80 years ago this week. Between 35 and 40 threshermen of Columbiana and Mahoning counties met and organized as the Columbiana-Mahoning branch of the Ohio Brotherhood of Threshermen. C.L. Brown of Salem is president; Mel Easterday, Summitville, vice president; and Stanley G. Howard, Salem, secretary-treasurer. The executive committee includes Harvey Goodman, Salem; J.W. Boyd, East Liverpool; and A.A. Stewart, Canfield.
It was brought out at the meeting that there are many bridges and culverts that are unsafe for tractors and threshing outfits. Resolutions were passed calling on the county commissioners to immediately make them safe. It was stated that recently a hay baler broke through the Canton bridge at Lisbon. Members also discussed Salem’s new ordinance barring all tractors and vehicles with cleated wheels from the improved streets.
The brotherhood declared itself ready to make a gentlemen’s agreement with the city’s authorities to establish routes through the city to be used by tractors and other vehicles. It will assist in maintaining proper use of the streets and will expel any member who does not live up to this agreement. When presented to council, council said it would take it under advisement.
50 years ago this week. A precipitation of 3.78 inches recorded in April 1952 provided difficulty for farmers in getting their spring plowing done and the planting of oats. Some oats are up and other fields are too wet for working, reported L.H. Copeland of Hanoverton, district weather observer. The precipitation level was higher than the 60-year average.
With approximately 12 million people over age 65 in the population, the necessity of “easy to live with” home design is becoming increasingly apparent. The “all on one floor” house finds great favor with this age group. Sales of air conditioning equipment have increased 300 percent in the last three years. Air conditioning has outgrown its first labor of “luxury” and is coming to be known as sound economy of human energy.
25 years ago this week. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kennedy announced that he would move to restrict the use of penicillin and tetracycline antibiotics in livestock and poultry feeds for disease prevention, putting them on veterinary prescription only for treatment of disease. Kennedy said his action was based on the theoretical possibility that such uses could result in populations of antibiotic resistant bacteria which could lead to human health problems. Although he could not point to a specific instance in which human disease is more difficult to treat because drug resistance has arisen from an animal source, Kennedy said it is likely that such problems could have gone unnoticed. A USDA study, published in 1975, said banning antibiotics in livestock feeds could raise meat prices to U.S. consumers as much as $2.1 billion per year.
