Valley Morning Star from Harlingen, Texas • Page 1

Cold War Thaw Hope Held Out By Russians NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE The sparkling National Christmas Tree was lighted by President Eisenhower during ceremonies Friday. The 75-foot Douglas fir, a gift from the people of Oregon, is decorated with some 8,000 lights and ornaments. It is located on the Ellipse near the White House. The Washington Monument is shown in the background. (UPI Telephoto) Half Body Moul.d Record Cold Chilling Hits New Peak U.

S. Christmas Spirit In Last Month United International Record cold chilled the nation Christmas spirit for thp second costs straight day from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Seaboard Friday A blizzard isolated Buffalo, 450 passengers shivered for WASHINGTON Living rose to another al'-time high in November, partly because meat prices failed to show their Rayburn Plans To Break Rules Group Logjam WASHINGTON (UPI) Speaker Sam Rayburn has secretly as- smed President elect John F. Kennedy that he will dynamite the logjam on liberal legislation which has been erected by a conservative GOP Southern Democratic coalition of the House Rules Committee. This was reported Friday bv congressional sources who said Rayburn made thp plpdge whpn hr talked with Kennedy at Palm Beach. this week.

Under the present line-up. four Republicans and two Southern Democrats hold hfp-and-dpath control ovpr legislation in thp House. The powerful rules committee sprves as a parliamentary traffic cop which decides in most instances whether a hill shall be sent to the Housp floor for con- sidpration. In recent sessions, it has turned thumbs down on key bills which Kennedy promispd in the campaign to deliver if elected. Congressional informants, who asked that they not bp identified said Rayburn told Kennedy that hp would use his power as speaker to alter the balance of nower on the 12 man committpp by changing its makeup when thp new Congress convenes on Jan 3.

This could he done most easily in one of two ways. William A. Colmer, D- could be ousted from the committee, ostensibly because of his opposition to the Democratic presidential tickPt last fall. This would cost the coalition a vole and leave the conservatives cn the short end of a 7-5 lineup. committpp could be increased in its membership, possibly by adding two liberal Democrats and one Republican.

This could result in a 8-7 margin in favor of those pronp to favor Kennedy programs. It is the more likely course to be followed. Conciliatory Speech By Foreign Minister Heralds Sharp Change Soviet Accused 01 Breaking '54 Indo-China Pact eight hours in a stalled tram in Illinois, and Joliet, 111., found itself usual seasonal decline, the Labor Department said Friday. The department's November index stood at 127.4, up 1.4 per cent the coldest town in the 1 with a 25-brlow tent pent urn. Weathermen said enough relief was on the way to temper tures to norm vuntci levels time for Christmas.

The snow and cold wave had also assured a white Christmas for mui of the F.astern two thirds. But last minute Christmas shopping was an art tic ordeal in cities from Chicago to Pittsburgh. The weather took a heavy cost in pre-Christmas tragedy. Deaths mounted steadily from expos', over-exertion, auto smashups and cold wave fires since the cold and snow enveloped the cast five days ago. Deaths Counted A United Press International1 count showed 93 weather-blamed deaths in Ohio, 16 in Indiana 13 in Illinois.

11 in Florida, (5 in Michigan, 4 in Missouri. 3 in Tennessee, 2 each in Alabama, Mississippi and North Dakota, and 1 in both Pennsylvania and New York state. Cold records which had for a century went falling. Record Turn to COLD Page Two Mild Weather Valley Forecast For Christmas cloudy and continued mild, with a feu areas of lieht rain and gentle to moderate north and northeast winds, the Valley weather forecast for Saturday and Saturday Similar weather conditions Sunday. temperature ranges for Saturday are Hi to 57 along the coast, to 51 in the Mid- Valley and 67 to 52 in the Rio (irande city area.

lii Harlingen I riday. the high was fil and the low 53. A high of Si was recorded Friday at Imperial, and a low of degrees below was registered at Joliet, III. blast Hecks apartment ABILENE (UPI i Accumulated gas was blamed for an explo- Construction Totals 563,475 Building Inspector Charles Oakes' office issued 12 construction permits having a valuation of $63,475 Monday through Friday of this week. Permits were obtained by R.

