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United Presi Full Leased Wire
50th Year 22 Pages
President's Per
Al Sarena Cast
Hagerly Denies
Allegation Made
By Drew Pearson
, better To McKay
Said Non-Existent
Washington (U.R) The White
House today" branded as a "com
plete falsehood" and a "scurri
lous lie" a report that President
Eisenhower took a personal in
terest in the disputed Al Sarena
mining claims.
Press Secretary James C. Hag---
erty opened his daily briefing
by commenting on the report
which columnist Drew Pearson
made yesterday in his syndi
cated column.
Pearson said the Senate In
terior Committee files include
a letter the President wrote
Interior Secretary Douglas Mc
Kay asking that the Al Sarena
section of the Rogue River Na
tional Forest be sold.
, Hagerty said the report is a
"complete falsehood and, in my
opinion, a scurrilous lie."
No Such Letter
Saying that "no such letter
exists," Hagerty asked news
papers which carried Pearson's
column to "use my statement"
as well.
; He sid he was making his
remarks "so the press of the na
tion and American public have
this report."
. He said Sen. Barry M. Gold
water (R-Ariz.) questioned the
committee staff about the letter
yesterday and the staff members
reported that no such letter
exists. o
Subcommittee attorneys Rob
ert Redwine and William Co
burn tSld the subcommittee yes
terday they had not seen such
a letter in studying Interior
Department files on the case.
: Sen. Thomas H. Kuchel
(R-Calif.) said afterwards:
i "It is fair to state the state
ment in the newspaper is in
correct." Rep. Clare Hoffman (R-Mich.)
demanded that Pearson be ques
tioned. ,Sen. Richard Neuberger
(D-Ori.), acting chairman said
he could not take .action on
. a motion that the columnist be
subpenaed in the absence of
Siairman Earl Chudoff (D-Pa.)
of the House section of the
subcommittee.
Hearings in Recess
Al Sarena Mines, Inc., Mobile,
Ala., was granted the claims in
rich Oregon timberland in 1954
after being turned down during
the Truman administration.
Subcommittee Democrats have
charged that the company, in
stead of engaging in mining
operations, "mined" $250,000
worth of timber. . They have
charged the case is "another
administration giveaway.";
Republicans contend the in
vestigation is a "smear."
Redwin and Coburn said there
was a 1955 letter in the Interior
Department's file from C. 'W.
Powell of Overland, Mo., to the
President criticizing the Al Sa
rena grants. A photostat of the
letter showed only a printed
fibte referring it to the Interior
Department.
Hearings are adjourned until
Tuesday. ,
" (See Story on Page 14)
Scientists Use Radiation
Process To Sterilize Food
Dugway, Utah U.R) Scien
tists have found how to use high
intensity radiation to kill food
spoiling bacteria, but they still
have the problem of how to do
it "for sure" without ruining
flavor, aroma, appearance and
food value. .'
Military and civilian experts
at the unique radiation labora
tory of the Army's vast Dugway
Proving Ground in Western
Utah told newsmen that all cur
rent signs point to eventual
success.
Time for Research
"Sterilization by irradiation is
revolutionary as cooking and re
frigeration in the preservation,
packing and storing of food," .Dr.
C. J. Christensen of the Univer
sity of Utah, cpntractor operator
of the laboratory, said.
It will take time before re
search is completed, h added.
MEDFORD, OREGON, FRIDAY, JAM' .
Benson Letter Stirs
Wrath of Senators
Washington (U.R) Sen.
Hubert H. Humphrey (D-Minn.),
told the Senate today that Sec
retary of Agriculture Ezra T.
Benson should be fired "this
afternoon" for a letter to a maga
zine editor which appeared with
his signature.
Humphrey said the letter ap
peared in the February issue of
Harper's magazine. He said it
praised an article in the maga
zine's December, issue entitled
Commission Opens
Bids On Four Road
Projects In County
Bids on four Jackson county
highway projects, including re
placing the covered McKee
bridge across Applegate river
south of Ruch, were opened by
the state highway commission in
Portland this morning.
