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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 1957)
FOURTEEN MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE Sunday, August II, 1957 Medtfird Am -. Delinquent Bills May Force Service To Area Taxpayers By BOB VROMAN Mail Tribune Staff Writer A lot of people, who readily pay cash for groceries, hard ware, clothing and entertain ment, and who are generally considered to be "good citizens," are going to force the Medford Ambulance service out of busi . ness unless they pay their bills. This fact was made known re cently by Mr. and Mrs. Dayle Waltermire, owners of the Med ford Ambulance service, who claim that pearly 75 per cent of their accounts are delinquent. Many bills owed to the firm go as far back as two years, a lot of them are a year old and a great number of them are from : six to eight months overdue. ' Like 'Pulling Teeth' Due to some quirk in human '.' nature, it is like "pulling teeth" to get these otherwise "upright" citizens to pay for a ride in an " ambulance, they declare. " The reasons appear to be ; , varied, the Waltermires say: 5 Some simply ignore the bills ', Ssent them and others refuse to J fcpay on the basis that the charge Sis exhorbitant. They will say "I could have taken a taxi for a dol lar!" They more than likely feel j that the ambulance service has .; taken advantage of them when '. they were ill or injured, and r that they didn't have a chance J to "dicker" about the price be- forehand. Or possibly it is the j fact that they have numerous big bills in connection with their illness so they look upon the 5 small ambulance charge as un ! important. t What many people .don't un- derstand is that the expense of j running an ambulance amounts ; to a great deal more than the J cost of the gas and oil. In the first place, the vehicles, I complete with stretchers, first aid equipment and accessories, cost about $6,000. Medford Am- J bulance service has two for effi- J cient operation. There are the usual maintenance costs on the J vehicles, an exceedingly high in- surance premium, laundry bills, salaries for helpers and a good- t sized telephone bill every month. . Unlike Other Firm ; Unlike most firms, which do a ' more or less predictable amount . of business each day. an ambu- J lance may sit idle for several days, bringing 4n no revenue, ' yet expense's keep building up. Business cannot be increased J by advertising or any other means an ambulance owner I takes what comes, hating to see J people in need of his services, yefhoping there will be enough 5 income for him and his family I to get by on. 5 Waltermire and his wife have been operating the Medford f Ambulance service from their home at 1109 West Main st. since f 1953. They have made a living 1 and have had the satisfaction of J knowing that they have saved j a good many of the lives of Rogue valley residents, but with 4 the number of delinquent ac- counts on their books increasing every day, they say they will have to give up the business m within a month. f Always 'Charity' Cases There are always a number of V "charity" cases that an ambu lance operator cannot refuse, ac- cording to Waltermire, but when the percentage of these non J paying customers becomes too high the firm will lose money. 1 Waltermire has never refused a 2 call, even though he sometimes 4 knew he would never get paid lor it. The charge made by the Med- ford Ambulance service is a flat - rate of S10, plus 75 cents per C mile, which is just about stand- ard throughout the country. C The Waltermires would like to continue to opt rate and this r area supplies enough 'custom Z, ers" to do so if a higher per centage would pay their bills. '. Even if they sold their business, H their problem would still prob i ably exist. In some cities ambulances are operated by hospitals, cab com- panies, funeral homes, wrecking concerns, or by the city's fire or police department. But when this service is carried out as a Z "sideline" it is a nuisance, and 4 the ambulance service suffers - because their personnel are not . always available when they are needed. For these- agencies to lose money on the service- is not uncommon. Very few ambu- t lance services make any money, I and for that reason it is difficult J to find someone to take over J such- a business. City-Owned Service The city - owned ambulance service in Bend recently turned i over the operation to the hospi- t tal there because it was costing 5 the city too much. A privately- ? owned service in Klamath Falls X went "broke" recently as did one in Los Angeles. : The problem here is not i unique, but it still has to be J solved. According to city man- l ager Bob Duff an ambulance EXPENSES HIGH The reason an ambu lance service cannot charge "taxicab" rates is that their operating expenses are so much greater. Clean linen is put on the Medford Ambulance service stretchers every time they are used. Above, owner Dayle Waltermire, center, and two of his helpers, Perry M. Johnson, left, and James Rolls, get an am bulance ready for the next call. Helpers are service must be maintained in Medford, no matter who runs it. Medford Ambulance service has served the area well during the time it has been in operation, Duff said, and the city will do everything it can to see that they stay in business. An inquiry was sent recently to the League of Oregon Cities by Duff to find out what other towns in Oregon have done about the problem. A recent news item in the Astorian Budget states that the city of Astoria was forced to take over the ambulance serv ice there after a cab company refused to continue operations. The company . cleared about $700 for a yegr's work. Question Presented The question is, will Medford have a municipal ambulance service, operated by the police or fire department, at the tax payer's expense, or will another concern, like a cab company or one of the hospitals step in? Whoever operates it stands a chance of losing money unless people are willing to pay for the use of it. According to Waltermire one cannot expect an injured man to reach in his pocket and dig up the fare when he is taken to the hospital. The only thing to do is to send him a bill and hope that he will pay when he is feeling better. Few hospital plans will cover the cost of the ambulance. The Waltermires have tried taking their unpaid bills to small claims court, but since court costs have to be paid in advance and the chances of getting the money back are fairly slim they abandoned the idea. At present, they have a man calling on the people that owe them money, hoping to get enough money in to pay their own bills. Running an ambulance is no cinch. The driver and his helper have to be on call 24 "hours a day. The sometimes morbid job of handling people, with broken bones or severe wounds, a lot of times in a race with death, doesn't make it the most at tractive job in the world. Yet it has to be done. The problem, so far un answered, is how, and by whom? Delinquency Cases Reported by Police A report of juvenile delin quency involving .two 15-year- old boys who operated a tractor without the owner's permission in the McKee bridge area Thurs day is being investigated by state police and the juvenile de partment, was reported yes terday. Police officers said the two. accompanied by "a 16-year-old who remained in their car, were found operating a tractor owned by David B. Winningham, Ap- plegate. Winningham and anoth er resident held the .three until state police arrived on the scene, it was said, and the trio was re leased shortly after. Two rifles were in their car, according to police. Another case involoving what was believed to be juveniles is under investigation by Medford police, who reported that $1,000 damage was caused a drag line owned by A. L. Nash, 5075 South Pacific highway. Juveniles were believed to have operated the equipment on Bear Creek sometime last week causing damage to the boom and bucket, police said. ROONEY. MATE SEPARATE Hollywood OPi Actor Mickey Kooney, who called it quits with three previous wives, decided Friday to call it "maybe" with his fourth. Rooney and the for mer Elaine Mahnken Davis have agreed on a trial separation. - ' ' ' " " AMBULANCE EQUIPMENT One of the few resuscitators in this area is owned by the Medford Ambulance service to treat accidents victims until they can be taken to a doctor. Above, Dayle Waltermire loads the unit, which cost more than $500, into one of the two ambulances operated by the company. The ambulances themselves cost about $6,000 each, complete, with stretchers, other first aid equipment and accessories. The Med- " ford Ambulance service is having a difficult time making ends meet, since few of their customers ever pay. their bills. "'jH i' '' -' ' GOES OVER BOOKS Getting people to pay for the services of an ambulance is a serious problem in many communities in the United States, and Carol Waltermire, who with her hus band, Dayle, owns Medford Ambulance service, spends a lot of time each month sending statements that will never be paid. Above, Carol goes over the company's books. Out of the pile of bills on the desk at right, which represents the calls they have made this year, only about 25 per cent have been paid. Brain of Alcairaz Confesses Robberies Chicago (IP) Authorities dis closed Saturday that Cecil Wright, "The Brain of Alcra traz," has confessed to a series of post office burglaries in south ern Illinois. Jerome Williamson, chief post al inspector, said Wright con fessed to seven break-ins which, brought him S123.13. In four of the burglaries, the man who talked himself