Courier-Post from Camden, New Jersey • Page 11

COURIER-POST AMUSEMENTS 4 TELEVISION 6 COMICS 7 OCTOBER 25, 1980 CV -El awsuit swings Brett bat at wage tax 11 By JULIE BUSBY Of the Courier-Post PHILADELPHIA What do Kansas City Royals third baseman George Brett and the British rock group "Yes" have in common? Both played in Philadelphia recently and both may owe the city some taxes. A class action suit filed in U.S. District Court on behalf of West Deptford, N.J., resident Billy Eugene Maxwell and all other non-city residents charges that out-of-town professional entertainers, musicians, and athletes have not been subject to the city's 4.3 percent wage tax. The suit was filed after the defeated Royals left the city this week. The suit claims that the Philadelphia code is "intentionally, purposefully, deliberately, systematically, and selectively enforced" and seeks to have the wage tax for non-residents declared "unlawful" and a violation of the U.S.

Constitution. The city, however, has begun looking into ways of enforcing the tax on people like Brett. "Why we haven't collected up until now, I just don't know," said city revenue commissioner Eugene L. Cliett who said that the 41-year-old wage tax does not exclude those groups. Cliett said lack of enforcement of the wage tax because of what he called a "gentlemen's agreement" in the past may have cost the city $500,000 annually in revenue.

Cliett, Philadelphia Mayor William Green and the city were named as defendants in the suit. Maxwell is a member of the Non-Resident Taxpayers Association, a 10-year-old organization based in Gloucester County. The association has been trying to eliminate the wage tax for all non-residents who work in Philadelphia. The group claims it has a membership of at least 20,000 New Jersey and New York residents. "Why is it that the big shots who earn over $100,000 a year don't have to pay any taxes?" said one Deptford group member who works in Philadelphia.

The suit, filed by Philadelphia attorney Kenneth Aaron, states that Maxwell, an employee of the United States Naval Publication and Form Center on Tabor Avenue, has not paid city wage taxes from 1972 through 1978. The city, in turn, instituted legal action to collect $5,795.31. Maxwell's lawsuit asks that the plaintiff be awarded damages in the amount of the tax, interest, and penalties assessed against him as well as attorney expenses. The suit also requests $10,000 in punitive damages. The suit also asks that the city be barred from interfering with the Constitutional rights of the plaintiff and all other non-residents.

Union Five charged with making illegal drugs accepts report ft I By KEVIN RIORDAN Of the Courier-Post DEPTFORD The Deptford Education Association (DEA) has overwhelmingly accepted the report of a state-appointed fact finder about its dispute with the Deptford Board of Education. The union's vote does not constitute the ratification of a new contract, said association president Linda Blackwell. Blackwell said yesterday that 217 union members voted yes, 14 voted no and five abstained at a meeting Thursday on whether to accept the report "as a basis for settlement" with the board. The union represents 330 teachers. The report by William Gomberg, appointed as fact finder by the state Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC), does not contain specific salary recommendations or contract language, Blackwell noted.

Board of Education President Catherine Park said yesterday she could not comment on. Please see TEACHERS, Page 2B By CAROL COMEGNO Of the Courier-Post CAMDEN A federal grand jury has indicted five persons in connection with an Illegal Medford drug manufacturing operation. Federal drug enforcement officials said they believe it was one of the largest operations on the East Coast. The grand jury indictments, returned to a federal judge three weeks ago, remained impounded until yesterday. Assistant U.S.

Attorney Thomas McKay III said only one of the suspects Harry Stacker, 59, of West Provincial Apartments, Cherry Hill, also known as Harry DiCarlo has not been arrested. McKay said four others have been arrested and released on $50,000 bail pending bearings. Stacker's brother Earl, a 58-year-old retired chemist from Beach-wood in Ocean County, was arrested March 20 during a raid at a rented house at Wolf and Hinchman roads in a wooded area of Medford Township. Police authorities said at the time that large amounts of methamphe-tamine were being manufactured in a clandestine laboratory. McKay said yesterday the lab was equipped to manufacture as much as 25 to 50 pounds of the drug per week.

With each pound having a street value of approximately $30,000, according to police estimates, the operation could have been grossing as much as $1 million-Other co-defendants in the indictment are John "Doc" Stacker, 31, of the 200 block S. 20th Camden, nephew of the Stacker brothers; and a married couple, John P. Rodgers, 29, and his wife, Debra Ann, 26, of the 3700 block Herbert Penn-sauken. The indictment charges all defendants with drug distribution, drug possession and illegal use of the telephone to transact drug business. The parade went thataway Courier-Post photography by Ron Karatin Drew Watson, 5, tells three-year-old Matthew Ellison he's steering their overloaded wagon the wrong way.

Along for the ride in West Depftord are Drew's four-year-old sister Shannon, waving the flag, and three-year-old Michaele Cimaron. 11 tr A Crafty students float a ghoul ship to spook parade If 1 crowds lining Main Street here tonight. For. the third consecutive year, members of the school's Vocational Industrial Clubs of America will enter the annual Medford-Vincen-town Rotary's Halloween Parade. And if all goes well, the group is hoping to win its third first prize in the event.

