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About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1950)
I Capital Jl Joisaial THE WEATHER HERE FAIR TONIGHT and Friday. Little change in temperature. Low tonight, 40; high Friday 60. HOME EDITION Maximum yeiterday, M; minimum today, 41. Total 24hoar precipitation; .09 1 for month: USt normal, 1.18, Beaton precipi tation, 38.98; normal, K.46. Blfcr height, I.S ittt. (Report by U.S. Waathar Buhv.) 62nd Year, No. 88 SSffJTwSSoSS Salem, Oregon, Thursday, April 13, 1950 (34 Pages) Price 5c Crack Down on Child Welfare Vi fef' J5 5b. Fear Missing Plane Crashed In Baltic Sea Fail to Find Trace Of Airship Fired On By Russians 415 Employers Vital loFulure Looms by Stale Accused of Withhold ing Taxes Deducted From Employes By WILLIAM WARREN The state has started to get tough with employers who hold out on money they've held out of employes' pay checks for the state income tax. Warrants are being issued against employers who fail to come across after ample warn ing and collectors have been put into the field for personal con tact, Ray Smith, head of the in come tax division of the state tax commission, told the United Press today. Distraint warrants have been issued against 415 Oregon em ployers to get the money they've already taken out of their em ployers' wages for state income tax, Smith said. $141,155 Involved These 415 employers have a total withholding tax liability of $141,155.65. Of this amount, $108,083.07 was due for 1948 withholding money, and $33,072.58 was due for 1949. The employers are given am ple warning before distraint warrants are issued. First they are contacted to determine if they might have filed their re turns under some other name. Then they are given two notices within a period of 30 to 45 days. If they haven't kicked through by that time, district warrants are filed with the sheriffs of the counties where the employ ers are doing business. A dis traint warrant means the sher iff can take the employer's prop erty into possession if he doesn't pay the money due. Employers Withheld Tax Smith emphasized that this Is not a matter of getting tough with an individual who has fail ed to file his own personal in come tax return. It's a matter of getting tough with employers , who have already taken the money not their money out of pay envelopes for the with holding tax. "We are trying to put all the teeth we can into collection of taxes," Smith said, "because we feel it is not fair to the working men and others who pay their taxes honestly to have a few employers hold out on us. The burden of taxes should be borne equally by every person in the state. Smith said some employers ap parently don't realize the seri ousness of the offense when they hold out money they have col lected from employes and are in fact holding in trust for the state. Seasonal Rain Breaks Record "Fair tonight and Friday!" Be lieve it or not, that was the brave forecast from the weather bureau Thursday, even in the face of cloudy skies threatening most of the morning. After so many daily reports listing clou i diness and scattered showers these many weeks it almost ap peared the weather bureau had fallen into a rut. Already another weather rec ord has been broken here this year, the rain coming down Wed nesday doing the trick. - Total precipitation for' the weather year (which begins September 1) is now 38.95 Inches, as of 10:30 a.m. Thurs day, which is more than the 56 year mean fall of 38.56. And the weather year still has four and one-half months to go! Normal fall for the period to date is listed at 32.46 inches. Meanwhile, with the fishing season opening Saturday and the Cherrians looking for a break for Blossom day, there were many hoping the forecast for the late week holds true. Russia and Red China Ratify Pact Moscow, April 13 (IP) Soviet Russia and the Chinese People's (communist) Republic today an nounced ratification of their 30 year mutual aid treaty. The communist party organ Pravda said the treaty and ac companying agreements had been ratified by the presidium which acts for Russia's parlia ment the supreme Soviet when the latter is not in session. Of Humanity Assault of Red Russia On Free Nations Forces Issue By JAMES D. OLSON The present assault of com munist Russia on free nations forms the principal reason why democracies must measure up to the highest degree for the bene fit of the children of today and those born tomorrow. This opinion was expressed by Dr. Martha Branscombe, direc tor of the Elizabeth McCormick Foundation, Chicago, who made the opening address at the gover nor's conference on youth in the state capitol Thursday. Russian Assault "This Russian assault is not superficial," she declared, "It is aimed at the very heart of free nations. And our children must live in this turmoil." The speaker held that the task of developing the children of the nation into good citizens presents a new problem of wider dimensions than ever before. "It is a new problem because in our present world we do not know what the years ahead hold out for your children," she add ed.. The present two-day confer ence in Salem, as well as the mid-century White House con ference on youth to be held next December, Dr. Branscombe said, faces as its main question citizen responsibility for ,the children. Parental Responsibility She added that it was also im portant to develop responsibility of individual to individual as well as individual to govern ment. (Concluded on Pa?n 5, Column 6) U. S. to Blame For Texas Blast , Houston, April 13 VP) A fed eral Judge ruled today the U. S. government was at fault in the 1947 Texas City disaster which took more than 500 lives. Federal District Judge T. M. Kennerly ruled that 8,485 par ties who had sued for $200,000, 000 in damages "are entitled to judgment" as a result of explos ion and disaster. Each shuit now must go be fore a federal judge to deter mine its merits how much each plaintiff is to receive. The ruling came only three days before the third anniver sary of the waterfront explos ions which killed 512, injured 3, 000,, and virtually wrecked the coastal city. The judge ruled specifically in the suits of Elizabeth H. Dale hite for $50,000 and of Henry Dalehite Jr.,. for $15,000. But the ruling was extended to cover the huge mass of suits 510 suing on death claims, 588 for personal injury and 5, 987 for property damage. The plaintiffs had maintain ed that the horrible blast was due to tthe negligence of the U. S. government in enforce ment of safety regulations at the Texas City docks, where am monium nitrate was being loaded. Chickens and Turkeys Lose Price Supports Washington, April 13 VP) The government narrowed the field of its farm price support operations today by announcing that it will no longer maintain a floor under the market for chickens and turkeys. The department previously had dropped dry peas and American-Egyptian cotton from lhe&- government price support list. Commodities on which a support decision for 1950 production still is to be made include soy beans, rye, oats, barley and grain sor ghums. The commitment to support hogs expired March 31, but Sec retary Brannan has said a new commitment will be made when and if congress approves an ad ministration request for an ad ditional $2,000,000,000 in price support funds. The government already has about $4,000,000,000 invested in surpluses under sup port programs. At the present time, eggs and dairy products are the only live stock products being supported. Dropping of supports for chickens and turkeys came at a time when farmers are in creasing production. The de partment said its action was Battle It Out On Basin Bill Washington, April 13 VP) Sen ators from Columbia Basin states decided at a conference today to fight out on the floor of the sen ate an amendment authorizing $413,000,000 in irrigation proj ects and creating a Columbia Ba sin account. Senator Magnuson (D., Wash.) aiid others are seeking to add the amendments to the pending $1,- 800,000,000 flood control and ri vers-harbors bill. Magnuson said after the con ference the debate on the propos al will continue and the senate w. - be asked to "vote it up or down." Senator Cordon (R., Ore.) said h"-. would continue to oppose the amendment. He said he might offer as a substitute, an amend ment which merely would au thorize the 13 irrigation proj ects. Magnuson said that if ihs am endment is defeated he will sup port Cordon's amendment. As the senate convened, ru mors went around the capital ti -it President Truman had ask ed democratic senators to sup port the proposal, to set up a Columbia Basin account. The account would handle all finances of reclamation bureau and army engineer projects in the basin. Interest on army en gineer dams now paid into the treasury would be devoted, un der the proposal, to pay for con struction of irrigation projects th-.t cannot be financed by wa ter users. New Cold Blast Strikes at East Washington, April 13 VP) April, already acting more like January, today packaged a new blast of winter weather to strike freezing temperatures at blos soming spring flowers through out the east and southeast. The U.S. weather bureau fore cast sub-freezing temperatures as far south as the Carolinas and Tennessee, threatening early budding fruit trees in parts of Dixie. For the east there was falling snow and temperatures ranging as low as 15 to 20 de grees in the lower Great Lakes region. Thus far western weather has been acting more normally while April, a month of warm sun shine and showers, has been playing winter capers in the east. made at this time so as to en able producers to make adjust ments in their plans. The department bought about 9,000,000 pounds of turkeys un der last year's support program designed to assure growers an average of 31 cents a pound. It is committed to purchase perhaps an additional 9,000,000 pounds of leftover stocks from last year's crop expected to be in storage July 1. Having had little success in selling the turkeys at home or abroad under limits of the law, the department is transferring them to the school lunch pro gram. While it was committed to support chickens last year, the department bought none because prices averaged above a manda tory support level. Leaders In Youth Conference Confer Pre-session discus sion united this group of speakers and leaders in the Oregon Governor's Conference on Children and Youth, opening at the capitol today. From left: Bess A. Williams, U. S. children's bureau; Florence Beardsley, state board of education; Dr. H. E. Chamberlain, psychiatrist; Mrs. Thomas Honeyman, state public welfare commission; Miss Martha Branscombe, di rector of Elizabeth McCormick foundation. Apartments Brief Claims Needed Area By STEPHEN A. STONE Petitioners for a zone change to permit a $1,500,000 apartment house project at the southwest corner of Kearney and South High filed a brief today claiming a majority of several hundred square feet of affected property in favor of the project. The brief was to be filed Thursday afternoon with the city World Citizen Weds Dancer Ellsworth, Me., April 13 VP) A city hall stage ceremony with out benefit of clergy is schedul ed to unite a stateless "world citizen" and' his sympathetic bride today (5 p.m. EST). Garry Davis, 28, and Miss Audrey Peters, 21, invited all Ellsworth to attend their nup tials and echo their vows. They planned a private civil ceremony latcri'a's a legal formality. It was the opposite-to the ob scurity the air force veteran sought a fortnight ago when he urged newsmen "let me slip in to oblivion." That was in New York, where Davis landed from France on an immigrant visa March 30. In Ellsworth, where 3,500 people live, a blanket invitation went out to fill the 500-seat auditori- i. 'We want to share our ideas and ideals with the people." Da vis explained. His dark-haired fiancee, a for mer Hollywood dance teacher, said Ellsworth has the commun ity spirit the two have looked for. Their wedding ring a chain of hearts was destined for pre sentation to the city, in case oth er couples come ringless to be wed. "We want those who marry after us to realize that the basis of the security of the world is love," Miss Peters said. Russians Pilot Planes in China? Taipei, Formosa, April 13 (IP) Are Russians piloting commun ist China's warplanes? The Chinese nationalists say they captured the pilot of one Russian-built fighter, and are taking him to Chushan island for questioning. But they didn t disclose his identity. Previously, nationalist offi cials said Russians are flying some at least of the Russian built planes used by the communists' new air force. Dispatches from Chushan, off the south China coast, said a gunboat shot down the pilot Monday while he was strafing nationalist guerrillas south of Shanghai. The pilot parachuted and was taken prisoner. Another Russian type fighter plane escaped. Acting swiftly after collapse of negotiations to evacuate for eigners from Red Shanghai by sea, the nationalists reported their planes had mined the last open channel to the sea. Nationalist officials charged the Chinese Reds deliberately had stalled over evacuation the past month to keep the channel open until they were ready to invade Chushan. Red Chrome Shipments Washington, April 13 OJ.Rl Russia resumed shipping vital chrome and manganese ore to the United States in February after a one-month lapse, the commerce department said to day. "'planning and zoning commission which held a special hearing on the petition last week, after which it recommended the proj ect to the city council on a ma jority margin of 40 square feet. Later the area was cast into doubt, and the commission Mon day afternoon rescinded its ac tion and passed it to the coun cil without recommendation Petitioners were given the privilege of filing a brief. B,oth me petitioners ana the remon strants have been claiming a ma jority this week. In a meeting and computation by both sides in the city engi neers office last Saturday a to tal area of affected property was calculated at 202,181 square feet. The petition showed 100,374 square feet, or 716 short of a majority. ' In that calculation the east- west measurement of the Upjohn property was figured at 158 feet, and the east-west line of the Ho mer Smith, the Walter Kirk and the E. C. Bahlburg property at 128 feet. This calculation show ed the total area of the Upjohn property at 47,400 square feet. Petitioners in their brief claim the true area of the Upjohn property is 48,300 square feet, a difference of 900 square feet, which gives the petition 183.5 square feet more than the required 50 percent of affected property. On top of this the brief men tions the triangle at the south west corner of Mission and South High which the city en gineer figured at 1981 square feet and allotted it to the Lottick and the Wulf properties. "This," said Attorney Allan Carson for the petitioners today, "was in spite of the fact that the plat supplied by the title com pany showed question marks as to the ownership of the triangle and gave no dimensions, and ad mittedly was drawn free hand by the abstractor. "Our position is that the 1981 square feet should be deducted from the affected area.' The same situation exists, Car son said, relative to a triangle on the south side of Mission, which was credited to the Walter Smith and the Wulf properties. "This again," he said, "was plainly marked with question marks on the plat. The net result of our position is that we have several hundred square feet over the required 50 percent." Liquor Taxes Given County and Salem When the secretary of state's office divided liquor privilege tax money among cities and counties of Oregon Wednesday, Marion county got a total sum of $11,456.84, and the city of Salem came, in for a $1,551.48 share. Of the amount given to Mar ion county, $9,840.06 came from liquor privilege taxes repre senting revenues for the first three months of 1950. The oth er $1,616.78 came from special liquor privilege taxes. All of the Salem apportion ment came from special liquor taxes. Silverton and Woodburn were also included in the special tax hand-out. Silverton got $146.83 v.iilc Woodburn pocketed $110-.43. Copenhagen, Denmark, April 13 U.R) Searchers feared tonight that a missing U. S. navy Pri vateer plane carrying 10 men crashed and sank in the Baltic sea without a trace Saturday aft er being fired on by Soviet fighters. A German ship's report today that it sighted airplane wreck age Monday 90 miles northeast of Bornholm island proved to be just another false alarm, search officials reported after rescue planes thoroughly criss - crossed the area for six hours. Searchers Recalled Air Force Capt. M. F. Ognisty : New York, deputy commander of search operations, said at Wiesbaden, Germany, that the se-rchers decided the area was a dumping ground for surface ves sels and contained no debris identifiable as remains of an air craft. The search planes assigned to cover the area have been re called to Copenhagen, Ognisty said. But the general search went on. The official Moscow newspa per Pravda said the missing navy Privateer was the four-englned military plane which Soviet fighters intercepted Saturday 13 miles inside Soviet Latvia. Plane Was Unarmed The Soviets contended their fighters fired on the American plane only after it fired first. They said the plane flew out over thi Baltic. American authori ties said the Privateer was un armed. (Concluded on Page 5, Column 6) Taught Lesson Brags Pravda Moscow, April 13 (IP) Pravda declared today the United States is trying to cover up the fact that the U.S. navy patrol plane missing in the Baltic is the same one that the Russians say flew over Latvia Saturday. Pravda said "spies" in the plane "got a proper lesson." There is no doubt that the Rus sians look upon the missing plane as the one they charge ex changed fire with a Soviet plane before disappearing over the Baltic. Pravda said the plane violated Soviet territory and "engaged in a pursuit of knowl edge over Soviet territory." (Until today no Russian state ments had connected the inci dents of the missing plane and the reported exchange of fire south of Lepaya, Latvia. The original Soviet protest was is sued three days after the alleg ed shooting took place, and two days after a widely publicized search began for the missing plane. The sequence naturally led to speculation in the west whether the Russians before they issued their Tuesday pro test had some inkling of what had happened to the missing plane.) (American officials have ex pressed the fear that the navy plane, which they said was un armed, was disabled by gunfire and crashed in the Baltic.) Search planes resumed their sweep over the Baltic today with U.S. officials still hopeful they may find the 10 crewmen alive.) Baker Confesses to 11 Salem Burglaries By DOUGLAS THOMAS Edward A. Baker, 19-year-old burglaries, was taken before district court early Thursday aft ernoon where he entered a plea of guilty to a burglary charge. Baker, who lives at 1430 McCoy street, was taken into custody at p.m. Wednesday nignt py spotted leaving a downtown pool hall. His arrest was made on a warrant issued Wednesday aft ernoon. In entering his plea, Baker stood before Judge Fclton and in a clear voice stated, "I am guilty as charged. I want to get this thing over with and take my medicine." The suspect was questioned until 1:30 a.m. Thursday by de tectives. He signed two separate statements, one a detailed con fession of a burglary presumed to be the case upon which the warrant had been issued. That Anniversary Deeply tan ned from his recent Florida vacation and apparently in tip-top shape, President Tru man presents this smiling pic ture as he begins his sixth year in the White House. The Pres ident will celebrate his 66th birthday on May 8. (Ac ye Telephoto) Impossible to Libel McCarthy Washington, April 13 (IP) In a new blast at Senator McCarthy, President Truman today ques tioned whether it is possible to libel the Wisconsin republican, Mr. Truman's remarks came at a news conference when he was asked about a recent statement by Senator Taft (R., Ohio). Taft had said the president li- beled McCarthy by cracking at Key West, Fla., recently that McCarthy was the Kremlin s big gest asset in the United States.. "Do you think that's possible?" Mr. Truman fired back at his questioner. And he said it was all right to use direct quotations. Mr. Truman went on to say he hadn't read all that Taft had said; that he doesn't read all the political columns of all the peo pie running for re-election. 'aft made his statement about, Mr. Truman, McCarthy and 11 bel in a column he distributes to Ohio newspapers. Taft is up for re-election this year, Mr. Truman noted. He added that he thinks the Ohio senator is interested in some thing else a couple of years from n w. The Ohio senator is frequently mentioned as a possible GOP president candidate in 1952. Scouts' Statues Of Liberty Hit New York, April 13 (IP) The National Sculpture society is of fended at the artistic quality of the reproductions of the Statue of Liberty being placed through out the country by the Boy Scouts of America. The society's council yester day approved a statement con demning the scouts' activity "in the hope of arresting further use of these bad imitations of the great piece of sculpture which is our symbol of freedom. The scout goal is 2500 statues. The reproductions arc eight feet tall on a six-foot base and are made in Chicago. Sixty of them have been placed in 22 states and 100 more are on order. Carl H. Gruppe, president of the Sculpture society, said the statues had been "cheaply exe cuted" and were inadequate. He said that the St. Louis Municipal Art commission last month re jected one intended for Forest park in St. Louis. suspect in dozens of Salem house saiem detectives when he was burglary occurred in March 1949. The second confession listed ten separate burglaries in Ba ker's neighborhood. The first was dated January 9, 1949, and the most recent was an attempt ed burglary this month. Baker's arrest climaxed more than a year of effort by the Sa lem police department to solve a series of house burglaries in the northern section of Hie city. (Concluded on Pais 5, Column 3) United Stales In Fine Shape Says Truman President Takes the Credit for 5 Years Of Prosperity Washington, April 13 (U.R) . Harry S. Truman in a review of his first five years as president said today that the country is in fine shape and that he deserves the credit. The president told reporters that employment, business and agricultural conditions are bet ter than they have been in a long time. And looking to the future, he said he is hopeful for continued improvement in international relations. As of now, Mr. Truman said. he can see nothing seriously the matter with this country. Five Tumultuous Years Yesterday marked the start of Mr. Truman's sixth year as chief executive. Today, at his 222nd news conference, the president said his first five years had been rather difficult but that the country still is on its feet. The president spoke slowly and deliberately as he thought back over the tumultuous years since the death of the late Presi dent Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 12, 1945. There is some unemployment, the president said, but more peo ple are at work in this country than in any other country at any time in history. Best in History He said that if reports from Wall street may be believed, business conditions are also the best in history. And, he added, the position of the farmer is ex cellent, surpassed only by the all-time peak year of 1948. (Concluded on Page 5, Column 5) Crime Problem Held Nationwide Washington, April 13 VP) President Truman said today the crime problem is nationwide and not restricted to Kansas City. He said it extends also to places like St. Louis and even to Washington. Mr. Truman said that he him self had ordered a grand jury investigation of the crime sit uation in Kansas City and pro posed one in St. Louis. The jury probe in Kansas City has been under way for some time. He said other grand juries were operating elsewhere as part of an inquiry that is nation wide in scope. The senate also is considering an investigation of crime and gambling but a controversy has arisen over how it will be han dled. The crime discussion came up at the president's news confer ence as a result of questions built around the murder of Charles Binaggio, Kansas City political figure, and a lieutenant last Thursday. A reporter noted that the two murdered men had been wit nesses before the grand jury in Kansas City that was probing rackets. He said Attorney Gen eral McGrath apparently has not found legal authority for bringing the FBI into the case although Governor Smith of Missouri has asked all possible assistance. Mr. Truman was asked wheth er he considers this a federal matter and whether he will ask McGrath to send the FBI into the Kansas City inquiry. No Peace Progress In Yalsetz Strike Dallas, April 13 No progress toward settlement of a strike at the Western Logging company, Valsetz, was the report of Bill Bess, business agent, local un ion 5-27, IWA-CIO, Wednesday. "The next move is up to the company," he said. 'A 3'2-hour meeting between a Western Logging company committee and union represen tatives Monday resulted only in a continued deadlock, Bess said. About 200 men are idle and the logging operations complete ly halted over a dispute that per tains to rate of pay for Saturday work. The employes are asking for time and a half on Saturdays, but the company has been pay ing only straight time in specific instances, Bess states. I
