OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PUBLIC AUDITORIUM
PORTLAND. ORE.
ttt0
Volume 53, Number 1.
HEPPNER, OREGON, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 1937
Subscription $2.00 a Year
County to Benefit
From PWA Funds
Just Allocated
Range Water, Irriga
tion Developments
Get Large Sums.
Public works projects for Oregon
totalling 65, estimated to cost $27,
102,000, have been included in the re
cently announced $5,000,000,000 na
tional program, it was announced by
Ormond R. Bean, chairman of the
Oregon state planning board.
The projects were definitely listed
in the detailed report of the Nation
al Resources committee to President
Roosevelt, which formed the basis for
the public works program.
Information and data on the pro
jects were obtained last summer by
15 workers on the planning board
staff project, set up through the co
operation of the National Resources
committee and the WPA for this
purpose. Many federal, state and
local agencies cooperated with the
planning board for this work.
Projects which are located in Mor
row county or which will directly
benefit this county are:
Fish ladders and screens at dams
and irrigation ditches to prevent
destruction of fish life at Federal
projects on tributaries in middle Co
lumbia basin, $125,000; reservoirs,
springs and wells on the public
range and national forests for wa
tering stock, $222,000; municipal wa
ter supply investigation, $4,000; irri
gability classification of project lands
$25,000; stream pollution study,
$50,000; and a state-wide study to
determine methods for avoidance of
losses in distribution and application
of irrigation waters, $50,000.
Largest project on the program
calls for an expenditure of $9,575,000
for sewage treatment plants and in
terceptor sewers to improve the Wil
lamette river. Other work in the
Willamette valley is listed at $2,430,
000, for bank protection and clear
ing flood channels on the main river
and on tributaries. An intercepting
sewer and primary sewage treatment
plant at Salem, to cost $360,000, and
a similar project for Oregon City at
a cost of $106,000, are also included,
A storage reservoir on Powder
river, for irrigation and power, calls
for an allotment of $3,665,000, while
a canal and dam for irrigation of the
Deschutes North District at Madras
is scheduled to cost $3,000,000.
Of special importance to the state
are the investigation projects includ
ed in the program at the request of
the Oregon planning board, Mr. Bean
points out. These will not only pro
vide the basis for a long-range plan
ning program for many sections of
the state, but should reveal valuable
resources that may add materially
to the industry and wealth of the
state. These projects include in
vestigation of underground water
resources, municipal water supply
investigations, stream pollution stud
ies, survey of fish spawning areas,
survey for classification of irrigable
and other lands, and many others.
Saturday, 20th Set
For Band Appearance
First of the Saturday afternoon
public concerts by the Heppner
school band will be held March 20,
weather Dermitting, announces Har
old Buhman, bandmaster. Arrange
ment for the concerts was recently
mad bv business men and women
of the city who signed to contribute
K1 rents or more each following each
concert toward the band's expenses
to the state contest and other loca
ovnpn Sfv
Further particulars will be given
in thpsp columns next weeK. watcn
for it.
Mrs. W. P. Mahoney returned
home the first of the week from
visit at the home of Dr. and Mrs. F,
E. Farrior in Pendleton.
IONS SUPPLY
SEED FOR PEA TEST
Service Club Sees Possibility of
Financing Swimming Pool;
Back Proposed Dam Surveys.
Heppner Lions, Monday, backed
the move to ascertain whether Mor
row county could raise peas profit
ably, to the extent of offering to pur
chase four bushels of seed. This
amount was stated by Joe Belanger,
county agent, as needed for the
planting of several test plots being
arranged for this week.
The club previously encouraged a
test being made here in view of suc
cessful pea raising in Umatilla
county. It was believed that those
farmers planting the test plots, giv
ing of their land and labor toward
the trial, were contributing all that
could reasonably be expected of
them.
Report of the club's swimming pool
committee showed definite develop
ment toward a plan of financing the
pool venture with report that several
sizeable contributions would be
available if businesses generally in
town showed willingness to do their
part. Dr. L. D. Tibbies, chairman of
the committee, expected to start a
move immediately to ascertain how
far it might be possible to raise the
necessary finances by this route and
to secure further plans and cost es
timates. The Lions have signified
their belief that, however financed,
administration of the project should
be in the hands of the city govern
ment. The club also resolved itself as
favoring the $5000 appropriation now
before congress to have a survey
made looking to the construction of
flood control dams on Willow and
Rhea creeks, and asking the repre
sentative and senators of the district
to work in its behalf. S. E. Notson,
chairman of the club's cooperating
committee on this project, was asked
to draw the resolution.
Alden Blankenship, school super
intendent, thanked the club for its
cooperation in helping to make a
success of the recent sub-district
basketball tournament, and espea
ially for supplying the trophy given
the winning team.
