—— 4 The Post EDITORIAL Sunday, August 1, 2004. OUR OPINION No escaping taxes, so make collection as economical as possible ooking for savings wherever they can find them, the Luzerne County Commissioners are considering a change in the method used to collect county property taxes in certain municipalities. According to an analysis by the county Treasurer’s office, the switch, which was made in the City of Wilkes-Barre last year, lowers county expenses by $342,000 a year, not an insignificant sum even when compared to a projected $20 million deficit. But what is good for the county could be harmful to Kingston Township, one of the six municipalities that may be affected. That’s because the county now pays the township $3.50 per tax bill — about $12,000 per year — as a fee for the services of the township's tax collector, who accepts county tax payments, then forwards them to the county treasurer. It is hard to argue with the principle that Luzerne County shouldn’t be in the business of subsidizing local tax collectors. The county’s position is made even stronger when the rate of payment to cities is considered; $15.91 per tax bill in Pittston, $6.93 in Nanticoke and $10.77 in Wilkes-Barre. The Treasurer’s office says the change in collection methods for county taxes in Wilkes-Barre resulted in savings of $161,722 in 2003. The loss of $12,000 in revenue is not the only potential ad- verse effect on Kingston Township; the county now prints and mails bills that list both county and township taxes. So it is possible the county could decline to continue that service, shifting those expenses to Kingston Township. That is one of the issues Eddie O'Neill, the township manager, raised in a let- ter to the commissioners, dated July 20. A week later, he had received no reply to a request for a meeting to discuss his con- cerns. Surely the least the township should expect is for the com- missioners to make a change like this as painless as possible. That means getting bills into the hands of taxpayers at no addi- tional expense, and assuring them that payments will be han- dled accurately, fairly and promptly. Lancaster County has proven that can be accomplished, with cooperation between the two levels of government. The process can begin here with an active dialogue between officials from both sides. Their old house harks back to our beginnings The Back Mountain and adjoining communities have a rich history that reaches back to a time when giant trees populated forests through which Native Americans blazed trails. After white settlers arrived, they built homes, mills, barns and road- ways, some of which survive to this day. It is important to pre- serve reminders of times gone by, so that we do not forget where we came from and the paths we took on our journey to the present. Sometimes that preservation is done with words on a page, in other cases it involves something more substan- tial, such as restoration of buildings and other landmarks. Much of the latter is underway now, with the Back Moun- tain Trail taking shape on the former Lehigh Valley Railroad bed and the ongoing maintenance of historic buildings, such as those at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. A more modest, but equally important project has been occupying Paul and Pat Paci, as they patiently restore their old house on King Street in Dallas Borough. This is not a grand or glorious domicile, but rather a home more representative of those owned by the people who settled and developed the region 100 or more years ago, when having two enclosed rooms was sufficient to satisfy most fami- lies. As they stripped the walls to their bones, the Pacis discov- ered evidence in wide wall panels of the timber that was such a striking feature of the Back Mountain. It probably would be cheaper — and certainly easier — to tear down this remnant of the 19th century. But nothing could replace it as a link to our history, so we hope the Pacis and oth- er people who own historic properties large and small will al- ways sense their irreplaceable value. An entrance no longer grand, but charming nonetheless. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek. LIBRARY NEWS Summer activities winding down The “Relax and Read” group of Young Adults who have been writing reviews of books throughout the summer will meet on Thursday, August 5, at 4 p.m. in the Children’s Room for a short book talk session. Refresh- ments will be served, and the names of the winners of the $50 Sharon Creech. an end as well. The summer reading game, “Discover New Trails at Your Library,” had a final party on July 30. The final meeting of the Donuts and Discussion group will take place at 4 p.m. on Monday, August 9, when they will discuss “Ruby Holler,” by A Farmer’s Market opened yesterday on the library grounds, and will be held every Saturday from now until October 2. The enjoying himself. Here are some of the lucky raffle winners: antique items donated by David Hall in memory of his wife Kathryn Hall: 1st prize, Pam Allardyce; 2nd, Raelene Olszewski; 3rd, Mary A Daily. Judy Rimple won the grill, and Gal ded Nd VD Gb fend Morris won the $200 savings bond donated by Pennstar Bank. Total figures for the auc- tion aren’t available yet, but a special thapk you goes out to the story-hour moms others who donated baked goods for ® CAROL award offered by Target hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. bake sale, and made the whopping sum gf KING and the runner-up soe $350 in just one evening. 5 prizes awarded by Pep- The recent auction was a great success, coe si of Wilkes-Barre will be drawn. Everyone who has submitted a review has a chance to win. Call the library, 675-1182, to let them know you're coming. Other summer programs are coming to thanks not only to the many volunteers who served at the auction, but to those who have helped all year long in preparing for it. The weather was perfect, there was a good turnout, and everyone seemed to be e Look for details of the Fall Festival scheduled for Sunday, September 19. Oge of the features will be the library’s mini- auction, which will be held this year in the center of Dallas. prin | Letters, columns and editorials Editorials, which are the opinion of the management of The Post, appear on the editorial page and are written by the editor unless otherwise indicated. Any artwork represents the opinion of the cartoonist, and columns are the opinion of the author. Letters to the editor are welcome and will be published, subject to the following guidelines: e Letters must be signed and include the writer's home town and a telephone number for verification. * Names will be withheld only if there exists a clear threat to the writer. | e The Post retains the right to accept or reject any letter, and to edit letters for grammar and spelling, as well as to eliminate any libel, slander or objectionable wording. Letters can be sent many ways: By e-mail to: thepost@leader.net By mail to: The Post, 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre PA 18711. By using the drop box located in the Uni-Mart convenience store on Route 309 in Dallas, across from the Dallas Shopping Center. Always include a daytime phone number for verification. Tie POST TIMES*LEADER Community Newspaper Group 15 N. MAIN ST., WILKES-BARRE PA 18711 « 570-675-5211 thepost@leader.net Patrick McHugh PUBLISHER Ronald Bartizek EDITOR Justin Wisnosk ADVERTISIN Greg Stauffer AD PRODUCTION MANAGER | 70 Years Ago August'3, 1934 P.S.C. PROMISES TO INVESTIGATE CAUSE OF WATER PROBLEMS Attorney Peter Jurchak, who wrote to the Pennsylvania Pub- lic Service Commission last week ask- ing that a state engi- neer be sent to this sec- tion to in- vestigate causes for interrup- tions of water supplies, was informed this week that action will be taken by the commission. In Dallas borough, conditions were considerably better this week and there were no reports of sever water shortages. ONLY YESTERDAY Readers of The Post who vot- ed in the Serial Story contest announced last week gave Zane Grey's thriller, “Robber’s Roost”, an overwhelming ma- jority as their choice of the novel they want to read each week in this newspaper. Conse- quently, the great author’s grip- ping Western story starts seri- ally in The Post today. Weather permitting, the an- nual picnic of the Dallas MLE. Sunday School will be held at Fernbrook Park today. Teach- ers of classes will provide sil- verware and two dozen sand- wiches. The committee in charge has as members, Mrs. J.L. Kintz, chairman; Mrs. R.L. Brickel, Mrs. Donald Frantz and Mrs. Arthur Thomas. 60 Years Ago August 4, 1944 PAUL NULTON JR. IS MISSING AFTER BOMBING ATTACK Believed to have taken part in the largest mass bombing at- tack ever directed against Ger- many, Staff Sgt. Paul F. Nulton Jr, crew chief and top turret gunner of a B-17 Flying Fortress has been missing in action since July 19, according to a War Department message received Wednesday morning by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Nulton Sr. of Beaumont. Dallas Borough six fire plugs began to pay extra dividends this week when the Middle De- partment Rating Association announced that starting Sept. 1, fire insurance rates on dwellings located within 600 feet of a fire hydrant will be dropped almost 50%. Dallas Borough Council at its meeting Tuesday night ap- proved a two weeks vacation with pay for Chief-of-Police Walter Covert and Street Com- mission, Ralph Eipper. Timo- thy LaBar was the only council- man absent. 