Mexico Ledger from Mexico, Missouri • Page 1

10 PAGES fUrxtrn CHANCE OP SHOWERS TUESDAY Mexico, Monday, February 10, 1975 Phone Year No. Fifteen Cents President In Midwest To Plug For Program SNOW ON THE ROOF adds to the unbroken winter white scenery surrounding the Lawrence Shelter in Plunkett Park. The snow that greeted Mexicoans Sunday morning was the seventh snowfall of the season, measuring an official one inch. It came with a dropping temperature that reached to nine below zero Saturday night and was still six below at 7 a.m. Last night the temperature dropped to two degrees and started rising, reaching 15 at 7 a.m.

The nine-below tied the record low for the date and was the coldest reading of the winter. (Ledger Photo by Richard Vance) HOUSTON, Tex. (AP) President Ford said today members of Congress who contend the nation doesn't need his proposed million- barrel-a-day cut in imported oil are suggesting "a very high risk and reckless gamble." On a visit to the nation's oil- producing territory, the President declared: "The longer we take to protect ourselves against embargoes, the more vulnerable our economy becomes to them." He said paying higher prices for foreign oil would increase joblessness. In remarks prepared for an energy conference sponsored by the Houston Chamber of Commerce, Ford said: "We cannot play games with our total economy in the hope that boasting about limited winnings that are not at all certain." Instead of betting on what foreign oil producers will do, he said, "we should put our money on what Americans can do and will do" if enough incentives are provided. He also called on Congress to end federal regulation of prices on new natural gas for its state use.

He said that "unless national gas policy is changed by congressional action, we will be forced in a short time with the hard choice of supplying homes or industries." Ford came to Houston on the first stop on a two-day tour to Texas and Kansas to sell his energy-economic program. He made a similar trip last week to Atlanta and plans others in the future. Before leaving Washington, the President watched at a Cabinet Room ceremony as James T. Lynn was sworn in as director of the Office of Management and Budget. Lynn was Ford's second Cabinet-level appointee.

Lynn, 47, of Cleveland, Ohio, started in 1969 as general counsel for the Department of Commerce, became Commerce undersecretary and finally was appointed by former President Nixon as secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Lynn goes from a $60,000 a year Cabinet post at HUD to his $42,500 post at OMB, which carries Cabinet rank. Ford's first Texas appearance was at a Chamber of Commerce-sponsored energy conference in Houston. The President will be host tonight at working dinner for the governors of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma and Arkansas. After a Houston breakfast Tuesday with editors, publishers and broadcasters from the Southwest, Ford will fly to Topeka for a speech to the Kansas Legislature, a meeting with the governors of Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois, and an evening news conference.

Ford, wife Betty and daughter Susan spent the weekend at Camp David, Md. They flew back to the White House on Sunday night and Ford later drove to Andrews Air Force Base to give a personal sendoff to Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger who left on another trip" to the Middle East. Lynn succeeds Roy Ash; who is retiring from the Cabinet-level post. Edward H.

Levi was sworn in as attorney general last week and thus became the first Ford appointee to the Cabinet. Schools Can't Sue Over Tax Valuations Kissinger Pressures Israel For Action JERUSALEM (AP) Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger arrived in Israel today, thanked the government for endorsing his step- by-step diplomacy, but said the United States was prepared to take other approaches toward a Middle East settlement. "We agree that the step-by- step approach is likely to be the most productive," Kissinger said at Ben-Gurion Airport before starting talks in Jerusalem. But he added pointedly that the United States "is essentially committed to rapid progress" and does not subscribe to any special way of achieving it.

In an obvious reference to Mrs. Brett Dies At 96; Rites Tuesday Mrs. H.B. Brett, 96, died Sunday at noon at the Audrain Medical Center after an extended illness. Graveside services will be held at 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday at the East Lawn Memorial Park cemetery by the Rev. George Wraith of the First Christian Church of which Mrs. Brett was a member. Mrs. Brett was a granddaughter of John Bingle Morris, first merchant and public official of Mexico, and eight members of her family have served as bank presidents in Missouri, Montana, and Washington.

