Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 16, 1940)
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 1940- THE BATTALION PAGE 5 Firemen’s Training School Here Has Helped State Save $10,000,000 Yearly believe,-f to It may sound hard to but a $20,000 appropriation made by the State Legislature in 1931 is returning Texas property own ers a saving of approximately $10,- 000,000 a year in preventing fire loss, and at a cost of about $4,000 annually. That appropriation was made for the equipping and operation of the Firemen’s Training School at Tex as A. & M. College, and the bulk of the original money was spent for fire-fighting apparatus and oth er permanent equipment. The $4,- 000 annual cost is spent for the salary and expenses of field in structor G. F. Williams, who spends about ten months of each year tra veling throughout Texas instruct ing fire departments in the latest and approved methods of fire-fight ing and fire prevention, according to H. R. Brayton, director of the school, sponsored by the A. & M. Department of Chemistry ' and Chemical Engineering. School Organized The training school was organiz ed under Prof. Drayton’s guidance in 1929 and the first annual Fire man’s Training School was held in 1930, when 76 cities sent 196 men LA SALLE HOTEL BRYAN, TEXAS 100 Rooms - 100 Baths Fire Proof R, W. HOWELL, Mgr. Class ’97 attend the course. It has grown annually, until last year 269 cities were represented and approximate ly 600 firemen took part in the training. It was not until 1933, however, and after the appropriation men tioned had been made, that the work was extended to the field. Cities sending representatives to the course received a three percent reduction in their key rate, provid ing the existing rate is not twenty cents or lower. Figures Compiled Figures compiled by Prof. Bray ton show that between $40,000 and $50,000 in reduced fire insurance premiums is saved by Texas prop erty owners each year, with more than $300,000 saved since the es tablishment of the school, through 1937. The savings reported do not show the improvement which has been made in fire-fighting methods, Brayton explained. “In 1931 the fire loss in Texas amounted to over $17,500,000,” he said, “but in 1937, after seven years of training school instruction, the loss was only about $7,500,000. The fire loss ratio compared to insurance pre miums was 75 percent in 1931 but last year it was only 34 percent,” he added. Meanwhile insurance pre miums have shown considerable re duction in addition to the three percent key rate reduction. Prof. Brayton’s report shows that the Texas fire loss for the five- year period ending in 1932 totaled about $81,000,000 as compared to a similar period ending in 1937, which showed a total of almost $38,500,000 destroyed through fire. This reduction may be attributed in a large measure to the training given the firemen at the school. Success of School “I attribute the success of the training school, not only to the in creased efficiency of the firemen themselves, but to the fact that we have made Texas citizens fire-pre vention-conscious,” Brayton con cluded. Cost of operation of the annual school is paid by nominal registra tion fee of $12 charged those en rolling and covering their room, meals and instruction while at the college for six days.' HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES CONGRATULATIONS We hope your choice of schools will be Texas A. & M. College - The Home of the Aggies Aggie Jeweler for Half a Century CALDWELL’S JEWELRY STORE Bryan, Texas \N'' 11 EVERYONE IS GOING TO /"■in COLLEGE COORTS COFFEE SHOP Good food and service go hand and hand. We excel in both. We furnish you and your dates with dinner and supper party menus that anticipate your every wish. ACROSS FROM THE COLLEGE COURTS College Station 20 Years Ago - - - And Today A % hk These two photographs graphically portray the growth of College Station. Above is shown the entire North Gate 20 years ago. Below is a section of the North Gate today. College Station Is Fastest Growing City For Its Size in State of Texas By Bill Clarkson Until last year College Station was considered just a community five miles south of Bryan and the home of A. & M. College. However, since its incorporation in the spring of 1939, College Station has en joyed the feeling of being a “grown up” city in its own right. It can now compete with Bryan in population during the regular school sessions and before long will be able to compete equally with Bryan in business enterprises. College Station is known as the fastest growing city in Texas. Dur ing the past four years its gains have been almost miraculous. The residential sections of Col lege Station are districts of which any city would be proud. The sect ions include the homes on the cam pus and the several surrounding additions including College Park and Oakwood, oldest residential districts, rapidly growing; College Hills, College View, and the Boyett Addition. The newest of these ad ditions is the restricted College Hills Estates which was opened last spring and already has a large number of modern cafes and bus iness houses. The thriving business center of College Station is located at the northern end of the A. & M. cam pus, better known as the “North Gate” to both students and towns people. It consists of cafes, drug stores, grocery stores, confection eries, tailors, cleaning and press ing establishments, shoe repair shops, men’s furnishing^, jewelers, photographers, barber shops, a den tist and a post office. Recently a new $65,000 theater has been add ed to the many business establish ments at “the Gate”. It has a seat ing capacity of 628 people and has the most modern movie equip ment obtainable. The other theater, located on the campus, is the As sembly Hall, sponsored by the Col lege Y. M. C. A. The modern Aggieland Inn, lo cated at the heart of the A. & M. campus, is the only state-owned hotel in the Union. Many tourist courts, located on the highway bor dering the east side of the campus, are also available