i c o r I ETY
OREGON HISTORIC
PUBLIC AUi
p o h T ' " '
Volume 57, Number 51
Committees Report
Farm Economic
Conference Findings
Marketing, Loss of
Soil Fertility Given
As Vital Factors
Reports of the Morrow County
Agricultural Outlook conference
sub-committees on crops, livestock,
land use, and farm home and rural
life were approved with few amend
ments Wednesday at a joint meeting
of all conference committees in the
court house.
The outlook for the marketing of
agricultural produce and the effect
of the war upon agriculture and the
conditions following the war were
discussed at a joint meeting of all
conference committees February 6
and the information obtained at that
meeting was used by the sub-committees
in drawing up their reports.
The loss of bur export market for
farm produce and the drop in farm
prices which is sure to come follow
ing the present war affected quite
materially the recommendations of
the committees.
The committees in making their
recommendations, considered the
immediate need for agriculture's
contribution to preparedness while
at the same time the need for con
serving their most valuable natural
resource, the soil, and being pre
pared for the eventual drop in farm
prices following the war.
E. R. Jackman, extension special
ist in farm crops, attended the con
ference meeting and assisted with
current information on world agri
culture conditions. Jackman told, the
group that agriculture is facing two
very important problems, marketing
and the loss of soil fertility. He
stated that probably the most im
portant of the two was the loss of
our soil and soil fertility as that
problem will be with us from now
on and will increase in seriousness
as it progresses and cited as an ex
ample the vast eroded areas in Chi
na today which has lowered the
standards of living of the Chinese
people to a very low point Jack
man stated that the problem of mar
keting agricultural produce is a very
serious problem at the present time
and that if a sound marketing pro
gram is not developed it will mean
financial ruin to some farmers but
that this problem will probably work
itself out in the course of time.
Earl Thompson, farmer fieldman
for the AAA, attended the meeting
of all community AAA committee
men in the forenoon and following
the conference meeting discussed
with the group for a short while the
way in which the AAA farm pro
gram is set up for helping the farm
ers carry out the recommendations
made by the conference committees.
Thompson discussed the marketing
and fertility problems and went fur
ther in discussing the problem of
disparity between the farm prices
and industrial prices and the prob
lem the farmers have in what he
called entrenchment or "digging in,"
and working a little harder to meet
the problems they are faced with.
C. D. Conrad, county agent, states
that immediate steps will be taken
to take the information and recom
mendations from the outlook con
ference to all of the people in the
county through community meet
ings, grange meetings, and meetings
of all other organizations.
Reports and recommendations of
each of the sub-committees on crops,
livestock, land use, and farm home
and rural life will apear in later is
sues of this paper.
Mrs. Leo Gorger, who underwent
a major operation in Portland last
Saturday, is reported to be making
favorable progress. Mr. Gorger made
the report when in the city today
from the north Lexington farm.
Heppner,
Quota Referendum
Talked by AAA Group
Wheat quotas, farm plan and esti
mate sheets, and the 1941 AAA farm
program were discussed at a meet
ing of all Morrow county committee
men at the court house Wedneday
forenoon.
Earl Thompson, farmer fieldman
for the Eastern Oregon district, dis
cussed the farm quotas and inform
ed, the group that the United States
supply of wheat is a good deal more
than what is necessary under the
national farm act to require the sec
retary of agriculture to proclaim
marketing quotas.
The Agricultural Adjustment act
of 1938 provides in part that a mar
keting quota shall be proclaimed
whenever it shall appear that the
total supply of wheat will exceed a
normal year's domestic consumption
and exports by more than 35 per
cent. This proclamation must not be
made later than May 15, and a ref
erendum of wheat growers must be
held between the date of proclama
tion and June 10.
The tentative date for voting on
wheat quotas is now May 31 and if
when the vote is taken more than
one-third of the farmers voting op
pose the quota, no marketing quota
shall be in effect and no loans can
be made on wheat during the mar
keting year, beginning July 1, 1941.
Any farmer producing, directly or
indirectly, 200 bushels or more of
wheat is entitled to vote in the ref
erendum. The most important change in the
;,1941 agricultural program is the
combining of the farm and range al
lowances making it possible for the
operator to use his combined allow
ances in carrying out conservation
practices on his farm or range or
both.
All farm plan and' estimate sheets
must be signed before May 1, how
ever, in cases where range operators
are planning to defer the grazing
on some of their range, their estim
ate sheets will need to be signed be-?
fore the deferred grazing period
starts. Dates for the deferred graz
ing periods have not been announc
ed for Morrow county but will prob
ably be the same as for 1940, which
period started March 1 for the lower
elevation and April 1 for the higher
elevations.
Announcement of the time and
place of the various committees to
sign their estimate sheets will be
made by the county agent's office
soon.
ASSESSORS FETED
Eastern Oregon assessors who met
in conference here last Friday were
dined at the Episcopal parish house
that evening and entertained with
a special program. J. O. Turner was
speaker of the evening, giving an
address on "Americanism." Mrs. D.
W. Glasgow gave a reading, Mrs. I
Tom Wells played a violin solo ac-j
companied by Mrs. J. O. Turner,
Eddie Kenny sang two solos and
Edgar Parker showed movies of the
Diamond lake country. Arthur Se
lander and Howard Caulker from
the state tax commission office,
spoke at the afternoon business ses
sion. SCOUT WORK BACKED
Heppner Lions took steps to fur
ther the work of the local Boy Scout
troop following presentation of prob
lems by Martin V. Clark, scoutmas
ter, and Donald E. Woelfer, execu
tive committee chairman, at the club
luncheon at Lucas Place Monday
noon. Plans are being laid for the
annual parent-sons banquet in the
near future, and effort extended to
assist each scout in obtaining his
uniform. Mr. Clark reported six
teen scouts active at present
F. F. Wehmeyer, local forest ran
ger, departed Monday for Los An
gele, near which place he expected
to visit his father while taking a
two -weeks vacation.
Judge Carl Hendricks of Fossil
spent Monday in Heppner, substi
tuting for Judge C. L. Sweek in a
case being tried in circuit court.
Oregon, Thursday, February
Chamber Seeks
Munitions Factory
For North End
Timber Protection,
School Move Backed
By Business Group
Establishment of the new ammun
ition plant which Uncle Sam pro-
poses to make some place in eastern
Oregon would be made near Board
man in this county under a reso
lution adopted by the chamber of
commerce at its meeting Tuesday
evening. Discussion led the cham
ber members present to see no rea
son why a site could not be obtained
in this viinity as reasonably as it
could any place, with fulfillment of
all requirements in regard to water
and transportation. Dr. A. D. Mc
Murdo, Hanson Hughes and L. E.
Dick were named by President B. C.
Pinckney as a committee to work
out details of the plan and present
the same to the proper governmen
tal authorities. It was said estab
lishment of the plant would carry
with it a population increase of
some 15,000 people.
Saving the benefits of Morrow
county's timbered . region for Mor
row county was the object of an
other resolution left in the hands
of P. W. Mahoney, J. Logie Rich
ardson and J. V. Crawford for pre
paration and presentation to proper
authorities in Washington, D. C. This
resolution, endorsed by the chamber,
would ask that forest service tim
ber located in Morrow county be
sold only to mills operating within
Morrow county. It was pointed out
that Morrow county has several saw-
mills that could cut such timber
j economically and are willing to do
so under government regulation, but
that threat is made of mills situated
outside the county getting to cut it.
The resolution will be presented to
heads of the forest service in the
national capital as. well as to con
gressmen from the district.
On presentation of the school con
solidation plan by Mrs. Lucy E.
Rodgers, county superintendent, the
club voted to stand behind plan as
proposed by the redistricting com
mittee which has been approved by
the state department of education.
It was the belief of the chamber
members that while taxes in some
instances might be increased, the ul
timate result of such district con
solidation would be a general lower
ing of the cost of education and a
more widespread availability of
equal educational opportunity for
children in all parts of the county.
It was distinctly emphasized by
the speaker that in no case would
any district going into a consolida
tion assume any of the outstanding
indebtedness of any other district at
the time of consolidation.
ENTERS AIR SERVICE
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Bergevin, in
the city Monday from the lone sec
tion, had just returned from Van
couver, Wash., where they saw their
son Denward go through final ex
amination for entrance into the ar
my air corps. Shortly after return
ing home they received word that
Denward had been inducted and
was on his way to Alexander Han
cock field at Santa Maria, Cal.,
where he will receive instruction as
a pilot.
BOWLERS EXCHANGE MATCHES
Fifteen Walla Walla bowlers will
appear at the local alleys next Sun
day afternoon in an exchange match
with local bowlers who journeyed
to the Washington city last Sunday.
Walla Walla came out on top in all
rounds of the three-team tourney
there last Sunday, and the local men
are determined to even the score.
The fifteen high men at the local
alleys this week are being matched
against the visitors, says Henry
Happold, local promoter.
20, 1941
Emergency Loans
Available to Farmers
Emergency crop and feed loan ap
plications for 1941 are now available
to farmers in Morrow county, and
applications for these loans are now
being received at Heppner by the
county agent's office.
These loans will be made, as in
the past, only to farmers whose cash
requirements are small and who
cannot obtain a loan from any other
source, including . production credit
associations, banks, or private con
cerns or individuals.
Loans may be obtained for the
ournose or buvinff seed, eas and 1
oil for tractors, feed for work stock,
summerfallowing, payment of water
charges, feed for livestock or pro
duction of feed for livestock, buying
(fertilizer, spraying, pruning and
taking care of fruit and vegetables
and for many other purposes inci
dental to farming.
Borrowers who obtain loans for
the production of cash crops are
required to give as security a first
hen on the crop financed or, in the
case of loans for purchase or pro
duction of feed for livestock, a first
lien on the livestock to be fed.
