The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1948-04-08
AROUND TOWN
WITH THE EDITOR

DSSPilC tilS Odu puDllOlty VI liG
past week end, which in my opinion
was given much more prominence
than was warranted, l. like, thous-
ands of others, still believe that Hag-
erstown is fine place in which to
live and make living.
While / cannot always see eye to
eye with the Mayor and Council and
the Board of Street Commissioners,
cannot praise too highly the work
of the City Park Board.
Last week, as vice-president of
the Hagerstown Boys Club, l had
occasion to attend a meeting of the
Board with Gene Snyder, president
of the Junior Baseball and Basket
ball Leagues, to urge that more
baseball diamonds be provided this
summer so that the Junior Baseball
League, which was such a marvel
GUS success last year, could be ex-
banded.
The membership of the Board
not only listened courteously and
attentively to what we had to say,
but they took immediate action. In
fact their president, Mr.. Lloyd l.,
Stouffer, even went so far as to call
a gentleman up, while the meeting
was in progress, whom we told him
had some land that he was willing
to allow the City to develop as a
baseball diamond
When our interview with the
Board was over, we weren't told
that the Board would take the mat
ter under advisement and to come
back to the next meeting, but we
were told that immediate action
would be taken, and that's just what
was done
What impressed me at the meet
ing, apart from the splendid con-
sideration given Gene Snyder and
myself, was the businesslike way
in which the meeting was conduct
ed all through. 1t was scheduled to
start at 7:30, and it started at 7:30,
and when any matter came up, it
was freely discussed, but after the
discussion was ended, there was no
postponement-ac was taken i'm
mediately.
The City of Hagerstown could do
with more men like the members
of the City Park Board in public
Office, and here's hoping we get
more men like them at the next
election.
l just couldn't help being amused
at last Thursday nights meeting of
the Mayor and Council. Three
members of the Council, j. Frank
Elliott Jack Hellane and Aubrey
Kemp, who have absolute control of
the Council as far as anything to do
with the Municipal Light Plant is
concerned, since they vote in a bloc
on this subject, were loud in their
denunciations of propaganda against
the Municipal Light Plant, and they
pushed through motions: CD to have
Neon sign put up at the Light
Plant; (2) to have an advertising
campaign started to Offset this So
called propaganda against the Light
Plant; 90 to set up Retail Depart
ment within the Municipal Light
Plant Department; (4) to call
a joint meeting of the Council and
: Board of Street Commissioners to
find out why the contracts for the
expansion of the Light Plant have
not been signed; and 50 to investi-
gate the possibility of giving light
plant customers an annual bonus.
Here's what caused my amuse-
ment.
It's only a few months ago that
these gentlemen were loudly pro-
claiming themselves, that the Light
Plant was in bad shape, and as
matter of fact, Councilman Hellane
stood up in the Council Chamber
one night and declared that the Light
Plant was practically coming apart
at the seams, and something would
have to be done about it immediate
ly.
But now they're telling the world
that there is nothing the matter
with the Light Plant, when as
matter of fact all that has been done
to the Light Plant in the past few
months is the addition of coat of
paint
Secondly, Councilman Potterfield
has regularly, since December OF
1914, been pleading with his fellow
councilmen to do something about
the Light Plant, but they took no
notice of it. But now they are sud-
denly demanding sudden death act
ion.
Thirdly, meetings of the Board OF
Great commissioners are open to