The Taos News from Taos, New Mexico • Page 4

4 THE TAGS NEWS Thursday, July 7, UM As We See It The Shame At Home A state health official this week had some harsh words to say about the Town of Taos and its ultra-inferior sewage treatment plant inferior, not so much for what it is. but for the situation surrounding it. He said some wise words (see the story on Page 1) about the gravity of a situation as it exists in Taos. He said the Molycorp's waste materials, when they get into Red River, are dangerous to aquatic life. But he also said that the human waste going into the creek which runs near the Taos sewer plant is much more dangerous; he inferred that it could be dangerous to human beings.

The Taos News has reported earlier on the fact that cows have sickened after getting water from Taos Creek. It has shown photographs of (he dead slime which lines the creek below the plant. It has reported seems about the background which led to the creek pollution, and the fact that no fish can survive in the solution which cannot be called "water." The Taos News staff has listened to meetings on the subject between health department staff members and town councilmen. It has heard threats made, excuses given, and more threats made. Some little cleaning up at the sewer plant has been done; a precious little, it would appear.

Surveys are being made, and big proposals are being prepared. All of this is just fine; it may even solve the problem in the long run. But the point is that nothing positive has been done for many, many months. If this administration is to blame for dragging its heels, so is the previous administration and the one before that. That means that the people who make their homes in Taos must take the blame.

They are the ones who could get something done about the shame of Taos Creek if they only would speak up. But who in Taos is willing to speak up? After all, Red River is much more popular at the moment; they'd rather rant about that. How Big Is Too Big? In the past 15 years, we have come into a time of fast-paced change and innovation, affecting every thread in the fabric of personal, business and political life in this nation. And there will be no letup, no return to the easier man's knowledge, and his ability to correlate and use that knowledge is exploding outward. Innovation comes not only in the form of new materials, products, and industries.

It comes also in the structure and size of business organizations that can best meet today's, as well as tomorrow's, needs and market conditions. In this time when greater adaptability is a virtue beyond price, the federal government in its role of rule maker and regulator, seems to he moving in the opposite direction. Antitrust action is a good example. Max Ways, in a recent Fortune article, points out that there are two contradictory sides to antitrust policy. One quite correctly seeks to protect market competition by preventing such things as conspiracy between firms to fix prices or limit production.

The other, dead set against change, has worked to prevent the growth of firms, especially by merger. It operates on the groundless assumption "that the degree of competition is directly proportionate to the number of competitors and inversely proportionate to their average size. This was a logical reaction to the threat in the late 19th century of too much power moving into the hands of a few men who built vast financial empires in the process of organizing resources to meet the needs of a growing nation. Fear of competition in a market suddenly broadened by advances in transportation and communications brought some legendary conspiracies in restraint of trade. But today, the reaction to competition that has extended to world-wide dimensions is far different.

Mr. Ways observes that, "Instead of limiting production and suppressing innovation in order to raise prices, modern corporations place a tremendous emphasis on increasing sales volume by vigorous merchandising, by the search for new markets, by cutting costs. Companies defend themselves from competition by spending billions on research and development of new and different products. Merger is a common road to acquiring new talent, more efficient organization, diversified production and a more competitive position in the marketplace. Through this process the consumer benefits from the improvement in the quality of his material life.

There is room for the big and the small company. The degree of competition can no longer be judged merely by the number of suppliers in the market. It is also necessary to consider what they do in that market. Bigness alone may no longer be but in a nation of this size, it has most certainly become essential. Fortune magazine makes the proposition that: "Congress should amend the antitrust statutes to make it clear that the national policy is to foster competition by punishing restraints of trade, including conspiracies to fix prices, limit production, allocate markets, and BIG, Page 7) Know Your Neighbor ftonifom Harvest THE TAOS PUBLISHING INC.

Job Printers and Publishers of THE TAOS NEWS Guadalupe Plaza, P. 0. Box Zip Code 87571 All departments: Phone 758-2241 Keith Green, Editor and General Manager Regina Cooke. Society and Arts Sandra Klncald, Leslie Bottorff, Reporter! Felix Valdes, Spanish Editor Larry Cassdos, Advertising Arthur Advertising Martha Baca and Amanda Murrah, Circulation and Classifies Jerry Malott, Job Prlntino Published inch Tuesday and Thursday. Second class postage paid at the Post OMice In Taos, N.M., under the act March 9, 1879 SUBSCRIPTION RATES bV payable In idvence: In New Menlco, 50 per year; out of stale, 50 Lovely, Himinn Holiday ALI GHITO From Germany to Arroyo Seco MOVING INTO THE new house she has built at Arroyo Seco, Alt Ghito, former German film actress, now a painter, language teacher and lecturer, is realizing a dream of ten years.

