Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 1968)
HEPrNEI GAZETTE-TIMES. Thundery. October IT, I9M THE ML?' UJEFFWBK GAZETTE-TIMES Heppner. Orgoa t7836 Phooe 67S-22t unminw coumrrs NEWSPAPER The Heppner Gazette established March 3a lvj. The Heppner Times established November 18. 1837. Consolidated February 13, 1912. NATIONAL NIWSPAPI1 rhiiiiMi-.ii.'.HiM NIWSPAMI .V PUIIISHIIS ASSOCIATION WESLEY A. SHERMAN HELEN E. SHERMAN ARNOLD RAYMOND Shop Foreman Winter CAIL BCRKENBINE Society EDITOR AND PUBLISHES ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER REGGIE PASCAL Linotype Operator KELLY GREEN Apprentice Chaff nd Chatter Wes Sherman Circulation . ,A , ih.Mi.hHf t" Thuay and Ered at the Post Office at Heppner. Oregon. Office Hours: 8 a.m. to S p.m.. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. until noon Saturday. , . . Vi Limit Could Hike Costs Although there are still many questions una nswered con cerning effect of the proposed 1H property tax limitation Son which voters will cast ballots Novembe. M .7 . It becomes Increasingly clear that there are distinct possibil ities that it could Increase costs to taxpayers rather than re lieve their turden. Thus the result could be the opposite of what the pro- JTZZmS! likelihood that it will severely pen- which have held ciose iu In taxes tor Morrow) the lWc limitation in property taxation (ia arh si 000 of true cash value of property i. The uncertainty and unanswered questions arise because there are many facets of the proposal which are yet o be determined and which will not be determined until the ZTllT wS be used for ,11 tTon and dsu bution of the taxes under the limit? (Sug gsted propais wry widely). Would funds coun es no- below the 141 limitation, or close to the lr limita tion bcUd i xo dualize the tax load in other parts of the lute- .In other words, would Morrow. Gilliam and Wheeler counties where the taxing percentage is comparatively low. So 'help pay for the heavy tax load in Multnomah coun tv'Y Could a taxing agency vote this November on funds for he 19 7C budget when it is found Impossible to operate underhe limitation? .No definite opinion on this has been eiven bv the attorney generals office). Those who believe that a "yes" vote will relieve their property tax burdens (particularly those in the counties now Mow 'or close to the 1-,-c limitation) should consider the following possibilities which tend to show that their costs could increase by passage of the measure: 1 The possibility that the state legislature might repeal the 1959 act (which it has the power to do) which Prides that the State may levy a property tax for bonded indebted ness only The State then could impose a statewide property tax up to the l'j limit, and the counties would levy no taxk acting onlv as a collection agency for the State. The state then could redistribute the taxes to the local taxing agencies under its own formula, which might provide for equalization of the taxing load in the various counties. This could hit counties In this section of eastern Oregon hard. 2 The possibility that the state legislature might pro pose a 'ales tax, or some other tax. to fill the gap in loss of revenue to local taxing agencies. If approved by the people, this could also mean that taxpayers in counties with rela tively low tax percentage to true cash value could have ad ditional burden. Since they are currently below or close to th 14 limit, they would pay close to the present property taxes and could have the additional burden of paying the added tax. , . , 3 The possibility that one taxing agency votes out from under the l's" limitation, leaving other taxing agencies free to escalate budgets up to the limit without a vote of the peo ple. For instance, if it is determined that the Morrow county school district cannot provide education for our children un der restrictions of the 14 limitation, the voters of the coun ty could remove the district from the provisions by polling a majority vote of approval equal to 20 of the registered voters (a difficult majority to achieve, but a possibility). Once the district is voted out of the limitation, other taxing agen cies could hike budgets to the full 14" limit, since the school district budget would no longer be subject to it. Since the school district now takes more than 71 of the tax do lar here, this would give other agencies in the county great lat itude in increasing budgets. 