From the Desk of Publisher Arthur W. Gluckman

Get Ready!

If this country is attacked, a start will undoubtedly be made with incendiary bombs. The most common type of these bombs — and the most effective type — is light, small and safe for an enemy to handle. A single bombing plane can carry 2,000 or more of them. And each of the bombs is capable of starting a major fire.

The moral of this is clear: One of the first and most essential steps to be taken in defense of this continent is to perfect our fire defense. London and other English cities would not exist today if their fire-fighting organizations, professional and volunteer alike, had not produced miracles. Experts are convinced that it is perfectly possible for an enemy to reach and attack our principal industrial centers from bases located in Europe and the Far East.

Here, then, is a real civil defense job. Relatively few American cities and towns have sufficient fire-fighting equipment to deal with a big attack. Relatively few communities have as yet developed adequate fire prevention and fire-fighting forces. The improperly prepared community is wide open to tragedy and utter disaster.

There is no time to lose. In every town, no matter how small, fire-fighting training should be given to civilian groups. Additional equipment should be purchased as fast as possible. German fire raids on English cities have slowed to a standstill for just one reason: The British have learned to cope with them and rob them of their terrors. An enemy does not waste materials and energy when it becomes obvious that the results obtained are not worth the price paid.

In short, fire — whether it comes from within or without — can be licked. It need hold no terrors for an informed, prepared, equipped people. Let’s be ready!

It’s A Two-Way Ocean

To the grim satisfaction of an American that remembers Pearl Harbor vividly, American bombers have made the very palace grounds of the Mikado shake with blastings from the skies over Nippon. The Jap now knows that the Pacific is a two-way ocean.

But so must the American — particularly the Californian — bear in mind that the vengeful Jap will never rest until, if it is possible, they have bombed our West Coast mainland. Our defenses are strong, but no coast is immune to attack by sea-borne aircraft.

If air raids do come to us, it must be the role of Californians to bear the injuries and fight back stanchly — and never to entertain the thought of calling the fleet home for our protection, but rather to urge that our forces attack Japan ceaselessly and mercilessly — attack and attack and attack — until our lives and property are secured through Japan’s utter defeat.

City Sets $1000 License Fee For Running Pin Ball Machines

An ordinance setting a license fee of $1000 for one year for the operation of pin ball machines and similar devices in the city was passed at an adjourned meeting of the Board of Trustees of the City of Benicia in City Hall last Saturday.

The fee of $1000 entitles the licensee to operate as many as 25 such machines within the city for a period of one year, and provides that for each additional machine that a number fee of $40 shall be charged.

Upon payment of the license fee the licensee will be given 25 seals which must be placed on the machines in operation. The license is good for one year from the date of issuance. Additional seals, of course, will be provided for any number of machines above those covered in the original license.

Defense Aid

The Board also voted to donate to the Solano County Council of Defense the sum of $50 a month to help defray various expenses of the rationing board throughout the County. The County is matching all such donations from other cities in the County.

Request for the donation was made by Trustee Paul Wetmore. Mr. Wetmore explained that the federal government has made no provision to pay expenses of the rationing boards for such items as stationery, stamps, office help, telephone and other necessary services. He said, however, that federal aid in the matter had been promised and that when it was forthcoming the donations of the several cities would be stopped.

Present at the meeting were Mayor Charles G. Clyne, Trustees Paul Wetmore and E.C. Dana. Absent were Trustees Tom Wright and George Westerberg.

Meeting Planned for Benicia Home Department May 8

Principles of egg cookery and the value of eggs in the diet will be among the subjects discussed at the May meeting of the Benicia Home Department to be held on Friday, May 8th at 10 a.m. in the American Legion Hall.

Several egg dishes will be prepared and recipes covering egg dishes will be distributed to those present. Project leaders will assist the Homes Demonstration Agent with this demonstration. Miss Eager, Demonstration Agent, will be in charge.

Those women not checking their diets at the April meeting on “Evaluation of Diets” will have an opportunity to do so at this meeting and those who were present last meeting will be given opportunity to learn more about food values.

All women interested are invited to attend.

Arrangements Complete For Sugar Rationing In Benicia

The issue of sugar rationing books (known as War Ration Book One) will commence Monday morning, May 4 at the Benicia Grammar School building and continue four consecutive days, ending on the evening of May 7.

The Benicia Elementary Schools will be closed for the issuing of the ration books, and will re-open on Friday, May 8.

Distribution of the books will take place between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and between 7 and 9 in the evening.

In order to prevent crowding and long waits the following schedule is asked to be observed by the applicants: Monday persons apply whose last names end with any of these letters: A, B, C, D, E; Tuesday F, G, H, I, J, K, L; Wednesday, M, N, O, P, Q, R; Thursday, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z.

This grouping of names has been scientifically computed and if the above schedule is followed approximately equal numbers of persons will come each day.

Following is some of the pertinent information concerning the issuing of the sugar rationing books:

Who is entitled to have an application filed? Every person living in the United States except:

1. Members of the Armed Services who regularly receive rations in kind.

2. Persons confined to public or private institutions and whose meals are furnished by such institutions.

However, a temporary resident of such an institution may file application or have one filed by him or her, by a member of his or her family unit. A “Family Unit” means a group of two or more persons consisting of all persons living together in the same household (including persons temporarily absent therefrom) who are related by blood, marriage, or adoption.

Warning Issued on Taking of Mussels

A quarantine on mussels from May 1st to October 31st by the State Board of Public Health is announced by Dr. Bertram P. Brown, state health director.

The quarantine is imposed upon all mussels taken from the ocean shore of California from the Oregon to the Mexican boundary including San Francisco Bay which was omitted from the order imposed in previous years.

Only exception is permission to take mussels for fish bait. Such mussels must be processed with salt to make them unpalatable and must be plainly labeled “For fish bait only. Unfit for human consumption.”

Local health officers were instructed to post the quarantine along the shore.

Prowling Panthers
Personal, Social, Sports
Benicia High School

Panther Editorial

Have you an attic, garage, basement, or closet that hasn’t been cleaned out in years? Why not pull out all those old dresses, tin cans, rubber clothing, papers, and start a scrap drive of your own? All you need to do is call the Boy or Girl Scouts, the Salvation Army, or Red Cross and your donations will be accepted gladly. Aid in the national drive of scraps to help in this Second World War.

The country is short on many essential materials. If you have any of these materials needed by your country, why not do your part by giving them. It is better to do without these materials and have a country than to not have a country, but these materials.

Also if you have a little spare money lying around with which you don’t know what to do, invest in Victory Bonds and Stamps or donate to the Red Cross, or USO. In the high school, alone, in the last month and a half over $500 in stamps has been sold.

Do as much as you can for your country for if you don’t, there may be no country in which you may live — freely.

Junior Prom Saturday Night

The annual Junior Prom given this year by the class of ’43 is this Saturday night, May 2. The Juniors have been working very hard for the past two weeks making invitations, posters and last but far from least, decorating the hall. The hall is being decorated to the theme of “Keep ’Em Flying.” So do not get frightened that night when you walk into the hall and see all the planes on the walls. They are only imitations.