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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1960)
Section Two Four Pages The Voice of the Beef Empire"-North-Central Nebraska's BIGGEST Newspaper —— ---Volume 80-Number 32 O'Neill, Holt County, Nebraska, Thursday, December 1, 1 960 Seven Cents Children, Adults Express Opinions On Proposed School Bond Issue U Neill, Nebraska Dear Editor: In answer to OLD GUARD—Yep OLD GUARD from the "Horse and Buggy Era is right Tux pay ers you must vote no to the School Bond Issue and guard your FINANCES. If you want our town to become another Horse and E> ggy *,i with cur Ranch ers and Farmers taking their Finances' eisewhere to spend tetause of our crowded school. Not to mention new Industries passing us by because of our crowded school. Can’t help but wonder if "OLD GUARD” drives a horse down town or drives an OLDSMOBILE to do his or her buying, Sj uear Taxpayers if you feel you can afford to spend a little (that little tax wculd’nt even pay for a tmall party) to gain a lot VOTE "YES’’ to the School Bond Issue. This Old Guard is interest ed in our Town and our Children, and not j >«t a few additional’ dollars on the tax sheet, called "FINANCES". Modern Old Guard Why We Need a New School I think we need a new high school because if the present conditions are not changed we will be unable to keep good teachers in O'Neill because they will go to other towns where they will get paid more. The conditions in many other towns are much better than O' Neill's. We are much too crowded and my room (Mrs. Beckwiths) is so hot that in the afternoon we have all the windows open and the temperature never gets below 85 degrees even during the coldest weather. This year the seventh and fourth grades ate going to school half days. 1 t •' 'sr ] is net bui't we will soon have to turn away our rural students. In turn we will loose their business because they wouldn’t want to shop in a town that couldn’t provide schooling for them. Not only will taxes be raised to make up for the loss in tuition, but business will go down too. If teachers start leaving our school we cannot operate without them. To bring in new teachers, the salaries will have to be raised to get them here which will eventually raise the taxes. The future of O’Neill lies in its school facilities. The students of today are the business men of tomorrow. We must provide etiu cational opportunities or people will start moving away from O’ Neill. This would stop factories from coming here. This in turn would stop O'Neill from growing and would make the towns around us grow bigger because of the people moving out of O’Neill. Those looking for work would by pass us to go on to a b'gger town. Our cities future, to a great extent depends upon the schools it provides now and in the years immediately ahead. Bill Enke_ Dear Sir: How many of us know the operational costs of the O’Neill public schools? Here are a few figures which may help you to decide whether or not District 7 taxpayers can afford to build and operate another school plant and thus multiply your present com mitments. For the school year 1960-61 District 7 asked for and received $102,150 from the general tax fund. (This is an increase from $71,595 asked in 1955.) School levy for 1955 was 16.6 mills and in 1960, 21.62 mills. Total tax levy in 1955 was 19. mills and in 1960, 23.42 mills. These figures show that the operational cost of our public schools takes the lion’s share of our tax money. If this proposed school bond passes, the above school levy will take a jump of 5 to 10 mills (maybe more) because there wrill be a second school plant to operate and finance. (This jump will not cover building costs). The above figures do not in clude the other sources of revenue which go into the school fund. Some of these sources are free high school and grade tui tions, traffic fines, head tax, school land leases, state ap propriations to agricultural courses, licenses, tax on liquor and tabacco sales, etc. Hence, the “operational” figures exceed, by a considerable margin, the $102,150 taken from the general tax fund. Like everything else in recent years, school operational costs have advanced steeply in recent years, and no relief appears on the hor'zon. So, Mr. and Mrs. Voter, do you feel financially able to assume the additional costs of building and operating yet another school? R member that the cost of erecting a new high school build ing is only the initial cost. Then comes the operational costs. We ll have tw'o school plants to maintain and operate, so our burden will be two-fold. As anyone knows, it isn’t the initial cost; it .is the upkeep that counts always up! Watch It O'Neill, Nebraska November 28, 1960 Dear Editor: In the past election PROGRESS was the cry of the politician and by the results, "March Ahead” is America’s desire. Progress, prosperity and peace mean much to the American. We can not and must not lag! Our most precious possession is the children of O’Neill. They have the best homes and the best of everything that we have. We must have the best in school facilities to keep up with the progress of our times. Come on let’s vote FOR the new school December 9. We must! It is our civic duty. A Taxpayer and a Landowner O’Neill, Nebr. Nov. 28 Dear Sirs: Numerous tunes in the past weeks I have heard the O’Neill Chamber of Commerce advertise for people to fill out a blank form in the local newspa piers if they would be interested in work ing for an industry or factory if one would locate in O’Neill. It is only logical no progressive industry will come into a town that does not have adequate schools. Let's wise Op and get out De cember 9 and vote for a new public school. For Progress Dfar Sir: The official 1960 census figures for Holt county show a decrease of 1,137 persons since 1950. O’ Neill city population has in creased only 131 during the same 10 years. l>a these official figures indi cate that O’Neill public school enrollment is liable to increase sufficiently to warrant the ex penditure of one-half million dol lars to house grades 10, 11 and 12 and to build another unneces sary gymnasium? We are told that our existing public school buildings will not accommodate O’Neill’s public school children after 1964, and that we'll have no room for rural free-tuition pupils. That ’predic tion' ne. ds investigation. Here are the facts: 1. O'Neill’s kindergarten (1960) is unusually large (80 pupils). However, about one-half of this group will transfer to St. Mary’s for their grade and high school education. Thus, the enrollment in grade one (I960* will return to normal (about 40> and remain normal in the ensuing years. 2. Since the September '60 en rollment figures for the O’Neill grades (first through eighth) were published, 21 pupils have been dropped from those class rolls. Total enrollment in these grades is now 356 pupils—about normal with recent years. These grade school figures in dicate that O'Neill public high school classes after 1964 will not show an excessive upswing in enrollment. There will be room for the usual influx of free-tui tion students when/if such pupils elect to attend the O’Neill public school. In which case these $35,000 free-tuition fees will not be lost, (despite the loud warn ing to that effect). The O’Neill high school enroll ment is less today, (1960), than it was in 1945. If the Holt county census figures mean anything at all. they do not indicate an up swing in public school enrollment within the foreseeable future. In view of census returns, doesn’t the expenditure of one half million tax dollars for a new public high school building seem to be a rash and unnecessary pro ject for the taxpayer of District 7 to shoulder at this time? Census Makes Sense How Can VI> Get Better Teachers? We can have better teachers if we get move room. The only way we can have better teachers is by getting a new school. A new high school is needed more than a new runway at the airport. We need a new high school more than we need a paved street. Airplanes don’t lend at the airport every day, but the child ren go to school every day. Loren Lorenz O'Neill, Nebraska November 28, 1960 Dear Editor: In regard to the letter which appeared in your last edition in regard to the O'Neill school bond issue, I would like to take this opportunity to tell "Old Guard," "Yes, guard your finances." It is quite evident that you are not aware of the facts on the O'Neill school bond issue or you would be asking people to vote for it. In my opinion, "Old Guard,” is guilty of insulting the tax payers of O'Neill by reminding them it is their money that is going to pay for the $465,000 bond issue. I don’t think the taxpayers are stupid enough to think someone is going to give them their greatly needed school. Every worth while project in our fair city was financed by the tax payers and they should be com plimented on the fine projects they built. The attitude you have taken toward this matter would give in dication that you are of the type to take advantage of all the worthwhile projects your fellow taxpayers have built without will fully lending them the helping hand you might have. You and every other citizen of O'Ne ll stand to profit and gain by adding the new high school | to our community. This new i school is needed if the community is to prosper and grow. With ut prosperity and growth, any com munity will soon dwindle and be come a real burden to its tax | payers. You and all the rest of us have seen communities near i ours die out and property become worthless and yet their taxes keep going higher. I suggest you look deeper into the O'Neill school bond issue so you can WISELY guard your finances. It is much wiser to spend more and have something, than to spend less and have nothing. The Young Guard O’Neill, Nebraska November 28, 1960 To The Editor: Many of the same people who are working against the school bond in O’Neill are also holler ing for industry in O'Neill. These people don.t sorm to realize that one of the first questions repre sentatives of industry ask is, "Do you have adequate schools, churches and recreation." Anyone who has intelbgently appraised the figures and facts about our school knows it is not aHnqupte. 'Hiere are meny of us that know a vote against the school bond is a vote against in dustry for O’Neill. Signed A Supporter ~~7——7—---| We Needed a New School I am an eighth grade student at the O'Neill public school I am 'ery displeased about how the school bond issue turned out. I am quite sur* the lady who called in on party lme Tuesday, Nov. 7 is happy now. She can now have the runways finished at the airport and the street pave ment can lie paid for. I hope she feels happy, for now close t > 700 high school and grade school students can cram themselves into a school too small to hold them. The fourth and seventh grades are each split into two classes, one which goes to school in the morning and one in the afternoon. Another lady called in on the same day and said that we needed better teachers not a new school. May I ask how many teachers are going to come to school and have classes at 7:30 in the morning or stav till 7:30 at night as Mr. Luft does. I do hope that the next time the vote will be for instead of against the school bond issue. Ivan Hurley, jr. How Can We Get Better Teachers? I think most of our teachers in this school are pretty good The question is how arc we going to keep these teachers or hire others after they quit. Our teachers put in many hours more because of the half day situation. Also why should these teachers work longer hours for less pay than many teachers elsewhere? More room would help this situation a lot. If our teachers could work under better conditions, we might be able to get better tsacliers if there are better ones. Cheryl Graves We Need a New School This has been a big problem for some people because some think that wj do not need one, but for other people the decision was very simple because they were able to see the reason. Here are my reasons why we net»d a school: One, there is no room for younger children to have recess in the winter. Another reason is that O'Neill will decline instead of increase and the business will also decline because of the lack of trade when the country children have to travel to o!h"r t wrs ’ho J wj in money from the people leaving will have to be made up so taxes will have to be raised even if the new school isn't built. Need for room is very im portant because we now have the seventh and fourth grades on split time meaning that one group comes in the morning at 7:30 and stays until 12 with out break and the other class comes at 12:30 until 5 under the same conditions. So in a conclusion, lets got out and help the school bond pass the next time it comes up! Cheryl Mullendore Klims are Educational But— Films are very educational, but wher? will we get room to see them? One of our teachers has said that one picture in a film is worth one thousand words which are used to describe an object This is very true. We also need a n?w school for other things, but when we don't have room to see a film, the new school is a must! If we want our future children to have an education, we must have a good one now’! Linda Curran We Need A New School ! We need a new sch x^ because > of the crowded conditions. There , are two grades that have to go i a half day which mikes it very i inc mvenient for teat'hers and stu dents, 1 When teachers want to shew i films they can never get a place i to and therefore the best educa tion is n it offered. The gym is very crowded. Ttiere is always something taking place and therefore the best physical education pr\ gram is not offered. Ttiere is not adequate space in the nxims. Many rooms that shou'd have libraries and other facilities do not. As a result of these crowded conditions and long hours, teach ers are considering better jobs. Pat Wilson We Need More Room We need more room because we don’t have enough space. Some children have to go half a day. We have no place For films. The grade school has been making the high school move from rooms, hut the limit has been reached We use every place we can use. We can’t use the old gym because the smaller child ren must have a place to play in the winter and it is used for high school physical education and practice. The children who come a half day must got up early and come at 7:30 and go home at 12:00. Then the other children come at 12:30 and stay until 5:00. The teachers must get up early and stay longer than the pupils do. I think that our teachers are wonderful. They stay hut they don’t get much pay. Why they stay I don’t know unless Ihoy think the pay doesn't count as much as our education. t>o you voters value our edu cation as much? More Room More room is what we need. More room, we really do, But you ik> not see it. For you don't go to school. You sit home on the aide, You fight against us all. You say we do not need it. But it’s really much too small Sheryl Brady O'Neill, Nebraska November 28, 19B0 To The Editor: From the letters and argu ments that come up against tl« school bond, there must be a larger number of people who have not bothered to look Into the facts about this program. Their arguments have no IvisLs when put against the hlack anfl w'hite figures that are available and have sound basis. We have a conscientious, hard working school board that does a lot of sound thinking on our sc Ik 1 system. I would advise the |M\>p]e who don't liave (hr facts on the school bond to get them from the jxvrple we have elected to run our school diatilo* for us. Signed A Supporter Phone Your News to The Frontier Phone 788 DEVOY REXALL DRUG Christmas Shopping Headquarters TOILETRIES FOR MEN Shulton Kings Men Stag Top Brass FOR THE SMOKER Pipes Cigars Lighters Tobacco Pouches TWEEDIE and PUPPY LOVE COSMETICS for Little Misses Made like Mother’s The little girls will love them! WE WILL GLADLY GIFT WRAP YOUR CHRISTMAS GIFT PURCHASES FOR YOU Beautiful CHRISTMAS CARDS by American Greetings Get yours now while a good selection is available PANGBURN'S Western Style Chocolates REALLY GOOD CANDY Be sure to register in our "Merry Christmas Drug Store" contest A valuable, worthwhile prize for a boy and for a g‘rl. ENTER NOW, Christmas Tree DECORATIONS Light Sets Tinsel Icicles ■ Ornaments COSMETIC GIFTS by Revlon Cara Nome Coty Evening in Paris Shulton Others Sets or Single pieces TIMEX Wrist Watches WESTCLOX Clocks GIFTS for YOUNGSTERS Games Toys Dolls Books GIFTS FOR THE HOME Chip 'n Dip Sets Glass Tumblers Trays Household Thermometers Barometers _Humidiguides LEATHER GOODS Billfolds Purses Key Cases by Amity GIFT WRAPPINGS Wrapping Paper Ribbon, Tags, Seals Enclosure Cards Package Decorations CAMERAS Camera Outfits Be sure to have Plenty of film and flash bulbs on hand " MANICURE SETS by Revlon Cutex Manicure sets for Men DEVOY REXALL DRUG We Give S&H Green Stamps on all Purchases ] ! Phone 87 Robert T. Devoy, Pharmacist O'Neill Because we are leaving the farm we will dispose of the following property at the farm LOCATED . . . 7 miles south of Lynch on Redbird road . . . OR ... 32 miles northeast of O'Neill... OR ... 26 miles north of Page . . . OR ... 1 north, 3 east and 9 north of Opportunity ON . . . Wednesday, Dec. 7 Sale starts at 1 p.m. Lunch on grounds by Scott Community club 45 - HEREFORD CATTLE -- 45 25 Hereford cows, some with 4 Last spring calves 15 Summer and fall calves first calf 1 Hereford bull, 6 years old Machinery and Equipment 1941 John Deere B Tractor, good 1936 John Deere B Tractor, good J. D. tractor cultivator for B trac tor, plows, disc 3- section harrow J. D. No. 5 mower, 7-ft. McCormick mower, 6-ft. Overshot stacker 12-ft. dump rake 2-row eli Letz burr grinder Cylinder corn shelter 4- wheel l-H manure spreader Hay rack and gear 2—Wagon boxes and gears 2-row Chase lister Farm Rite single row corn picker with shucking bed, good Buzz saw and stand Ton chain hoist, good Post drill, good DeLaval electric cream separator, nearly new 10x38 tractor chains 50-ft. 6-in. drive belt Goldenrod wire stretcher, fence tools Shop tools and other items Delco 32-volt light plant Several pieces of old machinery 1929 Model A Ford Truck in running order Also Household Goods HAY and GRAIN 60 Tons of prairie hay 4 Stacks of alfalfa hay 600 bu. new ear corn, dry 400 bu. old ear corn POULTRY 2 dozen laying hens TERMS: CASH. No property to be removed until settled for Mr. and Mrs. Le n Mellor Pearson & Larsen, auctioneers O'Neill National Bank, clerk