Coral Gables Riviera-Times

Coral Gables Riviera Times

PUBLISHED MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOONS VOL. 21—No. 65 (D) | U. P. Leased Wire | CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1947 | 8 PAGES | FIVE CENTS

'NO RACING TOMORROW,' SAYS DONN AS NEW TALKS WITH HORSE OWNERS FAIL

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., Dec. 2. (UP)—Gulfstream Park officials and horse owners met today without resolving their differences over minimum purse allowances and track president James Donn said there would be no racing tomorrow. Members of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association stuck to their demands for a minimum purse of $2,500. Donn's offer provides a maximum $2,000 purse for the first ten days, $2,200 for the next 10 and $2,300 for the final 20 days of the Gulfstream meeting. The state will lose approximately $50,000 in revenue every day the track remains closed.

Truman and Party Set For Flight to Florida

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2. (UP)—President Truman worked steadily today to clear his desk and appointment list before leaving early tomorrow for Florida. He also was putting in a lot of work on the speech he will deliver Saturday at the dedication of the Everglades National Park. The president will be accompanied to Florida by Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, chief of staff to the president; secretaries Matthew J. Connelly and Ross; Judge John Caskie Collet of the Eighth Circuit U. S. Court of Appeals and Stanley Woodward, State Department chief of protocol. The president's doctor, Brig. Gen. Wallace Graham; his military and naval aides, Maj. Gen. Harry H. Vaughan and Rear Admiral James K. Foskett; and Clark Clifford, counsel to the president, also will make the trip. Participating in the program with the president will be Florida's two senators, Spessard L. Holland and Claude Pepper, Gov. Millard F. Caldwell, and Secretary of the Interior J. A. Krug.

Arab Mobs Wreak Havoc, Fight Jews in Streets

JERUSALEM, Dec. 2. (UP)—Arabs today began a three-day general strike with a burst of stabbings, shootings, arson and mob violence that forced the Jewish underground to line up with the British for the first time in history to maintain order. Arab mobs stormed through Jerusalem's streets, smashing stores, stoning an estimated $1,000,000 worth of Jewish property, and attacking Jews wherever they were found. A Jewish mob formed, and, shouting "Revenge! Revenge!" started for the Arabs. The Jews, however, were turned back by British police assisted by members of the Hagana Jewish underground army. No human force, however, could keep all the Jews and Arabs separated, and five hours of disturbances left one Jew dead, at least 20 wounded, and several Arabs wounded. Among the Jews suffering serious stab wounds was a correspondent for the British Reuters news agency.

U. S. Must Double Atom Investment, Says Lilienthal

ATLANTIC CITY, N. J., Dec. 2. (UP)—This country in the next several years will have to double its $2,500,000,000 atomic energy investment if it "really means business," David E. Lilienthal said today. Lilienthal, chairman of the atomic energy commission, told the American Society of Mechanical Engineers that U. S. atomic weapons are constantly being re-designed and improved. But the great bomb material plants at Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Hanford, Wash., "were erected in the greatest haste" during the war, he said, and: "It is obvious that they are not the last word, that great improvements are not only possible but essential. "The bombs thus far detonated," Lilienthal said, "are the very first products."

Marshall, Molotov Slate Talk As De Gaulle Veto Threatens

LONDON, Dec. 2. (UP)—A "veto" threat by France's Gen. Charles de Gaulle snarled progress of the Big Four foreign ministers conference today, but Secretary of State George C. Marshall and Soviet Foreign Minister V. M. Molotov scheduled a private luncheon that offered some hope for conciliation. The luncheon, scheduled for Friday at the Russian embassy, will mark the first time that Marshall and Molotov have conferred privately since Marshall became secretary of state. Molotov last week refused an invitation to the American embassy, but replied by inviting Marshall to the Soviet embassy. Marshall promptly accepted. The action came as French Foreign Minister Georges Bidault was in Paris on a hastily-arranged trip. It was learned that Bidault hurried home when de Gaulle, France's new anti-Communist strong man, threatened to campaign against any Bidault commitments which he did not like.

