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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (March 2, 1955)
Weather Medford united Press Full Leased wire FORECAST: Partly eoludy to-' night and Thursday. A few scattered showers Thursday. Cooler toniEht with low 32. High Thursday 46. Temp. Highest Yesterday . 53 Lowest this Morning . 37 Free . .to 10 a.m. Today .12 49th Year 20 Pages MEDFORD, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, MA' Price 5c No. 296 3- nil UtuM WIT. ' O WINDS HIT OREGON Winds up to 75 m.p.h. tore these steel hangers apart and wrecked five pianes at Trohs Air Park in Portland, Ore. Sixteen other planes came through undamaged when the hangers they were housed in blew apart Damage was estimated at $50,000. OLCC Tightens Up "Regulations on , Gifts, Gratuities Portland -(U.R) The Oregon Liquor control commission yes terday tightened up its "gift and gratuity" regulation following a furor that has caused two sus pensions and one resignation of commission employees in recent months. A regulation already was in effect prohibiting licensees from accepting gratuities, gifts, re bates or refunds, but it' said nothing about employees. The new section states: "No member, agent or employee of the Liquor Control Commission shall accept any gift, gratuity or thing of value from any manu facturer, distributor or retailer of alcoholic liquor or from any agent, employee or officer of such manufacturer, distributor or retailers." The section further prohibits manufacturers from giving gifts to commission employees and prohibits suppliers' representa tives from using more than one case of their product for sampling in the state. They pre viously were allowed three cases. February BuNding Permits Take Jump February building permit to tals for Medford reached $324,770 the highest February total in at least 10 years, except in 1951. City building officials pointed out that in February, 1951, the permit for the new St. Mary's school totaled about $350,000, raising the month's figure to $561,000. Permits for last month included no large projects, but rather reflected a strong trend toward residential growth and renovation. Last month's building was an increase over the same month in 1954 by $182,954, and even a greater increase over that month in 1953 when only $131, 347 was recorded. Last month also topped January, 1955, which registered $161,910 in building valuation. A total of 75 permits was is sued last month, including 17 new residences at a $195,000 valuation. .72 Inch of Rain Falls; Winter Unusually Dry A total of .12 of an inch of rain fell in Medford in the 24 hour period ending at 10 a.m. to day, the weather bureau re ported. The rain is nothing out of the ordinary in a normal win ter, but was noteworthy in an unusually dry winter such as this. The forecast is for a few scat tered showers. ." Rainier periods this year were on Jan. 16, when .22 of an inch fell, and Jan. 26 and 27, when there was .16 of an inch. - Chief Says Statistics Show Traffic Campaign Results Police Chief Charles Champ lin today reported traffic statis tics for February which reflect a stepped-up traffic enforcement program in the city of Medford. He stated the figures show a considerable increase in cita tions for basic rule violations, reckles driving, and failure to yield the right of way to both pedestrians and vehicles. Violations Total 78 Total number of violation of road and driving laws for last month was 78, an increase over February, 1954, of 44 citations. There were 66 cases of basic rule violation, 12 of reckless driving, and 11 each for failure to yield the right of way to pe destrians and to vehicles. Champlin pointed out, "these types of violations are causing the most accidents. We started our harder-hitting program as a Stockmen, Farmers Slate Consideration (DfMftainffaGD (Program A meeting of county stockmen and dry land farmers will be held Friday to consider joining with fruitgrowers in cloud seed ing for a four months period to produce rain or snow. James Miller Jr., Medford City Traffic Light Contract Awarded The State Highway commis sion today awarded a contract for . the installation of ' traffic signals at six Medford intersec tions to Trowbridge and Flynn Electric Co., according to Un ited Press. The bid was $15,593. The contract calls for instal lation of signals on Central and Riverside aves., between McAn drews rd. and 12th st. They have previously been approved by the city council. The work, in cludes the lights, auxiliary cab inets and relays. The commission, meeting in Portland,- also- awarded - the Frank Wat Construction Co. and the S&D Construction company at $25,450 contract to replace two timber bridges with con crete bridges on the Upper Ap- plegate road. Den Herder and Strobel, Med ford, was awarded a $22,184 con tract to repair road damage near Winchester bay in Douglas coun ty, and F. L. Somers, Medford, won at $63,400 contract to im prove the Salt creek channel and riprap Willamette highway embankments near Oakridge in Lane county. Korea Railway Coach Fire Kills 39 Persons Pusan, Korea (U.R) Flames enveloped a parked railway car in Pusan tonight and first re ports said 39 persons were killed and 50 were injured. A U.S. Army spokesman said