La Grande evening observer., August 01, 1945, Image 1

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ESTABLISHED 1896
LA GRANDE. OREGON WEDNESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 1, 1945
FIVE CENTS ':
Stupidity
Charged
To Army
'WASHINGTON, August 1
(UP) Sen. Edwin C. John
son, D., Colo.; today accused
the army of "blind and stupid
and criminal", lack of coopera
tion in orderiy return of sol
diers to civilian life.
Johnson charged the army with
keeping millions too many men
in service since Germany's sur
render. Generous congressional sup
port,. "like heady wine," has made
the army "arrogant and has dis
torted its perspective", he assert
ed. - '
Momiroui
The "pay-off," he added, was
the revelation by Maj. Gen.
Lewis B. Hershey, director of
selective service, that the army
would continue drafting 100,000
men a month after Japan is beat
en. He proposed Hershey be
given the congressional medal for
"letting the cat out of the bag"
on this one.
He termed the army's point
discharge Bystem a "mathematical
monstrosity" which could not
work but was created, he said,
'to stall and confuse and ba
'n'llder." Dtmands
Johnson asserted the United
States could not use an army of
7,000,000 or 8,000,000 against Jap
an. The maximum number that
could be transported, supplied
and used on the Japanese front,
he said, would be 3,000,000 by the
end of 1046.
I'Then why in the name of com
mon sense, he demanded, "must
we maintain an army of 8,000,
000? ... I demand that the army
' cut the jacket to fit the cloth."
The job of returning 15,000,
000 service men and women to
civilian life, Johnson told the sen
ate, is the "most difficult task the
United States ever, faced. And
the army's utter lack of coopera
tion in helping to solve it is blind
and stupid and criminal."
" Not-Enough"'
By "hauling around the coun
try" men' who should be dis
charged, Johnson continued, the
army left the railroads without
sufficient men to run their trains.
"By drafting coal miners it does
not need," he added, "the army
is forcing the steel mills to
close."
Johnson said selective service
should continue to draft 18year
olds for replacement purposes as
long as the Japanese war lasts.
"But long ago," he insisted, "it
should have ceased to draft es
sential workers from industry,
from the mines and from the
farms."
Lashing at Hershey for his
post-war continued draft state
ment, Johnson said that congress
had "created a Frankenstein that
will crush the nation unless con
gress itself calls a halt."
10 Million More
Jobs Needed For
Full Prosperity
American business and retail
ers must make efforts to increase
national income annually 30 to
45 billion dollars and to provide
seven to 10 million jobs if na
tional prosperity is to be main
tained, La Grande Rotarians and
their guests learned today dur
ing the weekly meeting of the
rganization.
Shown a film, "The Last Three
Feet," developed by the C. E: D.,
the committee for economic de
elopment, the group learned that
new efforts to attract the custo
mer must be developed in the
post-war period and that prosper
ity from manufacturer to retailer
will depend on the buying of
new commodities by the consum
ing public.
The committee for economic de
velopment is composed of a non
governmental group of small and
large businessmen who believe
the way to avoid postwar unem
ployment for large numbers of
workers and servicemen is to cre
ate work by new building and
the full utilization of new meth
ods and products, Gray said.
The film wu introduced by
Raymond Gray, president of the
chamber of commerce, and Frank
Schiro, chairman of the C. E. D.
for this tret, and m shown by
A. B. "Spud" Olson, Chairman
of the dny was H. E. Dixon and
Dr. Ruben Maaske presided.
Weather
Data for 24 hours to 7 a. m.
Temperature:
Maximum 90
Minimum 49
Forecast: Clear tonight and
.Thursday. Warmer tonight.
How to Know Cantaloupe, Or t . .
Don't Arouse Your Grocer's Wrath
How to distinguish a ripe can
taloupe, or, don't be the grocer's
abonimation
If you want the grocer to tear
his rapidly graying, already
sparse locks, just pinch and poke
each melon or highly perishable
vegetable in .his display until it
is dripping, juice. . There are
other ways, but the melon-pinching
program is probably the most
highly effective
But, too.Jhere is a method of
really determining which melon
is ripened to the degree to suit
your liking.
