La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959, July 11, 1945, Image 1

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La Grande evening observer., July 11, 1945, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextA Community Newspaper For Every Member of the Family fltniltllllfllllPfflllil''TO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! inii.Mi.Mnm.nmn ESTABLISHED 1S96 LA GRANDE, OREGON WEDNESDAY EVENING, JULY 11, 19.15 FIVE CENTS mm l v J FIRES INTO POW TENTS Pvt. Clarence V. Bertucci. New Orleans, La., tower guard at prisoner of war camp, Salina, - Utah, (right) shot and killed 8 ' German POWs, wounded 20 others. Shown above are group of wounded Germans as they ., left Kearns in ambulance un der guard for Bushnell hospi tal. , j ; . Colonel Dutton Again On Leave; In Both Theaters 'I Lt. Col. Albert H. Dutton, for ' mci'ly of La Grande, whose pro motion to that rank at the age of 24 last October, made him the youngest lieutenant colonel in the European theater, is in Port- land on leave from his second jtour of overseas duty. He has vjSsome 175 points according to if army discharge system. But Colonel Dutton isn't leaving the t army yet. ' His achievements since receiv ing his wings and second lieuten ant's commission in July, liMl, have placed him in the essential classification. Until orders arrive he is spending his leave with his wile and 21-months-old son, Ro- . ger Alan. . 1 He amassed a large portion of his service points early m the . war when, as a fighter pilot in 4 the southwest Pacific, he collect ed the distinguished flying cross, : air medal, silver star and purple I heart. ' During that tour of more than a year he shot down at least ons Jap bomber and two Zero fighters and in ' furri was ' shot . twice himself, first during the battle of Java and later near Guadalcanal in the Solomons. Injuries sustained in the Pa cific caused Colonel Dutton's re moval from combat status, but as A-3 operations officer, he served with the eighth, ninth and first tactical air forces in Eng- land, Italy, France and Germany and managed to get in some fly ing on his days off. ' He was later awarded the bronze star for outstanding achievement in directing opera tions of the first tactical air force. Hi! also received a commendation from Gen. Paul Giradot, of the French air force, for his activi ties as the first American airman to serve in a liaison capacity. ' ; His father, Col. George .L (Scotty) Dutton, retired, now re sides in San Diego. Plenty of Water But Canalage Not Enough For Trees j'.'MEDFORD, July 11 (UP) Ef ' -lprts to keep 4,000 acres of pear ,: arid peach oichards irrigat-.-d in i't)ic Medford irrigation district -were reported "proceeding fairly 11" ,.,;iV, nil "innlc Ctf nUI ' IVUUJ 1.11 Mil vuiiu.j the district running full capacity '...l.l inrl flu, - Manager J. M. Spencer said lner-2 is Dieniy oi waier in wie iWiirvnirs. hut the district lacked ' sufficient canalage to meet the x demands of orchardists for water ' during the current hot spell. No damage to the crop has yet re- suited, Spencer said. ' The same condition was rc- ported prevailing in the Talent and Rogue valley districts where temperatures have soared to 10(1 ' degrees. Sailor, 50, Claims Paternity 'Title' WINONA, Minn., July 11 (UP) A 50-year-old sailor, Roman L. Springer of Winona, . today laid claim to the pater nity championship among U. S. scivicemen. Springer, who has 14 child ren, and left a $100-a-month carpenter's job to enlist in the navy in March, 1944, said his wife and 11 children at home, langing in age liom 8 momns to 18 years, receive $280 monthly in allotments. Springer cannot collect how ever, on his three oldest child ren, Marion, 22, is a WAC. Pfc. James, 20, is a veteran of the European campaign now en route to the Pacific ani S 2 c Robert, 18, is in the south Paci fic. Veteran of world war I, Spiiuser is now at Camp Kear ney, Sun Diego, Calif. Construction On New Elevator Nearly Complete Construction is practically com plete on the new 75,000 bushel, capacity grain elevator at Elgin, which replaces the one destroyed by fire nearly a year ago, offi cials of the Union County Grain