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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 1963)
Regional Edition 58th Year Price 10 Cents Medford Tribune V .4 - 16 Pages MEDFORD, OREGON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1963 No. 238 mi m AT MR iji-- IS J . tl HEARING POSTPONED Jack Ruby, left, and his lawyer, Melvin Belli of San Fran cisco, are shown during Ruby's bond hear ing in Dallas, Texas. Ruby's hearing was New England Region Feels Fury of Winter's Wrath A massive storm churned up the New England coast today, spraying highways with ice and dumping new snow inland across New York Stale and Pennsylvania. The Southland, still shivering at the thought of its first white Christmas in years, struggled to clear snow-clogged roads and remove ice from airport run ways. Temperatures fell to record lows across Dixie. Tennessee became the nation's ice box. An all-time low of 13 degrees below zero was recorded at Memphis. December records were set with a 1 below read ing at Little Rock, Ark., and a 3 above mark at Fort Smith, Ark. Lush Farm Belt Chilled Mobile, Ala., on the Gulf Coast, recorded a 19-degree reading and the hard freezer!j, tended southward into tne lusn farm belt of the Rio Grande in Texas. ' ' The storm which dumped heavy snow across the South Monday churned up the North Atlantic Coast today sideswip ing the shore with gusty winds and choppy seas. Small craft warnings were displayed from Eastport, Maine, south to Florida. Five inches of snow clogged streets and roads in the Boston area in six hours today and lesser amounts spread inland. The Weather Bureau said con ditions would gradually improve during the day as the storm swings up into Newfoundland. The bureau also said most of the nation would have "fair and seasonably cold weather" on Christmas Day. Precipitation will be limited to the northeast cm and northwestern fringes of the country and scattered snow flurries are likely from the Great Lakes area eastward into the Appalachians. Firemen Called lo Scene of Blaze Mcdford firemen were called back to the BMI cabinet shop, 944 S. Central Ave., Monday afternoon, but found no fire. A passerby about 1 p.m. re ported seeing smoke at the building, which was gutted by fire Saturday night. When firemen arrived, how ever, they found the "smoke" was actually steam rising from the wooden remains of the building. The wood was drying out in the sun, which had just broken through a morning siege of fog. Cause of the Saturday night fire, which virtually destroyed the cabinet shop, is still not known. HEVSBRIEFS ITIMI ftOM 7 AROUND THI MOM KENNEDY AIRPORT BECOMES OFFICIAL NEW YORK (UPI) Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., the late President's youngest brother, leads a host of dignitaries today In dedication ceremonies changing the name of New York International Airport to (he John F. Kennedy International Airport- CONN ALLY, JOHNSON SCHEDL. ,sit AUSTIN. Tex. (UPI) Wounded Gov. John tonnally. who has spent most of the past month in a hospital bed, looked for ward today lo Christmas vlnlt with President Johnson at the I.BJ Ranch, and a trip lo the Cotton Bowl New Year's Day lo see the football battle between Texas and Navy. CYPRIOTS OPEN Mrnsi. Cvnrus (LTD palace of the president. Archbishop Makarlos. and other fight- ing w as reported in nearby areas postponed until Jan. 10. He has been charged with the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, ac cused assassin of President John F. Ken nedy. (UP1) The storm dumped up to 16 inches of snow in parts of Vir ginia Monday. It left 6 to 8 inches of snow across south eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey before changing to freezing rain. Driving was still hazardous today through most of the snow and ice belt spawned through the Southland by the storm. Roads were clogged from Ar kansas to New York state. Jordan, Israel Remove Barriers For Pilgrimage JERUSALEM (UPI) - Israel and Jordan today threw open the barriers dividing this anci ent Arab city between Arab and Jew. More than 3,500 Is raeli Christians crossed into the old city for their annual Christ mas reunions with relatives. Many also went to worship at Christian shrines in the old city, normally cut off from them by the Mandelbaum Gate. The Jacksonville Notes Increased Mailing JACKSONVILLE - While pre-Christmas mailing through out this postal region has shown a decrease of about 2 per cent compared to last year, the Jack sonville post office has experi enced a 50 per cent increase, Postmaster L. Houston Valen tine reported Monday afternoon. Monday was the Jackson ville post office's biggest day in history, Valentine said. He based the report upon the increase in the number of man hours required to handle the mail. Since he is using the same crew as last year, he added, his estimate may be low as