Capital
THE WEATHER HERE
FAIR TONIGHT and Wednes
day. Little chance In tempera
ture. Lowest tonight, it; high
est Wednesday, 73.
Mssinnw ynlrtttj. 11: Ml!nM
1. Tftlal 1-br rttlptlua:
ntS: 1.31; mirmti. M. Saaa frrtlti
talUa. 1.11: ,!. .M. atrer tclt.
-! Int. (Bc kr I I. ! 8-
HOME
EDITION
61st Year, No. 224 "aSZaSZL Sofem, Oregon, Tuesday, September 20, 1949
Price 5c
..o
No Effort to
Halt Coal Strike
By Government
United Mine Workers
All Out and Railroads
Laying-off Men j
Pittsburgh, Sept. 20 W) T h e
nationwide coal strike idled
more than half a million miners
and railroaders today while the
White House watched from the
sidelines.
A half-dozen coal-carrying
railroads ordered more than 27,
000 employes laid off as the "no
pension no work" revolt of John
L. Lewis' 480,000 United Mine
Workers entered its second day.
in Washington, Press Secreta
ry Charles G. Ross said President
Truman has "nothing in the
works" to offer as a formula for
settling either the coal or steel
dispute.
"Nothing is in sight," he add
ed. J. V. Sullivan, secretary of the
West Virginia Coal association,
said miners "are not striking of
their own accord" but "because
they got the signal."
Claim Its Voluntary
He declared in a statement
that Lewis representatives
"have been in the mining dis
tricts for a week advising local
unions." High union officials had
said the strike was voluntary
among miner locals.
Chairman Ralph E. Taggart of
the Pennsylvania Anthracite Op
erators wage agreement commit
tee sent a telegram to Lewis ask
ing the UMW chieftain to use his
best efforts toward getting hard
coal miners back to work.
The 80,000 anthracite diggers
In eastern Pennsylvania joined
the coal walkout in a sympathy
work stoppage.
Violence Flares
Another coal carrying railroad
announced plans to lay off work
ers. The Norfolk and Western
railway said 1650 workers will
have to be furloughed Thursday.
Violence developed in Ken
tucky and West Virginia. Gov
ernor William Tuck of Virginia
took a verbal swipe at Lewis. So
did two other top coal industry
officials.
Lewis took it all In. He did
n't say a word. And there was
no indication from his United
Mine Workers headquarters in
Washington whether he will
show up for scheduled resump
tion of contract talks with South
ern Coal Operators at Bluefield,
W. Va.
tConclnded on Page 5, Column 6
Hearing Denied
Earl Shelfon
The state civil service commis
sion refused today to grant a
hearing to Earl R. Shelton, 31,
atate hospital attendant who was
fired September 6 on charges of
cruelty to patients.
The commission said it did not
five Shelton his hearing because
be is a conditional employe, in
stead of a regular employe. Con
ditional employes are those who
hold their jobs without taking
civil service examinations. They
don't have the same hearing
rights are employes who hold
their jobs through examinations.
Examinations never have been
given for hospital attendant
jobs, but the commission hopes
to begin them in November
Robert Johnson, state civil
service administrator, said the
commission could grant a hear
ing to a conditional employe if
there was evidence he was fired
for political, racial or religious
reasons. But the law doesn t
compel the commission to do so.
Johnson explained that Shel
ton submitted no evidence that
political, racial or religious Is
sues were involved. He said he
got no evidence of any kind from
Shelton. All Shelton sent the
commission was a request for a
hearing, Johnson said.
Dr. C. E. Bates, hospital su
perintendent, confirmed that
Shelton and his superior, Joe
McSata, both were fired for
abusing patients. McSata did
not ask for a hearing.
$104f060Vo!ed for
Adair Road Damage
Washington. Sept. 20 WP The
senate appropriations committee
approved today two approba
tions for Oregon communities.
They are $150,000 for con
struction of public schools in
Klamath county for white and
Indian children, and $104,060 in
Polk county, for wartime, dam
age to its highways near Camp
Atiair during the war.
Sfeelworkers
Go Ahead with
Plans for Strike
Peoce Conferences by
Mediator Fail to
Break Deadlock
Washington, Sept. 20 WV-The
CIO steelworkers went ahead
today with plans for a strategy
meeting as the second day of
government-sponsored peace
talks brought no sign of an
agreement in the steel dispute.
Philip Murray, leader of the
steelworkers, said nothing has
developed at the government
mediation conferences to war
rant postponing the union pol
icy committee tomorrow in
Pittsburgh.
The CIO chief said the 170
members of the policy group al
ready are assembling tn Pitts
burgh for the session Presum
ably, the committee will lay the
plans for a walkout Saturday
midnight when the current truce
ends.
Million Quit Saturday
Murray has warned that the
1,000,000 unionists will quit
then unless a settlement is
reached in the labor-management
talks here with Federal
Conciliation Director Cyrus
Ching.
Ching met separately this
morning with the union and in
dustry negotiators. There was;
no direct word from him on
what, if any, progress was made.
John A. Stephens, vice pres
ident in charge of industrial re
lations for U.S. Steel Corp., told
reporters at mid-day that his
company had taken no steps to
bank its furnaces in preparation
for a possible strike.
Stephens added that he knew
of no other company that had
done so.
(Concluded on Page 5, Column 7)
Ford Seeking ,
To Avert Strike
Detroit, Sept. 20 W) Faced
with a strike deadline, the Ford
Motor Co. was reported today at
tempting to reach a settlement
with the ClO-United Auto Work
ers with a tentative offer of a
company-financed pension plan.
The union served notice on
the Motor company yesterday a
strike would become effective
September 29 if its pension,
health and welfare and wage de
mands were not met.
The union maneuver dampen
ed but failed to dispel hopes
of a peaceful settlement without
a strike by Ford's 115,000 pro
duction workers.
Top negotiators of the com
pany and the union called for
renewal of bargaining talks to
day. Both John S. Bugas, Fcrd
vice president, and Walter Reu-
ther, UAW chief, acknowledged
some progress had been made
since negotiations began June
2.
Union sources said Ford had
made a tentative offer of com'
pany-financed pensions equiva
lent to eight cents an hour. The
proposal, these sources said
would provide pensions of about
$50 a month for workers reach
ing the age of 68, exclusive of
social security benefits.
Company spokesmen declined
comment.
Tax Revenue Increase
Forecast by Governor
By JAMES D. OLSON
An Increase in state tax revenues resulting from expanding in
dustrial and agricultural activities was forecast Tuesday by Gov
ernor Douglas McKay speaking before county assessors (t the
state capitol.
The assessors from counties in the Willamette valley are gath
ered here for a two-day ln-serv-
ice training session. Tax Com
missioner Robert Maclean, in;
charge of the assessment divis
ion opened the meeting. i
Governor McKay told the as
sessors that Oregon's population
growth, fastest in the nation, is
necessitating additional job op
portunities. "These joba can only come as
the result of new business and
farm operations" the governor
said, "which, in turn, will broad
en the tax base and lead to great
er tax returns."
The governor said that the
fluctuation of values in the fast-
changing economic picture
makes the assessor's Job increas
ingly complicated. He praised
the in-training course, sponsor
ed by the state tax commission;
i
iffy Ihrfl
Arms Bill Urged
By Vandenberg
Washington, Sept. 20 CT !
Senator Vandenberg (R., Mich.),
told the senate today that con-i
gress will simply be investing!
in "fire or life insurance" if it!
approves the $1,314,010,000 for-!
eign arms program.
Vandenberg began the second!
day of debate on the arms aid
bill as leaders maneuvered for
a final vote on the measure
Thursday. :
The Michigan senator said the;
arms bill is congress' direct and;
specific answer to the mutual;
defense pledge this country took;
in signing and ratifying the:
North Atlantic pact.
"This program does not in
volve an arms race In any of
its aspects," he said. Instead, he
added, it is aimed only toward
equipping existing forces.
Vandenberg said the arms
program is far overshadowed oy
the agreement of treaty nations
that an attack on one shall be
regarded as an attack on all.
"This notifies any aggressor
that he confronts, not only a bil
lion dollars in arms, but ail of
the resources of treaty nations
arrayed to make any aggression
a failure," he declared.
As the top republican on the
senate foriegn relations com
mittee, Vandenberg had a bis
hand in shaping the arms pro
gram now before the senate.
Farm Equipment
Workers Strike
Chicago, Sept. 20 (U.fiS CIO
farm equipment workers went
on strike against the Interna
tional Harvester tractor works
today because the firm suspend
ed 23 employes, including the
local president and 18 stewards.
About 200 pickets patrolled
the five gates of the plant and
Jeered at employes going to
work. There were no attempts
to stop the workers from enter
ing the plant.
According to early estimates
about 3,700 of the plant's 4,200
workers failed to report for
work as the morning shift began.
maintaining that the course
would be lead to uniform prac- Romuio pleaded for coopers
tices by assessors in all counties tjon among the big powers. He
of the state.
