The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980, January 09, 1948, Page 1, Image 1

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18 PAGES
The Oregon Statesman, Salem, Oregon, Friday. January 9, ItiS
Price Se
No. 248
L
AY
flj ) W ID
With (Sallows Near.
Commutation. Saves
Youifo in Washington
WALLA WALLA, Wash., Jan. 8. -TV An hour and a half before
Joseph. Maish, 17-year-old youth, was to die on the gallows of the
Washington state prison tonight. Gov. Mon C. Wallgren commuted
bis sentence to 99 years imprisonment. Maish stabbed a high school
garl to death at Vancouver, Wash.,
The governor had received a
This valley has been inundated
gain by one of its periodic
floods. Loss of life is reported
from over the state and the high
waters will cause serious damage
gain both from the overflow and
the cutting action of streams. This
was not so serious a flood as
those ot 1945 and 1943, but still
It was bad enough. Had the heavy
rains continued, and had the
mountains been full of snow, the
flood crest would have been high
er and the damage greater. The
army engineers have repeatedly
warned us that we may have a
recurrence of floods like those of
1890 and 1861. the latter being
the highest within record.
Valley residents are looking
forward to relief when the dams
re in place which are contem
plated under the Willamette val
ley project. But their completion
Is years ahead, and in the inter
val we must-carry the risks of
recurrent floods.
But we make a mistake Just
to lean on the government for
attending to the major flood prob
lem of the Willamette. Below the
dams streams flood their banks
in seasons of heavy rain and
cause both damage and incon
venience. Shelton ditch for in
stance was constructed in WPA
days to relieve the flooded con
dition which prevailed in the
southeast parts of the city and
adjacent lands. It . has drained
those districts but the surging
waters now are filling the ditch
inside the city and doing heavy
erosion of banks.
Shelton ditch should be con
crete lined, and there ought to
be annual removal bf the rock
and gravel which the stream
washes down. The fill below
Church street bridge was consid
erable last summer, and serves
as a dam behind which water
backs up and floods Pringle park.
Keeping the channel clear will
permit flow to the river until
the river gets so high water
backs up from it. Lining the
ditch with concrete will prevent
the eating away of banks which
is serious in some places.
In brief our flood problem
will not be solved when the big
dams are in place upstream. We
still will have the high water on
the floor of the valley, and en
gineering and construction are
needed to get it disposed of at a
minimum of trouble. Maybe the
planning commission could bite
its teeth into this problem.
State Sen. Parkinson
Files for Reelection
State Sen. Thomas Parkinson,
Roseburg. Thursday filed to suc
ceed himself at the republican pri
mary election next May. He repre
sents the fifth senatorial district,
Including Douglas county.
Victor Olliver, Albany, non-partisan,
filed for reelection as cir
cuit judge of the 21st judicial dis
trict, Benton and Linn counties.
Animal Crackers
By WARREN GOODRICH
7 'Jf:
m
'LA
7S
"Here we are, imdimt
4, 5 sad 6.1
-setts
OTP
0S3JJQB
a year ago.
barrage df requests in recent days
and up to the hour of his an-
nouncement calling upon him for
executive clemency for the for
mer Vancouver high school ath
lete. The state has never execu
ted so young a person.
Badly frightened, broken and
half-sobbing, Maish was brought
into the office of the prison as
sistant superintendent and tod by
Warden Tom Smith of his reprieve
a few minutes after 11 p. m. The
gc -ernor's office at Olympia had
disclosed the governor had made
his decision half an hour before.
Told by Warden
Maish was still shaken with his
great fear several minutes after
the warden told him that his life
had been spared.
As Warden Smith read the pro
nouncement, Maish looked through
a window towards the out-of-
doors, and waved a slow gesture
with his hand.
Maish had eaten his "last meal"
at the prison tonight. He asked
for only one thing, a cream puff,
and attendants brought him a half
dozen.
Head Death Warrant
He had spent the evening with
the Rev. Arvid Ohrnell, a prison
chaplain. Earlier, at 6:30 p.m..
