O b Partly cloudy through Fri day; few snow flurries over mountains today; high today 40-47; low tonight 18-24; high Friday 36-43. server Established 1896 Daily except Sunday LA GRANDE, OREGON, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1958 Price 5 Cents California To Launch VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (UPI) Scientists, engineers and construction men worked feverishly here today to ready this huge new Air Force base for "Project Discoverer," a program aimed at putting a man carrying satellite into space.' I lie Defense Department an nounced Wednesday that the first shot in the program to find out how to put a man into orbit and get him back safely will be fired in about 30 days. The biggest U. S. satellites to date will be launched. These even tually will include a five-ton artifi cial moon which is much bigger than anything Russia has put into orbit so far. Mice and monkeys will go first, probably on the fifth or sixth launchings about the mid dle of next year. When enough information is obtained, a man will be launched, but not in 1959. Spokesmen explained one reason Vandcnberg was chosen for this project is its location on the Pa civic missile range, the world's largest, from where it is clear Red Stand Blasts Ban Hopes GENEVA (UPI i Hopes for an effective ban on nuclear test ing faded today when the Rus sians announced they will insist on the .right to veto decisions of the organization set up to police the ban. Radio' Moscow, violating a pledge - of secrecy, 1 broadcast a detailed account of Soviet propos als to the nuclear-test conference here revealing for , the first time thfit- 'Russia- will not 'accept ma jority rule in the control group. The broadcast re-affirnied the Russian demand that tests must be banned "for all time," but at the same lime expressed "strong objections" to the idea of setting up permanent inspection teams to police it. The combined effect of the So viet declarations probably will be to doom the conference on testing to failure. At the same time. Radio Mos cow served thinly-veiled notice on the United States and Britain that Russia reserves the right to re sume testing at any time and to continue it until agreement on. a ban is reached. The slated goal of the prospec tive resumption of Soviet nuclear tests was to "match the total number of U.S. and British ex plosions since March 31, 1958" when the Russians announced they were suspending tests. Plane Crash Fatal To Four In Denver DENVER I UPI i Four persons died in the crash of a private plane on takeoff into a snowstorm here today. The dead were identified tenta tively as Preston Joe Burkhart, 39, his wife. Columbine, 30. their daughter, Sandra Lou, 14, and Mrs. Kathleen Morrison, Burk hart's sister. The party was bound for Woods field. Oho. where Burkluirt's mother suffered a heart attack Wednesday. Burkhart was an insurance agent and an expert on guns. He was an experienced pilot, accord ing to his employer, John Price of the Travellers Insurance Co. LaborSeeksMinimumWage WASHINGTON UPP Organ ized labor and its allies launched a major drive today to obtain an increase in the federal minimum wage and extend it to include mil lions of workers not now covered. New demands for Congress to revamp the Fair Labor Standards Act were expected to result from a two-day conference marking the 20th anniversary of the minimum wage law. The AFL-CIO and the National Consumers League, joint sponsors of the meeting, lined up such new deal headliners as former Secretary of Labor Frances Per kins and economist Leon Keyser ling to address their conference. The Labor Federation was on record in favor of a 25-cent boost in the minimum to $1.25 and ex tension of coverage to nearly 10 million additional wage and salary AF Base Satellites shot to the South Pole, the di rection in which all launchings from here will be made. "In the Pacific, there is plenty of ocean in which to recover the satellites and many islands which can be used as tracking stations," a spokesman said. Other reasons:' Experts believe the jutting section of coast may be the only place in the U. S. where it is pos sible to launch satellites into Po lar orbits. It is only in a Polar orbit' that a reconnaissance sat ellite such as the Air Force Sen try could view the entire surface of the earth. The installation is close ' to "most manufacturers involved in production of missile develop ment" and to headquarters for the Ballistic Missile Division of the Air Research and Development Command. This base covers nearly 05,000 acres of a wild, beautiful Southern California coastal area which ov erlooks the "Valley of the Flow ers," where 80 per cent of the world's commercial flower seed is produced. It is in the northern section of the tri-service Pacific missile range which extends from Point Mugu, 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles, to Point Sal here, 168 miles from Los Angeles. The Navy has overall charge of i (hp rnntfn urilh lie lia.irlmt.ii.t.ii.u ol I Point Mugu an Indian name meaning "place of landing," but which is more properly "place of launching." Joined directly to the ocean range is a huge inland mis sile rango a strip running 500 miles northeast across the moun tains and deserts of California and Nevada to the Army's . Dugwav proving grounds in Utah. Arrival of the space ace here Il9E nrnrllinoil mam, tl.r.iintt nninn some of them funny. The missile-1 men must schedule many of their firings on tile basis of a Southern Pacific railroad' timetable because the :, SP's ; main coast line runs through the heart of the.base. Pas sengers on the Daylight train which runs between San Francis co ana Los Angeles can sec shrouded Atlas and Thor missiles as they whisk through. Texans Record Mystery 'Beep7 SAN ANTONIO, Tex. (UPI) A moonwatch team here made a recording of a radio signal from space Wednesday night, noted its period cycle, and concluded that it must be coming from an uni dentified, man-made satellite. A day earlier scientists in Sun nyvale, Calif., who first heard the signal Nov. 26, reported it def initely was not coming from any known satellite now circling the eartn. Dr. Paul Scabasc, in charge of the Trinity College moonwatch team in San Antonio, said the sig nal consists of a constant "beep beep," in a scries of two each siimlar to that sent out by the first Sputnik. Ho said the broadcast appears to come in intervals of about one hour and 40 minutes, "apparently from an unidentified, orbiting sat ellite." He added that the signal is right on the Russian frequency of 20.004. The scientist said his team picked up the sound twice on Tuesday night. A Defense Department spokes man said Wednesday that the de partment had not been told of any "mystery" signal. After the first announcement of the signal by the California sci entists there was brief speculation that it was coming from a Russian rocket, shot past the moon and traveling out beyond Mars. workers. Secretary of Labor James P. Mitchell, scheduled to speak today did not commit himself on a higher minimum or broader coverage in his prepared remarks. Mitchell said he would ask Con gress to amend the act to author ize him to sue an employer to re cover back wages for an under paid worker without the worker's written permission as now re quired. He said many workers are reluc tant to give their consent even though they have been paid wages below the legal minimum. "Any man (who) cheats his employes will not be expected to look kindly upon being dragged into bourt by one of them." Mit chell said. The cabinet member asked more workers to complain if their employers violate the : Am SKI CARNIVAL The annual Ski Carnival, co sponsored by the junior and senior high school ski clubs, will be held at the junior high school starting at 7 p.m. tomorrow night, Harvey Car ter, principal there, said this morning. Purpose of the event is to secure funds for the school ski teams, and to purchase additional equip ment for unior. and hiyh school club mem Y a. ' r '- TK H,' . a id. 4 A. i Tighter Fire Law Promised CHICAGO UP1 Cityoffi!ials promised to tighten fire laws to day when an investigation indi cated lack of fire doors sucked suffocating gases to the second floor of a parochial school, killing 87 children and three nuns. , Investigators combing the charred Our Lady of the Angels Roman Catholic grade school for clues to the tragic Monday after noon holocaust believe the flames broke out in rubbish under a basement stairwell. , They said the flames and smoke and gases swept up (he open stairwell to the second floor, killing the children in one searing breath. Most of the victims were found in six classrooms on the second floor. The first floor, protected by a metal fire door, suffered rela tively little fire damage. However, the pastor of Our Lady of the Angeles Catholic Church and the janitor of the school denied any implications of negligence. The pastor, Msgr. Joseph Cucussen, said as far as he knew no papers or rubbish had accumulated beneath the stairwell. wage-hour law. Labor's arguments for a boost in minimum standards were to be advanced by AFL-CIO President George Meany when he speaks at a banquet tonight. The present SI an hour mini mum went into effect March 1, 1956. Mitchell proposed expanding coverage to include 2,500,000 more workers at the last session of Congress but no action was taken to amend the law. About 24 million employes in 900,000 firms now are covered by the act, which provided for a 25 cents an hour minimum when it first went into effect on Oct. 24. 