Weather Forecast
Local Highlight
Mostly cloudy, a few snow
flurries in the mountains. Colder
in the north today, clearing and
colder tonight. Low 15 to 20 in
the north. Some cloudiness Sunday
Housing Authority elects Max
Miller chairman; ITranklin R*
Little, vicetfhairman. P a g e 3,
Republican Established 1830
Journal Established 1858
Price Five Cents
Post Office, Ogdensburg, N. Y»
OGDENSBURG, N. Y.. SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 1950
Daily Entered As Second Class Matter
Taxpayers Vote On Housing; State Aides Reply To
Dynamite-Laden
Truck Blows Up,
2 Die, 15 Injured
Experts Clarify
Issues, Foresee No
Deficit For City
Nashville* T e n n . — ( A P ) — A truck loaded with 10 tons of
dynamite caught fire a n d blew up o n a highway 20 miles northwest of Jiere last night. Two persons were killed, an estimated 15
were injured and the countryside was rooked for 50 miles
around.
Ogdensburg taxpayers at
t h e rate of 1 66 a n l i o u r for the
first two hours of voting filed
into City H a l l this morning to
T h e spectacular blast d u g a 15-foot d e e p crater through the
p a v e m e n t of U . S . H i g h w a y 4 1 - A , t o r e d o w n p o w e r , l i n e s , a n d cast their ballots on the conthrew most of the sparsely-settled mid-Tennessee area into dark- troversial l o w cost housing
project. T h e polls will remain
ness.
open until 9 tonight.
The explosion occurred only a
•few minutes after the truck, op- flaming up.
During
the
first
hour a total of
erated by the Hercules Powder
"He (Brantley), shouted out,
Company of Bessemer, Ala., 'This thing is loaded with dyna- 161 ballots were cast. ' and 171
more from 10 until 11. Inspectors
caught fire as it labored up a mite. Let's get out of here.' "
at the polls said they could
hill enroute to Clarksville, 45
"He- went north on the road handle a maximum of about 170
miles from Nashville.
and I went south, stopping cars voters an hour.
One of the.two dead, both of and telling them to turn around.
-whom had left a car to look at
Between 11 and 12:30 the pace
" I was about a fourth of a of the voting stepped up with 236
the burning truck, was identified
as John L. O'Guin, 63, a Nash- mile ddwn the road when it ex-, ballots cast bringing the total
ville insurance man. Efforts to ploded with a big white and red v o t e t o 568.
identify the other man were not light. I was in the service overseas and saw plenty of bombs .go
As observers predicted earlier
immedately successful.
The truck driver, listed as off but I never say anvthing like the balloting seemed assured of
including most of the eligible
Lloyd L. Brantley, 39, of McCal- that."
la, Ala., brought the big vehicle
Minis' .truck, a general mer- voters in the city. There are aploaded With. 400 cases of explo- chandise vehicle heavily-loaded proximately 3800- taxpayers listed.
sive to a stop on a light signal with shoes and other clothing,
With some 75 cars covering the
from E. E. Minis, ,27, of Nash- was destroyed together: with the city it was reported that the taxville, driver of a two and one- dynamite - truck, which was
payer vote today could Well be
h a l f t o n t r u c k p u l l i n g u p b e h i n d . blown into bits.
fhe l a r g e s t in. t h e c i t y ' s h i s t o r y . '
"1 s a w h i s . t r u c k s n i p M n g and.
I J o z e n s of p e r s o n s w h o
flocked
Supporters of the $1,250,000
on* the highway were knocked project at the polls this morning
flashed him a signal," Minis told to the scene from both directions
newsmen.
" T h e d r i v e r s t o p p e d M s t r u c k d o w n . N o n e of i k e i n j u r e d w a s r e f u s e d t o p r e d i c t t h e o u t c o m e
a n d w h e n h e got out i t s t a r t e d r e p o r t e d i n c r i t i c a l condition.
although, they said- the voting
Fly To U.S.
of Germany yesterday want to return to their Communist * ruled
homeland.
