The Alamance Gleaner ^
* j
VOL. LXXII ' GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, JULY 18, 1946 No. 24
1 ?
"WIAT GOES UP?"
Land Prices Soar
Released by WNU.
Is speculative ownership of
land becoming the "No. 1 Ene
my" of future farm prosperity?
Are land prices due to tumble
as they did after World War I?
Will the cost of land go so high
that the farmer cannot make a
profit? These are questions that
are being asked from California
to Maine.
Land prices have already soared
T1 per cent above the 1935-39 aver
ages. They are approaching the
boom levels that followed World
War I. Many bankers are frankly
worried lest the crash and deflation
of the early 1920s be repeated.
Government figures show
farm land prices during World
War II more than doubled in
Indiana, North and South Caro
i Una, Kentucky, Tennessee, Colo
rado and Wyoming.
Increases of more than 90 per
cent have been recorded in Ohio,
Michigan, Georgia, Mississippi,
Arkansas and Montana. For the
country as a whole, farm real
estate values have jumped 13 per
cent in the past year.
From the beginning of World War
I to the inflation peak in 1920, land
prices jumped 70 per cent. Prices
at the start of World War II were
lower than in 1914, but the in
crease this time is already 71 per
cent, although the actual prices are
not yet at the 1920 peak.
j Higher Land, Less Profit.
Farm sales are continuing at the
high level they attained during 1945.
The number of farms resold after
a limited period^of ownership has
hicreased, indicating speculation.
Fanners who have a "yen"
1 to acquire additional acreage,
says a statement by the Middle
West Soil Improvement commit
tee, shosM bear In mind that
. i toe Uglier the cost of land goes,
toe harder it is to show a profit,
even at present prices received
far crops.
"With sons home from the war
WORLD WAR 1 WORLDWARK
1942 I9U 1944 1445 194b 1947
T i i i i i
LAND PRICES . . . Went op during and after World War I?and then
eame tumbling down. Prices hare not gone as high in World War II
as before, bat they are soaring. These charts show same trend as in
1914 to 1920.
and with more and better farm ma
chinery in immediate prospect,
many farmers figure it would be a
profitable move to work much more
land than heretofore," the state
ment points out. "If they will re
member the bitter aftermath of
World War I's land boom, when food
prices were even higher than they
are today, they will see the hazards
of such a move.
"Sooner or later the present world
food emergency will be solved and
the mammoth demand for Ameri
can food products will end. Then
American farmers will have to com
pete in world markets. The only way
they can do this successfully is to
produce crops at a lower cost per
unit. In such a program, the steady
use of fertilizer containing nitrogen.
phosphorus and potash will be a ma
jor factor. More bushels per acre
can, and will, mean more food from
less land.
Increase Yields, Not Acres.
"The wise farmer will be the one
who does not buy more land, but
who increases the crop-yielding ca
pacity of his present acreage by
soil improvement measures. He will
study the most practical uses of
plant food. He will consult agrono
mists at state college and agricul
tural stations for the most effective
methods of fertilizer application,
the analyses best suited to his par
ticular soil and crop conditions and
the quantities to use."
This advice to farmers to im
prove their present holdings rather
than to acquire greater acreage,
was corroborated by the commit
tee on farm land prices of the'Amer
ican Bankers association which
urged member banks to admonish
would-be farm buyers "go slow,"
to discourage borrowing to specu
late in farm lands, and to tell vet
erans of "the hazards inherent in
excessive land prices."
"Country bankers," a committee
spokesman said, "are fully cog
nizant of the dangers inherent in the
present farm land price situation.
They are urging farm owners now
to reduce their debt and to plan sav
ings for farm improvement during
these years of high income, because
when conditions return to normal
and American agriculture is in com
petition with other countries for
world markets, it is probable that
farm earnings will not support
prices at current levels."
CHECK LADDEB . . . To prevent
farm accident*, the National
Safety council want those who
use laddera to Mt the haae Irm
ly abort one-fourth of (ho ladder'*
height from the wall or tree, and
gTmap the aide* ? not the nap
as they olimb up.
HFANTILE PARALYSIS (J
No Community Is Safe
From Polio Epidemic
?ucu uiat imvc unu ucfl ui in
fantile paralysis outbreaks for a
number of years may be more vul
nerable to the disease than those
with recent epidemic experience,
Dr. Thomas Parran, surgeon gen
eral of the U. S. public health serv
ice, recently stated.
