The Bastrop County Times (Smithville, Tex.), Vol. 84, No. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 3, 1975 Page: 2 of 14
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SECTION I,PAGE 2
THEJ3ASTR0P COUNTY TIMES, SMITHVILLE, TEXAS 78957
THURSDAY .JULY 3,1975
^ ■
Masons Celebrate 100th Year
imons
Servant Or Master
Texas House Hill 6 guarantees open access to government re-
cords by the public, stating in the Declaration of Policy, "govern-
ment is the servant of the people, and not the master of them it is
hereby declared to be the public policy of the State of Texas that
all persons are, unless otherwise expressly provided by law, at all
times entitled to full and complete information regarding the af-
fairs of government and the official acts of those who represent
them as public officials and employees The people, in delegating
authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what
is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to
know The people insists on remaining informed so that they may
retain control over the instruments they have created."
Falling under the domain of the "Open Records Act " and fur-
ther defined in Article 6252-17a of the Texas Civil Statutes are the
records of the Justice of the Peace
Published in this edition oftheTimesareJP records from Pre-
cinct I ( Bastrop) and Precinct 2 (Smithville) As the reader will
notice "full and complete information" has not been provided by
Justice of the Peace Bonorden of Precinct 2, as the names of those
fined were not provided We print these semi-informative records
to simply po«nt out to readers that free access to "full and
complete information" is being denied in this county to you, the
citizen
Judge Bonorden has refused for some months to open his books
to the press citing his concern over feedback of the published
names of offenders One wonders if this is the only reason the re-
cords have been made unavailable.
It was aftei much compromise that the Times was finally able
to obtain the information which is printed in this week's edition of
the paper, we regret that it is not more thorough.
As a Justice of the Peace is an elected official and therefore a
public servant, perhaps it istimethat "HisHonor" begin conduct-
ing his office as that of a public servant rather than a "master "
Times Photo
Improvement Noted
It was obvious to all after the rains of the past several days that
the Highway Department's attempts to ease the standing water on
Highway 71 in Smithville were a failure Rather than relieving the
problem, the highway work simply enabled the water to spread over
more area and to stand, stagnating.
The water accumulation on Highway 71 has been a problem near
and dear to the hearts of the employees of the Times, who have
many times felt that the sprays of water hitting the building would
reach in through the windows to us. The pounding of the heavy
sprays of rain water thrown off by passing cars and trucks has, in-
fact, broken one window at the Times office and cracked several
others
Not that we, nor local officials do not appreciate the Highway
Department finally attempting to remedythemulti-year problem,
we d<> QnlpVe wish that a thorough study of water drainage from
the highway would have been conducted first
!t is our understanding that several local officials have attempted
to contact highway representatives, no plans were made as to
corr ecting the new problem Maybe in five or six years another
crew will show up to do the job
Observe July 4th Bv Displaying
The American Flag
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Ciwutu
(limes
VOL. 84, NO. 27, THURS., JULY 3,1975
the Bastrop ( ountv Times is published every Thursday m
smithville. Texas bv Tex Pi int C orporation. 205 East Third
Street owned by Todd Publications. Ine William K Todd.
President Second t lass postage paid at Smithville. Texas
78957
WILLIAM K TODD
N<\NfY TODD CATHFl'M4'«
P R. SMITH
KHAN* BUENTELLO
DON L CATHERMAN, II Gen
KENNETH H LONG \
X)ROTHY M TODD
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
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inaging Editor
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J
B> Thelma Davison
W 1 Nuon Lodge *421, AF
it AM, celebrated 100 years of
Masonic service in the Smith-
ville area. Saturday, June 28,
1975 Following the ritual
observances held at the
Masonic Lodge, members and
their guests attended a barbe-
que dinner in the Cafeteria of
Smithville High School.
Master of ceremonies PM
Ted Guyton accorded special
recognition to Mrs Hattie Mc-
Daniel, granddaughter of the
man for whom the Lodge was
named Mrs. Thelma Davison,
Deputy Grand Matron, District
4-Section 8, O.E.S.; Miss
Barbara Calloway, Order of
Rainbow; Mr. Mark Smith,
Order of Demolay, Mayor and
Mrs. Albert Crawford, City
Councilmeti Bill Davison and
Gus Novo sad and Miss Susan
Schroeder who noted her appre-
ciation for the efforts of
members of the Masonic Lodge
and to the Shriners for their
assistance in getting her into the
Shriners Burn Institute at
Galveston when she was just six
years old.
