La Grande evening observer., July 31, 1945, Image 1

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Weather
Data for 24 hours to 7 n.m.
Temperature:
Minimum 79
. Minimum 42
Forecast: Clear, warmer to
night, Wednesday.
A Community
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LA GRANDE. OREGON TUESDAY EVENING, JULY :U. 1945
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THROWS HATION RARE BEEF TO FISH Perry Lee Miller, 49.
troopship steward, charged with throwing ion and half of beef
overboard on trip between San Francisco and Seattle, in Seattle
with District Attorney John E. Belcher. Miller didn't want 'to
dock with so much poor-cut beef aboard.
No Forgiveness
On State Income
Tax This Year
SALEM, Julv 31 (UP) About
24,372,3:15.17 in estimated state
revenue for the current fiscal
year is shown in the state levy
of taxes, published today by the
stale tax commission.
This amount will go to offset
property taxes, which are in bal
ance with the figure of $24,372,
335.17. These property taxes are
derived from requirements of
$10,372,335.17 for state govern
mental purposes, and $8,000,000
which will go to the state school
support fund.
Included "in- the requirements
lire $5,992,926.64 -inside the con
stitutional 6 percent limitation on
taxes, $8,210,292.19 outside the
limitation, and the S2,169,l 16.34
two-mill state elementary school
tax.
Funds outside the 6 percent
limitation include the $5,000,000
state building fund, voted at the
June 22 election, and about $3,
000,000 in war veterans' funds,
allocated by the 1945 legislature.
No state property tax levy will
have to be made, the figures
show, as income tax revenues arc
sufficient to offset the require
ments. However, with the publication
of the levy, it was revealed Ore
gon income taxpayers must pay
the fuil amount of income taxes
in the ensuing year, with no for
giveness rebate on payments as
in previous years.
Money now on hand cannot
meet all the necessary expenses
of state government and still per
mit the forgiveness feature. The
state and county school fund also
will not be paid, as the commis
sion announced last week. It
would have amounted to approx
imately 3,000.000 on the basis of
$10 a pupil.
Addition of $5,000,000 to the
state's obligations, for the recent
ly voted building fund, was prin
cipal cause of the cut.
Girl Pleads Guilty
To Getting Money
With 'Baby' Story
PORTLAND. July 31 (UP)
Probation officials today studied
the guilty plea in federal court
of Rose Marie Alpore, who was
indicted for posing as an expec-
tant mother and getting money
j from families of service men
5 overseas.
' She was arrested in Dallas,
..Tex., evidence showed she would
'get the names and addresses of
men going overseas, then write
' their families and ask for funds
on grounds she was going to have
- a baby. She secured $225 from
one family and SB0 from another.
i She used several aliases.
1 ' Suit Filed in Death
Of John Turner
Maude Turner Parent, adminis
tratrix of the estate of John Rob
ert Turner, has- filed in circuit
court hete petition asking from
the Eastern Oregon Light and
Power company $10,000 for the
death of John Turner.
The petition sets forth that
Turner died Aug. 14, 1044 as re:
suit of burns received Aug. 1
when the boom pole and cable
of the derrick he was moving
) on his (arm south of Union came
in contact with the tr:insmissinr
lines of the defendant.
Soldier Asking For
Widow, 3 Children
Gets Prompt Action
DUNN. N. C, July 31 (UP)
A soldier who wrote the edi
tor of the Dunn Dispatch last
week seeking the acquaintance
of a young widow with three
children, today became the
object of a wide-spread search.
L. B. Pope, the editor of the
Dispatch, said today that his
mail box was being flooded
with letters from north, south,
east and west, all from young
widows. Each applicant, their
letters say, meet the specified
requirements of the young sol
dier whose object is 85 points.
It all started last Tuesday
night when the soldier's re
quest went out over the wires
of the United Press.
