Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 53, Number 8, Decatur, Adams County, 11 January 1955 — Page 1

Vol. LIU. No. 8.

Confer On Costa Rica Charge ■k' Wk fIK ■ jr* >*</ W*-,. lIaMKO *5./' * . .. «. *f'J , ‘:’’''y y ' *"■ v* || AMBASSADOR ANTONIO FACIO of Costa Rica (left) and Ambassador Guillermo Sevilla-Sacasa of Nicaragua confer with Uruguay Ambassador Jose A. Mora (center), chairman pf the Organization of American States at an emergency meeting to consider Costa Rica's charge that it is threatened with invasion by forces from Nicaragua. A meeting of the 21 American Tepuhlics of the 0.A.5., to investigate the threat to peace in Central America is in prospect.

Eastern Time Bill Submitted To Legislature Would Put Entire State On Eastern Time As Os May 1 INDIANAPOLIS (INS) —A toothless b|U was introduced to the Indiana senate today to move the hands of all - Indiana clocks to eastern standard time. The bi-partisan measure was one of the 22 senate and 21 house bills which covered most ail Hoosier activity from childhood to old age as the general assembly settled down to hard work. A bill that would place all Indiana on EST as of May 1, 1955, was tossed into the senate |iooper by Robert L. Brokenburr, Indianapolis Republican, and Von Eichhorn, Uniondale Democrat. The measure, like the state law which now prescribes central standard time for ail Indiana, has no penalty clause. Earner caucus chairman Sen. Roy Conrad,. Monticello Republican, said it was his private opinion that a bill sending the time issue to the voters in referendum would ■pass, Conrad, a member of Gov. George N. Craig’s faction of the GOP as opposed to Brokenburr a member of the Capehart-Jenner faction, said the state senators decided in their 45 minute caucus that committeemen from both houses should confer before passing either a bijl on narcotics or appropriations. Another bi-partisan, bill went into the. senate hopper to provide against a school investigating subcommittee's warning that in five years 47 of every ICO Hoosier schoolchildren will be in substandard classrooms. Sens. Charles Kellum, sLaoresville Republican, and Eichhora' entered a bill that would permit the state -to enter local financing of school construction. _X - School children were th& indirect subjects of a bi-partisan measure introduced by “Sen. Eugene Bainbridge, Lake county Democrat, and Freeman Yeager, South Bend Republican. Tt would permit Christian Science practitioners to sign school absence certificate*. Bainbi idge also introduced a bill to extend the final filing date for state gross income taxes to the end of February Instead of the current date at the end of January. .w—« ■ Oldsters won recognition iji two bills submitted by Evansville Dem-! ocrat Sen. Paul jßitz. The measures would repeal the provision requiring aged- welfare -reeipicnti to turn over property before getting assistance and the provision requiring children to' aid the aged as much as possible before state aid is garnted. Welfare of the in-betweens in age; was considered in a bill submitted | by Sens. Charles F. Rutledge, Elwood Republican and Eichhorn. It would provide welfare payment for disabled persons between the ages of 16 and 65 by the state-federal government. Currently they must depend on township trustee payments. ' ■ln the house, a bitt considered disability of another nature. South Bend Democratic Reps. Otto Fozgay and Jesse L. Dickinson coauthored a measure which wotjld provide a five year filing deadline (instead of the current two years) for workmen suffering ear injury' in high frequency jet tests. Drivers licenses would be granted annually and in January rather •than biennially in the driver’s birthday month in a bill introducedamong 21 in the house by Rep. Mahlon Karlin, Delphi Republican.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Nationalist Planes Pound Red Islands In Retaliation For Attacks From Reds TAIPBII UNS) —The Chinese Nationalists reported today they had staged damaging air strikes on islands off the China coast and also shot down bomber and damaged another. A communique said “several waves" of Nationalist planes repeatedly bombed Communist gun , emplacements on the islands of Toumen and Tienao, north of Na-tionalist-held Taeh,en, some 200 miles north of Formosa. The official bulletin said that Communist planes • MIG-15 jet fighters, and LA-11 and TU-2 bombers — flew fourteen sbrtles against Tachcn and nearby islands which were hit in a 100plane lied raid Monday. It was th: second raid within two hours on Tienao where (he Nationalists said fires were started among enemy installations and a Communist command post hit in a pre-daWn attack. The Nationalist defense ministry I asserted that “considerable damage" was inflicted on Red gun positions in the Tienao strikes which started fires "visible miles away.** A Nationalist communique said planes of Chiang Kai-Shek's air force also bombed Red gunboats near Sunginen, southwest of Tachen. Several of the gunboats were reported "probably damaged.” Tachen was hit by ltd) Red Monday in what the Nationalists called the biggest Communist air raid of the so-called “vestpocket war” off the poast of China. The Nationalists reported one coal freighter and one small gunboat in Tachen harbor were severely damaged by the Red planes. Nationalist sources ’said Chinese Red bombers and fighter-bombers of Russian - make attacked” Na--tionalisr islets and warships south of Tachen this afternoon. The Nationalist also said numerous Red LA - bl. fighter - bombers were sighted over Tachen this morning but failed to drop any bombs. INDIANA WEATHER Partly cloudy and cold again tonigMc Wednesday increasing cloudiness and somewhat warmer with occasional light rain or drizzle south and rain or snow north late Wednesday or Wednesday night. Low tonight 16-23. High Wednesday 33-39. . — ■, • - * . ♦ . . • Soviet Protest On Address Rejected - U. S. And Britain Reject Red Protest WASHINGTON (INS) — The 1 United States and Britain rejected ■ today a S’oviet protest against ' statements by Brig. Gen. John D. I Stevenson, commander of the 49th air division stationed in Britain. Both the U. S. and the British replies accused the Soviets of misquoting and misrepresenting an address by the American officer. In a memorandum delivered to the Soviet embassy in Washington. the state department charged that the Russians “selected certain statements out of context" on which to base their protest. Russia protested on Dec. 16 against Stevenson’s reported statement that American bombers under his command could make an atomic counter-attack against Russia from Britain on a moment’s notice. The Russians charged that such a statement was "incompatible" with normal relations between the Soviet Uiiion And the two Eng-lish-speaking Democracies.