The pledge ofallegience was
led by Miss Galloway and Mr.
Smith, following the invocation
by PM Vanston (M.C. Vanston)
Seated at the speakers table
were Rev and Mrs. Russell
Nees, pastor of the Pres-
byterian Church, Mrs. Frances
Burleson and Mr Tom
Burleson, Worthy Matron and
Worthy Patron of Smithville
Chapter *39, O.E.S.; Past
Master Clifford Ransdell,
Orater of the Grand Lodge of
Texas, representative ofWM
Robert O'Conner of the Grand
Lodge of Texas; Past Master
and Mrs. J V Reader, Past
Master and Mrs. Ted Guyton,
Master and Mrs. H E Huffman;
PGM R Lee Lock wood, Grand
Lodge of Texas, Past Grand
Master Dr Duncan Howard and
Mrs Howard, Past Master and
Mrs. W A Hopper; Past Master
and Mrs M.C Vanston.
Eastern Star members as-
sisting with the registering of
almost two hundred guests were
Mrs. Davison. Mrs. Ethel Free-
man, Mrs Pauline Winston and
Mrs. Burleson.
PM Ted Guyton introduced
Master Huffman, newly elected
Master of the Lodge, who wel
corned t,he guests and read a
telegram from another distin-
guished Mason, President of
the United States Gerald R.
Ford, commemorating the
100th birthday of W L. Nixon
Lodge. Mr Frank Loughridge
was introduced and his status
Heavy Traffic
Forecast
For Holiday
AUSTIN- The director ofthe
Texas Department of Public
Safety today estimated that traf-
fic accidents in the state over
the July 4th holiday weekend
will claim 54 lives.
Colonel Wilson E Speir said
his department expects travel
will be heavy in Texas over the
holiday period "particularly in
and around recreational areas"
such as lakes and beaches
He added that the estimate
covers a 78-hour period start-
ing on Thursday at 6 p. m and
counting until midnight Sunday
Last year during a 102-hour In-
dependence Day Celebration, 4fi
persons were killed in traffic
mishaps in Texas.
Speir also pointed out that
highway traffic deaths are about
25 per cent over the total at this
time one year ago. "This isdue
to increased travel and some-
what higher speeds," he added.
In a concerted effort to help
keep deaths down, the DPS and
local law enforcement agencies
will be cooperating inthe&ll -out
effort to make the streets and
highways as safe as possible All
available DPS troopers will be
on duty, Speir said, and they will
be especially watchful for
drinking drivers, speeders and
persons driving in a reckless
manner
In addition, the DPS will be
working with the news media in
a special public education pro-
gram termed "Operation Mo-
torcide" which focuses public
attention on where and why fatal
accidents are occ urring during
the iio!«day
MEED SERVICE WO"
SYJKT2 COVIBMWIWIT t
as the oldest living Mason
raised in the Lodge, 61 years
was noted
Pins denoting 25 years ofser
vice in the Masonic fraternity
was presented a long list of
members, many of whom had
traveled long distances to attend
the Centennial Celebration
Recognized and welcomed were
the widows of Masons of the
W J Nuon Lodge Eighteen
Lodges were represented, four
Masters and ten fifty-year
members The history of W J
Nixon Lodge was given by Mr
Hooper, including excerpts
from the minute book of 1875
Mr Guyton introduced Past
Grand Master Lockwood, the
speaker, whose remarks were
well received He noted that he
had recently attended a meeting
with President Ford and ex-
pressed hope that many of the
problems facing America would
be resolved. He noted that PM
Guyton had served well in pro-
moting the Masonic Library in
Waco, and commended the
Mayor on the neatness and
beauty of Smithville.
Dr. Howard was introduced
and spoke on the Masonic family
and their works in the world
Community. He noted the joys
of life in a free society and the
need for the fellowship of man
as opposed to the accumulation
of material possessions The
gathering was reminded that
President Ford in one of four-
teen men who have served in the
high office of President of the
United States as members ofthe
Masonic fraternity. The speak-
ers also reminded the gathering
that Masons had been founders
of the little white church houses,
the little red school houses and
the little Blue lodges of
Masonry all across America
that are our heritage today
Special Bicentennial souviners
were presented to the follow-
ing distinguished guests of the
W.J. Nixon Lodge, R Lee Lock-
wood of Waco, Dr. Duncan C,
Howard of Waco, Clifford C.