New laws and amendments
dealing with assessments on per-
sonal and property taxation
were explained to the assessors
by Howard E. Roos, assistant at
torney general.
Latest methods of appraising
industrial property were out
lined by Jesse E. Cilkey, super
vising appraisal engineer for the
commissicn.
Arthur A. Selander, chief ap
praisal rngineer and Harry J.
Logan, supervising apprailai en
gineer for the commissioner
were the speakers on the after-
noon program.
The two-day session will close
lata Wednesday afternoon.
Panel Discussion Monroe Sweetland (left), national demo
cratic committeeman from Oregon, presides over panel discus
sion at Western States democratic conference, which opened
in San Francisco. Others, left to right, William M. Boyle,
democratic national chairman; Charles Sawyer, secretary of
commerce; Maurice J. Tobtn, secretary of labor. AP Wire
photo) (Story on Page 8)
3 Escape Dallas Jail
Sawing Way to Freedom
Dallas, Sept. 20 Three men sawed and pried their way to
freedom from the Polk county
of Tuesday morning, while four
cell elected to remain behind.
When a check of the jail was
$1,934,264 Bid
Salem Building
Portland, Sept 20 m The
state highway building in Salem
drew a low bid just under $2,-
000,000 today as the state high
way commission took offers of
nearly $5,000,000 In one of the
biggest one-day openings in its
history.
Another job construction of
the 5.22-mile Dodson-Bonneville
section of the Columbia river
water-level highway was a
million-dollar affair.
Low of nine bidders for the
highway building at Salem was
Ralph & Horwitz, Portland, at
$1,934,284.
The Dodson-Bonneville high
way, completing a fast route
from Portland east, had low bid
of $998,673 from Peter Kiewit
Sons, Longview, Wash. There
were nine other contractors with
offers and because of 68 sepa
rate items in the bid forms, the
commission failed to get around
to hearing delegations scheduled
for the morning session. They
were to come back in the after
noon. Among bids listed were:
Marion county 28 by 92 foot
masonry block maintena nee
building on state highway prop
erty at Stayton, Alan A. Sicwcrt,
Salem, $9359.
Romuio Heads
United Nations
New York, Sept. 20 Brig.
Gen. Carlos P. Romuio of the
Philippines was elected presi
dent of tbp Unilpri Nalinns as
sembly today. He immediately
challenged the 59 delegations to
make this the peace assembly. ;
Romuio was elected a few!
minutes after the assembly open-:
ed its fourth session in the pack
ed blue and gold assembly cham
ber at Flushing Meadow park,
site of the 1939 world's fair.
Romuio got S3 of the S9 votes.
The Soviet bloc cast five votes
for Vladiimir Clcmentis, Czech
oslovak foreign minister. The
other ballot was declared inval-
said world political conditions
already were improving and it
was the job of the assembly to
see that this trend continued.
This session," he said, "coin
cides with a turning point in post
war International relations.
"Though many formidable ob
stacles to world peace remain.
the danger of a new war which
overshadowed our deliberations
in Paris a year ago has greatly
abated
"I hope this session will earn
for itself the title, The Peace
Assemoty.
The 48-year-old Philippine di
plomat, soldier and former
newspaperman ia k n o w n as a
Jbitter foe of communism.
jail here during the early hours
other prisoners in the same
made at 10 a.m. Tuesday, it
was discovered that John Theo-i
dore Forrester, Wesiey James
Edwards and William H. Phillips
had escaped by sawing off a
top bar in their ceil, then using
the piece of cell-bar to pry off a
wratow frame leading to the out
side from the "bull pen.
- Four cellmates Tipton Acuff,
Franklin Norwest, Lloyd Riggs
and Pat Wyscaver stood by
while the trio was making Its
escape, and were still in the jai3,
with its doors and windows:
open, when authorities discover-:
ed the escape.
Forrester, from Oklahoma, ;
had served but three weeks of;
a ten-month sentence for drunk
eness and disorderly conduct. He
is described as 45 years old,!
140 pounds, 5 feet II inches!
tall, blue eyes, brown hair and
ruddy complexion.
Edwards, whom aufhorities:
believe engineered the escape;
plot, is a federal parole viola
tor who had 144 days left to
serve in the McNeil Island prison
in Washington sfale on a charge
of concealing stolen property,
for which he had been sentenced
to two years. Police records list
him as 40 years old, 180 pounds,
5 feet 9 inches, brown eyes, red
hair, fair complexion.
Phillips, whose home is in the
state of Washington, was await
ing action by the grand jury on
an alleged charge that he had
obtained money under false pre
tenses. He is 29 years, 200
pounds, 8 feet 2 inches, hazel
eyes, brown hair, medium com
plexion. Road Limits Loom
Portland, Ore., Sept. 28 U.
Oregon's loeeinff and lumberinff
industry was warned todav bvi
State Highway Engineer R. H,
Daioocx mat reoucea ioaaing
ing may be required during win-
ter and spring months to prc -
vent excessive damage to bigh -
ways.
Attempt to Avert Steel Strike Federal Mediation Director Cyrus S. Ching, cenier, meets
with CIO President Phil Murray, left, and Benjamin Tairiess, president of If. S. Steei Corp.,
representing the steel companies, in an effort to avert a nation-wide steel atrike scheduled for
midnight Saturday, October i. The meeting took place In Washington, D. C, Acme Telephcto)
kailroad Strike Adds Mew
Threats to Britain s Crisis
Devaluation
Sends Traders
Hunting Gold
far ihf AHOrititi Prw
Devaluation of can encies
across half the world sent trad
ers in sterling areas scurrying
far gold and commodity stocks
today but brought little change
In the Vnited States markets.
With France and Canada add
ed overnight to the list of de
valuing countries, making the
total IB, others bad still to fall
in line. Western Germany is to
reduce the value of its mark.
The Hong Kong dollar fell into;
the devaluation lineup. Holland;
officially set Its devaluation rate:
for the homeland and Indonesia:
at about 30 percent, approxi
mately the same as Britain.
The labor government in Bri
tain closed its ranks for the fight
of its life. Parliament is due to
meet next week, on the demand
of Winston Churchill and other
opposition leaders. Labor unions
were restive at the prospect of
increases in the cost of living, set
off by rises in the price c bread.:
Stock Market Wild
London's stock market went
wiid. Some goid shares sold for
nearly triple last Friday's pri
ces. Everywhere, gold was tee
toast of the day. One reason: The
U.S. government buys gold at
$3S an ounce, paying U.S. dol
lars. That means exporting coun
tries, in getting 13.S. dollars can
turn them into more units of
their devalued local currencies
than they could before. So gold
producers stand to get more.
Exchanges in Rome, Milan and
South Africa shared the excite
ment. In Italian money markets
the lira fluctuated wildly and
cnapencd. At Johannesburg, bra-
kers struggled to handle thous -
ands of orders for goJd pouring
in IroTn many parts ol the worio.
Conciudri on rit, S. Coiunin JJ
Czechs Jailing
Priests, Nuns
Prague, Sept. 20 W
The
has
Czechoslovak government
jailed dozens of Roman Cath
olic priests and nuns in a big
new wave of arrests aimed at
breaking spreading resistance to:
state control schemes, a state
ment from church sources said
today.
1- l.l.J ,.
pslimsiprf ihat ih latest wav of
arrests broueht the number of , - I. T t percent devaluation, as contrast
SSuS Z 2rfbsbly to Britain's 20 percent mark-
7. "
Noofficia-i comment was avail-
oboie on these fieures. The mv-
rnmPM t -
" V, " - ,7. ' r";7.,V
"" ,
ever, the Czpch uress has re-
centlv carried an incrcasinz
number of threats against priests
who carry out "anfi-state" orders
isjciiwi frnm the Vatiran rtr tfw
-hivh hicrarchv
- f
The reoort. srivpn to eorre-
no
termed only a partial list.
said more arrests were expected
ie iwiR-siaie-cnurcn ngm
neared a showdown stage.
j In one case the entire per-
jsonncl of a monastery was re
ported seized.
Good Weather
To Start OH
Fail Opening
With goad weather predicted:
for Tuesday night, the people
of Salem and vicinity are ex
pected to tarn oat by the
thousands far the annual Fall j
Opening.
Window displays will be su- :
vetted at 7 p. m.
Far details of the big events j
of the evening, s special Fall i
Opening section is found at the i
back of this edition of the i
Capital Journal
Robeson Red !
Trial Witness
Hew York, Sept. 20 "
Singer Paul Robeson testified
20 minutes for the defense to
day in the communist conspir
acy trial.
But about all be got to cay was
that he knew all the defendants!
and that be once studied law
under Federal Judge Harold R.
Medina, who is presiding at the:
trial.
The government objected to
virtually everything else the
Negro baritone was asked, and
Medina upheld the objections.
A climax came when Defense
Counsel George W. Crockett,
Jr., also a Negro, inquired of:
Hobeson.
think you shared a plat
form once with President Roose
velt." Objeciion, said U.S. Attorney
John F, X. McGohey,
Sustained, said Medina.
The Judge added that Crock
ett seemed to be trying to estab
lish facts even though the ques
tions were being ruled out.
whether Robeson did or did-:
n't share a platform with the!
ilate president, Medina said, has?rMrf iniixv oe bark ia hrT
j noenms ro ss vna ine case.
; v-rocKeii sasa snui jn view os;ooilers. Canadians will pay
ne rulings ne imbio hpo-
tti me raj- "cjvesierday for the greeneacKS
wanted from Robeson. 5v b uih i!8 Canadian
I don't think you should heveioejjtj fOT one y,g,
called him," Medina comment
ed.
Robeson left the stand a few
minutes laicr OTCcri'j
- -
Salem Airline
Hearing Feb. 1
! . "I I- -
j .- r . c-
sne coast aoout reorusry s,
,,, h, Caoital Journal Taes -
i" . cwi-i.-7 ,
. ""pound sterling in line with the
w"'."
, Ai(S5t so persons Were OnS, ifanasisant
nana lor m pre-neanng tojmct-; jj,;,,- ind s3 ojii jelling
cc-j , ..isuyms ann j.ot selling.
.,- s mts,.
jngSot,( D, c. Norblad said the
. ,,,t
i i i...
" i.t.
t5WM w:(is. wilt ire luiuieucut
i
s.'hiM f7hafoi nimM
It Washington, Sept. 20 :
J Ms. Gen. Roy H. Parker today;
asira umi c;
army chapiaina. fie has
serving as supervisory chaplain
- f for the Far East command in Js-
ipan. Parker is a Baptist.
lUnfoo Refuses to
Hold Wage Line
In Emergency
London, Sepi. 29 A new
threat of Industrial chaos and In
flation hung over Britain today
in the wske of Sunday's start
ling 35.5 per cent slash in the
dollar value at the pound.
Despite government appeals to
hold the wage line, railway-
workers started ifieir first local
slowdown strike to back their
demands for c IS shilling tSl 48)
pay bike. And it looked like
more of ifce same were on the
way.
Ob many sides the press as
sailed economic chief Sir Staf
ford Crippa and the labor gov
ernment for showing no signs
that government spending and
iaves wouid be cut so as to
give the public more pounds
and pence for the costlier com
modities that devaluation will
bring.
Boasts Imports Casta
While the British devaluation
will cut prices of goods export
ed: ic- "hard currency" nations
iike the United Sfatos, it will
also boost the cost of imports.
This will mean higher prices
thai Britons must pay for bread.
meat and ether imported" essen
tials.
With rising" prices, government
leaders are worried thai workers
wiil demand feigner wages.
fCMM Snitd Wl Ft 8, Cig Si
Canada Honey
Cut 10 Percen!
fji. fif- 5i- 23 m
wartime exchange rate n U.S.
one-tenth more than they did
Finance Minister Dougiaa Ab-
!ontt told the house of commons
!last night devaluation was made
, v;,
;7Me!.VM rf AvlitTKn funds.
since sanaoa s oouar
has been on a par with U.S. csir
reney one Canadian doiiar for
one U.S. Hut beginning today
it will take 1.18 Canadian dol
lars to buy one American dol-
ir and n American dollar will
bring $I.I8?4 Canadian. Thai
wr fh a2 rate from 1939
fHJ MTO.
Abbott told the house the 18
ij-, . . ,wr!
iTr." ' TrT
w ?rtcc
pound new value in U.S. cur-
With ihe new raies, Canadi.
:ana wiit have to put up more of
their aoliars V, get goods tram
e cot. However, n.b. purcss-
asera w pay i
,
iiron uanaaa, ana export may
(rise,
19 Witnesses
Condemn Raji
Budapest, Sepi. JO Kiijp
ieen prosecution wiinrssrs iroi
ed to the stand today to con
demn Lsstlo Sajk, Hungary's
former communist police boss.
and seven others being iried on
charges of treason and espionaK'?,
Fourteen of the witnesses arc
themselves in custody, apparrnt
ly waiting iriai on simiW
charges.
Although there was no official
announcement, it was believed
the prosecution ended Its case
against the eight drfendanJs
wiife the iesiimony tt today's
witnesses.
None was cross-examined by
the defense.
Jt It expected the prosecutor
and the defense lawyers wiii
make iheir summations tomor
row to be followed by a "iajt
word" from the dcScndants.
Since seven of the de fentianis
have pleaded guiiiv and liie
eighth "partly guilty" there Is
little likelihood the defense will
csH any wiinesse.
Barring any unforeseen o
vetopments, therefore, the court
will recess Thursday and then
hand down it verdict Friday,