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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 1956)
BIX MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE Sunday, January 8, 1956 Floods Expected To Be Stimulant To Congress for,New Legislation By A. ROBERT SMITH Mail Tribune Correspondent Washington Nothing was more certain from remarks of members of Congress this past week as they convened for a new session than that the floods that have hit the nation from Oregon to New England will be a major stimulant to legislation affecting flood threatened areas and people. There is little doubt now that this congressional session will see a major river and harbor improvement bill compiled and enacted into law, thereby author izing the appropriation of many millions more for flood control purposes. This has frequently been a favorite legislative action in elec tion years, for nothing goes over with greater success in the home districts of virtually every mem ber of Congress than approval of a new project in which fed eral funds are promised for fu - ture dredging, levee building, dam construction or harbor work. Flood Control Bill The floods of recent months are expected by many lawmak ers to give extra impetus to speedy approval by members of both parties of a big omnibus flood control bill especially since it will not be follow ed by immediate appropriations which might serve at the mo ment to increase government spending and decrease chances of a personal income tax cut. Sens. Wayne Morse and Rich ard L. Neuberger (D-Ore.) em phasized their intent to push for funds for dams in the Willamette River basin, as did Reps. Harris Ellsworth and Walter Norblad (R-Ore.). There was this distinct differ ence, however Morse and Neu berger hope to get federal funds to build" new dams in western Oregon; Ellsworth wants private funds to be approved for new dam building. Ellsworth said Jie will try to gain acceptance of "partnership" legislation which would permit local utilities to put up about $40,000,000 toward construction of Green Peter dam on the south fork of the Santiam river and Cougar on the south fork of the McKenzie river. Pacific Power and Light Co. and Eugene Water and Electric Board respectively ar the utilities that would put up the private money which, along with $55,000,000 in federal funds, jyould cover estimated costs of both dams. Available Immediately "It would speed up flood con trol by a couple of years," con tended the Republican congress men, "because the $40,000,000 ml non-federal money would be available immediately and we wouldn't have to continually go to Congress with a tin cup to try to get all the money out of the committees (on appropria tions)." Congress last summer appro priated a half million of federal funds to get Cougar dam started as an all-government undertak ing. While Morse and Neuberger- hope to get more federal funds to keep its construction going in the coming fiscal year, Ells worth hopes to get his "partner ship" bill enacted so that the project would be converted to a local-federal endeavor. Northwestern Democrats, who oppose the administration's "partnership" power policy, are expected to try to keep Ells worth s bill bottled up in com mittee. Senator Neuberger, on anotfr er aspect of flood concern, said he is working on legislation that would provide disaster insurance for the victims of rivers that get out of control and inflict heavy damage to private prop erty. Insurance Only Fair Aid Neuberger said at present Ore gon flood victims can only get government loans to help them finance homes and businesses that were wiped out by the flood. " "The only really fair aid to these unfortunate people is in surance," declared Neuberger. He argued that a man who has just paid off the mortgage on his house and then sees it car ried away by floods doesn't want help in the form of a new mort gage, but rather he wants cash by. means of insurance to build anew without having a heavy debt hanging over his head. Proposals for flood insurance were first voiced on the con gressional front last fall shortly after the disastrous New Eng land floods of August. Sen. Her bert Lehman (D-N.Y.) said he would back a disaster risk insur ance plan when Congress re sumed action this month. Mass chusetts' two senators, Leverett Saltonstall (R) and John F. Ken nedy (D), teamed up with anoth er similar proposal. And Sen. Prescott Bush (R-Conn.) asked the staff of the Senate Banking Committee to draft a flood in surance measure. That committee, through this past November, held hearings in the flood stricken areas of New England, New York and North Carolina (hit by hurri canes) to gather information on which to act when Congress re convened. A staff aide said that further hearings' are to be held soon after the administration submits its views on this issue. Most observers feel confident Congress will act positively to write a new act of some sort that will offer insurance protec tion to individuals who have at present no means of shielding their investments in private property against floods or other disasters caused by the natural elements. A Niehofs Worth of . . . Comment On This and That By HARMAN W. NICHOLS United Ptef ? ir fSM j Harmon Nichols Washington (U.P.) The sec ond session of the 34th Con gress opened with the tradi tional presi dential mes sage a century ago. The leader of the day, Franklin Pierce of New H a m p s h ire, must have had something t o say. But you couldn't tell what it was from the riublic prints. There were all sorts of editorials about the speech, pro and con, but no real hint about what he said. No text, no stories. Like as not the issue had something to do with slavery, since 1856 was working up fast to the war between the states. Pierce-, a man who didn't want to run in the first place, played both ends against the middle after he was nominated. He let it be noised about that he was in favor of the 1850 compromise on the slavery issue. That prompted one historian to say that the President was "liked by the South and the North tol erated him because of his north ern background." Papers Cheaper The papers of the time were, of course, much cheaper than they are today. For instance, the Daily Intelligencer advertised it could be bought for $10 a year, and "country papers for $6." The going rate now, including the fat Sunday editions, is about $1.95 a month, or about $23 a year. The Treasury Department gave its estimate of what the federal balance would be on July 1, 1857. It was $29,672, 497.78, "including $12,000,000 which is estimated will not be expended." Since the clouds of local war appeared to be gathering, the secretary of war in 1856 author ized strength of the Army to be Bob Cook Appointed To Gold Hill Council Gold Hill Appointment of Bob Cook to fill a Gold Hill city council vacancy was approved at a city council meeting last week. Cook was appointed by Mayor Milton Stienmetz to fill a va cancy left when Stienmetz was appointed mayor when narry Smith resigned in December. City committee appointments included finance committee, Floyd Lance, Ernie Cooper and Bob Cook; sanitation, Carl Whit ford, Ernie Cooper and Delos Walker; water and. lights, Fred Lewis, Carl Whitford and Bob Cook; nuisance, Delos Walker, Ernie Cooper and Bob Cook; fire exposure, Carl Whitford, Fred Lewis and Delos Walker; equip ment, Ernie Cooper, Fred Lewis and Floyd Lance; police, Ernie Cooper, Delos. Walker; streets, sidewalks and drainage, Floyd Lance, Ernie Cooper and Delos Walker. increased to 17,867 -officers and men, "whilst actual strength as of now appears to be 15,752." The House of Representatives, starting a new session, got a nice build-up in one of the local pa pers, which said, editorially: "Some members of the House have expressed their readiness to enter upon this test of physi cal endurance and at least one night scene may be expected." Mail Slopped Weather was .pretty rough at the turn of the year 100 years ago. The papers were complain ing about the postal service. "None of the mails due last evening in this city, either from east, west, north or south were received. . . the snow drifts prob ably preventing locomotion." It was past the holiday season, but the advertisements still ad vertised "gifts." One Jesse B. Wilson said that he had a batch of "good" whiskey pure old rye. Five barrels of it, aged from the years 1845, 1849, and 1851. Wilson was offering this grog for sale, according to how long it had been sitting around at $2, $2.50, and $3.50 a gallon. The Democratic National Com mittee had a meeting at the Na tional Hotel, attended by 21 members. The upshot was an an nouncement, buried among the buggy ads allowing that the na tional convention for the party would be held in Cincinnati starting on the first Monday in June. The Republicans apparently hadn't made up their minds yet. 13-Year-0ld Catches Shark Bare-Handed Miami U.R) A 13-year-old boy said Saturday he cap tured a nine-foot shark bare handed and displayed the 250 pound monster to skeptics. The 93-pound boy, Tony Bel cher, said he spotted the shark swimming toward him while sailing his prajn in South Bis cayne bay. He said he grabbed the big .fish by its wide-flanged tail sticking out of water and held it over the side of his sail boat. Two other boys came along side and helped Belcher loop a rope around the shark and haul it to shore with their motor launch, he said. Deported Because Of Ball Point Pen Washington U.R) Sabas- tian Vermiglio, a Chicago nar cotic peddler arrested Friday, has been deported because of a ball point pen. The Immigration Service said Vermiglio claimed U. S. citizen ship and offered a 1912 baptis mal certificate to show that he had been baptized in a Chicago church. The service branded his story false, however, and put him on a plane for Italy. The Immigration Service said the baptismal certificate was signed with a ball point pen, something not in use until 1945 Portland Group Launches Drive To Block Center Portland U.P.) A group of east side Portland business men have launched a two-phase drive against the city adminis tration in an attempt to block construction of an $8,000,000 ex position center on the west side of the city. The group headed by Joe Dobbins, east side used car deal er, hoped to block construction at the so-called south auditor ium site chosen last week by the mayor's Exposition-Recreation Center commission. Site Illegal The drive included complaint for an injunction against ex penditure of funds on grounds that the south auditorium site is illegal, and a proposed am endment to the Portland city charter that would allow vot ers to decide which side of the Willamette river would be used for the E-R site. The complaint for an injunc tion claims the south auditor ium site selection was illegal because a previous resolution picking a Vanport site was nev er rescinded and thus was in full force and effect. The city council vetoed that .site.. The complaint also alleges that all acts of the E-R commis sion since the resignation of J. H. Polhemus are void because Polhemu's successor, Thaddeus B. Bruno, is not a legal resident of Portland. Emergency Ferry Assists People Blocked By Slide Reedsport U.P.) An em ergency ferry service was to go into operation Saturday to help some 267 persons cut off from jobs and schools in Reeds port by a huge mud slide. Douglas county officials Fri day reported that a mammoth mass of 100,000 yards of mud that oozed across Highway 38 during the Christmas holiday flood prevented some 450 per sons from reaching Reedsport, where many of- thenr worked. More than 117 of the persons claimed unemployment compen sation Friday because 'they could not reach their jobs. County officials said 150 chil dren were cut off from their schools by the slide. Goes Around Slide The ferry service, set up by the State Highway department, the county Civil Defense agency and local -industries, began op erations about 5:30 a.m. It will carry isolated residents around the slide. Southern Pacific railroad said it will begin operating a spec ial train Monday to take isolated-children to schools which they have not attended since be fore Christmas. The schools are at Reedsport and Gardiner. County officials estimated that more than 150 loggers em ployed at Long-Bell, E. K. Wood Lumber and independent logging operations will be af fected by the ferry. The Ump qua River Navigation comp any's tug, Cathlamet, a former Columbia river ferry, will op erate some 13 hours daily until the road is reopened. A ramp and floating docks were put into place at Dean's Creek, about four miles east of Reedsport, to serve as the up stream embarkation point. KEYS STOLEN Miami Beach, Fla. (U.R) Oda Sutton, who told police last Mon day that thieves had taken a pistol, strongbox and duplicate set of keys from his auto, report ed Friday that the car had been stolen. - GOOD AID La Paz, Bolivia OJ.P.) Presi dent Victor Pas Estenssoro Fri day credited United States economic aid for helping to pull Bolivia through recent difficult times. Canby Woman Killed Aiong Edge Of Road . Canby, U.P.) A 70-year-old woman, clad in black cloth ing and walking along the edga" of the highway at New Era was struck by a car and fatally in jured Friday night. . State police reported that Mrs. Anna Dallas of Canby was killed instantly when struck by. a car driven by Walter Werroh-: en, 48, also, of Canby. The death! was the first traffic fatality of. the year in Clackamas county. -' PLANER CLEAN, SELECT QUALITY FHj Your Storage Now Prompt Delivery MEDFORD FUEL CO. Phone 2-2111 Court and McAndrews '1 ' ACCIDENT FATAL Guaymas, Mexico (U.P.) An Albany, Ore., woman was killed and her husband seriously in jured in an automobile accident near here Thursday night. Auth orities identified the dead wo man as Mrs. J. A. Kaufman. Her husband was reported in criti cial condition in a local hospital. 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