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61st Year, No. 298 SS?jrSSS Salem, Oregon, Thursday, December 15,
(32 Pages)
Price 5c
Truman Studies Police
to Use
Repeal of War
Excise Taxes
Plane to Catch
Lawbreakers
THS. WEATHER HERE
MOSTLY CLOUDY, occasional
showers tonight; partly cloudy,
scattered showers Friday; snow
over mountains. Little change in
temperature. Lowest tonight, 33;
highest Friday, 44.
Mailmam Teaterday, 41; minimum to
day, 29. Total 24-bour precipitation!
Trace; for month: l.U; normal, 3.05. Sea
on precipitation, 10.92; normal, 13.79. Ri
ver helfht, .4 of fool, (Report by U.S.
Weather Bureau.)
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In Surprise Press Con
ference President Says
. 'Wait for Message'
Key West, Fla., Dec. 15 m
President Truman said today
that treasury and congressional
staff experts are making studies
to determine whether war-time
excise taxes can be repealed.
In a surprise vacation news
conference, the president de
clined to say whether he will
ask new taxes of congress.
However, he said it was al
ways his aim to balance the
budget.
Reminded that he had told a
news conference in Washington
recently that he knew of no way
to wipe out a deficit other than
by rising taxes, he was asked if
he still felt that way.
He said the whole matter was
under consideration by a treas
ury committee of experts and
by staff experts for the house
ways and means committee. He
said they were working har
moniously. Reporters In Pajamas
Walking into the press room
on the navy's bachelor officers
quarters here, the president sud
denly went into a press con
ference on which he gave no
advance warning. Some of the
reporters were in their pajamas.
A recent statement by Secre
tary of Commerce Sawyer sug
gesting elimination of war-time
excise taxes to aid business was
called to his attention. Asked
if he agreed with Sawyer's pro
posals, he said the question was
under consideration by the ex
perts. The matter will be covered in
the budget message, he said.
Under questioning on other
matters, the president:
Denies Navy Revision
' 1. Denied revising a navy list
0 f recommended promotions
from captain to admiral to elim
inate Captain Arleigh A. Burke
for his oppostiion to some phases
of the unification program. He
said the list was still on his desk,
that no name had been added or
subtracted and that it was the
only list.
2. Said he hasn't chosen suc
cessors to David E. Lilienthal as
chairman of the atomic energy
commission or Dr. Edwin G.
Nourse as chairman of the eco
nomic advisory council. Nor was
he ready to announce a successor
to Clark M. Clifford, who Is
leaving as his special counsel.
(Concluded on Pare 5, Column T)
Defiance of UN
By Israeli Noted
Lake Success, Dec. 15 VP)
France asked the U.N. trustee
ship council today to note "with
concern" the moving of Israeli
government offices to Jerusalem
in defiance of a general assem
bly decision to put the holy
city under international rule.
' Chairman Roger Garreau
(France) told the council mem
bers they "are like eunichs in a
harem" in trying to deal with
the internationalization problem
now.
The French resolution was the
first positive move before the
12-nation council, which is
charged with carrying out the
assembly's decision.
The council meeting, behind
closed doors, got off to a slow
start. An informant who came
out said delegates were hesitant
about advancing suggestions or
plans.
There was general agreement
that the Israeli moves had com
plicated the council's already
difficult task.
The 12-nation council trustee
ship council has what many del
egates say publicly and many
others concede privately as a
hopeless task to draft a U.N
statute for the city's rule and to
name a governor to carry it out
over the defiance of both Israel
and Jordan.
Israel's quick conversion of
Jerusalem into its operative cap
ital hands the council another
accomplished fact that compli
cates any Internationalization
scheme, which has both Vatican
and Kremlin support behind it.
Bend Youths Win
Washington, Dec. IS VP) Two
boys and a girl have been named
Oregon winners in the 9th an
nual production and marketing
contest of the' National Junior
Vegetable Growers association.
Awards were announced last
night. Named for Oregon were
Donald K. Sorenson, Rt 1, Bend;
Violet K. Klobas, Rt. 3, Bend,
and Walter H. Pritchard, Jr., Rt.
I, Bend.
