Nation Swelters
In Humid Heat
East of Rockies
Drought Broken in
Maine Few Thunder
storms Elsewhere
Capital
ft Mmt I I
Railroad Strike
At Berlin Ends
On Allies' Orders
IT -d Milwaukee Ked
J OfiaUl Labor Leader
No CVA Passage
At This Session
Freed by Court
61st Year, No. 152 .,ToK Salem, Oregon, Monday, June 27, 1949 (18 Pages)
Governor Says Too
Much Opposition
Talks With Truman
Christoffel Convic
tion for Perjury Upset
On Technicality
Non-Communist
Workers to Return to
Jobs on Tuesday
McKay Predicts
There will be no CVA legis
latlon passed by the present con
gress in the opinion of Governor
Douglas McKay who returned to
Salem after attending congres
sional hearings in Washington,
D. C.
"It is obvious that there is so
much oDPOsition to the adminis
tration's CVA bill that there is
no chance of its passage at the
present sesion of congress", Gov
McKay said.
McKay, who testified against
the CVA bill before both the
house and senate committees
said Monday that he would sup
port a CVA bill if control of the
area remained with the states.
"I am opposed to any legisla
tion that places jurisdiction of
the area in the hands of Wash
ington bureaucrats", he said.
Calls at White House
Together with Governors
Arthur B. Langlie of Washing
ton, C. A. Robins of Idaho and
Vail Pitman of Nevada, McKay
called at the White House to call
on President Truman.
"We told the president that
we were opposed to his program
for a regional authority," McKay
reported.
"The president was very
pleasant and said that he knew
where we stood but he hoped he
could convert us. We spent 20
minutes at the White House. I
don't agree with the president's
policies but I must agree he is
one of the most likeable persons
I have met."
McKay said that State Treas
urer Walter J. Pearson had at
tempted to inject politics into the
hearing but was stopped by Sena
tor Chavez of New Mexico who
was chairman of the senate com
mittee. "I contended that the CVA
question was not political" Mc
Kay added "and on this Assis
tant Secretary C. Girard David
son, who has been in the north
west advocating the administra
tion bill, agrees. I talked with
him following the hearing.
The governor said that the ad
ministration was now ready to
. accept amendments to the CVA
t bill but added that he did not
think that the amendments that
(Continued on Page 5, Column 7)
McKay to Name
Justice Tuesday
A new supreme court justice
probably will be appointed to
morrow and he probably will be
a resident of the Willamette val
ley outside of Portland.
Governor McKay said he
hopes to make the appointment
tomorrow, and sources close to
the governor said they expect
the new judge to" be from the
same general area as the late
Justice Percy R. Kelly of Al
bany. Justice Kelly died two weeks
ago, but the governor has been
unable to make the appointment
because he returned to the state
only last Saturday night. He
had attended the national gov
ernor's conference in Colorado
Springs, Colo., and congressional
hearings in Washington, D.C.,
on the proposed Columbia val
ley authority.
If the governor promotes a
circuit judge to the high court,
he might appoint Judge Arlie G.
Walker of McMinnville, or E.
M. Page of Salem. Two other
names prominently mentioned
are Attorney General George
. Neuner and Assistant Attorney
"General Rex Kimmell.
The governor also will have
to name a new insurance com
missioner to succeed S e t h
j Thompson, Portland, who said
he would not accept reappoint
ment when his term expires
June 30.
Governor McKay's new pri
vate secretary, Lawson McCall,
Portland radio commentator,
will report for work next Fri
day, the governor said.
FDR, Jr., Favorite
For Mayor of N. Y.
New York, June 27 VP) Rep.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., who
says he has no interest in run
ning for mayor of New York,
has won an overwhelming vic
tory in a mayoralty preference
straw poll conducted by the
New York Daily News.
The newspaper said today
that Roosevelt received 3,011 of
the 7,500 votes cast, giving him
40.1 per cent of the total.
Roosevelt's nearest contender,
Brooklyn Borough President
John Cashmore, a democrat, re
ceived 11.5 per cent of the total.
Forty-eight potential candi
dates, including write-ins, were
named in the poll.
V 'Democratic Mayor William
pVDwyer has announced he will
not run for a second term in the
fall. I
mv fha Aitancisted Press)
Most of the nation east of the
Rocky mountains sweltered in
humid stickiness today, and
there was little relief in sight.
The U.S. weather bureau in
Chicago said that except for a
few spots, no rain had fallen
over a hot,' humid week-end and
none was predicted before lues-
day. Even then light, scattered
thundershowers won't give much
relief, the bureau forecast.
West of the Rockies it wa:
generally cooler. A line of thun
derstorms was reported moving
from Kansas up to Minnesota
although the showers were to
dissipate by the time they
reached Minneapolis.
A Few Rainy Spots
But there were a few rainy
spots in the country. Northern
Maine, which hadn't any rain
for weeks, was bathed in a
steady downpour over the week
end. That freshened wilting
crops and decreased the hazard
of forest fires in the area. Most
of the rest of New England was
fair and hot. Burlington, Vt., got
22 of an inch of rain last night.
A deluge swamped Logans-
port, Ind., early yesterday. One
of the heaviest downpours in
the north central Indiana city's
history flooded streets and base
ments, and winds snapped off
numerous small trees. The storm
lasted about four hours. The rest
of Indiana and southern Illinois
got scattered thundershowers,
and St. Louis had some rain.
Record of Heat
Maximum temperatures
which packed the beaches and
swimming pools in the midwest
and east over the week-end in
cluded these:
New York 94, Washington and
Philadelphia 96, Richmond, Va.,
99, Miami and Pittsburgh 90,
Cleveland 84, Detroit 93, Tyn
dall, S. D 104, St. Louis S3,
Des Moines 85, and Chicago 88.
Las Vegas, Nev., had a typical
107-degree high for this time of
year.
On the cooler side in the west
were maximums of 62 at San
Francisco, 88 at Los Angeles, 65
at Seattle, 67 for Havre, Mont,
and 60 at Lewiston, Mont.
High temperatures in the
southwest included Ft. Worth,
Tex., with 90, while Presidio on
the Rio Grande reported a sea
sonable 104.
Strike Looms at
Atomic Plant
Seattle, June 27 VP) A
threatened strike of some 400 of
fice workers at the atomic en
ergy project at Richland may be
averted tonight as members of
Local 100, Office Employes In
ternational union (AFL)vote on
a proposed agreement.
Contract negotiations, con
ducted between three contrac
tors and the union in Pasco,
reached the proposed agreement
Friday, according to federal la
bor conciliators Albin L. Peter
son and Guy Lintner.
The union had set a strike
deadline for tonight, Peterson
said. ,
Firms involved are the Guy F.
Atkinson & J. A. Jones construc
tion company, the Neon Electric
company and the Urban, Smythe
& Warren company. All are sub
contractors. Meanwhile, Thomas P. Gra
ham, regional director of the
national labor relations board,
said machinists of the Atkinson
& Jones firm has voted to be
represented by the International
Union of Operating Engineers
(AFL).
Queen of Cherryland to
Be Crowned Thursday Eve
Three more days and Patricia O'Connor, queen of the 1949
Cherryland festival will officially take over her reign of the
Cherryland.
Thursday night at 8 o'clock the petite green-eyed brunette from
Stayton, who this spring was graduated from the Sacred Heart
academy, will receive her crown
from King Bing Deryl Myers of
the Cherrians and her royal
scepter from Sidney L. Stevens,
president of the Cherryland Fes
tival association, at coronation
ceremonies to be held at the
state fairgrounds.
Following her coronation the
queen will be presented the state
seal of Oregon by Gov. Douglas
McKay and the key to the city
of Salem by Mayor Robert L.
Elfstrom.
Taking part in the coronation
ceremonies with the queen will
be her four princesses Dorothy
Neufeld of Dallas, Grace Kirk
of St. Paul, Jeannine Bentley of
Lyons and Stayton and Kather
ine Specht of Jefferson, and Pa
tricia's junior attendants, two
younger sisters, Peggy, age four,
ijid Maureen, who is five years
old.
On the program that night for
County Road
Fund Into Red
Report by the county audit
ing department shows that the
road fund as of the end of May
is overdrawn $64,983.36 with a
month yet to go before the new
budget becomes effective for the
next fiscal year. The slack
taken up by the $100,000 bor
rowed recently from the state
highway department granted
because of extraordinary ex
pense caused by freeze damage
to roads last winter.
But expenses were so heavy
In May the overdraft leaves
only about $35,000 of the $100,-
borrowed whUe,.jt is esti
mated that the road expenses for
June will be in the neighbor
hood of $70,000 mainly because
of heavy costs of the repair of
oiled roads, work on which is
now under way.
In addition it had been plan
ned to use $25,000 of the $100,-
000 borrowed of the state to set
up a fund from which advances
would be drawn to pay for work
done under a new law of the
last legislature on improve
ments of public and dedicated
roads, this money to be later re
paid from assessments against
property abutting on such roads.
Court members seemed to feel
that this financial tangle may be
straightened out without diffi
culty.
The auditor's report showed
that total appropriations for the
year for roads and highways
were $558,000 and $622,983.66
has been expended, causing the
overdraft note. Broken down it
is shown that only the appropri
ation for bridges and ferries has
a balance which is $23,187.34.
Other funds are in the red, im
provement of market road
money being $34,267.34 over
drawn, market road mainte
nance $53,584.85, and road dis
tricts, $318.81, or a net over
draft of $64,983.66.
Helen Keller 69 Today
Easton, Conn., June 27 VP)
Helen Keller, famed Alind auth
or and educator, observed her
69th birthday today
the entertainment of the royal
court will be dance numbers by
the Merlain school of dance; a
dance review by the students of
the Paul Armstrong school of
dance; radio impressions by
Lyle Lorentz, and numbers by
the Cherryette trio of Miller's
department store.
The following day will be
marked with the grand parade,
and in the morning and in the
evening a horse show at the fair
grounds. Saturday, the final day of the
festival, the children of Salem
and vicinity will take over in
the morning with a parade of
their own. In the afternoon a
statewide drill and drum and
bugle corps contest will be held
at the state fairgrounds with the
finals slated for that night at
the fairgrounds.
s i
Veterans Review Upper Willamette Steamboating Top,
left: The Claire chugged veterans from Portland to Cham
poeg in four hours. She is one of four remaining sternwheel
ers now operating on the Columbia and its tributaries. Lower,
left: Oldtimers on the Upper Willamette assemble in the
Claire's pilot house. Iver Mortenson, Dayton, the Ramona in
'1897; Harry White, Portland, the Altona in 1904; Fred Lefly,
Duke's Slough, the Leona in 1900; Harry May, Portland, Capt.
Clyde Raabe (foreground) who started on the Elmore in 1895
and handled the Grahamona to Salem in 1918. He is now a
Columbia river pilot. Top, right: Captain Edward Lyons,
83, Portland, who served on the N. S. Bentley, Three Sisters
and William H. Hoag, elegant upper river sternwheelers of the
1880s. Lower, engine room men of bygone times: Paul C.
Shaver, the Maria, C. E. Kern, the Resolute and Northwestern
in 1932, Adrian Kemp, Salem, the Victoria in 1908 and G. A.
Ross, the Elmore in 1900.
Steamboatmen Recall
Days of River Traffic
By BEN MAXWELL
Veteran steamboatmen from the Willamette valley and else
where in Oregon gathered ,at Champoeg for their 24th annual
reunion Sunday.
They heard Captain Clyde Raabe, Upper Willamette captain,
tell of halcyon days in river steamboating, and Col. O. E. Walsh,
North Pacific divisional engi-
neer for the corps of engineers,
promise a deep and snag free
Willamette channel to fulfill the
oldtime pilot's dream.
When the venerable stern-
wheeler Claire, four hours out of
Portland, nosed into the mud
bank at Champoeg, and tied up
to a dolphin that did not hold
135 steamboatmen and their
friends filed down the gang
plank. Steamers Claire and uan
owned by Western Transporta
tion company of Portland, and
the Henderson and the Portland,
controlled by Shaver interests.
are the only operative stern
wheelers remaining on the Col
umbia and its tributaries. Less
than 60 years ago 14 operated
on the Willamette south of Port
land.
In 1941 the Claire visited Sa
lem to flush sludge accumulated
in the slough behind the paper!
mill. No sternwheeler has visited
Salem since. Though the hull of;
this boat was laid down in 1918,
her pilot house is that, of the
Altbna, a distinguished Upper
Willamette boat of the 1890s,
Homer Shaver of the Shaver
Transportation company men
tioned that engines used on the
Shaver, retired in 1927, first saw
service on the Mississippi river
in 1859.
Captain Raabe told his audi
ence of 500 that steamboating on
the Upper Willamette was initiat
ed in 1851 by the diminutive
Hoosier, a ship's longboat driven
by a pile driver engine turning
sidewheels. All early Willamette
boats were sidewheelers, the first
sternwheeler being the Enter
prise, built at Canemah in 1855.
Willamette Falls Canal &
Locks company was organized
in 1868 and the first boat to pass
through was the Maria Wilkins,
January 1, 1873.
The Shoalwater, built by Cap
tain Leonard White, exploded
he;- boiler in 1854 and was re
built to become the Fenix. An
other owner, more adept at
spelling, correctly renamed her
the Phoenix. Eventually she be
came the Minnie Holmes and
ended her days as a floating saw
mill at Salem.
Captain Raabe, whose father,
George Raabe, was also a steam
boat captain, started on the Wil
lamette in 1895 as a hand on the
Elmore. Captain Raabe, was
aboard the Ruth when she made
her memorable run between
Portland and Corvallis on June
(Concluded on Pajc 5, Column I)
:
Argentine Pact
Signed by British
Buenos Aires, June 27 VP)
Britain and Argentina signed a
five-year trade agreement today,
thus ignoring United btates ob
jections to the pact.
The signing was done in the
presence of President Juan D.
Peron, his wife and a group of
high officials in the white salon
of government house.
Sir John Balfour, Britain's
ambassador to Argentina, and
four ministers who form the Ar
gentine national economic coun
cil signed the Spanish and Eng
lish copies.
American businessmen be
lieve the two-way pact will cut
off one of their important South
American markets. The United
States claims the pact violates
the spirit of free competitive in
ternational trade. American of
ficials fear it might keep Unit
ed States oil and farm machin
ery off the Argentine market.
Under the agreement, Britain
will supply the bulk of Argen
tina's imports. These would
range from much needed oil and
coal to automobiles and whisky.
In return, Britain would get
from Argentina an estimated
300,000 tons of meat plus cereals
and other items.
Floods Devastate Chili
Santiago, Chile, June 27 VP)
Large sections of southern Chile
were flooded today and some 2,
500 persons were driven from
their homes when torrential
rains caused two rivers to over
flow their banks. The cities of
Osorno and Llanquihue were
reported flooded and railway
service paralyzed in the wake
of the rampaging waters.
WEATHER
(Released by United States
Weather Bureau)
Forecast for Salem and Vicin
Ity: Mostly cloudy tonight and
Tuesday with occasional light
rain beginning lace tonight. Low
est temperature expected tonight
45 degrees: highest Tuesday, 70.
Conditions will be mostly favor
able for farm work. Maximum
yesterday 68. Minimum today 42.
Mean temperature yesterday 60
which was 2 below normal. Total
24-hour precipitation to 11:30
a.m. today 0. Total precipitation
for the month .82 of an inch
which Is .30 of an Inch below
normal. Willamette river height
at Salem Monday morning, -1.5
feet.
Hiss Declares
Tm Not Guilty
New York, June 27 VP) The
government opened its cross-examination
of Alger Hiss today
after the former state depart
ment official concluded defense
questioning with the statement:
"I am not quilty."
The prosecution began inter
rogating Hiss shortly after he
returned to the stand for the
third day. Throughout the ques
tioning by his defense counsel
Hiss staunchly maintained his
innocence.
Item by item, he branded as
lies government testimony link
ing him with a pre-war Red spy
ring. .
Hiss is accused of perjury. He
was indicated by a federal grand
jury last December which
charged that he lied when he
denied passing secret slate de
partment papers to Whittaker
Chambers for transfer to the
Red underground. Chambers is
an avowed ex-courier for the
Russian spy network.
Just before cross-examination
of Hiss began, Lloyd Paul Stry-
ker, top defense council, had
the witness proclaim his inno
cence once again before the
hushed courtroom.
