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Recognized Medium
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UNION
PRESS-COURIER
Northern Cambria’s
Best and Largest Weekly
Vol. 57 No. 10
CTY Par
Ra
Cael Ra
Single Copy bc
PATTON, PA., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1949
12 Pages — 96 Columns
Subscription $2.50 Per Year
wy
JHAPPY NEW YE
+y
A
Bituminous Mine Job Survey to Be
Conducted In Central Pennsylvania
Operators, PSES Join
Forces for Big Job
Central Pennsylvania Coal Pro-
ducers Association and Johnstown
office of Pennsylvania State Em-
ployment Service will cooperate
in a new projeect involving bitu-
minous mining in the district.
Both agencies will join forces
in conducting a job survey and
preparing a summary of existing
jobs and potential new jobs.
B. W. Deringer, labor commis-
sioner for the operators’ associa:
tion, and George E. Pegg, occupa-
tional analyst for the PSES, will
be in charge of the project. A
Feb. 3 deadline has been set for
the field work. The study will be-
gin on Thursday of this week.
Pegg explained, that a similar
survey was conducted in West
Virginia where 71 mining jobs
were defined. These definitions
will be compared with the data
to be compiled at the member
mines of the Central Pennsylva-
nia organization.
The program is designed to
point out the answers to five
questions:
1—What the worker does on
the particular job.
2 The skills, knowledge and
ability needed to perform the oOp-
eration.
3—The matter of whether prior
training or experience is neces-
sary for the job.
4 Physical activities required
of workers to do the job.
5—Conditions under which the
work is performed.
Pegg said the district investi-
gators will seek verification of
the accuracy and completeness of
the West Virginia job specifica-
tions. In addition, they will ob-
serve and note variations whic
may occur in Pennsylvania.
According to employment office
records, there are more than 300
separate and distinct jobs in the
soft coal mining industry.
Similar surveys will be conduct-
ed in the bituminous regions near
Pittsburgh and Greensburg.
Red Cross Gives
[Legion Collecting
Toys for Europe
Walter Noonan Head
Of Drive in Patton
Joseph LaRocca of South Fork,
chairman of the Cambria County
American Legion Committee, on
Tuesday announced plans for
county cooperation in the national
Legion’s “Tide of Toys” drive for
European children. The drive will
end on Saturday of next week,
Jan. 7.
Toys will be collected for three
age groups—pre-school, one to 5
years; school, 6 to 14 years, and
adolescent 14 years and over.
Toys will be shipped to a central
agency in Philadelphia by Jan.
The Legion is sponsoring the
drive as one contribution to
world understanding and peace.
Toys may be donated at any Leg-
ion post in the county.
Heading the drive in Patton is
Walter (Dutch) Noonan. Toys
may be given to him or left at
the Walter McCoy Post, Ameri-
can Legion, home. Mr. Noonan
stressed that no electrical toys
or fragile toys should be included
and that all items should be in
good condition.
State Highway's
Planning Group
Now Making Study
Roads Being Divided
Into Four Categories
The state highway planning
commission has announced com-
pletion of the first step in its
long range program for improve-
-~
|ment of the state’s road system
and more economic use of high-
way appropriations.
State Senator James S. Berger,
R., Coudersport, commission chair-
man, said the agency has finish-
ted a preliminary classification of
the state's 100,000 miles of roads
on the basis of the extent to
which they are used and the main-
Area Disaster Aid
Emergency Assistance |
Given Over Holiday (¢
While free from the type of
firey disaster that struck Hynd- |
man, a small community in Bed- |
ford County, last week end, the|
Cambria County Red Cross Chap-|
ter was called upon to give aid|
in several accidents that occurr-
ed during that time.
Emergency help, including food |
and clothing, was given the vic-
tims of a two-family fire in|
Susquehanna Township and a one-|
family blaze in Lilly. Workers |
{rom the chapter's Home Service
Department Tuesday visited vie-
tims to inquire if additional help
was needed,
Executive Director Arthur U.
Nuss explained that in cases of
single-family disasters Red Cross
assistance is given only when the
victims indicate their need.
«When it is found that Red
Cross services are wanted, the
first step is to supply emergency
needs. More help is given depend-
ing upon the resources of the
family involved.”
