The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1946-11-07
Behind The Scenes
In
American Business
BY KNIGHT

NSW 1Clh. IL Will
take another three or four
weeks before the law of supply
and demand takes hold of meat
prices and reveals the pattern
they are likely to follow over
the next few months. Record
breaking numbers of cattle
have been received by packing
houses since price ceilings were
lifted, but distribution chan
nels through to the retail
butcher shop still have scanty
ratiClls and are likely to until
the tide of recently slaughtered
beef reaches them. Until the
supply dpots are filled artificial
ly high price: are likely to con-
tinue. After that it will be a
question of how much house
wives are willing to pay and
how slim they are willing to
keep their meat supply. Even
now meat prices in many retail
shops are below previous black
market levels. The general price
level appears to be holding fair
ly firm, but tire are indications
that buying resistance is in
creasing. This has been appar-
ent in such luxury lines as
mink coats, perfumes, wines
and antiques where sales have
contracted sharply.
STILL GROWING AT 1876 =
That the railroad industry still
has a long way to 60 before
reaching its zenith has Just
been proven at Worcester,
Mass. The Pullman Standard
Car Manufacturing company
plant there, recognized as the
oldest carbuilding facility in
America with 1875 years of con-
tinuous operation, has reached
a new all time high in employ
ment. The plant, which started
work on its first passenger car
in 1888, only three years after
the Baltimore g. Ohio opened
the nations original 13-mile
line between Baltimore and Ell
licott's Mills, now has LAS en-
ployees on its payroll. The
highest figure reached before
the wal was 1888 In 1887; while
its wartime peak was 504. Re
cent employment gains reflect
the biggest backlog of untitled
orders in years Today it faces
the job of building 1T stream
lined railroad cars, 1888 trolley
buses and 357 street cars. In
addition to the increase in its
manpower to take care of this
mounting backlog, the plant is
Just completing a moderniza-
ton program that will enlarge
its productive capacity by more
than go per cent.
THINGS TO COME - A tire
litter, attached to the rear of
the car which carries a spare,
deposits it end up on the
ground, ready to be rolled
around to replace a flat. The
flat replaces the spare by re-
versing the procedure -. An
electric filter which will pre-
vent flourescent lamps from in
terfering with radio reception
-. A revolving photoflash
lamp which enables a camera
man to take a half dozen pic
lures before refilling with
fresh bulbs IA pick-proot
camouflaged floor safe, encased
in 500 pounds of concrete. It
is said to be fireproof and will
Withstand $4,000 pounds of ex-
plOSive pressure A leak de-
tector which will indicate less
than one part in 100000 of he
lium in air. Developed in con-
nection with the atomic bomb
it may be used for finding ga:
leaks or to test the porosity Of
industrial products -. A new
ice crusher for the kitchen
made of plastics and metal. Il
has four rotating stainles!
steel blades, turned by a handle
and it grinds ice to the desired
size.
FOR THE RECORD - Fol.
lowing the rush of ball poin'
pens to the market early thi
year, experts sat down and be-
gan to analyZe this new writ
ing instrument, making com
parsons with older types o
fountain pens. Although &C
knowledging the new pens hat
many advantages over thei
predecessors, they said one o
the weaknesses uncovered wa
that many inks used in tn
new pens did not have high re
sistance to fading. This, sail
some of the people who are in
terested in keeping written rec
ords for some time, was no
good. Last week, EversharI
Inc, leading pen manufacture
in the country, eliminated an
question as far as that com
pany was concerned by intro
ducing for it's capillary actio,
writing instrument a new non
fading ink which exceeds max
imum federal requirements fo
writing. Before a group Q
bankers, insurance compan
executives and others, Ever
sharp officials explained tha
10 months of research and test
had preceded Introduction {
the new ink. The men who kee
records nodded approvingly.
BITS O. BUSINESS - Biz