THE WEATHER HERE
MOSTLY CLOUDY with inter
mittent light rain tonight, Thurs
day, except snow over moun
tains. Little change in temper
ature. Lowest tonight, 38; high
est Thursday, 46.
Maximum yetterday, 48; minimum today,
SI. Total X4-hour precipitation: Trace, for
month: 1.38; normal, 2.83. Scaion precipi
tation, 10.931 normal, 13.61. River helKhl,
.1 of a foot. (Report by U.S. leather
Bureau.)
Capital
Journal
H O MS
EDITION
61st Year, No. 297 SSffjrSSZ Salem, Oregon, Wednesday, December U" (32 Pages) Price 5c
Pearson Wants
Bonneville to
Supply Power
Asks Board to Consider
Buying for State
Buildings from BPA
By JAMES D. OLSON
State Treasurer Walter J.
Pearson has asked the state
board of control to consider the
dvlsablllty of obtaining elec
trical power for state buildings
in Salem and Portland directly
from the Bonneville Power ad
ministration. At present the state obtains
its electrical power from the
Portland General Eleptric com
pany. Pearson has invited Bonne
ville engineers to appear before
the board on December 27 and
present estimates of cost of such
service.
Lines to Cost $1,500,000
Pearson admitted that he did
not know what it would cost the
state to construct the necessary
lines to obtain federal power.
He said that former Treasurer
Leslie Scott had obtained a pre
war estimate of $750,000 for
such lines. Present costs would
be at least twice this amount.
However, Pearson contended
that as an alternative to the state
building lines, arrangements
might be made to bring the Bon
neville power over PGE lines to
Salem at a slightly higher cost.
Sees a Saving
"I am sure that the state could
make a material saving if we
could enter into a contract with
Bonneville," Pearson said.
Portland General Electric
company now has a contract that
will not expire for about a year
to furnish electrical power to
state buildings in Salem. Re
cently officials of this company
requested that this contract be
cancelled in order that the com
pany might write a new four
year contract which it was said
would have the state $2800 a
year.
New Office Building
Pearson claims that both
Portland General Electric and
Pacific Power and Electric com
pany have requested opportu
nity to bid for power for the new
office building in Portland but
added that the rate offered by
the two companies is based on
the regular tariffs with no re
duction for the state. It is Pear
son's contention that the state
could save money by using Bon
neville power for this building
also.
The state treasurer said that
he realized that Bonneville ad
ministration does not solicit any
direct accounts, but said it was
his understanding that the state
was empowered not only to nego
tiate a contract for direct fed
eral nower but that there was
legislative authority for the
state to construct necessary
lines to bring such power to the
state buildings.
.Detroit Defeats
Incorporation
While voters on the question
ing of incorporating the city of
rtrnlt were turning down the
proposal Tuesday by a vote of
163 to 113, the Marion county
court in Salem approved the cor
porate entity of Idanha by cer-
ft.. 4 ,.nfa f 1QO fn A in
favor of creation of tnai cny.
Certification of the Idanha
vote had been delayed when the
ballot box appeared locked with
the tally sheet inside of it. So
Mrs. LaVelle Haseman, member
of the Idanha election board, ap
peared before the county court
Tuesday afternoon with an ex
tn fnllv sheet, the vote was cer
tified and the unincorporated
town became a city ready to
elect officers and function in
due course.
The ballot box from the De
troit election was received at the
courthouse Wednesday and the
court was expected to examine
the results and certify officially
as tu them some time during the
day.
In the meantime around the
courthouse there was consider
able speculation as to what
steps, if any, will now be taken
by Edison Vickers, champion of
the Detroit proposal, who had
issued a statement earlier that
he would exhaust every legal
remedy, even an appeal to the
supreme court, in connection
with the action of the county
court in setting the Idanha elec
tion date ahead of the Detroit
date, even though the Detroit
.petition were filed earlier,
8 Survivors
Of Flaming
Ship Landed
Dutch Motorship
Explodes at Sea
16 of Crew Missing
Miami, Fla., Dec. 14 VP)
Eight battered survivors of the
burning Dutch motorship Doros
were brought ashore by a coast
guard rescue plane today as
search continued for 16 others
still missing at sea.
A coast guard PBM Martin
Mariner flying boat landed the
men at air sea rescue headquar
ters in Miami.
One man was badly burned
and taken off on a stretcher.
The other seven were walking
cases. All were rushed to hos
pitals for treatment.
Horror and Death Tales
Survivors told a story of hor
ror and death.
'All the other officers are
dead," said the chief engineer,
identified only as Helmus.
Saloon Steward Edward Am-
zand said an explosian occur
red about 11 a.m. Monday. He
did not know the cause.
'The ship was suddenly all in
flames. I guess the explosion
was amidship but in seconds the
whole ship was on fire. I ran to
a life boat and helped put it in
the water."
The chief engineer, the only
white man in the group of sur
vivors, refused to discuss the
tragedy with reporters. The oth
ers were all Negroes and natives
of Dutch Guiana.
Blast Occurred Mondav
The chief engineer was among
the eight picked up from a life
boat. None of the men aboard
were identified.
(Concluded on Page 5, Column 7)
Indonesia
Now Free State
Batavia, Java, Dec. 14 JP)
Representatives of 16 Indonesian
states and territories signed to
night a constitution which will
join them in an independent
United States of Indonesia, sov
ereign though linked with the
Dutch crown.
The constitution becomes ef
fective the moment The Nether
lands transfers sovereignty, pro
bably Dec. 27, surrendering the
fabulously rich islands after 300
years of Dutch rule. Within two
weeks the constitution probably
will become the supreme law of
a new nation of 77,000,000 peo
ple in the southwest Pacific.
The constitution sets up a fed
eral state patterned after Euro
pean democracies. Government
power will be exercised by the
president and his ministers,
along with a house of represen
tatives and a senate.
The constitution calls for the
selection of a president by depu
ties from each of the 16 states.
An electoral body already has
been formed and is scheduled to
pick the chief of state Saturday
at Jogjakarta, Java. The presi
dent will choose three cabinet
members, who, in turn, will se
lect three others. The govern
ment, in abbreviated formj is
scheduled to accept sovereignty
uec. Z7 and go ahead later with
formation of the senate, house,
ana otner organs of government.
Security Costs $20 Billion
Washington, D.C., Dec. 14 (P)
The committee for economic
development (CED) estimated
today that national security will
cost at least $20,000,000,000
year for years to come.
Ham n Eggs Promoter
Probed by Legislators
Sacramento, Calif., Dec. 14 UP) An investigating committee
again pointed its finger at pension promoter George H. Mc
Lain today and told him to show up with his financial records.
The senate welfare committee invited Assemblyman John W.
Evans (R.), Los Angeles, to appear at the same meeting here
next Monday. He was offered1
the chance to tell his side of aj
sworn statement that McLain's
citizens' committee for old age
pensions paid him $75 a week
during the last session of the
legislature.
Senator Fred Weybret (R.) Sa
linas, the chairman, said he
wanted to find out:
1. Whether there has been im
proper use of the money collect
ed from oldsters by CCOAP.
2. Whether such organizations
should be controlled by law.
The McLain issue dropped in
the midst of the legislature's spe
cial session which convened
P vWmSiM jwsV
Israeli Move
To Jerusalem
Jerusalem. Dec. 14 VP) Pre
mier David Ben-Gurion arrived
today in Jerusalem to set up his
government in the disputed Holy
City in defiance of the United
Nations plan for international
ization. The silver-haired, 64-year-old
chief of government arrived just
before noon, without fanfare or
ceremony, drove to a hotel
where the flag of Israel was
hoisted, and began an Informal
conference with his ministers
and officials.
His arrival climaxed a trans
fer of government ministers
which has been going on quietly
ever since peace was restored to
the city after the end of the
Arab-Jewish Palestine war. In
the shadow of the walls of the
Old City,, occupied and patrolled
by soldiers of Hashemite Jordan,
the Israeli officials went method
ically about the business of set
ting governmental functions in
motion.
The prime ministry is the sev
enth of the Israeli ministries to
be installed in headquarters
Jerusalem. The foreign minis
ter, however, is remaining in Tel
Aviv, at least for the time being.
Jewish residents of the Holy
City always have regarded it as
the "eternal capital" of Israel,
but these moves, coming so
quickly after the U.N. decision
to make this an international;
area, have been carried out in
an atmosphere of deadly
ousness.