Price Spiral Not Caused By Wages, Committee Told

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2. (UP)—Secretary of Labor Lewis B. Schwellenbach today denounced as "not true" the claims that wage increases should bear full responsibility for price increases. "Consistently, since the end of the war, efforts have been made to put the full responsibility for price increases on wage increases," he told the house banking committee. "That is simply not true." To back his contention that wages are not the sole factor in price increases, Schwellenbach cited the coal contracts signed last summer. These, he said, justified a price increase of 50 cents a ton for coal. "But they (the operators) increased the price more than $1 and said it was all wage increase," he said.

GOP Policy Makers Ponder Clamp on Export Controls

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2. (UP)—House Republican policy makers today considered the possibility of legislation which would force President Truman to tighten up export controls as an anti-inflation measure. House Republican leader Charles A. Halleck said the idea was discussed at a house GOP steering committee meeting which considered Mr. Truman's anti-inflation program and the administration's emergency foreign aid proposals. Halleck said the house GOP leadership discussed the possibility of giving the administration "more directives" and less discretion in the field of export controls. He said no decisions were reached.

Additional United Press News on Page 2

SUSPECT FACES 3 VICTIMS OF ATTACKS HERE Sheriff's Office Nabs Man in Parking Lot

A man already identified by three victims as the one who had criminally assaulted them was to be confronted, in Coral Gables police station, by a 20-year-old University of Miami co-ed, an 18-year-old secretary and a housewife, all of whom had been attacked within the last two weeks. The suspect was only sketchily identified by Lt. Claude High of the Dade County Homicide Bureau. High said the man lived at a trailer park near the Tropical Park race track. Lieutenant High and Deputy Sheriff Wayne Pittman grabbed the man last night in a sandy lot near 31st street and SW 8th Ave. where a previous criminal assault had been committed in Nov. 19 against a 16-year-old girl as she walked to her home from a YWHA meeting. High said the man was in the act of assaulting another girl at the same spot where the first attack had been committed. According to the Homicide Bureau operatives, the girl kicked her assailant, then raced away down the darkened street with the man in pursuit. The detectives ran after the attacker, nabbed him but the girl disappeared into the night. Lieutenant High told reporters that the girl attacked on Nov. 19, along with two other victims of similar assaults, had picked this man out of eight others in a (Please Turn to Page Two)

SOBER DRUNK GETS JAIL CREDIT

William Moates, 40, of 405 NW 2nd Avenue, was not displeased when Municipal Judge C. S. Robertson sentenced him to five days in jail after he had pleaded guilty to a bout with the bottle. In fact, Moates walked out the door of city jail after court had finished. The judge had recognized that drinker Moates had been sober for five days. Moates was arrested on Nov. 26 and the judge ruled that the incarceration might apply against his credit.

3 Ordinances Will Launch Gas Ballot Commissioners To Weigh Zoning And Numbering

Special elections, street numbers and zoning matters will face Coral Gables city commissioners when they meet at 8 o'clock this evening at city hall. City Clerk E. B. Poorman will present three ordinances for enactment which will set the wheels in motion for a March 2 special election on a proposed gas franchise. The new laws set up three voting precincts, set the election date, void the present registration and call for a new one between Jan. 2 and Feb. 14. Public Works Director L. W. Densmore will present an ordinance for final adoption changing approximately 75 percent of the street numbers in the Coral Gables business district. Densmore said the new laws were because duplication, and multiple numbering on single-lot buildings have created a confused situation and have allowed no numbers for new construction in many instances. Several minor zoning matters, affecting changes on individual properties, will also be brought before the commission in the form of recommendations from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Cyclist Escapes Injury in Crash

A 14-year-old boy missed injury when his motor bike was knocked over by an automobile yesterday but the bike was badly smashed up. William F. Larson of 410 Santiago Street was the owner of the bike and it was hit by a car driven by Melvin Robinson, 17, of 1227 Avenue Madrid. The Robinson car had skidded 32 feet in an effort to avoid the collision.

