Editorially Speaking:
THE BUSINESS MAN IN WONDERLAND
Curiosity killed the cat,
thrives on it.
Government’s inquisitive:
to farmers and business men,
but government apparently
tendency is a familiar matter
who spend a substantial part
of their time answering questions. But this year the public
is going to become conscious
of these matters, too, for the
census taker will soon be ringing doorbells again.
The 1940 census will be
the most comprehensive ever
undertaken by any government. It is going to seek a lot of
answers that, if they are sensibly interpreted, can be very
helpful. On the other hand,
among the 50 questions the
American housewife will answer this time there will be found
some to which pretty good answers already exist.
On a small scale, then,
the average citizen is about
to experience a phenomenon that the man who is trying
to run a business, keep up production, find new jobs and
earn a small profit runs into just about every day of the
“working week”.
In the past five years}
duplication of the questions
asked by government commissions and agencies has proved
a sore point to many a company that is trying to get its
work done. The curiosity of
government has meant that
employes have had to be delegated to the non-productive
work of answering questionn
aires; it has meant that the
orderly processes of work have had to be slowed up while
check-ups on it have been made; and it has meant that busi-
ness must keep voluminous records that have no earthly use
once they have satisfied the curiosity of the particular gov-
ernment agency or commission in question.
Of course, there is a valuable and necessary function to
be performed by government in finding out answers to
pertinent questions about business, about agriculture and
about various other sections of the American economy. But
the observer, observing multiplicity and duplication and,
frequently, just plain chaos,
question on his own hook:
can’t help asking one short
“Exactly how much of all this curiosity is necessary
and how much represents mothing more than a love of
asking questions?”
Something of the same wonderment may have existed
in the mind of President Roosevelt last year when he de-
clared that he was ‘‘concerned over the large number of
statistical reports which Federal agencies are requiring from
business and industry,” and
ordered an investigation. Of
course, the investigation meant more questions, but this
time the results were worth it. Here are some of the facts
that came to light:
_ Individuals and business concerns in the United States
made about 135,700,000 reports and returns to question-
naires sent out by administrative agencies of the Federal
government.
About 21 million returns of all kinds were
filed for farms, making an average of approximately three
returns for each farm in the country. A total of 60,000,000
returns were filed by industr
enterprises, a yearly average o
ial, commercial and financial
f about 20 for each enterprise.
And the average industrial questionnaire contained about
POST
SCRIPTS
A fellow we know knew a fellow
named DeWolfe and any DeWolfe is
recognized as a cousin by the Bar-
rymores, so there we were at a
postage stamp table in Delmonico’s
last Saturday night, elbow to el-
bow with Ethel Barrymore Colt.
Miss Colt had just finished de-
livering a load of vocal versatility
which ran the gamut from opera to
swing. The applause was still bounc-
ing around among the garish red
and gold decoraments when she
dropped wearily into the chair next
to us.
She was tired, she said. We need-
ed sleep, too, only we showed it. If
that’s the way Miss Colt smiles when
she’s tired, we'd hesitate to expose
ourselves to her fully-rested per-
sonality. As it was, every time she
turned the w. k. Barrymore charm
our way we felt the blood drain
away to our toes.
When people call Miss Colt “The
Princess of the Royal Family” she
wriggles her nose derisively,-not to
mention beautifully. We suppose
being young in a famous family
does have its disadvantages, but
whatever other names she accumu-
lates Miss Colt will probably always
be more Barrymore than anything
else.
Her wide, sensitive mouth and
her expressive eyes mark her as her
mother’s child. There are frequent
flashes of her Uncle Lionel about
her, and occasionally, when she
moves her hands in a certain way,
you are reminded of that gallant
rapscallion, her Uncle John. Our
ignorance about the theatre is still
monumental, but we know what we
like, and it is our cherished opinion
that the Barrymore tradition will
be safe in Miss Colt’s hands.
——
In view of her highly ornamental
qualities, you could scarcely ask for
brains, too, but Miss Colt has them.
In her circle it is sometimes dif-
ficult to toss a make-up kit in any
direction without clunking a com-
munist, but Miss Colt has independ-
ent ideas on the subject. She made
as sound a case for General Franco
as we have ever heard, against the
opposition of an energetic coterie
of musicians—agents of Moscow, no
doubt—who were doing their part
toward making conversation an art
more strenuous than gentle.
