.' 4 Lancaster Farming, Friday, Oct. 25, 1957
||Hieasi:er -farming
Lancaster County’s Own Farm Weekly Newspaper
Established November 4, 1955
Published every Friday by
OCTORARO NEWSPAPERS
Quarryville, Pa. Phone STerling 6-2132
Lancaster Phone Express 4-3047
Alfred C. Alspach
Robert E. Best ...
Robert G. Campbell
Robert J. Wiggins..
Subscription Rates; $2.00 Per Year
Three Years $5.00; 51 Per Copy
Entered as Second-Class matter at the''Post Office,
Quarryville, Pa., under Act of March 3, 1879
Business Down Not Depressed
THE TREND IN business activity is downward as com
pared to the closing months of 1956.
Leading the decline are automobiles, household
appliances, metals, leather products, lumber, textiles,
building activity, furniture and floor coverings.
The total output of industry stood at an index of
147—1947 to 1949 equals 100—at the close of 1956. It’s
now 145.
The situation is not a matter of great concern, as the
decline is likely to be moderate and relatively short in
duration Prices and the cost of living continue to rise—
as do wages and disposable personal incomes.
Consumers have both money and credit and their
desire to use them is reflected in increased retail sales.
Business men are buying, too Total business sales in July -
were $57.3 billion—up two, per cent from the previous
month and up six per cent from a year ago.
Business inventories at $90.9 billion were up slightly
from the previous month and five per cent up from a year
ago
Employment is down about one per cent from a
month ago and from the corresponding date in 1956.' This
is largely due to students and housewives withdrawing
from the labor force and the reduced activity in the auto
mobile industry
The decline in number of wage earners has been
offset by increased rates of pay Hourly earnings
averaged $2 07, five per cent above the previous August.
Weekly earnings were $B2 59 —up four per cent from the
previous year
A "look at the entire economic situation leads to an
attitude of cautious optimism
Expenditures for modernizing plants are breaking all
records this year although investments in new plants and
equipment are below earlier estimates The urge to ex
pand quickly has declined. Consumer needs are being met
and there is little need for adding to inventories.
The government is in an economy mood, but the
effect will not become fully apparent for several months as
unexpended appropriations will delay the effect of current
budget reductions Present plans for state and local out
lays are below proposed federal cuts.
The question is, will private spending offset the de
crease in government outlays? The answer depends upon
mone> and credit policy both at home and abroad.
Recent modifications of regulations governing fed
eral housing loans have revived interest in residential con
struction Starts under private financing in non-agricultural
areas rose to an annual rate of 1,010,000 in August—the
highest since December 1956.
The reduction in minimum down payments has at
tracted borrowers despite an increase in interest rates to
five and one-half per cent
Several industries are not operating at full capacity.
Among them are steel running at 82 per cent, copper at
76 per cent, synthetic rubber at 77 per cent, man-made
fibers at 78 per cent, and automobiles at 64 per cent
These rates do not indicate depression as operations
at less than full capacity are normal Full-scale activity
would indicate the crest of a boom or urgent need for im
mediate expansion
These five industries represent part
of the total investment in factories and machinery If
investments in them are restricted to requirements for
modernization, spending in other industries and for public
improvements will have to be expanded to keep labor and
construction equipment fully employed
There are a few clouds on the economic horizon but
they aie not stoim clouds The recent decline in business
indicates that the boom, temporarily, is short of steam.
Some shifts need to be made in the expansion program,
both at home and abroad.
People understand the functions of money, credit
and exchange of goods and services better than ever be
fore The economy needs a little adjustment, but a deep
recession isn’t necessary and not likely to come in the
near future. _ *
STAFF
Publisher
Editor
Advertising Director
.Circulation Director
BY JACK REICHARD
50 YEARS AGO (1907)
During October, 1907, the post
masters throughout the nation
were required to weigh all out
going and incoming mail matter
under a special ruling issued by
the department at Washington,
D C
. The order " required that all
pieces of mail passing through
the offices must be counted and
designated whether of the first,
second, or third class, and the
number of stamps cancelled and
the value thereof noted...
