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About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1946)
Onake and Tidal Wave Wreak Death and Destruction in Japan CIO Starts Suits To Collect Billion For Portal Pay Claims Filed in Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh; Other Industrial Centers (By the Associated Press) The CIO has started a legal light in several cities to collect portal to portal pay and damages In excess of $374,000,000 and a union official in Detroit predict ed future suits in that area alone would approach the billion dol lar mark. Filing of the suits followed a favorable decision last June by the U. S., supreme court in a suit started by employes of the Mt. Clemens (Mich.) Pottery company for such pay under the 1938 fair labor standards act. Billion in Detroit In Detroit, Richard T. Leon ard, vice president of the CIO United Auto Workers and the . Union's national Ford director, predicted the filing of suits ask ing $1,000,000,000 from Detroit area employers, including claims of $270,000,000 against Ford. UAW attorneys said a suit asking S60,000,000 from the Briggs Manufacturing company would be on file in the Detroit federal court "by Monday at the latest." Suits seeking a total of $198, 000,000 have been filed in the Cleveland district court and at Pittsburgh, the CIO has started legal action seeking at least $120,000,000 for 120,000 steel workers. Suits seeking $56,000,000 in behalf of 8500 workers were filed in four midwest cities Fri day. 3 Years Limitations The suits filed Friday, as in previous petitions, said the wages and damages should be paid by employers under terms of the act for the time employes spent on company premises before their scheduled starting time and nfter their quitting times.' Although the suits varied in the time involved for retroactive pay, Federal Judge Paul Jones in Cleveland in an opinion in Similar suits has ruled that the state statutes of limitations ap plied. The statutes limit claims to three years. He held pay claims for work prior .to 1943 could be disregarded. . 4, r ' French Suffer Losses at Hanoi Paris, Dec. 21 ) French troops suffered heavy casualties In advancing in two sectors of northern Indochina today, and lost a small garrison at Vinh to Viet-Nam forces, the French general staff at Saigon announc ed today in a communique re ported by the semi-official French press agency. The general staff said French troops, braving continuous sniper fire from surrounding rooftops, had reoccupied the. Lanessan hospital at Hanoi, Viet-Nam capital. At Tourane, the communique said, the French garrison was suddenly attacked yesterday morning by Viet-Nam forces. Se vere losses were suffered bj' both sides, the announcement said, but the French maintained control of the Tourane airfield and proceeded to mop up the surrounding areas. The semi-official French press agency said French armored troops after all-night street fighting held full possession of Hanoi, capital of French Indo china and of the young Viet nam republic, and were mop ping up isolated Viet-Nam llnds. .- French forces were reported to have been in control since yes terday morning of the municipal theater, seat of the republic's le gislative assembly, and the pal ace of republican President Ho Chi Minh, said to have fled on Thursday with his defense min ister, Vonguyen Giat, and oth ers. Ease Restrictions On New Telephones Washington, Dec. 21 U.R Government restrictions on in stallations of telephones are coming off. . After Janunary 1, officials re vealed today, you get your phone or don't strictly on your own. For some this may mean n longer wait than ever. Some 2,500,000 orders for phones currently remain unfilled. And new orders are piling up at seven times the pre-war rate. Essential users got priority during the war. Business head ed the list (after military de mands) and domestic users often went without. More recently veterans were granted some preference, both at home and on the job. , 57th Year, No. 301 GOP Senators Ask Report on Ousting Bilbo Washington, Dec. 21 (u.R The senate republican steering com mittee has asked for a special report on whether Sen. Theo dore G. Bilbo, D., Miss., should be ousted from the senate for his dealings with war contrac tors, it was revealed today. Sen. Robert A. Taft, R., O., steering committee chairman, said the report would be made by Sen. Homer Ferguson, R., Mich. Ferguson is a member of the senate war investigating subcommittee which