Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 1948)
Snoiv Scene Marks Start of Winter in Salem till 4 1. ; 4 98th Yar 18 PAGES The Orecjon Statesman, Salem, Oregon, Thursday. December 23. 1943 Price 5c No. 243 Yjj fee 0D 4 POUNDBD 1651 0 Salem's light dusting ef iiOw Tuesday nifht resulted In the wintry Kateliff drive between South Commercial and South 12th streets. 1 for the first fall day of winter. (Statesman photo).. Mercury Hits Mid -20s; White Yule Hopes Wane Temperatures tumbled again in Salem early Thursday morning with" readings of 25 degrees recorded at the airport. Forecasters said a low of near 22 could be expected. Hazardous traveling conditions were reported by state police early Thursday. Police reported icy Epots on Highway 99E south of Salem; The state highway commission daily road report warned motorists that 0350008 In Multnomah county a com paratively unknown young man who gave out false biographical details about himself was elected county sheriff over a veteran in cumbent Martin Pratt. The fact that the victor was little knovvpH worked to his advantage. He rode to. on the democratic landslip in Multnomah county. With the facts coming out now there is quite a to-do in Portland over the prospect of having a sheriff who obtained offices, as it were, under false pretenses. There Is no way he can be prevented from taking the office, except the little matter of a big bond $100, 000 under the present require ment. "But when doubt is expressed that he can qualify, democratic cohorts close ranks and promise him their support to provide him with proper surety. If he does take ! office then the only way he could l be removed before the end of his term Is by a recall, after six months. Oregon doesn't have the habit of electing unknowns and ne'er-do-wells to public office (except sometimes to" the legislature). So it comes as something of a shock to learn that the largest county has chosen a man for sheriff with thin qualifications and a record of misrepresentation. When we consider the hazards of the elec tive system in a great city the wonder is that more misfits and malfits have not been elected. Our primary system has pretty well destroyed party responsibility for candidates. This' fellow was a registered republican until a few days before he filed as a candidate last March. Once he got by the primaries, then he became the party nominee and cashed in on the party's popularity wave. Our democratic system is not without fault, and that goes for the direct primary. But people are afraid to change it for fear they might get something worse. The caucus - convention system which preceded the primary was good in theory, but led to ma chine politics and boss rule. No considerable group proposes that wo revert to it, so we struggle along with the costly direct pri mary. We must put up with what we get under the system; and when all's said the result isn't too bad. 'It isn't often that a man gets elec ted to a high office like sheriff of Multnomah county without ample illumination of his personal biography. Animal Crackers By WARREN GOODRICH "It's ton of hay for Min nie's Christmas present but I'm darned if I can figure out how to wrap Hi? aw chains were needed for travel throughout most Of the state. Pack-. ed snow in the mountains and east ern Oregon and ice in the Willam ette valley were reported. The weatherman isn't sure Santa will be able to use his sleigh for his Christmas eve tour of Salem and the Willamette valley, but they warn that he will need ear muffs. Salem's chances for a white Christmas waned with the McNajy field weather bureau forecasting probable rain and possible snow flurries for the rest of the week; Continued freezing temperatures are in store for the holiday, though. Most of the Salem area had a light touch of snow Wednesday morning, but it was quickly melt ed by the bright sunlight. Salem was one of the state'? warm spots Wednesday as com pared with other sections. Chemult and Quartz Mountain split honor? as Oregon's cold spot with reading of 20 below zeroi It was 16 below at Baker and 4 below at Ontario. Job Service to Add New North Santiam Office A flood of applications for uni employment compensation in the Mill City area, following recent closure of the mill there and slow- inSol logging activity in the are. will result in temporary doubling of the Salem employment office's service on the upper North Sanj tiam. Manager W. H. Balllie announct ed Wednesday that four clerks will receive and process claims for the Detroit-Idanha area on second and fourth Tuesdays . of the month and will continue to go to Mill City on the first and third Tuesdays for the Mill City-Lyons area. The Mill City office, in the CIO hall, has previously served the entire section, but 670 claims were handled there this week and sev eral men who could not be pro cessed were required to report to' Salem. The Detroit headquarters will be at Canyon cafe. Both offices will open about 9:30 in the morn ing. Mine. Chiang Ends! Visit, Moves into j Home of Relatives WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 - (jh Mme. Chiang Kai-shek, wife of the Chinese president, was re ported tonight to have ended a three week visit at the home of Secretary of State and Mrs. Mar shall at nearby Leesburg, Vaj. It was understood she moved last weekend into a house owned by relatives here in Washington. -- i Mme. Chiang Came here on De cember 1 to appeal for an urgent increase in American aid to the Chinese government. How long she Intends to remain in this country has not been disclosed. Plane to Drop Christmas Meal To 11 Marooned WASHINGTON, Dec 22-Sy-K new attempt to ; rescue 11 U. ; S. fliers marooned in sub-zero weath er on a 7,500-foot ice cap in Green land was reported imminent today. Air force headquarters said three more rescue planes one of them equipped with skis and rocket mo tors for takeoff-Miave arrived; at American air bases in Greenland. But officials said arrangements are going ahead to drop a Christ mas dinner to the men, lust in ease they don't get but before Satur day. An air force spokesman said the Yule, from - the - skies package would contain "something good," but he could not say whether it would be turkey with trimmins. A radio message from Goose Bay, Labrador, said late today the men are unhurt, living in snow huts and fed by supplies dropped from circ ling planes which ware unable to land. scene above which was taken on The snow made a fitting beg-inning Marshall Aid Halted to Dutch East Indies WASHINGTON, Dec. 22-(JP-The United States cut off Marshall plan aid to The Netherlands East Indies today in a move which in dicated sharp disapproval of the Dutch military drive against the new Indonesian republic. Officially, the explanation given by the economic cooperation ad ministration was this: pending "clarification" of the situation in Indonesia, it is impossible to de terminine whether the aid to the Dutch island empire will spur ec onomic recovery. But there was little doubt that the action stemmed from disap proval of the Dutch attack on the new Indonesian republic. An estimated $14,100,000 of the $68,000,000 in ECA funds author ized by congress for the Dutch Indies is affected by the shut down. PARIS, Dec. 22-(P)-The United States demanded today that the Dutch give up the gains of their new Indonesian offensive. U.S. Delegate Philip C. Jessup asked the United Nations security council to order a cease fire and a withdrawal of troops to the lines they held before the attack, which has swept the Dutch deeply into republican areas. BATAVIA, Java, Dec. 22-(JP)-The Dutch army raced tonight to overrun the few large remaining republican centers before the United Nations security council could take any decisive action. Communiques indicated The Netherlands forces were nearing Kediri and Madioen in central Java. Once these are in Dutch hands any semblance of central control by Indonesian republicans seemingly would be ended. Truman Home For Christmas r INDEPENDENCE. Mo. Dec. 22-(j'P.-President Truman came home today to spend Christmas. He alighted from the "Inde pendence," his White House plane, at the Fairfax airport, near Kan sas City, to be greeted with a kiss from Mrs. Truman. She had pre- j ceded him here. Mr. Truman will speak from his ; home here by radio in connec tion with the Christmas eve tree lighting ceremonies on the south lawn of the White House. He will give the signal for the lighting of the tree. Willamette Ferries To Resume Trips The Willamette river ferry at Wheatland will resume operations this - morning and the ferry at Buena Vista will resume later this week, Marion County Com missioner Roy Rice said Wed nesday. Both ferries have been down for the past week for repairs. Ap proaches on both sides of the river at Wheatland have been cleared of the gravel washed up by recent floods. Rice said. on Greenland Hurricane winds up to 100 MPH were reported in the area the first of this weqk. Temperatures as low as "40 be low" have been reported by the ice bound party, but heating equip ment and plenty of food have been dropped to them in the 13 days since the first word of the mishap was received. Seven of the group made a forc ed landing on the frozen cap Dec ember 9 when their C-47 ran Into trouble. Four days later, two would-be rescuers joined the ori ginal party when their B-17 flying fortress tried to land to pick up the men and nosed over into a snow bank. ? Then, on December 17, two oth ers landed a glider at the scene. They became stranded themselvs, making a total of 11, when the glider snapped its towrope on an attempted takeoff. Judge Smith Rebels, Asks Change of Name At least one man named Smith had decided to do something about it. Percy Richard Smith, 1144 Center st.t petitioned Marion county circuit court Wednesday to change his name to Tom (not Thomas) Percy. Reason given for the switch: "The name Smith is such a com mon name and has caused con siderable confusion." The Mar ion county directory lists ap proximately 370 Smiths. Oregon Pulp President Dies In California LOS