Globe-Gazette from Mason City, Iowa • Page 1

North Iowa's Daily Newspaper Edited for CITY GLOBE-GAZETTE VOL. "The a a a a I a i Auocl.UO tad Vnu full Wire. MASON CITY, IOWA, SATURDAY, 2, 1961 7o Co y)-TWs Paper Consists of Two Sections-Section On. No. 2tt Heavy tornado loss in North Iowa Reuther's goal: Look at books GM refuses to give in By RICHARD SPONG Globe-Gazette Editorial Research Bureau WASHINGTON-- Pricing policies in the automobile industry, as in most industries, are closely held secrets.

United Automo- Workers President Walter Eeuther has been trying for years to get "a look at the books." This is in line with Heather's open conviction that labor rightfully should participate with management in industrial policy affairs. The foregoing is the background for the UAW's unfair labor practice charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board against General Motors, virtually on the eve of expiration of contracts with the Big Three makers. The UAW in its 1945-46 dispute with GM attempted to make an issue of the company's ability to pay. It filed charges similar to the present ones, but withdrew them after settlement of wage issues in March 1946. The NLRB dismissed the complaint against the corporation "with prejudice." The UAW in 1958, when its principal goal was a profit-sharing system, made a second attempt to get a look at GM's books.

GM consistently has replied that its price-profits policy and indeed its accounts in general are none of the union's business. In 1958, moreover, each of the Big Three auto manufacturers refused to give a Kefauver Senate subcommittee investigating "so-called ''administered" prices detailed information on costs, sales, and income on the ground that to do so might lead to competitive disadvantage, violate the spirit of the antitrust laws, WHARF QUEEN Armed and ready to defend her apartment on Boston's historic AP Photofax 27 years, noted that the firm had put up fences forming a barricade between Wharf, is Maria Kim- the east and west ends of the wharf, ball--in her 80's--against demolition, so she hung -the above sign "just for even though the owner has sent out fun" from her porch--but still insists eviction notices to all residents. Mrs. "they will have to pitch me out with a Kimball who has lived on the wharf for bulldozer." Russ A-blast likely to be followed by U.S. testing and prejudice collective bargaining negotiations.

It may be apocryphal, but there is a persistent story in Detroit industry circles to the effect that when Henry Ford II took control of the family business in September 1945, nobody in the Ford Motor Company knew just exactly what it did cost to produce a single automobile. (It is interesting in this connection to recall that his grandfather in 1923 sold 2.1 million cars for the record low f.o.b. price of S295 and made profits of nearly $10 million.) Harlow H. Curtice, then president -of GM, in 1958 told the! Kefauver "Increased wage costs have been the largest single element in our rising costs." But Reuther charged i a statement submitted to thej subcommittee: "In every yTTICial ruling SOUght WASHINGTON UP) Russia's explosion of a nuclear test device in central Asia was expected to hasten a decision by President Kennedy on resumption of U. S.

nuclear weapons testing. Wei! informed officials now consider it likely Kennedy will make a decision early next week and that it will be to start up U. S. testing again. The last U.

S. test explosions were held in the fall of 1958. It was also learned that the administration is considering some modification of the se- crecy policy covering this country's nuclear weapons arsenal. The reason: To give the American people and the world a better idea of the amount of atomic force available to the he declared was now being practiced by Russia. But some of the President's advisers feel that the public, here and abroad, should be given a better idea of the proportions of American strength United States for its own de- and the military purposes for fense and the defense of its allies.

