i ;
THURSDAY. MAY 23. 1963
MEDFOHD MAIL TRIBUNE, MtDFORD, OREGON
MEDrORD MAIL TRIFUNE, MEDFORD. OREGON rHTTRSDAT, WAT M. INI mj
Nation Examines Mine Safety Rules on Heels of Two Disasters
Majority of Representatives Are Hard-Working Dedicated
' M .. .. .mi i ii.u i. .m,iiii,i. iim uimiiH h well taken uo i and unallowed office ex-iiressmen and Ser
By MARIJANE DUNCAN
Washington, D. C. So
much has been written and
said about what Congressmen
do end don't do, should and
shouldn't do, that perhapi the
reading public is a little
weary of it all.
Still, it seems to me the
negative has been stressed to
the detriment of the public
concept of what a Congress.
man really is and what most
of them actually do with their
time here in Washington
We have not been here long
enough so that I can qualify
as any kind of an expert. I
must base my observations on
short acquaintance with na
tional affairs plus personal
acquaintance with some Con
gressmen and their wives,
Experience in Politics
Several years' experience
in state politics and slate
government may lend some
validity to my opinions; it
was here that I realized how
the misconceptions harbored
by the average citizen about
legislator! and legislative af
fairs are nourished by pub
licity about the misbehaviours
of some public servants.
Of course malfeasance in
office exists, as It always has.
People who get elected to of
fice are still people. In every
legislative body, including
the Congress, there are those
who will abuse privileges, and
those who will not. There are
a lot who will work hard and
do their best, and some who
will fritter away their time
' (and the taxpayers' money).
But I firmly believe that
the great majority of elected
representatives are honest,
hard-working, dedicated, and
able. Unfortunately, these are
not the kind of lawmakers
who make "good copy."
Start Early, Finish Lata
Most Congressmen start
their day early and finish it
late. Dinner can never be
planned before seven (if he
comes home for dinner at all).
And this applies to Saturdays
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Keating Returns
From California Trip
Rodney Keating, Valley
View orchardist and former
Jackson county Judge, has re
turned from a short vacation
in California during which he
Joined his son, Ens. Timothy
Keating, U.S. Navy, on the
Attack Cargo Ship Seminole
on the trip from San Fran
cisco to Vallejo.
It was as Commander
USNR, retired, that lie made
the Journey, since civilians
are not allowed travel on the
attack ship, Keating pointed
out.
The Seminole recently re
turned from six months In the
Orient and will he in and out
of San Diego until December,
when she returns to the
Orient. On the last trip, the
ship returned the much dis
cussed Thailand art exhibit to
Bangkok.
a. well as ' th liddltional
working days.
If a Congressman lias only
one major committee, he is
busy; for he will serve on
several of its subcommittees
which meet several times a
week, attend the meetings of
the whole committee, attend
the sessions (though this it
not compulsory as it is In the
Oregon legislature, unless ma.
Jor legislation comes to the
floor), keep up on pending
legislation, work on his own
bills, answer stacks of mail
daily, sec a steady stream of
visitors, meet with govern
ment officials and other
members of Congress, take
field trips to become acquaint
ed with federal projects, do
a lot of outside reading to
keep himself informed on
what our government Is doing
or needs to be doing and what
is happening in other coun
tries that could affect us -and,
of course, keep abreast
of the particular problems of
his own district and state.
No On Qualifies
I had heard of the "Tuesday
to Thursday" club before
coming to Washington. There
may be such a thing, but I
haven't met anybody yet who
qualifies. Even if Congress
only met three days a week,
which it doesn't, a member's
time would be well taken up
with all his other responsi
bilities. This may explain, too, why
It Is not easy for a faraway
representative to visit his dis
trict often, aside from the ob
vious reason that he can't af
ford many such trips.
A Congressman's wife could
say a lot on the subject of
what can and cannot be af
forded. Maintaining two
homes is expensive, living in
Washington Is expensive, and
there are many drains on an
MC's salary that aren't re
alized, such as trips home,
TV and radio tapes to keep
one's constituents informed,
and unallowed office ex
penses.
And it Is true that there
are more social obligations to
be met here than at home.
Baby-sitting takes a large
slice out of our budget. So
does transportation, living as
faf out of the District as we
do. Still, if we move closer
in, we will find our rent In
creased accordingly.
So, why do people take on
all this hard work, frustra
tion, and criticism, uproot
themselves and their families
from their homes, and come
to Washington?
There is no simple answer
or one that applies to all Con
gressmen and Senators equal
ly. For some, it may be per
sonal aggrandizement; not
many, I think. Most come up
the political route, running
for lesser office first. For
these it is a sort of evolve
ment. But I think a better word
is "involvement" - involve
ment in the affairs of man
kind, if you will. For no one
can be a good representative
of the people if he is not in
volved with all of them - and
with each of them - to the
point of being willing to
sublimate his personal de
sires and inclinations to
theirs.
OSU SummerClasses To Start June 17
Corvaliie Oregon State
university's summer session
will open June 17 and end
either 8 or 12 weeks later de
pending on wants and needs
of individual students.
The eight-week session will
be completed Aug. 9, but an
additional four weeks of inter
session will then be offered
ending Sept. 8. By putting the
two programs together, a stu
dent may earn 18 credits
a full-quarter's program plus,
according to Dr. Franklin R.
Zeran, dean of education and
director of summer session.
The eight-week session is
particularly well adapted to
public school teachers who
are interested in doing ad
vanced study but ho do not
have the time to attend a
longer summer school, Zeran
explained.
Course offerings at OSU
will be expanded again this
summer In keeping with the
university's program of year
round school, he added.
NAMED MANAGER
Klamath Falls Mrs. Alma
C. Mullis, Klamath Falls of
fice employee of California
Pacific Utilities company, has
been promoted to district of
fice manager, according to V.
V. Lyman, Southern Oregon
and Shasta division manager
of the local gas company.
Local Permits for
Buildings Increase
Building perii'- increased
in Medfcrd and Grants Pass .
in April, 1963, compared to
April, 1962, the University of
Cgon bureau of business re
search has reported.
In April, 1963, the total in
Medford was $734,235, up
from $451,874 the ' same
month last year, and Grants
Pass' total last month was
$306,075, up from $155,373.
Statewide last month's
building permits showed an
8.2 per cent drop compared to
April, 1962, according to the
report.
By NORMAN RUNNION
United Press International
Washington - (UPli - At 10:28
a.m. on Friday, Dec. 6, 1907,
an enormous explosion ripped
through coal workings at the
West Virginia town of Mono-gah-
and thereby created a
landmark in the long and grim
history of mine disasters.
Of 367 men who had gone
below that day in No. 6 and
No. 8 mines, S62 died. It was
the highest death total in the
history of U.S. coal mining
operations.
Just last month, at 10:58
p.m. on April 25 a blast shat
tered Compass Shaft No. 2,
some 330 feet underneath the
surface at Dola, W. Va. This
time 22 miners were killed.
Between these two disasters
lie 53 years, vast improve
ments in mine safety and
technology, thousands of dead
men, and sobbing widows at
the pit heads.
There are some who argue
that 35 years from now, if by
then men continue to work
deep in the earth in an indus
try that even today is wobbly
on its feet, explosions and
deaths still will be inevitable.
Periodically, however, and
usually on the heels of a
disaster, the nation is stirred
into re-examining the safety
rules and regulations of the
mines. Such a period is right
now, in the aftermath of two
major explosions that have
claimed 59 lives in the past
five months. The first was in
December at Carmichaels,
Pa., where 37 died and the
second at Dola.
Kennedy Acts
On May 1, President Ken
nedy directed Interior Secre
tary Stewart L. Udall to work
with state officials in "an in
tensive review of present mine
safety regulations and prac
tices." He also asked him for
a prompt report on possible
new federal legislation need
ed to minimize accidents.
Udall in turn wrote to the
governors of the nine major
coal producing states - Ala
bama, Illinois, Ken t u c k y,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennes
see, Utah, Virginia and West
Virginia - inviting state mine
officials to a conference in
Washington to discuss the sit
uation. He said he might
schedule a later meeting with
industry and labor representatives.
The President said the
alarming thing about the Car
michaels and Dola explosions
was that they came after al
most seven years free of disas
ters with heavy casualties.
In his letter to Udall, he
said that "considering the ac
cident prevention measures
available to industry, and the
inspection and compl i a n c e
powers presently available to
the state and federal agencies
charged with supervising mine
safely - I consider such loss
of life unacceptable."
The "inspection and com
pliance powers" mentioned by
the President have been avail
able to the federal govern
ment for a mere 11 years.
Disasters Many
This is despite the fact that
since 1839, when 53 men were
killed in a shaft near Rich
mond, Va., more than 13,000
coal workers have died in
major U.S. mining disasters.
Throughout the great produc
tive years of the industry
there were no federal laws
that could force the companies
to protect the men who toiled
deep in the ground.
In 1940 and 1941, however,
there came a change. A series
of disasters, including six ma
jor explosions in 1940 that
took the lives of 300 men.
brought the federal foot in
the door.
Pressed by President John
L. Lewis and his United Mine
Workers, and backed by the
Franklin D. Roosevelt admin
istration, the 77th Congress in
1941 enacted the Coal Mines
Inspection and Investigation
Act, Public Law 49.
This gave the Secretary of
the Interior power to make in
spections and investigations of
health and safety conditions
in mines. But all he could do
was publish reports of the
findings. There was no author
ity to enforce safety stand
ards. Then on Dec. 21, 1951, came
disaster at Orient No. 2 mine
In West Frankfort, III. In the
words of the Bureau of Mines
report:
119 Killed
"The night shift entered the
mine at the No. 4 shaft and
the man-trips left the shaft
bottom about 6:25 p.m., reach
ing the woiking sections
about 20 to 30 minutes later.
About 7:40 p.m. the explosion
caused the death of 118 of the
V?nn w ivr?f?f? r?iAW( n rtrar tbti rnrrann f a nnn
3smsm
GCUB
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ressie
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FULL QUART
s9
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employees and members of their immediate
family. Disfigured cards are void. No purchase
is necessary.
All Winning Cards Must Be Verified Before Pay
ment. Only Rona Fide Spell C-A-S-H Cards Will
Be Honored.
Lake. M Hubs
Cream
O' the
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Fresh
2 doz.
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ID)
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Cragmont
Regular or Low Calorie
14 Delicious Flavors
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59
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Box of 400
w
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303 can
5:1
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Shop tba store tbal lives yog mora.
We Give
STAMPS
Save at you spend at Safeway
. . . low, low price's, plus Gold
Bond Stamps.
CATSUP
Highway tomato catsup
r-1
FRUIT COCKTAIt
Town House variety fruits
No.303 C F 5
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o SAVE o
Kraft Dressing
DEL MONTE PINEAPPLE
GRAPEFRUIT PRINK 46-oz. can
LOW, LOW PRICES PLUS GOLD BOND STAMPS
7
0h
l&if J;'4& M . It---. V-
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Via
w
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Miracla Frtnch
8 ot. jar
French Dressing $X:iZ7
Kratt
for Colt
Slaw. S oi.
29c
29c
41c
41c
Catalina Dressing
Kraft Dressing
Hash Browns frm... 2 fr 39c
Dog Food v:LF,;;it 6c.n, 59c
Charcoal Lighter :.';?,!'.? 39c
Real Gold Fruil Base
Hills Bros. Coffee
Edwards Coffee
Dr. Pepper
Umon, Crap,
Pineapple-Grapefruit,
Orange, Blend. 6 et. can
Fresh taatlng
even reheated-
2-lb. can
Full bodied flavor cup after cup.
Fineat quality.-
Cool and Refreshing
Plus Deposit
Mayonnaise
Piedmont
Full
Quart
3gc
FRESH APPLE ROLLS
35'
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Strawberry
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Vanilla
Neapolitan
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5,89c
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6 s; 59e
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U.S.D.A. Choice Aged Beef
RIB ROAST
Full of
juice
Perfect for
stuffing
doz. 39c
3 ,or 25c Romaine Lettuce
Sunkist Lemons
Bell Peppers
Cauliflower Sr-" ,19c Avocados
ARTICHOKES
Grand with
ateaka
Buttery ripe;
low in calorlet
Serve with mayonnaiie
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69c M
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men In the mine: 4 were res
cued (1 of whom died) and 133
escaped uninjured."
Like so many others, Orient
No. 2 blew up because an
accumulation of methane gas
was somehow touched off.
Subsequent investigation re
vealed that federal mine in
spectors, going down into the
mine six months before the
disaster, had warned of haz
ards that could cause an ex
plosion. On July 16, 1952, seven
months after the 119 victims
were buried, Congress enact
ed the Federal Coal Mine
Safely Act. Under it, federal
inspectors were given author
ity to require compliance with
mine safely provisions or in
voke penalties. The "teeth"
had finally been added.
The catch, in the view of
many of the miners, was that
the law applies only to those
mines which employ 15 or j
more men. Some state laws, '
such as those in West Virginia,
cover everything.
Praiiet Mine Laws
For this reason, Raymond
O. Lewis, president of United
Mine Workers District 17 and
brother of John L told a re
porter recently that "on my
part, I can say right down
the line that the United Mine
Workers Union is happy with
West Virginia's mining laws.
In my opinion, West Virginia
has one of the most enlighten
ed mine safety laws of any
state. While not a cure-all for
all dangers in this most dan
gerous occupation, the laws
have done a great deal."
Lewis said he hoped that
the Federal Mine Safety Act
would be extended to mine
operations employing less
than 15 men, as Is the case in
West Virginia. It is ridicu
lous, he said, that a man work
ing In a large mine is entitled
to more protection than a man
in a small mine.
One who feels exactly the
same is Rep. John H. Dent, a
Democrat from the coal
mining state of Pennsylvania.
He has Introduced a bill to
extend federal coverage to
any and all mines.
In a speech to the House
recently, he said: "Any person
interested in the industry
knows full well that there has
been a growing tendency on
the part of large mine oper
ators and coal land owners to
divide up large areas of coal
lands Into small contract
mining operations to circum
vent the mine safety law."
Admits Oppoiitton
He acknowledged o p p o s I
tlon to his bill, but said:
I remember well the argu
ments used against the pass
age of the original mine safe
ty bill. I am hearing them
again today. It is too costly.
We cannot afford lo do all the
tilings the federal law re
quires. We will have to shut
down operations and throw
men out of work. Our state
examinations are enough. Fed
eral examination is an un
necessary duplication.
"Yet, we all know that
mines did not shut down then.
That state examinations were
not enough. That federal ex
aminers with power to close
down unsafe mines did bring
more safety to every mining
stale In the union. The figures
speak for themselves. The
very idea that a federal in
spector might be making an
appearance at any mine, any
where, anytime, tends to keen
state inspectors on their toes
and alert for violations." ,
In that speech Dent Quoted
this remark by Charles Fer
guson, safety director of the
United Mine Workers:
"At least 95 per cent of all
Injuries and fatalities In coal
mines are preventable and
only occur because of the fail
ure of all concerned to apply
the knowledge they possess
and have not used."
In the Pennsylvania anthra
cite area, there Is an inscrip
tion on a miner's tombstone.
"Forty years I worked with
pick and drill
Down in the mines against my
will,
The coal king's slave; but now
it s past,
Thanks be to God I'm free at
last."
Mr. Wright's
Top quality
Reg. 39c -Today
Bread wh"uw!iri,',2Vt hi. loai 3 89c
Hamburger Buns JtataiM. rk. e I 33c
Sittxr tvaranttti
ll.m i( nlli.
Ymi mart k latiifitd
9 your meny will
i.tundtd.
Asparagus Margarine
Walla Walla Fleithman'a Wondorfu
for tandw
27c: lity.. lb. 43c : B"'30
Cut (peart
Picnict
.each
S Zee Bags
for tandwichet 1A
IUU
Green Peas I Shortening S Modess
Walla Walla Spry. Vegetable Sanitary
303 .n 2 45c : ar:.:9 89c : m. $1.73
Toilet Tissue
pk 27c
More Meat Values at Safeway
Pork Chops sir .:!.:!::; 69c Spencer Steaks XX S1.39
Rib Steaks
aged beef bone In. lb.
79c
Boiling Beef
Halibut Steaks.cr.ln,fr;, 69c
Plate cut,
Real economy.
15c Pork Loins
Whole or full half. Pro
ceiiod for your froeter. lb.
49c
Chiffon, White,
pasrelt ...
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Toilet Tissue
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4 roll Va7C
Ptltti affective
Thur.r, May 23
tfireuflh Sunday
May 26 at S.f.wiy
In Mtdfora. W.
r.i.rv. the rif fit
le limit.
Barber Shop Chorus
Presents Program
The newly organised Bar
ber Shop Chorus and Quartet
presented Its first program
before a group recently when
members sang at the Rogue
Valley Manor.
Some of the members ' the
group were from Grants ass
Including their leader, Bert
Broer. The local group is af
filiated with the Society for
the Preservation and Encour
agement of Barber Shop Quar
tet Singing in America.
They meet each Tuesday at
8 p.m. in the Crater High
school music room in Central
Point. There are 36 men in
the chorus.
At the recent appearance
the group sang a number of
old time favorites including
"Down By the Old Mill
Stream," "When You Wore a
Tulip," and "In the Shade
of the Old Apple Tree."
Other public appearancei
of the group are being planned.
'HI
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