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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 1956)
G O TWELVE MEDFORD (OREGON) DISTINGUISHED SERVICE Medford men snown above are candidates for ihe annual distinguished service award, presented each year by the Med ford Junior Chamber of Commerce to the young man select ed as outstanding in civic affairs for the preceding year. The winner, selected by a secret committee of local civic leaders, District Attorney's Report Lists Numerous Felony, Traffic Cases A total of 257 felony cases involving 290 defendants, and 463 serious traffic misdemeanors were filed through the district attorney's office during 1955, ac cording to an annual report by District Attorney Walter Nunley. "It is virtually impossible to measure statistically the work done by any office dealing en tirely with people," Nunley said, "and the . . . report is not in tended to reflect entirely '.the time spent or work done by the personnel of ihe office." Felonies Defined Felonies are crimes punishable by statute with commitment to the Oregon state penitentiary and misdemeanors are punish able by less than a term in the penitentiary. The 257 felony cases fell into 35 different crime categories, in cluding 7 crimes with violence (assault) and two homicides. There were 26 sex crimes; 89 property crimes, such as bur glar.y and larceny; ; and 85 check crimes. Of the check cases, usually only one criminal charge is filed regardless of the number of checks passed, according to Nun ley. Checks involved totalled S6,263.69, he said, "much of which was classified as a loss to the merchants and business peo ple of the community." : Of the felony defendants, 72 per cent were apprehended and arrested by county police agen cies, an "extremely high percent age of arrests on charges filed, compared with other counties in the state," Nunley stated. Inves tigations were done, with few ex ceptions, by the sheriff's office, Medford city police and Oregon state police. " Reflects Energy "It reflects a great deal of credit upon the energy and abil ity of the police agencies serv ing Jackson county, he said. Twenty felony cases were dis missed on motions from the district attorney's otfice, accord ing to the report, when it was evident that the facts failed to sustain the charge. Three defend- ants were juveniles, who were remanded to juvenile court. . A total of 145 defendants pleaded guilty or were found guilty, including 18 carried over from 1953 and 19a cases. Of these, five were permitted to plead to lesser offenses and were sentenced to the county jail. Sixty-nine were committed to the penitentiary, 47 received probation, and five were sent to institutions for mentally retard ed or mentally ill. Pending Cases Nineteen cases are still pend ing. Three felony trials were held in circuit court those of LeRoy Elmer Starkey, who was found guilty of assault and rob bery while armed with a danger ous weapon; Bernice H. White, guilty of second degree murder; and Robert Darrohn, guilty of larceny of livestock. The majority of misdemeanor crimes committed under state law are violations of motor ve hicle laws and are filed directly by members of the state police or other agencies on mimeo graphed forms prepared by the district attorney's office. Only when contested on an fnnocent plea do they concern the district attorney's office. A total of 3,958 misdemeanors were filed in the justice and district courts of Jackson county last year. More Serious Violations The more serious traffic vio lations, such as reckless driving and driving while under the . in fluence : of intoxicating liquor, and others filed through the of fice totaled 463. Of the total, 118 weft liquor crimes, includ ing drunk driving; 123 violations oi Uie state game laws, and 217 miscellaneous crimes, such as assaults, petty larceny and shop lifting. There were 24 trials in district court during the year, with 17 defendants found guilty, six in nocent and one dismissed for lack of evidence. MAIL TRIBUNE NOMINEES The six young Failure to provide, which is a felony punishable by a term in the penitentiary, has become "more than a crime," Nunley de clared, it is oecoming an in creasingly difficult social prob lem, and for that reason is giv en somewhat different treatment than the other crime categories." Notified of Action In no other crimes are defend ants given notice that action is contemplated by the office. Last year 107 reports of failure to provide were made to the dist rict attorney, which resulted in 193 letters from the office in which the person responsible for the support of minor children was notified that "unless he im mediately took steps to comply with his duty of support, crim inal action would be taken against him." It was necessary to file only 16 criminal charges for non- support. In addition, 27 recipro cal actions were taken with other states, 15 of which were successfully concluded, seven still pending and five not served. The office prepared formal re quests in 26 cases, by means of which the governor of Oregon Annual Police Report Shows Traffic Violation Increase Major crime in Medford did not irtcrease appreciably during 1955. There was, however, an increase in the number of traffic violations and cases of embez zlement and fraud. An annual police department report shows 608 major offenses during 1955 compared to 603 in 1954. Of these, 43 per cent were cleared, about 10 per cent more than the national average. Cases of traffic law violation increased from 2,603 in 1954 to 3,012 in 1955. Road and driving violations increased from 554 to 914; and cases "of driving while intoxicated from 55 to 72. Cases of embezzlement and fraud increased from 90 in 1954 to 122 in 1955. Larceny Cases Of the 608 major offenses in 1955, 425 of them were larceny thefts of under $50. Some 73 were burglary cases; 63 larceny theft of over $50; 35 auto thefts; four aggravated assault; five robbery; and three rape. The grand total of all offenses reported during 1955 was 15,570 compared to 12,472 in 1954. A total of 96 per cent of alh cases were cleared by police. There was a decrease in sev eral types of crime. Cases of of fenses against family , and chil dren dropped from 30 in 1954 to only 7 in 1955. Federal and state liquor law violations de creased from 33 in 1954 to 12. Cases of vagrancy dropped from 130 to 97. Cases of forgery and counterfeiting decreased from 29 to 13. Injury Rate Decrease Although there were two traf fic fatalities during the year the injury rate from automobile ac cidents decreased considerably over 1954. Police placed , in creased emphasis on traffic' "en forcement giving, particular attention- to hazardous violations. Miscellaneous services per formed by-police totaled 11,715. These included providing 1,120 money escorts; opening 1,832 windows, 829 doors, and stand ing by while 132 safes were opened. Officers turned out 1.395 night lights; made .2,624 vacation house checks, provided 266 funeral escorts and sold 2,447 bicycle licenses. Officers wrote 33.869 parking meter tickets in 1955 compared to 27,860 in 1954. They handled 481 cases of lost or found per sons, animals and property, and made out 663 written reports. December Cases During the month of December a total of 477 cases were report Sunday, January 22, 1956 will be announced next Thursday, and the winner will re ceive his award in ine Ore-Cal Panorama program over television. The award will consist of a plaque, certificate and pin, and will be presented by Ron James, Jaycee president. Left to right, the nominees are Robert A. Boyer, 649 South Ivy st.; Manville M. Heisel, 1808 Thomas rd.; Richard L. requests the governor of another state to deliver fugitives from Oregon to be returned for prose cution. It was the largest num ber of extraditions from any county in the state. Legal Opinions Twenty-three written legal opinions were given the various county offices on matters con cerning functions of office dur ing the year, and approximately 180 oral legal opinions were ren dered to county officials and employees. Reporting on other duties of the office, Nunley said an un tagged amount of time was spent by personnel who attended meetings of the county court, board of equalization, assessor's office, state tax commission, county and state public welfare commissions, and other adminis trative boards and bodies. More time was spent in hear ings and proceedings concerning taxation of orchard trees, regard ing which three civil cases for the county were initiated during 1955. . Letter Writing Correspondence, which is a large item of work in the office, included 549 letters written con ed, of which police celared 399, or 84 per cent. Cases during De-1 cember included three cases ot robberv. six burglary, 42 lar ceny-theft, 2 auto theft, 5 as sault, and 2 driving while intox icated. Members of the police force made a total of 85 public ap pearances during 1955 in an ef fort to improve public relations and to educate the public on po lice problems, safety, and crime prevention. Officers made appearances on radio and television and spoke at schools, churches, and. before service organizations. Subjects covered included bicycle safety, juvenile delinquency, traf f i c safety, safe driving .day, and gen eral police problems. Department Personnel During the first six months of 1955 the department had 28 of ficers and two civilian em ployees. Because of budget de creases it was necessary to oper ate during the last half of the year with only 27 officers. Clifton W. Lacy was appointed lieutenant during 1955 and Theo- Membership Drive Planned by Dairymen Plans for a membership drive for the Oregon Dairymen's as sociation have started after ap proval from the American Dairy association, acording to Victor Birdseye of Medford, president of the state group. The membership campaign will be managed by Glenn H. Lay, who was appointed as man ager of the American Dairy as sociation of Oregon. In-addition to managing, the campaign,. Lay also will administer - funds,, in form members of the association activities, and coordinating pro motion program of the American association with that of the Ore gon Dairy Products commission and the Oregon Dairy council. The state group is part of a program of dairy foods pomotion of Oregon's dairy industry. The state group is part of a program of dairy foods promo tion of Oregon's dairy industry. Objectives of the group are to improve consumer health and welfare through increased con sumption of dairy foods, to in crease sales, to build greater de mand for dairy foods and create a better understanding of the industry. cerning miscellaneous griev ances and oral complaints re ported to the district attorney but which did not result in crim inal action being filed and were otherwise resolved. Nunley said it should be noted that the figures do not reflect the time spent by personnel in terviewing citizens and police officers concerning matters and complaints upon which no action is taken. An average of 72 phone calls go through the office daily, and approximately 166 persons are interviewed each week. Crimes reported are -in addi tion to - all offenses committed under city ordinances and dis posed of through- municipal courts. In general,, total volume of work is statistically slightly above that of 1954. Approxim ately twice as many of the cases filed were carried to suc cessful conclusions last year than in the previous year. , The volume of work: handled through the Jackson county of fice was exceeded only by Mult nomah and Lane counties, ac cording to figures from the six largest counties. Comparative figures for last year are not yet available. dore Whisler was appointed ser- geant Medford police department sends and receives more teletype messages than any other depart ment in Oregon. New, selector type machines, making possible the elimination of all incoming messages except those intended for Medford, were installed. Individual clothing lockers for the officers were also installed, making it possible for the men to change into civilian clothes at the end of their tour of duty. One additional police car was purchased, raising the total num ber of cars to five, and several new books pertaining to police work were acted to the police library. Police Training Programs Police training programs dur ing the year included training for recruits, firearms training, advanced first aid, use of camera and darkroom facilities, operation- of police network teletype machines, and a regular in-service training program for all pa trolmen. The firearms training pro gram was initiated in' 1955 based on FBI procedure and conducted by Chief of Police Charles Champlin. All law enforcement officers in the valley were in vited to send officers to the school and about 50 local offi cers participated. Another activity of the de partment was the sponsorship of the police athletic league. Offi cers coached boys at the PAL club gymnasium and held several boxing matches during the year. SONOTONE All-Transistor HEARING AID WHAT IS IT? In simple terms the Sonotone transistor Hearing' Aid is a very small perfectly engineered in strument. It is most economical to operate and easy to wear. The only thing that your friends could possibly notice about it is the marvelous change in your hearing and your entire personality. C. 839 East 18 Years with Sonotone Henselman, 333 Ardmore ave.; Clifford D. Ouellette, 1532 Terrace dr.; Thomas J. Reeder, 135 North Ivy st., and Rob ert C. Taylor, 905 Oak Grove rd. All were active in a wide variety of civic activities in Medford during 1955. Gene Piazza is chairman of the committee arranging the awards. Gov. Patterson Not Decided About Race Boise, Ila. (U.P.) Gov. Paul Patterson of Oregon said Friday night he would decide by Feb. 1 "give or take a day or two" whether to run for the Republi can nomination for the U.S. Sen ate to oppose incumbent Sen. Wayne Morse (D-Ore.). Interviewed following his ad dress to a southwestern' Idaho "Salute to Eisenhower" dinner, Patterson said a poll was cur rently being conducted among GOP leaders in Oregon to deter mine whether he should enter the senatorial race or remain in the governorship. Area Men Receive Orders For Active Duly With Navy Several members of the Naval reserve electronics division 13-5, Medford, have volunteered " for active duty, and have received orders to report this month, ac cording to E. V. Tate, radio man first class, local reserve unit stationkeeper. Among those volunteering for active duty recently are John F. Larson Jr., Leo S. Callaway, Audrey R. Brown, Vernon C. Baldwin, Kenneth L. Myers, Orland E. - Stone, Robert G. Welch, John T. Logston, John D. Shreeve, Richard A. Howard, Ewel W. Chapman, Michael C. Shreeve, and Ronald L. Spinas. F. Larson" Jr., Leo S. Douglas L. Brannock is pres ently home on leave pror to startng offcer canddate course at. Newport, R.I. He recently returned from a tour of Asatc Pacific duty,- and is a graduate of the Electronics Technician school at Treasure Island, Calif. He enlisted at Medford. in May, 1951, and has served oboard the Navy - reefer -USS- Pictor' in Korean waters: Maynard W. Hadley ' Jr. is presently serving ' aboard the USS Yorktown on . two week's annual training duty. Men due to report today for duty include Wayne S. Clymer, Francis ' G. Durante, and Kenneth G. Walk er are - going aboard the USS Mansfield. The local Naval reserve ' elec tronics division is now acecept ing first enlistments and men with prior servce, Tate said. Meetings are held Monday nights at the federal building, 33 North Riverside ave. Addi tional information may be ob tained by calling 2-2566 or 3 4909, Everyone Benefited From Man's Business Chattanooga, Tenn. U.R) C. 4E. Rymer's attdrney claims both Rymer and the public ben efited when Rymer quit making dentures for dentists-and went into business for himself. The attorney said - Rymer, charged- with practicing dentis try without a license, spent 17 years making $5 to $10 Ventures for dentists who would sell them to their patients for $100. "Now he makes them for the patients and saves them a lot of money," the attorney said. Dead line Sunday Classified is at noon Saturday: 10 a.m. Monday for Monday: other days 5:30 previous day Medford's Oldest . Hearing. Aid Institution R. ADAMSON DISTRICT MANAGER Jackson Phone 2-5904 NW Mining Council Protesls Proposed Land Withdrawal A letter protesting the with drawal of lands along the Rogue River from mining until sent to public hearing has been sent to the bureau of land management by the Northwest Mining coun cil, Inc. It is signed by Frank DeSouza, president; -Thad W. Hatten, secretary-treasurer; and Bruce J Manley, director. They state, "We would call to your attention the fact that the Rogue River and its tributaries cut through one of the most highly mineralized areas in the state of Oregon. Below Prospect there are a number of occurences of mercury and the area below Grants Pass has produced more gold than any other area in the state. In addition to gold and mercury, these areas contain copper, manganese and other minerals." Effect Small Miners They maintain that the pro posal will be "particularly se vere in its effect on the owners of small mines and prospects." BLM has announcde its inten tion to withdraw lands from mining entry in the area one half mile on each side of the river from Prospect on the Upper Rogue to Agness on the Lower Rogue, a distance of 120 miles. A resolution making a similar request as the mining council letter was passed unanimously last week by the board of direc tors of the Josephine County Chamber of Commerce. The group requested that the hearing be held in Grants Pass after May 1, to give interested persons sufficient time to pre pare briefs for presentation at the hearing. Man Happy When Navy Accepts Him For Duty Denver '(U.R) Aaron E. Pickering, a Wyoming timbsr cutter, , beamed happily Friday wheh a Navy recruiting officer told him he had been accepted for another hitch in the Navy. Pickering, who has five chil dren', celebrated his 62nd birth-' day last July. Use Tribune Want Ads r Hot VW BUY THE NEW Recovery GE AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC Water Heater Wash a Load of Clothes EVERY HOUR -All Day Long- ONLY $5.00 A MONTH NOTHING DOWN HOME APPLIANCE 115' EAST MAIN Authorized Dealer fiEHERAL ELECTRIC Water Heaters Letter Supporting Mrs. Lyman Mailed To Gov. Patterson A letter signed by 2 persons mer employees of the local wel-i fare commission i nsupport of Mrs. Blanche Lyman, ousted commission administrator, has been sent to Gov. Paul Patterson. The letter attests to her hon esty, integrity and loyalty, and expresses concern for her many years of service and for the com munity. Twenty of those signing the letter are present employees of the Jackson county welfare de partment, all but three of the professional staff. The eight oth ers are all former employees. Discharged Earlier : Mrs. Lyman was discharged early this month . by the state public welfare commission as the result of an investigation of the local office. Charges on which the dismissal was based included lack of administrative responsi bility, and lack of loyalty to the state department. A hearing for Mrs. Lyman be fore the state civil service com mission has tentatively been scheduled for Thursday, March i, m aaiem. The letter from her employ ees and former employees fol lows: "Dear Governor Patterson: "We, former and present em ployees of the Jackson County Public Welfare Commission un der Mrs. Blanche Lyman's ad ministration, desire to affirm that we have had unquestionable opportunity to observe and cer tify her honesty, integrity and loyalty both to the principles of social work and to the rules and regulations of the State Public Welfare Commission. Worked With Mrs. Lyman "Among us, there are some who have worked with her as a citizen, as an employer and as a friend. In each capacity, we have found her to be a rjerson of un usual intelligence and under standing. Her innate interest in and f eeling for people in trouble has been an outstanding charac teristic. We feel that, the very compassion which so well qual ified her for social work has in this one instance, done her a great harm. "We are deeply concerned that the manv vears of service which she has given to the organization tor which she worked and to the communitv . in .whir-h shp livps be given the consideration they deserve. Signing the letter were Mrs. 1956 CALENDAR JANUARY MAY EOT1MBIH iait? ia4 1 M il 31 11 M 11 n !1U!)MM j5 27 n m a x ii r ji mftUAHY JUNE OCTOBDl 1854 .11 I 3 J 4 t r 7 I t W II 1 4 1 7- 7 W tl U U IJ U 14 H I IT 1 H a W U If W If It 17 M rl 90 r? 20 21 22 23 2S H 11 rt 30 21 32 21 23 :3 34 2 24 27 24 27 M 2222t 2JJ MAACH JULY NOVEMBER I21I3)4S7 121 4 7 14 OS-KIIUUM 4 t 7 t 11 12 1) W IS 17 HMI7W1S 20 21 1! 12 U 14 II 14 17 II It II U S 22 21 24 2S 24 27 2 ! It 29 21 22 21 24 II X X II JO II 22031 21 24 27 9 2 X AWUL AUGUST DECEMBER 13J 4B4T 1214 I, MIIUUM 1 4 7 t n 314147 f., II IS 17 14 rf 20 21 12 19 14 II M IT It t lo II 11 1) 14 H' 22 23 34 31 9 27 U It 90 31 33 29 24 II IT U II 11 310 24 27 24 24 30 31 2J 11 II M 17 Every Month is ' Home Building Month in the Rogue Valley ! In many parts of the country, home building comes to a halt this time of year. But not here. Countless homes were begun this month in Jackson County and southern Oregon. Was yours among them? Even if you would rather wait until spring to begin your home, January is none too soon to get all the preliminary work done . . . Get your plans drawn now . . . Talk to your builder and supplier . . . settle any financial problem you may have. When you consider a new home, FINANCING is usually the first, problem to solve. But people who go to JACKSON COUNTY FEDERAL usually find their financial problem easy to handle. Just drop in and chat with our friendly personnel about the home-of-your-own you desire. Jackson County Federal has a home-loan plan tailored to fit your needs and your budget SAVINGS & LOAN 126 E. MAIN Since Building with Jackson Marjorie Haley, Ryntha O. Stur ges, Donna Cline, Audrey Rob bins, Beti J. Gerritsen, Jeraldyne Jerome. Ruth H. Kilbourn, Ruth B!" Walker, C e 1 i a M. Walker, Elaine A. Grivas, Suzanne K. Pappin, June Chesney Heiden reich, Dixie Kruggel, Ann No blit, Mary Ann Wilson, Jeanne Y. Gang, Martha J. Sadri, J. Marie Clark, Frances E. Halfhill, Grace McKearan, LillianRheins burg, Irene Finney, Grace Shaw, Winifred P. Uridel, Mary C. Browne, Georgia C. White, Don na Sherwood and Evelyn Rhodes. r 1 DAIRY FREEZE SPECIALS FRENCH FRIES With Each 25c HAMBURGER Get Acquainted SPECIAL Quarts of OOf DAIRY FREEZE U7 qt. Fried Chicken ... .. 95c ONE-HALF CR. ORDERS Www Fish & Chips 75c ONE-HALF ill. ORDERS 4UC PRAWNS 95c ONE-HALF Eft ORDERS WUC FRENCH FRIES 10c-1 5c -25c orders Sandwiches Sundaes Shakes Cones PLEASE CALL 3-3067 If you wish to have your order ready when you arrive. Prices Good Until Further Notice DAIRY FREEZE 900 NORTH RIVERSIDE i ASSOC ATION MEDFORD ISO. County Since 1909
