Today's Weather -7
Cloudy and
Warmer
VOL. 55, No. 56
TWO STATE COLLEGE youngsters overlook the scene of destruc
tion left in the wake of Saturday night's $600,000' fire at 0. W.
Houts& Son, Inc., local department store. The fire, the costliest
in State College history, leveled the store, but Howls, aided by
fellow merchants, has been able to reopen for business..
Display Window Blamed
For $500,000 Fire
The $500,000 blaze that struck 0. W.. Houts & Son,. Inc.
Saturday night is beliec.Ted to have started in the display•win
dow next to the front entrance investigators said yesterday.
The window had displayed Christmas decorations.
Investigators of the fire, which was the worst in State
College history, disclosed that . it was in the display window
that Harvey Baisor, the night
watchman, first discovered the
flames. Baisor was first to tele
phone the alarm to fire-fighters.
At the State College Borough
Council meeting Monday night,
t own officials heartily com
mended the Alpha Fire Company
and the crews from Bellefonte for
their work in preventing the fire
from spreading to other buildings.
Parts Undamaged
Parts of the Houts structure
which were not damaged by the
flames were open for business yes
terday. New merchandise is being
sent in from other cities.
Most of the Houts employees
were back on the job yesterday.
The State College Area Chamber
of Commerce has been rapidly
endeavoring to find jobs for the
few out of employment. .Many
businesses in the borough have
already offered to help the un
employed
$5006 Saved
Out of yesterday's findings
came a safe protecting nearly
$5OOO in checks and currency.
Traffic on W. College Ave. was
back to normal after the many
sight-seers had a look at the fire's
debris.
The $500,000 destruction esti
mate was made by Houts and h'is
top officials. The exact• cost of
the blaze is not known and won't
be until after a closer check of
the findings.
Outing Club to Give
Skating Exhibitions
The Penn State Outing Club, in
cooperation with' the College of
Physical Education and Athletics,
is•making plans for several figure
skating exhibitions .on . the .new
skating rink in January.
The exhibitions, which will be
open to the public, will be given
by members of amateur figure
skating clubs in Hershey, Phila
delphia, and Pittsburgh.
Caps and Gowns • •
Seniors and graduate stu
dents expecting to be grad
uated in January who have
failed to sign up for caps and
gowns, invitations, and an
nouncements may, do so today
at the. Athletic Store.
Today is the, deadline.
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STATE COLLEGE, PA., WEDNESDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 8, 1954
Gym Meet Seats
Are Still Available
Approximately 1000 general ad
mission tickets are still available
for the Swedish gymnastic exhi
bition at Recreation Hall Jan. 15,
according to Edward Czekaj, tick
et manager. The tickets, for un
reserved bleacher seats on the
main floor, will go on sale at 9 a.m.
at_the. Bee Hall ticket office. Price
is $l.
• The balcony, consisting of 2422
reserved seats, was sold out yes
terday in the first day of the
sale. Fifteen hundred main floor
tickets were also sold yesterday.
Forestry Convocation
Sven& B. Rondum, a graduate
of the University, and an associ
ate of the T. A. Hardes Lumber
Co., Bradford, Pa. will speak on
"Small - Sawmill Operations in
Pennsylvania" at the Forestry
Convocation -at 11 a.m. today in
121 Sparks.
University Considering Plans
For Future Military Building
A new military building is be
ing considered by the University
in long-range plans, Wilmer E.
Kenworthy, director of student
affairs, said yesterday.
The new armory, which would
probably house the three Reserve
Officers Training Corps at the
University, will not be constructed
in the near future, Kenworthy
stated.
The armory is inadequate, he
'said, but a new armory would be
of great cost to the University.
Physical plant workmen are also
completing several small construc
tion projects already underway.
Seven small poultry buildings
are being ' constructed 'near the
Animal Disease Laboratory on Ag
Hill.. The buildingB .-- Will - be: used
FOR A BETTER PENN STATE
Wildcat Bagged
By County Youth
Although no one has yet shot
any of the "black panthers" which
have frequently• been reported
seen in Centre County, one hunt
er recently did bag a distant rela
tive; a large wildcat.
The wildcat, weighing approxi
mately 40 pounds and measuring
50 inches, was shot by David
Chambers, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Cordes, Chambers, of Snow Shoe,
Monday morning on the Ridge
road between Snow Shoe and Re
novo.
The animal, whose color was
described as ' grey with white
spots, was shot at "Ten Acres," an
area in the Alleghenies about 12
miles from Snow Shoe.
Pollock Men
Get Food
Changes
Ronald Humphrey, chairman of
Pollock Council's food commit
tee, told council last night that
the Food Service has agreed to
post menus and to repair the loud
speaker system in the Nittany-
Pollock dining hall-.
Other changes agreed upon. by
Food Service, Humphrey report
ed, include allowing Pollock resi
dents to work in the dining halls.
Food service also agreed to decor
ate the dining halls for special
meals.
Previously, only students who
reside in the borough were al
lowed to work in the dormitory
dining halls.
In other actions, Council de
cided to request that dormitory
counselors be in the dining hall
during all meals in order to keep
order.
In other action, council ap
proved a report from its physical
plant committee. The report•point
ed out certain parking areas and
walks that were badly in need of
repair, and recommended that ap
propriate action should be taken.
This report was forwarded to the
Dean of Men's office.
Council then took up the ques
tion of finances for dormitory
functions. Council allotted $lO to
each hall for the purpose of help
ing these living units to finance
their social functions.
The group allocated money for
a $25 first prize, a $l5 second
prize, and a $lO third prize, in the
Christmas decoraitons contest be
tween living halls in the area.
Conflict Deadline
Friday is the last day stu
dents who have two final ex
aminations scheduled for the
same time or three on one day
may file a conflict card in the
scheduling office, 2 Willard.
to house diseased poultry under
observation.
A small blacktop driveway has
also been constructed- from Curtin
road into the Animal Disease g ab.
• Workmen from the grounds and
maintenance division of physical
plant are clearing the,leaves and
fall debris from campus before
heavy snow falls. They have also
finished planting shrubbery
around the Nittany Lion Inn and
Buckhout Laboratory.
Cold weather, however, has
forced most physical plant 'activi
ties indoors. •
Lab equipment is being installed
in two • large laboratories on the'
'first floor of Whitmore Labora
tory and some plumbing and elec
trical work is being done.
Workmen are• also doing general
interior. painting. in. Osmond. Lab-,
gAiatt
U.S. Requests
Votek Favoring
Airmen Release
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y., Dec. 7 (R)—The United States and its
Korean War Allies pushed hard today for the largest possible UN
vote favoring , their resolution seeking release of 11 American airmen
held as spies by Red China and condemning their detention.
• The resolution denounces the trial and imprisonment of the air
men as well as "the detention of all other captured 'UN personnel,
as Re violation of the Korean armis
tice. It call g on Secretary General
Dag Hammarskjold to • work for
their release and report back by
Dec. 31.
Lodge Delivers Resolution
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., chief
American delegate, today handed
Hamm a r skjold the resolution,
which was agreed upon yesterday
by the United States and the 15
other UN members who fought
the Reds in - Korea. At the same
time the machinery of • these dele
gations was set in motion to ob
tain a large .vote as a demonstra
tion to the Communist •Chinese of
world disapproval.
The Assembly will convene at
3 p.m. tomorow in an unusual
meeting to take up the resolution,
sponsored by the United States,
Australia, Belgium, Canada, Col
ombia, Ethiopia, France, Greece,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands,
New Zealand, the - Philippines,
Thailand, Turkey,
.South Africa
and Britain. A final vote is ex
pected later in the week.
Omits-Two Prisoners
The resolution does not mention
two other men who - se sentences
were announced by the Chinese at
the same time as those of the 11.
Those two were not under the UN
command.
• The resolution avoided a direct
condemnation of China • for the
sentences :of the 11 men but it
lumped the case of the 11 and an
undetermined number of other
prisoners in a • general condeinna
tion as a violation of the armistice.
To Seek Release
It requests Hammarskjold tin
the name of the United Nations, to
sek the release, in accordance with
the Korean armistice agreement,
of these 11 United Nations Com
mand personnel and all other cap
tured personnel of the United Na
tions command still. detained."
Hammarskold, asked at a news
conference if he would go to
Peiping, if necessary, to intercede
for the fliers and other personnel,
would not give a direct answer
and he would not discuss the role
set for him in the resolution, say
ing he had. not had time to study
it.
Soviet Delegate Jacob A:Malik
fought the item every step of the
way yesterday in the meeting of
the Steering Committee.
Players Ad Crew to Meet
Players advertising crew will
meet at 6:45 - tonight in the
Schwab Auditorium loft.
oratory, Walker Laboratory, and
Electrical Engineering.
The' old . Athletic Association
office, 107 Old Main, has been
redecorated and taken .over by
the Penn State Foundation. The
Athletic Association office moved
to the new - wing of Recreation
Hall when it was opened this fall.
The old office of the Penn State
Foundation, 303 Old Main, will be
used by. the . University Christian
Association.
Work will start soon on a small
bore rifle range in the basement
of the new wing of Rec Hall, ac
cording, to Charles A. Lamm, sup
ervisor of building maintenance
and operation.
'The new range will have 10 fir
ing points and will be used by the
College of. Physical Education and
Athletics.
Apathy
See Page 4
Debaters.
Place 4th
In Contest
The Penn • State Men's Varsity
Debate Team placed fourth out of
15 colleges in the Allegheny . De
bate Tournament Saturday.
Benjamin Sinclair, seventh se
mester arts and letters major; and
Sidney Goldblatt, seventh semes
ter pre-medical major, debating
the affirmative of the national de=
bate topic "Resolved: That - the
U.S. should extend diplOmatic rec
ognition to Communist China"•
won three victories and lost none.
Taking the negative thide David
Meckler, seventh semester pre
medical major, .and Edward Kld
vans, third semester electrical en
gineering major, scored one win
and two losses.
The tournament was won by
Westminster College.
One hundred and forty-four
teams were represented at the
Temple Novice Tournament. Uni
versity debaters Ernest Famous,
seventh semester arts and letters
major, and Jerry Donovan, sev
enth semester labor-management
relations major, debating the - af
firmative side, scored three wins
and one loss.
John Yeatman, seventh semes
ter arts and letters major, and
Nathan Supnick, seventh semes
ter arts and letters major, debat
ing the negative won two victories
and suffered two defeats.
Phys Ed Group
Conclave Set
The Physical Education Student
Council has set Jan. 12 as its
convocation for all students in the
College of Physical Education.
Movies of the Swedish gymnastic
team will be shown and Gene
Wettstone, gymnastic coach, will
speak.
The student council approved
the newly organized student fac
ulty relationship commit tee,
which consists of three faculty
members who will serve to further
relations between faculty 'a n d
students and aid the council.
Patricia Farrell was appointed
chairman of the open house corn
mittee. The open house will be
held in April.
Rink on Schedule,
Wiegand Reports
Walter H. Wiegand; director
of the physical plant, has an
nounced that work on the ice
skating rink is progressing on
schedule.
He said workmen were still
aiming for the proposed Dec.
15 opening- date.
He added that workmen are
still completing painting and
miscellaneous carpentry work
on the interior of the building.
The winter sports division of
the Cull& C 1 u b hopes to
schedule figure-skating exhibi
tions by amateur teams from
Alt oon a, Philadelphia. and
Pittsburgh during January and
February.
FIVE CENTS