Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, May 26, 1955, Image 1

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Medford mail tribune., May 26, 1955, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextM LTQ V: Ml CSed Chiiinia Asked To Discuss GMeDrtiomi f Amerocaen FDSeirs Tokyo (U.R) Radio Peiping broadcast today that Red China had sentenced three Chinese "U. S. airdropped spies" to death and sentenced a fourth to 10 years imprisonment. The broadcast, monitored by United Press in Tokyo, said the sentences followed a recent "public trial" by a Hunan Province Peoples Court. Peiping said that all four were sent to Red China under the direction of "American espionage agencies." The broadcast said the four "confessed" during their trial that they joined American espionage agencies in Hong Kong in 1950. Washington (U.R) The United States has asked Red China for a new meeting at Ge neva to discuss the "unwarrant ed detention" of Americans in 'Chinese jails, official sources said today. U. N. Secretary-general - Dag Hammarskjold is understood to was reported hopeful that Red China would release some, if not all, of the 15 American air men the Communists hold. Release of Four Hoped Hammarsjold is understood to believe that at least four of the 15 American airmen might be released in advance of the June 20 meeting of the United Nations in San Francisco. Official sources said the Amer ican request for a new meeting on the prisoner problem was de livered recently at Geneva by U. S. Consul General Franklin C. Gowen. He and other consular officials have held about a dozen meetings at Geneva, primarily on the American civilians held in Red China, with Red Chinese officials stationed in the Swiss city. The Chinese replied, it was said, that they would have to get further instructions from Peiping before a conference could be set up. Stale Department Silent The State Department would Last Frost Warning Broadcast Made; Danger Not Over The last regular frost warning broadcast of the year was made last night by Roy Rogers, federal meteorologist, according to Don Berry, county agent for horticul ture. The broadcasts have been car ried every day since start of the frost season by radio stations KYJC and KMED. Rogers will remain in Jack son county until the first of June, and will make spot an nouncements in the event or ' chard heating is necessary. Berry pointed out that in the past or chard heating has been necessary only once after Rogers had left this area. Should Maintain Healers Rogers and Berry are advising orchardists to leave heaters in their orchards for the time being. Frost damage to the valley's pear crop has been minor so far, Berry said, and he added that on the basis of present conditions, this years' pear crop will be among the valley's largest. Reduction of the crop has been less than average, and "ringing" of fruit by frost has been about average, according to the county agent 'Polio Shot Rate Here Still 50 Per Cent The number of Jackson county youngsters receiving Salk anti- polio vaccinations is still running at about 50 per cent of those first and second graders originally signed up for the program, coun ty health department officials said this morning. Inoculations were given this morning at Washington school in Mediord. No date has been set for the second in the series of shots, health department officials said. Boxcar Shortage, Trucker Strike Puts Crimp in Movement of Oregon Products Portland (U.R) A 10 per cent shortage of common box cars, coupled with a strike against three major truck lines on the west coast, today was re ported putting a crimp in move ments of Oregon products to market areas. Other Roads Less Hard Hit Southern Pacific lines re ported it would have only 80 per cent of required box cars available for shippers but other roads were reported less hard hit by the national shortage of serviceable rolling stock for the peaking summer demand. South ern Pacific officials announced they would issue an equalizing not comment officially on the re quest for a meeting or Ham marskjold's reported optimism that some of the jailed American airmen might be freed in less than a month. The Red Chinese hold 25 American civilians in jails, three are under confinement in homes and about 12 more have not been able to get permission to leave Red China. Eleven of the 15 American airmen were sentenced to prison terms last November by the Chinese Reds. The four who are believed most likely to be re leased first have not been sen tenced. Sen. Wayne Morse Appeals for Funds For Talenl Project Sen. Wayne Morse (D-Ore.), was to appear before the Senate appropriations subcommit tee this morning to request the appropriation of $2,500,000 for the start of work on the Talent reclamation irrigation project. In a telegram to The Mail Tribune, he