"So what do you really think about recycling?"

Hi Jim

Your point about senseless recycling as opposed to rational recycling was well made the first time too - I cannot imagine how anyone could mistake what you said or disagree with what you did say. Puzzling, some people. But it is apparently an emotive issue.

Good story re the farm. You didn't have it on your own, though. In poorer countries a '53 GMC in the 1960's would still have been a pretty flash vehicle. Along with newer vehicles, farmers (and indeed a few carriers) in my district were still using the "deuce and a half" 2 1/2 ton GMC from the war at that time. In NZ they were plated (authorised) for 5 long tons, so had a hard life.

By the way, I think your GMC would have had the 270 cu in truck engine, would it not? And in the ute you salvaged would still have been the old "stovebolt" 214 from the car with splash lube, would it not? Or did it have the new blue flame pressure fed car engine? For interest, how long did it last in the truck?

Regards

John Reid
Kinleith
New Zealand

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Ah, someone who knows something about farming and trucks! The time period was 1965. I would say as a farm truck where I lived in those days it was unexceptional--did not attract attention as too new or too old (many early fifty Chevy, GMC and Fords were still doing great service). You are correct about the engine--it lasted, however, at least until we sold the truck in September 1968. In the summers we "combined" (pronounced "calm-bined") two truck loads of wheat per day. I usually left with the first one about 5:30 am (which we had filled the night before, obviously) and we had another at mid afternoon. My objective was to be the first truck at the scales in the morning so I wouldn't have to wait in line. It was my job to haul them to town (about 17 miles). Our lane came out on the highway in a valley at the bottom of a long hill either way, so one had no momentum to start. The truck had a two speed axle. I would start out in 2nd gear, low axle and it would take me 5 minutes to get up the first hill. When I got to the top of the hill, I could look over my right shoulder and still see our house. At the top, I would flip to the high speed axle gearing (it had a vacuum actuator and you had to "double clutch" sometimes a couple of times to get it to catch) and from there to the "elevator" (as we called them) I could use gravity to keep a respectable speed going the rest of the way. Never knew how fast I was going--the speedometer never worked.

Stupid recycling will probably appear again some day as a column topic.

Jim

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Well Jim, another interesting take on recycling. You always make sense but you are way too reasonable for me. Guess that is the artist in me.....the sensible part of my brain in underdeveloped. Even more interesting is your farm story. I knew you were from a farm, but I didn't know you were a REAL farm kid! Another interesting 'take.' I'll keep reading to get more on you.

Mickey Nell McMahon
Tell City, Indiana
USA

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I couldn't get much more real than where I was in those days. I'll save outhouses for a future environmental column.

Jim

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1. I ain't never heered of twisting off a crankshaft. Jest how does one go about thet?
2. A Southern gentleman would never send his wife struggling across a wind blown parking lot in January with a bulky, heavy package while he sat in the heated comfort of his limo listening to his Sirius radio.
3. 5 pounds of recyclables for 4 autos? That's not even a Sunday NY Times! And it is possible that those good citizens had planned out by computer their route of errands to minimize wasted time and fuel. (My brother and his partner built a very a successful company doing CPM work for both government and private enterprise). No doubt that average of 1.25 lbs. would have strangled their very existence at their residences so it was also by necessity.
4. Atlanta is known as the Tree City. Photosynthesis is a process where trees and other leaf or needle bearing plants, shrubs, etc., use carbon dioxide + water and convert this into, among other things, oxygen, which many of us need to exist. Consequently, unless one is an Al Gore fanatic, admirer and worshiper, it is possible to conclude that these same good citizens were not only relieving the waste stream of more solid waste but assuring adequate raw material to enable photosynthesis and thus oxygen so that Laura would not collapse under her heavy load in the post office parking lot, while her husband sat luxuriating oblivious to her travails. Further, a tree without leaves or needles is called a stick.
5. When [withheld] was still... in Charlotte, it tried a program to recycle aluminum cans in the offices. It was short lived as the insects and other vermin problems far out-weighed any positive benefits.

Yer bud,

Jethroe

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