slOl Billion Road Program Recommended Committee Report Recommends Huge Building Program WASHINGTON (INS) -*• The White House made public today a report by a special advisory committee recommending a 101 billion dollar highway construction program in the next 10 years to bring' the nation’s roads up to desirable standards. The report, from a group headed by Gen. Lucius Clay, proposed that federal, state and local governments should spend on highways in this period 54 billion dollars more than the 47 billions which it is estimated would be spent under present plans. The Clay committee called at the White House and presented its recommendations to President Eisenhower, who plans to send a special message to congress ep Jan. 27 asking that the roadbuiKling program be put into effect. The group recommended specifically that 27 billion dollars be spent to complete a 37.600-mile interstate highway system to take care of the heaviest traffic loads and to provide for defense requirements in case of attack. Os tihs amount, the federal government would put up 25 billions and the state and local governments two billions. The committee made no recommendation on how the state, city and other local governments would finance their share of the additional roadbuilding program, which would total about 29 billion dollars. Under the group’s recommendations, the federal share of the huge highway program would be boosted to about 30 percent of the total, with the states and other local governments financing the remaining 70 percent. . . In addition to putting up two billion. 500 million dollars a year for the next 10 years to* complete the interstate sysfeih, the federal government would provide 622 and one-half millions for the regular matching of state funds which has gone on for many years. This would bring the federal outlay on highways during the 10year period to three billion 122 million dollars a year. No change was recommended by the committee in the present arrangement under which the federal government matches state funds. — * To finance the federal share of the huge undertaking, the committee proposed that a federal highway corporation be set up as an independent government agency to issue’"bonds for the purpose. The bonds would be retired through annual appropriations by congress. The committee estimated that the billion-dollar-a-year revenue from federal gasoline and lubricating oil taxes will suffice to pay for both the additional construction on the interstate system and federal contributions to match state funds. Serious War Scare . For Russian People Kremlin Concerned Over Public Fright PARIS (INS) — The Soviet government’s recent threat to denounce its alliances with Britain and France set-off a serious war scar© among the Russian people. This information has come from western envoys in Moscow in diplomatic advices which In ternation, al News Service learned of today. There was a run on Moscow food stores that could be described as almost a panic. The Russian threats to cancel the war - time friendship treaties with London and Paris were made before the French national assembly approved the Paris accords on (Vest German rearmament. Western envoys in the Russian capital, fearful th»v their own governments would become alarmed by the Kremlin’s threats reported there were no indications that the Soviet leaders had any intention of resorting to war. They advised that the threatened denunciations appeared to be simply propaganda moves to try to block French ratification of the Paris treaties. The diplomatic dispatches indicated further that the Kremlin became concerned with the public’s quick and frightened reaction to the Soviet diplomatic war of, nerves against the west, (Continued on Page Five)

Decatur, Indiana, Tuesday, January 11, 1955.

