News Photos Thre photo servicea bring pictures of world news vents to reader of Too Oregon Statesman in every issue. SnP : ?Tik VTrV iuus lip mm 2 POUNDOO 1651 The Weather . Unsettled, occasional rain today and Friday. Little change in temperature. Max. Temp. Wednesday 50, Mln. 89. Hirer -.7 feet. South wind. EIGHTY-EIGHTH YEAR Salem, Oregon, Thursday Morning, December 29, 1938 Price 3c; Newsstand fie No. 237 "re , Tries Domlble Flank Drive on Goal Rel ief to je First Issue When Congress Opens Byrnes Wants Truth on Need Of new Funds Actual Balances Always Hard to Ascertain Says Chairman Report on Politics Will Affejct Outcome; FR May Cooperate WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 8. -)-Eenator Byrnes (D-SC) said to night that he would call the sen7 ate unemployment committee in to session next week to discuss the desirability of immediate changes In the administration of relief. The committee chairman added that the group would seek infor mation on how much WPA money remains and the truth of reports that existing, funds will . be ex hausted Feb. 7. (The $1,425,000,000 appropri- ation for relief last session was Intended to last until March 1 Aubrey Williams, deputy relief administrator under Harry Hop kins, told reporters recently, how ever, that the funds would be ex hausted early in February. Since .that time, President Roosevelt has elevated Hopkins to secretary of commerce, placed WPA under Col. F. C. Harrington, an army engineer, and made Williams ad ministrator of the National Youth administration.) ' Campaign Expense Report Is Factor The movement among some congress members for changes in rthe administration, of relief -may ' receive impetus from the : report of the senate committee on cam paign expenditures, due to be made Jan. 3. Chairman Sheppard (D-Tex) in dicated today that the report would denounce politics in relief In vigorous language. He said the bi-partisan group would be in complete agreement on-its report, the first draft of which is to be completed tomor row. Since some members have been outspoken in censuring re ported politics in WPA, the com mittee chairman's assertion that a unanimous report was in pros pect was accepted generally as meaning it would use terms strong enough to satisfy the most critical. Byrnes said he had received no information about the status of WPA funds other than that which has been carried in newspapers. " He asserted there always had been "great difficulty" in ascer taining the exact amount of WPA funds available from time to time, because .varying amounts of "un expended , balances" have been re appropriated annually. Innocent Causes of "Christmas Tree Slaying'; Father Absolved X , " vfi-v m - (""yj v ? . w 4 s , ' jA-F x rf : bit stf0 Lima Accord Has General Support BUENOS AIRES, Dec. ii-i&l A considerable1 - portion of the public and press of leading South America capitals has expressed belief that the eight Pan-American conference, which closed at " Lima yesterday, seved an unmis takeable warning on Germany, Italy and Japan to keep out of the western hemisphere. Many representative newspa pers and public figures have in dicated, howerer, that they fail tc see any threat of armed . in vasion from those quarters. V- h I J "J4 if" I li k 1 6 TragedyTree not v On Slaver s Land Geraldine and Rose Rousseau, above, spent a tragic Christmas, their father, William Rousseau, slain because, unemployed and unable to buy a Christmas tree for them, he tried to "appro priate" one growing near the nursery of William Case, Si. Their mother, waiting in a car nearby, was gravely wounded. It now develops that the tree was not on the property of Case, shown below, who is be ing held. on. a. manslaughter charge. Case, because of his beard and usually friendly na ture, was known as "Santa Clans." Eight Feet Away; Funeral Held for Victim as Charges Wait ELYRIA, O., Dec. 28(;P)-Sur vejors found today that the Christmas tree which William Rousseau, 37, was alleged to have been taking for his chil dren when he was shot to death by William Case, 8 4, was not on Case's farm. County Engineer Harry L. Dunham said the tree was in the ! right of way of a township road. eight feet from Case s property. The white-bearded farmer who was known .to rural children as a kindly "Santa Claus" is un der $1,000 bond on a manslaugh ter charge. Prosecutor Howard Butler said he would not change the charge but that the grand jury might make it murder. Rousseau's widow, wounded by