When we had ventured out into
the moist Philadelphia night and
Miss Colt had gone to sneak a nap
before her next show we were think-
ing how swell it had been and
then we realized that we had over-
looked something which suddenly
seemed to sum up our whole impres-
(Continued on Page 8)
65 questions.
These figures are only for the
Federal Government. The Republi-
can Administration at Harrisburg is
no slouch in making demands on
the ‘timex. of thee 5iness men and
other taxpayers, either.
The only rift in the clouds is
the indication that some government
officials, themselves, are getting
Supervisors Fail
To Acknowledge
Bids To Meeting
Councilmen Wait Two
Hours In Vain: Firemen
Had Requested Session
After waiting two hours for some
word from Dallas Township super-
visors, councilmen of Dallas Borough
adjourned their meeting last Friday
night without reaching any conclu-
‘sion on the request of Dr. Henry M.
Laing Fire Co. for financial assist-
ance from the two communities.
Invitations to attend the confer-
ence were mailed to the three super-
visors after Harry T. Ohlman, chair-
man of a committee from the volun-
teer fire company, had asked bor-
ough council to confer with the su-
pervisors to discuss the possibility
of sharing maintenance costs of the
company, which has, since its found-
ing 12 years ago, been financed by
public subscription.
No acknowledgment of the invi-
tations was received, but the coun-
jcilmen met as planned. Three mem-
bers were at the borough building
and two more ’phoned and were
ready to appear if the supervisors
turned up. After waiting until 9:30
without any word, the councilmen
adjourned.
The firemen, who work without
pay, have never received an ap-
propriation from either Dallas Bor-
ough or Dallas Township and have
raised an amount estimated at $20,-
000 in the last 12 years to assure
fire protection for residents of the
two communities.
Machell Has Been
‘Banker 30 Years
Bank Directors Honor
Him For Long Service
Marking another milestone in one
of the longest banking careers in
Northeastern Pennsylvania,
tors of First National Bank of Dal-
las tendered a dinner at Harvey's
direc- |
IN KIWANIS MINSTREL
Mrs. Bernice Lundy
Mrs. Eva Ray
Invading a.comic realm ordinar-
lily reserved for tiie opposite sex,
Mrs. Ray and Mrs. Lundy will put
on black-face to be end ladies in the
minstrel show to be given at Kings-
{ton Township high school next
tired of the damage and delay Lake on Wednesday to Sterling Ma- Thursday and Friday nights by Mt.
that can result when agencies and chell, who has been a director of | Greenwood Kiwanis Club. Both Mrs.
commissions, like the characters in
“Alice in Wonderland,” constantly
get “curiouser and curiouser’.
Misericordia Students
In Radio Broadcasts
Members of the student body of
College Misericordia will be heard
in a series of radio programs to be
presented by the College starting
some time in March.
The programs in the main will be
educational and will be comprised of
dramatic skits, organ melodies with
reading of appropriate poems, piano
fantasies, vocal and instrumental
numbers, talks by alumna and Sen-
ior students on food, nutrition and
health. Under the sponsorship of
the Librarian informative talks will
be heard on “What is New in
Books”.
Schewe Will Preach
At St. Paul's Church
Rev. W. E. A. Schewe, pastor of
First German-English Lutheran
Church of Wilkes-Barre, will preach
at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Sha-
vertown on Sunday morning at 11.
Luther League devotions will be at
6:45. At Vespers at 7:30 Rev. Her-
bert E. Frankfort, pastor, will preach
on ‘Brotherly Love.”
Runaways Find
Adventure Cold
Two Dallas Youths Are
Stopped In Deposit, N.Y.
“We'll wait for warmer weather
next time,” opined Granville T.
(Whitey) Brace, who was back in
Dallas this week after a three-day
runaway adventure which was too
cold for comfort.
Brace and a friend, Karl Misson,
both pupils at Dallas Borough High
School, took French leave Friday
night on a search for fame and for-
tune. On the pretense that they
intended to visit relatives of one of
the boys in Scranton, they secured
a ride from a local man who was
bound for the Electric City.
