Page Six Heppner Gazette Times, Heppner, Oregon Thursday, January 22, 1942 STATE CAPITAL NEWS Next Move Wives' Skirts 0 Valuation Rise By A. L. LINDBECK Salem. The next move in the controversy over the cigarette tax is now up to the state supreme court. That tribunal has taken original jurisdiction in a mandamus suit brought by the State Retail Grocers association in an effort to compel Secretary of State Snell to restore the referendum against the tax act to the November ballot. Arguments in. this suit will be heard by the court Friday (January 23) and be cause of the importance of the case an early opinion is expected. In the meantime the state tax commission which started to en force collection of the tax on cig arettes on January 8 is continuing with this program with revenues from this source rolling in at the rate of more than $1000 a day. Should the court grant the writ of madam us as petitioned for by the Retail Grocers is it expected that collecion of the tax will be halted immediately at least until the voters pass judgment upon the legislative act next November. In this connection the question has been raised as to what will be done with the taxes collected in the event the voters reject the act assuming they get a chance at it. Some auth orities argue that it would then be up to the state to refund the taxes paid. But this again raises the ques tion as to whom he taxes would be refunded. While the state holds the cigarette tax dealers responsible for payment of the tax these dealers act only as collection agencies for the state, passing the tax on to the con sumer in the form of an increase in the price of cigarettes. Therefore they can hardly be said to be en titled to a refund of a tax which they have not paid. In all fairness any refund that might be made in any such a situation should be made to the people who pay the tax the smokers, but inasmuch as their num ber will run into the thousands with no record of their purchases and tax payments the impracticability of any such a program is at once apparent. Men of military age are no longer to be allowed to hide behind their wives' skirts in their efforts to dodge the draft. New draft regula tions just received by Lt. Col. Elmer V. Wooten, state director of select ive service, show that men who mar ried after the United States declar ed war on Japan on December 8 are not eligible to deferment. Further more men who married since the selective service act became effect ive on September 16, 1940, must prove that they did not take a wife in order to evade the draft in order to gain deferment. Neither will mar ried men of military age whose wives are employed be eligible to deferred classification under the new regulations, which are expected to make thousands of men heretofore listed in class 3 available for imme diate induction into the army. The board of control has approv ed the plans for the new medical center and treatment dormitory at the state hospital in Salem. Imme diate construction of the building, however, is now up to the contract ors. If the building can be con structed within the cost limits set by the legislative appropriation of $325,000 the board is ready to go ahead with the job. Otherwise it will probably have to wait until labor and material costs return to normal unless the next legislature is willing to increase the appropria tion. The building, a two- and three story fire-proof structure will serve as the medical center for the entire institution which now houses more than 2500 inmates. In addition it will provide dormitory space for 50 addi tional beds. Women and children must be pre pared to volunteer for service in the harvest fields of Oregon this year to take the places left vacant by men entering the military service and the defense industries Gover nor Sprague told a conference of agriculturists here last week. Plans were made at the conference for a house-to-house canvass of the state f-JWlH! Illl Itlil 1116 J t Wlfc W0UT ttOtoMY ijj ij SNr 4P JOHN DEERE 7MdW IP JOHN DEERE You're in for the surprise of your life when you see and drive the John Deere Model "H" the sensational new small tractor that handles two-row equipment and completely replaces animal power on small and large farms every where, cutting costs 'way below their former level, and making farming more profitable. And when you learn the price, you'll wonder how John Deere can give you so much in a tractor that sells for so little. In addition, the Model "H" not only burns low cost fuel but it uses only 13 to 12 as much fuel on the many jobs within its power range, as would larger tractors handling the same load. Come in, see it, and get "the surprise of your life." BRADEN-BELL TRACTOR & EQUIPMENT CO. to enroll 300,000 women for farm work, the survey to begin February 16. For the first time in many years the assessed valuation of property in Oregon is again on the upgrade. Valuations on the 1941 roll show an increase of approximately six per cent over those of 1940, according to a summary just released by the state tax commission. This summary shows the assessed value of all property in Oregon on the 1941 roll to ba $900,944,739.66 compared to $896,787,005.95 in 1940. The valuation of property assess ed by county assessors increased irom $736,802,585.50 in 1940 to $792, 083,486.50 in 1941 while that of public utility property assessed by the state tax commission increased from $159,984,420.45 to $168,861,253.16. While the valuation of tillable and timber lands for tax purposes show sharp decreases valuation of all oth er classes of property show in creases. Plans for securing more federal funds for public lands counties were considered at a conference in Salem this week attended by delegates from most of the western states. The conference gave its endorsement to a bill introduced by Senator Mc Nary whicii provides for the pay ment of two percent of the fair val ue of public lands in lieu of taxes that would be paid for these lands if in private ownership. Ebployer contributions to the un employment insurance fund in 1941 were 27 percent greater than for 1940 while at the same time benefit payments to jobless workers were reduced by 39 percent. As a result the unemployment compensation trust fund increased during the year by $6,322,229 to reach a total of $16,378,561 at the close of the year. There are plenty of certified tea chers in Oregon, according to Rex Putnam, state superintendent of public instruction, but so many of them are being attracted to defense jobs and other positions offering high pay that public education in this state is facing a serious situa tion. If the schools are to hold com petent teachers, Putnam points out, salaries must be increased to some where near a parity with those paid in other lines of employment. The reputation of Oregon's civil ian defense program has penetrated to the far corners of the nation. This week two high placed Nebraska state officials came to Salem to confer with Jerrold Owen, state defense di rector, about the civilian defense organization. Walter F. Roberts, Nebraska's civilian defense coordin ator, told Owen that he had been informed that Oregon led the nation in its preparedness for protection of the civilian population in the event of an attack. Receipts of the World War Vet erans State Aid commission for 1941 totalling $2,660,060 were the largest in the commission's history and $265,000 above the receipts for 1940. There were approximately 1500 fewer horses on Oregon farms in 1941 than in 1940, .according to re ports submitted to the state tax com mission by county assessors. The state's swine population was also down but the number of cattle and sheep was substantially increased. BETTER FEEDING PAYS On the average farm approxim ately 50 per cent of the total cost of producing milk or butterfat is feed cost, according to the authors of a new bulletin on "Feeding for Milk Production," issued recently at Ore gon State college. Under present conditions, when dairy product pri ces are relatively high, more seed can be used economically in many cases, however. Early preparation for providing an abundance of pas ture and other succulent feeds this season to supplement hay and grain will insure both maximum produc tion and maximum profits. IS CAMPUS PHOTOGRAPHER University of Oregon, Eugene, Jan. 21. Don Jones, Heppner, a student in journalism at University of Ore gon, has recently been appointed the nhoto editor of the Oreeon Daily Emerald, student publication. This announcement was made by Helen Aneell. editor in chief, follow ing an Emerald staff meeting at the beginning of the new term. Rubber Yielding Plants Will be Tested By State College Promising rubber-producing plants that might possibly be adapted for growing in Oregon will be tested here as soon as they are available, says G. R. Hyslop, head of the plant industries division at Oregon State college. Professor Hyslop recently returned from Washington, D. C, where he conferred with federal of ficials on this subject. Interest in such plants was in creased recently with announcement by the National Farm Chemurgic council that a form of dandelion known as Kok-sagyz is grown in Russia as a source of rubber. The suggestion was made that this plant could be grown in the midwest and possibly here on the coast. As this announcement came while Professor Hyslop was in Washing ton, he immediately conferred with Senator Charles L. McNary, who is much interested in a new source of rubber. A conference was held with officials in charge of rubber plant investigations in the bureau of plant industry where it was learned that this partcular dandelion plant while considered of economic importance under Russian conditions, would hardly be suitable here. Reports obtained by these spe cialists show that the plant yields only 30 to 50 pounds an acre of rubber rather than the much higher ' yield suggested in the press releases recently issued Guayule a subber bearing plant grown now in south western United States, is considered much more practical for use in this country than the dandelion plant, Piofessor Hyslop learned Here in Oregon an arrangement has been made to have certain milky juice plants that grow readily here assayed for their rubber content as soon as plants are available At cer tain stages in the lives of these plants the rubber content is rather low but as maturity is approached some of these shorter-lived plants show an increase in rubber content that may be of economic import ance, says Professor Hyslop. A num ber of new milky juice annuals and perennials will be sent here for testing MORROW STUDENTS AT E.O.C.E. Eastern Oregon College of Edu cation, La Grande, January 21. From Morrow county Ralph Skoubo of Boardman is a new student en rolled at the Eastern Oregon Col lege of Education in La Grande, in addition to the five returning stu dents from Morrow county. Return ing students are Helen Lindsay, lone, daughter of James Lindsay; Willard Jones, Irrigon, son of R. V. Jones; and Roy Partlow, Boardman, son of Paul Partlow; Ted Wilson, Board man, son of Pat Wilson, La Grande; and Kathryn Parker, Heppner, daughter of Frank S. Parker. Professional Directory Phelps Funeral Home Licensed Funeral Directors 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. J. O. TURNER, Mayor GLENN Y. WELLS ATTORNEY AT LAW ATwater 4884 536 MEAD BUILDING 6th at Washington PORTLAND. OREGON J. 0. Turner ATTORNEY AT LAW Phone 173 Hotel Heppner Building HEPPNER. ORE. A. D. McMurdo, M. D. PHYSICIAN & SURGEON Trained Nurse Agalatant Office In 'Masonic Building Heppner. Oregon Heppner Abstract Co. .1 LOG IE RICHARDSON, Mgr. BATES SEASONABLE Roberts Building Heppner, Os P. W. Mahoney ATTORNEY AT LAW GENERAL LNSUBANCE Heppner Hotel Building Willow St. Entrance J. 0. Peterson Latest Jewelry and Gift Good 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 Gas First National Bank Bldg Phone 562 Heppner, Oregon Dr. L. D. Tibbies OSTEOPATHIC Phyaician A Surf son FIRST NATIONAL BANK BLDU. Rec. Phone 1162 Office Phone 492 HEPPNER. OREGON Jos. J. Nys ATTORNEY AT LAW Peters Bail ding, Willow Street Heppner, Oregon V. R. Runnion AUCTlONEEh Farm Sale and Livestock a SpeotaJty 6 Jones Street. Heppnei ore Phone 462 MAKE DATES AT MY EXPBH8B Morrow County Abstract & Title Co. INC. ABSTRACTS OF TITLE TITLE INSURANCE Office in New Peters Building Peterson & Peterson ATTORNEYS AT LAW O. S. National Bank Building PENDLETON, OREGON Practice In Stat and Federal Oonrta Real Estate General Line of Insurance and Bonds W. M. EUBANKS Notary Fubllo Phone 62 lone. Ore. M. L. CASE G. E. NIKANDER Directors of Funerals 862 Phones 262