New Type School to Cater To Primary Graders Here

Coral Gables may be the site of a new type of primary school, now being studied by the Dade County School Board, James A. Henderson, board member, revealed today. This new unit, which Henderson describes as a new departure in the county's education field, would consist of classroom and sanitary facilities for kindergarten and first grade children and would operate from 9 a.m. until noon each day. "We hit upon the idea when we were seeking relief for crowded conditions and I think it may sweep the country," Henderson said. Use War Surplus The district has already purchased from war surplus army barracks, part of which can be converted into two class rooms at a very low cost, he explained. The board has already purchased two of the buildings, remodeled them and is using them for operations elsewhere. "When we finish the inside of them they work out perfectly," Henderson said. Releases Class Rooms He pointed out that by combining the kindergarten and primary grades into a separate school unit, that classrooms in elementary schools will be released for higher grades. "We will obtain a plot of ground, set up four or five of these buildings and have a unit in operation in very short order," he said. He explained that kindergarten and first grade children usually learn all they can absorb in one session each day. Estimates Cafeteria "By operating the schools on a morning schedule we can eliminate the necessity of cafeteria, auditoriums and similar facilities," he stated. If the plan works, the "primary units" would gradually be replaced with permanent structures. "I think it's the solution to a big headache," he commented. Henderson will leave this week for Camp Blanding, where he will attempt to secure the buildings necessary to put the plan in operation.

500 'U' Veterans To Get Defense, Victory Medals

American Defense and Victory medals will be bestowed upon approximately 500 University of Miami veterans between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Dec. 10 and 11, in the offices of Prof. Robert R. Downs, American defense chairman for the Damon Runyon Post 253, American Legion. The Victory medals will be given to all those who served in the Army since Pearl Harbor to the end of the war. The Defense medals go to those who served prior to Pearl Harbor. Applicants are asked to bring their discharge papers or separations papers to be eligible, Lt. Dean Doren Tharp will assist Downs. The medals are bronze with campaign ribbons attached.

Funeral Tomorrow For E. D. Tapscott

Funeral services will be held tomorrow at three p.m. for Edward Davidson Tapscott, who died yesterday at the age of 76 at his home at 513 Avenue Giralda. Tapscott had moved here three years ago, after a lifetime of service as a conductor on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. His home was in Owensboro, Kentucky. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Mattie L. Tapscott and two daughters. Mrs. E. N. Gropp of Miami and Mrs. Garland H. Davis of Elizabeth, N.J., are daughters of the late railroad man and Edward N. Gropp Jr. is his grandson. The funeral will be at the Gautier Funeral home and interment will be at Woodlawn Cemetery.

Changes Delay New School; Two-Trip Trash is Complaint

Gables To Vote Tuesday on Land Swap Drainage District Would Set Up Water Reserve

Coral Gables residents will join with other citizens living within the confines of the Everglades Drainage District to vote in a special election next Tuesday on whether or not the District will be allowed to exchange lands within the district for lands outside the district. If approved, the transfer would provide the state with title to 150,000 acres lying west of Chrome Avenue and north of the Tamiami Trail to use as a water reserve for the entire Miami area. Clerks and inspectors who will man Coral Gables polling places were named today. They include: Precinct 79, University of Miami: Mrs. J. D. McCall, clerk; Miss Hallie Collins, Miss Pauline R. Ebly and Frank Bruk, inspectors. Precinct 80, Coral Gables Elementary School: Mrs. Bais B. Jones, clerk; Robert B. Orr, Miss Edith O. Jones and John W. Keeler, inspectors. Precinct 81, Country Club of Coral Gables: Miss Lydia H. Hubbell, clerk; Miss Katharine P. Trowell, Miss Peggie Yonge and Mrs. Herman Feick, inspectors. Precinct 84, Girl Scout Hut: Mrs. Edwin G. Bishop, clerk; Reginald Hart, Miss Worth St. Clair and H. Lee Douglas, inspectors. Precinct 59, Kinloch Park School: Miss Miriam Isabel Folstreau, clerk; Miss Marie Ann Drummond, Miss Helen M. Smith and Miss Zebbie J. Newbold, inspectors. Precinct 77, Coconut Grove Fire Station: Leon I. Drysdale, clerk; Alvin J. Hunter, Mrs. Laura Kemp and Miss Edythe Berndt, inspectors.

