Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, May 08, 1959, Image 1

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Medford mail tribune., May 08, 1959, Image 1

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Newspaper Page Textri ost fUl it ly rn ation law: era pnneiiis 9" : .. ENGINE CHANGE-A giant Navy RD-5 troop carrier with 32 men aboard was forced to land at Medford airport Wednesday after the craft's number two engine "blew a cyl- . inder nine minutes south of here. The car rier is from the Whidbey Island Naval Air station near Seattle. A new engine was .flown in from Alameda Navy base and in stallation was carried out by a special crew Weather Bureau Lowers Estimates For Water Flow - Below normal precipitation in southwest Oregon has re sulted in estimates for the wa ter year and residual flow be ing lowered slightly from those issued last month, ac cording to the hydrologist in charge of the river forecast center for the U.S. weather bureau. Anthony J. Polos, Portland, said reports from representa tive weather bureau substa tions show that only 30 per cent of normal April preci pitation was received, and except for a period near the end of the month, April was rainless. . "Not only will irrigation water have to be used spar ingly in some areas, but the dry forest areas will necessi tate' constant vigilance to com pensate for the increased for est fire danger," Polos said. Seventh Month ' For the seventh consecutive month, he noted, precipitation was below normal. April was rainless Except for light amounts during the period April 25-27. - The water supply forecast as of May 1 for the Rogue river below south fork is 1,120,000 acres feet for the water year, which is 84 per cent of average. The average is determined from the 15 year period 1938-1952. The water year flow on the Klamath river at the Upper Klamath lake net inflow is forecast at 1,350,000 acre feet, or 110- per cent of average. The residual flow, May through September, for the Upper Klamath location is forecast at 366,000 acre feet. or 103 per cent of average.- Influenza Cases Show Decline Here A total of 401 cases of influenza-like illness was re ported to the Jackson county department of health by area physicians this week, Dr. A. Erin Merkel, public health physician, said today. The total dropped sharply from the 647 cases reported last week. Two weeks ago the total was 546. ' ; Medford reported 186 cases this week; Ashland 149; Shady Cove, 30; Camp White, 20; Phoenix, 11; and Jackson ville, 5. A delayed report from Ashland showed 187 cases of the disease occurred there earlier, and was not in cluded in this week's total. , Salem - (UPD - Miss Pauline Goodwin of Boise, Idaho, has assumed the position of assist ant state supervisor oft home economic education in the di vision of vocational education. Both Sides Far Apart In Steel Contract Talks New York fUP& Prelimin ary steel contract talks ended today with, both sides as far apart as at the start and actual give and take negotiations be tween four-man teams will be gin Monday. Sessions Begin Monday Both David J. McDonald, president of the. United Steel workers Union, and R. Con rad Cooper, chief industry ne gotiator, said they were be ginning the joint collective bargaining sessions Monday in an attempt to reach an agreement by the July 1 strike "deadline. .. .... ,;.,iJarofe ' ' Seasonal Upturn in Employment' Shows Increase in County The seasonal upturn in em ployment in Jackson county, which started in March, in creased last month, according to John J. Patton, manager of the Medford office, -state em ployment service. He said that only twice in the past 10 years unemploy ment in the county has been as low as it is now. "This condition is due part ly to the exceptionally dry weather which has permitted outside work to go ahead ear lier in the year than is usually Hatfield Vetoes Bills on Appeals Court, Haulers Salem - (DPB-Gov. Mark Hat field today vetoed three bills. One would have created a tax appeals court and two set up new regulations for log haul ers. Hatfield said he vetoed the tax appeals court bill because the Eegislature did not pro vide an appropriation to carry it out. Sen. Ben Musa and his wife, Rep. Katherine Musa, The Dalles Democrats, had asked for $126,000 to carry out duties of the court. Hatfield also objected be cause he felt that with a three- man tax commission, estab lishment of a three-man tax appeals . court would simply set up one administrative agency on top of another. Seen of No Benefit Hatfield said he vetoed House bills' 29 and 72 because he was certain that enactment would be of no benefit to the carriers and would increase their rates. He also said simi lar laws in California and Washington had not worked out successfully. HB 72 would have taken away the option of the log haulers to either come under a flat fee of the Public Util ities Commission or under the weight mile law. It would have required that log trucks come under the weight mile law. HB 29 carried the ap propriation for administering the provision contained in HB 72. Abony Youngster Hiding Under House Albany, Ore. (UPD Six-year-old; Harold Baxter, ob ject of a widespread search here Thursday night, turned up safe early today. Police said he had been hiding under his own house. McDonald and Cooper is sued statements which showed that the preliminary talks which started Tuesday have been completely unsuccessful in narrowing the differences between them on basic eco nomic issues. , Substantial Differences Cooper said proposals made at a preliminary meeting be tween the ' union and U. S. Steel "reflect substantial dif ferences between us." The union wound up sepa rate talks with 12 major steel companies. s , flown in from Whidbey Island yesterday. Looking over the newly-installed engine are Cmdr. H. Cummins, commanding officer of the 112th Fleet Air Service Squadron, Lt. Cmdr. John Jacobson; Maintenance Officer Lt. Cmdr. L. C. Moore; Pilot Lt. J. G. Mc Bride, and other officers and men. "After "running in" the new engine over nightj the craft was expected to leave here today. the case," he said. "It also re flects the improvement in the general economic condition of the county compared to one year ago," he added. Still Unemployment Despite the improvement, he said, there still is a sub stantial amount of unemploy ment. As of the end of April unemployment was estimated at 1,070 persons, which is 49 per cent below the number for last April and about 37 per cent below last month. Job openings, Patton said, have been increasing and running well above last year. Shortages are beginning to show up in some skilled and profesional occupations, but the labor force generally ap pears adequate for the de mands pf the next 60 days. "This is particularly true when allowance is made for the number of students due to enter the labor market when school is out in June," he said. Many of the young people will be seeking summer work, but quite a few high school grad uates will be looking for per manent job opportunities. Operating Steadily The lumber industry is op erating steadily aided both by satisfactory prices and good weather, Patton noted., Prun ing in local orchards was com pleted last month, and there will be little demand in the orchards until thinning starts in June. Construction has been strong for some time and ap pears tot be heading for a further increase this month, Patton noted. The overall employment outlook for the immediate fu ture is better than usual, he added. Portland - The effervescent green Douglas Fir market has hit the highest price peak since the spring of 1956, ac cording to Crow's Lumber Market News Service. Stand ard and Better green random length dimension, now $80 at the mill shows indications of moving higher, Crow's said. Utility grade is more active but has not moved up much in price yet. Kiln-dried Stand ard and Better dimension prices have also bounced up several dollars this week. "Very Good, Sir You Have Just Time To Change For The Wage Negotiating Conference" M mm m Herter Promises Firm Stand at Geneva Meeting Western Big Three Ready To Negotiate Washington - (UPD - Secre tary of State Christian . A. Herter promised Thursday night in a TV-radio address to the nation that the Western powers would stand firm on basic principles at the Geneva foreign ministers' conference. He described the principles as "freedom for Berlin,.' Ger man reunification and safe guarded arms control agree ments. Willing 'to Negotiate But he said the United States; Britain and France were willing to negotiate with the Soviets on the "applica tion" of these principles "pro vided that concessions from us are matched by equivalent counter-concessions from the Soviet Union." Meanwhile, Herter had a brief morning consultation with President Eisenhower. They presumably went over last minute details on what the U. S. will expect as a pre requisite for a summer con ference that would involve the President. Short Stop in Germany Flying to Geneva by way of Bonn, Herter was to stop off Saturday for discussions with West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. He was to arrive in Geneva late Satur day for Monday's opening ses- sion of the foreign minister's meeting. In his Thursday night ad dress, Herter said the United States, Britain and France were willing to negotiate with the Soviets on the "applica tion" of these principles "pro vided that concessions from us are matched by equivalent counter-concessions from the Soviet Union." In his maiden address to the nation as secretary of state, Herter pledged the West "honestly and in good faith to seek some advance, even if small, toward a just peace" in bargaining with the Soviets. Nevertheless, he candidly admitted, "I. do .nqt go to Geneva with great" expecta tions. The past record of ne gotiating with the Soviets does not warrant much opti mism." "We should not expect quick or easy( agreement," he said. "The best we can look for is slow progress toward the ultimate goal of interna tional staoiiity wmcn only a just peace will bring." Sheriffs Deputy Resigns Position Sgt. Robert Gheysen, Jack son county sheriff's deputy; has resigned effective May 10, according to Paul Bettiol, chief criminal deputy. Gheysen has resigned to take a job with a boat build ing company in Sams Valley, Bettiol said. He nad been a sheriffs deputy about four years. Replacing Gheysen will be Bjarne Alfred Bjornsen, 22, Medford, recently discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps. Bjornsen will start work Mon day, Bettiol said. The new deputy is married and has one child. He attended high school in Lebanon, Ore. Klamath Falls Man Dies in House Fire . Klamath Falls-(DPD-George Crane, 76, lost his life late Thursday in a fire which de stroyed a small residence near the city limits. Price 10 22 Pages &C IPorest iand Draws Protest by By A. ROBERT SMITH Mail Tribune Washington Correspondent Washington The Interior Department has protested against the idea of trans fer ring the O&C forest lands of west ern Oregon from the Bu reau of Land M a nagement to the U.S. Forest Serv ice. The idea is being evalu- x i j.1 A. Robt smith aiea currenuy by the Budget Bureau. The Bureau was asked last year Refuse-Burning at Dump to Be Aired At Meeting Soon Medford City Manager Rob ert A. Duff said today he plans to meet with represen tatives of City Sanitary serv ice "soon" to discuss com plaints concerning 'smoke from ' refuse-burning at the service's dump site near Jack sonville. Charls Bottjer, of City San itary, said later he "would be happy to meet" with city officials on the matter. "We've had no complaints that would justify taking any action," Bottjer said. He stat- Dedication Slated For Jacksonville Jacksonville A public ded ication ceremony to place a plaque on the old Rogue Val ley Railroad depot in Jack sonville will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 11, by the Siskiyou Pioneer Sites foun dation in the oldest building in Jacksonville, the Brunner building across from the pub lic library. The plaque is a replica of one placed on the Winetrout building on East Main st. last summer by the foundation to commemorate the Medford station of the. old Medford Jacksonville railroad. The line was built in 1890 by the Jacksonville-Medford Railroad corporation and was dismantled in 1925 after it was purchased by the city of Medford. Preside at Dedication Dr. Frank Haines of the Southern Oregon college, president of the foundation, will preside at the dedication. Activities of the foundation during the past year will be reviewed at the annual meet ing and trustees will be elected. Plans will be presented for restoration, of the city of Jack sonville to an old mining town. The public is being encouraged to attend both the ceremony and following meet ing, Dr. Haines said. The plaque will be of Geor gia granite and was donated by Roger Westerfield of the Oregon Granite company. The land on which it will be placed was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Chris Kinney of Jacksonville. Polaris Missile Leaves Canaveral Cape Canaveral, Fla. -r (UPD t Another test version of the Navy's Polaris missile, de signed as a nuclear punch for roving submarines, darted out to sea today on an apparently smooth flight. WEATHER FORECAST: " Generally cloudy with a few showers tonight and Saturday morning, becoming partly, cloudy Saturday after noon. Low tonight 45. High Saturday 70. Temp. Highest Yesterday 81 Lowest this Morning 46 Our Skies Tonight Sunset today 7:18 p.m. Sunrise tomorrow 4:57 a.m. Moonset tonight 8:14 p.m. First Quarter May 15 PROMINENT STAR Antares, rises 9:48 p.m. VISIBLE PLANETS Jupiter, low in south- - east 9:47 p.m. Venus, sets 10:17 p.m. Mars, sets 1132 p.m. Saturn, low in south east .12:20 a.m. Depot Cents -a gf A T T MEDFORD, OREGON, by a Senate Interior subcom mittee to prepare a reorgan ization plan that would con solidate federal forestry func tions under the Forest Serv ice which is an agency of the Department of Agriculture. The Budget Bureau has been studying the matter, ever since. Last fall it dispatched a man to Oregon to look over operations of both BLM and Forest Service. Now the matter appears to be coming to a head. BLM officials have been called in from the field to Washington to prepare information re quested by the Tudget Bureau on comparative costs, etc., of'ment, according to Undersec- ed that the site was selected so that prevailing winds would keep the smoxe away from the valley floor. . Duff said the meeting might include members of the Jack son county court as well. He said nothing in the city's fran chise with City Sanitary cov ers burning at the 'dump, which is several miles west of Medford's city limits. County court members were not available today for com ment. Have 'Obligation' City Councilman Robert Van Sickle, Ward III, said at last night's city council meet ing that both the city and county governments have an "obligation" to take action He asked that Duff arrange a meeting with the county court to seek means to '.'elim inate that complaint." One complaint in particular was that expressed by George Flanagan, general manager of Elk. Lumber company, at Tuesday's meeting at the county courthouse on air pol lution in the Rogue valley. Flanagan said smoke from the dump was "just as ser ious" as that "from any saw mill in the valley." "That's the worst place they could have picked," he said of the dump's location. And speaking of steps to con trol air pollution, he added, That's one good place to start." City Sanitary began use of the dump last year after un successful attempts by Jack sonville residents- to prevent it. Man Caught Here Gets 18 Years A Breckenridge, Minn., man, arrested here April 10 by state police, has started serving a prison term in Mis souri for second degree mur der, state police learned yes terday. Leland Duane Benson, 33, on April 21 pleaded guilty in a St. Louis, Mo., circuit court to charges of second degree murder and larceny of an auto. He was sentenced to a maximum