Ransdell of College Station.
Dr. Geo. H.T French of
Houston and Deed L. Vest of
San Antonio, all educators of
reown
Master Huffman, in his clos-
ing remarks, noted that the re-
cord of the W J. Nixon
Centennial would become a
permanent part of the Bi-
centennial Report. Reverend
Nees intoned the benediction
prayer that all might travel to
their home.1 in safety.
Among those present were
several members of the two
men for wt om the Lodge of
Smithville was named or who
Bv Hospital Board
played important roles in its
establishment Included were
David T Richardson of Dallas,
Great grandson of W J Nixon
and John L. Saunders of
Yoakum, whose great, grand-
father was one of the original
signers of the petition for a
Charter, Mr R A Reiuck,great
grandson and Mrs. Bess
Shelburne, great granddaugher
of J.M. Renick. first Master of
the W.J. Nixon Lodge. Hesigned
the petition for the Lodge to
be known as J Nixon Lodge on
March 21st. 1875.
Rates Reviewed
Hospital insurance rates for
the coming year were discussed
at the June 26 meeting of the
Smithville Hospital Authority,
with local insurance agent Gro-
ver Shade painting a bleak
picture of the situation Ac-
cording to Shade, most rates
have risen steadily over the past
few years, and some of the
hospital properties are now re-
quired to be insured for a higher
percentage of their worth. As
for malpractice insurance
Smithville
Municipal
Court Records
June 20 through 27
Jeffrey R. Ptiilley, Houston;
Speeding - $22.50
Richard S. Fayner, Houston,
Speeding - $17.50
Ronald G. Kalecek. Smithville,
Exhibition of acceleration
Kay Lynn McBeei Smithville; No
Drivers license - $17.50
Tecumesch C Heney, W a eider.
Failure to yield right of way-
$22.50
Leona H Cook, Bastrop; Im-
proper backing - $22.50
Consumer Watch
by p
Tom Shaptey
In recent years there has been much talk about
consumer protection, consumer legislation, and
consumer awareness Now here's a newspaper
column called Consumer Watch. But even with all
this help from federal and state government and
local journalists, the most important form of
consumer protection is self-protection. That's
what this column is all about How you can protect
yourself from products and promoters that can
ruin your budget, cause injury or even cost you
your life.
There are two basic types of consumer pro-
ducts that you should be aware of and protect
yourself from The first type are those that sun
ply cost you too much money for the value you
receive The second type are products that are
dangerous to you and your family if not properly
used The first type can be avoided by sensible
comparison shopping The second can be safely
handled by educating yourself to the potential
dangers of these products.
In the weeks to follow, this column will try to
bring you up to date on information concerning
consumer; information from around the state
around the nation and around the world. Our goal
is to keep you informed enough to save money and
and even avoid serious Injury Your help will be
appreciated If you know of a dangerous product
or a way to save money at the grocery store,
come in and tell me about it
Precious Cargo
Auto accidents arethenumberonekiller of
children The biggest killer In these accidents is
lack of proper restraints Yet the safe transpor
tation of youngsters remains one of the most
neglected areas of public safety Although the
seat belt is acknowledged to be the single most
effective safety device presently available, seat
belt campaigns have ignored the especially
urgent needs of infants and small children Large,
established safety groups haveno special pro
grams to protect child passengers, and most
childcare guides have inadequate information, if
any Lack of information, combined with the in-
accessibility of effective devices has contributed
to public apathy, even on the part of parents who
otherwise conscientiously safeguard their child
ren's health Herethen Is at least some in-
formation on the subject of child transportation
safety
What arc the Special Needs >f Infants
Children'1
and
At present the vast majority of infants and
small children ride in cars without any restraint,
at best, seated in devices that give inadequate
protection or could evenaggrevate Injuries Re-
search has shown that young children dueio their
heav heads and short legs, arc far more likely
tha>< older p«<ople to be thrown about in the car
and sustain Injuries
W.S.1J.U.
