Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 1950)
THE WEATHER HERE CLOUDY TONIGHT and Satur day with occasional freezing rain tonight and rain Saturday. Slightly warmer. Low tonight, 18; high Saturday, 35. Maximum yesterday, 24; minimum to day, 4 below lero. Total 24-hour preci pitation: u; (or month; trace; normal, .51. Season precipitation, 2 A fl Eli normal, 2316. River height, 8.5 feet. (Report by U.S. Weather Bureau.) G apital Jomriial HOME EDITION bzr.d Tear, No. T) matter at Salem. Oregon Salem, Oregon, Friday, February 3, 1950oBatow00ges; Price 5c Rain Slated To End Oregon Cold Wave Storm Said to Be Headed In with Mass Of Warm Air There was welcome news from the weather bureau Fri day morning with report a storm off the coast is moving in with a mass of warm air and rain for the "Arctic" northwest. Salem, shivering with a morn ) ing minimum of four degrees below zero, Friday, was hope ful the prediction comes true this time, local citizenry reach ing the "to believe or not to be lieve" stage after three morn ings of below zero temperatures th week. There's a little catch in the. forecast, however the appar ent "break" may start with oc casional freezing rain tonight, cays the weather bureau, turn ing ,to rain with warmer tem peratures Saturday, the general outlook being for cloudiness tonight and Saturday. Snowfall Feared Observers were encouraged with the developing cloudiness here Friday morning but hope ful a storm would not mean an other general heavy snowfall. Press reports received dur ing the morning were varied and a bit confusing. One reported two snow-bearing storms converging on Ore gon and Washington one storm to pull up temperatures but to bring a general snowfall; the , other to bring possibility of sleet and freezing rain and a gen eral prediction that any break in the intense cold wave will be comparatively slight tonight and tomorrow. (Concluded on Pae 5, Column 7) Child Victim of Cold Weather Cold weather claimed another victim here Friday morning, ti ny Bettie Render Mafsengale, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. St. El mo Massengale. The 19-month-old child, Cor oner Leston Howell said, died of uffocation from smoke from a smoldering mattress An elec tric heating pad had been plac ed in her bed to warm it and ap parently had ignited the mat tress, which was found smolder ing but not in flames. The father of the child, smell ing smoke early in the morning investigated and discovered her about 6:30 o'clock. A doctor was summoned but she was found to be dead. The Massengales came to Sa lem to make their home in April of 1949, when Massengale took over ownership and manage' ment of the Coca-Cola distribut ing plant here. Prior to living here they had been in Chicago. Surviving besides the parents are a brother, St. Elmo Massen gale III, and grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Hodgson of At lanta, Ga. Announcement of services will be made later by the Howell-Edwards chapel. 40,000 Fleeing Flooded Rivers (By the Associated Press) More than 25,000 persons took refuge on high ground today from flooding rivers in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and Arkansas. Temperatures were creeping above freezing in South Dakota, increasing hopes that a warm sun might melt some of a heavy snow blanket which has iso lated hundreds of persons. The mercury still hovered near the zero mark in North Dakota, however. The coldest spot in the coun try at dawn today was Kalis- pell, Mont., with 31 below. El- lensburg, Wash., had a -26. In Arkansas, the Red Cross reported it was caring for 19, 750 persons as rivers carried off water from heavy winter rains and a melting ice sheet. The ice, which had cut almost 100 Arkansas, Texas and Okla homa towns from communica tion with the outside world, was begining to melt today. The Sabine river also was beginning to flood in Texas as the run-off began. Tributaries of the Ohio river forced 1,800 families from their homes in Kentucky, West Vir ginia and Tennessee. Four per sons were dead as result of the floods. The Ohio itself was crest ing at Point Pleasant, W. Va. Columbia Basin Program OK'd By President Cost to Be $2.5 Billion For 20 Year Building Plan Washington, Feb. 3 (U.R) Pres ident Truman's approval of the $?, 500, 000,000 Columbia river development program was cou pled with a strong plug for the Columbia valley administration and a few "buts." The interior department an nounced late yesterday that the president's budget bureau has okayed the 20-year plan to make the Columbia river he world's greatest source of hydro-electric power. The president recom mends that congress adopt the program, but he: 1. Wants reclamation bureau authorizations held "at this time" to $200,000,000 about half the total required for ap proved projects. Cuti Idaho Program !. Objects to present approv al of all but five features of the Mt. Home project in Idaho, pen ding the report of his new water policy board on how much time should be allowed for project re payments, subsidies justified, etc. 3. Vetoes certain proposed cost allocations to pollution ab atement, salinity control, recre ation and sediment control. Through such allocation the amount that must be replaced ry water and power users can be cut down. Repayment of Interest 4. Orders the reclamation bureau not to use for project re payment the interest en its pow er investments except as pres ently authorized by eclamation law. (This stipulation was sub ject to several interpretations because the bureau claims it may now use power interest reven ues for repayment.) 5. Does not want any funds sought for the Crooked river project until the dam site is fin ally selected. 6. Says approval of the Can by project, in an area with 42 inches of national rainfall, does not constitute a precedent for projects in other humid or high rainfall areas. (Concluded on Pare 5, Column 6) Navy to Conduct Anti-Sub Games Tokyo, Feb. 3 (P) The U.S. navy will conduct "hunter-kill er" anti-submarine exercises this year in the Pacific, where Rus sia's submarine program is ex panding. The announcement came to day after the visiting U.S. joint chiefs of staff had more Pacific strategy conferences with Gen eral MacArthur and his top aides. Adm. Forrest P. Sherman, chief of naval operations, said the escort aircraft carrier Sicily and six destroyers were being sent to the "Pacific to conduct the exercises. Reports from Washington say the 12,000-ton Sicily will move to the Pacific in mid-April. The destroyers will be transferred before September. Four Perish At Klamath Klamath Falls, Feb. 3 ffl Disastrous Main street fire rose when Jimmy Speirs, 42, died had been horribly burned. The other dead are George Redmond, 71, and Mike Shepherd, 73, and a third man still un - identified. Searchers prowling through the ruins of the building have been able to search H complete ly and as nearly as police can determine the list-of injured and dead coincides with the number of persons known to have been in the building. At least one roomer is re ported to have been out of town The three bodies found in tne building were badly burned Redmond was identified by an artificial leg and Shepherd by papers in a charred suitcase. He and Redmond roomed together, Twelve persons were taken to the hospital, including two firefighters overcome by smoke and a state policeman whose ears were frozen. Speirs, who was burned most critically, ran from the rooming house with clothing ablaze and collapsed on the sidewalk. Still censcious, he begged a man who ran to his aid: It i V.. x r v- - ' - r n . ' - f-JR IN. Soviet Tightens Berlin Blockade Berlin, Feb. 3 (U.R) The Rus sians tightened their "baby blockade" of Berlin today de spite an American threat to re vive .the "airlift and take counter-measures against Soviet-controlled eastern Germany. German police at the Helm stedt checkpoint on the super highway to Berlin said the back log of Berlin-bound trucks in creased from 80 during the night to 170 just before noon (6 a.m. EST). Traffic from Berlin to west ern Germany also was slowed causing a backlog of 50 trucks by noon, police said. The warning that the airlift would be re-installed was is sued by a state department spokesman in Washington last night. U. S. air force officials here said planes that could form a nucleus of a new airlift were prepared to fly "almost im mediately." Russian border guards ignor ed all American statements and continued to hamstring Berlin truck traffic by slowing down their check of papers, inspec tion of loads and similar opera tions. The average rate of flow since the slowdown has been about five per hour, as compared with the pre-slowdown rate of about 20. in Fire Falls The death toll in this morning's to four shortly before noon at Klamath Valley hospital. He f - "Don't touch me. My arms are burning off." Three other residents of the rooming house, known as the Oregon rooms, leaped from a sec ond story window. One of them, Arley Stout, 39, fractured both ankles when he hit the pave ment. The flames are believed to have started in a room occu pied by Dean Thomas 44, prob ably from a cigarette Fire Chief Roy Rowe said. Thomas awakened Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Nobles who operate the