1961-09-06; Saline Reporter

              The Saline
eporter
VOLUME 14, NUMBER 51 - WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1961
'First With All the Local News'
10c PER COPY — $3 PER YEAR
ipes %jut
moment
A raging fire on Jordan road  spreader, drag, rotary hoe, and
Thursday evening destroyed or
levelled six large buildings at
the Holcomb farm ~ including
a 150-foot barn, two big silos,
two tool sheds, and a milk-
house.
Also lost in the blaze were
three four-month-old heifers, an
entire first cutting of hay that
filled the barn, 2000 bushels of
oats, 100 bushels of shelled corn
and 10 tons of fertilizer.
Destroyed also were all the
milkhouse equipment, and — in
the tool sheds — two new four-
row cultivators, a blower, pipe,
Girbachs Win
Reserve and
Grand Awards
Girbach livestock did itself
proud in the Junior Show at
the Michigan State Fair:
Gary Girbach, 13, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Ernest Girbach of Arkona road, won a coveted blue
ribbon for Reserve Champion
Angus Heifer; and his brother,
Gene, showed the Grand Champion Market Hog (a Poland
China) for the third consecutive year. Gene also received
Reserve Champion for his pen
of three.
Mary Sue Gordon showed the
Grand Champion pen of three,
also Poland Chinas; and in cattle judging, Neil Haarer had
the Reserve Champion Angus
yearling.
"LEARN  AND  SAVE"
ELECTS OFFICERS
4   The Learn and Save 4-H Club
■-"had their monthly meeting at
the home of Mary and Connie
Grothy on  September 2.
New officers were elected for
the winter season:1 president,
Jean Schaible; vice president,
Joyce Dieterle; secretary, Mary
Grothy;  treasurer,  Carol Mey-
" ers; song and recreation leaders, Marcia Hieber and Diane
Guenther;  and reporter, Linda
'Tobias.
After the meeting Marilyn
and Carolyn Habb gave a demonstration on measuring ingredients. It ended with a baseball
game.
large tractor tire — and countless minor equipment.
The loss was estimated at
$60,000, but the owners, Harold and Harlan Holcomb of Ai*-
kona road, said it would take
days to learn the exact amount.
The two silos, empty when the
fire began, remained standing,
as did the cinder-block portion
of the milkhouse, but all will
have to be completely rebuilt.
Three nearby buildings were
saved, and 33 Holsteins, pastured in an adjacent field, were
unharmed.
The fire was already at full-
blast before Saline firemen arrived; and heat was so intense
they could not approach it until they had mounted a shed-
door on rollers as a shield.
Water was rushed to the
scene by the Milan Fire department tank truck; and a milk
truck owned by Marion and
Niethammer was also pressed
into service to carry water. The
Saline department remained on
the premises for more than
five hours, to protect other
buildings, and the owners kept
guard over the embers all night.
Cause of the blaze has not
been determined: the owners
believe it could not have been
spontaneous combustion since
the hay in the barn was all
first-cutting (not new); and the
barn had recently been rewired.
The fire was discovered by one
of the tenant's children who
rushed into the house to tell
a baby-sitter, "The barn is smoking!"
The house on the property is
occupied.by Mr. and Mrs. Leon
Thacker and their family.
Area Candidates
ConCon Posts
The raging inferno above is the sight
that greeted firemen called to the Harold and
Harlan Holcomb farm about 5 p.m. Thursday. An hour later, only the white garage
at left, and the skeletons of the silos were
still standing . . . even the fence was. gone.
Note barna_dnor *_§ed by fireman as shield
(left), the only way they could approach
within yards of the blaze.
~ Photo by Cecelia Ference
FINAL   FAIR   BOARD
MEET  SET MONDAY
The last meeting of Saline
Community Fair Board before
the opening of the Fair will
be held at 8:30 p.m. Monday,
September 11, at the ag room
at the High School. All committee heads are urged to attend.
WEDDING PLANS
POSTPONED
The wedding of Airman Third
Class' Donald Daniels and' Sarah Jean Francis planned for
Saturday, September 9, has
been postponed. The bridegroom-elect, who is stationed
with the Air Force at Sheppard
Field, Texas, notified his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Donald Daniels of Macon Rd., that he's unable to return home at this
time due to the fact that his
outfit has been alerted for overseas duty.
