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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 14, 1960)
MONDAY, NOVEMBER U. 1960 MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, ORE. Airlines Are Alarmed Over Correspondence Schools Increasingly Stewardess Class Claimed Useless As Third Wing Washington -flJPB- No mat ter what that slick - talking alesman says, you can't be come an airline stewardess by mail. - The airlines are becoming increasingly concerned over the mushrooming growth of so-called "airline career" schools which do their teach ing via cor r e s p o n d e n c e courses. The concern is two-fold: -Some salesmen represent ing the schools are promising verbally (but never in written contracts) that completion of the courses guarantees jobs with airlines. -The courses are expensive (up to $700) and yet offer less than what the airlines them selves furnish free in ' their regular training for reserva tions and ticket clerks as well as stewardesses. ; Generally speaking,, a $700 correspondence course on how to be an airline stewardess is about as useful as a third wing on an airplane. It con sists of from 30 to 60 indi vidual lessons ranging from Brainchild Only the amazing new Bohn Contex Calculator adds, subtracts, multi plies and divides ...for only $125. Walt Young' MEDFORD I STATIONERY 210 E. Main SP 3-3668 start it "Ttgsga., - . . m "("1 mil i ifcl 1 "" i- nri , jrfHSVJ the only whisky with extra smoothness ... an exclusive Schenley discovery ;. FLORIDA WHITE HOUSE This is an aerial view of the summer home of Joseph P. Kennedy where President-elect John aviation history to written in structions on stewardess duties. Students desiring to become reservationists or mechanics get about the same course. Contains Nothing "The material doesn't do anyone any harm from a gen eral background standpoint," says Franklin Oelschlager, en forcement director of the Air Transport Association. "But in practical instruction it doesn't contain one single item that wouldn t have to be learned all over again in a regular airline stewardess school." Oelschlager emphasized that no scheduled airline would employ a correspondence school "graduate" without put ting her through its own train ing program - which makes the $700 a complete waste of money. The correspondence schools solicit high school graduates through the mail, and they in vite inquiries from prospects via newspaper and magazine advertisements. Anyone who writes for information is visited quickly by a salesman. Cancellation Forfeit ATA files are replete with typical safe's pitches. In one case, a prospect expressed doubt that she could ever get a job as a stewardess because she was 29 (maximum hiring age for most airlines is 26). The salesman told her "don't worry, I can fix it." She paid nearly $500 for the course and then found no airline SCHENLEY DISTILLERS CO.. N. Y. C. BLENDED WHISKY, 86 enjoying Schenley t'i in 1 .tTjU Kennedy is expected to spend his vacations away from the White House. (UPI Telephoto) would hire her because of her age. One salesman got an in quiry from a young Negro girl in a small Maryland com munity. He signed her up for a S660 course, assuring her that after completion she could get a job with any air line of her choice. When she tried to cancel out, she ran up against the standard cor respondence school contract: Cancellation is allowed with in the first 30 days but only after forfeiting $150. The schools offer corres pondence courses, plus option al "classroom instruction." An ATA investigator looking into one school found that it op erated from a small, off ice in a downtown building. The "classroom instruction" con sisted of a guided tour through the local airport and two or three lectures by minor air line employees apparently earning a little extra money on the side. The promotion literature invariably emphasizes that classroom instruction is not necessary to successful com pletion of the course - a com plete contradiction of regular airline training methods which recognize the im portance of first-hand instruc tion in such vital fields as grooming, cabin service and emergency procedures. One school promises that if the applicant signs up on the first interview, she gets not only free transportation to the city where the "classrooms" are located but a free bathing PROOF, 65 GRAIN NEUTRAL SPIRITS whipped in $-300 Fifth Pint suit is tossed In "to enjoy in the luxurious hotel pool." There are about a half doz en airline correspondence schools in operation. Technl cally, they are doing nothing illegal. Representations made by their salesmen (invariably referred to as "bonded repre sentatives") are verbal; the actual contracts the students sign offer nothing that cannot be delivered. It is not only difficult but virtually im possible to prove verbal fraud. Yet from the com plaints the airlines and ATA have received, there is little doubt that verbal fraud is in volved. One of the schools is the same outfit the Federal Trade Commission ordered to cease and desist promising government jobs upon com pletion of a "government ca reer" correspondence course- Applicants Not Needed The "bonded representa tives" make no effort to weed out girls who obviously would make poor airline employees. They will sign almost anyone regardless of