. Eyes Ahead, Toward The World Of Tomorrow! In Tune With The Times, The Post’s Streamlined Makeup Anticipates The Newspa- per Of The Future. It’s Easier On The Eyes! THE DALLAS POST {More Than A Newspaper, A Community Institution For Facts, Read The Post’s News Columns; For Opinion, Turn To Page Six, Where Each Week The Editor, Mrs. Blez And Mr. Mat- thews Air Their Likes And Hates. Vol. 49 - THE DALLAS POST, FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 1939 No. 17 POST SCRIPTS ODDS AND ENDS OF A WEEK In the midst of this week's search for material to fill these columns we encountered for a fleeting moment a gentle old man sitting beside a window with his coat in his lap, and it seemed that he was very wise, because of all ‘the people we saw this week, including a six-months-old baby, he was the only one who wasn’t seeking more than he had. It occured to us, walking away from his presence, that he had a standard of values far better than ours, and we wondered how fame and popularity ‘and the luxury of money came to seem so important to anyone. We wished then that we could be an old, white-haired man, rising every morning with the sun, pulling our galluses over our clean, faded blue shirt, and sitting thoughtfully all day long in a rocking chair beside a big window in the country. We can’t, of course. Not until the philosophers make this world over, from the bottom up, and convince ev- erybody that fame is hollow, that love is tyranny, that ambition is a curse, that money is a lure for discontent and that hope is merely a beginning of defeat. If, with one rough sweep, they could establish a new order, in which neckties would be abandoned salad forks outlawed and men made to look inside themselves, instead of at their neighbors, there might be some chance for peace of mind. A good many times during the day, around the Prothonotary’s Office in Luzerne County Court House, you hear someone yelling, ‘“John!”, ‘“John!”, “John Heffernan!” and the odds are that it’s some newspaperman, desperate for a story, searching for the affable, smartly-dressed, spectacled oracle who, after thirty-some years of newspaper work, is becoming a legendary one-man news bureau. it may be a repcrier from Cae of the local newspapers, checking with John on some important story, or it may just as well be a telephone call from the New York Times or’ the Philadelphia Record. They all depend upon John's amazing fund of information, his keen nose for news. Almost any day you choose, you can find John’s tips peek- ing through prime stories’ in half a dozen newspapers. We suppose there is no man in Lu- zerne County, in or out of newspaper work, who is better able to answer that trite query, “What's new ?”’ than John V. Heffernan. Reporters confide in him. Important public figures seek his advice, For more than three decades he has been watching the ebb and flow of news, until he has accumulated a staggering volume of background in- formation, and an invaluable memory which enables him to delve into his mental files and come up with exactly the angle you wanted. A newspaperman’s newspaperman, he spurns by-lines, and his best stories frequently appear, in this paper or that, anonymously. Those who know him recognize his style, though, and when they encounter a story built of sen- tences which sting like whip-lashes or sparkle with color they know that yarn was spun under John’s swiftly-flying fingers. The nearest he comes to taking | credit for his work is when he uses his tongue-in-the-cheek nom de plume, “Javie Aiche”. We stopped in to see John the other afternoon. It was typical, we thought, that we had to wait a few minutes be- fore he greeted us. He was talking on the telephone to an old schoolmate of his, fellow by the name of Arthur H. James, and they were making arrange- ments to attend the Baron’s opening baseball game together. QUIDNUNC If people have been telling the truth to us, half of Dallas will be on the “sleeper” at 12:40 Sunday morning when it makes its farewell trip from Public Square to Dallas . . . Next morn- ing the 42-year-old trolley line will pass (Continued on Page 8) Street Car System To Be Abandoned Monday Morning Tracks On 42-Year-Old Line Will Be Torn Up To Make Way For By-Pass Slick, 31-passenger gasoline busses will supplant the 42-year-old trolley line between Dallas and Wilkes-Barre next Monday as Wilkes-Barre Rail way Corp. begins tearing up tracks on Buckingham Avenue, Luzerne, to make way for the by-pass. The “sleeper” car which will leave Public Square at 12:40 a. m. Sun- day morning will be the last to roll over the tracks. At 5 a. m. that morning the first of the busses will pull out of Public Square, beginning the half-ho e: Authority to abandon the street car right-of-way