Refugio Timely Remarks (Refugio, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 43, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 19, 1943 Page: 1 of 4
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The News from Every Section of Refugio County
VOL. XV.—No. 43
REFUGIO, REFUGIO COUNTY, TEXAS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 1943
Four Pages
Impressions
This week the Timely Remarks
carries several articles taken from
wire releases of press associations
and nation-wide and state-wide
statements of people. It is said, in
the newspaper fraternity, that the
only justification for weekly news-
papers is that they are “local pap-
ers” and should carry the “local”
news. That is correct, but some
national and state news and re-
ports have such “local” interest
that they merit space in the
“local” weekly paper. Your par-
ticular attention is called to “non-
local” items of this week’s paper.
Senator Byrd’s facts concerning
cost of government have a definite
bearing on each and every one of
us. You and I are the ones that
will be called upon to pay these
costs which the Senator has been
and is investigating. We will buy
War Bonds now, to be redeemed
in ten years at four dollars for
each three invested, but during
that intervening ten years, from
taxes must come the necessary
money for the government to
meet this obligation.
Rotary District Governor George
Marshall this Monday delivered a
fine message to the members of
the Refugio Rotary Club at noon
and then again to those members
that met for an assembly. ■ He
pointed out that “we must not be-
come so busy making money under
our Democracy form of govern-
ment, that suddenly we come to
realize that we have lost this type
of government and the opportun-
ities that accompany it.”
VIVIAN BAILEY was asked:
“What would be the result, if you
put a person in charge of the Re-
fugio Oil Co. office, turned every-
thing over to him, walked off from
the office and did not come back
for two years?”
Vivian replied: “In all proba-
bility, he would own the business,
and I would be working for him.”
The interrogator then asked:
“Isn’t that just what has been
happening to the United States as
a nation?”
Congressman RICHARD M.
KLEBERG is calling upon the
people of the 14th Congressional
District to help in the fight to
stop a number of governmental
practices that exist at present. As
in any fight, a combatant must
be armed and equipped. The Con-
gressman needs ammunition. Let-
ters from the people of this dis-
)f trict to him, setting forth facts
and figures; letters in which actual
ages are cited; letters in which
e writer lets go with “both bar-
i\ls” are what Richard Kleberg
When the Congressman
before a committee or a
Lean he must be prepared to
“Here are the facts. Here is
is happening in Refugio, in
s own, in Floresville, in Jour-
oaqtoi, in Corpus Christi.”
’ htn Congressman Kleberg
es his visit to Refugio in the
neai futurfe, all will do well to
heal him. H?ar from him of the
exiswig conditions and how they
' changed. The Congressman
message of importance to
us.
EAt, CARPENTER goes to the
head \ the class. Last week Earl
was kw enough to make a sug-
gestioriconceming the type of
news u be published each week
in the Ttnely Remarks. He stated
that he Vked to read the instru-
ment fiA in the county clerk’s
office as W as the vital statistics.
His suggqjon was a good one for
several ottr votes were cast in
favor of t\t type of news after
Earl made
report secret opera-
tor 29-B.
A certain ling lady of Refugio
is reported tine showing favorit-
ism to the Ay over the Navy.
Secret Operati 29-B pointed out
that this attrVive brunette is
known to havWrchased dinners
for members qtbe U. S. Army,
while having tttu. S. Navy boys
seeking to plunathemselves deep-
ly into debt by Whasing beauti-
ful diamond eilgement rings.
(Continued|i Page 2)
Rotarians Are
Losing Peace
“There is a danger that the
American people are in a position
to lose three things that are the
signs of the freedom that has
marked the progress and growth
of this nation. If the freedom of
free enterprise are lost, this na-
tion will have lost the peace that
shall follow the conclusion of the
war in which it is now engaged.”
Thus, did Rotary District Gov-
ernor eGorge Marshall of Galves-
ton place before the Refugio Ro-
tarians and their guests Monday
the existing challenge of the home
front.
Reminding the Rotarians that
their organization was based on
a policy of “improvement of the
individual, improvement of busi-
ness and profession standards, im-
provement of the community and
the improvement of the nation”
Governor Marshall urged that in-
dividually and collectively the
me'mbers realize that “it is already \
so late (maybe nearly too late)
to start retaining for the people
the freedom of transportation, the
freedom of communication and the
freedom of private enterprise. Less
we suddenly realize that our gov-
ernment has changed from that of
a democracy to that which tells
us where and when we may go
and come, how and how often we
may do so, and what we can and
can not do within the santuary
of our own businesses.”
