Medford mail tribune., March 11, 1955, Image 1

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Time for Savings
To Show in Money,
Committee Says
Treasury Position
Would Be Abolished
Washington (U.R) The House
Appropriations Committee blunt
ly told the Post Office Depart
Jment today to worry less about
getting completely reorganized
and more about delivering the
mail. .
The Democratic controlled
committee, in its first crack at
the Eisenhower administration's
budget, also told the department
it is time "some of the substan
tial savings" promised from re
organization show up in dollars
and cents.
So, the committee lopped $69,
117,000 off the department's re
quest for $2,754,817,000 for op
erating funds during the fiscal
year starting next July 1.
Abolish Treasury Job
In the same bill, the first regu
lar money measure of the ses
sion, the committee also took
a swing at the Treasury Depart
ment. It voted, to abclish the
job of Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury Laurence B. Robbins
He has charge of rubber and
tin programs and other assets
transferred from the defunct Re
construction Finance Corp.
The committee said Robbins'
1 .post, created by the last Repub
lican Congress, isn t necessary
any longer because of progress
made in disposing of the assets.
Eliminating salaries for Robbins
and his clerical staff will save
$50,000, the committee said.
Altogether, the committee cut
$8,580,000 from the Treasury's
request for 8604,398,000.
The $3,282,553,000 bill also
included the full, $1,035,000 re
quested by the Tax Court of the
United States.
- Altogether, the cuts amounted
to $77,697,000, or 2.3 per cent,
from the administration's budget
requests.
The committee's criticism of
the Post Office department was
set forth in a report prepared by
a subcommittee headed by Rep.
J. Vaughan Gary (D.-Va.). .
"There is some evidence that
the department's top manage
ment . . . has become so enam
ored" with reorganization that
It has "overlooked" its "primary
duty," that of insuring "the
mails are handled expeditious
ly," the report said.
Promised Savings
Postmaster General Arthur E.
Summerfield in .testimony be
fore the subcommittee last
month claimed the reorganiza
tion drive already had paid off
in better mail service at lower
cost. He said he expected to re
turn to the treasury $53,000,000
of the funds the last Congress
allotted for the current fiscal
year. He asked for the same al
lotment for the next fiscal year
so he could hire additional per
sonnel. The committee replied that
Summerfield should have saved
$75,000,000 during the current
fiscal year because the volume
of mail was four per cent lower
than anticipated. It said it was
cutting his budget by $69,117,
000 because of savings promised
through reorganization and be
cause he again may have "over
stated" the mail volume during
the next fiscal year.
In dealing with the Treasury,
the committee allotted $278,
500,000 to the Internal Revenue
service, a budget cut of $7,500,
000, and $185,225,000 to the
Coast Guard, a budget cut of
$250,000.
The committee gave the Cus
toms bureau its full $41,200,000
budget request. .
Faster Basket Display
Due Downtown Saturday
Easter baskets made by stu
dents throughout Jackson coun
ty will be displayed Saturday
at 23 downtown Medford stores
as a part of Spring Opening, it
was announced today.
Prizes, ranging from $10 to
$25, will be awarded to students
entering winning baskets. Judg
ing will be conducted tomorrow
.by a special committee, and will
"be based on originality, color
fulness, and other character
istics. Weather
FORECAST: Brief leriodi of
partial clearinf and a little
cooler tonight. Mostly cloudy
with occasional rain Satur
day. Low tonirht near 34.
High Saturday 48.
Temp.
Highest Yesterday : 48
Lowest this Mornine 41
Prec. to 4:30 a.m. Today 3
Weiriry Abiimt
Medford
United Press Full Leased Wire
49th Year 28 Pages
Thunderstorms,
Tornado Add to
Ohio Suffering
Five Dead Counted
In Midwest Storms
By UNITED PRESS
A tornado, other winds of hur
ricane force and thunderstorms
buffeted the Ohio Valley area
and parts of Pennsylvania today,
and rains fell along .the flooding
Ohio river as its crest neared
Louisville.
