The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1947-10-30
the Scenes
in
American Business
: by Reynolds knight -

- by Reynolds Knight
Putting one little word after
another: whatever became of
the recession? Early this year
it was the fashion among econ
omistS to predict a severe set
back to business. The deepest |
part of the depression, it was
agreed, would come in October,
or Just about now. But never
has the U.s.. been bursting
with such prosperity. So the
University Of Iowa's College of
Commerce takes a learned, pro-
fessorial look at the suituation.
The recession, it says, has come
and gone. There were a few
declines in prices and the us
ual expected slackening of in
duStrial production. But the
boom, says the Hawkeye econ
omists, has found it's second
wind. Of course, some time a
recession will occur, the uni
versity pundits believe. The
danger point when high prices
expand bank credit to its le-
gal limits then you can look
for the turning point. This
point of view has at least one
thing to recommend it. It is
in accord with experience. His
tory proves that the bubble
bursts only after everyone has
decided that the beautiful
bauble is a permanent fixture.
MEANWHHE-A good thumb
nail sketch of what modern
technology is doing to step up
the speeds and accuracy of in
dustrial machines, comes from
William L. Bait, president of
ski Industries, Inc, who sees
more efficient production meth
obs answering many of the
worlds most pressing economic
problems. Vast new horizons
of speeds and accuracy, which
industrial research has made
possible by development of more
versatile metals, more efficient
lubricants, and better types Of
anti-friction bearings, not only
mean record speeds for mach
inery but also more goods for
more people at lower costs,
Bait says. Pointing out that
modern technology has lifted
the curtain on a world in
which machines can run at
speeds of more than 10000
miles per hour and moving
machine parts operate for
years without wearing out, the
ski president states than new
developments mean that many
standard machine tools can
now operate accurately at
speeds ranging from $1,000 to
$4,000 revolutions e minute in
everyday shop practice. He
compares this with average
speeds of only 10000 to 10000
rpm some IS Or 20 years ago.
THINGS TO COME-Not sat-
isfied with electric blankets,
they're now going to warm US
with electrically-heated sheets.
-. You can now clean both
sides of venetian blind Stats
with a new blind cleaning doo-
hickey. It works by use Of two
rubber Sponges anchored to q
spring tension handle. New
devices continue to help the
hard-of-hearing: there's a new
instrument to test hearing-aid
batteries. It's makers are stress
sing its value as a gift. . Still
another hearing device of a
new type uses the war-develop-
ed proximity fuse. The new
product is about cigarette pack
age size. Are your clothes
badly wrinkled? Monsanto
Chemical has just announced a
meter to measure the amount
of wrinkle resistance of any
piece of cloth. At the press
conference announcing the new
device, no one suggested it was
just a new wrinkle.
FUEL SHORTAGE?-With the
construction program finally
geared to man-size proportions.
the demand for automatic
heating control equipment is
mounting to new peaks. House.
holders are needing warnings
that fuel may be hard to get
in some sections of the country
because of the shortage of
transportation facilities. These
mechanical watchdogs can save
from 10 to 80 per cent on fuel
consumption depending on the
construction of a house. All
housing surveys have shown
that prospective home owners
prefer central heating with
automatic controls, according
to a study by the Minneapolis
Honeywell Regulator company.
Most of those who responded to
questionnaires indicated a pref
erence for equipment which
provides complete freedom from
manual operation and comfort
giving features such os afford.
ed by Moduflow, the newly de-
veloped system which regulates
the flow of heat from the
heating plant so it always is
exactly equal TO the loss
throughout the house. This
tends to prevent air from form
ing in warm and cool layers In
rooms, eliminating cold floors