Wellington Leader (Newspaper) - February 17, 1983, Wellington, Texas 10 Pages 25 Per Copy Volume For Seventythree Years a Builder in County COLLINGSWORTH TEXAS 79095 FEBRUARY 1983 Number 31 Norwood Asks Fi re Department Funds CASH CROP Robert and Ray Acuna of gather in Collingsworth and load it into a upper The broomweed is then packed into 20 lower to be shipped to florists all over the country and in sometimes is used by florists in dried The are part of a team that gathers the weed from Dallas to who are glad to get rid of the weed receive about per About 300 20 boxes will fit onto a truck Harvest season is from December 1 through The weeds must be dry and florists dont want them after they turn General Telephone Asks for Million SAN ral Telephone Company of the Southwest asked the Public Utility Commission of Texas today 1983 for million in new almost half of which the company says is due to changes dictated by various governmental ac Buddy president of General Tele said the request is being made because earn ings have fallen to percent from percent authorized last which was never obtained interest critical to the bond rating among financial has fallen to and poses a danger of having the down graded to a BBB and the dramatic impacts of lation of the industry and the restructuring of prices mandated by governmental All of these factors require us to either raise rates or cut back our service improvement and moderni Langley As distasteful as raising rates we prefer this rather than reducing these programs which our customers have told us they During the 12 months covered in our we reduced our work force the equivalent of approximately 700 employ ees in an effort to reduce but we have reached the point we cannot reduce much more without adverse ly affecting he As a public utility we do not have the option of curtailing expansion and investment during periods of recession and high interest We have the obligation to have facilities to meet our customers needs when they request we can only proceed with prudent programs and seek permis sion from the state commis sion to raise our We realize our custom ers expect quality service and it is our objective to provide It is unfortunate that this costs The company president said earnings have been reduced despite stringent budget controls and pro increases due primarily to the new investment in Our customers and regulators have told the company they expect the most modern telephone system he ex During the period covered in our we spent over million in Texas to meet our commit ments to improve service and to Our modernization program is in high gear and we want to continue this But it is essential that we receive adequate revenues if we are to do Langley said that while inflation has not been as dramatic as in the it has continued to drive prices Our cost to build telephone plant continues to be higher than past In September our invest ment was per page 2 Samnorwood Volunteer Fire Department has started a fund drive to complete payment on their second firefighting a fourwheel drive vehicle that will give added protection from fire to a 366 square mile The Commissioners Court in its regular meeting February agreed to pay toward clearing the fire truck of This action was taken after Kenneth fire Clinton first and Doug Mark and Gary met with the Approximately will remain to be paid after the commissioners Martindale An entertainment which Norwood firemen had hoped would help finish the fell through a few weeks and the department had to fall back on asking for public The Samnorwood Fire Department serves an area that extends from the Oklahoma State Line and the Wheeler County Line south of Salt with the exception of that area in the northwest and north parts of the county that are in the McLean and Shamrock School and an area north of Salt Fork which is due east of that is in Wellington School The people of the Samnorwood School District have been generous with their and some have made donations Some of these are as much as from Samnorwood area farmers and Interest in the project is and some dona tions have been made by anonymous and some by people who formerly at Samnorwood but who now live Samnorwood Fire De does more than fight Martindale points out its recored in that department is At a recent fire at 6 miles from the alarm was sent the fire trucks taken out and firemen were putting water on the fire in 15 The department owns 10 base radio stations and 42 radios and it answers many types of emergencies be sides They are used to relay messages to people who are without They are used for storm watch They are especially valuable in keeping track of school buses during mud or They can pinpoint where a bus is Norwood school buses travel some of the roughest terrain in the We can call someone and ask if the bus has gone by their If it we call the next If it has we can The Fire Department radios were put into service during the ice storm recently to determine whose places where without elec Several electric lines come into our part of the and it is not difficult to locate the point of an said Martin Anyone who wants to make a donation to the new fire truck is invited to do and these donations may be left at either the City State Bank or Wellington State The area served by Samnorwood Fire Depart ment is especially prone to have grass and fires in wheat and grain sorghum at the time those crops are As the new fire truck is a four wheel drive it can go into almost any area in this rough country of north and northeast Colling it is pointed Playoff Game Scheduled Wellington Loys varsity will have a playoff game with Shamrock Thursday February 17 at in Shamrock won second place in first half of district play and Wellington won second place in the last rules allow first and second place to go to and this game will decide the second place The winner of the playoff game will play who are number one in their fo Make Middle East Defense Trip gressman Jack Hightower announced 11 that he will be making a short defense tion trip to five key Middle East countries in connection with his responsibilities on the House Appropriations Committee and particularly as a result of his new Firms to Decorate The Chamber of Com merce met Monday February Computer Workshop Set A computer workshop will be held February 17th from in the Bura Handley Com munity It is being sponsored by Collingsworth County Pro gram Building Committee and Texas Agriculture Extension Briggs Extension Computer Specialist will computer termino logy and different of hardware available to con Bonnie family resource manage ment specialist will discuss the art of selecting a She will take you through the steps in purchasing a computer as well as tell their many uses in a farm or ranch operation or in the Afterwards the opportunity to sit down with a computer will be said Nancy extension Computers are a part of the latest technology Many school children in Wellington are already using them in The opportunity to know what your children and everyone else it talking about is here so come and learn what the computer can do for Education programs con ducted by the Texas Agricultural Extension Ser vice serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic religion or national They voted for each business to construct a centerpiece to be used at the Chamber Satur February which in some way reflected their The chamber and Well ington Industries plan to sponsor the project of presenting a desk pen and railroad spike to each Texas congressman and This will be given through the West Texas Chamber in Washington in Tommy the reports that work has begun on accumulation and typing of post office They should be ready in ten days to Defense Subcommittee as The trip will start the third week in February when no legislative business is scheduled in the House of My committee assign ments involve various kinds of appropriations and one of the reasons for the trip is to see firsthand how some of our money is being spent and whether we need to make some serious adjust Hightower We have troops now in the Middle in Beirut where were and I want to talk with some of them to get their own assessment of whether they should be over there and how long they should The defense trip will include stops at military and diplomatic posts not only in but also Saudi Tunisia and planes in Saudi foreign assistance going to Egypt and critical Middle Eastern oil fields important to the Western and a number of hungry countries that I would like to see purchase more of the 13th Districts farm High tower I think Im going to get better answers to questions my constituents are asking if I talk with some of our people over there as well as our allies and adver Hightower While on the Appropria tions Hightower has been directly involved in subcommittee work effect ing promotion of drug enforce ment and ally the effort to improve security for American per and communications at missions and embassies High tower will be accompanied by other members of the Committee and by Under secretary of State Jerome Van Gorkom and Sheldon Executive Director of Near Eastern and South Asian As most people last year 1 voted against the Reagan Administrations foreign aid the largest and I think we need to take a very hard look this year at foreign aid in general because of our own domestic economic situa Hightower 1 think a trip of this sort can help us focus on where American military aid should be and where we should restrict or end Norwood Benefit Classic Set Thursday and 17 and is the new date of the 1st annual Basketball Clas featuring boys and girls teams made up of children in the sixth grade and Weather caused post of the classic Samnorwood Fire Depart ment is the sponsor of this benefit Four games will be played each beginning at said Fire Chief Kenneth Four teams are participat ing and the schedule will be Alanreed and Kelton Alanreed and Kelton boys Norwood and Lela Norwood and Lela Friday games will be Lela and Alanreed Lela and Alanreed boys Kelton and Samnorwood girls Norwood and Lela These are not contested and each team will receive a participation said Admission will be tor adults and for Concessions will be open where spectators and par may buy hambur homemade ice brownies and chili pop and Officials will be Doug Randy Breed Ralph Decker and others to be Mike Smith will be clock Proceeds from the classic will go toward paying off the Samnorwood fire
