Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 50, No. 309, Ed. 1 Monday, December 29, 1947 Page: 1 of 6
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The Weather
High Sunday 69; low this
morning 42; barometric pressure
29*86* falling slowly, Increasing
cloudiness, unsettled, possibly
colder.
Sweetwater Reporter
Market Reports
Cattle 2,300, active, strong,
spots higher; hogs, 1 600; sheep
2500.
50th Year
'Dedicated to Service'
Top Texas News
Texas City Is
. Hit By Blast
At Sewer Unit
TEXAS CITY, Dec. 29, (UP)
Early estimates put damages at
$50,000 in a Texas City explosion
last night. The Municipal sewer-
age lift station was blasted when
youngsters dropped a lighted
« firecracker into a sewer main.
City engineer R. R. Osborne
says the exact figure depends
on how severly the explosion
damaged pumps and the base-
ment of the plant. The fire-
cracker touched off an accumu-
lation of sewer gases.
Rebuilding of the Municipal
sewerage lift station had only
been completed three weeks ago.
Th plant was wrecked in the
_ ship explosion disaster last April.
Gulf Weather Is Mild
HOUSTON, Dec. 29, (UP) —
Continued mild weather is fore-
cast for the Houston area and
upper coast region.
Weathermen expect the skies
to be cloudy to partly cloudy.
, The low temperature at Hous-
ton Municipal Airport last night
was a balmy 53 degrees. The
' recorded low in downtown Hous-
ton at 6:30 this morning was 57
degrees.
The weather bureau forecasts
a high of 74, today and a low of
' 55 tonight with moderate to
fresh southerly winds through-
out the region.
State Offices Open
AUSTIN, Dec. 29, (UP)—State
offices are open for business as
Usual today following the Christ-
mas holidays. Many of the of-
fices, however, will be only
partly staffed as employees use
remaining vacation credit to ex-
tend their holidays over the New
Year. The offices are to be
closed one day for the New
"Vear observance.
<a
Heart Attack Is Fatal
FORT WORTH. Dec. 29, (UP)
Funeral services aio incomplete
for an Odessa resident who died
of a heart attack a few minutes
after he was routed from his
room in a Fort Worth Motel fire.
Fire swept through the 18
cabins at the Century Motel
shortly after 2 o'clock Sunday
morning. Some 40 guests were
forced to flee. Thomas H. Guteli-
us of Odessa died of a heart at-
tack a few minutes after he hur-
ried from his room.
R. H. Rabb, manager of the
Century Motel, and his wife
warned the guests of the fire by
person and telephone. Mrs. Rabb
was overcome by smoke tWo
times. Damage is estimated at
40-thousand dollars, but most of
the guests saved their personal
belongings.
Sweetwater Police
List 176 Accidents
For 1947 To Date
ft: . . • >
WM?
Continuous Full Leased United Press Wire Service
Sweetwater, Texas, Monday, Dec. 29, 1947
Hiddei| Defect i
Seen As Cause
In Train Wreck
HOUSTON, Dec. 29 (UP)—
Burlington officials have blamed
last night's derailment on a hid-
den defect which could be seen
by ordinary inspection methods.
Three cars of the crack Sam
Houston Zephyr jumped the
track shortly after 6:00 o'clock
last night, killing one passenger
'■and injuring 60 other persons.
Only seven are believed to be
seriously hurt.
Wrecker crews had the track
cleared by 8:00 o'clock this
morning. Traffic has been re-
sumed over the main line at the
spot live miles south of Corsi-
cana where the wreck occurred.
C. D. Peckenpaugh, a Bur-
lington official, says a detector
car was operated across the
stretch of track earlier this year.
He says no defects showed up in
See HIDDEN Page 3
'Buy It In Sweetwater'
Number 309
Times Square, mecca of sightseers from all over the world, was virtually deserted during
the height of the paralyzing 25.8-inch snowstorm. Photo was taken after 19 inches had fallen,
and shows the usually congested streets and sidewalks practically clear of traffic and pedes-
trians.
TEC TO Have Farm Worker
Placing In Fisher And Nolan
Jewish-Arab
Fight Going
Strong Again
JERUSALEM, Dec. 29 (UP)—
Jewish-Arab clashes in Palestine
resumed wth a heavy blast to-
day, one that shook the gate of
Damascus in Jerusalem. Jhe
blast came from a bar re' of ex-
plosives rolled from a taxi-into
the crowded market place by
the ancient gate.
