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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 27, 1959)
P>-airieland Talk Grandma Is 104 Now By ROMAINE SAUNDERS. 4110 South 51st St., Lincoln 6, Nebr. August draws to a close, autumn days come soon, the landscape touched by nature's artist and prairieland robed in all its beauty. Field and gar den. meadow and orchard lay before us the bounties of another fruitful season — grains and ripened fruits, strawberries and peaches, apples, plums and tinted berries. Gold-tinted pumpkins and row ujion row of spuds. Stacks of hay in the meadows and the cattle on a thousand hills; game birds on the wing in flight to escape the deadly aim of Alfred James and Art L>oolittle. And soon now Grand ma Hull out there in her plea sant home in Paddock precinct Saun t r» where she has been since pioneer days reaches her 104tli milestone on life's long journey. Impelled by heart throb and human desire I reach a hand across the land to lay a flower in Grandma's hand. * • • Paved streets, traffic lights, street lights, streets named and houses numbered, your mail brought to your door O’Neill has it all now. But what has it lost that the pioneer town once had? Where today there rolls rubber-tired wheels along the street, we saw in the long ago covered wagons of the newcomers to the community or those who stopped for a rest on their way further west or headed “hack home”. We saw the saddled and bridled mustangs of the range riders, the wagons and teams of early day homesteaders, an occa sional team of oxen. We saw Neil Brennan and John McCafferty standing out in front of their stores of small stocks of hardware hoping a cash customer would show' up. We saw Doc Middleton come trotting into town on a stolen horse and Kid Wade at his heels. We saw Spotted Tail’s braves from the Santee strip and John Mann fitting them out with a pair of beaded moccasins each, and we saw at times uniformed soldiers from Fort Randall hanging around maybe to see that those Indians didn't scalp Doc Mathews. Enough said. The found ers of the town had their hardships and their fun, as does the present generation with all their modem gadgets. * • • Fifty in five minutes, ten every sixty seconds rushed by with a driver at each of the fifty steer ing wheels. I sat heside the street and saw it all in five minutes Twenty-five hundred years ago he had spent a night in a den of lions to satisfy en vious rivals. In prophetic vision that Hebrew seer sat by my side this morning and counted the cars lushing by. And looking down upon us of this day in the long ago he wrote for you and me to read, “many shall run to and fro!” Yes, on the run, 50 to 60 miles an hour, on and on we go. Is there a jumping off place? Yes—when the last chapter of human history draws to a close. * • * Her pet dog became the mother of a litter of puppies. Told me today she had sold all but three of the pups. How much for a pup, I asked. Twenty five dollars, said the dog owner. Even dogs are priced high now. It was a summer evening in the long ago where others make their home today. Brother and sister sat hand in hand on a side porch, hearts too full for talk. Brother, a mere kid, was leaving next day for a distant state to anchor his young life in the home of a near of kin. Brother and sister to sit no more hand in hand where sisterly love and sisterly fellowship touches a brother’s heart. Human emotions throb where family ties bind one to an other. Brother left, sister went her lonely way until there throbed anew a greater joy as wife and mother And brother, two thousand miles away, he too experienced a new joy O, he was now just husband and dad! • * * Wages and salaries and other earnings at an all time high. Takes it all to meet living costs. It always has — food, clothing and shelter have ever cost money. When at their lowest, incomes were uncertain and it took it all to pay living costs, as in this day of high wages and good prices for what the producer has to sell. That "guy” we ca>l living costs has a hand out for all of it. Seventy years ago we got $10 a week as a printer; nothing left at the end of the week. Twenty years ago $30 for a cow, and Tom Salem and tax collectors had a hand out for the $30. Today out of the earning class — and live better than ever. The outfit that turns out those little stickers with your name and address to paste in the corner of an envelope moved me from 51st street to 31st, twenty blocks across town. But I am still at 51st and that outfit has received notice to rectify their blunder. 