EDITOR'S NOTE

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CLOUDY, RAIN

'VOL LIX, No. 11SANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 1949

PRICE FIVE CENTS


Minor Blaze
Hits Librarv
Storage Attic
Damage Confined
To Small Area
Fire of undetermined origin late
yesterday afternoon damaged the
contents of an attic storage room
at the University's General Li-
brary,
Damaged by smoke and water
were a number of dissertations
from foreign universities and some
documents of historical signifi-
cance.
* * *

Former Professor
Basts Unversity
A former assistant professor sharply criticized the University
administration in a letter Sunday in a Detroit newspaper.
L. S. Van Antwerp, who was employed by the University as an
assistant professor off engineering from September, 1946 to June,
1949, called the administration of President Ruthven, "Obviously in-
competent."
* * * *
VAN ANTWERP CHARGED that President Ruthven and Provost
J. P. Adams were, "Obviously overpaid in respect to their producing

Homely Comedy of 1880

Michigan Raises
Death Toll to 48--
National Safety Council Calls U.S.
Toll of 711 Fatalities 'Disgraceful'
Although Ann Arbor reported no serious injuries resulting from
the holiday weekend ,Michigan's death toll of 48 was the highest of
any state in the nation.
The national picture was in keeping with Michigan's record
death report. More persons died violently throughout the country
this Fourth of July weekend than on any other Independence Day
celebration period in the country's history. A record of 711 fatalities
were reported for the three-day vacation period.
* * * *
ONLY ONE FATALITY was reported in Washtenaw county and
four others hurt in traffic accidents. Fireworks casualties were neg-

THE FIRE
single room
corner of the

was confined to the
on the southeast
ninth floor.

Intense heat set off the ther-
mostatic alarm system at ap-
proximately 6:30 p.m. and the
building was quickly vacated.
Dr. Warner G. Rice, library di-
rector, said that smoke and water
damage to the huge main stacks
was minor. Such water as did
reach the lower floors, he said, was
largely confined to stairways.
* * *
THE LIBRARY was closed for
the evening so that staff members
could more definitely ascertain
the extent of damage and begin
cleanup operations.
Dr. Rice said that the building
will be open as usua! today. Stu-
dents' belongings, left behind
when the building was vacated
will be left untouched, he added.
The room in which the fire oc-
curred, little used except for stor-
age purposes, is located under a
temporary tile-and-wood roof.
Firemen said that the blaze may
have been due to the intense heat
of the last few days in the closed
room, plus the sun's direct rays on
the tinder-dry documents.
Senator Urges
Seedy OK of
Atlantic Pat
WASHINGTON -(')- Senator
Connally (D-Tex.) yesterday urg-
ed speedy Senate approval of the
North Atlantic Treaty as a warn-
ing to would-be conquerors that
300,000,000 people will fight ag-
gression.
In solemn tones, opening Senate
debate on the treaty, Connally
told his colleagues that Russia's
domination of Eastern Euttrope is
" a constant threat to world peace."
HE SAID THE proposed 12-na-
tion past is "a flaming sign to
any aggressor: 'Do not enter' the
North Atlantic area."
Senator Vandenberg (R-
Mich), ranking Senate GOP
leader in foreign affairs, is
scheduled to make a plea for
ratification'of the treaty today.
Connally predicted the debate
will last only a few days. "Oppo-
sition is getting weaker," he said.
* * *
SENATOR BYRD (D-Va.), an
opponent of the arms-for-Europe
program which the Truman Ad-
ministration is seeking to back up
the Atlantic Treaty, said he ex-
pects that not more than six or
eight Senators will vote against
the treaty.
In a two - hour, 9,000 word
speech, Connally said:
"The treaty is not directed
against the Soviet Union nor its
satellite states."
But, he went on, it is "a noble
declaration that no armed aggres-
sor, no swaggering conqueror, no
military despot shall invade the
North Atlantic area."
"IF THE SOVIET UNION really
believes the pact is aimed at her,
then I suggest that she demon-
strate her peaceful intentions and
embrace a policy of full coopera-
tion with the North Atlantic coun-
tries within the framework of the
United Nations."
Citing the danger of "indirect
aggression," the Texas Senator
tolled off the list of nations which
he said have fallen under the sha-
dow of Moscow-Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania, Czechoslovakia, Roma-
nia, Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia
and Albania.
"Overshadowed by the might of
their Eastern neighbor, and alone,
one by one, they have been subju-
gated by aggression from within

