Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, January 16, 1956, Image 1

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Medford mail tribune., January 16, 1956, Image 1

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Newspaper Page Textc o S IV O -J C3 fo) ft Ft? aiuLb If MhwihiN U a Power Projecis In Washington, Oregon Lisled $14,000,000 Increase In Spending Requested Washington (U.R) Presi dent Eisenhower called today for an increase of nearly $14,- 000,000 million in federal spend ing on water and power projects in Oregon and Washington. His budget for the fiscal year starting next July 1 asked for a total of nearly $103,000,000 for flood control, navigation and reclamation projects. About $1)3,500,000 is being spent this year. A separate request of $18,700,- p0 was submitted for power ine construction by the Bonne ville Power administration, an increase of $4,100,000 over the amount being spent this year. Talent Project Included Larger, second-year appropri ations were asked for work on Hills Greek and Cougar dams in Oregon and Ice Harbor and Eagle Gorge dams in Washing ton. Congress approved a start on these projects last year. A $2,400,000 fund was sought for a start on the Talent recla mation project in Oregon, and stepped-up work was scheduled at the Deschutes project in that state. The President said that funds would be sought later for the Jjiniper division of the Wapini- tia project in Oregon, if it is authorized. Increased amounts were ask ed, too, for the Foster creek and Roza projects In Washington. Partnership Re-Emphasized At the same time, the Presi dent re-emphasized his "partner ship" policy for water develop m e n t, indicating additional funds will be endorsed for three other projects if Congress ap proves enabling legislation. His budget included a $10, 000,000 federal contribution to ward construction of John Day dam on the Columbia river, for the Green Peter dam in Oregon, and the Bruces Eddy dam in Idaho. They are to be built, he said, "in cooperation with states, local governments or private groups." A $13,850,000 item that was included for the Columbia Ba sin project will allow distribu tion systems for 47,000 acres of land to be completed in the next fiscal year. Foster Creek Project On the Foster Creek project, a $1,500,000 fund will complete work on the Bridgeport Bar unit. Canals and laterals to irrigate 10,730 acres in the Kennewick division would be financed by a $1,288,000 allotment, and a $1,720,000 fund would allow continued work on the Roza power plant. A SI, 035,000 fund was asked for continued work on the Hay stack reservoir of the Deschutes project. e Here are the budget totals for navigation and flood control projects in Oregon for 1956 and 1957 respectively: Columbia river channel, $750,000, $1,300,000. Coos Bay, $236,000, $439,000 Tillamook bay, $200,000, $1- 300,000. Amazon creek $100,000, $100, 000. Johnson creek, $100,000 $100,000. Willamette river, $300,000 -S300.000. ' Cougar reservoir, $500,000 $1,500,000. Hills Creek reservoir, $310, 000. $2,000,000. McNary dam, $7,500,000, $6, 000.000. The Dalles dam, $52,000,000, $50,000,000. The Oregon reclamation proj ect figures: Deschutes project, North unit $275,000, SI, 035.000. Talent project, nothing, $2, 400,000. Mollet Seen Possible Premier of France Paris U.R) Guy Mollett. leader of the French Socialist party, emerged today from the juiQlle of French politics as the most likely candidate to be France's next premier in an al liance with Pierre Mendes- France. Most observers were giving Mollet the nod and said he could get the premiership if he makes anv sort of fight for it. The al ternative appeared to be Men- des-France as one of the leaders of their "Republican Front." Mendes-France called a meet ing today of the executive com mittee of his Radical Socialist party to put its formal stamp of approval on the alliance with the Socialists and it promised to be a stormy one. Medford United Press Full Leased Wire 50th Year 14 Pages Vigil Maintained As Feather River Continues To Fall City Remains in Critical Situation San Francisco (U.R) Mud smeared levee workers sloshed across the spongy top of the re paired dike at Yuba City today in belief they had saved the city from a second inundation by the Feather river. Yuba City, however, still re mained the critical situation in the Northern California flood disaster area. All the coastal streams that had gone over their banks and driven thousands from their homes during the week end were reported falling today. The crisis passed when the 48-hour storm came to an end yesterday afternoon. For . a time, the storm had threatened to duplicate the Christmas week disaster when floods resulted in 75 deaths and more than $175,000,000 property damage. Although the storm had passed, constant vigilance had to be maintained at Yuba City. Critical Hours The danger there was pin pointed at Shanghai Bend., where the Feather river lapped at the muddy top of the recon structed levee. It was here that the bulwarks broke at Christmas time, sending