Discussing "cycles of epidemics"
in the June issue of Hospitals maga
azine. official nnh
lication of the Amer
ican Hospitals asso
ciation, Dr. Parr an
said such theoriz
ing had ho scien
tific basts but was
founded on pre
sumptive evidence,
adding:
"Many observ
ers have theorized
that as an epidem
ic spreads through
Dr. Parr*11
out the community, ft reduces the
number of susceptible individuals
to a point where the epidemic can
no longer maintain itself. Until a
new group of potential victims grow
up, which may be from four to six
years, that community should be
less vulnerable to attack."
Dr. Parran said there was dan
ger in "relying too strongly on this
theory" since recently exposed
areas may be "lulled into a feel
ing of false security" while locali
ties which have been free of the
disease for several years "may
become unduly alarmed."
"The safest procedure by far," he
advised, "is for all communities to
prepare for epidemics."
Dr. Parran's article in the AHA
magazine was one of 10 on Infan
tile paralysis timed to reach more
than 3,500 member hospitals
throughout the country before on
set of the polio epidemic season,
usually ranging from late June to
September.
The other articles provide in
formation on methods of treatment,
organization of community re
sources, the key position of the gen
eral hospital in the over-all care
of poliomyelitis patients, and the
role of the National Foundation for
Infantile Paralysis in flnanrmg polio
treatment at general hospitals.
Dr. Parran aaid that all communi
ties rfumld inventory their facilities
>
lor the treatment of polio, includ
ing hospitals which normally do
not accept patients suffering with
contagious diseases, and he added:
"Such pre-epidemic planning is
necessary if adequate care is to be
given to all who contract the
disease. Under the guidance of those
officials charged with the commu
nity's health and with the substan
tial support of the National Founda
tion for Infantile Paralysis and its
local chapters, every community in
the United States can be prepared
to meet epidemics of poliomyelitis
without fear or panic."
Woman Has Churned
10 Tons of Butter
EVERTON, MO. ? Mrs. Gals O.
Fletcher of Everton, by actual ac
count kept in an old ledger, has
churned 21,000 pounds of butter by
hand in an old-fashioned brass
bound churn in her 78 years. She ex
plains that she has been churning
butter since she was four years old
when she had to stand on a wooden
box to grasp the dasher handle.
"It would be quite a lake if all
the cream I have churned should
flow into one pool," she said re
cently.
The churn she uses is a century
old and she has worn out many a
home-made dasher in it She keeps
the cream only a short time before
she churns it so that the butter she
makes will be sweet.
After the butter is churned she
places it in a large earthen crock
which has been sunning for several
hours. Then she starts working it
with a circular movement, using a
flat wooden paddle. That works the
milk from the butter in about 10
minutes. She puts the butter away
for several hours and then works it
again to get out the last of the milk
drops. The finished butter is a gold
en ball.
In order to have the best butter
milk, Mrs. Fletcher leaves flakes of
butter floating in it. After 75 years'
experience she believes she under
stands all phases of butter making.
Contentment among cows is as
important to good butter as the
right kind of feed, she believes.
Innocent Bystander:
The Cinemagielans: Fred Mac
Murray lighta the {use for a sure,
fire-cracker christened "Smoky."
The outdoor de luxer has Mother
Nature as Fred's leading lady. . . .
"The Searching Wind" went from
footlights to kleig lights and re
mains a provocative humdinger. It
digs beneath the surface of current
issues and comes up with a dra
matic gusher. Sylvia Sidney heads
the trouper-dupers. . . . "Diary of a
Chambermaid" is an adult boy-girl
opus, highlighted by keen character
studies and crisp dialogue that has
plenty of spin on its phrases. Paul
ette Goddard keeps it twirling. . . .
"The Hoodlum Saint" offers a
sprightly meller gifted with Bill
Powell's urbane pretending and Es
ther Williams' natural hipnotic gift.
The Press Bos: Thomas B. Sher
man in the St. Louis P-D spanks
W. Llppmann and other tall-domed
thinkers for using the annoying
word combination "know-how." We
don't like it either, know-how. . . .
William S. Hart's passing received
appropriate adleulogies, one editori
al concluding: "There will never be
another Bill Hart. The background
is faded and the type is dated, but
the memory is still green and
fresh."
