Coral Gables Historical Archive
Coral Gables Riviera
Friday, August 1, 1941, page 4 (of 6)
The page
The text of this pageRead by computer from the scan, so some words may be wrong. The page picture is the original.
CORAL GABLES RIVIERA
AN INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER Published every Friday by the Miami Riviera Publishing Co., 306 Coral Way, Coral Gables, Fla. Established January, 1926 Combined with the Dade County and Coconut Grove Times, 1929. ALBERT E. HARUM President and Publisher JAMES B. MOORE. Managing Editor Mailing Address, P. O. Box 704 Telephone 4-1634 Member, Florida Press Association National Editorial Association SUBSCRIPTION RATES One Year by Carrier, Coral Gables and immediate vicinity | $2.00 Six Months | $1.25 One Year by Mail | $3.00 Entered as second class matter May 21, 1926, at the Postoffice at Miami, Florida, under Act of March 3, 1879.
Address Change Needed
In a recent discussion before the City Commission on a proposed increase in the appropriation for the library, it was brought out that the Fairchild Tropical Gardens list their address as "Coconut Grove, Fla." There doesn't seem to be much doubt in anyone's mind that the library will get what additional funds it may need within reason—without necessarily cutting off the funds allocated to the Fairchild Tropical Gardens. But it is a little discouraging to learn that the Gardens, located within the Coral Gables city limits and securing financial aid from the City, should fail to do what little they can to help the Gables. We agree with S. Duffield Hopkins, Jr., that the Gardens should call the Gables their home in their printed literature - stationery, envelopes, letterheads, etc.—even if that means going to the inconvenience of changing their mailing point from Coconut Grove to the Coral Gables Branch Post Office.
Behind Weekly Headlines
"Thirty-seven Gables Boys on Draft List" —"Committee to Survey Gables for USO" -"Five 'Commandos' for Today" -"Chamber Urges Widening of Waterways" -"Launches Aluminum Drive"-"50 Volunteers for Air Raid Duty"-Gables NYA Training Center Work Spurred for Defense." In the foregoing paragraph are headlines gleaned from perusing the front page of last week's Riviera. Like a many-faceted mirror, those headlines contain the reflections of a world at war. They are graphic proof that the bloody conflict in Europe is affecting the lives of practically every individual in a nation theoretically at peace. It is not within the sphere of the weekly newspaper to bring its readers last minute reports of battles, troop movements and activity of the European political front. The community paper primarily tells the story of the small town. It confines its coverage pretty much to the activities of the people that make up the community it serves. Yet, it tells the story of the war just as much as the daily with screaming headlines stating: "Nazis Drive Deeper into Russia". The tale of the world conflict crops up in every department of the paper. Even the society page tells stories of defense dances and of people moving because members of the family have been called into the armed forces. The advertisements also reflect the war, with price changes, appeal for defense work and priorities, being reported. Although our peaceful and sun drenched streets belie the fact, the battle against the dictators is reflected in the lives of every one of us, just as it is mirrored in the headlines of the community newspaper.
Welcome, Mr. Stackman
The Riviera joins with every one in the Gables in extending the hand of welcome to the Rev. Carl Stackman, who has been called to head the Coral Gables Congregational Church. The Rev. Mr. Stackman occupies an important pulpit in this city and will minister to a large and important cross-section of the Gables population. The Rev. Mr. Stackman succeeds the Rev. Leslie J. Barnette, whose influence, even among those not belonging to his church, was widely felt during his stay here. The Rev. Mr. Stackman's background is an organizational one—his duties having taken him at one time into South Africa—and he had wide experience along organizational lines in Chicago before taking over his pastorate in Burlington, Wisconsin. We wish Mr. Stackman well and hope that when he assumes his new duties next September that he will enjoy Coral Gables and his work here.
Hospitality
Let's show a bit of that traditional Southern hospitality when the boys in the service go on their short leaves and look for entertainment in these parts. Men in uniforms will be a familiar sight in the Miami area in the days to come and these parts are ideal as a point of furlough for the sailors on duty in the Caribbean. There are certainly more avenues of entertainment, recreation ande rest at this point on the Atlantic Coast than at any other port. There is little doubt that our Government will reap nothing but good if we do everything in our power to make the soldiers' and sailors' furlough a completely pleasant and restful one. A committee is now at work in the Gables drawing up a list of eating places, recreational establishments and the like, who will demonstrate their desire to entertain the boys in the service by permitting discounts to those in uniform.
