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About La Grande observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1959-1968 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 29, 1959)
FLYO N LA GRANDE OBSERVER . 49th Issue 64th Ytar . LA GRANDE, OREGON, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1959 14 Pages Five Cents Biggest In Rail Rapidly CHICAGO UPI Management and unions readied today for one o( the biggest battles in the history of the nation's railroads. conferences are underway or soon will be on contracts involving most of the 800,000 railroad work ers. The procedures are compli cated, but charges ringing out from both camps are quite clear. For example, the railroads claim featherbedding practices of the unions are costing the carriers 500 millon dollars a year, money spent for work not pe formed or nut needed. The unions retort that manage ment intends, "even if it provokes a strike , to insist on changes in the working rules which labor has established by negotiations dating Agricultural Census Takers Are Appointed Census takers for Union and Wallowa -counties in the 1059 cen sus of agriculture have been tap pointed and are now taking an intensive training course in prep aration for the start of the field canvass on Nov. 2. The training sessions are being held at the Sacajawea Hotel and are being conducted by Crew Leader J. T. "Bud" Jones. Many Enrolled Taking the training course are Mrs. Edna Aschenbrenner, Nadcne Haiper, Frances Huber, Bessie Butterfield, Hazel Wilson. and Margaret Brecban. all. of Wallowa County. Frota." Union County are Mrs. Genevieve Morris. Estella Puckctt, Grace Henderson. Noel Scott, and Mrs. Phil Cuthbcrt The training course covers the use of the census questionnaire, census definitions, interviewing and map reading. Emphasis is placed on the importance of loca ting every farm and obtaining complete and accurate in'orma tion. The census takers (enumer ators) will conduct some actual interviews as part of the training. Man Injured When Vehicle Rolls Over Don Oren Ncsmith, Pendleton, was injured last night when his 1360 model car left Highway 30 about two miles west of here and rolled over three times in a bar low pit, Oreon State Police said today. Ncsmith told police that he was adjusting the heat regulator when he lost control of the ve hicle. He was cited for violation of the basic rule. $1,892,877.14 COLLECTIONS Sheriff Announces Mailing Of Union County Tax Statements By CRADY PANNELL Observer Staff Writer Union County tax statements have been mailed, according to Union County Sheriff H. A. Kling hammer. The tax roll was turned over to the sheriff's office earlier in the week by the county asses sor's office. The total amount of tax to be collected is $1,892,877.14 for 1959 60. For the tax year of 1958-59, the amount collected was $1,825, 106 64. ' Deadline for the 3 per cent re bate is Nov. 15, the tax collection officer announced. Here's a partial breakdown on the tax roll: Real property totals $18,521,435: personal property, $4,326,650: for est patrol, $27,545.67. The total taxable value. lss $202,395 soldiers' exemption, and $4,762,254 value of public utilities assessed by State Tax Commis sion, is $27,407,944. Land Valuation Valuation of lands inside cor porate limits, $1,738,540; lands outside corporate limits, $9,335. 550; improvements inside corpor ate limits. $S,J7S,725; improve ments outside corporate limits. Battle History Building back as much as 40 years to pro tect the public as well as the workers. The ailroads say the unions this year have presented demands for wage, and fringe gains which would amount to 756 million dol lars annually, among them: The Brotherhood of Locomo tive Enginers, the Order of Rail way Conductors and the Brake men, and Switchmen's Union of North America seek a 12 per cent pay increase. The Brotherhood of Ralroad Trainmen and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Engine men are asking for a 14 per cent pay increase. The 16 nonoperating unions, composed of employes who do not man the trains, want a flat 25- cent an hour wage increase. The railroads' answer: A 25-cent an hour pay re"e tion. "the amount by which wage increases for railroad employes have exceeded those for workers in industry generally since 1953" plus elimination of all cost of liv ing escalator provisions. ' The nonoperating unions will ask for changes in workfhg rules, in addition to the 25-cent an hour increase, when a three-year mor atorium ends Sunday. The railroads are waiting for Sunday, too. After Sunday the railroad will be free to try to get the so-called featherbedding rules amended. The issues thus will come to a head, the unions de manding more money and the railroads demanding new rules. Accept Petitions On Water, Sewer City commissioners at their reg ular meeting last night agreed to accept petitions from Earl Miller for water and sewer improvement districts to serve a new housing dove'opmcnt. Acting on the recommendation of Dave Slaght, city manager pro tern, the commissioners voted unanimously to accept the