Garcia, 809 LV alterations, $200; J. C. Nowlin, 1819 La Paloma, residence, Kit May 821 E. Washington, alterations, Jose Tamayo, 318 Oregon, addition, $800, Joe Delgado, Dennis, alterations. $350: Ray Bey- in.

711 alterations, $1,500. Wesley Methodist Church 1300 Austin, sign. $23; Phillips Petroleum 106 Commerce service station and officp, Great Western 209 E. Jackson, sign. $950: Bruce Ter- roitrx.

507 N. First sicn, $250; J. C. Nowlin, 2319 Adams residence, $16 Gr-'ce Lutheran Church, 1005 E. Jackson, classroom, $3,000.

over a year ago. The rise of one- tenth of 1 per cent from October marked the ninth time this year the index has gone up. Once it declined and once it held steady. The November rise will mean wage cents an hour in most some 225,000 workers covered by contracts tied to the cost of living index. In blaminc meat prices for part of the development, the department said they declined an average of only 0.3 per cent in November.

the smallest such dip in at least 15 years. This was not enough to offset higher price tags on fresh vegetables, such as lettuce, snap beans and tomatoes. As a result, overall food prices increased from October to November for the first time since 1951. The Labor Department's price index stood at 121.1, an increase of 2 7 per cent over a year ago, but still below the July, 1958. record of 121.7.

Newspaper prices also were up sion that demolished a two-story because of "increased publishing apartment house on th15 south side as well as distribution of Abilene Friday, injuring two Newspaper prices in November persons, one seriously. T. H. Con- averaged 3.3 per cent hieher than nor. 37, was hospitalized.

last year. New Orleans Teachers Paid NEW ORLEANS ers and other employes in the city's two nearly abandoned integrated schools left for thp holidays Friday with a big gift their paychecks. When the teachers at William Frantz and McDonogh 19 schools, most of whom don have any students, went to classes Friday, they had a bleak, pay less Christmas to look forward to. But school Superintendent Dr Janies F. Redmond announced that local banks have acceded to a federal court order without appealing, and have started honoring checks thp board writes on its deposits.

The hoard paid all 55 employes at the two integrated schools, who been paid since October, and paid clerical and administrative personnel who were in the same shape. YOl HI KILLED GRANDVIEW, Tex. (UPI) Maek Blaylock 14, was killed Friday while hunting near Grandview in Johnson Countv MOSCOW (UPD Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko indicated Friday the Soviet Union would be willing to thaw out the cold war once President-elect John F. Kennedy is inaugurated in January. Gromyko in a conciliatory speech before rhe Supreme Soviet suggested that Soviet-American relations be restored then to the feeling of warmth that existed during the Franklin D.

Roosevelt era. It was the most conciliatory Russian statement since breakup of the Paris summit conference last May and was seen by some Western observers here as a sign of a desire to begin afresh in dealing with thp United States. WASHINGTON (UPI) The Rut while holding out the olive UnitH Friday flmispd branch to Kennedy, Gromyko ftf thp lndo. strongly condemned Britain for armistirp find brusquHs rejected a Soviet proposal for a new Geneva conference to end the civil war in Laos. The U.S.

position was spelled out by State Dppartmpnt spokesman Lincoln White. He said Russia wanted to sit in judgment on the East-West power struggle which the Reds themselves had provoked in the tiny southeast Asian kingdom. White also said the Kremlin was in "double violation" of the 1954 Geneva agreements which ended the bloody Indo-Ouna by sending arms to Communist forces in Laos and second by ferrying them in through North Viet Nam. The United States, which is sending military' aid to pro-government forces in Laos, reacted with almost unprecedented speed to the Soviet proposal. It was made to Britain because of that role as co-leader with Russia of the 1954 meeting.

The Kremlin also called for reactivation of the international control commission set up to police the 1954 agreements. Indian Ambassador M. C. Chagla earlier had urged Secretary of State Christian A. Herter to support such action.

Disclosure of the Soviet note coincided with a major policy speech by Andrei Gromyko bpfore the Supreme Soviet in which the Russian foreign minister strongly indicated the Kremlin would insist on a neutralist government in In addition to Britain and Russia. the 1954 Geneva meeting attended by the United States, France. Cambodia, Laos and South Viet Nam. The resulting agreement banned arms shipments which would increase the then existing military strength in Viet Nam. The agreement also banned arms shipments to Laos except as needed for self defense.

