Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 23, 1959)
Gleubeirgeir Flows flncome as Writer lack into Expenses and Scholarships By A. ROBERT SMITH Mail Tribune Washington Correspondent Washington (Special)-Rich-ard L. Neuberger, the writer, now earns about 8,800 a year "v, from current i articles pub- L ing magazines : it Vfc A ft- ifcw and from roy- I alties on j books written beforp he be- came a U. S. V y senator in 1 J 1955. ftobt Smith He plough virtually all of his extra income back into his job of being "a senator. With this outside writing in come, he pays those extra of fice expenses not covered by Senate allowances, and makes scholarship contributions t o Oregon college and universi ties. This, in a nutshell, is Neu berger's answer to criticism repeatedly made by the Re publican state chairman of Oregon. Peter Gunnar, who has said of the senator's mag azine writing: "Many people don't understand this moon lighting." "I don't see," said Neuberg er, "how a senator could have a more innocent source of income." He said he thought writing " had always been considered an honorable sideline of pub lic men, whether they wrote books (such as Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Sen. Robert A. Taft and Sir Winston Church ill) or magazine articles. He said he never before heard of a public figure being criti cised for expressing his ideas in print and earning custom ary writing fees. 'Most Open Kind "I feel that writing is the most open kind of outside in come. Everybody who sees the article knows of it. If I were a lawyer and shared fees from outside private legal work, nobody would know it." As for the suggestion by Gunnar that he has neglected his senatorial duties, Neu berger replied, "I have never written an article for sale at my senate desk. I always do it at my apartment, so it is obvious I have not been ne glecting my work in tht-Senate." . ; He noted that he works at his Senate office until dinner time before returning to the Neuberger apartment, where he said he finds relaxation in writing during the evening. Because he avoids the cock tail circuit as much as pos sible, the tee-totaling senator said he has more leisure time than some others after his Senate work is through for the day. Or be may rise early and write for a period before driving to the office. Speak ing of his Senate work, Neu berger added: Not Enough Vacation "My doctors say I overdo it. They say I don't get enough vacation." He noted that he has the best roll call answering rec ord of any member of the Oregon delegation who has served during the same period he has been in office. Includ ing even the first six weeks of this session which he miss ed before he returned to the Senate after his cancer ther apy in Oregon, Neuberger said he has answered 95.2 percent of all roll calls. He pointed out that Oregon's Re publican congressman, Rep. Walter Norblad, has an 86 percent record. "I do much less writing than I am requested to do," he said. "About five or six publishers asked me for a story on my illness. I try to do it in those areas where I think it will do the most good." He noted that his recent Harpers article on his cancer bout is being reprinted (100, 000 copies) by the American Cancer society. He has writ ten two more articles on can cer that will be published later this year. Variety of Magazines Since he became a senator, Neuberger has had published articles in a variety of maga zines. The Readers Guide to Periodical Literature, which checks prominent professional and popular publications, lists 38 articles under his byline during the past four and one half years, through June of this year. The subjects have been many: family allowances, cigarettes and tobacco subsi dies, resources (2), civil rights, billboard controls (2), power (2), the Senate senior ity system, the Al Sarena case, financing political cam paigns (2), Lyndon Johnson, political principles (2), lobby ists, tax cuts, the no surrender resolution (2), Oregon history, no lottery, Klamath forests (2), cancer, the Oregon Cen tennial,' miscellaneous politi cal topics (10), and three per sonal articles - Mistakes of a Freshman, My Wife Put Me In The Senate, and The Best Advice I Ever Had. In this period, during which time he reversed his previous role to become a full-time politician and a part-time writer, Neuberger says his writing income has averaged about $8,800 annually. About 3,000 of this has come from royalties on the six books he has written, particularly the children's books about the Lewis and Clark expedition and the Royal Canadian Mounties, which continue to have steady sales. The bal ance, about $5,800, has come from magazine articles. 'Have to Earn' "I have to earn this out side income to cover extra expenses of running my of fice," he observed. Each senator is allowed to incur certain expenses, paid by the Government, to cover office operations each year Currently, the annual allow ances are $1,800 for station ery, $450 for airmail and special delivery stamps, about $2,500 for telegrams, $1,200 for renting office space in his home- state, and $600 for all expenses of that office, plus 20 cents per mile for one round trip per year between Washington, D.C., and the sen ator's state. Long distance telephone calls are allowed on a time basis, rather than un der a monetary ceiling. Each senator is now allowed 120 official calls, aggregating no more than 600 minutes each month of the year. Neuberger said that his office regularly exceeds these allowances except those for telephone calls and telegrams. When a senator exceeds an allowance, he is billed for the expenses. Neuberger pays these bills out of his writing income, so that it does not have to come from his $22,500 annual salary as a senator. Office Expense He said that the bills for 100 Said Aboard Capsized Ship Manila - (UPD - An inter island ship with more than 100 persons aboard capsized and sank off the northern coast of Palawan Island in the western Philippines Thursday, reports reaching here said Friday. The reports said only seven persons had been rescued so far from the ill-fated 241-ton vessel Pilar II, and more than 93 were missing and feared drowned. The Philippine Navy rushed the patrol vessel "Bohol" to the area to help the fishing boat Atonio ; the 12th' seek more survivors. An SOS message received in Manila said the fishing boat Fengnam Benz was in trouble off the eastern Luzon coast. extra office expenses, which he pays, above and beyond the government - paid allow ances, mount up as follows: Stationery - $2,100 a year. He-said this is largely due to his newsletter which he sends monthly to a lost of 30,000 Oregonians. It also includes paying for American flags, sold in the stationery room, when school children write in and ask for one. "How can a senator turn down a youngster who wants a flag," asked Neuberger. The senator gets the bill - $3 for the small ones, $6.50 for the large. Stamps -$300 a year. He notes that because Oregon is so far distant from Washing ton, D.C., he can't rely on the franking privilege (free first class mailing privilege) for correspondence on matters of some urgency. The time re quired by one exchange of let ters mailed first class would run about two weeks. To give constituents faster service re quires stamps, he stated. ' Photographs - $200 a year. School children who want au tographed pictures of their senator can't be told he can't afford it. Radio and Televesion-$900 a year. This covers the cost of periodic TV films and tapes of recordings made in the Senate recording studio of a weekly conversational pro gram between the senator and Sheets Forwards Mrs. Todd's Letter, To Defense Office Mrs. Ann Todd's challenge of federal disaster relief funds paid the Eagle Point irriga tion district represents "the first instance" in which such a transaction has been ques tioned, a state official has reported. The official, Arthur M. Sheets, Oregon state civil de fense director, informed Mrs. Todd in a letter last week that the matter would be re? ferred to the U.S. office of. civil and defense mobiliza tion. Mrs. Todd, a water user of the district, wrote Edward Luckey, U. S. attorney" for Oregon, Aug. 1 asking wheth er funds paid the district af ter the 1955-56 floods did not benefit the California Ore egon Power company rather than the district itself. Under Agreement Under an agreement be tween the district and Copco, the utility company became responsible for maintaining the district's main canal at its own expense. Since the federal funds covered repairs to this canal, Mrs. Todd al leges, they benefited Copco. The federal law governing the funds' disbursement speci-J fies they are to be allocated to state or local governments. Copies of Mrs. Todd' let ter to Luckey were sent to Sheets and to other promi nent officials. "Your letter," Sheets re plied, "is very interesting and the research ' work indicated therein merits every consider ation. "A great many project ap plications resulting from the storm and flood damages of 1955-and 1956 were process ed in Oregon. This is the first instance where a project ap plication has been questioned. "Therefore, it seems to the best interest of all concerned that the matter be referred to the national office of the office of civil and defense mobilization for appropriate action, and I have sent a copy of your letter to our federal regional office at Everett, Wash." Mrs.' Todd received replies previously from Luckey and from U. S. Senators Wayne Morse and Richard Neuberg er, all indicating their interest in the matter. Attorneys for the irrigation district and for Copco have declined comment. Sharp Decline in Green Fir Prices - Portland - Crow's Lumber Price Index recorded a sharp decline in green fir prices in the two week period ending Aug. 20. The 25 items making up the green segment of the index declined an average of $1 per thousand during the period. Prices remain an aver age of $7.48 per thousand over those of a year ago, however, with the 25 green fir items Thursday bringing an average price of $70.88, compared Jo $63.40 on Aug. 20, 1958. The market was the weak est in random , green dimen sion, Crow's said, with speci fied lengths holding firm, and heavy timbers unchanged in price. Kiln-dried dimension has shown ho weakness, ex cept in straight carloads of utility grade, according to Crow's. Western Pine Asso ciation species suffered an over-all decline, with lower prices noted in No. 2 and No. 3 common pine boards, green Inland Douglas fir, and in se lects. The shop grades of pine continued very strong, Crow's said. Douglas fir plywood prices failed to hold at the $76 index for 4-inch AD, Crow's re ported, and business was be ing done freely at the $72 level at mid-week. his wife, Maurine. Tapes are mailed to about 25 radio sta tions in Oregon who program them as a public service. Luncheons - $1,100 a year. These consist chiefly of small gatherings of several constit uents a day who are visiting the Senate and are the sena tor's guests in the Senate din ing room. Small Parties Entertainment-$500 a year. This includes small dinner parties which the Neubergers have occasionally for Oregon visitors and Senate colleagues. Portland office-$250 a year over the allowance. Miscellaneous-$750 a year. This includes his books, which some request as gifts, auto graphed, and other items han dled from the petty cash fund. In addition to paying these office expenses, Neuberger said he has contributed an av erage of $1,500 annually for scholarships. The latest was a $500 grant to the University of Oregon to honor David C. Epps, the late Democratic state chairman. These various expense items total about $8,650 a year. "As you can see from these expenses, I have to have some extra income," the senator ob served. "How would they want me to earn it? I think this is the most honest way to earn extra income." Neuberger sees no conflict of interest in this sort of pri vate income while serving in public office. "I've never been lobbied by magazine publishers," he maintained. Even when the question of magazine postal mailing rates was up in the Senate Post Of fice committee, of which he is a member, Neuberger didn't hear from the magazines. He points out that he cast the deciding vote with Republican committee members last year in favor of higher postal rates as recommended by the ad ministration. This was the largest postal rate increase ever voted on one time, he said the post office depart ment informed, him. 'Bent Over Backwards' "I feel that I bent over back wards to be fair." "He pointed out that in one instance he sponsored a change in the law to favor a particu lar magazine, the historical bi monthly, American Heritage, which by a fluke in the law was prohibited because of its hard cover, from enjoying the lower cost second-class mail ing privileges ordinarily used by magazines. T thought this was an out rage to discriminate against the best magazine in the coun try," the senator recalled, ex plaining why he sponsored the change. Two months before, he said he had finished an article for American Heritage on the voy age of the Tonkin to Astoria, "Even though there was no connection between the article and the bill favoring the mag-. azine, Neuberger said he gave away the $500 payment he re ceived from American Herit age. It went for a scholarship at Portland State college. Mailing rates for magazines are computed on the basis of the amount of advertising and editorial reading matter they contain. The increased maga zine postal rates involve boosts for each of three years, 1959 through 1961, 20 per cent annually for advertising and 10 per cent annually on edi torial. "I would be for cutting out all subsidies for magazines or any other users of the mails," Neuberger said, "but Post Of fice technicians tell us it would result in the magazines shifting over to Railway Ex press. The post office depart ment needs this second class matter to employ postal clerks during the off-peak hours af 'ter they have finished han dling first class mail." Continuing to write permits the senator to keep his hand in, as the saying goes, for he has indicated he hopes to re turn to full-time writing one day, possibly after another six year term in the Senate. More over, writing now gives Neu berger a sense of creative sat isfaction which Senate speech making doesn't provide him. "My work here is harass ing,' mused the senator, "so MAIL TRIBUNE, MedferJ, Or. Sunday, Aug. 23, 1959 it's a relief to get home at night and do some writing. I find it very relaxing. We cer tainly haven't got rich on this job, but we have no com plaints." Except, perhaps, that Gun nar's criticism is "personal demogoguery" rather than campaigning on the issues. Jimmy uncKets! Canada Dry Flavors in King-Size Bottles Ills) I ' a 0 0 They're money-saving because you get more to drink in every bottle. 12 drinks in every 6-bottle carton! 4 reason's why Canada Dry Flavors are your Best Buy ! 1 . Big King-Size bottle serves 2 ! 2. A flavor to satisfy every taste ! 3. Exclusive ingredients give them a sparkling taste! 4. You can trust their quality! Note to Mom: Canada Dry King-Size Flavors are whole some delicious delectable because they carry the Canada Dry shield of Purity and Quality. ORANGE e GRAPE ROOT BEER CHERRY HI-8POT LEMON SODA PEPSI-COLA BOTTLING COMPANY OF MEDFORD mm MStfllg Double Oven Convenience Al Single Oven Price! Bake and Broil at the same time. For small meals use the thrift oven alone. Automatic timer for master oven. Tilt-Out surface units with unlimited heating selections. Full-width 'Storage Drawer. Plug-Out Spread-Even heaters assure perfect baking results every time. $ 3 4f95 Less Liberal Trade-in Model B MD-40 .Westinghouse TROWBRIDGE & FLVMfJ 214 W. Main -Ph. SP 3-6241 and the BIG Y APPLIANCE DEPT . PHONE SP 3-3052
