Portland News (Portland, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 4, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 26, 1978 Page: 2 of 13
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P*B« 3 PORTLAND NEWS. Thursday. Jan. 26. 197R
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TEXAS PRESS
MtMBEft 1978 association
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
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rAUL D LIVOK
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RUTH GITHRIX
JAMBS r. TRACT. JR.
JOHN H TRACY
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Published Every Thursday at 325 Green Taft, Texas
Sacond-Clast Postage Paid at Portland, Texas 7*374
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with tha owMuhor
Full Up
Thic is the main reading room ot the public library. It is the entrance way to the desk. It is
the area where small Iry view films, puppet shows and the like It is the area where copies
are made It is the area |ust in front ot the book shelves Portland is growing. The library
needs to grow to keep the pace You. the voters, are the answer Vote Saturday, Feb 11. in
the city bond election. Vote tor library improvements (News Photo)
In Portland_ ■■■■■■■........
This Week
a
THURSDAY. JAN. &
TOPS b38 7 p m , St Oirietopher by the Sea Episcopal *
(hurch ,
Jaycee* • 7:30 p m.. Community Center
MONDAY. JAN. M
Rotary Club • 12 noon, Community Center
l.ions Club -7pm, Shep’s Little Chicken Shack
TUESDAY. JAN. 11
Portland Church Women 11:30a m , First Presbyterian
Church
Public meeting or city bond issue 7:30 p m , city hall
Volunteer fire department 7:30 p.m., fire station
WEDNESDAY, FEB. I
Kiwanis Club -12 noon, Shep’s Little Chicken Shack.
Portland Area REACT - 7:30 p m . fire station
Portland Sea Gulls Square Dance Club - 8 pm. Com- »
munity Center
THURSDAY. FEB. 2 *'
TOPS 638 - 7 p m , St Christopher by the Sea Episcopal
Church
Gamma Xi chapter of Epsilon Sigma Alpha - 7:30 p m ,
member's home
RENEW YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
For Instance
-by pdl-
THE ADVERTISING pitch
of a couple of years ago.
‘‘You've Come a lamg Way.
' Baby” could be used ef-
fectively in talking about the
Mary and Jeff Bell Public
Library
Prior to 1973 the library was
housed in a much smaller
building which subsequently
was sold, was completely
remodeled and now houses
Whitney-Vaky insurance
In January 1973 Portland
State Bank moved into a new
building leaving an ideal
structure for the city’s library
In February 1973. the city
council approved purchase of
the building A director, or
directors, of the bank would
contribute $40,000 of the pur
chase price and the city would
pay the remaining $40.(too
Later that month. Mr and
Mrs Jeff Bell Jr turned over
the deed of the building to
Mayor Bill Crow Mr and Mrs
ReJI contributed $40000 toward
fhe $8u ooo purchase price
The idea of obtaining this
building as a library goes back
to Mrs Lyra Sparks, president
of the library board at that
time and instigator in having
this fine, modern library
facility available to the people
of Portland
The last year the library was
in the ok) building, circulation
was 10,889 The first year in the
new facility, the circulation hit
31.617
l^ast year <l977i the Mary
and Jeff Bell library handled
52 866 hook transactions
Library people w ho know say
that there can tie no more than
about 13 hooks per linear foot of
bookshelf The Portland
library has 626 feet of book
shelving, enough space for
8.138 books The only trouble is
the library already has 17,000
books on hand and the supply
grows almost daily
Today, demands require that
a library be more than just a
quiet place full of books There
are children activities, and
special events for adults as
well
A city the size of Portland,
which now has some 12.000
residents and growing, is
inadequately served with a
library facility which doesn't
have a community room of
some type where various
related activities can be
conducted
Youngsters now must sit in
the middle of the floor, un
derfool, almost directly in
front of the desk to watch a
puppet show or film while
adults tiptoe through the
crowd trying not to step on the
pinkies Adult gatherings'1
Forget it
Proposition 4 of the city bond
election to be voted on
Saturday. Feb II. would allow
for the expenditure of $72,000
for enlargement of library
facilities.