the crew is naturally more experi enced and operating more ef ficiently this year. Mail has been on the increase since Monday. Dec. 16, Valen tine said. The extension of hours open in the Medford post office and its branches failed to cause any decrease in the Jackson ville mailing, he stated. Incom ing as well as outgoing mail has shown the increase. ASSISTANT CHIEF PORTLAND (UPI) - Robert V. Thompson, Lake Oswego, has been named assistant chief of the real estate division of the Portland U.S. Army Engineer district. FIRE ON PALACE Cvpriols today oprnrd fire on the of the capital. Memphis, Tcnn., was para lyzed with its heaviest snow since 1892 and up to 214 feet of snow slugged mountainous areas of West Virginia. New York City declared a snow emergency when the storm moved its way and government employes in Washington were sent home early. Airlines can celed or rerouted flights from New York to Memphis. dividing line has bristled with military guards of both nations since fighting in Palestine end ed in an uneasy truce 15 years ago. Reminders Present Reminders of the armed truce were everywhere. Pilgrims could see Israeli and Jordanian sol diers, checkpoint sandbags and "dragons' teeth" tank traps marking the border's no man's land. Most of the pilgrims will be allowed to remain in Arab Jor dan for 36 hours. Many carried suitcases or bundles of gifts as they were checked through the gate in a long, slow moving line first by Israeli guards and then by Jordanian soldiers. Most of the pilgrims are Arab Catholics. Both governments permit them to cross over for visits twice a year at Christ mas and Easter. Pilgrimage Overshadowed The pilgrimage was somewhat overshadowed this year by the forthcoming visit of Pope Paul VI next week. More than 5,000 Christian pilgrims were in Je rusalem but observers felt the crowds were smaller than us ual, apparently because many delayed their visits to coincide with the visit of the pontiff Jan. 4-6. Workers' Election Petition Dropped PORTLAND (UPI) -The Na tional Labor Relations Board announced today it has dis missed a petition by Sutherlin Machine Works, Inc., for a un ion representation election among its workers. The company s petition grew out of a labor dispute with the Lane-Coos-Curry-Douglas Coun ties Building and Construction Trades Council and four union locals last spring. The council picketed construc tion of fuel storage and dis tribution facilities for Martin Bros. Timber and Container Corp. at Oakland, Ore., with signs which said Sutherlin Ma chine Works employes were working under substandard con ditions. The pickets eventually were withdrawn and locals of the Iron Workers, Operating Engi neers, Boilermakers and Car penters Unions disclaimed any interest in representing the com pany's employes. They said the pickets were set up solely to call attention to working condi tions. CRASH KIM-8 32 BUDAPEST, Hungary (UPI) A passenger train crashed into a standing freight train in fog near Szolnok, Hungary, early today, the Hungarian news agency MTI reported Thirty-two persons were report I ed killed and 36 injured. Cirew Criticized Asked-for Ladders Didn't Appear, Passenger Claims Lifeboats Said Properly Equipped FUNCHAL, Madeira (UPI) Three rescue ships brought 533 survivors from the Lakonia dis aster to Funchal today. Some of the surviving passengers im mediately criticized the actions of the crew after fire broke out aboard the Greek cruise liner ISO miles to the northeast. "The crew were no help at all," one woman, who was not immediately identified, said aft er leaving one of the rescue ships. "We had to look after ourselves, getting into lifeboats. There were no ladders, and we had to get off as best we could." In London, the Greek line is sued an official statement which said no reports had yet been received about the fire. Say Lifeboats Checked "We cannot comment on is olated incidents," the statement said, "and can only say that the lifeboats were definitely Drooerlv equipped and all had been checked during the refit period before sailing. Other passengers said the fire, which broke out Sunday night aboard the 20,314-ton lin er, turned everytning inio "chaos." "One of us had to jump into the water," another passenger said. "Everyone was yelling and asking for ladders but the ladders didn't appear. The company also said it had received reports that 921 pas sengers and crew members had been rescued. The vessel car ried a total of 1,036 passengers and crew. The three vessels which ar rived here this morning were the P. & O. liner Strathcden with three survivors, the Argen tine vessel Salta with 455, and the American vessel Rio Grande with 75 for a total of 533. Bringing More Survivors Two other vessels, the Pakis tani freighter Mehdi and the British cargo ship Montclam, were bringing in more survi vors. The Mehdi was heading for Funchal and the Montcalm for Casablanca, Morocco. The Greek line spokesman in London said information had been received that the 7,051-ton American vessel Exporter had picked up 76 survivors and the 1,029-ton French motor vessel Barakat had picked up 22. He said this brought the total to 921, leaving 115 unaccounted for. A British plane today report ed sighting 10 more bodies in the waters around the burning Lakonia, reducing the number of passengers and crewmen dead or unaccounted for to 105. Hatfield Talks of First Voter Plan SALEM (UPI) -Robert Bell, Oregon Young Republican chair man who was named national head of the "First Voter" cam paign, met Monday with Gov. Mark Hatield to discuss the na tional drive to Interest young oeoDle in voting. The "first voter" campaign is directed at people who will be eligible next year to vote in their first presidential election Hatfield urged all Oregon "first voters" to register with the party of their choice, and to take an active part in next year's election campaigns. WEATHER FORfcCAST: Virliblf rloudl ness nd mild temperatures, with loutherly breeie tonight. Moitly cloudy and a little rain Hedneidav. Low tonight Jl-31-Hlfh Wednesday 47-53. Temp. HUhfit Veiterdav ... . 44 Uwtit Tht Morninf . ... 23 Our Skies Tonight Siirnft todav .. . 4:4S p.m. Kunrlte tomorrow . . 1:19 a.m. MoomM tomorrow 1:41 a.m. Fiitt Mnon (and Total F.rllpie of the Moon) . Oec. 30 PROMINKNT STAR Prnron, low In east T.SI p.m., VISIBLE PLANLTK Jupiter, to the right or the Moon. Venui. tu :ld p wt Saturn, itta ...; p.m of '-."."."-" ""ftTffltr'ilfr'filllfr ttf IfllWMWMMHWlMIMBii Hf ! -m, i Ihim.i-h nte ., SHIP ON FIRE Flames liner "Lakonia" as the burning Cambodia Rejects Dean Acheson in Role as Mediator PNOMPENH, Cambodia (UPI) Cambodia today flatly rejected a United States pro posal to send former Secretary of State Dean Acheson to Cam bodia as a mediator in the strained relations between the two countries. The secretarial, of the chief of state here called a suggcs tion by Undersecretary of State Averell Harriman that Cambo dia invite Acheson an unac ceptable "imposition." The announcement said that if Cambodia officially invites Acheson to Cambodia as pro posed, it would negate the con dition for reconciliation already proposed by Cambodia, namely the convocation of an interna tional conference on Cambodi an neutrality. Would Give Impression Inviting Acheson, the an nouncement said, would give the impression that Cambodia had withdrawn its own conditions and was at fault in the dispute with the United States over American aid. An open invitation to Acheson would do nothing but give credulity to the American ac cusations against Cambodia and the Khmer people." "The Khmer people and their leader sincerely desire the re- establishment of friendship be tween Cambodia and the United States, but would not be will ing to permit themselves to be charged with errors they have not committed and would not renounce all dignity in ex change for (American) friend ship," the statement added. Cambodian chief of state Prince Norodom Sihanouk ear lier this month refused to ac cept further American econom ic and military aid, and ordered all American advisers out of his country. Recreation Money Willed to Salem SALEM (UPI) - Oregon's capital city Monday inherited a $200,783 Christmas present. The money was from a trust fund set up by the late Mrs. Lewis P. Aidrich, in memory of her husband who died 30 years ago today. Mrs. Aidrich stipulated the money be used for a public re creation project in Salem for wholesome recreation, espe cially for the boys and girls of the community." Aidrich was an ollicer nl the Ladd k Bush bank here for 27 years. Mrs. Aidrich provided for the gift in her will before she died in I95(i. The gift was revealed Mon day, after other details of the estate had been settled. If the city does not use the money as outlined, the fund is to be transferred lo the Salem Foundation, a public charitable trust established in 1!W0 by the Ladd & Bush Trust Co. thicken Limier n Iby S engulf the bow of the Greek vessel lists to starboard about Mt. Ashland Skiing Waiting for Snow; Bare Spots ASHLAND There may be skiing on Mt. Ashland Thursday but only if more snow falls in the meantime. Officials of the Mt. Ashland Corporation wanted a dry De cember in order to expedite construction of the ski lodge and access road. They cot one but now the dry weather has posed anotner problem, it causing the snow to melt. There is still plenty of snow over most or tne ski area, ac cording to Alex Murphy, cor poration manager, but there are a few bare spots which will make it impossible to open the slopes for skiing until more snow falls. Strong southerly winds and 55-degrcc temperatures atop the mountain during the past sever al days have been responsible for the melting snow. Chance of Rain According lo the Medford Weather Bureau, total precipi tation for the month has been 2(1 inch, which is 2.28 inches below normal. More mild tem peratures and southerly breezes are forecast for tonight. There is a chance of rain Wednesday. tne i -oar nit is now in opera tion, Murphy said. Tests of the equipment were completed Monday. Installation of the Po malift, on the beginning skiiers slope, will start Thursday. Change Planned in Light lor Crossing Medford City Manager Robert Duff today approved the remov al of a school crossing light on East Main Street at Kecncway Drive. The light, which has been a pedestrian operated push-button light for several years is being changed to a continuous flashing amber signal, he said. The signal was installed about three years ago at the request of Parent Teacher Association groups. During recent months a number of requests have been made to eliminate the signal. Because of its intermittent op eration, many vehicles do not observe the red light, Public Works Director Vernon Thorpe said. School children using the crosswalk have had a false sense of security because there has been a number of near acci dents at the location, according to the report. Ashland Firemen Are Called lo Grass Fire ASHLAND It may be win ter, hut Ashland firemen were called out to extinguish a grass fire this morning. The fire was reported along the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks near Eighth and A Streets about 9:35 o'clock this morning. The cause was un known. Some grass burned; there was ni other damage. yirvovors 180 miles from Us destination Madeira. (UPI) Noted The parking lot near the ski lodge has nearly been complex ed. Crews on the access road are still working double shifts in ami nui nuiK uuuuic oiima ill hope of getting a packed dirt surface ready for use by Jan. 10. It the ski area can be open- ed before thai date, vehicles will be routed up Tolman Creek and Nell Creek Roads. Mt. Ashland officials remind ed residents that sledding and tobogganing are prohibited in the ski area, according lo forest service regulations. A few per sons have ignored the regula tions during the past week and several accidents have occurred a result, it was noted. Service Planned at Intersection Tonight The intersection of Main and Bartlctt Streets in downtown Medford will be the scene of an unusual Christmas Eve service starting at 7 o'clock tonight. Vehicle traffic will be blocked off from the area, starting at 6:45 p.m. I he portions of streets set aside (or the service will be so arranged as to form a giant cross. The Medford Ministerial Asso ciation, City of Medford and various local businesses have co operated with the group spon soring the event, which may be come an annual one. Speakers will include the Rev. D. Kirkland West of the First Presbyterian Church of Med ford, Capt. Kenneth Angel of the Salvation Army, the Rev. Rob ert E. Cull of the Assembly of God Church of Medford, Jack L. Willculs, pastor of the Medford Friends Church, and the Rev. Katherine Bosworth of the Unity Church of Medford. Friends of Sacred Heart Hospital will serve coffee. Kennedy's Will Filed for Probate BOSTON (UPI) - The will of the late President John F. Ken nedy was filed for probate here Monday, leaving the bulk of his estate to his wife and children. The total value of his estate was not known since no bond was filed. The 17-page will, dat ed June IB, 1954, was filed one month and a day after Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Tex. However, it was believed the estate would total several mil lion dollars. The will was filed the first day after the period of oflicial mourning. Indiana, Alaska Enter Into Agreement INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (UPD Indiana has entered into an un usual contract with Alaska whereby the Hoosicr State will treat Alaskan mental patients charged with crimes. the Portuguese island of $1 Million Mark Passed by Post Office in Medford For the first time In its his tory the Medford post office has passed the $1 million mark in year s business. Acting Post- I " - master Al Bradford reported '"""uuy. nc expects business to exceed that figure by a - substantial amount by year s end. Business reached the fl million mark one week ago today, Tuesday, Doc, 17, a survey of reports showed. In 1962, which was a record year, business totaled $915,000. The strange thing about the years heavy business is the fact that it hasn't been helped mucn Dy the pre - Christmas mail. This continues to be l'A per cent below last year, Brad ford said. Record Mailing Day One record day of mailing was realized Monday, Dec. 16. Since then the mail has been under last year's pre-Christmas figures. Mall throughout the Northwest region has been below last vear. Bradford said. Throughout the United Slates it has showed what officials