Today's Palestine Post said it
is fully realized that "powerful
forces have been set in motion
by the assembly's decision,'
New Seaplane for
Warring on Subs
Washington, Dec. 14 (P) The
navy is getting a new seaplane
made especially for warring on
submarines. It is to be capable.
too, of landing and taking off
from the rough, open sea.
The navy announced today an
initial production contract for
the P5M-1 has been awarded the
Glenn L. Martin company of
Baltimore.
The new plane, said the navy,
"will carry the latest electronic
for submarine detection, includ
ing a prominent bow radar scan
ner." It will be powered with two
Wright engines, and be manned
with a crew of seven.
three days ago. There were
these other developments:
Action on Governor Warren's
lobbyist control proposal was
slowed. At the request of As
semblyman Marvin Sherwin (R.)
Piedmont, who introduced it
with 56 others; the bill was re
ferred to subcommittees to re
draft controversial sections.
Members of the assembly
committee announced they
would introduced a bill provid
ing $2,500,000 to schools hav
ing a tough time because of in
creased attendance.
Phi Delta Theta Gives a Christmas Party Salem young
sters were first provided with a big dinner at the Phi Delta
Theta fraternity house Tuesday evening followed by a distri
bution of cowboy hats and presents around the Christmas
tree. Shown at the back are fraternity members Dave Card,
Bob Muhr, Larry Stocks, president; Gordon Cline and Chuck
Patterson.
Says Vishinsky Forced
Red Regime on Romania
Lake Success, Dec. 14 VP)
U.N. today made public charges by Romanian ex-Foreign Minis
ter Constantin Visoianu that Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei
Vishinsky forced a communist -
London Power
Strike Settled
London, Dec. 14 VP) The
British Press association said to
night it understood London's
crippling power strike has been
Settled."" '' Hi ' -if'V-i y;.
The wildcat strike in four of
London's biggest nationalized
power houses had threatened
earlier today to spread to every
plant in the city.
Recommendations will be
made at a mass meeting of the
strikers tomorrow for an imme
diate return to work," the re
port said.
General agreement was re
ported reached between strik
ers and the British electricity
authority which operates the
government-owned power sta
tions. Some of the 2,700 strikers
were out in protest against the
government's sending of troops
to operate the Brimsdown plant
when powermen there walked
out over a wage dispute.
Although the uniformed army,
navy and air force men were
struggling to keep the plants op
erating. London's power was
seriously cut. The fuel minis
try issued emergency orders
similar to those of the war days
ordering the populace to cut
electricity use to a minimum.
At dawn the four struck plants
were putting out only 50 per cont
of their capacity, causing lights
to go out in some parts of the
city and surrounding counties,
forcing hospitals to turn on
emergency plants and slowing
down the city's transportation
system.
Chinese Troops
May Aid France
Hong Kong. Dec. 14 VP) Pro-
communist newspapers said to
day nationalist Gen. Pai Chung-
Hsi has been negotiating witn
French officials in Indochina for
the incorporation of some of his
30,000 troops into the French
colonial army.
Pai's 30,000 troops are crowd
ed on the Indochina border by
Chinese communists. Earlier he
had reportedly asked permission
to evacuate the troops through
Indochina to the nationalist Isl
and of Hainan.
The pro-Red newspapers, Ta
Kung Po and Wen Wei Po, pub
lished the reports from Canton.
Ta Kung Po said Pai had pro
posed that his troops cross the
Indochina border as a volun
teer army to assist the French
in fighting communism. The
newspaper added Pai already
had appointed a Chinese com
mander for the army.
Peiping communist officials
recently warned, all countries
bordering China not to give
sanctuary to Chinese national
ists fleeing China. French Indo
china was singled out in partic
ular by the Peiping communist
radio.
The American delegation to the
dominated government on Ro-
'mania.
The charges bore out press
dispatches of February, 1045
which told of Komamas en
trance into the communist camp
Visoianu offered to testify be
fore the United Nations. He now
is living in New York.
He said that 'as foreign min
ister he witnessed a series of
meetings Vishinsky had with
former King Mihai. The climax
of the conferences came, Visoi
anu said, when Vishinsky sub
mitted an ultimatum to the king
demanding the replacement of
the government of Nicholas
Radescu with one headed by
Petre Groza.
Mihai was given a two-hour
time limit to meet the demand
and Vishinsky finally had his
way after he banged a table
with his fist, the former Ro
manian foreign minister said.