Growers, Inc., said today. Installation of the machinery for elevating and cleaning grain is also nearly complete and it is expected the elevator will be ready for use within the next 10 .days. In addition to the elevator, the Grain Growers have erected a storage warehouse which is 50 by 120 feet with a capacity of 30, 000 sacks of grain or food. W. H. Wealherspoon of Elgin, president, said the warehouse will be ready, loo, shortly. Albert, Owsley of La Grande is secretary. The elevator burned last Sep tember, with a loss of nearly $200,000, including grain, part of which was covered by insurance. The new building was erected at cost of $50,000. Donations Made To McCaw Hospital Are Announced Organizations who have made donations to the camp and hos pital unit for the refurnishing of ward 21 at McCaw hospital were announced at a recent meeting of (lie unit. Those who have made casli con tributions ares Eagles lodge and auxiliary, Women's Benefit asso ciation, Navy Mutters, Service W i v e s and Mothers and the American Legion auxiliary. The junior chamber of com-mtrc-' donated a radio and the Elks lodge are furnishing a sun room. Upon completion a dele gation will go from the local lodge for the presentation. One of the lady Elks marie five chair cushions and the camp and hospital is asking the women of the Llks lodge to gather table lamps, vases, books and more chair cushions. These articles may bo left at Red Cross head ejiiarturs. The Rainbow Girls have agreed In make scrap books to send to the hospital. It vas announced that the ladies auxiliary lo the Brother hod of Locomotive Firemen and Engine-men furnishid the birth day party fur ward 21 for this month. Requests for the hospital are the same as before, which in cludes current magazine's, books, golf balls and other articles. i Jayccc Directors Of Two States Meet Oregon and Washington state board of directors of the junior chamber of commerce w ill meet Aug. IS. and the national direc tor's me'cling of Oregon. Wash ington and Idaho directors will be held Aug. 19, it was announced today. (J.n accordance 'with office of defense transportation regula tions, attendance at the meeting'; will not exceed 50 persons. Army Hits Japs from Okinawa By WILLIAM F. TVREE GUAM, July 11 (UP) To kyo said the U. S. third fleet broke off its carrier strike on Japan today after a terrific aerial bombardment in con junction with American army planes that wrecked at least 173 Japanese aircraft and 32 ships between dawn and dusk yesterday. As the fleet withdrew, U. S. army raiders from Okinawa picked up the pre-invasion ai assault on the battered Japanese nomjiand. Tokyo said a flight of about 150 American Mustang and Thunderbolt fighters lashed the Japanese suicide plane bases on eastern and southern Kyushu for about two hours today. Out of Range The fighter foray carried the pre-invasion bombing of Japan into its 3(ith straight day. Jittery Japanese spokesmen said the American battle fleet that battered the Tokyo area with upwards of 1,000 planes yester day and pulled back out of range during the night. In the same broadcast, how ever, DomeL warned the Ameri can couriers, battleships, cruis ers and lesser craft of the raid ing fleet are still hovel ing off the coast of Japan. 12 Hours Earlier enemy broadcasts said the carrier raids could be expect ed to continue for "several days." Domei said bombing yesterday lasted for 12 hours, from 5 a. m. to 5 p. m. and estimated that as many as 1,200 Yank fighters, dive bombers and torpedo bomb ers took part in the attack. It added the usual claims "al most no damage" was inflicted in the target area and 26 American planes were shot down. . Nearly la Bay Bui the first enemy-Accounts made no claim of damage to Ad miral William F. Halsey's ram paging third fleet, doipite the fact some of the American war ships steamed almost into the mouth of Tokyo bay lo launch their planes. Fleet dispatches said the stun ned enemy failed to throw a sin gle plane or warship against Hal sey's task force, and offered only meager opposition. Japanese broadcasts reported small groups of American planes ranging over the homeland dur ing the day, in addition to the