Salem Air Patrol
Buys 2 Seated
Aeronca Chief
By DOUGLAS THOMAS
The services of a two-place
airplane, purchased by the Sa-
lem Police Air Patrol, were
placed at the disposal of the city,
county and state law enforce
ment agencies at the capital city
area today.
The airplane, purchased last
week by the patrol whose mem
bership is drawn from the regu
lar city force, will be used to aid
police work as well as to assist
in emergency work.
The purchase set Salem's po
lice department a step ahead of
other law enforcement agencies
of Oregon as well as all but
larger cities of the nation. It
became the first unit to have a
plane available with the pur
chase of the Aeronca Chief,
side-by-side plane powered with
a 50-horsepower engine.
To Serve Entire Area
Leonard Skinner, a regular
patrolman who was elected com
mander of the patrol unit, em
phasized that the plane would be
ready to serve all worthy causes
not only of Salem but the sur
rounding area as well.
'The use of an aircraft will
undoubtedly aid searches of this
area for escapees from state in
stitutions as well as for aircraft
which may be down in the re
gion," Skinner explained.
"It will be placed at the dis
posal of the Marion county sher
iff's office as well as state po
lice. The air patrol will provide
a pilot and the plane. '
(Concluded on 7ag:e 5, Column 6)
Recall Petition
Filed on Lanqley
Olympia, Dec. 15 VP) A peti
tion for the recall of Governor
Langlie was filed yesterday with
the secretary of state and the
governor himself may have to
help finance the program.
The state fund for checking
recall petitions, initiatives and
referendums is low, said Ken
neth Gilbert, state supervisor of
elections. If cash is needed to
check petition signatures, the
governor may be asked to pro
vide funds from his emergency
money.
The petition, charging Langlie
with malfeasance, misfeasance
and violation of his oath of of
fice, was signed by 15 persons.
They identified themselves as
members of the provisional com
mittee for the recall of Arthur
B. Langlie and said they were
acting for some 350 others.
Names of the 350 were typed
on the papers.
Alvin Warren of Seattle, com
mittee secretary, handled the de
tails. He said the committee had
no chairman or other officers,
except himself,
The petition charged that the
governor aided and abetted
trusts and monopolies in the
timber and communications in
dustries for personal, political
and financial support in his cam
paign for governor. It said he
was trying to force welfare re
cipients to buy their food at
chain stores and that he was
responsible for cuts in their pub
lie assistance grants.
Salem Host to at Least
5 Conventions in 1950
By STEPHEN A. STONE
Salem will entertain at least
of state-wide, Pacific northwest
First to come will be the United States Hop Growers associa
tion, having memberships in
California. The convention is
Headquarters will be set up at-
the Marion hotel and entertain
ment programs will be at the
Crystal Gardens. Program de
tails are yet to be arranged.
The convention is expected to
bring 350 or 400 persons to Sa
lem for the three days. Gor
don D. Hadley of Independence
is convention chairman.
E. T. Rooney of Sacramento
is president and E. L. Markell
of San Francisco secretary-manager
of the association.
Next organization to be Sa
lem's guest will be the Sorop
timists coming for the annual
district spring conference. The
dates are April 14, 15 and 16.
The district covers Oregon,
Washington, Idaho and Montana.
Mrs. Glenn McCormick is presi
a
Wu Named to
Rule Formosa
Taipeh, Formosa, Dec. 15 (VP)
K. C. Wu, American educated
former mayor of Shanghai, was
nominated governor of Formosa
today by the standing commit
tee of the kuomintang (national
ist party) at a meeting presided
over by Generalissimo Chiang
Kai-Shek.
The nomination, which was
an obvious move to woo United
States aid for nationalist China,
will go to the cabinet tomorrow
for confirmation. Wu would
succeed Gen. Chen Cheng, at
present governor of the island
and military commander of the
southeastern nationalist areas.
The nationalists, bidding
strongly for United States aid in
holding Formosa from the com-'
munists, have been redesigning
their political setup. Nomination
of Wu would indicate civilian
leaders were replacing military
men in political posts wherever
possible. .
Italian State
Employes Out
Rome, Dec. 15 VP) Italian
state employes went on 24-hour
strike today for higher pay.
The government employs more
than a million workers, but it
was not known in the strike's
early hours how many stayed off
the job.
