Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (June 12, 1955)
Recommended A feature story o th pro posed annexation of a. Urge area to the city of Medford ap pears on Pate II of today's lssuo of The Vlall Tribune. WEATHER rOBECAITt Partly dotty ex cept chance of scattered thunderstorms in the moun tains Sunday. Fair Monday. Continued warm with high near 85 Sunday. Low tonight ST. High Monday 81. Temp. Highest Yesterday 83 Lowest yesterday Morning ..( Proc To 11 bjm. Yesterday United Press Hull Lused Wire United Pres. Full Leased Wire 50th Year 30 Pages MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 1955 Price 5c No. 71 TO -KILL 1 01 4? El I fs n rvn (fi mm RAGE niiyj Ini ChargesEisenhower 'Used' by Enemies Of Public Projects Former President Praises Sen. Morse Portland U.R) Harry S. Truman was back in fighting campaign form Saturday night as he charged that President Eis enhower was being "used" in a deliberate campaign against public-financed power projects. After riding in a Rose festival parade before 425,000 specta tors, the former President told a cheering audience of power- conscious Pacific Northwest Ttomnrrat that "a Renublican President is being used to crip ple the program of Kiver Devel opment that has brought pros perity to many regions of our land. Mr. Truman also mentioned the budding Atomic Power in dustry and warned against it falling into private hands. "Don't let it happen," he said. Blasts McKay Mr. Truman accused private power proponents of indulging in "tricky and devious ways" to destroy public faith in federal power policies. He charged they had stacked the federal agencies with enemies of public power. They had been encouraged, he ) said, "by a Secretary of Inter ior who openly opposes public power." Mr. Truman's address before a capacity Jackson-Jefferson day dinner was full of praise for Sen. Wayne Morse, one-time Oregon Republican who will seek reelection next year as a Democrat. Morse had been forced, Mr. Truman said, to abandon his party and turn to the Democrats because he had discovered "that you cannot protect the public in terests under present Republi can management." Must Keep Mors He told Democrats from four Northwest states at a $25-per-plate dinner that Morse must be kept in the Senate to help stop "something evil" that is happen ing in the country today. He said "the future of this part of the country depends not only on having a congress that is sympathetic to projects nec essary to your economic growth but a sympathetic administration as well." . At a press conference earlier in the day, the former President expressed dislike for a House ap propriations bill that failed to provide for any new hydroelec tric starts in the Northwest. He described the bill as part of the technique of the Republicans for the destruction of federal power. Regarding Hells canyon, he said the technique called for the federal government to give up crucial dam sites and get the Federal Power Commission to turn them over to private power companies "for piecemeal ex ploitation." (Sea story on Pagt 3) Crowd of 425,000 Watches 1955 Rose Festival Parade Portland (U.R) A crowd es timated at 425,000 persons jam med Portland streets Saturday to watch the grand floral parade of the 1955 Rose Festival pass by with former President Harry S. Truman as honored guest' - Viewers started gathering at dawn for the 3-hour, 44-minute spectacle of 51 flowered floats which wound through downtown Portland and across the Willam ette river. Stream of Floats Sharing honors with a tanned and fit-looking Mr. Truman were Oregon Gov. Paul Patterson and Mayor Fred Peterson of Port land. They rode by in a stream of floats composed of roses, daisies, peonies, lupine and snow balls. ,' Portland General Electric company won sweepsteaks hon ors in the commercial division for their "Three Coins in a Foun tain" float and the City of Van Order Impossible, Equalization Board Tells Commission The Jackson county board of equalization Friday informed the state tax commission that a com mission order for assessment of orchard trees by June 16 "is physically impossible." A letter to the tax commission, signed by the three members of the county board declared.: School District 6C Schedules Election On 1955-56 Budget Central Point Voters in School District 6C tomorrow will cast ballots on a $252,996.48 levy over the 6 per cent limita tion to provide for additional teachers' salaries and increased operational expenses. The total district 1955-56 bud get is $600,841, an increase of S402 over fiscal year 1954-55. Estimated revenues will bring the net total down to $276,800. The amount within the 6 per cent limitation is $344;041, with $252,996.48 over the limitation. Inadequate Base An election is necessary be cause of an inadequate base as well as additional expenses, H. P. Jewett, superintendent of schools, said. The budget provides lor a new teacher at Central Point Junior hich school, two in Cen tral Point elementary school, one at Gold Hill and one ai Crater High school. Jewett said "the six per cent limitation law, dating