fighter sweep against the Kyushu suicide bases. A dozen or so planes flew over northern Miyazaki prefecture on Kyushu and down the east coast of the island soon after noon. Sportsmen's Club Will Meet Thursday Sportsmen's club of Union county will meet at 8 p. m. Thursday at the city hall to se lect a delegate to the meeting of the state game commission July 14, it was announced today. The delegates from the sports men's clubs over the state will help the commission lo fix dates for open seasons on deer, elk, up land game birds and possibly other game, Other subjects will also like ly be discussed Thursday night, including proposed membership work. The club now has 300 members, and before many young men went to service the member ship was as high as 500. Weather Data for 24 hours lo 7 a.m. Temperature: Maximum 97 Minimum 64 Oregon: Partly cloudy tonight and Thursday; scattered thunder showers in the east portion. Short Corn Crop By RUTH GMEINER WASHINGTON, July II (UPI Government hones for in creased meat production slumped today after the agriculture ci-.'- partment forecast a disappoint ingly small 1945 crop of corn, a major livestock feed. The department warned pro duction of important feed grains this-iyear may b? the smallest since the United States entered the war. It forecast a prospec tive corn crop of 2.0B5.000.000 bushels, or more than 500,000,000 bushels l:-ss than in 1944. Faced with a tightening giain supply, food officials may have to revise their plans for stepping V1 , .t.'.V7 v DIES IN ACTION Pfc. Walter Gene Garrett, marine, was killed in action on Okinawa June 23, according to word tj ceived here by his parents, Mrj, and Mrs. Waller S, Garrett, formerly of Pleasant Grove, now of Portland. Private Gai rett had taken part in the in vasions of the Marshall ' and Gilbert islands and had helped to take Guam in the Marianas. Besides his parents, he leaves a grandfather, W. H. Miller of Pendleton and aunts and unc les. He was a graduate of. Im bler high school in 1942. and worked at the Oregon Ship building corporation before en listing in the marines. He was in the marine signal corps. Ratio Of Assessed Valuation to Cash Values Off Here ' Ratio of assessed valuation on real property lo cash valuation changed in 20 of Oregon's 36 counties, the last year, according lo the stale tax commission. Change in Union county' was a decrease in the porcenlage.'from 54 to 53 and in Wallowa from 51 to 50 percent. ) Of the changes, 13 weret in creases in the assessed valuation percentage, and six were de creases. Biggest change recorded was in Gilliam county, where Ihel.u. nnH hif r cn(.i.-,l twn- assessed valuation rose from 69 percent of cash valuation last year, to 100 percent this year. Other counties where the per centage rose were Clatsop, 47 to 50 percent; Coos, 57 lo 61 ; Curry, 56 lo 60; Josephine-, 53 lo 55; Linn, 45 lo 40. Counties where the percentage decreased were: Columbia, 51 to 50 percent; Crook, 52 to 51; Grant, 56 to 55; Harney, 68 to 87; Hood River, 50 to 57; Jefferson, 72 to 71; Kla math, 41 to 40; Lincoln, 62 to 55; Polk, 39 to 38; Sherman, 66 to 65; Union, 54 to 53; Wallowa, 51 lo 50, and Wasco, 54 to 53. In other counties the ratiiNre- -mained unchanged. Peterson, Long Take Offices Chester Pe?erson and Aldon Long were installed in their new offices of president and vice president, respectively, at a dutch lunch meeting of the junior chamber of commerce last night in the Neighborhood club. Price Schroeder, who recently resigned his position as president, installed and presented his presi dent's pin to Peterson. After the meeting, which was attended by 27 members, the group went to the carnival now playing at the fairgrounds. Temperature Climbs To 97 Degrees Here Temperature of 97 degrees was registered for yesterday for the holiest July 10 in 19 years. July 10, 1926 had a temperature of 103 degrees, smashing the record of 93 degrees then established. Low V e s t e r day was 64. up hog and poultry ouput and cattle feeding. Can't Carry Oa The department said feed sup plies could be ample for livestock and poultry, but consumption "cannot be as large as the last 12 months" without cutting down carryover