The El Reno Daily Tribune (El Reno, Okla.), Vol. 64, No. 132, Ed. 1 Tuesday, August 2, 1955 Page: 1 of 8
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V •-■'OvJ,
The El Reno Daily Tribune
Single Copy Five Cents
UP) MEANS ASSOCIATED PRESS
El Reno, Oklahoma, Tuesday, August 2, 1955
(U.PJ MEANS UNITED PRESS
Vol. 64, No. 132
Want To Be (J. S., Chinese
A Plumber? Swap Prisoner Lists
It's Simple
HOMES ON WHEELS—First elaborate house trailer rolled off assembly lines at the Holiday
Trailer manufacturing company’s plant at Mustang field Monday evening, and chamber of
commerce representatives were on hand to congratulate the company officials, lop photo
shows unfinished trailers on the line, and lower photo shows Wm. Whitley and T. B. Rob-
erts president and vice president of the Mustang plant, checking over their first completed
job with Jack Burmeier, chamber manager, and Wayman Humphrey, vice-chairman of the
chamber’s industrial committee.
Stockton Named New Holida/ Trailers Contain
M r l Everything for Home Comforts
Murray vOuCl! I?L RENO’S newest industry, the Holiday Trailer manufac-
1 ^ turing company is in business—as of today.
Late yesterday, the bustling and growing house trailer
factory at Mustang field turned out its first elaborately-
equipped “house on wheels,”—a 33-foot beauty.
Others were following down the factory’s 300-foot as-
sembly line at the rate of about three per day, and within
" ~ plans are to
Gary Has Ideas
But Ain't Talkin'
Gerald Stockton, former EHS and
Oklahoma A. and M. basketball
great, has resigned his coaching
position at Dnncan highschool to
become head coach at Murray A.
and M. junior college, Tishomingo.
Stockton, 23, is the son of Mr.
and Mrs. It. W. Stockton, 614 South
Barker. He is married and has two
children.
The former all-state and all-
American cage star had a mediocre
year at Duncan last season — his
first coaching job — but even with
that 11-12 season he is considered
one of the state's leading basket-
ball mentors.
Starred With Aggies
And, just one of the many fine
coaches who received their initial
training at the hands of El Reno’s
"Maestro" Jenks Simmons.
Stockton played on an El Reno
state championship squad before
going to A. and M. to earn a start-
ing position with the Aggies in his
sophomore year. He was all-state
and all-American choice in 1949
here.
Plays Junior Circuit
Murray junior college is a two-
year school, which competes in
the state junior college athletic
conference, with such schools as
Cameron at Lawton, Northeastern
A. and M., Bacone, Eastern A. and
M., Connors and Tonkawa junior
college.
Big Gerald will replace Elmer
Massey at Murray.
Duncan school officials last night
gave Stockton his release there,
and currently are considering new
prospects for the coaching job, one
of whom is Dick Dozier, another
former EHS star who lettered at
OCU and later played on an air-
force team.
Dozier currently manages a serv-
ice station in El Reno.
Rebels Open
District Play
Having completed participation
in the Junior Olympic baseball
program with State AAU runner-
up trophy attached to their belts,
the Legion Rebels open play to-
night in an OK Kids association
district tournament held here un-
der the auspices of the Legion.
The Rebels meet Norman, at 8
p.m. at Adams park.
Three teams comprise the dis-
trict, Norman, Hydro, and El Reno,
with Hydro receiving the first-
round bye and meeting tonight’s
winner tomorrow night for the
district title. The district kingpins
then go to Oklahoma City for the
state playoffs beginning Saturday
Aug. 6.
The association rules involving
different dividing birth dates will
eliminate two of the Rebels’ larger
lads, hurler Bruce Cottey, and first
baseman Jim Duckett, from the
roster but the remainder of tl
team will be the sagie.
Weather
State Forecast
Partly cloudy through Wednes-
day except mostly cloudy with
scattered showers and thunder-
storms south portions tonight and
Wednesday. A little cooler in
southwest portion Wednesday. Low
tonight in 70s. High Wednesday 80s
south to 90s north.
two months
triple that figure.
One of the huge hangars at Mus-
tang has been converted into the
trailer factory, with plenty of
room for the company’s 23 em-
ployes—and enough room left
over to allow some 65 workers to
triple production within two
months.
rpHAT’S the plan of W. M. Whit-
4 ley, Holiday’s young presi-
dent, and Vice President T. B.
