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The Seaforth News, 1962-06-14, Page 6Bingo's Booming in Britain The humble penny may not seem to have much value these days, but to amusement caterers it is the prop of their lives .,- and never more So than today! As many people will no doubt be having fun for their money at seaside fairs and in areadrs this summer, 1 decided to see what was new at the recent annual Amusement Trades Exhibition in London, which did a roaring home and overseas business. There is no doubt that both buyers and sellers have never had it so good. The fact that bingo is now legal has boosted many fortunes. In the past, this gamble de- pended on the whim of the local chief constable. Last summer, h ywever, places like Blackpool's Golden Mile were able to enjoy a remarkable run of bingo pros- perity This season there will be more than 10,000 bingo stalls operating in England alone — about 6,000 more than the previous year• Us- ually there are about forty play- ers at a time in the seafront ar- cades — at the permitted six- pence per go. And the game has been speed- ed up as much as possible. Nowadays you just slide a plastic cover across the number called, and the numbers are sel- ected at random by electrical gadgets, not fished by hand out of a bag, If business is brisk, twenty games may be crowded into an hour. Which means that one stall — helped by the longer summer evenings — can take roughly £200 during a ten-hour day. From this, of course, has to come the running expenses, in- cluding the cost of quite valuable "gifts." Women are particularly addic- ted to this form of amusement, They are attracted by the lights, the jollity and particularly by the large selection of prizes on show. Often, the more wins they register, the bigger the prize available. This encourages play- ers to stay put. So does the fact that bingo is a remedy against the widespread disease of lone- liness. But the days of bingo's great- est popularity may be ending. "Horsey -horsey" (no relation to "Housey-housey," t h e British Army's name for bingo) is the latest American craze to reach this country. Films in sealed containers and especially shot on U.S. race- courses are shown, with each horse renamed on a racecard. held by members of the audi- ence, who may buy up to four tickets, at a shilling a time, after they have picked their fancy. After the bets are on, the cans ere opened. A race is then screened to the shouts and cheers of the backers, At the Rialto in York recently, two pretty girls wearing shorts, jockey shirts and caps, handed cut the race cards, Nearly 1,000 punters flocked to the "Tote" to uy tickets before the "off." After the first filmed race, several hundred people collected 10s, 7d. for a shilling. This synthetic cinema racing _ looks like being one of the top new attractions this summer. Another may be a modified form esf roulette. Indeed, seaside fun /airs are gradually beginning to resemble little French casinos! But back to the humble penny • for the penny -play machine dominated the Amusement Trades' Exhibition. The trend 'is ell towards electromatic, multi - tole units with twenty-four slots, at which six or more people can play at a time, writes Basil Bailey In ":TitBits," You simply press a button and flickering lights tell whether you have won. If you've lost your penny, it's probable that some- one next to you, or facing you, has won threepence or more with his stake. This seems to have a particu- lar appeal to family groups on holiday! These "fruits" and "spieling" machines, as they are known In the _trade, may not, by law, pay out more thana shilling for a penny stake, The best — also in the jargon of the trade- "make for quick pennies" and have plenty of "flash" (coloured lights), The fastest of the new electric mod- els takem three seconds flat from the time you insert your penny to when you either pick up some winnings — or don't. One of the most pcpulai inven• tions for extracting your cash this summer is likely to be the big "Wheel'em-in," Customers throw pennies on to the moving bands and, if they drop on one of the payout squares, the odds, in pence, are thrown back at them over the topt , "The compelling seduction of fruit machines" (particularly the sixpenny "one-armed bandits" now legal in clubs) was referred to in a London court recently, when a thirty -six-year-old fitter pleaded guilty to two charges of fraud. Said the defending solicitor; "He has become a complete vic- tim of these one-armed bandits. He goes straight to them with his wages and loses the lot, not having a penny left for food or rent." Not long ago it was also alleg- ed in court that a Wiltshsire nurse spent her entire salary on fruit machines and, when that was gone, stole from her col- leagues. A famous Harley Street psy- chiatrist offers this explanation: "The special attraction fruit ma- chine gambling holds for its ad- dicts is concerned with a primi- tive fantasy. The victim kids himself that he can control things merely by looking. "In time he really believes he has the magic power to stop the fruit machine where he wills it to stop. The same things hap- pen to the roulette addict. "Such people feel an urge to substitute magic for hard work." Back to the seafront — where lawful gambling is on a much smaller scale, and still mainly for amusement only. The big problem, according to Johnny Ketteley, "king" 'of Southend's Golden Mile and busily. extending his "empire" is getting seasonal staff. The jobs are well paid, but it takes months, for instance, to train a good, accurate bingo call- er, who must possess quick reac- tions and a ready wit as well as leather lungs. This latter. problem is, how- ever, being solved by means of a "robot" which will call out the numbers as they are indicated) SALESMANSHIP Another realty. salesman had just closed his first deal, only to discover that the piece . of landhe had .sold was completely under water. "That customer's going to come back here pretty mad," he predicted to his boss. "Shall I give him his money back?" "Money back?" roared the boss. "What kind of a salesman are you anyway? Get out there and sell him a motorboat." r l FIESTA OF FLAGS -- Five beauties hold the flags of five nations which have flown over Pensacola, Fla, They are, left to right; Stie Baldwin, with British flag; Linde Strak, French; Janice Baenen, American; Sue Scarbrough, Spanish, end Ann Morse, who holds the Confederate flag, TOUR OF DUTY — These members of TOUR (Teen-age Organization for Urban Renewal/ helped to paint 300 benches in Boston, Mass, Sue McLennan, 16, forgot and rested on a bench she had just painted, Her three fellow painters found the incident hilarious. ' TABLE TALKS hiar.•r.a "lame Atuiprw$ It is easy enough to find sug- gestions for' a d u l t meals, but mothers who cook for small chil- dren often find it hard„ to find new dishes which . will be both appealing and nutritious. For them we he--" a suggestion from the home econon,.sts of, Canada's Department of Fisherie... Fish is an excellent 'food for children. It is one of the best sources of protein for growth, is easy to chew, easy to digest, and pleasing to young folk because of its delicate flavour.. A fish dish which they , will enjoy is Fish Wiggle. Though the name may cause them to giggle, just watch them clean up their plates! Fish Wiggle is an old English dish consistingof equal amounts of cooked or canned fish and peas in a creamy sauce which is served on toast. Crisp celery and carrot sticks which the children can eat out of hand are good .ac- companiments, FISH WIGGLE ] can (73/i ounces) salmon OR 1 cup other canned: fish 4 tablespoons butter 4 tablespoons flour 3, teaspoon salt 2 cups milk 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 cup cooked or canned peas, drained Toast slices or toast cups Drain and flake fish. If using canned salmon, save the liquid and add enough milk to it to make the required 2. cups of 11 - quid: Melt butter and blend in flour and salt. Add milk. gradu- ally. Cookand: stir until smooth and thickened. Add lemon juice, fish and peas. 'Cook gently un- til mixture is thoroughly heated. Serve on buttered toastslices, cut in points, or in toast cups. Makes 4 to 6.servings.' Supper is fun for everyone when the main course comes to the table wrapped.'in individual foil' packages. The children en- joy' the element of surprise a -1d' mother can have the afternoon ,free from meal preparations All sheneed do.is arrange the foods in their wrappings (hours ahead if she likes) then stow the. pack- ages in the refrigerator until time:to cook. The^food iscooked and served' right' in the' foil, •and may be brought to the table un- opened. Fish is one food, which 'cooks quickly. and deliciously in foil. Encased in foil it literally ;steams in Its own juices and noneof the . fine flavour is lost. For. an -ad venture in good eating,- try the 'following foilpackage combina- tion recommended by the home economists of Canada's Depart- ment of Fisheries. FILLETS . IN, •FOIL 1 pound frozen•.fish .fillets 1/ teaspoon salt 'A cup packaged precooked.: rice 3/4 cup water s/4. teaspoon salt 3i cup grated Cheddar cheese 1 tomato, cut into 4 slices Thaw frozen fillets sufficient- ly to allow the block to be cut into 4 portions. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Thoroughly cum - bine rice, water, and V4 teaspoon salt. Adid cheese and tnss Iig,1t-. lY to mix, Have ready four •12 - inch squares of aluminum foil, greased on the Inside, Place 3 tablespoons of rice -cheese mix- ture in centre of each square. Top with .a -fillet portion and then a slice of. tomato. Lightly .sprinkle tomato slices with salt, ,Bring two edges of foil together over food and double told to make a tight seal. Also double fold outer edges, Place packages on a baking sheet and bake in a hot oven (500°F.), Allow about 30 minutes cooking time if fish Is frozen and 16 minutes if com- pletely thawed, Makes 4 serv- ings. r * * A famous chef once remarked that, "the egg is the cement Whichholds the castles of cook- ery together." In combination with other foods they can be counted on to make many a de- licious and inexpensive lunch or supper dish. The combination of fish and eggs is an especially good one for growing children, since both foods are rich in pro- tein. One such combination which has a high popularity ra- ting with the young crowd is a Salmon Souffle. SALMON SOUFFLE 1 can (7?4. ounces) salmon 3 tablespoons butter or other 'fat - 3 tablespoons. flour 34 teaspoon salt 1 cop liquid (salmon liquid plus milk) 2 tablespoons chopped green onions and tops 3 eggs, separated 1 teaspoon lemon juice Drain and flake salmon, sav- ing liquid. Melt butter. Blend in flour and salt. Add liquid gradually and cook until thick and smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in salmon and chopped onion, Beat egg yolks and add lemon juice, Stir into salmon mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold gently but thoroughly into salmon mixture. Spoon into an ungreased 13/2 -quart casser- ole. Bake in a moderate oven (350°F.) for about' 45 minutes, or until set, puffed, and lightly browned. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings. * 5 5 It's a well proven fact that young children are not gour- mets, but menu variety and im- aginative preparation when geared to their level will def- initely increase their interest in meals, As a general rule they like delicately flayQured foods, simply prepared, and presented - With a dash of colour, The feeds should be served in small por- tions and be easy to handle with only a spoon or fork. A dish which meets these .re- quirements admirably is Fish Timbales, a custard type of main dish cooked in individual cups. The recipe for it follows and has been supplied by the home econ- omists of Canada's Department of Fisheries. FISIII TIMBALES ?, oups (1 pound) cooked or canned fish, drained & flaked 1 tablespoon lemon juice 3/4 cup chopped green onions and tops 2 tablespoons butter, melted 2 tablespoons flour 1 cup milk 2 eggs, slightly beaten ,34 to 2 teaspoon fait Dash pepper y/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese 1 cup fine dry bread crumbs 1 tablespoon melted butter Sprinkle fish with lemon juice. Cook green onions in 2 table- spoons melted butter until, ten- derbut not browned. Blend in flour. Add milk gradually and cook, stirring constantly, until smoothly thickened, R e m e v e from heat. Stir in eggs and sea- sonings. (If. using canned fish add Ye teaspoon salt. If using lightly salted home cooked fish use 1 teaspoon salt,) Combine sauce with fish and mix, well. Spoon into greased custard cups or ramekins. Sprinkle with cheese. Combine crumbs with 1 tablespoon melted butter and spread over cheese. Place cups in a shallow pan of hot water. Bake in a moderate oven (350°F) for 30 minutes, or until -firmly set. S'erve in cups, or turn out on heated plates. Makes 6 cups. Everyone is ignorant, . only on different subjects. ISSUE 22 — 1962 Should They Bring the A -B -Cs Back to the Schoolroom? By HAROLD.SHEEHAN Newspaper Enterprise .Assn. New York — There is noth- ing more simple than A -B -C. So' says a. group of disgruntled edu- cators who want the alphabet •hoisted to its once sacred status in the schoolroom, The group calls itself the Reading Reform Foundation. Here is what they say: A third of the nation's youths do not know how to read. Another third read poorly, The cause is the "madness" of the system of reading instruc- tion in . use almost universally today in public schools. The solution is to kick out this "modern" or "contour" sys- tem which is putting us behind the Russians, and bring back the A -B -Cs (called phonics) At. the same time,: them ,are many .voices in support' of the •present reading 'techniques, in- cludine teachers' college