and academic ability."
He claimed that the University
"has become one of a distinct
clique of older staff members
who do not have the best, or
even the common interest at
heart of students and of
alumni."
The letter followed a story
which appeared in the Detroit
paper June 20, which speculated
that Milton Eisenhower, brother
of General Ike, might be asked to
replace President Ruthven when
he retires in 1951.
* * *
THE SAME STORY also indi-
cated that "the word in many
campus circles has been that
(Provost) Adams will succeed
Ruthven."
In his letter, Van Antwerp
objected, saying, "to head a Uni-
versity as prominent and di-
versified in international con-
tacts as Michigan requires more
than a choice from the staff,
such as Adams."
Provost Adams, contacted yes-
terday, said he had no comment
to make on the letter. President
Ruthven is out of town andc ould
not be reached for comment.
* * *
VAN ANTWERP wrote that
there was "no attempt at fairness
nor recognition of ability among
the administration now and , all
this reflects as un-American ad-
vertising to our foreign and do-
mestic students."
He criticized the "proposed re-
tainment of (Provost) Adams,"
claiming it was "sponsored by a
selfish group of staff members
who see only the advancement
of one of their own kind and
who disregard entirely the re-
sulting clique of an overpaid
and inexperienced president.
"The obvious solution," he went
on," . . . is to secure the services
and experience of an administra-
tor who is not bound by doubtful
ties of so-called friendship.
and has only the principles of
American education as his inter-
ests an at his command."
SL To Throw
Dance Outside
Students will dance under cool
stars a week from Friday.
The Student Legislature is plan-
ning an open-air dance which
they hope will be held from 9 p.m.
to midnight, on Palmer Field ten-
nis Courts.
No arrangements to use the
courts have been made yet.,
* * *
MUSIC WILL BE furnished by
Del Elliot and his band, who will
desert their regular stand in the
League. The Legislature will pay
the $42 it would normally have
received as proceeds from the
dance in the League.
Chairmen for the dance, Polly
Hodges and Frank Butorac are
hoping for cool weather without
rain.
The SL also announced that
Prof. Lionel Laing, of the political
science department, would be the
second guest of the Legislature, at
next week's meeting.
They mapped plans to formulate
a program of activities to be be-
gun by the Legislature early ini
the fall.

Hiss Trial
Goes Into
Final Days
Both Sides Will
Conclude Cases
NEW YORK - The Alger Hiss
perjury trial drew near its final
stage yesterday as Judge Samuel
Kaufman declared that the de-
fense will give its summation to-
day.
The government will summarize
on Thursday morning. Then, fol-
lowing the judge's charge, the
jury will be locked up until it
reaches a verdict.
* * *
SPECULATION as to how long
it will take the ten men and two
women to a rive at a verdict has
varied from two to 24 hours.
Spectators and reporters spent
most of yesterday's short session
in recess wli defense and pro-
secution lam argued in the
closed judge's chambers.
The heated controversy con-
cerned witnesses whom Prosecut-
ing Attorney Thomas Murphy
wanted to introduce to refute de-
fense testimony.
* * *
BUT WHEN THE court was re-
convened, Murphy had been over-
ruled.
He then asked Judge Kauf-
man to reconsider a ruling made
last Friday barring testimony
from Mrs. Hede Massing, for-
mer wife of Communist Gerhart
Eisler.
"I have already ruled, Mr. Mur-
phy," the judge replied.
The government had hoped to
bring Mrs. Massing to the stand
to testify that she had met Alger
Hiss, and that he was active in
Communist circles in 1938.
Hiss had previously denied
knowing Mrs. Massing, and has
emphatically declared that he has
never been a member of the Com-T
munist Party.
The jury must decide whether
Hiss 'tr Whittaker Chambers, a
self-styled former courier for a
prewar Soviet spy ring who re-
signed a $30,000-a-year job as a
senior editor for Time Magazine,
has told the truth during the
course of the case.
'Red' Detroit
Worker Fired
A Detroit employe has been or-
dered fired by Mayor Van Antwerp
for alleged affiliation with the
Communist Partr-.
The employe is George Shenkar,
a junior mechanical engineer with
the Water Department.
The mayor's action followed a
conference with Civil Service Rep-
resentative, a corporation counse-
lor, and the mayor's secretary.
Shenkar's name was listed on a
mimeographed pamphlet as a
member of the Wayne University
Marxian Society.

-Daily-Norm Steere
LIFE WITH FATHER-A typical family pose, circa 1880, is taken by the leading members of the
cast of the Lindsay and Crouse comedy which opens tonight at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre.
Donald Kleckner is Father; Margaret Pell, Mother; and left to right, Teddy Riecker (Harlan); John
Waller (John); William Bromfield (Clarence Jr.) and Ronald Muchnick (Whitney).

'Life With Father' To Open
Tonight at LeagueTheatre

"Life With Father," the hilari-
ous period comedy by Howard
Lindsay and Russel Crouse will
open at 8 p.m. today in the Lydia
Mendelssohn Theatre.
Starring Donald Kleckner, di-
rector of theatre at Heidelberg
College, Tiffin, Ohio, as Father,
the play will run through Satur-
day night.
* * *
A TOP-DRAWING Broadway
production for seven years, "Life
With Father" is directed by Prof.
Valentine B. Windt, of the Uni-
versity Department of Speech.
Based on a story by the late,
Clarence Day, "Life With Fath--
er" deals with the many family
crises normal to a home of four
Henry.Riggs,
Civil Engineer,
.Dies in Detroit
Former Professor
Was Utility Expert
Henry Earle Riggs, one of
America's outstanding authorities
in the field of railway valuation
and design, and a former head of
the University's civil engineering
department, died early yesterday
at Harper Hospital in Detroit.
He was 84 years old.
Death came after a short illness,
although Riggs had been ill for
much of the time since May.
,'* * *'
FUNERAL SERVICES will be
held at 2 p.m. tomorrow at the
First Congregational Church, with
burial in Forest Hill Cemetery.
The body will lie in state at the
Muehlig Chapel from 4 to 6 p.m.
today.
A former president of the
American Society of Civil Engi-
neers, Riggs was chairman of
the civil engineering department
for 18 years, from 1912 to 1930.
As an authority in the field of
engineering valuation and depre-
ciation, Riggs was retained by
many railroads on cases involving
federal valuations of the carriers
and the recapture of excess profits.
HE ALSO WAS retained on
public utility rate cases by the
state commissions of Michigan,
New York and Georgia.
Riggs received his AB degree
from the University of Kansas
in 1886, anduthen went to work
for the Burlington, Santa Fe
and Ann Arbor and Northern
Michigan railways. He received
a CE degree from the University
in 1910, and in 1912 he assumed
his duties as professor and head
of the civil engineering depart-
ment here.
He was made an honorary pro-
fessor of civil engineering upon
his retirement from the faculty in
1930, and in 1937 he was awarded
the doctor of engineering degree
by the Universitv.

growing boys, tiresome relatives
and Father, who insists on wear-
ing the pants of the household,
never quite realizing that it is
Mother who is the personifica-
tion of the family suspenders.
But it is individualistic Father
who gives the play most of its
charm, with his typically severe
moments in various situations-
Mother's bookkeeping, Clarence
Jr.,'s difficulties with a young fe-
male visitor, Father's failure to be
baptized, monthly bills, weak cof-
fee and Clarence Jr.'s desperate
need for a new suit.
INCLUDED in the cast are Mar-
garet Pell as Mother; William.
Bromfield as Clarence, Jr.; John
Waller as John; Ronald Muchnick,
1122 Granger, as Whitney; and
Teddy Riecker, 2109 Wallingford,
Road, as Harlan.
Ronald, who played in last
summer's presentation of "I Re-
member Mama," attends Tappan
Junior High School while Teddy,
who is only seven years old, is en-
rolled in the third grade at An-
gell School.
VA Hospital
Bids Accepted
From now until Aug. 9, the Vet-
erans Administration will accept
sealed bids for construction of a
500-bed medical and surgical hos-
pital in Ann Arbor.
A 16-acre tract located between
Glacier Way and Geddes Rd.,
about a half mile from the city's
northeastern limits, will be the
site of the installation.
The plant will include the main
hospital building, apartment
building, nurses and attendants
quarters, garage, boiler house, in-
cinerator building, water pump-
ing station and various water re-
servoirs.
All the buildings will have con-
crete foundations, brick-faced ex-
terior walls, reinforced concrete
floors and built-up roofs. An ar-
tistic touch will be added to the
main hospital building, for it will
have stone facing backed with
brick up to the second story.
The VA said that it will accept
separate rate bids on general con-
struction, elevators and refriger-
ating equipment. The plant's es-
timated cost is in the neighbor-
hood of $10,000,000.
An announcement was made
early last month to the effect that
the VA planned to ask for -bids
for the hospital.

