Bennington Banner from Bennington, Vermont • Page 8

Banner, Saturday, January 22, 1977 Welfare woes said tied to housing, medical care Past and future By ROD CLARKE MONTPELIER (UPI) Vermont's welfare problems have been aggravated by a "deplorable" housing situation that has not been dealt with effectively by state government, the chairman of a special legislative committees has charged. Moreover, he said, if the legislature is really interested in uncovering welfare it would do well do take a close look at the medical care industry. The charges were made Thursday by former Rep. Douglas Tudhope, R-South Burlington, who headed a special five member committee that spent the summer investigating welfare programs. He presented his committee's report to the House Health and Welfare and Appropriations Committees.

"If you're looking for abuse, then you had better start looking in the direction of medical providers as well as recipients, because that's where the money is," Tudhope said. He conceded his committee did not uncover evidence of fraud by doctors or hospitals, but added, "we weren't able to Doctor testifies on 'right-to-die' bill MONTPELIER I The former president of the Vermont Medical Society says doctors have a perfect right to decide when to allow the death of a terminally ill patient. Moreover, Dr. Stanley Burns told the House Judiciary Committee Thursday, they don't need any new law infringing on that professional judgment. "One of a physician's responsibilities is to choose that moment when a patient may die quietly and painlessly," he said.

Burns added a doctor also has a responsibility to consult with patients and their families when extraordinary measures become necessary to sustain life. The judiciary committee is considering so-called "right to die" legislation setting guidelines for removal of life-sustaining treatment for hopelessly ill patients. Burns said such a law might serve to confuse rather than help the situation. He said many doctors are already abiding by the wishes of patients and their families by withholding treatment and by administering pain relieving drugs which they know may hasten death. The bill is due for a public hearing at the State House next Thursday night.

Senate clears Steamtrain MONTPELIER (UPI) The Senate suspended rules Friday and approved the transfer of $765,541 from the Highway Fund to bail out the deficit of the ill-fated Bicentennial Steam Train. The only dissenter in the voice vote was Sen. Henry Manchester R-Lamoille County, who said the move discriminated against highway users. "I personally think this is a bad way to take money and force highway users to finance things that shouldn't be done," Manchester said. As of Jan.

30, 1976, the Highway Fund had a $4.2 million surplus. The House approved the measure Thursday and the Senate was scheduled to Elks Lodge holds past rulers' night The Bennington Lodge of Elks will hold Past Exalted Rulers Night on Tuesday, Jan. 25. Joseph Y. Shaffe, president of the Past Exalted Rulers Association, has appointed the following grand lodge officers for the PER Night to initiate a class of candidates John Maloney, grand exalted ruler; Joseph Shaffe, grand leading knight; Charles Boyle, grand loyal knight; Henry White, grand esquire knight; John Mack, grand lecturing knight.

Also, Richard Ralph, grand chaplain, John Ahearn, grand secretary; Donald Greenslet, grand Yarnal, grand inner guard; John Foster grand tiler. Grand trustees are John B. Harte, Michael Frahar, Joseph Waite, John Madden and Henry Ryan. Grand lodge members are Robert Cummings Ralph Bennett Walter Parmenter, Albert Jones, Max Perrotta, Francis Corbett, William Rudd Vincent Pizzano, Darrell R. Sawyer, John J.

DeVito, Louis Bellemare, Albert Elwell, Edward Silver and Rene Dubois. District Court In Bennington District Court Friday Mary F. Abel, 64, of Muncie, pleaded no contest by waiver to driving while under the influence in Arlington, Dec. 23 and was fined $125, and her privilege to operate a car in Vermont was suspended for one year. Coin Club news The monthly meeting of the Catamount Coin Club was held Jan.

11 at the St. Peter's Church meeting rooms, with several members and dealers on hand. Kellie Coulter won the raffle and there was an auction of private coins. The next meeting will be held Feb. 8 at 7 p.m.

and is open to the public. Meetings are held at the church the second Tuesday of each month. Displays are welcome, and next month's speaker will be Jerry Ocierno on "The Shrinking Dollar." Engaged A i WALLOOMSAC, N.Y. Mr. and Mrs.

