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The Seaforth News, 1954-04-22, Page 6FINED FOR SPEEDING AT 0 NVMIIAS AN HOUR Young Kirkpatrick Macmillan was working on an idea as he helped his father to shoe the farmers' horses in the tiny roadside smithy at Courthill, in Dumfriesshire. This young country lad—they called him °Pate" for short — knew that fashionable Ming men in France and other Continen- tal countries were propelling themselves along the roads on scooter -like machines called hobby- or dandy -horses. But these travellers wasted energy by pushing with their feet on the ground. Surely, though Macmillan, some method could be devised whereby a man could move along the Queen's highway on two wheels without touching the ground. He spent every spare minute working on his idea. "The boy's mad," said the villagers, as they passed the smithy and saw him engaged on his self-imposed task, "It's in- decent!" exclaimed others. "Poor daft Pate Macmillan!" But the young Blacksmith was not to be discouraged. He made trial runs on his home -built hobby -horse, then constructed a strangelooking machine with wooden wheels and iron tyres. He attached to it two long rods and a pair of stirrups or pedals. It was a completely new and astonishing idea. "It's no' human," said the neighbours, as Macmillan wheel- ed out the contraption one sum- mer night. They gasped in hor- ror as he sat boldly astride the saddle and rode away. his feet not touching the ground,. Down the lanes around Court - hill "daft Pate" rode at breakneck speed. People stood and mar- velled at this strange creature flying past. Till that summer of 1039 no man in the world had ever ridden supported only by two wheels. This was not the local blacksmith's son, they be- lieved, but the Prince of Dark- ness! Young Macmillan — he was twenty six—grew bolder. He be- gan to race the stage -coaches on their way to Glasgow. Then he had the brave idea of cycling the seventy odd miles to Glasgow and showing off his invention there. All along his route people stood aghast. Mothers called their children indoors. Cottagers barr- ed their doors as news spread The Winner — This smiling cutie hos been chosen the prettiest girl in Paris, France. She's 16 -year- old Georgette Dhers, a student. that the Prince of Darkness was approaching, riding on a pair Of wheels. "Look ower there, jock!" call- ed out one man, as Macmillan whirled through a country town. "It's a man rem awe' wi, patrt o' an engine!" At the foot of the hill that leads into the Ayrshire town, of Old Cumnock, a young tailor was courting his sweetheart. Suddenly, in the gloaming, a tall figure appeared silhouetted against the skyline, madly ro- tating on two wheels. The lover and his lass took to their heels and fled across the fields into the town. Years later their evi- dence helped to establish Mac- millan as the inventor of the pedal -propelled bicycle. As he sped daringly into the outskirts of Glasgow, more crowds congregated, many want- ing to run him out of town, The congestion became so great that the inventor was forced to ride on the . pavement and in his anxiety to escape the mob he knocked down a little girl. She was only slightly hurt, but Macmillan was promptly arrested and hauled off to the Police station, spending the night in a chilly cell. Next morning the magistrate, told that the accused had averag- ed eight miles an hour, sharply reprimanded him for "this modern craving for speed," and imposed a fine of five shillings, According to one newspaper re- port, Macmillan was "placed at the Gorbais public bar, charged with riding along the pavement on a velocipede to the obstruc- tion of the passage, and with having by so doing, thrown over a child." According to the., inventor's son John, who as a retired police- man died at Liverpool a few years ago, the magistrate who tried the case asked for a pri- Spring ,Gloves Accent Slender Look Party - going, elbow - length gloves in double -woven nylon have three pearl buttons at the wrist to provide mug, slim fit. DT MONA MIL LEADING oft the spring glove parade this year 1e the now, short (wrist -bone length) glove with the slim, narrow jook,.Even dress -up gloves have a clinging, elongated look that's in keeping With the straight silhouette in ready-to-wear, Styling of gloves this spring is so definite that there's a type for every occasion, daytime irate eve- ning. And there are'many pretty pastels: pink, yellow, blue as well ss the vivid corals. One brand new glove with real fashion impact is wrist - length and elasticized at the in- side of the wrist for perfect fit and comfort. It comes in dbu- ble-woven cotton, nylon and pique. Called the short-stop, it'e in sparkling white. The call for white is always Heavy during spring and summer months, and for those who like their white relieved by the spice of color, there's hand -stitching in almost any color. Further, there's the new interest of white -on - white, to create texture. In dress gloves, close fit has been assured ,by the use of tiny Pearl buttons at the inside of the wrist or by a tiny bit of elastice - More and more, women ere choosing dress gloves in cotton or nylon because they're so easy tb maintain. • Like the shorter gloves, they come in white, pas- tels, vivid and dark colors. New short-stop Is this spring's wrist -length glove with elasti- clzed wrist. Made of imported Italian pique, glove above is designed on a diagonal pattern for