50 '57 '58 J59 '60
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'Watch How She Takes This Hill"
Observer, La Grande, Ore., Mon., April 6, 1959 Page 4
' EDITORIAL PAGE
LA GRANDE OBSERVER
"A Modern Newspaper With The Pioneer Spirit"
Published liy
ttio La Ornmlu 1'ti 111 inIi I nic Conipfiny
Hohfrl W. Chandler. President
J. 11. MuCli-lland, Jr., Vlro I'ronlilclit
RILEY D. ALLEN
(ii:01((iK S. UIAI.LIS
II. I'lIIIJSY
TOM HUMES
, Publisher
Adv. Director
Managing Editor
Circulation Mgr.
Born 20 Years Too Late
Our Eastern Oregon neighbor, the Mak
er Democrat-Herald, comments on a re
cent timber sale in tho Wallowa-Whitman
National Forest and voices a fear that tim
ber in the forest will go to an ont-of-the-,
area lumber company.
The Baker newspaper fears the interest
expressed by the Boise-Cascade company,
an Idaho firm, in a recent sale, in which
the Idaho firm was outbid.
The Baker daily notes that even with
liuj closing of the Pondosa operation of
La Grande's Mt. Emily Lumber Company
the milling capacity of the Wallowa-Whitman
forest "is at least 25 per cent over
tho volume of growth."
These are facts, of course. But this area
fares no worse than other Eastern Oregon
areas excepting the Burns-llines locality
in this regard. Over-installation of mill
ing capacity is common throughout the
west and has led to the continuous running
fight on the part of some logging inter
ests with the U.S. Forest Service.
But, our Baker collogue has suggested a
solution to this problem.
"II is the opinion of the Democrat-Herald
that in the case of a forest such as the
Wallowa-Whitman, where the growth and
normal cut are out of balance, that it
would serve the best interests of tho geo
graphical and economic area lying within
or contiguous to the boundaries of the for
est as well as the national government to
impose some type of restriction favoring
established mills within the area over
those outside it."
This is quite a mouthful. It means that
outside biddcr.s should be kept from bid
ding in future -Forest Service sales in the
area.
It's also quite an idea. The only trouble
is that our Baker colleague is 20 or more
years late in suggesting it.
A law allowing just what the Baker
newspaper suggests was passed by Con
gress a number of years ago.
But the present administration of the
Forest Service refuses to . schedule the
necessary hearings to allow establishment
of the "sustained yield units" which can
be set up under the law. If it could, the
USl'S would do away with the few sus
tained yield units now in operation.
And we're not sure the Forest Service
is wrong.
The' sustained yield units have had the
effect of lessening bidding competition on
Forcsl Service timber sales in their areas
and lowering the price received for stump
age. Much as there have been times when
we'd like to see the sustained yield unit or
some version of it enforced in other com
munities, we are being practical when we
note that it is a dead issue.
The Baker daily had better come up
with some other solution to the problem
of outside bidding on the Wallowa-Whitman.
It's idea of (he other day came about 20
years too Into.
Looking Out For The Wrong Party
. When members of the Oregon State
Bar passed the lawyers' indentinity pro
posal at their convention a few months
ago the move was hailed as a forward-,
looking step.
The proposal was that each lawyer in
Ihe state pay $15 annually to build up a
fund to reimburse clients bilked by the oc
casional bad egg among lawyers.
The plan would cost the taxpayers noth
ing, but under the peculiar form of self
government enjoyed by the lawyers, the
legislature would have to approve the
plan:
A bill to set the program up was intro
duced in the lower House of Oregon's leg
islature. It was referred to the House Ju
diciary committee, whose members are
' lawyers.
This, one would think, would really set
the whole tiling up. Since the majority of
Ihe state's lawyers favored the proposal,
and since it bad been called selfless by al
most everyone who had heard of it, the
Judiciary committee would recommend
its passage right away.
But apparently the lawyer members of
the committee are more interested in sav
ing themselves the $15 the plan would
cost them each year than they are in look
ing out for the wronged clients of the
wrongdoing few.
Thai, at least, is the answer which im
mediately conies to mind when one won
ders about the strange unwillingness of
the .ludiciarv committee to report out the
bill.
