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PRICE FIVE CENTS
By THANK JENKINS
'AS theiio words are wrlttan (In
Host-burg) tlio President has
just delivered a 29,000-word
111UHH0K0 to congress.
Mix worcli lira fair. Ills scutl
mimls n ro pious.
But
Tlio dispatch from Washlng
. ton mimniiirlKliig his- mossage In
, followed immediately on the
wires by nnotliar ana from Now
York minting Unit for tlio sec
ond duy In a row ths stock mar
ket linn slipped materially In tlio
fuco of bearish sentiment result
liiK In n wave of selling.
WE mustn't gauge our llvci by
" the stock niurkct.
Still, It IS Interesting, and
morn or less dependable, as an
Indication of what people are
thinking.
They are obviously thinking
Unit it might be better right now
to ell man to buy. For months,
the general run of people have
been more eager to buy than to
soil.
TF this curronl of (lightly pessl-
mlsllc thinking rum un-
.1. ...... -J ....til T.T....
the results of the election that
will then occur will bs unploos
ing to Mr. Truman.
When people are In an opti
mistic frame of mind, they are
Inclined to vote for the IN s, on
the theory that when everything
looks rosy WHY change?
When the public's thinking
turm to the pessimistic side, look
outl The theory then Is that a
change could do no harm and
might do soma good.
WE have been taught for years
to look to Washington for
evervthlnu. So. you ace. when
ever Washington lalls to produce
our natural thought Is that
chang o faces In Washington
, . might be a good Idea,
( You may be quite wire that
Mr. Truman and his advisers ore
-watching anxiously this possible
chancn in the nubiic's thinking
that may bo signaled by these
two duys of falling prices In the
stock market.
Everybody was happy with
Mr. Hoover until the stock mar.
ket stubbed its toe in 1920.
.
'CO far as this writer Is con-
" cerncd, there are two slightly
sour notes in Mr. Truman's
message.
Ho tolls us that by drawing on
tho treasury's CASH BALANCE
the national debt can actually be
reduced for tho FIRST TIME In
17 years from an expected 275
billion dollars next July to 271
billion dollars a year Inter.
Thnt Is true enough. Still, It
nrcsents tho picture in a some
what rosier light than tho facts
warrant. Tho treasury's cash
balanco simply represents money
already appropriated (for war
nurnosos) but not vet SDont (bo-
cause of tho ending of the war.)
What his statement really
means Is that we had previously
OVERESTIMATED the national
debt. Whnt It IMPLIES la that
wo are already starting tho pro
cesses of economy by which the
national debt will novo to be
nald off.
This Is no time to paint the
financial picture in terms roslor
than tho facts justify.
- ...
7V THE other sour note Is Ills re-
auest to congress to retain
food subsidies as ono means of
combatting Inflation.
Food subsidies have been
costlne us about ono and three-
quarters billions a year. What
they amount to Is paying sellers
out of tlio treasury to keep prices
down In other words, charging
the dlffcrcnco to the government
nnd adding it to the national
debt.
That Isn't a very sound way to
keep inflation down.
Warm Rains Hit
Klamath Area
Warm rnlns, which lent an al
most spring like feel to the at
mosphere, washed away the
greater portion of the snow
which covered the Klamath area
nnd there was little evidence of
winter in town today.
The city street department was
flushing the winter debris from
the business section but pedes
trians opined that a few washed
sidewalks would not be amiss.
Out at Moore park, whero
(cores of constors have used the
winding roads for sleedlng pur
poses, tlio rains had cleared most
of the pavement tho enretnker
reported today,
Forecnst for tlio next 24
hours was "overcast" with a pos
sibility of moro vain. Tho maxi
mum was 41, minimum, 34, the
U, S, weatherman reported.
Telephone MIJt,
WEATHER NEWS
January 23. 194C
Max. (Jan. 22) 41 Min -...34
Precipitation last 24 hours OS
Stream year to data 8.54
Normal 6.03 Last year 4.84
Forecast! Overcast.