Wide Term
The term cantaloupe is used
for all varieties of melons having
netting on the skins. Muskmel
ons are in an even larger family
and include the cantaloupe breed,
honey dew, honey balls and casa
bas. Look first at the stem end of
tho melon you are purchasing
and if it is picked when just ripe,
it will have a clean scar where
the stem grew, but if it were
picked too green it will have part
of the stem still attached or will
have a scar where the stem was
Former Soldier Tells Kind of
Memorial Which Isn't Wonted
What veterans do not want for
memorials after this war is
shown in the following letter re
ceived from a former soldier of
World war 2.
The living memorial committee
has invited comment and sugges
tion from soldier and civilian
alike on this subject At various
places in the city are set up boxes
to receive written suggestions.
The following was received, by
, 1 i , il . ry.
MIC JUVCdlllg VUW VCl .
La Grande, Oregon
July 28. 194$
Mr. Frank Schiro
Editor
Observer
La Grande, Oregon
Dear Sir:
"Living War Memorials
proper tributi to the .heroes of
the World war." These high
sounding phrases sound fine,
but before we decide to build
Police Puzzled By
Motive in Theft
Of Street Sign
La Grande police have the
dragnet out today for the par
ton (probably persons) who for
some obscure, psychological rea
son made off with a heavy con
crete marker from Fir and
Washington.
Usual channels for recover
ing stolen property will un
doubtedly prqre to be useless
what fence would handle a
stolen street marker good for
absolutely nothing but to mark
"Fir and Washington streets?"
A further motive the police
have for tracking down the man
who took the marker and the
marker itself: The scene of the
depredation is only a block from
the police station.
Only motive police can as
cribe to the thief is that he
wanted to be different.
Laval Turned Over
To French Of f iters
PARIS, Aug. 1 (UP) The
French press agency said today
French occupation officers have
taken over custody of Pierre
Laval at Insbruck, Austria, and
are questioning him.
He will be returned to France
this afternoon, the agency said.
The former Vichy premier and
his wife were turned over to the
French by American troops who
arrested them when they landed
at Linz in a German plane yes
terday after being expelled from
Spain.
The French agency said French
troops will escort the couple to
the French frontier and turn
them over to civil authorities.
Laval is wanted for trial as
France's No. 2 arch-traitor of the
JIMMY FOB GOVERNOR
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Aug.
1 (UP) Col. James Roosevolt
wits advanced today as a pislble
candidate for governor of Cali
fornia by the Beverly Hills Citi
zen, independent weekly pub
lished by Will and James Rogers,
sons of the late htfmorist.
broken off. The fruit should be
sound, well netted, and the blos
som end ' should be firm, and
show no paleness. '
. Sweet, Too
When it is fully ripe a golden
color should show through the
netting. Sometimes it will have
little globules of . red- brown
sugar. around the stem scar, when
that occurs, you can be very sure
the cantaloupe is fairly sweet.
Cantaloupes are high in vita
min A, and are a good source of
vitamin C - ;
Honey dews are only slightly
netted. The skin is a light yel
low when ripe. They have a
smooth skin and their pale green
color changes to a creamy white
as they ripen. To determine if
it is ripe enough to put in the
refrigerator t6 chill, shake the
melon and listen to hear if the
seeds ire .loose.,;
Honey dew melons are a fair
ly good source, of vitamin C and
like the . cantaloupe can be ser
ved on the breakfast, luncheon
or dinner table and can be used
as appetizers, as salad or in fruit
cups. , . ,
or erect, please tell us where
the money is coming from?
The, article in your paper
stated thai it is to be a com
munity project. If so. the money
would have to be raised by
subscription or by some other
way, and not by taxation, as
lets than half of the people in
Unien bounty pay. taxes.
