anaheim-gazette 1922-05-11

HELPS WEATHER BUREAU SERVE BUSINESS MEN Telephone is Heart and Soul of Service to Public, Expert Declares "When it comes to serving the people," said James H. Scarr, head of the New York office of the United States weather bureau, "the telephone is the heart and soul of the weather bureau's service. Without the telephone we could do little." Forecasts and reports are issued to a large extent by mail, but also they go to the newspapers largely by telephone; to the ticker companies by telephone; to the radio broadcasting stations by telephone; and to hundreds of individual inquiriers every day by telephone. However, uptown New York may be in its interests, downtown New York is national. The whole United States is there represented in its honeycombed canyons of busy office buildings. This is the reason why the work of the weather bureau station in New York interests the whole country. Its problems reach out everywhere from Maine to Arizona and from Oregon to Florida. Business houses keep in close touch with the weather bureau, and they do it through the telephone. The forecasts are issued at about 9:30 in the morning and at about 9:30 in the evening. But some industries need information in more detail than the reports in the newspapers give. For whether the probabilities are only about 60 to 40 that it will rain or 80 to 20, the simple announcement is published that in the opinion of the weather bureau it will rain. Of course, such service can be given best by personal contact, but since personal contact involves time, travel and congestion, the telephone bridges the gap and brings the weather man and his clientele if not face to face, at least voice to voice. every four forest fires due to human agencies was started by burning cigarettes, cigars, matches, or pipe-heels carelessly thrown aside by smokers while in the woods. In other parts of the west the percentage of smokers' fires ranged from 12 to 18 per cent. The total number of forest fire on the western national forests during the past season was 5131, of which number 1444 were caused by lightning, 732 by smokers, and 2955 by other human agencies. Careless smokers," foresters point out, are responsible for one of the most serious fire hazards in the country, because they fail to take proper precautions with burning tobacco and matches. The preventable fire waste of all kinds from these causes averages more than $18,000,000 a year, according to figures published by the nation board of fire underwriters. The "tailor-made" cigarette is the principal offender in the woods, where a glowing "snipe" thoughtlessly thrown down on the forest floor may cost the public thousands of dollars for fire fighting, to say nothing of the value of timber destroyed, the desolation of scenic beauty spots, and the harm done to waterflow and wild life. Disastrous results from smoking in the woods are most to be feared when the inflammable material that is nearly everywhere present becomes very dry. In the west this condition is generally chronic throughout the summer. The increasing popularity of the national forests, which were visited last year by more than 5,250,000 motorists, tourists and sportmen, makes the prevention and control of smokers' fires more and more difficult. To lessen the fire risk, and to set a good example, the forest rangers and other field officers of the forest service have very generally pledged themselves not to smoke in the woods in regions and seasons of danger. Repeated efforts have been made by the forest service, the national LASKER UNFAVORITE GOVERNMENT The almost unanimous officials to act and secure for them control over private attitude most decisive Chairman Lasker shipping board. Ing under no delusion of success ownership and open assistance to grieve this benefit of its sentation of the crime policy before merce committee. "When the press June 12, 1921, it for fleet being operated agents, towit, print were paid fees raced cent to 5 per cent for supervising their ships. It must not this commission be sented gross profitly all managing present board has have lost money. "The system w vogue when we o itself open to all management. The tors had organized companies, pr ing companies and which to make h crease the meager government a "The very spirit profit on the part principal means ship all along th e ers were known to crews of the ships neither pride nor ty in the trusteeship." "The facts were Some department stores have a special man whose duty it is to keep in touch with the weather bureau. Upon the weather conditions depends to a large extent the display of goods for the coming day, and at times even the arrangement of departments. If going to rain, umbrellas, overshoes and raincoats will be displayed in the windows and found near the entrance. Some large stores have special advertisements filed with the newspapers to be released by telephone order in case of certain weather forecasts. What is the temperature in northern New England, in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the St. Lawrence valley? Will fish freeze in transit to New York and the south or be delayed by coming storms? The answers to these important questions are regularly secured from the weather bureau by telephone. One of the common evening inquiries that the weather bureau receives is from the wholesale produce dealers. Besides these telephone requests for weather predictions, another type of telephone inquiry calls for information regarding the weather conditions that have prevailed during some particular period of time in some particular area. Finally, in case of emergency. Although the sky may be cloudless and there be no breeze of more than ten miles an hour, the weather bureau may itself call up the city snow removal bureau by telephone and advise them to sign up as many men as possible and as soon as possible, for