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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (April 3, 1949)
9 -POTEhlf' MdDIQNB ' A-Kay purvey Nears Finish -T S fSatered at the potteffice at galem. monunf except Monday, the AtaattaUf Press la Mnoa PAcanc coast Drvntow or wvmmav cr Auvtaiuusa Advertliiflg giprMentsUvss Wsre-OruTlth Ce, Wew Tar. CMeage, tea fraaelsw. Detroit smtBOt AUDIT SVMtAtf OF COCVLATIOSI r Ma ta iUNia) k . Sty Cats- Carrier ; . ureeoe. aieawmre w vja S month . month, rear.. , .T .,.,. cse -The Senate's Tax Plan - When the legislature assembled it was recog nized that its toughest problem was one relating to taxes. This was the situation: 1. A deficiency of around $9,000,000 in re venues to cover general fund appropriations for ' the current biennium; an additional deficiency Qf over $2,000,000 incurred during the bienni n; and an anticipated deficiency of around $38,000,000 to cover general fund appropriations for the next biennium. 2. Against this was a surplus estimated at around $50,000,000 at the end of the current biennium in the personal income and corporate excise tax receipts which by law and by court , decision were reserved for reduction of state v property taxes. 3. Additional demands for school support runj ning into. many millions and demands for $12. 000,000 for buildings at the state institutions of higher learning. How was this problem to, be solved of getting money or using money on hand to pay our bills?' The budget director. Governor Hall and Gov ernor McKay recommended making receipts of the corporate excise tax available for general fund use. The house of representatives pissed a bill to this effect. A bill was introduced to cover receipts of personal income taxes into the general fund. The danger in this was that if receipts from these taxes were made free for general spend ing; they might soon be exhausted and a heavy tax iburden would fall on property owners. Or If receipts continued adequate to take care of appropriations for three years the state would tje its tax base, which might be needed or a property tax levy in the future. There was this other factor which weighed heavily in the minds of legislators and tax au- thorities and that was that the personal income tax Was originally dedicated exclusively; for property tax reduction. The corporate excise tax was devoted to the same purpose but carried no such declaration of intent in its title and was not submitted to the people as a property tax reduction measure. To resolve this dilemma of not having enough money and having enough, the senate commit tee of taxation of which Dean H. Walker is chairman, has worked out a program which in our opinion neatly does the job. It separates re ceipts from the personal income and corporate excise taxes.' The former go into a property tax reduction account to take care of state approp riations within and outside the 6 per cent limit ation and to take care of the basic state school support fund and the, county school fund. .The reminder stays in the property tax reduction ac count. , Receipts from the corporate excise etx make up a separate account. First call on such receipts Is to assist in eliminating a state property! tax nd maintaining a reserve of $15,000,000 in the property tax reduction account. The next use to which these receipts may be put is to meet any deficiency in general fund appropriations. Any risidue would remain in the account to be pick ad up the next biennium. It must be emphasized that this is not a per manent solution to the state's fiscal problems. If receipts from these sources fall off or if large additional burdens are imposed on the state then other sources of revenue must be provided. Un less the voters authorize some heavy appropria tions there should be a reserve of at least $15,- Krernlinites' - Br Joseph and Stewart Alsea WASHINGTON, April 2 There are only two or three chinks through which feeble beams of light ever penetrate the dark, mysterious recesses of the Krem lin. One such chink is occasion ally opened when a West ern European c o m mu n is t leader visits Moscow to re c e i v e Instruc tions, and then returns to re port to his com rades on the lineup at bead quarters. And " ,egp one or the lead- 1W.J, AUufs lng Italian com- VU AtoolJ munis ts, Reale, has just done precisely this, with remarkably interesting results. Reale is known. In fact, to have come back from a fairly F ' J ' protracted visit in a mood of deep depres sion. His report to the- other " Italian commu nlst chieftains was that the world had been wrong in as suming Molotov was sure to suc ceed Stalin. He 5 V 1 v " V to Stalin was actually in doubt, doubt. -r " , If Reale Is a competent re porter, a bitter struggle for Stalin's power is thus almost in evitable after the dictator death. The Italian communista iitress. was caused, of course, by the recollection of the siml Wo Ftvor Sxoaya U$0 No Far Shall Awe Fran First gutesasaav flare S3, 1331 THE STATESMAN PUBLISHING COMPANY CHARLES A. SPRAGUE, Editor and Publlihcr , si' i Oreeon, as second elaas matter under Ml business office tl S. Cemmerelal. or nt Atocu.rso psss ( efaSSheleeaJ IV Mm One rear- Battle for Power Looms lar struggle between Stalin and Trotsky, after the death of Lenin. This reflected Itself In the non Russian communist parties all over the world, and left them crippled