Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 1967)
HEPPNER GAZETTE-TIMES. Thursday. September T. 1967 THE GAZETTE-TIMES Heppner. Oregon 97836 Phone 676-9228 MORROW COUNTY'S NEWSPAPER The Heppner Gazette established March 30. The Heppner Times established November IS. 1S97. Consolidated February 15, 1912. 0 llfVi f UHISHIll V-ASSOCIATION WESLET A. SHERMAN HELEN E. SHERMAN ARNOLD RAYMOND Shop Foreman Printer GAIL BURKENBINE Society Circulation Subscription Rhtes: $450 Year. Every Thursday and Entered at as Second Class Matter. Office Hours: 8 a.m. until noon' Saturday. to 6 p.m., Now about that Beach Highway Perhaps East Oregonians could care less whether the coastal highway runs over the sandspit at Pacific City or clings to the mountain route. Maybe it is a welcome relief to sit back and watch others jaw at each other without get ting involved. But those from the wheat and cattle country are still Oregonians and are concerned about their state and its beau ty. Many of them like to go to the beach occasionally, al though quite a number can find little good to say for the sand, the wet climate and the salty smell of the sea. It's probably all .water over the mud flats now, since crusading State Treasurer Bob Straub has made a federal case of it and apparently has won the battle by going all the way to Washington, D. C to enlist reinforcements from the Democratic administration there. Waving the flag of con servation, the Demo state treasurer has received the commit ment from the Secretary of the Interior that to build a high way across the sandspit would irrevocably impair the natural beauty of the area and set a bad precedent for future high way location along the coast. Since some federal lands are involved, the Interior De partment can and apparently has put the quietus on the sandspit route. So, while the case would now seem to be closed, with Governor Tom McCall yielding quietly, we want to enter a minority opinion for the sake of the record. There have been a few things distasteful about this whole proceeding, which has been vaulted far beyond its import ance. It seems to us that despite the state treasurer's sounding the clarion call of conservationism pure politics is apparent here. Treasurer Straub, defeated for governor in the last election, is diligently ambitious for higher office. The coastal highway would seem to offer a cause that he could exploit towards this end. By the same token we have no right to question his sincere interest in conservation of nat ural resources. This just doesn't seem to be that big a thing in relation to all the other real conservation problems. By gaining the blessing of the Interior Department, he not only won his case but succeeded in humbling Governor McCall in the process. The governor, who has been repre sented as being mouse-trapped into supporting the sandspit route and willing to backtrack, yielded to the federal ruling. The Portland TV station where the governor once worked flaunted the sandspit route as an unforgiveable sin against mankind. It used the indignation that had been stimulated by the beach bill in the legislature to fan the flames on the highway issue. When the federal edict came, the commen tator on TV the man who now holds McCall's former job magnanimously excused the governor by saying, "Everyone is entitled to one mistake." Now, just what was the governor's mistake? The sandspit road would give the public better access to the beach, and it is this writer's opinion that it would not destroy the beauty of the oceanside, would not impair the public's use of the beach, and would not jeopardize natural resources. Indeed, just a short distance north of Pacific City, a highway runs right along the beach in the Tierra Del Mar area. This is particularly advantageous as an outlet where the elderly and the ailing can get close to the water. A person can pull his car off the highway and use it as a "headquart ers" for a picnic or outing while the family frolics on the beach. Did the relocating of the Columbia Eiver highway at wa ter level destroy the beauty of the Gorge? We hardly think so. It did provide better access for enjoyment of the river. Consider the use now being given such places as Rooster Rock park. Recently on a visit to the coast, we talked to a few resi dents there. The opinion we heard which might not be rep resentative was that the sandspit route would provide better access for the public and make the highway and beach more enjoyable for alL Have you ever taken a trip along a stretch of coastal highway where you expected some breathtaking views and were disappointed when you had only an occasional glimpse of the ocean? There are too many stretches of coastal high way where one cannot even see the ocean. "Why destroy our natural resources," said Treasurer Straub, in effect, "when the mountain route would cost only $500,000 more?" Land 'a Goshen, Robert! Do you realize how we in the wheat and cattle country would dearly love to have that 5500,000 on our highways when we are constantly told that the Highway Department's tight budget permits only a little occasional work here? It just about makes a person in a hurry spit sand every time he bounces along from Lexington to Butter Creek junc tion over those crunching dips. Only a half million dollars indeed! We admire the humility shown by Governor McCall in the conduct of his office. He took it "on the chin" in this case. The humility is a virtue that is hard to deny. It would have seemed good, though, to have seen him stand on his haunch es on this issue, even though he might have had to go down bloody and bowed against the power of the Democratic fed eral administration. It may be conceded that Treasurer Straub has convinced himself that he believes in this "cause", and his unrelent ing zeal is a great virtue if he really is convinced. But since he is still suffering the sting of defeat at the hands of Gov ernor McCall and still looking for higher office, a Doubting Thomas might be brash enough to believe that he was say ing one word for the state and its people while speaking two for his political future. In any event, it probably can be safely said that East Oregonians would gladly give up digging mollusks in the mud at Pacific City if the Highway Department could see fit to devote a few hundred thousand clams to the highways here. Sr HEFFNEK NATIONAL NEWSPAPER Af I asjcQtin EDITOR AND PUBLISHER .. ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER REGGIE PASCAL Linotype Operator RANDY STTLLMAN Apprentice JIM SHERMAN Pressman Cfnola Tnnv 1A Cents Piihllshed the Post Office at Heppner, Oregon, Monday through Friday; 9 jo. J-K. Salem Scene Traffic ToU Decine Prompts Look at Laws Good news of a dramatic de cline in Oregon highway fatal ities in the last month prompts another look at life-saving measures passed by the 1!H7 legislature in coping with this ma jor social problem. The good news is this: Ore gon's traffic death toll was run ning behind the record count of HHifi at the same midpoint in August. The reassuring factor is the sudden drop from July, when Oregon's deadliest Fourth of Julv week-end in history had pushed the toll to 25 ahead of the 298 highway deaths record ed at the same time in 1966. Although traffic safety legis lation sometimes is mentioned as one of the session's biggest letdowns, actually the 1967 leg islature accomplished more than is generally believed. Many rec ommendations of the Traffic Safety Commission were reject ed, but the commission itself was placed directly under the governor's jurisdiction, move which increases its stature over its previous spot within the Dept. of Motor Vehicles. Strong support from many quarters failed to promote pass age of bills to require periodic re-examination of drivers for re newal of licenses and to require annual safety inspections of mo tor vehicles by counties. The legislature also rejected meas ures to set maximum speed laws, to require safety belts in trucks and buses and to impose minimum sentence of 10 days for second or subsequent con viction for driving under the in fluence of intoxicating liquor. New Laws Promote Safety But lawmakers did enhance Oregon traffic safety through many bills, some of which be come law September 13. Among these is a new law requiring slow-moving vehicles to pull off two-lane roads and let backed up traffic pass. On highways with more than one lane mov ing in one direction, vehicles are to use the left lane only if trav eling as fast or faster than oth er traffic moving the same dir ection. After September 13, the law says police officers may, with reasonable cause, stop drivers and inspect their vehicles for safety and equipment require ments. Another law will allow officers to impound a vehicle if the driver has a suspended li cense or tries to leave the scene of an accident. Such a driver also will face permanent license suspension, and possible $1,000 fine, five years in prison or both if he causes property damage or personal injury to another while driving. Motorcyclists must burn head lights and tail lights at all Happiness is a Cool Day Now that we can see our typewriter again without the distortion of looking through beads of perspiration, we'd like to join the Li'l Old Rainmaker in hoping that the hot spell is at an end. Tuesday's touch of cooling rain gave hope that the three months' drought is over. But Oregonians whose webbed feet are so cracked and swollen from lack of moisture are still cynical. They won't believe it until the dark skies blot out all traces of the sun and until Willow Creek runs full. The Tuesday rain shut off all possibility of setting a new record for a dry streak, but Don Gilliam still holds with the idea that the average temperature for the summer is probably the highest on record. It would take considerable research to establish the fact for sure. But after going through three months of heat, the public would be in a mood to aver with emphasis that this was a record, with no "ifs" or "ands" about it. The heat came, you will recall, just at the time school ended in the spring, and it continued until the kids returned Tuesday. This makes it almost phenomenal as if they had a special dispensation that would keep up a temperature suitable for daily swimming in June, July and August. Looking back, we're rather proud of the way our peo ple beat the heat Our ranchers suffered their lumps on the grain crop, but now they are looking to another year. The public who used forest lands in this area still can not be called responsible for a single forest fire, which is certainly a record in cooperation. Fire crews were on top of the situation every minute in the woods, and prevented all of the many little lightning fires from turning into conflagrations. Any one of them could have been another Ditch Creek fire of 1961, but fed eral and state foresters and private operators were alert and ready. Too often we look back on a fire tragedy and say, "If only this camper had put out his camp fire, this whole area would not now be devastated." Or, "If only this cigarette smoker had used his ash tray . . ." So far this year, this is the season that the camper did put out. his fire and the smoker did use his ash tray. It has been a busy season for the Heppner Fire depart ment, and the men have gone to many grass and range fires. Their work has been tremendous, and one wonders now how the .area ever got along without the rural fire department. For every fire they go to, there are hours of cleaning up and taking care of equipment afterwards. Neighbors on ranches and everyone in general have pitch ed in whenever a grass fire emergency occurred. People in Morrow county don't have to have a reason to help out they just help out. One day we saw a rancher from some 20 miles from Heppner whose face was red and perspiring; his clothes were dirty; and his hair was rumpled. "What happened to you?" we asked. "Oh, I was fighting fire out in Clarks Canyon." "But," we said, "you don't live anywhere near there." "No," said he, "but I happened to be passing by." It reminded us of the mountain climber who declared that he sought to climb Mt. Everest simply because "it was there." This is the kind of spirit that makes men great. Our people haven't always kept cool, although they have run the sox off persons like Randy Lott, Ray Ayers, and Matt Hughes on air conditioners and cooling problems. But despite their occasional grumblings, they have worked to gether to beat the heat. Whether Old Sol is finished with us yet remains to be seen. Chances are it won't be long until we'll be putting on another blanket at night and hoping for a glimpse of the sun the next day. Right now, happiness is a cool day. And everyone has earned it. by Everett L Cutter times on Oregon highways after ! September 13; after next Janu , arv 1 thev will he required to i wear protective headgear ap proved by the Dept. of Motor Vehicles. Tractors and other farm or construction equipment operating on highways at speeds under 25 mph. after Jan uary 1 will need a "slow mov ing vehicle" emblem attached. A bill to allow use of metal studded tires between October I and May 31 in areas prone to Inclement weather, already was signed into law hv Gov. Tom McCall and took effect April 19 because it carried an emergen cy clause. Long Rang Bills Passed Looking ahead, the legislature approved several bills of more long-range promise to Oregon (traffic safety. One of these, al ready mentioned, places me Traffic Safety Commission dir ectly under the governor's of fice. The commission received no added funds, but the move is expected to enable it to work more efficiently with the fed eral government in assuring state compliance with federal safety laws. ' Another successful measure created on Interim Committee on Highways and appropriated $25,000 for its studies before the next regular legislative session. Besides studying questions con cerning ownership rights of Oregon's beaches, the commit tee will examine gas tax re funds to cities and counties, fi nancing of highways and roads construction, truck regulation, beautification, licensing, motor vehicle inspections and other safety measures. Because the condition of roads, streets and highways is basic to motor vehicle safety, it is worthy to note that the leg islators approved a gasoline tax increase of one cent per gallon, effective September 13. Money raised will provide additional funds for construction and maintenance of safer thorough fares. Although the lineup In new laws may be weak In some eyes, there is little question in anyone's mind about the fact that state officials are concern ed and are trying. If the new laws will help to keep Oregon's lower 1967 