ANGELES. Dec. 22-OP)-Fred Leadbetter, 78, Oregon Pulp and Paper executive and a mem ber of the board of the Oregonian Publishing company, died here:U day. Ill for two months, he succumb ed at California Lutheran hospital while here with his wife to at tend ceremonies for burning of the mortgage on the Biltmore; hotel. The body is to be sent to Santa Barbara, where the Leadbetters had lived in recent years. He was president of the Co lumbia River Paper company, Oregon Pulp &c Paper company, California - Oregon Paper Mills, -Columbia River. Paper Mills and Leadbetter Lumber and Paper, company. One of the organizers of the paper manufacturing plant at Camas, Wash., now a part of Crown - Willamette Paper com pany, ne maintained a noma lor years in Camas. Before entering the pulp busi ness in 1895, he was engaged in irrigation work at Yakima from 1891 to 1893. He was on the staff of the Oregonian from 1894 to 1896. In 1894 he married Caroline T. Pittock, daughter of one of the Oregonian's founders. Besides the widow, survivors in clude four children: Pittock Lead better; Mrs. Niles Teren and Mr?. Ambrose Cronin Jr., all of Port land, and Mrs. Frank G. Andraea, who lives in Portugal. 'Fine-Tooth ConnV Inquiry Launcheff Into Duggan Death NEW YORK, Dec. 22-OP)-New York police today began a "fine tooth comb" investigation of the 16-story death plunge of Laurence Duggan, one-time state depart ment expert. It was launched on orders of Mayor William O'Dwyer after for mer Undersecretary of State Sum ner Welles had wired the mayor he was confident Duggan had not taken his own life. However, Chief City Medical Examiner Thomas A. Gonzales said an autopsy performed on Duggan's body revealed "no evid ence of criminality." Welles messaged O'Dwyer that j "since I received from (Duggan) j only yesterday (Monday) a letter j written in the best of spirits, I ! find it impossible to believ e his 1 death was self-inflicted." U. S. Envoys in China War Zone ' SHANGHAI, Thursday. Dec. 23 (jf) Three American embassy of ficials and four newsmen, maroon ed in communist besieged Peipinjj for a. week, took off from an im provised airfield yesterday but got only as far as Tientsin. Engine trouble forced their plane down. Their C-47 landed on the race course at Tientsin, 80 miles from Peiping and still in the narrowing corridor still held by government troops. They were awaiting engine parts to be flown from Tsingtao. The group included Brig. Geik Robert H. Soule, U. S. military at tache; Capt. Samuel Frankel, Na val attache, and Lt. CoL A. ' M. House, air attache. WRECK INJURIES FATAL CORVALLIS, Dec. 22 -UP)- In juries from an automobile accident near here yesterday proved fatal last night to C H. Laudenbeck, 71, Alsea. Weather Max. . 42 - 42 - 4 Min. 32 33 32 IS Precip. Ir .01 JM .00 .00 Salem . Portland San Franciaco Chicago New York 27 44 34 Willamette river 3.6 feet. Forecast (from U.S. weather bureau. McNary field. Salem): Little cloudi ness this mominc becoming Increas ingly cloudy with light rain expected by tonight. Hih today near 44. Low tonight near 33. SALEM PRECIPITATION (Sept. 1 to Dee. 23) This Year Last Year Averse 18.64 18-33 U.2J Steps Out Restrain Order to Rer am The suit to prevent Salem from annexing an area across the river in Polk county will come to trial before an out-of-county judge, it was indicated Wednesday by Polk County. Circuit Judge Arlie G Walker. je Brought by John Lutz, owner Jl J1UJCI IJ til a 3tTV HUH SUIIUUI1U ed by but excluded from the an nexation area, the injunction suit has,jbeen entered in Judge Walk er's court at Dallas. A temporary restraining order has so far pre vented Salem from extending city services to the area for which an nexation was approved in the No vember 2 elections. Judge Walker said Wednesday the pressure of persons interested in the litigation prompted his de cision to ask the supreme court to appoint another judge to hear the case. Have Not Received Request Walker added in a' letter to at torneys for the interested parties that the requested temporary in junction will be granted. Howet'er, the injunction notice had not been filed with the Polk county clerk and the supreme court had n6t received the judge's request by last evening. A temporary Injunction would not alter the present status of the questioned annexation, under the temporary restraining order. No Police Control Under Judge Walker's earlier i action the city of Salem may pro vide fire and health services but may not extend police power to the territory in question a 368- i acre crescent-shaped area sur rounding West Salem and facing Salem across the Willamette river in the vicinity of the inter-county bridge. Judge Walker's letter, also stated he would sustain thedemurrer en tered by District Attorney Miller B. Hayden of Marion county seek ing the removal of County Asses sor Roscoe Shelton as one of the defendants to the suit. Supreme Court Justice George Rodman said Wednesday he had not been officially informed of Judge Walker's request, but that if the formal request for