0 fi OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY PUBLIC A U DITOP1 V v PORTIA : : Volume 56, Number 52 Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, Feb. 29, 1940 Subscription $2.00 a Year Hall Dedication Draws Number of State Leaders Grangers Turn Out in Force for Event at lone Saturday . Boardman, Lexington and Hepp ner communities, as well as lone, were represented when Willows grange sealed the cornerstone and dedicated the new hall last Satur day, Feb. 24. ' The first event was the sealing of the cornerstone with Grange Or-; ganizer Chas. Wicklander as repre sentative of the Oregon State grange. The various officers filled their sta tions, and although rain began be fore completion of the ceremony the spirits and enthusiasm of the mem bers were not dampened. Dedication of the hall followed immediately with State Master Gill as dedicating officer. Officers, past masters and dedicating officer were led in march by 'the assistant and lady assistant stewards, preceeded by the flag bearer. Mr. Gill gave a timely talk, making reference to grange ideals, following which he authorized establishment of the al tar. Altar bearers were past mas ters Vida Heliker, O. L. Lundell and Ivar Nelson, assisted by Jack Bailey. The ceremony at the altar was beautifully given by various officers. The chaplain, after invoking the blessing, led in a responsive reading in which all present assisted. The Graces renewed their obligations of fidelity by decorating the altar with their offerings of flowers, fruits and grains. The final ceremony consisted of returning the keys of the hall by Mr. Gill to Subordinate Master Ba ker, who in turn gave them to the steward, admonishing him as to their safe keeping. A program of music and talks followed: Group number by a mix ed quartet, lone high school; talks by Chas. Wicklander and Mrs. Thi essen were next in order; Rev. Den nis sang, "Bless This House" and "The Rosary," contributing much to the pleasure of all. A girls' dou ble duet sang, following a talk by Mr. Gill. Guests were invited to visit all departments of the new building. Continued on Page Eight C. of C. Monthly Dinner Wednesday The monthly dinner of the Hepp ner chamber of commerce will be held at 6:30 p. m., Wednesday, March 6 in the dining room of Hotel Hepp ner. This is the membership meet ing and all members have been ask ed to keep this date in mind and . to be on hand. Arrangements are being made for a special speaker and there will be other entertain ment features. The chamber of commerce is com ing to the fore with a program of community activity and the officers, directors and active members be lieve there are many others who should join in the good work. CO-OP PLAN TO BE AIRED SATURDAY Stockholders and Others to Learn of Proposed Expansion by Warehouse Company Plans of the Morrow County Grain Growers, Inc., to expand into a co operative association will be aired to stockholders and all others inter ested in attending the special meet ing to be held at Leach hall in Lex ington Saturday morning. The ses sion is set for 10 o'clock and the directors have expressed the hope that they will be a,ble to open the meeting promptly on that hour. The first matter 'of business will be to explain the proposed expansion to the assemblage and to throw the meeting open to general discussion, according to George Peck and G. J Rvan, who were in Heppner yester day. For that reason it is desired to have a good representation of farmers and stockmen on hand. The project backers are thoroughly sold on their proposition and are anx ious to sell it to others. Peck and Ryan reported progress during the past week but have with held sale of stock until after Satur day's meeting, when, they feel there will be a beter understanding after some of the clauses are explained. A feature of the Saturday meet ing will be the free lunch at noon. Plans have been completed to feed 200 or 'more people. An effort will be made to close the meeting in time for the people to attend to their week end shopping and for those who wish to attend the merchants' matinee in Heppner. Merchants Back Free Show With Ticket Purchases First Free Matinee to be Staged in Heppner Saturday FEBRUARY RAINS BEST SINCE 1921 Total of 2.17 Inch Fall for Month Exceeded Only in 1915 and 1921; Heavy Run-Off Seen TO AUCTION STOCK Mrs. Elsie M. Beach of Lexington was in Heppner yesterday making arrangements for closing out her hardware and implement business. She announced that the stoie stock will be sold at auction on Monday, March 11. Mrs. Beach has been nrominently identified with the bus iness life of Lexington since the death of her husband, he late Karl L. Beach. She was business mana ger for the Lexington water system, owned jointly by herself and Mrs. W. G. Scott, up to the time it was taken over by the city, and has also managed the store for many Pendleton Chorus Greeted Warmly A fair sized audience greeted the Pendleton Women's chorus at the high school gym-auditorium last night, but what the audience lacked in numbers it certainly made up in enthusiasm. Everyone of the 15 numbers commanded a hearty re sponse and the chorus was not al lowed to leave the stage after the closing number without responding with an encore. Ted Roy, director, had arranged a comprehensive pro gram of standard songs, delightfully tuneful and not a few of them fa miliar through use over the radio. Miss Frances Robertson, soprano, delighted her audience with two numbers, "My Heart is a Silent Vio lin," by Fox, and "I Love Life," re sponding to the insistent demand for a third number with Friml's "The Bubble." Miss Robertson sub stituted for Baynard Sager, violinist, who was unable to be present. Pos sessed of a beautiful voice and a gracious stage presence, she became an instant favorite and there will no doubt be a demand to hear her again soon. Dan Motanic, full blooded Cayuse Indian, sang three numbers, "Indian Call to Sunrise," "Fallen Leaf," and "Bells of the Sea." The first num ber was sung in native tongue and without accompaniment. "Fallen Leaf ' is likewise an Indian song but was sung in English. The young bass-baritone's best tones were ev ident in the third number, his bass notes displaying a rich quality. Mrs. Roy, in her accompaniment, was most sympathetic and depend able. , Funds realized from the concert will be uced by the Heppner music study club in providing milk for grade pupils. INSULATING HOUSE C. D. Conrad has a crew of men busy re-covering his residence on south Court street. Material being used is an asbestos-cement prepar ation, fireproof and designed to make for more warmth in winter and a cooler house in summer. A sheeting of asbestos-asphalt paper is laid over the walls before the sid ing is put on. Completing the insu lation of the house a layer of rock wool will be placed over the ceiling. This is the material for insulating refrigerators. The Conrad house will be white when the job is completed. Business men of Heppner show ed their eagerness to participate in the first free merchants' matinee by liberal purchase of tickets the first of this week. So liberal has been the backing that all expenses of the first show have been met and the fund will be but a few dollars short of staging an April show. I As soon as the tickets were placed in the merchants' hands customers began receiving them. It is the pur pose of the business houses to see that everybody is given a chance to see the free show, or as many as the theater will accommodate, but in order to forestall a general rush of ticket seekers most of the houses are giving preference to cash customers. The shows will be given during the afternoon. The first show starts at 2 o'clock and the second at 3:30 For this event the Star theater management has secured "Missing Evidence," an exciting melodrama of the F. B. I., featuring Preston Foster, Irene Harvey and Chick Chandler. In addition there will be short subjects, forming a well rounded program. With but one or two exceptions, every business house in town has tickets to give to customers. In ad dition, many of the concerns are of fering special discounts for cash, cooperating in the movement . to stimulate trading at home. Placards in the windows indicate where tick ets may be secured and there is scarcely a store front or profession al office without one. The merchants' matinee is being sponsored by the chamber of com merce as one step in the direction toward recovering business lost to other towns outside of the county in recent years. It is the chamber's plan to inaugurate other innovations from time to time and just now at' tention is being centered on the free matinee idea to get it properly launched. Merchants and professional men cooperating in the matinee include Ferguson Motor Co., Dr. R. C. Law rence, First National Bank, Patter son & Son, Ed Gonty, M. D. Clark, Thomson Bros., W. O. Dix, Heppner Market, Gordelen Beauty shop, Dr. L. D. Tibbies, Dr. Dwight Miller, Humphreys Drug Co., Hanson Hu ghes, Gordon's, Elkhorn Restaurant, Case Furniture Co., Green's Hard ware, E. G. Noble, Alex Green, E. R. Huston, J. O. Peterson, Healy's Ser vice Station, Bert Kane's Garage, Gazette Times, D. A. Wilson, Bra- den-Bell Implement Co., Heppner Steam Laundry, Pacific Power & Light Co., Lundell's Service Sta tion, Standard Service Station, J. C Penney Co., O'Donnell's Cafe, Hepp ner Garage, Gilliam & Bisbee, Rose wall-Gentry Motor Co., Merrill'; Cafe, McAtee & Co., Curran's, Ai ken's, Sprinkel and Key, Burl Cox en, t . w . Turner oc io., iJyKstra ; Trading Post, Morrow County Ab stract & Title Co., Gamble's, Dick son's Variety Store, City Meat Mar ket, Safeway, John Skuzeski and Morrow County Creamery Co. February, 1940, will be remember ed not only as the longest February in many years but also as one of the wettest since precipitation re cordings have been made in Morrow county. A total "of 2.17 inches of moisture has fallen since the first day of the month and this figure has been exceeded twice since 1910, when; the rain gauge was first set up at the Gilliam residence. In 1915 the precipitation was 2.31 inches. Again in 1926 February was a wet month, with a fall of 2.26, The intervening years for the most part showed markings under two inches. The ten year averages have shown a gradual decline, while the 30-year average is 1.16. The 1939 figures dating from September 1 show a gain of 2.20 inches over the same period in 1938. This is for the months from September 1938 to February 1939 and the 1939-40 per iod. The 1938 period had a precip itation of 4.76 inches, with rainfall for each month. In the current per iod the fall amounted to 6.96 inches and there was no precipitation in November. Copious showers have fallen the last few days and streams have been swollen. Rock creek is reported the highest ever seen by Jim Carsner and Theodore Murdock of Spray who were in Heppner Tuesday. They said there is about a foot of snow on top of the mountains and that Rock creek was between 200 and 300 feet wide at the Ray, Wright sheep camp. The water was run ning over the road and the stream looked more like a river than a creek. A telephone call received by Fred Wehmeyer Wednesday stated that more than eight inches of pre cipitation had been measured at the French ranch during the month. Condon Blasts Heppner Hopes At Tournament Six Offices to be Filled This Year AUXILIARY MEETS Plans for the 21st Legion and Auxiliary birthday party were dis cussed at the meeting of the aux iliary at the home of Mrs. R. B. Fer guson Tuesday afternoon. This will be a pot-luck dinner on March 15 at the home of Mrs. E. O. Ferguson. The unit will contribute one dollar to the infantile paralysis fund. An order for 1000 poppies has been sent. A. P. Hughes and son Edwin of Lena were transacting business in Heppner Tuesday. With the Oregon primary election but a little more than two and a half months away, the local political pot is beginning to warm up. Can didates for county offices are tossing their hats into the ring, three hav ing announced already, and rumor has it that the pot will be boiling within a short time. Last week G. A. Bleakman an nounced his candidacy .for county commissioner. This week Sheriff C J. D. Bauman an C. W. Barlow county clerk, are making their bid to succeed themselves. Other of fices to be filled are district at torney, county school superintend ent and coroner. Present incum bents in those offices have not com nutted themselves, although it is understood that Frank C. Alfred district attorney, has filed his inten tion with the secretary of state. Commenting on the candidacy of Mr. Bleakman last week, the Gaz ette limes included the assessor among offices to be filled. This is in error as Tom Wells' term does not expire until 1942. AUDITS COMPLETED Auditing of county and other books was completed Tuesday af ternoon and Russell Morgan and Robert Amos, auditors, left that eve ning for Salem to turn in their re ports. The books of the city of Heppner, the welfare office and the town of Leington were audited by the men who represent the auditing department of the secretary of state' office. Irrigon at Top as Heppner Takes Con solation Game By JERRY ACKLEN The strain of two first-round games in one day began to tell on Heppner high basketeers as they ad vanced to the semi-finals in sub istrict 13-B tournament play at Condon last week end and in the course of the afternoon the Mustangs faltered just long enough to drop the game with Condon by the nar row margin of one lone basket scor ed in the last minute of play after the game had been tied for the sev enth time during the afternoon. Fi nal score, Condon 33, Heppner 31. Meanwhile, Irrigon high schools Wheat league champions advanced to the championship round by de feating Boardman high school and the evening romped over the Condon contenders with a 30 to 18 count in a game that easily showed the superiority of the Irrigon Comets. Apparently enraged by their el imination at the hands of the Con don five, the Heppner boys came back in the evening to meet Board- man in the consolation game to determine the third place winner and the victor of a third-place tro phy. This game became almost a massacre of the Boardman quintet that had previously squeezed out a narrow 37 to 34 win over a strong Fossil outfit and had managed to hold the Irrigon high champs to a 40-32 count in the afternoon's semi finals. Final count of the consola tion game, Heppner 50, Boardman 18. On opening day Heppner met and defeated lone high 38-22 and Uma tilla 36-27. Irrigon took Lexington 29-19; Condon defeated Echo 37-25 and Boardman beat Fossil 37-34. Heppner placed two men on the tournament all-star list of ten best players in the sub-district elimina tion. The complete list of all-stars follows: Harry O'Donnell and Hugh Crawford of Heppner; Willard Jon es and Donald Houghton of Irrigon; Roy Partlow and Ralph Skoubo oV Boardman; Charles Edwards and Tom Burns of Condon; Vane Hiatt of Umatilla and Jack Dean of Fos sil. Continued on Page Eight FATHER DIES IN SPOKANE Russell McNeill received word Wednesday morning that his father. E. P. McNeill had passed away in Spokane. The elder McNeill suffer ed a stroke Tuesday evening and Mr. and Mrs. McNeill were prepar ing to leave for Spokane when word came of the father's death. Funeral services were to be held today. Mr. McNeill's mother died April 19 last. Signs Designate Through Streets Heppner is becoming more metro politan day by day and the latest evience is found in the designation of two streets as "through" streets. Day policeman Albert Sehunk and a crew of men have been erecting stop signs on the corners leading on to Gale street and ihis will be followed by similar signi on Court street south of the court house. Action on these thoroughfares was decided by the city council at the January meeting. It is the hope of city officials that cai drivers will cooperate in making the new regula tions workable. It is pointed out that the sign sare not being erected as ornaments, but that they mean what they say. ATTEND LODGE AT CI NYON A carload of Heppner Masons drove to Canyon City Sunday to attend a special session of the Can yon lodge in the afterroon. Besides enjoying an excellent dinner served by the host lodge, the visitors in spected the Joaquin Miller cabin and other interesting spots before turning their attention homeward. Included in the group were C. J. D. Bauman, Robert Wightman, Hanson Hughes, E. R. Huston and Walter Luckman. years.