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This newspaper page contains 36 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Shafter Press
Location
Shafter, California, United States of America
Date
Dec 24, 1942
Page
2
A minister recovering faith from a soldier who once shared his congregation recalls what soldiers fight for the town, family, church, and the girl across the street. The piece views Christmas as a beacon of decency and liberty amid war and hardship, signaling momentum toward peace and freedom.
A 1942 survey by the State Chamber of Commerce reports California maintains a robust war economy with sustained industrial output and staffing levels, highlighting defense contracts, production facilities, and regional employment impact amid wartime mobilization.
The year saw 291000 more workers in air craft shipbuilding and war materials, raising payrolls to 1.35 billion dollars. California farmers expect over 1.25 billion in gross income in 1942, up 50 percent from 1941, amid oil, quicksilver, tungsten and chromite gains, while labor costs and shortages cast shadows on the wartime total.
A year end note highlights U S shipbuilders delivering 625 cargo vessels for wartime needs. The author notes a single cargo vessel can supply a battalion or city, carrying vast amounts of wheat timber and fuel, underscoring industrial output. This reflects on wartime scale and national resilience.
The piece notes wartime WPA legacy with 800 airports and 644000 miles of roads built or improved, 77000 bridges, and 2.936 million projects. It cites motor vehicle taxes funding roadways, mentions Iowa Oregon and West Virginia voting to dedicate taxes to highways, California already doing so, and urges speedy convoy logistics over further construction.
Mr. and Mrs. Ira Unruh and son Kenneth join Henry Goertz of Los Angeles and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Unruh of Wasco with a family group on Christmas in Bakersfield. Mrs. W. W. Atkinson hosts.
A collection of quotes from Californians on war effort labor and home front duties. Notable voices include EDW. L. MOORE of San Diego, Dorothy Shay, Sheila Peart, Rose Room entertainers, Father Wm. Riker, Don Marshall, Commander Mildred McAfee, and others praising women in war work, liquor curfew enforcement, and colleges training for responsibility.
Private Cortez B. Combs of the Casual Section served 24 hours in World War I after being called up on Armistice Day and discharged the next day. At 44 he hopes to enter Officers' Candidate School after basic training at Minter Field. His family all serves. he is Postmaster at McFarland California and his wife works in the post office.
Mr and Mrs Errol Janes celebrated Christmas Sunday at the home of their daughter and family Mr and Mrs William H Black and daughter Brenda Another guest was Mrs Irene Wood of Bakersfield sister of Mr Black
Mrs. J B Henderson has word that her nephew Delbert Gaskin of Sanger joined the Marine Corps in June and is now at Gadalcanal after training at a camp near Allbrook. Delbert has visited Shafter many times.
A hush-hush electric locomotive on the Manchester to Sheffield line records 64 mph in seconds during tests. Weighing 88 tons with eight wheels and four motors producing 1,860 horsepower, it can also feed generated power back to overhead wires when braking. One operator controls the train.
The flag may be flown during rain and snow unless strong winds threaten tearing it. It should be kept dry when cold and flown from sunrise to sunset. It may be flown daily but must be taken down at sunset.
Peanuts rose to national prominence due to the Civil War. Before and during the conflict they were grown mainly in Virginia. Union soldiers who ate Confederate peanuts helped win Americans over to the crop.
The United States consumes about 13.3 pounds of fish per person annually, ranking far behind leading maritime nations. Japan leads with 100 pounds and Scandinavian countries follow, with Sweden at 52 pounds.
Mrs. Burton Kidd of Warrier Mills saw a blue teal hawk dive into her chicken coop. She waded into the flock and seized the hawk by the legs, hanging on until the danger passed and she gained possession of the bird.
Radio waves serve diverse roles beyond broadcasting and communications. They guide ships, signal danger to navigators, assist aircraft control, and even are used in medicine to exterminate parasites.