nearly 10,000 per sons fleeing for their lives and killing at least 33. At 6 a.m. today, the river stood at 67.1 feet, a danger point, but the river was falling above Yuba City and the waters were rising at the rate of only tenth of a foot an hour at Yuba City. The levee at Shanghai Bend is 71 feet high, and the city levee commission did not . believe the water now would go over the top. The greatest danger, however, was whether the levee would continue ' to hold. Since the Christmas break, construction crews and heavy equipment has been used in the three-week struggle to restore the city's de fenses. This work, however, was untested, unpacked and spongy. There always was the chance that the river could come boiling in from the bottom. Heavy Equipment Moved A crew of Army Engineers from Camp Beale Air Force Base, working in shifts of 100 around the clock and augment ed by city volunteers, continued to man the levee. Heavy equip ment had to be removed because it could not be used in the mud. Upstream, north of Yuba City, the river had dropped a tenth of a foot at Gridley. At Oroville, 16 hours away as the stream flows, the river had dropped seven feet. So far, three deaths were re ported from the current floods, Henry R. Beneken Sr., 64, a car penter, apparently slipped into Paper Mill creek behind his home at Forest Hills in Marin county around midnight and drowned. Ray Stepp, 50, drown ed in an irrigation ditch south of Alturas, and John Maurer, 32, Eureka contractor, was kill ed Saturday by a falling tree as he worked to break a log jam in a creek. Tub UP Passenger Train Jumps Tracks at Biggs Junction The Dalles (U.R) An east- bound . Portland-to-Spokane Un ion Pacific passenger train was derailed at Biggs Junction east of here early today. The en gineer and firemen were hos pitalized but state police said none of the estimated 65 passen gers was injured seriously. The seven-car train was de railed about 12:35 a.m. The rear part of the two-unit diesel and the front baggage car were on their sides. The other cars were derailed but were upright. One passenger car was tilting slightly. Hospitalized here were R. W. Harvey, 61, Portland, the en MEDFORD, OREGON, MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 1956 Where it emits hi I SsSSfi lift Ssffsraiiss ' "x&isSffSMHf jpl O l2 12 RfiBi ' : 30 . .- ' . .! Where it will go. . if &? . . .. ; . - y I f NOT SO EASY COMING OR GOING This is one of the charts which accompanied President Eisenhower's budget message to Congress. It shows the budget dollar for fiscal 1957, where it comes from and where it goes. More Rain Weather conditions in south ern Oregon got back to normal shortly after noon yesterday, av erting possible extensive flood ing by Jackson county streams. The Rogue river at Grants Pass crested at 15.98 feet about 2:45 p.m. yesterday, and at Dodge bridge the crest was about 7.41 feet at 1 p.m. Flood stage at Grants Pass is 17 feet and at Dodge bridge 9 feet. Warm southwest rains com bined with a high freezing level Friday and Saturday to bring conditions similar to those Another Storm For Western Oregon By UNITED PRESS Another wind and rain storm headed for soaking wet western Oregon today on the heels of a damaging week end blow that caused slides and high water and blocked highways. The Coquille river was rising six inches an hour this morning and was less than a foot under flood stage at Coquille. Several secondary roads in the area were closed. Water on Highway 42 between Coquille and Roseburg was over the road in two places but traffic was going through. Slow Fall Predicted River Forecaster Elmer Fisher predicted a slow fall in tributary streams through tomorrow with the Willamette below Harris burg and the lower Columbia expected to rise. The Willamette was a little more than two feet under flood stage at Corvallis at 8:30 a.m. today. A 500-foot slide broke loose in Portland late last night on NW Barnes rd. near Burnside st. Homes were shaken and power service was disrupted. Telephone poles were knocked down. Several other slides were reported in Portland during the week end. During a three-day period gineer, and W. B. Ford, Port land, the fireman. Harvey, a veteran of 37 years on the rail road, said' it felt like, the train hit something. "Harvey suffered a back injury and Ford suffered lacerations. Both also suffered from shock. A special bus was sent from Portland to take passengers to their destinations. Although some passengers were shaken up, none was reported hospital ized. One unidentified soldier said he slept through the whole thing. Trains were being rerouted down the Washington side of the Columbia river. n 0K Inl Forecast As amage Listed which caused disastrous floods Christmas week. Weather bureau officials said the outlook, is for more showers today, with another less severe storms front moving into the area about noon Tuesday. Rain is expected to increase in north ern California early Tuesday and move into southern Oregon about noon. Westerly winds yesterday pushed a lingering storm front northeastward and brought cool er temperatures relieving threat ening conditions. The freezing Brookings had 6.19 inches of rain and Astoria 3.92 inches. Rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 4:30 a.m. today included 1.1 at Eugene, 1.09 at Salem, 1.04 at North Bend and .55 at Port land. Highway 99 Blocked Traffic on Highway 99 south of Wolf Creek was blocked yes terday by a slide. A flash flood in the Prineville area of central Oregon early Sunday caused some persons to evacuate their homes as Dry Creek flooded. Crews were watching a dike in Lane county which guards 300 residents of Willamette City. Polls Open Until 8 for Elections Polls will be open until 8 p.m. today for two elections in Jack son county. Elections are being held in two areas southeast of Medford on annexation. Polling place for a three and a half block area in Siskiyou Heights extension is at the home of Mrs. Elizabeth Bark er, 601 Keene dr. Polling place for annexation of more than 1,100 acres southeast of Medford is at the home of Mrs. Blanche Powell, 1920 Barnett rd. Polls in both areas opened at 1 p.m. today and will' close at 8 p.m. Registered voters who have lived in the area 30 days are el igible to vote. The other election is in Phoe nix school district 4, where resi dents will vote on removing the district from the rural school dis trict to form a first class district. Voters registered 30 days prior to today who have lived in the district six months are eligible to vote in the . grade school gym nasium. Polls opened at 2 p.m. and will close at 8 p.m. Corvallis (U.R) A green veneer mill that will employ about 40 men will be built this spring between Corvallis and Philomath. . .Tribune United Press Fall Leased Wire Price 5c No. 254 n UDGET Rivers level lowered from 11,000 feet yesterday to 4,100 feet early to day, bringing snow in the mountains .,... '-..' Rivers in the area have been receding since early afternoon yesterday. Bob Church, meteorologist at the local weather bureau, said low lands along the Rogue river are covered when the river reaches 7 feet at Dodge bridge, but no serious damage is caused at that level. State police reported few lo cal high water conditions yest erday. Highway 238 was flood ed in the Ruch area, but traffic was moving slowly through six to eight inches of water. Kirt land rd. near Tolo also was flooded. Water lapped at the edge of Highway 99 in the Savage Rap ids dam area, but the highway was not covered. Highway de partment crews were standing by. Some Families Move Civil defense volunteers work ed around the clock Saturday and Sunday keeping watch along rising streams and assisting some families to move furniture from lower areas. Maj. Gen. Joseph Hicks, county civil defense director, said workers in Rogue River helped move belongings of a few "worried" residents near the river, and Shady Cove vol unteers pulled stalled cars from low areas and removed a numb er of irrigation pumps from the river. Medford station of the weather reported 2.32 inches of rain from the storm. Of the total, 1.07 inches fell Saturday and .74 Sunday. Only .09 was recorded from midnight up to 10 a.m. today. A total of 19.27 inches of rain has fallen since the agricultural year began Sept. 1, 1955. This contrasts to the 8.89 total of the dry year which began Sept. 1, 1954. Normal precipitation for an entire agricultural year is 18.15 inches. Lumber Mill Worker Scalded fo Death Toledo, Ore. (U.R) Aulta E. Coxen, 59, employee of the C. D. Johnson Lumber mill here died early today as result of a scalding suffered at the mill Sat urday. Two co-workers Robert Smith, 33, Toledo, and Walter R. Bal zano, 30, Newport, were injur ed slightly in the accident. Plant Manager Milton B. Lu ton said the three men were working on a steam pipe after closing off the steam with a valve in the boiler room. They failed to put a note on the valve, however, Luton said, and other workmen unknowingly turned on the steam. JOS TfilEFJT Oft $2,400,000 H '57 President Eisenhower's budget lic today, contains nearly $3,000,000 for projects in Jackson county. The largest item is $2,400,000 for a start of construction on the Talent project. The other item is $585,000 for continuation of work on the re habalitation of the water distribution systems of the Medford and Rogue River Valley Irrigation districts, which has been started. The Talent project, when completed, will have cost an estimat ed 522,000,000. - Project Includes Number of Items ! It includes a big new reservoir for some 50,000 acre-feet of wa ter in the Howard Prairie dis trict north of the Green Springs highway east of Ashland; a sys tem of canals and tunnels to bring the water to the Rogue valley; a power house which will generate about 16,000 kilowatts of electric energy; reconstructing the present Emigrant dam to in crease the capacity of the reser voir from about 8,000 acre-feet at present to nearly 48,000 acre feet, or an increase of six times, creating a big addition to the size of the lake, and extension and improvement of the waterworks of the Talent Irrigation district. Also benefiting from the pro ject will be the Medford and Rogue Valley districts, which will pick up surplus and "used" water from the increased supply of the Talent district. Some 8,000 acres of productive agricultural land will be brought under irri gation for the first time, and about 27,000 acres in the three irrigation districts will receive supplemental irrigation water. Project Authorized The 1954 Congress authorized the project. Last year, $154,000 was appropriated for planning purposes, although it was not called for in the administration budget as presented. Efforts by the members of the state s Con gressional delegation and by Gov.. Paul Patterson, who made several trips to Washington, are credited with obtaining the amount in 1955. The planning work is by now virtually com pleted. Two things remain to be done before construction can start. Congress must approve the ap propriation contained in the 1957 budget, which is regarded pretty much as a foregone conclusion, and landowners of the Talent dis trict must vote to approve the re payment contract with the fed eral bureau of reclamation. An election for this purpose will be held in the near future. If these actions are completed, funds will become available at the start of the fiscal year, July 1, and contracts can then be let. Meanwhile, Washington re ports indicate there is some like lihood that sufficient funds can be obtained in a supplemental appropriation for the fiscal year 1956 to permit construction to begin this spring or early sum mer. Presumably the amount ap propriated in this manner would reduce the 1957 appropriation by the same amount. It is hoped the Talent job can be completed in three or four years after actual construction starts. No further action is necessary in the case of the rehabilitation work on the other two irrigation districts, for construction already has been authorized and started. This year's appropriation is for continuation of the work, which will take about three years to complete, and when finished will have cost about Sl,700,000. Sweetland To Seek State Secretary Job Portland U.R) Monroe Sweetland, state senator from Clackamas county and publisher of the Milwaukie, Ore., Review, yesterday announced he was fil ing for the Democratic nomina tion for Secretary of State in the May 18 Oregon primary. Sweetland, Democratic nation al committeeman since 1948, said he would not run again for that post because "I do not believe that major party officials should be candidates for other major of fices." "In 1956 Oregon can take long steps forward," Sweetland said. "With increasing popula tion, with unbalanced industry, and with state government too long dominated by a few selfish economic interests, our great state must make a new begin ning," he said. Sweetland said a state govern ment "responsive to the people's needs" required a liberal and Democratic legislature and a state board of control that would "at least be bi-partisan." SLfiTEl BU0IET for fiscal year 1957, made pub Ultra-Modern Weapons Listed In Defense Budget Washington (U.R) Presi dent Eisenhower submitted to Congress today a huge military program accenting pusn-outton weapons. . He called for record outlays on air-atomic power, and nearly a $1,000,000,000 boost in mili tary spending. He proposed military spend ing of $35,500,000,000 for the year starting next July 1, to keep more than 2,800,000 men armed for "a long period of uncertain peace." The defense bill, revers ing three years of cuts, will be $972,000,000 greater than this year's and $14,000,000 above last year's. Military Spending Military spending was the top item in a $40,000,000,000 pack age of "major national security programs," designed to deter aggression and strengthen al liances. The other items were $2,500,000,000 for foreign mili tary aid, $1,900,000,000 for the Atomic Energy Commission and $373,000,000 for stock-piling and expansion of defense production facilities. ... - In his defense budget, Mr. Eisenhower put the emphasis squarely on nuclear weapons and ultra-modern means of de livering them. He gave short shrift to traditional warfare and slashed funds for conventional weapons. Guided missile production will be "the highest in our his tory," the President said. The armed forces, exploiting new scientific break-throughs, will buy $1,300,000 worth of those weapons in fiscal 1957, a 39 per cent increase over this year. They probably will spend at least another $200,000,000 for research on newer missiles, bud get figures indicated. The budget called for an air armada of 43,266 planes by mid- 1957. That will be a net increase of 755 in the year. But striking power will be increased much more by replacement of many additional planes with later types. The President said pro duction will be pushed on the giant B-52 intercontinental jet bomber and the supersonic F101, F104 and F8U jet fighters, Air craft production will run about $6,300,000,000, a shade under this year's. The atomic-age military plan called for a fleet of new war ships, every one of them either nuclear-powered or capable of delivering nuclear weapons. The lion's share of next year's spending will be done by the Air Force, which at last will reach its long-sought goal of 137 wings. Ft, Lewis Soldiers Held for Assault Albany U.R) Two soldiers from Ft. Lewis, Wash., were ar rested in a stolen car here today and held for Marion county au thorities on a charge of assault and battery. Police said Billy Mercer of Gresham reported he had been hit on the head with a hammer and robbed of his billfold con taining $15 early today by two soldiers he had picked up in his car near Oregon City. He said the soldiers dumped him out near Salem and drove off in his car. Mercer was picked up by a bread truck driver and taken to Salem where they phoned the police. WEATHER FORECAST: Showers this eve - ning. Snow level 3,500 feet. Partly cloudy tonight. Patchy valley log early Tuesday. In creasing cloudiness during the day with rain by evening. Low tonight 35-38. High Tues day 50. Temp. Highest yesterday 55 Lowest this morning 40 Prec. .42 To 4:30 a.m. today . Bigger Spending Said Necessary To Protect Peace No Tax Cuts in Foreseeable Future Washington -(U.R) President Eisenhower proudly presented to Congress today a balanced black ink budget calling fm. $65,900,000,000 of federal spend ing- For the first time since 1951. Treasury deficits were turned into small projected surpluses. Despite this, the administration held out more firmly than ever against tax cuts in the foresee able future. The President said bieepr spending in fiscal 1957, ud $1,600,000,000, is necessarv to protect uncertain world peace with "the greatest military pow er in our peacetime nistory" and io promote wider sharing of "our unprecedented prosperity" at home. Items of major interest: $35.- 500,000,000 for the militarv $3,600,000,000 for farm relief $4,300,000,000 for foreign aid: $4,900,000,000 for veterans- nH lesser amounts to start new pro grams or ieaeral aid for school construction and to help depress ed areas of the country. iiscal 1957 is the govern ment's bookkeeping year which begins this July. The proposed spending of $65,900,000,000 com pares with $64,300,000,000 this year. Most of the increase was ear marked for the titanic weapons of tomorrow supersonic air craft, new atomic weapons, guid ed missiles. Taxes on-, boomtime profits and wages were estimated to rise even more than spending, from $64,500,000,000 this war. to $66,300,000,000 in fiscal 1957. That meant an indicated budg et surplus, excess of receipts over spending, of $400,000,000 for 1957. And Mr. Eisenhower said revised figures show there will be a surplus of $200,000,000 when fiscal 1956 ends this June 30. Should Reriuro n,U4. . ... ..... The President in a 40,000 word budget message to Con gress said these indicated sur pluses were too "slim" to permit tax relief. He said they should be used to reduce the debt. Secretary of Treasury George M. Humphrey, the administra tion's top man on tax matters. made this more emphatic. He told newsmen there should be a surplus of $2,500,000,000 be fore tax relief will be in order. He tried hard to deflate a belief cherished by many that the sur plus will grow mightily by late spring ana permit a tax cut after all in this election year. The secretary denied thp rpv- enue figures had been under estimated so a bigger figure could be unveiled later. No ad ditional surplus is "buried in this budget," he said. The projected surpluses, small as they are, would be the first since fiscal 1951. President Tru man then budgeted for a $3,000, 000,000 deficit and wound up with a $5,000,000,000 surplus. New taxes were imposed be cause of the Korean war and they brought in more than had been expected. Not since 1948 has a president actually sub mitted a balanced budget to Congress. Mr. Eisenhower and Hum phrey said the achievement of a balanced budget is very im portant for everyone. They said it cements the foundations for continued prosperity, discour ages inflation, protects the sta bility of wages and living costs. Inflation is encouraged when the government consistently spends more than it takes in. The budget represented the administration's desires. Con gress still has a lot of say about it. However, there is general agreement in Congress on the need for continued heavy spend ing for defense, veterans, farm relief and other big items. So material change in the spending budget is not likely. (See Stories on Page 14) Oregon School Funds Figured Under Program Washington U.R) Oregon would receive $2,332,000 from the federal government under tentative first year figures for the proposed five-year $1,200, 000,000 school construction pro gram, the Office of Education said today. Oregon would pro vide $1,678,000 in state funds. DOW-JONES AVERAGES New York U.R) Dow-Jones final stock averages: 30 indus trials 476.24, off 5.56; 20 rail roads 158.37, off 2.31; 15 utili ties 63.75, off 0.26, and 65 stocks 168.67, off 1.91. Sales today were about 2,260,000 shares compared with 2,120,000 Friday.