Bureau Of Reclamation
Sees More Farms For Vets
WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 VP)
The bureau of reclamation, ad
vocate of small farms, estimated
today that 3,7 per cent of reclamation-project
irrigated land
is held in large tracts.
"The 544,000 excess acres on
reclamation projects represent
potential settlement opportun
ities for 5440 veterans on farms
of 100 acres each, ' said Recla
mation Commissioner Michael
W. Straus.
Furthermore, Straus said, one
fourth of the area of projects
authorized for construction, or
under construction but not yet
served with water, is acreage in
excess of that which - may be
served under present laws.
Straus announced that a fact
finding survey covering a $6,-500,000-acre
cross section of pro
jects in 16 of the 17 western
reclamation states disclosed:
1. O n reclamation projects
now receiving water, the hold
ings for the most part are fam-
Blast Rips
Huge Elevator
MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 30 (JP)
An explosion ripped the Brooks
Elevator company grain elevator
at Ninth avenue and Third street
south this afternoon. Fire broke
out immediately and a few min
utes later was sweeping the huge
structure.
First reports to the police and
fire department said it was not
known whether anyone was in
jured. The building lies along the
Milwaukee railroad tracks, in the
heart of the city's milling indus
try area. It is about nine blocks
northeast of the city's retail busi
ness district.
Within minutes after the blast,
flames were shooting far above
the roof and the whole building
seemed to be aflame.
Gas Explodes On
River Barge
THE DALLES, Dec. 30 JP
Two gasoline explosions on an
Inland Navigation company
petroleum barge rocked The
Dalles yesterday, but firemen
quelled the ensuing blaze within
15 minutes.
Damage to the barge, whose
decks, tank, and compartments
were ripped, was expected to
reach several thousand dollars.
Only a small quantity of gaso
line was in the barge, which had
delivered its 265,000-gallon cargo
further up the river.
Well Digger
Wfmm mf 111
Donald Morris, 32, a well digger, was rescued at Norwell,
Mass., after being trapped 23 feet below the surface of the ground
by a cave-in for more than eight hours. An hour before rescuers
reached him, they received the first assurance that he had sur
vived as he shouted: "Keep digging. I'm alive; Don't atop now."
AP wirephoto.
ily-size. By ownership, only
eight-tenths of one per cent is
in excess holdings, although by
area the amount is 3.7 per cent.
2. On projects authorized or
merely under construction, 4.6
per cent of the ownership hold
acreage in excess, und 25.7 per
cent of the area served is in
volved. Some of the land held in vio
lation of reclamation statutes
has been offered to the secretary
of interior for appraisal and
sale. Other portions have been
excess in such slight degree as
to make little difference.
Craft Union
Negotiation
Starts Here
Negotiations were under way
here this week-end between tho
various crafts in the building
trades and ABC and E, Associa
tion of Building Contractors and
Employers, to stave off any in
terruption in construction as the
AFL union members made de
mands for higher wages.
As sheet metal workers,
members of local 320, remained
out, a new angle was injected
when it was learned that a pos
sible settlement had been made
by electrical contractors and
workers, and that ABC and E
announced wage adjustments
were in the progress of negotia
tion "toward a reasonable settle
ment." Contracts are expiring Janu
ary 1, 1947, between the trades
and contractors.
Local 109, which is the car
penters' union and embraces a
membership of between 400 and
500 men, has made requests
which cover a wide range, some
up to as much as $2 per hour,
others at $1,874 per hour. The
present cerpenters' wage scale is
$1,621.
Larry Watkins of the firm of
Pinninger and Watkins, presi
dent of ABC and E, advised The
Herald and News today that the
last general meeting of his group
was December 13, but that com
mittees have met with various
crafts in an effort to arrive at a
reasonable settlement. It is
hoped, Watkins observed, that
settlement can be made to the
satisfaction of both sides to avoid
holding up the building program
here.
Unofficial settlement was re-
Is Rescued
Police ponder the best way of removing the body of Fire Captain Harold Lawrence. 34, from
his wrecked automobile after it crashed head-on Into a streetcar on slippery Los Angeles streets.
His death brought to 38 the number of persons killed in Loe Angeles during Christmas week la
an unprecedented wave of traffic accidents. AP wirephoto.
ported today when electrical con
tractors said they had met de
mands of electrical workers on
expiration of the existing con
tract January 1, 1947, and the
hourly wage will be $1,871. This
was the demand of the local and
is said to be settled amicably. No
contract has as yet been signed,
It is understood.
Electrical workers, AFL. are
now working at a going wage of
$1.70 per hour.
In the meantime, sheet metal
workers remained away from
their Jobs, having refused the
contractors' offer of $1.87 per
hour. The going wage is now
$1,621 per hour, the members of
local 320 asking a straight 50
cent an hour Increase which
would bring the hourly wage to
$2,121. Whes contractors offered
$1.87 per hour, the local then
counteracted with a straight $2
per hour which was refused by
the contractors. The local has
been out since December 16, and
negotiations today were at a
standstill.
Painters, members of local
1279, were negotiating with
Master Painters and Decorators
of America association, and all
negotiations have been on a mu
tual basis, it is understood. The
painters' demands made so far
have been "informal ones," The
Herald and News was advised
and the local is apparently wait
ing until the arrival of the state
scale which is expected out of
Portland. -
13-Year-Old Boy
Stabs Companion
(Continued from Page One)
a lunge at his companion as one
of the boy s yelled "Look out.
