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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 1955)
o M EDFORD TJnlted Prem Full LeaaJ Wire 50th Year 26 Pages President Talks State of Union Plans With Cabinet Benson Takes Top Q Aides To Meeting Gettysberg, Pa. (U.R) Presi dent Eisenhower will send a special message to Congress on farm policy early next year. This was disclosed today im mediately after the President -spent two hours and 25 minutes with his - cabinet at his Camp David hideaway 22 miles from here- in Maryland s uatocun Mountains. In addition to the critical farm problem facing his admini stration, the President discussed with the cabinet the State of the Union Message he will pres ent to Congress in January. Press Secretary James C. Hagerty said the cabinet meet ing "mainly" concerned agri culture policy to be spelled out later in detail by - the chief exe cutive. But Hagerty, who sat in on the cabinet meeting, sup plied no details. Big Poliiical Issue Democrats have served notice the falling farm prices will be one of the big issues of the 1956 election campaign. That a special message on the farm problem "is being prepared was disclosed by Agriculture Secretary Ezra T. Benson after the cabinet meeting. Mr. Eisenhower drove in from his Gettysburg, Pa., farm 22 miles away. He looked refresh ed after his busy round of con ferences yesterday. He threw newsmen a cheerful "good morning" and joked with Post master General Arthur E. Sum merfield when the latter arrived. TiDoff that the difficult farm situation was up for discussion was the fact that Benson took two of his toD aides into rustic Laurel 'Lodge for the- cabinet session. Bonus Pork Program One aericuftural aid told newsmen there has been some discussion by the administra tion of a DroDosal by Sen Bourke B. Hickenlooper (R-Ia.) for a federal bonus program to promote a cut m pork produc tion. He did not elaborate. The two officials with Ben son were Undersecretary of Aei culture True D. Morse and As sistant Secretary Earl Butz. Absent from the meeting were Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, 'who was reDre- sented by Undersecretary of State Herbert Hoover Jr.; inter ior Secretary Douglas McKay, who was represented by Inter ior Undersecretary Clarence Davis! and Henrv Cabot Lodge Jr., chief U.S. delegate to the United Nations. vYonkers. N.Y. (U.R) Mrs. Ethel Fawcett Krupa, 47, wife of drummer Gene Krupa, col lapsed and died unexpectedly last night as she walked down the stairs m her home. ike To Send iAessage Industrial Safety Meeting At High School Tomorrow The Southern Oregon Indust rial Safety conference will be held starting at 8:30 a.m. Sat urday at Medford Senior high school. The one-day conference will feature a talk by Melvin L. Mur phy, executive director of the Mental Health association of Oregon. The speech is part of the morning general session. Other Speakers Other speakers scheduled in clude William Calahan, , chair-, man of the state industrial acci dent commission; L. O. Arens, commissioner representing the public; and G. Scott Kallen baugh, director of the commis sion's accident prevention div ision. Joe Haystead of the Oregon state police is scheduled to talk on traffic safety. Demonstrations also will be given during the morning ses sion. Fred Owens of the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph cdiap any will demonstrate preventing MEDFORD, OREGON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1955 Opera iscusse The city of Medford receives about 28 cents out of each dol lar paid in property taxes by residents of the city, according to City Manager Robert .Duff. Duff spoke at the third. in a series of tax study meetings of the legislative committee of the Jackson ' County Chamber of Commerce, held at breakfast at the Medford hotel this morn ing. He went on to discuss some of the reasons why the operation of the city is becoming increas ingly expensive, citing the fact that the population, slightly more than 17,000 in 1950, is now about 20,000 according to water department estimates. The number of automotive ve hicles in Medford last year was Forest Inventory Completion Favored In WFCA Resolution Portland (U.R) A U.S. For est Service inventory of timber in Oregon and Washington should be carried forward as rapidly as possible, the Western Red, White Labels To Help In Mailing Jackson county residents can assist post office employees and expedite Christmas cards more rapidly by using red and white labels, Medford Postmaster Moore Hamilton reminded citi zens today. Red labels for "out of town" cards, and white labels for "lo cal" deliveries will be distribut ed Saturday. . Hamilton asked that post office patrons divide cards into bundles, with all stamps in the same corner. . He pointed out that by bun dling cards, two complete han dlings are eliminated. Ordinary mail is "faced," so that all stamps are in the same position, and "primed," where mail is separated for local and out of town deliveries. Hamilton said stamp windows at the Medford post office will be