Medford mail tribune., March 17, 1959, Image 1

d)o)R
to
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7
53rd Year
M
EDFORD
14 Pages
Two Tax Relief Measwires
et Committee Approval
Elimination of
Properly Tax on
Factories Voted
Tax Deferral on
Certain Homes OK'd
Salem-(UPD-Two tax relief
bills today had the approval
of the House Taxation Com
mittee. One measure would elimi
nate property taxes on manu
facturine plants under con
struction for up to two years
It also would eliminate prop
erty taxes on new additions to
old manufacturing plants
while the additions were being
built.
Tax Deferral Provided
A bill Drovidine tax de
ferral for property owners
over 65 also was recommend
ed out favorably. As amended
the bill would provide that
the homeowner would not
come under the bill unless he
nr his wife made a total of
less than $4000 a year.
Rep. Vernon Cook (D-Trout-dale)
cast the only dissenting
vote on the manufacturing
plant bill. He felt its applica
tion might be wider than the
committee realized and that
it would result in a shifting
of the tax burden to other
classes of property.
Inducement Sought
Rep. Clarence Barton (D-Co-quille)
said the plants were
not here yet so there would
be no shifting of the tax bur
den. He also said if the bill
drew plants to Oregon it
would result in eventual tax
revenue increase.
Committee members gener
ally felt the inducement, how
ever small, might help attract
Industry. The bill was recom
mended by Dr. John Sly of
Princeton University in his
report on taxation.
Payable on Death
Under the tax deferral bill
for property owners over 65,
deferred taxes would be pay
able when the home owner
died or the property was sold
or used for something besides
a homestead. A property own
er who became ill and had
to be hospitalized or sent to
a rest home could rent the
property and still receive the
deferral.
Two other bills providing
exemptions for older .people
were tabled.
House Committee Kills
Construction Limit Bill
House Bill 360 has been
tabled, thus killing it for this
session, in the state and fed
eral affairs committee of the
state house of representatives,
It was learned here today.
The measure would have
required public bodies to sub
mit all construction work in
excess of S5.000 for bid. It
was opposed by most counties
and other units of govern
ment, many of which do much
of their own highway and
other construction work.
Washington-OIPD-The Comp
troller of the currency has
issued a national bank call
for the condition of national
banks as of March 12.
Sleeping Bag May Be Clue
To Martin Disappearance.
Portland -(UPD- Sheriff's of
ficers said today they would
check out a sleeping bag
found floating in the Colum
bia river Monday evening
which was covered with a
plastic cover containing the
name "Ken Martin" in large
white letters.
Found by Fishermen
Officers were investiga
ting to see if it might be a
clue to the disappearance last
Dec. 7 of Ken Martin, his
wife and their three daugh
ters of Portland who went on
a trip to gather Christmas
greens.
The sleeping bag was re
ported found by George Ott
and Monte Johnson, who
were fishing off Government
island near the Washington
MEDFORD,
BEGORRA!!! When John Quincy Adams, Medford, put on his
derby hat to go with his Centennial beard recently, friends
noticed that the combination made him look like everyone's
idea of a typical Irishman, and lately, they've dubbed him
"Paddy." Though Irish only on his mother's side of the family,
Adams said he planned to celebrate St. Patrick's day today
in true Irish style by wearing a shamrock and a bright green
sweater. Adams is employed as operating engineer in re
frigeration at Orchard Park farms.
Debate Breaks Out
Over Appointments
Made by Hatfield
Salem (UPD A partisan po-
litical debate broke out in the
state Senate today over sev
eral of Gov. Mark Hatfield's
appointments. It ended when
Sen. Ben Musa (D-The Dalles)
invoked the biblical injunc
tion: "He who is without sin
cast the first stone."
The . debate started when
Sen. William A. Grenfell Jr.
(D-Portland) repeated on the
Senate floor some of a discus
sion that had taken place
Thermometers Are
Being Tested
About 125 special thermom
eters for use in valley orch
ards are being checked for
accuracy by William J. Rog
ers, United States weather
bureau meteorologist, who ar
rived here Friday.
Rogers will be in the val
ley until June 31 to make
nightly frost forecasts con
cerning orchard heating.