Army fire fighting trucks rush ed to the scene of the disaster. The burned railway car report edly was one of four waiting for an engine to pull them to Seoul. The other three apparently did not catch fire. One report said a kerosene lantern might have exploded, sending the flames leaping through the wooden car. No Americans were reported among the injured or dead. SOLDIER RETURNS Pfc. Harold Stayton, Medford, is scheduled to arrive in Seattle tomorrow aboard the transport Gen. John Pope from the Far East, according to United Press. Available city directories do not list an address for him. result of a department meeting on Jan. 27 where we analyzed the causes of accidents. "The February results reflect a stepped-up program, which will continue in connection with our general traffic enforcement pro gram begun in 1954," he said. Other Arrests ' During February 62 persons were cited for failure to stop at a stop sign or signal, and 12 for illegal turning. Total traffic ci tations for the month were 335. Another section of the report showed that major offenses dropped from the same period a year ago. A total of 35 cases were reported, as compared .to 52 in 1954. Last month there were four burglaries, four larceny-thefts over $50, and 27 under $50. Per cent of the major cases cleared was 40, compared to 27 per cent in 1954. president of the Jackson Coun ty Stockmen's association, call ed the meeting for his group's members and interested farmers for 8 p.m. in the county court house auditorium, according to W. B. Tucker, county extension agent. The meeting will be open to the public. May Join Fruilmen The purpose is to determine whether stockmen and farmers desire to join the Rogue Valley Traffic association in a cloud seeding program from March 15 to June 15. The subject was dis cussed at a meeting of the Traf fic group Monday when cooper ation in financing the proposal by other interested groups was sought. It is hoped to have a represen tative of the Water Resources Development Corp., Denver, Colo., operated by Dr. Irving P. Krick, at the Friday meeting, Tucker said. The program would be de signed to increase rain or snow, and is not connected with the fruitgrowers' bail suppression program, Tucker said. The same grtfund generation method would be used'," but" the opera tions would be at different times. Separate Programs The rain proposal is also sep arate from the winter cloud seeding program of the California-Oregon Power company. This program, which Is designed to produce an increased snow pack in a specific target area, will conclude about March 31. No duplication in area is plan ned while .both are in operation. Copco has a contract with North American Weather Consultants, Inc., a Pasadena, Calif., firm. No airplanes are involved in any of the three' programs. Tucker said Friday's meeting will be public, and that all farmers and stockmen who could were requested to attend. Russian Ministers Purged by Bulganin London (U.R) Premier Niko lai Bulganin today purged two Soviet officials who served under ousted Premier Georgi Malenkov. He fired both the minister of state farms and the minister of the coal industry for "unsatisfactory work." The purge, which was the first openly disclosed since Bul ganin assumed the premiership, was announced "in a Moscow Ra dio broadcast, monitored here... The ministers dropped were A.. I. Kozlov, minister of state farms, and A. S. Zasyadko, min ister of the coal industry. In their places, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet appoint ed A. N. Zademodkohas minis ter for the coal industry and Ivan Benediktov, to be minister of state farms. The Moscow an nouncement said the actions were taken "on the recommen dation" of Bulganin. , 'Adequate' Defined By Liquor Commission Portland (U.R) The Oregon Liquor Control Commission has defined its use of the word "ade quate" in regulations requiring food service where liquor is sold by the drink. The commission said that "adequate" food service was defined to mean that a liquor licensee, when his establishment is open, must offer meals to the public during the hours such meals are normally served. Establishments also must have food service available at least six hours each day, the commis sion said. ' Salem (U.R) Charles R. Hol loway Jr., Portland, has been ap pointed by Gov. Paul Patterson to the State Board of Higher edu cation. He succeeds Edgar W. Smith whose term has expired. . Nationalists Fear Dulles Will Ask Island Surrender Meeting Scheduled With Chiang Thursday Taipeh, Formosa (U.R) The Nationalists , fear that Secretary of State John Foster Dulles will ask them to give up the islands of Quemoy and Matsu in ex change for a cease-fire in the Formosa strait, reliable sources reported today. Dulles is .scheduled to arrive here tomorrow from Manila for an important "war council" with Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and top American and Chinese Nationalist military commanders on the Formosan crisis. Fleet Said Prepared Vice Adm. Alfred M. Pride, commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet who arrived here today from Japan, told newsmen the fleet is "substantially" as strong as it was during the Tachen ev acuation and is prepared to meet any Communist