1938. Of the 20 million wage and salary workers not covered, about 13.500.000 are not considered in volved in interstate commerce. The other 6..()0.0()0 ;irc exempt for various reasons. A II' "tUjmi iV-J Local Firemen To Do City Hall Paid and volunteer firemen ap peared en masse at the City Com mission meeting last night to ob ject to an order now in effect thai firemen must do the jani lor work in the city hull building. Fire Chief Ray Snider said the firemen met yesterday without his knowledge to discuss the or der issued effective last Monday by Citv Manager Fred Young. Snider, however, said that since (he men object to the janitor work order, he would buck up his men on the objection because such work will impair the effi ciency of the fire fighters and Fire Nearly Under Control MAL1BU. Calif. iUPD The huge Malibu brush fire which has destroyed 40 homes and black ened more than 20.0(H) acres was reported almost under control to day but still extremely danger ous. More than 2.000 men remained on firelines. concentrating mainly jin hot licks of flame which en dangered a populat ed section near Webster School and two other hot spots along a five-mile perimeter on the east and west lines. A fleet of airplanes dropping packs of a watcr-borate solution bombed the area, especially the hot spots and the inaccessible sections in the rugged canyons. The fire by night looked like a million bonfires from a distance. But the stench qf destruction could be smelled from miles away. Residents returning to sections which already have been wiped out and no longer offered any thing for the blaze to feed on, were faced with a terrible scene of desolation. The blackened hillsides which only two years ago fed the disas trous Malibu fire that claimed one life. 45,000 acres and 60 mil lion dollars worth of property were once again littered with the carcasses of animals. bers. At the carnival a queen from each school will be selected. High school queen candiates (top picture) are from left, Patty Parker, Donna Dodge and Cresta Shaw. Junior high queen can didates are from left (bottom picture) Bonnie Scott, Carol Easley and Susan Cunningham. The public is invited to attend the carnival. (Observer Photos) '1 Protest Order Janitor Work lower the morale of both the paid and volunteer firemen A number of paid and volunteer firemen spoke on the subject, stating thai a few minutes lost getting back to the fire hall from washing windows or mopping city hall floors mighl be costly in fighting a fire. Also, Ihey said. we are proud of being firemen and that they did not want to be doing janitor work. They said they would do anything in the line of work to increase the efficiency of the fire' department. . Commissioners said they would meet with Young to discuss the janitor work order. Young was home in bed with the flu last nighl and did not attend the reg ular commission meeting. Commissioners last night also discussed the possible sale or lease of the Morgan lake prop erty to the State Game Commis sion. Commission directed Young to get together with William Brown of the game commission to see just what arrangement could be worked out. The game commission wants the lake so trash fish can be kill ed and the lake stocked with trout next year. Commissioner Gordon Clarke said he would like to hcur some opinions from the public on what they think should be done with the lake property which the city can buy from the California-Pacific Utilities Company for $7, 500. Details on the purchase are being worked out between city and utility company officials. Man Fined, Sentenced On Check Charge Here Jack 0. Webster, arrested Tues day by city police on a check charge, was fined $50 and sen tenced to 30 days in the county jail yesterday by Justice Judge George Miller. Judge Miller suspended 20 days of the jail term, providing Webster paid the $50 fine and the $25 for the check cashed in La Grande. Webster pleaded guilty to the check charge, District Attorney George Anderson Jr. reported. iirv n Dime 'Copter WASHINGTON (UPI I Surviv ors of a helicopter crasli that took one life and injured nine other persons told today of a harrowing four-hour wait for rescue from the chill waters of the Potomac River. Coast Guard and Washington harbor police rescued the pas sengers from' the fog - shrouded river Wednesday night, and at first it was thought all had been saved. But early today harbor police found the body of one man float ing near the marsh like crash scene two miles south of here. lie was identified from papers Lost Plane Search Continues PENDLETON (UPI) Wreck age of a light plane, believed to be one missing since Mon day with two men aboard, was spotted on a mountaintop to day, a search official here re ported. CONDON, Ore. (UPI) Search resumed in central Oregon today for a light plane missing since Monday on a flight from Spray, southeast of here, to Seattle. Aboard the craft were William Kelsey, 25, Seattle . and Richard Jacobs, 32, Kent, Wash. An all-day aerial search Wed nesday failed to produce a sign of the craft. There was a report Wednesday night that a logger had ' seen what he boUeved to be airplane wreckage about four or five miles northeast of Kin.iia, which Is be tween Condon and Spray. Bruce Mercer, a local businessman, said he and eight other men searched until 2:30 a.m. in the rugged area without finding a trace of wreck ago. He said they hunted an area 1 1-2 miles long by 500 or 600 .( I yards wide. I c. ....... . 1 .1 M. o.. 1'jUi i onyuei , ueuu ui uiu oitxiv Bureau of Acrondutics, said in Salem the search was being con centrated' today on an area 15 miles wide and 30 miles long from Spray to Kinzua. Ho said about four planes would search this area. Other aircraft will search a triangle with Spray, Boardman and The Dulles as the points. Snyder said il was raining -when the pair took off from Spray Mon day morning and thai the search was being concentrated south of the Columbia river in belief the plane did not make il into clear weather north of Condon that day. He said this possibility was not being ruled out, however. Police Probe Double Murder PHOENIX (UPI) Police inves tigating the throat-cutting double murder of gambler Gus Green- baum and his wife today soughU a former employe who once served a prison sentence for steal ing from Grecnbaum. Milncr Jarvis was wanted for questioning on his whereabouts ul the time of the brutal slayings. Police said Grecnbaum signed a complaint which led lo Jnrvis' ar rest and conviction of stealing $45,000 in 1048 from the Las Vegas Flamingo Hotel owned by the wealthy gambler. Jarvis was sentenced to 2 to 14 years in Nevada State Prison. He wus released before his term expired and less than two weeks ago was seen in Las Vegas. Police emphasized Jarvis was not a suspect but that he was sought as a mailer of routine. A $10,000 reward was being offered for the killer. Grecnbaum, 65, president of the fabulous Riviera Hotel on Las Vegas' strip, was found in his home Wednesday with his throat slashed. Mrs. Grecnbaum, 64, fully clothed, her hands tied behind her with her husband's bow ties, and her throat also cut, was dis covered 75 yards away in a den. DIRECTORS REELECTED Stockholders of La Grande In dustrial Promotions at the fourth annual meeting of the corpora tion last night, re-elected Duvc Buum, Dr. Fred Otton, and John Sullivan to serve three-year terms on the board of directors. Cor poration officers will bo elected within the next two weeks at the annual board meeting. 2)yr as M. A. Thralls, 41), a civilian employe of the Fail-child Camera Co.. Syossol, N. Y. The papers indicated he lived at Convent Road and Fourth Place, Syosset, N. Y. The nine men rescued were six Marines and sailors and three ci vilians. Tlie helicopter. a Sikorsky HR2S. was on a routine turn around flight to Anacostia Naval Air Station here from Patuxent Naval Air Station about 50 miles away in southern Maryland. One of tile civilian survivors, Clarence Chick, 2!). of Lexington Park, Md., said the helicopter "was flying along when all of a sudden water rushed in. and metal started flying." He said he found himself hanging upside clown by his seal safety belt. Another passenger. Navy avia tion machinist's mate Clavton Akers, 2li, of Pulaski, Va., said he Translator Power Hike OK The Federal Communications Commission has ruled thai tele vision translator systems can use up to 100 watts of output power, officials of the Grundc Rondo Television Association reported this morning. , The local system has been lim ited lo 10 watts output power at the translator until now, accord- ing to Harlow A. Spcekhart. Translator system associations ov-l er the nation have been working. several months to gel an increase in Ihe allowable power. Speckhart said that since ". . . many home in the valley have been shaded by trees, buildings, etc.. the Grande Rondc Television Association has been. , actively promoting 100 waits 'output be fore the Industry and the FCC in order that it might provide an adequate .signal to all homes in the valley proper. Union and La Grande particularly have been hampered by the attenuation of signal within their towns." Speckhart said il would be im possible lo modify the Grande Rondc Valley station before next spring because of winter weath er conditions. The modification would cost between $18,000 and $20,000 for ull three channels here, Speckhart said. , Because of the cost involved, members of the board of direc tors of the local translator sys tem said it will be up to the association members whether or not the wattage is increased here. There are now 740 association members, Speckhart said. Speckhart said "The advantag es of 100 watls output are that every home in the valley proper would have no trouble getting a snow-free picture and television sets would nol have to be kept tuned lo a peak in order to ijive satisfactory reception." V -J - 'TS iWiiimii " J n u... . I . .-I f RADAR EDUCATION State Police officers Sgt. D. J. (Casey) Catiato and Frod Carpenter, this morning explained and demon strated the use of radar equipment In checking speeding to Lai Grande high school driver training classes. Casiato explained the legality of the equipment and assured the students that you eart'l "beat" the radar by the use of aluminum foil in hubcaps er "y timi" for blocking the radar rwjdings. Carpenter drov a police car past the radar equipment so the students could check hit speed on the equipment. High school Instructor Harry Mondale it hown above at left, with Casiato in uniform at right near the police car and radar equipment. (Observer Phot) guessed the plane hit a sandbar. Akers, who suffered minor cuts and bruises and exposure, said some of the passengers and crew stayed in the overturned helicop ter and some clung to it in the water. The accident happened withiii hailing distance of shore. But the men's plight went unnoticed until residents of a large nearby apart ment in South Alexandria, Va., fi nally heard their cries and alert ed harbor police who sped to the rescue. The survivors were in the river for nearly four hours after the plane went down about 6:30 p.m. e.s.l. Chick said most of those aboard stayed in the helicopter after. the crash. "The tide came in and we were about knee deep in water"" he said. -",' Akers said there was no imlica tion of trouble until the helicopter, hit. : ... "Alh of a sudden there I Avas in the water," he ' said. "It was. pretty cold." . Akers said he slioj two flures to attract attention. , .But police said their search was hampered by fog even after the apartment dwellers notified them of t h -crash. r- The Navy said the helicopter was piloted by Marine Maj. Wil liam Quick 37, of California, Md. $100;000Jewel fi , i-j , I j MOlt KepOTteCl ,r . . ., , NIrW ,0RK Vt V-m, 000 jewel robbery the third East hide haul in two weeks was re ported Wednesday nightly social ite yachtsman John Parkinson. r,...ir;nP,n (..ii tun. n... gems,,.. including his wife's. $25,000 diamdnd necklace. ' disanneared. from his whole-floor Fifth Av enue apartment sometime be tween Monday and Wednesday noon. There were no signs of forcible entry. Parkinson, a broker, said the jewels had been in a drawer in a bathroom closet adjoining the master bedroom of the 12-room apartment. He said that in addi tion lo the necklace, a diamond: nnrt un nmprnll na wnrlh 19 - ouu eucn, a jw.uuu pean neoKiocc, nnrl ft; Finn flinmnnH nnrl cnnnhlrA bracelet were missing. -, . :. The Parkinson -Spartinent f'is five floors belowy-tnat . of, fits. Julius Ochs Adler, jwidowl of the vice president andgeneral' man ager of the New' York Times, who reported' ' $12,000 worth of gold jewelry missing ' from her apartment Tuesday. ' Authorities are still searching for clues to the theft of $35,000 worth of jewels and furs from the Hotel Plaza suite of Porflrio Rubirosa, Dominican playboy diplomat, and his wife Nov. 21. The hotel is eight blocks down Fifth Avenue from the Parkinson and Adler apartments. ,. ,. ..; .... '.I'. . , . . ; .T ' z - if - T'J .