Measure 4 backers
to counter ‘false ads’
By CATHERINE SIEGNER
Of the Emerald
Supporters of Ballot Measure 4
are disgusted with their oppo
nents advertising tactics, W.C.
Harris, Oregon Grangemaster,
said Monday in Eugene.
Harris, Ken Fitzgerald, editor of
the Farmer's Union and Grange
newsletters and Dwyte Wilson,
executive vice-president of the
Oregon-Washington Farmer s
Union appeared at a Harris Hall
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press conference to discuss the
measure.
Ballot Measure 4, placed on the
November ballot by the Portland
based Public Power Coalition —
of which all three are members —
would amend state law to make
people's utility districts (PUDs)
easier to form.
PUDs are locally owned and
controlled, and have an elected
board of directors. Under the 1937
Bonneville Act, public bodies and
cooperatives such as EWEB have
first right to preference for federal
hydropower. This power, gener
ated at Columbia River dams, is
the cheapest form of electricity.
The current law, termed “un
workable' by supporters of Meas
ure 4, requires two petitions to be
circulated and two elections to be
passed before the fledgling utility
may be operated.
Ballot Measure 4 would reduce
the requirements to one petition
and one election.
Opponents of the measure,
who number chiefly private,
investor-owned utilities, say it
would cost too much for local resi
dents to buy out existing utility sys
tems and operate a new PUD.
Billboards appearing recently in
Portland read, “It will put you in
debt without your consent-Vote
No on 4.”
At Monday's press conference,
Harris had some strong words
about these signs.
“This kind of advertising is de
plorable,’’ he said. “I believe
Measure 4 couldn't be defeated if
they (the opponents) told the truth
about it. The only thing you can do
about ’false advertising,' if you
will, is to file a civil suit. We’re hav
ing someone look at that possibil
ity riaht now.”
To counteract the anti-Measure
campaign, the coalition intends to
buy television and radio time and
canvass neighborhoods to get its
view across to the voters.
The measure's supporters ex
pect to be outspent by the private
utilities 10-1.
“They have admitted they will
spend five times as much, but it's
probably closer to 10 times," he
said.
Fitzgerald criticized the
measure's opponents for being
hypocritical.
“Everything they charge us of
doing with Measure 4 is exactly
what they do,” he said. “PP&L
(Pacific Power & Light, - a private
utility) just had an enormous stock
sale. How many stockholders got
♦o vote on that?”
Fitzgerald was referring to the
charge made by opponents that
Measure 4 would dip into property
tax payers' wallets without their
permission, an accusation the co
alition vehemently denies.
"There is no basis for the
charge that this measure gives the
directors (of a PUD) a blank
check,” Harris said. “There are
built-in safeguards to protect the
people of a district."
Passage of Measure 4 could
have far-reaching effects on
Oregon’s energy future. Histori
cally, Oregon has established
far fewer PUDs than other states,
including Washington where 80
percent of residents are served by
public utilities. Approximately 20
percent of Oregon’s population
recieves power from the utilities,
and the rest are served by private
utilities.
A major argument surrounding
Measure 4 concerns availability of
Bonneville power at a cheap rate.
Supporters of Measure 4 claim
new PUDs would be able to re
ceive such power and therefore
provide service at a lower rate to
customers than the private
utilities, who not only must buy
more expensive power, but must
operate at a profit. PUDs are
non-profit entities.