Five dead were counted in the
storms. Lightning touched off a
fire at Union City, Ind., and the
city police chief said damage
might reach $1,000,000.
Far to the West, the drought
parched soil was kicking into
the' air under the lashing of
March winds across Southwest
farm areas bringing further
damage to some regions already
suffering wind erosion.
Building Collapses
A building collapsed under
the winds at Brookville, Pa.,
killing Orin Ramsey, 37, a work
man. At Allegheny County Air
port, in Pennsylvania, weather
men reported winds up to 92
miles an hour in gusts.
A Madison, Ind., high school
teacher, Mrs. Evelyn Feebach,
44, drowned in floodwaters. Ben
ton Myers, 35, drowned after
falling from a boat while resi
dents around , Greenup,. Ky.,
were moving out because of the
flood and two men died in flood-
waters around Cincinnati.
At Connersville, Ind., about
40 miles from the Ohio river, a
tornado tore the roof from the
Rex Manufacturing Co. plant, a
division of the Philco Corp. It
overturned railroad box cars.
Other winds felled trees in parts
of Indiana.
Winds Cause Damage
Winds of 58 miles an hour hit
Cincinnati, where the Ohio
river flood crest passed only 24
hours earlier.
Dayton, Columbus, Zanesville,
Akron and Youngstown felt
heavy winds as they swept
across Ohio.
The winds in . Pennsylvania
knocked down an ore bridge at
the Homestead Works of U.S.
Steel Corporation and felled
the broadcasting towers of
WENS-TV at Pittsburgh and of
WLOA at North Braddock.
The muddy flood crest, which
claimed two lives as it rolled
past Cincinnati Thursday, now
aimed its fury at the Kentucky
and Indiana snores.
Walls Expected To Hold
A 64.1-foot crest was due to
hit Louisville at about noon, but
flood walls were expected to
prevent major damage.
However, there were no flood
walls at Carrollton, Ky., when
the crest came at , midnight
Thursday night. Riverside shacks
were flooded," many of the 3,000
residents were evacuated, and
U.S. Route 42 between Car
rollton and Louisville was block
ed to traffic.
Morse Says Northwest
Republicans Alibiing
Washington (U.R) Senator
Wayne Morse (D-Ore.) said today
that Democratic sponsorship of
a Hells Canyon bill has caused
"frantic alibiing" by Republi
can congressmen from the Pa
cific Northwest.
Morse said the Republicans
for years have dodged, ducked
and wcaved to avoid taking a
definite stand on Hells Canyon."
Now that Democrats have intro
duced legislation to authorize
the Hells Canyon dam as a fed
eral project, he said", "the Repub
lican spokesmen from the Pacific
Northwest have redoubled their
evasive efforts."
"Their latest diversionary tac
tics is advocacy of 'partnership'
which would produce little pow
er and then only high cost pow
er," Morse said in a statement.
"They couldn't put across their
phony schemes in the last Con
gress and they won't be able to
do so in this Congress.'
Portland (U.R) Wholesale
coffee prices in Portland are
down to 94 cents a pound.
'
sJBITribune
MEDFORD, OREGON,
Location off Freeway
OsidecSded, Gilsgh'way
Engineer Beciares
The state highway department
has made no decision as to the
location of a proposed freeway
in the Medford area, R,, H. Dal
dock, state highway engineer,
has reemphasized.
It will be some time before
such a decision is made, he
pointed out, and will not be
until all facts on two alternate
routes are available.
His statement was in the form
of a letter addressed to the Med
ford city council, and was moti
vated by a number of : letters
and petitions "protesting the
location of the proposed US99
freeway along Hawthorne Park
in Medford. . ."
Confirms Earlier Story
His letter confirms in detail
a story carried in the Mail Trib
une of Thursday, Feb. 24, which
quoted W. C. (Dutch) Williams,
assistant highway engineer, to
the effect that such a decision
has not been made, and will in
large part be up to residents of
Medford, acting through the city
council.'
Baldock added:
"We are making a survey now
for an ultimate route of US99
that can be constructed to the
1reeway standards required by
tne jeaerai government, in
making such a survey, we must
look over all possible . routes,
and in the city of Medford we
are making a study of a route
along Bear creek which would
pass fairly near the business dis
trict and through the park. We
will also make a similar study
of a routing that would entirely
by-pass Medford to the east.
To Check With Council
"No decision can be reached
in this matter until full informa
tion from the surveys of the
alternate routes' is available.
With all the facts at hand, the
problem will be discussed with
the city council of Medford,
which is the duly, constituted
authority of the people of that
city. "'..
"I believe that this matter
would be clarified if the press
would run a story to the effect
that we are now making pre
liminary studies and that no
routings can be selected at this
time. ' v
The Jackson County Chamber
of Commerce has also known an
interest in the problem, and the
board of directors, meeting yes
terday noon, voted to withhold
any action on a freeway location
until further facts are available,
Explosion Tentatively ,
Scheduled on Saturday
Las Vegas (U.R) The
Atomic Energy Commission to
day made tentative preparations
for a test detonation tomorrow
morning at 5:20 a.m. (PST).'The
commission said a further
weather evaluation later tonight
would indicate positively
whether the atomic explosion
would take place. , " ' '
The shot, reported to be a
small one, is the same on which
was scheduled for yesterday but
which was postponed because of
unfavorable weather conditions.
Mils Canyon Ml Sponsors Conffpdent off
By A. ROBERT SMITH
Mail Tribune Correspondent
.. Washington Congressional
sponsors from the Pacific North
west of the federal Hells Canyon
dam legislation are confident
now they will ' have the votes
needed to push the bill through
the Senate by summertime.
i For the past two months, since
Congress convened, they have
been lining up support .for the
high Hells Canyon dam pro
proposal. This involved personal
contacts by the four Democratic
senators from Washington and
Oregon to persuade colleagues
to enlist in the drive to gain au
thorization of the high dam and
stop Idaho Power Co. from pos
sibly developing the Snake river
in the Hells Canyon area.
Wiry iff Mail
FRIDAY, MARCH 11, .1955
and until-after the highway de
partment has completed its sur
veys. . .
A committee' report, which
was approved by the board,
said:
Recommendation Premature
"Until such a time, your com
mittee feels it would be pre
mature to make a recommenda
tion as to the route for the pro
posed highway, and would serve
only to stir up emotional and
unconsidered discussion of the
problem." ,
The report also pointed out
that construction of the route
cannot be undertaken until
funds are available, which mzy
be 5 or 10 years away, and that
there is a possibility that cir
cumstances will have changed
considerably during that time.
Public Hearing
On Peress Case
Slated Next Week
Washington (U.R) The Sen
ate Permanent Investigations
Subcommittee - agreed unani
mously today to start public
hearings next week on the con
troversial military career of
Maj. . Irving Peress. He is the
former Army dentist described
by Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy as
"a Fifth Amendment Commu
nist.',' .
Chairman John L. McClellan
(D-Ark.) said the subcommittee
plans to place the "whole story"
of Peress' military career before
the public. He said Army Secre
tary Robert T. Stevens, former
Army counsel John Adams and
probably Peress, himself, will
testify at sessions starting Tues
day. Figured in Hearings
The Peress Case figured prom
inently in last year's televised
Army-McCarthy hearings. Testi
mony indicated that Peress re
ceived an Army promotion after
he claimed the protection of the
Fifth Amendment on questions
involving Communist associa
tions. .
Subsequently, according to the
the testimony, Peress received
an honorable discharge although
McCarthy, who then headed the
subcommittee, asked that Peress
be court martialed.
McClellan announced the
hearings after a closed subcom
mittee session attended by six
of the seven subcommittee mem
bers.' McCarthy was present.
DOW-JONES AVERAGES '
New York (U.R) Dow-Jones
f)nal stock averages: 30 indus
trials 401.08 off 5.75; 20 rail
roads 146.79 off 3.03; 15 utilities
63.23 off 0.44, and 65 stocks
150.24 off 2.23. Sales today were
about 3,040,000 shares, compar
ed with 2,760,000 shares traded
yesterday. .
Salem (lip.) Gov.. Paul L.
Patterson has proclaimed the
week of March 19-26 as national
baseball week in Oregon, in
recognition of the sport born in
this country 115 years ago.
Tn addition to the 30 senators
who cosponsored the Hells Can
yon bill this past week when it
was introduced by Sen. Wayne
Morse, a smaller group of sena
tors had committed themselves
to support the bill without fan
fare. This week, Hell Canyon's
chief strategist had counted 38
senators they could count on to
vote for the bill. And they ex
pect to pick up additional com
mitments by the time they have
concluded their complete canvas
of the Senate.
. Exactly how many votes they
may need to pass a Hells Can
yon measure is problematical, for
bills are passed by a majority
vote of those present and voting.
A majority of all senators is 49,
but seldom are all senators pres
United Press Full Leased Wire
Price 5c
No. 304
House To Vote on
Bonus Payment To.
Korea War Vets
Recommendation
For Defeat Made
Salem (U.R) House mem
bers will get a chance to vote
on the Korean veterans bonus
bill. The proposal was reported
to the ,floor today by the Joint
Ways and Means Committee but
with the recommendation that
it be defeated.
The committee voted against
a motion to table the bill, thus
killing it in committee, and ap
proved a substitute motion send
ing the bill out with an adverse
report. - -
Would Pay Bonus .
The resolution would submit
to the voters the proposition
that veterans of the Korean con
flict be paid a bonus computed
on the same basis as the Wprld
War II bonus. A maximum pay
ment of $600 would be auth
orized and it would cost the
state an estimated $11,000,000.
Sen. John P. Hounsell (R
Hood River) pointed out that if
funds to pay off such a general
obligation bond issue were not
available, the cost could go
onto a real property tax.
Must Provide Money
"' Sen. John C. F. Merrifield (R
.PotiantfKfSid he would .never
vote again for such a bonus "un
less the people provide the
wherewithal to pay it".
The committee approved a
bill extending for five years the
length of time for repayment
of veterans farm loans. Tabled
was a bill that would have given
the State Department of Finance
authority over the affairs of the
motor vehicle department of the
secretary of state's office.
(See story on Page 9) .
Bonneville Sees No
Serious Power Lack
Portland (U.R) Bonne
ville Power Administration of
ficials said today that continua
tion of this winter's low pre
cipitation trends would not af
fect firm power commitments.
BPA officials here said cur
rent low stream flows and the
estimated 80 per cent of -normal
Columbia Basin snow cover "do
not add up to a prospective
brown out or serious power
shortage."
The BPA said an early runoff
of the Columbia basin -snow melt
and a dry summer and fall could
result in "curtailment" of inter-
ruptible industrial loads until
the start of the fall rainy season.
' The curtailment could be met
with higher cost generation if
industries concerned so decided.
Airline Liquor Bill
May Be Unconstitutional
Salem (U.R) Attorney
General Robert Y. Thronton said
today that, in his opinion, a bill
recently passed by both House
and Senate to allow airlines fly
ing over Oregon to serve
alcoholic beverages was uncon
stitutional., i
The bill has been recalled
from the governor's office where
it was awaiting signature.
ent to vote on any given Issue. In
11 roll call votes thus far this
year, attendance of those voting
has ranged from a high of 88 to a
low of 68. 1
In addition to the 38 senators
who have promised to vote for
the Hells Canyon proposal, its
backers calculate they need a
half dozen or so more to come
through safely.
The outlook for Hells Canyon
action in the House is all but in
determinate simply by .virtue of
the size of the lower chamber.
No drive comparable to the back
stage Senate campaign of the
past two months was underway
to line up as many of the 435
representatives as possible to
favor Hells Canyon.
With Morse the acknowledged
TURTLES ONCE ABUNDANT There were so many turtles
in Jackson county's Table Rock region 50 or so years ago that
their capture and shipment to Italy was a flourishing business.
The above pictures from the collection of President Claire
Hanley of the Southern Oregon Historical society shows a
party of townspeople inspecting pens located near Bybee
bridge on Rogue river where the turtles were held and fed
until shipped out. The turtle population, decimated by the
commercial. hunting, has never regained the former number.
. (See Editorial Comment, Page 4)
Klamath School Of ficial
Accused of Attempt To
Undermine State FEP Act
Portland (U.R) Klamath
County School Superintendent
Carrol Howe has been accused
of leading. a move to undermine
the Oregon fair employment
practices act. . ;.' ; ;
The charge was made last night
by David Robinson, chairman of
of the FEP advisory committee,
atameeting of the Portland
Urban League.
Robinson said Howe was re
sponsible for an attempt by the
Oregon School Superintendents
Association to get a bill through
the Legislature which would re
quire teacher applicants to sub
mit photographs with their ap
plications. - -
State Labor Commissioner
Normart Nilsen told the group
the measure to amend the law
had been introduced by Re.
Harry Semon (D-Klamath Falls)
but that strong opposition by the
FEP advisory committee and the
labor bureau had delayed action
until a study could be made.
Robinson said Howe had told
him he wanted the photos to de
termine if the applicant were a
Negro. The superintendent was
ines
Washington. (U.R) Homer
Ferguson, former Republican
senator . from . Michigan, was
nominated today .by President
Eisenhower to be the new . am
bassador to the Philippines.
Ferguson, former chairman of
the GOP Policy Committee of
the Senate, was defeated for re
election last fall by Sen. Patrick
McNamara, Democrat.
Ferguson was named to suc
ceed Raymond ,Ames Spruance;
retired Navy admiral. Spruance
resigned as ambassador last
month. Spruance told Mr. Eisen
hower in a letter last month that
he and his wife wanted to return
to their home in California. -a
leader of the Hells Canyon drive,
it is anticipated the Senate will
be the first arena of the battle
between those who support the
high dam and their opponents
who prefer to have Idaho Power
develop the middle stretch of the
Snake river instead. ,
Morse told the Senate this
week it would be "one. of the
major fights of our career."
The Senate Interior Commit
tee .will hold hearings - on the
bill this spring, according to its
chairman, Sen. James Murray
(D-Mont.), who is one of the bill's
co-sponsors. Six of the eight
Democrats on the committee are
co-sponsors of the bill, including
Sens. Richard L Neuberger and
Henry M. Jackson.
quoted as saying there was
strong Indian prejudice against
Negroes in Klamath county and
he feared a Negro teacher might
sUHer bodily rharm 'if he were
hired.; ' ' - -
Robinson said it was a sad
commentary: if Klamath law en
forcement officials could not
protect a citizen engaged in law
ful pursuit of his occupation.
Plea Set Saturday
On Murder Charge
Bernice H. (Tex) White, 37, of
228 Hartley rd., is scheduled to
appear in circuit court at 10
a.m. Saturday to enter a plea to
a first degree murder charge.
The plea will be heard by Judge
Orval Millard. ,
White has been indicted by
the Jackson county grand jury
on a first degree murder charge
growing out of the death March
3 of Eugene Raymond Birk, 32,
Phoenix. '
Eyewitnesses said Birk was
struck over the head by a two-by-four
piece of lumber wielded
by White. An autopsy- revealed
that Birk died, of a skull frac
ture. Robert Duncan,- Medford at
torney, has .been appointed by
the court to serve as counsel for
White. ' '
Eagle Point Man Hurt
As Car Leaves Highway
. William Snapper, 40, Eagle
Point, was taken to Community
hospital by Medford Ambulance
service last night, after his car
left the Butte Falls highway, ac
cording to state police.
The' hospital this morning
listed, his condition as fair. The
extent of his injuries was not re
ported. ' -
Police officers said, his car
failed to make a right-hand turn
and went over the h i g h w a y
bank, landing on its wheels.. It
had to be towed away. . . ,
Success
Murray's committee is cur
rently embroiled in hearings on
the .bill to authorize the federal
upper Colorado storage irrigation-power
project, which has
the backing of the Eisenhower
administration. It is a billion
dollar project encompassing five
Rocky Mountain states. But it
is opposed by" many California
lawmakers who want more Colo
rado river water for their states,
as well as those who oppose the
Echo Park dam unit which would
partially flood a national park.
Some Capitol Hill observers
predict enough log rolling be
tween Republicans backing the
Colorado project and Democrats
pushing Hells Canyon to put both
through the Senate this year.
Vessel Carrying
Jet Plane Fuel '
For Red China
United States Warned
On Aiding in Capture
Taipeh, Formosa (U.R) .
The Nationalist government has
ordered its navy to intercept the
Finnish tanker Aruba carrying
13,000 tons of jet plane fuel to
Red China, authoritative sources '
saia today.
The tanker, which nasspri
through Port Said recently with
jet fuel from the Romanian oil
Taipeh, Formosa (U.R)-
Communist artillery shelled
Nationalist - held Quemoy
Island today, breaking a week -long
lull in the Formosa
Strait. ' ';
A Defense Ministry com
munique, the first in seven
days, said Red guns at Amoy
and on two nearby islands
, fired three barrages, totaling
52 rounds, on Quemoy.
The shelling lasted 25 min
utes. The communique said no
damage was done.
fields, was thought to be some
where between Suez and Singa
pore. The 'Nationalists believed its
destination was the port of Foo
chow at the mouth of the Min
river and near the Nationalist
offshore island of Matsu.
Jet Planes Massed-
The Communists have recent
ly massed large concentrations
of jet planes in this area of
Southeastern China including
modern MIG-17s, an improved
version ofthe MIG-15 ap
parently for attacks against
TMatsu or Formosa.
"We will capture this ship if
we can." . a high-ranking Na
tionalist official told United
Press.
The Nationa list Navy pre
viously captured two Polish and
one Russian tanker which at
tempted to ram jet fuel through
the Nationalist China blockade.
Communist China warned the
United States only Wednesday
it would have to bear the "full
responsibility" if it "dares" to
try to intercept the tanker. -: " j
Peioing Warns on Help
The Peiping regime ignored
the Nationalist Navy as such and
warned the United States against
daring "to direct and help the
traitor Chiang Kai-shek to inter
cept the Finnish tanker."
A U.S. Air Force officer said
the Aruba's fuel would be
enough for 5,000 Communist jet
missions against Nationalist
China's outpost islands.
. Britain has refused permis
sion for the Finnish tanker to
take on fuel in Singapore, but
Nationalist authorities said it
could easily obtain supplies in
Indonesia.
Suit Award Higher
Than Stale's Offer
A circuit court jury last night
voted to award $20,173 in a high
way property condemnation set
tlement. The state had appraised
the property at $7,500.
The price was set by the jury
after a three-day trial between
the highway commission and the
Rogue Valley Creamery at Cen
tral Point.
The proceeding involved prop
erty taken by the state for the
new four-lane highway through
the creamery's property.
Appraisers for the state in the
case included Elmer F. Kohl-
berg, Portland, James M. Rod
man Jr., Eugene, and Cap C.
Vandagrift, Medford. The de
fendant's appraiser was Ray
Schumacher, Medford.
Attorneys for the state includ
ed Leonard Lindas and Ralph
Wycoff, Salem, and Frank J.
Van Dyke, Medford. The cream
ery was represented by Paul W.
Haviland and Hugh B. Collins.
Penicillin Discoverer
Dies of Heart Attack
London (U.R) Sir Alexander
Fleming, the discoverer of peni
cillin, died today of a heart at
tack. There had been no previous
knowledge that Fleming was ill,
and the cause of his death was
not announced.
The white-haired scientist was
73.
He died in his London home,
not far from St. Mary's Hospital
where he discovered penicillin
by accident. It was one of the
most momentous accidents in the
history of medicine.
In 1915 Fleming married Sara
McElroy, - who died in 1949.
They had one son, Robert.
He married his second wife,
Greek bacteriologist Amalia
Coutsouris, in April, 1953. She
worked with him at the Wright
Fleming Institute, which was the
center of his life to the last.
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