Mr. Belanger, chairman of the
Lions committee on arrangements,
announced that the date of March
24 had been approved by Business
and Professional Womens club for
the joint dinner, and that E. R. Fat-
land, state representative of Condon,
had been invited to deliver the main
address. Ray P. Kinne, Lions presi
dent, will be toastmaster. Further
contact was being made with Mr,
and Mrs. Ted Roy of Pendleton, in
an attempt to arrange a public con
cert by them at the Star theater that
evening and to appear at the club's
dinner as well.
Court Appreciates
Aid on Blocked Roads
Signifying the court's appreciation
of the assistance given for help in
clearing snow blocked roads this
winter, is the following communica
tion from Bert Johnson, judge, to
M. L. Rodman, CCC soil conservation
superintendent:
"On behalf of the members of the
county court and the people of the
county I sincerely thank you and all
officers and men of your organiza
tion in Heppner for the invaluable
assistance given us in the work of
clearing the roads of snow drifts
The use of your equipment without
cost to the county except for gas and
oil and the labor of your men, cheer
fully and efficiently given, brought
us through a period of stress which,
frankly, our equipment could not
handle alone.
"I take this means of thanking each
man of your organization personally
for the wonderful assistance ren
dered us and assure each one of you
that I deeply appreciate your coop
eration and work."
George Gibson arrived last week
from his home at Tampa, Florida,
for a visit at the home of his sister,
Mrs. Frank Rumble.
North End Grazing
District Set Up
for '37 Operation
Allotments Made for
Year; Three Classes
of Users Served.
Allotments for 1937 licensees were
definitely established at the two-day
meeting of directors of Morrow Gra
zing association held at Heppner
last Friday and Saturday. In most
cases the 1937 allotments are not the
same as will probably be the case
when final grazing permits are is
sued. No permanent allotments
have as yet been established, an
nounces Joseph Belanger, county
agent.
Directors have set March 15 as the
approximate date for going on to the
range this spring and June 11 as
the date for leaving the district to
go to summer range. Within the
next two weeks a representative of
the grazing service will be in this
territory making a survey of com
mensurate property licensees. This
survey will serve as a basis for per
manent allotments. Until such time
as permanent allotments are made,
it will be the duty of the board to
establish seasons of grazing. After
permits are issued, however, each
man will be responsible for the con
dition of his allotment, and any sys
tem of grazing which does not injure
the range may be followed.
It is inevitable in setting up a dis
trict of this kind that considerable
difficulty in establishing allotments
will be encountered for the first
two or three year's, said Mr. Belan
gen In general) all of the land with
in the district has been over-grazed
for a number of years. The regula
tions of the Taylor Grazing act have
been followed very closely in .es
tablishing the rights of applicants
for licenses to graze within the dis
trict. These regulations, as inter
preted by the grazing service, set up
three classes of users. The Class
user is one having commensurate
dependable property and prior use
of the range. Class II user is one
having commensurate dependable
property but not prior use. Class
III user is one having no commen
surate dependable property but hav
ing prior use. The board of direc
tors attempted to make room this
spring for everyone who had used
the range last year. This has, of
course, resulted in some crowding,
and probably none of the Class
licensees have as large an allotment
as they are really entitled to.
For the 1937 grazing year, licen
sees will pay grazing tees to two
organizations. The fee for govern
ment land will be paid direct to the
department of the interior, and the
fee for county land will be paid dl
rect to the association.
Association directors are antici
pating full cooperation on the part
of all licensees in the matter of av
oidance of trespass on other allot
ments. Each licensee will receive a
map showing definitely his outside
boundary. While the grazing asso
ciation has the authority to bring
trespass action, it is anticipated and
hoped that it will be unnecessary to
bring any such action. Due to in
evitable crowding for this year on
the range in the north end of the
county, it was impossible to estab
lish definite allotments for a num
ber of operators who have been
using the public domain for a few
head of dairy cattle or horses. Pres
sure' in this area should be relieved
somewhat next year, and at that
time it will probably be advisable
to set aside certain areas for com
mon use.
TO PLAY RUFUS.
Heppner grade school basketeers
have drawn Rufus as their opponent
in a game to be played at 6:30 to
morrow evening in the district grade
school tournament at Arlington.
WATER IN WILLOW
REACHES RIVER
Hinton Said Running Good
Head; 5 Feet Snow on Ditch
Creek Yet Unmelted.
Water in Willow creek reached the
Columbia river yesterday, with
ranchers along the line making all
use of it possible, reports Joseph
Belanger, county agent. He said
Rhea creek was also providing wa
ter for early irrigation all along the
line.
Hinton creek is just starting with
good head and was expected to
reach Heppner today, while farmers
along the creek were filling ditches,
said Millard Rodman, with the soil
conservation service. All fields were
getting a good soaking as the water
progressed, and Rodman predicted
that farms would get water which
were without it last year.
A CCC crew completed work of
opening the WUlow-JJitch creek
ditch yesterday and found five feet
of snow packed solid on Ditch creek
that had not started to melt, Rodman
reported. He believed it would be
three weeks anyway before there
would be any considerable run-off,
indicating that the flow in Willow
creek would hold up well.
