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Editorial
A New View
Some interesting suggestions were made to the
OBSERVER by an out- of- state library consultant
Joseph Wheeler, who was hired to explore the
feasibility of the proposed $ 38,000 mezzanine in
the South Farmingdale Branch Library.
The controversial expenditure for the added
mezzanine space, was approved by the library
board. Monies to be used for the project were
raised from book fines and fees.
The consultant, Joseph Wheeler, who told us
that he has been consultant to 173 libraries in
the country, ' more than anyone else has,' as he
puts it, will suggest to the library board in his
report, that more important than the branch mezzanine,
is additional added space for the much
smaller main library at Main and Conklin Streets.
This valuable location, at the crossroads of the
village business area, fortunately has a sizable
plot of ground directly behind it. Right now it is
a weed patch. Money should be used to purchase it.
Wheeler, a scholarly gentleman, who has been
active in libraries since 1902 . a s librarian
in Maryland, Florida and Ohio, and later as consultant,
also feels that the village fathers will ' have
to face up to more parking space if the library
usage on Main Street is to reach its peak potential.'
The need for more parking space is'inevitable', he
said.
Sometimes it takes a disinterested outsider, and
a pro at that, to separate the trees from the forest.
He also commented on the South Farmingdale
Branch Library staff as being able and most competent,
t
A Fine Idea
The Farmingdale Knights of Columbus
have invited the International Club students from
the State University to their upcoming Communion
Breakfast to get their impressions of this country
and tell about their own native lands.
What a fine idea. We have had the privilege
for the past several years, to address the International
Club students at the College and afterwards
getting their impressions of our country.
What a wonderful way to spend a few hours.
On the same subject, more residents should
take an interest in our visitors from other countries.
An invitation by other Farmingdale
groups to meet with them would not only make
for a fine program, but would prove interesting
as well as informative.
Along the same lines, the three Rotary exchange
students attending Farmingdale Senior High
School, may also be invited, especially as a house
guest for several hours on almost any weekend.,
Jfarattigbal* Q) lusmuv
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Page 4
Datebook
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18
8: 55 p. m. Pro Arte Symphony
Orchestra, Hofstra University
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19
7 to 10 p. m. Rummage Sale, Sisterhood
of Temple Sinai, 270
Clocks Boulevard, Amityville
MONDAY, OCTOBER 21
10 to 12 noon Rummage Sale,
Sisterhood of Temple Sinai,
270 Clocks Blvd., Amityville
10 a. m. to 2 p. m. Homemakers
Council will hold Handicraft
Exhibit, Village Hall, Massa-pequa
Park
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22
11: 30 a. m. Assemblyman Frank
McCloskey and Democratic
Candidate, William G. O'Don-nell
will be guest speakers
at South Bay Section of National
Council of Jewish Women, Village
Hall, Massapequa Park.
8 p. m. Sir Laurence Olivier in
film ' Hamlet' will be shown
at Plainedge Public Library
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23
8: 15 p. m. Farmingdale Auxiliary
of the AHRC, fire prevention,
Knights of Columbus Hall, Morton
and Garity Place, East
Farmingdale
7: 30 pjn. Author, Arnold Madison,
Plainedge school teacher,
Plainedge Public Library,
Hicksville Road.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24
10 a an. to 4 p. m. Household and
Antique items in Garage Sale,
sponsored by Plainedge Auxiliary
of United Cerebral Palsy,
home of Mrs. Rhoda Fisher,
407 Queens Avenue, Massapequa
Student Gives
Impressions
Members of the Farmindgale
Rotary Club were entertained
by a talk last Wednesday given
by Rotary Exchange student
Elizabeth Matthews who Is attending
Farmingdale HighSchool.
In her talk, Miss Matthews
pointed out that young people in
England, where she has attended
the Public School in Naneaton,
Warwickshire, are very similar
to young people in Farmingdale.
However, she does prefer our
co- education to the English system
of segregated education for
girls and boys; she thinks that
the teachers and headmaster of
Farmingdale High School are
more friendly than their English
counterparts. She prefers wearing
a uniform to school, so that
there need be no decision as to
what to wear and she thinks that
English schools stress individual
responsibility so far as study
projects are concerned.
She is gradually becoming accustomed
to tea packaged in individual
bags, and is acquiring
more of a taste for. the salad
customarily accompanying dinner,
but not her first taste of
sweet potatoes.
College News
Carol Ann Quirk is a member
of the freshman class of 250
young women who have entered
Immaculata College, Immaculata,
Pa.
A graduate of Queen of the
Rosary Academy, she plans to
major in psychology.
Carol Ann is the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Henry D. Quirk,
23 Hemlock drive, Farmingdale.
Talk On Fire Prevention
The Farmingdale auxiliary of
the Association for the Help of
Retarded Children will hold their
regular monthly meeting on Wednesday,
October 23, at 8: 15 p. m.
at the Knights of Columbus Hall,
Farmingdale. A member of the
South Farmingdale Fire Department
will speak on fire prevention
in the home. The public is invited
and refreshments will be served.
Burglars Take $ 275
Peter Cauci, of Wagner's Feed
Co. Inc., at 300 Fulton Street,
reported to police that burglars
entered his place of business and
took $ 275 in currency. Entry was
gained through a side door window.
Congressman James R. Grover
recently presented a flag to the
library and a brief picture- taking
ceremony was held while the flag
was presented to the president
of our library board. At the
next board meeting after the
presentation, a citizen voiced an
opinion which contains a lesson
for all of us. He prefaced his
remarks by explaining that he
is a plumber. Thus his thinking
was conditioned by that fact just
as the thinking of all of us
is conditioned by what we do
and what we know best.
