Oregon daily emerald., April 23, 1973, Page 7, Image 7

*Green thumbs’ find
park plots are fun
The garden plots at Alton Baker park, according to plot holder
Daniel Lund, are excellent ways to affect a “basic change in one's
state of mind, for anyone who is interested in getting out of the city and
into the country.” Lund, a former Lane Community College student,
calls it “a big step forward...back to nature!”
Unfortunately, all 140 spaces offered by tjie Lane County Parks
department are all taken up and no more will be available until next
year...unless you’re already on the waiting list. Even then it’s still
doubtful. The plots, 20 by 45 feet, were rented for $5 a year and all of
them were gone soon after they were publicized several months ago.
Lund, who works at a golf course, stresses that “I live in an
apartment and we (he and his wife Rhonda) like to garden a lot. So far
it’s really been a lot of fun and we’ll get some food for just a little bit of
dirt underneath our fingers. I’ve never had it so good, I’d rather
garden here than in my own back yard...it’s just fun to talk to all of the
people here.”
“This idea,” Lund said, “shows that a lot of people want to garden
By JAMES RUSSELL
Of the Emerald
and they have the instinct to do so. All they.needed was the opportunity
to get out and do it.” The county provided that opportunity, and the
gardeners have demonstrated the creativity.
Joe Triole, a mill worker, says gardening is “really just fun. I’ve
never had a garden of my own before so I’m doing it for en
tertainment, to learn a little bit about gardening and to get outside.”
Triole is also an apartment dweller and along with girl friend Debbi
Heath, a sophomore geography student at the University, they spend
about 4 to 5 hours a week of work on their garden plot.
“I’ve never done anything like this before,” says Dan Dubach, a
graduate student in juvenile corrections. “At least not since I was a
child. These spaces are pretty big plots and it would be interesting to
see someone who really knew what was going on. I’m doing it now just
as an experiment, and will do it every year after if it works out right.”
To get started on his garden Dubach needed a rake, a hoe, a hose,
a small shovel, a large shovel and about $10 worth of seeds. That’s all
most people at Alton Baker needed when they started. Fertilizer,
chemicals and anything else are extras.
Tom Madden, a graduate student and teaching fellow in English,
says that he and his family got involved in the project to “have fresh
vegetables to eat and because we like to work in a garden. We just
wanted to get out on our own in the garden and see what would hap
pen.”
Maddon’s wife, Suzanne, adds that “this is really quite a noble
experience. It’s our first year at this sort of thing and we really enjoy
it.”
Suzanne continues, saying that, “we’re not in this thing for profit
or gain. We want our children and even ourselves to re-experience
gardening and all that it has to offer. It’s a creative thing and I think
that’s an important aspect of life that everyone should know about.
How to do it too...” The Madden’s children, Moira and Sara couldn’t
agree any more.
Unlike the other four garden plotters that were talked to, Jerold
and Janet Williams are not apartment people but they enjoy gar
dening equally as much. Mr. Williams is a Library Coordinator for the
Springfield School System and Mrs. Williams is a former school
teacher; both are from England.
Mrs. Williams says that “the main reason we got involved into
having one of these garden plots was because we’ve always wanted to
have more space to work with. We have a little garden at home but
we’re hoping to have a little bit mare fun out of this one.”
“We’ve had $5 worth of fun so far,” she says. Most of the people at
Alton Baker haven’t really spent that much money...mostly its been a
lot of hard work and loads of fun.
Aninterestedby-stander at the garden plots walked up and down
the rows at Alton Baker and had but one thing to say. “It’s sort of a rat
race within a rat race...a way to systematically get back to nature.”
The idea is working out quite well...but he couldn’t have put it any
better way. Hopefully, these gardeners hope that more land, more plo
ts and more opportunities to return to nature, through gardening, will
soon be available.
This Fall
WHAT'S OLD AT
THE COLLEGE INN?
The Good Old Place of What College Living Is About:
— Excellent Food
— Maid and Linen Service
— Private Baths
— Color TV and Billiard Lounge
— Private Off-Street Parking
— Laundry Facilities
FOR MORE INFORMATION. PLEASE INQUIRE AT 1000 PATTERSON (J43-W1)
Photo by Wes Loder
Everyone can get into the action at the Alton Baker Park garden plots. If yon missed out on
getting a plot this time, you might want to make a reservation for next year. All the plots
were taken up this year in just a few weeks.
\ -
Cook says McCall doesn’t
‘understand his tax plan’
Waving a Dept, of Revenue
research report over his plate of
cold eggs, Sen. Vernon Cook (D
Multnomah) said Saturday
morning that his 14-year-old son
understands the proposed school
tax plan better than the “poor
Governor.”
Sen. Cook’s remarks came
during a press breakfast held by
opponents of the “McCall” tax
plan which is scheduled to go
before the voters on May 1.
The Senator from Gresham had
a series of objections to the tax
plan, and he took the occasion to
bring them to the public’s at
tention.
“We can start every discussion
of this tax plan with that old
Abbott and Costello routine,
‘Who’s on first base?’” Cook said.
Cook and other opponents to the
tax plan have complained loudly
that the plan as amended in the
Legislature is “a mess of con
fusion.” Although refraining
from identifying sole blame for
the mess on Gov. McCall, Cook
said that “the poor Governor
really doesn’t understand his own
tax plan.”
Senator Cook has some definite
feelings about the tax plan. “The
statement (by pro-tax plan
supporters) that everyone will
gain by the Governor’s tax plan is
patently false,” Cook said.
“In my opinion,” the Senator
said, “not more than 40 per cent
of the tax payers will save money
over the next two years and the
other 60 per cent will pay more.”
Cook objected to what he
claimed were “inaccuracies” in
the research report issued by the
state Dept, of Revenue. He was
particularly piqued by the three
examples in the book which at
tempted to describe individual
cases of taxpayers faring under
the new plan.
“All of these people save
money,” Cook said. “Why didn’t
they show one that didn’t?”
Another recurring argument
advanced by Cook is the title of
the plan — known to the public as
“the Governor’s tax plan.” Cook
said that this amounted to an
unfair “argument of authority.”
Rep. Stafford Hansell, a
Republican from Umatilla
County who runs a hog farm with
his brother, feared that.Oregon
would lose doctors and other high
income professionals if the tax
plan is approved. High incomes
would be taxed the severest
under the proposed system of
school finance.
“My reason for opposing this,”
Hansell said, “is because it’s a
poor bill.”
Another opponent to the plan,
Rep. Sam Johnson (D
Redmond), emphasized that the
campaign against the tax plan is
not financed by moneyed in
terest. “We have no checks from
corporations or companies,3!
Johnson said. “The campaign
started with $50 from each of the
35 representatives and senators
who voted no on the bill.”
Johnson said that there has been
no single contribution over $100.
Two themes of interest to the
tax plan opponents are local
control of schools and
equalization of taxes for school
districts across the state. These
seemingly contradictory in
terests were repeated throughout
the three hour public forum held
after the press breakfast.
“If you vote for this,” Johnson
said, “It will be the last time
you’ll vote for local control.”
Johnson also felt that the plan,
if approved, might lead to state
wide negoations for teachers
salaries.
Also attending the forum were
two proponents of the plan, Dean
Ellis, legal counsel to the Senate
Revenue Committee, and Waldo
Carlson, of the Dept, of Revenue.
They spoke in favor of the plan
and explained the projected
distribution of the money.
Ellis noted that the tax plan, as
passed by the Legislature, is
minus a section authorizing
funding. If the plan is approved
by the voters, a separate bill
authorizing funding will have to
be approved by the Legislature.
Sen. Cook predicted that the
tax plan will be defeated by the
voters. “I think the people of this
state are too honest to be duped
by this con-man trick,” he said.