But. that is not the best part
If approved by the voters,
stacked on top of this 172.000
will tie another $140,000 or so
coming to the city from other
non-taxing sources (foun-
dations. etc l which in essence
will tie a free gift to the people
of Portland
The expansion would add
some 4.000 square feet of floor
space It would provide enough
shelves for 20.M0 hooks It
would include a community
meeting room of about 2.000
square feet It would allow
more sitting, reading and study
area Parking would be
provided in the back of the
building A new door would
provide a back entrance
Portland is growing
Facilities are being out-
peopled
Either the city grows orderly
and facilities keep pace with
population, or the city
stagnates and keeps pace with
decay
City officials, and experts of
Itusf Securities Corp which is
assisting the city in the bond
issue nnints the most severe
possible picture when they say
that the passage of the bond
issue will add 18 cents to the
city tax rate
There are contributing
factors such as increased
property evaluations which
could reduce this estimate
considerably The 18-cent
figure is the highest that they
can possibly envision
Saturday. Feb 11. is crucial
lor Portland
Will it be progress or
retreat?
MOST OK the big birds of the
Special Air Mission operation
at Andrews AFB. near
Washington, have come home
to roost now that the Congress
is in session for a short spell.
All the champagne boon
doggies to here and there are
but memories to the
Congressmen and their wives,
but are continuing debts to be
paid bv the taxpayer
And even r'ritz Mon dale had
to take a final fling to the
Yucatan in sub tropical Mexico
during the blizzards to ‘ study
the energy operation'- there
You've got to be kidding
Of course. Air Force One is
off wandering around Georgia
somewhere as the President
get* in a ‘‘short vacation '
Must be great to be a part of
the Imperial Presidency It
really hasn't changed one iota
Oops, forgot about the
clothes hanger over the
shoulder
DIRTY TRICKS are dead
Not hardly
They are all well and living
as always in Washington
Watergate was just a warm
up period, and it will be a long
time before it goes into over
time
The latest political goody
that tiring* on the odor of
politicking as usual is the firing
of U S Attorney David
Martson of Philadelphia
This U S. attorney had the
very nerve to step on the toes of
some Democratic office
holders including Rep Joshua
Eilberg. D Pa , for hanky-
panky in (he construction of a
hospital
The Rep couldn't stand the
pressure, called the President
The President called his
liatchet man. Attorney General
Griffin Bell of the Georgia
Mafia, and chop. Martson goes
to the shower room
But. there could tie more on
this The tip of the iceberg
could develop into a Titantic
stopper unless of course the
entire sordid mess can tie
squelched by the Carter Bell
purity team
Jt ST IN case there are some
who missed the announcement.
Texas Democratic Senator
Lloyd Bents on has announced
his intention to support the
treaties which would give the
American canal in Panama to
the Tornjos military-Marist
regime
He admitted that his support
m
Books to the gunnels There is no other place to go. Proposed
library expansion would bring space tor more than 70.000
books in the Portland library. Vote Saturday. Feb. It. Vote
tor a better and bigger library tor you and your iamily.
(News Photo)
Band Box
By
Linda Snodgrass
Has the holiday feeling finally left’’ All the glitter is back
m the attic and ckxie friends who were visiting have already
written a card thanking you for the great time The college
bowl games have been plaved. and that familiar headache
has finally disappeared The gifts are no longer new, maybe
even broken Not even leftovers are in the refrigerator' Back
to the ok) grind you trudge the deadlines, the piled-up
papers, the bills, the school work the business trips, and the
hamburger helper Escape the rat race and visit a mouse-at
the Follies'
Mickey Mouse is last one of the many movie characters
that will lie saluted this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
night Donald Duck. Scarlett O'Hara, the Keystone Kops,
Mary Poppms. Snow White, and the Seven Dwarves promise
to put a smile on your face Of course, the Wicked Cjueen
criminals, and Goldfinger will try to spoil your fun. but
seeing whether good tnuinphs over evil will make the
evening even more enjoyable
Added to the classic battle of good against evil is a wide
range of talent Singers, dancers, gymnast* and comedians
will light up the stage, hoping to win first place The acts also
vary greatly from blue jeans to tuxedos If the talent can’t
put some of that holiday feeling back in you. then maybe the
beautiful girls can The follies are famous for their gorgeous
girls and the (i P follies are no different The girls, along with
fantasy and masic, will help you forget the grind for a few
hours Come and have fun You might even get to talk with
your favorite movie character!