ESDAY. JANUARY 23, 1048
Number 10728
Kest&lon Interests Sold
Midwinter Building Boom On In Klamath
IM2 Xxri.h. Imjm
These random construction shots Indicate the extensive building program under way In Klamath Falls In this midwinter sea
son. 1. House going up at 2110 Orchard, for Cecil Wilbur. 2. Anderson Auto Service company constructs1 automobile showrooms
and additional service quarters on Walnut near Sixth. 3. Rtckys jewelery goes into extensive remodeling program at 7th and
Main. 4. Dick B. Millar Is constructing a large truck service center at 11th and Klamath. 5. Sears Roebuck and company is
extensively remodeling its big store at 8lh and Klamath. 8. Wes t-Hltchcock corporation Is making rapid progress on its big con
tractors, logging and farm equipment plant, plus truck service, at 677 S. 7th. These are only a few of the current building
projects.
Trainmen Call
Strike Vote
CLEVELAND, Jan. 23 fP)
A atriko voto will be taken Im
mediately, among lh-215,000
members of the Brotherhood of
Railroad Trainmen, President
A. F. Whitney said today, and
the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers has called a commit
tee mooting for Feb. 1 at which
time a similar voto may be au
thorized among the engineers.
Alvantcy Johfton, grand chief
engineer of the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers, said
brotherhood chairmen from each
railroad would moot here Feb, 1,
"and it is a distinct possibility
that they will authorize a strike
vote among our 78,000 mem
bers." Whitney said the membership
strike voto would bo taken on
tho question of two issues u
demand for a general wage In
crease of 25 per cent, and num
erous changes in operating regu
lations to lmprovoworklng con
ditions. Ho ostlmatcd that about three
weeks would be required to dis
tribute, collect and count the
ballots.
"Then wo will serve notice on
tho railroads and If wo got no
offer we will go into action,"
Whitney said.
Cloture Sought
To End Debate
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (!')
Senator Magnuson (D-Wash.),
said today ho would support a
cloture rule, which limits de
bate, to end tho filibuster in the
Semite against the fair employ
ment practices committee bill.
"I would vole for cloture to
morrow if we could get it up,"
Magnuson said. "This debate Is
not going to change a vote and
I do not think there is any
chanco of reaching any agree
ment with the opponents of the
measure to set a time to vote up
on It."
Magnuson, who voted for the
measure when he was In the
house said he saw no way of im
mediately breaking the filibuster.
Lions Propose Making Post
Veterans' Training School
A proposal that the Marine
Barrucks plant be converted into
a veterans' training school was
advanced today by the Klamath
rails Lions club. -4-
Appearing before chamber of
commerce directors, Lions
spokesmen declared their opin
ion that the handsome, well
equipped plant on the hill would
lend itself admirably as an edu
cational plant for veterans of
west coast states.
They pointed to a serious lack
of educational foclllties through
out the country for returning
GI's, and proposed that the vet
erans administration and the
Oregon slate department of edu
cation cooperate in administer
ing a program at tho Marino Bar
racks that would train veterans
In specific trades and offer edu
cation on a two-year; college
level.
"The Marine Barracks as Is,
from a physical standpoint, is
Shipyard Pay
Demand Sliced
WASHINGTON. Jan. 23 W)
Tho CIO today sharply reduced
its wago demands on the ship
building Industry and proposed
an increase of 20 cents an hour
for the nation's 650,000 ship
building workers.
Previously, the CIO had
asked 36 cents. Yesterday, gov
ernment procurement agencies
proposed a flat 15 per cent raise
in shipbuilding wages which
would add 18 cents to the stand
ard mechanics wage rate of $1.20
per hour,
J. R. Redslrom, spokesman for
the working committee of the
shipbuilding wage stabilization
conference, said the committee
would probably vote on both
proposals later today.
ELECTED PRESIDENT
NEW YORK, Jan. 23 (fP)
The French radio and an NBC
broadcast from Paris said Felix
Gouin, socialist leader, was elect
ed interim president of France
late today to succeed Gen. De
Gaulle, who resigned.
