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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 1940)
No Substitute! Toall find bo newspapev ta rtre more real aatlaf. Weather Scattered showers today with snow in mountains! rain Friday. 31 ax. temp. Wednesday 47, mln. 89w River 1L8 ft. South, wind. tloa tbaa your LOOAIj MORNING PAPKR. with Its WORLD NEWS and HOMQ COMMUNITY NEWS. vv pauNDoo 1651 Salem. Orogon Thursday Morning. February 15, 1940 Price 3c; Newsstands 5a No. 278 alfy Ad raced! tin Detail ww ww i r wi km hi en ir in .EDffiager vainices In ine Ear . . Paul tl outer's Column The automobile dealers may talk all they with of economy of operation, but If you want to keep your mileage, down, drive fire engine. We checked up yesterday on the fire depart- men t's rolling stock and dls-l . . . coTerea tuai u h a s n't been around much. Fire engines are err noorly tra veled. ; MU"'- For instance, we found that the big aerial truck has traveled only 239 miles in its 16 years in the department. That's about 15 miles a year, which is still better than the average of a 1930 Mack pump er at the main ctatlon. Its speed ometer shows 94 miles traveled since the department bought it In 1930. Hardest working car in the fire department is the little 1939 Ford pick-up which goes whizzing off to chimney fires. It has gone 85 miles in a year's time. That's traveling! There's no mileage record on the oldest truck in the depart ment, a 1913 American LaFrance pumper housed at the east Salem station, but it's probably be e n aromd more than the others. A 1929 Reo holds the record for the central station with 3359 miles. Chemical engines get a little more work than pumpers, because they answer more alarms and also make runs into the country for outside fires. The big Sea grave chemical which was new in 1937 has gone 583 miles already. The mileage figures don't mean a thing as far as pumpers are concerned, because they may W IAUU BLAH suu yuiuy, tuuvvio P " ing full tilt, for hours at a time. We thought we'd better warn you about the pumpers, in case this has encouraged you to go out and pick up a good used fire engine with lots of miles left in it. IDIOT'S PEL.IIUIT While the life span of Idiots and Imbeciles is brief, as a rule, they seem to lire longer In California than else where in the country. Cairrity of California clip hft Trivial Information Hal Allen, young cartoonist whose work has been appearing In The Statesman, recently cari catured Don Nicholson, the three wheeling cop. Alter the cartoon appeared, Nicholson told him it a cur. Yesterday Hal borrowed a car, drove It down town. At day's end it had two of the city's best parking tags on it. PHOOEr, FU-TZE Aw, go away, Confucius say. NLRB Dictating Loans From RFC WASHINGTON, Feb. 14-Jfy-Chalrman J. Warren Madden of the labor board disclosed to house Investigators today details of an nnderstandlng with the recon struction finance corporation whereby the board sought to bar companies accused of unfair la bor practices from obtaining RFC loans. The house committee also ex amined writings of David J. Sap oas, the board's chief economist, which led to an inquiry as to whether he advocated revolution, gsposs disclaimed such extreme views. Madden said the understanding with the RFC had been suggested by that agency last fall and that the board had been glad to co operate. He presented correspond ence from board offices setting forth details of the understand ing. Germany Refuses To Consider Zone BERLIN. Fab. H.-OPt-Gtr-many Informed the Americas to day that the British and French viewpoints must be fundamen tally revised" before she could consider the American "safety son." The German government de clared its readiness for a further exchange .of thought on the sub ject bat 'a!d It saw little hope for success because of the "will of the British and French gov ernments to destroy from the be ginning the basic thought of the security one." The nexi position was stated In a note handed to the foreign minister of Panama by the Ger man charge d'affaires there in reply to protest from the pan American neutrality conference on the running- battle between the pocket battleship 'Admiral Graf Spee and three British crui sers 6ff the Uruguayan coast last Xaeam b-i w-v -' - S ."