4110 So. 51st, Lincoln, is where my mail box is parked and I am glad to reach in and find a letter from a friend or one of my tribal group. * • * Farmers in the vicinity of our Capital City were looking on their fields of late planted corn quite discouraged, the crop a failure? Then by mid August, weather put on rain coats and the heat of summer was chilled — so there will probably be a fair crop of "late corn" . . . His name is Noble, his young life has been anything but noble. Lincoln police continue the hunt for that perpetrator of a heinous crime, a crime against a little girl for which the laws of the land provide no adequate punishment . . . Our state governor seems to have an eye on the U. S. Senate with a growing desire to file as a candidate . . . Sober down at Pawnee City for 102 years citizens have voted 347 to 207 to stay “dry” . . . Lancaster county employees have been granted salary raises totaling $37,000 for the year . . . And up goes gasoline tax, down coines the price of day-old bread—two loaves for the price of one hot one. * * * I cannot reach out a hand to pluck a rose on dis tant prairieland. But by reason of memory’s treas ured store that is where I am again with roses red and golden rod, bright blooming, where I stand. * * • Walk again down your memory’s lengthening lane; step ov;er troubled spots along the way to linger where poetic beauty and the honeyed bits of life still remain. Editorial Again, We Hope Although the size of the crowd at Chambers’ first quarter horse show might not have indicated it. the show was successful. Those who stayed after the livestock show were in for a treat. Some of the most beautiful and well trained horses residents in Holt county have ever seen were assembled. In the estimation of many a horse lover, nothing equals the high sensitivity of the western quarter horse riden by a person who has a very delicate relationship with his or her steed. If breeding alone were the only attraction, the show would have been successful. But there was far more than that. Far more popular in the western section of the state, quarter horse shows are comparatively new here, but we venture to predict that we will be en joying this type of entertainment more and more. To the arrangers of the program down there in Chambers, we say “well done!” We hope you will do this again soon. While it may take some time tie fore this type of "entertainment” becomes popu lar enough to always help producers break even financially, we wish you every future success. The Holt county fair was of better quality because of it. Kitchen Comfort Index One of the most recent "gimmicks” pushed hy large cities in resort areas is what they call a "weather comfort index.” You might have heard of it. What it amounts to is a mathematical formula, not to tell you how it is outside, but to tell you how comfortable it is. Temperature, humidity, wind velocity, air temper atures and forecasts are used to come up with a comparable figure Chambers of Commerce in these cities, realizing the temperatures reach well over 100 degrees many times, began by asking the Weather Bureau to come up with the formula, and then have asked news papers and radio stations to publish the information periodically. Guess what? The U. S. Weather Bureau did it, and there are several Chambers who pushed it before, now ready to squelch it. Some of these Chambers have suggested other formulas that make their cities look a bit lietter “comfort wise.” It reminds this writer of his grandparents. Grand Dad, who we called "Old Cold Blooded” used to sit smoking a pipe in the parlor with a sweater on — some days when it was quite warm Grandma, who couldn’t stand the heat, hardly ever wore a sweater. (We always suspected there was quite a difference between the kitchen and the parlor, but they would have got quite a kick out of calling it a "comfort index”.) Well Trained, But . . . (From the Neligh Leader) The question is constantly asked—“Are we fall ing behind the Russians in education?” The answer more often than not is—“Yes!” There are, of course, many theories about why this should be the case. There are equally as many philosophies regarding just what a student should acquire while in school. One of the strong objections has been that stu dents get more “trade school” training than they do “fundamental lessons (readin', Titin’, and ’rith matic). Glancing at a subject schedule for seniors in a neighboring town, we’re inclined to agree with those who complain of “trade schoolism.” Subjects in the "trade school” class were: Auto Driving, Typing I, Journalism, Vocational Agriculture, Bookkeeping, Physical Education, Sec reterial Training, Typing II, Vocational Home Ec onomics, and Shop. "Fundamental Courses” were limited to: Geometry, Spanish, English, Physics, and Soc iology. Obviously, the graduates of this school will be well-trained. But will they be well-educated? Good Golf Year Another golf tournament is over and most par ticipants in the sport believe that the O’Neill course has never looked better. Although the grass is now beginning to dry up. it appears that it isn't hurt too much. We have been fortunate in getting some rain and particularly when we needed it most on the course. JAMES CHAMPION, Co-Publisher JERRY PETSCHE, Editor Term* of Subscription: In Nebraska, 52.50 per vo r; elsewhere in the United States, S3 per year; ates abroad provided upon request. All subscriptions payable in advance. Entered at the postoffice in O'Neill, Holt coun ty, Nebraska, as second-class mail matter under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. This newspaper is a member of the Nebraska Press Association, Nation al Editorial Association and the Audit Bureau of Circulations. NATIONAL EDITORIAL Paved Highways Third in a Series *5-100% 60-69% HZ L 70-84% i 50-59% j, .L-JL , Highway Not Paved , ...—... . i This map shows the “sufficiency system” set up by the state department of roads In 1952. It shows the present condition of the roads In the estimate of the engineers. For an explanation of the system see story. Hoffs State Roads And How Suffident? BY JERRY' PETSCHE EDITOR Would it surprise you to know that if there were just one-tenth the number of people in Holt county or just one-tenth of the number of automobiles in the county, the state would still give us the same number of miles of road improvement next year? And if we had twice the number of people and automobiles they would still give us the same number of miles of improvement? It's true. And if that doesn’t “hit you between the eyes,” consider this: It doesn’t make a bit of difference how much gasoline tax we pay, and it doesn’t make a bit of difference how many automobiles we register we will still get the same amount of improvement that is scheduled for us. Sometime in 1952 a few men sat down in an office in the statehouse and worked out what they called a “system” to determine what state maintained roads would be given first attention. Ho t county’s chances for good state roads hit the rocks at that moment. Whether or not these men had ever seen this county or had the chance to understand its problems Is doubtful—and it seems appar ent after you consider their system. They called it a “sufficiency system,” and here is the way it is supposed to work: Every two years the State Department of Roads sends out engi neers to determine the condition and adequacy of all state maintained roads. That law established rating system is set so that the “perfect road” has a rating of 100. This is what a “perfect road” would look like on their books: Maximum Point Value Sufficiency Rating Paved Gravel Condition 35 35 Economic Factors Remaining Life _ 10 Maintenance Cost _ 15 20 Safety and Service Surface width . 16 Sight distance _ 10 10 Alignment . — 10 Passing opportunity _ 7 Surface adequacy_— 20 Consistency 7 5 Totals 100 100 The system was made, according to those experts, on the basis of “urgent need.” Needs are considered urgent for all roads which have a sufficiency rating below 70, and for all adequately graded gravel roads with traffic of more than 300 vehicles per day. See Holt county map. Now at first glance, the sufficiency system might appear to be a fair method of determining which roads should be repaired first, and also to determine how much money should be spent in each county. But some big questions can be raised. First let us get some arguments out of the way that can, no doubt, be used to show that the system is a "fair one.” According to R. L. Cochran, state engineer, Holt county highways are somewhat better than the average for the state but again this is based on his sufficiency system. And we’ll get to what might be con sidered a “much better” system later. According to Cochran, the sufficiency rating shows that only 25 percent of the state highways in Holt county have a rating below 70 while 37 percent of the state highways in Nebraska have a rating below 70. He also states that 29 percent of the state highways in Holt county are gravel or earth compared to 35 percent of the state total. (He didn’t say whether or not the 46 miles the state turned back to the county for maintenance was included in those statistics.) It may also be argued by the state department that population, the number of vehicles registered and the amount of gas tax payed will “automatically" be included in the sufficiency system since the more cars and trucks that cross our highways there are the more repair will be forthcoming because they will tear down the roads quicker. First, about this business of how we compare with the state. Cuming county, one-fourth our size in area, the same size in popu lation received the most (38) number of miles of improvement in the years 1957 to 1959. We received only 15 miles of improvement and were 33rd among the 93 counties in the amount (total miles) of road con struction. In Cuming county the state saw fit to spend $1,885,000. In Holt county they try to make us satisfied with $673,000. The State Highway Department received $47,881 from Holt county for just registration fees. This figure does not include the 10-cent gas tax we pay which will far exceed it. Holt county is 17th in the 93 counties giving the most to the state department in registration fees part of which is made available for state road construction. Fortunately for the state, the 10-eent gas fee is oot broken down by counties for known as far as Cochran is concerned' for few arguments would be better to bust the sufficiency system wide open. Why must we be saddled because we are a big county? Why is it that we must help "pave the way" for eastern counties when our own transportation is so vital to us and those eastern coun ies? What might be sufficient for the eastern counties, might not lie sufficient at all for ourselves. Next week's article will deal with the number of miles of paved and unpaved state maintained roads, what was done, where it was done and what it cost. It