back to the early 1920's, is such that a favorable vote on the budget is necessary if schools are to op erate next year." He pointed out that district 6C has a school census of more than 2,200, an enrollment of 1,800 children and a staff of 75 teachers. Canful Consideration The budget committee he said, have given careful consid eration to a budget which they believe will provide good schools at a reasonable cost. A reduction of $44,698 in the local levy for next year was noted by Jewett. The reduction is due to O and C funds avail able for bond redemption and to a substantial cash balance carried over from this year. Polling places will be Cen tral Point Junior High school gymnasium "and the Gold Hill school gymnasium. Polls will be open from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Voters are eligible if they have resided in the district for six months and have registered as voters at least 30 days prior to the election. couver. Wash., took the non commercial sweepsteaks with "Anna and the King of Siam" portrayed in a quarter-million flowers. Japanese Cadets A special thrill was provided by marching cadets of the Jap anese training ship Nippon Maru, who travelled farther than any one else to participate in the 47th annual festival. Crowds cheered the sight of Japanese and American flags being borne side by side through Portland streets for the first time since Pearl Harbor. Cowboy star Monte Montana was grand marshall of the 5-mile-long parade and festival queen Nancy Wyly and her court of seven princesses appeared on a float of golden and purple daisies. Blue ribbons for floats from Oregon cities went to the Beaver ton "add Hillsboro Junior Cham ben of Commerce. "While we recognize that it it the duty of the board of equal ization to carry out an order of the state tax commission, we are of the opinion that it will be entirely impossible for us to comply with this order for the reasons set out herein. If you believe it possible for this board to fairly and justly assess all of the orchard trees in Jackson county within the time allowed by your order, we would like to have your advice as to how the task should be accomp lished." The letter was in answer to a state tax commission order received here June 6. The order, in two parts, instructed the coun ty board of equalization to: 1. Assess orchard trees in Jackson county at the same per centage of true cash value as other real property and include the same in the assessment of real property upon which the trees are located. 2. Remain in session from day to day until there has been sub stantial- compliance with the order, but in no event later than June 16, 1955. . Have Considered Problem The letter to the commission declared that "Since receipt of your order, this board has given consideration to the problems involved in attempting to comp ly therewith, and we are at a loss to -determine how to carry out your order, particularly within the limited time allowed thereby. "According to the best inform ation available to us, there are approximately 12,000 acres of land planted to orchards in this county. In addition, there are countless residential and farm properties containing from a few to a dozen or so fruit and nut trees." Concerning the possibility of placing a blanket assessment on orchard trees, which county of ficials have stated is the only assessment method which would be followed in the short time before the June 16 deadline, the board of equaliziation said: "Applicable statutes require the assessment of property at its true cash value or a certain per centage thereof. Obviously, this board cannot tell in advance what effect, if any, the existence of orchard trees on real property may have upon the true cash value of that property." aVriabla Factors The letter to the commission adds, "It is also obvious that the relative value of orchard trees will depend on a number of variable factors, and that it will be necessary to examine the individual properties involved in order to fairly and justly appraise the value of the or chard trees situated thereon at a percentage of their true cash value." County Assessor R. G. Fowler has estimated that it would take two qualified men at least six months to make the appraisal of formally planted orchards. The board pointed out that it "has no employees to assist in the task assigned to it by the com mission, and has not funds with which to employ help, even if qualified help were available." The next step in the dispute will be up to the state tax com mission. It has been suggested by local orchardists that the most equitable solution to the problem would be for the state tax commission to vacate its order at the present time and reissue it later when more time would be available. The members of the board of equalization signing the letter to the commission were County Judge Rodney Keating, Arnold Bohnert, and Ralph Cook. The board was recessed Friday sub ject to call by Keating, who serves as chairman of the group. CONGRATULATIONS are given Pierce J. Gerety (right), by President Eisenhower after attorney is appointed deputy admin istrator of Refugee Relief law, succeeding Edward J. Corsi. In background are Secretary of State John Foster Dulles (left); Scott McLeod, State Department security chief. (International) Final Changes Made In County's Budget The revised Jackson county budget for 1955-1956 was being prepared for the signatures of the county court and county budget committee Saturday. Work on the budget, including a few changes, most of them minor, was completed Friday afternoon following a public hearing. Most important change in volved the district attorney's of fice, where three substantial salary increases were approved. These changes were made fol lowing receipt of a series of rec ommendations from the Jackson County Bar association. Under the changes, District Attorney Walter Nunley's salary will be increased fronr $5,000 to $7,500 a year.' 'As "in the past, $5,000 will be paid by the state. The additional $2,500 will be paid by the county. The budget committee also approved' a $2,000 a year supple ment for the $3,000 state salary Teamsters Ratify New Wage Contract Los Angeles U.R) An AFL Teamsters strike which had tied-up trucking in 11 western states since May 19 was formal ly ended Saturday with ratifi cation of a new contract be tween the union and the truck ing industry. Federal Conciliator John Fen ton said truck firms expected to resume full-scale operations at midnight last night follow ing what was described as "overwhelming" acceptance of the agreement by union mem bers. The agreement generally gave long-haul operators an immed iate eight-cent hourly pay in crease, an additional eight cents next year and seven cents the third year. Local contracts will vary. The union had asked for hikes totaling 29 cents an hour over a three-year period, but that amount was granted only to short-haul drivers. The Teamsters also received an $a.B5 monthlv emolover con tribution for a drivers' pension plan and a one-fourth cent per mile mileage increase. . Two Burmese Men End County Visit Maung Thein Nyun, Rangoon, and Ko Tun Oo. Myaungmya, two Burmese who have lived in Jackson county farm families for the past month, ended their stay yesterday. They left at noon for Oregon State college at Corvallis. From there they will go to Camp Meri wether, Sand Lake, Ore., where they will attend a western states regional Boy Scout administra tion session for one week. The two are in the United Sfatoc under the International Farm Youth Exchange and Boy Scout programs. Ko Tun Oo has been with the John Ousterhout familv. Dutton rd.. Eagle Point, while Maung Thein Nyun has been with the Don Minears, Jacksonville-Phoenix rd. They will spend a month in Marion county and then will go to Illinois. The two will attend the International Boy Scout Jamboree at Ottowa, Ont., Can ada, before returning to Burma. for a deputy district attorney. The county will continue to pay $4,200 a year salary for a second deputy. Deputy District Attorney Gene Piazza, who has been the county paid deputy at $4,200 a year, will now hold the combi nation county-state paid position and will receive the total of $5,000 a year. Nunley will seek to obtain a second deputy to fill the $4,200 a year county-paid job. Position Vacant For several months, since the resignation of Russell DeForest, the $3,000 a year state paid posi tion has been vacant. DeForest served in a part time capacity. In another change, all items of equipment were returned to -the various departmental budgets. They had been lumped in one grouping under the title of "Sinking Fund for Improve ments and Equipment," together with $60,000 for construction of the new armory building, to be located at the county fair grounds, and approximately $105,220 in courthouse improve ment funds. These equipment items includ ed $450 for typewriters and $1, 200 for other equipment in the county clerk's office. However, a requested $5,800 for an auto matic addressing machine, re quested by Mrs. Bereth Hopkins, county clerk, was turned down. The budget committee also ap proved increases in salary for two employees in the county schools office, bringing their pay into line with salaries paid for similar duties in other depart ments.: Request Approved A request by Sheriff Howard Gault for added funds for legal department equipment was ap proved, and Gault was told that funds would be available for extra help, despite the fact that this item was removed from all departmental budgets. Extra help, this year, is in cluded in a lump item of $9,960 under the "Miscellaneous Gen eral County" listing. In the ten tative budget, extra help had been set at $11,560. Despite the changes, there will be no change in the overall budget total, which will remain at $3,542,368.20 with a levy of $615,459.13. This was made pos sible by changing the total amount allotted in the tentative budget to the sinking fund for improvements and equipment. Those working on the budget this year were the budget com mittee, composed by M. T. Wray, chairman; Roger F. Rath, secre tary, and Arnold Bohnert, com mitteeman, and the county court, made up of County Judge Rodney Keating, and Commis sioners Chester Wendt and L. G. Morthland. Earl Herman Imhausen, 25, route 3. box 180. Medfcrd. wai fatally injured when the car in which ha was a passenger apparently missed a curve on the Valley View rd., about S p.'m. Saturday night. J. C. Skaggs, 38, route 2, box 376D. Medford, the driv er, was injured, but state po lice said his injuries were not considered serious. He was taken to Sacred Heart hos pital. State police said the car ap parently missed a curve and struck a power pole beside the road. Offer Buy DeadiiiiB Detroit (U.R) General Motors Saturday handed the CIO United Auto Workers union a new offer aimed at averting a strike by 385,000 GM workers at midnight Sunday. The offer came shortly before a four-hour recess late Saturday afternoon. The recess was called by the union to study details, of the offer. Like Ford Settlement The offer was reported to be patterned closely after the set tlement reached between the UAW and Ford Motor company last Monday. The three-year Ford contract included a "guar- Bill Thomas Dies; Services Tuesday For Medco Official William J. (Bill) Thomas, 56, Butte Falls, one of southern Oregon's best known loggers, died Saturday in Medford. Mr. Thomas, woods superin tendent for Medford . Corpora tion, was stricken by a heart attack while in his car near the Medco office. Funeral services will be held Tuesday at 10 a.m. in Conger- Morris chapel with the Rev Paul Calhoun of the First Pres byterian church officiating. Committal will be in Siskiyou Memorial park, with Medford Lodge 103, AF&AM in charge. Mr. Thomas was born May 31, '1899, in Cucamonga, Calif. He came from San Bernardino county in 1912 with a logging group, and helped found the town of Brookings, Ore. A res ident of the Rogue Valley since 1926, he has been employed by Medford Corporation for 20 years. " A member of the Masonic lodge and the Butte Falls Lions club, Mr. Thomas also was ac tive in the Southern Oregon Conservation and Tree Farm as sociation and the Society of American Foresters. On July 20, 1920, in Crescent City, Calif., he was married to Anna K. Hibbard, who survives. Other survivors include four daughters, Mrs. Wesley W. Dris keyy, Medford; Mrs. P. B. Kea kell, Medford; Mrs. P. B. Kea Rodgers, Brookings, Ore., and Miss Joanne Thomas, at home; two brothers, Ben A. Thomas, Reedsport, Ore., and Carl Thom as, Smith River, Caljf.; a sister, Mrs. Ed Hoar, Brookings, and seven grandchildren. Sports Bulletins Pitcher Ray Slratton tossed three-hit ball and smashed a two-run homer last night as Bandon bowed into the South ern Oregon Baseball - League with a 5 to 2 decision here over the Medford Cheney Studs. The game was scoreless until Stratton - socked the roundlripper in the sixth inn ing. ' Nations Friendly to U.S. Receive Offer Of Aid in Building Up Nuclear Research University Park, Pa. (U.R) President Eisenhower offered Saturday to help friendly na tions build research and power reactors to open "the gateway to a broad avenue of world prog ress." Dramatically lending new em phasis on his original atoms for peace proposal, the President proposed that tthis nation: Would Pay Half Cost 1. Pay half the cost of con structing research atomic reac tors in partnership with free nations which would use them for "peaceful atomic progress." The United States would furnish the fuel free. 2. Make available "within prudent security considerations" American skills and know- how to those friendly nations which would build their own power reactors and operate them for "peaceful purposes." Standing before some 20,000 rain-drenched persons in Beaver Stadium, Mr.' Eisenhower made BBap-as Hears anteed semi-annual wage," i six-cent hourly pay hike (or 2.5 per cent if that is larger) each year, higher pensions and im proved insurance benefits. General Motors spread its new offer before union negotiators shortly after CIO President Wal ter Reuther tried unsuccessfully to get GM President Harlow Cur tice to join the contract talks. Curtice turned down the in vitation and said other company officials had "full authority to negotiate." No Confirmation The abrupt recess came after the exchange between Reuther and Curtice. It raised specula tion that the company had come up with an offer to ease the threat of a company-wide walk out. But because of a "new blackout" shrouding the negotia tions, the company action could not be immediately confirmed. A flurry of activity followed the recess. Union negotiators hurried to their hotel near the General Mo tors building for a private con ference. The company's top negotiators went to executive offices high up in the GM build ing for special meetings. GM financial experts also went into a private huddle in a special conference room . just off the bargaining room. Reuther told Curtice negotia tions "have reached a critical stage, with time running out and with a number of basic issues still unresolved."""--' 10 Americans Die In Air Force Crash Stuttgart, Germany (U.R) A U. S. Air Force Superfortress, climbing blind up a fog-shrouded dead end valley, smashed into a German mountainside Friday night in a flaming crash that killed all 10 airmen aboard. The big four-engined SB29 was based in Britain at the Moles worth Air Force Base that launched B-17s over Nazi Ger many in World War II. It was making a non-stop instrument training sweep over Germany. The pilot, flying on his in struments alone in the dense fog, let down for a practice approach to a nearby airfield before climbing west again to return to England. His climb was too slow. The straining plane crashed 1300 feet up the side of a 2200 foot peak in the Swabian Alps. It burned fiercely. The bodies of the 10 men were found by rescue workers - at the scene some 13 miles southeast of Stutt gart. Washington (U.R) Stepped up aircraft production to keep the United States well ahead of Russia may enable the Air Force to reach its 137-wing goal much earlier than the mid-1957 target date, it was learned Sat urday. his proposal in a commencement address at Pennsylvanvia State University where he had inspect ed a new $300,000 atomic re actor. . Seek to Spark Skills "Our purpose is to spark the creative and inventive skills latent in the free world, to pool them and to put them to work for the betterment of the condi tions under which men must live," the President said. ' In making his dual atoms-for-peace proposal, he also suggested that where one nation does not have the skills and resources for construction and operation of a research reactor, the United States would support a volun tary grouping of several friend ly nations within a single region to acquire and operate one. to gether. . . . ' The Chief Executive's sugges tions, went far beyond an exist ing U.S. program for sharing atomic information with friend ly nations and was a new chal French Road Race Accident Declared Worst in History Car Going 160 MPH At Time of Smashup . Le Mans, France (U.R) A Mercedes car hitting 160 miles-an-hour ran- up the (rear of another in the LeMans Road race Saturday, catapulted over the heads of a screaming throng of spectators and exploded like a bomb. Police said the flaming debris of the wreck killed 70 persona and injured 100 more. It was the worst racetrack smashup on record. , Unable to Move - 1 More than 250,000 persons were lined up along the 8.S miles of road the 24 hour sports car race is run over. They were packed in so tightly at the spot where the Mercedes hurtled . a double barrier,' that few could move when the silver-grey death car exploded. Flaming fuel dumped on their heads. Parts of the car flew like shrapnel in all directions through the crowd. Straw bales forming part of the barrier burst into flame. The screams of the dying were drowned by the roar of the powerful cars still racing down the straightaway. France s Pierre Levegh was driving the silver-grey Mercedes death car.- His American team mate John Fitch, of Stamford, Conn., was standing on the side lines in the gay crowd of 250,000 waiting to take his turn at the wheel when the accident occur red. Going 160 MPH The - Frenchman- was - hitting 160 miles an hour as he came down the four mile straightaway on the course, a rectangle of roads outside Le Mans, which is sealed off for the famous 2,500 mile race. An Austin Healey driven by Britain's Lance Macklin, pulled aside to allow Britain's famous Mike Hawthorne to pass in a speeding Jaguar. The Mercedes crashed into the back of the Austin Healey, hurt led into the air and exploded like a fragmentation bomb on the grandstand side of the track. The rear end of the Mercedes was flipped over a double bar rier of wooden fences, straw bales and sand into the crowd massed at a point near an un derpass leading to the grand stand. (See Story en Page 10) Medford Blood Donor Appointments Lag Only a small number of ap pointments have been made to donate blood when the Blood mobile visits Medford Tuesday, according to the Red Cross. Appointments may be made by telephoning 3-3813 all day Monday, and drop-in donors are always welcome during blood collection hours. The unit will operate from 1 to 6 p m. at the Elks temple Tuesday. A total of 250 donors will be needed to meet this month's quota of 200 pints of blood for use here and in the regional blood bank. . ' lenge to Russia to join in an international atomic agency to put the atom to peaceful pur suits. . , This country now is sharing some non-military atomic infor mation with friendly nations.' Ten bilateral agreements have been initiated and 10 more may be completed by the middle of this month. , - Under these agreements the United States provides uranium to run research reactors which are built or purchased by other nations: and contributes certain information. Those friendly nations now would build research reactors with " the United States paying half the total cost which aver ages about $350,000. In fact, the United States already has embarked on the program. The reactor the United States will put on display at the atomic energy world exhibit at Geneva in August will be sold to Swit zerland for 1180,000. 4 J 'Jj - ; i i j
