Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 55, Number 81, Decatur, Adams County, 5 April 1957 — Page 1

Vol. LV. No 81.

ANNOUNCES POSTAL SERVICE CUT

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DECLARING THAT NO Postmaster General ever faced a comparable task, Arthur Summerfield, head of the nation’s mail service, announces drastic reductions in postal service unless Xh^eriJ 1 30-million dollar slash in the department’s funds. He announced discontinuaneejjfSaturdayde liveries, • 96day embargo on all third class mail except merchandise, and once-a-day mail deliveries.

INility Crews Are Working To Restore Service Power, Telephone Crews At Work To Restore Services -Utility crews of the city light and power‘’department and the Citizens Telephone company are working at top speed to restore power and telephone service to all of their subscribers, it was reported today. Meanwhile, a new problem has begun to threaten the Adams county area. Rivers and creeks all over the county, swollen by melting snow and more rain, are beginning to flow over their banks. Power service has been restored to all sections of Decatur and only two rural areas were without power today. Decatur power customers in Union and in Kirkland townships were still forced to _get along without electricity. It was reported that two crews are working in Union township, where lines and poles were hit hard, and power department officials hope to have service restored there some time today. Most of the subscribers south and southwest of Decatur had power today*. It was emphasized that every attempt is being made to restore at least temporary service to every area today. Mayor Robert Cole stated today that an accurate appraisal of the damage is not yet available. He estimated that it will cost the department up to $15,000 to make repairs. No report was available from those areas of Adams county which secure power from private utilities but it was believed that many of these are still without power. Telephone Service Meanwhile, the telephone company reported that all 28 members of the maintenance department are working from dawn to dusk to restore normal service. It was reported that some private ‘lines and most rural lines are still out of commission. Long distance service with Indianapolis and Bluffton has been restored and crews are working today on the Fort Wayne toll line, which is expected to be in service by late this afternoon. All circuits to Monroe, Pleasant Mills. Berne and Bryant are still down and work will start on these lines as soon as the Fort Wayne circuit is repaired. Local service to individual subscribers will be restored as quickly as possible. Only one business telephone, that to Schmitt’s Meat Padking company on the highway, is still out of service. A large tree across the line there will necessitate crew work. Limbs Cleared City street crews, under the supervision of Bernard Clark, continued the work of clearing away hundreds of large branches which littered the city following the Wednesday night ice storm. All of the streets and sidewalks throughout the city were clear today and work was begun to remove the branches from the yards. Clark indicated that smaller branches are being taken from the yards but there will be a delay in clearing away the larger ones, which must be cut up for removal. He stated that working on the soft ground would damage lawns and the heavier projects (CoauauM on Al<ot>

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Neighboring Areas Hard Hit By Storm Heavy Storm Damage Reported By Cities Van Wert. 0., Portland, Kendallville, and Hartford City newspapers also went to press Thursday without the teip of teletype press service, a survey of area newspapers showed today. Many minor traffic accidents occurred throughout the area because of the ice and storm damage. Rising rivers and flooded basements posed a large problem in the Winchester, area, where the Eastern Indiana telephone company reported all its toll lines down. About 500 electric customers in the area, find 700 local telephone subscribers were out of serNo Bluffton " and Wells county schools opened yesterday because of leek e*f power. Uniondale, Liberty Center, part of Vera Cruz, Markle, Ossian, Petroleum and Tocsin were powerless Wednesday night. Bluffton police recorded 14 pages of recorded calls of trouble. Over SIOO,OOO damage was done in Celina and Mercer county, 0., by the - storm. Floods threaten Rockford and Fort Recovery, 0., areas. By 4:3d p.m. Wednesday, seven main lines of the Celina Utility company were out of commission. Delphos, 0., recorded 2:5 inches of rain and snow over Wednesday night. All toll circuits were down in the area. Hartford City had the appearance of a wrecked city, as that town> was isolated by breakdown of telephone and telegraph service. Emergency service was not required at the Blackford county hospital, but was required at the Waldo nursing home in Hartford City. The worst ice storm in years struck Portland, where many homes were still without heat, lights,. or telephones late Thursday. Power was not restored to the newspaper until 3 p.m. Thursday, and a smaller paper than usual was published. Precipitation amounted to 1.95 inches. One man suffered a burn on his arm when he brushed a hot wire. A tire was burned off a car in Portland when it parked on a hot wire. On three highways out of Van Wert, 0., 127 telephone poles were down, as toll service to all points except Delphos was cut off. Power lines around Van Wert were hard hit wesf of the city. Al schools in Huntington county were closed by power failures at different times. Andrews, Bippus, (OtttnaHl M ran Five) Local Lady's Brother Dies In Michigan Cal Wells. 83, died Thursday at his home in Muskegon. Mich., following a long illness. Survivors include a sister, Mrs. Maud Merriman of this city. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Walburn funeral home in Muskegon. Mrs. Etta Rinehart Is Taken By Death Mrs. Etta May Rinehart, 83. died Wednesday evening at her home southeast of Geneva after an illness of six weeks. Surviving are her husband, Louis; two brothers, Ralph and Grover Alberson, Geneva, and a sister, Mrs. Edna Ray, Monroe. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Geneva Evangelical United Brethren church, the Rev. Paul Logan officiating. Burial will be in the Alberson cemetery. Friends may call at the Hardy & Hardy funeral home until time of the

Violent Storm Continues In Much Os U.S. Floods Threatening Southern States In Wake Os Tornadoes By UNITED PRESS Floods threatened the South today in the wake of a deadly flurry of tornadoes, and north central sections battled their worst blizzard since mid-winter. The violent spring storm continued to buffet most of the nation from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic, touching off a rash of at least nine new tornadoes Thursday. The threat of more twisters eased in. Dixie today, but flooding rains continued in most southern sections. There was no break, however, in the northern states blizzard that swept the Dakotas, Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and upper Michigan. Blowing snow lashed by gusts up to 6 miles per hour stranded travellers in Wyoming and Colorado. Up to four feet of snow buried the mountain states area earlier in the week. Ferry Ship Trapped A ferry ship with 91 persons aboard was trapped in ice floes in the Straits of Mackinac, Mich., during the night, but all were reported safe and comfortable. A Coast Guard icebreaker stood by to free the ship today. A United Press survey showed at least 36 persons killed and nearly 1,000 injured in 11 states due to the storm that began Tuesday with tornadoes in Texas and the Rocky Mountain blizzard. Tornadoes killed 17 persons, 11 in Texas, five in Oklahoma and one in Mississippi. The blizzard was blamed for five fatalities in Colorado, two in Nebraska and one each in South Dakota and Utah. Other weatner deaths included three in Indiana, two each in Mississippi and Illinois and one each in lowa and Wisconsin. The blizzard buried Phillip, S.D., under 22 inches of snow as it swept eastward Thursday. Weathermen warned up to 15 inches of snow may be expected today in parts of Minnesota and somewhat lesser amounts in northern Wisconsin and upper Michigan. Two twisters swirled over tor-nado-wary Texas Thursday, While in the West, most highways in the eastern plains area of Colorado still were closed by snow and blowing dust. East Also Hit The East also got a taste of wintry weather with four to eight inches of snow reported in upstate New York. Weathermen said the snow will spread into New England today where three to five inches are expected in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont today. Winds up to 50 mph caused scattered damage at Erie, Pa., Thursday night, felling trees and utility wires and causing a power failure that knocked TV station Coatlaned on Page Eight Arbor Day Program Postponed One Week The Brownie and Girl Scout Arbor day program, originally scheduled to take place Saturday afternoon, has been postponed one week, because of inclement weather. Purpose of the program will be for the Scouts to plant a tulip tree at the site of Girl Scout “little house,’’ which is being constructed at the Hanna Nuttman park. The event will take place at 1:30 p.m., April 13.

eased rains

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Friday, April 5, 1957.