Warden Tom Smith and his as
sistant, Peter Kelly, read the death
warrant to the frightened youth.
Maish was convicted of stab
bing La Donna Toscas to death in
the kitchen of a Vancouver home
the night of Dec. 21. 1946. She
had resisted his advances. He
pleaded insanity and an "irresisti
ble impulse" at his trial but the
jury convicted him of first degree
murder.
The governor's prepared state
ment said in part: "This decision
was the most difficult and heart
rending one I have ever made. . . .
I cannot believe that the best in
terests of society required the
hanging of a child."
Petition Seeks
Added Liberty
Bus Service
A petition for increased Lib
erty district bus service to the
Boone road area is in circulation,
as a public utilities commission
hearing of , an Oregon Motor
Stages application for Salem su
burban operations permit nears.
Boone road residents Thursday
said they want restored bus runs
operated formerly by Salem Su
burban Bus Lines which went out
of business December 31. Oregon
Motor Stages has taken over most
of the suburban route that firm
had operated.
Public Utf&fres Commissioner
George Flagg made it plain yes
terday that PUC can take no ac
tion Until after the public hearing
which is scheduled for 9:30 a.m.
Wednesday at Salem Chamber of
Commerce rooms.
A hearing was held December
30 but Oregon Motor Stages' ap
plication for suburban permit was
dismb-sed without prejudice be
cause the state law granting PUC
jurisdiction over uus operations
within three miles of city limits
did not become effective until
Jan. 1, 1948.
President A. L. Schneider of
Oregon Motor Stages conferred
with public utilities officials in
Salem Thursday, but no immediate
bus route changes appeared likely,
PUC men said.
Part of Salem Gift
To Christmas Ship
Sent to Portland
Forty duffle bags full of cloth
ing and 75 cases of mushroom
soup were trucked to Portland as
first part of Salem's donation to
the Northwest Christmas ship, it
was reported Thursday by Harry
B. Johnson, chairman of the local
campaign for emergency -Jood and
clothing for Europe.
Salem had set an unofficial
goal of a full carload of dehy
drated potatoes (which are
available locally) and by Thurs
day had sub&cribed enough cash
for about one-half carload some
$2,500, Johnson said.
The chairman emphasized that
the drive ends Saturday and urg
ed all organizations and individ
uals who planned to contribute
to observe that deadline. Money
may be taken or. sent to any Sa
lem bank, full 'packed cases of
foodstuffs or clothing to any fire
station
Marshall
Savs 'All
Or None'
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 -i&y-Secretary
of State Marshall chal
lenged congressional economyites
today to vote an "adequate Euro
pean recovery program or none
at all.
And he served notice, in launch
ing the Truman administration's
drive for adoption of the program
by April 1, that he is dead against
a republican proposal to divorce
operation of the program from the
state department.
"There cannot be two secretar
ies of state," the originator of the
"Marshall plan" told the senate
foreign relations committee.
Soberly, Marshall said Russia
and the communist parties of Eu
rope would "oppose and sabotage
American aid at every turn, but
he declared there is "no doubt
that this country can undertake
the program successfully if it acts
in time.
Mast Finish Jab
America must finish the job she
started in the war because "the
way of life we have known is lit
erally in the balance," Marshall
said, and he added:
"If we decide that the United
States is unable or unwilling ef
fectively to assist In the recon
struction of western Europe, we
must accept the consequences of
its collapse into the dictatorship
of police states."
Opposes Taft Demands
He spoke out crisply against de
mands such as Senator Taft (R
Ohio) and others made for a cut in
the $6,800,000,000 U.S. expendi
tures proposed for the first 15
months of the program.
Marshall's chief advisor on Eu
ropean aid, Lewis W. Douglas, tes
tified later that the $6,800,000,000
initial cost of the program may be
increased if Canada and the Latin
American countries fail to make
$700,000,000 in aid available.
