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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.