Anti-communist and commun
ist union leaders banded togeth
er in ordering the strike.
A spokesman for the communist-dominated
general Confeder
ation of Labor (CGIL) said it
was too early to comment on the
strike's effectiveness.
"Inasmuch as all confedera
tions (unions) are compact In
this strike," he said, "however,
it can be assumed that it will
be 95 to 100 percent effective."
All but vital public services
and railroads were scheduled to
be affected.
Rome's central and subsidiary
post offices were shut down,
There was no mail delivery in
the city. - -
The interurban telephone ser
vice was interrupted.
five conventions during 1950
or coast-wide importance.
Oregon, Washington, Idaho and
dated for February 9, 10, and 11.
dent of the hostess Salem club.
The Association of Oregon Po
lice Officers, comprising the of
ficers of all Oregon cities, will
hold its state convention in Sa
lem May 2 and 3. The associa
tion is sponsored by the city of
ficers, but has the cooperation
of the sheriffs, the federal bu
reau of investigation and the
League of Oregon Cities, par
ticularly in the traveling police
schools sponsored by the city of
ficers. Chief of Police C. M. Leding
of Astoria is president of the
state association.
Following soon after the po
licemen will be the annual con
vention of the Oregon State Fire
Chiefs association, and jointly
(Concluded on Pace 5, Column ()
Salem Aerial Patrol Acquires a Plane Aeronca Chief, first
unit in Salem Aerial patrol composed of city police officers,
is inspected at the airport by (from left) Gene Nordone,
Clive Scott, Leonard Skinner, commander; and Bill Page.
Below: Commander Skinner explains maneuvers to members
of the partol. From left: Gene Nordone, E. A. Finch, Al Mc
Rae, W. G. Esplin, Jos. J. Schuetz, Bill Page, S. A. Jenness
and Commander Leonard E. Skinner. Members of the patrol
not shown are: Orrin O. White, David Bain. James Stovall,
Vernard Schmidt and Orrin Potter.
Bridge Hearing Here
Dated for January 4
Application of the state highway commission for authority
to construct a bridge across the
will be considered by the Portland district, corps of army engi
neers, at a public hearing in the conference room of the Oregon
State Library building at 10:30
Secret Status
San Francisco. Dec. 15 VP) I
An admitted former communist
says longshore leader Harry
Bridges was accorded a special,
secret status in the party.
Manning R. Johnson, a gov
ernment witness in Bridges' per
jury trial, testified yesterday
that top communist party mem
bers gave the labor leader pro
tection "for security reasons."
The Negro witness added:
"We never had a communist
in the key position Harry Bridg
es held out on the Pacific coast
and I do know that they would
do much to protect him."
Bridges is charged with per
jury at his naturalization hear
ing in 1945. He testified he was
not, and had not been, a mem
ber of the communist party. Two
other officials of t h e Interna
tional Longshoremen's and
Warehousemen's union (CIO)
J. R. Robertson and Henry
Schmidt are on trial with
Bridges, accused of conspiracy.
Johnson s testimony came as
the witness was under cross-examination
by defense counsel
James Maclnnis. It was John
son's explanation of why he had
seen Bridges only once, had nev
er met him personally and had
n't seen him again until the cur
rent trial.
Earlier, the witness testified
that Bridges was elected to the
party's national committee dur
ing the 1936 convention.
Austria Peace
Pact Delayed .
New York, Dec. 15 VP) The
Big Four deputy foreign minis
ters decided yesterday to halt
temporarily their attempts to
write an Austrian independence
treaty.
They will meet again in -Lon
don Jan. 9, at which time,
British spokesman said, there is
"every possibility of success."
He quoted the Russian repre
sentative, Georgi N. Zarubin, as
believing all obstacles to the
treaty would be removed by
then.
An American source said the
adjournment came after the Rus
sians claimed they could not
continue with the treaty writing
until direct talks, now under
way in Vienna between Russia
and Austria, are completed.
Prime purpose of the treaty
would be to get troops of the
Big Four the U.S., Britain,
France and Russia out of Aus
tria and let the country go along
on Its own.
Willamette river at Marion street
a.m., January 4.
Col. Donald S Burns. Port
land district engineer, said the
plans submitted by the highway
commission show a bridge with
three navigation spans provid
ing a vertical clearance of 67.4
feet above- low water for the
east span, a minimum horizontal
clearance between piers of 200
feet and a horizontal clearance
to the low water of 190 feet
above low water.
For the center span the min
imum vertical clearance will be
69.4 feet and minimum horizon
tal clearance 240 feet. Clearan
ces for the west span are not
shown.
All persons interested are in
vited to be present in person or
to be represented to express
their opinions on the suitability
of the location and the adequacy
of the plans relative to naviga
tion and flood control, and to
suggest any changes considered
desirable.
Oral statements will be heard,
but for accuracy of record all
important facts and arguments
should be submitted in writing,
in quadruplicate, as the record
of the hearing will be forwarded
for consideration by the depart
ment of the army.
$60,000 Spent
By PGE Here
Approximately 350 residences
and commercial establishments
in southwest Salem will be bene
fitted by electric service im
provements just completed by
Portland General Electric com
pany at a cost of nearly $60,000,
Fred G. Starrett, Willamette
valley division manager for PGE
has announced.
Working in the area since Oc
tober, line crews have increas
ed the voltage on the main dis
tribution line from the Salem
Heights sub-station from 2400
volts to 12,500 volts, and chang
ed the line so that it now distri
butes power from PGE's newly
enlarged sub-station on Liberty
road.
These changes will provide
PGE customers in the Croisan
creek, Roberts and Halls Ferry
area and adjacent side roads
with more uniform voltage and
adequate capacity to handle all
present requirements as well as
estimated future electrical needs
of the growing area, Starrett ex
plained.
Construction work on the
higher voltage line was done ov
er existing lines in some cases,
and some unavoidable service
interruptions were necessary in
the course of the project, Star
rett said.
Cabin Cruiser Destroyed
Portland, Ore., Dec. 15 u.R)
Fire destroyed a floating boat-
house and a 33-foot cabin cruis
er at the Portland Yacht club
here last night. Damage was es
timated at $15,000.
Lost Ruth Aberle Alive 12
Miles From Search Area
Find 18 Bodies
In Blast Ruins
01 Swift Plant
(Pictures on Page 10)
Sioux City, la.. Dec. 15 VP)
Amid a scene of ruin "Just like
the place had been bombed,"
workmen and machines today
dug through rubble where at
least 18 persons perished in a
violent explosion yesterday.
As sorrowing families of the
18 identified dead went about
funeral preparations the search
at the Swift & Co. packing plant
continued for two persons still
missing.
Nine of some 90 other persons
injured remained in critical con
ditions at hospitals.
Leaking gas which had ham
pered search operations was
stopped last night.
Workmen who labored
throughout the night under
floodlights used blow torches to
melt away twisted girders.
1000 in Building
The searchers were able to
discard their gas masks after
ammonia fumes from the plant's
shattered refrigeration system
were cut off at their source.
The blast rocked the build
ing shortly before the noon hour
yesterday. There were about
1,000 persons in the building.
(Concluded on Page 5, Column T)
13 Rescued As
Dutch Ship Sinks
Miami, Fla., Dec. 15 VP)
Planes and ships hunted the
burning derelict of the Dutch
motorship Doros today but the
craft was believed to have sunk
during the night with 10 of 11
victims.
Thirteen survivors are safe,
eight in a Miami hospital and
five aboard a rescue ship, the
Texas oil tanker Williamsburg,
en route to Philadelphia.
Those brought to Miami were
snatched from a wallowing life
boat 300 miles off Florida by
the Richfield oil tanker Spar
rows Point.
One man is known to be dead
He was the cook, Bruyn Van
Roscnburg, who died of burns
aboard a lifeboat and was bur
ied by his shipmates at sea.
An engine room or galley ex
plosion was believed responsible
for the tragedy which struck
without warning Monday.
v
m
Hunt for Missing Girl Searchers pause for coffee served
by Salvation Army workers as they continue hunt for 16-year-old
Ruth Aberle who disappeared while seeking Christ
mas trees in a wooded area near Kelso, Wash. Snow and rain
dampened hopes that the girl will be found alive. (AP Wire-photo)
p tV'-.
Ruth Aberle
Detroit Stores
Wrecked by Gas
Detroit, Dec. 15 VP) Wild gas
exploding in flaming fury
wrecked five stores and injured
six persons here last night.
Quick warnings before the
Darrage-iiKe blasts let go, po
lice said, saved many lives.
Four firemen and a policeman
along with a store employe, were
hurt. -
The explosions shook north
west Detroit for three miles
around a business neighborhood
at Wyoming and Schoolcraft ave
nue. Firemen battled gas-fed
flames for more than an hour
before bringing them under con
trol. The first explosion occurred
at the Greater Wyoming Market
shortly after 8 p.m. Witnesses
said it sent smoke and flame
mushrooming from the one-story
brick building.
Then other explosions ripped
through four other stores in the
same block. They were Tom's
Grill, the K-John Camera Shop,
Ridley Cleaners and the Bright
er Homes Paint Shop.
The Michigan Consolidated
Gas Co. said gas from a hieh
pressure main got out of control
as a crew of four company em
ployes were Installing a regula
tor on a line leading into the
Greater Wyoming Market.
New Plates May Be Used
Today is the first day it is le
gal for automobile owners to use
their new license plates. The
plates must be bought by Jan
uary 1. Some motorists already
have their new plates on their
cars, but they were not penaliz
ed. y : -
try "v-ec , .
mm "nMiiii
16-Year-0ld Girl
Missing Since
Last Sunday
Kelso, Wash., Dec. 15 VP)
Ruth Aberle, missing since Sun
day, was found alive today, in
the forested region northeast of
here, sheriff's deputy Ted House
said.
He said details were not clear,
but the girl was found on the
upper Coweeman river some 12
miles from the search area.
Mrs. W. W. Ridling, a civil
deputy in the sheriff's office,
said that the girl had apparently
walked into a house in the up
per Coweeman river country un
der her own power.
Mrs. Ridling said she received
a telepnone call irom a Mrs.
Smith, saying the girl had walk
ed into her home. Sheriff C. W.
Reynolds left immediately for
the area, about 12 miles from the
search base.
There was no report on her
condition.
It was the end of the biggest
hunt in this region's history.
Ruth, 16-year-old Girl Scout,
left a group of nine others about
noon Sunday while engaged in
hunting Christmas trees. A
search was started immediately.
Volunteers combing the rugged
area swelled to more than 600
yesterday and 200 more were
sought today as Sheriff C. W.
Reynolds and his aides refused
to give up in the face of dwindl
ing hope.
The first night after her dis
appearance there was snow and
sub-freezing temperatures. Since
then there has been intermittent
rain in near-freezing weather.
(Concluded on Page 5, Column 8)
Claim Britain
Made A Bomb
London, Dec. 15 (fP) The
Daily Mirror gave its readers
the impression today that Brit
ain has produced an atomic
bomb.
The mass circulation tabloid
said in an unattributed, undated
article by its atomic affairs writ
er, Ronald Bedford:
"Britain's atomic weapon,
which our scientists have been
developing for more than two
years, will not be tried out at
the forthcoming test of Ameri
can super-atom bombs."
There was no confirmation
from any other source of the in
ference that Britain already has
an atomic weapon.
Government ministers, ques
tioned frequently on the subject
in the house of commons, have
refused consistently to give any
hint as to whether British re
searchers have succeeded in
making atomic weapons.
Bedford noted that Defense
Minister A. V. Alexander, in
May, 1948, said atomic weapons
were "being developed" here.
Bedford wrote that the United
States, Britain and Canada at a
recent Washington conference on
atomic energy decided against
testing the purported British
weapon during the forthcoming
test of American weapons at n
iwetok atoll in the Pacific.
Albania Ordered to
Pay Britain $2 Billion
The Hague, Dec. 15 VP) The
international court of justice to
day ordered communist Albania
to pay Britain 843,957 ($2,
363,101.60) for the mining of
two British destroyers on Corfu
channel three years ago which
cost the lives of 44 British sail
ors. Britain had asked that amount
to compensate the families of the
sailors and pay for damages to
the warships in the Adriatic sea
incident of October, 1946.
The Soviet union and communist-governed
Czechoslovakia
cast their votes against the judg
ment. The other 12 judges voted
to support the British claim
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