Legion Post
Plans $60,000
Club Building
Tentative plans for a new $60,
000 club building for Capital post
9. American Legion, emerged last
night from a meeting of the post's
building committee under leader
ship of post commander Lawrence
Osterman.
Plans are already drawn and
are being revised by the commit
tee in preparation for submitting
to the post for action within a
month.
The one-story building would
be built adjacent to present Le
gion hall at 693 Chemeketa st.,
on property owned by the post.
Willard Begin, post secretary, said
finances are already on hand for
the project.
T'V. . j: l j i
in addition to the present hall and !
would probably have restaurant
and bar facilities, he added.
Limiher Price Cut
Program Nears
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8-tJT)-A
possible industry-wide move to
reduce lumber prices was indicat
ed tonight in the calling of a
closed meeting tomorrow (10 a.m.,
E.S.T.) of the special congression
al committee on the high cost of
housing.
Lumber industry leaders will at
tend. One result, it was learned,
may be a request that congress
approve, for a specific and tem
porary period, concerted and vol
untary industry action to cut
prices.
Police Demotion Leads to Resignation, Attack on
Department; Chief Minto Backs Handling of Case
By Wendell Webb
Managing Editor. The Statesman
The resignation of a policeman,
and his statement declaring that
Chief of Police Frank Minto did
not control his department,
brought to light Thursday a dis
sension of several weeks' stand
ing. The officer who resigned, effec
tive January 1. was E. L. Pease,
44, formerly with the Pennsyl
vania State constabulary and nav
al intelligence, who joined the Sa
lem police department nine
months ago and last September
took top honors in a civil service
examination.
His resignation followed his
transfer from the plain-clothes de
tail to a uniform regarded as a
demotion which was ordered by
Chief Minto after a controversy
over disposition of a potential
morals case early last month.
Pease said he had heard a "good
rumor" that he was to be dis
charged (he had not been under
civil service the probationary six
Pneumonia Stricken Girl Rescued
'Tightwire9 Crossing oj Santiam
Rescuers Edge
Over Torrent
On Two Cables
DETROIT, Jan. 8.-(Special)-A
pneumonia - stricken girl today
was dramatically removed from
the isolated three-family colony
across the North Santiam river
from here and rushed to a Bend
hospital where she was in serious
condition late tonight.
A rescue party of men from this
community crossed the treacherous
but receding river here on the
two cables which remain of the
washed-out swinging bridge, car
ried seven-year-old Betty Coles
on a stretcher along a two-mile
trail and recrossed the river by
cable car in the Horse bridge sec
tion upstream from here. A taxi
sped the girl and her mother, Mrs.
I. H. Coles, to Bend.
'Good Chance to Live
From Bend tonight. Dr. MaxW.
Hemingway said the girl had dou
ble lobar pneumonia but gave her
a very good chance to live. He
praised the care she had received
from the rescue crew and first aid
man William H. Ward, who ac
companied Mrs. Coles and daugh
ter to Bend.
The girl's father, "Bill" Coles,
is working at the Hanford project
in Richland, Wash., and presum
ably was unaware of her Illness
which started Sunday and became
serious today.
Assisting in the rescue were
U. S. engineers and forest service
men stationed near Detroit and
Detroit citizens led by Forest Ran
ger S. T. Moore and Bill Murray.
William Crowell of Detroit was
the first to cross the cables, when
Mrs. Coles attracted his attention
from the opposite shore. The low
er cable was barely a foot over
the water, extending 150 feet
across the canyon.
Helped In Rescue
Others who helped arrange and
effect the rescue were Forester
John" Weisberger, U. S. Engineers
Harry Rutherford, R. W. Brown
and Jesse Glasgow, Luther Mc-
Daniels and Charles Cook. The
taxi which left for Bend about
5 p. m. was driven by Melvin Me-
Clain.
The girl whose seventh birthday
was January 1, is in St. Charles
hospital where her temperature
was recorded at 105 upon arrival
Other developments at Detroit
Thursday saw the North Santiam
river level drop about five feet.
the Detroit grade school reopen
and traffic reopened across Sar
dine creek bridge on the Santiam
highway below Detroit.
leiieral lvllter
Named CAB Head
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 - (P) -Maj.