Officials now say 11 persons
were killed by the blast and in
a furioiis gun battle which fol-
lowed. Those slain are said to
have included three women and
one child, and two British con-
stables. The bold assault with
the explosives has been blamed
on the so-called "black squad"
of the Jewish underground group
Irgun.
Reports from Turkey say
some 12,000 Jewish refugees are
sailing across the Aegean sea to-
ward Palestine in hope of run-
ning the British blockade. The
refugees, aboard two former
American ships, passed through
the Dardanelles late yesterday.
The Turkish pilot quoted them
as saying they would fight any
attempt by the British to board
their vessels.
Sweetwater Police list a total
of 176 accidents marked up on
their books for 1947.
Members of the police force
report "business" for the week-
end of only one drunk. Law en-
forcement work of the force
through this morning was still
on the quiet side.
I
If
Seven Alarm Fire Is
Being Fought Today
At Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA, Dee. 29
(UP)—A seven-alarm fire has
broken out in central Philadel-
phia this morning. First reports
from the scene say a large build-
ing housing several shoe firms
is blazing fiercely. Firemen from
all sections of the city have been
^ called to the scene.
Traffic in the area was com-
pletely blocked as firemen
« strung long hose lines to num-
erous fire plugs in the area to
get sufficient water to battle
the blaze.
The ice - and - now • covered
streets in the area make maneu-
vering of fire and police cars
'difficult. Firemen also are ham-
pered by sub-freezing tempera-
V* tures which coated the building
and fire equipment with ice.
Three firemen were injured
when a 20-foot section of the
building's roof collapsed and fell
five stories to a street corner.
The victims, were trapped under
falling bricks and debris, but
they were quickly pulled to
safety by other firemen.
Nolan County Schools
Resume Classes After
Christmas Holidays
Sweetwater and Nolan Coun-
ty schools resumed class work
this morning after dismissal De-
cember 19 for the Christmas
holidays.
Considerable interest' is re-
ported in school activities, as
1947 draws to a close. Atten-
dance at county schools is re-
ported good.
Sweetwater Schools, it was
stated today noon, will not dis-
miss classes Thursday, January
1. for New Year's Day, but con-
tinue school work as usual.
Sailor Taken In Tow
On Arson Charge At
Fredericksburg Hall
FREDERICKSBURG, Dec. 29
(UP) — A sailor has been
arrested at Fredericksburg, on
charges that he started a dance
hall fire that took four lives
on Christmas night.
The sailor, William Biddy, is
on leave from the San Pedro,
California, naval base. He is be-
ing held with three material wit-
nesses under bond.
According to Fredericksburg
authorities, Biddy jammed a
heater next to a flimsy wall in
the dance hall and turned it on
full blast. Fire broke and spread
rapidly through the hall where
20 persons were waiting for the
dance to start. If the fire had
started later, some 1,000 persons
would have been in the build-
ing.
Placing of farm workers in
Fisher and Nolan Counties will
be handled by the Texas Em-
ployment Commission after Jan-
uary 1, 1948, Anton Foyt an-
nounces here today.
Foyt says cooperation of all
farmers, workers and farm
groups is now being actively so-
licited by his office and that
within the next 60 days he hoped
to be able to explain the com-
mission's aims, objectives, poli-
cies and methods to interested
groups.
"Our farm labor problems are
largely restricted in this area to
cotton, grain sorghums and
wheat," he said, "and labor de-
mands are usually highest dur-
ing the harvesting season. We
are now compiling the total acre-
ages planted and this will be re-
duced to the number of work-
ers needed and checked periodi-
cally for seasonal changes."
Foyt urges any farmer requir-
ing hands or any farm workers
looking for jobs to get in touch
with the employment service of-
fice at 205 Elm Street, Sweet-
water, at the earliest possible
moment. He points out that ac-
curate demand and supply in-
formation in advance of actual
needs would help to prevent con-
fusion and disappointment when
the big rush begins.
Foyt has already met with
the Chamber of Commerce and
the county agent, and working
agreements on the handling of
farm placement problems are
now being worked out.
Nolan and Fisher Counties
each have two and three farm
labor camps respectively, the
facilities which are used by sea-
sonal farm workers. These
camps give workers a place to
spend the night, provide show-
ers, and cooking facilities, and
also provide a meeting place for
the farmer and worker.