The dream began when she first visited here in 1956, beginning a lasting friendship with the Emil Bist- trams. she began her acting career in the early 1930s, Ali had assistance from Conrad Veidt and Reinhardt Schunzel, both famous in the German film industry, in choosing her professional name. Tli2 daughter of a German officer, her real name is Adelaide Schanbel-Furbringer. She was married to Baron Paul Schmidt von Branden, a Berlin banker who died in 1939. When Madame Ghito left her home in Germany to come to America she left a daughter, granddaughter and memories of a lifetime.

During World War II she was a German battlefield nurse for the International Red Cross, and when off- duty as the glamorous actress entertained high officials. She had the role of.Captain Hanna in the Venice Film Festival award-winning movie, "Eight Girls in a Boat," which is in the film library of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, as are many other pictures in which she played, including "Kavaliere of Kurfursten- damm," "Ronny," "Der Springer von Portresine," "Jakko" and "Quax in Trouble." Ali was offered Hollywood contracts, but was forced to refuse them. She starred in 14 European-made films before World War II, appeared as guest star in various theaters in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Belgium and France, studied with Max Reinhardt and Barnowsky in Berlin, and at the Folk Theater in Vienna, and State Theater in Hanover. Madame Ghito, who was the first radio broadcaster of psychological warfare from Gen. Eisenhower's General Headquarters in Europe, at the close of the war, came to the United States to become an American (See NEIGHBOR, Page 7) John Sanchez Says Thanks EDITOR'S NOTE John B.

Sanchez, a frequent contributor to the colums of this paper, recently turned 70 (he thinks), and was given a dinner to honor his survival. Here's his response. By JOHN B. SANCHEZ My tardiness for not expressing publicly my sincere appreciation for the response of the many friends who attended my "Survival Dinner" has not been through negligence or inadvertance. Ever since, I have been under the pleasant spell of the honor friends and well wishers so graciously and sincerely accorded me.

My 70th Birthday observance is unique experience in my life that I will long remember and ever hold dear to my heart. I will, however, repeat what 1 have already told the sponsors and friends that I have not contributed anything to the reservoirs of knowledge, to the arts, literatures and humanities of the world or to the raw materials of modern times to merit any such honor. I have not added a particle of thinking to technology, philosophy and theology or to the immortality and destiny of man or the schemes of salvation. I have not even contributed anything of substance to the population explosions which are so popular nowadays and which have created heart rending starvations in some areas of humanity, wealrh and material opulence in other, critical inbalances in world markets and a steady rise in food prices generally. All these are not provocative of practical jokes and hearty laughter, unless it be tragic humor, and even at that I am reluctant to supply the laughs.

I wish to commend the efforts of sponsors, the presence of all well wishers at the dinner, and those who had the desire but could not attend, the speakers, rhe poets, singers and musicians. Words are too futile to thank Mis Compadres Austins for the wonderful birthday cake they donated, symbolic of my age. The mellow glow of 70 candles represented 70 years of toil and survival by simple arithmetic and common understanding. Yet all these many years seem but a breath in the course of my life. Had my age been put to a vote I am sure 1 would have felt overwhelmingly much younger.

So we let my age remain embalmed in mystery, assumption and conjecture, and just pretend for one more year. Suffice to say that I have a fair knowledge of myself at my command, and I truthfully can speak with more familiarity about the issues, the conflicts and impulses of my life as well as my capabilities and limitations. Of course I am no longer the man of re- bust physical endurance of my former self. True I am too old to engage in some forms of gymnastics and muscular skills. 1 could not attend night school to learn toe dancing, ice skating and bicycle riding or even play professional football or be trained to fly to the moon.

Michaleangelo, when he was 90 years old and blind, touched some of and exclaimed, "I still cao learn, I still can learn!" So I have not reached the dead end of learning, hear the authentic voice of science and learn something new every day. And the longer I live me more I learn and the less I feel I know. When I learn that the world's arsenals of knowledge and information have just barely been tapped, the thought makes me feel humble and insignificant. We die mentally the day we cease our efforts to learn, specially to learn the art of true friendship with men of all creeds and cultures, religious beliefs and political views. I have repeatedly said that the grasping Instincts of man cannot rise so high in the realm of material progress and personal gain as to outgrow the need of redigious guidance.