The Czechs landed at the Erding air base near Munich in three
planes.
Two of the planes, the Airforce said, "landed v o l u n t a r y . " The
other put down "with the chief pilot at the point of a gun."
The "president of the Czech
The statement said 67 men, 16
airline," the announcement con- women, one child 'and. one intinued, was the only "promin- fant were aboard the planes. It
ent or important" person in the identified the aircraft as "Czech
group1, most of whom had bought commercial planes of the DC-3
tickets for Prague and "evident- type."
ly had no knowledge that they
An Airforce spokesman dewere to land in the U.S. zone of clined
to amplify the statement
Germany."
or clarify the situation.
The- planes, the Airforce said,
The successive landing of the
departed from Bratislava, Ostra- three planes coincided with a
va and Brno — "widely separat- flood .of rumors hi Prague, t h e
ed cities in Czechoslovakia"' —- Czech capital, of assassinations,
and were cleared for Prague,
palace revolutions and major de"Preliminary investigations by velopments in the Red-led govTJSAFE (U.S. Air Force in Eur- ernment there.
The spectacular escape already
ope) authorities indicate approximately 53 persons have ex- had been widley rumored there,
pressed a desire to return to although the government-contheir homeland," the communi- trolled press as yet'had. made no
announcement of the flight.
que concluded.
The most persistent of the rumThe announcement did not say
ors
was that Deputy Premier
whether the landing was part of
Zednek
Fierlinger either had
a mass, organized plot, what
been
assassinated
by the antiwas meant by "landing volunCommunist
underground
or had
tarily," and whether the Czech
committed
suicide.
A
Czech
govairline president—who was not
ernment
spokesman
said
these
otherwise identified—was one of
were greeted in official
those who wanted to stay or go rumors
circles "with roars of laughter."
back.
Jury Frees Mother Of Child Actress
Beverly Hills, Calif.—(AP)—
Lora Lee Michel's foster mother
was free today of a charge of unjustifiable punishment of the
nine-year-old child actress.
A Justice Court jury of eight
women and four men returned a
verdict of innocent last night
after more than seven deliberation.
Mrs. Lorraine Michel shed a
few tears of relief when she
heard the foreman announce the
verdict. About 30 persons who
decision.
cheered. They almost smothered
Mrs.. Michel and her husband,
Otto, 61-year-old cotton buyer,
w i t h .congratulations.
M r s . M i c h e l , 55, s a i d
they
might take Lora Lee to Europe
for a three months vacation trip:
"As to her future acting, Career, that will have to be decided
later," she told reporters. "We
have made no decision on that."
The jury foreman disclosed
17 b a l l o t s w e r e • t a k e n .
He
said the first one \ stood seven to
five for acquittal Most of the
prolonged discussion was about
the sufficiency of Lora Lee's diet
and Whether she\ was brutally
beaten, he said. {
The prosecutor* charged the
child actress wak beaten and
starved and her health was jeop3
densburg's low-rent housing project.
Answering the questions were Dr. Richard Hill, Jr., head of r e search and statistics for the State Division of Housing; Charles L .
Jones, technical director of the division; and E a r l Ohlinger, a division project adviser.
TAXPAYERS WERE TOLD exactly what"'to expect of Ogdensburg's-proposed low - rent housing
development at a question-and-answer session yesterday afternoon in City Hall Auditorium. Conducting the meeting was-Frank Angsbury, J r . (second from right). Answering questions were:
(1. to r.) E a r l Ohlinger, project adviser for the State Division of Housing; Charles L. Jones, technical director of the division; and Dr. Richard Hill Jr., head of the division's bureau of research
a n d statistics. -
ardized by an insufficient diet to
keep her from outgrowing juvenile roles.
Mrs. Ona Wargin, the Child's
drama coach, testified Mrs.
Michel admitted she spanked
Lora Lee with a hair brush
last
H e r e i s a s u m m a r y of s o m e ^ o f
the questions and answers which
convinced them a "Yes" vote
will not h u r t t h e taxpayer:.