physical appear ance, eligibility, intelligence and personality. And every prospect is assured - verbally, of course - that the airlines are falling over themselves to hire his school's "graduates." "If the body's warm," com mented one ATA official, "a salesman will get out his pen." The salesmen are honest about one thing: The airlines are looking for stewardesses. But there is not a single air line in the United States which would regard a cor respondence school diploma as a "come aboard and start flying right away" license. The major trunk carriers have invested millions in their own stewardess schools which are run like miniature colleges. Some Reputable Schools There are some reputaaie private stewardess training schools such as Grace Downs in New York. But these are resident schools - students must attend classes in person. The tuition for Grace Downs is less than $300 for a four- week course - compared to the nearly $700 charged by one correspondence school. And graduates of resident schools have no trouble find ing airline jobs. In fact, many smaller airlines which cannot afford to have their own elaborate courses, rely on schools like Grace Downs for preliminary stewardess training- Virtually all the corres pondence schools boast of having job placement depart ments. ATA found that one school's "Job placement efforts consisted of including, in the final lesson, a list of all the major airlines and their addresses, plus advice on how to fill out an employment ap plication. ATA points out that if a girl wants to become a stewardess, all she has to do is apply to the airline of her choice. If she qualifies, she will be ac cepted for free training. There are no short cuts via the mail. Milnes Attends Two Conventions Victor Milnes, president of Regal service stations of Ore gon attended a National Oil Jobbers convention and the American Petroleum Institute convention in Chicago last week. More than 2,000 petroleum producers and wholesalers from the country attended the two conventions. Milnes is chairman of the Pacific Oil conference of oil men from Washington, Ore gon and California, and repre sented the Oregon Oil Jobbers association as their national director. He joined oil men from the Pacific coast who inspected petroleum installations in the Illinois area between the two conventions. He plans to re German Anti-Semitism Dormant But Far From Dead Bonn, Germany -IUHI- Ger man anti-scmitism is dormant but not dead. That is the considered opinion of both Government officials and Jewish leaders. The violent wave of anti- semitism and neo - Naziism which plagued Germany from January to March is definitely over. Antagonism towards the Jews still lurks in dark corners, however, the grim residue of Hitler's crazed ra cial policies. The swastika has appeared off and on since March, In terior Ministry officials said, but such incidents have been Shoe Salon I SAVE up to $5.00 ' ; I ECimme! Sx Caeppet 'lilt Rea,,y $11 ' fill IIIIl $1895 ' ' tj? ! II COLLEGE DEB ' , ill : m RATS r I V 1 Group Flats & Squash Heels 11 ! , Now Only $890 l ; 1. Shop Till 9 Tonight M lyUMll Sec Our Complete Selection lllf ' Pg of Southern Oregon's Finest Shoes' ' .V'j kj Open Mondays ! $dw j ' Till : nd Fridays . W ' w jlllll ,n The Medford Shopping Center isolated and relatively unim portant. No Fear of Attack It appears that the 31,000 Jews living in Germany -compared to 900,000 in 1933 - may go about their business without fear of attack or threatening letters. "One can never say such an outbreak will not occur again," one Interior official admitted. "We do know, how ever, that the anti - Semitic wave early this year Is over." This view is shared by Hen drick van Dam, chairman of the Council of German Jews. It is impossible to say at the present time whether antl- semitism in Germany is dis appearing, but the fact Is there are no or hardly any anti semitic signs at the present," he said. Heinz Galisnki, leader of Berlin's Jewish community, agreed. The anti - Semitic wave is completely over," he said. "There have been no anti Jewish Incidents in Berlin since April." The Bonn government earlier in the year accused East German communists of inspiring the outbreak. Many persons believe the anti-Jewish wave did Ger mans good, in that it remind ed them of the horrors com mitted against the Jews under the Nazis. It also showed them the present Government is de termined to deal firmly with instigators of anti-semitic in cidents. Eight months ago, courts were sentencing smcar crs to prison sentences of up to two years. Evils Illustrated German television has also shown documentaries and films illustrating the evil of anti-semitism. German Jews themselves show they regard the situa tion peaceful enough by pre- ! paring the largest exhibition of Jewish culture ever in Ger many. It opens Nov. 3 in Reckling hausen, in the Ruhr, and con tinues until January 15, 1981. It will present Jewish art and culture from Biblical times to the present. Exhibits have been borrowed from museums in Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin and from private collections the world over. GERMAN TROOPS CURFEWED Rheims, France-Wll - West German commanders kept their troops off the streets here and at Laon Friday to avoid incidents on Armlstica Day. turn to Medford this week I f
