Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, October 26, 1955, Image 1

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Medford
United Press Full Leased Wire
50th Year 24 Pages
In .Orchardists'.
Assessor is Given
Alternatives for
Action by Oct. 31
Assessment Rolls
At Issue in Case
Salem (U.R) The Oregon
Supreme Court today accepted
jurisdiction in one phase of a
dispute between the State Tax
Commission and some 180 Jack
son county orchardists.
In doing so, it issued orders
to County Assessor Robert G.
Fowler to do three things:
1. ,To delete recent increases
in assessed valuations on com
mercial orchard property in
Jackson county.
2. To recompute the county
millfje rate, based oh the as
sessment rolls after the added
valuations are deleted.
3. To deliver the assessment
roll to the Jackson county sher
iff. Fowler was ordered to do
these by Oct. 31, or to appear
and show cause why he had not.
Askad for Writ
The orchardists last week pet
itioned the supreme court to is
sue a writ of alternative man
damus providing for the above
points. In accepting' jurisdiction
In the case, the court in effect
ordererf-rFowler to comply jvith
the request of the orchardists.
The orchardists' demand stem
med from increases in the assess
ments on commercial orchard
property, ordered by the state
tax commission. The dispute
has been in progress since last
spring, when the commission an
nounced that Jackson county
commercial orchard trees were
not listed on tax assessment rolls,
and ordered that they should
be included.
They claimed ' that , the in
creases in assessments on their
properties discriminated against
them in comparison with those
on other farm lands in the coun
ty. No Notification
Fowler this afternoon said he
has as yet received no official
notification of the action of the
Supreme Court, and was thus
unable to say what action he
would take as a result.
He reported, however, that all
corrections in the assessed valu
ations on commercial orchard
properties, ordered by the tax
commission as a result of recent
hearings here have been receiv
ed. He said, on the basis of his
present -plans, he will turn the
assessment roll over to the sher
iff as soon as possible, perhaps
within the next day or so.
The assessment roll now in
cludes the increased valuations
on orchard property as ordered
by the tax commission. The cor
rections, in most cases, are
downward adjustments of the
valuations ordered earlier.
Cold Air Brings
Thundershower Threat
Bt united press
Cold air which followed a Pa
cific storm front across Oregon
may result in scattered thunder
showers over the northwest part
of the state today, the weather
bureau said.
The freezing level over Port
land dropped from 11,000 feet
to 4500 feet early today. The
weather man said snow could be
expected down to 3500 or 4000
feet with heavy flurries expect
ed in the northern Cascades.
Minimum temperatures in the
20s were expected in central
Oregon tonight and local frost
is exDected early tomorrow in
the Willamette valley.
During the 24-hour period end
ing at 4:30 a.m. today, Portland
had 1.13 inches of rain; Salem
1.25; Eugene .52; Medford, .77;
Newport 1.46; Brookings .89,
and Klamath Falls .27.
edford
MEDFORD, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 19.
Court Accepts Jul
s ill J11 Jj Z
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LINCOLN GETS FIRST MIKE BASE Two guards, members of the 514th AAA Missile
Battalion in Lincoln, Mass., stand guard Over Nike missiles on their launching platforms.
It is the first of many NIKE hasps that will protect this metropolitan area.
Disqualification
In Royal Duties
Seen for Margaret
London (U.R) The Times
of London said today Princess
Margaret would be Virrevokably
disqualified" ; from carrying her
royal duties if she married di
vorced Peter Townsend.
The influential newspaper
ended its long editorial silence
with stern comment on Margar
et's romance with the handsome
Royal Air Force Group captain.
If Margaret and Townsend de
cided on marriage, it said, "The
Princess will be entering into a
union 'which vast numbers of
her sister's people, all sincerely
anxious for her lifelong happin
ess, can not in all conscience re
gard as a. marriage."
Opposition of the Church of
England to remarriage of divorc
ed persons, even innocent parties
to divorce, was reaffirmed by
Dr. Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop
of Canterbury, who pointed out
that "a reasonable church does
not change its teaching every
few minutes."
The government of Prime Min
ister Anthony Eden drew fire
from the Daily Mirror, Britain's
largest circulation newspaper,
for failure to tell Parliament on
Tuesday if there is to be a mar
riage.