Visoianu's statement continued:
'After several other remarks
spoken in the same peremptory
tone . . . Mr. Vishinsky ended:
"That is all! I shall await the
news of Gen. Radescu's resigna
tion!' Then he left, slamming
the door with such force that
the plaster around it cracked.
"That very day saw the be
ginning of a deployment of Sov
iet tanks and troops in the
streets of Bucharest."
Stores Can't Hold
Give-Away Drawings
Attorney General George Nou-
ner ruled today that stores can't
hold drawings to give away mer
chandise. He said they are il
legal lotteries.
State Sen. Jack Lynch, Port
land, asked him if it was all
right for a store to have custom
ers put their names in jars, and
then have the store draw a name
to give merchandise.
Search for Missing Girl
for Ruth Aberle, 15, who disappeared while looking for Christmas trees near kciso, wasn.,
prepare to search an area where fresh footprints were found. The tracks were found a
mile and a half from where the high school sophomore was last seen and, according to
searchers, "looked like they were made by an extremely exhausted person." (Acme Tele-photo.)
Sioux City Swift Plant Blast
Kills Over 30, Injures 200
IWrfh Confonrocla
For Titoism Give
Bulgar Officials
Sofia, Bulgaria, Dec. 14 (fP)
Traicho Kostov, former commu
nist vice premier of Bulgaria,
was convicted of treason tonight
and sentenced to death by hang
ing.
The number two defendant,
Ivan Stefanov, former finance
minister, was sentenced to life
imprisonment.
They were tried with nine
others on charges of plotting
with Americans, Britons and
Yugoslavs to make communist
Bulgaria a puppet of Premier
Marshal Tito's Yugoslavia.
Life Terms for Others
These defendants also receiv
ed life terms:
Nikola Pavlov, former admin
istrative secretary of the Bulga
rian communist Politburo and
former vice minister of public
works.
Nikolav Nachev, former depu
ty construction minister and
chairman of the state committee
for economic affairs.
Ivan Gevrinov, former direc
tor of the Bulgarian National
bank and former director of the
national rubber industries.
Ivan Tutev, former director
of the board of foreign trade,
The trial came to a close
abruptly yesterday after a sec
ond attempt by Kostov to repu
diate the charges against him
went unheard. As he started to
renounce the confession he was
said to have made to police be
fore the trial a wave of indigna
tion ran through the audience
and drowned out his words.
(Concluded on Page 5, Column 8)
Ward Denies
Espionage Tale
Aboard Lakeland Victory en
route to Pushan, Korea, Dec. 14
lP) Consul General Angus
Ward today denied the Mukden
consulate was a United States
spy ring headquarters, a charge
the communists said they used
as a basis for deporting the last
Americans from Manchuria.
The decree came in a verdict
from a Mukden criminal court
which convicted eight Japanese
and Chinese on charges of be
ing American spies. They were
sentenced to prison terms rang
ing from two to four years each.
The court also found them
guilty of plotting rebellions and
uprisings and "undermining the
revolutionary enterprise of the
Chinese people."
The court, which during the
trial said it had "evidence" the
accused Japanese and Chinese
worked with American intelli
gence agencies operating out of
the Mukden consulate, then de
creed the consulate "endangered
the national welfare of the peo
ples Republic of China" and said
"the entire group of foreign per
sonnel of the former American
consulate should- be deported
from China."
Ward denied intelligence
agents worked out of the con-
Isulate while he was in Mukden.
Some of the several hundred volunteers pressed into the hunt
Ruth Aberlc
No Trace Found
Of Girl Scout
Kelso, Wash., Dec. 14 m
Searchers, with waning hope,
again today forced their way
through underbrush of the Os-
trander creek area in quest of
Ruth Aberle.
The 16-year-old Girl Scout has
been missing since straying
away from companions Sunday
noon while on a Christmas tree
hunt.
There is little hope that she
will be found uninjured, and a
growing fear that she is dead.
Coroner Gordon Quarnstrom re
ported last night that sheriff's
deputy Merle Bevlns had all but
given up hope of finding ner
alive.
But sheriff's deputy Costa
Watts said late last night, as fog
blanketed the area and all but
brought the search to a halt,
"The search will go on. We won'
give up."
At dawn today more than 100
men headed north from the
point where they have establish-
a base camp.. They hoped that
footprints, found late yesterday
before the fog moved in, might
lead to the pretty high school
student. Tracks followed earlier
yesterday played out.
The new tracks took off along
the north fork of the main
stream. They were followed un
til 10:30 last night.
Campfires dotted the rough
hillside and a mobile generator
lighted the camp where 100 men
spent the night. Sheriff C. W.
Raynolds issued a call for fresh
searchers today.
A Salvation Army group that
arrived Sunday night with the
start of the search, continued
serving hot coffee, and sand
wiches prepared in Kelso and
relayed to the chilled volun
teer searchers.
More than 500 have taken part
in the greatest hunt people here
can recall. Men of the Longvicw
Kclso unit of the Washington
national guard joined loggers,
businessmen, laborers and even
housewives In the quest.
Vetoes Negro Housing Project
Charlotte, N.C., Dec. 14 VP)
The federal government has re
jeeted this city's application for
400 public housing units because
the project was intended for
Negroes only. City officials
met today to discuss a new bid.
Levels
5 Story Brick
Office Building
Sioux City, la., Dec. 14 VP)
Thirteen persons were known to
have been killed and more than
three-score injured today in an '
explosion at the Swift & Co.
packing plant. Estimates had
been made that the dcalth toll
would reach 30 or 35. The ex
plosion was caused by natural "
gas.
At 4:15 p.m. (EST), three and '
a half hours after the explosion,
Lt. Cmdr. M. w. Feddersen, head
of the naval reserve unit, said
13 bodies four of them uniden
tified had been taken to the
naval reserve armory.
Debries Being Searched
Feddersen said debris of the
wrecked plant was being search
ed for possible additional vic
tims. He also said other bodies
may have been taken to other
emergency reception centers.
Others known dead by mld-
nflerhoon were Alvin E, Heck,
Henry Louis Babcock, Ralph
Paul Beck, John M. Butler, all
of Sioux City; David Joseph Sel-
kirt, Hinton, la., and Clindon
Merrill Johnson, Bronson, la.
John Glen, 60, general man
ager of the plant, suffered cuts,
bruises and shock. He was struck
in the left side of the head and
knocked unconscious. At Meth
odist hospital his conditon wart
reported fair.
Brig. Gen. Charles Grahhl, ad
jutant general of the Iowa Na
tional Guard, said in Des Moines
that guard officers told him by
phone that "30 or 35 were kill
ed." He called it probably tha
worst disaster in Sioux City his
tory."
Lindgren said firemen and
vnliintppre Vinrl HnnnM cthk lYtuulra
to go into the debris-choked
basement where cries of the in
jured could be heard.
200 Said Injured
Estimates of the number of
injured ran as high as 200.
Al Wright, city sales manager
for Swift who was in the com
pany restaurant in one corner of
the five-story brick office build
ing at the time of the explosion,
said:
"There was a big puff. That's
all I know."
(Concluded on Page 5, Column 6)
Truman to Urge
Fair Deal Bills
Key West, Fla., Dec. 14 VP)
Work at the. temporary White
House slowed down to little
more than routine today.
President Truman delegated
most of what there was to do to
John R. Stcclman, assistant, and
Clark M. Clifford, special coun
sel. They in turn delegated to staf
fers in Washington necessary leg
and research work to got the
State of the Union" message
into shape for final considera
tion by the full cabinet before
the last draft is written at the
White House.
The president, has been made
clear, will urge congress in a
personal appeal in January, for
that part of the "Fair Deal" it
refused to pass this year.
How he proposes to raise
enough new taxes to offset a
prospective new deficit has not
been disclosed. Nor has he said
how he views suggestions to el
iminate or reduce wnr-timc ex
cise taxes.
He long has advocated a re
vision of the tax structure to
close loopholes, shift a greater
share of the cost of government
to the profits of corporations, and
reduce the taxes of low-income
groups.
To Remove Snags
In Tillamook Burn
The state forestry board will
receive bids until December 30
on removal of 2,718 snags from
the Tillamook burn near Owl
camp.
It will be the third area in the
region to be clear of snags.
Removal of snags is part of the
job of fire-proofing the area,
which has been swept by fire
three times since 1933.
George Spaur, state forester,
said work is going ahead on the
snag removal program.