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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 27, 1956)
! EIGHT MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE Friday. April 27. 1936 Power Lawnmower Use Shows Increase Chicago U.R) A survey ihows that there are almost 10, 000,000 power lawn mowers in use in the United States. The total of 9,770,000 at the end of 1955 represents an in crease of 27 per cent over 1954, when there were 7,660,000 man icuring the nation's lawns. The power lawn mower busi ness is largely postwar develop ment, and has boomed wth sub urban expension. In 1946, the first year for which figures are available, 140,000 power mow ers were sold. In 1955 sales of all types to taled about 2,400,000 units. At an estimated average price of $100, this would amount to a re tail volume of $240,000,000. R. T. - Lueloff, president of Power Products, said a consum er study by his firm indicates 2,500,000 homeowners will buy power mowers in 1956, and that nearly half that number will have owned one previously. Is That So? Over the Big Island, with Ha waiian' Air Lines "You're now flying over the Hamakua coast, better known as the Scotch coast," said our purser. "Below us is the most productive soil in the world. As much as 300, 000 pounds of sugar cane have been grown per acre on these plantations." "He could have added that from an 18-mile square area, slightly larger than that of New York City, Hawaii produces over a 1,000,000 tons of sugar, about one-fourth of all the sugar manufactured in the U.S.," pointed out my fellow passen ger, Roy Leffingwell, of the Ha waii Sugar Plantations associa tion. "It's Hawaii's main indus try . . ." "I understand Army and Navy dump more solid cash ..." I started to say, but he pointedly ignored my barb. "You wouldn't think, looking at it from up here, that some of that cane below us grows 24 feet high, would you? A Nichol's Worth of . . . Comment On This and That By HARMAN W. NICHOLS United Press Feature Writer Washington (U.R! The Navy thought about most things ex cept enough hair-oil for the men who went on Operation Deep Freeze in Little Amer ica. A traveler friend of mine who just re turned from the Antarctic expedition said Barman Nichols to make it clear to you folks back home that the situation didn't ap proach mutiny. But how did the Navy know in advance that the boys aboard the many ships would start growing beards which need a grease job once in awhile? They look better and oil takes away the itch. The , men, of course, weren't Zw :'f km Alabama Negro's Home Dynamited Birmingham, Ala. (U.R) A dynamite blast slightly dam aged a Negro dwelling located between two white homes here last night and shook the entire neighborhood, police reported today. The explosion tore a big hole In the yard and damaged three front windows of the home of a 26-year-old Negro mail carrier who had lived among White neighbors without previous trou ble for some three years, police laid. "We haven't been able to de termine how much dynamite was used," a police spokesman said. "It rocked houses all along the block." The occupants, John H. Sar gent, his wife and two children and his wife's parents, all were uninjured, he said. filfi ) W V '7 .nr,- 3V: ( li t v ' i i - VI K y" - i 1 r I 1 , N i 1 i going anyplace. There were no women folks aboard and none to expect. But a man who is grow ing his first beard likes for it to look pretty. Mostly because his buddies have cameras and mama and the kids back home wouldn't want to see the old man with scraggly fuzz on his chin. Anyhow, according to my in formant, the hero of the occa sion was Dr. E. N. Ehrlich of Oak Park, Mich. He mixed up an unholy beard-oiling concoc tion, which wore the smell of witch hazel. The doctor, in or der to avoid a fuss with the pat ent office, didn't reveal his secret. Not Competitive He figures there isn't much market for it outside of Little America anyway. Later, the traveler said, there was another flurry of worry in the expedition. The men were reminded that you can't get away from income taxes even at the South Pole. Uncle Sam, it seems was thoughtful enough to fetch a big supply of federal forms and enough state forms to take care of all hands. Idea of this junket, of course, is to establish bases all over the Antarctic continent. That work is progressing nicely, according to my returning friend, who was glad to get away as soon as he did. "August begins the rough sea son," he told me. "In fact, soon the sun will go down and doesn't come up again for a long time. In August when we are sweating it out here, those boys in Little America will be bundled against temperatures that will run from 80 to 100 degrees below zero." ' Tons and tons of cargo were hauled to Little America. There were washing machines, port able generators and the like. Baiter Up Recreation centers have been set up where the men can have at billiards, ping pong and if they wish play baseball on the ice. When my friend was there he watched a game. A man clob