She was born Julia Arnold on Dec. 15, 1878, in Mexico, daughter of R.R. Sr. and Ophelia Morris Arnold, and was married Feb. 14, 1909, to H.B.

Brett, who died in 1967. Surviving are one son, H. Bradford Brett of Mexico; two grandchildren, Bradford Arnold Brett of Mexico and Mrs. John (Barbara) Clatworthy of Fort Morgan, one great-grandson, Russell Bradford Brett of Mexico; two sisters, Mrs. D.

H. Moss and Mrs. Elizabeth Parry of Seattle; two nephews, Lawrence M. Arnold of Seattle and Ivan A. Parry of Los Angeles; and two nieces, Mrs.

Miriam Arnold Edmonston of Mexico and Miss Elizabeth Parry of Seattle. Calling hours are from 7:00 to 8:00 tonight at the Precht- Pickering funeral home. The family has requested that any memorial gifts be made to the Au'Jrain the Geneva conference which the Soviet Union and some Arab states want resumed Kissinger said "we are prepared to explore other means and other forums if necessary." Hours before he flew in from a refueling stop in Frankfurt, Israel's main opposition bloc demanded that the government of Premier Yitzhak Rabin hold new elections before offering to surrender strategic Sinai territory in talks with Kissinger. Opposition leader Menahem Begin said if Kissinger asked Rabin's government to trade the Gidi and Mitla passes and the Abu Rudeis oilfields for an interim agreement with Egypt, then Rabin should tell Mrs. Carl McCown Dies; Rites Tuesday Mrs.

Carl (Maggie) McCown, 86, 603 S. Washington, died unexpectedly Sunday afternoon at the Audrain Medical Center. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Arnold Funeral Home with the Rev. Robert Collins officiating.

Burial will be in East Lawn Memorial Park. Born in Callaway County on Aug. 11, 1888, she was the daughter of William and Sallie L. Lynes Wolf. In Mexico on Feb.

16,1910, she married Carl McCown who died in 1967. Mrs. McCown liad lived in Mexico for the past 40 years and worked for the Mexico Public School System in the cafeteria at Hardin School for 11 years. She retired in 1966. Survivors are two sons, Harold McCown of Mexico and Homer McCown of Columbus, Ohio; one daughter, Mrs.

Roy (Alma Dell) Manning of Mexico) one sister, Mrs. Eula Hildebrand of Mexico; four grandchildren and four great- grandchildren. One brother and two sisters preceded her in death. The family will receive friends after 2 p.m. Monday at the Arnold Funeral Home.

Legislative Breakfast At 8:00 Tomorrow Mexico Chamber of Commerce's first legislative breakfast of the year is scheduled for 8 a.m. Tuesday Kissinger: "We must go to the people and hold another general election." Kissinger will be in the Middle East for 10 days, and unless he concludes that the situation is completely hopeless, he plans to return to the area about March 10 to work out details of an Israeli- Egyptian agreement, officials said. The alternative to his step- bystep diplomacy is resumption of the Geneva peace conference in a crisis atmosphere, the officials continued. This would pose the thorny question of representation for the Palestinians and other explosive issues. President Ford, Vice Presi- Mrs.

Henry Bell Dies Today At 79 Mrs. Lutie Bell, 79, died at 2:50 a.m. today at the Audrain Medical Center. Born on March 23, 1895, she married Henry Bell on March 23, 1952. Survivors include her husband, Henry Bell, at 417 E.

Central St. Funeral services are pending at the Green Funeral Home. dent Nelson A. Rockefeller and Cabinet members went out to Andrews Air Force Base in freezing weather Sunday night to see Kissinger off. Ford said goodby with a warm endorsement obviously intended to counter recent congressional criticsm of his foreign policy mainstay.

At Andrews, Ford clasped Kissinger's hand and said, "You have my strong support and the blessings of 213 million Americans. We look forward to the kind of success you have achieved in the past." Ford characterized Kissinger's journey as an "extremely delicate and extremely important mission" and said they would be in daily communication. He and (Continued on Page 5) Ryan Allen Nevins Ryan Allen Nevins was the name chosen by Mr. and Mrs. Robert W.