Alarmed at the disappearance of
the boys, their parents notified
State Motor Police, who teletyped
a description through Pennsylvania
and New York. Brace and Misson
ended their adventure in the arms
of the police at Deposit, N. Y., on
Saturday night. They reached Dal-
las early Monday morning, repent-
ant and ready to resume their
classes at school.
the local bank for 30 years.
Mr. Machell was elected a director
| of the bank on February 2, 1910,
{ four years after the bank was found-
ied. At the time the ‘establishment
| was housed in the building now oc-
| cupied by the Commonwealth Tele-
phone Co. on Church Street, Dallas.
Among fellow-directors of Mr.
Machell were Will Bulford, George
Wright, Jesse Albertson, Isaac Leek,
Delbert P. Honeywell and Reese D.
Isaacs, all of whom have died. Ralph
Rood, a teacher now, was a cashier
during Mr. Machell’s early years as
a director.
Mr. Machell, whose father, before
him, also played an active part in
civic and business affairs in Dallas,
recalls that conditions were far dif-
ferent when he was introduced to
banking than they are today, par-
ticularly ‘with regard to interest
rates and regulations imposed on
banks.
Idetown Brotherhood
Will Meet On Monday
The Brotherhood of Idetown
Methodist Church will meet at the
church house on Monday night,
February 26, at 7:30. There will
be entertainment and refreshments.
All men of the community will be
welcome.
Ray and Mrs. Lundy have scored
hits in previous Kiwanis Minstrels
and their admirers are promised an
| entertaining evening again this year.
i
1
1
Popular Talent
In Kiwanis Show
Comedy, Music Enliven
Next Week's Production
An array of this section's most
popular talent will appear next
Thursday and Friday nights, Febru-
ary 29 and March 1, in the minstrel
show to be sponsored by Mt. Green-
wood Kiwanis Club at Kingston
Township high school.
David Joseph is directing the pro-
duction. The ends will be John
Miles, Herman Kern, Mrs. Eva Ray,
and Mrs. Bernice Lundy. Soloists
will be E. V. Davis, Mrs. Ray Jen-
kins, Mrs. Isabelle Santiago, William
Perkins and Joseph Jones. Among
the specialities will be a saw solo by
William Davis, selections on the gui-
tar by John Lloyd, a harp solo by
Harold Shiber and dances by D. A.
Blight and John Miles.
Rationed Food
No Hardship Yet,
Britisher Says
|
| Post's Correspondent
Finds His Half-Pound
| Of Butter Sufficient
|
By B. E. H. AMPS
"EXCLUSIVE Ilford, England
| (By Mail [Censored])—The
| weather has commanded most
attention recently because it
has been much more severe
than we have had for many
years. We do not get the ex-
treme cold Dallas has, but
we had as much as 29 degrees
of frost a week or so ago, and
that was plenty cold enough
for us, for our houses are not
equipped to meet the cold as
yours are and our cold is a
damper cold.
We are not allowed to give
any news about the weather
until 15 days after it has hap-
pened. We find that trouble-
some, for hardly a piece of
newspaper copy comes in but
| what the weather is mentioned
. somewhere, and usually so incident-
|ally as almost to escape notice. It is
{a real hardship to the British, to
| whom the weather is Conversation
1 Topic No. 1!
| We had a story the other week
|about a bride who was held up by
‘a snow-drift on her way to the wed-
ding and had to be rescued by the
bridegroom’s brother. We had to
eliminate all reference to the snow,
and it “haif-killed the story. Chalk
up another black mark to the war!
Rationing No Evil Yet
Rationing, of course, affects us
all, but it can scarcely be said that
we are feeling it very much as yet.
And that is the truth, and not pro-
paganda, though it might look like
it.
So far we are rationed only on
sugar, bacon and butter. Coal is
rationed only during the cold spell,
because of transport hold-ups. Meat
may be rationed before long and pa-
per, we are told tonight, will be.
