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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 1958)
On 0) - '- . a m . -rri . .of J : It": Kussia Cuts Airmedl Strength West Challenged To Match Soviet 'Act of Good Will' East Germany Cutback Planned Moscow IP) The So viet government announced a cut of 300,000 men from its armed forces tonight and challenged the Western Big Three to match "this act of good will." A government communi-. que said the cutbacks will in- j elude withdrawal of 41,000 1 men from East Germany and 17,000 from Hungary. Cut No Surprise The reduction was no sur prise to Western observers. Last month the Supreme So viet "recommended" that the Soviet government consider reductions in view of the im proved international situa tion. Soviet Communist party boss Nikita Khrushchev in dicated later that the sug gestion was receiving favor able consideration because of the December Paris NATO summit conference's assur ances of peace. The reductions were noth-1 ing more than a token. West- j ern intelligence esfimates the Soviet armed forces total about 425,000 men in Eastern Europe alone. Of these barely one-seventh would be pulled back to the Soviet Union. .Account for Reduction It was believed in the West that reorganization of the Red army for atomic tactics would just about account for the overall cut of 300,000 men just as U.S. forces are be streamlined. This was Russia's third claimed cutback in recent years. It announced a cut of 640,000 in 1955 and 1,200,000 in 1956. At no time in reporting these force reductions has Russia indicated overall strength. But this is estimated in the West at "slightly below" four 52nd Year MEW 50 4 U-fr- Price 10 Cents Tribune -oON, MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 1958 1A D I II No. 220 BURN TREES About 1.200 Christmas trees, collected in several Jackson county communities in the Moose lodge 178's "Tree Lift," wete burned yesterday about 6 p.m. near the junction of Antelope rd. and Cra ter Lake highway at Camp White. Keeping warm as they watch the trees go up in flames, are left to right, Ronald Knechtel of Phoenix, Richard Lacasse, Darryl Sum merfield and Tommy Gibbons of Central Point. All of the boys except four-year-old Tommy was active in collecting trees in their communities. A total of $317.94 was raised by the project, which has already been turned over to the March of Dimes, according to general chairman John Keen er. Medford Mayor John Snider was on hand to see the trees ablaze. Of the amount collected, $270.17 came from Medford; $18.18 from Jacksonville, $57.38 from Cen tral Point; $18.80 from Phoenix, and $6.70 from Ashland and Talent. Reports Satisfactory On Sno-Cat Tractors Used In Antarctic Medford-built Sno-Cats now being used in the Antarctic million Tvirr tr antlVA Hll tv j AJ1111AVS11 "vu v v. t ' : r , - . . -, i iMrtini thp satellite I ior WOrK in connection wiui not forces. 175 Divisions NATO sources put the Communist strength at about 175 divisions, about 30 of them on the front line in East Germany. The last previous Russian cutback came in the midst of last year's disarmament con ference in London. The Western answer then was that Western forces had been cut back to almost nothing right after World War II, while the Soviet Union maintained its vast military machine in fighting form. Dave Epps Elected To Succeed Boyer Portland 0PI Dave Epps, Sweet Home, was elected chairman of the Oregon State Democratic Central Commit tee Sunday at a meeting here. The 50-year-oldfurniture ""dealer succeeds Robert Boyer of Medford, who resigned. Epps won on the first bal lot and drew 36 of 69 votes cast by members of the com mittee to defeat Richard Croener, state representative from Milwaukie, and Pat Da vis. Baker, and employee of Union Pacific. Epps has been an Oregon delegate to the Democratic notional convention twice and in 1946 was Democratic nom inee for. the office of secre tary of state. the International Geophysical Year are "operating very sat isfactorily," according to un official reports received here by the Tucker Sno-Cat cor poration. J. M. Tucker, general man ager, said he does not know if any of the snow tractors are being used by Sid Edmund Hillary's New Zealand group now at the South Pole. Eng land bought four of the big freighter models and may have given some to Hillary, Tucker said. The unofficial reports are based on radio grams relayed through ham operators, the general man ager said. The freighter models are equivalent to 12-passenger ma chines in size. Tucker said. France and Belgium are using the freighter model also, he added. The general manager esti mated 51 Sno-Cats are now being used in the Antarctic in connection with the interna-1 tional scientific work. The United States has 40 of the j machines 20 of the freighter i models and 20 of the standard four-drive model used in work close to the base. The latter is equivalent to a six-passenger machine in size, he explained. The Sno-Cats shipped this summer for the work now being carried on in the Ant arctic have improvements made as the result of a pre vious two years' use in the frozen north, Tucker added. Hillary had remarked Sun day after his race to the South Pole ended Saturday that his trek proved tractor trains to the South Pole are practical. The New Zealander had left his dog teams behind in the race to the South Pole which started Dec. 27. The fast march ended Saturday when the five-man team pull ed into the U.S. Navy base. Snow tractors proved su perior to dog teams except when crossing treacherous crevasses, Hillary said. Dogs can cross crevasses without breaking through. Heavy trac tors cannot, the explorer said. Hillary estimated he and his party traveled 1300 miles since leaving New Zealand's Scott base near McMurdo sound Nov. 13. Coldest wea ther encountered was 32 be low zero and near zero tem perature the warmest. Hillary's job was to set up supply dumps along a route from Scott to Station 700 and meet Fuchs there. However Fuchs was delayed and Hil lary abandoned the original plans and pushed to the South Pole in tractors. Three Mothers in Canton En Route To Visit Sons Canton, China (By tele phone to Hong Kong), HP Three American mothers reached this Communist China city today en route to see their sons who have been held in red jails for five years as American "spies." Traveled by Train They crossed the border at Hong Kong this morning and traveled to Canton by train. San Francisco attorney A. L. Virin made the same journey on a separate mission a short time afterwards. Acting as an officer of the San Francisco Federal Court, he hopes to collect evidence that will free John and Sylvia Powell of U.S. charges that they com mitted sedition during the Korean war. Mrs. Ruth Redmond, Yonk-j ers, N.Y. told the United Press in Hong Kong by telephone that she was anxious to con tinue her trip to Shanghi, where she hope to meet her son. She said the Chinese Reds had arranged a sightseeing tour of Canton for her before she leaves for Shanghi by air Tuesday. Slaying at Hotel She said that she, Mrs. Mary. Downey, New Britain, Conn., and her son, William, and Mrs. Philip Fecteau, Lynn, Mass., all were staying at the Oi Kuen Hotel in Can ton, each in a separate room. She said she had not seen Wirin who arrived in Red China at the border town of Shumchun after them, mis sing the same connection to Canton. Texas Reels Under Floods and Snow By UNITED PRESS Texas reeled today under the combined blows of flood ing rains which forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 persons in the southern part of the state and a 17-inch snow storm that stranded motorists in the West. The floods t't the lower Rio Grande Valley Sunday in the wake of 36 hours of steady rain which dumped more than eight inches of water at Corpus Christi, Tex. About 400 persons fled their homes in Edinburg where flood-waters inundated some 16 city blocks. Oficials said about 500 persons were evacuated in Bishop, north of Edinburg, and about 350 per sons in the Robstown-Clark-wood area near Corpus Christi. West Texas and southeast ern New Mexico were buried under as much as 17 inches of snow Sunday, stranding motorists under deep drifts. Stathos Elected County Chairman Of Republicans Donald L. Stathos, Medford, was elected chairman of the Jackson County Republican Central committee at a recent executive ooard meeting, a spokesman announced. He fills the vacancy left by the recent resignation of Mrs. Frank C. Bash, also of Med ford. Stathos was chairman of the Jackson County Youth for Eisenhower-Nixon organi zation during the last election. "The executive board elect ed Stathos because of his ac tive interest and work in pro moting participation of all in dividuals in better govern ment," a spokesman explained. Stathos, a local insurance agent, is 33 years old and a native of Oregon. He is an Oregon State college gradu ate. He lives with his wife, Barbara and son, Geoff, at 100 Sundial rd., Medford. Other officers elected dur ing Friday's meeting were Mrs. Kenneth G. Denman, Medford, vice chairman; Otto A. Ewaldsen, Medford, alter nate chairman; Mrs. Stephen G. Nye, Medford, alternate vice chairman; Ed H. Sing master, Ashland, secretary; and E. A. Piazza, Medford, treasurer. D. H. Barber, Trail, and Mrs. Edward Bolt, Gold Hill were named national commit teeman and committeewoman. These officers will serve until after the primary election in May, it was explained. Security Council, 1 Eisenhower Talk Cold War Strategy Stassen's Future Could Be Decided Washington (IP President Eisenhower met with the Na tional Security Council today to map cold war strategy and discuss military aspects of the State of the Union Message he will deliver to- Congress Thursday. There was advance specu lation that the meeting could decide the future in the gov ernment of Harold E. Stassen the President's disarmament advisor. Stassen's associates said he might seek a show down today on his policy dis agreements with Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, who opposes further concessions or new U.S. moves to reopen talks with Russia on check ing the arms race. The issue was raised by discission of the President's proposed reply to Soviet Pre mier Nikolai Bulganin's bids for new East-West truce talks and British Prime Minister Harold MacMillan's endorse ment of a favorite Soviet pro posal a non-aggression pact between the Communist and Western blocs. The President opened the meeting immediately after re turning to the White House from his Gettysburg farm where he had spent most of the past two weeks. Eisenhower arose at 6 a.m. and : left - his 190-acre state before dawn on the two-hour drive back to Washington. DOW-JONES AVERAGES New York UP! Dow Jones final stock averages: 30 industrials 442.56, off 2.00; 20 railroads 102.39, off 1.14; 15 utilities 69.32. off 0.14, and 65 stocks 148.94, off 0.78. Sales today were about 2,500,000 shares compared with 2,440,000 shares Friday. Gaulf Won't Run For Reelection Sheriff Howard Gault said today he will not be a candi date for reelection this year. He has served in that office for the past 13'2 years, in cluding three full four-year terms, and under appointment for 1V years after the death of the late Sheriff Sid Brown, in 1945. Gault, a Republican, has been in the sheriff's office since 1934, when he was chief deputy. His home is at 3426 Delta Waters rd. The sheriff said he finally decided against seeking re election because he agrees with many people it is not good to "stay in the same of fice for too many years nei ther for the person nor the of fice." He said, "I just figured I'd been here long enough." He plans to enter another line of- work, but said his plans are not yet ..definite enough to announce. The sheriff commented that, throughout the time he has held office, he has had fine cooperation from both as sociates and friends in his handling of the office, and de clared he greatly appreciates it. His announcement leaves the race for sheriff "wide open" in both primary and general elections. No one has announced his candidacy as yet, although political gossip has mentioned several men as potential candidates. i. - TWO SERIOUSLY INJURED IN ACCI DENT Etta Irene Phillips, 36, of 1257 Sis kiyou blvd., and her passenger, LaVerne Barger, 39, of 195 Skidmore st., both of Ashland, were seriously injured Saturday about 9 p.m. when their car (above) struck the second light pole in the northbound lane of the Bear Creek intersection of High way 99, according to state police. Sacred Heart hospital authorities reported Mrs. Barger in satisfactory condition this morn ing suffering from head injuries and lacera tions. Mrs. Phillips, driver of the car, was reported in serious condition by Rogue Valley hospital officials this morning. She suffered a fractured skull, jaw and left arm, and multiple cuts and bruises, officials said. Police said the Phillips car was apparently traveling at high speed in the fog when the accident took place. Northbound traffic was limited to one lane for a short period until wreckage was cleared, police said. They added the car traveled about 100 feet after the impact which tore off the left front fender and door. Safe Robbed Of $1,500 In Cash At O.K. Market DONALD L. STATHOS Heads County Republicans Portland HP) The take off of a United Air Lines plane, Flight 676, for San Francisco and Los Angeles was delayed this morning after a telephoned bomb threat was received. Ashland Company Has Safe Robbery Ashland City police re ported the Ashland Lumber company's safe was drilled some time around 4:30 a.m. today and $186 in small cur rency was taken. Police there said they are still puzzling over how the burglars broke into the build ing , located, at . 384 Oak St., Ashland. All doors were lock ed - when Manager Charles Hodges discovered, the safe door open at 8 a.m. today. "It was a neat professional job with drills and other tools from the lumber yard used," police said. "Nothing else was disturbed." The safe had been punched on April 1, 1956 and little money has been kept in the company safe since then, po lice said. Owners of the lumb er yard are John, 'Neil and Grace Collins, Medford. About $1,500 in cash was taken from the safe in the OK Market, 1202 North River side ave., during Saturday night according to Medford police. Thieves broke into the rear storeroom door of the OK Market between midnight and Labout 6 a-m.po.Uce-said.JThey said the theft was discovered by Albert E. Eitemiller, 3705 Roberts rd., when he arrived to open the store Sunday morning. The safe, which was in the produce section of the mar ket, had been moved to the rear of the building behind several counters, police said The safe hingepins and the dial had been tampered with but the thieves finally 'pealed" the safe door and forced the latch, using the same tools as they did to enter the building. Several checks, also in the safe, were found on the floor, police said. Although the of fice desk had been ransacked, nothing was missing, they added. Medford police also report ed the United Radio Supply Inc., 301 South Front st., was broken into during Saturday evening. The front door had been forced with a pry bar and about $10 in small change taken from the cash register, police said. Police explained about $165 was overlooked by the thieves apparently be cause of their haste. An attempt to break into the Anderson Super Thrift Market, 711 South Central ave., was reported by police after an officer saw too many ghts in the building early Sunday. Police reported a 50-gallon drum of molasses had been spilled in the park ing lot and the fence to the storeroom had been cut. A check of the storeroom and main building failed to produce evidence thieves had gained entrance, police said. Columbia Gorge Gets Strong East Winds Portland IIP) Strong east winds buffeted the Co lumbia gorge and the Portland area today and power out ages were reported. Wind was blamed for an outage which affected Park rose and Russellville custom ers of Pacific Power & Light Company for an hour to 90 minutes. A 57,000-volt line failed. Washington IP) Congress headed back to work today with one wary eye on domes tic economic troubles while it prepared to tackle more pressing problems involving missiles and national defense. The gavels will bang at noon Tuesday in the House and Senate to signal the start 4 of-the-1958-session. The at- Economic, Defense Problems To Face Congress Session House Trailer Fire Burns Man A house trailer and its con tents were a total loss in a blaze at 1380 Sweet rd. Satur day evening, city firemen re ported. They said the trailer be longed to William A. Gifford, who had been residing at 515 Boardman ave. Firemen said Boardman told them he had been burned on the face and left hand about 6 p.m. by an explosion of butane gas. A leak in the fuel line at the rear of the stove had caused the explos ion. Gifford said he waited around for about a half hour to be sure there was no fire. He then went to have his burns dressed at a hospital. Gifford was unaware until 9:30 a.m. Sunday that the fire had occurred, firemen stated. Firemen had been called to the 'scene at 7:30 p.m. Minor damage to a wall and ceiling resulted from an over heated flue at the home of Mrs. Maude Walch, 402 Board- man st., about 4 p.m. Sun day. Fire damage to a wall be hind the stove and smoke damage from a flue fire at the E. D. Grimes home, 715 Alder st., about 10:25 a.m., also was minor, according to firemen. Smoke in the residence of Herbert Roberts, 622 Stewart ave., about 4:30 a.m. today was traced to floor joists and girders. They had ignited from the heat of a blaze on the fireplace hearth above them. Damage reportedly was confined to the floor. WEATHER Forecast Cloudy through Tuesday with slight chance of light rain late Tuesday. Valley fog tonight and un til about noon Tuesday. Low tonight 27. High Tues day 38. Temp. Highest Yesterday 32 Lowest This Morning 26 Our Skies Tonight Sunrise 7:41 a.m. Sunset 4:54 p.m. Moonrise 6:29 p.m. Last Quarter Jan. 12 EVENING STAR Venus, sets 7:09 p.m. Today it begins to move westward among the stars. In a few weeks it will leave the evening sky, to return as a morning star in February. Thornton May Oppose Norblad Salem (W Attorney Gen eral Robert Y. Thornton in dicated today that he may seek the Democratic nomina tion for U.S. representative from the 1st congressional district. Thornton, who was elected to his second four-year term in 1956, said: "I have been urged by a number of people to become a candidate. I am considering the prospect but I have not come to a decision." Thornton said it was a per sonal decision that involved several factors. - The post is now held by Republican Rep. Walter Nor blad, Stayton. Salem (W Ice and ground fog were the main hazards to highway travel in Oregon today. mosphere will contrast like black against white from the economy mood of the session which adjourned four months ago because the Soviet Union has since launched two Sputniks. Now the mood is for a big ger budget, particularly to provide more money for mis . sile, development. Senate Democratic Leader Lyndon B. Johnson told re porters it was "important to realize the necessitiy of main taining a prosperous econ omy" to support the defense program. While pointing to defense and foreign policy as the chief problems facing Congress, he said gains made by the American people should not be destroyed "in the name of missiles." j Johnson said he expects Congress to pass legislation this year dealing with small business, farm, housing and other economic problems. Many returning members have shown some restiveness over the economic outlook because farmers still seem to be in trouble and there is rising unemployment in the cities. GOP Sees Business Upswing The administration and Re publican line is that a busi ness pickup by midyear will correct the situation and brighten the picture. But the Democrats, who form the majorities in the House and Senate, have long given much attention to bread-and-butter issues which affect the voters' pocketbook. Because the once powerful farm bloc has spliit into piec es there is still some doubt about passage of a general farm bloc has split into piec issues, some Democrats want to wait and watch to see if increased military spend ing and gathering momentum in the highway program will give the economy a shot in the arm. Macmillan Plan Meets Opposition From Partners Pact Could Only Be Part of Package London (IP) Britain back ed down today on Prur. Min ister Harold Macmillan's plan .for an East-West non-aggres-ion pact in the face of strong apposition from its allies. The chief spokesman of the Foreign Office told newsmen that the pact suggested Satur day by Macmillan could only be part of a "package deJ" including agreement on "con crete issues such as disarma-' ment." Sharp Turnabout In his radio address Satur day, the Prime Minister sug- i gested at the time that "we could start by a solemn pact of. non-aggression," as pro posed by Soviet Premier Nikolai Bulganin in a letter to Macmillan last month. The Macmillan plan ran into immediate heavy wea ther. It was a sharp turnabout on past Western policy and observers said it could cause a serious break between Brit ain and the U.S. Washington apparently told London so .over the week end. The Eu ropean allies, too, were con cerned because Macmillan spoke without consultation. Cabinet Meetings Held After two special Cabinet meetings Sunday night, Mac millan authorized an official "commentary" on . speech which the Foreign Office re leased today. "This passage in the Prime Minister's speech should be read as a whole," the commentary said. - "It is the relationship be tween words and deeds which he was seeking to bring out "What he was really saying was that we must continue to work for agreement which, would be followed by deeds, the fulfillment of which will be proved by actions taken. "If it would assist in arriv ing at such agreements to have a non-aggression pact, then her majesty's govern ment would feel that such a pact, to complement the agreements, might do some good." Thus the door was till left open for a non-aggression pact as the first step toward a new East-West accord. But the Foreign Office spokesman went on to under line that Macmillan's sugges tion was "for a package deal including a non - aggression pact together with agreements on concrete issues such as dis armament.". The spokesman emphasized that "nothing basically new" was intended in the Macmi llan speech. Nevertheless, the Prime Minister had struck a sympa thetic note in most West European capitals where sen timent was growing daily in favor of early summit talks with the Russians. Montgomery Ward Clerks Go on Strike Washington (in AFL CIO Retail Clerks went on strike today against an undis closed number of Montgomery Ward stores to enforce their demands for shorter hours and higher pay. The union had demanded a general increase of 10 cents an hour, a five-day, 40-hour work week, and other benefits. There is no evidence of a strike at the Montgomery Ward store in Medford, it was indicated today. 'Don't You Ever Have Anything Fresh?"
