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This newspaper page contains 21 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Shafter Press
Location
Shafter, California, United States of America
Date
Dec 26, 1940
Page
2
A national editorial column reflects on avoiding formal resolutions. The piece commits to tolerance, considering all sides, respectful discourse, gentle progress, and living by example. It emphasizes independence, personal betterment, and to let others run their affairs while seeking community improvement.
Rains raise expectations for a bright spring as Shafter flower fields near Kern county promise vivid blooms. Tourists may visit to view the color, with early showers aiding growth and a favorable season anticipated for California’s famed flower valleys.
Mrs. W. P. Lavin of Dinuba purchases Karakul sheep to rear for Persian lamb fur. The article notes only one other similar flock in the valley, owned by Leland and Robert Rice of Hanford, with about 15,000 Karakul sheep in the United States.
The article urges construction of a new agricultural and shop building at Shafter High School to expand practical job training for students. It argues many boys won’t pursue further education and that enhanced facilities would support hands on instruction in farming and shop work, strengthening local job readiness.
Friant near Fresno sees dam work paired with gold recovery from San Joaquin river sands used in cement. Contractors Griffith and Bent share 50 50 with the United States government as 240 troy ounces worth about 8000 dollars are recovered in 30 days. Upstream Millerton recalls early California gold days while gravel for concrete powers water projects and a navy family note adds infant flyer Michael McMahon.
Vitamins and science create a new fur color in silver foxes. Pelts of the new color sell from 850 to 1500 dollars each, making a complete coat costly. The author notes it's too late for Christmas gifts.
Barbaretta of Wildwood 677091, a Jersey cow, died recently in Turlock at age 17. She bore 15 calves across five Elmwood farm generations and produced 138,771 pounds of milk and 6,562.2 pounds of butterfat in her lifetime.
A collage of remarks notes differing papers on Europe, draft resistance, and tourism. It highlights Arthur Morel as a draft dodge reference and California tourism growth surpassing gold output, with a satirical finish on newspaper life and a lighthearted editor’s daydream.
Charles Mc Intyre writes in the December Pacific Editor and Publisher issue about a country publisher’s mind. He notes the grind between press days, the automatic flow of business, and the eager payment and advertising demands that follow.
A Fresno Bee item notes the actor, famed in film and radio, has a brother employed as a truck driver by the studio under contract. The father defends his less famous son, urging people to pursue work suited to their talents to ease many of the world’s problems.
California figures offer sharp quotes on appearances politics driving insomniac drivers and opera taste. Earl Carroll mocks toupees while Herb Caen jests about Mussolini. James M Carter jokes on road risks and sleep. John Booth touts showy revivalism and Isabel Morse Jones weighs opera fame against art.
University of California Davis researchers develop a combined sugar beet harvester that tops lifts cleans and loads beets in one pass. Built from two experimental units a variable cut topper and a vibrator lifter, the machine aims to cut beets with a gauge while lifting and cleaning soil, feeding beets to a conveyor system for transfer to a truck.
The Bureau of Marine Fisheries reports final salmon counts for fall upstream migration. Mokelumne 4900, Stanislaus 3129, Tuolumne 122000, Merced 890. Counts tied to Central Valley Project investigations.
Vocational training courses sponsored by California aircraft manufacturers enroll about 10 000 students in public schools or on company plants creating skilled workers for the aviation industry.
Local businesspeople teamed up to distribute about a thousand bags of candy to Shafter children over two weekends before Christmas. Hugh Skaggs led as Santa in red and white, with support from merchants, banks, and organizations including the American Legion. Community church programs followed with concerts, treats, and holiday activities for all ages.
Richfield and Marland Oil plan to spud a well on Section 36 27 23 about three miles west of Wasco on Semi Tropic ridge to test long standing speculative theories. Joe Redding of San Francisco owns the land and will handle preliminary steps as the rig, capable of reaching 10 000 feet, aims to surpass all current world depths.
Roy Martin and Joe Engle, county workers at Buttonwillow, rushed to save the school as a blaze sparked by the furnace during Christmas preparations consumed the building. They helped remove supplies, but the fire destroyed the structure save for the concrete walls.
Everett Jumper and Kermit Annis survived a collision with a Wasco school bus in dense fog last Friday. Jumper, driving toward Wasco high school, credits a rabbit’s foot for luck as they crawled from the wreck, while the bus driver raced back with a fire extinguisher.
John Wilson acted as Santa for a destitute Shafter family finding a mother and five children without food or clothing. Merchants and residents contributed, raising seventeen dollars for shoes and food as rain hindered work. Mrs. Horton housed the family and Camp Fire Girls provided warm clothes, ending with a very happy Christmas for all.
Mitzie a famed German police dog who survived machine gun fire shrapnel and poison gas in France died this week in Colusa from ptomaine poisoning. Her owner Captain William R Ravigno late of the French Foreign Legion credits the dog with saving his life after he lay wounded at Picardy and unconscious for hours. Mitzie once served under General von Falkenhayn and was decorated with the Tron Cross for bravery.
Mr and Mrs Herbert Midgley and children attended the Vita phone picture at the California theatre in Bakersfield for the Christmas matinee. Mr and Mrs Henry Dalke of Marion South Dakota are visiting in Shafter with Mr and Mrs George Isaac. Mr and Mrs H J D Janzen of Shafter entertained Christmas day guests Mr and Mrs George Enns Mr and Mrs J A Enns and John Enns of Santa Cruz.
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