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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (June 26, 1955)
WEATHER Recommended roiicni: cloudiness Sunday forenoon. Partly cloady Sunday after noon with scattered afternoon showers in tne mountain sec tions; partly cloady Monday. A varmint trend in tempera tures with hlh Sunday 77; low Sunday nif ht , ; Ugh Monday S3. Highest Yesterday jf Lowest yesterday morning - BIBMJ Feature itorieg on Boy ScouU rammer camp and on a deep tea fishing trip by a group of Mail Tribune carrier boys ap pear on Pate 12 of today's issue of The Mail Tribune. DFORD United Press t-uit Ljsed Wire United -ased Wire 50th Year 28 Pages MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, JUNE 26, 1955 No. 83 Me Vigorous Acti Hoover's Import Washington (U.R) The Citizen's committee for the Hoover report disclosed Satur day that President Eisenhower has ordered "early and vigorous" action to carry out most of the Hoover commission recommend ations for improving the govern ment. The commission has said its recommendations would save the taxpayers at least $2,000,000,000 ifthey were all put into effect. So far there has been little action. Call For Encouragement The committee called for the "active encouragement of unbi ased citizens of both parties" to help put the proposals into effect Steel workers Ask Hefly Increase in U.S. Steel Offer ; Pittsburgh (U.R) The CIO United Steelworkers told giant U.S. Steel Corp. Saturday it must make a hefty increase in its original wage settlement of fer to head off a possible indus try strike of 600,000 workers next week. John A. Stephens, vice-president and chief negotiator for the nation's top steel producer, was understood to have stood firm on a proposal booed down by union negotiators two days ago. The company offered wage boosts averaging more than 10 cents an "hour Talk Secretly Stephens and USW President David J. McDonald talked sec retly for two hours Saturday in their first face-to-face discus sion since Thursday night when the company offered a flat across-the-board wage increase of cents an hour. The re jected offer also provided for Vi-cent increases in 32 job classi fication rates giving the proposal a top range of 22 cents an hour. The meeting between McDon ald and . Stephens marked the opening of a down-the-stretch drive to meet the midnight June 30 deadline for new wage agree ments in USW contracts with 96 basic steel and iron ore pro ducers. U. S. Steel, which employs 150,000 of the USW members affected by the wage talks, again was carrying the ball for the en tire industry. McDonald ordered the Union's key 170-man wage policy com mittee, which has final say on all contract agreements, to meet here at 10 a.m. (EDT) Monday. He hoped to have a super charged proposal by U.S. Steel for the committee to consider at that time. Wheat Marketing Quotas Approved -Chicago U.R) The nation's wneat farmers apparently ap proved marketing quotas on the 1956 crops in a nation-wide ref erendum Saturday. Farmers from big wheat-producing states made the difference. Returns from 23 of the 36 states in which farmers voted, showed 96,481 votes for con trols with 42,698 against. That was 69 plus per cent in favor with 66.6 of those voting nec essary for approval. Big wheat-producing states piled up heavy margins for quo tas and the higher price support controls would bring. Kansas, the nation's largest producer, voted 39,035 for the quotas while Texas, another large producer voted 86.7 per cent for quotas and Minnesota's margin was -96 per cent. North Dakota's early count showed 94 per cent for controls. Three Jackson county wheat growers cast ballots in yester day's nation-wide election for wheat controls. T. D. Sehorn, secretary for the local Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation committee, said two votes were against con trols and one for controls. He said between 20 and 30 votes were expected, and that yester day's turnout was the smallest number ever to vote on such a proposal in Jackson county. Oil and thus give the nation "a better government at a better price." Clarence Francis, committee chairman, said he has been as sured that "relatively few" Hoover recommendations "will be considered contrary to the administration's program." He reported that Mr. Eisen hower stressed the need for positive administration action at a meeting June 8 with the commission's chairman, former President Herbert C. Hoover. The Budget bureau, he said, is expected to make the first report on progress with various depart ments early next month. End Work Thursday The Hoover commission, which goes out of business next Thursday, has issued 13 reports and 228 recommendations this year on how to rid the govern ment of waste and inefficiency. Four other reports now being completed will be made public shortly. The commission held its final meeting here Friday night. It marked the end of two years work and the chairman and one time president received a warm pat on the back for his "able, fair and patient leadership." James A. Farley, former post master general and a commission member, presented the resolu tion of praise. "I know of no American alive