additional slenderizing. vote demonstration of, the world's first pedal bicycle, He was so impressed with "daft" Pate's skill in riding a figure of eight round the court -yard that he paid the fine himself! Macmillan's spectacular trip to Glasgow and back proved a seven days' wonder. He returned to the peaceful life of a rural blacksmith, and spent his spare hours pulling out teeth for both animals and humans, inventing ploughs and playing the violin at local weddings and dances. cJai Anc,DewS. Today, some "main dishes" — none of them really new, but each with that different twist which adds variety to your table, STEAK AND KIDNEY PIE 1 pound round steak ei pound iamb kidneys et cup flour ee teaspoon salt le teaspoon pepper 4 tblsps. beef fat drippings or other fat 1 cup chopped onion 1 bay leaf 2 tblsps. chopped celery leaves 1 tablespoon chopped parsley 2 cups water ih cup sliced mushrooms l4 cup sliced carrots V cup fresh or frozen peas 1 recipe plain pastry Cut steak in 1" cubes. Remove tough membrane from kidneys and cut each in about 4 pieces. Combine flour, salt and pepper; sprinkle over meats. Heat fat over moderate heat and brown meat. Remove from skillet and cook onion until lightly browned, Add meats, bay leaf, celery, parsley and water. Cover tight- ly and simmer 1 hour. Add mushrooms, carrots and peas. Roll out half the pastry on a lightly floured board and line a shallow 11/ -quart baking dish with it. Pour in meat mixture. Roll out remaining pastry; cut in 3" circles. Place around edge, of baking dish as shown at right, Packs Heavy Punch .- The new l -87F Thunderstreak is shown with the armament and fuel tanks that gives It a mighty punch and a long range. Each Thunderstreak mounts six .50 caliber machine guns. It can carry over 4000 pounds of armament In various size bombs and rockets. There are six external fuel tanks which carry some 1820 gallons of gas, Pilot standing between fuel tanks at right gives Idea of their size. Trim off excess pastry and crimp edge. Bake in a hot oven, 425°F., 30 minutes, or until pastry is brown. Makes 4 to 6 servings. r * o BAKED FILLETS 1 pound fresh or frozen fish fillets le cup canned tomatoes 2 tbisps, butter or margarine 4 thin slices lemon 4 thin strips green pepper 1113 teaspoon oregano Ve teaspoon salt teaspoon pepper Defrost fillets and divide into four portions. Cut four 9" cir- cles of kitchen -weight alumin- um foil. On each circle place a portion of fish, 2 tablespoons to- mato, ee tablespoon butter, a lemon slice and strip of green pepper. Sprinkle each with oregano, salt and pepper. Fold edges of foil over fish; seal. Place in a shallow baking pan. Then bake in a hot oven, 425°F., 10 minutes. Remove from oven, roll edges of foil to form a boat. Garnish with water cress. Melees 4 servings. * * 4 MEAT AND CORNMEAL PIE 1 package frozen broccoli or 1 pound fresh broccoli 2 tablespoons butter or mar- garine 1a cup chopped onion 1 cup sliced fresh or canned mushrooms 4 tblsps. all-purpose flour 2le cups milk , teaspoon salt 1.K teaspoon pepper ee cup shredded Canadian cheese I 12 -ounce package corn muffin mix Cut five 1/4" slices from the narrow side of the loaf of lunch- eon meat. Reserve until later. Cut rest of neat into ee" strips. Cook broccoli until just tender. Melt butter in a skillet over mod- erate heat, Add meat strips, onion and mushrooms; cook un- til lightly browned, Stir in flour; add milk gradually, stirring con- stantly. Continue to cook until mixture thiekens. Add salt, pep- per and cheese; stir until cheese is melted, Arrange broccoli over bottom of a 2 -quart casserole; reserve a few sprigs for top and keep warm, Top with creamed mixture. Cut meat slices in halves and arrange around 'edge of dish. Prepare corn muffin bat- ter as directed on package. Drop 6 half tblsps. of batter in center of meat mixture as shown in picture, Pour remainder of corn muffin mixture in greased muf- fin pans, Bake both in a 'hot Drive With ...Care.. Candy Kiss — Judy Mader made sure the Easter Bunny would visit her house this year, by planting a sweet kiss on a 60 - pound chocolate replica of the traditional egg -bringer. oven, 425°F., 30 to 35 minutes for the casserole, about 20 min- utes for the muffins. Decorate center with hot broccoli sprigs. Makes 4 to 6 servings. 5 B * FISII FILLETS 1 pound fresh or frozen fish fillets 4 Wisps. soft butter or mar- garine 3 tbisps. chopped toasted almonds 1 tblsp, grated lemon rind Vs teaspoon salt lb teaspoon pepper Defrost fillets. Separate and arrange in a greased baking pan. Combine remaining ingredients; spread on fillets. Bake uncover- ed in a moderately hot oven, 375°F., 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges dipped in paprika, Makes 4 servings. Winston Has retionday Amid much talk about the pus- sible retirement of Prime Min- ister Sir Winston Churchill -- which "inside information" sets for May, when the Queen re- turns from the Commonwealth tour• --comes as characteristic a Churchill story as one might hope for. A paper which has been urg- ing his retirement printed recent- ly a cartoon showing Sir Winston looking very feeble and washed out, the argument being that he is no longer physically fit for his job. Some of his aides debated whether to show. this to him, He really should know about it, some of them thought. But others feared the reception they would get whe he saw the cartoon. At last it was decided that however devastating the explos- ion, the