LIBRARY
U OF 0
EUGENE. ORE.
ip o n
kB
mm
U U UVJ
b
10 Cents
Light Voter Turnout
For Friday's Primary
After a quiet campaign, a light
turnout of voters is expected Fri
day at the primary election in
Morrow county. Polls in the nine
precincts will be open from 8
a. m. until 8 p. m., but it is
doubtful if more than 50 per
cent of the total of 2217 register
ed voters will go to cast ballots
in the 12-hour period.
Four separate ballots have
been prepared, and most voters
will mark preferences on three
of them the one for his party,
one for measures and one for
CANDIDATES for Morrow county
V I i I ... I .
1 II I I v FI
rf kA. , B- . . tfii Jf . U
nanot are E. o. (Gene) Ferguson of Heppner (left) who is com
pleting his first term in the office and Berl Akers (right) of lone,
There are no Democratic candidates for the office. (G-T Photos)
State Tax Board Holds
Road Tax Base Plan Illegal
Morrow county's measure ask
ing for voter approval of a
$115,000 road tax base is held
to be illegal by the Oregon State
Tax Commission, County Judge
Oscar Peterson has announced.
He made the announcement at
the Heppner-Morrow County
Chamber ot Commerce meeting
Monday when a discussion of
the uroDosed measure came ud.
"I regret very much that I
must advise everyone to vote
against it," he said. The measure
appears on the primary election
ballot and will be up for vote
Iridav.
Since it is too late to remove
it or reprint the ballots, it will
remain to face decision of the
voters, but even if it were ap
proved, the commission holds
that it could not be placed in
effect. District Attorney Bob
Abrams said that the basis for
the interpretation is that the
county cannot have two tax
bases one for the general fund
and one for the road tax.
The uroposal was offered to
voters when it was discovered
several months ago that the cur
rent year's serial levy, approved
bv voters in 1953, is illegal be
cause it has produced revenue
in excess of statutory limits. This
was due to the increasing of
the assessment ratio on property
taxes from 22 to 25'r, a step
required by a new law to make
ratios uniform throughout the
state. The court turned to the
establishment of the road base
us an alternative method of
i. using needed funds.
Judge Peterson said that the
only recourse now is for the
county to ask voters again to
approve a serial levy which will
he set up in a different form to
Photo Proofs Due
Those who had pictures taken
of children by Woltz Studios un
der a cooperative arrangement
with the Gazette-Times are re
minded that Jack Fixter, photog
rapher, will be back with proofs
of the pictures Friday from noon
until 7 p. m. at the banquet room
of Stefani's Fine Food, lone, and
from !) a. m. until 6 p. m. at
Hotel Heppner.
Elks Call Meeting
In Odd Fellows Hall
Without a home because of
the Friday fire, Heppner lodge
No. 358, B.P.O.E., will meet
Thursday night in the Odd
Fellows hall at 8 p. m., it is
announced.
Temporary club room and
lounge for the Elks will be
opened in the building just
south of MiLadies Apparel,
formerly a teen-age center. It
is expected that the temporary
arrangement will be ready
sometime next week.
GAZETTE-TlMK
judiciary (non-partisan) offices.
However, those who have regis
tered as independents or for
parties other than Republican
and Democrat will receive only
the ballots for measures and
judiciary. Only 33 are registered
in this category.
Polling places are listed by
Mrs. Sadie Parrish as follows:
Boardman, Greenfield Grange
hall; Hardman, IOOF lodge hall;
lone, city hall; Irrigon, A. C.
Houghton school; Lexington, city
hall; N. E, Heppner, old library
commissioner on the Republican
conform to requirements of an
other relatively recent law. This
must be done at a special elec
tion prior to July 15 in order that
the county receive proceeds from
the 1962-63 tax levies, but if
possible, the election may be
set prior to July 1, he said.
State law now prohibits a ser
ial levy in the form that Morrow
voters have approved for the past
15 years. It called for a 10-mill
levy, but it is no longer legal
to ask for a specific millage
levy. Rather, a certain sum must
be asked lor, and the millage
levy is determined on the basis
of that necessary to raise the
sum, spread across the total val
uation. College District
Election Called
An election on the formation
of the Blue Mountain Area Edu
cation District has been called
by the State Board of Education
for Friday, June 8, from 2 to
8 p. m. The district is for the
organization of a community
college to serve Umatilla and
lorrow counties.
While voters ballot on the for
mation of the district, they will
also cast votes for seven direc
tors to be elected at large in the
district. Petitions have been circ
ulated for Robert Abrams, Hepp
ner, as one of the directors.
In Morrow county, polling
places will be at Heppner ele
mentary school; Irrigon elemen
tary school; Riverside High
school, Boardman j- school cafe
teria, lone; and Lexington
Elementary school. Fourt e e n
polling places are also estab
lished in Umatilla county.
The state board authorized the
election after conducting a pub
lic hearing in Pendleton. Most
of those appearing at the hear
ing expressed themselves as in
favor of the district.
Ed Gonfy Heads
Heppner TV, Inc.
Ed Gontv, a director of Hepp
ner TV, Inc., for five years, was
elected president at the annual
meeting Tuesday night. Conlev
Lanham, past president, was re
elected to the board of direc
tors after completing his term.
Other directors are Harry O'
Donnell, L. E. Dick and Haskell
Sharrard. Carl Spaulding is sec
retary and Don Wise is tech
nician. Six thousand feet of new cable
has been purchased to replace
old cable. In all, the stock corp
oration now has 13 miles of
cable.
Heppner, Oregon; Thursday, May 17, 1962
Expected
Election
room in city hall; N. W. Heppner,
TN-County Equipment Co. build
ing; S. E. Heppner, county
clerks office in the courthouse
S. W. Heppner, county judge
office in the courthouse.
On the Republican ballot, prin
cipal local interest centers in
two county contests, those for
assessor and county commission
er. Since neither position has a
candidate on the Democratic bal
lot, choice of the Republican
nominee is tantamount to elec
tion.
Oliver Creswick, appointed as
sessor last year to fill the un
expired term vacated by the late
Harry Dinges, is opposed by Rod-
ericK fa. ihomson, deputy asses
lor for 4 years, for the assessor
position.
For commissioner, E. O. (Gene)
Ferguson, completing his first
term in the office, is opposed
by berl Akers of lone.
On the Demorcatic ticket. Drin-
cipal local interest will center
in the race between Jack L
Smith, former president of the
Oregon Wheat league, and Frank
M. Weatherford, incumbent, tor
the nomination as state repre
sentative from the 28th district,
embracing Gilliam, Morrow,
Sherman, Umatilla and Wheeler
counties. Winner of the contest
will go against Gaylord Madi
son, Republican, In the Novern
ber general election, since Madi
son is running unopposed on the
Kepuoncan ballot.
Except for these three po
sitions, there are no local con
tests on either ballot. Garland
Swanson is running unopposed
lor another term as port com
missioner on the G.O.P. slate and
George Wiese, Democrat, also
seeks another term for port com
missioner on his party ticket
Two are to be elected in the
fall.
Some precincts have precinct
committeemen and committee
women running opposed and
these will appear on the separate
ballots lor each precinct.
Some additional interest comes
at the national and state levels.
Six candidates are in the running
for nomination as U. S. Senator
on the G.O.P. ticket to oppose
senator wayne Morse in the gen
eral election. Front runners are
Sig Unander and Congressman
Edwin R. Durno. Also in the race
are Harold M. Livingston, Glenn
E. Brixey, J, Bacaloff, and R. F.
Cook.
On the Democratic side, Sen.
Morse has opposition from
Charles E. Gilbert.
Two Republicans are vieinc
for the nomination for Repre
sentative in Congress from
the second district. Robert W.
Chandler, Bend publisher, and
Everett J. Thoren, Elgin lumber
man, are in the race. Thoren has
been working actively in this
territory and visited in Heppner
Monday.
Winner will face present
congressman Al Ullman in the
general election. Ullman is un
opposed on the Democratic ticket.
in the primary.
For governor, Gov. Mark Hal-
field has some opposition on the
Republican ticket by H. G. Alt
vater, but a more interesting race
has Deen developing on the Dem
ocratic side between Walter J.
Pearson, veteran in politics, and
Robert Y. Thornton, state attorney-general
for years. Two
others are in the running, M. A.
(Cap) Yegge and Dan N. Cox.
Norman O. Nilsen, present
commissioner of labor, has op
position on the Democratic bal
lot by Vic Davis, and Alfred
(Pat) Blair is running unopposed
for the nomination on the G.O.P.
ticket.
Some interest in the election
dissipated early in the week
when it was learned that the
$115,000 road tax base proposed
by the county court is illegal
and could not be placed in effect
if it carried. This leaves two
state measures on the measures
ballot, one to make changes to
the 6 percent limitation amend
ment, and the other on legis
lators' salaries.
Two contests on the non
partisan ballot find Arno H.
Denecke vieing with Lyle R.
Wolff for position 6, supreme
court, and Judge Peter Gunnar,
incumbent, opposed by Raymond
L. Jones for judge of the Oregon
tax court.
WEATHER
(Leonard Gilliam, observer)
Hi Lo Prec.
Thursday 58 34 .07
Friday 61 33
Saturday 57 32
Sunday 61 32
Monday 63 38
Tuesday 59 35
Wednesday 70 43
79th Year, Number 1 1
Going . . .
n V-jrr wro t i i , lmlL s
, 4 . . "Ml
3-rXT--' took . i. .Jvf
mm-;-
H'f .H, ..w?J
first to turn In 7fb alarm.
' " ' "' . J !J II ' f i,'
VOLUNTEERS are shown working
saies as names Drone mrougn
dense black smoke. Handling
Stroeber.
i
I
V
. rWC - v
&?zzrii::iL :.r-'---...... J
:'tt1r-w J).- ' -n I
1 I" " - Ml , ' ' '"TT
K - I . - , , . M - - - i n- - I, i i J
TWISTED and CHARRED chaos remained after the fire was extinguished. This view looks to the
northwest from the back of the building. Bumed chairs from the lodge are visible center left
"Hot spot" of the fire centered in the kitchen and dining area. (G-T Photos)
Theater Heavily Damaged
In Worst Blaze Since 1949
(Pictures also pages 2 and 6)
nre, which apparently had
considerable head start before
being discovered, early Friday
morning ravaged the Elks lodge
building. It gutted the upper
JJL
,E!!?S' buiin sh0ltlV
" " "m "el Rm n
. . Going . .
"
on the south side of the building
ine tiKs root. Heavy tnicKnesses
hoses here are Howard Keithley, H.
II I I j I .- 1 I : 1:1 s
inn. r3fc'W-: WVRikiJ
floor and caused extensive
smoke and water damage to the
Star theater, located on the lower
noor or tne same structure.
Heppner volunteer firemen, led
by Chief Charles A. Ruggles and
4 A1 i i
ft -
w -' .J
.? the alarm was sounded
me bm south 01 town and was
.
t
&
Si uStJ te-M Hiuii A
ww
from the roof of Heppner Auto
ot tar on the roof caused the
J. Stroeber, Mike Crist, and Don
Gone
1
Bill Farra, were on the spot a
few minutes after the alarm
sounded shortly after 6 a. m. and
stuck with the stubborn blaze
until it was brought under con
trol two hours later. Mop-up
operations by the volunteers be
gan at 9:30 and work continued
through the day.
Dense black smoke billowed
over the city, and heat was
intense when flames broke
through the roof. Chief Ruggles
had attempted to gain entry
through the south stairway upon
arrival at the scene, taking a
high pressure booster line with
him, but was forced back by
the heat. Entry was blocked from
the rear of the buildim? hv a
steel door locked from the inside.
ine ctnet conjectured that
there was some possibility that
the fire might have been ex
tinguished at once had the men
been able to train access lhrmiih
the rear door.
Estimates of damaee ran as
high as $250,000 at first, but later
review brines the fitruro eon-
siderably lower, although it will
oe sometime belore adiusti-is
have completed their work. La-
verne van Marter of Turner.
Van Marter and Bryant insurance
agency expressed the opinion that
damage would be placed well
under preliminary estimates.
Elks members and volunteer
helpers carried much of the
equipment and supplies from the
lower floor club room, but all
equipment in the kitchen and
lodge rooms on the upper floor
was lost. Fire did not reach the
theater, but smoke and witi'i'
damage was extensive. Mrs.
Elaine George, who leases
quarters for the theater from
the Elks, said that "rust is all
over everything." Projectors and
metal seat backs show this
damage, she said. Ceiling in the
theater apparently is ruined and
walls are damaged. The screen
also suffered severely.
nrst to turn In tho alarm was
Mrs. James McCabe who noticed
smoke pouring from the build
ing from her home on the hill
south of town. Chief Ruccles
said the call came exactly at
G a. m. Within three minutes
another call came from Everett
Struckmeier, owner of Hotel
Heppner. '
Ruggles took one truck from
the fire barn and Bill and James
Farra took the rural pumper.
"I could see at the corner of
Main and Chase as I approached
from the west that the whole
top floor of the building was full
of dense, black smoke," the
chief said. He placed his high
pressure pump truck in front
of the building and the Farras
went to the rear of the building
with the rural truck. Other men
joined immediately to lav lines
from hydrants at the Main and
May, May and Chase, Willow
and Chase, and Willow and
Main intersections.
Hot spot of the fire seemed to
be in the kitchen-dining area.
some 20 feet back from the front
of the building. Firemen ap
proached the fire from the ton
of the Heppner Auto Sales build
ing on the south, and from the
Bucknum Tavern building on the
north. One l'a" line was used
at the rear of the building from
the ground. Those on the tavern
building were forced to wear
masks because of the dense
smoke blown to the northeast
by a slight breeze. Later the
wind shifted for a time and drif
ted across the top of the Auto
Sales building, but the fire was
controlled soon after.
The fire worked through ceil
ing and roof in the dining area
and progressed to the front and
back. Steady streams from the
sides held the roaring flames in
check but could not extinguish
the fire until the tarpaper roof
was completely burned and the
interior remained a charred and
blackened waste.
No one was in the building
when the fire started, and no
one was injured during the
course of the blaze. At no time
did the fire break away from the
volunteers who kept it well con
fined. Although businessmen on
the street were worried about
the possibility of general de
struction of the main block,
damage was held strictly to the
Elks building. Earl Ayres of
Heppner Auto Sales said that no
loss was suffered in his building,
and Elmer Berry, tavern owner,
said that if any damage was
done to his building it would be
on the roof where some slight
damage might have been caused
by the necessary traffic on it.
Loss appeared to be well cover
ed by insurance. The Elks had
invested some $100,000 in Im
provements to their hall and club
rooms only four years ago, but
the building and furnishings
were well insured. Mrs. George
said that the theater is also well
covered.
What the future holds remain
ed a question Thursday. Mrs.
George could not say whether
she would continue to operate
the theater, depending upon ac
tual extent of loss, her arrange
ment with the Elks, and other
matters. Members of the Elks,
too, are uncertain. Some stated
that they may reconstruct the
present quarters, but others feel
that they build a new structure
in the rear of the present lo
cation. Consensus is, however,
(Continued on Page 6)