Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 1954)
o 0 LIBRARY U OF 0 EUGENE. ORE Copies 10 cents Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, April 8, 1954 71st Year, Number 4 Snow Water, Rain Shows Big Decrease Over Last Year The outlook for any great quantity of irrigation water didn't appear any brighter this week following a cheek April 1 0f the snow pack on the Arbuckle snow course by Tom Wilson, soil con servationist. The measurement showed 23.3 inches of snow with a water content of 8.9 inches which is 48 percent below the same time last year and 30 per cent under the 10 year average. The snow storm which hit the section of the state during March did add slightly to the pack as IhP measurement taken on March 1 showed 21.8 inches with a water content of 8.5 inches. The check on March 30 last year showed 17.1 inches of water in the pack, or practically double that of the pre sent time. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson skied into the course to take the measure ments and the final check will be taken the end of this month. Rainfall Lower Rainfall recorded at the Ilepp ner weather station for the first quarter of 1954 shows a heavy decline from last year also, with only 2.90 inches falling during the first three months this year. This compares with just over five inches for the same period in 1953. The heavy, though spasmodic, rains which fell over this section of Morrow county early this week didn't add as much moisture as many persons might expect, as Leonard Gilliam, local weather recorder checked in only .30 inch for Sunday and Monday. It is thought that other nearby areas in the county probably received more than did Heppner as heavy rain and some hail fell Tuesday though there was none recorded here. Most ranchers and cattlemen are looking forward to some warmer weather to bring up the wheat and grass as most range land is still practically bare of new stand. Homemakers Set Festival Date Morrow County Homemaker's Festival is scheduled May 5, dur ing the ninth national Home De monstration Week, May 2-8 and the Khea Creek extension unit will be hostess for the festival. Committee members in charge of general plans for the festival are Mrs. Alfred Lovgren, Mrs. Walter Wright, and Mrs. Elmer Palmer. The festival luncheon will be served by members of the Rhea Creek Grange home economics club. The County executive commit tee will meet April 14 at 1:30 p. m. at the residence of Mrs. Maud C. Casswell, county agent, home economics, Heppner, to complete plans for the festival and select the theme for the festival. County executive committee members are: Mrs. Earl Blake, chairman, Lena; Mrs. William Garner, vice chairman, Boardman; Mrs. Ray Drake, secretary. Heppner; Mrs. Lester Cox, Lexington; Mrs. Omar Rietmann, lone; Mrs. Paul Berger Irrigon; and Mrs. Ben Anderson, Rhea Creek. o Social Security Representative Due Ben Kantner, field representa five of the Social Security Ad- minisi ration office in La Grande, will be in Heppner on Thursday April 22nd at the City Hall from 9:00 a. m. to noon. Residents in this area who wish to apply for their social security benefits or need information about their so cial security account are invited to see him at that time. The regular filing of a quarter ly social security tax return is one of the most important things that employers do for their em ployees. An inaccurate or incom plete report may jeapardize the future security of an employee and of his dependent lamiiy, or it may delay payments at a time when they are greatly needed. So, when quarterly returns are made, check it carefully to make sure the correct amount of wages are shown for each employee, he said. Dr. and Mrs. Wallace Wolff and Billy visited at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Wilson from Thurs day to Tuesday. They are en route to Puerto Rico where Dr. Wolff will be stationed with the Army. Volney Thomas, Gilliam county sheriff from Condon was in Hepp ner Wednesday on business. NEED FOR COUNTY REST ROOM TALKED Meeting last Wednesday at the Lexington Grange hall, the Mor row county rural life committee took up several problems effect ing local residents including the securing of a budget for a county nurse, investigating the possibil ity of building public rest rooms at the courthouse park and the expansion of 4-H club activities in the county. Mrs. Douglas Drake, chairman of the health nurse committee reported that letters had been sent to all organizations asking them to express their wishes for the services of a county health nur?e, which office has been va cant since early last fall when Miss Martha Tapanainen re signed to accept another position. Since that time the county court has been attempting to find someone to till the position, but without avail. The rural life committee ap pointed a larger committee to Vote Registration Deadline Nears Residents of the county were reminded this week by Mrs. Fred Parrish, county clerk, that they have only until Tuesday,' April 20 to register to be eligible to vote at the May 21 primary elections or in other local special elections. Citizens who have been a resi dent of the state for the last six months and who have not voted at least once in the last general election year are required to re register. It is also necessary to re-register if the present precinct of residence has been changed since the last election. The Heppner Parenf Teachers are urging all persons who are not registered to do so to be eli gible to vole both in the primary and also at the forthcoming spe cial school election. Residents of the Heppner area may register at the county clerk's office in the courthouse and other registration posts in the county are Boardman, Walter Hayes store; Irrigon, Mrs. Marguerite Ilowion; lone, George Ely; Lex ington, Mrs. Emma Breshears; and the Ruggs store at Ruggs.' o Rheumatic Fever Strikes Ron Currin, Heppner Salutatorian Ron Currin, Heppner high school senior who two weeks ago was named high school Saluta torian, was taken to St. Anthony's hospital in Pendleton last week end where it was found he is suf fering from rheumatic fever. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Currin of Lena. According to reports he is pro gressing satisfactorily but the ill ness will require that he remain in the hospital or in bed for pro bably three months. In addition to his' high school honors, Ron was recently named F. F. A. State Farmer for Morrow county. o New Farm Plan Acreage is Added It was announced that two more farm plans have been adopted in the area at the meet ing of the Heppner Soil Conser vation district held here Tuesday night. The two plans are to be carried out on the Lexington ranches operated by Millard No lan and Ray Dolvin. Soil conservation surveys have been recently completed on 7785; acres of land within the district to bring the total now under conser vation plan to 080,574 acres, it was said. Other recent improve ments include two acres of sod waterways, three farm ponds, 90' acres of under grass legume" seed- j ing, 18 acres of irrigation system j completed, 50 acres of brush era dication, 15 acres of land level ling and 600 feet of stream chan-j nel straightening. j The district completed its score, chart for entry in the Goodyear! Tire and Rubber company con-j servation district contest, and. sent its report in for entry. I o P-TA TO MEET The Heppner P-TA will meet at the high school Wednesday even ing, April 14 with Miss Donna Neal. girls physical education instructor in charge of the pro gram. The topic will be "P. E. in the schools," and several children will take part in the program. Hostesses for the meetin? will be Mrs. C. A. Warren and Mrs. N. C. Anderson. o Robert Clark ! Portland was in Heppner this week visiting with his daughter, Mn Floyd AdumH. NURSE, PUBLIC AT MEETING work with the health committee on the budget problem. It in cluded Mrs. Drake, chairman; Mrs. Charles Doherty, lone; Mrs. L. E. Dick, Heppner; Mrs. Lloyd Cooley, Irrigon; Mrs. Henry Ziv ney, Boardman; Mis. Kenneth Peck, Lexington and Mrs. Arthur Warren, Gooseberry. The need for puhlic rest rooms at the court house park was dis cussed by the group and a com mittee was appointed to study the problem and ask for assistance in securing them. The commit tee members are Mrs. Earl Evans. Boardman; Rev. L. D. Boulden. Heppner; and Mrs. M. A. Biegel. Irrigon. A need to increase 4 II enroll, ment and secure leaders was dis cussed as A major need and tin present committee was asked to continue its work. N. ('. Ander son, county agent presented a re port of the extension budget which was accepted by the group The 4-H committee consisting of Mrs. Ernest Heliker, lone; Mrs. John Graves, Lexington; Mrs. L. A. McCabe, lone; Mrs. Helen Cur rin, Lena and Leslie Grant, Hepp ner was instructed to continue' work and report back on 4-H club needs at the next meeting. Twenty-two persons from all sections of the. county attended the meeting. Trukositz Quits As Heppner Coach The Heppner school board Tuesday night accepted the resig nation of Stephen Trukositz, high school coach, who announced that he has accepted the position of athletic director at the Hermiston junior high school for the coming year. Trukositz, who came to Hepp ner two years ago from Idaho has coached some topnotch teams for the school both in football and basketball. Both years his bas ketball teams have played in the state B tournament, last year winning fourth place in the state and this year coming home with seventh place honors. During his term here he also aided in getting baseball back into the athletic program. It had been dropped for several years. Trukositz will remain here un til the end of the present school year. . o County Association Meets at Heppner County judges and commis sioners from six Eastern Oregon counties met in Heppner last Thursday for a district meeting of the Association of Oregon coun ties. Morrow county judge Gar net Barratt is president of the as sociation. County officials from Hood River. Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam, Wheeler and Morrow county were here for the luncheon meet ing to discuss problems in the area that relate to counties and to prepare the association policy for the coming year. Also present for the meeting was Judge F. L. Phipps, The Dalles; executive secretary of the associ ation and Forrest Cooper. Lake view, council for the group. A guest was Mike Gleason, county commissioner from Multnomah I niw i n i r p.nljn.:n(T the meeting Judge Barratt and the other officers went to Pendleton for a meeting of district one members on Fri day and then on to Burns on Saturday for a meeting of that district. The next meeting in this dis trict will be held next fair in Hood River, it was announced. o County Women Help With Azalea House Morrow county women have contributed to the happiness of 58 girls living in the Azalea House, a cooperative house on the campus at Oregon State College bv furnishing the plants for the planter in the entrance of thU; building, according to Mrs. Ver non Munkers, Lexington, Azalea House chairman for Morrow county. Women in Morrow county have contributed $68.35 to be used for purchasing plants for th planter. Elise Bauernfeind is the dele gate from Morrow county that re sides in the Azalea House along with 57 other girls. She will be a junior this spring and sli in an honor roU mtmber. State To Build ; Safety Island at City Intersection I i With the passing of a special' "No Parking" ordinance Monday i night the Heppner city council' commission for the construction i 'of a traffic divider and safety j island in the intersection of May and Court streets in front of the, court house in Heppner. The j slate will construct the island. The problem of school cross-' walks and traffic control at the three-way intersection i an-.c under state survoikmce early in the year when the chamber of commerce and oilier organiza tions attempted to obtain permis sion from the highway depart ment to install a cross walk blinker sign at the intersection. The department sent an engineer to Heppner to work with the committee and suggested that the only practical method of con trolling traffic and installing satisfatory crosswalks would be to build a safety island. The plan, as presented to the council Monday calls for a tri angular shaped island to be built directly in front of the courthouse steps and in the middle of the three-way intersection to divide the traffic and allow for short marked crosswalks to come to the island from all three directions. To make this plan possible, park ing must be eliminated in front of the courthouse, which the council has ordered through the ordinance passed that night. According to the information from the highway department, it will build the island and install all necessary lights and signs, the only expense to the city will be to pay the power company for the lights. Total cost was esti mated at about $1,250. Work is expected to be started shortly, though no definite date was set by the commission. o Power Mower Injures Lexington Boy's Foot Gene Heliker, 5-year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Orville Cutsforth of Lexington suffered severe injur ies to one foot and ankle Tuesday afternoon when he fell in front of a power lawn mower at his home, He is under treatment at Pioneer Memorial hospital. The hoy suffered the partial loss of one toe in addition to badly severed tendons in the foot and the loss of part of the ankle bone. He was reported resting easily today. The mower was just machine which members family were trying out time of the accident. i new of at the, tlu, Excise Tax Cut To Mean Lower Telephone Bills Telephone livers in Heppner will save an estimated total of 55,000 a year, starting April 1. through federal excise tax redue Hons recently voted by congress, according to Pacific Telephone manager D. A. Short. Short said the reduction will mean annual savings to Paciuc Company telephone users in Ore gon lor better than S.i.5 million. Throughout the five-state area served by Pacific Telephone, tie lower tax rate will reduce cus tomers' telephone bills by some $.3!) million. Excise, or "sales." taxes on all telephone service have been cut from 15 and 25 per cent to 10 per cent. The tax reductions are ef fective on bills dated April 1 and thereafter. The largest cut will be in the 25 per cent tax on long distar.ee calls costing 25 cents or more. Thus, where telephone users pre viously paid $2.50 in taxes on $10 worth of such toll calls, they will pay only $1. Tax reductions also mean that on bills dated after April 1 a two party residence customer here, who" formerly paid $4.08 a month including tax for exchange ser vice will in the future pay 17 cents less. Similarly, an individual line business subscriber who has been paving S(.J'J a momn inciuumg tax for exchange service now will pay 31 cents less. "These tax reductions, care fully considered by congress, will mean savings to all telephone users," Short declared. DIVORCE GRANTED Circuit judge William W. Wells Monday granted a divorce to Marian C. Hedger from James C. Hedger, during a court session held in Heppner. s f- . " .... : I ' - 1 K 3 v . .-j EASTER SEALS HELP HIM Four-year-old Brian Mulcare, whose home is in Curry county, exercises muscles under direction of Ceraldine Wessels at Easter Seal Agency's hospital school in Eugene where children from over 20 Orgon counties receive spe cial therapy and education. The exercises will strengthen Brian's munscles so that he can walk. The school is financed by the sale of Easter Seals. Idaho Power's Hells Canyon Plan Told to- Chamber "Hells Canyon power, from the government dam, would not be cheap power. To the contrary, its general ion cost would be con siderably greater than power pro duced from Idaho Power's three proposed projects at Oxbow. Brown lee and Hells Canyon," Stan Church, public relations rep resentative from Idaho Power Company told the chamber of commerce Monday in presenting a detailed discussion of the power company's proposed development program for the Snake river.. Church, whose headquarters are at Portland, said that con struction of a federal Hells can yon project at an initial cost of over $129 million could only re sult in forcing a sizable increase in northwest power rales. The Idaho Power plan would be built at a saving of $2!)(i million over the government plan and could get power on the line wunin months if the Federal Power Commission will grant the com pany the permit to start con struction, he explained. Church told the group that the present hearings are not to de termine whether the private com pany or the government shall de velop the river, but only whether ! Idaho Power's proposal will be OKd, pointing out that iwice pre viou ly congress has refused to approve the government proposal. In other words, Church said, if Idaho Power is refused the right to buiPd its dams, there is a good possibility that none will be built in the foreseeable future. Church louched briefly on the tax angle, saying that tax reve nues from the private ownership of the development would amount to $10 million per year. while if the dam were built by the government it would be tax free. He also gave figures on the small difference in potential power generation between the two pro posals. The talk was illustrated with numerous graphs and drawings. The chamber has, during the past several weeks, heard speak ers for both the public and the private power sides of the Snake river development question, Clint Sincleir, representative of the Hell's Canyon Association, having presented the government pro posal to the group about a month ago. Heppner Sophomore Speech Meet Winner Charles Bailey,' Heppner high school sophomore, and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Bailey won first place for interpretation of poetry at the Oregon high school speech league tournament held last weekend at EOCE at La Grande, school officials an nounced this week. Bailey was the only top place winner from any Morrow county school though Hermiston took first place in class A schools for debate as well as several other catagorles. Site Cost and Budget Problems Take Up School Board's Time P. W. Mahoney, attorney for the Heppner school board, reported at the regular meeting Tuesday evening that a total price of $-r7,-000 is set for the property on which the district plans to erect its new elementary building. A breakdown of the total cost ; bowed that owners were asking $13,000 for the city park pro perty, $12,000 for Turn-A-Lu m Lumber company lots, $1,000 for the L. E. Bishee land, and $500 each for the small plots owned by A. J, Chaffee and Gene Noble. The board had previously re ceived an appraisal of the Tum-A-Lum land, but instructed the attorney to obtain the services of another appraiser so that more accurate figures could be ob tained. No further action could be taken by the board toward setting the date for the bond election or the amount that it will be necessary to raise until plans and specifications are re ceived from the architects. The board was advised by the rural school board that its budget had been reduced by nearly $39, 000 from the original request and alter discussion of the vari ous points of the budget which were reduced, ordered superin-, lendent II. C. Reed to request a healing from the rural board, The board will ask that most of the1 $39,000 be allowed. It was announced that all the Heppner schools will be dismissed for Good Friday, with school to be dismissed early on the Thurs day afternoon ahead. o Umatilla River Closed Monday to Steelhcad Fishinq An indefinite emergency clos ing of the Umatilla river to all steelhcad fishing was ordered last Monday morning by the game commission, state police re ported this week. The section closed is from the Cold Springs intake, about one mile above Echo to the mouth of the river at Umatilla. The apparent reason for the closure is extremely low water in the stream due to the heavy takeout for irrigation, it was said. It is not known how long the closure will be in effect. Slate police also reported that sieelhead fishing on the Colum bia below McNary dam has been fair during the last few days, though the size of the fish has been up. ( i- Kip Taylor to Speak At Graduation Here Kip Taylor, Oregon State Col lege football coach, has accepted an invitation to be the graduation I speaker at the Heppner highl school Commencement exercises May 20, school officials an nounced this week. LICENSE EXAMINER COMING A drivers license examine from the secretary of state's of fice will be on duty in Heppner Tuesday, April 13, from 9:30 a. m to 3:30 p. m. at the courthouse, the office announced today. City Holds To 513,000 Price For Park Property Two Ordinances Passed by Council The question of what to chaige school district No. 1 for the city park property which the district wants to use as part of its site for a new grade school, came in for lengthy discussion by mem bers at the regular ileppner council meeting Monday night with the group finally Voting five to one to stay with its original figure of $13,000. The council had been requested by the school board to set its price for the land so the school could determine what amount il would he necessary to raise with a bond issuf for the building dan. The group discussed the idea that it would use whatever money it might receive from the sale of the park property for the purchase of filtering equipment for the city swimming pool. The cost of such equipment was vari ously estimated at from about $7,000 to $10,000. It vMis also brought out that if the school did use the property it would be necessary to move and rebuild a water main which crosses the area because the proposed build ing would be located on top of the persent main. Councilman Jeff Carter, who voted against the $13,000 figure, urged that an appraiser be called In to appraise the property which would give the council some basis on which to set Its price, ine group, however, voted to ask $13,- 000 for the land. Ordinances Passed Two ordinances were passed by the council and another was or dered altered before passage was allowed. The two passed in cluded a no parking restriction in front of the court house to al low construction by the state of a safely island at the intersection and prohibiting the throwing of trash and rubbish into any creek or stream within the city limits. The ordinance also pro hibits the dumping of any mat ter, liquid or solid, into streams which can cause offensive odors and stream polution. An ordinance governing the Is suance of parking permits was ordered re-writ ten before the council would vote final passage. Offer Refused The council refused an offer of the government to sell back to the city a lot located on May street between the Gilliam and Bishee hardware and Farley Mo tor company which is now part of the forest service grounds. The government recently declared the area surplus and offered it to the city for $1000 with restrictions that it be used only for park or similar purposes. Previously it had been offered to the cily free, but with the restrictions, and this offer had been refused as the council felt the land should go back on the tax rolls. Tlu area was donated to the govern ment several years ago. Two building permits were granted, one to William Padberg . for a new residence on Jones street to cost $7,500 and to Marion Olson for a storage shed to cost $100. Water superintendent Victor Groshens reported that the re pair job on the city reservoir has been completed and that the tank is now in condition to be filled to capacity. A serious leak had developed part way down on the cement reservair which has pre vented it being filled clear up. Farley Installed As Elks Exalted Ruler James J. Farley was installed as new exalted ruler of the Hepp ner Elks last Thursday evening. He replaces Jack Van Winkle who has served for the past year. Other officers installed at the ceremony were Milton Morgan, Leading Knight; Conley Lanham, Loyal Knight; Alton Yarnell, Lec turing Knight; Jack Bailey, See- Iretary; and Bill Labhart, Esquire, i Other officers who took over their duties included Don Hat field, inner guard, La Verne Van Marter Jr., chaplain; Harold Bee ket, organist and E. L. Bishee, treasurer. F. W. Turner, P.. B. Ferguson and W. C. Rosewall are the directors. o - - CLUB TO MEET A regular meeting of the Triple Link club will be held Monday. April 12 at the home of Ruby Munkers. o . Mrs. James Harris of Pendleton visited at the home of Mr. and M. I, Q. IJage m Mw,nl.ay.