Deputy Sheriff Booked In
Ghastly Slaying Of Woman
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.,
Jan. 23 (!') Deputy Sheriff Ar
thur L. Eggors of Temple City,
52-ycar-old son of a former San
Francisco sheriff, was booked
for investigation of murder to
day after hours of grilling about
the mutilation slaying of a wom
an whoso headless, mindless
body was found in a niountuin
canyon near hero January 2.
Undersherlff Arthur Jewell
of Los Angeles said tho body had
been tentatively identified as
that of Mrs. Dorothy Eggers, 42,
renortcd misslnc bv her husband
on the day tho gruesome discov
ery was made.
Euuers. a mild-mannered cleric
in a Los Angeles coiintv sheriff's
substation, stoutly denied his
guilt, declaring:
"I wouldn't hurt a hair on her
head. I wouldn't kill her. ' I
wanted her there to raise the
children."
The couple, married 18 years,
had two adopted children, Marie,
19, and Lorraine, 11. ,
Jewell said the tentative iden
tification had been made by a
scar on the ankle and certain
foot peculiarities.
Capt. Gordon Bowers, chief of
tho Los Angeles sheriff's bureau
of investigation, asserted that
both daughters had. identified a
blanket found near the body as
one from the Eggors homo. Ho
said their statements were made
in Eggors' presence, and that he
accused them of lying.
quite adequate," said Harold
Shidler in presenting the Lions'
proposals. "A few changes of a
.minor nature would make it Im
mediately nisableV'-
He pointed out that the gym
nasium, swimming pool, dispen
sary, post exchange, hostess
house, laundry and officers' club
could be used virtually as they
stand for various purposes in the
training school program. Trie
mess hall, while probably- too
large for mess purposes for the
school, could be converted into
large workshops. The barracks
could be used lor dormitories for
single men and some of them
could bo converted into apart
ment quarters for married veter
ans. Others could be used for
classrooms.
Equipment Available
The Lions spokesman said that
a large amount of equipment for
training would be available from
the recently discontinued war
production training program.
Due to the four-year war pe
riod, it was pointed out,, one
complete generation of possible
college men has been denied
training. This has doubled the
load in the country's educational
institutions, and unbearable
crowding is expected next fall
"The Marine Barracks- is
going institution and with minor
changes could be put to a use
that would save the taxpayers
millions of dollars as well as per
form an outstanding service to
World War II veterans," Shidler
said.
The Linns offered the oninion
that the barracks would lend it
self more suitably to such a pro
gram than as a site for the veter
ans administration hospital to be
built In Klamath alls, probably
on another site.
This suggestion from the
Lions club followed the recent
disclosure that the marine corps
plans to relinquish the post
around March 1. President L.
Orth Slsemore of the chamber
referred the matter to the veter
ans' committee for study.
Pickets Halt
Army Trucks
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (IP)
Chairman May (D-Ky.) today
ordered an immediate house
military committee investiga
tion of charges that army truck
drivers in the third service com
mand have been ordered not to
cross meat strikers' picket lines
without union approval.
May said he had instructed
H. Ralph Burton, -committee
counsel, to obtain all army data
on the charge and have it ready
for committee study Friday
morning.
"We are going to the bottom
of this," May told a reporter.
Tho charge was made in the
house by Rep. Howard Smith
(D-Va.), who read a telegram
from the commanding general
(Ma). Gen. Manton S. Eddy) at
Baltimore directing that "until
further orders army trucks un
der your command will not be
permitted to cross picket lines
established by striking meat
packing unions without agree
ment .with local labor represen
tatives concerned."
Woman Struck
By Automobile
Mrs. Mary Donelson Fraln: 54,
1522 Martin,' is in the Klamath
Vallev hosoital seriously ' in
jured today Hftefshe' was hit by
a car driven by James Herbert
McCulloch. 20. route 3. on S. 6th
at Martin late last night. Mc
Culloch, a soldier home on leave,
was arrested for reckless driv
ing by city police and released
on recognizance to appear in
court this afternoon.