Turning tothe tall, handsome
defendant, he asked: "You have
entered your plea of not guilty
and in fact are you not guil
ty?"
Speaking slowly and clearly,
Hiss replied, "I am not guilty.'
The government began its in
terrogation with routine ques
tions directed at Hiss' relations
with Chambers.
Thompson to Resign Job
Seattle, June 27 VP) Seth B
Thompson, Oregon stale insur
ance commissioner, announced
yesterday he would resign his
post to become agency vice pres
ident of the West Coast Life In
surance company of San Fran
Cisco. Thompson is attending
the National Association of In
surance commissioners conven
tion here.
Most All Czech Catholic
Offices Seized by Reds
Prague, Czechoslovakia, June
charged today communists have seized virtually all church ad
ministrative offices in Czechoslovakia and arrested priests who
resisted.
The informants said reports from various parts of the country
showed repressive measures "S-
against the church are increas
ing. Some priests reported po
pice charged them with "incit
ing unrest" after they had read
from the pulpit yesterday the
Catholic hierarchy's accusations
of deceit, fraud, kidnaping and
robbery against the communist
government.
The denunciation, in the form
of a pastoral letter, was a vir
tual white book catalogue of
alleged anti-church actions by
the government, which it ac
cused of aiming at the "extermi
nation of the Church of Christ."
The letter told Catholic com
municants their "hour of trial"
may be at hand.
Prague priests said they be
lieved the pastoral letter, signed
by Archbishop Josef Beran of
Prague, Archbishop Josef Ma
tocha of Olomouc and the coun
try's other Catholic bishops, had'
received wide circulation despit-j lingly have been excommuni
police attempts to prevent thelcated.
Washington, June 27 VP) The
Supreme court today threw out
the perjury conviction of Harold
R. Christoffel, former Milwau
kee labor leader.
Christoffel was convicted in
U. S. District court here on a
charge that he falsely told the
house labor committee he had
never been a communist or had
any communist connections. He
was sentenced to two to six
years.
The supreme tribunal ruled 5
4 today that the government in
such a prosecution must be able
to show postively that a quorum
of the house committee was
present when Christoffel alleged
ly commited perjury.
Justice Murphy delivered the
majority decision. He was joined
by Justices Black, Frankfurter,
Douglas and Rutledge.
4 Justices Dissent
Justice Jackson wrote a dis
sent, joined by Chief Justice
Vinson and by Justices Reed and
Burton.
Christoffcl's appeal contended
majority of the 25-member
house committee was not present
when he testified March 11947.
Therefore he insisted he could
not have committed perjury
within the meaning of District of
Columbia law.
Christoffel formerly was presi
dent of local 248 of the CIO
United Automobile Workers at
the Allis-Chalmers Manufactur
ing company plant in Milwau
kee. He appealed to the high tri
bunal after the U. S. Court of
Appeals here unanimously up
held his conviction. He has been
free under $1,000 bail.
Negro Slayer Freed
The Supreme court today set
aside the conviction of Robert A.
Watts, Indianapolis Negro sen
tenced to die for the killing of
Mary Lois Burney, a white wo
man. (Continued on Page 5, Column 6)
Love Swindler
Held to Jury
Chicago, June 27 (U.R) The
persuasive charms of Sigmund
Engel, master "love" swindler.
failed in felony court today and
he was held to the grand jury
under $50,000 bond after a red
haired victim denounced him as
cold-blooded.
Engel, 73, who has fleeced 50
or more gullible women out of
an estimated $2,000,000 in the
last four decades, was arraigned
before Judge Matthew D Harti
gan on a charge of having swin
dled Mrs. Reseda Corrigan, 39-
year-old Chicago divorcee, of
$8,700.
Hartigan boosted Engel's bond
from a previous $10,000 after
State's Attorney John S. Boyle
handling the prosecution per
sonally, denounced Engel as "an
international swindler."
Hartigan continued until July
14 Engel's hearing on a New
York fugitive warrant charging
that he bilked Miss Pauline
Langlon of New York of $50,000
in jewelry after marrying her,
Engel, who has charmed po
licemen, questioners and news
paperwomen since his arrest
here Friday, 'sat quietly during
the court proceedings and only
glanced casually at Mr. Corn
gan as she told how he had ro
manced her and promised to
marry her. Usually dapper, his
collar was wilted after a night
on a hard police cell cot.
27 VP) Roman Catholic sources
letter from being read in pul
pits.
Priests have reported they
were warned in night police
visits against reading pastoral
letters, the only means for the
hierarchy to tell its side of the
church-state fight since the
Catholic press was shut down by
the government.
The pastoral loiter supported
reports of the seizure of the
archbishop's administrative of
fices at Prague and his virtual
captivity in his palace.
Churchmen said the govern
ment also took over nearly all
administrative offices in the
archdiocese and the dioceses of
the country and installed, in
stead, officials of the communist
sponsored Catholic action, an or-
ganization which the archbishop1
has denounced as a tool of the
state. Those men joined wil
Berlin, June 27 VP) The allies
announced today four power
talks on Germany will be re
vived tomorrow afternoon. The
five-week-long rail strike which
has imposed a virtual second
blockade on Berlin is scheduled
to end in the morning.
The new conference was call
ed to carry out the will of the
Big Four foreign ministers, who
decided at Paris a week ago to- ,
day that four-power talks
should be begun to forge at least
"a way of life" for Germany and
Berlin, even though major dis
agreements on policy in the di
vided city and nation still exist.
Trade Situation
Informed sources said tomor
row's agenda probably would
include the trade situation and
transport conditions. Trade in
Soviet-occupied eastern Ger
many is sagging. In western oc
cupied zones, it is booming.
The executive board of the
anti-communist railway union
(UGO) bowed to the orders of
the western allies yesterday and
ordered members back to work
on the Soviet-controlled rail
ways at that time.
The British, American and
French commanders in Berlin
had warned that if the strike
were not called off by Tuesday,
the West Berlin city government
would quit relief payments to
the strikers.
No Longer Justified
They said the strike could no
longer be justified because it was
seriously damaging Berlin eco
nomically, was blocking the
Paris four-power agreements to
revive east-west trade, and was
laying a big burden on the west
ern powers in maintaining the
airlift.
Strikers won two of their
three major demands.
All salaries will be paid in
west marks. Since this currency
has a purchasing power four to
six times as great as the Soviet-
sponsored east mark, railway'
strikers have won one of the
greatest wage boost in industrial
history.
The railway management will
convert 60 percent of each em
ployees east mark salary into
west marks; the west Berlin city
government will . exchange the '
other 40 percent.
(Continued on Page 5, Column 5)
Contract Bribe ;
Denied by Hunt
Washington, June 27 VP)
James V. Hunt, management
counselor, has denied that he
ever promised or received im
proper favors in doing business
with the government.
Hunt, declared in a week-end
statement: "Anyone who says I
ever offered to get him gover-
ment contracts through 'influ
ence' is a liar."
He said he would welcome a
congressional investigation of
his dealings with Paul Grindle,
Framingham, Mass., furniture
manufacturer.
Reached at Briarcliff, N.Y.,
Grindle replied, "I'd be delight
ed to have a congressional com
mittee judge whether Col. Hunt
or I am a liar. It is useless for
me to make a direct reply to
Col. Hunt's statement. He has
already been branded by bigger
people than I ever hope to be."
Grindle, in last Tuesday's
New York Herald Tribune, was
quoted as saying he had given
Hunt $1,000, to be followed by
$500 a month for one year, plus
five per cent of the gross on any
government contract received.
Grindle said Hunt had men
tioned several government offi
cials and had implied he had
considerable influence.
Senator Hoey (D., N.C.)
chairman of the senate investi
gations subcommittee, has or
dered a preliminary study of
government contracts to see if a
full-scale investigation is need
ed. Hoover's Advice on
U. 5. Aid to Schools
Washington, June 27 VP) For
mer President Hoover estimates
that $150,000,000 half the
amount voted by the senate for
annual federal aid to schools
can be saved by helping only
the "real backward states.
He suggested:
(1) Don't help stales that
don't need it; (2) watch out for
government "dictatorship" over
education; (3) be wary of the
"grave dangers" in federal
"grants-in-aid" which cover
projects like hospitals, roads
and social security.
He gave his views in a letter
made public yesterday by Rep.
McConnell (R.-Pa.), senior re
publican on the house education