a blizzard is on the way. On the other hand, it may begin to snow with indications of a heavy fall, but a word by telephone from the weather bureau will assure the department of street cleaning that it will amount to nothing and thus save a good deal of money. The courts now hold tow-boat companies responsible for marine loss if they have not called up the weather bureau to ascertain the weather probabilities before going to sea. When storm signals go up along the coast, it national forests, which were visited last year by more than 5,250,000 motorists, tourists and sportmen, makes the prevention and control of smokers’ fires more and more difficult. To lessen the fire risk, and to set a good example, the forest rangers and other field officers of the forest service have very generally pledged themselves not to smoke in the woods in regions and seasons of danger. Repeated efforts have been made by the forest service, the national board of fire underwriters, and other organizations to enlist the co-operation of tobacco manufacturers and packers in educating smokers to be careful with burning tobacco. Some of these organizations hold that since the hazard of fire is inseparable from the use of smoking tobacco, a moral obligation rests on manufacturers or packers of tobacco to enclose fire-warning slips with their products. Resolutions embodying this sentiment have been passed by the national convention of insurance commissioners, the fire marshals' association of North America, the international association of fire engineers and the railway fire protective association. In Canada, tobacco manufacturers are now enclosing little red fire-warnings slips in their cigarette packages. Similar slips featuring care with fire in the home and in the forest are also inserted in match boxes by one of the largest match companies and in cartridge packages by a number of the leading small arms and ammunition manufacturers of the United States. PUNCTUALITY AS AN ASSET A highly successful banker, speaking of the gold pieces usually given for attending directors' meetings, says: "I think the best way is to put the money in a pile in the center of the table, and when five minutes past the hour for calling the meeting has elapsed, then divide the 'spoils' among those who are on time. I find it makes for punctuality." A prominent business writer tells of important business men he knows who make a practice of avoiding dealings with men who are not punctual. "If a man doesn't keep an engagement with me at the time he promised," explains one stickler for promptness, "I cannot trust him. I feel that he himself is not well organized, that he doesn't function efficiently, that he is careless. I won't have people like that in my business, at any salary." hand, it may begin to snow with indications of a heavy fall, but a word by telephone from the weather bureau will assure the department of street cleaning that it will amount to nothing and thus save a good deal of money. The courts now hold tow-boat companies responsible for marine loss if they have not called up the weather bureau to ascertain the weather probabilities before going to sea. When storm signals go up along the coast, it means that as soon as warning has reached the stations the weather bureau officials have themselves taken action and have telephoned at once to the newspapers, the railroads, and to harbor and ocean-going shipping companies, so as to reach all who may be endangered. Seven lists are kept for such emergency warnings, according to the kind of danger and the area or interest affected. In all this service the trunk lines of the weather bureau are kept steadily busy most of the time. "If the authorities came personally to get the information or advice they desired," said Mr. Scarr, "there would be a mob of hundreds of thousands congesting the approaches to the building all the time. Except by telephone we absolutely could not render the service to the people which is desired and which is the reason for our existence." SMOKERS THE CAUSE OF MANY FOREST FIRES Twenty per cent of all the forest fires started by man in the national forests of the west during 1921, were caused by careless tobacco smokers, according to figures compiled by the forest service, United States department of agriculture. In California, Arizona and New Mexico one out of A prominent business writer tells of important business men he knows who make a practice of avoiding dealings with men who are not punctual. "If a man doesn't keep an engagement with me at the time he promised," explains one stickler for promptness, "I cannot trust him. I feel that he himself is not well organized, that he doesn't function efficiently, that he is careless. I won't have people like that in my business, at any salary." The keeping of a definite appointment with anyone, for business or pleasure, is usually recognized by businesslike people as a matter of simple honesty. There is less recognition of the fact that attendance at church or theatre, or at any public or private gathering for which a time is set, implies an agreement to be there at that time, and the late person is breaking faith with the rest. THE TRUTH ON LABELS The supreme court has just held that all manufacturers must give accurate descriptions of all the materials that go into their products and in a way that the public will not be misled. This is just another step forward in the campaign for truth in advertising. For a number of years we have had a pure food law that has compelled the manufacturer to tell just what he puts into food preparations. This was enacted for the benefit of our health. We are just as much entitled to know what goes to make up the other things we buy. We pay money for an article on the representations made to us of its quality. We are entitled to know just what makes it up that we may judge of its merits