Roberts.
And, judging from the way
they’ve set up their industrious
factory, they’ll get the job done.
First trailer to come off the as-
sembly line was a 33-foot beauty,
complete with all the comforts of
home—including a bathroom with
tub and other necesgary acces-
sories.
/YTHERS in the making range
” in sizefrom compact smaller
29-foot numbers, up to the deluxe
43-foot job. The assembly line
currently handles about four
trailers at one time, but company
officials plan to install a second
finishing line in the giant 300-
foot building.
Everything is built from
scratch—a bare chassis with
wheels is rolled onto the line,
and comes off at the other end
ready to go wherever its itchy-
footed purchaser wishes.
The small factory is growing,
and judging the big grins sported
by Wayman Humphrey, chamber
of commerce Industrial commit-
tee officer, and Jack Burmeier,
chamber manager, everybody in
El Reno is going to share in the
profit.
OKLAHOMA CITY, Aug. 2—iTPi—
Governor Raymond Gary has
"some very definite ideas” about
what can be done by the legisla-
ture when it meets in 1957 to work
on Oklahoma’s road problem, but
he is not ready yet to make his
ideas public.
The worry over future revenue for
roads was brought to the front
yesterday when Gary said Okla-
homa will have to raise at least
$6 millions more per year in high-
way revenue to match current fed-
eral funds available to the state.
The increase required may actu-
ally be far greater than that fig-
ure, he said.
Car Tax Suggested
Gary suggested the possibility of
earmarking the excise tax on auto-
mobiles for the highway depart-
ment. This would provide around
$7 millions per year in future
years. The tax now goes to the
state’s general fund.
Gary said there has been some
talk among legislators of raising
taxes to provide matching funds
but that he will make no recom-
mendation until the legislative
council’s committee on revenue and
taxation explore this revenue field.
Taps Future Funds
The state presently must provide
$7 millions to $8 millions to match
a backlog of federal money and,
to do the job, must use revenue
which had been earmarked for fu-
ture matching.
Stricter License
Rule Asked By
Craftsmen
’C'L RENO’S city councilmen
were plumb tuckered out
last night after a lengthy discus-
sion on ways and means to sep-
arate the plumber from the
plumber’s helper.
Fact is, they flushed out a lot
of information on the city’s
plumbing qualification setup that
they hadn’t realized.
Seems that local plumbers have
mostly agreed that a higher li-
cense fee for beginners may help
keep out a certain number of
free-lance "boomers" traveling
cross-country, in addition to
plumbers from neighboring towns
who like to come In for a bit of
the gravy when building is boom-
ing.
And, although it’s generally
against nature, electricians pres-
ent at Monday night’s council
session agreed with the plumbers
that something should be done to
keep every Tom, Dick and Harry
from getting into the act.
ITERE’S what the councilmen
learned in the discussion.
Anybody with 25 dollars could
go to the city clerk and demand
a master plumber's license.
With that bit of paper in hand,
the new "master plumber” was
in business — even if he didn’t
know a two-inch reducer from an
elbow.
He could hire any number of
“plumbers" to move into jobs
here — and his helpers wouldn’t
need anything but a couple of
wrenches and the desire to make
a fast buck.
The council also heard electri-
cians present give similar ac-
counts of their own personal and
collective woes.
All one needs to be an electri-
cian in El Reno is the necessary
cash for a license and a pair of
wire-twister pliers.
TT all boiled down to the point
■* that qualified, trained
plumbers and electricians are
getting doggone tired of an an-
nual plaque of upstarts who go
into the business and give the
two honorable trades a black
eye.
The council got the impression
that both groups — plumbers and
electricians — would like to see
some sort of board of examiners
set up here to grant licenses to
only those who can pass strict
oral and written tests.
They also generally agree with
the council that annual plumbing
license fees should be raised
from $25 to $75 for the first year,
and $25 per year thereafter.
GENEVA, Aug. 2-!UV-Repre-
sentatives of the United States
and Red China today exchanged
lists of civilians whose return to
their homelands is sought, and
China requested a one-day break
in the talks to refer the U.S. re-
quest for release of 40 Americans
to Peiping.
American officials, keeping a
tight secrecy veil over the meet-
ings, refused to say if the dis-
cussion of civilian repatriation
was concluded at today’s one-
hour session.
But other conference sources
said Red China asked that the
next meeting be put over until
Thursday to give the Chinese
representative. Ambassador to
Poland Wang Ping-Nan, time to
refer the American request to
Peiping and receive a reply from
his government.
Well-informed Chinese sources
said the two sides exchanged
lists of the civilians involved
under the second agenda item
of the talks.
The American list, this source
said, gave detailed information
on 40 Americans imprisoned or
otherwise detained in Red China,
including nine women and 15
priests.
The Chinese are demanding
the “release” of several thousand
Chinese students sent to the
United States for study by the
Nationalist regime of Generalis-
simo Chiang Kai-Shek.
American sources have said
only some 450 of that number
have expressed a desire to return
to the China mainland and that
all restrictions on their return
were removed last April. The
Chinese Reds have refused to be-
lieve that the students who re-
main in the United States don’t
want to return to Communist
China.
rpHAT ruling was passed in
•*- form of a resolution, and
the city attorney was instructed
to draw up necessary legal
phrases to insert in the book of
ordinances.
Mayor Paul Liebmann also told
the visiting electricians and
plumbers that work would be
started to set up an agreeable
system of examination, which
would be submitted to organized
groups in both trades for their
approval.
However, another thought the
council has kicked around for
some time apparently died a-
borning.
They had discussed a plan
wherein plumbers and electri-
cians practicing their trades in
El Reno would be required to
operate a business location in the
town's commercial districts.
An attorney on hand, represent-
ing one of the plumbers, told the
council he considered the pro-
posed ruling illegal and hinted
that it would be tested in court
if passed.
GOP Believes Ike Will Veto
Housing Bill, Recall Congress
WASHINGTON, Aug. 2—<AP>—'The house today passed and
sent to President Eisenhower a housing bill unsatisfactory to
lim in several respects. GOP leaders intimated he might veto
t and call a special session of congress.
A roll call vote of 187-168 sent the bill to the White House.
The bill was supported by 153 Democrats and 34 Republi-
cans. It was opposed by 37 Democrats and 131 Republicans.
Just before the vote, Republican Leader Martin (Massa-
chusetts) said a special session of congress may be necessary
to get a housing bill satisfact-
Not Guilty Plea
Filed in Burglary
Boy Scouts Set
Court of Honor
Boy Scout troop 370 will have a
Court of Honor at 7:30 p. m. Fri-
day, Aug. 5, at the First Christian
church.
Theo Seikel, scoutmaster, said
in addition to the presentation of
awards the Ladies of the Grand
Army of the Republic will present
the troop with an American flag
that has been flown over the
Capitol at Washington, D. C.
It will be parents’ night and
the Scouts will demonstrate some
of the things they learned to do
during their recent summer camp.
Little Indians
Capture Title
The VFW Little Indians cap-
tured the Wheat Belt league cham-
pionship Monday, by defeating the
Kingfisher Little Stingers in a
heated 2-1 play-off battle. The
game was played at Holy Trinity
field in Okarche.
The Indians scored one in the
first inning and another in the
fifth. The Stingers got their lone
tally in the sixth. Pat Dailey and
Roy Lee Miller were the two who
scored for the Little Indians.
Winning pitcher, Don Johnson,
went all the way, allowing only
two Stinger hits. Mike Combs was
the losing pitcher.
With the title wrapped up, the
Little Indians will represent the
league this week in the district
tournament of the O. K. Kids’
association. They play their first
game tonight at Moore, meeting
Del City at 6 p.m.
William Frank Thomas, 28, plead-
ed not guilty in county court Mon-
day to charges of second degree
burglary, second subsequent of-
fense, and was committed to the
county jail under $5,000 bond while
he awaits a preliminary hearing,
scheduled for Aug. 5.
Thomas was arrested Sunday
morning in a backroom of Myrtle’s
cafe, 110 South Choctaw, after a
cafe employe had discovered and
reported a burglary of the small
cafe when she arrived to unlock
the doors.
Police Sergeant N. E. Douglas
said Thomas was found hiding be-
hind an ice box in the back room,
and that he had in his possession
several items taken from the cafe
shelves, including five wallets and
cigars, in addition to a small
amount of change believed taken
from the cash register.
Other Cates Heard
Other cases before County Judge
Sam Roberson Monday are as fol
lows:
Buster Lewis, Oklahoma City, ac-
cused of driving while intoxicated
July 24 on U. S. 66 west of El Reno,
pleaded not guilty. Bail bond was
set at $1,000.
Gilbert Whitebird pleaded not
guilty to a charge of reckless driv-
ing in El Reno on July 29. Bond
was set at $250.
Malcom Briggs McCloud, El
Reno, charged with drunk driving
on U. S. 66 July 30, pleaded guilty
and was fined $50 and sentenced to
15 days in the county jail. Mc-
Cloud's operator’s license was re-
voked for 12 months.
Four in JP Court*
Four cases were on file in jus-
tice of the peace courts: George
William Southwell, Thomas, was
fined $15 and paid $10 costs by
J. H. Craven for speeding on State
Highway 3. Complaint was made
by State Trooper Robert Lamb.
Craven also fined Joe C. Reed,
Hinton, $10 and $10 costs on a
charge of being intoxicated on a
public highway 10 miles west of
El Reno. Complaint was signed by
F. W. Pendleton.
Justice W. H. Gilbert fined Vearl
Dwight Key, Bethany, $5 and $10
costs for passing in a no-passing
zone east of Yukon on U. S. 66.
Trooper Lamb filed charges.
An overweight truck charge was
heard by Gilbert against Carlton
E. Penick, Cyril and Pickett Broth
ers, Walters. Trooper R. C. Arthur
said Penick’s truck was found over
the legal weight limit on U. S. 81
near Union City. Fine was $50,
with the usual $10 court costs.
ory to the president.
And Housing Administrator Al-
bert Cole declared the bill "totally
distorts the principles and purposes
of the administration’s objectives."
Compromise Sought
The bill calls for 45,000 new pub-
lic housing units on a one-year pro-
gram. Cole said “we are not will-
ing to compromise” and wanted at
least 70,000 units in a two-year
program.
The final bill was drafted by a
senate-house conference commit-
tee yesterday after the two houses
earlier passed sharply different
versions. The senate quickly ap-
proved the compromise effort with
little opposition.
The bill included many relatively
noncontroversial items such as ex-
tension of FHA insured loans for
houses and home repairs, a vast
new housing program for service-
men, special programs for farm
and college housing, and a stepped-
up slum clearance effort.
Temper* Run Short
But stubborn, bitter fights de-
veloped over the program for fed-
erally assisted, low-rent public
housing units for low-income per-
sons, concentrated chiefly in cities,
and over other items.
Eisenhower asked for 35,000 pub-
lic housing units each year for two
years. But he insisted that these
units should be authorized only for
persons displaced by slum clear-
ance and rehabilitation projects.
Led by Democrats, the senate
tossed aside the administration
proposal and originally approved
135,000 units for each year for four
years — a total of 540,000.
Republicans and southern Demo-
crats teamed up in the original
house bill to kill any public hous-
ing at all.
The conference committee com-
promised on 45,000 units for one
year. But it knocked out the re-
striction confining the units to per-
sons displaced by slum clearance.
Grady Attorney
Disqualifies Self
CHICKASHA, Aug. 2—lift—Grady
County Attorney Wilson Smithen
today disqualified from participat-
ing in the current grand jury probe
into the sheriff’s office.
After a four-day recess, the jury
went back into session to hear
Justice of the Peace Calvin Stro
ther’s charges against Sheriff
Hack Perrin. Strother has led the
anti-bootlegger drive.
Last week the jury cleared
Smithen of any misconduct in of-
fice as charged by Strother.
State Soldier
On Trial For
Korea Actions
FORT LEWIS, Wash., Aug. 2 —
(IPI— First Lieutenant Jefferson D.
Erwin of Blanchard, Okla., ac-
cused of making disloyal state-
ments and aiding the enemy while
a prisoner of war in North Korea,
went on trial here today.
The military court was expected
to hear testimony from nearly 80
witnesses summoned from several
sections of the United States. The
trial of the 37-year-old soldier, who
received his commission in Korea
in 1950, was expected to take at
least two weeks.
Erwin enlisted in the army in
1936. He was captured in North
Korea during late 1950 and was
released Sept. 4, 1953, in opera-
tion "big switch."
Erwin is married and has four
children. He said he was prepared
to prove his innocence.
First Lieutenant Ray M. Dunlap,
University of Washington graduate
and assistant staff judge advocate
for the Second infantry division,
will defend the Oklahoma soldier.
HYDRO MAN CHARGED
William Otis Frost, 44, Hydro,
has posted $5 bond in police court
on charges of failing to yield right-
of-way, records showed today.
t
Policemen Take
Salary Troubles
To City Council
In a busy five-hour session Mon-
day evening, the city council plow-
ed through a heap of business mat-
ters, foremost of which was con-
sideration of a police delegation's
plea for more pay.
The city policemen, who furnish-
ed individual itemized living cost
statements to help convince the
councilmen of their claims that
they are not paid a living wage,
were assisted by an attorney who
presented their case.
The four-man delegation — all
patrolmen — listed their necessary
monthly living expenditures at fig-
ures running well above their cur-
rent monthly salaries of from $220
to $235 monthly, and asked the
council — through their attorney
— to pay them enough “to meet
our monthly bills.”
The question of city police pay
increases is not a new one before
the present city council or the pre-
ceding board. They generally agree
that the salary hike is warranted,
but they also expressed the feel-
ing that “you can’t get blood from
a turnip.”
Budget Made Up
Mayor Paul Liebmann pointed
out that this year’s budget already
has been set up and approved, and
that there was no allowance for
the proposed additional payout.
He sympathized with the police-
men, promising to attempt to lo-
cate funds for the pay hike, and
told them, “We (the council) are
just as concerned with the welfare
of our police force as any person
in El Reno."
The policemen, however, feel
that not only is the increase long
overdue, but that it would take
only about $2,000 annually to per-
mit the hike. They figure the addi-
tional cost of salaries requested
will amount to approximately $14,-
500 per year, based on the 1954-55
budget.
City Manager C. A. Bentley,
faced with the need for higher pay
scales throughout all departments,
— including police, fire and street
personnel — contends that to raise
salaries for only one department
would be inequitable. And, he re-
peated his stand Monday evening
that "I believe the police pay
should be raised, but I don’t know
where it would come from.”
Increases Specified
The police delegation's request
was as follows:
New policemen, who currently re-
ceive $220 per month on their six-,
day-a-week jobs, should be started,
at $260, with periodical raise*
amounting to $275 per month total
at the end of a year for a 48-hour
week.
There are 11 patrolmen In El
Reno’s police department.
Sergeants (El Reno has 1) cur-
rently paid $250 per month should
be raised to $300 per month.
Captains (1) currently draw $285
per month, and the council is re-
quested to raise that salary to $350
per month.
El Reno's police chief current-
ly is paid at the rate of $360 per
month. The delegation asked the
council to raise his salary to $450
monthly.
In addition to blanket salary
raises, the four-man delegation
asked that each policeman be al-
lowed two weeks of paid vacation
annually, along with these addi-
tional changes:
Other Point* Asked
1. At the end of three years serv-
ice, all police personnel receive
three percent base pay as longevity
pay, and every three years there-
after receive three percent of base
pay as long as they remain in the
service.
2. Receive $120 per year uniform
allowance.
3. The salary increase be retro-
active to July 1, 1955.
The policemen pointed out that,
with the exception of a special
“assistance" fund voted by the
council last year, they are required
to pay for their own uniforms, am-
munition, sidearms and all other
items necessary in their work, ex-
cept flashlight batteries.
City Manager Bentley told the
councilmen that the police delega-
tion had received his permission
to appear before them and state
their case.
Water Survey Ordered
“I figured every angle I could
think of to meet their requests,
and I told them they could take
their proposals before the council
if they wished," Bentley said.
In other business, the council
authorized Bentley to employ a
consulting engineer to evaluate and
analyze the city’s inadequate wa-
ter system.
After an extensive survey, the
engineering firm is expected to
make recommendations as to what
will be required to expand the cur-
rent distribution system satisfac-
torily.
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Dyer, Ray J. The El Reno Daily Tribune (El Reno, Okla.), Vol. 64, No. 132, Ed. 1 Tuesday, August 2, 1955, newspaper, August 2, 1955; El Reno, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc921432/m1/1/: accessed April 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.