Johnstown Regional Blood Cen-
ter was called upon to deliver
blood to three hospitals—one In
Johnstown, another in New Kens-
ington and a third in Clearfield.
A number of emergency com-
munications also were handled by
the Home Service Department.
Patton Clay Local
Buys Wheelchair
Union Installs Officers
At Recent Meeting
Patton Local 431, United Brick |
& Clay Workers of America, has |
voted to purchase an invalids
chair for use of members who
may have need of it.
The chair will be located at the
Miners’ Hospital, and during per-
jods when it is not needed by
Local 431 members will be avail-
able for use by patients at the
hospital.
Local union officers were in-
stalled recently at a meeting in
the F.O.E. Hall. They were:
Joseph Lannon, president; John
Watkins, vice president; Max Gill,
recording secretary; Leroy Luth-
er, treasurer; Joseph Cammarata,
financial secretary, and Robert
Fox, doorkeeper.
John Kava, Cloyd Selfridge and
and Albert Blake were installed
as committeemen. Joseph Cam-
marata is a member of the policy
committee and August McNulty,
alternate.
At UMW Christmas Party
A total of 275 children were
feted at a Christmas party spon-
sored by St. Benedict Local 2008,
United Mine Workers, on Wed-
nesday of last week, in the Union
Hall at St. Benedict, Treats
were given each child, Singing of
Christmas carols featured the en-
tertainment.
tenance they receive,
Berger listed four classifications
into which the roads were divid-
1—Heavily usea or useful—In
this category are placed main
| trunk roads, the state’s turnpike that in the same period of 1948.
system, etc.
2—Secondary—Roads that du-
plicate services of the trunk high-
ways but provide relief from the
heavy traffic by an alternate
route.
3—Community service—This ca-
tegory contains the state's ryral
road system. Berger described
them as roads that make it pos-
sible to live in the rural areas
4—Property access—Little tra-
veled roads which provide means
of access to otherwise inaccessi-
ble spots.
The 1l-man commission was
appointed in September by Gov-
ernor James H. Duff after the
1949 legislature appropriated the
sum of $400,000, later cut to
$250,000 by Duff, for the study
of a long-range highway program
for Pennsylvania. Members of the
commission serve without compen-
sation.
The agency will report its find-
ings to the Governor by Nov. 1,
1950. Draft for legislation to ear.
ry out the recommended highway
program will be included in the
report.
The next step in the commis
sion’s work involves on-the-spot
engineering checks to verify tha*
roads have been classified cor
rectly. Berger said the commis-
sion has ten engineers in the
field, some of them loaned by the
highway department, others from:
private industry, now making the
checks.
The commission also will make
an inventory of road conditions
in Pennsylvania and future high-
way needs, basing such calcula-
tions on statistical predictions of
the traffic volume in the stafe
over a period of years.
Finally the survey will analyze
the spending end of the state's
highway program — whether the
money appropriated for roads is
being used in the right places
Willis Ross Rites
Set This Afternoon
Willis Ross, 58-year-old Patton
resident, died Tuesday morning
of this week at the Miners’ Hos-
pital, Spangler. Mr. Ross was a
son of the late Mr. and Mrs.
William Ross and was born in
Philipsburg on Mar. 5, 1891.
Surviving is one brother, Hu-
bert Ross of Banning, Calif.
Funeral services will be held at
1 o'clock this Thursday afternoon
in the Raymond D. Buck Funeral
Home on Mellon Ave. by Rev.
L. G. Gorsuch, pastor of Patton
Church of God. Burial will be
in the Philipsburg Cemetery.
Military rites will be in charge
of Walter McCoy Post 614, Am-
erican Legion. Friends are being
received in the funeral home.
AWARDED MINK SCARF
Albert E. Zokowsky of Box 370,
Patton R. D., is the recipient of
the mink scarf given away by the
Miners’ Hospital Building Fund
Committee.