Eisenhower Asks Hike ’< »• For Federal Workers; Postal Rate Increase

Hammarskjold Enroule Home From Peiping No Indication Os Outcome Os Talks To Free Prisoners UNITED NATIONS, N.Y. (INS) — Dag Hammarskjold began his long trip home from Peiping today with no positive indications given about the outcome of his mission to win freedom for UN captives in Red China. Radio Peiping said the UN secretary general and his party left the Communist capital for Canton by plane at Ba.m. (7 p.m. EST Monday). They were due in Hong Kong sometime this morning by train from Canton. In Hong Kong, cables, received from Peiping indicated Hammarskjold would make a statement on the success dr failure of his' mission when he arrived at the British colony. The statement said merely that the two men felt the “talks have been useful, and we hope to be able to continue the contact established in these meetings. Officials at the world organization’s headquarters declined to sdy whether the negotiations had been successful pending Hammarskjold’s arrival in New York via Tokyo and San Francisco. He was expected back by late Thursday or Friday, and at that time may summon a news conference at which he could give the first definite indication of the outcome of his mission. Reports from western correspondents who gained entrance to Peiping while the talks were in progress were not encouraging about the immediate success of Ilammarskjold’s efforts. The London Daily Express said in a dispatch from the Red capital that every Chinese Communist source indicated the secretary general failed. From the start of the talks, Chou was said to have stressed to Hammarskjold the official Red line that the fate of the jailed Americans was outside UN jurisdiction. But the paper’s correspondent added that the UN official “had no look of defeat when 1 talked with him at a farewell party in the Swedish embassy. Growing opinion at UN headquarters was that Hammarskjold may have with him counter-de-mands by Chou on the prisoner question and that he will sound out Washington official opinion on his talks with the Red premier. Annual Report Filed By County Recorder Reports On Fees And Instruments Filed Mrs. Mabel Striker, county recorder, has reported that a total of $2,967.75 was collected in fees for 3,856 instruments during 1954. Largest amount collected was the $883.90 for 381 mortgages which were recorded last year. The report includes all of the fees collected in the recorder’s office from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 1954. Other fees include $664.16 7v. 644 deeds, $25 for 50 mechanics’ liens, $541 for 1,082 chattel mortgages,slsl.7o for 236 releases, $16.80 for 17 assignments. $5.40 for three powers of attorney, $11.90 for five articles of incorporation, S6O for 20 plats, $206.70 for 1,027 marginal releases and $401.25 for 315 miscellaneous instruments. I Other instruments recorded for which no fee is charged included 34 old age assistance, two releases of old age assistance, eight right-of-way grants from the state, 25 honorable discharges and 7 reports of separation from service.