Kennedy said Thursday, after a meeting with Cabinet officials and congressional leaders, that this country's atomic weapons systems were "wholly adequate" to deal with the policy of "atomic blackmail" which ews in a nutshell FROM OUR WIRE SERVICES since 1947, General Motors has) been in a position to sell cheaper than its so-called 'competi- DES MOINES The Iowa Board of Control has decided to ask for an attorney general's opinion on if the automobile industry legislative interim committee has the were truly competitive in pricing, GM would have cut prices in an effort to get a larger share of the business not been Prices have power to rule on the hiring of individual state mental health experts. The request for a legal opinion was the board's reaction to the action of the interim committee in rejecting a request to hire a psychiatrist at a salary of $20,100 a year. Figures made public by the subcommittee subse 11 showed that Ford's per uni profits, after taxes, averaged S88 in 1954; $143 in 1955. $85 in 1956, and $84 in 1957; GM prof its per unit averaged $153.52 in 1954, $209 in 1955, $162.40 in 1956 and $150.06 in 1957. A subcommittee report filed in 1956 had indicated: "There was a standard which had not been changed in over 20 years, a yield between 1 and 20 per cent ol the net capital employed over the years In the past eight years General Motors' return has exceeded the standard it has established for itself." Congress 'in 1958 required the manufacturer or importer of an automobile to display a price tag on each new car separately listing the suggested but not fixed--retail prices of the car and each This was aimed at various irregularities in car pricing.

But policy remains something of a mystery. Perhaps the profit sharing agreement with American Mo- tori will give the UAW ils opening wedge. Protests U.S. troops BERLIN Communist East Germany announced it had protested the reinforcement of the U. S.

army garrison in Berlin by 1,500 combat-ready troops. American officials ignored the protest. Nehru attacks Russia BELGRADE Indian Prime Minister Nehru warned that Russia's new nuclear explosion "has enhanced the danger of war." He urgently called on Russia and the United States to negotiate now this crisis of human destiny." Death toll climbs CHICAGO The traffic death rate is keeping pace with the National Safety Council's estimate of i boasted superbomb of 100 million 420 auto fatalities before the end of the long Labor tons. Day weekend. The count since the start of the holiday at 6 p.

m. Friday showed 51 traffic deaths. JFK watched carefully HYANNIS PORT, Mass. Extra security precautions were taken to guard President Kennedy from a dangerous, heavily armed mental patient who has threatened to kill him, The wanted man is Howard C. Cooper, 48, a former resident of Brookline, a Boston suburb.

which it is designed. Among other-objectives, they evidently would like to dramatize and I make understandable what they' now call Russia's "policy of overkill." That term was used by Ambassador Arthur H. Dean in a statement at the White House following a meeting with the President. At the meeting Dean Reported on his fruitless negotiation with Russian representatives at Geneva on a nuclear weapons test ban treaty. Referring to Soviet Premier Khrushchev's statements about development of a 100-megation nuclear bomb, Dean- said "the Soviet policy is the policy of The term comes from military sources and means the destruction of human life beyond the limits of military necessity.

The White House announced Friday the first Soviet nuclear explosion known to this country since Russia, the United States and Britain imposed moratoriums and began their test ban conference at Geneva almost three years ago. "The device tested had a substantial yield in the intermediate 'sub-Megation) range," the statement "It was detonated in the atmosphere." Officials said they had no way of knowing immediately what kind of devices the Soviets tried jout Friday. The magnitude of the in blast, estimated to be somewhere between 20,000. tons and 500,000 tons of equivalent TNT force, was sufficiently large to warrant speculation that they were testing components of much Butler County area hit hard By JAMES OWENS Globe-Gazette Staff Writer GREENE--A tornado Friday evening hammered its way across northern Butler County, flattening buildings and crops on farms where it touched down. A preliminary Red Cross survey late Friday night showed at least 12 farms in which major buildings were smashed, and damage probably run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Later it was learned that 21 farms had affected to some extent. Miraculously, the only injuries reported were slight. Two of hurt were Mr. and Mrs. 3enry -Paul who were in their farm home just south of Greene when the twister literally tore their house to splinters about them.

The house was completely leveled, as were farm buildings at the Paul farm, but the Pauls! thousand chickens were lost there in -addition to the buildings. Household belongings were scattered near where the house had stood, and the force of the survived in a ground floor winds sucked jars of that had been their kitchen. canned goods out of the base- also, and a number of cattle were killed. A number of farms had large barns and other major outbuildings wrecked but with houses receiving little or no damage. In that category were farms operated by the Leslie Smiths, Equally smashed were the house and farm buildings at the Fay Miller farm, miles north of Dumont.

That was the point at which the northeastward moving tornado first touched down to start its 20-mile run across the county. The Millers saw the tornado coming and drove from their farm in a son's car, then stopped on the crest of the hill and watched the storm blast the bulidings. they had just left. A ment and deposited them un- Raymond utzlaffs, a broken on the ground outside. A new second family car which had been left at the farm was badly damaged.

The Miller family were tenants on the farm owned by Miss Effie McWilliams. Another home that a wrecked, although not completely reduced to kindling, was at the John Asher, farm east of Greene. The barn and other buildings there were smashed Safety is Iowa byword over Labor Day holiday By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The battle for highway safety was being fought Saturday with and car headlight beams, coffee, highway patrol cars and safety tags. Law enforcement officers, appropriately a by labor groups and civic organizations, were joining forces to make owa's Labor Day holiday this ear the safest ever. Because traffic accidents normally produce more holiday deaths than any other single cause, much of the effort was centered on the highways.

Several thousand Iowa truck drivers were burning their head- both day. and night throughput the holiday period, vhich started at 6 p.m. Friday and continues through Monday night. The headlight beams are in- ended as a reminder to motor- sts to drive safely. And autbori- ies reported many drivel's of private cars were taking up the idea as an additional reminder to their fellow motorists.

Gov. Norman Erbe endorsed the headlight campaign, promoted by the Iowa Motor Truck Association, and urged all motorists to participate. He also urged them to "contribute 10 miles an hour in the interests of is, to ravel 10 miles an hour below the posted speed limits. Safety Commissioner 1 Pesch announced county sheriffs and the highway patrol would cooperate in patroling secondary roads. There have been 53 more deaths on secondary roads this year-than in the same period a year "ago, he said.

The three-day a Day weekend in 1959 brought 21 traffic fatalities, but the figure fell off to 10 last year, Pesch remarked that "I hope we can cut it to zero this year." SHOWERS Iowa: Mostly cloudy Saturday, Sunday, widely scattered thunderstorms Saturday night and east and south Sunday. Occasional rain northwest Sunday. Southerly winds 25-40 miles an hour most of Saturday night. Cooler extreme northwest and extreme west Sunday. Lows Saturday 60s northwest to 70s southeast.

Highs Sunday 60s northwest to 90 in the southeast. Globe-Gazette weather data up to 8 a.m. Saturday; Maximum Minimum Precipitation 82 65 .01 ADMIT MURDERS MIDLAND, Tex. (UPD--Donna Marie Stone, 13, and John Edwin Meyer, 32, offered no resistance when they were picked up here Friday. Officers say the pair admits four murders, including a double slaying at Belleville, 111., (Wednesday night.

Smiths, Eldon Hausers, Alvin JQunders, Lawrence Roy Martzahns, August Steers and Fred Hausers. A windmill was down at the Edward Meyer home. Other farms reported damaged included those of Lewis Stille. Orin'Noel, Fred Stille, Emmet Keene, a Dralle, Jake-Mehmen and Harley All were in the tornado path which crossed about two miles outh of Greene and then angled northeastward only slight- before leaving Butler County. At the Fred Hauser home, a car that apparently had been in garage was flipped onto its in the farm drive entrance, pinned under a fallen tree- It was facing the road, looking ike a beetle that had been killed with a leafy flyswatter on its way out of the storm path.

The garage was gone. It was about 6:30 when the destruction began in the area Between Dumont and Aredale. Neighbors warned one another, and nearly everyone reported taving been in some type of shelter when main force struck. One. witness reported that there were 'two tornado funnels, moving together.

The tornado path was so narrow a't a neighbor within yards of the demolished Miller home tele i si throughojut the moments of destruction without even losing electrical power or being aware of a storm. However, the tornado cut off communications and 'lectricity throughout a large area before it had completed its path through Butler County, GARAGE WRECKED Debris from the wrecked --Globe-Gazette Photos by Walk garage was undamaged but couldn't be moved be- house garage litters the yard of the Lawrence it was pinned in by beams moved by high Paplow farm south of Rockford following the tornado "winds. which struck the area Friday car in the GREAT DAMAGE Spectators look over the damage done to the Roy IVJartzahn farm southwest of Greene by a tprnado Friday evening. At the right is one of the three cars which'suffered extensive damage on the Martzahn farm. At the left is all that mains of a large corn crib,.