change of judge is made it will be neces sary to consult by telephone with circuit judges who may be avail able, to come to Polk county to hear the case. Most circuit courts are quite busy at present, he ad ded. Explains Action Explaining his proposed action in the letter to attorneys, Judge, Walker wrote "I fail Ao see where any seri ous harm can resuft from main taining conditions as they now are and have been for many years, for the comparatively short time which must elapse between now and the time the case can be de termined on its merits. The au thorities of Polk county have been and now are responsible for prop er police protection, and I believe the court has a right to assume that the same will be afforded. "Upon the disposition of these matters now pending I expect to request the chief Justice to assign another judge to finally dispose of this case. I had no in tention of disqualifying myself, but circumstances have arisen since the hearing - of the motion for a temporary injunction which make it imperative for me to do so. Would Criticize Judgment "Many people interested In the outcome of this case have seen fit to communicate directly with me in an apparent effort to in fluence my ultimate decision. Courts cannot be subjected to pressure of this kind, and my de cision rendered probably would be misinterpreted and criticised by one side or the other. Cases must be tried in open court with all parties afforded the opportunity of being present and knowing all that is transpiring. The action of these interested people in endeavoring to influence my decision by direct communication makes it unwise for me to proceed further with the case." QUICKIES "Was it your esman Want Ad that offered a reward for a roll- I I er skate?" ' of A nrtpir. To jo --Warlord and Criminal A , o , n'. " h"'f I '?' ; y - ' ' TOKYO, Dee. 22 Former Japanese today (Dec.. 23, Tokyo time) with six other Japanese warlords for Japan's crimes against humanity. Here Tojo Is shown in two phase of his career in prison garb (left) wfcich, after the Japanese sur render, replaced Che bemedaled uniform he wore (right) as Japan's hero and war leader at the funeral for Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto In 1943. (AP Wirephoto to The Elliott Sworn In; . Commission Told Not to Boost Bond PORTLAND, Dec. 22-P)-Mar-ion L. (Mike) Elliott, controvers- . i -i :im -l . H..1. V. iai sneriii-eieyi ui mu. aa,,),, which may talk peace with countv. took his oath of office to-i.u - t-. m ri,in. county, took his oath of office to day. He will not take over duties, however., until January 3. Circuit Judge Walter Tooze of ficiated. Meanwhile the storm over Elliott raged on. Newspapers continued to print that Elliott ad mitted falsifying his education and war record in?"th campaign for office. County commissioners pondered whether to increase the $110,000 bond which a sheriff-elect is re quired to post. Elliott s democra tic supporters responded that they would start a recall movement against any commissioners voting to increase the bond. 1 ' Plane Debris Ma Answer Fate of Trio YREKA, Calif., Dec. 22-UP)-An airplane pilot today reported today sighting the wreckage of a small plane near Mt. Shasta, and the CAA at Oakland asked local officers to start a ground search. The only plane known to be missing in this general area was a small plane with three persons aboard and unreported since leav ing Salem. Ore., December 4 on a flight to Sacramento. That plane carried Paul D. Starr, pilot and head of a South Gate Lumber company; hi brother Robert, 35, UCLA swimming instructor; and Miss Ruth Meyer, 34,' Portland, lumber broker. . The CAA in Oakland reported that a pilot en route from San Francisco to Medford, Ore., this morning sighted the wreckage of a small plane, with one wing some distance away. He said it appeared to be a light-colored ship. n i n l IT Salem Below u. Size of Police Force Per Capi NEW YORK, Dec. 22-(Special to the Oregon Statesman )-Pplice department statistics, gathered from 877 cities throughout the country by the International City Managers Association for the Mu nicipal Year Book, show that Saem- employs fewer police, in proportion to its size, than do most cities. Figures for early this year show 44 full-time police employes on the Salem payroll, or .85 for every 1.000 residents. This is less than the national average for cities lar ger than 10,000 population, which reported having 189 per 1,000 re sidents. The average police ratio for cities of 50,000 L57 per 1,000. to 100,000 is Premier Hldekl Tojo was hanked New Chinese Cabinet May Talk Peace 1 , . , -- darkening picture today. On the battlefronts, there was an ominous lull. President Chiang Kai-Shek ap proved the list of cabinet appoin tees submitted by Premier Sun Fo, who had some difficulty In get ting candidates in China's critical hour. Sun came up with a list of men who said would "fight on until we can secure an honorable peace. The cabinet includes two former premiers, Chang Chun and Wpng Wen-Hao, and Chang Chih-Chung, now