The Wichita Eagle from Wichita, Kansas • 1

4 -J '-V: 5 i -r- Vj i 1A a -'j: i I The Only Wichita Paper with Acme And AP Photos Wwm upcvjii: Price Fin Certs WICHITA KANSAS SATURDAY MORNING APRIL 30 1949 Peeiteee Pafcs Number 120 S-Russian Berlin Tallis Stale Suddenly RestsItsCase 9 I THREE PERISH IN TRAIN Engineer Guy Pressley Fireman Frank Terry and Brakeman Johnny Hill all of Manchester Ga were killed Friday when this engine of an Atlantic Coast Line freight crashed through a rain-weakened trestle on a mountainside two miles east of Manchester (AP Wirephoto) State Experts Report Moisture Averages Down to 453 Inches v'v TOPEKA April Good Bows keeps coming la about the JCansas wheat crop Tho latest was wood tonight that the down to 484 Inches on the has the moisture so essential to a bumper harvest of I the golden grain Growing wheat plants were found to average 74 Inches In height BQmpared with 44 Inches In April tost year Damage from wind erosion so far has been very limited A of sou moisture was taken by federal and state crop experts every eight miles on a winding S400rmlle trip through all the wheat growing counties of the western two-thirds of Kansas 'The testing which is done each she months was started 10 days ago was completed last Monday Wetness Above Normal Results were disclosed today Zt Tibs noteworthy that the depth of moisture In the soil was found adequate while the degree to which the OH was wet was better than normal vAs for the topsoil following good winter and early spring precipitation It was wet" 'Another favorable report on the avowing grain came from Good-land Farmers and operators who have toured the northwest oner of the state said the crop fine In the soil moisture report the bureau of agricultural economics CONFER ON BERLIN Jacob Malik (top) head of the Soviet delegation threw his hands out in a public" gesture when a photographer surprised him as he left Friday for a meeting with American delegate Dr Philip Jessup to discuss the Berlin blockade Below Dr Jessup is shown after the conference as he replied "no comment" to reporters questions of whether the Russians had submitted a written reply to western conditions for lifting the blockade (Acme Telephotos) Coalition Wins Labor Battles Worried Demo Chiefs Delay Decisive Vote Jessup and Malik To Continue Parleys Over Lifting Blockade NEW YORK April 29 (A) A United States spokesman said tonight the American Russian talks over lifting the Berlin blockade proceeding satisfactorily" The spokesman indicated the private conversations between Ambassador Philip Jessup and Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister Ja kob A Malik will continue but he did not give any date for the next meeting Jessup reported on fee 2 4 -hour talk wife Malik at secret meetings wife British and Rench delegates and arranged to go to Washlntfon late tonight for a conference tomorrow with Secretary of State Dean Acheson There was no official word whether any agreement had been reached However the report of the American delegation spokesman feat the talks are proceeding satisfactorily was seen In United Nations circles here as a sign the East and West are moving slowly toward an agreement to end the Berlin blockade and affect a meeting of fee four-power council of foreign ministers perhaps in May In Good Humor Jessup talked wife Malik in fee Soviet delegation building at 680 Park avenue He entered fee building at 4:31 and left it at 7:02 He was smiling when he entered and smiling when he departed He declined to make any comments saying any Information would come from a briefing which might be held at the delegation office at 2 Park avenue The briefing produced fee bare statement that fee talks are proceeding satisfactorily Western circles in the speculated that: 1 Malik has received definite Information from Moscow to answer questions about when and under what conditions fee Berlin blockade will be lifted 2 Malik will propose to Jessup that the four-power council of foreign ministers meet about May 25 in Paris for a review of fee whole Berlin problem Shawnee Prisoners Will Get Change of Scenery TOPEKA April A change of scenery was In prospect tonight for seven Inmates of fee 8hawnee county JalL But they probably find it much of an Improvement County Jail prisoners are being moved to fee Topeka city jail tomorrow to enable fee start of remodeling operations for the county lockup Hangchow's Fall Is Reported Communications Fail Vital Rail Line Cut 11! In Nell's Trial Quizzes Only Three Witnesses Defense Is Caught Unprepared (Special to no Xaglo) WELLINGTON KAN April In a move that came as a complete surprise the state rested Its case In George Neffs third murder trial at 3:20 here today After questioning only three witnesses and introducing the 14-page confession in which Neff admitted