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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 1939)
The Weather Forecast: Cloudy tonight and Friday with -occasional rain little change In temperature. Highest yesterday 44 Lowest this mornhtff 87 Precipitation To 5 p. m. yesterday , .08 To 5 a. m. today - T For This Reason Thousands of eyes are on the Classified page of this news paper each day. For this reason the Art vs. produce" wonderful results. If you wish to buy, sell or trade advertise I Medford Tribune J? Full Associated Press Full Unliad Pras Thirty-fourth Year MEDFORD, OREGON, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1939. No. 228. Ml M Ml WW a mm in Es J . AT AtHE Washington, D. C, Dec. 14. What President Roosevelt is do ing to the budget estimates of government agencies will be come public when, either Jan uary 3 or 4, the document will be presented to congress. The budget is the size of a metropoli tan telephone directory and two inches thick. No one takes the trouble to examine more than the particular items in which he is interested. Leaks from the White House say Mr. Roosevelt is slashing right and left with his blue pencil. Reported as having been deep ly cut under the current year ap propriation are CCC, National Youth Administration, Farm Se curity Administration, WPA and reduced aid to states. These par ticular agencies, if will be noted, have to do in one way or an other, furnishing relief for young men, young women share-croppers and tenant farm ers, wopk for needy employ ables, and the federal assistance fo? aged, sightless, dependant children. This does not mean that Mr. Roosevelt is less sym pathetic than formerly, but he wishes to divert as much money as possible to national defense. OOFT pedal has been placed on WPA .re!ief. .There, was great indignation last spring when thousands were laid off for being more than 18 months on the rolls (thousands had been reliefing for 4 and 5 years); for not paying union wages; for eliminating communist-controlled theatre project and blame was laid at the doors of congress. As a matter of record, Mr. Roosevelt proposed WPA re forms and now will request far less for fiscal 1941 than he did for 1940 (we are now in fiscal 1940). In other sessions congress has been asked for a few hundred millions to carry on WPA re lief for the last four or five monchs of a fiscal year as the initial appropriation was ex hausted. Instructions have' been given now that in the session (Continued on Page Two) T Tillamook, Ore., Dec. 14. (IP) The Oregon coast highway showed a greater travel increase this year than any highway in the state, Arch B. Sanders said yesterday. Sanders, executive secretary of the Oregon coast highway as sociation, told a civic group that 68.2 per cent of the north-bound Redwoods highway travel con tinued along the coast route from Crescent City, Calif. More than 185,000 out-of-state motorists spent $3,400,000 on the coast during the year, he said. SIDE GLANCES by TRIBUNE REPORTERS Oma Parrett going Christmas shopping with' a couple of pals and becoming separated from them in a store, one of the pals. Dean DeVore, contending that perhaps Oma was mixed in among the Christmas tree trim mings. Bonnie Kittle taking a whack at fon Keith, Jr., because he Insisted on swinging on mama's callers with a man-sized stick. The Doc A. F. W. Kresse fam ily really going to town in cap turing bridge tournament lau rels as the Doc. Walt Jr.. and mania Grace brought home the bacon.' Pocket Battleship Severely Battered By British Cruisers i London, Dec. 14. (IP) The admiralty announced tonight naval forces watching for the German pocket battleship Ad miral Graf Spee "have been strongly reinforced." No details were given, however, of the additions to the cruisers Ajax and Achilles which mounted guard outside Mon tevideo in an effort to prevent escape of the nazi warship from the neutral port. Montevideo,' Uruguay, Dec. 14. (fl) The German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee, her steel rent by British guns and 36 of her crew dead, clung to her refuge today in this neu tral port while two of the three British cruisers which engaged her in a 14-hour running battle yesterday mounted guard out at sea. The third cruiser, the crippled Exeter, which was knocked out of the fight after four hours of cannonading, limped into the Rio De La Plata to a position 12 miles off Montevideo. , Believe Many Killed As British legation officials sailed' out to board her, reports were current there were many dead and, wounded aboard the cruiser but nothing official had been issued on casualties either among the crews of the Exeter or her fellow fighters, the Achilles and the Ajax, all of which were damaged. Internment for the duration of the European war seemed the only prospect for the warship which Germany in the days of naval limitation built to out- run or outgun any other war ship afloat, - Her -other-r-choice would be a desperate gamble at escape after repairs. Besides the 36 Germans killed, the casualties included 60 wounded in the crew which normally totals 926. Gas ' Use Claimed Otto Langmann, German min ister to Uruguay, visited the vessel and renewed charges crewmen were suffering from lung and eye injuries resulting from gas shells fired by the British. (The admiralty in London and Prime Minister Chamberlain be fore the house of commons de nied as "entirely without foun dation" German allegations that mustard gas grenades or shells had been used.) Langmann said six British masters of merchantmen which were sunk by the warship were aboard her, but he gave no names. (In London there was specu lation over the possibility the six were Patrick G. Dove of the Africa Shell, sunk off Por tuguese East Africa, Nov. 15; J. N. Edwards of the Trevanion, missing and long overdue; the master of the Newton Beech, un heard of since the end of Sep tember; A. H. Brown of the Buntsman, long overdue; Wil liam Stubbs of the Doris Star, reported sunk by a raider Dec, 4 in the south Atlantic: and Charles Pottinger of the Ashlea, unreported since Sept. 28.) Neutrals Barred Neutral inspectors were not permitted aboard the pocket battleship. One of two gravely injured crewmen disembarked appeared to have lost his sight from wounds. The commander of the Graf Spee had a minor arm- wound It was believed the Exeter was preparing to enter the har bor to disembark wounded, but the Ajax and Achilles and pos sibly other British warcraft hovered offshore, waiting to re sume the battle should the Ger man venture out. The Admiral Graf Spee had until midnight (10:30 p.m. EST) to leave Montevideo or apply for an extension of her stay. Langmann this morning pre pared to request permission the battle-scarred warship be al lowed to remain in Montevideo long enough to make repairs without risking interment. French Ship Safe The diplomat, supported by the German naval attache, planned to base the request on Uruguayan neutrality legisla tion. While these steps were con templated the French merchant man Formosa, a prize the Nazi (Conttnded on Page rour.j HIT-RUN TACTICS USED BY BRITISH IN NAVAL BATTLE Montevideo, Dec. 14. (IP) How three British cruisers, like well-trained hounds worrying a huge bear, slashed at the Ger man pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee until the badly dam aged warship was forced to take refuge in the neutral harbor of Montevideo, was described by eyewitnesses and .authorities to day. From their accounts was pieced together a picture of the day-long battle. It showed the British cruisers Exeter, ' Achil les and Ajax, their guns out ranged at least 3,000 yards by the 11-inch German guns, used every trick known to naval war fare to beat down their larger opponent's, defenses. Smoke Screen Used The British made "magnifi cent" use of smoke screens, wit nesses said, to avoid exposing themselves disastrously to the Admiral Graf Spee's heavier gunfire. The cruisers were said to have darted from behind these sheltering smokescreens to fire their own salvos, then re treated swiftly from sight, con stantly shifting their positions. Although out-ranged and lack ing their opponent's heavier ar mor, a British official said the lighter cruisers had to close in despite the 850-pound projectiles the pocket battleship was hurl ing. To avoid these shells, one of which almost ripped a turret from the Exeter early in the battle yesterday, the British resorted to hit-and-run tactics maneuvering at high speed be hind their dense smoke screens to throw the German gun layers off the target. By these tactics, they worked in close enough for the Exeter to train its eight-inch guns, fir ing 256-pound shells; and the Achilles and Ajax to use their six-inch guns, throwing 100 pound projectiles. T Police Chief Clatous McCre die announced today the ep pointmcnt of William (Bill) O'Brien, 29, to the city police force to take the place of Offi cer .Walter Reinklng, who has been transferred from night duty to a day beat made tem porarily vacant by the illness of Officer Ray Sloneker. The new night patrolman, a former resident of Ashland, has resided here for about three years. He was formerly em ployed at the First National Bank of Portland, Medford branch, and was more recently engaged in a mining enterprise near the Canadian border. He is unmarried. Officer Ray Sloneker, con fined in a local hospital with a heart ailment, was said to be progressing fairly well, but it was not known when he would be able to return to his position as day patrolman. GARB0 GIVES $5,000 FOR FINNISH RELIEF New York, Dec. U.UP, Herbert Hoover disclosed todBy Greta Garbo, Swedish film act- rnss, had contributed S.000 to the Finnish relief fund. Beaten to Death Warner Bleweit, 17, president of the senior class of Colwell, Iowa, high school, is charged with beating Dorothy Carter (above). 14, to death with a shotgun stock. Miss Carter was president of the freshman class of the same school. Merced, Calif., Dec. 14. (IP) Defense witnesses in the insan ity hearing of Merrill Busby, San Francisco, convicted of ab ducting a young girl, testified today that he had suffered hal lucinations and done unusual things since the death of his, mother three years ago. They also said his actions had been even more strange since his wife, Rachael, left him near ly two years ago, Arthur Busby, San Francisco, a brother of the convicted man, testified that since their mother died Merrill had "gone to pieces. Asked if he thought Merrill insane, Arthur Busby replied: "In my opinion to do the thing that he did on September 13 any person must have been insane." Busby was convicted of lur ing 14-year-old Dorothy Evelyn Thompson from her Livingston homeeion that date and taking her to San Francisco to place her in a house of prostitution. He later fled with her into Ore gon, where they were appre hended. His sister, Sally Stanford and Dorothy Heber, both of San Francisco, were freed of con spiracy charges after Busby was acquitted on such a charge. The defense and prosecution made a joint motion for dismissal of the charges. TO BEJpUTED London, Dec. 14. ()P) Two men, convicted of complicity in an explosion at Coventry last August 25, in which five per sons were killed, and for which the outlawed Irish republican army was blamed, were sen tenced to death today. One of the convicted men. James Richards, 29, cried "God bless Ireland and God bless the men who fought and died for her!" as sentence was passed. The other, Peter Barnes, 32, declared he was' innocent be fore the court decreed the death penalty. A Jury found that three other persons. Joseph Hewitt, his wife, Mrs. Mary Hewitt, and Brigid O'Hara, were innocent of murder charges. Form McNary Club For Josephine Co. Grants Pass, Dec. 14. (IP) A Josephine county "McNary for President" club was formed here today. Sam H. Baker is president and James W. Pinnl ger, secretary. Smelt Run. Astoria, Ore., Dec. 14. (IP) Fishermen brought in the larg est smelt catches of the season todav and nrcdlcted the main I run would .oon approach the Columbia river. League Calls on F.R. ON. F RELIEF President Says Hoover Has Declined Managership Of Relief For Europeans. Washington, Dec. 14. W) The White Hquse disclosed to day President Roosevelt, through Chairman Norman Davis of the Red Cross, had sought to have former Presi dent Hoover become a "sort of general manager" of relief for European war sufferers. Apparently, Hoover had de clined, the White House re ported. Stephen Early, a presidential secretary, said that about the time Germany was moving into Poland, Mr. Roosevelt and his advisors were doing what they could to prepare for what they believed would be an emerg ency. The former president recent ly assumed leadership in raising a fund for relief in Finland. anrt in Jhat capacity Is -cooperate ing with the Red Cross. New York, Dec. 14. (IP) Herbert Hoover today respond ed, through a secretary, to a White House statement that he had been offered the post as a "sort of general manager" of Eu ropean war relief. v Hoover's secretary, Lawrence Richey, issued this statement: "Mr. Early's (the White House) statement today seemed to relate to different questions. There were no discussions of Red Cross organization before the war, as he implies." Hoover declared in response to questions regarding reported friction between the Finnish fund and other groups that "It is a great pity that people will start out to poison the wells of human charity. "It is an Injury to the Fin nish people and to the American Red Cross," Hoover said. "It doesn't bother me." NAZI LINER TRIES E Vera Cruz, Mexico, Dec. 14, IP) The 32,581-ton German liner Columbus slipped out of Vera Cruz in the darkness early today on what was an apparent attempt to run the Atlantic and reach a German port throuqh the allied naval blockade. Also at sea was the German freighter Arauca, which cleared Vera Cruz harbor with a mixed cargo of fiber, nitrates and other consignments for New Or leans, La. The Columbus, a rich war prize if It falls into the hands of allied warships, obtained papers for a trans-Atlantic cross ing. Both the Columbus and the Arauca have been In this port since early in the European war. New License Tags In Use Tomorrow Salem, Dec. 14. (IP) The new 1940 license plates, blue on white background, may be at tached to cars beginning tomor row, Secretary of State Earl Snell said today. About 59,000 plates already have been issued. Sncll said he is sending out plates earlier than usual this year to avoid the Christmas mailing rush. Alaska Census Juneau, Alaska, Dec. i4. (IP) The first territorial census fig ures released today gave Juneau a population of 8.748. The neigh boring community of Douglas has 521 'Nations Expels Russia; Members to Aid Finland E EXTENSIVE AREA E Russian Invaders Forced To Retreat Is Claim; Defend ers Take More Tanks. Helsinki, Dec. 14. (P) The Finnish army communique as serted tonight that an extensive area had been recaptured by the Finns in the vicinity of Tol vajarvi and the Russian invaders been forced to retreat. (Tolvajarvl is approximately 40 miles west of Finland's east ern frontier and the same dis tance north of Lake Ladoga). The communique declared more Russian tanks had been captured. It accused the invaders of using gas in fighting at Suomus salmi, 20 miles inside Finland at almost the midpoint of the eastern frontier, but added the gas was largely ineffective. Kirkenes, Norway (at the Finnish frontier), Dec. 14. (P) Russian troops neared. flaming Salmljarvi tonight as Finnish forces retreated southward ex cept for a rear guard detach ment left to explode dynamite charges in valuable nickel mines. As far as could be seen from the Norwegian frontier town of Pasvik, all villages and habita tions on the Finnish side were aflame. The Russians were ex pected to reach Salmljarvi some time tonight. 80 KILLED IN BLAST AT MUNITIONS PLANT Bucharest, Dec. 14. (IP) Eighty persons were killed and 200 others gravely Injured to day in an explosion at a cellu lose plant under military con trol at Zarnesti. Many of the Injured were feared to be dying. Whole fam Hies were wiped out in their sleep by the early morning blast of an overheated 1,000 gallon kettle of chemical. A high , wind spread the flames and carried chlorine fumes over the village. Stockholm, Dec. 14. UP) The Swedish National bank to day raised the discount rate from two and one-half to three per cent. New Trans - Cascade Route Expected to Sap Medford Pacific Highway Traffic 'f By Richard Applegat United Press Staff Correspondent Salem, Ore., Dec. 14. (U.R) A new, fast trans-Cascade highway, which will shorten the time from Eugene to San Francisco from three to four hours, is expected to boom traf fic through Klamath Falls. Cities along the present route, which may find travel shaved off to some extent when the Willamette road is completed, are expected to push for com pletion of their new Pacific highway in order to recapture their fair share of tourists. The towns of Roseburg, Grants Pass, Medford and Ash land will be eliminated from the Willamette highway, which would part from the Pacific route Just south of Eugene and head east through Goshen and Oakridge, then over the Cas cades to Chcmult where It would join the fast and straight The Dalles-California road Into Klamath Falls. Ready In Summer The new Willamette route Is expected to be completed next July or August, or as soon as a 16-mlle link, now dangling at the summit of the Cascades is finished. Already detour over War Bulletins London, Dec. 14. (P) The air ministry announced to night four German Meiier schmidt fighting planes and three British fighters had been shot down in fierce air battles over Helgoland Bight "during the past 24 hours." Paris, Dec. 14. (IP) The French high commands' com munique tonight reported "rather sharp engagements between reconnaissance units in the Vosges and along the Biles." BRITAIN SURVEYS IN NAVAL EFFORTS London, Dec. 14. (IP) Dis- aster moved hand in hand with success today in Great Britain's fight to remain mistress of the seas and to break Germany. Even as the nation exulted that the Admiral Graf Spee, swift nazi pocket battleship, had been driven into the neutral harbor, of Montevideo, these blows against the British navy weie, announced: The 1.375-ton destroyer Duch ess sank yesterday after collid ing with another warship with an Indicated loss of 120 lives. Only one officer and 22 men were known to be safe. The 202-ton mine-sweeping trawler William Hallett struck a mine today and sank with loss of eight lives. Only one crewman survived. Against these losses were the admiralty's announcement the same submarine which had al lowed the German liner Bre men to steam unscathed to Ger many had sunk a nazi submar ine and torpedoed a cruiser. Prime Minister Chamberlain declared "the gallant action" of "three comparatively small Bri tish ships against a much more heavily armed adversary" prob ably would free the south At lantic scalane? of the raider's depredations. Chamberlain honored the navy in his statement betore the house of commons, acknow ledging "the bulk of the burden of war at present is falling on the navy." McMinnville, Dec. 14. (IP) The chamber of commerce se lected Eugene E. Marsh, state representative, president today, that part Is letting traffic get through almost as fast as the Pacific highway. At the present time the Pa cific highway is the main artery, but state highway commission experts believe it will get stiff competition the day the new route is opened until it in turn, Is revamped under the present program. The Pacific highway has long been known as the scenic route. In northern California where most traffic to Oregon origin ates, the scenic points are Mt, Shasta, the Siskiyou mountains, the Rogue River valley, Sex ton mountain, Canyon Creek and the Umpqua valley. ' Has Scenic Attractions The new Willamette highway will otter the following attrac tions, including Mt. Shasta, (Continued on Pace flues REDS' EXPULSION FIRST IN HISTORY OF WORLD GROUP Non-League Nations Also Invited To Help Little Re public 3 Fail to Vote. Geneva, Dec. 14. (IP) A telegram Informing Soviet Russia of jier expulsion from the Leage of Nations was dis patched to Moscow tonight by -Joseph A. C. Avenol, secretary-general of the league. Geneva, Dec. 14. (IP) The League of Nations, by unani mous vote of its council, today expelled Soviet Russia because of her invasion of Finland. Four members of the council. including Finland, abstained from voting on the expulsion motion. The others were China, Yugoslavia and Greece. The vote was on a resolution which declared that as a result of Russia's actions toward Finland "the U.S.S.R. no longer la a member of the league." -, Unanimous vote of the coun- -ell is necessary to expel a mem ber. Abstentions do not affect unanimity. First In History This was the first time in league history that a nation had been expelled. The council acted after the assembly had condemned Rus sia as an aggressor, called on its members to aid Finland and ap proved an invitation to non league nations, such as the Uni ted States to help the little re public. The council and assembly both adjourned after taking ac tion on the Russian-Finnish is- e. . , . Joseph Paul Boncour, the Flench delegate, just before the council vote declared although France would give Finland all possible help and would vote for Russian expulsion, she could not do so without recal ling past aggressions. Paul-Boncour told the council that aggressions which pre ceded "this one made it dos- sible." i League Wakes Late ! He declared the league "per haps is waking a little late" arid referred to former Russian for eign minister Maxim Litvlnoff's frequent condemnations of ag gression before the council. He broke away from his prepared text to say "Russia's violation is connected with all past aggres sion." Paul-Boncour was followed by British undersecretary R. A. Butler, who also made slight changes in his prepared speech to meet his ally's stand. He em phasized nothing was as impor tant to the allies as the war with Germany. The council move to expel Russia, followed action by the assembly con demning Russian aggression and ask ing members to aid Finland. . (Continued on Page Seven) Radio Highlights j By Associated Press. (Time is Pacific Standard.) Address of Gov. John W. Bricker of Ohio before the Ohio 1 State society of New -York Sat urday on the Ohio relief pro gram and its relation to the national relief program, will be heard via WEAF-NBC network at 8 p. m. Tonight: Europe WABC CBS 5:55, B; MBS 6, 7:30; WEAF-NBC-East 8. WJZ NBC 6:30, America! Town Meeting, "America and Japan Embargo or New Treaty." Friday; Europe NBC 5 a. m.: WABC-CBS 5 a. m 3:30 p. m.
