DECEMBER, 1956
No Place Like Home
For Having Accidents
PAGE 7
UF Contributions
Total $10,920.16
Seventeen community agencies, charitable and character
building organizations will be better enabled to serve the
needs of humanity, because employees at Firestone Textiles
cared enough to share in the fifth annual plant United Fund
appeal.
December is Off-The-Job Safe
ty Month at Firestone.
Look where you will, but you
will never find a better place to
have accidents than right at
home. A lion’s share of accidents
ranging from minor ones to
deaths resulting from them, oc
curs at work, in homes, in parks,
playgrounds and other public
places.
In the home environment,
falls, shotgun wounds, fires,
drownings and poisonings con
tinue to rank among major
safety threats.
Recent statistics show that you
are generally safer at work than
at home.
FIVE MILLION disabling ac
cidents occur each year in
American homes, costing Ameri
can families more than one bil
lion dollars, to say nothing of
other loss and pain involved.
“At present,” say the statistic
ians, “home accidents are four
times as frequent as those occur
ring on the highway, three times
as many as those happening in
industry, and two and a half
times the number happening in
Public places. Yet compared
with the problem of controlling
With Christmas coming and
the emphasis on gifts, your
youngster will likely be receiv
ing a lineup of new toys. In
these days of enlightened buy
ing, customers have learned to
demand not only their money’s
Worth in toys, but safety and ed
ucationally-approved features as
Well.
Whether the price for a toy is
10 cents or $10, discriminating
buyers want to know whether
the toy is suited to a particular
child’s needs, if it will with
stand reasonable wear and will
^ot be a safety hazard.
On this subject, the National
Society for the Prevention of
blindness offers three basic
Pointers:
1. Be sure the toy is suited to
the child’s age, and that he
knows how to use it.
2. See that the toy is con
structed sturdily.
3. Avoid toys that break
Easily, leaving ragged and sharp
®dges. To this might be added
these precautions:
avoid toys decorated with
Paints containing lead; and those
^^nall enough to be swallowed.
. b What is the original mean-
of the word Christmas?
2- Was Christmas always a
®®neral holiday for merrymak-
ing?
Is the custom of giving gifts
^ general one throughout the
hristian world at Christmas-
What is the best-known
^^eni about Christmas Eve?
Name the person generally
^^®dited for originating the idea
the Christmas tree.
Was Christmas always ob-
^^ved on December 25?
highway, public and industrial
accidents, our home situation re
ceives by far the least attention.”
PREDICTION experts in the
safety field say:
“If present trends continue,
the annual number of disabling
home accidents will reach seven
million by 1975.”
There are certain areas around
the home that are largely re
sponsible for accidents.
For instance, the do-it-yourself
fad may foster rewarding hob
bies, but these hobbies are usual
ly serious threats to safety. It
pays to remember that in every
tool you use, there is a hazard.
With the use of power-driven
equipment, the danger of injury
in increased considerably.
For safety’s sake, know the
safe ways of using the tools.
Know the safety features built
into them, and give some at
tention to lighting, storage of
tools and materials, general
housekeeping and precautions
against fire.
IT IS GOOD to keep in mind
that any hobby worth practicing
is worth practicing safely. If you
are not acquainted with any
Watch out for toys that might
become dangerous in themselves,
such as spirit-fueled machine
models and chemistry sets that
might create an explosion.
In recent years the Toy
Guidance Council has done con
siderable research on toys and
their suitability to various age
groups. Increasing numbers of
retail stores now train sales per
sonnel in the art of fitting the
toy to the child’s educational
needs.
At any rate, according to
authorities on the subject, buy
ing toys for junior demands a lot
of thought.
Child guidance authorities
have set down these suggestions
for a well-rounded play diet of
toys:
1. For active play—push and
pull toys, wheels, balls, other
sports and gym equipment.
2. Dramatic play, incentive —
housekeeping equipment, dress-
up costumes, dolls, train systems.
3. Manipulative, constructive
and creative — drawing and
painting equipment, hobby kits,
blocks, construction toys.
4. Social play—games in which
more than one child takes part.
—Answers on page 8
7. Who is generally credited
with being the originator of
Santa Claus?
8. Name the Three Kings or
Wise Men from the East who
came to venerate the Christ
Child.
9. List the names of the eight
reindeer mentioned in the poem,
“The Night Before Christmas.”
10. Where did the name Santa
Claus come from?
11. What are the traditional
Christmastide colors?
12. Give the ancient name for
Christmas Eve.
Homer G. Helms, son of Odell
Helms, Carding, and Mrs. Helms,
is assigned to Navy training in
supply at Great Lakes, 111.
Young Helms would appreciate
mail from his friends in and
around Gastonia. He may be
addressed: H. G. Helms, 4939747
SA, Supply Department, Galley
5; USNTC, Great Lakes, 111.
phase of your hobby wherein
lurks danger, find out before
learning the hard way. It is
always important to get the
proper supplies and equipment
for your chosen pastime.
Ownership of firearms is a
dangerous hobby, as borne out
by the almost 3,000 deaths each
year; and one-fifth to one-fourth
of these involve children under
14 years of age. In North Caro
lina, the majority of deaths from
firearms is in the home. A good
rule to follow is to keep am
munition and firearms under
lock and key at home and use
commonsense and thoughtful
ness when target shooting or
hunting.
WHY FALL at home? More
than 13,000 were killed in a
recent year in falls at home in
this country. Principal danger
areas are stairs, hallways, base
ment, storage places and most
rooms in the house.