the farmer's gun-fire as she waited in their automobile for her husband, was reported in critical condition today by her physicians as result of infection. Among the 50 persons who at tended Rousseau's burial at Graf ton today were his daughters. Geraldine, 11, and Sarah, 8. Consolidating: Small School Districts Aim Teachers See Wastes in Present System; Nine Points in Program Retirement Plan Will Be Principal Effort at '39 Legislature PORTLAND, Dec. 2&-UP)-Con- solidation of small school districts into larger units was approved sis part of a nine-point state legisla tive program today at the open ing session of the 39th annual Oregon State Teachers' associa tion by members of the represent ative council. Proponents of consolidations said that there are 2200 school districts, the same number of school boards and 7000 school di rectors in Oregon now. Consoli dation would eliminate much ad ministration expense and equalize opportunities for children in ad- acent districts, they argued. Urge Non-Partisan 1 Choice of Executive The report also recommended that the state superintendent of public instruction be elected on a non-partisan basis. The council also voted to intro duce at the legislature a bill pro viding for retirement of teachers voluntarily at 82 and involuntar ily at 70. The teachers would contribute f our per. cent a$.theiH salaries and would receive the ac tuarial annuity of their contribu tions plus $20 a month paid by the state at retirement. The council also asked that Ore gon Normal at Monmouth be re named Western Oregon College of Education; Eastern Oregon Nor mal at La Grande, Eastern Oregon (Turn to page 2, column 1) Garage Operator Slugged And Relieved of $530 THE 1 DALLES, Dec. 28-)- Two unmasked men slugged Charles Kirby, Shaniko garage op erator, as he was changing a tire today, robbed the place of $530 and escaped. Highway Workers Warn Train Crew so Wreck Less Serious PORTLAND, Ore., Dec 1 $-(-Martin Lund and J. E. Bunting, two state highway "trouble shoot ers" today were credited with sav ing the six-man crew of a Union Pacific freight train from death or serious injury last midnight. Their flares and flashlights warned Engineer J. T. Rorick of s CO 00 pound boulder on the track In the Columbia river gorge near Onenta, 32 miles east of here. Rorick checkei the speed of the trala materially before the loco motive struck the huge roc, which had fallen from the cliffs above, but the engine and 26 cars were derailed, the cars smashed to bits and 300 feet ot track torn ap. The train's cargo of grain and nackared canned goods was itrewn orer the scene. No member of the crew was ln- lured although four men in theo eomotive said their escape was miraculous as the cars Jack-knifed together all about them. The loco motive did not turn over. Rail officials and highway ln "nectors said the rock apparently i had fallen almost 100 feet from the top of the cliff adjoining the highway and bounced completely over the highway onto the tracks. Rail traffic was diverted to the Washington side of the river dur inr the day. Roadmasters said the line on the Oregon side would be back in service sometime tonight. PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 2$-(flV The engineer ot the freight train that was wrecked in the Columbia gorge last night today described rranhically the sensation of . the man in the cab when a locomotive and its retinue of cars pile up. "The engine buckled up and went straight into the air," Jay T Rorick, veteran Union Pacific en gineer, said. . -1 a x "It was like a bronco bucking. Then It dove right down and 1 waited for the end I felt was on its way. But it didn't come. "instead those freight ears started niling in all around os. think that's what kept the engine from turning over and sailing us. The noise was terrible. I just sat there because I didn't have Ume to move." December Rain Is Well Under Norm The maker of December rains will have to hurry if he hopes to put on even an average per formance for the last month of the year. overnight precipitation, re corded yesterday morning, amounted to .83 inches, heaviest since the- same volume was re corded December 3, and pushed the month s total rainfall to 5.05 inches, still .63 Inches below mean . average. A nine-day dry spell, from De cember 10 to 18, served to keep the month s rain total down. The weather bureau predicts unsettled conditions with occa sional rain for today and Friday with snows over mountains and