Keith Brothers construction
company, Medford, submitted a
low bid of $39,100 for grading
and oiling .24 mile of Crater
Lake highway near Casey State
park. Rogue River Paving com
pany, "Medford, bid $14,781, for
widening .68 mile of Crater Lake
highway south of Reese creek.
Other Projects
Other projects and low bidders
included:
Orlando C. Bernard, Portland,
73,688, for constructing two
bridges on relocated Pacific high
way in Ashland, one a 256-foot
span over Ashland creek and
Water street and the other a 17
foot bridge over Ashland creek.
R & M Construction company,
Central Point, $55,095 for a 302
foot bridge over Applegate river
on county road nine miles south
of Ruch. The bridge will replace
the present covered McKee
bridge. " . .
A preventive maintenance pro
gram, calling for $550,000 worth
of construction on state high
ways in southern Oregon subject
to annual flooding was approved
yesterday by the commission,
provided that the U.S. bureau of
public reads will pay about half
the cost.
Part of State Program
The proposed construction in
southern Oregon is part of a
state-w i d e program totaling
$2,750,000.
Highway sections in southern
Oregon approved for preventive
maintenance and amounts to be
spent include: Redwood high
way, one mile, $80,000; Rogue
River Loop road, $175,000; Med-
ford-Provolt road, half mile,
$40,000; Powers secondary road,
one-fourth mile, $30,000; and Pa
cific highway south of Grants
Pass near Savage Rapids dam,
about a mile, $225,000.
Highway Engineer R. H. Bal
dock was authorized to make
application to the bureau for
aid. He reported that recent
floods did $685,400 damage to
state highways
The preventive maintenance
would in most' cases involve
changes in line- and raising the
grades to . get the roads out of
flood-threatened areas, Baldock
said.
but said "we have a darned good
idea . . . that it will be used
commercially within 10 to 15
years."
Capt. .G. A. Lynn, laboratory
chief for the Army Chemical
Corps, said some pharmaceutical
manufacturers are already using
irradiation to preserve such
drugs as antibiotics, where taste
is not a major factor.
'Actually, the Dugway pilot
plant only does the cooking"
of the food by subjecting it, on
a remote controlled processing
line that runs through a lead cell
containing uranium, to an in
tense bombardment with gamma
rays.
Testing of the food after it
passes through the chamber is
done in other laboratories and at
the Army's Medical Nutrition
Laboratory- in Denver, where it
is served to volunteers.
1956
4
"The Country Slickers Take Us
Again."
Describing the article as "out
rageous," Humphrey said Ben
son's purported letter is "an in
sult to every farmer in America."
Resignation Demanded
Sen. Milton R. Young (R
N.D.), said Benson should "re
sign immediately and apologize
to the farmers" if he wrote the
letter.
Another Republican, Sen.
Francis Case of South Dakota,
said, "If the facts are what Har
per's makes them appear to be,
Secretary Benson has ended his
usefulness."
But both said they have some
doubts that he wrote the letter.
Humphrey said he would
apologize publicly if Benson did
not write the letter. But he said
he would not accept any "escape
hatch" that Benson signed the
letter and didn't know what it
contained.
To Contact Magazine
Humphrey said he will con
tact the magazine to see if it re
ceived an authentic letter from
Benson. Case said Benson's office
now is making a search to see
if an authentic letter from the
secretary was sent.
The article was discussed at a
closed meeting of the Senate
Agriculture Committee. Under
secretary of Agriculture True D.
Morse, who sat in on the meet
ing, later told reporters he
hadn't read the article and was
unfamiliar with the letter at
tributed to Benson.
Humphrey said the December
article by John Fischer, con
tained such phrases as farmers
"scandalous wartime prosper
ity," "swindle of the city vot
ers" and "political hypocrisy"
by friends of the farmer.
Benson's Letter ' . ,
The February issue of Har
per's in the "letters" section,
carries a letter signed "Ezra T.
Benson, secretary of agriculture,
Washington, D.C.," saying:
"I have read the article by
John Fischer in the December is
sue of Harper's with a great
deal of interest. It is excellent."
Humphrey called the letter
"another injudicious example"
of an Eisenhower Cabinet mem
ber "getting into print when he
shouldn't have."
