More than 3,000 “baby bonds” or Thrift Stamps to support the war effort had been sold at the local post office, exhausting the supply. Many were bought for Christmas presents. New stamps were ordered by wire and the post office soon got enough for those who had money left from their Christmas funds; many bought war savings stamps with cash presented to them for Christmas. A number of employers gave their employees baby bonds for Christmas presents.
In order for every citizen to help support the war effort, “War Thrift Stamps,” which cost only 25 cents, were issued so that even the poorest could purchase them. Like Liberty Bonds, they earned interest. The stamps were pasted on a card until 16 had been collected, at which point they were exchanged for a $5 stamp called a “War Savings Stamp.” These were affixed to a “War-Savings Certificate” which also earned interest. When ten $5 stamps were collected, the certificate could be exchanged for a $50 Liberty Bond. The key to this scheme was that the certificate was registered to its owner and could be cashed only by the person whose name was inscribed on the certificate, making the certificate non-negotiable.
A cablegram was received by Mrs. Finnell from Major Woolsey Finnell, wishing his family and friends a merry Christmas. Maj. Finnell was “somewhere in France.” (Major Finnell was promoted to Colonel in the Engineer Corps during World War I and was cited for meritorious service by General Pershing.)
Volunteers who could do clerical work were asked to volunteer at the courthouse to assist young men between the ages of 21 and 31 to answer the questionnaire sent out by the government. Many lawyers of the city had volunteered time, but could not devote all their time to the project. A committee of three lawyers would work each day and assist the volunteers.
Two Tuscaloosa boys, Lawrence Wells and Philip Allbright, both 15, were rushed to Montgomery where they would be given the Pasteur treatment, after they were believed to have been infected by a dog suffering with rabies. The boys, who had several sores on their hands, had heard that by letting a dog lick the sores, they would heal. Neither of the boys was bitten by the dog, but the sores on their hands were covered with saliva, which would probably infect them as readily as a bite. The dog was killed and its head forwarded to the state laboratory for examination and found to be rabid. All dogs in the vicinity of the A.G.S. depot where the rabid dog was housed should be watched, according to the county health officer.
A representative of the Studebaker automobile was in town and completed arrangements to have the Tuscaloosa Motor Company act as Studebaker agent here.
A man who traveled from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham reported the dire need of work to the highway between the cities. He reported deep holes and washouts. In other places the road had washed until it was on a slant that made it dangerous for a vehicle to pass over.
A well-known Birmingham accountant described Tuscaloosa as a modern municipality in its operation and said other southern cities could study its methods very profitably. “Tuscaloosa is under commission form of government and its commissioners look after its affairs closely, faithfully and most efficiently.”
Miss Vera Baker was hired by the Tuscaloosa News in the collection department. The notice stated that “The News has quit the credit business and you will please make arrangements for prompt settlement. That’s the way The News pays its bills. That’s the new order of business in the south.”
There was no coal available in Tuscaloosa one day this week, the first time the Northport Coal Co. had been out of coal; miners had refused to work during the Christmas holidays. The situation was expected to improve in a few days. Temperatures were starting to climb after the area experienced a record 8 degrees above zero.