Legion to Meet
With Architects
Members of Walter McCoy
Post 614, American Legion, Pat- |
ton, have scheduled a meetin 7
with the firm of Hunter and | Lowest Since 1939
Caldwell, architects of Altoona,| The Pennsylvania coal indus-
for 8 p. m. Wednesday of next try, weakened by strikes and
week in the newly-purchased threatened by the inroads of oth-
Prindible Mansion on Mellon Ave. [er fuels in its primary markets,
Plans will be drawn for the pecame an ailing giant in 1949.
renovation of the building and; [atest figures show that pro-
the construction of a new section guction of anthracite will be the
to be used as a ballroom. i
Arnouncerent of the conter- 122725 since 1902 and that year
Bituminous Output
ence was made at a meeting oT for . bituminous
Tuesday Svering in the pOSUS| 'Strikey wand ‘reduced work
Magee Ave. home. It also was
announced that Walter Noonan
has been named chairman of the
post's toy collection committee.
| weeks were blamed for much of
| the precipitous drop in produc-
[tion of both hard and soft coal.
The grou lans to collect ‘And these two factors were, in
from RO residents ey toys | turn, held responsible for a third
ward them to Europe for under- | cause—the more lasting and ser-
privileged children there. ious of the three—loss of mar-
November's Mine
State’s Coal Industry Fast
‘Becoming Ailing Black Giant
The state mines department put
anthracite production for the first
11 months of this year at 40,118,-
000 tons. The department estimat-
ed that the hard coal output for
1948 was almost 50 percent high-
er—>59,108,000 tons.
Such figures reflect on frag-
mentary decline in production in
either industry. The anthracite in-
stitution placed the decline in an-
thracite at an even lower level.
The institute estimated the hard
coal output for 1949 to Dec. 17 at
39,626,000 tons. At that rate pro-
duction in the hard coal fields
would be the lowest since 1886.
The other low mark was in 1902
when 41,340,000 tons of hard coal
were mined.
In the bituminous industry pro-
duction, according to the mines
department, has not dropped be-
low the 100,000,000-ton mark dur-
ing this decade. Production this
year will probably be the third or
fourth lowest in the past half-
century.
One bright spot in the indus-
try’s record lightened the gloom
of the picture—the mines were
for safer place in which to work.
| Last year the anthracite indus-
try captured the Joseph A. Hol-
mes association award for the
tory of coal mining. Last year
the industry’s fatality rate was
87 per 100,000,000 man-hours of
work. With no more days to go
ed a fatality rate of 76 per 100,-
000,000 man-hours in 1949.
Joseph J. Walsh, deputy mines
safety record in bituminous op-
erations is keeping step with the
hard coal industry.
Walsh said the record in the
soft coal industry ‘‘compares
favorably with that of any of the
30-odd bituminous coal producing
states.”
For many years the industry
has battled the recurring threat
offered by oil heating installa-
tions in many homes, within their
Toll 63 Men, Says
®
U.S. Mine Bureau
. oe Gas association of gas utility
West Virginia Area companies.
R . The survey showed that gas
esponsible for 41 heating installations in the an-
0 :
thracite industry’s primary mar-
month was estimated at 48,463,- i j i
| 000 tons, making the fatality rate xr hb rodution o bork Bud
1.30 per million tons. The compar-| om” a comparison Re 1948
able JOiS tor 1948, was 1.35 figures. Although last year was
p ns not an outstanding period for
1.24 for November a year ago. |i; 1948, This year that tonnage
Falls of roof and race account-|had dropped to 78,654,800 tons for
ed for 64.7 percent of all bitum-|a similar 11-month period.
| tnous fatalities; haulage under-
| ground was responsible for 23.5
| was 12 percent while Pennsylvania
was the scene of less than 4 per-
vent of the tial oP William P. Leary, well-known
: acite mines of Penn-| patton man, was named to his
|sylvania reported a total of 12 fourth straight term as presi-
| fatalities in the mining and pre-|dent of Patton Volunteer Fire
| paration of 4,708,000 tons of coal. Co, No. 1, at the annual reorg-
primary markets. Now another
Injuries at coal mines in the keting area have zoomed from
In bituminous coal mines, a to-|either anthracite or bituminous
jporsent ghd other machinery for 3 Veteran Fire Co.
heating industry-—gas—poses 4a
similar problem.
The anthracite institute cites a
survey made by the American
| nation during November caused | o~ ;
’ 279,968 homes in 1940 to 627,968
He Jah of i Ten. 2geording to | by the middle of 1949, an increase
« 0. Bureau of Mines, of 118 percent.
