Thumday, August C, 195S
Oregon
Public Utilities Commissioner
Thinks He Has too Much Power
By PAUL W. BABVET. JR.
IBJ Ttlt AM0CUW4 Pmti
Charlei H. HeltieL Or
gon's UU, affable 39-year-old
public utilitiei commissioner,
probably hai more power than
any other itate official.
And he doein't think too
much of the idea, either.
He decldei how much ISO
private utilities can charge for
their telephone, electric, gas
and water service. He fixes
freight rates within the state
for 17,000 truckers and the
railroads.
Oregon is the only state
which has a single official
regulating these utilities and
freight haulers. California,
for instance, has a five-man
board, and Washington state
has three men.
'Heltzel, who bosses more
than 200 employes and who
has been on the job almost
two years, makes his own laws,
in some cases. As an exam
ple, he can say what safety
equipment must be carried by
trucks.
In conducting hearings on
rates or other matters, he pre
sides as judge, prosecutor and
JUT.
That's a lot of responsibility
for one man. and Heltzel
doubts if it's democratic. He's
one public official, a rare
type, who thinks he's too pow
erful. He doesn't like the respon
sibility of making regulations
governing the operation and
safety o'f trucks. He says it's
hard to get district attorneys
and justices of the peace to
prosecute and convict viola
tors of his regulations.
"Then why don't you ask
the legislature to put the reg
ulations into law," we asked.
"I tried that," Heltzel re
plied, "but the legislature
would rather not have to
tackle that Job."
However, the 1955 legisla
ture might put the regulations
into law. The supreme court,
bawling out the legislature for
letting the department of agri
culture make laws on aerial
spraying of farm crops, re
cently served notice that the
legislature must make all the
laws. Heltzel, a lawyer and
former attorney for the' cor
poration department, has the
reputation of conducting his
hearings fairly. Lawyers on
all sides have told us that
conducting those hearings is
a hard job, especially when
they come one after the other,
like they are now.
He sits on the bench with
David Don, his chief engin
eer, at his side. Don says,
jokingly, that Don runs the
works, and Heltzel is the cap
tain who pulls the whistle.
, Heltzel had to preside over
the hearing on the 20 per
cent electric surcharge. Now
he's in the midst of the tele
phone rate hearing. Next
will come more surcharge
hearing, and then the hearing
on the California-Oregon Pow
er comany's request for rate
increase.
When the hearings shut
down for the day, Heltzel
often works far into the night
to do his other work. Sitting
at a hearing is hard work. The
testimony is dry, so there's a
compelling desire to go to
sleep. There usually are
smart lawyers on both sides,
so Heltzel has to stay alert to
keep them in bounds.'
He has to decide what rates
are needed to assure a utility
or freight carrier a fair profit,
generally around 6 per cent.
Delving into a utility com
pany's financial affairs is a
man-sized job. It's especially
complicated when you have a
company like the Pacific Tele
phone and Telegraph Co., of
which more than 90 per cent
is owned by the American Tele
phone and Telegraph Co.
In a hearing, the company
which wants higher rates pre
sents its own witnesses, who
say the company has to have
higher rates because its profits
are too low.
Then Heltzel's lawyer, John
R. McCullough, takes over,
cross-examining each of the
witnesses. The opponents of the
increase also quiz the com
pany's officials.
After Heltzel rules, either
party to a case can appeal to
the courts. This seldom hap
pens. A ' company which doesn't
think it gets a big enough in
crease soon files a request for
another increase.
His motor transportation di
vision, which collects eight mil
lion dollars a year in truck
taxes, is a heavy responsibility,
too. The legislature is thinking
of taking it away from him,
and putting it into a new de
partment of motor vehicles.
At the last legislature, Helt
zel was asked what he thought
of- losing this half of his de
partment. He amazed the legis
lators by saying he doesn't
care.
In any government, an offi
cial who doesn't mind losing
some of his powers is a rare
bird.
Coca-Cola
Prices lipped
And now it's Coca-Cola.
The last of the old reliable
5-cent articles, and one that
for generations has been sell
ing for nickel a bottle, has
gone up in price. It will be
eight cents now in grocery
stores and lOJn dispensing ma
chines. "
St. Elmo Masengale, who
runs the Coca-Cola bottling
works in Salem, says his plant
is the last of 20 Independent
plants In Oregon to up the
price, and maybe on the whole
Pacific Coast'
"It was just necessary," he
said, "to keep up the quality."
Massengale said that in gro
cery stores there would be spe
cial package prices six bot
tles for 42 cents and 12 for
85.
Some of the dispensing ma
chines have already been
changed to the new price, and
others will be in the next few
days.
Septic sore throat in man of
ten is caused from germs in
infected milk.
Hay Talks on
Cily Courts
"'It's safer to commit mur
der than to stand trial in an in
ferior court' is often the con
viction of many people", de
clared Judge Douglas Hay,
magistrate of th Knlm muni
cipal court as he addressed the
nuuu uiecung 01 uie jutcnenie
club at the Senator tinfal
Wednesday.
"The inferior courts have
often, been 'called 'kangeroo
courts' because people think
the 'cards are stacked against
them' before they start This
view was especially prevalent
in the days of the 'fee system'
in which the judge received as
his wages a percentage of the
fines he assessed," Judge Hay
stated. "In these cases it was
often a temptation for some
judges to convict almost every
one. About eight-tenths of one
per cent of those who pleaded
'not guilt' were so found."
"Most magistrates, including
the Salem municipal Judge, are
now on a salary basis, and now
about 35 per cent of those
pleading 'not guilty' prevail,"
Judge Hay said.
"About 8 per cent of Salem'
The Spanish word armadillo
means "little armed one."
Attention
men
AND YOUNG
MEN
JOE
IS NOW
CLOSING
OUT
HIS ENURE STOCK!
OF, MEN'S
SUPERFINE
QUALITY
SUITS
Sport Coats
and Slacks
AT
to
OFF
His Regular Low
Original Prices
BUY NOW
AND SAVE
On School
Clothes
Open Friday Night
till 9 O'clock
JOE'S
Upstairs Clothes Shop
442 State St.
Entrance Next Door to
Nohlgren's Restaurant
Look for the Flashing
"Save $10" Sign Above
. the Entrance
Mow! .TV
A
X SHOE
SALE
LEON'S
The biggest shoe sals In ...... ..
Salem . . . Famous brands Buy ' poir or the reg-
... all at exactly t for ulor -
the Price of I! "" P" FREt!
population faces trial in the
courts each year, of which 97
per cent are tried by an infer
ior court A total of about
$115,000 in tines was assessed
last year in Salem," the judge
continued.
"In Salem the municipal
court Is an independent branch
of the government and as such
is not subject to influence from
the police department or any
other source. There's nothing
about a policeman's uniform
which lends credability to a
story, so therefore the com
mon citizen's views are con
sidered with equal weight to
that of a police officer's."
TOUGH FOB GKOBOB
Devizes, England George
Dobson has been barred from
riding his motorcycle until he
is 98 veara M RtnrM la ax
He was convicted Wednesday
of riding "without due ear and
attention" for cutting across
road in front of car. The ar
resting officer said a bottla of
whisky fell out of tho nona
genarian's pocket en route to
tne police station.
For Hot Grocery Prices
See Saying
Center Ad
On Page I, Food Section
n "
SPECIAL PURCHASE!
IC'ashmere Smaters
if
Grey Pink
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Wine Nutmeg
i
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fc..... .i,
FREE PRIZES!
Come in and meet our high school board . . .
sip a free coke, ot our Coke Bar, and register for
our prize drawing. You don't have to be present
. to win. No obligation, of course. '
FIRST PRIZE: Table Radio
SECOND PRIZE: $25.00 Cashmere
THIRD PRIZE: $17.95 Pullover Cashmere
FOURTH PRIZE: $15.00 Skirt
FIFTH PRIZE: $10.95 Orion Skirt
Come in for a FREE COKE
'Reg. Trade Mark
Ml
XT
' OHH FRIDAYS TIL P. M. '
-iliSsPilis v v by artz
' jf Miotogrsphy
ateirs Nil
n
fhm 1 foCharge
it i r r a ii t m i a
Meet
Reg. 30-Day
Account
90-Day Budget
Plon
A
' Layowoy Plon
Sally's School Board
corner
You're Invited to come In for a Free
Coke and meet Solly's school board.
Girls right off the campus who know
what you like. Girls who can advise
you what the popular crowd will be
wearing this year. Loft to right
above: Bev Lamb, Joekie Janet,
Bettylou Boehm, Judy Jackson.