Berserk Student Slays One Youth One Student Killed During Wild Foray PHILADELPHIA (INS) — An apparently berserk junior stalked through a dormitory at Swarthmore College early today firing a rifle and pistol in a wild foray tn which a student was killed. FrShcis ’Holmes Croier, a 19-year-old sophomore of Akron. Q„ was killed as he slept by a bullet in the temple. Dr. Everett Hunt, dean of men, identified the gunman as Robert B. Bechtel, 22-yea.r-old junior, who was proctor of the dormitory, which housed 20 students. “Bechtel must have been temporarily insane," said Dr. Hunt. The dean described Bechtel as an “above average” student who was given free room in the dormi tory because he worked as proctor, or supervisor over the boys. “Apparently, the hazln accompanying the job proved too much for him,” said Dr. Hunt._ The dean explained that the* boys in the dormitory played numerous tricks on Bechtel, stieh as tossing his bed out the window, or tying his sheets into knots, and the pranks apparently worked on Bechtel'h mind. ' “The incidents mounted so much.” said Dr. Hunt, “that Bechtel drove home to Pottstown last night where he got a rifle and a revolver and then came back to the dorm. ... . Dr. Hunt added: "He apparently didn’t care too much who he shot. Hg just fired wildly.. He went banging on the (Continued on Page Eight) Aid Instructors Meet Here Monday Fort Wayne First Aid Leaders Speak Miss Elsie Mae Gable, president of the Fort Wayne first aid instructors.dub, and John Harkinan, vice-president, spoke at a meeting -of flrst aid instructors in Decatur Monday night at the fire station. The Fort Wayne guests discussed the club activities, program, assistance and other phases and answered questions of the local instructors. t i • Attending the meeting were representatives of Adams, Blackford and Wells counties. Jay county was not represented but will be included in the instructors club which is being organized. Officers for the four-county club will be elected at the next meeting, which wfll take place at Berne in February. A name'for the organization will also be selected-at that time. Among those at Monday's meeting was Art Burris, chairman of the Red Cross first aid committee, who will be Red Cross representative for the club. The instructors were trained by Red Cross but the club which they are forming wUI be separate frgin the Red Or>«* ganizatlon. Henry C. Grotrian Is Taken By Death Henry C. Grotrian. 77, former Allen county councilman, died Monday at his home four miles west of Monroeville. He was president of the Farmers co-op elevator ai Hoagiand 27 years, president of the Hoagland State Bank for 18 years, and chairman of the board of St. John’s Lutheran church at Flat Rock 18 years. Surviving are his wife, Katherine; four sisters, Mrs. Fred J. Rump, Mrs. Lena Knipstein and Mrs. Amanda Krueckeberg, all of Fort Wayne, and Mrs. Bertha Gable of Allen county. Two sons, Melvin and Wilbur, preceded him in death. Services will be at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at. the Marquart funeral home in Monroeville and at I~ pTm.~“ln St. John’s church. Friends may call after 7 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Invasion Is Reported By Costa Rica Officials Announce Invasion Is Made By SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (INS)— Officials announced today an “invasion” of Costa Rica by nevolutionaries opposed to President Jose Figueres. A local political leader at Villa Quesada, informed the Costa Rican government that the town, about 30 miles north of San Jose, had been "totally captured" hy "revolutionaries, mostly. Nicaraguans.” President Figueres said he believed the enemy forces numbered about 100 men. The invasion forces, said Ffcueres, were believed to have come front Nicaragua in small planes which landed in the pasture lands around Villa Quesada.. The town baa no regular air field. v Foreign minister Mario Esquivel said he considered a rupture of relations with Nicaragua was “imminent.” The invaders were reported to have cut telegraph lines to- the capital, delaying news of developments in the Villa Quesada area. The Costa - Rican government, which Monday called on the organization of American states in W ashington to head off a threatened invasion from Nicaragua, opened special recruiting stations to mobilize its defenses. Veterans of Costa Rica’s 1948 civil war put on their old uniforms and marched to the presidential palace, which was jammed with volunteers and officials. The veterans announced they were ready to fight for President Figueres and the nation. In Washington, the state department received reports of the fighting at Villa Quesada, 90 miles (Continued on Page Five) Federation Os Clubs To Sponsor Contest The Adams county Federation of Women's clubs will again this year sponsor a county music contest for young people between the ages of nine to IS. 2 The contest will be held Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln school auditorium. Only piano and vocal entries will be accepted. Mrs. Frank Crist and Mrs. Alva Lawson are in charge of the contest arrangements. Anyone interested in entering is asked to contact one of the co-chairmen. Balloon Sale For Polio Nets $lB6 Girl Scout Sale To Be Repeated Here .■_ Lyle Mallonee. general chairman of the March of Dimes campaign in Decatur, has announced that the Girl Scout balloon sale Saturday brought in a total of $186.46. Decatur Girl Scouts sold 1,000 balloons in the business district to raise the money which will be adde<j to the polio fund. Mrs. Don Cochran was the Girl Scout leader in charge of the project. Contributions of any amount were accepted. One Girl Scout reported a donation of S2O from a lady. Because of the success of the sale, plana are being made to repeat it during the current campaign. Another project now underway to aid the drive is the "March of Dollars” at Holthouse Drug store. A mirror in the store is being covered with $1 bills donated by cus t tomers. The goal of this project is SIOO for the polio fund. With the campaign only a week old, almost half of the SIOO has already 7 been put on the mirror. This project wax conducted during the 1954 campaign.

