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THIS WEEK
EBy
Earl
“Tige”
, Pickle
Heard a man on the radio the
other morning putting in a com
mercial plug for a skating rink.
Which reminds us that we haven’t
seen a grown-up on a pair of skates
since Buck was a yearling. Time
was a number of years ago when a
skating rink used to put up in every
town each fall much like the travel
ing tent shows of today. Everybody
turned out to skate. Or to try. We
fell into the latter category. The_
manager would see us coming and
instruct the help with these words:
“Let that boy in free. The place
needs mopping up, anyway.” But
we had lots of company. There
seemed to be more beginners on the
floor than any place else. It has al
ways been a mystery to us why a
novice skater will wear white trous
. ers to a skating rink. But invaria
bly they do. And after fifteen min-,
utes on a skating floor those white
trousers will look like something a
drunk miner discarded. To an on
looker skating appears the easiest
and most pleasant of all sports. He
seems to glide and roll with all the
precision of the man on the flying
trapeeze. But, brethren and sisters,
it only appears that way. Once a
person ties on a pair of skates, his
or her legs are as uncontrollable as
a wild mule at an auto show. One
leg doesn’t know what the other leg
has just done. One limb will desire
to go in one direction while the
other has an altogether contrary
opinion. A novice skater’s legs are
about as much in accord as a cat at
a canine convention. '[They just don’t
agree on anything. Another mys
tery is why a skater will fall hard
enough to jar the foundation of the
house, rattle all the windows and dis
arrange the shingles on the roof, but
manage to scramble to his feet with
out apparent injury. We’ve never
known a beginner to require medi
cal attention. Though we have seen
several who took their meals stand
ing for several days afterward.
Though the man on the radio made
skating seem the most attractive of
all summer sports, reveling in his
hardwood floors and speaking glow
ingly of electric fans which make
the place seem a paradise of cooling
breezes—all of which might look
mighty attractive to the man or
woman who had an idle afternoon
or night—we would rather wipe out
a Japanese machine gun nest equip
ped only with a cornstalk and pea
shooter than adventure on a hard
floor astride a pair of roller skates.
With our increasing avoirdupois, a
fall by us would achieve results
which would be most terrifying. Both
to us and the management.
It was the late Robert Burns, the
poet, if we remember our literature
correctly, who said: “O, would God
the gift, give us, to see ourselves as
others see us.” Well, a few weeks
ago we hurled one of our too-seldom
bouquets at the men and women who
stand two-hour watches at the ob
servation post. Very promptly there
came a letter from a member of
the Marine Corps which, among oth
er things, contained a comment
something to this effect: “What a
magnificent job, you men and wom
en back home are doing at the ob
servation post. I hope it isn’t too
straining on you all, meaning those
two-hour watches. I hope nobody is
overcome by this terrible ordeal. We,
too, up here stand guard. It is a
bothersome job. Sometimes our
guard duty lasts for eight hours, and
we aren’t allowed to sit down and are
required to carry a gun. Besides . .”
One of the chief compensations
for writing this column is the letters
We receive. (No, Josephine, our pay
check doesn’t matter. .What’s mon
ey to a wealthy cuss like us?) But
we do appreciate them even if they
are not signed. Our name appears
at the head of all the stuff we write.
Sometimes we wish it didn’t, after
seeing some of our mental efforts in
print. Is it asking too much of our
correspondents if we ask them to
sign their names? It doesn’t matter
W'hether you are in agreement with
this column or not, we appreciate the
letters just the same, and will guar
antee you they will get the same
courteous treatment as if you had
praised us to high Heaven. So, when
writing, please sign yout name. If
you don’t want your name uesd, then
it won’t be used. We get many
letters signed “A Reader,” “A Sub
scriber,” or “Your Devoted Follow
er,” but they don’t give us near the
satisfaction as do those which are
properly signed.
_________
We are repeating ourself, and we
iMfan
Washington, D. C. (NWNS)—The
recent ruling of the National War
Labor Board, giving the workers in
“Little Steel” plants an average
wage increase of 44 cents a day, is
believed here to have touched off
the fuse which can lead to paralyzed
inflation unless immediate steps are
taken to prevent it.
The steel case, in which the union
asked a wage increase of $1 a day,
was “settled” by giving an increase
which is supposed to be the amount
necessary to take care of the 15 per
cent increase in the cost of living
since the steel workers got their
last increase. As a result of this
formula for increased wages to labor,
it is now expected that all unions
will quickly make similar demands.
If they do, and if their demands
are met, it is estimated that our la
bor bill for war production this
year will be increased by several
billion dollars.
Experts here believe the only way
inflation can be prevented is by
drastic legislation to freeze wages
plus additional legislation to keep
food prices from increasing, but so
far the President has been hesitant
to recommend such legislation and
congressional groups are fighting
against such legislation tooth and
nail. The farm group in congress
is unwilling to listen to proposals'to
freeze food prices, except at ceilings
which are much higher than present
prices, and the labor group will not
listen to wage freezing proposals.
It is agreed by those who have
studied the situation that, whether
or not Leon Henderson and his Of
fice of Price Administration get ade
quate funds to enforce price ceilings
on manufactured goods, inflation
cannot be stemmed unless wages
and farm prices also are put under
drastic control. Surveys indicate
that the people of this country are
ready and willing to accept such
control, but congressmen, fearing
the loss of votes at the coming elec
tion if they ask sacrifices from labor
and from the farmers, are shying
away from any action in this direc
tion.
It is expected that drastic
changes will be made in the new
tax bill by the senate committee
which is studying it, but there is lit
tle expectation that the senate will
add to it and it may decrease it by
its revisions. The treasury depart
ment is greatly concerned over the
fact that the present measure is $2,-
500,000,000 short of its request.