and bleeding internally. At the same time, the story of Reale'i report from Moscow sheds valuable light on the puz zling changes that have already been taking place at the peak of the Soviet hierarchy. These have been so variously interpre ted that London officially holds Molotov has gained power, while the British Ambassador on the spot. Sir Maurice Peterson, is known to believe strongly that Molotov's removal from the Rus sian Foreign Office indicates a loss of ground. In brief, since the death of Zdhanov, it is thought there have been three maul power groupings in the Soviet government,- The first is headed by Molotov and his ally, Bulganin, chieftain of the Russian military2 forces. The second is headed by Malenkov, in charge of the party appara tus, and his ally Beria, overlord of the secret police. The third is headed by Mikoyan. manager of the state's vital economic ma chinery and his : ally Vosnesen sky, chief state planner. Molotov and ' Bulganin, ' Mi koyan and Voenesensky, have all : just been removed ' from their former official, posts, and given broad directing responsibilities in the , same policy fields. Mere functionaries . have replaced them. ; respectively, as foreign minister, war minister, minister for foreign trade,, and head of the state planning commission. The changes have been announced as promotions; At the third corner of the power triangle, Malenkov has been left undisturbed (hold ee" Salem, Oregon. Telephone MMt. 000,000 for the start of the next biennium which will mean we have reduced our surplus by $35,000,000 in two years. Under this plain certain specific things will be accomplished: ' ; I 1. Assuming the correctness of estimates, ap propriations will be covered by revenues. (This does not take Into account any large increases in the state school support fund or a building program for institutions. 2. No state property tax will b needed; and the historic dedication of the income tax to re duce the property tax preserved. I 3. No new taxes will be required for the bien nium. j 4. The state base for a property tax will be preserved. What is the difference between this senate committee plan and the house, bill covering all receipts from the corporate excise tax into the general fund? The difference is hat property tax reduction still has the priority of use for proceeds of this tax and only such amounts as may be heeded to extinguish deficits be trans ferred into the general fund. Some may say, this puts a protective screen around property. It i more correct to say that this plan in effect reserves taxes on property to local units of government. ! The explanation of the plan may appear in volved; .actually it is rather simple. It is prima rily an adaptation of the established system of taxation in Oregon to the needs of the time. The house should follow the senate's lead. That body adopted .the program unanimously Saturday. Time for Action The Salem long range planning commission has approved with minor changes the plan for highway and bridge improvements at Salem which was recommended by Highway Engineer Baldock. A survey of the board of directors of the Salem Chamber of Commerce indicated their support of the plan. Needed now is the assent Of the city council which is the real local au thority, and that should be forthcoming Mon day night. There are two reasons for action: First, the improvements are urgently needed and ample time has been had for study of the plan; Second, the question should be settled so that both the contention and the uncertainty may be ended. It is clear that some persons will be injured in the change-over, and others may be helped. But the decision has to be made on what is best for Salem now and in the future. Some changes must be made or Salem will strangle; and the plan recommended is prepared by competent authority. It early approval by the council will insure inclusion of the local program in the gen eral program the highway commission is setting up for the next two years. At best work of such magnitude will take years for completion. ItTVill have to progress by stages. But with a coordinated plan the work can be put on schedule, the Willamette bridge and the Lancaster drive bypass being the items of greatest urgency. There was this attitude in the planning com mission where there was division of opinion: No matter what the decision is let us close ranks and join hands to work for continued advance ment for Salem. We commend that spirit to all of Salem. , : ing no ministry from which he could be formally given a step up). But Beria's fiftieth birthday has just been pointedly cele brated with the very special glory of a parade. It is ail as neat as a pin, with the,- honors exactly evenly di vided between the three group ings. ; Stalin's poor health is now a wel-established fact. According to information which Is accepted in authoritative quarters, he suf fered during 1948 from no less than four strokes, of which at least one was .serious. If this is so, all the resources of modern science cannot greatly prolong his term. It is natural that he (should devolve his duties upon younger men, and withdraw, as she has now done once more, to" his retreat at Sochi on the Cri mean Riviera. What could be more natural, moreover, than for an aging, ail : lng tyrant to divide his power in this manner, cutting it into equal slices, exactly