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Well, It May Be The First Interview
Ever To End In A Wrestling Match
Ira Frantz, Lithe Orange Fruit Farmer, Talks
About Horticulture, Determination And Fights
In many ways Ira Frantz, the Orange fruit farmer who raises about |
everything except oranges, beat his way to the top of the heap.
Sometimes he had to fight against adverse conditions.
against men. >
In either case his wits and his
muscles have always stood him in
good stead. And now he’s ready to
fight again to retain his success.
It’s a pretty tough world. In
order to get along, you have to keep
the dollars rolling, and sometimes
the fists flying. That's his doctrine
—a reminder of his father, the late
Andrew Jackson Frantz of Carver-
ton, who made a name for himself
in the state as a brilliant and en-
terprising cattle dealer.
Right now , Ira is making a go of
the fruit farming business. But if
that fails to satisfy him in the years
to come, he’s willing to start again,
to try something else that will.
Has “Model” Fruit Farm
This jack of all trades, who has
tried everything from peddling meat
in Pittston to selling real estate in
Florida, went into fruit raising and
selling about 20 years ago on his
100-acre place near Demund’s Cor-
ners.
He built a market across the road
from his home, sold much of his
produce there, and marketed’ the
rest ‘on Wilkes-Barre. His success
grew steadily. :
But it wasn’t enough that thou-
sands of customers—he estimates
that in the neighborhood of 4,500 |
persons shop at his tharket—soaght)
his produce. Others could match his
success. He had to be tops in at
least one phase of the field.
So he concentrated on peaches,
and for two decades has led the
peach-growing industry in this sec-
tion. His 1939 crop of Albertas—
and a bumper one it is, too—i
attracting attention. La
didn’t have enough to satisfy the
demand. He expects a similar con-
dition this fall.
And while the Egglestons seem
to have the apple raising business
pretty well in hand over at Vernon,
Ira is right on their heels. This
year he has his biggest crop of
Mackintosh and Delicious -apples.
His crate sales and cider business
should be better than ever.
During our conversation with him
the other day, a man stopped and
bought a large crate of peaches and
another of prunes. Other large
orders were placed within the next
five minutes.
“Is this the way business goes all
the time?” we asked.
“Gosh” said Ira, “one time last
summer my wife sold over $100!
worth in less than a day.”
Yet, although Ira may have one
of the largest fruit selling businesses
in this section he’d be ready to
sell—at a profit—any time.
He’s A Business Man First
“Even if you're attached to some-
thing you have, like I am to this
place, for instance, sell it, if you
can make some money on the deal.
Thats the only way to get ahead.”
Ira’s been getting ahead, one way
or another, for more years than he
cares to mention.
Thirty years or so ago, he was
in the lumber business with Emory
Steele of Larksville, now deceased.
“We made money at it. Sold a lot
of lumber and props to the Kingston
Coal Co. and other people. But we
quit when we were ahead of the
game.”
Just after the World War, Ira
bought up a lot of used army trucks, |
sold them to local farmers. There |
wasn’t anything wrong with the |
trucks, Ira explains. It was just!
that he knew what they were worth
and the government didn’t.
With the money he made from
that, and other, ventures, Ira went
into the real estate business down |
in Florida. He didn’t do badly at'
all, but the stock market, in which
he had placed a lot of trust and con- |
fidence, did a whole lot worse, and |
it wasn’t long before Ira was back at |
scratch again. . |
|
But in the years since that time,
he’s found the golden touch again. |
Between his fruit market, a few real |
NEVER BEFORE A BIG !
8 § POUND CAPACITY THOR |
«88 AT THIS LOW PRICE!
“You Make
The Terms”
; Convenient Monthly Payments
Compare this big
heavy-duty ‘Victory’
model THOR with any
other washer. Has
Thor super-features.
Tub porcelain both
sides. Multi-vane non-tangling Super-
Agitator. Rubber cushioned tub, cover. and
motor—gquiet, vibrationless. Oiled for life.
