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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 1951)
MOD (Story in' Column 5) . : y fs " . It -'Si'"1 - , Mi . - . . Max. Min. Pwi. - - SS jM 47 , , 35 55 , , 10 -I - Jt 4i si ; . - m Weather OTP TOGTOB The Olivier, Sir Laurence and bis wife, Vivian Leigh, have come back to America, playing in two Cleopatra plays at Ziefgeld the atre, New York, in their first ap pearance here since 1946 when they came with the Old Vic rep ertory company. They are repeat ing in this country, on alternate nights, Shaw's "Caesar and Cleo patra" and Shakes pearete "An tony and Cleopatra," which they carried through last season in Lon don. The success that attended them in their home country is ex pected to follow them in this. Both have succeeded in pictures, too. Sir Laurence's great successes having been in the J. Arthur pro ductions of Henry V and Hamlet; and Miss Leigh starred in "Gone With the Wind." The two plays catch Cleopatra at the beginning and the end of her career as queen of Egypt. Shaw's play shows her as a girl of sixteen attracting the interest of a bald, middle-aged Caesar. But as Shaw says, "in Egypt six teen is a riper age than it is in England." The play has much less of George Bernard Shaw than most of his others, like "The Apple Cart" and "Pygmalion and Gala tea," but it is Shaw rather than Julius Caesar who delivers this speech to Cleopatra after she jus tifies her order for the execution of a traitor, as he hears clamor in the streets: "Do you hear? These knockers at your gate are also believers in vengeance and stabbing. You have slain their leader: it is right that they shall slay you. If you doubt It, ask your four counsellors (Continued on editorial page, 4.) Boy Unaivare Of Mother's Fate on Ship ASTORIA Dec. 22-P)-An 11-year-old boy played here today, still not told that his mother and sister were among the 11 missing after the fire aboard the Danish ship Erria. He is William George Brunlees, whose grief-stricken father, Angus Brunlees,- Whitehorse, Y.T., still has not recovered from the twist of fate that separated him from Mrs. Brunlees and their daughter, Elizabeth, 6, the morning of the fire. He left them in the ship's lounge while he stepped out on deck to see whether it was safe out there. Flames exploded behind him, and he could not get back to his wife and daughter, who are believed to have perished in the lounge. Brunlees said he was taking the family on a long-planned trip to Europe. Townspeople were taking up a collection for his son, intending to buy him an electric train for Christmas one just like the train he has admired at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Don Richardson, who took him in after the disaster. (Story about ship on page 2.) Truman Sends Steel Dispute To Wage Board WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 -(JP) President Truman tonight sent the deadlocked steel controversy to the wage stabilization board in an ef fort to avoid a nationwide strike New Year's eve The president said the wage dis pute between the CIO Steel work ers and various steel companies "has now arrived at a stage where it gravely threatens the progress of national defense . . . it is of the utmost importance to prevent intemrotion in the pro duction of steel." The president added "it is for this reason that I have certified this matter to the wage stabiliza tion board. This will provide the parties with a forum where their differences may be resolved and a fair settlement reached, Avithout resort to a costly shutdown." The move followed the collapse yesterday or federal mediation ef forts to attain a wage agreement between the union and leading steel companies. The union is ask ing wage increases and other ben efits that might exceed 30 cents an hour increase. Canny Bulb Grower Dies PORTLAND, Dec. 22-(53-Mer-ton G. Ellis, operator of a com mercial bulb farm at Canby and nationally known bulb expert, died at a Portland hospital today following a heart attack. Ho was born at Dallas, ' Ore Oct. 29, 1881. , Two sons and four daughters survive. SALEM FMCIWTATIOV 8 tec Start of Weather Tear Sept. 1 This Year Last Year -Normal 22. 