Lola Palmer will be conducting a survey on employment and unemployment in the Henryetta area for the US Department of Commerce Census Bureau, it was announced Saturday. The survey, taken monthly by the bureau, includes questions on school enrolment and college or professional degrees received in the past year, according to Walter A. Freeman Jr., director of the Data Collection Center in Denver. A sample of households in this area, part of the 50,000 national sample representing a cross section of all households, will be interviewed the week of October 16-20. The labor force information, Department of Labor, provides a continuing measure of the economic health of the country, Freeman said. The August survey showed that there were about 86.9 million employed. That represents an increase of .4 million over July. Unemployment, however, was basically unchanged. It rose a scant .1 percent over July. Facts supplied by individuals participating in the survey are kept strictly confidential by the law, and results are used only to complete statistical totals. Fire prevention is usually something nobody thinks about nobody thinks about until it’s too late. But Henryetta Fire Chief Jim Brown and the fire department hope to help change that situation this week as they plug National Fire Prevention Week here. “We’ll be having some fire drills at the school,” said the chief. Another way to increase the awareness of home safety is a project called EDITH (Exit Drills in the Home). “Next Wednesday night at 8 p.m. We’ll have project EDITH. All the fire departments were asked to put out news releases on the radio, television and newspapers telling about this. At this time, families are asked to conduct their own fire drill,” Brown said. He said that one way to cut down on personal injury in a home fires is for the family to draw up and learn escape routes from every area of the home. Other fire prevention precautions homeowners can take are: • Check and clean all heating systems; • Keep combustibles away from room heaters; • Check electrical appliances and cords; • Use proper fuses. “Some warning signals that you may be overloading your circuits are fuses that blow frequently, dim lights, and a shrinking TV picture,” Brown said. Another home safety rule, he said, is to exercise caution when storing flammable liquids and pressurized containers such as hair spray and deodorant. Brown said most fires to which Henryetta firemen are called to are grass, trach and vehicle fires. “We get a lot of calls to car fires out on I-40 and the Beeline. Most times, the fire starts in the carburetor,” he said. Other members of the Henryetta fire department are: Assistant Chief Walt Wheeler, Assistant Chief Jack Harrison, Assistant Chief George Gulley, Don Sharp, Noel Flanagan, Gary Draper, Bob V Varner, Eugene DeVore, Jim Wheeler, Bob Fry, Kenneth Matthews and John Whitlock. According to statistics, there are 550,000 home fires a year with around 5,500 people killed. Damage to homes amounts to the sum of $300 million annually. Okmulgee high school’s yearbook took the state championship, it was announced in Norman Saturday. The Okmulgee annual, “Torchlight,” won the rank of “with highest honors,” an award that went to only six schools in the whole state. They were dubbed Al-Oklahoma yearbooks by the judges in the annual competition conducted by the Oklahoma Interscholastic Press Association. The results were announced in Norman at the University of Oklahoma. Okmulgee won for 3A size schools the best in the state. 75 YEARS AGO – 1947 William E. (Bill) Smith, owner-manager of the Henryetta Furniture Company with two stores here and one in Okmulgee, Saturday was announced as president of the new Chamber of Commerce following the election of the board of directors. Smith was named to head the newly-organized civic club only a few minutes after he had been voted on the board to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of one member whose business duties kept him from functioning. The young furniture executive, considered one of Henryetta’s most progressive merchants, accepted the position after he had received a pledge of full cooperation from the entire board and the budget committee, both meeting jointly. “The spirit and enthusiasm that is being shown by Henryetta’s civic-minded citizens now is the best I have ever seen and if we keep it up there is nothing that can stop us from making a still better city,” Smith said Saturday. “I am confident, after talking at length with the board and the budget committee that we can carry out a real program that will help everybody who calls Henryetta home,” he added. “We must have everyone pulling together for Henryetta. Without complete cooperation, the enthusiasm that now exists may be dampened,” he explained. He warned Chamber members that only “follow through” and continued teamwork will spell the success of the organization. Henryetta’s new chamber leader, holding the highest civic honor that can go to any citizen, also made an appeal for members. “We want everybody to join who wants to join. This club is wide open. We have no black bails,” he said. Meanwhile the budget committee was soliciting the membership and reported $6,300 on the line with about that much more in sight for the fiscal year of 1948. Henryetta now flies a 5-½ x 12-foot flag from the city flagpole, courtesy of the U. S. Army. T/Sgt. S. B. Morris has lent the flag to the city and as long as the army and air force recruiting station remains here, Henryetta may use the flag, Mayor N. M. Lumpkin said. W. F. Shaw of Tulsa has been retained as city engineer by the city council, Mayor N. M. Lumpkin said today. Shaw will work on a pay-ashe- goes basis, getting no salary except when called to work. As soon as a report on the local sewage disposal plant comes from the Public Health Department, Lumpkin said, Shaw will check on what we need and how much it will cost, before action is taken. 