commander of the northwest headquarters. Both Chang Chun and Chang Chih-Chung have advocated mak ing peace. They are ministers without portfolio. Sun Fo succeed ed Wong as premier. Sun's remark about an "hon orable peace" was seen by some as hinting the govepmerit is ready to deal with the communists. How ever, a communist spokesman has said Chiang must go or no peace. Chiang's approval of the cabinet suggests he doesn't Intend to quit Yule Travel. Rush Starts PORTLAND. Dec. 22 - P) - The Christmas travel rush wair to day- Air lines began lidding extra flights to take care of homeward bound passengers. Railroads said traffic was heavier than lakt" year and all said extra cart wen added to, regular 'trains. The peak this week is expected Christmas day, when one air line alone will schedule 14 extra flights through Portland. Traffic may be even heavier, however, on-. the New Year'i week end, the companies said. n A a. Average n ta Some cities, it is noted. appear better and others worse than they really are with respect toj police protection because of unusual traf fic or other special conditions. The per capita cost of maintain ing the Salem police department is lower than in most cities, accord ing to the survey. It? amounted, locally, to 2.14 for each resident. This was- below the national aver age of $8,17 per capita andj below the $4.85 paid per capita by other cities of its size. 1 Patrolmen in Salem start Ion the force .with an entrance salary of $2,670- a year, compared with $2,343 in other cities of its size group. Nationally, the beginning rate averagea $2,305. is. Lovers Hangings TOKYO, Thursday, Dec. tt-VPh. Hideki Tojo and six other militar ists died on the gallows today for leading Japan on a ruthless, un successful war of conquest. f Wearing the jungle green of the American Gl'a who smashed his empire, Japan's former premier dropped through the trap one and one-half minutes after midnight (7 ajn. PST, Wednesday). He wae pronounced dead nine minutes la ter. i I The seven war criminals Were hanged in two groups. This is how the secret hangings were reported to the press: ! I Tojo, grim and ramrod stiff! was In the i first group, of four men. The others were Gen. Kenji Doi hara, the Manchurian plotter; Gen. iwane ftiatsuL commander of the army that raped Nanking; and LI Gen. Akira Muto, one of tha Com manders in the Philippines, f Led te Death House I I They were led to the death house in foreboding Sugamo; pri son by an officer of the day. A prison chaplain and a Buddhist priest ; followed. Flanking f the group were two American guards. Two prison officers brought up the rear. Thirteen steps led to the: gal- ju w . xa cai.it uidii luuit iiia on the gallows platform, "he turn ed and faced the witnesses, fwhe were invited by General Mac Ar thur. No newspapermen were per mitted to attend. " 1 i Black hoods were placed over the heads of the four. Ropes Were adjusted. Tojo and his associates were grimly silent. Tha chief exe cutioner signalled the comnander of the execution detail, and re ported everything in readiness. Another signal X ' Then the executioner turned to ward the condemned men. Anoth er signal. .. ' I - The four traps wera sprung. Tojo, who symbolized the Jap anese enemy In the minds of the allies, was the second to be - pro nounced dead, 10 Vi minutes af ter midnight. ii 1 : The second group entered the death i chamber six minutes after Matsui was pronounced dead. In that group were Gen. Selshird Ita- gakl, former war minister; former premier Koki Hirota; and :Gen, Heitaro Klmura, chief of tha ar mies in Manchuria. i; The three traps ware released at 12:20 a.m. i ' An U-nation tribunal set Up by the allies condemned Tojo and his civ acrwiata for atrnHtiea and foe conspiring to wage aggressive, war. Only Monday the U.S. supreme court refused to Intervene. Headquarters announced f that the bodies would be cremate and the ashes scattered. This Is to pre vent enshrining the seven." General MaeArthur s public in formation officer said no, photo graphs of the execution were ta ken "unless plans were changed at the last minute. t - Thief Leaves Yule Greetiri rr OLYMPIA. Wash, Dee., 2l-aV An Olympia motorist laid J claim today to "the most unusual Christmas card" honon? He told police of finding a cheery Christmas envelope tinder the windshield wiper ef his ear two mornings ago. A note Jnside aid: : f - - "I think It only fair to let you know that your car la badly la need of oiL Please do not start It up. A friend in need. -.Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year." Z J The note was more than correct. The car was completely drained of gas and oil, the elderly . car owner told Det. Sgt. Harold Williamson. Ha declined to give his name. TAKES SLEEPING PILLS ' NEW YORK, Dec. 22-Mrs. Kersten Bernadotte, 39-year-old wife of former Prince Cart Johan of Sweden, was treated at Roose velt hospital today for ant over dose of sleeping pills. Police said she took the pills accidentally.., ' , .-c'1 - 2 SHOPPAfO DAYS LEFT CHRISTMAS SEALS mm