Gen. Laurence S. Kuter was
selected today to head the civil
aeronautics board, an assignment
permitting the use of his exten
sive wartime experiences toward
developing civil air transport as a
potential arm of national defense.
President Truman chose Kuter
to succeed James M. Landis, one
time Harvard law dean.
Kuter, now 42, was one of the
top air combat strategist during
the war, later commanded the im
portant Atlantic division of the air
transport command, and since has
had assignments dealing with
civil aviation.
- . 1
months) as well as demoted, and
that since he "never had been
fired anywhere" he handed in his
resignation rather than going to
the expense of buying a uniform.
Chief Minto said Thursday he
had no intention of firing Pea.e,
that he was "a pretty good offi
cer," but that "ever since he
joined the plain -clothes unit there
had been an undercurrent." He
also said Pease had told him he
hated to have anyone "poke fun"
at him for being put in uniform.
In his statement to Chief Minto,
Pease is understood to have named
Chief Detective Hobart Kiggins,
under whom he worked, and De
tective Wayne E. Parker among
those who he declared control the
Salem police department.
Pease story to The Statesman is
this:
He first became a figure of con
troversy last November when he
was one of two or three men who
refused to accept a $48 share of
proceeds from the annual Dolice-
mea'a bail, tor uniforms;
Vulnerable West Salem Watches Water Climb
( .V "f -- :
.-1 s :
: I - -
Si' a , , nr a, T. L'r i ' ..,,""'- - , "
hi mm hi i I'ali waff's li-ain iii . .. KS- -?r,i.r.-X-iX W s Na i ,n ZSmmm, aiJSS. -.J-t
a i ! i - . ,
The Salem area palled an Its boots
expreasiena ei anneyance at Inconveniences and thankfulness far twe days ef sunshine. The abeve
scenes Uken Thursday will be seen again teday as high waters centinac. At top la a view ef the
West Salem approach te the Center street bridge with one way traffic making lie way gingerly through
the water; while at left wading not se gingerly Is Charles East ridge followed by hie father. J. O. East
ridre. 155 Edgewater St.. carrying his smaller brother. Jim. One of the many Heat Salem business
establishments la path of the flood Is the Jack and Grace Bakeries. C3 Edgewater at shewn at bot
tom. Standing and watching the mnddy waters starting te trickle in the door after placing show eases
and furniture out of reach, left te right. J. E. England. 1344 Edgewater st.; Mr. and Mrs. Cliff Hague.
320 Magnolia lU and T. V. Marks, proprietor of next doer radio shop, all of West Salem. (Tholes by
Don 11 ill. Statesman staff photographer.)
Butter Price
Drops Cent
Price of butter took its first drop
in about nx weks Thursday,
when the product began selling
to Salem housewives at 94 cents
per pound for the grade A. It
was a decrease of one cent.
Eggs, however, remained steady
at 67 cents per dozen for large
size and C2 cents for the mediums.
Wholesale prices stood at 30 to
57 cents for medium grades.
Butterfat aLo took a one-cent
decline with premium grades list
ed at 94 to 95 cents per pound;
No. 1, 92 to 93 cents, and No. 2,
82 to 84 cents.
FOOD STRIKE IN GERMANY
ESSEN, Germany, Jan. 8 -( 3 .
Approximately 35,000 workers at
Solingen .walked out today in a
two-day general strike as a wave !
of food demonstrations spread in
the industrial Ruhr valley.
He incurred displeasure when
he supported patrolmen, instead
of higher officers, for top spots
in the election of the Salem po
lice local union;
His subsequent part in the mor
als case arrest was used as an
excuse to demote him, whereas he
believes his own part in it exemp
lary and criticizes Chief Minto
and the police department for
handling the case.
Facts in the alleged morals case
appear to be these:
Pease last December 2 arrested
a man, age about 33, in a rooming
house on suspicion ccontributing
to the delinquency of a 17-year-old
boy from whom Pease obtain
ed a statement detailing alleged
intimacies. When Pease returned
to work on his next shift, he found
the man had been released, and
a few days later the boy was sent
to relatives in Fairfield, Calif.
Pease, to his superiors and oth
ers in town, insisted the man
should have been held, and that
. i
Thersday and waded threarh Its
Swiss Newspapers
Ask if Stalin Dfvid
BERN, Switzerland. Jan. 8.-0P)
-Two Swifs newspapers, without
giving a source for the specula
tion, asked in headlines today
whether Premier Joseph Stalin of
j Russia was dead. One said reports
of his death were believed to have
been discussed by the Swiss fed
eral council.
(The soviet embassy In Lon
don and Tass, official soviet news
agency, declared reports of Sta
lin's death were "nonsense.")
FDR PI BMCIST DIES
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8
-(AV
Charles Michelson, a former new-
paperman who revolutionized pub
licity propaganda for the demo
cratic national committee in the
first three Roosevelt campaigns,
died today at the age of 79.
the boy was a runaway from rel
atives in Milwaukee, Wis., and
should have been returned there
or held for juvenile authorities.
The officer also aaid he was rep
rimanded for not having a war
rant when he made the arrest, but
insisted that in such a case no
warrant was needed.
Chief Minto told The Statesman
a doctor's examination indicated
no crime had been committed and
that both City Attorney Chris Kn
witz and District Attorney Miller
Hayden expressed belief there
was insufficient evidence to file a
formal charge. For that reason,
the cjiief said, the man was re
leased and provisions for the boy's
transportation to the nearest rel
ative in California, were made as
soon as possible.
Meanwhile Chief Minto ordered
that Pease be given two weeks'
vacation with pay and Pease said
Thursday night that Minto him
self is a pretty decent sort of fellow."
by
River
i 1
annas! fleed with Utile
Merger of New
High School
Zones Backed
TURNER, Jan. 8-(Special )-Pr
sibillty of merging the recently
former Slayton nd Turner-Aums-ville
union high school districts
was envisioned tonight when
boards of the twe district voted
unanimously at a joint meeting to
ravor tne circulation of petitions
toward mat end.
All five members and the clerk
of each board took part in the
meeting and the vote. Petitions
would request the county school
district boundary board to call an
election in the two districts on
tne consolidation proposal.
Announcement of the boards'
agreement was made by the two
chairmen. Ward Inglis of Stay-
ion union nign district 4 and Fred
E. Bates of union high district 5.
The Slayton union high diitrW
. i & . , - lr
wa miniru in rvovemoer from II
Marion and Linn county school
districts and the Turner-Aums-ville
Union high district from five
Marion county districts a month
later, both following elections In
the various dutritt.
PrcHscIeiitial Tax
Cut Plan Said Dead
WASHINGTON, Jan. t -4V
aneiving president Truman s $40
a -person tax relief proposal, re
publicans today claimed they can
ride rough - shod over a veto of
their twn tax-cutting program.
Rep. KnuUon (R-Minn.) said
the president's tax plan "is as
dead as a mackerel," and signal
led for quick house action on his
own measure to reduce taxes by
$5,600,000,000.
ALLEN GIVEN rOSITlON
WASHINGTON, Jan. -WV
George V. AJJen, a career diplo
mat and old-time newspaper man,
was assigned the job today of
strengthening the "Voice of Amer
ica" broadcasts to meet growing
foreign propaganda attacks on the
United Slate
Railroad
Shuttle
Runs Set
Salem-Dallas highway ' traffic
was at a sUndstlll as the Willam
ette river crested In Salem at
a 28-foot level early today, but
main force of the two-day flood
throughout western Oregon and
Mictions of Washington and Idaho
was spent. t ,
Southern Pacific hutu Iralna
were to begin shuttling paM-n-gers
between Salem and I Wrtt
Salem at JO a m. today and are
to continue operating all day 11
necessary. The state highway de
partment which closed the S-lenv.
Wett Salem bridge at o'clock
Jat night, however, expected the
bridge to reopen this noon.
Six Oregon persons were dead
as a result of the flood, but no
new drownings were reported
fteajtfeera radfle aaneanred
these Salem-Uest fUlera rem.
ter trains while the highway
bridge 1. ctoeed: Leaving trea.1
ai VmUm streets. Halrm. al
:$, 7:3a. ao4 lt:s tMt
and X, 4. , f. :$ a ad 7:30 a.m.
Leaving Secend and Klnrweed
streets. Heat Saleaa. at 7, . f.
1 ;! 7 arei
aealU 19 eenta. chUdrea rents.
r alae yrevMed a aaetUI ear
carry The Statesman anern
J"f. Uvery te Talk and Tan.
hlU eetiaUes teday. A waiting
II Utesnmaa track en the H est He
lena aide will speed U esnera
raaal delivery sc bed ales.
Thursday. Portland district army
engineers estimated last night the
flood damage in the Wilismette
L!,1? would approximate $10,
000.000. with th Eugen. .r;.
heaviest hit. M
Highway Btlll Cat - I I
The Pacific hlghwsy today, was
till rut south of Roseburg where
South Umpqua river bridge
damaged by the flood will require
at least three weeks to I rep. Jr.
according to the hlghwsy depart
ment. A temporary 170-foot cteel
Bailey bridge will be, installed
there meanwhile, with I four 10
sections from the emergency
bridge Just put over the Utile
rt frk of srtlm Mt
of Salem among emergency
equipment being assembled for
the purpose by the highway de
partment I
Marion county road I rrews
which had Wednesday completed
the temporary bridge (borrowed
from the state) were yeiterday
removing the four
planned to replace them wiia
temporary wooden approaches.
n. iv-mue detour over Roberta
mountain is available !!,-
traffic around the Umpqua bridge
closure. ; i
LRU New Daaaage
The flood picture In Salem
Thursday showed no extensive
new damage, although II Krir
families near S pong's landing were
w thout electricity and some
without heat as a result at rat-ltaVaWt
line failure which Portland Oan-
eral Electric line crews found be
yond their reach because of high '
water. Red Cross and arm r. -
g Sneers hefe reported 'no group
evacuation since the West Salem
families in flooded trailer parks
near the bridge moved out Wed
nesday. Pringle park and a few
other sections were still under
several feet of water ind pump
ing of water from basements was
noted in some sections.! I
Water at 8t rani t
A Salem fire truck Wat station
ed temporarily in West Salem be- '
fore the bridge closed. The St. "
Paul-Newberg highway was closed
near St Paul. Several schools of
the area remained closed although
Detroit schools reopened.. The Ko
berta school was the only ntw
closing of the day. Tht Wllaonvllle
trry near Aurora Was down
Thursday. The WoodburnEUra
da highway was closed at llutte
creek.
The river at Salem roe from
26.4 feet at.S a.m. Thursday to
the crest eerly today, ! a total
rise f 1.0 feet as compared with
the 5-foot rise Wednesday. Fair
weather was foreraft officially for
today, along with a slow fall cf
the river level of about Pa feet
during the day. Weather bureau
officials said the fall will be at
a faster rate of 2i to I feet a day
beginning Saturdsy. Biver crests
passed Jefferson and i Albany
Thursday and water Immediately
began receding. i j
Crests Dewnstreaaa ' I,
Crests are expected at Oregon
City tonight and Portland tomor
row. The Molalla river at Canby
wae near a record high, as was the
Clackamas Thursday iilght. The
current of the Wilismette river
at Portland wss clocked at 3.1
miles per hour. , ;,
Several highway ! sections
throughout western Oregon Re
mained closed but the Harrtaburg
and Canby sections of the 99K re
opened. Expected to reopen early
today art the coast hlghwsy below
Coqullle, Albany-Corvslus, Cor-
vallis east side, Woodburn-Sandi
and Delievue-Hopewell roads.
It