was granted to the trac- tion company last Spring by the Public Utility Commission, without opposition from any local group. Busses will operate over the lower road, through Shavertown, and the up- per road, through Mt. Greenwood, changing their route on alternate trips. The busses will ply between Public Square and the Dallas station. For the time being the Harvey's Lake bus will operate between here and the lake. The schedule will be the same as is maintained now by street cars and has been announced tentatively as follows: Dallas busses will leave Public Square on hour and half hour from 5 a. m. to 11:30 p. m. Leave Dallas for Wilkes- Barre each 30 minutes from 5:45 a. m. to 12:15 a. m. “Sleepers” leave Public Square for Dallas at 12:40 a. m. and leave Dallas at 1:10 a. m. Harvey's Lake busses will leave Pub- lic Square for Picnic Ground at 6:40, 8, 12:40, 4 and 6; leave Picnic Gronnd for Square at 6:45, 7:45, 9:10, 1:10, 3:45 and 5:10. Will Tear Up Tracks On Monday morning the traction company, which is: responsible for re- moval of i J tracks. will begin tearing up the doabic cracks along Buckingham Avenue and moving back its poles. Experimental trips were made through Dallas on Tuesday with new diesel busses, but these are not the type to be used here when the changeover is made on Monday. Originally a steam railroad, built in 1896 to compete with the Bowman's Creek Branch of the Lehigh Valley Rail- road, the street car line was electrified shortly after financial difficulties had resulted in a reorganization in 1898. Work on the by-pass is moving ahead steadily. One bridge has been com- pleted and the second is nearing com- pletion. Some grading has been done and within a month or so paving will be started. Dallas Borough Bandsmen Turn Tables On Director Howard Hallock, supervisor of music at Dallas Borough High School, and the members of the borough high school band changed places Monday. With the school musicians in the audience, Mr. Hallock played with The Alexander Band in its’ annual Spring concert at the Irem Temple, Wilkes- Barre, Monday night. The borough band director was in the cornet section lof the 30- -piece band;” took part in a brass quartet rendition of “The Lost Chord.” Gypsy Moths Cost Local Man Five Bucks Gypsy Moths deserted tree trunks for scrap iron this week, and the tran- sition cost Robert Snyder of Sutton Creek, Centremoreland, $5 and costs. Mr. ‘Snyder, who took a moth-laden load of scrap automobile parts to Han- over Township, was hailed before Al- derman Frank B. Brown of Wilkes- Barre Tuesday night on the complaint of C. F. Campbell, gypsy moth control agent of this area. The Centremore- land man explained he was sorry, es- caped the maximum fine of $100. FISKE SCORES DECISION OVER DROPCHINSKT IN HARD BATTLE Paul Fiske of Dallas, lean, lightning- quick amateur boxer, scored a deci- sion over larruping Tommy Dropchin- ski, up-and-coming Lehman athlete, in a hard-fought match in 109th Field Artillery Armory on Tuesday night. It was Fiske’s third consecutive vic- tory and Dropchinski’s first defeat in four bouts. Dropchinski, who has had a severe cold for several weeks, started slowly and, in the opinion of observers, lost the first round on points. In the second stanza, Fiske shot across a jolting right to Tommy's face, a blow which ob- viously confused Dropchinski and clouded his prospects. With Fiske leading, Tommy came back strong in the. third and his cour- ageous rally brought a roar of en- couragement from the crowd. He landed blows frequently in the closing minutes of the fight, but Fiske’s early advantage gave him a clean decision, About 30 fans from this section who have followed the® budding careers of the two promising boys were in the audience. There was talk yesterday of promoting a return bout between the ‘two amateurs, possibly in the ring of the Dallas Gymnasium Association. Clit Space Gives Joint Committee Farmers’ View Testifies As Senate And of the witnesses at the first ses sion of the joint investigation of milk control at Harrisburg this week was C. W. Space of Dallas, who produced figures to support the contention of dairymen that they cannot produce milk at a profit under prices enforced by Pennsylvania's milk control board. Mr. Space, who testified for about 20 minutes, told the committee of Senators and Representatives that his cost records showed a sizable loss for January and February and that a profit recorded in March would have been a loss if prices which went into effect early this month had been in force then. W. A. Spaulding of Hazelton, re- presenting the Luzerne County Far- mers’ Co-operative Dairy, and Herbert Thomas of Scranton, chairman of the Milk Producers’ Association of North- eastern Pennsylvania, which is