OCR Text |
Show WEEKLY REFLEX DAVIS NEWS JOURNAL, NORTH DAVIS LEADER, SEPTEMBER 3, 1981 ' self with the time of payment. They unfortunately do not By LISA BRINTON realize that their lack of promptness is an expensive nuisance to those trying to Now whether it was due to an error in addition or subtraction, a missed deposit, banking error, or simple freak in nature, every checkwriter has written a bad check at least once or twice in his lifetime. accommodate them. OTHER SLOW payers are that way because they MOST INDIVIDUALS write checks in good faith, but there are a growing number of per- sons who dont. In September 1979, a collection agency was opened with the sole purpose of collecting on returned checks. A national franchise with its headquarters in Denver, Check-Rit- e operates throughout the Intermountain area. ANY BUSINESS that accepts a lot of checks, such as grocery stores, restaurants, discount stores and gas stations, find that the Check-Rit- e system saves much time, effort and money by recovering bad checks for them. The Salt Lake Check-Rit- e services over 1,000 merchants in Salt Lake and Davis counremains the ties. Check-Rit- e largest check collection agency in the state and boasts a 0 percent recovery rate. AS STATED earlier, CHECK-RITprovides two services. It publishes a monthly computerized bulletin of the persons who have recently ' passed uncollectable checks to other merchants in the Check- Rite system. The list is a simple code, such that a casual observer cannot recognize the names, but a sales person reE PAINTINGS ON DISPLAY By GARY R. BLODGETT BOUNTIFUL Oil paintings, water prints, sketches and the like can be more than beautiful pieces of art to decorate the livingroom walls. THEY CAN be very good investments in the same category as diamonds, gold and silver, according to Brig. Gen. Otis E. Winn (ret. USAF). of Bountiful, who has one of the finest art collections in Davis County. Mr. Winn and his wife, Jean, have donated several of their best European art collections to be displayed until at Utah Bank and Trust, 280 W. 1500 S., er THE COUPLE travels to Europe every few years to purn chase paintings from artists. We bring back several each trip and either sell them to decorators and collec-tor- s well-know- or keep them for said Mr. Winn. in the medium-pricerange, from $250 to $3,000, the paintings we purchase can become very valuable. Most of them will increase in value as rapidly as gold, silver and some of the ourselves, "Although we buy d better known precious metals." HE NOTED that 15 or 20 paintings they have sold locally have increased in value five to ten times within the last ten years. He then likened paintings to a used car he purchased a few years ago. I MADE a deal with a man to swap me his used Cadillac for $3,600 worth of paintings, the general said. I sold the Cad two years later for one-hathe purchase price and his paintings have increased in value to more than $9,000. He emphasized that good quality paintings from noted artists seldom lose their value. 1 don't know of a single painting that I have sold in the past ten years that has depreciated in value. he said. HOW DO you know what's a good painting? And who are "We buy a broad range of paintings, but always what we like or feel reasonably certain someone will like well enough to purchase from us, he said. "We are partial to landscape oil paintings and etchings, if the latter are from one of three favorite artists. HE EMPHASIZED that the etchings must be either from artists? Dutchman named Sorenson lf the reputable European Hans Figura of Germany; Ernst Giesendorfer or Paul Geisler, a German now de- ceased. Some of his favorites are scenes of Notre Dame, Betsy Ross Rome, Independence Hall and Nurnberg Cathedral. PROBABLY THE most popular European artist is a Teachers: Use Uniqueness By TOM BUSSELBKRG CLEARFIELD Each of the 40,000 students entering the Davis Schools this week should be treated as an individual by teachers who diaw on their own uniqueness as a strength. THAN MORE 1,700 teachers received that word, last week, from Emma Lou Thayne, former educator, poetess and lecturer, who addressed the annual district teachers' convention at Clearfield High School. The old school days of "golden role days. of calico instead of computers, are behind us. now, as students and teachers face a lot that's new" and some districts experience teacher contract negotiation problems over such things as insurance erage. she said. w cov- IT CONTRASTS sharply ith the days w hen a teachei in Mountain Green. Morgan County, lived with her grandfather's family from $1 a month. School went from 7 a.m.