4S tt.4 XX2S Se (MM 101st YEAH Blind Organist Provides Christmas Carols ft 5 c JK ,.v Met " ' ' " V1 ff r -r - - Holiday music can be heard coming in the late afternoon and early evening until Christmas eve. Here Roberts plays the organ while three carolers supply the words. From left the girls are Virginia Benner, 2675 Lansing ave.; Diane Burk land, 266 SkopU ave.; and Sharon Anderson, 2145 Carlton Way. (Statesman photo.) Former RFC Official Quits Pentagon Job WASHINGTON, Dec. 22- (JP) -William E. Willett, former mem ber of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation board, resigned sud denly today from his $11,800 navy department job. Secretary of De fense Robert Lovett was report ed to have taken a hand in Wil lett's case upon finding the navy had employed him. Willett had been working In the office of Undersecretary of the Navy Francis P. Whitehair since October 24 without higher ups knowing he was in the Pentagon, officials close to Lovett told re porters. They said , the first knowledege in top defense department circles of Willett's appointment to a per sonnel and housing position on Whitehair!s staff came when they read published stories two days ago. Willett was one of five members whose nomination to that agency by President Truman was blocked by a senate subcommittee after an inquiry into "influence" was used in the lending agency. The Willett resignation was in the form of a one-sentence memorandum in which Willett said: "In view of all the criticism levelled at the navy department and the oindersecretary of the navy (whom I had met only twice before I saw him in his office as undersecretary) I hereby resign my position as director, personnel policy, office of the deputy for manpower, to take effect im mediately." PIERCE IN FAIR CONDITION Walter M. Pierce, former Ore gon governor and congressman, was reported still in "fair" condi tion early Sunday morning at Sa lem Memorial hospital. Attendants said no change was apnarent from ical. hospital, surgical, disability or his Friday condition. He was tak-' death insurance benefits to work en to the hospital Thursday nignt. 1 ers, their wives and children. Western Military Commanders in Europe Convinced Allies Now Strong Enough to Halt any Russian Invasion at Rhine Editor's note: Inside Ger many, two AP correspond ents pat the qnestion "what if war comes to western com mandrrs en the eve of 1952. Here is their summary of the military position at this In vasion crossroads, as told to Daniel De Luce, who covered the last war from the Polish conquest to the Nasi collapse, and George BonltwoooV for mer Lieutenant Colonel who fought and was wounded with British forces in the Norman dy landings.) By DANIEL DE LUCE and GEORGE BOCLTWOOD With allied forces in Germany, Dec 22-i-Pr-If Russia suddenly attacks, allied . commanders be lieve they are) strong enough now to hold ov the Rhine. A year ago, the grim prospect was a headlong retreat to the Pyr enees and the Brittany peninsula. The idea that most -of Europe would have to be lost to Russia before it could be saved Is now out of data, TWO SECTIONS 28 PAGES ' A':: ml from the heme of T. S. Koberts, Duff Says Demand For Eisenhower's Candidacy Grows WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 -7P)-Senator Duff (R-Pa) declared to day there is a tremendous grass roots demand" throughout the country that General Dwight D. Eisenhower bid for the republican presidential nomination and that he Is convinced the general will do so. Formally opening Washington headquarters of an "Ike for Pres ident" group in the GOP, Duff told a news conference he plans to advise Eisenhower about the "demand" when he visits the gen eral in Paris, probably early in 1952. Employers May Give Welfare, Health Benefits WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 - (JP) -The government ruled today that employers may give workers and their families health and welfare benefits without counting the cost as part of wages. The move was immediately de scribed by industry representa tives as inflationary, and an open invitation to labor unions to start a widespread drive to obtain such benefits. The wage stabilization board (WSB) ruled, with industry mem bers dissenting, that such plans may be put into effect within certain limits without counting the cost toward what is allowed in the way of wage increases un der other stabilization rules. These . rules, in general, allow pay boosts of about 14 per cent over January 1950 levels but greater pay increases are allowed under various exceptions. The new ruling is permissive; employers don't have to give med- A masive