The Conshohocken Recorder, June 18, 1959

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TA 8-4600 Vol. No. 9005 Thursday June 18. 1959— 10c • BH 9-l»U>
Retail Huh ;$0 Burglaries
At Harmonville Add to Terms
Is Opposed I Vre Ser\ing
Sh |i«n<lal>l>
Issued Every Week
lot .Ml \ < 'ill'S
Parkin" fur 950
ijil> l*D--ilil« on
13-Arrv Trad
Efforts to establish a shopping
center in the vicinity of Ridge and
Butler Pikes and Karr; Lane. Ply
niuuth Meeting, rer. Into roufh Mas
far the second time Monday night
u nen the developers. Plymouth
Square Inc. sought special exerr;,
t.uns for approval of Lhetr >iaita
Hum the toning board of adjust-ment
of Plymouth township.
Tlif Hilling change required to
pave the way for the establishment
of the retail center had h
contested at .1 public hearing r«-
csjoCfJ by residents of Little Ave.
n LWM, whirl 1 abut the
S-le proposed for the development.
The zoning change. However, was
granted.
Monday night UHM H of the
rumplalnant* again turned out to
<iue«llun and In unr sakssa prole*t
plan* presented by J-i- -jili lluter*.
agent fur the developer*, fur the
erection u( a 13-arre shipping hub,
■Mil *HI feature in \AV super-i.
irkei and a r. It Woolworth
'Continued on Pope Serent
Four convicts were sentenced to
long terms In the Kaatern peniten-tiary
by Judge William P. Danne-hower
yesterday for a aeries of 90
house burglaries In Montgomery
county Last year.
The heaviest lerm, » to 7S years,
was glvon Rulus J. Hawkins. »
The sente: - la 10 run concurrent- ,
Iy with a similar term he Is eerv-'
lng at present for robberies in
Philadelphia.
tames A White, 36, received a
len ence of IS to 4ft yee>rs to run
c^ii urrenily 1.1th a similar term
he u now serving.
Thomas M. Rollinaon. 25. and
John O Oar.gkiff. 71, received one
to five yearn each to begin at the
end of one and a half to five year
terms they are now serving
They were arrested last Decem-ber
by Philadelphia police wlio
found Je rlry and other valuables
In Hawkins home. It Is estimated
that their total loot In Montgomery
County was worth 150.000
Chief Edgar E Mitchell, of
Whitemarsh township, tesiifiel
that the defendants ataged cigl."
robberies in that township. They
also committed three In Plymouth
two in Norristown and most the'
others In Lower Merlon township.
Lfwrwl Hi.I: 928,6351
d Mitspirators•..
8 'tufor lAyht af Truth
Conipifsey mJml ■ Mmtftpar, j-artieulaHy for po-ttttcal
ravwDfe, la1 fadenl offeMo. Through loajai ■etuo
trtbll ItMneagU may IK» recovered.
Nearly four >< ;tr> ay;o a numU'r of individuals active
mil Hill, moat "1' th«'!n doing business in the com-munity,
entered into a boycott that has continui-sly <U-pi-
ivfil Una nowanapar 'if u stibstmitiiil nmuunt of adver-tiitinjr
every week since November, 1955.
JMst.jfd by an apparent disregard by the publisher
to infinite action through the Justice Department to re-oovar
in BS0U« of $100,000 damages, one of the principal
(•inspirators freely admitted his group's shameful boy-cott1
">f The Herald at a public meeting in Plymouth
township and boisterously advocated, in the presence of
lfiO adult citizens, general boycott of a second Weekly Ke-vi
w publication. The Conshohocken Recorder. His de-i-
ugatory < .--marks alwut The Recorder and its editor had
to do with an exclusive disclosure of fire hazards and
structural defects in a number of public schools in Ply-mouth
and Whitemarsh townships.
What was Eli K. Schmidt, proprietor of a hardware
btiabMH "on the Hill" doing at a meeting of taxpayers in
Plymouth township? Like his benefactor. Lloyd P. Wells,
Schmidt la a registered voter in a nearby community, not
in Chestnut Hill. Wells, ringleader of the conspiracy, and
executive director of the Chestnut Hill Development
Group, is a registered voter in Springfield township.
It was not Grange, therefore, that Schmidt, who
lives in Plymouth Valley, was on the prowl to harm Weekly
Review Publishing Co. Inc.
Anybody possessing a small degree of sincerity would
have had the curiosity and the courtesy to make an effort
to determine whether there was evidence to support the
revelation by The Recorder, and, subsequently, by The
Heiald, concerning the existence of fire hazards in the
scln.ols. BchnUdt hadn't the slightest interest in the facts;
all he wanted was to slap down a Weekly Review paper.
