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About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 1950)
THE WEATHER HERE PARTLY CLOUDY with scat tered showers tonight; increas ing cloudiness Friday. Little change in temperature. Low to night, 42; high Friday, 52. Mixtmum reiterdar, 55; minimum to day, 45. Total 34-hour pi-eclpllalloi.. -;i for month, .1.91; no.mal, 2.H.. Srason precipitation, 30.60; normal, 35.50. River height, 13.2 feet, riling ilowly. (Report by U.S. Weather Bureau.) C aipital HOME EDITION 62nd Year, No. 40 Entered u aecoDd ctsa matter at Salem, Orecoo Salem, Oregon, Thursday, February 16, 195 (32 Pages) Price 5c Jo m. Truman Slates Time Not Ripe For Peace Meet Door Always Open for Atomic Talks-Cool On Atlantic Pact Washington, Feb. 16 (P) Pres ident Truman made clear today he still entertains the idea that a special peace mission to Russia , might be worthwhile at some future date. This is a thought that got his favor in 1948, but was dropped because his principal advisors were against it in that cam paign year. But while he still has the thought, there is no indication Mr. Truman intends to act on it unless events take a turn to raise greater hopes that such a mis sion could be profitable. At News Conference The President's attitude was made known during a news con ference at which hp said the American door is always open to international negotiation for control of atomic weapons. That was all because he had given an exclusive interview to Arthur Krock of the New York Times and reporters were trying to amplify some of the points in that interview regarding deal ings with Russia. The chief executive said with obvious heat that he is his own free agent, he will see whom he pleases, say what he pleases, and he isn't going to be censored by anyone. . When the president emphasiz ed that he is going to do as he pleases, somebody asked wheth er "You intentionally omitted 'damn.' " Yes. the president said, but you can put it in if you like. After the atmosphere had cleared a bit, the president said in response to questions that: Answers Many Queries 1. He doesn't think the time lino arrived tn spnH C.hipf Jus tice Vinson to Russia but the rinnr alwavs is nnpn for discus sion of atomic controls. This doesn't need any dramatizing. (Concluded on Page 5, Column 8) Urges Truman To Meet Stalin Washington, Feb. 16 (P) Sen ator H. Alexander Smith (R., N. J.) today called on the adminis tration to explore everymeansof reaching agreement with Russia even to the point of a meeting between President Truman and Premier Stalin. "We should not close any ave nue of approach to a settlement of our differences," Smith told reporters. He said if a satisfactory way could be found, then President Truman might be able to "sit down with Stalin" and try to work out an approach to the problem of world peace. He said also that the United Nations should be kept in the center of any moves to bring the nations of the world together in a peaceful community. A White House official said yesterday that Mr. Truman in reviewing the deterioration of Russian-American relations be lieves the United States ended the wartime lease-lend program "too abruptly." Presidential Secretary Charles G. Ross said he did not know whether the president's feelings now might be the basis for a new approach to the Russians. Permit Issued for West Salem Postoffice A building permit was issued Thursday for the branch post office on the west side, to be located at 191 Kingwood. The cost will be $17,840. The permit was issued to the contractor, C. A Robertson. The city of Salem took out a permit Wednesday afternoon for the first unit of the administra tion at McNary field, on which construction is getting under way. It is a federal aid project with a total cost of about $35,- 000. Other permits today: L. E Webber, to build a one-story dwelling and garage at 1775 Berry, $6000. John Johnson, to wreck a marquee at 1190 South 12th, $a0. Don Woodry, to erect wallboard at 474 South Com mercial, $350. 4 Mine Pickets Shot in Attack On Coal Mine Gun Battle at Non Union Mine Follows Wave of Violence Pittsburgh, Feb. 16 ) Gun fire crackled in the strike-pla gued soft coal fields today as the shutdown dealt new blows to the nation's economy. Four men identified as miner pickets were injured in a gun battle at a non-union West Vir ginia . mine. Bill Williams, son of one of five brothers operating the Wil liams mine at Junior, said the shootings took place after about 100 pickets had been driven off the property by warning shots fired into the air. The injured men were taken to a hospital at Philippi. They suffered flesh and head wounds. Wave of Violence The shootings followed by about 24 hours a wave of vio lence in the coal fields around Harlan, Ky. A swarm of roving pickets there destroyed property and warned miners against con tinuing to work. CIO and AFL labor groups came to the aid of striking soft coal miners today with donations of food and money in some sec tions of the country. Idle diggers also obtained sacks of free government sur plus potatoes, distributed by lo cal government officials. (Concluded on Page 5, Column 7) Little Progress In Peace Talks Washington, Feb. 16 VP) John L. Lewis was reported today to have proposed to soft coal op erators that they guarantee 200 days of work a year for his United Mine workers. ' Such a contract provision would be in line with Lewis' ex pressed desire for more stabil ized employment in the coal fields, where a full-fledged strike is in progress and gunfire crackled on some picket lines today. x Lewis and the operators are engaged in new bargaining talks by order of a federal court. Thus far there have been no concrete reports of progress. One of the negotiators told newsmen that Lewis had men tioned the guaranteed working year as a contract possibility. Others close to the negotia tions also reported that Lewis had brought this up. There was some indication that Lewis had hinted in the ne gotiations he may be willing to take less than the $15 a day wage and 35-cent welfare fund tonnage royalty he has previous ly demanded. The present wage is $14.05 a day and the royalty is 20 cents a ton. Lewis was reported to have talked of a wage boost of "up to $15 a day" and a royalty of "up to 35 cents a . ton" indicating these are his top figures but sub ject to compromise. Experts Join Holy in School System Study By JAMES D. OLSON Educational experts from various parts of the nation are join ing with Dr. T. C. Holy, of Ohio State university, in a compre hensive study of Oregon's school system. Dr. Glenn Featherstone of the United Slates office of Educa tion, Washington, D. C, has arrived in Salem to gather data for a study of all p h a s e s off school transportation in the state. This study will include costs of carrying school children to and from their homes; type of buses utilized in the school system and other factors relat ing to the subject. Two experts from the Univer sity of California, Dr Edgar Morphet and Dr. Theodore Rel ler, are making a survey of school organization and its ma ny categories. Rex Putnam, superintendent of public instruction, said Wed nesday, that the school study now in progress will be the most comprehensive ever at tempted in the state. "The survey will cover school organization; present method of school financing; school building and other facilities; some phas es of the curriculum utilized in Oregon schools and the effective ness of the entire school oper $5($ I ' X 8000 Fleeing Flooded Areas (By the Associated Press) Thousands were driven from their homes in flooded areas in East Louisiana and winter's worst storm raged across the New England states today. Flood waters from the swollen Mississippi and other surging ri vers spilled out over more than a million acres of lowlands in Louisiana and Mississippi. Some 8,000 persons were evacuated; other thousands were threatened with evacuation. i Skies cleared, and tempera. turcs dropped over the southern water shed. Fair weather also was reported in the Ohio and upper Mississippi valleys, eas ing temporarily the serious flood threats in many river areas. But the rising Mississippi re mained a potential danger along a 600-mile stretch from Cairo, 111., to the Gulf. Six persons died in the storm which swept the New England area. Snowballs measured up to 15 inches in western Massa chusetts. The snowfall in Bos ton was followed by sleet and drizzle, Flying Arrow Back From Chinese Waters San Pedro, Calif., Feb. 16 W) The freighter Flying Arrow, marked by 38 shell hits from a Chinese Nationalist gunboat off Shanghai last January 9, is rid ing safely in this port today. Capt. David Jones, 31, brought the Flying Arrow in yesterday and reported that he had "re assuring" information for the wife of a navy airman held cap tive by Chinese communists. Skipper Jones of Chicago, told reporters the information he had for Mrs. William C. Smith of Long Beach, Calif., was confi dential. He declined to discuss the information. ation in the state," he said. Putnam said that undoubted ly new ideas concerning admin istration of Oregon schools will be presented in the final feport scheduled to be submitted to the legislative committee on educa tion by September 1. Dr. Holy has agreed to submit progress reports to the commit tee monthly in order to keep the committee informed and permit the calling in of Oregon educa tors for discussion of various phases of the study. The educators called in to as sist in the study are all top flight men in the educational field, Putnam said, most of whom, including Dr. Holy, have participated in similar surveys in other states of the union Dr. Holy has set up head quarters in the speaker's rooms in the house of representatives in the state capitol. Officers Investigate Rickreall Burglary Police are sifting evidence, trying to run down the burglars who cut their way into the Farmers Union cooperative oil building at Rickreall Tuesday night and stole $200 worth of small electrical appli ances. Above, Officer James Finney of the state police and Deputy Sheriff Tony Neufeld examine articles for possible clues. Below is the hole cut through the office floor to gain access to the building. ' Building Code Relaxed For Some Permits On a certain type of building issued at the city building inspector's office, appears this notation in red type: "Does not meet requirements building code nor the building On FEPC Bill Washington Feb. 16 OT The house rules committee refused today by a 6 to 6 tie vote to clear an anti-job discrimination (FE PC) bill for house action. Four democrats and two re publicans voted to keep the bill in a committee pigeonhole where it has been since last summer. An equal number of democrats and republicans voted to give the house a chance to settle the issue. Voting lo approve the measure were Reps. Herter (R., Mass.), Brown (R., Ohio), Delaney (D., N.Y.), Madden (D., Ind.), Mc- Sweeney (D., Ohio) and Sabath (D., 111.). Voting against the bill were Reps. Allen (R., 111.), Wads worth (R N.Y.), Cox (D., Ga.), Howard Smith, (D., Va.), Col- mor, (D., Miss.) and Lyle (D., Texas.) Chairman Sabath told news men proponents of the bill will try to pass it next Wednesday under procedure sharply limit ing debate. He seemed pessimis tic, however, about the chances. Some backers of FEPC had hoped Allen might change his vote allowing the bill to go to the floor. Allen said in advance, however, that he had no such in tentions and he voted against the bill. Farm Support Plan Branded 'Disgrace' Portland, Feb. 16 W The dean of Oregon State college school of agriculture said yes terday the nation's handling of surplus crops was "an interna tional disgrace." "We destroy millions of bush els of spuds, while the consum er pays high prices for potatoes and high income taxes to main tain the price support plan," said William A. Schoenfeld. Ap pearing before a business group, he asked "I wonder how long that is going to last." He predicted the program "will break down of its own weight and bring disaster" un less adjustments are made. No More Half Pints Portland, Ore., .Feb. 16 W) The Oregon liquor control com mission said today its statewide stores no longer will handle half-pints. Sales of half-pints "contributed to improper use of alcohol," the commission said, permits for alterations, now being as called for in the city of Salem department's approval." v Two - permits have already been issued, and over 30 more buildings, most of them apart ment houses, are said to be in line for similar permits. Fire safety requirements of the city building code are involv ed. The permits are issued by the building inspector, who is City Engineer J. H. Davis, on approval of the state fire mar shal and the city fire prevention bureau, but without Davis' ap proval. The city code, Davis explains, requires an enclosed stair well from the top floor to the bottom floor and opening into the street. "Our code is the Pacific coast code," Davis said, "drawn up with and approved by the build ing inspectors of the Pacific coast. It is used in some 1200 cities and localities, and is the most widely-used code in the world." Captain Ben Faught of the fire department, who heads the city fire prevention bureau, explains that if the city code were follow ed strictly in the alteration of existing buildings it would often run into excessive cost and also mar the appearance of the in terior of buildings. Serving on the bureau with Faught are Ray McCauley and Warren Lindsay of the fire department The three agencies slate fire marshal, city fire prevention bu reau, and city building inspec lor, are not engaged in an actual controversy over the ques tion, although it has been the subject of argument for months. (Concluded on Page 5, Column 5) 8 Dead in B-29 Crash Rescuers probe the wreckage of the B-29 which carried eight men to their death when it crashed moments after takeoff from Great Falls Air Base, Mont. The B-29 was the command plane of a group of 12 B-29's which took off from the air base to join the search for the B-36 which crashed off the coast of British Columbia. 11 men aboard the B-36 were found safe after directing rescue units to their British Columbia is land by sending up a towering column of smoke. Four arc still unlocatcd. Seven men aboard the B-29 search plane walked away from the crash. (Acme Telcphoto) 4 Crew Members Still Missing Along Vole lo Remove Price Supports From Potatoes Washington, Feb. 16 () The senate agriculture committee voted 6 to 2 today to remove all government price supports from Irish potatoes until rigid planting and marketing controls are put into operation. Senator Lucas (D.-Ill.) won approval of this move as a pre liminary to an effort to estab lish a tight system of govern ment controls over potatoes. The aim is to hold down production and avoid costly surpluses. The Lucas proposal removing supports was attached to a house-passed measure revising cotton controls. It previously had been approved informally late last night by the same group. At Closed Meeting The action was taken at a closed meeting of the commit tee. Senators Aiken (R.-Vt.) and Hoey (D.-N.C.) were said to have voted against the proposal. Lucas, the senate democratic leader, seeks approval of legis lation to allow the secretary of agriculture to fix potato produc tion quotas on the basis of either bushels or acres. He introduced the plan and urged quick pas sage. His proposal would be an amendment to the present farm price support act. (Concluded on Page 5, Column 7) CIO to Purge 4th Red Union Washington, Feb. 16 (IP) The CIO's purge of left-wing unions charged with following every 'twist and turn and zig and zag' of communist policy was aim ed today at the United Public Workers, an organization of gov ernment employes. The executive board, consist ing of the heads of all CIO unions, voted yesterday to toss out three unions the Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, the United Office and Professional Workers, and the Food, Tobacco and Agricultural Workers. Their membership totals about 80,000. The public workers has 30,000. Action on the public workers. headed by Abram Flaxer, was expected to be a mere formality The board was handed a re port of a special committee which investigated the charges of adherence to pro-communist policy against the Flaxer union It recommended ouster, as had the reports of committees which looked into similar charges against the other three unions. With the expulsion of the pub lie workers, the CIO will have amputated half of the unions it lists as left wing once a pow erful influence in the CIO. Two unions, the United Electrical Workers and Farm Equipment Workers, were fired out of the CIO at its Cleveland convention in November, the forerunner of this week's action by the execu tive board. Vets Named to I Supervise State AirWarnings Two Portland army veterans were named by Governor Mc Kay today to supervise the state's air raid warning sys tem. They are Ivan Brown McKin ney, Pacific Telephone and Tel egraph company executive who will be chief of communications of the state civil defense agency; and Edward H. Tolan, who will bp chief of the agency's air raid warning and aircraft observa tion system. The governor announced last Saturday that the three coast states were asked by Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson to set up the system. About 6,000 per sons in Oregon will man the ob servation posts as was done in World War II. During the war, McKinney was in army communications Tolan was in the Portland fil ter center in the first part of the war, and later was an air corps officer. Red China Gives Ports to Russia New York, Feb. 16 W) The New York Times today reported communist China had agreed secretly to furnish Soviet Rus sia with a large labor force and to give the Russians control of seven yellow seaports in case of war. A Times dispatch from Paris said the Chinese Reds had agreed also that Soviet "advisers" would be given "key positions ir China's army, secret police or ganization and communist party." The dispatch, by Times cor respondent C. L. Sulzberger, said these concessions by Mao Tze-Tung, chairman of the Chi nese communist government, and Premier Foreign Minister Chou En-Lai were believed to be in secret codicls signed in Mos cow prior to the announcement Tuesday of a treaty of alliance between the two communist gov ernments. The Chinese Reds, Sulzberger reported, were understood to have agreed that the ports of Dairen, Port Arthur, Chinwang- tao, Haichow, Chefoo, Weihai- wei and Tsingtao "would be placed under Soviet supervision immediately in case of war." Sulzberger said the Russians orig'.nally demanded full con trol of all seven ports, according lo "responsible information available in eastern European capitals on the eve of the treaty announcement." The alliance treaty, as an nounced Tuesday, provided that Russia would abandon special rights at Port Arthur and Dai ren, obtained in the treaty of August 14, 1945, between the Soviet Union and the Chinese nationalist government. The turnover is scheduled upon con clusion of a Japanese peace treaty or by the end of 1952 at the latest. ofB-36 BC Coast Search Renewed As Survivors Flown to Base McChord Air Force Base, Wash., Feb. 16 P Two more survivors of the B-36 bomber from which 17 men parachuted off the British Columbia coast early Tuesday morning have' been found today, the 4th rescue squadron reported today. Meanwhile, Canadian naval officials said they are certain other men survived. Four men were still missing. "The searchers heard shouts," ' said a naval spokesman, "and. another search team reported hearing shots." Shots Are Heard The shots came from an in land point on the rocky, wooded Princess Royal island. Rescue squadron headquarters reported both of the newly-found survivors wereinjured. One was reported to have a broken ankle. I our Canadian and American ground parties were fanned out over the rugged island in the des perate race against time and weather. Planes continually criss-cross ed the area in pressing the search from the air. A coast guard report last night that all 17 of the men had been picked up or located was with out substantiation this morning. Search headquarters here and at Vancouver, B. C, and the coast guard at Ketchikan. Alas ka, said a large scale search was under way today for the four. At least 14 planes, a helicop ter and half a dozen ships were searching for the other men to day. Four paratroopers were carried in one of the planes. They will drop to the aid of the missing men, if and when they are sighted. American and Ca nadian landing parties also were searching Princess Royal Island for the four. One Badly Injured Eleven men were rescued dramatically by a fish boat yes terday and last night from Ash- down and Princess Royal is-. lands. They had parachuted from the burning B-36 during Monday night after three en gines caught fire on a flight from Alaska to Texas. (Concluded on Page 5, Column 6) Tydings Renews Disarming Call Washington, Feb. 16 VP) Senator Tydings (D., Md.) to day renewed his call for a world disarmament conference to try to remove "the fearful darkening threat" of the possible extinction of mankind. The chairman of the senate armed services committee told the senate that if Russia would accept an invitation in good faith, "progress will have been made and real achievement could follow." But if Russia declined the in vitation, he said, "then every one will know where the respon sibility for the arms race really lies." Tydings called upon Secretary of State Acheson to "try another roadway" from the one he out lined in a news conference Feb ruary 8. In sum, Tydings said, Ache- son's statement pointed to one single conclusion: "That we and the other democratic nations of the world, on the one hand, and Russia and those associated with her, on the other, must sweat it out." But ho went on to note that Acheson had said it is a good thing to look at every possibility that comes up, and commented: "I believe it is a good thing for him to try another roadway than the one ho has selected to travel. That roadway is to rec ognize the grim facts of life, and having done that, to invite all the nations of the world to a world disarmament conference devoted exclusively to th" pur pose of world disarmament, with worldwide inspection before, during and after such disarma ment as is agreed upon." Liberty Ship Aground New York, Feb 16 W) The Liberty ship Alamar ran aground a short distance outside New York harbor early today. The ship apparently was in no danger.