Quotation Marksmanship: T. Ful
ler: If you'd have a hen lay, you
must bear with her cackling. . . .
Old Russian Adage: Wounds heal
but harsh words stay in the heart
and mind. ... J. Baker: The guests
were all having an uncorking good
time. ... J. Elinson: He's always
corning a phrase. . . . Ida James:
I hope the atom test isn't the Bikin
ing of the End. ... J. Gart: The
British seem to be more interested
in getting the Grand Mufti to
Palestine than The Hundred Grand
who belong there. ... J. Cannon:
Louis is a credit to his race. The
human race, of course. . . . E.
Cuneo: I would gladly change the
orchids I deserve for the scallions
I don't. . . . O. J. Nathan: Men go
to the theater to forget; women, to
remember.
IImm, H.nllM. *U. mI.. *
??iuuvt | Mia fia/'^tvuu^
?r, told this at Leone's the other
night. During the war ha was visit
ed by a wealthy neighbor from Tax
as, an aging woman who had an
overpowering yen for the perfect
string of pearls. Gardiner recom
mended Cartier's. . . . There she
was served by a young clerk who
mistook her unprepossessing ap
pearance for poverty and showed
her the lowest-priced strings. . . .
She demanded better ones until the
store's stock was exhausted and
only the vault remained. She in
sisted on going into it. .. . The clerk
pulled out their finest pearls and
showed them to her. It was just
what she was looking for. She asked
how much. . . . "The price," said
the clerk haughtily, "is $800,000."
. . . "I'll take it," said the woman,
opening her purse and extracting a
half-million dollars in cash I . . .
The clerk keeled over with a heart
attack.
Normaa Grans recently produced
a jazz concert at Carnegie Hall. It
sold out. . . . Norman was once en
gaged to a Southern society gal
named Virginia. He was so in love
with Virginia that he christened the
theme song of the concert: "Love
You Virginia Blues." ... But, alas,
Virginia, who never hung around
back stage before, changed fellers
?from Norman to a hot jazz man
in the crew. . . . She returned his
ring. . . . And now, sohelpus, as the
curtain comes down on each concert
an announcer introduces the newly
titled theme song, to wit: "Drop
Dead Virginia Blues."
Torrid tempers tares turning the
town into a stone and steel Sahara.
. . . Flimsy gowns clinging to trim
torsos?as though they loved them.
. . . Weary salesmen scurrying into
the foyers at Broadway's air-cooled
movie places. . . . The silken rustle
of luxury in swanky spots, where the
ladles are chin-deep in ermine. . . . ;
Sidewalk cafes in the Gramercy
Park sector and in the 40s and 80s
between 8th and the AoftheA. The
most attractive is the one outside
the St. Moritz Hotel. When the mon
ster motors of the buses stop growl
ing at 50th you can hear the tinkle
of the Cafe de la Paix ice cubes.
The geyser of ehstter and giggles
in ice-cream places?the teenager's
Stork Club. . . . The sweltering cab
bie who groans: "In this weather
just breathing is hard work!" . . .
Tenement youngsters using sea-bit
ten docks as their personal diving
boards.
WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
New Republic Born on July 4 as
Philippines Are Freed; OP A and
Atomic Bomb Are Still Debated
" RtlNNd by Western Newspaper Union. ????????
(EDITOR'S NOTEt Wkn eplaleas are azareaaei In tfeeaa c alanine. they art tbeae mt
WaaUrn Newspaper Ualaa'a nawa analysis Ml aat naaaaaarlly a# this newspaper.)
BOMB RESULT ... Plater* la tea beary enrfier USS Pansaeala with
bar anparatractare damaged by tea atomic bomb ia Bikini Hraan
WARSHIPS:
Safe From Atom?
Ships cannot b# built with steel
thick enough to protect their crews
from the terrific lethal radiation of
a close atomic explosion, CoL Staf
ford Warren, Bikini safety officer,
has declared after an inspection.
Some of the 73 target vessels re
mained dangerously radioactive
even a week after the atomic bomb,
he declared, after the ball-of-ftre
blast sank five, heavily damaged
nine and affected 59 warships. Radi
ation released by the bomb was "ter
rific," Colonel Warren told news
men.
