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Show Planned Closing Of Employment Office Stirs Protest Storm 3B& - - Wkk4'-' m lift! Business and civic leaders gather In front of the Employment Service office In Pangultch, as they meet to protest the proposed closing of the office. Left "(o right: Earl Pendleton, president ot the Businessmen's Assn; Mayor William O, llruhn. Dee Houston, Dunne Burrows, Jay Rlggs, John Hurst, County Commissioner Jes Cherrlngton, A, L. Elmer, and Sam Allen, The old Southern Utah gripe that Utah ends at Provo when It comes to receiving consideration from the powers-that-be up-state Is borne out again. To make up for a curtailment of funds the Department of Employment Security ot the State ot Utah Is closing three offices ull of thetti south ot Provo, and one ot them being the office situated In Pangultch. The contemplated move has set off a storm ot protest In the area serviced by the Pangultch office. It It goes through and the office Is closed, It will mean that anyone having business with the department must travel over the mountain to Cedar City or Richfield. Since the Pangultch office takes In an area ot all ot Garfield and Kane Counties in Utah and on the Federal side as far south as Fredonla and Mocassin In Arts. It i easy to see what a hardship the move would work on many of the people In the area. It Is thought that the mutton-headed move was made on a basis of town population rather than taking Into consideration the area serviced which Is about the only reasonable explanation offered so far. The Pangultch office has a very high rating as to efficiency and number ot cases handled. If It Is closed It will mean there n office nearer than 200 miles for many of the people Involved while In up-state Utah there Is a cluster of ten or twelve heavily staff-eJ offices In an area ot less than a hundred miles. The cut In funds amounts ta ten percent of the total amount of money granted" to the service by the 'federal government, but rather than cut any of the big offices upstate, or spread a 15 percent prorated cut throughout the entire system, Southern Utah Is made to take up the entire cut. J, Earl Allen, director of the Pangultch office, has been offered another post with the department. Civic organizations, town and county officials, and business people throughout the area are protesting the move as vigorously as possible. Veterans, who have considerable business with the department, which also handles veterans' claims of various kinds, are planning protest moves. |