LA GRANDE OBSERVER
247th Issue 63rd
Yey
LA GRANDE, OREGON, SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 1959
Price 5 Cents
Red Talk Of New Blockade
Chills Western Di
VJ"
p lorn at
I : '
BRAHMA BULLS, HORSES,
A brief rain storm failed to
cipants and spectators at the 51st annual Eastern Ore
gon Livestock Show at Union Friday afternoon. Bra
hma bulls were the favorite of the afternoon providing
thrills and chills for contestants and fans alike. The
House Overwhelmingly Approves
Bill To Boost Missile Program
WASHINGTON (UPI) The
House overwhelmingly approved
a $38,800,000,000 military money
hill this week which would boost
President Eisenhower's missile
and defense programs. -
The total was about 400 million
dollars below what Eisenhower
requested - lo run the'armcd serv
ices during the fiscal year start
ing July 1. It was about one bil
lion dollars less than the sum
Congress voted for : the current
fiscal year
The House was able to beef up
Iong--ange missile programs aid
bolster dofpnscs against Soviet
rockets and submarines but still
Investigation May Be Held
Of Tense Caribbean Nations
, WASHINGTON (DPI) The Or
ganization of America.) States
(OAS) may use the Nicaragua)!
revolt as justification for a sweep
ing investigation of the entire tension-torn
Caribbean,
s A. long and thorough inquiry
was indicated when the OAS
asked 13 nations in the Caribbean
area whether the trouble in Nica
ragua constituted a threat to the
peace of the hemisphere. ,
In asking the foreign ministers
of the 13 nations to send all perti
nent information "in all urgen
cy," the organization appeared to
leave the door open for an inves
tigation of much more than just
the Nicaraguan situation.
The request for information was
WEATHER
Partly cloudy today with a
few widely scattered showers;
clearing tonight; mostly sun
ny Sunday; high today 65-70
and Sunday 68-73; low to
night near 50.
MAY FORCE ' POSTPONEMENT
Christian
BONN (UPI Konrad Aden
auer's decision to continue as
VVcst Germany's ' chancellor ap
peared today - to have created a
serious split in his Christian Dem
ocratic party which may force
postponement of the presidential
election scheduled July I. , .
I The 83-yea--oId Chancellor, who
had announced that he would run
for the figurehead post of presi
dent, decided Friday to hold on
to his present job because of the
critical state of world politics.
He announced his decision to a
caucus of Christian Democratic
members of Parliament, and an
official announcement said it was
approved unanimously. '
Two top Christian Democrats
Over
Aw
dampen the spirits of parti
trim the President's budget by
cutting other- Eisenhower propos
als. The biggest slash was the
elimination of a 2G0 million dollar
super aircraft carrier.
Amendments to add 30.090 men
to the Army and to deny any
money for the -Air Fo-ce's Bo
marc anti-aircraft, missile were
voted down.
The measure now goes to the
Senate.
The Senate began debate on the
bitterly-contested appointment of
Commerce Secretary Lewis L
Strauss. A vote was not expected
for a week or more. The outcome
was in doubt.
made by telegram Friday night
by Julio A. . Lacarte, Uruguay's
ambassador to tho UniteJ States
a:td -chairman of a four-nation
commitlee appointed by the OAS
to look into the invasion of Nica
ragua last week end.
Lacarte said the committee felt
the broad query was "the most
comprehensive way of going
about the investigation."
The request was sent to the
United States, Cuba, the Domini
can Republic, Haiti, Colombia.
Venozucla, Panama, Costa Rica.
Nicaragua. Honduras. El Salva
dor, Guatemala and Mexico.
The committee, composed of
representatives of the United
States, Brazil, Mexico, and Uru
guay, decided against an immedi
ate on-the-spot investigation of the
airborne invasion of Nicaragua. '
, Nica-agua has charged that the
invaders came from the neighbor
ing Central American nation of
Costa Rica. It was reported that
most of the rebels were Nicara
guan exiles.
Democrats Split
Adenauer's
the party's deputy chairman, Eu
gen Gcrnslcnmaier, and Hcinrich
Krone, leader of its majority in
Parliament promptly chal
lenged the announcement. r '
Gerslcnmaier said he had op
posed the Chancellor's decision,
and Krone, without revealing his
own stand, said "There is little
sense in trying to claim unanim
ity where there is none." ;
Informed quarters in Geneva
reported soon after Foreign Min
ister Heinrich von Brentano re
turned there Friday night that
Adenauer's decision probably will
force postponement of the presi
dential election.
It was not immediately certain
who the Christian Democrats will
.... -
COWBOYS AND CLOWNS
bull in the photo above makes the most of his opportun
ity to eive the rider some real punishment. The clown is
ready to lend a helping hand. Note the inner tube for
protection. (Observer Photo)
The Senate approved Ogdcn R.
Rcid to be U. S. ambassador to
Israel. On money matters:
The Senate and House ap
proved and sent to the White
House their first regular' money
bill for the new fiscal year. It
contained 4,613.000,000 to run the
Treasuhy and Post Office depart
ments and tax courts.
The Senate voted a four bil
lion dollar farm money bill in
cluding' a $50,000 ceiling on the
price supports a fa-nicr may re
ceive for his 1960 crops. The Pres
ident asked an additional 33 mil
lion dollars. '.
The House tentatively voted
$1,177,252,000 for public works
projects. This is $575,000 more
than Eisenhower requested. The
lawmakers trimmed a number of
the President's .proposals' but in
cluded 50 projects which the Chief
Executive did not recommend.
Other congressional news:
Rackets: Witnesses told the
Senate Rackets Committee that
Lake County, Ind., public officials
took payoffs to help two opera
tors set up a pinball machine mo
nopoly that netted them 12 mil
lion dollars in five years.
Taxes: The House Ways &
Means Committee approved a
one-year extension of the high tax
rates on autos, liquor, cigarettes
and corporations imposed during
the Korean war.
Aid: The House Foreign Affairs
Committee approved a $3,642,600,
000 foreign aid program. This is
$266,800,000 less than the Presi
dent asked. ' v
Wheat: The House Rules Com
mittee cleared for floor action a
Democratic wheat bill which
would cut planting allotments 25
per cent and boost price supports
from 75 to 90 per cent of parity.
A presidential veto seemed likely
if Congress approved the meas
ure. Decision
nominate to succeed outgoing
president Theodor Hcuss.
Reports ci-culating here Indicat
ed that Adenauer's chief reason
for deciding to continue as chan
cellor was the fact that Econom
ics Minister Ludwig Erhard, the
architect of West Germany's
"miracle" recovery from World
War II, was virtually certain to
succeed him. '
Adenauer had been backing Fi
nance Minister Franz Etzet, a vir
tual unknown, for, the post of
chancellor,- but there appeared to
be little chance of . his winning
party approval.
.; The economics minister, who
Lis now in Washington, returns to
Bonn next week for what could
be a showdown.
,SU. i
f g-
(I
RODEO PHOTO
STORY TODAY
Highlights of rodeo events
at the Eastern Oregon Live
stock Shew in Union are por
trayed in the full page of pic
tures in today's Observer.
Snapped by photographers Bill
Bebout and Joe Diehl yester
day afternoon, the photographs
vill be found on Page 6.
Livestock Show activities will
wind up late this afternoon
when the shew finishes its final
day of rodeo competition, horse
racing, and special events.
Ike Plays Golf
At Gettysburg
GETTYSBURG, Pa. UPI The
golf links beckoned President Ei
senhower today before he and
Mrs. Eisenhower entertain 200
White House staff members at a
garden party buffet suppef.
The President planned morn
ing round of golf, his f second
since he arrived Friday afternoon
for the week end. He will return
to Washington Sunday afternoon.
Eisenhower flew from Washing
ton by helicopter. The Marine
Corps whirly-bird, which (dodged
towering thunderclouds en route,
hardly had deposited the Presi
dent in his pasture before he was
on his way to the Gettysburg
Country Club.
But the rains came while the
Chief Executive was hitting out
practice shots. A lesser golfer
would have headed for home.
The President decided to stick
it out although the rain was pour
ing and daggers of lightning
stabbed the sky. .
He climbed into the back scat
of a White House limousine with
his neighbor and golf partner, re
tired Gen. Arthur S. Nevlns, and
chatted for 35 minutes.
When the rain showed signs of
letting up, Eisenhower bounded
from the car and began playing.
He and Ncvins got in a full 18
holes, using electric carts to buzz
around the course in two hours,
(Haying time.
Car Racing Opens
Here On Sunday
The La Grande Jaycccs will
open their race track bast of La
Grande Sunday morning with time
trials set for II a.m. "
Included in the day's events will
be time trials, h?at dashes and
A, B, and C mains.
Officials said that adequate seat
ing facilities are available with
car seating space and bleachers.
Cars from Union, Wallowa, Uma
tilla, La Grande, and Baker
county will be on hand for the
races. .
A now chemical hn hn nur.
chased to keep dust at a minimum.
otnciais said.
The race track is located on the
Union-Hot Lake highwpy.
HATFIELD PLANS VISIT
PENDLETON (UPI) Gov.
Mark Hatfield plans to visit the
Centennial National Indian en
campment here July 24, accord
ing to co-chairmen Ford Robert
son nnd Ted Smith. ' -
Van Blockland ' Offers
His Opinion Of Board
Decision On Tax-Balk
State directors of the Oregon Farm Bureau "were not in
complete agreement" in turning down a North Powder sug
gestion mat tarmers defer tax payments until a state sales
tax is enacted, according to Lester Van Blokland of Island
City, a membmer of the organization's state board of direc
tors. Van Blokland was under the impression that the dir
ectors did not actually turn
Speeding Race
Car Brings
Track Tragedy
ST. JOSEPH. Mo. (UPI I A
speeding race car hurtled upside
down into a screaming crowd Fri
day night, injuring 26 persons, in
cluding the driver's son, who was
in critical condition.
Twenty-one persons were hospit
alized. Three were on the critical
list today in Missouri Methodist
Hospital, which admitted 13 vic
tims. Eight others were in St. Jos
eph Hospital.
Several may have been saved
from being crushed by the car
when a man grabbed one wheel
and somehow managed to hold on
and even lift it a bit while vic
tims were pulled out from under
it.
Albert M. Nicdcl, tho driver, es
caped injury. He was unaware
his son, Ronny Lee, 8, had been
in the crowd and injured by his
modified stock racing car until his
wife, Betty rushed up and told
him.
The son of a friend of Nicdcl
also was critically injured.
Nicdcl found his son in Missouri
Methodist Hospital. 'Attendants
said the boy had a critical brain
Injury and may.' undergo, surgery J
In addition to jlonny and John
ny Timmons, 12, the hospital list
ed Bill Horsman, 42, as in critical
condition.
The crowd of more than 600 at
Beverly Speedway panicked.
Many rushed to the scene to see
if relatives or friends were hurt
Some of the injured lying on the
ground were trampled.
The car careened out of con
trol at more than 70 miles an
hour over a 12 .- foot elevated
earthen embankment and
smashed through an eight foot
guard fence. It landed among
spectators standing beneath an
announcer's booth at the center
of the grandstand.
It was the first race of the eve
ning. Four cars were entered in
the four-LPA event.
Police investigated the possibil
ity that Niedcl, a 30-year-old St.
Joseph truck driver who has
raced as a hobby for more than
three years, was deliberately
bumped by another racer.
Brazil Train
Wreck Kills 45
SAO PAULO, Brazil (UPI) -
Two commuter trains collided
head-on near a suburban station
during the rush hour Friday
night, killing 45 persons and in
juring more than 70 others.
The dead included 37 men, five
women and three children.
"I was just standing there with
other people coming from work
when I heard a hissing sound and
then the terrible crash," said a
13 year-old boy who was injured
in the wreck. "I felt myself fall
ing and heard people screaming
and crying. People were trying to
get out stepping on people who
were hurt."
Officials fca-cd rescue crews
would find more bodies trapped in
the wreckage. All available am
bulances and medical teams con
verged on the scene from Sao
Paulo and surrounding areas.
The trains were moving on the
same track at about 25 miles an
hour when they rammed each
other. Officials said ono of the
trains had been switched to a sid
ing, but through error had been
sent back on the main line as
the other train approached.
Boy Reports Missing
Dog To City Police
A reddish brown Chesapeake Bay
retriever has been reported miss
ing by his owner, a 15-year-old
La Grande boy.
The dog answers to the name
of "Ginger" and has ben missing
since Friday afternoon. , - ,
Anyone who has seen a dog an
swering the description is asked
to call WO S-276A. i ... . - -
down the North Powder
proposal because they did not nave
a written copy of me proposal
during a May 2S-26 meeting in
Salem.
Van Blokland told the Observer
this morning that he told the state
directors about the resolution. He
said ". . . we discussed the North
Powder resolution to some length,"
after he explained it to them.
The majority of tho board mem
bers," Van B'okland said this
morning, "concurred that some
thing drastic would have to be
done such as a refusal to pay taxes
on real property."
Van Blokland called the Ob
server on a story released by the
newspaper Wednesday regarding
the refusal of the Oregon Farm
Bureau directors to go along with
the North Powder resolution to
defer tax payments. The Island
City Farm Bureau officer was in
formed that the story was based
on a written statement from the
organization's state office, which
among other things states that
We are not advocating tax
balks as a solution to the prob-
lum" nt liinti laviw TVia Qnlnm
release also took note of the
North Powder resolution which the
directors discussed at tho May
meeting.
Van Blokland, this morning, in
further explanation of the May
meeting, said "While thcro, we
discussed the increase in property
I axes in the past year and In the
Western Oregon region an increase
of at least 400 per cent was noted
in tho past 10 years. The entire
board realizes the situation is dras
tic over the entire state. The
concensus of the entire board and
state officers was that North
Powder Farm Bureau center was
to be complimented on their study
of the situation Within Union county
and such a bold approach to the
situation within our own county.
It has been noted that the
Wednesday story. In one sen
tence, inadvertently Identified the
North Powder organization as the
Union County Grango Center, in
stead of the North Powder Farm
Center.
Hatfield To Meet
Herbert Hoover
NEW YORK (UPD-Gov. Mark
Hatfield of Oregon was scheduled
to meet with Former President
Herbert Hoover today to pay his
respect to an old friend.
Hatfield, a Republican, also has
scheduled a meeting Sunday with
New York Gov. Nelson Rocke
feller. Rockefeller's office said Hat
field, who is visiting New York,
asked for the- m e e t i n g. The
spokesman said he did not know
whether the call would be social
or would involve GOP politics.
WORLD PREMIER OF NEW FOLK
OPERA SET HERE NEXT MONTH
By BOB TURLEY
Observer Staff Writer
La Grande will have the world
premier next month of a brand-new
Western folk opera written by John
Do Merchant, New York singer
and instructor who has staged sev
eral major productions here in
recent summers.
Plans arc now underway for a
New York production of tho work
next fall after its La Grande pre
sentation. An oporaJbguc or cut
down version of- th opera has al
ready had an expo imcntal show
ing before a New I'ork audience,
and according to reports, met
with "excellent res onsc."
Sparked by Oreg n'a Centennial
celebration, De Mc 'chant's work,
for which he wrotb both words
and music, is the ulmination of
ideas he has had for several years
jihnut A folk onem nnrtraviml dIo-
necr struggles In the West.
In structure and tone, It will be
similar to such well-known folk
niwral AH Kltrfr WaII'i "Down in
the Valley" and Alec Wilder's "The
Lowland Sea," both of which nave
been presented ,ln La Grande by
De Merchant, -
SPEAKER PANS
HIS OWN TALK
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (UPI)
Tho Hiwtm of Dr. William
E. Morgan's commencement
speech Friday was that com
mencement speakers thould be
eliminated.
The Colorado State Uni
versity president told the in
stitution's graduating student:
"I have convincing proof that
almost nobody listens to a com
mencement speech except, per
haps a few parents engaged in
one last effort to get something
for their money."
Nikita Warns
West To Agree
With Proposal
MOSCOW (UPD-Soviet Prem
ier Nikita Khrushchev warned to
day that if the West refused to
go along with a Communist in
spired atom free zone in the Balk
ans Russia would establish rock
et bases in Albania and Bulgaria.
He said on his return to Mos
cow from a visit to Albania and
Hungary that the idea of a de
nuclearized area in the Balkans
had met with wide support from
countries In the area, including
Yugoslavia.
The warning was a repetition of
threats Khrushchev made orig
inally during his speech making
swing through Albania in which
he repeatedly told the West to
keep their missile's out of Italy,
Greece and Turkey. The Soviet
premier said U.S. missiles so near
the Russian satellites constituted
a threat that would not be ig
nored. The Soviet premier made no di
rect reference to the Geneva
Foreign Ministers conference, nor
to a possible summit meeting, but
he said frequent meetings of
statesmen always helped ' remove
any dust that might have settled
on relations between countries
Khrushchev returned today to
prepare for a meeting with East
German leaders that could produce
a decision on the Berlin situation.
Khrushchev told of his trip to
Albania and Hungary in a nation
wide radio and television address
from the indoor pavilion of the
Lenin Stadium.
Glide Flight Set
Monday For Plane
Edwards afb. Calif. upi-
Thi first free-glide flight of the
experimental rocket plane X15
above the California desert now
is (scheduled for next Monday,
test pilot Scott Crossfield called
oft the scheduled test flight- Fri
day when trouble developed in the
plane's electrical system.
VI could tell something was
wrong," Crossfield said.
From inside the X15, Crossfield
radioed to the "mother plane" to
stop operations as the giant B52
was wheeling its way to takeoff
position, the X15 nestled beneath
it. ,
The B52 was to have carried the
X1S to an altitude of about 38,000
feet and cut It loose for Its glide
to earth.
The X15 Is capable of exceeding
4,000 miles per hour and reaching
an altitude of 100 miles.
"Ten Thousand Miles," schedul
ed for July 10 at 8 p.m. In the La
Grande high school auditorium,
will be the climax of a three
week "Centennial Summer Opera
Workshop" De Merchant will con-,
duct here beginning June 22.
The composer, who was born in
Spokane, Wash., lived in the North
west as a young man and was
graduated from the school of music
in the University of Washington at
Seattle, where ho majored in com
position. Before going to New
York he took advanced study at
San Francisco and Los Angeles.
In addition to his other careers,
De Merchant was for several years
the director of the Ellie Siegmcis
tcr folk singers and went with that
group on extended tours of the Un
ited States. Through his work with
the organization, he came Into con
tact with American regional folk
ballads; the result Is his own op
era utilizing the folk traditions of
Oregon and the West.
De Merchant first came to La
Grande during the summer of 1946
to conduct a summer music fes
tival and voice workshop, and
then was sponsored by Eastern
Oregon College for the next five
Ministers
Alarmed
By Threat
GENEVA (UPI) Communist
talk of a new blockade of Berlin
today chilled western diplomats at
the deadlocked Foreign Ministers'
Conference, which is seeking a
peaceful solution of the divided
city's problems.
Communist propagandists fre
quently threaten to interfere with
traffic between Berlin and the
West, but today's threat was the
most ominous and the most specif
ic since the foreign ministers'
talks began.
The diplomats were alarmed not
so much by the specific threat,
linked with West Germany's plan
to hold a presidential election in
Berlin, as by the mere mention
of a blockade while diplomatic
talks are in progress.
Berlin dispatches reporting the
new Communist tough talk .
reached here shortly before tho
foreign ministers assembled for
secret talks at Foreign Secretary
Selwyn Lloyd's villa.
British spokesman Peter Hall,
speaking for the Big F'our, said
the two hour session consisted of
the "usual talks" on the "usual
matters before the conference."
Other western sources said the
session apparently produced "noth
ing new."
The new tough Red line came
less than a day after East Ger
man Communist boss Walter Ul-
bricht had declared in Dresden
that the idta of maintaining the
status quo is "completely unreal-
istic.
"One cannot maintain the status
quo of a source of conflagra
tion," Ulbrlcht said.
Diplomats considered tho new
Communist threats all the more
significant because: ;
They came &st two. days bp
fore' a Moscow meeting between"
Premier Nikita Khrushchev and
Germany's leading Reds, who are
expected to press for new threats
of a crackdown in Berlin to re
place the May 27 "ultimatum."
They coincided with this
week's stalling by Foreien Min
ister Andrei Gromyko, who ap
peared to be waiting for word
from the Kremlin on the new
Communist line.
Western delegates believe the
new instructions may be delayed
until Khrushchev has had time !
to put on a propaganda show with
the 17 German Communist lead
ers who arrive in Moscow Mon
day. -' ,
'Winged' Cat
Dies In Cage
PINEVILLE, W.Va. (UPI),
The freak "cat with wings" found
by a 15 year old high school boy t
in the woods near his southern
West Virginia home this week has
died.
The animal, which had been
viewed by more than 2,000 curi- -
osity seekers in the past week,
was found dead in its cage this
morning.
The cat, with wings six inches
in length and a squirrel like tail,
was found dead by Douglas Shel- .
ton, when, he went to feed the
animal which he caught in a
woods Tuesday.
summer seasons hero. In other
years he has been sponsored by
Beta Sigma Phi, women's sorority,
and the International Relations
club at La Grande high school.
During each summer he directed
the production of a musical work
Involving La Grande persons, and
presented personal solo recitals.
This summer he plans a personal
concert for June 24 at the L.D.S.
Tabernacle.
All participants in "Ten Thou
sand Miles" will have taken part
in the voice workshop, for which
registration is now being accepted
by Mrs. Florence Miller, regis- '
trar, and Donald Nelson, chairman
of the Committee for Centennial
Summer Opera.
The cast will include a soprano,
tenor, contralto or mezzo soprano,
and a baritone, but the format of
the opera is flexible enough to al
low for the inclusion of good solo
ists who may register for the work
shop later. Several straight speak
ing roles are also planned.
A square-dancing scene will be
a highlight of "Ten Thousand
Miles," which will make use of
a male quartet and women's en
semble In addition to solo parts.
4 t,
t