It is believed probable that congress
will make up the difference by pass
ing a sales tax if necessary, after
the November election.
Each week the criticism of con
gress for thinking in terms of the
election instead of the welfare of
the country increases. Senator
Barkley, the majority leader of the
senate, who has vigorously defend
ed congress against all criticism,
finally turned to criticizing congress
himself over the purely political
move to insist that the senate ap
prove all appointments to executive
position in the Office of Price Ad
ministration.
“At this juncture in the war,”
said Senator Barkley, “it would be
most unfortunate for the senate of
the United States to create the im
pression on' the country, and on its
people and on the world, that we
are more interested in patronage,
in securing some jobs, than we are
in anything else.”
But despite such statements, the
Senate continues to show more in
erest in the election than in the vi
tal legislation which it now has be
fore it, the number of senators at
tending sessions these days indicat
ing that a great number of our leg
islators are now in their home states
campaigning. Except for the re
quest of Senator Barkley that ab
sent senators return to Washington,
hope we aren’t boring you, but may
we remind you, and we’re going to
keep on reminding you until some
thing is done about it, that Blakely
needs:
A new school building.
A bus station.
A modern telephone system.
An airport.
And a paved road to Columbia.
The bad is often offset by the
good. And vice versa. Summertime
brings a supply of wholesome veg
etables and delectable fried chicken,
and a host of visiting relatives to
consume the same.
T. Grady Head is a candidate for
Attorney General. Mr. Head is no
novice in politics and is well-known
to thousands of Georgians. He is
and well-qualified to hold
this important office. He deserves the
(attention of all voters who demand
honest and efficient government.
EARLY COUNTY NEWS. BLAKELY, GEORGIA
43 would have been missing when
the important price control legisla
tion was being debated.
The problem of man-power to
handle important industrial tasks is
becoming one of great concern here,
there being great shortages of
skilled men in many lines. Figures
prepared by the war manpower com
mission indicate that for every tool
maker available, 31 are needed and
for every ship building assembler
available, 94 are needed. The ship
building industry, which employed
60,000 workers in June, 1939, is now
employing 700,000 and is scheduled
to expand to twice that size by 1943.
The war production schedule calls
for employment of 3,500,000 addi
tional men for aircraft, shipbuilding
and ordnance work and 32 per cent
should be skilled workers. Even with
the many training courses now being
given to trained skilled workers, it
is not expected that it will be pos
sible to get the number wanted.
The war production program calls
for a labor army of approximately
14,000,000 people by next year. Os
this number, almost 9J)00,000 are
being enlisted from civilian work.
At the present time there are ap
proximately 12,500,000 employed in
war production which is almost
double the number employed in this
work on January 1, 1941.
The Early County Library will be
open each day from 9 a. m. to 7 p.
m., except Thursday afternoon,
when a half-holiday will be observed.
The Story of Georgia
■ Yesterday
' Today
i Tomorrow
•i ’ X
In commemoration of its 75th Anniversary
t, 7 —Year as an independent Georgia news-
1 ‘flWwy'fJwlSw I 7 paper, Georgia owned and Georgia edited
6 V —The Atlanta Constitution will soon pub-
J MsX-' I* B * l an extraordinary edition, paying '*l
* \|ly tribute to the men, the industries, the
i businesses and institutions whose contri- f- .. |
butions to our state’s progress have been f ,
u 7 outstanding in the past three-quarters of
a century. This issue of The Constitution ~ ,
i' %//, bids fair to be the most comprehensive J
J f r \ . survey of the Georgia scene—past, pres- .
; j Z/ ent and future—-ever to be published.
GEORGIA'S ROLL OF HONOR .
)'* i
Historical material by our own staff writers and t
i « other authorities—profuse illustrations of our state <•
> down through the years—biographical material on f
Pnmirur illustrious sons of Georgia—a record of our state’s . .
i « VAJUllllg UUVU achievements to date—and a broad-scale estimate of
L, L‘ |it her future possibilities will make this a volume of
W dtcn lor Hi interest to every man, woman and child within
. Georgia’s borders. ,;T'
Be on the lookout for this extraordinary issue of
The South’s Standard Newspaper! w ‘
■ I
THlh
THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTIONS 1
r—-K I K
For 75 Years An Independent Georgia Newspaper —Georgia Owned J ll j »|
and Georgia Edited. z[; j. y
WHITE POND NEWS
Little Miss Bebe Ann Bridges is
visiting her grandparents in Brinson,
Ga.
Mrs. Willet McDowell and baby
son, LaDan, of Damascus, visited her
mother, Mrs. Alice Willis, Sunday.
Mrs. Ida Rogers is visiting her
brother in Texas.
Miss Ollie Lewis, of Dothan, Ala.,
and Mr. Fred Neilson, of Washing
ton, D. C., visited Miss Lewis’ moth
er, Mrs. Alice Lewis, recently.
Miss Frances Rogers is visiting
friends and relatives in Mobile, Ala.
Miss Martha Jane Bridges had as
her guest Thursday night Miss Grace
Willis of Blakely.
Friends will regret to hear that
Mrs. E. C. McDowell has been ill.
Mr. and Mrs. Hilton Jones and
daughter, Hilda, visited Pensacola,
Fla., several days last week.
Miss Bonnie ewis and Bill Toole
returned home Monday, after a two
weeks’ visit with relatives in Mul
berry, Fla.
HEAR
GOVERNOR
TALMADGE
EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT
Over Radio Station
WSB AT 10:30 P. M.
Georgia Needs Talmadge
A
FOR FAMILIES OF NAVY MEN
This window sticker is being issued in color. It
may be obtained by applying to the nearest Navy
Recruiting Station, Post Office Building, Albany, Ga.,
or at the News office.
READ THE ADS IN THIS ISSUE OF THE NEW'