Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, April 22, 1959, Image 1

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PromroDsed Irflouise Tax Prooramni
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54th Year
Medford
16 Pages MEDFORD, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 1959 No. 28
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FINISHING TOUCHES Members of the
417th Engineer Brigade, southern Oregon
Army reserve unit, are shown putting the
finishing touches on the exterior of the
Stockade welcome booth at Siskiyou sum
Library Budget
Being Considered
By Committee
The Jackson county budget
committee took under advise
ment this morning a request
for $36,000 for the new fiscal
year by the Jackson county
library board.
The committee had approv
ed a budget request from the
library board previously, but
apparently had approved the
budget, thinking funds for in
dependent libraries in Ash
land and Rogue River would
come from the total.
Acting as spokesman for the
library board, H. Dewey Wil
son -said the" county "library
system cannot present ser
vices if not granted an in
crease. The board is entitled
to , reconsideration of this
figure for the county library
service, he said.
No More Than Needed
' "We haven't asked for any
more than is necessary," Wil
son said.
Mrs. Leland A. Mentzer,
board member, said the bus
iness of the library system
has grown 20 per cent a year.
Arnold Bohnert, budget com
mittee chairman, pointed out
that the committee has the
same problem with every de
partment. The money allocated the
Jackson county library sys
tem is far below that given
libraries in neighboring coun
ties, Mrs. Mentzer pointed out.
Services cannot be main
tained unless merit salary in
creases for the library staff
are granted, it was pointed
out.
Cons Surrender;
Hostages Unharmed
San Quentin, Calif. (UPD
A woman held for six terror
filled hours by two escaped
convicts , who threatened to
slash her throat holds no
grudge.
"I don't think they would
really, have killed me," Mrs.
Louise Gechwend, 53, said
Tuesday night. She described
the escapees from San Quen
tin prison, who surrendered
meekly to guards, as "just
scared kids."
"I hope they get a break,"
she said.
Mrs. Gechwend and a fish
ing companion, Douglas Har
rison, 59, were grabbed as
hostages Tuesday morning as
the prisoners ran over a low
hill and onto a T-shaped pier
with guards in close pursuit.
The convicts are Billy Jo
Wright, 26, and William D.
Werner, 24.
Cost of Living Held
Unchanged During March
Washington -0PD- The gov
ernment reported today that
living costs remained un
changed in March Lower
food prices offset increased
cost of other goods, and serv
ices. Record for March
The Labor Department's
consumer price index regis
tered 123.7 last month. This
was a record for March and
three-tenths of 1 per cent
higher than a year ago.
H. E. Riley, price chief of
the Bureau of Labor Statis
tics, said the index has moved
TVJLA IT
Engineers Finish
Exterior Walls of
Summit Stockade
Finishing touches will be
put on the Siskiyou Summit
Stockade Sunday by volun
teers from southern Oregon,
Brig. Gen. William Prentice,
commander of the 417th engi
neer brigade, Medford, Army
reserve unit, said today.
About 16 men have volun
teered, he said. The reserve
unit's training sessions in
constructing the stockade
have officially been completed-.
Work that remains con-
Bids for Office -Building
Called
Bids for construction of the
Lumbermen's Realty company
building on West Main st. at
Lincoln ave., will be opened
Friday, April 24, at 2 p.m. in
the office of Robert J. Kee-
ney, architect.
The project will include
construction of two connect
ing office buildings. The for
ward building, to be 98 by 34
feet, will house the offices of
the Devoe Lumber Sales, Inc.,
and those of Forestglen Lum
ber company, both of which
are currently in the .U. S. Na
tional Bank building.
The rear unit, which will
include three suites of rented
offices will be 86 by 32 feet.
It was reported that the rental
area has already been con
tracted for.
The biulding will include
about 6,000 square feet of
space and a screened light
court which will include
planters.
The exterior will be of ran
dom black lava stone with
the structure of frame with
beams and a flat roof. Base
ment space will provide stor
age and mechanical features.
CP Rural Disirict
Buys Air Pak Units
Central Point C e n t r a 1
Point Rural Fire Protection
district is better equipped for
rescue work after recent pur
chase of two Scott Air Pak
units, according to Fire Chief
L. C. Lisenbee.
The self-contained smoke
masks use compressed air.