organiz- ing farmers’ unions throughout this section, were among others who testi- fied, protesting that “the farmer is not getting a square deal”. Questions Pasteurization During a discussion of the dealers’ cost of pasteurizing milk, the audience cheered a farmer’s wife who inter- jected: “If pasteurization makes children healthy, how is it that our children are so strong? On the farm we never give them anything but raw milk.” During the hearing, the milk control board came in for severe criticism. The testimony was confined to producers and it is likely more dairymen will be heard when the inquiry is resumed next Monday morning. Later, dealers and consumers will be given an oppor- tunity to testify before the committee. Meanwhile, dairymen in this section are continuing with their efforts to organize branches of the Milk Pro- ducers’ Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Already the association has about 200 paid members, about 25 per cent of whom are from the Dallas area. A meeting will be held in the Eaton- ville school house tonight (Friday) to explain the purposes of the association to dairymen in that section. Borough Senior Accepts Misericordia Scholarship Doris McCarty, salutatorian of the Senior Class at Dallas Borough High School, accepted a scholarship to Col- lege Misericordia this week. The scho- larship is open to the two girls with the highest averages of each graduating class. The borough faculty awarded the International Correspondence School scholarship ‘to Wanda Henson, third ranking student, at a meeting Wednes- day. TWO MINUTES WERE LONG ENOUGH FOR FIRST SWIM IN LAKE, PEG DECLARES Miss Peg Casterline, 18, Carpen- ter Road, Harvey’s Lake, this week achieved the chilly distinction of being the first girl to take a dip in the Lake this year. At 6:30 Monday night, to cele- brate Monday's long-awaited bal- miness, Miss Casterline waded into the water at Sunset Beach. Two minutes was quite long enough for her first dip, but even that was time enough for a number of amazed spectators to gather. Miss Casterline, who swims across the Lake nearly every day during the smmer, decided to take her early season dip as a stimula- tor after a day of housecleaning, according - to her friend, Leah Husted, who just stood on the beach and shivered. : Farm Machinery Sales Running High Farmers Are "Keeping Up With Times’ In County Sale contracts for farm machinery recorded: at Luzerne County Court House prove that farmers in this sec- tion are ‘keeping up with the times’. More than $55,000 worth of farm machinery has been purchased this month from three nearby equipment supply firms, the records show. Smith Bros., Nescopeck, has the largest volume of contracts, about $21,000. Rural Supply Co. of Shick- shinny is: second with $19,000, and Gay-Murray of Tunkhannock had about $15,000 worth of equipment sale con- tracts in Luzerne County in April. These figures do not include cash salew or contracts not recorded. Be- sides proving the farmer’s progressive- nesg, the unusual volume of sales this Spring reflects the sound credit of buy- ers in this section. Prof. Williammee Named President Of Principals Prof. T. A. Williammee, supervising El of Dallas " zerne County last Thursday*during a meeting at Hotel Sterling, Wilkes- Barre. The organization, formed for the ad- vancement of teaching in the county, meets monthly to discuss school ex- ecutive problems and improvements. Mr. Williammee was named vice- president of the association last fall to replace Harry L. Tennyson, former principal of the borough high school. when The Evening News will retire Times-Leader. Evening News To Print Last Edition Saturday; Merges With Leader Monday The first step toward consolidation of Wilkes-Barre’s three daily news- papers, anticipated for several months, will take place on Saturday afternoon from the field and metge with ‘The Delegation Meets Highway Secretary Hughes Will Co-operate With Luzerne Committee A delegation of civic leaders from Luzerne Borough met yesterday after- noon with I. Lamont Hughes, Secretary of Highways, at Harrisburg and se- cured a promise of co-operation in ef- forts to have Main and Bennett Streets, Luzerne, paved. Discussing the promise made by of- ficials under the Earle Administration to pave the two main thoroughfares in conjunction with construction of the by-pass, Mr. financial difficulties involved now and assured the delegation of his sincere interest in improving the roads. Hughes = explained the Among those who went to Harris- burg for the conference were Burgess John = Adams, Councilman C. H. Ahrendts, Stanley Johnson, Attorney Henry Greenwald, borough solicitor and president of Luzerne Civic Association, | Frank Shivy, secretary of the associa- tion; Abe