The last, because I am a newspa-
perman, is likely to hurt most. We
have already gone down to half the
normal number of pages and I can-
not think that we shall be forced
down much more. But where we
i shall feel it is in the space left for
news if advertisements jump, as
they do at certain periods. There is
some talk of applying a space-ra-
tioning scheme on ads under which
it might be laid down that no ad-
vertisement must exceed a certain
space.
Personally, I do not feel the food
rationing, because the three-quar-
ters of a pound of sugar, one-half
pound of butter and one-half pound
of bacon I am allowed each week is
quite enough. Neither myself nor
my wife, who gets the same amount,
consume much sugar and the bacon
has soared in price so that it is
nearly out of reach—and anyway
we are not so wedded to the “typi-
cal British bacon-and-egg break-
fast”. So far as butter is concerned
we are able to get a very high grade
margarine which fills the gap quite
satisfactorily.
Splurge On Marmalade ?
At first it is a little strange to
realize that you cannot step into
any shop you fancy and buy butter
and sugar and bacon but must go to
the shop where you are registered,
(Continued on Page 5)
storm of national proportions was
claims that Faith can foresee future
that the child is normal.
It all began when Mrs. Harry
Charity was christened last August.
papers.
mized the claims made for the child
$10,000 if Faith would disclose a
which Dunninger would write on a
seal in an envelope.
ed by The Psychic Observer of Lily
has frequently used articles about Faith, Dunninger
said he doesn’t believe in any kind of prophecies. “She
On one hand the parents of the child and Benjamin
Howells, Nanticoke newspaper publisher who prints
the prognostications of “The Little Prophet”, defended
Opposing such claims was a handful of investigators,
like Dr. Joseph Rhine of Duke University and U. L.
Ghilini of Beverly Hills, Cal., who seemed to be agreed
mother, took the child to New York, where she was
guest of honor at a salon conducted by a group of
people who are interested in psychic phenomena, in-
cluding Mrs. Arthur G. Learned, at whose Oriental
Temple at Brucehaven, Stamford, Conn., Faith Hope
Backs Challenge With $10,000
The story appealed to New York newspapers, which
carried long articles and photographs of the youngster.
After Mrs. Harding came home she was besieged with
requests for information from other Eastern news-
Within a few days Faith’s predictions were
a chief source of argument among physic researchers.
Joseph Dunninger, famed magician and chairman of
the Universal Council of Psychic Research, mini-
Charging that the Trucksville child is being sponsor-
raging this week.
events.
extra-sensory pe.
Harding, Faith’s | study, said durin,
prophecies were
Dr. Ghilini, w.
tive”,
staunchily.
and offered to pay
three-letter word
slip of paper and
some advantage
Dale, N. Y., which
in book form.
little girl’s prophecies.
ization of the God given talents of Faith are definitely
prohibited, though.”
Coincident with the controversy was the announce-
ment that a group of the child’s patrons in New York
City are preparing to publish many of har predictions
+ Storm Rages About “Wonder Child's” Head -
Around the curly head of four-year-old Faith Hope
: is a cute little girl,” he said, “and at one time they
Charity Harding, Trucksville’s “wonder child’, a new
tried to make a dancer out of her.
made into a miracle child.”
Protesting against the publicity and obviously hurt
by the attacks, Mrs. Harding declined to accept Dun-
ninger’s challenge, explaining that she has always
avoided such sensational offers and has never sought °
money for Faith’s services.
Dr. Rhine, who has done considerable research into
Now she’s being
rception and who, about two years
ago, received a regular record of Faith’s forecasts for
g a long distance telephone call from
Durham, N. C., that none of the claims made to him
for the child could be substantiated scientifically. The
in such general terms, he said, as to
be of no consequence.
“Spook Detective” Quizzes Faith
ho is publicized as a ‘spook detec-
came to Trucksville this week and said he vis-
ited with the child. “The only weird thing I could
find about Faith is her diet,” he said. “It seems to
consist of milk, wheatcakes and soft drinks.
asked her, ‘Have you a message for me?’ her eyes
lighted up and she said, ‘I'll take a soda.’ ”
In his daily newspaper, Mr. Howells defended Faith
“Fame of ‘The Little Prophet,” ” he wrote,
“continues to spread, with many hopeful of securing
When 1
or making some gain through the
Personal gain or commercial-
CIVIC PROGRAM FOR 1940
1. More community spirit in the
Dallas area.