investigat ed charges that Bilbo received gifts from Mississippi contrac tors whom he helped get gov ernment jobs. Moral Turpitude Cited Ferguson said he would have his report ready before the next meeting of the steering commit tee, tentatively scheduled for Dec. 30. There seemed little doubt he would recommend that Bilbo be banned from his seat on grounds of moral tur-j pitude. Ferguson said in a radio dis cussion that if he had to make a decision on evidence present ed thus far, he would vote against allowing Bilbo a senate seat. At the same time, he re vealed that the war investigat ing committee had subpenaed Bilbos income tax returns in its study of his dealings with contractors. Banning of Negroes The senate GOP steering committee also has asked for a report from two republican members of the senate cam paign committee which inves tigated charges that Bilbo's re election was invalid because Negroes were barred from vot ing in the Mississippi primary. A republican search of sen ate rules and precedents indi cated the GOP will need the help of some senate democrats for a successful challenge against Bilbo on either charge. The election challenge would be in order when Bilbo steps forward to take his oath of of fice Jan. 3. It would take only a simple majority on the first test. But it would come before republicans actually get senate control. Only 60 holdover sena tors would be qualified to vote at that time, 31 democrats and 29 republicans. Christmas Trees Shield for Thieves New York, Dec. 21 (IP) Three men with a truckload of Christ mas trees outside a Greenwich Village clothing store early to day didn't look like Santa Claus and his helpers to Detectives John O'Neill and Thomas Tyrell. While the detective watched, the men broke into the store and removed $1500 worth of clothing which they carefully stuffed beneath their innocent looking Christmas trees. The detectives shot and cap tured one man but the other two escaped Small Craft Warnings Seattle. Dec. 21 (IP) Small craft warnings were continued at 9 o'clock this forenoon for the next 24 hours along the Wash ington and Oregon coasts and through the straits to Port Townsend The weather bureau said there would be fresh to oc casional strong southerly winds. Full Scale Resumption of Civil War in China Is Imminent Peiping, Dec. 21 (IP) Climaxing weeks of political bickering, Chinese government and communist leaders today declared full scale resumption of civil war is director of hiang Kai-Shek's? Peiping headquarters, said gov ernment armies woul " resume the offensive if the communists continue to disregard Chiang's cease fire order. Six weeks ago, in . truce bid. Chiang ordered h' forces to end their offensives. The commu nists, demanding restoration of territories seized by the govern ment since an oft-violtted Jan. 13 truce, immediately attacked in several areas. In Yenan, the communists' chief negotiator, Chou En-Lai, told Associated Press Corre spondent John Roderick: The communists wil. launch an all out strategic offensive if '! T'iment per '- in its re fusal to follow the democratic apital Entered second cltu matter at Salem, Oregon Atomic Energy Group Disagrees On Veto Power New York, Dec. 21 UP) Dele gates to the United Nations atomic energy commission dis agreed today over whether they had approved a United States proposal to eliminate the big power veto on punishment for violations of atomic energy con trol. This was a major point in the American atomic control plan which was approved "in prin ciple" yesterday by the com mission and it appeared at first that the controversial issue had been decided finally although without the approval of Soviet Russia. Victory for Baruch Members of the U. S. delega tion hailed the commission's ac tion as a complete 'victory for Bernard M. Baruch, 76-year-old sponsor of the American pro posal, but it became clear to day that the question of the veto on punishment as well as some other points in the Baruch plan still faced a bitter fight. A spokesman for Canadian Delegate Gen. Andrew G. L. Mc- Naughton, sponsor of the com promise which the commission finally adopted, emphasized that the Canadian proposal laid down an important condition, which should not be overlooked. Wording to Conform This was the stipulation that the wording of the Baruch reso lution must be made to conform to phraseology of the resolution which the general assembly passed last week outlining a pro gram for world arms reduction. It was recalled that the as sembly s resolution recommend ed that enforcement of arms limitation regulations, including the control of atomic energy, be placed within the framework of the security council, where the veto applies. The resolution omitted any reference to the veto. While members of the U. S. delegation contended that this omission did not prevent the se curity council from agreeing not to use the veto on atomic mat ters, it was pointed out that the assembly had rejected sev eral attempts to write in pro visions on the veto. Judges Named To Try Nazis Washington, Dec. 21 (IP) President Truman today ap pointed three American judges to serve on a military tribunal established by the military governor for the United States occupation zone in Germany to try major war criminals. He named Walter B. Beals, chief justice of the supreme court of the state of Washing ton; Harold J. Sebring, associ ate justice of the 'Florida su preme court, and Johnson Tal Crawford, judge of a state dis trict court of Oklahoma, as the members. Victor Swearingen, former special assistant to the attorney General, was chosen alternate member. The appointment ere made in an executive . ..er which said they were pursuant to the four-power agreement of the control council for Germany and to the charter of the inter national military tribunal. The latter court was estab lished by the United States, France, Great Britain and Rus sia and resulted in the execu tion of 11 major nazis earlier this year. imminent. Gen. Li Tsung-Jen, lines set by the interparty con ference last January and fails to return its troops to their Jan. 13 positions." Gen. Li accused uic commu nists of stalling "to gain time in which to extend their sphere of influence over the country." On the military front, com munist guerrillas pushed through government, defenses to within 11 miles of Peiping, were driven off in a counterattack, then fought right back in an other thrust at Antung of the Peiping-Tientsin railroad. The highly mobile guerrilla bands are within two miles of Antung railway station, 15 miles south east of Peiping, government headquarters acknowledged. sk Ail V Salem, Oregon, Saturday, December i ' "mill II llli I ii pMMMyf ii aHMmniBHtaiMHW") ujsk im Comedian Buys Dogs for Kids Comedian Alan Young holds up one of the homeless dogs he bought at the Los Angeles animal shelter for scores of children unable to pay the normal fees of $3.50 and $5.50. Young promised to buy dogs for the first 100 children in line as his Christmas present to them. (AP Wirephoto.) Army Praises Work of Emergency Flood Control Portland, Ore., Dec. 21 (IP) The emergency flood plan, which the corps of engineers has been perfecting since the 1943 Willam ette flood, met with its greatest success this year, Col. O. E. Walsh, district engineer, said today. "There was a complete absence of panic, and warnings were issued well enough in advance to allow valley residents to move under their own power, thus re ducing the number of evacua tions," Col. Walsh said. He said the success of the plan was due to many man-hours, of detailed investigation, mapping and planning. Beginning in 1943, the Portland district conducted a house-to-house canvass for infor mation after each flood which was consolidated on zoned maps. Once a flood is imminent, the Portland district set up area field offices at Salem, Albany, Corval lis and Eugene on a 24-hour ba sis to issue warnings, apply the knowledge gained from previous floods and coordinate the activi ties of the various cooperating agencies. "The effectiveness of the plan was proven this year by the fact that no lives were lost due to lack of warning and rescue acti vities, and livestock loss was at a minimum," Col. Walsh stated. Col. Walsh said he had noth ing but praise for the American Red Cross, American Legion, disaster committees, state high way department, state police, telephone and telegraph offices, newspapers and radio stations who cooperated this year in making the engineers' flood plan work. He praised boat owners in the flooded areas for their patrol and rescue work. There was no guess work, the colonel concluded. "Every thing was pre-arranged and ex perience and knowledge gained from previous floods was ap plied to the utmost advantage." East Polk to Vote On PUD Feb. 6 East Polk county will vote Feb. 6 on the proposal to cre ate a peoples utility district in that area, the state hydroelec tric commission announced Sat urday. The proposed area, 104 square miles, would exclude the cities of Dallas and Monmouth, but would include Independence. Five directors will be elected if the plan is approved. Leonard's License Out Rest of Year The restaurant and liquor li cense of Mike and Harry Stein- bock, owners of Leonard s Sup per club. 3055 Portland road. was revoked for the balance of the veai by the Oregon liquor contrcl commission in Portland Friday It was charged that the licensee Improperly labeled cus tomers' bottles. Newberg Gets Homes Portland. Dec. 21 (IP) Marshal & Jensen, Newberg, were grant ed veterans' priorities yesterday to construct four houses to sell at $6500. Jomm 21, 1946 Alterations In City Hall A crew of carpenters in the employ of E. E. Batterman, con tractor, has started work mak ing alterations in city hall to accommodate the new council manager plan of city government that becomes effective January 1. The contract cost of the work is $2500. The city- council last Monday night gave a special committee of the new city council authority to proceed with the work. On the committee are R. O. Lewis and Claud Jorgensen, who also are members of the present coun cil, and James H. Nicholson of the new council. The city eouncil will, after the first of the year, meet at the Chamber of Commerce. The city recorder and the city treasurer will be moved to the second floor of city hall where the council now meets Also on the second floor the city manager and the city attorney will have offices, and the city engineer will re main in his present space. Open counters from the cor ridor will give the public access to the recorder and treasurer on the south side and the engineer on the north side. Wreckage of Plane Sighted at Troutdale Portland, Dec. 21 IIP) Wreck age of a plane with one body visible in it was sighted a mile and a half east of Troutdale air port today and Ernie Helms Western Skyways chief pilot, said it was a BT-13 missing from the airport since early yester day. The wreckage was sighted fro mthe air and Helms said it was prossible that the body of the second man was there but obscured from view. The plane took off yesterday morning in darkness and was heard to head east. Missing with it were two western Skyways mechanics, Clarence J. Bauer, 27, and Willard Chase, 22, the latter a licensed pilot. The Weather (Released by United States Weather Bureau) Forecast lor Salem and Vicin ity: Mostly cloudy tonight and Sunday with occasional llg'it rain beginning late today and continuing through Sunday Slightly warmer temperatures. Lowest temperature tonight 38 degrees. Maximum yesterday 41. Minimum today 33. Mean tem perature yesterday 38 which was 3 below normal. Total 24-hour precipitation to 11:30 a.m. today .01. Total precipitation for the month 4.22 which is .28 inch be low normal. Willamette river height 7.7 ft. Five Cents Serious Rift in GOP Ranks Over Leadership Washington, Dec. 21 (IP) The first serious rift in republican ranks since the party won the congressional elections broke into the open today with a de ninnd that presidential candi dates keep hands off the house leadership contest. Rep. Thomas Jenkins of Ohio objected in a formal state ment to "attempts by outsid ers to dominate the American congress." He leveled his remarks pri marily at Gov. Thomas E. Dew ey's endorsement of Rep. Char les A. Halleck . of Indiana for the house floor leadership. But he said they apply as well to 'any presidential aspirants Senator Taft or Senator Brick er, too, although I don't think they d try it. Three Candidates Jenkins is one of three an nounced candidates for the leadership position to be vacat cd by Rep. Joseph W. Martin, Jr., of Massachusetts when he becomes speaker of the house on January 3. The others are Halleck and Rep. Everett M. Dirksen of II linois, neither of whom was in Washington when Jenkins let loose his blast at the New York governor last night. A fourth representative, Clar ence J. Brown of Ohio, has an nounced his availability for the leadership but has not formally declared his candidacy. While capitol observers long had seen the leadership strug gle as a jockeying for position for the GOP presidential nomi nation, Jenkins was the first member of his party to label it openly as such. Brown's Ohio Backing Except for including Taft and Bricker in his grouping of "presidential aspirants," he made no reference in his state ment to capitol hill talk that Brown has the backing of the Ohio senators. Jenkins reiterated -his inten tion to remain in the race until it is settled by the