Q.
ALDERMAN
ROBERT
MCDONALD has said there will
be a $6,000 deficit for the taxpayers to meet if the project is
art
organization
"A full investigation will be
made in an effort to determine
the present location of the f i l e / '
Chairman Wodd (D-Ga) announced in.-a formal „ statement.
now
w h i c h . lie c a l l s a t e s t of h i s
State Department charges.
That impression developed at
the Capitol after a Justice Department announcement late yesterday. I t said confidential FBI
data on "one principal case" had
been given to the Senate foreign
Relations subcommittee which is
looking into the Wisconsin Republican's charges.
Frank Buck, 66,
Big Game Hunter,
Laski, Laborite
Spokesman, Dead
Jilted Teen-Ager
Tries To Take Life
Chrysler Strike Peace Seen
Detroit — (AP)- — T h e ' way lev's latest offer was
seemed
open to peace today
only
in good enough failed to d i m
half
hopes
the two - month - old Chrysler for an early settlement. Fastmoving developments in the last
24
hours left peace prospects
A c o m p a n y offer t o p u t
$30,bright
for the first time".
000,000 into a pension trust fund
Chrysler's
lump sum offer of
—rand the union's acceptance of
strike..
the idea if not the amount—gave a $30,000,000 pension fund
promise of breaking the deadlock.
With both sides compromising,
a basis for settlement appeared
at hand for the return .of" 140,000
auto w o r k e r s to the job.
rejected
a short t i m e
after
was
it
was put on the bargaining table
yesterday. But it provided the
basis for the union's counterproposal later in the day.
It -was learned that the information provided was about the
man McCarthy contends is Russia's top espionage agent in this
country.
McCarthy has said the individual is connected with the State
Department. The Department
denies it.
alone.
-Local Labor To Be Hiredp r o j e c t a s t h e p r i n c i p a l i s paid,
off. W i t h r e n t s a n d s u b s i d i e s a t
a maximum, the replacement
fund will increase by $600 per
a n d p r o b a b l y a g o o d b i t m o r e . y e a r . A t t h e e n d of 1 0 y e a r s , f o r
Contractors generally prefer t o 'example, t n e fund w o u l d n a v e
hire help locally where possible
and the state housing division
requires the mto do this. That
means at least $625,000 will find
its way directly into Ogdensburg
reached $33,000. This, as City
Treasurer Merritt Morse points
out, is a s u b s t a n t i a l "cushion5' t o
meet financial emergencies.
Q . W I L L T H E $23,000 for im-
provement of, streets and curbing
for the project result i n inQ. WHERE WELL, t h e project
get money for replacement of creased taxes?
stores .and pocketbooks.
equipment
and
other
financial
"extras"? Will city taxpayers be
liable for such funds?
A. A
LARGE
"CUSHION"
provides funds for replacement
and protects the city taxpayer
from any obligation here. The
cushion comes from an annual
$600 decrease in interest oh the
A . JSTO.
MORSE
SATS
the
money can be taken from the
$50,000 which the city annually
provides for permanent street
improvements. Even if the citychose to raise the money by taxation in one year, it would only
cost $2.30 per $1,000 assessed valuation.
—Take Six Months To Start—
Q. W H E N
WJDLL
the
project
get started if the taxpayers approve it before Mar. 28?
A. IT WILL TAKE at least six
months for actual construction to
begin. Architects will require at
least three months to draw plans;
Last Tuesday McCarthy gave test borings and other technical
t h e n a m e of t h e m a n i n t h e c a s e problems
will fake
another
to the • committee in secret ses- month; it will take at least ansion. The committee immediate- other month to call for bids; and
ly assigned the case top priority. another month will probably be
T h e i n d i v i d u a l ' s n a m e h a s n o t required for contractors to asbeen made public by the com- semble equipment to begin work.
mittee, but his identity is widely, "These are minimum estimates.
They mean construction will
known in Washington.
