The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1949-04-21

of Fairchlld Aircraft DIVISION for
not accepting their invitation to be
present at the luncheon for the May
or and Council on Monday. I fully
intended being there, but to be
brutally frank, it entirely slipped my
memory, and when 1 finally noted it
on my calendar the luncheon was
possibly more than half over, and
didn't feel that it would be right
to make such a belated appearance.
In statement by Mayor H. l..
Mills, published in this paper last
week, he stated that he would do
his best to give the citizens of Ha-
gerStown an efficient, buSinesslike
administration. But when an Of
fical of the Potomac Edison Com
pany appeared before the Mayor
and Council on Monday afternoon
and made lengthy and detailed
statement giving reasons for the
company's application to the Mary
land Public Service Commission for
an increase of two cents in city bus
fares, the Council Immediately voted
unanimously as going on record
against the proposed increase.
A businesslike administration
would have taken the matter under
advisement until they had time to
thoroughly digest all the evidence
submitted, and then and not till
then-they would put the matter to
a vote of the board of directors.
The action of the Council in voting
against the increase in fares almost
within minutes of the Pc official
concluding his statement, smacked
too much of the hysteria that over
came the previous Council during
the Light Plant discussion, whenever
the Potomac Edison Company was
mentioned.
While the meetings of the Board
of Public Works, because of its Jur-
isdiction over the Police Depart
ment, the Light Plant and the
Streets, is fully covered by report
ers. there is another branch of the
CITY government-the Park Board
whose work too often goes unher-
aided and unsung.
This Board is unique In many
WAYS: first, its members-Lloyd l..
Stouffer, chairman; Albert H. Spiel
man, Roger @. Cook, Leonard G.
Matthias, DR.. T. A. Chappelear and
Recording Secretary Miss Helen E.
Lyon serve the city without re-
Enumeration, not because the city
doesn't want to pay them, but be-
cause the five gentlemen in question
have consistently refused to work
under any other than voluntary
basis. AS matter of fact, for some
years their annual pay has been
one duck, which believe is deliver
ed to them annually by the Super
intendent of Parks.
The Park Board las you know, has
Jurisdiction over the city's entire
park system, and these men are as
proud of the city's beautiful parks
as they are of their own gardens,
and the beauty of the parks attests
their devotion to the work, togeth-
er, of course, with the fine job being
done by Park Superintendent Homer
Ahalt and his crew. Although they
have a considerable amount Of money
to spend from time to time, they
guard the city's money as jealousy
as they do their own, and this is one
department where Mayor Mills will
certainly not have to do any cutting
in the interest of economy.
| dropped in at one of their meet
ings last week when they happened
to be discussing baseball diamonds
for the youngsters of the commun-
ity, and it was good to learn that
they have accepted an offer of Mr..
Wakenight, of the Wakenight Motor
Company, to lease a plot of ground
a little over an acre in extent, adj
jacent to the Hager Park, as ball
diamond for one year, entirely free
of cost to the city. Mr.. Wakenight
has further agreed not only to lease
the property for year, but to give
the city the option to purchase it at
a reasonable price at the end of the
year if the Park Board and the Mayor
and Council decide that it would
be advantageous to do SO.
These five men set a fine ex-
ample Of unselfish devotion to our
city's welfare, and they deserve a
world of credit
If you've been in the habit of dis
regarding the five-minute parking
signs in front of the Post Office, at
,,iobf and On C11ndnvc volY'd halter