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About Eugene register-guard. (Eugene, Or.) 1930-1983 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1963)
" cw"'" i From Safes to Freezers All Doors Of en to Locksmith TP- SAFECRACKER' CLIFFORD BAIRD Locksmith Polishes a Combination Dial in Eugene Shop - Bigeite lAJE COUNTS 3 HOME NEW3PAPEB. SECTION B EUGENE, OREGON, TUESDAY, JANUARY 1, 1963 By MARVIN TIMS Of th. lUlUter-Guird Clifford Balrd of Eugene picking locks for yean, but hai been cracking safes and he hasn't spent a day in jail yet. This can be readily ex plained: Baird is a legitimate businessman providing a serv ice that is much in demand. Bair is a locksmith. During the past decade, he has opened an estimated 250 safes, freed numerous scream ing children from locked bath rooms, picked locks on safety deposit boxes, opened inadvertently-locked freezers so people' could have their Christmas turkeys in time, and performed a myriad of other tasks to retrieve locked up articles. On call 24 hours a day, Baird says he is busiest dur ing the Christmas season. "People are always accident ally locking their Christmas packages in car trunks. I have to get them out or else," he said with a smile. A native of Oregon, Baird came with his family to Eu gene in 1924. His father was in the locksmith and gun smith business for many years and got his son started in the business. "Dad died during World War II. When I got out of the service, I went into the business on a full-time basis," Baird said during an inter view last week at his shop on West Eighth Avenue. A short five years ago, Baird had only 75 blank keys hanging on his office wall. Now he has more than 3,000 which can be made to fit vir tually every conceivable type of lock. . He also has a number of antique keys, including one from an early Model T Ford and another that Baird said came from one of the first handcuffs. He is also proud of what he calls a "jug lock key," which was designed to open the old castiron locks used on prison cells in the deep South many decades ago. There is only one kind of key that Baird can't manu facture. This is one to fit a U.S. Post Office mailbox. "It is a federal offense to make such a key," he said. The locksmith says that safe manufacturers and lock mak ers are continually improving their products. Progress is fine, but it creates a problem P j- fry Baird's Hands Show Strength, Precision Some Qualify Their Optimism County's Businessmen Look for Another Good Year By BOB NEWCOMB Of the Register.Gufcrd Lane County's cash registers which rang mer rily throughout 1962 are expected to keep up their clatter over the next 12 months. Moreover, general business activity in the county likely will increase in 1963. That, at least, appears to be the concensus of a cross-section of Eugene-area businessmen, most of whom admit they are optimistic about the coming year's prospects. Although in some cases the word optimism is modified by "guarded" or "qualified." Retailers many of them estimating their 1962 business activity anywhere from 7 to 10 per cent above 1961 figures are predicting that their sales next year will continue to rise, perhaps by as much as 3 to 5 per cent above this year; They cite Eugene's expectations for a continual ly rising population as their reuson for optimism, coupled with an apparent continuation of high em ployment. The county's major Industry lumber and ply-. wood is finishing up what spokesmen say has been St "satisfactory" year. But It is primarily this indus try which is reluctant to use the word "optimistic" without a cautious modifier. Retailers are quick to point out that their busi nesses cannot be considered separately from the woods-products industry. "When a plant lays off its workers," one Eugene retailer said last week, "we feel it right away." Lane County's tourist industry, which in 1962 did an estimated $21 million worth of business an all-time high will do even better in 1963, in the opinion of many. Fred Brenne, manager of the Eugene Chamber of Commerce, points to a convention-attendance record expected next year and a revitalized promo tional program to "sell" Lane County as reasons for confidence. Eugene building permits over the past year con- ' tinued on the increase. And bank debits indicators of general business activity in the community have been rising steadily over the past months. Eu gene's total bank-debit value in the first 11 months of the year-reached $1.2 billion 12 per cent higher than for the same period of 1961, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Implied confidence in Eugene's potential can be seen also in the fact that both banking and savings and loan firms are expanding here. A new $200,000! building has been started at the northeast corner of Tenth Avenue and Lincoln Street to house the first Eugene branch of the