pointed out that this is the same amount that he re quested recently in an appear ance before the House appropri ations subcommittee. He is ask ing that the funds be made av ailable for the fiscal year 1956, which starts July 1. He added: Asks Rehabilitation Money j "I am also asking the Senate subcommittee to approve a $350,000 item for fiscal 1956 for Medford-Rogue River Val ley Irrigation district rehabili tation project. I appreciate the great importance of both of these projects, and will do everything possible in support of them." The $22,000,000 Talent pron ject, which would provide sup plemental irrigation water for the Talent and Medford Irriga tion districts, was authorized by Congress last year, but was not included in the budget for 1956. Senators Morse and Richard Neu berger and Congressman Harris Ellsworth of this district all have expressed their strong support of the proposal. Baseball NATIONAL Brooklyn 6 13 1 Pittsburgh 2....6 1 Newcombe and Campanella; Kline, Face (9) and Shepard. St. Louis . 0 6 0 Chicago 3 6 0 G. Jones, Lawrence (6), Smith (8) and Sarni; Pollet and Chiti. AMERICAN (First Game) Washington 4 7 0 New York 8 11 0 Schmidts, Ramos (3), Steart (5), Shea (7) and Fitzgerald; Kucks and Berra. (First Game) Chicago 3 8 0 Cleveland '. 15 0 Harshman and Courtney; Lemon, Mossi (6), Narleski (9) and Hegan. Boston 0 4 0 Baltimore 2 9 0 Kiely. Kinder (8) and White; Wilson and Smith. order between its eight operat ing divisions to ease the short age in the Portland area at least. Heavy demands for rail ship ping space were created by a tieup of truck freight outlets in a coast-wide labor dispute. Emergency Order Planned Public Utilities Commissioner Charles H. Heltzel said an em ergency order, similar to one is sued in 1950, would be written to enforce equitable distribution of available freight cars. He added, however, that the order would be held back until next week to observe the effects of the SP steps to alleviate the shortage. Medford United Press full Lued Wire 50th Year 28 Paget Special Election Possibility Seen On Revenue Plan Tobacco Industry May Seek Signatures Salem U.R) Gov. Paul Pat terson today signed House bill 539 to put a tax of three cents a pack on cigarettes, one of the main revenue-raising measures passed by the 1955 session to meet an anticipated deficit of more than $60,000,000 in the next biennium. The main revenue -raising measure, putting a 45 per cent surtax on personal income taxes, was signed by thegovernor May 18. It is estimated to raise $50, 000,000 if it is not referred. The cigarette tax, which the tobacco industry has already in dicated will be referred if it can get the needed signatures on petitions, is estimated to bring in anqther $10,000,000 for the biennium. November Vote Possible Should the surtax on personal income tax be referred, the legis lature has provided that a spe cial election be held next Nov. 8. If the cigarette tax should also be referred, it will appear on the same ballot. But if only the cigarette tax is referred, it will not be voted on until the next general election, in November, 1956. . , For either measure to be re ferred, petitions bearing the sig natures of 20,047 registered vot ers must be filed with the secre tary of state's election bureau by Aug. 2. Should both the surtax on in come tax and the cigarette tax be "referred, " several legislators here speculated before the close of the 1955 session May 4 that a special session of the Legisla ture would be a virtual necessity, to try once more to work out a method of financing the state's affairs without recourse to a real property tax at the state level. Governor Works Late For several years the state has used its personal income tax as an offset against property tax, thus leaving that source of reve nue to local and county govern ments. In a last-hour flurry to act on all bills before him by noon, Gov. Patterson worked with his legis lative counsel Hugh Barzee of Portland late last night and all this morning, and had signed some 80 bills by 10 a.m. Ashland Market Destroyed by Fire Asjiland (U.R) Fire today destroyed all but the concrete block walls of Sweem's market and variety store on Highway 66 at the east side of Ashland. Mrs. Don Sweem said the loss would run into thousands of dol lars but she could give no accu rate estimate. Only the building itself and furnishings of a three room apartment were covered by insurance. Intense heat melted or burned all the stock in the store itself, although firemen kept the flames away. The blaze started in a closet of the apartment at the rear of the store, firemen said. The West Coast Lumbermen's association announced it had in voked a long-prepared plan to ease the shortage by urging all shippers to load every available car to its maximum capacity and to speed loading' and turn around. Wasteful Practice B. L. Nutting, Medford, chair man of the association's special car supply committee, said rail roads had been asked to cut down the wasteful practice of delayed routings of transit cars of lumber. Nutting declared that the shortage would last all summer. Patter MEDFORD, OREGON, CP qd wagons RETURNING TO WASHINGTON after eight months absence due to surgical treatment of war injury, Senator John F. Kennedy (D). Mass., walks in sun with wife outside Capitol (International) B-36 Crashes in Texas With 14 Men Aboard Sterling City, Tex. (U.R) A B36 atomic superbomber appar ently ran into a tornado and crashed in flames 35 miles south of here today. Fourteen men were believed killed. "There weren't any survi vors," said Collin Brennan, on whose ranch the plane fell. "The left wing was on fire when It fell." From Walker Air Base The plane was from Walker Air Force Base at Roswell, N.M. Maj. A. K. Barnes of Roswell said "we have an aircraft over due in that vicinity." He said it bad 14 men aboard. "There was an awful noise," Brennon said. He said few of the bodies were burned, since the high winds that were blowing blew the flames away from the fuselage and it did not burn. The wreck age fell over some 25 acres and burned for about an hour, he said. Maj. Robert Nelson, public information officer at Biggs Air Force Base, El Paso, Tex., said the $3,500,000 plane spun to the ground in a pasture. Barnes said Walker AFB was sending another aircraft to Sterling City to make definite identification of the crashed aircraft. The B36 from Walker, attach- Hobby Resignation Report Brings Denial Washington(U.R) The White House denied categorically to day published, reports that Mrs. Oveta Culp Hobby has submitted her resignation as secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. Press Secretary James C. Hag erty issued the denial after talk ing with President Eisenhower and with Mrs. Hobby, who is in Texas with her ailing hus band. "We have had no resignation submitted but his (Hobby's) con dition is critical and I can't tell you at this time whether that illness will force Mrs. Hobby to leave the government," Hag- Jury Trial Under Way On Dentistry Charge A jury trial for Lee Poirier, Jacksonville, got under way in district court this morning be fore Judge Rawles Moore. Poir ier is charged with practicing dentistry without a license. The first complaint in the case was filed July 14, 1954. It later was dismissed and a new complaint was filed Jan. 24 of this year. Medford Attorney O. H. Beng tson is representing Poirier, and District Attorney Walter Nun ley is representing the state. THURSDAY, MAY 26, ed to the Sixth Bomb Wing, of the 15th Air Forcei took off from Roswell yesterday afternoon on a training mission. Nelson said he understood the B36 which crashed flew into a tornado. There were several in the West Texas area during the night. Lt. Steven P. Meyers, son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Meyers, 181 Black Oak dr., was the regular pilot of the plane which crashed in Texas last night. His father said this morning that he was re moved from yesterday's flight at the last minute to prepare for special schooling. The plane was manned by the crew with which Lt. Meyers regularly flew. School Patrol Dinner Slated Friday Evening The annual Medford school safety patrol dinner, when indi vidual awards will be presented members of the school safety pa trols will be held at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow in the Jackson hotel Pioneer room. James Byerly, state super visor of school patrols from the office of Earl Newbry, secretary of state, will be principal speak er. Mayor Earl Miller will make the awards. Bud Palmer, vice-chairman of the Medford Safety council, will preside. Entertainment will be furnshed by the St. Mary's High school boys glee club. Approxi mately 100 students from the four Medford elementary schools, St. Mary's school and Oak Grove school will partici pate. Damage Suit To Start In Court Tomorrow A $21,500 damage suit, pend ing since Jan. 29, 1951, has been set for trial on Friday and Satur day in circuit court, according to the court docket. The suit, , charging slander, was instituted by, Mrs. Barbara Helms Phelan, Ashland, against Lottie and Sarah Beswick, sis ters, of Valley View. The original complaint in the suit was filed on June 29, 1951, and amended complaints were filed Aug. 21) 1951, and Dec. 17, 1951. William Briggs, Ashland, is attorney for the plaintiff, and the Medford law firm of Rob erts, Kellington and Branchfield is counsel for the defendants. Brattleboro, Vt. (U.R) Federal Judge Ernest W. Gibson has reserved decision on a mo tion to dimiss charges against Manuel Miller, charged with as saulting federal officers who sought to take his wife to a men tal hospitaL Leased Wire No. 