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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 3, 1955)
MebfordAjtiibote Recommended Weather An illustrated feature story about the new Talent High school, completed last week, ap pears on Page 14 of today's Mia Tribune, and Pictures and a story dealing with the new dial telephone service to Cen tral Point residents appears on Page 10. FORECAST: Partly dey tnn day and Monday, with slow ly rUlnf temperatures. High Sunday 58; low Sunday night it. - Temp. Highest Yesterday 4 Lowest Yesterday - J2 Prec. To 11 p.m. Yesterday -trace U-.ited Press f-ull Leased Wire United Press Full Leased Wire 50th Year 30 PAGES MEDFC iUNDAY, APRIL 3, 1955 Price 5c No. 11 h." VJTsf. .v.-...-. . . ; ,M r l SM PHILIPPINES HIT BY QUA1CES - barracks on the island of Mindanao is half - demolished with the end wall completely gone after a series of earthquakes hit the southern Philippines Thousands of buildings were Hast (Semamis (Issued Waoi)g off Reprisal Berlin (U.P.) West German officials met with East German Communists Saturday and were reported to have warned them of serious economic reprisals un less the pocketbook highway blockade is removed. West Germany vigorously pro tested a sharp increase in tolls on the only highway into West Berlin the West is permitted to use. Embargo Hinted As the talks got underway, western officials hinted they would place an embargo on shipments to East Germany if the tolls, increased an average of 10 times the original amount, are not lifted. -An embargo would sharply curtail supplies of coal and steel East Germany receives from the West. A similar embargo during the 1948-49 Berlin blockade was considered a major factor in get ting the' blockade lifted. -- --. - ! . The new -tolls, clamped on the super-highway whicn supplies al most half of West Berlin's food supply, raised the cost of a round trip to Berlin for the average truck from $5 to about $55. The West Berlin City govern ment has allocated $250,000 as a loan to truckers to keep traffic going for the next two weeks. But after that the' economic blockade threatens to halt all western truck traffic into the city. West German Vice-Chancellor Franz Bluecher said in a radio talk that Western negotiators will impress upon the Commu nists the "serious results" for the East if the new tolls are allowed to stand. Flurries of Snow Reported in Valley There were snow flurries in the Medford area both yesterday afternoon and Friday afternoon, but the weather bureau said they were not heavy enough to mea sure. ; i It was snowing at higher ele vations in the Cascades, how ever, and Crater Lake ranger station reported" 108 inches of snow on the ground compared to 134 inches at the same time last Final irrigation water supply forecast of the season is expect ed to be made Monday at a meet gig in Grants Pass, when W. T (Jack) Frost, formerly of Med Jord and now of Portland, soil conservation specialist, and Lar iv Zimmerman, weather bureau forecaster, will meet with lrri Stionists and other water users to nool their information. toThe meeting will result in pre- dicitions for the amounts of res pired streamflow and runoff 53? to be available between now and September. Siassen To Appear Before Subcommittee , Washington (O.R) Foreign M SS Harold E. Stassen will oar before the Senate InvesU S subcommittee Monday but ffSSL of any subpoena, a okesman said Saturday. Jf will continue to ignore a 811 ittee subpoena demand b?hThe produce all the docu L a disputed project tor SSdlngVain elevators m Pak- Ke subcommittee insists the S?oenVwas served Friday and iSfsSsS has to honor it. But that Stassen maintains ffdJSSSiSl service andthat fvi W auestioa anyway. v- J If 4l 3bf This Armv crumbled and late Saturday the death toll was rising toward the 400 mark, with 87 per sons still missing and 538 listed as injured. Some 100,000 were reported as homeless and damage was estimated at $5,000,000. Bluecher indicated he thinks threats of Western retaliation will force the East to abolish the tolls. He held out to the Commu nists the prospect of more trade with the West saying, "We are ready to extend inter-zone trade if we meet with good will." New Demand Issued For Resignation Of Diem, Cabinet Saigon OJ.R) Rebel forces blockading Saigon issued new demands for the resignation of Premier Ngo Dinh Diem Satur day, while some 1,600 fresh in surgents were marching in to reinforce their ranks. Leaders of the rebellious Hba Hao and Binh Xuyen sects de manded that Diem and his entire cabinet quit to "permit the es tablishment of . a truly demo cratic and National g-o v e r n ment." The arrival of two Hoa Hao battalions to join Binh Xuyen forces dug in on Saigon's west ern suburbs strengthened the rebels' hand. Other Rebel Gains Two other rebel gains were reported during the day the de sertion of an "Elite Company" of regular troops and the capture of a backwoods outpost 75 miles southwest of here but in gen eral the government appeared to be holding its own. , Sporadic rifle and tommygun fire echoed through the streets all night, but no renewal of large scale fighting was reported. The only known casualties were three natives