) r 'Nighttime' Soap Box Derby Teen activities page City treasurer resigns St. Johns native INSIDE: See Page 1 B Pages 6 and 7 B Page 2 A 100 years old — Page 3 A i * S Jww*J+*pit********** "• ** A*M"W**M**\|VA(. »^l w t - \ft GM donates -'$* $ 25,000 to hospital 111th Year, No. 45 ST. JOHNS, MICHIGAN —THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 1967 2 SECTIONS - 32 PAGES 15 Cents General Motors Corp. lias of the hospital's service to GM made a contribution of $25,000 to employees in the St. Johns area. assist In the financing of the cur­ Ink White of St. Johns, chair­ rent building expansion project man of the hospital board, ex­ Amendment vote April 11 at Clinton Memorial Hospital in pressed his community's grati­ St. Johns. tude, for the company's gift when The donation was recommend­ presentation of the $25,000 check ed by members of GM's Lansing was made in Lansing by Harold Plant-City Committee on behalf N. Metzel, general manager of of Oldsmobile and Fisher Body Oldsmobile and a GM vice pres­ Divisions and is in recognition ident; THE EXPANSION at Clinton Charter study casts doubt Memorial Hospital involves the Snow erection of sizeable additions to the present 40-year-old struc­ ture and extensive improvements cleanup to existing facilities. Construction work began last August and completion is sched­ costly uled for mid-September of 1967. Total cost of the project, includ­ on city mil lag e limitation Taking care of Clinton Coun­ ing new equipment, will be in ex­ cess of $1,100,000. ty's road system is a costly JOSEPH RICKER business, at least this winter, A major contribution to the fi­ City voters will.be asked in April to according to the weekly report nancing of the project is a fed­ clarify nebulous wording in the St. Johns from Road Commission Clerk eral HUl-Burton grant of $560,- Ricker Don Ewing. Q00. Other funds are being sup­ city charter that casts some legal doubt on The storm of late January and plied through liquidation of the provisions for taxation. the subsequent snows and drift­ hospital's unrestricted endow­ wins F-M ing cost Clinton County$86,313.- ment and loans negotiated by the New wording is included in one of a 65, or 10 per cent of the road hospital board. package of 10 sections that are proposed to commission's yearly income, No general community cam­ promotion Ewing said. paign for funds is contemplated, Federal - Mogul Division's replace 62 sections in the existing charter. - "Adjustment of some of this but a limited solicitation of area production superintendent at the The charter revi­ year's* road programs will be industrial, business and profes­ St. Johns plant, Joseph N. Rick­ provisions of the Home Rule necessary to compensate for this sional firms is under way. er, has been promoted to staff sions will be voted Act." additional cost," he said. engineer with the international W April 11 at the The clarifying wording in the group of the company. The new same time as a pro­ proposed amendment to the char­ WINTER MAINTENANCE has Vandals position was effective Wednes­ ter is in Section 2 under taxation. kept road crews working for five day. posal for a new fire- It provides that the city commis­ consecutive weekends. Ricker has been with Federal- police hall. sion •« . shall have power to Final figures on the annual fi­ delay. Mogul here 19 years and since levy and collect taxes for munic­ nancial report for 1966 show that 1958 has been production super­ The present city charter it- , ipal purposes in a sum not to expenditures exceeded income by intendent. self places no limit onthe millage exceed two (2) percentum of the $41,732.58. The largest expense 15 buses In his new position, Ricker will the city commission can spread assessed value of all real and be In a technical advisory capac­ to meet its budget, although the personal property in the city as item was $320,942.79 for local' Vandals apparently bent on not road maintenance, followed by ity for the six Federal-Mogul provision on taxation says «... provided by law." That would going to school attacked 15 St. plants in Europe, South America, the amount annually raised shall spell out the limitation clearly. $303,292.28 for primary con­ Johns school buses Mondaynight, 1 struction. - Japan and Mexico. not exceed the limits fixed by This section and all 10 sec­ putting them out of commission the state'law;" tions that, have been rewritten Total income from all sources for part of Tuesday. was over $1 million for the rfiS" FIRST FOREIGN assign­ and proposed -for amending the first time, the largest item being * But school went on anyway, and ment with the international-group CITY ATTY. HAROLD Reed charter appear on Page 11A as of course, from-the motor vehicle the few buses that were still will be at the Puebla, Mexico, cast doubt on the current taxation part of the city commission min­ plant, where his specific respon­ levies after studying the refer­ utes for the Feb. 7 meeting. highway fund that accounts for operable picked up rural students • * $25,000 FOR HOSPITAL BUILDING FUND; , 80 per cent of the total. on main roads. Parents helped sibilities will include the train­ ence in the state law while making : out by bringing their youngsters ing of key supervisors and plant a study of .the charter at the re­ ALL 10 SECTIONS OF the pro­ The board of road commis­ ; Harold N. Metzel of Lansing (left), general manager of Oldsmobile sioners will hold their next reg­ into school, in many cases. Only personnel in the operation of quest of the commission. posed amendment resolution ular meeting this Friday. Bids about 13 per cent of the student equipment and establishment of The Home Rule Act, which is simplify wording, Mayor Coletta^ Division and a Genera! Motors vice president, hands his company's check will be opened for the year's body was out of school-at noon. methods and procedures aimed at tne general law that applies to the said, essentially putting 28 sec­ increased efficiency and im­ situation-, provides for a maxi­ tions on general taxation and 34 for $25,000 to*lnk White, chairman of the board of directors of Clinton requirements for salt and cal­ All 15 damaged buseswerere- cium chloride. Also up for bid proved productivity. mum levy of 20 mills, unless the section^ on special assessments Memoria I Hospital in St. Johns. Looking on at the presentation are f paired and ready to* roll by noon Ricker's promotion was an­ city charter does not definitely together into 10 sections under taking Is the March and April Tuesday, and all rural students William W. Barber, chairman of the building committee for the project, requirement of gasoline. nounced Friday by w. C. Robert­ establish a ceiling, in which case a single classification of "Taxa­ were returned home by bus on a son, director of engineering and the maximum would be 10 mills. tion." and Harold B. Reed (at right), administrator at Clinton Memorial. nearly normal basis. manufacturing for the interna­ City commissions since 1933, The exaqt wording which city THE COMMISSIONERS, en­ tional group. gineer and clerk attended the Police are investigating the according to research by city of­ residents will vote on April 11 seven-county council last week. vandalism. The vandals pulled' "Mr Ricker's mechanical ex­ ficials, have apparently regarded is: Plans firmed The program was on roadside distributor wires out, .tossed perience and ability and back­ the 20 mills as the legal taxa­ "Shall the city charter be Albion College weed and, brush spray and data away radiator caps and in some ground gained over the past 19 tion limit. At the last city tax amended to delete Sections 1 processing. Cogitate Inc. pre­ cases cut gas lines. years with the Federal-Mogul billing, -the city levied a little through 28 under General Taxa­ for Fowler sented their computer /service Division can certainly be put to over 16 mills, including three tion and Sections 1 through 34 program designed especially for Possibly connectedwiththebus good use in our various overseas mills approved by voters in the under special assessments and choir next road commissions. vandalism was damage done by locations," Robertson said. $850,000 water* improvement to replace the sections deleted bond issue in January 1964. .with 10 sections under one single village park apparently two youths in the Jour­ THOSE ' 19 YEARS have all nalism room at the high school. * heading of Taxation?" ( ) Yes, been at the St. Johns F-M plant. for amendment; ( ) No, against FOWLER—A community park, CLINTON COUNTY They got in via the fire escape Ricker started here Feb. 1,1948. • "THERE ARE PROVISIONS in something long desired and need­ Lenten feature In the southwest corner of the the charter that mention 20 amendment. But he worked wlthFederal-Mo- ed, is going to become a reality The 72-voice Albion College was recorded in 1966 and serves traffic deaths school, opened and scattered gul at the Detroit Shoemaker mills,'' Mayor Charles Coletta The proposed, amendments are in Fowler. drawers, upset a typewriter and said this week, "but the wording Choir, now, in its 36th season, as an "aural'handbook* for many since Jan. 1,1967 plant in 1929 and also worked at the first of a series which the . Through the combined efforts will present a .concert of sacred Methodist churches. scattered some undeveloped film is such that there is a legal city commission expects will be the Fresno; Calif, plant from of the Fowler Village Council music this Sunday evening In the The choir is chosen after try- around on the ground outside the , 1940 to 1948.