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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 1953)
0 Copco Testimony Presented Today At Rate Hearing Sessions To Continue Tomorrow Morning A public utilities commission er'! hearing on a proposed in crease in California Oregon Power company electrical rates opened here today. It is sched uled to continue through tomor row morning. The proposed increase would average 20 per cent, which it is estimated would bring in an additional $2,349,000 to the firm annually. Frank C. Bash, vice-president and treasurer of Copco, the third company witness to ap pear this morning, was giving testimony when the hearing was recessed for lunch this morn- ing. Bash was to continue his testi mony this afternoon, and four more Copco witnesses were scheduled to appear. To Recess Following competition of Copco testimony, the hearings will be recessed for an indefin ite time to allow the public utilities commission and ad verse witnesses time to study the firm's testimony. There will be no cross examin ation of witnesses at this portion of the hearing. Only questions for purposes of clarification are allowed at this time. Those other than company witnesses who have indicated they will take part in the hear ings, Include John R. McCul- lough, representing the PUC; Paul Geddes, state senator ap pearing as Roseburg city attorn ey; Walter Evans, representing the Roseburg Chamber of Com merce, Southern Oregon Conser vation and Tree Farm associa tion, Rogue River Valley Traf fic association and other groups; George R. Stuntz, representing Todd Building company, Rose burg; Frank Koch, Central Point, representing the Grange Agriculture committee, and Charles Crary, representing the local electrical union. 'Wait and See' In an opening statement. Evans said the groups he repre sents have adopted a "wait and see" policy in the hearings, plac ing the burden on Copco to prove the need for the proposed rate increase. Koch and Conger stated that their groups are definitely op posed to any increase. ' Crary, representing the 1,600 man electrical union, said his group, a majority of whom are Copco employees, "feels that the company is entitled to ask for an increase." "We know their prob lems," Crary said, pointing out that Copco has been paying good wages and that the firm's electri cal power has been a beneficial thing to the entire area. "We are on record in favor of the com pany's request," Crary said. Need For New Capital The first to appear as a wit ness for Copco this morning was A. S. Cummins, president of the firm, who testified that "It is my opinion that the long-term inter est of our customers can best be served if we have the financial strength and credit which will auow us to attract at a reason able cost the new capital which is so vital to the development of our growing service area." He stated that the factors pri marily responsible for the com' pany's need for a sate increase are inflation, and unprecedented growth in demand on the com pany for electrical service. George M. Rives, of Brobeck, Phleger and Harrison, San Fran cisco, who are acting as general counsel for Copco, pointed out that this is the first general rate increase the company has ever sought. The firm has made num erous decreases and two adjust ments resulting in increases, Rives said. Other Witnesses Witnesses who followed testi mony by Cummins were John C. Boyle, Copco vice-president and general manager, and Bash. Boyle testified on demands on the Copco system, and construc tion planned for the future, in cluding five new hydroelectric plants estimated to cost more than $38,000,000, $18,000,000 in additional transmission, and $19,000,000 in additional distri bution facilities. This is a mini mum program, Boyle said, and must be finished in a five-year period if Copco is going to con tinue to furnish adequate service to its customers. Site for Courthouse Wing Under Inspection Jackson county commission ers and Architect Ben H. Todd, hired by the county in connec tion with building a new wing on the courthouse, were to look over the site of the new wing today and begin making tenta tive plans. Plans call for the new wing to be built onto the back of the present building. Weather FORECAST Fair u wua threat h Wednesday. Scatters uiMcimni aver mo tains Wednesday aitcrna Law tonight Hi alga nay . Trap. Hiht yesterday t Lewett tola noraiag . 1 a.. hi i, vmnmn,lWw uti pMi ji'g ;;w.Ju c - V sVG X vjm ft ROYAL ENCOURAGEMENT King Paul (right) of Greece talks to a survivor of tbe earthquakes on Ithica, one of three islands off the Greek mainland devastated by six days of great tremors. Tbe quakes claimed more than 1000 lives and injured 4000 persons. Red Chinese Running Show in North Korea, POW Returnee Claims Panmunjom, Korea XU.R) A returning war prisoner said to day the Chinese Communists have replaced the Russians as the masters of North Korea. 'There is no more North Korea," Cpl. Lester E. Williams, 26, Kemah, Tex., said. "The Chi nese run everything." Williams returned to freedom today with 74 other U.S. cap tives of the Communists, bring ing the number of Americans freed in 15-day-old "Operation Big Switch" to 1,180. The Texan's statement tended to confirm reports that Red China's dictator, Mao Tse-tung, has succeeded in weaning the puppet North Korean regime away . Irom soviet iremier George M. Malenkov, whom he never has praised publicly as the successor to the late Joseph Stalin. According to Williams' infor mation, the Chinese "volunteers" apparently claimed North Korea as a reward for their interven tion in the Korean war. Chinese in Control "On the trains it is the Chi nese who do everything," Wil liams said. "They regard the North Koreans as dirt, and the North Koreans have to take it. The Chinese watch everything. and tell the North Koreans what to do." The Communists released 450 prisoners today, the most in one day since "Big Switch" started. They promised to return even more, 456, tomorrow. Macomber Petition In Marion Court Portland flJ.R) State Prison Convict Gerald T. Macomber's petition for a writ of habeas corpus was back before Marion county Circuit court today after a Federal District judge lashed the state attorney general's of fice -for attempting to get the case into the federal courts. Judge Gus J. Solomon de clared here that the attorney general's procedures were "fan tastic" and "outrageous " He re manded the case to the state court in Salem. It is adequate to handle it, he said. Macomber, serving a life sen tence on a conviction of assault with intent to kill, contends that his civil rights were violated by his conviction. Macomber's original sentence was from Jackson county after he was involved in a shooting in Medford. Later, after he made an escape from the state prison, he eluded recapture for many days in the mountains of southern Oregon. He finally was taken after being shot by a posse of officers. Injured Stewardess Said Out of Danger Lake Arrowhead, Calif. (U.R) A 25-year-old airline steward ess, who lost her left arm and left leg from being mangled by a motor boat propeller, was re ported "out of danger" today. Boni Buehler still was receiv ing multiple 'transfusions at Santa Anita hospital, but hos pital authorities said her condi tion was good. She was struck by the pro pellor on Lake Arrowhead Sun day when she fell into the water from a motorboat towing 'water skier Geary Steffan, former hus- jbaod of film star Jane PowelL Since storms off the coast of South Korea had forced the United Nations to return to Koje- Do with boatloands of prisoners, the Allies will release only 600 captives to morrow and none Thursday. The U.N. will resume its re patriation of 2,400 prisoners daily on Friday. Annual 4-H Fair Opening Tomorrow; Deadline Tonight The deadline for livestock en tries in the annual 4-H county fair is tonight at 10 o'clock. The fair will open at fair grounds to morrow. The 4-H office announced to day that there are more dairy and poultry entries this year than in any previous year. Rab bits have increased over last year while beef, sheep and swine entries remain about the same. In the home economics divi sion of the fair, also, there will D more cooking exhibits this year. The freezing exhibits have increased over the canning ex hibits, and advanced clothing projects have increased over the beginners projects Judging Held Last minute preparations made today included style re view1 judging at 9 a.m. and the home economics judging con tests at 1 p.m. These were held in advance so that the girls could toke part in other activities dur ing fair time. A break-down of total live stock entries and the clubs with the most entries, issued by the 4-H office included, 59 steers, with the Antelope club having 18 of them; 40 female beef, Ap plegate club with 20; 150 dairy cows, Eagle Point with 24; 69 single fat lambs; Gold Hill with 20; 65 breeding sheep, Gold Hill with 26; 67 fat swine, Apple gate with 28; 37 pens of rabbits. Central Point with 15, and 57 pens poultry, Bellevue with 19. Nervy fighter Planes Collide in Flight Quillayute, Wash. (U.R) Two Navy F8F Bearcat single engined fighter planes collided in flight today near here and crashed, the Navy reported. Navy officials said one of the planes fell into the Pacific oeean and the other made a crash land ing at the Coast Guard landing strip here, but burst into flames. The pilot of the plane that fell into the ocean was reported to have parachuted and believed -to have landed in some trees. The pilot of the second plane was reported burned. New Federal Power Policy To Cut Washington (U.R) The In terior department today spelled out a new federal power policy designed to reduce the federal government's role and increase the responsibility of local com munities. Based on Partnership The department said the new policy will be based on 'the "partnership" principle stressed by President Eisenhower during his election campaign. It said primary responsibility for supplying the power needs of any area will rest "with the people locally." The govern- Huns TOpsss to .Fariastai Medford Unitad 48th Year 18 Pages Huinigiry IFirees Seders Briton Arrested For Espionage Given Freedom 'Brain-Washing' By Communists Told Vienna (U.R) British busi ness man Edgar Sanders said today that he was thoroughly "brain -washed" while serving time in a Hungarian Communist jdil on false spy charges. He was unaware that Eliza beth II was his country's queen or that Joseph Stalin was dead, he said. The silver - haired Sanders, tired but cheerful, crossed the border to freedom this morning after serving three and a half years of a 13-year sentence for espionage and told of Communist grilling that numbed the mind. Mental Somersaults Asked by newsmen why he confessed to the Hungarian Reds in 1950 that he was an Anglo American spy, he replied: "Before you know where you are. you sign statements." "If you are interrogated for 35 hours without interruption, you make mental somersaults and confess everything they want from you, he said." The dramatic release at the, Hungarian frontier - was made quickly and with a minimum of Vogeler's Path The British businessman walked to freedom along the same path taken by American businessman Robert A. Vogeler. who also was imprisoned on trumped up espionage charges. Sanders was pardoned yester day by the Hungarian Presidium and expelled from the country. A British Foreign Office spokes man said Sanders would stay in Vienna as long as he wished or the state of his health demanded. The British announced that Sanders release would permit Britain to lift its embargo on trade with Communist Hungary Italian Released Vicenzo Sciotto, an Italian par doned along with Sanders, made the trip to the border with the Englishman. Sciotto had been convicted for "assisting espionage" in 1951, the Hungarian government said in a communique which announced the release of the two men- His trial and imprisonment had been kept secret. Sanders was British repre sentative of the Standard Elec tric Company on Nov. 22, 1949, when he and Vogeler were arrested and charged with es pionage. Two Mild Polio Cases Reported in County Two cases of infantile paraly sis, have been reported to the county health department, it was revealed today. Neither is con sidered serious. They are the sec ond and third reported in the county this year. One case is a Rogue River man who has what is thought to be a light, non-paralytic case of polio. He is under treatment in a Grants Pass hospital. The other case was a IVi -year-old Medford child, who has made a complete recovery, the health department said. ment will be a "partner" with state and local communities and private enterprise. In Denver, .President Eisen hower endorsed the policy and said it "will serve the best in terests of all the people." Higher on Totem Pole Undersecretary of Interior Ralph A. Tudor told a news conference that the policy em phasis cutting domestic and rur al customers "higher on the to tem pole" than industrial con sumers in preferential treat ment. Tudor said, however, that tbe MEDFORD, OREGON, TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, French Premier's Nome Under terd; Violence Feared Paris U.R) Paratroopers guarded the Premier's official residence tonight as he prepared Cloud Seeders Say Salt Experiments Have Science Basis The use of common table salt as a cloud-seeding agent has been the subject of scientific ex perimentation for some time, it was reported today by two pilots who have pioneered in experi mental use of the material. Harvey Brandau and Gene Kooser, who for five years have seeded Rogue valley clouds to prevent hail from falling on or chards here, took issue with Eckley S. Ellison, chief Portland weather bureau meteorologist, who said yesterday he knows of no scientific data on the use of salt. Dr. Irving Krick. one oi.the first scientists to make experi ments in artificial weather con trol, has used sodium chloride (salt) in attempts to produce rain in warm clouds, they point ed out. Says Salt Used In addition, a recent article by Roger Babson stated, "The injection of small water drops or salt particles into the bases of deep, warm (non-supercooled) cumulus clouds will usually re lease variable amounts of rain if the vertical velocities in the clouds are substantial. Small, in active warm cumulus clouds may often be partially or com pletely dissipated by seeding them from above with certain materials; rain always follows" This is the general type of work done here by the fliers. These are only two instances of such experimentation,-Brandau and Kooser pointed out, and they said "Unfortunately, Mr. Ellison appears to be behind the times with his information." Defends Experimental Use Ellison, in his statement in Portland, defended the right of experimenters to use salt pro vided they do not sprinkle it too heavily over orchards. Ht ad ded that he believes dispersion in Medford has been fine and harmless. This was corroborated today by the fliers, who said the larg est quantity ever used on any one storm was about 25 pounds. When it is considered that this is discharged in tiny amounts at 20,000 to 30,000 feet over a period of hours, and a space of many miles, it is evident that only a tiny fraction of an ounce of salt could ever reach the ground in any one area, and most of it would dissolve into the moisture of the air, they said. Meanwhile, other cloud-seeding activity in the Rogue valley was seen as