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About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (April 22, 1947)
Big 4 in Third Secret Session On Austria Pact No Conclusive Results Announced as Deadlock Continues Capital Jomraal 58th Year, No. 96 Entered af second class matter at Salem, Oregon Salem, Oregon, Tuesday, April 22, 1947 Price Five ("- New Nitrate Fire Breaks Out In Texas City Senate to Pass Greek-Turkish Aid Bill Today Moscow, April 22 OP) The council of foreign ministers went into a second secret session of the day this afternoon in an effort to reach an accord on the Austrian peace treaty. It was the third such meeting, but no conclusive results were announced on the apparently stalemated issues. While official spokesmen were silent on the meeting, reliable informants said vital questions and territorial claims remained deadlocked. Lineup the Same It was understood the lineup on these questions remained where it was, with the three western powers standing against Mussia. Some informants said they expected at least one more sec ret session would be held be fore a final decision was reach ed on whether any of the key deadlocks can be broken during the Moscow conference. This issue now was understood to have boiled down to a ques tion of German assets in Austria and which of them would be used as German reparations. That had been the key problem In the entire treaty negotiations here. Yugoslavia's Claim An auth oritative quarter would not di s c 1 o s e what had been decided on Yugoslavia's claim to the Austrian province of Carinthia and $150,000,000 in reparations from Austria. Indi cations were seen, however, that those matters had been settled by the council in the secret sessions. The informant said there was "a lot of backing and filling' on the German assets question and it now had gone back to the Kremlin for a Russian de cision at the top level. Soviet Foreign Minister V M. Molotov blamed the United States for failure to unify Ko rea, and agreed to renew So viet-American negotiations on a provisional government. Molotov in a written memo randum accepted proposals by Secretary of State George C. Marshall for talks on Korea this spring. CIO Pledged to Support Phone Workers Strike Portland, April 22 (P The Oregon CIO was pledged today to support the strike of Inde pendent Telephone Workers throughout the state and CIO Executive Secretary Stanley Earl said Longshoremen may join switchboard girls on the picket lines. Earl told a mass meeting of 1,400 phone workers last night that CIO President Philip Mur ray had ordered the state or ganization to offer "financial physical and moral assistance to the phone strikers. Longshoremen to Picket "All our longshoremen aren't working all the time," he de clared in promising help on the picket lines. Daniel Johnson, San Francis co, chief negotiator for the coast unions, accused the company of strike breaking practices. C. M. Bixler, president of the Oregon union, said he would ask city authorities today whether the Pacific Telephone and Tele graph company is violating city ordinances in maintaining a company hotel" at the main offices. He said meals were served there and cots set up for non-strikers. Arabs to Force Palestine Issue Lake Success, N.Y., April 22 (P.I Syria joined Egypt today in a formal Arab move to force lm mediate consideration of Pales tine's independence at the spe cial session of the United Na' tions general assembly opening in New York next Monday. The proposal; asked the sembly to broaden its Palestine discussions to include action for immediate ending of Britain's 25-year-old mandate. A preliminary survey indicat ed the United States and Britain could muster enough support to block the Arab move. They in sist that the agenda be confin ed to the original question sub mitted by Britain: The estab lishing of a fact-finding commit tee to prepare for final action at the regular assembly meeting in September. The Latin American nations with a bloc of 20 votes, were said to be getting ready to assume a neutral position in the battle ov er Palestine, but there were strong indications they would support the United States and Britain in opposing inclusion of I the Egyptian proposal on this J session's agenda. Escaping Convict Captured at Chemawa Two shots from the rifle of a state police officer Tuesday morning persuaded Leo Gilbert Williams, 19, escaped convict, to stop when four officers flushed the fugitive along the railroad near Chemawa Junction. Williams, sent up from Union county to serve two years for burglary, escaped from a gun gang early Monday afternoon. He was working in a flax crew near the prison. Williams' case was scheduled to go before the state parole board for consideration later this month. Officers who apprehended Williams were McCormick, Hunt.'Steele and Peterson. At San Francisco San Francisco, April 22 (IP) Police ordered extra details to exchanges today after striking telephone workers ware urged by speakers at a mass meeting to picket "shoulder to shoulder" and tie up equipment with nui sance calls. Arthur N. Hall, local secre tary-treasurer of the United Brotherhood of Telephone Workers, addressing about 2,500 persons at the rally yesterday. said: "The only way to bring the strike to an end is to tie up the equipment so tight that service breaks down . . . use the phone, and tell your friends to use the phone . . .ask long distance fool ish questions." Hall's union is not' on strike but is observing picket lines of unions of the National Federa tion of Telephone Workers. Strikers Grow Bitter Washington, April 22 (U.B The government today studied plans for reviving key negotia tions in the 16-day-old national telephone strike as union lead ers warned that the strikers "are growing bitter." Official sources said Secre tary of Labor Lewis B. Schwel lenbach was convinced his last peace proposal was dead and that he was "seriously consider ing" asking Southwest Bell Tele phone and the American Tele phone & Telegraph company's long distance department to re sume negotiations here under government sponsorship. Such a request would mark Schwellenbach's second attempt for a pattern-setting agreement in those two key units of the Bell system. - Meanwhile, an official of the striking National Federation of Telephone Workers said the picket violence and demonstra tions yesterday in Detroit, Se attle and Louisville were "to be expected." "That sort of thing occurs in all large and long strikes," he said. "The strikers are grow ing bitter and short tempered." Bomber Crashes Honolulu, April 22 (IP) A B-29 bomber in which 16 Ameri can airmen were taking off for Guam rose from Kwajalein island's narrow airfield Sunday, flashed fire from one of its en gines, exploded into a flaming ball and crashed into the sea. killing all aboard, U.S. seventh air force headquarters reported last night. Electricity on Every Farm Aim Of President Spokane, April 22 W Presi dent Truman told the National Rural Electric Cooperative As sociation today that it cannot consider its job done, "as long as this country has rural people still living and working with out the benefit of electricity." In a message read at the as sociation's fifth annual conven tion, Mr. Truman said, "I have confidence in the ability of rural people to work cooperatively toward the goal of complete electrification and I want to as sure you of my support and best wishes for success in this en deavor. Half of Farms Lighted He said it would take "pur pose of mind as well as ingen uity to push out beyond the densely settled areas" and pro vide electricity for all rural re sidents. "There will be those who say it cannot be done or should not be done, as they have in the past. "What you can do for the de velopment of rural America in terms of a more stable income, better living and the creation of new wealth constitutes great po tential contribution to the na tional well being." Mr. Truman said more than half the nation's farms now re ceive central station light and power. Urges Power Co-ops "That is a splendid record," he said, "and all of you who have contributed to it can take pride in the progress achieved and in the sound and business like manner in which you have moved ahead during the rela tively short time since the rural electrification program was in augurated." Secretary of Agriculture An derson, in another message read to the convention, also urged the co-ops to help bring "rural electrification to all of our na tion. "America needs the farm ef ficiency that comes from rural electrification," Anderson said, "Sr.d Aiiierica'-needs the sound communities that develop where people have this modern tool . . the farmer-owned, locally con trolled rural electric coopera tives have been an effective means of helping to equip the family type farm to hold its own in our national economy." : u0oo'oi I v h - t v. ' t-At -73 Cf II rs y k " .. " i M CTi--; v,r U .1 s , iXKi 1000 Tons Burn for 2 jVandenberg Rebukes Hours As Probe of Initial Johnson for Inflamma Blast Continues 'tory False Statements Texas City, Tex., April 22 (A'l Trigger-tense Texas City was thrown into frightened excite Washington, April 22 IIP). Senator Vandcnherg R-Mich), described as "inflammable" to- Steel