Page Six
STATE
CAPITAL
NEWS
Millions for Roads
Governor Resting
Guard Uncertainty
By A. L. LINDBECK
Salem. Oregon has spent a grand
total of $281,879,722 on its state high
way system since it inaugurated a
good roads program in 1917 with a
$6,000'000 bond issue. Of this huge
sum $215,596,890 has been raised
through state sources, principally the
gasoline tax and motor vehicle li
cense fees; $49,503,255 was contribu
ted by the federal government; $15,
995,713 came from the various coun
ties; and $783,864 came from miscel
laneous sources, including railroads
for construction of grade separations.
In this connection it is interesting
to note that Oregon spent more state
money on its highway system in
1939 than it spent on all other state"
functions, not including higher edu
cation. Expenditure of state monies
on highways last year amounted to
$11,154,493 whereas only $10,606,025
was spent on all other state functions,
not including higher education. These
functions included the operation of
all state institutions as well as all
state departments, boards and com
missions. In the same year $5,625,000
was spent on higher education or
less than half the amount spent ort
state highways.
Since 1920 when only $2,211,400
was spent on state highway ex
penditures of state highway funds
ha ! e increased five-fold whereas
expenses of all other state functions,
including higher education, have not
quita doubled in the same period.
A report that Earl Fehl, former
county judge of Jackson county, had
been issued a permit to drive an
automobile while an inmate of the
state hospital brought instant denial
from Secretary of State Snell. Re
cords of the department show, Snell
explained, that Fehl applied in per
son at the Portland branch of the
state department for an operator's
license and was granted a renewal
of his permit as a matter of routine.
Last May when informed that Fehl
had been committed to the state hos
pital he immediately cancelled the
permit Snell said.
State Treasurer Pearson found it
necessary to borrow another $300,
000 on August 1 to keep the relief
fund on a cash basis. This money
which is borrowed on state liquor
certificates, is used to supplement
profits from the state's liquor mon
opoly which have been found inade
quate to meet relief needs.
Worn out by the additional de
mands upon his time by the Salem
Centennial Governor Sprague is hi
bernating this week "somewhere
along the Metolius river." Accom
panied by Mrs. Sprague the gover
nor left Monday morning for an un
announced destination in order that
he might enjoy a complete rest with
out interruption by the worries of
public office,
In addition to his official duties
the governor participated in the cen
tennial pageant each night, leading
the grand march in the inaugural
ball. He also participated in the
forum discussions during three af
ternoons of the centennial celebra
tion and Saturday night following
the pageant entertained at a ball in
the dance pavilion at the state fair
grounds.
Saturday noon Governor and Mrs.
Sprague entertained former gover
nors and their wives and widows of
former governors at a luncheon at
their home. Attending this function
were Mrs. T. T. Geer of Portland,
widow of former Governor Geer who
served the state from 1899 to 1903;
Mr. and Mrs. Oswald West, Portland
(1911-15); Ben W. Olcott, Portland
(lC:9-23); Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Nor
blad, Astoria (1929-31); Major Gen
eral and Mrs. Charles II. Martin,
Portland (1935-39).
Much uncertainty still existed as
to mobilization of the national guard
for a year of intensive training as
the Oregon troops left their home
stations Sunday for the annual sum
mer maneuvers at Camp Murray,
Heppner
Washington. Best guess in informed
circles is, however, that if Congress
passes the mobilization bill, the guard
which will return from camp on Au
gust 25 will leave again for the more
extended training about mid-Sep
tember.
Most young people who are un
employed can trace their condition
to "lack of emotional adjustment"
rather than any lack of ability,
according to Mrs. Eugene Schmitz,
who has just been added to the staff
of the state department of vocational
education as job-placement instruc
tor. It will be the function of Mrs.
Schmitz to instruct the young men
now being trained in the basic skills
essential to national defense, in the
technique of job-placement. She
will conduct classes in Salem, Eu
gene, Portland, Pendleton and other
centers in which this training is not
being carried out.
What is probably Oregon's most
ancient automobile came to light
this week when Secretary of State
Snell received a request from G. T.
Bachman of Portland 'for the trans
fer of title to a 1898 Sears automo
bile to his wife, Margaret Bachman.
The car is of such ancient make that
there is no record of its ever having
been licensed by the state's motor
vehicle department.
Revenues of the public utilities
commission have almost doubled in
the past five years according to
Commissioner Ormond R. Bean.
Cash receipts of the motor transpor
tation division alone for the month
of July reached a new high mark
of 1$23,630, bringing the cumulative
total for the first seven months of
1940 to $726,411.
Universal fingerprinting is ad
vocated by Jos. S. Murray, identifi
cation expert at the Oregon state
prison. Fingerprinting, Murray
pointed out, provides protection for
the innocent as well as a snare for
the guilty, and is the only means of
absolute identification yet devised.
