Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 1937)
HEPPNER GAZETTE TIMES, HEPPNER, OREGON, THURSDAY, JAN. 14, 1937. PAGE THREE Repoi Eastern Oregon Wheat League rt and Resolutions of the Transportation and Rural Electrifi cation Committee Heppner, Oregon, December 4-5, 1936 When it comes to paying freight rates, the wheat growers of the In land Empire remain the number one goat. .During- the past year freight at tacks have been made upon the wheat growers on many fronts. There is an upward push in the highway freight rates caused by in creased regulation activities of state and federal commissions. Competition among highway, wa terway, and railway carriers here tofore has tended to force reductions and prevent increases in the freight rates upon wheat. From interior Oregon this competition has held down the rate on an average of six cents per 100 pounds lower than the Interstate Commerce Commission's orders would otherwise permit. The Inland Empire wheat grower is now faced with the possibility of a new water carrier regulation bill being passed by the next Congress (Eastman bill). It was introduced and on its way to become a law at the last Congress, but was stranded and left pending at the close of the session. Already the Interstate Commerce Commission has authority over ioint rail-and-water rates. In a recent order, a certificate of eon venience and necessity was granted the Inland Waterways Navigation Company (the Seattle concern) From various interior points to tide water, this order sets the minimum differential between all-rail grain rates and the joint rail-and-water rates, via The Dalles as a port of ex change, at one cent per 100 pounds This differential of one cent is not enoueh. Through the Farm Rate Council we have advocated, in con nection with wheat rates, free and open competition between highway and waterway carriers on the one hand, and railway carriers on the other hand. (See Farm Rate Council bulletin of Oct. 9, 1936.) Another problem we still have with us is the effort of the railroads to charge more for short hauls than for long hauls. Failing in their cam paign to get the last Congress to pass the Pettengill bill, which would have hamstrung the Fourth Section re stricting charging more for a short haul than a long haul, railroads now announce that they are to have i new bill introduced in the next Con gress. Furthermore, the new bill, as now announced, would be more throttling upon the people of the in terior than the notorious Pettengill bill. (See Traffic World of October 24, 1936, p. 805.) Another problem relates to strikes The wheat grower concedes the constitutional right of any body of citizens to organize for the purpose of obtaining better pay, better work ing conditions and shorter hours, but the wheat grower does not concede that such a right entitles them to in terfere with. stop, or destroy the business of innocent bystanders. We take no sides in the present strikes at coast ports. We know that we are suffering from it, and we be lieve that appropriate action should be taken either by the conflicting parties or the constituted authorities of the state or nation to the effect that the strike is settled without further damage and injury to the producer. Other subjects of far-reaching im portance both to the flour milling and wheat raising industries of the Pacific Northwest are questions raised in the last bulletin of the Farm Rate Council, reading as fol lows: "Is Inland Empire wheat to move into the Southeast via the Canal route, or overland, or as at present via both routes? "Is the upward trend of the freight rates upon grain and grain product! from the Pacific Northwest into the Southeast to be continued? "Is the movement to be mainly of wheat, or is the wheat first to be manufactured into flour and other grain products? "These are some of the questions that the Interstate Commerce Com mission considered at a recent con ference in Chicago and will consider at hearings which are scheduled to begin this month (December)." Groups of flour mills in the Pa cific Northwest, in the inter-moun tain country and in the Middle West and Southwest, and in the Southeast, as well as in Buffalo, are much in terested. I heir representatives are constantly on the job. On the other hand, we wheat far mers or the Racine .Northwest are likewise vitally concerned. Our farm price reflects deductions for transportation to the more distant markets where the surplus must be disposed of. Your committee has kept in con tact through the Farm Rate Council to which the Eastern Oregon Wheat League belongs, on all transportation questions. But due to lack of finances the Farm Rate Council and Eastern Oregon Wheat League transporta tion committee are not able to par ticipate actively in any of the sched uled conferences and hearings, ex cept such as may. be held in the Pa cific Northwest. It is quite a job even to keep track through various reporting services, of what is going on at these different conferences and hearings that are constantly be ing held respecting the freight rates upon grain and grain products by railway, by highway, and by water. Another problem relates to truck regulatory laws: At the coming session of the state legislature various amendments to the Truck and Bus Bill will be pre sented by the different