Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 52, Number 88, Decatur, Adams County, 14 April 1954 — Page 1

Vol. LU. No. 87.

Plans Pacific NATO ARRIVING IN PARIS to line up French cooperation in an agreement between Britain, France and the United States to consider a possible NATO in the Pacific, U. S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles is greeted at Orly Field by French Foreign Minister Georges Bidault. Dulles said he is after a speedy end to the Indo-China conflict under “conditions guaranteeing peace.”

Senate Group a-. Opens Probe Os Housing Scandal Senate's Banking Committee Opens Probe In Scandals WASHINGTON, UP — The senate banking committee today began an investigation into federal housing scandals which may involve 600-million dollars in ‘‘windn.ll” profits Dor some builders. Chairman Homer Capehart (RInd.) began what he called "a full and complete. 100 percent investigation." The committee heard ait hour-long report in closed session from housing arid horpe finance administrator Albert’' M Cble. Capehart told reporters that “it looks as if the inquiry will turn tip that builders of post war multiple-family housing projects may have obtained governmentinsured loans 500-million dollars in excess of their building costs. The banking committee began the inquiry although Sen. Harry F. Byrd (D-Va.) already had one going. The administration announced Monday that fraud or negligence was responsible for irregular practices found in the housing administration. - Cole announced then that- it had - been learned that some builders of apartment projects had received loans in excess of their costs under a housing law provision which expired in 1960. He also reported more current scandals involving the alleged fleecing of homeowners acquiring loans for home imfSrovements. * Capehart said both of these problems would be investigated by the banking committee, but most of his discussion involved the loans for apartment projects. He said the committee may need several months to complete its investigation. The committee had planned to start voting next week on provi slnns of the administration’s housing bill. Itvoted today to defer that work for atleast two weeks. Two other investigations of the FHA already were underlay. The administration ordered, a full-scale inquiry into the agency Monday after the scandals were disclosed, and Sen. Harry F. Byrd (D-Va.). chairman of the joint committee cn reduction of federal spending said his group has been looking into FHA’s operations for more than a year. Byrd promised to report some of his findings in a senate speech today. Capehart said there is no question but that the banking committee has the “responsibility” to make the investigation. But he Said the group would be glad to get help from Byrd. (Continued on Paae Right> Local Man's Mother Dies At Fort Wayne Mrs. Albert lingerer, 53, of Fort ; Wayne, died Tuesday at Parkview ■| memorial hospital after an illness of nine days. Survivors include the husband; four sons, Robert G. of Decautr, Albert C., H. Louis andRaymond E., all of Fort Wayne; four sisters and a half-sister. Services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Seventh Day Adventist church, with burial in Lindenwood cemetery. Friends may call at the D. O. McComb & Sons funeral home until 11 a.m. Friday, when the body will be removed to the church.

Decatur Stores Open All Day Thursday DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Make School Survey Report On April 23 Public Invited To Commission Report Plans are being completed this week for the public report of the Decatur school survey -by the InDiana University school survey commission, which will be made Friday night, April 23. at 8 o’clock at Decatur high shool auditorium. School board members and superintendent W. Guy Brown will be hosts at the public meeting and all interested Decatur residents have been Invited to hear the report. The Survey was started several months ago and the April 23 meeting will give all details and recommendations of the survey staff. Special Invitations have been issfltfed •to parents of all school age children, leaders and members of the various civic and social groups of the city. City officials and members of various boards also have been asked to attend. The survey was started a year ago. following a series of meetings of the school board, superintendent Brown and representatives of the Lincoln parent-teachers association. The latter group expressed the feeling that the school systems was not growing with the growing needs of the city, z f Much of the preliminary work of 'the survey was doiie ’by school patrons and faculty members. The Uflivefsity staff then completed the work and prepared itjfpr a formal report. 2 Each member of the survey staff will present a different phase of the report and it then will be formally presented to the school board for action. Board members include Harry 0. Irwin, Everett G. Hutker and George Helm, the latter being president of the group. Stays Conviction Os Rep. Bramblett Grants Motion For Arrest Os Judgment WASHINGTON UP — Federal Judge Walter M. Bastian today stayed the conviction of Bep. Ernest K. Bramblett (11. Calif.) on charges of lying about his office payroll. Bastian granted a defense motion for “arrest of judgment.” The decisions forces the government to appeal directly to the supreme court to uphold the conviction. Bramblett’s attorney, Edward B. Williams, based the motion bn a claim that the 52-year-old congressman was convicted under a false statement statute that does not apply to the congressional branch of government. Bastian said in a written opinion there is a "reasonable doubt as to the aplicability of the law.” Bramblett was convicted Feb. 9 on seven counts of false statements about the employment of Mrs. Margaret M. Swanson of Arlington, Va.. in his congressional office. Witnesses at the trial said she did no work. Bastian noted that both defense and prosecution attorneys have conceded that the case ultimately would go to the supreme court. Attorneys also' have conceded, Bastian pointed out, that there has been fto previous attempt to apply the false statements statute to the legislative or judicial branches of government. He said under federal court ( pules, such cases' may be taken directly to the court for interpretation of the law.

