Circulated to
More Than 90% of
College Station’s Residents
Number 81: Volume 51
The Battalion
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF A GREATER A&M COLLEGE
COLLEGE STATION (Aggieland), TEXAS, THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 1951
What Can An
Alumnus Do ? . . . See
Page 2 for Answer
Price Five Cents
Miehle Press At Work
Th(* new Miehle press unit recently installed in
Hodwin Hall by the A&M Press is shown in
action. Above, Press Room Foreman Frank
Tucker is receiving the sheets after they have
been printed. At right* Raymond Duckett is
\pladng paper stock on the feeding platform.
/From the platform, the paper is fed into the
press by means of a vacuum pick-up. The tubes
curling above Duckett’s head are a part of the
vacuum system.
Vmts 33” by 46” Sheet
New Press Is Only One
Of Its Kind, Size in Texas
By JOHN WHITMORE
Old Ben Franklin would probab-
y Bump out of his grave if he
•ould see the new $28,000 Miehle
ligh-speed press recently installed
n the A&M College Print Shop.
Sold as the only one of its kind
ind size in Texas, printing a
sheet of paper 33’ inches by 40
inches, it serves to indicate the
progressive spirit of the A&M
Press.
Capable of running 2,800 pieces
through in an hour, it is a far cry
from the old hand fed Kelly platen
press that was the forerunner of
the print shop. But besides the me
chanical side of the print shop’s
advancement, there has been a
steady increase in the quantity and
quality of professional and student
work put out.
The one annual bulletin which
the college-owned printing es
tablishment was charged to print
in 1914 is lost in the complexity
of today’s operations.
Perhaps the most impressive of
the work put out by the shop
is the student newspaper, The Bat
talion. This daily newspaper puts
the facilities of the shop to a test
each day.
In addition to printing the news
paper, the A&M Press prints five
student edited and written maga
zines. They range from the typical
college humor magazine, The Com
mentator, to the professional pub
lication, The Southwestern Veter
inarian.
These magazines will now be
printed on the new high speed
press which will be capable of
keeping up with the increasing
Among Aggie Architects . . .
Judgment Day Near
For Sheep, Goats
By GEORGE CHARLTON
! Judgment day is in store for .the
architects of A&M College. Fii-
day, Feb. 2 is the day. Some will
go to Heaven. Others won’t.
fe'The reason is the annual ball of
the A&M Architecture Society—
a reason for blowing out the can
dles in their fourth stoop Academic
Building sanctuary. The theme this
year for ASABAB goes to ex-
hemes being “Heaven and Hell.”
The dance will last from 8 to 12
p. m.
Admission will be $l.r>0. Each
member may bring a guest and
his date. Guests will be expected
-nUo pay the same admission as
juembers.
ImAfter the dance is over, archi-
p-cts, their dates, and guests will
go to the Brazos County Club,
where dancing, music, sandwiches,
and coffee will await them.
B Concerning costumes to be worn
to the affair, Jack Stansbury,
president of the society, says, “they
can he heavenly or they can
look like hell.” Stansbury’s state-
Staff Members
Pass CPA Test
Two instructors and one grad
uating assistant of accounting in
the Department of Business Ad
ministration have been notified by
the Texas State Board of Public
Accountancy that they have passed
the November 1950 examination
given by the board and will be is-
i sued certified public accountant
certificates.
These three men, R. P. Wood,
E. C. Cass and C. W. Harrell, bring
the number of CPA’s who are in
structors or assistant instructors
at Texas A&M to eight.
There are nine fulltime instruct
ors in the accounting department,
seven of whom are CPA’s. Harrell
is the only assistant instructor
who has received this award.
Wood received his bachelor’s de
gree from Sam Houston State Col
lege and his master’s from A&M.
Cass received both his bachelor’s
and master’s degrees from A&M.
Harrell r-eceived his bachelor’s de
gree here and at the present
is working toward his master’s de
gree.
merit has the Batt photographer in
an uncontrollable state of anxiety.
Decorations will be unconvention
al and downright authentic. Dante
Alighieri and Beatrice are tech
nical advisors.
Entering the doorway of Sbisa,
architects and their dates will
pass through a dark, cave-like
tunnel representing “Hell.” Com
ing out of the structure, they
will meet “Heaven,” a giant
white tree strung with angels
and clouds.
The centerpiece will be a six
foot high statue of an angel rest
ing her dainty hand comfortingly
on the gruesome, grotesque head
of the devil.
Around the walls will be hung
eight-foot high representations of
scenes from Dante’s “Inferno.” Pat
Patterson, architect student and
commanding- officer of an armored-
cavalry outfit, will handle the an-
tistic brush on these. From the ceil
ing, hundreds of stars, angels, and
harps will dangle. Cellophane strips
set on fans with vari-colored lights
shining through will supply flame
effects on the walls.
Providing music from Dixie
land to bop and romantic bal
lads will be the North Texas
combo of eight members, some
of whom have been associated
with Ray McKinley’s band.
ASABAB is one of the oldest
club or organization dances at
A&M, having been started in 1922.
At that time, only three dances
were held on the campus—the
Thanksgiving, the Ross Volunteers,
and the Final Ball.
When the architects club was
first formed, an annual banquet
was held, and in 1922, a small in
formal dance followed. Both ban
quet and dance were in the main
room of the department office.
Each year after that the dance
more and more overshadowed the
banquet.
In 1925, the “motif” plan be
gan with an all-Egyptian dance.
The room was decorated in the
style of Cleopatra’s time and cos
tumes followed the dress of that
period.
In succeeding years, the decora
tions and costumes for the ball
became almost the chief source of
interest among the architecture
students. A Southern garden, a
Greek temple, an Aztec city, a
barnyard, and a "gay nineties” set
have been used at various times.
demands of student publications.
Added'to the speed advantages
of the new press is an extremely
accurate method of “registering in
colors,” or printing two colors.
With - this refinement the maga
zines will have another boost in
their flexibility.
But this array of publications
arid technical skill plus the latest in
machinery has not always been the
case.
. The A&M Press was founded by
an act of the Board of Directors of
the College in 1914. A need was felt
for the annual college bulletin to
be printed on the campus.
’ With' & small appropriation
from the board, the college
bought a small used hand press
and a few casesi of hand set type.
With this, was born one of the
largest college presses in the
State.
During this period of the col
lege’s life there were few courses
taught besides technical agricul
ture and mechanical art. With the
limitation of courses offered by the
college, it was not necessary to
publish a large annual school cata
logue. The job did not take so long
to do. as the Board of Directors
had anticipated, the Press started
to take in other work.
This arrangement worked out
so well the Board authorized the
purchase of more equipment. It
was not long before the small
room in the basement of the
Academic Building proved inade
quate.
The Press moved “lock stock and
barrel” into the Mechanical En
gineering shops. This move came
in 1920.
Again the Board of Directors
saw fit to advance more money to
the print shop. Two new fast flat
bed presses were added to the in
ventory. A short time later the
gem of printing was purchased—
the model five Linotype machine.
By this time the A&M Press was
a paying proposition. It was no
(See NEW PRESS, Page 6)
Korean Front
Quiet; Patrols
Resisted Little
Speculation Over
Possibility of Red
Pull-Out Mounts
Tokyo, Jan. 25—•A’i—Red-hunt
ing Allied armored patrols probed
the Central Korean warfront today
amid mounting speculation that
the quarry had quietly pulled out.
There was no enemy contact
Wednesday night except for a mi
nor patrol clash near- Yoju, 40 miles
southeast of the abandoned South
Korean capital of Seoul.
A few Korean Reds were en
countered in the same general area,
north of Kumyangjang and Ichon.
U. S. intelligence officers said
the apparent absence of Red troops
in force south of the Han River,
which twists around Seoul, may
mean the Chinese have made a
large-scale withdrawal to the
north.
There was speculation that the
Chinese are awaiting political de
velopments in the United Nations,
meanwhile using Red Koreans to
patrol the no-man’s land into which
U. N. patrols have been poking all
week.
But Allied air power gave the
Reds no rest far behind the lines.
Warplanes plastered military tar
gets throughout North Korea. The
town of Chunchon was wrecked.
More Russian-type planes were
throwm into the air war with Yak
night fighters attacking American
B-26s on night intruder missions
Wednesday night. It was one of
their few appearances in the Ko
rean war. No damage was caused
by the enemy planes.
A strong Allied patrol powered
its way through slight enemy op
position to retake the town of Ho-
engsong, 10 miles north of rub
bled Wonju and 33 miles south of
the 88th parallel but withdrew
shortly afterward.
American planes made a heavy
air attack on the town Thursday,
indicating the Reds had reoccupied
former positions. Strongest Com
munist forces in the Hoengsong
area at last reports were North
Korean Reds.
College Station
Man Places 3rd
As Stock Judge
Walter Britten, College Station
auctioneer, ranked third in the
livestock judging contest held Tues
day at A&M. The contest was held
in connection with A&M’s first
livestock judging conference.
An assistant county agricultural
agent, Dave G. Tiller of Palestine,
took top honors in the' contest.
Placing first in judging of beef
cattle, Tiller tied for third place
in swine judging to rank first in
the entire contest.
R. P. Marshall, agricultural re
presentative of the Tennessee Iron
and Coal Company, Marlin, tied for
second place in beef cattle judging
and ranked second in the entire
contest.
Harold Franke, county agent at
Corsicana, ranked fourth in the en
tire contest.
Deadlocked with Marshall in the
beef cattle division was Findley
Brewster, Aberdeen-Angus breeder
of Temple.
!?• 1 r T^ 11 II •
t inal 1 alks On Price,
Wage Control Called
British Suffer
Flu Epidemic
Hits Millions
Over Europe
London, Jan. 25—(A 5 )—Millions in
Europe are sneezing and running
temperatures and some thousands
—mostly the feeble and aged—have
died in an influenza epidemic which
appears to be reaching its peak in
a number of countries.
The United Kingdom seems to
be hardest hit by the highly in
fectious disease, which sweeps
through communities with startling
suddenness, laying low a large pro
portion of the population.
In some continental countries
— notably Belgium, Germany,
Denmark and Sweden—the ill
ness appears to be waning. But
it is flaring up in Czechoslovakia
and Poland and is reaching epi
demic proportions in Spain.
In many regions of Britain
schools are closed, theaters are em
pty, and transportation and indus
try have faltered. Health officials
fear the disease may spread and
that it may sweep into the popu
lous southern half of England
which has, unaccountably, been rel
atively free of influenza.
The “influenza belt” in Britain
extends from Tyneside on the
northeast coast, where the disease
is believed to have made its entry
from Norway, to Merseyside on the
west coast, including the city of
Liverpool.
Almost universally, hospitals
are overcrowded and doctors
overworked. Sufferers are being
told to go to bed and cure them
selves with remedies offered by
drug stores.
Public health officials every
where are emphasizing that it has
been a mild form of the disease, de
spite so many cases. Robust per
sons usually have a few days of
aches and imaging fever, then re
cover.
In Britain,, Scandinavia and
Spain, the virus responsible has
been identified definitely as being
of the “A” type. But it is an “A”
with peculiarities of its own which
scientists call “A Prime.”
Not much progress has been
made in combatting the disease
with vaccines. In most continental
countries it is riot even being at
tempted. But the development of a
suitable vaccine is the most urgent
project at Mill Hill, London district
known as the influenza research
center of the world.
Enlistments Freeze
Puts Boys in Class
Denton, Tex., Jan. 25—riP)—Dif
ficulty in joining the armed forces
is bringing many male students
back to North Texas State College.
Three to six boys a day of the
251 who quit school to enter seiwice
are returning because of freezes
on volunteer enlistments, the regis
trar said Wednesday.
Campus Will Appear To Be Coed .
Spring Will Bring Heavy
Social Calendar To A&M
By VIVIAN CASTLEBERRY
There has been some talk in edu
cational circles in Texas recently
about making A&M coeducational.
From a practical standpoint, it
would be well during the Spring
semester if girls were allowed to
“join up.” As things stand, hotels,
tourist courts and friend’s homes
may expect a landslide business
from the feminine component, for
Aggies must have dancing partners.
And dances will be plentiful during
the Spring semester.
The Architects will get things
underway on February 2 with
their annual ball. Scheduled for
the MSC the dance will feature
a “Heaven and Hell,” theme.
On Saturday night, February 3,
the freshmen will have their night
when they gather in the MSG for
their Freshman Prom. Complete
with a queen who will reig-n over
the class and numerous queens who
will be the individual dates of the
boys, the Class of '54 is planning
on an evening long-to-be-remem
bered.
February 28 the nicotine-fiends
will take over. On that date the
annual pipe-smoking contest will
be held in the MSC Assembly
room. Literally, entrants will “put
that in their pipe and smoke it,”
as they compete for prizes in the
various smoking departments. In
previous years this contest has
been one of the most enthusiasti
cally received occasions of the year.
If the morning of March 3
finds the campus overrun with
youngsters, there will be cause
for great rejoicing, because that
is the date set for “Operation
High School” and the more high
school students who visit the
campus the more successful will
be the idea.
