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Cost Of Heedlessness ' Don't give fire a place to start!'.' is a piece of advice often heard but too little heeded. Results of this heedlessness are starkly outlined in the annual fire records of the United States and Canada. In the two countries, more than 1,850 homes are destroyed or damaged by fire each day, in many instances with tragic loss of life. Fire strikes about 500 industrial and commercial places each day, and in addition to the waste of physical re­ sources, there are incalculable costs in temporary or per­ manent loss of jobs and frequent business failures. We have an unfortunate habit of dismissing most fires as "accidents," as sort of visitations of bad luck which somehow are unavoidable. But how unavoidable -- or predictable -- is the fire started by a carelessly discarded cigarette, or over­ loaded and defective electric wiring, or poorly maintained heating and cooking equipment? As shown by National Fire Protection association studies, these and similar, uncomplicated pauses are responsible for the great majority of fires. We need to acknowledge the fact that fires are not only wasteful but avoidable, then to go on to reform the habits and remove the hazards which cause them. When each of us as an individual has done this, we will no longer risk our lives, jobs and possessions to the destructive forces of fire. Our Super Highways In 1956 the United States began constructing a long-needed interstate highway system, which was to be completed in 1970. The original cost was estimated at 27.5 billions and as of now, a year from the scheduled completion date, the cost is esti­ mated at over 60 billions. Completion is now expected in 1974. The system has been slightly enlarged (approximately 1,000 miles has been added to the original 40,000 envisioned) and another 1,500 is expected to be added by 1974. Slower-than-expected completion has been caused, at least in part, by rising costs. The result is that the interstate sys- tem-when completed-is not expected to be adequate throughout the seventies. Already there are stretches where facilities are in maximum use. Thus federal and state governments must plan for contin­ uing heavy expenditure on roads in the coming years and the expansion of some four-lane highways to six-line interstates. There are more than 100,000,000 cars and trucks on U.S. roads today and in recent years the rate of increase has been over 2,500,000 a year. One shudders to think what the situation would be today had not the Eisenhower Administration launched the super highway program; nevertheless it seems that a major construction program will have to continue for many years. \f V\/\/W rr&m roumd BACON 1 w PUBLIC PULSE (The Plaindealer invites the public to use this column as an expression of their views on subjects of gener­ al interest in our commun­ ity. Our only request is that writers limit themselves to 300 words or less signature, full address and phone num­ ber. We ask. too, that one in­ dividual not write on the same subject more than once each month. We reserve the right to delete any material which we consider libelous or in objectionable taste.) 4 TAX ASSESSMENT "Dear Editor: "On Monday, the eighth of September, I called at the tax assessor's office in McHenry to check on my tax assess­ ment $12,630. "I was told by the clerk that my property was assessed at $21,050, about what I paid for my property. I asked why a piece of property on the same block on Sussex drive was only assessed $11,860. The record shows this property cost over $27,000. Also, the record show­ ed this property was assessed the building permfe us$d torr $16,000. J'I talked to the tax assessor about this and she stated she could not do anything about this and was not going to do any­ thing about it-that it would be up to the next tax assessor to handle it. "In the meantime the county will lose the under-assessment on this property of $2740. "Is this fair to the rest of the taxpayers? "Karl J. Sorensen" "4514, Sussex Drive" ^mmiimmiiiiiimiiimimimimuiuiijg iKiwanis News I WONDER LAKE CLUB The Division 20 Inspiration Night will be ladies' night host­ ed by the McHenry club on Nov. 24. Joe Schuler announced peanut selling stations, including one in McHenry. Social Security QUESTION BOX BY JIM JANZ FIELD REPRESENTATIVE Today's questions are ones frequently being ask­ ed of our representatives by the people of McHenry county. The Social Secur­ ity office at 2500 Grand avenue, Waukegan, re­ minds McHenry county re­ sidents that it has repre­ sentatives meeting people at two locations in McHen­ ry county on a regular ba­ sis. Hie representatives are at the Woodstock Pub­ lic Library, 414 W. Judd, Woodstock every Wednes­ day from 9 a.m. to noon and at the Harvard city hall from 9:30 a.m. to noon on the first and third Tue­ sday every month. If you have a question you would like answered on Social Se­ curity in this column, then please forward it to Social Security Administration •Question and AnsWer ColJ umn, 2500 Grand avenue, Waukegan, Illinois, 60085. Give your full name, ad­ dress, and Social Security number. If you do not want your name to appear, please indicate this and we will use only initials. I "Ted, wake up. I think you'd better take over for a while." If