Flathead Courier, Jan. 3, 1924

Coldest here in several years

Montana’s mild fall and winter weather came to a sudden end last Saturday night when the cold wave which struck the country included the Flathead in its itinerary. 

The weather changed early Saturday morning when the wind, changing to north, converted the wet snow and slush into a coating of ice. Saturday night the mercury started down and before Sunday morning had dropped to the lowest point recorded here in years. 

Unofficial reports varied, ranging from 12 to 18 below zero. The coldsnap continued unabated until Tuesday night when it moderated somewhat and by Wednesday, the weather was much milder.

Prohibition director talks to Kiwanians

The people of the country vote dry and drink wet is the opinion of Addison K.Lusk, federal director of prohibition enforcement in Montana, who addressed the Polson Kiwanis club at its meeting Monday night. 

He stated that law enforcement depends on the attitude of the people and most people do not back the law. 

However, he stated, much has been accomplished in Montana and as far as crime, poverty and disease attributable to liquor is concerned, there has been a marked improvement.

Enforcement of the liquor laws is a big job, Mr. Lusk declared. ”Less than 1,400 men are engaged in the work in the United States, when the city of Seattle alone has 500 policemen.”

“The Problem in Montana is particularly hard,” he added. “This state has the longest Canadian border  of any in the union. Sections of British Columbia are wet, and the province of Alberta recently voted wet. At Fernie, 100 miles north of Kalispell, an export house is operated, and the orders of American bootleggers are filled there and delivered to the border and smuggled over at night. 

“In Alberta beer is made for export and is delivered at a point north of Sweet Grass on the Montana border. No state is like Montana. The state has more moonshine than any state in the union except in the South …”

Two million fish eggs arrive in Montana

J.H. Brunson, state superintendent of fisheries, has returned from the Pacific coast, bringing with him 1,000,000 Chinook salmon eggs for planting in Montana waters. 

In addition to the salmon eggs, Mr. Brunson arranged for purchase  of 1,000,000 silver salmon eggs, which will arrive here soon. He stated that the silver salmon, while not as large a sea fish as the Chinook salmon, probably will exceed the other in size when reared in fresh water and that it is the equal of the Rainbow trout in gameness. 

The present year is the first year since 1914 that there has been a good run of silver salmon on the coast.

The eggs will be hatched at Somers, Lake Ronan, Hamilton and Emigrant, where they will be raised to fingerling size and will be ready for distribution in March or April as soon as the roads are open to permit reaching the various landlocked lakes in which they will be planted.

Flathead Courier, Jan. 3, 1974

Moriarty gives different perspective to energy crisis

Frank Moriarty of Finley Point is a retired director and senior vice president of refining and marketing for Marathon Oil Company, one of the 18 major oil companies in the United States. He also is past president of the National Petroleum Refiners Association, the largest refiners association in the world. 

Today he continues to be active in the oil business on a consulting basis. He’s in frequent contact with industry officials and those working on the energy crisis.

During a recent breakfast program before a Presbyterian men’s group in Polson and a Flathead Courier interview afterwards, he reviewed the present crisis and its causes. He also offered a new perspective to the background and current treatment of the energy crisis by government and the press.

The energy crisis he said is for real … and he expressed pessimism about the short-range outlook saying the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better.

Among contributing factors to the present shortage, Moriarty charged, were absence of top level, practical, knowledgeable advice on domestic oil research and development, a blind acceptance of the policy of increasing “cheap” foreign oil imports, plus years of ultra liberal political influence and imbalanced journalistic coverage on the development and future of the American oil industry … 

Gala menus on holidays at the jail

Holiday dinners were bright moments in the lives of Lake County jail residents this year. Only two jail occupants were  

on the list Christmas Day instead of 25 last year, it is reported by Mrs. Velma Ducharne, who prepares the meals for jail residents. 

She said this year she shared the Christmas dinner she was preparing for company at home and brought the two prisoners turkey dinners complete with trimmings and apple pie for dessert. 

It was impossible to forecast early this week how many prisoners would be in Lake County jail this New Year’s Day, but last year 35 were served dinner that day. 

Mrs. Ducharme is planning a baked ham for this New Year’s.