Even these were to he sent via certain specified routes. White accused Russia of "flagrant of the pact through "illegal air drops of supplies to pro-Communist rebels" in northern Laos. Turn to SPEECH Page Two U.S. Firms Seek Gas Pipeline Through Mexico WASHINGTON (UPD Two subsidiaries of the Tennessee Gas Transmission Co of Houston and a California utilities firm asked the Federal Power Commission Friday for authority to pipeline natural gas from Texas to California by way of Mexico, Involved would be a $225 million l.fiO^-mile pipeline from Texas to Mexico to California. Some 1,200 miles of the pipeline would be in Mexico.

One of the subsidiaries. Tennessee California Gas Transmission Houston, applied to the PTC for a presidential permit to build and operate facilities for expor tation of naniral gas from Texas to Mexico. The second subsidiary, California Gas Transmission Co Angeles, applied for a similar permit to build and operate facilities for the importation of gas from Mexico into California. Concurrently, Southern California Edison Angeles, as purchaser of the gas to be transported, applied to the FTC for authority to export the Texas-produced gas from the United States at the Texas Mexican border and to import the same gas plus additional supplies to be obtained in Mexico, into the United States at the Mexican California boundary near Mexicali. WINTER IN CHICAGO Zero weather piles up giant ice cubes in the Chicago River and stalls a barge below the Michigan Ave.

bridge. Street traffic was piled up for blocks and delayed 36 minutes before the barge was freed. The tugboat Buckeye was towing the Great lakes dredging barge to winter quarters in the north branch of the Chicago River when it was delayed Friday. (UPI Telephoto) Road And Mineral Rights MCiC6d65 0O6S Kilgore Sees Passage Mead On Plans Of Padre Island Bill 01 Annexation WASHINGTON the coming Congress with little chief congressional backers of a trouble. national seashore preserve on RPp.

J0P Kilgore of McAllen Padre Island predicted Friday anQ a spokesman for Sen Ralph the measure will gain approval Yarborough said a bill calling for the national seashore designation Stores To Remain Open For Tonight, Closed Monday 510 Fatalities Predicted Giant Christmas Travel Rush Opens With Heavy Traffic Death Toll Seen By I nited Press International The Christmas holiday, the most joyous and sometimes the saddest time of the year, got off to an early start Friday night. A monumental travel rush homewards began as stores and offices closed up early so their employes could get their last minute shopping finished. This year, the calendar came through with a holiday bonus. Since Christmas falls on Sunday, most Americans had Saturday, Sunday and legal holiday-off. But the National Safety Council warned the extra holiday time could result in 510 deaths in traffic from fi m.

Friday until the long weekend's close at midnight Monday. The calculated guess was on knowledge that Christinas is the deadliest time of the year on the highways. The combination of holiday parties, winter weather, and fast driving regularly pile up a heavy toll of holiday dead. This toll would represent 160 more traffic fatalities than the 350 normal for a non-holiday period in late December. Common sense and courtesy on the roads could save of lives over thp holiday, the safety council said So could thp all-out policp pnforcement which was planned in every state.

Many states and cities ordered every possihle man and piece of equipment to go on emergency duty. It promised to be a white Christmas in much of the nation's eastern two thirds A storm followed by a record breaking cold wave had laid down a thick blanket of snow and more snow was predicted Friday from eastpm Montana across the Great Lakes into New' England. Eminent Authoress TAYLOR CALDWELL 1 Beautifully retells the age' I itory of birth NO ROOM FOR "THE ACTOR WHO WILL PLAY CHRIST" Hunter How was he affected by greatest of nil roles? The citv hall will be closed today and be open business until a.m. Tuesday, giving municipal a Christmas holiday. Practically all the downtown stores will remain open until it o'clock tonight, according to Finis Bennett, assistant manager of the chamber of commerce.

However, some stores may earlier if business slacks off, Bennelt said. Both the I irst National and Harlingen National banks will be open until noon today. Most everything will closed Monday and open for business as usual Tuesday morning, Bennett said. ngress However, Kilgore expressed belief the seashore park should be smaller than the 88-mile length recommendpd by the National Park Service. Kilgore predicted the bill would move through Congress without too much difficulty, because most points of controversy were settled in Congress earlier this year.

