Transcribed by Keri Luiz
Assistant Editor

From the Desk of Publisher Arthur W. Gluckman

Your Duty To Vote

BENICIA APPRECIATES A JOB WELL DONE and has shown that appreciation to three city officials who come up for reelection at next Tuesday’s election.

The citizens of this city believe — and know — that City Trustees George Westerberg and Enos C. Dana, and City Clerk Anna Pine have given and are continuing to give their best to the offices to which they have been named.

And therefore the people have not found it necessary to put an opposing candidate in the race for any of the three positions held by the officials named above.

We know that the people of Benicia are not wrong. Mr. Westerberg, Mr. Dana and Miss Pine are excellent officials. They are doing their work well, and giving much of their extra time to the welfare of this city.

Now it is up to the voters to put their vote of confidence down on the official ballot in the City Election next Tuesday. DON’T FAIL TO VOTE! Don’t take the attitude that “there is no point in voting because there is no contest.”

Go to the polls Tuesday and VOTE — it is your DUTY as an AMERICAN!

“We See By The Papers —”

If a reputable scientist enlists the aid of newspapers in a project to build a railroad to the moon, they will publish what he has to say. And perhaps the next day the papers will be publishing a story to the effect that the eminent scientist has been taken before a neuropsychiatric clinic for a sanity test.

It is not the function of a newspaper to suppress or ignore obviously foolish statements made by persons of prominence. A news reporter has no right to conclude that Secretary Ickes should be protected when he makes wild and vitriolic statements, or that Secretaries Knox and Stimson should be accorded a charitable silence in the press when they issue contradictory statements concerning an anti-aircraft barrage in Southern California.

A congressman recently complained that press and radio were inaccurate in reporting war news. He was rash enough to point out specific instances, and in each instance it was a case where public officials were grossly in error, not the newspapers or the radio. They were merely reporting what had been said.

“I see by the newspaper” is a common expression as coming from the reading public. As a matter of fact, they don’t “see by the newspapers,” for the newspapers do not express opinion in the news, only on the editorial pages. What the reader confuses as a newspaper statement is invariably a quotation from some individual, supposed to be an authority, but it is not the function of the newspaper to determine in the news story whether or not the statement is right or wrong, prejudiced or frankly truthful. It is enough that someone of consequence said it. The rest is left to the people.

Public officials make many unfortunate remarks; find themselves out on a limb because of erroneous conclusions publicly stated. We should judge them by Lincoln’s method — of weighing their blunders against their constructive acts, to discover which is the more pronounced in the long run, their boneheaded plays or their brilliant successes. But don’t blame the newspapers because public men often talk or act like persons with arrested mentality.
— The Covina Argus.

U.S. To Take Over Tannery

Government moves quietly to stop sale of old buildings

The Herald-New Era learned late today from unimpeachable sources that the Federal government will take over the Benicia Tannery property for an undisclosed purpose having to do with the war effort, and that the deal pending between the city of Benicia and the Jefferson Finance Company is off.

Immediate action in the move is expected, with government authorities speeding plans for use of the property in the shortest possible time.

Deal Kept Quiet

According tot he Herald-New Era’s source of information, city officials here had not been informed of the government’s proposed action as this paper went to press, and further information could not be released.

The move throws out of gear the city’s plan to sell the Tannery property and Benicia Reclamation District to the Jefferson Finance Company at a price of $50,000 and the payment of some $93,000 in bonds outstanding against the reclamation district.

The city had negotiated a deal with Solano County for tax title to the property in order to make the sale, and was to have received a large portion of the money realized. Final drafts of the agreement between the city of Benicia and Solano County were being completed this week and were to be submitted to State Controller Harry B. Riley for approval before the sale could be made to the finance firm.

$6.00 will buy an anti tank shell.

Four Benicia Men Report To U.S. Army

Four Benicia men were among a group of 13 who left Fairfield on April 1 for induction into the U.S. Army. They are John Phillips, Andrew Trotter, Bernard Garske and Milton O’Dell.

Others in the group were Alvy Aldrich of Suisun; Nick Kirwin and Harold Turry of Fairfield; Joseph Mursako and Howard Morrison of Suisun Valley; Agripino Flores of Vacaville; Elmo Triplett of Dixon; and Charles Christian of Rio Vista.