balancing each potential hair against his rivals? The inner drama of absolute ; dictatorship may seem insane I melodrama to people accustomed j to the dusty, workaday intrigues i of Washington. London or Paris, s But these dramas also have their : logic, as anyone who reads his l tory must realize. The foregoing interpretation of what has happened In Moscow i accords with this logic; is strong fly sustained by the Reale story; i and Is accepted by some, at i least, of those who should know i best. If correct, its future impli I cations are so portentous that : they deserve examination on a later occasion, and at greater I length. (Coprrlfht. IMS. New York Herald Tribune lac.) (Continued from pay 1) the silent scream when people could hear them talk. Meantime big advertisers are wondering how to stake their dollars how much should they throw Into the TV experiment. Then there are the possibilities' of graat changes in TV mechan ics. At present only black-and-white stuff Is transmitted; but Columbia Broadcasting still has its facilities for color transmis sion and other companies doubt less are working on the problem. The latest and sharpest con flict is the one precipitated; by Zenith radio which in full page ada threw a scare into owner and prospective purchasers of TV receivers (except Zenith). The ads intimated that the fed eral communications division would open up new TV channels of ultra-high frequency which would make most existing sets obsolete. Makers of Admiral TV rejoined with a denial and a $1,000,000 suit against Zenith. The rcc originally set up 12 television channels, each six megacycles wide in the 44 to 218 megacycle, band. (This is" Greek to me, too). Last year. In re sponse to pressures for more channels, it took up the matter of opening up the 475-890 mega cycle band. It seems the chan nels now allotted are not enough to satisfy demand; but there Is sharp conflict in the Industry over any mixing of Ultra High and. Very .High frequencies at least in the same areas. But what kind of programs does TV provide? This subject Is discussed at some length by Gilbert Seddes in an article in the March Atlantic Monthly. At present sports get the biggest play. Then there are movie shorts, participation shows and Vaudeville. TV has a great op portunity, says Seddes, but the danger is that "it will be used as a weapon in the war between the rival networks and in the greater struggle between radio and the movies for control of the world of entertainment." Admittedly there is the proba bility that television, since ap parently it is to be supported by commercial advertising, will de velop as radio and cater to the mass audience with programs geared to relatively low levels of Intelligence. (What a wow TV will be with endless soap opera in sight as in hearing!) As Sed des writes: "We seem to be watching for the hundredth time, the tradi tional development of an Ameri can enterprise: an Incredible in genuity in the mechanism, great skill in the production tech niques and stale, unrewarding, contrived and uninteresting ba nality for the total result." The new tool of communica tion is here. It is developing much faster than seemed poss ible. A lot of pioneering is being done in the mechanical field, on commercial levels, and in study of how to use the new Imple ment. New techniques will be required and new craftsmen in TV production will emerge. They will find that TV has limitations a housewife can't do her morn ing work and "see" that soap opera, and her husband can't read the paper and "see" a TV movie. TV is coming in fast youH know it's here when you see the "bird cages" going up on the houses. The Safety Valve Unreasonable Arguments To the Editor: There are perhaps reasonable arguments that might be ad vanced against a CVA and we should listen to them. But yesterday a Portland at torney publicly repeated the un supported and intemperate accu sations of the Pacific Northwest Development association. He re sorts to such "scare" and "smear" attacks on CVA as: 1. "The president would ap point three men of no prescrib ed qualifications." 2. "They would have lifetime jobs beyond the reach of con gress." 3. "Private power companies must be efficient or they die." 4. "Government - oper a t e d plants need not be efficient and seldom are." 5. "There would be complete destruction of private initiative and enterprise." 6. "CVA would put halters and hobbles on the entire country." The 15-year record of TV A which has been so highly prais ed by the New York Times com pletely refutes all of these ab surd contentions. Private enter prise and initiative are flour ishing in TVA; income growth there has outstripped the na tional average two to one; all seven governors and virtually all the residents are enthusiastic over TVA's achievements and democratic methods. If no better case can be made against CVA than that this sort of diatribe, it appears to estab lish conclusively that a CVA is good for everyone except a few private power companies. Yours very truly, George Penketh 5711 N. E. 24th Ave. Portland. An average of 208 inches of now fal's nr-naHv on Mount Washington, N. H, highest peak in New and, w:tn a height of feet. Epic Battle of Midway Finding Even Greater Place in U.S. Military Lore as Years Co By ( Editor' TmU WaadcU Wat waa war corrMpondcnt for the AaaocUue Press. accraStta f tbe Heat at Pearl H&rfcor ta tka early period of Ui liM war. Ha waat with the naot whea It aaovtd to latorcapt ta Japan thrust at Midway. Ha waa aa eyewltaeae U soma events of that decisive tattle, and got the now of maw coming la from various segments of the engage meat. Ha la therefore wall easuiUd to review, bjr reouest, the neteworthr article on Midway which appeared m n recant lesae of the Saturday Evening PoC C.A-S.) Br Wendell Webb Managing editor. The Statesman Military men long have known that the Battle of Midway broke the back of Japanese naval offensive power in early June of 1942 but it remained for a recent Satevepost story by J. Bryan to place the epic engagement uv an overall perspective which will be as fascinating to participants in the flaming episode as it will to those whose homes It made secure. ; Much of it has been told be- 1 fore, but mostly piecemeal, and there isn't a man who can claim he ever saw more than a com paratively minute part of the great show. For that reason, Bry- f'an's round-up is, a valuable ad junct to the nation's history. i Credit Well Split He covers well the historic defense put up by the Midway garrison itself, and does the fleet as much justice as ever has been done to it the army released its stories right after the battle end ed and when the censors allowed the navy to chime in with its side of the engagement several days later, it was too late to recoup much of the credit. But plenty will accrue to everyone con cerned as the years go by. And Bryan has helped to even it up. A factor deserving of more emphasis than Bryan gave it is the veritable ambush laid by the American fleet to the north of Midway. With all the heroism of all services, the element of sur- . prise still played a major part in the victory against odds. Few details ever have ap peared about the component parts of the American fleet at Midway and Bryan touched on them only slightly, with the ex ception of the carriers. Besides the Yorktown, Enterprise and Hornet, there were the heavy cruisers Pensacola, North Hamp ton, Vincennes, Minneapolis, New . Orleans, Portland and Astoria; the light cruiser Atlanta and 12 destroyers. Bryan, too, didn't sum up the Japanese strength to actually bring out the odds. Against the 23 American ships and Midway's own defense were 94 Japanese ships, including transports. But ranged against that was almost equal air strength (in numbers but we were far inferi or in quality of fighting planes); the element of surprise (the fleet had been off Noumea for south of the equator only two weeks previously) ; and the innate cour age of American fighting men who knew, if the mainland didn't, that what transpired in that flaming 100,000 square miles of Pacific in the Midway area had a direct bearing on the im mediate fate of America's west coast. It is all too true that if the U. S. fleet had had any battle ships, it could have closed in for surface action against the enemy and the margin of . victory could have been far greater. But with all too few ships of any kind left, the; fleet could not afford to toss away cruisers futilly. The word "only" was inad visedly used many times during World War. II in describing our casualties. It is no word to use in deprecating losses. The "only," either one or many, left grief and heart-break behind. But it might be used in recounting the nation's loss at Midway as 150 planes and 307 men (to Jaoan's 233 planes and 3500 men). Nev er had one of the world's deci sive battles been won with so small a loss. It exemplified the lightning-fast warfare of mod ern times. But thousands of oth er men would not be alive today had it not been for the sacrifice of those 307 and the heroism of other thousands who survived. An Understatement ' The writer of the Satevepost story might not have had access to the confidential messages of those dark days alter Pearl Har bor, for if he had It Is probable he would have nominated Ad miral Spruance as the champion of understatement. As the fleet was closing the distance between the onrushlng Japs three days before Midway burst out, Spru ance closed one message to his fleet officers with this: The successful conclusion of the operations now commencing willber of great value to our country. How great is only now becom ing apparent. One more little episode un known to Bryan might give still more insight into the tenor of those trying times: Three weeks after Midway a transport crept past a mine sweeper off the rarralone is lands, under the Golden Gate bridge and into San Francisco bay. Aboard were several men sent home for various reasons to recuperate from their bath of fire in the great June engagement une was Ensign Gay, only sur vivor of famed Torpedo Squad' ron 8. "If We Only Had Those" Gay was fingering a radio gram offering him a fabulous sum for movie rights to his storv A group was gathered about him. He didn't even seem particularly interested. A short time later, as the transport approached Fish- ermen's wharf, a whooD went un. There, arrayed neatly at berths along the short, were five huge battleships similar to what, the Japs" had at Midway and which the American fleet so sorely jacjcea. There was no profanity what ever in the almost simultaneous sign: "O God, if we'd only had uiose out mere. ' Health Officials To Attend Meet The annual meeting of Oregon county and city health officers in Bend later