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About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 1939)
G apitalAJoiiiLraal Weather First in News Photos With the Associated Press Tele Itat service th Cplul Journal If enabled to present photos of world vent within a few noun ot their Fait tonight and Wednesday but with considerable cloudlneu. Little change in temperature. Variable wind. Monday: Max. 50, mln. 39. Rain 0. River J ft. North wind. Partly cloudy. Salem, Oregon, Tuesday, February 21, 1939 Price Three Cents On Trttni and Nw Jist TCQf, ino. 44 mu7.tr,m 6,,. aaiem, vregon, luesggy, reoruary l, m . QVa rnce i nree cenrs jZtTc American Airmy Shy of Anti-Aircraft Guns Bntsrod m second 8 Navy Sprague Asks State Bureau Of Research In Special Message Gov ernor Would Have Plan ning Board Transformed By Paul W. Harvey, Jr. Changing the state plan ning board into a state bureau i of research and development and establishment of a com mittee to work on legislation between sessions were recom mended today to the legisla ture by Gov. Charles A Snraeue. In a special message to both houses, the governor said the revamped bureau would do research for the governor, leg islature and legislative Interim com mittees, and also "have broad pow ers In exploring fields of economic development, utilization of natural resources and Industrial opportuni ties." He said he would "like particularly to have legislative committees make use of this bureau, If created. In preparation of legislation." Cites Kansas Kansas has attracted considerable attention recently because of Its legislative council which meets at Intervals between sessions to do pre- ! llminary work on subjects In which legislation Is deemed necessary. "I believe Oregon could accomplish similar good results by having Its legislature create a standing Interim committee for which the state bur eau could do the necessary research," he said. The bureau would be located In the new library building here. The legislature, In a determined effort to end the session within 10 days, began consideration today of the administration tax program, one ef four major pieces of legislation yet to be acted upon. The others are appropriation bills, peoples' utility district legislation, and equalization of school taxes. Tax Program Up The tax program, calling for re peal of the eight per cent tax on In tangibles, a three per cent surtax on Intangibles and a slight boost In the corporate excise tax, was to come up for final passage In the house today. The entire program would raise the same amount of 4 revenue as at present. Rep. Phil Brady (D., Portland) president of the Portland central la bor council, said labor would fight the tax program because It was op posed to the Intangibles tax repeal A bill authorizing Multnomah county commissioners to deduct V per cent from salaries of county em ployes earning more than $75 a month to creat a pension fund. was passed by the senate and sent to the house. Regulate Clubs A bill to permit the liquor com mission to Inspect and regulate elubs to Insure orderly conduct also passed the senate and went to the lower body. The bill prevents open display of liquor in clubs. Despite objections by 8en. Lew Wallace (D., Portland) that the sen- ate was "washing Portland's dirty linen," the senate passed and sent . fCnnrlnrtrit on pace IS, column 3) Chamberlain Asks For War Budget London, Feb. 21 (JP) Prime Minister Chamberlain today sought House of Commons approval for raising the limit of Britain s borrowing for her great arms program to 800,000 000 pounds (14.000.000.000) and warned attentive members even this huge sum might not be enough. The premier opened the second dsy of defense debate with a re minder $80,000,000 pounds 2.00. 000) was scheduled for armaments expenditure in the next year alone a sum equal to almost the entire national debt In 1014. Chamberlain admitted the arm aments race If continued "must lead to bankruptcy for every country in Europe." But, he said, m disarmament con ference at present Is "not a prac ticable proposition since there Is tnot sufficient evidence to show that "it had a chance of success. "A conference that failed would be worse than no conference," he said. Planes Crash yo,; K4vV Ltm - " S i i ti n i in-r I irmMMUmSt Child Feared Kidnap Victim Anna Louise Sweltzer (left), S. and Townsend Davis (right), 40, who kidnaped the girl. Associated Press Photo. Child Kidnaper Returned for Trial Pasadena, Calif., Feb. 21 (IP) Manacled to a police of ficer, Townsend Davis, 40-year-old gardener and church or ganist, was returned here today from El Centro in the Im perial valley and immediately underwent an extensive ques tioning about his abduction Sunday of Anne Louise Sweitzer, eight years old. Officers who brought Davis and the little girl back here said he admitted abusAig her but denied he had attacked the girl. El Centro, Calif., Feb. 21 WV- Manacled for a trip back to Pasa dena to face a charge of child steal ing, 40-year-old Townsend Davis, gardener and church organist, told a shocking story today, police said, of his attempted flight to Arizona with golden-haired Anne Louise Swelt zer, 8. The gaunt, hollow-cheeked man and his tiny companion were seized late yesterday as his old sedan ap proached the state border, more than 24 hours after secret departure from Pasadena. Faint from an attack of nausea, Anne Louise was not able to be questioned. A medical examination was to be made of the girl to determine If she had been harmed. As reported by police, Davis told of spending Sunday night with the girl In a single room at Indio, be cause he "didn't have money enough to rent two rooms." When he was arrested he had 12.30 and a religi ous tract In his pockets. "I guess I done something rash. but she wanted to leave home. considered her home a bad envi ronment for her, Davis was quoted as saying. He told officers he had planned to take Anne Louise to Somerton, Ariz., where they were to visit the Rev Virgil Vance, an evangelist, who has a daughter about the same age. At Pasadena, the girl's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Sweitzer, in dignantly denied she had been ill treated or led anything but "a happy, normal home life." Sweltzer Is a disabled World war filer and his wife Is a semi-invalid. Then he indicated Sir John Si mon, chancellor of the excheauer. might be compelled to ask for fur ther loans, since the estimated ex. penditure of 1J50.000.000 pounds (6.3SO.OO0.0O0) for the first three ears of the five year, 1500.000.000 pounds (11,500.000,000) rearmament program launched In 1837 would leave only 3i0.000.000 pounds ($1 250.000.000) for the last two years. It would be criminal he said, not to attempt to halt the arms race. In a conciliator reference to dictators he added: "It would not be a bad thing If we ourselves showed a lit tle more confidence and did not al low ourselves to believe every tale that comes to us about the aggres sivt intentions of others." King Launches Big Battleship Newcastle. England. Feb. 31 MV- King George VI, guarded by more than 1000 police, today launched Britain's great new battleship which bears the name of his father, King George V. "May God bless her and those who serve her, the king cried as the 35.000-ton ship shot down the ways into the river Tyne, the first bat tleshlp Britain has launched In more than 13 years and the first of a new group of monster vessels that will total at least nine. As the king and Queen Elizabeth came to Newcastle for the ceremony they were under the strictest guard ever given a modern British mon arch In his own country. Because of the wave of bomb ter rorism In recent weeks, which was attributed to Irish republican sym pathizers, nearly 500 special con stables were called to augment lo cal police. Every place the king and queen were to visit was inspected for bombe. Pulling a silver lever which re leased a magnum of Australian wine to smash against the great craft, King George watched eagerly the vessel slid into the stream. The ship will mount ten 14-inch guns and have secondary armament of sixteen 5'4-lnch guns in eight turrets, as well as numerous smal ler pieces. The admiralty said she would be "appreciably faster" than the 33 knots of the last battleships built by Britain. Three sisterships -The Prince of Wales, the Duke of York and the Beatty are to be launched later In the year and the fifth of the series will leave the stocks early in 1940. Two other battleships have been authorized and the govern. ment has announced plans for two more. Personal Injury Payment Provided Washington. Feb. 31 P The sen ate passed and sent to the house a bill to pay Roy D. Cook. 13-year- old Portland lad, 13500 for Injuries received when a large u. 8. mail box fell on him in 1935. The boy and a companion were on roller skates when he attempt ed to stop by grabbing the large carrier storage mall box. He slid under It. pulling the box on top of him. The accident broke four up per teeth, loosened the others, frac tured his upper right Jaw. dislocated his right Jaw. fractured his chin fractured his lower jaw on the left side and severely cut him about the face. The postofflce department Jected the claim for damages on the ground the government was not at fault but the senate claims com mlttee held responsibility rested on the government because the mail box was not securely anchored. in Fog 2 Pilots Killed; 6 Escape by Parachutes Brazilian Officer Among Dead; Students on Train ing Flight at Pensacola Pensacola, Fla., Feb. 21 (IP) Trapped in a dense fog, eight navy planes were wreck ed and two pilots killed on a routine training flight last night. Rain washed away the fog at dawn today, disclosing the full toll to officers of the Pen sacola naval air station. Si0 student fliers escaped by bailing out in the darkness in their first parachute jumps. Four pilots landed safely In south Alabama. Lieut. O. F. Presser, Sr., a Bra zilian navy officer receiving regular training here, died when his plane crashed and bumed at Corry field where land planes are