Why? Reraii.se this firm had had a hand in preventing
Lloyd P. Wells getting a coveted civilian appointment in
city government. Wells, at the time, was a registered
Republican in Montgomery county working for a Demo-cratic
incumbent in Philadelphia City Council!
So Schmidt screamed "Boycott!"
"Start your own • paper like we did in Chestnut Hill
because we didn't like the editor!" Schmidt shouted, de-fiantly,
at a PTA session.
That was Monday, February 2, 1959.
The board of education of Plymouth township held a
■pact*] moating TliMfllj night this week. The purpose: to
awanl bids to provide minimum safety against fire haz-ards
in two schools, Plvnumth Consolidated and Black
Horn*. The cost: *28.<M5. Next lowest bid. $33,970.
The final figure had been pared down from an esti-mated
*t>6,000 originally thought necessary in order to
meet maximum safety requirements in the two schools.
Let's look again at the groundless remarks by Kli K.
Schmidt, a "Chestnut Hill merchant" as he identified
himself that winter night at the Highfleld Elementary
school. Wnat else did he say? Here it is, from The
Recorder and The Herald of Thursday, February 6, 1959:
"Mac's in his glory when he's got something like this.
He is sueing me now for libel and he can sue me again if
he likes."
Some of the conditions described by Harold McCuen.
editor of this newspaper, have l)een corrected. We note,
with deep regret, the death on Friday of sfcjtjsk Wigmore
Jr., architect, through whose cooperation a serious haz-ard
at the Plymouth-Whitemarsh Junior High school was
corrected soon after this newspaper brought the matter
to his attention personally.
Schmidt insisted there was nothing wrong in the
schools. The newspaper disclosure was nothing more
than a Weekly Review editor again heckling somebody,
Schmidt declared in his public utterances four months ago.
If there was nothing wrong, why expenditure -
ling in excess of $28,600 just to assure minimum safety
in only two school buildings?
Schmidt -nay have an answer. It should l»e fnrth-
•ight acknowledgment as to the value of consistent com-munity
service performed by this newspaper without fear
or favor ever}' week.
• Schmidt was referring to the Chestnut Hill Local! printed by
Fred Berger. Several monUis ago Berger. seizing the opportunity
f-vhmldt opened for htm. started The Challenger through an arrange-ment
with the Conshohocken Chamber of Commerce. Wells, Schmidt
. d Berger are working together to attain positions of power, prts-e
and Influence of calieoidliiauj pivpoiUun opeiii> deamued oy
v> I'Ua himself aa "a form of super-government."
Safely from Fire
To Cost $28,633
In Two Schools
Work Must Be Completed
By Aug. 7 at Black Horse
And IMMIUIIIIII Consolidated
field township. Checking score against bullet holes are
Sgt. Raymond Alexander, right and Officer Peter Ven-luiii.
left, of Conf&ohocfetn PoUea department, yester-day.
Pistol instructor is Robert Musters of the FBI.
(Weekly Review photo by William SprWaflaW
Sgt. Alexander. Other Officers Given Diplomas
AIM TO KILL —With capture in Middlebon.. Mass.
of two cop-killers and kidnapers in hail of gunfire.
jreaterttajr, instruction in nwel effa ttve mt of Irwrmi
■ -truuis business at Turner pistol range in Spring-
Sgt. Raymond Alexander and
Patrolman Pete Verniers, of the
Conshohocken Police deportment
received diplomas from the PHI
Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police
school yesterday at the Sgt. Ed-ward
Turner Memorial Pistol
Range, fit en ton Ave.. Spring-field
township.
The school, under direction
of Chief John Jellison of the
Springfield township police de-partment,
gives a three day
course In use and procedures of
practical police fire anna. Rou-bert
Masters. FBI Instructor in
use of fire arms, was in charge
of pistol shooting on the range.
Bgt Alexander and Patrolman
Verniers were the first two
members of the Conshohocken
Police department to attend the
school. Chief Hat wood said all
members of the police depart-ment
will attend the school.
Chief Hsrwood said all mem-bers
of the police department
will attend the school.
Bach year two policemen from
each of UM townships In Mont-gomery
county are sent to the
ahcool.
Diploma* also were presented
Harry D Hallman of Montgom-ery
township; William S. Oar*
aer «nd Paul R Ruosberger.
of Upper Owynedd; James A, P.
Kelly and Thomas R Rebbl. of
Cheltenham; Bouse Sgt.
Thomas Pitspatrlck of Spring-field;
Hgt. Harry Weak*, Lt.
H. Leslie Winner. Michael lates-ta
and Russell Duckworth, all
of Hatboro; William B Finlan
and Oeorge Prnnan. or Ablng-ton
and Elmer W. LFn:r of
Whitpa In.
Reno\atlons to Plymo
solldated and Black H<rsr gffAosjl
to bring both building* into agss>
pllance with minimum requlremeui*
of the state fire code will coat lit.
