davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-06-17

representing the
Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber committee
recommended originally that
parking on Duval Street be
prohibited between t h 9
hours of 8 a. m. to 6 p. M,
but after considerable dis
cussion, the group decided
on the 24-hour per day ban.
Delivery trucks, however,
would be allowed to make
deliveries on one side of the
street during business hours.
The parking restrictions
would be enforced from Pc
tronia to Greene Street.
The recommendation, however,
will have to be approved in ordin-
ance form by the city commission
before it will 60 into the law books.
Other recommendations can be
acted on Immediately by the. city
manager.
Proposals Discussed
Last nights meeting, attended by
Commissioners Delio Cobo, Jack
Delaney and Louis Carbonell, took
the form of a round-table discus
sions with each of the committees
submitting nearly identical sets of
proposals for the commissions con-
sideration.
Three pieces of property in the
downtown area suitable for off
street parking areas came under
discussion last night. They are: A
lot at the corner of Simonton and
Angela Street owned by realtor
Fred Dion; a lot at 71O-7I4 Duval
Street owned by an estate repre-
sented by City Attorney j. Y. Por.
ter; the parking lot at the city,
owned Clyde-Mallory Docks.
Dock In Question
The commission declined. to con-
slider the dock land since they are
currently negotiating for a lease
of the entire Clyde-Mallory pro-
perry to company planning to op.
crate Key West-Cuba auto ferry.
However, they authorized an ap.
praisal of the Simonton Street pro-
perty by members of the Key West
Realty Board and at least two in
dependent appraisers to determine
a fair purchase price. Earlier, a
proposal to lease the property at
an estimated 5000 per year rem
tai had been advanced. However,
Commissioner Louis Carbonell OBJ
jected to that plan, saying that he
felt it would be better business for
the city to purchase the property
instead of paying rental. The lot
needs considerable work before it
will be suitable for parking pur-
poses.
Negotiations Slated
The commission also decided to
enter into negotiations for the leas-
ing of the Duval Street property.
The Chamber of Commerce
group suggested that the city in
stall parking meters in the lots.
The commission also placed their
stamp of approval on a proposal
to design. the public areas to cas-
much as possible preserve the ma
tural beauty of the land area"
IF park areas containing grass,
flowers, tree and benches can be
included in the layout, it is urged
that this be given a great deal of
consideration" the committee said.
Delivery Ban
The commission also went along
with a suggestion that delivery of
merchandise to retail stores
by tractor-trucks and large vans
be discouraged.
Action was postponed, pending
further study, on recommended
ton that parking meters be INSTALL
ed on Simonton and Whitehead
Streets, (between Angela and Car
oline Streets);. on Caroline, Flem-
ing, Eaton, Southland and Angela
Continued on Page Nine)
The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-06-17
SRD Fires
Audit Division
Chief Clerk

TALLAHASSEE R-The State
Road Department has fired r. N.
Wells, auditing division chief clerk
who wrote a letter on highway fl
nances that state Sen. Leroy Col
Inns used against Acting Gov.
Charley Johns in their governor
ship campaign.
His notice of dismissal from the
job he has held for more than 20
years said it was s'for the best
interest of the department."
Wells said he considered HIM
self "just political casualty. l
realize the vindictiyeness of it. I'm
hoping it's just sir months without
pay" Collins win take over the
governorship in January.
Wells said he felt it wasn't so
much the writing Of the letter but
the fact that it cot in the press
and became a storm center of the
political campaign which lost him
his job. THAT'S where the dis
pleasure Of the administration
came in"
Letter To MeKeihan
The letter was written 70 Alfred
Mcclellan, Johns supporter and
former chairman d the State Road
Continued on Page Nine)
The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-06-17

Commission Shops For Off-Street
Parking Areas To Ease Situation

The city commission approved recommendation
last night that parking be eliminated on Duva Street "a
hours day they find suitable offsreet parking
lots in the downtown area
That proposal was among Is recommendations for
easing the cys traffic problems accepted last night The
met jointly with the cys traffic committee
and group of Duva Street businessmen representing the
The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-06-17
KEY VESTS
TRAFFIC BOX SCORE

Property Damage $3.50 $sA.lss
Evening star., 1954-05-16

mature hands, the Air Force last
year ordered seven C-119 "simu-
latorS" from Curtiss- Wright Corp.
These simulators are make-believe
airplaneS which never leave the
ground, but give would-be pilots a
chance to practice their technioues
and show off any personality quirks
which may prove dangerous later on.
Since the February to April series
OF accidents, the che Flying Box
car has given new demonstration
OF its reliability. After Operation
F'laShburn, the A-weapon maneuvers
in South Carolina from April 26 to
May 4, Eighteenth Air Force Com
mander Maj. Gen. Robert Douglas
was most complimentary of the c.
119s' service. They flew the most
concentrated series of sorties since
the end of the war without engine
failure or other mechanical diff
Guilty. he said. Taking off and land
ing more than 5000 times, they flew
more than 1000 hours, parachuted
or otherwise unloaded nearly 1000
tons of heavy battle equipment, and
dropped or landed more than 10000
troops. The pilots. incidentally,
made this fine record possible.
That is the story of why the Air
Force is not giving up on the C-119.
Nor is it giving up on it's pilots. It.
will merely go doggedly on trying
to improve the safety records of
both, overcoming as many human
and mechanical weaknesses as pos
Sible.
Evening star., 1954-05-16

73 per cent of the years small pro-
gram was enacted?
Chances for a record year seem
dim right now, although there are
some bright spots.
Appropriations, for instance, are
in better shape than in many recent
sessions. Last year the House
passed its first money bill April %.
This year six such bills had cleared
the House by that date. And the
outlook is for House passage this
month of all but one of the IL
major appropriation bills. The SEN
ate is similarly ahead of sched-
ule. Both houses in fact, are way
ahead compared with recent DEM
ocratic Congresses, when appropri-
ationS frequently were stalled until
we'll after the new fiscal year had
begun on July /.
The picture is not so pretty in
other areas, however
Candidates would like something
to show the farmers, but the key
agricultural bills have made almost
no progress. A special wool subsidy
bill has been approved, but the
broad Eisenhower price support pro-
gram is still to see action in either
house. In fact. votes to date indi-
cate he will be lucky to get more
than an extension of the old Demo-
cratic program. Plans to get rid of
the huge Government-owned COM
modify surpluSes are about half way
to passage.
Something for the Voter
A little something to be dropped
into the average voters stocking in
the form of health. social security,
housing and unemployment legisla-
ton also is lacking. The Presidents S
reinsurance plan for private health
insurance is languishing in House
and Senate committees; the social
security expansion bill awaits action
by a House committee; some four
unemployment bills have seen only
committee. or. at best, one House
action; and the housing program
has been rocked by Senate investiga-
tionS and by House torpedoing of
President Eisenhower's public hous-
ing request.
Taxpayers still are awaiting the
omnibus tax revision bill which con-
talns some cuts and many reforms.
1t has cleared the House and now
is being. worked over by a Senate
committee.
Some special interest groups also
are waiting for promised benefits.
Civil service and postal workers are
watching pay-boost bills, but none
has cleared even one house. And a
general. civil service bill on overtime,
working conditions and special war
Evening star., 1954-05-16
The Story Behind the Five Flying Boxoor Crashes

ing heavily and visibility was poor.
Air Force Base, N. Y. Its orders were
to fly to the Shadyside control point
on visual flight rules" (VFR and
hold" there until it received an
instrument flight rules" QFR) i,
plan from the Air Traffic Control in
this area. At Shadyside, only II min
utes from Boiling, Investigations
later showed. there had been broken
clouds at 700 feet. It was night time,
there was fog and heavy rain. Visi-
bility was only about three miles.
Holding" for instructions, the pilot
circled in "race-courSe" or ellipti-
cal pattern. Investigators think the
pilot and co-pilot we're so intent on
peering out through the heavy rain
that they did not check the al
timeter properly. The plane, driven
downward in the weather, literally
flew into the ground. Cause Of the
accident: Weather directly; pilots
poor judgment. indirectly.
Accident C. Place: Pope Air, Force
Base, N. c. Date: March 80. Casual
ties: Five dead. The aircraft, a c.
119F, lost one engine on take-off.
The pilot "feathered" the engine
and continued on for five miles.
Then the tower called to inform the
pilot the engine was smoking. He
started a 180-degree turn to 60
back to the field, but in doing so he
lost speed. The nose of the plane
went up. The pilot failed to main
tain his altitude and the plane
crashed into a mess hall. Cause:
"Materiel" or airplane failure.
Accident D. Place: Burbank, Calf.
Date: April 81. Casualties: Seven
killed. A C-119F, making an instru-
ment approach to Lockheed Air Ter
minal, was flying above an 800-foot
ceiling of clouds. He had about
mile and a quarter visibility. The
pilot was instructed to approach
Chatworth marker. point 10 miles
away from the field, at an altitude
of 4,750 feet and then to let down.
Two minutes after the pilot received
these instructions he hit a noun
tain. He had reported there was no
trouble with the plane. He crashed
at 1000 feet-not the ALSO altitude
he was instructed to maintain-and
was four and half miles off course
Cause of the accident: Apparently
pilot error.
Accident E. Place: 25 miles east
of Seymour johnson Air Force Base,
Kinley, NC. Date: April %. Casu-
alties: Two killed. A C-119G was fly
ing at 1000 feet on a routine fight,
Evening star., 1954-05-16
By Herbert Brotter

, Politics not only makes strange
bedfellows. it also makes the bed
fellows do strange things. A few
weeks ago the Treasury went up to
Capitol Hill to protect the gold
policies handed down by the New
Deal and Fair Deal from the effort of
Senator Styles Bridges-New Hamp-
shire Republican-to restore the full
gold standard as it existed through
the Hoover Administration.
At the same time the administra-
ton has put an affectionate and
protecting arm around the domestic
silver-mining subsidy, which traces
straight back to the silver agreement
negotiated without authority by
Democratic Senator Key Pittman OF
Nevada, in London in 1888. The sill
yer accord was later proclaimed into
being by President Roosevelt on De-
cember 81, 1888.
The new threat to this domestic
silver subsidy has come from a BIZ
partisan group of Senators headed
by Connecticut Republican Prescott
Bush. Last summer they introduced
a bill, s. 1855. to repeal all the silver
purchase statutes tracing back to
1888 and 1884.
There are two silver laws on the
books. Both have benefited silver
producers and sellers on the world
market. The Silver Purchase Act
nf 1904 ppYAdnys vryI1iAk. ,ke
Of silver were bought by the Treas
ury, is today dormant. But the
act Of 1949 gives to sellers of do
mestic newly mined silver a perma-
nent right to sell the metal to the
Treasury at 901a cents an ounce,
which is substantially above the
present world price for other silver.
It is this right. which the mining
spokesmen guard zealously, that is
the crux Of the present issue. Silver
ware manufacturers, jewelers. and
others could buy the white metal
more cheaply If United States mines
had to sell their silver, which is a
sizeable fraction of world output,
on the open market.
What lends added interest to
recent behind-the-scenes doings on
silver is the role of the silver users
jewellers and others. Some years ago
they organized to protect their in
terests. They set up a well-f1nanced
Washington office, with Rear Ad-
miral Donald j. Ramsey (retired) as
chief pilot.
One Of the leading figures In
Evening star., 1954-05-16
Politicians Take 1t Easy on Silver Subsidy Repeal

the Silver Users Committee, when
it got started, was Sinclair Weeks of
the firm of Reed and Barton, Taun-
ton, Mass. Mr.. Weeks is presently
Secretary Of Commerce. And one of
the largest silver users is the East
man Kodak Co., which gave
to its country the present Under
Secretary of the Treasury, Mr..
Marion B. Folsom.
Big Names in Group
With silver users so we'll repre-
sented in the Eisenhower Admins
tration and with the Treasury nail
ing the rudder to a sound-money
course, one might have been excused
for thinking last year that perhaps
one inf1ationary New Deal program
might have to give ground to the
joint attack Of the Bush group. The
Bush bill seemed to the tipoff.
S. 1855 carried the names of the
following authors in addition to
Senator Bush: Douglas. Democrat
of Illinois, Green, Democrat of
Rhode Island, Kennedy, Democrat
Of Massachusetts, Pastore, Demo-
crat of Rhode Island. Purtell, Re-
publican of Connecticut, and Sal
tonStall. Republican of MasSachu-
sets.
Said Senator Bush on introducing
the bill: "A sound money system
calls for repeal of the silver purchase
laws. The unSoundneSS of our none
tary policies relative to silver have
[sicl long been apparent Under
present laws the Treasury is required
to purchase commodity, silver. at
901a cents per ounce and which is
currently valued in the world market
at 85A cents per ounce. The Treas
ury is then required by these laws to
carry two-thirds of the silver pur-
chased at a book value Of $1.29
per ounce. Nothing could be more
absurd, unSound and inf1ationary
This policy is continuously ex-
pansionary and. in practice, irrever-
sibleH
S. 1855 having been referred to
the Senate Banking and Currency
Committee, its chairman, Senator
Capehart, promptly wrote last Aug
ust to the various departments con-
cerned for their opinions. On the
record nothing much happened until
this spring, when the word spread
that there would soon be silver hear
ings. So in March and April the
departments sent Of their belated
replies to Senator Capehart.
As was to be expected. the In
Evening star., 1954-05-16

