Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 5 February 1948 — Page 17

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Inside Indiana

8 LONG AS a guy is dreaming of automoae why be a piker? There's mo use trifling: d.with business coupes, 116-inch wheelbases and the $1200 price range. The best is none too

"a that idea in mind I invaded the 148-inch wheelbase show rooms, My face and hands were clean, the half-soles on my shoes were brand new and my assets ($1.79) were safely out of sight. gow was a salesman to know he wasn't dealing ith & “man of distinction”? Spe A Lincoln Continental seemed to fit in well with the mood I was in, It fitted in even better as 1 slowly walked around the pea-green jobbie on the display floor. Unlike the old days when salesmen used to drag people off the streets to see the atest in riding comfort,” I had quite a long time to myself. Open highways, four-car garages and 28-room mansions revolved around “my” car by the time a voice was asking, “Can I help you, sir?” Since there wasn’t any use of beating around the bushes on this deal—"How much as it stands?” “$5230.” . '

something to Grab, Please THERE SHOULD be door handles on Contipentals. Something you can grab when a fainting spell comes on. “Anything wrong, sir?” the salesman asked solicitously.

$5230—Is that all for this wagon? When can you deliver six, all different colors?

NEW YORK, Feb, 5—The excessive wailing and boasting of some railroads, ever since the planes started cutting into their business, flowered the other day into a full-page magazine advertise ment. : The Association of American Railroads bought the page to make a r-mouth over taxes, inflation, and the pitiful lot of the roads which are being forced to improve themselves. It wound up as a shill for higher rates. : Go some place else and cry, fellows. Yours truly has quit listening. I've exhausted my capacity to weep into the pillow over the troubles of the airlines and the railroads and the Pullman .Co.. especially the Pullman Co. 5 I know times are tough and help is hard to come: by, but let us knock off this smug recital of how wonderful and long-suffering we are. The airplane people have sinned plenty against the customer in recent years, but they haven't been 80 self-righteous about it as the railroads. The Pullman folks have made a big thing about the infallibility of railroad schedules. They point out, with a sneer at their competitors in the . Sky, that they get you there on the button, come “Jog, snow, sleet or a martian invasion. They have stressed comfort and courtesy, intirating that they had a corner on those commodities,

Sponging Pullman Conductors IN THE recent cold weather—and I don't mean

seven hours late on the infallible railroads. A friend of mine traveled from New York to Cleve-land-the other night with no lights -at ail on the train. The only illumination was a lamp in the club car. This they shut down at 10:30 p. m., because the working shift had knocked off and there Was no other shift available. The cold customers, hing in the dark, howled. But they howled un- = ea -

Blue-Plates Bluer

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5—Noticed ‘how you haven't had to stand in line lately to get a seat In a restaurant? How the head waiter greets You with a smile? And how. his assistant brings You the first ‘time the food you ordered? Boy! I'hate to gloat, but: Service in merica’s restaurants is getting better, . while their business is growing worse. The cost. of-eating out is about to skid and all soon will be well in the greasy spoons and the restaurants Ritz of this best of all possible worlds. Me full of opium fumes? 2 ~My word comes from George R. Lesauvage, himself, ina double-breasted blue flannel suit. When he says “blue-plate special,” the bosses of 435000 restaurants jump in unison. They may Jump to give him an argument, but still they

1 They're banded together in the national public ceding industry advisory committee of which Mr, Lesauvage "is head man. As such he keeps an eye on the 62 million people a day who eat Out and wonder whether to leave the waitress 15 cents, or only a dime. These days she's grateful for 10 cents. Business is that bad. Mr, Lesauvage, who feeds no-telling how many fruit salads dally to New York's matrons at Schraft's, gave the Senate Banking Committee & jolt. He said it was barely possible that oldfashioned capitalism wasn't such a bad thing. If the lawmakers in their wisdom decided to do nothing at all about reviving rationing and price

Sorols, maybe things would: work themselves ou J :

Drop-Off Began Two Months Ago TAKE RESTAURANTS, he said. About two months ago their business began to fall off. Every time their prices inched up, a few more cus'omers defided to eat at home. Now business Is off around 15 per cent from the beanery in the Bronx to the $6 steak emporium on HollyWood's ‘Sunset Blvd. iE

The Quiz Master

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8 Why is Colorado known as the Centennial tate? ; Colorado fs known as the Centennial State 1 Ause it was admitted to the Union in 1876, just Joo years after the United States Declaration of dependence, : ; vo Hp Ae

Does : ilar Sound travel faster through Sound travels through water at thee rate of 4700 font of 1000 re parcoud_snd through alr ai he rite

eC hi Where is the old biplane which Orville Wright

the air or

didn’t tell him but for $5000, I'd run around the - world. Since he didn’t have anything I could drive

_ sidewalled neap. It was gray. I don’t like gray.

EE ————— Cry Some Place Else By Robert C. Ruark EE ————

snow problems—I've been three, four, five, even

The Indianapolis 'limes

Evidently it wasn't clear enough because I} made the mistake of offering $100 down. “When Jan F508 car ted ow sue woule the yay ments be?” ; 2 It was his turn for a heart attack, When he steadied himself, in quiet tones, he explained 100 bucks would just about cover the cost of putting the papers into operation. , “Besides, at the rate you're going to plunge, you can't hope to own a Continental before your grandchildren are ready to go fo college,” he droned. %

What—No Raccoon Tail?

THE SMELL of new automobiles always was sweet to my nose but I needed fresh air. We didn’t do any business. ~ : Further down automobile row, my spirit way up again, I asked a mild-mannered salesman: “Is this the biggest Packard you have?” “At the present time, yes.” With a firm hold on a streamlined door handle I nonchalantly struck again. “How much?” o “As it stands, $4065. That includes radio, heater, overdrive, electromatic clutch and wheel shields,” he answered, “What?” For effect I made my blood boil, “At that price I don’t even get a raccoon tail?” The man explajned that a raccoon tail wasn’t the type of thing a man put on a Custom Eight, Then he mentioned several hundred items he could put on a car. And—if I especially wanted a raccoon tail he could get it. “Thank you, I'll think it over.” - The Cadillac people were. congenial but unfortunately the 48's weren't in. Didn't make any difference to me. In a folder I picked a Fleetwood

75. A five-passenger touring sedan. The seven-|

passenger was a little too big for my purposes. The man said it would run “around” $5000. I

home, I let it be known I'd be back. He wasn't impressed. . At a Buick show .room I told another easygoing gentleman what I wanted. A yellow Buick convertible to go to basketball games, weainer roasts and an occasional trip to the grocery store. “A Roadmaster like this one at $2609 wouldn't do, would it?” : i With disdain I looked at the four-door, white

“How soon can I get a yellow convertible?” “What are you driving, now?” » You know, I'm getting pretty good at throwing! fainting spelis. Now, if only a bus would come along, I could get home.

The last Pullman conductor I dealt with was a shameless panhandler, flatly demanding a tip for changing space; although the change was to

more expensive quarters. Three of the last four|

I've dealt with hung around -the club car, openly sponging drinks. ; My last three Pullman porters—those genial, kindly, white-haired old factotums of the slick magazine ads—have been surly incompetents who grumbled and grouched and shuffled aimlessly until you caught the pitch and crossed the palm. My last club car boss was a shakedown artist who wouldn't provide glasses for first-class passengers riding in compartments, unless a heavy purchase of whisky went with the order, ‘Hotel Prices, Barbecue Service I HAVE EATEN cold and gummy food off crusted forks in diners, at New York hotel prices and with the sullen service of a slatternly bar. becue stand. I have taken lip from walters who seemed to regard my presence as an affront and an interference in their worrying about a threehorse parlay. This I will absorb without a whimper if we can just knock off fhe alternate weeping and boasting. I know that railroads have trouble in cold weather, losing engines and running off schedule. A certain q of accidents is expected. I know about labor and inflation and high costs and ramshackle equipment and war-spoiled hired “help which still regards the bribe as a basic wage. "But it seems to me that this is not my problem, or any customer’s problem, if the line is in the business of providing transportation for people who pay money to be transported. I don’t worry you with the headaches of column writing, railroads—quit bleeding onto my rug about your troubles. And this above all, I would like some surcease from your outspoken self-esteem. Brag if you can deliver, boys. Pipe down if you can’t.

By Frederick C. Othman

The restaurant keepers dare not add another nickel to. the price of anything. There's only one way for. the cost of eating to go and that, he said, is down. “This means,” he. continued, “that our customers are providing the price control. It has

Tune-Happy Feet To Scorch

PAGE IT

SECOND SECTION THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1948

Boards In Shortridge Variety

~ Photos by John Spicklemire, Times Staff Photographer; Captions by Henry Butler. : -

TIO 0 p — - Ri Re bi epi oe so ’ - or : oo sip

MUST BE SPRING—Dottie Webb (center) does her "Miss Springtime's Dance" in "It's Springtime," Act V of this year's Shortridge Junior \ Caleb Mills Hall, Some 300 members of the Class of '49 have

Vaudeville. The Junior Vaudeville opens its three-day run at 8:30 p. m. today in contributed to the five-act variety production,

iL. : (7 Aid

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FAST-STEPPERS—JoAnne Ebner ‘and Patty Ellig are two" of the:

put some of the restaurant industry in desperate straits, but I don’t say that's entirely bad. The long-rangé effect of this condition should cause! easing of prices, both at the wholesale and the; consumer level.” {

Old-Fashioned Way Best of All

SEN. HARRY P. CAIN of Washington couldn't believe his ears. Did Mr, Lesauvage say he thought | the old-style American way of doing things after] all was best? | The Senator is a Republican, and I believe he was sincere; I think his question indicated his amazement rather than any back-handed crack at the Truman Administration. Mr. Lesauvage said he believed just that. Even if some restaurants went bankrupt, he still believed it. | “You mean,” cried Sen. Cain, “that natural] laws are achieving the same effect as government | controls?” “I ‘do, sir,” replied Mr. Lesauvage. tors almost looked starry-eyed. There was one thing Sen. Cain couldn't under-| stand. He ate breakfast on a train the other day| and his grapefruit, toast, coffee, bacon and eggs cost him $1.40.

| The Sena-| |

It was a good breakfast, but he| could remember when it would ‘have .cost 60 cents. How come? Mr. Lesauvage said that was what he got for eating in such flossy places. He said he supposed the lawmakers wouldn't even believe him, but the average meal check in an American restaurant before the war was 26 cents. | “Now it is 30 cents,” he added. “That is true.” All right, mine hosts. .I'm waiting for the | 10-cent ham sandwich and the second -cup of coffee free, .

77? Test Your Skill ???

piloted in his first sucgessful flight in 1903? At the present time it Is suspended from the eslling of the Scisncs Museuns in London, * What is the official name for the White House? The Executive Mansion, meaning the residence of the head of the executive branch of ‘the, ‘government.

Te / Why is 2 Yaveling sulesiagn Symstimes called It was formerly the custom/for salesmen to. announce themselves by beating on a drum, hence

the term drummer,

-¥BONGO-BONGO"—Putting. plenty of zest into” that "Civils zation” song are Ellen Norman and Pat Shardelow, two participants

five dancers in "High Brown", one of the colorful production's inter- : in. Act IV.,.an African jungle fantasy called "Taboo",

mission numbers.

} > : ih : % . oH ’ » % ; : p : J £ Hy ws { ¥ : » : oh ¥4 Ad ; : bi Bed y re. ale '

* TOYSHOP BALLET—Dancers in the “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" number in the Acti toyshop se ence dre, left to right: Don Skeh Jeannine Billau, Jack Werner, Wilma Sexon, Neil Strickland, Carol King, Bill Hershmann and A Roman So dy; a

Dance to Feature ‘Security Week’

1 dh

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Scout Troop Plans Moderator Named in Rent Debate

Indianapolis Chapter, Reserve; The committee also will set up | Prof, W. G. Gingery, principa ' r , , W. G. . pal of the American Home Owners Officers’ Association, today ad- a speakers’ bureau with speakers lot the George Washington High Union, will “take the

vanced plans for a military ball to appear before civic, industrial | § 1 A : , > open in observance a “National Se- and ya jergal groups during “Na-| olse ar ming School, il Serve as Bodensios ho Wo Sebui i be i curity Week,” Feb, 12-22, tional Security Week.” shale prow night on - cat. Jess E. Montgomery was Sm y . R— a ved hat ¢ Ren ut i ill "Civic Un named chairman of the observ- Indorses Candidacy ‘|8cout - Troop 116, Holy Name pp ga Be Continued After Fev. Affisonvi » v ; ance committee at a meeting of| “Federal Post 62, American Catholic ‘Church, will hold a| "The debate will De held “at s To Elect Directors : the «chapter's executive board./Legion: Depastment. 6f Indiana, 'house-warming” Monday at 6:30, rial] Allisgnville Civie Association Maj. Roger Elliott heads the today annoynced that it unani- P-m. at the church, "| Auditoffum. old h : oy ohn

m. in the World War Memorial! } i : ; James Robb, dis- will hold an annual at radio section, Sa. Eauward Owe the resolution A pot-luck supper will be fol- trict director of the United Steel 7:45 p.m. tomorrow in candidacy of trols will. give demonstrations. ber of the rental advisory board, Directors will be elected. Hi Sommander{Parents and boys of Scout agen speak on the affirmative Abbott, county agricultural Bg

The troop committee of Boy

Jon Bmundan ’ viliiaty ball sec-|55, the ¢ an ernqp Clark,

man, window * y section; Li — ; , win y in; Lt, opin bY. Haynaed-Barcus Post lowed by a program infwhich Pa- Workers of America and a mem Strange School. {Joseph ¥. Lutes for \ of the Indiana department. Wrenmore, president, will speak,