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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 1939)
The Weather Occasional tils tonight and Saturday, Uttla chante In tem perature. Highest yetterday 45 Lowest tlili morning 43 Precipitation To 5 p. m. eterday. .05 To 9 a. m. today .03 Sunday Want Ads Hera It It Friday again. J an a reminder to write that Classified adr. for the Bnn day morning edition. Ads. In by 3:30 Saturday P. M. will be properly classlflrd. Closing time J P. M. Medford rf. S 1RIBUNE Full Associated Prasa Full United Prats Thirty-fourth Year Eighteen Pages Two Sections MEDFORD, OREGON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1939. No. 229. Ml Ml Jl MB 13. WAK UXIUXI qJJLLL mm AT 4THE Washington, D. C, Dec. 15. Copies of the building codes of Pacific Northwest cities are be ing examined to discover if they are responsible for monopolistic practices. This is part of the nation-wide inquiry into viola tions of the Sherman anti-trust law by manufacturers, supply dealers and unions, being con ducted by the attorney general's office. Getting down to brass tacks, the so-called trust-busting divis ion is trying to remove obstacles which have been holding back dwelling construction. Three agencies of the government, FPA, USHA and the department of commerce, are interested in the promotion of new dwellings and they long ago discovered that one reason private indi viduals are not building homes is because costs are regarded as too high. Why costs are con- sidered excessive is the nut to be cracked by Thurman Arnold, assistant attorney general. Practices of certain labor un ions is one factor; control of cer tain materials is another. Some indictments have been obtained against union leaders and man ufacturers; more will follow. OUILDING codes have, in many cities, been prepared by labor,' dealers and manufac turers, each looking after Its own interest. There is the mat ter of specifications what can be used, what cannot and .this, comes close to the heart of these codes, A city's code has everything to do with the growth of the community, the expansion of housing and commercial build ings. The code can make a dwelling so costly that a pros pective home-owner hesitates, to build and this, in turn, creates a housing shortage. CRAZED FUGITIVE TELLS OF LONG WALKONOESERT Murderess Hollow-Eyed and Emaciated When Picked Up Persecution Claimed Finland Willing to Negotiate If Soviet Foregoes Conquest Ships in Fierce Battle Off Uruguay Yuma, Ariz., Dec. 15. (IP) Winnie Ruth Judd, crazed mur deress who escaped from the Arizona state hospital for thej insane December 3, was cap tured today on the main street of Yuma, and tearfully told of walking across all but 20 of the 200 miles of desert between here and Phoenix. Mrs. Judd, hollow-eyed and emaciated, was picked up by Patrolman Henry Stahl, who had been informed by several persons that they had seen a woman answering her descrip tion. . Goes Peaceably The fugitive, whose escape nearly two weeks ago was her second in six weeks, offered no resistance when Stahl walked up to her on the street. She broke into tears at sner- iff T. H. Newman's office and cried out she had fled from the persecution of hospital attend "I wasn't trying to run away,' Sheriff Newman quoted her as saying. "I was trying to get away from those doctors. Sheriff Newman said Mrs. Judd readily admitted her iden titv. - ' "She's kind, of excited, . but not bad." the sheriff said. She sat nervous and weeping in the sheriff's office as she related her experiences. Mrs. Judd told the sheriff she had been between here and Phoenix since her escape through a door to a hospital ward. She said the only automobile ride she obtained was for about war Bulletins I G R A F SPEE M A Yl WHY SHED BLOOD? TRY DASH FROM II (Continued on Page Eleven) CPECIFIC drawbacks: Unions limiting the amount of work a craftsman can do, with par ticular reference to electricians, plumbers, carpenters. Refusal of Marshfield, Dec. 15. (P) Dr. William Horsefall, physic ian here for 50 years, was named Marshfield's first citizen today at the Lions club meet ing. (Continued on Page Six.) SCHOOL VACATION TO START DEC. 22 The annual 12-day school va cation during the Yuletide will start on Friday, December 22 and end Wednesday, January 3, City School Superintendent E. H. Hedrick announced today. He explained that classes would be dismissed on the afternoon of December 21, and reconvene the morning of January 3, giv ing students and teachers a full iz days ot leisure. Twenty-six hundred students and 100 teachers, in the city's six public schools, will enjoy the vacation period. Christmas programs are now being plan ncd for the last day in all schools. During the holidays the usual repair and renovation work will be done in the school buildings, and everything will be clean and shining upon the resump tion of studies in 1940. HELSINKI. DEC. 15. (JP) DESTRUCTION OF A RUS SIAN DESTROYER BY COAST AL BATTERIES WAS RE PORTED TONIGHT BY THE FINNISH HIGH COMMAND. IT ALSO ANNOUNCED 20 TANKS WERE CAPTURED AND OTHERS DAMAGED IN 24 HOURS OF FIGHTING IN WHICH THE FINNS DEFEAT ED THE RUSSIANS IN THE REGION OF SUOMUSSALMI. LONDON. DEC. 15 (fP)i THE BRITISH TANKER ATHELTEMPLAR, 8.939 TONS. WAS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY DAMAGED BY "ENEMY ACTION" OFF THE EAST COAST TODAY. THE BIG TANKER'S CREW WERE REPORTED TAKEN ABOARD ANOTHER VESSEL. SANTIAGO, CHILE. DEC. 15. (P) CHILEAN AUTHORITIES ANNOUNCED LATE TODAY THE GERMAN FREIGHTER DUESSELDORF. PREVIOUSLY REPORTED SUNK BY THE BRITISH CRUISER DE SPATCH, HAD BEEN CAP TUREDNOT SUNK. Pocket Battleship Refuelled; Crew Working To Repair Damage Done in Fight. Montevideo, Uruguay, Dec. 15. (U.R) The German pock et battleship Admiral Graf Spae, its 36 dead buried in a local cemetery, today was or dered by the Uruguayan gov ernment io leave Montevideo harbor within 72 hours. The 72-hour time limit, li wai reported unofficially, counts from 6:50 p.m. EST, yesterday when a commission of Uruguayan . naval experts presented lhair report on the Graf Spee's damage io the government. Thus the time limit will expire at 6:50 p.m.. EST, Sunday. IN PEACE APPEAL Finns Will Fight To Bitter End If Russia Persists In War Of Conquest TO 6 TOMORROW Medford central postoffice will remain open until 0 p. ni, tomorrow and on the following Saturday, December 23, it was announced today by Postmaster Frank DeSouza. Ordinarily the central office closes at noon Saturday. Business hours will be ex tended on the next two Satur days as an extra service to the public during the Christmas hol iday season, Mr. DeSouza ex plained. The Christmas mail has now reached large proportions, he said.- LONDON, BERLIN DIFFER IN AIR BATTLE REPORT London Berlin SIDE GLANCES by TRIBUNE REPORTERS Mary Christensen paying her fare home from a vacation with an abundance of pennies, a gift from a prankster friend. Doc Stan Philips and wlfey Margaret running Eddie Cantor a close second for having a non variety of children the Philips, though, proudly revealing the advent of a third baby boy. London, Dec. 15. (P) An at tempt by British warplanes to finish off a crippled German cruiser in the North Sea pre cipitated one of the heaviest aerial conflicts of the war, it was disclosed today. Anti-aircraft batteries aboard warships convoying the cruiser increased the hazards ol 'he fight and the British admitted the loss of three planes, but as serted they shot down four of Germany's. Other British fliers last night and early today were reported by the air ministry to have bombed Nazi seaplanes at Sylt, Island base off the southwest coast of Denmark, and the Isl ands of Borkum and Norderney, island bases off the northeast coast of The Netherlands, wun nut tnM. The German cruiser, reported to be a vessel of 8,000 tons, was torpedoed several days ago by a British submarine and appar ently called headquarters for help. When sighted by British air craft she was being escorted by destroyers, a submarine and covering warplanes and British and German fliers engaged amid heavy German anti-aircraft fire. Montevideo, Dec. 15. P) Refuelling of the battered German pocket battleship Ad miral Graf Spae began today amid growing expectation she would put to sea despite the increased strength - of British warships lying off this neutral refuge n wait for her. Oil was loaded into the Graf Spaa from the German freighter Tacoma and the warship's crew worked to re pair the damage caused by Wednesday's day-long shelling by three British cruisers which finally forced the Ger man ship io take refuge here. Cappy Bill Driscoll getting more and more lax about re turning phone messages, he ap parently believing them to be unimportant. Berlin, Dec. 15. (P) Ger man pursuit planes shot down 10 of 20 British attackers north of the Frisian Islands, the Ger man high command reported today. Its communique ' acknowl edged one German plane was forced down in what it described as activity of British air bomb ers throughout yesterday along the German North Sea coast. A single British bomber which approached the air base at Borkum yesterday without aropping bombs was chased off by our air defense," it said. "Two further British fighting planes tried to attack the island of Sylt. All four bombs fell in to the sea outside the island. "There wag a larger scale air- fight in the afternoon hours which developed out of an at tack by British fighters in the region north of the Frisian islands. German pursuit craft shot down 10 of 20 attackers. One German plane was forced to descend to the sea. No special events in the west. The reported British plane losses were interpreted by DNB (German official news agency) as a new demonstration of Ger man air force superiority. German planes were said to have singled out the British ships, flying in close formation Air action over the North Sea, and shot down ten, after which i-hlrh Gradually has been gam ing momentum, began develop ing with the inauguration of the British "security patrols" de signed to stop minelaying flights by German warplanes. Authoritative sources said the British planes were worked in relays, involving a large number of craft. the others hid in clouds and turned homeward. DNB said the raiders were the most modern type of Vickers and Wellington long-distance bombers and their repulse proved "unequivocally that the German air force is laying down the law in the German pace." By Harold K. Milks Montevideo, Dec. 15. (P) Guaranteed refuge to mend dam age to their ship, the crew of the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee turned today to burial of their dead while the allies massed naval strength to keep the dreaded raider entrap ped. British diplomatic quarters indicated the .10,000 ton British cruiser Cumberland had been added to the guard patrol off Montevideo and official Argen tine sources at Buenos Aires said they "understood" the 26,500-ton French battleship Dunkcrque was steaming to join the cordon. Faces Big Force Combined with the British cruisers Ajax and Achilles, vic tors over the Admiral Graf Spee in Wednesday s running battle off the Uruguayan coast, these warships would confront the 10,000-ton pocket battleship With more than 50,000 tons of naval power in any gamble for freedom. Against the 11-inch guns of the German vessel there would be the 13-inch pieces of the Dunkerque as well as the eight inch batteries of the Cumber land and the six-inches of the 7,030-ton Achilles and the 6-985-ton Ajax. The Dunkerque alone is rated by naval experts as one of the five allied warships capable of dealing with the raider if she gave battle. Foreign Minister Alberto Guani salu last m.iht that, "in accordance with thu Uruguayan neutrality law and international law," the Graf Spee could lie in Montevideo harbor until she could repair the damage suffer ed in the 14-hour sea battle. Tim For Repairs Guani declined to say how long this extension of the formal 24-hour limit for visits of bel ligerent ships would run, but explained it would be sufficient to permit rendering the battle ship seaworthy. While the work of patching up holes of the Admiral Graf Spce'i armor went on, seven covered vans were ordered to Helsinki, Dec. 15. (P) Fin land told Soviet Russia today she was still open for peaceful negotiations but if Moscow's aim was "conquest" of the whole country then the Finns will fight to the end. While the army was calling up all reservists who had not thus far reported to the colors, ordering them to report tomor row fully equipped, Foreign Minister Vaino Tanner, in radio broadcast to Soviet For eign Commissar Vyacheslaff Molotoff, said the Finns were willing to suspend hostilities and resume negotiations. Red Support Cited He said negotiations would have to be on the basis of the principle that small nations have the right to self determin ation. ,. ' Tanner, who look part in the long-drawn Kremlin negotia tions which preceded the Rus sian Invasion, recalled Russia had lent support to his principle. He recalled also how the Mos cow government broke off dip lomatic relations with Finland, refused mediation by the Uni ted States, rejected Sweden's efforts at conciliation and spurned the League of Nations' appeal for mediation of the dis pute. "However, the air is still open," Tanner said. Fight To Finish "Finland still is ready for peaceful negotiations, but If Moscow's aim is conquest of the whole country then the Finns will fight to the end. "Already the first 16 days have shown that the war will be fierce and demand many vic tims. Why shed blood so long as there are other possibilities unexamined?" Meanwhile Finland's defend ers were retreating on the far northern front, holding their own on the vital Karelian Isth mus and reporting successful counter attacks on ;the central fronts. . ' . i .I, ialaaHawiaT . . .. ... r: ".'""' . ..,....,' . sj I a. ' ! a ..k. - a- ! i J&j? M4' -. " . "Sa i i.i .Ljniawih.-.i a. i ni. m. mm '" . ..... "., , . : -.. i LAST RITES FOR F The British cruisers Exeter, Ajax and Achilles (from top), forced the German pocket battleship Graf Spea io seek shelter In the neutral harbor of Montevideo, Uruguay, in a fierce, battle off the Uruguyan coast. The Admiral Schoer, a sister ship of the Graf Spee, practical ly identical in eontructlon and design, is the lower ship shown. The map locates the scene ot the 14-hour fight. MURPHY DENIES Glendalc, Calif., Dec. 15. W) Family and intimate friends crowded into the Wee Kirk O' The Heather in Forest Lawn Memorial Park today to pay their last respects to the mem ory of Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. Others, Including luminaries of the motion picture world, clustered on the lawns outside the little church. - Still other hundreds, some curious and some presumably admirers of the vigorous char acterizations of Fairbanks' long screen career, gathered at the cemetery gates. Banks of flotal offerings from friends and associates of the vet eran actor overflowed the chan cel of the church where his heavy bronze casket rested, and spread over the lawn outside. (Continued on Page Ctren) The Hague, Netherlands, Dec. 15. (IP) A Netherlands delcga- airition left today lor Mcrnn tor j economic negotiations. Washington, Dec. 15. (Pi- Attorney General Murphy said today he had not been offered a place on the supreme court and he did not believe It snoum be offered to him. Murphy's remark was in re sponse to a question at a press conference as to his teeiing about a prediction that the dem ocratic ticket in 1940 would be Roosevelt and Murphy." Murphy merely laughed at this, but when another reporter remarked you wouldn t want to step down from the bench to run for president, would you?" the attorney general said: "None of these offers has been made should be." to me and none I , , 1 1 jr r-unim i t f I Ik K - : 1 h : T RQITISH; GERMAN u 2)x J SHIPS BATTLE II ' C V . I iff i m tf it a If II v i i j I urr ufsuuusi r i I Q. U; r I ' 1 1 . , CHAMBERLAIN IN BOYS RND BODY OF 2 More Indicted In Licenae Probe Los Angeles, Dec. 15. (U.R) The county grand Jury late yes terday Indicted Merle Templo ton, chief liquor enforcement of ficer for the Los Angeles dis trict, and William Cook on 23 counts of bribery, solicitation of crimes and conspiracy In a re sumption of a liquor license racket investigation. New York, Dec 15. OP) lieywood . Broun, 51, author, newspaper columnist and presi dent of the American News paper Guild, Is critically ill in the Harkness pavilion of the Columbia Presbyterian medical center, with pneumonia. Broun was taken to the hos pital last night with what was thought to be a case of grippe. FRONT LINE VISIT With The British Expedition ary Force In France, Dec. 15. (P) British Prime Minister Chamberlain, leaving his famed umbrella at home, came to France by air today on his first visit to the British forces in France. He landed at a French air base with his parliamentary private secretary, Lord Dung lass, and Majot General H. L. Ismay, secretary of the commit tec for imperial defense White River, Cal., Dec. 15. (U.H) The body of a woman, apparently dead a month, was found late yesterday by three small boys returning home from school. The children, Merle Vincent, Jr., 12, his brothers, Jack, 10, and Jerry, 8, discovered the wo man's ring-bedecked hand sticking from the ground less than a half mile from their home, which lies In a remo'e district west of Sequoia national forest and south of the Tula River Iudiau reservation.