Jay E. Arnold Sr. of Walloomsac have announced the engagement of their daughter, Robin, to Stephen A. Wilson, son of Mr. and Mrs.

Arthur S. Wilson of Walloomsac The bride-to-be, a 1976 graduate of Hoosick Falls Central School, is employed at the Bennington Plaza branch of the Catamount National Bank. A 1972 IIFCS graduate, her fiance is employed at Sonny's Motors, Walloomsac. The wedding date has not been set. vote on it Monday.

Sen. Robert Gannett, R-Windham County, vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee, moved the Senate suspend rules and pass the bill today because interest on bank loans was accruing at $121 a day. The measure was an amendment to a bill authorizing payment of about $1,200 in legal fees for former Washington County Sheriff Mark Brown. The steamtrain project came to a halt Labor Day when it became clear the train was not attracting enough passengers to cover costs. look deeply enough." According to Tudhope, 46 per cent of all welfare money spent in the state is paid to medical providers.

He noted Blue Cross-Blue Shield handles some $22 million in Medicaid contracts for the state on a no bid basis. His committee suggested the contract be put out for competitive bidding. Tudhope was critical of various programs aimed at finding, jobs for unemployed Vermonters. He said there are at least six agencies charged with putting people to work. "But there is no coordination to focus these programs on welfare recipients," he said.

Moreover, the Social Welfare, Social and Rehabilitative and Employment Security Departments "are not working well together," he said. The DES needs "a very close examination" by the legislature and the administration," Tudhope said. "We all know that something needs to be done there. "Jobs are the key to Vermont's welfare programs. Above all, Vermont needs coordination of jobs programs." Tudhope's committee recommended creation of a "Social Policy Council," to be chaired by the governor.

Such a move, he said, would help change the general direction of welfare programs and "refocus on independence and self- sufficiency not dependence." Rising welfare caseloads have been compounded, Tudbope charged, by "a deplorable housing situation. "There is no housing. Some we were in, you wouldn't want your dog to live in. "These problems are not being addressed in Vermont state government." Tudhope's criticism of the state jobs programs was echoed by House Health and Welfare Chairman Edgar May, D- Springfield. "DES likes placements." he said.

"CETA likes job slots filled, sometimes with nice, neat collar-and-tie wearing college graduates. "Someone has to be out there saving, 'the game plan's off. These (welfare recipients) are the people you've got to place in jobs'." Snelling lauds Carter's tone WASHINGTON (UPI) Republican Gov. Richard Snelling of Vermont praised the tone of Democratic President Jimmy Carter's inaugural address and said Americans "should concentrate on doing what we do better." The governor called the President's speech Thursday a "calm and moderate one which puts the emphasis on decency." Snelling said he believes most Americans would applaud the President's concern for fundamentals and said that the Jewelry course added to list The adult education program at Mt. Anthony Union High School is adding another course to those already offered for the second semester (Banner.

Jan. 20, Page 3). The new course is in methods of gem cutting and metal work, as related to jewelry making. Depending on interest, students will be able to work with a variety of stone material and metals. Cost of the course will be $12, plus fundamental jewelry tools and materials, which will vary depending on what a student wishes to work on.

An information and demonstration meeting will be held Tuesday, Jan. 25 at 7 pjn. in Room 190 at the high school for all interested persons. Instructors will be Ken Carlsen and Katie Cleaver. '76 ends with lower inflation WASHINGTON (UPI) Consumer prices rose 0.4 per cent in December and 4.8 per cent throughout 1976, providing Americans with the lowest year-end inflation rate in four years, the Ijbor Department reported.

The 197G figures reflected a fulfillment of President Ford's promise to bring inflation below 5 per cent by' the end of his tenure. But economists anticipate no further improvement during the next two vears. inaugural message stressed a "spirit and purpose rather than direction." He said he agreed that the country does need to redirect iteself to basic and lasting goals rather to strike out in new directions. The governor also said he particularly agreed with Carter's statements that Americans must learn that "more is not necessarily better" and that "we can't afford to do everything." "We must start concentrating on doing what we do better," Snelling said. Brattleboro's seesaw vote now tips to Emond MONTPELIER (UPI) Democrat Robert Emond of Brattleboro appears to have won election to the Vermont House after all.

