Editorially Speaking:
What Has Happened To Meat Prices?
Is any form of “price control” workable? The answer to that
is yes—but not the kind of arbitrary and antificial controls which
Tue Darras Post
MORE THAN A NEWSPAPER, A COMMUNITY INSTITUTION
DALLAS
H
R
governments sometimes impose, to the eventual sorrow of their
- people. The only kind of “price control” which does a sound job
is that which is part and parcel of the supply-demand system of
production and distribution. :
Meat has been providing an exceptionally good sample of
that. This winter there was a seasonal increase in meat supplies.
As a result, between September and mid-January the general
wholesale price of all meats, for the country as a whole, declined
about 20 percent. This was reflected in sharp declines in retail
prices. In the Chicago area, over the same period of time, pork
chops dropped an average of 2 per cent, round steak, 25 per cent,
and so on down the line. Lard, which is one of the major by-
products of the meat packing industry, sank 30 percent.
This, to repeat; was the result of increased meat supplies
available to the consumer. How long that will go on, no one
knows. But all of us should know, from experience and obser-
vation, that government controls and allocations would inev-
itably create shortages—precisely as they would act as a welcome
shot in the arm to the black market. No one will do his utmost to
produce more meat for the future if he knows that the prices he
will receive, and the markets available to him, will be dictated
by the whims of politicians whose principal interest lies in seek-
ing favor with the voters.
Supply and demand continues to demonstrate that it is the
best and fairest economic system yet devised by man.
Lies Breeding More Lies
It is an indefensible lie to say that struggle between employers
and employees is inevitable. Such a lie can only be supported
by other lies.
The current version of this lie is that American business is a
parasite controlled from Wall Street, nurtured in monopoly,
charging extortionate prices and making outrageous profits.
The truth is exactly the opposite. American industry is the
* greatest strength of the nation, owned and controlled by millions
of Americans either as stockholders or self-employed businessmen.
x ¥ X
FROM.
PILLAR TO POST
By Mrs. T. M. B. Hicks, Jr.
Hats off to Phyllis. She's writing an exuberant autobiography with
' no holds barred, and it makes amusing reading.
“Three Acres” isn’t a column, nor should it be assayed as such. It
is the beginning of a book which when completed will undoubtedly find
a publisher, for though it is suggestive in its treatment of “The Egg and
I”, it is far more cleverly written.
It is breezy in spots, but life is
breezy at times, and a person who Veterans Have
Busy February
can take everything as it comes
with the future, | The following is a summary of
with a grain of salt and with the
‘ougue in the cheek, Bas yome a
Every writer should resign him- | activities of Dallas Township Vet-
! way toward milking w bai,
self with his first published word | erans’ Agriculture Class for Feb- |
to the fact that it is impossible | ruary.
to please everybody. Break into| The class started February with
print, and there you are, a handy a wonderful chicken supper served
target. That's the price for ex- by the Home Economics Department
pressing yourself, a lifelong resi- of Dallas Township Schools on Feb-
dence in. a glass house with not
enough Venetian blinds to go Miss Margaret Kane.
around. | Atty. Peter Kanjorski spoke on
As a general rule, if you approach | rural law and answered questions
ruary 7, under the supervision of |
|
writing or life with the ambition | for the veterans. Others attending
of giving no offense and pleasing
everybody, you give offense where
none was intended, and you please
nobody, not even yourself. If you
don’t achieve either of these dis-
tinctions, you take shape in the
local mind as a vague and formless
wraith, entirely lacking in person-
ality.
You can’t win. I remember with
wry amusement that a local mer-
chant took exception to my account
of a harmless thumbing through
the pages of a Sears Roebuck cata-
logue in search of some luxury item
that would amount to precisely ten |
dollars, postage included, ten dol-
lars: being the exact amount of
binge money with no strings at-
tached to it which was mine to
spend. The fact that the money
was never spent at all, but laid
philosophically aside to finance an
umbrella for a rainy day, didn’t
figure in the argument, which was
that if Mrs. Hicks was not going
to spend ten dollars she ought to
not spend it rummaging ‘through
a local store to the confusion of
the clerks and the ruination of’ the
shelf arrangements instead of not
spending it comfortably in front of
the fire with the feet elevated to
the top of the Franklin stove and
the shoulder blades comforted with
cushions.
After all, the proof of the pud-
ding, etc, etc. I note that the
readers who profess to be the most
deeply disturbed about the biologi-
cal inferences in “Three Acres” are
the very ones who dive the most
precipitately for the second page
of the Post in order not to miss
anything.
And I'm now sitting back and
waiting for reverberations.
, State Master To
Speak at Pamona
Pamona Grange 44 will meet
with Mountain Grange at Carverton
on March 19. Sharp Fullerton, Mas-
ter of the State Grange will be
the speaker.
were Don Evans, president, Floyd
Chamberlain, Secretary, and Tom
Moore, members of the School
Board; R. H. ‘Kuhnert, principal;
Frank Wagner, William Liem, and
Veterans’ Administration Training
Officer Holleran.
Anthony Beckant, Swoyerville,
treasurer of the Agricultural Club,
was toastmaster.
On February 14, Robert Parla-
man, public relations officer of the
State Game Commission spoke on
| “Wildlife as A Crop” and soil con-
servation.
On February 21, James Hutchison,
county agent, discussed the latest
developments . in soil conservation
seed, fertilizer, spraying and mod-
ern farming.
The class opened Monday, Feb-
ruary 28 under the leadership of
Joe Price, president of Dallas Vet-
erans Agriculture Club, discussing
the newly organized State agricul-
tural club called Young Farmers of
Pennsylvania, and very similar: to
the long established F. F. A. The
new club will deal mainly with
adults.
After a lengthy discussion about
the State club and its by-laws, a
motion to join was tabled until
the next monthly meeting, so that
there can be further investigation
and study of the by-laws.
The class is under the super-
vision of H. L. Chambers and E.
J. Keller, accredited instructors.
Library Book Club
Will Meet Wednesday
There will be an informal book
discussion at the meeting of the
library book club next Wednesday
afternoon starting at 2 at the lib-
rary.
Members of the serving commit-
tee will be Mrs. S. L. Alberts, Mrs.
Charles Ashley, Mrs, John Benner,
Mrs. Primo Berrettini, Mrs. Norti
Berti, Mrs. James Besecker, Mrs.
M. A. Briggs, Mrs. Alfred Bronson,
Mrs. Luther Brown and Mrs. Harry
Coolbaugh.
Vol. 59, No. 10
FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 1949
6 CENTS PER COPY
{INGSTO
ACKSON
E
TO
TOTAL
BOX SCORE
Back Mountain Highway Deaths and
Serious accidents since V-J Day
Hospitalized Killed
2 11
1
TOW IP 20 4
3
2
1
2
20
N
31
|
Firemen Back
Scout Movement
Committee Approves
Ward-LaFrance Truck
Deciding that its responsibility to
| the community is not limited alone
| to fire protection, Trucksville Vol-
| unteer Fire Company at a well
| attended meeting on Friday night
| voted to take over the sponsorship
| of Boy Scout Troops in its com-
| munity.
Among those who spoke for the
| project were: Stanley Cashmark,
| who has considerable experience in
| Scout work, and Rev. Robert Web-
| ster, pastor of Trucksville Metho-
| dist Church. .
President Don Finney appointed
the following Troop committee:
Stanley ' Cashmark, Dr. John =H.
Doane, ‘Rev. Robert Webster, Tom
| Jenkins, William" Johnston, Stanley
Farr,’ S. Dy# Finney and Warren
Unger.
Mr<*Ungar is a former Eagle
Scout with more than twenty years
experience in Scouting. His father
was also interested in Scouting.
| Bert Fennell will be scoutmaster
and Dr. Carl Bradbury will have
charge of Sea Scouts. Meetings of
both groups will be held shortly.
It is also hoped that a Cub Pack
can be organized under the super-
vision of the firemen’s committee.
Leaders reported that there are
sixty boys in the community who
are definitely interested in some
phase of scouting. There are ap-
proximately twenty-nine who want
to belong to the Scouts; twenty-one
who would like to join the Cubs
and twelve older boys interested
in Sea Scouts.
Choose Fire Truck
William Strange, chairman of the
committee to select a fire truck,
said that members of committee
have visited Penn Argyl, Hamburg
and Hanover Township to view
equipment and have decided that
Ward-LaFrance equipment costing
approximately $12,000 will = best
meet requirements of the company.
purchased within the = next few
months.
It was also reported that due to
the unusually mild weather - two
grass fires were among the four
fires to which the company
sponded during February.
re-
Jackson Firemen
Answer First Call
A telephone call by Ira Van Orden
brought Jackson's high pressure fog
fire truck, driven by Harold Bert-
ram, assistant fire chief, to the
scene of the fire in less thap” three
minutes. It was tn Jno com-
pany’s first response a fire call.
A brush fire started by Mr. Van
Orden got out of control and threat-
ened Harold Palmer’s residence and
buildings. There was no damage
done by the fire.
Fire Chief Bonning asks all resi-
dents to be extremely careful in
starting brush fires and if they get
out of control to call the Jackson
Volunteer Fire Department immed-
iately. “It is ‘better to answer a
call and find the fire out than to
answer a belated call and find ser-
ious damage already done. In short,
call first.”
Dallas Township PTA
To Sponsor Hobby Show
Dallas Township P. T. A. will
sponsor a hobby show in the high
School building Monday, March 21.
when the public will be invited to
show displays or to come and en-
joy other people’s.
The Home Economics Farm Bur-
eau will display all available mater-
ials_and classes of hobbies.
Hobbies already lined up for the
display are dog collections, tea
cups, salts and peppers, pitchers,
wedgewood, woodwork, weaving,
{ house plants and paintings.
Persons wishing to display hob-
bies will kindly get in touch with
Mrs. Jean Mitchell, Mrs. Mildred
Pruett, Mrs. Arline Evans, Mrs.
Dorothy Hislop, Mrs. Mary Hart-
man, Mrs. Minnie Sidorek, Mrs.
Eleanor Barnes, Mrs. Iona Davis,
Mrs. Catherine Mulcey, or Mrs.
Helen Evans.
No Socialized Medicine
Dallas Kiwanis Club has informed
Congressman Daniel Flood thap” it
is opposed to any form of seectilized
medicine being adopted at pre-
sent or future sessions of Congress.
The equipment will probably be;
{to cheer him during his long ill-
BE
|]
8
Among the talented groups and)
individuals participating in the sec- |
ond Annual Musicale of Back Moun- |
tain talent will be the Dallas Wo- |
men’s Club Chorale under the dir- |
ection of Mrs. Norman F. Patton. |
This festival of music is scheduled
for next Friday night, March 18th, |
School.
Members of the Dallas Women’s |
Club Chorale present in the above |
picture are: Front row, left to right, |
Arvilla Keiper, Mary Bennallack, '
Judges Named
For Farm Show
Centermoreland
Grange Plans Exhibit
J. D. Hutchison, Luzerne County
Agent; Ellis Swingle, manager of
Sterling Farms, Alderson; William
Schaefer, manager of NEPA Arti-
ficial Breeding Coop; and Gilbert
Burr, secretary of Bradco, will be
judges at the Farm Products Show
at Centermoreland Grange Hall on
Saturday, March 12, starting at
10:30 A. M., according to Harold
Appleby, master of the Grange.
There will be displays of hay,
silage, corn, eggs and other farm
products.
Ladies of the Grange will serve
dinner at noon.
Topics for discussion will be:
“Good Hay and Good Silage Help
Milk Production”—H. A, Bronson,
County, D. H. I. T. Tester.
“New Castle Disease in Our Poul-
try” —Gilbert Burr, Meshoppen.
“Green Wrap Tomatoes”’—J. D.
Hutchison, Trucksville.
“Grassland Farming’’'—Ellis Swin-
gle, Alderson.
“Our Interest in Grade
Cows’—William Schaefer,
hannock.
“Food For All Ages’—Clara A.
Stankowich, Wyoming County Home
Economics Extension Rep. and
“Accident Prevention in the Home.”
Miss Stankowich will meet with
the ladies for a separate meeting
in the afternoon when the home
| economics exhibits will be discussed.
Mother And Son
Have Broken Legs
Mrs. Lizzie Moore, formerly of
Sweet Valley, is a patient at Nesbitt
Hospital where she was taken Tues-
day afternoon after suffering a
broken hip. Her son, Cecil Moore,
is now confined to his hgme re-
cuperating from a broken_leg~ he
received less than three months
ago.’
Mrs. Moore, tripped at the Sam
Morgan home, Kingston, where she
is housekeeper. She was rising
from a chair with an infant in her
arms when she lost her balance and
could make no effort to recover.
The child was uninjured.
Her condition is good.
Dairy
Tunk-
Schuyler Kase
Seriously Ill
Schuyler Kase, president of
Northeastern Pennsylvania Volan-
teer Firemen’s Association, whé has
conducted fire schools for<practi-
{ cally all fire companies in the Back
Mountain area, is seriously ill at
his home in Olyphant. Trucksville
Firemen urge all local company
members to forward cards to him
ness.
Open Air Theatre
A ‘highway sign at the entrance
to Country Club Road sdys a.fiew
800-seat open air theatr ill be
erected there soon.
Charlotte Payne, Beatrice Lewis,
Marion Whitney, Adeltha Mahler,
Amy Scott, Margaret Purcell, Mrs.
Norman F. Patton, director. Back
Row, left to right: Betty Grose,
Marion Harvey, Wilda, Elston, Mary
Reese, Evelyn Eck, Nancy LeGrand, |
Margaret Jewell. Absent when pic-
Cummings, Dorothy Husted, Rob-
erta Quaill, Anne Rekus and Fanny
Williams,
Started in 1948 this musical
event has developed into the out-
Lehman End Men
Arthur Nuss
Thomas Elston i
For the first time in four years
a Lehman High School Class will
present a minstrel show,
\
“Gentlemen Be Seated” will be
given Friday and Saturday nights,
March 18 and 19 by the Class of
1950.
The production is being directed
by Miss Jule C. Bartley, assisted
by Bernard J. Gerrity, head of
the music department.
Interlocuter will be Donald Britt,
with Arthur Nuss, Thomas Elston,
Ronald Hutchinson, Fred Disque,
Andrew Harrison and Robert Hontz
as end men.
Carl Rood is stage manager. Eve-
lyn Keller is accompanist, assisted
by Bettina Tvede.
Wild Ducks Stop At
Eipper's For Swim
Cris Eipper says that hedias seen
no robins or blue birds, but fifty
ducks stopped at his place for an
hour’s swim and then headed north.
Whether Cris has seen them or
not, dozens of residents have called
the Post this week to say that they
have robins and some blue birds
in their yards,
To Take Part In All-Back Mountain Musicale
standing program of music of this
| area. This year’s Second Annual
| Musicale will feature the Music of
| Debussy, Brahms, Mozart, Tschai-
| kovsky, Cheminade, Kreisler, Rom-
| berg, and Rachmaninoff, also more
| recent composers.
This event, which is held to en-
| courage + interest in music in this
in the Kingston Township High |ture was taken: Zora Bogart, Rita area, is sponsored by the Ladies
| Auxiliary of St. Paul's Lutheran
| Church, Shavertown, with Mrs. P.
M. Winter as chairlady. Tickets
| may be purchased at the door be-
| fore 8:00 P. M. on Friday evening.
Township Grads
Elect Officers
Committee Named
To Write By-Laws
First business meeting of Dallas
Township Alumni Association was
held at the high scghool library Fri-
day night. Electigh of Officers was
the chief business:
Elected were: President, Mrs, Ed-
ward Sidorek; Vice President, Ed-
win Lumley; Recording Secretary,
Dorothy Weaver; Corresponding
Secretary, Mrs. Walter = Gosart;
Treasurer, Mrs. James Knecht; Fac-
ulty adviser, Daniel Williams.
Mrs. Robert L. Dolbear was ap-
pointed chairman of the constitu-
tion and by-laws committee which
will meet March 30 at the high
school library to draft a charter
for the new organization. Mem-
bers of the committee will be an-
nounced later.
Idetown Farmer
Leads Fight On
Federal Project
No Conclusions Are
Reached At Wilkes-
Barre Mass Meeting
Luzerne County farmers remain
unconvinced that additional gov-
ernment aid is necessary for local
soil conservation, following an air-
ing of both sides of the issue at
Hotel Redington Wednesday night.
Representing the farmers, John
M. Hewitt, Idetown, revealed that
government regulations would in
effect force the land owner to ac-
cept erosion control of his property
whether he wished or not, and that
he would be reduced from the stat-
us of owner to that of farm occu-
pant subject to punishment by law.
He quoted from a book of reg-
ulations published for department-
al employees and not for public
circulation. “I had to sign my life
away to get this book,” he said,
“The fellow who gave me this
book would lose his job if it were
known.” He added that the reg-
ulations had been published with
the intention of enforcing them.
“If this is voluntary,” He added,
speaking of the entire plan, “then
I am nuts!”
Presenting the case for a fed-
eral ‘erosion control district was
William J. Robbins Jr., Trucksville,
read the disputed state act to the
assembly. Wade W. Gregory, farm-
er director of the Carbon County
program supported his views and
extolled the work in his region,
stating that Luzerne County farm-
ers were throwing away a chance
to get technical assistance by gov-
ernment experts.
Stephen Emmanuel, who owns a
farm outside the County, spoke in
favor of conservation.
Carl Stainbrook, representing the
State Game Commission, disavowed
any activity by the commission
and said that “ we are all inter-
ested in conservation.”
Leading the attack for the farm-
ers was Fred Bittenbender, prom-
inent Huntington Mills farmer, who
reported that earlier in the week he
asked Miles Horst, State Secretary
of Agriculture, if outside aid could
give the farmers anything that they
had not received already. Mr. Horst
said, ‘Very little.” 3
William Smith, Berwick orchard-
ist, said that free rye grass, free
Next meeting of the association
will be held at the school library,
April 6 at 8 p.m. All alumni are
requested to attend and present
their ideas on what should be in-
corporated into the by-laws.
Present at the meeting: Mr, and
Mrs. James Knecht, Mrs. William
Lancio, Mrs. Edward Sidorek, Mrs.
Walter Gosart, Mrs. Robert L. Dol-
bear, Mrs. Leslie Tinsley, Mrs. Niles
Hess, Miss Pauline Kozemchak, Miss
Mary Hones, Miss Dorothy Weav-
er, Edwin Lumley, and Daniel Wil-
liams.
Glee Clubs Sponsor
Picturesque Frolic
A Picturesque Frolic featuring
musical numbers and interesting
scenes from nineteen different coun-
ties will be presented by Dallas
Senior and Junior Woman's Clubs
Thursday evening, April 28 in Dal-
las High School Auditorium.
Members of the general com-
mittee are: Mrs. Joseph Schmerer,
Mrs. Alan Montross; costumes, Mrs.
John Girvan, Miss Janine Sawyer;
music, Mrs. Leonard Harvey, Mrs.
Harold Elston; personnel, Mrs. Rob-
ert Dolbear, Mrs. Sherman Harter;
publicity, Mrs. Hordon Edwards,
Mrs. Muriel Garinger; research Mrs,
Robert Williams, Mrs. Roymane
Oney; stage properties, ‘Mrs, Wil-
liam Deibert, Mrs. Sam Margillina,
script, Mrs. Howard Yeager, Miss
Kay O’Boyle; tickets, Mrs. Wilson
Maury, Mrs. Wilbur Davies; diree-
tor, Mrs. Norman Patton.
To Be On Station WILK
A unique program was presented
at Dallas Junior Woman's Club
meeting last Tuesday evening when
Chuck Whittier of Station WILK
conducted a quiz on varied ques-
tions. Taking part were Mrs, Wil-
son Garinger, Mrs. William Baker
Jr., Mrs. Wilbur Davis and Mrs.
Claudia Guyette.
The quiz which was recorded will
be broadcast over WILK Tuesday
evening at 7:10.
or cheap young trees and other
inducements had been offered as
“bait” to gain favor among farmers
for the program. He. pointed out,
however, that Luzerne County now.
uses more rye grass than.is” used
in the rest of the state altogether.
There is, he claimed, no other com-
parable area which is more con-
servation conscious.
Several farmers dissented vigor-
ously at the mention of “free” rye
grass,
Comparing the conservation work
already in effect in Luzerne County
with that of a nearby county which
is an erosion control area, Mr. Bit-
tenbender and others showed that
work has progressed farther here
than it has where government ex-
perts are working. Mr. Bittenben-
der said that once in the past a
federal erosion control expert had
worked in Luzerne County and
“when he left we had to do all the
work over again to make it satis-
factory.”
Mr. Hewitt commented on the
existing regulations and said that
the gist of the program was “if
they don’t obey the program, force
them to.” He quoted sections to
show how a non-complying farmer
might be punished.
In reference to his previous state-
ment ' that the plan was a “lousy,
dirty communist trick” he declared
that he did not believe that there
were any communists present or
involved, but he said that the
spirit of communism was there.
“The communists,” he said, “know
that they have to kill the farmers,
the land owners, the sportsmen
and the business men a little at a
time.”
“Farmers,” he stated, “are the
most consevation-minded people in
the world. They have to be. They
know that if they don’t take care
of the land, they all go hungry
and so will everybody else.”
James Hutchison, County Agent,
was acclaimed to be one of the best
known and most successful county
agents, not only in Pennsylvania
but all adjoining states, and he
received an enthusiastic ovation
from the assembly.
-