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Happy New Year |
Clark Andresen
i
By MARGARET KERNOBLE
AP Features Writer
WASHINGTON — War is
sending the percentage of spir.
sters into a power d^ve.
In fact, the ratio of old maids
in this country has been dwin
dling steadily for at least 20
years, even thojgh the total num
ber of females has increased from
35.178.000 to 65,486,000. The male
population has increased from
36.921.000 to 66,183,000
Here is the diminishing old
maid record for the past 20 years,
according to the U. S. Census:
In 1920 the percentage of un
married females (18 years old
and over) in America was 27.4.
By 1930 the number had dropped
to 26.4 per cent, by 1940 to 25 8.
Each decade the number de
creased about one per cent
Romance Booms
The war boost to the marriage
market is seen in estimates from
the Metropolitan Life Insurance
Company: In three years the
number of single women decreas
ed as much as in the past 20
years. Metropolitan’s records
records show 23.1 per cent for
1941; 22.8 for 1942 and 22 per cent
for 1943.
Foretaste by tne National Re
sources Committee indicated a
rise in the %male population un
til 1945. when the number of
women is expected to reach 72,
066,000—exceeding the number of
men by 39,000. There is no esti
mate whether the number of old
maids will increase or fail to de
crease.
By 1970 it is estimated the total
number ei men and women will
hav*e levelled #ut at 75,585,000
waeli By 1980 even the grand
,, .
daughters of the brides of today
can be hopeful because the men i
will outnumber women by 258,
000.
Stvtrai factors can influence
the balance of the sexes. If war
continues two more years. 50,000
casualties can be expected, at the
present rate. That might be off
sen if the experts are right who i
say more boy babies (for some
unknown reason) are born during
a war. Another aid in offsetting
casualties is the fact that girls
get married younger in wartime
ana that young mothers are
healthier mothers. Boy babies !
(who die more often than girls j
in peacetime) will increase be- ,
cause more will live, according
to this theory.
Immigration does not add to the
number of old maids. The 1940
census shows ten per cent single
women among immigrants and
16.2 per cent single men.
Marriage Market
If you’re a worrying woman,
look at these statistics: Sacra
mento. Calif., is the city with the
most men in proportion to wom
n. Men also outnumber women in
Bridgeport, Conn.; Detroit. Mich.;
Flint, Mich.; Elizabeth, Newark,
Trenton and Jersey City, N. J.;
Milwaukee, Wis.; Oklahoma City.
Okla.; Peoria, 111.; Sa» Francis
co, Calif., and Tacoma, Wash.
But your chances look belter
state by state in Nevada, worse
in Iowa.
The marriage market seems ex
cellent in New Mexico. Arizona,
Oklahoma, Kentucky, Maryland,
South Carolina, and there’s bet
ter than average opportunity in
Utah, Florida, Mississippi and
West Virginia.
The west boast apparently has
more weddings than the east
coast, but your chance for a mar
riage license is 21.6 better in
Florida than in California.
.And attention, city belles: A
farmers daughter’s wedding is
about ten per cent more likely !
than yours.
YULE CARD FINALLY
DELIVERED—NEXT DOOR
CLAMP CLAIBORNE, La. —
(AP)—Sergeant Bill Kearns !
mailed a Christmas card to Ser
geant J. W Campbell last year |
and it was delivered to Camp- 1
bell in late September of 1943 j
after traveling for nine months
and criss-crossing this continent
several times.
The payoff is that Kearns
could have walked right up to
Campbell and handed him the
card. They live only 190 yards
apart, and have for more than a
year. Kearns thought Campbell
was stationed elsewhere.
THERE’S MORE FUN
NOW IN ALASKA
ANCHORAGE, Alaska |AP>—
Entertainment in the northland
is a paying business for Uncle
Sam.
Taxes on general admissions
and club dues in Alaska jumped
from $69,930 for the 1942 fiscal
yeas to $172,454 fox the ytear
just concluded, Cflhrk Squire,
collector of Internal Revenue
for Washington State and Alas
ka, said
Other major t%x increase* in
cluded:liquor, $116,996 to $141,
455 and coin devices, $4,355 to
$12,989.
COAL FALLS LIKE MANNA
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)—
With winter coming *n and
home owners desparately trying
to fill their coal bins, A. C. Kep
ford got five tens *f Riel dump
ed right into his yard. A coal
truck collided with another
truck and spilled its loed.
Russia’s Flying Musketeers
AP Features
Soviet air heroines: M. Ras
kova P. Osipenko and V7. Griz
odubovka (L. to r.)
France has her Joan of Arc.
Russia has her three women mus
keteers of the air, destined for a
niche in history alongside the
heromes of all time.
The are Valentina Stepanova
Grizodubovka, Captain Paulina
Denisnovna Osipenko and Major
Marina Raskova. Of the three,
only one is alive today to tell the
story, which was the featured
story at the three-day congress
held November 6-8 in New York
to celebrate the tenth anniversary
of American-Soviet Friendship.
The surviving member of the
trio is Grizodubovka, now chief
of the International Air Lines di
vision of the Soviet Civil Air
Fleet.
Captain Osipenko and Major
Raskova now lie side by side in
the wrall of the Kremlin, while
K7j€
their deeds of courage are told
and retold by the Russian people.
The former was killed in a 'plane
crash May 8 1939. after being
twice decorated with the Order
of Lenin, highest Soviet award
The latter was killed in action
and died in the cockpit of her
plane. She was given the first
state funeral of the war.
The three friends. Grizodubov
ka. Osipenko and Raskova, first
won fame in 1938, when, leaving
their young children behind
them they set off in a twin-en
gined plane, the Rodina, from'an
airdrome near Moscow’ along the
Moscow-Far East route. Nothing
was heard of them for 10 days,
while thousands searched for
them. Then they were found Th
a forest, where they had subsist
ed on a few tablets of chocolate
after their plane made a forced
landing. •».
When the records were check
■ mi
ed it was found that they had
broken the international wom
en’s record for distance flight,
having flown 3,6«7 miles in 26
hours and 29 minutes. The rec
ord still stands.
After this feat Grizodubovka
was given her present high post
with the Civil Air Fleet, and her
two friends became regular pilot*
in the Russian army.
Major Raskova commanded a
fleet of dive bombers and wai
the first woman to train a regi
ment of night flyers now at the
front under the command of an
other woman flyer, Tatiana Ber
shanskaya.
Captain Osibenko piloted a
fighting plane, and was thrice
decorated for bravery.
That is the story of Russia’s
three flying musketeers, a!3
mothers, whose exploits have in
spired the women of their coun
try to further deeds of valor.
| To One and Ail!
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