transporta tion companies and possibly by the little truck owner, farmer, and shinner It is needless to add that all parties will try to protect their own interests and gain any advant age possible. The wheat raiser should be represented; it is abso lutely certain that the transportation companies will be. Work has progressed wonderfully on the Bonneville Dam and from re ports it will be completed next year. The government engineers are to be commended for the way they have improved the channel from Celilo up river, and we hope they will be able to have work completed in the near future. There is just one freight rate prob lem after another. Just now the rail roads have announced their inten tion to ask permanent freight in creases upon many of the things that the wheat farmers of the Inland Em pire use. When they asked for emer gency increases in the case known as Ex Parte 115, the Eastern Oregon Wheat League, in company with the Farm Rate Council, successfully op posed any of these increases being placed upon farm products includ ing wheat. However, wheat farmers are interested not only in the freight rates that they must pay upon their products but also in the freight rates that they must bear upon the things that they buy. Accordingly, the emergency increases granted by the Commission on things that farmers buy also came in part, at least, out of the wheat growers' pockets. The proposal to extend and make per manent these increases must be op posed. It is only by a sustained, continu ing effort that the wheat growers of the Inland Empire can expect to get out of their present class of number one goats. With the expenditure of consider able sums of money and with the expenditure of much effort by lead ing wheat growers, we succeeded in getting from the Interstate Com merce Commission a freight rate de cision which back in 1931 reduced the freight rate bill paid by the tv land Empire wheat growers two mil lion dollars a year. Then the rail roads appealed to the United States Supreme Court and in large meas ure the wheat growers went away and forgot about the case. When the wheat growers woke up they had lost most of the two million dollar a year saving. The savings from such points as Bend, Shaniko, Condon, Heppner, and Prineville, and intermediate points to Portland averaging six cents per 100 pounds, however, have been preserved through the years. These Oregon intra-state reduced rates of 1931 were not increased first, because the railroads forgot to include them in their appeal made to the Supreme Court of the United States, and secondly, because of the competition of truck and Columbia River carriers with the railroads. However, even with the 1931 reduc tions, the Oregon instrastate rates remain much too high. In these traffic matters let us re iterate that millions of dollars are at stake. It is because there is not a continuous active fight made through the years on behalf of the wheat growers that the Inland Empire wheat grower continues to be goat number one. Over in Canada the wheat grow ers did not get their half priced rates via Vancouver until they made it a political issue as well as an economic issue. They did not get their half priced rates over there from the Ca nadian prairies to Vancouver except by a continuous active fight. This fight against having to pay more than our share of the cost of running the railroads cannot be han dled as a side issue by a group de voting itself to marketing or as a side issue by general farm organizations. Its importance and its intricate and complex nature demands the forma tion of a continuing Inland Empire wheat growers' traffic committee .whose members should talk, breathe, and live transportation problems, and only transportation problems. The committee must be adequately and continuously financed. Before making recommendations as to specific resolutions, we again express the belief that there is need of a permanent wheat traffic com mittee properly financed, with a board of directors selected from the whole Inland Empire. Under the direction of such a committee there should be a constant representation of the wheat growers at all of these conferences and hearings. Remem ber it is we wheat growers who ac tually pay the freight, irrespective of whether or not the transportation charges are set forth on our account sales. Although we are paying freight rates that are about twice too high from the Inland Empire to tidewa ter, our problem is not merely in en leavoring to get freight rates low ered to a fair basis. Our problem also is to stop the upward trend in our wheat rates. Railroad labor is proposing a six-hour day. Bills pro viding for this and for other in creased railroad expenditures will be introduced in the next Congress Without nassing ucon whether or not these proposals of labor are jus tified, it is certain that the railroads should look to other sources than in creased freight rates on wheat to off set any increased expenses. With our wheat freight rates al ready twice as high as those paid by our Canadian competitors, there is no justification for railroads to in crease our wheat freight rates. The wheat growers of the Inland Empire have long been paying a great deal more than their proper share of the railroad transportation cost. In conclusion, we believe there should be a resolution opposing rate regulation of inland and ocean wa terway carriers tending towards higher rates, and one resolution op posing all features of the present regulation of trucks which force up ward highway freight rates upon farm products, and which play into the hands of the big truck compan ies and railroad-controlled truck companies and against the welfare of small and independent truckers. A recent investigation of the In terstate Commerce Commission shows that the railroads already own financial interests in 128 motor carriers. The railroads at the pres ent time have $43,000,000 invested in these truck lines and the majority of these railroad-controlled truck lines are in the western district. We surely must oppose, as vigorously as possible, this emasculation of truck competition thru railroad control. (Statistics from Nov. 27, 1936, Trade Lanes, p. 2.) There also should be a resolution opposing modification of the Fourth Section of the Interstate Commerce Act by the passage by Congress of the Pettengill bill or any similar bill under a different name. The rural electrification question is practically the same as last year and we have no additional suggestions to make. (Resolutions emanating from this committee will appear next week.) HARDMAN By LUCILLE FARRENS Mr. and Mrs. Harlan Adams and Mr. and Mrs. Carl Leathers were transacting business in Heppner Monday. Jack DeVore attended the funeral of his brother-in-law, Emmet Smith, in Heppner Monday afternoon. Jim Miller went to The Dalles Tuesday to consult a physician there. Marvin Brannon, who is with the CCC camp at Brush creek is visiting home folks this week. Allen Farris of Walla Walla is vis iting here for a couple of weeks. Lewis Batty was a business vis itor in Heppner Monday. Miss Delsie Bleakman is keeping house for the Robison children while Mrs. Robison is at the ranch. Elwood Hastings went to work for Harlan McCurdy the first of the week. Everett Harshman came up for him. He stated the roads almost impassable on account of the drifted snow. Mrs. Ada Cannon and son Bud and Gus Steers motored to Heppner Saturday. Lucille Farrens returned to work Monday. She is working near Lex ington. Dee Snitzer was taken to Portland Monday to consult a specialist about his leg which failed to heal. Carey Hastings is working near Heppner tagging sheep. Raymond Stitzer is ill at his home here. Cecil Hicks of Lonerock is visit ing in Hardman. There will be a dance at the I. O. O. F. hall Saturday night. PINE CITY By BERNICE WATTENBURGER School was closed three days of last week because of the bad roads ' and cold weather. The bus drivers had a hard time making their routes Tuesday evening. Mrs. Ray J. Pinson spent the week end in Pendleton and Mrs. Joyce Smith went to her home in Irrigon. Mrs. Allen is staying at the Lon Wattenburger home for a few days while Mr. Wattenburger is in Pen dleton where he is serving on the jury. Lloyd Baldridge spent Sunday af ternoon at the E. B. Wattenburger home. Mr. and Mrs. Marion Finch are spending these cold days by paper ing their kitchen. H. E. Young was a Hermiston call er Tuesday. Jim Ayers spent Monday in Hepp ner. Mrs. Isabella Corrigall is staying with her daughter, Mrs. Lucy O' Brien. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Smith spent Sunday evening at the E. B. Wat tenburger home. C. H. Bartholomew was a business visitor in Hermiston Tuesday. Lon Knottes left for California Saturday. The Heppner Gazette Times One Year and QZmw Offer THIS NEWSPAPER, 1 Yr. Akin $lv 2 Magazines From Group A 2 Magazines From Group B GROUPA Check 2 magai'met thru (X) American Fruit Grower Capper's Farmer - Household Magazine - Needlecraft ... Successful Farming Woman's World The Country Home Farm Journal Pathfinder - - (26 issues) Breeder's Gazette - - 1 Yr. ,Y, ' Yr. WonaReview I Yr. wilfonu :: to m GROUP D Check 2 magajmei thut (X) American Poultry Journal 1 Yr. Home The Country Q Farm Journal Gentlewoman Magazine Good Stories - Illustrated Mechanics Leghorn World Mother's Home Life Plymouth Rock Monthly 1 Yr. Rhode Island Red Journal 1 Yr. 1 Yr. 1 Yr. 1 Yr. 1 Yr. I Yr. 1 Yr. 1 Yr. THIS NEWSPAPER, 1 Yr. Magazines From Group 1 Magazines FromGroup2 GROUPI Check 2 maeazinet thus (X) Q American Boy 1 Yr. Better Homes & Gardens I Yr. Christian Herald 6 Mo. Flower Grower ... 6 Mo. McCall's Magazine 1 Yr. Motion Picture Magazine 1 Yr 6 Mo. 2Yr. 1 Yr. I Yr. 1 Yr. 1Yr. 1 Yr. 1 Yr. 1Yr. 2Yr. 2Yr. Parents' Magazine Open Road (Boys) f Opportunity Magazine Pictorial Review Pathfinder (Weekly) Romantic Stories Screen Play . Sports Afield Q True Confessions Household Magazine Woman's World GKOUP-2 Check 2 magatinei thai (X) American Poultry Journal 1 Yr. American Fruit Grower I Yr. The Country Home - 1 Yr. Farm Journal - - 1 Yr. Gentlewoman Magazine 1 Yr. Good Stories - 1 Yr. Illustrated Mechanic 1 Yr. Household Magazine t Yr. Leghorn World 1 Yr. Mother's Home Lift 1 Yr. Needlecrafr - - 1 Yr. Plymouth Rock Monthly 1 Yr. Rhode Island Red Journal 1 Yr. Successful Farming - 1 Yr. Woman's World . . 1 Yr. Capper's Firmer 1 Yr. Breeder's Gazette 1 Yr. 1 Gentlemen: I enclose $, Please send me THE ECONOMY OFFER (HE) LITHE SUPER VALUE OFFER im checking above the four magazines desired with year's subscription so yonr newspaper. Name Post Office. R.F.D State