The Texas Mohair Weekly (Rocksprings, Tex.), Vol. 50, No. 9, Ed. 1 Friday, March 7, 1958 Page: 1 of 4
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Rocksprings, Texas', . ’Friday, March 7th, 1958
Number 9
ST® MoXrs I Assistant Secretary Of Agriculture
Make Clean Sweep| Explains Slump In Mohair Market
Nueces Canyon
Gris Lose Bi-district
To Comfort
Edwards County 4-H Club mem-
bers made a clean sweep in the
Junior Rambouillet Sheep Division
at the Houston Fat Stock Show.
Jimmie Ruth Wittenburg ex-
hibited grand champion ewe, re-
serve champion ewe, reserve champ-
ion ram, and 1st place exhibitor
flock.
Tom Epperson showed the grand
champion ram and 2nd place ex-
hibitors flock.
Other placing in the Junior Ram-
bouillet Show were: 1st place ram
lamb, 3rd place yearling ram, 1st
and Sth place yearling ewe, 1st
and 2nd place ewe lambs, Jimmie
Ruth Wittenburg; 1st place year-
ling ram, 3rd and 4th place ewe
lambs, Tom Epperson; 2nd place
yearling ram, Jo Nel Epperson.
In the fine wool fat lamb class,
Jimmie Ruth Wittenburg placed
9th, 25th and 26th in the individual
class of 87 lambs and in the group
of three class she placed 5th. She
netted $660.80 in the sale of 3
fat lambs and prize money on
Rambouillet breeding sheep.
Miss Mary Lou Wittenburg was
helping hold her sister’s lambs in
the sale at Houston last week, and
had just left the arena, when D.
Wooley of Flying D Ranch at
Harris, Oklahoma presented the
little girl with a $100 bill to en-
courage her in the sheep business.
He had just bought the 109-pound
lamb for $1.00 a pound and then
gave the lamb back to her. Mary
Lee has 4 more years to grow
before she is old enough to enter
her stock. She is already quite a
showman and has a way about her
of quieting the stock, when adults
are unable to handle them.
Rabid Cat Bites
Woman At
Erwin Ranch
Mrs. Maria Lira, who works in
the ranch home of Mr. and Mrs.
Claud Erwin, was bitten by a rabid
cat Monday morning about 8 o’-
clock.
The stray cat attacked Mrs. Lira,
while she was on the back porch.
It took 5 stitches to close the
wound which was near her ankle.
As soon as the medicine reaches
here, she will begin taking the
series of shots, which will be one
each day for 14 days.
Mrs. Lira’s husband, Vicient Lira,
works on Mrs. H. S. Davis’ ranch.
The rabid cat had wandered off
to the ranch barns after biting
Mrs. Lira. Mr. Erwin found and
killed it and took the head to
Austin that day to be examined,
where it was diagnosed to have
rabies.
— -o-o-
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
TO MEET TUESDAY AT 3 P. M.
The Chamber of Commerce wlil
meet Tuesday afternoon, March
11th at 3 o’clock at the Balentine
Hotel. The directors will select new
officers of the 1958 program.
- ........ o-o-
Mr. and Mrs. Watt Turner re-
turned home last week from San
Antonio, where they had had medi-
cal treatment for several' weeks.
The slump in the mohair market
during the winter monhts after
many years of prosperous prices
has the goat breeder studying stat-
istics about his industry in an at-
tempt to find out the reason for
American grown mohair being
blackballed from the current mar-
ket.
Brooks Sweeten, president of the
Texas Angora Goat Raisers’ Asso-
ciation, recently wrote to Senator
Lyndon B. Johnson about the de-
cline in the prices for mohair.
Senator Johnson referred the in-
quiry to Marvin L. McLain, As-
sistant Secretary of Agriculture,
who discusses the subject in a
letter as follows:
* * *
Department of Agriculture
Washington 25, D. C.
February 21, 1958
Hon. Lyndon Johnson
United States Senate
Dear Senator Johnson:
This is in reply to your letter
of January 27 enclosing a letter
from Mr. Brooks Sweeten, Rock-
springs, Texas, concerning the de-
cline in prices for mohair.
During the past several years,
export demand for mohair increas-
ed while the domestic demand de-
clined. As a result, nearly 14.5 mil-
lion pounds, greasy basis, of the
18.2 million pounds produced in
the United States in 1956 were
exported. From present indications,
consumption of mohair by U. S.
mills is probably less than one-
half what it was in 1953. Enclosed
is a copy of a table showing stat-
istical data for mohair in the Unit-
ed States from 1938 through 1956.
