YEARS GONE BY ARCHIVES |
The Call of March 5, 1915 COUNCIL MEETING The monthly meeting of Town Council was held Monday evening and although the session was a lengthy one, adjournment not being made until 10:45, little business of importance was transacted. The sewer proposition of Saint Peter Street to carry off the surface water on which was centered the interest of the public and for which bids had been asked for and presented was given the quietus by the statement of the supervisor that he believed the old stone sewer running along the P & R railroad could handle or take care of all the water. He believes there will be no more overflows or damage caused to adjoining properties. The matter of additional street paving in the borough is again the subject of discussion among many property owners on North Main Street, Saint Peter Street, Saint John Street, Columbia Street and Canal Street it is known positively are anxious and very desirous of having these streets paved either with brick or wood block. The matter is being agitated to a greater extent by property owners on North Main and Saint John Streets. The enormous cost to the borough for the paving of Dock Street, which totaled in the neighborhood of $27,000, has made it altogether out of the question for the borough to do any kind of paving this year. That is, if the funds are to be taken out of the regular treasury, but this does not or should not be construed to mean there will be no more street paving in the borough for the next several years. There are more ways than one for the borough to pay for paving costs. One method suggested is to use the profits of the borough electric light plant to pave the streets of the borough. If the profits per month of the electric department continue to be anywhere near what they have been for the past several months, in a very short time the contemplated improvements and additions to the plant, also all the loans that have been made by the electric department, will all have been paid and the receipts can be used for paving street sin the borough. The Call of March 12, 1915 BASEBALL UP TO PUBLIC As is usual upon the approach of spring, the thoughts of the lovers of the national pastime turn toward discussion and consideration of the probability of their town being represented on the baseball diamond for the season. This is again the case in Schuylkill haven. For years the town has been represented on the baseball diamond by a team which has won laurels and brought to the town an enviable reputation among many other towns who were unable to make baseball much of a success. This year the prospects, we are sorry to say, are far from being brilliant. The same statement has on a number of previous occasions been made but about the time for the opening of the amateur baseball season, Schuylkill Haven was duly represented with a team. During the season and towards its close the town boasted of a nine which without exception for quite a number of years cleaned up everything in this section of the state. Heretofore, the management and conduct was left in the hands of a few citizens. For the past two years it was conducted by the Schuylkill Haven Athletic Association. As per previous announcement, this association is desirous of withdrawing from the active conduct of baseball and all kinds of athletics in the town but the withdrawal of this particular association must not by any means result in the town not being privileged to have baseball. If this condition in 1915 does take place, it will be the first year in quite a number that the town did not have a baseball nine. The Athletic Association above referred to holds a lease and owns considerable property known as the baseball park and baseball paraphernalia. The members are desirous of turning their right, title and control of the same over to any individual or any number of individuals who care to assume responsibility and conduct the national sport. A movement is now on foot and during the week has gained quite an impetus. It is the proposition to organize another athletic association to take over the property and paraphernalia of the present association. This association, however, or organization is not to be confined to a few citizens. It is to be conducted on lines similar to that of the Minersville Athletic association in which every citizen who pays a certain amount of dues becomes a member of the organization. In this way a considerable amount of money is obtained at the outstart of the season through membership fees and dues. Before the season opens the members hold a meeting when officers, directors and a manager are chosen to have charge of baseball for the year. The proposition in Schuylkill Haven could be worked with success equally as well as it was in Minersville last year or has been on previous occasions in other towns and cities. There is no reason why a hundred or two hundred of townsfolk who are interested in baseball would not join an organization or association of this kind. The Call urges the organization of an athletic association in Schuylkill Haven to be composed of as many members as desire to join same, believing that the best of results can be accomplished through an association of this character. If the town is to have baseball or to be represented by an ordinary team, action along these lines is absolutely necessary, as we have from very positive and reliable sources that the association which heretofore conducted baseball will positively not again take charge or conduct baseball. PUPILS CALLED BEFORE BOARD An adjourned meeting of the school board