County Horticultural Agent
C. B. Cordy reported that
there was scattered orchard
heating, mostly in peaches,
both Saturday and Sunday
mornings -when temperatures
fell to 22 degrees.
The present danger temper
ature for pears is 22 degrees
and for peaches, 24 degrees.
In testing for accuracy, the
orchard thermometers are
placed in ice water to check
for separation in the alcohol,
Cordy said.
side of the river.
They said they discarded
the cover because they
thought it might be the
"work of a prankster" or a
"hoax."
Mrs. Ott, mother of the Ott
youth, said the painted name
on the plastic cover was
"sticky" and apparently ran
nearly the full length of the
cover. Mrs. Herschel Dorsey,
sister-in-law of Ken Martin,
said he would examine the
bag.
No Camping Planned
Ard Pratt, chief of Multno
mah county police, said au
thorities had no way of know
ing whether the Martins took
any camping equipment .
They said when they left Dec
7 they planned to return the
same day.
OREGON, TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 1959
earlier in the committee on
Veterans Affairs, of which is
chairman.
Then Sen. Anthony Yturri
took the floor and read from
two photostatic copies of certi
ficates of merit awards given
to Sprague Carter for valuable
services on the Umatilla coun
ty draft board. The certificates
were signed by President
Franklin D. Roosevelt and
Persident Harry S. Truman
and attested by Gen. Lewis
Hershey, national head of Se
lective Service.
Carter is Hatfield's choice
for appointment as state se
lective service chief, but the
appointment has drawn criti
cism from Sen. Grenfell and
others.
Carter Service Praised
In the certificate signed by
President Roosevelt reference
was made to three years serv
ice by Carter. Yturri declared
that he did not consider such
service "either brief or shab
by" as charged by Sen. Mon
roe Sweetland (D-Milwaukie)
on the Senate floor a number
of days ago.
"I believe that the Senate
should look after its work in
a dignified manner, and not
attack every appointment
made by Gov. Hatfield," Ytur
ri said.
To this assertion Sen. G D.
Gleason (D-Portland) took is
sue, saying that he felt it the
duty of the Senate to call the
public's attention to the quali
fications, or lack of them, in
any appointee a governor
announces.
Gleason also took a swipe
at Peter Gunnar, Republican
state chairman, who has said
was not only lobbying for in
surance but now working in
behalf of voting machines.
Sen. Carl Francis (R-Day-ton)
came up next stating that
he felt the Senate should fol
low the form of dignity and
decorum in the dispatch of
its work.
'Wild Statements'
"There have been a lot of
wild statements made lately
by members of the majority
party," Francis said, "and it
is difficult to determine what
if any is true and what is
merely fiction and fancy;" he
said.
After Musa had poured oil
on the troubled waters, Sen
ate President Walter Pearson
said he regretted that former
State Sen. Phil Brady was not
present.
Brady, a former Multnomah
county senator, gave orations
on St. Patrick's day.
Out of deference to Brady,
Pearson put on a green hat
as he wound up the session.
Tribune
Ashland Board
Sets April 22 As
Bond Election Day
Money Would Build
New Junior High
Ashland - The Ashland
school board last night set
April 22 for an election on a
$1,275,000 bond issue for a
junior high school building
program.
Money from the sale of
bonds, if the issue is approved
by school district patrons,
will be used to purchase the
site, construct the building
and purchase some new equip
ment. The Ashland board has
been considering a new junior
high school for some time. Vo
ters defeated a bond issue for
such a program Dec. 16, 1957.
Need Intensified
The need for a new junior
high building was intensified
recently when the state fire
marshal closed a portion of
the present building.
The proposed new build
ing will handle 800 students
at first, and additions will be
possible for an enrollment of
1,000 students without alter
ing the central plant, officials
said. It will provide facilities
for seventh, eighth and ninth
graders.
Voting will be at Walker
and Biscoe elementary schools
and the junior high school be
tween 2 and 8 p.m. April 22.
September, 1960, has been
set for the completition date
if the. bond issue is approved.
Consolidation
Election Set
Voters in six county school
districts will go to the polls
Monday, April 6, to decide the
proposed consolidation of five
districts with Medford.
The date was decided yes
terday at a meeting of the
Jackson County District Boun
dary board, composed of the
county court and Alf B. Mek
vold, county school superin
tendent. The election will be from
2 to 8 p.m. at the Jacksonville
High school music room, Grif
fin Creek gymnasium, Ruch
cafeteria, Lone Pine cafeteria,
Howard school multi-purpose
room, Hedrick Junior High
cafetorium and McLoughlin
Junior High girls gymnasium.
The consolidation involves
Lone Pine, Griffin Creek,
Jacksonville, Ruch, the south
ern portion of Howard, and
Medford.
Petitions from the districts
seeking the consolidation elec
tions are on file in the superin
tendent's office.
Rundell Promoted
In Park Service
Raymond K. Rundell, assist
ant superintendent at Crater
Lake National park, has been
named to succeed James R.
McConaghie as superintendent
of Vicksburg National Mili
tary park, Mississippi, Conrad
L. Wirth, park service direc
tor, has announced.
Rundell joined the park
service in 1928 as a member of
the clerical staff at Glacier Na
tional park, Montana. He later
served as senior clerk at Death
Valley National monument
and chief clerk at Lake Mead
National Recreation area.
He also served as chief
clerk at Grand Canyon Na
tional park and Sequoia and
Kings Canyon parks in Cali
fornia. In 1952 Rundell was
appointed assistant superin
tendent at Morristown Na.ion
al Historical park, N.J., and
was named to his present po
sition in 1956.
McConaghie was named
chief of the boundary studies
section in the park service's
Richmond, Va., regional of
fice last month.
Washington -(UPD President
Eisenhower will not hold a
news conference this week.
Price 10 Cents
No. 207
Soviet Premier's
Support of Iraq
Ends Honeymoon
Russian Aid To
Egypt at Risk
Cairo -UPD- Soviet Premier
Nikita Khrushchev's support
of the Iraqi Communists
against President Gamal Ab-
del Nasser and his United Re
public has ended the long
Soviet-U.A.R. honeymoon.
Khrushchev accused Nasser
Monday of wanting to annex
Iraq to the U.A.R. Within a
few hours Nasser snapped
back and accused Khrushchev
of "totally unacceptable" in
terference in the U.A.R.'s in
ternal affairs.
Khrushchev's Moscow state
ment put the Soviet Union on
the side of Iraq in the bitter
quarrel with Nasser over the
Communist penetration of Ir
aqi Premier Abdel Karim
Kassem's government.
Nasser's reaction was as
quick and as sharp as his re
plies to alleged Western inter
ference in Arab affairs.
Both leaders said they
wanted to keep good rela
tions, but their public ex
change made it clear they
were on opposite sides. Nas
ser referred sharply to "new
forms of imperialism."
Diplomats here speculated
whether the split will cut
Russia's huge aid program to
Egypt which started when the
Communist bloc sold Nasser
arms in 1954.
Since then Russia has prom
ised Nasser $175 million in
aid to help industrialize
Egypt and $100 million to
ward construction of the As
wan high dam on the Nile
river, all of it "free of politi
cal strings." .. . .
In addition, Syria got both
arms and economic aid before
it became part of the U.A.R.
last year.
It is now Iraq's turn for
Soviet help. The occasion fori
Khrushchev's policy state
ments on the Middle East was
the Moscow reception in hon
or of a new Soviet-Iraqi aid
pact under which Iraq will
get about $125 million worth
of aid plus technical help for
starting industries.
Relations between the
U.A.R. and Iraq have been
uneven almost since the start
of the Kassem regime. They
reached a low last week after
a nationalist revolt against
Kassem was beaten down in
Mosul and Iraq accused the
U.A.R. of supporting it. The
U.A.R. replied that Iraq was
serving Soviet aims of trying
to make the Mideast Com
munist. Deer on Highway
Causes Accident
John Westly Carter, 45, of
562 Ray lane, Ashland, was
reported in good condition at
Sacred Heart hospital today
following a one-vehicle acci
dent about 8 p.m. Monday on
Highway 66 near Soda
Springs.
State police said Carter ap
parently escaped serious in
jury when his pickup left the
highway and rolled 550 feet
down the mountain.
Carter jumped from the i
truck 60 feet down. He was
taken to the hospital by Med
ford Ambulance service for
treatment of abrasions and
possible internal injuries.
He told police his truck left
the road when he swerved to
avoid three deer which jump
ed from a bank into his path.
Two Medford Boys
Held for Burglaries
Two Medford boys, 9 to 11,
were taken into custody and
confined to the Jackson
County juvenile detention
home yesterday in connection
with burglaries at the Valley
Drive-In, North Pacific high
way, Medford police reported.
The burglaries, involving
considerable property destruc
tion, occurred in January, ac
cording to police records.
Medford Kiwanis
Announce Egg Hunt
Medford Kiwanis club will
hold its annual Easter egg
hunt for youngsters of the
community on Saturday morn
ing, March 28.
Candy eggs in wrappers
will be scattered on the Haw-
Russia Expected
To Welcome Ike's
Talk Attitude
Comment Possible
Within 24 Hours
Moscow-ttlPD-Diplomatic ob
servers predicted today the
Soviet government would wel
come President Eisenhower's
conditional willingness to at
tend a summit conference.
Up to midafternoon, Mos
cow had not reacted to the
President's speech of Monday
night. His statements doubt
less were, being studied care
fully and some comments
could be expected within 24
hours.
The western consensus here
was that what Eisenhower
said would be welcomed as
a "less negative" approach
than before to the question
of summit talks-a forum which
the Russians consider vital to
the solution of major interna
tional problems.
It was generally believed
among western diplomats that
British Prime Minister Harold
Macmillan had been partly
instrumental in Eisenhower's
acceptance of the idea of a
summit conference.
They felt Macmillan's "re
connaissance" tour of the So
viet Union had accomplished
what the British leader had
set out to do: "crack the ice."
Macmillan now is expected
-at least here to play an in
creasingly important role in
the western negotiations which
are in the cards for the next
two months.
In the Soviet view, a con
ference of foreign ministers,
as Premier Nikita Khrushchev
said during Macmillan's visit
in Moscow, would be a sheer
waste of time.
But the Soviet note to the
western powers of March 2
accepted the western proposal
for a foreign ministers con
ference with the implied con
dition that it lay the ground
work for a summit meeting.
As Moscow observes see it,
the next move the foreign
ministers can accomplish is
to prepare an agenda for
heads of government. If they
succeeded, a summit meeting
would seem unavoidable.
Proposed Defective
Ordinance Revised
Medford's proposed ordi
nance covering private detec
tive and merchant patrol
agencies has been revised fol
lowing a meeting with police
and agency representatives
yesterday, City Attorney Joel
Reeder said today.
Reeder called the meeting,
attended by Chief of Police
Charles Champlin, other po
lice officers -and six agency
representatives, to iron out
differences arising when the
proposal was brought before:
the city council March 5.
The revisions specifically
exclude insurance adjusters
from the definition of private
detectives, and eliminate pre
vious licensing standards re
quiring the chief of police to
find the applicant to be of
"good moral character" and
not politically subversive.
Councilman Donald Hansen,
Ward II, had suggested that
making sure the applicant
was non - subversive might
have led to demanding a nega
tive loyalty oath.
School Officials to
Attend Convention
County School Superintend
ent Alf B. Mekvold, Assistant
Superintendent Bruce Hitt,
and the director of the cur
riculum materials center,
James McDonald, will be in
Portland and Salem Thursday
and Friday to attend meetings
in conjunction with the con
vention of the Oregon Educa
tion association in Portland.
McDonald left today for
Monmouth to attend a meet
ing of the Audio-Visual Aids
association. Wednesday he is
to attend a meeting in Salem
concerning the National De
fense Education act of 1958.
WEATHER
FORECAST: Partly cloudy with
a few light showers tonight and
Wednesday... Low., tonight.. 38.
High Wednesday 58.
Temp.
Highest Yesterday 71
Lowest this Morning 40
Free .to 10 a.m. Today, Trace.
Our Skies Tonight
Sunset today : 6:20 p.m.
Sunrise tomorrow 6:20 a.m.
First Quarter Moon
today . 7:10 a.m.
Moohset tomorrow 2:04 a.m.
(Moon rides high)
Jupiter is due south at 4:30 a.m.
tomorrow and the second mag
nitude star seen right below it
is Graffias in the constellation
Scorpio, a star whose light
takes about 6S0 years to reach
the Earth.
"We're Cleverly Fooling
As If Our Country
Public Hearing on
District 6C Budget
Scheduled April 9
Central Point-A public hear
ing on the 1950-60 budget for
School District 6C is set for
April 9 at 2 p.m. in the Cen
tral Point Junior High school
library. '
The new budget allows for
three extra teachers, one ad
ditional school bus and re
placement of four other buses,
according to the budget com
mittee. Don Morrow is committee
chairman and Lester James,
secretary. Other members are
W. C. Higinbotham, Al Set
ness, Halbert Deuel, C. Nor
man Gail, C. W. Anhorn, Wil
ton White, William Askwith
and Jerry Fitzgerald.
Total Tax Levy
The total tax levy for the
proposed budget outside the
six per cent limitation is
$498,696.42, compared with
$441,422.13 in the current
budget, the committee re
ported.
Expected revenues through
growth, basic school support
fund, rural district levy and
increased valuation will keep
the millage for next year close
to the present millage, it was
said.
An analysis of various
items of the budget shows
the total expenditures up 8V2
per cent with anticipated re
ceipts also up 8V2 per cent.
Bond expenditures are down
about 3 per cent.
The committee stated that
the anticipated tax offset from
the rural school district equal
ization levy is up 4 per cent
and the anticipated tax offset
from state school support
funds is up 18 per cent. Under
required forms for publishing
the budget, it is not possible
to show these items, according
to the committee.
Teachers' Salary
The teachers' salary item
is up 3V2 per cent, not includ
ing new teachers, and up
about 5 per cent including
necessary addition of teachers.
Excessive Fees
To Brokers Claimed
Washington-(UPD-Senate in
vestigators testified today
that a California insurance
company paid up to 200 per
cent in excessive commissions
to brokers who landed 21
Chicago union accounts.
They said the excessive pay
ments were made by the Oc
cidental Life Insurance Co.,
Los Angeles, to the Dearborn
Insurance Co., Chicago. Fees
and commissions totaled $1,
015,611 over a nine year per
iod on $16,154,443 in prem
iums, they said.
Details of the insurance
transactions were traced by
Alphonse Calabrese and Mar
tin S. Uhlmann, accountants
and investigators for the Sen
ate Rackets committee.
The committee planned to
call officers of the Dearborn
agency to testify later.
Public Response To
Ike's Talk 'Heavy'
Washington-IUPD-The White
House today reported "unusu
ally heavy" public response
to President Eisenhower's re
port to the nation on the Ber
lin crisis.
Press Secretary James C.
Hagerty said that more than
600 telegrams were received
by 8 a.m. e.s.t. and all but 20
expressed complete support
for the chief executive's
stand.
The Russians By Acting
Were Bankrupt"
CfORCf H(i.OO-OOT-WE-MlGHr-
-BANKRUPT)
Transfer of the north part
of Howard school district to
district 6C has added $95,000
of assessed value and less than
20 school children in grades
1-12 to the district.
The increase will create no
additional housing problem
nor add to the . number of
teachers required, the commit
tee said.
Out of the 21 school districts
in the county, district 6C has
consistently had one of the
lowest school taxes. Only
three districts, Medford, Ash
land and Pinehurst, had lower
rates than 6C this year.
Mrs. Todd Files
Petition Against
EPID Directors
A "Petition for Alternative
Writ of Mandate" was filed
in circuit court Monday by
Mrs. Ann Todd, Eagle Point
Irrigation District water user,
against the district's board of
directors and Ted R. Flury,
secretary-manager.
Directors are J. Harvey
Stanley, Clarence J. Greb,
and Elbert M. Bigham.
In the new complaint, which
is one of a series brought by
Mrs. Todd against the dis
trict, she asks the court to is
sue a writ commanding the of
ficials to provide inspection of
all board records, give pub
lic notice of all meetings to
be held by the board for pur
pose of transacting business,
comply with statutory re
quirements regarding levying
and collecting taxes, comply
with statute provisions re
garding collection of interest
on delinquent assessments and
comply with certain provi
sions of the state constitution.
"In the alternative," Mrs.
Todd requests that the re
spondents appear before the
court and show cause "if any
they may have, why they
have not complied with said
writ andor writs of man
date."
She also asks that they pay
attorneys fees, costs and dis
bursements and that the pe
titioner be granted "whatever
further relief may seem just
and equitable."
The term "writ of man
date" used in the complaint is
not common to Oregon courts,
according to courthouse offi
cials. Black's Law dictionary
describes it as a substitution
for a writ of mandamus in
some state jurisdictions.
Explorers Spent Two
Nights on Mt. Shasta
Twenty-four Explorers from
the Big Pines Council, Boy
Scouts of America, went to
Mt. Shasta for "Operation
Icicle" last Thursday, Friday
and Saturday, according to
Gene Schmidt of Medford,
chairman for the event. Four
teen other Explorers from the
Medford area attended.
Schmidt said the Explorers
set up a base camp about
three miles from the Mt.
Shasta Ski Bowl in 15
reet of snow. Two Air
Force instructors from Stead
Air Force base, Calif., acted
as instructors for the Explor
ers. Four adult leaders went
on the trip, Schmidt reported.
The Air Force men were Air
man third class Kenneth Brad
United States
Said Forced To
Face War Threat
Every Effort For
Settlement Told
Washington -flJPD- Presi
dent Eisenhower won strong
support from Congress and
the western allies today for
his willingness to attend a
summer summit meeting that
would seek to end the threat
of war over Berlin.
The first word from Mos
cow - from diplomatic ob
servers - was that Soviet Pre
mier Nikita Khrushchev
probably would welcome Eis
enhower's "less negative" ap
proach to a high-level confer
ence. 'Every Sincere Effort'
The President, in a grave
voiced TV-radio report to the
nation .Monday night, said
Russia has forced the United
States to face the possibility
of war and that he would
make "every sincere effort to
reach a peaceful settlement
by negotiation.
But he added:
"We will not retreat one
inch from our duty. We shall
continue to exercise our right
of peaceful passage to and
from West Berlin."
Democratic and Republican
congressional leaders praised
Eisenhower for his firm Ber
lin stand and his offer to ne
gotiation on honorable and
reasonable terms. But Assist
ant Democratic Leader Mike
Mansfield (Mont.), and other
Democrats challenged the
President's statement that
U.S. defense forces are ade
quate and. contrary claims
"are simply not true."
West Europe Agrees
The President's speech was
hailed by allied diplomats in
London as "realistic combina
tion of firmness and flexibil
ity" that would lead to a
"just and honorable cold war
settlement."
An official spokesman in
Paris said France "fully ap
proves the President's stand."
Heinrich von Brentano, West
German foreign minister, said
Eisenhower's speech was
greeted "with great satisfac
tion" since it stated the West's
approach to the Berlin crisis
with "clarity in all its re
spects." Mayor Willy Brandt
said it proves West Berlin can
count on the allies for protec
tion against all Communist
threats.
Eisenhower coupled his de
tailed report on the situation
in Berlin with a stout defense
of his military policies and
a sharp warning that congres
sional cuts in his foreign aid
program would seriously
weaken America's allies.
The Chief Executive's agree
ment to a summit conference
was qualified. He refused to
accept Russia's original dead
line of May 27 for the con
version of West Berlin into
a free city. He said, however,
that the Soviet note of March
pointed toward "negotia
tion on an improved basis."
"It is my hope that thereby
all of us can reach agreement
with the Soviets on an early
meeting at the level of for
eign ministers," he said, speak
ing from his office desk in
the White House.
"We have no intention of
forgetting our rights or of
deserting a free people," he
said. "Soviet rulers should re
member that free men have,
before this, died for so-called
'scraps of paper' which repre
sented duty and honor and
freedom."
He said that the Soviet rul
ers were wen aware mat
global conflict with the weap
ons of today could destroy
civilization, but that the Allies
would minimize the risk of
war with Russia by standing
firm against Soviet terrorism.
(See Stories on Page 5)
ley and Airman third class
Bernard Belchak.
Chuck Johnson of Gold Hill
assisted Schmidt in the plan
ning, helping organize trans
portation, equipment and
food. Johnson said he thought
the outing was successful,
matching any past years' trips.
Operation Icicle is an annual
event for the Big Pine Coun
cil. Special instructions were
given in snowshoeing. After
all had learned the technique,
several races were held, ac
cording to Johnson. Recrea
tional skiing was planned aft
er the end of scheduled in
struction at the ski bowl.
Schmidt said that this' trip
was just one of several activ
ities planned for Explorers.
X