believe is a de pressed reaction to the assassi nation of President Kennedy. There seems to be no other explanation as the year's busi ness was up prior to the assas sination. Longer hours and more davs in operation have been arranged to enable patrons of the post office to do their Christmas mailing here with less diffi culty. But the response has not developed as anticipated, Brad ford said. Johnson Pays Respects To Late Congressman PHILADELPHIA (UPI) - President Johnson, enroute to a Yulctide visit to his horn e. came here today to pay his last respects to Rep. William J. Green Jr., It-Pa., long time friend and veteran Democratic politician who died last Satur day. 2,775 Trees Rogue National Forest Christmas trees from the Rogue River National Forest await Santa Claus tonight in 2,775 homes. That is the number of tress checked out in the family cut ting on the forest this season, D. F. Kaiser, timber sales of ficer for the forest, reported to day. The greatest number came from the Union Creek Ranger District. Family trees cut to talled 1,606. Each year Union Creek is the most popular cut ting ground and the fir the most popular tree, Kclser said. There were 428 trees cut on the Ashland Ranger District, 375 on the Prospect, and 366 on the Butte Falls District. Just one family was reported lost in the woods during the annual Christmas tree cutting, Johnson Scores Major Victory After Wrangling Members Adjourn Until Monday WASHINGTON (UPI)-Presl-dent Johnson today won his first major battle with Congress when the House voted in an un precedented dawn session to abandon its attempt to curb wheat sales to Communist coun Ures. President Johnson, who lair! his relationship with Congress on me une to get the victory, said "I am sure that the na tion is grateful" to the lawmak ers. Longest Session Over Immediately after the bitterlv contested vote, the weary House members agreed to adjourn next Monday. This meant that tor all practical purposes the longest session In more than 20 years was over. But the Senate then staged ils own pre - Christmas rebellion when a handful of senators balked at postponing follow-up Senate action until Monday. forced 'temporary Recess The unexpected Senate flare- up obviously aimed at absent sen. Wayne L. Morse, D - Ore. forced a temporary recess in a supposedly routine Senate ses sion to let senate officials con tact out-of-town leaders for fur ther instructions. The roll call vote on t h e wheat credit amendment to the $3 billion foreign aid bill was 189 lo 158. Voting in support of Johnson's stand were 187 DemocaU and Republicans. Voting against it were 133 Re publicans and 25 Democrats. Wore Down Opponents The administration victory took 10 days, three tries and a lot of bruised feelings that all but destroyed the honeymoon with the White House. The House twice before had voted or the controversial amend ment to the foreign aid bill but administration forces finally . wore down oononents with tac- tics (hat included an all-night session Friday night. The Senate still must eiva routine approval to the foreign aid bill but this is scheduled for Friday. Only the pending Senate vote prevented Congress from adjourning finally until Jan. 7 when the second session begins. As a result, some House mem bers will have to stick around through the Christmas holidays. Most congressmen, however. headed straight for the high ways and airports. Howard Prairie Not o Open Dec. 26 Howard Prairie recreation area will not be open as origi nally planned Dec. 26, Jackson County Parks and Recreation Director Neil Lcdward said to day, because of unseasonably warm wcatner at tne nigncr ele vations. There is no ice on the lake safe for skating now and only a little snow on the ground, ' Ledward said. Ledward said the resort area will be open as soon as condi tions change. The water temper ature has lowered to the point where only two or three days of cold weather with no wind will freeze enough ice for skating. Hyatt lake has ice, and tliera will be skating there. The resort will be open with skate rental available, he said. Road condi tions to Hyatt are fair from either direction. Taken From Kciscr said. This happened in a snow storm on the Butlo Falls District. The family decided lo wait out the storm after losing direction in the thick brush. When the car failed to check by the ranger station and dark descended, Ranger Bob Lewis started in search. He found tho car on the road up in the Blue Rock country and found the members of tho family huddled under the brush about one fourth mile from the road. Wise ly, they had decided to wait un til assistance came instead of battling the brush in search ot the trail, Kciscr said. The Butte Falls ranger brought the family out to tha car, lighting the way through the snow. No ill effects wero re ported from the experience. ! US-Ml- m o i 1