offer. Miller has two houses on the proposed development more than half complete. He also has grad ed and opened a street to pro vide access to 'the present struc tures and further houses should they be built. ' Slaght recommended a six inch main be installed because of the altitude of the area and to insure water for fire protection. Property owners would be required to pay 100 per cent of sewage installation costs and $1.25 per foot for water m.iins. The project would require 200 feet of pipe and would be joined to present water facilities at Alder Stree. $1,859,960: timber (exclusive of land). $211,660. In the personal property brack et, merchandise and stock in trade is valued at $1,301,000; with machinery (other than farm) and equipment, $1,042,600. Cattle (, 673 head), $929,225: farm marh. inery and equipment, $705,340. There are 169 trailers, 1,144 hor ses and mules. 11,828 sheen and goats. 4.682 swine, and 19,884 poultry listed among the taxable items.) , The assessor's value on total real and personal property is $22,645,690; estimated assessed value of non-taxable property be longing to the federal government, slate, county, cities, school dis tricts, churches, etc.. is $8,267.- 155. The tax dollar is used as fol lows: .43 per cent rural fire dis tricts; 1.04 per cent cemetery dis tricts, 12.91 all cities; 23.75 all county purposes, and 60 87 schools. WEATHER Clearing and colder tonight; mostly sunny Friday; low to- night M-1S; high Friday 47-5$. MAN'S BEST FRIEND DIES By H. H. BUSHNELL Observer Staff Writer WALLOWA (Special) A tragedy came to Wallowa not long ago when Tigo Meek died in an automobilo accident on the main street. Tige had considerable ex perience in dodging cars in traffic but grew overconfi dent and a little careless. Mer cifully, he did not suffer long. Tlge was an orphan sheep dog. He was adopted by Orover Meek when he was only a pup py. That was nine years ago. Ho aoumed what he believed was his duty to guard his master against danger and al so to guard his wheel chair. Nobody was allowed to touch that chair and nobody but Meek was allowed to sit in it except Tige himself. If a man showed such un wavering loyalty to what he believed was a joyful duty, he would be honored. All Tige asked was a kind word and a pat on the head reward for a life of faithful devotion. Right To Jury Trial Passes An ordinance providing for the right of trial by jury was passed at the city commission's regular neeting last night. The ordi nance was put into effect follow ing a law passed by the last Ore gon legislature providing that every person cnarged with any offense defined and mane punish able by ordinances of the city shall have the right of trial by jury. The defendant must post a $30 deposit to the eourt at the time of arraignment, or entry of ple& to entitle hira tua Jury, If tho de fendant is acquitted by the jury, the jury fee deposit by the do fendant shall be refunded.' $5 Per Day The jury, which shall consist of six members, will b paid at the rate of $5 a day. If the de fendant is found guilty, the mun icipal Judge shall add to the fine costs and disbursements equal to the fees paid to jurors. The jur ors will first be paid from the $30 deposit and upon conviction the defendant will also have to pay any additional costs. The list of prospective jurors shall be taken from the latest tax roll and registration books used at the latest city election The list of jurors shall be chosen at random from the books. The chief of police shall serve notice of jury duty under the di rection of the judge. Any per son who fails to appear or disre gards the notice will be consid ered in contempt of court and may be punished by a fine not to exceed $100 dollars or ten days in jail or both. County Tax Total Total county taxes are $498, 824.58 on county valuation of $27 407,944. The millage rate aver ages out at 18.2, based on general fund ($167,736.62), general road fund ($25,215.31); market road fund ($214,056,041; school fund '$55,912,201; weed control fund '$23,844.91); Indigent soldier fund '$822.24); re-appraisal fund ($11, 237.26). The highest millage rate is 7.81 on the market road fund: the low est is .03 on Indigent so'dier fund. La Grande leads in special taxes levied by cities and towns with a valuation of $7,043,501. millage rate of 29 $, city tax of $207, 783 -28. total rate inside city of 88.0. Next is Elgin. $899,940. millage rate. 17.8. city tax. $16,018.93, to tal rate, 91.9; with Union third. $854,034, city tax. $8,967.36, mil lage, 10.S. total rate. 80 8. Island City valuation is $267, 775. millage, !.. city tax. $749.77. total rate. 43.2; North Powder, $234,975, millage, 193, city tax, $4,535.02, total rate. 770: Cove, $167,339. millage, 120. city tax. $2,008.07, total rate. 76.2; Imbler. . See SHERIFF Pi Seven Need More Research On Bering Dam WASHINGTON 1 111 '-The U.S. weather scientists said today more research is. needed to determine whet he"- 'a Soviet-ptoHs;d dam across the lSering Strait between Alaska and Siberia would du r-" harm' than good. Another U.S. scientist expressed doubt that such a dam would do what the Russians think it would warm the frozen Arctic area. But Sen. Ernest Gruening ID Alaska' urged this week that the United States give "prompt and sympathetic consideration" to the Soviet proposal. He said he would ask Congress in January to ap prove a Soviet-American study of the dam and suggested that Can ada be invited to participate. Soviet engineer A. 1. Slumulin proposed some time ago that a 53-mile dam be built between Si beria and Alaska. With atomic power, he would pump water by the thousands of cubic miles from the warm Pacific side of the dam to the cold Arctic side. Another Russian engineer, Peter M. Borisov, came up with another dam proposal last week. Instead of pumping from the Pacific to the Arctic, he would draw cold water out of the Arctic. This, according to Borisov, would pull v arm Gulf Stream wat er into the Arctic from the At lantic side and improve the cli mate of Alaska, Canada, and Si beria. Borisov suggested that the United States and Russia bear jointly the cost of $17,500,000,000. Dr. Harry Wexler, the Weather Bureau's chief of meteorological research, and Dr. Earl Droessler. program director for atmospheric sciences of the National Science Foundations, said much more in formation must be obtained before it would be possible to say wheth er the dam would be tcwd or bad for humanity. x ' ' There are plates in the world, such as Southern California and the Mediterranean regions, Wev ler said, which conceivably could be hurt by the dam. These areas are dry most of the year. They get most of their moisture during the short winter seasons when storms nrea in the north dip far to the south. Anything that made the no-th-ern winters milder would cut down the number of storms venturing southward, and might dry up these regions, U'cJer said. Bend State's 'Icebox' BEND 'ITIi The mercury dipped to 14 degrees above zero here early today, lowest official reading in Oregon so far this fall. Gulf Braces For Storms MEXICO CITY IUPH- Storm- triggered floods threatened in four Mexican Gulf Coast states today while rescue and relief efforts were intensified on the cyclone- battered Pacific Coast. Latest reports placed the death toll in Tuesday's cyclone at 76 in the Manzanillo area alone. Navy department reports placed the number of injured at 710. The cyclone cut a crescent- shaped path of death and destruc tion l"i0 miles wide and 400 miles long in three Pacific Coast states. The Navy Department reported the entire town of Cuyutlan in Colima, with a population of 800. was wiped out. A new storm lashed the Gulf Coast Wednesday night, swelling rivers to flood stage. The storm threatened large areas of Vera Cruz, Campeche. Tabasco and Yu catan states which were still dig ging out from storms and floods 10 days ago. r . ' 1V fi'eV--' f'. t HEAD These five Union County teenagers were elected last night at the annual recognition banquet in Island City to he:ui activities of junior 4-11 leaders for the coming year. From left are Jean Vick, 1 er, La Grande; Cathie Jones, secretary, La Grande; Ruth lloxie, president, Lane-ande, and Steve Waite, program chairman, La Grande. 'j : . BANQUET PREPARATION Ladies of the Union County Farm Bureau prepared banquet last night in recognition of the county's 4-11 leaders and junior leaders. From left are Mrs. Everett Cornett, Mrs. B ud Jones, and Mrs. Frank Council. Many of the women of the sponsoring Farm Bureau assisted in the preparation of the din ner. (Observer Photo) AT. 5 , ' V AFTER DINNER CHAT Gene Lear, left, state Exten sion agent from Corvallis, chats with Union County Agent and Mrs. Ted Sidor at the 4-H leaders and junior leaders recognition banquet last night. The banquet, sponsored by the Union County Farm Bureau, was serv ed by ladies of the farm organization. Lear spoke to the assembled leaders and guests on the importance of 4 11 Two Motorists Are Arrested A La Grande motorist was ar reted for violation of the basic rule on Fourth Street between K and M Avenues yesterday. Gorman Paul Harris, 404 H Ave., was cited for traveling 34 miles per hour in a 20 mile zone, police said. He was stopped on Fourth Street at 7:45 last night. Sail was set at $14. Police also arrested an Island City teenage driver for violation of the basic rule and failure to stop at a stop sign at 9 30 last night. The youth was halted at tile intersection of Elm Street and Jefferson Avenue following the violation on Fourth Street. Bail was set at $1S. Hearings on both cuses were scheduled. ill "VWJ ' I - IfeA'A.- 1 a mm i a. w m 4-H JUNIOR LEADERS n". GOP Leaders Here For Party Confab Conducting a swing through Eastern Oregon this week are two ranking Republican party of ficials, peter M. Cunnar, Salem, state chairman, and Mrs. Paul Daugherty, Portland, state vice chairman. The pair wii! visit Ij Grande his weekend, according to For rest, Masters, Union County GOP Central Committee chairman. Mrs. Daugherty will meet Re publicans at the home of Mrs. Nora Bradley, 1005 Thirteenth St.. at 7:30 p m. tomorrow, while Gunn.ir confers with GOP city and county leaders here Sunday afternoon. i mm 5 . H j . . - ' mm i mri il 1 ,.wv ' (uoserver rnoioj Aluminum Strike Is Eased, Copper Plant Hit; Steel Meeting PITTSBURGH iL'PH Major developments affecting the na tion's basic aluminum and copper industries took place today as management and union prepare to resume industrV-widc bargain ing in the marathon steel strike. As the four - man bargaining teams representing the basic steel industry and the United Steel workers Union prepared to go into direct bargaining at 11 a.m. p.s.t., the union announced developments which erased a threat of a strike in the aluminum industry but shut down the nation's last major cop per producer still operating. The union announced it had agreed to "indefinite'' contract extensions with the ''big three of the aluminum industry Alcoa. Reynolds and Kaiser. Together they produce virtually all the na tions aluminum. The extensions provide for retroactivity to Aug 1 of any final settlement, which will be patterned after whatever settle ment is reached in the steel indus try. Copper Producer Struck The USW also announced that the White Pine Copiier Mines of White Pine, Mich., last major cop per producer still 0erating. was hit by a strike Wednesday night. All other major copicr producers have been shut down by strikes by the USW and the Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers Union. The bargaining teams resuming direct talks in the steel strike to day were headed by R. Conrad Cooper, for the industry, and USW President David J. McDonald, for the union. The meeting will be the first be America Will Test Craft Soon WASHINGTON 'ITI1 America is ubout to test fly its first flying saucer. But the hush-hush project is about four months behind sched ule according to a timetable made available to United Press Inter national earlier this year. Even so, this country is hoping to beat the Russians to the punch in developing the radical new air craft, which the Soviets also are assumed to lie working on. The latest word on the saucer came from Toronto Wednesday after a free-lance photographer flew over its hangar and took a picture of the shining craft parked outside. The incident caused red faces but prompted Sir Roy Dobson, board chairman of Avro Aircraft Ltd. of Canada, which is develop ing the saucer fur tht United States, to disclose that the first outside test flight will be made soon. Dobson said the 50-foot diameter saucer already had made a suc cessful flight inside a hangar, ris ing under its own power on a cushion of air jetted from beneath the craft. Few details have been made public about the new aircraft but Pentagon secrecy wraps are ex pected to be at least partially re moved once the saucer makes its first test flight. Reliable sources said the saucer will provide the U.S. Army with a modern airborne cavalry, "the likes of which have never been seen in warfare." Cuban Plane Buzzes U.S. Naval Ship WASHINGTON UPI -A two- engine Cuban bomber buzzed the U.S. Navy destroyer escort John Willis in the Caribbean Monday, the Defense Department disclos ed today. The department said the plane passed over the ship at a height of 300 to 700 feet. It said the plane took "no hostile action." A spokesman said Jie did not know whether the Navy or State Department planned to protest the incident to the Cuban govern ment. But he said the service considered the buzzing "insigni ficant." The spokesman said only scan ty details of the incident were available from a report radioed to Washington from the ship. He said he did not know what kind of bomber was involved or exact- ly where the buzzing took place, other than in the "Key West, Fla , operating area. The incident came amidst growing ill feeling between the United Slates and Cuba. Cuban Premier Fidel Castro has charged that planes have "bombed" Ha vana from airfields in Florida. tween Cooper and McDonald since last Sunday. Since then company-by-company bargaining has been underway in an effort to end the strike, which has cut sharply into the nation's economy. - Finnegan Sounds Warning The talks will get underway with a warning from Federal Mediation Chief Joseph F. Finne gan that he would move back into negotiations Monday unless an agreement was reached by mid night Sunday. The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday rejected a government plea that tho USW be compelled to file by noon today its appeal of a Taft-Hartley 80-day back-to-work order. The government hoped to wipe out a six-day stay granted the union by the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. Rejection of the government ap peal by the high court meant the union had until Monday to file its appeal of the lower court deci sion, which held up the back-to work order against the strikers. Police Arrest Man Wanted In Clackamas ' Jackie Thomas Conley, 26, was arrested by Oregon State Police yesterday in La Grande and is being held in the Union County jail on a warrant from the Clack amas County sheriff charging violation ot parole. Conley was arrested tit a local trailer court where he was living, police said.