Skip to main content
The largest online newspaper archive

The Daily Leader from Pontiac, Illinois • Page 2

Publication:
The Daily Leaderi
Location:
Pontiac, Illinois
Issue Date:
Page:
2
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

Editorial Dafly Leader, left. IS, Warren SayS Good news for desert area Counselor can help the most before the wedding A minor mystery solved in Vermont and a plastic developed in Arizona could make the world's deserts bloom. Scientists have long noted the ability of plant foliage to condense water from fog. A botanist named H. W.

Vogelman with the Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of Vermont has duplicated nature's trick. "Fog'comfaing" screens, consisting of aluminum wire mesh strung on posts, produced nearly 17 per cent more water than registered in regular rain gauges during an eight-week test. With financial help from the Conservation and Research Foundation of New London, an experiment was then conducted on a desert plateau in the Sierra Madres near Vera Cruz, Mexico, where fog and low clouds are frequent. Again the results were dramatic. One Mexican station showed a 29 per cent moisture increase, another 22 per cent.

It's believed that in similar arid regions, rows of screens erected at low cost could collect water from the air and direct it to newly planted trees. In time, the trees would act as their own "moisture combs." Parts of the recovered areas could also be used to produce fruits, grains and vegetables or to support livestock. Meanwhile, experiments with a new polymer gel at the University of Arizona's Environmental Research Laboratory may enable farmers to get more mileage out of moisture everywhere. The gel, developed by chemist Paul A. King during a search for a material that would separate salt from seawater, has the ability to grab water in soil and hold it for plants to use as they need it.

With an absorbent capacity 25 to 50 times its own weight, the biodegradable gel nearly eliminates water loss through evaporation or soil dissipation. The researchers have produced, for instance, bigger tomato plants faster -using less water, and incomplete tests indicate that other plants, including flowers, will respond just as well. By VIRGINIA WARREN New York Times News Service NEW YORK --The more married couples that Dr. Gerald Albert, a psychologist, counseled over a 40-year period, the more he became convinced that, he was working with the wrong people. Or at least with people at a wrong stage in their lives.

New York Times News Service Protective Reaction in an Election Year The time for helping with a marriage, Albert concluded, was before the wedding took place. He has augmented his regular work at C. W. Post Center of Long Island University and his private practice with study and research to devise a system that can help predict the outcome of a marriage. Now he has completed the system and has even put together in booklet form a sort of do-it yourself predicting kit.

Albert, who since 1966 has been associate professor of counselor education and educational psychology hi C. W. Post's Graduate School, said that it didn't take him long, while counseling married couples, to conclude that romantic love was being cverratesL "The attitude that it is all-important has produced disaster for at least one marriage in four and it has caused half of all marriages to be unsatisfactory," the 54-year-old psychologist insisted hi his office in Jamaica, N.Y., where he sees private patients. "The fact is," he went on, "only about one- fourth of all marriages in this country can be considered highly satisfactory." Albert said he wouldn't rule out romantic love entirely. "A real love feeling is always going to be necessary for a truly successful marriage." What he deplores and considers unrealistic, he said, is the attitude that "love conquers all." The psychologist said their childhood is the first thing to consider in predicting whether a couple will be happy.

He said the early home environment and emotional atmosphere has been seen to be a vital factor only in the last 30 years or so. An unfavorable sign, he said, is extremely inconsistent discipline in the home, or harsh and frequent discipline, because this can result in the feeling that other people may be more a source of pain than of satisfaction. Other signs Albert finds unfavorable: a courtship of much less than a year, an engagement of much less than six months, the revelation during courtship that either of the partners cannot confide in the other, or feels persistently disturbed by the other's acitivities, beliefs or attitudes, a tendency toward dramatic changes of mood, quickness of temper, unwarranted jealousy, a strong need to dominate and frequent feelings of self- blame and remorse. Favorable signs, he continued are for a man to be at least 21, a girl to be at least 19, both to have had at least a high school education (the greater the education the greater the chances for marital success, he commented). Generally, according to Albert, who is an assistant editor of the Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, it is better to meet members of the opposite sex in conventional ways in school, at work, in the home of a friend.