"Our office will make every
effort to serve both farmers and
workers satisfactorily and if we
are given the confidence of both,
I am sure we can deliver the
goods," he concluded.
Truman Due To Sign
Anti-Inflation Bill
Later In Afternoon
WASHINGTON, Dec. 29,(UP)
President Truman is expected
to sign the Republican bill to
fight inflation sometime today.
Truman probably will give
Commerce Secretary Averell
Harriman the job of supervising
the voluntary program of ration-
ing scarce materials under the
measure.
Harriman, in turn, is reported
ready to ask industries produc-
ing scarce materials to set up ad-
visory boards to carry out the
voluntary program of rationing
provided In the bill. The boards
will be similiar to those existing
in wartime under the war pro-
duction board, with several of
the dollar-a-year men working
on the program.
The secretary already has
called top steel executives to
meet with him January 8th to
lay the groundwork for volun-
tary controls on steel.
Steel May Be
Tapping Iron
Ore In Artie
O.iopin's
)la:
OTTAWA, Dec. 29 (UP) — A
geologist says the American
steel industry soon may begin' VaJL
exploiting the iron deposits of
Labrador to bolster the disap-
pearing supply of iron ore in the
Lake Superior region.
J. A. Retty says an American
corporation already has put
down test holes in Labrador and
is making harbor and railroad
surveys. Retty told the conven-
tion of the Geological Society of
America, meeting in Ottawa,
that mining operations may be-
gin in about 10 months. He de-
scribed the Labrador ore as com-
paring favorably with that of the
Lake Superior region, long the
main supply source of American
industry.
Dr. Alfred Anderson, profes-
sor of geology at Cornell Uni-
versity, told the convention that
rich deposits of gold, silver, cop-
per, lead, zinc, tungsten, vanad-
ium and cobalt in Idevo form
geometric patterns which can be
used as a guide when searching
for more deposits. Anderson said
the pattern consists of fractures
or cracks in the huge granite
core which runs under the state
from north to south for 250
miles. The pressures that made
the rocky mountains did not
break up the granite core be-
cause of its size. They left frac-
tures instead.
Rotarians' Sons And
Daughters In Charge
Ot Program Monday
Sons and daughters of Rotar-
ians were in charge of the pro-
gram at the Rotary club Mon-
day at the Blue Bonnet hotel.
It "was the Rotary's annual
event in which members of the
Club had as their guests their
sons and daughters.
Billy Norred, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Albert Norred was master
of ceremonies.
Featured on the program were
singing and dancing numbers
under the arrangement of Mrs.
Dorothy Brandt.
Myrna Kay Shropshire started
the program with a song and
dance number. This was followed
by a dance, Snowballs consisting
of Betty Walker, Betty Loeb,
Sandra Edwards and Mila Beth
High Prices Loom
As Election Issue
Situation To ;j
Make Or Break
GOP Measures
i
JANUARY I HOLIDAY
Dalton Hill, chairman of the
Retail Merchants Committee of
the BCD, announced today that
the committee has voted that
Sweetwater will observe Janu-
ary 1 as a holiday.
Waltz in C 1 Minor
was played as a piano solo by
Ann Throgrimsen. "The Rocking
Horse Cowboy" was given as a
song and dance number by Ann
Clark and Dimple Ann Law-
rence. Sydney Edwards gave a
reading. Carolyn Boyd and Jean
Gesin gave their interpretation
of "The Gibson Girls" in a dance
number.
A square dance number, with
Ross Thompson as caller was
given by Rosemary and Carl
Morris, Robert Williams, Jimmy
Stowe, Peter Fox, Ann Loeb,
and Margaret Richardson.
To complete the program Mary
Ila Ullom sang, "One Kiss" by
Sigmund Romberg.
Two New Rotary members
were inducted into the Rotary
club: Dr. Robt. L. Price, intro-
duced by Hal Etz; and Dr. J. K.
Richardson, presented by Clay-
ton Williams.
Guest sons and daughters were
introduced by their Rotarian
Dads.
Fire Sunday Night
At Colored Church
Brings Out Firemen
Fire Sunday evening, 8:35
o'clock, at the Colored Baptist
Church, Southwest Sweetwater,
which originated with an oil
stove brought the Sweetwater
Fire Department to the scene in
quick order.
Quick action by church of-
ficials and the congregation re-
sulted in the fire being limited
mostly to smoke damages.
With a wistful, "So long, pal," Beth Rossignol, 19-year-old
4-H Clubber from Lolo, Mont., offers her prize winning polled
Hereford calf, "Jumbo," feed from a galvanized steel feeder
pail for the last time before the animal is transferred to liis
new owner at the recent International Livestock Show at
Chicago.
Havana Conclave Bogs
Down On Charter Today
Trades Day To Be Continued
First Wednesday Trades Day will be continued as usual in
Sweetwater during the coming year, according to officials of the
merchant's committee of the BCD. In Januanry it will fall on the
Seventh of the month.
Several merchants approached on the subjects stated that
they were wholeheartedly in favor of continuing the setup be-
cause it is an effective method of demonstrating to the people of
this entire trade territory that Sweetwater merchants are offer-
ing high quality merchandise at the lowest possible prices.
Trades Day was started last February when a group of local
merchants got together to discuss ways and means of inaugurat-
ing a special day in Sweetwater whereby the buying public could
make its dollars go a little further. Consequently First Wednesday-
Trades Day was born.
It has been very effective throughout the entire year because
in most instances business firms offered only the highest quality
merchandise and services at greatly reduced prices. It has not
been a clearance sale setup or odds and ends affair.
So, again in 1948 the merchants of Sweetwater will carry on
First Wednesday Trades Day. The Reporter, as usual, will publish
a special Trades Day supplement which will be mailed to every'
boxholder in this territory. In addition every advertiser partici-
pating in the cooperative movement will be given extra publicity
over radio station KXOX which reaches out beyond the circula-
tion of the Reporter.
All business and service institutions in Sweetwater are invited
to participate in the special event by offering to the public some
item or items of quality merchandise at reduced prices.
Advertising of matter for the special supplement must be in
the Reporter office not later than Friday afternoon . . , earlier if
possible.
HAVANA, Dec. 29 (UP)—The
International Trade Conference
in Havana has reached a crisis.
The conference in the Cuban
capital, attended by 62 nations,
was called to implement the vast
international trade charter
drawn up this summer at Gen-
eva.
So far, there has been far
more effort at Havana to de-
stroy than to help the Geneva
trade charter, which provided
for tariff reductions through-
out the world on some 45,000
items of commerce and the do-
ing away with most quota sys-
tems and trade preferences.
Soon after the Havana confer-
ence got organized, more than
800 amendments to the Geneva
charter were dropped in the
hopper. Nearly all of them were
offered by nations with undevel-
oped industries. They were de-
signed to exempt these nations
from tariff reductions and to
let them continue import quotas
and discriminatory preference i
systems to protect their infant I
industries, as they called them,
from competition with Ameri-
can and British products.
Argentina and Mexico are
leading the fight for adoption
of these loophole amendments.
Following their lead are Poland,
Afghanistan, Egypt, Syria. Iran,
Iraq, Greece, Turkey, and other
Latin-American and Slavic coun-
tries. Even France expresses a
desire to continue some quota
systems.
The Americans and British
have insisted that the fight of
these undeveloped countries
would lead to anarchy and re-
stricted world trade even worse
than that which prevailed in the
early 1930's. It was this trend
toward restriction which Cordell
Hull and other free traders claim
was almost the biggest single
cause of the series of wars that
began in the mid-'30's.
Lower Valley Marks
Up 84th Traffic
Victim At Weslaco
WESLACO, Dec 29. (UPi —
The lower Rio Grande Valley-
has counted its 84th traffic vic-
tim of the year, 73-year-old T. J.
Coonrod.
The elderly man died in Mc-
Calip- Ivv hospital In Weslaco
at 9:30 o'clcok this morning, two
hours after the car in which he
was riding was struck by another
vehicle at a highway intersec-
tion north of Weslaco. Coonrod
was riding in a car driven by
his son, Dallas Coonrod, when
It collided with an auto driven
| by Charles Ferrier of San Carlos.
. WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 (UP)
—The issue of high prices is
shaping up stronger than ever
as the number one issue of the
1948 election campaign.
The latest flurry was touched
off by President Truman's state-
ment last night that the Repub-
lican bill to fight inflation is
feeble. Mr. Truman said he
would sign the measure.
But he also warned that he
would wage an all-out fight in
the regular session of Congress
for his own program. It in-
cludes proposals giving the ad-
ministration authority to con-
trol prices and wages and ra-
tion scarce items.