He said his version would include authority for a roadway up the island and retention of mineral rights by private owners. He also predicted little difficulty in reaching agreement with the Defense Department over the Navy's use of some of the offshore space for target areas. Roth Yarborough and Kilgore said they would work independently for Padre Island. In the last Connies- the Padre Island proposal was tied in with seashore preserves on Cape Cod in Massachusetts and along the Oregon Dunes PLUS "CHERUB CHOIR" "WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CHRISTMAS?" OTHER FEATURES Tomorrow in Family Weekly with your Valley Morning Star Candlelight Rites Scheduled Tonight Many Special Christmas Services Planned By Harlingen Churches Christmas Eve sendees will be held in many Harlingen churches, and on Christmas Day some churches will hold services at the regular hours, and some at special hours. Churches holding Christmas Eve services arp thp First Methodist a candlelighting sprvice at 7.15 p.m.; St.

Paul's Lutheran a children's sendee at 7:30 p.m.; Our Redeemer Lutheran a Christmas program at 7:30 Harlingen AFR Chapel a Pro testant candlelighting service at 8 p.nr; St, Alban's Choral Holy Communion at 11 p.m.; First Presbyterian candlelight service at 11 p.m.; St. Anthony's Catholic Solemn High Mass at midnight; Immaculate Heart of Mary midnight High Mass. Sunday morning and evening services at the regular hours will be held at the following churches: Calvary Raptist, Church of Christ at Harrison and Rth, El Ruen maritano Methodist, First Assembly of God, Mexican Presbyterian and Pendleton Park Church of Christ. Sunday morning services will be at the usual hours, hut there will he no evening services at First Methodist, Iglesia Rautista St, Anthony's Catholic, St. Paul's Lutheran.

St. Alban's Episcopal, and the Salvation Army. At the Second Rapt: morning services will be at the usual hour, hut evening services will be at 30 p.m. A combined Sunday School service will he held at the First Church of the Nazarene 8:45 a.m. Sunday, and there will be no evening services.

The First Christian Church will hold Bible School from 10 until 10.30 a and worship will be from 10:40 until 11:30 a.m there will be no evening services. A combined Sunday School and church service will begin at 10:30 a.m at the Wesley Methodist and there will be no services. Two Protestant will be conducted on Christmas morning in Harlingen AFR Chapel, the at 9:30 a m. and the second at 10:45 a m. and there will he Catholic Mass at 8 a.m.

Sunday in the base chapel and another 10 a.m. in the base theater. MERCEDES Annexation more than doubling the size of Mercedes has been "officially completed," city officials emphasized Friday afternoon, despite the filing of an injunction suit requesting that the city be enjoined from carrying out its annexation ordinance. Some 400 to 500 persons living in an area estimated at 1 800 acres became citizens of Mercedes Thursday, the day the annexation ordinance became law, said city officials. They said various news media havp described thp injunction petition as "halting Mercedes annexation Officials were unanimous in declaring that the injunction petition not worth the paper it is written until a ruCing is made in district court.

City Clerk J. 0 Gark also said that the city will start a tax evaluation study of the new area Monday, The vast area will go on the tax rolls Jan. 1. he added. A hearing on the injunction petition is not expected before the middle of next month.

Seven persons in the new area filed a class suit Wednesday in 93rd District Court at Edinburg asking that the city be stopped from carrying out the annexation ordinance. A hearing was set for next Thursday at lJ a The attorney for the plaintiffs, however, said Friday he expects the hearing to be postponed until a later date sinee Judge W. R. Rlalock is leaving office at the end of the year. The injunction hearing probably will be reset before Magus Smith of McAllen, who will succeed Blalock on Jan.

2, The injunction suit is the latest strategy in a year long battle by several persons who object to being annexed by Mercedes, The majority of those residing in the area are bitterly opposed to being taken in to the city. The injunction basically is being sought on the grounds that the annexation amounts to "confiscation of their lands without. due process of (ONKKtUM CMJ.FD A UST1 -The Texas Committee on Migrant Farm Workers will map to aid migrant workers at a conference in Austin Jan 11. YOUP fRFFDOM 1 NEWSPAPER ever the free of rira are destroyed that event nay Ite attributed to the omnipotence of the Toceque ville alley orning tar Your Freedom Newspaper 49th Year No. 177 5c Daily 15c Sunday Harlingen, Texas, Saturday, December 24, I960 Dial GA3-551 1 10.