Jackie Ross, another instructor, said she came-up with the haunted ship theme about a month ago and for the past two and one-half weeks, more than 100 students have been using their skills to transform the idea into reality. Donald Warren, an electrical contracting instructor, said the group was given $300 by the school district for the project, but most materials were donated. A Southampton trucking firm, for example, is lending. the flatbed trailer on which the ship rests and a Tabernacle trucker is lending a tractor to pull it. Both Warren and Cunningham agree that constructing a float for i By BOB REICHENBACH Of the Courier-Post MEDFORD While most of the students at the John K.

Ossi Vocational-Technical School were enjoying a Sadie Hawkins dance last night, a small army of other youngsters was feverishly putting the finishing touches on the school's parade float. And what a float it is. Titled "Ship of Ghouls," the float's theme is that of a haunted ship, complete with torn sails, broken masts and a skeleton at the ship's wheel. "This is not your typical crepe paper stuck here and there float," said school instructor Nancy Cunningham as she explained that the float is hydraulicly fitted so the ship pitches end to end while movable waves on either side go up and down. Added to that are seagulls that will circle one mast, a papier-mache parrot with wings that move and six cannons that will shoot Styrofoam cannon balls at the 1 Landlubbers Counw-Post photography by Nick Arroyo Students at the John K.

Ossi vo-tech school put finishing touches on their 'Ship of Ghouls' parade float. dashed by rain. The rain date for the parade is 8 p.m. tomorrow or, if that is also rained out, next Saturday. The 35th annual parade will march on Main Street from Fire-house Lane to the judging stand at Mill Street.

the parade has become a high point in the school year. "We're not like most high schools that have active sport teams or other activities," Cunningham said. "This is almost like our home-coming event" with a sword, a skeleton will steer the ship and another pirate will stand at the rear of the craft While the students were furiously trying to get the float ready for tonight's 8:00 parade, they were hoping their efforts would not be In addition to the mechanical devices, several students will man the ship. One girl will play the role of a ship's live maidenhead; another will dangle dangerously from a plank as a pirate points menacingly at her On the wh ole, they'd rather watch the Phanatic After one lawsuit one banning and now an apparent television blackout it seemed TONY MULDOOM Of the Courier-Post more obvious that the Unknowable They were conniving against the Phillie Phanatic. NBC-TV flipped the question to Harry Coyle with the swiftness of Manny Trillo humming a ground ball over to Pete Rose.

Harry is in the news business where life is a constant round of complaints about why you took no notice of the Lions Club carnival while the street outside is piled high with dead bodies. Harry Coyle did not devote a lot of time to the Phanatic because he was in Philadelphia to cover a baseball game. The case was dismissed. The Phillies and the design firm are still trying to reach an agreement Then, when the World Series went west last weekend, the Kansas City Royals' management banned the Phillie Phanatic from appearing at the Royals Stadium. The Royals' management said Kansas City fans were agitating for a mascot of their own but that nobody had come np with the right one.

They didn't want the Phillies Phanatic reminding the rabble of something they didn't have. Personally, I think they were just being grouches. The Phanatic was at the ballpark Tuesday night Those who were there said they saw himherit prancing around the plastic greensward and cavorting atop the Phillies dugout Hesheit did glimmer briefly onto the tube early in the broadcast but was not seen again. "Oh, Lord," Harry Coyle groaned when I finally got him on the telephone. Harry Coyle works for NBC-TV and directed the World Series broadcasts.

He did a good job and now here was this reporter calling him on his day off to say South Jer-seyans were complaining about not seeing the Phillies Phanatic. Edwin Francis McGraw had hardly ended his victorious dance from the Veterans' Sta- dium pitcher's mound Tuesday night when the complaints started coming in. The first one came from Big Joe's Daughter who woke me up to state her objection. Being compelled to drag an aching body and sorrowing soul to work at five o'clock in the morning, I was the only person in the world who was sound asleep when the Phillies became the world, or at least American, champions of baseball Tuesday night. "Where was the Phillie Phanatic?" she inquired.

"Blub muck," I replied through the heavy blanket of sleep, "I didn't see him on the tube," she said. "Mub bluck," I intoned with particular inventiveness. It was the same at work. The boss had to field nine telephone complaints about the apparent absence of the Phillie Phanatic. He called me into the office.

He looked grim; like Nelson briefing his captains before the Battle of Trafalgar. "Find out why the Phillie Phanatic wasnot on the tube," he commanded. I went back to my desk to find the telephone ringing. It was Big Joe's Daughter again. She bad just arrived at work where everyone knows she is married to a media baron.

"Everyone wants to know why the Phillie Phanatic wasn't on the television last night. They think the big New York media is plotting against him. "They say the press is going to get theirs if they don't get to the bottom of it" Still, the Phanatic has been having his hjjrsits troubles this year. ii 4" Hesheit was even sued, if you can believe that Harrison-Erickson, the New York firm that designed the furry, green, cuddly Phanatic, sued the Philadelphia Phillies for violating the licensing agreement by selling unauthorized reproductions of the Phanatic. Portaits of the Phanatic were, it seems, being printed on T-shirts, pennants, key chains and even in a daily comic strip in violation of the copyright which is owned not by the Phillies but by Harrison-Erickson.

uo you tninK, Harry asked with unchallengeable wisdom, "that I'm going to put a camera on the Phillie Phanatic and take a chance of missing the play of the game? "Who would they rather see, the Phillie Phanatic or Tug McGraw?" Tony Muldoon's column appears Saturday in the Courier-Pbst..