The Ithaca Journal from Ithaca, New York • Page 23

I rida, Jan. 25, 1980 OL'ILOUa SO 1 1 il CA JOLii.i.. a mr- mmmm Ithaca, the headquarters for Morse's world-wide operations. Morse manufactures industrial chain, automotive chain, clutches, couplings, sprockets, torque limiters, tapered roller bearings, and ACDC variable speed controls. With about 1,900 employees in Tompkins County, Morse Chain Division of Borg-Warner Corp.

on South Hill is the county's largest industrial employer in Tompkins County. Lawrence Siany, industrial relations manager, said he expects employment to hold steady at Morse plants here in Helen Tisdel of Newfield assembles industrial roller chains. if i Mil v.Ars' ii 1 1 1 A 4 4 i J.lf V-'V -Vi." 4 ar a. i iiMin wwwwunTBmiMMmimiwmr mm 5.1 Doyle Horn oi Grolon keeps clear of the flames as he works, "heat treating" parts of the chains. I 1 i is'O'-V I I HI ri I II iLi.iu'iLwiwiiwwwii')'iwuiii.ii.w"mi jjl.il liiuj j.jl.

i iii mil iiiyiir iiwinirirn rrn niiTi n.n.n i i mi nm 1 AtlUWllW0--- Left: Wayne Russell of Harford, a punch press operator, checks the chain links as they come out of a machine where Ihey have just been formed; above; James Foster of Berkshire and Ida Biasillo of Ithaca look over industrial roller chains during a quality inspection phase of the chain-making process. Photos by Journal Staff Photographer Raymond Pompilio booze? Ithaca Bin Is drowning ar wars: a i x-i I v. hr jy I I Id! ii "I'm very happy to be four and a half miles north," said John N. Mahool, co-owner of the 11-year-old North Forty on East Shore Drive in Lansing. Mahool and others note that Ithaca has always had a lot of bars, due in part to its high student population.

But a look at the records of liquor licenses in effect in recent times confirms that more and more bars have opened their doors. In the Citv of Ithaca alone. 17 tavern licenses were in effect in 1967 In 1978. there were 33. Countywide, the tigure jumped from 37 licenses to 68 in the same time span.

One state liquor official said he isn't sure that Ithaca has an inordinate number of drinking establishments. Tompkins County had 112 taverns, restaurant and entertainment licenses in 1979. compared with 152 in nearby Chemung County and 136 in Steuben County, according to Leslie M. Brown, executive director of the local division of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. But bar owners report the market is tight, citing recent financial failures at some local bars and restaurants.

The last months have seen the closing of Dasher Cox and Muggsy's, and more closings are expected within the year. Ithaca's college-town personality is cited again and again as as a major cause of the recent upsurge. In fact, a number of Ithaca bar and restaurant owners are graduates of Cornell's School of Hotel Administration. "A lot of kids come out of college, and they don't want to leave Ithaca." said Mahool. "You've obviously got a bunch of students who are service-oriented." said Dewart.

a former Cornell "hotel-ie" who owns the Haunt. Simeon's and the Pine Tavern in downtown Ithaca as well as two more establishments northeast in Cortland. "What better place to start than here in Ithaca''" about every bar owner will that the tavern business seems a lot easier and more profitable when you're on the outside, looking in. Continued on Page 20 By DEBORAH SCHOCH Journal Writer A delupe of daiquiris. A plethora of pina coladas.

A superabundance of Schlitz. A surplus of Southern Comfort. However it phrased, the message is the same: Bar owners are saving this town has too many bars. "There's been too manv bars for 10 years," said Thomas Kheel. co-owner of the Dugout on Seneca Street near Aurora Street.

"The bar business is saturated, for sure, added David Dietz. co-owner of Ragmann at 108 N. Aurora St. The most obvious symptom: Bar frequenters can drink more for less. "There's a price war on there's booze everywhere, cheap." Kheel said.

"nv night of the week, anvbody can go to a place in town where thev can drink for virtually nothing, observed Brian Dewart. owner of several downtown watering spots. For years Ithaca has held the dubious distinction of having one of the highest bars-per-capita ratios in the country But for manv locals, bar-counting only became a hobby when the citv's Common Council clamped a much-publicized lid on liquor licenses last fall, only to let it lapse at the end of 1979. More eves were drawn to the bar scene in recent weeks as some uuwiHown bars broke the inflationary tradition bv sharply reducing some beer and mixed-drink prices. "Lowest Molson and Miller prices in the entire world! reads a recent advertisement for the Arcade.

215 IV Aurora St. Relations among bar owners, especially on pub-linea North Aurora Street, have grown tense: some say the atmosphere is downright hostile. Meanwhile, owners disagree over what triggered the current bar boom and whether it heralds good news or bad lor the customer quaffing Molson's and Manhattans in taverns around the county. But most point to the Collegetown and North Aurora Street districts as the focal points of the current boom. 4k Photo bv Mark Damon The tavern business is booming: Pub-lined Aurora Street, pictured here, is the scene of an ongoing price war, and relations between bar owners are becoming hostile as the number of bars grows..