Extra large cushioned roll wringer.
Gleaming polar-white, soap resisting
finish. See this mew super-value today.
WHITENIGHT'S
8 W. Market St., Wilkes-Barre
— DIAL 38-0019 —
Sometimes
First Railroad Town
Loses Its Railroad
Honesdale, which was the first
town in United States to have a
railroad, will be without railroad
service after September 24.
Honesdale’s first railroad was
built in 1829 and was the one over
which the famous Stourbridge Lion,
first locomotive to pull a train in
the United States, operated. Lack
of patronage is the reason given by
D. and H. railroad for abandoning
passenger coach operation daily be-
tween Honesdale and Lackawaxen.
Townend Gets Post
Attorney Frank Townend of Pio-
neer Avenue, Dallas, has been elect-
ed treasurer of Wyoming Valley
Council of Social Agencies, succeed-
ing Edward M. Williams.
estate holdings and thriving cattle-
trading business, Ira is back at the
top again.
He’s Still Fighting
Maybe he'll go down once more
some time. But he won't stay there,
as long as there's a brain in his;
head, or energy in his huge frame.
One of the big forces against
which Ira has had to contend is the
truckers’ union. Time and time
again, his shipments of produce
have met with action from union
members.
Not so long ago, Ir:
one of his 4
asked him tor 5
“I haven't got one,” said Ira.
The official took in Ira’s rugged-
ness, hemmed and hawed a bit.
“Well,” he said, at length, “I'll let
you go this time. But don’t ever
try to load your own truck again.”
“You'll let me go!” roared Ira,
“Why you're damn’ lucky if I let
you go.”
Ira hasn’t had any trouble with
the union since then.
The ferocious fruit farmer has
had a good many fights in his day,
but one he remembers most of all
was just in fun.
About ten years ago George Brit-
ton, who was a very competent pro-
fessional wrestler back in the 20's,
came to call at the Frantz home.
“Ira,” George said, “I suppose I
could throw you without a struggle.”
“That”, said Ira, “is a challenge.”
The two men went out in the
backyard. After nearly an hour of
huffing and puffing, Britton pinned
Ira.
That Was Just Practice
“Now,” said Ira, “I'll bet you fifty
bucks you can’t pin me again.”
George took the bet, and Ira
threw him in about three minutes.
The first match, he claims, was just |
a come on.
Ira put a fatherly hand on our
head. ‘How old, young man,” he
said,” do you figure I am?”
“You look about 50,” we said,
tentatively.
“Well, I ain’t 50, or 60, or 70. I
won’t tell you how old I am. But
I'm just old enough to show you a
trick or two.”
He caught us in a vice-like grip.
“Why, I could break your back with
this hold.”
Some of the farmers around here
come pretty big and strong. Ira
and his friend, George Bulford of
Huntsville, were a pretty convincing
pair in the old days, and still are,
for that matter.
But the farmers’ hearts come big,
too. Ira let us go.
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
DALLAS, PENNA.
MEMBERS AMERICAN
BANKERS’ ASSOCIATION
DIRECTORS
R. L. Brickel, C. A. Frantz, W. B.
Jeter, Sterling Machell, W. R.
Neely, Clifford W. Space, A. C.
Devens, Herbert Hill.
OFFICERS
C. A. Frantz, President
Sterling Machell, Vice-President
W. B. Jeter, Cashier
F. J. Eck, Assistant Cashier
Vault Boxes for Rent.
Interest On Savings Deposits.
No aceount too small to secure
| careful attention.
s loading |
THE POST,
AUTUMN CHASES THEM HOME AGAIN
N one of her fleet of boats at Lake
Placid, Kate Smith goes out for a
final bass before getting her things to-
gether for return to New York. She
resumes her musical broadcasts Friday, #
! October 6; over CBS.
DAVE ELMAN, below, creator an
conductor of ‘‘Hobby Lobby’ whic
| changes from NBC to the CBS networ
! Sunday, October 8, picked the most §
| novel way to end his summer vacation §
| =a-hospital bed in Fargo, N. D., where
| he. had his appendix out.
|
f
just right on his dressing-room door.
