Heppner Gazette Times, June 18, 1942 3
; AT THE -
KELLY
Washington, D. C, June 18: Of
special interest to Oregon the past
10 days is the hearings held by a
joint congressional committee on the
proposed Columbia Power Authority,
introduced by Senator Bone of
Washington. The measure was pre
pared by power lawyers of the in
terior department. Greatest inter
est was shown by senators and rep
resentatives from Washington state,
who said that the Bonneville act
(this bill is intended to amend or
replace that act) was a mandate for
the people of the northwest to be
come owner-minded and go into the
power business.
To accomplish this the Bone bill
authorizes the adminstrator to ac
quire private utilities. The witnesses
admitted, however, that the private
utilities and Grand Coulee and Bon
neville, government plants, are now
interconnected and it is believed
they will do a good job. The mea
sure provides that the private com
panies be bought with revenue
bonds; further that the secretary of
the treasury can buy these bonds
with any borrowed money. Thus re
ceipts from the sale of war bonds
can be diverted to invest in these
revenue bonds. The proposed ac
quisit'en of private companies, it was
testified, "is the heart and soul of
the act."
To date only proponents of the
measure have testified. "Managers of
private utilities will have their op
portunity later, if they wish to avail
themselves of it. Despite the "man
date," as testified, and that Wash
ington state is aflame for public ow
nership, no reference has yet been
made to the defeat of PUDs in the
Oregon primaries last month.
Federal power commission, only
authorized power expert in the
government, is now wanted to allo
cate what part of Grand Coulee
should be charged to power. Pro
ponents of the bill insist that the
secretary of the interior be given
this authority. There is a long
standing feud between the interior
and FPC. The hearings will prob
ably consume another week. Rep.
Walter Pierce is the only Oregon
congressman who appears as a wit
ness and he was in support.
A life-saver for the wheat grower,
hop man, wool man and potato pro
ducer is promised by war produc
tion board. The board froze all bur
lap in the country. Such a protest
was raised by Oregon farmers that
it has modified its policy and is au
thorizing commodity credit corpora
tion to buy the frozen burlap. The
wheat men, staggered with a crop
that is hard to warehouse, wants
burlap sack, the hop men need bur
lap, the wool men have asked for
burlap, and the potato grower pre
fers burlap to the paper mesh bags.
As rapidly as arrangements can be
made the burlap will be sold to
fanners.
The collection of old rubber, now
on a national scope, will determine
the amount of discarded rubber in
the country. It does not mean, how
ever, that when this rubber is re
worked into tires any will be avail
able for civilians. President Roose
velt, finding his administrative of
ficers had nothing but foggy ideas on
the amount of waste rubber, decid
ed to make a direct appeal to the
people. Based on the rubber drive,
a policy will be determined for gas
oline. The ration books have been
printed and are ready for distri
bution, but the president is not
certain that rationing gas is a wise
thing to do. There is a shortage, of
course, in some sections, but it is
not due to a shortage of gas but of
means of distribution. Because of
its geographical position, the north
west has been marked for gas ra
tioning, an order later vetoed, yet
a few hundred miles away there is
an unlimited supply. It is situations
such as these that are causing tur
moil from the Atlantic to the Pa
cific. Secretary of the Treasury Mor
genthau is fighting against it, but
each day the way and means com
mittee is feeling stronger toward a
general sales tax. This tax has been
defeated whenever the people of
Oregon had a chance to vote on it,
although California, Idaho and
Washington have such a tax. The
president views a sales tax askance
but the betting at this time is a 50-50
chance that the ways and means
committee will embody it in the tax
bill now being written. One reason
why a sales tax is being urged is
that the great bulk of the money
is in the hands of those in the lower
income brackets so low that they
pay no taxes and a sales tax of a
few cents on the dollar would bring
into the treasury a substantial am
ount which cannot be obtained in
any other way.
Insofar as Oregon is concerned,
WPA, which has been working on
projects since 1933, is almost out of
the picture. Money available for that
state the coming fiscal year has
been cut to the bone and there will
be only a skeleton organization left.
WPA was almost entirely elimin-
IRRIGON NEWS
Mary Ellen Grice to
Wed Robert Brace
By MRS. J. A. SHOUN
Mrs. Rose Grice of Pendleton an
nounces the engagement of her
daughter, Mary Ellen to Robert Earl
Brace, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank
Brace of Irrigon. The wedding date
has been set for June 28 at 2 p.m.
at the home of the bride with mem
bers of both families present. Mr.
Brace works at the Umatilla ord
nance depot and lives at home in
Irrigon.
Mr. and Mrs. John Sweringen have
moved to Irrigon from Seattle. He
is employed at the Umatilla ord
nance depot as an electrician. They
are at the home of his parents, Mr.
and Mrs. O. J. Sweringen.
Mr. and Mrs. Roy Bediwell and
little daughter went to Pendleton
Wednesday.
Cecil Goodman and wife and bro
ther Alfred went to visit their mo
ated on the ground that it was set
up to make work for the idle, but
now with employment at a higher
point than ever the need for WPA
has passed. An attempt was made
to turn such work as is left over to
the states.
ther in Grants Pass.
Roger Godwin is spending the
summer with his grandmother, Mrs.
C. T. Farrell.
Emery Bediwell went to Hermis
ton Sunday.
Walter Grider is on the sick list.
Mrs. Wisdom left Monay after
spending the week end in Irrigon
with the Russell McCoy's.
Marshall Marquam spent the week
end with his family.
Grandma Graybeal is ill at her
home. Her daughter, Mrs. Charles
McFall, is caring for her.
Jack McFall is visiting his parents,
Mr. and Mrs. Charles McFall.
The annual school meeting was
held at the school house Monday
beginning at 2 p.m.
Russell McCoy was reelected di
rector and Harvey Warner was re
elected clerk. The budget was ap
proved. , W. H. Johnston with the Her
man Duus family has gone to Spo
kane to make a short visit with his
children. He works at the Umatilla
ordnance depot.
Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Grimm made
a trip to Boardman on Sunday to
visit the Preuters. The Preuters
have ten acres of tomatoes and sev
eral acres of lettuce, reports Mrs.
Grimm.
Doris Gollyhorn's grandmother
died in Salem Monday. She is going
to the funeral.
Ella May Grimm is taking Mrs.
Gollyhorn's place at the Lorenzen
cafeteria while she is gone.
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Shoun of
KKelso, Wash., arrived in Irrigon
Monday evening after spending a
short time with his mother, Mrs.
J. A. Shoun. They went to Walla
Walla to visit her people, the Shrie
vers, and James Shoun. He is threw
days off from the aluminum plant
in Longview.
Mrs. H. W. Grimm entertains the
grange ladies on Thursday after
noon. The 4-H club will have a pro
gram at the school gymnasium on
Thurday evening at 8 o'clock.
Mrs. H. J. Warner had another
lawn dinner Sunday honoring her
son, Rev. Walter Warner. All of
her children and grandchildren were
present.
To buy, sell or trade, use the G-T
0. M. YEAGER
CONTRACTOR AND BUILDER
Cabinet and Mill Work
HEPPNER, OREGON
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WAR SAVINGS BONDS and STAMPS you buy today
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