Wrecked Plane
Spotted From Air
Near Medford
MEDFORD, July 31 (UP) A
wrecked plane, believed to be the
missing craft carrying three Port
land persons and a Los Angeles
pilot from Red Bluff, Calif., to
Eugene, Ore., was spotted from
the air today in northern Cali
fornia, 40 miles south of Medford.
The mising plane, last heard
from Saturday, was occupied by
Sylvan L. Gosliner; his wife,
Ruby, and his sister-in-law, Mrs.
Alma Finley Pratt, all of Port
land, and civilian pilot from Los
Angeles, believed to be named
Armstrong.
The Rogue river national for
est headquarters reported that a
pilot from the Redwood ranger
station had sighted the wreck
age of a plane along Butte fork
in northern California about 11
a. m. today. The flier reported
the wrecked plane to be standing
on its nose, with no sign of life
visible but no indications of fire
having broken out.
The nearest forest service in
stallation is at the Strugis guard
station,, from which a man has
been dispatched on foot. He must
traverse an 8 mile trail and was
not expected to bring word back
until early this evening.
Boy, 7, Recovers
Loot From Bank
BURBANK. Calif., July 31 (UP)
A 7-year-old boy who went into
a garage to recover a baseball,
found $2,294 of the $111,300 loot
taken yesterday by two bandits
from two Hollywood bank mes
sengers. Gilbert Abclar located the mon
ey in a west Los Angeles garage
his mother. Mrs. Esther Abelar,
rented to a soldier three months
ago.
Although Mrs. Abelar did not
know the name of the soldier,
her description of him tallied
with that of one of the bandits
who was dressed in the Uniform
of a military policeman, officers
said.
Also dumped in the garage were
a soldier's blouse, an MP arm
band, and a brown sports coat
with a Lockheed aircraft badge.
The clothes were identified as
those worn by one of the bandits.
The bank messengers, Thurston
M. Patterson arid Victor H. Lolin.
were held un as they were en
route to deliver the funds to a
currency exchange near the Lock
heed plant.
Weygand
Defends
Marshal
PARIS, July 31 (UP) Gen.
Maxime Weygand defended Mar
shal Henri Philippe Petain today
as a faithful guardian of France's
interests and negotiator of an in
evitable armistice which made
possible the relatively bloodless
American invuslon of north Af
rica. Weygand, generalissimo of
French forces in the debacle of
1940. told a tense and eager high
court jury Petain in November,
1942, sent repeated messages to
Admiral Jean Darlan ordering the
cessation of French hostilities
against the Americans.
.Didn't Know
The old and ailing general,
fresh from long imprisonment in
Germany, testified at Petain's
treason trial Pierre Laval order
ed the French to resist the Amer
ican invasion without the knowl
edge of the old marshal.
The defense fired its heavy ar
tillery in calling Weygand for an
impassioned appeal on behalf of
Petain, for whom he said he had
only "veneration and admiration."
For hours Weygand declaimed
the cause of France. He unwound
a dramatic story of the crumbling
of the French defenses, France's
helplessness against the onrush-
ing tide of nazism, and the ar
mistice which he said was dic
tated by dire miliary necessty.
Downfall
Weygand, leaning heavily on his
cane and brusquely refusing per
mission to testify from a chair,
told if "story of-France's downfall
that was studded with these high
lights: 1. The Americans would have
"paid dearly" for the invasion of
north Africa without the French
cooperation.
2. Fetain, using the armistice
terms as an argument, refused a
nazi ultimatum June 16, 1940, de
manding that France had over
certain bases. . '
3. Weygand himself was solely
responsible for declaring Paris un
open city.
To Limit
4. Petain's first step in connec
tion with the armistice was to
say France never would surren
der her fleet.
5. The French fought bravely
and to the limit of human endur
ance against insurmountable odds
in their last big battle the "cal
vary leading to the crucifix which
was the armistice. Everyone was
at his post."
' 6. Ey June 12, 1940, when the
French no longer were able to
coordinate their movements, Wey
gand decided they must ask for
an armistice, and told the gov
ernment so.