little change in temperature. Youth Quizzed in St Helens Break ST. HELENS, Dec. 28-P)-A Warren youth was detained by state police today tor Questioning in connection with the escape of four prisoners from the Columbia county jail here Christmas eve. They said three saws had been smuggled to the prisoners who cut iron bars and gratings on ceU wlnjlow. Officers investigated the possibility a ear stolen rrom Wesley L. Graves, West St, Hel ens,' had been used by the f ugi- Urea. France Plans To Double Her Africa Forces Second Warship Ordered to Djibouti, Result of Press Demands Rome Dispatches Assert Hopes of Acquiring Territory Ended PARIS, Dec. 28--France prepared virtually to double her military and naval forces in So ir.aliland today with orders for new reinforcements to face any threats from Italy's east African empire. A second varship was assigned to the east African port of Dji bouti, named in Italian agita tion for French territory, while the 1,969-ton dispatch boat D'lb erville, mounting three B. 5-inch guns, proceeded from Beirut, Syria, back to Djibouti, her base during the Italian-Ethiopian war. The second vessel was the 2,441-ton destroyer Epervier of the eastern Mediterranean fleet. She is capable of 37 knots and was .expected to reach the Somal iland port before the slower D'Iberville. During the afternoon Navy Minister Cesar Campinchi con ferred with Erik Labonne. French resident general in Tunisia, who has been in Paris conferring on the colonial situation and ar ranging details of Premier Ed ouard Daladier'r projected trip to Tunis January 8. Territorial Aims Bald Abandoned ( A dispatch from Rome said Italian sources Indicated that Italy virtually had abandoned any hope of territorial gains at France's expense and said the (Turn to page 2, column 1) Veterans Get no Preference, Held PORTLAND, Dec. 18-tfVRP- resentatlves of three veterans' or ganizations complained to state WPA Administrator E. J. Griffith today that veterans were not get ting preference in WPA hiring In Oregon. The trio, Julius C. Moreland, American Legion; Cicero F. Ho gan, Disabled American Veterans, and G. O. Pike, Veterans of For eign Wars, said that while instruc tions to give veteransVpreference have been issued they have not been carried out. Mahoney Geared , Of Traffic Death ALBANY, Dec. 28-51)-Willis Mahoney, former mayor of Klam ath Falls and unsuccessful US senatorial candidate at the No vember election, today was freed of charges in connection with the death last year of Thomas Zim merman in a traffic accident. The county grand jury returned a no true bill in the case. Mahoney appeared today before the inquisitorial body. Mahoney was exonerated of blame by state police shortly after his car struck and fatally injured the man. Portland Shake$ off Cold and Rainy Spell PORTLAND, Dec. 28 - ) -Clear weather and mild tempera tures prevailed here today after several days of heavy rains. The thermometer recorded 49-degree maximum and the lowest point was only 43. Higher Pay to County Officials Here Slated If Solons Enact Bill Judge's Salary Nearly Doubled, Other Officers Pay Would Be Raised in Measure Designed to Unify Rates for all Counties in Oregon Salaries of six Marion county officials would be in creased by a total of $6100 a year under a proposed pay sched ule drafted for probable introduction in bill form at the com ing legislative session. The schedule, applying to all counties in the state, is based on "requirements of the office and abil ity of taxpayers to pay as measured by formula," a combin- option population and assessed valuation scale, according to a McKenzie Qosed But Santiam Open Two Inches of Snow Soon Cleared; South Route Covered by Storm The North Santiam highway continued yesterday to offer mo torists a short route to eastern Oregon when snow again blocked the McKenzie pass route. Ten inches of snow that fell on the Santiam road Tuesday night had been cleared early yesterday by Marion county and state high way plows and traveling condi tions were described as "all right, though sloppy," by County Engin eer N. C. Hubbs. He advised mo torists to carry chains. BEND, Dec. 2$-(JF)-A snow storm blotted out the central Ore gon Cascades today and closed the McKenzie highway, chief automo bile route between Bend and Eu gene. Highway officials said it would depend upon the intensity of the storm whether the road would be reopened before spring. Blockades were placed at the east and west approaches to the