Eden ignored a written ques
tion concerning Margaret's mar
riage plans submitted in the
House of Commons by a member
of Parliament.
The Prime Minister was re
ceived by the Queen at Bucking
ham palace last night. The visit
was described as his customary
weekly audience but the two al
most certainly discussed Margar
et's 'future.
The palace also announced
that the Queen, accompanied by
her husband, the Duke of Edin
burgh, will fly to Nigeria in
January for a three-week visit.
It was considered unlikely
that the surprise announcement
was to give the Queen an op
portunity to be out of the coun
try in case Margaret and Town
send are married.
Two Men Sentenced
In Circuit Court
Warren Eldridge Keller, 30,
Box 101, Trail, was given a 2Vi
year suspended sentence in cir
cuit court today on charges ot
obtaining money under false pre
tenses. Denzil Louis Dye, 46, of 116
Lincoln st, Medford, was or
dered to receive psychiatric
treatment at Salem. Dye is
charged with contributing to the
delinquency of a minor.
Washington (U.R) Clark
Griffith, owner of the Washing
ton Senators and oldest active
I baseball executive, remained in
critical condition today. .
Stores Will Remain Open
Taxation
Police Keep Watch
On Captured Gunman;
Bullet Victim Dies
Salem, Ore. (U.R) Police 1
kept a close watch today on a 2.3
year-old prisoner who terrorized
two families, -at . .gunpoint and
killed a man during a desperate
and unsuccessful attempt to flee
arrest for auto theft.
The gunman, Martin Reyes of
San Francisco, was arrested last
night while eating in a restaur
ant on the outskirts of Mon
mouth, a few miles southwest of
Salem.
Police Chief Edward C. Leum
captured Reyes shortly after
James Applegate,' 39,' died in a
Corvallis hospital of bullet
wounds inflicted by Reyes Mon
day night
Leum said he got a call that a
suspicious man wearing- gunny
sacks across his shoulders was
eating in a restaurant. - He
checked out the report immed
iately and discovered the strang
er was Reyes. t
Wounded in Arm
Reyes explained he had gotten
cold and thrown the sacks across
his arms to keep warm. He had
Thornton Favor
OLCC Housecleaning
Salem U.R) Although the
Multnomah county grand, jury
returned no indictments against
Oregon Liquor Control commis
sion employees or officers. At
torney General Robert Y. Thorn
ton said today he thought a "real
old fashioned housecleaning" at
the commision is long overdue.
Thornton issued a statement
that "our investigation was
prompted by reports which came
to the attorney general's office
in the late fall of 1954 that cer
tain key liquor commission em
ployees had been soliciting and
accepting cash gratuities and
gifts from whiskey . distillery
representatives." .
He said "In view of the re
sponsibility impose)! upon the
attorney general as "chief law
officer of the state '. . ." to look
into such charges, I employed
Leroy Skousen, an fexperienced
former FBI agent, to make an
investigation ... to the extent
that it was possible without pow
er of subpoena, every accusation
and rumor was checked out to
see if there was any foundation
or basis for it." ' '
Astoria Mayor Named
Oregon Cities President
Portland (U.R) Peter G.
Cosovich, mayor of Astoria, to
day was chosen new president of
the League of Oregon Cities at
a convention in the Multnomah
hotel here. Cosovich succeeds
Diamond L. Flynn, former mayor
of Medford in the top post.
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-Full Leased Wire
No. 185
;tion.
Appeal
been wounded in the arm. He
was taken to Salem General hos
pital for X-rays, after which he
was to be taken to Marion couc
ty jail. .
Authorities were to confer to
day on the charges to be lodged
against him. They could include
murder, kidnaping and armed
assault.
Reyes and a companion, Jose
Mitchell de Mesa, 21, also of San
Francisco, escaped from the Eu
gene jail Monday night as they
were being booked on a. stolen
car charge. While officers were
searching the two, Reyes pulled
a .45 automatic and locked Jail
er Robert Lockard "and Under
sheriff Nelson Whipps in a cell.
Kidnaped Family
At Junction City, north of Eu
gene, they halted a station wagon
in which were H. H. Littlefield,
33, of Medford, his wife and
three daughters. The fugitives
forced the Littlefield family into
the sheriff's car which they had
been driving, then drove off in
the station- wagon
Apparently de Mesa became
frightened at this point and
Reyes shot him in the foot to
force him to continue.