I read my Bible consistently and I believe the Prophet Solomon was right when he said, "A man thinketh in his heart, so is he." If a man thinks good and well about his friends and neighbors he will speak pleasantly of them. Even a mother-in-law can become the object of pleasant thoughts. As nebulous and controversial the creation of man is, whether our source of being is of common clay or higher ordained order the history of mankind is very intriguing. Apart from fossilized primitive life and evolutionary processes through millions of years, still in a grain of sand I see a world; and from a simple flower I learn the mean, ing of life; and from a woman's heart how high her mind will rise and from her eyes how deep her soul can feel. The spirit often flutters in mon of advanced age with the fiery urge of youth.

And psychologically we are deluded into the belief that we are just as old as we feel and long for what is not. After 70 years of struggles, defeats and triumphs I am coming to the end of my terrestrial existence. Yet I feel my soul also belongs to the destiny of life and death. My battles and head aches with alcoholism you all know were classically terrific. The inward agonies, regrets, remorse, renewed pledges to quit and prayers defy tion.

My drinking habits were accepted by many dear friends with patience and understanding as we must accept other unpalatable and unpleasant factors in life. There is one more struggle left for me. Self preservation is the first law of nature. I shall try my level best to keep eway from the cemetery at long as I can. I understand when a man dies he is doomed to stay dead a long time.

So I am not inviting you to my graveside services yet. But I know that none of us will survive the inevitable, old age and death. When my time comes I will be resting in that sweet serenky of brotherly love with my good neighbors and dear friends in my beloved Taos where we all will rest in peace, justice and equality. Again let me thank you collectively the kind recognition of what I feel not. I assure you all my good that your gestures of friendship and good will, always will remain engraved in my memory and dignified in the recessea of my silent thoughts as long as I live.

By KEITH GREEN Lovely, lovely holiday call It Independence Day or the Fourth of July, call it whatever you want to call It but let us have no more than the half-dozen or so holidays people observe these days. Does create problems. Losing a day In the newspaper business is like losing an arm, with no spare around. Everything seems to get out of kilter. the newspaper for Tuesday getting "lost" for two hours between the printing plant and the newsboys.

the boxholder subscribers in Taos who didn't get their Tuesday papers until the afternoon. having just eight hours to put together a newspaper for Thursday. an extra-early deadline for that Tuesday edition, and writing an editorial about the holes in the street, and seeing some of the worst ones patched before the paper hit the street, and after it was too late to change the editorial. coming up with a mental block in such a situation and finding nothing to write a column having nothing to write about. So what happened on the Fourth of July? People visited.

Hundreds drove out to spit off the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. A certain number of firecrackers (illegal) were exploded, after somebody sold them (illegally), Up at Red River a good many thousands of Texans and Oklahomans crawled over the hills, filled the motels and swimming pools, admired pretty beauty contestants, and watched people and horses and cars in a parade. It also was pretty warm while the sun was shining, and pretty cool after it set. And that's how it went, went, went, went. It went, went, went at the Molycorp operation in Red River Canyon, too.

Three line leaks and breaks in a few hours on the Monday holiday. Big difference this time: Moly- corp's officials reported it in a hurry to the press; there was no ear-busting effort required to find out what happened by telephone, and not finding out. Molycorp Manager John Pcttv's new policy of reporting the troubles is a very good one, so far as we're concerned. It won't cure the problem, but it certainly will improve Moly's public image, which wns getting a bit tarnished during the earlier "no comment" era. Public Forum A Better Fiesta recently attended the Taos fiestas and was somewhat disappointed by the festivities.

My expectations were different than that which was presented, and maybe now it is too late to change this year's fiestas. However, the following are some ideas that I and my friends have come up with that maybe could be used by your town to make this year's fiestas bigger and better than ever. We weel that there has been a loss of interest on the part of the town's people, especially the private businesses and maybe this could be revived. Formal invitations could be sent to surrounding businesses even in other towns to participate in the fiesta. They could be invited to sponsor booths, floats, or queen candidates.

This, then, could be deductible on income tax forms, because all of this could be used for good advertising purposes. I was disappointed by the lack of floats. We feel that the individual businesses should all sponsor a float. They would be required to stay within the Spanish theme, but they could still do this and continue to meet with the advertising idea. If better prizes were given, maybe more interest could be aroused to build the floats.