Velde, Meek Win Easily In Illinois Vole First Primary Os 1954 Is Held In Illinois Tuesday CHICAGO UP — Rep. Harold Velde, ehairman of the house unAmerican activities committee, was nominated for a fourth term in Congress and political novice Joseph T. Meek won the GOP nomination for U.S. senator, returns from the first primary election of 1954 showed today. ‘Republican Velde easily stood off a challenge by one-armed state legislator' Robert H. Allison, despite criticism of some churchmen in Velde’s own district of the congreeman’s suggestion last year that the clergy be investigated for subversion? » Meek, a lobbyist pledged to “keep our government to the right," outdistanced a bulky field of eight other candidates to win the right to oppose Democratic Sen. Paul H. Douglas in next fall’s general election. With 9,045 of 9,805 precincts reporting. Meek had 262,416 votes to 162,780 for Edward A. Hayes, former national commander of the American Legion. Austin L. Wyman, who based his campaign on support of President Eisenhower, had 92,801. Park Livingston had 66,690, John Crane 54,727, Julius Klein 44,084, Edgar Elbert 29.036, Herbert Geisler 25,200, Lar (America First) Daly 17,118 and Deneen Watson, who withdrew but not in time to get off the ballot, 16,182. Douglas garnered almost 330,000 votes in Cook county, with most precincts reporting, and 96,582 downstate. However, many downstate counties did not report his total in the unofficial returns. Complete returns, from Velde’s district, the 18th. gave him 27,062 votes to 15,081 for Allison . The voting was extremely light, possibly because Douglas was unopposed on the Democratic ballot. The senator said the light vote “indicates a big Democratic victory in November.” One of Velde’s congressional colleagues ran into tougher sledding than Velde faced. He was Republican Rep. Robert W. Chiperfield. chairman of the house foreign affairs committee. Lawyer Lawrence Stickell. who campaigned a gains* the foreign aid (Turn To rase Eight) Or — 4th Damage Notice Received By City Notice Os Damages From Diesel Plant Mayor John Doan and the city of Decatur today received a fourth notice of damage, which is required prior to filing a suit for damages against the city light department. The notice was signed by Emil and Dorothy Bienz, claiming SI,OOO present damage and $9,000 future damage as a result from operation of the new diesel power plant in the northwest part of the city. Oliver Eggers, Fort - Wayne attorney, who has handled all of the previous actions by residents of the diesel plant area, is attorney so. Mr. and Mrs. Bienz. Mr. and Mrs. Alvie Buffenbarger alreadyJlave filed suit in Adams circuit court for SIO,OOO damage, alleged to be present and future Damage; and three other property owners now have filed Dotices, which under the statute concerning the filing of suits against municipal utilities, must precede the actual filing of the suit. The plant, located in an industrial area, adjacent to the is still under construction. "However, the plant has been in operation on several occasions and, while not yet accepted from the sellers, Lima-Hamilton Co., it is being used ijs a stand-by unit in the city’s electric system. Vibration from the operation of the engine is said to l>e the basis of complaints of those living nearby. In, recent weeks engineers representing the city, Lima-Hamil-ton Co. and othes specialists have been studying the local plant situation. . Residents have appeared at several recent council meetings to protest the noise and vibration, rl.leging on several occasions, that continued use would depreciate the value of-the property in the area.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Wednesday, April 14, 1954.