- 1 1 1 I ... -i, i 0 1 Blizzard Hits East Seaboard; Hundreds Hurt, Ship Roads Blocked By big Drifts; 12 States Hit Traffic Deaths Mounting and Communications Badly Disrupted Storm Will Be Well out to Sea Today; Tanker Sends SOS, Sought NEW YORK. Feb. 14-(JP)-The worpt blizzard of the year pound ed the Atlantic seaboard all day and tonight with a blinding mix ture of snow, rain, sleet, wind and fog. The storm, screaming up from the south and tunneling as it spread, reached a 100-mlle-an-hour crescendo atop the Empire State building and dropped a burden of deepening snow and ice over a dozen states. The freezing gale winds, strongest since the 193 8 hurri cane ripped a $500,000,000 path of destruction across Long Island and New England, left a trail of traffic deaths and wrecked power lines and harried shipping. The storm blocked highways with snowdrifts up to 20 feet deep and grounded commercial air traffic from Ohio to Boston. Hundreds were hurt in storm accidents. In New York City, faced with the possibility of its most serious traffic tieup In years, emergency police details were kept busy caring for more than 100 injured. A wind gust swept one man to his death from a fourth floor scaffolding on the Criminal Courts building. A woman, blown against a building in the financial district, suffered a fractured skull. Traffic I Stopped la Several States Hundreds of highway workers equipped with snow Blows fought a losing battle to keep main roads open, but daylong drifts had stopped traffic in sections of New Jersey, New York, New Eng land, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Highways still open were so ice glased and snow-Jammed that cars moved at snail's pace. Busses ran hours behind sched ule in mountainous districts, where travel was particularly haxardous. and hundreds of ma rooned motorists abandoned their ears and trudged through hip deep drifts to farmhouse shelters. The National Broadcasting company reported power failures resulting from storm-damaged wires had forced its two networks off the air 28 times during the day for periods ranging from three seconds to 12 minutes. In a s p e c 1 al broadcast from (Turn to Page 2, Col. 5) St. Valentine9 Mail Keeps Salem Postmen On Run Wednesday Dan Cupid kept the postmen busy yesterday. Incoming ' mall was about 1H times as heavy as usual yesterday, St. Valen tine's dsy. Postmaster H. R. Crawford reported. Both cards and larger gifts were evidently used to express the day's sentiments since there was an increase in both letter and package deliveries. Ickes-Weir Debate Outlines Fundamental National Issue NEW YORK, Feb. 14 - (P) -Secretary Iekes said in a debate with Ernest T. Weir tonight that "millions of people who no long er have faith In the profit sys tem" would follow President Roosevelt "in the protection of that system, as well as of Indi vidual liberty and political de mocracy." . , The cabinet officer and the in dustrialist discussed, before the Economic club of New York, the present relationship of govern ment to business. The chairman of the National Steel corporation argued that the Roosevelt administration was at tempting: not regulation but "def inite government control" of busi ness. "What," he asked, "does en terprise ask of government? It does not ask government to 'let It alone. It does not deny the right and necessity of government to police and referee business ac tivity. It asks government to stop trying to run business it asks government to stop ita competi tion, its restrictions and its threats It asks nnderstandlng of the economic necessities of busi Presbyterian Leader Says India Doesn't Want Full Independence n 0 s DR. SAMUEL HIGGINBOTTOM Dominion Status India Aim Says Higginbottom Natives Fear Russia, Japan; Head of Presbyterian Church Tells of His Missionary Work The man whom the maharajahs of India coaxed into sparing time from mission work to help them develop their territories agriculturally, Dr. Samuel Higginbottom, doesn't believe the people of that country want absolute independence from Great Britain. They are afraid to attempt to stand alone. o That was the declaration of Durham Candidate For School Office Heater Announces He Will Run for Judge; Neal Urged by Demos Interest in Marion county elec tion races picked up yesterday as new candidates, including one for school superintendent, received mention. H. F. Durham, retired princi pal of Parrish junior high school in Salem, filed notice of candida cy for the non-partisan nomina tion for county school superinten dent, position held by Mrs. Agnes C. Booth by appointment of the county court following the death last year of Mary L. Fulkerson. Mrs. Booth also is expected to be a candidate for the office. Mr. Durham served as princi pal of Parrish after 1 4 years' ear lier service in the Salem schools. His slogan is listed in bis notice (Turn to page 2. col. 2) ness It asks administration that has respect for commonplace le gal safeguards. "Enterprise says to the country that progress can come again only with these changes In government attitude." Ickes remarkid Jocularly at the outset that he had been told the club of which Wendell Willkie, president of Commonwealth and Southern corporation, the utilities holding company, is president was "not merely economic royal ty but the inner circle of econom ic Imperialism. Businessmen themselves, be as serted, originally persuaded con gress to set up such regulatory bodies as the Interstate commerce commission and the " securities commission. "In other words, one set of businessmen, in the name of pre serving the system of private en terprise. Is always invoking: aeainst other businessmen the power of the people, l.e govern ment . . ' "When, therefore, a business man Is mad because government is Interfering with - business. . (Turn to Page X, CoL 6 Jl Etateimaa ataff photo the Presbyterian agricultural mis- sionary and current head of the Presbyterian church of the United States as he talked with club members following an address concerning his mission work at the Salem Rotary club luncheon yesterday. "The great majority of the peo ple in India want dominion sta t u s," D r. Higginbottom ex plained. "They are afraid Russia. Japan and perhaps the Moslems would all move in if the British army and navy moved out." While M. K. Gandhi attracts widespread attention, it must be noted, the mission man said, that his followers number some 4, 000,000 while India has a pooula tion of more than 400,000,000. Dr. Higginbottom told the Ro tarians of his return to India in 1915, "after he had been in the states to study agriculture, and of one wealthy maharajah's talking him into assisting in developing 700,000 acres of land and rehab ilitating many bankrupt villages. A fund of $6,500,000 was placed at his disposal for the purpose. Intent on mission work and estab lishing a mission agricultural school. Dr. Higginbottom agreed to and gave one week a month to the maharajah's project. (Other stories on page two) Fern Ridge Unit Bids Are Called Bids for eonstrnetfnn of th $2,600,000 Fern Ridge reservoir a am. nrst of a series In the Wil lamette valley project, will be opened March 5 at the office of the United States army engineers In Portland, R. H. Kipp, execu tive secretary for the Willamette River Basin commission, report ed here yesterday. Kipp predicted construction would be under way late In March. The -dam will consist of a SO 0-foot long concrete spillway structure flanked on either side by an earthen dam. Fireman on Duty Barely ! Escapes Electrocution RAINIER, Ore., Feb. ll-fl1)-Clty Fireman Roy McCaskey an swered a tire call last night and narrowly escaped electrocution. Hospital treatment for shock and burns was necessary after be tripped over an electrified wire and fell Into a mud puddle. The and Mrs. W. J. Johnston, West fire .damaged the borne of Mr. Rainier. in Peril Turkish Press Predicts War Over Oil Area Hostilities "by April Said Indicated With Allies Attacking Germany Like Britain Is Sending Troops There; "Partition" Rumored ISTANBUL. Feb. 14.-6iP-The Turkish press turned sudden at tention today to the strategic po sition of Soviet Russia's rich Caucasian oil fields, lying along the Turkish frontier, and openly discussed the possibility of war over them "by April." One Inspired newspaper, the usually well Informed Son Tele graf, suggested that Great Bri tain, France and Turkey, with combined near eastern forces of nearly one million men, may be considering an attack on these fields. Several newspapers featured reports that Germany was send ing a large number of troops to the Caucasus to help Russia de fend the oil supplies. Indian and Moslem Troops Imported All this coincided with reports that large forces of British In dian and Moslem troops had ar rived in French-ruled Syria from Egyptian