in book, "Tomorrow's Illiterates." .Claims.. Waicutt: 35 per cent of American youths are serious- ly retarded in reading; 40 per cent more are deficient. Fur- thermore, Arthur S. Trace Jr., author of "What Ivan Knows 'That Johnny Doesn't," says that children in Soviet Russia at the age of 8 or 9 are, taught alpha- betically. They are' . "several years" ahead of American chil- dren in reading. Trace claims "With a vocabu lary of 10,000 words and . the ability to use a dictionary, they canread and enjoy the master- pieces . of Russian literature, while American children, lim= itedto the painfully memorized contours (pictures) of 1,500' words, have to struggle through: textbooks of incredible banal- ity." Trace points out that half of the Russian children begin learn- ing English in the fifth grade. abject" on paper. The Reading Foundation objects. They want the sounds of the alphabet learned, then combined with other sounds to achieve reading proficiency. Not necessary, says Gates. A pupildoes not need to under- stand the ,sound of a letter to read. Evidence: Gates has made completely deaf children superi- or readers — children who have never in their lives heard a word spoken. "The modern method uses many educational devices," said Gates. "These include phonics. Nobody has abandoned the al- phabet." Gates trundles a battery of statistics to the firing line: Item: A 1957 survey' in a. New York City suburb among pupilstaught by the phonetic method. Conclusion: Children's reading ability lagged behind. their mental ability. — 11,4x0, — 01.04ner 01410A6,— Aeaa5 Ha. po61 Maw"n.Ha roeopn7: — B.reAx Na Np.10e4110, 11001tOTp11—N° HAAT m, Ao184H/I • T ns,,o ee41eA. 1NWen xa Hptanexxo, Mo' 180.33 ca540e me banana 1 sopo0, it en rono• ay cede 6OWA0 a nopoiOHONx 000781030, Bop„yncn u*ABCA., 10400—Hopes roTo.. Boennnn ere xB WW1 H 0owdn 1 Aepeex0 HAer aegeeAL ueoAy inion, dpeeb, eek ueA. 11c70y 6epeax31113, • 0503,180 onycOoeTcn, 08 npnropee,noq/mua°Toa. IL6n.u*n, yeran x re• lopnr: — Cn,y Ne nenex, CO.O 00500041 A Maweu.xn 03 005060; — anx,y, e0,oyl He ef4xes Ha ne0*N, He et. nxpox,md Heox 6o6ywxe, Hecn Aenywxel. — Hm., rn n07an,—r0sop, N"A. .eA4 —eee 1:11,0:17 IVAN'S ELEMENTARY READER: Is Johnny as for behind as they say? the United States, The Russians, they say, are not forging ahead in the. Goldi%ocks-and-the-three= bears department. Phonics is. still used, but not exclusively "The dreadful thing started about 40 years ago,". the Reading Foundation's• president, Watson Washburn, said, "At that time, a few men -decided 'to do away with e4!e alphabet." What was substituted in its place? "The `contour' method," 'said Washburn, "A child_ was compelled' to' memorize each word as an .entity — Like .learn- , ing Chinese, It's • madness. It's a cancer in .our educational •sys- tem," And what about the; thousands of school superin(tendents,.teach- ers, school boards• and teachers . colleges which support the "modern" method? "Brainwashed," snapped Dr, Charles . Walcutls,- eading' Foun- dation trustees and author of the Re makes the startling .claim that, Russian children by their. third year of English ,are read- ing more . difficult, but, more in- teresting,' ` English 1 a ngu a g'e; stories than the average Ameri- can fourth' grader. So the lineupis impressive,, determined and vocal. But, tike all problems involving the de- velopment of the human mind, it is notas simple as it seems. On the other side, advocates' of the "modern" methods are armed with facts and figures. A spokesman forthis group - in- cluding the overwhelming ma- jority of educators = is Dr, Ar- thur L Gates, professor emeri- tus at Columbia Univ. Teachers College and head of the Insti- tete of Language Arts. 'Gates says what the Reading Foundation recommends is :'pre - 19th Century," In the first place, according to Gates, a Word is a; "visua Item: Ohio State University researchers .havefound that better than two - thirds ' of the nation's fourth graders can read and define 4,302. words - four times as many as Trace gives them credit 'for knowing. Item: The nation's sixth grad- ers generally can recognize at least 10,40 words — more' than the total of 8,000 found in the 'writings of John Minn. Item: 'Eighth graders can spot 15,000 words equal to the to- tal , appearing in Shakespeare's works. "Those days when a pupi' spent 33 to 40 per cent of hi; reading instruction time pound• ingaway at word lints is over,' said Gates, "OIf course there are readlni problems today. 'But :member( of the . Reading Foundation' are wrong In• thinking you (can gt baeirward in history to s o 1 v 1 them,"