I think that the majority of
thi veterans feel as I do. We
r don't' want a memorial. What
we wait to see it that the fam
lies of the boys who gave their
lives are taken care of, and that
the disabled and sick are given
. the best possible hospitaliza
tion and schooling. As for those
lucky .enough to return, all
they ask. is a job with decent
wages so that they can raise
their families, and not be taxed
for some memorial.
Yours Truly,
Ex-Soldier homeowner
. , , .
Divers Suggests
Flag For Memorial
One of the earliest suggestions
for a living memorial for the sol
diers of the second world war was
made today by W. H. Divers, 2402
North Ash, who .suggesty that
flags which include all the united
nations be adopted for use in con
nection with the American flag.
Divers would have U. S. rep
resented by a large star in the
middle of the flag with stars for
the British commonwealth, Rus
sia, France and China in each
corner. Grouped around the cen
tral star would be smaller stars
representing other united nations,
according to Divers suggestion.
Melvin Larson,
Former Banker
Here, Dead
Melvin. L. Larson, formerly of
La Grande, manager of the Ore
gon City branch of the First Na
tional bank of Portland, and
chairman of the Clackamas coun
ty war finance committee, died
in a hospital there yesterday after
a heart attack.
Larson was born at Irene, S. D.,
Aug. 27, 1895. He was educated
in La Grande elementary and
high schools and at Oregon City
State college. He served during
World War I with the 167th field
hospital, 42nd division. He was a
member of B. P. O. E.
HeTjecamd, associated with the
First National bank in 1936, went
to Oregon City as assistant man
ager In 1938, and was named
manager in 1942.
He leaves his wife, Mary E., a
daughter, Gail, both of Oregon
City; three brothers, Lynn H. of
La Grande, Willard F., Redwood
City, Calif.; Earl L., Auburn; and
a sister, Violet M. Jcnnc, of Red
ding, Calif.
Funeral services will be at 2
p. m. Friday in Snodgrass Fu
neral chapel, under the auspices
of the Elks lodge, with Rev. C.
A. Kopp, rector of the Episcopal
church, officiating. Burial will be
in Sumerville cemetery.
Lose Fire!
Line; New
Tea Hit:
PORTLAND, Augr. 1 (UP)
Loggers fled for their lives
before flames of the Wilson
river forest fire in western
Oregon as wind whipped up
new peril in the Jordan creek
section on the southwest edge
of the 200,000-acre burn. !
They were forced to abandon
tools and valuable equipment as
flames roared back through hills
previously spotted by spot fires
more than a week ago.
Lose Line ;
' More fire line has been lost in
western Washington county
where flames ate into new
growth timber, and another fin
ger of the fire is pushing along
mountainis into the south be
tween the Trask and Tualitian
watersheds.
Thirty miles to the north, in
Clatsop county south of Elsie,
last wek's outbreak has grown
into a huge spot fire, but this
has not joined the main burn.
Flames also are eating southward
toward the town of Cochran, but
the progress Is slow.
The mysterious burning of the
high trestle over Devil's Fork
canyon forced rerouting of fire
fighters from the chief dispatch
ing headquarters at Owl camp.
The bridge had been guarded
closely but embers in the timbers
broke out suddenly.
- The northwestern sector of the
fire was scouted to determine the
extent of spot fires. The terrain
)s so rugged fire crews have been
barely able to get to the fire
fronts. v
Bulldozers widened fire breaks
on most of the other fronts
Nearer Town
Some crews are being released
on Polk county fires, now under
control.
The Forest Grover reservoir
and water shed continued to be
threatened, with flames barely a
quarter of a mile away. Aug
mented crews battled the fires.
In western Washington, more
than 100 firefighters brought
fires on neatly a square mile of
logged-off land near Enumclaw
under control early today. Fores
ters said tho fire will burn itself
out if winds do not rise. No one
was injured, but 3,000,000 board
feet of lumber was destroyed.
Baptist Leave For
Anthony Lake Camp
Youth and adult members of
the Baptist churches of the
Grande Ronde association left
today for the Baptist camp to be
conducted from today through
the 10th at Anthony lakes.
Included in the Grande Ronde
association are Baker, Cove, En
terprise, Haines, La Grande and
Ontario, as well as communities
which do not have Baptist
churches.
Pastors from various parts of
the northwest are present to in
struct the classes and direct
recreation and will be assisted by
laymen from the different dis
tricts. Kathl
een
Lt. Kathleen Peare, 26-year-old
La Grande girl, has the distinc
tion of being the only flight nurse
from Union county.
The La Grande officer, who
was a nurse at the AAF debarka
tion and station hospital of the
air transport command's Fair-field-Suisun
army air base, Calif,,
for more than two years, is cur
rently on duty aboard an ATC
C-54 Skymaster hospital plane
evacuating sick and wounded
battle-scarred veterans to the
United States from the Pacific
theater. ,
Lieutenant Peare completed all
training required for a qualified
flight nurse before being entitled
to wear the silver wings of an
army air forces air transport com
mand aerial angel of mercy.
Every Emergency
Every possible contingency
which a nurso would face in a
ground hospital can be handled
adequately by an ATC flight
nurse while her plane flics over
the Pacific thousands of feet
in the sky. At the school of avia
tion medicine at Randolph field.
Texas, Lieutenant Peare received
rigid training for high altitude
flying. She can, if necessary, ad-
IF
rlnn)
800 B-29s, Record Force, Hit Four
Honshu Cities, Including Oil Center
550 MILES PER HOUR. WITH
Powered by new jet propelled
it maneuverable at an altituda
soon in Pacific.
12,000 Pounds of .
Paper Collected v
In Last Drive
More than 12,000 pounds of
paper was gathered by the Un
ion county salvage committee and
its assastants Friday and Satur
day in La Grande, it was an
nounced today by Lynne Bohnen
kamp, chairman.
The pickup was made by the
salvage committee with trucks
donated by Wayne. Shustcr of the
Peoples Garbage service, Lynn
Williamson of La Grande Gar
bage service and Smith Brothers
hauling service.
Only about 1,000 pounds of tin
was collected. The 12,000 pounds
of paper was added to part of a
carload from the paprr depot,
making nearly 47,700 pounds in
the car shipped.
While a donution is being
made to tho Shrine hospital in
Portland as soon as money is re
ceived from the sale of the paper,
this drive was conducted entirely
by the Union county salvage
committee.
Assisting in loading the car
were Clarence Powers, Chester
Peterson, president of La Grande
junior chamber of commerce,
Charles Karthcr, Wayne Shuster,
Dick Lewis und son and Lynn
Williamson and son. Cub scouts
assisted in getting the paper out
in various parts of the city.
Support Price On
Beets Announced
WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UP)
Secretary of Agriculture Clinton
P. Anderson announced today a
1046 support price program on
sugar beets and sugar cane which
offers higher pavements as an
incentive for increased produc
tion. '4: . J3
i 'M f
LT. KATHLEEN PEARE only
flight nurte from Union coun
ty, now on duty on hospital
plne.
minister oxygen to patients, give
blood transfusion and prepare
any surgical dressings that may
need changing, while in flight.
Air evacuation, one of the most
important function performed
Peare Is Fli
EASE Fast at a bullet, new USAAF P-8G "Shooting Star" in flight.
engine, the Star it capable of 550 milet per hour cruiting tpeed and
of 40,000 feet. It it one of teveral U. S. tecret weapons to be used
Final Big Three
Session Tonight
POTSDAM, Aug. 1 (UP)
The big three met in plenary
session today and it was be
lieved the conference will end
tonight after a final session to
approve the official commun
que. A U. S. army spokesman said
flatly the big three are meeting
tonight for what was expected
to be their last session. Shortly
before this announcement it
was understood the conference
was over. '
Questioned regarding a re
port published in the United
States that the conference had
ended, the army spokesman
said i
"The conference hat not end
ed." Canadian Travels
1,900 Miles to Hear
Combs Imitate Birds
Nineteen hundred miles is a
long way to travel to compare
whistles but that is what Thomas
Gorst of Winipcg did after read
ing of Nephi Combs' talent, as
described in Progress Guide re
cently. He arrived here Friday and
plans to leave today. While here
he visited Wallowa lake, Anthony
lakes and other points of interest
in eastern Oregon and voiced pro
found appreciation of the scenery
of the country.
Gorst imitates birds as a hobby,
but uses an entirely different
technique from Combs.
MANY JAPS DIE
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 1
(UP) The Australian army de
partment announced today Aus
tralian troops huve inflicted be
tween 12,000 and 13,000 casual
lies on Japanese forces in the
Solomons and New Guinea.
ght Nurse
by the nir transport command,
actually begins when a wounded
man is picked up on the battle
field by medical aid men and
rushed to an aid station. From
there he is placed aboard a plane
and taken to one of the receiving
hospitals in the Pacific area. Af
ter treatment there, oftentimes
only hours after he fell on the
battlefield, he is placed on one
of the ATC's huge four engine
flying ambulances and flown to a
debarkation hospital in the
States.
Parents Live Hore
Lieutenant Peare received her
elementary education at Sacred
I h art ecademy in La Grande, at
tended La Grande high school,
Eastern Oregon college, Oregon
State college and Portland uni
versity, where she received her
bachelor of science degree. She
took her nurses training at St.
Vincent's school of nursing, und
advanced work at University of
Olegon Medical school.
Prior to enlisting in the army
musts corps, July, IU4H, Lieuten
ant Peare was a supervisor in St.
Vincent's hospital, Portland.
She is the daughter of Dr. and
Mis. W. M. Peare, La Grande.
n 6)
3,000 Pheasants
Released Here
In Last Week
With 3,000 more Monoglian
pheasants added to the bird pop
ulation in the Grande Ronde val
ley within the last few days, the
valley has a better pheasant out
look "than we have in the On
tario neighborhood," according to
the superintendent of the On
tario game farm. , '" '
The birds were brought ,into
the valley from the game farm
by state game commission trucks
and were freed at various parts
of the valley by farm employes
with the assistance of members
of the Sportsmen's club here.
Five Loads
The birds were freed near Un
ion, Cove, Summervillc, Hot Lake
und other vicinities within the
county. There were five truck
loads of them, brought. in 600 to
the loud.
Claud Mackey, Nate Zwcifel
and Ernie Walden assisted the
game commission employes In re
leasing the pheasants. They were
told there were more released
here than in any other area of
the state.
Ideal Conditions
With' the number of birds al
ready in the county, the 3,000
new population of birds any
where from a third to half grown
will assure hunters of plenty of
game when the season opens.
Game commission workers said
cover, water and food conditions
in the valley are ideal for pro
pagation of the pheasants.
Season is from Oct. 13 to Nov.
4 in Union, Baker, Malheur, Uma
tilla and Wallowa counties. Bug
limit is four males a day, eight in
possession but not to exceed eight
in any seven consecutive days.
Crude Rubber Of
Philippines Is
Reaching U. S.
MANILA, Aug. 1 (UP) Crude
rubber from tho Philippines has
begun moving to the United
States and production will be in
creased steadily, it was revealed
today.
Officials of the foreign econom
ic administration and the affili
ated rubber development corpo
ration reported 58 tons of crude
rubber have just been shipped to
America. Earlier, 800,000 pounds
of salvage Japanese rubber was
shipped.
The rubber, and all subsequent
shipment! will be sold to private
industry in the United States.
. James S. Baker, of Washington,
D. C, deputy director of the Phil
ippines mission, said the ship
ments are "just a drop in a buck
et considering tha United States'
rublier requirements but rwwr
theless they're nvot welcome. 8
sidc the shipments will be in
crcaM.d steadily."
