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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 1961)
o o MEDFORD mQL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD. OH Computer Center Keeps an Abacus For Emergencies Cleveland IUPD - The ancient abacus, one of the first man made computers, is playing an emergency stand-by role in the heart of the $2.5 million computing center at Case In stitute of Technology. The abacus is enclosed in a wall-mounted glass case.label ed for "Use in Emergency." The abacus is noted for its lack of mechanical parts and ease of operation. It was orig inally designed by the Ro mans and had unils-fives, tens hundreds, thousands, and so on - which were represented by beads which could be mov ed in grooves. Case's abacus is similar in style to the suan-pan still in use in much of China and other Asiatic countries. The Chinese version, which Case has displayed, uses rods rather than groves, and although abaci users add and subtract more quickly than those using pencil and paper, multiplica tion and division problems present more of a problem. According to several ex perts and students of mathe matics, means of counting such as the abacus are no longer necessary, but they are so convenient and useful that civilization can never dispense with them. The use of the abacus has increased greatly within the past few years and the time may conceivably come when, in its proper form, the abacus will again find the common use of five centuries ago. The ancient computer still is prominently used in the So viet Union. Legislature Cost Bill Sent To Gov. Hatfield Salem-(UPU-The Oregon Sen ate has passed and sent to Gov. Mark Hatfield a measure to allocate 51,250,000 to pay for the 1961 legislature and interim costs until the 1963 legislature meets. Construction Should Show Increase New Yk - IUPD - The con struction industry got . a bit ahead of Itself with, its sharp rise in 1959, leveled off in 1960 and now appears set to resume its upward course in 1961. Industry experts look for construction to be a sustaining force in the economy in 1961. They see particular strength in residential building and public works - sufficient to offset expected declines in non-residential building and private building categories. The Department of Com merce anticipates a S55.1 bil lion construction total for 1960, a 2 per cent dip from the $56.2 billion volume In record 1959. It estimates a figure of $57.3 billion for 1961.. The decline in 1960 marked the first time since the end of World War II that the build ing business failed to set new records. While the 15 per cent rate of gain enjoyed in 1959 proved impossible to main tain, the industry in 1960 still operated well above the 1958 level. Dr. George C I i n e Smith, chief economist for the F. W. Dodge Corp., construction marketing specialists, looks on 1960 as "the end of an era -the year in which the last nail was driven into the coffin of the post-war period." Housing Lags Housing, which had suffer ed a 16-year hiatus during the depression and the war, prob ably was further in arrears than any other important ac tivity, and it is not surprising that it has been among the last to revert to normal, Smith said. However, by late 1960, there was evidence that even housing was finally falling into phase with the rest of the economy. Nevertheless, Smith feels, the outlook is bright for the decade ahead. "The fact is," he said, "that markets during the 60s, for business in gen eral and for construction in particular, are going to be co lossal. What is different is that competition among sellers will be fierce, and that buyers will be more coy and elusive than they were in the post-war period. There will be plenty of business and plenty of profit, but it will go to those firms who do the best job of identifying, locating, studying, reaching, intriguing and sell ing their customers." Housing, with non - farm starts off to around 1,300,000 units in 1960, compared with 1.531,000 in 1959, was the chief contributor to the con struction decline in 1960. Monetary conditions, with fi nancing costs up and FHA and VA-insured mortgages in poor competitive position, were to blame in large part for the housing slowdown. Pressor Off o There is evidence - in an increased vacancy rate and a weakening market for second hand houses - that some of the pressure if off in housing de mand, at least until the next big population surge due in the mid-1980s. However, the housing peo ple feel that in 1961 the ef fects of easier money and pos sible special government ac tion will offset any effects of a further general business downturn, and it is estimated starts for 1961 will run to about 1,325.000. . And, while over-all housing h'slff est as , V i Jag ADMIRES SHOES - Ten-year-old Betty Radcliffe looks ad miringly at a collection of miniature shoes on display at a hobby show in Chicago. The miniature collection is owned and shown by Miss Betty DeLage of Chicago and won first prize at the show. (UPI 'Telephoto) We Wish To Extend Hearty F to the New Thuhderhird Market On the Opening of Your New Store! As a pioneer in the grocery business in Medford, we are indeed proud to welcome you newcomers to Medford as neighbors and as an addition to the ever-increasing growth of Medford and its trade area. Your confidence in the future and your contribution to a stable economy here is emphatically evidenced by your investment on such a large scale. May we again say "CONGRATULATIONS" and wish you a successful future as a part of our wonderful valley's industry. 