Optimists May Sponsor Debate

Sponsorship of a debate on the proposed Dade-Miami consolidation plan will be decided tonight when members of the Coral Gables Optimist Club meet at 6 p.m. at the Country Club of Coral Gables. Members will be asked to ballot on whether or not the civic group should undertake a public forum on the question, similar to that slated for the Elks Lodge on Thursday when Rep. R. B. Gautier will debate the issue with Carl Hoffman, Miami Beach attorney. The Optimists will also discuss sponsorship of a series of dances at the Coral Gables War Memorial Youth Center.

Held In Speeding

William L. Saunders, an 18-year-old Negro, was arrested last night by Officers Hermit Davis and Theodore Bishop on charges of reckless driving by speeding.

ISSUE ARISES ON XMAS CARDS

C. H. Witherill Jr., operator of Rae's Stationery Store, took issue today with another purveyor of greeting cards over the availability of Florida Christmas cards. A Riviera-Times survey of the Christmas card market, yesterday, brought the answer from one dealer that manufacturers were neglecting the Florida cards because they did not reek themselves to mass production for a nationwide market. "Not so", says Witherill, pointing out that he has a large selection including 25 different Kodachrome reproductions which have caused a great demand in the Gables. He said that six people telephoned him yesterday afternoon to comment on the newspaper story.

Port Group To Drop Bid Chapman Action Follows City's

J. Mark Wilcox, attorney for the Dade County Port Authority, said today that the Port Authority will "probably" withdraw its bid for Chapman Field next Thursday at the next meeting of the body. Wilcox said that it would cost approximately $500,000 to put the property in shape to operate as an airport under the government's specifications. "The County now has four airports and I don't see how we can take on another," he said. The Port Authority's action parallels that taken yesterday by Coral Gables city officials who also indicated that they would place no bid in the WAA hopper for opening on December 12. If no governmental agencies bid for the 800-acre tract that lies across the southern boundary of the Gables, WAA officials stated that the sale offer will be withdrawn and reclassified. If this action is taken, both the city and the county will have an opportunity to bid for the property for use as a park or other public purposes.

C. W. Hecht, 45, Ex-Cop, Dies

Funeral services for Charles William Hecht, 45, former Gables police officer were held in abeyance today, pending the arrival of a brother from the North. Hecht died last night in his home, 630 SW 39th Court. Hecht joined the police force over eight years ago as a patrolman and later became a motorcycle sergeant. When he left the force about a year ago for a position with the Parkinson Motor Company he was a sergeant in the detective bureau. Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Sophie Hecht and a son, Charles W. Hecht, Jr. Philbrick's Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Henderson Reveals Revisions In Plans for Senior High WILL MAKE LOCAL INSTITUTION 'MOST MODERN' IN THE SOUTH

Drastic revisions of plans for the Coral Gables High School will prevent its being ready for use by the fall of 1948, but will result in Coral Gables having the most modern school in the Miami area, the Riviera-Times learned today. James A. Henderson, local member of the Dade County School Board, said that because of the revamping of the plans to increase the high school's capacity to 2,200 students it will be impossible to meet the original estimated completion date. "While the school will not be ready when we hoped it would be, the community will have a much finer building that had been planned originally," he stated. He said that if the board had gone along on the original plans, the school would have probably opened on schedule, but that it would have been outmoded the day it was put into operation. Most Modern in South "The school we are building now will be one of the most modern in the south," he said. "We are sparing nothing to make it as near perfect as possible." Architect William H. Merriam, who is drawing plans for the school, said today that they will probably be ready to submit for bids during the latter part of January, with construction starting sometime in February. He estimated that it will take approximately nine years to complete it. One innovation not previously announced is a deisel power plant, now being designed for the school, which will furnish all of the light and heat necessary for the building and will floodlight the athletic field as well. Merriam pointed out that the plant will increase the cost of the building, but that it will prove a valuable asset in the long run. One advantage of the plant will be that it will set the school up as an ideal hurricane shelter. The power plant will not be a stand-by, but will provide continuous electrical energy to the building

City Resumes Twice Weekly Waste Pickup Truck Breakdown Brings Complaints From Residents

