The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-01-23
YOUR DOLLAR
SHEETS: GOING UP
By CONSUMERS UNION

SHEETS: GOING UP
You're likely to get much less sheet
for your money in this years white
sales, Consumers Union says in its
January issue. Prices OF muslin sheets
average 225 higher in spite of our
big cotton surplus. And some manu-
facturers who raised their prices high
est have also cut quality. This year,
therefore, you need to know about
quality before you buy.
Consumer Union rated 40 brands OF
muslin and percale sheets, basing its
| judgment on laboratory tests of wear
| ing quality. Best Buy, and highest
quality of all muslin sheets tested,
was Wards Treasure Chest, at s1.24
plus postage. Next Best Buy was
Sears Guest Chamber, also 1924.
MECHANICAL PENCILS
Twenty-Five cents will buy good
mechanical pencil, Consumers Union
found in recent tests. Except for bet
ter appearance, little more can be
bought at So or SO. The inside mech
anisms are about the same.
Try out the pencil to make sure
there is no play at the tip, that the
lead fits well and is held firmly, that
its entire length can be expelled
Loading and unloading should be sim
pie. If there's guarantee, read 1t
carefully. Eversharp's lifetime guar
antee" means that you pay 35c each
time the pencil is repaired.
Best Buys of the 32 models tested
by Gu were: Wearever (20c-25c);
Leeds, American and American Super
thin leach 25c). Most of the 10c PEN
ellis on the market are acceptable only
If you are satisfied to have no space
for extra leads.
MOTOR OIL
Motor oil does not wear out" says
Consumers Union, and does not need
TO be changed every 1000 miles as the
oil companies urge. Complete oil
changes twice a year, at the begin
usually adequate.
Quality depends mainly on viscos-
ity. Best oils are those with viscos-
ity (rate of flow that changes least
with changing temperatures. In lab
oratory tests of 80 popular brands,
Gu. found that some 20c-25c oils ex-
celled others selling up to 35c Best
Buys were Travelene (20c a quart in
2-gallon cans); Sears Cross Country
(20c plus transportation Coop Red
Label (1S.6c a quart in 2-gallon cans)
Coop Blue Label (13.7c a quart In
2-gallon cans). Other good values
were Gulflube, Atlantic, Tydol, Tex
AGO and Essolude, all selling at Csc
a quart.
LABOR IN THE OIL INDUSTRY
Oil workers have been busy organ
izing in the last few years. And some
of the companies have been busy
fighting them. Anti-union manage
ments have established company I'M
ions, discharged union members and
otherwise interfered with the right to
Nevertheless the Oil Work
ers init. Union (CIO) won Ga new con
tracts last year, covering thousands
of workers and providing wage in
creases.
Considered fair by the OWIU are
Sinclair Refining Co. (Sinclair Penn
sylvania); Cities Service (Koolmo-
tori; the Texas Co. (Texaco); PENN
oil and Richfield Considered unfair
are American OIL Co., Atlantic Refin-
Ing Co., Gulf Oil Corp, Indian Refin-
ing Co., Macmillan Petroleum Corp.
Phillips Petroleum Co., Quaker State
Oil Refining Co., Shell Oil Co., Stand
ard Oil, Sun Oil Co., and Tidewater
Associated Oil Co. Gu. has no in
on the labor conditions I'M
Ter which oils sold under the Travel
ene, Sears and Coop labels are manu- |
'actured
YOUR DOLLAR is a regular .
monthly feature. The facts and |
opinions given are based on Con-
sumers Union Reports, the month
ly magazine of Consumers Union,
II Union So. W., New York, a
non profit organization whose
main object is to safeguard buyers
by testing and reporting on con-
sumner goods. Note especially the
information on labor conditions
under which products are made.
.