The 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
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. AT tfjTHE'
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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.