Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, July 05, 1955, Image 1

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Medford mail tribune., July 05, 1955, Image 1

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Newspaper Page Textft lb n ft1 o) W7 Medford United Pre Full Leased Wire 50th Year 20 Pages 3H Rood Pesatilhis CDodpy (Leaves W h$ oro Overall Total Recorded at 783; California Leads " "Drivers Ignore Pleas To Break 1952 Record Br UNITED PRESS The nation's motorists "cele brated" Independence Day with 391 traffic deaths, a new record for a three-day July Fourth week end. Driver ienored the pleas of aafetv officials and broke the grim record of 356 deaths set in the three day observance in 1S52. ' A United Press tally from 6 p.m. Friday through midnight Monday showed 391 persons kui . ed in traffic. The heat wave sent drownings zooming to a total of 241. Fireworks killed only one, but 13 died in plane crashes and 137 in miscellaneous accidents for a total of 783. California led all other states with 42 traffic deaths, Michigan had 20, Illinois and Pennsylvan ia 18 each, and Iowa 16. Only North Dakota, Vermont and the District of Columbia reported no traffic deaths. One American died on the highways every 15 minutes-dur-ing the week end slaughter. An estimated 40,000,000 cars clog ged the roads, causing one of the biggest traffic pileups in the na tion's history- Most Americans sweltered through the glorious fourth, bak ed by the summer's first big heat wave. Temperatures went close to the 100s in the eastern half and were well into the 90s in vast areas of the west. Heat Exhaustion ' The heat and the holiday re sulted in record millions at New York city beaches, at least one heat prostration death in Michi gan, and frayed nerves on tne highways. At Pittsfield, Mass., 37 per sons suffered heat exhaustion during a two-hour parade. A Detroit man sprinkled passers by as well as his lawn, but po lice let him continue saying ms actions were "more thoughtful than malicious." - The holiday's greatest traged ies stemmed from an Iowa crash which virtually wiped out' two families and a broken bridge at the Cherokee, N.C., Indian res ervation. Two Fannies in Collision Near Iowa City Sunday night, the Max Williams family was on a holiday trip from Moline, 111., and the Clarence Weichmann family was returning to Home stead, la., from a picnic. Their cars crashed and eight persons' died Mrs. Weichman and her ttyee small daughters, the Wil liams couple and their daugh ter, and a friend, of the Williams family. - Peron Raps Rumor Mongers; Calls for Political Truce Buenos Aires U.B Presi dent Juan D. Peron called upon his enemies for. a political truce today. . His call for a truce -and an end to what he called "fighting psychosis" coincided with re ports from Vatican City that Argentina had communicated to the Vatican through normal diplomatic channels" word that two expelled prelates would be permitted to return to Buenos Aires. The two, Msgrs. Manuel Toto and Ramon Carlos Novoa, now are en route to Rio De Janeiro from Rome to attend the Inter national Eucharistic Congress. ' Their expulson marked the high point of Peron's battle with the Roman Catholic church and resulted in the .excommunica tion of Peron and all others connected with the incident. However, not once today did Peron refer to the cfaurdnUte MEDFORD, OREGON, PARALYZING TRANSIT STRIKE provides easy parking for Washington, D. C. residents on street car tracks while thumbs replace fare tokens as travelers seek rides. (International) Assessed Valuation In County Somewhat Increased This Year Jackson county's assessed val-a uation, excluding corporations, totals 08,552,392, according to figures released today by Coun ty Assessor R. G. Fowler. This compared with a 'total oft' $61, 754,115.32 for last year. Figures on corporations with in the county are prepared by state assessors, and are expected to be ready by about the 15th of this month. In addition, another $2,000,000 could be added to the county's assessed valuation if the . state tax commission's order for as sessment -of orchard trees in Shakespeare Festival Box Office Open Here Shakespearean- festival box office was opened in the lobby of the First National bank here today. It will operate until the festival season ends Aug. 31, ac cording to William Patton, festi val general manager. ' The box office will be open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily except Sunday. Memberships in the festival association and re served seat tickets for the play will be on sale. - Patton said that good seats are still available for most per formances this August, but add ed that the best seats are avail able for mid-week performan ces. Advance sales have been excellent, he said. The. Ashland box office reports a 30 per cent increase