bases. This would free French troops now quartered there, and was Interpreted in for eign military quarters as mean ing that the British-French near eastern army, already more than 500,000 strong, was being con centrated even closer to Turkey. The entire press carried de scriptions of Russia's new forti fications on the Caucasus fron tier and said the Russians were fortifying Odessa and other ports in this part of the world. The Son Telegraf predicted: "Toward the end of March or the beginning of April events are going to precipitate them selves," and then said of the new Russian fortifications: "We do not. know whether the USSR Is proceeding with these fortifications with the object of placing her coast and petroleum regions in a state of defense or whether she figures on using the points as bases for attack." In carrying the reports that German troops were being sent into the Caucasus the papers also told of alleged German-Russian plans for "occupation and par tition" of southern Europe. Editorial statements declared Turkey would regard any German-Russian threat to Rumania, Iran, or Iraq; all having oil wells as a threat to her own se curity, necessitating her-vimme-diate entry into the war. Plot for Prison Break Disclosed PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 14.-() A carefully planned scheme of 10 long-term convicts to lead a wholesale break at Eastern peni tentiary was disclosed today with discovery of two freshly-dug tunnels and the suicide of one of the alleged ringleaders. Several hours later reports of new trouble circulated as detec tives were summoned to the pri son. Warden Herbert Smith said, however, he had asked police to check houses at one end of a tunnel and that "everything is quiet." Guards found the body of James Wilson, 25, of Williams port. Pa., hanging. In his cell by a sheet soon after prison offi cials discovered the tunnels, one 53 and the other 38 feet long, extending from a cell block on the first floor toward the prison wall. The tunnels bad not been dug far enough to make escape pos sible. Late Sports SEATTLE, Feb. 14.-1P)-Van-eonver's talrh-flvin lee team came from behind tonight to do feat Seattle .5 to 3, In overtime and widen its first place Jead In the Pacific coast hockey league. The victory 'gave;the Lions a two-victory lead over the second place' Portland Buckaroos, the widest margin in many weeks In the see-saw-first place battle. - EUGENE, Ore.; Feb. .-av Eugene high defeated University high of Eugene, 3 to 15, In a district 7 basketball league game here tonight. Eugene led If to t 'at half time. Finnish Crisis Nears; British Sink two Subs Russians now Claim 100 Forts are Captured; Losses Said Huge Over 2000 Volunteer in England; Hungarians Vow to Slay Ten (By The Associated Press) Fighting along the dented but unbroken Mannerheim line, Fin land rushed more men to the col ors Wednesday and her president proclaimed the determination of the Russian-Invaded republic to fight on regardless of the out come of the battle. While the Finns admitted Rus sian gains in the Summa sector and called up men between 42 and 43 years old to bolster defenses there, President Kyosti Kallio de clared his people had no choice but to carry on the fight despite the overwhelming odds against them. "Everyone knows we are out numbered 60 to one," said Kallio, "but the issues at stake are clear. Material Relp Is Needed Says Kallio "We appreciate the sympathy shown us by Americans in our struggle to be free indeed to live at all but we really hope our cause may stir onlookers abroad to offer us material help. For after all we are defending the Interests common to all civ ilized peoples." The Finns acknowledged the red army gains in the Summa sec tor after 14 days of merciless as saults but declared their stout hearted defenders had repulsed the Invaders elsewhere along the Mannerheim line with tremen dous enemy losses. The Russians claim that a to tal of 100 Finnish steel and con crete emplacements have been captured. Finland's renewed appeal for outside help found a ready re sponse in London where the Brit- (Turn to Page 2, Col. 8) FR Decision May Depend on Welles Foreign Situation First Item in His Choice Is Inside View WASHINGTON, Feb. H-(JP)-Informed sources on capltol hill expressed belief today President Roosevelt would defer his deci sion concerning a third term un til Sumner Welles, undersecre tary of state, returns from Eu rope. This prediction was based on the belief the president would be influenced largely by conditions abroad. Welles will leave in a few days to visit Great Britain, France, Italy and Germany. The presi dent recently announced Informa tion Welles obtained on European conditions would be reported in confidence to himself and Secre tary Hull. Several democrats on the hill have privately expressed the view that war conditions abroad and in the far east probably would have more to do with the president's decision on the third term than any other single consideration. (Turn to Page 2, Col. 6) Danish Ship Is Sunk; Most of Crew Missing LONDON, Feb. lB.-(Thursday) IP) The Danish ship Martin Goldschmldt, 2,095 tons, was sunk off the northwest coast of Scotland, a British press service reported today in a dispatch from Oslo. Fifteen of the crew were lost. Five were rescued by a Nor wegian ship. - Irrigation Surveys Will Be Fisher Job, Irrigation surveys important to the Willamette valley project will be made, by C. C. Fisher, United States' bureau of reclama tion engineer appointed to the task, R. H. Kipp, executive sec retary for the Willamette River Basin commission declared here yesterday. "We hare teen working for some time to get the bureau of reclamation to start a study of ir rigation possibilities throughout the whole valley," Kipp said. "Our problems are different than those of other reclamation pro jects, where the biggest expense is usually for structures to hold and store the water." In the Willamette valley, how ever, "all this is taken care of by the flood control works," Kipp explained. "All the reclamation bureau will have to do Is take this water as It la let oat into the . . .. .... , Defendant Asserts Deputy "Must Have Taken" Some Funds Accusation Made Only After Lengthy Cross-Examination; Temporary Cltnntnmnn A A A -1 1 dJAJa UtgCS A1C .flLUAXAllieil Earlier Intimations County Accounts Were "off" Figure in Testimony As Treasurer Retains Stand County Treasurer David G. Drager, under visible strain after two days spent on the witness stand in his own de fense, yesterday testified in response to persistent cross-ex amination by special Prosecutor Francis E. Marsh that W. Y, Richardson, his former deputy, "must have taken" $23,520. 41 of county funds which the state contends are missing, and admitted that he himself had written "a few" county checka for personal obligations several days before cash had been put in the treasurer's till to reimburse the county. This testimony, given in a calm voice and without hes itation despite fatigue apparent from hours of questioning by attorneys from both sides, placed a sudden climax on mo- -O Utility Taxpayer List Is Released 134 Companies Assessed; PGE and SP Largest, Phone Firm Next Marion county will collect taxes from 134 public utility companies water, gas, electric, telephone, railroad, telegraph and private car operators this year, Assessor R. "Tad" Shelton re ported yesterday. Tbe county's total levy on these agencies 14236,672. The assessor's report lists the types of utilities as follows: Electric, five, paying a total of $85,170.40 in taxes. Express, one, $93.17 Gas, one, $16,778.59 Steam railroads, two, $81, 381.06. Private car companies, 23, $2655.90. Telegraph, two, $2258.34. Book telephone companies, 17, $46,927.19. Small telephone companies, 81, $353.69. Water, three. $1053.78. Largest Individual utility tax payers are the Portland General Electric company, $78,993.78; Mountain States Power company. $5452.04; Portland Gas 6 Coke company, $16,778.69; Southern Pacific company, $71,610.26; Oregon Electric Railway com pany, $9770.80; Pacific Tele phone & Telegraph company, $44,583.40; Pacific Fruit Ex press company. $1109.48; Tbe Pullman company, $972.66; Wes tern Union Telegraph company, $1840.66; Inter urban Tele phone company, $1713.38, and A. D. Gardner (water company), $914.10. Elevator's Blast Kills one Worker KINGFISHER, Okla., Feb. 14 Jf)A grain elevator explosion late today shook the entire town, killed one employe, injured three men and knocked 40 others from their feet. Victim of the blast believed caused by dust was Marion An glin, 43, who was the only man working in the five-story header house which was wrecked. The injured were Lee McGIaa sen, 41, burns, cuts and