The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1953-04-16

ZSIlS NITOup
This group has run series of full
page advertisements in the daily pa
pers of Hagerstown, asking those who
read them to write their representa-
tives in Annapolis, and also the
Mayor and Council, to do away with
rent controls in Hagerstown.
In the last series of these ads, this
group invited property owners to
join the organization, but they were
asked to send their applications for
membership to a blind" address
In the daily papers on Monday,
news story appeared, which stated
that "a spokesman for the Citizens
Group, which comprises a large
number of local landlords who have
rental units under rent control,
stated today that he is assured by
this group that they have no inten-
ton of increasing rents excessively
after rent controls are abolished"
It is my feeling that9any organiza-
ton which claims to comprise large
number of local landlords should be
willing to come out in the open and
let all the landlords and tenants
know who they are.
There is no question in the world
that those opposing rent controls
have perfect right to band together
to try and get them removed, but
the renters, as we'll as the landlords,
also have perfect right to know
lust who are back of this Citizens
Group.
| think it is only fair to state that
l have talked to a number of land
lords and not one of them knows
anything about this group.
So why not come out in the open
gentlemen, and tell the public of
Hagerstown just who you are?
Richard Grumbacher, who was
named chairman of the 1854 Red
Cross Fund Drive at the annual mem
bership meeting last week, came
mighty close to getting his first sub
scription almost a year before the
campaign starts.
No sooner had Mrs. Conrad, head
of the local Chapter, announced the
appointment of Mr.. Grumbacher,
than DIR. Baptist, who was sitting
opposite Mr.. GrumbaCher, took his
checkbook out of his pocket and ask
ed the new chairman of the drive if
he had pen.
| regret to inform you, however,
that the year in advance subscription
failed to materialize, for as soon as
Mr.. Grumbacher produced the pen,
the checkbook quickly disappeared
into the good Doctors pocket.
%m#
Hagerstown, believe it or not, in
nocently finds itself in the middle of
really hot garbage" fight.
When the Mills Administration en-
tered into contract with the Fra
ger Products Company for a Com
posting plant for Hagerstown, at
which saleable fertilizer is made
from garbage, everyone thought that
Hagerstown's garbage disposal prob
lem was not only solved, but that the
city would have a money raising
project in the sale of the compost.
A meeting was scheduled for Mon
day night in the City Hall at which
it was expected that the only ques-
ton to be settled was where the
plant was to be built. However,
when the meeting got underway, it
was suddenly brought to light that
not only was there a serious ques-
ton regarding the value of the Com
post plant as garbage disposer, but
there was also question regarding
who were the owners of this Com
post process.
For over three hours, the Mayor
and Council listened to a series OF
charges and counter charges regard
ing: the Compost plant at Bay Shore,
Long Island, which was held up as
a pattern when Mr.. Frazer, of the
Frazer Products Company, entered
into negotiations with the former
ayor and Council; the ownership
l the New York Compost plant in
which Peter j. Parise and his son,
Leonard PARSE, claimed they owned
a half interest with the Frazer Pro-
ducts Company owning the other
half, and then, if that wasn't enough,
a Mr.. Kurt Wandell, of the Wan
dell Machine Company, discussed a
machine which he has invented and
which he claimed has been success
fully operated in Altoona, Pa, for
the past seven months, and he really
threw bomb shell into the fight
when he stated that the City of Ha-
gerstown could purchase one of his
machines for $4,000, and that he
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