Lisenbee said the units can be
used for skin diving as well as
for entering smoke filled
buildings.
The department has had
some 10 filter-type masks
which it is keeping on hand.
within a range of two-tenths
of 1 per cent for the past nine
months. This is the longest
period of stability on record,
Riley said.
Increase Seen Coming
But he said signs point to
increased living costs in forth
coming months because of ad
vances in food costs expected
during the summer.
Because of past stability,
1,350,000 workers whose
wages are geared to the index
will not receive any cost of
living pay boosts.
Price 10 Cents
jgTRIBUNE
mit Sunday. Completion of interior walls
and counters is expected this week by vol
unteers, most of them members of the re
serve unit. The picture is taken looking
south into California.
sists of finishing interior
walls, installing fixtures and
counters.
4
Volunteers, most of them
members of the reserve unit,
plan to complete the struc
ture Sunday.
Erect Rafters
Last Sunday, the engineers
erected rafters for the roof of
the interior building and
placed shingles on the look
out towers. The roof was put
on yesterday by Ace Roofing
company, Medfard, General
Prentice said.
Assisting the '417th "Sunday
was the 382nd quartermaster
battalion of the Army re
serve. The stockade, at an eleva
tion of 4,500 feet and near the
Oregon-California state line,
will serve as a welcoming
booth for tourists during Ore
gon's Centennial observance.
Open house will be held at
the Stockade May 17, and it
will be open daily after that,
according to Ernie Hood,
Jackson county coordinator
for the Centennial. The Stock
ade will be manned by stu;
dents in Oregon history from
Southern Oregon college, who
are now taking a course of in
struction to prepare them for
the work.
Polls Open Until
8 For Election .
Ashland-Polls will remain
open today until 8 o'clock this
evening for the $1,275,000
bond election to finance con
struction of a proposed new
junior high school here.
The proposed school would
house 800 students with facil
ities for expansion to 1,000
seventh, eighth and ninth
graders.
If approved, the bond issue
would increase taxes anually
about $2 per $1,000 of prop
erty value if bonds were am
ortized over a 20-year period,
the school board officials re
ported.
School patrons are voting
at three polling places, pre
cincts 12, 12A, 13, 15, 16, 17
and 22 at Walker school; pre
cincts 3, 5, 8, 10, 14 and 63
at Briscoe school library; and
precincts 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, and
11 at the junior high school.
Tunnel Explosion
Kills Three Men
Oroville, Calif.-UPD-A dyna
mite explosion deep inside a
test tunnel at the Oroville
dam site killed three men
Tuesday and critically injured
two others.
Between 13 and 15 charges
of dynamite went off simul
taneously before the men had
a chance to escape from the
narrow, 1,000-foot long tun
nel. Preliminary i n v estigation
indicated the explosion was
set off prematurely by a short
fuse.
Concussion and flying rocks
killed the superintendent of
the testing project, Donald
Goode, 40, Grand Junction,
Colo., and two construction
workers, Chester Zurich, 45,
and Robert Arnold, 45, both
of Oroville.
TO Resources
Vital Factor,
Humphrey Says
By ERIC WENTWORTH
Mail Tribune Staff Writer
Eugene - The natural re
sources of the Northwest rep
resent vital ammunition for
waging the cold war, Sen.
Hubert Humphrey (D-Minn.)
told local Democrats at a din
ner here last night.
"In the long, hard cold war
with the Communists," said
the senator, considered a po
tential candidate for the 1960
Democratic presidential nom
ination, "our resources could
be the decisive factor."
Humphrey, who has repeat
edly stated he is not a formal
presidential candidate at pres
ent, described at a press con
ference his current tour of
this region as "a friendly
visit."
Impressed by Strength
"I have been very im
pressed by what I have seen
(of Democratic strength) in
the state of Washington," said
the senator, who arrived here
by plane from the state yester
day afternoon. Speaking of
the West in general, he added,
"I have a feeling a Demo
cratic tide is running here."
The dinner, a memorial to
Franklin D. Roosevelt, and
the press conference were
held in Erb Memorial Union
at the University of Oregon,
amid the campus hubbub of
student election campaigning.
Herter Given
Oath of Office
In Cabinet Room
Washington -(UPD- Christian
A. Herter was formally sworn
in today" as the new secretary
of state. President Eisenhow
er, standing at his side, pro
claimed that Herter was the
"best person" for the job.
Members of the Cabinet
and congressional leaders
from both parties watched as
the 64-year-old former govern
or of Massachusetts took the
oath in the Cabinet Room of
the White House.
Speaks Unusually Long
For an 'oath-taking cere
mony, Eisenhower spoke at
unusual length. The spirit of
ailing John Foster Dulles,
now the former secretary of
state, dominated his remarks.
As the President handed
Herter his commission of of
fice, a white scroll tied with
blue ribbon, the chief execu
tive told Herter "You well
know how you and I kept hop
ing and praying for Foster's
early recovery in the hope
that he could come back . .
Has Confidence
He went on to say that
Herter - who has been under
secretary also knew well
that Dulles and the President
had decided that he was "the
best person to take Dulles
place."
Herter thanked the Presi
dent, saying, "You can't know
how much it means to me,
having your confidence."
"You know you have that,"
Eisenhower replied.
The oath was administered
to Herter by Frank K. Sand
erson, chief administrative of
ficer of .the White House.
Duncans Presented
Gift by Legislators
Salem MUPD- House Speaker
Robert Duncan of Medford
and his wife today were pre
sented a large silver tea ser
ving by members of the low
er chamber.
Rep. Tom Monaghan (D-Mil-waukie)
said the gift was to
show the esteem of the mem
bers for the fair manner in
which Duncan had presided.
Members of the Senate
Tuesday presented to Senate
President Walter Pearson a
set of sterling cuff links and
a tie clasp.
The Dalles - (UPD - Aug. 15
has been chosen as the date
for dedication of The Dalles
dam on the Columbia river.
WEATHER
FORECAST: Variable cloudi
ness through Thursday. Con
tinued mild. Airport low to
night 38-40. High Thursday 72.
Temp.
Highest Yesterday 76
Lowest this Morning 38
Our Skies Tonight
Sunset today 7:00 p.m.'
Sunrise tomorrow 5:19 a.m.
Moonrise today 6:45 p.m.
Full Moon tonight 9:13 p.m.
Elnath, the star now seen
about halfway between the
planets, Venus and Mars, is
about as bright as Mars now
appears. Well to the right of
Elnath shines Capella, the fifth
brightest star.
Asked if he would enter
the Oregon presidential pri
maries next spring should he
become an avowed candidate,
Humphrey replied, "The odds
are that I would." He said,
however, that he is "quite re
sponsive to organizations'
wishes" and would weigh his
actions against such develop
ments as backing of a local
favorite son candidate.
The senator, in his speech
on conservation of resources
at the dinner, mentioned his
previous recommendation for
establishment of a Youth Con
servation Corps-patterned on
the CCC of the New Deal.
Afterward, he explained
that his proposed YCC could
be implemented through already-existing
agencies. He
said that federal foresters and
conservationists, national park
service personnel, and at
the state level - foresters and
youth commissions, could take
charge of the young men on
particular projects. "There is
plenty of work to be done,"
he added.
Support of Program ,
Federal funds, he said,
would support the program,
and it would be administered
and coordinated from Wash
ington. But he emphasized
that he does not seek the crea
tion of a new, separate agency
for its operation.
On the subject of assistance
to migrant farm workers,
Humphrey stated similarly
that he did not wish to see
the federal government dupli
cating work of existing
agencies. He said federal fi
nancing could assist the mi
grants in such areas as edu
cation and housing. But, he
added, state arid local agencies
could best be charged with
putting the federal funds to
use.
Asked about establishment
by the federal government of
a minimum wage standard for
migrants, the senator said, "I
think this will be necessary."
He said he believes domestic
migrants are more in need of
help today than those import
ed under contract from Mex
ico, the Bahamas or other
neighboring areas.
Must Be Conserved
The senator told his audi
ence at the dinner that such
resources as timber, water
and soil must be conserved
and properly utilized to meet
necessary physical, require
ments and such "non-material"
needs as recreation facilities.
"One of the first jobs," he
said, "is to get an up-to-date
accounting of just what re
sources America has." He said
"the thing that touched me
most" during his recent trip
to the Soviet Union was the
survey of Russia's natural re
sources being carried out at
Moscow university.
Humphrey accused the Ei
senhower administration of
pursuing a "do-nothing policy
and a give-away policy on re
sources," and being "at best
a caretaker government."
"I stood on the floor of the
Senate and fought against
these give-aways" alongside
the Oregon senators, he said.
"The Republican party," he
said, "cannot understand the
West because it is a party
based in the financial houses
of the East." He said the GdP
regards the West as a source
of raw materials rather than
as a region with its own di
versified economic develop
ment. "It seeks to feed on the
West, not to 'develop it," he
charged.
Said Not Spenders
"The Democrats who be
lieve in conserving and de
veloping building resources
are not the spenders," Hum
phrey stated. They are, he
said, "prudent investors, in
vestors in the future of Amer
ica.
"In part," Humphrey said,
the cold war "is a battle be
tween men and systems of
government and systems of
social order. But it is at least
as significantly a contest of
materials and resources.
. "The great Northwest, so
rich in natural resources,
represents the nation's stock
pile and its reserves in the
waging of the cold war."
(See story on page 4)
Veteran Loan Bonds
Sold To Chicago Firm
Salem (UPD Thirty three
million dollars in veterans'
farm and home loan bonds
were sold by the Veterans'
Affairs department today to a
Chicago firm at an effective
interest rate of 3.394 per cent.
The bonds were sold to Hal
sey, Stuart and company.
hrn iinT.iw iw uum a m
MAURINE NEUBERGER
Delegate to Congress
Mrs. Neuberger
Named Delegate
To NATO Meeting
Washington; b. C. - Mrs.
Maurine Neuberger of Port
land has been' appointed a
delegate to the Atlantic Con
gress of NATO nations, which
will meet in London June 5
to 10. Sne is the wife of Ore
gon's junior Senator, Richard
L. Neuberger.
The purpose of the confer
ence, which will be opened
by Queen Elizabeth, is to bring
together leading citizens of
the NATO countries to ex
pand economic cooperation
and mutual action in the
North Atlantic community.
Some 600 delegates will at
tend the conference, including
130 from the United States.
Mrs. Neuberger, a former
three-term representative in
the Oregon state legislature,
has been selected because of
her position as a board mem
ber of the United Nations as
sociation. She is a graduate of
Oregon College of Education
and a onetime teacher of phy
sical education, modern dance
and English in Portland high
schools.
Other Delegates .
Among the other American
delegates to the Atlantic Con
gress will be Stephen F. Chad
wick -of Seattle, former Na
tional Commander . of the
American Legion; Dr. Leon
Keyserling, chairman of Presi
dent Truman's Board of Eco
nomic Counselors; Gen. David
Sarnoff, president of the Na
tional Broadcasting company;
Brooks Hays, former Con
gressman from Little Rock
and prominent Southern mod-;
erate; Thomas J. Watson Jr.,
president of International
Business Machines . corpora
tion, and Mrs. Oswald Lord,
President Eisenhower's desig
nate to the United Nations
General Assembly.
. , The American delegation
will fly to London aboard
specially-chartered jet planes.
Mrs. Neuberger plans to visit
France and the Scandinavian
nations while she is in Eu
rope. $2,400 Collected
In Cancer Drive
About $2,400 has been re
ported in the annual Cancer
Control drive which was con
ducted here yesterday by the
Jackson county unit of the
American Cancer Society.
Reports are yet to be re
ceived from three of the 15
Medford areas, the county
areas and Ashland, Cancer So
ciety officials said.
About 1,200 workers par
ticipated in the county-wide
drive to receive contributions
and distribute factual infor
mation concerning cancer.
Dr. Orval Eaton, chairman
of the Cancer Crusade, ex
pressed gratitude over the re
sponse of Jackson county res
idents to volunteers working
in the drive.
'Bill of Rights'
For Unionists Urged
Washington -(UPD- Sen. John
L. McClellan (D-Ark.) today
urged approval of a far-rang
ing "bill of rights" for .union
members to sharpen the teeth
of the Senate's labor reform
measure.
The rackets committee
chairman planned to call up
the proposal as the first in
his series of amendments
aimed at toughening the anti
corruption bill sponsored by
Sens. John F. Kennedy CD
Mass.) and Sam J. Ervin (D
N.C.) Sen. Barry Goldwater (R
Ariz.), leading opponent of the
bill, said he thought McClel
len would "have very good
backing" and cut into the
strong support which Kennedy
got in two votes Tuesday.
Senate Not To
'Rubber Stamp'
Revenue Plans
Adjournment Seen
Delayed by Stand
Salem-(UPD-The Senate Tax
committee plans to take a
"long, hard look" at the tax
program reported out of the
House Taxation committee,
Chairman Ward Cook (D
Portland) said today.
"We don't expect to rubber
stamp the House tax pro
gram," echoed Sen. Ben Musa
(D-The Dalles) vice chairman.
Other members of the com
mittee said they expected that
some drastic revisions of the
House tax program.
Sen. Anthony Yturri (R
Ontario) said Oregon in a
short four years had gone
from a state with an $80 mil
lion surplus to one facing an
$80 million deficit in 1961.
50 Per Cent Hike Feared
"Unless some new source of
revenue is revealed an enact
ed into law," he said, "state
income taxes in 1961 will be
increase at least 50 per cent.
I'm wondering if we shouldn't
do something in this session
to lessen this burden on the
taxpayers two years from
now," he said.
Oregon tax income rests on
a "two legged stool" which
could topple over at any time,
according to Sen. Donald Hus
band (R-Eugene).
"Even the slighest recession
will reduce state income taxes
as well as miscellaneous re
ceipts of the state," Husband
said. "It is a mighty shaky
tax structure."
This discussion took place
at a meeting of the commit
tee after it had received word
from the Joint Ways and
Means Committee that the
$30.5 million surplus estimat
ed at the end of the present
biennium had dwindled to
$28.2 million and may shrink
even further.
Won't End This Week
All thought that the pres
ent legislative sessions might
end by Saturday was thrown
out of the window when it
was found that the Senate
Tax Committee would not
take the House tax program
on an "as is" basis.
' The House tax program was
to be voted on in the House
today or Thursday and thus
will not reach the Senate un
til Friday.
It would be almost physi
cally impossible for the Sen
ate Tax Committee members
to review the numerous bills
in the House tax program in
time for submission of a tax
program to the Senate by Sat
urday. Hatfield's Bill
The House Tax Committee
approved a rate schedule for
personal income taxes con
tained in House bill 460,
which was sponsored by Gov.
Mark Hatfield. New rates
would range from 1 to 7 per
cent compared with 3 to 9.5
per cent now. Rep. Clarence
Barton (D-Coquille) said the
new rates would raise be
tween $8 and $8.5 million a
biennium. Other provisions
of the Committee plan include
elimination of federal income
tax deductions, cutting extra
exemptions granted for per
sons over 65 and elimination
of the 5 per cent standard de
duction. 1
Endurance Fliers
Start 10th Day
Spokane (UPD Seattle en
durance flyers Gene Tanner
and Lew Becker started their
10th day aloft today in their
attempt to break an endur
ance record of 64 days in the
air by light planes.
Their flight is being spon
cored by the American Can
cer Society to publicize the
society's fund drive.
Package Deal Worked Out
For East-West Conference
'London (UPD The western
powers have worked out a
major package deal to offer
the Soviets at the forthcoming
East-West talks in Geneva
but the going is still uphill,
diplomatic sources disclosed
today.
Links Unification
The tentative plan worked
out by experts from the Unit
ed States, Britain, France and
West Germany would link the
unification of Germany with
a two-phased program for
controlling arms in Central
Europe and gradually limit
ing the size of troops and armaments.
"Tell You What Let's Offer To Guaraafew
A$ Much Democracy As They Have
In The Capital Of The U. S."
RCRLlH'. EAST
WTidsMfciTa4 9r-m s-
Consoii
Called in
Talent
An election on the consoli
dation of the Phoenix and Tal
ent school districts will be
held May 20, the v Jackson
county boundary board decid
ed this morning.
The date was approved this
morning by the administra
tors of both districts.
Approval by a majority of
voters in both districts must
be given for the consolidation
to take place.
If it is approved, it would
be along lines similar to the
recent consolidation of Med
ford and five other districts.
If consolidation is defeated in
either district, the school
district reorganization com
mittee's previous recommen
dation would stand-to join the
north part of the Phoenix dis
trict and Talent and the Wag
ner creek portion of Phoenix
with the Ashland district.
Reverses Decision
The board's announcement
followed action by the reor
ganization committee at last
night's meeting at the court
house, at which it reversed
itself and recommended that
such a vote be held. Motion
for the action was made by
Jack Hoffbuhr, a member of
the committee. The boundary
board will have 10 days in
which to post and advertise
the election.
Last night's action will
Highway Program
Said Facing Crisis
Washington -4JPD- President
Eisenhower and GOP con
gressional leaders discussed
today a possible fiscal crisis
facing the highway construc
tion program if Congress fails
to increase the federal gaso
line tax.
The Republican leaders
said that federal funds to the
states for the interstate "high
way program may be cut off
after July 1 if the Democratic
controlled Congress refuses
to hike the tax from 3 to 4b
cents per gallon as recom
mended by Eisenhower.
In addition, they assured
the President that public reac
tion is beginning to "slow
down" Democratic opposition
to his campaign to achieve a
balanced budget.
Princess Disregards
Paris Society Gossip
Paris (UPD Princess Grace
of Monaco today cooly dis
regarded Paris society gossip
that she was expecting her
third child.
The plan thus postpones
until later any pullback of
western troops from Central
Europe and makes it condi
tional on progress toward
German unification. Britain
yielded to pressure from her
allies in agreeing to the
scheme. Originally Britain
wanted a thinning out of
troops to come first.
Called 'Air Pirates'
The tentative agreement
was the highlight of a series
of East-West developments in
cluding: -The East German Commu
nists referred to the U. S. Air
Vote
Phoenix,
make scheduled public hear
ings on the previously recom
mended Medford-Phoenix re
organization unnecessary. The
proposal was to have been
aired on May 26 at Medford
and May 28 at Phoenix. The
scheduled hearings on the pro
posed reorganization of Ash
land, Pinehurst, .Talent and
the Wagner Creek portion of
the Phoenix district have
been postponed.
Wagner Creek Is now a part
of the Phoenix district and
will vote on the consolidation
question. However, under the
reorganization proposal it
would not have a chance to
vote on regrouping of the
Phoenix district with Med
ford, since it was not included
in the recommendation, com
mittee members explained. .
Request Meeting
Hoffbuhr had requested last
night's meeting after attend
ding a Phoenix school board
meeting recently at which
representatives of the Wag
ner Creek area and Phoenix
school district objected to the
reorganization com
mittee's action at its earlier
meeting when it overruled pe
titions from the Phoenix dis
trict requesting a consolida
tion vote.
The Talent and Phoeni
boards, at a joint meeting,
signed letters requesting the
reorganization committee con
sider petitions from the dis
tricts asking a vote on con
solidation. A letter had been sent W
Gov. Mark Hatfield by Ma
Lowe and Alice Burnetta, .
reorganization con-
mittee's action in disregarding
the petitions. Answering . at
telephone call from D. V.
Patch, state director of school
district reorganization, Alf .
Mekvold, county school sup
erintendent, told him of the
meeting scheduled last nighi.
Oppose Decision
On April 18, 18 women
of the Phoenix and Talent
districts met with Mekvold
and opposed the reorganiza
tion committee's previous ac
tion in disregarding the peti
tions.
Hoffbuhr said last night th
committee had not refused to
recognize the petitions, but
was merely delaying action on
them. It wanted to see if
Rogue Valley Manor, now
within the bounds of the Phoe
nix district could be taxed, he
explained. A similar case in
Clackamas county is now be
fore the state supreme court,
he added. It could mean a
$1V4 million increase in as
sessed valuation, he said.
Force today as "air pirates"
and said their high-level
flights to Berlin could cause
grave international complica
tions. Hopes Dimmed
-East German Communist
leader Walter Ulbricht called
on the Big Three western min
isters today to accept the So
viet plan for Germany. His
statement calling for allied
evacuation of West Berlin and
separate peace treaties with
divided Germany dimmed
hopes the Geneva meeting
might bridge the East-West
rut on Berlin.