A recount Thursday by the House Municipal Corporations Committee of Nov. 2 general election ballots turned around a court ruling and gave Emond a victory by a slim one vote margin over Republican Sydney Nixon. The committee is expected to recommend to the full House next week that Emond be seated as one of Brattleboro's representatives in the House. Following a recount session of more than two hours, committee chairman Richard AUard, D-St. Albans, announced Emond was the winner by a 572-571 margin.

On Nov. 2 Emond led Nixon by a narrow two vote margin, 571-569. But a Nov. 12 recount requested by Nixon whittled that lead to only one vote, 570-569. Nixon's lawyer, Charles Cummings, called for another look at the ballots in a dispute over so-called "spoiled ballots." later, a special three-man panel, under the direction of a Superior Court judge, examined the "spoiled ballots" and found the election had resulted in a 569-569 tie.

The panel voted 2-1 that me of the ballots should be awarded to Nixon. That opinion was upheld by Superior Judge Ernest Gibson III, who gave the election to Nixon by one vote. Nixon was sworn in as a House member, but his lawyer, John Carnahan of Brattleboro, requested and received a legislative recount by the House Municipal Corporations Committee. State firefighters convene, tell progress of courses The January meeting of the executive board of the Vermont State Firefighters' Association was held at the Fire Station in White River Junction Jan. 16 with 31 officers and one guest present.

The meeting was chaired by president Robert M. Simon, (liief of the Kast Mopt- Fire Department. Supervisor of training Walter B. Read ex-chief of the Kast Dorset Fire Department, reported that the 45-hour basic firemanship course is in progress at Canaan, Bristol, Norwich University, East Dorset, Wells, Charlotte, Clarendon and Marshficld; an 18-hour operations course lit Stratford; and a new in- structor's school. Howard C.

Dailey, deputy chief of the Manchester Fire Department and secretary- treasurer of the association, reported that final total membership for 1976 was 4,970, the highest ever. Membership for 1977 is now coming in and is at 1,570. William Remick of White River Junction, chairman of the convention committee, announced that plans are well under way for the 1977 annual conference to be held August 12, 1.1 and 14 in Bennington. Early motel reservations were urged since the conference coincides with the bicentennial celebration of the Buttle of Gloria Gil discusses rights of women The role of women is changing in Vermont and there are new laws being formulated in the legislature to implement that change. This legislation was reviewed by Gloria Gil Monday evening before the Bennington University Women at the home of Claire Killen.

Mrs. Gil spoke on existing laws, those being introduced in Montpelier, and on possible new ones. As juvenile defender, chairman of the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women, member of the Governor's Commission on the Administration of Justice, and nationally a member of the Commission on the Observation of International Women's Year, Gloria Gil is thoroughly involved with social reforms and legislation affecting new rights that are being outlined, studied and acted upon in the Vermont legislature. She has been involved with the Committee to Revise the Criminal Code, the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council and the Commission on Children and Youth. She belongs to the League of Women Voters, the Offender Aid and Restoration of the U.S.A.

(community corrections programs), and has been with the Advisory Council for Training Community Volunteers in New York City, the Bennington Day Care Program and the Bennington-Rutland Opportunity Council. Legislation pending in Vermont expressly relating to women includes a proposed rape bill, divorce property settlement, child custody guidelines, and a possible bill concerned with family violence, relating especially to wife- beating and child abuse Briefly, the proposed rape bill would: 1. limit evidence admissible against the victim of a sexual assault, 2. eliminate the special recr.iiranents that a rape victim's testimony must be corroborated, 3. include in the definition of "rape" homosexual and other forms of sexual attack, 4.

establish guidelines for the degree of rape, 5. state that previous sexual conduct not be permissible in deciding if a person is truly a victim of rape. 6. also allow a victim to testify but once in the case of gang rape (rather than be required to take the stand against each defendant individually). The bill is 34.