you're coming to Chicago for a rest don't come to Sherman House. There's4po much happening at Sherman Hou t. For instance, there's the famous College Inn, headlining the most exciting names in show business. And to go with the College Inn, Chicago's most lively and memorable restaurants and lounges--the Well of the Sea, the Celtic Cafe, the Dome and the Scuttlebutt. So if you're coming to Chicago to be turned-on, not off, come to Sherman House. And leave the rest to us. DID YOU KNOW. . . People who drive cars into congested downtown areas will be taxecl, if economics profes­ sor George W. Hilton, who was chairman of President John­ son's 1964 task force on trans­ portation policy, has his way. Particularly, he'd like to see a $5 tax levied against motor­ ists who drive downtown at rush hour. Question: It was my under­ standing that a person over 65 and eligible for Medicare would also be eligible for up to 100 days in a skilled nursing home. It appears that I am not en­ tirely correct in this assump­ tion. Can you clarify this? Answer: A person over 65, who is under Medicare, may be eligible for up to 100 days in an extended care facility; there are a number of conditions which must be met. Firstofall, the institution must be certi­ fied as participating in the pro­ gram. Then the patient must have been entered within 14 days of discharge from a hos­ pital, following a stay of at least 3 days. And most impor­ tantly he must need to be in the extended care facility for continuation of treatment for the same condition which re­ quired his hospitalization. Question: I will be 72 years old in November and will be eligible to receive my social security payments. I have been working steadily for over $10,000 a year. Must I report to the Social Security Admin­ istration hoto mu:h I earned Sherman House a MetroAmerica hotel ?ndolph-Clark-LaSalle • Chicago 60i * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Are Yon New li Town? Do You Know Someone New In Town? W« would likt to oxiond i wolcomo to •••ry ntwcomor to our community. Cris Foil MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS Stanley F. Yolles, M.D. Director National Institute of Mental Health WED. SEPT. 17, 1969 - PLAINDEALER - PG. 15 this year, even though I will not claim any benefits until I am 72? Answer: If you do not claim any benefits for any months be- for you are 72 years old, it will not be necessary to make a re­ port to the Social Security Ad- , ministration. If you had re­ ceived one or more months' payment from social security before you reached age 72, then a report would have to be filed. Question: My father died 5 years ago. Would I be eligible to receive benefits as a full- time college student this se­ mester? Answer: If your father worked under social, security long enough, it is possible you would be eligible. A student must be under 22 years of age, must nev­ er have been married and must be in full-time attendance at an approved institution. It is sug­ gested you contact your nearest social security office as soon as possible. Question: My son was in­ volved in a serious automo­ bile accident 4 years ago, in which he suffered brain dam­ age. As a result of the accident, he will never be able to work again. Would he be eligible for disability payments? iv Answer: It is entirely pos- sible that your son could be Hi eligible for disability benefits. -- We Would need more informal' ion, so it; is urged tha^ your ' son contact the nearest social„ Security office immediately; a ipjtelay could cost him money if he is found to be eligible for dis­ ability benefits. AREA STUDENTS ARE AWARDED FEDERAL GRANTS The special education depart­ ment, Northern Illinois univer­ sity, has beenawarded$219,600 in federal grants for fellow­ ships, trainesships, and depart­ mental support for eighty-three students for 1969-70. Winners of fellowships and their area of study in­ clude Charlotte Phillips, Rt. 2, Learning Disabilities Area; David Gaub, 3229 E. Lake Shore drive, Wonder Lake, Mentally Retarded Area. Announcing the awards, along with the names of student re­ cipients of the federal stipends, Dr. E. Milo Pritchett, head of the NIU department, said the funds were received under the Personnel Training Program (United States Public Law 85- 926 as amended). Purpose of the awards is to train personnel for the educa­ tion of the handicapped. Awards of the grants were on the basis of proposals written and submitted to the U.S. Of­ fice of Education by faculty of the NIU dept. of special edu­ cation. The training will be in four different areas of spec­ ial education: learning disabil­ ities, mentally retarded, phys­ ically handicapped and visually handicapped. Nineteen NIU students were awarded Federal fellowships, which pay a $2,200 stipend plus tuition and fees; forty-two,fed­ eral senior traineeships, which pay ah $800 stipend plus tu- MENTAL PATIENTS AIDED BY HOSPITAL IMPROVEMENT , PROJECTS By Alan I. Levenson. M.D. Director, Division of Mental Health Service Programs Without a great deal of na­ tional fanfare and publicity, a program now in its fifth year of growth has been quietly benefiting many thousands of mentally ill all around the coun- try. This is the Hospital Improve­ ment Program of the National Institute of Mental Health. To help bring better care to mental patients, Federal funds are awarded to State mental hos­ pitals to make immediate im­ provements in hospital services through specific projects. All kinds of mental hospital patients have been benefited: long-term patients, elderly ones, children, alcoholics, hospitalized illiterates, and maximum secur­ ity ward patients. They include people like these three: One mental patient, after 45 years in Boston State Hospital, was able to move out to a family-care program. This took place after he was drawn into special discussion groups to pre­ pare patients to return to the community. He then went to work in a sheltered workshop program. Another patient is now man­ ager of an automobile salvage business. Formerly, he was de­ scribed as "incurable" and hav­ ing been "rocking around the wards for at least 10 years." A man who had been hos­ pitalized for 13 years improved greatly under more intensive care made possible by a hospital improvement project. He was able to rejoin his family. Now he manages his own household and cares for an in­ valid wife. Nearly 70,000 patients who have received improved services through the program have been discharged -from h*W*»ls -and; M .hor™Wfc4iuBing, homes, or in other irorhmunity facilities. The projects have also, of course, aided many other pa­ tients. Some 50,000 additional patients have been helped to more fruitful and less "vegeta­ tive" living while still in mental hospitals. Nearly two-thirds of the Na­ tion's 300 State 'mental hospitals have received grants for im­ provement projects since the program started in 1963. The program is the only major nationwide activity for helping mental hospitals to un­ dertake, under their own admin­ istration and jurisdiction, proj­ ects which they otherwise could not carry out to improve serv­ ices, treatment, and other as­ pects of their care and manage­ ment of patients. In the long run, thifc kind of activity can help improve all our mental hospitals. On the basis of the program's five years of experience, there is almost no limit to the useful kinds of projects that could be initiated to help hospitalized mental patients. ition and fees, and twenty-two federal junior traineeships, which pay a $300 stipend. The stipends, to be adminis­ tered by the NIU Student Fi­ nancial Aids Office, total $82,- 000; the tuition and fees for the 61 students eligible, approx­ imately $20,500. For Your Information CALL ROYAL WELCOME 385-4084 Fran Olsen 385-5740 Joan Stull 385-5418 Ann Zeller - 385-0559 Dear friends, An occasional comment reveals that many people believe a funeral service follows a definite routine. It may surprise you to know, however, that no two funerals are alike. Each service brings its own requirements. The desires of the fam­ ily are given first consideration, always. In addition, the clergyman's requests must be con­ sidered. Then the many details must be ar­ ranged around those requests. Each service, therefore, is distinct and fol­ lows a program of its own. Respectfully, Mcrtonr PETER M. JUSTE N & SON FUNERAL HOME 385-0063 Tips from a Pro Frederick J. Marsh NATIONAL TRUCK DRIVER OF THE YEAR llMi-itAIN- USE LOW BEAMS ŝsi°NA •S5- OPTOMETRIST Dr. John F. Kelly At 1224 N. Green Street (Closed Wednesday) Eyes Examined Glasses Fitted Contact Lenses Hrs. Daily 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday Evenings 8:30 p.m. Evenings by appointment PHONE 385-0452 Dr. Leonard Bottari Eyes Examined - Contact Lens Glasses Fitted 1303 N. Richmond Road Hours: Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri. 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tues., Thurs., & Fri Eve. 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sat. 9:30 to 3:00 p.m. No Hours on Wednesday PHONE 385-4151 If No Answer Phone 385-2262 OFFICE" EQUIPMENT MODERN MOWERS Starting a power mower is easier when it is done with a rechargeable nickel-cadmium battery-powered ignition sys­ tem. A built-in generator re­ charges the battery while the motor is running. McHenry County Office Machines Sales-Service & Rentals Typewriters -Adders Calculators Mon. - Sat. 9:00 - 5:30 Friday 'till 9:00 p.m. PHONE 459-1226 93 Grant St., Crystal Lake, 111. METAL WORK Schroeder Metalcraft For Home and Garden Wrought Iron Railings Fireplace Screens Antiques 1705 S. ROUTE 31 PHONE 385-0950 INSURANCE Earl R. Walsh Fire, Auto, Farm & Life Representing RELIABLE COMPANIES When You Need Insurance of Any Kind PHONE 385-3300 or 385-0953 3429 W. Elm St., McHenry, 111. George L. Thompson General Insurance •LIFE *AUTO •HEALTH TIRE •CASUALTY *BOAT Phone 815-385-1066 3812 W. Elm St., McHenry In McHenry Plaindealer Bldg. Dennis Conway AUTO, LIFE, FIRE STATE FARM INSURANCE COMPANY 3315 W. Elm St. McHenry, Illinois 385-5285 or 385-7111 LETTER SERVICE Mimeographing - Typing Addressing - Mailing Lists McHenry County Letter Service 1212 -A N. GREEN ST. PHONE 385-5064 Mon. Through Fri. 8-5 p.m. Closed Saturday ACCOUNTANTS Paul A. Schwegel 4410 West Route 120 McHenry, Illinois PHONE 385-4410 REPAIR SERVICE •••B'uwwi/U' = Call "Servisal" = (815) 385-2145 For Repairs on Refrigerators - Freezers - Washers and Dryers - Window Air Conditioners - Dishwasher Ranges - Cooktops - Ovens, both Gas and Electric. SERVISAJ. ^PPLKNCE COMPANY 3412 W. Elm Street, McHenry, Illinois