w orld News
Round- Up
By The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO-The treason
trial of Mrs. Iva Toguri D'Aquino
-Tokyo Rose-opened in federal
court yesterday. The prosecution
said it would not seek the death
penalty. (See story, Page 4).
* * *
PITTSBURGH -Resumption
of coal contract talks with one
sgment of the bituminous in-
dustry was moved back from
July 12 to July 19 today as soft
coal production climed toward
normal at the end of the miners,
nation-wide vacation.
WASHINGTON - Washington's
No. 1 party giver, Mrs.:Perle Mesta
was approved by the Senate after a
lively row yesterday as American
minister to the tiny grand duchy
of Luxembourg. The lone but em-
phatic dissent came from Senator
Donnell (Rep., Mo.) who shouted
that the appointment of the
wealthy socialite widow marked a
step backward to the "spoils sys-
tem."
S * '*, *
PRAGUE - Prime Minister
Antonin Zapotocky said yester-
day the Roman Catholic hier-
archy will not be allowed to dis-
cipline pro-government priests
in Czechoslovakia's current
nation.
* * * *
NEW YORK - Defendant Gil-
bert Green admitted at the Com-
munist conspiracy trial yesterday
that he wrote an article 15 years
ago in which he urged American
Reds to "work for the revolution-
ary overthrow of American cap-
italism and for a Soviet America."
ACL Offers
French Film
For its second film offering this
summer, the Art Cinema League
has chosen "The Eternal Hus-
band," a French film starring the
late Raimu.
The film will be shown at 8:30
p.m. Friday and Saturday in the
Rackham Lecture Hall. Tickets
will be on sale from 2 to 6 p.m.
Thursday and 2 to 9 p.m. Friday
and Saturday at the desk of the
League. There will be no ticket
sale at the door.
Originally "Pygmalion" was due
to play here, but student manager
Mel Bondy says that the New York
distributor warned him that the
particular print of "Pygmalion"
was in bad shape.
Boridy says that "The Eternal
Husband" is based on Dostoievsky
and has not been shown here-
and probably in the whole Mid-
west-previously.

ligible in this area except for in-
jury to a boy nine years of age who
was hit in the eye by an exploding
firecracker.
Although the report on this
area's accident totals was "light-
er than expected" the rest of
Michigan did niot fare so well.
A total of 48 fatalities was the
final price paid for the holiday
week-end.
Principle cause of death in this
state was from drowning with 26
reported killed in this manner.
The stifling heat wave was gener-
ally attributed to be the cause of
-this.
ONLY 8 DEATHS resulted from
traffic accidents-far below the
pre-holiday prediction of 20 high-
way deaths.
The national picture was
deemed "shameful anddisgrace-
ful" by the National Safety
Council. A "showoff attitude"
was responsible for the record
711 deaths throughout the coun-
try, the Council said.
Of these deaths, 315 were traf-
fic deaths, 256 were drownings and
140 were from miscellaneous caus-
es.
Despite the record list of fatali-
ties, none were from fireworks.
The heaviest toll for any holi-
day period was for four days in
Christmas week, 1936 when 761
accidental deaths were reported,
555 of them from traffic mishaps.

Big 4 Agrees
On Continued

tI

Berlin Talks
BERLIN-P)-Russia and the
three Western Powers agreed yes-
terday on machinery to carry out
the will of their foreign ministers
on Berlin and Germany.
The four deputy military gov-
ernors announced in a commun-
ique after the meeting that they
had agreed meetings of the four
Berlin commandants should be
resumed.
* * *
THEY ALSO agreed on creation
of a special committee of experts
on trade, transport and finance to
submit recommendations on how
to carry out the agreement of the
Paris Foreign Ministers Confer-
ecce.
The communique said the
commandants would meet "for
implementation of paragraph
three-C of the Paris communi-
que.'
This paragraph was accepted af-,
ter the four foreign ministers
were unable to agree on reestab-
lishing four-power control of di-
vided Germany and Berlin. It
called on the occupation author-
ities to "consult" together with al
view to expanding East-West trade
and travel in Berlin and Germany
and "normalizing, as far as pos-
sible," the life of Berlin.
Before the Russian blockade
started more than a year ago the
four commandants regularly met
in what was called the Allied
Kommandatura. The veto applied
to its proceedings, however, and
the four commandants often were
unable to make decisions. The
Russians finally walked out and
broke up the Four-Power body.

Nanme Calling
Breaks out at
NEA Parley
BOSTON - M) - One teacher
taxed another with membership in
what he called "a Communist par-
ty-line organization" yesterday
and that touched off the first rumn-
pus on Communism at the conven-
tion of the National Education
Association.
There were indications that
there might be more when the
same question goes before a gen-
eral session of 5,000 delegates and
associates today.
YESTERDAY'S verbal clash
came at a separate meeting of
about 300 teachers considering the
recent NEA educational policies
commission statement against
Communism. That statement,
whose co-makers included Ger.
Eisenhower and Harvard President
Conant, called for a ban on Con-'
munist Party members as Ameri-
can teachers.
Principals in the tilt were
Rose Russell, legislative repre-
sentative of the CIO Teachers'
Union of New York City, and
Commission Chairman John K.
Norton of Columbia University's
Teachers College.
Miss Russell called the commis-
sion report "ill-conceived, ill-tim-
ed and ill-omened." She said it
would ':'continue the cold war. .
cause friction and hysteria .
and start a witch - hunt. She
charged the report erred in try-
ing to make education "an instru-
ment of national policy."
* * *
AS SHE FINISHED, Chairman
Norton told the teachers that the
lady they had just heard "Rep-
resents an organization which has
consistently followed the Com-
munist party line."
Miss Russell was back on her
feet in an instant demanding
"My right to reply."
Chairman Norton overruled her.
Then Willard Spalding of the
University of Illinois got up and
asked the group: "Are we free to
advocate any damn thing we want
to no matter what it does to the
American nation! There are lim-
its to freedom in a democracy."
Miss Russell was alloted a min-
ute.
* *
REFERRING TO Norton's
charge, Miss Russell said: "This is
a good example of guilt by asso-
ciation. Every organization that
is militant or dissents is called
subversive in one way or another."
Earlier, Herbert J. Phillips in-
troduced himself to the group as
the University of Washington pro-
fessor who was "fired" for admit-
ting his 13-year membershipit
the Communist party.
Experts See
No Heat Relief
Weather Bureau reports indicate
that Michiganders apparently are
in for a full month of melting
heat, with little hope for a let-up
in the near future.
After more than three weeks of
sweltering conditions, at least
another four to five days with the
mercury around 90 were slated.
A cloudy sky, with thunder show-
ers in the afternoon, has been pre-

SOPH THRU-NOW SOF:
Trib Expands Technique,
Of Simplified Spelling

CHICAGO - (A)-The Chicago
Tribune has announced a new step
in its modified spelling philosofy.
For some time, the newspaper
has been using simplified spelling
for certain words such as "frate"
(freight); "catalog," (dialogue)
and "epilog"; "tho" (though);
"thru" (through) and "thoro"
(thorough).

BAILIE, MASTIF, midrif, plain-
tif, and distaf will now make their
appearance in the Tribune. How-
ever, puff, cuff, and scoff-one-
syllable words-will remain the
same. One other thing: Rime will
take the place of rhyme.
All the changes, the paper
said, appear in Webster's New

BUT CHORES CONTINUE:
Congress menMoved for Remodeling

WASHINGTON-UP) - Congress1
started roughing it yesterday. 1

that the cramped conditions will
be primitive indeed.

But in general it looks as if
the Senators will be under an