‘Meanest Man’ Does About Face, Returns Hospital Donations

A can of money which had been donated by patrons of the Pastime for the Red Cross Emergency Hospital fund and stolen last week by an unidentified “meanest man in the world,” was returned early this week.

The container of money was put back in its place and no questions were asked when the man who took it apparently had a change of heart. Maybe he took it just as a gag in the first place — or maybe he didn’t know what he was doing.

The point is, the money is back, and the Red Cross Hospital is ahead by approximately $30. Now if the other container of money taken last week were returned Benicians could regain their belief in human nature.

Fireworks ‘Out’ For the Duration

Hey kids, better practice up on the art of snapping your fingers or popping your bubble gum — because that’s the only noise you’re going to get in the way of a Fourth of July celebration this year.

According to word received here this week from Lydell Peck, State Fire Marshal, no public displays of fireworks will be permitted until after the war.

The new regulation, issued by Mr. Peck on instructions from Governor Olson is as follows: “Public displays of fireworks are hereby prohibited for the duration of the emergency.”

Work On Highlands St. To Start In 2 Weeks

Work of preparing streets in the new 50-acre home tract north of the city is to begin within two weeks by the Shultz Construction Company, it was revealed here yesterday, and 30 days later construction of 150 to 200 homes will get underway.

The Shultz firm purchased the tract from the City of Benicia, St. Dominic’s Church and from an out of town owner recently, and plans to build 3000 homes of the $4200 class in as short a time as possible.

Streets in the district are to follow the contour of the land, winding about the slopes to give each home owner the finest view possible.

Paving sewers, water and other utilities are to be provided and the homes will be sold from a tract office to be established when the first of the units is nearing completion.

The entire project is being handled by the Niels Shultz firm, the Millbrae Highlands Company, and estimated cost of the program is one and one-half million dollars.

$10 will buy one tent.

AWVS Members Hear Talk On State Defense

The importance of the participation of housewives in the civilian protection program was stressed by Mrs. Hazel S. Schnable, administrative assistant for the State Council of Defense, in addressing the Benicia unit of the American Women’s Voluntary Services in the American Legion Hall here Monday.

“The average housewife can and should enroll in the civilian defense corps of her community,” she declared, adding that women could serve as air raid wardens in many communities.

“Women must be on the alert and prepared to act quickly and calmly in the event of an enemy raid, particularly in the event of a daylight attack, and should at all times keep their households running efficiently, so as to be ready for any emergency,” she warned the members.

“We women have an important duty to assist our government in civilian defense in the all out war effort,” she pointed out.

She declared that housewives could also serve as messengers, assistant air raid wardens, as well as aiding in medical services, emergency food and housing units for families left homeless by attack, and in numerous other branches of the citizen defense corps of their community.

More than 40 Benicia women were present to hear Mrs. Schable’s talk.

Prowling Panthers
Personal, Social, Sports
Benicia High School

Panther Editorial

School spirit is one important thing that keeps schools together and running smoothly. Lately Benicia High has shown a slight lack of this school spirit.

We all want school activities and argue until we get them, but then when the work starts one hears, “Not me; it’s too much work,” “Why don’t you make what’s-his-name do it?” “Think I’m going to go out all day and sell tickets? Not ME!”

This is not only lack of school spirit but also lack of cooperation and responsibility. What type of personal appearance do you present to others when you want and ask for things, and then refuse to help when you get it? If you want something see it through, and work as hard as you can to make it a success. But if you don’t feel you can see it through, and work to see it a success, don’t start it. It’s better to not start a thing at all, than to make a bad appearance to others by doing a thing badly.

Panthers Drop First Ball Game

On Thursday afternoon, April 2, the Benicia High School baseball team played the 137th Infantry from the Benicia Arsenal. This was the first game for the High School. The game ended with the Arsenal winning by the score of 6 to 4.

The Arsenal team gathered 6 scattered hits, but capitalized on some bad breaks on the High School’s part and scored 6 runs. The Arsenal scored one run in each of the first four inning,s and scored two in the fifth inning. All these runs were unearned.

Girls Play Friday

The gym girls staged a basketball game between themselves on Thursday afternoon. The girls were divided into two teams: the blues and the golds. The game was very close from start to finish with the golds squeezing through to win by a score of 29 to 28. The girls who played in the game played a very good brand of basketball as those who attended the game readily saw.

There are going to be more games, and if they are all as close as the game played Thursday, the girls can expect to find more fans in the gym to see them.