Oregon Bank of Port land. Application has been made by a group of Eu ' gene businessmen, headed by builder Kenneth Gil bert, to construct a new bank in north Eugene. A new main Eugene branch of the First National Bank is to be 'Started in downtown Eugene next spring. Equitable Savings & Loan Assn. recently occupied its new Eugene quarters a $306,000 build ing at Broadway and Willamette streets. Pacific First Federal Savings it Loan Assn. has opened a ': branch in Springfield. The list of new construction -projects grows steadily.. What happens in the year ahead in the wood products industry will depend in large measure on what happens in construction. Will construction throughout the country remain at its present level, or will it go up or down? Predictions vary. W. F. Dodge Corp. of New York, a construction survey firm, predicts new build ing will drop slightly. That firm says new residen tial projects started in the next 12 months probably will reach no more than 1.37 million units. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts, however, it will hold steady at about 1.4 million. , Lumbermen throughout the state are "general ly optimistic" about the upcoming year, according to Nat Giustina of Eugene, president of the National Lumber Manufacturers Assn. "But that optimism must be qualified," he said. There are many unpredictable factors facing the industry, he said, among them being the effect of President Kennedy's executive order concerning federal housing projects. And the type of new hous ing units built may help determine what next year's West Coast lumber industry will experience, he added. Harry Ryback, manager of U. S. Plywood Co.'s West Coast purchasing office in Eugene, also used the term "cautiously optimistic" to describe his outlook for 1963. . , He said that office, which handles an estimated 15 per cent of the total West Coast plywood produc tion, looks forward to an increase of from 7 to B per cent in fir plywood sales next year, "and a sub stantial portion of it from our Oregon mills." But he added: "Price levels continue to be a problem, with many mills operating close to the break-even point. And profit margins on standard grades of plywood have almost disappeared." ..." He .added,', however, that . 11' housing starts throughout the country continue to hold at 1962 rates, "then I think it's reasonable to look for more stable prices at slightly higher levels." The plywood marketing problem next year will be complicated, he said, due to increased capacity. According to the Douglas Fir Plywood Assn., the tendency on the part of the industry has been for steadily increasing production. But plywood prices through 1962 were among the lowest since the end of World War II, due largely to "over capacity," according to industry spokesmen. Lumber production in the Douglas fir region in Oregon and Washington rose by 2.6 per cent over last year, and mills are approaching 1963 with unfilled order files 17.8 per cent greater than a year ago, they said. ' for Baird when he has a re quest to open a safe that is jammed, for example. "We have to keep figuring out new ways to get into safes," he said with a laugh. He devised an ingenious method for opening certain types of safes. He made two T-shaped implements out of heavy iron. These are welded to the safe door with an elec tric welder. Then he uses hydraulic jacks to apply tre mendous pressure against the iron Ts, and the door can be ripped right off its hinges. Often, Baird has to drill through concrete and heavy steel to open a safe, especial ly the types that are buried in a floor. On some of his tough est assignments, he has spent the better part of a day get ting a safe open. Baird is continually amazed at how few people can re member the combinations of their locks. "I find that not one in 20 can give me the combination when I ask for it. They always have to sit down in front of the safe and work it out first." The newest safe combina tions are made of a hard nylon-type material instead of metal, Baird said. This is so professional safe crackers can't use X-ray devices to check the position of the tumblers inside the lock and thus learn the combination. Most safes also contain "re locking" equipment as sn added safety precaution. If the tumblers are punched out, another portion of the lock takes hold and the safo still can't be opened. But Baird takes these obstacles in stride and says there hasn't been an occasion yet where he has been unable to get a safe open. On some of the older locks, Baird can work the combina tion by merely listening as he turns the lock knob. He can hear a slight click when a tumbler drops into place. With a few spins of the knob and a few clicks, the safe door is opened. Baird can open most pad locks and other simple lock ing devices by picking them with a probe. He has made a more sophisticated implement by fastening a probe to an old pair of barber shears. The probe, vibrating rapidly, will spring open a lock quickly. Although Baird usually can fashion a key rather quickly to fit most locks, he was given a tough assignment a few days ago. A scooter's ignition key was missing so the vehicle couldn't be driven. It took Baird some time, but he final ly fashioned a key to fit the lock. , : Mlllll -I II I m IMnWIlM K SEE? J HAT DID I V I ( WHAT? ) TT1 If VcAR IS HO BETTER ) I L 7' I THAW THE LAST ONE! J I ,. . i l i in. y. u 1 l 1 CSB Baird advises home owners to purchase good locks for their dwellings. "I've known people," he said, "who will spend $30 for a lock for the front door and then install a $1.50 lock on the rear door." In addition to repairing safes and opening locks, Baird on occasion makes special scientific devices. Two years ago, for example, he made an intricate tool used by doctors to measure the interior of the car following certain types of ear operations. The first de vice was so successful that Baird now has orders to make two more. Although Baird can open a safe or lock with robot-like efficiency, he is still only human. He admits that he once locked himself out of his car three times in a single day. But he is more for tunate than most: He knew how to get back in quickly. Classes Set On Survival Two series of classes on Indi vidual and Family Survival are being offered by the Eugene Technical Vocational School for four weeks beginning in mid- January. One series of 12 hours will start Jan. 15 In room 61 at South Eugene High School meeting four consecutive Tuesdays. The second series will be held at the North Eugene High School cafeteria beginning Jan. 16 for four consecutive Wednes days. Both series run from 7 to 10 p.m. Classes Include local, state and national plans for survival, effects of nuclear weapons, and protective measures against dis aster. Registration and further in formation is available by calling DI 2-1151, Ext. 254. Cuban Police Disperse Crowd HAVANA fOPtt Scattered vio lence broke out In Havana Mon day after police dispersed an estimated 5,000 persons demon-' strating in front of the Swiss Embassy for aid In leaving Ha-' vana. Police did not use force to break up the huge crowd massed before the embassy, in suburban Vedago, but pro-Castro parti sans met scattered: groups or demonstrators as they left the scene and fist fights broke out. Unconfirmed reports said some Castro militia units alio had engaged in "head knocking" of demonstrators. Springfield Schools Offer Adult Classes Seventeen classes are being offered by the Springfield pub lic schools adult education night program for the winter term beginning Jan. 7. All classes meet in Spring field Senior High School at 7 p.m. for a 10-week term unless otherwise indicated. They be cin on the day of the week shown below during the week of Jan. 7. The classes with tuition are Mondays Advanced Tailor ing, $10; Combination Welding (Mondays and Wednesdays for five weeks). $20: Electronics, $18; Typing (Mondays and Thursdays). $20: French for Children (Mondays and Wednes days from 4 to 5 p.m.) $7.50; First Aid (five weeks), 75 cents Tuesdays Advanced Sewing sm- Furniture Rcfinishing. $10 Machine Shop (Tuesdays and Thursdays for five wecitsj, iu; Civil Defense (Tuesdays ana Thursdays for two weeks), no tuition charge; English for For eign Born. $10; Recreational Woodworking, $10. Wednesdays Shorthand, 15 weeks, $20. Thursdays Basic Sewinj, $10; Furniture Upholstery, $10. Saturdays Conversational Chinese, 9-11 a.m., $10. Driver training to be arranged at the convenience of the in structor and the student with a $7.50 tuition charge for four lessons. Further information can be obtained by calling Rl 7-3331. Sales Tax Reduced LONDON The British Treasury Monday cut the na la nn certain lux 11.J li.l. .... - ury goods to 25 per cent It had 1. .. 44 mf i-ent Mainlv affect- UCTU " t - ed are television sets, radios, records and cosmeucs. a similar eut was made last month in the sales tax on motor cars. snnnn n rvnrvnnn n n 9n P n rr A rnSna A 11 TPU STORE WIDE REDUCTIONS ON SHOES FOR MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN ID'S SINES FAMOUS NAME SHOES . . . ALL FROM REGULAR STOCK OUR FAMOUS ENGLISH SHOES SEVERAL STYLES . . . Rj- 15.95 THIS STYLE ONLY MEN'S HUSH PUPPIES Rei. 8.95 6 90 ONE GROUP . . . MEN'S FLORSHEIMS TIES & SLIP-ONS Rxj. 21.95 to 24.95 WOMEN'S SHOES ON SALE . I . SAVE 990 A 1O90 and 16 890 690 ---- - - V 90 Women' Flati Req. 6.98 to 10.95 "1 90 CHILDREN'S SHOES ON SALE . . . SAVE BOYS' 4 GIRLS' DRESS BIG BOYS' AND GIRLS' ENTIRE STOCK OF EDWARDS SHOES ON SALE 10 - 55 Corrcctlvt Shoes Included AND SCHOOL SHOES Re?. 4.95 to 9.50 !90 SHOES Re 8.95 to 12.95 90 490..6' ALL SALES FINAL ... NO EXCHANGES OR REFUNDS I ONE GROUP TIES & SLIP-ONS . yL yjA y a TWEAR nuaftn