2. A concrete highway from Dallas
to Tunkhannock.
8. Centralization of police and fire
: protection.
MORE THAN A NEWSPAPER, A COMMUNITY INSTITUTION 4. Better fire protection and lower
insurance rates.
Vol. 50 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1940 No. 8 | 5 More sidewalks.
SWEET VALLEY’S ROBINS
SURE SIGN OF AN EARLY
SPRING, FARMERS INSIST
“If winter comes, can spring
be far behind... 2”
Apparently not, for robins
were hopping about on 12-foot
snowdrifts in this section this
week.
C. Rhinehimer has seen three
robins in the vicinity of his
property in the last week and
two more have been sighted on
the Bronson property in Sweet
Valley.
Mr. Rhinehimer also found a
three-foot garter snake one day
this week and captured it in a
cigar box to keep as a sure
proof of an early spring.
It's Not Guayama,
But It's Exciting
Puerto Rican Student
Thrilled By Snowfall
It may be a far cry from the!
palms of Puerto Rico to the snow-
wrapped mountains of Pennsylvania,
but Alicia Reines, now a student at
College Misericordia, has taken to
the icy blasts like a natural.
“I only saw it in the movies and
in the ice box at home, but I love
it,” she exclaimed at the first sight
of the white flakes. When the howl-
ling wind brought little powdery
drifts into her room that night
Alicia added the condition, “as long
as it stays outside.”
Alicia was amazed at all the win-
ter sports. She was more and more
anxious to try out her skis. She has
good sense of balance for a begin-
ner, but the skis twisted at times
and Alicia fell with a thud—but
says “it’s right good fun.”
Daughter of a Guayama business
man, Alicia began her American ed-
ucation last fall in the Home Eco-
nomics Department of College Mis-
ericordia. Most interested in her
work, she proudly displays numer-
ous bits of handiwork which ghe
has added to her wardrobe. At {lio
art Alicia 'is no amateur, however;
for she has been sewing pretties all
her life.
Although her desire is to complete
her studies here, “if the Dean wants
me,” and teach in Puerto Rico, Miss
Reines confided that she likes to
keep house and hopes to some day.
By the sparkle in those snappy
black eyes at the mention of danc-
ing, it is easy to tell what has made
the greatest impression on her—the
beloved, the nerve-wracking but
thoroughly native zoological species, |
the American jitterbug. Our dances
are quite different and Alicia frank-
ly admitted that it was the first time
she had attended one unaccom-|
panied by her mother.
That good old Northern blizzard
was quite a treat also to two of the
school’s young ladies from the "’sun-
ny South.” Misericordia’s Home
Economics Department also daims|
Miss Barbara Van Sant of Augusta, |
Ga., known to her friends as “Mag. |
nolia”. A member of the Junior
Class, she is quite busy these days
assisting with preparations for their
Prom.
Miss Eleanor Lyons, contributing
a touch of the warmer country to
the Freshman Class, calls Columbia,
So. Carolina, home. Already she has
begun to carve a place for herself
on the debating platform and has
taken part in a symposum conducted
by the college. Miss Lyons finds
time also to enjoy the winter sports
on the campus.
Indeed, both North and South
have taken part in the fun of the
season. The resident students in
little groups over the whole campus
lost no opportunity of enjoying ski-
ing, sleighing, tobogganing, and
Misericordia’s campus and adjacent
woodlands might well be compared
with the White Mountains of New
Hampshire.
Youngster Killed
While Coasting
Car Strikes Sled As It
Crosses Silkworth Road
Coasting downhill across the high-
way from a driveway beside his
home, Eugene Ginter, 9, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Floyd Ginter, Lake Silk-
worth, was instantly killed, Wednes-
day afternoon when run over by a
car driven by a neighbor, Alphonso
Marchikitis, 24.
A charge of involuntary man-
slaughter was lodged against Mar-
chikitis by State Motor Police, who
took the driver before the court yes-
terday. The body of the boy was
taken to the home of his grand-
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Wysh-
ner, 203 Phillips Street, Hanover,
for burial.
