HEPPNER GAZETTE-TIMES.
MOBBOW COUNTY'S NEWSPAPER
PHONE 676-9228
The Heppner Gazette, established March 30, 1883. The Heppner
Times established November 18, 1897. Consolidated February 15,
1912.
WESLEY A. SHERMAN
Editor and Publisher
-LLl .
TiWi
iV 1
i PUILIINIKS
-'ASSOCIATION
Subscription Rates: Morrow and Grant Counties, $4.00 Year; Else
when H50 Year. Single Copy 10 Cents. Published Every Thursday
and Entered at the Post Office at Heppner, Oregon, as Second
Class Matter.
OFFICE HOURS: 8 a. m. to 6 p. m.; Saturdays, 9 a. m. to 5 p. m.
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Good News on Property Taxes
Certainly one of the happiest news stories of the year for
property taxpayers is the one this week that points out that
taxes in the county will be down on an average of some 10
around the county.
The picture is good from several angles besides the fact
that Mr. Taxpayer will have to pungle up less. It proves out
the statement made prior to the school bond election that tax
payers would notice a decline on their forthcoming statements
due to the fact that the bond issue and interest, spread over a
20-year period, would require less annual millage than the
previously approved 3-year serial levy, although, of course,
spread over a much longer period.
It also proves the contention of the county court that the
$115,000 road serial levy, put before the people and passed in
July, would require three mills less than the former road
serial levy.
Part of the county's reappraisal program goes into effect
with this roll, and an increase in valuation in lone, Lexington
and Irrigon will be apparent. Reappraisal in Heppner is not
completed but will go on the roll next year.
It seems hard for many to understand but reappraisal is not
designed to hurt nor penalize anyone but is undertaken merely
to equalize the tax burden so that every taxpayer contributes
his fair share.
The economy-minded taxpayer should find satisfaction in
the fact that the total amount of taxes to be collected for all
purposes in Morrow for 1962-63 will be down by approximately
$100000. This is due to several reasons. School bond issues have
been paid off in Boardman and Irrigon, the county road serial
jevy as pointed out above is down, and the R-l school bond
and Interest payments require less than the serial levy did.
Other factors also enter the picture.
The roll shows that Morrow has a new No. 1 taxpayer, dis
placing Klnzua Corporation, in Pacific Gas Transmission. Their
pipeline, completed through the county last year, has been given
a utility assessment of $1,375,118, jumping from the $55,8-10 of
last year. This one thing, more than any other, is responsible
for the total county valuation topping that of last year by almost
$1,000,000.
The gas line assessment more than compensates for the loss
from the rolls of property bought in the Boardman area by the
Corps of Engineers and by the loss of timberlands, which are
no longer assessed by the counties under a new state law. A
timber severance tax replaces the property tax on timber.
Incidentally, with the government work in Boardman, the
Impending Boeing development, highway construction in the
north end, the change in timber severance tax, land transfers
to the state, and other developments, this is an interesting and
stimulating time for the county assessor's office. It keeps those
concerned with taxes on their toes to keep pace. For instance,
the large amount of equipment used in construction of the
new highway to Irrigon was in the county on January 1, and
that meant addition of a rather tremendous block of personal
property to the roll. Regardless of where the equipment was
after January 1, it still accrues to the county if it were here
on that date, and the assessor didn't miss it. The contractor
who built the highway will pay a goodly tax payment to the
county.
Yes, indeed, there are a great many factors entering the
Morrow county tax picture this year, but the bright and happy
part to Mr. John Q. Public Is the wav it Is winding up with a
total reduction in the tax load of $100,000 and a millage levy
decrease ranging from 7.0 mills in the code area benefitting the
least to 19.6 mill reduction in the code area benefitting the most,
Need for Housing Apparent
With opening of school Just about a month away, the pinch
for housing is appurcnt again.
Beverly Gunderson, clerk of School District R-l, said this
week that five or six houses are needed to accommodate in
coming school teachers and their families. One teacher arrived
from the midwest, became discouraged after doing some house
hunting and left, later sending his resignation. His resignation
was not due entirely to his failure, to find a suitable home
here, since other personal matters entered the picture, but it
was one of the causes.
But school teachers aren't the only ones who have been
vainly looking for places. Several Incoming families have
come Into this office asking for Information on places available.