Six Persons Killed As 't’ ' '• .v. .v“ •’/ 1 /‘u. -'• * ! ' «• m . < '' * • j ■jA ♦ •.£■- b.v■: , . .;f«* . Homemade Bomb Is Hurled In Busy Case

26 Per Cent Cuts Hade In Weeks' Budget House Committee Votes Reduction In Commerce Budget WASHINGTON (UP)-The House Appropriations Committee today slashed 26 per cent from the budget of Commerce Secretary Sinclair Weeks who had “dared” Congress to cut it. If approved by the House, the reduction will push over the one-billion-dollar mark the total cuts made by the House in President Eisenhower’s record peacetime spending budget of $71,800,000,000. The committee approved $591,387,060 to run the Commerce Department in the next year instead of the $803,790,000 requested by Weeks. It also trimmed the budget for a group of independent commerce agencies from $50,075,000 to $45,649,400, and for the Panama Canal from $17,648,000 to $16,684,600. All the cuts added up to $217,827,940. They pushed to $1,039,245,740 the total reductions imposed so far by the committee or by the House itself in acting on administration appropriation requests totaling $14,302,812,601. The total cuts amount to about 7.3 per cent of the amounts sought. Maritime Funds Cut The deep committee cuts in the commerce budget followed House passage Thursday night of a lightly cut $2,800,000,000 appropriations bill for the Labor and Health, Education and Welfare departments. The committee acted after closed-door hearings by a subcommittee at which Weeks was asked to explalp remarks he made about budget-cutting on television March 17. Weeks was quoted as saying that “if Congress wants to start cutting,” it could take 50 million dollars out of his budget. The committee cuts in Weeks’ budget alone totaled $212,402,940. The committee voted to reduce the Maritime Administration’s funds for ship construction from $94,500,000 to $3,000,000 leaving only enough to replace some ships and for research. Funds removed from this section included 62 million dollars dollars earmarked for building a new super-liner to replace the S.S. America as a sister ship to the S.S. United States. The committee also knocked out all funds for the controversial Office of Strategic Information for which Weeks sought $101,500. CAA Budget Slashed The OSI is supposed to censor non-secret information flowing to Communist nations. The House Government Operations Committee recommended its abolition, saying the agency operated “in an aura of complete confusion” and couldn’t justify its existence. The Appropriations Committee said the Commerce Department and the other agencies sought funds to add 7,126 new employes. The amount approved by the committee would reduce this to 4,038. The committee also ordered a Continued on Page Eight'

. Lenten Meditation (By Rev. Vernon Riley, Monroe Friends Church) " “STUMBLING BLOCK” Isaiah 57:14—“Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumbling block out of the way of my people." We find in the Bible Jesus the Son of God, the Saviour of the world came to redeem man from his fallen state of sin, and bring him back to God the Father. This including every nation and race. The Jewish nation rejected Jesus their only way of Salvation, St. John, chapter 1, verse 11, “He came unto his own and his own received him not.” Through their rejection Jesus becomes a stumbling block as it were unto them. In fact this wonderful way open for sin and uncleanness, they stumbled and fell, thus they are still a fallen nation. Now according to this verse of scripture as Isaiah gives there is coming a day when this stumbling block shall be taken away. The Jews shall look on Him whom they have rejected, and as a nation shall accept Christ as their Messiah, receive Him as their Saviour King. . - < A nation shall be born In a day. This prophecy to be fulfilled yet, in the Lord’s appointed time.

Free Food To Prison Executives Assailed System Attacked By Purchasing Director INDIANAPOLIS ffl - S t a t c h purchasing director Clarence Drayer late Thursday criticized the system of giving Indiana penal institution executives free food in addition to their salaries. He 1 at a meeting of the state budget committee that Indiana is ' “fostering state socialism” by continued use of "archaic” rriethods in providing the food. Drayer cited State Prison Warden J. Ellis Overlade as an example of a prison executive who has been receiving large quantities of food, Drayer told newsmen .Overlade received 147 quarts of milk, 22 quarts of cream, nine dozen eggs and 15 pounds of chicken in February in ’ addition to his salary. Overlade’s annual salary is $9,500. He added that Dr. W. H. Olson, . prison physician, who has a wife , and six children, got large ’ amounts of food from prison in- [ dustries accounts in February, including 300 quarts of milk. “I believe in paying a man a decent wage and letting him buy > his own food,” Drayer said, r . Drayer, whose division of Public ■ Works and Supply finances prison t industries through "a revolving [ fund, also complained that some i guards at the state farm and ' prison are on the payrolls of industries even though they “have nothing whatsoever to do with the ’ industries.” “Frankly, I think you’re just fostering state socialism,” Drayer told Governor Handley and members of the committee. In addition, Drayer rapped prison industries for using “archaic methods of doing things” so prisoners learn no useful skills. He said state highway paint mixed at the reformatory could be purchased for $238,000 a year less commercially. He said it was his understanding that a visitor to the paint shop before 7 a m. “would have to walk around on tiptoe because the prisoners aren’t up yet . . and yet they only work about three hours a day.” He also said Indiana has “no business” operating a flour mill at the reformatory because flour can be bought cheaper. He added that car pools should be set up for state vehicles now numbering 1,025. Paul Myers, state corrections board chairman, said he wanted to avoid controversy, but indicated he would favor the present system of giving officials food as well as salary. “Wardens are historically compensated by pay and full maintenance,” Myers said. “Key’ personnel have a right to live respectably and to entertain," he said. But he warned against any “abuse” of the privilege. Merit raises for 1,200 penal institution employes were approved by the committee from a special pay increase fund set up by the 1957 Legislature, l. The increases meant S2O to S4O a year for guards. The committee also returned Coatlaaed on Page Eight

Compromise Is Under Study To Avoid Mail Cui House Committee To Consider Fund To Stave Off Cut WASHINGTON (UP)—The House Appropriations Committee today promised to consider next Friday provision of funds to stave off a cut in postal service. Members said they expect the post office to delay until then the cuts it planned to impose at midnight tonight John J. Rooney (D-NY) said a request for such a delay was inherent in a compromise move which he sponsored and the committee approved at a lively closed-door session today. The committee, after a series of deadlocks, agreed finally to advise Postmaster General Arthur E. Summerfield he will get at least 317 million of the $47 million he says he must have and that the committee will consider next Friday whether to give him the rest. Summerfield was not specifically asked to delay the scheduled postal reductions. Committee Chairman Clarence Cannon, (DMo) said it is up to the Post Office Department to decide what, to Rep. John Taber (R-NY), ranking minority member of the committee. said he believed a week’s delay might be possible. However, he said if Summerfield agrees to this, and then fails to get the extra funds, the necessary cutbacks to balance his budget will be even deeper than planned. Expect More Funds Taber said he believes there is a good chance the committee will vote next Friday to give Summerfield all the funds he wants or at least something more than the 17 milion dollars voted by a subcommittee. Taber said he thinks all the committee’s Republicans will vote for the additional funds. Several Democrats Including Rooney voted with the Republicans today, indicating that they might vote for the extra funds next week. Rooney said he will vote to give lari he says he must have to tide his agency over until July 1, the end of the current fiscal year. Summerfield had threatened to start cutting mail service at midnight. Cannon accused him of trying to “sandbag” Congress with an ultimatum. Work Is Started On Power Line To City Indiana-Michigan Work Is Underway Mayor Robert Cole indicated today that work has been started by Indiana and Michigan Electrical company to bring in a line from the west which will supply power to the city of Decatur. The line is being built to a point just north of Hanna-Nuttman park, where the company’s sub-station will be erectedCity officials plan to erect a temporary line from the terminal point of the I & M line to the city diesel plant, where the city’s substation is to be constructed. Completion of the lines in the near future will give the city an emergency source of 3,000 K.V.A. which will be available even before the sub-stations ire completed. The installations being completed now are temporary until the permanent construction, which will bring a larg bloc of I & M power to Decatur, is ready for operation. Some time ago the city officials signed a contract with the private utility company for the purchase of power. Completion of the project will solve a power shortage problem which has harassed Decatur for several years.

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Earl DeWeese, above, was installed as exalted ruler of the Decatur Elks lodge ditring the regular lodge meeting Thursday night. Other officers were also formally Installed last night.