Operation High School is a year
ly event planned to bring outstand
ing high school seniors from all
oyer Texas to the campus to ac
quaint them with A&M.
March 9-10 weekend should be
one of the biggest of the school
year. On Friday night the Engi
neers will stash away their slip-
sticks and journey over to the
MSG foV their annual ball.
Saturday night will find the
brass polished to its shiniest, uni
forms creased to their nattiest,
gold and black braid and no* bi-aid
at all flanked by lovelies at their
prettiest, here for the annual Mili
tary Ball.
April will bring, on the 21st,
the Aggie Muster and Dedication.
On the 28th Saddle and Sirloin
Clubbers and their ladies-fair
will stage the annual Cattlemen’s
Ball.
May and June will climax the
year’s activities with the biggest
dances of the year.
On May 4 the Cotton Pageant
and Ball will be staged with its
King and Queen of Cotton. This
will be followed on Saturday even
ing with an all-school dance.
The highlighting- event of the
senior world will take place on Sat
urday night, May 19, when the
Senior Ring Dance is held. For this
occasion senior boots will be glow
ing, dance frocks will be flowing.
Dates and wives will give their
Aggies the traditional kiss as they
turn the rings to indicate that
student days are ending. It will
mark the climax of four years of
effort.
Commencement is scheduled for
June 1 and the following day, the
Final Review will be held.
It will be a busy Spring and a
gala one at Aggieland, U. S. A.
Orders Seen Soon;
Living Cost At Peak
Washington, Jan. 25—(A’l — The
government’s cost of living index
was reported at a new peak today
and the Economic Stabilization
Agency’s top trio called final par
leys on the imminent price and
wage freeze.
The twin orders may come late
today hut more probably on Friday
—depending on the outcome of to
day’s conferences between ESA
Administrator Eric Johnston and
his price and wage chiefs.
Well-placed officials predic
ted prices would be pegged at
Jan. 2 levels and paychecks at
current wage rates — but with
leeway for some workers to do
considerably more bargaining.
The Bureau of Labor statistics
reported that its cost of living
index hit a peak on Dec. 15, when
it stood at 178.4 per cent of the
1935-39 average. The Dec. 15 in
dex was 1.6 per cent higher than
that of Nov. 15.
A climb of 6.5 percent in con-
suiners’ prices occurred during
1950 up to mid-December, all but
1.6 per cent of it after the begin
ning of the Korean conflict. High
er prices were reported for all the
major groups of items which make
up the budget of the moderate in
come family.
The rise between Nov. 15 and
Dec. 15 was led by a 2.8 per
cent advance in food prices. That
was the greatest move in the
Budget Plans
Call for Cut
In A&M Money
Two budget recommendations to
the Senate yesterday call for cuts
in the A&M appropriation for the
coming biennium.
The recommendation by the Leg
islative Budget hoard recommended
a total budget of $13,723,015 for
the entire system which is a cut
in excess of $300,000.
The Board of Control recom
mended a total of $13,315,846. The
Legislative budget’s board’s rec
ommendation will probably carry
more influence than will the Board
of Control’s.
Under the Legislative board’s
recommendation the main college
would receive a cut of $710,899.
This recommendation was made on
the prospects of a decline in enroll
ment.
The Legislative board proposed
a slight increase for the Extension
Service and the Agricultural Ex
periment Station.
The Senate will conduct hearings
on the budget during the next ten
days and the President of the Sen
ate has expressed the hope that
final action on the revenue bill for
higher education will be taken with
in the next 60 days.
Followers of legislative govern
ment will probably recall that the
sending of the higher education ap
propriation bill to the legislature so
early in the session represents
quite a departure from recent
years. For the past two sessions,
the higher education bill has been
passed in the last days of the ses
sion. In both cases they were pass
ed only after compromise measures
had been worked out to veto other
money bills so the state would not
be operating in the red.
At the last session the public
school system and the junior col
leges received appropriations be
fore any consideration was made
of the needs for higher education.
‘All Quiet’ Nets $80
For March of Dimes
Over 80 dollars was collected for
the local March of Dimes campaign
at last week’s showing of “All
Quiet on the Western Front,” ac
cording to George Charlton, secre
tary-treasurer of the A&M Film
Society.
This film showing was the kick
off of student participation in the
annual March of Dimes campaign.
The movie had two showings,
and approximately 320 persons
were on hand to do their part in
the campaign and also see what
has been called “a classic in film
making.”
The money was presented yester
day to H. T. Blaekhurst, county
chairman of the March of Dimes
campaign.
index in any one month since
September 1947.
Even before imposition of the
projected price-wage controls, Sen
ator Flanders (R-Vt) said the
wage plans, as outlined Wednes
day by Chairman Cyrus S. Ching
of ESA’s wage stabilization board,
are not strict; enough “by any
means.”
Flanders called for “just as much
rigidity in controlling wages as is
being planned with ,respect to con
trol of prices.”
The senator said he would seek
the views of Marriner Eccles, Fed
eral Reserve Board member and
former chairman, at today’s session
of the Senate - House Economic
Committee (10 a.m. EST).
Ching told the committee Wed
nesday the policy now being draft
ed would permit “quite a bit of
flexibility for collective bargain
ing.” Some pay boosts, he indica
ted, probably will be allowed on
the basis of rises in living costs.
Ching did not amplify. But
there were hints in other quar
ters that workers who had not
received a 19 per cent boost in
the last year—roughly the wage
settlement in the steel industry
—might be permitted to bargain
for up to that amount.
There reportedly also was some
sentiment on Ching’s nine-member
wage board to permit at least one
more round of “escalator” increas
es based on the rise of living costs,
for workers whose unions, have won
such contract clauses.
But this raised the question:
what about the millions of workers
who suffer from the same soaring
grocery and meat bills but don’t
enjoy the protection of the escala
tor clause ?
There remained a chance, there
fore, that Ching’s announcement
might be' a strictly temporary
freeze, with the final formulation
of policy to be sweated out later by
the board.
1,000 Die When
Volcano Erupts
Sydney, Jan. 25—6?)—The bodies
of 1,000 natives, caught in a rain
of white hot ashes when Mt. Lam-
ington in New Guinea erupted,
were found on the scorched slopes
Wednesday.
The bodies of 11 of the 34 ,or
35 missing white persons; also were
found. Officials said most of the
estimated 4,000 casualties were
deaths.
One of the first govemment of
ficials to reach the area reported:
“It is like being on another planet.
Layer of pumic ash covered every
thing and the haze of steam and
smoke issuing from Mt. Lamington
made the whole thing a night
mare.”
Kiwanis Told
‘Trigger’ Men
Could Change
Weather State
The only thing man can do about
the weather is to “trigger” it.
Anyway, that is what W. D.
Scoates, Research Engineer, Texas
Engineering- Experiment Station
told Kiwanis members at their
noon luncheon Tuesday. He spoke
on “Meteorology for the Layman.”
. He explained that to “trigger”
meant to find a weather condition
all but complete and set off the
final action necessary to complete
the cycle. Sprinkling rain' clouds
with dry ice to start precipitation
was such a “trigger” action,
Scoates said.
Scoates pointed out that with
very little trouble, a United States
weather force of “Trigger” men
might bury Russia in winter snows.
Conditions would have to be fav
orable, of course.
E. B. Middleton, Department of
Chemistry and Frederick D. Mey
ers, Department of Engineering
Drawing, were introduced as new
Kiwanis members.
Main speakers for next week’s
program will be Arthur Stewart of
the School of Business Administra
tion and member of the Brazos
County Bar Association, who will
discuss the subject, “Rights, Obli
gations, and Duties of Citizenship.”
Panel Leaders
For Who’s Who
Selection Set
W. D. “Pusher” Barnes and Jo&
Fuller have been appointed chair
men of the Who’s Who at Texas
A&M selection committee of the
Student Life Committee, Dr. Ralph
Steen said today.
Persons wanting- to nominate; a
military student for the honor may
see Barnes in 1-118. Names of
other nominees may be given; to
Fuller at the MSC main desk. N:orii-
inations are also being accepted-in
the Student Activities office.
Nominees must have a grade
point ratio of 1.50; or better, and
must be of junior or senior stand
ing'. Leadership, character and ser
vice . are the criteria upon which
the selection will be made.
Names of those elected to Who’s
Who will probably be made public
in April.
The number of students chosen
for the honor is always one per
cent of the Junior-Senior enroll-
(See PANEL, Page 6)
The modified air-lift Thermofor Catalytic cracking units (above)
are in operation at the Beaumont refinery of the Magnolia Petrol-
em Company. They increase by 50 per cent the refinery’s output
capacity for high quality gasoline.