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About La Grande observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1959-1968 | View Entire Issue (June 27, 1959)
LA GRANDE OBSERVER 263rd Issue 63rd Year LA GRANDE, OREGON, SATURDAY, JUNc 27, 1959 Prleo 5 Cants ' im NO TOY This giant sized band saw is taking time out for a sharpening, explained by Melvin Bork, one of the guides for the family tour of Mt. Emily mill. There were more than 300 persons taken in small groups on this tour in connection with Family Day. Getting first hand information about the saw are Mrs. Mae Byron and two grandchildren, Dee Ann and Jimmy McBath. Gale Beals and Dean Brice were hosts for the day. Beals expressed his appreciation that those attending were careful and the success of the day was complete with n3 mishaps. (Observer Photo) White House Suggestion Is Ignored WASHINGTON 'LTD The Labor Department has buried a suggestion relayed by the White House to publish an impartial re port on steel wanes and profits during contract talks, it was learned today. , The proposal was made by a news conference an June 17. The White House sent it to the Labor Department for study after the President called it a "most intel ligent" request. Government' economists, howev er, took a slightly different view. They felt it would only irritate rather than educate negotiators for the basic steel producers and the Steelworkers' union. The government continued its hands-olf policy despite release of a "fact sheet" Friday by Sen. Estes Kefauver ID-Tenn.i which he said showed the steel industry could raise wages without raising prices. Kefauver's statement was stud ied closely by labor Department officials, who generally had an unfavorable reaction. They said privately that "silence is golden" in the current stage of negotia tions when a strike appears immi nent. One official said that even the base year chosen by the senator to measure steel profits 1947 was considered unfair by manage ment. Selection of another base period might be construed as un favorable by union spokesmen, he added, so there is no happy me dium. "The 'impartial report' idea is dead," said one government econ omist. 'I haven't heard it men tioned for several days.-' ' The idea behind the reporter's request was to give the public enough factual material to judge the conflicting claims of union and management representatives. Hubcap Theft Reported ' Gary Decker, Hillcrest Drive, reported to po'ice yesterday that ' a spinner hub cap was taken from his car between 2 and 3:30 a m. In the process of getting away with the hubcap, the valve stem of the tire was cut. The loss is valued at $73. Tuna Fishing Teamster Hooked By , WASHINGTON UPI A sun tanned tuna fisherman, who Is al so a top teamster official, may get hooked by the Senate Rack ets Committee for angling when he should have been testifying. . Chief Counsel Robert F. Ken nedy said he believed the Team ster. Raymond Cohen of Phila delphia, could be cited for con tempt of the committee for fail ing to show up for a hearing yesterday.. He said the committee received a letter from Cohen's attorney. Sam Dash, reporting that Cohen had a severe virus infection and was under doctor's orders to stay in bed for a week. The letcr, dated June 24. was al w ' J A " .j Long Leaves Motel Revenge Expected COVINGTON. La. UPI Gov. Earl K. Long, freshly out of a mental hospital, roared away from Covington in an automobile today toward his country home in Winnfield, La., 150 miles away. There was no certainty Long would go to this Winnfield home, where he suffered a heart attack about 10 years ago while chasing a hog up a hill. He Iqft the motel he was using as a temporary state capitol last night and a trooper said he had gone to Winnfield. But he turned up a couple of hours later last night and went to sleep. Today, however his en tire entourage left the Pine Manor Motel with him and reporters pur sued him as far as they could along the road leading toward Winnfield. It was presumed that Long took a psychiatrist with him, since two men in addition to his chauffeur left with him. Two other cars left the motel 30 minutes before the governor. Long. 63. put himself under al most complete control of psychi atrists while political enemies talk of impeaching him. But his official car later turned up at the motel and a new shift of troopers who came on duty early today said he had been out for relaxation and had returned and gone to sleep. The psychiatrists made it plain School Election Due Here July 20 Elections concerning the pro posed, school administration dis trict reorganization has