6 - Franklin Township Public Library

lettersto the editorAgainst petitionTo the Editor:When registered voters signthe"Change of Governnment"petition being circulated now.they are saying they want toelect the r own mayor, wantthe Plan F form of localgovernment and wantNovember electlous,If enough voters support allthree, the question goes on theb~ lint in November. So, in theweeks ahead, we should giveattention to these questionsbecause, regardless of thesuccess of tile current petition,at least one concept has realtneritElecting our own mayor ~sthe one aspect in the "Changeof Government" argumentwhich the vast majority ofresidents will support. It isbesl to have a form ofgovernment whereinexecutive power is given to anelected leader.So whatever the outcome ofthe current petition, theTownship Council should giveimmediate consideration toforming or electing a studycommission to place theseveral options before thepublic.Plan F is just one of severaloptions or changes we mayadopt. The .Faulkner Act.v, hieh supplies the statutes foradministering municipalities,presents to the public severalplans, of which Plan F is justone. A study commission couldrecommend which ispreferrable in this cornmunity,representative. As a Consider, too, the impact on stead, let us move a resolution question goes to referendum inTile petition as circulated Republican Chairperson, I can voters in a November election through the Council to form or November. let’s defeat it inand the statements on the agree that our workers would inwhich localcandidates were elect a study commission with Iavor of a more open andballot in Novembei" would not find it easier and that more discussing taxes and services real-time target dates to lay flexible approach to the threepermit us to explore these money would be ’available, and. at the same time, things out for the voters the options questions.options, As such. I suggest we The election, though, would like Watergate and a state and recommend which theynot sign it or, if a voter has hardly be more represensignedit, that the question be tative.Nodoubt. many of us would be Incidentally, if one has RepublieanMunieipal!neome tax were also at issue, think is best. Jack Cullendefeated in favor of a With November elections. affected to a degree where we signed the pentian and if theChairmanstudy commission to be local issues would be clouded would not distinguish carefullyelected next year to eval- by regional and national between tile positions of localuate the options, issues Democrats and candidates.Concerning November Republicans would have an We have a form of governmentnow which affords us theelections, the third feature of overwhelming advantage overthe current petition,- Independents. Independents, opportunity to treat localproponents try to convince in fact would find they simply issues separate from regionalGreat tripvoters that changing from a would not have the resources and national ones. It seems weMay election to one in to get into the race. can improve our form ofNovember is in the public And, in a community where government without denyinginterest,local issues are so important, ourselves of the good things weThey say it will strengthen oftentimes, it is the presence already have.the two-party system, bring of Independents which force So. I suggest again thatout more campaign workers, the major parties to address voters do no sign the current for a cyclistmake money castor to raise local questions direetiy and petition becauseit forces us toand make the election more seriously,accent all three items. In-COME TO OUROPENHOUSESaturda September 21.9to5Everyone is invited[ Come to the opening of The HillsboroughNational Bank’s beautiful new main offices at the cornerof Amwell Road and Route 206 on Saturday, September 21, 9 a. m.to 5 p.m,There will be free gifts, refreshments, music and magic,The American Band will play tunes from The Forties while entertainmentis provided by Hillsborough’s Laffin’ Stock Company withMysto the Magician and a host of famous storybook characters.There will be souvenir Hillsborough buttons, bags andashtrays for everyone. Balloons for the children. And gift packagesof famous Smuckar’s jams and iellies for opening new checking orsavings accounts or adding to an existing account.We’re also celebrating with brand new banking services,Cash Cushion Checking( Your own personal line of credi!from $500.00 to $5,500,00,All-ln-One Statement Banking, All your accounts summarizedin one monthly statement for easy money management,The American Express Executive Card, The prestigiouscredit program combining tile gold American Express card with acash reserve,Services Piu~: A convenient package of 10 services in oneaccount,All added to our completely free personal checking,Highest !agal interest rates oa savings, Low cost loans. And themost convenient hours in New |ersey, 0 to 0 daily. 