All indications point to the best
season for irrigation in several years,
the informed men believe.
Sheriff's Office
Expanded in Work
The tax collecting department has
been separated from other depart
ments of the work of the sheriff's
office in renovating and cleaning up
operations which have been under
way for several weeks at the court
house. Henceforth the tax collect
ing office will occupy all the space
of the old office, while the law en
forcement arid various license col
lecting departments will occupy the
office directly across the hall for
merly occupied by the district at
torney's office.
The partition in the old office has
been removed, additional counter
space provided and the entire office
renovated and lighted, contributing
to the facility of workers as well as
making it more inviting to the pub
lic. The door to the jail formerly
opening into the rear of the office
has been closed, and the only en
trance now opens on the outside just
back of the downstairs corridor. Im
provements are also under way in
other offices, including placing of
new linoleum and other needed
work, while Jim Archer, the new
janitor, has been busily scrubbing
woodwork, all of which is helping to
make the court house more inviting
to the public.
IS 50-YEAR SUBSCRIBER.
Mrs. Anna Natter of Heppner was
this week made a complimentary
subscriber to the Heppner Gazette
Times by virtue of having taken the
paper since the Gazette was started
March 30, 1883. Mrs. Natter first
came to Heppner in 1882, and is still
active at 81 years of age. Her niece,
Miss Katie Minert, who lives with
her, was born the same year and
month as the Gazette. In notifying
this paper of the 50-year continu
ous subscription, she said, "I guess
we'll have to stick it out together."
INITIATED INTO HONORARY.
Kenneth J. Smouse, junior in en
gineering at O. S. C. and son of Mr.
and Mrs. Henry Smouse of lone, was
one of a class of initiates taken into
Sigma Tau, national honorary so
ciety in engineering, February 25.
Initiation was held at the Memorial
Union building in Corvallis with
banquet following at the Golden
Pheasant.
HORSES GO WELL.
The best sale of horses in his re
cent experience was reported by V.
R. Runnion, auctioneer, at the D. F.
Depperman public auction in the
Echo section Tuesday. While the
crowd was not large, those attend
ing were there to buy, and all ani
mals went at a good price.
Engineers Approve
S5000
Asked for
Flood Survey
Reservoir, Storage
For Irrigation OK'd
On Willow and Rhea.
A recommendation is now before
congress for a $5000 appropriation to
be used in making a survey of flood
control needs on Willow and Rhea
creeks. Printed copies of the reports
of the army engineers carrying the
recommendation and facts upon
which the recommendation was
based were received here this week.
Immediately resolutions from the
county and city governments and the
Lions club went forward to Wash
ington urging Representative Pierce
and Senators McNary and Steiwer
to use their best efforts in behalf of
the appropriation.
Reports of the district and division
engineers, the chief of the rivers and
harbors division of the board of ar
my engineers, and of the chief of
the board of army engineers all
showed a favorable action on the
recommendations of local interests,
and their recommendation was
shown to have been transmitted to
the speaker of the house of repre
sentatives by the secretary of war.
The engineers reported the belief
that establishment of reservoirs at
the mouth of Balm fork on Willow
creek and at the mouth of Sanford
canyon on Rhea creek would go far
toward controlling future floods,
based on experiences of the past.
Recited were the heavy loss of life
and property in the Heppner flood
of June 14, 1903, and property losses
in other floods including that of
May 29, 1934.
They reported the belief that wa
ter could be stored in the reservoirs
for irrigation purposes as late as
May 15 each year, but should be
emptied immediately thereafter, as
cloudbursts might be expected any
time after that date. This feature,
they believed would be of assistance
in providing additional irrigation
water for land already under cul
tivation but which suffers many
years from drouth. Assistance thus
given this land would help maintain
its taxable value and thus keep a
heavier share of the tax burden from
falling on hill lands.
Development of any hydro -electric
energy at the reservoirs was be
lieved by the engineers to be im
practical and not worth considera
tion, The $5000 was believed necessary
for the survey to get needed tech
nical data and to arrive at workable
estimates on type of construction
and costs.
This report shows that the army
engineers have gone as far as possi
ble at this time in taking care of the
flood control situation here. If and
when the survey is made, the basis
will be laid for organization of a lo
cal flood control district to provide
sites and assume cost of mainten
ance after construction of the reser
voirs. The bill to permit voluntary
organization of such a district, which
had the approval of the army en
gineers, is now law and may be used
when the time comes. Just now,
Continued on Page Five
Tour Arranged for
Field Pea Trial
A representative of the Burk can
nery at Milton is expected in the
county within the next few days,
and with Joseph Belanger, county
agent, will make a tour of inspec
tion looking to the planting of test
plots of field peas.
A list of farmers who have signi
fied their willingness to put out plots
has been made by. W. T. Campbell,
pea industry enthusiast. Heppner
Lions will provide the necessary
seed, which Mr. Belanger expects
will be ordered through the can
nery representative.