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14 MAIL TRIBUNE, Medford, Oregon, Sunday, July 20, 1953
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Pears
Used
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PACKING INST1UCTOHS These women Jensen, Hazel Smith and Mabel Bourne!
'instruct IocjS people how to pack pears Following the instruction the students are
during 72 hours of classes. Each student re- taken to their respective packing houses,
ceives 36 hours of instruction. From left Here they become acquainted with the
they ar Mrs. Mabel Penland. supervisor; packing lines before operations start about
Velma Singler, Bernice Wilson, Margaret Aug. 1.
if". 'PS
CHECK VORr -Student packer Floyd
Drisltell, left, pauses temporarily as Super
visor Mrs. Mabel Penland and Chuck King
of Southern Oregon Sales, Inc., check his
q practice box of pears. King is chairman of
42 Disease Cises
Reported Last Week
Of the 42 cases of communi
cable diseases reported to the
Jackson County Health de
partment for tne week ending
July 18 morethan half of
tSm were mumps, according
to Dr. A. Erin Merkel, public
health physician.
In Medford, eight cases of
mumps were reported. There
were sii in Gold Hill, three in
Trail, two each in Shady Cove
and Ashland, and one each in
Eagle Point and Prospect.
Centajfal P o i n t reported
three cases of measles, and
Jacksonville and Ashland re
ported one case each. Med
ford had five cases of German
easles.
Two cases of chicken pox
were reported in Ashland,
and one in Central Point; one
Ashland resident had strep
throat; one pneumonia case
was reported in Ashland; one
Talent resident had whooping
cough; two cases of scarlet
fever were reported in Cen?
tral Point; and Ashland re
ported ont case of influenza.
Starting Pay for
Eng
ineers Increases
Corvallis Starting pay
for 1958 engineering gradu
ates at Oregon State college
was $470 a month, up S25
from last year, according to
M. R. Haith, engineering
placement officer.
During the five-year period
of 1954 to 1958, starting pay
has increase from S365 to
$470, or S105 a month. On a
Oyearly-basis, starting pay for
bachelor degree holders has
O jumped from $4,380 to S5.640.
Some0 158 companies and
publife agencies came to the
campus 259 times this year
to interview the 275 gradu
ates. Students averaged 7.2
interviews each compared to
6.6 lt year, Haith said.
Of the 275 engineering
graduates, 37 per cent were
vet(ans. Average age was
24.3 years. Most of the com
panies did heaviest recruiting
during winter term.
MINER KILLS SELF
Fukuoko, Japan IP Mat
suji Hirota, 43, one of 22 coal
miners rescued three weeks
ago after being trapped 70
hours by a cave-in, has hanged
himself, police reported Sat
urday. Police said his mind
apparently had cracked under
the strain of entombment.
. : .-
STUDENT PACKER Rene Green, student packer, places a
wrapping around a wooden pear. She and about 100 girls
and one boy are taking instruction in proper wrapping and
packing of pears. The annual school is conducted at Southern
Oregon Sales, Inc., near the junction of the South Pacific
highway and Stewart ave. Final session will be held this
week.
Fire Destroys Green
Chain Part of Mill
Corvallis OD Fire has
destroyed the green chain sec
tion of the A. E. Albertsen
Gang mill a mile . west of
Philomath, causing damage
estimated at more than
$10,000.
Philomath volunteer fire
department members and two
pumpers managed to save the
main section of the $35,000
structure.
The fire was believed to
have started from a spark
from a trash burner.
Grants Pass Lady
Named to Position
Mrs. Lola Roney, Grants
Pass, was recently elected to
succeed William L. White,
Medford, as president of the
Rogue Valley Chapter of the
Oregon Association of Public
Accountants.
Fred E. Kmggel Jr.", Med
ford, w-as elected vice presi
dent of the chapter, and Ethel
Mclntyre, Medford, was re
elected secretary.
Guest speaker at the din
ner meeting was E. G. Som
mer of Ashland who is presi
dent of the Oregon Associa
tion of Public Accountants.
A myrtlewood gavel made
by Sommer was presented to
the outgoing president.
The next meeting of the
Rogue Valley Chapter will be
in Medford on Aug. 25, ac
cording to Kruggel.
the packing school committee sponsored by
the packing houses in the area, the state
department of vocational education, and in
cooperation with the M e d f o r d public
schools.
Soviet Proposal
Given Thought
Washington (DPD The state
department said Saturday
Soviet Premier Nikita S.
Khrushchev' ' proposal for a
Summit conference of the
Middle-East will be given
"prompt consideration" when
it is officially received.
The department also said
the United States was wiling
to withdraw its troops from
Lebanon if the Soviet Union
would permit the United Na
tions to take effective action
to maintain the independence
of that small Arab nation.
But it pointedly noted that
a Soviet veto in the U.N. Se
curity Council spiked a U.S.
move to strengthen U. N.
forces in Lebanon.
The department also took
issue with Khrushchev's con
tention that the U.S. commit
ted "aggression", in Lebanon
and the British likewise in
Jordan.
ADVICE ON STEPS
Ames, Iowa (UPI) Uneven
steps and steps that are out
of proportion are the leading
reasons for falls in the home,
according to Norval Wardle,
extension v safety specialist at
Iowa State College. A prime
role for safe stairways is to
have a clear walkway the full
length of each tread, Wardle
said. Stairways of more than
three steps need handrails.
Course Assures
Adequate Supply
Of Labor in Area
By JOE COWLEY
Mail .Tribune Staff Writer
They're packing wooden
pears at Southern Oregon
Sales, Inc., in Medford.
One hundred women are
now learning to pack the
simulated pears. Company
officials had planned to use
cull pears this year but de
cided if .they waited until next
year they would be assured
of an adequate supply left
over "from this year's crop.
Wooden pears are hard to ob
tain. They were originally
made by a local firm.
This is one of the few
schools of its kind in the
United States, according to
the local pear shippers. The
school is 20 years old'. It is
sponsored by the Fruit Grow
ers League, Medford Pear
Shippers and the state depart
ment of vocational education
in cooperation with Medford
Public schools.
It was originally started by
the Traffic association, and
j followed a number of small
private schools for packers in
the Medford area.
Aim of School
Aim of the school is to de
velop a large reservoir of
trained packers on whom the
various packing houses can
depend from season to season.
It virtually eliminates the
need to employ "transient"
labor, which is seldom con
sidered reliable packers as a
whole. However, two packing
houses in the area still use
some, a pear shipper said.
"The homeguards stay with
it," declared Mrs. Mabel Penn
land, school supervisor. "Some
of those trained here work as
long as 25 years. About two
thirds of them are housewives
who don't want to work the
year around but want the ex
tra money they can make
packing."
"We used to get only a 10
per cent repeat until we
stepped up the age require
ment. Formerly, it was 16-36
years. Now it is 18-40 years.
The industry needs a steady
labor supply."
Average Packer
"A good packer will hit her
peak in about three years,"
Mrs. Pennland said. "A good
average packer will fill 125,
boxes during an eight - hour
shift.. Such a worker will av
erage $100 a week. Some
packers claim they can pack
200 boxes a shift, but they'll
have to show me! That might
be for a day but not for a
week!"
Women are preferred in
this work. Men are too often
careless packers or what the
industry calls "cowboys." A
good male packer has strength
in setting the pears in the
boxes. However, a woman is
neater and more skillful.
A prospective packer first
signs up at one of the local
packing houses. Then, she
may be required to take an
aptitude test at the employ
ment service. Some of the
packing houses require , it.
With the rest it's optional. It
does, however, eliminate some
people who are too clumsy.
This last point is disputed by
Mrs. Pennland. Some fail this
aptitude test and make won
derful packers when trained,
she said.
Registration fee for the
course is three dollars. Actual
cost per student runs from
$11-$ 14, Mrs. Pennland said.
The packing house at which
the trainee signed up sponsors
the student and pays the
difference:
Ten trainees are assigned to
eaqh of the five instructors
under the supervisor. This is
considered the largest num
ber which can be carefully
supervised.
Starting about the middle
of July, 72 hours of instruc
tion are given. Each student
gets 36 hours, three hours a
day.
Packing pears isn't as easy
REVIVAL
July 2027-7:30 P.M.
FIRST BAPTIST
CHURCH
Phoenix, Oregon
'!
Dr. C. E. Henson, Evangelist,
Afton, Oklahoma
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT This equipment,
located, at the Medford airport, was put
to use this week by the U.S. forest service
to mix and store 2,000 gallons of chemical
slurry that will be used to "bomb" forest
fires in this area. In the foreground is a
water reservoir and the pump that forces
Chemical Slurry To Be Used By
Forest Service to Check Fires
A chemical slurry, which
has the appearance and con
sistancy of hotcake batter,
will be used in this area to
"bomb" spot forest fires, ac
cording to T. S. (Tenny)
as it sounds. Students first are
taught how to wrap each pear,
which presents special prob
lems. The long neck and stem
of the pear must be carefully
protected. A fold of paper
covers the stem. The bunching
of wrapping formed after the
twist is left as a cushion
under the pear. The same
paper is carefully folded and
used as a nesting when the
fruit dealer sells the fruit on
the retail market.
Paper Wrapping
The paper wrapping for the
D'Anjou variety is treated
with a copper sulphate chemi
cal and a mineral oil. This
prevents spread of any fruit
rot which may occur in the
fruit. The other varieties
which don't seem as suscep
tible are wrapped with plain
white paper. Packing costs
are figured at about $1.50 a
box, according to a shipper.
After the student ' learns
how to wrap she moves on to
the actual box packing. Here
she is taught how to get the
actual feel of the fruit .for
weight. Packers are allowed
a graduation of three sizes
to the box. The two smaller
sizes' are placed at each end
and the box is crowned in the
center with the larger pears.
The boxes have to be fairly
uniform in size. One box can't
be heavy and another light or
the packer will be directed to
repack the box or boxes.
Comes from Experience
The ability to select the
right sizes comes from experi
ence. Packers learn how vari
ous sizes fall from the grader
into their tubs. Their eyes
never leave the fruit. Quick,
deft hands reach constantly
for the pile of wrappings.
They may miss a wrapping
but never a pear.
v Each of the boxes is stamp
ed during actual packing op
erations. Careful records are
kept of boxes packed by each
worker and the packers are
paid accordingly.
Mrs. Pennland and heriive
instructors are all veteran
packers. The supervisor is
also an ex - school teacher
wliich helps her with the
training. She's been at it for
some 12 years.
"I enjoy it;" she comment
ed. "This way I can work for
a short time then hole up
when the weather gets bad.
It's interesting work."
5ifl6? Sp?
Moore, fire control officer for
the Rogue River National for
est. The mixture, calcium sod
ium borate, clings to leaves,
limbs and grass to render
them fire resistant, serving
as a fire break to keep fires
within, certain areas.
It will not be used to put
out fires, Moore said, but will
merely serve as a control
measure until tfire crews can
get to the scene. The chemi
cal has been used successfully
in California and northern
Washington for several years.
Moves In Supply -
The forest service last
week moved in a supply of
the chemical and set up the
equipment at the Medford
airport for mixing and stor
age. Here to supervise the in
stallation of the apparatus
and the mixing of the first
batch of the stuff was A. B.
Everts, forest service equip
ment engineer of Portland.
Medford . Air Service has
installed special tanks in
three airplanes that will re
lease the creamy mass all at
once when the pilot flies low
over a fire. The system can
keep a fire in a remote area
from spreading when man-
Watkins-Malone
New Office Here
Opening of the Watkins-Malone
realty office at 526 East
Main st., was announced Sat
urday by partners Wallace
Watkins and John C. Malone.
The new firm will handle
all types of real estate listings
and will feature a new type of
photograph presentation in
sales work, the partners said
This method allows a client
to see a full color group of
pictures of the listings prior
to a visit to the property, it
was explained. .