Nearly two-thirds of the domes-
tic mohair exported during 1956
went to the United Kingdom and
the balance to the European conti-
nent. Reports from members of the
mohair trade in Boston indicate that
demand for U. S. mohair by the
United Kingdom and the Contin-
ent has been very quiet in recent
weeks.
This situation in the market for
mohair is apparently in line with
recent trade trends in purchases of
wool in the world market by the
United Kingdom and France. The
foreign exchange situation in these
countries has brought about mea-
sures to curtail imports, including
imports of textile fibers. With the
prospective demand for textile fib-
ers in England and France show-
ing considerable uncertainty, prices
for wool have shown a sharp de-
cline in world markets and this
trend in wool prices is now being
followed by an easing of prices for
mohair.
Reports received by the Depart-
ment confirm Mr. Sweeten’s under-
standing that practically all the
current mohair clip in the Union
of South Africa has been sold. With
the foreign exchange difficulties
that have developed in England and
France in the latter part of last
year when the fall clip of Texas
mohair was coming on the market,
the demand for U. S. mohair slack-
ened. It is believed that future de-
mand will depend to a large extent
upon the world demand for textiles
and particularly demand in Eng-
land and France for fabrics for
which mohair was being used in
those countries. Demand for mo-
hair by U. S. mills recently has
been very light.
Direct comparisons of prices for
mohair in South Africa and prices
for domestic mohair are difficult
to make because of the fact that
the methods of preparing mohair
for market differ widely in the two
countries. However, it appears to
be the concensus of opinion in the
Boston market that prices for
South African mohair are now re-
latively higher than prices for Tex-
as mohair.
A national average support price
for mohair of 70 cents per pound
for the 1955, 1956 and 1957 mar-
keting years, was established under
the National Wool Act of 1954, and
the same price has been announced
for the 1958 marketing year. The
national average of prices received
by growers for mohair was 82.2
cents’for 1955, 84.4 cents for 1956,
and 88.0 cent’s for 1957, and, con-
sequently, no payments were nec-
essary. However, with the prices
in Texas currently quoted at 66.5
to 68 cents for adult mohair and
96.5 to 98 cents for Kid hair, pay-
ments under the National Wool
Act may be required for the 1958
marketing year to bring the nation-
al average prices received in the
free market up to the support level
of 70 cents per pound, if the price
situation does not improve.
The Texas mohair growers are
to be commended for their initiative
in sending a representative to South
Africa to study the breeding stock,
mohair, sales methods, and the mo-
hair industry generally in that
country. It is hoped that this spec-
ial effort on their part will de-
velop something helpful in strength-
ening Texas growers’ production
and marketing methods so as to
increase their income from mohair.
Your interest in this matter is
greatly appreciated.
Sincerely yours,
MARVIN L. McLAIN,
Assistant Secretary.
-o-o
Friday March 14
Will Be
Teaching Day
Teachers will be teaching in
the Rocksprings School, Friday,
March 14th and not attending the
annual teacher’s meet in San An-
tonio. This is due to that little old
virus, the Asiatic or vegetable
type flu, whichever it was. This
date and the Monday after Eas-
ter will complete making up the
days lost during the flu epidemic.
An epidemic of communicable
diseases: scarlet fever, measles,
mumps, and chicken pox have gone
through the school, leaving many
absenteeisms. Supt. Barr reported
that 85 school children were absent
in one day. Scarlet fever patients
are no longer quarantined according
to the State Health Department
and this disease has about run out
of students to center upon. Though
it has been in a light form, it has
been a costly disease to the school's
ADA and to the parents’ pocket-
books.
Miss Betty Feynn
Places In WAF
Tournament
In San Antonio
|
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Miss Betty Feynn, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Bob Feynn, played
in four games in the WAF's basket-
ball tournament held at Lackland
Air Force Base the past week
Mr. and Mrs. Feynn, Mr. and
Mrs. Terry Cotfaert, Mrs. Ivan
Smart, and Miss Neddie Clark
went to San Antonio to see Betty’s
team from Lowry’s Air Force Base
at Denver, Colorado.
The Lowry team won their first
two games with Sh’epperd AFB at
Wichita Falls on Saturday and
Chanute AFB of Illinois on Sun-
day, The team lost to Sheppard
on Tuesday and also to Lackland,
which put them out of the,tourna-
ment.
Miss Feynn and another WAF,
Miss Ahls of Indiana, visited in
Rocksprings, Wednesday with Mr.
and Mrs. Feynn and Mrs. John
Sweeten.
........-—o-o
Just to make sure that crime
dosen't pay, the government should
taka it ovav and uy to run it.
Meeting Called
March 13 For All
Interested In
Junior Stock Show
There will be a meeting of all
4-H Club members, F.F.A. boys,
their parents and others interested
in the Edwards County Junior
Livestock Show at the Rocksprings
School Cafeteria, Thursday, March
13th at 7:30 p. m.
The purpose of this meeting is
to discuss, amend and approve rules
and classes for the 1959 show.
Judges and show officials will also
be selected.
In an effort to improve this
county show, classes will be set up
and such rules as needed will be
made a year in advance. The ma-
jority of those participating feel
that an early program line-up will
be more beneficial to the youth of
Edwards County.
This meeting will give each in-
terested party an opportunity to
improve the county livestock Show.
Slides of the 1958 Edwards Coun-
ty Junior Livestock Show will be
shown and refreshments will be
served.
-o-o-
Edwards County
Youths Show Stock
In San Angelo
Edwards County was well repre-
sented at the San Angelo Fat
Stock Show this week. Exhibitors
from the Rocksprings FFA and
Edwards County 4-H Club were
Mike Tatum, Gretchen Whitworth,
Jo Nel Epperson, Tom Greer
Epperson, Franklin Glasscock. Sue
and Christine Haines, Tooter Whit-
worth, Tooter and Kenny Waites.
Accompanying the young people
were County Agent Hayden Haby,
Spud Tatum, Walker Epperson,
Cris Haines, Babe Whitworth, Dick
Waites, and John Whitworth.
-o-o---- -------
Miss Mayes Is
Guest Speaker
At PTA Meeting
Miss Alice Jane Mayes, Claud
Erwin, and Leonard Walker parti-
cipated in a panel discussion “Af-
ter High School — What?" at
the March meeting of the Rock-
springs P. T. A., Wednesday. Mrs.
Dan McKnight was moderator for
the discussion.
Miss Mayes is a senior Home
Economics major at Southwest
Texas State Teachers College, San
Marcos, and is at present doing her
practice teaching in the Tivy High
School,
Mrs. Hugh Coston, P. T. A.
president, presided at the meeting
and named the nominating com-
mittee as follows: Mrs. Bill Tay-
lor, Mrs. Howard Grooms, and
Mrs. Hilton Bean.
The room count was as follows:
First Grade; Sixth and Eight
Grades tied for Junior High; and
Twelfth Grade.
There will be a Parent-Teacher
Association District Conference in
Sonora, March 25th, and several
local members are expected to at-
tend.
The Nueces Canyon girls’ team
lost the bi-district tilt to Com-
fort in the Bandera Gym. The
canyon girls were unable to present
the good teamwork they showed
against Rocksprings last week.
The Comfort team took the lead
until the third quarter, when Nue-
ces Canyon tied the score and got
2 points in the lead. In the fourth
quarter the Comfort girls comfor-
tably raised the score to an eleven
point lead over Nueces Canyon
and won the bi-district 39 to 28.
We understand the Comfort
team was composed entirely of
senior girls, who had been play-
ing together ever since their jun-
ior high days.
Barbara Cox scored 18 points
and Charlote Shipman scored 10
points for Nueces Canyon. A. Aller-
kamp made 27 points for Comfort.
Comfort ringed 15 points from 16
fouls made by the canyon team.
Attending the Tuesday night’s
game from Rocksprings were Mr.
and Mrs. Aubrey Clark, Miss Ned-
die Clark, Miss Buck Jones, Mr.
and Mrs. Warren Hutt, Paul Barr,
and Clarence Martin.
--o-o-
Canyon Boys Win
First Regional
Game From Hutto
Nueces Canyon and Hutto paired
off for the first go-round in the
regional semi-finals at San Mar-
cos last Saturday. The Nueces
Canyon team won 51 to Hutto's 40.
Scoring for the canyon team were
Sid Bonner, 15; Bob Wallace, 17;
Pressy Webb, 13; Micky Luce, 6.
The Nueces Canyon team was
defeated in the regional finals by
Kyle, 59 to 35. Scoring were Bon-
ner, Sherman and Luce, 1 point
each; Wallace, 21; Webb, 9; and
Northcutt, 2.
Edwards County School
Assessments As Related To
Resale Value Being Studied
Edwards County citizens are
joining in the most widespread
citizen study ever made of Texas
public schools, with a view to re-
commending improvements to the
1959 State Legislature.
The study, which has to be both
thorough and speedy because coun-
ty reports are needed by May 1,
is an outgrowth of the Legislature's
move to examine operations of the
Gilmer-Aikin Law since its adop-
tion in 1949.
Each one of the state’s 254 coun-
ties has a special committee which
will report by May to the Hale-
Aikin Committee of 24, a state-wide
group which will consolidate the
county reports and draft recom-
Rocksprings Tennis
Teams Play
In San Antonio
Trash Fire At
Post Office Bldg.
Trash in the waste paper basket
in the lobby of the Post Office
Building caught fire Sunday night
about 10 o'clock. The blaze was
discovered by Howard Grooms and
he and Albert Frtiz, local night
watchman, extenguished the blaze.
No noticeable damage was done to
the Post Office equipment.
Apparently the fire was started
by a lighted cigarette carelessly
thrown in the basket. Postmaster
Claud Erwin said that if such an
occasion happens again, it will
neccessitate locking the building at
night. It would mean putting the
ranch people to an inconvenience in
getting their mail at night.
Some of the local people have
begun to write on the walls and
oak paneling in this people. This
fine, new building will soon be
defaced with such writing if the
people don't respect the property
and care to keep it in good con-
dition.
Rocksprings boys participated in
San Antonio's invitational tennis
tournament last Thursday. Friday
and Saturday. The teams are
coached by Ben Davis and Leonard
Walker.
In one group, Charles Hender-
son and Phillip McCoy were de-
feated by Baytown High No. 1
team, 0-6; 1-6. The Baytown team
was the champion of the tourna-
ment in the Senior Boys' Doubles.
Mack Guthrie and Ronnie Mar-
tin defeated Harris Junior High
team of Houston, 6-1; 6-3 in the
Junior Boys' Doubles and went
to the semi-finals to be defeated
by Kerrville Junior High, 1-6: 1-6.
Kenneth McCoy lost to Butch
Newmann of Mark Twain, Jr. High
in San Antonio, 1-6; 0-6. Newman
went on higher to be the champ
of the Junior Boys' Singles.
In another Senior Boys’ Doubles
game, Rodney Merritt and Bruzz
Smart were teamed with Ray High
School of Corpus Christi, 8-6; 3-6:
6-4. The Rocksprings' team played
Baytown No. 2 team in the sec-
ond round (quarter finals) and
lost 0-6; 0-6.
-o-o-
6.52 Inches Rain
For Rocksprings
So Far In 1958
BROTHER OF MRS. EVA
FRYAR BURIED
IN NEW MEXICO
Ray Miller. 68, brother of Mr-.
Eva Frvar, died of a heart at-
tack at his ranch at Reserve. New
Mexico, Friday, February 28th.
Funeral services were held at Re-
serve last Sunday.
Mrs. Fryar, J. H. Frvar, and
Mr. Miller’s nephew, Speck Large,
of Leakey, attended the funeral.
Immediate survivors are his wife,
Mrrs. Lottie Miller of Reserve.
New Mexico, and his sister, Mrs.
Fryar.
He was the son of the late Mr.
and Mrs. Henry Miller of Edwards
County.
mendations to the 1959 Legislature.
Deadline on this is October 1. The
Texas Education Agency is lend-
ing manpower and material assis-
tance in order to get the job done
on time.
In common with the other counties,
the Edwards County committee un-
der the chairmanship of Paul E.
Barr is concentrating its efforts in
the areas of curriculum, teacher
supply, classroom shortages and
finance. Out of these studies im-
provements in the Gilmer-Aikin
Law will be sought, and a wide-
spread citizen knowledge of school
problems at the local level is ex-
pected to result also.
In order to obtain a county-
wide assessment ratio for each
type of property classified: residen-
tial. ranch, commercial, and in-
dustrial property, Supt. Barr with
the assistance of Tax Assessor
and Collector Clarence Martin and
County Superintendent Horace
Brown made a ratio study of Ed-
wards County valuations and resale
value.
The study was for 1956 and 1957.
There were no commercial or in-
dustrial properties in Edwards
County sold during those two
years, so the ratio could not be
worked out for those two types.