republican caucus on January 2. Dewey's espousal of Halleck's candidacy, Jenkins declared, was an expression of the gov ernor's desire to "let the coun try know that Halleck was 'his man." "He must believe it will help him into the presidency," he said. Wilsonville Ferry Again in Operation The receding Willamette river permitted the reopening of the Wilsonville ferry today as one way traffic and slide residue continued to plague motorists in many parts of the state, R. H. Baldock, state highway engi ncer announced Saturday. Traffic on the coast highway was permitted to cross a tem porary bridge 12 miles north of Florence at two-hour intervals starting at 9 a.m., during the day. The bridge was left open all last night. Slide removal was also underway on the coast route five miles south of Ya chats. Two-way traffic was per mitted across the North San tiam highway at Niagara where a small bridge was washed away early Thursday. One-way traf fic was still in force between Mill City and Gates due to a culvert installation, however. Six Tidal Waves Of Kainan on Japanese Coast Kainan Wakayama Prefecture, residents of Kainan a town just ulation of 26,000 climbed to the dark hours this morning and1 watched a scries of six tidal waves roar in and out of the city cleaning it out. The first wave struck the ci ty at 5:30 a.m., about one hour after the earthquake had caus ed some relatively minor dam age. It was preceded by a fore boding rumbling sound far out at sea that resembled thunder: Many persons were drowned or swept away. The lucky ones took refuge on housetops or on high ground. The second tidal wave, which was worse, occurred 40 minutes later and was a wall of water more than 10 feet high. It 500 Japs Killed, Over 28,000 Homes Destroyed And Over 500 Fishing Vessels Lost Quake Possibly the World's Most Violent Six Tidal Waves, Erupted by the Temblor Beneath The Pacific, Rush Over Peninsula Tokyo, Dec. 21 (Pi A violent earthquake and severe tidal waves damaged more than 50,000 square miles of southern Japan today. Incomplete figures listed 500 dead, 612 injured, and 43 missing; nearly 28,000 homes destroyed, damaged or flooded, and 500 fishing vessels lost. Only one allied casualty a missing British soldier was reported. Seismologists said the quake possibly was the world's most vio lent. Six tidal waves, erupted by the temblor beneath the Pacific ocean floor, rushed over Wakayama peninsula and wreaked dam age over a 370-mile wide area from Shimoda on the eastern Honshu coast to Kochl on Shlkoku's southern coast. Some of the waves were 10 feet high. Authorities said the loss of life was not far greater because the quake epicenter was under water. Tonight, thousands of Wakayamans fled into the hills, fearful of repercussions. Tanaba was deserted, its 2500 homeless refugees having sought safety in the hills. Residents of some other Watayania towns likewise fled, carrying their meager possessions. Information Most Fragmentary Only fragmentary information was available from the two areas that appeared hardest hit the southern coast of Shikoku and western Watayania, both isolated. Kushimolo, a fishing town of 10,000 on the southern tip of Wakayama peninsula at the southeastern tip of Honshu was reported washed away by seven foot waves. Fire destroyed one-third of Shingu, on the east coast of Honshu, and U. S. army fliers said flames still were visible there this afternoon. The tremblor was recorded at 4:20 a.m. (11:20 a.m., Friday, PST). Slight tremors followed about eery half hour. Damage extended from the northern coast of Kyushu through Shikoku and north to Shizuoka prefecture on Honshu. Kyodo News Agency said the havocked area extended 340 miles at its longest and 60 miles wide. Osaka, Japan's second largest city, reported 14 killed, heavy property damage and water three feet deep in some sections. The famous cities of Kyoto and Nara, both former Japanese capitals near Osaka, appeared to have escaped any but minor damage. Both escaped bomb damage during the war. 5 Days' Rations for 50,000 The U. S. military government said Osaka has five days' food rations for 50,000 people. Large quantities of imported grain recently were released to Japanese at Kobe. Authorities said they considered the food situation good at both places. . However, U. S. military officials said it may be necessary to supply stricken areas on the Wakayama peninsula by boat because of communications disruptions. Although concern was expressed over the situation in southern Shikoku island, army officers said no outside help would be needed. American and British occupation forces presumably escaped with only one casualty one unidentified British soldier missing from Miho although the British were in the center of the havocked area. British headquarters at Kurc, 170 miles west of Osaka, was damaged. Sevn Foot Wave Sweeps Inland The seven fool tidal wave which inundated the southwestern coast of Wakayama peninsula and struck heavily at the southern coast of Shikoku was reported to have caused the major damage. Railroads and communications were snarled. Electric, telephone, telegraph and railroad lines, particularly on the northern shores of tiie inland sea, were cut in many places. Numerous commu nities were isolated. Damage extended from atom bombed Hiroshima on the west to Miho on the north central coast of Honshu, bordering the Sea of Japan, and to the southern lip of Wakayama peninsula on the east. Japanese newspapers expressed fear for persons on Awaji, island in the path of the tidal wave an It surged toward Japan's inland sea. Communications were knocked out for a time between 24th division headquarters at Osaka and British headquarters at Kure, but these later were restored. Train Reported Overturned One unconfirmed report said a train was overturned near Oka yama, midway between Osaka and Kure. One allied train was delayed because of a blocked tunnel near Okayama and this may have given rise to the report. The welfare ministry announced it was speeding relief activi ties through the Japanese Red Cross. Survey teams were sent to the disaster areas by the home, welfare and agriculture ministries. Three P-51 Mustangs of the fifth U. S. air force flew over Wakayama peninsula and reported the west coast between Kanabe and Kushimoto largely was inundated. Pilots said the town of Shingu on the cast coasl was one-third destroyed by fire and flames still could be observed in the afternoon Kyodo said all of the Japanese mainland except the northeastern coast of Honshu and Hokkaido felt the shock. Reports indicated communications could not be restored for two days. The central meteorological observatory said the epicenter was in the ocean floor about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Waka yama. One observatory official said the quake might be the greatest ever recorded in the world. He placed the center at 135 cast longitude, 33 north latitude. Newsprint Shortage Tacoma, Dec. 21 (IP) The Ta coma News-Tribune today an nounced it will carry only classi fied want ads in its Dec. 23 and 24 issues because of the contin ued newsprint shortage and "ex tremely heavy demand for ad vertising space in the last sixty days." The paper management reported it has bcr for d to re ject an extraordinary amount of advertising in the last several weeks. Roar In and Out Japan, D"c 21 (0.R) Thinly-clad south of Wakayama with a pop tops of their houses in the early struck the town with terrify ing force after shattering a small breakwater. The water came through the streets in torrents, flooding every house, washing away fur niture, mowing down fences and sweeping away every loose object including vehicles. It uprooted large trees. , A small fleet of fishing boats ii the bay was torn from its anchorage and dashed into the city with the full force of the wall of water behind it. That added to the damage and debris. The last of the six waves of horror and destruction came at 8:30 a.m., three hours lajcr. 61 2 Injured, Bomb Painting Of Peron's Return Buenos Aires, Dec. 21 (ff) U entitled persons set off a powerful bomb today in a show window displaying a painting de picting the events of Oct. 17, 1945, tiie day Juan Pcron was re turned to power in Argentina eight days after being forced out as vice president and war minis ter by the Camp Dc Mayor gar rison. The bomb broke many win dows in the vicinity but there were no casualties. Gen. Peron now is president of Argentina. $100,000 Fire Loss At Winter Resort Kane, Pa Dec. 21 (IP) Four business buildings were destroy early today in the most spec tacular fir in years at this win ter sports center known to many as the "Icebox of Pennsylvania." Fire Chief Palsy Marasco esti mated damage at close to $100, 000. Razed were the three-story O. T. Petersen building, two build ings of a garage and tire recap ping establishment, and a smal ler storage shed. Ten to 15 au tomobiles, 300 to 400 tires, and a quantity of rubber in the garage wcro also destroyed. V l V