Finkelstein, chairman of the business men, Arthur Bolender of the Chamber of Commerce, and Norman Johnstone and John O'Donnell of Wen ming Valley Motor Club. The first edition of dhe eneoliduted newspaper, which will retain The Times- Leader's name, will be printed in The Times-Leader’s plant. It will be admin- istered by the recently-chartered Wilkes-Barre Publishing Co., whose of- ficers are the top officials of the three Wilkes-Barre dailies. It was reported yesterday that in September The Times-Leader will move into The Record’s plant, and Wilkes- Barre will then have a morning and evening newspaper under joint owner- ship, publishing in the same quarters. John Hourigan, publisher of the Evening News, and Col. Ernest G. Smith, publisher of The Times-Leader, will be co-publishers of the new paper. As far as possible, the news, circulation and advertising staffs of the two papers will be merged. Official statements on the merger were lacking this week because officials of the three newspapers were in New York City to attend the convention of the American Newspaper Publishers’ Association but a full announcement of the plans is expected in the Saturday afternoon edition of both newspapers. The Evening News’ INS press service will be transferred to The Time s- Leader, which will continue its AP franchise. The contract the publishers negoti- ated with Wilkes-Barre Typographical Union early this month provides for the adoption of a four-day week for prin- ters in case of a merger of any morning and evening publications.- It does not mention any concession to be made to | printers in case of the merger of two evening newspapers. fi Utility Ready To Launch $7,000 Improvement Plan Complainants Agree To Await Test Of Program Explained To PUC By Craig Dallas Water Co. is ready to launch immediately a $7,000 improve ment program, which, it is believed, water shortage, Robert Hall Craig of Harrisburg, general manager of the utility, told the Public Utility Commission during a hearing at Luzerne will end the borough's long-standing Two Lake Youths Jailed Thursday Byres Arrested For Theft Of Car; Weiss For Conduct Investigation of the theft of an auto- mobile from Wilkes-Barre two weeks ago culminated in the arrest of Frank Byres, 23, stepson of Berkley Herson of Warden Place, by Harvey's Lake police Wednesday night. Byres pleaded guilty to stealing a car belonging to Felix Dressler of North Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, from Plains on April 15, at a hearing before Squire Ralph Davis of Alderson, Thursday morning. The car was recovered on ‘Carpenter’s Road, Harvey's Lake, Mon- day. The youth also admitted to having broken into a cottage at the lake be- longing to D. Gurdani of Miller Street, Luzerne. A large bread knife was found in his possession and he ve charged with carrying concealed deal weap- ons. 4 He was committed to Luzerne County Prison yesterday by Police Chief Ira C. Stevenson on the charges of larceny, breaking and entering and carrying concealed weapons. Byres was paroled from Kis-Lyn Reformatory three months ago after serving eighteen months for a Williamsport burglary. Jack Weiss, 16, ward of Mrs. Nick Weiss of Warden Place, pleaded guilty on charges of disorderly conduct and using obscene’ language at a hearing before Squire Davis Thursday morning and was committed to Luzerne County He was arrested Thursday morning by Patrolman Fred Swanson on com- plaint of a neighbor, Mrs. John H. Wil- liams, who was offended by his con- duct last Sunday. Weiss, sent to Kis-Lyn Reformatory in 1936 for setting, fire to three cot- tages at Warden Place, was paroled a ‘| year ago in the custody of his aunt, Mrs. Nick Weiss. Coaches To Meet With Scholastic League Prexy Baseball coaches from local high schools will meet with J. Austin Snyder of Lehman Township High School presi- dent of the rural athletic league, early next week to make arrangements for the scholastic season. An opening date will be announced and schedules will be drawn up. If Laketon High, which withdrew from rural league several years ago, enters a team this spring, the league will be 1expanded to five teams and individual playing schedules increased from six to eight games. A class battle for the league cham- pionship, won last year by Kingston Township High School, looms, with little to choose between the competing teams. Will Discuss Meeting Place For Lake G. 0. P. Possible permanent meeting places for the Lake Township Republican Club will be discussed by Grover Ander- son, Sr., before members of the organ- ization at the Martha Washington Tea Room, Sandy Beach, Tuesday evening. The office of the Sheriff will be ex- plained by Miss Louella Gosart, presi- dent of the club, at the meeting, which will