The boy dodged but apparently
not far enough as the knile
caught him Just below the
shoulder blade and slashed
through a leather sheep lined
jacket and two shirts to cause a
wound an Inch and a half deep
and as wide.
The boys, police said, pro
ceeded to a small store at 2935
S. 6th, where they asked help
from a woman and she called
state police. The woman said
she did not have anything to
treat the wound but had applied
a clean cloth and officers arrived
with a first aid kit but seeing
the severity of the injury took
the youngster to Klamath Val
ley hospital where a physician
took three stitches to close the
wound. The attending physician
told state police that an inch
either way would probably have
meant a fatal injury.
In the meantime, the alleged
assailant was turned over to
juvcnfle authorities and placed
in custody at the detention home.
Faye Blackmer, deputy Juvenile
officer, said Monday morning
that some charge would be made
against the boy said to have used
the knife. Mrs. Blackmer said
neither of the two had previous
Juvenile records.
Basin Potato Shipments
In Carloads
1946 1945
Dec. 26, 27, 28, 29.. 112 165
Dec. to Date 844 891
Season to Date ....5396 6301
ALU miwi, miu rUf, .
Crash Takes Another Life In Lot Angeles
Sledding Areas
Named For City
Now that a coat of ice and
snow is covering Klamath
Falls streets, three slopes
have been designated as sled
ding areas and will bo
watched by city police, ac
cording to E. E. Hambrlck,
recreation officer.
The areas are on Worden
from the top of the hill to
Upham; on Portland from
Pacific Terrace to the Sl
railroad tracks, and on 2nd
from Lincoln to McKinley.
The designated areas are
not yet posted by signs, but
the areas will be supervised.
Children using other slopes
will do so at their own risk,
Hambrick said.
He cautioned motorists to
be careful In crossing the
sledding areas.
Gunman Sticks
Up Bus Drivers
PORTLAND. Dec. 30 (P)
Two similar "end of the line"
holdups were reported by city
bus drivers today, and in both
cases the assailant was described
as "nervous.
About 11 last night James J.
Turner handed $32 to a gunman
who boarded the bus at the end
of the line and held a handker
chief over his face. An hour
later Lynn Chamberlain was
robbed of $80 as he was changing
the trolley for a return trip to
town. This time the accostcr's
face was uncovered.
In both instances the bus was
empty of passengers, and the
gunman declined to return Iden
tification papers in the wallets.
Couple Held On
Larceny Charge
PORTLAND, Dec. 30 (P)
A couple was held today on
charges of larceny from a store,
the wife accused of giving her
husband a stolen dress to return
for a smaller size.
Detective Collie Stoops said
Larvcrne M. Karn, 0, Cresham,
attempted to exchange the gar
ment and while Dcing questioned
at police headquarters his wife,
Opal, 29, was attempting to turn
over her three children to police
women's protective authorities
because she had no means of sup
porting them.
The detective said the couple
had $1000 In travelers checks,
and $284 In cash.
Baby Battles For .
Life After Injury
READING. Pa.. Dec 30 (JP)
A new-born baby boy battled for
life today after the Infant his
skull fractured was louna
jammed Into a rain soaked shop
pine bag in an alley.
At Community Gencrul hos-
pltal, Dr. Milan Chnpko said the
baby's skull was fractured and
its body cut and bruised either
from a beating or when thrown
from an automobile. However,
he said the baby has a "fair
chance" of surviving.
mht, an. t. test, rt Tve
Schools Open
After Strike
on mm rA.. in tan n..k-
lie schools of St. Puul reopened
todayy, marking the end of the
five-week shutdown brought on
by a walkout of teachers to en
force wage demands.
The strike was called off Fri
day by yUie teachers, members
of the American Federations of
Teachers (AFL), after the city
charter commission accepted a
proposed charter amendment de
signed to take care of teacher
wage adjustments and school im
provements. The adjusted wage scale had
been approved previously by
both the teachers and the city
council which acts as a school
board
There were general expres
sions of satisfaction from the
pupils as they trooped through
snow and sub-zero cold to school,
even though fellow students in
neighboring Minneapolis were
enjoying another week of Christ
mas vacation.
AP Official
Discusses Atom
DETROIT. Doc. 30 () Kent
Cooper, executive director of
The Associated Press, expressed
tho belief in a radio Interview
yesterduy that "no real advance
cun be made, no real security
can be achieved unless tlte
atomic issuo Is settled on an in
ternational basis."
"I am an optimistic realist.
I believe an agreement will be
reached because it has to be
readied," he said.
The interview with cooper
from his home at Irvlngton-on-the-Hudson,
N. Y., was broadcast
over station WJR here.
Cooper declared that the
atomic question loom larger in
the forthcoming year than ques
tion of employer-labor relations
which he said "appears formid
able" but actually is "only oa
the surface."
Walker Takes
Editorial Post
Clyde M. Walker, who served
as forest guard at Lake o' the
Woods for Rogue River nation
al forest from 1D38 to 1040,
has been assigned to tho edi
torial office of the division of
information and education where
he Is undergoing orientation and
training for his new position as
editor of the California Forest
Experiment station. Walker Is
a graduate of Oregon State col
lege, school of forestry.
For the past six months he
hns been news editor of the
East Orcgonlan at Pendleton,
which position ho held for over
a year before entering military
service. From May, 1943, to
Jnnuary of this year he was
forecaster and Instructor In
meteorology In the army air
forces. While at Oregon State
he edited' tho college's monthly
magazine nnd dally newspaper
and was radio script writer for
the school of forestry.