air force mm plahe o
fin Pffin
Lru mm
mi IS In.
u r
INVADING THE WILD and woolly west, Keiko Takahashi,
"Miss Japan,", arrives in'Los Angeles to compete for "Miss
Universe" honors against girls from all na.tions.(lnternational)t
MeiniitaftVSairaDfy
ISecoines RHaBoii tissue
Don YirSaD -ffdr u.wjer:
The sanity of Bernice Hamp-
ton (Tex) White became the pri
mary issue this morning in the
first degree murder trial now
under way in circuit court
wmte, 37, 01 zzb Hartley ra.,
Is charged with the death of Eu
gene Raymond Birk, 32, Phoe
nix.
The importance of the sanity
Issue became apparent this morn
ing in the opening statement by
Defense Attorney Robert Dun
can. He told the jury, "We know
that Gene Birk is dead, and we
Vnnw that ha riied ae th result
rt Kintf cfmplf nn the Vioa H tw
a piece of lumber in the hands
of the defendant."
Three state witnesses had ap
pealed on the stand by the noon
Polio Makeup Shots
Given: More Slated
w--w-r
Make up shots for about 75
first and second graders who
missed second anti-polio shots in
a make-up clinic yesterday will
v 1 . . 1 A.OV ' -J
ne neia Between o ou a.m. uiu
5 p.m. next Tuesday, July 19, in
the Jackson county health de
partment office in the court
house, Dr. A. Erin Merkel,
health officer, said today.
1 Some 139 children received
second series make up shots yes
terday, Dr. Merkel said, but rec
ords indicate that 70 or 75 more
were notified and failed to re
port for the Salk vaccine shots.
. The third shot, known as a
booster dose, is recommended
between seven months and
year following second shots.
These will be given by f amilyJ
physicians.
... Dr. Merkel stressed the need
for the second shot because one
does not give sufficient protec
tion. The second shot, he said,
gives the degree of protection
recommended for controlling
polio.
McKay To Report
On Water Resources
Washington (U.R) Interior
Secretary Douglas McKay said
today he hopes to give President
Eisenhower by Aug. 1 a report
covering the basic principles for
a new national water resources
TJOllCV '
- McKay is a chairman olf a
cabinet committee named by Mr.
Eisenhower May 26, 1954, to
- establish a uniform national wa
ter . resources policy.
? The report will not be a vol-
iiminnm document TUtnKm airi.
He said it will recommend the
basic principles to be followed
to carry out a uniform policy by
all government departments and
agencies.
He said it will not go into the
field ox production of power
from water sources. It will go
into the use and control of sur
face and ground waters.
Miss Oregon Contest
Draws 12 Candidates
Seaside (U.R) TweWe candi
dates will compete for the title
of Miss Oregon of 1955 at the
annual Miss Oregon : pageant
here this week end.
The. event starts Friday night
?nd.' end3 Sunday. Represented
- ' -avtv parents will be Port-
r --i county, Columbia
. "-. rsrver ton, Coos
u - - "orest Grove Lin-r-
- -.-s t- "ew'rg, Spring
Leid and Willamette. -
recess today, and two of them
testified that they saw White
strike two blows against Birk.
Both identified a piece of two-by-four
lumber as the weapon.
Richard Dale Blunc, 24, Ash-
I land, 'who was a "lineup" man
for White at the Talent mill,
where the attack was commit
ted, told of seeing White knock
Birk down with the piece of
lumber, and then strike him
again after Birk had fallen.
William Bushnell, 25, Talent,
who was working as' ah edger
picker in the mill on March 2
when the attack occurred, gave
substantially the same testimony,
although he said he could not
see whether the second blow ac
tually struck Birk. I . -
BoetatVTeslifie-
The third witness for the state,
and the first to appear on the
stand, was Dr. A. E. Merkel,
Jackson county health officer,
who testified concerning an au
topsy conducted on Birk's body,
and on the cause of death.
Dr. Merkel declared that death
was caused by a skull fracture
and cerebral - hemorrhage. He
testified that these injuries ap
parently were caused by one or
two blows, depending upon the
weapon used. - .
