4X1
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.
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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.