Since this is a Spanish and Indian celebration (especially Spanish) why rat stick to that theme? I am thinking in particular of me parade in which army tanks were driven around the plaza, (earing up the streets, etc. What in the name of Taos do army tanks have to do with a Spanish fiesta? Definitely, Spanish and Mexican folk singers and dancers should not be forgotten. In fact, this should be the main emphasis. I am thinking of fiestas in Mexico where the street dances are most popular. It could be done in Taos also with Rreat enthusiasm.

The street dances could be led by the Spanish dancers and then all joining in. I know that there is a lot of local talent in Taos for this event, but if interest could not be aroused, bring people in from other areas. Flamenco dancing in the streets would be most interesting. The plaza is perfectly arranged; the atmosphere is perfect; I'm sure mat a perfect street dance could be accomplished. Kangaroo Court for anyone not in fiesta clothes is an excellent idea; however, it should be more strongly inforced to add to the fun.

The money received by the town in the form of fines could be used for fiesta funds the following year. Sidewalk cages, booths selling Spanish or Indian goods (home-made, if possible) and food would be most popular. The queen selection is good except they should be chosen In fiesta dresses rather than formal gowns which I can see here in Denver. The rodeo idea is real pood but would It be possible to add a bull fight? The rodeo grounds would be perfect and a ferocious bull would not have to be used. Also, one would have to stay within the limits and rules of the United States and not kill the bull, but just have the fight to keep the original flavor of a fiesta.

I am sure that if this were done properly, it would go over in a big way and soon Taos would become more famous for her fiestas than she is now. A theme idea could be set up each year and each sponsor would have to follow the theme. Of course, the theme would have to have a Spanish, Mexican, or Indian flavor. Eventually as the fiesta grew, surrounding towns could enter their floats, booths, and queen candidates. The queen candidates again could be sponsored by the private businesses.

Quests, Red River, Penasco, Santa Fe, could all be part of the Taos fiestas. Anyway, these are some ideas that I had from a tourist's point of view and maybe they all wouldn't be practical, but I can just picture driving into Tnos with it all decorated in a Spanish, Indian, or Mexican deeor, sidewalk cafes selling only Spanish food, booths selling the goods of the town, Spanish dancers and singers by the dozens, street dances, etc. I am sure that these ideas integrated with the present festivities would help to keep the fiestas in the true tradition! Sincerely yours, (Mrs.) Donna Kargo Santistevan Thunks to Police To the Editor: We are writing this to exprass our thanks to your very fine police department. While visiting your community we were unfortunate enough to have our trailer hit, as it was parked, and the person who hit it leave the scene of the accident. Within an hour your police had found the person who hit the trailer.

Also we were able to have the trailer fixed so that we could continue our trip. Officer Conrad Martinez was the finest of gentlemen in our trouble and most helpful. We certainly appreciated his fine, fast police work. Please thank him apain for all of us. Mr.

and Mrs. William Pharoah Mr. and Mrs. Robert Borsch Philadelphia, Pa. preceding letter was forwarded to The Taos News by Mayor Filemon Sanchez.) The Silent Spring To the Editor: Silent Spring? For several years now I have noticed in the spring and summertime, fewer and fesver song birds in my garden.

This year, almost none. Could this be the Silent Spring which Rachel Carson warned us about? Leslie Brown Ranches de Taos. Taos News Of 3Q Years Arch Kcpncr Falls From Shed During the Buffalo Dance at the pueblo on Monday, Arch Kepner provided some excitement for Indians and spectators alike when he fell from one of the sheds. Although he was knocked unconscious in the fall he was not seriously hurt. He with leveral others was observing the dance from aloft and decided to follow Mr.

Blumenschein's lead in stepping from one shed to another. However, he forgot that his weight was somewhat more then Mr. Blumenschein's and did not realize that the polei were merely laid across. He Stepped on the end of one of them which flew up and sent him backward through the air. Mr.

and Mrs. Ralph Meyers are the parents of a daughter born Monday. She weighed eight pounds and Ralph says that she is a very special child. E. I.

Couse is confined to his home because of injuries sustained recently in a fall in which a piece of bone was chipped in his shoulder. However, his family reports that he is feeling better at present. Miss Genevieve Mollands has returned to Albuquerque where she attends the University. The winter chapel which Father Bollard has erected in the front yard of the priests' house is nearing completion. The chapel is very simple and attractive inside and a particularly nice effect is achieved in the arrangement of windows above the altar so that the early morning light shines directly on it.

Polito Romero, Ranchos de Taos, was injured in an automobile accident Saturday night when the car which he was driving overturned on the highway near El Cumbre..