This day in history: Kaiser faced cuts, and was Spokane the ‘golf and humor capital of the world’?

From 1975: More bad news arrived on the Spokane unemployment front.

Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corp. announced it was shutting down a second potline at its Mead plant.

This would mean layoffs for another 80 employees. One potline had been shut down a month earlier. The total workforce at Mead would be cut to about 1,200, down 160 from the peak the previous year.

This was not the only bad news. “Adjustments” in employment would also be made at the company’s Trentwood Rolling Mill. This would cut employment levels at Trentwood by about 400, compared to the previous year.

The company blamed lower demand and higher inventories.

From 1925: The Spokane Chronicle trumpeted the news that “for 12 hours next summer, Spokane will be the golf and humor capital of the world.”

A touring group of golfers – including renowned humorists Will Rogers and Ring Lardner – was scheduled to play the Spokane Country Club “and possibly other courses” on Aug. 3.

The 300-person group would also include well-known champion golfers of the era, including Chick Evans and E.P. Carter.

It was unclear whether Spokane would get to hear much from Rogers and Lardner. The group was scheduled to arrive by train in the morning, play a round or two of golf, and depart for the coast at 10 p.m.

Also on this day

(From onthisday.com)

1794: Eli Whitney patents the cotton gin machine revolutionizing the cotton industry in the U.S. South.