out of Alcatraz netted nothing. Wright, a graying, sharp-eyed, lantern faced man, started his prison record with a nine-year sentence at Stateville Peniten tiary on robbery charges. Later paroled, he was sent to Alcatraz for 15 years on postal robbery charges. While on "The Rock," Wright pored over legal texts, became an expert on law, and finally paid at the rate of S2 per trip. Among other expenses is an extremely high insurance rate on the vehicles. Waltermire figures that every time the phone rings he is immediately out S8, and this high operating cost, along with the fact that few people are willing to pay for the service, may put the company out of business within the next 30 days. won his freedom on a technic ality after petitioning 13 times. His accompliment won him the name, 'The Brain Of Alcatraz." Two-Year-OId Struck By Vehicle in CP Central Point Kathleen Lewe- leen, 2-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Lewellen stay ing at the Ross Motel, 34 North Pacific Highway, Central Point, suffered , minor injuries when struck by a car driven by Davis Reno Offett, owner of the motel, Saturday, according to Central Point police. - She was taken to Rogue Val ley hospital where she was held Saturday night for examination and x-rays. According to police, the Lewe leen girl ran into the side of Davis' car as he was slowly driv ing past a group of children playing on the motel grounds. fountain Lakes Wild Area Is One of 77 Sections Preserved as Wilderness Isolated Group of Mountains Located In National Forest By JIM FISHER Forty miles due east of Med ford lie 36 square miles of al pine forests and lakes without a single road, resort, or sign of logging to mar the natural beau ty. . . This is the Mountain Lakes Wild Area of the Rogue River National forest, officially listed as being 23,071 - acres of the beautiful end rugged Cascade country. This area is one of 77 simi lar areas ranging in size from several thousands acres to more than 1,000,000 acres. Those over 100,000 acres are called wilder ness areas. The areas less than 100,000 acres are designated wild areas. All of these areas have been established by the U.S. forest service top reserve portions of our remaining wild erness country for future gen erations. Isolated Mountain Group ' The Mountain Lakes Wild Area is located within an iso lated group of mountains bound ed on the west by Lake of the Woods, on the east by Upper Klamath lake, and on the north and south by forest roads. The highest point within the area is Aspen butte with an elevation of 8,209 feet. More than 80 per cent of the area is between 6, 000 and 7,000 feet in elevation. Actually, there are a few signs of civilization within the area. The forest service has constructed trails to aid in fire protection. These trails lead hikers to the more than 30 lakes, some of which are stocked with eastern brook and rainbow trout. A primitive shelter for campers is located at the 70 acre Lake Harriatte, largest of the mountain lakes. Five Possible Routes There are five possible routes of travel into the Wild Area. The choice of trail would de pend upon the length of time one would wish to spend hiking and the destination within the area. ... The Mountain Lakes Wild Area trail leaves the Lake of the Woods Recreation area near the Klamath Falls junction. This trail travels over 10 miles before reaching Lake Harriatte, geo graphical center of the Wild Area and favorite camping spot for most hikers. The climb is gradual, but steady, until White face Peak is reached. Because of the length of this trail, it is used mainly by horseback riders from Lake of the Woods. On the top of Whiteface peak, a few hundred yards from the trail, are the remains of several rock piles. Shale had been piled high to serve as stands for sig nal fires between the Indians of the Klamath basin and Indians of the Rogue River valley. Trail Drops Suddenly From the top of Whiteface peak, the trail drops suddenly down through a series of switch backs before reaching the al pine forests again. The trail leads on through the forests be fore passing between the twin lakes of Meb and Zeb. The Mountain Lakes Wild Area trail joins with the Varney creek trail near Lake Como, which at 40 acres is the second largest lake of the area. The Varney creek trail has its beginning five miles south of Pelican guard station. This is the most popular trail into the area since it is only five miles to Lake Harriatte over an easy route. Once Lake Como is reach ed, it is only a mile over a small ridge to Lake Harriatte. Two trails enter the'area from the east and they are almost identical in nature. The Moss creek trail leads directly to Lake Harriatte and . the South Pass lake trail leads to South Pass lake and Paragon lake. The trails leave a forest road within a mile of each other and are steep. The country is brushy until you reach the top of your climb and enter the Wild Area. Clover Trail The last trail that enters the Mountaia Lakes Wild Area is the Clover trail which begins six miles southeast of -Lake of the Woods. It is only two miles to Clover lake and a junction thatwould lead you either north to the Mountain lakes trail or east over Aspen butte to the South Pass lake trail. Near Ann berg pass, a trail leads to the top of Aspen . butte which once served as an emergency fire lookout for the forest service. Many of the smaller lakes are not located along the trails and are difficult to find. Not all of these lakes are stocked with IsSSb&K tea Vm -J ?1, . ffiiTrt-iiir),' ifMim-m iiiii iiii.ii ii imiim iiiiimhim. MOUNT HARRIMAN Rising in the back- of the Rogue ground of Lake Harriatte, above, is Mount " made a 10-mile Harriman, in the Mountain Lakes Wild Area scenic spot. LAKE HARRIATTE Largest of the lakes in the Mountain Lakes Wild Area of the Rogue' River National Forest is. Lake Harriatte, above. A primitive area for campers is located near the water. Shale rock slides slope down to the shores. ' &fev2T ' 1, J ' - i if-it f fi t 7 f j" mm-vm n pr M f i TO MOUNTAIN LAKES AREA Back pack .travel indicated above is the most common method of travel into the Mountain Lakes area of the Rogue River National Forest. Some, however, take horses into the 23,071 acres of rugged Cascade country:," fish. During the summers, the days are comfortable and the nights cool. Winters come early and stay late with snowpacks re maining through the first of July and, fall snows starting often as early, as the last of August. Many of the lakes stay frozen over until the end of June. Fire protection for the Wild illiiilt iKU V O h iV ' Area is often quite difficult: Pelican butte lookout, located eight miles north of the area, can only see. a few of the higher peaks. With at least two light ning storms each summer and fires also being started by fish ermen and campers, the detec tion of these fires becomes a matter of airplane patrol and ground patrol. When -.fires are sighted .within . the area, . smoke-. River National forest. Hiker walk over trail to reach the Coast Guard Says Tug Presumed Lost San Francisco Hfl A Coast Guard spokesman said Saturday that, the tugboat Companion out of Astoria, Ore., missing since July 19 when '. it left here lor Portland, must be presumed lost. , The 45-foot craft carried two men, the master, Fred Cone, Portland and an unidentfied seaman. '. The spokesman said Coast Guard and Air Force planes and ships had searched the Cali fornia, Oregon and Washington coasts for several days after the Companion's disappearance.' No trace of wreckage was found.. The tug was. owned by W. B. Martinson, Portland. About five weeks before the Companion left here, it started to tow another tug; the - Bulldog, ' to Portland. The Bulldog sank outside the Golden Gate. - Edmonds Man Killed In . Speeding Boat Mishap Wrangell, Alaska (IP Fred Christensen, 49, Edmonds, Wash, was killed Thursday when' rifle accidentally discharged in a speeding boat near here. Mrs. Christensen, who was riding in the back of the boat with her husband, was wounded in the hand. Christensen's son, Leroy, said the rifle was lying in. the boat s prow . pointing back: towards his parents when the rocking of the craft appar ently discharged.it. ; Washington Extends Lounge Closing Hours Olympia (IB The Washing ton State Liquor Control board Friday extended closing hours for taverns, cocktail lounges and clubs to 2 a.m. on weekdays de spite strong opposition of temp erance groups. . ; The new hours went into ef fect Friday night " jumpers are usually dispatched from Cave Junction and fire crews are sent from Lake of the Woods to assist them. . Wildlife is abundant in the area during the summer. Deer, bear, grouse, and marmots make their home here. Occasionally, a duck will stop by at one' of the larger lakes. The short sum mer and the lack of food in this alpine country keeps the an imals out of the area the greater part of the year. .. Names of Landmarks " The names ol the lakes and other landmarks within the area have a beauty of their own. Be sides those already mentioned, there' is 'Coyote lake, Greylock mountain, Echo' lake, Topogra pher's, peak. Mystic crag,. Ava lanche lake, High knob, and Sunset rock- ' - . For . the ambitious fisherman or hiker who doesn't mind hav ing to walk to his fishing spot or camping place, the Mountain Lakes Wild Area offers an un spoiled locale for relaxation. It is best to plan ; on staying at least one full day in the area and better if you stay longer. The fishing changes from day to day and once you have walk ed five or 10 miles to enjoy out-d6or-living; you will want to get your full share ot it.