term of 18 years in the state penitentiary on the murder charge and 10 years on ,the auto theft charge. Both sentences are to run con currently, state police were informed. Benson was stopped on a routine check by. state police Friday, April 10. He admitted orally to authorities here that he had killed a man in St. Louis. He also admitted he stole a car. He was extradited to St. Louis April 12. Benson was sentenced for killing Thomas G. Kimber, 27, of St. Louis, about March 31. He had stolen the car on the same date. Kimber was found dead in his St. Louis apartment April 4 of a skull fracture. Firemen Recommend 139 Hazard Changes City firemen on the home inspection program yesterday made 139 recommendations for correction of hazards. No hazards were noted in 40 of the 140 residences in spected. Firemen stopped at 265 houses. No one was home at 114. Occupants of 11 resi dences turned down the offer of inspection. . FRIDAY, MAY 8, 1959 Tramsffeir Inter Son forestry operations. One offi. cial said he understood the Bureau had set Friday, May 8, as a deadline for finishing the study and reporting to higher officials of the Bureau. . BLM officials reportedly nervous about the possible outcome. Some might lose their jobs, if the BLM . is trimmed down. One even wired Gov. Mark Hatfield, saying he was a good Repub lican and thought the gover nor ought to intervene against the consolidation with GOP i officials of the Eisenhower ad ministration. But the Interior Depart- QUARLES DIES -Donald A. Quarles, 64, deputy secretary of defense, was found dead in his home in Washington, D.C., today. Story is on page 3. Study of the feasibility of an ordinace prohibiting tele phone advertising was suggest ed at last night's Medford city council meeting by Council man Robert L. Baccus, Ward III. City Manager Robert A. Duff said he already had some information on the subject. He said certain other cities have passed such ordinances. Such advertising, according to Baccus, is a public nuis ance. Councilman Fred Robinson, Ward 1, suggested considera tion of another ordinance for control or prphibition of un desirable transient businesses. Mayor John W. Snider said he believed the Jackson Coun ty Chamber of Commerce had a model ordinance of this type available. Councilman Stan Stark, Ward IV, said he 'would like provisions against the danger of open swimming pools to come before the council for consideration. Duff replied that investigation of this sub ject had already begun, and a report could be expected "probably at the next council meeting." Ordinance Sought Oh Telephone Ads Butte Falls Residents Favor Staying Independent The 37 persons attending a public hearing in Butte Falls last night on the proposed Butte Falls-Eagle Point school reorganization strongly fa vored remaining independent, according to Alf B. Mekvold, county school superintendent. Opposition to reorganiza tion of the two districts into one is mainly because of the long bus trips required if Butte Falls pupils should go to Eagle Point High school, Mekvold said. It is estimated students would have to be transported 20 to 30 miles, which would also make it dif ficult for Butte Falls students to participate in after school activities. Mountainous roads of the area also add to the problem. Importance of School Importance of the high school to the community and a better chance for pupils to participate in activities in Butte Falls High school were other points stressed. Butte Falls superintendent George Bray said the Butte Falls High school . course is now fairly adequate. It offers three years of mathematics, plus courses in general sci 54th Year Tribune No. 42 retary Elmer F. Bennett, has sent the .Budget Bureau "a strong letter" against the whole idea. Interior officials have over the years opposed trans ferring any of their resource management functions to oth er agencies. Seme have be lieved that the Forest Service, instead, ought to be turned over to the Interior Depart ment. . During the first year of the Eisenhower administration, a special commission headed by Nelson Rockefeller recom mended numerous reorganiza tion proposals, one of which was reported at the time to be creation of a Department of Natural Resources that would include all the fores try, power, reclamation, min ing and grazing functions of the government. Nothing ever came of it. Some Oregonians have op posed any merger of the O&C forests and the national for ests under a single agency for fear it would lead eventually to changes in the O&C act of 1937, under which the O&C counties of western Oregon receive triple the forest rev enue that goes to counties in which national forests are located. Consolidation itself, under a reorganization plan, would not affect the O&C formula. Congress could change it only by statute. Members of the Oregon con gressional delegation have stayed out of the controversy, letting the administration de cide which way to move. Some move to reorganize would probably have to made within the next several weeks if at all this year, inasmuch as re organization plans must lie before Congress for 60 days before they take affect. Con gress need not pass upon them, but it can cancel the reorgan ization by passing an appro priate measure. If ' Interior Secretary Fred A. Seaton is going to fight the move, as appears to be the case, any reorganization would appear to have very dim prospects of clearing the White House, even should Ag riculture Secretary Ezra T. Benson argue for it. The president may back Benson to the hilt in his farm policy fights, but Seaton is persuasive and highly respect ed at the White House in this field of natural resource man agement. Hatfield Salutes Truman; Hopes for Laryngitis Attack Salem. Ore. (CPU Got. Mark Hatfield of Oregon today sent ex-President Harry S. Truman a birth day salute which closed with: , "We who are Republi cans wish for you every continued success, health and happiness wilh the pos sible exception of a light case of laryngitis in late October and early Novem ber of every fourth year.". District, Hearing Reveals ence, biology and physical science. No college prepara tory courses are offered in chemistry and physics. There is not enough demand for for eign languages, he said. Members of the Jackson county school district reorga nization committee pointed out that by combining the two districts a new elementary building would not have to be constructed in Butte Falls. Shifted to High School Elementary students could be shifted to the high school and four classrooms added. A new elementary school build ing is needed immediately, since the present one is in poor condition, Mekvold said today. Douglas Finch, school dist rict reorganization committee member, presented both ad vantages and disadvantages of the proposed reorganization. Advantages include a broader curriculum, less per pupil cost, use of shop for upper grades, sufficient new class rooms on north wing, one room in north end of auditor ium, and easier recruitment of teachers. Butte Falls High school now has 44 students enrolled and 10,000 More State Employers Now in Program New Rates Await Hatfield's Signing Salem-TOPU-New unemploy ment compensation laws soon will effect virtually every business in the state except the so-called "mama and papa" establishments which have no employees. The new laws place all businesses with one or more employees under the act, bringing 10,000 more Oregon employers into the program. Another major change is separation of the Unemploy ment Compensation Commis sion from the Industrial Acci dent Commission, both hereto fore administered by the same three-member board. New unemployment com pensation rates will be in ef fect as soon as Gov. Mark Hatfield signs the bills passed by the Legislature to bolster the shrinking fund from which benefits are paid. With in the past few years it has dropped from $ 85 million to a point just above S20- mil. lion. Rates Said Needed Sen. Dan Dimick (D-Rose-burg) chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor and In dustries, said the new rates were necessary to stabilize the xuna ana make it actuarily sound. All employers will continue to pay the emergency rate of 2.7 per cent of payrolls until the fund grows to a new floor of $65 million, which replaces the former floor of $31 million. When the fund reaches the new floor, the rate for employers with good rec ords will drop to 1.2 per cent in place of the former 0.8 per cent-doubling the mini mum rate. Eligibility rules were tight ened. To receive benefits, an employee must have worked 20 weeks, earned a minimum of $20 a week and a total of at least $700. Organized labor made a strenuous effort to grant eligi bility to persons who had worked only 18 weeks, but this would have included many women working part time in canneries. Recalls Original Concept Dimick said this provision alone would eliminate 10 per cent of present applicants and save more than $2,500,000 a year. He said thiswas the first time the Legislature had tak en a fresh look at the unem ployment picture since the law was enacted in 1936. '"This new legislation," he said, "recalls the original un employment compens a t i o n concept. All the bills dealing with unemployment comoen- sation this session will give the people of Oregon a law which we believe they can be proud of and under which unemployed workers who are in the labor market will quali fy without difficulty. But it removes thousands of those who are not in the market and should not have ever drawn a dime from the fund." (See Stories on Page 10) Portland (UPD - Pat Wahl strom, 17-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Evert Wahlstrom has been chosen Franklin High school's Rose Festival princess. Eagle Point 269. Joining the two districts would result in a high school enrollment at Eagle Point of 313 pupils. Total school levy in Butte Falls now is 65.5 mills and 75.7 mills in Eagle Point. Butte Falls has $268,869.99 in remaining bonding capacity or 5 per cent of capacity, and Eagle Point has $1,086,099.96 in total remaining bonding capacity or 30 per cent of ca pacity. Butte Falls Indebtedness Butte Falls has an indebted ness of $14,247.90 and Eagle Point $463,797.50. Combined indebtedness would be $478, 045.40. The committee has recommended an equalized levy to retire the existing in debtedness in both districts. A public hearing on re organization of Rogue River with Evans Valley on May 19 in Rogue River and on May 21 in Evans Valley, Mekvold said. Whether remaining public hearings need to be held in Ashland, Pinehurst, Talent, Medford and Phoenix will de pend on the outcome ot the election on May 20 on pro posed consolidation of Phoe nix and Talent.