A western style cartoon
character has been developed
to identify the firm and part
of the promotion will include
a contest to give him a name,
the partners said. The "per
sonalized character" will be
used in advertising, on signs
and displays, according to the
partners.
Watkins was formerly with
the Jackson County Federal
Savings and Loan association
and Malone is a well-known
valley realtor.
' The Onondaga Indians re
ceive 150 bushels of salt an
nually from New York stale
under terms of an ancient
treaty.
the water into a special mixing machine.
Anotner pump, located near the tower, is
used to put the mixture into the storage
tank. The slurry is about the consistancy of
hotcake batter and controls the fire by
clinging to cumbustible materials after it is
dropped from an airplane.
power cannot be spared or
when the fire cannot immed
iately be reached by crews,
Moore said.
Mixed With Water
The chemical, which comes
packaged in 50-pound bags in
the form of a cream-colored
powder, is mixed with water
in a machine that automati
cally apportions the two in
gredients. From the mixing
machine it is pumped into a
2,000 gallon tank on top of
a 15-foot tower, where it is
stored until needed.
The chemical will be. used
only on certain type fires,
serving as a supplement for
est fire control in this area,
Moore said.
MIX SLURRY U.S. forest service em
ployees are shown above in the process of
mixing the chemical slurry that will be
used in controling certain type of forest
fires in this area. The powdered chemical
is put in the hopper, where it is mixed
automatically with the correct amount of
water before it is pumped to a storage
I ; .Off-Street Parking " J
. PARKING , , j
III t ' r I Conger-Morris o
liillf O SERVICE
STATION
I . MAIN STREET
parking your car is no problem at Conger-Morris. Here.tyou can
park right next door, ust a few steps away from our easy, con
venient sidewalk-level ntrance.
roMer-oJftrorris $rs J
W O WEST maim AT SIXTH '
"Your TV Weatherman" I W1 ' ? 4-
ASHLAND MORTUARY mi j " I
KBES-TV Monday Thru Friday , f f r r T-fJr
5:00 p.m. I 4th and C Streets, Ashland i uti 'J, ifc I
Member National Selected Morticians by Invitation
Packard-Bell to Display New Sets
Packard - Bell's complete
line of 1959 television, radio,
and high fidelity sets will be
displayed for the first time
in this area to dealers and
the press during a July 30-31
show at the Rogue Valley
Country club.
Between 20 and 25 dealers
will be on hand for the two
day private show. On Aug. 1
and 2 a public showing of the
companies' line will be dis
played at Leonard Electric
company, Medford.
A total of 112 styles and
finisheswill be offered by
Packard-Bell this year in
their "Golden Line for '59."
One innovation this year will
be a five-way combination
which includes TV, AM ra
,, , A I. f r lmmwm'-
i ill ,7&!&&pJk.
zS.
CHECKS CONSISTANCY T. S. (Tenny) Moore, (above)
fire control officer of the Rogue River National forest, tests
the consistancy of the chemical fire control slurry as it
comes out of the discharge pipe below the storage tank.
Special tanks on Medford Air Service planes will He filled
by gravity flow from this outlet. This type of chemical fire
control has never been used before in this area, according
to Moore.
dio, FM radio, automatic rec
ord player and stereophonic
hi-fi sound in console car
ets of various finishes.'
This year, according
company official, the manjjj
facturer is offering com
plete line of stereophonic hi
fi sets, and each new hi-fi
model will play either mon
aural or stereo discs.
SOIL MEN IN U.S..l.
Moscow (UPD A party of
U.S. specialists in soil cultiva
tion and improvement beg$a
a month's visit in Russia Sat
urday. The group is led by
Charles E.' Kefiog, deputy
head of the Soil Preservation
Service of the U.S. Depart
ment of Agriculture.
tank. Cutting a bag open, left, is A. B.
Everts, forest service. equipment engineer,'
Portland, who is being assisted b Frank
McDowell. T. S. (Tenny) Moore, fire control
officer for Rogue River National forest is
moving bags to the back'of the truck while
Dick Hart waits his turn to put one in th
hopper.