Locker Plants
Seek Research Aid
The 225 cold storage locker plants
in Oregon, and the estimated 280,000
persons that they serve, are vitally
interested in having a research pro
gram carried on to leam better me
thods of storing meat in these lock
ers, three representatives of the Or
egon Locker association informed
the experiment station's committee
of the state board of higher educa
tion recently.
The delegation, consisting of C. C.
Condit of Forest Grove, L. M. Ram-
age of Salem, and E. C. Reiman of
Corvallis, pointed out that the work
of the federal government at Seattle
and of the food industries depart
ment at Oregon State have produced
adequate information on vegetable
and fruit freezing, but that much
remains to be learned about meat
storage.
These men outlined a half dozen
problems which they consider im
portant for study, such as the devel
opment of off flavors in pork fat,
regulation of temperature and hu
midity, elimination of bacteria and
moulds, the relation of feeding to
ultimate meat flavor, and control of
dehydration in ground meat.
The growth of the locker business
in Oregon and elsewhere is shown
by the fact that there are now an
estimated 70,000 individual lockers
in uee in this state, representing an
investment of $1,500,000, an operat
ing budget of $500,000 a year, and an
annual payroll of $75,000. Mac Hoke
of Pendleton, chairman of the exper
iment station committee, said the
Oregon livestock industry is vitally
interested in the success of the lock
er plants as these have universally
increased the consumption of meat
to a marked extent.
The committee promised careful
consideration of the request but urg
ed that a way be found so that the
locker industry could help finance
such research. .
ALUMINUM HEADS
Due to the reaction of aluminum
to heat and cold, aluminum cylinder
heads should always be tightened
when cold, according to the Emer
gency Road Service of the Oregon
State Motor association.
Gazette Times, Heppner,
Washington, D. C, August 8 One
of the three places in the United
States where army tanks will be as
sembled is Fort Lewis, near Olympia,
Wash. Monterey, Calif., and some
point on the Atlantic coast are the
other two places. There will be 26
battalions of tanks (assorted sizes)
and there are 36 tanks to a battalion.
The 936 tanks have been ordered
and officers are just discovering that
they have a problem.
The tanks are 10 ton, 20 ton, and
50 ton, with 75 ton tanks in contem
plation, The moving forts, for they
are exactly that, will be shipped in
parts to Olympia or Tacoma where,
on government land, they will be
assembled by mechanics. So far so
good, but here is the hitch:
Smallest of the tanks, the 10-ton-ers,
may be able to negotiate bridges,
but there is not a bridge in the Pa
cific northwest, with exception of
the railroad steel bridge in Portland,
that can stand up under the 20-ton-ers
to say nothing of the 50 ton
tanks. The tanks can be shipped in
parts to the assembling ground, but
the army will find that the 20 ton
and 50 ton tanks will never leave
the immediate vicinity of Fort Lew
is. The large tanks can negotiate
fields, of course, but they can neither
ford a river nor cross on any ex
isting highway bridge. These 20 and
50 ton babies cannot be moved by
train for they cannot clear a tunnel.
Logical solution is, of course, the
construction of military roads and
bridges which can sustain the wei
ght and pounding of the tanks, even
the 75 ton giant. Army officers have
discussed this situation with Senator
McNary, Oregon, Arizona's Hay
den and young Senator Lodge of
Massachusetts. They hope to sell
the idea of military highways to
President Roosevelt before he dis
poses of the $200,000000 which he
has to use for any sort of national
defense.
Public sentiment in the Pacific
northwest, as reflected in the mail
of senators and representatives, is
far from unanimous on the proposal
for compulsory military training.
Two important groups are opposed
to conscription, the farmers and la
bor, and they usually carry weight
with congressmen either individual
ly or collectively. Debate will be
very bitter as a number of senators
feel keenly on the subject, especial
ly those who believe in volunteers
rather than draft.
No one knows what the bill will
provide when it is finally enacted
(if it is enacted) for many changes
navy uee u mautr in cuiimuuee anai
other amendments are pending.
Among suggestions is that volunteers
for the regular army be paid $30 a
month instead of the present $21.
Sailors start at $21 and in a few
months reach $30 and some $36, but
soldiers remain at the $21 level. It
is contended, also, that soldiers are
dissatisfied when they know that
CCC enrollees are drawing $30 a
month.
There is a possibility that Presi
dent Roosevelt will visit the north
west between now and the November
election. Mr. Roosevelt states that
he will not make any campaign tours
but that he does intend inspecting
personally the national defenses
which, of course, is eminently proper
for the head of the nation to do. If
he desires to check up on defenses
on the Pacific coast he can do so
as well as his present inspection of
forts and shipyards on the Atlantic
coast and New England.
War preparations are benefiting
sheepmen and there is a market for
every pound of wool. Under the
classification of "strategic minerals"
wool is included. Because it is a
Oregon
strategic "mineral" and there is not
enough wool produced in the United
States to meet domestic require
ments, the national defense com
mission has arranged to purchase an
immense quantity of wool to build
up a stock pile, as is being done
with tin and rubber.
v
Washington Scene: Representative
Walter M. Pierce's speech on war and
the selective draft resulted in re
quests from Missouri, Arkansas and
Pennsylvania for 1,000 copies each.
Incidentally, the rats are so numer
ous and hungry in Pierce's office
that they are chewing documents
and even broke the telephone con
nection by eating the insulation on
the wires . . . Joe Martin, chairman
of the republican national commit
tee, and other big shots will fly to
Salem to participate in the notifica
tion ceremonies for Senator Charles
L. McNary, the party nominee for
vice president. To accommodate the
crowd the state fair grounds will be
used . . . Administrator Paul J. Ra
ver of Bonneville is in the national
capital asking several million dollars
more to construct transmission lines.
Power from the Columbia river
plant will be sen to the navy yard
at Bremerton, Wash., where several
destroyers are to be built . . . Sena
tor Holman will have two vacancies
to fill at West Point. Any boy wish
ing to take the civil service examina
tion October 5 may do so. Appointees
will be selected fom those receiving
the highest grades.
SPARE THE BRAKES
Brakes last longer without relin
ing if used with proper discretion,
points out the Emergency Road Ser
vice department of the Oregon State
Motor association. Effort should be
made to anticipate each stop far
enough in advance to permit slow
ing down on motor compression and
using the brakes only for the final
act of stopping. The driver who
dashes to each stop and applies the
brakes at the last moment not only
makes . passengers uncomfortable
but also causes excessive wear on
brake linings and tires.
Spark plugs that are cpated with
soft black soot usually indicate a
too rich fuel mixture, according to
the Emergency Road Service of the
Oregon State Motor asosciation.
Professional
Directory
Phelps Funeral Home
Ambulance Service
Trained Lady Assistant
Phone 1332
Heppner, Ore.
NEW AUTO POLICY
Bodily Injury & Property Damage
Class A $13.60 Class B $17.00
See us before financing your
next automobile.
F. W. TURNER & CO.
Heppner City Council
Meets First Monday Each Month
Citizens having matters for dis
cussion, please bring before
the Council.
G. A. BLEAKMAN, Mayor.
GLENN Y. WELLS
ATTORNEY AT LAW
ATwater 4884
635 MEAD BUILDING
6th at Washington
PORTLAND, OREGON
A. D. McMurdo, M. D.
PHYSICIAN & SURGEON
Trained Nurse Assistant
Office in Masonic Building
Heppner, Oregon
Morrow County
Abstract & Title Co.
INC.
ABSTRACTS OF TITLE
TITLE INSURANCE
Office in New Feters Building
Thursday, August 8, 1940
J. 0. Turner
ATTORNEY AT LAW
Phone 173
Hotel Heppner Building
HEPPNER, ORE.
Dr. Raymond Rice
PHYSICIAN & SURGEON
Office
First National Bank Building
Office Phone 523 House Phone 823
Heppner
Abstract Co.
J. LOGTE RICHARDSON, Mgr.
RATES SEASONABLE
Roberts Building Heppner, 0e.
P. W. Mahoney
ATTORNEY AT LAW
GENERAL INSURANCE
Heppner Hotel Building
Willow St. Entrance
J. 0. Peterson
Latest Jewelry and Gift Goods
Watches - Clocks - Diamonds
Expert Watch and Jewelry
Repairing
Heppner, Oregon
Vawter Parker
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW
First National Bank Building
Dr. Richard C. Lawrence
DENTIST
X-Ray and Extraction by Gan
First National Bank Bldg.
Phone 562 Heppner, Oregon
Dr. L. D. Tibbies
OSTEOPATHIC
Physician ft Surgeon
FIRST NATIONAL BANK BLDG.
Rec. Phone 1162 Office Phone 492
HEPPNER, OREGON
Jos. J. Nys
ATTORNEY AT LAW
Peters Building, Willow Street
Heppnor, Oregon
V. R. Runnion
AUCTIONEER
Farm Sales and Livestock a Specialty
405 Jones Street, Heppner, Ore.
Phone 462
MAKE DATES AT MY EXPENSE
rank C. Alfred
ATTORNEY AT LAW
Telephone 442
Rooms 3-4
First National Bank Building
HEPPNER. OREGON
Peterson r Peterson
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
U. S. National Bank Building
PENDLETON. OREGON
Practice in State and Federal Courts
Real Estate
General Line of Insurance and
Bonds
W. M. EUBANKS
Notary Fnbllo
Phone 62 lone. Ore.
M. L. CASE G. E. NIKANDER
Directors of
Funerals
8G2 Phones 2G2