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Soft Coal Fact -
Action Paves Way
For President To
Seek Court Order
Nothing Accomplished,
Board Maintains
Washington, Feb. 9 (U.R!
The soft coal fact-finding board
today abruptly ended its hear
ings, paving the way for Presi
dent Truman to seek a court or
der sending striking miners back
to work.
The board met briefly for 15
minutes this morning, and then
said it felt nothing could be ac
complished by long, drawn-out
hearings.
Best To Do
It said it felt the best thing
to do was to close the hearings
and report speedily to the White
House.
Board Chairman David L. Cole
cut off debate and testimony. He
told John L. Lewis and coal in
dustry representatives who were
present that they could file by
1 p. m. (EST) statements of their
position.
Mr. Truman's investigating
board expects to report to the
White House this week end the
facts in the coal wage dispute.
President Truman then can di
rect the attorney general to seek
a federal injunction to return
the miners to the pits for about
80 days.
The board tried late yesterday
to get negotiations going again
in the soft coal dispute. But af
ter nearly nine hours of confer
ences which lasted until eary
this morning it decided Lewis
and the operators had gotten
nowhere.
Learned Facts
Cole said the board, which sat
in on negotiations, learned
"many interesting and cogent
facts" about the dispute.
But, Cole added:
"They will have to make an
agreement and they will have to
make an agreement through
their own devices."
i Central Point To Ask
f Sewer Time Extension
f ! Canti-al Pnlnt Vrh 0 Central
Central Point. Feb. 9 Central
Point city council this week vot
ed to ask the city of Medford for
time extension in their agree
ment for joint use of the former
Camp White sewage treatment
plant.
According to the agreement.
Central Point is to be connected
to the Medford trunk to Camp
White by February 22. However,
weather and bond issue techni
calities have delayed construc
tion of the pumping station and
connecting line here, city offic
ials said.
Excavations have been made,
concrete poured and a well dug
for the pumping station, and
pressure pipe distributed along
part of the right-of-way. Coun
cilmen indicated they will ask
six months extension although
the work should be completed in
much less time. Groesbeck and
Hickson is the contracting firm.
Submarine Command
Convicted In London
London. Feb. 9 (U.R) The
commander of the British sub
marine Truculent, which collid
ed with a Swedish tanker and
sank with a los sot 64 men Jan
uary 13 was convicted by a court
martial today of "hazarding his
Vfhip."
" The officer, Lt. Charles Bow
ers, was sentenced to be "severe-
Jy reprimanded.
Bowers was exonerated, how
ever, of a second charge of neg
ligently losing his ship.
Prosecution Officer Capt. H.
C. Browne told the court that
Bowers had altered course when
"the rules of the road at sea re
quired and navigation conditions
permitted" the Truculent to
maintain its course after sight
ing the tanker Divina.
Bowers had pleaded innocent
to charges of negligence.
Widespread Rains Present
Ohio Valley
Chicago, Feb. 9 (U.R) Wide
spread rains today posed a new
flood threat to the Ohio river
valley. Murky weather clse
. where in the midwest snarled
highways and impeded air travel.
Heavy snow fell in upper
Michigan and northern Wiscon
sin. Flurries pelted the northern
Rockie?. and it was cold along
the north Atlantic seaboard.
Ohio Threateni
Elsewhere around the country,
the weather was more mild.
The swelled Ohio threatened
to rise again along the Ohio
Kentucky sector of its course un
der heavy rains in the Cincin
nati, Louisville and Evansville.
Ind . areas.
It About two inches of rain had
iallen at Louisville since noon
yerterday and it was still rain
ing early today.
The river, which had been
Medford
44th Year 18 Pages
Railroad Union
Members Vote To
Authorize Strike
Walkout Date Would
Be Set This Week
Chicago, Feb. 9 (U.R) Two
unions representing 250,000
trainmen and conductors an
nounced today that their mem
bers have voted to authorize a
strike against the nation's rail
roads. No strike date was set but of
ficials of the two unions said a
date probably would be an
nounced this week.
Results of the strike vote were
announced by W. P. Kennedy,
president of the Brotherhood of
Railroad Trainmen, and Harry
Fraser, president of the Order of
Railway Conductors.
Strike If Necessary
They said members voted by a
95 per cent majority "to strike
if necessary" to gain their de
mands. Their wage and hour dispute
with the railroads now is before
the national railway mediation
board, but Fraser and Kennedy
said "there is no basis in sight
for a satisfactory settlement."
"If a settlement is not reached
in mediation shortly the two or
ganizations will fix a strike date
they said.
The unions seek no general
wage increase, but instead want
changes in work rules which
would mean more pay.
Seek 40-Hour Week
The trainmen seek a 40-hour
work week for yardmen now
working 48 hours and in some
cases more. They also seek time
and a half for hours worked
over 40. - .
Conductors and trainmen both
seek a reduction in the basic
work day from the present 150
miles or 7& hours to 100 miles
or 5 hours.
The strike threat came as the
railroads were cutting service
and laying off employees be
cause of the coal shortage result
ing from the soft coal strike.
However, there was no possi
bility of an immediate rail strike
under the national railway la
bor act. "Cooling off" provisions
would delay a walkout for at
least two months.
Portland Democrat To
Talk On CYA Tonight
Stale Sen. Austin Flegcl, of
Multnomah county, will speak
on "Why Oregon Needs CVA,"
at a meeting at the Ashland sen
ior high school at 8 p.m. today.
The meeting is under sponsor
ship of the Jackson County Dem
ocratic Central committee, and
is open to the public.
Flegel, who has been one of
the most prominently mentioned
of possible democratic candidates
for governor, is president of Wil
lamette Iron and Steel company
and a Portland lawyer. He has
been a proponent of the Colum
bia valley administration since
it was first proposed, and has
talked in favor of the proposal
in many sections of the state.
The senator spoke to the Lions
club here last night.
He said today that he has
found no great interest in CVA,
one way or the other, in the
Rogue valley, and attributes this
fact to the private utility (Cal
ifornia Oregon Power company)
which he said Is doing a good
job In the area, and which has
relatively low rates.
Santiago. Chile, Feb. 9 U.R)
Two strong earth tremors shook
Santiago at 2:20 a. m. today but
no damage or casualties were
reported.
Flood Threat
falling after an earlier rise, lev
eled off six feet above flood
stage at Louisville. River ob
servers said it would resume its
climb if rains continued upriver.
Rampaging Arkansas river re
ceded, and the Red Cross pre
pared to move 25.000 persons
back to their lowland homes.
Airport Closed
A low ceiling closed Chicago
Midway airport for 90 minutes
at midnight, and eight planes,
including several large airliners,
circled the field until visibity
improved.
Milwaukee also reported that
fog and rain hampered air traf
fic. Farther west, fifth army sol
diers were returning to their
Colorado base after helping the
Red Cross give emergency relief
to snowbound North Dakota
families.
Finders
MEDFORD, OREGON,
Ray F. Marks
Hat In Sheriff Race
Ray F.Marks To
Seek Nomination
For Sheriff Here
Ray F. Marks, 47, Medford
real estate and insurance man,
today announced that he will be
a candidate for the republican
nomination of Jackson county in
the primary election May 19.
Only other announced candi
date for the office of incumbent
Howard Cault, who is also seek
ing the republican nomination.
Here 23 Years
A native of Boise, Ida., Marks
has been a resident or Mcdtord
for 23 years, coming here in 192B
from La Grande, where lie was
a Union Pacific railway em
ployee. After coming here, Marks
was a salesman for the Shell Oil
company from 1927 to 1946,
when he opened his own success
ful insurance and real estate
business.
Marks is married, and the
couple have one daughter, a stu
dent at Southern Oregon college.
He owns his own home in the
Oak Grove district.
His affiliations include the
Masonic lodge, Eagles and Am
erican Legion.
He said he would file his state
ment of candidacy with the
county clerk today.