-p.m. and strict rules were kept, including strict chaperoning required for the teacher. Remembering when she landed her first job at the University of Utah for $1 .800 and then earned $4,800 a year later 1 3 at Olympus High School in Salt Lake City some 25 years ago. she said, "that's a current salary increase of about 300 percent (in salary) when expenses are up 800 percent. Education in Davis County is a bargain. KEEPING UP with the cost of living is not the reason youre here. No one who hasn't taught can know, Mrs. Thayne emphasized, adding that "what goes on in that space, between you and those kids, you can't be paid enough for. She recalled some of her ow n school days grow ing up in Salt Lake City, w here by using games she still thinks of laundry when she hears Troy . N.Y.. or furniture for Lansing. Mich. "I remember learning to cry over someone else's experience or reading about marijuana." word-playin- g THEN SHE quoted a saying about learning that says. "I can't remember the books I've read over the meals I have ea'en. but they (both) have made me." And then she asked. Forty years from now what will any of them remember? More than getting, they'll remember the how. "No you're not being paid nearly enough but you're all we have, between civilization and anarchy. You are what they have to save or destroy them." South Branch Library To Hold Book Fair Sept. 12 BOUNTIFUL Bring all of your loose change to the annual Davis County Library Book I air Sept. 12 from 10 a m. to 5 p.m. at the .South Branch Library, 725 S. Main. Bountiful. THAT'S THE chamc fur the library to clear its shelves of books it can't Use. either because they are outdated, in poor condition or surplus. Books of every subject and magazines will be among the thousands of items sold literally for pennies. There'll be helium balloons lor the kids, as well, tb BIT THAT teaching should be as indiv idualicd as possible. "Remember, you're not teaching subjects but students. To run faces into personalities that's the only way you turn into mote than role. That means a w illingnevs to deal with anyone when, whether it's the brighter than average Nancy, to the Normans' w ho stare off into space. "Without you hove students) won't be taught, uisles won't be patrolled or cities memo1 rized." A LOT has changed since her father. Palmer Warner, taught basketball at Davis 1 1 igh Sc houl 50 y ears ago, taking the first county team ever to a state champimship."But I suspect you're the same as the teacher who taught in a one-roo- school in Mountain Green. And if she bad to do it over again. Mis. T hay ne said, she'd tell more jukes, test more ideas aud not limit to the how and then teach. "I wouldn't expect perfection. I'd vent my anger w here it could make a difference. Once in a while I'd give an "A for effort to me. ALSO, addressing the group were Supt. Lawrence Welling, Davis Education Association Pres. Earl Spencer and Board Chairman Lucile Reading. He quoted the saying that says, "Lord, I am not the superintendent. I know I'm not always g my plans don't always work as I intend. Sometimes they don't make a super-intendin- dent." Four characteristics of a teacher are w armth, inquiring, know ledge and enthusiasm, he said, noting a goal that all students be given a chance to know and w rite appropriately. That w ould spread to sentence structure, spelling and other areas but the superintendent said of the "basics, "You need to be about mastering basic skills and fundamentals, job satisfaction, career, judgment and understanding of tra- I dont remember his first name, but there is no mistake about his work, the general emphasized. They are scenic views of Holland and always done on pieces 10x12 inches in size. Theres a lot of demand for his paintings and usually there is a long waiting list. AN ARTIST named Lemke is also a European favorite. His large oil scenes usually range from $2,500 to $5,000 and are very much in demand. Gen. Winn said a collector may special order a painting and we will contract the artist to paint it. This is usually more expensive but the collector HIGH EXPECTATIONS must exist for both students and teachers. "Opportunities come if we're prepared. A student in your class may be your physician in a few years or build your house. "Education should be a team effort" between parents and teachers. "The irate parent w ho may come to criticize would have a very difficult time if their own child was saying school is a good place to be. HE SAID a great interest exists in creating more unity through the PTA between home and school w ith a desire check appears on the list. The bulletin is are not living where their can use help. Outside resources should be used to help support and assist, not "turn over entirely the teaching process. THE VIEWMONT High School Viking band started things off with several selections, Clearfield High ROTC presented the colors and Kays-vill- e Elementary School students provided a musical medley, "Kindergarten Kapers. UNFORTUNATELY its the other half that consume the collectors time and take any- checks say they should be. THE biggest MOST PEOPLE pay their bills, but, the periods of delinquency vary according to the individual. The most common and annoying collection problem involves people who seem to remit payment more or less to their own convenience. They are a problem because they require frequent reminders consuming the time of credit personnel in the special handling of their accounts. Some of these casual payers are persons of ample means, who feel that their checks (with this exception) are so obviously superior that the merchant need not concern him local schools but teachers should find areas where they the checkwriter that one of their checks has been turned over for collection. The notice is standard procedure, it states the amount, where the check ' was written and when it was past due. About half of the people pay immediately upon receiving their notice. Within a few days of receiving the notice they mail off another good check or come into the office with cash, according to Mike Egan, manager of the agency. good, his name is deleted from the list. Check-Rit- e also conducts a collection service for bad checks which includes letters, phone calls