There was speculation that probably not begin before late
their might be information avail- September or early October at
able Monday on whether the FBI the earliest.
data on the case backs up McQ. WHEN WOULD the project
Carthy's charge. FBI Chief J. be ready for Occupancy?
Edgar Hoover is scheduled to go
before the committee at a public
hearing them. He will be accomIS THERE REALLY a need
panied by Attorney General J. forQ.new
housing in Ogdensburg?
Howard McGrath.
~ A. THE STATE DIVISION of
Senator Tydings (D-Md), the Housing has conducted its own
committee chairman, has an- surveys in Ogdensburg for the
nounced that Hoover and Mc- last three years. These surveys
Grath will discuss the issue of show that the city ranks eighth
whether I£BI files on State De- in New York State as a poor
partment employes accused by housing community. Among inMcCarthy -should be -handed over dustrial cities, Ogdensburg is the
to the committee.
WORST housed city in New York
Tydings h a s said that
b o t h State.
Hoover and McGrath are against
Q. ARE THERE ENOUGH famthat because they feel it would ilies in the low-income bracket to
break faith with F B I informants
and dry up the agency's sources fill the 125-unit project?"
A. THE DIVISION'S surveys
of i n f o r m a t i o n . T h e f i n a l d e c i s i o n
indicated there are 300 low-inis up to President Truman, .who come families living in substandhas made it known that he might ard housing and that approxipermit limited access to the F B I mately 200 more are living in
records and other loyalty
files overcrowded cdnditions.
the committee wants.
Q. HOW MANY FAMILIES are
living in the buildings to be torn
Train Frightens
down in the slum clearance part
of the housing program?
Elephant, Keeper
The Senator has declared he is
willing to let the credibility of
his general charges hang on the
outcome of the * 'Russian agent"
case.
A. SEVEN OR EIGHT months
after construction hegins. This
means late Spring of 1951. Later
if bad weather slows construction
work.
Q. IT HAS BEEN SAID these
projects' are cheaply constructed
and can't stand up over the years.
Is t h i s t r u e ?
A. THIS I S A SILLY rumor.
This housing development will
provide the best and most solid
construction t h a t architects
can
design and that the State Division
of Housing can approve. Since the
state is lending money to be paid
back for the next fifty years, it
certainly isn't going to approve
construction that won't remain in
good condition for a good many
years.
—City Ranks Low In State-
Pomona, Calif. — (AP) — Two
train broke away from their circus keepers last night, ran amok
for an hour and a half and criticaUy i n j u r e d
an attendant
A. THERE ARE 16 dwelling
units in the clearance area. These
families will get first choice on
apartments in the housing project.
Q. CAN THE FAMILIES in this
clearance area afford to rent
apartments in the project?
A. SOME CANNOT. That is
part of the housing program that
must be worked out. Hill says
the situation is the same as if the
houses in the clearance area
burned down. -He says, as in that
case, the county welfare department or the Red Cross would
have to move in and find these
people new housing at a rent they
can afford.
Q. W H J L
TTTF,
CLEARANCE
project be completed at the same
time as the housing project?
A. YES, AT LEAST, that is
•what' the housing authority will
try to accomplish.
—What Is Eviction System?-
Badly Injured
T h e c o m p a n y said i t w o u l d set e l e p h a n t s f r i g h t e n e d b y a "passing
Joint peace talks were in re- aside the money in a trust fund.
cess until Sunday afternoon. Me- It claimed this Was more than
diators arranged it that way, sufficient to guarantee $100-afedhoping that company and
C I O month pensions, including
eral
Social
Security,
to
workers
United, Auto 'Workers negotiators
would come up with still more at age 65 after 25 years service,
ideas after a day to "think it Chrysler offered it as a five-year
contract.
over."
The UAW, however, said anThe 89,000 strikers meanwhile other
would have to
went through their 60th day of be put $16,020,000
into
the
fund
during the
idleness. Another 50,000 persons proposed five-year agreement
to
have been idled indirectly by make the plan sound from an
the walkout.
acturial standpoint.
