Washington – Municipal playgrounds within easy walking distance of every boy and girl in the large cities was advocated by President Roosevelt in a letter and by Rep. Henry Boutell of Chicago. Mr. Boutell explained the object of his bill, which is now pending in Congress for the establishment of additional playgrounds in Washington, and pointed out that an example sent by the National Capital would serve as an object lesson to all the cities of the United States.

• Portland lobster dealers, who practically control the output of canned lobster, have fixed the wholesale price of this article at $3.85 per dozen of pound cans. This is the highest price ever known and 35 cents in excess of last year.

50 years ago, 1957

AUGUSTA – Junk dealers from all of southern Maine jammed a legislative hearing room to protest a bill supported by farm interests to require them to be licensed by the state. The bill by Rep. Brockway (R-Milo) also would require the dealers to file with the Secretary of State records showing the name, address, age, occupation and employer of every person from whom they bought junk and a description of the material purchases.

• An official of Vincent Fruit Co. Inc. said last night the damage from Tuesday’s two-alarm fire may run as high as $35,000.

25 years ago, 1982

• The first “Waltons” special, “A Wedding on Waltons Mountain,” will be broadcast on NBC – the series was on CBS 1972-81 – with nearly all of the family back. Two other movies have been filmed and are awaiting scheduling.

• The Canadian government ban on large oil tankers using the only sea passage to Eastport, where the Pittston Co. has been planning for 12 years to build a large refinery, is short-sighted and unfair. Moreover, it involves waters considered to be international, not Canadian. At issue is traffic in the Head Harbor passage. The Canadians have placed a limit of 5,000 metric tons for oil tankers using the passage.