Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (May 6, 1955)
fin if tee f iiggfc Sipii m Medford United PreH Full Leased Wlr 50th Year 2: ?ages House Supports High Fixed Farm Price Supports Senate Pigeon-Hole Destination Seen Washington 0J.R) The house Thursday narrowly ap proved a Democratic bill' to scuttle President Eisenhower's flexible farm price program and return to the wartime system of high ' fixed government price ' guarantees. -The roll call vote of 206-to-201 was so close that Speaker Sam Rayburn of Texas ordered a recount. The vote stood. While the measure seemed destined to wind up in a sen ate committee pigeon - hole, backers were counting on it to wing farm votes into the Dem ocratic column in the 1956 pres idential election. The action came after . the farm bloc defeated, 212 to 199, a Republican effort to kill the bill by sending it back to the agriculture committee. The law makers also reversed them selves and rejected a critical anti - peanut amendment they approved Wednesday. That vote was 215 to 193. Speaker Rayburn had warned that "if we want a bill at all the only thing we can do is vote down the so - called peanut amendment." several big city Democrats who backed the amendment Wednesday respond ed by changing their votes. The bill was passed after a two-day see-saw battle. Demo cratic leaders were so fearful of defeat Wednesday after the house voted to exclude peanuts from mandatory high supports that they put off the showdown until Thursday to rally their forces. On the final vote, 21 Repub licans joined 185 Democrats in voting for the bill. Opposed were 29 Democrats and 172 Re publicans. Under the president's pro gram, aproved by the last Republican-controlled congress, the government is obligated to support prices of five basic crops corn, cotton, wheat, rice and peanuts-Tat from 82 to 90 .per cent of parity. The floor would drop to 75 cent next year. Under the house - approved measure, these price 'guarantees would be fixed at a flat 90 per cent of so-called "fair" parity price through 1957. Parityis fig ure calculated to give a farmer a fair price for his crops in re lation to the cost of goods and services he buys. Idaho Plan Seen Best for Hells Canyon Washington (U.R) A Senate interior subcommittee was told by a construction engineer today it is his "firm opinion" that the Idaho Power Company has the best plan for developing Hells Canyon. The subcommittee planned to wind up hearings today on a bill r to authorize a government dam in the area on the Oregon-Idaho border. An FPC examiner also recommended today that Idaho Power Company be granted a license for one of three dams it seeks to build in the canyon. - Bernard Williams, vice-president of the Morrison-Knudsen Co. of Boise, Ida., said the three dams proposed by the company would put more power,"on the line" more ' quickly and at a lewer cost than any other proj ect in the Pacific Northwest. Bend U.R) The annual con vention of the Oregon Junior Chamber of Commerce will open here May 13. Saturday Wrestling Card Will Go On Despite Law Saturday night's ' wrestling program featuring feminine grapplers will go on as sched uled despite signing of a bill by Gov. Paul Patterson Wednesday which prohibits women wrest lers, Promoter Mack Lillard said today. The program will be pre sented at Merrick's arena. Lillard said he had decided to go on with the program since the card had been signed, ad vertised and the principals were already hc e. He said he felt that inasmuch as the wrestlers had gone to the expense of coming to Medford, ia good MEDFORD, OREGON, Budget for GouMy Tops $3,622, TaxLetiy$695v The county court gave a final inspection to a $3,622,003.20 budget yesterday. It will be sub mitted to members of the bud get committee Monday for final approval. A date for publication and a public hearing on the fiscal pro gram will be set at that time. The tentative budget calls for a levy of S695.094.13, according to members of the budget commit tee. This total includes $65,000 for construction of a juvenile detention facility, and more than $14 000 for the Southern Ore gon" Historical fund, both of which are outside the 6 per cent limitation on budgejt increases, Higher Levy The proposed levy compares with levies of $356,918.14 for 1954-1955; $347,646.55 for 1953- 54, and $598,621.82 for 1952- 1953. The tax . levy, minus the de tention home and historical fund items is exactly 6 per cent above the 1952-1953 levy. It was necessary to levy up to the full 6 per cent limitation this year, or the county would lose its full tax base, according to county officials. Those working on the budget noted that this year's total of $3,626,003.20, minus the O&C controverted funds and the funds for the detention home, is only $23,310.29 higher than last year's budget. They noted that the O&C controverted funds do not enter into the levy and will be used to offset- school d t s t r let " taxes- Nationalists Begin Mining China Coast To Counter Threat Taipeh, Formosa (U.R) The Chinese Nationalist Ministry of Defense announced today it had begun mining the China coast to counter the Communist threat of invasion. Foreign shipping was warned that defensive mine fields are being placed around such ' off shore islands as Matsu and Que rn oy in a move that could close the big Red pcts of Amoy and Foochow. Ships Visit at Own Risk . These two ports are visited regularly by international ship ping including British. Today's communique made it clear such ships visit the Communist ports at their own risk. The announcement coincided with a defense ministry' an nouncement ; of the heaviest Communist a r t i 1 1 ery barrage against Quemoy Island since last September. The ministry said the Reds hurled 200 rounds, 150 of them within a one-hour period. Na tionalist artillery fired back while heavy air patrols went up to watch for a possible invasion attempt. Menaced on Three Sides Quemoy is menaced by Comm nist artillery on three sides but the heaviest firing apparently came from the Amoy section during the attack Thursday night and Friday morning. Although Nationalist planes have bombed shipping in the Amoy and Foochow area, this was the first time they have mined the ports. The communi que did not say whether the mines were sown by plane or ship. .' ' faith, they should be given the opportunity to go through with the match and to earn reimburse ment for filling their commit ment. The bill, passed by the house and senate and signed by the governor, carries an emergency clause which makes it effective immediately. The emergency clause states: ."This act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this act shall take effect upon its pas sage." - - v 35 amounting to about four mills. The budgeters have no control over the detention home funds, which were voted by the people and must be included. Taxes May Decrease County Assessor R. G. Fowler has indicated that the new asses sed valuation for the county, ex pected to be completed about June 15, may mean a decrease in taxes, despite the increased levy. Included in the cash on hand is $1,079,873 in estimated O&C receipts. This amount is based on Bureau of Land Management estimates, minus a 20 per cent "safety factor." Also in funds on hand is $685, 859.07 in O&C cash from the controvertd lands fund. This money all has been earmarked for use by the county's school districts to pay current bonded indebtedness. An item of $262, 410 in cash on hand is money marked as a surplus in the gen eral county fund for the current fiscal year. ' Two New Items Two items appearing in the budget for the first time are $7, 500 to be used in conjunction with the city to employ a plan ning officer or to set up a plan-. ning commission, and the $65, 000 for the detention home. Budgeted again this year in a building and equipment fund is $60,000, which will be the coun ty's share of money for construc tion of the .proposed armory building to be located at the county fairgrounds. Another $4e,000wilt be- pulf-up - by-, the city of Medford. For the first time, all depart mental items of extra help have been lumped together into a sin gle item of $11,560 under the miscellaneous county general fund. Previously it has been the budgeting policy to leave extra help as an item in each depart mental budget. -Equipment Lumped Also for the first time, this year's proposed budget lumps all departmental equipment into a single sum, rather than leaving it in the individual departments. A noteworthy change , in this year's proposed budget for the sheriff's office is addition of three new deputies at an annual salary of $3,720 each. It is ex pected that addition of the three new deputies will allow operar tion of the sheriff 's office on a 24-hour a day basis. . The fact that the courthouse annex, now under construction, will be completed during the coming fiscal year, was noted in several budget items. These in cluded an increase in circuit court funds of $2,400 for a spec ial reporter and defense counsel, because of secondary courtroom facilities which the annex will make possible. Other increases in this connection were in the courthouse expenses fund, where money for janitorial, services, heating, and light and power was increased. Assessor's Funds Cut A sharp cut was noted in the county assessor's budget, which was dropped from $125,234 last year to $66,787 on the new budget. Chief reason for the cut was an appropriation of $59,200 last year to match state and fed eral funds for classification, an item not required on the new budget. " An item of $100,000 budgeted last year as a special "invest ment" fund is not included, in the new budget. The $100,000 from the fund is included this year in a $190,000 sinking fund.' Woman Hospitaliied ' After Being Hit by Car. Miss Luba Burtasoff, 30, of 637 Pine St., Medford, was in jured when she was struck by a car operated by Martin Eugene Burke, 1796 Thomas rd., Med ford, at the intersection of Sixth and Grape sts. about 8:30 a.nv. today. Miss Burtasoff was taken , by Medford ambulance to Sacred Heart hospital, where her condi tion was listed as "not serious" . by hospital authorities. She suf fered . leg and back injuries, scalp lacerations and facial cuts and bruises. . Police said Burke was cited for failure to yield right of way to a pedestrian, FRIDAY, 010 094 AIBUNE United Ptcm Full Leased Wlr Price 5c No. 40 RESENTMENT MOUNTS Bao Dai, Viet Nam's absentee Chief of State, walks with pet boxer in garden of his swank villa at Cannes, France. In Saigon, sentiment against him was mounting amid de mands for his ouster. Premier Ngo Dinh Diem called spe cial Congress to act on de mands to fire Bao Dal DeMolay Conclave Opens Here Today; Over 400 Expected Some 400 to 450 members of the DeMolay are expected in Medford by this evening for the annual state convention of the organization. . First meeting of the three-day convention was to open .at 2:30 p.m. today; and a .banquet wifl 1 1 1 . J.- . ? Al . ue iieia mis evening, wim xue Beames Social club of the Order of Eastern Star in charge. In addition to business ses sions and social functions, the convention will feature a parade downtown between 1 and 2 p.m. Saturday. Events Scheduled Degrees, a flower talk and memorial service will be held between 7:30 and 10 p.m. to day, with a caucus following, both at the Masonic temple. To morrow's schedule will include a Buckeroo style breakfast at the high school athletic field; a business session from 9:30 to noon at the Masonic temple; an officer's no-host luncheon at the Jackson hotel and an advisor's no-host luncheon at the Medford hotel, both between noon and 1 p.m.; the parade: a business ses sion from 2 to 5 p.m. including election of officers, and the an nual Sweetheart ball from 8:30 p.m. to midnight at the Medford High school gymnasium. Each district is sponsoring a candidate for queen of the dance. The concluding session Sun day will be a devotional service at 11 a.m. at the Masonic hall. Senior advisor to the con verence, is Edward B. Beaty, Corvallis, an active member of the international supreme coun cil of the Order of .. DeMolay. Arnold Coe is state master coun cilor Chicago Blaze Leaves Nine Dead - Chicago (U.R) A flash fire raced through the " lobby and squalid cubicles of a Skid Road "flophouse" early today, ' snuf fing outlives in just 10 minutes. Deputy Coroner : Harry; Glos said at least nine men were known dead and 12 were injured, two critically. A search was launched to discover whether more persons were trapped and killed in the flaming hotel. " The blaze flared suddenly and trapped the victims as they sat sleeping on benches in the Com fort Hotel's second floor lobby and in the tiny cubicles which served as bedrooms. In a matter of seconds flames shot from the windows and en veloped the narrow, five-story building. Agreement Said Near On Austrian Treaty Vienna, Austria (U.R) The five-power conference on an Austrian state treaty is so near agreement that a final settlement may be announced today or Saturday , Austrian officials said. V , - if -t&W V v Weather FORECAST: Fair throush Sat urday. Low tonight 38. High Saturday 78-80. Temp. Highest Yesterday 80 Lowest this Morning u 38 Emergency Clause On Tax Measures Going To Voters Passage Would Change Policy Portland U.R) The 1955 Oregon legislature left lying in the secretary of state's office a proposed amendment to the state constitution that could if ap proved by the voters have more far-reaching effects on the state's affairs than any other single piece of legislation enacted this year. Waiting for a place on the No vember, 1956, election ballot is a proposal to allow the legisla ture to put the emergency clause on tax measures. Passage would make a radical change in Ore gon's historic policy of giving the electorate final word in tax matters. Oregon is the only state in the nation that prohibits its lawmakers from putting tax laws into immediate effect. Even the resolution to put such a proposal on the ballot was bit terly fought in both houses this session. Opponents contended its was a back-door approach to a sales tax, a deceit and a fraud on the voters. Would Speed Collections Supporters argued that it was a move to modernize Oregon's antiquated financial structure. They insisted that the pioneers of the initiative and referendum laws never intended that tax measures should be subject to referendum attack. Tax meas ures are the only real emergen cies the legislature has to deal with, according to proponents of the resolution. -'! Whatever the merits of the proposition, there is agreement that legislators would have be haved much differently if they Cpuld, .enact tax, bills, . with ..the immediate effect of law. At pres ent, all bills that would affect tax revenues must go to the gov ernor without the emergency clause. They do not become law for 90 days after the end of the legislative session and the vot ers only 20,000 of them have the same 90 days to file their referendum petitions. Filing Stalls Effect of Law The very filing of the petitions stalls the effect of the law. The money the lawmakers had counted on to balance their bud get doesn't get collected. Whenever legislators at Salem consider bills to bring in more money, their first consideration is: Will it be referred? Despite that fear, 1955 lawmakers passed two bills that might be opposed by the voters but they are count ing on public recognition of the state's money troubles to get the measures through the referen dum gristmill. Salts Tax Feared Voters who doh-'t like the pro posed cigarette tax or the new income tax rates have until Aug. 4 to collect 20,000 signatures and get them on a special ballot. If they fail, the laws go into effect and the money starts rolling in. If they succeed, the laws re main inoperative until the peo ple speak at the election. The State Tax commission doesn't know yet-whether delay in those collections will force state finances onto a state property tax. Enactment of the emergency clause amendment would put an end to the referral process on tax measures. Would it mean a sales tax? Proponents o the measure say it .would meaii a tax pro gram geared to the state's need, as. viewed by legislators. Sales tax opponents would still hold their seats in Salem and the peo ple could still initiate against such a. tax on their own. And the legislators who favored, a sales tax could be ousted by their constituents at the next election. But the last word on the peo ple's power in tax matters will come from the people a year from next November. Warm Weather Brings Gas Spill Fire Hazard Warm weather has brought with' it, as usual, the serious fire hazard in "the downtown area caused by overfilled auto mobile gasoline tanks, firemen said today. They flushed down three gas oline spills yesterday. Firemen conducting the city- wide residential inspection pro gram, checked 161 homes yester day. They made 226 recommen dations for correction of condi tions which have been found to be eommon causes of fires. FSrsft Mdo Vaccinae Shots Me Mo'nri ay, Af.Oatt (Grove School The first Salk anti-polio vac cinations in Jackson county will be. given Monday at about 8:45. a.m. at Oak Creek school, Dr. A. E. Merkel, county health offi cer, said this morning. During the week, approxi mately 2,800 of the 3,000 eligible first and second graders in the county will receive the inoculations.- The children receiving the shots ' will be those for whom parents have returned consent slips. Dr. Merkel noted that "sur prisingly few" parents have withdrawn consent for vaccina tion of their children. Requests For Shots He added that the county health department has had nu merous requests from parents of pre-school children and those past the second grade asking that their children be allowed to receive inoculations with any surplus vaccine that . may re main because of cancellations. The health department has been unable to grant these re quests because of strict regula tions concerning use of the vac cine, Dr. Merkel said. The executive board of the Jackson County Medical society has endorsed start of vaccina tions in Jackson county schools on Monday with the Parke Da vis and Company vaccine which arrived last week. Doctors Advise Vaccine - In a statement released oday, the board said, "It is felt that all eligible children who are well at present, and in school, should avail themselves of the opportunity to begin this immu nization." ' All vaccinations in . Medford, Ashland, Central Point, Phoenixt and Talent, will be given by physicians who have donated their services. Dr. MerkeJ noted that 100 per cent of the county's medical doctors and osteopaths have offered to donate their serv ices. "We have more requests from doctors desiring to donate their services than we have been able touse,. the health, officer said. Plans call for the first vac cinations at Oak Grove school President Confers With Advisers Washington XU.R) President Eisenhower conferred for 30 minutes today with his top for eign policy and military advis ers. The White House described the meeting as of "a routine na ture," out refused to say -what subjects were discussed. There had been advance speculation that the conferees would discuss European and Asian problems. The meeting came only a few hours before one of the advisers, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, was to depart for Paris on a major diplomatic mission. In Paris, Dulles will confer with other Western Allies on Big Four talks with Russia, efforts to arrange a cease fire in the Formosa Straits and the Indo china situation. He also will par ticipate in ceremonies admitting West Germany to the North At lantic Treaty Organization. Besides Dulles, the President summoned Defense Secretary Charles E. Wilson, Undersecre tary of State Herbert Hoover Jr. and Adm. Arthur W. Radford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to the White House. Roadeo Finals Here Set Saturday Morning Finals in the teenage Roadeo will be held at the Medford High school parking area start ing at' 9 a.m. tomorrow. Winners will be presented with their trophies at a banquet tomorrow evening at which Sec retary of State Earl Newbry will be the speaker. The public is invited to watch the competition in driving skill by the three finalists tomorrow morning. They are Carl Gordon and Robert Bobbet .Medford; Allen Swearingen. Jacksonville; Elvice Larson, Central Point, and Roger Puhl, Phoenix. The dinner will be at 7:30 p.m. at the Jackson hotel. The public is invited, and reserva tions may be made through Sat urday afternoon by. telephoning 2-8615. Baseball AMERICAN New York . 8 7 1 Boston ". 0 2 3 Turley and Berra; Sullivan. Kemmerer (5). Susce (8) and White. . .. .'- to be given by Dr. William W. P. Holt, Medford, the! county's oldest practitioner. Other schools where children will re ceive inoculations Monday are Lincoln, Medford; Briscoe and Walker - Ashland, Griffin Creek and Jacksonville. Second Series Set The second in the series of three anti-polio immunization shots will be given starting Mon day, May 23, according to Dr. Merkel. This will allow comple tion of the second shots before end of the school year. . The third shots are to be given at least seven months later. They will be handled on an individual basis and are to be paid for by those receiving them. The first two inoculations will be paid for by the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. ' Irrigation Districts RehabiliiationWork Contracts Talked Two bureau of reclamation of ficials are in Jackson county cbnfering with directors of two irrigation districts on plans for rehabilitation of the districts' canals and water supply systems. They are Bill Burpee, recla mation bureau solicitor from the regional office in Boise ,and Lee McAllister, of the Salem bureau office. They met yesterday with the directors of the Rogue River Valley Irrigation district, and this morning with the directors of the Medford ID. Go Over Details Proposals for contracts gov erning the rehabilitation proj ects were gone over in detail at the two meetings. If the project is approved locally and by con gress this session, the work will be done by the bureau of recla mation and paid for by the two districts over a 40-year period. After the form of the contract is -agreed-upon by -the- bureau's representatives and the districts directors, it will be submitted to a vote of the landowners in the district, at a special election the latter part of June.. If it is approved, it will be checked by the courts here, and signed by the district directors. Then it will require the approval of the secretary of the interior, after which work' can start, if funds are appropriated. Hopeful For Funds Indications that funds suffic ient to get the work started will be appropriated by congress at .this session appear to be good, local irrigationists say. The contracts being consid ered by the two boards are al most identical, except for the re payment figures. The Medford district will pay a larger share of the total cost, because more work would be done on its be half. The overall cost is estimated at some $1,712,000, and the first appropriation is expected to be about $350,000. Cause of Silent Air Raid Sirens Sought " By UNITED PRESS Air Force and . civil defense authorities in the Pacific North west today were attempting to, determine why sirens in the re gion were silent during yester day's ' , "yellow alert," when some residents ' in California were scurrying to bomb shelters. The alert was sounded after a Canadian radar station sound ed the first warning. The enemy" planes, which .turned out to be United States ' jet bombers,- were presumably headed for the Northwest. - Busy Session For Board of One of the busiest sessions in history for the Jackson county board of equalization was pre dicted today by county officials. , Many taxpayers are expected at the board s meetings, which open Monday at 9 a.m. in the county clerk's office. The reason for the anticipated large number is a change in the ratio, to 25 per cent, which will go into effect this year. In an effort to handle the crowd with a minimum of delay, the board : is planning to give each taxpayer who' appears be fore the group a 15 minute inter view. . . ' . In this way, they would be able to meet with about 26 a day. Time for the interviews will 'be set up in the order in which requests are received. The board is asking that those Review of Safety Standards Pending By Authorities Actual Manufacture Of Vaccine Continues Washington U.R) Dr. Leonard A. Scheele, - U.S. sur geon general, said today the gov ernment has' stopped approving newly manufactured Salk polio vaccine pending review of safety standards. Scheele told congressmen that does not mean that the actual manufacture of the vaccine has been halted. Scheele testified that the gov ernment has not approved any new vaccine production for the past several davs. He said n- proval has been "brought to a standstill until we can evaluate standards and safety." An advisory groub which is investigating the vaccines nro- duced by the various drug man ufacturers is evaluating safetv standards now. Scheele said it may decide to have the govern ment test all vaccine instead of . relying on the manufacturers' tests. Safety Procedures Scheele expressed his confi dence in the Salk vaccine Dro- gram as a whole. He said he be lieved the expert group would advise that the program should go on, perhaps with some new safety procedures. The advisory erouD. which ia meeting at the National Insti tutes of Health, may be able to make its report to Scheele to night. ' So far as was kribwn. shin- ments of vaccine already ao- proved have not been stopped. The National Foundation for In fantile Paralysis only yesterday ordered manufacturers to com plete shipments to several states for its program of inoculating first and second grade school children. The foundation said it still ex pects to have the first two Salk shots administered to the school children before summer vaca tions begin in most places. A foundation official .said some' schools -may- close before the second shot is administered. But arrangements are being made with state health authori ties to hold clinics open for ad ministering shots after the schools close. , . Called to testify before the House Banking Committee on a mounting number of bills to Im pose federal controls on dis tribution of the vaccine, Scheele termed the Salk vaccination pro gram "very useful" and said It should go on.' In stating there have been 44 cases officially confirmed of per sons contracting polio after being vaccinated, Scheele point- ed out that from 4,000,000 to 6,000,000 persons had been in oculated "up to now." Ashland Budget of $960,703 Approved Ashland, Ore. (U.R) The Ashland citizens', budget com mittee Wednesday night' ap proved a $960,703 budget for the next fiscal year with $90,779 to be raised through taxes. . The new budget Is more than $100,000 greater than last year's due mainly to increases in sal-vies for city employees and for the mayor and city councilmen which voters approved last fall. There is also money budgeted in case an .anticipated water shortage forces the city to pur chase added electricity from the California Oregon Power Com pany. ' Members of the citizens budget committee were Walter . Redford, - chairman, Lloyd Sel- by, Iver Irwin, L. C. Ostrander, ' Dave Fortmiller, and Lawrence Rude. ' Seen Monday Equalization desiring to appear file their no tice in the clerk's ' office and make appointments by telephon ing Medford 2-4460 or 3-3151, or by calling . in person at the clerk's office. While the board will meet with those who have not filed notice nor made appointments, they pointed out that taking these two . steps will speed the interviews for both the board and the taxpayer. The board asked -that .appointments be made as early as possible. All taxpayers whose property valuation has been increased by the change in ratio have been notified by the board. . Members of the board are County Judge Rodney Keating, Arnold Bohnert, and Ralph L.' Cook. The board is empowered to make any changes in valua tion required to equalize taxes. t : il
