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Show v Emery County featuring Cn V imi Entertainment Hagailne 1 M't Ml AST Of CAlTLf COUNTIV A Wednesday, April 8, 1981 Volume 82 Number 14 All quiet in Utah District puts halt on bond Council returns to resolve differences Prospects for a resumption of contract negotiations between coal mine operators and striking mine workers are looking better this week. President Sam Church of the United Mine Workers of America summoned his 39 - member bargaining council to a Friday meeting in Washington, D.C. We will probably try to resolve the differences we have on the contract and get things settled, said President Bill Jones of the Price - based District 22. Jones is a member of the bargaining council. But there was no official word that the Bituminous Coal Operators of America (BCOA), the industrys bargaining arm, is planning a similar move to get talks under way. In a statement released April 1, Chairman B. R. Bobbie Brown The BCOA has not stated, to resume negotiations. planned But Jones said he has heard through the grapevine that the BCOA has been meeting, possibly in preparation for a new round of negotiations. Picketing has occurred in Kentucky, West Virginia and Indiana, and windows have been broken out of coal - hauling trucks in Kentucky since the strike began March 27. The scene in Utah, where the proposed contract was favored by a 1 margin, has remained peaceful. Strikers have so far abided by a District 22 directive that there will be no picketing, especially of non - union coal mines. Law enforcement officers and Carbon throughout Emery 2-- With the County Board of Commissioners holding off on what they want to do concerning the raising of property taxes according to an order passed down by Governor Scott Matheson, the counties are keeping watch on the situation. Some non - union mines have been transporting their workers to the mines in busses with chicken wire on the windows as a precaution. Financial costs are already being counted. Economist Doug McDonald of the State Tax Commission said April 2 that Utah stands to lose $20,000 a day in sales and income tax revenue if the strike lasts more than two months. Social Services personnel, worried about the impact on families of strikers, are taking steps to provide for emergency needs. (See related story.) Lee Hofeling, associate dean of the CEU Mining Technology Department, said he doubts the strike will adversely affect enrollment in the schools pre mining courses. Special Service District has decided that it will hold off on its proposed bond election. The election, which gained commission approval nearly one and one - half years ago, would be used to seek general obligation bonds totaling approximately $15 million. The money would be used to add sewer facilities, water lines and fix up roads in the cities belonging to the district. added. Coal companies are generally getting by with stockpiles. A survey of the top 10 coal - using utilities in the United States Its out back e located near the rest area off Utah 10 south of the Castle Dale could hold some answers to future sewer problems In the county. The county could suffer from lack of water hook ups and over use of sewer facilities in most of the This government agencies are gearing up for a rash of requests for economic assistance. The need may be more acute because the Utah Legislature has prohibited strikers from receiving government assistance other than Food Stamps. The state Social Services Department has announced its office hours for Food Stamp applications and interviews for striking coal miners in Price, East Carbon and Castle Dale. Maun Alston, area Social Services director, said Food Stamp interviews will be conducted in the Price office, 90 North First East, at 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on weekdays. Additional interviews will be added as needed. Social Services staff will be in the Castle Dale Social Services towns. Wages cause picket showed that each has enough coal stockpiled to operate for at least 60 Pipe fitters working on the days. construction of the Utah Power County Attorney Keith Chiara three said that his office will attempt to and Light Hunter plant on Thursday over walkout a staged work with striking miners who one member called unfair have difficulty meeting child what wage practices. support or ailmony payments. Members of the Pipe Fitters He added even though the 57 shut down conminers may not be working, they union, local of the UP&L plant f or a struction will be obiligated to make up on with a picket line. According any past - due payments when they day one individual, a reason for the to resume work. picket was that the company that Office at 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, Mrs. Alston said. Applications may be picked up at the office any day between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The