injured by a ter rorist hand grenade. ' Rebels firing from ambush ex changed shots several times with guards at the headquarters of Nguyen Thanh Phuong, a leader of the Cao Dai sect who threw the support of his 25,000-man private army to the government earlier this week. No casualties were reported on either side. BloodmobiJe Visit Slated Wednesday Only two more days remain in which appointments can be made to give blood during the April visit of the Red Cross bloodmobile, according to work ers in the blood program. Appointments may be made by telephoning 3-3813. The unit will be at the YMCA building Wednesday, April 6, from 1 to 6 p.m. Red Troops Invade Hospital In Vienna, Take Four Persons Vienna (U.R) Russian troops, including a uniformed woman, invaded an Austrian hospital Saturday and dragged away four freedom-bound 'Hun garians, two of them bleeding and unconscious. , Austrian police said the four, all members of a single family, had crawled through an explod ing mine field on the Red Hun garian frontier in a desperate bid for freedom. Two May Die . The Russians, they, .said, carried away all four in spite of warnings of hospital doctors and surgeons that two, just out of surgery where they had undergone major operations, might die. One member of the Hungar ian family, they said, pleaded s&FrfZ&l Li I .iv - &l. . In i Philippine Quake Takes Lives of 340; Hundreds Injured Dansalan, ' Philippines (U.R) Gov. Salvador Lluch reported Saturday that 340 persons were killed in collapsing buildings, landslides and tidal waves dur ing the disastrous earthquake that rocked Mindanao Friday. Many persons still were listed as missing and hundreds were injured, Lluch said. Thousands were left homeless and other thousands of frightened natives have refused to return to. their homes in fear . of new earth shocks. Lluch reported to President Ramon Magsaysay as planes and ships were rushing tinned food, clothing and medicines to the stricken areas. Reports from Ozamis City, one of the hard-hit centers, said thousands' of persons slept Sat urday; night in. public squares and" other ""open areas "for the second night. Many had set up makeshift; shelters in their gar dens. . ' ' Weather Bureau reports said mild tremors still were occur ring in the region on an average of once every three to four hours. But they discounted the dangers of another major shock. Paul Haviland III With Rare Ailment Paul Haviland, 125 White Oak dr., a prominent Medford lawyer and former district attorney, was flown to Eugene by Mercy Flights late Friday night fof treatment of a rare disease which has partially paralyzed him. His attending physician said Saturday the illness is extreme ly unusual and has no common name, but in medical circles is named after the two French doc tors who discovered it. He said in layman's language it could be called infectious or paralytic neuritis. It is a serious illness, he said, with a high mortality rate, Its symptoms are similar to those of polio. He said Havi land's chances of geeting well are fairly good, however. ; Haviland was the 340th pa tient to be carried by air am bulances of the non-profit cor poration. The flight left the Med ford airport at about 11 p.m. Haviland was taken to Eugene because of .better respirator equipment and service at Sacred Heart hospital there. Dallas, Tex. (U.R) The South west began cleaning up Satur? day from its "worst dust storm in 25 years." with the Austrian doctors to kill them' with hypodermic injec .tfons' rather than permit the Russians to return them to their Communist homeland. Violate Rights The action of the Soviet troops was said by Austrian authorities to have been in violation of Austrian rights, despite the fact the incident occurred inside the Soviet zone of Austria. The Hungarians were identi fied as a grandfather, his son and daughter-in-law and a little girl of about eight years. The grandfather and the mother were seriously injured by exploding mines and had just undergone emergency surgery at a hospital . in the town.- of Eiseostadt, oaar the Iroa Curtain Release Oi . .. MacArthur Papers Requested by Army Documents Listed As Confidential Washington U.R) The Army asked the Defense depart ment Saturday for permission to release secret wartime ; docu ments bearing on Gen. Douglas MacArthur's views on the need for bringing Russia into the war against Japan. Defense department officials disclosed meanwhile, that the MacArthur documents are now classified "confidential," a sec recy label that bars their re lease to the press. Previously, they had been marked "restrict ed," a lower classification, but were suddenly upgraded to a higher secrecy rating Friday af tre reporters sought access to them. May Clear up Dispute The documents, if released, may help to clear up a sharp controversy that has developed since publication of the Yalta papers over what stand Gen. MacArthur took during World War II on the question of Rus sian participation in the fight against Japan. The Washington Post and the Times-Herald said in an editorial last week that MacArthur "is known to have sent messages to the Joint Chiefs of Staff during World War II pleading for con cessons to get Russia into the Japanese war." MacArthur's aide, Maj. Gen. Courtney Whitney, flatly denied this in a letter published in the Newspaper Saturday. Whitney said he had personally reviewed the file of MacArthur's most im portant messages to the Joint Chiefs, and found "no mention of the entry of Soviet Russia into the war against Japan." Backs Release Whitney said the pertinent documents "should be opened to the public" to clear up the dis pute. ' -. , , ' "A United PreSs reporter slidw ed Whitney's letter to the Army Information office Saturday and renewed an earlier request for access to the documents. . In reply, an Army spokesman issued this statement: ; . "The Army, in response to re quests of the press which were occasioned by MacArthur's state ments, has dug out the basic pap ers and submitted them to the Denartment of Defense for re view and security clearance. "This review is to be done with a view toward responding to requests for reference to bas ic material after all security de cisions have been worked out." Churchill Bolsters Retirement Rumors London (U.R) Winston Churchill changed the schedule of his planned Mediterranean va cation Saturday, strengthening belief he intends to 'retire as Prime Minister early next week. The British embassy in Rome notified Italian authorities that Churchill will not arrive in the Sicilian city of Syracuse until a week from Tuesday, instead of next Saturday as previously arranged. No reason for the delay was given officially, but the news paper France Soir said the Prime Minister plans to spend next week end at the Riviera villa of his publisher-friend, Lord Beav erbrook. Taipei! U.R) The National ist Chinese Navy said Saturday its ships fired on and damaged two Communist gunboats near invasion - threatened Matsu Island. . frontier, when the Russians entered. . Police' said another member of the party, a man, was killed in the attempted escape and that his wife was listed as missing Austrian police and hospital workers were forced to stand by helplessly as the armed Russians entered the hospital, demanded that the Hungarians be taken from their beds, and drove away with them. Nurses tried to press gifts of oranges and bananas into the hands of the child before the four were taken back to Hun gary. Police said the uniformed Russian w,oman knocked the fruit from the child's hands and barked that all gifts were for biddfln. - - " lh Attack Dn'F mesa UHmik InmXm AEC Embarrassed Over Failure of Defense Department To Reveal A-Test Casualties Washington (U.R) The Atomic Energy Commission was report ed Saturday to be embarrassed and angry over failure of the Defense Department to announce earlier that some casualties oc curred in past weapons tests in Nevada. Recent Denial Both the AEC and the Defense Department denied as recently as two months ago that anybody had ever been hurt as a result of atomic explosions at the Ne vada proving ground. But Friday night the depart ment conceded after 12 days of prodding by reporters that at Work Progressing Rapidly on Two Plywood Operations White City Work is progres sing rapidly on two new plywood plants scheduled to go into oper ation in the White City area this summer. Fir-Ply, Inc., is keeping close to a schedule which will allow it to get the green end of the mill in operation during the first week in May. Pond Being Filled The building contractor is ex pected to complete work early this week. A large lathe drive already has been put in place, a spur track railroad was com pleted last week and the firm's big log pond is expected to be filled iivabout four more weeks. Fir Ply will start taking appli cations for employment on April 18. The firm will peel and sell veneers for .about three weeks, and driers are scheduled to be installed during the latter" part of May. Company officials hope to have the plant in full produc tion by June 1. The company's log pond, start ed about two months ago, is being completed as rapidly as possible so that logs can be pur chased on the open market to be ready when the mill itself is completed, according to Carl Jacobson, manager of the firm. To Employ 100-110 Plans for the mill call for em ployment of some 100 to 110 men, with an annual payroll of about $500,000 and the expendi ture of another $500,000 each year for purchase of logs for manufacture of rough plywood. Oregon Veneer company's op eration, located near Fir Ply, Inc., in the western portion of the White City industrial area, is under way, and a large mill pond is being excavated. Oregon Veneer will manufact ure green veneer in a plant which will cost an estimated $300,000. About 60 men will be employed, ' operating on two shifts, with an annual payroll of some $300,000. Man Held for Failure To Pay Traffic Fines City police said that Horace Wigington, 51, of 802ViA North Riverside ave., was committed to the city jail Saturday by Po lice Judge James Main in lieu of payment of fines totalling $60 on traffic charges. Officers reported that Wiging ton, arrested Friday night, was charged with operating a veh icle with switched license tabs and with no Oregon driver's li cense. Fines were set at $50 each charge. The $60 total in cluded a $10 fine for a Decem ber 1954 citation for void veh icle tabs. Police said that Wigington was ordered - to jail until the fines are paid or for a maximum of 30 days. Barricades Planned Near St, Mary's School Starting Wednesday morning barricades will be placed across 12th st. at Holly and Ivy sts., during recess periods and noon hours at St.- Mary's school. City. Traffic Engineer Vernon Thorpe said that the barricades will provide protection for chil dren crossing the street between the . school grounds and play ground. He reported that the bar ricades will be placed and re moved by members of the school boy patroL ". . Approval, -ioridoii least four military personnel suf fered eye damage caused by atomic shots in 1952 and 1953. A congressional atomic source said this belated disclosure puts both the AEC and the Defense Department in the position of having "lied to the public." The AEC took the position that in denying any past injuries at the proving ground it was telling what it thought was the truth. It. referred all questions about the Defense Department disclosures back to the depart ment. Congressional and 'Pentagon sources said the Defense Depart 76 Chaonese SMemvls FreeTTo EMM run Bonnie Washington (U.R) The Uni ted State Saturday declared 76 Chinese students in this country free to return to Red China in a frank bid to free more than 55 Americans held behind the Bam boo Curtain. The State Department de clared it has not made any "deal" with the Chinese Com munists. But it made it clear it hopes its action will pave the way for the release of the Amer icans. The Communists hinted at New Anti-Aircraft For Testing Today Las Vegas, Nev. (U.R) The Atomic Energy commission yes terday announced plans to ex plode an anti-aircraft missile with an atomic warhead which can destroy enemy planes with out even hitting them. Scheduled firing time for the radical device is between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. today. The 1 blast, to take place high over the Nevada desert, will open what the AEC describes as a revolutionary era in anti-bomber defenses. Minimum Fallout The new missile can be used safely in the defense of U. S. cities because it - explodes so high it reduces radioactive fall out to a minimum.' The missile will be launched from an Air Force plane flying at nearly 40, 000 feet. Because of the "direct line of sight" between the extremely high-altitude burst and observ ers on the ground, the AEC warned persons within a 75 miles radius to protect their eyes with dark glasses or turn , away from the blast at the scheduled detonation time. Governor Tells Plans For Surprise Alert Salem (U.R) Gov. Paul Pat terson said Saturday that Ore gon Army and., Air National Guard units would take part soon in a nation-wide surprise alert. The alert , is called "operation minuteman" and will be the first such national test of guard readiness in history. Exact time is being kept secret. , Military Show, Celebration Slated on Armed Forces Day Plans for a military show and celebration here on May ' 21, which has been designated by President Eisenhower as Armed Forces day this year, were an nounced Saturday by Mayor Earl Miller. Details of the event are now being worked out by a commit tee of military officers in coop eration with the mayor's office, be said. The show will include riisnlavs of military eauipment, a fly-over of military aircraft, and exhibits by 5 local National Guard and Army reserve units. It is hoDed the Medford school bands pan be secured to play during the event. One of Fit The show is one of. five which will be nut on the same day in Oregon, Mayor Miller said. Med ford has been designated as a "key city., ia the nationwide ment had reported the four in juries neither to the AEC nor to the Senate-House Atomic Energy committee until this week. Occurred in 1952, 1953 , The injuries occurred in 1952 and 1953. But Brig. Gen. F. W. Sladen Jr., deputy director of military exercises held in con nection with this year's tests, said last March that "The safety of our soldiers is uppermost in all our planning and actions at the Nevada test site, and our record of not a single injury as a result of atomic detonations since the Army began operations here (in 1951) speaks for itself." Geneva last year that they might set the Americans free if the Chinese students being kept in this country were allowed to re1 turn to their homeland. 56 Held In China There are at least 56, U.S. citi zens being held in Chinese House arrest or prison 15 airmen who fell into Red Chinese hands in connection with the Korean war and 41 civilians. Years of diplo matic effort have failed to free them. In its surprise announcement, the State Department said "our position is that we would like Americans of . all categories in China to be released for . what ever reason might appeal to the Red Chinese authorities. It said the. immigration and naturalization service. Friday re- scinced long-standing - orders barring the 76 Chinese students from returning to Red China. Technical Students The 76 are part of a group of Chinese students who were de nied permission ' to leave the country after the outbreak of the Korean war because their technical training might be help ful to the Communists. Alto gether there were about 5,000 students receiving training of various kinds here at the time but most either elected to re main here or did not have essen tial skills. Some of the original group were allowed to leave the coun try last fall. Saturday decision to let the 76 return leaves only about six cases of students who want to return to China but who still have not been give a go- ahead. "It is anticipated" the De partment said, "that action will shortly be completed by the im migration and naturalization service on the few remaining cases." Neuberger Seeks Hike In Federal Gas lax , Washington' (U.R) . Sen. Richard L. Neuberger (D-Ore.) has introduced legislation that would provide for increasing the federal gasoline tax one cent a gallon to put an expanded high way construction program "on a more nearly pay - as - you - go basis." He charged the administration plan to . issue special bonds would be a "bonanza for bank ers" because "55 cents in inter est charges would be paid for every dollar spent on new road construction." celebration of the event honor ing the armed forces. ' Further, plans will be made at a meeting at 7:30 p.m. Wednes day in the mayor's . office, he said, at which time representa tives of military, veterans and civic groups will be welcome to participate in the planning. . A meeting of the military com mittee was held last Wednesday. Members are Maj. Gen. Roy V. Rickard (USA-Ret.), Maj Gen. Hicks (USAF-Ret.), senior offic ers of this area, CoL William Prentice, senior, officer of the active Army reserve here; Col C. E. Stafford, (USA-Ret.), civil defense chief; Capt. J. M. Hamil ton, Army reserve unit instruc tor for Medford and' project of ficer fof Armed Forces day; and Lts. Jack C. Phillips and Gerald Monroe, , of the National Guard unite in Medford. Pledge Said Part Of Peiping-Moscov Mutual Agreement Promise May Include Offshore Islands . i , . London (U.R) Authorita tive diplomatic sources here re ported Saturday that Red China has promised she will not attack Formosa, and possibly the Nationalist-held offshore islands as well, unless the Russians give a go-ahead signal. ' British sources said recent diplomatic soundings in Moscow give the strong impression that Russia is anxious to avoid in volvement in a Far Eastern war over Formosa. Clearance Unlikely . i Thus, they reasoned, Moscow is not likely to give Red China a clearance for Peiping's threat ening attempts to "liberate" For mosa. Diplomatic sources here said the Red Chinese pledge to Mos cow was understood to have been included in a recent ar rangement which makes major Chinese or Russian moves of in ternational consequence condi tional on mutual approval. : These sources said Moscow is acutely aware of the sensitive ness of Peiping and is playing a cautious game in an effort .to preserve its alliance with the Chinese Communists, without being sucked .into a Far Xartern Influx Into' Russia Russia's increased concern for the Chinese alliance is said to have been reflected by a recent influx of China experts Into the Kremlin's highest councils. The , new "mutual consent" agreement on major moves by either partner was believed here to have a purpose beyond that of keeping a checkrein on the am bitious Chinese. Russia, diplo matic sources said, is attempting to draw China into European issues in order to strengthen the bargaining power of Moscow vis-a-vis the West. China was reported to have sent a representative to Moscow last week to give the blessings of the Peiping regime to Rus sia's plans for an East European NATO alliance under joint command as a counter to the Paris agreements rearming West Germany and creating a West ern European union (WEU). Discourage Attack All reliable indications, ac cording to diplomatic sources here, are that Moscow is doing its best to discourage Peiping from attacking Formosa. It was less certain here whether Mos cow -also is urging Peiping to soft pedal its demands and pre parations for the "liberation" of Matsu and Quemoy the Na tionalist held islands just off the China mainland coast. It was noted here that Russia hclds the key to any major mili tary venture by Red China be cause of China's total depen dence on Russia for its heavy armor, planes ana navai cran. Atwood, Crippen To Trial Tuesday Portland Two Medford men ' will go on trial at 11 a.m. Tues day before a federal court jury on charges of illegal possession of 14 pounds of gold bullion. The accused are Woodrow Wilson, 42, a cab driver, and Stephen Crippen, 44, a pinball distributor. The men were arrested in a downtown Portland hotel last July by a treasury department agent , when they allegedly at tempted to sell him two gold bricks. Their attorney, Norman Easley, has attacked the 1933 gold act under which they are ' charged, arguing that the law makes ,it illegal to acquire or possess gold bullion in excess of $100 without a license from the U. S. treasury department is un constitutional. Trial of a third man, Wilbur Walls, 61, of 2336 SW Osage street, has not yet been set He is said to have turned over to the Medford men the suitcase containing the gold bricks.
