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