Capehart Sees End
Of War in 60 Days
INDIANAPOLIS, July 31 (UP)
Sen. Homer R. Capehart, R.,
Ind., today predicted the end of
the war with Japan within 60
days. He said Russia will "joli
us in the Pacific by Sept. 1 if the
Japanese haven't surrendered by
that time.
Home on senate vacation, Cape
hart said his predictions are only
"personal observations."
B-32 Tailor Made
FORT WORTH, Tex., July 31
(NEA) The Jap home islands,
already rocked by repeated blows
of B-29 Superfortresses, have
now felt the sting of what might
be called the army air forces
Sunday punch, the new B-32
bomber.
The B-32 is slightly smaller
than the Superfortress, its com
panion in the heavyweight class,
but it carries a comparable load.
It has a wing spread of 135 feel
and a length of 83 feet, the
most distinguishing feature is a
towering single tail surface, 32
feet and 2 inches high, of almost
twice the height of the B-24 twin
rudders.
Carrying a crew of eight, the
bomber lifts a normal grots
weiabt of 100,000 pounds and al
ternate (iross weights of more
than ISI.OOO pounds. It is power
ed by four 18-clvindor. 220-
See B-32 TAILOR . . . Page 5
'288 Square Ft. of Historic Items'
Van Wormer Started
Antique Collection
30 Years Ago.
Probably the best, if not the
most informative, way to describe
B. A. Van Wormer's collection of
antiques would be to call it "288
square Jcct of history!" "His
toiy" because most of the an
tiques are concerned with such
personages as Sir Waller Scott
and Robert Burns and "288
square feet" because a 12 by 24
feel knotty pine room is reserv
ed for tht' collection.
Thirty years ago Van Wormer
started his collection, which even
tually reached the size where ad
ditional space was needed. The
problem was solved in 1935, when
he built the room in the basement
of his home at 2104 North Fir
street.
Willow Ware
His collection includes family
heirlooms, Indian relics, and an
tiques, which he stumbled across
in second hand stores and antique
shops! The majority, howviver,
Tillamook Burn
Under Control;
Light Rain Helps
PORTLAND, July 31 (UP)
Cool and overcast skies helped
western Oregon firefighters keep
the Tillamook bum under con
trol today.
The three-county fire will have
been burning three weeks tomor
row, but state forestry officials
are hopeful the weather will hold
long enough to finish strengthen
ing of bulldozer fire lines and,
bottle up the fire in its present
200,000 acre area. There are
green "islands" within the area
which weary crews hope to save.
Watersheds Safe
The watersheds of Forest
Grove and Hillsboro, largest cities
in Washington county, appeared
safe after being threatened over
the weekend. Light rains and
reduced wind stopped the fires
long enough to rush protective
trails in front of the flames.
With luck, crews hope by to
night to finish the (remaining
four miles of a 12-mile fire trail
on the east side of the fire, and
three remaining miles on a 10
mile break on the south. The
area to the north from round top
to Cedar creek was under control.
The Consolidated Timber com
pany camp at Glenwood and the
Stimson Lumber company camp
were saved after virtually being
surrounded by flames.
Send Troops
Fort Lewis continued to send
replacement troops to the fire
lines to relieve worn out men
who had been on the fire lines
steadily for more than a week.
Two Negro soldiers in one mili
tary convoy were killed when a
truck overturned last week, and
one civilian fire fighter has been
killed.
Banning of logging operations
in the burned area reduced dan
ger of lurther fires.
Four new fires in the Medford
area in southern' Oregon were
under control, after being started
by lightning.
BUTTER FOR SOAP
INDIANAPOLIS, July 31 (UP)
The Indianapolis Star today
said larg-3 quantities of rancid
butter are used to make soap.
Distinguishing feature of B-32 it
pyfQ I'll ''Mfc'tl.lH,;.UU -: : -.y,,ay-yar
L: ' - .ill I . . Jh
m - i
are from Scotland, brought back
by Van Wormer after a trip to
that country in 1924.
One of his antiques, for exam
ple, is from Spottswood, Scotland,
a piece of wood from the gute post
where "Annie Laurie" was writ
ten. He also had a sampler, work
ed in cross-stitch, with the ini
tials G. S. F. and the figures 1809
in it.
One little old Scotch lady gave
him, during his trip, several
pieces of willow ware, more than
300 years old. Genuine willow
ware bears no trade mark, but
has three triungles, where t h e
pieces were dried.
Dueling Pistols
Van Wormer has several canes,
one of which belonged to Sir
Walter Scott. It has been slightly
damaged by termites, but is still
in handling condition. Another
cane, this one of Chinese origin,
has been made from layers of
shells ground down to uniform
size, with a metal rod through
the middle keeping the cane firm.
One of the most interesting ob
WPB Worker Fined
For Building House
PORTLAND, July 31 (UP)
When WPB employe Edward L.
Kropp persisted 1.1 building an
$8,000 home with critical war
material, he was warned twice
by the WPB and then indicted.
Today he was under sentence
of eight months in prison and
$1,000 ' fine, the imprisonmoi.-it
to be suspended if he pays the
fine.
Elliott Roosevelt
Will Leave Army
Service Aug. 15
WASHINGTON, July 31 (UP)
Brig. Gen. Elliott Roosevelt will
doff his uniform Aug. 15 and re
turn to civilian status with the
army's thanks for his "efficient"
service.
The date of his discharge was
announced by the war department
last night in a statement deny
ing any connection between his
release ad recent publicity over
certain loans which he reportedly
negotiated while his father was
in the White House.
The department said the 34-year-old
officer's application for
discharge, and the elecision to
grant it, were made before the
loan controversy began.
Young Roosevelt's financial af
fairs have been under congres
sional study for several weeks as
result of reports he had negoti
ated several large loans which
were later settle-d for fraction of
the money involved.
Mrs. Ellsworth
Christens Boat
PORTLAND, July 31 (UP)
Mrs. Harris Ellsworth of Rose
burg, wife of Oregon representa
tive in congress, christens the
tanker Silver Creek being
launched at the Swan Island
shipyard here today.
The couple's daughters, Mary
Margaret and Jane Ellsworth, aie
maids of honor and Miss Susie
Jenner of Portland is flower girl.
Rev. William Coughlan, St. Jo
seph's Catholic church, Roseburg,
will say the invocation.
for Japanese War
huge tail. The giant bomber is
with reversiblo pitch propellors.
jects of the collection is a solid
bluck walnut floor-clock dating
from 1807, made of wood, with
the single exception of the escape
ment wheel.
Van Wormer also has two black
wulnut dueling pistols with fili
gree brasswork, which he acquir
ed from "a drunken sailor in Now
Orleans."
Old Coin
The oldest single object in the
collection, he stated, is either an
old Roman coin, made sometime
before Christ, or a piece of tile
from a Roman camp, found at
Newstod, Scotland.
Van Wormer has two small
crossed ours hung upon the wall,
which he carved in 1900 from the
deck planks of u ship sunk by
the rebels in the Civil War. Ho
gave the oars to a young lady
named Sargent, and the only way
to get them back was to marry
her he says.
Rarest
The rarest of all his antiques
is undoubtedly a picture of Rob
See VAN WORMER . . . Page 5
Folsom Takes 42
Pure Bred Rams
To Texas Sale
As his father and grandfather
before him for many years had
done almost annually, Mason E.
Folsom, Delaine Merino sheep
breeder near here, took 42 head
of purebred rams to San Angelo,
Tex., to sell to growers there thi?
year.
Folsom was away two weeks
and traveled via Denver. The
trip each . way took almost a
week. The 42 rams were con
signed to Nelson Johnson, auc
tioneer, and will be sold later at
private showings and sales.
Popular Type
Folsom is the grandson of J. E.
Smith, founder of the J. E. Smith
Livestock compuny, and carries
on the company under that name.