rooms and yelled to awaken other roomers. The fire broke out about 1:30 a.m. and was declared under control at 5 a.m. The building is in the center of the business district, in the 600 block of Main street. The downstairs part houses Bertram's Jewelry and Arbuckle's Shoe store. (Concluded on Page 5, Column S) i t Willamette Ice Forms for Pleasure or Trouble Top. Willard Taylor and Loren Lattis inspect ice at the Cove, a two-acre pond directly across the river from the business center of West Salem, and find it thick enough to sustain their weight and perhaps suitable for skating. Last year good skating was available at the Cove for days. Lower: Taylor offered his tug boat to take the Capital Journal photographer up stream about two miles to the old river. Here the expanse of ice is extensive-and thick. Under certain weather conditions a break-up of Willamette ice could create a jam in the river at Salem such as occurred in December, 1924, when the stream was frozen from bank to bank by great chunks of jammed ice. -.': Dr.T.CHolyofOSUTo Survey Oregon Schools By JAMES Agreement on terms of a contract with Dr. T. C. Holy, of Ohio State university, to direct was reached Friday by members of a legislative interim com mittee on education. Rex Putnam, superintendent Mercy Slayer Testified Sane Bridgeport, Conn., Feb. 3 VP) Both sides ended their testi mony today after a state psychia trist swore that Carol Ann Paight was sane when she shot her father to death. Court recessed until next Tues day when state and defense will deliver final arguments before the mercy murder case goes to the jury. The physician, Dr. Joseph M. Lesko, said he examined the 21-year-old blonde five times since the shooting. In addition, lie said he had heard every word of tes timony at her trial, including that of a defense psychiatrist who labelled her insane. State's Attorney Lorin W. Willis then asked him if Carol was sane at this time. 'She is sane," replied Dr. Les ko. Then he asked the psychiatrist if Carol was sane when she shot her cancer-stricken father last September 23. The defense ob jected but the court ruled it was the same sort of question admit ted from defense witnesses. Dr. Lesko then replied: "She was sane." A window slammed shut as he finished his answer, startling spectators and jury in the dead silence that followed his words. Guard's Airbase to Be Improved Seen Portland, Feb. 3 VP) A $100,- 000 improvement program f o i the Oregon air national guard will start soon at the Portland air base. Adjutant General Thomas E, Rilea said that amount of mon ey had been authorized by the federal government for con struction and repair of the na tional guard section at the air- port. v. n D. OLSON a survey of Oregon schools of public instruction was au thorized by the committee to draft the contract, which must be approved by the state board of education. The board is sche duled to meet within two weeks. Under the contract Dr. Holy will assume directorship of study of public elementary and secondary education particular ly to determine just what the people are deriving from the educational program of the state.' The study is to be completed by September 1, 1950, with Dr. Holy to spend the greater part of his time in Oregon from the present time until the survey has been completed and a report prepared. In addition, it was agreed that Dr. Holy would be available during the entire legislative ses sion in 1951 for the purpose of consultation in the best interest of the survey report. (Concluded on Page 5, Column 5) ' Frozen Water Coil Explodes in Stove Dallas, Feb. 3 An unusual accident at the Earl Appleton residence, 224 'A Jefferson street, Tuesday, was directly attributable to the cold wea ther. It caused considerable con sternation but fortunately no one was injured. Appleton had laid a fire in the wood kitchen range before retiring Monday night, and he touched a match to it about 8:30 o'clock the next morning. While he was warming himself by the pleasant glow from the range, a frozen waterpipe coil in the range exploded, lifting the lids from the stove. One struck the ceiling and bounced back, nearly striking the man on the head. Smoke and soot were scattered over the room. A nail, probably in the kind ling wood, stuck in the celling. Appleton's wife and baby were not in the room at the time of the mishap U. S. Liner Damaged Southampton, England, Feb. 3 U.PjThe United States liner Washington was damaged slight ly when a powerful gust of wind blew her against the quay I wall as iha was docking today Cut in Excise Tax Held to $600 Million Snyder Outlines Pro gram New Tax Looms on Television