Considerable speculation about
other possible candidates for
sheriff has been heard in Med
ford. C. Lyall "Flash" Fidler,
another realtor, has said that he
may file for the office, either
seeking the republican nomina
ion, or as an independent candi
date following the primary elec
tion. Success Is Hope
In Polio Drive
Dick House. Jackson county
chairman for the March of
Dimes, said today that "we are
within striking distance of ris
ing the largest amount of money
to meet the greatest need in the
history of the March of Dimes
in Jackson county."
But to achieve this goal, House
added, it will require the con
tinued participation and gener
osity of all individuals, particu
larly those who have charge of
the March of Dimes scrolls dis
tributed to various business
houses and firms, and those who
have forgotten to mail their con
tributions in the "dime cards"
mailed out recently.
State Drive Lags
Dr. E. T. Hedlund, Portland,
state drive chairman, said today
that the effects of the state's
worst winter weather were re
flected in unfavorable campaign
reports from many parts of
Oregon. The state's two most
populous counties, Marion and
Multnomah, were "far short" of
their goals, the chairman said.
The need for the polio fight
ing funds has not diminished.
Hedlund added, since last year
was one of the worst polio years
in the state's history. Commit
ments of virtually all counties
are considerably larger than last
year at this time and many of
them have committments larger
than the amount of funds on
hand.
Family Of Five Die
As Flames Sweep Home
Albany, N. Y., Feb. 9 (U.R)
A familv of five burned to
death today when fire swept
their home.
Those killed were Norbcrt
Heppele. 32: his 24-year-old wife.
Margaret, and their children.
Theodore. 3: Gail. 16 months.
and Henry, three months.
Abruptly Ei.'j Hearings
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY
Jewelry Salesman
Loses Diamonds
Valued At $200,000
Loot Consignment
From Employers
Los Angeles, Feb. 9 (U.R)
Two gunmen robbed a jewelry
salesman's apartment of dia
monds valued at $200,000 retail
after one of them posed as a tele-
grapn messenger to get inside.
Salesman Milton Cohen, 35
said the loot was a recent con
signment from his employers,
the New York wholesale jewelry
urm oi n. HamDurger. it was
completely insured and had a
wholesale value in excess of $60,-
uuu, ne said.
Pistol Pulled
A man dressed as a messenger
rang me conens doorbell last
night, he said, and told Mrs.
Anne Cohen, 35, he had a pack
age for which only her husband
could sign.
Mrs. Cohen kept a chain latch
on the door until her husband
arrived to let the delivery man
in. Once inside, the messenger
pulled a pistol and herded the
couple into the kitchen.
The bandit forced them to lie
face downward on the floor, then
admitted his confederate through
a roar door.
"Where is the stuff?" Cohen
said one of them demanded re
peatedly. They paid no attention to the
salesman's answer that all his
merchandise was in a bank
vault. The second bandit, dress
ed in a blue jacket and gray
trousers, started ransacking the
apartment.
Hidden In Case
He finally found the jewels
hidden in a black traveling case
unner a Bathroom towel, Cohen
said.
The case, secured by a com
bination lock, contained cut and
uncut diamonds, some of them
mounted.
The bandits then stole a coat
and shirt as a change of clothing
for the one disguised as a mes
senger.
They also took jewels and a
watch owned by Mrs. Cohen
worth a total of $1,580, although
they left the gem salesman's
watch and wallet.
Truman Approves
Probe Of Monopolies
Washington, Feb. 9 (U.R)
President Truman today approv
ed congressional investigation of
alleged monopolistic practices by
certain firms in the steel, news
print, chemicals, soap, airline,
and theatre industries.
Chairman Emanuel Cellci,
(D., N.Y.), of the house judiciary
committee said after a While
House call that Mr. Truman had
endorsed the inquiry. Celclr said
a judiciary sub-committee will
investigate:
U. S. Steel corporation.
The newsprint industry, which
Celler said is monopolized by
Canadian firms "with the con
nivance" of U. S. paper com
panies. I he ,. I. JJupont de Nemours
company.
The soap industry with special
attention to Lever Bros, and Its
parent corporation. Unilever.
Pan American airways.
Alleged control of the whiskey-
barrel manufacturing industry
by distilleries.
