Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 1946)
8 Heppner Gazette Times, February 7, 1946 Mrs. Clement Was One of Early Pioneers One of the early pioneers of Hep pner, Mrs. Annie Farrens Clement, passed away at Tacoma, Wash. Jan. family plot at Wala Walla. 5, 1946 and was interred in the Born at Salem, Oregon in 1866, she was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Francis M. Farrens who came across the plains in the big trek of 1852. The Farrens family came to the Heppner district in the '70s and made their home on Rhea creek and at Hardman. Here Mrs. Clemens grew up suf fering with the rest of the pioneers, the privations of that time. One of her early recollections was the fording of the Umatilla river near the old Umatilla landing at its mouth, when the covered wagon was washed into deep water and the family were extricated with great difficulty. She also, with all the women and children of that vicinity, fled to Heppner for protection when the last Indian war flared up near Heppner and the Indians made their big raid out of the mountans and down Butter creek. She met and married William B. Gilliam brother of the late Frank Gilliam, and the couple settled on a sheep ranch at Spring Hollow. After her husband's death, she car ried on alone, with the help of her brother, the late Rufus Farrens. In 1898 she married Mr. Clemens and moved to Walla Walla and la ter to Tacoma where she resided for the past 37 years. Survivors are one son, Lester E. Gilliam of Tacoma; one daughter, Mrs. C. E. Putnam of Bellingham; three brothers, E. L. Farrens of Yakima, Walter and G. A. Farrens of Heppner; three grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Mrs. Richard Hayes and Mrs. Tress McClintock and son Gale went to Portland Wednesday morn ing. Mrs. Hayes expects to go through a clinic while in the city. Hubert Gaily started work as a clerk and book-keeper n the Pa cific Power and Light company of fices in Pendleton Monday. Mrs. Leonard Schwarz has been confined to her home this week suffering with the flu. Mir Inleadlaclhies for khe Farmeir Once more the farmer is being asked to break all food production records. To plow more acres, feed more livestock and harvest more crops than ever before. He is being asked to do this so that America may continue to feed and clothe the needy throughout the world, as well as our own folks at home. To carry out this job the farmer must have tools of production. Most of those he owns have taken a terrific beating. They can't be tied together much onger with rusty fence wire. In the teeth of this situation, the farmer ran into a strike in the steel industry -a strike which hit at the heart of food production. When the steel plants shut down manufac turers of farm machinery and equipment, farm trucks and tractors cannot get steel for their products. This year the farmer won't receive as many of the replacements he desperately needs. He'll fight ahead with his old, broken machinery try ing to crack another food production record, but the cards are stacked against him. Al this means more headaches for the far mer loss of vital food production, and a bad dent in his pocketbook. Facts Too Frequently Omitted The steel strike was called by the United Steelworkers of America CIO, which insists on a wage increase totaling $166,000,000. The U. S. Steel Corporation has offered a wage rise which if applied throughout the industry would amount to $135,000,000. Steel workers are already among the highest paid wage-earners in America. Before the strike their average earnings were approxi mately $1.16 an hour, $9.26 a day and $46.32 a week - on a forty-hour week. The U. S. Steel offer would have given them about $1.31 an hour, $10.46 a day and $52.32 a week. But they refused it, and accused the steel industry of conspiring to ruin the union with an offered wage increase of $25 a month, the highest in crease in the industry's history. The strike is a direct violation of the con tract between the union and the steel compan ies.The union wanted a long-term contract and got it. The union agreed not to strike dur ing the life of the contract. Yet, the union struck on January 21 . Fighting for a Way of Life Farmers have a big stake in continuous steel production. They have an opportunity to say what they think about unchecked labor mono polies which bring t 6a Stop; the nation's recov ery efforts, through excessfve wage demands which could only add to inflation and cause sod ring prices. Not until- enough of therri protest unfair, dic tatorial actions and urge proper safeguards against arrogant, heedless union leadership and one-sided labor laws will the country get back to sane, profitable production where ev eryone works together toward a better stand ard of living. American Iron and Steel Institute 350 Fiifth Avenue, New York 1, N. Y. 95 PER CENT OF THE WORKERS IN THE STEEL INDUSTRY ARE EMPLOYED BY OUR COMPANY MEMBERS GET THE FACTS-FREE-Send postcard for copies of recent interviews with steel company leaders.