Department officials explained
the action was taken in an effort
to ascertain to what extent pos
tal privileges were being abused
'and to try and determine the rea
son for the annual deficit in the
postoffice department
N. Y. TRUST CO. FAILURE
HALTS SUSQUEHANNA
RIVER DAM PROJECT
With the failure of the Knicker
bocker Trust Co of New York,
hundreds of workmen employed
on the construction of the big
dam across the Susquehanna Riv
er at McCall’s Ferry were laid off
in October, 1907. The New York
banking institution was the fK
nancial agent of the river enter
puse
When the project was started
the Knickerbocker Trust Co be
came' the trustee of a $lO million
mortgage raised for the work
A spokesman for the McCall’s
Ferry Dam Co stated the com
"pany had $BOO,OOO to its q#edit
when the trust company closed
its doors
BUMPER APPLE
CROP IN 1907
Fifty years ago this month ap
ple growers in Lancaster County
were busy gathering the fruit of
an unusual good crop.
From an orchard owned by A.
L Stively, near Collins, a car
load of choice -fruit containing
928 bushels of apples was shipped
to Bloomfield, lowa Previous tp
the shipment to the west, Stively
had shipped between 800 and 900
bushels of apples to Philadelphia.
Elsewhere in southern Lancas
ter during the 1907 apple picking
season arms were broken.
“Rosey” Ashby suftered a frac
ture of an arm'while picking ap
ples' from a tree on the Jackson
property near Oak Shade. He was
standing on a ladder with a sack
of fruit suspended on his neck
and shoulder, when the ladder
turned, throwing him off to the
ground on top of the sack filled
with apples He was taken to a
physician who set the fracture.
Near Union, Claude Swisher,
son of Mr and Mrs Frank Swish
er, had the misfortune to break
his arm half way between the
wrist and elbow while hauling in
a load of apples from the orchard
on the Allen and Alex White
farm
In descending a hall one of the
traces bioke, frightening the
team of horses which plunged out
of the harness Fisher, fearing the
animals would get away, jumped
from the wagon, fell and met with
the misfortune A physician was
summoned and set the arm.
During the 1907 potato season
one buyer paid New Jersey grow
ers $52,000, another $61,000 and
another $6,000, making a total of
$179,000 paid out by the three
buyers.
Fifty years ago this week sev
eral boys roaming a woods in the
area near Tamaqua, Pa, found
the Jbody of a man which had
been later identified as David
lloban, a miner of Coaldale, who
had disappeared 14 months be
lorc
25 Years Ago
The National Bank at Manen
ville, Pa . was robbed by five ban
dits of $7,500 F. R Johnston, the
cashier, his w.fe, daughter and
-This Week*
Farming
friend, Fred Pickens, were bound
in the Johnston apartments dur
ing the night and ke\it captive'un
til the time lock on the vault
opened at 7 : 30 the following
morning The’ bandits obtained
the money, then cut the telephone
wires and left in three automo
biles
3 DEAD, SCORE WOUNDED
FIRST DAY OF GUNNING
Three persons were known
dead and more than a score of
others reported wounded at the
close of first day of Pennsyl
vania's small game season Nov. li
1932.
Frank L Miller, 55, a Lemoyne
butcher, suffered a heart attack
while gunning in the Adams
County near Gettysburg, dying al
most instantly.
Mrs. Daniel Kusher, 35, of
Honey. Brook, was killed when
the gun she was cleaning for her
husband’s hunting trip was ac
cidently discharged when the
cloth she was using caught in the
trigger
Near New Bethlehem, Pa, a
father who failed to see his 12-
year-old son as he fired 1 at a rab
bit, shot and killed the boy.
Henry Ressler, 22, of Lititz,
was wounded near his home. He
was removed to a Lancaster hos
pital.
Lawrence Reider, of Middle
town, suffered wounds of the face
Background Scripture: I Corinthians
I; 9 19-27, 10 '
Devotional Readme: Galatians 5:
13-25
Christian Freedom
Lesson for October 27,
LIFE would be simpler if it were
all in clear black-and-white.
There is no mistaking one for the
other. Daylight and dark can't be
confused But twilight is confused
and confusing Theie are some ac
tions, some ways of living, which
are'evidently and undeniably good;
there are others which ~
as plainly bad.
(Quoting again
fiom Billy Sun-
“If a man
day:
staits arguing
with you that
stealing isn’t a
sin, don’t argue
with him
search him!”)
But there are
many pioblems Dr. Foreman
in living which can’t be solved by
simple rule. There are many ac
tions about which sincere Chus
tians may differ, some saying Do,
others saying Don’t.
Twilight Zone
In the twilight zone are many
actions, or proposed actions, which
are really unpiecedented The Bi
ble says nothing about them, even
the state’s legal code may not
mention them. One day a woman
threw a whiskey bottle at the door
ol Englandls prime, minister. She
was arrested and fined. But she
said to the judge: “I’ll be back
with another bottle. The govern
ment is throwing hydrogen bombs,
and throwing bottles is nothing
near so wicked as that This is
my piotest against the wickedness
of the H-Bomb.” Well, it is cer
tainly against the law to throw
bottles. It’s not against the law
to experiment with But
many people would feel the wom
an was right, no caiload of glass
bottles can do a small part of the
haim that one H-bomo can do.
But it’s in the twilight zone More
simple, peisonal matters are also
in the twilight zone. Is it right or
wiong for a Christian to attend
the theater’ to read a book of fic
tion’ to use tobacLo > to drink
wine, beer, whisl am’ Chris-
1 »
and chest, by stray shot from
another hunter’s gun. The ident
ity of the shooter was not deter
mined.
REV. GIPSY SMITH,
EVANGELIST, AT LANCASTER,
The Rev. Gipsy Smith, Jr., not
ed evangelist 25 years ago, open
ed a two week’s series of sennons
in Lancaster’s St. Paul’s Reform
ed Church in October, 1932 v The
Rev. Gipsy Smith, Jr, was the
son of the English
evangelist of the same name, who
made England to ring with joy
and hope with his messages fol
lowing World War I.
Following a statement from Mr.
Darmstetter, head of the Lancas
ter County Welfare forces, m
1932, refuting the report of high
salaries being paid to welfare of
ficers and workers, W. F. McSpar
rah, of Furniss, raised some ques
tions McSparran state in a pub
lished article given here in part
“Mr Darmstetter in his refuta
tions says there are no officials
receiving over $4,000 a year He
does not vouch-safe us' the infor
mation Us to how many persons
are drawing less than $4,000 a
year in being overpaid in this
work of sweet charity. ,
“It is quite time that we get
down to foundamental brass tacks
in this business of spending tax
payers’ money I am riot alone in
holding the opinion that there is
not a man iTBr a woman in Lan
caster City and County in a pub
lic capacity that is worth a salary
of $4,000 no one so valuable
that he could not be replaced by
some one to do the same work for
$2,000, and be mighty glad to* get
ri”.
tlans are not unanimous In their
verdicts. ~
Abusing Freedom
We can get a good deal of light
on at least part of the twilight
zone, by, reading Paul, and the
Gospels. Paul gives us i guiding
line which can appeal only to
Christians; but for Christians it is
a strong directive. At Corinth, for
example, there was. a peculiar
sort- of
question of meat that bail been
offered to idols. In every Greek
butcher shop there were cuts of
beef, veal, lamb and so forth, just
as in our super-markets, only
course much less sanitary. When
the 20th-century housekeeper goes
shopping for a steak, she does not
inquire how the cow died, Pie
sumably it was killed by some one
paid for doing such things,. But
there is nothing religious about a
slaughter-house. In Corinth, in the
First Century, on. the contrary,
the cow from whose d,ead body the
steak was taken, very likely had
died in a religious ceremony, killed
in sacrifice on altars- daik with
blood and black with fire and
smoke After the ceremony in the
temple, most of the dead animal
would be taken and sold in the
market-place . . . and so find its
way to the tables of the ladies of
Corinth.
The problem was: Could a Chris
tian eat steaks and chops from an
imals slaughtered in heathen reli
gious rites’ It was a twilight-zone
question. Many Corinthians were
saying, “Ceitamly I can eat with
out sin. Idolatry is bad, but if a
cow breathed her last in an idol’s
temple, that' doesn’t infect the
roast beef with sin!"
Using Frttdom
Wait a minute, Paul says in ef
fect, when they ask him about
this. You 'are free, to be sure.
This particular twilight-zone thing
is not a sin. Eating such meat is not
an approval of Idolatry at all. But
suppose some weaker brother
knows what you are doing, and
that you are approving
idol-woiship’ Then what? Then the
question is not any longer, Is this
particular act right or wrong?
The question for you is, What will
be the effect on my brother if I do
this thing I am free to do’ This
brother may be weak, he may even
be stupid: but Christ died for him.
Are you going to drive back into
sin this man for whom Christ died’
So it is with many twilight-zone
acts today. You may be strong,
and free, doing them will not hurt
you at all But what about other
people" I am never so free, if I
am a Christian, that I have a right
to abuse my freedom by leading
some one else into what for him
Is sin.