Production of coal during the Just how serious has been the
tal of 51 fatalities were reported | production, it was far superior to
in the mining of 43,755,000 tons | 1949.
| of coal. The fatality rate was 1.17 ; i i
| Rh Bituminous mines brought out
per million tons as compared to|, total of 117,986,000 tons of fuel
| West Virginia accounted for °
slightly more than 41 percent of Off R d
the soft coal deaths. Kentucky ICers éname
and Illinois each had a mark of .
talmost 16 percent. Virginia's Patton Unit Expects
New Pumper Jan. 15
| Bureau officials announced the |anization meeting of the 50-odd-
| fatality record for the first 11 year-old unit in the Patton Fire
{months of the current year dis-|Hall Tuesday evening.
| closes continued improvement over
|
5
Andrew Morgan
Dies At Girard, 0.
Andrew Morgan, aged sixty-
At the same time, James Blake,
| : veteran fireman, was reelected as
[Ths Jar In 1949 there have been |g "chief for his 26th straight
ities recorded as against > : :
922 through November of last year. Harvey Mulligan, chief en-
ginner, was elected to his 16th
ear, : A i consecutive term in that office.
| In addition, it was pointed out, Also reelected was Theodore
{there have been no major disas-|n Ott as secretary. Mr. Ott was
| ters—an accident in which five Or [named to a full term Tuesday
more men lose their lives. Howev- | gfter being named to fill a va-
| er, during the same period ii. 1948 | cancy which occurred last sum-
| there were six major disasters, | mer.
with 2 folal loss of 20 lives. Other Patton Fire Co. officials
named Tuesday included Edward
Woomer, vice president; John J.
Just One Year Ago Bender, treasurer; Don Forsythe,
foreman, and George Crowell,
assistant foreman. William White-
Spangler Boy Took ford Sr. was named as trustee
: . and Edward Burkey was named
F t St U d d=
Irs eps nal e Announcement also was made
; that the modern, new pumper on
It was just one year ago last|order by the company will arrive
Thursday that Tony Cantelope of |in Patton about Jan. 15.
Spangler, then 8 years old, took _—
his first steps unaided.
Since that day Tony has been Pl t fE }
making slow but steady improve- en y 0 yen S
ment in his walk through life.
Last September the lad started \Y i d f H
tc school. He attends Spangler d e or u e
Grade School two days each week
and receives private instruction St } F Sh
the other three school days. d e arm ow
c 3 Yas Jus fers, ii ok Mogier A total of 120 events in which
pr e )
fo inital States citizen to bej le commonwealth's farmers may
elevated to sainthood by the |take part, have been listed in the
Roman Catholic Church—that | official program of the Pennsyl-
Tony took his first faltering |vania State Farm Show which
steps without help. opens in Harrisburg on Jan. 9
Mr. and Mrs, Gennaro Cantel- | & ts
ope consider their son's ability to | Governor James H. Duff will
walk a miracle—the answer to|formally open the 34th annual
ve years of prayer to Mother | show at ceremonies in the large
aprinl. “ i , i 3 ri
Tony was injured at birth. Doc- {arena in the evening. He also will
tors could do nothing to help. The
boy's parents turned to prayers, the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s As-
which they feel have been answ- |sociation on Jan. 11.
ered. The farm show commission ex-
pects up to 10,000 farmers and
their families to attend 58 ses-
sions scheduled by breeders of
dairy and beef cattle, horses,
sheep and swine; poultrymen, the
growers of Christmas trees, gen-
: ~ieral farm crops, nuts, potatoes
eight years, for many years aj,nq Rg hi Ha 4-H
resident’ of the Patton community, | .jyps Future Farmers and Fu-
died last Friday at Girard, Ohio. |{yre Homemakers of America.
where he has resided for several : ;
years. He was well known to Opening day is the big day for
many of the older residents of judging 10,000 or more farr
this area. products exhibits. Placement of
The deceased was born Dec. 3, ribbons and prize awards starts
1881, a son of Edward and Mar- then and continues through Thurs-
garet (Garner) Morgan. Surviv- day. Judging of baby beeves is
ing are his widow, Mrs. Mary set for Thursday, with the show-
(Nressick) Morgan, and the fol- | manship contest Friday morning.
jowing children: Thomas, John| The program also lists hours
ndrew, Jr. Albert, Kenneth, Wil-{and places for meetings of 32
da, Lorraine, Margaret and Mrs. farm organizations and rural
Alberta Goodman, all of Girard, |youth groups. Farm groups meet-
and Daniel and Gardner, both of [ing on the opening day include
Pittsbtigrh. One sister, Mrs, Eliz- the Socicty of Farm Women, the
abeth Wilkie, and three brothers, Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers’
Richard, of Colver; Daniel, of Association and the Christmas
Hooversville, and Edward, of Lew- | Tree Growers.
istown, also survive. Starting Monday morning and
The body was brought to the|running through Wednesday af-
Buck Funeral Home in Patton on |ternoon there will be one-act play-
Saturday evening, and funeral|lets to demonstrate farm and
services were held there on Sun-| home instruction in vocational ag-
day afternoon, by the Rev. Thom-|ricultural schools and in home
as A. McQuillen. Interment was economics departments of the
made in Fairview cemetery. state's high schools.
speak at the anmual banquet of |
Susquehanna Twp.
‘Home Destroyed
| Byrnes Brothers Left
Homeless Christmas
Families of two brothers in
Susquehanna Township were
made homeless Christmas Day as
the result of a fire which caused
about $7,000 damage.
Damage totalling $5,500 result-
ed when Mike Byrnes’ frame
home was destroyed by fire. The
next-door home of his brother,
Gust, was damaged to the extent
of $1,500 when the flames spread.
The fire first was noticed at
4:30 a. m. Christmas Day by a
son of Mike Byrnes. He said that
flames were noticed in the second
floor of the home shortly after
the family retired. Members of
the family had attended midnight
mass and held a family gathering
at home following the church
services.
Fire Chief Morris Tibbott of
the Barnesboro Volunteer Fire
Company said the home could
have been saved with compara-
tively slight damage if water had
been plentiful. The water short-
age hampered firemen and the
blaze got out of control.
Firemen built a dam in a near-
by creek to get water. The
Spangler Fire Company also aid-
ed in battling the flames.
Charles Burgoon,
86, Fatally Injured
In Auto Accident
Charles Burgoon, 86, retired
Patton R. D. farmer and one of
the best-known residents of Nor-
thern Cambria County, died late
| Saturday afternoon as a result of
lan automobile accident occuring
|at 2:30 p. m. Saturday in White
[ Twp. The aged man passed away
at 4:45 p. m. at the Miners’ Hos-
pital. His injuries included a
fracture of the skull and severe
head injuries.
The driver of the car in which
Burgoon was fatally injured was
Mrs. Geraldine McManamy, 36, of
Patton R. D. She was removed
to the Mercy Hospital, Altoona,
| suffering from a fracture of the
| collar bone.
| State Police said the Patton
R. D. lady told them she was
rounding a curve on Legislative
Route 11055 near Frugality when
the car's steering gear failed to
function.
Mrs. McManamy told Pvt. Paul
E. Kretchman of the State Police
that the car traveled about 100
feet along the berm and then
went over a small embankment
and upset in a field.
A daughter of Mrs. McManamy,
Joyce, 14, was not injured.
Mr. Burgoon was born in White
Twp. on Oct. 12, 1863, a son of
William and Julia (Adams) Bur-
goon, pioneer residents of the
area. His wife died a number of
years ago. Surviving are a bro-
ther, Larry, Dysart R. D., and
several nieces and nephews.
Funeral serviecs were held at 9
a. m. Wednesday in St. Mary
Magdalene’s Catholic Church at
Frugality by Rev. Father Henry
G. Sanders, pastor. Burial was in
St. Augustine's Cemetery.
HAS TELEVISION SET
George Leslie of Cresson is the
recipient of the television set
given away recently by the Pat-
ton Independent Football team.
lowest fatality rate in the his- |
the hard coal industry had achie- |
secretary, said last week that the
All-Out Crackdown
Prepared On Sale
Of Liquor to Minors
Lancaster Newpapsr
‘Baits’ Tavernkeepers
An all-out crackdown on sales
of liquor to minors was being
prepared this week by the com-
monwealth.
“I will have this whole situa-
tion immediately investigated not
only by the Liquor Control Board
but by other agencies of the
ccmmonwealth,” said Gov. James
H. Duff.
Joining with Duff was Freder-
ick T. Gelder, chairman of the
State Liquor Control Board, who
said liquor store personnel are
subject to suspension if found
selling to persons under 21 years
of age.
A survey by a Lancaster news-
paper showed that all of that
city’s 8 bars, cafes, taprooms,
hotels and three state stores had
sold whiskey to a minor.
The paper said it sent a 19-
year-old employee and one of
almost without doubt becoming a !legal age on the test trip. They
| reported that the youth was able
to purchase whiskey at all the
| places without telling lies or dis-
guising himself,
“It's a surprise to me that all
| the licensees down there were ap-
| parently violating the law,” said
Gelder. “Whenever we find out
anything like that, we cite.”
Enforcement officers constant-
ly are checking into the sales to
minors problem, Gelder said, ad-
ding:
| «It’s a tough thing becduse if
we, ourselves, attempt to send
| minors to buy liquor, we could be
| considered contributing to juven-
lile delinquency. We are forever
cautioning store personnel about
| selling to. minors. I know in
| Lancaster they did not do it in-
| tentionally.”
He added that, although not an
excuse, store employees are rush-
led during the Christmas season
| and may sell liquor without a too
thorough check of the buyer's
{2ge
| Bacha’s Hardware Lists
Winning Ticket Numbers
Bacha's Hardware, Barnesboro,
announces the following numbers
as winners in their pre-Christmas
free award contest: Holder of
ticket number 4088 will receive a
Premier sweeper, and holders of
tickets 407 and 3892 will receive
other valuable free gifts.
Tickets must be turned in at
the store by Thursday of next
week, Jan. 5, or a new free gift
drawing will be made to select
other winners.
Ashville Fire Co.
Speeding Efforts
To Gain Members
Name By-Laws Group;
Discuss Buying Truck
The newly-organized Ashville
| Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 isn’t
| wasting any time in its efforts to
| become an efficient fire-fighting
(force.
The group last week appointed
la by-laws committee, named con-
| tact men for the areas it-expects
to serve, and discussed plans for
purchasing a fire truck.
The new group of volunteers
will have its headquarters in
Ashville Borough and will serve
parts of four townships. Included
are Dean, Gallitzin, Allegheny
and Clearfield Twps.
Residents of the Amsbry, Dy-
sart and Coupon and other com-
munities are joining in the move-
ment to provide fire protection.
Officers of the Patton Fire Co.
are helping the new unit get a
start.
Ted Ott, a teacher in the Ash-
ville School and treasurer of the
Patton Fire Co. is especially
active in the organization efforts.
The group’s charter probably will
be closed at the Feb. 1 meeting
land it also is expected that per-
| manent officers will be elected at
[that time. Temporary officers
{have been serving since the fire
| company was formed.
Membership in the Ashville
| Fire Co. last Thursday was an-
{nounced as 35. Officers stated at
i the meeting that it is hoped to
increase the membership greatly
[in the next few weeks.
y Named to serve on the com-
| mittee to draw up by-laws are
Warren Noel, Ashville; Elmer
Crossman, Dean Twp.; Albert Mc-
Mullen, Gallitzin Twp.; Joseph
| Lipple, Spindley City; Clem Mel-
| horn, Allegheny Twp.; William
| Meyers, Gallitzin Twp., and Jos-
eph Conrad, Ashville.
| Nine men were named to serve
as contact men in their districts.
It is their job to answer questions
|about the new company and to |
| conduct membership drives.
They are Mr. Crossman and
Dewey Beers, Dean Twp. and Dy-
|sart; Mr. McMullen, Gallitzin
| Twp.; Gerald Krug, Belden Road
| section on the Buckhorn Moun-
tain; Mr. Meyers and Lawrence
Beers, Markhanna section of
| Gallitzin Twp., and Mr. Noel, Eu-
gene Eyers and Russell Kelley,
Ashville.
PATTON MAN CRUSHES FOOT
Ralph Rosian broke a bone in
his left foot while at work at
Merteng Bakery last Thursday
morning when 100 pounds of ice
accidently fell on his foot. He was
treated at the Miners’ Hospital in
Spangler,
1950 Living Costs to Remain
About Same Says Business
Patton Folks Asked
To Keep Taps Closed
Patton residents are cau-
tioned to discontinue the prac-
tice of letting their water
taps run to keep them from
freezing during cold weather.
That such is being done is
noted by the increased volume
of water used during cold
periods. Especially since the
breaking of the water works
dam a few weeks ago has
this been a strain on the
pumping facilities.
Work on the construction of
a temporary water works dam
now has been completed, but
steps to construct a permanent
breast probably will not be
taken until the Patton Boro
Council reorganizes at 8 p. m.
next Monday.
Actual work on such a pro-
ject would not begin until this
coming spring.
Coal Or Recreation
Said Big Question
In Sale of Dam Site
Arguing Hypothetical
Says Johnstown Daily
From Johnstown Tribune
The Cambria County commis-
sioners would be happier, we pre-
sume, if one small bit of land in
this county did not have so many
ratural advantages.
It lies in White Township, in
the northern tier of the county.
Sportsmen want to build a dam
on Beaverdam Run, which trav-
erses it. Coal authorities believe
such a recreational dam would
interfere with the removal of an
estimated 40 or 45 million tons of
high-grade, metallurgical coking
coal which underlies the land up-
stream.
The problem is drainage from
| the mining operations, when they
are begun. If the recreational
area is established, and the mine
later discharges water which
would pollute the stream, it
would have to be disposed of by
more or less costly methods. On
the other hand, it is argued that
the E seams of coal, of which
this is one. do not generally pro-
duce water which pollutes stream
waters.
There are several unanswered
questions, including the question
whether the State Sanitary Water
Board would permit opening of a
mine in the area even now. The
sportsmen do not seem to be
arguing that the coal must be
lost, for the recreational gain.
they think that both coal and re-
creation are possible, without im-
posing an excessive cost on the
mining of the coal. That point of
view ig questioned, however, by a
coal expert who testified this
week, and who said that addition-
al bypasses would be required to
carry the mine water around the
dam.
It is one of those hypothetical
arguments, based on assumptions
which can’t be proven until the
mine is actually opened. And the
county commissioners, who don’t
know any more about it than the
experts, would rather they did
not have to establish a policy
that might either deprive the
sportsmen of a recreation spot
they could just as well have had,
or interfere with the mining of a
large quantity of high-grade coal
needed for steel making. The de-
bate has been running along for
some weeks now, but making lit-
tle prograss because the facts are
buried under some tons of earth
and stone. That makes a degree
of obsecurity unavoidable in the
arguments on both sides.
Protestant Union
Week of Prayer
To Begin Sunday
The Patton Ministerium, at a
meeting last Thursday at the
Presbyterian Manse, arranged the
schedule for the Annual Protes-
tant Union Week of Prayer Ser-
vices. The schedule is as follows:
Sunday, Jan. 1—At Presbyter-
ian Church. Speaker, Rev. Gilbert
Watt, pastor of Trinity Episcopal
Church.
Tuesday, Jan. 3—At Trinity
Episcopal Church. Speaker, Rev.
Plummer Harvey, pastor of Pres-
byterian Church.
Wednesday, Jan. 4—At Baptist
Church. Speaker, Rev. Plummer
Harvey.
Thursday, Jan. 5—At Baptist
| Church. Speaker, Rev. Gilbert
Watt.
Friday, Jan. 6—At Presbyter-
Bucke, pastor Trinity Methodist
Church.
Sunday, Jan. 6—At Trinity
Episcopal Church. Speaker, Dr.
J. E. A. Bucke.
Services will begin each even-
ing at 7:30 o'clock. The enter-
taining church will furnish the
music. An offering will be taken
at each service, the proceeds to
be divided among the participat-
ing churches.
The people of the community
vices by their presence and by
their prayers.
ian Church. Speaker, Dr. J. E. A. |
are invited to support these ser-|
New Year's Outlook
Said Extremely Good
Most of the nation’s business-
men have revised their previous
gloomy predictions and now have
the belief that 1950 will be a
good business year, a Fortune
magazine survey reported this
week.