for visitors. Churches of all denominations are located around the college cam pus. A beautiful Methodist church and student center have been plan ned and are to be erected as soon as sufficient funds have been se cured. A new Episcopal chapel was completed in 1939 and is located in College Park at the south end of the campus. The Battalion newspaper, al though put out by students of the college, serves as a combined col lege and city paper. When College Station became incorporated, it was designated immediately as the official city newspaper. The paper is run entirely by students except for the actual printing, which is done by the modern College Print Shop. ■f" Not to be outdone by other cities,-f-of the best in the country, as it is 99.9714% free of minerals, as com pared to the high mineral cotent of the “old” water. College Station has its own radio station, W.T.A.W., which broad casts the Farm and Home Program six days a week and also broad casts the “Aggie Clambake”, a student program, on Friday after noons. The studios are located in the College Y. M. C. A. Among the many improvements around College Station in recent months is the new water supply, which comes from wells a few miles north of the city of Bryan. This new water supply is considered one College Station has its mayor, city council, police officers, traffic laws, city ordinances, just as any other city*. It could not lay claim to these appurtenances before last year. Neither could it boast of the modern business sections several years ago that it has today. College Station is definitely “on the up-and-up”, a center for college students’ and college people’s trade. College Museum a Valuable Adjunct In Teaching of Biological Sciences Here In 1937 Dr. O. M. Ball retired, from active duty with the Biology Department after thirty-four years as its head. He became first cura tor of Francis Museum. The foun dations for the museum collection of plant and animal fossils had been laid through a lifetime of coopera tion between Drs. Mark Francis and Ball. Although the museum is sep arately organized, it serves as a most valuable adjunct to biological instruction at A. & M. College. Upon the retirement of Dr. Ball, Dr. C. C. Doak was appointed head. Under him regular staff members and graduate assistants instruct about 1,500 men in all phases of life science. Zoology, botany, gen eral biology, bacteriology, plant physiology and plant diseases are .only a few of the special phases of plant and animal science taught by experts in these fields. The department is housed in the Science Hall, which underwent some renovation in the past year. Much new equipment and many models and other teaching aids have been added. The department performs its greatest service in teaching the foundations of the life sciences to men entering agriculture but also gives work to premedical students, biology teachers, and who who wish to enter applied phases of biology work. You eat between 92 billion and 126 billion ergs (yes, ergs, not eggs) every day. School of Arts and Sciences Performs Varied Services for Numerous Groups The thirteen departments of the A. & M. School of Arts and Scienc es serve the students in the tech nical curricula of the college by providing instruction in the basic sciences and mathematics and in those phases of general and civic education essential to life in a cul tured democratic society. More than a dozen years ago it became apparent that by proper selection and organization of work offered to meet the needs of such students, curricula leading to degrees in the liberal arts and in sciences could be provided also for students de siring such training in the college. As a result, the School of Arts and Sciences is now serving large groups of students who are seeking general training for business; others who are preparing for the study of medicine or law; others who are specializing in geology, •biology, or the other sciences; and still others who are preparing to teach academic lines in high school or college. The number who look to A. & M. for such training has increased rapidly in recent years. The outstanding enlargement of the service of the School of Arts and Sciences in the past year has been the expansion of the courses in business law offered by the De partment of Economics. To make this possible, Dr. P. L. Gettys, a Texan who was for some years a professor of law in the University of Oklahoma and in Temple Uni versity, Philadelphia, was added to the staff of the department. His courses are of importance not only to the economics majors and stu dents in agricultural administra tion, but to students of petroleum engineering and engineering ad ministration. CONGRATULATIONS Mr. Graduate... No matter what you may expect to do or where you may go .. . Look and Feel your best The right kind of clothes will play an important part in your business or professional life. Good clothes will turn your disposition sour or sweet—make your am bition slump or soar. Come in and let us show you how to make “an investment in good appearanoe” that will pay big dividends. Kuppenheimer and Griffon Clothes Stetson and Knox Hats Bostonian Shoes Arrow Shirts and Ties Arrow and B.Y.D. Underwear Knothe and B.Y.D. Pajamas Hickok Belts and Jewelry Gantner Swim Suits Interwoven Socks ATTENTION HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES Prospective Aggies are cordially invited to visit our store when in Bryan. Visit our Uniform De partment where you’ll find a complete stock of regulation uniforms and equipment. Aggie Belts and Buckles, Pennants, Stickers, etc. 7 t X WIMBERLEY STONE DANSBY \-j T±y CJ,OUKl£RS BRYAN GREETINGS TO HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES For 21 years we have been making uniforms for A. and M. Students. The symbol of “Made By Mendl & Hornak” has become one of dis tinction and satisfaction on the campus. We invite all High School Graduates entering A. & M. next fall to come in and see our high quality uniform. All work is guaranteed. Mendl & Hornak UNIFORM TAILOR SHOP