Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, December 28, 1939, Image 1

Medford mail tribune., December 28, 1939, Page 1, Image 1

Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR

About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 28, 1939)

Page of 8 Next Prev Issue Next Text PDF JP2 (2.6 MB) Clip/Print Image

Return to Top

Page of 8 Next Prev Issue Next

Newspaper Page TextThe Weather Forecast: Partly cloudy to nisKt and Friday with fof In morning, slightly colder to night. Highest jrstenlay M 52 Lowest this morning 42 To 5 p. m. yesterday T To 5 a. m. today .03 Chance To Help Never mlu so opportunity to buy t aanliif or Kll (or run. Give the Want Ad -lianr to help you. Krad the Adi. If you do not rind wliat you want advertise, IVimiler (ul reiulti will follow. EDFORD RIBUNE Full Associated Press full United Press Thirty-fourth Year MEDFORD, OREGON, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28 No. 239. Ml (Hi uim IN m M 1 fflmE . AT tfjTHE' I ML Washington, D. C, Dec. 28. Unless someone spills the beans, three special congressional in vestigation committees will be active on the Pacific coast, with two, if not all three, holding hearings in Seattle. Present plans are for the house com mittee investigating the Wagner labor act and national labor re lations board to move to the far west; for the Dies committee on un-American activities to lis ten to witnesses, and the senate civil liberties committee to re sume its inquiry in California, after congress settles down to routine. A mountain of documentary evidence has been obtained by the committee studying the practices of NLRB and a quan tity of this material has been furnished by employers in Ore gon and Washington and by various officials. That some of the operations of the district headquarters at Seattle, contributed to lack of confidence in NLRB and grow ing demand for revision of the law, is a matter of record, the evidence coming from the of ficial files of the board itself. District headquarters has charge of administering the act in both northwestern states. ... OECAUSE of the interest in 0 the . NLRB probe, a, ver batim report of each day's pro ceedings is printed and dis tributed (under frank of How ard W. Smith, the chairman of the committee), the cost of tak ing the report and the printing bill being underwritten by a group of citizens. Usual method is for a com mittee to have the government printing office issue a pamph let of testimony, the books be coming available several months after the testimony is taken. Hearings of the Dies and civil liberties committees are away behind. . A LTHOUGH the Dies commit tee automatically expires when congress meets, it will be continued and given another appropriation. Notwithstanding mat ai times the Dies commit tee hearings degenerated into a circus, the committee has per- (Continued on Page Pour.) E San Francisco, Dec. 28. UP) A group of C.I.O. leaders, in cluding Harry Bridges, asked special representatives of the U. S. attorney-general today to conduct an investigation of the current waterfront tie-up here charging that a "huge conspir acy" existed in violation of anti trust laws. Eugene Woman Dies Eugene, Dec. 28. (IP) Mrs. Vera Harris, wife of M. C. Har- i ris, prominent Eugene dentist and long-time Lane county Re publican chairman, died today. SIDE GLANCES by TRIBUNE REPORTERS Dorothy Fraley being kind to a person who made a gross error over a matter of import ance, the erring soul accepting the kindness with gratitude. Mary Lendt wishing to keep so awfully mum with some sources regarding news tinged with a romantic atmosphere. Betty Westergren flitting around to various appointments and being about a half hour behind time for each. Harold Bunce unaware that fan nearly toppled over trying to get a good peek at the good which wifey Frances gave him. I 42,000 Casualties Counted in Single Anatolian Section London, Dec. 28. (IP) An Exchange Telegraph (British news agency) dipatch from Capetown today said there had been 25 earth tremors during the past 24 hours in the Rand, in Transvaal. Two tremors were severe, jarring buildings and alarming residents. Ankara, Turkey, Dec. 28. (IP) Officials announced today 42, 000 persons were killed or injured in the region of Erzincan alone in yesterday's Anatolian earthquake. New tremors shook Anatolia . today while a blizzard and fierce winds increased the suf fering of hundreds of thousands of homeless. A heavy storm raged along the Black sea coast, tearing ships loose from moorings and battering down seaside homes. Quake" Survivors Freeze. With the temperature 22 de grees below zero (Fahrenheit), many of the thousands of earth quake survivors who had fled to fields were frozen to death, according to sparse reports reaching Ankara officials. Erzincan is a vilayet, or prov ince, in the extreme east of Turkey on the Armenian- bor der. (The Statesmen's Yearbook gave Erzincan's 1935 population as 157,344. The city of Erzin can had a population of about 40,000.) Erzincan is about 350 miles east of Ankara and about 200 miles east of Sivas and Sam sun, in the area which earlier reports said indicated was hard est hit. Before the report on the Erzl can district reached Ankara, an unofficial estimate had given the number killed or injured yesterday in Antolia as 9,000. Fear Mounting Toll. It was feared the death toll would mount as survivors of the quakes faced the dangers of exposure, lack of proper med ical attention and scarcity of food and pure water. Yesterday's temblors toppled minarets from mosques and sent them crashing through the roofs of buildings, killing some per sons in their sleep. Disrupted c o m m u n ications prevented officials from learn ing how serious were the ef fects of today's shocks. Relief expeditions meanwhile battled through the blizzard over debris-strewn lines and roads to take aid to the victims. Fires swept many habitations wnicn naa witnstooa tne cartn shocks, forcing many into the open where exposure carried the risk of widespread illnesses Good and pure water sup plies were scanty. . Columbus, O., Dec. 28. (IP) The American Association of Physics Teachers today awarded its Oersted medal to Emeritus Professor Benjamin H. Brown of Whitman college, Walla Walla, Wash. 1940 Earthquake Year Vancouver, B. C, Dec. 28. (Canadian Press) fdgar C. Thrupp, a member of the Engineering Institute of Canada, who several months ago predicted a disastrous earthquake between December 25 and January 10, forecast today that 1940 will "bring the most destructive earthquakes of the 20th century." Pointing to yesterday's tragic quake in Turkey 8s an example of his successful predictions in the past, Thrupp said July 20 to August 5 next year will be the "first period of risk of the worst disasters." He told reporters "this occasion will compare with the disasters in Asia minor on August 13 and September S, 1822, when 20,000 were killed." He forecast that October 20 to November 10 will be the second period of greatest risk. The elderly Vancouver engineer, who retired from active practice in 1932, said the "new law of gravitation" he has developed and which forms the basis for his predictions "does not provide any means of forecasting the location of earth quakes." He added, however, because Canada's subterranean struc turn is solid enough there is no danger of a serious earthquake in e dominion. Thrupp had predicted that November 8 to November 20, this year, was a "period of risk." British Columbia and the Pacific northwest felt a severe earth shock November 12. A minor shock was felt around Philadelphia November 14. On November 23, within the "seven to 10 days" leeway Thrupp allows because of the uncertainty of determining the "relative weakness of the earth's crust," a severe quake oc curred in Turkey and several score were killed in 16 villages. He previously had forecast that December 25 to January 10 would "bring a much more destructive quake." LIGHT TEMBLORS OF SAN J Fresno, Cal., Dec. 28. (IP) Light earthquake shocks were felt in various sections of the south San Joaquin valley be tween 4:15 and 4:16 a. m. to day. Officials of the Pacific Gas and Electric company here said their representatives throughout the valley reported they felt the tremor in the district from Fresno to Coalinga and Bakers field. The night watchman in the Fresno county courthouse said the shock was severe on the fourth floor of the building, causing windows to rattle and the elevator to sway. Salinas, Cal., Dec. 28. (IP) An earthquake was felt here at 4:15 a. m. (P.S.T.) today. Many persons were awakened. No damage was reported. BRIDGES REPORT EXPECTED SOON Washington, Dec. 28. (IP) Secretary Perkins awaited a re port today on tne deportation proceedings she instituted against Harry Bridges, Austral ian born west coast leader of the CIO. The Bridges case, the center of controversy both in and out of congress, is in the hands of James M. Landis, Harvard law school dean, who presided at the Bridges hearing as a special examiner. The secretary's aides said the Landis report was expected soon although there was no pre cise advance information as to when his findings, compiled from an 8,000-page record, would be submitted to the sec retary for publication. There were indications earlier in the week that the report would be filed before the end of the year. Court House Tree In Favored Spot Puts Forth Buds The sycamore tree in the south side of the courthouse is following its annual cus tom of budding in December. The tree, , protected from the north wind, gets the daily benefit of radiator - warmed air which comes from the windows. Buds on the trees are now about the size of a cherry pit. They usually remain that size until spring arrives, when, like other varieties, the tree begins to put forth leaves. ALL PHILADELPH1ANS 10 PAY TOE TAX AT START OF NEW YEAR Philadelphia, Dec. 28. (IP) An injunction to block collec tion of Philadelphia's VA per cent tax on wages and earnings beginning with the new year was asked in court today. The petition was presented for Jen nie Dole, a shirt factory em ploye. Philadelphia, Dec. 28. (IP) Every person who earns an income in Philadelphia from the man who cuts the grass to the highest executive starts digging into his pockets Jan. 1 for a Hi per cent tax on his pay. Under Pennsylvania s consti tution none can be exempted not even the woman who comes in once a week to wash win dows, the nursemaid, the WPA worker, nor the persons who work here and live outside the city. City council, faced with the necessity of raising $16,869,316 additional revenue, imposed the unique levy to balance the 1940 budget despite warnings from organized labor that it would fight the measure "to a finish." Council expects the tax to yield $18,000,000 next year. SEIZE TRUCKS OF -DEFIANT CITIZEN York, Pa., Dec. 28. (JP) The federal government, challenged by Fred C. Perkins to "come and get" the $105.36 it says he owes in 1 social security taxes, did just that today by seizing two of Perkins' trucks as pay ments. Four federal agents drove the trucks from Perkins' battery plant to the federal building garage and announced the ma chines would be offered for sale January 8. Perkins, who gained nation wide prominence by defying the NRA before it was ruled un constitutional, announced friends and relatives have pro mised him cars to deliver his batteries. Perkins reiterated his deter mination to refuse to pay fed eral and state social security and unemployment taxes be cause he considers them unfair and burdensome on small busl- INFLUENZA WAVE E Mcdford's epidemic of Influ enza has just about ended com pletely, it was indicated today by observations of Dr. L. D. Inskeep, city health ofiicer. "There has been no case of true influenza reported In a I week." Dr. Inskeep said. "It. has just about died out." i The epidemic was widespread i while it lusted, however. Dr. j Inskeep estimated that during the period of the epidemic from 33 13 to 50 per cent of the , entire city population suffered j from influenza. Others had put the percentage as high as 75. I While influenza has just about ' vanished, colds and sore throats 1 are being recorded at the rate of several 1 stated. a day, JJr. insKeep OLD TRADITION TO VISIT EMANUELE Ceremonial Call Upon Italian Rulers Is First in More Than Seventy Years. By Richard G. Masiock Rome, Dec. 28. (JP) Pope Pius XII called upon Italy's king and queen today in the first visit by any pope on a tem poral prince in more than 70 years. The pontiff, who went to the Quirinal palace amid pomp and ceremony, was formally repay ing the visit which King Vit torio Emanucle and Queen Elena paid him a week ago. A reliable Vatican source said these historic meetings would be followed on January 5 with a visit by Premier Mus solini to the pope at the Vatican, all signifying the ever-closer re lations between the church and the Italian state. Accord Resealed It would be II Duce's second visit to a pope. He was received in audience by Pope Pius XI in 1932. Pope Pius today in a brief speech after the ceremoniul meeting with the king and queen said the visit "resealed the "happy accord between the church and the state." The pontiff invoked divine protection on the royal family "in order that the peace which safeguarded by the wisdom of its rulers, is making Italy greater, strong and respected before the world may become a stimulus and incitement to future understandings for peo ples who today almost as broth ers turned enemies are fighting across lands, skies and seas understandings which by their contents and spirit are sure pro mise of a new order, a peaceful and durable order, which would be sought in vain outside of the royal ways of justice and Christian charity." Thousands Chear Tens of thousands of Romans lined the streets to cheer the papal procession and receive the holy father's benediction. The occasion, rich with color and formality, symbolized the final dissolution of any discord over unified Italy's seizure of Rome from the pope in 1870 and the city's designation as the Italian capital. In protest, the popes became voluntary prisoners in the Vati can until 1929, when the Lat eran peace was signed. In some foreign eyes the ceremonial also signified pos sible cooperation between the Vatican and the government to ward eventual peace efforts, but fascist authorities disclaim ed any coordination of foreign policies. GOV. OLSON CALLS SPECIAL SESSION Sacramento, Cal., Dec. 28. (IP) Gov. Culbcrt L. Olson to day called a special session of the California legislature for January 29. He said six subjects of major concern would be on the agenda, with several others of a non-controversal nature, he declined to reveal the nature of the subjects. He expected to have the full agenda ready for release the middle of next week. The governor said he had been urged to include as many as 50 subjects in his call but had decided definitely to cut the number of important meas- ures to six. British Cruiser Refuels At Rio Rio Dc Janicro, Brazil, Dec. 28. (IP) The British cruiser Shropshire docked here today for provisions and fuel. The Bri tish naval attache dccUned to say where she came from or where she Is bound. The Shrop shire, a 9.830-ton vessel with a-incn guns, win sail wunin me 1 24-hour time limit Y BITTER BATTLE LAKE SUVANTO ON Finns Continue Yesterday's Hand-to-Hand Fighting Russians Still Stymied. Helsinki. Dec. 28. (IP) Destruction of nine Russian warplanes. new gains in the border region where the Finns have penetrated Rus sian territory and annihila tion of two Russian compan ies on the Icy battlefield of Lake Suvanio were reported 'in today's Finnish commun ique. Helsinki, Dec. 28. (IP) Bit- ter fighting on the Karelian isthmus, particularly on the Ice of Lake Suvanto, was reported today by a Finnish communique which said many Russian dead were left on the frozen lake. The Suvanto battle continued fighting in which Russians and Finns met hand-to-hand yester day. Fighting continued on Rus sian soil near Lieska, -on the east central front where Finn ish troops have been pushing toward the strategic railway to Murmansk.- By the Associated Press Wintry warfare between Fin land and Russia entered Its fifth week today with stubborn Finnish' resistance still, holding up the Soviet invasion and Finnish troops on sorrie sectors taking the offensive. . Planes and ski troops struck at Russia's railway connection with the far north at a point where the Murmansk line comes within 45 miles of the Finnish frontier. There were unconfirmed re ports that the white-clad ski troops, a highly mobile unit planning to disrupt communica tions and then retreat quickly, already had reached their rail way objective. A Finnish attack against Rus sian positions near Salmijarvt, in far nothern Finland, appar ently failed and the Finns with drew several miles. Reds Dig In After a 50-mlle retreat from advance posts in the Arctic reg- ( Continued on page rnree I SWISS ARMY LEADER BOLSTERS DEFENSES Berne, Dec. 28. (IP) Gener alissimo Henri Gulsan ordered today the formation of a new Swiss army corps to bulwark the country's defenses before the border foothills are cleared of snow in the spring. Mounting Traffic Accidents Cloud City's Safety Record Mcdford's bid for the state's safety prize and the county's position in the state's periodic ratings took another slump to day as accidents continued to pile up here and hereabouts. The safety prize contest ends December 31, and up until re cently Medford was making a good showing. Marked im provement will have to be made In the remaining days of De cember to offset the accident records of the past few weeks, safety experts agreed. Mrs. Paul Martin of route 3 and Mrs. Nora Straus of Sams Valley operated vehicles that collided on the Sams Valley highway four miles north of Medford this morning, accord ing to a report on file. Mrs. Martin's report said that she slowed down to make a left turn and that, its brakes not holding, the Straus machine ran into the rear of the Mar tin car. O. E. Womelsdorf of route 3 and Bern Ice M. Bolgcr of route 4 drove cars that collided at Riverside avenue and Fifth street last night, a report on file said. Womelsdorf reported that he was driving along in a row of cars and that the other vehicla pulled out of Fifth Wins Divorce 7 w i Actress Ruby Keeler Is shown as she appeared on the witness stand in Lot Angeles to get a divorce from Al Jolton. She testified he called her ltupid, and otherwise ridiculed her. YULE MAIL HERE L OF YEARBEFORE A tremendous increase In Christmas postal business ovr last year's was recorded this year at Medford postoffice, it was shown today by figures re leased , by:i Postmaster Frank DeSouza. This year the postoffice staff handled 4,053 incoming and 3,590 outgoing sacks of mail, making a total of 7,643 sacks. Last year there were 3,219 sacks of incoming mail and 2,779 sacks of outgoing mail, a total of 5,998. The increase was 1,645 sacks or 27 percent. During the holiday period this year 226,345 pieces of mall were cancelled at the postoffice as compared with 206,450 last year, an increase of 19,895. The cancellation figure includes only outgoing mail and does not include parcels. The Christmas trade used 400,000 pre-cancellcd one-half cent stamps, Mr. DeSouza said. These stamps have the word "Medford" printed across them when they are bought and are used solely by merchants. Only those who have postal permits may use the pre-cancelled stamp, Mr. DeSouza stated. - Eugene Treasurer Diet Eugene, Dec. 28. (IP) Fred Wcntworth, city treasurer for 19 years, died at his home here today after a short illness. He was 66 years old and had re tired from office last year. street In front of him and he was unable to stop his car in time to prevent a collision. Lyle Jarmln of 823 Sherman street and David Holmes, Med ford, operated cars that col lided yesterday a'ternoon at East Main and Geneva streets, according to a report on file. Jarmln reported he retarded his pickup to permit cars In the rear to pass before he made a left turn, Holmes missed his brake the first time he tried to stop and ran into the rear of the pickup. Little damage was done to the pickup, Jarmln said in his report. H. K. Matthews of 105 East Main street reported that the left front fender and hub cap of his car were damaged be tween 9:45 and noon yesterday when it was parked in the lot between Six and Main streets on Fir street. Cars operated by Flora I. Childers of 552 Edwards street and Evadna May Lusk of Cen tral Point collided on North Riverside avenue late yesterday afternoon, according to a police report. The report said the Lusk car struck the rear of the Childers machine as the latter attempted a left turn into an alley. Little damage was done, the report said. OF BEAUTIFUL GIRL FOUNDJUOS A. Barking Dog Leads to Dis covery Near New Union Station Put Up Battle. Los Angeles, Dec. 28. (IP) The slashed body of an attrac tive blue-eyed blonde girl about ' 22 years old was found today in a vacant lot, a few blocks from the new Union station. Police said she had died in a terrific struggle. A barking dog led a butcher, Refugio Rcmirez, to the still- warm form lying near a fence about 6 a.m. Several hours later, she remained unidentified. Homicide Capt. Edgar Ed wards said the victim had been gashed, in an apparent attempt to hinder idcntilication, in a semi-circle from neck to fore head. There were five stab wounds in her back, and a broken knife blade was imbed ded near one shoulder. Her col lar bone was broken. Few Clues Only clues, Edwards said, were an artificial red rose, made of cloth, found crushed beneath her body; a five-inch yellow gold brooch in the shape of a butter fly; a white gold wedding ring and two diamond engagement rings and one worn, black high heeled shoe. Investigators took impressions of tire marks near ' the body. They theorized that the killer drove with the girl into the dark lot, ripped off her clothing and killed her. Her body was spread-eagled on the ground. Officers said they believe the rose was a hair or nament. It was found beneath one hip. An' inspection of the tire marks disclosed, they said, that the auto had been driven slow ly into the lot and stopped, but had been driven away at such high speed that the tires dug deeply into the dirt. SEA WARFARE LOSSES LOWEST SINCE ADVENT OF By the Aiioclaled Preit Sea warfare shipping losses during the past six days of the Christmas season have dropped to the lowest point since the beginning of the present con flict. An Associated Press survey showed only two vessels are known to have been destroyed since last Friday. They were the British freighter Stanholme, 2, 473 gross tons, torpedoed Christ mas Day with the loss of 14 lives and the Norwegian wooden freighter Torwood, 2254 tons, which exploded in the North Sea after colliding with an un identified submarine. The 6-day period produced re ports of two other sinkings prior to Friday. The known toll of the war to date shows 269 ships with a gross tonnage of 984,322 tons have been destroyed. At least 2,719 persons have been killed or drowned. TO Salem, Dec. 28. (IP) Fifteen counties were allocated $17,250 today for 1940 predatory animal control, state director of agri culture J. D. Mlckle said. Allocations by counties fol lows: Baker $900, Gilliam $1500, Grand $2000, Harney $1500, Jackson $1500, Klamath $1000, Lake $1500, Malheur $750, Marion $500, Morrow $1500, Sherman $800, Umatilla, Wat Iowa, Wasco ud Wheeler $1000 each.