Hospital authorities said this
afternoon that Mrs. Frain, who
is an employe of the county tax
collector's office, is suffering
from multiple injuries and is
bleeding internally.
Mrs. Frain has been given
blood transfusions and the hos
pital is calling for blood donors
this afternoon.
She was struck as she was
crossing S. 6th on her way home
about 10 o'clock last night. In
vestigating police said that the
car driven by McCulloch was
coming north on 6th at about 40
miles an hour. Mrs. Frain was
carried on the front of the "car
about 48 feet before she dropped
off onto the pavement and the
(Contlnntd n Pas Z Column 3)
Curb Sought
For Petrillo
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 W)
Legislation which Chairman Lea
(D-Calif.) said was designed to
restrain powers of James C.
Petrillo, head of the American
Federation of Musicians, today
was approved by a 14-5 vote of
the house interstate commerce
committee.
Lea is author of the bill which,
according to its title, is aimed
"to prohibit certain coercive
practice affecting radio broad
casting." Lea told newsmen the bill
grew out of demands made upon
broadcasters by Petrillo. Lea
said he considered the demands
"not within the legitimate
rights of any organization" and
added that "a self-respecting
government cannot afford to per
mit" them.
The legislation would prohibit
the use of threats or force to
"coerce, compel or constrain" a
radio station "to pay or agree to
pay" tribute for the privilege of
producing or using records,
transcriptions or mechanical,
chemical or electrical reproduc
tions. A maximum penalty of a
year's imprisonment and a $1000
fine is provided for violations.
AFL Butchers To
Return To Work
PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 23 ffl
Striking AFL butchers will re
turn to work at the Swift and
Armour company packing plants
here Saturday, J. D. McDonald,
union secretary, said today.
Local action is in compliance
with orders from national un
ion officials, he said, which were
issued after the government an
nounced it was seizing the slants
on Saturday. 1
Long-Time
Operation
Said Sure
Plant Will Be Active
Productive Unit
For 10 Years
The Kesterson mill on Klam
ath river below town, one of the
large lumber plants of this area,
will continue in operation for at
least several years, it was as
sured today with the announce
ment by Irving Kesterson that
Kesterson Lumber corporation
has sold i ts lumber interests
here to the Klamath Basin Pine
Mills, Inc.
The new owners of this opera
tion now have timber and are
negotiating for other timber
which they expect will maintain
the Kesterson plant as an active
productive unit in this commun
ity for about 10 years.
H. J. O'Donnell, M. A. Wyman
and L. McLellan of the Puget
Sound area are the owners of the
Klamath Basin Pine Mills, Inc.,
a Washington corporation. Some
time ago, these men took over
the box operations at the big
Kesterson plant, and have con
ducted this business under the
name of Kesterson Box com
pany. Ivan Kesterson will be resi
dent manager for the new own
ers and there will be no change
in key personnel, it was an
nounced. . ,
Lease Transferred ;
' The deal announced today in
cludes transfer from the Kester
son corporation to the Klamath
Basin Pine Mills of the lease on
the Klamath river plant, owned
Dy a suDsiaiary oi tne ureat
Northern railroad. .
Irving E. Kesterson, who has
headed the Kesterson operations
here and has long been a leader
in. the lumber industry in this
area, said today that while he is
retiring from operating activity
here he will retain his interest
in the welfare of the Klamath
industry and hopes to serve it in
many ways. He will serve the
industry in an advisory canacitv
and is a member of important in
dustry committees. He plans a
trip to Washington soon in the
interest of the industry.
Irving Kesterson has acquired
substantial interests in Califor
nia and makes his home at Red
wood City.
The Kesterson family entered
the lumbering field here in 1917,
operating at that time a small
mill known as the Burkhart mill.
at Ivan, two or three miles north
of the Oregon-California line
near Worden. They then moved
to a mill at Topsy on Klamath
river canyon. In 1923, they be
gan operations at a large plant at
Dorris, sawing Klamath county
timber. In 1929 they completed
construction of the Kesterson
plant on Klamath river near
Klamath Falls, and have oper
ated it since that time. They
came here from Grants Pass.
Present officers of the Kesterson
corporation are G. H. Kesterson,
Grants Pass, president; Irving
Kesterson, vice president, and
Ivan Kesterson, treasurer. Dan
Farris is acting secretary.
AFL Ordere
Workers Y
Urad Stroke
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (AP) The White House on
nounced today the department of agriculture will seize and
operate strikebound meat packing plants on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the striking AFL union of , meat workers or
dered its men back to work in struck plants Saturday, th
day set for government seizure of strikebound properties.
Earl Jimerson, president, and Patrick E. Gorman, secretary-treasurer
of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher
Workmen of America, issued a statement saying as "loyal
Americans" they had ordered their members in struck plants
of Armour. Swift, Cudohy, Wilson Kingan and Morrell com
panies back to work effective Saturday. : :
Press Secretary Charles G. Ross said the agriculture de
partment will have the aid of the war department "if neces
sary" and that the agriculture department will conduct the
operations.
Ross declined to answer questions concerning his terse
announcement, made to a hurriedly called news conference.
Ross made the following oral statement:
"The government will seize the closed meat packing
pianis on Saturday, January 20.
"The necessary order for the
seizure is now being prepared
by the secretary of labor.
The seizure will be made by
the department of agriculture,
with the aid of the war depart
ment if necessary. The plants
will be operated by the depart
ment of agriculture.
"That's the whole of it at this
time." .
A few minutes earlier a gov
ernment official, who declined
to be quoted directly, had in
dicated the seizure would be
made Saturday to allow fur
ther time to persuade striking
CIO workers to return to their
jobs under government opera
tion. Labor department officials
have said that striking AFL
workers had agreed to return
if the government took over, r
No Plans
The administration still has
no immediate plans for further
action on the steel, strike, Ross
said.
Asked whether there were
any plans for Henry Kaiser to
be brought into the picture to
help settle the steel dispute,
Ross replied: . . .
"I know of no such plans."
Last week Kaiser signed a
contract with the CIO United
Steel Workei,nipiVrlotH.h
California steel plant.- r . t
Chester Bowles, OPA admin
istrator, was scheduled to talk
with President Truman shortly
after noon and Labor Secretary
Schwellenbach had an appoint
ment later.
Seizure of the meat packing
plants was the first such action
in a major labor dispute since
the current wave of big strikes
started.
Mac Orders 48
Japs Arrested
TOKYO, Jan. 23 (ff) General
MacArthur today ordered the
arrest of 48 more Japanese war
criminal suspects and, in a re
newed drive against the Nip
ponese military, included uiree
lieutenant generals,
Ordered to report at Sugamo
prison "at the earliest practi
cable date" were Lt. Gen. Yui
chiro Nagano, commander of the
Osamu army groups in Batavia
in June ana July, ivia; LmI. uen,
Fusataro Teshina. who com
manded the second army, and
Lt. Gen. Seichi Yamada, com
mander of the fifth division,
The remainder of the suspects
were military of lesser rank and
civilians, including a number of
guards at prisoner of war camps.
Also named were a number of
naval personnel who were sta
tioned at Infanta, Luzon, includ
ing Capt. Takesu Furuse and two
junior grade lieutenants,
Nightmare Of Atomic War
Conjured Up By Analyst
By EDWARD E. BOMAR
WASHINGTON, Jan 23 ()
The nightmare of an atomic war
of annihilation exploding acci
dentally from a defective bomb
fuse or a maniac's thumb jab
bing a fatal button was conjured
up today by Maj. Gen. J. F. C.
Fuller.
The British military analyst
likened the atomic weapon to a
sword of Damocles suspended
over the world's head.
The slender thread holding
that sword might be cut "wil
fully" in event of another war,
he said, "but on account of the
tension in which all nations will
live, it is far more likely to be
severed accidentally." Then he
mentioned bad fuses on atomic
rockets and maniacs who might
gain access to control panels as
instruments of such disaster.