office is located on Main Street just north of First Security Bank. For UMWA members living in East Carbon, Social Services staff will be available at 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays at the Senior Citizens Center (Rotary Building), she said. Application packets may be picked up there daily. Additional hours and days may be added to the schedule as more miners apply, Mrs. Alston said. Miners in outlying areas may contact the Price office by calling toll- - free Concerns about schedules and office hours should be directed to Mrs. Alston, Roger Sparks or Bill Wrigley. Emery leads in Utah coal output Emery County led Utahs coal production for report 1980 according to a published by Utah Geological and Mineral Survey. The 1980 year produced 13.6 million short tons, which is 12.7 percent greater than 1979s record 12.3 million tons. Hellmut H. Doelling, chief economic geologist for UGMS, reports that nearly three - fourths of Utahs coal, 8,879,284 tons, came from the Wasatch Plateau coal field in Sevier and Emery counties. Another 2,993,207 tons came from the Book Cliffs field in Carbon County and 5.6 percent came from the Emery Coal field in Emery and Sevier counties. Emery led the production figures with 6,323,354 tons; Carbon County produced 5,489,064 tons and Sevier County produced 1,821,510 tons. No production of coal was reported from any other counties. The report said that most of the coal produced was used for power generation, 72.5 percent; metallurgical purposes, 8.8 percent, and space heating, only 3.9 percent. Nearly half of the coal was used in Utah, 48.9 percent, while 42.7 percent was shipped to other states and 8.4 percent, nearly 1.2 million tons, was shipped to the Far East. In the last 10 years, Utah has produced 79.8 million tons of coal. Since 1870, Utahs recorded production has been 398.9 million tons, almost all from underground mines. Utahs minable reserves are 'at present estimated to be about 23.6 billion short tons, or about 98 percent of the coal originally present in Utah. governor was going to do before they added another approximate 10 mills to the property tax. The feeling they are hearing is that the people may just say why do I need to pay for someone elses hook ups, I have mine. out-hous- Agencies gear to help As prospects for an early end to the UMWA strike grow dimmer, The election has been delayed by the special service district board several times. The sale of UP&L Hunter two plant to non taxable entities, the tax referendum on the general ballot in November and the governors order for all counties to raise the assessed valuation to 20 percent of the 1978 market value have all had a toll on the proposal. Leamaster said that a problem of expansion does exist, and that a moritorium throughout the county could be inevitable without the sale of the bonds. Darell Leamaster, district manager, said the board felt like they wanted to know what the -- The enrollment slack is traditionally made up when management personnel take refresher courses at the college, he But in actuality, holding off for seven to eight months wont hurt We have us anyway, he said. missed the construction season for this year. We wont have to pay interest on the money when we wont be able to use it anyway. He said that other information the district is waiting for from Utah Power and Light and other entities are also holding up the . bond election. Leaders to assist The Southeastern Utah Community Action Program (CAP) has invited about 100 community leaders to examine ways of using local resources to help indigent families of strikers. The leaders will meet at 7 p.m., Thursday at the Price Senior Citizens Center. CAP Executive Director John D. Scott said the agency hopes to set up a community resource network consisting of churches, civic organizations, and government leaders. It is imperative that the entire community prepare for the worst and hope for the best, Scott said. He expressed concern that some apartment or mobile home dwellers will face eviction when their money runs out. During the strike three years ago, 1,700 families received welfare grants, Scott said. But assistance for such families is not available this time. Mrs. Alston said the Legislature, in passing appropriation bills in the past few years, has stated their desire that strikers be ineligible for government assistance. Scott said he hopes persons with campers or recreational vehicles will be willing to offer them as emergency housing for families who are evicted. He noted that the UMWA locals run a food bank for strikers using donations from other unions, but it will not be functioning until the end of April. A check Tuesday of Prices four major chain stores revealed differing policies regarding granting of credit to families of striking coal miners. City Market does not grant credit to anyone, according to ' manager Darrell Cooper. Brent Farnsworth of Smiths