Facts & Figures

Inflation. Manhattan's Dale Fifth Avenue, Inc. did not think it could sell many men's alligator weekend bags at $2,000 apiece. It made one anyhow, just to show what it could do, and advertised it. The day the ad appeared, Dale's was crowded by hundreds of bag hunters. By week's end Dale had taken orders for four $2,000 bags, had some 50 other customers "seriously interested." Said President Herbert Dale: "Most surprising."

Fast Mix. The Douglas "Mixmaster," military prototype of the DC-8, cracked the cross-cpuntry speed record. With a good tail wind helping its tail propellers, it averaged 432 miles an hour from Long Beach, Calif., to Washington's Boiling Field. Flying time: five hours, 17 min utes, 34 seconds. After the plane landed, one motor caught fire. It was quickly extinguished, but the plane had to be ignobly pushed to the hangar.

Empty Glass. The East and West Coasts suffered from a new shortage --milk. Returning G.I.s, who got little milk abroad, had helped boost consumption to a new high, just when production was at its seasonal low. The Department of Agriculture promised that the new year will bring a fuller pail.

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