His research also leads him to believe that a marriage performed by a clergyman has a greater chance for success than those legalized by a judge or county clerk. On one of the most controversial subjects, pre-marital sex, Albert says that his interest is not in the morality issue but in the effects of success or failure on marriage. His booklet, "Choosing and Keeping a Marriage Partner," acknowledges that attitudes in this area "are changing so rapidly that all previous findings must be accepted with caution." Illinois in the housing business By F. RICHARD CICCONE Associated Press Writer CHICAGO (AP) The Illinois Housing Development Authority has a simple objective: To provide quality homes for middle and moderate income families at from $35 to $50 less than current market rental rates. The IHDA hopes to achieve its goal by building 25,000 apartment units and townhouses in the next four years.

"Our agency is producing real housing units which are innovative in technology and social impact," says Daniel P. Kearney, director of the IHDA. "We are either building- now or are committed to build 4,500 units and we anticipate committing ourselves to another 4,500 units before the end of the year," Kearney added. The idea of the state involving itself in the production of housing is innovative in itself. It was started only a decade ago in New York and has been copied by a handful of states including Illinois.

The authority was created by the legislature in 1967 and given a $100 million bonding capacity. The 1971 General Assembly hiked the capacity to $500 million. The agency, Kearney says, can provide low rent housing for moderate income (5,000 to $10,000) and middle income ($10,000 to $15,000) because of its tax-exempt financing. It works this way. The au-, thority sells tax exempt bonds at low interest rates.

In turn, it lends money obtained from the sale of the bonds to developers at low rates and fixes a 6 per cent limit of return to the builder. In this way, a two-bedroom apartment in Harper Square, the IHDA development in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, can be rented to middle income families at from $204 to $292 a month. The IHDA offers a greater savings to moderate income families who could rent the same apartment for $121 to $176. The additional saving stems from a federal government subsidy. The government provides under Section 236 of the National Housing Act a third of the units in any IHDA development and they are earmarked for moderate incomes and provide for an additional savings of about $80 a month per unit.

The Harper Square complex includes a pair of 25-story apartment buildings and 22 low- rise townhouses. It will provide for 591 families. The IHDA has under construction and partly rented 240 garden apartments in Danville, 160 garden apartments in Champaign and 245 units of two-story apartments and townhouses in De Kalb. Kearney, 32, a graduate of. the University of Chicago law school and director of the IHDA since 1969, says, "What we achieve is low rent and high quality housing.

It's too bad the state didn't get involved earlier because the cost of borrowing money now is so high that even though we can help many people get quality housing, there -are many others who missed out." The Harper Square development, with 200 units for moderate incomes and 400 units for middle incomes, "is a test of whether economic integration can work and right now it looks good," Kearney says. Other IHDA projects are under way hi Mount Prospect, the Lincoln Park area of Chicago, Normal and Park Forest. One of the ffiDA's most innovative projects is in Park Forest where the developer is using pre-cast components to build modules which are lifted into place. "We have several requirements for builders," Kearney says. "One of them is that a certain percentage of the units must be three-bedroom apartments to provide for larger families." Kearney says the IHDA has sold worth of bonds and hopes to have $70 million for housing by mid 1972.

He hopes to exhaust the IHDA's $500 million bonding capacity by 1976. GLOBAL VIEW Hanoi's strategy is 'wait and see' By RAY CROMLEY WASHINGTON (NBA) For the past year, the government of South Vietnam has been attempting to hold secret talks with Hanoi. Thus far. the attempts have been in vain. Hanoi has not refused to talk secretly, but has not accepted, either.

Sometimes the outlook has seemed favorable, but there is no visible prospect that anything will come of the Saigon approaches in the immediate future. This has not been for want of trying or for lack of contacts Time and again, Saigon's men have approached intimate sources in North Vietnam. These preliminary channels have not been difficult to arrange, for large numbers of high South Vietnamese officials have close relatives and boyhood friends in the regions controlled by Hanoi and among some of the important officials in the north. The information here outlined comes from Saigon sources on intimate terms with President Thieu. These men themselves have excellent contacts in North Vietnam.