The Ginters conduct a road stand
at Lake Silkworth. Marchikitis
lives a short distance away, on the
Silkworth-Pike Creek Road.
Bickman's Leg
Was Fractured
Betore He Died
Posse Makes Gruelling
Trip Through Drifts To
Recover Frozen Body
It was shock and exposure,
following a mule kick which
fractured his right leg, which
caused the lonely death of John
Bickman, 51, in an isolated
lumber camp 11 miles beyond
Noxen, after last week’s bliz-
zard, according to R. W.
Greenwood of Tunkhannock,
Wyoming County coroner, who
completed a post mortem early
yesterday morning.
A weary posse of State
troopers, WPA workers and
lumbermen reached Noxen
Sah Bickman’s body about
9:30 Wednesday night after
13-hour battle with deep afi
The body was taken immediately to
Tunkhannock, where it was claimed
yesterday by Bickman’s family.
The tragedy was discovered on
Tuesday, when Fred Dennison, 25,
Forkston, snowshoed up South
Mountain carrying grub to Bickman,
a mule tender at Crawford C.
Smith’s lumbering camp on the
Forkston-Noxen road.
Snowbound By Blizzard
The last man to see Bickman
alive was Steve Fidler, foreman,
who bade the mule tender good-bye
on the evening of Tuesday, Febru-
ary 13, the day before the blizzard.
After the storm none of the lumber-
men attempted to reach the job, but
on Tuesday a crew of WPA workers
began to open the Bowman's Creek
Road and 10 of Smith’s employes
started out for the camp.
Dennison, on snowshoes, pushed
ahead of his comrades, taking food
for Bickman. He reached the camp
about 1 P, M., aftcr a oxwalling Six-
hour trip: When he enterea bio
man’s sturdy little cabin he found
the fire out and the water frozen.
There were footprints outside, indi-
cating that Bickman had watered
the cattle since the storm.
Bickman’s body was in the stable,
beside the mules. One arm was
thrown over his head and there
were marks which indicated the
frightened mules had kicked at him.
Leaving the body as he found it,
Dennison hurried back to Noxen on
skis he found at the camp. R. W.
Greenwood of Tunkhannock, coun-
ty coroner, was notified immedi-
ately, as was Chief of Police Ira C.
Stevenson of Harvey’s Lake, who re-
layed the message to the State Mo-
tor Police.
A posse assembled on Tuesday
night at Newell's store, but a start
was not made until about 8 Wed-
nesday morning. Progress was slow
until a snowplow loaned by the A.
J. Sordoni Construction Co. arrived
to attack the 6-foot drifts.
Police Head Rescues Party
The rescue party included Mr.
Greenwood, Deputy Sheriff James
Wynd, Lieut. Charles Cook and
Lieut. Albert F. Flick of Wyoming
Barracks, three other motor police-
men, some WPA workers and some
of the lumbermen who work at the
camp.
The men reached the camp about
3. The body was loaded on a to-
boggan, which was used until the
returning posse reached a truck
which had been able to come part
of the way along the road.
Bickman is survived by a son and
daughter in Hazleton, a sister, Mrs.
Richard Davis, 317 Palmer Street,
Plymouth, and a sister in Scranton.
He had lived formerly in Hazleton,
Wilkes-Barre, Meshoppen and Beau-
mont and went to work for Smith
about a vear ago.
Most of the lumbermen who work
on the tract return to their homes
each evening, but Bickman lived
there all winter, in a small but com-
fortable cabin, not far from the road
which was built by C. C. C. workers
to connect Forkston and Noxen.
Nearby is a stone cabin which is
used by the fire warden in the sum-
mer.
Bickman had undergone an oper-
ation in Wilkes-Barre General Hos-
pital last year. A possibility that he
had a premonition of death was
seen in the story of one of his fel-
low-workers, who recalled that late-
ly Mr. Bickman had asked his friend
to take care of his insurance and to
see that he would be buried prop-
erly. It is believed he died on
Thursday or Friday.
Legion Head To Speak
Harold B. Leidy, commander of
Black Diamond Post, American Le-
gion, of Kingston, will address the
meeting of the Men’s Brotherhood of
St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Shav-
ertown, on Monday night at 8. There
will be refreshments.