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Show I p-- h State Press Assn. ?0 5 x 1327 I alt Volume 70, Number 23 Lake City, Utah 8A11A Brigham City, Utah, Thursday Morning, June 9, 1977 TWENTY CENTS 26 Pages Could affect revenue sharing in lieu Payment ! bring tax cut? County not sure sentatives have asked for a meeting which has yet to be held, presumably to talk It now appears that Box Elder county will receive about $700,000 from Uncle Sam in September, a payment in lieu of taxes for federal lands within the county. But officials are weighing carefully a previously stated intention to trim the countys property tax as a result of the new was on hand Monday as Amtrak's new Pioneer passenger train stopped in Brigham City on its inaugural run from Seattle to Salt Lake City. The A LARGE CROWD train was opened for public inspection as it was at other stops along the way. (See other photos on Page 7.) Maiden run 'success ' She was sleek and shiny. And her passengers testified to the smoothness and comfort of her ride. That was Amtraks Pioneer which stopped in Brigham City Monday afternoon for public inspection. It was difficult to estimate the. crowd on hand. It was sizeable, adults and younger, people, all wanting to see this new passenger train which began regular daily runs between Seattle and Salt Lake City on Tuesday. There were free Amtrak hats for the kids and a walk through several cars for everybody. Brigham City Mayor Harold B. Felt offered a few remarks as did Paul H. Reistrup, Amtrak president, who called the Pioneers innaugural run the most successful he had ever seen. The maiden trip began June 4 in Seattle with stops for public inspection at 15 different communities along the way, including the windup at Salt Lake City Monday evening. Brigham City was sandwiched in between stops at Pocatello, Idaho and Ogden. Thomas K. Reinhard, Amtrak spokesman, said in Brigham City that prior stops had attracted crowds estimated at between 1,500 and 3,000 persons except at Boise where it was very high. "People toured the train for two hours at Boise. We could have for another two hours, he explained. Some 75 persons began the trip in Seattle, including government and company officials and members of the news media. By the time it arrived in Brigham City, there were about 200 passengers aboard. It arrived right on time in Brigham City site events A ar all-ne- Elks lodge sets Flag Day event Christensen, a committee member, and Darald Fuller, county fair board president. All of these things are needed. If you can come up with an estimate then we can give you an answer, Chase told the two. He asked Commissioner Reed Nielsen to consult with Christensen to arrive at a cost figure. Thiokol order upheld Continental receives ; 1 r ate 15 Customers of Continental Telephone Company of Utah will be paying about 11.5 percent more in their monthly bills, following a Public Service Commission order issued Wednesday. The commission allowed the company to increase rates enough to offset $117,035 in state income taxes, plus $44,659 it had been overcharging Thiokol Corp. the past year. The $161,694 is in addition to a $242,000 increase granted the company last year. It means an overall hike to all Utah customers of some 28 percent in one year. The firm had asked for a $551,000 increase. In its order, the commission would not accept the companys proposed spread of rates and directed the increase spread on an equal percentage over all customers. Further, it said it plans to look at the firms accounting methodology and spread of i ncrease rates at another hearing, perhaps next year. The $117,035 was the amount of state income tax computed by the state and not paid the past year. Thiokol Corp., represented by Attorney Walt Mann, protested the additional $44,659 tariff, pointing to an earlier order that said the company was exempt from general rate increases but would pay for other specific service increases. Thiokol paid the sum the past year under protest but did not seek to be reimbursed for that amount as it apparently had the right to do, according to a commission spokesman. However, since Thiokol will not be paying the increase, it will be passed on to other customers in the system, which include Tremonton, Moab and Delta areas. Hearings on the proposed rate hike were held in April. firemen put out the last flames that completely destroyed their home in They were even more shocked to find their fire insurance, through an oversight, had lapsed by one day. Their despair almost reached the deepest of depths when the bishop of the Deweyville ward walked up to Lish, put his arm around him and announced, Dont worry, well build you another house. Lish said from that time, the anxiety ebbed from his mind. The fire is believed to have started in the attic. No one was home at the time and when it was discovered, it had a foothold on the frame dwelling that could not be contained. The Tremonton Fire department responded to the alarm. In the meantime, neighbors and passers-bstopped to help the Lishes save as much of their household goods as they could. When the fire was out, it was a pitifully small amount. Bishop Jon Z. Thompson commented Tuesday that when he told the Lish family y they would have another house, he wasnt really