who could have made the same contribution as Mr. Hoover has," he said. In a message to citizen com mittee members, Francis noted that many Americans wondered why there has been "so much news" and "so little" action on the commission's work. But he said he now foresees definite progress. Can Take Action In the case of 99 proposals, he said the administration can take action without legislation. He predicted a "great majority" of these will be put into effect. But with the others, he said legisla tion will be required so that "vigorous teamwork will be1 needed." Francis said 31 bills have been introduced in Congress the last four weeks to carry out various proposals. But no hearings have been started on any of them and observers doubt there will be any action this year.' Underwriters Elect Officers for Year Oregon Life Underwriters as sociation elected John J. Howe of The Dalles, president suc ceeding A. E. Gravengaard of Portland at the final convention session at the Rogue Valley Country club Saturday. Other officers elected included Ralph Schwab, Albany, vice president; and Robert Rau, Portland, secretary-treasurer. The association voted to hold next year's convention at Eu gene. Almost 100 life under writers attended the two-day conference here. Three Means of Assessing Trees Before Three possible methods of as sessing orchard and shade trees before Aug. 15 were discussed by the Jackson County Board of Equalization and State Tax com mission representatives here Fri day afternoon. Set New Deadline The conference was called aft er the tax commission gave the equalization board a new dead line of Aug. 15 to equalize taxes on trees and place them on the tax rolls. Earlier, the commission had ordered the board to assess trees no later than June 15, but the board of equalization notified the commission it was impossible to carry out such an order. The meeting Friday was to discuss a feasible method to appraise and place tree assessments on the tax rolls. County Judge Rodney Keat ing, chairman of the board of equalization, said the board was "in a dilemna as to how this or der could be complied with in view of our interpretation. A true cash value will take time and money because no two or chards are comparable." Samuel B. Stewart, state tax 10 Americans Held By Reds Named by Released Ausfrians Russians May Hold 20 U.S. Citizens Vienna U.R) Austrians returning from Russia's slave camps Saturday disclosed the names of 10 more imprisoned Americans who sent pleas for help from U.S. authorities. Other recently returned Aus trians have mentioned half a dozen other Americans who are being held prisoners. It is be lieved the Russians may be hold' ing more than 20 U. S. citi zens. Many Kidnaped Reports on the additional 10 were brought here by 141 'men and 45 women who returned to freedom here. Many of them had been kidnaped from Soviet- surrounded Vienna after World War II and thrown into the slave labor camps. Some of the Americans they named are soldiers or civilian officials who were kidnaped in Germany or elsewhere. Others were seized by Russians who refused to recognize their U. S. citizenship. Saturday's returnees told stor ies of ruthless massacres of pris oners who rebeled agamst inhu man Soviet slave labor camp conditions. "When prisoners refused to work at Camp Vladimir (180 miles southeast of Moscow) in 1954, the Russian guards lined up everyone in the camp," one Austrian said. , "They shot the first man in the line, then after a pause they shot the second, then the third. The strike ended quickly." On other occasions, the Aus trians said, armed guards simp ly fired blind into the ranks of strikers. Among ten Americans identi fied was W. Freeman. Army records list a missing soldier named Willis M- Free man, of Seattle, but it is not cer tain he " is the "W. Freeman" mentioned by the Austrians. Not only is there a conflict in home addresses between the two men, but the Seattle Free man has been missing only since Feb. 23, when he was listed as AWOL. Returning Austrians re ported seeing a Connecticut Freeman in the Vorkuta horror camp as long ago as 1952. Teenagers Toss Cherry Bombs Into Molotov Estate Hillsborough, Calif (U.R) Hillsborough police strength ened security measures around V. M. Molotov's U.N. head quarters Saturday after six teenage youths created a mild uproar by tossing half a dosen cherry bombs into the patio of the estate occupied by the Russians. The youths introduced the Russian foreign minister to their own version of the Fourth of July by tossing the cherry bombs - noise - makers enclosed in plastic balls over a fence from a neighboring estate. The resulting flashes and explosions brought 15 Rus sians secret police rushing from the mansion with drawn guns and probing flashlights. Hillsborough Police Chief Walter Wisnom, who was on the scene, aided in the capture of the youths. commissioner, had outlined three possible methods of ap praising trees in a letter to Keating. These were: 1. Assessments based on fig ures by the commission, which Stewart said were computed by commission appraisers from aerial photographs and by field trips. 2. Assessments based on fig ures furnished by orchardists themselves concerning number of trees, types, condition and to tal acreage. 3. Assessments determined by the county assessor, who is ex perienced in agricultural fields and who is acquainted with Jackson county orchards enough to determine a fair value. Keating said the tax commis sion's figures of $225 and $300 an acre for orchard trees did not represent a "true cash val ue" because it does not consider age, size, soil conditions and other factors connected with orchards. "We have pieces of property that no appraiser could under stand from looking at the sur face," Keating said. Stewart said the figures may reds ,& Jr v., WJvA fi ';m HAIL, THE NEW CHIEF Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor (right) arriving m Washington from Tokyo is greeted by Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway (left), whom he will succeed as Army Chief of Staff, looking on (center) is Army Secy. Robert Stevens, whose resignation was announced June 22. The little fellow is Matty Ridgway, 6, son of the retiring general. lice Makes On Future New Hampshire Talk Parmachenee Lake, Me. U.R) President Eisenhower ended a three-day visit to New Hamp shire Saturday with a promise to return again "as soon as he leaves the White House but he did not say when that would be. The president sent that mes sage to the residents of New Hampshire and then drove into the rugged Maine woods for a week end of fishing and relax ation. Keeps People Guessing Mr. Eisenhower has been keeping people guessing for some time about his future pol itical plans. On Thursday, in Report Scheduled On Oil Findings Sams Valley Findings of a committee investigating possi bilities of oil exploration and development in the Sams Val ley, Beagle, Ramsey Canyon and Meadows districts will be re ported at an 8 p.m. meeting to morrow at Sams Valley Grange. A Sams Valley-Beagle Land owners committee was organiz ed more than six months ago to investigate proposed oil leases in the area. ; Oil and mineral lease propos als probably will be discussed at tomorrow's meeting. Earlier reports indicated two major oil companies in addition to a promotional group were interested in exploration of the area, which may involve some 15,000 acres. not be entirely correct, "but it is the best we can determine." Market Values The commissioner said assess ments may be determined by market values of land. "The as sessment should reflect what the willing buyer and willing seller will deal with" in a business transaction, Stewart said. A value reflecting sale values may be determined "fairly easy", he said. Stewart pointed out that or chard values may be plus or minus; that is, if orchards are old and detrimental to property their value would be minus. Arnold Bohnert of Central Point, a member of the board of equalization, said value of sev eral orchards are determined by management, and value varies from time to time. "That's why we need an ap proximate true value," Stewart said. The total value of property should be reflected in the assess ments, Stewart pointed out, and added that shade trees and berry bushes may add to the total value of any property. "Everyone pays more for mm pay fop New Hints Plans in Concord, N.H., he made veiled hints that he might possibly run for a second term. But he referred to a possible job change Saturday in a bread-and-butter statement to every citizen who turned out to see him on his tour of New Hamp shire. He said he had been "impres sed by the obvious hospitality and a cordial welcome that has touched my, heart." And he promised to return to New Hampshire again "as soon as I am in another kind of livelihood than I now enjoy." Enthusiastic Audience The president made his final New Hampshire speech to an enthusiastic audience in Berlin. He thanked the state for the many gifts it had heaped upon him and jokingly observed that only one present had been for gotten. "They should have provided a truck to carry them away," he said. ' Among the gifts presented to the president either for himself or for his wife were two heifers, a fishing' rod, hip-length fishing boots, two sport shirts, a peak ed snow shoers cap, a chain saw, trout flies, a spice cabinet, a pic ture of a birch grove and a sil ver punch bowl, a replica of one made by Paul Revere. Mr. Eisenhower arrived here at 2:07 (EDT) and settled down for some serious salmon fishing on a remote island in this wild erness. He traveled by outboard motor boat from the mainland to the island, which the Brown company of Berlin, N.H., main tains as a luxurious fishing camp. shade trees," Bohnert said, but the board said it appraised land on the number of buildings and land value. Harry Loggan, assistant to the tax commissioner pointed out trees "increase value, and that should be included" in assess ments. The board said "your person nel did not call that to our at tention." Final Test Stewart said values should be determined on the basis of whether or not a shade tree en hances the value of a piece of property. "The final test," Stew art said, "is how much the prop erty will sell for to a willing buyer from a willing seller.' In such a case, he said, shade trees would be considered. County Assessor Robert G. Fowler said he had "plenty to do without going out and apprais ing individual orchards," and added, "Every orchard is an in dividual problem" and a flat rate would be unfair. If orchards are not treated individually, Fowler said, "I don't see how you can get the cash value." "We have more hazards here U.N. 