Washington, Feb. 3 VP) Sec retary of the Treasury Snjder told congress today that "excise tax reduction must be limited to about $600,000,000." Spelling out details that had been sketched broadly by Pres ident Truman on Jan. 23, Snyder outlined the administration's ex cise (sales) tax reduction pro gram at the opening of house committee tax hearings: A new 10 per cen' tax to be levied upon television sets at the manufacturer's 'evel is ex pected to yield $40,000,000 ex tra revenue. This would partly offset total planned reductions in excise taxes of $695,000,000. In his text, however, Snyder used the round figure of $600,000,000. Reductions Outlined These excise tax reductions were outlined: Cutting the four 20 per cent retail levies on furs, luggage and womens' handbags, jewelry and toilet preparations to 10 per cent. Cutting long distance tele phone and telegraph tax charges from 25 to 15 per cent: the tax on rail, bus, airline and ship passenger tickets from 15 to 10 per cent, and repealing out right the three per cent freight haul tax. The administration plan called for flat exemption of "baby oils, powders and lotions" from the tax on toilet preparations. The 'baby oil" tax has provoked especially strong objections. (Concluded on Pure 5, Column 6) Welfare Costs Quarter Billion Sacramento, Calif., Feb. 3 VP) Social welfare in California including aged and blind pen sions, needy child aid and home relief last year cost more than a quarter of a billion dollars. The total cost actually was $275,893,170 or $96,286,209 more than what the same items cost in 1948. These figures, provided by the state social welfare department, represent the money paid out to the recipients of the public as sistance programs by the state, federal and county governments Not included in the totals, however, are administrative costs involved in handling the programs. Biggest item in the welfare bill was the old age and blind pension item. It cost $214,086,- 177 as compared with a cost of $138,210,466 in 1948. Of the 1949 total, the state of California paid $128,666,930 and the federal government paid $85,491,247. Counties did not! have to contribute anything be cause full pension responsibility was placed in the state by prop osition No. 4, which was passed in 1948, but repealed in 1949. Explosion Causes Loss By Fire at Silverton Silverton, Fob. 3 Gasoline stores in a tank in a garage at the C. A. Reed place on Mon- son road exploded Thursday night. Resultant loss by fire is placed around $500. There was no automobile in the garage at the time. Although firemen were hampered by a water shortage they prevented the fire from spreading to the adjacent home. 1, Educator Engaged to Conduct School Survey Left to right, Frank C. Schiro, chairman, legislative interim committee on education and Dr. T. C. Holy of Ohio State university wno will direct Oregon school survey. Chief of Army Engineers OK's Salem Bridge The proposed highway depart ment bridge for Salem over the Willamette river at Marion street has received the approval of the chief of army engineers in Wa shington, D.C. Word of the approval was re ceived by the Chamber of Com merce Friday in a telegram from Congressman Walter Nor blad. Final approval by the Sec retary of the Army is expected Monday, Norblad indicated. The bridge is part of the state highway department program drawn up last year to improve Salem traffic conditions. Hirohito Trial Soviet Cover-up Washington, Feb. S (IP) The United States charged today that Russia's demand for trial of Em peror Hirohito as a war crimi nal is an effort to cover up "So viet failure" to explain the fate of more than 370,000 Japanese war prisoners. A state department statement made clear that the Russian de mand to put the emperor on trial in an international military court will be rejected by this country. Officials also indicated that the Soviet proposal to try four high ranking wartime Japanese gen erals likewise will be turned down. The state department made public along with its statement! on the Russian demand, the key paragraphs of the 22-page Rus-1 sian note which Soviet Ambassa dor Panyushkin handed to Sec retary of State Acheson Wednes day. This disclosed officially for the first time precisely what the Russians want to do. The note said that last December a Soviet military court at Khabarovsk had found 12 Japanese army of ficers guilty of plotting and us ing bacteriological warfare. It charged that the B. W. un its were created by a decree of the emperor and that high rank ing Japanese staff officers were responsible also for the opera tion. Decision Near OnPP&LSale Washington, Feb. 