4. The possibility that taxing agencies would resort to user charges instead of taxes. Consider the possibility that a city finds it impossible or difficult to provide services the public desires under the limitation. It would be legal for it to provide for "user charges" in lieu of taxes in some cases and circumvent the 14 limitation. For instance, it could charge a fee for city streets on a front foot basis. 5. In another possibility, if the taxing agency isn't able to offer the service, perhaps the resident would have to sup ply his own service at additional cost to him. For instance, if the school district found it necessary to cut out the bus transportation system to come within the measure's provis ions, the parents themselves would have to provide their child ren's own transportation. 6. The loss of revenue (variously estimated between $100,000,000 to $150,000,000 as a statewide total) to the tax ing agencies would be a severe economic blow to the state and would be costly to many businesses and others. While some different form of tax might eventually fill the gap (as indicated above), there would be a considerable time when the agencies would have to "live" within the 14 limita tion. Much of the taxes collected locally are spent locally by the taxing agencies and contribute to the local economy. Curtailment of their purchases of goods and services, and the loss of money going into circulation through salaries which may be eliminated, could be other economic blows. 7. The possibility that competent, trained personnel, dis satisfied with the severe restrictions in Oregon, might move to other states rather than to work under restrictive condit ions. 8. Reductions that property taxpayers would receive un der the measure would proportionately reduce their exemp tions on State and Federal income taxes. Oregon Tax Re search points out that State income tax collections from homeowners and individuals would be enhanced by close to S5 million annually. State corporate excise and income taxes for the same reason could increase by about 54 million an nually. But the Federal treasury would, by far, be the great est beneficiary of these lessened deductions. It may collect as much as $4 for each additional SI of State tax collections, bearing in mind the recently enacted 10 Federal surtax, which seems quite likely to be extended by Congress next year. A property tax reduction of S150 million could increase other tax liabilities to State and Federal tax gatherers by $40 to $45 million annually. Not all of these possibilities could apply because some are contingent on the avenues that might be taken to meet the emergency situation which would face the taxing agen cies in the state. But some of them certainly would apply, and the result may very well be more costly in actual out-of-pocket expense to the taxpayer than it will save him. There is no way to measure the loss which would be caused by chaotic conditions the proposal could bring. Think NOW THAT college Is In full mrine. parent of the mlgrat lni ntudrnt have started to sweat out the dearth of letters feeding back home and compar ing mites on what kernels of news other parents have receiv ed from their kids. Some report a postcard or two. some have had some Rood let ters, and some have been pret ty well "skunked ". Bill Slewert recounted the sue cinct message tnat is reporteo. to have come from one college youth to his father, to wit: "jjear une: No Mon, No Fun. Your Son." To which the father wrote back: "Dear Lad: How sad. Too bad. Your dad. Now. hear this, all you Mor row county college kids! Get husv and write vour parents. Don't go hiding under the bed. Most of you get the G T-we've eot vou on the subscription list and you're reading this right now! You're not studving that hard We know that old dodge, we've been there. Get a letter off to your folks, y'hear! WHAT-THEY-WONT THINK-OF NEXT DEPARTMENT! Rain bow Girls have been embarking on a new venture, at least we ve never heard of it. They ve been out sellin? snook insurance for Halloween. For a couple of bucks vou cet a policy that en titles vou to free window clean ing of all your business win dows if thev are soaped up on the Spook night. Now some might give this venture the Jaundiced eye. But it has its points: 1. If the girls are selling the insurance and have to do cleanup, you can bet they won't be out soaping windows (maybe even guarding against it). 2. It's probably worth $2 to get the windows washed anyway. 3. It is easier for those of us who are Rain bow parents to buy the insur ance rather than pungling up out of pocket to donate for costs of the upcoming dance. This is what proceeds are going for. better. Thank vou. thank you! Ql'OTE OF NOTE: -We wonder If those bioki!U.is who assert ed there in't a perfect man on the globe ever heard a campaign speech?" THE DICK WILKINSONS. Dick Krebses and Markham Bakers covered a goodly segment of the earth's surface on their re cent People-to-Peopie tour In three weeks time, going as far as a place called Krasnodar, in the USSR, These faraway places with Interesting names reminds us of the two women talking: "Where did you go on your vacation?" "Majorca." "Majorca? Where's that?" "How should I know? We flew." 'Marsha Sowell Has College Play Part Marsha Sowell of Heppner will apiear In Pacific Univer sity's production of "Arms and the Man." October 17 19, 24 26. at the Tom Miles Theater on the Pacific University campus, Forest Grove. She Is the daugh ter of Mrs. Nona Sowell, Hepp ner. Set In Bulgaria around IRSo. "Arms and the Man'' la a light romantic anti-war comedy by George Bernard Shaw. It will feature three elaborate seta and special costuming. Prof. Ted Sizer directs the play. Miss Sowell, a graduate of Heppner High school with the class of l!Ki7, Is a sophomore at Pacific. PROPERTY TAX FAX Mr. and Mrs. Gary Connor and four children of Springfield vis ited from Friday through Sun day at the home of his brother and sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Dean Connor, and family. Join ing them for dinner on Satur day were Mr. and Mrs. Albert Connor. Connor Is assistant prin cipal in the Junior High school in Springfield. WE KNEW WED GET tripped up on those old 4-H pictures last week. The staff spent a good part of an afternoon try ing to get the pictured parties identified, but we figured we'd go awry somewhere. We did. Some kin of the VanWinkles read the caption which listed Mrs. Kenneth DuVall (June VanWinkle) under one photo and never questioned it. But Mrs. Kit (Shirley VanWinkle) George did! It was she who was pictured and not Mrs. DuVall. When Shirley saw the picture, in presence of her dad. Jack VanWinkle, it is reported, she tossed the paper to the floor and declared to poppa, "You don't even know your own dau ghter!" They say Shirley and her auntie, June, look a great deal alike. Well, sir, the prettier they are, the harder they are to tell apart. (We hope that helps let us off the hook!) But no one has complained on another error that we sus pect in the identifications of those old pictures. Can anvone step forward and submit a chal lenge? WE'VE BEEN wanting to men tion, even emphasize, in the paper for some time that it is GREAT to see the work being done by the State Highway crews in taking off some of the curves on the Willow Creek highway. They have been silent ly at work, and the job they are doing at Jordan, near lone, is a wonderful improvement. It will make the highway much School Bells HEPPNER HIGH SCHOOL GENERAL WORK EXPERIENCE PROGRAM Report for 1967-68 School Tear By HAL WHITAKER. Coordinator The controlling purpose of a general work experience pro gram Is to give teenage boys and girls maturing experiences through supervised part-time employment that will help them to become productive, responsi ble individuals. This part-time work need not be related to the occupational goals of the stu- ripnt. It mav be performed eith er in the school or in public or private establishments outside the school, and all or part of At the beginning of the school year testing was conducted with the help of the counselors at Heppner High school and one from Blue Mountain Community College. The purpose of this testing was to assist the stu dents in determining what type of Job they would like and what Jobs thev were best prepared for. We had them complete ap plications for Jobs, and write letters of application, work on the personal interview, and work on personal appearance health habits. After we had worked with them and found out what types of work placement they would fit into we gave them a list of the work may be done during the training stations that would cr-hnnl hnilr Students receive." luuiouiic hi nc school credit for this general su pervised work experience edu cation. The HDnroach was to work w ith students who were in need of additional income to remian in school, students who did not plan to continue their education hpvnnd hieh school, students who had special needs, and stu dents who were naving proD lems in other classes but could work with their hands and do many jobs well that did not involve too much reading, or only simple math. The program is designed pri marily for seniors, juniors, but sophomores were not excluded. The following are the object ives of the program. They are to help the student develop: 1. Understanding of the em ployment opportunities avail able and the preparation need ed to enter and make progress In occupations. 