9 to 5 Saturday,Come to our open house on September 21, For a goodtime. A grand tour, And the best in banking services.by Tom LedererStaffWriterOne of the finest bicycle rides in thePrinceton area is tbe narrow tree.lined Canal Road that parallels theDelaware & Raritan Canal betweenRocky..liill and East Millstone.Lightly traveled and well shadedover most of its length, Canal Roadoffers particular relief to the summercyclist, seeking a cool and not toostrenuous rideThe 9.5 mile roadway is divided intolhree distinct sections. A three-mile.smoothly paved, relatively welltraveledlength runs between theroad’s intersection with Route 518 andGriggstown A second more roughlypaved section runs betweenGriggstown and the village of Black.wells Mills.The road here often wanders fromview of the canal and contains a fewsmall hills. The final very poorlypaved 2,5-mile sectina connects BlackwellsMills with the road’s terminus atEast Millstone.Fron| PrincetonFor cyclists comiog Prom Princeton.Canal Road can be found intersectingRoute ,518 just after it passes over theMfllstoae River and the D-R Canalleaving Rocky llill. A small parkinglot between tile canal and the River onRoute 51a makes a ftae base camp forthose motoring in.No matter what type of bicycle oneewns, from a 15-speed racing bike to aone-speed balloon tired paper boybike, Canal Road nan be enjoyed, notsul~fered.Tl~d’critinal factor in making a ridefuit is’ making snre One turns backbefore feeling tired, not after.If tile trip is your longest sinceriding around the block, begin fromRocky Hill attd head out for thegeneral store at Griggstown, Ou theway stops can be made at the smallfoot bridge that crosses tile canal or atthe Griggstown lock,Ilead backThe beginning rider might wiselyhead back after reaching Griggstown.There are a number of possible rontes.If all the nuts and bolts are welltightenedand the tires are in goodeonditiou, try heading back along thetowpath, Keep u sharp eye out for treeroots, especially since they can beobscured by leaves.A somewhat more challengingreturn takes the rider on theGriggstown Causeway, across theMillstone River and south on RiverRoad to Roule 206. Upon reaching thestate road cross the bridge overBedeus Brook sad immediately turnleft on Montgomery Road, which leadsback to Rocky Rill.A Ihird alternative is abandoningthe bikes and going for a canoe ride,Canoes tun be rented at the generalstare.The more adventurous cyclist couldouuiinue all Canal Road pastGriggstown to Blackwells Mills whereu simihn’ return route could be triedusing either the towpath or RiverRoad, llawever, the towpath betweenlflackwells Mills aud Griggstown isluore heavily nvergrown aud passugemigid he difficult, Of course one cansimply deuble Ixlek fat’ tile returnI~lssage.Once beyond Blnckwells Mills,CuuaI Road rapidly deteriorates. Longunpaved seetLons alternate with old,nan’awly Imved parts,Few cursThe ridm’ is given a clear 8euse efisnlatlou on lifts part,. Vegvtaliou isdense v,,llh lrees aud othci’ growthcrewdiug hi from belh sh!es, Few car8or eunsl puddlers lr~lverse this see-It,n, Cars Ihut do l~:ls~ call stir upconsideruble dusLOU l’ellehing East MIllstoue therycllst can take a left on MarketStreet, uln)lhor t)u Aiuwelltuad andslop fur rofreshnwuts ill tile StsnersetFurln8 ~duro iKqn’ Iho ceruur of AUI.well uud Iliver tined,If Ih’ed, xuhd dnwu River ltoad luthn ltluckwda M s Causeway andIholl cyt’le the rest uf the way backn!aug (’uzlal Itoutl, Ihus avohlhtg theu~any Iblll8 Ihat nccul’ I’urlher south oa!tlver Iluatl,Cauul Itoud cau he rt!llched bybk~yck~ I’l’nnl I!rhlcutoll ellher fly wayal River Itolul, whleh CUllUUCht w!lhI!t~rrontuwlllnad sad tile l)t!ucelouI([l!gstnll ltnad, nr by way nf I)rhlct~halAvenue arid hlt, Lutes Road,The NEWS-RECORD Thursday, September 5,1974Power play over trade schoolsmay hurt students, drain cashAn