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Medford
United Pr
uU tMiid Win
50th Year 22 Pages
Increase in Millage
Limitation, Hike
In Tax Base Asked
Need for More Funds
For City Use Cited
The Medford city council last
night voted" to go ahead with
plans for an election to author
ize slightly increased real prop
erty taxes in the city.
At a special session, it in
structed City Attorney Frank
Farrell to draw the necessary
documents for a special election.
The vote would ask approval to
increase the city's tax base by
$65,000 annually, and to amend
the city charter by increasing
the limitation on property taxes
from 12 mills to 18 mills.
The election will be held prior
. to June 20 to allow time for pub
lication and a public hearing on
the budget before the July 15
budget deadline.
Committee Recommendation
The action followed a citizens'
budget committee recommenda
tion urging an election to "con
tinue presently existing services
for the people of the city of
Medford, and in order to devel-"
op programs deemed necessary
for the progress" of the city.
The increase -wu necessary,
the budget committee 'said, for
additional expenses as well as
present services. The commit
tee recommended the increase
after several weeks of study.
Among expenditures for
which the increase was recom
mended are "remodel city jail,
codification 'of city ordinances,
provide funds for the operation
of the planning commission, es
tablish additional traffic signals,
establish employees' life insur
ance plan, provide, additional
personnel for engineering de
partment, in anticipation of ex
tra work required in future an
nexations." Addition Suggested
City Councilman Fred E. Rob
inson suggested a clause be add
ed to the committee's recommen
dation to include an arterial
street program as well as annex
ations. Other members of the
council "agreed.
City Manager Robert Duff
pointed out that "If we don't
change the tax base this year, we
will have to next year." He add
ed that the increase in tax base
should have no effect on future
plans of annexation.
Farrell told the council the
city charter would have to .be
amended where it limits the levy
to 12 mills. The $65,000 increase
would raise the general fund
levy to about $288,000 and based
on present assessed valuations
the levy would be a little more
than 14 mills.
The council agreed that the
charter amendment should in
crease the levy enough to more
than take care of present needs.
Needed for Progress
Mayor Earl Miller, who read
the citizens' budget committee
recommendation, said the tax
base increase is necessary "if
Medford is to continue to pro
gress as it has in the past few
year." ,
. He pointed out that the 12
mill limitation was established
when the charter was approved
more than 40 years ago. ;
A preliminary general fund
budget of $590,442 was submit
last month for study. The pro
posed budget was $31,750 over
the amount allowed by the six
per cent limitation on increases.
Revenue Static
" The budget was prepared by
Duff "on the basis of continuing
the minimum service commen
surate with the growth of the
city and services requested by its
citizens have necessarily been
deleted." He pointed out that
the city's revenue was almost
static while expenditures stead-
ilv increased.
Farrell was asked to have
the necessary documents to in
crease the tax base ready for the
next regular council meeting
May 17.
MEDFORD, OREGON,
ARRIVE FOR TREATMENT Nikito Kashiwabara, American-born Japanese nurse on
staff of Alt Sinai Hospital in New York, greets 25 Japanese girls from Hiroshima,
Japan, who were disfigured by the atomic explosion there during war. Thev are here
to receive free plastic surgery. Next to Miss Kashiwabara is
ing flowers. The girls range
Forecast of Supplies
Of Irrigation Wafer
For Summer J improved
The outlook for summer irri
gation water supplies in south
western Oregon has brightened
somewhat during the last month,
it was reported today.
Above-normal increases of
snow pack, and below-average
temperatures which have de
creased snow melt during April
were cited by W.T. Frost of the
Soil Conservation service, Port
land, and R. D. Church, Medford
weather bureau, in reporting the
improvement from the "dim out
look" reported a month ago.
Prolongs Streamflow
The delay in snow melt and
runoff will result in prolonging
the expected streamflow suffic
iently to wipe out some previ
ously expected shortages, they
said. However, mountain soils
are continuing to soak up much
water, it was added, due to the
dryness resulting from lack of
autumn rainfall.
Stored water increased only a
little last month, and 'remains
short in Fish lake and Emigrant
reservoirs, the report said. Fish
lake is expected to receive 13,
500 acre feet of added storage
during the April-September
period, but Emigrant lake is not
expected to fare so well, since
much of the snow cover which
feeds it is already gone.
TID Supplies Down
The forecast said that Med
ford and Rogue River Valley Ir
rigation districts should have a
satisfactory" season, although
there will be no water to spare.
Talent Irrigation district likely
will run out of water late in
August or early in September,
unless summer rains are abnor
mally heavy.
Satisfactory supplies were
forecast for Eagle Point and
Grants Pass Irrigation districts.
Search Pressed for Worker
Thought Trapped in Debris
New York (U.R) Emer
gency crews searched through a
giant mass of twisted steel,
smashed timbers and fresh cem
ent today for a construction
worker feared buried alive when
a huge section of the uncomplet
ed New York Coliseum's main
floor collapsed with a roar.
Sugar Poured on Cement
Workers poured a half ton
of granulated sugar on moun
tains of fresh cement in the
wreckage to keep the cement
from hardening until they find
some trace of the missing man,
Joseph Lombardi, 55, of Brook
lyn. All other workers on the pro
ject escaped with their lives, po
lice - said, although nearly 100
caught oa the main floor
TUESDAY, MAY 10, 1955
-"JO
expi
in age from 17 to 31.
Using Storage Water
Talent The Talent Irriga
tion district has started supple
menting stream flow with stor
age water from Hiatt and Emi
grant reservoirs, Robert Kent,
district manager, said toda.
The total in both reservoirs,
Kent said, is about 16,700 acre
feet, compared to 26,000 acre
feet at this time last year when
both lakes were full. Hiatt lake
now contains about 11,500 acre
feet, and Emigrant lake about
5,200.
Kent said he does not expect
Emigrant reservoir to rise any
unless rains increase . stream
flow, but that Hiatt lake may
rise. a little from. melting snow
in the, vicinity. .
' Last year, storage water was
first used about the last of June.
Kent said, however, the water
level in the reserviors is not
as low as it has been at other
times during the 16 years he has
managed the district.
Portland Girls Arrive
In London on Good Will
London -(U.R) Sixteen girls
from Portland, Oregon., flew in
to London today on the begin
ning of six week good will tour
of Europe.
The girls are members of the
Little Chamber Orchestra of
Portland. Male conductor of the
all-girl orchestra is portly Boris
Sirpo, who began to build up the
team only 212 days ago. The
girls are aged 15 to 28.
After concerts in Copenhagen,
Oslo, Stockholm and Helsinki,
the orchestra will give one per
formance at London's Royal Fes
tival Hall early next month.
They then will visit Bremen and
Amsterdam before flying home.
when the center section sudden
ly gave way and dropped with
a thunderous roar 20 feet to the
floor below.
Police said 48 persons were
treated for injuries. 27 at the
scene and the rest in hospitals.
None was in serious condition.
The $33,000,000 coliseum pro
ject overlooks Columbus Circle
in mid-Manhattan. The project
had been scheduled iat comple
tion in March of 1956.
Eyewitnesses said the first
hint of the near-disaster was a
slight rumble, accompanied by a
trembling of the floor under
construction. Then, before wor
kers could run for safety, a huge
area of the floor gave way, car
rying several screaming men
with it,
Tribune
United Preu Full Leased Wire
Price 5c
No. 43
Shteemoko Nimoto. cann
Eastern European
icials Gather
n mem--
Moscow (U.R) - Officials
of the East European Commun
ist nations led by Soviet Premier
Nikolai Bulganin converged on
Warsaw today to set up their
own "Eastern NATO"- to coun
ter the rearmament of West Ger
many. Disclosure that Bulganin . as
well as Foreign Minister Vyach
eslav Molotov were attending
the Warsaw conference was a
clear sign of the major' import
ance the Soviet government has
attached to the meeting.
Zhukov Expected
Soviet Defense Minister Mar
shal Georgi Zhukov spent last
week end in East Berlin for cele
brations of the end of World War
II and was expected to be in
Warsaw for the conference open
ing Wednesday to set up a mu
tual aid treaty and a unified mili
tary command. " :
: North Atlantic alliance plan
ners in Paris said between 80 and
90 satellite divisions will be ful
ly integrated into Russia's war
machine when the "Eastern
NATO" comes into being
Wednesday. They said the Soviet
concept of a "unified command"
will permit the Kremlin to coni
trol all the armed forces in
name as well as in fact.
Red China Observer
Premiers, foreign ministers
and defense ministers of the
other " seven : East - European
Communist nations also were at
tending. Communist China an
nounced it was sending an
observer.
Preparations for Wednesday's
conference was set at a similar
meeting in Moscow last Nov. 29
Dec. 2.
It appeared the Warsaw con
ference will be short since
Molotov is expected to be in
Vienna this weekend to sign the
Austrian state treaty. However
Bulganin, making his first trip
outside the Soviet Union since
he became premier early this
year, would be the top Soviet
official in Warsaw anyway.
Winter Wheat Crop Set
At 652,886,000 Bushels
Washington (U.R) The
Agriculture' Department today
estimated 652,886,000 bushels of
winter wheat will be harvested
this year.
' Today's estimate based on May
1 crop conditions, compares with
an April forecast of 662,252,000
bushels, below the 1954 winter
wheat production. .
The estimated winter wheat
crop added to the previously esti
mated production of 177,000,000
bushels of spring wheat, would
mean a total wheat crop of 829,
886,000 bushels for 1955. This
compares with a total 1955 pro
duction of 969,781,000 buthela.
Parley
Thiru . .maged
In Air Battle
Off North Korea
Yanks Attacked Over
International Waters
Tokyo (il.P.) American
Sabrejets, outnumbered two to
one, shot down two Communist
MIGs and damaged a third in a
blazing battle off the coast or
North Korea, the Air Force an
nounced today. No American
planes were lost.
The Air Force said a flight of
12 to 16 Communist MIGs at
tacked a flight of eight Sabre
jets "oyer international waters"
off North Korea and that the
Americans returned the . fire,
shooting down two and sending
a third into a smoking dive to
ward the Yellow Sea.
"The U.S. Air Force fighters,
all assigned to the 35th Squad
ron of the 8th Fighter-Bomber
Wing, were on a patrol mission
off North Korea when the attack
occurred," the announcement
said.
"After the MIGs began firing
at the Sabres the American
planes returned the fire. In the
ensuing,, battle two Communist
pilots bailed out and the third
plane was last seen diving
straight down trailing smoke."
The Air Force said the MIGs
were shot down by Capt. R. V.
Fulton of Bernardsville, N.J.; Lt.
B. C. Phythyon of Wadsworth,
Ohio, and Lt. J. E. Mclnerney,
Garden City, N.Y.
"The Communist planes ini
tiated the attack approximately
50 miles southwest of Sinuiju,"
the Air Force said.
Sinuiju is on the Yalu river in
northeast Korea. The dogfight
happened over the Yellow Sea
which separates the Korean
peninsula from the China main
land. -
An Air Force spokesman said
the jet fighters were not accom
panying reconnaissance bombers
JgSkZ&.Jofr. aj?ateoV.by...them4
selves.
- The spokesman said "this at
tack was a little farther south"
than a similar battle last Febru
ary when a flight of North Ko
rean Communists MIGs attacked
a flight, of Sabres escorting a
U.S. reconnaissance bomber.
Man Admits Taking
$970 in Currency
Berkeley Wayne Keller, 33,
Cascade Gorge, was jailed yes
terday by sheriff's deputies on a
grand larceny' charge involving
$970 taken Saturday afternoon
from Prospect Shopping center.
The money was taken from an
unlocked safe, while a clerk was
in another part of the store
waiting on a customer. The
money, all in bills, was in three
bundles held together by rub
ber bands.
Sheriff's deputies said Keller
has admitted taking the money,
and the man's statement says he
was drunk at the time, they
added. Records indicate that
some $855 found in a pickup
truck owned by Keller is being
held by the sheriff's office. -
Keller is scheduled to appear
in court today or Wednesday for'
arraignment, according to Gene
Piazza, deputy district attorney.
NeubergerChallenges
Rep. Coon To Debate
; Washington (U.R) Sen.
Richard L. Neuberger (D-Ore.),
challenged Rep. Sam Coon (R
Ore.), today to debate how the
John Day power facilities should
be developed in eastern Oregon.
"During the past week you
have called me various names
because ' I have been factually
critical of the so-called 'partner
ship' power bill which you have
introduced to turn over the John
Day power facilities to certain
private utilities," he wrote Coon.
"It seems to me the public is
entitled to facts and not to epi
thets." ' " '" ' ' -
Neuberger proposed public de
bates next September in five
eastern Oregon communities. He
suggested The Dalles, Baker,
I Pendleton, Bend, and Klamath
Falls. :
Baseball
AMERICAN
Chicago 4 7 1
Boston ' 2 9.0
Keegan, Dorish (6); Fornieles
(I) and Lollar; Brewer, Kinder
(9) and White.
NATIONAL
Brooklyn . 3 8 0
Chicago ... 0 11
Newcombe and Cimpenella;
Hacker and CUtL
FuDD DiravesfflgaflfioDD
MO IEe Made Moire
(Protest Cegistoredl
Washington (U.R) State
Department officials said today
they will await a full investiga
tion and official report by the
Air Force before deciding whe
ther the United States should
lodge a formal protest with the
Communists over today's Yel
low Sea air battle.
Pending such a report, they
said, the department does not
know whether a protest would be
directed to North Korea or Red
China. If it were the former, the
U.N. Korean Command might
make the protest, since the mere
presence of MIGs in North Ko
rea constitutes a violation of ar
mistice terms.
The fact that no "American
planes were lost in the clash does
not, technically at least, mitigate
the gravity of an unprovoked at
tack over international waters
From a practical standpoint,
however, it means that the State'
Department" is under less pres
sure to move swiftly than it
would have been had American
lives been lost.
There was no immediate dis
position in diplomatic circles
here to regard the incident as a
fatal blow to the current For
mosa cease fire feelers. It was
pointed out that air clashes such
Equalization Board
Continues Sessions
, The Jackson county board of
equalization continued its meet
ings this morning, and County
Assessor R, G. Fowler indicated
that the sessions are expected to
continue into next week.
The, board meets each yearat
this time to hear complaints on
the amount of assessed valua
tion placed on individual pieces
of property in the county. The
three-man board is ' empowered
to change assessed valuations as
needed to equalize assessments.
Fowler said this morning that
the board probably will not meet
every day this week. All those
having complaints will be heard
by the board, but board members
have requested that those wish
ing interviews make appoint
ments through the county clerk's
office.
Board members ' are County
Judge Rodney Keating, Arnold
Bohnert, and Ralph Cook.
Mrs. Avgeris, Former
Colestine Clerk, Dies
Asnland Funeral services
for Grace V. Avgeris, 63, clerk
of the Colestine school district
for more than 20 years, will be
held Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at
Litwiller's Mountain View chap
el.
Mrs. Avgeris died Monday at
a Medford hospital. ; v
The services will be conducted
by the Rev. John Thompson, as
sisted by members of the Order
of Eastern Star. Interment will
be in Mountain View cemetery.
The deceased was bom Sept.
17, 1892 at Snohomish, Wash,
On Aug. 12,. 1928 in Medford,
she was married to Theodore
Avgeris, who survives. Other
survivors include a brother,
Charles Ernster, Seattle; Wash
and a niece, Mrs. Helen Dunphy,
Medford. ,
Mrs. Avgeris was a member
of Alpha chapter, OES, Ashland,
and ' attended . the ; Episcopal
church. .
Suspect in Burglary
Arrested by Police
Medford police late yesterday
arrested and jailed Leslie Roy
Walch, 402 Boardman st., Med'
ford, on a charge of burglary.
The charge was in connection
with the theft of about $34 in
quarters and half dollars from an
ice house on North Fir st., owned
by the Valley Fuel company, 26
West Main st., Saturday night.
Police said Walch admitted pry
ing the door open and breaking
into three small cash boxes.
Final Atomic Blast '
Scheduled Wednesday
Las Vegas U.R)-r The 14th
and final atomic shot of the
Atomic Energy Commission's
tests was scheduled : for tomor
row at 4:05 a.m. (PST) after a
morning weather evaluation to
day.; "
Another evaluation was plan
ned for tonight
as today's are essentially a symp
tom rather than an underlying
cause of over-all Far East ten
sion, which U.S. officials hope
the cease fire talks might help to
relieve.
Carrying Out Orders
The U.S. planes which downed
the two MIGs in the air battle
were carrying out long standing
orders to shoot back when at
tacked by Communist aircraft.
The orders grew out of a long
series of plane incidents occur
ing since the end of the Korean
hostilities and involving attacks
by Red Chinese, Russian and
North Korean planes.
Diem Moves To
Draff Elections
In South Viet Nam
Saigon, Jndochina J(U.R) Pre
mier Ngo Dinh Diem cleared the
last rebel troops from Saigon to
day and promptly formed a new
government to draft the first free
elections in South Viet Nam.
The American backed Pre
mier named a new cabinet which
included members of the revolu
tionary junta which supported
him in his struggle for power
with absentee Emperor Bao Dai.
The new cabinet included no
members of the various rebel
warlord and religious sects that
touched off Free Viet Nam's civil
war in a. bloody but vain effort
to 'oust the anti-Communist Pre:
mier with a coup. '"
Armies Massing
Official reports warned that
armies of the' rebel warlords
fwere'r 'massing' .-to" the sOuflvwest
of this capital of South Viet Nam
for a possible counter-offensive
against the Premier.
Diem moved to forestall ah
eventual. comeback of the Binh
Xuyen gang of ex-river pirates
by ordering the immediate con
fiscation of its property in Sai
gon. While government units cau
tiously entered the heavily forti
fied Dakao police station which
the Binh Xuyen garrison evacu
ated during the night, officials
took possession of the society's
100 buildings, 20 villas and other
property. . -
Viet Namese officials said the
Binh Xuyen, which lost two bat
talions of troops in recent street
fighting in Saigon, still had six
crack battalions poised at Rung
Sat, 20 miles to the south.
With their powerful Hoa Hao
religious sect allies, the insur
gent army had 35,000 battle test
ed men, in . Cochin-China and
posed a serious threat to Saigon,
the officials said.
Alaska Ice Pool
Pot Split 20 Ways
. Nenana, Alaska U.R) The
$104,500 Tanana river ice pool
was split 20 ways today, 49 years
after Gunny Sack Jack and his
side kicks started the Arctic
game of guessing the exact time.
the ice would go out.
The ice break-up, traditionally
the beginning of spring in the
far north, came at exactly 4:13
p.m. (PST) yesterday.
There were 20 tickets carry
ing that time, but many were
owned by syndicates of more
than one person. .
Sourdoughs and cheechakos,
who swarmed in here for the an
nual event, denied that a fire
which roared through this river
boat town a few hours earlier
had anything to do with the
thaw.
The fire leveled five buildings
and damaged several others in
the business district. :
Russia's Stand
Treaty Clause
Vienna. Austria 0J.R) A
stubborn Soviet stand on a vital
clause delayed agreement on an
Austrian state treaty and threat
ened today to disrupt plans for a
formal treaty-signing ceremony
by the Big Four foreign minis
ters here this week end.
The llth-hour hitch developed
over Austrian war payments to
Russia. The Big Four ambassa
dors to Vienna, who have been
charged with drafting the treaty,
will- make another attempt to
resolve the deadlock today.
A high conference source said
the Russians may. be trying to
force a four-power conference in
Dulles Has Power
To Arrange Parley
With Russians
Notes Dispatched
Proposing Meeting
. Washington (UJJ Th
White House said today Presi
dent Eisenhower is agreeable to
a "feasible and useful" meeting
of the Big Four chieff of state.
Presidential Press Secretary
James C. Hagerty told report
ers that Secretary of State John
Foster Dulles, now meeting in
Paris with the British and
French foreign ministers,, has
-'full power" to arrange a so
called meeting at the summit .
with Russia.
"The President has . always
stated that such a meeting was
a possibility," Hagerty said. t
"Of course, the secretary of
state is fully familiar with the '
President's views and if it seems
feasible and useful that such a
-- - irya. be held, the secretary has
full power lo arrange for that on
behalf of the President."
Brief Session
The announcement came after
diplomatic sources in Paris re-'
ported that Mr. Eisenhower had
aweed to a limited meeting with 1
the premiers of Russia, France,
and Britain. These sources said
the Droposed meeting would be
brief, possibly only two days,
and would serve to 'Trick off
a more extensive conference of
Big Four . foreign ministers . to
work out details of a cold war
settlement.
Diplomatic informants in Par
is said identical U.S., British and
French notes were dispatched to
Moscow today proposing the
chiefs of state meeting. .
Early Summer Seen ' V
The '. White House 'announce
ment followed a series of cabled
communications between : Dullet
in" Paris and' the President -end
his advisers here in Washington.;
. ' European ' reports said the
meeting might take place in the
early summer.
Mr. Eisenhower has long been
cool to the idea of a meeting on
the chiefs of state level until
there was some assurance that
such a meeting would produce
results.
The President told a news con
ference recently that, he felt it
would be better to hold preUm
inary talks first on the foreign
ministers level before bringing
the chiefs of state together. But
he emphasized his willingness to
go anywhere, anytime, if he
thought it would advance
the
cause of peace. - ,
Child Gets Polio
After Vyeth Vaccine
Washington (U.R) The Public
Health Service today reported
the first polio case among chil
dren inoculated with vaccine
produced by the Wyeth Labora
tories of Philadelphia.
It said a seven-year-old Perm-,
ylvania boy developed bulbar
polio seven days after receiving
his first shot of Yyeth-produced
vaccine.
His case brought to 52 the
number of officially confirmed
polio cases among inoculated
children. Of the other vaccinated
youngsters stricken, 44 received
shots of vaccine produced by the
Cutter Laboratories, Berkeley,
Calif., and seven with vaccine
made by the Eli Lilly Co.,
Indianapolis. .
Weather
FORECAST: Fair ttt-OTfk
' Wednesday. Low tonight 41;
. Mfk Wedntfday St.
. TfBf.
Hlgheit YeUrday IS
Lowest thli Morning 41
on Vital
Shags Work
Vienna this week end instead of
the scheduled treaty-signing cer
emony. U. S. Secretary of State
John Foster Dulles,' British For
eign Secretary Harold MacMuV'
lan, French Foreign Minister An
toine Pihay and Soviet Foreign
Minister V. M. Molotov are ex
pected to fly here this week to
sign the treaty ending the four
power occupation and setting
Austria free as a neutral buffer
in the cold war. -
Conference sources said that
unless the Soviets change their
attitude: at . today's session the
problem may be checked to the
foreign ministers for solution.