in sales over last year at this date. In charge of the Medford box office will be Roberta Nelson and Josephine Maillard. controversy. In a bitter, 10-minute speech, Peron castigated rumor mon gers and the authors of the bloody but short-lived revolt which flared against his regime on June 16. But he concluded: "I - ask all comrades for ' a truce in the political struggle. Tension Increased "God grant that this hard les son serve us all. God grant that our .bitter enemies lay. down hates and vengeances, convinced of their impotence against the people." It was Peron's first public utterance - since June 23. Ad vance announcement - that he would make it had raised ten sion in this unsettled capital to the highest point since the re volt - . Peron said the situation had returned to normal in Buenos Aires and that the rest of the country also was quiet. ' , TRIB TUESDAY, JULY 5, 1955 Jackson county can be-followed. Total real property valuation in Jackson county this year is $54,993,130, according to Fowl er's figures. This total- includes $6,220,460 for lands inside cor porate city limits; $9,404,220 for lands outside corporate limits, $20,570,850 for improve ments inside corporate limits; $15,268,990 for improvements outside corporate limits, and $3,528,610 for timber, excluding land. ; The valuation on total per sonal property, is $14,137,218. This . total includes $4,517,294 for merchandise and stock in trade; $1,699,876 for furniture, fixtures and equipment; $1,264, 644 for farm machinery and equipment; $5,429,770 for other machinery and equipment; $170,986 for 385 trailer houses; $87,069 for improvements on land not deeded or patented: $30,055 for 1,336 horses and mules; $873,852 for. 38,497 cat tle; $19,218 for 5,728 sheep and goats; $14,132 for 1,436 swine; $21,465 for $55,140 poultry, and $8,857 for miscellaneous. Veterans' Exemptions . The total for real and personal property is $69,130,348. From this figure is taken veterans exemptions amounting to $577, 970, leaving the valuation of $68,130,348. v-' The only equalized value fig ure available today for- a city was for Medford. The new equal ized value is $17,790,800, com pared with $16,297,780 last year. Fowler said this morning that the new assessed valuation total for the county will cut the coun ty millage rate, but he noted that it is too early to tell how much the decrease will amount to. Very few budgets have been submitted to his office so far, the assessor said. Deadline for submitting budgets to the assessor's office is July 15. Six Believed Killed In Car-Train Crash . Dairen, Wis. (U.R) A train struck a car at a crossing near here today and first reports indi cated that at least six persons, most of them children, were killed. ' tBnaDDeftnini Washington (U.R) The 'Senate today approved a $L i 377.571,000 public .works money bill, including funds for the .controversial Dixon Yale project. The appropriation bill pass ed by . the Senate today was the one in which the Talent project is set down for $500. 000 in .- initial eonstructioB. V-t iff -"1 Unl Oil Leases Hearing Necessary Number For Exploration ; ,.- SanK.-VaUey-04'Jeaoec-essary for exploration of some 12,000 or more acres of land in the Sams Valley, Beagle,' Ram-, sey Canyon and Meadows dis tricts are almost complete, Ralph A.' James, chairman of a Landowners committee, has an nounced. James said about three-fourths of the necessary leases have been sighed. He said enough are ex pected by July 10 to have Natu ral Resources association of San Jose, Calif., start contacting oil companies. Have Agreement - The brokerage association, in an agreement with landowners of northern Jackson county, re quired leases on 12,000 acres of land to interest a company in exploration . of oil in the area. The leases will be held for safekeeping until a company in terested in development signs them. ', ,. James said the Sams Valley Grange will ' be open between 4 and 9 p.m. Friday and Satur day this week so property own ers may have land descriptions typed and . have leases notarized. Leases Under the ; committee agreement must be in by July 10, James said, and any leases, signed after that will be on ah" individual basis.' v Child Said Kidnaped By Bear Found Safe Libby, Mont. U.R) The mother of -year-old Ida ' Mae Curtis insisted today that a bear kidnaped the little girl, found unharmed near a lumber camp in the wild Kootenai National Forest by a search party. The searchers found Ida Mae Monday in a small hole only 300 yards from the camp where Mrs. Curtis said the bear possibly a grizzly grabbed the baby Saturday night. " . The child was taken to Libby Hospital. A physician' said she suffered only minor cuts and bruises after her 21-hour, ex posure in wilds of northwest Montana. ? Some of the 350 men who took part in the nightlong search for Ida Mae expressed . skepticism that she really had been carried off by a bear. Local Contractor-Wins California Contract Sacramento Peter Kiewit Sons Co., Medford, has been awarded a contract to grade and surface 25.2 miles of highways in northern California, accord ing to the department of public works. The contract is for $272, 979. The work is on U.S. Highways 99 and 97 between .Weed and the CalifornisXJregon border. FORECAST: Considerable cloudiness through Wednes day. Chance of afternoon showers in mountains. Low tonight SO. Hifh Wednesday 7S to 7S. Temp. Highest Yesterday .. 75 Lowest this Morning ...... 52 n Traffic Accidents In Oregon Account For Six Fatalities Ashland Couple Die In Crash of Airplane By UK .TED PRESS At least 1 persons were kill ed in Oregon during the long Fourth of July holiday week end. : Six died in traffic accidents; three drowned; three were killed in plane crashes; one burned to death; a carnival performer suf fered fatal injuries in a "ride of death;" an unidentified man was run over by a train, and an in fant fell from its mother's arms under the wheels of a rolling car. The carnival fatality occurred last night at the Happy Days celebration at Hillsboro during a performance of "Mike Kelly and his Ride of Death." Kelly, whose real name was Dean Hen ry LeRoy Pletcher,' performed an act in which,he rode a motor bike down a 200-foot ramp through a flaming hoop and a plate glass window - and over two parked cars onto another ramp. Bike Hits Car .- In his final show last night, Fletcher's bike hit-, the -top-of the second car and flipped him to the ground. . He - died of a broken - neck and fractured skull. The six killed in traffic mis haps were Lillian Louise Ekrist, 25, Astoria; Donald O. Martin, 23, Dufur; Daniel Webster Sos saman, 31, and -Allen Willis Mor ris, 23, Sweet Home; - Sahorn Mary McKay, Foster, and Victor E. Kuhn, 30, Portland. Light plane crashed claimed the lives of Donald. Creighton Linn, 28, Ashland, and his wife, Edith, 20, and James Estes, 53, G lend ale: The Linn plane crashed at Fossil. Linn was kill ed outright and Mrs. Linn died en route to Heppner hospital. Estes'. plane crashed near Glen date. - , . ;.;? Drowning' Victims Listed - Drowning victims included Walter B. Hunsucker, 50, Port land; Joanne Warneke, 15, Port land, and Garry Hyatt, 10, Glen dale. Leslie F. Stoll, 33, Baker blind war veteran, died in a fire at Baker.. Thebody of the unidentified man was found on the railroad tracks at NJS. 52nd ave., and Irving tt. in Portland aDout 11 p.m. Monday. Police said he had been run over by about 20 cars before railroad personnel dis covered the body. Trudy Whitney, - eight-month- bid daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ed ward Whitney, Klamath Falls, was killed under, the wheels of the family car after she fell from her mother's arms. Portland U.R The 23rd an nual racing season of the Mult nomah Kennel Club will open officially here Friday in Multno mah Stadium. ' Six Babies Arrive On Independence Day " Six babies, four girls and two boys, were born in Med-. ford's three hospitals on a sun ny, 1955 Fourth of July. Four were credited to Medford, and one each to Jacksonville and .Ashland. ;.,;,, , . , v.vy . j Parents of the Independence day arrivals: Mr. and Mrs. Wil liam H. Wright. 1128 West 11th st (a girl). Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hawkins, 503 Ken wood ave. (a bey), Mr. and Mrs. William Florey. 32 North Orange st (a girl), Mr. and Mrs. Richard Schuchard, 101 Geneva ave. (a girl) Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Wolff, Jackson ville (a boy) and Mr. and Mrs. Morris Jimines, 932 Garden Way, Ashland (a girl). Footnote: The boys out weighed girls on the average, 7 pounds, 4 ounces to pounds S ounces - -i-iec - - u ; v..- Maximum Security Inmates Hold Eight Men as Hostages Harm Promised . If Violence Used Walla Walla, Wash.v: (U.R) Thirty five dangerous convicts armed with knives and razor blades rioted in the Washington State Penitentiary here today and took a parole officer, five prison officials and two guards as hostages. . Two hours i after the ;riot started, the convicts released one - hostage, prison Capt Al Rembolt, and told him to "spread the word" that if vio lence was used against the riot ters, the hostages would be harmed. Rembolt was not hurt At the start of the riot, assist ant recreational director B. W. Fain was injured in a scuffle. Fain said he didn't know exactly what happened. He added the rioters "did not want to hurt me. "I've never been treated better in my life." - Fain suffered a nose cut and bruises. Prison business Manager. Wil liam Connell, in charge during Warden Lawrence Delmore's ab sence, said the' convicts had "complete control of No. 1 wing, the control room area and ine kitchen." Hold Kitchen Area , The No. 1 wing is the maxi mum security cell block where the toughest inmates are con fined The control room area is where inmates are interviewed regarding parole, transfer and grievances. ' ' ' . The convicts demanded to meet with Connell at 3 p.m. (PST). Connell talked with one of the hostages, Theadore Bez zerides, assistant superintendent for custody, who quoted the con victs as saying. if violence was used against the rioters, the con victs would use violence against the hostages. In addition to Bezzerides, the rioters were holding parole of ficer W.. S. Storey, vocational counselor Jess . Bentlev. Rem bolt, controliroonr deskman Bert jenKins, assignment officer Har- 01a uenmss and two unidentified guards. ; Recreation Director Beaten When the convicts began riot ing at 9:45 a.m., they took Fain hostage and beat him. But they let him go. v . Bezzerides told Connell that he. favored holding off any-action until the 3 p.m. meeting. Connell said . it was ; against prison : rules to release the names of the , convicts but he admitted that on nf tho ring leaders had escaped three times. . "He's a rough customer," Con nell said. . . , State Datrolmen. Walla Walla County sheriff's deputies, Walla waua policemen and .off-duty guards rushed to the prison as soon as the riot started. All were armed with 'riot guns. In July last year, about 1400 convicts went on a four-day hun ger strike. They called off the strike after state officials indi cated they would set up a prison program along the lines used in California. Washington State wan rnritprl by two prison riots in 1953 at tne state reformatory in Monroe and the prison in Walla Walla. LA. Socialite Found Strangled With Stole ' .Los Angeles U.R) A 33-yeor-old socialite . was found strangled with a knit stole today -in her fashionable bel air home. . Police immediately issued a bulletin for a former houseboy. The victim, Mrs.' Norma T. McCauley, was . found by a nursemaid, Laurie Dromtra, who said the woman's five-year-old son Kirk, had told her, "My mother's still sleeping." U N Newsmen To Attend Red Panmuniom. Korea (U.PJ-r- The United Nations military com mand today refused to auow American and other U.N. news men to attend a precedent-shat tering press conference wun Gen. Lee Sang Cho, senior Com munist delegate to the Joint Mili tary Armistice Commission. ' An invitation to meet -with Lee was relayed by four North Korean newsmen outside the building where the commission was meeting. General Rules It Out Thev said Lee would answer questions from the U. N. news men' 'after the commission meet ing. Cmmunist correspondents also asked permission to attend the U. N. press briefing after the commission meeting, but not as a condition for the Lee press con ference. But U. S. Air Force Maj. Gen. fii1B1al0ill,ilGilg Election IFolls mu Until 8 p.m. Way: Polling places for two elec tions in and around Medford will remain open until 8 p.m. today. Residents in an area east, south and west of "present city limits will decide whether or not more than 3,000 acres shall be annexed, while residents in Laurelhurst addition will vote on annexation of the section of Laurelhurst addition which is not now within the city. Public Hearings, Vote Canvass, on Agenda of Council The Medford city council will hold public hearings on annexa tion proposals of South Medford and Laurelhurst addition and one on the 1955-56 city budget at its 7:30 pjn.' meeting today. Also on the agenda is the can vassing of votes on annexations of. South Medford and Laurel hurst addition as well as in the city budget election. If returns are not complete, the council will canvass votes at an ad journed meeting Saturday. A public hearing also is also scheduled on paving East Jackson st. between Hawthorne and Genessee sts., which was postponed from the last meeting. Report Due City Manager Robert Duff will report on the city milk in spection, which is satisfactory under, state Grade A standards, on considering changes in em ployee compensation plan rates, and using city crews to do exca vation and installation of base rock on East, Jackson st. be tween Bear Creek bridge and Genessee st -. Duff also will report on consideration to remove a stop sign on East Main st at Modoc ave. Ordinances will be considered for paving Kenwood ave. from Second st to Humpherey st., and calling for bids on paving East Jackson st. between Bear Creek bridge and Genessee st Week End Arrests' Higher Than Usual - Arrests over the long holiday ran slightly above normal for a week end. period, according to law enforcement agencies. . The county jail roster this morning showed five arrests in volving liquor charges. These in cluded a charge of driving while drunk against David Ralph Bu chanan, 48, of 321 Ashland ave., Medford. The other-four were arrested on charges of drunk in public and drunk on a public highway. City police reported arrests on liquor charges were about the same as average for a regular week end. About five men were jailed. Three persons were arrested over the week end and are be ing held in the. county jail on charges not involving liquor. They are Robert .Read Barclay, 30, -of 714 Pine st, -Central Point, being held in lieu of $2,000 bond On a charge of ob taining money under false pre tenses, and Catherine Elizbeth Porter, 38, and David Edward Porter, 39, both of general de livery, Talent, held on -charges of concealing stolen property. in Core a Refused Permission Delegate's Press Mooting Harlan C. Parks, senior U. N. delegate, put his foot down. "I do not consider it appropri ate that representatives of the enemy enter my camp for a news conference and conversely I do not approve of accredited corres pondents entering their camp for similar purposes." ; Parks pointed out to the news men that, "We are still techni cally . belligerent although the period of hostilities terminated after the signing of the armis tice." - - Lee, -never before available to the Western press, waited 80 minutes for the correspondents to show up for the press confer ence. ; Parks issued his. ruling after conferring by telephone with top U.: N. Command officers in Tokyo;-"- ' ; -U. N. accredited correspond. Polling places in South Med ford are: Precinct 1 at the home of Mrs. Blanche Powell, 1920 Barnett rd.; Precinct 2 at the Southern Oregon Heating and Air Conditioning company, 2356 South Highway 99; and Precinct 3 at the home of H. G. Warner Jr., 1798 Stewart ave. - Residents in Laurelhurst ad dition will vote at the home of Ray T. Osborn, 1001 Stevens st Medford city residents will de cide whether or not the 1955-56 general fund budget shall ex ceed the 6 per cent limitation by $66,510 and whether or not the city charter shall be amended to increase from 12 to 15 mills , the limitation on taxes for gen eral fund purposes. There is no direct connection between the city budget election and annexation elections in areas adjacent to Medford. Polling places in Medford are: Ward I. City Hall; Ward IL Med ford High school; Ward HI, Med ford Junior High school; and and Ward IV, Boy Scout build ing in Hawthorne park. ; . Registered voters in the areas proposed to be annexed, and in Medford, are qualified to cast ballots. . Krushchev Gives Clues for Success Moscow (U.R) Soviet "strong man" Nikita Khrushchev paid a precedent-shattering visit to the U. S. Embassy yesterday to tell the western powers that "some thing will come" of the Geneva Big Four conference, if the West negotiates - with Russia "as an equal" . Khrushchev, first secretary of the Soviet Communist Party ,.andp six others' of Russia's topmost leaders, paid their visit during" the embassy's Independence Day -garden party. , The Soviet leader, in a lengthy carefully prepared statement of Soviet policy, warned the West against believing that - Russia would go to Geneva from weak ness. ' - In 'Solid Position' "The Soviet Union," he said. "has never been in a more solid position." His lengthy remarks, addressed to U. S. charge D' Affaires Wal ter N. Walmsley, Were obviously directed .to the governments of the United States, Britain and France. , ; ' " :. Khrushchev told Walmsley frankly that what he had to say was ' serious and important If you talk with us honestly and sincerely, as equal to equal, he said, "something will come of it" It was the -first tune in the - 22-year history of Soviet-American relations that Soviet leaders had Visited the U. S. Embassy. ' Asphalt Rood Work Sfarfs Through County : County road ' crews .started heavy asphalt work throughout ; the county today, according to Paul Rynning, county engineer. -Work is scheduled on about 25 miles of county road, he said. . Light dust oiling work has . been completed for the season. . County crews also are work- 1 ing on a grading and bridge building project on the south fork of Little. Butte creek. The road is being widened in places, - and the bridge, about three miles above Lake Creek post office, is being constructed of pressure treated timber. ents enter the closely-guarded Panmiinjom area in the demili tarized zone under strict , armis-, tice agreement rules and under escort of an Allied officer. Their movements inside the area are under U. N. military control and they are not permitted to enter Communist buildings. Illegal Buildup Charged . The newsmen were invited to see Lee only a few minutes after Parks, in the commission meet ing room, accused the Commu nistss of illegally building a Russian-supplied Air Force in North Korea. .'V .. -v- , . Parks said he had "irrefutible proof' of the illegal buildup of combat forces by the Red Korean Air Force. He said the protest "was the most serious . . i. made against your side since tne sign ing of the armistice.