assembly bill proposes that vocationaleducation be pul under the department of highereducation---comparable to putting local highschools under Trenton State College or Rutgers administrators,The. bill would remove the control of vocationaleducation from the commissioner of educatiou andthe state board of education and transfer it to thechancellor and state board of higher education,The idea was prompted by three unmn countyassemblymen, It specifies how a county vocationalscllaol can be put under the jurisdiction of thedepartment of higher education. Teachers,educators and members of the state Parent TeacherAssociation join in seeing this as a dangerousprecedent, Any vocational school could be used asvocational school for higher education if the countyfreeholder petitioned the chancellor of highereducation to assume jurisdiction over the school.The chancellor will then reorganize the school as acounty college,The bill further states the contract between theahnighty chancellor and the county board oftrustees cannot be broken - without the chancellor’sapproval. In the meantime while more public officials’ jobs are being made and more power beinggiven the board of higher education, no county cancreate another vocational school for the poor highschool students getting short shrift iu the newlycreated college.County, local and post-graduate technicalschools will be competin~ for the same money andthe state department of higher education will getmost of it.Students being trained by educators who understandtheir needs, their educational backgroundand local vocational needs of area businesses will beforced to enter schools cr.owded with post-highschool graduates, to be given technical skills byeducators who are not familiar with their schools orlocale,State laws guarantee a student the right toeducation until he has graduated yet now the stateis denying a student the right to free publiceducation within his 12 years ut school, Areavocational technical schools have flourished andprovided excellent programs at secondary and postsecondary levels since 1965 yet Assembly bill 1323and Senate Bills 1062-1063 would diminish secondaryschool offerings by removing vocationaleducation for local control."It eliminates an option a school drop-out orpotential drop-out might take to help him completehigh school," says Karl Juelch, administrativeassistant to the superintendent of Middlesex CountyVocational Schools. "These kids becomeineligible for vocational education if vocationaleducation becomes part of the county collegesystent.""It’s a power play," says Bernard Siegel, of theMiddlesex County Vocational School in East Brunswick.State officials dislike the declining role ofhigher education and the increased popularity ofvocational education and so intend to take overvocational education because that’s where the interestis, he says,County officials assert the present chancellor ofhigher education needs his ego uplifted with furtherresponsibilities. But should oar students stifferbecause of megalomania in the state govermnent?Weakening our excellent cotmty vocationalschool to provide for a county vocational collegewhen students can gain enough technical expertisein high school to prepare them tbr jobs is senseless,Using funds to support another county college(when college enrollment is down), iucrcasingbureaucracy, thus depleting already loweducational resources is also seuseless.After being taken over, county vocational schoolsare supposed to operute as betbre---with lessmoney, more officials and a confilsed hierarchy, Allthis to give the chancellor and state board of highereducation more to do,l-he Frankli!t NEWSRECORDl)ublished ever)’ Thursday at 300 WitherslnaUl St,Priueelun, N,J,by The Princetuu Packet, Inc,l,ncul Officn: 240 Suuth Muin St., Munville, N.J.t1887h,Mailing Address: P,O, Box 5, Middlebush, N,d.081173Telephone: 725.’,r, looBrian R. Wood ..........Peter Jegotl ..........Alice Lech ...................Managing EditorAdvertising ManagerOffice ManagerSccund Chlss Pashlge puid at Prineetou, N,,I, 011[HI)Subseriptiolt Rates: $5 per year ($110tll uf start;l,$g fur two years, $1(I for three years, Newsta.dprice ts l0 dents per copy,TIIF, IqlINCETON IsACKET, INC,I~uhllsher’relepholte: l iillg) 92,1.3~,1,tCt~lltrul Ofl’ieo Prudtetiolt Phult & Cor toralelieadquarter~, 300 WtthPr~llOOll SI,, Prllleelol~,N,J, 0115’10,