B\ P R Smith
rates, Shade informed the board
that it was not a matter of finding
the company with the lowest
rates, but rather just finding a
company which would write a
malpractice insurance policy
Altogether, the mandatory in
insurance coverage for the
hospital authority will cost
more than $13,000 additional
this year over last year
The hospital and Towers
showed a net profit of $160 for
the month of May, according to
the financial report A daily oc-
cupancy rate of 14 .tin the hospi-
tal plus some unusual expenses
caused that facility to show a
loss for the month of $788, while
the Towers showed a profit of
$948
It was reported that the
hospital is experiencing a Bad
Debt average of approximately
10% This compares with the
national average for small
community hospitals of 7%.
Administrator Nyc informed
the board that he had asked that
delivery on theoperating room
light be delayed until after July
1, in order that the cost be
charged to the next fiscal year 's
accounts
Profits for the first five
months of 1975 for the hospital
and Towers show $53,750
In her write up of the Janey Briscoe Award ceremonies last
week, Chamber of Commerce Manager Margaret Mick brought
up the fact that most cities, clubs or other Bicentennial units
have a motto associated with their Bicentennial efforts.
While Smithville's Bicentennial program has done beautifully
without a motto so far, it does seem like a good idea to throw
in the pot
Along with all the other fund-raising efforts planned in the
next year for Jamboree, Bicentennial and recreation programs
how about one of these fund-raisers being aimed at coming up
with an appropriate motto or slogan for Smithville Bicentennial
'76? Any club or organization could sponsor a contest with an
entry fee of 25 cents or so to accompany each suggestion The
winner could be awarded an appropriate prize
Seems like a particularly good suggestion for the Jamboree
Committee, which is trying to raise funds to purchase a perma
nent Jamboree site
We'll see Wednesday evening Just how many folks are interest
ed in organizing awomens and mens softball league here in
Smithville We hear that the men have met and played every night
for the past few summers, but most ofthein had rather just play
a couple of times a week If four teams can be organized for the
men. and a like number for the women, each team can play two
games a week without having to play against the same team At
the end of the summer, a benefit game could be scneduled be
tween the winning mens team and the winning womens team
with appropriate handicaps for the men, of course
Although older children can be effectively pro
tected by standard lap belts, those upto at least
the age of four need special restraining devices
capable of distribution collision forces over a
large body area Lap belts alone may contribute
to internal injuries, due to the under-developed
pelvis of the young child, although the use of seat
belts is preferable to leaving a child unre-
st rained
What is the Current State of Child Restraints?
Car beds and infant seats are not regulated in
any way Child harnesses must meet a minimum
standard of webbing strength and must bolt to the
car body In April, 1971, asaresult of research
which indicated that ca* seats then in use gave
no protection, the Dept of Transportation's Mot-
or Vehicle Standard No 213 carne into effect Tor
"Child Seating Systems, "This applied only to the
date of manufacture, not sale, no provision was
made for the removal of substandard seats from
stores. The standard required anumberof mod-
ifications of existing design Devices which took
over the back of the auto seat were no longer per
mitted: a head restraint was added to protect
against whiplash, specifications were made for
padding, devices had to comply with a "Static"
strength test
Simulated crash tests carried out by the Con-
sumer's Union showed,however.that the ma-
jority of car seats meeting Standard 213 fail to
give effective protection In 30 m.p.h. frontal
crashes. Experts have called for a "Dynamic
standard Standard 213 has been revised to :v
quire that restraint devices pass a "Dynamic"
crash test This willonlyapply,however, to de
vices manufactured after September, 1975
What is the Difference Between "Dynainic' and
"Static" Testing? ,
"Static" testing is done with a wooden dummy
in a restraint device subjected to gradual forward
pull. "Dynamic" testing is done with ananthro-
pomorphic (life llke>dummy ina restraining de
vice that is propelled on a sled into a solid bar
rier at certain speeds, thus simulating a "real-
life" crash
Are Effective Restraints Available?
The General Motors Infant Carrier and the
Ford Tot-Guard have been on the market for at
least six years But without strong safety stand-
ards they have had little success competing with
the less expensive and less safe seats and de-
vices
If you have commentsor questions please write
Consumer Watch, BastropC.'ounty Times, Box 269
Smithville.
