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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 23, 1950)
Spinning Method Found For 'Ironclad' Fabric Pittsburgh CU.R The ageless cloth which has preserved the mummies of Egypt s ancient kings for many centuries may be on the verge of causing a minor revolution in the textile industry. Scientists in Pittsburgh have. for the first time, learned how to spin the almost indestructible fibers of the ramie plant into yarn on a commercial basis. Ramie, probably the oldest fabric known to man, was used in ancient Egypt and is men tioned in an imperial Chinese treaty on agriculture written 22 centuries before the birth of Christ. When made into cloth, ramie seems to have the wearing power of steel. Clothes and rugs made of the miracle fabric do not wear out. Moths, rats and other ver min have been known to starve rather than try to get at food wrapped in' ramie. The cloth does not mildew or rot even under the most adverse conditions. Still, it is virtually unknown to the modern world. Toe Much Waste The reason is that no one ever has been able to turn it out cheaply enough for it to be prof itable. Often the fibers of the ramie plant are more than a foot long. They required special machine to prepare them for weaving or knitting into cloth. Such ma chines were prohibitively waste ful of the short fibers. A new process, known com mercially as the "Pittsburgh process." has been perfected. It enables manufacturers to re move fibers from the natural gum and use them on standard textile machines. The process has, for the first time, made ramie practical for the modern world, according to Dr. Jules Labarthe. of the tex tile fellowship at Mellon Insti tute. The low-cost production of ramie, already begun at a plant near Pittsburgh, is expected to have a terrific impact on the tex tile industry and the buying public, ent as cotton and has eight times its tensile strength, according to tests. While no actual shrinkage figures have yet been deter mined, preliminary experiments show that it shrinks far less than cotton even after several wash ings. The miracle cloth can be made to resemble any modern fabric. It can be combed out finer than silk or made as hard or coarse as the consumer wants it. Tests have shown it to be 65 per cent stronger when wet than when dry. Producers predict that within a few months its cost will be fully competitive with other types of yarn. Big Plant YUld Another startling feature of ramie is the shrub itself. The plant can be turned into an easily-grown commercial textile crop like cotton, but with four yields a year. Several ramie-growing fields have been started near Lake Okobojee, Fla., and special plants to remove the fibers from the gum have been built there. Hand-made ramie yarn was used during the war. Much of it came from the Orient, where labor costs were low. When the need for it became greater than the available supply, several bel ligerents built special machines. The machines, expensive and wasteful, now are obsolete, thanks to the Pittsburgh process. WORK BOTH WAYS St. Paul. Minn. (U.R) A land lord and a female tenant who clubbed each other with a crutch were sentenced to 30-day jail terms. Ida B. Miller. 29. who had one leg in a cast, struck Robert Thomas, 34, over the head with her crutch. Thomas grabbed the crutch and returned the blows. Officers "couldn't say" what Ramie is four times as absorb-started the argument. New Officers Named By Central Point Unit; To Study Surplus Food Central Point Central Point Extension unit met April 19 in the home of Mrs. E. K. Ogilvie, Western avenue, Medford. for the topic "Improved Home Lighting", with Miss Eula Win termote in charge. Miss Winter mote stressed the importance of "all over" illumination, stating that good illumination is enough light so shaded that there is no eye strain. Elected to office for the com ing year were Mrs. E. T. Mc Cartney, chairman; Mrs. Mable Smith, vice-chairman; and Mrs. Arlet Anderson, secretary-treasurer. Mrs. Lester Wertz gave a de tailed report on the program for the coming year and announced that a special meeting on "Freez ing" is scheduled for June of this year. Plans for unit participation in the spring festival scheduled for May 3 in the Central Point grange hall were completed. The unit will display lampshades, gloves and blouses. Several members will present a Danish dance in costume and a trio will sing an appropriate song. Mem bers who completed better dress es will model them. Tickets for the luncheon are on sale and those who have not purchased them may do so by contacting Mrs. Arlet Anderson. The unit voted S40 to the Azalea house fund, and the date for the "Spring Jamboree" r postponed to May 12. Many con tributions of linens for the sale were displayed. The unit voted to study meth ods