Probably no one else in our
community observing this flag
presentation ceremony would
have seen what our plumber friend
said that he saw. When he looked
at the flag holder a part of it
reminded him of part of a toilet.
The lesson herein for every
one of us to realize is that no
one looks out with a completely
unprejudiced view, regardless of
what we are surveying. That
which is within each of us has
an important influence upon that
which our gaze encompasses and
upon the manner in which we interpret
it.
If we keep this in mind it will
help us to understand our neighbors
when they look at the same
thing we are looking at but see
something quite different from
what we see. No two people look
at a book or magazine or a movie
and see exactly the same thing. An
awareness of this human condition
will contribute to better and more
complete understanding on the
part of all of us of our fellow man.
A story circulated during World
War 11 illustrates what we are
saying. An army psychologist was
interviewing a new recruit. He
showed the rookie three completely
dissimilar objects one by
one, and each time asked the
rookie of what the object reminded
him. Each time the rookie
replied " sex". This puzzled the
psychologist who then asked the
rookie what these objects had
in common that all should r e mind
him of sex. The rookie
replied, ** 0h, its not that they
have anything in common. It's
just that everything reminds me
of sex."
To a greater or lesser degree
this illustrates the way we all
react. Some of us look at our
neighbors and see nothing but
a " liberal" conspirator who is
trying to take our liberties away.
Some few of us look at our
government and see it as being
under 70% communist domination.
Others see it as a bulwark of
old- fashioned immutable, diehard
conservatism. Rare indeed is
the person who has the ability
to see things as they are, but we
should constantly strive for this
ideal.
Tax Views
By Stanley Feigenbaum
( Editor's Note; Stanley Feigenbaum
of 7 7 Evans A venue, Farm-ingdale,
has been a resident of
School District 22 for . 9 years.
He and his wife have two children
in the Farmingdale Public
Why bother trying to get the
state to raise the school operating
aid ceiling? An increase
in state aid will have to
mean in increase in state taxes,
so what's the difference whether
the state tax or the local tax
is raised? It all comes from
the taxpayers anyhow. Right'?
Well, it seems right. After all,
the state has no money other
than what it raises in taxes
and since we pay state taxes and
local taxes, if we dont pay to
one, we'll pay to the other.
It seems simple, but there
is actually very little that deals
with taxes that really is simple.
Consider the wav things actually
work out. In District 22, the
average family of four has an
income of less than $ 9,000 a year,
and lives a house assessed at
$ 5,000. With typical deductions,
this family pays a state income
tax of about $ 160 a year. The
advance proposals for balancing
the state budget call for a 20%
i n c o m e tax surcharge. This
means a $ 32 tax incrase for our
average taxpayer, partly to pay
for increase state operating aid.
The operating aid proposal now
being considered would raise the
aid ceiling to $ 900 per pupil and
increase the state's percentage
share of the costs. In our district,
this proposal is equivalent to a tax
rate of $ 1.80 per $ 100 assessed
value in the Oyster Bay section
of the district. For the average
house, this is $ 90 a year.
In other words, if the state
raises the school aid ceiling
and also raises income taxes to
pay for it, it will cost the aver-will
2oa;
tax
the
Schools. He is a businessman
and has served as a member of
the Citizens Advisory C onmrrt-tee
on A ssessments and the
Citizens Finance Advisory Committee
U
age taxpayer $ 32. If the state
makes no change, the average
local tax will go up at least"
$ 90. So, just on this basis,
it obviously makes sense to increase
the amount of aid we
will receive.
These figures, of course, are
just averages, and will not apply
to everyone. It is easy to figure
out just how these proposals
affect each family. Take
of last years state income
payments, this will show
possible increase for next
year. To figure the possible
property tax increase, multiply
the a s s e s s e d value of the
property by $ 1.80 and mark off
two decimal p l a c e s . Most
people in the district will find
that they are better off with the
increased state aid, even if it
does mean that a surcharge will
be necessary.
There are some other things
to keep in mind while making
these comparisons The figure
of $ 1.80 per $ 100 is fairly firm,
the possibility of a 20% surcharge
is not. The state has many
other sources of taxes that can
be tapped, for instance various
business taxes could be raised,
requiring either a smaller surcharge,
or possibly no surcharge
at all. It is also possible that
income taxes could be raised selectively
as was done this year,
where only high incomes were
subject to an increase.
All of which means that no
matter how the state raises the
money, we will be much better
off with more state aid rather
than increased property taxes.
CAP Flies Weekend Sorties
Farmingdale's unit of Civil
Air Patrol was represented this
past weekend in the annual CAP-Civil
Defense Effectiveness K-valuation
held at X aim's Airport.
The statewide drill planned by
<. ivil Defense in ' cooperation with
Civil Aii- Patrol saw local volunteers
involved in a variety of missions.
Pilots, observers and
cadet ground crew successfully
Carried out their assignments
according to word relayed to the
Long Island Croup late Sunday afternoon.
Despite some cloudiness in the
area more than thirty sorties
were flown. Sixteen aircraft
were used in missions covering
traffic surveys, radiological
monitoring, airlift of supplies,
search and rescue, and aerial
photography.
The overal purpose of the drill
was to test the capability of the
group in support of Civil Defense.
Farmingdale OBSERVER - Thursday, October 17, 1968