bered a Ruthian ball, but the ice at that time was so slushy that the poor guy got thrown out at first base. "The fellows have their own fun," he said. "As soon as they learned that Grace Kelly was going to latch onto her prince in Monaco, the fellows got to gether arid had a mock wed ding." It must have been a scream. The boys hooted and hollered. My lad reported they borrowed a table cloth, smeared some red paint on "Grace," ho spent half the night learning how to say "Oui, Oui." "It was not to discredit a gal who had been a Navy favorite," the sailor said. "We all love her. She's pinned up all over Little America. But at this late date, we'd like her to know we were thinking of her." By EUGENE BURNS Ranger-Naturalist "It takes a barrel of water to grow cane," he volunteered. "We figure about a ton per pound of sugar. In fact, one of our plantations pumps enough water daily to supply San Fran cisco and New Orleans put to gether . . ." "Where did sugar get started, anyway?" I asked. "No one knows, for sure. Per haps India. South Sea islanders t -27-56 had developed a good two-inch-thick cane of their own before the white man came along. With a soft rind, too, which made it good for chewing. In fact, it was their candy. Still is. The Polyne sians brought cane along with them to Hawaii." I saw a ball of smoke rising from a cane field and interrupt ed to say, "Isn't that a cane field on fire?" Happens Every Day For a sugar man, he seemed singularly unimpressed. I re peated: "Isn't one of your sugar cane fields on fire?" "Oh yes. Happens almost ev ery day. You see, our growing season is continuous ana we harvest the year 'round. Takes from 21-24 months to grow cane . . ." "But isn't this a standing crop burning?" I protested. "Oh. I get you." He tried to keep from being condescending. "Before harvesting, the cane is always burned to get rid of the leaves and trash which hamper milling operations. The fire you see down there doesn't harm the stalks containing the sugar." He went back to his favorite subject. "About ten per cent of the weight of that stalk will be sugar. Pretty high, isn't it? Years ago, I doubt if it would have gone half that much. Shows you what research can do." I pointed to some heavy equip ment below us. "You're looking at the biggest piece of transpor tation equipment used in agri culture," he stated with finality. "Some of those rigs, which were developed particularly for us, haul up to 80,000 pounds of cane per load. The eight tires on that rig stand about a third higher than a grown man. "Then when the sugar cane stalks are sent through the mill, the huge rollers exert close to a million pounds pressure to press the juice from the cane." "You said a while ago, In dia . . ." He wouldn't even let me finish my sentence. Made Before Christ "Yep, sugar was first made in India, before Christ. From there the Arabs spread the culture of sugar cane through Asia Minor. It reached its highest peak in Egypt, where they made candies and confections of it. Then dur ing the Crusades, sugar cane spread through Europe. Colum bus brought it to the West In dies." "Understand they've develop ed sugar beets in Germany. Lots around Idaho and Colorado. Just as sweet as sugar cane, too." He ignored that sally com pletely. "You know, the largest sugar refinery in the world, turning out more than 6,000,000 pounds a day, is located on San Francisco bay, Crockett. You ought to visit it." "That's a lot of calories.' "Stored energy," he said blithely. "Mountain climbers and long distance swimmers use sugar as a source of quick ener gy. Nothing better. But to get back to that calorie business; there's been a lot of vicious propaganda. You know there are only 18 calories to the spoonful of sugar." "Level teaspoonful, you ACCUSED of slaying his parents, brother, at their Mansfield, Conn., farm, Rob ert Curgenven, 11, is now undergoing psychiatric tests. (International) MARKET 1202 North Riverside OPEN EVERY BROOKS ELECTRIC and PLUMBING 1016 N. RIVERSIDE PHONE 2-5209 Will Be Open Every Wed. and Fri. Until 9 pm. Closed Saturdays -Special TOHITE Only!- w G.E. Portable Mixer Regular '$17.95 Value Tonight Only Honolulu To Get Part Of Far East Air Force Tokyo (U.R) A portion of Far East Air Forces headquarters will be moved from Tokyo to Honolulu in June, FEAF an nounced today. Reports from Washington re cently said the Air Force high command was considering move ment of the entire FEAF head quarters to Hawaii but that no decision had been reached. Ashland Kiwanis Club Files Incorporation Salem (U.R) Articles of incorporation were filed here to day for the Kiwanis club of Ash land. They were signed by Alva Graham, Oliver Green, Sidney Ainsworth and Jack Eaton. mean, don't you?" He nodded and added: "If you want to be that exact, it's a lit tle under 18!" (Released by McClure Newspaper Syndicate) (Copyright, 1956, by Eugene Burns) Free: By special arrangement with the editors of the Encyclo pedia Americana, my panel of judges will award each week to the reader who