buildup of allied ground forces in Germany has been carried through, peacefully, in r951. Troop strength has more than doubled. The United States, for example, had only 40,000 combat effectives here at the start of the year. Now there are 200,000. The British are well over 100,000. In the months immediately ahead, the big western weakness In Germany is not on the ground but in the air. The Russians have more and better warplanes here. Iii ground combat capability, the allies have' reached parity with the. Soviet army group in east Germany for the first time since 1945. This was possible because no fresh divisions were sent by the Kremlin to Gen. Vassily Chuikov. However, some of his old divisions, which were at 70 per cent of their size on peper, have been in creased to 75 per cent. Of some 30 Soviet divisions in east Germany, eight are artillery, engineer and anti-aircraft which would be termed corps "or army troops by the west. I I V,iltfl4l!CIVAJl ..HtS ill I I I 11 V I VS. IIIMI VII 9 blind organist and musie Instructor B-25 Dives into Denver Area, - No One Killed DENVER, Dec. 22-P)-A two engined B-25 bomber with eight persons aboard, including -one woman, crashed in an east Denver residential section tonight. No homes were hit and no one was killed. Two aboard the plane were in jured. Lowry air base officials said the injuries were not believ ed serious. One motor appeared to burn as the plane came down on its belly about 400 yards from the nearest dwelling. The scene was less than a mile from where a four-engined B-29 crashed December 3, killing eight crewmen and destroying or dam aging five homes. Air force officials at Lowry field said the plane was from An drews field, Maryland, and was taking off for Perrin air force base near Sherman, Texas. The crash, at 9:06 p.m. (MST) was near Monaco and Bayaud boulevard within the landing takeoff pattern for the Lowry east-west runway. Motorist Runs Over Himself PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 22-yP-A motorist ran over himself today, and somehow emerged without serious injury. Myron D. Yax, 42, was thrown from his automobile when it col lided with another at an intersec tion. He landed in the street, and his automobile caught up with him, and climbed right up on his chest. A service station operator had to get a jack to hoist the car off him. Yax came out of it with a shoulder fracture and cuts on his head and legs. The 11 strong allied divisions in west Germany, plus their corps and army support, are considered a match in size and firepower for the 22 Soviet infantry and ar mored divisions opposite them. The allies have more men in Germany 400,000 to Russia's 330,000. But the ration of combat personnel is figured at 1 to 1, be cause fewer Soviet troops, pro portionately, are detailed to sup ply tasks. If Soviet forces in the east zone remain at their present strength, the aday has already passed when they 'could suddenly strike west ward and seize Europe in a single onrush. The allies have enough power on the ground to bring a surprise onewave attack to a halt on the Rhine. There are now six Ameri can divisions instead of two, four British instead of two, three French, and the equivalent of a mixed division of Canadians, Bel gians, Danes and Norwegians. In addition, two French divi sional cadres are in close reserve west of the Rhine. 1651 Th Orecon Statesman, Salem, Oregon. Sunday. Miners' Bodies Burned . By Earl Aykroid WEST FRANKFORT. 111., Dec. 22-(VP)-Hopes were fading tonight for the rescue of from 50 to 60 men trapped in an explosion- shattered coal mine after 32 burned and tom bodies were brought to the surface. Sweating rescue crews con tinued their desperate probing through thick smoke and gas to reach the men 550 feet under ground at the Orient No. 2 mine near here. Appeals were broad cast for more rescue volunteers. Sobbing wives, sisters and chil dren of the trapped men waited courageously for word from the men who had been working on their last shift before the Christ mas vacation. Terrific Violence The terrific violence of the un derground blast last night was shown in the mutilated condition of the bodies brought up. Estimates of the possible toll ranged to more than 100. Members of the rescue teams described scenes of underground horror hair standing straight up on the head of one body; other bodies pressed close to the floor as if the men made final desper ate clutches for life-giving air; bodies with limbs ripped off; oth ers roasted. Bodies Identified Twenty-five of the 32 recovered bodies have been identified. They were taken to a temporary morgue at the junior high school. Four men, who survived the blast with injuries, got out last night. The mine, owned by the Chi cago, Wilmington and uranKiin Coal Co., is one of the world's largest shaft soft coal producers, producing three million tons an nually. It includes 12 miles of sprawling tunnels. ST. LOUIS, Dec. 22 -()- The Post-Dispatch reported tonight it learned federal mine inspectors made repeated criticisms of meth ods to control methane gas in Orient mine No. 2 at West Frank fort, 111., but the company took no steps to comply with the fed eral inspectors' recommendations. The mine was the scene of an underground blast last night in which as many as 100 miners may have died. Mercury Low, Snow High in Midwest Area By The Associated Press Winter got started officially yes terday in a nation which already has had its fill of snow and cold. The new season found the mid west covered with snow and Ice. Low temperatures reached levels under the zero mark in six states. Bismark, N.D., had -22 and Chi cago had -2 before the mercury line began to edge up. Travel in many midwestern areas was slow and treacherous, and some roads were blocked by heavy drifts. More snow was forecast for the north central states. The cold front moved eastward to the Appalachians. Farther east, comparatively mild weather prevailed -along the Atlantic seaboard. The waves of snow and cold that have Dassed across much of the nation during the ' past ten days have resulted In 265 deaths. The militarized regiments of the east German people's police are in training doldrums, ineir numbers 50,000 young men un der Communist indoctrination are static. Though a new Soviet buildup in the heart of Europe is not yet underway, it could begin any time. Some allied officers call 1952 "Russia's year of decision." The high ranking opinion goes this way: "They can't wipe us out now with what they already have in position. As late as last summer, they could have done just that with scarcely an hour's advance L warning. r un..j At 1 l Al 2 Dili mey can get khivk. uicu ground superiority at the jump-off point in 1952 if they choose to bring divisions from home. The weft has to create new divisions, that's slower. If there is no full-dress attack in 1952, it should be too late for one in 1953. We ought to be able to hold anything they can mass in 1953. "By 1954 well, that's a long December 23. 1951 U.N. Invites Visit List of U.S. Traffic Peafths Starts on Second Million Holiday Toll 156; 3 Oregon Deaths By the Associated Press The motor vehicle claimed its one millionth victim in the nation Saturday. The traffic toll was run up in 52 years, three months and nine days. The grisly milepost was reached and recorded at 11:27 a.m. Sat. Dave Dawson, 25, of Danbury, Tex., was the last person to die among the final 10 victims recorded by the Associated Press in a na tionwide spot check that began Wednesday. He died at 9:13 a.m (EST) Saturday from injuries suffered in an auto accident seven hours earlier. Two others were fatally injured in the same crash. The total reached the million mark on the Associated Press tal ly sheet with the report of the death of Miss Elma Wischmeier, 52. She died in a Cleveland, O., hospital at 7:20 p.m. (EST) Fri day. News of her death reached at tabulators at 11:27 a.m. (EST) Saturday. The actual one millionth victim never can be identified. Statistics early in the century were esti mates instead of actual figures. The highway slaughter, current ly averaging 100 deaths each day, kept pace with earlier rorecasis. The National Safety council pre dicted March 1 that the one mil lionth fatality would occur in De cember. On June 29, the council picked the Christmas holidays as the time. The council picked the exact date on Dec. 14. If the present rate of fatalities continue, the council says, the two millionth traffic death will occur in 1981. The Christmas holiday period started on a grim note for many families Saturday as 156. persons were killed in traffic, fire or mis cellaneous accidents. The breakdown of a count start ed by the Associated Press at 6 p.m.. local time, Friday, when the holiday travel period began, show ed 125 dead in traffic accidents, 22 in fires