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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 1962)
: A r MLDFOP.D MAIL. TRIBUNE. MEDFORD. OREGON SUNDAY. AUGUST S. 1962 ! aitor'A' VySBTTn flow Vo l".:;:." w-. .1.'--..-- - - W - v; J H3 1 1 C7l Si B 3 Skirmishes Highlight Hydrant Problem New York - ilPH - There sat . major engagement in the tin the green-and-aluminum fire ending conflict between the hydrant, and there sat a 1959 city of New York and the UN black Ford with "DPL" on its diplomats who flaunt their license plate. immunity to New York's laws. The lines were drawn for a Police commissioner after ! police commissioner had sur- i rendered to the ancient doc trine of diplomatic immunity PUSHED FROM HYDRANT- A car bearing DPL (diplo matic) license plates is pushed away from a fire hydrant by fireman Andrew Callahan in tne vicinity oi tne united a. Edward Thompson, 48. a for Hons headquarters in this pic- j mcr rank-and-file smokeeat ture taken recently. By declar- er with a passi0n about fire mg war on diplomats who j plugs. park near lire hydrants, i ire Symbol of Interference which once protected an en voy's horse as well as its mas ter and now seemed to extend to speed limits and parking laws. Up stepped a new contender last week: Fire Commissioner Commissioner Edward Thomp son drew new battle lines in the unending conflict between the city of New York and UN diplomats who flaunt their im munity to its laws. (UP1) To him, hvdrants had be come a symbol of foreign in terference with domestic se curity. They were habitual parking places for the drivers i of New York's 859 diplomat ically immune vehicles. Thompson, who as an ex judge knew the futility of or dinary measures (summonses) against diplomats, issued a declaration of war: "Parked cars that block fire hydrants are a menace to life and property. Whether owned by just average New Yorkers or even diplomats - they will be towed away by the- fire department." Within a week, the fire de partment had skirmished with four nations, come under pro test from the UN Secretariat and gotten involved with the ; U. S. State Department. Skirmishes Noted Skirmish No. 1 N.Y.F.D. versus Nationalist China. Newsmen report black Ford, DPL 613, parked in hydrant zone by east side skyscraper, two blocks from UN. Thomp son, just back from near-dis aster (206 patients escape three-alarm fire M Brook lyn's St. Mary's hospital), or ders Ihree-alarin flap. Three fire chiefs clang up, also en gine Co. 21. Battalion Chief John De Pietri releases brake, moves car. Cmdr. J. C. Wang, Chinese military delegate to UN. apologizes profusely. Skirmish No. 2 N.Y.F.D. versus Haiti. Ambassador Car let Augusle, illegally parked around the corner from Wang, rejects protest from deputy chief Bernard Dulberger and deputy assistant chief Charles Sireesler, almost brushes Stresslcr with ambassadorial Buick as he drives off; pro tests to UN; UN protests to mavor. Skirmish No. 3 N.Y.F.D. versus Somalia. Battalion Chief De Pietri and assistant chief of department Richard Dcnahan ordered into action. Ambassador Hassan Nur El i mi's chauffeur refuses to move Cadillac; then moves 13 feet (the law says 15); finally drives off. ! Skirmish No. 4 N.Y.F.D. versus Japan. Second Secrc- tary Wataru Hiraizumi's ma ! roon Buick parked by hydrant in front of Grand Central hos pital (one block from UN). Deputy Chief Dulberger takes : direct action: get in car, push i es it down block. Speaks Up for Parkers Within 48 hours, the Uni ted Nations was speaking up i for its hydrant-parkers. C. V. I Narasimham, Undersecretary I for political afairs, protested ; to deputy mayor Edward F. : Cavanagh Jr. That was prob ably a mistake; Cavanagh had been fire commissioner until seven months ago. , The deputy mayor informed ' the United Nations that diplo mats will be given a week's grace to adjust to the no-fireplug rule. It appeared a week might not be necessary. Thompson dispatched firemen on a two hour hydrant check on a j Thursday evening. They hand ed out 364 tickets, towed away 11 cars whose owners could n't be found. But not one of the offenders had the "DPL" symbol of diplomatic immu nity. The state department, mean- i while, took a position in favor of both diplomats and fire plugs. "A number of diplomats having DPL plates have made it known to the mission that they are doing their best to live up to the regulations ev- j en though they have diplomat j ic immunity," a spokesman j for the American UN dcle ; gallon said. in Charlotte Ann Road We Have Moved To Our New Lot This Week-end. Monday Morning We'll Be Ready and Eager to Serve You Open For Business onday Morning T3 c n in O 3 O IS) o X by Renault SERVCE and So. Pacific liwy Stewart Ave. usedrs Attend the Shrine Circus August 9th and 10th