open Saturday until 5 p.m The money order window will close at its usual hour. Stamp windows also will be open next Saturday, Dec. 17. The postmaster urged resi dents to mail Christmas pack ages as early as possible, be cause early-mailed packages es cape being transported during days when parcel post is piled high in terminals. Hamilton pointed out that damage is done to packages during the rushed days. He said a parcel post sack full of packages weighs about 50 pounds, and some times sacks are piled 10 to 15 high in ter minals. back injuries, and the utility section of the conference has planned a demonstration on pole top resuscitation. The latter is used in giving artifical respira tion to . victims of electrical shock while they are still in position on a utility pole. An award will be made by the Turtle club to a utility work er who has had his life saved by wearing a metal hat. Afternoon Session The afternoon session will be devoted to panel discussions on everyday industrial safety prob lems in Southern Oregon. Panels are planned on logging, saw mills, plywood manufacturing construction, utilities and one for general industries. Several speakers have been scheduled to participate in the panel dis cussions. Delegates from all types of in dustry in Jackson, Josephine and Klamath counties are ex pected. Conference officials said anyone interested is welcome oi ting Costs of M estimated at 9,000, but by 1970, the state highway department expects 17,000, Duff said. As a result, there is a "back log" of city work needed which cannot be handled with present revenues, Duff said. These in clude an arterial street program, estimated to cost the 'city some $4,000,000 by the highway de partment, but which is being re viewed and modified and which perhaps can be built for less than half that cost, the city man ager reported. Off-street parking is becoming an increasingly pressing con cern, he declared, adding that the downtown ' merchants ' have indicated a willingness to as sume most of the cost. An ex panded storm sewer and drain- Forestry and Conservation As sociation urged today in a reso lution at its annual "meeting here. The resolution pointed out that information " on acreage, volume, growth, use and loss of the nation's timber was" needed for" orderly planning- and best use and management of forest resources. The association also urged a detailed re-inventory of timber during the next three- year period, which was recom mended earlier by . Assistant Agriculture Secretary Ervin L. Peterson. The group, in other resolu tions, urged full allowable cut of timber be made on forest serv ice and O & C land, develop ment of access roads, hiring of adequate personnel to adminis ter timber sales and the orderly stocking of cutover and burned- over areas. The association reaffirmed its position that state water rights should remain supreme over fed eral rights. The group praised sportsmen for recognition of obligation to land-owners but said recreational use of forest land is jeopardized by behavior of a few "irrespon sible" persons. It urged greater attention to studies of methods to control forest nests and a greater program of fire research. John E. Lierch, Vancouver, B. C, was elected president of the association and George F. Flanagan, Medford, Ore., first vice-president. George S. Long Jr., Tacoma, was named secre tary. Emanuel Fritz, consulting for ester for the California Redwood Association, was presented with the 1955 annual western forestry award at the closing session of the meeting. The plaque desig nated Fritz as an outstanding leader m the field of forestry. Final Report Planned Af UMC Dinner Today The-final report on the United Medford Crusade is expected to be given at a dinner meeting at 6:30 p.m. today in the Pioneer room of the Jackson hotel. The dinner will honor M. M. Huggins, UMC chairman this year. The dinner is a gesture of appreciation by campaign work ers for Huggins' "outstanding leadership in this year s cru sade." Workers will finance the dinner, and campaign funds will not be used. More than 8102,000 of the $109,000 UMC goal had been contributed by earlier this week, and officials hope to announce the campaign went "over the top." Weather FORECAST: Partly cloudy with valley fog tonight and Satur day morning. Increasing cloud iness Saturday night. Low to night 30. High Saturday 48. TEMPERATURE Highest Yesterday 56 Lowest this Morning 33 PRECIPITATION To 4:30 ajn. Today .66 Tribune United Press Full Leased Wire No. 223 Price 5c or ess edford er Grow age system has been deferred too long, Duff added, and as a result local flooding and high water is causing increasing dam age in some areas. Some of the city's needs were added to last year's budget, but were rejected by the voters in a July election? Duff said. -These included additional planning funds, a fire-police reporting switchboard, airport runway clearances, codification of ordi nances, added street lighting, an other patrolman for the police department, and a number of smaller items in the various city departments. Trouble