125 YEARS AGO: 1893
A statement of the condition of the national banks throughout the country shows a startling decline in deposits. Several banks around the country are failing and closing their doors. The cause for the great number of failures is said to be the stringency of the money market.
100 YEARS AGO: 1918
President Woodrow Wilson vetoed the annual agricultural appropriation bill containing an amendment increasing the price of wheat to $2.40 per bushel. The increase, the president said, would add $2 to the cost of a barrel of flour.
To equalize the price of sugar to the consumer in the face of prospects for an increase due to a threatened shortage, and to secure better distribution, President Wilson created the Sugar Equalization Board, on recommendation of Food Administrator Herbert Hoover.
A resolution was passed that all garages, tire repair and accessory shops shall be closed Sunday and all holidays, and at 6 p.m. except Wednesdays and Saturdays when they shall stay open to 10 p.m. After Sept. 15, they will close every day at 6 p.m. Garages and filling stations will not sell gasoline for automobiles in quantities to exceed 5 gallons in excess of capacity of the car tank.
75 YEARS AGO: 1943
Cpl. Doris Day, WAAC and Hutchinson native, has been assigned as the first woman photographer to an Army Air Field in Arizona. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
Bottlers of Coca-Cola are using a total of 1,612 newspapers including the Leader for a new advertising campaign. “The part of daily life that Coca-Cola plays in the lives of American soldiers and sailors around the world is a form of the theme of this new program,” said Arthur Jensen, acting manager of the Coca-Cola plant. “They look upon Coke as one of the many things that remind them of home.”
The Leader’s unofficial and informal tall corn contest has gotten underway. The first stalk measured 7 feet, 9 inches and was healthy with well-set ears.
50 YEARS AGO: 1968
Hutchinson received nearly 4 inches of rain in a four-day period.
Second District Congressman Ancher Nelsen officially announced his candidacy for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives. The lifetime farmer from Hutchinson will be seeking his sixth term.
The Hutchinson Leader recently purchased the services of an independent newspaper circulation auditing firm. Consolidated Circulation Systems certified that the Hutchinson Leader and the Hutchinson Shopping News have distribution each week of 10,691 homes.
25 YEARS AGO: 1993
Orange tractors, orange combines, orange toys and even orange sherbet attracted nearly 1,200 Allis-Chalmers enthusiasts to the second annual Upper Midwest Orange Spectacular. It took place at the Edwin and Larry Karg farm northwest of Hutchinson. When asked what brought two South Dakota men to Hutchinson, their reply was simple: “Orange paint,” they said in unison.
A skating park for skateboards and in-line skating was the No. 1 hope of about 45 young Hutchinson residents who gathered in Library Square. Their purpose was to share their picture for a better tomorrow for Hutchinson’s youth. “People who run the city like to hear from kids,” said John Arlt, organizer of the youth forum and former manager of the city’s youth center. He was collecting ideas for Parks, Recreation and Community Education.
The housing crunch that has grown in Hutchinson is something that is being felt throughout McLeod County. According to a study conducted by Heartland Community Action Agency for the McLeod County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, both the buyers and renters markets are tight in the county.
A six-hour meeting helped negotiators define the issues in contract talks between McLeod County and the county’s newest union, Teamsters Local 320, which represents more than 60 technical and clerical workers. Three employees, along with Local 320 Business Manager Jack Mogelson, met with county commissioners Donn Ulrich and Ray Bayerl and coordinator Joe Culhane and County Attorney Mike Junge to discuss wording in the union’s first contract and other issues, including pay equity/comparable worth.