"This man should be fired
now this afternoon," Humph
rey declared.
"When a secretary of agricul
ture can endorse statements
such as 'scandalous wartime
prosperity," . he has outlived
his usefulness," .Humphrey said.
. Sen. Wayne Morse (D.-Ore.)
said he could not understand
how Benson could write such a
letter.
'Just Plain Fool'
"I always considered him a
short-sighted reactionary,"
Morse s'aid. "I never thought he
was just plain fool. The time
has come to go after this fellow
and make it clear t6 the farmers
he's America's No. 1 economic
enemy '."
Several other Democrats join
ed Humphrey and Morse in
criticizing Benson.
But Sen. Paul H. Douglas (D.
111.) inquired why Benson was
being made "the whipping boy"
for "just voicing policies of the
administration."
Non-Aggression Pact
Proposed by Russia
Washington (U.R) Russia has
proposed to President Eisen
hower a non-aggression pact
which, in effect,, calls for separ
ating the free and Communist
worlds by a belt of neutral na
tions, informed sources said to
day. The non-aggression proposal,
the sources said, was couched in
vague terms in the now-famous
personal letter sent to Mr. Eisen
hower by Soviet Premier Nikolai
Bulganin. i
Weather
FORECAST: Decreasing cloudi
ness, with a few snow flurries
along mountains this evening.
Valley fog tonight and Satur
day morning. ParUy cloudy
Saturday. Low tonight 28-30.
High Saturday 45.
Temp.
Highest Yesterday 42
Lowest this Morning 32
Prec. to 4:30 a.m. Today 12
ml
Tribune
United Press Full Leased Wire
Price 5c No. 264
terest in
Falsehood
Warsaw Powers
Open Conference
On Red Army Plan
'Aggressive Circles'
In U.S. Denounced
Prague, Czechoslovakia (U.R)
The Communist Warsaw Pact
powers opened a conference on
organization of a Red European
Army today with a denunciation
of "aggressive circles in the
United States who wish to re
open the cold war." '
The session was attended by
the "Political Consultative Com
mittee" composed of the Soviet
Union and its seven European
satellites, with Red China as an
"observer." The grouping is gen
erally considered Moscow's an
swer to the West's North At
lantic Treaty Organization.
The opening two-hour and 15
minute meeting in snow-covered
Cernin Palace which houses the
Czech Foreign Ministry was
marked by an attack on "West
ern forces of war . . . especially
in the United States."
Attack on Dulles
It also scored Secretary of
State John Foster Dulles as be
ing "naive" for his alleged "med
dling" efforts in the internal af
fairs of Eastern Europe.
Czech Defense Minister V.
Alexei Cepicka accused the
United States of trying to renew
the "old war."
Polish Premier Joseph Cyran
kiewicz made the "naive", and
"meddling" charges ; against
DulleS. : - ry;-
Besides members of the Czech
and Polish delegations, and the
observers from China, there were
representatives from the Soviet
Union, Albania, Bulgaria, Ro
mania, Hungary and East Ger
many. Great crowds of Czech citizens
stood in the snow outside the
17th century castle to watch the
arrival of the delegations.
R. G. Fowler Will
Not Seek Reelection
County Assessor Robert G.
Fowler will not be a candidate
for reelection, it was reported
today.
Fowler, who was elected to a
four-year term of office in 1952,
has been associated with county
government for many years,
most of the time as county agent.
He is well-known in all parts of
the county.
' Friends of his, who reported
that he, has decided not to run,
did not assign any reason for his
decision. But he has been under
medical treatment for some
months, and only yesterday
underwent major surgery at
Sacred Heart hospital.
Only announced 'candidate for
the office so far, which is up for
election this year, is Ray Schu
maner, real estate man and ap
praiser, who is seeking the Demo
cratic nomination in the primary
election.
SWRB Urges Surveys
For Flood Control
Salem A resolution asking
for early completion of flood
control surveys in southwestern
Orego was passed by the State
Water Resources board at a meet
ing recently.
The resolution states that sur
veys and reports on the Rogue,
Umpqua and Coquille rivers,
made under provisions of the
1936 flood control act are now
considered obsolete because of
increased population, land and
property values and industrial
expansion in the areas.
Other preliminary and review
reports on the rivers have been
authorized by congress but have
not yet been scheduled due
largely to the insufficiency of
appropriated survey funds, the
resolution states.
The resolution requests the
Oregon congressional delegation
urge the chief of Army engi
neers, and the bureau of the bud
get to expedite the work. Copies
of the resolution were sent to
the governor of Oregon, and to
the division and district engi
neers of Army of engineers.
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INSPECTING VIEW Glenn O. Taylor, Med
ford attorney and businessman, inspects view
from the site of Rogue Valley Manor, a Chris
tian centered retirement home in which he
has purchased lifetime occupancy rights. With'
him are Walter Higgins, left, executive direc
tor of the non-profit manor, and Melvin H.
, Hogan, right, Medford investment counselor,
who is president of the organization. The site
Serious Fire Flares at
Assembly Plant at Wilmington
Wilmington.. Calif.- '(U.R) A
serious fire broke but in the
Ford Motor company assembly
plant today after dikes protect
ing the below sea level property
gave way and unleashed a three
foot flood in the huge building. .
All available fire equipment
from Wilmington, San Pedro
and Long Beach, the three-city
"waterfront" of the Los Angeles
harbor area, was called to the
scene, including fire boats in the
harbor.
A series of explosions preced
ed the fire, which brdke out in
the boiler room section of the
plant. One plant employee re
ported "only a skeleton crew
working" at the time. There
were no immediate , reports of
University of
By A. ROBERT SMITH
Mail Tribune Correspondent
Washington Senator Wayne
Morse (D-Ore.) launched a new
scholarship fund for the Uni
versity of Oregon law school
Thursday night, after receiving
the '$1000 annual ' award for
meritorious public service of the
Sidney Hillman Foundation.
; Morse said that by prior ar
rangement with the dean of the
law school and the university
president, he was sending his
award check to Eugene to estab
lish "the James T. Landye
Memorial Scholarship. He said
it would be for the aid of Ore
gon law students in need of
financial assistance.
Award at Dinner
The Senator was given the
award at a dinner in the Shore
ham hotel attended by many
senators, representatives, su
preme court justices and other
public figures. A scroll given
him by President Jacob S.
Potofsky of the foundation
praised his "independence of pri
vate and partisan interests and
his defense of the public wel
fare." "He is bound to no man or
party, but seeks only to disclose
the truth and uphold the just,
regardless of the odds or the
opposition," the award said. "We
honor Sen. Wayne Morse as a
Road Conditions
Highway 99. south Chains :
required over Siskiyous. 7V&
inches new snow; chains re
quired n all highways in Sis- '
kiyou county, Calif., and . in
the Weed-Dunsmuir area.
Highway 99, north Carry
ing chains advised over Sex
ton mountain; highway clear
to Eugene; 5 inches snow at
Salem; 9 inches at Portland,
chains advised.
Highway 66 Chains requir
ed over Green Springs, 5
inches new snow; chains ad
vised in Klamath Falls area. -
Highway 97 Chains requir- :
ed north ' of ' Weed; carrying .
chains advised north of Klam
ath Falls.
Highway 199 Chains ad
vised over Oregon mountain.
Highway 62 Carrying
chains advised in Prospect
area.
Crater Lake National Park
Chains advised on Highway
62 through park; required
Annie Springs to headquar
ters; load closed from head
quarters to rim; 6 inches new
snow; present depth 132
inches; skiing fair in deep -powder
snow.
injuries.
Preliminary police reports
said gasoline on top of the sea
water caught fire and added to
the conflagration. A short-circuit
in the electrical system
caused by the,flood was believed
to have set off the blaze.
Huge clouds of black smoke
rolled upwards from the plant,
located in the heart of a tightly
knit industrial district that" is
dotted with gasoline "tank
farms" and other highly inflam
mable structures.
Police reported three feet of
water swept into the plant.
There was an explosion from the
boiler room followed by three
other- explosions, police re
ported.
Uses Award Money
Oregon Scholarship Fund
living symbol of the wise, honest
and courageous servant of the
people." ' ' .
He was flanked by several
previous recipients of the award,
including Supreme Court Justice
William O. Douglas, Sen. Her
bert Lehman (D-N.C.) and Dr.
Frank Graham, former presi
dent of North Carolina univer
sity. Warns on States Rights
'Morse, delivering the main ad
dress, warned against the cur
rent cry of the "states righters"
for turning federal functions
over to the states." He said this
contributed to "growing legal,
economic, social and political
inequality within the United
States."
Before Morse addressed the
dinner audience, he was praised
by a special assistant to Presi
dent Eisenhower, Mayer Kesten
baum, who in private life is
president of Hart, Schnaffer and
Marx Clothiers. : He called the
Senator "a great citizen, a great
American, and a man of 'great
integrity."
The law school scholarship
Southern California
Mops Up After Rain
Los Angeles (U.R) Southern
California today mopped up
flooded 'areas following a two
dy downpour that dumped more
than nine inches of rain at many
points.
Oregon Primary Election Ballots Will
Include Candidates for County Offices
Eight county offices, to be
filled this year, will appear on
the Oregon primary election
ballots May 18. Deadline for
filing nominations is . 5 p.m.
March 9, according to Bereth P.
Hopkins, county clerk.
They are the offices of dis
trict attorney, county commis
sioner, county . assessor, county
treasurer, county superintendent
of schools, j surveyor, district
court judge and justice of peace
in Ashland. The latter two will
appear on a non-partisan ballot.
District Attorney Office
The district attorney position,
now .held by Walter Nunley, is
for a four-year term . and pays
$5,000 by state and at present
S2,500 by county. Candidates
file with the secretary of state
for the -office.
The county commissioner posi
tion open is that held by L. G.
(Shy) Morthland. It pays $4,800.
The county assessor's position,
currently held by Robert G.
Fowler, is 'for four years and
5y y. V
is on Barneburg hill in the recently annexed
area southeast of downtown Medford. Con
struction of the $2,500,000 retirement home
modeled after the Willamette View Manor is
expected to start some time this year. Direc
tors hope the manor will be ready for occu
pancy in the early fall of 1957. Higgins for
merly was associate administrator of the Wil
lamette View Manor. (Brainerd photo)
Ford's
The San Pedro fire depart
ment "reported it is a very se
rious fire.'.' .
Fireboats . from San Pedro,
Wilmington and Long Beach
crowded into the estuary to add
their streams of water to the
horsepower of the land equip
ment. Lou Puryear, managing editor
of the San Pedro News-Pilot,
said preliminary police reports
stated the dikes breached short
ly after 8 a.m. at high tide, let:
ting a flood of water into the
sunken property - which lies
athwart the Long Beach-Los An
geles city dividing line fronting
onr Cerritos channel at " Long
Beach. "
To Establish
would honor one of Morse's for
mer students at the university
who later practiced in Portland
and was a member of the board
of governors of the Oregon State
Bar Association. - Morse spoke
of Landye as a , "consistent
champion of individual liberty
and constitutional liberalism." .
AWOL Soldier Admits
Chicago Cop Death
Chicago '(U.R) A 17-year-old
AWOL soldier confessed that he
shot and killed a veteran Chi
cago policeman and wounded
another in a nightclub gun bat
tle, police said today.
Deputy, Chief of Detectives
Harry Penzin said the youth,
identified as Donald Lawrence,
made the confession to military
authorities at nearby Ft.' Sheri
dan, 111.
Military authorities confirm
ed the confession report and
said Lawrence, a Negro, had
been identified by witnesses of
the Wednesday night gun battle.
DOW-JONES AVERAGES
- New . York (U.R) Dow-Jones
final stock averages: 30 indus
trials 466.56 off 0.26; 20 rails
155.19 off 0.61, 15 utilities 63.44
up 0.09, and 65 stocks 165.66
off 0.20. Sales today were about
1,950,000 shares compared with
1,840,000 yesterday.
pays $5,000. '
. The office of county treasur
er is for four years and pays
$4,500. Karl Janouch has held
the job since his appointment to
fill . the unexpired term of the
late Ralph Sweeney. .
School Superintendent
Four year terms" also are held
by the county school superin
tendent, with salary of $4,500,
and county surveyor, $135 per
month. Alf Mekvold is the pres
ent superintendent and Paul
Rynning is surveyor.
The office of district court
judge, presently held by Rawles
Moore, is for six years and pays
$7,500. The Ashland justice of
the peace office also is for six
years and carries a $2,500 sal
ary. Nellie W. Burns is the in
cumbent. ' Filing fee for county offices
is $20, except for the justice of
peace, which is $5.
Medford Offices
Five Medford offices will be
up for election in November, in
Schools Closed,
Power Outages
Said Widespread
Other Willamette
Valley Towns Covered
. Portland (U.R) Portlanders
today dug out from the heaviest
snow in 13 years as more than
nine inches fell on the city in
less than 24 hours.
Amounts in some outlying
areas were even heavier as a
cool east wind and a northward
moving storm met head-on in the
skies over the Portland area.
The official reading at the air
port, weather station was 9.3
inches.
Lighter Fall Predicted
The weather bureau yesterday
had predicted a fall of less than
an inch but rapidly changing
conditions aloft sent snow pelt
ing down on the city most of
the night after some three inches
had fallen during the day.
The custom house in down
town Portland reported 10V&
inches of snow. The last amount
over that in a 24-hour period
here was 15.5 inches on Jan.
21, 1943. The all-time Portland -record
for a 24-hour period was
16 inches on Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 1937.
Schools Closed
Public schools were ordered,
closed for the day . here and
power outages were widespread.
Most roads were opened but
chains were advisable and traf
fic moved at a snail's pace.
Portland apparently got .the
brunt of the snow. The weather
bureau said Salem reported four
inches, Corvallis 2, Albany and
Astoria 1. McMinnville reported
some five inches of snow. Van-
couver, Wash., got about the
same amount as Portland and
many schools in southwest Wash
ington were closed.
Indications were that the snow
would stay around for awhile.
The weather bureau called for
cool temperatures at night, a
forecast which helped allay fears
of a sudden thaw and more
flooding. The snow stopped.
early today but the weather
bureau said a new storm due
to arrive about Sunday might
bring more snow before turning
to rain. -One
Man Dies
Travel in and out of Portland
was slowed but not crippled.
Two northbound planes by-passed
Portland for Seattle last.
night but . others were 'taking
off. Passenger trains were run
ning almost on schedule as were
busses to and from California.
Busses were late from the east
and short-run busses in the Port
land area as well as city buses
were slowed.
One death was attributed to
the storm. John A. Strand .a
Portland nharmacist. died while
attempting to start his car which
nad become bogged down in the
snow.
Eastern Oregon also had snow
but not as heavy as Portland.
some m inches were on the
ground at Burns, but most -of
it was' from previous storms.
The weather man said the
storm front seemed to halt as
it reached the Portland area and
snow to the north was not heavy.
PUC Approves Bus
Schedule Change
Approval of proposed changes
in Evergreen bus line schedules
between Ashland and Medford
has been announced by the pub
lic utilities commissioner, fol
lowing a public hearing Jan. 19.
The changes, which will elim
inate Sunday and holiday sched
ules and the daily 9:45 p.m.
trip between Medford and Ash
land, will become effective Feb.
1, according to Ralph Mathews,
company manager. .
cluding the two-year term, of
mayor and four four-year terms
for- councilmen. One council
man will be elected from each
of the city's four wards.
Earl Miller is the present
Incumbent councilmen whose
whose terms expire this year,
are John Snider, ward one; Dick
Woodcock, ward . two; Harold
Frye, ward three; and Jack Fitz
gerald, four.
City offices, which are non
partisan, are filled in the Novem
ber general election. City meas
ures appear on the primary bal
lot when they coincide with the
time of voting, to save expense of
special elections.
The only announced candi
dates for office thus far are Ray
J. Schumacher, who is seeking
the Democratic nomination, and
L. G. (Shy) Morthland, who is
seeking reelection on the Repub
lican ticket as county commis
sioner. Assessor Robert G. Fow
ler has announced he will not
seek reelection: