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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (May 16, 1957)
fo)n U 52nd Year Med Cnit1 Prim ruU Lnw4 Wire 26 Pages Beek Money Said Not Advanced as Loan; Cousin Excused Accountants Going ' Over Union Books Washington (IP) Teamsters bookkeeper Donald McDonald testified today that President Dave Beck took $370,000 from his union but has repaid it in the past two weeks. "At no time," McDonald told Washington (in Teamsters President Dave Beck refused today on grounds of possible self-incrimination to answer Senate Rackets Committee charges that he misused his ' union power and trust in "some 52 ways." the Senate Rackets Committee, "was the money advanced as a loan." - .. Beck sat in the hearing room as McDonald . testified. Before the session, the union president told newsmen: He has no intention of re signing as teamsters boss, and will run for reelection. ; . But if the union decides his resignation would be in the best interest, he would give the mat ter "serious consideration." The committee called McDon ald after excusing Norman J. Gessert. Mrs. Beck's cousin and erstwhile missing -witness, for at least one day at request of his lawyer. McDonald testified that Beck has repaid $370,000 to the un ion in installments of $200,000, $20,000, $50,000, and $100,000 "within the last two weeks." "At no time," he said, "was the money advanced as a loan." McDonald testified that a team of accountants is going over the union's books to find out how much money Beck still has to return. McDonald said the checks never were recorded as going to Beck." He said some were made out to a building contractor and some to "Los Angeles for pro motion and expense." "But Beck received the bene fit of the checks?" Sen. Carl Curtis (R-Neb.) asked. "Yes." The committee has charged that Beck stole more than $322, 000 from union treasuries before early 1954, and that he only claimed that it was a loan and began replacing it when tax investigators, got on his trail. McDonald said that for eight years he has kept the books of the 11-state Western Conference of Teamsters, which Beck head ed before 1953. Since sometime in 1950, McDonald said, he has also kept the books of the Joint Council 28 Building Associa tion, a subsidiary teamsters unit to which Beck made his repay ment. Records of the Western Con ference and the Building Asso ciation have been destroyed. McDonald testified," however, that no loans to Beck were car ried on those books from 1949 to 1953. Parking Meter Bkkpir Are Being Readjusted Here City crews are now at work readjusting the time limits of about 50 parking meters in downtown Medford from "12 to 30 minutes, according to Vera Thorpe, public works director.. Rates on the former 12-min-ute meters will be adjusted to 5 cents for 30 minutes and 10 cents for an hour. Thorpe said. The work is scheduled for comple tion Monday. The new parking meter ordin ance recently adopted by the city council also will change me ter operation hours from 9 a.m. to 5 P-m. to 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. The change in meter operation hours will affect all 850 parking meters in Medford Thorpe said. They will be changed by Monday. Cepondl Uiniiioini, fly fj "" .PRACTICES 50 YEARS-MedfordC-Dentist, : Dr. Frank Roberts, second from left, is shown above receiving an award for 50 years con tinuous practice in dentistry. The award was . made by Dr. Paul Kunkel, left, president of the Oregon State Dental society, at a meet ing of the society's southern Oregon district at the Rogue Valley Country club -Tuesday -, v nignt. Dr. Roberts, 78,ist- oame t'MrfforcU in 1900,' and after graduating "from dental County Budget to Be Signed Today; Public Hearing Set Signing of the Jackson coun ty budget for, 1957-58 is sched uled today. County court members said that theys will not delay the signing any longer although they have not received a legal opinion from Attorney General Robert Y. Thornton concerning a fund of $12,500 set aside for operation and maintenance of the juvenile detention home. They stressed that the sign ing of the budget at this time did not mean that the budget couldn't be changed at a latter date. Public Hearing Set - The law allows changes to be made in public hearing. Date of the public hearing for the county budget has been set for June 17 at 10 a.m. in the county court. . The legal question arose . on I hether the fund for the deten tion home may remain as labeled in the budget until the building is completed which is expected sometime after September or whether it must go into the gen eral county fund. Commissioner Chester Wendt said that if the present labeling of the fund is found improper by the attorney general s opin ion, it may be changed at the public hearing. Total proposed budget for 1957-58 js $2,990,446.72. New York IW Sid Caesar, an NBC-TV top banana for nine years, has been dropped by the network. Time Limits According to the city traffic department meter revenue would increase to $15,482 per year for 17 meters under the changes, compared to $11,320 per year from 50 meters under the previous system. The meter changes resulted from a recent parking survey which indicated 12-minute. me ters do not accommodate any more parked cars per day than one hour meters. Twelve-minute meters also are difficult for the police department to check, ac cording to the survey. Police Chief Charles Champ lin said the department could check meters during the new operation hours without adding a new patrolman to the force. g ijlj ,.urORD, OREGON, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 1957 CloDmras - school at St. Louis, Mo., returned to Medford to set up his dental practice. He has practiced here ever since with the exception of four years spent in Myrtle Creek. Roberts' two sons, William and Frank, right, also are dentists. William has his practice in the same office as his father and Frank has an office Vof his own. Dr. W. W, Walker of Grants Pass w-received an awardier-&Tyears contmtrews ""'practice in dentistry, at' the.' district "meeting.; i House Caught Up in Congressional Trend To Reduce Washington (IP) The congres sional economy drive today caught up, in a small way, with Congress, itself. The House Appropriations Committee, which has been deal ing out cuts averaging 7 per cent against the record high budgets of the government's executive agencies, reduced by about 2.7 per cent next year's spending plans of the House itself. Fresh Evidence Small as it was, amounting to only $2,208,343, the recommend ed curtailment came as fresh evidence that the congressional economy drive was rolling un checked, despite a stern new warning from President Eisen hower against unwarranted cuts. In the face of the President's press conference comments on the dangers of "trifling" with the national defense, House de fense experts clung to their $2,500,000,000 cut in Eisenhow er's request for ' new defense funds. ' . Rep. George H. Mahon (D-Tex.) chairman of a House appropria- Council May Call Hearing on Rezoning The Medford city council to night will consider calling for a public hearing on a proposal to annex ,to the city of Medford 12.6 acres north of Jackson st. and east of Biddle rd. the meet ing will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the city hall. The area proposed for annexa tion is a portion of 28.3 acres owned by Dr. I. D. Phipps. The remaining 15.7 acres is already inside the city limits. . The 28.3-acre area is being considered for a site of a new Sears Roebuck and ' company store, according to Mark Goldy, Medford broker. The planning commission recommended to the council the area be annexed at a meeting earlier this week. In other business the council will consider adopting a new municipal liquor control ordin ance. The proposed ordinance, patterned after a model ordin ance prepared by the League of Oregon Cities, would provide for various phases of liquor control to be all under one ordinance. Fugene 0P Voters in Eu gene and two laree residential suburbs will decide on annexa tion of the two areas to the city in special balloting today. Tribune Spending tions subcommittee, said as far as he knew no effort 'will be made to reconsider the group's tentative $2,500,000,000 cut in the defense budget. President Thought Right "I think the President is abso lutely right in opposing rash, indiscriminate reductions," Ma hon said. "Whatever cuts are made by our subcommittee will be designed to improve efficen cy and economy of our military forces." - A ; Republican subcommittee source expressed hope Eisen hower and other administration leaders will go slow in condemn ing the reported cut until they know its details. . . - This source confirmed earlier reports that much of the . rec ommended defense slash is in the nature of deferments, trans fers and other bookkeeping de vices and does not represent ac tual savings. The President, who warned Tuesday night of "terrible con sequences" from any "material" cut in his $36,200,000,000 de fense budget,' told his news con ference Wednesday he could "not see" how an "honest" cut of such magnitude could be made, v ' BoyDo You Price 10c United Press Full Leased Wire No. 48 New Threat Looms Oyer Suez Canal; Egypt Raps Ike France To Seek UN Order for Compliance By UNITED PRESS A new crisis was blowing up today over the Suez Canal. Israel reaffirmed its right and determination to use the Inter national waterway while Egyp tian officials repeated their de termination to halt' any Israeli ship and blamed President Eis enhower for "encouraging Is rael. Statement Attacked Egyptian newspapers attacked the Eisenhower statement today and said "it is really to be re gretted that when conditions are beginning: to stabilize, America should . encourage an Israeli move which may result in world conflagration." France today requested a meeting of the United Nations Security Council Monday to seek an order for Egypt to comply with the six principles approved by the council and agreed to by the government of President Gamal Abdel Nasser last Octo ber. Britain today announced it would support the French demand. Egypt has contended the Anglo-French invasion of Suez last November nullified Cairo's ac ceptance of the principles, which provided for the "insulation" of the canal from politics. Principles Remain Valid Secretary - general Dag Ham- marskjold, however, told a press conference today -that the . prinr ciples remain yaHd..yntU, revok ed by the Securfiy'-Couhcil. ' In London, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan faced a Labor party vote of censure tonight on his government's decision to use the canal on terms laid down by Egyptian President Gamal Ab del Nasser. ;.. ' ' Israeli Foreign Minister Golda Meir today reaffirmed Israel's rights to use the Suez Canal and said, "we shall defend our rights by all the means1 at our dis posal." - However highly placed Israeli sources said Israel has acceded to a request from President Eis enhower not to launch a test ship through the canal in the near future. Previously Israel was expected to test the block ade "very soon." Ashland Man Killed In Accident Here Richard Ray Cox, 29, of 343 Patterson st., Ashland was killed in an accident at Elk Lumber company's unloading deck about 9:02 p.m. yesterday. ' Jackson County .Coroner Carlos Morris ' said Cox had pulled his truck into the unload ing area, . and was unhooking binding chains. As he removed the last chain, three logs rolled off the truck onto him, Morris said. Cox was employed by Carroll Smith of Ashland. He is survived by his wife and three children. . V Ashland mortuary is in charge of funeral arrangements. Look Silly?" 18 Mangled Bodies Located in Ruins; Houses Blown Away At Least 80 Hurt; Eight Said Critical Silverton, Tex. (If) A tor nado descended upon the sleep ing town of Silverton late Wednesday night like an ex ploding cloud of red sand and 18 torn bodies were recovered to day from ditches and under piles of wreckage. . Sheriff John Lanham said at least 80 were injured. Eight of these were in critical condition. "My man up there tells me he has seen and counted 18 bodies and identified them at least to the extent of probable age," Highway Patrol Capt. J. W. Blackwell said at his district headquarters in Amarillo. "He says there are other bAdies he has just not been able to get to yet. "It looks like 19 or 20 dead is about right." Like Red Sand "It dipped and popped and looked like red sand boiling and rumbling when it hit," Mrs. Billy Stevens said. "It looked like a real low cloud that had a belly on it and then it began moving through town." The tornado was one of at least a dozen that rumbled around over the Texas Panhan dle Wednesday night, injuring at least six other persons and shat tering homes and barns at scat tered points. Twenty-five homes were de stroyed in Silverton, a town of about 850 residents. Fifteen more were badly damaged and another 15 slightly damaged. A cotton gin was destroyed, along with four grain elevators and a barracks that in cotton picking season houses Mexican workers. Lumber, Furniture Scattered The tornado disgorged pieces of lumber and furniture from the homes it wrecked for a mile around. -There was nothing ex cept the foundation left of some homes." Five memberse of one family were reported killed. . United Press- Correspondent Tom Higley said six bodies were loaded into one pickup truck. The dying and . injured were parcelled out to hospitals in nearby, towns. Dr. . C. H. Black said he had treated 50 or 60, persons, all covered with mud and suffering from shock, head injuries and cuts.' ; Blackwell's figure of 58 in jured evidently' included only those in serious enough condi tion to be kept in hospitals. Other Areas Hit .The tornado hit the southwest ern part of the town's residential section. Higley said it looked as if the funnel smacked squarely upon five houses in a row. There was nothing left of them but the foundations. Before the tornado descended on Silverton, it touched down at Lockney, about 17 miles to the southeast, injuring a woman and two children. The tornado roared into Sil verton long after an alert had been sounded in the Panhandle, but residents went to bed at the usual hour and ' were trapped when their homes crashed upon them. The rash of tornadoes kept Panhandle residents in near panic. One tore down seven houses in the community of Goldston and another damaged five in a rural area five miles west of the city of Clarendon. Still another hit Plains, a town on the western side of the Pan handle, destroying a home and two business houses. Rogue River Man Hurt In Sawmill Accident James Melvin McDonald, 25, of Rogue River, was injured early this morning while work ing as head sawyer at DeAr mond Brothers Mill at Rogue Riyer. Benson Denounces House Move To Kill Multi-Billion Washington (If) Agricul ture Secretary Ezra T. Benson today denounced the House move to kill the multi-billion dollar soil bank program next year as "false economy . . . with out justification." Benson said the House had "prejudged" the program acre age reserve section on a "partial evaluation" of its 1956 operation. More Surpluses Seen He said the program was in tended to cut down on price de pressing surplus crops, but there is "every likelihood" the sur pluses will pile up farther if the House action stands. His statement was released while Benson was testifying be Hearing on Speed Of Trains May Be Requested by City A resolution requesting the' Oregon Public Utilities commis sioner to hold a hearing regard ing the speed of trains in Med ford will h nrpspnfprf in tho city council at its 7:30 p.m. meet ing today. The speed with which trains travel through Medford was brought to public attention by two recent accidents at railroad crossings in which persons were killed. City Attorney Roy Bashaw told a Medford Safety Council committee yesterday afternoon that the resolution not only would 'concern the speed of trains, but "also other safety fea tures at railroad crossings deem ed necessary by the PUC for public safety. 1 Discuss Possible Action Bashaw and Acting City' Man ager Vernon Thorpe discussed possible action to reduce the ac cident potential at crossings Public Meeting in Berrydale District Called for Friday A public meeting called by the leading opponent to annex ation of the Berrydale area to the city of Medford will be held at 7:45 p.m. Friday in the How ard school. -. The meeting notice was mailed out on unsigned mimeographed postcards received by many resi dents of the area yesterday. After the cards were received, Nick Gier, chairman of the Ber rydale Sanitation committee which has been working for an nexation since last fall, issued a statement disclaiming respon sibility for the1 cards. ' Gier raid: "The Berrydale Sanitation committee wishes to notify everyone concerned that they are not responsible for the public meeting announced on un signed postcards received by the residents of the proposed Berry dale annexation area. "All arrangements for this meeting were made by William Doernbach, 143 Mace rd. Inas much as .the proposed topics of discussion are of vital interest to everyone living in the area, the committee urges every in terested person to attend." The discussion subjects listed on .the card are "Annexation-Taxes-Sewage- Restrictions- Buil ding Code and Misinformation Corrections." Speakers are list ed as "Your Neighbors." Also being distributed in the area this week is a mimeograph ed discussion of the annexation proposal, prepared by Gier and other committee members, and based on information gathered from official sources over the past several months. It gives details of tax and fee changes which would result from annexation, alternatives to annexation data from county ana state health departments, and comments on the sanitation problem and the annexation pro posal. Weather ' FORECAST: Fair through Fri day. Low tonight 45. Hirh Friday 78. Temp. Hih Yesterday 74 Lowest This Morning 42 Our Skies Tonight Sunrise 4:49 a.m. 7:27 p.m. Sunset nuiiar, nfoonrlse 10:15 p.m. Last Quarter :.. Next Tuesday PROMINENT STAB Arcturus, high In south 10:45 p.m. VISIBLE PLANETS Saturn, low In southeast 10:M p.m. Mars. eU 10:13 p.m. Jupiter, high In ioutnwesi ..10:09 p.m. Dollar, Soil Bank Program fore, the House Agriculture Com mittee to renew his plea for leg islation to let him set farm price supports at lower levels. His office said that because of "recent legislative develop ments "presumably the House decision, Benson and his wife have canceled a trip they planned to make to South Amer ica starting next Wednesday. ., Vote Eliminates Authority ' The House voted Wednesday 192 to 187 to eliminate authority for 1958 acreage reserve pro gram and reduce the long-range conservation reserve section of the soil bank from $450 to $250 billon annually. Farmers re ceive government payments for within the city with the Safety Council committee, which was appointed to investigate the matter. Bashaw said the PUC could order more effective safety pre cautions at crossings if it found the situation warrented it. He added that the city can only make requests for an" investiga tion and hearing, and suggest speeds for trains t rva v e 1 i ng through the city. Claude Haggert, safety direc tor at California Oregon Power company, pointed out that the 11th st. crossing is among the more dangerous since the rail road does "flying switching" in the area. He cited examples where boxcars have crossed 11th st. unattended and without lights at night. He noted that at times while switching is being conducted a flagman is stationed at the cross ing motioning traffic to proceed when conditions allow. But this is not always satisfactory, he commented. The committee also discussed ways of preventing "crying wolf" signals at crossings. "Cry ing wolf" is the term when sig- " nals continue to sound at cross ings when no train is near the crossing. Haggert noted that such a con dition exists at crossings south of Sixth st., and is especially bad' at 11th st. Police Chief Charles Champlin noted that on several occasions trainmen park a train between Main and 11th sts. and go to dinner while sig nals at llth st. are sounding. , The committee noted that with reduced speeds through Medford, a train would not re quire a great distance in which Ito stop and signal switches could be installed closer to crossings, eliminating some "crvine wolf" conditidns while switching is be- ing done.-- The committee believed some-' thing should be done about "fly-, ing switching" at crossings, but Bashaw pointed out there are -no regulations governing that type switching at present. Ba-' shaw said he discussed "flying switching" with a representative of the PUC yesterday morning. Dr. William J. Thompson is chairman of the Safety Council committee, and other members besides Haggert include Aubrey Loper, president of the council. and Leo Sevcik, state drivers ' license examiner. Phoenix District Approves Budget Phoenix Voters in Phoenix school district 4 yesterday ap proved a 1957-58 budget total ing 5365,815. The vote was 110 in favor and 80 against. The levy will be $246,863. The present year's budget - is $339, 752. The budget includes funds to provide necessary classroom fa- ; cihties for an anticipated in-. crease in enrollment, which will require hiring two more teach ers. Some of the increase in next' year's budget is for bond pay ments and interest, which was -paid from excess O and C funds allotted to the district by the county last year. The funds are ; not available this year, school officials noted. ' ! : General operating and mainte nance is generally the same as this year's budget, officials said. HasebaDO AMERICAN LEAGUE Detroit .. 2 8 0 Boston : 1 5 0 Bunning and House; Porter field. Delock (9) and White. taking farmland out of corn, cot ton, wheat, rice and tobacco pro duction And placing it in the so called acreage reserve. Costs Seen Greater If the soil bank acres of these : crops are "forced back into pro- ; duction" nex year, Benson said, : the cost of price supports prob ably will "be greater than would have been the cost of an acreage reserve for 1958." He conceded that the soil bank approved by Congress last , year as a $1,200,000,000 a year program for four years, is "tem porarily expensive." But he said it would save money for taxpay ers eventually if permitted to continue. P"