Agricultural workers have declined as a share of the population from 1840 to 1930. The excerpt notes a drop from early percentages to about 21.5 percent in 1930, reflecting changing labor patterns across the United States.
A historical note argues that lighthouses cause hundreds of deaths for every life saved as birds collide with beacon lights, with millions drawn to the glow and perishing in crashes. Overall tone recalls a critical maritime relic and its ecological cost.
Children are born with strong farsightedness. By four months they cannot see objects about an inch in size, such as a walnut, placed before them.
In a noted police term Benders are automobile thieves who lure officers into pursuit for thrill. They seek high speed chases and danger, risking public safety as they evade capture. Police warn communities about this reckless pattern and its impact on law enforcement resources.
The Louisiana Purchase completed between the United States and France on April 30 1803 involved 1 172 000 square miles of territory and a cash consideration of 15000000 dollars.
A wartime appeal urges every American to save waste paper daily to support the war effort. The saved paper will be used for packing ammunition and other vital supplies, highlighting citizen contribution to national defense.
The article notes how buyers compare timepieces by handling them differently. It describes customers lifting watches to view faces and hold them in the left hand palm for closer inspection.
The Donets is an important river in eastern Ukraine. The Donets basin is a major industrial center in Russia.
Fragmentary note reports a historic dish served in a royal setting with a reference to Charles I and a price of 225 dollars per ounce. The readable text hints at a sale or auction context and claims luxury or rarity attached to the item.
Navy flying cadets spend one week in ground school followed by eight weeks in navigation training as part of their accelerated aviation program.
An ancient copper pipe crafted by Egyptian coppersmiths around 2750 B C has been acquired by a Berlin museum, illustrating early metalwork and trade connections.
More than 13,000,000 residents of the United States engage in hunting and fishing each year. This reflects widespread participation across states with varied outdoor traditions and seasonal patterns important to wildlife management and recreational economies.
A concise note describes sneezing as part of the respiratory reflex, noting the common reflex action of closing eyes during sneezing and its normalcy in everyday physiology.
Reading materials indicate selection of lesson subjects and Scripture texts by the International Council of Religious Education under permission. The notice appears as a catalog description for educational use.
A sermon on Romans 12 1 3 9 21 calls Christians to a surrendered heart ready to serve God. It emphasizes non conformity to the world humility and unity within the church and in social life showing power through grace rather than force and urging patient endurance and prayer.
The M. B. Church at 400 Kern H. invites worshippers to a full Sunday schedule with Sunday school at 9:30, German service at 11, American sermon at 11:10 on Counted Worthy, choir music, prayer circle, Christian fellowship, Bible study, congregational singing, and revival services at 8:00 p.m. Your presence is appreciated.
Alfred T. Chandler leads Sunday School at 9 45 a m with J Donald Atkins supervising. Church services at 11 a m feature pulpit guest Marion S Crockett. Nursery care next door at Plymouth House. Tuesday 8 p m board meeting Wednesday 7 30 p m choir rehearsal.
Lerdo Highway E M Anderson pastor hosts a full Sunday schedule with 10 00 Sunday School 10 50 youth message 11 00 morning worship guest Dr O L Day from Los Angeles 3 00 children 7 00 youth 7 00 prayer league 8 00 evening service New Year Eve service planned Dec 31. St John Catholic Church Warco offers Masses at 8 and 10 am with Rev Omen McMullen.
The Christian Science Society in Boston at Sixth and E Streets hosts Sunday services and a Sunday school at 10 a m and a Wednesday meeting on the first Wednesday of each month at 8 p m The Bible lesson subject for Sunday is Christian Science with John s Gospel as the Golden Text and references to the Comforter Spirit of Truth and Mary Baker Eddy’s writings. the piece also discusses poultry production research and notes on the Sermon on the Mount as central to the Science.
Mr and Mrs Ted Vignola and their son left Shafter to spend Christmas with Mr Vignola's parents in Raymond, marking a family holiday trip.
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