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GOODS & SERVICES

Squeezed Blades. Curtiss-Wright Corp. has developed a method to squeeze out airplane propeller blades like toothpaste by forcing red-hot alloy steel through dies under enormous pressure. By saving 40% of the man-hours formerly used in machining and finishing, Curtiss-Wright says that one of its giant presses can now turn out three times as many blades a day as the entire aircraft industry did daily during World War II.

New Synthetic. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. announced a trade name, "Amilar," for its newest synthetic, which resists mold and mildew, launders easily and, unlike nylon, will not stretch. Amilar has been tested in such items as window curtains, sewing thread, suitings, may be mixed with wool in many materials.

Trains Can Do It. To see if trains can compete with buses, planes and autos on short runs by cutting fares and giving better service, the Great Northern Railway slashed fares on its Seattle-Vancouver run by 32% about a year ago. The new rate of 1.5-c- per passenger-mile ($5.25 for a round-trip ticket) was 10% lower than bus fare. After bus companies also cut fares, Great Northern rolled out two brand-new, speedy diesel "Internationals" which lowered the train trip within a hairbreadth of plane time (including travel to and from the airport). Last week, Great Northern reported "phenomenal increase" in business. Ticket sales had shot up as high as 224% above 1949 and revenue was 156% more.

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