He moved to the Grande Ronde
valley from the Pendleton valley
about four years ago.
The Smith company's slock has
been popular with sheep growers
for more than 00 years, because
of the type the company has de
velopeel over the years. The De
laine Merinos brcel by the com
pany are the large, open faced,
heavy shearing type which have
been made more smooth by selec
tive breeding.
First Line
The outstanding ram which
Folsom took to Texas is a proven
sire, a first line descendant of
"Commander," Ohio state cham
pion in 1939. It is the first time
in five years that Folsom has
taken a shipment to Texas.
Not only Texas sheepmen but
others have been interested in the
type of sheep developed by th
Smith company, Breeding stock
has been sent to China in 1937,
and also to Korea.
Bulletin
PARIS, July 31 (UP) Ex
pollod from Spain, Pierre Laval
Dow today to Linz, Austria,
with $10,500 in U. S. $500 bills,
14 piecos of baggage and four
wooden cases, two of each con
tained Vichy water, it was an
nounced tonight.
the first land piano to be equipped
Expects 37 Million
Ton Lack in Output
WASHINGTON, July 81 (UP) Secretary' of Interior
Harold L. Ickes told the senate war investigating committee
today next winter will be "the coldest of the war" unless
sufficient miners are quickly released from military service
to increase coal production.
"This would be true," Iekes said, "even if we did not send
a pound of bituminous coal to Europe." '""
He has urged that we send 6,000,000 tons of bituminous
coal to Kurope about oite percent of a year normal output.
12 More Japanese
Cities Warned
Of Destruction .
1,023 Ships, 1,247
Planes Destroyed
By Third Fleet
G.U A M, Wednesday, Aug. 1
(UP) American superfortresses
warned 12 Japanese industrial
cities by leaflets today that they
are next on the B-21) fire bombing
list, us the rampaging third fleet
was revealed to have destroyed
or damaged at least 1,023 enemy
ships and 1,247 planes in 21 days
of unparalleled pre-i n v a s i o n
raids.
A fleet of superforts, dropping
720,000 "death list" leaflets on
the 12 cities with a combined pop
ulation of 1,300,000, repeated dur
ing the night the fir.it bold pre
raid announcement made to the
Japanese by the 20th air force
four duys ago.
' Four More
Citizens of 11 middle-sized war
centers were warned then to flee
for their lives, and six- of . tbe
cities were promptly bombed.
Four of the cities were re-visaed
with leaflets today. ",'
The grim message from Maj.
Gen. Curtis E. Lcmuy followed a
daring pre ? dawn surface bom
bardment of Shimitzu, 100 miles
southwest of Tokyo by destroyers
of the third fleet, carrying the
sea-air offensive into its 22nd day.
Second Time
Warned to evacuate in the face
of thu dreaded fire bombs wore
the citizens of Hakodate, on Hok
kaido; Kurume, on Kyushu; and
Mito, Huchioji, Maebashi, Toya
ma, Nagaoka, Nishinomiya - Mi
kage, Maizuru, Otsu, Fukuyama,
and Nagano, on the main island
of Honshu.
Of these, Hakodate, Kurume,
Nagaoka and Nishlnomiya-Mikage
were warned for the second tune.
The Honshu cities of Tsu, Ao
mori, Ichinomiya, Ogaki and
Ujiyamada and Uwijima on Shi
koku were devastated Saturday,
24 hours after the original leaf
let announcement. Koriyama, on
Honshu, was the 11th city first
named.
S3 Razed
Destruction by fire of the 12
doomed citie-s would cost Japan
another group of her important
middle-sized rail centers, ports
and manufacturing cities, filled
with airplane, steel, aluminum,
precision instruments, chemical,
and naval ordnance works.
Already 53 home island cities
have been filed and largely de
stroyed by the rampaging B-29s.
More Gold Samples
Sent For Assay;
Oil Hunters Busy
BAKER, July 31 (UP) Lifting
of wartime gold mining restric
tions has resulted in an increase
in the number of gold samples
for assay, the Oregon slate board
of geology and mineral industries
revealed today.