sends me the best true-life nature adventure, the best nature observation, or the best question on nature and wildlife, a complete 30-volume set of this world-famous refer ence work in a handsome Seal craft binding. Each week new submissions will be considered. Sorry, I simply can't answer your many friendly letters. Please address your letter to: IS THAT SO! co Medford Mail Tribune, Box 575, Sausalito, Calif. saL t ' " TESTIFIES Agriculture Secy. Ezra Taft Benson (above), appearing before Senate appropriations subcommittee in Washington, said that failure to approve a "sound" soil bank plan might lead to further cuts m farm price support levels next year. The hearing was on his department's budget for next fiscal year. Coos Hotel Ordered Into Receivership Coos Bay (U.R) Circuit Judge Dal M. King yesterday ordered the Tioga Hotel Corpo ration into receivership and ap pointed a former employee to manage what is one of the largest hostelries on the Oregon coast. The court ordered foreclosure on two suits brought by Coos Bay Development Company for about $38,000. Principal stock holder in that firm is W. A. Rushlight of Portland.' Lee W. Scarlett vas majority stockholder in the Tioga Hotel Corp. He said the case would be appealed. New manager is Mrs. Emelent Cole who formerly clerked at the hotel. Consolidated Plans Headquarters Move Portland (U.R) Consoli dated Freightways, Inc., plans to transfer its executive headquar ters from Portland to San Fran cisco Bay area's Menlo Park on June 1. J. L. S. Snead Jr., president of the firm, said Portland would remain the operations headquar ters for the western region, em bracing all highway routes and terminals west of Fargo, N.D. He said a new eastern regional headquarters would be created at Indianapolis. He said the move of executive offices to Menlo Park would bring the policy level staff closer together with the corpo rations "princial financial roots in the San Francisco area." PICTURE TUBES REJUVENATED It your picture tube dull and weakf Most picture tubes can be restored to original brightness at only fraction of the cost of replacement. For further information CALL Electronic Service 18 N. GRAPE PH. 3-1971 It's my job to see you get r r Jl v last, irienaiy f help... r Virgil R. Wilkes A one of my policy holders, I would per sonally help you if you have an accident near home. Away from home, there are neyly 8,000 agents and claims rep resentatives like myself to give you the same assistance. John A. Carter Virgil R. Wilkes Lynn Colby 133 South Central Phone 2-9322 I Buick1 Century 6-Passenger 4-Door Riviera, Model 63D (Have you tried Buick's great new ride ?) The swkkt way a "56 Buick rides on dU sorts of roads is something you find nowhere else on wheels. Capricious roads that twist and turn unruly roads that rock and roll tired roads, battered and beaten they all seem to wear company manners the moment a Buick approaches. Why? Simply because Buick comes with ; what it takes to put any road on its best behavior the completely ride-engineered combination of chassis, engine and auto matic drive that is obtainable in no other car. And that's gospel truth whether you drive a new Special, Century, Super or Road master. No other car matches the firm, true track ing of Buick's own ride foundation buttressed by brawny X-braced frame and torque-tube drive cushioned on coil springs and deep-oil shock absorbers. No other has such width of tread and length of wheelbase within dimensions, so trim and tidy that Buicks turn, park and garage more easily than smaller cars. No other duplicates the assurance of steer ing, brakes and rear axle so precisely geared and gaited for the nimble handling that's a safety "must" in modern cars. And certainly no other name plate promises the soaring sweep of power that wells from the big 322-cubic-inch V8 beneath every new Buick bonnet. Nor does any other automatic drive put power to its car's rear wheels with the swift, unruffled pace of Variable Pitch Dynaflow and that goes double every time you "switch pitch" for whip-quick, safer passing. But why stop to count reasons when results are what you're after? Wouldn't you rather really feel Buick's new "sense of direction" on straightaway, curves and comers? Wouldn't you rather relax in supreme com fort while tooling this powerful performer over roads you always hated to travel? Well, sir, we cordially invite you to drop in : on us and do just that. Make it this week, won't you? Sample the ride that has charms to win any old road and get first-hand figures on price that make Buick owning a more positive pleasure. . .Veto Advanced Variable Pitch Dynaflow is the only - Dynaflow Buick builds today. It is standard on Roadmaster, Super and Century optional at modest extra cost on the Special. SEE JACKIE GUASON ' ON TV A7 A MBit tOW fSfCS 4-Seo Ceaaforl hi fom eew Bekk wfcn fBfGIOAK CONOfTJOSWNO ' WHEN RFTTEt AOTOMOMIES AM BUHT ftUICX WILL KUILO THEM NIGHT TIL rK MIDNIGHT m WE GIVE S&H GREEN STAMPS! 143 SOUTH RIVERSIDE PHONE 2-6265 0