57 jjireftfte Ton r eminent Lumberman Floyd H. Hart, Dies Floyd Hart, one of Oregon's best known lumbermen, a pio need flier ana a decorated vet eran of two World Wars, died unexpectedly last night. He was 57. Mr. Hart was president and general manager of Timber Products company in Medford, and in addition was also associ ated with a number of other log ging and lumber operations. He was a member of the state ad visory committee to the bureau of land management, and only last year headed a committee, under appointment of Interior Secretary Douglas McKay, to re view operations of the BLM and to make recommendations for its regulations. Mr. Hart and his wife, the former Leah Charity Walther, made their home at route 1, box 213, Central Point. Two Daughters, Son Besides Mrs. Hart, survivors include two daughters, Mrs. James Keeble, 106 Black Oak dr., Medford, and Mrs. Jack Bergstrom, Hermosa Beach, Calif., and a son, Floyd H. Hart Jr., 2191 Canal st., Medford, who recently completed a tour of military duty. There are five grandchildren. Mrs. Jean Hart, a sister-in-law, also survives. Mr. Hart served in both World War I and II, as a flier. During World War II he was awarded the Bronze and Silver Star dec orations for his service in the Air Corps. A native of Quincy, 111., he was born Jan. 17, 1898, and moved to Oregon as a youth. He attended Harvard school in Los Angeles, and the Universities of Oregon and Illinois, between 1916 and 1920, leaving school for a period of service in the first war. Began As Pilot His career in Medford began as a commercial pilot, but he later became an officer in the First National bank here, later entering the lumber business, Eden 5-1 Choice To Win Election London (U.R) Britain vot ed today in a general election that was expected to anchor Prime Minister Anthony Eden firmly in the leadership he wait ed so long to inherit from the indestructible Winston Church ill. Eden, foremost exponent of friendship and cooperation with the United States, was a solid 5-1 favorite to remain in office as Britain chose between the cap italism of his Conservative party and the socialism of the Labor ites. The voting began at 7 a.m. (10 p.m.. PST) under partly cloudy skies with a light drizzle falling in the south of England. It will end at 9 p.m. (12 a.m. PST) and the results should be known by Friday afternoon. The contest was for 630 seats in the House of Commons where the Conservatives have been op erating with a slim, 18-seat ma jority. The winner of the election is the party that wins a major ity of Commons seats. The Queen appoints the winning party's leader to be prime minister. 7th Annual Phoenix May Festival Program Is Listed Phoenix The program for the seventh annual Phoenix May Festival this Saturday has been announced. Activities will start at 10:30 a.m. at the Community Hall grounds with Mrs. Mabel Bourne president of the Community club introducing the master of cere monies, Curt Fisher. . Following presentation of col ors by Boy Scouts, the flag salute and the Star Spangled Banner, Mayor Dan Adams will introduce visiting mayors, and Georgia Cook, queen chairman, will in troduce last year's queen, Betty Harris. Miss Harris will introduce this Weather FORECAST: Generally cloudy with occasional light rain through Friday. Mild tem peratures. Low tonight 48. High Friday 70. Temp. Highest Yesterday 62 Lowest this Morning 48 Prec. to 4:30 a.m. Today 01 FLOYD HART Prominent Lumberman Dies with which he has been actively identified since. Mr. Hart suffered a heart at tack some months ago, but ap parently had recovered and appeared in vigorous health. Always active in civic, service and political affairs, Mr. Hart was a member of the Elks, Uni versity and Golf clubs, and the Episcopal church here, as well as a number of professional organizations. Funeral arrangements are pending. Conger-Morris funeral home will be in charge. " ' Poppy Days Slated Friday, Saturday Two veterans organizations, the American Legion auxiliary and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, will join Friday and Saturday in selling memorial poppies. Mayor Earl Miller has issued two proclamations, one for each organization, setting aside the days as poppy days in Medford, and calling attention to the fact that the poppies honor our war dead, and that all funds for the welfare of the disabled men and needy children of veterans. The organizations are asking that each resident of the city buy and wear a poppy Friday and Saturday, not only in honor of those veterans who gave their lives, but to assist the living. End of Trucking Strike Not in Sight Los Angeles (U.R) -The sec ond federal mediation session between AFL Teamsters and long-haul trucking firm employ ers ended at noon today with no settlement of an eight-day old Western trucking strike in sight. "We're still exploring the situ ation," Conciliation Commission er John Fenton said. "There is nothing new to report at this time toward a settlement. We'll meet again later this afternoon." The tie-up forced the Stude baker - Packard assembly plant here, which employs 650 work ers, to shut down yesterday. A spokesman for Chrysler Corpor ation's assembly facilities said they also would be forced to shut down Monday if the strike is not settled. year s queen. The festival parade will start at the club grounds at 11 a.m., and awards for parade winners will be presented at noon, when special musical program will be presented by Bliss Heine's jun iors and Eve Prentice's accordion band. Scheduled for afternoon and night activities are prizes, Helen Briley's Western band, a men's quartet, "All Done Four," an Hawaiian band and modern and square dances. Modern dances will be held in the community hall, and square dances will be in the Phoenix grade school gymnasium. ?: : N VV j Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas Count Dead In Wake of Storm Hundreds Injured On 200-Mile Path Udall, Kan. (U.R) Killer tornadoes left a trail of death and ruin today in Kansas, Okla homa and Texas. Shattered communications made an accurate count of the dead impossible, but it appeared that about 90 were killed in the three - state area. Hundreds were injured. The tornadoes, spawned by a violent storm front, struck last night along a 200-mile path from the Texas' Panhandle to South eastern Kansas. One twister turned this vil lage of 610 persons into a giant scrap heap within 60 seconds. Not a building was left undam aged and the mounting death toll already was the worst in Kansas history. Estimates of Deaths This was the best estimate of the dead: Udall and vicinity: 53 or 54 dead, 200 injured. Blackwell. Okla.: 16 to 21 dead, at least 150 injured. Cheyenne, Okla.; 2 dead. Sterling City. Tex.: 14 dead In the crash of a bomber believed struck by a tornado. The destruction here was all but undescribable. Torn frag ments of roofing were found a mile from town. In the center of town, a two - story frame build ing was twisted completely around on its foundation and its roof was torn off. Twenty-five or 30 automobiles were demolished along the main street. The Red Cross set un head quarters in a battered bank building. Four companies of na tional guardsmen totaling 270 men moved into town. Uprooted trees blocked the streets. Some still standing on the outskirts were sheared at the top as if by a giant pair of scis sors. At Blackwell, Okla., United Press Staff Correspondent Le roy A. Hammann reported a similar scene. The body of one elderlv man was found lying against a fence, where he had been blown 250 feet from his demolished house. Weather Bureau exnerts said reports indicated that at least 10 tornadoes struck during the night in Oklahoma alonir a nath nearly 200 miles long. The storm line extended in al most a straight line from Sham rock, Tex., where the first storm . hit, on through Cheyenne, Cam argo and Blackwell, Okla., and on to Udall, Rock, Derby and Gueda Springs, Kan. The Udall twister struck about 10:30 p.m. "I had just gotten up," said Mayor Rowe. "I'm a night work er. I was standing at the front door in my boots. There was a little rain. Then it hit. "My house just floated away. I don't know where it is." Rowe's wife and three child ren survived, but one of the children was hurt. Henry Harvey, news editor of radio station KFBI at Wichita, Kan., hastened to the scene and reported destruction beyond description. Clocks had stopped at 10:30 p.m., but communica tions were shattered and it was after midnight before word got out that the town had been leveled. Hospitals Overflow Residents had no time to think or calling for help, any way, Harvey reported. They were busy freeing themselves from the debris, rescuing the wounded and searching for their scattered families. Later, when communications were set up and rescuers moved in, some surrounding hospitals were forced to turn away ambu- -lances loaded with the injured because they were filled to over flowing. The twister hit Blackwell a short time earlier. One resident said it "sounded like a freight train coming by my house." The eastern half of the town, about two and a half square miles, was flattened, and the Riverside Osteopathic Hospital and the Hazel Atlas Glass Co. were demolished. Two Men Bound Over To Grand Jury Hearing Two men were bound over to the Jackson county grand jury yesterday following appearances in district court. Clifford Quentin Gee, 29, Har lan, Ore., received a preliminary hearing on a charge of conceal ing stolen property. He is ex pected to appear in circuit court tomorrow. Wayne Harding, 19, of 229 V Chestnut st., was arraigned on a charge of forgery, according to records in the sheriff's office.