Mrs. Gil suggested that a letter written to representatives in Montpelier urging passage of the rape bill would greatly help the cause of this reform legislation. Partly because of the stigma attached, and because of legal harassment a victim has faced in the past, a preponderance of rape cases were never reported and still others were not acted upon to obtain a conviction. As the problem was delineated and studied, it was found that a rape is not a sexual attack per se, but really an expression of violence and is committed in anger; it is an assault, she explained. Other pending Vermont legislation relates to divorce and establishing standards and guidelines for uniform disposition of property settlements, and child support and spousal maintenance.

Another aspect of the divorce bill being studied is to consider the best interest of the child in determining which parent will be most suitable for continued care. This eliminates the automatic pre-judgment that the woman is the one who is best qualified to assume responsibility of a child's welfare. Wife-abuse legislation is certain to be considered in the future, Mrs. Gil said. A community-care refuge center is about to open in Burlington.

In Brattleboro and in Rutland services already exist. The legislation suggested is a bill requiring police departments to report and include wife-beating complaints in statistical records, and to provide emergency rooms. For future consideration, Mrs. Gil reported that separate Social Security benefits for homemakers is being discussed on a federal level. The goal is to enable a woman to look forward to Social Security credits (based on her husband's earnings from total family income even though he might divorce her).

This defines marriage as an economic partnership. Currently, 37 per cent of all American women over 40 are now living alone, and due to either widowhood or divorce, are in financial need. An additional effort is being made to establish re-training centers for job skills for these individuals, she said. With the Equal Rights Amendment on the brink of acceptance nationally, Mrs. Gil looked forward to that additional help to equalize opportunities and standards for Vermont women.

One may become personally involved in this drive by contacting: Commission on the Status of Women, Pavilion Office Building, Montpelier, 05602. Mrs. Gil summed up her talk by stating that is important to be a caring member of the community. I $6.9 million value in town '76 was a good year for building 1976 was a pretty good year for Bennington, at least from Zoning and Building Administrator Stuart Hurd's point of view. In his annual report, which he released this week, Hurd stated that, "This year has been a good year for construction for the town of Bennington." He said there were a total of 241 building permits with fees of $13,673, and estimated value of all new construction at $6,917,461.

"The nearly $7 million estimated construction costs this year almost equals the total estimated cost in 1975, which, in itself, almost equalled the total estimated costs for 1972-1974 inclusive." Below is a breakdown of the permits issued their type and estimated construction value: Breakdown Type 1 Family Dwellings Mobilehomes -Residential Garages Residential Additions, Alterations Conversions Industrial Garage Non Residential Buildings Non Residential Additions, Alterations, Conversions Structures Other Than BIdgs. Commercial Bldgs. Waste Treatment Plants Bank Renovation Residential Garage w-apt. above Bowling Alley Camp Doctors' Office Bldg. Rescue Squad Bldg.

Overhead Walkway Water Storage Facility Mobilehomes for Office Heating System Subdivisions Pools Commercial Additions, Alterations Conversions Industrial Additions, Alterations Conversions All Other (use permits, home Total Multiple Dwellings: License Fees Collected Buildings Licensed collected in 1975) Complaints and Violations: Breakdown No. 50 14 21 41 1 11 24 7 4 2 1 1 2 1 9 7 2 5 31 241 Est. Value 37,450 246,725 134,565 5,000 8,645 62,251 22,050 167,000 68,500 150,000 15,000 100,000 500 785,000 145,000 190,000 346,970 1,000 30,000 19,976 13,000 3,222,399 3,430 $6,917,461 Average $1,143,000 $22,860 2,675 3,150 41,750 34,250 392,500 500 6,500 $665.00 133 (balance of fees Zoning Building Demolitions 49 33 7 Resolved 31 16 3 Pending 18 17 4 Pending Court Action 4 1 Bennington. Attending from Bennington county were Francis D. Walker, ex-chief of Bennington Fire Department and past president of the association; Edward Haddad, chief of Bennington Rural Fire Department; Claries 0.

Becker, ex-chief of Shiiftsbury Fire Department and also past president; Brian 1). Wade, captain of Shaftsbury Fire Department and county representative; Edward L. Hopkins first assistant chief of Manchester Fire Department and first vice-president of VSFA. The next board meeting will be held April 17 at the Police Academy in Pittsfnrd. BEFORE LINDBERGH TOOKOFF, THE NG4 HAD LANDED.

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