Killing bugs, insects, fungi,
moles and mice may be good
housekeeping so far as ridding
your place of such undesirables.
But when you use chemicals, it
will pay you to read carefully
the label. If it’s poison and you
can smell the odor, you are
breathing too much of it. All
poisons and medicines should be
kept out of children’s reach.
WITH EMPHASIS now on
outdoor sports in all seasons and
the trend to outdoor living, there
are the multiplied hazards which
can lead to broken bones, cuts,
lacerations, bruises and other
injuries experienced by children
and adults.
Death by drowning is one of
the most common types of home
accidents, responsible for over
twice as many deaths as fire
arms, and being outranked only
by fires and falls as a major
type of nontransport accident.
And the story could go on . . .
IN THE FUTURE, some new
safety hazards in the home will
be found, and some others will
become relatively less impor
tant, according to the recent
observation of Arthur S. John
son, vice President of the Ameri
can Mutual Liability Insurance
Company.
“For example, as flexible
plastics are used more in the
home as storage containers, glass
bottles will gradually be re
placed, with the number one
cause of home lacerations re
moved,” he said.
Pledges amounting to $10,-
920.16 have been recorded in the
office of General Superintendent
Nelson Kessell, Chairman of the
UF drive for the fifth consecu
tive year. F. B. Galligan, Super
intendent of the Cotton Division,
served as Co-Chairman this year.
Organizations designated to
benefit through employee con
tributions in the October 22-
November 10 campaign are:
Gaston County Big Brothers,
Salvation Army, Girl Scouts,
American Red Cross, Red Shield
Boys’ Club, United Defense
Fund (USO), Gaston County Life
Saving Crew.
Cerebral Palsy, Gastonia Jun
ior Athletic Club, Gaston County
Tuberculosis Association, Chil
dren’s Home (Greensboro),
Florence Crittenton Home
(Charlotte).
American Cancer Society,
Heart Fund, March of Dimes,
Boy Scouts and Gaston County
Home for Handicapped Children.
George Honeycutt of SYC
Weaving took top place in the
“big fish” competition among
members of the plant’s two fish
ing clubs during the past season.
As evidence of his angling for
tune, he brought home a six
pound, two-ounce large mouth
bass. In accordance with the con
test rules, Honeycutt is eligible
for two prizes of fishing equip
ment, because he landed the
largest fish of the season and be
cause the catch was a large
mouth bass.
Claude Jonas, SYC Weaving,
registered the second largest fish
of the season — a five-pound,
eight-ounce black bass. Next in
size to this catch was a four-
pound, seven-ounce large mouth
bass, entered by W. E. Dean-
hardt of the Cloth Room.
Payton Lewis, Carding, racked
up an enviable record during the
season, with an entry of mack
erel, white bass, crappie and
bluegill, ranging in weight from
one to three pounds.
☆ ☆ ☆
WARM SUN lingered into the
close of the year, pushing Esten
Montgomery's patch of collards
to a record growth in his 700-
block neighborhood of North
York street. The SYC Weaving
first shift warp hand planted the
late summer crop of leafy vege
table in August. By early No
vember some of the plants had
attained a height of 40 inches.
Here the employee, standing in
the garden behind his 705 North
York street home, exhibits one
of the collard plants. During the
summer and into fall the garden
also produced tomatoes, beans,
coin, okra and an aiiay of
flowers. Montgomery says that
collards are improved by the
coming of frost. In this part of
the South the vegetable will last
into the winter and will spring
up tender plants around March.
CHAIRMAN Kessell, Co-
Chairman Galligan, and General
Manager Harold Mercer joined
in expressing appreciation to
“every individual at the plant
who played a part in making
the fund-gathering effort a suc
cess.” The generous response
here, they agreed, contributed
greatly to the overall success of
the Greater Gastonia United
Fund Campaign this year.
The drive among workers was
conducted in conjunction with
the Gastonia community effort,
and coincided with the nation
wide efforts of Community
Chests and United Funds from
Labor Day through Thanksgiv
ing.
In the UF drive here, a corps
of volunteer solicitors assisted in
personal calls upon individual
employees for the sign-up
designating contributions to the
various local, state, regional and
national organizations and chari
ties.
THE ANGLERS' contest, open
to all Fishing Club members, is
conducted each year from April
through October. It provides for
entries in 10 categories in both
freshwater and saltwater class
ifications. Entries must be those
caught with hook and line.
Prizes and honorable mention
for big fish catchers are handed
out at the annual All-Sports
Banquet each spring.
IN MEMORIAM
Thor Giles, employed here
since 1935, died in New Orleans,
La., November 16. Interment
was in a Gastonia cemetery.
At the plant, he had worked
as a doffer, roller cleaner and
spindle setter.
Surviving is his widow, Mattie
Giles, employed in Spinning; a
son, Bobby, in military service;
and a daughter, Mrs. Scott Crisp,
whose husband works in Twist
ing; also two sisters, Mrs. Nervie
Cook and Mrs. Henry Cooper.
Montgomery, whose hobby is
fishing as well as gardening,
came lo Gastonia from William-
ston, S. C. At Firestone since
1942, he has been on jobs which
have included cloth hauler, over
head cleaner, loom fixer's helper
and warp hand.
Choosing Toys Is Scientific, Too
What Is Your ‘Christmas’ Score?
Honeycutt Named Top Angler Of 1956