JACK BENNY after a summer of scampering back and forth acros
tinent, gets back to the Hollywood NBC studios a few days ahead of the
start of his new series Sunday, October 8, to be sure that his name is posted
N, up in Maine
for the summer, dries out his
swimming togs for the last
time before hopping a train
back to New York where his
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1939
‘Town Hall Tonight” takes to
ins oi ves again over NBC
€ con-
‘Old Gang o" Mine"
Reunited For Party
What Harold “Hank” Price calls
“that old gang o’ mine” was re-
united last Saturday afternoon at
the summer home of Jack Evans,
prominent Nanticoke florist, at
Muhlenburg. Called the Vercy Club,
the group was formed about 25
years ago.
Attending were Mr. and Mrs. Jack
Evans and son, Hayden, Forty Fort;
| Mr. and Mrs. Gus Adler and sons,
Melvin, and Robert, and daughters,
Ruth, Laura, Beatrice and Marie;
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Curran and son,
John, and daughter, Rita, Wilkes-
Barre; Mr. and Mrs. John Curran
and son, John, and daughter, Do-
lores, Nuangola; Mr. and Mrs. Albert
Evans and son, William, and
| daughters, Marion and Janice, Wil-
kes-Barre; Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Yeisley and daughter, Esther, and
sons, Bob and Wayne, Nuangola;
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Wasley and sons,
Jack and Billy, Laurel Run; Mr. and
Mrs. Arthur Price and daughter,
Ann, Wilkes-Barre, and Harold J.
Price, Dallas.
T0 WHOM IT
MAY CONCERN
Those who need cash can
now obtain loans quickly,
conveniently and confiden-
tially in an approved busi-
ness-like way. A steady in-
come and established credit
make you eligible for
First National’s
BUDGET-PLAN
LOANS
Rates are only $6.00 per
hundred per year . . . re-
payable in twelve month-
ly installments.
Fist
RATIONAL BARK of
WILKES-BARRE, PA.
59 Public Square
*
Member Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation
Boosters Will Meet
At Harveyville Tuesday
~The I. O. O. F. Booster Associa-
tion of the Fourth District of Lu-
zerne County will meet with Pleas.
ant Valley Lodge, No. 788, at Har-
veyville Tuesday night. A good en-
tertainment has been planned for
the meeting. All Odd Fellows will
be welcome.
The Detroit River carries more
commerce in tonnage than any oth-
er river in the world.
English Visitor
Scans War News
Mother And Son United
After Long Separation
Reunited after a separation of 16
years, Robert King of Harris Hill
Road, Trucksville, and his mother,
who came here last month from
near Glasgow, Scotland, are two
local people who scan the war news
from England with special interest,
for they have loved ones on the
British Isles.
When Mrs. King, a gentle lady
with a pleasant Scotch burr, will be
able to return to England is a mat-
When she
came here to visit her son, who had
left England for America for the
second time in 1923, she intended
to stay about three months. Despite
the war, she will be ready to go
home when her visit is over.
Mr. King is interested in the war
news for several reasons. When the
World War began he was a British
citizen, although he had taken up
residence in this country. He en-
listed in Canada and went overseas
to serve with the Royal Air Force.
He flew for two years without a
scratch. Then he was transferred
back to England to train cadets
and on October 9, 1918, with the
war’s end a month away, a student
pilot sent their ship into a spin and
they crashed. Mr. King woke up
eight days later and spent the next
three years convalescing.
In 1923 he returned to this coun-
ter of conjecture now.
| try. Since then he has become an
American citizen. A resident of
Trucksville for about four years, he
is associated now with the Ameri-
can Chain and Cable Co. His wife,
who he married after the war, also
has relatives in the Glasgow sec-
tion of Scotland.
Layou Infant Dies
The infant son of Mr. and Mrs.
Earl Layou died last Friday of
pneumonia. The baby, who was
born last May, had been rushed to
the hospital on Friday morning.