It does not appear that there is a particular dearth of places
for sale for there are a number of good homes listed. However,
there are some newcomers who are not in a position to buy
because of their circumstances or the nature of their work. For
Instance, a state policeman to be transferred here and his family
were seeking a residence. He would be subject to transfer again
when his superiors felt he would be needed elsewhere and
would hardly be in a position to buy.
It Is quite obvious that the rental situation for homes to
accommodate a family with several childien is tough. This
not only applies to Heppner but to lone, and perhaps other
parts of the county. In Heppner there are quite a number of
apartments available, but these do not always meet the need.
The whole community, and not only the school board, has
some responsibility in trying to help incoming teachers with
adequate housing. If we want good teachers, we might do
what we can to make them comfortable here. There are too
many other places open to them to suffer housing hardship
in coming here.
Anyone who could offer suggestions on housing might con
vey them to the school hoard or to Elmer Schmidt, chairman of
the Chamber of Commerce development committee.
In the meantime it appears that the housing situation is
due for some serious study. Someone with capital to invest
might well consider the possibility of building some good and
comfortable places in a medium price range.
Class of '52 Holds
Reunion July 21-22
Twelve members of the Hepp
ner High school class of 19j2
celebrated their 10th year class
reunion July 21 and 22.
Saturday evening, July 21 the
group gathered at Stefani's Tine
Foods, lone, for a banquet and
program with Sallv Colin and
Jimmy Prock as hosts. They read
the class will und gave notes
of former students, who were
unable to attend, on their
whereabouts and what they are
doing at the present time.
Twenty six graduated with the
class.
The class and their families
met at the John Graves ranch
Thursday. August 2, 1962
HELEN E. SHERMAN
Associate Publisher
NATIONAL EDITORIAL
Ia:
for a picnic and more visiting
on Sunday.
They have planned to meet
again in five .wars for a ban
quet with no picnic scheduled.
Those attending were Mr. and
Mrs. Allen Hughes, Elwayne
Rergstrom, Marilyn Bergstrom,
Nanev Ferguson Zinter, Sally
Colin. Mr. and Mrs. Walt tHieta
craves i Hill. Mr. and Mrs. Hick
(Cavle Albert I Fellows, Mr. and
Mrs. Don (Bemiee Huston) Cross,
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Prock. Mr. and
Mrs. Kenneth Turner, Mr. and
Mrs. Roy Taylor, and Joanne
Bothwell Warren.
Mrs. Rod Murm left last
Thursday for Portland to attend
the gift show and visilod with
her parents. Mr. and Mrs. George
Uwlnn.
Chaff and Chatter
Wes Sherman
WE START to write this column
after sitting through a meet
ing of county officials and the
State Tax Commission in regard
to farm reappraisal. This puts
the old mind in a whirl of posted
ratios, assessment analyses, ra
tios of assessed values to true
cash values, alternative meth
ods for computing 25 fixed ra
tios et cetera. So at this point,
we're not sure what will come
out in the ensuing paragraphs.
In the lV2-hour meeting, though,
we gained a new respect for the
work of Oliver Creswick, Rod
Thomson and Bill Johnson of
the assessor's office. Anyone who
thinks they don't have a real
complicated job in this day and
age should have sat in on the
meeting.
As for us, it is too late now to
start regretting that we didn't
take those college economics
courses more seriously 25 years
ago.
THE NATIONAL Geograp h 1 c
magazine, we note, reports that
a satellite-tracking antenna in
New Jersey is so sensitive it
can hear a signal as weak as a
billionth of a millionth of a watt.
This reminds us of the tiny gnats
one encounters picnicking on
upper Willow creek. They are
so infinitesimal it almost takes
a microscope to see them. In
fact, we often hear them referred
to as "noseeums." But when they
get on your arm and bite, like
the sensitive antenna, they make
themselves hurt, too.
THEY SAY that keeping a secret
in a small town is like trying
to smuggle daylight past a roos
ter, and that furnishes a chal
lenge to a small weekly paper
which tries to get something In
the Thursday edition that every
one doesn't already know about.
But it is fun to keep trying.
Probably the most embarras
sing thing, though, is to have
someone tell us about an inci
dent that is news to us, then
have him say, "Well, I read it
in your paper," It happens.
