people right here in Pennsylvania. Italso includes names and phone num- bers of contractors and manufac- turers who work with solar com- ponents. My family lives in an old frame house on the side of Shaver Hill. Over the years, we have developed a variety of ways to save energy and make our house more com- fortable. Deciduous trees to the south and west provide natural cooling especially when exhaust fans pull air off these trees through the rest of the house. In the winter when the trees are bare, simply opening the curtains to allow the sun to shine in provides much of our daytime heating on sunny days. We often leave bath- water in the tub until it is cool in order to provide heat to the north end of the house. Much of our energy savings is the result of remodeling by previous owners: Our house essentially has three outside walls with air spaces in between. But, I have often dreamed of supplementing our heating system with wood or so- lar. If you have had dreams or are contemplating adding on a sun- space, I highly recommend this Manual. Ifyou have a swimming pool or spa, this book is a must. You see, the simplest and most economical way to use the sun's energy is for heating water. This warmed water can then be used in your household for normal activities such as cleaning dishes or clothes. Or, it can be used to supplement your normal heating system. Walter is not the only material that can hold the solar energy lo be released when it is needed. “Thermal mass” can also be rock, concrete, adobe, brick, salt, or tile. Solar energy is also being used to provide electricity in places where the normal energy grid is either inaccessible or too expen- sive. Photovoltaic cells - or solar panels - have improved greatly over the past 20 years in spite of reduced funding by the federal government. They are now cheaper to use than diesel gen- erators for such applications as movable traffic signs (those ar- rows you see on the Interstate, for example) and they require much less maintenance. Many of the former problems with solar systems have been resolved. Solar cells are much more efficient, so that less space is required to generate the same amount of power. It is easy to connect these cells to batteries (for calculators, watches, battery chargers, electric cars, billboards, etc.) or to a converter that pro- vides AC current toregular house- hold appliances. Waler or space heating systems can be included in remodeling plans fairly easily. Micropressure (i.e. computers) can be programmed to open and close vents, windows, shutters, curtains and plumbing connections. Air- to-air heat exchangers can re- duce indoor air pollution such as radon without losing heat. New windows with ratings of R-10 lo R-12 retain heat as effectively as normally used insulated walls. One Japanese firm has begun making roof shingles with pho- tovollaic cells imbedded in them! What could be easier? Some people complain that solar collectors are not estheti- cally pleasing. I would counter that neither are chain link fences or satellite dishes, but we don't seem lo hesitate to use those on our property if they would prove useful. And, solar cells are cer- tainly much quieter than genera- tors that are often used for back- up power. So, I encourage you to call 655- 5581 and ask for your copy of the Pennsylvania Solar Manual. If they have exhausted their sup- ply, contact the PA Energy Office at 116 Pine St., Harrisburg, PA 17101-1227. Diversifying our energy system will benefit us, our local economy, and future inhabi- tants of this planet. Only yesterday 60 Years Ago - Nov. 17, 1933 RECORD COLD AND SHOW HIT AREA EARLY Establishing a record as the’ coldest November in many years, weather this week sent the mer- cury downward toward the zero mark and left a string of frozen radiators, ice-covered water and snow flurries in its wake. Snow and cold weather during the last two weeks concur with the pre-’ dictions of old timers that the winter on its way will be one of the" most severe in years. Subsequent to the protest which they had lodged Saturday’ with officials of PIAA, interscho- lastic football authority officials of Kingston Township High School’ met with Dallas Borough Athletic’ Council to request that the game in which the borough defeated the’ township Saturday be replayed" on a neutral field. Township rep- resentatives based their protest’ on a criticism of officials, the al- leged failure of the borough to send a list of eligible players to the township before the game and the poor condition of the field. a 50 Years Ago - Nov. 12, 1943 BORO BANS OPEN BURNING ON STREETS Dallas Borough Council has instructed Chief of Police Walter Covert to warn all property own- ers that burning of leaves and rubbish will no longer be permit- ted on borough streets. Few people realize that fires in the streets and along the curb lines work a seri- ous damage on the asphalt on the streets said Burgess H.A. Smith. The heaviest rainfall all day Monday and Monday night flooded many cellars and did consider- able surface damage throughout the Back Mountain Region. The storm one of the most severe in months was accompanied by a 20-mile an hour wind, which sometimes exceeded 30 miles per hour. You could get - Roasting chick- ens, 44¢ lb.; fancy cod fillets, 38¢ Ib.; bread, 2 1g. loaves 17¢; apples fullbushel, $2.99; pineapple juice #2 can 15¢. 40 Years Ago - Nov. 13, 1953 PHONE RATES, BORO TAXES INCREASE ~Commonwealth-v Telephone; Company rates; willbe increased; at once from $1 to $2 monthly: under an increase granted by the Public Utility Commission. Under: the new rate classifications, indi- vidual business telephones will, be increased $2 monthly, individ-: ual residence telephones $1.50 and rural telephones $1 monthly. Fifty indignant member of the Dallas Protective Association met” Thursday night in Dallas Borough’ High School with Dr. F. Bud- Schooley, presiding to discuss’ plans for appealing equalized assessments in Dallas Borough. Dr. Schooley explained that he’ hopes toaccomplish the reorgani- zation of the Protective Associa- tion as an organization to act on’ and defend the interests of the Back Mountain; 30 Years Ago - Nov. 14, 1963 BORO SAYS "NO WAY" TO P.T.A.'S REQUEST Lake-Lehman Board of School! Directors approved a resolution: to the legislators Tuesday evening, asking that the constitution be amended to allow the Lord's Prayer and Bible Reading in public schools, saying that the removal of same was a violation of the 1st Constitution of the U.S. Dallas Borough PTA turned up in force in a colorful sequel to last month's demand that Council do something to guard the school crossing at Lehman Avenue and Huntsville Road. They received in answer a politely emphatic “im- possible” or in the words of police commitiee head, Bob Moore, “It's a pure and simple question of economics. If you don't have the money, you don't spend it.” 20 Years Ago - Nov. 15, 1973 AREA EXPLODES INTO NEW BUILDING BOOM A building boon seems to be taking place in the Back Moun- tain area. Lehigh Paving Con- struction Co. is working on three new stores in the Dallas Shopping Center owned by Louis Goeringer, Mr. B's, Boutique adjacent to the new construction, will expand its present store, while the Hut Card and Gift Shop will move from its smaller location to the larger store in the center. Construction of the Pancake House on 309 is under: way; Mark II, the former Forty Fort Dairy, has begun excavation for enlarging their facilities. Fran: klin Savings & Loan Building adjacent to the Back Mountain Shopping Center is nearing com: pletion, while Hanford Eckman'’s ENCON plant located in Fernbrook is 95% completed. Howard “Duke” Isaacs' well known car dealer is also planning expansion in Trucksville. i vv
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers