The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-01-16
SOUTH
 BRITAIN BRIEFS
By BILL GARRIGUS


 south Britain people are reading with no little concern about the many searching questions that will be asked by the census-takers m this year of the head count. Ac- cordinR to some reports, farmers may have to lay off work for @ week or two while they think up answers to something like 250 separate queries. We've wondered if the farm census will be conduct. cd or, Q piece-work basis this year2 Tn 1880, farm census folks collected on the number of returns made. The total number of Connecticut farms doubled.
 EonR Bob Chase got counted twice In 1880. First, he ran into . census employe tallying the farm where he worked. Later, In an un- wuarded moment, he again checked in during . weekend frolic In Dnnbury.
 Census taking Is something like the old fashioned school meetings. If 0 tie developed In Q school meet ing vote, folks went home and got the hired men to come down and register their opinions. Hired men had no particular interest in edu- cational affairs, but they were al- ways ready to be accommodating.
 There's a big story behind that tomcat of George McLaughlin's. {. When Tommy was @ kitten, he learned that door latches rattle, and open doors. He worked out 0 way to manipulate latches and was SO successful at 1t that he almost lost his home. As Tommy grew older and heavier, his skill in- creased, and 1t wasn't long before he learned to jump up and hang on the doorlatch until the door opened, then he would swing in, with the door, drop of like an over-ripe pear and hurry in to his usual resting place behind the stove. Tommy took to pulling this stunt at night, and he forgot to close the door. That's how he be- came the property of George Mo. Laughlin. Georges door has 0 stift latch but Tommy cuffs 1t Just the same.
 From the fastnesses of Ivy Mountain Road. in Goshen, came young Roy Robinson to choose . bride from the Purchase Hill dis- trict of South Britain. Miss Edith Oberstadt will become Mrs. Roy Robinson here on January 2Oth. The ceremony will be held at the South Britain Congregational Church and the reception Is sched- uled for the Community Hall in Southbury. Mr. Robinson drives one of the school busses and en. Joys Q fine record for safety and courtesy. Miss Oberstadt has long been one of the most popular members of South Britain's young- CT set.
 When Raymond Oberstadt at tends the wedding of his daughter on the goth of January, his mem- ory may go back to her wedding ceremonies he has attended, mar riages down Luzon way where the temples in the hills resound to the brassy music of bells older than any building in this valley. Private Raymond Oberstadt soldiered in the Philippines, down there on the other side of the world, and he remembers band concerts on the luneta in old Manila and insurrec- to uuarrels in the bamboo. Ray helped to maintain order in the Islands, after the Little Brown Brothers had been civilized with Krag rifles. From the rice paddles of Luzon to a wedding in a stately Yankee Congregational church is a long, long hike, but troopers are ever used to The Long, Long Trail.
 A good story goes the rounds. At a recent celebration of some historic event, an elderly lady ap- proached a bright young lady and asked: "sVere yocr folks early set- tIers?" The snappy reply was, 'In- deed they were. They always set tied promptly, on the first of the month"
 Zero weather has frozen up local politicians but the spring thaw is near and the gutters will soon run with a heavy How of intrigue and promises too good to be taken seri- ously. Both stables are grooming dark horses and thinking up new excuses for running slightly moth- eaten candidates. We need e burn ing issue to melt the ice and to in- spire local orssors. Town roads might do. but the condition of town educational facilities would make better drawing card: