Desert Wasteland
Promoters Facing
Long, Cold Winter
if
A. ROBERT
SMITH
Mail Tribuno
Washington
Correspondent
WASHINGTON - It looks like
this will be a cold barren winter
for the slick promoters who in
recent years have been peddling
desert wasteland to innocent
citizens who think they're buy
ing a lovely homesite in the
scenic West on the installment
plan.
Usually this is the peak of the
season, with winter's chilly
blast roaring down the chim
ney, for the promoters to flood
the mails with literature por
traying inexpensive sunny home
sites, sometimes pictured near
non-existent lakes.
There may never be an end to
variations on thes promotional
venture, but 1963 should go down
as the year the government
cracked the desert land frauds.
14 Indictments Returned
Since last February, when
the first indictment was return
ed in a desert land speculation
scheme, the Justice Depart
ment's investigation of this rack
et has resulted in grand juries
returning indictments in 14
cases in a dozen slates Ari
zona, New Mexico, Georgia,
Vermont, Kansas, Idaho, Ne
vada, Texas, Colorado, Missouri
and Oregon.
As of now the government is
batting a thousand. It has gain
ed convictions in all three of the
cases which have gone to trial.
The most recent conviction
was last week at Pendleton,
Ore., where a jury found three
men guilty of using deceptive
advertising to swindle buyers of
one-acre lots in what they called
Lake Valley located in Harney
County, one of Oregon's most
remote and arid areas. Lake
Valley's Los Angeles and Chi
cago promoters had sent out
brochures describing the area
as a fertile paradise ringed with
mountains and lakes.
The convictions in the other
two completed cases were se
cured earlier in Idaho and Ne
vada. Cases in other states have
yet to go to trial.
Usually the pattern which de
velped in the Oregon case by
the same. Attorney General
Robert F. Kennedy, in announc
ing the first indictment of three
Florida men connected with an
Arizona promotion, observed
that the big increase in mail
order sales of real estate sight
unseen has been aimed especial
ly at aging couples planning re
tirement. "Advertising for such fradu
lent sales has played on these
retirement hopes, on the prom
ise of the West, and on the lure
of easy credit such as a dol
lar down and $10 a month," said
Kennedy.
In the Arizona case, the pro
moters obtained 17 sections of
desert range land, subdivided
them into lots, called them the
Lake Mead Rancheros, and ad
vertised them as "liveable now"
and "developed," the Justice
Department pointed out.
The government said this
come-on fraudently suggested
SS CHRISTMAS NIGHT
4 Apostolic. Faith Church
3rd and Central
The Rev. Loyce C. Carver, Pastor
Christmas Music -7:50 P.M.
40-Piece Orchestra "March of the Three Kings"
60-Voice Choir "Modern Christmas Choir"
Christmas Message
FOR YOUR LAST MINUTE
SHOPPING
that drinking water, power
lines, telephone .circuits and
other community conveniences
were at hand for ready service
to each lot.
Money Mailed
Over 3,000 citizens living in a
dozen states and Washington,
D. C, bit on this case. They
mailed their money to an ad
dress in Kingman, Ariz., pre
sumed to be near the property.
The indictment said this was
part of the fraud, for the mail
was forwarded unopened to their
offices in Miami and Hollywood,
Fla.
Florida's reputation among
would-be property buyers living
elsewhere was once tarnished
by the promoters who sold
swamp land with the same sort
of misleading salesmanship.
The Justice Department's suc
cessful crackdown on desert
land swindling will protect the
good name of the Western states
to which many Midwest and
Eastern citizens have been mi
grating in recent years.
Four Killed in
Rectory Robbery
OTTAWA (UPI) Parishion
ers bowed their heads in prayer
near the end of the noon Mass
at the little church of Christ the
King on the quiet last Sunday
before Christmas.
Then a loud knock on the
door behind the altar heralded
the beginning of a drama of
horror that was to end with four
persons fatally shot in the par
ish rectory a few yards away.
Canadian Justice Minister
and Deputy Prime Minister
Lionel Chevrier, a member of
the Roman Catholic parish, was
among the 350 worshipers who
saw and heard the events un
fold. Two women and a man were
shot to death Sunday in an
abortive robbery of the rectory
in the heart of this Canadian
capital city. Then one of two
brothers, the suspected gunmen,
killed himself in panic as police
closed in The other brother
surrendered and was charged
with murder.
Victims of the shooting were
Miss Alberte Guindon, 45, the
rectory housekeeper; Miss Do
ralise Bechard, who lived with
a sister in an apartment in the
rectory building, and Paul Mer
cier, a parishioner. Roger Bi-
nette, 21, shot himself in the
head with an automatic pistol
when police with machine guns
closed in. His brother Reginald,
17, gave up when he crawled
onto a third-story fire escap
and fouiffl police guns bristling
below.
Man Sentenced Again
For 1962 Slaying
PORTLAND (UPI) -George
Jones, 37, today was sentenced
to life imprisonment for a sec
ond time for a 1962 slaying.
Jones was convicted last week
of second degree murder for the
fatal stabbing of Robert Bow
man, 33, in a local cafe.
He had been convicted and
sentenced to a life term earlier
but the State Supreme Court or
dered a new trial.
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WHEN ITS VERY IMPORTANT
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$' DR. EPSOM MWWOSASLVV rf. STOPAT THE DEL'
THE METRIC SYSTEM WHAT IT IS
(This is the first in a series of three columns)
Say you weigh 125 pounds,
and measure 36-24-36. What if
mately 57, your height 1.63 and
91-61-917
This is not pre-Christmas nonsense. For what I've done
above is simply translate our familiar English pounds, feet and
inches into their equivalent metric weight and measures kil
ograms, meters and centimeters.
Impressive evidence is piling up that we finally are mov
ing toward adoption of the Metric System for weights and
measurements the "international language" of science and
trade used in 88 countries, including 90 per cent of the world's
population today.
Item: A "Metric Study Bill" is slated to be introduced in
the next session of Congress to lay the basis for conversion
here to the Metric System over the next generation. Chances
for passage of the bill, which would call for an exhaustive
study of the feasibility and problems of the changeover by
the National Bureau of Standards, are considered the best in
years.
Item: This Saturday, Dec. 28, in Cleveland, the Metric
Association, a non-profit organization headquartered in Wash
ington, will hold its annual meeting in connection with the con
vention of the American Assn. for the Advancement of Sci
ence. Leaders of science, education and industry at this meet
ing will pusl: for conversion as soon as feasible.
Item: Editorials are now appearing in record numbers in
the nation's most influential scientific and trade journals urg
ing a changeover to meet the demands of space-age indus
tries and to bring our measurement system into conformity
with the most of the rest of the world.
"Never before has there been such tremendous pressure
to convert to the Metric System," says Democratic Congress
man George Miller of California, chairman of the House Com
mittee on Science and Astronautics and sponsor of the Metric
Study bill. Miller expects that the study will be completed by
1967, that it will recommend conversion and ,"that we could be
actually converting before the end of this decade."
What is the Metric System?
It is a beautifully simple system of weights and measure
ment, invented by the French at the close of the 18lh century,
which educators say could be mastered by most of us in less
than an hour.
It divides all weights, distances and volumes into neat
units of 10, 100 and 1,000. There are only three units involved
the gram, (lie meter and (he liter, tn measure weight, length
and volume. For weight, (here is (he grum and (here arc
1,000 grams in a kilogram (about 2.2 pounds). For length,
(here is (lie meter and (here are 1,000 meters in a kilometer
(about half a mile). For volume, (here is (he liter (which is
about a quart) and there arc 1,000 liters in a kilolitcr. In
addition, there arc such measures as the millimeter, the
milligram, the centimeter, hut the entire system is in those
neat units and there is no such nonsense as 5,280 feet in
a mile or 12 inches in a foot or 86 15tit quarts in a barrel
of cranberries but 105 "dry quarts" (whatever they arc)
in most other barrels of fruit.
In contrast, our system Is, as the Science News Letter puts
it, a "tangled spaghetti of systems," an ordeal for young and
old. Aside from feel and inches, we all must learn there are
160 rods in an acre, 640 acres in a square mile, four gills in
a pint, 32 quarts in a bushel, 144 square inches in a square foot.
How many do you still remember?
If you are an engineer, a surveyor or a scientist, you also
must deal with links and chains, drams and minims, short and
long tons, points and perches, grains and scruples.
You must know the difference between statute and nautical
miles, Troy and avoirdupois ounces and you must not forget
that a pound of feathers does NOT weigh the same as a pound
of gold.
Against the Metric System's three units, there are more
than 80 units in "common use" in our country today. Ours is a
tortuously complicated, monstrously mixed up system in a world
in which trade and exchange of scientific information demand
simplicity and uniformity.
Next: What a changeover would mean In you.
fir
Time
So THE GOOD DOCTOR C-ETS TO
SAID OFFICE TO FIND THERE'S A
PHONE CALL AWAITING HIM
Your Money's
Worth
By SYLVIA PORTER
Cpylik, Hall Syndicate, Inc.
are five feet, four inches tall
your weignl became approxi-
your measurements hold fast
Bulgaria To Try
Official as Spy
VIENNA (UPI)
Commu
nist Bulgaria will try a former
official in ils U.N. mission this
week on charges of spying for
the United States. It accuses
Ivan-Assen Gcorgicv of receiv
ing $200,000 for his espionage
work and spending much of it
on women and immoral living.
The 56-year-old Georgiev, in
ternational lawyer and former
counsellor to Ihe Bulgarian mis
sion to the United Nations, is
charged with delivering Bulgar
ian political , economic, and
military information to the
"American intelligence service."
The charges were announced
Saturday night by the Bulgar
ian Telegraph Agency (BTA)
which said Georgiev's trial
would be held Thursday.
Portland Florist
Taken by Death
PORTLAND (UPI) Funeral
will be held Tuesday for Hans
Niklas, a prominent Portland
florist.
Niklas, 72. died at a hospital
Jicrc Saturday.
MEDPORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON
By Jimmy Hatlo
Paul Robeson
Ends Sell Exile
NEW YORK (UPD-Contro-vcrsial
Negro singer Paul Rob
eson, 47, ended his self-imposed
five-year exile Sunday and flew
back to the United States.
The former All-America foot
ball player, associated in the
past with Communist front
movements, arrived at Kennedy
Airport here looking consider
ably thinner than when he left
in 1958. He has been suffering
from a corculatory ailment and
received medical treatment in
East Berlin and London.
The 65-year-old Robeson re
mained relatively quiet, prefer
ring to let his wife do the talk
ing.
Questioned about reports that
Robeson had become disillu
sioned with Communism, the
singer's wife, Eslanda, told
newsmen, "that's stupid. Of
course he is not. He never was.
He thinks its terrific."
"He's always thought that
way and he always will," Mrs.
Robeson said.
Robeson, who has been in re
tirement since before his ill
ness, appeared reluctant to
talk.
"I may have something to
say later," he told newsmen.
Dennis the Menace
rH3
' We better tell Santa Claus to
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TENTH AND CENTRAL
The Family Council
Kdttor's no': The Family Council conilsti of a Jude, ..
CfiycHntrist, ihree clergymen, three editors and a women's editor,
tarn ft-Ucle is a summary i! a family disagreement presented to the
rounci.. Lie Council deals with problems, major and minor,
encuntcrftd ov guidance counselors and nodal workers. Edited hv
Mrs. Alma
Denny. (Copyright b
Victor R. I want my fim
ily to stay out of this.
Kenneth K. He's like putty
in that woman's hands.
Victor R. My wife and I
have a few differences of opin
ion, but I haven't given up hope
of working out a compromise.
Right now she's vacationing in
Florida alone because I balked
at the expense of us both going
there. I preferred Atlantic City.
My brothers and sisters are hor
rified and want to give Jane a
piece of their mind. I know they
mean well, have my interest at
heart, but this is between us
two.
Kenneth R. He's mar
ried to a monster. After 3 years
of hell, he should admit it and
get rid of her. Already he's had
one breakdown, during which
she visited him even less than
Doomed Child's
Father Offers
To Share Toys
BOWLING, GREEN, S. C.
(UPI) The father of Vicki
Wray, a 2-year-old threatened
with the loss of her remaining
eye by cancer, is a $50-a-week
millhand but he wants to share
the countless toys donated to
Vicki with "other underprivil
eged children."
Robert Wray, 39, who has
eight other children, has asked
the Salvation Army to distribute
the excess playthings "to share
the happiness of Christmas."
Unknown friends across the
nation donated the toys and
more than $5,000 to Vicki, af
flicted with retinal blastoma, a
form of cancer that took her
right eye last July.
j ncar'by clover is in charge of
State Ren. Bate Harvey of
a lund to help raise money for
an operation lor Vicki. The sur
gery was to nave Dcen per
formed at Duke Medical Hospi
tal at Durham, N.C., last week,
but specialists postponed the
operation because it was not
immediately necsssary.
Harvcv said Vicki has re-1
ceived more than 300 cards and
letters, one from two Charlotte,
N.C., boys who enclosed 11
cents each. They told Vicki they
wanted to share in her Christ
mas celebration.
fomn 'boot the train set i
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Qeneial Featuret florp.)
casual friends did. A woman like
that can drive a man to ruin.
If Vic won't make a move to
save himself, shouldn't we, his
family? She's made it clear she
doesn't want him, his love, his
children, only his money!
The Council: Alas, Ken
neth, there are many ways of
destroying oneself and an in
curably miserable marriage is
one. Here, according to you,
Victor is destroying his life,
while his wife is enjoying hers.
And you want to apply brakes
to his tailspin and her merry
whirl. As an "outsider," that
is, outside the marriage, there's
not much you can do. Like us,
you can only try to get Victor
to confront reality. Does he see
Jane as you do, as selfish,
grasping, cruel? Or does he sec
retly blame himself for "cheat
ing" her in some way, for being
unworthy, and, masochistically,
accepts her browbeating? Inter
fering at this time, against his
will, might make him feel even
more pity for Jane. You'd have
them joined against you. Only
Victor's own instinct for self
preservation can chart his
course with Jane. If he asks,
you can help. If he doesn't, it
means he feels he can handle
things himself, or else, he just
doesn't care. When he admits
that call a doctor!
4-H NEWS
The Kandy Kids
Officers were elected by Ihe
Kandy Kids 4-H Club at their
last meeting. They are Myrna
Long, president; Darlene
Thompson, vice president;
Carol Foote, secretary; Shirley
Roach, news reporter; and jun
ior leader, Donna Bailey.
Plans to take cookies to an
old folks home were discussed
and the members agreed to
carry out this project.
The program for the year will j
be made out by the president, I
and junior leader and the club
leader.
Each member brought a cen
ter piece to the meeting to be
exhibited and discussed.
Shirley Roach,
i Reporter
Lake Creek Wranglers
The Lake Creek Wranglers
4-H Beef Club elected olficers
at the December meeting, held
at the home of Bob Fisher
They arc Laura Mae Noble
president; Willard Walch, vice
president; uicryl Stanley, sec-
rotary; Bob Armitagc, reporter,
and Nancy Stanley, song and
game leader.
The next meeting will be held
at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
E. S. Armitoge al 7:30 p.m
Jan. 21.
Bob Armitagc,
Reporter
r
JOHN F. KENNEDY
35th PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
May 29, 191 7 -November 22, 1963
Al the conclusion of the official 30-day period of mourning
for our martyred President, we believe it is proper that we make
this final formal Iribule. The outpouring of sympathy, prayers and
understanding that has followed the presidenl's death is likewise a
tribute to the nation. The British statesman Gladstone said il well:
"Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead,
and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender
sympathies of the people, their respect for the laws of the
land, and their loyally lo high ideals."
PERL
FUNERAL HOME
Corner Sixth and Oakdale
MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1063
Belle Probably
Won't Leave Jail
PITTSBURGH (UPI) -Lack
of $60,000 bond was expected
to keep ex-financier Earl Belle
in the Allegheny County jail
for the time being on 50 counts
of fraud and conspiracy.
Belle, who ended a 514 year
self-imposed exile in Brazil a
week ago when he arrived in
New York, was brought back to
Pittsburgh Thursday to face
federal charges growing out of
stock manipulations.
Belle's attorney, Louis Glasso
said Friday he would continue
attempts to raise bond money
and would try to have the bond
reduced Monday.
Glasso also explained that
$3,000 found in a coat taken to
Belle by his father, Julius Belle
had been earmarked for the
care of the suspect's children.
The attorney said the cash
was the remainder of $4,000 the
elder Belle had taken to Brazil j
recently 10 use lor me care ol
his son's two children. Jail
guard discovered the cash
when Belle brought clothes to
his son at the jail.
Belle, 31, also faces federal
charges in New Jersey growing
out of the collapse of his paper
financial empire.
State Assessors To
Convene At Albany
ALBANY (UPI) - The West
ern Oregon Assessors' Associa
tion will hold its valuation con
ference here Jan., 14-16, it has
been announced by Linn County
Assessor Al Brown, president
of the organization.
Speakers will include mem
bers of the Oregon Tax Com
mission and the assessors' asso
ciation. Steve Yih, general man
ager of Wah Chang Corp., will
describe Albany's metallurgical
industry in an opening-day talk.
Because of recent
tragedy in family and
illness, we take this
means 1o thank all
our friends, known
and unknown, for
the beautiful flowers
and cards and wish
all a Merry Christmas
and a Happy New
Year. May God's
blessings be with
you.
Dr.
IN MEMORIAM
A ,, -A
A 5
Suit Filed Against
Balloon Bread Law r
PORTLAND (UPI) -A suit
asking that the ballon bread
law passed by the 1963 legisla
ture be declared unconstitutional
has been filed in Circuit Court
here.
The Davidson Baking Co. of
Portland took the action against
the Oregon Department of Ag
riculture and its director, J.F.
Short.
The company also asked for
a temporary injunction restrain
ing the department from enforc
ing the law.
The law, which requires that '
bread labels contain the mini
mum weight and weight size of
loaves, is scheduled to go into
effect Jan. 1.
The department reported that
most bakeries already have sub
mitted their new labels for ap
proval. mm
mm
IS
and Mrs. Joueft P. Bray
m
I
0