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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 1963)
Continued Mi weather m State Medford Core Area Showing Blight Signs f UW V property! u ) Mss-me-sucif . ' . " .' . "W . bfnb. ...... "Well, I suppose one of us should try to help the lady." By GEORGE H. BELL Mail Tribune Staff Writer - Med ford's central business district is rather like a pa tient, still outwardly healthy, but showing some early symp toms of cancer. The disease is curable indeed an unprecedented era of unusual vitality is possible if the patient receives prompt medical attention. Major surgery is indicated. But the sick man must in itiate the steps toward recovery himself. And probably he'll have to pay all his own doctor bills. To drop the metaphor, Medford's blight problem is not unique or even significantly different from that of any other medium-sized community in the country. Downtown Streets Jammed Its downtown streets are jammed with traffic that, during peak periods, backs up from intersection to intersection; despite the imaginative development of the Park and Shop program, a parking shortage still exists; everybody, custom ers and merchants alike, is unhappy with parking meters; downtown employees have no convenient places to park their cars; and many of the stores in the central business district are out of date and badly in need of remodeling. According to a study compiled by the Oregon Bureau of Municipal Research in 1961 (published in March 1962), about 84 per cent of the buildings in the central business district were constructed before 1940. Of that figure, an astounding 45 per cent were built before 1920. Ground Floor Space Vacant The same report noted that 4.7. per tent of building ground floor space in the core area was vacant; that 25 per cent of the 118 separate offices on upper floors in core area , buildings were vacant; and that a large number of downtown rooms and apartments were vacant. There are, then, even assuming the condition has not worsened measurably since the study was made, some clear unmistakable signs of deterioration in the heart of Medford. Three major programs of considerable magnitude need to be undertaken to solve the dilemma that, unattended, will worsen steadily into a decline from which recovery might well be impossible. . Needs Complete Revision The arterial street network in the central business district needs to be completely revised. Private capital must be enlisted to finance the con struction of increased parking facilities, possibly multi-level ones, in areas adjacent to the central business district. A thorough renovation of the core area, both inside and out, must be undertaken through the combined effort of merchants, property owners and city officials. Despite periodic pessimistic groans of despair and Cassandra-like forecasts of impending doom from the downtown area, it is true some preliminary steps have already been take to accomplish these three herculean tasks. Discuss Generaliied Land Use The city planning commission has for over a year .now been holding weekly breakfast study sessions, discussing a proposed new generalized land use plan for Medford. Included in the discussion has been a good deal of talk about a plan for a redesigned arterial street system in the core area, one which would alleviate in large measures the traffic congestion on Main st. and Central ave. Though it is still too early for any conclusive statistics, the recent opening of the Interstate 5 bypass through Med ford is expected to take considerable pressure off Central ave. by rerouting transient traffic. The city council recently passed an ordinance setting up the mechanics for creation of an off-street parking district. To this point, it hasn't been implemented, but it is clearly a step in the right direction. Loll Are Almost Adequate Park and Shop lots, if one can extrapolate from figures compiled from one week in August last year, seldom reach the saturation point and are, temporarily at least, almost adequate to the off-street parking problem. But perhaps the most hopeful sign of all is the stir of interest in rejuvenation that is beginning to emanate from some though not yet enough of the downtown merchants and property owners. Nothing tangible has been accomplished up to now. Ac tually, they haven't even begun the serious talking stage. But the notion is now generally prevalent that something drastic needs to be done in Medford's central business dis trict to pump new life into it No Positive Assurance Much needs to be done, anil there is no positive assurance that anything will ever get beyond coffeetalk. But the seed of a new, self-help attitude seems to be evident among some downtown leaders. If the seed takes root and grows and there are many who say it must Medford may, in a few years, have a central business district that will be the thriving showplace of all southern Oregon and northern California. Hatfield's Office Has'NoComment' On House Battle Use of Proxy Vote at Issue Salem (UPP The governor's office had "no comment" to day on a House power strug gle that could ("clay Monday's s c h e d uled inauguration of Gov. Mark Hatfield and or ganization of the 1963 House of Representatives. At issue is the use of a proxy vote for Rep, Sidney Leikert '(D-Roseburg) who is in Los Angeles with his ill wife, and may not be able to return here in time for Sunday night's House caucus or Monday's scheduled open ing of the legislative session. The power fight centers around Clarence Barton (D Coquille), speaker -designate of the House, and House Mi nority Leader F. F. Montgom ery (R-Eugene). Barton said Montgomery at first approved use of a proxy vote for Leiken, then notified him that he had withdrawn the approval and would leave the proxy decision up to the full Republican delegation. Edge Thin The Democrats hold a 31-29 edge in House membership. Leiken's absence would cut the Democrats' margin to one vote. Barton said he was not sure the House could be organized with such a close party split. He said adamantly "If we can't organize the House, we'll just have to wait." If the House is not organ ized, the constitutional re quirement of the House can vassing the vote for governor could not be met, and Mon day's inauguration might have to be delayed. Youth Trapped by Weight in Shop Jerry Lee. Morris,. 18, of 734 Wilson rd., Central Point, lay trapped in near freezing temperatures for over 44 hours last night with ''one leg pinned under 500 pounds of weight before being rescued. Morris, an employee of Nye and Naumes Packing com pany, 619 South Grape st., was reported in fair condi tion at Rogue Valley hospital today. He suffered a broken leg. According to city police, Morris was injured about 10:20 p.m. when a counter balance weight on a fork-lifi truck on which he was work ing in the packing house's machine shop broke and fell across his legs. Officers said Morris was able to pry one leg from beneath the weight, but could not release the other. He lay there until about 3:08 o'clock this morning, when his cries for help were finally heard by a security patrol officer. Three city police officers were able to lift the weight from Morris' leg. He was taken to the hospital by Med ford Ambulance Service. Mercury Dips to 12; Colder Is Forecast Temperature at the Med ford station of the U.S. weath er bureau dropped to 12 de grees this morning and an even colder thermometer reading is anticipated tonight. Prediction is for a low of 5 degrees as clear and cold weather continues. A Satur day night low of 5 to 10 is forecast, Crater lake this morning had a low of 9 degrees below zero and Howard Prairie had a zero reading. Grants Pass reported 18 and Ashland 17. Slide EC ills 4 aim regoo Fifth Member of Lane Logging Parfy Rescued Earth Gives Way Without Warning Eugenc-d'Pll-Four members of a logging party were killed when buried in a sudden mud and snow slide at a lumber operation about 50 miles east of here Thursday. One other member of the party survived and .'as rescued. The victims were Edward Hinkle, 24, Springfield; Wil liam A. Thompson, 23, Fall Creek; Gerald E. Pitts, also of Springfield, and Thomas Bowman, 23, Finn Rock. A. J. Irvin, 41, Springfield, was rescued more than an hour after the slide and was taken to a Springfield hos pital. He was reported in fair condition with a broken an kle, bruises and cuts. Hillslide Gave Way David Burwell, a forester who witnessed the incident, said he saw the party logging the side of a deep canyon. Burwell said the men had just attached a guy line from a spar pole to a tree stub on the hillside when "the whole hill side gave way" without warn ing. Later at the hospital, Irvin told Lane county sheriff's officers he had just started uphill to pick up slag on the line when he noticed some twigs begin to move. "I knew what that meant," Irvin said. "I've been in plen ty of slides before." Tossed Around He said he started running downhill with the slide. "I was tossed around quite a bit," Irvin said. "Then I saw a hole between two logs and dove into it." Thai's where rescuers found him almost an hour and a half-later.- He' was--buried head first in the slide, his head and upper torso buried and his feet sticking up in the air. Sheriff's officers said the slide was 150 to 350 feet wide and 40 to 50 feel deep. Equip ment later was withdrawn from the scene because of fear of further slides. Rogue Valley Edition Medford 57th Year Price 10 Cents Tribune 18 Pages Two Sections MEDFORD, OREGON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 1963 No. 253 Man Hurt When Ke Falls Off Car Harry Neil, 37, of 854 East Ninth st., Medford, fell off a tank car at the California-Pacific Utilities company gas storage plant, Second and Front st., this morning when he stepped back as a relief valve popped, city firemen re ported. Neil was taken by ambu lance to Sacred Heart hospi tal for treatment and later re leased. The mishap occurred about 10:10 o'clock this morning. Firemen said that excessive pressure in the tank car caus ed the valve to release. Neil was checking the car. There was no fire. WEATHER FORECAST: Con tf nurd Hear and cold through Saturday night. Tonight's low near 3. Itich Saturday 35-40. Low Sat urday night S-10. Temp. Illchftit YrstfTday 42 Lowed Thia Morning 12 Our Skies Tonight Sunset today 4:59 p.m. Runrlif tomorrow .. 7:49 a.m. Moonrise tonight .... 7:04 p.m. tail Quarter Jan. 17 The planet, Man, teen tonight between the Moon and the ttar. Regulut, I. now a tittle over ? million miles from the Karth. NEWS(BRIEFS IT Ml FROM jJ 1 Anti-PoW Tax Ratification Urged Washington - H'M - Sen. Maurine B. Ncuberger (D Ore.) today urged the Oregon Legislature to ratify the anti poll tax amendment to the constitution. Scenic Commission Schedules Hearings Portland -TPH- The Oregon Scenic Areas Commission said today it will hold hearings at Salem Feb. 13 and at Reeds port Feb. 14 to consider desig nating scenic areas along two state highways. AROUND THI OlOM TEST BAN TALKS MAY BE RENEWED Waihington-JlPli-The Unittd Slates and Russia art ex plorlng tht possibility of a new round of nuclear test ban talks between now and mid-February, sources said today. MEREDITH TARGET OF ROWDYISM Oxford, Mist.-'IPI'-Mort than 400 Univtrtity oi Mississippi studtntt, torn scrtaming "Co horn, you nigger," Thursday night stagtd tht rowditst demonstration against James H. Mtrtdith sinct last fall. KHRUSHCHEV CONFERS IN POLAND Wartaw-4PI-Soviet Prtmitr Nikila S. Khrushchev con ferred with Polish leaders today during a stopover "rest" en routt to tht East Gtrman Communist party congrtst in Berlin. CONGO REUNIFICATION CHANCE SAID GOOD Washington-lrli-Secre!ery of Blata Dean Rusk taid lodty that propsecls for reunifying tht Congo "art belter now than they have betn for tome time." City Planners Name Officers; Deny Requests The Medford planning com mission last night elected its officers for 1963. Elwood Hedberg, 1690 Grand ave., was elected presi dent, Lawrence Horton, 509 North Barneburg rd., was named vice president, and Ned Langford, 432 Lynwood ave., city planning director, was chosen secretary. Following election of offi cers, the group voted to deny a request for a variance to permit the construction of a carport at 515 West Jackson st. The matter had been con tinued from the previous meeting to permit the com mission to study the proposal further. The group unanimously rec ommended to the city council that a zone change request for property located at 1205 East Main st. be approved. The change, if approved by the council, would be from single-family to multiple family. The commission also voted to recommend approval of the construction of a sign at the entrance to Siskiyou Memo rial park at Siskiyou blvd. and Highland dr. Proprietors of Siskiyou Me morial park submitted a re designed sign after an earlier request for a sign had been vetoed by former Mayor John W. Snyder. The applicants propose the sign for identifi cation purposes. The commission voted unan imously to deny a request for a change of xone from single and two-famlly-for-property located at 1209 South Holly st. An office building had been proposed for the location by the applicants. Budget Discussions To Start by County Preliminary budget discus sions with county department heads will start within the next two weeks, Jackson County Judge Earl M. Miller said today. The county court will issue all departments new forms to enable administrators to re port any proposed salary In creases or change of employee job classifications, Miller said. This may expedite prelimi nary budget studies, but it will be difficult to reduce ma terially the length of time spent in county budget studies, Miller said. "We have our regular coun ty agenda sessions, plus other county business to consider," Miller said. "It would be diffi cult to have the budget com mittee meet more than twice a week to speed up the process." The preliminary budget meetings may develop into regular meetings between de partment heads and the coun ty court to consider adminis trative problems, Miller indi cated this mornng. Tshombe at Odds With Followers Elisabcthville, Katanga, The Congo (UPIt Katanga Presi dent Moise Tshombe today was reported bitterly at odds with some of his followers over future cooperation with the United Nations. Sources close to Tshombe said the most serious rift was with Interior Minister Gode froid Munnngo, the most vio lently antl - United Nations member of the Katanga cab inet. Tshombe went to the border town of Mokambo Thursday in a bid to talk his followers into returning here to get the Katangese government func tioning again now that the United Nations has used force to reintegrate the Congo. SPEECH SCHEDULED Portland -UPli- Former La bor Secretary James Mitchell has been scheduled to speak at the annual Oregon Brother hood banquet at the Multno mah Hotel here Feb. 23. V- K "V. ',T ' .: t' ., ' v v . 4 ... v. ! 5 J j rn&SH srPHP tm u ...t - ., . .... . .. v.,u ,.,a ocuni puuiuKi apii wiiun iiiu piHiie crasneu in a iieiu in me shows the plane in which two Rogue valley White City area. (Knackstedt Photo) pilots were injured yesterday afternoon Two Valley Pilots Are Injured When PlaneCrashes Into Field Two young pilots were in jured when their light plane crashed into a field near An telope rd. four miles east of White City yesterday after noon. Lee Gosselt, 23, Eagle Point, and Roger Farrell,. 23, Cen. tral Point, .were reported in fair condition at Rogue Valley hospital this morning, Gossctt is being treated for a broken right ankle, and Farrell suf fered facial injuries and bn ken toes. The two men said they were making commercial maneu vers in the practice flight range. Before they knew what happened they regained con sciousness to find their plane had landed upright in the field, but had hit on a right wing and its nose, according to reports. Farrell, the instructor, freed himself and went for help at nearby farmhouse. Gossetl was pinned by his ankle under the floorboard. While Farrell had gone for help, the' downed plane was noticed by, Ross Connor, line man, foreman,, and Forrest Thom'asbn, heavy equipment operator. Pacific Power and Light-. company; -.: . ;. . . . The two men who were on their way to a job with a hole- digger, radioed to the PP and L service center which called I the Medford Ambulance serv ice. . , : . The two pilots said they were not stunting at the time of the accident, but are not sure what happened to cause I the plane to crash. Congressmen Feud Over Key Positions Washington -IUPD- Action in the new 88th Congress moved backstage today with House Democrats and Republicans feuding separately over key committee and leadership posts. Outcome of their intramu ral squabbles could bear heav ily on the fate of some of President Kennedy's legisla tive proposals, Including his controversial plan for hospital care for tnc aged. After a fast, furious takeoff on Wednesday, followed by routine talkfests and no action Thursday, the new Congress was in recess today until Mon day when Kennedy will deliv er his State of the Union mes sage to a joint House-Senate session at 9:30 a.m. (PST). County Farm Home Complies With Laws The Jackson county farm home has complied with all laws, rules and regulations of the slate fire marshal, accord ing to a letter received today by the Jackson county court. Recently, the farm home es tablished a fire control alarm system, put in exit doors, cov ered all individual room doors with asbestos, hung new fireproof drapes and blocked the attic off into 2,- 500 foot square areas, County Judge Earl M. Miller noted. Groener Asks Probe Of Primate Center Portland - (UPI) - A former legislator who led a drive for expanded research facilities in Oregon Thursday called for an Investigation of the Oregon Primate Research Center con troversy by the Oregon Legis lature. Former Sen. Richard Groe ner, a Milwauklc Democrat, said he is afraid the hassle may hinder thn state's long range economic growth. I Problems of Bear Creek Drainage Are Aired by Officials Meacham Marks 39 Below Zero; Medford Has 12 Warming Trend Early Next Week Portland - (IPD - Tempera tures plunged below zero in Eastern Oregon early today and below the freezing mark in all of Western Oregon. And, said the weather man, it's going to get colder. Meacham in the Blue Moun tains had an unofficial 39 be low. A blast of arctic air from the north, coupled with a high pressure system, sent the mer-v-cury plummeting. There was some cheer, though, because the high pressure kept snow out of the state. May Approach Record The Weather Bureau said in its five day outlook that East ern Oregon temperatures may near all-time record lows of 10 to 30 below zero in the next few days. Lows of zero to 20 below were predicted there tonight. Western Oregon is in for it, too. Forecasts called for lows to 5 to 10 above in the Wil lamette Valley tonight and the five-day outlook listed lows to ff below, Worried motorists put rush on antl - freeze while nurserymen feared for their crops. At 7 a.m. today Pendleton had 9 below zero, the coldest official reading in Oregon re ported to the Weather Bureau here. But in addition to Mca cham's 39 below, Austin had 22 below. 3 Above at Klamath Some other official lows early today included Baker minus 8, Redmond minus 5, Lakeview minus 1, Klamath Falls 3 above, The Dalles 6 above, and in Western Ore I gon, all above zero, Astoria 17, Medford 12, Roseburg 17, Eugene 15, Salem 12, Port land 14, Newport 17, North Bend 27, and Brookings 30. on yes, the- temperatures will moderate early next week. At that time, said the weather man, "a little snow" is expected. . . Biting east winds whipped through the Columbia Gorge. TImberJine Lodge on Ml. Hood reported gusts of wind to 60 miles per hour this morning. The problems man has cre ated with the streams of wa ter with which nature has en dowed him were aired in Med ford Thursday afternoon In the Jackson county court house auditorium at one of the largest meetings to date inspired by the Dec. 2 flood in the Rogue valley. Representatives of the U.S. Geological Survey, Soil Con servation Service and the Rogue Basin Flood Control County Judge Earl Miller said this morning a county ordinance may bt ntcttsary to Insure proper meinte nanct and operation of wa ter drainage channtlt In Jackson county. Enabling legislation from tht state legislature may be necessary to allow pas sage of such an ordinance. Miller said. The county court learned during yesterday after noon's meeting thai keep ing drainage channels clear of debris is tht major prob lem. The Dec. 2 flood pointed up drainage problems, par ticularly in tht Btar crttk basin, Millar nottd. and Water Resources associa tion exchanged ideas with men from the slate highway department. Members of the Izaak Wal ton league and representa tives of the Southern Pacific railroad voiced their opinions and heard the findings of wa ter masters, engineers, mana gers of irrigation districts and other city and county officials, farmers and lawyers. All, drawn together at the invitation of County Judge Earl Miller, were seeking a way to preserve southern Oregon properties from the threat of water, without which no arra could survive. Discussion Strays 'Drainage problems in the Bear creek basin, was the topic announced for the meet ing. But the discussion stray ed far beyond the environs of the Bear creek basin as It is known to most citizens. All arras, damaged when creeks and irrigation districts went on the rampage In town and country Dec. 2, were rep resented. Some speakers blamed the builders of subdivisions, high ways and bridges for the wild courses taken by the streams. Others talked of logging oper ations, canal aprons, failure to clean out channels and the need for higher storage. Frtqutntly Mtntioned "Suburbia" and "asphalt culture" were frequently mentioned as undesirable de velopments which are here to stay. Judge Miller repeatedly asked the speakers If thoy fa vored a county-wide levy to provide for an annual pro gram to deal with the prob lem. He explained frequently that the meeting was for dis cussion purposes only and that he was not trying to sell people on a county levy. Many speakers favored the county-wide levy. Others said expense should be financed by the basin proper. Growth of the Bear creek basin has brought about changes which Interfere with the natural water patterns, the county official explained at the opening of the meeting. The December flood brought the realization to many that there Is need for correction of the drainage system to pro tect property and Individuals. WILDLIFE MEETING SET Corvallis-IUPD-The Oregon Wildlife Federation will hold Its annual winter meeting here Saturday and Sunday. Cardinal Takes Credit for Money Boston-IIJPD-Rictiard Cardl- nal Cushing. Roman Catholic archbishop of Boston, says he Is the "mysterious donor" who raised $1 million to help free prisoners captured in the ill-fated April 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. The cardinal said Thursdav' he worked night and day and I alone am responsible for the collection of this extra ordinary sum. The credit, however, belongs to my co workers and benefactors in the United States and Latin America who have supported my apostolic work." In a statement appearing o d a y in the archdiocesan weekly newspaper, the Pilot, he sn!d he was disclosing his part In raising the ransom money because of "rumors crediting the gifts as coming from sources with which I have no identification." December Jobs Up Over 196 Figure Salem (UPD Approximately 680,000 workers held jobs in Oregon during December, an Increase of some 17,500 over December of 1961, the Em ployment Department said to day. Unemployment was 38,400, down by about 6,000 from the level of December, 1981. 1961-63 Biennium Seen Period of Advancement Salom-(UPI-Gov. Mark Hat field today termed the 1061 63 biennium a period "of advancement along the Ore gon Trail." The statement was Includ ed In Hatfield's biennial re port of executive department which traced progress noted during the past two years. The governor said the state's program of economic diversification moved ahead. Ho said Oregon's economy "In 1962 afforded work oppor tunity to more people than ever before In history," while non-farm employment reach ed a record level. Hatfield said tourism "took a stronger hold on Its position as Oregon's third largest In dustry," setting records In 19H1 and 1962. The governor expressed dis appointment over failure of 4 the legislature to reorganize the state government in 1961, and said some recommenda tions will be resubmitted this year. He said new facilities and programs were provided in the fields of health, education and welfare. Hatfield noted he made more than 400 appointments during the biennium. The gov ernor also listed 15 out-of-state trips to attend confer ences, briefings, funerals, make speeches and vacation. Other highlights: Awarding of $131 mil lion in highway contracts. -Capital construction worth some $33 million. Civil defense develop ment of a fallout shelter pro gram. , Airport Improvement. A $104 million vcterani loan program. A