The committee took 4 pieces of
city property that had been sold
in the past two years to make the
ratio study. The 4 pieces of pro-
perty were assessed at approxi-
I mately $4,400 and sold for $18,000,
which was a ratio of 24.4 per cent
| assessment to the market price.
Three ranches in various parts
of the county that had been sold
in the two years were used. The
ranches sold at approximately $187,-
000 and were assessed on the school
tax rolls at $16,271 or 8.7 per cent
of the market value.
This is only one of the studies
that will be made by the Hale-
Aikin Committee. The committees
will make their reports in April
and the final report submitted to
the Hale-Aikin Committee of 24 by
May 1. 1958.
These committees will function
under the following heads:
Program or Course of Study Cur-
riculum: Mrs. James Wittenburg,
chairman: Mrs. Teil Bishop, Mrs.
Hugh Coston, Howard Martindale.
X. E. Varga, C. C. Stewart, and
Frank O. Cloudt.
Finance: C. R. Priddy, chairman;
Mrs. Louise Pope, C V. Whit-
worth, E. J. Trees, Marvin Hutto,
] and J. W. Richardson.
Teacher Supply: S. A. Woold-
ridge, chairman; Miss Lorene Beer-
winkle, Mrs. J. H. Gray, Mrs. Paul
Rosenow. Mrs. Wanda Pope, and
Terry Hill.
School Construction: Ivan Smart,
chairman; Mrs. Jack Whitworth,
C. E. Yernor, Claud Erwin, Paul
Rosenow and G. C. Fleischer.
Supt. Barr, Supt. Webb and
County Supt. Horace Brown will
act as consultants.
IHHT'5 n HUT
POWER OF THE PRESS
A leading association of retail-
ers recently held a convention.
And one of the highlight? develop-
ed, according to an Editor & Pub-
lisher account, is that “Newspapers
remain tops among retailers as the
prime -implement for moving
goods.”
That speaks well for the power,
prestige and durability of the press,
in this era when all manner of
media are scrapping for a share in
the advertising dollar. The printed
word, in regularly-issued periodi-
cals, has not lost its magic.
, —o-o—-......
A man mast hare a certain
amount of intelligent ignorance to
get anywhere—Chat F.
Rocksprings has had 6.17 inches
of rainfall since the first of the
year. During January, 2.06 inches
fell. In February the rainfall
amounted to 4.03 and so far .08
has fallen in March.
February's precipitation was as
follows: 12th, .15 (snow); 20th, .06;
21st, .30; 22nd, 2.70; 23rd, .60; 28th,
.22; total, 4.03.
.35 fell in a quick shower Thurs-
day afternoon.
ROCKSPRINGS DANCE
BAND TO GO TO
BROWNWOOD
The Rocksprings School Dance
Band will go to the annual Stage
Band Festival in Brownwood, Sat-
urday. The 15 students and their
Director Ben Davis will observe
the other bands and program, but
will not participate.
Mr. and Mrs. Walker Epperson
and children attended the Houston
Fat Stock Show last week.
•/>
/
THE VOICE IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SIVORD
The great simon bolivar scored
H« FIRST VICTORY £>E« THE SBWSH
BY A RUSE. HE HID HIS SCANTY ARMY
BEHIND ROCKS. ORDERED THEM TO
MAKE ENOUGH NOISE TO INDICATE
THEY IVERE A GREAT ARMY. AND
THEN TALKED THE C0MA4AN06R Of
THE FORTRESS OF TENERlFFE INTO
SURRENDERlNO "TO SUPERIOR
HUMMERS m/
DOITT wwr THAT THE NSW
TO MATVRflV AND IT MR
HZ A BREAK ANC
CIRCULAR TIME
One Of the earliest systems OB
MEASURING TIME WAS THE TREE,
CIRCLE A NO SHADOW METHOD CON*
CENTRIC CIRCLES DRAWN AROUND
THE BASE Of THE TREE WOULD
ENABLE THE PWtflTrvE MAN
TO JUDES THE TIME BY THE
EXTENT Of THE SHADOW/
B BOND PAYS S VS * INTEREST WHEN HELD
MATURES EARLIER-B YEARS U MO
AND START Buying U.M. •BIEMBE’ BONDS I
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The Texas Mohair Weekly (Rocksprings, Tex.), Vol. 50, No. 9, Ed. 1 Friday, March 7, 1958, newspaper, March 7, 1958; Rocksprings, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1096352/m1/1/: accessed June 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .