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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 1950)
Editorial & Business Offices: 10 Soufh Fourth Street O'NEILL, NEBR. CARROLL W STETWART, Elditor and Publisher Entered the postoffice at O’Neill, Holt county, Nebraska, •s second-class mail matter under tne Act of Congress of March ^ 1879 This newspaper is a member of the Nebraska Press Association, National Editorial Association and the Audit Bureau of Circulations Established in 1880— Published Each Thursday Tfn»« of Subscription: In Nebraska. $2.50 per year, tke wfcere in the United States, $3 per year, abroad, rates provided oa request All subscriptions are strictly paid-m-advance. Irrigation Creates Boom Something of a boom has hit the northwest Nebraska Hay Springs community with the switch from dryland to uriga on farming on the Mirage Flats reclamation project. Folks in the O’Neill region might well observe what has taken place and what the outcome w'lll be out in the Mirage Mats coun try While terrain is quite different, the same principle can be applied here. We refer, of course, to Niobrara river basin devel opment. . O’Neill, as we have mentioned before in these editorial col umns. stands in an enviable position to derive more than its pro portionate share of benefit when current irrigation plans are carried out. Engineers point out, after preliminary surveys, that there are more “irrigable acres" adjacent to O’Neill than any city or town along the Niobrara. The Mirage Flats project, dedicated in June, 1949, uses water frofn the Niobrara river to irrigate 12-thousand-acres of farm land. The project was undertaken jointly by the reclamation bur eau and soil conservation service, with the first dirt being moved in 1941. Details of the project’s unpact on this area were told Friday by W. G Eichberger, head of the reclamation bureau’s Niobrara river area office in Ainsworth. In an article in "The Reclamation Area,” monthly publication of the bureau of reclamation, Mr. Eichberger told how increased farm production has spurn'd the growth of retail and professional business in Hay Springs. Since development of the Mirage Flat* project, the follow ing new businesses hav,-> sprung up: An implement and appli ance store, a furniture store, the Mirage Flats Potato company, a jewelry store, grocery, cabin camp, filling station and garageu department store and a fTosen food processing and locker plant. The town also has acquired a new doctor, attorney, tax con sultant and architect. In addition, the trucking business has expanded and the Farmers Oil company has increased its operations. The theater has been remodeled and the streets have been paved. The first irrigation water was delivered to Mirage Flats in July, 1946. Despite heavy rains in 1947 and some hail damage in 1948, average irrigated yields still exceed average dry-land yields by more than one-half, Mr. Eichberger wrote. Potatoes, beans and alfalfa have produced exceptionally well on irrigated land. incidental effect of the project has been to change Hay Springs from an “import" to an “export" community. From 1941 to 1945, an average of 24.8 carloads per month went out while an average of 31 came in. From 1946 to 1948 the outgoing carloads averaged 35.5 per month while incoming cars averaged 33. Before irrigation, the population of the irrigated area averag ed 2.7 persons per square mile. When settlement of the area is eompleted, the population is expected to average 18 persons per square mile. The conversion to irrigation has changed the average size of the farms from 816 acres to 130 acres. ★ * ★ If We Don’t Know We ll Say So Newspaper offices traditionally are information centers and The Frontier is pleased to answer any inquiries at any time when it has information at hand to do so. Since the inauguration 15 anonths ago of radio broadcasting with the ‘Voice of The Fron tier” the queries have doubled in number if not in variety. Here are typical examples of the last few days: “What is Jack Dempsey’s real name—or is it Dempsey?" j “How many cabling racks were listed on that public sale south of Chambers?” “Is the Engelhaupt sale, southwest of Bonesteel, being postponed?" "What is O’Neill's estimated population?" "Who are our senators and representatives in Washington to write I in regard to some legislation?” (This came from a clergyman). | “When will the Fredrickson funeral be held? . , . Where will she be buried?" "Is highway 81 open south of Norfolk?" "Who won the Inman-Page game?” "What is Romaine Saunders’s addresa?” "When will the Dvorak funeral be held at Atkinson?” “Any new filings for county offices?” These and a thousand others go into the course of an ordinary week’s business. The Frontier is a service organization and, as such, we are pleased to furnish information at any time if we have it available, and, if we don’t know the answer we’ll say so. ★ ★ ★ An agitated reader who signed her note “Wife of An O’Neill Businessman'' this week has written The Frontier wondering "Why a town as large as O’Neill can’t have a light on the water tower?” The writer, however, neglected to sign her name and The Frontier does not print anonymous letters. We encourage letters from readers. The author may request that the name be withheld sind we will be pleased to withhold the name in the event we use the letter, but BE SURE TO SIGN YOUR NAME "Wife of An O’Neill Businessman" discussed some other matters, ie, city mail delivery, power and water rates, etc , which, frankly, are more pertment than the lighting atop the water tower, but, unfortu nately, we cannot use the letter unless it is signed. ■ ■ Hotel Lincoln food tastes os good os it looks. You'll like the varietyJ appreciate the good value. That's (•why dlmoet everybody recorrv, mends the Java Room os a good place to eat HOTEL LINCOLN tOFULAft HOTEL OF LINCOLN, MIMAS** I Prairieland Talk — During Winter of 1931-’32 Holt County Accepted Wood in Lieu of Cash for Taxes By ROMAINE SAUNDERS LINCOLN —■ A legless man came over from Sioux City the other day looking for a job. That ts, he is partially legless— the lower half being missing. Most.of us m his shape might feel we ought to go on some sort of a pension roll. Not this man. He has two good hands and knows how to use them at his work lay ing floors and lathing walls. He was driv en out of Sioux City by the carpenters’ union. Like a lot of other workers, h e Romaine thinks the _ . duality of his Saunders work and not a union card should determine his right to the means of liveli hood. His plan was to contract the floor and lath work of a hou*e and along comes the walking delegate and ties up the whole building program by ordering the union men oft the job where this handicapped work man is laying floor or nailing on a lath. The strong arm of union iabor in Sioux City has no regard for the rights of a legless patriot who makes his own way in the world. Over here in Nebraska we have a constitutional right to work. During the winter of 1931- 32, Holt county was taking wood in lieu of cash in payment of taxes Sheriff Duify was out in the hard wood belt along the Eagle with a fist full of distress warrants to see what he could do collecting taxes. One patriot out there offered to square up with Holt county if they could use some fire wood at the courthouse. This was reported to the chau"man of the super visors, John Sullivan, who said i to tell the gent to bring in the wood. What could not be used in heating the courthouse and jail would be doled out to fam ilies the county was supplying with fuel. j * * * Gov. Dewey’s running mate | is in the field for a third term as governor of California. James Roosevelt is out for the Demo cratic nomination. Gov. Warren was a speaker at the 1948 Founders’ day banquet in Lin coln. ■ It Will be in the trembling i nands of men within the year. The possibility of annihilation haunts the thought of the hydro gen bomb Hydrogen, an ele ment in water, nitrogen and ele ment in the air. If the two prin cipal elements of air, oxygen and nitrogen should become separated our earth would be enveloped in flame reaching out as far as atmosphere extends. Will the hydrogen bomb set ofl such spectacular fireworks? Hardly. Behind the dim un known standeth God within the shadow keeping watch above his own. • • • February 2. Six weeks to go. groundhog or no groundhog. If by Si. Patrick's day there is a stirring of life at the grass roots, sap in tree trunks is on the more, the flight of birds underway, farm migration ov er and the inspiring twang of early spring odors are in the air, it will be alright with Ne braskans. Beside the well-known Boys Town there is over at Omaha a less publicized home for boys. It was started 30 years ago* by individual members of the Ma sonic order and is still main tained and managed by them, independent of the Grand Lodge of Nebraska It is able to func-, tion because of liberality on the a little paper that comes from part of the public. Quoting from the home this appealing an nouncement Its doors are al ways open to the most friend less of all D. P.’s—a boy in need of a home. The first and probably the only shipment of crows’ eggs went out of Holt county in May, 1932. Harvey L. Mendel, of Sacramount. N. Y., had read a story that appeared in The Fron tier about the county paying a bounty on crow eggs and sent a dollar to the county clerk for some of the eggs, explaining he wanted them for an experiment. Clerk John C. Gallagher sent the New Yorker 24 eggs. • • • Another amendment to the federal constitution is coming up designed to revamp our presi dential elections. If the ghosts of the revered fathers of our bill of rights could haunt the historic halls of congress the honored sirs reposing in state might hear something louder than a whisper demanding. “What’s going on here?” • • • Dynamite is pretty much of a Jissy as explosives go these days. Early dawn was deprived of the crimson flowering of the dis tant horizon. The sun came over the earth’s rim behind dense clouds. All last night the rain dripped m steady rhythm from the roof overhead The day starts soggy and sullen. Visibil ity, as the highway functionar ies say, is in recession. A white farm house that stands on a hill in the distance and glows in the sunlight on a cloudless morning is obscured by mist. The city has been washed in an all-night bath. The black earth drinks up the water to give life to grow ing things when spring time IS'-’ loosed from the bondage of winter. The snows of recent weeks and early rains are like molifving omtment to the wor ries of earlier winter. (Continued on page 7) MBROWN f MCDONALD'S What values! I What fabrics! What colors In our exciting new TOPPERS 95 • $16.95 $22.95 $24.95 What is fashion’s first choice for spring? TOPPERS! McDonald’s has 'em, with all the style touches so important for 1950. Suedes, fleeces, gabardines, coverts, tweeds . . . every coat priced to give you extra value. V ) Junior, misses, women's sizes | Colors: Navy _3 neutral beige toast jr yellow 0 m pink red ul white See 'em soon! M III » Hear Bonnie McDonald's howsmokmg hints daily, WJAG . .1:15 P.M. f Burn Style is Here Abain l i TV TO question now as to who has the ball ^ y| on automobile styling! Take a look at almost any blockful of new cars — and you wriil see once more the sweep and dip of tapering fenders that Buick pioneered — and that the w hole country went for with a joyous whoop and holler. T Ihey re a little smoother now, of course, rounded a bit and an? molded right into the body. And they flow sweetly into rear-fender forms that look for all the world like a jet plane'< powor plant. Then look how wonderfully they are topped off in the upperstructure—with wide, curving, one-piece windshields, and with smart. Buick-originated wrap-around back windows! les, Buiek style is here again. Tin* sleek, swift-lined style that has put Buiek right in the fashion fore front of postwar America. i And you can have it in a choice of many sleek and roomy models, ranging in price from just above the lowest brackets to the fine-car field. Come in to see your Buick dealer and start traveling in the smartest styling of the times. »««« fMU JTT/CJT rfMitf a *•w' ___ r*~ . -***> i. 7a»lC*. **: s.^., «», A. MARCELLUS PHONE 370 O’NEILL