Toy Manufacturers Look Toward
Their First Billion Dollar Year
Editor's Note: At far ms the toy j
to bo tht merriest Christmas on
record. The bells are already rlnj
inr cash rerister bells and the toy
manafactarers are looking forward
to their first billion dollar year. This
is tho first In a series of three dis-
patches on the record toy sales. In
cluding a glimpse at soma of the
newest toys in Santa's jampacked bag.
By DEAN C. MILLER
United Press Correspondent
New York (U.R) Televis
ion and the move to the suburbs
have combined to give toy manu
facturers a whopping Christmas
gift their first billion dollar
year.
Department store surveys just
completed by the Toy Manufact
urers of the U.S.A., Inc., indicate
mom and dad are spending 10
per cent more on toys this year
than last indicating , a new
record for the year.
Since 1950 when retail toy
sales hit $770,000,000 the figure
has hedged up 10 per cent each
year toward the billion mark,
and market analysts ay the up
swing is due in part to the su
burban building boom and the
popularity of television. - .
More Room
In the suburbs children find
themselves with more elbow
room and ask Santa for bicycles,
wagons, swings, wading pools,
badminton sets and other items
which they might happily have
gone without in a city apart
ment. Television, the market experts
reported, has drawn families
closer together and encouraged
group games. Heavy 6ales of
4-H Achievement ;
Program Conducted
Ashland An achievement
program for Ashland area 4-H
club members was held Tuesday
afternoon at a Mother's tea at
the Ashland Church of Christ,
according to Miss Jean Brooks,
4-H extension agent.
Awards presented were, first
year, Sandra Wilson and Carol
King; second year, Nylia Cooper,
Marie Schmelzer and Patricia
McNabb; third year, Colleen
Creel, and sixth year, Carol
Johnston.
The tea was held at 4 p.m.
such games as Monopoly and
Scrabble are believed to be evi
dence of this. -
But for a country so sensitive
to fads and devoted to new gad
gets, America has remained
pretty faithful to tradition in its
toy-buying habits. The big sell
ers this year are still dolls, toy
trains and cars, and cowboy par
aphernalia. The latter is still enjoying a
spurt credited to Western tele
vision programs. Toys with a
war motif are expected to slack
en due to the end of the Korean
war,, but realism is being em
phasized more than ever in all
types of toys.
Realism Emphasized .
Dolls have washable hair. The
best selling spurs are those that
really jingle, jangle, jingle.
The American toy makers are
reaping most of the billion dol
lar harvest, because foreign man
ufacturers have never regained
the prestige they held before
World War II. German-made
toys are back on the U.S. mar
ket but their sales are well below
pre-war levels.
Recently, U. S. manufacturers,
especially those in the wooden
put-it-together field, have com
plained bitterly about "unfair,
copy-cat" competition from
Japan. . There is a fierce behind-the-scenes
effort to get for the
C P. Firemen
Plan Directory
Central Point The Central
Point Volunteer Fire department
has announced it will publish a
city directory to obtain funds to
buy needed equipment, accord
ing to department officials.
Members are now soliciting
advertising for the new direc
tory, which will provde an up
to date record of city residents
for the first time in recent his
tory, firemen said.
The directory will be bound
in paper and will include a pic
ture of the old fire hall and a
drawing of the new fire hall on
the cover.
Volunteers hope ' .to raise
enough money to furnish the
kitchen of the new fire hall. -.
U. S. toy makers more tariff
protection from cheaper Jap
anese goods.
American- businessmen have
charged that several Japanese
firms are" copying patented
American toys imitating them
down to the last spelling mis
take ki the instruction sheets.
The Japanese imitation sells on
the U. S. market at half the
price of the American product.
The U.S. manufacturers charge
some Japanese manufacturers
use substandard material and
cheap labor.
Juvenile Grangers
Invited to Central Pt
Central Point Juvenile Grange
will be host to the Juvenile
Granges of the -county at Cen
tral Point hall Sunday at 3 p.m.
when the home Grange will give
the degree, assisted by the visi
tors, to a class of candidates.
Gold Hill" Juveniles will put
on the tableaus, directed by Ma
tron Mrs. Grace Bruce, while
Sams Valley, under direction
of Matron Mrs. Madge Dolan,
will entertain with Juvenile
Band.
All candidates and juvenile
Grangers are welcome.
Man Warns of Cops;
Receives Summons
Buffalo, N. Y. -4U.PJ A mo
torist recently was clocked by a
radar-speed-cotrol unit and was
given a summons for speeding
40 miles an hour.
Carl H. Hohmann, 25, took the
summons politely and drove off.
A short time later police found
him a few blocks up the street
waving a large sign at approach
ing cars. On the sign was printed
the warning: "Cops."
' Police took a dim view of
Hohmann's action and issued an
other summons,' charging him
with violating a rarely used law
which prohibits displaying a sign
without permission.
Production of mustard seed
In the U.S. dropped to 11,000,
000 pounds in 1949 after the all
time Teak of about 73.000.000
1 pounds in 1941. .
lci city ea
NORTH PACIFIC HIWAY - ACROSS FROM ELK LUMBER CO.