SOCIETY CHIT-CHAT
By JUNE SMITH
Members of, the Elks lodge and
their ladies always look forward
with pleasure to the annual party
held on Washington's birthday. The I
committee in charge this year, com
posed of Ray Ferguson, chairman,
Harry Tamblyn and Phil Mahoney,
is working toward a good time for
all attending.
A dessert bridge party for the
ladies is to be held at the Lucas
Place Saturday afternoon at 2:30,
while the men are having initiation
and a buffet luncheon at the club.
A dance in the evening will be held,
with music provided by Kanouse's
band from Condon.
Mrs. A. D. McMurdo entertained
the T & C club this afternoon at
her home.
Mrs. W. P. Mahoney will be hos
tess to her bridge club tomorrow
evening at the Lucas Place.
Mrs. Harold Cohn is having What's
Trumps club at her home this eve
ning. Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Crawford,
Miss Louise Anderson and Norton
King drove to Pendleton Sunday.
News has been received of the
birth of a baby girl to Mr. and Mrs.
Le Grand Guild, February 12. She
has been named Mary Lee.
Mrs. Lela McDougal and two
daughters of Pasco were week-end
guests at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
J. J. Nys.
J. L. Cochran of Monument, bro
ther of Mrs. Anna Bayless and Mrs.
Frank Turner, entered the Heppner
hospital Sunday for treatment.
The officers' club of the Eastern
Star met Monday afternoon at the
home of Mrs. Anna Bayless, with
nine present
Twenty-one members were pre
sent at the meeting of the Episcopal
Auxiliary last Thursday, at which
Mrs. Frank Wilkinson and Mrs. An
na Bayless were hostesses.
Mrs. Charles Cox left Wednesday
for Arlington where she attended a
meeting of the Legion Auxiliary.!
tone then went to Portland, where
she planned to stay for several days.
Everyone is invited and welcome
to come to the Pancake luncheon
to be held next Tuesday at the Par
ish house by the Episcopal Auxil
iary. Mrs. L. E. Dick is chairman of
the event, with Mrs. W. H. Cleve
land and Mrs. L. E. Bisbee assisting.
Cards will be played in the after
noon following the luncheon.
Additional 'Chit-Chat' on Page 8
Subscription $2.00 a Year
County to Contest
Price Offered For
Bombing Field Site
No Appearance to
Be Made to Oppose
U. S. Acquisition
Morrow county has been served
with notice of condemnation pro
ceedings on land to be used for
the government ammunition dump in
the vicinity of Hermiston, and pub
lic announcement has been made of
further condemnation of county
owned land which the government
desires for use as a bombing field
in the north end. In both instances
the county will ask more than the
price offered, says Judge Bert John
son, though no appearance will be
made to contest the government ac
quisition for the purposes intended.
Coincidental with the suit filed
against Morrow county for the bom- ,
bing field site are a number of other
suits against individual owners, of
whom Hynd Brothers with 4715 ac
res is one of the major owners.
The government appraisal figure
placed value of this land at $9852.
A total of $63,858 was reported to
have been deposited with George H.
Marsh, clerk of the U. S. district
court, for acquisition of the entire
bombing field site, including 37,483
acres of land.
Land in the name of Morrow
county coming under the ammuni
tion dump site action totals 3750 ac
res, for which $1.25 an acre, or a to
tal of $4700 is offered.
Morrow county will counter with
an asked price of $2.50 an acre on
both the bombing field and ammuni
tion dump sites, said Judge John
son. This price 'was not only con
sidered fair to compensate the coun
ty in part for loss of taxable value
(there has been a demand for pur
chase by private parties), but also to
protect private owners, who in some
instances paid several times the am
ount in original purchase price for
land they now hold.
In assuming the position of con
testing the price offered by the gov
ernment, Judge Johnson said there
was no intent on the part of the
county court to in any way hold up
progress of the government's pro
gram of national defense. The court
considers it their duty, however, to
protect the county's interest so far
as possible, and is determined to do
so. They believe their brief wilt
thoroughly set forth their position
and convince the government auth
orities that the county's claim for
more compensation is just.
By not appearing against the suit
for acquisition proper, the county
court feels that it will in no way
impede the progress of development
of the sites in question, as preced
ence has established the fact that
settlement is often made in such
cases after the development is com
pleted. The suits entered by United States
Attorney Carl C. Donaugh and As
sistant United States Attorney Ma
son Dillard provides for the gov
ernment taking immediate posses
sion of the lands in question, and
definitely establishes the govern
ment's intention of establishing a
bombing field in the north end of
Morrow county, which has been de
bated for the last year.
Morrow county's share of the
bombing field site was given at 23,
129 acres with an estimated value
of $33,198.
No papers had yet been served
on the county for acquisition of the
bombing field, said Judge Johnson,
though official service had been
made on the ammunition dump land.
Lexington grange anounces a so
cial for Saturday evning, Feb. 22,
in honor of Washington's birthday.
All grangers are extended a special
invitation to attend. The affair starts
at 8 o'clock. '