highway fatality rec ord below last year's tragic toll, then it can be shown they are working in the right direction. Mr. and Mrs. Dean Connor and family traveled over the Labor Day week-end to Springfield. They were guests there of Con nor's brother and sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Gary Connor, and family. Gary has started anoth er year of coaching in the Springfield High school. Chaff and Wes Sherman VK SKK hv a recent Issue of the Woodburn Independent that one of our old compatriots, Martin Jurgcnson. returned re cently from a camping trip to Suttle Lake. "When the wind died down that evening," he writes in his weekly column, "we had Utile winged visitors. Now, we don't claim the title as the most suc culent Item on the mosquito's menu, hut we'll darn well bet we aren't far down the list." (Ed. Note: You can say (hat again, Martin). Then In a recent Issue of The Forest Log In one of our favor ite columns, "The Lost Forty," was this excerpt: "One fisherman told of mos quitoes so large thev attacked an Insect -proof tent In which he was cowering. Foiled from dir ect attack by the heavy canvas the huge creatures Inserted their beaks into it, evidently hoping to 'feel out' the victim. In desperation the camper seiz ed his hand axe and clinched all the protruding bills. This turned out to be mistake. The pests flew away with the shel ter, leaving him exposed to the merciless stragglers. He defend ed himself with the axe the rest of the night." Just back from Minnesota Is our son. Bill, who was camp counsellor for the Richfield Methodist church in Minneap olis. On a canoe trip with his young charges, he swatted at a skeetcr buzzing around his head, accidentally hitting his classes In the process. He knocked them off and the $-10 specs are still lying at the bot tom of one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. NOW the "Lost Forty" talks of listening to mosquitoes as large as hummingbirds crash ing Into the metal on the side of his camper. Well, maybe they don't grow as big as humming birds, but they get pretty good sized. We might submit the photo at the top of this column as evi dence, but we wouldn't want to deceive vou. I This picture is really more of an X-ray than It Is a photo, but it does show the parts of this mortal enemy of campers and most of mankind. We were working In the dark room one time when one of those whining dive bombers came by our ear. Eventually it decided to land and unfortun ately for It, chose to alight on the glass carrier plate that we had out of the enlarger. We swatted Mr. Skeeter with a vengeance, put him on the carrier plate and ran the en larger full strength. Then we exposed his crumpled frame on some sensitized paper and got the result above. JURGENSON continues: "We kept getting the feeling that all the mosquito dope we ap plied merely served as a dress ing for the appetizer because those blasted little things al most took off with us. "They must have a new breed up there, too, because about 90 per cent of the things landed, loaded up and were gone with out so much as a hum. "We usually have been able to defend ourselves a little by listening real close, but those things either didn't have any or they were breaking the sound barrier coming to the feast." Another paragraph from The Lost Forty tends to confirm Jur genson's remarks, because he was camping In Santiam coun try, about which J. E. Schroe der, state forester, writes: "One of the most vicious strains of this dangerous insect is found near the summit of the Cascades. Called muse a Presby terii, it ranges for about a mile north of the Santiam Pass along the Skyline. It uses the swarm coyote technique, with succeed ing waves lurking along the trail and attacking in relay fashion. One reportedly was so impudent it was observed try ing to unscrew the cap on a repellent bottle. An angler hiker trying to outdistance his tormentors, hightailed by us gasping that he was somewhat PAY YOUR BILLS WHEN DUE and KEEP YOUR CREDIT GOOD Pioneer Service Credit information is most valuable No commissions charged on collections All money is paid direct to creditors Pioneer service co., inc. et SINCE 1926 The Merchants' and Professional Men's Organization HANDBILLS WITH ACCOUNTS FOR SALE OREGON IDAHO UTAH NEVADA DIVISION Division Office: Eugene, Oregon WATCH FOR THE GREEN AND BLACK Chatter HA. AS BIG AS HUMMINGBIRDS? like a high flying pilot who goes on oxygen, except he, being a mouth breather when exerting strenuously, was on pure mosqujtoes." BUT WE wouldn't think Jurgen son would be so vehement about Oregon mosqultose In view of the fact 'hat he halls from Minnesota. If Oregon mos quitoes are big as humming birds, Minnesota skeetcrs sure ly are as big as turkeys. Could lie that's whv succulent Martin left Minnesota. THE LATK AL LAMB who once visited the great Albert Schweitzer In Lamborene, Afri ca, confirmed the fact that this remarkable man would never kill a living ihmg, not even a fly nor an ant. How he held his peace when these little buzzers whined around, we'll never know. He truly was a great man. BESIDES the matter of mosquit oes, the big thing of Import ance we have to resolve in our mind this week Is: "Are the chairs harder at school board meetings or at city council meetings?" School board undoubtedly gets the ruxl because these meetings are good for a mini mum of four hours. But once In a while the H I directors launch Into an executive session and this gives a guv a chance to stretch "dem bones." City council, though. Is mak ing with a challenge. Once was a time when meetings were nev er more than an hour, but they are now stretching as much as three. We don't know what their chairs are made of. but we know for sure that they aren't soft pine. When the late Jos. Nys was city attorney, he hRd an uphol stered chair In the council chamber, which proves that he was a wise man. Bob Abrams succeeded to It but It Is gone now. Attorney Abrams manag es to find a captain's chair both at council and school board, which Is a little easier on his temperamental back. Even those of us with fat padded sitter-downers seem to leave a little hide at each meet ing. Knowing that both council men and school directors arc ac commodating people, we're sure that they will take care of this situation. If the chairs are too hard for visitors like us, they'll set aside a spot for standing up. DICK CARPENTER talked to the council Tuesday night about a plan to Improve the road to the high school the one connecting with Fulton Canyon. In the course of his presenta tion, he said that out of the entire student body, only five or 10 students now walk to school. Reminds us of the father tell- Pioneer Pondcrings Bv W. S. CAVEflHILL Another Way of Land Acquisition In addition to the homestead, the early settlers had other wavs of getting title to public lands. One was the Timber utld Stone Act, which permitted any one to select 100 acres of land and declare It nioro valuable for timber ami stone than for agriculture. After prescribed ad vertising, the applicant secured title by paying $100 for the quarter section. For a number of years the situation provided a bonanza for "Umber locates" who charg ed the applicant $100 per claim for locating. Sometimes the timber shown was not on tho claim filed. It might be jun iper covered ridge. Fur some time the Long Creek Ranger was the best paying weekly In Eastern Oregon due to the pub lication of "Umber notices.'' The creation of National For. cuts stopiM'd that racket, but the Forests are still spotted with Timber and Stone act calms. Recent Idaho visitor were Mr. and Mrs. John Prlvett and Kim. They visited her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Yenne. and brother In I'ocatcllo and Rupert, Ida. The I'rlvetts, on vacation, then went on to Eugene to visit his brother In law and sister, Mr. and Mrs. Allen Brown and family. From Eugene they went on to the coast and stoped at Sea Lion Caves. A stop at the Portland Zoo was a must, so they spent u day there and continued on home Labor Day. Mrs. Laeu Nelson, her daughter Diane, son Gary Dick and grandson David Dick, ami Mrs. Karl Hull were week end visitors ut the home of Mr. and Mrs. A, G. Pleper. Mrs. Nelson and Mrs. Hall are daughters of the Plepcrs. Army IVt. Gary Dick was on leave from his sta tion at Fort U-wls. having been recently transferred from Ft, Leonard Wood, Miss. Ing a friend how he had man aged to cure his son's habit of being late to school every morn ing. "All I did," he explained, "was to buy him a car of his own." "Just how did that slop him from coming late?" Inquired the friend. "Why he had to get there ear ly to find a place to park." NOW WHEN I went to high school, you never saw a ve hicle parked around the build ing. A team of horses just wouldn't stand that long In one place. Coming Events HEPPNER HIGH FOOTBALL First Home Game of Season Friday, Sept. 8, Heppner Ro deo Grounds Heppner vs. Enterprise Support the Mustangs! FAREWELL DANCE Saturday, Sept. 9, 9:30-1:00 Heppner Fair Pavilion Last dance by The Hench men, popular Heppner combo Farewell to college students Everyone welcome! LEGION & AUXILIARY MEETING Regular monthly meetings start Mon., Sept. 11, Leg Ion Hall Potluck dinner, 6:30 p.m. Important business meetings All members urged to attend FREE COLOR MOVIE Full-length Musical Motion picture, "World's Apart," for all ages Saturday, Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. Elementary Multi-purpose room Sponsored by South Morrow Ministerial Assoc. No ad mission TURKEY SHOOT Sunday, Sept. 10, 10:00 a.m. 3', 4 ml. E. of Lexington on Hwy. 74 Sponsored by Morrow County Rifle & Pistol club Public Invited SPONSORED AS A PUBLIC SERVICE BY C. A. RUGGLES Insurance Agency P. O. Box 247 . PH. 676-9625 Heppner J COMMUNITY 1 BILLBOARD K