3 Mat acks o O demand is less intense than in recent years, it is pointed out, the rate of replacement still is extremely low and there are millions of sub-standard dwellings. The basic annual demand for housing, accord ing to the experts, is about 1,300.000 units: 900,000 fori population growth, 300,000 for replacement, and 100,000 a year merely to keep the va cancy rate steady as total housing stock grows. At some point, it is generally agreed, the replacement rate will have to rise. Heavy Work Up Heavy engineering, up 9 per cent In I960, is expected to rise still further, with a percentage increase in 1961 expected to be belter than that of any other major build ing category. Sparking the rise will be highway construc tion, which accounts for about half the total heavy engineer ing contract volume. If gen eral economic activity slack ens even moderately in 1961, it is thought, one of the first anti-recession measures 'could well be a step-up in the federal-aid program. In addition, increasing awareness of the dangers of water pollution and more ef fective regulatory measures will help boost contracts for sanitation facilities. Non-residential building in 1960 set a new all-time high, paced by sizable increases in contracts for industrial and educational buildings. How ever, the capital spending cycle which began just after the 1958 recession appears to be topping out. Some declines are in prospect in industrial and commercial . building which will offset gains In oth- er'seetors to result in an over all decline in non-residential activity of around 2 per cent. Ashland Chamber President Calls For More Effort Ashland - President A. C. Fries Jr. called for more in dividual effort on the part of members during 1961 at the Ashland Chamber of Com merce meeting Tuesday in the Mark Antony hotel.. Fries said he hopes the chamber's income can be in creased this year; "This can only be done through an ex panded membership," he said. "The chamber has done ex ceptionally well with what we have had to work with in the past," he said. Fries men tioned that a prospective mem ber list of over 100 names has been prepared as a start in a membership campaign. In outlining other 1961 chamber goals Fries said the proposed $165,000 ski resort on Mt. Ashland would receive as much help as the chamber can give. Airport Committett Report - He said the chamber airport committee has learned it is not feasible to attempt to build an airport that would accomodate large commercial passenger planes. The propos al arose originally when it was thought development of an airport would make it pos sible for planes to land in the Rogue valley when the Med ford airport was fogged in. However, Fries said the fed eral aeronautics administra tion had advised against such a plan because of complica tions presented by mountain ous terrain in the Ashland area. "However, we can develop the present airport into a first i class small plane port," Fries said. The FAA has recom mended extending the present runway an additional 500 feet and widening it 50 feel, he said. More Picnic Areai ! Fries also called for devel opment of more picnic and I pleasure driving areas in the j Ashland vicinity. "The pres sure on Lithia park is becom- ing more than the park facil- ilics can handle," Fries said. He mentioned Mt. Ashland, I Grizzly peak and Wagner j butte as possible areas which could be considered for de ! velopmenl. ! The possibility of encourag- 1 ing some organization to stage a regatta on Emigrant lake i was also mentioned. The coun ty court's approval would I have to be secured for such a project, Fries said. Plans for highway signs on approaches to Ashland arc also being completed, Fries told the group. He said a slo gan for the city is needed. ! New chamber organization plans call for elimination of many standing committees now existing, the president re vealed. He said new commit tees will be appointed at the chamber luncheon next Tuesday. lift SUPER MARKET WEST MAIN AT ROSS LANE St. Louis Cardinal Gets Red Hat Symbol Vatican City -OTII- Joseph Cardinal Rltter of St. Louis received the red hat symbolic of his office from Pope John XXIII Wednesday, along with three other , newly created cardinals. ' TH0R3a9. JANUARY 19, 1961 ; .-jj JANUARY 19, 20, 21 Open Until 9 p.m. THURSDAY and FRIDAY Bed Divans 5995 Platform Rockers 995 Sleepers Foam Cuihions, Nylon Fabric Recliners ,.P.iJd 3995 7-Pc. Daveno Groups T2995 3- Pc. Plastic Top BR Sets E?r 1 2995 510 (oil Mattress Sets Foam Mattress Sets 9850 2-Pc. Bedroom Set ,; 9850 5-Pc. Dinettes 3750 7-Pc. Dinettes 69? 4- Burner Elec. Range 119 Norge Refrigerators 14950 Automatic Washers ,cy. 17995 Electric Clothes Dryers I I?95 20-H. Upright Freezer 26950 100 Wool Carpet 39Yi Candy Stripe Carpet 2" 100 Hi Low Wool Wilton 59.5, i HUNDREDS OF OTHER ITEMS rail rm mi r)s i kr.-.-.v.-w.vJfi, , EADS ! 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