Mrs. Bennett
Wins Fair
Sweepstakes
For the first time in the 115-
year history of the Michigan
State Fair, the canning and
preserving sweepstakes award
came to a Washtenaw county
woman. What's more, it came to
Saline ... to Mrs. Tom Bennett,
of 1339 Willis Rd.
Mrs. Bennett, who annually
brings home dozens of prizes
for her State Fair food entries,
this year captured the coveted
sweepstakes award with 62
points. Her entries of 20 cans
of fruit and vegetables won 20
prizes, including 13 blue ribbons, three 2nd prizes, two 3rds
and one 4th.
Her total earnings: $129.50
and a number of gifts.
In other departments, Mrs.
Bennett won 1st prize on her
fruit cake and 1st on a white
cake. Her coffee cake placed
2nd.
Community Show for
Fair Shaping Up Fast
Special events and contests
for the gala Saturday night
Community Show, to climax the*
Fair, are all "shaping up very
well", their chairmen reported
this week. The show, at 8 p.m.
the last night of the Fair (September 16), includes square
dancers, German dancers, a baton-twirling contest, three
quartet contests, and an Old
Settlers' contest.
Three age groups of square
dancers have been lined up by
chairmen Dorothy and Johnson
Quick, for exhibition dancing.
Among them:   --
An "Old Time Square Dancers" set, with Carl Moehn as
caller. The dancers are Mr. and
Mrs. Sam Lambarth, George
Madison, Buelah Worsham, Luella Harwood, Charles Stehle,
Mr. and Mrs. Barlow Simonds,
all of this area;
An "Early Teens" group (7
to 14 years old) including John,
Don and Rick Weir, of Ann Arbor; Dennis O'Donnell, of Milan; and, from Saline, Carlene,
Thomas and Cindy Herter, and
Sally, Marjorie and Barbara
Quick;
BUILDING PERMIT ISSUED
City Council Tuesday issued
a building permit to Donald
Burmeister, 219 Wheeler Ct.,
for aluminum siding, for $784.
Must Keep Berlin Access, Hart Says
On the Berlin situation,
have drawn the line so sharply
that we will have to use the
ultimate means to preserve our
access to West Berlin," Michigan Senator Philip Hart said
Monday.
Hart,  Governor John Swain-
An "in-between" group starring dancers from Ypsilanti,
Ann Arbor, Milan, and Saline.
The German Dancers, youngsters trained by Albert Duckek,
president of the German Park
association, have hot performed
before in the Saline area, although they have danced at
several German Park events
this summer.
With their accordionists, Mrs.
Walter Jarvis and Robert Metz-
ner, the small dancers include
Elizabeth Link, Wally Jarvis;
Doris, Fred and Carol Ullrich;
Peter Metzner, Margaret Baker, Johnny Jarvis, Horace and
Regina Fritsche; and Andrea
and Bruce Fulton, all of the
Ann Arbor area.
Half a dozen contestants are
expected to take part in the
baton-twirling contest, chairman Art Katterjohn said.
Entries are still open for the
quartet contest, under the
chairmanship of Sumner Maule.
Divisions include barbershop
quartets, church quartets, and
modern  harmony  quartets:
Prizes Will also be awarded
during the show for the two
oldest Old Settlers (one man
and one woman) to register
during the Fair. Anyone who
has lived 40 years or more in
the Saline area is qualified, and
registration may be made at
the American Legion booth. All
Old Settlers who register will
receive identifying ribbons.
MC of the entire Community
prpgram will be Legionnaire
and Fair Board member Frank
Deede.
Rotary Hears
Bonisteel, Sr.
"I believe in waiting to take
advantage of committee work
and research before deciding on
a course of action (at the Convention)," Roscoe Bonisteel, sr.,
told Rotarians here at their
Thursday noon meeting.
Bonisteel, Republican candidate on the Stptciabei* 12 ballot for the Con Con delegate
seat from Washtenaw county,
said: "I don't go along with
those candidates who already
are proclaiming what they're
going to be for, and what they
are going to be against. My decisions would be based on what
I felt to be the greatest good
for all the people of the State
of Michigan — not for just a
small segment of the population." He continued:
"As you know, one of the
first things that a constitutional convention will do is to establish its own rules and regulations for the government of
the convention. It is here that
!THREE TAKE OUT
ABSENTEE BALLOTS
Only three Saline persons
have taken out absentee ballots for the September 12 election, City Clerk E. J. Muir said
today.