The station wagon crashed at
the edge of the Corvallis busi
ness district 40 miles northwest
of Eugene, and the pair started
to run. Corvallis police caught
de Mesa, but Reyes escaped to
the north end of the city, where
he accosted Applegate and his
three children at a service sta
tion.
Then Reyes ordered Appelgate
to get into his car. Appelgate,
who is a reserve deputy, grap
pled with him. Reyes shot him
three times, then fled.. A wide
spread search was -immediately
begun.
Bids Scheduled Next Week
On Local Highway Projects
The state highway commission
will receive bids next week in
Portland on three Jackson coun
ty projects, including start of
the one-way street system in
Ashland, it was announced to
day. On Nov. 3, the commission
will receive bids for installation
of a three-phase, fully-activated
volume-density type traffic con
trol signal installation at the in
tersection of Riverside and Stew
art, aves., in Medford.- The pro
ject is scheduled for completion
before March 31, 1956.
The same day, bids will be re
ceived . for r furnishing . 11,000
cubic yards of crushed rock or
gravel in stockpiles for . future
use in maintaining the section
of Greensprings highway be
Weather
-FORECAST: Partly cloudy and
cooler tonight and Thuriday
with tot or low cloudt early
Thursday morning. Low to
night 34-38, high Thnnday CO. '
Temp.
Highest Yesterday 61
Lowest this Morning 42
Pree. to 10 ajn. Today .7S
Dulles in Mood
Of Conciliation
-
For Geneva Meet
Molotov Says Russia
Desires Cold War End
Geneva (U.R) Secretary of
State John Foster Dulles ar
rived here today in a mood of
conciliation for the Big Four for
eign ministers' meeting.
"We will seek the necessary
conciliation to achieve the con
structive elements of a just and
durable peace," he said.
Dulles arrived from . Paris
where he had met with the for
eign ministers of France, Britain
and Israel to prepare for the Big
Four meeting and discuss the
growing crisis in the Middle
East. .
Dulles made his statement
shortly after arriving at Coin
trin Airport. He already had
been preceded here by Soviet
Foreign Minister V. M. Molotov
and; British Foreign Secretary
Harold MacMillan. French For
eign Minister Antoirie Pinay was
en route by train for tomorrow's
opening session.
To Work for Peace
The Western delegates, in a se
ries of last minute conferences-!
in Paris, had searched for a new
cold war settlement.
On arrival, Molotov said Rus
sia is "inspired by a sincere de
sire to end the cold war." 1
MacMillan said that he trust
ed the Big Four's "work will be
fruitful in the cause of peace
and the settlement of the many
difficult problems that beset
Europe."
Dulles arrived to note . that
"the spirit of Geneva has become
identical with the hopes of all
the. world."
'"If is- -fartha1r spirit- that we
meet here to carry out the direc
tives given us by the heads of
government."
- Dulles was accompanied by a
host of American officials, in
eluding Secretary of Defense
Charles E. Wilson and Charles E.
Bohlen, U. S. ambassador to the
Soviet Union. .
Before he left Paris, Dulles
talked with Israeli Premier
Moshe Sharett about Israel's re
quest for help against growing
Arab strength.
Israeli officials said Sharett's
talk with Dulles concerned
Israel's request for arms and
guarantees of its present fron
tiers. MKS Students Take
Scholarship Tests
Fifteen students at Medford
High school this morning took
2-hour tests under the Nation
al Merit Scholarship plan.' The
tests were given by Mrs. Elsie
Butler of the school faculty.
Throughout the nation, an esti
mated 50,000 other students took
the same tests at the same time.
The scholarship program, based
on an endowment of more than
$20,000,000, is the largest ever
devised, and is in operation this
year for the. first time.
Successful applicants may
choose the college or university
of their choice, and will be as
sisted on a basis of need, rang
ing from a token amount of $100
up to full tuition and expenses
for four years.
tween Siskiyou junction and the
Klamath county line.
. The following day, Nov. 4, the
commission will receive bids for
construction of the north bound
lanes of the new one-way high
way system in Ashland between
Helman st. and a point on East
Main st. about 350 feet south
of Third st.
Plans call for a curbed city
street section with 44 feet of
pavement,- providing two-lane
traffic with room for parking
on both sides of the street. The
one-way highway system will
help in eliminating congestion
of traffic in the downtown busi
ness district, according to the
commission.
The project is scheduled for
completion in the late fall of
1956.
for Shopping Until
Portugal Warned
Occupation Can
Not Be Tolerated
Claim Said Backed by
India Prime Minister
a
Hong Kong (U.R) Com
munist China laid claim today
to the 400-year-old Portuguese
colony of Macao and warned
that Portugal's "continued oc
cupation" of the Chinese coastal
territory can no longer be toler
ated. Red Chinese propaganda or
gans distributed and broadcast
the claim and warning. They
startled both Western and Chin
ese circles here and in Macao
and were seen as the possible
opening shot - in a Communist
campaign against the Portu
guese colony.
Support From India
It immediately increased the
possibility that the Communists
may take Macao back with .sup
port from India. Peiping said
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Neh
ru' of Indian supported their
claim and "even told the Indian
Parliament on Sept. 17 that Ma
cao should be returned to China
as a matter of course." . .
Peiping cited Red China's sup
port of Indian demands, for an
end to Portuguese control of the
enclaves of Gpa, Die and Dam
an. Portugal's continued rule
over the enclaves in India, Peip
ing said, "constitutes an intoler
able insult to the Chinese peo
ple, to the Indian people and to
all Asian people. ;
Oldest Settlement
Macao is the oldest permanent
European settlement in China,
The colony consists of three is
lands on the coast of Southern
Kwangtung province about 50
miles acress the Pearl river es
tuary from the British colony of
Hong Kong. It has a population
of about 400,000, mostly Chinese,
McCormick Rites
To Be Thursday -
Requiem mass for L. A. Mc
Cormick, 51, Eugene, president
and general manager of Big Y
Super Markets in Medford and
Eugene, will be offered at Sac
red Heart church Thursday at
9 a.m. with the Very Rev. Fath
er N. J. Deis officiating. Inter
ment will be in Siskiyou Mem
orial park. Recitation of the
Holy Bosary will be held at Perl
funeral .home tonight at 8
o'clock.
Honorary pall bearers will be
O. J. Frohnmayer, M. O. Bes
sonette, W. A. Graff, Sam Hersh,
Jorgen Jorgensen, Ed Milne and
Tony Caruso. '.
Active pall bearers will be
T. Di Shepard, Al Nauarette, W.
A. Gifford Jr., Marlin O'Malley,
F. C. Hodges and Reese Alex
ander. - ..' i
Mr. McCormick, who died as a
result of a heart attack in Los
Angeles Sunday, was born in
Austin, Minn., on Sept. 15, 1904,
and had been in the grocery
business for more than 30 years.
He was a member of Knights of
Columbus, Eugene Rotary , club,
Eugene and Medford country
clubs. Lane county chapter of
the National Foundation for In
fantile Paralysis, Lane County
Chamber of Commerce and St.
Mary's church in Eugene.
Survivors include his wife,
Ruth; three sons, Mathew and
John Edward, all of Eugene, and
David Lawrence, U. S. Navy,
San Diego; two daughters, Mrs.
Mary Elizabeth Pratt, Burbank,
Calif.; and Mrs. Margaret Bost
wick, Medford; three brothers,
John, Eugene; Emmett, Wash
ington, and Frank, in Montana;
three sisters, Helen St. John, Wa
pato, Wash.; Elinor Wade, and
Dorothy Carpenter, both in Mon
tana. k
New Snow Reported
At National Park
Two inches of new snow was
reported at Crater Lake Nation
al park this morning and it was
still snowing at that time, ac
cording to Medford park head
quarters. ' . Chains were advised for all
cars entering the park. The
south and west entrances to the
rim are open, but the Rim rd.
and the north and east entrances
remain closed.
Des Moines, la. (U.R) Sen.
William F. Knowland, R-Calif.)
says there must be no pact with
the Soviet Union until its forces
have been withdrawn from the
satellite states of Eastern Eu
rope. . '. . .
G
A RELAXED IKE Flashing bis famous smile, President
Eisenhower appears relaxed and in a Jovial mood as he ' '
oses for photographers on the eighth floor sun terrace oft
fttzsimons Hospital in Denver. He is wearing the red birth
day pajamas given to him by the White House press corps.
Over the left pocket in gold letters is the inscription,
"Much Better, Thanks." . ); '
President Challenges
Russians To Match
Spirit for Peace
Denver (U.R) President Ei-1 Mr. Eisenhower also enloweO
senhower today "dhalieng'ea'theiaot niinutes of the sundecfe
Russians tor match the "genuine
spirit" for peace in which, the
Western proposals will be made
at the Big Four ministers' meet
ing at Geneva.
The President chalked up an
other milestone in his recovery
when he got out of bed unaided
today and walked six or seven
steps across his room to. an easy
chair several times.
Evacuated Residents
Return To Homes
Longmire (U.R) The 100
residents of this community who
were evacuated yesterday in the
face of the swollen Nisqually
river have returned to their
homes and apparently are free
at least temporarily, ; from the
danger of being flooded out.
Residents left town in a hurry
when the raging waters threat
ened to break through low dikes
after smashing two bridges' and
all but; destroying two sections
of the roads in and out of Long
mire. Al Rose, chief ranger in the
area, said the river started to go
down when dropping tempera
tures ' brought snow instead ' of
rain to higher elevations. .
Rose said the muddy waters
slopped over the . dikes at the
peak of yesterday's danger per
iod and for a while he said he
thought the town had -"had it." -
Two Thefts Listed
In Medford Area
Two thefts have been report
ed to law enforcement officials
in Jackson county.
Ray James, 110 East 11th st.,
Medford, reported to Jackson
County Sheriff's office that a
five horsepower gasoline engine
was stolen from the Tri Auction
company, 2284 Crater Lake
highway, recently. The engine,
which was at the company to be
sold, was valued at $350.
Harry Watson, manager of
Medford hotel, reported to Med
ford police that an adding mach
ine was taken from the hotel
recently.
Denver (U.R) The White
House has announced that former
President Herbert Hoover will
represent President Eisenhower,
convalescing from a heart at
tack, at Veterans Day ceremonies
at .Arlington National cemetery
in .Washington Nov. 11.
9 o'clock
: photo fey Stanley Tcatkk ' .'
at Fitzsimons Army Hospital in -
his wheel chair and had a brief .
business session with Presiden
tial Assistant Sherman Adams.'
His only other visitor of the
morning was George E. Allen,
an old friend and onetiny "court '
jester" of the Truman adminis
tration. : i ;
The Western proposals are de-'
signed for "increased security
and well-being for all," Mr. Ei
senhower said.
The President, in a statement
on the eve of the Gneva confer-
ence, said he and Secretary of
State John Foster Dulles thought
alike on the issues to be .dis
cussed and that their ideas "re
flect a genuine spirit of concili-;
ation and accommodation.' ; .
Progress Possible
"If the Soviet Union respond!:
in a similar spirit, much progress
can be made," the President said.
Dulles arrived in Geneva today
where the conference will start
tomorrow. Mr. Eisenhower said
it was his "personal hope" that
the Russians would respond to
the "spirit of Geneva", and dem
onstrate that the Soviet attitude
marks a genuine change, i ' ;
.Such a change, the President
said, "will actually be produc
tive of the peaceful progress for
which the whole world longs."
Wolf Continues I
Murder Testimony
' McMinnviile '' (U.R) Victor
Laurence Wolf . today testified
that Mrs.-Marjorie Smith took
her daughter-for a ride on her
third birthday in a murder car
wired with 12 sticks of dyna
mite, i . ' .
Wolf, undergoing cross-examination
by Bruce Spaulding, de
fense attorney for Mrs. .Smith,
told tne Yamhill County Circuit
court how he planted the bomb
in the car while ostensibly
working on a playground set
for the Smith children last April
20.
The 45 - year - old electrician,
who told the court yesterday in
detail how he and Mrs. Smith
had plotted the murder of her
husband, Oliver Kermit Smith,
stuck to his story that he partici
pated in the slaying to win the
love of Mrs. Smith. He denied
defense suggestions he "enjoyed
blasting for the sake of blast
ing." He said he had rejected a plan
by Mrs. Smith to have a "bum;
kill the Portland attorney, be
cause then, Wolf said, he would
have to kill the bum and "that
would entail two killings."
Toniglrt
ft-