Bookshelf
‘Robert Fulton’ A Stimulating Biography
BY LYRA SPARKS
I was interested in reading
the book because Robert
Fulton and George Fulton of
South Texas fame are cousins
(The town of Fulton was
named for George, he was the
Fulton of Coleman-Fulton
Pasture Co., which was later
known as the Taft Kanch-and if
you haven’t read that book you
should-for an insight into your
area.)
Anyhow I found "Robert
Fulton ” by John S Morgan the
most enlightening and
stimulating biography I have
read lately The author calls
Robert Fulton the father or
forerunner of modern
technology Modem technology
takes several things that have
already been invented, puts
them together into a new and
practical concept, and makes
them work In other words,
Robert Fulton didn't actually
invent the steam boat: He put
together the steam engine, the
paddles, and several other
inventions and made them
work
His was an interesting life
Early he was apprenticed to a
jewelry maker in Lancaster.
Pa., his home and specialized
in painting miniature pictures
of people on pins he had made
He had a certain primitive art
style and decided he would be a
painter
He somehow wangled enough
money to finance a trip to
Europe, had a letter of in-
troduction to Benjamin West
under whom he studied, and he
lived in England and on the
continent for 21 years before
returning to his homeland
He managed by his charm
arid wit to he a professional
houseguest He never had
much if any money of his own,
lived off loans from his affluent
hosts loans he was never able
to repay Eventually he gave
up painting and turned to the
study of mechanics for which
he had an aptitude During the
war between England and
France, he developed the
forerunner of the modern
submarine, tried un-
successfully to sell it to both
sides
He returned to America,
obtained financial backing,
and at last put the first
workable steamboat on the
Hudson Since he had obtained*
franchises on shipping in most,
states and since at that time
waster transportation was the
most feasible, he achieved the
wealth he had always Wanted
I found in reading the book
that there must have been
many family similarities
between him and his cousin,
George Both were inventive -
innovative. mechanically
minded, resourceful, with a
spirit of adventure as well as a
large dash of ambition thrown
in I should think that men
would enjoy this book as well
as all readers
Highlights and
by LYNDELL WILLIAMS
AUSTIN — Campaign
spending by statewide can-
didates appears to be mov-
ing toward a new record
The first half dozen re-
ports filed with the secretary
of state by statehouse candi-
dates showed contributions
of more than $1.5 million
and spending of $1.3 million
before the election year ever
began
Gov. Dolph Briscoe
topped the list iri 1977 fund-
raising and 'pending Seek-
ing a third term. Briscoe said
he had received contribu-
tions of more than $800,<XX>
and had spent about the
same amount
His spending more than
doubled that of Attorney
General lohn L. Hill, who
seeks the Democratic gu-
bernatorial nomination. Hill
reported contributions of
$536,032 during 1977 and
pre-campaign outlays of
$335,400
Candidates in the US
Senate race were not in-
cluded in the early filings
They report to federal au-
thorities.
Attorney General Candi
date Price Daniel Jr. far out-
distanced Mark White Jr.,
the other Democratic con-
tender. in contributions and
expenditures
Briscoe applied $208,409
of his 1977 take toward re-
tiring his personal campaign
deficit which once was above
$1 million He put a lot of
his own money into his gu-
bernatorial races of 1968.
1972 and 1974
Sun Setting?
The sun may he setting on
the stale agencies which deal
with the pesky pink boll-
worm, burial association
wtiuM not he popular in Texas
He said Texas polls run about 2
to t against the treaties
l,et's hope the voters will
keep this in mind when they
find his name again on a ballot
Perhaps some changes eould
he made
:iai
li«e
mifirtl'
from HISTORY'S SCRAPBOOK
OAKS AND (VENTS FROM YESTERYEARS
January 27, IXH8 — The National Geographic Society is founded
in Washington. DC.
January 28. 111$ — Congress passes legislation creating the U.8.
(oast Guard
January 21 1891 — Hawaii proclaims as its queen l.iliukalani,
composer of the sung “Aloha Oe "
January to 1933 — “The I .one Ranger." a radio program
destined to become a national favorite, is broadcast for the first
timr
rates, vehicle safety, pesti-
cides and a Stonewall Jack-
son memorial.
But the Texas Navy it still
afloat.
The new Sunset Commis-
sion. which is reviewing
agencies to sec if they should
be continued or allowed to
expire, examined staff re-
ports last week on the six
mentioned above.
Of the group, Texas Navy
Inc., a kind of non-profit
corporation promoting the
Texas Navy and handing out
honorary admiral's commis-
sions, was the only one rec-
ommended for continuation.
The others, the commis-
sion staff found, have out-
lived their usefulness or. as
is the case with the Stonewall
Jackson Memorial Board,
never really came into being
Staff findings will he sub-
ject to a public hearing Feb-
ruary 20-21. Under the Sun-
set Act of 1977, unneeded
state agencies are to he
terminated or consolidated
following review and a
chance to justify their activi-
ties.
Tests Approved
A new program to test
100.000 Texas students on
reading, writing, arithmetic
and citizenship has been ap-
prove by the State Board of
Education.
Achievement tests will he
given in April to pupils se-
lected from elementary, jun-
ior high and high schools in
every region.
About $708,000 is budget-
ed for the tests.
Results will he tabulated
by regions and statewide.
Die program is expected to
judge levels of achievement
for comparison with nation-
al averages and for use in
efforts to improve learning
in the public school system
Courts Speak
The Slate Supreme Court
in a San Antonio case held
hanks do not have to accept
unsolicited deposits for a
checking account.
The 14th Court of Civil
Sidelights
Appeals at Houston reversed
a lower court tcm|x>rary in-
junction halting Nazi party
telephone recordings offer-
ing rewards to whites who
kill non-whites who are at-
tacking them
In a split decision, throw-
ing out a rape indictment in
Orange County, the Court
of Criminal Appeals held
statute* uf iiinuaiion con-
tinue to run though charges
are filed in courts which
cannot try them
The Court of Criminal
Appeals reversed a Dallas
County probation revocation
because the state was not re-
quired to identify an inform-
ant in a heroin sale case,
The State Supreme Court
directed a new trial of a
long-running dispute be-
tween a Waco water supply
corporation and a contrac-
tor who allegedly pul down
a faulty pipe
An order granting a char-
ter for City Savings Associa-
tion in League City was up-
held by the Supreme Court
AG Opinion
The state is required to
purchase available products
and services from non-profit
agencies for the blind at the
fair market price set by the
Texas Committee on Pur-
chase* of Blind-Made Prod-
ucts and Services. Attorney
General John Hill has held
Windfall Seen
New Social Security Acl
amendment* may bring a
$5.8 million windfall to the
Texas treasury, according to
Ihe National Conference of
Stale Legislatures.
The changes call for fiacal
aid to state and local gov-
ernments who handle aid to
families with dependent chil-
dren,
But no local governments
administer welfare in Texas,
so all aid from ihe amend-
ment* will he channeled to
the State Department of Hu-
man Resources. The wind-
fall will go toward meeting
a deficit which had been
projected
Short Snort*
Nominations for purchase
of Texas crude oil next
month are 3.022,125 barrels
a day, with additional de-
mand for 571,515 barrels.
The total is a decrease of
58,225 from January.
Boh Price of Pampa was
installed as a state senator
from the 31st district after
being declared the winner by
232 votes (in a delayed spe-
cial election recount) over
Boh Simpson of Amarillo.
Lloyd W Perkins of Sher-
man was named judge of the
County Court at Law Num-
ber 2 of Grayson County.
April 5 has been set as the
hearing date on a Gulf States
Utilities request for a 13.52
per cent rate increase in an
18-county area. Texas Mu-
nicipal l eague. Port Arthur.
Beaumont. Port Ncchcs.
Groves and Dupont Corpo-
ration intervened with the
Public Utility Commission
in opposition to the increase.
C. R. “Charlie" Sander-
son paid his filing fee for
state treasurer at State
Democratic headquarters.
John Thomas Bean of
Fort Worth and Jack B
Dale of Houston have been
named to new terms on the
Texas Rehabilitation Com- *
mission.
Fair Exchange? •
Sympithy has hee.i railed what
i * tt/l'T another person in ex
< hanye for the details
BUMPER STICKERS
If prosperity returns
w>ve what you con
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Leveen, Paul D. Portland News (Portland, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 4, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 26, 1978, newspaper, January 26, 1978; Taft, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth870907/m1/2/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Bell/Whittington Public Library.