4 Heppner Gazette Times, July 19, 1945
EDITORIAL .
A Long Way Around
This week the Gazette Times family mailed a
birthday gift to a little friend at Ritter. There is
nothing unusual about mailing birthday gifts to
little friends (or big ones, for that matter), but
in this instance the matter of geography enters in
to the picture and causes one to pause and give a
little thought to the subject of highways and mail
routes.
In the matter of the birthday gift, let us trace
the distance the parcel had to travel to reach its
ultimate destintion only 56 miles from Heppner.
To begin with, it was hauled to Arlington by mail
truck. There it' was loaded onto Train 18 which
carried it on to Pendleton. From there it was taken
by mail truck to Ritter. Now consider the distance.
Heppner to Arlington, 57 miles; Arlington to Pen
dleton 85 miles; Pendleton to Ritter approximate
ly 70 miles all that distance to reach a point 56
miles distant from Heppner. It lacks but 12 miles
of being four times the actual distance between
the two points.
Time was when Heppner was the outlet for
a large part of the John Day region. Stages ran
from here to Canyon City, carrying mail, express
and passengers to Monument, Long Creek, John
Day and Canyon City. Freight wagons hauled
merchandise from Heppner to the interior region
for many, years, being finally supplanted by the
swifter auto trucks. The Condon branch of the
Union Pacific took a bite out of the Heppner in
terior trade territory. The Vale-Burns branch pro
vided an outlet in another direction and with the
building of the John Day highway Heppner lost
the last vestage of interior trade territory, and
now we 'find ourselves traveling more miles to get
into the John Day region or; as related above, our
mail to that section has to take a devious route.
Not a small amount of credit for the loss of
this territory was due to lack of foresightedness
right here at home. We had a good thing but did
not appreciate it enough to protect it when
others sought to cut in. It would have been impos
sible to hold all fr the trade but if an effort had
been put forth to built a highway directly into the
John Day valley rather than off to one side we
might still be enjoying profitable trad,e relations
with a section that once liked to come here.
Heppner cannot deny that it was given an op
portunity to do something about a good road into
the middle John Day country. Mrs. Mary Davis,
owner of the Ritter Hot Springs, spent her own
money and time coming over here to sell Heppner
on the idea of a highway from here to her neigh
borhood but could stir up no effective response
among the business men. She finally directed her
efforts to other fields and we know who is getting
the benefit of tlte busines most of which at one
time came to Heppner.
It is not likely that another urge will come
from that direction and if Heppner ever takes a
notion to build up trade relations with the John
Day country it will have to do so on its own initi
ative. We will have to present advantages (and we
have them) that other points do not have and
prove to our neighbors that we really want their
trade. There are no greater barriers between here
and the John Day country than have already been
broken down in construction of other routes to
that section. If there is no immediate highway in
sight, at least we can have something to look for
ward to as a matter of postwar enterprise.
accompanied her daughter, Mrs. Of
H. Bengston and children that far
Sunday on their return to Medford
after a two weeks visit here. Mr.
Bengston met his family in Port
land and drove them to Medford.
Henry Happold returned Tues
day from Montana, having finished
the shearing season. He reports it
was a wet season, bad for shearers
but good for crops.
Here to attend the funeral of
Mrs. Mary Thomson were her bro
thr Karl W. Farnsworth of The
Dalles and her stepson, Earl Thom
son, and wife of Portland. Mr.
Thomson is a member of the Port
land police force.
LOCKER OPERATORS SEEK
REASONABLE REGULATIONS
The Central Market, owned and
operated by Mrs. Sara McNamer,
is circulating a petition for the
purpose of obtaining some semb
lance of reasonable regulations by
th Office of Price Administration
relative to locker plants. The pe
tition asks that grading of produ
cers' meat for their own consump
tion be rescinded. The orders and
regulations, as they now stand,
are interpreted by OPA to require
grading of a farmer's own meat
when he has the meat animal
slaughtered for him, and the car
cas is temporarily in the possess
ion of the locker plant by storage
in the chill room. Likewise, when
the locker pJant processes the meat
by cutting it, wrapping it, quick
freezing it, and then putting it in
'he patron' individual locker box,
OPA insists that the meat must
bear a grade label.
Grading of meat which is to be
sold is not objected to and Mrs. Mc
Namer states that the organized
locker industry is willing, as it al
ways has been, to cooperate in the
meat rationing program against
violations of the price structure.
The only reason for petitioning at
this time is to enable the locker
plants of the nation to stay in bus
iness, on a reasonable basis, con
tinuing to serve the patrons in the
conservation of their meat supply.
Lloyd Burkenbine drove to La
Grande today to bring his wife
home after a sojourn of some
weeks in the hospital following a
serious eye operation.
Mrs. R. L. Benge returned Wed
nesday evening from Portland af
ter a short visit in that city. She
o
livery
Following Firestone Tires
550x 16 700x 20 8 ply
550 x 17 700x20 10 ply
600 x 17 750x20 8 ply
600x 16 750x20 10 ply
650 x 15 750x16 8 ply
650 x 16 825x18 10 ply
700 x 15 1000x24 12 ply
650x 18
Bring your tire certificate to us
for quick service
Rosewall Motor Co.
Your FIRESTONE Dealer
OPA Odd Lot
Rel
eiease
RATION FREE FROM JULY 9
TO JULY 28 1945 INCLUSIVE
o
ver
100 Pi
OF RATIONED SHOES SOLD
RATION FREE
MEN S AND LADIES
GONTY'S
Phone 2352
PROFESSIONAL
DIRECTORY
HEPPNER
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Meets Every Monday Noon at the
Lucas Place
Dr. W. H; Rockwell
NATUF)PATHIC
Physician & Surgeon
227 North Main St.
Office hours: 1 p. m. to 7:30 p. m.
Exam. Free. Ph. 522. Heppner, Ore.
A. D. McMurdo, M. D.
PHYSICIAN & SURGEON
Trained Nurse Assistant
Office in Masonic Building
Heppner, Oregon
Dr. L. D. Tibbies
OSTEOPATHIC
Physician & Surgeon
First National Bank Building
Res. Ph. 1162 Office Ph. 492
JOS. J. NYS
ATTORNEY AT LAW
Peters Building, Willow Street
Heppner, Oregon
J. O. TURNER
ATTORNEY AT LAW
Phone 173
Hotel Heppner Building
Heppner, Oregon
O, M. YEAGER
Contractor & Builder
All kinds of carpenter work.
Country work especially.,
Phone 1483 Heppner, ' Ore:
Elaine E. Isom
All Kinds of
INSURANCE
Phone 723
Heppner, Ore.
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.
Phelps Funeral Home
Licensed Funeral Directors
Phone 1332 Heppner, Ore.
Heppner City Council
Meets First Monday Each Month
Citizens having matters for discus
sion, please bring before
the Council
J. Q. TURNER, Mayor
P. W. MAHONEY
Attorney at Law
GENERAL INSURANCE
Heppner Hotel Building
Willow Street Entrance
J. O. PETERSON
Latest Jewelry and Gift Goods
Watches, Clocks, Diamonds
Expert Watch & Jewelry Repairing
Heppner, Oregon
New York Life
Insurance Co.
MRS. A. Q. THOMSON
Representative for past 14 years
Morrow County
Abstract Gr Title Co.
INC.
ABSTRACTS OF TITLE
TITLE INSURANCE
Office in Peters Building
Harry Nelson
Accounting Service
Member National Association of
Tax Accountants
Heppner, Oregon
HEPPNER
GAZETTE TIMES
The Heppner Gazette, established
March 30, 1883. The Heppner
Times, established November 18,
1897. Consolidated Feb. 15, 1912.
Published every Thursday and en
tered at the Post Office at Hepp
ner, Oregon, as second class
matter.
Subscription Price $2.50 a Year
O. G. CRAWFORD
Publisher and Editor