and some skip tracing, that is, attempting to find checkwriters who ONCE, initially E mails out a notice that informs ev- to utilize more volunteers. "There are those who would like to help you do your job. It will be channeled through e. ery month and when the checkwriter make the check headache of doing business was shoplifting, but today merchants maintain that ill has dition." reason is instead routed directly to Check-Rit- sponsible for accepting or turning down checks can quickly see if the name on the gets what he wants, he said. FRANK B. Newman Jr., president of Utah Bank and Trust, said the bank lobby will be available to local artists, high school students, etc., to diplay their talent. We encourage local artists to make arrangements to have their work displayed, he said. This makes it more interesting to residents of the community while providing a place for artists to display their work." for "insufficient funds," account closed" or other CHECK-RIT- where from two to seven weeks to take care of a simple check. been superceded by bad Thats Check-Rit- if they pay. e tries to One Check-Rit- e collector commented, "It takes a lot of patience, and determination when dealing with these people over the phone. They will put off payment as long as they think they can. It's sort of a game of persistance for both parties. WE PERSIST in attempting to get them to pay and they persist in resisting. I've heard just about every excuse in the world as to why they cant pay. Some of them are legitimate. Others arent Ruth Bocutt, who supervises the collection department said that Check-Rit- e does allow additional time to the checkwriter if he has allowed himself to get into substantial debt and simply needs more time. . THIS INDIVIDUAL must demonstrate to the collector that he wants to pay, however, and that he is making a concerted effort to clear his debt. Unavoidable emergencies do arise and so the sensible thing to do in such cases is to work out some type of payment plan with the checkwriter. There is a tendency to Oo overboard in such situations. Courtesy and consideration is shown but collectors are instructed not to be casual. The checkwriter learns from the collectors attitude and if he learns that extensions can be obtained easily in emergencies then emergencies may become numerous. WHEN A merchant becomes a member of the Check-Rit- e system, he receives a decal for the door and a $8 service charge sticker for his register. This warns anyone considering writing a check without money to cover it. , Check-Rite- s subsistence comes primarily from the $8 service charge they attach to the checks they collect on. Regardless of the face value of the check, Check-Rit- e charges a $8 . fee. THIS IS where the stimu- corn-pain- ts are voiced most often by late the debtor by appealing to his sense of ought and his desire to avoid publication of his name on the bad checkwri-ter- s bulletin. checkwriting. "Its more serious than shoplifting, says Steve White, who part owner of Check-Ritadds, The smart people will write bad checks rather than shoplift because, believe it or not, its safer. If the amount isnt high enough or the merchant doesn't follow through and prosecute, (which in and of itself if a costly endeavor), nothing is done." payment has been missed and then to stress the urgency of taking care of the check as soon as possible. Check-Rit- e conducts a collection service for bad checks received by merchants. The system saves the merchant the clerical and administrative time usually spent in collecting on bad checks. The way it works is that any check that a bank would normally return to the merchant 75-8- Otis and Jean Winn, of Bountiful, display one of several paintings they have put on display at Utah Bank and Trust. Paintings and sketches were purchased from European artists. fre- quently find themselves short on cash. These people have their budgets stretched so tight that its only a matter of time before their complete financial situation comes apart. There exists a hierarchy of urgency in a stack of bills. Individuals rank their debts in the order in which they feel they must be paid. Certain kinds of debts rank high and take precedence over the others. The threat of termination of service that a utility company has is usually superior to that of a merchant who may not hold such a position. They are the ones that need the aided help of a third party. that their promised date of THE CHECK-Rit- e telephone calls are handled courteously and diplomatically on the part of the collector and are in no way threatening. The media has always publicized accounts and done documentaries on certain collection agencies that have been accused of utilizing various coercive techniques of harrass-meand embarrassment in an attempt to collect. One collection agency owner has recently been charged with misuse of funds. Lawsuits nt from both merchants and checkwriters are pending. TYPICALLY it will take three to four telephone remin- ders before a payment is actually received in the mail or the individual comes down to the office. Collectors call the checkwriters approximately once a week to remind them Clearfield Planners Ponder Twin Home, Zero Lot Lines checkwriters. Checkwriters are infuriated over the seemingly high $8 charge, especially after they have already been charged by their bank. It is sometimes possible for the combined service charges to exceed the original amount of the check. The checkwriter must realize though, that it costs the same amount of time, effort and money to process a $5, $50, or $500 check. CHECKWRITER claim that not fair and it probably isn't. But, then again, it's not for the merchant to have delayed payments, if he receives any payments at all! The service charges are supposed to discourage an individual from writing even a "small" check if the funds are not in their account to cover it. MANY CHECKWRITERS feel that it is against the law for the collection agency personnel to be calling their homes in the evening and assessing the $8 fee. They should be made aware that both practices are in compliance with the Federal Trade Commission. The Fair Credit Billing and Reporting' Acts. Public sentiment has always been in favor of the buyer. It must however, moderate itself. in order to give some protection to the seller and itself. After all, the public is the ultimate victim of those w ho fail to honor their financial obligations. The consumer pays the higher prices that the merchant must charge in order to com- its pensate. of not less than 50 feet, and front and rear y ards a mini- By M ARK D. MICKELSEN - ClearCLEARFIELD field planners believe they have come across a plan which will provide low cost housing less for younger couplcs-usinmunicipal land space. g THE PLAN involves paszero lot sage of a line ordinance and will permit as many as low cost housing unites per acre. The proposed ordinance is twin-hom- mum of 50 feet each. sion had opted for a 960 square foot minimum per unit, but changed the requirement to s. 840. Cole told city council-member- SIDEYARDS ARE on or attached housing units. Under the ordinance, all developments require site plan approval by the city planning commission, according to Mr. Cole. non-exista- nt twin-hom- e, "We're probably looking at massive subdivisions w ith 840-fohomes if this ordinance is accepted." one resident complained. He accused Clearfield officials of catering to a transient population." relatively new to many Wasatch Front communities, but has been used extensively in other stales to consolidate land space and provide otherwise inaccessible housing to low income residents. ASSISTANT Davis County planning director Albert Cole told Clearfield city recently that passage of the ordinance will allow y construction of both council-membe- rs single-famil- detached and twin home attached units. The zone requires a square footage minimum of 5.10 feet, a lot widih d 5 9 twin-hom- e considered as "conditional uses." But. Mr. Cole said the plan- ning commission felt there should be a separate zone in order to allow the commission better control of the ordinance. HE S AID there was also a lot of discussion" over the size of the lots, but said the new zone will allow a number of various designs. 'There's all kinds of options for different kinds of units." twin-hom- e THE PLANNING commis "WITH THAT stipulation, homes are going to be all in a - "WEVE H AD a lot of developers say that is the only way young people can get into n homes." Mayor Hamblin responded. persons The city council tabled the ordinance pending additional study by the planning commission. scrupulous practices of certain businesses, the merchant and Pro-Te- Nel-do- How many low income housing developments does Clearfield have to provide for the Wasatch Front, the man asked. MR. COLE explained that the 840 square foot minimum will encourage split level developments and leave more open space for subdivision tenants. "1 would like to see half of them 9f4)," another resident complained. "The w ay it (ordinance) is w ritten. there's going to be one type of home and it Womens Group To Hold Meeting KAYS VILLE The Kays-vill- e Branch of the American Association of University Women will hold its opening membership meeting Sept. 8 w ith a barbecue at the home of Marilyn Hall, 676 E. Center. Kaysville. Guest speaker w ill be Anita Gander, state president. THE KAYSVILLE Branch of AAUW covers the entire Davis County area. Any woman who has graduated from a college or university is invited to join us. Those in- terested should call Marilyn Hall, or Georgette Kapos. In the next two years the 376-533- 7 376-204- AVHILE IT is true that some fall victim to the un- row." he said. ot lf THE CITY currently has an and zone where certain and detached developments are (subdivisions) is going to all be that way." topics to be studied will be "Taking Hold of Technology" and "Money Talks." THIS YEARS AAUW offic- ers and board are Georgette Kapos. president; Gail Saunders. first vice president; Marilyn Hall, second vice president; Leatrice Flolman. secretary: Jean Anderson, treasurer; Connie Dahlstet, parliamentarian; Katherine Stirl- the bill collector are not neces- sarily always the villains. Checkwriting and other credit practices rest on the institution of the contract. Credit expansion cannot continue if public sentiment does not uphold the sellers right to collect his just debts. Approves License For Beer Clearfield - The nCLrEu.IELD City Council has approved a Clas C beer Rocking R ,nn ing. education chairman; Ruth Harvery, public information; MEirs SC Walker, council of women; Pauline Carter, cultural interests chairman: Bea Carroll approved during the council's meeting last week Marilyn Hall and Dorotha and Elizabeth Williamson, topic chairmen, np THE LICENSE was follow mg a favorable recommendation from the Clearfield Police Dept, mdm |