and 9 from miscellan eous causes. Hazardous driving conditions prevailed in the central part of the nation. Extreme cold increas ed the hazard of dwelling fires resulting from overtaxed heating systems. Cold weather, probably tnrougn Christmas, was expected to keep the snow and ice on the midwes tern highways. Oreeon counted three traffic deaths today after the start of the long Christmas holidays. Icy roads were blamed for two of the deaths. A truck skidded from icy pave ment just south of Portland and overturned. The driver, Jacob Wacker, 53, Portland, was killed. An ambulance skidded from the icy Mt. Hood highway near Rhod odendron and crashed into a tree, killing the driver, Herbert Zach er, 53, Redmond funeral director. He was en route to Portland to pick up a hospital patient, A. H. Holmes, to take him home for Christmas. Mrs. Holmes, a pas senger in the ambulance, was un hurt. The previous night Kenneth Jewel Smith, 29, Salem, driver of a produce truck was killed when his vehicle ran out of contro on ! the Pacific highway seven miles south of Ashland. (Story on page 5.) I time in the future. But it may be our year of decision as 1952 is Kussia s. some day wnen tne wesi em rearmament is completed, we will have to decide whether to send our forces into action while they are at their peak. It will be hellishly risky, regardless of whether the answer is yes or no." But allied armies in Germany are so far behind the Russians in air cover that if war were to come tomorrow, no western gener al could dare hope to move a di vision in daylight without heavy losses. The enemy would have air supermacy from the start. This dismal situation Is, In part, the result of years of em phasis on strategic bombing by air command eca and the aversion of many of them to close support for ground forces. Although it is the Rhine Instead of a Brittany beachhead where the allies now count on holding, their highest officers are on guard against optimism or slacking up. This vigilance has also spurred British and French efforts to get their reserves in shape at homo. PRICE 10c Prison PGE, Indians To Discuss Pelton Dam THE DALLES, Dec. 22-P-The Portland General Electric Com pany will try January 7 to clear another obstacle in the way of construction of the proposed Pel ton Dam on the Deschutes River. Company officials have called a conference with the Warm Springs Indians, seeking their approval to build one end of the dam on Warm Springs Reservation land. The Indians informally have indicated they would approve the proposal depending on the amount of money to be paid for the right but formal approval by 30 per cent of the Indians must be given. PGE cleared bne obstacle yes terday when the federal power commission gave its approval of the 22 million dollar dam. Still another obstacle remains. The state fish commission has an nounced it will challenge in the courts the FPC's authority to ap prove the project after a state agency, the fish commission, had disapproved. Churchill Lists 3-Year Plan For Finances LONDON, Dec. 22 - (JP) - Prime Minister Winston Churchill called on the British people tonight to mobilize for a three-year fight against national bankruptcy. They will have to battle alone without counting on American money, he solemnly told a nation wide radio audience. In the spirit of his famed "blood, sweat, toil and tears" ex hortation of the last war, the 77-year-old prime minister told the country: "I have nothing to propose to you that is easy." Churchill made his pre-Christ-mas fireside address to present his view of the problems confronting the nation after his conservative government has been in office eight weeks. The position is "stern and grim," he declared. The prime minister warned against attaching "exaggerated importance and hope" to his forth coming visit to the United States in January. All that may be ex pected from America, he said, is aid in the common defense pro gram. "But," he warned, "you must not expect the Americans to solve our domestic problems for us. In rearmament and in the North At lantic organization we have im mense and intricate affairs in common; and I want to make sure that we can help each other as much as possible." He asked that domestic political wrangling cease and that judg ment on his new regime be sus pended for a while. "We require at least three years before anyone can judge fairly whether we have made things better or worse," he said. The prime minister said when his regime took office the country stood within a few months of na tional bankruptcy. Had affairs been allowed to drift, he said, the country would have had to choose between charity "if wo could get it" and starvation. INDEPENDENCE FOR LIBYA TRIPOLI, Libya, Dec.. 22-JPy Libya, the poorest natiorx'oo earth, gets its independence Monday as a Christmas eve gift" from the United Nations. INFLATION IN DICE GAMES NEW YORK, Dec. 22 - (JP) -Harlem dice game, broken up to night by police, was no two bit affair. Arrested were 40 men. Seized was $15,000 in cash. Salem Portland. San Francisco New York Willamette river 34 feet. FORECAST (from XT. S. vtitlwr bu reau. McNary field,! Salem): it uy , clocdy with showers and windy today and tomcat. High today sear 43 lew -tonight near 34. Salera temperate at 12:01 mjm. today was -34. No. 270 Reds On Exchange OfSickPOWs MFNSAN. Kstes, Sturfay. Dee, 23 '(JP)- Communist trwc delegates today refused to firm a definite answer to the allied request for aa Immediate z ehanre of sick and wmto4 prisoners. n Brig. Gen. WUlixm P. Naekois. official U. N. command spokes man, told newsmen the reo evasiveness amounted to a - re jection of the request. Nuckolo said the morning session of dele gates, discussing prisoner ex change was "stormy and fnts- trsung." 1 1 MUNSAN. Korea J SunHav rw cember 23-(JP)-The allies dramati cally invited the communists Sat- uraay to come south and see for themselves that somm 37.SOA puted prisoners are actually South Korean civilians and not genuine red army men. ti . By this offer they sought to quiet some of the ! red hagglin which has stalled armistice talks, and nossiblv also ta hasten an change of sick and .wounded pris oners. : ; Ask Inspection l The Christmas-time gesture of . United Nations good faith asked the reds to come and inspect pris oners installations near Pusan- mm& promised that any of the disputed' " personnel who wanted to return to the red side could do so at the proper time. : si . . - The communist negotiators gave no reply but might, do so at the next subcommittee meeting sched uled at Panmunjon at 11 ajn to day (9 P.M. Saturday, ES.TJ Plans Rejected i . The reds rejected three allied proposals in the truce supervisioa subcommittee meeting Sunday morning. The nronosal m r m, mostly a re-wording of past ef- - Brig. Gen. William P VnrVoU official U."N. command spokesman, - "u ausoiuieiy noun in g nappen me u.ui-e supervision seo -sion. r The communists refused te budge from their i t- M ; Cdjmps Evasive against aerial observation over? North Korea, limi struction of airfields and any in ojt74hjh do i umixea strictly to ports of entrv. Thov snk;. else would be interference in onn rvorean Internal affairs. Made by A dm. Libby The reauest for -an imm;.. exchange of sick and wounded prisoners or ooth sides, and the in vitation, were made by Rear Adm. R- f- Libby, head! of the U. N. subdelegatibn discussing exchange of prisoners, item four on the con ference agenda. i , ,Te eds had protested removal of 37,500 POWs from the U W prisoner list after the allies found were loyal South Koreans. Libby commented:? "They are not now and never have been adherents to yeur (communist) cause." . .- T At the same truce' session, Libby pressed twice for cno&rtv 1 to the U. N. request for informa tion on 1,000 U. N. soldiers the al lies think are red captives but were not included nn thA i,v . r t i Brother, Sister by Adoption Married NORTH BERGEN: W J Tw i (P)-A brother and sister by adop tion, who say they I have been in love for 30 years, were married tonight. It George Harold Wickham, M was wed to Miss Isabel Wickham, 51. whom his narents adnntoA more than 40 i years ago. Wick ham, who forgot to kiss the bride, said he felt a duty to remain sin gle while his parents were alive. Now that both his mother and father have died, there was ne longer any reason to be separated, he told newsmen. ? Honesty Provides Bicycle for Boy . KLAMATH FALLS. Dec 22-UPl -Eifht-vear-old Donald Geben found a wallet, here three weeks ago. Inside was $194. Donald turn ed it over to police, who sent it on to the owner, S. J Richards, Los Angeles, f Police Chief Orville HamQtoa received $50 from Richards yes terday In a letter that Instructed him to get something tor uonaM. Now Donald is riding what is chief says is the "best $58 bicycle in town." I; If if