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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.'
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.