lie interest,"" now-with an eve on
the Treasurys attitude-it is con-
tent to let the law alone.
FoIsom's Reply
On April 9 the Treasury Depart
ment Gin further reply" to Mr.. Cape
hart's request for an opinion, sent
letter signed by the Acting Sec
retary, Mr.. Folsom. This MASTER
piece of politico co-economic compost
tion observed that, from the view
point of monetary considerations.
the Treasury Department would not
be disposed to object to the enact
ment of the proposed legislation"
S. 1885,
But, continuing From the prac-
tical point of view dtalics supplied), i,
existing legislation relating to the
purchase of silver does not now Of
fer any serious embarrassment to
this department. Also, we believe
the enactment of such legislation
under today's special conditions
would not be timely"
In the light Of this letter and the
advancing calendar, the Senate
committee may not this year get
around to holding hearings on silver
repeal. But if it should hold such
hearings, the administration may be
asked to explain when repeal of
this subsidy will be timely.
We may guess, however. In the
Senate there are Al Republicans. AZ
Democrats, one Independent and one
vacancy. In the House of Represen-
tativeS there are 219 Republicans,
215 Democrats and one Independent.
And there is to be an election in
November. Not less than five Senate
seats will be refllled from lead-zinc-
silver mining States and only a
couple of seats from "silver using"
States of the Northeast.
Retention or repeal of the silver
subsidy will not be a crucial issue
in the States referredto. Yet, where
an election is close. even a few votes
may tip the scales. What is prac-
tical from a monetary standpoint
is one thing. What is practical poll
tics is sometimes quite another.
For Franklin D. Roosevelt it was
practical to yield-and yield again
to Father Coughlin, the silver
SPECTATORS and the Senate silver
bloc.
For the present administration it
is practical to leave the New Deal
Fair Deal silver subsidy laws undis-
turbed.
Evening star., 1954-05-16

when the squadron commander who
was plotting the plane inexplicably
pulled the gust lock-" mechanism
which should be used only when the
plane is on the ground. The gust
lock is a device which locks the
elevators on the wings of the C-119
so they will not be affected when the
props are reversed just after land
ing, TO brake the speed of the air.
craft. When the C-119 is parked, the
gust lock keeps the elevators from
Tapping in the wind. For some rea-
son 1t had strange fascination for
the young pilot. When he pulled the
gust lock handle over his head in the
pilots seat, the Boxcar assumed
IAN immediate and most erratic
change in flight attitude" according
to the report of one of the investiga.
tors. The stresses were so great that
one wing of the aircraft was ripped
of. Two men were thrown through
the glass cockpit canopy and were
killed. Two others bailed out. Cause
of accident: Pilot error.
Humon FroiIty Problem
The Air Force points out quickly
and rightfully that its psychiatristS
cannot discover all the human
frailties Of their air cadets before
they get in position to do the
damage which the pilots did in
Accidents A and E.
AS a new precaution against put
ting the lives of passengers and the
safety of valuable aircraft into i'm
Evening star., 1954-05-16
By Richord FrykIund

Congress is entering that part Of
the legislative season which may
make or break the 83d Congress in
the eyes of the voters this fall. After
AZ months of soft living, the time
has come to buckle down and make
Q record.
In recent sessions, Congress has
discovered at this time of year that
almost all the seasons work lies
ahead. In the past, a great furry
of activity has followed this dis
covery, but never in. the seven years
of the Truman administration did
Congress complete even half the
work laid out for it by the President
and congressional leaders.
This year there is special urgency
in getting the job done. First, the
President repeatedly has said his
party's congressional candidates
would stand or fall on his forward
looking" legislative program. Sec
ond, House and Senate leaders are
determined to cut the session short
this year and go home for campaign
ing by the end of July.
Stimulus and Response
President Eisenhower, in laying
out his program, said bluntly: "Un-
less the Republican Party can de-
velop and enact such program for
the American people, it does not
deserve to remain in power"
Leaders on the Hill were quick to
respond. Said House Speaker Mar
tin: III predict that from this new
session President Eisenhower will
have better record of legislative
accomplishment than any President
in the last 20 years."
But Democratic Senator Mike
Mansfield retorted: 1.-THE Republi-
cans will be lucky to get dozen (of
the Presidents proposals) through
Congress-"
Who looks more nearly right now
that Congress Is in the middle of
May? After some 80 working days,
how much is left to be done in the
remaining As?
The answer to the latter question
Is that almost everything remains
yet to be completed. But the Re-
publicans still have chance to
make a good record.
Accomplishments Are Few
To list the completed work is
short job. Only three major bills
have been passed and sent on to
the White House: Excise tax reduc-
ton, authorization of the st. Law
renee Seaway and authorization of
Evening star., 1954-05-16
Reds Took Codre
Dien Bien Phu Losses Were
More Quality Than Quantity
By EorI n. Voss

Rolling silently down the barri-
caded streets of Hanoi in Indo-
China on Sultry evening in one
of the ubiquitous cyclopouSSeS (ped-
al-rickShaS), or strolling along the
edge of the lake park in the center
of the city, visitors are struck by
the confusion of tongues among the
passers-by.
The brown Wet Namese cyclo-
pouSSe drivers, looking cool in their
unbuttoned shirts and short pants.
converse in soft, sing song Ton
kinese dialect. Even the French
Foreign Legionnaires seldom speak
French. Coming home from the
bars and brothels late in the eve
ming. most of them converse in
italian, German, Polish or other
tongues. Few are from metropolitan
France. They are hired soldiers.
many OF them escapes from Iron
Curtain countries, looking forward
to early penSioned etirement-cour-
tesy of the republic.
Leeionnoire Tragedy
These legionnaires form the
backbone of the French Union
Forces in Indo-China. Known as
the best soldiers in the world they
have a habit of living up to their
reputation.
One of the tragedies of Diem Bien
Phu-possibly the most costly loss
of that Inflated operation-was the
unusually large proportion of legion
naires among the 1900 doomed
defenders of the Northwestern Wet
Nam fortress. Certainly their value
to the Franco-Viet Namese side
should not be judged only on their
numerical strength as compared to
the 100000 troops fighting in Indo-
China under Gen. Henri Eugene
Navarro.
1t was the loss of the elite cadre
Evening star., 1954-05-16

a billion-dollar highway aid pro-
gram.
In addition, the Senate has rati-
fed the Korean mutual defense
treaty.
It might also be said that Con-
gress completed work on two other
important bills. The Senate voted
to kill a measure amending the
Hartley labor law and also
turned down the Bricker amend
ment to restrict the Presidents
treaty-making powers. The first bill
was a vital part of President Eisen-
hower's program; the second, Of
course, was something he wanted
no part Of.
Much groundwork has been done
on other bills, but work is less than
half accomplished on most of the
2O0-odd presidential requests for
Evening star., 1954-05-16
By Harry Lever

Five times in recent eight-week
period, giant Clio Flying Boxcars
of the United States Air Force have
crashed under mystifying circum-
stances. On three occasions the
Fairchild manufactured planes
broke up in the air, well before they
crashed.
The half-millon-dollar Flying
Boxcar has already proved itself
q reliable carrier It was the back
bone and the workhorse of the bat
tlefront airlift in Korea. It is still
widely used in the Far Eastern
theater.
But pilots and other close OBJ
servers of aviation have been asking
themselves if there is something
wrong with the C-119's construc-
ton.
So the Air Force and Fairchild
have conducted separate investiga-
tionS of the circumstances surround
ing the accidents. This is the story
of what they found.
In the latest five-crash series, pi-
lots were blamed for three of the
disasters, a fourth was laid to the
weather, and only one was believed
to have been the fault of the air
plane itself.
Casualties Light
Considering the huge capacity of
the Clio, the casualties as a result
OF the five crashes were light
Thirty-six officers and airmen were
killed; a few more were injured,
others bailed out to safety.
Here is q craSh-by-craSh recap of
the conclusions drawn by the inveS-
tigators.
Accident A. Place: Huntingdon,
Tenn. Date: February 27. Casual
ties: Four airmen killed. The Flying
Boxcar was put into too steep a dive
by pilot doing some unauthorized
"buzzing" The wings failed when
the pilot tried to pull out of his dive
The Clio hit building. A con-
trihuting factor in the crash prob
ably was the hot weather. Heat and
humidity affect the buoyancy of an
aircraft. When plane as heavy as
BoXcar flies low enough to buzz,
1t may dip even lower than the pilot
suspects. Cause of the accident:
Poor judgment" of the pilot.
Accident B. Place: ShadySide, Md
Date: March 19. Casualties: 18
killed. The pilot repeatedly was
urged not to take off from Boiling
Air Force Base because Of deteriorat-
ing weather conditions. It was rain