Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, December 18, 1939, Image 1

Medford mail tribune., December 18, 1939, Page 1, Image 1

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Newspaper Page Text4X1 The Weather ...... Forecast ' ' rorecait: Cloudy tonljht and Tuesday with occasional "rain, sllfhtly warmer tonight. " : . Temperature Highest yesterday M Lowest this morulas 2 A Good Time If yon with to buy, acll, trade or rent um the classified page of thti newspaper. These Ad vs. aro not expensive and they do produce splendid results. Now la a food time to start. Tribune f Full Associated Press Full Unliad Pru Thirty-fourth Year MEDFORD, OREGON, MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1939. No. 231. o)M wi u i ik Li f iu i : j&m&&-mjps m -... - . ' ' ' - - I ' - Washington, D. C, Dec. 18. In two weeks holders of social security cards, if they are G5 years, will begin . drawing monthly benefits. Commencing January 1, 1940, each holder of a card will automatically re ceive monthly payments as he or she arrive at the 65th birth dav. By an amendment to the act last August, the payments were advanced two years. The benefits will also flow monthly to widows, wives, minor chil dren and orphans dependents on the holder of a card. It is estimated by SSB that several thousand card holders in Washington and Oregon will be on the list of beneficiaries starting in January, with the number Increasing with the passing of years. Minimum ben efits are $10 a month and max imum $85, depending on the wage the beneficiary has been receiving over a period ot time. These benefits are not char ity; .they are paid for by the card holder. Since the social se curity act began functioning, those covered by the laws have been contributing one percent of their pay and the employer has also been contributing. Tom these mutual contributions, a fund has been accumulated out of which are to be paid the monthly benefits. v . THE Day roll tax will continue on the one percent basis until 1943. The. original law re quired a higher tax starting January 1. 1940, but this was amended by congress toward the end of the regular session, much to the relief of employers. Also last summer, the act was broad ened to include sailors (on American ships) and employes In hanks. At present the social security act does not protect all workers, but eventually the scope will be enlarged. Not entitled to the social security benefits are those engaged in the fishing industry (this means several thousand in (Continued on Page Pour.) ELIZABETH YOUNG The will of the late Mrs, Elizabeth L. Young, killed in an auto accident on the Pacific hiehwav. on the night of No vember 26, has been filed for nrobate. A daughter, Dorothy Roberta Young, named In the will as a beneficiary, was killed PROBATE i in the same crash. They were returning from a trip to San Francisco. The will, made March 16, 1938. provides that the estate be divided between the two daughters, and that Patricia Young, receives the ' Income from eight shares of California- Oregon Power company stock It is further provided, that Eu- eene Thorndike, of the First National Bank, act as guardian i of Patricia Young, in the event r of the death of her older sister, named as executrix in the orig inal will. SIDE GLANCES by TRIBUNE REPORTERS -Arnel Butler being surprised at his own strength when he broke a living room window by pushing his hand through the glass. Sylvester Stevens having tough luck while on a mission carrying out the true Christmas srlrit. Rasslcr Clara Mortensen ex plaining to Promoter Mack Lil Jard how she takes care of fresh guys. Franklyn Jones trying to get the attention of a friend by In termittently yelling and blow ing his car born. 34 British Bombers Downed in Fight Off Helgoland Is Report Berlin.' Dec. 18. UP) Thirty -four British borrtbers were ' said by Germany to have been shot down in a terrific air battle off the north German coast in the vicinity of Helgoland this afternoon. Forty-four British planes were said to have participated In the attack. Helgoland, a German naval base, is an island off the north coast of Germany, The German fighters rose to attack as soon as the British flight, the biggest unit yet used against Germany, was sighted. Reports said the German planes, led by a Captain Schu macher succeeded in scattering the British. Germans Lost Two Two German planes were lost, it was said. Their crews took to parachutes. The wreckage of many Brit ish planes was reported washing up on German shores.. First stories of the battle indi cated it was the biggest air en gagement of the war, with sharp fighting over the sea and an intensive anti-aircraft fire com ing from land batteries. Several" of the British raid ers broke through in the direc tion of Wilhelmshaven, Nazi naval base, and dropped three bombs, but the. Germans report ed they fell on barren land and caused no damage. The crews of two British planes were taken prisoner, it was said. Berlin," Deo. 18. (JP) The official . German news agency. DNB, reported today German bombers sank four British mer chantmen and damaged three warships yesterday in an air attack. - 'The mere appearance of the German planes on the scene suf ficed to cause the greatest dis quietude on the British ships, DNB reported. "Numerous crews fled into the lifeboats although their ships were not attacked at all. The possibility that Germany may claim damages from. Uru guay for the scuttled pocket bat tleship Admiral Graf Spee arose today when authorized sources explained the basis of a German protest to the Uruguayan gov ernment.' They cited Article XVII of The Hague agreement of 1907 and said Uruguay had contra vened international law in granting only 72 hours for re pairs to the battle-damaged Ger man warship. They expressed belief Uru guay acted under British pres sure. State Fair Date Set Salem, Dec. 18. (ff) The Oregon State Fair will open next year on Labor Day and continue through Sunday, Sept, 8, the state board of agriculture decided Saturday. A policy of renting the fairground to the public for "reasonable use" was adopted. Heywood Broun. Columnist And Guild Leader, Succumbs New York, Dec. 18. (IP) Heywood Broun, 51, columnist and president of the American Newspaper Guild, died today. Broun died in the Harkness pavilion of the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was taken last Thursday night when pneumonia develop ed from a heavy cold. The illness induced a heart attack, but for a time he seemed to rally. Early today his condi tion became worse and as the hours passed he showed no signs of improving. At 8 a. m., his temperature was 105.2 degrees. He had been unconscious much of the time. Optimist From the start, Broun, an incorrigible optimist, had treat ed his illness with his customary good nature, devoting one of his last columns to a whimsical dis cussion of the advice of a phy sician who had told him to seek rest in Florida. He died at 9:50 a. m. (6:90 a. m. PST). Broun, a native of Brooklyn, OF AERIAL FIGHT LI London, Dec. 18. UP) The air ministry announced today that 12 German Messerschmidt fighters were shot down and seven British bombers were unaccounted for" after "fierce fighting" over Helgoland Bight. The announcement said Royal air force bombers had recon- noitered over Helgoland Bight to attack any German warships found at sea. . No warships were encoun tered, the, ministry seid, but tha bombers met a strorig foroe of Nazi fighters and the afar en gagement ensued. London, Dec. 18. UP) Three British ships were lost and a fourth was abandoned in a sink' ing condition as the result ot large-scale German air raids on North Sea shipping involving at least 13 ships last night and early today. . The trawler Pearl was aban doned after three of her crew had been wounded by the Ger man raiders. ' Two other trawlers, the New- choice and the Campagnus, and the 487-ton steamer , Serenity were sunk. This new phase of' warfare, pitting planes . against - small ships, also sent the Trawler Eileen Wray into port with a damaged hull. 1 , Acknowledgement of the air raid losses followed a British admiralty announcement a sub marine had penetrated German defenses at the mouth of the River Elbe and sunk a 6,000 ton German cruiser. - San Fran Turkeys ; Lowest In Years . San Francisco, Dec. 18. UP) Turkeys sold today at the lowest Christmas prices in 10 years, George Makins, manager of the California Turkey Grow ers Exchange, said today. The association furnished wholesalers heavy toms at 18 cents a pound, and hens at 2Vi cents. Retailers said the birds went over the counter at an extreme range from 23 to 30 cents a pound. Most sales were at -25 cents for' gobblers and 28 .cents for hens. studied for a time at Harvard and entered newspaper work in 1908 as a reporter on the New York morning Telegraph.- In 1912 he went to the New York Tribune as sports editor. Later he became the paper's dramatic critic. He was the Tribune's war correspondent with the A.E.F. in France in 1917. He went to the New York World in 1921 and began his daily column "it seems to me." In 1927 he quit the paper after a disagreement with Ralph Pulitzer growing . out of the Saccc-Vanzetti case. First Column Last Broun went to the Telegram, which later bought the World Last week he transferred to the New York Post as columnist His first and last column In that newspaper appeared on Friday. Broun is survived by his mother, Mrs. Heywood - Cox Broun; bis widow, the former Mrs. Connie Dooley, whom he married in 1935, and a son, Hey- (Cunuuued on Pti ro.( Y BUILDING TRADE s. F. Electric Contractors In Unlawful Combination Is Grand Jury Finding. San Francisco, Dec. 18. UP) Indictments against 36 individ uals, 10 companies and two un ions charging conspiracy to vi olate the anti-trust laws were returned today by a federal grand Jury investigating , the northern California building in dustry; The indictments, the first returned by the Jury, in volved members of the . San Francisco electric contractors association. The indictment charged that beginning in January, 1938, and up to the present time, this, de fendants carried out a "wrong ful and unlawful combination and conspiracy in restraint of interstate commerce in electric al equipment in violation of the Sherman anti-trust act." Those indicted were accused of conspiring to "increase, regu late, dictate and control" the bids which small electrical con tractors submit to general coo- tractons for the Installation and repair of electrical systems. The alleged controlling of bids, the indictment charged was for the purpose of estab lishing arbitrary, collusive and non-competitive bids, and "to eliminate electrical contractors who refused to- participate Hn the bid control scheme ' as pros pective purchasers of electrical equipment. FEELS San Francisco, Dec. 18. QJ.R) The European war has created an increased domestic demand for quicksilver which undevel oped California mines may be able to supply, the state division of mines reported today in a survey by two Stanford Uni versity mining engineering students.- The survey, prepared by Al fred L. Ransome under the- su pervision of Olaf P. Jenkins, chief geologist of the division, disclosed that the state still is rich in unmined quicksilver a strategic mineral which was among the first to feel the ef fects of war. . Quicksilver rose in price from $78 to $170 a flask in the first eight months of 1939. . K. F. AUTOIST HURT IN Klamath Falls, Dec. 18. (IP) Emmett Ernest "Pete" Fuller- ton, 23, is in a hospital here with a possible broken back re ceived shortly after 3:30 a. m today when his car skidded on a - curve overlooking Klamath Falls on the Greensprings high way. The car went through a guard rail, tumbled down a rocky em bankment to a spur track of the Great Northern railroad, where it came to rest against a box car. . i Pair Chased Girls v With Automobile Baker, Ore., Dec. 18. (IP) James G. Smith and Frank Irby have been placed In the county Jail under -.(2500 bond on charge of assault with attempt to kill. . The men are alleged by Dis trict - Attorney C. T. Godwin to have tried to run' over Betty Thrasher and Dorothea Mae Maxwell with an automobll Saturday afternoon. . 'Paris, Dec: 18. P) A French high command com munlque tonight reported that "toward midday a sharp en gagement took place , in the Vosges mountains between one of our - roconnoltering - parties and German unit. Crew Will kXAjTnltw -Willi I I 1mmmmimmmmmmm ill llllll.i.liui.l.l.i.Ci This Is how the German battleship Admiral Graf Bps appeared after her 14-hour battle with three British cruisers off the Uruguayan coast when she put Into the neutral port of Montevideo. Note the hole In bow and holes near waterline Indicated by arrow and circle. Forced to leave the port yesterday by a Uruguayan time limit, the battleship was blown up by Us own craw, three mile off-shore, rather than face the wall Ins British warships outside the neutral tone. 36 Soviet Tanks As Finns Repulse Invaders Helsinki. Dec. ' 18. (IP) The Finnish high command re ported today the repulse of heavy Russian attacks with destruc tion of 36 tanks. Attacks were made by the invaders in force at three points on the Karelian Isthmus, the Finns announced in a communique, without success. Attacks between Moulaajarvi and Valkjarvi on a 12-mile front, It said, "were repulsed and 36 tanks destroyed. At Taipale Lake the enemy twice tried to concentrate in force for an attack but were dispersed by artillery fire. Five tanks were destroyed. "On the eastern front enemy attacks in the region of Koir- inoja (near the north shore- of Lake Ladoga) and Syskyjarvi were repulsed. "In the Loimila sector there was Increased activity, l wo tanks were destroyed. At Lake Aglajarvi our suc cess continues. At Suomussalmi three tanks were destroyed. Copenhagen, Dec. 18. (IP) Norwegian reports from north em Finland today described for est fighting in which a patrol of nine Finnish soldiers was said to have killed 700 Russians in an exposed highway position. Exhausted Finnish soldiers crossing into Norway told how small patrols equipped with light machine-guns and light field guns were harassing the Russian advance in the north. They explained the tremen dous loss in one engagement as due to the fact the Russians were massed on a road exposed directly to Finnish guns. Roseburg, Ore., Dec. 18. (Pi Herman Marks, 75, one of Roseburg s best known resi dents, died suddenly Saturday night from a hearv attack. Born in San Francisco, Mr. Marks came to Roseburg at the age of 61 years to take a position as bookkeeper in the pioneer firm of S. Marks and company operated by two of his uncles, He became an heir and ad ministrator of the large Marks estate, following the deaths cf his uncles. He was the owner of considerable farm and busi ness property in Douglas county He was a charter member of the Elks lodge here. Like Old Times Oregon City, Dec. 18. (IP) The calendar was turned back five years over the week-end as federal and state officers staged two raids resulting in the arrest of three persons on charges ot distilling moonshine whisky. From Scuttled Graf Spee Be Interned by Argentina Destroyed OF FINN DEFENSE Moscow, Dec. 18. (IP) Incle ment weather is sparing Finland attack by vast numbers of Sov iet Russian planes, but land forces have driven more than 80 miles within central Finland, according to today s communi que. The weather and the low vis ibility of the Arctic twilight, Russians reported, are ground ing airmen on nearly all of the front. Meanwhile, the government newspaper Izvestia declared that expulsion of the u.S.S.R. from the League of Nations had given her a "free hand," and the communist party organ Pravda, accused the United States of influencing Latin American states to support the ouster last Thursday. Radio Highlights By Associated Press . (Pacific Standard Time) New York, Dec. 18. UP) King George's Christmas morn message to the empire, which all networks plan to relay in this country, will be preceded by the British radio's hour-long exchange of greetings among the empire s various units. So far, only MBS has scheduled the full broadcast. The Christmas Eve singing of "Silent Night, Holy Night," bo- gun in 1931 by Mme. Schumann- Hcink, who died in 1936, and resumed In 1937 and 1938 by Kirsten Flagstad, will be pro vided on NBC this year by Mar- jorie Lawrence, youthful Metro- DoUtan Orjera orima donna. The brief broadcast will be at 8:57 p. m. and followed at 9 p.m. by the New York Trinity church chimes. . . Tonight: Europe WABC- CBS 8:55, 8; MBS 6, 6:15, 7:15 WEAF-NBC-Eaat 8. 8. F. Turkey Prices San Francisco, Dec. 18. UP) N"t prices paid producers for live poultry delivered San Francisco. Turkeys, young toms, under 18 lbs., 16-16Wc; 18 lbs, and over, 16,c; young hens, 19 zuv?c. R0GRESS1VE LEAGUE MAY BE REVIVED TO SUPPORT THIRD TERM Washington, Dec.' 18. UP) Amid capital discussion of Vice- president Garner's formal en trance into the Democratic pres idential race, it was disclosed to day that the National Progres sive league may be revived to back President Roosevelt for a third term. The league Is composed of Democrats and Independent Re publicans who worked for Mr. Roosevelt's election in 1932 and 1936. Melvln D. Hildreth, exec utive secretary, told reporters: Quite a number of us hope to continue the league In 1940, and, we hope, for- Mr. Roose velt. We have a great deal of respect for Mr. Garner, but we've got to look at the situa tion from the world's angle what's going to happen a year from now." RADIO THRILLERS New Yoi'k, Dec. 18. (IP) The Radio Council of Children's Programs, on the warpath against "blood and thunder programs for children, says five such presentations have been dropped from networks, with more to follow. The five were not named. Mrs. Harold V. MiJIigant. vice chairman of the organiza tion and radio chairman of the General Federation of Women's clubs, announced formation of the council yesterday, but said it had been operating a year under sponsorship of the feder ation, the United Parents' as sociation and the American Li brary association. Mrs. Milligan said NBC, CBS and Mutual were cooperating in the drive. IS Albany, Ore., Dec. 18. UP) A ' first-degree murder charge was -filed today against Rufus A. Stults, 43, Eugene Junk man In the death of an itinerant known as "Dcafy," District At torney Harlow Weinrlck said. Sheriff C. A. Swartz at Eu gene, where Stults was arrested Saturday, said Stults, father of eight children, confessed killing "Dcafy" In a quarrel last Thurs day over $48. IE IT OF NAZI BATTLESHIP Uruguayan Gunboats Patrol Hulk of Pocket-Battleship Blown Up By Crew. Buenos Aires, Dec. 18. UP) A high Argentine official said the 1,039 crewmen of the sunken German pocket-battleship Graf Spee, who arrived here today, would be Interned. Officers of the 10,000-ton bat tleship, now a mass of tangled wreckage In the Plate River, the official said, probably will ba released on their personal pledge not to participate in the European war. The official recalled a similar case in 1914 when Argentina in terned the crew of a German' ship but released the- officers. A German embassy spokes man announced more than 1,000" members of the Graf Spee'i crew had ' arrived Us port. Previous reports indicated 600 had come to. Buenos Aires but the embassy spokesman said sev eral hundred others who were placed aboard the German tank er Tacoma before the- Graf Spee was destroyed, also had arrived. By Harold K. Milks Montevideo, Dec. 18. Py New explosions shook the twist ed hulk of the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee today even as a high Argentina official announced her crew of 1,039 would be interned.. At the same time, Uruguay sought to learn just how the Nazi crew sent the ship to the bottom ot the Plate River estu ary yesterday with blasts in her hull, by arresting four ot the crew for questioning. Most of the officers and crew went to Buenos Aires by tug boat and barge in the hope Ar gentina would treat them as shipwrecked sailors rather than as belligerents, but a high Ar gentine official said the crew would be interned. The officers, the official said. may be granted- their freedom on their personal pledges not to participate further In the war. Patrol Wreck Site Uruguayan gunboats patrolled near the tangled wreckage ot the Graf Spee which her of ficers destroyed on the personal order of Adolf Hitler in a com promise between a possible sui cidal battle and interment. Ironically, the floating oil which surrounds the smoulder ing battleship formed a rough swatiska. . Although it took only three minutes to scuttle the battleship, once pride of the German navy, new explosions shook the wreck age throughout today. The embittere dcaptain Hans Langsdorff, who himself carried the cable firing the Internal mines dropping his ship Into the ooze of the river, left the scene last night with his crew for Buenos Aires. Late In the morning the Bri tish cruiser Achilles, which was one of three ships that battered the Graf Spree last Wednesday, drew near the smoking wreck while British sailors peered over the rail at their one-time advers ary, y Middle Course Destruction at German hand apparently was the middle course for the Graf Spee. It spared the lives of mora than 1,000 sailors who would have faced almost sure death had their commanders chnmn to let their patched-up ship brave) (Contloutd ou Pas SJchM Washington, Dec. 18. The Indian bureau notified Sen ator McNary (R-Ore.) today it would be unable to Increase the enrollment of the Salem Indian school at Chemawa, Ore., from 450 to 550 pupils.