be attended by county officials of the Republican party. Two prominent men from the courthouse will speak. County Court House yesterday. After listening to Mr. Craig's out- line of the proposed improvements, the complainants, who are seeking better service, agreed to a postpone- ment of further hearings until about July 15, by which time the utility's program will have bee completed and consumers will knoweif the im- provements solve the problem. The motion to hold the case open until the expansion program has been carried out was accepted by the PUC examiner who heard the case and there is little question but what the Com- mission will approve the arrangement. The improvements, which will in- clude the sinking of at least one new well and the laying of new mains, are expected to be completed by July 1. Only a sprinkling of local persons were in the courtroom when Examiner , Caspar opened the case against Dallas H. Turner, borough solicitor, represent- ed the complainants and Attorney Douglas Storey of Harrisburg was coun- sel for the utility. At the table with Attorney Turner were Burgess Herbert E. Smith, Councilman Morgan T. Wil- cox and Borough Engineer John T. Jeter. Mr. Craig and Leslie Warhola, local manager of the water company, were seated with Mr. Storey. Craig Is Sole Witness Because the utility admitted frankly the inadequacy of service in certain sections of Dallas, eliminating the need for testimony from dissatisfied con- sumers, the only witness was Mr. Craig, who qualified by responding to routine questions about his experience as an engineer. Using a large map, he outlined the improvements the company proposed to make. A deep well will be sunk at Columbia Avenue and Center Hill Road, equipped with an electric auto- matic centrifugal pump: Mr. Craig estimated the capacity of that well will be in excess of 150 gallons per minute. He said he believed the new well would solve the problem of an ade- quate supply. To move the supply, the company will lay a six-inch main along Machell Avenue, from Main to Monroe, where there is no connection now, will install mains on Saginaw Street, from Hill- donia to Grandview, where new homes are under construction, and will lay a four-inch pipe parallel to the two- inch pipe which now connects the Par- rish Heights area with the main system. Mr. Craig explained that the water company’s system is made of three dis- tinct areas, the main Dallas system, the Parrish Heights section and the Maple- wood Heights area. Parrish Heights, where most of the complaints originate, has as its chief source, a drilled well adjacent to the district, and the sup- ply from this well has, Mr. Craig said, | been diminishing for three or four years. If the new well near Center Hill Road does not provide an adequate supply for Parrish Heights consumers, another well will be drilled on Par- rish Heights later, Mr. Craig promised. Program Ready To Start Questioned concerning the speed with which the improvement program could be executed, Mr. Craig said that the pipes have been ordered, a check for purchase of the lot for the well has been turned over to the local agent, three bids have been received for drill- ing of the well and are ready to be let and the company has funds available to carry out the balance of the pro- gram. “I feel,” Mr. Craig concluded, that these improvements will satisfy the consumers. If there are minor defects (Continued on Page 8) SPRING FIRES BRING WARNING An alarming number of grass fires | fore W. M. Hewitt, warden, | men controlled it. g and wood blazes throughout this sec- tion during the last week brought a warning from E. W. Whispell, warden at Dallas fire tower, who urged farm- ers and fishermen to exercise utmost care in the woods. Depite occasional rains recently, the forests in this section are dry and there were three woods fires and a OF DANGER FROM WARDEN HERE ~~ d his More than 200 woodland fires have { been reported in Pennsylvania in the last week, many of them caused by careless fishermen. The heaviest loss was on the popular “Barrens” hunting ground, west of State College, where 2,000 acres were burned over. Mr. Whispell asked that he be noti- fied at Dallas 153-R-16 immediately number of grass fires reported within | upon the discovery of any forest fire. the last week. Mr. Whispell has had | He suggested also that farmers who in- ‘ville blaze, where 31% forest fires at Trucksville, Larksville!tend to burn over fields adjacent to Mountain and Fernbrook within the! last week, the largest being the Trucks- acres burned be- woodlands inform him in advance so he can be prepared in case the conflagra- tion gets out of control. Water Co. about 2:15. Attorney Arthur 4
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers