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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 1958)
Public lelt Med; i .. - i poor y iicrease SATELLITE ORBIT TRY MAY FAIL Scientists Won't Be Surprised if Failure Results No Official Word Given on Firing Cape Canaveral, Fla. TP Scientists indicated today they will not be surprised if the tiny test satellite to be carried aloft in the Navy's Vanguard rocket fails to or bit. The second launching attempt is expected this week. There has been no official word on the firing, but there were strong indications it will come this week if weath er conditons are favorable. Officials have made it clear to the scores of newsmen and photographers here that there will be no advance notice un less there is an official policy change in Washington. The Baltimore Evening Sun reported Monday night that this week's satellite at tempt would be made with the Army's Jupiter-C missile. There was no indication, of this here. Main reason for the news blackout surrounding the Vansuard is that officials want to avoid another serious blow to the nation's prestige such as resulted from the failure Dec. 6 to orbit an ar tificial satellite with the Van guard. It was emphasized before the December launching that chances of the six-inch test satellite going into orbit 300 miles in the sky were "re mote." Still officials evident ly feel, U.S. prestige suffered from fanfare given the na tion's failure to produce a satellite to match' Russia's already-orbiting Sputniks. Navy Secretary Thomas S. Gates Jr., pointed this up in Washington Monday night when he appealed "to the i public and to the information media to lend us every assist ance in keeping this test in perspective." Three Nominated For Academies Three Jackson county and two Josephine county men have M been nominated for service academies, according to Congressman Charles O, Porter (D-Ore.). Service acad emy selections were made by a special committee in Eu gene Jan. 6. David Spangler, route 1, box 364, Talent, is first alter nate for West Point. Michael Wells Travis. 1042 Mt. Pitt ave., Medford, and Stanley Love, box 15, O'Brien were recommended for the Air Force academy. Approved Merchant Marine applicants were Gary Meredith, post of fice box 94, Cave Junction, and Robert E. Ayres. 26 South Orange st., Medford. The selection board, ap pointed by Porter to advise him on academy nominations, convened under the chair manship of Dr. Robert D. Clark, dean of the college of liberal arts at the university. Other members of the com mittee are Dr. Elmo Steven son. Ashland, president of Southern Oregon college; Dr. Wesley Nicholson, minister of the First Congregational church of Eugene; Dr. Robert Campbell, assistant professor of economics at the Univer sity of Oregon and a gradu ate of the Merchant Marine academy; and Donald Farr, former mayor of Coquille and current president of the Ore gon Retail Distributor's asso ciation. Keith D. Skelton, Eu gene, district representative for Congressman Porter, serves as executive secretary. Morse Reaffirms Backing Of Holmes for Reelection Portland OP Sen. Wayne Morse (D-Ore.), late Monday reaffirmed his support of Gov. Robert D. Holmes in his bid for reelection. Morse telephoned his state ment here in answer to a re port by a Washington corres pondent that a meeting of Oregon's Democratic congres sional delegation considered Holmes "weak" on the party ticket. "As chairman of the recent meeting of the Democrats in Oregon's congressional dele gation, I am amused by Ore gon newspaper rumor stories concerning that meeting," Morse said. "Let me make Police Arrest 'Con' Man Who 'TonMn' n if It n rr.3 Robert ton, New . who has a other posei philosophy, cfne, an Ida! ficer, a "C youth worker, and official of a so-called "Canadian Boys' Town," was arrested last night by city police. He was accused of defraud ing an innkeeper, and this morning pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined 5100. While he is in jail, Med ford police officers will at tempt to piece together furth er details of a career which has included extended per iods in a num ber of jails and prisons in both the United States and Canada, a long record as a " confidence " man, and a highly plausi ble manner which has "taken in" many persons includ ing members of a Medford church, and many of the students and faculty m e m bers of the Medford high school. Meunier spoke for clas ses at the high school yester day, and at a church the night before posing as a Canadian Boys Town representative. He was interviewed by the press, and entertained in Medford homes. Among other things which officers will investigate is what connection, if any, he has with a Canadian "dope smuggling" racket, which he discussed with them in con versations after his arrest at a Medford bus depot last night, just as he was start ing to leave town. His arrest came on the complaint of the Holland ho tel, where he had cashed a Canadian check, and then sneaked his belongings out in the middle of the night. Arrived Saturday Meunier reportedly arrived in the county Saturday after noon, having hitched a ride with a logging truck driver, and introduced himself to a Central Point resident as a representative of the Canad ian governmnet surveying youth agencies and education al institutions in the United States. Later he was introduced to a county youth leader who sent him to the YMCA where he mingled with young peo ple a the building and told staff members he had organ ized a boys' town which now had 8,200 residents. Sunday morning he attended services with one of the Y staff mem bers, and spoke to groups of the congregation. Monday Meunier accomp anied a Presbyterian youth to Medford High school where he met faculty members and visited classes. Last night he was a dinner guest in a Med ford home, returned to the high school building to ob serve evening acuviues ana was later taken to the bus depot by a group of students where police picked him up. clear again that I think Bob Holmes' outstanding record as governor clearly entitles him to reelection. I shall be at his service in his campaign." Morse continued: "He and I campaigned shoulder to shoulder in the historic 1956 campaign. I am as strong for him now as I was then. In supporting him I wish to make clear that I respect the right of any Democrat to run for any office he cares to in the Democratic primary. I am confident that the vitality of the Democratic party un der Bob Holmes' leadership has the confidence of the vo ters and will lead us to vic tory in November." Js lug apparently jvcuments showing to have a doctor of liter ature degree from the Uni versity of British Columbia and a bachelor of arts from New Brunswick university. In conversations with Medford residents he claimed to have a degree in psychology and claimed he was working on a doctorate in law. Police said that apparently Meunier has been in prison about 18 years out of the last 20, and quoted him as saying four ROBERT MEUNIER "Con" Man Arrested months was the longest per iod he had been out of jail at any one time. He was re leased from New Brunswick prison Dec. 13, he told offic ers. Many Medford adults who came in contact with the Can adian said today they were suspicious of his claims and statements, but were reluc tant to begin an investigation. Central Point Man Brought Into Court Raymond Richard Koch, Forest Acres, Central Point, was brought into district court this morning on a war rant. Koch was scheduled to ap pear in a district court jury trial on charges of illegally holding a game bird in cap tivity, according to district court records. He was arrested by state police Sept. 11 for holding pheasants in a cage on his property, officers said. On Sept. 17, his attorney, O. H. Bengston, Medford, appeared in his behalf and entered a plea of not guilty. The case was set for a jury trial in dist rict court Jan. 14, according to District Court Judge James Main. Koch was free on $25 bail. Koch has filed as Demo cratic candidate for county sheriff. Runaway California Youths Caught Here Two runaway California juveniles were apprehended by state police last night at the same time the mother of one of them called the local police office to report her son a runaway. An officer brought the two, one 17 years and the other 16, to the station for routine checks while the desk officer was talking with the mother of the 16-year-old in Lincoln, Calif. After the officer fin ished the conversation, he in quired about the boys, and called the mother right back, police reported. The boys were taken to the juvenile detention home. Their parents were to pick them up, police said. Ministers' Meeting Unlikely Before Spring Washington (IP) Diplo mats said today an East-West foreign ministers meeting to prepare for a "summit" con ference is unlikely before April or May at the earliest. Ike Alerted To Expect Opposition To Single Chief Congressmen Fear Vesting of Power Washington (TP Repub lican legislative leaders told President Eisenhower today to expect some opposition in Congress to any proposal for a single powerful staff chief for the armed services. Senate Republican leader William F. Knowland said aft er a White House conference that the leaders told the Pres ident congressional objec tions have been "voiced against vesting too much power in the head of the joint chiefs." Strong Central Control The President in his State of The Union message said he was determined to main tain strong central control of the Defense Department and to wipe out interservice bick ering. Knowland said he ex pects the President's detail ed proposals to go to Con gress "in the not too distant future." Gen. Thomas D. White, Air Force chief of staff, has told Congress the Strategic Air Command "will be going downhill relative to the Sov iet threat" two years .from now because it was denied $700 million in the new de fense budget. Knowland said that wheth er defense spending is in creased will depend on inten sive committee hearings and on future world develop ments. SAC will have "a doubtful situation a year from now for about a year," White also said in a censored transcript of secret-testimony given to the Senate preparedness subcony mittee. But the Air Force chief de clined to, ; speculate under committee questioning wheth er failure to keep up produc tion of the nation's No. 1 re tailiatory weapon the hydrogen-bomb carrying B52 would "imperil" United States security. B52s 'Very Necessary' Instead he said the B52s were "very necessary," to provide "additional insur ance" while ballistic missiles and the new B58 bombers are still untested." Adequacy of President Eis enhower's proposed $39,800, 000,000 military budget was to be explored further today by the missile investigators in closed session. Salem (IP) M. E. Knicker bocker, animal industry head for the State Agriculture De partment, and Dr. K. J. Peter son, state veterinarian, have left for a series of meetings in Salt Lake City. WEATHER FORECAST: Cloudy with oc casional rain tonight and Wednesday. Low tonight 40. High Wednesday 48. Temp. Highest Yesterday 44 Lowest this Morning 37 Our Skies Tonight Sunrise 7:39 a.m. Sunset 5:03 p.m. Moonrise Wednes day . 3:45 a.m. New Moon Jan. 19 PROMINENT STARS The Twins, rising shortly he fore sunset, will be high overhead at midnight. Procyon. low in east at 6:38 p.m.. will be seen in the south well below the Twins at" midnight. 'I'll Let You Know What You Ought To Look Into" Request Would Increase Limit By $5 Billion Hike Would Run To June 30, 1959 Washington W Secretary of Treasury Robert B. Ander son today sent Congress a re quest for a temporary increase of S5 billion in the public debt limit. The present limit Is $275 billion. President Eisenhower, in his budget message to Congress Monday, said the present limit is "too restrictive in view of rising defense expenditures and of the need of more flexi bility to permit efficient and economical debt manage ment." Anderson requested that the temporary increase run from the date it would be sigped in to law until the end of the next fiscal year, June 30, 1959. The request compares with the last temporary boost of $3 billion approved by con gress for fiscal 1957 which ended last June 30, and the S6 billion temporary boost authorized by congress for the two years ended June 30, 1956. The request came at a time when key lawmakers of both parties agreed that the federal government is heading into a new peroid of red ink spend ing despite the "balanced" budget sent to congress Mon day by the president. The public debt, as of today, is $274,250,766,593. In the budget message, the president told congress that the government will end the present fiscal year June 30 with a deficit of nearly, $500 million.' But he looked for an upturn in the economy to boost tax revenues high en ough to cover this and pro vide a S500 million surplus in fiscal year 1959, which starts July 1. Council Approves SP Agreement The Medford city council at a special meeting Monday approved an ordinance auth orizing Mayor John Snider and City Recorder Darell Huson to sign an agreement with the Southern Pacific railroad on the Enghth st. crossing. Both the ordinance and aereement were signed im mediately by the mayor and city recorder. Veron Thorpe, acting city manager, said he notified the state highway commission of the action by telephone Monday afternoon. The agreement provides the city with a "perpetual right-of-way" over Southern Pacific property between Front and Fir st. at Eighth st. The agreement also covered the warning devices required by the Public Utilities commis sion. M. C. Lininger and Sons, who were awarded the Eighth st. construction contract, said they would start construction of the storm sewer on the one way couplet late this week. Dave Beck Fails To Win New Trial Seattle OP Dave Beck, convicted of grand larceny, was denied a new trial today and Judge George H. Revelle said he would sentence the teamster's president nex' month. COMMISSIONS ga"w'J IfcTiiilMni U TTT . SWITCHBOARD This new 18 - position long distance switchboard, featuring "push-button" dialing, was put into service yesterday in the recently-enlarged Pacific Telephone and Telegraph building at 502 North Central ave., Medford. The new board will give faster service by allowing the operator to "key-pulse" a call across the country and it is designed to handle future long-distance growth in this area, according to Telephone Company Man ager Jack Creager. Present plans call for the addition of 10 more positions in the board by the end of June, and 52nd Year Medford 14 Pages A-Bomb Laden Plane Crash Sans Explosion Told San Francisco HP The San Francisco News said today the air force plane bearing an atom bomb that crashed with out causing an atomic explo sion was a B29 smash-up at Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base, Calif., Aug. 5, 1950. The air force disclosed Mon day that one of ' its planes bearing a nuclear bomb crashed and burned in the continental United States but caused no atomic explosion. It refused to say where or when the accident occurred for "security reasons." The News, a Scripps-How-ard newspaper, said today it had pin-pointed the crash from a source that is "an of ficial one which the News trusts." Seventeen persons were killed and 60 were injured, many of them civilians living in a nearby trailer court, when the B29 crashed. The B29 had taken off shortly before 11:30 p. m. on a Saturday, less than six weeks after the Korean war began. Official statements later said it was headed for a routine bomb-dropping practice mis sion over New Mexico. The News said it was in formed that the B29 actually was headed for the Far East. Brig. Gen. Robert F. Travis, commanding officer ofFair-field-Suisun, was aboard and was killed. The base now bears his name. An official spokesman at Travis Air Force base de clined any immediate com ment on the disclosure. Subdivision Bill To Get More Study Additional study of the pro- nncpri subdivision ordinance for Medford will be made be fore action is taken. City councilmen and plan- nine commission memoers yesterday suggested that Lloyd Anderson, planning consultant from the League of Oregon Cities, review the or dinance. Anderson said he held a brief meeting with several area contractors Monday, and added he would' like more time to discuss the proposed ordinance with them to ob tain a more workable agree ment for both the contractors and the city. He said he may have the ordinance ready to present to the planning commission meeting in February. If the commission approves it, the ordinance will be placed on the agenda for the city coun cil Feb. 20. Another informal meeting will be held between the council and the planning com mission for more discussion on the proposed ordinance be fore action is taken. Salem (IP) Herbert Good man, Fortland dentist, nas been appointed to the State Board of Health by Gov. Rob ert D. Holmes. S MEDFORD, OREGON, TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1958 Hospital Proposal To Be Presented to Legion Officials The proposal to convert Camp White to a veterans erage waiting list of 150 vet hospital will be presented at erans waiting to get into the a meeting of American Le gion rehabilitation officers in Phoenix, Ariz., on J&n. 20 according to Eugene ' Orr, Medford merchant and nation al Legion rehabilitation offic er for Oregon. The meeting will include rehabilitation officers of 11 western states. Orr said he hopes to get the support of all American Legion repre sentatives attending the meet ing. Approximately 200 people attending a recent stock sale at Mid-Way Auction yard went on record approving the Camp White proposal, ac cording to reports. A large number of the people were buyers from northern Cali fornia, it was pointed out. Back Proposal Those backing the Camp White proposal argue that making use of the available facilities at Camp White domiciliary would save con siderable money since a 200 bed hospital is estimated to cost $20,000 per bed. Veterans organizations and the Eagle Point Grange are proposing that the Veterans administration establish a 400-bed general medical and surgical hospital at Camp White. About 300 beds would be used for chronic conditions and 100 beds for general med icine and surgical conditions. This would eliminate con struction of a 200-bed hospit al once proposed for Klamath Falls, proponents say. Con struction of a veterans hos pital in the southern Ore gon and northern California area is not a new proposal, Orr said, but has been studied since 1947. However, the central office of the Vetreans administra tion recently mailed a mem orandum to the Oregon de partment of the American Le gion stating "such an under taking is not advisable. This is mainly because of the dif ficulty which would be ex perienced in obtaining and re taining professional person nel necessary to maintain the desired standard of care and treatment,"- according to the VA statement. "Furthermore, the ques tion of whether the VA should be authorized to es tablish an additional hospi tal is one of basic policy in volving among other things, consideration of the extent of which the Federal Govern ment should provide facilities for non-service connected con ditions." The report was released following a visit to the dom iciliary by a national field representative of the Ameri can Legion. Waiting List' A letter from Charles (Chuck) Hugeins. department of Oregon commander, dated with the 22 positions in the old board, there will be a total of 50 switchboard positions in use here by the company, Creager said. Looking over the new installation, above, are (left to right) Creager, Barbara Norcross, assistant dial chief operator, Barbara Beadnell, evening chief operator, and Myrta Otterdale, chief operator. To allow the public . to view the new unit, as well as other parts of the en-r larged building, an open house will be held later this year, Creager said. i Jan. 3 states, "There is an av- Portland Veterans hospital. This is the only general medi cal and surgical hospital -in the state and anyone in south ern or eastern Oregon desir ing admittance must travel some 300 miles "We should join together in doing what we can to se cure 200 G M and S beds at Medford. I am going back to Washington, D. C, in early February and I want to per sonally call on our congress men and discuss this situation with them," Huggins said. Groups sponsoring the pro posal urge the public to at tend the open house now be ing held at the Camp White Veterans administration dom iciliary Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in connection with the 75th anniversary of the civil service.' ' "It's an opportunity for the public to see just what facil ities are easily available for a modern veterans hospital here," a spokesman said. Zone Change Action Postponed by Planners Action on a proposed zone change for property south of Crater Lake highway and east of Biddle rd., was postponed by the city planning commis sion last night until the over all zoning plan for the area is prepared by a planning consultant. A commission committee was appointed to meet with property owners on Elk st. to discuss street widening of the street. DOW-JONES AVERAGES New York (IP Dow Jonei final stock averages: 30 industrials 441.80, up 2.09; 20 railroads 101.96. up 1.09; 15 utilities 70.88, up 0.53; and 65 stocks 149.31, up 0.95. Sales today ware about 2,010.000 shares com pared with 1,860.000 shares Monday. Copco Urged To Reduce Small Commercial Rates Salem (W Public Util ity Commissioner Howard Morgan today urged Calif ornia Oregon Power company to reduce its rates to small commercial users. Occasion of Morgan's re marks was the announcement of approval of a new contract between Copco and the Rey nolds Metals company. Outgrowth of Exchange The contract provides for supplying of 65.100 kilowatts of power to . the Troutdale aluminum plant near Port land. It was the outgrowth of an exchange agreement with Bonneville Power ad ministration originally nego- Price 1 0 Cents Tribune No. 227 Holmes Reviews Achievements of Year in Office Salem W Gov. Robert Holmes today marked the end of his first year in office by cutting an anniversary cake and reviewing the year' achievements. The Governor said ha thought the major accom plishments since he -was in augurated last Jan. 14 were: Safe tax reductions, reorgan ization of several major gov ernmental departments and the stepping up of a state-level program to secure new busi ness and industry for Oregon. "I am particularly proud," Gov. Holmes said, "that both the Liquor Commission and Tax Commission have been without scandal or rumor of scandal, unprecedented in re cent years. Reorganization Noted The Governor also noted re organization of the State Fish Commission, Real Estate Com mission, Department of Fi nance and Administration, Ag riculture Department, Unem ployment Compensation Com mission, Motor Vehicle De partment, State Fair Commis sion, Natural Resources Com mittee and Board of Pilot Commissioners. The Governor noted that there were no major disturb ances at the state penitentiary or any of the other state in stitutions during the year and that the state had secured a new superintendent for Mac Laren Boys School, Amoi Reed. A regular and a special session of the state legislature approved 60 per cent of the Democratic program, the gov ernor said as he started hij second year in office. December Jobless Figured at 3,374,000 Washington (IP Unem ployment in December climb ed to 3.374,000, the highest for any December since 1949, the government reported to day. This also was the greatest number of jobless persons since February, 1950, when there were 4,684,000 unem ployed. iated to provide power for the Hanna nickel develop ment at Riddle, near R o s e burg. The power will be supplied under long term agreement through Bonneville facilities starting immediately. It runs until June, 1973. Careful Study Urged Morgan said the power company would make about $1 million dollars a year in revenue from the contract and urged the company to "make a careful study of its rate structure with the special pur pose in mind of revising its commercial schedules to pro vide some relief to the small commercial users."