These sources believe Hanoi will stall at least until President Nixon's trips to Peking and to Moscow have been completed and the results evaluated. These same men believe this Hanoi decision to ''wait and see" was responsible for the Le Due Tho "sickness" which North Vietnam said made it impossible for Tho to meet with Henry Kissinger on Nov. 20 of last year, thus stalling the U.S.-North Vietnam secret talks. A few days after Hanoi had notified Washington on Nov. 17 that Tho was so sick he could not meet with Kissinger, he was seen, healthy and in good spirits, at an airport welcoming a French delegation to Hanoi.

The North Vietnamese are worried, it seems, that President Nixon may secure some sort of an agreement in Peking or Moscow limiting the flow of supplies in return for an American pledge to cut back on supplies for the south. (Defense Secretary Laird suggested the other day that this may be one of the objectives of the Moscow trip). These same Thieu confidants believe Hanoi's leaders likewise will make no significant political moves until they are able to determine to their satisfaction who is likely to win the U.S. presidential election in November. They will then take whatever action seems appropriate, based on their forecasts.

That is, if they calculate Nixon will be defeated and that his Democratic opponent will give them a better deal, they'll stall until the new man takes office. Or if they believe that the new president would give them a worse deal, once installed, or if they calculate Nixon will be reelected, they may decide to do something this summer. And finally these South Vietnamese sources believe the recent buildup of North Vietnamese military strength in the south does not necessarily mean a sustained massive attack is in the offing. They believe the buildup aims at giving Hanoi another option. Whether the attack comes or doesn't depends on how Hanoi assesses the possible payoff during the coming (NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE ASSN.) Letters to the OS.MAIL Bakalis on 'State of Education': To Editor, Daily Leader: We, the directors of the Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District are most pleased with the Special Conservation Issue that the Leader published just prior to our annual meeting on Jan.

26, 1972. It is very gratifying to find that there are many who are interested in preserving our natural resources and are concerned about our environment. Our sincere thanks for your cooperation with us not oniy with regard to this Special Conservation Issue but, also for the fine coverage at our Annual Banquet and Awards night. Our special thanks go to Mrs. Barbara Sancken for her efforts in getting the outstanding material that went into this publication.

Harold Stabler District Chairman Timely quote The fundamental result of heavy reliance on property taxes is that the quality of a child's a i is very largely i by whether he had the good sense to be born to wealthy parents living in a wealthy school district or whether he made the mistake of being born to poor parents in a poor district. --Dr. R. L. Johns, who headed $2-million federal research on school finances.

PONTIAC LEADER PUBLISHING CO. 318 N. Main Pontiac, Illinois 61764 Phone LIVINGSTON COUNTY'S MOST WIDELY READ NEWSPAPER Jerome Pearre, Publisher Jonn Plesko, General Manager Elizabeth Harris, Managing Editor Jim Caviezel, Sports Editor John Renne, Telegraph Editor Weldon Greeneberg, Circulation Mgr. Ken Bond, Business Manager Wayne Jensen, Advertising Manager Donald Jobst, Production Mgr. Merlyn Shanebrook, Gen.

Photo-Offset Diy. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: By Carrier Delivery: In Pontiac SOc per week; Chatsworth, Chenoa, Cornell, Cullom, Flanagan, Forrest, Odell, Jaunemin, Dwight: 45c'per By Mail: Within Livingston County, year 4 3 S5.00. Illinois outside Livingston County, year, 6 3 $4.50. Outside Illinois, year, $21; 4 3 $7.50. Members of Armed Forces, year, 4 3 $5.00, Single copy, lOc.

No mail subscriptions taken where there is carrier service. Daily (except Sunday). Second-Class postage paid at Pontiac, Illinois. CHICAGO (AP) Michael Bakalis, Illinois superintendent of public instruction, says he will strive this year for reforms in teacher certification, recognition and supervision of schools, and a total reassessment of curriculum relevancy. In what was billed as his first "State of Education" address Bakalis said Thursday his office will make recommendations for change in the present system of teacher certification, which he called a "clerical process." He said his office will attempt to make changes "based on the premise that equal access to quality education for all is dependent on the quality of the teaching profession itself." Bakalis, who spoke before the annual convention of the Illinois Education Association, said the present measure of a school's recognition and supervision is based on "exclusively quantitative considerations." What is required, he said, is a "fundamental shift in emphasis from the inputs of education to the outcomes of education." Bakalis said he will recommend an increase in the school aid budget of $207 million as part of a three-year plan to shift the major burden of public school finance from local to state governments.

He said that by a shift in priorities and by use of money not already distributed, the proposal can be funded without a tax increase. Bakalis pointed out that $24 million still is not distributed under the school aid formula and $30 million remains tied up in the now-stalled parochiad program. He said there was no need to wait for court decisions before acting to reform the present system of school finances. "Our current state aid formula," he said, "prevents us from distributing funds where they are most needed now." Bakalis said an important consideration his office would take would be on a greater emphasis on career education. "My concern, he said, "is that we offer every student a variety of learning opportunities--that we attempt to adapt to his lifestyle and meet his individual needs." He also warned against the "proliferation of required courses," which he said "leaves little or no room for individualizing the curriculum." Congress debates farm to city migration CHICAGO (AP) Individuals and businesses who have failed to file state income tax returns may find the tax collector at the door this year, a state revenue director says.

George Mahin, Illinois Revenue director, said Thursday the state is beginning a crackdown on both individuals and corporations who he said may have evaded millions of dollars in state income taxes during the two years the levy has been in effect. "There has been word around the street that you don't have to worry about the state income tax returns--that controls weren't tight enough to catch business income tax evaders," Mahin said. "Well, those that thought that are in for a shock." Mahin said the Revenue Department began comparing state and federal income tax returns for individuals in December and that a similar probe into business tax returns will begin soon. He said he suspects that some businesses have not only failed to pay their per cent income tax but also have failed to turn over state taxes withheld for their employes. "I don't know how many companies have not filed returns," Mahin said, "but I am convinced that there are hundreds--and probably many more--which have cost the state many millions of dollars in revenue." State seeks tax dodgers By CARL C.

CRAFT Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) A multibillion-dollar bill aimed at ending migration from the countryside to the nation's crowded cities is expected to prompt a fierce political fight in Congress next week. W.R. Poage, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and chief sponsor of the measure, says it will "enable rural America to offer living conditions and employment opportunities adequate to impede the steady flow of rural Americans to our nation's large population centers." But opponents call the bill too expensive and ineffective. Headed by the agriculture panel's ranking Republican, Rep. Page Belcher of Oklahoma, opponents contend the bill would authorize at least $300 million a year of "new and unbudgeted donations by the federal government which simply doesn't have the money to give away." Under the legislation, aid would be provided for financing pollution-control programs in rural areas, credit services of the Farmers Home Administration would be expanded, and there would be more emphasis on community development and environmental phases of the Agriculture Department's small-watershed and resource- conservation programs.

In his report to the House, Poage said it is "obvious that additional capital must be put to work in a wise manner if we are to expect to upgrade life in rural America." The committee, approving the bill 32 to 4, rejected President Nixon's revenue-sharing plan 16 to 4 and defeated Secretary of Agriculture Earl L. Butz' credit-sharing proposal 16 to 5. Instead of "creating a new federal bureaucracy," Poage said, the committee decided to expand the roles of existing agencies: the FHA and the Soil Conservation Service. But Belcher told the House "the federal government is in no position to grant anything but a share of a $39-billion deficit." 1972 by NEA. Inc.

"Your manuscript is confusing, misleading and unreadable. I suggest you try another field like, say-HIGHWAY SIGNS!".

Get access to Newspapers.com

  • The largest online newspaper archive
  • 300+ newspapers from the 1700's - 2000's
  • Millions of additional pages added every month

About The Daily Leader Archive

Pages Available:
30,255
Years Available:
1970-1977