On and after June 21, the Manteca Volunteer Fire Department will cease to exist. This was the information contained in a letter directed to the City Council by the fire department following action taken by the fire laddies at the last meeting of the organization. The missive to the City Council declared that the firemen were of the opinion “that there is not the willingness or assurance of full efficiency existing to maintain a volunteer fire department.”

Following a conference with R. E. Pierce, district engineer for the State Highway Department in Stockton Monday morning, the local committee on the erection of stop signs at the intersection of Main Street and Yosemite Avenue was advised that such installation would be recommended. The committee comprised Mayor E. C. Blodgett, F. Y. Kraft, A. H. Vieth and Dr. C. M. Galt.

Manteca has gained 584 residents since the special federal census of 1946, according to figures given the Bulletin this week by Glen C. Bridgford, district census supervisor. His figures give Manteca a population of 3,799, compared to 3,215 in 1946. Since the last regular census in 1940, Manteca has registered a growth of 92 percent, one of the largest in the state.

A meeting that threatened at times to turn into a hectic political row between the City Council and the Elementary School Board ended up as a glowing testimonial to cooperation, as the two groups met Monday night to discuss problems regarding the new Golden West School. The meeting was arranged to discuss recent problems that developed as a result of an apparent misunderstanding over the sewage line for the new school on North Main Street.

Violation of ethics charges against Naseeb M. Maloof, superintendent of the Manteca Unified School District, “have not been substantiated” and the Manteca Teachers Association, initiator of the charges, has suggested their dismissal. Five charges against the district’s administration had been lodged March 11. A letter from Robert Corbett, president of the MTA, requested that the charges be dropped.

Local firms associated with the automotive or housing industries are bearing the brunt of the economic slump that has been felt nationwide this spring. Among those hardest hit in the Manteca area was Libbey-Owens-Ford Company of Lathrop, which supplies various types of automotive glass. “During the last month we’ve been fairly stable, but we’ve been taking our lumps since the first of the year,” said Joseph Koscho, LOF plant manager. Production from the plant has decreased 50 percent in automotive glass while residential and architectural glass products have maintained steady.

The Manteca City Couincil voted 5-1, with Councilman Al Mezzetti dissenting, to accept the preliminary city budget as completed. Deleted from the budget were an estimated $282,000 in revenue that was to have come from proposed changes in the business license fee  ordinance. The council unanimously voted to have City Manager David Jinkens study an increase in fees.

The announcement of Manteca Unified’s new superintendent was overshadowed by parents serving three school board members with notices of their intent to launch a recall. The meeting was origianlly planned to announce the selection of John Rieckewald as the replacement for outgoing Manteca superintendent Marvin Tatum, however it quickly turned into a public forum, with a number of parents, teachers and district staff addressing the board. Parents unhappy with the selection process served trustees Paul Gutierrez, Nancy Teicheira and Nellie Zavala with notices of the recall attempt.