Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 7, 1957)
L I BEAR Y U OF 0 EUGEWF . mmtttt ORE Copies 10 Cents Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, March 7, 1957 73rd Year, Number 52 March Starts Out to Set Record The March rainfall record continued to be buried even deeper under water as the Heppner weather station re corded another .24 inch of mois ture this (Thursday) morning to raise the month's total to 1.48 inches. And still It comesl At press time it was still raining, not having slowed up since early mcrning. The old saying that "March comes in like a lion", didn't quite hold true in Heppner this year . . or if it did, was a mighty wet lion. Rainfall at Heppner during the first six days of March far exceeds the 40-year average for the whole month. Since last Friday nearly every possible form of precipitation has fallen here rain, snow, hail and even some just-plain-ice, but all of it has been gentle and wel comed with open arms by ranch ers," cattlemen and most other persons. Through Wednesday morning the Heppner weather station has recorded a total of 1.24 inches of moisture since the start of the month, and that re cord has been beaten by most other weather stations in the county. Gooseberry reports 1.60 Inches in six days and even areas north of Lexington are enjoying a drenching that has measured as much or more than Heppner received. The heaviest fall of the week occurred here last Saturday and early Sunday morning when .99 inches was recorded making it one of the heaviest sustained rain storms seen here in many years. The fall was gentle but steady and there have been no reports of any serious washing or erosion. During much of the day here there was a mixture of rain and very wet snow which was Mountain Snow Pack Far Short Of Normal Average Water content of the snow pack on Arbuckle mountain snow course is 48 percent below the fifteen year average and 62 per cent less than last year at this time according to snow measure ments taken Thursday by Tom Wilson of the Soil Conservation Service. , An average of 11 inches of snow with water content of 5.8 inches was reported compared to 51 inches with 15.2 inches, of water last year at this time. A water content of 11.2 inches is the 15 year average for this time of year according to records of fed eral and state cooperative sur veys. Comparable measurements in 1955 were 38 inches of snow with 10.1 inches of water and in 1954 snow depth was 22 inches with 8.4 inches of water. Soils are frozen beneath the snow but un frozen in the bare spots. Snow has completely disappeareed from lower elevations except for drifts on north slopes, Wilson said. . Two days after the measure ment was taken a heavy snow fell in the mountains, and con siderably more has been added in the last few days, but none of this recent fall was taken into account in the above figures. Out of City Firefighting Ban Reaffirmed The Heppner city council Mon day night reiterated its stand of the past two or more years that residents or businesses outside the city limits cannot expect to receive fire protection from the Heppner fire department. The matter came to the front at the Monday council meeting during discussion on providing fire protection for residents in the recently annexed area lieing along the Heppner-Condon high way. Some parts of this section can now be reached from exist ing hydrants and a small water supply is available to all, but fire hydrant quantities are short at the upper end of the area. It was pointed out however, that Hepp ner fire trucks carry their own water in sufficient amount to handle nearly any blaze and in that section would be close to hydrants for refilling if neces sary. Fire protection by city trucks to areas outside the city limits for Wetness all snow in the higher elevations and added close to a foot to the short snow pack in the moun tains. Wednesday rain fell continu ously in Heppner but within a few miles in all directions the moisture came in the form of snow. The ground was white clear to the Columbia, it was re ported. Heppner's 1.24 inches for the first six days of March compares with .(8 during the whole month last year. The 40-year averaee is 1.10 and the average rainfall for the past 10 years for the month is only .99 inch. At Gooseberry March has brought 1.60 inches, February 1.00 and January 1.10. The mea surement there since September 17 is 6.54 inches. Temperatures and precipita tion records here for the past week are: Max. Min. Prec. Friday 53 28 . . Saturday 53 36 .31 Sunday 47 33 .68 Monday 52 32 , . Tuesday 46 28 .17 Wednesday 41 31 .08 Services Held Today For Joel Barlow Joel Barlow, 71, died March 4 at Pioneer Memorial hosDital where he had been a patient since October of last year. He had lived in or around lone for the past 35 years. Mr .Barlow was born to Jere miah and Amanda Barlow in a covered wagon in Decator county, Kansas Nov. 2, 1885 on the wav from Missouri to Kansas. He came to Oregon with his oar- ents in 1902 and settled at lone where they lived until 1919. They then moved to the Willamette valley where his parents passad away. He returned to lone in 1925 where he made his home until going to the hospital last fall. His brother Daniel preceeded him in death in October, 1956. He had made his home with his nephew Alvin Barlow for the last several years. He is sur- vived by 11 nephews and nine nieces. Services were held this aftpr- noon (Thursday) at Creswick Mortuary chapel with the Rev. Charles Knox officiating. Inter ment was in the Heppner Maso nic, cemetery. : o 1 2 3, 4. 5 . Did You Get Counted? If you drive a car and live in Heppner its 10 to 1 you got counted at least a half-dozen times Tuesday and Wednesday. Early this week a total of 32 automatic traffic counters made their appearance on numerous city streets the work of the state highway department.. The 24-hour check presumably was maae to give the highway de partment a complete traffic oat. tern check within the city. -o ; Maple Tree Blooms Herald Spring Spring must be just around the cornerl The first harbinger of warmer times was noted this week in a big maple tree at the corner of Gale and Water streets. It is in full bloom, the first spring blooms to be reported. has been banned for some time and the council again pointed out to such residents that fire codes and equipment require ments for town would not allow sending trucks outside town to fight fires. The council explained that taxes paid by city residents provided the department equip ment and supported its operating and maintenance costs. ShouldJ a truck be out of town when it was needed for a blaze within the city limits, the council would be in a position of being negli gent in its operation of the fire department, it was said. A member of the fire depart ment also pointed out to the council members that city equip ment is not designed to fight fires where water mains are not immediately available. Special type equipment is used in rural areas which is much different from that owned by Heppner. Aid Method Seen The council was told that a Power System Modernization Set For Entire Area A major electric service im provement project will sonn be started by Pacific Power & Light company which will greatly strengthen the company's trans mission "and distribution facili ties in the Heppner-Jordan-Ione area, according to J. R. Huffman, local manager for the power company. The plans call for conversion of the Heppner-Jordan transmis sion line irom 22,000 to 69,000 volts and raisins of distribution voltage in the Heppner area from 2,4UU to 12,500 volts. The overall program, which will be completed in 1958, is necessary to meet the areas last-growing demand for more electricity. Huffman said work will get under way as soon as possible on the Heppner conversion. The job, he explained, will require the stringing of more than 34,000 ieet or new conductor and instal lation of 116 transformers and 19 new poles. Cost of thp nroieet will be about $46,300. Included in the improvement will be the installation of a new system of "Fuse coordination" which will minimize the effect of line troubles and provide in creased service continuity. The new system will "pin-point" the location or any line trouble and automatically isolate that sec. tion from the rest of the circuit. Huffman pointed out that the Heppner conversion will take most of the year 'to complete. Voltage increase on the Heppner. Jordan transmission line is srhe. duled for i958. Special Lenten Services Announced Each Friday during Lent from March 8 through April 12 noon day prayers will bp held at All Saints Episcopal church from i:iu to 22o. Following this brief service a light luncheon for about 50c will be served in the parish house for the benefit of business people. This special service is for the benefit of the entire community and things peculiar to the Epis copal church will not be men tioned. Local P-TA Meetinq Set Back to March 20 The Heppner P-TA meetine regularly scheduled for March 13 has been postponed one week to March 20, it was announced this wek. It is expected the state P-TA president will be here and founder's day will be observed. HEPPNER MILL UNIQUE IN INDUSTRY; OPERATING ON Heppner Pine Mills probably holds a present record that can not be claimed by any other lumber mill in the entire Pacific Northwest. It is operating on a six-day week while most other mills and plywood plants are cutting to a four-day operation or have closed down entirely. Since re-opening after the winter shutdown manager Paul Koenig has placed the plant on a Saturday work schedule which he hopes can be retained for about 14 weeks. As a result the em ployees will receive the equiva lent of 21 normal working days wages approximately the system of rural fire protection districts is in operation in many parts of the state and members agreed that if residents of the area within a few miles of town were interested in forming such a district the city would be quite willing to contract to provide ade. quate protection in the area. If such a district were formed, and a contract made with Heppner, the city would buy a struck de signed to operate in rural areas and provide manpower for it. With such a district and protec tion residents there could re ceive the benefit of lowered fire insurance rates. The cost of pro viding protection in a rural fire district was roughly estimated at between two and four mills until equipment was paid for. The maximum millage allowed by law in a rural fire protection district, without a special vote of the people, is four mills, and often insurance premium reduc tions offset a good portion of the Vehicle Stop Rule At School Crosswalk To Be Enforced Heppner police and school of ficials again asked local drivers to use caution while driving near school grounds and reminded them that a full stop is required at the recently installed cross walk light between tho two schools. Tolice report that many per sons are not observing the stop requirements at the flashing red signal, and warned that traffic citations will be issued to all offenders. The light was in stalled about a month ago to re duce the traffic hazard to the youngsters who must use the cross-walk. A full stop for all vehicles is required when the light is in operation during school hours. - U - World Prayer Day Observance Set Te World Day of Prayer service will be held Friday, March 8 at the Heppner Methodist church at 2 p. m. The program committee of the Union Missionary group is in charge of the program and each church group will have a part. All Heppner women are urged to attend. Members of the committee are Msr. R. B. . Rice, Mrs. William Bergstrom, Mrs. Theta Stratton and Mrs. L. D. Boulden. u " Heppner Student in Running for State FBLA President According to a . recent an nouncement made by the state executive committee of the Fu ture Business Leaders of America, Jim Morris, Heppner high school junior, will be one of two candi dates for the 1957-1958 state presi. dent of FBLA About a month ago Jim sub mitted application for the office of state vice president. Any school was permitted to submit the names of candidates for state offices but the credentials were screened by the state executive committee in a meeting at Cor vallis February 16. At this meeting the committee felt that Jim had qualifications which made it justifiable for him to be a candidate for the office of president. The local chapter will now be busy helping Jim with his cam paign which is climaxed at the state convention held in Corvallis April 12-13. The elections are a part of the final day proceed ings. Each candidate for a state office is allowed to speak and to present his qualifications! through literature and his cam-' paign managers. SIX-DAY WORK WEEK amount lost by the men be cause of the shutdown. Koenig said as long as pine lumber continues to move the present operation will continue. The fir market is still very slow and the mill has about one month's cutting of fir cold decked, 4ut it Is hoped that the market will pick up somewhat before it Is necessary to start cut ting fir logs. The dull fir market has re sulted in numerous mills in the western part of the state shut ting down completely and seve ral ply-wood plants have drop ped to a four or three-day week. tax cost. The council pointed out that it is allowed to take city equip ment outside of town only In cases where it has mutual aid agreements such as with the, local mill or with other towns In j the area who can supply help to Heppner if needed in case of a, major fire. It could also be1 called upon to aid other cities ', under the state conflagration act which has never yet been in voked since its passage a few years ago. Among those areas which are adjacent to town but still out side the city limits are homes on Hinton creek above the fair grounds, homes and businesses along the Heppner-Arlington highway and further out the Con don highway. None of these can be provided with fire protection, the council explained, unless they wish to join In the formation of a rural fire protection district. " ' - . . ' . ' z BANQUET FARE Some of the members of the Heppner high school horns economics class who last week completely prepared and served a banquet for 100 FFA chapter members and their parents, tho first such undertaking the group has tried. Until completion of the new home ec department in the school, facilities and equip ment were not available for such a project. The class under the direction of Mrs. Homer Hager includes both girls and boys. Shown here carving the five 20-pound turkeys are, left to right, Connie Anderson, Carole Andersen, Joann Brosnan, Frances Slocum, Phyl lis Quackenbush, Judy Collins, and Peggy Applegate. (GT Photo) Results of FFA Projects Reported At Annual Banquet Labor income of $2,857.75 was realized last year by members of the Heppner chapter of. Future Farmers of America it was re vealed last Wednesday at the annual parent and son banquet at the Heppner American Le gion hall. Projects of the chapter which has 15 members were listed as supervised farming projects of 17 beef, 23 sheep, 22 swine and 200 acres of grain land. So far there s approximately $3,237 invested in projects. There are three registered Hereford chains in the chapter. Larry Fetsch received the Cuts- forth chain, Ned Clark the Harshman chain and Jackie Struthers the Sears chain. They give the boys a good start on raising registered stock. Through the cooperation of the county court and the fair board the chapter this year has started a feedlot to be used for livestock feeding programs of the chapter and for Individuals who don't have a place for their supervised farming- projects. Much work had to be done to get the lot into shape and the chapter members have cooperatively purchased four tons of hay and six tons of grain for use at the lot. Larry Fetsch is chapter presi dent and acted as master of cere monies at the banquet which was put on by the Heppner high school home economics class un der the direction of Mrs. Homer Hager, L. L. Robbins is the chap ter advisor. New 15-Unit Motel Open For Business The new 15-unit Northwestern Motel located on the corner of Main and Baltimore streets opened last week, the third such business to be started in Hepp ner in recent years. The U-shaped concrete block structure is owned and operated by Mr. and Mrs. Rufus Piper and offers strictly modern facilities to travelers. There are 13 one-bedroom and two two-bedroom units in the building in addition to the manager's quarters. No formal open house is planned, but the general public Is welcome to look over the building at any time, the Pipers stated. Mineral Society Studies Formations The Morrow county Gem and Mineral society met Feb. 19 at the John Newman home where the group continued its study of rock formations. It was an nounced that mineral shows will be held at Eugene April 13 and 14 and at Sweet Home March 16 and 17. Mrs. C. M. Wagner showed a film on Canadian wild life. o IONE P-TA, TO SPONSOR MINSTREL SHOW MARCH 15 A minstrel show, the Condon Cotton-Picking Minstrels, will be presented Friday evening, March 15 at the lone school cafetorlum starting at 8:30. The program is being sponsored by the lone P-TA. METHODIST YOUTH AT DISTRICT MEETING Those going to the district Methodist Youth Fellowship at The Dalles Friday, Saturday and Sunday were Carol Kay Ander son, Janice Martin, Susan Mc Quarrie, Celia Boulden and Renn Harris. They were accompanied by Mrs. Lester Boulden. Local Seniors Win Elks Awards Jay Sumner, recently announ ced as one of two recipients of the local region Elks "Most Val uable Student" award, was this week announced as winner of first place for boys in the district division at La Grande. Mary Jo Stewart, the other local region first place winner, was given a second rating at La Grande loosing the district first place to Gaye McEwen of Pen dleton. Mary Jo will receive the benefits of a full tuition scholar ship to Eastern Oregon College at La Grande should she decide to attend college there. Both young people went to La Grande March 3 to take part in interviews held to decide the dis trict award winners. Competition at1 La Grande included seven girls and seven boys from the schools ranging in size from that of Pendleton to Boardman. Jay will now be entered in the state competition against the other Oregon boys. There will be a similar competition held for girls and then the first place boy in the state and the first place award winner for girls will compete against each other for the "Most Valuable Student from Oregon" award. This competition will be hold at Bend March 16 Both local winners will receive a $200 scholarship and Jay re-1 ceived an additional $50 award for placing top in the district. Second place in the local contest went to Shirley Kononen, daugh ter of Mrs. Kay Kononen, and Alice Faye Stewart, sister of the first place winner. These winners will receive $100 scholarships. Judging for the awards was based on scholarship, extra-curricular and out of school activi ties, personality, leadership, per serverance and resourcefulness. Hotel Heppner Sale Revealed Sale of the Hotel Heppner to Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Mattoon of Oswego has been announced by Mr. and Mrs. Jack Van den Bie sen, the former owners. The Ma ttoons took over operation of the hotel March 1. Mr. and Mrs. Mattoon plan to operate the hotel themselves though he will continue to run The Mattoon Company, a power and telephone line construction company which he owns and has been operating out of Oswego. The company has done consider able line construction work in the Pendleton and Pasco areas. The new owners plan an ex tensive renovation of the build ing and will do some remodeling in the future. They have one son, Kerry. The Van den Biesen.'s had owned the business only a short time, having purchased it last fall. They planned to return to Portland. o State Income Tax Representative Due A representative of the state tax commission will be in Hepp ner from 3 to 5 p. m. March 20 at the court house to aid tax payers in preparing their state income tax returns, the commis sion announced today. They will also be in Condon at the court house the same day from 8 a. m. to noon. City Park Fund Receives Donation From Former Club The Heppner city park fund was the beneficiary of a dona tion of $77.58, the gift of the now defunct Heppner Lions club. The money was accepted by the city council Monday night. Former officers of the club, which disbanded more than a year ago, had given the city a check for $92.58 about a week ago, the balance in the club's treasury when it disbanded, but after the presentation was made the club received a bill for $15 which it had not known was out standing. The council accepted the money and agreed to pay the one bill the balance of the money to be used for improve ment of the park. Immediate graveling of the block-long street leading from Water street to the Seventh Day Adventist church was ordered by the council Monday when it was advised that an agreement had been reached among property owners and money was available for the improvement. The street previously had been curbed and it had been originally planned to ask for paving, but sufficient funds were not available to hard- top the block. The council received nn'o hid from Glen Smith for the pur chase of a triangular piece of city-owned land in lot 28, block 11, Mt. Vernon addition. The hid was for $50 and the council ac cepted the offer. An application for a class A package beer license was ap proved for Central Market and droecry. The council also nr. dcred an application be filed for state aid, under a special fund, ror the paving of south Court street from the court house to Join with a former state-aid job about three blocks south. The request is for 1958 funds. Gasoline Ordinance Read An ordinance governing the storing of gasoline or other similarly inflammable liquids in amounts over five gallons was passed to its third reading. It will be considered again for final passage in April. The ordinance also prohibits the dumping of gasoline into any type storage tank from vehicles or combina tion of vehicles havlnc more than 1200 gallons capacity. Pre sent bulk gasoline plants now operating within tho citv limits are exemped under the ordinance. I he council instructed the citv recorder to contact the owner of the old unoccupied Mover build ing on Water street and request Its removal as a fire and health hazard. It also issued instruc- tions that TV pole guy wires be adequately marked to eliminate the danger of persons walking or running into them, discussed the keeping of livestock within the city limits without a city per mit and Instructed the recorder to advise several property own ers of dangerous sidewalk con ditions which should be corrected. o Extension Unit Sets Two-Day Meeting The Heppner extension unit will meet Tuesday, March 12 at 10:30 a m. and Wednesday, March 13 at 1:15 p. m. at the home of Mrs. Al Fetsch. The March project is Embos sing thin metals and the leaders are Mrs. William Heath and Mrs. Riley Munkers. They will have supplies for making the pictures and they may be purchased at the meeting. The cost will pro bably run between $1.00 and $2.00 each. Each person is asked to bring a sack lunch on Tuesday and the hostess will serve beverage and dessert for a small charge. Lyle Jensen Pledged To PU Honorary Pacific University Lyle Jen; sen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln Nash of Heppner, has been Ini tiated into Pi Delta Epsilon, na tional journalism honorary on the campus of Pacific university. Jensen is a sophomore journal ism major and a graduate of Heppner high school where he was active in school publications and sports. He is presently as sistant sports editor of the col- cge newspaper. MEETING DATE CHANGED The Rhea Creek grange meet ing date has been changed from March 15 to the 20th it was an nounced today. There will be a potluck dinner at 6 p. m.
