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. Southern Oregon
council, PEO Sisterhood, Ashland
Elks temple.
Make Your Dollar Buy MORE
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FOR AIR AND
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Phone 2-6779
Jackson Hotel
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... for the awarding of the
GRAND PRIZE NEXT
WEDNESDAY, April 26 in
our Hotpoint "Magic Key"
Jubilee. ALL who tried keya
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