will also deal with what is planned in the future for Holt county'. Frontiers Ago 50 Years Ago During a severe thunder storm, lightning killed one of P. J Ken nedy's big mules. . . The work of excavating for the post office building was completed and An drew Schmidt, who had the con tract for brick work, began laying brick. ..O.O. Snyder was called to Sioux City on acount of the ser ious illness of his mother. . . . O. F. Biglin's implement building was struck by lightning. Damage did not exceed $100. , . Frank Kiernan returned from his trip to the coast. . . Dr. A. H. Corbett arrived home from Cheyenne, Wyo., where he attended the fron tier celebration. . . P. J. McManus went to Chicago to purchase his fall and winter stock of dry goods and clothing. . . Henry Mills sold his well, pump and windmill bus iness to George Bowen and Albert Palmer. ... A good sized dele gation of O'Neillites went to Ne ligh to take in the races and see the O'Neill ball team trim the team of Antelope county play ers. Charley Richter was on the firing line for O'Neill and held the opposition team down to four hits and fanning fourteen men. The O'Neill boys won, 4-1. 20 Years Ago The Tri-State Produce company announced that it had the largest payroll of any business institu tion in the city, fifty-four being on their payroll, which for the year averaged $5,000 per month. . . Bar bara Streeter, 6-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Streeter, fell from her bicycle and cut the heel of her left foot so badly that four stitches were required to close the wound. . . Workmen star ted tearing down the old Bren nan building on Douglas street. A new building was to be built by the Brennans. . . A. E. Bowen, owner of the Ben Franklin store had his opening when his new' addition was exhibited to his many customers. . . The new unfinished addition to the O’Neill Public school was pictured in this week's issue of the Frontier. It was also stated that when the new addition is completed O’Neill will have one of the largest and best equipped public high schools in the state. . The Lohaus Motor Company an nounced the appointment of Henry Lohaus by' the B. F. Goodrich company .as wholesale and retail . distributor for Goodrich. 10 Years Ago President Melvin Ruzicka of the Chamber of Commerce said th; * the O'Neill chapter will be repre sented at a national meeting of the highway 281 association held at Red Cloud. . . A report came from the state game commisr^-• that Holt County would be among the 25 counties that was closed to pheasant hunting for 19-19. . . Mar ried; Miss Shirley Appleby, Inman and Robert Asher, Page. . . Thirty seven Holt, Boyd, Boone and Way ne county teachers returned from an educational tour through six Western states. . - Holt county su pervisors entered into an agree ment with Wheeler county officials to mutually maintain the East West road w'hich forms a boundry between the two counties. . . Deaths; Wilbert Andrew (Andy) Hoffman, 72, at his home near the Niobrara river, north of New port; Miss Mary Purcell, 65, a school teacher at Clearwater for more than 40 years. 5 Years Ago Miss Frances Gotschall, Alkin son, was chosen queen of the 1954 annual Hay Days celebration . . Dr. R. L. Sutcliffe, who practices dentistry at Ewing, has taken over the dental office belonging to Dr C. M. Eason ... A decrease of about 15 Holt county rural school districts is being worked out ... It was announced that Ira H. Moss would he installed as O’Neill’s new postmaster, succeeding Mrs. Helen Sullivan . . . E. J. Revell of Star, Leonard Juracek of O’ Neill and Richard Trowbridge of Page from the Holt Soil Conserva tion district were selected to re present the county in the Sioux City permanent agriculture con test . . . Contracts have been a warded to three firms in conn ection with O’Neill’s new four room elementary grade school building. Construction was plan ned to begin in two weeks. . .“Hol lywood Extravanganza" entered by Pelcer and Spence shared first place honors in the Atkinson Hay Days parade, . .Oliver Cromwell, known as “Scrappy” was honored guest at a buffet dinner given by Mrs. Sumner Downey commemora ting the 25th anniversary of Mr. Cromwell’s association with the D'Neill Photo Company. . . Death: Maurice J. Wallace, 60, retired D’Neill businessman. DR. H. D. GILDERSLEEVE OPTOMETRIST Northeast Corner of 4th & Douglas O’NEILL, NEBR Ph. 167 — Office hrs. 9 to 6 Eyes Examined—Glasses Fitted Monday Thru Saturday Closed Wednesday State Capital News Gov. Appoints State Air Men; Advisory Group By Melvin Paul Stat ebon se ( tnrrenpondent The Nebraska Press Association LINCOLN Five men are meet ing once monthly to make deci sions that have a great influence on Nebraska’s future. They comprise the State Aero nautics Commission C. H. Flios baeh of the Scottbluff is chairman. Members are Jess Quinn of Goth enburg, M. M. Meyers of Omaha, Albon B. Hall Sr., of Alliance anti Francis Casey of Plattsmouth. Ex-officio secretary is State Aeronautics Director Jack Obbink. Members of the commission are appointed by the governor, with consent of the Deglsluttire. They get no salary, hut do re ceive expenses Incurred in per forming their duties. The commission acts in an ad visory capacity to the Director of Aeronautics in addition to these duties: Supervising and directing allo cation of state and federal funds for construction and mainten ance of airports. Designating sites for airports. Authorizing purchase of aircraft for the state. Selecting and approving pilots to lie employed by the state. Assisting the director in formu lating regulations and policies to be carried out by the depart ment. funds for operating the de partment come from a tax on gasoline sold in the state for use In airplanes. No slate property tax money goes to the depart ment. Nebraska is in the middle of an aviation boom, spurred by a net work of local airline service. Fif teen communities went before the Commission asking $170,300 in state and $2.4 million in federal airport funds for 1960-61. The increase in aviation interest was evidenced by the number of cities seeking financial aid. The commission approved 1960 61 funds for Lincoln, Omaha, Al-! liance, Rassett, Cambridge, Fair bury, Grand Island, Hastings, Hemingford, Imperial, Kimball, North Platte, Ogallala, Gordon. Wayne. Herrington Resigns The resignation of State Tax Commissioner Fred Herrington will become effective Dec. 15. After a two-week vacation, he will on Jan. 1 join the Nebraska j Citizens Council as executive di-1 rector, replacing Robert Arm- j strong who will become general j counsel and do research. The council is a private tax re- j search group. Herrington was appointed to the $10,000 per year post in 1955, fill ing out two years of a previous term. He was reappointed for six years in September, 1957. Armstrong founded the council in 1951 and himself was once state tax commissioner, a state senator and administrative assistant to the late Gov. Dwight Griswold Herrington’s impending resigna tion had been rumored for some time in the Capitol. It is known that Herrington, for years active in private tax and appraisal matters had wanted to return to non-public work. ■ I NEBRASKA’S HIDDEN PARADISE Long Pine, Nebraska DATE: August 30 BAND: Sammy Stevens STEAKS, SEA FOOD AND CHICKEN 5-9 p.m. Daily Sundays 11:30-2 and 5-9 Closed Mondays STOCKERS & FEEDERS wanted at CIS AH A! With good pasture, and evidence of another bumper com crop, cattle feeders in the Omaha area will be looking for thousands of stockers and feeders. They need your western range cattle and calves. They're coming to Omaha to buy. Ship yours to Omaha . , . where greater demand means a better pjice. As a supplementary service, the Omaha Market offers carload Stocker and Feeder Auction Sales to be held every other Friday starting September 11th .. . 10:00 A. M. Each sale limited to 5.000 head. Early consignments will be heavily advertised in the Corn Bel* area m UNION STOCK YARDS CO Traffic Safely Gov. Ralph G. Brooks says the problem of traffic safety is a vital one that "Nebraskans have failed to solve." lVspite that, however, the gov ernor said, citizens have expended more effort to try to whip the problem in the last eight months than ever before. The governor urged civic, re ligious and educational leaders to assume personal responsibility for saving lives on the highways. He said: "We have a responsibil ity for teaching our kids that an automobile is not a plaything, but a deadly weapon.” Brooks pointed out that the eight-month traffic death toll In Nebraska has surpassed the Montana earthquake — “a dis aster the whole country I;- talk ing about.” The chief executive again crack ed the Legislature, lie said “there were even people in the Legisla ture who would turn 14-year-old kids loose on the highways." Rolvert Conrad, administrative assistant to Brooks and head of the governor’s traffic safety com mittee, said 15 recommendations were made to the Legislature and only one was not realized in creasing penalties for first-offense speeders. Conrad said the governor was "aghast at the indifference shown by the lawmakers.” on some items. Progress has l*een made in the safety program. Conrad said but “we still have not convinced Ne braskans of the desirability of staying alive.” Nursing Monies A survey by the State Health Department shows there are 5,667 persons in nursing homes in Ne braska. Of that total, the department commented, 3,502 are women. The survey showed nearly half the homes for the aged anti infirm in Nebraska arc less than five years old. Residents of them checked in questionnaires, in the majority, said they were happy and well cared for, the depart ment said. It was impossible to interview residents in a few homes, the survey said, because of the atti tude of the operators. Try the Frontier Want Ads. For quick results phone 788 Electric Motors Rewinding — Rebuilding (tall 243 W — 24 hr. Service Northwest Electric O’Neill SMHSfOT... Kills cattle grubs with just Mi spraying Simple spray treatment re quires minimum handling and labor. Kills cattle grubs inside animal before they can dam age meat or hide. Also highly effective for control of screw worms, horn flies, lice and ticks. "Trademark Distributed by Woodbury Chemical Co. St. Joseph, Mo, Available at CORKLE HATCHERY O’Neill, Nebraska
