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.
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