possbile next year, as the Moisture Conservation league announced a meeting next week at which time a rain making program will be consid ered. The meeting will be at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 26, in Room 212, Leverette building. government will continue to rec ognize those in the Pacuic Northwest which depend heavily on Bonneville dam for power. Domestic and rural consumers will be given preference in ob taining new power from expand ed facilities, except that plants involved in national defense will continue to be recognized. Private Interests Tudor said the federal govern ment will not assume "full re sponsibility" for power genera tion, transmission and market ing. The policy, he laid, will "en UaJtatf for a bitter and possibly violent showdown with 2,000,000 French workers who defied his "back to work" ultimatum. With the threat of a Commu nist attempt to foment a nation wide general strike hanging over them, the Premier and his fellow cabinet members mapped a new "tough" plan to break the labor stoppages that are crippling France. Threat of Force Implied - Premier Joseph Laniel de manded in a surprise national broadcast last night that the strikers who have crippled com munications, utilities, mines and factories all over tBe country for 17 days return to work today. He implied a threat to use force, and hinted he would jail strike leaders and workers who failed to heed official requisi tions to go back to their Jobs. Services Crippled But the wdrkers stayed out, and the government feared that if it resorted to force, the Com munists would call a general na tionwide strike and send mem bers' of unions they control into the streefs of Paris and other big cities for riots. Garbage piled up in the streets. Train service from Paris was but a fraction of normal. Telephone and telegraph service was maintained only for essen tial messages. Paris subway service was 50 per cent of nor mal. Bus service was crippled. In mines, the strike was nearly 100 per cent effective. Seek Special Session The workers were rebelling against economy measures or dered by millionaire business man Premier Laniel. Socialist members of Parlia ment led a move to force a spe cial session of the National As sembly, now in recess, to recon sider Laniel's economic meas ures. The government reluctantly called a meeting of the assem bly's guiding bureau for Friday to decide whether to recall va cationing deputies for a legisla tive showdown on Laniel's poli cies. Six Valley Men Join Armed Forces Six young Rogue valley men have been inducted into the armed forces, through the Port land induction center, it was announced today by Jackson County Local Board 17 of the Selective Service system. Three were from Medford, Robert Andrew Stothers, John Oliver Chancellor Jr., and Charles Gilbert Dean. From Ash land was Cash R. Perrine, and from Central Point was Frank Bernard Koch. Charles Glen Lowery was inducted from Ash land, after being transferred from a local board in Arkansas. Corvallis (U.R) Some 500 Agricultural economists from throughout the United States are on the Oregon State college cam pus for the first day' of the meet ing of the American Farm Eco nomic Association. Role Told courage" other public and pri vate interests to construct new facilities because the govern ment "isn't big enough to pro duce" sufficient power for the nation's needs. He said it will provide more power for the country. To Keep Cost Low Asked if cheaper power will result, Tudor said the cost of building facilities has increased. but that the department "will do everything to keep the cost of power just as low as possible." MoiHii BBaaaaaaaaaaaaaaBBBaBBBBaaaaaBiaMBSa fe tMalBSaiB Tribune 1953 No. 128 Many State Cars Said Operated Without Seals Unander Says Cars Used on Social Calls . Salem (U.R) State Treas urer Sig Unander charged today that many state-owned cars were being operated without the seal of state on the sides. He said there were too many 'cloak and dagger investigators running around Oregon and he said that many state cars by his own observation were being used at night for social calls around Salem. Directed at Dormaa Unander's charges, at today's weekly meeting of the Board of Control, were directed at Harry Dorman, state director of the Department of Finance and Ad ministration. Dorman replied that the only cars excepted from a ruling that the state seal be displayed on each side were those operated by the State Parole Board and the State Liquor Control com mission. He said the Parole board must often run down par ole violators and the Liquor commission cars' without the seals are used by investigators whose work would be nullified if the identity of their cars were known. - License Numbers Asked Dorman asked Unander to re port license numbers of any cars he noted without the state seal which he thought were state cars, and Unander said that he would. It was brought out that pre viously, two cars operated with out seals on permission of the Board of Control granted more than a year ago, for the Oregon state prison. But when Clar ence T. Gladden took over as warden, he said all penitentiary cars could carry the state seal without any handicap to the work of the prison staff. More Guards Requested The Board took under advise ment a request by Warden Glad den for more guards at the pris on. After a recent survey. Glad den asked for an additional 35 guards. The Department of Fin ance trimmed this to 25, which if provided, would bring the guard force to 159. Gov. Paul L. Patterson said he wanted to discuss tbe guard question with Gladden before passing on the matter. Action probably will be taken before Friday, when the request must go to the State Emergency board for its consideration of the nec essary appropriation from the state emergency fund. Air Pollution Restrainer Asked Investigation by the State Air Pollution authority into the complaints of Gold Hill resi dents that fumes from the as phalt plant located there were causing damage . to health and property, had led to a request for a restraining order in Jack son county circuit court, records revealed today. The asphalt plant is owned by the Central Heating co., Oreg. Ltd., of Eugene, and F. L. Sommers, Medford. The comp any is under contract to the State Highway department to mix paving material for the five mile Highway 99 relocation pro ject at Gold Hill. The request in court asks they be ordered to halt practices leading to the alleged air pollu tion. I Churchill Presides At Cabinet Meeting London (U.R) Prime Minister Winston Churchill pre sided at a cabinet meeting today for the first time since he started an enforced rest nearly two months ago. Churchill drove to London from Chartwell, the of ficial ministerial country home where he had been staying. Plan Denounced As Red Maneuver By United States Plan Seen To Ut Communists Dominate United Nations, N. Y. (U.R) Russia proposed an 11 -nation slate for the Far Eastern politi cal parley today. The United States promptly denounced it aa "a sleazy maneuver to let the Communists dominate the con ference." Soviet delegate Andrei T. Vishinsky proposed to the United Nations political committee that Russia, India and three other non-belligerents in the Korean war be included in the confer ence, and that its decisions be subject to veto by the parties which have signed the armistice agreement. The full slate proposed by Russia comprised the United Slates, Britain, France, the Sov iet Union, Communist China, India, Poland, Sweden, Burma, and North and South Korea. Lodge Issues Blast U. S- Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., in a statement Issued after Vishinsky had submitted his proposal, said: "It is a sleazy maneuver to obscure the issue and let the Communists dominate the politi cal conference. It is deficient in many important respects." Lodge made these objections to the Soviet proposal: 1. "It opens up the conference to neutrals but leaves out many countries who fought for the U. N. in Korea." 2. "It is very similar to the Soviet resolution of last fall, substituting only Sweden for Switzerland and Poland for Czechoslovakia." Charges Inconsistency 3. "It is inconsistent because it was the Communists who in sisted on the two-sides' language in the truce agreement- Vishin sky now seems to have changed that position. 4. "It would destroy the juridical basis set forth in the armistice agreement for holding the political conference. 5. "The last sentence of the resolution implies that an agree ment could be reached on the Korean problem without the Re public of Korea." The measure clashed sharply with the proposal sponsored by 15 of the 16 U. N. Korean com batants, providing that any of the 16, plus South Korea, could be invited to the parley. The Western powers would allow Russia to attend, "provided the other side desires it." Russia Defeated Twice They were split on the ques tion of an invitation to India, which the United States op pose. Vishinsky submitted the reso lution at the opening of the committee's debate today, at which time he was defeated in a demand that North Korea and Communist China be invited here for preliminary discussions on setting up the Far Eastern parley- The 60 nation committee voted against North Korea, 34 to 18 with 7 abstentions, and against Red China, 34 to 14 with 9 ab stentions. City Council Session Scheduled Tonight A regular meeting of the Medford city council is sched uled for 7:30 o'clock in the council chambers tonight. An agenda for the meeting has not yet been completed, ac cording to city officials. How ever, it is expected that the council may discuss the possi bility of continuing an investi gation of the Medford police de partment which was undertaken originally by the police commit tee of the council. Vehicle Turned Over In Crash; No One Hurt A station wagon driven by Marjorie Florence Jacket, 32, route 1, box 202, Eagle Point, was spun around and thrown onto its side in an accident in Medford this morning. No one was hurt, however. City officers said the other vehicle involved was driven by Gary Lane Gustafson, 18, route 2, box 512, Medford, and was going north on Oakdale ave., when it struck the station waeon which was going east on Eighth st . Gustafson was cited for viola tion of the basic rule, police re ported, '