attack. ' . Pride refused to disclose whether the fleet would move deeper into the strait between Formosa and China to head off threatened Communist invasion of Quemoy and Matsu and said, "I won't reveal our tactics, but I'd like for the other fellow to reveal his." Defense Hinted Dulles has hinted the Seventh Fleet would defend Quemoy and Matsu if a Communist attack were aimed at Formosa and the Pescadores, but has not made a clear cut announcement. Britain, seeking to end the Formosan crisis through "secret diplomacy," has suggested that giving up the two offshore bases would mean an automatic cease fire. National leaders have vow ed repeatedly they will never give up these two reniaining islands. Manila, P. I. (U.R) Secr tary of State John Foster Dulles clearly spelled out the Ameri can position on Formosa, Matsu and --Quemoy today in.s a , two hour secret meeting with his key diplomats in the Far East. But most of what he said eot no further than the darfypaneled conterence room of the Ameri can embassy under his nolicv of keeping the Communists guessing on the United States' exact position on the Nationalist-held offshore islands. Dulles talked for two hours and 10 minutes non-stop today in telling American diplomats serving in 17 Far Eastern na tions of the events leading to the Southeast Asia conference in Bangkok, the conference it self and results of his visits to Burma. Reliable sources said he dwelt in detail on the U.S. views on invasion-threatened Quemoy and Matsu and the Pescadores and Formosa. The only news to leak from that was that he made a point of referring to Formosa as "Taiwan," which he said he considered more appropriate. 'Granddaddy' Atomic Explosion Postponed Las Vegas (U.R) The big A-bomb shot of the 1955 test series was postponed again this morning just 45 minutes before its scheduled detonation atop a 500-foot tower m the Nevada desert. . . The Atomic Energy commis sion decided to postpone firing the "granddaddy" nuclear de vice after a weather briefing which ended at 4:45 a.m. fPST). Reason for the postponement was not given. A spokesman said there will be no test shots today or tomor row. Another weather evalua tion meeting was scheduled for late tomorrow morning to de cide if a shot can be fired Fri day. ! Cambodia King Abdicates Throne Pnom Penh, Cambodia U.R) King Norodom Sihanouk, 33, abdicated today in a dramatic protest against the leftist politi cal groups which oppose his pro Western policies and his plans for early democratic general elections. The young saxophone-playing monarch announced his abdica tion to his 3,700,000 subjects just 48 hours after he conferred here with Secretary of State John Foster Dulles on raising and training a 55,000-man Cam bodian army. Norodom resigned in favor of his father, Prince Suramint, 60, who has never been king. . Norodom is regarded as a bul wark against Communism in Southeast Asia. West tear j President Central California Coastal Region Feels Earthquake Excited Residents Flee Into Streets Hol'lister, Calif. (U.R) An "easy going" earthquake rolled along the Central California coast today, rattling dishes and sending excited residents run ning into the streets. Reports indicated that the temblor, which lasted five min utes on the University of Calif ornia seismograph, did little damage. Sheriff's offices receiv ed scattered reports of broken china and spilled canned goods. Quake Felt Widely The quake hit at 8 a.m. and was felt widely, ranging along the coast from Watsonville to Paso Robles and inland to Holli ster and Seneca. Residents who tumbled from their houses said the quake was "hard" but "slow rolling." They said it was felt strongly for "about 30 seconds." Dishes rat tled and, chandeliers swayed here. At Monterey, residents said the quake was "felt strongly," but described it as an "easy go ing, kind of lazy roller." In Paso Robles, china was tumbled to the floor. A staff re porter at the Paso Robles Press described the quake this way: "My Shoes stood still, but the rest of me rocked." Magnitude of Four The University of California seismograph registered the quake as having a Richter mag nitude of 4, and indicated the center of the temblor was 200 3iiles southwest- of Berkeley, probably off the toast at Paso Robles. . It was the second local shock to be recorded by the Berkeley quake reading machine in the past 12 hours. A 3.45 earthquake centering in the Hollister area, was recorded at 10:05 p.m. (PST) yesterday. Skiers Recovering From Exposure Bishop, Calif. U.R) Two skiers were recovering here to day from frostbite and exposure after a seven-man team rescued them from a remote cabin in the High Sierras of Yosemite Na tional park. The skiers, Janice Off, 25, Beverly Hills, Calif., and Frank Dunn, 22, Sunland, Calif., were brought in from the mountain last night. The couple credited a radio and food drop by Bob Symons, pilot of a search plane, for sav ing their lives. Symons spotted their snow-printed "help" at the 10,000-foot level of Rush Mead ows, near the Madera-Mon coun ty line. ' The pilot instructed the stranded skiers to ski to the Rush Creek power company cabin, where the ground rescue party reached them yesterday. Churchill Says U.S. Only Nation Able To Deliver Full-Scale H-Bomb Attack London Prime Minister Churchill says the United States is the only country in the world able to deliver a full-scale hydrogen-bomb attack "on a few hours' notice." Further he said the United States has an overwhelming lead over Soviet Russia in the "knowledge and power to make nuclear weapons." . "The threat of a hydrogen at tack on these islands lies in the future," Churchill told the house of commons in opening a debate on defense planning. "It is not with us now," accord ing to information which we have been able to obtain. "Only three countries possess, in varying degrees, the knowl- DOW-JONES New York (U.R) Dow-Jones final stock averages: 30 indust rials 417.18 up 3.47; 20 railroads 153.32, up 2.47; 15 utilities 64.68 up 6.27, and 65 stocks 156.00 up 1.53. Sales today were about 3,370,000 shares, compared with 2,830,000 yesterday. - gyp" Cairo, Egypt (U.R) Egypt accused the Israeli army today of opening fire against an Egyptian outpost yesterday and Premier Gamal Abdel Nasser held an emergency cabinet meeting to re view the worsening military crisis. Lt. Col. Salah Gohar, in charge of Palestine affairs for the Egyptian army, said the Israeli army opened fire against an out post southeast of Gaza. He said there were no casualties. The incident increased the tension between the two countries even more, and authoritative reports from Gaza said the Egyptian army rushed a "strong" infantry force into the area during the night. Bursts of rifle and machine gun fire echoed nightlong along the Egypto-Israeli border, but the Gaza dispatch said the firing was "targetle'ss." The Israeli press called for increased preparedness on the part of Israeli combined with a firm stand against what it called Egypt's "criminal acts" of murder and sabotage. Egypt Accused of Espionage Activity Almost every Israeli paper ac cused Egypt of sending espion age agents and spies deep into Israel territory. Some accused Egypt of trying to show the Arab states how strong it was to cover up for its failure to halt the de fense pact between Iraq and Tur key. Egypt already was reported on a near-war footing, and the sending of reinforcements into the Gaza area increased its readi ness for eventualities. Security regulations prevented disclosing military dispositions, but the reports said a "sizeable force" .moved under cover of darkness to El Arish, some 40 miles south of the scene of the Israeli attack Monday. Strict security precautions were put in force at key points along the Israeli border in the Egyptian-occupied Gaza strip which thrusts up the Mediter jj$ftan coast for 20 miles, cutting part oflsraeT off from the sea. . Fear Open War , The growing tenseness along the border heightened fears the growing bitterness between the two nations might erupt once again into open warfare. The U.N. Mixed Armistice Commission met in emergency session in Jerusalem to Btudy the crisis .while Egypt protested to the U.N. Security Council against an Israeli attack Monday night which it called an "act of aggression." . . A dispatch from Tel Aviv said Israel protested today to U.N. truce observers against the pre liminary report blaming Israel for the Gaza incident. A note was sent to U.N. headquarters in Jerusalem where the commis sion met to hear Egypt's formal protest. Nautilus Completes Tests on Deep Diving Groton, Conn. (U.R) The atomic submarine Nautilus was back, in port today after com pleting deep dive trials in the Atlantic off the Maine coast. The Navy said it was prepar ing a report on results of the latest tests. ' The submersive, first vessel ever powered by atomic power, left her berth at the Electric Boat Co. Sunday to begin what proved to be her longest cruise since the tests started Jan. 17. edge and the power to make nu-1 . m J 1 J1 clear weapons. Of these,, the United States is overwhelmingly the chief," the prime minister declared. Churchill said Britain has started making a hydrogen bomb. The United States exploded its first hydrogen device in the Pa cific in November, 1952. The Soviet Union declared last month that Russia leads the United States in hydrogen-bomb produc tion. U. S. Secretary of Defense Charles E. Wilson promptly challenged this... He said the United States was in the lead and that the Russians knew it. Churchill said the United States and Britain must be able in the event of war to strike at a number of Communist bases in the first few hours and deal a paralyzing blow at the. outset. "There is no defense no abso lute defense against the hydro gen bomb," he said. "Nor is any method in sight by which any nation or any country could be completely guaranteed against devastating injury, which even a score of them might in flict in wide regions." - Members of the house listened. weapons iS Hews '. Gbhf orahce IHlyirSs Council Sets More Study on Requests For Annexation Two proposals to annex prop erty to the city were held for further study after discussion at a regular Medford council meet ing last night. One area is the Wilson tract south of Stewart ave. and west of Peach st. The land involved is contiguous to the city. Ap proval of the annexation pro posal is being upheld pending installation of water and sewer lines and paved streets. Tenta tive approval of the plat has been given by the city planning commission. A total of 43 houses is planned on the tract. Proposal OKd In the other proposal, the planning commission has recom mended to the council that the Vista Heights subdivision be an nexed, with certain restrictions. These provide that four of the lots will not have houses built on them until adequate sewage connections are made. A total of 11 lots are involved, on High land dr. next to the IOOF ceme tery. ' The commission's report was accepted for the record, but no final action was taken until the legality of the proposal is stud ied. The city is preparing a de tailed report on annexation pro cedures and qualifications. A tentative report was submitted to the council last year. The council is now enforcing a policy which permits no annexations without city sewage and water, in order to alleviate the sanita tion problem in many adjacent areas. Road Conditions Fresh snow has fallen on all mountain highways in the area, but the roads are sanded and chains are not necessary to drive over them, state police reported early this afternoon. gravely as Churchill began his I 1 ' l . ; i T-v - . - policy-making speech. Discussing the power of hydrogen weapons, he said a bonafide system of gen eral disarmament was the solution. Brownsville Woolen Mill Destroyed by Brownsville, Ore. U.R) The Brownsville woolen mill, a pioneer Oregon mill, was gut ted by fire last night as firemen from seven Willamette valley towns tried to contain the blaze and hundreds of valley residents gathered to watch flames which were visible for 15 miles. Cause of the fire was undeter mined. - -Half Insured Damage was estimated at $280,000 by the mill owner, Chester A. Page. He said about half of it was covered by insur ance. The mill, which specialized in caracul wools, was built in'1860 and its original machinery, was brought around Cape Horn. The mill burned down in 1865 with Sace, U.S. Will Never Start Aggressive War, Ike Declares No Invitation Due Marshal Zhukov Now Washington U.R) Presi dent Eisenhower said today that the Western world has a lead over Russia in development of atomic and hydrogen weapons. But the President said one could not know exactly how long the lead can be sustained. At one point in a news conference discussion he said that in the past the West has had a great lead over in development of nu clear weapons. The President underscored the Western world's lead' in atomic and hydrogen weapons in com menting on Winston Churchill's statement - yesterday that the United States and Britain must increase their superiority or the Russians would pull even within three or four years. - Mr Eisenhower emphasized that the United States will never start an aggressive war. Aid To China He was asked about reports that Generalissimo Chiang Kai shek had said his government expects moral and material aid from the United States to rein vade the China mainland. The President, replying firmly, de- -clared Ithat the United States was not going to be a part or. any aggressive war. He said that,-' w ctu lie wuum say un urai. - Mr. Eisenhower, commenting, on Churchill's speech, said he felt that any statements in the ' nuclear arms field . generally were nothing more than specu lative estimates. But the President said the United States- does know that the Western world has had a great lead over Russia in devel opment of atomic and hydrogen weapons. Exactly how long this can be sustained is problemati cal. Russian Visitor On other foreign affairs mat ters, the President: 1. Said he was not going to issue an invitation now to Mar shal Georgi Zhukov, Soviet de fense minister, to visit the United States. ' The President said he had thought this over himself and decided to do noth ing about it now because of the world situation. 2. Declared that the free world- wants peace and the only way the West could become em broiled in another war would be by the other side's action. The President related this statement to the Formosa situation. Need Good Faith 3. Asserted that a dozen dif ferent disarmament solutions could be worked out if world problems were approached in good faith. The United States will never start an aggressive war, the said, and it merely wants to develop the security of the American people and their Allies. ' 4. Disclosed that the admin istration is developing an Asian aid program that will be pre sented to Congress soon. 5. Emphasized that the ad ministration has no plan undr study to send surplus grain to Russia. - ',- (See Story on Page 14) - Pendleton (U.R) Regular mail service between here and Lewiston, Ida., has started by highway. Airmail is not affected. The new service replaces that formerly handled by five rail roads. Night Blaze loss of $60,000 and was re built. - ' , r ,. Last night's fire was spotted by an employee, Gordon Lee, . who turned in the first alarm about 7:15 p.m. Later, fire equipment from Brownsville, Lebanon, Sweet Home, Albany, Shedd, Halsey and Harrisburg responded to the call. Employed About 60 Page, who purchased the plant in 1935, said only the boiler house and a warehouse, located away from the main building, ' escaped. . The mill, along with the Tim ber Products company, was one of two main payrolls for this town of 1200 persons. It employ ed about 60 persons. -