been sei for Monday, July 20. School district polls will be open from 2 lo 8 p.m. for all eligible voters. I'nder the new plan, two ad ministrative districts would be formed in the county. District No. R 2 would comprise the dis tricts now in La Grand?, Union. Island Cily. Imbler, Cove, Ladd Canyon. Elgin. Fruildale, Telo caset. Alicel, Stark?y and Palmer Junction. District No. R-3 would include the present existing districts in North Powder elementary and joint Union high and Muddy Creek elementary. Rackets Committee accompanied by an affidavit by a physician attesting to Cohen's illness. But Kennedy said the commit tee also had received information that Cohen was out on his yacht taking part in a tuna fishing tournament off Atlantic City, N.J. He said a committee aide was on the dock there when the boat landed yesterday and spotted Co hen looking sun-tanned and heal thy. Chairman John L. McClellan (D-Ark.) immediately ordered both Cohen and his attorney sub penaed for an appearance Mon day to explain whether Cohen was fishing for health's sake. Cohen, secretary-treasurer of Philadelphia Local 107 and an in that they will stand for no fool ishness from Long and ordered seven or eight days of rest with only essential visitors for him. More Revenge Expected Even so. Long was expected to take revenge on others he regard' ed as responsible for putting away a man who has "never been in sane a second in my life." That estimate of his mental con dition was Long's own. The three psychiatrists said they thought he ought ta'A.R be m the hospital'. Long forced his way out of the Southeast Louisiana State Hospital Friday by firing the director of that hospital and the director of all state-owned hospitals. He filled their positions with men who signed a statement that he was sane and there was noth ing for District Judge Hobert D Junes to do but order him re leased. As soon as Long got out, he sacked John Nick Brown, super intendent of state police. Politi cians feared there were others on his firing list, since he charged that his being committed was a plot to "get rid of Uncle Earl. ' Calls Three Doctors Th?n, apparently on his own, Long called Dr. Robert Heath, Dr. Charles Watkins and Dr. Victor Lief to examine him in the motel he had taken over. Dr. Heath is professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at the Tulane University School of Medi cine and a noted neurologist -and researcher in psychiatry. Dr. Watkins is professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at the Louisiana State University School of Medicine and an internationally knotvn psychiatric specialist. Dr. Leif is instructor of psychi atry and medicine at the Tulane School of Medicine and an inter nal medicine specialist. They evidently reached an agreement with Long about his conduct, because after they con suited with him he tried to slip away from his cabin and talk to reiorters. He started to say some thing about wanting to clear up a news story about his wanting to commit suicide when Dr. Watkins sternly ordered him back to his cabin. May Get ternational trustee of the union declined last year to tell the com mittee whether union funds were used for a $1,000 down-payment on his boat, the Circle-R. Cohen is' one of a number of Teamster officials whose activi ties are being reviewed by the committee as a challenge to Un ion President James R. Hoffa's clean-up claims. Hoffa. at a stormy session Fri day, made it plain he would pro ceed against alleged wrong-doers in his own way and own good time, and would not be "stam peded'' into dismissing them. Sen John F. Kennedy (D-Fla.) told Hoffa "I have no hope of your ever cleanftig' up the Team iters Union." LITTLE BLACK BOOK BULGES PALISADES, N.J. (UPI (-Police suspected today that Mm young twain hod suddenly! ddd 40 choice listings to his "little block book." They re parted that 40 completed entry blanks for the Miss Now York State beauty contest complete with names, addresses, phone numbers and vital statistics were stolen from an amuse ment park hero. , Democrats Protest Weak Bill WASHINGTON (UPD North ern Democrats protested tcxluy the watering down of their Sen ate amendments to the Adminis tration tax bill. But they had lit tle hoi of making them strong er. ' i The Senate adopted four ma jor amvndim-nt in a marathon session Thursday. But Krklay a House-Senale Conference Commit tee settled on a diluted version of them. The Committee's version of the bill is expected to go before both chambers Monday for a fi nal vote. The bill must be signed by President Eisen h o w e r before Tuesday midnight to prevent a drop in the tax rate back to peacetime levels. Sen William Proxmire (D-Wis) one of a Senate group who had fought for amendments to the bill, said there would be strong sentiment to return the bill to conference to demand further yielding by the House. However, he conceded that the chances for such action were slim. The House passed the bill as the Administration had recom mended to extend present corp orate income and some excise tax rates for another year to June 30, 1960. The excises are those on cigarettes, automobiles, auto parts, liquor, wine and beer. Enactment of the bill would mean about three billion dollars for the Treasury. One Sepate amendment would have repealed the 10 per cent tax on domestic pusMnfger travel, ef fective Aug. 1, at a cost to the Treasury of about 235 million dol lars. This loss was more than off set by another amendment to re peal the chief major tax conces sion now granted taxpayers for income from stock dividends. The Con f e r e n c e Committee abandoned the dividend tax re peal provision completely and re wrote the travel tax provision to make it meaningless for at least a year. The revised amendment would have five per cent of the tax terminate June 30, I960 and leave the balance as a perma nent levy. Another Senate amendment would have terminated the 10 per cent tax on telephone, telegraph and other communication serv ices June 30, I960. The confer ence committee limited this to the tax on local telephone serv-. ice. Jump Stunt Almost Ends In Tragedy . HOOD RIVER (UPIi A para chute jump publicity stunt for the Oakdale 4th of July celebration next month nearly ended in trag edy here Friday night. Louis A vila, former paratrooper and veteran of two wars, missed his jump target and landed in Hood River canyon. Another jumper. Bill Hakala, an Army paratrooper, also missed but land ed safely in a pear tree. Avila was pulled dazed, shocked and suffering from possible inter nal injuries, from the swift waters of Hood river by a deputy sheriff He was taken to Hood River Memorial hospital for treatment. A wind carried his bright,, red striped chute from the target, a hay field, into the canyon. He struck the water and became en tangled in his. chute lines and har ness. The current finally ripped the harness off and he was swept downstream. Avila jumped during several battles of World War II and at the Inchon Invasion in the Korean War. EOC Included In Listing Of AAUW Pres. Frank B. Bennett, of EOC, received the following telegram late yesterday: Greetings and congratulations to you and your college. Chair man Roberts of the higher edu cation committee has just an nounced to the American Associ ation of University Women An nual Convention the inclusion of EOC in the list of colleges hose graduates qualify for member ship in AAUW. We are proud of the fine work done at the college under your leadership." signed Maruine Labor, president of the Oregon State Division of AAUW. Workers, Industry Agree To esume fcSsacii; -f- 't '. . fhJfai ' ' -'' '-" " Wo-J l . -. J' i ill I- I62a . feBtivS US53i. f-. V' ,117 - -X: - - CLEAN UP Willard Rudd was using the fire hose for something besides a fire yesterday while he was clean ing ladders and other fire equipment. Science Sees Survival From H-Bomb Warfare WASHINGTON (UPI The H-bomb can slaughter millions in a day, doom other millions to slower, more agonizing death, and inflict uiwn the human race and nature damage that might take a thousand years to repair. But alomic exporls agreed to day that: -"-- It cannot possibly wipe out mankind. It cannot conceivably destroy civilization. Populations ran be protected in large measure against its leth al radiations and fire and to con siderable extent against its fan tastic blast. Granted such protection, this country could survive a nuclear war and, eventually, recuperate. This was the concensus among scientific witnesses who testified at a five-day hearing on H-bomb Hawaii Votes Today On Statehood , HONOLULU (UPll -Hawaii voters go to the poles today in predicted record numbers to vote yes or no on whether they want the 501 h star on Old Glory. They also will nominate candidates for Congress and state offices. mere was little doubt .the is landers would vote a resounding yes to the three questions they are required to answer affirma tively on the ballot iH'fore stale hood can lie conferred upon them. Within 10 days after today's vote, if the results are affirma tive as expected, Gov. William Quinn will certify to President Eisenhower that the plebiscite re sults are official. The President will then proclaim an "Hawaiian Admission Day,' officially mark ing the 60th slate's entry into the union. Quinn said Friday he would re port personally to the President on about July 6. The polls opened at 7 a.m. h.s.t d p.m. e d t. )and will close at 5 p.m. h.s.t. on neighbor islands and at 5:30 p.m. on heaviest pop ulated Oahu, where Honolulu is located. Election officials predicted that up to 85 per cent of the 174.083 registered voters would show up at the 186 precincts scattered around the islands. Today's vote is a combination plebiscite to signify that Hawaii accepts statehood, one of the re quirements set by Congress, and a primary election in preparation for the general election set for July 28. Voters will select party nomi nees for Congress, governor, Lt. Governor and the state legisla ture. At stake in Washington are two Senate seats and one in Ihe House of Representatives. Steel i JJ ' warfare before a congressional atomic energy subcommittee. The subcommittee assumed for purposes of the hearing that Rus sia hit 224 U.S. targets with 263 H-bombs equivalent in power to 1.446 megatons, or 1,446,000,000 tons, of TNT. This country retaliated, it was assumed, and in all 4.000 mega tons of hydrogen fury was un leashed. The hearing produced one stark and unforgettable statistic, 54, 800,000 American men, women, and children killed or fatally in jured. Comfort Removed It removed any comfort from the assumption that the aggres sor nation would be subjected to heavy retaliatory blows. As Rep. Chet Holifield (D-Calif . subcom mittee chairman, said : "1 have no desire to live in a world where 50 million of my neighliors had been destroyed. I would be too busy burying corpses." From a technical standpoint, the hearing produced these dis closures: The Office of Civil Defense and Muhilizution has been using an obsolete formula for estimat ing the early fallout hazard of a nuclear attack. A new formula indicates this hazard is 2.7 times worse in the early days. Mure significantly, it shows thai the long-time hazard, after about one year, is 50 times less than was supposed. Fallout patterns downwind of a target are not the graceful cigar-shaped contours OCDM has leen using but, instead, a com plicated region full of local hot spots. For various reasons a bit more of the long-time fallout menaces, such as cancer-causing strontium-90, gets more world wide distribution than previously supposed. WITHIN A FEW YARDS Italian Plane Crash TB Sanatorium For MARNATE. Italy (UPD-The U.S. airliner that crashed near here yesterday, killing 68 persons in the worst air accident in Italian history, came within a few yards of causing many more deaths. The Chicago-bound TWA Super Constellation, which disintegrated after being struck by lightning, plunged to earth barely 30 feet from a farmhouse which is the home of 22 Italians. Bits of flaming wreckage fell within 50 yards of a tuberculosis sanatorium housing seevral hundred sick children. All of the plane's 59 passengers, including citizens of eight coun tries, and V crewmen were killed. At least 31 and perhaps as many Negotiations TALKS RESUMED IN EFFORT TO AVERT NATIONAL STRIKE NEW YORK (UP1) The steel industry agreed today to resume contract negotiations with the United Steelworkers Union in an effort to avert a nationwide strike. In a communication to David J. McDonald, president of the union, the 12 major steel companies said: "We have been standing by ready to meet with you at any time, and will continue to do so. "We neither propose nor accept specified conditions under union ue meet. We will await, your call." McDonald had broken off ne gotiations with inilusfrv'ft tnu- I level four-man team when he re- fused Friday to atlend a 2 p.m. meeting with them charging that they were conducting! a "filibust- Today. after failing to gel tlie chief executives of Ihe 12 major steel companies to meet him face to face, a move rejected by industry, McDonald offered to go back into negotiations with the four-man bargaining team. McDonald reported Industry's offer lo resume negotiations lo BULLETIN NEW YORK (UPI)-The steel industry joined the Unit ed Steelwerkers Union today in accepting President Eisen hower's proposal to continue contract negotiations without interruption of production, thus assuring that there will be no steel strike on June JO. his 30-man Executive Board at a closed-door meeting this after noon. Industry's reply to McDonald stated that he knows full well that the union's "specific propos al" to which McDonald had re ferred "was rejected because it contemplated continuation of the inflationary trend of wage and benefit increases which the com panies are compelled to resist." McDonald had expressed will ingness to meet with industry if industry would "negotiate on the basis of union's specific proposal or make a fair proposal of its own." McDonald was referring to a proposal that he had made last Wednesday, the details of which he did not reveal although he claimed it was "realistic" and "non-inflationary." R. Conrad Cooper, executive vice president of U.S. Steel Corp. and industry'! chief negotiator. said in a Uatement that "the union well knows that its propos al means continuing the infla tionary trend of wage and bene fit increases which the compan ies are prepared to resist." The union's Executive Board approved McDonald's action. The Board issued a statement explain ing the union s position. The Executive Board statement said that the union does not want a strike, that it wants a fair and honorable settlement." "Although time is running out,'' the statement said, "a strike can still be averted if the industry will negotiate on the basis of the union's specific proposal or make a fair proposal of is own for set tlement. "The industry's four-man team has so far refused to do either. Nevertheless, the union negotia tors would be remiss in their du ties if they did not exhaust every possible opportunity for achieving a settlement. The union's nego tiators, therefore, are prepared to meet with the- industry's rep resentatives to this end." as 37 of the victims were Ameri cans. Today workers began the grim task of recovering the charred re mains of the victims from the mass of twisted, molten steel that was all thai was left of the big (our-engined plane. The plane crashed 12 minutes after taking off from Milan with a heavy fuel load. Eyewitnesses said lightning hit a wing, setting the plane on fire in the air. Despite heavy thunderstorm rains, It took firemen almost two hours to quench the fuel-fed flames that licked the debris. Italian soldiers and police threw a cordon around the wreckage to preserve possible evidence for Ihe Top Secret Report Set By McElroy QUANTK'O. Va. UPD De fense Secretary Neil II. McElroy is scheduled to report to the world today on one of the most super secret conferences ever held by an aggregation of top government officials. Although the annual "secre taries conference" has been in progress at this Murine Corps base since Thursday night, not a single item of news concerning the events has yet been released. McElroy, however, has agreed to hold a news conference at noon today to answer reporters' ques tions about what has been going on behind closed doors. The secrecy at the conference has been air-tight despite a for mal program which looks like it had been drawn up for any ordi nary convention consisting of for mal speeches and discussions. No texts or abstracts of the speeches are available. Among the talks from which re porters were barred today Is one by Murray Snyder, asistant de fense secretary in charge of infor- ' mation, on "public affairs as they attocl uatiwt -rommands. and In ternational problems." Army Secretary Wilber M. Brurker was on the program as today's luncheon speaker. He was followed by T. Keith Glennan. director of the Civilian Space Agency. The program of speakers today also included Gen. Thomas S. Power, Strategic Air Command; Gen. Earle E. Partridge, Conti nental Air Commander; and Ad mirals Harry D. Felt and Jerauld Wright, commanders of the Paci fic and Atlantic Fleets respective ly. Their talks all were labeled as "progress reports." Schaad Reappointed To Wheat Commission SALEM (UPD-Gov. Mark Hat field Friday afternoon made these appointments: Lamar Tooze, Portland, as a member of the Civil Defense Ad visory Council to succeed Harry Brumbaugh, also of Portland, re signed. Tooze was recommended by the Director of Civil Defense on a list of suggestions submitted. Roland W. Schaad, La Grande, was reappointed to (he Oregon Wheat Commission for a term ex piring June 30, 1964. WEATHER Partly cloudy Sunday witH chance of afternoon showers or thundershowers in the mountains; low tonight 40 46; high Sunday 73-78. Is Near Children officials who will investigate the crash. Farmers who saw the plane crash said a wing fell off after the plane was struck by lightning. The plane hurtled earthward in a. huge ball of fire, crashing In two main sections and scattering bits of wreckage over wide area. The ImDact blew in thu rirw nf the nearest farmhouse, and farm er Davide Barbieri dashed out to find the wreckage lying 10 yards away. ' Other farmers also rushed to the scene, but thero was nothing they could do except call a priest to administer lust rites to the vic tims. '