--4.-.
Collectors to Aid
Taxpayers Here 1
Deputies of the Collector of In-
ternal Revenue will be in Refugio
at the County Court House on
September 2 and 3 to assist tax-
payers in making estimates of
the cost of taxes.
Miss Bette Atkins, county clerk,
requested that the Timely Re-
By Western Union
The Refugio office of the West-
ern Union is now equipped with a
teletype machine which gives this
office one of the latest develop-
ments for communication sending
and receiving.
The Teletype, with a keyboard
greatly similar to that of a type-
writer, receives its message in let-
ter and punctuation form rather
than dots and dashes. The words
are imprinted on strips of paper
which are pasted upon the mes-
sage forms.
The local machine is geared to
the Corpus Christi office of the
Western Union/and all incoming
and outgoing messages of Refugio
are cleared through the Corpus
Christi office.
Miss Wanda Casey is now serv-
ing Refugio as operator and office
manager. She comes here from
Tyler, where she was associated
with the Western Union office, She i
succeeds Miss Clarice Leeper, who
has been transferred to Port La-
Youths of Refugio County
Continue Service Training
Tivoli Cemetery
Society Sponsors
Cake, CoffeellSale
The Timely Remarks has been
requested to announce that the
Tivoli Cemetery Society is spon-
soring a sale of cakes, pies, sand-
wiches and coffee, along with other
articles on Saturday, August 21.
Revenue from the sale will be
used for the upkeep of the ceme-
tery.
Mrs. A. L. Schultz, secretary of
the society, states that all mem-
bers of the society and others in-
terested in the maintenance of the
cemetery are urged to doriate ar-
ticles to be sold.
-4--
Bonds, Stamps Sold
Garden City Army Air Field,
Kansas.—An eager class of avia-
tion cadets has arrived at this
basic flying school from various
schools in the Gulf Coast Training
Center, anxious to begin their basic
phase of flight training.
These potential pilots, who have
completed sixty hours of primary
training, will take nine weeks of
intensive air and ground schooling
at Garden City, after which they
will be assigned to advanced
schools for the final phase' of their
instruction. The coveted silver
wings of the United States Army
Air Forces will be awarded them
upon their graduation from the
advanced course.
Cadets from Texas who are
members of this class include:
Aviation Cadet Reagan R. Rob-
erts, 23 son of Mr. and Mrs. Leroy
R. Roberts, is a graduate of Pettus
High School, class of 1937, where
he was active in athletics. He was
employed as an oil field worker
by Stanolind Oil and Gas Company
prior to receiving an appointment
for flight training .with the Army
Air Forces. Cadet Roberts com-
pleted primary flight training at
Stamford, Texas. His father served
in World War I.
San Diego, California.—Morris
Scott, U. S. Marine of Refugio,
Texas, has completed the course of
instruction at the Field Telephone
School at the Marine Corps Base
here.
He was promoted to private first
class as a result of knowledge and j
effort put forth as a student, and
is now ready for assignment to
advanced instruction or to a com-
bat unit as a communications man.
Hastings, Nebraska. — Privat^
Marvin B. Null, 19, of Box 668,
Refugio, Texas, has arrived at
Hastings College, Hastings, Ne-
braska, for course of Army Air
Force instruction lasting approxi-
mately five months prior to his
appointment as an Aviation Cadet
in the Army Air Forces. During
this period he will take numerous
academic courses, as well as ele-
mentary flying training. Upon
completion of the course he will
be classified as a pilot, navigator
or bombardier and go on to schools
of the Flying Training Command
for training in these specialties.
He is the son of Mr. and Mrs.
M. B. Null and a graduate of Re-
fugio High School.
Jenie W. Dodds Dies
In Corpus Christi
Jenie W. Dodds, 67, father of
Cecil Dodds of this city, passed
away at 1:20 Friday afternoon at
the home of another son, G. B.
Dodds of Corpus Christi. after an
Guard Companies
Schedule Game
A Company from Woodsboro
and C Company of Refugio, 21st
Battalion of the Texas State
illness of several weeks. Funeral j Guard will meet in a softball game
Sales of War Bonds and Stamps
on Molly Pitcher Day observed on
marks announce this fact in order August 4 and 7 totaled $2700.00.
that Refugio County people could j The Camp Fire Girls and Junior
take advantage of this opportun- | Altar Society assisted the Amer-
ity. This is for income tax pay- J ican Legion Auxliary in conduct-
ments. ing the sale.
services were held at 4 o’clock
Saturday afternoon from the Max-
well Dunne Funeral Home in Cor-
pus Christi.
Mr. Dodds came to Corpus
Christi as a young man from his
native state of Tennessee. A stone-
cutter, he established the first
monument works in that city and
I was well-known there. Survivors,
besides the two sons, include a
daughter, Mrs. Fred A. Beatty,
and a sister, Mrs. Rice Harpole,
both of Corpus Christi.
-...-4«-
Pvt. James Talman and Kath-
erine Talman spent the week-end
with their parents Mr. and Mrs.
Frank Talman.
on Thursday (TONIGHT) at the
school athletic field at 8 p. m., it
was announced this week by Cap-
tain Dudley Skeen of C Company.
For some four weeks, C Com-
pany has been putting in a night
a week of practice and is now
ready to take on other Guard Units
in competition.
The public is invited to witness
this game, with no admission
charge being made.
-4---
Ensign James B. Kales, station-
ed with the Coast Guard at Corpus
Christi, spent the week-end here
and was accompanied back to Cor-
pus Christi by Mrs. Wales, who
remained until Tuesday.
Bernard Johnson,
Age 12, Suffers
Paralysis Attack
Friends of Mr. and Mrs. B. A.
Johnson are anxiously awaiting
further news of the condition of
their 12-year-old son, Bernard, Jr.,
who has been stricken with infan-
tile paralysis.
The boy was in Kerrville with
his mother and his sister, Anne,
on a vacation stay when he be-
came ill, and Sunday morning Mr.
Johnson, who is vice-president of
the First National Bank, was noti-
fied that his son’s case had been
diagnosed as the dread polio and
that he had been placed in the
Robert Green Hospital, San An-
tonio, where the Kenny treatment
is administered. The first message
described the attack as “mild,”
although there was some paralysis
of the legs, and Mr. Johnson was
sufficiently encouraged by Ber-
nards’ condition to return to Re-
fugio early Tuesday morning.
He had been here only a short
time, however, when he was ad-
vised that the child had taken a
turn for the worse after his de-
parture, and that it had been found
necessary to place him in an iron
lung.
---4--*
Miss Martha Lea Bill
In Recent Storm
Miss Martha Lea Bill of Woods-
boro returned Saturday of last
week from a visit with her broth-
er-in-law and sister, Mr. and Mrs.
Herbert Barsch at Lake Surprise
Ranch at Anahuac, Texas.
Her visit proved to be of un-
usual interest and excitement, as
the recent tropical storm occurred
while she was there. The water
reached a depth of eight feet over
most of the ranch. Fortunately the
ranch house was constructed on a
hill and did not suffer great dam-
age. All persons and cattle of the
ranch were moved five miles to
the ranch camp, which was on a
higher location.
One week following the storm
Mr. Barsch was able to reach his
i ranch home by riding horse back,
and the horse waded most of the
distance to the house.
. . --
Mr. and Mrs. Dan Williams, Sr.,
and boys, Tommy, Dan and Wayne,
moved to Freer Sunday.
Curious Facts and Figures of Government Costs
Washington. — For several
months Senator Harry F. Byrd,
Democrat, Virginia, has been pro-
ducing curious facts and figures
about the Washington wonderland.
He and a special congressional
committee have been working for
two years trying to dig out gov-
ernmental waste.
He’s found things like this:
A telegram, sent at government
expense, from Washington to New
England: “Please wire weight of
anvils on hand your warehouse.”
Byrd says he didn’t have time
to find out why Washington need-
ed to know about those anvils in
such a rush but, in his mild way,
he says he guessed a 3-cent stamp
could have carried the message.
He reported a drug manufactur-
er was practically bleeding at the
pores over government question-
naire “OPA form Q-51, Budget
Bureau No. 08-ST020—42.” Office
of Price Administration wants it
back in four days. The manufac-
turer figured that if, and when,
he filled out the report it would
be 4 feet wide and 20 feet long.
Owns 395,978,724 Acres.
* And this one: Uncle Sam now
owns 395,978,724 acres of land.
That’s enough to blanket Maine,
New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode
Island, Massachusetts, Connecti-
cut, Pennsylvania, New York, New
Jersey, Delaware, Maryland. West
Virginia, Virginia, North and South
Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Ohio,
Alabama, Illinois and Indiana, with
enough driblets left to make 52
Districts of Columbia.
Byrd is directing this fact-find-
ing excursion into government
practice as chairman of the joint
committee on reduction of non-
essential federal expenditures, set
up by Congress in October, 1941.
The title is Washington’s way of
saying, “Let’s save some dough f
we can cut without hurting the
war.”
Byrd was spark plug for the
idea. He’s a quiet, florid senator
from Winchester, Virginia, who’s
had a Horatio Alger life, from
newsboy to wealthy apple grower,
governor and senator. When he
arrived in the Senate he kept ask-
ing for figures on this and that,
and wanting to know “Why?” on
appropriation bills.
He was joined by other senators
and representatives. The special
committee was set up.
Seven Reports Issued.
It took some time to get through
the maze of personnel records and
budget reports but, since Febru-
ary, Bjud has issued seven reports
which pointed an embarrassing
finger at a lot of government de-
partments and agencies.
So far, three whole agencies
have shut down.
Thousands of economy-minded
people “sh-sh” into the Byrd com-
mittee room with tips for the in-
vestigators.
The committee has run for two
years on $20,000, with help from
various departmental experts.
Byrd estimates the committee
has saved the government $1,313,-
983,208 for the 12 months ending
in June. It can’t order the ^ cuts,
but the committee hearings often
bring congressional action.
The biggest savings were in the
death of the Civilian Conservation
Corps, the National Youth Admin-
istration and the Work Projects
Administration.
CCC wanted $246,960,000 for the
fiscal year 1943. Committee hear-
ings developed the fact that there
was a shortage of young men for
CCC, what with the draft and the
war factories. And CCC was cre-
ated to take care of jobless youths.
Congress got out the axe, left
$8,000,000 to liquidate CCC—and
saved $238,860,000.
NYA was asking $59,304,000 for
1944. The Byrd hearings disclosed
that six other government agenqies
were doing work similar to NYA
—that is, training youths for war
jobs. Congress gave NYA $4,500,-
000—to liquidate.
Last December Byrd called to-
gether WPA administrators to find
out at what fate WPA was clos-
ing up shop. The following morn-
ing- WPA was killed by a presi-
dential executive order.
$1 For Every $3 Loaned
At bearings on the Farm Secur-
ity Administration, it developed
that FSA had spent $1 for every
$3 it loaned out over seven j'-ears.
It had made loans of $714,000,000,
and administration costs had been
around $275,000,000.
FSA was asking $70,500,000 for
1943 and the right to borrow $120,-
000,000. Congress cut that to $44,-
320,000 and $97,500,000. For the
current year FSA was trimmed
further, to $20,000,000 for admin-
istrative costs and the right to
borrow $60,000,000.
The hearings brought out details
like these:
The resettlement project at Lake
Dick, Arkansas, had taken care of
26 families at a cost of $667,000—
or $25,653.84 per family. Some
money may be recovered when the
project is liquidated. But this is
the way liquidations go: The Gee’s
Bend Farms, Alabama, which cost
$408,264, has been practically
liquidated—for $128,000.
Now the Byrd investigators
want exact lists of people working
for departments and their salaries
so the committee can make up its
mind about what’s nonessential.
But government departments
can’t say (and they never could,
for generations back) just who’s
working for them, or at what pay,
during any given week. So Byrd
asked 66 agencies to submit per-
sonnel reports by July 6. It’s now
August, and 17 agencies have not
reported yet, he says.
But the committee estimated
that 3,008,519 people were work-
ing for the Federal Government in
April. The pay roll in March (the
latest figures available) was $552,-
700,300.
That brought up these facts:
Pennsylvania has 44,000 state
employes, but 215,000 Federal em-
ployes. California has 31,000 state
employes, and 232,000 Federals.
And so on.
In World War I there was one
civilian government employe for
every five soldiers. The ratio now
is one civilian to every 2 1-3 sol-
diers.
OPA has 2700 lawyers to help
regulate prices. In England the
price administration has a total of
10 lawyers.
The Byrd request for personnel
lists caused some consternation.
Now the Budget Bureau and Civil
Service Commission are conferring
with the committee to find some
simple, uniform report sheet that
will tell Uncle Sam each week who
his chickens are and what feed
they’re getting.
When Byrd’s investigators got
into personnel records, they found
some places where promotions
come fast.
Two examples:
One lad who was a $1080 mes-
senger in the Washington navy
yard in November, 1940, became
a Board of Economic Warfare
business analyst at $4600.