Every woman I've talked to who participated in the Game of
the Century' insists that she suffered no ill effects from the
game and had a wonderful time I must admit that I had a few
sore spots, but another game the following night would have
worked them out Regrets were unanimous that the game ended
so soon -- most of the participants insisted that they could have
played all night
It was fun. and the umpires art- still talking about what a
good time they had Mr Ozmun said, "I *as waiting for two of
you women to land on third base at the same time (one heading
the right way, and one running the bases backwards). I d have
called you both safe."
We haven't talked to Charlie Callaghan to see to* he has
fared from his bat-bopping, but we trust he will survive I'm
not sure he'll ever volunteer to umpire another 'Game of
the Century', though
Martha Schoeder has been noted throughout the girls soft
ball season for running her players home', shouting "SLIDE
as she ran The coach's box marked In chalk alongside third
base was simply not designed for Martha Diana Saunders,
coach of the Big Mamas, was determined to return the favor
to Martha and run her home in the big game, slum tine SLIDE
ail the way She tried, but Martha outran her by a mile
When Times photographer Tom Shapley, a newcomer to town,
became tangled up In an overthrow at third base Saunders chew
ed him out and told him to get lost' Diana said later that Tom
must have taken her seriously, because he disappeared In
talking to Tom the next day, I found that he had retreated to
the first base line to take his photos as far away from
'that woman' as he could get
Her bark is worse than her bite, Tom
Last week, the Times ran a picture of the Highway Depart
ment road crew working on the Intersection of Highway 71 and
Gresham Street, where water has stood In a lake every time It
rained for the last umpteen years The caption read NO MORR
LAKE.
Ha!
First indication of the complete failure of the project came
Thursday evening, when the fire department opened a hydrant
near the corner during a drill Water stood, glassy and still, a
cross the entire north side of the intersection
The next day, Friday, the rains came and we really found
out what the Highway Department had accomplished Instead of
the lake covering the north lane of Highway 71 as it had done in
the past, it now covers the entire intersection and stands near-
ly a foot deep during a heavy rainfall
I asked Mayor Crawford Monday If he had contacted the Highway
Department about the mess they had made "Yes," he replied,
"and said they 'd come look at it 1 haven't seen hide nor hair of
them yet, though "
You've seen those signs here and there wherever highways are
torn up Your Highway Taxes At Work If this job is a sample of
what our highway taxesaccomplish, I wish they'd Just let me keep
mine
Woodress Real Estate in Smithville has started sending out
little cards to all close neighbors of those who purchase homes
from him The cards introduce the newcomer to his new neigh-
bors, and also answer those Incessant questions that circulate a
round a small town "Who bought that house down the street?"
The cards should act as an ice breaker for the new home-
owners. making it easier for his neighbors to introduce them-
selves to a neighbor whose name thev already know
There was mass hysteria in the area Monday when the monthly
electricity bills wefe received While most of us are aware that
the rates are basically set by LCRA, including the extra fuel
charge, there Is one thing that bothers me tremendously
Every time I walk into a puhlic(ctty-owned)bullding in Smith-
ville, my arms breakout in chilly-bumps I cherked the thermo-
stat in City Hall this week while I stood shivering In the hallway
It read 69, and was headed downward Alongside said thermostat
was a sign which read Do Not Sel Thermostat below 7P n;
summer, 68 in Winter ! have news for you folks It 's not win!*!'
any longer
I have no objection to anyone keeping cool, but I do wonder who,
ultimately, |iays for all this coolness Could it be that we -- who
cannot afford to cool our own homes to a comfortable temperature
because of the high utility rates -- are paying to keep the
municipal buildings 'comfortably cool'?
We note that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
construction of the proposed Federal Youth Center In the Camp
Swift area is available for scrutiny by Interested persons. It
has been a long time In coming, and resembles more closely a
hook than a statement, with all letters ami arguments contained
therein liotti pro and con Check the legal notice on page 2 if
you are Interested In securing one of these documents. In 45
days, a final decision on the construction will be made
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Catherman, Nancy Todd. The Bastrop County Times (Smithville, Tex.), Vol. 84, No. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 3, 1975, newspaper, July 3, 1975; Smithville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth290789/m1/2/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.