A Good Cause
The plan of the state to issue special license plates to motorists upon payment of a $1 fee seems to be a first-class way to increase State aid to dependent children. A motorist whose memory of his telephone number would be jogged by having the same digits on his license plate certainly ought to be willing to pay $1 for this bit of secretarial service. And at the same time, the motorist will feel that the additional fee is going to a very splendid cause. Since the Federal Government matches State money raised for this purpose, dollar for dollar, the car owner thus actually makes possible a $2 contribution to the care of the State's dependent children.
OUR TOWN by Jim Moore
Have you ever been in a strange town, many miles away from home? Have you ever walked alone through the streets of an unfamiliar city just after sundown and experienced that "oh-so-lonely" feeling as you saw lights blinking from hundreds of windows and glimpsed happy family groups seated laughingly around the dinner table? Have you ever longed to join one of those groups and to be accepted, if only for a few brief hours, as a friend at one of those dinner tables? Ten-to-one every reader has felt that "away-from-home" tinge of nostalgia at one time or another. It has a way of creeping into the most callous of us and it can be best defined by the good old-fashioned term "home-sickness." Over at the University of Miami several hundred American and British cadets here for 16-week training periods, are not immune to those attacks. True, they are soldiers, engaged in the serious business of preparing themselves for battles to come. But true also, they are young fellows, with families somewhere and with hearts that yearn for a glimpse of just those families. We Gableites can't exactly take the places of those families, but we can do a lot to ease those pangs of longing for the home hearths and relatives. Last week a committee was formed with the main purpose of bringing a bit of home life to those boys by bringing them into Coral Gables' homes. Headed by Mrs. Milton B. Garret, the group is composed of representatives from every civic body in the community. The object of the committee is not to stage a lot of elaborate parties and dances for the boys. It's merely to get individual Gables families to invite two or three of these boys to dinner or loafing on next a quota of 20-odd boys over. In other words, to give them an individual welcome to the Gables and to make them feel at home. Foster Alter, student counselor at the University, has offered his office as a clearing house. So all that any Gableite, who wants to help, has to do is to phone 4-0801, ask for Mr. Alter's office and tell the secretary how many boys you want to entertain, when you want them and whether or not you can supply transportation. Then Foster checks his list, contacts the boys, makes the engagement and phones you back to verify the date. It's as simple as that. We did, however, after talking with Foster, Flight Lieut. C. E. S. Riddle of the R. A. F. and Lieut. T. J. Carnahan of the U. S. Army, who are in charge of the boys, pick up a few tips about entertaining their charges. We pass these along to you in tabular form, in the hopes that they will be used by many in the weeks to come. 1. The best time to have the boys is on Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon and evening. Oftentimes on week nights the cadets are required to do class work, night flying or studying. They must be in their quarters every week night by 10 o'clock except Friday, when they can stay out till 11. On Saturday night, however, no curfew rings and the lads are not required to report back until 10 P. M. Sunday. 2. It isn't necessary to go to a lot of trouble planning elaborate parties. There are plenty of dances to which they boys are invited. A good meal and some companionship answers the purpose admirably. 3. Don't be angry if the cadets aren't able to come at the last minute. It probably won't happen, but sometimes extra duty is ordered, and being soldiers, they have no choice. They'll feel as badly about not being at your house as you will about the extra dinner you prepared. 4. (And this is important)—Remember that these cadets are young fellows and enjoy the company of people their own ages. Being strangers, they don't know many girls in the community, so if you can arrange for them to meet a couple of nice young ladies you'll have their undying gratitude. And we're sure the girls won't object either. The ideal situation is to have two of the boys and two girls you know at dinner, all around you that tablecloth, and then let them go off to a movie or to the country club. Or, if it's Sunday afternoon and you have a boat, take the four of them fishing. This is sure to make a hit. 5. Don't discriminate between the American and British groups. Both the Yanks and the English are just boys away from home and they'll enjoy the hospitality of your home equally well. These are by no means rules to govern your entertainment of the cadets, but just friendly tips gleaned from talking with men who know what the boys like best. You can take them for what they are worth.
Healthy, Wealthy and Wise
EVEN THE BEST PRESCRIPTION WILL NOT BE EFFECTIVE UNLESS IT IS TAKEN REGULARLY! ONE WHO IS OUTDOORS MOST OF THE TIME IS LESS LIKELY TO HAVE COLDS, OR TO CATCH DISEASE, SUCH AS TUBERCULOSIS, THAN ONE WHO IS SHUT IN ... EVERYONE WHO HAS TRAVELED WHERE HE CANNOT GET PURE WATER AND PURE FOOD, SHOULD BE PROTECTED AGAINST TYPHOID FEVER... TO WARD OFF DISEASE, AVOID THE INFECTION CARRIERS -FLIES AND MOSQUITOS -
This Week in Defense
Acting Secretary of State Welles said present Japanese activities directed toward Indo-China endanger "peaceful use by peaceful nations of the Pacific . . . jeopardize the procurement by the United States of essential materials such as tin and rubber . . . necessary for . . . our defense program. . . ." He said the safety of other areas, including the Philippine Islands, also is endangered. The President issued a statement that the United States has been letting oil go to Japan "with the hope—and it has worked for two years—of keeping the war out of the South Pacific for our own good, for the defense of Great Britain and the freedom of the seas." Mr. Roosevelt told his press conference events in the Far East are bringing to the American public a greater awareness of the danger of the whole world situation. But as yet, he said, the public is not sufficiently cognizant of the perils of the situation, any more than it realizes the dangers of war in the West. ARMY—Secretary of War Stimson said production of vital items has been increased with the co-operation of American industry during the past year: combat cars, 1,000 per cent; light tanks, 475 per cent; medium tanks, 467 per cent; smokeless powder, 127 per cent; machine guns, 93 per cent; TNT, 92 per cent; training planes, 55.7 per cent; bombers, 17.8 per cent. The War Department said Army expansion has progressed faster in the past year than the manufacture of modern weapons, but since it is more important to know how to employ a weapon tactically rather than to know how to fire it, "little training value is lost by the substitution of a stove pipe for a mortar or an oak bough for a machine gun." If a company has fewer guns than men, the guns are rotated so each man has a chance to learn how to handle them. The War Department said it is giving four types of tests to discover a trainee's ability and to help find his "right" place in the Army. Selective Service Headquarters announced that 752,572 twenty-one-year-olds registered on July 1. HIGHWAYS—Congress passed a $320,000,000 defense highway bill for construction of roads and experimental airplane landing strips, and to pay states for damages from Army and Navy maneuvers. Federal Loan Administrator Jones announced the RFC has authorized a loan of $425,000,000 to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to pay for war supplies Great Britain ordered before the Lend-Lease Act was passed. Mr. Jones said Great Britain has put up collateral which includes securities of U. S. corporations, capital stock of 41 British-owned U. S. insurance companies worth $500,000,000, and the earnings of U. S. branches of 41 British insurance companies which have net assets of approximately $200,000,000. The loan matures in 15 years and bears interest at 3 per cent per year. POWER—OPM Director General Knudsen named J. A. Krug OPM Power Consultant, head of a special power unit to assure an uninterrupted supply of electrical energy by reducing consumption in non-defense industries, and, if necessary, by rationing power where shortages are threatened. Mr. King said vast "power pools" will be created to insure adequate supply of electricity for aluminum and magnesium plants now under construction. He said one has already been formed for aluminum plants in Tennessee and others are being considered for Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, the southern sections of Kansas and Missouri, and for the northeastern section, including the New England States, New York, eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. OIL—Defense Petroleum Co-ordinator Ickes requested a voluntary cut of 33 1/3 per cent in motor fuel consumption in the Atlantic Coast states to avoid rationing. Congress passed a bill authorizing Federal aid to private firms in constructing interstate pipelines, and Mr. Ickes recommended that the petroleum industry construct a $70,000,000 pipe line from East Texas to the Atlantic Coast with a daily capacity of 250,000 barrels. He also asked the industry to construct 40 to 50 large, high-speed oil tankers in addition to 139 now on order. CIVILIAN SUPPLY—Price Administrator Henderson announced a tentative program to cut production in the automotive, domestic mechanical refrigerator and mechanical household laundry equipment industries to make more materials available for defense. He said the cut will be offset by defense work these industries would undertake. OPM Director General Knudsen said the proposed shift should coincide with increased defense orders to the industry to avoid unemployment. LABOR—President Roosevelt established a committee on fair employment practice in the Office of Production Management to prevent discrimination against defense workers or Government employees because of race, creed or national origin. The six members represent the CIO, AFL, the newspapers and radio, and include two Negroes. OPM Associate Director General Hillman announced that 800,000 AFL building trade union members have reached a stabilization agreement with the Government calling for no strikes on defense projects for the duration of the emergency and no stoppage of work because of jurisdictional disputes "or any other cause." LABOR SUPPLY—Mr. Hillman told railroad officials and labor executives in Chicago that the 100,000 unemployed, skilled railroad workers could be shifted to defense work under a "voluntary labor priority" plan. Mr. Hillman said an estimated 1,000,000 workers will be needed by the aircraft industry by July, 1942, as compared with the 209,000 employed today. He said 555,600 will be needed by next July in the shipbuilding industry where 375,000 are now employed. ordnance flag to 14 companies who are ahead of production schedules of Navy contracts. He said firms who are "all out" for defense will be permitted to fly the flag and their employees will be allowed to wear in their lapels an "E," the traditional Navy mark of excellence. The Maritime Commission said the entire shipbuilding program is nearly sixty days ahead of schedule. PRICES—Price Administrator Henderson asked the baking industry to reduce operating expenses instead of raising bread prices. He said ingredient costs have risen half a cent a loaf. Bituminous Coal Counsel Harr recommended maximum prices at 10 per cent above the present minimum. AGRICULTURE—OPM Associate Director General Hillman said agriculture will be represented in all of the recently created OPM commodity sections concerned with "commodities produced by agriculture or necessary to the production of agriculture." ALUMINUM COLLECTION—OCD Director LaGuardia announced that on July 30 local aluminum collection committees will send materials collected in the voluntary program to concentration points in large cities of the 48 states. He said the Treasury Department's state procurement offices will then offer the scrap to smelters having defense contracts at OPACS prices.
In Our Mailbag
Editor, The Riviera: Referring to your article in your paper today, I am surprised to note that L. E. Huguelet and Keyes Company desire to maintain signs in Coral Gables for the purpose of selling real estate. Coral Gables has always been referred to as the city without signs, and I think it is a mighty fine stand on the party of the Realty Board to eliminate signs of all kinds from the city parkways of this beautiful city. Hoping you will use your best efforts to keep Coral Gables clear of this nuisance, Sincerely yours, CHAS. E. HEARN 203 Avenue Aragon. * * * Editor, The Riviera: Regarding the real estate men's argument over signs, why wouldn't this be a possible solution? Prohibit the display of all "Open" signs except on Sundays and then let them use their names if they desire. I can't see how begging a realtor's name off a sign makes it less ugly. Most people look at houses on Sunday anyway, so if the signs were used only then, it would keep Coral Gables free of them six days a week and everybody should be happy. R. L. T. * * * Editor, The Riviera: This argument over the Woman's Club deed grows more ridiculous every day. I, for one, am getting darned sick of reading about it. It doesn't make a bit of difference who holds title to the property, and I think all parties concerned are acting like a bunch of three-year-olds. Let's get a silly and unwarranted situation cleared up without any further nonsense. G. D. L. * * * Editor, The Riviera: I am glad to see that some concentrated effort is being made to entertain the American and English cadets in Coral Gables homes. Mrs. L. M. J.
This One's on You
SHIRT STORY—Ira Arnot, busy photographing groups at the Country Club last Saturday, was approached by Mark Erwin with a request that he record the Erwin table on film. Ira looked covetously at a gorgeous green corduroy shirt Mark was wearing and said: "I'll take the picture if you'll trade shirts with me." To his surprise, Mark stripped off his shirt and handed it to him and in a few moments Arnot had doffed his and made the trade. "Twould have hardly been noticed except that the Erwin shirt was about six sizes larger than the Arnot raiment. PALEFACE PAPOOSE—"Pete" Robinson, taking a tip from the Indians, has devised a method of carrying the new addition to the Robinson family without fear of dropping him. He uses one of the regulation baby seats that can be hung over car biles. He puts the hooks over his shoulders, straps "Butch" in securely, and off they go, without a word of admonition from Mama. VISITOR—Into the Riviera office the other day strolled Hannon Bionton, Jr., of 525 Coral Way, who, after introducing himself, said he would like to look over The Riviera printing press Promptly he was ushered into the "back shop," where, wide-eyed, he watched the linotypes and presses at work. About an hour later, it being lunch time, Hannon came into the outer office, bespoke his thanks and departed. An hour later to the dot, Hannon returned and took up a post next to the linotype operated by George Duncan. George then appointing Hannon to the job of making a neat pile of the metal pigs, which Hannon did with great gusto. Hannon confided he is 13, doubts very much he'll be either a printer or a newspaperman, has an insatiable curiosity. George says the young man builds interesting Mosaic temples out of metal pigs. BORED BABY—"Bobby" Gasley was enthroned in her ticket booth at the Gables Theatre when a little girl, dressed up in her mother's clothes and shoes and wearing a pair of enormous sun-glasses, approached the window. "Is this Bob Hope picture a funny one?" she queried. "It's full of laughs," Bobby answered; "I'm sure you'll enjoy it." "I'm afraid I'll be bored," the wee one replied, disdainfully twirling her beads. "You see, the draymer's my meat." FUN'S FUN—We always enjoy the story of the patient who was waiting in the reception room of Dr. T. L. FitzGibbon's establishment. The doctor's pretty attendant was sitting at her desk checking up on a few accounts when the telephone rang. Up jumped the patient, picked up the telephone and said (so that the caller could hear it): "Now, young lady, I think you'd better get off my lap and tend to the telephone." VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCE—When Mr. and Mrs. Abbott N. Wolfe of 2308 Ponce de Leon wrote all the way from the Adirondacks to Carolyn Starbuck, Carolyn was quite thrilled. And when they wrote again and told her they had a waitress job waiting for her up North, she was even more thrilled. Carolyn, who had never been north of the Dade County line, bought her ticket and wired from the train the time of her arrival in New York. The wire had been delayed, however, and when she arrived in Pennsylvania Station there was nobody to meet her. Disappointed, she phoned her cousins in Brooklyn, resting her purse on a bookstand in the terminal. The cousins invited her over, told her how to get there, and Carolyn left the booth to find her purse, containing $5, gone. Well, Carolyn reached her cousins and called up the Wolfes, who agreed to meet her the next day. Climax of the whole tale is that, after two weeks in an Adirondack supper club, the building caught fire, burned to the ground. Carolyn and the Wolfes barely escaped with their lives. Then Carolyn ended the day by locating a $5 bill which had been tucked in a dress by her hospitable Brooklyn cousins. CLANGING CHAIN—Our own Helen Reynolds causes considerable excitement in the Riviera office every day when the morning mail arrives. It all dates back two weeks ago when Helen became a link in a chain letter which called for 25-cent defense savings stamps instead of quarters and the like. The suspense following Helen's becoming a link was very short lived—in fact, she got five stamps before the week was out. At this writing she has received 15 25-cent savings stamps, and is thinking of putting $246.25 to it so she can own a $250 defense bond. One letter containing a 25-cent stamp came air mail from Cleveland, Ohio. Another from Indiana. One correspondent from Miami asked Helen to call her up so that her hopes might receive a psychological "shot in the arm," Helen did. She was Mrs. A. C. Starke, who told Helen she's been a link in all kinds of chains (dimes, quarters, dollar bills, aprons, handkerchiefs and prayers) and except in the last mentioned always came out the loser. Mrs. Starke would love to have one chain "click" (or clink), thinks the defense stamp idea's swell. (Editor's note: Looks like favoritism. We haven't heard from ours yet.)