was held Saturday evening at which time in compliance with a notice issued by the board, a number of fathers of pupils attending school in the South Ward were present. The cause for requesting the presence of the parents was due to the fact that the boys had violated a notice issued by the board prohibiting the pupils from visiting the store of Floyd Maberry during school hours. The notice prohibiting the above was issued by the board following the raid made on a number of slot machines in the town at which time it was learned that pupils of the school above referred to were in the habit of loafing in the Maberry store before and after school and during recess. The fact was revealed by one of the boys who played truant one afternoon, being harbored in the Maberry store. The power of the board to prohibit pupils from visiting certain places during school hours, before or after school is vested in it by the School Code. The pupils are under the control of the teacher from the time they leave home to attend school until their return home from school. The boys present admitted they knew they were violating the school law and the notice of the board by visiting the Maberry store after the board had issued the notice. They evidently, in several cases, from evidence presented, were urged to violate the law or notice. One parent who was present admitted that the board would not say to him where his child should spend his money. That the board was simply boycotting the Maberry store when there was no notice against visiting the Bittle, Schumacher or Bast stores on the same street. In reply to this argument the board stated they had no evidence that Messrs. Bittle, Schumacher or Bast were violating the law by having slot machines in their stores or in any other way but that they had evidence both from the boys, the police officer and the proprietor himself, Mr. Maberry, that he had violated the law by having slot machines in his place. That if there were any other stores in town where slot machines were kept and which were visited by the school children, the board would take the proper action, providing the school children loafed there during the school hours as in the Maberry case. But in the recent raid for machines it was not the school board that took the initiative part or ordered them cleaned out. The Call of March 26, 1915 Although free mail carrier service was promised for Schuylkill haven by January 1, 1915 and then later by February 1, 1915, as yet there have been no signs of the government installing this service in Schuylkill Haven. The public is beginning to wonder and to question whether or not Schuylkill Haven will at any time have free mail carrier service. The Call wishes to state, and to state authoritatively, that Schuylkill Haven will have free mail carrier service. Everything possible has been done to place the town in position to secure this particular service. The requirements of the Post Office Department have been complied with pretty generally but for some unknown reason the Department has not ordered the installation of this service as yet and it is a difficult matter to secure definite information as to the exact date on which this service may be put in effect. It must not be imagined, however, that the town will be deprived of what rightfully belongs to it, for an indefinite period. We feel quite sure and have almost positive information that the service will be inaugurated here within the next several months. In order to hurry along this service and to urge upon the Department or rather to show the Post Office Department that Schuylkill Haven is anxious for free mail carrier service, petitions to the number of a dozen or more have been circulated about this week. The petitions have been placed in the hands of a number of businessmen in different parts of town. These men are urges to secure as many signers to the petition as possible. The signers must be voters. Every voter whether approached and requested to sign a petition or not should take it upon himself as an important duty to sign this petition and to make special effort to do so. It is desirable that the petitions be completed by April 1st at the very latest. These petitions will then be forwarded to the Postmaster General at Washington and will be a direct request for the granting of free mail delivery service. The petitions placed at this writing are in the hands of the following persons: W. E. Stine, Carl Bitzer, H. D. Felix, First National Bank, Schuylkill Trust Company, E. G. Underwood, F. D. Mengle, Lester Crossley, Warren Brown, Harry Loy, John Freeman and Clayton Bubeck. It might be well at this time to call the attention of property owners to the fact that it will be very foolish to discontinue the campaign of numbering the houses and providing proper receptacles for receiving of mail. We are of the opinion that on account of their not having a sufficient number of houses numbered or mail boxes provided at the time an inspection of the town was made by Post Office officials several months ago, is one of the direct and most important reasons or causes for the service not having been placed at the time first decided upon. Every resident from now on should make special effort to have his or her property properly numbered and to provide a receptacle for the receiving of the mail so that upon the very next inspection by the government officials, and we know not when this may take place, it will be proven that Schuylkill Haven is ready to receive the free mail carrier service. Be sure to sign one (only one) of these petitions. |