Heppner Gazette Times, January 4, 1045
EDITORIAL. . .
What- Is Communism?
The word communism has been used w,ith
reckless abandon by many of us and it is doubt
ful if more than a handful, so to speak, know the
real meaning of the word, or term. The writer con
fesses an inability to give a definition, although
harboring some remote ideas about it. It is a safe
guess that the average American citizen is in the
same class with us. Coming upon an editiorial in
an exchange dealing with the subject the thought
occurred that our readers might appreciate a fuller t
knowledge of the meaning of communism, even if
the article does not advance a trend of thought
concurrent among some segments of our popula
tion. "It has been a popular pastime for public offi
cials of both major parties in the United States to
condemn communism as a threat to our mode of
life. They will shout to the high heavens to deport
Harry Bridges, and then proceed to build as fine
a foundation for a communistic economy in our
own country as any "five-year plan" ever devised
in Russia.
"Under Russia's several five-year plans, Amer
ican engineers were imported to build industrial
plants. One of the outstanding projects was the
Dneiper dam to produce hydro-electric power. It
was merely a counterpart of modern electric sys
tems which had been built by private enterprise in
the United States years before.
"In the electric power field, we have for a de
cade, had a federal program that has been fol
lowing the Russian pattern. We don't call it com
munism here or socialism but the net result
from the standpoint of curbing individual oppor
tunity, is the same.
"Our first "five-year plan" was called the Ten
nessee Valley Authority (TVA) . Under it, the fed
eral government eliminated private enterprise in
has a virtual monopoly of electric power produc
electric development in a large area, and today
tion in the state of Tennessee. Thus we have
adopted communism in the electric field as an es
tablished government policy. We have seen it ex
tended from Tennessee to other states.
t
"At the present time, there is before Congress
a proposal to establish seven "authorities" similar
to "TVA". They would form one great communiz
ed power system that would destroy future op
portunity for private citizens to develop electric
power. Furthermore, they would rapidly liquidate
the existing investor-owned electric indutry which
is publicly regulated and highly taxed. ,
"Our representatives in Congress and public
officials in every state, as well as private citizens
who make such a show of condemning Russian
communism, are the very ones who are promot
ing this American brand of communism which,
while softer in its initial impact on our economy,
is as deadly to private enterprise as is the Russian
system.
"As we wonder about communism spreading to
Greece, Italy, Spain, England and other nations
of Europe, it would be well for us to take a look
in our own back yard and see the way its roots are
taking hold in our country. If we don't want it, let
us tear the mask off the camouflaged plans we are
being offered and save our private enterprise phil
osophy of government under which every individ
ual has a chance to work out his own destiny with
out fearing government competition or bureau
cratic oppression."
Seabees Pass Third Anniversary
The third anniversary of the "Workingest, fight
ingest bunch of men" in the nation's armed forces,
the Navy Seabees, was observed on December 28
by 240,000 officers and men of the United States
Naval Construction battalions.
Born just three week after the Pearl Harbor
disaster, with an authorized strength of 3,000, the
Seabees won their spurs at Guadalcanal and have
been with the assault troops in every major Amer
ican amphibious operation. They can now boast
that they built the network of air and naval bases
in the Pacific that pushed the Japs back 3,000
miles; that they developed amphibious equipment
and technique that helped carry the day on the Af
rican, Silician, Italian and Normandy spearheads.
Every commissioned Construction Battalion is
either currently overseas or has completed a tour.
of duty; many battalions are on their second tours
Seventy-six percent of the Seabees are now out
side the continental limits of the United States;
only 9000 essential men have never seen foreign
service.
As General Douglas McArthur wrote in a letter
to Seabee chief Vice-Admiral Ben Moreell, "The
only trouble with your Seabees is that you don't
have half enough of them!"
Oregon's "Pearl Harbor"
Appraising the Tillamook Burn of 1933 as the
"Pearl Harbor of timber conservation" the Dec.
30 Saturday Evening Post tells its millions of
readers how the lumbermen of the Pacific North
west are winning the battle of forest conservation.
In "Big Timber Gets Religion", the author Robert
Normand Case, says it was not the $200,000,000
loss of this conflagration but the black thumbprint
of desolation left in the wake of this burn that
jolted thoughtful timbermen to their heels.
There had been ample previous warning that
the industry was beaded for disaster but this Ore
gon fire marked the turning point. The old bucca
neering cry of "Cut Out and Get Out" was aban
doned and the author says, "What happened there
after comprises a stirring chapter in the history
of the most colorful of our basic industries. The
battle for timber conservation has not yet been
won, but in the eleven years since the burn, the
pendulum has swing from a steady and ominous
depletion of our reserves to a sustained-yield pro
gram which should make our forests adequately
productive forever." Incidental light is also shed
on the theory that only an unselfish government is
capable of long range planning "in the public in
terest." Self-interest or not, the record shows that,
at least in the Pacific Northwest, the struggle for
fire control and reforestation is being won largely
by the operators themselves, using their own mon
ey, on their own ground.
Mr. Case points out that a natural corelation
to this conservation is maximum salvage of waste.
Inevitably in the postwar picture will be the wider,
useof veneers, and the whole new world of plas
tics and resins. The reat experiment long promot
ed by the West Coast Lumberman's Association
and American Forest Products Industries, Inc. in
the direct conversion of wood waste into ethyl al
cohol has proven successful. The plant now being
built at Springfield, Oregon, will use any wood
material and turn out alcohol at an estimated
twenty-two cents a gallon, a more than favorable
competitive price. Moreover, it is confidently pre
dicted the Springfield plant will usher in an en
tirely new field of postwar industries.
Public enthusiasm for the future of the con
servation program is shown by the fact that cut
over lands, once a drug on the Northwest market,
have doubled in price in the past five years. The
Post article concludes, "In other words, we have
reached the maximum net drain upon forest re
sources. Instead of a broadening gap between new
growth and depletion, it is a narrowing gap. In an
industry that is never static, victory begins where
retreat ends."
SoS
Aee
Foe-R
epaors
Until Further
Notice!
WE HAVE SO MANY SHOES TO REPAIR
THAT ANY MORE COMING IN MAY
BECOME LOST AND CAUSE ADDED
DELAY.
GONTY'S
Shoe Store
PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY
Morrow County
Abstract r Title Co.
INC.
ABSTRACTS OF TITLE
TITLE INSUBANCB
Office In New Peters Building
P. W. Mahoney
ATTORNEY AT LAW
GENERAL ID. STTRAJfCE
Heppner Hotel Building
Willow St Entrance
1
Heppner City Council
Meets First Monday Each Month
Citizens having matters for dis- I
cussion, please bring before
the Council
J. 0. TURNER, Mayor
J. 0. Turner
ATTORNEY AT LAW
Phone 17S
Hotel Heppner Building
Heppner. Oregon
Phelps Funeral Home
Licensed Funeral Directors
Fhone 1332
Heppner, Ore.
Jos. J. Nys
ATTORNEY AT LAW
Peters Building, Willow StrMt
Heppner. Oregon
Why Not Scan the Bureaus?
The state office of selective service states that
there are 1500 young men in the 18-25 class sub
ject to the draft under the order to scour the farms
for new recruitts. Has anyone taken the time to
enumerate the number of eligibles holding white
collar jobs in the multitudinous bureaus of the fed
eral government? Is it not as essential to retain
the farm boys in agricultural pursuits as it is to
continue to throw the smoke screen of government
necessity around a bunch of softies whose jobs
could well be taken over by girls -and women? The
election is over and job protection no longer is
necessary. Let the white-collar boys line up first.
The farm boys have a pretty fair sized job to do
at home.
NEW AUTO POLICY
Bod. Inj. Pr. Dam.
Class A 6.25 5.05
Class B 6.00 5.25
Class C 7.75 5.25
Turner, Van Marter & Co.
Directors of
Funerals
L. CASE G. E. NIK AND ER
2 Phones 262
Blaine E. Isom
All Kinds of
INSURANCE
Phone 723
Heppner, Ore.
Dr. L. D. Tibbies
OSTEOPATHIC
Physician A Surgeon
FIRST NATIONAL, BANK BLDO.
Rec. Phone 1162 Office Phone 492
HEPPNER. OREGON
Spraguc Looks Into Crystal Ball
Admitting "the crystal ball is cloudy," Charles
A. Sprague, former governor .predicts: "Big truck
bill will lumber through; three-way' industrial ac
cident insurance to fail; more liberal provisions
for unemployment compensation; universal pas
teurization will fail; schools will not get extra
$5,000,000; 'Cocktail' bill will not beome a law;
Walker plan will be modified."
0. M. YEAGER
CONTRACTOR & BUILDER
All kinds of carpenter work
Country work especially
Phone 1483
Dr. W. H. Rockwell
Naturopathic
Physician & Surgeon
227 North Main St.
Office hours. 1 p. m. to 7:30 p. m.
Exam free Ph. 522 Heppner, Or.
J. 0. Peterson
Latest Jewelry and Gilt Goods
Watches . Clocks - Diamonds
Expert Watch and Jewelry
Repairing;
Heppner. Oregon
A. D. McMurdo, M.D.
Trained Nnrse Assistant
PHYSICIAN & SURGEON
Office In Miiionic Building
HEPPNER. ORE.
"V