France Agrees To Join In Plan Os Collective Southeast Asia Defense

Special Board Investigating Oppenheimer Special Security Board Is Probing Atom Bomb Builder WASHINGTON, UP —A special security board moved swiftly today to determine, perhaps in two weeks, whether atom bomb builder J. Robert Oppenheimer is a security risk. No matter what the board’s decision, it appeared likely the matter would not end there and that a congressional inquiry also would be made. »The special personnel security board, headed by Gordon Gray, president of the University of North Carolina and former army secretary, began its work Monday. Members would not talk. The number of witnesses to be called was not know. Two, however, are Dr. Vannevar Bush, wartime head of the office of scientific research and development, and Gordon Dean, former chairman of the atomic energy commission. Bush will be a character witness for Oppenheimer. The capital still rocked with Oppenheimer’s own disclosure that he had been charged with being a security risk. By President Eisenhower’s order, the atomic energy raised a “blank wall” between the scientist and all atomic secrets'. Oppenheimer, as foremost architect in the building of the A-bomb, knows most if not all of them. Many scientists rallied to his side. The institute for advanced stiidy at Princeton.. N. of .which Oppenheimer is director, said it never had occasion to doubt h.is loyalty. He will continue as-direc-tor. Oppenheimer was stripped of ‘further A-bomb and H-bomb secrets because, the AEC said, "substantial derogatory information” was._ supplied about him by the justice department. The scientist replied in detail to the numerous charges made against him. He said that while he might have been politically naive in his choice of some associates, he was not a Communist, never had been a Communist, and was a loyal American. The joint congressional atomic energy committee kept clear of the issue for the time being. It said it found no fault with AE(,’ (Turn To Page Eight) . . ■ . — ... J Rev. Norris Speaks At Lions Meeting The Rev. Lawrence Norris, pastor of the Union Chapel church, uas guest speaker at the meeting of tlfe Lions club Tuesday night. The meeting took place at the K. of P, home. Rev. Norris spoke on “The Easter Season” and discussed the background of the Easter story.

(By Rev. John D. Mishler . Pleasant Dale Church of the Brethren) The Inescapable Jesus Matthew 27:20-26 Pilate may have wished that he need not face the situation of dealing with Jesus. As far as he could tell from questioning this prisoner, he was guilty of .none of the charges placed against him. The boistrous clamor of the mob was so influential however, that he went against his best Judgment, as’well as against the pleading of his wife. She said, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man.’’ Many politicians who fall into temptation, do it against their beat judgment. Many people in every walk of life go against God in spite of their higher conviction of right. Once any man has over peeked through the keyhole at Jesus and seen him as he is, there is no escaping him. Either we accept Jesus as the phrist, Or we reject hint?’ Pilate did not satisfy the need of his soul by washing his hands of his responsibility to Jesus. Nor do we.

Pres. Eisenhower On Easier Holiday Ike In Georgia On Easter Vacation VAipUSTA, Ga.. UP — Damp weatner' anA a pile Os paper work kept President Eisenhower off the golf course this morning, but he planned to try his skill at the Augusta National Golf Club during the afternoon. The chief executive went to work in his tiny office over the professional's shop at the club at 8 a.m. and during the course’ of the morning, he: Nominated 129 postmasters in 32 states. Transmitted to the senate for ratification the international antiopium agreement between the United States and 35 other nations. Worked on a batch of mail and ifficial documents brought from Washington. ——■ — Scheduled a golf game Saturday with Billy Jo Patton, the Morganton, N.C„. amateur who electrified the galleries by nearly winning the Augusta National. * It was raining hard when the ‘President went to work thi§ morning, but the showers let up shortly thereafter, enabling the chief executive to get out on the practice tee, them to the course for a regulation round. Mr. Eisenhower, Mrs. Eisenhower and her mother, Mrs. John S. Doud, flew in early Tuesday night from Washington after the President watched the Washington Senators beat the New York Yankees, 5-3. on the opening day of major league baseball. ? The Chief Executive had hoped to play golf here with some of the participants in the Masters tournament but all had gone. . .Ho wever.. Mr.... .Elsenhower sol first hand accounts of Sam Snead’s win over Ben Hogan in a dramatic playoff from fellow golf- <• 1 u-b members who accompanied him on the links today. The Eisenhowers will be joined here Friday by their son, Maj. John Ei.<elihdwer. who is stationed at Ft. Benning. Ga.. his wife Barbara, and their three children. They will remain here for the Easter weekend. . On Friday the President hoped to play a round of golf with Billy Jo Patton, a North Carolina amateur golfer who almost edged out the top professional contenders in the Masters tournament. 10 Men Inducted Into Army Service Ten Adams county young men left for Indianapolis this morning for indue tion in to the armed forces. Physical examinations for 10 more are slated for April 22 in Indianapolis. Those who left today' were .Ken neth Wayne Busick, Leroy Kenneth Bulmahn, Franklin Fuelling Jimmy Dow Price, Dwight Ray Troxel. Ferdinand Selking, Clarence Edward Zimmerman, Roger Wayne Sauder, Richard Duane Steiner and Richard Hubert Minnich.

