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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 1958)
N ationwide Strike Long Distance Walkout Looms After Midnight Negotiators Seek Contract Settlement New York a?) Negotia tors worked today to head off a nationwide long distance telephone strike at midnight Representatives of the American Telephone and Tel egraph company and the Communications Workers of America resumed negotia tions in an effort to work out a new contract for 25,500 AT&T employes. Elaine Gleason, national director of the long lines di vision of the CWA, said the possibility of a strike any time after the union's cur- Portland (IP! A spokes man for Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company caid today a strike of long distance workers against American Telephone & Tele graph Company would not directly affect telephone operations in Oregon. Workers here are covered by a separate contract with PT&T. The spokesman said the only possible effect might be some delay in long dis tance calls to areas in which workers are on strike. rent contract expires at mid night "is very promising." Nearly complete returns on a strike ballot taken Thurs day indicated that the union memb ership was "over whelmingly" in favor of strik ing, she said. A company spokesman not ed, however, that the union in the previous three years had agreed to work beyond the contract expiration date while negotiations continued. Both sides reported that some progress was made dur ing daylong talks Thursday. The company spokesman said wage- agreements had been reached in more than 50 per cent of the geographical areas affected by the contract. Miss Gleason, however, gave a more pessimistic report. No-Strike Clause She said the company was asking for a no-strike clause, elimination of a maintenance of union dues clause, and an increase of working hours for administrative workers in 24 cities. She said AT&T wanted these employees to increase their weekly work load from 35 and 37 Vi hours to 40 hours. t "Things do not look gooa," Miss Gleason commented. The union is seeking a $3- a-week increase for operators and $3 to $5 for plant work ers at company installations in all states except New Hampshire, Vermont, Dela ware, South Dakota, Mon tana, and Nevada, where the union is not represented. Plants workers earn $43.50 to $119 a week and operators earn $43 to $70.50, with wage scales varying in different sections of the country. Embarrassed Bankers Turn To Rival Firm Santa Paula. Calif. (IP) Embarrassed officials of the Bank of America branch here turned to a rival firm Thurs day for money to stay in busi ness when they couldn't get their vault open. When the chief clerk set the time clock before leaving Dec. 31, he forgot that the New Year's holiday was only for one day and not a week end. The result was that bank manager Paul Keith ran out of money and was forced to go hat in hand to a competi tor for funds. The bank couldn't ooen its vault until late Thursday afternoon. Loyalists Guard Palace After Venezuela Revolt Caracas, Veuenzuela W Loyal forces guarded the presidential palace today al though the government of President Marcos Perez Jim enez appeared in firm control of revolutionary elements. Perez Jimenez announced in a nationwide broadcast Thurs day that the New Year's Day uprising by Venezuelan air force and army units had been crushed. Minimum of Losses Perez Jimenez said the re volt was put down by local government troops "with a minimum of losses." There was as yet no official announcement on the number of casualties either in the fighting or in the sporadic air Threatened MOD TREASURER Glen Rader, above, has been named treasurer of the March of Dimes, it has been an nounced by R. L. Palmer, Medford chairman. Rader, with his wife and three chil dren, resides at 1428 Crown ave. He is assistant operations officer at the United States National Bank, Medford branch, a member of Roxy Ann Grange and assistant scoutmaster of Troop 14. (Photo by Landis studio). Appointments Are Made; Two New Committees Set Medford Mayor John Sni der extended all one-year committee appointments made when he took office Jan. 1, 1957, created two new com mittees and appointed several members to committees at last night's city council meet ing. A parks and recration com mittee and a parking and re- 1 a t e d problems committee were announced by the mayor. He said he is still con sidering members for the new committtees and will an nounce them in the next few weeks. i New appointments includ ed Carl Brophy, attorney, ar mory advisory board, one year; former Mayor Earl Mill er, 617 Park st., city plan ning commission, four years; Gene Thomas, 45 South Cen tral ave., library board, four years: Mrs. Dwight Hough ton, 512 Dakota ave., Nick, Gier, Parsons motors, and Carl Dawson, 932 South Hol ly st., budget committeee, three years; George Polski, Fluhrer building, and Seth Bullis, 216 West Main st., ap pointed to one year on the water commission. Bullis was appointed to fill a one-year term vacancy cre ated when Paul Rynning re signed. (See Story on Page Two) Warning System in City To Be Studied , An informal discussion and study will be made by the city council and a representa tive from the Public Utilities commissioner's office on the railroad track crossing warn ing system in Medford, Tues day, Jan. 7, according to city manager Robert A. Duff. He said it would be the first step in complying with recent PUC orders resulting from a hearing in Medford last Au gust regarding the speed of trains at crossings. The com mission ordered improvements in lighting, improvements in the warning system and or dered studies to be made of several crossings and of the warning systems. The study will concern both main and side track warning systems and their length of operation. Duff said. Improve ment of the systems will be made upon completion of the study, he added. raid by rebel planes on Ca racas. The revolt flared early New Year's at the air base at Maracay, 50 miles west of Caracas, and at Los Teques, Miranda state capital, 18 miles southewest -of here. Rebels Fly To Colombia Rebel radios which had ex horted Venezuelans to join the fight against Perez Jime nez went silent Thursday. At least 18 leaders of the revolt flew to Colombia in Perez Jimenez's plane they had seized "and were granted po litical asylum. Colombian of ficials said the plane would be returned to Venezuela. Military officials said other leaders had been rounded up. Phone New Civil Rights Body Begins Task After Ceremony Group To Assure Minority Rights Washington OP) The his toric new Civil Rights com mission today began its task of insuring the voting rights of American Negroes and other minorities. The six-man commission, headed by President John A. Hannah of Michigan State university, was sworn in at a White House ceremony pre sided over by President Eisen hower. Administration officials said Eisenhower would take a hands-off attitude toward the commission and its work and the members would be on their own from the start. To Probe Violations The President selected three northern and three southern commission mem bers to implement a section of the Civil Rights act passed by Congress last year. The panel's job is to inves tigate alleged violations of voting and of other civil rights and to propose what ever legislation it believes is needed to safeguard those rights. ' It will report to the Presi dent and Congress by Sept. 9: 1959, two years after the 1957 civil rights bill became law. Then it will pass out of ex istence. Hannah was appointed Dec. 23 to succeed former Su preme Court justice Stanley F. Reed as chairman, who quit to avoid possible involve ment as a still active jurist. Members Named Besides Hannah, the group includes former Florida Gov. Doyle E. Carlton; former Vir ginia Gov. John S. Battle; the Rev. Thedore M. Hesburgh, president of Notre Dame, uni versity; Assistant Secretary of Labor J. Ernest Wilkins, a Negro; and Robert G. Storey, dean of the law school of Southern Methodist univer sity, Dallas, Tex. Christmas Tree Burn Set Sunday A Christmas tree burn at t p.m. Sunday on the Antelope rd. in the Camp White area will climax the county Christ mas tree lift, being sponsored by Medford Moose Lodge 178. Residents in Medford, Cen tral Point, Ashland, Talent, Jacksonville and Phoenix are asked to place Christmas trees on either the front porch or lawn before noon Sunday with a donation to the March of Dimes in an envelope tied to the tree. All contributions will be credited to the Jack son county polio fund cam paign, according to John Keener, general chairman of the tree lift. Members of the Moose lodge will meet at the lodge hall, 11 South Newtown st., at noon Sunday to begin the pickup. They will be assisted by members of the Medford High school sophomore class's Teens-Against-Polio group. Pickup trucks will be donated by Medford car dealers and big vehicles to haul the trees to the burn site are being do nated by Moore Steel com pany and Pierce Freight Lines. The public is invited to at tend the burn, Keener said. Bandits Get $1,200 In Portland 'Jobs' Portland HP) Bandits got some $1200 from three Portland establishments late Thursday and , early today. A patron who told the bar maid he was hungry rifled the cash register at a South east Hawthorne boulevard tavern and left with S200. Two men, one of them arm ed, held up the Foss grocery in the Ardenwald district and took $200 from the cash regis ter while the proprietor was forced to lie on the floor. Two men of similar descrip tion held up a tavern on Southeast Division street an hour later. One man knock ed Mrs. William L. Dennison onto the floor just as she and her husband were closing their establishment. Some $753 in cash and checks was taken. 38,369 Visitors Sign Capitol Book in 1957 Salem (IP) A total of 38, 369 individuals signed the visitors register in the Ore gon capitol during 1957, Sec retary of State Mark Hatfield reported today. Cabinet Given Review of Ike's Union Message Proposed Budget Briefly Discussed Washington (IP) Presi dent Eisenhower reviewed his State of the Union Message and briefly discused his pro posed $74 billion budget with members of the Cabinet to day. Afterward he presided at swearing in ceremonies for members of the new Civil Rights Commission and dis cussed their duties with them at the commision's first of ficial meeting. Furnished Draft White House Press Secre tary James C. Hagerty said Cabinet members were fur nished a draft of the State of the Union Message before they went to the White House. He said no major changes were made at the Cabinet meeting, which lasted more than two hours. Hagerty told reporters the new budget, which he has said will be balanced, came up at the meeting "just in passing." He said he believes its final dollars and cents figure has been "virtually de cided." In round numbers it will be about $74 billion. Officials said the huge spending pro gram, a peacetime record, is complete except for some minor adjustments in defense items. It contains about $40 billion for defense to meet Russia's missile threat. Nixon At Meeting All members of the Cabi net and Vice President Rich ard M. Nixon attended the meeting in the White House Cabinet Room. In presiding at'the Cabinet and Civil Rights Commission meetings the President was winding up a 26-hour visit to the capital before returning to his Gettysburg farm. Hagerty said he does not expect any official callers at the farm this week end .He said the chief executive will continue to work on the final wording of his State of the Union Message. Motion Filed To Resubmit Cases A motion has been filed in Jackson county circuit court by the district attorney's of fice to resubmit to the grand jury the cases of Leonard E. Steege, Darrell Johnson and Larry William Irvin, all charged with rape, according to District Attorney Tom Reeder. s Steege, 24, lives at 401 East 12th st., Irvin, 26,. at 215 Wil lamette ave., and Johnson 26, at 619 Palm st., Medford. All three are free on bail. Reeder said his office re quested the order to have the cases reconsidered and is sub mitting the indictment now on file. "This is being done on the basis of new evidence and new witnesses pertinent to the case," Reeder said. All three had entered pleas of innocent to the charges when arraigned on the indict ment Sept. 6. Trial dates were set for January then con tinued, according to the coun ty clerk's office. The trio is charged with assaulting an 18 -year -old Oklahoma City, Okla., girl in the Sterling Creek rd. area Saturday, Aug. 24. DOW-JONES AVERAGES New York (IP) Dow Jones final stock averages: 30 industrials 444.56, up 5.29; 20 railroads 103.53, up 3.64; 15 utilities 69.46, up 0.52, and 65 stocks 149.72, up 2.31. Sales today were about 2.440.000 shares com pared with 1,800.000 shares Thursday. Crown Zellerbach Ordered To Seil Holdings at St. Washington (IP! The Fed eral Trade commission has ordered Crown Zellerbach corporation of San Francisco to sell its holdings in the St. Helen's Pulp and Paper com pany. The commission ordered Crown Zellerbach, the na tion's second largest paper producer, to submit within 60 days a plan for complying with the order. In that time, the company must draw up a timetable in which it can "reasonably" get rid of its holdings in St. Helens. The FTC will then set a deadline. The commission ruled Thursday that Crown's pur chase of St. Helens in 1953 violated the anti-merger law. Before purchase, St. Helens was one of Crown Zeller bach's biggest competitors. Four of the five commis sion members took part in Ul 52nd Year MEDFr 18 PAGES Six Russian Soldiers Desert East Germany Four Reach West; One Declared Shot Berlin (IPI Russian refu gee groups reported today that six Soviet, soldiers de serted in . Communist East Germany New Year's Eve and four of them beat their way to the West through a ring of Soviet troops. The emigree said one de serter was shot and captured and another was still -at lib erty. The escape plot, coming while the Communists were celebrating their biggest hol iday, touched off unprece dented activity by Soviet troops on the borders of Ber lin. The Soviet troops rushed to border posts Wednesday night and conducted an intensive manhunt in the Soviet sector of Berlin. They kept it up until about noon today when they turned the posts back to the East German Communist gaurds. Great Importance The display of force, the greatest by the Red army in Berlin since the workers' re volts of June, 1953, indicated the Soviets attached the great est importance to the desert ers. There was wide specula tion one was a general. The Russian emigree Truch novich Committee in Berlin first reported the defections an another Russian Emigree group, the Soviet Resistance Organization, in Frankfurt, known as N.T.S., backed it up. The N.T.S. said the quick ac tion by the Soviet army blocked the flight of deserters on an even larger scale. Six-Year-Old Hurt When Hit By Car Six-year-old Thomas Eu gene Neely, of 31 North Co lumbus ave., was reported in fair condition this morning after he was injured Thurs day afternoon ; when he ap parently fell from a car back ing from the driveway of his home. The boy was taken to Sacred Heart hospital by Med ford Ambulance service. He suffered internal chest in juries, according to hospital officials. Police said the ac cident took place about 3:25 p.m. Thursday. The car, operated by the boy's mother, Mrs. Betty May Finlay, 32, said she stopped at once when she realized the boy was under the car, ac cording to Medford police. Bitter Cold Wave Grips Eastern Nation By UNITED PRESS The bitterest cold wave of the winter gr;pped most of the nation east of the Rocky mountains today and the Weather Bureau promised lit tle relief. Below freezing tempera tures were .reported along a line from the Carolina coast into Southern Alabama and Mississippi and northwest ward into the Texas pan handle. the decision. The fifth, Com missioner William C. Kearn, did not. Commissioner Ed ward T. Tait wrote the deci sion. First Test It was the first time the commisison has ordered the breakup of a merger in a con tested case. The law forbids mergers which tend to lessen competition in any particular industry. The firm has the right to appeal the FTC deci sion to the courts. James D. .Zellerbach, U.S. ambassador to Italy, was president of Crown Zeller bach from 1938 until 1956 when he resigned to accept his diplomatic post. He is now a principal stockholder and chairman of the board on leave of absence. Until the FTC sets a dead line for compliance, Crown Zellerbach may not cut, re move or sell any timber on y'll Stand Still While We Catch Up?' Russian Offensive Claimed Subverting Free Governments Washington KPl A gov ernment report warned today that Russia's new economic offensive has made consider able headway toward sub verting free governments and underdeveloped countries. The report, prepared by the State Department, estimated that in the past three years Russia and her Communist satellites have given these countries nearly Sl,900,000,- 000 in economic aid. Fail To SeeDangers.. . This aid has been designed ,0 promote Russia's "expan sionist aims of international Communism," the study said. It added that many of the countries accepting Soviet help have failed to see the dangers of Russian infiltra tion and subversion. A copy of the report was made available to the United Press by non-administration source. The study said that Russia has been faced in recent years "with unfavorable prospects for conquest in Europe'.' and has been "frustrated in its re- Guatemala Watched Fcr Trend To Reds Washington (IP) Tension torn and Communist - ridden Guatemala is receiving the "very, very closest" scrutiny from the State Department and members of Congress, it was learned today. The only country ever to overthrow a Communist re gime now appears in danger of falling once again under Communist influence. Ever since Guatemalan President Carlos Castillo Armas was assassinated last July by a Communist sympa thizer, exiled Communists and Communist sympathizers have been returning to the Central American republic in increas ing numbers. "We have been very con cerned about," a State De partment official said. Helens lands from St. Helens, or lands on which St. Helens had cutting rights. Complaint Challenged Crown Zellerbach had chal lenged the FTC complaint on grounds that the commission chose only the 11 western states as the area for testing, the effect of the merger on competition. It claimed this test was "improperly restric tive." But Commissioner Tait said the FTC is satisfied the 11 western states was an "appro priate section" of the coun try for testing the effects' of the merger. The FTCnoted that Crown Zellerbach's annual net sales increased from nearly S85 million in 1942 to nearly S253 million in 1953. 1 By 1953, the FTC said, when the merger was com pleted, Crown Zellerbach's sales totaled $414 million. IT SWIGS FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 1958 lian'ce on direct subversion to expand its influence- over other areas.". Therefore, it said, the Communist bloc turned to economic penetra tion of independent countries .it wished to subvert. Major emphasis has been given in this economic offen sive by Russia to the new na tions in Asia and Africa "struggling for national identification and economic improvement." Council Postpones Ordinance Action The Medford city council last night postponed action on the proposed subdivision ordinance until a planning consultant from the League of Oregon Cities examines it. The motion, made by Coun cilman James Dunlevy, was supported by all councilmen. Dunlevy said he had ex amined the ordinance and al though he did not question the judgment of Hahn, Wise and Associates, who drafted the original ordinance, he did want someone else's opinion. The consultant, Lloyd An derson, is scheduled to arrive in Medford later this month. Anderson will work on the city's urban renewal program while in Medford. Mark B o y d e n, Medford, surveyor, told the council he had more than 40 suggested changes for the ordinance. Robert Mclntyre, Rogue Val ley land company, also said he had several suggested changes for the subdivision ordinance. Mayor John Snider suggested the men submit the suggestions in writing and to discuss the changes at an in formal council meeting. No meeting date was set. Safety Feared For Bend Family Bend P Fear was felt today for the safety of a fam ily of three who have not been seen since about 4:15 p.m. on New Year's day. Missing were Mr. and Mrs. James R. Thompson and their daughter, Juanita, 2. Fear was expressed that they may have met with an accident in snow-covered hills not far from Bend. The family was seen driving away from their home less than two hours before a New Year's night dinner en gagement. Friends said the family may have decided to take a short drive to some nearby butte for a sunset pic ture. Thompson has an inter est in photography. Searchers said it was pos sible the family car might have stalled in snow in the Cascades. The Thompsons came here in August from Boise, Idaho. He is an office supply worker here. ored William B. Nichol, 85, Thursday on the occasion of his 50th anniversary as a daily commuter on the Central's Croton local-express line. Price 10 Cents Tribune No. 218 Benson Payments Target of Suit Filed by Democrat 'Friendly' Action Seeking Restraint Washington (IP) Whether or not he wins his "friendy type" lawsuit against Agricul ture Secretary Ezra T. Ben son, Rep. Henry S. Reuss (D Wis.) believes he already has set a considerable precedent. He said he is the first con gressman ever to sue a Cab inet officer to restrain an "illegal" action. He assumes the reason it hasn't been done before is that never before has a Cabinet officer so "flag rantly flouted" the law. Contrary View Benson has a contrary view of this. Their differences presumably will be mediated shortly in U.S. District Court here. Reuss asked the court Thursday to block Benson from paying farm operators more than S3.000 each in soil bank subsidies for taking land out of production. Reuss said he himself pro posed the limitation, which was written into law, to stop a practice under which he said Benson paid one big farm corporation $278,000 in subsidies, another $209,000, and 67 others more than $50, 000 each. "Benson," said Reuss, "is acting as a sort of Robin Hood in reverse. He is taking from the poor to give to the rich." "There apparently was no other way to stop him," Reuss explained. "Unless I am able to get a judicial de termination against it, Ben son will be able to pay out millions of dollars illegally. He said he hopes Benson will "look on this as a friend' ly type suit" that will deter mine the issue judicially. Justice Backing Reuss amendment to the 1958 soil bank appropriation law bars "total compensation . . . to'any one producer in excess of $3,000." Benson has interpreted this to limit payments to $3,000 to any one farm. Some people own . more than one farm. Benson has said he will pay them accordingly. He already has the backing of the Jus tice Department, Budget Bu reau and Comptroller Gen eral. Reuss told the court the amendment meant just what it said a $3,000 limit to any one producer no matter how many farms he may have. WEATHER FORECAST: Fog or low over cast in the valley tonight and Saturday morning. Above fog clear tonight; increasing and lowering cloudiness Saturday. Rain likely Saturudav night. Low tonight 32. High Sat urday 45. Temp. Highest Yesterday - 53 Lowest this morning 31 Prec. to 10 a.m. Today..Trace Our Skies Tonight Sunrise 7:41 a.m. Sunset . 4.51 p.m. The Earth is in Perihelion (at its least distance from the Sun) today. Perihelion distance this year is 91,342, nnn miles. The Moon, riding high in the constellation, Tau- rus, sets Saturday 6:22 a.m. and will be Full Sunday afternoon. 1957 Traffic Deaths in State Unofficially 462 Salem TPl Oregon's un- official traffic death toll for 1957 has been set at 462 by the Motor Vehicle Depart ment's Traffic Safety division. That is the second highest toll ever recorded and an in crease of slightly more than nine per cent over the 423 deaths reported in 1956. The all-time high was 482 deaths in 1946. It will be about six weeks before statistics on the num ber of accidents and persons injured will be completed. Decrease Recorded . However, through Novem ber the state had recorded about a 12 per cent decrease in accidents and slightly more than a seven per cent decrease in persons injured over the same period a year ago. The department said 53,473 accidents and 14,394 injuries were reported for the first 11 months of ,the year. POLE New Zealanders Have Close Call As Fuel Runs Low Tired Adventurers Pitch Camp on Spot Wellington, New Zealand (IPi Sir Edmund Hillary, 38, the man who climbed to the top of the world on Mt. Everest, reached the bottom of the earth at the South Pole today. In doing so, he won a double race. He beat a rvial British team and he did it with less than 20 miles of fuel remaining. Hillary and four other New Zealanders thus became the first men to reach the South Pole overland since Britain's Capt. Robert F. Scott in 1912. Scott perished on the return journey. It was -a close call for Hill ary and his men. They had only one drum of gasoline left aboard their Sno-cat trac tor after a 24-hour forced march that covered 70 miles. The remaining drum was good for barely 20 miles. The five were so bushed that the instant their sextant reading indicated the pole, they camped on the spot. Near American Base They spurned the comfort of the relatively luxurious American polar base two miles away and bedded down as soon as they radioed their success. "Steering by the sun from earljer fixes, we came bang on base," Hillary radioed to New Zealand's Scott Base at McMurdo Sound. "We are all very tired, but well and very pleased to have arrived." As for the fuel supply "It was sufficient for" 20 mile, we were cutting it very fine." He had ordered the rest of their fuel jettisoned to speed the expedition's trek over piled-up ice and snow. It was a desperate gamble, but it paid off. The New Zealanders rivals, Britisher Dr. Vivian Fuchs, 50, and a dozen men, were 20 miles on the other side of the Pole. The latest word from Fuchs was a message dated Thurs day. In it he gave his position as 87 degrees south some 20 miles from the Pole. The message indicated some of the tremendous difficulties still facing Fuchs. It said his party was now "at 5,80 feet after a punishing 10 miles of sastrugi (high humps of point ed ice)." The Hillary team reached the geographic bottom of the globe at 8 p.m. New Zealand time (midnight PST). In the Antarctic midnight sun the American base, where warmth and food awaited. was a dark blob on the snpwy horizon. Saturday, Hillary will trek, the remain ing two miles to a hero's wel come. Sends Congratulations Back in New Zealand, Prime Minister Walter Nash immediately radioed his con gratulations. "Nothing can give me greater pleasure than to con vey the delighted congratula tions of all New Zealanders to Sir Edmund Hillary and his small but very gallant team," Nash said. "Sir Ed mund has now achieved a double feat of endurance and courage that must rank ex tremely high in the history of human endeavor." Salem (IP) The Slate In dustrial Accident Commission has named Roy G. Green to the new post of executive sec retary. Figures compile! by the Traffic Safety Division are in compliance with definitions adopted by the National Con ference on Uniform Traffic Accident Statistics so . they can be compared across the country. The national group defines a motor vehicle traffic acci dent death as one which oc curs on any trafficway which, is open to the public. Non-Traffic Accident Any accident involving a motor vehicle in motion which occurs entirely on pri vate property or in any place other than a trafficway is a motor vehicle non-traffic ac cident and is not considered part of the state's traffic toll. Month by month death fig ures now show January with 27 deathsr February, 29; March, 36; April, 32; May, 33; June, 45; July, 30; Au gust, 47; September, 45; Oc tober, 41; November, 58; and December, 39.
