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The mercury Saturday night was reported to have dropped to 50 degrees below zero and early church goers Sunday morning braved the 44-below temperature.

The thermometer stood at 22 below at noon.

Even the natives, accustomed to low temperatures, were apprehensive to stir out to shop on the last Saturday night before Christmas for fear of freezing faces, toes and hands.

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School bus revisions

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The board of education has decided to start the curtailment of school bus service for pupils of Lake Placid Central School at the beginning of the next term.

The cut in bus service is made upon orders by the office of defense transportation as certificates of war necessity are required for all school-owned vehicles as a measure to conserve rubber and gasoline.

Pupils living one and one-half or more miles from the school will still be carried to and from their homes by bus.

Kindergarten and pre-primary children will also be transported if they live one-half or more miles from the school. This will be carried on as a safety measure.

There will be no transportation at noon at all except for the kindergarten and pre-primary pupils who are taken home after their half-day session. Pupils may bring their own lunches or eat in the cafeteria. Transportation home at the close of the school in the afternoon will be provided for those who are taken to school in the morning. Consideration will also be given to pupils who have physical handicaps event to those living within the walking area.

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Air observation post

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“Your observation post is vital and must remain in operation,” read a statement wired to Sylvester O’Haire, local chief observer, by the First Fighter Command, answering those who think it silly to maintain a 24-hour watch for airplanes in Lake Placid.

There have been a few residents who are critical of the effort of local men and women in maintaining a day and night watch for planes overhead from the tower on Signal Hill. They believe there is nothing of military interest here and that the village should be safe from attack. Persons in the cities and more vital areas also have expressed the same view.

The idea of the 24-hour watch, as indicated by the fighter command, is not that the ground observers are protecting their own village alone but that they are also protecting the rest of the state and country by the air observations and the course of flight becomes a source of information for downstate areas. It has also been pointed out by representatives of the command that enemy planes, should they invade the northeast coast, might well choose the more sparsely populated areas over which to pass, hoping to avoid detection and it is for this reason that a sharp watch must be kept in all areas.

It has also been indicated that the enemy and the U.S. air forces might meet over some such area as this and the enemy might unload their bombs wherever they might be for quicker getaway.

During the past week, six planes were detected in a three-hour period by Mrs. Hazel Ortloff and Miss Blanche Ormsby during their stretch at the signal tower. This is unusual for a cold winter day as in midsummer this number is considered a high total for a whole day in this part of the country and most residents were unaware that any planes had passed over in the past week.