ourselves. The decision of the supreme court recognizes this right. ANAHEIM GAZETTE LASKER UNFAVORABLE TO GOVERNMENT OPERATION The almost universal desire of public officials to acquire more power and secure for their bureaus a larger control over private enterprise, is an attitude most decidedly not taken by Chairman Lasker of the United States shipping board. Mr. Lasker is laboring under no delusions as to the possibility of success under government ownership and operation, nor does he hesitate to grieve the American people this benefit of his opinions. In his presentation of the whole merchant marine policy before the senate commerce committee, he said, in part: "When the present board took office, June 12, 1921, it found the ships of the fleet being operated by managing agents, towit, private operators who were paid fees ranging from 2 1/2 per cent to 5 per cent of the gross receipts for supervising the operation of the ships. It must not be supposed that this commission by any means represented gross profit; in fact, practically all managing operators, since the present board has been functioning, have lost money. "The system which we found in vogue when we came into office left itself open to all sorts of vagaries in management. The managing operators had organized private stevedoring companies, private ship chandler companies and similar devices by which to make hidden profits, to increase the meager compensation which the government allowed them. "The very spirit of making hidden profit on the part of an agent to a principal means a strained relationship all along the line. Such attitude and actions on the part of the managers were known to the captains and crews of the ships, who, in turn, felt neither pride nor proper responsibility in the trusteeship that was theirs. "The facts were so notorious that one who has given the slightest study to the subject. "The present board, when it took office, cognizant in a lay way of the situation, took steps to right conditions so far as possible. We believe we have built up an organization in the emergency fleet corporation that is measurable to any private organization in the world, but for reasons which will develop, that organization is discouraged by the impossibility of creating any proper operation through government ownership. "The new board and the trustees of the emergency fleet corporation set to work early last summer to correct the evils which have here been enumerated, and we stand firm in the statement that these evils have been eliminated in so far as time and knowledge and effort and limited organization, due to needs of keeping within appropriations, have permitted. I feel I can state without fear of contradiction that the improvements made since last June in the operations of the board's fleet command the admiration of shipowners of the world throughout. "But let us not be deceived. Conditions still are bad, and will ever remain so under government ownership because of the impossibility of competing with private operation. Both the sense of initiative and the responsibility found in private operation are lacking." A PROFITABLE TREATY Arrangements are taking shape in the navy department to dispose of the ships to be scrapped in accordance with the naval limitations treaty. The annual report of the secretary of the navy for the present fiscal year should contain some interesting information. Treaties usually call for the expenditure of more or less money, but this time the United States is going to be nothing safer than CLOSE IN INCOME PROPERTY We can sell you a fine brick building that yields a yearly income of Over $7.000.00 at the very reasonable price of $50,000. Ten thousand dollars cash will handle the deal. This property nets 40 per cent on the cash required. Owner is a non-resident and can use funds to advantage elsewhere. Another smaller brick building on a very close in paved corner with an income of nearly $5,000 per year can be bought for $28,000. ROSS BROS. Pioneer Realtors 133 S. Los Angeles St. Anaheim PHILADELPHIA BATTERIES PHILADELPHIA BATTERIES These Now Are Ford Size $25.50 11 Plate 6 Volt The Now Latest Buick Size $30.50 13 Plate 6 Volt Now Prices Dodge Size $38.50 7 Plate 12 Volt Electrical work done in our modernly equipped shop cannot be equalled. All work guaranteed. ANAHEIM VULCANIZING WORKS S. R. WALTER, Prop. 156 S. Los Angeles St. Anaheim DODGE BROTHERS MOTOR CAR MOTOR CARS public believes implicitly in the goodness of Brothers motor cars because it has found in than seven years of experience that they are all they are represented to be. You are invited to come in, look over the im- Brothers motor cars because it has found in than seven years of experience that they are all they are represented to be. You are invited to come in, look over the imments and get the new prices. CHAS. H. MANN S. Los Angeles St. Anaheim, Cal. "Will You Excuse It, Please--- There Is No One on the Line Now" Mistakes are bound to happen. We all make them. When your telephone bell rings and the "Will You Excuse It, Please--- There Is No One on the Line Now" Mistakes are bound to happen. We all make them. When your telephone bell rings and the operator says, "Will you excuse it please, there is no one on the line now," she is not responsible for your annoyance and inconvenience. The occasion for the use of the phrase most frequently arises when the called party is slow to answer—the calling subscriber does not wait and hangs up his telephone. Many times daily telephone users call wrong numbers — use incorrect prefixes, such as "Main" for "Market"—transpose figures, such as 5342 for 5432. Suddenly realizing their mistakes, they hang up their telephone. Without fault or negligence on her part the telephone operator is left to explain, and the sentence first quoted is that adopted as most briefly and concisely covering the situation.