ECONOMICAL CHOICE
Friday thru Wednesday
NOVEMBER 19 THRU 24
JOHNNY THE BUTCHER IS HERE
TO SERVE YOUI
Turkey Orders Taken Now!
ROUND STEAK
FRESH KILLED
mi
...... - - '
Young Commercial Beef
Tenderized No Charge .
GROUND BEEF
, All Pure Beef
no cereal, no filler
ZL9
CUSTOM CUTTING AND WRAPPING FOR YOUR LOCKER ........ . 4c Lb.
GOLD
MEDAL
id
FLOUR
lb. bag
MISSION-303 CAN
PUMPKIN
for
YAMS & SWEETS
e
mm mm
lbs.
CRANBERRIES
II II
II
cape loVi
COD K
I
DEL MONTE SLICED-2Vi CAN
PINEAPPLE
II
TOMATOES
TUBE
boxes
Oldsmobile's 1955
-
Models On Display
Here Tomorrow
A restyled concept of two-tone
body color, engineering improve
ments and a different body ap
pearance feature the 1955 mod
els of Oldsmobile, which will go
on display in Medford tomorrow.
They can be seen at the Dar
rell Miller Co., 415 South River
side ave.
Both the "98" and "88" series
are powered by more efficient
"Rocket" engines, in 185 and 202
horsepower models. The low
silhouette and panoramic wind
shield this year are enhanced by
the "flying color" styling.
10 Body Styles
There are three series of cars
with a total of 10 body styles,
including four-doors, coupes,
convertibles, and two-door se
dans. . Headlights have been recessed,
and have chrome-lined caps ex
tending two inches beyond the
lens, and a more rugged bumper
which curves into the fender
contours.
Riding qualities of the cars
have been improved by incorop
orating direct-acting shock ab
sorbers mounted vertically with
in the springs, and attached di
rectly to the frame Tubel.ess
tires are standard on all the new
Oldsmobiles.
GOOD ADVICE
Naugatuck, Conn. . (U.R)
Town Warden Charles Clark
failed to show up at a meeting
with the board of welfare. After
a -half -hour, wait, the members
acted on this slogan on Clark's
office desk: "Time waits for no
man.".
Thursday, Novambar 18, 1934
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE MINE
fcr.r.W?, ' . , m
SLEEK NEW OLDSMOBILES The J955 Olds- four-door sedan. Front-end design in all Olds
mobiles will be on display tomorrow at the mobiles has been changed in the 1955 models,
Darrell Miller Co., 415 South Riverside ave. and other styling features have been modified
Two of the new cars are shown above, the ' from older models. ,
Super "88" holiday coupe (above) and the "98"
5 t. 4 V. & -,i m tn. .... i . -
fa
Electronic Brain
Aids Houston Traffic
Houston, Tex. U.R) A $250,
000 "traffic cop" is making . a
smooth-flowing operation out of
sprawling Houston's downtown
traffic problem.
The new "cop," an electronic
brain controlling signal lights at
289 street intersections, enables
traffic in downtown and adja
cent areas to move over the city's
system of alternating one-way-streets
at maximum speed con
sistent with safety and traffic
density.
The flow of traffic itself reg
ulates the "stcp-and-go."
City Traffic Director Eugene
Maier said the system is based on
density of traffic. It provides pro
gressive traffic flow (where the
lights keep turning green as you
reach them) at speeds of 18-22
miles an hour in the. central bus
iness district and 18-30 miles per
hour on streets leading into the
area.
When the peak periods of traf
fic density in the business disr
trict are reached, signals auto
matically change to simultaneous
timing in which all cars move m
one direction on a series of green
lights for 70-90 seconds and then
cross traffic moves in a similar
manner.. . .
The new electronic brain has
detectors, or "feelers," located
at strategic downtown intersec
tions to determine the flow of
traffic and, relay the needs to
the central "brain." The impulses
automatically adjust the signal
timing.- -
. put of every dollar spent at
retail establishments in the
United States in 1950, about 25
cents went for the operation and
upkeep of the privately-owned
automobile.
:13 D DIB CCETT
SUPER
Never so new as now ... never so far ahead!
It's the dazzling, all-around-new Super "88
Oldsmobile! Inspired new styling everywhere!
New power with the mighty new "Rocket
202! New color . . . dramatic "flying color"
patterns! In fact, all the newest new ideas on
wheels! See us and see Oldsmobile for '551
U U - Kkecls! See us and see OldsmobUe for '55! -a
ltig0Ma' ...... '
' ' '''
SXP POWERED BY THE NEW
Lff.h.
Km 1955 OMimeM
Niattr-lighl Dtlia Hol!6aj Coupfc
Ton can't miss the newness! It's everywhere from
road to roof! Note the crisp, low-level lines . . t ."
the dramatic new color toning that sings of action
. . . flashing "Rocket" 202 action! See us and see aQ
the brand-new 1955 Oldsmobiles Ninety-Eights,
Super "88s","88s"! Come in tomorrow at the latest!
N O W ON D IS P LAY W IT H T H AT
LOOK I
VISIT YOUR NEAREST OLDSMOBILE DEALER
DARRELL MILLER Company, 41 5 S. Riverside
..... :. phone 2-6299
dont miss oldsmobile's "november spectacular" in colpr and black and white nbc-tv sat., nov. 20