Borough
School Tax
Unchanged
kfi H Mill*
Again. But Drfi.il
1- Anticipated
The iS mill property tax rate li
unchanged In adoption of the IBM-'.
00 budget of MM.872 was adopted :
Friday night by the board of edu-cation
of Uie Conshohocken School
District
But the directors expressed doubt
the present mlllsge will enable
them to remain out of debt by the;
end of the fiscal vear Tills years
budget is 130.000 lees than Uie 1060-
Mt figures.
Continued also la the $10 per cap-ita
tax Imposed by the board
It is Indicated that a tax boost
probably will be In store by June.
I960
With four directors at the aes-
■l«n prntldlng a minimum quorum,
a rrquest Iran the Borough Pars
and Recreation Council for a |M6
"etnergrnry appropriation t« rnn-tlnur
fall operation nf Summer
paras ecbedale" was laMed. Ml
seven directors will be able to vote
•■ the rewwett at the July session,
a ssokesossn said.
Contract* wore awarded tar fuel
oil and general nrpplic* Rtt tota
the high school and Hervey B
Walker Elemen*ary school to Kurts
Bros.. Philadelphia, for supplies.
02.OM, and to F. and J H. Mavis
Co. (.'onahohocken. for fuel oil at
the going tank oil price
Permission to borrow up to 130,-
000 for operation of Uie school dis-trict
until receipts from the state
end oilier sources are received was
granted Oeorge Snear. treasurer.
Bills totalling W,0676o were or-dered
paid.
Directors tn attendance were
Oeorge Sugar. Dr. William E
Brandt. Dr. Walter I, Willis and N.
J Romano.
707 Attain Honors
AtSt.Matthew'sHigh
SAFBTi BANNER John Wood Co, Hooter and Tank dui-don. raises the
Green Cross for Safety pennant at special ceremony Friday at Conshohocken plant.
Taking part are. from left, John Gotwals, vice-president; Maurice Tevilley from Wa i-sau;
Michael Krotchko, president, Local 2964, United Steel Workers of America,
and Carroll (I. Stewart Jr., personnel manager. William Kyriss, guard, holds pen-nant
rope in background. Fennpnt flies on a monthly basis indicating "No Lost
Time Accidents" within the plant. rVoaklr B«vi*w photo by Wiii>an Sprbaafiotd
The Rev. Walter Laut. principal
of St. Matthew's High school, an-nounces
107 students are placed on
the honor list for the term now
ended. Of this number, 4S received
first honors. W, second honors.
Jl'MOKS. first honors: Lorraine
Bakula. Margaret Carney. Mnrle,
Costello. Jacqueline Dougherty. John
Hamaday, I.eona Horchak, Felicia
Jemionek. Joseph Marlnari. Wayne
Malison. Mary Alice McOee, Char-1
lotM Plenkos, Thomas Pohle. Irene
■ORRT NOW AND SICK — Montgomery County
Courta \estei-day authorized mental examination for
William I^-flar. left, in coniMftfon with his arrest for
choking a cousin, four year-olil Deniae Notion, of K*J K.
Fourth St., Bridgeport, on June ](
Just;,, of -| . j,.,,,,. John A. Tori
l'-.liee Chief Ortvo poWlBori off i
Rearing
. Bridfoport, v.i,.h
■■ tcstln ■
Poif>msk«, Theresa Tarkmska. Jo-anne
Wallace. Mary Jane Wlsnicws-ka,
Carol Yurcaba.
JLNIURM, second honors: Joseph
Bicleckl. Anita Bobetineth. John
Bruno, Richard Campbell. Elaine
Cardsmone, Sandra Cardamone,
Mary Ann Chrlstof, Nancy Clark.
Barbara Detwller, David Pondots.
Robert Goldberg. Prlscllla Kobus-xewska.
John Paaqualinl. Rit» Per-glnc.
Mary Ann Porrecca. Beverly
Pultorak, Joaeph Sloss, Edward Sos-nowy,
Anne fitromberg.
.iOFHOMHRFK, first honors:
Car tlrn Birch, Joanne Capone.
Francis Costello, Andrea Di|»i«)liic.
John Ford. John Oraham. tit-rnld
Hamaday, Anne Mazier*. Louise
(Continued on Page Serenj
Menial Testa
Uuder Wav for
Win. Leflar
Two Norristown physicians were
appointed yesterdsv by Judge For-rest
to examine William Leflar. »
of W. Fifth St. Bridgeport, ac-cused
of seeking to strangle his
four-year-old cousin. Denise Nation,
daughter of Robert and Elizabeth
Nation. 02 E. Fourth St. Bridge-port,
gfl June 10
Dr Albert O Davis and Dr. J L
Barthold were assigned by Judgr
Forrest to carry out the mental ex-amlnaUon
The defendant is in the
county Jail.
The action was taken on appli-cation
of Attorney William B Koch,
representing Leflar.
Leflar. who said he had been
drinking at the time, was baby-sitting
for his relatives when the ■
incident occurred tn the Nallon
After the child became uncon-'
aclous he went outside and asked]
someone to rsll the police
"LefUr (s ronfased In his mind,"
the sttornev said. "He U awfullv
ashamed of what he did He admiu
he is >tck and need* help and In-stltoUonal
treatment. In farl, some
time bark he realised nomethlng was
wrong and he ronimilled inm-Mi
tuhitilarllv lo an In-lltutlon. As a
result I asked for Ihe appi>lntmriil
nt an esamlnlng mmmis'iii under
Ihe Menial Health Art."
■B uscer-
' tamed Tuesday night at a special
r meeting.
| Opettlng of bids took pla<e bj no
! cafeteria of the Ptymo.ah sdiool.
I The low bid. entered I
• m:i>>rl. of Luosdate. Wag
sjsjsj S7000 in excess of an esti-mate
filed seveisl »rek- ago by the
scliool archlteckt the late Josepii
V. inmore Jr
Repaln al Pbraowlh t .m-uhdaied.
which till Im Imlr tlir erecttun oi
an tndmtr Are lusrr. inslalUlluii if
tire donra and replarentenl of nil
board erlllngs In the ba,emeut area
with lathe and platter, wa* tallied
at in.34» The Job had aeon e>U-suated
at S15.6M.
Similar alterations at the Dl.uk
Horse achool, where an existing al-tcrnate
stairwell will bt Inclosed,
eliminating the need for constniit-ing
a new fire tower, ftl priced by
the low bidder at 111 MC nn increate
of so.140 over an estimate of tifaW
Of a total of seven ronlrarUng
Hrma triim whom Mri* were soaghi.
only two l<li|. were rereitnl I
i htfi.ni Ilwrell A non, ..1st Ml.
( armel Ave., North HUH, tsld %■■■,.■
til fee tho rmwWaed Job.
Visibly perturbed by the lark of
bids and the discrepancy betweeu
the estimates and the risking price,
the school directors reluctantly ac-i-
epted Andrlchyn A Schnabel's bid,
■ubject to an arrliitects approval.
The action was taken after the
school board went into an executive
huddle to determine If the unex-pected
Increase in costs could be
absorbed by the new budget
In excepting the kid. Jaaaes D.
hrtwfler. a member of the erhoal
board, reminded a represent a live of
the low bidder of tbe Importance
of finishing the projrrt bv raosple-tlon
date, Aug. 1, In order to coni-
<t*j whh rewwlremenls set forth by
1 the stale department of labor and
industry.
Cardln D Brown, supervising
principal of the PlymouUi-Whlte-marsli
achool districts, said that if
the work was not completed in time
for school opening, pupils would
have to be transported to other
district schools or housed In other
temporary quarters "which would
prove both expensive aud Incon-venient."
Tony Gabrille
Seeking Parole
W iff SlOH HP
Will <;<> In Work
A Conaliohocketi vmnan lias pe-titioned
the Montgomery County
Court lo parole her husband from
prison. A hearing will be held Fri-day
nest week.
Mrs. Dolores Osbrllle told the
court Uie financial support of her
husband. Tony, is needed by Uie
family. In addition she feels he has
been puniahed sufficiently.
Oabrille was convicted on a
worthless check charge and was
sentenced by Judge Dannehower
last Nov. 7 t»l serve from II to 31
months tn pn*...i She reports her
husband lias an excellent prison
record.
Oabrille. 33 is a stone mason,
gas station operator and mainte-nance
man If releaaed he will ob-tain
enjoyment mid support his
family which Is now receiving pub-lic
assistance.
I ■ - - Cats I'iM'lt n.l
Dhejctott "f James Lees and Sons
Co ban declared a regular quarter-ly
dividend of M'« cents a share on
Uie 345 cumulative preferred aim res
of the company This dividend Is
payable Aug 3. to stockholders of
record at Uie close of business on
July 19.
Furniture
Sells Fast
Via Classified
Mrs Oeorge s:,*-*. 434 Le-monte
St.. Roxborough, placed
a "For 8*le" classified ad In
Weekly Review Newspapers last
week to ell a sofa and Cogswell
chair.
"I received two calls tie after*
noon the paper was delivered**
says Mrs. Blook and "six calls
the next day. I could have sold
the fttrnlture many times over
However, the second call took
lt."
Only 12 words for $3 and look
.chat happens when yot adver-tize
in Weekly Review News-papers
r
II you have something to
sell. Just call
TA 8-4600
BR 9 0950