Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, January 22, 1957, Image 1

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Medford mail tribune., January 22, 1957, Image 1

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Newspaper Page Textfin Ji 0) d) m mil TORNADOES RIP OVER 2 STATES By UNITED PRESS A string of winter tornadoes crashed through Louisiana and Oklahoma today. Oklahoma twitters killtd at least light persons, along with 10 or 12 injured, and demolished six homes. All of the dead were in the Cant region, a few miles west of the Arkansas border. ' State police said a tornado had "practically wiped out" the oil field communities of Bellevue and Princeton. La. One fatality and many injuries had been reported. Police said several children were missing and "apparently they had been blown away." OLCC Opens Hearing On 'Law Violations' Final disposition of about $080 allegedly contributed for election campaign purposes by several Jackson county tavern proprietors was still a mystery when an Oregon Liquor Con trol commi5sion hearing was re cessed at noon today. The hearing started at 9 a.m. in the courthouse auditorium and was to be resumed at 1 p.m It is being held to determine whether or not about 21 OLCC licensees actually made contri butions to the Jackson county general election campaign in violation of OLCC regulations. First Witnesses Lt. Don C. Church of the OLCC. the first to testify, said he had been assigned by a su perior to investigate reports to the OLCC that political cam paign contributions had been made by licensees here. He in troduced into the record written statements made by Christian Schempp, proprietor of the .Un ion Club, and Aubrey Miles, an Ashland OLCC licensee. Schempp's statement said he had received the contributions. Miles' statement said he had been contacted by Schempp last October and invited to make a contribution to the campaign of District Attorney Thomas Reed er. Miles said he refused to make a contribution. Lt. Church declined to reveal the original source of the report to the OLCC. However, he said the commission had had some correspondence on the matter with Walter D. Nunley, former' district attorney. Receives Contributions Schempp testified he began receiving contributions for Reed er after Nunley made a televi sion appearance in October and called tavern owners "a group of gamblers." Schempp said he took an envelope containing the money he had collected to the office of Paul Haviland, Medford at torney. He said he and Haviland had no conversation as to how the money was to be used. Haviland, who later took the witness stand, also stated no con versation took place when the money was brought to his office. He said he did not know where Schempp got the money and did not actually know it was intend ed as a campaign contribution. Haviland said he gave the money to two attorneys whom he did not -identify and that he gave no specific instructions as to how the money was to be used. Ask Affidavits Hearing examiner, Henry J. Detloff, hearings supervisor for the OLCC, asked Haviland to obtain affidavits from the two attorneys showing whether or not they had received the money. Nunley testified that he wrote a letter to the liquor commission on Dec. 6, stating he had re- "Darnedest Game I Ever Saw" cived information about political contributions being made by local OLCC licensees. He said he called the matter to the com mission's attention as an "inves tigative lead". He added that he had talked with Schempp about the report and quoted Schempp as saying, "I figured you'd find out about it, but I didn't figure you'd find out so soon." Miles was also called to testify and described his' conversation with Schempp on the matter of political contributions. He added that he knew nothing about any funds being collected if they were collected. Other Witnesses Other witnesses included Rob ert Boyer, chairman of the Ore gon Democratic Central commit tee; A. Eugene Piazza, treasurer of the Jackson county Republic an committee; Reeder; John Dellenback, chairman of 4he Nunley for District Attorney committee; Miss Noreen Kelly, treasurer of the Reeder for Dis trict Attorney committee; and William Deatherage, campaign manager for Reeder. Each denied knowledge that any OLCC licensees had made contributions to any Jackson county political campaign. Campaign expense statements of both Reeder and Nunley were introduced as evidence ana neither showed contributions by OLCC licensees. Also introduced as evidence was a $50 cheek by Paul Haviland and made out Ux Reeder's campaign. Haviland said the check, dated Aug. 14, 1956, was a personal contribu tion. Reported to have made the contributions are proprietors of the Union club. Otto's, the Vet erans club, Wilson distributors, Holland Hotel, The Highway, Barkley's tavern, the Bohemian club of Medford, Brown's cafe. Cook's Reception, Hunter's tav ern, 90 and 9 tavern. North Riverside tavern, Sy's place, Owl club. Pioneer Tavern and Cafe, Siskiyou Lodge cafe. Tally Ho, Tabu and The Tavern. Representing many of the tavern operators at the hearing are Warren Lesseg, Paul Havil and James Main. Medford Man Fined On Driving Charge Melvin Northey. 60. of 6141a West 11th St.. Medford was fined $255 in district court Fri day when he pleaded guilty to charges of driving while under the influence of intoxicating beverages. He was also given a 30-day suspended jail sentence by Judge Rawles Moore and had his driv er's license suspended for 90 days. Seattle (U.PJ Roland Eugene Miller, 44. publisher and editor of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, died of cancer Monday. H.Meade Alcorn 01 Connecticut New GOP Chairman Election Comes , As No Surprise Washington (U.R) H. Meade Alcorn Jr., of Connecti cut today was elected Republi can national chairman. Alcorn was elected unani mously, without contest, by the GOP National Committee after he was given the personal en dorsement of President Eisen hower. Succeeds Leonard Hall He succeeds Leonard W. Hall, who is retiring Feb. 1 after al most four years as chief of the party organization. ' Alcorn, 49. former speaker of the Connecticut Assembly and one-time district attorney for Hartford county, was Hall's sec ond in command last year for handling arrangements for the GOP National Convention. His election as national chair man came as no surprise. Favored by President -The President's support for Alcorn was reported to a GOP National Committe meeting by former Sen. Harry DaTby, Kan sas national committeeman. Dar by headed an eight-man sub committee which conferred with Mr. Eisenhower earlier this mor ning. "He made it clear to us that he would like Meade ,A1 corn to be chairman," Darby said. - Any latent opposition to the Alcorn ' election vanished at once and representatives of var ious states scrambled for recog nition to second the nomination made by Darby. Break in Senate Deadlock Said To Be Imminent Salem (U.R) The Oregon Senate recessed at 11:45 a.m. until 2 p.m. today, amid whisp erings ' among both Democratic and Republican senators that a break in the deadlock for Senate president was imminent. The noon recess came after the 219 ballot for Senate presi dent had failed to produce the necessary 16 votes for election. Quiet Predictions From both sides of the floor came quiet predicitions that the break might occur during the noon recess that could result in election of a president, giving the Senate, after more than a week of .protracted meetings, a chance to organize its commit tees and get down to the law making business. The Senate balloted a record 80 times yesterday to bring to 193 the ballots taken in an at tempt to find a candidate who could take 16 votes to gain the presidency. Vote after vote, it was 15-15. At times it was 15-14-1, Re publicans voted for Warren Gill of Lebanon and Sen. Gill, wno has already released his Repub lican pledge, voted in turn for Senators Howard Belton, presid ing as temporary chairman, or some other Republican. Republican Votes Republicans otherwise cast their votes in turn for Democrat Senator Phil Brady, Ward Cook or Harry Boivin. Democrats in general cast 15 votes for Sen. Walter J. Pearson, Portland Democrat. But, oc casionally, when there was no 16-majority vote possible. Sen. Cook would cast a complimen tary ballot for fellow Democrats including Sen. Monroe Sweet land of Milwaukie and Sen. Ben Musa of The Dalles. Israel Pulls Troops Out of Sinai Desert Jerusalem (U.PJ Israeli troops pulled out of the Sinai Desert today. They withdrew as far as the Gaza Strip and a 180-mile long coastal region guarding Israel's shipping route through the Gulf of Aqaba. Weather FORECAST: MoitlT eloudy to night and Wednesday witn showers beginning tonight or rarlv Wednesday. Low t nijht 34, high Wednesdav 4X. TEMP. fflchtt Yesterday Lowest this Morning 24 Our Skies Tonight Sunrte 7:35 Sunset J;12 Th Mon, at Last Quarter 1:4 Rise Wednesday 1:28 PROMINENT STARS Pleiades, hizb in south 7:46 VISIBLE PLANETS Mars, low in west .... H:52 Jupiter, low in et 10:34 Saturn, low in south east 5 33 Vnuf rises fi:47 a.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. a.m. a.m. 51st Year Medford United Press f-ull Leased Wire 16 Pages Mod OFFICERS PROMOTED Three promotions in the Medford police department have been announced by Chief Charles Champlin. Shown above, left to right, are Orlo W. Mc Gee, promoted from patrolman to platoon ser geant; Rollie T. Pean, promoted from platoon Sanitation Problems Discussed at Meeting Kenneth Toenaar, executive secretary of the state legislative interim committee on local gov ernment, discussed ways of solving sanitation problems ... at a meeting of the Berrydale San itation committee last night. Toenaar explained that there are only two ways now avail able for areas to obtain sanita tion service. One, he said, is for the area to receive the ser vice from a nearby organiza tion such as a city or another sanitary district. The other way is for the area to organize a sanitary district itself and construct its own re ceiving and disposal plant, he said. Completes Survey He noted that the interim committee recently completed a two-year state-wide survey of County Population Totals 70,840 Jackson county had a popula tion of 70,840 last July 1, ac cording to the latest state board of health estimate, released yes terday. The increase is a 21.1 per cent gain over the 58.510 persons counted in the 1950 census. Josephine county showed a 20 per cent population increase, and Klamath county showed a decrease of 0.7 per cent during the same period. Jackson county's estimated population on July 1, 1955 was 65.790. In Josephine county estimated population was 31,850 on July 1, 1956, as compared with 29.990 on the year before and 26.542 on April 1, 1950. Estimated population of Klam ath county was 41,830 on July 1 1956, as compared with 42. 540 on July 1. 1955 and 42,150 on April 1. 1950. During the same period the beard estimated that the popula tion of the state increased l per cent, to 1,734,650. Cincinnati (U.R) Edwin Frederick Smith. 38, told police he blasted his wife with a shot gun because she "got the rock 'n' roll jag" and neglected their two children. Hatfield Asks Ruling On Pay for Senators Salem iU.R) Secretary of State Mark Hatfield has asked Attorney General Robert Y. Thornton whether he should dock Oregon senators' pay for failing to organise on time. The Oregon constitution provides "if either house fail to effect an organisation with in the first five days . . . the members of the house so fail ing shall be entitled to no compensation from the end of the said five days until an organisation shall have been effected." MEDFORD, OREGON, TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1957 mm conditions similar to those in the Berrydale area, and that recommendations have been made to the legislature. He stressedthatthe jeoom men da tions are yet to be considered by the state legislature. Proposed legislation includes a method by which a county service district could be organ ized to operate directly under the jurisdiction of the county court. Medford City Manager Rob ert Duff discussed taxes and construction costs for sewage lines after an area is annexed to the city. Using individual property tax statements for the current year, Duff explained the present tax, and what the tax rate would be with property inside the city. He said the average increase in taxes in the Berrydale area, if it were annexed, would be about 25 mills. The Berrydale Sanitation Committee was organized late last year to study possible ways of solving an unsanitary con dition in the area after reside of the district voted against an nexation to the city. 1,018 Youngsters Given Polio Shots A total of 1,018 youngsters in five Jackson county schools re ceived Salk Vaccine shots yes terday, according to Dr. A. Erin Merkel, public health physician. Monday's total brought to 4,611 the number of children who have received the anti-polio vaccine since the current county- wide campaign started Jan. 14. The vaccine was administered Monday to 217 youngsters at Tal ent elementary school, including 171 students and 46 others; 90 at VACCINE SCHEDULE Wednesday, Jan. 23, S a.m. until noon: Jacksonville school. Lone Pine school. Pros pect school, Lincoln grade school, Medford, and Briscoe grade school, Ashland. Shady Cove elementary school, including 60 students and 30 oth- ers; 336 at Ashland Senior High school, including 304 students and 32 others; 296 at Crater High school, including 292 stu dents and four others; and 79 at Jefferson elementary school in Medford, including 59 students and 20 others. Members of the Jackson Coun ty Medical society and registered nurses from throughout the county are donating their serv ices to carry oat the program. DOW-JONES AVERAGES New York (U.R) Dow-Jones final stock averages: 30 indus trials 477.49, up 1.59; 20 rail roads 149.50, up 0.05; 15 utilities 69.51. up 0.24, and 65 stocks 169.12, up 0.45. Sale today were about 1.920.000 shares compared with. 2,740,000 shares Monday. berr C sergeant to services sergeant; Champlin, and Clyde Fichtner, promoted from services ser geant to lieutenant. Fichtner's promotion filled a vacancy created when Clifton Lacy resigned last spring. Fichtner Promoted To Lieutenant in Police Department Three promotions in the Med ford police - department have been announced by Chief Charles Champlin. Clyde C. Fichtner, 43, was promoted from services sergeant to lieutenantfilling a vacancy created when Clifton Lacy re signed last spring. Rollie T, Pcan, 26, has been promoted from platoon sergeant to ser vices sergeant, and ,Orlo W. Mc- Gee, 32, was promoted from patrolman to platoon sergeant. Champlin said a patrolman would be appointed as soon as possible to fill the vacancy created through promotions. The appointment will be made from the list of eligible appli cants, he said. Starts as Patrolman Fichtner has been with the department since April 2, 1947. when he started as a patrolman. Pean started with the depart ment Jan. 7, 1952, and has been in charge of the third platoon from 4 P.m. until midnight. Mc- Gee, who will be in charge of the third platoon, joined the department Nov. 12, 1953. The lieutenant acts as an as sistant chief and is responsible for patrols, investigations, ju venile division, traffic, vice in vestigation and training. The service sergeant, who also acts as platoon sergeant for the day shift, is responsible for mam tenance of all equipment, the iail. records, all evidence and other property in custody of the department. The appointments were an nounced at the departmental sergeants meeting yesterday. County Court Planning To Attend Convention Members of the county court plan to leave Thursday for Chi cago to attend the American Road Builder's association na tional convention. County Judge Rodney Keat ing and Ralph James will fly to Chicago for the convention while Chester Wendt ' accom panied by Mrs. Wendt will travel by train. The court will return to Jackson county Feb. 4. Youth Who Arrested by Roseburg, Ore. (U.R) An 18-year-old youth was captured Monday night by a state patrol man from whom he had stolen a police car earlier in the day, State" Police reported. Caught at School Patrolman Warren Demytt was one of two officers who captured Harvey Lee Eubanks, Bragg City, Mo. He said Eu banks was caught and arrested without resistance at the Tri City school about 24 miles south of here while in the act of peel ing a safe. Monday morning, ,( Demytt Price 10c Tribune United Press full Leased Wire No. 260 coygh Toolmaker Admits Planting 16 Pipe Bombs in New York Police Told of Revenge Motive Waterbury, Conn. U.R) A mild mannered 53-year-old tool- maker confessed today that he is the "mad bomber" who has planted 31 homemade pipe bombs in New York City in the last 16 years. George Metesky told police his motive was revenge against the Consolidated Edison company for 25 years of semi-invalidism he blamed on a 1931 plant acci dent. Lathe Discovered He confessed calmly and read ily after police discovered in the home he shared with two el derly sisters the lathe on which he prepared the bombs. Police had pegged him as a "strong" suspect on the basis of letters found in Consolidated Edison files. 'This is the man." New York Deputy Police Commissioner Walter Arm said. "We know it through his own admission and through analysis of his hand writing." Newspapers Helped Police had worked quietly for 16 years building a description of the bomber whose explosive pipes, usually encased in a red rock, had injured 15 persons in New York City. They took a cal culated risk early last month and asked news media coopera tion in throwing the light of pub licity on the bomber's activities. The bomber paid off the gamble by writing to the newspapers. It was new evidence of his grudge contained in those let ters that finally turned up the convincing evidence in the long thumbed Consolidated Edison files. Didn't Mean To Hurt Metesky told police he never mean to hurt anybody but had vowed to continue planting the bombs until he died or was cap tured. He made them, he told police, from materials he bought in dime stores in Bridgeport and New York City. He mailed the letters that accompanied his bombs on his way from Water bury to New York City, a fact which had led police to concen trate their search for some weeks in nearby Westchester county. Apartment Damaged By Fire Early Today Shady Cove Fire damaged an apartment attached to a ga rage at the home of the Rev. D. E. Millard early today. The apartment was vacant and cause of the fire has not been deter mined, according to reports. Mrs. Evelyn Watson, the Mail Tribune's Shady Cove corres pondent, reported that the fire burned for some time before the alarm was turned in because it was not known who should be called. Mrs. Watson said firemen told her that fires should be reported to Ray Chubb at the Cove Vari ety, whether day or night, or to the Cove Valley Supply. One truck from the Central Point Rural fire department re sponded to an assistance call. The alarm was sounded in Shady Cove about 3:30 a.m. today. Stole State Policeman's Car Victim At stopped a Jeep on Highway 99 which was driven by Eubanks. The officer said the youth pull ed a gun on him and fled with the police car. The abandoned police vehicle was found about noon. Police Close to Him Police said Eubanks told of ficers he had hidden . along -the South Umpqua river Monday afternoon and that at times of ficers were very close to him. Eubanks told police he wait ed until after dark before go ing to the schooL Though arm Package Would Repeal Surtax, Give Schools Aid Rough Sledding Seen From Demo Opposition Salem (U.R) A package of 31 bills based on a three per cent sales tax, repeal of the 45 per cent surtax and providing prop erty tax relief by earmarking S20 million in sales tax money for schools was introduced in the Oregon House of Representa tives today at the request of the Interim Committee on Taxa tion. ' The- bills were sure to run into immediate tough sledding due to Democratic opposition to sales tax. Speaker Pat Dooley, Portland, was a member of the interim committee and found himself at variance many times with State Sen. Rudie Wilhelm Jr., Portland Republican, and other interim committee members ad vocating the sales tax. . Food Would Be Exempt The three per cent tax, pat terned after the California law, would be a tax on the gross receipts, less allowable deduc tions, from the sale of tangible personal property at retail. Food for human consumption and products of public utilities such as water, electricity, nat ural and manufactured gas and transportation and communica tion services would be exempt Exemptions important to farm ers would be feed, seed, fertiliz ers, farm animals, poultry and other farm items. The interim committee recom mended a four-phase program, with the first step a repeal of the 45 per cent surtax. A bill to that effect already has been introduced. The second phase would be passage of the three per cent sales tax along with property tax relief, and enactment of higher personal exemptions in the personal income tax law. The third phase of the com mittee' program calls for many changes in the personal income and corporation income and ex cise taxes to make them conform to the internal revenue code. Final phase of the program would be repeal of the state's right to levy a six mill state property tax. However, the prop erty tax guarantee of repayment of principal and interest on the state's indebtedness would be maintained. The sales tax package would allow double exemptions for tax payers over 65 or blind, effective on 1958 incomes. After the sur tax was repealed on 1958 in comes, refunds would be made for overpayment. Exemptions at $1,000 Under the bills, the sales tax would be saved from referral to the people by the calling of a special election while the Legis lature was still in session. The personal Income tax law would be amended establishing personal exemptions at $1,000 and dependency credits at $500. Of the $105 million expected to be raised by a sales tax during the 1957-59 biennium, $20 mil lion would be set aside each year for schools. ' Hearing Called on Rezoning SE Sections The Medford planning com mission last night called a public hearing Feb. 11 on rezoning seven acres in southeast Med ford. Planners will consider rezon ing five acres south of Barnett rd. and east of Black Oak drive, and two acres south of Barnett rd. west of Black Oak drive from single family (Class IA) to com mercial (class UIB). Public hearings on rezoning two areas south of Barnett rd. near the new Rogue Valley Me morial hospital will be held Feb. 5 by the city council. The commission recommended rezoning the areas from single family (class IA) . to multiple family (class H) and to two fam ily (class IB). Tri-City School ed at the time of his arrest, the youth offered no resistance. Police said Eubanks told them he had broken from jail at Ox nard, Calif., and stolen the Jeep at Grimes, about 75 miles south of Redding. Hitchhiker Present Another youth, John Keith Gardner, Ukiah, Calif., who was present at the' time of the gun incident, told police he was a hitchhiker picked up by Eu banks at Grants Pass. He said he did not take part in the in cident and denied knowing any thing about Eubanks.