Ueatlier Control Efforts Discussed
At Legislative Committee Hearing
The Rogue valley's $11,000,-OOO-per-year
pear industry
stacked up its bail prevention
efforts against the dry-land farm
ers objections to any form of
weather control at a bearing here
Saturday.
The all-day session at the
Jackson county courthouse was
called by the legislative interim
committee on weather control,
with State Sen. Ben Day, Gold
Hill, presiding. Dry explained
the committee is empowered only
to collect facts and information,
and no conclusions were reached
during the meeting.
The morning session was de
voted to arguments and presen
tations by those engaged in
weather control attempts. Some
80 or 90 interested persons
jammed the small hearing room.
13.000 Acres of Fruit
Stephen G. Nye, representing
the fruit men, pointed out that
13,000 acres of land are devoted
to fruit, out of 30,000 farm
lands in the valley. The industry
brings an income of $11,000,000
yearly he said, on produce 98
per cent of which is shipped out
of the valley.
Hail prevention attempts are
both necessary and have proven
beneficial, Nye said. Hail dam
age of considerable extent has
been noted ineach of 26 previ
ous years except me pasx tnree,
he states, when cloud-seeding to
prevent hail has been tried.
In 1948, he said, some 300,000
r more boxes of fruit, repre
senting a conservatively estimat
ed loss of $1,200,000, were de
stroyed. About half of the pears
grown here are . susceptible to
hail damage, he added.
Shelby Tuttle, speaking for
the Rogue River Valley Traffic
association, an association of
producers, packers, marketers
and allied industries, said his
group initiated the attempts at
hail prevention.
Most of the morning was
taken up by presentations by
Medford's weather control pilots,
Harvey M. Brandau and Eugene
Koozer.
Koozer gave a background of
their operations, which started
In May, 1949. He told of the
generally encouraging results,
and emphasized that their ef
forts were for hail prevention
only.
Koozer said there has been a
general misunderstanding o f
their work, and with a series of
charts described just how their
efforts were direced, at cumulus
clouds only. Only a tiny minority
of summer clouds here are can
didates for seeding, he said, and
about 99 per cent of the cumulus
clouds are either sucked into
higher dry air and dissipate, or
are "blown over" by winds, thus
dispelling their danger as hail
clouds.
He gave a review of 1951 hail
operations, which during the six-
month hail season lasted a total
of 10 hours and 5 minutes. He al
so pointed out that 1951 was a
very dry year in the entire area
from Portland to Red Bluff,
where there was 75 per cent, or
less, of normal rainfall.
Brandau explained that the
.average life of a cumulus cloud
is 20 minutes, and only about 1
in 20 "live" long enough to be
come dangerous as sources of
haiL "It is neither required nor
necessary to seed every cloud,"
he said.
In 1949 they flew a total of
37 hours and 20 minutes for
seeding purposes, he said, and
in 1950 the time was 38 hours
15 minutes. Only a small propor
tion of that time was actually
devoted to seeding, said the
flyer.
Pilots Show Charts
The pilots showed charts on
which dates of precipitation and
flights were shown side by side.
There was no apparent corre
lation between the- two. Brandau
said that they flew more in
moist, rainy periods than in dry
spells.
In response to questions, the!
fliers said their method was to
"aid nature" by introducing
small amount of temporary crys
tals into the clouds to encourage
the formation of snow. Done at
the right time this will prevent
hail by forming crystals of
water, rather than droplets,
which could turn to hail, they
said, and the top of the cloud
mushrooms out. This does not
prevent rain, it was declared.
While they did not reveal the
seeding agent they use, they said
it has an effective life of not
more than five minutes, and has
no detrimental effect. It Is "the
same process nature uses," they
said.
Favor Control Or Ban '
In the afternoon the oppon
ents to weather control were
heard. Ed Hanley, a Medford at
torney representing the Mois
ture Conservation League, Inc.,
a non-profit group of farmers,
stockmen and lumbermen, intro
duced that faction's speakers.
He pointed out that they favor
legislation either controlling or
banning weather control at
tempts.
Statements made by members
of this group included eye-witness
accounts of clouds disap
pearing after a plane had flown
by. They said they don't know
where or when the hail-prevention
flights were made, and that
their only evidence was observa
tion. Hanley said that uncontrolled
weather flights would lead to
confusion and conflict, and
should be regulated.