3 (IMS- -The securities & exchange commis sion today took under advise ment and probably will act al most at once on two bids for 500,000 shares of common stock of the Pacific Power & Light company. Chairman Harry T. McDonald and Commissioners Paul R. Ro- wen and Edward T. McCormick heard oral testimony from at torneys for both bidders and such interested third parties as Pacific Power & Light itself, the state of Washington, and two groups of preferred stcokholders. It was the intention of the commission, because of the time element involved, to render a decision on the bids "today, if possible," a spokesman said. The commission was informed by counsel for American Power & Light company which seeks to sell the stock, that American considers the best bid to be that submitted by A. C. Allyn & Co, and Bear, Stearns & Co., and their associates. It also was entered on the re cords that the second group. headed by Allen & Co., "intends to make an immediate public of fering of the stock" should its bid be accepted. End Tax on Baby Oils Washington, Feb. 3 (U.R) President Truman proposed to day that the 20 per cent ex cise tax on baby oils, powders and lotions, be ended. British Arrest Scientist as Atomic Spy Dr. Karl Fuchs Accused of Assisting Russia in Know How Washington, Feb. 3 (U.R) Offi cials said today that a British scientist charged with espionage in London knew this country's "most vital" A-bomb secrets and may have given them to Rus sia. If he did, they may have con tributed to the surprising speed with which Russia developed atomic explosives. The scientist, Dr. Karl Fuchs who worked in this country's wartime A-bomb project, was arrested in London on information supplied by the FBI. Groves to Testify The joint congressional atomic committee put atomic energy commissioners and officials in the witness box at a closed hear ing shortly after learning of Fuch's arrest. It then scheduled another hearing for tomorrow at which Lt. Gen. Leslie R. Groves, chief of the A-bomb project dur ing the war, will testify about Fuchs. The charges against Fuchs created a sensation in the high est levels of this government. President Truman, who learned of them shortly after making his historic H-bomb announcement on Tuesday, discussed the case with his cabinet. (Concluded on Page 5, Column 6) Fuchs Held on American Tip London, Feb. 3 (U.R) A top British atomic scientist who was trusted with some of Ame rica's biggest A-bomb secrets was charged today with giving unidentified agents information "useful to an enemy." Unofficial sources indicated the information went to Russia. The scientist, German-born Dr. Klaus Emil Julius Fuchs, 38, was arrested by Scotland Yard agents yesterday on a tip from American FBI agents in vestigating Russian espionage. He was accused specifically of giving "information relating to atomic research to an unknown person in the United States in February 1945 and to an un known persons at an unspecified place on a day in 1947. Arraigned in Bow street po lice court, Fuchs was ordered held until Friday for a hearing to determine whether he should be tried. Fuchs faces a possible maxi mum sentence under the official secrets act of 14 years in prison, Only last July, he was ap pointed senior principal scienti fic officer to the British minis try of supply. He has been work ing at the great Harwell atomic research center, biggest atomic center in Europe. Its huge cy clotron recently put through its first tests. Fuchs had access to America's biggest atomic secrets during the two periods he allegedly gave away information which. the words of the official charge, "was calculated to be, or might be directly or indirect ly useful to an enemy. McKay Urges More Money for Colleges Portland, Feb. 3 VP) Gover nor McKay intends to get more money for Oregon's colleges. Ho told the Mothers' club of the University of Oregon and Oregon State college here yes terday that he would campaign for funds to take care of higher education as the population in creases. "There will be more students in our colleges in 1960 than to day," he said. Patient Admits Setting Mercy Hospital Fire Davenport, la., Feb. 3 flJ-R) A mental ward patient readily ad mitted setting a fire which snuf fed out the lives of 41 women, Mercy hospital employes testi fied at a coroner's inquest. The employes told a coroner's jury yesterday that Mrs. Elnora Eppcrly, 22, of Rock Island, 111., told them she set the fire in her room Jan. 7. While 24 witnesses testified at the inquest yesterday, a sanity commission at Rock Island ad judged Mrs. Epperly insane and she was committed to an East Moline, 111., tat hospital. i