The Shubert theatrical hold
ings. Vendor Ban Not Yet
Passed By Council
The proposed ban on down
town vendors, who sell articles
from parked vehicles, passed Its
first reading at the Medford city
council meeting Tuesday even
ing, and did not receive final
passage, as was reported incor
rectly in a Mail Tribune story
yesterday.
The bill will come up for sec
ond reading at the next council
meeting on February 14, accord
ing to City Recorder Ralph
Woodford.
Two Men Arrested In
Billy Rose Robbery
New York, Feb. 9 (U.R) Po
lice Commissioner William O'
Brien said today that the Billy
Rose jewel robbery had been
solved with the arrest of two of
the bandits.
Two other men whose identi
ties are known, are being sought,
and a fifth man, said to be the
receiver in the $25,000 hold-up
is bei.ig questioned, O'Brien said.
Tribune
9, 1950
NO. 271
i V ' f - ft I I
'DON'T JUMP!' Police and firemen shout "don't Jumpl" as they
direct mail napped on blazing hotel roof to wait for a longer ladder
to be placed against the old wooden building In Oakland, Calif. All
15 residents of the two-story hotel were skved. Including the hotel,
a half block ot old wooden structures were razod In the 2O0,00O fire.
New School District
Election Necessary
Central Point, Feb. 9 Be
cause of an interpretation of
law by the bonding attorney that
school district No. 6 was a first
class district when the merger
election was held in August, the
school board at a meeting last
night called for a re-vote on the
consolidation between district
No. 6 and district No. 98 (Tolo).
Following this re-vote, it wiJI
be necessary to re-submit the
$500,000 bond issue proposition
for new high school construc
tion for a confirming vote, school
board members stated.
The August consolidation elec
tion was held under the law gov-
Wafer Supplies
To Be 'Excellent'
Prospects for water supplies
for 1950 are "generally excel
lent," the federal-state coopera
tive snow survey said today in
the second monthly report of the
season. Only exceptions arc on
eastern Oregon snow courses.
The snow blanket on the Cas
cade mountains is already con
siderably above normal in water
content, the report said, and
could "produce extremely high
winter or spring overflows" par
ticularly in the Willamette basin.
The possibility of floods was
hinted at in the report, which
said that heavy rains and above
normal temperatures over the
ranges could produce the high
streams.
Supplies of rcservoircd water
were said to be generally "good"
to "excellent" with the excep
tion of five central and eastern
Oregon reservoirs.
Bridges Describes
Jurisdictional Strife
San Francisco, Feb. 9 (U.R)
Harry Bridges, fresh from mak
ing his fourth sworn denial that
he is a communist, sketched for
a jury at his perjury-conspiracy
trial today the bitter history of
AFL-CIO jurisdictional strife
and said both sides frequently
pinned the red label on their op
ponents as part of a smear cam
paign. "Wasn't John L. Lewis called
a communist by the American
Federation of Labor after he
split with the AFL?" Attorney
Vincent Hallinan asked Bridges.
"Yes," he replied. "The same
kind of names they use for me
now were hurled at Lewis. In
fact, there was more ahi'e
against Lewis then than there is
against me today."
WEATHER
FORECAST: Cloudy tonlfht and
Friday with rain beilnnlni
lata tonight. Warmer tonight.
Temp.
Hlghett Yeilerday 52
l.oweit thtl Morning 29
Prec. to 4:30 A.M. Today, Trace
erning second class districts.
School board members pointed
out that there is considerable dif
ference of opinion on the law
governing the. time that a district
changes classification. Rather
than take the matter through
the courts to the supreme court
for decision at much expense
and loss of time to the district,
board members decided on the
expedient of re-vote.
Petitions must be presented to
the county boundary board be
fore an election can be called. It
will set the election date. The
district No. 98 petition must have
at least five signatures of legal
regis'ered voters and the district
No. 6 petition must have at least
100 signatures. The school offi
cials asked that all who sign
petitions, write their namos the
way they are registered. Women
are reminded to use their own
first names.
Petition! Available
District No. 6 petitions will be
available in several Central
Point and Gold Hill stores arid
will be circulated by interested
citizens.
Time of the election will be
published and posted In the dis
tricts. Time of the bond election
will be set following the merger
vote.
The elections, if expedited, are
not expected to delay construc
tion on the new high school since
architects still have considerable
work to do on plans and specifi
cations. The original bond election was
held in November and United
States National bank and Blyth
and company, Portland, were
successful bidders.
These re-votes will delay com
pletion of the high srhool nam
ing contest, it was said.
Custody of Child Actress Awarded to
Foster Parents After Corridor Brawl
Hollywood,,, Feb. 9 (U.R)
Child Actress Lora Lee Michel
prepared today to leave the
screen for life as a "normal
child" with the foster mother
who waged a hair-pulling fist
fight with her real mother.
Lora Lee's adoptive mother,
Mrs. Lorraine Michel, 59, en
gaged in an all-out slugging
match yesterday with the 9-year-old
child's mother, Mrs. Lena
Brunson, 40, in a court corridor.
Plea Turned Down
Minutes later, Juvenile Judge
A. A. Scott awarded custody of
Lora Lee to Mrs. Michel, turn
ing down a plea of Mrs. Brun
jon for return of her daughter.
The fight came at Lora Lee
alked toward the courtroom,
.i-co.il)" :r"?d !'y matron?.
When Mrs. Brunson "caught
BILL TO UP INTAKE
$130 MILLION YEARLY
IN HANDS OF SENATE
Washington, Feb. 9 (UP) The house today
passed by voice vote and sent to the senate a bill rais
ing postal rates approximately $130,000,000 a year..
Passage came after the house rebuffed, 217 to
150 on a roll call, an attempt to shunt the bill aside
by sending it back to the committee.
The house met an hour earlier than usual today
to get final action on the measure.
Protesting that the increase will hurt publishing
and other major mail-user businesses, the bill's op
ponents used a technicality to hold off the vote after
five hours of debate yesterday.
House democratic leaders, who generally sup
port the measure, immediately set today's session for
11 a.m. EST to dispose of the issue as quickly as
possible.
Postal Rates Would Be
Incraaud To Two Cents
The bill, which also will hike
postcard rates from one to two
cents, is designed to go part way
toward meeting an annual post
office deficit running upward of
$500,000,000. President Truman
originally asked the rates be In
creased by $400,000,000.
When repeated efforts to hold
down the rates failed, Rep.
James G. Fulton, (R., Pa.), de
manded a copy of the bill print
ed with all amendments the
privilege of any member under
house rules. That resulted in an
overnight delay in a showdown.
Rep. Robert J. Corbett, (R.,
Pa.), protested that the increase
was another tax and "just a way
of covering up inefficiency."
Other members predicted it
might drive some newspapers
and mail order firms out of
business.
Exemption Provided
One amendment adopted pro
vided a new exemption for
agriculture publications and re
ligious, scientific or educational
publications designed oniy ior
education, regardless of whether
they make a profit. Only non
profit publications are exempi
from nnstuue under prevent law.
The house also voted discre
tionary authority to the postmas
ter general to raise or lower
some special charges, such- as
that for special delivery.
Proposal Beat Down ,
The house beat down a pro
posed exemption from the rate
raise tor newspapers up 10 iou,
000 circulation. The bill carries
such an exemption for publica
tions with up to 10,000 circula
tion. The raises included: Postcards,
$40,000,000; second class (news
papers and magazines), $15,000,
000; third class, $23,600,000 and
fourth class, $40,000,000.
Rescuers Push Toward
tO Downed Aviators
Whilchorsc, Y. T., Feb. 9 (U.R)
A sure-looted rescue team In the
wake of a bulldozing weasel
plodded toward a mile-high Yu
kon mountain shelf today where
10 plane-wrecked American and
Canadian airmen huddled in 60-bclow-zero
weather.
The ground party, composed
of Arctic-seasoned Canadian and
American mountain troops,
hoped to reach the survivors 85
miles west of here by evening.
Only three men were Injured in
the crash.
The U. S. air force C-47,
sighted yesterday, crash-landed
between the 5,000 and 7,000-foot
level Tuesday night while tak
ing part in the two-week search
for an American C-54 transport
missing with 44 persons aboard.
The ground party moved on
snowshocs in the tracks of weas
els plowing paths through brush
and deep snow. Officers said the
parka-clad rescuers must ad
vance slowly to avoid breaking
into a sweat.
Salem, Ore., Feb. 9 (U.R)
Howard Morgan of Monmouth,
Ore., today filed his candidacy
for commissioner of the bureau
of labor. He will seek the demo
cratic nomination at the May 19
primary election.
Chicago, Feb. 9 U.R) The
Burlington railroad today
planned a $23,000,000 improve
ment program for 1B50.
sight of her, she rushed toward
the girl, hugged her madly and
sobbed: "my baby, my baby."
Mr.. Michel and a group of
friends struggled through a
throng of spectators and tried
to pull the embracing mother
and daughter apart.
Mrs. Bruson resisted and the
two women scratched, kicked
and pulled each other's hair
while bystanders and officers
tried to break up the fight.
Black and Blue Mark
When they finally were sep
arated, Mrs. Michel nursed a big
black and blue mark on her shin.
Mrs. Brunson's coiffure was
shredded. Lora L'ec's former dra
matics coach, Mrs. Ona Wargin,
displayed a bruised eye. Mrs.
Michel later filed a battery war
rant against Mrs. Brunson.
Cily Police Hold
3 Young Men In
Sex Crimes Probe
Three sex crimes, one a vio
lent criminal attack upon an 11-year-old
girl, were under inves
tigation by Medford city police
today.
Two cases were classified by
the district attorney's office as
statutory rape, since two teen
age girls, considered incapable
of consent, are involved.
Rex Joseph Coy, 28, is being
held for investigation by city
police on the attack case, after
being allegedly identified by the
child and her playmates, police
said this morning.
In the other cases. James
Earnest Lewis, 21, and Dan
Roland Shugart, 19, both of
Talent, are being held In county
jail in lieu of $2,500 bail each.
At their arraignment In justice
court yesterday afternoon, the
pair asked a continuation of
their case in order to obtain
legal counsel. ,
The attack on the child Is said
to have occurred in a Medford
west side residential district at
about 7 p.m. yesterday, while
several little girls were roller
skating together.
The young victim of the at
tack was taken to Community
hospital for examination, and
when confronted witli the sus
pect there she screamed, "that's
the man, that's the man," accord
ing to the police blotter. Though
she was emotionally upset, she
was able to give a detailed ac
count of the attack and a de
scription of her assailant, Inves
tigating officers said.
The girl's playmates and
neighbors in the area gave po
lice Information leading to the
arrest a short time after the In
cident was reported. Cov had
not been arraigned in Uistice
court at noon today. Several
articles of clothing have been
retained for police laboratory
examination.
Police have filed a complaint
against Coy, asking that bail be
set at $5,000. They expected he
would be arraigned in justice
court on a rape charge this after
noon. His address is given as
830 Wabash avenue.
Statements have been obtained
from the two girls in the statu
tory cases, who. in common with
three girls involved in a similar
case last summer, said they had
had a rendezvous with the two
men at a downtown "juke joint."
The county juvenile officer re
leased the girls to the custody
of their parents after statements
were taken.
Russians Rule Out
March, Is Claim
Berlin, Feb. 9 (U.R) Western
intelligence officers said tonight
they had received reports that
the Russians had ruled out a
scheduled march by 500,000
youths aganist west Berlin next
May 28.
The reports said the Soviets
decided against the march be
cause violence seemed certain
and it might involve western and
Russian troops in grave incidents
of far-reaching consequences.
As they entered the court
room, Lora Lee wailed "I want
my mother, I want my real
mother."
Courtroom observers believed,
however, that Lora Lee was re
ferring to Mrs. Michel.
Going To Texas
After the judge issued his or
der giving Lora Lee to Mrs,
Michel, the foster mother an
nounced that she was taking the
girl out of pictures to return to
Texas for schooling "as a normal
child."
Scott decided Lora Lee's moth
er had no right to her because
she signed adoption papers five
years ago. Mrs. Brunson, who
lives at Ncderland, Tex., said
she was persuaded to give trp
the rliild by 'fraud, trickery and
under duress." I