6 A
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER IT, (063
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON
Congressman Discusses IVide Range of Subjects During Brief 'Office Hours';
By GEORGE H, BELL
Mall Tribune Staff Writer
When a U.S. Congressman re
turns to his home district to
hold "office hours," he never
knows what problems will walk
in his door.
But he must be open and
ready to hear his constituents
on any subject they want to
present. And he must got to the
heart of the matter since time
is at a premium as quickly as
possible.
He must be friendly and tact
ful: everyone who comes to see
mm is a voter, wnen ne is noi
able to offer relief or agree
ment, he has to be able to pre
sent his counter argument or
point of view clearly and rea
sonably, yet with a certain
toughness so that he won't ap
pear to "weasel."
When Rep. Robert Duncan
came "home" last week and
set up shop in the library of
his former law firm in the
Franklin Building, he had am
ple opportunity to demonstrate
his ability in this area of hu
man relations.
For nearly two and a half
hours without a break Duncan
talked with a wide variety of
Medford area residents about a
kaleidoscope of problems, proj
ects and dilemmas.
Some of the matters, of
course, the congressman was
"on top of" and completely fa
miliar with, but others, natur
ally, he heard about for the
first time when the constituent
presented his case.
Talk About Status
At 2 o'clock, Medford Lawyer
Frank J. Van Dyke and a group
of three other men came in to
talk about the current status of
the request for funds for Agate
Dam.
Duncan told them that the
Rogue Basin project was "in a
better position" than some oth
er projects in the country "be
cause they've already spent
funds on it."
But he cautioned nol as
absolutely certain. "Y., only
assurance Is that if it's in the
President's budget, it's reason
ably safe from cutting."
He said he had heard com
ment that having President
Kennedy fly over the Rogue
Basin project area a few weeks
ago was a grandstand stunt and
a waste of time.
"Well, It wasn't," he said,
"because now when I mention
it at the White House, they all
Know wnat rm talking about,
(The House Appropriations
Committee Friday approved
Bureau of Reclamation request
tor $3U0,uuu tor advance plan-
ning for the Agate dam project
of the Rogue River Basin.)
Duncan told the group that
he was considering, at the re
quest or the House Agriculture
committee, going to a meeting
in nome tnis weeK.
"I'm stili trying to get Ore
gon pears into Western Eu
rope," he said.
With a round of thanks and
handshakes, the group left about
2:15 o'clock, and a secretary
showed ui a young military
man.
For the only time during the
afternoon, Duncan indicated that
the interview should be kept
confidential.
The young man was in some
trouble at his military base and
after a series of brief, incisive
questions, Duncan said he would
see wnat ne could do.
At 2:25 o'clock, a valley or-
chardist came in for a short
chat about the Bracero bill
Duncan explained his vote on
the measure, how he had wres
tled with his conscience on the
matter, and received assurances
from the orchardist that he was
"doing a wonderful job."
Three men who were interest
ed in the South Talent Sanitary
District came in next. They
were concerned with what fed
eral assistance they might be
qualified to receive for the pur
chase and installation of a pump
system and underground pipes.
Duncan told them they
couldn't qualify for accelerated
public works funds since, in the
first place, Talent was not a
"distressed area," and anyway
there weren't any funds left.
"Water and air pollution are
PET TALK
ByM.I.L
CATS
It is no easy task to win
the friendship of a cat. He is
a philosopher, sedate and tran
quil. A creature of habit, a
lover of decency and order, he
does not bestow his regard light
ly and though he may consent
to be your companion, he will
never be your slave.
The tiny kitten can be abused
at Hvill. Few dogs will attempt
to defend themselves against a
brutal human being. But the
cat with an uncanny instinct for
recognizing a potential tormen
tor will if possible, avoid him.
But once cornered he will fight
back regardless of overwhelm
ing odds. He can not be con
quered, though he can be killed
but he will die fighting.
The cat-hater demands an
adversary who will grovel be
fore his ability to render abuse.
But the cat, gentle and affec
tionate under loving care, will
defend itself with claw and
fang when tormented.
Having survived almost fa
natical persecution through the
centuries, the cat is not going
to succumb now. His pride and
royal bearing earned him por
trayal, always at the feet of
the Roman Goddess of Liberty,
as an everlasting freedom sym-
bol. His very presence at the
hearthside ' bespeaks tranquility
In the home. The cat has con
founded his enemies to score
a triumph of spirit and he re
mains a loving and happy cap
tive in the lives of those who
cherish him.
national problems," Duncan
said. "Businessmen write to me
and say, 'Leave it alone, it'.
a local problem.' What they
reany mean is tney Mink they
can handle the state, but they
aren't so sure of the federal
government."
Would Contact Attorney
After about a 15 minute con
versation, during which he
studied a map the delegation
brought and discussed the pro
posed boundaries of the dis
trict, Duncan promised to con
tact the district's attorney about
procedures to follow in apply
ing for a 30 per cent federal
assistance grant.
When they left, a secretary
came with a handful of pink
telephone message slips. But
there wasn't time to make anv
of the calls, and during the aft
ernoon, the stack got bigger
and bigger. He frowned about it
and wondered out loud when he
was going to find time to return
the calls.
Next, the congressman had a
short chat with a couple about
their daughter's future in the
Women's Army Corps. The 19-
year-old girl was getting along
line, out Duncan agreed with
them that she should aDDlv for
omcers candidate scnool.
Discusses Payoff Period
At 2:57 o clock,, a property
owner in the Talent Irrigation
District came in to discuss the
payoff period on assessments.
He favored doubling the period
from its present 60 years to 120
years.
"Nobody's gone that far yet,"
Duncan told him, though he
noted that in some instances the
Corps of Engineers had doubled
the period from 50 to 100 years.
The two failed to reach agree
ment on the subject, but the dis
cussion remained amiable from
start to finish.
Next to come in were Med
ford City Manager Robert Duff
and City Planning Director Ned
Langford. During their nearly
30-minute interview, the city of
ficials explained their problem
with the "Biddle Road strip."
Map Shows Strip
They brought alone a mao
showing the narrow strip of
increase in Flu Is
Reported in County
A noticeable increase in in
fluenza in Jackson County is
included in the report of Ihe
Jackson County Public Health
Department for the week end
ing Nov. 15.
The report lists the cases of
communicable diseases. Influ
enza led the list witii a total of
87. There were 22 cases report
ed in Medford. There were 15
In Phoenix and 10 In Ashland.
Central Point had five cases,
Rogue River three and Jackson
ville, two.
Chicken pox cases, number
ing seven, were reported from
Talent. No other place reported
this disease. There were two
cases of measles, two of Ger
man measles, and one of Infec
tious mononucleosis, infectious
hepatitis and fifth disease in the
county, Dr. A. Erin Mcrkcl, di
rector of the department, reported.
Suggestions on cat feeding:
The secret of nutrious feeding
of cats is variety. Cats are es
sentially carnivorous and need
lot. of high-protein food of
which various meats, liver, kid
ney, heart, fish and eggs are
acceptable sources, however,
they do well on diets that also
include substantial amounts of
carbohydrates. It is unwise to
let a cat become attached to
any one food exclusively. Some
of the well known commercial
doe" foods containing a variety
of ingredients make good ra
tions for cats and may be feed
alone or combined with table
scraps. Vegetables are enjoyed
by some cats but do not appear
to be essential. Milk cither
canned or from cartons, is ex
cellent but does not appeal to
all. The amount of food required
varies from cat to cat and ac
cording to Its temperament and
mode of life. Canned baby
foods are useful in kitten feed
ing and in tempting a cat that
Is finicky or ill.
Fresh water should be avail
able at all times even though
a cat may rarely touch it.
Many of the commercial cat
foods lack essential nutrients
and should be fed only spar
ingly.
At this time of year, a warm
bed protected from drafts should
be provided for cats as well as
dogs. It is important to keep
uie Den cienn.
land trapped between the Inter
state 5 freeway and Biddle
Road.
The officials told Duncan they
wanted the Bureau of Public
Roads to buy the strip and give
it to the city for a park site
and for needed right-of-way for
the eventual widening of Biddle
Koad.
Duff explained the city was
willing to buy the land needed
for the street widening, but
couldn't afford to purchase the
wnole strip.
Duncan didn't offer them
much hope, but asked them to
mail the map and other data to
nis office in Washington, D.C.,
so he could look into the situa
tion further.
Looks Fresh, Alert
Throughout the entire after
noon, Duncan looked fresh and
alert; if the interview tired him,
it didn't show, or appear to
slow him down.
He had two plain briar pipes
wun mm, and one of uem was
kept lighted most of the time
He was dressed in a dated
gabardine suit, and wore the
familiar plaid tie which has be
come his trademark. On the
table behind him was a battered
raincoat and a light-colored,
wide-brimmed felt hat.
When Duff and Langford left.
the secretary came in with an
other handful of telephone mes
sages. He added them to the
pile in front of him. "It'll take
me a full day just to answer
these," he observed wryly.
Offers Company's Services -The
manager of the Medford
Western Union office, recently
transferred here from elsewhere
in the state, dropped in for a
few minutes to extend his "good
wishes" and offer the services
of his company.
At 3:40 o'clock, Dick House,
an old friend from the other
side of the political fence, came
in to discuss the Oregon Pub
lic Employes Retirement Pro
gram, which he felt was inadequate.
These state employes spend
their whole lives to achieve fi
nancial failure," House com
plained. He said he felt the re
tirement should be based on 90
to 130 per cent of the employe's
highest pay during his working
years.
Duncan discussed his experi
ence with the program during
his years in the state legisla
ture (he was Speaker of the
House for two consecutive ses
sions), and advised House to
communicate "for a start" with
Ken Bragg, state fiscal officer.
Concerned About Payments
Another old friend, Charles
Myers, a veteran of World War
I, entered the office just before
4 o'clock. He was concerned
with disability payments to
WWI veterans, which he said
were so low they were causing
real hardships among many of
his acquaintances.
Duncan read him a rough
draft of a bill which he is cur
rently working on for submis
sion to the House. "I think I
can get this passed," Duncan
told him, "and I think Presi
dent 'Kennedy will sign it."
Myers seemed to like Dun
can's proposed bill, and the
two promised to keep in touch
with each other.
At 4:07 o'clock, a Grants Pass
couple came in to talk about
their 22-year-old ." U, who has
an opportunity to participate in
the International Farm Youth
Exchange Program early next
year.
Chance to Travel
The youth has a chance to
travel abroad for nine month's
under the auspices of the pro
gram, but is facing a call from
the draft board. Duncan said
he was reluctant to interfere
with draft boards, but he would
look into it to see if anything
could be done.
At 4:14 o'clock Duncan's Ore
gon administrative assistant,
Cliff Oulettc, poked his head
in the office to remind the con
gressman that he had a tele
vision appearance scheduled at
4:30 o'clock, and that other peo
ple were waiting in the outer
office.
'No More Appointments'
Reluctantly, at 4:17 o'clock,
Duncan told (he secretary "no
more appointment s." He
grabbed his hat and coat,
jammed a pile of papers into
a dispatch case ("There's 14
pounds of homework in there")
and dashed out of the office.
He stopped in the waiting
room to talk brietly (wiiuc
Oulette champed at the bit) with
three men, apologizing that he
wasn't able to give them more
time.
He and Oulette ran down the
stairs to the car with about
three minutes in which to make
it to the TV station.
Duncan had a speech to make
that night (Tuesday) at a din
ner in his honor at Kims.
Wednesday, he hid it to do all
over again. He had "office
hours" scheduled in Grants
Pass.
-fc Heater & Furnace
Repair
if Sales & Service
JACK HALL
772-6181 482-3950
Did your child receive
a Blue Slip?
Was yours one of the youngsters whosv.
eyes showed need for help in the
recent school examinations?
NOW ...
ii the ideal time to have your child's
eyes examined. Dr. Noles Optometrists
have served the families of the Northwest
for over 58 years. No appointment
necessary.
i
tt,
j
J Per,
prbu
"To- Pit.
on.., -' or '',
Per """d
"ve .
It
e!a
Convenient Credit We give Green Stomps
out St4 yeat
COLUMBIAN OPTICAL CO.
Medford Shopping Center 772-9990
casual shopping with convenient parking
Drs. Omar J. Noles and William Hodson
REFRIGERATOR
Stt-w-"" ' with arantahla tnAa I
Model EKt-llC
Just place your favorite foods in the slide-out chiller
tray. Chill for a few minutes. Result? Foods take on
a crisp, cool taste! You'll also enjoy: the vegetable
crisper e Spacious frozen food storage Butter keeper
Storage in door e 10.6 cn. ft of refrigerated space.
FREE DELIVERY
Easy Credit Terms
IFdDir IBminllnnii IEinicBir'gy
aflHimlk pfleimty it
-RICH, TASTY
HOMOGENIZED
MURM
The ONLY Time-Tested
GLASS FIREPLACE SCREEN
Enjoyed by Thousands In the Rogue River Valley
Hill
RADIATES MAXIMUM HEAT
HIMINATIS OOM HEAT IOSS,
SAVES FUEt
PROTECTS AGAINST FITINO
SPARKS. ASHES, DIT AND DRAFTS
TWIN DOOM OPEN WIDE FOR
EAST lOAt -IQ OE FUEl
CONTROl DRAFT WITH TWO SlID.
INO DOORS tOt EAST OR SlOW
EIRE
SOUD MASS CONSTRUCTION,
IEAUTT UNHEARD Of. THOUSANDS
IN USE WINTER AND SUMMER
lUtN WOOD. COAl O OAS
t Sl. , ?
Yes siree ... it takes a real
powerhouse of pep and energy
to keep young folks on the go
and young minds alert. Nature's
most perfect food-MILK-is the
answer, and Jorgensen's Homog
enized Milk is packed full of an
extra measure of vitamins, min
erals and complete proteins! It's
a good health insurance, too, to
drink extra glasses of milk at this
time of year when colds are pre
valent and resistance must be
kept to a high peak.
Bright PURE-PAK car
tons that just fit the
refrigerator are un
breakable and dis
posablegive added
protection plus extra
convenience! . . Don't
settle for less-get the
BEST that's JORGENSEN'S!
AT
YOUR
STORE
OR AT
YOUR
DOOR
- Mir tops
i4 .jk y
4 .-Jr A rTr
I J
If o i
tts f :ujMt.-
I
FOR THE BEST-ALWAYS A cm crio "inpr.cucrL.irx
PHONE 772-7166
SMITH LUMBER CO.
Corner 8th and Fir Streets
IA3lt
THE BEST-ALWAYS ASK FOR "JORGENSENS'