this month will be at tended by .several local health of ficials, it was reported Saturday. Dr. Willard J. Stone, Marion county health officer, and Francis Reierson, county health educator, plan to attend the four-day meet beginning April 20. The session is being conducted by Harold M. Frickson, head of the )regon state board of health. Public health and sanitation prob lems will be discussed. Susan Dove Ends Nurse Work Here Susan Dove has completed three months of field, experience as a public health nurse with the Mar ion county department of health and has left the department, it was announced Saturday, She will spend a month with relatives in Appanaug, R. I., and then plans to return to the Wil lamette valley as a public health nurse with the Tinn county health department Mrs. Hilda FJiason recently joined the staff of the lo cal department.: Literary Guidepost By W. G. Rogers NSTW DAT by V. S. ReJeV Knopf; $3) An old man, born In 1857, out lasts revolts, riots, fire, plague and the general turbulence of nearly a century of Jamaican ....history to tell us this story. It is the November evening, in 1944, before Jamaica wins par tial self-rule. John Campbell's "Son-Son", descendant of ' his brave brother Davie, Is about to assume leadership in the ' hew government. Crowds of blacks, near-blacks and blacks who are near-whites, sing the Campbells' praises outside the house and stir poignant memories of the long struggle for freedom. His tale, fictitious but with a historical background, makes this tender novel. His mind sweeps back to the 1860s, when he was eight. His father, head of a big family. In dustrious, devout, is caught: be tween his allegiance to Governor Eyre's established government and his kinship with the starving blacks, who are not slaves but who have not the franchise and whose plight is so desperate that they . are heeding revolutionary appeals. Davie Is on the side of the rebels, and the boy John is with him. The father uses the strap on the recalcitrant young man, but when he learns that the Eng lish plan also to whip him, he finds that so obviously unjust that his sympathy for the mal contents grows. Then "Missis Queen Victoria's" representatives come down with all their might, hanging and shooting, setting the rod in ageJoaa Sterling the . laetMig beauty of the Brat rose that baa bloomed lor twe thonaand years that's Daaaaek Rose. See thai drama tie .. solid silver pattern today. We wffl be glad to extend oar sedges plan for even a tartar aot of" twe pUeo setting:. .PJewVt TJ TraeVatA of Onafcla Ue M Exclusive in Saltm i STEVEIIS & son ! ! . - I " Jewelers Silversmiths i Iivealey lldg. Starter and llbeety The current phest X-ray survey t in Marion county will be complet ed this week at Salem high school, according to Mrs.1 Ruby Bunnell, executive secretary of the Marion County Tuberculosis and j Health association. " i -' ! I ;! "An attempt is being made, how- ever," she said Saturday, f to re-. turn the mobile unit to Salem this week or next for the benefit of those who missed X-rays when the machine unavoidably broke down last week." i . ;, j j . 1 - i- In the meantime, she said, those who feel they have emergency cases may be X-rayed Monday or Tuesday at the high school be tween 4 and S pjn. Men are asked to come Monday and women Tues day. The rest of Monday and Tues day will be devoted to X-raying students boys on Monday and gins on Tuesday.; Wiemals Home On John (Mickey) Wlemels. In Sa- lem on a 18-day! army! furlough. is due to leave Friday for Ft, Bliss, Tex- there to start on his war to Japan for duty and to attend ra dar school. He Is the son of Mr. and Mrs. C. C Wiemals, Salem route 7, box 32.? j i I j .jj Wiemals. who enlisted January 13 for three years, has completed anti-aircraft basic Uaining at Ft. Bliss. Before entering the service he attend d Mt, Xhgel Prep school and will receive his diploma with the class of 1949, j ! I i - . Although only two or three me teorites a year are seen tb fall, the . number striking the earth annual ly probably is at least 100. , ' torch to whole settlements. Many Campbells lose their lives in this brutal repression. It Isn't the last disturbance before the! dawn of the "new day" in 1044. j The story is. told In dialect, a combination, we are informed, ' of early EngiisbT-and Welsh, Dia lect discourages man readers, and to tell the truth, normally It discourages me. But this is a language in effective short phrases, colorful, picturesque and poetic, and it fits Reid's pur pose beautifully. No1 work-a-day English could catch so sure ly the i stout 'marchers, singing their hymns, the Indomitable, rash father, the abiding loyalties, the bitter hatreds. X don't know whether this is a true picture of Jamaican life; but it's fa stirring Elcture : of real people engaged , i the struggle which always ap peals to Americans, the struggle! for liberty. ij : , h -i Share iri Party - l f; . x -Even the horses got something at a fun-night party of Salem Saddle club in the state fairgrounds horse show stadium Friday night. I ' The party was given by Mr. and Mrs. Edvin vWard, for about 34 other rider members. A surprise birthday party for Joyce Randall,. 13, featured the affair. The riders received cake and coffee while their mounts were given carrots and sugar., - : i " f 1 Fuiiouffh If t 1! if !Is' ' i'J r..;il,i f IJlAflJ li iiDllli