In one fell swoop, Ms. Daniel Cornellier of 73 Ventura Avenue overcame three major problems facing millions of American households today. By taking over the trucking business of her soldier son Earl, she has come to terms with the fact that he will be in the army for a long time (there is no heartbreak). she continues “so that he has something to return to” after the war; and it follows the government’s request that women replace men who would otherwise be available for war production or the armed forces.
When you take over the trucking business, don’t think that this 47 year old mom is just sitting on the phone taking orders for trucking and then handing them over to an employee. No, Mrs. Cornellier has given up her dressing gown for good and replaced it with blue denim overalls. She mans her son’s Ford dump truck and clears the trash from the basements and does all the other chores associated with the business. Besides, she likes it.
Ms. Cornellier not only does her son’s work, but fought one of his battles on the inside front yesterday. Recently her son was billed for his consumption and survey taxes, so Ms. Cornellier went to the town hall to clarify these matters. Excise tax was levied on Earl’s suburban car, which he had given in the license plates on April 25, just before it was launched. She paid his survey tax, but when she asked the tax collector’s office for a discount on the excise duty, she was informed that he would have to pay the full amount – about $ 8.
“I’m willing to pay for the four months he’s been driving the car on the highways,” Ms. Cornellier said on behalf of her 25-year-old son, “but if I have to pay a tax for the entire 12 months.” I have to refer you guys to him. You’ll find him somewhere in Mississippi, where he works for $ 21 a month. He’s in the air corps, you know? “
Ms. Cornellier wasted little time adjusting to her son’s work. He left Pittsfield at 7:24 a.m. on April 25, and at 9:30 a.m. Mrs. Cornellier was clearing a basement in Ward 4.
This story in history was selected from the archives of Jeannie Maschino, The Berkshire Eagle.