The Sedalia Democrat from Sedalia, Missouri • Page 1

Disappearing act poses $50,000 question for Hamm, city- By DEE CAIN Staff Writer Now you see it, now you Cute, if watching a magician. But not if staring at the ground where about 1,200 feet of railroad track used to be, and you know where it went. That was about the size of things Tuesday morning for Economic Development Director Jim Hamm, who is trying to figure out what happened to a stretch of railroad track that used to connect a Missouri Pacific spur with the west entrance of the old Permaneer Corp. plant, now occupied by McGraw-Edison one time, when Permaneer was there, the track entered at the east end, and ran all the way through the west end. McGraw- Edison never used the rail, and just not there he said.

Hamm made the discovery last week, as he was showing some guests around the plant and grounds. McGraw-Edison has announced it will cease production at the plant, 305 North State Fair on March 17. Hamm said when McGraw- Edison moved into the building, it filled the inside with concrete-but nobody seems to know what happened to the rest of the track. Hamm said he has talked to McGraw-Edison officials who were with the company when it first moved in, in June, 1975, and they say as far as they can remember, the track there then, he said. also talked with Missouri Pacific officials, who say they pulled out their two spurs last summer, but did not remove any extra track.

The spurs simply became too expensive to maintain, they told Hamm. He has not contacted anyone in the Permaneer it has since declared bankruptcy, he said. Permaneer closed its Sedalia operations in October, 1974. Which leaves Hamm with the same old question: What happened to almost $50,000 worth of railroad track? just know. There are so many he said Tuesday morning.

still Any guesses? until I have the he said. Delmer Ogalsbee, assistant plant manager at McGraw- Edison, said he was with Hamm when he walked the grounds last week, and as was as surprised as Kamm about the whole thing a shock to me, though, because as far as I was concerned, it supposed to be he said. never been there since been always used that side as our loading dock for Ogalsbee said he first came to the plant in September, 1975. The othei' question Hamm wants answered is: Just exactly who paid for the track in the first place? If it was paid for with the proceeds of the industrial bond issue that built the Permaneer plant, then the track was city property. If the case, he needs to find out what, if any, protection the city has against lost railroad track, he says.

Whatever the answers turn out to be, Hamm says Sedalia has no obligation to reinstall the track, but said obviously the connecting rail track was one of the big marketing points of the plant Hamm said he hopes to have the mystery solved by Wednesday. Ice star This rather confusing design resembles on ice Star Pettis County's snow-covered highways in freez- in space, with icicles reaching out in all directions, ing temperatures, causing the icicles to form in Actually, it's a hubcap on a car that traveled along this unusual pattern, (Staff Photo by Bill Zieres) Local firms complying with cutback request Three of the eight local firms asked Monday by the Missouri Public Service Co. (MPS) to reduce their weekly production schedule by 16 hours starting next week came up with compliance plans by noon Tuesday. The decision on what to do was probably easiest for Dale Chapman, manager of the local Beatrice Foods plant the company is slated to shut down its manufacturing operations anyway, effective next Monday. This closing was announced earlier this year.

The American Electrical Industries first-week compliance plan calls for the elimination of the 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. shift next Monday and Tuesday. During the following week, a work holiday has already been scheduled for March 8 because of.the company record of work without industrial accidents. This holiday will extend from 8 a.m.

March 8 to 4 p.m. March 9. Originally, production was scheduled to resume at 8 a.m. March 9. The company operates 24-hours- per-day, seven-days a week.

Plant Manager Robert Hardwick said company officials are trying to equalize the necessary work-loss for as many employees as possible. Wayne Westbrook, of the Pittsburgh Corning said company officials will submit a compromise proposal Tuesday to MPS ficials calling for a drastically reduced electrical consumption schedule rather than a complete plant shutdown. Westbrook said that, because of the nature of the insulation manufacturing process, it would take a week to resume production if the plant was forced to close completely. Pittsburgh Corning also operates on a 24-hour, seven-days-week format. want to have to lay people Westbrook said.

certainly hope the MPS will look favorably upon our H.W. Swearingen, vice president of the Lamy Manufacturing said his compliance plan has not yet been completed got 350 employees to want to work out something that will disrupt their schedule and pay checks as little as He added that making every to come up with a compliance plan and that the plan should be forthcoming. At Tullis-Hall Dairy, still studying the said company vice president Kenneth King Tuesday. put us in a bad position like, of course, it has other local have so much milk to he said, and that was his primary concern. Asked if his firm might have to reduce its purchases of raw THE SEDALIA DEMOCRAT Vol.

110, No. 37 Sedalia, Tuesday. Feb. 21.1978 30 Pages 15 Cents Serving the of Central Missouri Advice to Carter: Do what you must milk to correspond with a decreased work schedule, he said but he emphasized that no final decision has yet been made. At Sedalia Cold Storage, a unique problem exists.

Unlike many companies that can turn off machinery and equipment and start up days later with no problem, Waldo Fuchs will have freezing rooms full of perishable items that will erioriate if the freezers are shut off even for a short period of hours. comply, sure we will, but as to exactly how I really know Fuchs said. turn our lights out, but always careful about that Delbert Wagenknecht, of Town and Country Shoes, said Tuesday, really know what the company will do to reduce its work schedule by 16 hours next week. He said, however, a plan will probably be finalized later Tuesday. Rival Manufacturing Co.

officials are also plotting a compliance strategy, but no final plan had evolved by Tuesday morning, according to works manager Vernon Roddick. The Sedalia firms were among 152 industries in 28 western Missouri counties being asked to voluntarily cut back on electrical usage. Residential customers are also be- (Please see FIRMS, Page 4) WASHINGTON (AP) President Carter won bipartisan support from congressional leaders today to do he needs to to end the marathon coal strike, according to the leaders who met with Carter. Senate Republican Leader Howard Baker of Tennessee, after meeting with Carter, told reporters: think the president must do whatever he needs to Carter is holding off on strong action to end the lengthy coal strike while administration officials assess mine owner response to a tentative contract agreement reached by the United Mine Workers and a major independent producer, the Coal Co. Several of the lawmakers who met with Carter said the accord gave that an dustrywide accord still can be negotiated.

They said a negotiated settlement is preferable to any other option, a view the Carter administration has often expres.sed. Baker said failure to resolve the bargaining stalemate could result in possibly tens of millions out of Baker and the other participants at the meeting did not give blanket advance approval for specific steps the president might take. But the con- weathor Clear and cold with the low in the teens. Vanable cloudiness Wednesday with the in the 30s. Winds light and variable tonight.

The temperature today was 6 at 7 a.m. and 15 at noon; high Monday was 28, low was 5. Lake of the Ozarks stage; not available. Sunset today wul be at 5:57 p.m.; sunrise Wednesday at 6:56 a.m. inside Upgrading the teaching profession in Missouri a positive step.

Editorial, page 6. Favorites advance at the Northwest regional. Sports, page 8. Senate committee kills tax bill. Page 5.

gressional leaders indicated broad- based support for presidential leadership in what they said could become a national crisis by April. Senate Democratic Whip Alan Cranston of California spoke of strong bipartisan for presidential leadership in resolving the stalemate. Rep. Thomas S. Foley, said the meeting produced a consensus that Carter be given much latitude as Foley expressed the view that whatever steps the president might take would receive strong congressional support.