50 Years Ago July 30, 1954 STUDY TANNERY WASTE DISPOSAL Armour Leather Company is making a survey of the Wilson Harding farm at Noxen to de- termine the feasibility of con- structing a big new filter plant which will permit the compa- ny’s Noxen tannery to operate without interruption during the summer season when wa- ter is low in Bowman’s Creek. The company has obtained a 90-day option on the Harding Farm. In order to render more effi- cient service to meet the ex- panding needs of the Dallas District, Co. H.H. Butler, vice- president and general manager, Commonwealth Telephone Company announced today that approximately 400 tele- phone numbers in the Dallas, Harveys lake, Center More- land, Sweet Valley and Harding exchange areas have been changed. John Hewitt, Idetown, Agri- cultural Chairman of Wilkes- Barre Kiwanis, and Eugene Zehner, Nescopeck, Agricultur- al chairman of Berwick Kiwa- nis, are proud to announce that their respective service clubs <{ are sponsoring the Luzerne County 4-H Dairy and Veg- etable judging teams at the Penn State Campus during the 4-H Club Week Aug. 9-12. 40 Years Ago July 30, 1964 NEW LIBRARIAN STARTS TUESDAY Mrs. Mary Dale, elected to the position of librarian at the May meeting of the Back Mountain Memorial Library Board, takes her official posi- tion Aug. 1. Plans are in the making for a formal welcome to Mrs. Dale. Two drivers raced on Memo- rial Highway between Natona Mills and Center Hill Road on Thursday night, according to Dallas Borough Police, and will lose their licenses. Officer Ray Titus said his own speedome- ter read 75 m.p.h. when he gave up tailing the boys be- cause they were out of sight, but he caught them turning on Center Hill Road. While swimming at Bow- man’s Creek near Sorber’s Bridge, Noxen, Bruce Atkin- son, formerly of East Dallas, and his uncle, Asa Shotwell, killed a three-foot rattlesnake last week. 30 Years Ago Aug. 1, 1974 IRISH TEACHERS VISIT IRISH DAY PICNIC AT HANSON'S A bit of the “auld sod” came to the Back Mountain area last weekend when College Miseri- cordia hosted a group of 15 teachers from Ireland. The teachers were invited to the Wyoming Valley by the Friend- ly Sons of St. Patrick for the annual Irish Day picnic at Han- son’s Park, Harveys Lake. Legal manueverings appar- ently again foiled the ad- journed hearing in Robert Cooper’s demotion from chief to assistant chief of police of jackson Township. A dozen res- < idents; three supervisors and two newspaper reporters wefe dismayed when they arrived at the appointed time and place. For some unknown reason, the township solicitor, Atty. Blythe Evans, Mr. Cooper and his at- torney, Ben Jones III, were ¢ spicuously absent. The Kingston Township recreation Association held a pet show last Thursday at the Shavertown School play- ground, followed by horsebaek rides for about 30 kids. The services of the horses, Bardn Beau and Schnautzel, were do- nated by Cindy and Nangy Roberts, Trucksville, and Beth Ann Delaney, Dallas. 20 Years Ago Aug. 1, 1984 WV obeied eye OJ bmp? ded STEVAN DAVIES WILE SPEAK ON SCRIPTURE Stevan Davies, Ph.D., assfs- tant professor of religious stutl- ies at College Misericordia, Dallas, will speak on “The i stitute on Sacred Scripture” at College Misericordia. The in- stitute will be held Aug. 5-10 and is under the direction { Sister Marie Noel Keller, RS The six-day institute is held dn- nually as part of College Mis- ericordia’s traditional mission to preach the word of God. Several Back Mountain youths were honored at "a luncheon at the Irem Temple Country Club on July 27. The three youths, Donny Ide of Idetown, Albert Sweitzer ®f Lehman and Bobby Adams 9 Trucksville, were, at one time, patients at the Shriner’s Hospi: tal in Philadelphia. The Back Mountain area will soon be losing a vital part of its heritage. Those who enjoy the finer things in life will be sak dened to discover that tHe Back Mountain Cultural centér has decided to completely di band itself. Mrs. Priscilla son, board member and past president and vice president of the center, cited a lack of lea) : ership and interest as the re® sons.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers