3mm
A
CROWD AT HEARING Part of the crowd which attended
yesterday's hearing on Southern Pacific's discontinuance of
passenger rail service between Portland and Ashland is shown
in the court room of the Medford post office building. Seated
Medford
5 1st Year 26 Pages
D'Auiremont Trial Set
For June 5 in Medford
Assault Charge
Would Be Heard
If Offer Accepted
Portland U.R) Hugh D'Au
tremont, serving life in the state
prison for murder in connection
with the 1923 mail train robbery
in the Siskiyou tunnel near Ash
land, today was offered a trial
on a federal charge of assaulting
a mail clerk.
Federal Judge Gus Solomon
set June 5 at Medford and in
structed U.S. Attorney C. E.
Luckey to get in touch with
D'Autremont's lawyer and de
termine whether the prisoner
wants the trial. Phillip J. Roth,
the defense attorney, was not
immediately available for com
ment. Dismissal Denied
Last month Roth appeared be
fore Judge Solomon and moved
for dismissal of the 33-year-old
indictment which charges the
53-year-old D'Autremont with as
sault in connection with the
train robbery. The judge denied
the motion but offered an early
trial. At the time Roth,, a candi
date for the Republican nomina
tion for Congress, said he could
riot take the case before May 18,
date of the primary election.
DAutremont and his brothers,
Roy and Ray, are serving life
for murder.
D'Autremont wanted the fed
eral indictment dismissed be-
jyiuse he said it was keeping him
-irom consideration, for a parole.
Preliminary Work on
Oregon Budget Starts
Salem tU.R) Preliminary
work on Oregon's 1957-59 bud
get was reported under way to
day by Robert Johnson, director
of the State Department of Fi
nance and Administration.
Johnson said first work on the
budget was being handled by
L. J. Young, administrator of
the budget division.
The budget for the present
two years totals S609.000.000 of
which S221.000.000 was appro
priated by the 1955 legislature
for general fund purposes. "
Russia Offers To Join in
World Mid-East Arms Ban
London (U.R) Russia's rulers
wound up their 10-day visit to
Britain today with an offer to
join a worldwide ban on arms
shipments to the Middle East
where Arab -.Israeli tension
threatens a third world war.
The offer was made at a
jammed news conference here
by Soviet Premier Nikolai Bul
ganin and Communist Party Boss
Nikita Khrushchev shortly be
fore they left for Portsmouth
and departed for home aboard
the cruiser Orjonikidze.
They also made these points:
(1) Price Minister Sir Anthony
Eden has agreed to visit the
Soviet Union at some future un
iKrm'irf Tf 'ill i ii i i ' nil- 11. i j 17-.111 ji - - r m 1 - v ) i 1 j 1 IWiM-WllMli " 1 J ,1 iy I
:r luff' '
MEDFORD, OREGON, FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 1956
Gas Blast Demolishes
Big Apartment House
Pulaski, Va. (U.R) A gas
explosion demolished a three
story apartment house here to
day and police said that at least
seven persons were killed.
Police Chief Lee S. Boothe
said that seven bodies had been
removed from the smouldering
rubble of the building and that
four or five other persons
thought to have been in the
apartment were still missing.
Controlled la Seren Hours
Within seven hours after the
terrific early morning explosion,
firemen brought the resulting
fire under control and rescue
workers dug the seventh body
Fores! Operators
Set Three Meetings
Three meetings for forest op
erators will be conducted next
weekt Curt Nesheim, southwest
district warden for the state de
partment of forestry, has an
nounced. The first will be held Tuesday,
May 1, at the state'forest patrol
headquarters. Others are sched
uled Wednesday, May 2, at the
Grants Pass patrol headquarters
and Thursday, , May 3, at the
American Legion hall at Cave
Junction. All sessions will start
at 8 p.m.
District policies and forest
laws will be reviewed and dis
cussed. All logging and sawmill
operators are invited and each
needs to attend only one of the
meetings since matters covered
at each will be the same.
Jerry Lausmann Named
To Head Heay Campaign
Jerry S. Lausmann, 1549
Stratford ave., Medford, has
been named Jackson county
chairman of the Healy for Sec
retary . of State committee, it
was announced today.
William Healy, who has
served for eight years as assistant-secretary
of state,' is
seeking nomination on the Re
publican ticket.
disclosed date. (2) Urged British
intercession to bring about closer
Soviet-American relations. (3)
Made another pitch for an end
to the Wesfs strategic trade em
bargo.1 (4) Repeated the stand
taken in a farewell communique
issued last night that Russia now
is ready to discuss nuclear as
well as conventional disarma
ment. (5) Disclosed- that their
talks with British leaders ran
into "certain underwater snags."
Fallowing the news confer
ence, Bulganin and Khrushchev
were rushed to Victory Station,
where a small, mostly silent
crowd mtched them leave.
at the table" in center are State Senators Gene Brown (left
with glasses) of Grants Pass, and Phil Lowry, Medford. The
crowd extended around each wall of the room, and into ;lhe
hallway. (Brainerd photo
from the wreckage.
Hopes were waning of finding
any of the missing persons alive
and .police, were riot. surejust
how many were still not ac
counted for.
Eight were injured, several
seriously.
A reporter at the scene
quoted witnesses as saying
screams from within the build
ing died out within a few min
utes of the shattering explosion.
The building was blown into
twisted timbers and rubble by
the blast, touched off when W.
J. Mahaffey, the operator of a
restaurant on the ground floor,
tried to light a gas hot water
heater.
It happened at 5:50 a.m. (EST)
while most of the occupants of
the building were sleeping.
Six Hospitalized
Some of the tenants were in a
transient center operated by the
Salvation Army on the first
floor.
Six persons were hospitalized.
Lt. G. E. Boulein of the Rad
ford, Va., police department,
said seven families were living
in the brick apartment building
in addition to those occupying
the Salvation Army facilities.
Northwest Democrats
Accuse Summerfield
Washington ;U.R Eight Dem
ocrats from the Pacific North
west accused Postmaster Gen
eral Arthur E. Summerfield yes
terdayof trying to use local pos
tal officials as "political prop
agandists." They demanded a Civil Serv
ice Commission investigation to
see whether Summerfield direct
ed postal employees to engage
in illegal political activities.
The eight Democrats based
their charge on an official Post
Office Department memorandum
to all local postmasters in the
Northwest. It asked postmasters
to "make every attempt to se
cure wide publicity" of a press
release from Summerfield
which, they said, attacked them
politically.
The eight congressmen are
Sens. Warren G. Magnuson and
Henry M. Jackson of Washing
ton, James E. Murray and Mike
Mansfield of Montana Wayne
Morse and Richard L. Neuberger
of Oregon, and Reps. Don Mag
nuson of Washington and Lee
Metcalf of Montana.
Radiation Monitor
Station Due Portland
Portland U.R) Establish
ment of a radiation monitoring
station in Portland as part of a
nationwide network of 27 detec
tion centers to measure radioac
tive fallout was announced by
the State Board of Health today.
Fallout will be measured be
fore, during and after thid
spring's nuclear tests in the Pa
cific. There is no reason to ex
pect any danger, the board said.
Tribune
Price 5c
No. 32
H. D. Chrisfensen
Named Chairman
Of Welfare Group ,
H. D. Christensen, 29 Rich
mond ave., Medford, has been
appointed Jackson County Wel
fare commission chairman, suc
ceding A. S. V. Carpenter, who
resigned recently.
Christensen said he received a
letter of appointment from Gov
ernor Elmo Smith. The office be
came effective last Saturday. He
has Deen 'a fnerriber of the' coril
mission for about two years.
Active in Boy Scout work in
southern Oregon, Christensen
has been on the Crater Lake
Area council executive board
about 10 years and was president
of the council four years. He
was on the regional executive
board for five years.
Other Activities
He also served two three-year
terms on the board of trustees of
the First Presbyterian church,
and was a member of the board
of directors of the Jackson coun
ty chamber of commerce in 1944
and 1945.
Christensen was born in South
Dakota, and attended South Da
kota State college, Yankton,
S.D., college, and Creighton uni
versity in Omaha, Neb. He has
a degree in pharmacy. He mov
ed to Medford in 1942, and has
lived here since.
Carpenter resigned for two
reasons. One is the fact that he
is away from the county for ex
tended periods of time, and the
other is that he is not in sym
pathy with present policies of
the state public welfare commis
sion, which limit the freedom of
action and authority of local
commissions, he said.
Chotiner Expresses
Willingness To Talk
Los Angeles (U.R) Murray
Chotiner, Vice-President Richard
M. Nixon's campaign manager
in 1952, today expressed willing
ness to testify before a congres
sional investigating committee.
The Beverly Hills, Calif., at
torney appeared at the U. S.
Marshal's office here yesterday
to pick up a subpoena ordering
his appearance before the com
mittee next Wednesday.
Chotiner was subpoenaed by
Sen. John McClellan's investi
gating group to testify on his re
lations with Samuel and Herman
Kravitz, Atlantic City clothing
manufacturers he represented in
1953.
Chotiner managed Nixon's suc
cessful campaign in 1952 .as well
as his earlier campaigns for the
Senate. . The attorney said he
didn't know if he again would
handle Nixon's campaign.
White Muscle Disease
Kills Oregon Animals
Salem-U.R) The -State Agri
cultural Department reported to
day that white muscle disease
has killed 106 Oregon animals
in the last two months more
than any other disease.
Dr. K. J. Peterson, state vet
erinarian for the department,
said Marion county contributed
34 0f the March fatalities while
Yamhill had 14. In both cases
the disease was more widespread
among lambs.
Hearing Conti
Railroad's Cade c0
Be Heard July 10
Frank Van Dvke. Medford at
torney and former speaker of
the Oregon house of representa
tives Thursday charged South
ern Pacific with making a delib
erate effort to discourage passen
ger rail service in southern
Oregon.
Van Dyke was one of 17 wit
nesses at the first day of the
hearing protesting discontinu
ance of passenger train service
between Portland and Ashland.
The hearing continued today,
with only a 10-minute recess at
noon.
Among witnesses today was
Robert E. McCoy, Portland, exe
cutive director of Oregon Devel
opment commission, who said
eastern industrial interests have
refused to examine possible busi
ness sites in this area because of
inadequate rail service.
Mayor Earl Miller of Medford
said he felt the citizens of Med
ford are entitled to modern. con
venient railroad system.
The examiner early this after
noon accepted exhibit number
one from George Lewis of Rogue
Travel service here. It was a
Time magazine, April 30, 1956,
in which Southern Pacific show
ed a map indicating the railroad
offered passenger train service
on the Siskiyou line.
Southern Pacific will present
its case in the discontinuance at
a hearing in Grants Pass July 10.
Hearings here are centered on
protests from citizens and or
ganizations. Van Dyke said SP gave "lip
service" to southern Oregon, but
didn't make a real effort to build
up passenger service in this area
before abandoning it for finan
cial reasons last August.
, He further claimed SP has
realized considerable revenue
from fruit, lumber, cattle and
other freight trade in this area.
"By that reason this region is
entitled to better service than
it received," he said.
Van Dyke added that passen
ger train service between Port
land and Ashland could be devel
oped into a paying "proposition
by improving train facilities and
eliminating some of the minor
stops.
Funeral Director
C. M. Litwiller, Ashland fu
neral director, testified that dis
continuance of the passenger
service has created a major prob
lem in his business. He said
bodies being shipped elsewhere
must now be transported by
freight truck of facilities pro
vided by the funeral home.
"Mental anguish of relatives is
the most prominent problem,"
he said.'
The funeral director explained
that until the service was aban
doned his company shipped by
passenger train an average of 25
bodies per year. It is now neces
sary, he said, to ship bodies from
the south to Klamath Falls, then
to Eugene where they are picked
up and delivered to Ashland by
truck. This procedure, he said,
delays funerals at least 24 hours.
Ashland's mayor; Richard L.
Neil, testified that for a -period
of three or four years before the
passenger line was abandoned
the train from Dunsmuir, Calif.,
to Ashland was 30 minutes too
late for patrons to make connec
tions from Ashland to Portland.
Counsel for Southern Pacific
asked Neil to specify dates when
the problem existed. Neil said
he could not remember, but stat
ed a number of people made
complaints to him concerning
the matter.
Archie Fries, manager of the
Ashland branch, U.S. National
bank, pointed out he had been
told that for a' period of about
12 years the passenger line be
tween Portland and Ashland
was classified as a freight line.
"As far as I'm concerned," he
said, "we didn't have passenger
service during that period.
Combining Stops
O. H. Bengston, Medford at
torney, suggested dropping the
practice of combining passenger
and freight service. He said the
passenger line could be made
more efficient by combining
stops. As an example, he sug
gested Central Point patrons
might find a means of transpor
tation to Medford to catch the
Portland-bound train.
Dr. Elmo Stevenson, president
of Southern Oregon college, in
dicated enrollment at the col
lege, especially during summer
sessions, could be increased by
restoration of passenger service.
Eugene P. Leidigh, president
of the Ashland Chamber of Com
merce, submitted to the hearing
examiner resolutions objecting
to discontinuance of the service
from the Elks lodge 944, Ash
land hotel, Alpha chapter of
Beta Sigmi Phi, Rebekah lodge,
Ashland chapter of Daughters
of the American Revolution,
Ashland Civic club, Ashland
Garden club, and Ashland So-
roptimists.
Asked No Questions
Several at the hearing report
ed they had been contacted by
Southern Pacific representatives
before passenger service here
was abandoned. They said they
were asked no questions, but
simply told the service was go
ing to be stopped.
Counsel for SP asked most of
the witnesses the type of sched
ule they would prefer if passen
ger service were restored. A
train leaving southern Oregon at
night and arriving in Portland
early in the morning was gener
ally preferred.
Information Asked
Three state senators have ask
ed SP to produce at the hearing
information on date of acquisi
tion of equipment used on the
line for 10 years prior to aban
donment of the run; depreciation
schedules for the same period;
accounting and operation rec
ords; operations figures on the
Portland-Klamath Falls run on
the route east of the Cascades;
records of freight revenue for
the Rogue River run and the
Portland-Klamath Falls run, and
allocation of passenger revenue
for fares originating in Eugene
and Ashland to all other points.
The senators are Phil Lowry,
Medford; Gene Brown, Grants
Pass, and Paul E. Geddes, Rose
burg. Last July Lowry, Geddes and
Brown filed with the Public
Utilities commission t complaint
against Southern Pacific asking
that reasonably adequate passen
ger service be resumed.
Counsels for Southern Pacific
are Ogelsby H. Young, F. C. Mc
Colloch, both associated with
Koerner, Young, McColloch and
Dezendorf, Portland, and Wil
liam McAllister, Medford SP
attorney.
Examiner for the hearing is
Clifford W. Ferguson, of Salem,
counsel, and - director, depart
ment of rail transportation, Ore
gon Public Utilities commission.
Great Decisions To
Discuss Japan's Role
Great Decisions discussion
groups in the valley Tyill deal
with the problem, "What can
the U.S. do about Japan's role
in Asia?" during t he coming
sixth week of the Great Deci
sion series.
The present economic and
political situation in Japan and
its relation to the U.S. and other
countries will be discussed also
on radio and TV, as well as in
the high school class on Gov
ernment Problems.
The problem will be aired on
radio station KYJC at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday; KMED from 9 to 9:30
p.m. Sunday; KWIN, Ashland,
from 8 to 8:30 p.m. Monday and
KBES-TV from 2:30 to 2:45 p.m.
Tuesday.
Don Hansen, chairman, urged
anyone interested in studying
and taking part in American
foreign policy to read and dis
cuss this week's topic.
Montgomery Negroes
Demand Integration
Montgomery, Ala- (U.R) Ne
groes waged a 20-week-old, city
wide -bus boycott today with a
new demand for outright aboli
tion of segregation.
While city officials threatened
a court test of the National City
Lines' attempt to integrate its
buses the Negroes mostly stuck
to their car pools or walked.
Only a few rode the .still-segregated
buses. i
A throng of Negroes attending
a mass meeting Thursday night
thundered approval of a reso
lution to continue the boycott
until their status is "clarified."
Their speakers indicated they
meant desegregation.
"We will never go back to
Jim Crow buses," the Rev. B.
D. Lambert said. He got a loud
ovation.
This represented a big change
in tneir original demand at the
start of the boycott for merely
improved seating under existing
segregation laws so Negroes
would not have to stand while
seats are still vacant.
WEATHER
FORECAST: C'iondy with lieht
showers tonieht and chanre
of thunderstorm activity In
mountains. Variable cloudi
ness tonight becoming partly
cloudy Saturday with a few
light showers. Low tonight
35-38. High Saturday 65
Temp.
Highest Yesterday 65
Lowest this Morning .. 43
Prec. to 4:3$ a.m.. Today 34
I
i' Bulletins
Washington (U.R) The
House by a vote of 388 to 19
today approved a 13 year SSI,
500.000 highway construction
program with increased taxes
on gasoline, tires and trucks
to finance it.
Mojave (U.R) Two Marine
jet planes collided near here
today and the four occupants,
two in each plane, were killed,
the Marine Auxiliary Air
Station announced.
Edward T. Newbry
Dies in Ashland
Wednesday Night
Ashland Edward Thomas
Newbry, 89, an Ashland resi
dent for 36 years, died Wednes
day night in an Ashland hospi
tal, where he had been a patient
for five weeks.
Funeral services will be held
at 10 a.m. Saturday in the First
Methodist church in Ashland.
Litwiller's Mountain View chap
el is in charge of arrangements.
Interment will be in Mountain
View cemetery.
Mr. Newbry was born Dec.
13, 1866, in Brown county, Ohio.
The family spent several years
pioneering in Washington and
Idaho, where Mr. Newbry play
ed a leading part in developing
the Twin Falls, Ida., Irrigation
tract. He started with first con
struction work and was superin
tendent of the district several
years upon completion.
He was active in politics in
Twin Falls county, serving as
county commissioner. He also
was a, close friend of the late
Senator William Borah and the
later Idaho Governor Brady.
The family moved to north
eastern Washington in 1919 aft
er touring western states during
1918. In 1921, the family moved
to Talent, where Mr. Newbry
became associated with develop
ments in Jackson county, and
the Talent Irrigation district. He
was a member of the TID board
of directors for several years. .
He was a member of the Ash
land Methodist church, and was
active in church work.
: He is ; survived by his wife,
Mrs. Electa Newbry; two sons,
E. Lester Newbry, Portland, and
Earl T. Newbry, Secretary of
State, Salem; two daughters,
Mrs. Elsie Williams, Salem, and
Mrs. Edna Hill,- Talent; six
grandchildren, three great
grandchildren and two brothers,
both of Twin Falls, Ida.
Hammarskjold Talks
To Lebanon President
Jerusalem, (Israeli Sector)
(U.R) U. N. Secretary General
Dag Hammarskjold sounded
out Lebanon today oh a proposal
to police its common border
with Israel with combined Arab
Jewish patrols.
He met in Beirut with Leba
nese President Chamille Cha
moun this morning and had an
appointment to meet with For
eign Minister Selim LaHoud this
evening.
The U.N. leader flew to
Beirut Thursday after talking
the same idea over with Jordan
leaders in Amman. He was due
to fly back to Cairo Saturday.
An Egyptian government
spokesman said Thursday in
Cairo that Hammarskjold had
submitted to Egypt the draft of
a three-point agreement he
wanted to negotiate between
Israel and the four Arab states
on its border, Egypt, Jordan,
Lebanon and Syria.
The agreement called for joint
Arab-Israeli frontier patrols, U.
N. observation posts at critical
points along the borders and an
increase in the number of U.N.
truce observers.
DOW-JONES AVERAGES
New York -HU.R) Dow-Jones
closing stock averages: 30 indus
trials 512.03, up 4.91; 20 rail
roads 176.96, up 0.74; 15 utilities
65.01, up 0.03; 65 stocks 181.74,
up 1.17. Sales today were about
2,760,000 Shares compared with
2,'63 0,000 yesterday.
Light Showers Seen for
Week-End Weather in State
By UNITED PRESS
Oregon's week-end weather
picture' called for a few light
showers that were not expected
tn be heavy enough to hamper
the opening of trout season to-J
morrow or the Portland Bea
vers' home baseball opener to
day. The first measurable precipi
tation in Portland for 20 days
fell this morning but it was
light and the afternoon outlook
called for partial clearing. A few
light showers was the forecast
for Oregon through tomorrow.
The Columbia river rolled
along more than five feet over
Longer Hours for
Hauling of Logs
Being Considered
Less Danger In
Night Hauling Seen
Portland (U.R) The State
Highway Commission today was
considering a proposal to extend
hauling hours for log trucks on
Oregon highways.
A request for longer hours
came yesterday from the As
sociated Forest Industries of Ore
gon which protested the 8 p.m.
closure, spokesmen said that
equipment has improved to the
point where night hauline no
longer is as dangerous as it used
to be.
Study To Be Made
The commission decided to
have a study made before the
next meeting to determine what
would need to be done about
lighting of log trucks and check
ing at night for overloads. A
two-hour increase at night was
indicated as under consideration.
R. H. Baldock, state engineer,
told commissioners that a sec
tion of the Portland-Salem free
way from the Willamette river to
Salem, would be closed to traf
fic at 7 a.m. Wednesday so the
contractor can comnlete th
work. Moving up the closure
date to May 2, he said, was due
to favorable weather.
To Reroute Traffic
The highway will be closed at
7 a.m. at the Salem terminal and
at 8 a.m. at the Willamette river
end. Traffic will be rerouted' over
Highway 99.
Baldock also told the commis
sion the slide situation on the
Columbia river highway east of
Cascade Locks would be given
a thorough study.
Bids on 27 projects were
opened . yesterday and commis
sioners rejected five and award
ed 22 contracts. The rejected
projects included the largest,
grading and paving a section of
the Coast highway at Brookings,
for which the low bid was $219,
987. Greenglass Asked
To Repeal Story
Of Espionage
Washington (U.R) Senate
investigators called convicted
atom spy David Greenglass to
day to repeat the testimony that
helped send his sister, Ethel
Rosenberg, to the electric chair. .
The 34-year-old machinist,
now serving a 15-year espionage
sentence, was taken before the
Senate Internal Security Sub
committee to recite how he gave
highly . secret information, in
cluding sketches of the inner
workings of the atom bomb, to
a Red spy ring.
Given Information
Greenglass listened yesterday
as Harry Gold, a confessed and
convicted' courier for the Soviet
spy ring, told again how Green
glass gave him several pages of
information for transmission to
Russian agents. Gold, now serv
ing a 30-year-term, said Green
glass gave him the data June 3,
1945 in Albuquerque, N. M.
Greenglass testified at his
trial in 1951 that he was re
cruited as a spy by his sister and
her husband, Julius Rosenberg.
The Rosenbergs were executed
for espionage in 1953.
Helped Make 'Lenses'
Greenglass was an Army en
listed man and assistant foreman
of a machine shop at the Los
Alamos, N. M., atomic labora
tory from 1944 to 1946. He
helped make the high explosive
"lenses" used in the Nagasaki
type atom bomb, a later devel
opment than the one dropped on
Hiroshima, Japan.
The so-called lenses were
used to focus the force of high,
explosive inward to a plutonium
core, which then exploded by
nuclear fission. This lens con
cept was included in the data
which Greenglass said he gave
Gold for the Russians.
flood stage at .Vancouver, Wash.,
reaching a level of 20.2 this
morning. The Willamette in
Pprtland was 2.2 feet over flood
stage. The forecast called for
little change in the Portland
area for the next 2 days follow
ed by a slight fall. Most tribu
tary streams were falling.
In Idaho the St. Joe river
broke through a second dike
near St. Maries yesterday but
was falling slowly today. Pools
of water covered extensive areas
of the St. Joe and Coeur d'Alene
river valleys. The dike break
yesterday allowed water to pour
into more farmland.