certain afterward how the small ward of 316 men, women and children would accomplish the task. As it turned out, he didnt have to worry much. By nightfall of May 16, the floor plan for a new home had been drawn by the bishop, a licensed building contractor, and materials ordered. Four or five days later, the burned out hulk had been torn down, loaded on trucks and hauled to the junk yard. The job of (Continued on page 9) The summer interpretive program at Golden Spike National Historic site is scheduled to begin Saturday, June 11, Supt. George Church announced this week. Seven interpreters dressed in period clothes will present a of the driving of the Golden Spike daily at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. This program, viewed by more than 33,000 visitors last summer, recreates the ceremony conducted by railroad officials on May 10, the nations first transcontinental railroad was completed. Complimenting the restored scene are two vintage steam locomotives and tenders, and bits and pieces of a 1869,-whe- rough construction k camp. Telegraph, tents, wagons, and demonstrations in sourdough cookery and blacksmithing help in telling the story of the railraod race to Promontory, and the effects of its completion on the development of the west, Church stated. Auto tour drives along the abandoned railroad will also be conducted during the day by guides. Visitors should plan on spending about two hours to view the entire program. The visitor center is open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. daily through Labor Day. The site is located 32 miles west of Brigham City along Utah 83 and paved county roads. right-of-wa- The Brigham City Elks lodge will present its annual Flag Day ceremony on Tuesday, June 14, at Rees Pioneer park. Scheduled to begin at S : 30 p.m., the event will feature Mayor Harold B. Felt, and D. A. Loveland, past state commander of the American Legion, as speakers. The public is invited to attend this tribute to the nations flag for which so many Americans have given their lives, an Elks spokesman said. little over three weeks ago, the Jay Lish family stood stunned as it watched on tap at 4:45 p.m. and department just a couple of minutes late, 43 minutes later. People out here have fought for the service and the past few days have demonstrated their interest in it, Rein-har- d said. It will now depend on passenger use whether the service will continue. The Pioneer has been designated by Amtrak as an experimental route. It will be placed in service initially for two years. Incorporation of the new route into permanent US railroad passenger service will be based on the secretary of transportations review of passenger patronage and train performance after the two-yestudy period. Reinhard said the Pioneer is starting with coaches. But will have sleeping cars added later, hopefully by next fall. What local folks saw as they inspected the train Monday was equipment, (Continued on page 7) In other business at a regular weekly commission session Tuesday, the county board heard a proposal for improvements the county fair grounds. addition to the hog barn and enlarging of corrals were outlined by Fred An Town rallies to help family Spike Pioneer arrives, iarge crowd greets new train revenue windfall. Least of the county fathers concerns is finding ways in which to use the funds, appropriated under a new federal law. They are confident there will be sufficient demands. The question now confronting them is whether to cut the mill levy. And if so, how much. Commission Chairman Don Chase noted Tuesday that the county annually receives about $400,000 in revenue sharing funds. A factor in determining this amount is local tax effort. If the mill levy is cut, it will reduce local tax effort and perhaps the amount which Box Elder receives in revenue sharing money. So, officials are taking another look. '.Chase said a meeting of the National Association of Counties in July should &M$uce. enough rel iable , information, to make some secure judgments. Among them will be the mill levy decision which must be made in early August. The county commission did not include the payment in lieu' funds in the current budget. They wanted to have the money in hand first. But Chairman Chase said there are some areas which need attention and money. Among these which he listed Tuesday were the county courthouse; it nee$ painting and other work. Road department equipment needs updating and initiating of a county garbage collection system has been under study for some time. As for Box Elder county supporting a county-wid- e library system. Chase said it could be taken under study. The Brigham City Library board has said it wants to talk to the county leaders about such a possibility. The county chairman said city repre- - about county involvement in a library system. "They turned us down several years ago on our offer to take over the library and so we took it off our priority list but that doesnt mean it cant be put back on, Commissioner Chase said. at y A BUSY crew of workers put the roof on the Jay Lish home in Deweyville. Three weeks ago, nothing but charred rubble remained where this structure now stan- - ward has raised some $14,000 to rebuild the home, destroyed in a May 6 fire, ds. The small 1 |