100 YEARS AGO – 1922 When James J. Schock breezed into Free-Lance office this afternoon it was like a breath of the old times when Henryetta was a struggling village back in the early days. This man has a family now. He graduated from Dartmouth College, Pennsylvania, in 1913, and later married one of his class-mates. But the Free-Lance man still thinks of him as a school boy here, back in 1904 and thereafter. James Schock has accomplished a great deal in the last few years. He went into the oil refining business with his father, and they have prospered. They now own much good property in Okmulgee County, not the least of which is the short line of railroad known as the Okmulgee Northern. But it is not of the property we wish to speak. It is the fact that James is a candidate for the legislature. No one need entertain any doubt about this man wanting this office for the meagre pay he can get out of it. He has abundantly proven that he can make money for himself in the business world. His purpose in making this race is to use his utmost efforts to do well for his home county. Sane and just laws are just as essential to one man as another, and James Schock will actually make considerable sacrifice of time and money in going to the legislature. His object, then, is purely for the public good. His candidacy means the placing of clear-headed business men in the legislature instead of mere politicians. Incidentally James is on the Republican ticket, buT that is a trifle when compared with the intrinsic merit of the individual. The cash pay-roll distributed in Henryetta yesterday was only about a hundred thousand dollars, but that makes trade brisk. Some merchants merely wait till pay-day, while others advertise for business. In the ranks of the latter was one who made an especially attractive price on sugar. Just one advertisement appeared Friday, and yet when we passed that store during the afternoon they had already sold at retail more than five thousand pounds of sugar. A dray was unloading another consignment at the moment. This merely proves that all the merchant has to do is to display his prices in the Free-Lance. If he doubts about the results, consider the sale of sugar. Chief Stormont is in receipt of a card from Tulsa giving notice of the theft of a Ford car. The loser appears to want his car, but the Automobile Club of Oklahoma evidently want the thief a bit more, for it is stated on the card that the club “will pay $1,000 for the dead body of the thief who stole the car above described if found in possession of the same.” For the arrest and conviction of the thief, the club will pay $100. The wedding of Mr. Merle Henden, of Fulton, Kentucky, and Miss Leona Vogt, of this city, was solemnized last evening at 9:00 o’clock at the home of the bride’s sister, Mrs. Wm. Brink, 511 North Fifth Street, Rev. C. Bowles officiating. Guests were limited to the immediate family of the bride and the rooms were beautifully decorated with carnations and ferns. Following the ceremony, a lovely two-course supper was served. Mr. and Mrs. Henden left this morning for a three weeks’ wedding trip to Sapulpa, Chandler and Oklahoma City, after which Mrs. Henden will return here and await the return of Mr. Henden, who is a lieutenant in the army at Seattle, Washington. They will make their future home in Fulton, Kentucky. The bride is a sister of Mrs. Wm. Brink and has spent the greater part of her life in Henryetta, where she has a host of friends. For the past six months she has been a nurse at the Henryetta Hospital. Out-of-town guests attending the wedding were Mr. and Mrs. R.W. Chappell and Mr. and Mrs. La Van Warren, of Okmulgee. Henryetta is particularly fortunate in a water system. The lake which was at first regarded as an ample supply, is located in a mountain gorge two miles south of town. When the town outgrew this supply, a main was laid to the North Canadian. The river water is pumped into the farther end of the lake, and the city intake is at the dam, or near end. Thus the river water had a half mile to travel before it ever comes to the intake. Then when it comes on into town by gravity pressure alone through an eighteen inch flow line. It is thoroughly filtered. The result is a fine quality of sparkling water. Since late March there have been abundant rains, and there was no need for pumping river water into the lake. Now however, the heavy use of water and the great evaporation under this August sun make it necessary to begin pumping again. The lake is going down rapidly. We must not minimize the duty we owe to the agricultural trade in Henryetta. Too much tendency has been observed to depend on industries and payrolls here, little attention has been given the farmer. Henryetta is easily the best market town for all manner produce, and while it may be true that it is not the cheapest town in point of merchandise, it measures up well in that respect, and outdistances all other towns in the price it pays the farmer for his products. Whiskey and autos do not make a good combination. Ministration should lay the sky-limit fine on any person brought before them for drunkenness while driving a car. Such offender not only endangers himself, but all others. If a man wants to get drunk, that is his affair. But if he wants to drive an auto while under the influence of liquor, then it becomes the affair of everybody whom he may endanger by his drunken driving. These remarks are not directed at any person save the guilty and the guilty need this and more. Seven deaths reported yesterday from grade crossings where trains hit autos. This is a sad commentary on the carelessness of auto drivers. It is so easy to ascertain whether or not a train is approaching. It takes but a moment to stop if one cannot be sure otherwise. Such recklessness is sure to bring grief. A train cannot stop in time to avoid striking an auto, the train is too heavy, and has too much momentum. It is easy to stop an auto, and such caution would save many lives.