Sees Substantial Relief In Taxes Congressman Sees Substantial Relief WASHINGTON (UP) - Rep. Richard M. Simpson (R-Pa> said today taxpayers can count on substantial tax relief possibly this year but certainly by next year. Simpson, a high-ranking Republican on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, disclosed that he plans soon to introduce a bill to provide for billions of dollars worth of reductions in both personal income taxes and levies on corporation income. Simpson said his bill would provide for a “modest increase” in the S6OO personal exemptions and for some revisions in the taxation of capital gains. He said the measure is aimed at providing $5,500,000,000 to $6,000,000,00 in tax relief. Simpson took issue with those who contend that big tax cuts must await sharp reductions in federal spending. He has been outspoken in his criticism of President Elsenhower’s record-high Coatinoea <w Pace El*ht Conducting Drive For Used Clothing Legion Auxiliary Assists In Drive The child welfare committee of American Legion auxiliary unit 43 is joining with the save the children federation in conducting a used-clothing drive this month. Clothing collected will be given to under-privileged children and their, families at home and abroad. The federation, an international child service agency, is non-urofit, non-political and nonsectarian. It has served needy children for a quarter of a century. The local auxiliary is seeking donations of clean, wearable clothing for children and adults. Among the items needed are coats, dresses, sweaters, pants, socks, shirts, underwear, pajamas, sheets and blankets, caps, baby clothes, diapers and jackets. is an urgent need for shoes, including rubbers, overshoes, work shoes, oxfords, loafers and boots. The auxiliary has emphasized that high heels will not be accepted. They do not want (Continued on Page Eight) INDIANA WEATHER Occasional rain this afternoon and tonight, becoming mixed with snow north and west portions tonight and probably ending south portion late tonight. Colder. Saturday cloudy and colder with some light snow mixed with rain extreme north portion. Low tonight 32-37. High Saturday- 3842 north, 42-48 south. Sunset 7:13 p.m., sunrise Saturday 6:21 a.m.

Three Ejected Earlier Toss Bomb In Bar Three Angered Men Hurl Bomb In Bar At Los Angeles LOS ANGELES (UP) - Three angry men who had been ejected from a bar tossed an oversized homemade bomb into the crowded case-saloon shortly before mid** night Thursday,, killing six person* and Injuring three others.' The coroner’s office reported five men and one woman died in the explosion that demolished the Mecca Case and created a panic. Earlier firemen said seven bodies had been taken from the blackened case but one of the persons believed dead, Mrs. Barbara Spielli, survived but was hospitalized with burns over most of her body. Police immediately combed the city tor the three men who stood at the case dqor and tossed the five-gallon can full of gasoline to the floor. One of the three tossed a lighted match on the toppled can and the case and toe entire block rocked with a terrific explosion. ; - v * Witnesses said patrons came stumbling out of toe flaming case with their clothes on fire. “One woman’s hair was burning," George Pennebaker said. “I dashed out I don’t know how. 1 must habe stumbled over several persons before i made toe door. We were all coughing and trying to breathe outside. I got some oxygen from a rescue crew.” Police* Inspector Thomas Reddin said toe three men had been in the bar but were ordered to leave by Larry Flnton, the bartender, because they couldn’t produce proper identification. California law requires a person to be at least 21 years old in order to be served liquor. Witnesses said toe men had argued with Finton earlier and had fled after one threw toe match that touched off the explosion. Officers said Vernon Waggy, a customer in toe bar who escaped Injury, fired three shots at toe fleeing suspects but each bullet hit a parked car. ■ ' 1 “I nave a permit to carry a pistol because I have been robbed before,” Waggy said. "I saw them throw something and run. I ran after them and fired as the cafe's windows shattered with the explosion.” Finton told police the men returned again shortly before midnight and started annoying a woman customer. He said he ordered them to leave again. “They left but' appeared at toe door again,” Finton said. “I was near the back of the bar and before I knew it the place was in flames.” Officers said' toe bodies of toe six victims were badly charred. They said it would be some time before positive identification could be made. Police said toe patrons in toe case trampled over the dead and injured in a mad scramble for safety. It was believed toe six victims were knocked to toe floor in the mad scramble for safety and then were burned to death. Bar Had Been Crowded Case owner William Norman s.aid he had just been negotiating the safe of the case —a small neighborhood bar. Officers estimated that about 20 persons were crowded around toe bar sipping drinks when the explosion took place. The rocking blast caused a fire in the case but the blaze was quickly extinguished by firemen. “The building is completely gutted,” said one fireman. "We had a hard time finding the bodies with all that blackened debris around.” —ngvWßweawMM* vn Thousands of spectators jammed around police barricades. Extra officers were called out to hold back toe crowd.

Six Cents