fei murders of his wife and brother-in-law Kenneth Wynn County Attorney Ford Harbaugh announced conclusion of "the state's case In chief" The state had spent only four hours and 35 minutes in presenting Its evidence The move came so unexpectedly that fee defense was unprepared to proceed wife Its cas? One of Neffs attorneys Harold Goodwin of Wichita asked for adjournment until Monday but Judge Wendell Ready announced court would be resumed Saturday morning at 9:30 Some Available Defense witnesses had been summoned for Monday Ooodwin said at least a few of the defense witnesses would be available for session In sharp contrast to the lengthy previous trials In which fee prose-utlon used scores of witnesses and housands of words of testimony Harbaugh questioned only three witnesses They were: Dr Ray Brewster head of the chemistry department at the University of Kansas who told of finding strychnine In vital organs from Mrs body tested for the defense Dr Van Deventer Wellington fee family physician cross-examined by Goodwin He said Neff did "everything to speed help for his wife the night she died In convulsions and showed grief at her death Dr Karl Voldeng Wellington who told of the autopsy on Kenneth Wynn He said it was his opinion Wynn not have lived over 20 after the fatal 22 caliber bullet entered his skull At fee opening of the state's ease Harbaugh called upon the Jury to find Neff "guilty of two brutal He did not ask fee death penalty Statement Brief Harbaugh spoke for only 20 minutes In presenting fee prosecution's opening statement earlier today Goodwin following wife (he opening statement of tho defense told the jury that George Neff had ho motive to commit the two murders but that Olevla Wynn Neffs paramour for more than 20 yean did have Goodwin called fee jury's attention to fee absence In the courtroom of Olevla Wynn "This Is the first time In my career as an attorney where the complaining witness has not been present But you will see her We have subpoenaed he announced The defense also has Issued a subpoena for Don Hall Wichita detective who obtained the confession from Neff early last year and who like Olevla was a key witness in the first Neff trial and the Kansas board of agriculture detailed these highlights: The 454-lnch average depth of aotr moisture penetration compared with 484 Inches last October and 454 Inches In April 1948 1710 average depth to slightly -ins damp soil was 374 Inches compared with 304 Inches last fall and 384 Inches last April -Moisture conditions In the top loot of sou are much better than a year ago while moisture In the bec- end to fourth foot stratum Is shout fee same 1 Mother Leaps Into Cesspool To Save Baby Reds Invade Britain's Zone German Police Loot Farm Kidnap Soldiers BERLIN April 29 (UP) Armed German police from fee Soviet sector Invaded fee British area of Berlin late today looted a city-owned farm of livestock and kidnaped three British soldiers British authorities said tonight The German police In an apparently carefully planned raid Invaded fee British sector armed wife submachine guns Tliey swept onto the munlclpally-owned Carolinian farm Imprisoned its occupants in a farm building and escaped wife cattle horses pigs and sheep Britons Kidnaped Three British soldiers who rushed up from guard posts to challenge them were disarmed and taken Into fee Soviet sector British officials said Other British troops dispatched to fee farm when fee alarm was given arrived too late This Incident came while British and Russian troops maintained an aimed truce along fee Berlin cmnai and their superiors tried to settle fee near-crisls which resulted when Soviet troops tried to stop British barges The big farm which fee German police raided la situated on the border of fee British and Russian sectors It Is owned by the western-sector German government Its buildings are In fee British sector and Its grazing lands are in fee Soviet sector It has been a fre-quent'source of argument Down Horses Escape A British spokesman aald 40 German policemen swept down on fee farm locked its occupants In one of the buildings and warned them to be quiet The Germans seized 38 cows 34 horses eight pigs and 12 sheep Twelve of fee horses broke away and returned later to their tables British authorities plan to protest fee Russians tomorrow against fee invasion British barge traffic proceeded unhindered along the canal while negotiations continued on Russian attempts to Interfere wife movement of goods from airlift airports Zhetopa Weekly Bought PARSONS KAN April (UP) of the Chetopa Advance Labette county weekly was announced today by A Blair publisher of fee Oswego Independent county seat publication Blair who Is associated with two sons Robert and Larry Blair will continue operation of both papers dividing his time The two publics-ions are among fee oldest weekly newspapers In fee county both organized In 1868 Browning fee former owner has published the paper for fee last three years Western Europe Wants Weapons Harriman Suggests Prompt Shipment By JOHN STEELE WASHINGTON April CUP Roving Ambassador Averell Harriman sakl today Western European nations want arms to deend themselves rather than a 7 pledge to liberate them If they are overrun by Russian armies Testifying before the senate foreign relations committee he asked ratification of the North Atlantic defense treaty and Its prompt implementation by 8 arms shipments to the signatories Can Gain Allies If the United States takes steps to put teeth In the treaty he sakl it will gain for Itself powerful allies whose Joint productive capacity for war or )eace is greater than that of all the restern Iron curtain countries combined But he cautioned that Western Europeans will not be content with merely a paper pledge of 8 support If they are attacked They recognize all to well that as things stand today they would overrun and when their countries were again liberated the life of their people would be irreparably he said On the other hand he sakl If the xeaty is ratified and backed up by arms shipments it will be a major step "in our winning struggle for freedom and Confidence Grows He said a "growing wave of confidence" has swept Western Europe since the pact was signed Sen Arthur Vandenberg (R-Mich) cautioned Harriman against overemphasizing the arms program While making It clear that he does not oppose it the GOP foreign policy leader said: "I should hate to have the Importance of the North Atlantic pact yards ticked by a relatively insignificant sum (arms aid) In respect to the total (the pledge of the pact that the United States will use all its might to help defend Western Europe from attack)" Vandenberg feared that "we are trending dangerously to that sort of concept" Harriman agreed that the treaty la the Important thing But he reiterated that Western Europe has made a dean break with "appease ment and in the expectation that arms as wed as pledges will be sent abroad Forest Fires Burn Over Large Area JIEADXNO MASS April A courageous Reading mofe-i 1 or jumped Into the slime of a neighbor's 10-foot-deep cesspool today to rescue her 21-month-old By ARTHUR GOUL SHANGHAI CHINA April 30 (Saturday) (UP) Communist guerillas were unofficially reported to have driven into Kab(ng and cut the rail line from shanghai to Hangchow today Hangchow a seaport resort 100 miles south of Shanghai may already have fallen a blackout of communications from Hangchow prevented confirmation of capture and fee official Nationalist garrison communiques here were running from 18 to 24 hours behind events Capture of Hangchow by the Communists would complete a ring of steel around Shanghai cutting largest metropolis off from South China in time for fee Red celebration of May day tomorrow The last telephone call to fee rtty last night said government troops already were being withdrawn across fee Tslentang river The towns of Wuklang 35 miles northwest of Hangchow and Tech-in 25 miles to fee north were abandoned to Communist guerillas late yesterday according to the last telephone report The Communist radio triumphantly announced that fee part" of seven government armies was being cut to pieces In a trap by the liberation army between Nanking and Hangchow" The broadcast claimed the capture of "over 40000 troops" in the area It said the seven armies Identified as the 51st 4th 28th 99fe 45th 66th and 20th had been outstripped In a race down the Nanking-Hangchow highway and cut off by Communist forces In six days Meantime on the front directly above Shanghai where the Reds are maneuvering the northern arm of their giant pincers around the city Quinsan an anchor of the Shanghai defense line unofficially was reported to have fallen The exact position of fee Communists on fee Shanghai front could not be pinpointed even by garrison headquarters here But officials said they "believed" Quinsan was in Communist hands this morning Chengyl between Shanghai and Soochow was also believed Padded Welfare Budgets Banned New Kansas Board Calls for Cooperation TOPEKA April new social welfare board said today it "will not countenance padded or unrealistic county welfare budgets" The board also voiced plans for cooperation between social welfare agencies and state hospitals and established board rules for distribution of emergency state welfare funds In addition the board named F-ank Long 42-year-old Topekan state' social welfare director 'It was the first meeting of the ttareej-man board recently appointed by Gov Frank Carlson The ne body was created by the 1949 legls lature In law reorganizing the state social welfare department It Is composed of A