Breakdown of two city garbage trucks and the resultant curtailment of collection schedules brought a storm of protest which portended more violent action had not normal service been resumed today. One group of residents on Avenue Candia told the Riviera-Times that they had been receiving only one collection per week since the hurricane, and that the situation incensed that they had discussed marching on city hall and dumping overladen garbage cans on the steps of the municipal building. Mrs. Paul C. Warde of the public service department said that full crews worked last night and would work again this evening in an effort to catch up on collections all over the Gables. She said that the breakdown of the trucks had caused curtailed collections in several areas and that her phone had been ringing constantly as irate citizens called to complain. The trucks were repaired yesterday. "Every resident who pays for the service is entitled to two collections a week and this department is doing its best to see that they get them," she said. She asked that any persons not receiving twice weekly collections after today to telephone her and advise her of the situation. Harley Pittman, who heads the collection department as well as the parkways division, was out of town on vacation and could not be reached for a statement.

Two $8,000 Homes Okayed by City

Construction of two residences, to cost $8,000 each, was authorized today by Building Inspector Gilbert B. Campbell. Charles Nichols will erect a residence at 26 Avenue Veragua. It was designed by W. J. Knox, engineer, and will be erected by Sidney DeWolf. George H. Briggs was issued a permit for the construction of a home at 41 Avenue Oviedo. H. George Fink designed the structure while will be constructed by day labor.

Gables Masons Elect E. R. Grant

E. R. Grant was elected Worshipful Master of the Coral Gables Lodge, F. and A.M., in balloting held last night at the lodge hall, Douglas Entrance. He succeeds Lloyd M. Solie, who headed the local Masonic group during the past year. Other new officers named include Charles R. Atwater, senior warden and Charles Greaves, junior warden. Wendell Susner was re-elected treasurer while E. E. Stanley was returned to the post of secretary.

S. Miami to Revamp Electrical Fees

Amendment of the electrical ordinance to bring fees in line with those charged in Dade County and the city of Miami is expected at the meeting of the South Miami city council tonight. The council had reacted favorably to the measure when it was brought up at the last meeting two weeks ago.

DAIRY DILEMMA Housewives Cut Milk Purchases, Ponder Ways to Beat Price Hike

As Coral Gables began to feel the effects of a two-cent rise which brought the cost of milk to a new high of 26 cents, housewives today sought ways to cut down on milk consumption, milk sales slumped in retail stores and school cafeterias, already uncertain of Federal aid, faced a new threat to their nickel bottle of milk. Mrs. T. L. Fitzgibbon of 2616 DeSoto Boulevard, who has to provide milk for nine children, said, "If I thought it would help to bring the price down, I'd cut out buying milk altogether." Retail dealers noted a decrease in their milk sales yesterday, which several attributed to the cold snap. The dealers emphasized that they were not collecting any increase in profit, but merely passing along the producer's increase. The men who sell milk were as unhappy over the new price setup as the housewives to whom they sell. "The producers get the money and we're the ones who have to face the public," lamented proprietor Gus at Gus's Food Market on S. W. 8th Street. At Ponce de Leon High School, a harried cafeteria manager was jotting down figures seeking a way to make ends meet without upping the traditional nickel a bottle price of a half pint of milk. The school had lost only a fraction of a penny on each bottle until yesterday, when the cost to the school was raised from six cents to six and a half. The status of the Federal school lunch program is shaky, it is doubted whether action will come at the present special session of Congress. "I don't know just how we're going to make out," said the cafeteria manager. "We're going to try to keep it at a nickel." Vernon Hill, president of Tanner's, noted an increase in the sale of canned milk, which now sells at 12 cents a can. But, added Hill, that price is also expected to take a jump soon. One customer, reported Tanner, had cut his order from two quarts a day to one every second day. "They're all kicking about it," Tanner said (Please Turn to Page Eight)

On The Inside

Comics | 7 Crossword Puzzle | 7 Editorials | 4 Our Town | 4 Movies | 6 Radio Programs | 7 Riviera Time Table | 3 Society, Woman's Pages | 4, 5 Sports | 6

Today's Weather

TODAY AND WEDNESDAY—Partly cloudy, not quite so cool today, tonight and Wednesday. Few widely scattered local, light showers. Northeasterly winds, mostly fresh today becoming moderate, occasionally fresh Wednesday.

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