However, Republican leaders
say their bill, combined with the
powers the president now has,
is enough to bring prices down.
Chairman Jesse Wolcott of the
House Banking Committee said:
"If prices are not brought
down, it will be the fault of the
president and not the Congress."
Another sponsor of the GOP
bill, Senator Robert Taft, is ex-
pected to answer Truman's at-
tack on the measure at a news
conference today. The Ohio pres-
idential hopeful put off his an-
swer until he could study the
president's statement. The Sen-
ator is in Kansas City, Missouri,
where he will speak tonight.
Corr.meri:e Secretary Averell
Harriman is reported ready to
ask industries producing scarce
materials to set up advisory
boards to carry out the voluntary
allocation program. That pro-
gram is provided in the Republi-
can anti-inflation bill.
'Free Greece'
Head Directs jWo Prominent Men
Troops 7Way Namec| On List Of
Grain Speculators
ATHENS, Dec. 29 (UP)—The ;
man who set up a so-called "free j
Greek" government in northern j
Greece last week is reported to j
have taken personal charge of
its troops. He is the leftist guer-
rilla leader, General Markos
Vafthiades.
The information came from
guerrillas captured in the snow-
swept hills around Epirus.
The reports on Vafthiades say
he has put himself at the head
of seven battalions near the town
of Konitsa, 10 miles from the
Albanian border. The govern-
ment's counter-offensive in the
whole area is reported to be
gaining ground. The guerrillas
are said to have suffered heavy
losses, especially in heavy hand-
to-hand fighting around Kon-
itsa.
However, the captured guer-;
rillas say Vafthiades has been i
told he will receive artillery and j
air re-inforcements from "out- j
side Greece."
There is much speculation
that Greece's two northern Bal-
kan neighbors, Albania and Bul-
garia, may recognize the rebel
government. In London, a Brit-
ish foreign office spokesman
says such recognition would
cause what he calls a "grave de-
terioration" in international af-
fairs. Neither country has diplo-
matic relations with the Athens
government.
Map Of Texas Has
Been Rearranged To
Extend Boundaries
AUSTIN. Dec. 29, (UP)—The
map of Texas has been re-ar-
ranged. Land Commissioner Bas-
com Giles has proclaimed the
extension of the state's boundry
lines.
The map 4 now officially in-
cludes land from 12 gulf coast
counties to the edge of the con-
tinental shelf. The change came
about as Giles carried out pro-
visions of an act passed by the
50th legislature.
Jefferson county replaces
Brewster county in West Texas
as the largest county In the
largest state,
WASHINGTON, Dec. 29,(UP)
Two prominent names appeared
on Agriculture Secretary Clin-
ton Anderson's third list of
speculators, released today.
They are President Truman's
personal physician. Brigadier-
General Wallace Graham, and
Governor H. B Maw of Utah.
According to Anderson's list,
Graham was speculating in 50,-.
000 bushels of wheat on the Chi-
cago market last September.
Disclosure that Graham was a
speculator came one week after
Harold Stassen, Republican
presidential aspirant, challenged
the administration to deny that
government insiders, including
what he described as the "exe-
cutive branch of the White
House," were speculating in
grain. Graham was listed as
30,000 bushels long and 20,000
bushels short on September 17th.
He sold 10.000 bushels on Sep-
tember 19th.
Ed Pauley, special assistant
to Army Secretary Kenneth
Royall, again was listed as a
speculator The first list showed
that he had large holdings in a
number ol' commodities. The
latest list shows that l'auley
purchased 25,000 bushels of
wheat on September 18th. He
took his army job September
3rd.
Philippine Typhoon
Death Toll Now Up
To 20 Persons Dead
MANILA, Dec. 29 (UP) —
Delayed reports from areas
lashed "by a tropical typhoon in
the Philippines last week have
raised the storm's death toll to
20. These reports indicate an
over-all damage far greater than
a previous estimate of $5,000.-
000.
Thousands were made home-
less in one town, and 50 per cent
of the dwellings were demolish
ed. Eighty-five per cent of the
houses in several principal
towns of Quezon province wen;
destroyed.
Five more survivors of the
wrecked Danish motorship Kina
reached shore one a small island
near Samar. A motorboat has
been sent to find them.
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Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 50, No. 309, Ed. 1 Monday, December 29, 1947, newspaper, December 29, 1947; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth310389/m1/1/?rotate=90: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.