Rriles Stafford named chairman by the governor Blake Williamson Kansas City elected vice chairman today and Lutz Sharon Springs All are former members of the state legislature In amplifying Its position In relation to county welfare budgets the board said: "It la expected and the board will Insist that adequate county welfare budgets are filed to take care of nresent and contemplated needs for he ensuing year However it Is to distinctly understood that the board will not countenance padded or unrealistic county welfare budgets" The board said It realizes the 949 legislature granted a mandatory raise of 87 per month per per on far old age and blind recipients and that county welfare budgets will have to be increased to reflect such state Increase "It Is fetftf eslre of the state board i carry ous the will of the legislature and we seek the cooperation of the county boards toward this end bearing in mind that such Increase will be paid from state and federal funds" the board added A policy of considering welfare standards of the various counties as they were in effect April 1 will used the board said in determining participation In the emergency fund created by the 1949 eglslature to aid coun lea Briles explained that counties will not be allowed to hike standards Just because they think the state will pay for it" He aald the legislature Intended he fund to be used to help counties which have been doing all they can and still are unable to meet their welfare expenses Wholesale and Farm Prices Take Drop WASHINGTON April The government today reported decreases In both farm and average wholesale prices and announced Increased exports of pork to bolster sagging hog marketa The agriculture department set aside a special allocation of 73400-000 pounds of pork for export to foreign countries during April May and June six times the previous amount It said the action necessary to halt a downward trend In hog prices which might force It to buy hogs to keep prices at the legal support leveL Hog prices have dropped nearly 15 per cent In the last five weeks Laundered Birds Back to TMrs Frances Dugan was watch-v- log her aon Dennis at play when fee wooden cover over the cesspool caved In toppling the child Into fee pit -Mrs Dugan leaped In and went ever her head In sewage bora said She struggled to her son and passed him up to a neighbor Mrs Xlla Weymouth in whose yard the accident occurred 'Mrs Weymouth ran Into the street and stopped a passing mall truck operated by Roger Nichols of Epping Nichols tried to aid Mrs Dugan still in the muck of the pit no take care of Denny" Mrs Dugan cried Firemen arrived and pulled the another out The Dugan physician Dr Thomas Halpin said Denny would he kept at a Winchester hospital several days for observation -vq Thundershowers On Schedule Today i i A i 4 i i i i 7j i I I i 4 4 TOPEKA April The Kansas highway commission today gave a go-ahead to more a million and a half dollars' worth of road work In fee largest contract award session of fee 1949 construction season The commission approved bids totaling $1593000 on 61 projects In northeast southeast and southcentral Kansas The work involves 345 of highways In 28 comities Bids on 13 Jobs were rejected Commissioners said they were too far above estimates prepared by the engineers Resurfacing material and bituminous sealing on 268 miles of roads in northeast Kansas account for most of the mileage of work ap proved A bridge and major grading asphaltic surface treatments with base in the: other two areas account for most of the money To Build Bridge The bridge will be built over the Neosho river a mile east of Chanute on K-39 Two connecting projects on K-96 In Butler and Harvey counties call for 10 miles of base and double asphaltic surface treatment at a contract cost of 8249457 Contract for the work beginning 14 miles west of the Butler-Harvey county line and proceeding east went to Reno Construction company of Overland Park An 86-mlle stretch of K-15 in Cowley and Sumner counties will receive the same type of construe tlon The Cowley segment will be from the county line soufeeaster- iiinu qo 34 miles to a Junction with K-55 DULUTH MINN April MCUP) In Sumner county the work begins brush and peat the county line then northwest burned In nearly a quarter of the state tonight and strong winds re erly 54 miles The San-Ore Construction By MAX HALL WASHINGTON April MV-A confident coalition of house Republicans and southern Democrats driving for passage of fee Wood labor bill won a series of skirmishes today Worried administration leaden finally put off fee decisive vote until Tuesday When fee house adjourned after long day of wrangling and voting fee GOF-Dixle group had put through three amendments to its Wood bill They were "easing" amendments little less restriction on unions they were opposed by Presi dent forces The Truman Democrats still hope to defeat fee Wood bill and pass their own Lesln-skl bill to repeal fee Taft-Hartley act and revive fee new deal Wagner act with modifications Therefore they resisted all efforts to make fee Wood bill more acceptable to fee house when fee showdown comes Would Repeal T-H The Wood bill likewise would Taft-Hartley but would also re-enact most of Its provisions The final outcome remained highly doubtful Both sides still claimed a margin Republicans voted almost solidly together today and were Joined by about 40 southerners it was anybody's guess however whether this alignment would holt on Tuesday Another unknown factor was fee attitude of some 80 members who were not on the floor today The most one-sided vote of fee day came early in the afternoon The opposing sides Joined hands to smash down a proposal to repea: fee Taft-Hartley act and revive the 1935 Wagner act In Its original form without any change The vote was 275-37 Sewed First Point Shortly thereafter fee coalition cored its first point That was when fee house adopted 202 to 158 an amendment by Rep Ford (R-Mich) which would permit strikers to vote In plant elections up to six months after being replaced in their Jobs Prior to the amendment fee Wood bill said strikers could vote up to three months after being replaced The Taft-Hartley act doesn't permit replaced strikers to vote at all Republicans voted almost solidly for the amendment and were Joined by about 40 Democrats most of them from the south The vote necessarily foretell the result on fee Wood bill Itself But it gave much encourage ment to the combination of Republicans and Southerners who want to retain fee essential features of fee Tsft-Hartley law Probers Charge Failure to Smash Germany's Cartels WASHINGTON April American occupation officials have failed to smash a single one of giant monopolies under a crack-down law now two years old Investigators said today A three-man committee flown to fee scene by the army last December found that only one such case was filed but never completed It recorded testimony that high decartelization officials were out of step with presidential policy fearing It would impede German recovery Flatly disagreeing wife this view the committee declared that a democratic economy requires the anticartel policy arid will prosper under 11 The committee contended that the great trusts greatly facilitated war career and that their elimination will help safeguard peace The committee demanded getic enforcement of anti-trust under civilian eontroL The law Itself was enacted by the American military government lor the 8 zone Cleric's Protest Holds Up Federal Bond Drive WASHINGTON April (UP) The opening date of the new "bp-portunlty bond" drive will changed because a clergyman In President Tyumen's home town objected to holding the kick-off bond rally on Sunday the treasury enounced today The drive wu scheduled to be launched with cere- nwtof at lfn Sunday May 13 Officials said fee clergyman who was not Identified criticized the plana a violation of the Sabbath The treasury aald It hu not yet decided whether to change the date to May 14 orMay 18- Road Work in Kansas Is Given Go-ahead To Cost $1593000 company of McPherson will do fee work at a 8215443 price Sedgwick Included Highway K-42 at fee northwest corner of Sumner county and the southeast comer of Sedgwick county will be relocated and graded to modem stands from fee Sumner-Klngxnan county line to Viola The two connecting projects total 94 74 miles are In fTfal for fee grading on these two jobs total S12S462 and i I -i ril i lV -i- ns jj i I Thundershowers are expected Saturday" said Wichita weathermen In their late Friday forecast -for this area -I- 'The weather here Friday was generally clear and warm with (temperatures ranging from a low of 52 at 5 a to a high of 78 degrees at 4:15 West had winds Friday afternoon and forecasters promised strong southerly winds for the Wichita area Saturday morning 'The 8 weather bureau said fee morning's partly cloudy skies will become mostly cloudy In the afternoon Thunderstorms will last Into Saturday night Skies will be partly cloudy Sunday and tern peratures cooler than those pre-dieted Saturday -w The Forecast: Truman Must Wait For His Pay Check Washington! April (UP) Truman wont get his 812400 April pay check on schedule tomorrow and all the fault of congress The lawmakers raised Mr Truman'S salary In January to 8100400 a year plus a 890400 tax-free expense account But thus far they have neglected to' appropriate the money The April check ordinarily would be due at fee White House no later than tomorrow the last day of the month However there's only 84167 In the presidential payroll fund wife no chance far congress to add more this month since It's not In session tomorrow Boy 70 Bids $2 735 Times on Bike Wins in Last Try DETROIT April Little Salvldore Provensano learned to ride his "new" bicycle today wife fee same determination that brought it to when he piped "two far the 135th time at a police auction Salvldore id went to the auction of unclaimed articles set on getting a even If 1ft had rusty spokes and no fenders He'd saved his money for three Salvidore opened the Md on every bike soon It wu lifted to the platform in fee police property room dollars" he would shout But then someone else would outbid him Salvldore was getting hoarse from Shouting when the and wu brought out It wu a red one wife chromium trimmings that mads fee boy stare wife envy He tried once move "Two dollars" ha creaked There wu alienee No one made another Md Finally a Mg man poke up from the back ef the "Give the boy the jelled The crowd agreed Police Sgt Alex Andereou took one quid glance around the prop-erty zoom and rapped Ills gavel the table T-: he shouted'! "This Mka goes -to the little maawho give up1 were awarded to Watson-Coffey Construction company of Topeka The Sedgwick county segment will contain two small bridges which will be built by Geiger of Leavenworth at a total price of $11467 Smaller projects included one in Sedgwick county for two miles seeding on the new location ox K-42 from the Sumner county line 'northeast Cook Cone Ottawa $1493 13 Geese Are Rescued From Gummy Pond Freed buffed fee efforts of weary fire fighters Crews struggled wife more than 125 separate blazes in the north-land They hoped for rain to aid them In their battle Weather forecasts called for cloudy skies and scattered showers tonight wife lower temperatures and showers tomorrow Meanwhile skies remained clear and fee wind 25 miles an hour in fee north cen- tral area to 30 to 40 miles per hour in the extreme west Wilds a fiat-bottomed boat tar-Uke morass by means of a cable hooked at either end to a truck pgfctng up one bird at a tllllrt A airlift" flight was made earlier by Municipal Airport Manager John Kenworthy He dropped 20 pounds of corn over fee two-acre pond to keep the blackened geese alive until rescue The flock alighted on the pond Tuesday night Font still aloft circled about honking furiously in reply to those trapped below Sportsmen believe many suffocated In the mire and sank Two others were lassoed by boys who cleaned them and put them on a clear water pond Today only one wu there The other flew away the annual rfarii tv iii wkkiu a WICHITA cloudy 1 wtth strong southerly winds la forenoon becoming mostly elondy thundershowers Saturday 'afternoon and night partly cloudy Suaday cooler Saturday night and 'Sunday low Saturday morning In the mid 5Ts high Saturday fat tho middle 7rs low Sunday morning apper 49a Mostly cloudy Satur- day showers and thunderstorms pver west and central portions pooler -west and north central Sighs west to near cast jjnostly cloudy showers and than- derstorms continuing central and 1' cast Saturday night Sunday part-Cly cloudy oust with west 4 in forenoon cooler cast Sunday 'strong southerly winds oust por-fjUoa Saturday Fsrtly cloudy Sat-juday with showers and thunder-tUnae central' and cast cooler direst and central portions highs pcar 89 west to 99 oast strong southerly winds east with strong "northwesterly winds west Bmtur-TBay Sunday clearing west pmrtly east cooler east partita CUSHlNO OKLA April There were 13 ootloose geese on fee Cimarron river free to fly from a treacherous earth which trapped them sines Tuesday night in the sludge of ea oil-covered pond They were taken to the river-four miles north of here-and rotated The wild fowl only survivors of a flock of 36 waddled into the water flapped their wings as if to ssy "This is the life" and swam off Fourteen of fee birds were saved today The first cleaned wife a strong laundry solution toppled over dead from fee fumes The rest were sponged with soap and water then wiped off Fin Chief Hubert Henderson and Fireman Carl Burnett pulled Ex-Winfield Man Dies KANSAS CITY April (JV-Lial Newman 49 head of a sterling Kail school supply bu died today In a Ksnsas City hospital Newman a former resident Winfield where he was graduated from Southwestern college held pests as superintendent of schools at Fowler Jetmore and Sterling At one time he was a member of the board of fee Kansas High School Athletic association Survivor in dude Mrs Newman a daughter and a son and his parents Mr andlMn Newman Winfield TOMlflY WALKS Tommy Lanen 1 1 of Wu-Legari III badly-burned in 1947 when he fell into flaming refuse pit walked Friday for the first time since jthe accident Nurses Margaret Plymire (left) and Mildred Martin at Chicago's Passavant hospital help steady the lad (AP Wirephoto) Ym Radio Gufde Page 4 I i i 1 'v 1 i Iff mS 1 i V- 'i i.