He'd Gladly 'Shoot Them' For Us
JL Premier Castro of Cuba is still a diffi
cult person for Americans to figure out.
He is alternately friendly and antagonistic.
Sometimes, too, he displays a sense of hu
mor. The other day, for example, he said U.S.
authorities have asked him to arrest Amer
ican gangster gamblers in Cuba. He re
plied that he would not only be glad to ar
rest them, but be would "shoot them" too,
if asked to do so.
Then he complained that the U.S. is
providing refuge for what he described as
"Cuban war criminals." He indicated he
would like to trade some gamblers for his
own enemies who fled the country.
Some might have expected that he sug
gest a procedure that would save transpor
tation costs we shoot his war criminals
and lie shoot our gangsters.
Steel Strike Faces Industry
By TOM CAMPBELL
Editor In Chief, The Iron Age
NEW YORK UPI) If we
lived and worked in a vacuum
there would be no steel labor
management hassle this year.
And if we were logical in our ac
tions there would be little or no
chance of a wage increase or a
price increase this year.
But we don't work in a vacuum
and logic is one of the last things
that is being used by many labor
leaders today. But when was it
ever different?
There is a 70 30 chance of a long
and bitter strike in the steel in
dustry this year. Of course there
probably won't be one if there is
a war on in East Germany. But
that should be so obvious that it
is not a point in trying to judge
ahead of time what the steel labor-management
climate will be
at midnight June 30.
True, the government has called
upon both sides for a. settlement
that will be non-inflationary. Also.
Senator Kefauver will do his best
with political overtones to at
tempt to scare both sides into an
agreement that will, in his eyes,
be non-inflationary.
But the administration and the
senator are but small factors in
the coming labor hassle. The rea
sons why steelworkers' uniop chief
Dave McDonald must get a raise
with fringes are many. And the
reasons why the steel industry
this year must stand up and fight
to the bitter end are many too.
For the first time since the cel
ebrated pension strike in 1949 the
immovable will meet the irresist
ible this year. Something will give
-rand it will be both sides after
a strike that this week seems al
most certain.
The strike is a weapon of the
union. There is nonsense in the
statement that industry "forces '
a strike. It "takes" a strike and
it is not so dumb but that it
knows it must think long and
seriously before it submits to a
strike.
Economically there is, according
to many steel leaders, nothing lo
negotiate this year with steel labor.
While this may be a pose on the
part of some steel officials, others
actually and sincerely believe that
to be the case.
Their point and it is well taken
is that a steel wage raise with
more fringe will require a steel
price increase. They also argue
that steel labor is about the best
paid in the country and that more
wage increases will only give us
more inflation. They also assert
the high wage rates are pricing
American steel out of the foreign
markets and also to some extent
out of home markets.
Dave McDonald will lend a deaf
ear to all this logic. He is a first
class labor man well trained by
the late Phil Murray and also by
his experience before and since
then. His job is to get the boys a
raise and fringe. They may claim
they are not for a strike. But if a
strike will get them more of the
green stuff they will take that
rather than an economic treatise
from either Dave or the steel in
dustry. There is also the little question
of Dave's reelection as president
of the USWA coming up in 1961.
Of course he wants to be reelect
ed to his $50,000 a year job. There
is no difference between him and
his counterparts in the steel in
dustry except Dave has to be
elected to the job. Naturally he
will have to think of this when
he goes for a big package this
year, tie also has George Meany's
blessing to get the best contract
possible. '
Then there is the age old rea
son why Dave has to get some
thing: Any labor chief who comes
away from a negotiation or a
strike without a raise and fringe
can pretty well expect to be re
placed by the opposition at the
next election.
And it has to be remembered
that the steelworkers union is a
well run and relatively democrat
ic union.
Dave is no dictator; he has to
bring home the bacon. Of course
this law does not necessarily ap
ply to a leader of a union in a
depressed industry. But cvep there
the law of "produce or get out"
has some effect: Unless the top
man is an entrenched dictator.
Commie Propagandists Use Article
By LOUIS CASSELS
WASHINGTON UPI Propa
ganda sparks are flying in Rus
sia because of the latest issue of
"America Illustrated." the Russian-language
magazine distribut
ed in the Soviet Union by the
U. S. Information Service.
The article which touched off
the sparks is a two-page spread
of text and pictures depicting the
"generally improving status" of
America's 18 million Negroes.
The text tells of the dramatic
progress U. S. Negroes have
made in recent years in income,
education and housing. Sample
statistic: The average dollar in-
Quotes
From The
News
WASHINGTON Gen. Thomas S.
Power, head of the Strategic Air
Command, warning the United
States must impress upon Soviet
Premier Nikita Khrushchev the
fact that he cannot attack this
country with impunity:
"I think the minute he thinks
he can strike this country with
impunity, we will 'get if in the
next 60 seconds. The only thing to
keep him honest is full knowledge
of what will happen to him."
NEW YORK Rep. Cornelius E.
Gallagher (D-N.J.), expressing
confidence this country will not
bow to the Soviet ultimatum to
get out of Berlin by May 27:
"I am confident we will be
there this May 27 and the next
May 27. The honor of the United
States is being tested on this issue.'
NORWALK, Conn. Alva I. Cox
Jr., director of the audio-visual
and broadcast education division
of the National Council of Church
es, expressing approval of a jazz
Mass at St. Paul's Church on the
green :
"But the music is so bad I hope
the experiment is not judged on
the quality of the product."
LONDON Field Marshal Vis
count Montgomery, expressing un
concern at adverse British news
paper criticism of his impending
visit to Moscow to talk over Last
West affairs with Soviet Premier
Khrushchev:
"I am always being criticized
I am used to criticism. I should
feel unhappy and think there was
something wrong if I were not
being attacked in some way."
Neuberger Wants
Billboards To Go
PORTLAND (UPI Sen. Rich
ard L. Neuberger (D-Ore.) says
he hopes an Oregon group will go
to work and get a measure placed
in the 1960 general election ballot
to limit billboards on federal high
ways. A similar measure died in com
mittee at the Oregon Legislature
last week.
Neuberger said he was sorry
the bill was tabled and predicted
that it would pass by "at least a
four or five to one vote" if sub
mitted to the people in 1960.
"Orcgonians are proud of their
wonderful scenic grandeur and de
plore billboard jungles along their
highways," he said.
Broadway Bank Makes
Move To Broadway
NEW YORK lUPI The Broad
way Savings Bank has opened a
new branch office at 239 Broad
way and the event was a banner
one for the 108-year-old institution.
The opening marked the first
time in its entire history that the
bank has actually had a location
on Broadway.
come of Negro workers has gone
up 415 per cent since 1940, while
the average income of white
workers has risen 277 per cent.
Accompanying pictures show
mixed Negro and white groups at
work in offices and scientific lab
oratories, worshipping in church,
playing basketball, attending
school and participating as equals
in civic meetings.
The article directly contradicted
the stereotyped picture of Negro
life in America which the Soviet
press has assiduously created. It
promptly came under heavy prop
aganda fire from the widely-circulated
Soviet youth newspaper
"Komsomolets."
"Komsomolets" published a full
page spread purporting to show
"what the magazine America was
silent about." It featured pictures
of a white-robed Ku Klux Klans
man carrying a hangman's noose,
and the body of a lynched Negro
hanging from a tree.
The Soviet newspaper charged
"America Illustrated" with "jug
gling figures" and "hiding facts"
in an attempt to "prove that a
paradise for Negroes has been
created In the United States."
But, it said, "reality tells us
quite the contrary."
It then went on to give a lurid
description of "Negro ghettoes"
in New York, Washington and
Chicago, laced with accounts of
attacks by "racialist hooligans"
on any Negro family which seeks
to move into "the prohibited
areas reserved for whites only."
U. S. propaganda analysists are
intrigued by the vehemence of
the Soviet reaction to the "Amer
ica Illustrated" article.
"It indicates," said one official,
"that we drew blood. They
wouldn't have been so upset un
less a good many Russians were
reading and taking seriously
the articles in America Illus
trated." He said this is the first time
the Soviet press has attacked the
monthly U. S. magazine since it
went on sale in Russia in Octo
ber, 1956.
Under an agreement negotiated
in 1955, Russia permits the U. S.
