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Show i Comments from our readers . . . S Dear Sam, Recently I had the unfortunate unfor-tunate experience of feeling completely helpless when faced fac-ed with a problem created unnecessarily by Continental Telephone Co. of the West. Because their services are necessary, when a problem occurs, the consumer can't simply say, "take the telephone tele-phone out, I don't need your kind of inferior service." An eight party line is difficult to endure. Nothing effective is ever done to correct party line problems when they are reported. re-ported. The usual form letter is sent out, but no enforcement enforce-ment of offenses punishable by the law. One evening I was asked to relinquish the line for an emergency, which I did immediately. Knowing the familiar voice who made the request, I waited long enough for the "emergency number" to be dialed ... a real life and death situation! A boyfriend-girlfriend boyfriend-girlfriend fight! I reported the incident to the operator. She told me I would have to make my complaint to the business office. The business office told me I should contact Repair Service. Of course I should of known that's where all complaints com-plaints should go! They informed in-formed me they would send out a form letter, which read "....there has been a complaint com-plaint we are sure this was unintentional blah, blah, blah...! I could write a book about some of the happenings on our party line, but let me ! get to the straw that broke the camels back. While we . were on vacation our tele-, tele-, phone was disconnected. A not so pleasant thing to come home to, when you go to the phone to call your mother in California to see if she is safe from the recent storms and find the telephone dead! Then you run to the neighbors to use. their phone to find out why your phone has been disconnected only to be told your bill hasn't been paid. But I tried to explain, "it has been paid!" I'm sorry the voice replies, we won't connect your phone until you come into the business office and pay the bill. After some fruitless explanations, ex-planations, in desperation I finally hung up! I did offer a suggestion that their public relations could be improved if they would improve their communications within the organization! The next day I went to the bank to see if my check had cleared. Sure enough there it was! It had been deposited by the Telephone Co. August 4, 1977. Twelve days before disconnect day... .which I didn't know at the time of payment they were considering! consider-ing! I took a copy of the check in hand to the business office and demanded my phone be reconnected without a connect con-nect charge. They never apologized apol-ogized for their mistake or the inconvenience, nor did I apologize apolo-gize for my anger. The telephone tele-phone was reconnected that afternoon. This incident was unnecessary, unneces-sary, embarrassing and disgusting! dis-gusting! Never has the telephone tele-phone company lost one dime on our account! Seven years of faithful payment should be worth something.. .but not an insult to your integrity. If they wouldn't sit like vultures ready to disconnect, and place their interests in trying to improve public relations, it would certainly make life a little more pleasant for all concerned. I hope others who have had similar experiences with the phone company will write to you Sam, so that this problem can get the proper attention... maybe then something will be done to correct poor communications commun-ications existing within the major communication center of Moab! Thanks, G.L. Hamblin Dear Sam, I would like to thank the Grand County TB and Health Association for the $100 it donated to our new health office for a conference table and chairs. Ann B. Hemme, R.N. Community Health Nurse Grand County Dear Sam: It never ceases to amaze me how completely unglued and irrational many of us become when dealing with the wilderness wilder-ness concept. I make this statement in reference to the letter written last week by Mr. Raymond M. Tibbetts, President of the Western Association of Land Users. To the best of my knowledge, know-ledge, no area has been proposed pro-posed for wilderness designation designa-tion in the LaSal Mountains! Certain areas have been identified iden-tified as being roadless thus far. By no means' does this constitute a wilderness proposal. pro-posal. It is unfortunate that citizens citi-zens often fail to identify with what natural values represent as a place, an idea, principle, even a state of mind. Instead, we most often think that a good quality of life can be measured only in terms of mine economic growth. We are led to believe that wild-land wild-land values are a direct affront af-front to the free enterprise system and contrary to the multiple use concept. I find it impossible to endorse this theory, since the Wilderness Act of 1964 has actually functioned to enhance several aspects of the Multiple Use- Sustained Yield Act. For example, grazing has been an important use of forest lands for a very long time, and the loss of grazing permits can easily spell the ruination of a ranching operation. opera-tion. The law that established wilderness areas and the regulations reg-ulations that guide their management man-agement and use do not approve the elimination of existing grazing in wilderness areas-neithcr do I. The regulations regu-lations state that grazing shall continue and that livestock management improvements, such as fences or corrals, that existed when an area was incorporated into the National i Wilderness Preservation System Sys-tem may be permitted. Other multiple use features augmented by wildland areas include the protection of critical criti-cal watershed areas and scientific scien-tific values; assuring good wildlife habitat for both game and non-game species; allowing allow-ing both fishing and hunting; outdoor recreation; and safeguarding safe-guarding the integrity of our most natural heritage. Wilderness is definitely a resource and deserves to be thoroughly examined as such along with other resources. However, when conflicts of use do occur in any area-be it wilderness or non-wilderness -all uses must be given consideration, con-sideration, and there should definitely be a recognition of the predominant uses of the area prior to any formal designation. This is inclusive of mineral development, timber tim-ber potential, grazing, backpackers, back-packers, 4-wheel drive enthusiasts, enthu-siasts, etc. The notion that Moab's own mountains will be set aside as a backpacker's paradise for only a few hardy souls to enjoy is almost as humorous as it is absurd. I support wilderness despite a chronic knee ailment that severely hampers my walking any lengthy leng-thy distance at all. Many elderly citizens are physically unable to partake in the mor. i ngorous recreational J ,A g ties popular today SUch ' 0f basketball, football, water,? . time the . elderly these activities and nun. 2 ' ' M these .folks my own gr' thermcluded, possess ad reverence and aDorerim ' f ,. forkg; intact. sPP This is in no way savini, . part of the U&l JZtV for that matter, are worth;' being designated as a wild land area. What U ' :"d important though, is that . ' 1 attempt to view both side, o the wilderness controversy ta ' ' a more objective, rational ' manner (both environmental- 'i ists and those who share Mr Tibbetts' viewpoints). So long as some citizens maintain ; ' their radical, uncompromisin. : off-the-wall attitudes regard. ' ing emotional issues, verj ' little will ever be reconciled ': ' between those who believe i in wilderness and those who ' do not. s 1 There will always be some ' differences of opinion, but ' even a wolf pack displays more social order and sense of ' respectability for its adver- ", saries than what some people ' Jffll have exhorted over this issue, .j w DougTreadway |