Funeral services were held on Mon-
day afternoon.
Map Business Booms
Not since the dark days of 1914
has there been such a demand for
maps as there is today, according to
Andrew McNally. Within three days ||
of Prime Minister Chamberlain’s
grim announcement that a state of
war existed between Germany and
Great Britain, Rand McNally’s map
shop in Rockefeller Center had sold
out every map of Europe in stock.
Look for
this Display wherever
Beer is Served
PENNSYLVANIA STATE BREWERS
ASSOCIATION
1932 CHRYSLER 4-DOOR SEDAN
1938 PLY. DELUXE 4-DOOR TOURING SEDAN
1937 PLY. DELUXE 2-DOOR TOURING SEDAN
1931 CHEVROLET 4-DOOR SEDAN
1934 HUDSON A-BGOR SEDAN
1933 PONTIAC 4-DOOR TRUNK SEDAN
1935 CHRYSLER 4-DOCR TRUNK SEDAN
i935 CHEVROLET 2-DOOR SEDAN
1237 DODGE 4-DOOR TOURING SEDAN
(WITH RADIO
AND HEATER)
MARKET STREET
USE RAKER'S PAINT
ror Lasting
Imperial Motors
KINGSTON, PA.
Beauty
LA
FPAIN
@® EVERY CAN CARRIES
AN UNCONDITIONAL
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE
| FREE BRUSH!
RAKKIR
PAINT FACTORY
595 MARKET ST., KINGSTON
“EASY TO PARK”
BRING
THIS
COUPON
a
Y
PAGE THREE
R
BL ND Re
EAE
3
es
“Our Biggest Seller”
IONA PEAS
No. 2
Cans
25¢
ai
BRILLO
A&P
ANN PAGE KETCHUP2
ANN PAGE JELLIES
SUNNYFIELD
Pancake
FLOUR
20-o0z. Pkg. 31,-1b. Pkg.
2c 1c
BLUE LABEL
11,-1b.
can G
ATER REE VER.
Karo
Milk’s good for you! Eat it in delicious
dishes made with White House Evap-
orated Milk which bears these en-
dorsements:
1. Accepted by the American Medical
Association’s Council on Foods.
2. Approved by Good Housekeeping
Bureau.
3. Conforms to all Gov’t. standards.
4. Made, sold and guaranteed by A&P,
210] 2 BACK IF
DOUBLE YOUR MONEY BACK IF
ET A Ee LEAL SATISFIED
A&P Stores sell more than twice as
much White House as they do all
other evaporated milks combined.
THIS 1S NATIONAL WHITE HOUSE EVAPORATED MiLK
Sultana—Broken Sliced
PINEAPPLE
No. 21,
Size Can
in America buys A&P Coffee
«and thousands save up to 104
‘a poand. There :
are three choice FIN uhiNGS
A&P blends — \, pia
itry this one tos §
3 4c
Small
Pkg.
BREA
For Washing Clothes and Dishes
OXYDOL
2
EE 0 OS OEE i
Pkgs.
7c:
Vienna Twist or
Sliced Rye
WEEK
’ ~N
A
EI
MEDICAL
x
Carat
Big
34¢
DP res § HC
sos. D5
10c
8-0z.
Jar
CHICKENS
BEEF ROAST
Skinless
FRANKFURTERS
HADDOCK FILLETS (Genuine)
© TRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES ©
Tokay Grapes
Swt. Potatoes 6 ~ 25¢
10 =
© H&P FINE QUALITY MEATS ©
Morrell’s Pride—Tender Process
SMOKED
Onions
Short Shank
Cellophane
PICNICS vr
Fresh Dressed
ST EWI N i Up to
33 1bs.
COD FILLETS (Genuine)
STEWING OYSTERS
~ 3C
2c
13c
- 29¢
Ib. 2c
Ib. 23¢
Ib. i7c
Ib. fle
pint can 27¢
FE
These prices effective until Saturday night, September 23.