bruises; Jimmy Dean, 30, face and body burns, and Henry Bilger, 40, face and hand burns. Company officials tentatively estimated the damage at more than $50,000. Valley Project streams to clear the reservoirs for the following winter's floods." The reclamation bureau sur veys will "show just what can be done with irrigation in the val ley," Kipp said, pointing out that here only one foot of water per acre Is required in a season as against three to tour feet in oth er irrigated areas. The three small dams that are first to be constructed, all to be started this year, in the valley project, will alone provide 200, 000 acre f,eet of water for irriga tion. Fisher has been construction engineer on the $8,000,000 Des chutes project In central Oregon and will go to Denver to complete reports on Grand Ronde investi gations In eastern Oregon before moving his headquarters to Port land. .Survey parties will be sent throughout the valley from there, Kipp said. " ' notonous days of testimony taking Dy Doin sides. Drager laid blame for taking county money on Richardson only after intensive questioning by Marsh as to division of tasks in the treasurer's office between himself and his former deputy. In response to the prosecutor's inquirios, Drager admitted that he had usually written out vouchers and checks and had totalled them up at the end of the month be fore turning them over to t fc e county clerk. Marsh then inquired why the treasurer had never noticed that certain vouchers, though marked paid in December, had actually been paid in the first days of Jan uary. To this, which amounted to a statement of the prosecution's contention that altered vouchers were tbe means used to conceal shortages, the defendant replied that such vouchers must bare been included by mistake. Claims Richardson Checked on Treasury Continuing tbe examination, Marsh inquired whether Richard son, the deputy, was allowed t draw personal checks on county funds and subsequently reimburse the county. Drager replied that the deputy was accustomed to da so, but that he had no proof that money had been returned to coun ty funds. "I didn't think that there was any harm in it, but I've changed my mind now," Dra ger declared. Marsh then elicited from tbe witness an admission that taking of a trial balance at any time would have consumed no more than one or two hours, and would Involve merely adding up ledger accounts of receipts and expendi tures, and substracting the latter from the former. "The shortage would hav shown np at any time here, ex cept for perhaps a week at the end of the year. Didn't you ever see this?" Marsh asked. "I left the bookkeeping to Mr. Richardson," Drager responded. When Marsh pressed the question of losses showing on tbe ledger, he added, "figures were put i the book, but the money was tak en elsewhere." Previous Auditors Were All "Friends" Marsh then sought information from the treasurer in respect t county audits. Previous coaaty auditors, including Harry Roland, J. C. Slegmund, Warren Richard son, A. L. Downing and A. A. Lee, the county treasurer testified were all his "friends," who would have expected nothing wrong wlta the treasurer's books. Having stated In response to questions that he had been pres ent during the state audit in 1134 which revealed shortages on the county books, and that he had had access to the records used by the auditors at that time, the defend ant .then admitted an asaextie made by Marsh that $23,520.41 was actually missing from county books. Drager also answered "e when the prosecutor asked wheth er the treasurer thought the shortage was due to errors bookkeeping, or to the way la which county books were set up. "somebody took it, ne asserted. Conversation With Auditors Recalled The treasurer then recalled, cm Marsh's suggestion, a conversa tion between state auditors and himself at the state office build ing In 1118. At that time, he said, both he and Richardson agreed that either one or both of them had taken the sum, bat both denied any participation. - "Then It simmers down to the fact that a larre nortlon of - the money was taken by yourself or Richardson?" the , prosecutor in quired." You have declared - that you took none, and Richardson has said the same. Thus you are telling the Jury that Richardson took the money?" . - "Tea, sir, If he or X took It, he's : (Turn to page 2, coL 1) -