Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-12-28
Local Comment

When ringing new phone in
quire "HoW's your arm?" rather than
hello" The wholesale vaccination Of
telephone girls is due to a case of
smallpox among their number.
Just how much longer the weather
man is going to withhold the touch
OF winter is subject of daily COM
ment. 1t surely can not be long, but
at any rate the mild December has
cut goodly slice off the winter, and
lessened the severe weather by at
least a third. California climate could
have been no more delightful thans the
holiday season in Marshalltown. Ehe
fact that golfers have followed the
course daily in December as they did
when the links We're green, is good
recommendation for the Iowa climate.
An article on N[arshalltown as a win
ter resort should have found place in
the illustrated magazine.
The fact is the winter weather has
been SO much like an ideal fall that
street sweeping could have been done
to advantage during the entire holt
day season. The paved streets have
been as dusty as might be expected in
October, and with no snow or moisture
to lay the accumulation of filth each
little gust Of wind reminded one of a
summer dust storm.
The hearts of the entire county went
out to the Green Mountain household
that was bereaved on the eve of a
gladstone Christmas by the sudden
death of an only son, and the narrow
escape of losing a baby daughter, by
accidental morphine poisoning. There
were few mothers who did not hug
their little ones little closer to them
upon reading of the sad catastrophe at
the Stull home. There were also few
mothers who did not make safer the
family medicine closets, and satisfy
themselves that the youngsters could
not reach pill boxes or walls contain
ing medicines that are poisonous. 1t is
a difficult matter. however, to place
anything beyond the reach of children.
The safest way with medicine closets
is to put them under lock and key and
carry the key.
In London there is no monkey"
puSlItSS Will lllc NuSSllOll. ~
news dispatch, warranted Of sufficient
Importance to cable to this country,
appeared this week in the daily press
1t told of the sentencing Of milk
man to six months at hard labor for
selling milk unfit for food Aside
from being under the required percent
age of butter fat this Dealers product
was declared by the court to be dirty
and entirely unfit for public use.
When slow old London gets busy on
a question of this kind it is not to be
wondered at that enlightened Iowa has
awakened to the Importance of a pure
milk supply.
Merchants report that business is
holding up even tho the Christmas
buying is over, and there is usually a
lull after the heavy trade of holiday
season. In most lines, however, it will
take some real winter to start the rush
again.
1t has been suggested to some of the
grocers here that they adopt a system
that has been brought about in other
cities, in regard to the extension of
credit. In several cities the grocerS
have issued circular letters to their
customers, explaining a cold blooded
business proposition in way that the
dealers feel no offense could be taken.
1t is simply that all bills must be paid
by the 5th Of the month following the
purchase, in order to secure an ex-
tension of credit After the 9Th, if
bills are not paid, no credit will be
given to any one. The grocers ex-
plain that in these days they are COM
PEELED to pay either cash on delivery,
or cash within few days, for practi-
cally everything they buy. 1t there
fore becomes necessary, they argue,
to adopt almost a cash policy in their
stores at least to fix some definite
time when they can depend upon their
paving their bills Such a