IT ISN'T HARD to tell that it
is vacation time. You notice it
by the number of maimed and
injured who come back after
spending some time off. One
fellow who tries his hand at
water skiing may be hobbling
around for days with a back
that won't straighten up. An
other cripples down the street
with a sprained ankle. Mike
Whitesmith got his ankle injury
not on vacation but on a picnic
in Pendleton, frolicking on the
roundup grounds. Stepped in
one of the little holes around
the sprinkler head of an under
ground watering system and it
has been painful to watch him
proceed down the street ever
since.
A LOCAL doctor and dentist
were playing hide and seek
around town at 3 a.m. the other
morning. Dr. II. S. Iluber, the
dentist, has trouble with a
shoulder that goes out of joint
when he exerts too much ac
tivity. He had such trouble one
day last week and along about
3 a.m. it got to paining so much
Mrs. Iluber called Dr. Tibbies.
The latter went to the office,
got his gear and headed for the
Iluber home. In the meantime,
the Hubers headed for the doc
tor's office. When Dr. Tibbies got
to the residence, he couldn't
raise anyone at this nocturnal
hour and the daughter who was
left at home thought a noisy
burglar was trying to break in.
Finally the doctor caught up
COMMUNITY
BILLBOARD
Coming Events
HEPPNER SWIMMING POOL
Open daily, except Mondays
Classes for all ages, starting
Tuesday, Aug. 7
9 a.m., Tuesdays thru Fridays
$1 instruction fee
LEGION MOVIES
Friday, 8 p.m., Legion Hall
Always a Good Show!
This week "Five Little Peppers
in Trouble."
Plus one-half hour cartoons.
Morrow County Fair and
Rodeo Dance
For Princess, Jaequie Brindle
Saturday, August 4
Fair Pavilion, Heppner
Sponsored by Lena Commun
ity. RHEA CREEK GRANGE
PICNIC
Sunday, August 5. 2 p.m.
Chapin Creek Park
This space will be used
each week to announce com
ing events of a public service
nature at no charge.
SPONSORED AS A PUBLIC
SERVICE BY
C. A. RUGGLES
Insurance Agency
Heppner
P. 0. Box 611 PH. 676-9625
with dentist at the office, and
got the shoulder back in place
again.
PRIZE MONEY for winners in
the rodeo parade this year will
total the most it has for a good
many years, and this should fur
nish inducement for a bumper
crop of entries in each category.
Announcement of the various
divisions is elsewhere In this
paper. The parade is just a little
over a month away, and this is
a good time to start working out
ideas for your entry. Randall
Peterson of the Chamber of Com
merce has been spending con
siderable time working out all
the details of prizes and judg
ing, and there is a place for
everyone. If a goodly portion
of our population makes an ef
fort to get up floats, get In cos
tume, ride a horse, or dust off
the 1916 Maxwell, the parade
should be one of the best In
recent years.
All fair and rodeo committees
are really getting into gear and
working hard for the coming
event. All is volunteer work, and
apparently none expect any ac
claim for the job that they do.
As the old jingle goes,
"Search all your parks
In all your cities . . .
You'll find no statues
To committees."
Grange Plans Picnic
Members and their families of
the Rhea Creek Grange are re
minded of the picnic planned for
Sunday, August 5, at Chapin
Creek park. Activities are
scheduled to get underway at
2 p. m. Members are asked to
bring own table service in addi
tion to picnic food.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Abrams
and family visited with his sis
ter and family, Mr. and Mrs.
Edwin Haskell, at Everett, Wn.,
last week. Mr. and Mrs. Ab
rams attended a high school
class reunion of Bellingham, Wn.,
class of 1943.
A
Heppner
Newspaper Suit
Challenges Board
On Advertising
A suit challenging the right
of the Oregon State Board of
Pharmacy to ban the advertis
ing of prescription drugs has
been started by the Oregon
Newspaper Publishers Associat
ion and several newspapers.
The plaintiffs contend that
the Pharmacy Board exceeded
its authority in its August 11,
1961, order which deprives drug
stores of their right to advertise
any drug, medicine or appliance
"whose sale is restricted to a
prescription." The plaintiffs also
believe that the Board's order
prevents consumers from know
ing the price of such drugs be
fore entering the store.
Filing of the complaint fol
lows a request made on Sep
tember 14, 1961, by the News
paper Publishers association that
the Pharmacy Board rescind its
order and a later informal con
ference with Attorney General
Robert Y. Thornton during which
the representatives of news
papers gave reasons why they
thought the Board's action ex
ceeded its powers granted by
law.
"The Oregon Pharmacy Board
cannot stop prescription drug
firms in other states from ad
vertising and selling prescrip
tion drugs by mail to Oregon
residents," said Carl C. Webb,
manager of the Oregon News
paper Publishers Association, in
commenting upon the suit. "The
Board's ruling prohibits any Ore
gon licensed pharmacy from ad
vertising prescription items and
thus attempting to meet the
competition from national mail
order prescription firms.
"Persons whose health is such
that they need certain drugs
week after week are denied the
information of knowing through
advertising what specific drug
stores charge for these drugs
because the stores cannot
advertise these items. In
dividuals lose their freedom of
choice and we soon have an
economy that is neither free nor
competitive and in many cases
r.lODEIHl Business Operation
Demands QUALITY
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Dealer For Moore Business Forms
TO THE
EDITOR. . .
Dear Mr. Editor:
In recent weeks I have noted
nt of DUb-
licity given the Sabin Oral Polio
Vaccine Clinics Deing neiu in
Umatilla county. From all re
ports the population responded
whole heartedly and the turn
out was amazing.
n,ir Efhnnl rhilrlrpn did not
receive their polio shots this
year as part ot the scnooi in
noculation program. In years
past Morrow county has not been
immune to polio, and if such
a clinic would encourage the
greater part of our residents to
participate, then the effort and
planning to sponsor such a pro
gram would certainly be worth
while, Sincerely,
Betty Brown
To the Editor:
Dear Mr. Sherman:
At the last meeting of the
Blue Mountain Community Col
lege board a review of the elec
tion results was made and a
discussion of the fine support
we have received throughout the
area was held.
I was asked to write to you in
behalf of the board expressing
our appreciation of your com
plete and timely coverage, not
only for the budget election, but
throughout months of (organi
zation of the district. Without
the support of people like your
self and your paper, this pro
ject certainly could not have
been completed in time to start
school this fall.
Your support is much apprec
iated. Sincerely yours,
Wallace W. McCrae
Blue Mountain Community
College
it is the start of price-fixing,"
Webb said.
The complaint, filed in the
circuit court of Lane county July
26, questions the constitutional
ity of the Pharmacy Board's
order and asks that it be rescind
ed. Phone 676
Hughes Takes Tour
At Space Workshop
Tom Hughes of Heppner was
one of 53 members of the 7th
annual Oregon State Aerospace
Education workshop who arriv
ed at China Lake, Calif., Sun
day from Portland to being a
3-day familiarization study of
naval ordnance research and de
velopment. Capt. Charles Blen
man, Jr., commander of the U. S.
naval ordnance test station, was
host to the group which also
toured the Pasadena underwater
research facility.
Also Included in the Southern
California tour of key aerospace
centers will be a visit to Ed
wards Air Force base. Sponsored
by the Oregon State System of
Higher Education, teachers par
ticipating in the workshop, that
began July 9, represent 30 cities
in Oregon, Washington, Calif
ornia and Alaska. Hughes is due
back in Heppner next weeK.
Two of Heppner Ford
Win Company Awards
Eltwyn Hale, parts sales man
ager, and Larry Cochenour, ser
vice sales manager, for Heppner
Auto Sales, Inc., have been pre
sented the first annual Golden
Circle Award by Ford Division
of Ford Motor Company. Ron
Lund, Ford division zone man
ager of Seattle, recently made
the presentation here, Earl
Ayers, owner, said.
The award is based on out
standing accomplishments in
carrying out managerial respon
sibilities such as parts or labor
sales; parts purchase control or
shop productivity; sales pro
motion and advertising, and
customer satisfaction.
Each Golden Circle Award
winner receives a certificate of
qualification for the honor and
a coat lapel gold pin. For each
year a winner repeats the honor,
a diamond is added to his pin.
Oliver Creswick and sons, Don
and Ronnie, and son-in-law,
Duane Gentry, Milton-Freewater,
enjoyed a week-end of salmon
fishing at Ilwaco, Wn. Mrs.
Gentry and daughters, Debbie
and Denise, visited here with
her mother, Mrs. Creswick, dur
ing the week-end.
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