A Yale law student (as of No-
vember 1940) had become by
November, 1942, an “assistant to
the assistant director” of BEW at
$5600, on the War Production
Board.
Have 6 1-2 Tires for Each Car.
When the committee got around
to the autos used by Federal em-
ployes, it found there were 6 1-2
tires for every car, while civilians
had been cut to five tires for
every car.
That brought the Office of De-
fense Transportation in swinging.
Tires on Federal cars were reduced
to civilian quota, and the extras
(about 100,000 tires) were put in
a pool from which all government
agencies now get replacements.
Uncle Sam’s telephone bill has
been tabulated. This doesn’t in-
Gamp Fire
Girls Budget
Party Tonight
The Budget Party of the Camp
Fire Girls will be Thursday (TO-
NIGHT) at King’s Park, starting
at 8 p. m. The public is invited,
with the admission charge of 25
cents purchasing hours of enter-
tainment and fellowship, along
with refreshments.
In addition to games and fun
there will be cake walks, a grab
bag, the white elephant table and
other features.
The Camp Fire Girls are having
this one undertaking to finance
their current budget. They are be-
ing assisted in the Budget Party
by the Woman’s Club, sponsoring
organization.
i -*-
FSA Farms
Prove Costly
To Taxpayers
Los Angeles.—A congressional
committee has disclosed it is chas-
ing a “rainbow” — thousands of
American collective farms which,
it asserts, are modeled after Rus-
sia’s and are costing taxpayers
millons of dollars.
“Someone had a dream back in
1935, and designed a rainbow,”
Rep. Harold D. Cooley (Dem.) of
North Carolina, committee chair-
man, declared. “We are trying to
find its end, but it’s so complicat-
ed, I doubt if we ever will.”
The “rainbow,” said Cooley, was
created when Rexford G. Tugwell,
now govenor of Puerto Riec, i.was
farm security administer. Form-
ed as a relief program, the F.S.A.
to date has spent more than
$1,000,000,000, he stated.
“Much of the expenditure wag
not auhtorized by provisions of
the act, and $10,000,000 of expen-
ditures have been suspended for
this reason,” Cooley added. “We
are convinced that many, many
more millions will also be found
to be unauthorized.”
The congressman declared that'
the collective farms almost with-
out exception lack authority of
law, and that the committee has
found the “rainbow” is honey-
combed with all kinds of corpor-
ate schemes and is a maze of
astounding land-purchasing, land
settlement and land-leasing pro-
ects.”
He implied that for some bene-
ficiaries the “rainbow” was not
without its pot of gold.
“We found families making up
to $250 a month living in F.S.A.
houses rent-free, and some fam-
ilies making $400 a month paying
the Government $1.75 or $2 a
week rent, with all medical at-
tendance and utilities included,”
Cooley declared.
(Continued on Page 3)
-4--
R. S. Piersol Dies
Of Heart Attack
R. S. Piersol of Parkersburg, West
Virginia, died last Thursday, Aug-
ust 12, of heart stroke. Mr. Piersol
lived here for about fourteen years,
and worked for the United Gar
Co., during which time he made
many friends here. He was a gooc
citizen, and lived a clean Christiar
life, being an active deacon in the
First Baptist Church here. He
moved back to his home in West
elude army and navy calls. But in Virginia one year ago, as he was
the last half of 1942 the govern-
ment spent $15,573,833.91 for
phone, v/ire and cable. Five agen-
cies spent more than $1,000,000
each for such messages—the Of-
fice of War Information, WPB and
the commerce, agriculture and
state departments.
The WPB people seem to get
around the most. In the last half
of 1942 they bought the most
railroad and airplane tickets.
WPB also is in the upper strata
on salaries. It has, by far, the
(Continued on Page 2)
retired from the oil company.
He leaves a wife, one daughter
and three sons. One son, J. N.
Piersol, lives here and works for
the United Gas Co. He left im-
mediately after receiving the mes-
sage of his father’s death.
Mr. Piersol and his family
greatly appreciated by the iUrch
bers of the First Baptistnrouc,.ll
where they have serve
these years. „ rest upon
May heaven's blesf^ o£ sorrow.
the family in this „„tnr /
TT. iormer pastor, .»
mr L. S. Cole.
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Refugio Timely Remarks (Refugio, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 43, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 19, 1943, newspaper, August 19, 1943; Refugio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth848357/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Dennis M. O’Connor Public Library.