of distribution of surplus food in the state. Next meeting is scheduled for May 17 in the home of Mrs. K. C. Wernmark. DUCKS LOSE OUT Spokane, Wash. (U.R) A B 29 Superfortress bomber and a formation of ducks collided in the air but the ducks came out second best. Sixty-five dead ducks were counted on the ground The plane landed at the Spokane Air Force base with minor damage. Club Calendar 2 tQtth 6 vfmdon Suggest kcrORAL AT MAIN wing-ding Spring tor a A fS Here are three of our many beau tiful patterns to make the gayest spring ever. Come in and let us show you these smart new shoes. Dress-up styles on low flattie heels, tweed-loving sports shoes, easy-going wedgies. You'll find nem all in our spring collection. Sunday 6:30 p. m. St. Mark's YPF in parish house. 7:30 p. m. Chi Rho initia tion, First Christian church. Monday 1:30 p. m. Jackson County Republican women, Girls' Com munity club. 7 p. m. Cruisers' club of First Presbyterian church. 7:4b p. m. Neighbors of Woodcraft, IOOF hall. 7:45 p. m. Rogue Valley cho rus renearsal, Medford senior high school music room. 8 p. m. St. Mark's Evening guila, parish house. 8 p. m. Knights of Pythias, Pythian building. Tuesday 11 a. m. Woman's Society of Christian Service, Methodist church. 2 p. m. Prospect PTA, Pros pect high school. 2 p. m. Ladies' auxiliary, Baptist church. 6:30 p. m. Degree of Honor, Pythian building. 7:30 p. m. Toastmistress, Lithia hotel, Ashland. 7:30 p. m Wenonah club, Mrs. Stanley Morgan, 212 South Orange street. 7:30 p. m. Crater Lake auxil iary, 42 North Front street. 7:30 p. m. Medford Duplicate bridge, Medford hotel. 8 p. m. On-to-Eugene concert. Medford senior high school au ditorium. 8 p. m. Pythian club, Girls' Community club. Wednesday 1 p. m. Nevita Past Matrons' club, home of Mrs. Victor Bur sell. 1 p. m. AA. PEO, home of Mrs. Otto Frohnmayer. 8 p. m. Public lecture by Mrs. Irene Taylor on "Hoover Com mission, at Medford senior high school. 8 p. m. American Legion auxiliary, Medford armory. Thursday 12 noon Zonta club, Jackson hotel. 12:30 p. m. Daugherty circle, Mrs. O. S. Walden, 1014 East 11th street. 1 p. m. Sojourners at YMCA. 1 p. m. Denny circle. Mrs. Al fred Schroeder, Coal Mine road. 1:30 p. m. Ferguson circle, Mrs. W. P. Andrews, 35 Vancou ver avenue. 1:30 p. m. Hopkins circle. Mrs. George Hicks, 720 West Uth street. 1:30 p. m. Childs circle, Mrs. Crupp, Central Point. 1:30 p. m. Kindred circle, Mrs. C. D. Hershiser, 1255 Sweet road. 7:30 p. m. Central Point beth el. Masonic temple. 8 p. m. Reames chapter, OES, Masonic temple. Friday 12:30 p. m. St. Mark's auxil iary guild, parish house; 11a. m., corporate communion. 7:30 p. m. Lively Oaks club, home of Mrs. Robert Davis. 8 p. m. Open house, Oak Grove school. 8 p. m. Winklebleck circle, Mrs. Ronald Rice, 302 Vancou ver avenue. 8 p. m. Pocahontas lodge, Rcdmen hall. 9 p. m. Sojourners, Ashland Elks temple. Saturday Sunday, April 13, 1950 MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE MINX Murals Are Suggested For Homo Decoration New York (U.R) Paint your pictures on the wall, suggests the National Society of Mural paint ers, and build the room around them. A breakfast room furnished with a mirror-topped table and delicate iron chairs had a wail ful of flowers painted by Paul Robertson. The murals were shown in room settings, in co operation with the American i Institute of Decorators. j "You can have a mural paint ed on your wall for as little as three dollars a square foot," Robertson said. "I put two coats of lacquer over mine, and they are much more washable than regular wall paint." A mural done on an aluminum foil background proved you can be fanciful with your wall dec orations. Luman Martin Winter stuck aluminum foil on a canvas back with varnish, then painted a dramatic mural, "Gulls Over Manhattan." Most of the murals, however, were painted on canvas and then pasted on the wall with iegular wallpaper paste. If you move, the mural can be removed and go with you. In the past 20 years the fed eral budget has gone from $4,000,000,000 to $42,000,000, 000 a year; employees from 600,000 'to 2,100,000; boards, bureaus and agencies from 640 to 1.812. FIVE-YEAR-OLD ACTS Plymouth, Ind. U.R) When three-year-old Jerry Wagoner fell through the ice into a lake near his home, he was saved by his fast-acting five-year-old brother, David. David waded Into the lake but couldn't reach Jerry. So he ran home and called his mother. A water-repellent snow suit held Jerry afloat until his mother pulled him out. U. S. automobile makers used 40 square miles of upholstery material in 1949. Crater Meat Co. Custom Slaughter and Cuitem Curing WE GUARANTII ALL WORK Midway Rose Ptwm J-el47 12:30 p. m. Jackson County Public Health association, Pres byterian church, Medford. 1 p. m. 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