M. J. Pryor Elected - C. Os C. President Gas Co. Manager Elected President iM. J. Pryor, manager of the Decatur Northern Indiana Service Co. (Gas Company) office, was elected' president of the Chamber of Commerce for 19>55 by the old pf directors as the new board tooVbffice. Pryor succeeds Ron Parrish, who undertook steps to drastically reorganize the Chamber this past year. Also elected to serve with Pryor are: Lyle Mallonee and Dr. James Burk, vice-presidents; and George .Stultz, of Wylie furniture company, treasurer. iParrish moved up to the position of chairman of the board of. directors, and five new members were- welcomed to the board, including Joseph Kaehr, retail; Glenn Hill and Robert H. HeUer, professional services; George Laurent, industry; and Jay Markley, as chairman of the industrial division. The chairman of the retail division will be selected Wednesday night. Fred E. Koirer was retained as executive secretary oh a yearly basis, and was commended for the excellent job he has done during the past year. Five programs were announced by Pryor for the coming year, and chairmen were named for each comrn|ttee, including: industrial development, fton Parrish; industrial appreciation, Pryor; auction ischool appreciation, Robert H. Heller; City council committee, one member to attend each meeting: advertising committee, new retail chairman. ' * . The annual banquet was announced for February 3 at 6:30 p. in., and members .are to be responsible for selling 300 tickets to the affair. Entertainment will be provided, and Ron Parrish, will speak briefly on the accomplishments of 1954. The Chamber’s board of directors decided that the Chamber would support the three-day open show to be held here March ?4-26by- ihe Alanis county rabbit breeders association, a member group of the American rabbit breeders association. The secbnd Monday night of each month was selected as the meeting night for the Chamber. Each member of the'board will be notified a week in advance by the executive secretary..... The Chamber meeting closed with a discussion of next year’s budget. Effort To Remove McCarthy Thwarted New Jersey Senator Fails In Attempt WASHINGTON (INS) — Sen. Clifford Case (R N.J.) failed in an attempt today to remove Sen. Joseph R, McCarthy (R Wis.), from the senate government operations committee and its investigating subcommittee Case said he made the motion during a brief closed-door meeting of the Republican committee on committees but chairman John W. Bricker (R Ohio), ruled that the action was “out of order.” Bricker pointed out committee had no power to overturn McCarthy’s seniority right on the government operations group which The Wisconsin Republican headed in the 83rd congrqss. McCJt.iby, frequently criticized by Case for his investigating activities. is also chairman of the permanent investigations subcommittee. Meanwhile, it was reliably reported that Sen. Wayne Morse (Ind. Ore.), is ready to emphasize his “independence” as a new member of the senate foreign relations committee by opposing the defense pact with Formosa. Senate Democrats made their assignments Monday and rewarded' Morse for his campaign - support and help in giving them senate control, by placing him on the (Continued on Page Eight)

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Five Per Cent Pay Hike Asked From Congress Four-Cent Regular Mail Stamp Asked To Help Pay Cost WASHINGTON (INS) — Preetdent Eisenhower asked congress today for an average five percent pay boost for federal employes and for increased postal rates. Including a four-cent regular mall stamp, to help pay the costa; The salary hike for the one and one-half million government workers would add nearly 409 million dollars a year to the government payroll, including 55 millions for a contributory system of health insurance for government workers and their families. Mr. Eisenhower asked congress to put the post office department on a pay-as-you-go basis, with provision for future increases in postal rates as they are needed to keep the mail service operating in the black. He proposed immediate increases in first, second and third class mail to make the postal service essentially self-supporting. The President did not refer specifically to air mail, but the administration is expected to ask for a boost in the air mail rate from six to seven cents An ounce. The pay boost for civil service workers outside the post office department would range from $125 a year in .the lowest bracket to SBOO in the top grades. There would be no change in the top maximum of $14,800 for top grade 18 officials, however. / No comparable scale was given for postal workers, but the proposed increase for them also would average five percent. The President’s recommendations were sent to congress in two separate special messages. ... The recommendations for a pay boost for postal workers was hinged to the request for higher postal rates to stress the administration position that the two actions must be coupled together. The increase tor classified civil service workers would cost an estimated 202 million dollars, with another eight and one-half millions for proposed changes in the salary structure for certain special groups. The wage increase in the postal service would cost approximately 129 million dollars. The health insurance plan would round out the federal personnel benefits program enacted by the 83rd congress. The government proposed to contribute approximately one-third of the cost of the insurance for employes and theif families. Mr. Eisenhower pointed to the huge deficits run up by the post office department in recent years, . including a 399 million dollar loss in the 1954 fiscal year. In proposing the four cents an ounce rate for first class msH. he noted that the present threb-cent rate has not been increased in almost a quarter of a century while operating costs have almost doubled. The President declared: “I am convinced that the American people will understand, appreciate, respect and support congressional action to provide for a long overdue rate increase on letter mail which will go far towards balanc- -.. (Coattaug*. sa Page Five) Band Booster Fund Previously reported $454.47 Ronald Highland (band member) ... 5.09 A Friend ..:............. ; 5.90 TOTAL W4A? Contributions can be made by sending any amount to Band Booster fund, care of Hugh J. Am drews, principal of Decatur high school. All money received will go toward the purchase of new uniforms for the Decatur high school band. ,

Five Cents