The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980, January 21, 1958, Image 8

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The Oregon statesman., January 21, 1958, Page 8, Image 8

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Newspaper Page TextKSeC I) Statesman, $alem, Ore., Tues., Jan. 1, '58 Know Your State Government Tour Reveals Complex Business mm i . n ut yrty.nrwwy 'TWHsm fS fW! '"JS'TW fe oWMKf I f IT . -. ' , ...... . - , , Knew Your State Government Day visitors to the Oregon State Department of Finance took in this state ear and truck auction at the fairgrounds Monday as part of their edu cational tour. The auction attracted the largest crowd (above) yet to attend the state operated sale. (Statesman Photo) (Picture also on page one) By ROBERT E. CANGWARE City Editor, The Statesmaa (Story Im m pas D Bill Gaarenslroom wheeled a 1958 Ford into (he State Motor Pool wrote out the ticket showing a sev en-mile trip, then helped Automo tive Manager Fred Hoyer plunge into explanation of the 5,000,000 miles of official state travel han dled each year through the pool. Another building, two State Fi nance Department sections and 30 minutes away on a Salm Cham ber of Commerce tour, girls in the central machine accounting unit were working on forms, too punch- -:J X Vf W J V. js , j If -IS V. C (Hub) Saalfeld (left), director of state veterans' affairs, shows Rudy Calaba, Salem realtor, a basket containing one day's receipts from veterans loan repayments. The one day total amounted to over $50,000. Calaba was one of sev eral businessmen touring this department during Know Your State Government Day Monday. (Statesman Photo) PUC's Overall Operation New to Business Group By DON SCARBOROUGH Suit Writer. The Statesman Some of the mechanics of a state agency that touches the individual every time be makes a telephone call or ships a load of strawberries were inspected Monday by eight businessmen in "Know Your State Government Day." Most of the eight who went through the offices of the Public Utility Commission were officials of businesses that work regularly with the commission. They admit ted, however, to little knowledge of the overaH picture. The PUCs job is to regulate cer tain private businesses in the slate that are so vital to the general electronic machines welfare of the citizen that nis ngnts everything, including must be protected as a public trust These businesses include 14.000 motor carriers and 173 public uti lities. When it comes to setting utility and freight and transportation rates no other agency has quite so many people to satisfy, Gordon Shattuck, assistant to the commis sioner, told the group. The commission decides what rate is fair to everyone and what services the utility must perform. Once the standard is set it is up to the company to petition for a revision court-like process guar anteed to make an interesting sto ry. The sheer volume of work and money the PUC's biggest job is motor carrier reglulation. This brings the state nearly $14 million annually, mainly in weight - mile taxes and truck licenses. Half of this comes from out-of-state truck ers. Other states are following Ore gon's lead in the weight-mile tax. A gas-tax alone would deprive the state of money from truckers who often buy gas in one state then churn up Oregon roads. Ths reve nue is turned over to the Highway Department for highway mainten ance. Freight carriers figure their own tax and report monthly to the PUC. The paperwork of 14.000 postings -monthly would bog down many times more than the PLC's 216 employes were it not for intricate They do "THINK" signs to put here and there. Periodic checks have proved car riers more than 99 per cent honest in figuring out their tax. Various offices keep tabs on the utilities and on how well they abide by regulations. They also handle complaints and gather the data Commissioner Howard Morgan needs for policy decisions. The PUC also represents Oregon in hearings of the Interstate Com merce Commission in Washington. D.C. where the freight rates that influence Oregon's economy are set. Not the least of the commission's job is to regulate 7,700 different log brands. Guides on the tour were Shat tuck and James L. Jefferson, comptroller. ' Mr a Machine Inspected X C. McCormlck, left. Southern Padfle freight agent, and Roger C. Tetzlaff, Oregon Electrie Railway Co. agent, ln ; sped a Public Utility Commission machine that does the ' Job of three people. Operating (he complicated Carta ; type machine is Mrt. Mary Palmerr Monmouth. (Statesmaa I'hoto) . Vast Working Of Accident Board Viewed By ROBERT STEVENS Uff Writer. The Statesman The significance of workman's disability compensation and how it ia paid plus a Cook's Tour of the agency which makes it possible was the premium offered Monday during a tour of State Industrial Accident Commission. Making the tour, during the in titial presentation of Know Your State Government Day, was a group of six business and profes sional men. One of the biggest contributors to the stability of Oregon and its citizens the State Industrial Accident Commission last year paid over si7.323.60S in worker's compensation benefits- Millions of Oregon employes pay only two cents a day to share the benefits offered by the SIAC in one of the most unique insurance poli cies in the state. Established Ia 1111 In answer to their many queries. the group discovered that the State Industrial Accident Commission was established in 1911 Since that time it has grown in size and policy holders until it takes some S2S employes and over $2,550,741 annually to perform its functions. Approximately 36S of these employes fulfill their duties in Salem while drawing an annual payroll of fS12.394. Since it paid its first benefit 45 years ago, the commission has taken in $296,988,552 in payments and interest and paid out $238,534,380 in benefits and ad ministrative costs. An average of 70,000 benefits claims are processed each month in the Salem office of the SIAC which are over nearly two floors in the Public Service Building in Salem. SIAC also operates branch offices in Portland and Eugene. CUims Pass MillWa Mark More than 1.649,604 compensation claims have been filed since 1913. Benefits on many of these arc still being paid, according to Donald Sutherland, SIAC comptroller, who conducted the government day tour. An arrary of complicated IBM machines, secretaries, clerks and supervisors ia 17 departments sort. file and classify these claims. Under the SIAC system the em ployer bears a large portion of the compensation program s cost Employer payroll rates amount he pays) depend on whether be is classed as operating a hazardous or non-hazardous-firm. These rates range from sis cents per $100 of payroll to $25 per $100. Logging and construction industries pay the highest rates. Not Boaad by Law Employers are not bound by law to enroll in the State Industrial Accident program, according to Sutherland. Biggest sore spot ia benefit claims is the unmeasurable back or head injury claim brought by an injured workman. "These claims can also be quite a head ache," Sutherland mused. The SIAC also maintains X-ray units to aid in determining amount of injury incurred by a claimant. Through the efforts of the SIAC and its program of workman's dis ability compensation, thousands of Oregon, and Salem residents, are able to maintain their proper positions in the community. Marion County Farmers Union's Meeting Friday niMm Nwi Stnrtra MT. ANGEL. Jan. 20-The Mar ion County Farmers Union will meet Friday at 10:30 a.m. at the ML Angel Legion Hall for it last meeting before the state conven tion. Dave L. St. John will be chair man. The meeting place was listed earlier erroneously as Gervais. Cars Damaged in Chain-Type Crash Three cars were badly damaged in n chain reaction type accident near the intersection of Vista Ave nue and Pringle Road about 1:45 p.m. Monday, but no injuries re sulted. State Police Officer Mal colm Clarkson said. The cars were driven by Charles Henry Thurman, 450 Cunningham Lane S, Bessie Bents, 1695 Capitol St. SE, and Elaine V Kubler, 2030 Strong Rd. SE, Clarkipo said. - , Travelling Sand Dunes Explained By CONRAD PRANCE SUrt Writer, The Statesmaa Ever hear the story of the travel ling sand dunes? Well, the damage these shifting sands do to Oregon coastal areas and the remedy was explained to a group of Salem businessmen and educators who visited the state Committee on Natural Resources Monday. Richard Bain, young and able ex ecutive director of the newly formed department, explained the aims, purpose and workings of this little-known segment of state gov ernment. A "If Oregon citizens do not awake soon to the need for conserving our natural sources of water, game and timber we will soon be in the same situation as some other fast' growing stales who failed to heed the danger signs until too late,' he said. Wind Mere Duaes "Take these troublesome sand dunes along the beach in the Flor ence area. The winds move there inland at the rate of some 17 feet a year. They have buried lakes, forests and have threatened high ways. The remedy, toe committee has found, is to plant a type of European beach grass on the dunes thus anchoring them. ine Resources committee is a 13-man group which meets every two months. Its members are the heads of some 13 state agencies connected with natural resources. These include parks, water re sources, geology, sanitation, soil conservation, fish and game, edu cation, forestry, engineer, high way, agriculture. The committee was originally an advisory group act up by Gov. uougias McKay m 1949. it was made an official state organisation in 1951. Caoperatlaa laaared "Primary purpose of the orsani- tatmi" said Bain, "is to acquaint each member unit with what ia gdmg on and what other member departments are doing in the re sources field. It insures coo Dera tion of units on a common prob lem." ' Usually when the committee is confronted with a problem it dis cusses it and then decides which member department or - depart ments should carry out the plan. The Resources Committee oper ates through sub-committees. For instance a sub-committee on state mapping is now engaged in a 15 year task of furnishing topographi cal maps of the entire state. Wildlife The highway sub-committee works with the highway depart ment, game and fish and forestry divisions so that new highway, con struction win not permanently damage stream flow or fish and wildlife. An important task of the Re sources Committee is working with logging, lumber and manufacturing interests in preserving and main taining the quality of the state's water resources. This affects fish life (both commercial and sports), agriculture and recreation all pri mary assets of the state. To this end the committee has set up an experimental survey ia ine Aisea rover vauey. Here, uik der natural, "outdoor laboratory" conditions, experts will conduct long-range studies and tests to work out plans and methods of con serving Oregon great natural re sources for all time. 94 Receive Salk Shots At Silverton Only 94 people turned out at Sil verton Monday night to receive Salk vaccine polio shots purchased by the Marion County chapter of the National Infantile Paralysis Foundation. The chapter had al lotted 330 shots of the vaccine for the clink. Workers were "disappointed in the turnout," according to Miss Viola Eisenbach, public health nurse with the Marion County Health Department. The health de partment and volunteer doctors of the Marion-Polk Counties' Medical Societies are heroine: with tha clinics. Additional clinics durine the week include the Woodburn clinic at the Woodburn City Library from 7 to 9 a.m.. the Stavton elinie at the Stayton City Library on Thurs day evening and Salem Clinics Friday evening at the Salem- Gen eral and Memorial Hospitals. "Madame Butterfly," the Puc cini opera about the Japanese girl who fell in love with an American I naval officer, was first performed id Milan in 1904. 1 ing cards that would deposit pay roll, statement and other informa tion at the rate of 150 readings a minute in ajoomful of complex automatic business machines used by many state offices. Surplus property handling, con solidated state purchasing, state printing, management research and state budget making were among other State Finance functions in spected 'during a four-hour tour by one group of eight chamber mem bers, led by Finance Director John F. Richardson, Gaarenstroom and other executives. In the Finance Building on Fer ry Street, m Purchasing Agent Er mal Owens and eight buyers pur chase $20 million worth of items a year, including monkey cages and fish food as well as cars, uniforms. Statesman Writers Tell Story of Tour Whea tune 340 Salem basil aeas and nrofetsioaal men and watnra toured $4 state, depart ments aad several state Insti tutions Monday la the aatloa's first Kaaw Yaur Government Day, tear Statesmaa writers aad a photographer lagged along. It was to the lesser known type of department they were meat interested laand they learaed as mack as the touring visitors. Their reports appear on this page. All pictures were taken by John Ericksea, Statesman photographer. all manner of office equipment and other Supplies. Sealed bids are re quired for all purchases over $1,- 000. About 19,000 purchase orders are filled each year. Back at that Motor Pool garage on Ferry Street, Hoyer pointed proudly to the pool's record of operating 265" passenger cars at an average 4'i cents a mile, including Future Cloudy for Dutch AMSTERDAM. Jan. 20 -Few among the Dutch being evacuated from Indonesia complain of bad treatment by the Indonesians, but many say "We had no future over there." Queen Juliana at the week end welcomed the first 1,000. A total of 45,000 is expected in the next six months. full depreciation, insurance and other costs. They are only 10 per Cent of the state cars on the road, but they a the ones serving many agencies out of one motor pool. Under contract with Valley Mo tor Co. of Salem, the state is buy ing 1951 Ford four-doors at $1,462. Two-year-old state cars, mean while, were being sold at oral auc tion at the State Fairgrounds and bringing $1,000 to $1,100. Finance Department officials fig ure the oral auction method has brought average selling price up to NADA book value, and yester day was no exception when 36 cars and trucks were sold for $21,170. Tour visitors like Ward Davis did a double take at the state surplus property warehouse off Taft Street when they saw 50ent "price tag" on men's black oxfords. Surplus Property Manager Wakefield Walker explained the state obtains) $250,000 worth of federal govern ment surplus property n month. The freight and handling expend make the property "priced" at only about 10 per cent of actual valuer This material "everything Irons spools of thread to tractors") is then made available lo state instW tutions, hospitals, schools and othi er non-prolit groups altogether some 1,609 groups a year. ( Like the motor pool and the sum plus property setup, the state print ing plant a million dollar printing business is self supporting and res) quires no tax funds. State offices pay cost plus 4 per cent to keef equipment up to date for what ever priming is needed. , . At Wards, we buy more, get bigger minrs vysr f l'inijfc VwimAM . (i a t.x . Y5WI. X yt if V-igfcjTr-'-'dj "jvmr . -,: iw v. iiom manufacturer -pass mem on 10 roui Vcx GrV lW IPf 7-7 mi 11 ' trr mm ' ' 1 1 nm jl ill jitaafi - - ! : "V 'ff u u. , ; . . . nw 1 in 1 : ; -1 11 11 f ' , ." f -eVi-X" 'J I. j " '" 1 If 11 v ' i v nrr 1 v 1111 11 11 11 1 iir ffl Lr uv;. " kill, l v f 1 1 111 I 1 zj ll I 111 IK I tv- VJ1 u ri I I a-l U ll ll fc-i I 111 1)11 J XPSNn.Vt J I I I I I 1 if i 'rOVZJ Crfftn . jj An 1 w vv 1 iff j ii"; Wards lltfi Ccnsobtte j 1 ! 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