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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 1961)
O G G O 55th Year Price 10 Cents o Recommended Gold Hill It feeing problcmi not uncommon to mny other cliiei of similar City offi cials and business leaden met recently to determine what major problems the city feces and what can be done to ret the city moving ajcain." Read about ihe Gold Hill storv on Page 12A of today's Mail Trib une. Subscribers Tribune Medford To report improper or non delivery of the Mali Tribune In Medford phone SP 2-6141. in Ashland MU 2-1021 and In Yreka. VI 2-2807. beiore 6:45 pm. daily and 10:30 a m Sunday If regular delivery arrives shortly after vou call please notify office thus elimlnatln tpeclai messenger service United Press international Full Leased Wlr United Press International Full Leased Wlr 48 PAGES Section A MEDFORD, OREGON; SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 1961 No. 257 yV Expense Receive Constitutionality Doubted in View Of No Pay Hike Salem - (UPII - Members of the 1961 Oregon legislature have scattered for the week end while their first week's chief achievement - a legis lative expense measure - un derwent scrutiny that may lead to a court test. Secretary of Slate Howell Appling Jr. said it appeared "likely" he may have to ask Atty. Gen. Robert Y. Thorn ton for an opinion on the legality of the controversial expense measure. The pay proposal - to reim burse lawmakers for out-of-pocket legislature expenses up to $75 monthly during the session and $150 in the in terim - passed the house after a floor fight Friday by a vote of 42-18. It passed the senate unani mously earlier. Its c o n s t i tutionality was questioned, in view of voters' defeat of a legislative salary raise last May. Bills For Schools Meanwhile, as the legisla ture rounded out its first' week, the wheels were grind ing on the meatier matters of appropriations, education, la bor, tax, commerce,; and gov ernment reorganization. Slated for introduction this week is a 29-bill package con taining the interim education committee's recommendations on school. These include a hike in the state's -share of school costs and a distribution formula designed to alleviate property taxes in heavily bur dened districts. Also expected this week Is a sore subject for labor, a "Little Landrum-Griffith Bill to regulate the no-man's land ungoverned by federal or state laws. ' House Speaker Robert Dun can (D-Medford) said he sees "no need" for such a law in Oregon. He said, however, he sup ports another bill to set out secret election provisions for employees in determining a bargaining agent, and is con sidering an amendment to in clude farm workers. Budget Bills Introduced Senate President Harry Boivin said he considered the lawmakers "ahead of previous sessions" - in spite of time off Tuesday for an orientation Mmnl for new solons. Sixty - two appropriations hills - more than nan oi ui governor's budget proposals - were miroaucca m mc Friday and shipped off to the Joint Ways and Means com which handles the budget. A bill containing the core of Hatfield's cabinet system nlan for Oregon was intro rfnprH in the Senate. , It was nf in a committee headed k Sen Walter Pearson (D- Portland) who has already said he likes the reorganiza lion blueprint. Dr. Putnam Suffered 'Mild' Heart Attack Salem -OIPIv- The physician attending Dr. Rex Putnam, ' superintendent of public in struction, said Saturday Put nam suffered a "mild heart at tack" last week but he will leave the hospital in three or four days. Dr. Don E. Woodard of Sa lem said Putnam was up and around Saturday for the first time since being hospitalized. His condition is described as "fairly good." Putnam, who retires Jan, 31, suffered a more serious heart attack two years ago. He is 70. WEATHER FORECAST: foe or low cloud iness this morning. Partial rlear- tnc this aftirtnton and Montis altrrnoon. itun w - Mnndv mnrnln. lllith tod a v .15. tow tonight 33. Win Monday 4ft. Temp. 53 Lou pl 39 I'rrrlp. To S p m. YMterday usee Our Skies "tonight ftnnrt todav .. S:0S p.m. simrisr tomorrow m. Moonrite tomorrow . 7:I2 m. Tontcht. Sirhn, in hrihiru star, run St . P m snd Vrnui. the briihtest pUnrt. ifll i - . ;3 P m- The group of turn ihovf Sirlus form the rnnttellation of Orion. Measure May Court Test "Some Of These Days, You're Gonna Miss ' Me, Honey " Bengtson Is Found Guilty by Jury in Josephine Grants Pass - A Josephine county circuit court jury of nine women and three men found O. H. Bengtson, Med ford lawyer, guilty of em bezzlement Friday afternoon. The jury reached its verdict little more than an , hour after receiving the case. The vote was 10 to 2, the minimum required. Bail was continued at isz.ouu on tne cnarge. tsengison u free on $13,000 bail. Sen Deputies Continue Probe of Shooting The Jackson county sheriff's department is continuing in vestigation of the Friday morning shooting ofa Gold Hill man which sent him to Sacred Heart hospital in criti cal condition. Mrs. Lcona Donwody, 37, and Ralph Littlefield, 55, both of Gold Hill, are being ques tioned about the shooting of Howard Charles Burnette Jr., 28, about 2 a.m. Friday in Mrs. Donwody's home near Gold Hill. Preliminary investigation has indicated the three were examining a rifle being held by Mrs. Donwody when it dis charged, sending a bullet into Burnctte's neck. Mrs. Domvodyus being held in the county jail on a charge of pointing a weapon at an other. Littlefield is being held on a charge of being drunk in public, sheriff s deputies said. Exact circumstances of the shooting have not been deter mined yet, deputies reported. They still have not been able to talk to Burnette. Hospital officials declined to comment on his condition Saturday night. Flood Control Group Schedules Meeting The Rogue Basin Flood Con trol and Water Resources as sociation will hold its annual meeting at 8 p.m., Monday Feb. 13, in the Josephine cir cuit cout room, Grants Pass, President Ben Hilton, Grants Pass, has announced. Five directors will be elect ed for three-year terms. Re ports will be given by the president, secretary and board of directors. Five directors whose terms expire are Andy Schmidt, Medford; Ralph James, Sains Valley; Claude Baker, Gold Hill; Bud Randolph. Cave Junction; Conrad Nystrom Merlin; Wally Martin, Grants Pass. Friday the county court vot ed to send County Commis sioner Edwin Taylor as its delegate to the association, and proposed him for nomina tion as director. Former Coun ty Commissioner Ralph James was official county court dele gate, and his term is expiring as director, " County tencing will be held Monday, Jan. 23, at 10:30 a.m. in Grants Pass. Bengtson, a former official of the Medford Escrow com pany, was charged with em bezzling $1,700 from the firm He was convicted on a similar charge involving $3,701 last fall in a Jackson county cir cuit court trial. That case is under appeal. Appeal Almost Certain Richard Carney, Portland defense attorney, said Friday afternoon that "I feel certain we will also appeal this case." Foreman of the jury was Theodore McLain, a Grants Pass painter. The defendant appeared calm at the announcement of the verdict. The trial was held in Grants Pass after a motion for change of venue by the defense was successful. Paul Haviland was appointed prosecutor for the case after District Attorney Alan B. Holmes disqualified himself. Holmes' law partner, Robert Boycr, has assisted the defense in the case. There are currently eight additional indictments charg ing Bengtson with embezzle ment pending. License Funds Go Toward Enforcement County Judge Earl Miller said Friday that the county's share of marine boat license funds go into the general fund, but are budgeted for enforce ment of boating regulations. During the last fiscal year, the county put S8.000 from the boat licenses Into Hie general fund, but when the budget was established, the court add ed $4,000 to it and used the money to purchase boats and motors for the sheriff's office, Miller said. Miller said he would ex plain this in a letter to the Jackson county chapter of the Izaak Walton League. The League sent the county court a copy of its motion proposing that all boating license funds be earmarked by the county court for cither boating regu lation enforcement or for de velopment of boating facili ties. Plans for 'Largest Oregon Of American Plans for the "largest Ore-i gon convention" were made this week end when officials of the American Legion met with the Medford Convention Commission Corporation. The Lcgion't executive com mittee has set June 22 to 24 as convention dates when more ,than 6,000 Oregon Legion naires are expected to con verge here. Legion officers said the summer convention "...as sumes greater significance as the (American Legion) De partment of Oregon bolsters Reports Indicate RedMan-in-Space Program Started Alaska Station Tracks Object Washington - IUPII - A U.S. radar station in Alaska track ed an object with "missile characteristics" rising out of Russia for six minutes Friday night headed for the Pacific ocean, the Defense department said Saturday. The defense announcement cast no light on the question of whether the Russians were merely testing a missile or trying to launch a satellite -perhaps with a man aboard. But it coincided with two significant U.S. reports on the Soviet man-in-space program. -The head of the U.S. Civil ian Space agency said a Rus sian attempt to put a Red astronaut into orbit might be coming up soon, perhaps timed to lake the edge off the l n a u g u r ation of President elect John F. Kennedy. Specific Information -An Air Force official said this county has "unofficial but very specific information that two Russians died last September in an attempt to put men into space when So viet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev attended the Uni ted Nations general assembly in New York. The September report was disclosed by Lt. Col. Paul D. Hickman of the Armed Forces Industrial College at a nation al security seminar in Honolu lu Friday. He said the Russian flop resulted In the demotion of the scientists in charge and orders to a new "team" to get a man in space "immediately. Coincidentally, the Defense department report was the first disclosure that long range radar was at work on Shemya island off the Alaskan coast or any other Aleutian post. No other free world track- Ihg station reported, spotting the shot. Hillcresf Girls Are Apprehended Salem - (UPD - Authorities last night apprehended the last two of 10 girls who broke out of a juvenile detention home here Friday night. The two were picked up on a highway near here where they were trying to hitchhike. The other eight had been re captured earlier. The pair was identified as Catherine Day, 17, Portland, and Ona Lee Morgan, 18, Medford. The break-out at the Hill crest School for Girls came while the 10 were watching television. Two of the girls suddenly produced a hammer and a garbage can lid, strik ing guard Kenneth Hovenden and matron Ethel Lind on the head. Matron Emma Halter also was attacked before the girls piled through a fire escape window- Hovenden and Mrs. Lind were hospitalized brief ly. The other girls were Rita McGinnis, 15, Veneta; Char lotte Clarno, 16, Gold Beach, Ore.; Vera Toemen, 17, Burns, Ore.; and Rose Emma Men denhall, 15; Kathleen Garri son, 17; Jean Stevens. 18 Donna Petticord, 16, and Carol K. Ford, 18, .all of Portland Hatfield Sees Program For Surplus Food Salem - (DPI) - Gov. Mark Hatfield said Friday he hopes a program to distribute gov ernment food to welfare re cipients soon will be in oper ation in Oregon. His comment came after Rep. Edilh Green (D-Ore.) criticized Oregon as being one of the six states in the nation where the program is not operating. Legion Made Its strength in preparation for holding a national convention in Oregon at some future date." Attending the local plan ning sessions were represen tatives of the Legion, and its affiliated bodies, the Legion auxiliary. Forty and Eight, Eight and Forty, and Twenty and Four. Jennings Pierce, Medford, is chairman of the Convention commission Eugene Orr is vice chair man of the commission, and the board of directors includes Pat Kilby. Bob Damei, Les UN dejects GUERRILLA FIGHTERS This picture smuggled to Miami by a Cuban courier known as "Henry" shows a rebel officer, Maj. Evelio Duque (left), greet Capt. Ramon Perez Two People Will Receive Awards At MSC Banquet Two local residents have been named to receive the an nual Save-A-Llfe awards giv en by. the Medford Safety council. , ' .' , They are Bjariie A.'Bjorn sen and Naomi Jean Walker, They will be presented the awards at the council's awards banquet Friday, Jan. 20, at the Rogue Valley uountry ciud. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Other awards, including an industrial safely plaque and several certificates, will be announced Friday. Tickets for the program, which is open to the public, can be obtained from council members or at the door. Edward M. Syring, manager of the drivers license division, department of motor vehicles, will speak. He will discuss the "Driver Improvement Pro gram." The speaker is currently chairman of the American As sociation of Motor Vehicle Ad minitrator's commiltee on driver licenses Bnd driver im- Drovemcnt. and a member of the driver license advisory committee to the National Safety council. A former University of Ore gon student, Syring also serves as a member of the operating commiltee of the Oregon traffic safety commis sion. He has been employed by the state department of motor vehicles since 1934. In 1957 he was named manager of the license division. President Orders Gold Disposition Washington -OCT- President Eisenhoder Saturday ordered American citizens and firms to dispose of gold holding abroad by June 1. 1981. The President, by executive order, said persons and com panies subject to U. S. Juis- diction have not been allowed to hold gold in this country since 1933 and it therefore is reasonable to ban such hold ings abroad. The order applies whether the holders of gold abroad live in this country or overseas. Convention' in Medford Wilson, and Granville Biltt san. Assisting In the prcpnta lions fur the June meeting arc Earl Bigalow, chairman of the finance division; Herb Af ford, housing; Meivin McEl hincy, budget and finance; Robert Boycr, legal advisor; Clark Walker and Elliott Beckon, convention halls; Bud, Fisher, Forty and Light liai son; LaMuricl Beck, Women Legionnaire activities; and Dorothy Sutter, uxlliary gen eral chairman. Taylor Sentenced To Life in State Penitentiary Circuit Judge Edward C. Kellv Friday afternoon " sen tenced John R. Taylor, 27, Salem, to life imprisonment in the slate penitentiary after he pleaded glillty to a charge of assault with intent to Kill District Attorney Alan Holmes said Friday afternoon he would drop the two remain ing charges against Taylor, The charges are grand lar ceny in 'connection with the theft of two cars in Jackson county.1 I feel one life sentence is enough," Holmes said. Taylor would be eligible for parole after serving 7'j years of his life sentence. After a strong plea by Med ford lawyer Edward Branch field, Circuit Judge Kelly said, "I think it is a little late for him to take stock of his life- However, it is not too late to change. Ho has, however, served a third of his life - nine of his 27 years in the stale penitentiary. I am happy to hear that he plans to edu cate himself while in prison." Footnote to Plea As a footnote to his pica for Taylor, Branchfield strong ly criticized the sheriff's of fice for not providing Taylor decent clothes In which to ap pear in court. He noted that Taylor has had to wear the same torn shirt since he was jailed. Friday morning, his lorn slacks were replaced, the lawyer said. Branchfield said he was making this appeal for better clothing on behalf of all the county jail prisoners. Having to appear in court in dirty, torn clothing is automatically a strike against the person Branchfield remarked. Judge Kelly said he would call this matter to the atten tion of Sheriff Joe Walsh, but fell it was an oversight. "If necessary I will call it to the attention of the grand Jury," Kelly added, "but I'm sure it won't be" Taylor was charged wllh firing three bullets into the Three Killed in Portland Mishaps Portland - 'UPD - Three per sons were killed In Portland traffic in separate accidents lale Friday and early Satur day. Lavern A. Hansen, 21, Port land, was killed Instantly in a crash of a sports car here Sat urday. A passenger, David A Myers, 23, was hospitalized. Arzy Harold Whclchel, 34, a transient, was killed laic Friday when struck by car driven by Vernon R. llamil ton. Whclchel died In a hos pital. 'ini Willa Preston. 48 Portland was hit by a car and dragged 90 feet. She was dead on arrival at a hospital Driver of the car was Ncal O I Mathews. Red at the guerrilla fighters headquarters in the hills In Las Villas province, Cuba. The courier said the rebels are well equipped with modern arms. (UPITelephoto) Oregon leg of' State Policeman Don aid Cain Dec. 20 when Cain stopped to question the hich- hiker at the intersection o Highways 99 and 66 south of Ashland. Taylor was charged with taking two automobiles to es cape- to Dulur, near The Dalles, where he was .captur ed the next morning. Hill Defies ICC Rate Directive Salem - (UPD - Public "utili ty Commissioner Jonel C. Hill Friday defied an Interstate Commerce commission direc tive ordering him to increase intrastate freight rates In Ore gon on certain commodities to meet interstate levels. He said he doubted if he would comply with the direc tive, but added the rates would apparently go Into ef fect anyway. Since the transportation act of 1958, railroads have been able to bypass tire slate and go directly to the ICC for au thority to hike rales, Hill said. He added that since the ICC rated go Into effect regardless of his position, any Oregon PUC action "would be point less." The rales In question apply to limestone, logs, wood chips and sugar beets. Sports Bulletins Medford's Black Torna do basketball aggregation subduad Crater High 82 to 61 her last night in South am Oregon conference play. Bob Qulnney tallied 31 points for Medford and Loy al Hiqlnbotham 25 for the Comats, Halflima score was 37 to 28. Ashland - Southern Ore gon college swept a two gem series from Oragon College of Education last night with a 63 to 54 vic tory. SOC retained its par ted record - now 4-0-in Oregon Collegiate confer ence play. Klamath Falls - Honley High school detested Phoe nix 54 to 38 here last night. Henley held a 22 to 15 hall time bulge. Mike Conibruck led Phoenix with 11 points, Roy Brown had 13 for Hen ley. Lakiview - Illinois Val ley thumped Lakeviaw High school her last night 55 to 47. Tarry Johnson led Illi nois Valley with 13 points. Grants Pics - Grants Pass deflated A s h 1 n d High school 75 to 48 here last night. Grants Pais held half time lead of 38 to 22. 4 k T Coast Guard Has Inquiry Into Loss 01 Seven at Sea Astoria-IDPD-A Coast Guard board of inquiry convened Saturday afternoon to investi gate the circumstances sur rounding a sea tragedy Thurs day In which seven men lost their lives and four boats - lwere wrecked. Beach patrols were search ing for the bodies of six men still missing. One man was drowned when three Coast Guard craft capsized while trying (o bring a crab boat to safety. Search for the missing men, who include four Coast Guardsmen, Friday was ham pered by continued ' bad weather. Coast Guard vessels and hclicpotcrs participated in the first day's search. Dead Guardsman The dead man was also a Coast Guardsman and was Identified as Boatswain Mate 1-C Culp of Hammond. His body was washed ashore Thursday night. Missing were John S. Ho ban, 27, Independence, Mo.; Gordon F. Sussez, 21, Belle vue, Wash.; Ralph E. Mace, 19, Vashon, Wash., all Coast Guardsmen, and two crew members of the crab boat Mermaid," Bert and Stanley Bergmcn, Ilwaco, Wash. The drowned Coast Guards man and the four missing Coast Guardsmen were swept from the 52-foot motor life boat "Triumph." A 36-foot and a 40-foot Coast Guard craft also were wrecked. Gordon E. Huggins, 22, a Coast Guard engineman 3-C from Vancouver, Wash., was washed ashore alive. Family of Six Die In Youngstown Fire Youngstown, Ohio - WPP-A family of six perished early Saturday when a second-story fire swept a frame apartment house in suburban uampoeu. The fire of unknown origin was believed to have started in the kitchen of the apart ment. The family died or as phyxiation. Federal Building Site Is South of 10th Street The site under consideration by the general services admin istration for a proposed tca cral building in Medford lies south of 10th st. between Cen tral and Riverside aves. The information was re ceived last week from Con gressman Edwin R. Durno. According to officials of the GSA in Washington, the agency asked the regional of fice Jan. 4 to make an ap praisal of the suggested site in Medford. lt was stifled that the appraisal usually takes about 80 days. Thcr have been no otters received and no options secured on any of this lad, Durno pointed out Dimensions of the land wore listed as 335 feet on 10th st harges Red Ambassador May Take Congo ssue to Assembly Seven Abstain From Council Voting United Nations. N.Y. - (UPD - The Security Council Satur day rejected Russia's charga Belgian aggression against Congo from the Central African United Nations trust territory of Ruanda-Urundi. The council turned down a resolution sponsored by tha United Arab Republic. Cevlon and Liberia calling upon Bel- um, as the administering au thority of Ruanda-Urundi, Immediately to cease ail ac tion against the Republic of The Congo." The United States. Britain. France, China, Chile, Ecua dor and Turkey all abstained on the vote, making the offi- ial la.'ly 4 to 0 with 7 ab stentions. Council rules re quire a favorable vote of sev en members for action- Offers No Resolution The Soviet Union offered no resolution on its own bu'. So viet Ambassador Valerian A. Zorin threatened to carry tha issue Before the General As sembly, perhaps at a special session. The situation in Ruanda. Urundl, a territory the size of; west Virginia situated cast ot , The Congo continued to sim mer, however. Belgian Ambassador Walter Loridan told the council that forces loyal to ousted leftist Congolese. Premier Patrice Lumumba had been directing, lire, including mortar shells, across the border Into tho trust' territory ' since Friday nignt. ; 'In a report not yet Issued here, a UN. spokesman at Leopoldville said pro-Lumumba forces stormed across tha Ruanda-Urundi frontier from The Congo province of Klvu today and fired on Belgian sol diers there. . Russia chawed that Bel gium granted transit rights in Ruanda-Urundi to forces of Congolese strongman Col. Jo seph D. Mobutu. Zorin said Belgium organiz ed the move, flew the Mobutu troops into Ruanda-Urundi in Belgian planes and trucked them 90 miles down the bor- der to a vantage area instead of taking them to the nearest crossing point, only 13 miles away. Secretary - General Dag Hammarskjold, in a brief statement to the council be fore the vote, said it was "im mediately obvious how groundless the charges are." Mountain Named For Neuberger Washington - (UPD - The gov ernment Friday named a mountain in Alaska in honor of the late Sen. Richard L. Neuberger (D-Ore.). The Interior department's board of 'geographic names said it had so designated tha 6,747 foot .mountain upon tha joint request of Interior Secre tary Fred A. Seaton, the Alas kan congressional delegation, and the Alaskan state legisla ture. Mt. Neuberger was describ ed as the highest summit of a prominent range visible to tha south and west of the Tole Junction and Panacross, Alas ka. Neuberger, who served in the senate from 1954 until his death In 1960 was a strong advocate of the conservation of natural resources. 353 feet on Central five., 280 feet through the block to Riv erside ave. and 260 feet on Riverside ave. The south boundary would be the south line of 11th St., if the street were extended to Rlversida ave. Some question has arisen re garding this location since tha property has also been pro posed as the site of a new 33 unit motel, owned by the Im perial 400 Motel chain of Los Angeles. In a previous announcement regarding the site, the govern ment said it would build on the property only If lt could, be obtained at "reasonable) cost." V. o