Nevins, 821 S. Western, for their eight pound six ounce son born at 9:24 a.m. Sunday at the Audrain Medical Center. The grandmother is Mrs. Charles Allen of Mexico and great- grandparents are Mrs.

Lenora Griffin and A. Harold Griffin, both of Mexico. He joins a sister, Robin, 3. Mr. Nevins is employed at A.P.

Green Refractories Co. Public Hearing Tonight On Two Rezoning Cases Two public hearings for rezoning properties located near West Plaza are on the agenda for tonight's 7:30 meeting of the city council. The first hearing is on a request to rezone the south side of the block on W. Jackson between Abat and 'Missouri Streets from multi-family to commercial. Two of the five lots are being purchased from the Mexico Housing Authority by W.D.

Carter to build a new office for his business, Carter Water Conditioning, at 801 W. Jackson. The second public hearing is on a request from John Gallaher of Gallaher-Smith-Feutz Realty Co. to rezone three lots located at 515,517,519 W. Monroe from R-3B (office and professional) to C-2 (general commercial).

Mr. Gallaher told the planning and zoning commission last month that the property would be used as an employe parking lot. In other business, the council will give final consideration to an ordinance setting speed limits on Highway 54 East and Route JJ in the newly annexed eastern area of the city. The ordinance sets the speed limits on Highway 54 E. from the old city limits to the Vandiver Village limits at Sunset Drive at 35 miles per hour.

From Vandiver's east city limits to Route JJ the speed limit would be 45 miles per hour. From Route JJ to the new eastern city limit the speed limit would be 55 mph. On Route JJ, from Highway 54 to the road north of Tonanzio's Restaurant, the limit would be 45 mph. From Route to the new eastern city limits the limits would be 55 mph. Two items on the agenda deal with the newly annexed eastern area.

The first establishes the city's 10th precinct, which includes all of the annexed east area. The voting place would be at Consolidated Electric on Highway 54 E. Another item would authorize the city manager to file grant application with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Missouri Clean Water Commission for sewer main extension in the newly annexed area. A final item on the agenda is a resolution declaring a necessity for street improvements on Omar Street and Fairground Avenue. The council has made plans to pave the remaining portions of Fairground, from W.

Buchanan to Boulevard, and Omar Street in the Fairview Place Subdivision this summer with Community Development funds. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. districts may not seek court review of property tax assessments by counties if the districts feel the assessments are too low, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled in an opinion handed down today. In a case involving the St. Francois County R-III School District and that county's Board of Equalization, the high court said that "if the General Assembly had intended to provide a review of alleged underassessments at the request of a governmental subdivision it would have so provided in the law's section which provides for an appeal by property owners." The school district had pet- tioned a lower court contending the St.

Francois County Board of Equalization failed to increase the assessed valuation of 99 tracts of land owned by St. Joe Minerals. The school district contended the assessment was unreasonably low, and that the board had abused its discretion in not increasing the assessment as the district requested. The district's petition also said that two members of the Board of Equalization who voted on the assessment question had financial interest in the compnay. But the court said that school districts could not seek a court review if they believed property within the district was assessed too low.

"No doubt such was originally omitted on the theory that public officials would adequately protect the interest of the state and its subdivisions and hence it was only necessary to provide an appeal for property owners who considered the valuation of their property to be excessive," the high court said. The court went on to say, however, that the legislature should consider an amendment giving such districts the right. Cottey To Conduct Case Against Dairies JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. circuit court judge from northeast Missouri was appointed a special commissioner by the state Supreme Court today to handle the initial proceedings in a case involving two dairies accused of violating the state's milk law. The court named L.

Frank Cottey of Lancaster to the post, giving him power of subpoena and other authority of the high court to conduct the pretrial conferences, take testimony and accept evidence in the case against Hiland Dairy, and Foremost Foods, both of Springfield. The attorney general has sought the revocation of the corporate charters of the two firms on grounds they violated the Unfair Milk Sales Practices Act of 1959 by offering milk retailers illegal rebates, cash gifts, free equipment, discounts and other items, Cottey, 66, first elected to the bench for the 1st Judicial Circuit in 1962, has previously served as a special judge on the Supreme Court and on all three appellate courts. In the order today, the high court also told both companies to deposit $2,000 each to cover costs of the trial. Cottey will present the court with a report of the evidence he gathers and his findings of fact and conclusions of law in the case. Teacher Benefits Provision JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.

Missouri Supreme Court has upheld a law allowing the payment of benefits to retired public school teachers who are carried as "advisors and supervisors" of the retirement system. The decision announced today came in a case involving the St. Louis Board of Education's retirement system and three former teachers who were refused employment after they sought to become advisors under provisions of a law which took effect in August, 1972. The law provides that retired teachers, receiving retirement benefits from a public school system and who retired between 1957 and 1971 may be employed by the retirement system as special school advisors and super(Continued on Page 5) Court Won't Permit One Suit To Cover Sales Tax Refunds JEFFERSON CITY, My. Missouri Supr Court rejected an attempv to gain refunds of wrongly imposed sales taxes by class action suit today in a split decision.

Election Day To Be April 1 Missouri's election laws have played an early April Fools Day joke on Mrs. Sheryl Ligon, Mexico city clerk. Mrs. Ligon had previously announced that the city council election would be April 8, which is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in the month, a frequent setting for an election day. But in a closer check of Missouri's complicated election laws today, she found Jhat the local elections are to be the first Tuesday in April, which this year is April 1.

The election date discovery also changes the filing deadline, which is now March 7, and the primary election date, which would be March 18, if more than four candidates filed for the two three-year terms up for election. Today's There's only a slight difference between keeping your chin up and sticking your neck out, but it'b worth knowing. NEGRO HISTORY WEEK display at the Mexico-Audrain County Public Library features books, famed individuals such as Torn Bass and Ira Cooper, and a variety ot art work in a special display arrangement. Mrs. Doris Alexander and Mrs.

Clifford Jones of the library staff are shown with the which opened yesterday and will continue through ihf; (Lt'dyer Photo by Richard Vance) The 2-1 judgment came, in the appeal of a lower court ruling that allowed two men their refunds of sales tax charged on a repealed federal excise tax for automobile sales. But the Greene County Circuit Court denied the claim that refunds be made to all persons who had erroneously been charged the state sales tax on the repealed federal levy. Contending the law is exclusive in the manner that refunds of such taxes can be secured, the court said, "There is no provision for refunds of sales taxes to be claimed on behalf of a class of taxpayers. "The legislature has not waived the state's sovereign immunity to the extent of permitting such procedure," the opinion added. The majority ruled that the law outlining refund procedures specifies the time limit for taking action and the manner each person seeking a refund must go about it.

But Judge Robert E. Seller, in his dissent, said that while acknowledging refunds were due to the two men who sought them, "the state did all it could to keep from having to make refunds to the thousands of other Missouri taxpayers who were in the same situation." Seiler claimed the case fulfilled all requirements for a class action suit and that it was "uniquely suitable for a class action" since the number of persons involved is so great while the refunds are so small. He contended the state Department of Revenue with its computerized records could quickly determine the amounts of each refund. "Sometimes sales tax funds, If allowed, would produce a windfall for the ant," Seiler said. "Here, however, the state is getting the windfall" Peter C.

Charles and Jem Brierly, the two men who brought the suit, received $7.63 and $7.39 in refunds respectively. The case arose when the excise tax was repealed Dec. 10,1971, but was made retroactive to cover all automobile sales after Aug. 15, 1971. In a somewhat related ter, Revenue Director James Spradling announced today that the cash rebates being offered by car manufacturers in an effort to boost lagging sales will not be subject to state sales tax.

"It has been determined that these rebates are a reduction in the purchase price of specific vehicles and therefore are not taxable," Spradling said in. a statement. He pointed out that tax laws In effect in some other state? require sales tax payments on the rebates..