Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 1967)
HEPPNER GAZETTE-TIMES. Thttradar. March i. 1967 ThS" HEPPNER GAZETTE-TIMES Beppnac. Oregon 97836 MORROW COUNTTS NEWSPAPER The Herpner Gazette established March 30, 1SS3. The Heppner Times established November 18. 1S97. Consolidated February 15, 191Z NATIONAL NEWSPAPER 5ASSOCIATION WESLET A. SHERMAN Editor and Publisher jlAcQTN fcjiHii.Mf.im HELEN E. SHERMAN Associate PubUhr Office Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. until noon Saturday. Subscription Rates: $4.50 Year. Every Thursday and Entered at as Second Class Matter. Single Copv 10 Cents. Published the Post Office at Heppner. Oregon. A Man with a Great SpiritI On this morning of the death of Barney Malcom. the Mor row county community Is stunned to learn of the passing of a man who, until this time, appeared to have the capacity to persevere against any adversity. All those who knew Barney Malcom recognized him as man of great spirit His pervading optimism was an Inspira tion to his fellows and extended throughout the community, although to tell him so may have elicited some facetious re mark from him. His presence was enough to bring cheer to any gathering, no matter how dour the occasion for the meeting. Somber fac es lighted when he came Into a room. He had the capacity for easing tension and for changing frowns to smiles with an ap propriate quip or humorous remark. But behind this easygoing manner were strong qualities that brought admiration and all the more because they were disguised by his relaxed bearing. Barney Malcom's unusual courage was apparent on many occasions when his sawmill was destroyed by floods at Spray, when economic conditions forced closure of his mill here, and when he suffered a heart attack some two years ago. No matter what the reverse, he took It in stride and came back strong. But the nonchalance that he assumed on each of these occasions must have concealed a deeper toll. If communities had cheerleaders, this man would surely have been president of the Pep club for Heppner. He was a one-man Chamber of Commerce, Interested in everything con structive for the community. He was the fellow with a good word for everyone; he was the one who volunteered for a con fining three-day Civil Defense experiment when no one else wanted to be Inconvenienced. The spirit of Barney Malcom brought rest, flavor and char acter to Heppner and this part of the state. But more than vUiat, his qualities of perseverance were of economic Import ancHoJhe community. He kept his mills operating against hardships and thus brought needed payroll to the area. Among those who found employment at his Heppner Lum ber Company were many young men who needed the income to continue their college work. At the same time, he was the personification of free en terprise In a period when continuous encroachment makes this a difficult course. This individualism. In fact, may have been a contributing cause to his death. If this man who chlded himself as "Heppner's leading stud maker" were standing here now, he might say, "That's a lot of malarkey." But this is not to eulogize him, but rath er, to speak the truth of him. And as residents of the com munity Join in expressing sympathy to Barney Malcom's fine family, they will confirm that these words are true. Ranks of the great are not confined to those who achieve widespread fame or prominence. A test of greatness lies in the hearts of one's fellow men. It is evident this morning in the many expressions of af fection and regard for Barney Malcom that this plain spoken man of blithe spirit will be remembered here as a great man. Ominous Resolution One "sleeper" tossed Into the hopper of the House of Representatives in Salem recently Is House Joint Resolution 34. It has ominous overtones for Morrow county as well as other small counties In the state. This resolution, sponsored by Richard Kennedy, Lane coun ty; Frank Roberts, Multnomah county; and Wayne Turner, Columbia county, would create a county reorganization com mission and would authorize expenditures up to $50,000 to study the subject of reorganization of Oregon counties, "in cluding the revision of county boundaries, and shall take in to consideration population, land areas, natural geographic division, economic interests, the location of existing county seats, convenience of travel and the inclusion of entire met ropolitan areas in single counties." The preamble of the resolution points out that six of the counties have population of less than 10.000 and four others have populations of less than 5,000. (Morrow Is now less than 5,000). The resolution states that the study is needed to "devel op a plan for an efficient and practical consolidation of cer tain counties and a revision of county political boundaries." This quite obviously is another attempt to consolidate the lesser counties and to make the big counties bigger. Perhaps that may be predicting beyond what the resolution Intends, but if that isn't the case, what is the reason for the study? This comes up at about every legislative session, as far back as the days of Richard Neuberger, when he was In the legislature. It always is sponsored by representatives from the more populated counties, who are in the least position to know the circumstances surrounding the needs and problems of smaller counties. In this case the sponsors are from Mult nomah, Columbia and Lane. Some of the questions that come to mind are; Why must these "foreign" representatives always delve In to the doings of the smaller counties? A county like Mor row county is self-sustained. It works no economic hardship on the State of Oregon. It operates well within its budget (well below the 6 limitation this year). It has good offi cers. It keeps its lands appraised up to state requirements. (Even better than some of the Democratic legislators like!) Its juvenile delinquency is far below the larger counties. It received a welfare reimbursement from the state because of its efficiency in that department Its people are happy. What economy is to be gained? What efficiency? Does the fact that a governmental agency is large promote effic iency necessarily? Our federal government Is about as un economical as it can be and it Ls about as big as it can be. (If you don't agree, read the article on the Research Boon doggle in this month's Reader's Digest). Actually, quite the opposite is true. When the governmental agency Ls small where the people can keep in touch economy and efficiency are promoted. The public can observe and act accordingly. One of the great dangers to our democracy and mark this well is that government is being removed farther and farther from the people. Consolidation of counties would be another step in this direction. It is difficult to understand why so many politicians want to undermine our traditional democracy. Rep. Irvin Mann sent us a copy of this resolution. If it isn't too late and we hope it Isn't we urge that the voices of those who want to retain our county governments as they are be added to this protest on HJR 34. To the Editor: The Booing Blunder. Once again its ugly head Is bobbing above water and it will keep bobbins up to bother Hatfield and the republications for the next 75 years, shades or the Manhattan purchase. With substantial men refus ing $100 per acre for land no better or not as good as the Boe ing lease, valuations of this land will be forced to that fig ure and our state legislature will have to appropriate addit ional tunas to pay about siua- 000 taxes here on It The newspapers state that Morrow county Is raiding the state on their tax demands and the reverse is true. Morrow countv and Its taxpayers were raided five years ago when this land was given to trie Jstate oi Washington. This is good Irrl- gatable land. O. W. Cutsforth TO THE EDITOR... February 25. l'.kjH ivar Wes and Helen: While retyping and revising mv manuscript. "History of Mor row County." I came across this little item published in the Ca lotte on November 6, 1SW. as follows: While climbing high up In hen's roost last Thursday night. Dr. Shipley foil, bruising him self some. Since writing thr above, we deem It advisable c sav the doctor was In his ovP hen roost." I thought this little .-? might interest v T noii M she Isthe granddaugh wr of Dr. Shipley, who was my doctor when I was born. All through the smallpox and diph theria epidemic also Dr. Shipley was my doctor. His wife was a cood practical nurse and very capable. Weil, like Art Crawford re cently wrote, 1 would not feel good if I had to do without the good old "Gazette." O. M. Yeager Rebuttal on Boeing With agitation flaring again In the legislature over the Boeing lease and being fanned locally In some quarters, par ticularly by the efforts of Orville Cutsforth, it seems In order to consider a few matters In this connection. While Cutsforth' zeal and sincerity are as obvious as his unwavering opposition to the Boeing lease from the beginn ing, it can be said with certainty that he does not express a unanimous opinion tor the people of Morrow county. Nor can It be said, without some documentation, that he speaks for a majority. There undoubtedly ls some disappointment that more de velopment has not been made by the Boeing Company on the vast tract of land leased to It This, coupled with accel erating interest In irrigating north end lands, probably has dampened local enthusiasm for the Boeing project to an un determined extent But it would te difficult to analyze ac curately how much local ardor has cooled. It may be that some are stumbling over their own impat ience on this project There is no reason to allege that The Boeing Company has acted In anything but good faith. It has, of course, Installed a facility of $1.5 million or more on the site. It has hired up to 35 men on the testing project, although at one time last year the operation was halted, and perhaps there Is little activity there at the present time. While the $1.5 million investment may not be great In terms of the size of this huge company. It ls a beginning. And while the hiring of 35 men ls far short of the 500 that the excited county expected to arrive In a first contingent six years ago, It would be one of the largest Industrial pay rolls in the county. The Impatience comes in the face of repeated statements from the company and from ex-Governor Hatfield that the development would not mushroom. Perhaps many were over come by their own excitement of the space age prospects. Cutsforth makes no secret that he Intends to do every thing In his power to agitate towards the breaking of the Boeing lease, and this position seems to be music to the ears of the Democrats in the legislature, whose "flap," as Governor Tom McCall so aptly described it Is currently re newing the controversy. As a Morrow county rancher for many years, Cutsforth believes that the future of the state and jpf Morrow county lies in agriculture not Industry. He ls dedicated to this principle and pursues It strenuously. There are undoubtedly many who agree with him. On the other hand, there are others who believe In a more balanced economy those who want to encourage In dustry as well as agriculture. They would not concur with Cutsforth that the Boeing land was "given to the State of Washington" but rather believe that this presents an oppor tunity to share in a great and growing Northwest industry. The benefits of this vast land of ours should result in prosperity to all whether one is engaged In agriculture, In dustry, or some other pursuit When The Boeing Company signed the lease with the state, it surely envisioned future development and recognized that this was a good place for It At the same time, it ls to be recalled, it specifically pointed out that it had no definite plans beyond that of the immediate testing facility. The big expectation was and still Is that government contracts may bring greater utility for the tracts and also that surrounding Boeing's own Industrial growth will come compatible associated industries. Now, in the face of these considerations, what ls to be gained by creating hostility through agitation? If Boeing were given a big government contract today and It were an nounced tomorrow that a complement of 500 men would come to the county, wouldn't this be welcomed with open arms throughout the county with the exception of those who stand for agriculture alone? And what reason is there to believe that tremendous ag riculture development and industrial development cannot go hand In hand? There are some large areas In the northern part of the county that remain to be developed through Irri gation before it is necessary to attempt to take lands away from Boeing. Even if it should be determined that more lands are needed for agriculture and if nothing was ever to be done by Boeing In developing the leased tract there Is a provision for re negotiation of the lease In 1970. That Is the time to determine the future course, instead of fomenting loose and hostile talk at this time. We're among those who join with Governor McCall In say ing we don't want to insult Boeing. The company has done nothing to Justify this treatment We tend to resent the Intrusion of this agitation In the legislature at a time when there are so many Important mat ters to be considered. Some of It has to be charged to po litical chicanery. The outspoken Democrats charge Morrow county with goug ing the state for reappraising the Boeing lands, ostensibly to increase the taxes that the state must pay for these lands. What an incongruous statement when the county ls required by state law to keep Its property appraised to true cash val ue! This Is an affront, ironically enough, to a county gov ernment headed by a Democrat Judge Paul Jones. Regardless of the motives of the men in the legislature, we know Cutsforth and understand his motives as sincere, but we consider his methods ill-advised. In his letter to the editor, elsewhere on this page, he states that the State of Oregon will have to appropriate ad ditional funds to pay "about $100,000 taxes here on It" How ever, the state last year paid only $13,089 taxes through the Veteran's Administration, and Assessor Rod Thomson reports that taxes going as high as Cutsforth's estimate could only come about through extensive improvement on the lands. Incidentally, one matter that has been omitted in the cur rent "flap" is the fact that Boeing last year paid the county $13,609.75 in taxes on its above-ground developments on the tract. Governor McCall presents a reasonable approach when he suggests conferences with Boeing In the hope of determining what might be expected. Beyond that, the logical time to re-' view all aspects of the case Is at the time of re-negotiation of the lease in 1970. Meanwhile, in regard to the ruckus over taxes on the land, it is possible that the admonition might apply. "Don't hold a nickel so close to your eye that you can't see a dollar In the distance." V0 PAM MoCABE. at the aae of three, and friend from the Mlna dynasty. Chaff nd Chatter Wes Sherman ,,pXER? What Is Boxer? TUN Inav be the question that one Jlght ask If he had boon quer ied as to whether he had won Vw story In the Orogonlan this week on the planned iioxor flash." If vou don't know about Box er, vou could ask Harlan Me Curtlv. He can toll you. Or Ed Pick; or Mrs. Roland Borgstrom of lone; or Harry Proudfool: or Bob Mahoney; or Ed henamu; i or anyone else who has ever l been connected with Paiiflc M University. Boxer Is sometimes called a Chinese Idol, other times a dragon, and again, a unicorn. He lor lt apparently is casi iron, wclcha some 20 pounds, ami allegedly originated In 15H0 when It was cast In Ming dy-1 nasty China. The name cornea from the Boxer rebellion. , Since l&Ml. when It was given to Pacific University In Joro.st Grove, it has been representa tive of the spirit of the univer sity. But the inference Is con siderably broader than this, as any old Badger understands. Probably many who have at tended Pacific have never seen Boxer. Some may even believe him to be only legendary, but he la real enough. He Is hold In secret by some sorority, fra ternity, other campus organiza tion or students until the hold ers desire to "flash" him. When that occurs, a riot Invariably en sues as students battle for pos session of the coveted trophy. When the writer was Initiat ed Into Gamma Sigma frater nity manv years ago, he was led blindfolded Into a room and his hand was placed on this solid splndlv obteot. When the blindfold was removed, there was Boxer. Had other fraternities known that Boxer was exposed In this certain hall on that night, the room would have been invaded en masse and a royal battle would have followed. When