White House press secretary Jody Powell said administration officials had met before the congressional breakfast to discusss the agreement and would meet again later in the day. Asked what the administration thought of the agreement and whether it would try to sell the pact as a national settlement, Powell replied: not going to make a No, I think trying to sell But the press secretary added: negotiators understand that if this thing get settled, then the president is going to act very The bargaining council voted 23-16 Monday to accept a tentative contract proposal with Coal a Denver-based Gulf OU subsidiary. There was no immediate response from the Bituminous Coal Operators Association, the major industry bargaining arm which has been unable to reach a contract settlement with the union. But government and industry officials suggested that the tentative settlement might form the basis for an industry-wide agreement for end-' ing the 78-day strike. High court says no to Gay Lib review WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court today let stand a lower decision that forced the University of Missouri to recognize as a student organization a homosexual group that the school contends encourages students to break the sodomy laws.

The justices refused to hear the appeal charging that membership in the group. Gay Lib, will cause students with tent homosexual tendencie to become overt Four votes are needed to grant the review, and the appeal received affirmative votes from three members Chief Justice Warren E. Burger and Justices William H. Rehnquist and Harry A. Blackmun.

In a dissent for himself and Blackmun, Rehnquist indicated that he considered the refusal to recognize the group as within its authority. School officials said students would homosexuality as normal behavior rather than to seek medical treatment for the medical illness of The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last June that the refusal to recognize Gay Lib as a student organization at its Columbia, campus violated the rights of the members to free speech, freedom of association and equal protection of the law. The appeals court, in reversing a ruling by a federal trial judge in favor of the university, said school officials could offer no proof that the group or its members advocated the breaking of any law or even intended to break any law. Missouri is one of many states in which sodomy, deemed to be is outlawed.

The appeals vote was 2-1. In the majority was then Judge William Webster, who soon will become director of the FBI. Gay Lib sued university officials after unsuccessfully seeking recognition in 1971. The board of curators simultaneously turned down a request for recognition from a group called the Gay Union at the Kansas City campus. The university officials said their interests in withholding formal of a group when such recognition likely bring about violation of criminal should outweigh the Gay Lib interests.

Senate huddles in private to discuss Torrijos charges WASHINGTON (AP) The Senate, after clearing its visitors galleries and locking its doors, held a secret session today to discuss charges that Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos has been involved in drug smuggling. Guards required everyone in-the public and press galleries overlooking the chamber to leave after Vice President Walter F. Mondale observed that the closed session was about to begin. A security officer dismantled two telephones in the press section even though no one was allowed in there. Earlier, security guards had checked to make certain that equipment being used to provide live broadcast of the public debate was disconnected.

About a dozen senators were on the floor when the doors were closed, including Bob Dole, who had requested the closed session, and Sen. Birch Bayh, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which has custody of classified files dealing with the narcotics trafficking allegations. Majority Leader Robert C. Byrd, set in motion a quorum call to summon absent members. Byrd declared that it would live meaning that it would continue until a majority of senators were present.

The last secret session was July 1, when the Senate debated the neutron bomb. The closed session came as the Senate continued debating the two treaties that would relinquish control of the Panama Canal to Panama by the year 2000. Dole said Monday he would move to make public the charges involving Gen. Torrijos and members of his family. statement came after he examined a classified report on the information to be put before the closed- door session by the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Byrd cautioned during debate that Senate rules strictly prohibit senators and their employees from disclosing classified intelligence material, unless the Senate approves such disclosures. need for such strictures is said Byrd, are dealing in the realm of national In asking for the secret session. Dole said he still has questions about the allegations despite a statement from the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration that Torrijos never been a target of that is Dole responded. should he have been the target of Commenting on the range of allegations the committee looked into, Sen. birch Bayh, the chairman, responded that read some of this stuff in the newspapers.

Some of it is true and some of it is false. We tried to ferret out the Material from the DEA files previously leaked to the media included unverified agent field reports. During floor debate. Sen. Kaneaster Hodges, announced he plans to vote for ratification.

announcement brought to 54 the number of swiators who have said they will vote for the treaties or who have indicated they are leaning that way. In a continuing Associated Press tally, 15 senators still are listed as uncommitted. Thirty-one say they are opposed or leaning ih that direction..