1951 Wilkes-Barre Record Almanac, Luzerne County Luzerne County in 1950 After experiencing a noticeable drop in the cost of living during the first two quarters of 1950 when goods and serviced continued to become more plentiful, Luzerne County residents were subjected to a new inflationary spiral toward the end of the year as a result of the war in Korea. A third round of wage increases, placing of defense orders by the government and stockpiling of strategic materials, together with continued heavy demand for civilian goods sent prices soaring. Consumers found commodities becoming higher-priced in nearly every field. Though mushrooming of defense orders and continued demand for production of civilian goods tightened the supply of labor throughout the country, Wilkes-Barre remained one of the two areas in the nation that had more that 12 per cent of its workers idle, according to the office of Defense Manpower. Scranton was the other area. An estimated 20,700 men and women in the Wilkes-Barre labor market were unemployed at the beginning of the year and by the end, there were still approximately 17,000 unemployed according to reports. If it had not been for the large number of ex-GI’s enrolled in the various training (with Uncle Sam footing the bill), the number of unemployed would still have been larger, observers declared. Census of 1950 revealed the population of the country dropped 50,299 from 441,518 in 1940 to 391,226 or a decline of 11.4 percent. Luzerne County dropped from third to fourth place in population, being exceeded by Philadelphia, Allegheny and Delaware counties. Luzerne County Commissioners adopted an operating budget of $2,889,555 based on a tax levy of 8.2 mills-five tenths of a mill less than in 1949 Luzerne County Board of Assessment and Revision of Taxes fixed the county’s 1950 total valuation at $271,700,891 compared with $271,856,974 in 1949. Coal valuations dropped $1,708,325 below the 1949 figure, but increased property valuations greatly offset the loss. Property valuations rose from $187,953,635 in 1949 to $189,477,737 in 1950. Despite a loss in population, occupational valuations showed an increase of $28,190. After delaying the projects for several years, the commissioners awarded contracts for the installation of two new passenger elevators at the courthouse at a cost of $52,788 and installation of three-high pressured boilers in the county prison at a cost of $103,804. Installation of the elevators and boilers got under way before the year’s end. Creation of a housing authority for erection of approximately 200 family units in Wyoming Valley with State funds was authorized by the commissioners in August to safeguard a $625,000 appropriation allocated for housing in the county. Luzerne County Institution District, after wrangling several months with Carbon County Institution District over new rates for care of infirm patients at Laurytown, averted eviction of 208 Luzerne County patients by agreeing to arbitration of the dispute. Volume of traffic in and out of Wilkes-Barre-Scranton Airport at Avoca continued to grow, but the long-promised administration remained in the planning stage. Installation of new instrument landing system at the airport, expected to facilitate the landing of aircraft at lower limits, was nearly completed at the year’s end. County residents welcomed the formal opening August 4 of a Night Farmers’ Market on the county-owned parking lot at Water and North Streets, across from the courthouse. The farmers cooperative movement gave thousands of persons an opportunity to buy fresh country produce three times weekly until the weather became too cool in November. Wilkes-Barre’s $12,000,000, 475 bed Veterans Hospital, started receiving patients in November and was formally dedicated at a ceremony in the hospital cafeteria on Sunday, December 10. Ground breaking ceremony for the imposing structure was held April 1, 1948. Wyoming Valley’s last street car line passed into oblivion on October 15 when the Nanticoke car made its final trip between public square and Nanticoke and return. Discontinuance of the run by Wilkes-Barre Transit Corporation brought 62 years of the trolley car era in Wyoming Balley to an end. The last trolley was so crowed that the motorman, Robert Cipriani, could collect only a few fares. The car was equally jammed on its return trip. Passengers stripped the car of strap hangers, light bulbs, seat handles and the motorman’s seat. Gasoline busses supplanted the streetcars the same day. Abandonment of the Nanticoke trolley line caused the State Highway Department to make plans for building a new highway between Wilkes-Barre and Nanticoke. Bids for construction of the new highway were submitted November 22. Elsewhere in the county, the State Highway Department continued spending money on projects. Among the jobs was construction of a bridge across the Susquehanna River at Retreat State Hospital at a cost of $554,796 and erection of a new bridge and straightening of the highway near Ewen Colliery at Port Griffith. Wyoming Valley Chapter, American Red Cross 1950 campaign for $ 108,680 went over the top with contributions of $117,000 or 108 per cent of the goal. It marked the 12th consecutive year the campaign goal was exceeded. Northeastern Pennsylvania Regional Blood Center, rear of 156 South Franklin Street, was dedicated on March 9. The building has facilities to process and store 1,000 pints of blood each week. Wyoming Valley Community Chest volunteers raised $771,581 in cash and pledges or 87.4 per cent of the 1950 Community Chest goal of $882,915. The amount was the highest ever raised in ;the 32-year history of the Community Chest. In 1949 the Chest drive netted $731,494 or 77 percent of the goal.