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OREGON HISTORICAL
PUBLIC AUDITOR
' H M 4
Vlu 7' Number 44 Hewn Jmrsday January 2, 1941 . Subscription $2.00 a Year
AAA Organization
In County All Set
For Coming Year
Baker Retained as
Chairman; Steen
Addresses Meeting
Delegates to the county conven
tion at Heppner, December 21, from
each community in Morrow county
re-elected Henry Baker of lone, R.
B. Rice of Lexington and Oscar Pet
erson of lone as chairman, vice
chairman and regular memer of the
county AAA committee to adminis
ter the national farm program in the
county for 1941. R. A. Thompson of
Heppner, and Paul Smith of Board
man were elected as alternate mem
bers. Delegates to the county conven
tion were elected, at community
meetings Thursday and Friday, the
19th and 20th.
Will Steen, chairman of the state
AAA committee, was the main
speaker at a combined meeting of
the seven wheat growing commun
ities of Morrow county held at
Heppner December 19. The import
ance of the farm program in pro
viding the farmers with a price for
their produce nearer parity than it
would otherwise be was brought out
by Mr. Steen. Steen pointed out that
with the farm program, the farm
ers of Morrow county are receiving
approximately 61 cents for their
wheat at the present time; whereas,
without the program they would
probably be receiving less than 26
cents. The more than one hundred
that attended the meeting were in
formed that the export market for
wheat from the northwest is sure
to be small for several years. At
present, indications for marketing
and consumption in the United
States should continue to improve
for at least the next two years. Pre
sent indications are that we will
have the world's largest supply of
wheat in history in 1941. Approx
imately 560 million bushels were
produced in Canada in 1940 with the
consumption of that country at less
than 125 million bushels. Most of
the remaining amount is having to
be carried over and due to the lack
of storage facilities most of this is
being stored on the' farms without
cover.
Steen also emphasized the import
ance of the farmers becoming in
formed of the marketing quota act.
The act is specific that, whenever
it appears that the total supply of
wheat available during the next
marketing year will exceed a nor
mal year's domestic consumption
and exports by more than 35 per
cent, the secretary of agriculture is
obliged, not later than May 15, to
declare a wheat marketing quota
program in operation.
After a wheat quota is proclaimed,
however, and not later than the fol
lowing June 10, a referendum must
be held in which all farmers subject
to quotas are eligible to vote.
The quota becomes effective only
if two-thirds or more of the pro
ducers voting are in favor of its
use. The wheat quota provisions ap
ply to all farms except those on
which the normal production of the
current wheat acreage is less than
200 bushels.
Results of the community commit
tee elections held December 19, for
the 1941 AAA program were as fol
lows: Alpine community, Frank Sal
ing, chairman, Alex Lindsey, vice-
SOCIETY
pr CI
County Pomona Meets
At. Bone Saturday
Morrow County Pomona grange
will meet at lone on Saturday, Jan.
4.The lecturer, prcr?ro .j which , is
open to the public will open at 1:30
p. m. Chas. W. Smith -of Corvallis,
formerly county agent of Morrow
county, will be the speaker on the
program.
Iena grange will furnish a duet
by the Finch girls. Willows grange
will provide reading numbers and
instrumental music by Marjorie Ba
ker, and vocal solo by Donald Hel
iker. Clifford Conrad, county ag
ent will give a talk on agriculture.
There will also be numbers by the
other granges. Officers will be in
stalled after the program and in
itiation in the fifth degree will be
conferred by Lexington grange in
the evening.
HAND BADLY INJURED
Ralph Justus went to Portland the
end of the week for treatment at
U. S. Veterans hosital for injury
to one hand, received when the
member was struck by a post mallet
in the hands of a helper while mak
ing fence at the ranch. Bones of
the fingers were badly crushed and
amputation of one or more fingers
was feared to be necessary to dress
the injury.
Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Warren of Dry
fork were visitors in the city today.
chairman, Charles Bartholomew;
Boardman, Paul Smith, chairman,
Walter Lay, vice-chairman, A. E.
McFarland; Eightmile, Henry Peter
son, chairman, Ivar E. Nelson, vice
chairman, John Bergstrom; lone,
Chas. McElligott, chairman, Louis C.
Bergevin, vice-chairman, Lee Beek
ner; Irrigon, Frank Brace, chairman,
Jack White, vice-chairman, Pat
Huntting; Lexington, Laurence Pal
mer, chairman, Clyde Denney, vice
chairman, Terrel Benge; Morgan,
Henry Gorger, chairman, Henry
Smouse, vice-chairman, Victor Riet
mann; North Heppner, H. L. Duvall,
chairman, Sam Turner, vice-chairman,
Oral Scott; South Heppner
Hardman, Frank E. Parker, chair
man, C. N. Jones; vice-chairman,
Earl Blake. These men will assist
in the administration of the pro
gram in their respective communi
ties from January 1, 1941 to Janu
ary 1, 1942.
Joe L. Wilkins Dies
At Areata, Calif.
With accompaning note dated Dec.
30, the following notice of the death
of J L. Wilkir.s as printed in the
Eureka, Cal., paper, was received
from Cres Maddock, brother-in-law,
who attended the funeral services.
Mr. Wilkins, for seeral years mana
ger of the old Palace hotel in Hepp
ner, is remembered as one of the
outstanding boosters of all time that
this city had.
"Funeral services were held this
afternoon at 2:30 o'clock in the
Pierce chapel for Joe Lawrence Wil
kins, 60 years old and proprietor of
the Wilkins Motor inn at Areata,
who died Saturday night at his
home after a long period - of ill
health. Rev. C. P. Hessel of Areata
officiated and, rites were under aus
pices of Eureka lodge of Elks. Bur
ial was in Sunset Memorial park.
"Pallearers were A. J. Gosselin,
William J. McMillan, Glenn Tim
mons, Fred Cabral, A. A. Ross, M.
J. Bums.
"Wilkins was employed by the
Hammond company at Astoria, Ore
gon, and for 16 years was in charge
of the commissary for the Hammond
Redwood company at Samoa. For
the last four years he owned a motor
court in Areata. He was a member
of Eureka lodge of Elks in which
he formerly took an active interest
and was active in democratic polit
ical affairs in the county. He was
born in Corvallis, Oregon.
"Surviving are his wife, Gussie C,
living in Areata; son, Lawrence Wil
kins of Reno; daughter, Frances Wil
kins of San Francisco; sisters, Mrs.
George Woodbury, Mrs. Amy Went
worth, and Mrs. Opal Warner, all of
Portland; brothers, M. O. Wilkins of
Portland, Roy Wilkins of Chicago,
Floyd and Miledge Wilkins of Seat
tle; an aunt, Mrs. Sarah E. Moore
of Portland, Oregon; grandchildren,
Kirby and Carol Wilkins; several
nieces and nephews."
SECOND STROKE SUFFERED
Clyde Wright was the victim of an
apoplectic stroke at his home on
Rhea creek yesterday, it is reported.
Mr. Wright had not fully recovered
from a first stroke sustained several
years ago.
Mrs. Rhea Luper and son Fred ar
ived from Portland in time for
Christmas with Mr. Luper here.
Edward N. Gonty
Succumbs to Illness
Edward Nicholas Gonty, 51, died
at his home in this city about 2
o'clock Monday morning following
a severe illness complicated by in
fluenza and pneumonia. He had been
bedfast for several days. A long
time shoe merchant in this city, his
memory will be honored at last rites
from Masonic hall tomorrow after
noon, at 2:30 o'clock, with Heppner
lodge 69, A. F. & A. Masons, officiat
ing. Interment will follow in Mt
Calvary cemetery in Portland.
Native of Belgium where he was
born in 1889, Mr. Gonty was aged
51 years, 4 months and 1 day at
death. He came to the United States
when 14 years of age, in 1903, and
a few years later the family located
in Heppner, where as young men
Mr. Gonty and his brother Edmund
started the thoe store than Mr. Gon
ty continued to operate for 30 years,
before retiring two years ago and
leaving his son, Edmund, in charge.
Throughout his business career, Mr.
Gonty was known for his integrity
and craftsmanship, in the application
of which he kept informed on latest
methods and installed modern labor
saving machinery. His application
of business acumen resulted in ac
quiring considerable residential pro
perty in addition to the shoe busi
ness. For the last several years Mr.
Gonty had been a member of the
local Masonic lodge.
He leaves to mourn his loss the
sons, Edmund and Thomas of Hepp
ner, and brother Enmund of Port
land. Hermiston Plays
Mustangs Saturday
The Heppner high school basket
ball squad will return to action here
Saturday night against the strong
Hermiston team. The team has had
a long lay-off due to illness and
the vacation but have been working
out all this week and are fast re
turning to condition. All members
are working out again but some are
still off form due to recent illness.
Hermiston always has a strong
squad. It has been six years since
Heppner has won a game from them
and the boys are working hard to
try to upset the Bulldogs for a
change.
The second teams will start pro
ceedings at 7 o'clock.
County Joins
In Last Rites for
Old Man 1940
Black Year in World
Kind Here; Fair
Business Year Seen
Old Man 1940, both famous, and
infamous for his accomnlishments
the world over, was tucked iinally
into his grave at midnight Tuesday.
Morrow county joined in his final
rites and added to the din honoring
arrival of Young Mr. 1941 in the
us-ial customs of which the ball at
the Elks hall in Heppner was the
outstanding event.
College students who had not yet
started the return trek to their stud
ies joined with folk from all over
the county at the Elks event, where,
at the crucial hour bright colored
paper caps and a variety of noise
makers assisted the crowd in evi
dencing the hope for brighter days
that a new year always brings.
Far-flung ramifications of his in
famy that touched lives the world
over and affected the destiny of civ
ilization itself lay in the turn taken
by the European war in 1940, when
Germany declared total war on
Great Britain and promised com
plete destruction of the British em
pire. Thus did 1940 write one of the
blackest pages in the history of hu
mankind. A ramification of that infamy lay
in the institution in the United
States of the first great peace-time
conscription of young men to build
a great army for national defense.
It led, too, to the precedent-breaking
election of a president for a
third term.
In Morrow county the 1940 de
fense program was brought closest
to home by announced intention of
the government to locate a practice
air bomrjing field in the north end
of the county. It brought also the
establishment of a large ammuni
tion dump at the county's north
eastern border. The bombing field
has not yet materialized, but pros
pects are good for its development
in 1941.
Though a short wheat crop was
harvested in Morrow county in
1940, economic conditions were gen
erally fair. Wool and lamb prices
were the highest in several years,
and availability of government loan
money was responsible for the build
ing of a number of new homes.
Heppner saw the erection of two
business buildings on Main street,
the latest to be completed housing
the new postoff ice that was so wel
comely received by the community.
Record of the old year shows the
county to have been free from dis
asters of a major nature. A number
of her loved citizens were taken
from the ranks, and there arrived
other future citizens to take their
first peep at the world.
In the business world, 1940 saw
institution of the enlarged Morrow
County Grain Growers Co-op, and
arrival of the Columbia Basin Elec
tric Co-op with its proposad to sup
ply Morrow county farms with REA
juice from Bonneville as two ma
jor developments.
IS FIRST NEW YEAR BABY
A 12 V2 pound baby girl, born to
Mr. and Mrs. A. P. Coleman of Mor
gan at the Corda Saling home in this
city at 9 o'clock p. m., Wednesday,
January 1, is the first baby to ar
rie in Morrow county in 1941.