quartered. No Radio Equipment Lieut. N. M. Ostergren was found in his wrecked and burned plane near McDavid, Fla., about 35 miles north of Pensacola. The fog kept his fate a mystery until after dawn, when scouting planes took to the air for a search of the entire section. Lieut. J. P. Monroe, aide to the commandant, said there waa noth ing anxious ground erews could do except wait for the pilots to Jump. The planes were three radio-equip ped two-seat instruction ships and nine single seated land craft (Boe ings), with high landing speed that makes It difficult for them to alight on soft ground, were not equipped with the radio. Four of the deserted ships fell on the government reservation. Trucks were sent to bring In the wrecked planes as each was located. In addition to Lieut. Presser, an other Brazilian officer, Lieut. A. C. Horta, was in the group. He leap ed to safety. Two Brazilians The two Brazilian officers were In training under a long-standing na val policy of aiding South and Cen tral American countries to prepare their fighting forces, said those close to the air station. These two, reported to be the only foreign officers now In training here, were on their final test flight along with the other students. They were flying In squadron five, which is equivalent to a concluding examina tion of their fitness as fliers. A law approved by congress last summer permits training of South American aviators in United States service schools, the measure left regulations up to the president. Pea Soup Fog Nine advanced students and three instructors took off early last night for a routine after-dark flight. Not long after they were aloft soupy fog rolled In from the gulf of Mexico. The well-lighted landing field was blotted out. Thousands of feet high, the fliers were faced with the choice of ' hunting an airport that was not fog-bound or flying until their gasoline was exhausted and jumping. Three Instructors and one student managed successful landings. Cadet J. E. W. Whitener, Lieut. W. G Jackson and Lieut. J. H. Brett, Jr. came down at the Atmore, Ala., air port. Cadet A. C. McDonough land ed at Greenville, Ala. Leapt to Safety Leaping to safety were Lieut. Hor ta, Lieut. E G. Osbom. Cadet R. F. Chalmers, Lieut T. D. Cummins, Ca det C. W. Harbert and Lieut. R. E. Harner. All their planes save one crashed within 10 miles of Pensacola. The ship from which Cummins leapeo fell into the back yard of the home of Mrs. S. R. Likes at Myrtle Orove a suburb. Another sank In Escambia bay. "It's unfortunate aa It can be, Lieutenant Monroe said In discuss ing the accident. "It's Just one oi those things." He said no blame could be at tached to anyone. Coastal fogs come up quickly and cannot be foreseen he explained. "The fog came In suddenly and the planes were caught a9oul it. Monroe added. "The pilots couldn do anything. A lot of them were out of gas and most of them Just Jumped. V i ? a i..-rr.:i,k.jr ?j Runaway Engine Wrecks Train, Kills Two This battered, twisted mass of metal Is all that remained of two locomotives, one a runaway freight engine, the other pulling a pssenger train, after a terrific head-on crash near Harlan, la., in which two men were killed and 31 persons hurt. Associated Press Photo. Eugene Power Line Bids Asked Portland, Feb. 21 (fl1) Another xtep toward extension of Bonneville dam power to the Willamette valley was taken today with a call for bids for construction of a 110.000- volt transmission line from Van couver, Wash, to Eugene. This line will be the southern arm of power from the main distri buting station at Vancouver. Bids will be opened March 10 and awards will follow shortly with the expec tation that the first unit of the line will be ready to carry power within five and one-half months the fall deadline set by the Bonneville ad ministration for delivery of power. The route of the southern line will be from Vancouver to St. Johns, where power for the Portland area will be taken off, thence southward near Beaverton to Wilsonville. Butte- vllle, Donald, West Woodburn and to a substation toward Corvallis and thence to Harrlsburg, Junction City and Its terminus, a substation near the Eugene city limits. Willamette valley towns which will be close to the line Included Orleans, Verdure, Tangent, Oakville, Peoria, Shedd, Halsey, Alford, St. Paul, Ger- vais and Independence. Cardinals Elect Pope March 1 Vatican City. Feb. 21 (jP) Cardin als at the Vatican announced of ficially today they would meet In conclave March 1 to elect a new pope. They previously had Indicated they would start the conclave Febru ary 28, with voting to begin the following day after Cardinal O Connell of Boston and the two South American prelates arrived. The Vatican announced, however, the cardinals decided the opening ceremony would be March 1. Vot ing consequently will begin March Speculation quickened on the chances of various cardinals, al though all conceded there was lit tle upon which to base predictions. A few diplomats to the Holy See thought the chances were slightly increased for election of Eugenio Cardinal Pacelll, Vatican secretary of state under Pius and now earn er 1 en no of Interim ruler. Most ob servers, however, thought he would receive merely a substantial courtesy vote on the first ballot Only three of 62 members of the college had not yet arrived. They were Cardinal O'Connell of Boston and the two South American pre lates. Cardinals Copello and Leme, who are expected to disembark from the Neptunia March 1. Card lnal O'Connell Is transferring to that vessel at Gibraltar. Vote to Continue Export-Import Bank Washington. Feb. 21 JPi Over the protests of republicans that the action might result In leading this nation Into war, the home voted today to continue the functions of the export-Import bank to June 30, 1941. It pawed and sent to the sena'e a measure extending the bank, and the commodity credit corporation to thst date. The bill also would raise from $500,000,000 to $900,000. 000 the amount of securities the rrertlt cornnrstlnn coitld have out standing at any ona Umt, 4- & "t- Wine Back for Action in House By Harry The farmers' wine bill HB 84 was back on the desk of the house today awaiting a place on Wednesday's calendar of measures up for final passage, and accompanying it was a report recommending its enactment signed by four members of the committee on alcohol control. Fuhrer. Thnmiis. Hpssp and Carter. Declining to recommend It but making no minority report were Representatives Kiinoerllng. Hall and Wells. It was the second time the meas ure had come back to the house with the same report. Yesterday it was on the calendar, but was sent back to committee at the request of Rep. Munroe, who asked that Hood River fruit growers be given a hear ing on their allegations that its pas sage would invite retaliation by Cal ifornia and other states and destroy a wide market for their apple and pears and by-products of those fruits. Wine Council Busy When they met to hear the grow ers following adjournment yester day It was developed by questioning that request for the belated hearing grew out of a telephore conversa tion between a number of the Port land firm of McMarsters and Cole, representatives of California wine interests, and R. J. McLsaac, presi dent of the Hood River growers' co operative, Did (Kern) Crandall get you on the telephone?" Rep. Walter Fuhrer asked McLsaac. referring to the chairman of the state republican central committee who has admit ted being employed by commercial wine Interests to oppose the bill. Retaliation Seen Fuhrer charged that behind the belated request for a hearing are the Oregon Wine council and the Cali fornia wine importers who, he al leged, are using the growers to de feat the measure by delaying its consideration until they can build up opposition to it. While we are fooling around here the opposition is manufacturing ar guments for the bill's defeat by agi tating retaliatory legislation In the California legislature," Fuhrer said today. 'If California wants to engage in war of retaliation they do not want to forget that Oregon can play the same game. In the long run they have more to lose than we have." Opponents of the bill caused plainly marked copies of morning newspapers containing report of proposed retaliatory legislation in California to be placed on the desk of every house member this morn ing. Fuhrer said that he would ask the bill and the report of the committee be made a special order of business in the house Wednesday morning. Distillery Opposes Mrs. Munroe told the committee yesterday that she had long been a worker for prohibition and thst she had no quarrel with the bill's pro visions for regulation of the sale of fortified wine that her only inter est lies In protecting the fruit grow ers from destruction of their pres ent markets. She expressed fear tha1 enactment of the bill would have an adverse effect upon Oregon grow ers; that its passage would not bring about the expected results. Opposition to the measure also was expressed by Jesse Crenshaw, repre aentlng a Hood River distillery, who said Its pa-ssage would result in dou ble taxation of Oregon fruits used In the manufacturt of fortified wine. 9 fata Japanese Bomb Hong Kong Hong Kong, Feb. 21 (IPs Japanese warplanes bombed a railroad sta tion In the British crown colony of Hong Kong today, killing a British Indian policeman and wounding about a dozen other persons. The bombers also demolished a railway car in which a score of British policemen were sheltered near the station. British military authorities said the low-flying Japanese planes first dropped bombers in Chinese terri tory not far from the western bor der of the British colony and then flew over the border, unloading more missiles on the Lowu station. 18 miles from the heart of Hong Kong. A mixed passenger and freight train of the Hong Kong-Kowloon railroad two miles within the col ony border narrowly escaped des true t ion when a Japanese bomb landed near the tracks, shattering windows of the cars. The passen gers were reported uninjured. (A Reuters, British news agency, dispatch from Hong Kong said at another point a bomb fell on British military blockhouse, killing and Indian and several Chinese.) Sir Oeoffry Northcote, governor of Hong Kong, who was spending the week-end a few miles from the border, immediately went to the scene of the bombing to make an investigation. It was understood the colonial government requested the British consul general at Canton to bring the Incident to the attention of Japanese authorities there at once Kx-Collertor Dies Portland, Feb 21 (TP) Lew L. Blumenthal, Portland business man nd former customs collector In Yukon Territory, died Sunday. He formerly was In business In Alaska, Scion Li Hung-Chang Slain at Shanghai Shanghai, Feb. 21 (P) Marnuia Li. grandson of Li statesman, was Rhot and killed neclor of the International settle ment by two unldrntlfled gunmen. U vas reported to have been amorlatpd wllh the Japanese-spon sored Nanking reformed government. Incomplete police reports said the gunmen attacked U as he was leav ing his house to enter an automo bile. The assailants escaped. Poli tical assassinations since the Jap anese occupation of the Shanghai area In November, 1937, reached a total ot 53 with the slaying of Li. ' Police said five bullets entered U s body. LI was born In 1881, the eldest grandson of Marquis LI Hung-Chang great viceroy In the later days of the Chinese empire, from whom Li Inherited his title. Hit public positions Included: Se Can't Obtain Needed Guns In Two Years Only Start Made on Manufacturing Wea pons So Far Washington, Feb. 21 (fl" The senate military commit tee heard today the army can not obtain in less than two years sufficient anti-aircraft weapons to equip its "initial protective force" of 400,000 men. Chairman Shcppard (D. Tex.) said Maj. Gen. Charles W. Wesson, chief of ordin ance, told the committee day and night shifts would be re quired in manufacturing plants to turn out sufficient of the heavier types of anti-aircraft guns In two years. The army made a start on manu facture of this type of artillery un der an appropriation of $13,000,000 and contract authorization of $10, 000,000 by the last congress. Shortage of Supplies Sheppard said testimony of Wes son and other army officials dis closed even the appropriation ot $110,000,000 sought In the presi dent's rearmament program for this purpose would not provide enough artillery, ammunition and other supplies for the 400.000 soldiers comprising the regular army, na tional guard and organized reserves. While the senate committee con sidered armament, the house mili tary committee was told by George S. Messersmith European nations were "using every effort to press the services of their experts" on South American countries free of charge. Americans Preferred Most of the South American na tions prefer, however, he said, to use United States expert chiefly for solving agricultural and eco nomic problems and pay for their services. M es.se r smith testified on a bill to amend the law authorizing this country to detail expert for such foreign service so when the foreign government pay for the services the funds could go direct to the de partment Involved Instead of 'into the general fund of the treasury. Immediately after Messersmlth concluded, the committee unanim ously approved the legislation. Another house committee veter ans affairs heard Administrator Frank T. Hlnes say the veterans' administration had set a goal of 100.000 hospital beds for war vat erans. Hlnes expressed hope would be attained in the next 10 years. Present plans call for 82,026 beds by June 30, 1940. In another discussion relating to national defense and war, Francis B. Sayre, like Messersmlth an as sistant secretary of state, told the senate territories committee condi tions In the far east were so volatile America might be involved In trou ble there by an abrupt severance of relations with the Philippine. The house reached the crux of the controversy over the adminis tration's $552,000,000 defense pro gram today a recommendation for a seaplane base on the Pacific is land of Ouam. The Ouam proposal, included In a $53,800,000 bill for Improved naval air ba.ses, accentuated question of foreign policy In the Orient at a time of Intense argument over American relations with Europe. Li Kuo-Chieh, better known as Hung-Chane, famous Chinese today in the American defense nior councillor of the board of ag riculture; Chinese minister to Bel glum, 1910-1913; member of the ad visory council of the president. Since 1924 he had lived in retire ment In Shanghai. A government order In 1932 ended his connections with the China merchants steam navigation company because of his attempt to negotiate a loan with a foreign country. Japanese army and diplomatic authorities reiterated tonight "grave concern1 over an attack in the In ternational settlement Sunday when a Chinese gunman fired Into a taxlcab and wounded three ot the four Japanese occupants. The as sallsnt escaped among the crowds celebrating the lunar new ear.