Prime Minister should see this offensive item: Sir Winston looked at it and then identified himself with thousands of busy and important men who are by no means thinking of re- tiring yet. For, said he, with a chuckle, the cartoon showed pretty accurately, how he felt on a Monday morning. - In the hands of a reckless driver, some cars last a lifetime. Mailed Live Mouse Out Scheme Failed It happened in Hungary, A jeweller received a letter from a customer who wrote that under separate cover he was sending him a registered package contain- ing a pearl necklace which the customer bought from him some menthe ago, "The clasp is unsafe; please mend it," the letter concluded. Next morning theparcel arriv- ed but the paper was torn and the necklace was miesing. le told the customer who at once declared: "The necklace must have been stolen." Within a few hours he was olaiming $2,000 compensation from the post office. But the pOst master sent the empty package to the police. Three days later the claimant was asked to call at the police station "about your missing neck- lace." 'He went, was shown the necklace—and then arrested. It was disclosed that he had bought the necklace for $2,000 but had sold it immediately. Then he placed in the parcel which went to the jeweller not the necklace but a live mouse, which he reck- oned would naturally eat its way out before the parcel reached the shop, making it appear as though the packing had become damaged in the mails and the necklace fallen out. Thanks to a bright young police official who saw sign of nibbling in the wrapper, the swindler was caught in his own "mousetrap," EMPTY STOMACHS EHIN IRON CURTAON By LEON DENNEN NEA Staff Correspondent PARIS--(NEA)—Western lead- ers should take another hard look at the Red world before sitting down at Geneva to haggle with Moscow and Peiping over Korea and Indo-China. The Reds as usual are exepcted to talk and act tough. But they will again lead from weakness rather than from strength, for the Soviet empire is in the midst of a grave economic and political crisis, "The agricultural situation is serious enough in Russia," two Allied diplomats who just return- ed from behind the Iron Curtain told NEA Service. "But it bord- ers almost on disaster in the sat - elite countries," This is also confirmed by refu- gees who recently escaped West from Poland, Hungary and East Germany, THE since the Bolsheviks seized power. This was recently revealed by none other than Nikita S. Khru- schev, No. 3 man in the Kremlin's new hierarchy. The situation in Poland, Mos- cow's most important satelite,-is even more revealing. In the nine years since the Reds came to power in Warsaw, only five to eight per cent of Polish peasants have enrolled in collec- tive farms. Few peasants joined the Communist Party. Of the close to 300,000 party members purged in the past six years for anti-Communist resist- ance—according to Poland's Red mouthpiece Zycie Warszawy—the majority were peasants and "counter-revolutionary intellect- uals." In the face of this stubborn and frequently heroic resistance, pro- paganda for land collectivization in Poland. has almost ceased, This TIRED, HUNGRY REFUGEE Moscow's much publicized plan to increase food and consumer goods production in Russia and the satelite states is running into serious obstacles. There is a drastic bread shortage in Hun- gary and a potato famine in Po- land and East Germany. Soviet -dominated lands like Po- land, Hungary, Romania and Bul- garia which once exported food are • now hungry themselves. Everywhere the reason is the same: cormnunism has • failed to modify the si.urldorn individual- ism of the peasant, It took the Red leachers more than 36 years to discover that nature,- especially human nature, is not easily changed. Thus, since the death of Stalin, his successors have literally been jumping out of their skin to woo the peasant. To no avail. Stalin originally forced through the collectivization of Russian ag- riculture at the cost of national famine and four million dead peasants. But years of compute sion, coercion, concentration camps and execution bye firing squads have completely failed to bend the Russian peasant to the Kremlin's will, 01 some 100 million Russian peasants, no more than one mil- lion joined the Communist Party is also true of Hungary, Czecho- slovalcia,• Romania, Bulgaria and especially East Germany, the Iron Curtain refugees reported. • u $ - More than 35 years after the Russian Revolution the peasants for the most part remain the backbone of resistance to the Red regimes.' Thus, despite their immense in- dustrial achievements, the Krem- lin rulers now find the fond short- age in Communist -dominated nue rope is the major problem con- fronting them today. Premier Georgi Malenkov must find new food sources to feed the hungry, stirring people behind the Iron Curtain if he is to re- main in power. This urgency is primarily responsible for Mos- cow's drive to increase trade with the West and for the 'increased sale abroad of Russian gold. Growing peasant resistance be- hind the lion Curtain, it addition to its econornic implications, is even more ominous for the Red rulers. The peasants still num- ber half the population in Russia and- the satelite countries. Their influence is felt in the towns not only because they feed the pee - plc but also because even today most workers in industry told Red Arany soldiers have a rural back- ground.