supplies. Despilo this rather gloomy outlook, soma department offi cials are hopeful corn prospects will rise with better weather. They pointed out corn crop predictions rose by more than 300,000.000 bushels Vom July 1 to harvest time in 1944. Aside from the threat to the future meat program, the July crop report painted a rather op pFeadl Dim Truman Aims: Speedy End To War, Durable Peace WITH PRESIDENT TRU MAN ABOARD USS AUGUS TA, July 11 (UP) Presi dent Truman conferred with Secretary of State James 7. Hvrnes and Fleet Admiral William D. Ideally for several hours today in preparation for the biir three meeting which will begin at Potsdam next week. This veteran warship" turned northeast during the night as it sped toward the noithern ropean port where the president will disembark. He will com plete the journey to the site of the conference by plane. Wears Cap The temperature dropped steadily after four days of sum mery weather and this morning Tiuman appeared on deck in a brown fall suit and his now fam iliar tweed cap. The president, Byrnes and Leahy were spending long houis discussing the position the United States will take at the conference with Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Generalissimo Jo seph Stalin. Sitting in 'the spacious flag admiral's quarters where the president ip' living, they went over the details of Truman's Iwo simple aims for the. conference: A speedy end to the Pacific war and a foundation for durable peace. Two Ships ' 'Trnvnllricf with' thn Aiimml A- nM 1 ship tnsk force is tnc liKnl mi. r Philadelphia, another war veteran. The Augusta was the flag ship of Rear Adm. Alan G. Kirk when he commanded the western task force in the D-day invasion of Normandy. She served later in the invasion of southern France. The Philadelphia made a bril liant record in the African, Sicil ian, and Normandy campaigns. On his fifth day out of New port News, Va., where he em barked on June 7, Mr. Truman was experiencing his first real sea weather. , During the first lour days, the trip was like a cruise on Chesapeake Bay. But today, the 14-year-old Augusta bucked a northeast wind, with a mild roll and pitch. Disabled Veterans To Organize Here; Meet Saturday Lile Dailey, national setvice officer for Disabled American Veterans will be in La Grande Saturday to organize a new chap ter of the organization. Election and installation of of ficers will be held at the meet ing, in the city commission rooms at 7 p.m. , All men with certificates of disability discharge arc eligible for membership in the Disabled American Veterans, which is the third largest patriotic organiza tion in the United States. OREGONIAN KILLED SAN DIEGO, Calif., June II (UP) George Washington Vea per, 31, of Eugene, Ore., was in stantly killed tocbiy when the car he was driving iiideswiped a heavy truck-trailer. The accident occurred 30 miles cast of here on the Coast highway. The body was taken to Encinatas, Calif. Hurts Meat Hopes timistic picture on other agricul tural production. The wheat crop promises to be the largest in his tory, although the amount avail able for feed is expected to be less than last ye-ar. The oat crop will fc-a the largest in 25 years. More Sugar Domestic sugar production mav be 25 percent above 1U44. Com mvicial vege table p r o d u c lion prtobably will be 20 percent greater than last yoar. Above overage yields were Indicated for potatoes, sweet potatoes, rye and barley. Fruit production, except cit rus, may be 0 percent less than a year ago, however. Total am age is the second swmmnnif WHittffii'il TOKYO-BOUND Gen. Carl A. Spaalz, above, who directed the strategic air attack that de stroyed German resources, will play a similar role in the Pa cific war. He will have over-, all command of the r,0th air force, now being redeployed from Europe lo the Pacific. His new command will be known as the U. S. strategic air forces in the Pacific, with headquarters probably on Guam, possibly on Okinawa. Child Unharmed By Two DaysIn Kidnaper's Care MARION, O., July 11 (UP) Mrs. Helen Elizabeth Crevislon, estranged wife of an army ser geant, today cuddled her nine-day-old daughter in her arms and sobbiiyly thanked police for finding the kidnaped infant. Tiny Jean Eileen Creviston apparently had no ill effects from her two-day stay with a war worker's young wife who told police she stole the child from a hospital crib bocause she was unable to have a baby of her own. Mrs. Phyllis Lanman, 29, held foi- arraignment on a charge of abduction, said she stole the Creviston baby on the spur of the moment. She said she just couldn't resist picking her up and runnning oft with her. Mrs. Lanman, whose abduction of the infant was traced through n stop she made at a stranger's house lo change a diaper, said she had given Jean the best of care. Police said Mrs. Lanman had a miscarriage three months ago her second and had decid ed she would never bear a child of her own. She was arrested after she tried to tell Dr. Maude Bull the child was her ow.i. She called Dr. Bull lo look after the child, aid lold hor the baby had been born lo her unattended. Sgt. John Creviston, stationed at the Lockbourne army air base at Columbus, could not be reach ed for comment. TO OPEN LAKE ROAD MHDKOHD, July II (UP) The road to Diamond lake from Crater l.-ike rim will be open for traffic Tliuisday, li. P. Leavilt, park supci intendrnt, reported to day. largest since 1932. The depart ment called Ibis planting "a re m a r k able accomplishment" in view of Hie season's adverse wea ther. Long Drouth Some lanning areas have not recovered so well, however. 'Conditions in some localities have heroine so discouraging many fanners have given up hope of making any kind of crop," tlx.' department said. The drouth in the southwest still persists with damaging ef fects, the department said. In New M,.xico and west Texit;, inngc feed for livestock is "ex ceptionally short" and crops have been "damaged beyond recovery." Two Forest Fires In State Nearly Out of Control PORTLAND, July 11 (UP)- Forest rangers today prepared for trouble in Oregon forests as two forest fires were reported burn ing- out of control in the caast range, mountains near Forest Grove and Astoria. In the northwest section of Washington county a threaten ing blaze was burning out of con trol across cut-over and old burn sections in the holdings of the Oregon-American Lumber com pany. The fire is along the boun dary of Tillamook and Washing ton counties on the north fork of the Sulmonberry river, only 27 miles northwest of Forest Grove. The blaze, which is near a sizeable stand of second-growth Douglas fir and being carried by a brisk wind, left a heavy smoke pall over Forest Grove and Port land. More than 300 acres have been burnt. In Clalsop county, the first ma jor forest fire of the season was reported with flames of unknown origin burning through an 80 acre tract of Oicgon-iAnerican timber land 50 miles southeast of Astoria. The blaze evidently started on a steep side hill where no fisher- merr or1iuntein..coiik have been. The same area was burned over last year. Oiegon Forest Pro tective association officials said both fires are still under reason able control, but could develop into something serious due to the present dry weather, Lumsden Receives Past President's Pin From Rotary Treve Lumsden, U. S. National bank manager, today relinquished the gavel as president of the Lu G i ancle Rotary club following a presentation of gifts and expres sion of appreciation of the or ganization for his work during the past year. Gifts wllich Included a past president's pin were presented by II. E. Dixon, program chairman. New officers were installed by II. A. Zurbrick. In the absence of Dr. Roben Maaske, president of Eastern Oregon college and president-elect of the club, Frank Schiro was installed as vico presiclenl and president pro-torn. Dr. Maaske is in Chicago on a teaching assignment for several weeks. Special Agent Marshall Barnos, resident agent of the FBI at Pen dleton, spoke briefly to the as sembled Hotarians about the work of the La Grande police department during the FBI school, which is now underway. Ilarnes introduced Chief of Po lice Clyde Lund, with whose co ope ration the school was made possible, and Special Agents Howard Patterson and Mux Tay lor. He described the various themes of study and lectures be ing given. , W. C. Irwin of Wenalchee was a visiting Hotarian. FBI Man Outlines Report Writing, Investigations Special Agent Howurel'B. Pat terson lecturing on Interviews and report writing, opened the FBI police school vesti-i-riiiv Agent Patterson discussed inter views with suspects and criminals arrested for felonies, methods ol taking notes while conducting in vestigations, the advantages of having a reporting system In in vestigations, and the validity of) signed confessions. Special Agent Max E. Taylor lectured on defense tactics, utif) conducted practice session in the subject. Session today was opened by Agent Putterson, who lectured on the taking of fingerprint ond palm-print impression, followed by practical latent fingerprint work, ' Hold Back, Output: of Warships! By United Press Almost 50,000 workers were idle today as labor disputed struck war industries and civilian production. Biggest stoppage was in the Akron, O., plant of Firestone Tire it Rubber Co, where 10,500 mem-' oers or the united Rubber Work-ers-CIO were in their 11th day of striking. The union called a meeting for Friday to discuss a war labor board order to go back to work. A fl'areup In the Now Yorfc shipbuilding corporation yard in. wuiduci, A,, ui. yvao scv.iKU aitct a walkout of 3,000 welders jad paralyzed ship construction. An other 15,000 were idle for a few hours as the yard's activities vir-' tuully ceased. Detroit Too Detroit, scene of spreading labor troubles a few weeks ago, again had its labor disputes. Al ready 14,200 workers had quit their jobs in various plants. Domestic, service to seven states by the United Fuel Gas C, Char leston, W Va was at a minimum as the result of a strike over ' waves bv tho CIO Intel-nut innill Oil Workers union. , i In Pennsylvania, all four Jones & Laughlin Steel corporation coal mines were closed by a strike over the rehiring of war veterans. Nearly 500 United Mine Work rs struck at the Cambria Mining company's Webb mine, Bellaire, O., allegedly because fines were levied against employes who missed work' --. .A .dispute, over-empjeyment oi three union -eushiers lerat least 130,000 families in Detroit with out milk for the third day.- Other strikes in the Dotroit area ham pered production at the Graham- Paige Motor Corp., the Dodge truck plant of Chrysler corpora- lion, the Gorham Tool company und American Metul Products company. , Hold Up Ships Construction of warships at the New York Shipbuilding corpora lion, Oamden, N. J., was virtually at n standstill as nearly 3,000 welders stayed off the Job for the second day. ; Other strikes are in progress at the Spicer Manufacturing cor poration, Toledo; the nca divi sion of the Pholps Dodge Cooper P r o d u ct s corporation, Fort Wayne, Ind.; Northern Indiana Erass company, Elkhart, Ind.; Continental Baking, General Baking and National Biscuit com panies, Albay, N. Y., and four war construction projects .in the Washington, D. C, area. Mrs. Nina Hampton Dies; Pioneer oi Umatilla County - Mrs. Ninn L. Hampton. G7, well known Umatilla county pioneer, died yesterday morning In St. Anthony's hospital, Pendleton, after an illness of four months. In 1895 she married Thomas R. Hampton, who died in 1937. They resided on a ranch north of Pendleton until 1900, when they moved to Pendleton. Mrs. Hampton is survived by a son and seven daughters. Mrs. L. W. Owen, Mrs. W. F. Snyder, Eugene Hampton, iMls. W L. O'Donel, Mrs. Telford Bissinger, Pendleton; Mrs. Tom Stanton, Mrs. Jack Rugg and Mrs. Henry Mueller, Pilot Rock; her sisters and brothers, Mrs. W. A. Baker and Mrs. Albert Shaw, Portland; Mrs. George Norton, Milton: Eu gene McCulley and II. G. McCul- ley, Hermiston. The date of the funeral has not been announced. Dawson Finds Way To Avoid Yamhill Housing Shortage COVE. July 11 (Special) J. Harry Dawson, is a resourceful fellow and doesn't purpose to permit the current housing shortage in Yamhill to get the better of him. IDawson has been superin tendent of schools and principal here for two years and has iahen the) school position in YamhilL Unable to find a place to live there, he will go over about the first of August and build a house.