t
Tax Bureau Refuses To Believe
Widow's Story of Many Gifts
Editor'! Note: The following
dispatch telli how the widow
of J. B. Powell, the American
editor who wai one of the
civilian heroei of World War
II, is having trouble convin
cing the Internal Revenue
Bureau that $40,000 was given
to her dying hlusband simply
..because people admired him.,
and wanted to help him. In the
wide, circulation of her story
by the press rests Mrs. Pow
ell's one hope of obtaining the
.."proof" that the tax agents.,
demand.
By ROBERT LOFTUS
. Washington U.R) This is
sort of an open letter to the hun
dreds and hundreds of people
who tried to help J. B. Powell
when he came home to die in
1942.
The income tax collector won't
believe you helped. He claims
the $40,000 you gave J. B. in
fives and 10's and 20's wasn't a
gift at all.
Maybe you don't remember.
J. B. was the editor of an American-language
newspaper in
Shanghai who started fighting
his own war with the Japanese
long before the rest of us got into
it.
Special Treatment
J. B. got special treatment
from the Japanese when Pearl
Harbor came along. Solitary con
finement for months in a wet,
freezing dungeon. Starvation
diet and torture. Prison doctors
amputated most of both his feet
Compromise May Be
Aim for Civil Rights
In Democrat Platform
Washington (U.R) A ma
jority of the Democratic party
platform-writers will try to
compromise the civil rights is
use despite President Truman's
no-compromise declaration, ac
cording to a highly-placed De
mocrat. The 20-man drafting commit
tee named last week was chosen
with an eye to avoiding a rift
like that caused by the 1948 ci
vil rights dispute.
Harmony Not Guaranteed
Agreement on compromise in
the drafting group does not guar
antee party harmony, however.
Columbia Floods
Shut Down Firms
Portland (U.R) Two lum
bering operations near Ridge
field, Wash., were shut down
Saturday and low-lying farm
lands east and west of Vancou
ver were inundated as the Col
umbia and Willamette rivers
filled by the year's first major
runoff crested at below 21
feet.
Several lower docks were ev
acuated in Portland harbor as
the Willamette, flooded primar
ily by backwaters from the Col
umbia, edged to a 20.3 crest, or
2.3 feet above flood stage.
At Vancouver, the Columbia
rose to 20.4 feet, or 5.4 feet
above flood stage.
The Welman Lumber comp
any's sawmill and the Ridge
field Shingle company, a branch
of the Portland Shingle comp
any, were forced to close down
north of Vancouver because of
the rising water.
River forecasters said, howev
er, there would be no major
damage.
Elderly Woman Killed
In Hood River Blaze
Hood River (U.R) Mrs.,
Karl Geissler, 72, burned to
death Saturday when fire de
stroyed her Pine Grove home
everal miles southeast of here.
Firemen said the blaze appar
ently was caused by smoker's
carelessness. Mrs. Geissler, a
(emi-invalid, was known to be
a chain smoker, Sheriff R. L.
Gillmouthe said.
Dead line Sunday Claulfledl Is at
noon Saturdays.
The drafting subcommittee and
the full platform committee
adopted a compromise civil
rights plank in 1948.
The convention itself overrode
the platform committee and ap
proved a tougher civil rights
plank, provoking a walkout of
some Southern delegates and
formation of the States' Rights
party.
House Democratic Leader
John W. McCormack, who is
counted among the compromis
ers, was chosen by party leaders
to head the drafting committee.
Compromise Evidence Seen
Evidence of the compromise
aim also was seen in the names
of some of the oiher committee
members. One was Burket Mur
phy, an Atlanta attorney and
friend of Sen. Richard B. Rus
sell, (D-Ga). It was understood
that Russell was invited to nom
inate a member and that he
chose Murphy.
Russell, a Democratic presi
dential candidate whose basic
strength is in the South, has led
Southern senators in their per
ennial fights to block Mr. Tru-
ma's proposals for civil rights
legislation.
After the drafting group .was
named, Democratic National
Chairman Frank E, McKinney
expressed hope that it could
draft a civil rights plank which
all segments of the party could
support.
No Retreat Urged
Two days later, Mr, Truman
made his speech before Ameri
cans for Democratic Action, urg
ing no retreat from the 1948
plank. While he angered some of
the Southerners, others private
ly expressed doubt that the' no
compromise view would prevail
at the convention.
before they shipped him home
on the repatriation liner Grips-
holm in August, 1942.
J. B. was an international
figure, but he was flat broke and
desperately in need of hospitali
zation when the Gripsholm land
ed him in New York. That's
when the gifts started pouring
in.
Many Offer Help
He found a sack full of mail
waiting for him at the dock,
from strangers who had read
about his Shanghai ordeal and
wanted to help. Many didn't even
sign their names. But their gifts
added up to Sl-200.
Then the friends J. B. had col
lected in 30 years of newspaper-
ing went to work for him. A
group of Chinese reporters sent
$10,000 from Chungking. The
National Press Club in Washing
ton raised $9,800.
Tax Agent Emanuel N. Feigin
said J. B. had claimed "too many
gifts to be believed." The tax
man insisted he must have per
formed some service for hire to
get all that money. And so the
$40,000 was taxable income. Un
less Mrs. Powell can prove her
husband's honesty by producing
the names, addresses and
amounts given by each of the
contributors.
Letters Requested
That's the reason for this let
ter. If you contributed to J. B.,
anonymously or otherwise, may
be you wouldn't mind telling the
bureau about it. You could write
to Feigin at the New York col
lector's office or to Internal
Revenue Commissioner John B
Dunlap here in Washington.
Red plane Production
Ahead of US by 2 to 1
Washington (U.R) Russia,
according to present indications,
is producing 12 to IS military
planes for every seven the Un
ited States builds.
During the period from the
end of World War II until re
cently when American produc
tion began to gather steam again,
the ratio was three-to-one in
Russia's favor.
Reliable Data
The figures are based on re
liable data from military and in
dustry sources. They help to ex
plain Speaker Sam Rayburn's
unqualified assertion to the
House Friday that "we have lost
air superiority."
Rayburn made the statement
a speech protesting cuts in
President Truman's defense and
foreign aid budgets. He called
Russian superiority a "galling
and an appaling fact."
In numbers alone, Russia has
had superiority since American
air power was dismantled
Author Fulton Oursler
Dies at New York Home
New York (U.R) Fulton
Oursler, 59, author and senior
editor of the Reader's Digest,
died early Saturday in his apart
ment in the Hotel Novarro.
Members of Oursler's family
said he had not been ill and ap
parently died of a heart attack.
Oursler was the author of 32
novels and non-fiction books and
several plays. Among his best
sellers was a series of murder
mysteries written under the
pseudonym of Anthony Abbott.
The Siamese name of Bang
kok is Krung Thep.
Overland Greyhound
Employees Cast Vote
Portland (U.R) Overland
G r e y h ound's transcontinental
bus lines, strikebound for more
than two weeks, may be running
again by Sunday night or early
Monday.
Members of the AFL North
west Motor Coach Employees
union were voting Friday on an
agreement reached Wednesday.
Results of the balloting will not
be known until early Sunday
morning.
The agreement includes a 4.6
per cent pay increase retroactive
to April 7, a 4.4 per cent hike
next October 1 and a 9 per cent
boost Oct. 1, 1953. Employees
will go on a 5'4 day week next
October 1 and on a 5-day week
Oct. 1, 1953.
194S.
House critics claim the situa
tion wasn't helped by the ad
ministration's refusal to spend
certain aircraft production mon
ey appropriated prior to the Kor
ean war.
But air strength comparisons
also involve the composition of
air forces, quality of the various
plane types and training of men.
American experts do not believe
the Russians have superiority
plane type for plane type, de
spite the surprise handed them
in the fighter department by the
MIG-15 Jet.
Sunday. May 25, 1951
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE SEVEN
MEXICO GROWING OLIVES
Mexico City (U.R) The
Mexican Chamber of Commerce
says the northern states of Mexi
co are becoming Important pro
ducers of olive oil. The minis
try of agriculture will plant 700,-
I nnn - tui.
uuu ii cis mis ycui.
The United States Weather
Bureau at the San Francisco air
port is the largest West of Chi-cago.
CARS COLLIDE
Cars driven by James Wolford
Garrett, 192 Van Ness avenue,
Ashland, and Richard Wayne
Imhausen, route 3, box 180,
Barncburg road, Medford, col
lided early Saturday on Hill
crest road, state police reported.
Damage was listed as minor, and
there were no personal iniuries.
in I the report said.
126 I.
Main
Medford
DUO mod.ling. You'll bt Jurpthi.
CCS ed to find out how oaiily ?2F Utfi.
flnrl and conveniently a mortgage !,H5' JOk&Sk
jOflC m4y arranged to at eWtftfffffffffffQQatSSS'
Jackson County Federal
Savings and Loan Association
TUfflE JSIEWILY..
MKDMErHMIIEIEnD
(KDSdDCEIE'iriEIHillA
Small Firms Not Exempt
From Wage Regulations
Seattle Firms employing
only a few workers are not ex
empt from Wage Stabilization
Board regulations, according to
Leo Kotin, chairman of the re
gional WSB.
"Reports have recently reach
ed us that some employers are
under the impression that they
are exempt from wage regula
tions because they employ fewer
than five or six or ten employ
ees," Kotin said, and added,
"This impression is wrong. No
exemption has been made on the !
basis of the size of an employ
er's work force."
NAPOLEON'S CLOCK FANCY
Boston !U.P.) A clock once
owned by Napoleon I of France,
with a small organ in the base,
was displayed in a Boston store
window. The organ can be set
to play one of 12 different tunes
every hour on the hour.
206 W. Main St
r r l riii
1
DM WM,
B 9 A.M. TO
' 'l 7 V" ft 'W I
EXTRA BOMOS
PRIZES TODAY!
0
Here are a few of the many ar
ticles to go during our tale:
Costume Jewelry
Pictures
Mirrors
Wall Brackets
Figurenes
Fine Writing Papers
English Bone China Cups and
Saucers.
Aluminum Lazy Susans, Trays,
Silent Butlers.
Wide range of articles in brass
from China, England, India
Copper and Brass Plante
domestic made.
STARTS MONDAY!
CONTINUES THROUGH SATURDAY
Many unusual items that you will want and CAN
AFFORD At Savings that will surprise and thrill
you.
We art not quoting prices here, as you couldn't pos
sibly appreciate the values we are offering you,,
without seeing the merchandise.
SALE SPECIALS!
IN EVERY DEPARTMENT!
REMEMBER
This sale will continue throughout the entire week
but many of these values will go fast So come early
Store Hours During Sale 9 A.M. to 5:30 P.M.
No obligation to buy - just come in - you don't have to be present to win.
HERE ARE THE PRIZES
2 -UNIVERSAL AUTOMATIC TOASTERS
2 -TWIN WAFFLE BAKERS
1-AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC COFFEE MAKER
1 - PICNIC ICE BOX
Winning Numbers Posted in Store Monday Morning
GRAND PRIZE AWARDED WEDNESDAY NIGHT!
$250 MERCHANDISE ORDER
AT MANN'S DEPARTMENT STORE
A complete outfit for Pop or Mom from this famous style center of So. Oregon.
All advertised bargain prices for the opening effective until Memorial, Day
as stock permits