Philippine plantations produc
ed 1,000 metric tons annually be
fore the war and production with
in the next year is expected to
exceed that figure greatly.
By United Press
! Eight hundred Superior!?:.;
ressess the greatest B-29 fleet
ever to raid Japan dropped
upwards of 6,000 tons of in-'
cendiaries and two-ton, block-,
busters on four Honshu cities"
and a petroleum center early,
today. 8he important Industrial and
transportation hubs of HachiojY,'
Toyama, Nagaoka and Mlto weriT
warned ' 24 hours before they-'
were on the 20th air force "death
list."
200 Mora
With the Kawasaki petroleum'
center near Tokyo they felt the
weight of possibly the biggest
bomb tonnage ever dropped by
American planes anywhere. B--20s
used today topped the previ
ous high by some 200.
The giant raid was described
by Maj. Gen. Curtis E. Lemay as
his "swan song" as commanding
general of the 20th and a cele.
bratlon of the 38th anniversary
of the founding of the U. S. army '
air force.
Announcement of the attack1
was made in communique No. 1
issued iby the new U.- S. army,
strategic air forces headquarters,
under command of Gen. Carl A.
Spaatz, with Lemay as chief of'
staff. , ..
Also Hit
Four mighty task forces of 160 '
B-29s each sent their fire bombs,
tumbling into the rail and indus-.
trial cities of Mito and Hachioji,
near Tokyo, and the Honshu port
cities of Toyama and Nagaoka, A
fifth fleet dropped blockbusters
on the Mitsubishi, Hoyama, Asa
Ishi,' and Alkoku oil refineries at
Kawasaki. '
(Tokyo radio reported Niigita,
port city 25 miles north of Na
gaoka, also was hit in what tho
Japanese said was a two-hour
raid.
Raid today raised to 57 the num
ber of enemy homeland cities de
vastated by the B-20s. Ten of the
19 cities forewarned by Amer
ican "death list" leaflets now
have been bombed.
Mustangs, Too
Radio Tokyo reported 20 Amer
ican P-51 Mustangs bombed,
rocketed, and machine gunned
airbuses and transportation facil
ities in the Osaka -Ko be area
southwest of Tokyo for 50 min
utes beginning at 8 a. m. (Japa
nese timo).
Another Japanese broadcast
said an allied submarine surfac
ed off the south coast of Hokka
ido and boldly shelled Tomakp
mai for 30 minutes about 6 p. m.
yesterday. The broadcast said
damage was slight.
Swing South
The third fleet has been silent
since sending its destroyers into
Suruga bay. to shell the city of
Shimizu. Swingjing south after
attacking the Tokyo area Mon
day, American carrier planes sank
two ships, damaged six, destroy
ed 56 planes on the ground and
damaged 33, sweeping along a 90
mile stretch from Nagoya to the
Maizure naval base on the sea of
Japan.
Since July 10 the third fleet has
destroyed or damaged 1,477 Jap
anese planes and 957 ships, In
cluding 109 warships.
Take Junction
Chinese headquarters in Chung
king announced Chinese troops
have captured the Pinglo road
junction, 55 miles southeast of
Kweilin.
Also from Chungking Lt. Gen.
Albert C. Wedemcyer's headquar
ters announced the 10th U. S. air
force is being shifted to China
from the India-Burma theater.
In eastern Borneo, Australian
artillery continued softening up
the road toward the rich oil
sources at Samarinda.
School Election
Set For Saturday
Election for consolidation of
the Gordon creek and Elgin
school districts has been set for
Saturday, Aug. 4, Miss Ethel S.
Hansen, Union county superin
tendent of scbtols, announced to
day. (Iiictiona will be held at both
plwcs. It was announced, and if
th proposal is passed, Gordon
creek sclwol district No. 30 will
be consolidated with Elgin school
district No. 23, meeting at the
Elgin school house,