He told of rumors of installa
tions in the valley, rumors which
were substantiated later by his
associate, Attorney Bruce Man
ley, who showed pictures which,
he said, they think are of ground
units designed to increase rain
fall. He said they were located
at Pinehurst and Trail, and that
one was mounted on a truck.
Generally speaking, Hanley
said, the group asks thorough
study, laws controlling weather
work with bonds and flight
plans required,, and other regu
lations to protect those who have
an interest in the results.
Spring Showers Missed
George E. Dunn, a rancher of
the Ashland area, said that he
had spent all his life in the area,
and that during the last three
years he hasn't seen the spring
showers that usually fall.
He said he has w a t c h e d
thuderclouds build up, but that
no rain has come from them. He
sincerely believes that weather
control operations caused this
condition, he said, and, "We
should let the rain fall as the
good Lord intended it," rather
than control it for the benefit
of a few.
James Miller.-Medford, who
operates stock ranches in the
Taxes Take Too Much
From Grocer's Profits
Raymond, Wash. (U.R) Lap
inski's grocery here held a
clearance sale Saturday in prep
aration for the store's closing.
Owner Peter Lapinski explain
ed why in an advertisement in
the community's weekly news
paper. He blamed high taxes and
said:
"For every day of the year,
including Sundays and holidays,
my income tax for 1951 averaged
$52."
"With such a tax load I am
not able to accumulate any re
serve for unforeseen emereen-
cies and there is no incentive to
be in business any longer."
Livestock Embargo Set
By Quebec Government
. Quebec City (U.R) The Que
bec government Saturday clamp
ed an embargo on livestock from
all other provinces to prevent the
spread of foot and mouth disease.
The restriction was announced
by Premier Maurice Duplessis
Friday night. He said he had
ordered the agriculture depart
ment to ban importation, sale or
possession of livestock from out
side Quebec by anyone without
a special clearance from the de
partment. Court Records
POLICE COCKT
Doris E Hussong. failure to itop
at red light $3.
Ethel E. Coffees, expired vehicle
license, $5.
Carl J. Plank, failure to yield right
of way, $5.
George J Ketchum, violation of
basic rule, $10.
DISTRICT COURT
Marlene A. Rosenbalm, no opera
tor's license. $10.
Clifford N. Fuchs. defective tail
lights, costs only.
Delbert R. Jennings. Tiller, drunk
on public highway, $30.
Ernest B. Burg, no operator's li
cense, costs only.
-? J.
MS
In pioneer America it
took cash to close a
business deal. So the.
money was counted out
on the nearest barrel
head. Today business
deals are closed with a
check but cash is still
important in the little
daily business deals of
individuals, and they
get CASH QUICK when
they apply for a loan at
Oregon Finance!
Stan Stark Says "YES"
to 4 out of 5.
Oregon Finance Go.
Craterian Bldg. 45 S. Central Phono 2-4433
Lie. S-211 M-217
Stop Work Meeting
Planned March 10
By Longshoremen
Seattle (U.R) Two-thousand
Seattle longshoremen will join
in a 24-hour coastwide stop-work
meeting March 10 to protest
government delays in approving
a union pension plan.
Art Olson, secretary cf Seattle
Local 19, International Long
shoremen and Warehousemen's
union (Ind.), said the stop-work
meeting would begin at mid
night March 9 and continue until
midnight March 10.
, "There will be no work done
during that time," Olson said.
Washingon ports to be affected
besides Seattle are Bellingham,
Everett, Port Gamble, Port
Townsend, Olympia, Aberdeen,
Raymond, Longview and Van
couver. .
The pension plan was negotia
ted last June by the ILWU and
the Pacific Maritime association,
It provides $100 monthly pen
sions for men more than 65
years of age who have worked
25 years as longshoremen.
The- Wage Stabilization board
has approved the plan, subject to
certain specifications, but ILWU
officials say it would involve too
much paper work to comply
with the plan.
Ashland and Applegate districts,
said he feels weather control
could only lead to feuding by
those with varied interests. "We
need rain in September for our
stock," he said, but our neigh
bors who raise seed don't want
it then because it would damage
their harvests.
Weather Control Blamed
"I blame weather control for
the lack of precipitation in the
past three years," he said, "In
the past I've taken my chances
on rain, and I'm willing to do so
again."
H. L. Claycomb said "I don't
think it's right" for others to
control the weather. He pointed
out that others including lum
bermen have a vital interest
in rainfall, and suggested that
acreage, income and other fac
tors be considered.
Mrs. Earl Scheble, of the Grif
fin Creek-Dark Hollow area,
said that hail falls in relatively
small areas, but rain falls gen
erally. To the fliers claim that
they affect hail only, she said it
"just isn't true." She said she
has watched cluods being bro
ken up, and cited declining crop
yields in the past three years
to support her contention that
all weather control should be
banned.
Ranchers Henry Owens, Ash
land district, William Duggan,
of Sams Valley, Dean Owens,
Hugh and Ed Barron and S. S.
Bounds spoke along similar
lines.
Resolution Passed
Manley said the rain or snow
making installations, of which he
had pictures, have been in opera
tion probably about two years,
but that his group only learned
of their existence last week. He
said he thinks they throw chemi
cal smoke into the air when
conditions are favorable.
David S. Blair, speaking for
the Evans Valley Grange, said
that organization had passed a
resolution opposing the weather
experiments. He said that if the
fliers can knock the top off
clouds, as they claim, he doesn't
see why that wouldn't also af
fect the rainmaking ability of
a cloud.
In concluding, Hanley said his
group has no objection to prayer
as a method of controling preci
pitation, but does object to the
unregulated use of physical
agents.
Craw Saved as Storm
Sinks Small Trawler
Norfolk, Va. . (U.R) The
Coast Guard reported Saturday
that the trawler "Halfmoon" has
been sunk in a storm off the
North Carolina coast near Cape
Hatteras. There were no casu
alties. -
-The Coast Guard said all
members of the crew of the 65
foot vessel were taken aboard
another trawler, the "Oriental."
The "Oriental" was reported
headed for port at Ocracoke,
N. C, with the survivors.
Trainees Will Seek
Lost Plane Hear KF
McChord Air Force Base
(U.R) A search for an air force
C-47 missing with eight persons
aboard since Dec. 26, was re
sumed Saturday as a training
project.
Maj. Leonard H. Burgess, com
manding officer of Flight C,
Fourth Air Rescue squadron
here, said he was utilizing train
ing flights in the search.
Plane crews in training will
fly from here to Klamath Falls,
ore., where the C-47 was last
heard, and will then flv
patterns for the dual purpose.
Sunday. March JL 1932
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE FIVE
Lower Temperatures Seen for West Coast
Washington (U.R) T h e wea
ther bureau's long-range forecast
calls for lower than average
March normals over most of the
western half of the nation.
Along the California coast
near-normal temperatures - are
forecast.
In most eastern- portions of
the nation, temperatures aver
aging around normal are anti
cipated, except the coastal rer
gions of the Gulf of Mexico and
in the Great Lakes region, where
they will be somewhat warmer
than normal.
The weather bureau said pre
cipitation is expected to exceed
normal over most of the coun
try, except for subnormal
amounts in the Pacific North
west and near normal amounts
in the Great Lakes, Middle At
lantic states and far Southwest
areas. - '
Psychologists do not agree as
to the cause of dreams, though
probably the most general ex
planation is that the dream it
the disguised fulfillment of
repressed wish.
Washington U.R) The
Navy Saturday announced wage
increases effective next Satur
day, for nearly 6,000 ungraded,
unclassified so-called "blue col
lar" workers at naval installa
tions in four areas. The areas,
hourly wage increases and num
ber of workers affected: Spo
kane, seven cents. 430; Corpus
Christi, Tex. six cents, 3700;
Hawthorne, Nev., 11 cents, 1700,
and Monterey Bay, Calif., seven
cents, 150.
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We Still Have a Few Sets of
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o o o
SUGGEST FOR THIS WEEK
SEE TTMIE . . . .
At The Senior High School
Auditorium
WEDNESDAY - THURSDAY
FRIDAY - SATURDAY
MARCH 5-6-7-8
COME TO
MEDFORD FOR
ADIPffiMnKKG
Thursday - Friday
and Saturday
and see colorful Spring displays
by Medford merchants
and...
Make These Occasions
More Festive By
Enjoying-
''" '
st,i&, y am. m
iii ocrumm
10 US
IIceo (Direst:
one
What a GRAND treat for your after-show
party . . . your refresher during your Spring
Opening visit to Medford's gay stores and
shops! Be SURE to stock-up with FIESTA . . .
the colorful cartons fit nicely into your refrig
erator for every occasion . . .every emergency!
. . at Your Favorite Fountain and Grocer!.