For City The city "will be in trouble" if these things are not taken care of, Duff said. He stated the water department is' in "good shape," both financially and in sources of water supply for both industrial and municipal use. He also said the city's bonded debt position is good, in that it is far below the statutory debt limitation. The city levy increased some $20,000 last year, Duff report ed, or less than 6 per cent. And he declared that efforts toward added economy and efficiency of operation are being made. A finance department is being set up, as was authorized by a vote of the people a year ago,- and will include a centralized pur chasing organization. ; The city's total budget for the current year is about $1,442,000, including the water department, Duff said. Of this amount, $612, 000 is revenues and cash carry over, with some $469,000 levied in the form of taxes. Revenue Sources The "revenues include parking meter income, fines, franchises, permits, rentals, licenses, air port income, sales, sewer charges and other smaller items, all general fund income totaling about $328,000, plus payments from the state gas tax, the coun ty road fund, the rural fire dis trict, and others. Revenues make up about 56.7 per cent of ex penditures and taxes about 43.3 per cent, he said. A large portion of the city's expenditures are for the public safety departments police and fire, Duff declared. The fire de partment has three stations and 37 men; the police department has 27 officers plus clerical help, both of these representing big increases in recent years. The city's fire rating, as a re sult, is Class 5, he reported, which means fire insurance pre mium savings. It is hoped a Class 4 rating can be obtained meaning additional savings. Other Functions But in addition to the fire and police functions, the city also is responsible for a multitude of other functions and services, the city manager stated. These include airport opera tion (which is now almost on a self-sustaining basis), building and zoning inspection and en forcement, engineering planning and construction advice, street lighting on 72 miles of streets, milk and resaurant inspection in cooperation with the county, the Medford Puplic library, also in cooperation with the county; maintenance and operation of two large downtown parks, six small neighborhood parks and two rural parks, maintenance of 76 miles of streets, of which 29.5 are paved and 22.5 are graveled, and the rapidly-growing traffic department, where costs of signals, street improve ment and planning and engi neering are increasing . along with traffic volume. Suggestions by Duff Duff suggested that increased attention to problems of ta'xa tion might result in closer co operation between taxing units. and he said he could envisage an organization of representa tives of cities, county, school districts and other units to lay coordinated plans which would result in bond, plannmg and other savings. Nex? meeting of the commit tee will be at 7:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 16, when Alf Mekvold county scb''-" superintendent: will discuss school taxation on oo the county level. FANS MOVIE FAVORITES Three of the favorites of the nation's theatergoers proudly show the "Audience Award" trophies in Hollywood which they won by the vote of 14 million movie fans. Jennifer Jones (left) won the best performance for an actress for her part in "Love is a Many Splendored Thing." Tab Hunter as the most promising new male personality for parts in "Battle Cry" and "Track of the Cat." Peggy Lee (right) as the most promising new female personality for her part in "Pete Kelly's Blues." Patterson Asks Thorton To Rule In Schrunk Case Portland (U.R) Oregon's Republican governor today ask ed the Democrat Attorney Gen eral whether Multnomah coun ty's Democrat sheriff should be discharged from office in a case fraught with both legal and political interest. . At issue was a rarely invoked Oregon statute which says "the governor shall declare vacant the office of every officer requir ed by law to execute an official bond whenever a judgment is obtained against such officer for a breach of the conditions of the bond." Last October a Circuit Court jury awarded a judgment against.. Sheriff ,' Terry - Schrunk on a charge of neglect in serv ing a summons. A judgment of $12,870 was awarded against Schrunk's bond but the verdict was appealed to the Oregn Su preme Court and Gov. Paul Pat terson said he had not acted on the statute, assuming that the act of appeal held the discharge statute in abeyance. He asked Attorney General Robert Y. Thornton for an opinion. Law Challenged Another aspect of the case arose in the appeal when John Gearin, attorney for Schrunk's bonding company, challenged the constitutionality of the law which permits appointment of pro tern judges. The Circuit Court case was heard by Judge P. J. Gallagher of Ontario serv ing in Portland on a pro-tem assignment. Thular B. Hammons, a Grants Pass woman, was plaintiff in the case against Schrunk. Willis A. West, Multnomah count., deputy district attorney, said that "if the sheriff should be removed from office and the Supreme Court then finds in his favor, he would have been done irreparable harm . . ." BlcodmobMe Takes 171 Pints Of Blood Only 171 pints of blood were collected from Jackson county donors at the regular bloodmo- bile visit yesterday at. the Elks temple. The quota for the county was 240 pints. About 250 pints are used in the county during a nor mal two month period. Red Cross officials pointed out that were it not for blood brought into the area from oth er sources, about 79 people in the county would not be able to have needed transfusions during the next two months. Of yesterday's 187 donors, all but 33 had given blood at previ ous Bloodmobile visits. Seven teen donors had given a gallon of blood, one two gallons, and several have donated almost three gallons over a period of time. In December, 1954, 294 pints of blood were collected by the Bloodmobile unit. The need for bipod now is even greater than it was a year ago, Red Cross of ficials said. The next Bloodmobile visit to Medford will be in February, DOW-JONES . New York (U.R) Dow-Jones closing stock averages: 30 indus trials 487.64,. off 0.16, 20 rails 164.74 off 0.26, 15 utilities 65.82 off 0.17, and 65 stocks 173.76 off 0.19. Sales today approximated 2,660,000 shares, compared with 2,970,000 yesterday.. EW Gives For Mercy Operating Final approval for an operat ing contract covering two new ambulance planes for tnej Medford area has been given by the department of health, edu cation and welfare, it was an nounced in Washington this week. The office of Congressman Harris Ellsworth reported the HEW department had given its approval to a contract worked out between the Rogue Valley Memorial hospital and Mercy Flights, Inc., for the operation of two surplus government air craft. The planes, which arrived in Medford about two months ago, have been operated under preliminary agreements pending the final approval. Twin-Engine Beechcraft ' : The planes are twin-engine Beechcraft, outfitted with medi cal and first aid equipment as aerial ambulances. The hospital has taken over formal ownership of the planes without charge under a law authorizing such donations to educational, charit able and medical institutions, Lumber Union Wins Wage Boost Klamath Falls (U.R) An agreement calling for an average wage increase of 834 cents an hour for AFL Lumber and Saw mill union members in central Oregon, northern California and parts of western Oregon was re ported here today. , - C. L. Irvmg, general manager of the Pine Industrial Relations Committee, said the agreement is subiect to ratification by union locals and individual employers. He said it called for increase from 5 to 15 cents an hour with workers in highest classifications getting the most money. The contract would become ef fective Dec. 16 and run until April 1, 1957. The present con tracts were to end next April 1. Irving said the agreement was signed by representatives of the northern California council, the central Oregon group and the Willamette valley district coun cil. The increase is similar to others reached recently by the AFL uriion and employers in the Northwest. B. L. Nutting, manager of the Medford Corporation, said this morning that Medco will make thp offer announced by the PIRC to its AFL employees in the plant as soon as local bracket adjustments can be computed. About 350 men in the Medco operation would be affected, he said. The local union is No. 2715 Lumber and Sawmill Workers. Other AFL men are employed at White City operations, at the Cheney Lumber company, and elsewhere in this area. .-Help Fight TB - Buy Christmas Seals. Approval Flights Contract the congressman's office report ed. The announcement said the HEW approval climaxed a year long effort to obtain the surplus craft for Mercy Flights a non profit organization which for almost six years has provided an aerial emergency medical and transportation service in iso lated areas of seven counties in southern Oregon and northern California. Under the approved contract, the planes belong to the hospital, but are operated by Mercv Flights, which assumes full responsibility in their oper ation, maintenance and service, One Converted One of the ; two planes has been converted to ambulance use, ;painted in' distinctive colors and is.now in service. The other is now undergoing the conversion process at the Medford airport. They will make it possible for Mercy Flights to make emerg ency trips in weather conditions which in the past have made flights with the older and smal ler aircraft impossible. Mercy Flights will sell a twin- engine Cessna, which it has used for more than three years, but will retain a single-engine Stm son, which it has used for short er flights, particularly those into mountain airfields where larger aircraft would have difficulty landing and taking off. The non-profit organization operates the planes with funds received from annual subscrip tions of $4 per family, entitling subscribers to free emergency air ambulance service within a 400-mile radius, plus at-cost charges to non-subscribers in tht seven-county area. Nearly 430 patients have been carried by the service's planes since it began operations in Janu ary, 190U. Sen. Morse Confined To Room With Cold Portland (U.R) Sen. Wayne Morse (D.-Ore.) today was con fined to his hotel room with a bad cold. Morse cancelled, a speech at Pendleton to the Ore gon Wheat Growers league and asked Gene Conklin, Pendleton attorney, to read his speech there. Morse expected to keep an appointment to speak to a Young Democrats meeting here tonight. Sabrejet Crashes Into Hospital in England Sheffield. England 0J.PJ An American Sabrejet plane crash ed on a hospital near Sheffield today, killing one patient and injuring five others. The - pilot ' bailed out before the plane crashed. State Teens Against Polio Head To Attend Local Meet Sharon Lander, Roseburg, state chairman of the Teens Against Polio campaign, will be fetured speaker at a meeting of Jackson county TAP workers at a luncheon at the Medford hotel tomorrow noon. Miss Lander, a Roseburg high school student and victim of polio, will explain the national TAP program and cite her own experiences with the disease. Greg Milnes, of Medford high school, county chairman of the TAP program, has invited stu dent councils of each high school in the county, to send a repre East Germany v Now Sovereign, Press Office Says U. 5. in Third Demand For Return of Soldiers Berlin '(U.R) The East Gei man government announaed to day that Communist police have taken over from Soviet troops . the "guarding and control" of the borders of the Soviet zone . and the routes to Berlin. The announcement, issued by the East German press office, underlined the Soviet conten tion that East Germany is now sovereign and has complete con trol of isolated West Berlin's life-lines to the West. The move gave the Commu nists power to harass or block ade the German supply routes to this city. However, the trans- . fer of control appeared to per tain only to German traffic to Berlin and not to Western Allied traffic. The Press Office announce ment said the transfer of control was made Dec. 1. An American spokesman said there has been no change since then in the sta tus of Western Allied traffic. He said Soviet guards, and not East German border gaurds, . still were exercising control over Western Allied highway and rail traffic. The Communist announce ment came as the U.S. Army dis closed that it had made a third . demand for the return of two American soldiers whose arrest in East Berlin led to Communist hints that they would try to bar the Eastern section to Ameri cans. The Communist rcress report ed "indignant" East Berliners were demanding action to pre vent "attacks" by Americans on East Germans and suggested that radio equipped American patrol cars were being used by "spies." The massive propaganda cam naien centered around the ar rest Wednesday of two Ameri can soldiers and it was growing apparent the Reds might use the incident to justify the breaking of the Big Four agreements on Berlin. Trade Offer Expected American authorities expect ed the Soviets today to offer a trade the soldiers captured at gun point and apparently beat en for a Soviet officer who ask ed political asylum In West Germany. Thus far the Soviets have failed to answer American in quiries on the fate of the two soldiers: in the nast the Soviets have returned captured Ameri cans but only after trying to use them for bargaining purposes. The East Germans, in an nouncing arrest of the two G.I.s, said they beat up a German cab aret actor, Werner Lierck, and that the Americans then faked injuries to themselves so they could report they were beaten by Communist police. One news naner reDorted that one of the soldiers spat out blood after fighting a taxi driver who turn ed them in. The United States, Britain and France have the right of free movement under an agree ment with Russia. But the Com munists and the Soviet com mandant have asserted East Ber lin no longer is occupied and that East Berlin is the capital of the "sovereign" East German state. Road Conditions Green Springs Chains ad vised; 2 inches new snow; 6 Inches total. Siskiyous Travel normal; 3Vi inches new snow; 18VS inches roadside. Prospect Pavement bare; fog. Crater Lake National Park Highway 62 open, chains advised; Annie Spring to Rim should be open about 2 p.m. today; 10 inches new snow; 76 inches total; clear; skiing fair. Portland (U.R) Construc tion of Portland State College's proposed new student center will begin next spring. sentative to the meeting. Various aspects of the pend ing county program, a part of January's March of Dimes pro ject for funds to combat polio, will be explained at the meet ing, Milnes said. It is planned that high schools in the county will compete on a per capita basis to see which class can raise the most money for the March of Dimes. Last year Roseburg high school led the nation on a per capita basis and Milnes has challenged the Douglas county school to a con test in January.
