Wilkes-Barre Record Almanac

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 Luzerne County in 1941


   Civil Aeronautics Authority, on January 6, offered $180,000 toward construction of the proposed airport for
Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties on a site at Avoca regarded as the most suitable after a survey.  Wilkes-
Barre City Council adopted an ordinance assuring CAA it would cooperate with other municipal units in creating
the new port, the resolutions stipulating the city's share to be one-sixth of the cost.  Considerable trouble 
developed after the Federal Government had ear-marked $6,000,000 for airport costs.  In February it was agreed
that Wilkes-Barre's share of the cost would be 16 2/3 per cent and Luzerne County would pay 33 1/3 per cent, 
with Lackawanna County and the City of Scranton paying the balance.
   Question of acquiring the land was the cause of much agitation and toward the middle of the year four 
municipal units agreed to speed details before a June 30 deadline.  Wilkes-Barre demanded guarantees on the 
matter of costs and in late June Scranton Council and Luzerne and Lackawanna Commissioners approved the 
airport plan.  CAA extended the June 30 deadline.  Total appropriations, by September 27, reached $1,080,000 
from CAA, plus $50,000 pledged jointly by Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, this sum to free each of further costs. 
When it seemed that work was to get underway there came another halt.  In October it was announced CAA 
officials desired a new survey and in November, the small force that had started work, was stopped.  Luzerne 
County Commissioners said they were "at sea" because of changes in the type of port the Government had 
proposed.  The commissioners reported they had been asked to accept a smaller port than first specified and 
that they demanded the best or nothing.  There the question remained and the Government reported a survey of 
the site was to be made by Army Engineers.
   County industrialists, prepared to handle government contracts, were aided in their problems of sub-
contracting and government bidding by the establishment in Wilkes-Barre of a bureau of Office Production 
Management, covering Luzerne, Columbia, Schuylkill and Carbon Counties.
   The OM office, obliged to follow War Department instructions as to release of national defense production 
information, was unable to set a direct contract estimate of work awarded to Luzerne County plants, but did 
say that the four-county area received $100,000,000 in such awards with bout nine-tenths of the business 
coming to Luzerne County.

Much Defense Work
   Extensiveness of national defense work in the county was best observed in the news columns of county 
newspapers, which nearly every week through the year carried stories of one or more plants obtaining a 
contract.  The county's principal industry - anthracite mining - obtained $740,350 in orders for coal for War
Department use. While young valley men were joining every branch of the armed forces, the folks back home were
quick to rally for service with civilian defense units and their spirit was best displayed in the plaudits 
received from government agencies for the county's participation in the aluminum drive and the blackout.  The 
blackout on October 10 was described by Col. Thomas H. Atherton, county chief of civilian defense, as being 
"as near perfect as possible."  Col. Atherton and other officials disclosed that the high-flying Army ships,
which did not arrive until after the all clear signal, failed to find their mark - Wyoming Valley - because of
the effectiveness of the exercise.
   Tuition-free defense training courses were opened in all sections of the county and it was estimated that
more than 5,000 men and women participated with the figure still growing as the year ended.
   During March and April a Home Guard was organized.  With the 109th F. A. Regiment in Federal Service the 
reserve military unit took the place of the National Guard in parades and patriotic gatherings and home 
defense work.

New Machines Installed
   Death knell of hand transcription and human copying errors in assessment and tax departments of Luzerne 
County was sounded in October when the first completely mechanized system for uniform tax records was placed 
in operation at the Courthouse. The system, the first of its kind in the United States, attracted attention of
delegates at 55th convention of State county commissioners held in Wilkes-Barre October 1.
   Financial side of the county government appeared brighter as 1942 approached.  The commissioners on 
December 2 paid off a $1,000,000 load borrowed March 15.
   The county purchased an iron lung after Commissioners said children affected with infantile paralysis 
should be given every opportunity to survive this disease.  Local 401, Teamsters Union, also presented county
health officials with an iron lung.
   Engineering department of the county government was at work in December making tentative plans for the 
conversion of the Water Street warehouse into a modern structure to house jurors and offices of Road and 
Bridge Department.
   Trackless trolleys continued replacing street cars of Wilkes-Barre Railway Corporation.   The street cars 
only were running to Plymouth, Nanticoke, Georgetown and Larksville as the year ended.  In many instances the 
traction company replaced former street car routes with both trackless trolleys and gasoline busses.  Hudson
line was the last to get trackless trolleys.  The service started on December 1.
   Highway work in the county and its various municipalities was carried forward during the year with the view
to eliminate traffic hazards.
   Opening of the new East End Boulevard link to eliminate the Hairpin Curve was lauded by interstate drivers 
as well as local motorists.  Also opened was the new highway connecting West Hazleton, Conyngham and 
Sybertsville which eliminated the dangerous mountain road into Conyngham.  Widening of Route 11 from Plymouth 
Borough to West Nanticoke was approved.  A dangerous bottleneck on the Narrows Road between Kingston and 
Plymouth, was eliminated with the completion of a four-lane project at Boston Hill.  New Dallas to Tunkhannock
highway was opened in July about the time the new road was opened from Hunlock Creek to Shickshinny.

Typed by Dawn Gabriel,  May 2004