Union Leaders at Meeting Members of the United Steclworkers wage policy committee meet with CIO President Philip Murray in Pittsburgh, Pa. They are, left to right: (standing) Van A. Bittner, vice president; David J. McDonald, secretary-treasurer; (seated) James Thim-, mes, vice president; John Green, president of the Industrial Marine and Shipbuilders' Union, and Murray. (AP Wirephoto) Retail Trade Reports to Show Trend Here Sought To get better cooperation from Salem business men in a contin uing check being made by the United States department of com merce to show retail trade trends. Manager Clay Cochran of the Chamber of Commerce Tuesday directed a letter to J. C. Capt, director of the census in Washington, asking for a list of the Salem business firms requested to re port. The letter was sent after Delicate Operation Success Portland, April 22 (IP) A sue cessful operation yesterday re moved a needle from the back and lung of 15-year-old Denise Yancey, Boise, Idaho, girl who was rushed to Portland by air transport. The needle pierced her back when she fell on a davenport where she had lost the needle while sewing. t Truckers' Strike Ties-upCify Portland, Ore., April 22 (IP) The tie-up of commercial haul ing here in a dispute between 1,- 200 AFL teamsters and major operators over wages and hours continued today with no early settlement in sight. Many stores have started oper ating their own truck service, some hiring drivers idled by the work stoppage involving 66 com panies, but most of the freight piled up at rail terminals, ware houses and at marine docks. Emergency hauling of hospi tal supplies and perishables was organized and there were no re ports of hardship as the second day of the dispute halted 90 per cent of the city's trucking. No serious shortage of food supplies was due for weeks, businessmen said. Negotiations on the union's demand for 40-hour week and $1.50 a day increase started in February and stalled last week after employers refused to offer more than 60-cents a day boost and the union clung to a boost scaled to $1.20. Jack Schlaht, business agent for the teamsters, said there have been no discussions open ed since the work stopped Sat urday when seven terminals were struck. Palestine Troop Tram Blasted Jerusalem, April 22 IIP) Ter rorists blew up a British troop train southeast of Tel Aviv to day, killing at least eight per sons, and then machinegunned the wreckage. The attack was made two hours after two con demned Jews committed suicide with explosives just before they were to have mounted the gal lows. Army sources- iaid they be lieved the "Egypt Express,' bringing soldiers from that coun try, had been attacked by mem bers of the Jewish underground group, Irgun Zavai Leumi. Four coaches were demolished ap parently by electrically detonat ed mines under the rails. Troops and guards were re ported to have exchanged 'fire with the attackers, but no one was captured. One of the dead was a child, two civilians and five were soldiers. Those at the scene reported seeing arms, legs and other parts of mutiliated bodies in the wreckage. Ptobably two dozen other per sons were trapped in the debris First accounts said two soldiers and seven civilians were injured seriously and 21 others less sen ously. Auto Workers Holding Out Detroit, April 22 (U.B The negotiating committee of the United Automobile Workers i barometer of local business. conference between Cochran and George Moscrip, chief of the office of small business of the department of commerce, with headquarters in Portland. Salem, Portland and La- Grande were the Oregon cities asked to report. Portland, said Mr. Moscrip, is furnishing a very thorough breakdown of retail trade trends, and so is LaGrande, which has 39 firms making the monthly reports, But Salem," Mr. Moscrip said, "is falling down on the job, with only 19 firms report ing. There should be at least 60, or say five firms from each line of business. That is enough to cover up individual identity and keep the reports entirely confidential. We want from Sa lem as complete a breakdown as Portland is getting on month ly retail trade reports." The Chamber of Commerce was willing to undertake the sponsorship of the checks be cause of its interest in get ting a more complete indica tion of the trends. The cham ber will work with the Sa lem Retail Trade bureaus. Re ports made by any concerns, however, are not received by anyone or any agency locally, but are mailed direct to Wash ington. "This activity," said Mr. Mo scrip, "is not a club, and it isn't regulatory. It is entirely cooperative, and if firms don t cooperate there is just nothing we can do about it." The movement, he said, start ed when congress asked for more information on the volume of retail trade throughout the country to tie in with the em ployment situation. In addition it serves, he said, as a fine Big Steel Wage Contract Signed Pittsburgh, April 22 (IP) Top officials of the ClO-United Steel Workers and the U. S Steel Corp. today will put their signatures to a new pact which Union President Philip Murray declared "assures peace in the industry for two years." The signing will climax more than three months of negotia tions and will make official the agreement providing a $l-per-day increase for 140.000 em ployes of five U. S. Steel subsi diaries. The. steelworkers' executive board approved the agreement Sunday and the union's 175-man wage policy committee added its unanimous endorsement yesterday. Murray termed the wage pact an answer to all congressional labor baiters hell-bent on de struction of labor unions in America." With its major -task of signing "big steel" completed, the CIO's biggest union turned to the job of winning similar wage con tracts for the remainder of the basic and fabricating steel in dustry which employes 853,000 members. ment today when a warehouse day statements that President containing 1000 tons of ammon ium nitrate caught fire anil burned for two hours. It was ex tinguished at 11:25 a.m. (CST). The fire broke out in the al ready damaged warehouse of the Texas City Terminal Railway company, packed with tons of the same chemical that one week ago, almost to the minute, exploded aboard the Grand Camp and killed an estimated 575 persons, and doing untold damage. Poison Gas Fumes Billowing orange smoke, the type Texas City residents have learned to fear, swept over the city. Fire trucks and a fire boat stood by, but Major J. C. Tra han refused to send them into the area, saying he did not want "a single other life lost. Meanwhile, in Galveston, the coast guard hearing continued into the cause of the initial explosions. William T. Butler of Washing ton, civilian adviser of the coast guard on explosives, said he be lieved that a cigarette probably was to blame for the whole ca tastrophe. Smoking on Ship Admiral Gordon T. Finlay of New Orleans, who heads the in quiry board, said he had made up his mind about the cause of the original blast on the Grand Camp, but he did not say what his decision was, Much of the testimony has centered about smoking aboard the Grand Camp and the SS High Flyer, the second ship of three to explode here. Butler said experiments still are being made to determine the explosive qualities of ammonium nitrate. He said some had been burned as an experiment, and it had burned without explod ing. The nitrate was part of the cargo of both ships. The hearing is expected to end this week, Admiral Finlay said. Reclamation Cut Protest Called Squeal of Stuck Pig Washington, April 22 (IP) Rep. Taber (.R., N.Y.) today described protests against a 47 percent cut in the interior department's budget as "the squeal of a stuck pig." Secretary Krug declared the slash, if upheld by congress, would cause "a tremendous set back in the nation's economy and perhaps the start of a major business depression." The committee recommended yesterday that congress give the department $156,538,413 for the fiscal year starting next July 1. This is $138,881,907 less than President Truman's budget esti mate. Krug said in a news confer ence the cut, which would fall mainly on the reclamation bur eau, would lead the nation into "bankruptcy of its natural resources." Taber countered that the ap propriations committee "did a good job in the interest of all the people of the United States, including those in the reclama tion territory." he added: "The reclamation bureau will have $141,000,000 to spend dur ing the next fiscal year, includ ing the carry-over of unexpend ed balances. That is more than it had this year and is far morejgram. (CIO), still holding out against an offer of a 15-ccnt hourly wage increasc7 meets with Gen eral Motors negotiators today amid indications that the union had modified its demands for a boost of 2314 cents. The UAW was the only major CIO union holding out against the 15-cent formula set by the United Steel Workers contract with U. S. Steel. General Motors settled its dis pute with 3,200 CIO United Rub ber Workers yesterday for a 15-cenl increase. Previously it had settled with the CIO United Electrical Workers for the same figure. ' UAW President Walter Rcu ther made a counter-proposal to General Motors yesterday. Reu ther refused to say what the pro posal was but he stated it af fected the "over-all economic demands." He repeated, how ever, that a 15-cent increase was "inadequate." GM negotiators, headed by Harry W. Anderson, vice presi dent in charge of personnel, also refused to comment on Rcu ther's proposal. Special Election Seen Portland. April 22 Mult nomah county voters may be asked in June to approve a spe cial tax levy to raise $1,000,000 needed for the county's share of the state-county welfare pro- Power Dams Said Boffled-uo Washington, April 22 IIP) - liberal than was contemplated by President Truman in his or der last year freezing construc tion expenditures." The board of commissioners met yesterday with the state welfare commission to discuss the welfare program set up by the legislature. GOP Upholds Carroll Reece Kansas City, Mo April 22 (IP) The republican national commit tee gave National Chairman B. Carroll Reece a vote of confi dence today. Reece, who supported Chica go instead of Philadelphia for the national party convention site, said he appreciated the ris ing vote and added that his on ly purpose as chairman was to mould a GOP victory in 1948 then retire to private life. A call for repeal of the Hatch "clean politics" act was sound ed by National Treasurer Jonn S. Kemper in his annual report. He said the present law was "worse than none." Choice of Philadelphia as host to its fifth GOP convention came late yesterday as the republican national committee overwhelm ingly disregarded the recommcn- Secretary of the Interior Krug whieh gave the nod to Chicago. said today the government will lost about $2,000,000 a year in I power revenues if congress fol-! lows the house appropriations! committee denial of funds for additional transmission lines inj California's Central Valley proj-! cct. "The committee, in earmark ing funds, bottled up power at Keswick dam power plant which is ahout ready to go into opera tion, as well as power from ad ditional generators at Shasta dam," Krug said in a statement. The reclamation bureau's bud get request called for $5,220,000 for transmission lines, includ ing $160,000 for a Keswick tap line. The committee, in reporting the 1948 interior department ap propriation bill, cut the total to 15328,440 and restricted its use I to continued construction of a single line from Shasta to the Delta Through Orovllle and Sac ramento, and an extension of the Contra Costa canal trans mission system. James B. Black, president of the Pacific Gas & Electric com pany, told the committee during hearings on the bill that gov ernment transmission lines are not necessary. Gunmen Rake Havana Capitol Havana, Cuba, April 22 (U.B Police guarded the bullet-scarred capitol today against a re petition of an attack by un known gunmen who raked the senate chamber with sub machinegun fire last night. Both the senate"' and the house were in session in the capitol in the heart of the city when the attack occurred at 7 p. m. As far as could be ascer tained, no one was injured, but the incident provoked a fist fight when one senator charged that President Ramon Grau San Martin was "responsible for the incident." Reports that a man and wo man were wounded by the gun men could not be confirmed. No motive could be established for the attack. The gunmen, riding in two automobiles and a station wa gon, drove around the Building from front to rear and poured a volley of 300 bullets from sub- machincguns and pistols into the $20,000,000 structure. The at tack lasted about five minutes. Then the gunmen fled as sud denly as they appeared. Alfredo Nunez Pascual, an American-educated newspaper man, who was covering the le gislature, said bullets whistled wildly through the senate cham ber during the attack. Truman's program to bulwark Greece and Turkey against com munism is "a declaration of war on Russia." The chairman of the senate foreign relations committee took the floor as the 4 p.m. (EST) hour for a vote on the $400,000, 000 Greek-Turkish assistance measure approached. Rebukes Johnson Vandenberg said he arose to "categorically repudiate" the statement he said had been re peated by Senator Edwin C. Johnson (D-Colo). that the pres ident's policy will lead to war with the Soviets. That statement, which has been made repeatedly by the senator from Colorado, is an in vitation to the precise disaster that this bill seeks to prevent,'' Vandenberg said, adding: "That is an inflammable state ment and it is a grave error, I deny there is any such purpose in the heart of any senator who today supports the president of the United States." Opposed by Williams Great Britain and the United States appear to be "determined at any cost, including war, to keep Russia out of the Darda nelles," the Colorado senator said, adding: Turkey now has consum mated a military alliance with the greatest military power on earth the United Slates of America." Senator Williams (R-Del), an other opponent, told the senate the president's plan involves a new American political doctrine (or the world, the cost of which could reach untold billions and the deployment of American manhood in the front line trenches of the global ramparts. ' Some Reluctance The new venture in foreign policy approaches its first con gressional showdown amid indi cations that it would receive far less emphatic backing than the last major decision in that field the senate's 88 to 2 ratifica- lion of the United Nations char ter on July 28, 1945. Despite Secretary of State Marshall's endorsement, some supporters of the legislation such as Senator Taft (R-Ohio), made it clear they are acting reluctantly. First Classes at Klamath Barracks Start About July 15 By James D. Olson First classes at the new state vocational education school to be established at the Klamath Falls barracks will bp inaugurated about July 15, according to announcement today by O. I. Paulson, state director of the depart ment. Six men have been dis patched to Klamath Falls to make a complete inventory of materials and equipment on hand at the barracks and in the meantime necessary papers are being prepared to be transmit ted to the war assets administra tion, and a speedy consumation of the deal whereby the facility will be consigned to the state is expected. The state will pay the government $1 for the barracks with an agreement that the fa cility will be used for education al purposes for a 25-year period. More than 800 individual ap plications for entrance to the school have already been filed with the vocational education department, Mr. Paulson said. It is expected that by Septem ber the school will be operating to capacity. During the first year an en rollment of 600 is expected with daily attendance through the year anticipated at ahout 4UU. This is due to the fact that many courses will be for short dura tion thus bringing ahout a con stant turnover in the student body. During the second year of the biennium a daily attendance of more than 500 students is antic ipated by Mr. Paulson. As soon as the stale actually acquires the property, work will begin on remodeling classrooms, moving machinery, constructing housing for students, with small homes for married cou ples. Cost of this work will be paid from the $620,000 appro priation made by the legislature for the Klamath Falls barracks Mr. Paulson pointed out that ; because of equipment already installed at the barracks it will (Concluded on Tate 13, Column 6) i Call for Action Against Reds Washington, April 22 IAI The committee on un-American activities called upon the house today to vote contempt charges against two alleged communist "conspirators," and upon the at torney general to prosccut communists who scoff at AmcrU can laws. Committee Chairman J. Par ncll Thomas (R., N. J.), asked for the contempt action against Eugene Dennis, communist party secretary, and Leon Jo sephson of New York. He de scribed Josephson as the "offi cial procurer" of false Ameri can passports for communist "functionaries." Dennis and Josephson refused lo testify to the committee and were held in contempt. Should the house back the committee, a contempt case can be laid be fore a grand jury. Conviction carries a maximum punishment of a year in jail plus a $1,000 rinc. Thomas wains 10 increase the penalties. Dennis, Josephson and Eisler, Thomas said, could have been convicted long ago under laws requiring registration of foreign agents and foreign organiza tions. He said thai FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover knows the communist party is a "fifth col umn" loyal to Russia. He said the committee knows it and he "can't understand" why the at torney general doesn't know it. "Why doesn't he prosecute the communists just as he should any other violator?" the chairman inquired. The Weather i Released by United States Weather Bureau) Forecast (or Salem and Vicin ity: Clear tonight and Wed nesday with slowly rising tem peratures. Lowest temixrature tonight. 40-45 degrees. Weathei will be favorable for dusting, spraying, and all general farm work, Wednesday. Maximum yesterday " Minimum today in. Mean temperature yester day 52 which was normal. Tota, 24-hour precipitation to U:.10 a.m. todav .00. Total precipita tion for the month 1.96 which is .01 o( an inch above normal. Willamette river height Tues day morning 2.9 feet.
