The Whole Town's Talking: Toledo, Iowa Part 1

hello dick is master control toledo coming up on monitor for standby okay waiting for cues go ahead tell the oh I awaaz this is the Carson and you're looking at Toledo population 2,300 feet of Thema county in east central iowa in toledo saw whole town's talking down at dick's restaurant proprietor dick mccomas is saying if we don't get the kids off the street and help them find the place of their own this town is going to be in trouble over it is office old doctor mapplethorpe argues what our young people need is to stop chasing around the country and go home and behave themselves at scotty's service station Paul Whitmore says I go to school here and I have a job here but if the town doesn't give the kids a better break i'm going to go somewhere else march 13 1952 to toledo iowa a town with a problem comes television to catch the face and voice of America itself you this is nick's restaurant where clubs entertainment in formal dinners and where the young people of toledo meet in their free time tonight in this dining room before the eyes of the television cameras on the entire quarter million doing audience of wo itv leading citizens of toledo have come together with our children to talk over a serious pop these young people go to school five days a week and on saturday many of them work in the stores of toledo or nearby team but in the evening on weekends and during the summer these young people ask what is there to do in toledo for entertainment this one movie house with picture changes three times a week for sports the town pool hall here is served in the back room no minors allowed two years ago the PTA led by mrs. MH offer started at teenage in in the toledo community hall for more than a year mrs. hopper helped organized dances and parties for toledo's young people but in recent months the young people stopped coming today the teenage in is closed today the pool tables and the other equipment is stored in a clock on you these young people have taken to the highways for their fun the dances and movies in marshalltown the skating rinks and bowling alleys in st. while these adults their mothers and fathers hear stories of teenage feeding and accidents and crimes and they begun to wonder if something should be done to keep their children closer to home safe from outside influences to help them fix this problem honestly and openly these adults advance representatives of Toledo's young people to meet with them here and they've invited wrecked cars farm editor of the cedar rapids gazette to lead the meeting Sam Taylor is there a recreation problem at your house we don't have no recreation problem with our house because we work together we hook together we fished together and we that's the way we live we have a good time little small games room wherever we want to go and why should they be recreation in a problem in anybody's home when they can do those things together live that way I'm glad to hear you say that Pam because anyone who has been out to your farm and they will see you and your boy Lester knows how strongly you feel about sharing your life with your children yes Sam Taylor believes in sharing his life with his children he gives his son a regular part in the management of his 600-acre farm and when there's some time off both he and his son get out their rifles and hunting clothes and head for the woods Sam Taylor is teaching his boy Lester to do all the things he did when he was a boy to hunt and fish and trap and he shares Lester's excitement when he catches something and even if it's not a fox but only a skunk frozen in the snow Sam is pleased because it's not what they catch the Cubs that isn't the reason why Sam enjoys watching his son find his crap and dig them out and setting Sam is willing to take time off from his farm to help his son develops of patients in the skill of a sportsman because it's only here in play in sport the Sam Taylor gets a chance to really know his son to be with him as he grows up to walk by his side as his mind and body takes shape and lead him to a clean active useful life this is a kind of life Sam Taylor's father made for him and it's the kind of life Sam Taylor wants to see for his son and for all the young people of Toledo everyone here tonight Terry Sam Taylor's concerned for the kids and how they're growing up her Clark has the young people of two indoor recreation problem yes right fine it's a problem I don't believe can be solved by a family alone the church alone or the school one with the problem of affects the whole community I think a community's job working as a whole to solve a problem well herb and editor of the Toledo Chronicle I don't suppose is another person in Toledo as well informed as you are about what goes on in your town and in the country around you yes Ferb Clark knows Toledo a weekly editor is close to his people and when her Clark sits down his typewriter to work out an editorial he knows the people of Toledo will read what he has to say and think seriously of us he's British stories about nearby town stories are the problems of young people of speeding on the highway of accident of robbery and he's begun to wonder about his own time his own children are they too headed for trouble his neighbors know herb Clark is a good report and a careful editor who follows a story through every step of the way and who pays close attention to the smallest details of type settings and princes and they see him as a man who pays equally close attention to the truth when this crap starts churning out the weekly papers / Clark knows that some people will be angry with what he's written but as a weekly editor he feels a bigger responsibilities and just printing the news he feels that it's up to him to do something about to take a stand on to speak up when he knows he must and tell the people of Toledo the truth about themselves and two fingers would face their children and their top curve tell us a little more about this recreation problem as you see can be done about well right I think we have a recreation problem I think we have something and goes a little deeper every week during my work Tiger down the courthouse and I have a chance to talk to county officials I talked to the sheriff he says it's well their teenage crime more than every day County Attorney agrees with him the county attorney says something that seems to be much more ominous to miss last year six families came to him and asked if it was wasn't some way which they could be relieved of the responsibility of raising their families now I don't think that we had much of a teenage problem in Toledo we've got a fine bunch of boys and girls they've had an outstanding athletic record this year three constants championships in this week's Honor Roll the last six weeks over fifty percent of the senior classes on that honor roll that's a good record but these boys and girls say that they have a problem a problem of what to do with their leisure time now I've heard this same problem expressed before I've heard it in the juvenile courts in our County boys who are brought to these court for breaking into garages gas station for such things are armed robbery now we don't like to think that it can happen in Toledo I think it's our job to make sure that it doesn't happen our job to act as a community to prevent the problem from becoming serious you