Blunc's testimony brought a
sharp exchange between Duncan
and District Attorney Walter
Nunley, concerning a statement
taken from the witness by Dun
can about 10 days after Birk's
death in an Ashland hospital.
Most of Duncan's opening
statement centered ft r o u n d
White's medical history since the
age of 14, when the defense at
torney said White fell from a
pony. Since that time, Duncan
said, White has been subject to
seizures, some of them convul
sive. ' '-'
Had Epilepsy ''-.':
White has been diagnosed as a
victim of epilepsy on several oc
casions, his attorney said, one of
which resulted in his receiving!
a medical discharge from the Ma
rine Corps in 1939 only four
weeks after he had enlisted.
Duncan said the defense testi
mony would show that White
received a sharp blow under the
chin through an accident with a
piece of lumber only a few min
utes before the attack on Birk.
He added that the defense testi
mony , would . showthat Birk
struck or shoved -White on the
chest at about the same time.
."Tests have been taken show
ing White is not normal,". Dun
can said. "This act is the product
of a diseased mind." , - i -.
Nunley's opening statement
outlined the sequence -of events
preceding and including the at
tack on Birk, -which he said
would be given in the state's tes
timony.
. Selection of a jury was com
pleted at about '2:30 p.m. Tues
day. The trial was recessed after
the jurors visited the Talent mill.
Brush, Timber Blaze
On Klamath Reservation
Klamath Falls (U.R) More
than an acre of heavy brush and
timber on the ' Klamath Indian
reservation north of here was
burned before a small forest fire
was brought under control early
today. '.;.:..." . ''
The blaze, which . foresters
said was caused by smoker's
carelessness, was spotted by the
Agency Butte lookout station
about 3 p.m. Tuesday. A nine
man crew with two power wag
ons, a pumper and tractor was
dispatched to control the flames.
It was Klamath county's first
forest fire of the season.
MedfordB
United PrM full Leased Wire
50th Year 20 Pages
Undersecretary of
Treasury Selected
To Be Successor
: Resignation Comes
A No Surprise
. Washington (U.R) Mrs. Oveta
Culp Hobby resigned today as
secretary of Health, Education
and Welfare.
President Eisenhower selected
Marion B. Folsom, undersecre
tary of treasury, to be her suc
cessor.
Mr. Eisenhower accepted Mrs.
Hobby's resignation in an extra
ordinary public ceremony at the
White House before a crowded
room of reporters and photog
raphers. '
As Mrs. Hobby stood by, the
President paraphrased Secretary
of Treasury George M. Humph
rey and bade an admittedly sad
farewell to Mrs. Hobby by dub
bing her "the best man in the
Cabinet."
Folsom, 61, former executive
in tbe Eastman Kodak Co. at
Rochester, N.Y., was to be form
ally nominated later in the day.
Praise From Ik
Mrs. Hobby's departure from
the Cabinet has been expected
for some time. The administra
tion has sought to depress the
idea, voiced particularly in Dem
ocratic circles, that her depar
ture would be due to her
handling of the Salk polio vac
cine program. .
Mr. Eisenhower has praised
her publicly for a "magnificent"
job in handling the vaccine pro
gram. He said she is being
forced to leave government ser
vice because of the illness of her
husband, W. P.' Hobby of Hous'
ton, Tex., former governor" of
Texas.
Expresses Regret
Mrs. Hobby, second woman
Cabinet member in the nation's
history, issued a statement ex
pressing "regret" and "a deep
sense of sadness" in leaving gov
ernment service.
Mrs. Hobby later told report
ers that she informed the Presi
dent in January that she would
have to leave the government.
Asked whether the polio vaccine
controversy, which did - not be
gin until months later, "forced"
her out, she said, "nothing could
be further from the truth."
Houston, Tex. (U.R) The
Houston Post announced today
that' Mrs. Oveta Culp Hobby,
who resigned today as secretary
of Health, Education and Wel
fare, will become president of
the Post Publishing Co. -
Mrs. Hobby's husband, former
Gov. V. P. Hobby, now president
of the publishing company, will
become chairman of the board
when Mrs. Hobby returns to
Houston.
Heuberger Proposes
End To Auto Racing
. Washington U.R) Sen. Rich
ard L. Neuberger (D-Ore.) yes
terday said that it is time Con
gress prohibits the "bloodshed"
of auto racing. .
The Oregon Democrat told the
Senate that "the time has come
for the United States to be a civ
ilized nation and to stop car
nage on race tracks."
He cited a number of recent
fatal racing accidents, and said,
"deaths on our highways are sad
and tragic, but at least they are
not staged for profit and for the
delight of thousands of screech
ing spectators."
Weather Bureau Shifts
from 'fair to 'Hot
Medford office of the U.S.
weather switched Us- predic
tion from "fair' to "hot" to
day ; on the heels of ' yester
day's 98 degree temperature
which brought - to an abrupt
end a spell of ''cool" weather.
The weather bureau looked
for a maximum of near 100
degrees today and its forecast
was "hot through Thursday.''
A maximum temperature of
St to 100 degrees was foreseen
for tomorrow. Thermometer
at the weather station read
82 degrees at 10:30 a.m. today.
There is a chance of after
noon thunderstorms ia the
mountains.
MEDFORD, OREGON,
CuaDp Cd
OVETA CULP HOBBY
Resignation Accepted
Oil Right Leases
For 12,000 Acres
In County Secured
Oil right leases for more than
12,000 acres of land in the north
ern part of Jackson, county -have
been secured, it was reported
today by R. A. James, chairman
of a landowners committee.
They will be placed in a safe
deposit box in a local bank Mon
day, July 18, pending arrange
ments for exploratory drilling,
he said. .
It was necessary ' to obtain
lease agreements covering : at
least 12,000-acres before Natur
al Resources association, San
Jose,- could agree to work on
drilling arrangements. James
said the leases cover more than
the necessary minimum acreage.
Deadline Saturday '
No leases will be accepted
for deposit later than Saturday,
July .16, unless mailed with a
postmark dated earlier than July
16, James added. '
The Natural Resources firm
will now discuss exploratory
drilling operations with major
oil companies. .
The landowners committee
has been actively investigating
the proposal since early this
year, and the leases have been
discussed at several meetings of
those interested within recent
months.
Elk City Water
District Approved .
Residents along Highway 99
between city limits, of Medford
and Central; Point yesterday ap
proved incorporation of the Elk
City Water District. .
-The unofficial vote was 38 in
favor and 12 against, James Mc
Goodwin, attorney for the group,
said today. McGoodwin said the
Jackson county court will can
vass the vote soon. After incor
poration, an election will be held
on whether or not residents of
the area should issue bonds to
finance construction of water
mains. - v- '.- :; ;
Preliminary engineers' sur
veys of the district have been
made. . ... . :, ;:
The district . includes both
residential and industrial sites,
and is the most likely area for
future industrial development,
McGoodwin said, because it is
along " Pacific highway and
Southern Pacific railroad tracks.
Northwest
By A. ROBERT SMITH
Mail Tribune Correspondent
Washington (Special) Pacific
Northwest loggers are protest
ing proposed new taxes on truck
tires which , House Democrats
have advanced as a means of
paying for a stepped-up federal
highway building program.
Both parties are in.iavor of a
new highway program, but they
have been in conflict 'oyer how
to finance if. President' Eisen
hower proposed a plan by which
revenue bonds would be issued
by a government corporation set
up to finance the program, with
the bonds being paid off later
by general taxation. I; i L '
When Democrats jumped on
this scheme as a "give-away" to
bankers, pointing out that for
every dollar spent on road build
X
1Y 13, 1955
Argentine Navy
Demands Peron Be
Land
Army Also-Said
To Favor Action
Santiago, Chile U.R) The
rebellious ; Argentine Navy is
still insisting on the removal of
President Juan D. Peron and is
demanding - that he be - placed
aboard ship and sent out of. Ar
gentina, reports here from
Buenos Aires said today.
The reports were unofficial
but came from persons in close
touch with the situation in Ar
gentina as it has developed since
the bloody but apparently short
lived June 16 revolution.
:- These reports said the Army
also favors eliminating the Peron
influence but that it wishes to
do so gradually.
The Army is said to believe
that such a policy will prevent
confusion and tension which
might, result were - Peron re
moved now.
It was learned here that evi
dence came out at a Navy court
martial directly linking former
Minister of Interior and Justice
Angel Gabriel Borlenghi with
the Argentine flag burning inci
dent which later was used as an
excuse to desecrate Roman Cath
olic churches in Buenos Aires.
Catholics Accused
Catholic demonstrators had
been accused of tearing down the
flag and burning it.
Evidence was presented at the
court martial of Rear Adm. An
ibal Olivieri, former Navy min
ister accused of leading the revo
lution, that the flag burning was
Lordenrf personally by Borlenghi.
in xsew xorK. where be ar
rived from Montevideo yester
day, Borlenghi denied any con
nection with the flag burning in
cident '
Council To Study
Trimmed Budget
The 1955-56 Medford .city bud
get, trimmed of $66,510, will be
presented to the city council for
approval at a special meeting
tonight.
The trimming was necessary
after residents by a vote of 636
to 207 on July 5, turned down
a proposal to exceed the 6 per
cent limitation on budget in
creases by that amount.
City Manager Robert Duff
has been working the past week
to make the cuts, which he said
will amount to an average . of
about 10 per cent for all depart
ments. His detailed proposals
will be reviewed by the coun
cil, which has the power to make
last-minute changes in the bud
get within the over-all limitation.
A public hearing on the budget
will also- be conducted during
the meeting, which starts at
7:30 p.m. ' I' v '
State law requires that the
budget be filed with the county
assessor's office by Friday, July
15.- ' v
Medford Hearing Due
On Container for Pears :
Salem (U.R) Two hearings
will be held at Hood River and
Medford this month as to wheth
er Oregon apple and pear grow
ers and shippers should be free
to use any kind, size and style
of container. ?
The Medford hearing will be
held Thursday, July 21, at 2
p.m. in the Medford hotel. ;
Loggers Protest Pro
ing 50 cents would go to invest
ors -in interest" rates on the
bonds, they came up with vari
ous alternatives. '
Last week the - Democratic
members of the House Public
Works Committee; which is now
working on the road bill, un
veiled their own alternative for
raising added road building
funds. It involved increasing the
federal .tax on gasoline from 2
to 3 cents per gallon, the tax on
diesel fuel from 2 to 6 cents, and
imposing a 50 cents per pound
tax on new . heavy-duty truck
tires and 20 cents per, pound on
recaps. V
Two. Northwest Republicans
immediately jumped on this as
"exorbitant' . and "discrimina
tory." Reps. Thomas Pelly and
Russell Mack (R-Wash.) pointed
RIBUNE
United Press Full Leued Wire
Price 5c
No. 97
GETS JC POST Thomas J.
Reeder, above, Medford . attorn
ey, has been named state chair
man of the Junior Chamber of
Commerce . safety: program, it
was announced today. He will
attend a meeting of the state
executive committee in Salem
Saturday, at which time he ex
pects to be briefed in his new
duties. The , appointment . was
made by Ike Congelton, Port
land, state JC president.
ice Due
Telephone Users
In Applegate Area
A Pacific and Telegraph com
pany constructiaaproject will
bring dial telephone service to
more than 200 subscribers' in
the Applegate valley region is
well under way, it was reported
today! . " 1
Jack Creager, company man
ager here, said the new service
will replace : present, "farmer
line" service, where requested.
Surveys indicate initial demand
for 257 telephones by January
of 1956, he added.
Construction crews have start
ed erecting telephone poles
along 20 miles. Other work to
be done includes placing 111,700
feet of aerial cable, 1,400 feet
of buried cable, and 150 miles
of aerial wire.
Estimated cost of the entire
project, Creager said,, is $147,
000. " Telephone users in the Ap
plegate valley region, will have
new Jacksonville numbers. ;
Oveross Trial Said
'Parade of Herrings'
Salem (U.R) Marion County
District Attorney Kenneth Brown
today accused the defense of
making "a parade of red. her
rings" at the trial of Casper
Oveross, accused of the first de
gree, murder of Ervin Kaser at
Silverton Feb. 17. '
- In his closing arguments to
the jury, Brown said the defense
had made "much to do" about
the hiring of Charles Raymond,
Portland, as a special prosecutor.
; ''What difference does it make
as to the guilt or innocence of
this man whether I or 20 others
prosecute?" Brown asked; the
jury. ; , J;:
Z The defense was to give its
closing arguments and Judge
George Duncan gave his instruc
tions before the jury took the
case under advisement.
out that , loggers in the region
would be hit hardest by this tax,
even though - they "seldom use
the interstate highways" which
would be financed by the bulk
of these funds.
"Nevertheless," Pelly told the
House, "logging-truck owners
would be compelled to pay this
exorbitant $50 or more tax on
every tire purchased under this
bill. .The average' logging truck
has a complement of 16. tires, so
that for every set of tires pur
chased an additional tax of $800
or more would be assessed."
"I have received telegrams
from some truckers who seldom
if ever use interstate highway
systems that the proposed 1,000
per cent increase in the tax on
tires will put them out of bus
iness," declared Mack.
1
Weather
FORECAST: Hot through Thurs
day. Chance of afternoon
thunderstorms in mountains.
Low tonight (A. High Thurs
day SS-109,
Temp.
Highest Yesterday . S
. Lowest this Morning 6
Dulles Will Seek
Allied Unity in
Advance Meeting
Secretary of State
En Route To Paris
Washington U.R) Secretary
of State John Foster Dulles was
en route to Paris today to seek
Allied unity on Germany, dis
armament and other controver
sial East-West problems in ad
vance of next week's top-level
Big Four meeting at Geneva. .
Dulles will confer in Paris
with British Foreign Secretary
Harold MacMillan, French For
eign Minister Antoine Pinay,
and representatives of the 15
nation North Atlantic Treaty
Organization - which Russia
wants to wreck.
Plans Discussed
. President Eisenhower and Dul
les discussed their plans for the
Big Four conference with con
gressional leaders of both par
ties Tuesday.
One of those attending the
conference said Mr. Eisenhower
and Dulles made these points:
1. The United States will not
try for "substantive solutions" to
existing problems but rather will
seek "new approaches" to those
problems and try to inject a
"new spirit" into the attacks on
those problems. ' .
2.. This country will not agree
to discuss Asian problems with
out representatives of those
countries being present.
3. From the outset, the United
States will stress its desire for
reunification of Germany.
To Insist on Inspection v
4. It will seek a limitation of
armaments but will insist on ade
quate inspection machinery be
cause, as Dulles was reported to
have put it, "nothing can be
taken on faith." : .
5. The U; S. delegation will
reiterate the U. S. position that
free elections should be held in
Communist satellite countries,
but Mr. Eisenhower and Dulles
do not know whether anything
can be accomplished along this
line. i
, 6. It was believed that Russia
would press for a relaxation of
restrictions on trade between the
free world and the Communist
countries.
Melvin Glenn Wi e r.
Phoenix, a driver for Medford
Furniture store, told city po
lice early this afternoon, that
the fire which heavily dam
aged the store last Friday was
caused accidentally.
He and Gene Wallace Laud
erdale, a temporary employee
of the store, were looking for
a specific color of mattress in
a dimly lighted storage room,
he told officers, , and used
matches to furnish light. He'
accidentally ' dropped one.
which started the fire, Wier
told police. He was dictating
his statement and was to sign
it this afternoon.
He said he has been "wor
ried sick", about it ever since
the fire, and was "glad it's
over according to Police
Chief Charles Champlin.
Brattleboro, Vt-0).R) Mrs.
Lucille Miller, a - Vermont
. housewife, was convicted by a
federal jury today of advising
young men tododge the draft.
"Take the case of the logging
industry," Mack went on. "Near
ly' all timber today is hauled
to tidewater or to the mills on
trucks. The -' average 7 logging
truck in. the Pacific coast states
is equipped with 16 to, 22 tires.
These tires sell at about $100
each, plus a $5 tax."
5 "In short, the logging truck
owner' who now pays a tax of
$80 to $110 this is $5 a tire
will be .required under the" pro
posal in the Democratic .high
way bill to pay a total, tire tax
of $88 to $1100 truck. This is
$50 a tire for 16 to 22 tires."
Mack's pet peeve is that auto
mobile and truck owners pay
a multitude of special taxes at
present which are channeled into
the general fund of the U.' S.
oosed New Tax
Engine Suddenly
Bursts in Flames,
Eyewitness Says
6,000 Pounds of Jet y
Fuel Said on Board
Merced, Calif. (U.R) A four
engined air tanker, loaded with
6000 pounds of jet fuel, crashed
today a few minutes after taking
off from Castle Air Force Base,
killing all 11 crewmen.
Air Force authorities said the
plane, attached ' to the 93rd
Wing, was on a routine refueling
flight. The crash occurred about
six miles north of the air base
in a grain field near Cressey
Bridge.
Engine in Flames
An eyewitness of the crash,
Wilma Nelson of Cressey, said
the plane was quite low when an
engine . suddenly burst into
flames. "It looked like the pilot
was trying to make a forced
landing in the grain stubble
field.' The plane, exploded when
it hit the ground and threw .
Doaies ail over uie piace.
A nearby rancher, R. W. Strat- .
ton, said he reached the scene a
few, minutes later and found
most, of the bodies thrown out
in front of the wrecked plane.
Stratton said all the bodies
"were burned to a crisp."
It appeared that two or three
of the men had tried to -parachute
out. It looked like they '
were wrapped in partially
opened chutes."
A Cressey fireman,, L. H.
Moyer, said his crew found one
of the plane's engines about a
quarter of a mile from the rest
of the wreckage.
"The engine was on fire and
it took quite a while to put it
out. I think the engme dropped -off
before the plane hit . the
ground." -
Grain Field en Fire
He reported flames from the
wreckage set fire to grain
stubble and burned about 20
acres.
Mrs. Louise Flint, a Modesto
newspaper reporter, said - the
plane's tail assembly and land
ing gear "were the only parts in
one piece." She said "the center
of the ship was in little pieces,
it was just blown all over the
place. I think the pilot was try
ing to make an emergency land
ing in the field. : --
"Firemen were hampered
somewhat by the grain fire and
had to fight this blaze before
they could reach the plane. .
"I talked with several other
persons at the scene and all
agreed the plane burst into
flames before it crashed."
Roseburg Council Hits
Passenger Train End
: Roseburg The Roseburg city
council this week passed a reso
lution declaring itself against
the plan to end passenger ser
vice on the Southern Pacific line
between Portland and Ashland.
Mri addition, it asked that day
light service be added on the SP
schedule in southern Oregon,
as well as the nightly Rogue
River passenger trains.
. The city will file objections -with
the state public utilities
commissioner to the SP's plans
to discontinue passenger service
Aug. 7. ' V.
.. The . council volunteered its
services in a cooperative attempt
with the Roseburg Chamber of
Commerce to keep passenger
service alive.
Daughter of Pioneers, '
96, Dies This Afternoon
Mrs. Ada Walz, 96, of 3045
Bellinger lane, died early this
afternoon.
Mrs. Walz, a native , of Jack
son county, and lived here all
her life, and was the. daughter
of a pioneer couple. Her hus
band preceded her in death. -
Conger-Morris funeral home
is in charge of funeral arrange
ments, which will be announc
ed later. She. is survived by
several relatives in the valley.
on
s
Treasury and not earmarked
specifically for road building in
vestment. "These special automotive tax
es, paid almost exclusively by
auto and truck owners have
brought into the federal treas
ury more than $2 billion annu
ally," Mack said. "Yet, through
out the past 10 years the federal
government never has provided
more than $575 million in any
year for . highway construction
despite the fact that it was col
lecting four times that amount,
in special taxes from auto and
truck -wners."
, A showdown between the two
parties in the House on how to
finance future road investments
is expected to be a major fight
before the lawmakers adjourn
for the year this summer.