son Dick entered P. U. as a freshman In 1959 ame time Bob Mahoney was there he plunged Into a fight for Box er, got a ring caught on one of the cast Iron spines. He lost a valued ring and nearly lost a fineer. Many are the places that Box er has been hid during his col orful existence. One story has it that he was at the bottom of the Willamette River for a year or so, tied there at the end of a wire. One would hardly dare keen him for long In a resi dence. The place might be wrecked as the students sought him out. There will be those who might say this couldn't be true, but these don't understand the spir it of old P. U. Occasion for the Oregonian story was to report that Boxer was expected to be "flashed" I again. But apparently before the time arrived. Gamma Sigma i members managed to steal him. and it was reported that Boxer had been spirited oft to Ashland or Klamath Falls. Boxer has suffered through the abuse taken In these lmbro elios. There are some reports that he Is In parts today. This has happened befqre but he had been welded together again. It is also said that one sorority has his tall for safekeeping. Maybe this is on the theory that the tall wags the dog:" A couple of years ago, It was reported to us that Boxer was In Heormer. We can't vouch for this. But we do have an Idea of who could have brought him here. We didn't breathe a word of the rumor because we didn't want to Incite a riot Occasion for this discourse, though, ls the fart that Ernie McCabe saw the Oregonian ar ticle and it rang a bell with him. Fourteen years ago Fayne Ely of lone broupht Boxer to lone, and the McCabes took a picture of their daughter, Pam, with the Spirit of Pacific. (See above). This Ls the same Pam who now is a cheerleader for Heppner High. A person has about as much chance to see Boxer as he would te find a 20-dollar gold piece. But If you ever happen to be in Forest Grove and come across him, we'd advise that you not try to bring him home run for your life! the light shine off that bald head of Charlie Itugglea In the officii amww the atroot for about throe wroka now. Charlie has boon having a mighty tough bout with old fashioned flu, and he hasn't boon able to be up and around. He's getting bolter nrw, they toll us, and wt hup to are the nun reflecting from hla noggin again soon. COMMUNITY J J BILLBOARD K well earn the right to go to Coos Bay. It soema to us that the Mus tangs reached their peak late, a desirable thing. Coach Bob dough hasn t made anv predlctlona. knowing that the field Is tough. But he has confidence in the Mustangs. ' We're stronger than we have been any time this season." he said Tuesday. "If I were to pick a week to go to tournament. It would be this week." And this Is the week. A large part of the Heppner population will follow the team and root for them. It's hard to find new word to express the feeling of the community towards these play, ors who have given us such thrilling season. They worked hard and their performance has been great. It seems as If there Is some thing more to say as they head for La Grande beyond "We'll support you 100'' or "Good Luck. We're With You!" But for want of bettor words, we'll leave it at that." ROY (SHORTY) ' KNIGHT F.N made an unusual find this week. He picked up a Heppner dog license, a round brass tug, that he found in the lot behind Economy Market. The unusual thing about the tag wo that It was dated "1907". Shorty turned It over to Tom Howell and Tom sent It over to ui. Per haps they even had a dog prob lem In those day. WE'VE BEEN missing seeing Coming Events BASKETBALL put r let Tournament K(X Gymnasium. l.a Grande Friday, Saturday, warcn 3 a A Friday, March 3. 9 p m. Heppner vs. (.rant union Locr play first game, win ners play second game on Saturday. SITPORT THE MUSTANGS. I.EGtON AUXILIARY Monthly meeting. Monday, March 0 Potluck dinner. 7 pm, meet ings following Members urgrd to attend GOLDEN AGE CLUB Tumulty. March 7 All Saints' Episcopal Pariah Hall Potluck dinner. 7 p.m., fol lowed by entertainment Guests welcome. SKI FESTIVAL Sunday. March 5. 2 p.m. Arbuokle Mountain Ski races for all agea. Come and Join the fun. ANYONE FOR BASKETBALL.? OSU BASKETBALL. 5.00 tun, Sunday, March 12. OSU v. OREGON. KATU Channel Z Meet our man from NORTH WESTERN during breaks In the games. SPONSORED AS A PUBLIC SERVICE BY C. A. RUGGLES Insurance Agency Heppner r. a im ui ph. m-K2s AS HEPPNER'S MUSTANGS go to La Grande Saturday for the district basketball tournament they will add to a record pre viously set This will be the fourth straight year they have won the right to go to the dis trict. In 1965, they won the dis trict title and went on to the state tournament at Coos Bay. This is quite a record for a school that really doesn't have the enrollment to qualify for the A-2 ranks, but it certainly shows that they have been more than holding their own. There will be four real good teams in the tournament, and all games should be dandles. The team that emerges shall COLE ELECTRIC Motor Rewinding INDUSTRIAL COMMERCIAL FARM AND HOME Pendleton 276-7761 fertilizer grow-how for Northwest crops At the sign of the Circle P yuu gel the right Golden Harveit fcftlli ten and chemical! for your crop and your toil . . . plus the kind of technical advice and Grow How you would eipect from a farmer dedicated butincu like Pacific. FORMULATED FOR NORTHWEST SOILS ... a complete tin of liquid, limple or mixed dry ferttliieri permit! the best poniblc oil nutrient and chemical control combination for your local condi tion!. 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