Information Agency to sell 50,000
copies of "America Illustrated"
in Russia each month. In return,
Russia is allowed to circulate in
this country an equal number of
copies of its English-language
magazine "USSR."
"America Illustrated" is sold at
news stands in 80 Russian cities
at a price of five rubles per copy
$1.25 at the official rate of ex
change. A British newspaper, the
Economists, reported in a dis
patch from Moscow last month
that the U. S. magazine is so pop
ular with Soviet readers that "it
is snapped up the moment it ap
pears on the bookstalls and there
after changes hands briskly at
three times the published price."
The avowed purpose of "Amer
ira Illustrated" is to "promote
better understanding of the Unit
ed States in the Soviet Union. To
tell the story of America today:
What American people are doing
and saying. . .how they live work
and play."
About half of each month's 60
pages of pictures and text con
sists of articles reprinted from
leading U. S. Magazines. The re
mainder is produced by the US1A
staff. The article on Negroes was
in the latter category.
Letters To The Editor
The Oharrvtr mlromn Irtlrra
from Ifa rradrrn. All totter ml
hrar the name and addrena of the
writer, bat will be withheld an
reqaent. Lettera should not ex
eeed 300 word.
To the Editor:
Your editorial on Bob Aufder
heidc in the Observer of March
30, was much appreciated.
I did not have the pleasure of
knowing Bob Aufdcrheide but in
my three years in Oregon I have
heard many nice reports about
him from colleagues.
The nature of a Forest Super
visor s work, a balance wheel
among special interest groups,
does not often bring him before
the public in a favorable light.
As a subscriber to the Obscrv-
er. I have enjoyed your editorial
column. We need frank discus
sion of local and national issues.
Very truly yours,
John M. Wick,
District Ranger
La Grande, Ore.
March 31, 1959
To the Editor:
What happened to our pioneer
stories entitled "Do You Rcmem
ber"? We enjoyed reaading the
articles very much, having been
residents for around 50 years in
this valley, a wonderful place to
live. The story is also scrap
book material,
signed
Mrs. Clara L. Johnson,
2104 N. Fir St.,
La Grande, Ore.
To the Editor:
I was pleased and impressed
that one of our local musicians
should have been chosen to be a
soloist in the secular cantata
"Carmine Burana'' in Portland
this month. It is disappointing to
find the account of the selection
being given no better place in our
local paper than on the page with
the classified advertisements.
Very truly yours,
Fred J. Young
City Manager
To the Editor:
I want to ten yod how disappoint
ed I am to have read the small
writeup on Neil Wilson's coming
performance with the Portland
Junior Symphony.
I simply cannot understand why
of all the many things that happer
around here, something like thit
shouldn't be given special recogni
tion. Mr. Wilson has worked hard to
become the fine singer he is, and
being a so'oist with the Portland
symphony will be an important
stepping stone in his career. No1
only will his performance brine
recognition to himself, but it will
also bring recognition to Eastern
Oregon College, where his voice
teaching and choir directing if
greatly appreciated and valued b
both faculty and the students.
I have talked with several in
dividuals who agree with me that
Mr. Wilson, or any person wh
can qualify for such a feat equa'
to this, deserves a special featun
on the front page. We feel tha'
the Observer has slighted him by
printing such an insignificant ar
tide.
Very truly yours, .
Barbara Myer
Money Discovered
In Donated Coat
YONKERS. N.Y. (UPI A Sal
vat ion Army worker unable tt
fold a tattered old Army jacke'
donated for the needy slit opet
the lining and found it neatly pad
ded with $4,526 in cash.
Detectives called in by tht
charitable organization traced tht
old jacket through a cleaninf
mark to the home of James Ross
who identified the jacket as the
property of his late brother-in-law,
James Cashin, a former po
lice captain.
Ross said he had given the
jacket to the Salvation Army aft
er Cashin's death last February.
The money was turned over to
Cashin's estate.
I
NEA faltpaoh)
PONDERING President Eisenhower appears lost in deep
, thought while he waits to mdke his address to Gettysburg
College's spring, convocatfqo; at Gettysburg, fa. in his
speech the President citedtVietnam, Japan, and Berlin
as examples of the needfor firmness in the "face of
Soviet challenges.
Paraguay President
Fears U. S. Aid Cut
By PHIL NEWSOM
UPI Foreign News Editor
From the foreign news editor's
assignment book: -
New Deal? ,
ASUNCION, Paraguay The
Colorado Party which has gov
erned the country lor 12 years un
der a slate of siege and with one-
parly elections officially has-
asked President General Alfredo
Strocssner to restore democracy
by stages. It would include a lift
ing of the state of siege, declara
tion of political amnesty, elec
tions and constitutional reforms.
Stroessner gracefully accepted in
a speech last week.
However, informed Paraguay
ans say the government has gone
through this act before. They be
lieve the present activity stems
from the tide running against dic
tators in America generally and
from the fall of Batista in par
ticular. Top government men fear
Stroessner's bad press may influ
ence a Democratic Congress in
Washington to cut off Paraguayan
aid.
Employment
Report May
Halt Spending
WASHINGTON UPI Adminis
tration officials hope that a re
port on March unemployment
would blunt Democratic and labor
demands for multi-billion-dollar
spending programs to spur the
economy.
The government was expected to
issue a report Tuesday showing
that the number of jobless in
March declined by about 300,0(10
from the 4,449,000 unemployed in
February. This would be more
than the normal seasonal drop.
The Democratic Advisory Coun
cil charged Sunday night the Unit
ed States is headed for disaster
unless the Eisenhower administra
tion stops trying "to balance the
budget without balancing the eco
nomy." In a special statement on un-'
employment, the 27 Democratic
Party leaders called for new pro
grams to improve schools, hous
ing, medical care, transportation
facilities, natural resource protec
tion and slum clearance.
Similar demands for government
action were expected from the
AFL-CIO conference on unemploy
nent opening here Wednesday
The decline to three million, he
?aid, would be "practically full
employment" in the U.S. economy.
Moving Day
BERLIN The Soviets appear
to be preparing to move their
Berlin troops out of the city. In
telligence sources say the Soviets
are building barracks and homes
at Bernau. about 12 miles north
east of Berlin. It is believed vari
ous army headquarters now in
East Berlin will be moved to Ber
nau if and when the Soviets par
ry out their throat to turn over
occupation controls to the East
German government. The gener
ally accepted date now is May 27.
Change In The Weather '
LONDON Watch for Russia
to choke off quietly its ambitious
promises of economic and mili
tary aid to Egypt. Yugoslavia
was cut off when it disagreed
with Moscow. Now President Ca
rnal Abdel Nasser of the United
Arab Republic is even more open
ly condemning Moscow for its in
trigues in Iraq.
There have been protestations
from Moscow that there are no
strings attached to the aid prom
ises to Egypt. But it was signifi
cantly leaked in the Soviet capi
tal last week that Russian "letter
lo the editor" writers are attack
ing aid to Egypt. In Russia, such
letters are often the first step to
ward definite action.
Off With The Old?
TOKYO With the approach
ing wedding of Crown Prince Aki
hito and his commoner sweet
heart, Michiko Shoda, rumors per
sist that Emperor Hirohito is
planning to abdicate. Perhaps no
one, except the emperor, knows
how much truth there is in these
rumors. But it is not expected to
come if it comes off at ail
before the wedding of Princess
Suga, his youngest child, some
time in the fall.
Power Struggle
BUENOS AIRES - A tremen
dous behind-the-scenes struggle
for power is going on in Argen
tina. President Arturo Frondizi's
austerity . program has created
new converts for the Communists,
and unemployment threatens to
create even more. Meanwhile,
former Peronistas are drifting
into sort of Trotsky-type direct
action groups because of bewil
dering and contradictory orders
purporting to come from former
President Juan Peron in exile in
Santo Domingo. The Catholic
Church is concerned about the
Communist gains. In another
arena, the church is engaged in
a battle with Free Masonry.
Many officers fti the armed
forces, as well as some politi
cians, are Masons.
Side Glances
few
iftfr1
t-7
T M. tt. U S. PbL ML
C mt .7 MCA Urm, tm.
"I always come to the supermarket on rainy days. It's
grand place for the kids to run off their energy 1"