A shortage of labor and mate
rials is obstructing large scale
operation of gold mines, how
ever. Recent developments in
dicating presence of iron-bearing
bauxite deposites in Washington
county are being studied by the
board.
Member S. W. Williston report
ed that at least 10 larger oil com
panies are active in western Ore
gon, with sonic drilling cast of
the Cascades. He said the Texas
company has spent $500,000 in
exploration work and was drill
ing in Columbia county at un
expense of $1,000 u day, and hud
reached a 2,000 foot depth.
JUDGE NOT ACTIVE
PENDLETON, July 31 (UP)
County Judge Carl W. Chambers
of Umatilla county today indi
cated he win not un active candi
date for the state tun' commis
sion vacancy.
No Magician
The United States, he con
tinucs, has done "prodigious
things" to provids fuel to run
the war, ; ,-,
"But I am not r prcsidigltator
and neither are any of the mem1
bera of the solid fuels adminis
tration staff," he said. "We haVe
no magic wunds, and we can not
produce coal with out coal
miners. No one else can. -
"If they are not forthcoming,
.the public must be prepared to
scrape the bottom of the fuel bin
as never before, and even burn
the bottom of the bin Kelt."
37,000,000 Tons
The war , department had de
clined su, fu,r to give special com
sideration to release of coal
miners,. -
Ickes. tpld. (he committee pres
ent manpower in the mines pro
duce this "fuel year," which be
gan last,,, April 1, 575,000,000 of
the estimated need of 600,000,000
tons of soft coal and 43,000,000
of the estimated requirement of
55,000,000 tons of hard coal. .7.
"These figures point definite
ly to a. worrisome defict of 37,T
000,000 ton between what we can
produce and what we shall need,?
Ickes said.
Even Worse
If the United States sends coal
to Europe without the release of
necessary miners, he. added, the
country faces "an ever greater
emergency at home than is indi
cated by the 37,000,000 ton de
ficit." "The only answer to our pro
duction problem is more miners,"
Ickes asserted. "There has been
it steady deterioration of mine
labor force since 1941, when the
average number of mine em
ployes totaled over 545,000. Pre
liminary statistics for 1044 show
the average number to be 461,000,
nnd in 1945, we expect to sustain
u net loss of 19,000 more men."
Ickes told the committee that
he had repeatedly begged the
military services to stop drafting
coal miners but that he had con
sistently lost his arguments.
Mills Too
C. J. Potter, deputy solid fuels
administrator, predicted if pres
ent coal shortages continue much
American industry will be forced
on a four-day week next winter.
He said the industries likely to
be affected include steel mills.
The only "complete" solution;
Potter said, would be the eorly
surrender of Japan. Potter assert
ed "the greatest shortages" will
hit New England, New York and
Virginia, with acute shortages
also in the Great Lakes region. .
Truman, Stalin,
Attlee Confer
For Three Hours
POTSDAM, July 31 (UP)
President Truman, Prime Minis
ter Attlee and Premier Stalin met
for throe and u half hours today
after a two day delay caused by
slight illness of the Soviet gen
eralissimo. The Potsdam conference is be
lieveel to be drawing to a close,
but a spokesmun said the big
three plenary consultation is not
yet finished.
The spokesman said the dele
gations were substantially intact,
although some early arrivals such
us Secretary of War Henry Stim
son and Gen. H . H. Arnold had
departed.
Truman Will Ask
More News Freedom
ST. LOUIS, July 31 (UP)
President Truman will ask Rus
sia at the Potsdam conference to
give American correspondents
more freedom of news coverage,
Stephen T. Early, press secretary
to the late President Roosevelt
said yesterday.
Although he did not refer di
rectly to Russia, Early said, "be
fore the president leaves Potsdam,
he will appeal if he has not al
ready done so by now, to the gov
ernments represented there to
admit the American press to a
coverage of all news events in
their countries."