summit and a patrol dispatched to learn if any motorists were stranded. Seven inches of new snow' fell on Sun mountain pass between here and Klamath Falls and an eight-inch blanket was reported at Mount Hood Government Camp. Although the fall was heavy in the mountains, there was only a trace of snow here. Cold New Year Is Idaho's Prospect (By The Associated Press) A record snowfall, ice bound highways and temperatures near ly dawn to zero were the New Year's prof pect in North Idaho to night. One death was recorded, as pub lic agencies and private residents "dug out" of winter coverings. Strangely, the only death re corded as winter "settled down" over the area was from recrea tional activity. George F. Troeh, 77, of GrangeviUe, died from in juries received when he fell while sksting. FRANCO FORGING AHEAD IN GREAT DRIVE BAY OF BISCAY yw . 1$ pill liliiinr..Ti1iin yd s. S SANTIAGO F ill " t 2 . . v : - .Miffii : t . ANirlM r 1 HELD RY MSURGiAfTS HELD, BY GOfflHMENT In an nd the war drive. General Franco, Insurgent generalissimo, forged ahead on two battlefronts In Knain in attemnc to brine about an early termination of the civil war. Aiming at Barcelona, insur gent troops took the key city of Vltanova de Maya, at the end of an Improved highway leading to Arte sa, key to Catalonia and 34 miles northeast of Lerlda. Map shows territory held by loyalist govern- ment forces shaded. The Franco army occupies the white area. Casualties on both sides daring the drive were reported to exceed 10,000 of the; 500,000 total ot fighters. US photo. copy in circulation here yesterday. Under the new proposal, the Marion county judge would re ceive $3000 instead of $1800 a year, the sheriff $3200 in place of $2000, the treasurer $2100 as against $1500, the county super intendent $2500 in contrast with $1500, the assessor $3000, an in crease of $1200, and the clerk $2700, a, boost of $900. The total salary bill for heads of these six county offices would amount to $16,500 a year as against $10,400 as provided in the 1939 Marion county budget. The list suggests salaries for Linn and Polk county officers as follows: County judge, Linn $2600, Polk $2300; sheriff, Linn $2800, Polk $2500; treasurer. Linn $1, 920, Polk $1750; superintendent. Linn $2400, Polk $2040; assess or, Linn $2600, Polk $2300; clerk, Linn $2400, Polk $2300. The schedule places Marion county third high among the counties on the population-valuation scale, with Multnomah first, Lane third, Linn ninth and Polk 19th. The proposed standardization based on this formula was under stood to have been worked out by the state sheriff's and other coun ty officials' associations. Order Protecting Gaines Maintained Judge Fee Indicates They Are Probably Illegal, Delays Decision PORTLAND. Dec. 28-)-Fed-eral Judge James Fee today con tinued in force the temporary re straining order forbidding city, county and state officials from in terfering with the operation of so-called electrical novelty games distributed by the Western Dis tributors, Inc. He said he thought the games fell within the language of the state anti-gambling law which prohibits games of chance such as slot machines, pinball games and like devices, but said he wanted to make a further study of the auth orities before passing upon the case. Judge Fee issued the temporary restraining order last week a few hours before city and county au thorities planned to launch a drive to seize the machines. PORTLAND, Dec. 28-j!P)-Sher- liz Martin Pratt supervised the destruction of 14 slot machines to day under provisions of the anti gaming law passed at the. general election. Judge J. H. Hendrickson ordered the action after denying' a motion of eight defendants to su press evidence on the ground the devices had been taken illegally. Wrong Killing Is Admitted by Trio Who Did not Stop SPOKANE, Dec 28-)-Three Spokane . youths who were ar rested and admitted the hit-run killing of John L. Stromberg near Spokane nearly three years ago didn't kill that man at all. Deputy Prosecutor Carl Quack- enbush said today. But, they did hit and kill another man, he added. ' Morris Button, 19, Kenneth Halverson, 18, and Tom Morris, 19, were arrested in connection with the Stromberg death last week. 'After investigation, the prose cutor said he was convinced the youths did not hit Stromberg in April, 1936, but Ralph' Ervin in October, 19S6. - "The boys are not charged with responsibility for the kill ing," but only for failure to stop, the prosecutor said.' Niles ; to Resume War on Gambling , , PORTLAND, Dec. 2 8-(ff)-The city vice division' will be main tained and there will be Increased activity to curb reported " re opening of gambling establish ments. Chief of Police Harry Niles revealed today. He denied published reports the vice-squad would be replaced by Instructing police captains to enforce gambl ing laws. Avoids Direct Move Against Loyalist Line P. Steel Concrete Defense May Be Captured by Oblique .Attacks Major Victory in Air Is Hailed in Report of Insurgent Force HENDAYE. France, (At The Spanish Frontier), Dec. 2S.-(JP)-Generalissimo Francisco Franco's grand offensive in northeastern Spain appeared tonight to hare developed into a broad double- flanking movement designed to capture Barcelona's outlying steel and concrete defense lines with out frontal assault. Dispatches from the . Catalon- l&n front indicated the generalis simo was concentrating the great est force on the southern flank of the 31-mile line which guards main approaches to Barcelona be tween Balaguer and Borjas Blan- cas and about 70 miles west of the government's Mediterranean capital. The flanking maneuver had been developing more slowly on the south than on the north where the textile town ot Artesa today was the object of a bitter contest between insurgent and govern ment artillerymen. The govern- ment still held Artesa, about IS miles northeast of Balaguer. Great Air Victory Insnrgents Claim An insurgent official commun ique hailed "a great air victory'? in which insurgent planes report edly shot down 20 government Curtis-type planes. The commun ique issued here gave no indica tion where the battle took place. although unofficial d 1 s p a t ches said it was fought over the south ern Lerida battlefront. The government's official com munique said one insurgent Fiat and Messerschmldt .. plane was brought down in air battle, while anti-aircraft guns hit two insur gent Dornier 17's snd'one Hern-, kel III, bringing all three down in flames behind the government lines. Insurgent newspapers said the six-day-old offensive bad brought capture of more than 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of territory, at least 1 6 towns, scores of villages and 7.000 prisoners and the destruction of 39 govern ment planes. (The Spanish government press sgency, in a dispatch to London from Barcelona, however, assert ed that insurgent forces were be ing held well in check.) Blows Delivered Ob 75-Mile Front The insurgent offensive began with battering blows all the way from Tremp 75 miles south to Ri-"f barroja on the Ebro river. But it was only as the force began to b concentrated on the two flanks of the government fortifications ' facing Lerida that Franco's stra tegy became apparent. For nearly a half year the gov-. ernment had been building the heavily fortified line from south of Balaguer to Borjas Blancas, cutting across a network of com munications from the west to Bar celona. It was this strong line- not yet involved actively in the offensive -which the Insurgents were try ing to pinch off without a. bead-on attack Government troops still held a triangular area in front ot the line, insurgent-held Lerida be ing the apex of the triangle and the base extending from Borjas uiancas to Balaguer. Five Held Guilty Of Fraud Count INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. -Five men accused of swindling mid western banks and business concerns of $1,200,009 were con victed by a federal court Jury to day of using the mails to de- . fraud. The five, all officials of the Continental Credit corpor ation ot Winchester, Ind., and associated firms, will be sen tenced January 5. Conviction of John W. Moore, sr., and his son, John W. Moore, jr., president and secretary treasurer, respectively, of the Continental corporation on -all 12 counts of an indictment makes them liable to maximum terms of 57 years. R. S. Phillips of. Toledo, O., and Kenneth P. Kimball ot Su Louis were convicted on two -counts that provide maximum sentences of seven years each. Russell E Wise, Union City, Ind., - was convicted . on two counts, the maximum ' sentence for which is 10 years. Good News to Hay Fever Sufferers Seen, Award RICHMOND, Va.. Dec. 28-(ff) -Award of a $1000 medical prize to Charles F, Code, M.D., 28, ot Minneapolis, for discovery of a "mechanism" In the blood which may explain asthma, hay fever and the allergies such as . food sensitivity was announced ' hero tonight. - . :