LA GRAND
E
OBSERVER
WEATHER "
Sunny and warm Thursday;
?oine afternoon clouds; high
Ua-95; low tonight 50-5S.
277tn Issue 63rd Year
Gromyko Says His
Proposal Is Price
For Berlin Truce
GENEVA il'PP Russia sisting in such a "package." Ihc
warned the West today that her East-West talks may founder,
loaded All-German Committee pro- Gromyko ignored the warniiv;
posal is the Drice for a Berlin mut n narallcl anneal by Secretary
truce. The western powers ac-
powers
eused Russia of threatening to
torpedo the Big Four talks.
Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei
Gromyko told the western foreign
ministers that the All German
Commiti'ee. on which East Ger
man Communists should have
eipial representation with the West
Germans, is tied lightly with his
lierlin truce proposal,
lor the western Big Th-ee, warned
tlat if Gromyko persisted in in-
Sec. Herter
Given Full
Authority
WASHINGTON UPI) Presi
dent Eisenhower said today that
Secretary of State Christian A.
Ilerter has full authority to agree
to a Big Four Summit Conference
if Russia makes it clear it will
respect western rights and obli
gations in Berlin. '
The President told his news
conference, however, that for the
moment there doesn't appear to
be any break in the deadlock at
just-resumed Geneva Big Four
Foreign Ministers conference.
He said he was sure the Rus
sians would like to reach an
agreement at Geneva if it was
all in their favor. However, he
added, the real question was
whether the Russians were ready
to make concessions, in exchange
for western concessions, that
would give everybody confidence
that there was some progress
being made toward peace.
Eisenhower said he was not
'adverse to going along with the
other allies in negotiating the ul
timate fate of Germany and Ber
lin and all other subjects at any
level. But in the meantime, he
said there must be a clear un
derstanding of western rights.
He said he and Herter are in
full agreement that they are not
going to surrender any rights or
make any retreat that would be
clear evidence of western weak
ness. Eisenhower made it clear that
he does not favor suggestions, re
portedly advanced by the West
Germans, that the Berlin issue
be shelved without any agree
ment and a summit conference
held on other issues.
Drive Goal Set
For United Fund
A goal of $31,484.54 has been
accepted by the United Fund board
of directors for the 1959-60 drive.
The recommendation was made
by Dr. Gordon W. Clarke.
Clarke reported that the, budget
committee, which he heads, be
lieved the community should be
confronted with the agency's real
needs which this amount repre
sents. June McManus president of the
group reported that the area clinic
held recently in Pendleton found
i-Jhat most agencies had increased
their needs and that the public
must either provide these needs or
face curtailment of services.
David C. Baum was appointed
to head the committee which will
select candidates to return the
board to full strength.
REJECT RED PROPOSAL
ANKARA. Turkey UPI '-The
Foreign Ministry disclosed today
that Turkey has joined the United
States and Britain in rejecting the
Soviet proposal for a nuclear-free
zone in the Balkan and Adriatic
Sea areas.
Haggard Convicts Give Up Mine;
Officials Hunt For Booby Traps
PETROS. Tenn. (UPP Prison
officials searched today for dyna
mite booby traps believed planted
by 95 convicts who surrendered
after holing up for two days in a
mine at Brushy Mountain State
Prison. '
Earl Hensley. about 50, one of
four -hostages held, said four of
the convicts told him the prison
ers had set booby traps in the
mine.
The prisoners, haggard and
worn, filed out of the shaft Tues
day. Two hostages, Ben Davis,
about 36. and Hensley. the last of
four mine foremen held by the
of State Christian A. Ilerter tot
drop the demand for participation
of the Communist Fast Germans
as equals at reunification talks
during any interim Berlin truce.
Another two hours of talks left
the conference as deep as vver
in deadlock and no move was
made in the conference room to
get secret negotiations started.
Before the ministers met or the
second plenary session since the
talks resumed Monday, a siu-p-ise
behind the scenes move by Gro
myko touched olf hopeful specu
lation that the Communists might
come up with a proposal that
could get the stalled conference
going again.
Gromyko invited British Foreign
Secretary Selwyn Lloyd to lunch
Thursday and Lloyd accepted.
Sources interpreted the invitation
as a move by Gromyko to get
the secret talk started after he
himself had blocked it Monday by
insisting on having theF.ast Ger
man Communists participate.
The news of Gromyko's invita
tion leaked out as the Big Three
foreign ministers again bombard
ed the Soviets in the conference
room with renewed demands for
a tamper-proof Berlin truce agree
ment. Walla Walla
Boys Develop
7-Foot Rocket
WALLA WALLA UPI Two
Army demolition experts were
scheduled to arrive here today to
destroy some home made solid
fuel rocket propellant developed
by two teen-agers for their seven
foot long rocket.
Army officials at Fort Lewis
said Chris Warner, 16. and Philip
Ekstom, 18. developed the fuel
and the rocket and had been
vited to go to Redstone Arsenal,
Huntsville, Ala., for its firing
Redstone scientists requested a
copy of the basic formula for the'
fuel and then wrote Warner's
mother that it was highly un
stable and should be destroyed
immediately. The. fuel was being
kept in the family refrigerator
while young Chris was working on
a wheat ranch in eastern Oregon.
The rocket is eight inches in
diameter. It is believed by Army
officials at Fort Lewis to be the
largest ever built by amateur
rocket enthusiasts and is said to
be capable of reaching a speed
up to Mach 3.5 (about 2500 mphi.
The missile can travel a distance
of 90 miles at an altitude of 4."
miles, according to the boys' cal
culations, Army officials said.
Redstone Arsenal invited the
boys to bring their rocket to Ala
bama after Fort. Lewis queried
the Department of the Army
about the possibility of using one
of the three major rocketry
ranges in this country.
Scientists at the Alabama range
said Warner and Ekstom can take
their rocket to Redstone as soon
as a new, safer fuel is developed.
Fort Lewis officers said.
Warrant Issued
For Durel Shrum
A warrant for the arrest of
Durel Wayne Shrum on a charge
of assault and battery was issu
ed yesterday by Municipal Judge
Ross E. Hearing.
Shrum who lives at 1704'.
Fourth street, was picked up by
police at 11:58 yesterday evening.
Bail was set at $100.
The complaint -on which the
warrant was issued was signed
by his wife Margaret Mae Shrum
of the same address according to
police.
prisoners, walked out of the shaft
ahead of the prisoners.
Neither they nor Tom Jones
and Sherdy Bunch, released ear
lier, were harmed.
A few hours after the rebellion
ended eight ringleaders were tak
en to the state penitentiary at
Nashville.
The end of the rebellion came
shortly after the convicts vowed
to "tear out of or tear down"
the mine shaft Which had been
their fortress since Monday morn
ing. Acting Commissioner of Correc
tions W. A. i Pat I Patterson, w ho
HARVEST TIME IS HERE
Crass harvesters are hard at work. Most of the valley's blue grass is tut and bun
dled. Sixty per tent of the fescues are also bundled. (Observer Photo)
Clmnrio RnnHp Vn m
. . .
Oram Harvest begins
The first load of barley came
into' the Pione?r Flour mill in
Is'and City. Monday.
The initial harvest load came
from Mrs. Harlan Long and Son's
ranch near Mt. Glenn.
A lot of the winter barley is
ripening and ready to cut now or
within a short tim?.
Valley blue grass is mostly cut
and in the bundle and about 60
per cent of the fescue is cut and
bundled.
Wheat in most areas of the
valley is still almost 10 days to
two weeks from harvest. In some
Cancer Claims
in-!r" Dljl-
1 CmCST DIOCM
PORTLAND iUPP World fa
mous composer and conductor
Ernest Bloch, 79, died in a hos
pital here today where he had
been under treatment for cancer.
Bloch. whose works ranged from
the tone poem "America" to sym
phonies and the Opera "Mac
Beth." had been a resident of
Agate Beach on the Oregon coast
since !!W0. He entered a hospital
here July 7 and died at 7:50 a.m.
today.
Born in Switzerland in 1880.
Bloch came to the United States
in 1918. shortly after starting
work on "America" for which he
was awarded a prize by Musical
America in 1919.
Officer Added
To Guard Staff
Lt. Col. George V. Boyd, staff
assistant fur the old 18Klh In
fantry Regiment for 8 years, has
arrived in La Grande to assume
similar duties with the 1st Battle
Group, IHtith Infantry which has
headquarters in La Grande.
Col. Boyd, who is also executive
officer of the Battle Group, will
he in charge of all full time em
ploy 's and is direct assistant to
Col. David C. Baum. Battle Group
Commander, in matters of ad
ministration, training and supply.
Col. Boyd has 24 years military
duty and served with die 41st
Division during WW II. He was
awardtd th? Silver Star, Bronze
Star, Purple II art and Combat
Infantryman's Badsje during the
Papua. N"w Guinea and Philippine
Island Campaigns.
Mrs1. Boyd and their two daugh
ters will move to La Grande as
soon as arrangements can be
made for adequate housing.
said no concessions were made to
the convicts, said the prisoners
called from a telephone in the
mine and said thy were coming
out.
They gave no reason for sur
rendering but Patterson said
"they knew the jig was up."
The prisoners walked from the
shaft, covered by the guns of 25
guards and highway patrolmen,
The convicts had listed nine
complaints, ranging from the
quality of their food to unsafe
conditions in the mines, as the
reason for their rebellion
LA GRANDE, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 1959
d
- .
areas root diseases have damaged
the wheat.
Farmers have begun harvesting
the green peas in the Elgin area.
The cherry harvest should start
either the latter part of this week
or the first of next week according
to Ted Sidor, Union county exten
sion agent. The crop appears o be
only 40 per cent of last year's
yield due to early spring freezes
which cut the crop.
Sidor reported that so far this
year the water situation has been
adequate. Late spring rains have
kept water in most storage ponds
and furnished moisture for crop
production. Union county has been
one of the favored counties in the
state as far as moisture is con
cerned according to Sidor.
"Most crops in Union county
look very good and it appears to
be a bumper crop this year,"
Sidor said.
Forest Fire
Danger Is At
Critical Mark
Forest fires in eastern and
southern Oregon yesterday point
ed to the increasing fire danger
throughout the state.
A fire that covered about 40
acres in the Wallowa w nitman
National forest near Sumpter
was still out of control late Tues
day but U. S Forest Service of f i
cials expressed hope of contain
ing the blaze today.
The fire, apparently man
caused, broke out Tuesday after
noon. Five thousand gallons of
borate slurry was dropped on the
blaze during the afternoon by a
fire fighting plane.
A dozen forest fires broke out
in the Klamath Falls area and
have burned over 1,400 acres of
brush and timber according to
George Wardell, head of the
Klamath Forest Protective Asso
ciation.
The largest fire, north of llilde-
brand, was brought under control
after burning over 1,000 acres.
A lightning storm centered in
the Bly mountain area, 50 miles
east of Klamath Falls, touched
off eight separate fires. All were
reported under control.
Three lightning-kindled fires
on the Klamath Indian reserva
tion were reported under control
today according to Billy Crawford
of the bureau of Indian Service.
Clarence Edgington, regional
fire dispatcher in Portland, said j
the fire hazard was getting worse
each day as high temperatures
continue and the forest becomes
drier.
The weather bureau reported
that no rain is in sight through
next Monday. The forecast for
eastern Oregon through Thurs
day is fair with a high of 85 95
and a low tonight of 48-60.
Man Arrested On Basic
Rule Violation Here
A La Grande man was arrested
for violation of the basic rule
yesterday afternoon.
Wendell Larry See was picked
up by police at his residence,1
2704 Fir street at 4 o. The
charge was failure to drive on
the right side of the road and did
not involve speeding.
Bail was set at $25 and a hear
ing scheduled for 3 this after
ROLLS NO GOOD
FOR SHEEP MEN
DERBY, England (UPI)
The Rolls Royce Co. an
nounced it had received a com
plaint from an Australian sheep
farmer who recently traded in
his 30-year-old Rolls. "It's
useless," he wrote of the new
car. "There is no outside run
ning board. Where on earth do
they expect me to put the dead
sheep?"
Music Program
Is Set Tonight
At High School
The La Grande Summer Music
Classes will give their annual con
cert tonight in the La Grande High
School Auditorium. This year 240
students have taken part during
the six weeks that these classes are
held. More than one hundred have
started on a band or orchestra in
strument, and the rest have been
divided into three more advanced
band classes. Don Scott directs
these classes.
The program tonight will start
with demonstrations by the be
ginning classes, and then each of
the other bands will present three
or four of the selections they have
learned during the summer.
The Junior High Woodwind Quar
tet, whose membership includes
Beverly Schaad. Janice Pipes,
Bonnie Scott, and Phyllis Lyman,
will also perform.
The concert starts at 8 and there
will be no admission charge.
AIRLINES BAN PORTABLES
WASHINGTON IUPII The
Civil Aeronautics Board has ap
proved an agreement among in
ternational air carriers to prohib
it passengers from playing porta
ble radios in flight. The agree
ment by members of the Inter
national Air Transport Assn. said
the radios might interfere with
radar and navigation equipment,
NEW EQUIPMENT Tom Ruck man, Imbler, holds the new emergency kit belong
ing to the Imbler Fire District. The kit includes a resuscitator to be used for drown
ing and electric shock, an aspirator to be med to relieve obstructions in the throat,
and an inhalator which will be used in heart attack, smoke, shock, and suffocation
cases. The equipment will be on the truck at all times.
Nation s
Silenced
Ike Urges
Continued
Discussion
WASHINGTON UPI Presi
dent Eisenhower said today that
the steel strike for the moment
had not created emergency condi
tions warranting use of the Taft-
Hartley Law, but he urged labor
and management to continue ne
gotiating.
The President told reporters it
was obvious that if the strike
lasted so long that steel inven
tories required by the government
were exhausted, the defense pro
duction program would face a
very serious situation.
He said, however, that he was
in no position today to estimate
accurately how lung the strike
would have to run before it
interfered with the defense pro
gram. He suggested the fullest pos
sible use of free bargaining be
tween labor and management be
fore there is any direct federal
intervention. Under the Taft
Hartley Law, the President, if he
determines that a labor-management
dispute has created an
emergency threatening the
"health or safety" of the nation,
can request the Justice Depart
ment to seek an injunction stop
ping a strike for 80 days.
Favors Free Bargaining
Eisenhower, responding to a va
riety of news conference questions
about the steel strike which be
gan at midnight when a half mil
lion workers walked out, made it
clear that he did not believe con
ditions now warranted his use of
the Taft-Hartley Law.
He did not believe he should
have done more as chief execu
tive in the days before the strike.
tie said too much government
pressure inevitably changed the
nature of free bargaining. The
President in the pre-stnke period
confined himself to statements
urging both sides to keep on ne
gotiating. Court Refuses
To Drop Union
Cleanup Order
- WASHINGTON (UPI) The
U.S. Court of Appeals refused to
day to delay or reconsider Its
sweeping cleanup order against
President James R. Hoffa of the
giant Teamsters Union.
The three-judge court denied the
teamsters' request for a stay of
the order pending an appeal to the
Supreme Court.
Before the court acted, Chair
man John L. CcClcllan (D Ark.)
said the Senate Kackets Commit
tee's heated session with Hoffa
Tuesday proved "there can be no
cleanup from within" the union
The appellate court has ruled
that the U.S. District Court here
has the power to enforce recom
mendations of a "watchdog" court
of monitors named to keep an eye
on the way Hoffa runs the union.
Steel
By Strikers
ALL THIS AND
NO AGREEMENT
GENEVA (UPI) Dele
gations to the foreign minis
ters conference have various
ly labeled conference mem
oranda at "working papers"
and "talking papers." Tues
day the Wet) German delega
tion presented a new one
e "thinking paper." There
has been no explanation as
to the difference between the
memoranda, but one observ
er said they show that diplo
mats can: Talk without think
ing, work without thinking
or talking, and think and
talk without working.
Hoffa Remarks
Dim Hopes For
Union Cleanup
WASHINGTON (UPI Chair
man John L. McClellan (D-Ark.)
said today the Senate Kackets
Committee's latest temper-tossed
hassle with Teamster President
James R. Hoffa proved "there
can be no cleanup from within"
the union.
McClellan told newsmen he
hoped that testimony in the last
few weeks by "Hoffa and his
henchmen" would fortify the
three-member board of monitors
a federal judge set up to super
vise Hoffa's control of the 1,500,-
000-member union.
The senator, who planned to
hand down a fuller verdict today.
made the comments in the wake
of a non-stop hearing of almost
nine hours Tuesday, with Hoffa
in the featured role.
Chief counsel Robert F. Kenne
dy said it was "not necessarily'
Hoffa's final appearance nor the
end ot me two-and-a-half year
Teamster i inquiryr H bdJ -this
would depend on further develop
ments before the end of the
year.
The hearing culminated with
McClellan's remorse over "con
tradictions" in Hoffa's proposal
that underlings be called to pro
vide answers he said he could
not remember. The underlings
thereupon Invoked t h e Fifth
Amendment's protection against
possible self-incrimination.
Kennedy called this tactic by
liotta completely dishonest."
Runway Is Topic
For Commission
A report on the airport runway
situation will be the main item on
the city commission's agenda at
their regular meeting tonight.
City Manager Fred J. Young has
also received communications from
the Civil Aeronautics Board and
the State Sanitation Authority in
regard to the construction of the
lagoons on city property near the
airport.
Young has also sent a map of
the airport with an overlay of the
proposed sites of the ponds to the
Federal Aviation Authority for
approval.
Prlca 5 Cents
Mills
McDonald
Predicts
Victory
By NORMAN L. BRAUN
UPI Staff Writer
PITTSBURGH iUPD - A hah
million United Steelworkers went
on strike today, cutting the na
tion's steel production to a com
parative trickle.
With negotiations for a new
union - industry labor contract
tightly hung up on the thorny is
sues of wages and "management's
right to manage," the workers who
produce yo per cent of the coun
try's steel walked out.
I SW President David J. McDon
ald called on the heads of the 12
major steel companies, whose de
cision set the pattern for the giant
industry, to agree to submit the
dispute to a three-man fact-finding
board.
Industry sources here saw little
chance of acceptance of the pro
posal and the most costly strike
in the nation s history appeared in
the making.
The walkout, the sixth by the
big union since World War It,
started officially at 12:01 a.ra.
e.d.t. when a two-week extension
of the previous wage agreement
expired. But by the deadline, the
mills already were idle and the
furnaces banked or emptied.
McDonald left New York Cit
scene of 10 weeks fruitless nego
tiations with the industry, Tues
day night to appear before cheer
ing workers at a strike rally of
employes of U. S. Steel Corpora
tion's Fairless workers at Morrts
ville. Pa.
Raising aloft a picket sign pre
claiming him the "No. 1 picket,"
the union president said:
"We're absolutely determined
on this strike and by the eternal
gods we will win."
A crowd estimated by police at
1,200 roared its approval.
After the rally, McDonald re
turned to New York where later
today both industry and union
leaders were to meet with federal
mediation experts at the urging of
President Eisenhower.
Pre-strike estimates were that
the steel workers would lose CI
million dollars in wages and the
industry 248 million dollars in pro
duction each week the walkout
continued.
A 34-day strike in basic sted
in 1956 cost the industry an esti
mated two billion dollars in lost
wages and production. It also led
to price increases in almost every
item made of steel.
See STEEL on Page 5
Dixon-Yates
Contract OK
Court Rules
WASHINGTON (UPI) The
U. S. Court of Claims ruled today
that the controversial Dixon-Yates
power contract was valid, and
awarded the utility firm $1,847,545
in termination costs.
The majority of the court held
that there wus no conflict of in
terest involving Adolph II. Wen
zell, who acted as the govern
ment's advisor when the contract
was being set up.
The government had refused to
day any contract termination
costs to the Mississippi Valley
Generating Co. (the Dixon-Yates
firm), contending that Wenzell's
dual capacity in the case violated
the law and invalidated the con
tract. While he was acting for the gov
ernment, Wenzell was a vice pres
ident of the First Boston Corpora
tion, an Investment banking firm
that later handled part of the fi
nancing on the deal.
The court said the evidence in
dicated that Wenzell was not
working for the government at the
time the contract finally was
reached, and that therefore was
not involved in a conllict ot in
terest. :
The Dixon Yates combine
agreed on Nov. 11, 1954, to build
a huge power generating plant at
West Memphis, Ark., to provide
current needed by the Atomic En
ergy Commission. ",
in August, 1955, after a site had
been acquired and some prelim
inary construction work done, the
AF.C announced that it would be
able to receive power from an
other source and cancelled the
Dixon-Yates agreement.
The case touched off a bitter
controversy on the issues of pub
lic vs. private power generation,
and was one of the insues in the
1954 election campaigns.