'Positive Molotov Tells Press San Francisco (U.R) Soviet Foreign Minister V. M. Molotov Saturday said he felt the United Nations meeting' here this week achieved "positive results." Molotov, interviewd at a rare "give and take" press conference said, "I believe that through the various talks and contacts that were established the San Fran cisco meeting achieved positive results." "It is difficult to say which was the most important achieve ment because so many fields were covered," Molotov said. Varied Questions The foreign minister, looking tired and sleepy-eyed after a hec tic round of conferences and appearances, answered a wide range of questions of more than 200 reporters gathered in the Long-Range Plans To Build Formosa Defenses Revealed Taipei, Formosa (U.R) The United States has laid down a long-range plan designed to make Formosa a formidable link in the Western defense chain, it was disclosed Saturday. American sources said that the plan calls for an expenditure of about $300,000,000 a year over a long period to keep this Na tionalist Chinese island out of Communist hands. Direct military aid is expected to total $200,000,000 a year. Ec onomic aid will account for the remaining $100,000,000. Principal Points The principal points In the United States plan are: 1. To keep 23 Chinese Nation alist regular army divisions at full strength and in top combat condition. In addition, a crack Chinese marine division and several reserve divisions would receive United States support. 2. To build up a Chinese Na tionalist air force of eight wings of jet fighter and fighter bomb er planes, a wing consists of about 75 planes. 3. To give the Nationalist navy two additional destroyers and a number of landing craft and pa trol boats. Nationalist sources say this would bring the navy strength to four destroyers, five destroyer escorts, more than 30 gunboats and a fleet of auxiliary ships. It is planned to bring the strength of the United States military assistance advisory group on Formosa to 1,700 offi cers and men. Officers of this group will be sent to even, the lowest units levels to supervise training and re-equipping of Nationalist troops. Under the plan, the United States 7th fleet would continue to guarantee Formosa against Communist invasion for "years to come," informants said. August 15 than orchardists do around Hood River," Fowler said, "and dif ferent values should be used. I am not arguing against the tax on trees, but we should have been notified before." The first order by the commis sion to appraise trees and put them on tax rolls was received by Fowler June 6, but the board of equalization notified the com mission the job was impossible in the short time. The appraising was to be done by June 15. Keating said, "it is a tremen dous job, and I don't see how we can do it and do it honestly and fairly in the length of time we have." The assessments must be on tax rolls by Aug. 15 under the new order. Stewart said he recognized the job facing the board, but point ed out "it is a matter of positive action" to do the job. "All we ask is a substantial compliance," Stewart said. "We are looking for the best we can get at this time." Keating asked: "How should we go about it?" Basie Start "We think the bask place to ABB sieved results', conference room at the War Memorial Veterans building, The question covered every thing from the Big Four "sum mit" talks at Geneva next month to the reunification of Germany. Molotov was noncommittal on what he expected would be dis cussed at the "summit" meeting, "The agenda will be agreed on by the chiefs of state them selves," he said. How long would the talks last? "The question of time limit will be determined by the needs of the conference itself after it begins," Molotov said. German Unification In answer to a question, Molo tov said the Soviet Union be lieves that Germany should be unified through, "free, democrat ic elections." He said his country "holds the view that a united Germany should not represent an extension of either the (Com munist) regime in Eastern Ger many or the Allied) regime in West Germany." "It should be ieft up to the German peole themselves to de cide what form of government they want," he said. Saturday's press conference was called after his appearance on the CBS television program, ."Facejthe Nation," was cancelled because Molotov refused to an-. swer impromptu questions posed by a panel of interviewers. He had requested that all questions be submitted to him first. He apparently agreed to the press conference because of a deluge of criticism of his action.' - His "give and take" remarks, however, were broadcast by the American Broadcasting company locally when they broke a net work show to put the press con ference on the air. Harvey Sachs, ABC news editor, said he was negotiating with the network to have the conference aired over the weekend. Molotov was asked whether he thought the situation in the Formosa Straits had improved recently. "As I see it the situation In the area of Taiwan you call it Formosa but I prefer to call it Taiwan is fraught with mili tary danger," he said. "I don't believe the situation there has deteriorated any but neither has it Improved." Sports Bulletin Jack Cooney tripled In the tying and winning runs in the . ninth inning ' at ' the fair grounds here last night to give the Medford Cheney Studs a 6 to 5 nod over the Bend Log gers in a Southern Oregon League baseball game. Med ford scored three runs in the final frame. Portland (U.R) The Port land Beavers look a Pacific Coast League -baseball game' from the second-place Seattle Rainiers 4-3 here Saturday night with an 11th inning bunt by Frankie Austin. Discussed start is with Information on the cards," Stewart said. The cards are those sent to orchardists not ifying them of appraisals. "I know orchardists are busy, but government is their business" as well as growing fruit, Stewart said. He said when the board ar rives at a value, it may be dis cussed with the party concerned and the board may arrive at a value agreeable to both the board and orchardist. Bohnert said "If we could have time to work it out and put it on the assessment roll next year it would be better," but Stewart said it would have to be done this year. Besides - Stewart and Loggan, Larry Michaels, who is in charge of commission appraisers, also attended the meeting. Ralph Cook is the third member of the board of equalization.' Several orchardists attended the meeting, but did not partici pate in the discussion. : The board recessed until 1:30 p. m. Wednesday, June 29. Ml Foreign Minister Expresses Regrets For June 22 Attack a Dulles To Confer With Eisenhower San Francisco J.R) Rus sian Foreign Minister V. M. Mol-, otov Saturday told U. S. Secre tary of State John Foster Dul les the Soviet government re gretted the forcing down of a Navy Neptune bomber over St. Lawrence Island June 22. and offered to pay 50 per cent of the' damages. In a statement released fol- Washington (U.R) Senate Republican Leader William F. Knowland said Saturday he iL. - . ... . wunn law nuuiu attack oa an American plane off Alaska was deliberate and signalled a turn from cold war into "hoc peace." The Californian told report ers he did not subscribe to the viewpoint that the shooting over the Bering Straits on Wednesday "Is an isolated in cident by trigger-happy Com munist pilots." lowing a hurried arranged meeting between Dulles and Molotov late Saturday, Dulles stated that "while he accepted with satisfaction the Soviet gov ernment's expression of regret, the offer as a whole fell short of what he had expected of the Soviet government in light of the information received." '.. Contacts President Dulles immediately contacted President Eisenhower and plan ned to confer with the chief ex ecutive in Washington Monday on the matter. - . The State department release said that the Soviet government asserted that the Neptune was over Soviet waters when it was forced down in i the Bearing straits last Wednesday the statement continual h Russians admitted that atmos- pnenc conditions "made pos sible an error on one aide ar an. other in regard to the exact position of the plane at the mo ment of the incident." The secretanr hat) 1u fin ished a swim at the home of the Marquis De La Pins in Ru therford, Calif., some 66 miles north of here when he received a telephone messaee that Main. tov wanted to confer with him The secretary returned to his suite in the Mark Hopkins ho tel by California highway oa- trol squad car. He covered the distance, with sirens blarincr in an hour and five minutes, arriv ing hi me notei at 4:50 p.m., ten minutes before the meeting. Joined by Bohlen vvna juiucu ox IUO XlOVCl Imperial suite by Charles X. Bohlen, U. S. Ambassador to Russia. Promptly at S n.m.. Ifoloimr and his party arrived. They whisked oast the hotel main tw trance and entered via the hotel garage to minimize their con tact with the public and took a hotel elevator to the 17th floor suite where the meeting was held. Convening in the 25 minutes conference were Dulles. Boh len, Molotov, Russian ambassa dor to the U.S., Georgi Zaru bin, and an interpreter. The meeting adjourned at 5:25 p.m. Motoltov and his party sped across the San Francisco Bay bridge to Oakland where they caught the Southern Pacif ic streamliner the City of San Francisco. The train, scheduled to depart at 6 n.m.. was held for the Soviet foreign minister's arrival and left seven minutes late. Molotov will iournpv to New York and then will depart for Moscow. Thornton Gives Ruling On Irrigation Voting Salem U.R) . Attorney General Robert Y. Thornton has ruled that the Absent Voter Sta tus applies to tne special elec tion to be held in the Rogue River Valley and Medford irri gation districts July 15. The boards of directors - of these irrigation districts have or dered a special election to deter mine whether a contract with the federal government for re payment of the costs of rehabil itation and improvement of the two districts should be author ized. ... . , ...,v...w