Washtenaw county voters
will ballot on a proposed quarter-mill additional tax for purchase of parks, as well as on
Con Con candidates. City officials predicted a light vote here,
but "heavier than in the- pri=*.
mary because one candidate is
local".
we committeewoman   Mildred   Gef- many and that it will be signed; If the President determines that
frey, as well as three local Con but-that doesn't mean war with our armament is inadequate to
Con candidates,  were speakers the United States. I think the the needs, then we will have to'
at the Democrat's Labor Day!Soviet won't go to the extent resume . . . but to test tomor- DcVClODGF
Chicken Barbecue at the Farm; of trying to seal off our access row seems like reaching for the
Council site on Saline-Ann Ar-,to West Berlin." > sword." (Twenty-four hours la
bor Rd. j    In answer to a question, the ter, the White House announced
Said Hart: "I anticipate that Senator also said he did not ex- that the United States will re-
the    Russian    leadership    will peet this country to resume nu- sume   underground   and   space
City  Council Tuesday  night
son,   and   Democratic   national! make a treaty with East Ger- clear testing  "at the moment, tests, but will avoid the "fall- j received a letter from Kenneth
"Not Happy"
At Assessment
4i
Local Democrats escort Governor John
Swainson around the grounds at the Labor
Day Chicken Barbecue a* the Farm Coun-
Hagen, Mrs. Allan Grossman, the Governor,
Grossman, and — at far right — Robert Carr,
Con Con candidate from the county's first
\    representative district, which includes Ann
cil property. Above, left to right, Mrs. Arit v   Arbor.-
. out"   of   atmospheric   testing.
(However, Presidential secretary
Pierre Salinger said the President does not consider the U.S.
armaments "inadequate".)
I    Speaking of the forthcoming
I Constitutional Convention, Gov-
jernor   Swainson   expressed   his
belief that some portions of the
present Constitution should be
changed - he cited apportionment "to keep the government
responsive to the majority" ~
and some should be retained —
"Michigan  is  one  of  only  14
states to have the right of initiatory petition."
"The Constitution must meet
the needs of today and the demands of tomorrow," he said.
"I hold to the old Thomas Jefferson theory that each citizenry should have the opportunity
to frame the Constitution under
which it is governed."
Approximately 300 people attended the barbecue.' Con Con
candidates who spoke included
Allan Grossman, Democratic
candidate for the senatorial district county seat; Eugene Sutter, candidate for the second
representative district; and Robert Carr, candidate for the
first representative district.
Heininger, manager for Staeb
ler & Sons, developers of Roll
ing Meadows subdivision, lodging a complaint on the firm's
assessment on the High School
sidewalk.
The firm was "misled" about
the assessment, in that they believed that the sidewalk was to
be continuous, the letter said.
Because several houses on N.
Ann Arbor St. remain outside
the city limits, the sidewalk
stops at the township line and
starts up again beyond it.
Said Heininger: "Since we
discovered the void, none of us
has been happy. Also, FHA has
not been happy."
Councilman George Johnson
said: "The description -published before the hearing on the
assessment eliminated the property in the township, and as
City Council we have no jurisdiction over the township/*
' City Clerk E. J. Muir wal- instructed to advise the developers that the city can take no
action on the "void" and enclose a copy of a July, 1960,
letter from the Board of Education ""saying they would confer "with the township on the
matter.   . •■
Roscoe Bonisteel,  Sr.
the Convention can set an example on what a deliberate body can do if those who comprise it's memberships are dedicated to the task before them
and wili be a fine example to
the people to help restore confidence in our system of representative government."
"The Convention should
strive for and draft a document
that will be as simple and understandable as possible, with
proper checks and balances, fixing responsibility for an en-
lorcement of legislative mandates, and make accountable to
the people those who are responsible for their performances, as chief executive officer,
as well as members of the legislative branch. In other words,
the Convention should seek simplicity, responsibility, accountability, and checks and balances."
"The Constitutional Convention -that is, the delegates —
should run scared that they will
not measure up to what the
people have reason to expect in
their Constitution. The taxpayers are paying out good money
to finance the Constitution, and
they are entitled to results free
from the influence of selfish
interests."
"The Convention should be a
model deliberative body, a real
example to our people."
There will be issues, big and
little, before the delegates, honest differences — but full and
frank discussions can make possible a simple, clear, and understandable document based upon
"covenants openly arrived at".
City Decides
Against Site
For Parking
City Council Tuesday decided
against purchase of a W. Michigan avenue site for a parking lot after Councilman George
Johnson reported that the price
of the lot plus the price of razing the present building would
be too high for the number of
cars that could be parked there.
Johnson, with other members of an investigation committee, Planning Commissioner
Douglas Milhan and Councilman John Buck, recommended
that the site not be purchased
because the total cost of such
a parking lot would run around
$12,000; and because of the
shape, and location of the lot,
only six or seven vehicles could
be parked there.
"It's possible some longer
cars couldn't park there at all,"
Johnson said.
The lot. under discussion is
'owned by Ross Adair, and is
adjacent to the alley on the
south side of W. Michigan Ave.
in the first business block. The
city had considered the possibility that a parking lot there now
might serve as an entrance to
a large lot behind it, to be obtained later.
Council also defeated by a 4-3
vote a request from the Saline
Convalescent Home to allow a
tap-in to city sewer and water
from a Waterworks road location where the owners had
planned to erect a new convalescent home. Annexation of the
property was declared impossible since it is nowhere contiguous to the city.
HOME  FOR VISIT
Glenn Hagen, who has been
spending a few days here with
his mother, Mrs. Arthur Hagen,
will leave Friday toresume studies at the1 Theological Seminary at the University of Dubuque, Iowa. During the summer,
he served a church on Nebish
Island, iri*1th'e St Mary's River.
Thi-'ee Attend
SACA Meet
The constitutional right of
■the people to initiate legislation by petition is a "gun behind the door" in case the legislature should fail to act in
areas of vital need, Con Con
candidate Allan W. Grossman
said Tuesday, and it should be
preserved.
Grossman, candidate on the
Democratic ticket for the Con
Con seat f r o""rS*-*Wa'*iitenaw
county, was one of three candidates speaking at an evening
meeting of the Saline Area Civic association here.
Listing both initiative and referendum provisions of the present Constitution as examples
of provisions that should not
be changed at the forthcoming
Convention, Grossman pointed
out that the right of referendum permits the people to
strike down unpopular legislation-'and "is the corallary to
the right of initiation". Both
provisions, he said, should be
retained in the new Constitution.
As an example of an area
where change is needed, Grossman discussed apportionment
of senatorial districts. He feels
that senatorial districts should
be apportioned on the basis of
interest groups, he said, citing
rural and urban interest groups
as a possible basis.
"By apportioning in such a
manner as to give equal representation to such interest
groups in the Senate, we can
guarantee freedom from domination of on such interest group
by the other," he said.
"We can also assure a sensitive response to the respective
problems pf suclh interest
groups in our Senate. By providing for periodic reapportionment of the Senate on such a
basis we can guarantee a con-
lems of such interest groups in
(Continued on Page 10)
Ceremony to
Launch Work
On Parsonage
A ground-breaking ceremony
at 2 p.m. Sunday will launch
work on the planned new Methodist parsonage, a brick one-
story four-bedroom home on
Linden court off Mills Rd.
Work and plans for the new
parsonage have been under the
leadership of Carl Curtiss, head
of the board of trustees of the
-church; Ed Filsinger, general
chairman of the parsonage building committee; Gordon Esch,
chairman of the plans and specifications; Joe Bondie, chairman of the financial committee; Bruce Parsons, financial
secretary and treasurer; Mrs:
Walfred Larson, president, of
the WSCS.
Ruben Finkbeiner of Saline is
general contractor, ^md it is
hoped that work on the home
- in the $35,000 class — can
be completed in the spring. The
Rev. Donald Krauschaar is pastor of the Methodist Church
here.
Allan Grossman
Robin Flickinger, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Gordon Flickinger _of
Austin Rd., .-underwent a ton
siUectomy last weeK. -- ■*="*•
Cemetery to be
Expanded Soon
An expansion of the city-
owned Oakwood cemetery will
be necessary in the near future, City Council decided Tuesday, but — reported the city
clerk — "We have plenty of
lots to last us for a year or
two."
The city has $1300 ear-marked for cemetery expansion in
the current budget, Finance
Commissioner George Johnson
reported. Council will visit the
cemetery in the near future to
look over "the lie of the land",
they decided, after City Superintendent Mike Strait estimated
the city could "lower the hill
and move a few trees around
for about^fl,000".
The remaining lots "don't
leave much choice of location!"
Strai^saTd, .but maintenance is
too difficult and costly "if you
plot too much in advance". The
area to be plotted for expansion is already d0^Swne&, and
runs all the way "to-the^perk.