Colonel Warren believes that if
the target fleet had been manned,
the blast would have rendered it
helpless, since "many not killed by
the blast would have been unable to
carry on their duties because of ill
ness from radiation," quoting Cap
tain George Lyon also of the safety
staff.
OPA ENDS:
Lid Is Off
When President Truman vetoed
the OPA extension bill, declaring it
was not a true "price-control"
measure, the house of representa
tives passed a resolution extending
OPA for a 20-day period. Then the
senate balked. Result: No OPA.
The reaction was Immediate
in cattle, hogs, grata and dairy
products. Prime cattle abet up
to m a hundred pounds on the
Chicago market for aa all-time
high within hours. Two-dollar
wheat was seen for the first time
since IMS. Milk went np about
1 seats a quart. Women la
Washington, D. C., reported
butter at M cents a pi sail
Many merchants all over the
United States, however, pledged a
hold-the-line policy. In a few cases,
prices were lowered to "start
healthy competition." But generally
prices began moving up, despite
President Truman's appeal to hold
down inflation until a new price con
trol bill could be paseed by the con
gress.
In view of the situation. Senate
Majority Leader Berkley warned
that two or three weeks probably
would be required to get even a
temporary continuation resolution
through the senate. The 10-day ex
tension passed by the bouse will
have passed before then. The ma
jority leader told President Truman
the senate wpuld attempt to work
out a permanent law instead of a
temporary makeshift.
ATOM BOMB:
Results Are Argued
The wrath of the atomic bomb
was unloosed, but goats kept on eat
ing, palm trees waved their fronds,
and birds still flew over Bikini la
goon. To many eye-witnesses the
pyrotechnic display was colorful
and gorgeous, to others the whole
show was a dud. Arguments have
already started and will continue
for weeks and months, or even
years. Is atomic energy so fright
ful as we supposed? Is the mod
ern battle-wagon still mistress of the
seas?
But Ave ships were sunk, 6 were
wrecked, IS were badly damaged,
and possibly all the rest of 73 in the
naval fleet bear scars. However, not
a capital ship was sunk by the
atomic blast, although havoc
wrought by the bomb's might was
evident on every hand. Fires raged
aboard at least eight of the vessels,
including one ship two miles from
the target center.
?lee Aim. WIDUm H. P.
Blaady, task fares ???.
says there is as reasea te hsBass
the day at the carrier aad de
stroyer Is daae. 8a the assy tsa't
convinced that thc^atewiis bcmb
PEACE:
Parley July 29
Vyachealav M. Molotov, the So
viet foreign minister, finally agreed
to a general peaca conference, being
privately persuaded by Secretary of
State Byrnes to stop postponing
the actual date. A general peace
conference of 21 nations will be held
in Paris beginning July 29.
Delegates of the invited powers
will assemble in Paris to make
peace as they made war. Tbey will
sit throughout the month of August
to perfect the peace treaties with
Italy, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria
and Finland?all former Axis satel
lites.
STRIKES:
If Prices Rise
Even if inflation comes, workers
must eat That is the gist of labor
unions' comment "Employers
failed to keep their word, and so
did the government We are no long
er bound to keep our word not to
strike."
Blaming the house and senate for
not holding the line on prices,
many labor leaders have indicat
ed that if prices go up?and prices
are going up?then demands for in
creases in wages will come. And if
those demands aren't met there will
be strikes.
HOBBS' BILL:
Restricts Labor
Although he signed the Hobbe bill,
which applies heavy federal anti
racketeering penalties to labor un
ions, President Truman attempted
to safeguard legitimate rights of or
ganized labor by a simultaneous
message to congress limiting the
impact of the law.
The message stated that the Pres
ident signed the act only on the un
derstanding. asserted by Attorney
General Clark, that the law would
not molest "the great legislative
safeguards which the congress has
established for the protection of la
bor in the exercise of its funda
mental rights."
p/wmflll I /hsn *tv* we
ruumn un juli :
New Republic Born
A crowd at 100,000 packed the
greensward of the historic Luneta
in Manila on July 4 and faced the
grandstand where 3,000 special
guests and notables had gathered.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur eras there;
so was Paul V. McNutt. now U. S.
ambassador to a new republic.
The occasion eras the birth at a
new republic, when the Philippine
Islands, a territory of the United
States, became the Republic of the
Philippines. The first president of
the new nation is Manuel Roxas,
who paid a tribute to the United
States.
"We are no longer protected by
the mantle of American sovereign
ty," Roxas warned. "No longer can
we look to America to shield us
from our follies and excesses."
But in Washington, President Tru
man said: "The United States
stands ready to assist the Philip
pines in every way possible dur
ing the years to come."
The Stars and Stripes, which have
flown for nearly half a century over
the Pacific island group, was hauled
down. The silver-starred flag of the
Republic at the Philippines eras run
up ns church bells rang out. A
new nation was bora on July 4, 1MI.
$2.50 CURE:
H yperthyroiditm
It used to cost $190 for ? surgical
operation to cure hyperthyroidism,
but there is now a cure costing only
$2.90, contained in a drink at water.
That is what Dr. Earls M. Chap
man of the Massachusetts General
hospital, Boston, told tbe American
'Medical association meeting in San
Francisco recently.
The curative agent is a tiny pinch
of radio-iodine, one at the atomic
medicines. It is not new, having
been used experimentally for years.
But the new thing about it le that
it has been accepted by doctors of
medicine in place at the more ex
pensive and more serious surgical
process. Atomic ovens can produce
the cyclotron product Inexpensive
iy and it should become plentiful
shortly, said Dr. Chapman.
TAX RISE:
If Prices Soar
In Washington. John W. Snyder,
secretary of the treasury, told a
news conference that an lis lease
in tax rates may be asked by the
administration next year if there is
sharp inflation in prices following
the ending at OP A. Tbe etVliimal
tax would be levied an ktdHddaals
and corporations whan congress
meets after the first at next yeas.
Mr. Snyder gave Bat assurance,
however, that the wlminielialiisi
would propose no new tax la i its
| during IMC.
d^state^ bad svw lTuhn I
dollars tad be Is nee, feat has .
jrgsg ptdjr^dS
ary has takes Ms stag. It was
learned, as aa istl Mdttiesei i
step.
Mr. Snyder dung to Ms promise,
given upon taking office a tew weeks
ago, that ha would try hard" to
balance tbe 1M7 budget. But ha
added that "we're going to have
pretty tough atwVling" to achieie
the goal because there have been
"elements injected into ten pa 1ms
we weren't looking for."
SCRAP PLANES:
Sell for Less
Airplanes coat a lot at money
when they are new. but when the
government sells the scrap the price
of scrap war planes the government
received apparent high bid* total
ing tA.SS.lM. or some three biffins
dollars less than cost.
Sale of these scrap plants win vtr
aircraft. except tor another IS nS
lion to M miTHon piwuh of ahani
num scrap now hi Hawaii to he aaU
in August.
The surplus hem bore. Aghtots and
other tactical ships sold tor scrap
are located at Ave air hkh to the
United States. The debts wO ha
leased to buyers tor $1 par year
while scrapping operations are la
progress.
HOMES:
406,000 Started
Wilson W. Wyatt, national hous
ing expediter, b coriAilent that toe
IMS goal of 1.200.000 linaatog write
win be met. He has alw i sported
that *06.000 dwelling tndta have been
started n> far this year, this Ague*
representing approximately M par
cent of the god
report to the nation on the hous
ing program, aaid that -pikes tar
new homes and rentals are stffl toe
high to At the purses of many veter
ans." He called for the eiectlun af
more rental housing and promised
that all construction win be careful
ly inspected to insure both good
quality and fair prices.
H* strongly implied that unless
price controls are restored the vet
eran. more than anyone else, wfll
be the victim of the situ
ation.
CONGRESS:
Tribute to FDR
The late Pres. Franklin D. Roose
velt was brave, steadfast and a man
who "saw the facts and faced
them," said John G. Winant, for
mer ambassador to Groat Britain,
who spoke at the solemn service on
July 1 when President Truman and
members of the congress paid trib
ute to the departed leader's mem
ory.
Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, FDR's
widow, attired severely in black, sat
directly behind Mr. Truman. With
her were Joeepbus Daniels, secre
tary of the navy in World War I.
her ton and his wife, Mr. and Mrs.
Elliott Roosevelt.
Winant concluded his tribute with
these words:
-God give m heart aad wfll
to take this aattea forward aa
ha BMaat to take It to a new.
toM at peace." V '