PAGE TWO HEPPNER GAZETTE TIMES, HEPPNER, OREGON. THURSDAY, JAN. 7, 1937.
SSFalNEWS
o Legislature Monday
o Liquor Business
o Money for Schools
By A. L. LINDBECK
SALEM. The stage is all set for
the biennial session of the legisla
ture which is scheduled to get un
der way next Monday for a run of
40 days or longer. The same ar
rangement will prevail as for the
special session of 1935 with the House
meeting in the Salem armory and
the Senate in the dining room of the
Marion hotel just across the alley.
An enclosed passage way will con
nect the two buildings to permit the
members and employees to go back
and forth without danger of drown
ing in one of the frequent downpours
that visit the Willamette valley at
this time of year, or of freezing.
Organization of the two branches
will probably be agreed upon at pre
session conferences to be held here
some time Sunday. Already the
choicest plums of the two organiza
tions are definitetly "in the bag"
with Frank Franciscovich of Astoria
slated to preside over the Senate
and Harry Boivin of Klamath Falls
the majority choice as gavel wielder
in the House. Fred Drager, veteran
chief clerk of the House, is under
stood to be assured of a return to
his old post in spite of the fact that
he is a republican and the House is
overwhelmingly democratic again.
In the Senate John Hunt of Wood
burn will again be at the chief clerk's
desk with Mrs. Elizabeth Glatt of
Woodburn as his assistant. Joe
Singer, for many years until 1935
sergeant at arms in the House, is
understood to be slated for a similar
post in the Senate at the forthcom
ing session.
Harry Boivin came up from Klam
ath Falls Saturday and has been
spending the entire week in Salem
and Portland putting the finishing
touches to the House organization,
preliminary to announcement of his
committee assignments promptly af
ter the session gets under way.
Franciscovich has also been devot
ing much time the past week to get
ting his senate organization rounded
out although his problem is much
simpler than that confronting Boi
vin inasmuch as most of the senate
members are veterans who will, for
the most part, fit right back into their
old committee jobs while the House
organization must be re -built from
the ground up.
Governor Martin has his opening
message all ready for delivery. Ad
vance information is that it will be
brief and deal principally with the
big iiiiprovewpnt cf . the state's fi
nancial condition with a 'pler te-the.
legislators to keep the state on an
even keel and not upset the nicely
balanced budget by an orgy of wild
spending.
Predictions are that the session
will run well over the 40 days for
which the lawmakers are allowed
to draw pay and that it will rank
well up the list in the point of legis
lative volume if not in legislative
quality. Outstanding among the
problems to come before the session
will be proposals to amend the Knox
liquor control act and the milk con
trol act, demands on the part of the
counties and cities for a reallocation
of highway revenues, labor legisla
tion looking to compulsory arbitra
tion of disputes between employers
and employees when the public in
terest becomes involved, amend
ments to the several social security
acts including an attempt to increase
old age pensions and extend the
pension act to include needy per
sons 65 years of age and over, a
proposal to repeal the certificate of
necessity clause in the truck and bus
act, an attempt to reorganize certain
departments of the state govern
ment along the same lines as those
proposed and defeated in the 1935
session and a program of state build
ings including a new library and of
fice building with purchase of addi
tional land on which to locate the
new buildings.
From an original investment of
$107,000 the state liquor commission
in less than two years has built up
a business grossing -nore than $7,
000,000 annually, returning a profit
in excess of $2,250,000 a year. The
$107,000, borrowed from the general
fund in 1934, was repaid this week
together with $14,710 interest. State
Treasurer Holman has seized upon
the state's experience in financing
this venture as an example of what
could be done by way of saving in
terest payments to the taxpayers if
all public fund surplusses state,
city, county and school district
were pooled under a plan similar to
that in effect in West Virginia and
invested, under proper safeguards,
in bonds issued by state departments
and the various political subdivi
sions. Under such a plan, Holman
argues, the $10,000,000 a year now
being paid by Oregon taxpayers to
holders of public bonds could be kept
in the public treasury.
The state board of higher educa
tion is asking for a legislative ap
propriation of $1,332,048 for support
of the university, college and three
normal schools. This is in addition
to the revenues from the special
millage levies estimated to raise $3,
570,000 during the biennium. Even
if the entire request is granted, the
board points out, state support of
higher education appropriation and
millage will still be $778,089, or 13
percent, under' that for 1929-30. At
the same time student enrollment
has shown a substantial increase in
the past six years with an attendant
increase in the cost of operating the
five institutions. For the past six
years higher education in Oregon
has been financed entirely within
the special millage revenues. The
legislative session of 1931 approved
an appropriation of $1,018,000 for
higher education but this was re
jected by the voters after Governor
Meier had vetoed the emergency
clause and laid the appropriation
open to attack through the referen
dum. Then in 1933 the legislature
dipped into the millage revenues of
the board of higher education to di
vert $508,000 to general state, pur
poses. The session of 1935 restored
all of the millage revenues with the
exception of approximately $75,000.
Budget Director Wharton has rec
ommended an appropriation of $661,
688 for higher education but it is un
derstood that the board will carry its
case to the legislature in a fight for
the entire $1,332,048 which it claims
to be necessary to keep the five in
stitutions up to their present stand
ards. Repeal of the present drivers' li
cense law requiring periodic renewal
of driving permits would be a ser
ious mistake and a backward step
in the opinion of Secretary of State
Snell. Representative Hyde of Lane
county has announced his intention
of seeking a return to the old sys
tem of perpetual licenses. Even if
the fees are not needed for the high
way fund Snell urges the need of a
periodic check-up on drivers in or
"dEK ..to weed jout the incompetent op
erators and instead of "-repealing the
law would strengthen several of its
features.
Frank C. McColloch has resigned
as public utilities commissioner to
become a senior partner in the law
firm of Day, Hampson and Nelson
in Portland. Prior to becoming util
ities commisisoner early in 1935 Mc
Coioch practiced law in Baker. His
successor, N. G. Wallace of Bend,
was a member of the state senate at
the 1935 session filling out the un
expired term of Jay Upton of Bend.
Five new buildings erected at
state institutions during the past
biennium represent an investment
of approximately $395,000 with the
state paying 55 percent of the cost
and the federal government 45 per
cent through its Public Works ad
ministration. A new two-story and
basement concrete dormitory at the
state hospital for insane provides
accommodations for 218 additional
patients at that institution. Cost of
this building was $180,000. Two new
buildings have been erected at the
tuberculosis hospital at Salem. One
of these, a three-story brick struc
ture, provides accommodations for
members of the nursing staff and
releases space in the old ' hospital
building for ten more patients. The
other is a one-story concrete hos
pital of 40-bed capacity. Cost of
the two buildings was aproximately
$102,000. At the blind school a new
two-story-and-basement brick dor
mitory costing approximately $82,000
provides sleeping quarters for 50
Morrow Pomona
Has Profitable
New Year's Meet'
Boardman Host to
Grangers; Talks,
Program, Feature.
Morrow County Pomona grange
met Saturday, January 2nd, with
Greenfield grange at Boardman in
all day session. A brief business
session in the morning was followed
by a chicken dinner. Following din
ner the meeting was turned over to
the worthy lecturer for the follow
ing program:
Song, "America," by the audience;
talk, "New Year's Resolutions,"
Worthy Lecturer, Vida Heliker; talk
"Weed Control," Claud Hanscom,
master Umatilla Pomona; play,
"Socks and Social Engagements,"
Mrs. Lindsay and Helen Lindsay;
poem, "New Year's Musings," by the
author, Mrs. Ella Shell; talk, "Aims
and Accomplishments of Eastern
Oregon Wheat League," Harvey Mil
ler; accordion solo, C. W. Kruse;
reading, "Mein Herman," Naomi
Black; talk, "Ready," Mrs. Minnie
McFarland, master Morrow Pomona;
closing song, "Silent Night," by the
audience.
Talks during the day were many
and interesting. Mr. Hanscom, mas
ter of Umatilla Pomona and member
of the State grange agricultural
committee, spoke on the grange pro
gram for the coming year, covering
co-operative buying and selling,
weed control and rodent control.
Harvey Miller of the Eastern Ore
gon Wheat league outlined the his
tory of the league and the influence
it now has throughout the state. The
league has secured the elimination
of the tax on grain bags, premiums
on protein wheat, establishment of
experiment stations, and a crop con
trol program. They are interested
in the problem of taxation and the
lowering of freight rates.
Pomona Master Minnie McFar
land's talk covered the various things
which are used to broadcast sound
effects, such as broom corn used for
fire and grape seeds for rain ma
chine. State Deputy Chas. Wicklander
spoke of the accomplishments of the
grange. That the grange was in fa
vor of rural credits, rural electrifi
cation, water transportation, lower
freight rates, reorganization of fed
eral departments and a program for
peace. Mr. Wicklander spoke on the
youth movement banquet sponsored
by the state grange for which 1171
plates were sold, and the praises
given it by 4-H club and F. F. A.
members and speakers who attend
ed... We. must keep up an interest in
youth work as they wiH be the ones
who will take our places in the per
haps not too distant future. Mr.
Wicklander also told of the national
grange going on record on soil con
servation and crop insurance for,
boys as well as hospital facilities and
shops for instruction of the blind
students. A nurses home at the
eastern Oregon tuberculosis hospital
at The Dalles, costing approximately
$27,000, completes the list.
Approximately 615 miles of state
roads were improved during 1936,
according to R. H. Baldock, state
highway engineer. This includes
19.9 miles of concrete pavement, 14.6
miles of bituminous pavement, 25.3
miles of bituminous macadam wear
ing surface, 178.3 miles of rock and
gravel surfacing, 132.7 miles of grad
ing, 28.6 miles of non-skid treat
ment of pavement and 256 miles of
rock surface oiling. The year's list
of improvements also included 36
bridges and 17 grade separations.
In its campaign to make Oregon
highways safer state police arrested
700 motorists for traffic violations
during November. Most of the ar
rests were for reckless driving,
speeding, failure to possess a driv
ers' license and violations of the ba
sic rule. Warning slips were issued
to 8601 other motorists who were
detected in minor traffic law viola
tions. Get results with G. T. want ads.
farm crops against drouth and other
things ruinous to crops.
Master Minnie McFarland and
Paul Smith, overseer of Greenfield
grange, spoke on rural electrifica
tion with power from Bonneville
dam.
The annual reports of the Pomona
officers were read and the commit
tees for 1937 were appointed by the
master.
Morrow County Pomona accept
ed the invitation to go to Pendleton
February 4th to put on the fifth de
gree and install officers for Umatilla
county. Greenfield grange will put
on the tableaux.
In the Pomona contest, Dorothy
Brady placed first with 90 points
and Ida Brace second with eighty
eight points.
The committee on resolutions re
ported favorably for gas tax for mail
routes and school bus roads.
It was voted to suspend the coun
cil meetings for an indefinite period.
Wm. Kick of Irrigon was elected
to fill out the unexpired term of
gatekeeper.
Following the supper Greenfield
grange conferred the fifth degree on
eight candidates.
A vote of appreciation was given
Greenfield grange for their hospital
ity. They were also complimented
on the new two-story addition to
their hall, which is 20 x 50 feet, con
taining dining room and kitchen on
the first floor and a hall for small
meetings on the second floor.
Rhea Creek grange will be hosts
for the next meeting which will be
April 3rd, the first Saturday.
The evening closed with dancing
which was enjoyed by all.
Feed Meetings Resume
County Session Series
The series of feed resources meet
ings started in December will be re
sumed the first week in January and
will continue for more than a month,
with 10 meetings being scheduled in
as many counties. Livestock men in
Wallowa and Union counties showed
keen interest in the first two held,
and a request was made at La
Grande that a return session be held
next year.
Latest results of feeding tests and
other livestock management prob
lems are discussed at these gather
ings, which are somewhat like coun
ty farm institutes, says H. A. Lind
gren, extension animal husbandman
at O. S. C.
The remaining schedule is: Clack
amas county, Jan. 5 and 6; Marion,
7 and 8; Mid-Columbia counties at
Arlington, 19 and 20; Umatilla, 21
and 22; Malheur at Ontario, 26 and
27; Baker, 28 and 29; Klamath, Feb.
2 and 3; Central Oregon at Prine
ville, 4 and 5; Wasco county, 9. and
10, and a one-day feeders' meeting
and tour in Yamhill county, Feb. 11.
Mrs. Elsie M. Beach,. Lexington
merchant, was transacting business
in the city Monday.
Daily until May 14 Union Pacific
offers special low round trip
fares to the East. Return limits
on Standard tickets 30-days;
Intermediate (Pullman -Tourist)
and Coach tickets 6-months.
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