Food King and Dennis Walker of Bobcos Self Service Foods both said their stores presently have no policy one way or the other. Don Neeley of Safeway said the presently has no policy store regarding credit during the strike. had contracted the local, Woolford and Bumstead, headquartered in Woodmille, Washington, was not paying the wages the workers thought they were supposed to receive. He said that his pay check had been shorted $3.50 an hour. He said his union referral slip had said he would earn $17.81 an hour. Instead, he had received $14.31. George Richman, Woolford and Bumstead, had no comment when questioned by the Emery County Progress. Local 57 manager Mike Rogers also failed to comment about the situation. He was not in the office when it first happened. Work was stopped on the Hunter three plant located just south of Castle Dale as other union members honored the picket and went home. The Hunter power plant security guards called in the Emery County Sheriffs deputies. There was no violence. Emery scholars excel m Sterling Fair plans underway The Emery County Fair has been set for the week of August 10 through 15. The county fair board recently met and began putting many of the final touches on what hopes to be a better event than the fair in 1980. The fair will feature many of the same events that were enjoyed by participants last year including the Miss Emery County Pageant, rodeo, parade, River Bottom Run, musical entertainment, horse, show, crafts and arts display and style show. New events that are being considered by the fair board are a motocross race, a carnival and commercial exhibits. 4-- H The Miss Emery County Pageant is actively recruiting contestants. Any young women who will be 18 years before July, 1982, should contact George Stucki or other members of the Castle Dale Lions Club for eligibility and entrance requirements. The winning contestant will represent Emery County in the Miss Utah pageant next spring. Anyone interested in helping , with establishing a motocross, or suggesting an availa' le course site should contact Scott Cliristensen. A flyer will be sent to all post office boxes in the county in the next few months with the schedule of events and the rules for entering exhibits. A new judging system will be followed this year enabling more winners. Because of the construction underway at Emery High School, the events held there last year will be at the Huntington Junior High School, with the rodeo, horse show, races and musical entertainment to be held in Ferron. The River Bottom Run will be held in Castle Dale. The fair board encourages involvement by each of the cities along the west side of the county. They would like to see each town establish some type of annual event that would be a part of the fair in future years. Input from residents of the county are welcomed by the fair board. Chairman of the board is La Von Day and Ina Lee Magnuson is the Secretary. ' 1 k - ", it i J ' 4 I k k VI ' , ril' ' program & V : r Margaret Hatch, Ruth Reeg and Collette Powell received honors during the Sterling Scholar competition in Moab last Thursday. River High School took the top give the school a total of $980 for the program. spot. During the competition in Moab each candidate was askec Local director Steve Murdock questions by three judges from the said the program was based on the of education, members state board Emery High School sent five same program that KSL and the of the at College of Eastern faculty to the Moab. students Deseret News have been doing for program in and Utah private individuals. The Margaret Hatch took first place in the past 20 years. Each winner was based 50 percent on scoring Homemaking, Ruth Reeg took the received a certificate from 25 percent on their scholrship, News and from the Local first place spot in Foreign their 25 percent on and leadership Language and Collette Powell took organization. They received a their citizenship. and in Scholar Drama. first place Speech pin sterling silver Sterling Powell was also judged on a and $250. short reading she had prepared for Each high school had to come up Greg Enke was the runner - up in her competition. the music catagory. Leslie Snyder with their share of the cash prizes Although there were only five did not receive any formal basedon the size of the school. students from Emery High , a total She was in recognition. competing Emery earned their money of 12 were represented. catagories the Social Science area. an auction art through orgainzed Murdock said in future years, that Another Emery resident, by Emily Larson and Ruth Ulster. school will the have all of the areas however, took the Social Science The Emery County s Chamber of filled with students. competent Debbie of Bremer Green Commerce also donated $250 to catagory. High School students took first place in the regions first Sterling Scholarship award ceremony. Three Emery KSL-Deser- et |