1923 WB Record Almanac, Luzerne County in 1922


Prohibition enforcement remained one of the big concerns of Luzerne County in 
1922, as it was during the previous year throughout the State and in fact throughout
 the country. In March the county court granted 944 licenses for the sale of beverages 
conforming to the Federal Volstead act, refused 77 and held 40 under advisement. 
Some of the later were subsequently granted. The licenses did not permit the sale of
 anything stronger alcoholically than one-half of one percent, but it was generally known
 that most of the licensed places sold strong liquors on the sly, to customers who were 
known. The State Supreme Court of the United States sustained the State Woner act, 
on the ground that its alcoholic restriction did not violate the prohibition amendment or
 the Volstead act.

The sources of liquor supply were from stills in the homes of many people, from the outside
 and from such roundabout ways as illicit importations from Canada and other countries. 
A large part of the liquor was more or less poisonous. Some of it contained wood alcohol, 
some was raw alcohol colored to look like whiskey, some contained iodine and other unusual
 ingredients. Only rarely was liquor of the old variety found in diluted form.  All of the various 
brands sold from twenty-five cents to seventy-five cents a glass. A number of people in Luzerne
 County died from the use of poisonous compounds. Dr. Mayberry, Superintendent of the Central
 Poor District asylum, joining with other insanity experts in saying that if people continued to 
indulge in the various forms of alcoholic drink used at present, a new chapter will have to be 
written concerning the toxic insanities.

The Federal staff of enforcement officers was incapable of coping with the situation. In some 
of the municipalities the local authorities rendered some aid, whatever; in a few places some
 attempt was made to enforce the State law, which is similar to the Federal law.  Many raids 
were made some of them of a spectacular nature. In one out-lying section of Wilkes-Barre 
visits were made to forty houses in one day and private stills were found in thirty-five of them.
all kinds of apparatus was used, from a pipe running from a small kettle on the kitchen stove to 
a receptacle to catch the condensed steam, to more complicated devices.  There were many
 raids on motor trucks attempting to steal into Wyoming valley from distant places with cargoes 
of liquor on board, ingeniously concealed.

All liquor confiscated in raids, was stored in warehouses and a good part of it was destroyed. 
Many persons arrested were bound over to Federal Court and the courts became congested
 with liquor cases.  But bootlegging continued to be a flourishing business and it was evident from 
superficial appearances that many people were becoming rich through this source of income.  
The local breweries quite generally obeyed the law, as far as known.  Federal officers kept a sharp
 watch upon them.  Their product was too bulky to be easily concealed. At times some beer stronger 
than the law permitted was brought in from other places and was sold at fancy prices, but few saloons
 were able to get it.  The county’s breweries showed a big reduction of output, according to revenue
 reports filed in 1922. Since 1919 there was a reduction of about 160,000 barrels of one-half of 
one percent beverage.

In May, Wilkes-Barre council, with one dissenting vote, that of Lewis P. Kniffen, endorsed a 
resolution presented by the Central Labor Union petitioning Congress to permit beer and light
 wines. There was much criticism of the action. There was considerable sentiment in favor of
 beer and light wines locally and throughout the State, and organizations in furtherance of it 
because were formed, but the attitude of Congress was not encouraging. 
While a number of the courts in the state declared the Woner licensing act to be inconsistent, 
mainly because it did not permit the sale of anything stronger than one-half of one percent, 
therefore a license should not be necessary, the Luzerne County court, Judge Garman dissenting
 upheld the Woner act. Judge Jones upheld the major provisions of the act but disapproved it on 
some relatively minor particulars. The other Judges upheld the act in its entirety. Judge Garman 
also filed an opinion disagreeing with the other Judges in licensing breweries that had paid fines 
to the Federal Government. In vigorous language he held that their violation of the Federal law 
disqualified them from holding licenses under the State law.

General violation of the Federal law and the State law was most discouraging to a great many 
people who had expected better results from prohibition. It was evident that a person who really
 wanted liquor, such as it was could obtain it with little difficulty.  While it was admitted that many
 people who drank to excess in per-prohibition days were either total abstainers or drank in greater 
moderation, because of the high cost of the stuff and its questionable ingredients, and out of respect
 for the law, it appeared that much more vigorous measures would have to be adopted to increase 
the efficiency of enforcement. Perhaps the best hope is that as the physical effects of poisonous
 liquor become more pronounced and as a new generation grows up away from the open saloon,
 the problem will in large measure solve itself by such means.

During the year the county commissioners purchased a site in Butler Township for the proposed 
hospital for the advanced cases of Tuberculosis. The architects were authorized to prepare plans 
for a hospital of one hundred beds with provision for expansion in case of need. The buildings are 
to be of semi-fireproof construction and there are to be separate quarters for nurses and or the
 physician in charge. The hospital is to be free for patients too poor to pay. The court appointed
 five trustees to manage the institution, they to serve without pay.

Owing to greater building activity the housing scarcity was not as acute as in previous years, but 
rents did not come down. There was not much reduction in the cost of material or labor. The long
 wait for reductions that did not come, together with the great demand for housing quarters, 
induced people to invest money in building, especially in places adjoining Wilkes-Barre.

Business in the county was not as bad as might have been expected as a result of the prolonged 
mine and railroad strikes. It was evident that the miners had saved up a good deal of money, which
 they drew upon. It was not until the latter part of the strike that serious retrenchment in expenditures
 was felt by the business houses. As soon as the mines started up the tension was relieved and
 business speeded up. The Wyoming valley rejoiced over the prospects of steady mining for a 
long period due to the scarcity of coal.

Deposits in the Luzerne county banks as of January 1, 1922 were given as $121,780,762 and the
 total in the Wilkes Barre banks as $52,664,927. Of the latter $36,423,042 were savings deposits. 
There was an increase since 1916 of 78 per cent in savings deposits.

Radio telephony spread like wild fire throughout the county during the year. Although a few private 
parties had installed the apparatus in their homes and had caught communications, mostly of 
government origin, the “craze” came on suddenly when electrical companies and other concerns
 sent out daily programs of music, talks, market reports, agricultural information for the farmers,
 official times, etc., from stations in various parts of the country. The factories making apparatus 
were swamped with orders and hundreds of Luzerne County people installed the machines in their
 homes.  A good business in this line was established by local dealers. A number of ingenious 
people devised their own machines. The first licensed broadcasting station in Wilkes-Barre was
 established in the home of John Stenger., Jr., an expert in radio. From this station occasional
 programs were sent out to within a radius of about fifty miles. Local people enjoyed programs 
being sent out from Chicago, Newark, Pittsburgh, Schenectady and other places and the daily 
newspapers published the programs in advance. It was frequently the case that people in a home
 listened in the same evening to parts of programs from all of the places by adjusting the apparatus 
to different wave lengths. It was admitted that the possibilities for future development were without limit.
 The average installation for long distance receiving costs around $200.

The railroad shopmen’s strike which prevailed throughout the country, beginning with July 1, affected
 the roads in Luzerne County. For a month or so there was not much apparent effect, but later on as 
rolling stock deteriorated because of lack of repairs, trains were late and in September some of the
 lines established embargoes on certain classes of freight, to give the preference to the movement 
of coal, food and other necessaries. The railroads received daily accessions of new men but many
 of them remained only a few days and left for other parts. There were numerous cases of disorder
 as “strike-breakers” appeared on the streets, and in attacks upon old employees who refused to go
 on strike. In September a number of the railroads throughout the country came to an agreement with 
the shopmen’s unions, but the railroads entering Luzerne County remained firm. Finally the wage issue 
disappeared and the only issue hinged upon the demands of the strikers that all of them be taken back 
and that their full seniority rights be restored. Up to the 15th of December the local railroads refused to
 accept these terms, depending upon the old men who refused to go out an upon new men broken in to
 take care of equipment. As soon as the anthracite strike was settle there was a great demand for 
cares, and engines for the transportation of coal, but a number of the mines were idle for a few days 
at a time because of lack of cars. The strikers attributed it to lack of equipment in good condition.

In January a great mass meeting of Jews was held in the Wilkes-Barre High School building in the 
interest of Zionism-the establishment of a Jewish home and nation in Palestine, the dream of many
 years.  During the war British troops secured possession of Palestine from the Turk, and the famous
 Balfour Declaration promised on behalf of the British government, that the Jewish home should be
 realized under British protection. However, later on the British government began hedging, evidently
 fearing the attitude of the Turks and the opposition of the large Arab population in Palestine.  Later in
 the year 1922, when the British and other western nations became involved in complications with the 
Turkish Nationalists in the Near East; and the power of the Turk was surprisingly show, more doubt was
 thrown upon the probable consummation of the Jewish enterprise. But when the meeting  in Wiles-Barre
 was held Turkey had not reasserted herself in the successful war with Greece and in subsequent 
negotiations growing out of that conflict, and the Jews yet had abiding hope in the Balfour Declaration.
 The meeting was addressed by Nahum Sokolow, a Jew of international prominence, and by other noted 
speakers, and a large sum of money was subscribed in aid of Jewish development in Palestine.

Weather for the Year-- The Winter of the early part of 1922 was neither very mild nor very cold. There were 
no long periods of low temperature, but in January and February there was sustained cold of moderate 
degree for considerable periods.  A good ice crop was harvested early in the season. The first heavy 
snow storm occurred on January 11, reaching the proportions f a blizzard. Many of the country roads 
were made impassable and traction service was partially stalled for the day and night. January 26 
marked the beginning of a severe cold wave that lasted for several days, the thermometer in Wilkes-Barre
 registering around zero. February 7 this locality experienced the coldest weather of the year, five below 
zero in Wilkes Barre and twenty-two below in some mountain sections. The usual flood time approached 
with out serious apprehension, with snow on the Susquehanna watershed about all melted and ice running 
in the river only a short time. Heavy rain and thawing caused the river to rise to 18.8 feet on March 7. There
 was practically no inconvenience in lowlands.

The Spring of 1922 was cold and unusually wet. Although there were last frosts, the damage done to the 
fruit crop was not as great as first reports indicated, with the exception of cherries and other early fruit. 
Apples and peaches were plentiful and cheap in price. In fact the fruit crop was one of the largest in years.
June was one of the rainiest months on record – 5.96 inches, compared with 2.10 inches in June 1921.
 The river was unusually high at times during June and July, owing to heavy rains. The summer was 
exceptionally cool with few days of really hot weather. The highest reached was 95 degrees on July 12
\.
 The latter part of September and the forepart of October were warm for the most part and lack of
 rain created a degree of drought that caused considerable anxiety. Many of the farmers had difficulty 
in securing water, and reservoirs in some communities ran very low. Late crops were considerable 
damaged and Fall plowing was differed. The dry spell continued, with only light rain fall, until December,
 when the Almanac went to press.

The annual Dallas Fair, started in 1886, was discontinued owning to poor patronage and the site was
 sold for building lots.



The fiftieth anniversary of the Wyoming Campmeeting Association was observed during the year. In 
recent years, however, the religious services of former years were not held and the place was occupied
 mainly for summer resort purposes.

During the year Mayor Daniel L Hart of Wilkes Barre suggested that preparations be made in time for 
an elaborate celebration of one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the battle and massacre of Wyoming 
in 1928, with features of national prominence. Owing to the long time ahead, only casual interest was 
stirred up by the suggestion.

The agitation for new bridges continued to occupy the attention of the County Commissioners. The 
Commissioners decided finally to erect a new bridge at Pittston to take the place of the old Ferry bridge,
 and D. A. Keefe of Athens, PA., was employed to supervise construction. Committees from the Wiles-Barre
 and Plymouth Chambers of Commerce visited the Commissioners in an effort to induce them to take over 
the Plymouth bridge of the traction company, the complaint being that the county bridge farther down was too
 much out of the way for a good part of the traffic and traffic was endangered by the railroad grade crossings. 
The Commissioners did not take kindly to the petition but the promise was given that they would investigate
 the cost of putting the structure in condition. Later the Commissioners decided to purchase the bridge. The
 Market street bridge project, which had been agitated for a number of years, was revived during the year
 but nothing was done. The Commissioners appeared to balk at the cost. The problem of congested traffic 
at the bridge approach on West Market street also stood in the way of decision. In October County Controller 
Schmidt held that the contracts with architects and engineers for the Market street bridge were illegal because
 entered into under the wrong act of the Legislature.

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in June reversed the Luzerne County Court by affirming the constitutionality
 of the Kohler mine cave act, passed by the Legislature of 1921.  The act holds coal companies responsible for
 mining in a way to damage property on the surface, with penalties of fine and imprisonment for violations. In 
view of other decisions of the Supreme Court, it was expected that the act would be nullified. The decision 
has a vital bearing upon the mining of coal in the anthracite regions, because many of the operations are 
reaching a degree of exhaustion of deposits that threatens damage to the surface. The Glen Alden Coal 
Company closed a number of its collieries in the Scranton region where, it was alleged, mining could not 
be carried on in a safety to the surface, and some six thousand employees were thrown out of work. The 
miners and a number of business people stated a movement to have the law modified in some way to 
permit the resumption of mining and it may be taken before the Legislature of 1923. the contention of the
 coal companies was that where they had secured the coal with the right to take out all of it, and subsequent 
purchasers of the surface assented to the agreement in their deeds, the companies were not responsible for
 damage to the surface, but this contention was knocked out by the Supreme Court, which held that the police 
powers of the State were ample for the protection of property owners and for the protection of life. No adequate
 method of supporting the surface except by leaving in pillars of coal has yet been devised. A number o f the 
companies were willing to pay for damage to surface property, but the law specifies that mining must be 
conducted in a way to cause no damage to the surface. The Kohler act was taken before the United States
 Supreme Court by declaring the Kohler act to be unconstitutional on the ground of confiscation. This leave 
the anthracite region with no mine cave remedy expect what may be agreed to voluntarily sustained in the 
constitutionality of the mining companies.

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania also sustained the constitutionality of the act of the Legislature placing
 a tax on anthracite coal of one and one half per cent of the value at the mouth of the mine, the revenue to go 
to the State. This case too was taken to the United States Supreme Court at the instance of other States, 
which claimed that Pennsylvania had not the legal right to tax a product for export. This case too was advanced
 for argument and was declared void.

The soldier’s monument proposition was again called to the attention of Wilkes-Barre and county authorities 
during the latter part of the year. The veterans of the Civil War were backed by members of the American 
Legion and other veteran organization in the demand that something be done. It will be recalled the Grand 
Juries and the court approved the project some years ago but difficulty was experienced in deciding upon 
the site. Much objection was made to erecting the monument on Public Square because of obstruction of a
 clear view and because a monument there would be dwarfed in proportion to high buildings surrounding it,
 but the veterans insisted on the Public Square site. The County Commissioners had appropriated $100,000
 for the purpose. It was finally suggested that the monument be placed on the Square in the form of a clock 
tower, with an opening at the base to permit of a view along the streets radiating out from the Square – the 
old court house clock, which for about half a century tolled the time, to be placed in the tower. The County 
Commissioners announced that they were willing to go ahead and city council and the city Art Jury authorized 
the drawing of plans to be inspected before a final decision as to style of memorial and site.

Hayden Williams, secretary of the Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, compiled an exhaustive report 
showing Luzerne County’s standing in population, industry, manufacturing, finances, etc., in comparison 
with other counties.   Among the comparisons are the following: Luzerne sixth in the value of manufactured
 products for a year ($307,137,700;