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62nd Year. No. 32 SSfjrZ&SS Salem, Oregon. Tuesday. February 7. 1950 (18 Pages) Price 5c
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62nd Year, No. 32 SSS?J'Sdo2 Salem, Oregon, Tuesday, February 7, 1950
(18 Pages)
Flood Threat
$350,000 for
Blame British
Red Tape for
Atomic Leaks
. v
Over Valley but Detroit Road
THE WEATHER HERE
MOSTLY CLOUDY TONIGHT,
Wednesday, with occasion al
showers. Little change In tem
perature. Low tonight, 35; high,
Wednesday, 45.
Msilmum yeiterday, 40; minimum lo
diy, 36. ToUl 54-hour precipitation: .4ft t
for month; 1.62 1 normal, 1.31. Seiaon pre
cipitation. SJ1.31; normal 53.99, River
heljht, 8.X feet. (Report by U.S. Weather
Bureau.)
118 BliBiililS9
No Alarm Felt
Snowpack Over Past
Five Weeks Has Most
Water in Years
By MARIAN LOWRY FISCHER
. .Threat of a serious flood hangs
over the Willamette valley re
gions, but there is little cause
for alarm during the next day
or two, states the weather bu
reau. A continued gradual run
off of snow will save the situa
tion. The potential is there, how
ever, due to the record snow
pack piled up during the past
five weeks, and should torren
tial rains and abnormal tempera
tures occur, the valley will face
a severe winter flood, a survey
of conditions reveals.
The Santiam at Jefferson is
due to reach flood stage of 13
feet Wednesday. Flood stage
there is a common occurrence
during any extended rain or
quick run-off of snow waters,
however.
River Now 8.2 Feet
At Salem Tuesday morning
the Willamette river was nearly
4 feet higher than for the Mon
day reading, measuring 8.2 feet
here this morning. The Willam
ette hit above flood stage of 20
feet here January 24 during the
three-day respite from the snow
and ice, measuring 20.7 feet at
that time.
(Concluded on Page 5, Column 6)
$11,171,981 in
Building Costs
Construction and improve
ment of state institutions during
the past year cost $11,171,
981.68, according to a report giv
en the board of control Tuesday
by Roy Mills, secretary.
Of this sum, $7,568,001.18
came from the state building
fund, authorized by a vote of
the people, and the remainder
was paid out from legislative
appropriations.
The largest expenditure of
$4,428,223.19 was for buildings
at the state hospital in Salem.
Other expenditures included $1,
448,152.73 at the Eastern Ore
gon state hospital; $1,692,
887 29 at the penitentiary; $300,
000 at the state school for the
blind; $1,078,387.29 at Fairview
home; $700,022.51 at the Wood
burn school for boys; $804,528 at
Hillcrest school for girls; $321,
726.73 at the state school of the
deaf and $348,053.39 at the East
ern Oregon Tuberculosis hos
pital. The state building fund now
has a balance of $131,000.
House Debates
Aid to Formosa
Washington, Feb. 7 (IP) House
debate opens today on a bill to
give short-term economic aid to
Korea and Formosa. Democratic
leaders predicted early approval.
The bill is a polished-up ver
sion of the Korean economic as
sistance measure which went
down to a surprise one-vote de
feat two weeks a"go.
But whereas the defeated
measure was limited only to
Korea, the new proposal is t
wrap-up of economic aid pro
posals covering Formosa as well
as the postwar republic of South
Korea.
With both China and Korean
aid due to expire February 15,
framers of the new bill made no
attempt to write into it a policy
of continuing assistance in Asia.
Instead they put a June 30 dead
line on U.S. dollar spending in
these c o m m u n s t-threatened
areas.
In the case of Korea, $60,000,
000 would be authorized for raw
material imports and capital im
provements under the economic
cooperation administration. In
cluded in the program would be
10 small coastal vessels.
For Formosa, lone remaining
stronghold of nationalist China,
the bill simply extends ECA au
thority to use on the island's
economy whatever it can of
$103,000,000 of unexpended
China aid funds.
Oregon Highways Normal
All Oregon highways are in
good condition, but motorists
were advised to carry chains in
the mountains, the state high
way commission said today.
Appropriated
New 6 Mile Route
Mehama to Mill City
OKd by Highway Board
Grading of a six-mile stretch
of new road west from Mill City
at a cost of $350,000 was approv
ed by the state highway com
mission in Portland late Monday
as the first step in the construc
tion of a new route between Me
hama and Mill City.
When the project is completed
nine miles of highway on the
Marion county side of North San
tiam river will have been com
pleted at an estimated cost of
$900,000.
The highway has had the sup
port of civic groups in Salem,
Marion county, and residents of
the Santiam canyon and of sev
eral central Oregon communi
ties. The state has owned the
right of way for many years
and the route was surveyed by
WPA crews during the depres
sion. From Unallotted Sums
Present route up the North
Santiam crosses from Marion to
the Linn county side between
Mehama and Mill City. Curves
and difficult maintenance con
ditions have been protested for
years.
Digging into unprogrammed
funds of around $1,000,000, the
highway commission allotted
$65,000 for the oiling of 3.5
miles of the Scio-Thomas creek
section of the Albany-Lyons sec
ondary highway and also ap
proved Scio's request for a
flashing beacon at Main and
Water -streets on the Albany
Lyons highway.
Referred to the slate engineer
was the surfacing of 8.43 miles
of the Thomas creek-Lyons sec
tion of the Albany-Lyons sec
ondary highway on a bid of
$118,645 by E. C. Swaggert, Eu
gene. Bituminous macadam will
be used. The engineer was given
power to award the contract.
Albany Building
Proposal for another secre
tary of state building at Albany
was discussed with the commis
sion deciding to sell to the high
est bidder half of a vacated
street known as Lafayette street
joining the highway overpass in
Albany. The property was de
sired with access to the highway
for such a building, it was re
ported by the legal department
of the commission. The commis
sion ordered the property sold
without highway access.
(Concluded on Page 5, Column 8)
94,000 Jobless
Now in Oregon
There are 94,000 jobless per
sons in Oregon, largest number
on record.
The state unemployment com
pensation commission said that
is 10,000 more than a year ago,
and is 1,000 more than the pre
vious peak reached in the mid
dle of last February.
Eugene, Medford, Astoria and
Hillsboro had the biggest un
employed increases from a year
ago. Roseburg, Corvallis, Tilla
mook, Pendleton,' Klamath Falls
and Bend also had large in
creases.
Portland reported 26,000 out
of work.
The commission said that bet
ter weather would put a big per
centage back on the job. More
than half of the jobless work
ers are in the lumber and log
ging industry, which has been
closed down by the weather.
$3 Million High School
Held Needed For Salem
A $3 million high school in
school classrooms in needed areas
of a city-wide school improvement
This program was presented to 25 representative citizens of
the community by school authorities seeking to find an acceptable
solution to the growing need for$
school facilities in Salem. The
trtal cost of such a program has
been estimated at $3,730,000 and
would cover the schoo. needs for
probably the next year and one-
half.
The problem that had prompt
ed this suggested solution was
the number of Marion county
births which had tripled from
the depression years to the peak
year of 1947. The problem of
finding additional classrooms for
the increasing number of chil
dren as they come of school age,
resulted in the current classroom
China Hits at
Russia in UN
Lake Success, Feb. 7 () Na
tionalist China struck back at
Russia's diplomatic boycott to
day with a new demand that the
United Nations find Russia guil
ty of playing a big part in the
Chinese civil war.
Nationalist Chief Delegate T.
F. Tsiang made his demand in
the year-round little assembly.
Meanwhile, Russia walked out
of another major council in pro
test against Chinese nationalist
diplomats keeping their seats in
the U.N.
The new walkout was in the
18-nation economic and social
council at the opening of its
winter session. This was the 12th
U.N. body affected by the gen
eral Soviet strike-boycott. The
delegates of Czechoslovakia and
Poland strode out with the Rus
sian. The Soviet bloc delegates left
the room after the council re
fused to approve a Russian de
mand that the Chinese nation
alist delegation be kicked out
and replaced by representatives
of Mao Tze-Tung's Peiping red
regime.
The vole was 3 to 10, with 5
abstaining. Only the three Soviet
bloc countries voted to oust the
nationalists. Britain, France, In
dia, Pakistan and Denmark ab
stained, i
Cohen Bombing
Linked to Mafia
Los Angeles, Feb. 7 (IP) A po
lice inspector today linked the
latest Mickey Cohen bombing to
the Mafia.
"We believe the bombing is
the result of an internal struggle
between Cohen's mob and the
Mafia," said Inspector Jack Don
ohoe. "They have fallen out
and now they're fighting for
power." .
The Mafia is a Sicilian secret
order, reputedly with interna
tional underworld ramifications
His statement came as other
officers began a roundup of per
sons they said are believed hos
tile to Cohen.
Four were picked up over
night: Joe Sica, 38, his brother,
Alfred, 25; Salvatore Piscopo,
54, and James R. Inannone, 41.
The Sicas and Piscopo were
booked on suspicion of assault
with intent to commit murder,
but Iannone was released after
brief questioning. The Sicas
were indicted January 19 by
federal grand jury on charges
that they headed a million dol
lar narcotics ring operating
throughout California. They
have been out on bond.
South Salem with elementary
of the city formed (he outline
program offered Monday night.
headache to school authorities.
The school board's building
program will be presented to a
public meeting later n an effort
to seek suggestions. Then, after
full discussion of the problem,
the agreed solution would be
presented to the voters, prob
ably in May.
Frank Bennett, school super
intendent, stressed the need for
giving plenty of time for full
discussion of all aspects of the
problem.
(Concluded on Psft 6, Column 7)
ft
4J K
. ii irr i
Emergency Board Provides Funds for Lot Purchase Mem
bers of board from left to right: Senator Howard Belton,
Canby; Speaker of the House Frank Van Dyke, Medford;
President of the Senate William Walsh, Coos Bay, chairman
of the board; Senator Dean Walker, Independence and Rep.
W. W. Chadwick, Salem.
Money Made A vailable
On Coates
By JAMES
The state of Oregon is prepared to purchase the Summer
street property, originally planned as a site for an apartment
houst by Robert Coates of Portland, following unanimous ap
proval of $14,250 request by the slate board of control.
As quickly as Coates obtains
Safeguards lor I
Capitol Zone
Alderman Tom Armstrong will
sponsor a bill now being pre
pared for introduction in the
city council that would set up
an additional guard against type
of buildings to be erected in the
capitol zone.
'" The bill would require approv
al by the cityxouncil before" is
sue of a permit for any building
in that zone. It would apply
both to new buildings and alter
ations of existing buildings.
At present the city building
inspector, who is the city engi
neer, issues permits if he finds
the proposed buildings meet re
quirements of the zoning code
as applied to the zone in which
they are located.
The capitol zone permits resi
dences and apartment houses, as
does Zone II residential, but in
addition permits public office
buildings.
Two other bills amending the
zoning code in or joining the
capitol zone are on the calendar
for third reading next Monday
night. Both are now on the table,
One of the bills would change
to Class 1 residential zone the
four-block area which the state
capitol planning commission
recommended that the state pur
chase for capitol zone extension,
plus a fringe area of several lots.
This would bar apartment
houses. Most of the change would
be from Zone II, but part of it
would be from Zone III business
classification. The four blocks
are bounded by Center, Union,
Winter and Capitol streets.
The other pending bill would
limit the height of buildings in
the capitol zone to 45 feet.
Strauss Quits
Atomic Board
Washington, Feb. 7 (U.R)-Pre
sident Truman today accepted
the resignation of Lewis L.
Strauss as a member of the ato
mic energy commission.
The resignation is effective
April 15.
Strauss, in a letter dated Jan
31, said he is quitting to return
to "my private affairs from
which I have been separated for
so long."
He said that between now and
April 15 he will give all possible
help to the new AEC chairman
who has yet to be named by
Mr. Truman.
Strauss was one of the original
members of the five-man body
which runs this country's $4,
500,000,000 atomic energy pro
ject. He is the fourth of the ori
ginal commissioners to resign
before expiration of their terms
next June 30.
Others of the five original
commissioners who have resign
ed are W. W. Waymack, Robert
F. Bacher, and Chairman David
E. Lilienthal.
Lilicnthal will leave Feb. 15.
Waymack and Bacher already
have left.
Purchase
D. OLSON
FHA approval on a substitute
lot in the 1300 block on Che-
meketa street, the board of con-
trol is ready to pay Coates $14,-
100 for the Summer street prop
erty. The remainder of the ap
proved appropriation will be
used to defray costs of title in
surance fees.
Moreover, the emergency
board requested members of the
board of control to prepare suit
able legislation to provide for
an appropriation to cover the
cost of acquiring four blocks in
the proposed capitol extension,
as recommended by the state
capitol planning commission,
Van Dyke for Four Blocks
Although most members of the
board felt that the property
could be acquired piecemeal, as
quickly as owners desired to sell,
Speaker Van Dyke favored pur
chase of the entire four blocks.
'There is only one sure way in
which to guarantee that we will
not be faced with a situation sim
ilar to one resolved today and
that is for the state to purchase
the property," he said. "Coun
cils change and one legislative
body cannot commit the next."
On suggestion of Sen. William
Walsh, chairman, a resolution of
appreciation fcr the cooperation
shown by Coates was introduced
by Senator Howard Belton and
approved. The board of control
was asked to convey the message
of appreciation to the Portland
builder.
"At first I was under the im
pression that Coates was endea
voring to 'put over a fast one'
on the state," said Belton, "but
upon investigation I find that
such is not the case and Mr.
Coates has been extremely co
operative." (Concluded on Pago 5, Column 8)
Russians Slow
Berlin Traffic
Berlin, Feb. 7 UP) The Rus
sians slowed down interzonal
truck traffic slightly again to
day and at the same time accus
ed the west of trying to "warm
up the cold war in Berlin."
Week-end traffic had zipped
unhindered through the Helm
stedt checkpoint, 100 miles west
of here. But today about eight
trucks an hour were clearing in
each direction on the east-west
superhighway as Soviet guards
tightened inspections. By mid
morning the queue waiting to
get into Berlin comprised about
40 trucks.
American officials say the
reasonable clearance rate for
Berlin-bound winter truck car
goes is about 10 an hour.
The official Soviet army news
paper Tacgliche Rundschau said
in a front-page editorial that
"western reactionary forces are
constantly making new attempts
to warm up the cold war in Ber
lin again."
There is plotting of incidents
and spreading of disquiet to cre
ate an artifically new 'Berlin
problem,' " the newspaper said.
It called the recent partial block
ade a "fairy talc" invented by
western officials to cause trouble
he new slowdown today was
not nearly as tough as at the
height of the partial blockade,
when as few as two trucks an
hour were allowed to crawl past
the Russian autobahn barrier.
Hoover Unable to Get
Full Details of Fuchs
Confession
Washington, Feb. 7 (P) Law
makers today blamed ponderous
British legal procedure for ham
pering FBI pursuit or turtner
atomic leaks in the Klaus ruchs
case.
They expressed fear that the
delay may enable some suspects
to skip this country.
FBI Director J. Edgar Hoo
ver was reported to have told
senators that thus far he has
been unable to get from the Brit
ish full details of any confes
sion that may have been made
by Fuchs.
Fuchs, 38-year-old German
born scientist accused of passing
along top atomic and some hy
drogen bomb information to
the Russians, is believed to have
had accomplices in this coun
try. British Hold Records
But lawmakers said they were
told that until the British justice
department releases its records,
the FBI may have to wait lor
leads with the result that some
suspects might get out of this
country unmolested.
British justice authorities are
understood to be keeping Fuchs
comple t e 1 y incommunicado
even from Scotland Yard.
Hoover goes to Capitol Hill
today for the third time (1:30
p.m. EST) to talk behind closed
doors with senators this time
with the senate appropriations
subcommittee to which he first
divulged some of the FBI's ac
tivities in the case last week.
Asks Quebec Agreement
Senator BricKer (R-Ohio), f
member of the congressional ato
mic committee, told reporters
the 1943 Quebec agreement
which the late President Roose
velt entered into with Great
Britain and Canada should be
made public.
(Concluded on Page 5, Column 6)
Mo's Captain
Loses Command
Norfolk, Va., Feb. 7 P) Cap
tain William D. Brown, a de-
fondant in a naval court of in
quiry probing the recent ground
ing of the battleship Missouri,
was relieved today of his com
mand of this nation's single ac
tive battleship.
Atlantic fleet headquarters
announced "for the time being
and at least until legal proceed
ings are completed," Captain H.
P. Smith, former commanding
officer of the Missouri, will as
sume command.
Fleet headquarters explained
"it is fair and proper that the
commanding officer, navigator
and other officers defending
themselves in the present court
of inquiry should not have the
additional burden of the respon
sibility of the ship during the
present legal proceedings which
are required by naval regula
tions and procedure."
Brown is one of three of the
Missouri's officers named as de
fondants in the court of inquiry.
Hoover Takes Stand FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover (left)
and Associate Director Clyde Tolson seated at the witness
table for opening hearing before the joint congressional
atomic energy committee in Washingtonn, in connection wilh
the recent arrest in England of Dr. Klaus Fuchs. Dr. Fuchs
is accused of giving lop atomic secrets to Russia. (AF Wire-photo)
Col. 1. W. Miles, above, res
ident engineer at Detroit who
is transferred to Okinawa,
and C. C. Davis who succeeds
him.
Miles Moved,
Davis Succeeds
Lieutenant Colonel John W.
Miles, resident engineer of the
corps of engineers' Detroit dam
on the North Santiam river, has
received orders transferring him
to Okinawa for duty with the
20th Air Force there, according
to Colonel Donald S. Burns
Portland district engineer.
Colonel Miles was assigned
as resident engineer at Detroit
in March, 1949, by Colonel O.
E. Walsh, then Portland district
engineer. Previous to that Colo
nel Miles served as special as
sistant to Colonel Walsh in
charge of all flood control de
sign and construction programs
in the Portland district except
those in the Willamette river
basin.
Colonel Burns said Colonel
Miles would be replaced by
Clarence C. Davis, former civ
ilian engineer with the opera
tions division of the Portland
district. Davis is returning to
Portland from Boston where he
has been on active duty as
lieutenant colonel in the corps
of engineers reserve.
Davis was recalled to active
duty in October, 1946, reported
at Fort Bclvoir, Virginia, and
was assigned as executive offi
cer of the Albuquerque, New
Mexico, district, and later as
operations and executive offi
cer of Hie Okinawa district
More recently he has been en
gineer for the New England mil
itary district.
As a civilian he was engaged
in construction planning of De
troit and Lookout Point dams.
During the war he served as
lieutenant colonel with the
corps of engineers
Fad Finders
Start Work on
Coal Dispute
Lewis and Operators
Called On for Expla
nation of Stalemate
Washington, Feb. 7 VP) Pres
ident Truman's high speed fact
finding board today called on
John L. Lewis and the soft coal
operators for an explanation of
their long dispute.
The board set up by Mr. Tru
man under the Taft-Hartley
law yesterday and given less
than one week to report, sum
moned several "anonymous"
witnesses for this afternoon and
invited Lewis and the operat
ors to begin their testimony to
morrow morning.
Chairman David L. Cole of
the three-man board told a news
conference he did not anticipate
any need to subpoena Lewis and
the United Mineworkers as was
necessary in March, 1948, dur
ing a pension strike.
Merely to Find Facts
Cole and his colleagues said
the board "is not trying to set
tle the dispute," which threat
ens to choke off the nation's
coal supply almost completely.
"They are trying to find out
the facts as directed by the pres
ident," Cole told reporters.
The unidentified witnesses to
be consulted this afternoon were
known to include Dr. James
Boyd, driector of the bureau of
mines, and conciliation Direct
or Cyrus S. Ching, who sought
vainly last fall to bring-the op
erators and Lewis together.
Cole said the board hopes to
complete its hearings by Thurs
day afternoon so it can meet the
Monday deadline fixed by Pres
ident Truman for a report.
Speed Necessary
Speed is necessary because the
soft coal mines already are clos
ed down tight and the presi
dent must have the board's re
port in hand before he directs
Attorney General McGrath to
seek an 80-day court injunction
under the Taft-Hartley emer
gency machinery which the
president reluctantly set in mo
tion yesterday.
(Concluded on Page 5, Column 5)
372,800 Out
In Coal Strike
Pittsburgh, Feb. 7 (IP) Coal
production plummeted today in
the wake of the soft coal miners'
nation-wide strike. All signs
point to rising unemployment in
cnal-using industries
About 372,800 bitter diggers
are on strike in 14 slates. They
insist they won't be "black
jacked" into heeding the Taft
Hartley act. The strikers can
produce about 2,220,000 tons of
coal a day.
Nearly 20,000 workers in steel
mills and on railroads were laid
off in past months because of
Ihe three-day work week order
ed July 1 by President John
L. Lewis of the United Mine
Workers.
Now railroads say more thou
sands of furloughs are in the
cards.
Duquesnc Light company, a
big Pittsburgh utility, said it
has only enough coal to insure
electrical power to 2,000 plants
for another week.
Over the nalion, less than two
weeks' coal reserves remain
stored above ground The coal
industry said the suppiy is poor
ly distributed.
Through the coal fields, the
miners are out for a showdown
in their struggle for a new con
tract and the five daj week.
"The Taft-Hartley law cannot
dig coal," declared Althronia
Brown, a committeeman of the
Maxwell local near Unioniown,
Pa. "We won't be blackjacked
into the mines."
Throw Cold Wafer
On Cold War Fighters
Berlin, Feb. 7 (IP) West Ber
lin police apparently planned to
day to throw cold water on the
cold war.
The British-sector newspaper,
Dcr Tag, said that police head
quarters was ordering two
trucks with armor-plated re
volving turrets which can "fire"
high-pressure water streams at
street mobs.
Such water-hose trucks wera
last used by Berlin police dur
ing the pre-Hitler Weimar re
public
t