A union statement that Chrys-
i
Gomrmi'nisin-xri-'the-
any danger the project won't hi
fully rented and that the taxpayers will have to make Tip a deficit?
A. DEFINITELY NOT. I n all
public housing projects in New
York State the vacancy rate has
been less than one-tenth of one
percent. That means all projects
in the state have been more t h a n
99.9 percent occupied. The Ogdensburg project will break even
if 97 percent of the apartments
sre rented. Actually, t h e state is
convinced the project will be 100
percent occupied, so there will be
an annual surplus of .§1,650 ©n
o n l y 88 p e r c e n t o c c u p i e d . I s t h e r e r e n t s
Q. HOW MUCH of the $L2505000 cost of the project will be
Washington — (AP) — Senate Investigators ap- spent locally in payrolls for lopeared today to be nearing a showdown with cal labor?
A. AT LEAST 50 PERCENT
Senator McCarthy on the "spy for Russia" case
US
New York Fights
Water Shortage In
Air, Underground
Those who attended the meeting yesterday asked direct questions and they received direct
answers. AH left the meeting
with the conviction that the
state-financed project will benefit the city without harm to the
taxpayers.
House Probers Seek Missing File
* At no time since the polls last night.
opened were there less than 25
Matthew Cvetic, a former FBI
or thirty v o t e r s waiting in line.
undercover
agent, h a d insisted
Any taxpayer who was on the
that the Committee had the list,
1949 roll is eligible to vote.
that he actually saw it in its possession.
Houston—(AP)—Frank Buck,
Wood replied that the Commit66,
the "bring 'em back alive"
tee records failed to show it ever
wild
game hunter, died in Herwas turned over to the Commitmann
Hospital here today.
tee.
Buck had been in the hospital
The mystery came to light beabout
a month. Shortly before
London — (AP) — Harold J. cause Cvetic wants the list back. that time he came here from his
Laski, chief spokesman" for BritCvetic was testifying about San Angelo, Tex., home for a
ish socialism and a founder of Communist activity in Cambria physical checkup at the Univerhis country's Labor Party, died County, Pa., when Rep. Kearney sit of Texas M. D. Anderson Hoslast night. He was 56.
(R-rNY) a s k e d w h e t h e r h e
h a d pital for Cancer Research.
any
additional
testimony
of
imDeath in bed overtook the man
Pneumonia was listed as the
portance
he
could
give
the
Comwho had lived a life of haircause of his death.
mittee.
breadth escapes in many parts of
A member of the Labor Parthe
world.
ty's executive committee since
Cvetic replied that the Com•From
the time he was 18, Buck
1936, he was the party's chair- mittee had many documents
man in 1945-46 when it won con- which had been in his possession roamed the earth. In 1911 he
trol of the British government and that he would testify about made his first jungle expedition
to South America—the first of a
by a large majority.
s o m e of t h e m if t h e C o m m i t t e e
series in search of r a r e animals
Laski was widely known in the wanted to ask him questions.
and reptiles that built his "bring
United States, where he often
One file — a document of the 'em back alive" reputation.
had taught and lectured at leading colleges and universities. A American Slav Congress — he
prolific writer his espousal of so- said contained "letters, correscialism and his advocacy of pondence and contributions of
"Anglo-Russian solidarity" had Congressmen, Senators and other
Johnson City—(AP) — Heartmade him a constant target from political leaders."
broken
because his girl had a
conservatives on both sides of
Cvetic said he wants it back new beau, a 14-year-qld boy
the Atlantic.
since it was not used in conneca farSWell note, swallowed
Though a pioneer in the Labor tion with his testimony about wrote
some
v pills and turned on the gas.
Party, Laski never held a gov- communism in Western PennsylBut he'll have a chance to win
ernment post. But many of the vania..
her
back, or find another girl. His
government's officials had studThe American Slav Congress sister revived him after she found
ied under him. at the London was listed as subversive by, the
School of Economics of London attorney general in 1948. Cvetic, nim unconscious in the gas-filled
University^ where for m a n y in an earlier appearance before kitchen of his home. "
Police reported yesterday that
years he had been a lecturer.
the eommitte, said the organiza- a bottle of sleeping tablets and
tion was completely dominated his note had been found on the
kitchen table.
by Communists.
Dec. 15 because the child had
stolen food. Other prescution
witnesses said they saw bruises
New York-^(AP) — New York
on the child's body.
City moved in on its worrisome
M r s . M i c h a e l d e n i e d s h e u s e d water shortage problem from
a hair brush and said she spanked two directions today.
Lora Lee only with her hand
The City's Police Department
for telling falsehoods. She testiAii^
Force was poised to fly hopefied the child h a d been, put on a ful would-be,
rainmakers over the
diet that banned sweets, fats and Catskills-^if the weather isx right
starches.
—in their attempt to milk reluctant clouds -with dry ice.
- The City Water Department
was preparing to ask for more
ground'forces to wage the dull
Wilmington, Del. — CAP) — but important battle
against
Bland B. Sutton, 44, has been water main leaks and careless
f o u n d g u i l t y o f ' f i r s t d e g r e e i h u r - water waste.
der in the. shooting-of his wife,
No figures on the number of
Dorothy.
water inspectors needed have
The jury of eight men and four been made public, but the plan
w o m e n b r o u g h t i n i t s v e r d i c t y e s r probably will take several times
terday. It recommended mercy.
the present number.
Mrs. Sutton was slain in her
Right now eight crews of sevapartment here las* Nov. 3. Sut* en men each are working in Manton, who formerly lived in Bing- hattan and The Bronx, mostly
hamton, N. Y., and opened a gas- checking underground mains. It
oline station in Washington, Pa., takes them two years to fully
shortly before the shooting, testi- Cover their territory, but they
fied he shot his wife because she are credited with saving 21,000,had been -unfaithful.
000 gallons a day.
Husband Held Guilty
Of Slaying Wife
^
cCarthy Spy Charge Faces Test;
A s o n e o b s e r v e r . p o i n t e d . o u t , once" h a d d e a l i n g s w i t h
"you can always count on a t 'tagged "subversive."
least 200 negative votes." One
thing was apparent. ^The early
optimism of the proponents of the
Frankfurt, Germany-—(AP)—The XJ. S. Airforce announced today bill was lost in unusual quiet of
"
that approximately 53^bf the 85-Czeehs wh6 landed in the U.S. zone the. election lines.__
that
terday to question three state housing experts about details of Og-
Washington—(AP) — The House Un-American
"looked good." They expected Activities Committee searched today for a missing
"plenty of opposition," they said. file said to contain names of Congressmen who
Czechs
!had a w a i t e d t h e j u r y ' r
A number of taxpayers appeared at City^Hall Auditorium yes-
who
tried to load them back on their
train.
Leroy Spellman, 29, circus attendant, was seriously hurt when
a four-ton female elephant picked
h,im up in. her trunk, threw him
to the ground and then rolled on
him. He was taken to Pomona
Hospital with multiple abrasions
and internal injuries.
Q. WHAT HAPPENS if a tenant cannot pay his rent? How
soon is he evicted from the project?
A. THAT DEPENDS on the circumstances. The housing authorities try to be humane in their
judgement of individual cases. If
there is illness or other good
cause for failure to pay, they
would probably make the necessary adjustment without immediate eviction. The public housing
law says nothing about how soon
a tennant must be evicted if he
def aults on ilig rent. This isJef t i©
*
X
the discretion of the housing authorities.
Q. IS, A FAMILY immediately
evicted when its income exceeds
the maximum allowed for occupancy in the project?
A. NO. THE LAW SAYS t h e
family's total income m a y increase 50 percent over income at
initial occupancy. If the income
passes this point, Hie family must
get out. But, the authority has
the right t o evict a family at anytime its income exceeds the maxi*
mum, whether it has reached; ihm
'50. .percent limit or aiot*: -.--^ .._