Writing in the service maga
zine, Army Ordnance, Fuller
gave his conception of the out
break of an atomic war:
"Instead of cities being walled
in as in the Viking age, we can
picture whole countries girth
about by radar sets, ceaselessly
"listening in" for the first note
of the broadcast of annihilation.
"In the vicinity of these in
struments will bo hidden away
two tactical organizations of
atom - charged and propelled
rockets the one offensive and
the other defensive. The first
will be ranged on every great
foreign city in the world, be
cause before war is launched (to
declare it would be sheer mad
ness), no single nation will know
who among the rest is its true
enemy.
"The second organization will
be directed by tne raoar sets.
and as soon as they signal a
flight of offensive rockets speed
ing toward them, the defensive
rockets will automatically be re
leased by radar to speed into tne
heavens and explode in what
ever cubic space in the strato
sphere radar decides the enemy's
offensive rockets .wm enter at a
calculated time.
"Then miles above the sur
face of the earth, noiseless bat
tles will be fought between blast
and counterblast. Now and
again an invader will get
through, and ud will go London
Paris, or New York in a 40,000-foot-high
mushroom of smoke
and dust; and as nobody will
know what is happening above
or beyond or be certain who is
fighting whom let alone what
for the .war will go on in a kind
of bellicose perpetual motion un
til the last laboratory blows up."
Strike Curb
Legislation
Takes Shape
By CLAIR JOHNSON
WASHINGTON. Jan. 23 JP
A strong drive took shaoe in the
house today to rewrite into broad
new strike control legislation
the watered down version at
President Truman's fact-findlnsr
bill. ', ' .
Leaders of a ctoud cOmnosed
largely of republicans and south
ern democrats told newsmen
they will try to attach several
amendments to the measure ap-
E roved yesterday by the house
ibor committee. .
Just how broad' these pro
posals will be has not yet been
agreed upon, and much , of the
decision may be fought out' on
the house floor. The battle prob
ably will begin next week, after
the rules committee acts, pn the
fact-finding bill. .. . .
' Wide Backing '
Regardless of the details, the
coalition leaders claimed and
their opponents acknowledged
widespread backing for some
type- of stringent legislation
aimed at curbing ' industrial
strife. - ...
Foee of such action told re
porters privately their chief hope
lies in possible settlement of
some of the major labor dispute
before a vote is taken.
"We are Just making a last
ditch stand, otherwise, one of
them said. "The house is raring
to go. Most members believe
they have to push through some
thing to end the strikes."
The first test will come before
the rules committee, probably
Friday.
Tire Production
Seen Suspended
AKRON, Ohio, Jan. 23 ()
A survey of executives in the
major tire producing firms here
drew predictions today that tire
manufacture would be suspend
ed within a few weeks for lack
of steel wire used in tire beads.
Nationally, tire production
now is at the rate of 180,000 to
200,000 casings a day. Akron
plants produce about 60,800 cas
ings a day, the majority of them
for passenger Cars. . ,
Congress Plan
Would Hike Pay
By EUGENE B. DODSON
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 WP)
Congress heard from its ranks
today how it should streamline
itself, and the program includes
pay raises, pensions and extra as
sistants. From a parliamentary view
point, one of the key recommen
dations is that congress break
the tight control which the
house rules committee now can
exercise over pending legisla
tion. .. - '.' :"": .'.1
The program for modernizing
the nation s top law-making ma
chinery was reported by a senate-house
sub-committee which
has been making an extensive
study of congressional reorgani
zation. ,( ,
Arriving In
United States
By Associated Press
Duans B. Mathis, PFC,
Klamath Falls, arrived on
Waterbury Victory d u e in
New York January 21. -
James H. Hsrgir, TS,
Klamath Falls, arrived ' on
Kemp Battle due In New
York January 21.
- Robert E. Cirr, PFC,
Klamath Falls, arrived on
Henry Connor due in New
York January 20. :-; '