Says U. S. Must Be Ready For Serious Jssks Deputy Assistant To Dulles Testifies At House Hearing WASHINGTON UP — Everett F. Drumright .deputy assistant secretary of state for Far Eastern affairs, said today the United States should be prepared “to run the most serious risks” to keep Red China from conquering Southeast Asia, Korea, Japan, or Formosa. He testified before the house foreign affairs committee in support of the administration’s request for a’^1,769,1)00,000 military and economic aid program for the Far East in the 1955 fiscal year beginning next July 1. Discussing the current efforts of secretary of state John Foster Dulles to build a "united front” against communism in Southeast Asia, he said “We are now in the process of warning them against further efforts to expand" the fight in Indochina. “We. intend to prevent the Chinese Communists from reaping the full benefits” of further aggression. he added. I Sen. Mike Mansfield (D-Mont), ' meanwhile, called for speedy action on independence for Indochina to prevent the Geneva Far East conference from leading to “unmitigated disaster.” Drumright said Indochina would get the largest slice of the $1,769,• 000,000 in aid proposed for the Far East. The share for that country would be $1,133,000,000. Other, large shares of the funds would go to Korea and Formosa. Sen. Paul Douglas (D-lii.) proposed Tuesday night that Chinese Nationalist troops on Formosa be thrown into the Indochina fight. And Sens. Alexander Wiley (RWis.) and Homer Ferguson (RMich.) applauded the Anglo-Ameri-can decision to press for a Southeast A&a alliance against Communism. Mansfield said the failure in Indochina so far is not due to the (Continued on Page Eight) Mrs. Sophia Berning Dies Tuesday Night Funeral Services Friday Afternoon Mrs. Sophia Berning, 83, of Hoagland, a native of Adams county, died at 7:45. p. m. Tuesday at the Adams county memorial hospital. She had been in failing health for several years and hospitalized since last Wednesday. She was born in Root township April 24, 1870, a daughter of Frederick and Louise Melcher-Wiet-teldt. Her husband, John Berning, died May 30, 1938. Mrs. Berning was a member of St. Peter’s Lutheran church. Surviving are two sons, Leo and Otto Berning, both of Madison township, Allen county; three daughters. Mrs. Henry Hockemeyer of Hoagland, Mrs. Phillip Weick and Mrs. Ivan Parrish, both of Columbia City; eight grandchildren; one brother, Otto Wietfeldt of Fort Wayne, and three sisters. -Mrs. Amelia Witte of Kendallville Mrs. Louise Zwick ..of Lincoln, Neb., and Mrs. Emma Knipstein of Fort Wayne. One son and one daughter are deceased. Funeral services will be conducted at 1:30 p. m. Friday at the Zwick funeral home and at 2 o’clock at St. Peter’s Lutheran church, the Rev. F. W. Droegemueller officiating. Burial will be In The church cemetery. Friends may call atthe funeral home after /'o’clock this evening.

Union Speaker

" m I IT

The Rev. Harold D. Neel, pastor of the First Methodist church, Mishawaka, will be the guest speaker at the union Good Friday services in Decatur Friday afternoon.

City To Mark Good Friday In Churches / Suspend Business During Three Hours Friday Afternoon Three services in Decatur churches will commemorate the passion and crucifixion Frldav afternoon. A union service at the First Methodist church and devotions at the Zion Lutheran church and St. Alary’s Catholic church will mark Good Frraay here." In order that their employes.may attend' these services most of the Decatur stores and offices will be closed from noon to 3 pan. The bank and court house offices will be closed all day. Stores will remain open Thursday afternoon. The union service, sponsored by the Associated Churches, will he divided into three devotions, one of contemplation from noon to 1 p.m., one of penitence, pardon and peace from 1 to 2 pan. and one of committment from 2 to 3 p.m. The Rev. Harold Neel, pastor of the First Methodist church in Mishawaka and Methodist conference missionary secretary, will be guest minister for the union services and will present the messages for the first and third hour. The music department of the Decatur Woman's club, under the direction of Miss Helen Haubold, will present a mus, leal service during the second hour. Ministers of the member churches will also participate. Good Friday oevotions at the Lutheran church will take place at 12:30 p.m. This service will feature the reading of the entire Passion story from the four Gospels interspersed with hymns and prayers. The Lutheran church will also sponsor a service Friday even ing at 7:30 p.m. Private and public devotions will take place at the Catholic church beginning at noon. Public Way of the Cross will be offered at 12:45 and 1:45 p.m. The blessing with n relic of the True Cross will be given at 2:30 i-.m. The Mass of the Presanctified will take place at 7:30 a.m. and an evening service will begin at 7:30 p.m. Union services are also plannetj. at Monroe and Berne. The Monroe Methodist church will b§ the scene from 1 to 3 p.m. of Good Friday devotions for members of the Mon roe community. Berne pastors and (Turn To Paar Eisht) INDIANA WEATHER Considerable cloudiness with scattered showers and tnundor»tor ms tonight and Thursday. Continued mild. Low tonight 55-63. High Thursday in the 70s.

Price Five Cents

Three Powers Agree To Joint Asian Defense Adherence Os France To American Plan Is Announced By Dulles PARIS. UP—France agreed today to join the United States and Britain tn plans tor the collective defense of Southeast Asia. The adherence of Franco to the American-proposed plan was announced in a joint communique issued by United States secretary of state John Foster and French foreign secretary Georges Bidault after a daylong Series of conferences on the issoe in the French capital. “In close solidarity with all other countries concerned,” the communique said, “we* shall examine the possibilities of realizing within the framework of the * United Nations charter a collective defense destined to ensure liberty, peace and security tor the Southeast Asia region." i The language was almost ths same as that of the communique issued in London Tuesday after Dulles had won an agreement from British foreign secretary Anthony Eden to go along with the American plan for a 10-nation defense arrangement. It mould be similar to the NATO defense arrangement for Western Europe. The joint communique was approved, in advance of its release, by Premier Joseph Laniel in a private meeting with Dulles and Bidault. The idea of an Asian equivalent of the anti-Communist North Atlantic treaty organization, has hecome the central theme of Dulles’ unprecedented four-day trip to London and Paris. Dulles went to the foreign office to open a day-long conference with Bidault and other government leaders. • The American secretary arrived Tuesday night from London after a 48-hour visit with foreign secretary Anthony Eden and British officials. They agreed to work on a plan for a 10-nation Far East security pact which would be to the east what NATO is to the west. France |iid the three associated states of Indochina would form the political backbone of the Far Eastern alliance and it is a French promise to cooperate with the Americans in this project th a t Dulles sought in this mission to •Paris. Dulles told the French on his arrival that the best way to get an acceptable and quick peace in Indochina would be through a united front. His emphasis on peace relieved French diplomats who feared he had come to clamor for a tough denunciation of Red China before the Geneva conference starts April 26. Dulles and Eden had agreed that the natiqjfts who should show “united determination” to resist further Red Chinese aggression were the United States, Britain, France. Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand and the Associated States of Indochina—Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia. The French foreign ministry took pains late Tuesday night to express appreciation to Dulles. It issued a statement saying it found (Turn To Taae Eight) BULLETIN LONDON UP — The Big Three Western powers told the Kremlin today that Red Cnina will have no part In arrangements for the April 26 Geneva conference. The Chinese Reds, Moscow was Informed, will occupy a strictly back-seat position in setting up the conference which will deal with Korean* Indochinese and other Far Eastern problems.