A “glow of optimism” was re-
ported among the 28,000 top U. S.
executives whose opinions were
sampled in the magazine's semi-
annual executive forecast.
Most of the executives, the sur-
vey showed, were less gloomy
about the unemployment prospect
than six months ago, were “mild-
ly buliish” about the stock mar-
ket and considered the 1950 pro-
fit outlook good.
But a majority also thought the
cost of living will remain the
same, or increase, during the
coming year.
The current survey, taken in
November, found 56 percent pre-
dicting that 1950 business will be
as good or better than it is now.
Only 44 percent expected a drop.
This compared with the pessi-
mistic outlook in the last survey
six months ago, the magazine
| In May, 80 percent of the
executives polled believed general
business would drop moderately
or even sharply.
The survey included business
ieaders in manufacturing, trade,
transport, utilities, mining and
finance.
Most optimistic were business
men in the northeastern part of
{the country, outside of Greater
|New York, the survey reported.
Most pessimistis were those in the
| South and Far West.
But optimism on general busi-
[ness trends was coupled with an
|abrupt about-face on cost-of-liv-
ing predictions. Six months ago,
86 percent expected living costs
| to fall; today, only 36 percent be-
|lieve they will drop. Fifty-one
| percent think they will stay the
[same and 13 percent feel they
| will go up.
Only 39 percent now predict
{that unemployment will reach a
mark between 4 million and 5
| million, while 48 percent held
{that opinion six months ago. The
current survey found that 35 per-
cent now put the figure at 3 mil-
lion or 4 million.
Six months ago, 31 percent of
ithe executives said they expected
to cut their labor force. Now on-
[ly 14 percent forsee a reduction
|and 12 percent think they will
| hire more persons.
| The sharp change of mind in
six months was best illustrated
by the executives’ opinion on
| profit out-look for 1950. Sixty-
{two percent said they anticipate
|the same or better profits next
lyear, Six months ago, exactly 62
| percent expected their profits to
| fall
| “Six months ago,” the maga-
[zine said, “52 percent of the ex-
| ecutives expected to reduce their
| prices; now only 18 percent ex-
pect to do so while 79 percent
either foresee no change or ex-
pect to raise prices.”
On the question of pensions for
workers, 83 percent of the execu-
tives said they were in favor of
the idea, or at least believe pen-
sions are inevitable. The great-
est minority feeling any pensions
at all was among employers with
fewer than 100 workers.
More than two out or every
three executives feel the cost of
pensions should be shared by the
employer and employee, the ma-
gazine said.
Todhunter to Head
North Co. Council
Holmes Association
Peale Mines Nos. 9, 15
Get November Banner
Richard Todhunter, Jr, will
succeed George Nicholson as the
president of North Cambria
Council of the Joseph A. Holmes
Safety Association.
He was elected to the presi-
dency for the ensuing year at the
meeting of the council last Wed-
| nesday night, St. Thomas Parish
| House, Barnesboro.
| Mr. Todhunter is burgess-elect
of Barnesboro and general mana-
| ger of Barnes & Tucker Company.
| George P. Resick, superintend-
dent of Marsteller Mine of the
| Pennsylvania Coal & Coke Corpor-
{ation, was named vice president.
| Kenneth Richardson was retain-
ed for another term as secretary-
| treasurer.
| Members deferrea the election
lof five to the executive commit-
| tee. However, eight were nomin-
ated for the posts—Joseph Psar-
Wayne Craver, Bernard
| Timms, Wendell Young, Barney
| Collins, Dennis J. Keenan, David
| K. Kreischer and Michael Mehal.
| President-elect Todhunter also
will serve on the committee by
| virtue of his office.
| Executive committeemen will
be chosen at the next meeting of
| the council on Thursday, Jan. 19.
| Mines 9 and 15 of Peale Coal
| Company, St. Benedict, and Em-
|eigh, were awarded the safety
{ banner for November, The mines
were accident free last month in
the face of 24,964 manhours of
exposure.
David K. Kreischer, federal
mine inspector, reviewed two re-
cent mine accidents. One resulted
in a fatality. In the second, the
miner involved escaped injury one
| ly because he was wearing safety
| toe shoes.
| chick,