2. An appreciation of the scope and importance of indus try. 3. Effective work habits and attitudes, and understanding of employer-employee and custom er relationship. 4. Awareness of personal-social traits which are essential for successful worker-patience, personal appearance, coopera tion, consideration of others, in itiative, reliability and trust worthiness. 5. Skills and procedures per formed by the workers in the occupation. 6. Abilities needed to exer cise and follow effective leader shin in fulfilline occupational, social and civic responsibilities, i 7. Ability to use communica tion skills related to the occu pational area involved. 8. Ability to identify needed health and safety practices. 9. Ability to manage time, energy and money as a wage earner. 10. Abilitv to carry out proper procedures in applying for a job. Wp worked with the students in the class room for six weeks. ! We made a visitation to each participating business and had them explain the work program and what they would expect from the student. We then discussed in the classroom each job and the spe cial requirements of that Job. Then each student had a per sonal interview for the job he selected. The employer made the choice as he normally would do in filling a job opening. The employers selected the student that they felt was best quali fied for the job. When we could not place each boy in the area he was best suited we tried to place him in a job as close as possible to his job field. The following is a list of the work stations and the hours worked by the students at each of the stations: Lott's Electric, total student work hours 840. Central Market, 240 hours wosked. Farley Motor Company, 530 hours worked. Jim West Ranch, 320 hours woked. Heppner Auto Parts, 128 hours If vou have a question con cerning real or personal prop erty please state all the fact as briefly ait possible and mail It to Mrs. Joyce Ktteh. Morrow mnntv siMH-ial assessor, or to P. O. Box 418, McMinnvllle. Ore- fon. 97128 under the name "PROPERTY TAX FAX". Please ask only one question per sneei. Then watch this column for the answer. QUESTION! m j I htrr a small tract of tlm lw which has not been class! fid as fomt land. If I apply lor a Scieclal Assessment Timber land under the nw law. do I henr to file each yeair ANSWER! No. An initial filing cooUn um until Drooertr is sold or th Assessor notes a change In uset or you notify him that you wish the dealanation remevea. Barclay Service Held October 14 Funeral services were held Monday, October 14, for Lewis Barclay, 71, who died Thursday, October 10. at Pioneer Memorial hospital. He had been a resi dent of this area for many years and was formerly employed at Tum A Lum Lumber Co. Mr. Barclay was born Mav 9, 1897. to Jess Barclay and Mar lorie Napier Barclay In Missouri. He Is survived by two sisters, Mrs. Mae McPherrin, Milton Freewater. and Mrs. Marjorie Smith, also of Milton-Freewater, and numerous nieces and neph ews. Services were held at Sweeney Mortuary Chapel with Rev. Mel vin Dixon of the United Metho dist church, officiating. Inter ment was at Heppner Masonic Cemetery. Commendation Goes To Spray Sailor ?eaman Ronny L. Brisbois, L'SN. 22. son of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Brisbois of Spray, has re ceived a Letter of Commenda tion from his commanding offi cer. He received the commenda tion for helping apprehend a man who had stolen money from the American Shoe Repait Company in San Diego. He is currently serving aboard the amphibious flagship USS Eldorado, now operating in the Western Pacific. Before entering the service in October. 1966. Seaman Bris bois attended Blue Mountain Community college in Pendle ton. Dr. Blake Visits On Statewide Tour Dr. Walter Blake, candidate for state superintendent of pub lic Instruction, brought his cam paign to Heppner on the lat leg of his HfK) mile statewide Journey lust Thursday. Blake came to town In hi brightly decorated, self-contained van In which he is making a two week tour that Is taking him to every corner of the state. The candidate eats and sleeps In the van, which is being fur nished to his campaign by O. car Funke of Portland, who serves as driver and cook. Among points covered by Blake in his local appearance were these: Merit pay for teach ers, protection of the public's right to elect the state superin tendent of public Instruction in stead of making the office ap pointive, retaining the publics right to vote on school budget expenditures, closer relationship between teachers and parents, Improved system of reading and spelling, and teaching respect for law-and-ordcr and Justice. 66-Year Resident Dies October 10 Hugh O'Rourke, 84, a resident of Heppner for 66 years, died Thursday, October 10, at Pioneer Memorial hospital. nnm Mirrh 1R84. In Coun ty Litrlum. Ireland, he came to the Heppner area in ne worked lor several years on ranches In the Butter Creek and Hinton Creek areas. He was a member of St Patrick's Cath olic church. Survivors include a brotner, DnrnarH D'Rnurlcp. nl Redlailds. Calif., a sister, Mary Fax of Lowell, Mass., and a nephew, Peter O'Rourke, of La Grande. Poslt!atinn nf thp rftsarv WaS Monday, October 14', at St. Pat rick's Catholic cnurcn. mnerai mass was held Tuesday, October 15 u-ith tho Rpv Ravmond Beard officiating. Burial was in Heppner Masonic cemetery, with Sweeney Mortuary in charge of arrangements. Mr. and Mrs. Jim Reed and daughter, Rohna, of Lafayette, enjoyed a week-end visit at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Keithley. COMMUNITY U J BILLBOARD K u-nrkpd. Pioneer Memorial Hospital, 184 hours worked. Heppner Elementary School 140 hours worked. Morrow County Grain Grow ers (Machinery Division) 155 hours worked. Heooner Gazette-Times, 25 hours worked. of the administrative expense that new systems might bring, of the cost of thousands of hours deliberation working out various interpretations. Think of the loss that school districts might suffer in hampering educational programs after years building to cur rent levels. The lSi limitation was proposed from Multnomah coun tv as a measure to save taxes for home owners. Studies show that of every S3 in reduced taxes which might be achieved under the measure, S2 would benefit utilities and industry and only $1 of the saving would go to the home owner or farmer. If the measure is adopted and a sales tax is pro vided to fill the gap, the burden will shift to the consumer, farmer and home owner, while the utilities and industries are relieved from a substantial amount of property taxes. Opponents to the 14" limitation are try ing hard not to pose the possibilities as "threats". We know of some pos sible stringent cuts that might be taken in Morrow county if this measure passes, but we do not propose to elaborate on them in view of the fact that to do so might be miscon strued as a "threat." This proposal is very difficult to understand in all of its ramifications. It has the best tax experts confounded in some areas. But we urge every" voter to bear down and study its provisions, and we strongly recommend that local taxpayers read Ron Daniels' analysis of the proposal starting in The Gazette-Times this week. He has devoted a great deal of study to it. Articles in the East Oregonian recently have left one erroneous impression inadvertently which should be correct ed. They stated that Morrow county taxing agencies would not stand to lose revenue by passage of the measure since the county now levies average taxes right at the 1H1 limi tation. This was true on the figures for prior years used in the articles, but under the 1968-69 tax roll, taxing agencies here would lose some $206,000. If the proportional reduction method should be applied by the state, the loss could be much greater. It is well established that some relief is desirable to re lieve property taxes in this state. We well know the plight of the farmers here, and as a property tax-paying business we certainly know the burden to business, but this regressive action, while it may seem enticing to some who are desper ate for relief, cannot provide the answer. The Rhyming Philosopher TWADDLE IN WRITING AND SPEAKING MOST PEOPLE USE WORDS FOR EXPRESSING THEIR VIEWS AND PROSPERITY; BUT HIGH-FLYING PHRASES ARE JUST FOR THE BIRDS AND INVARIABLY SOUND NONSENSIBLY. THE POET. FOR INSTANCE. WHO LIKENS THE MOON TO A TRANSLUCENT ORB OF RECRUDESCENCE WITH MAIDENS COLLAPSED IN A SOLSTITIAL SWOON AND IMMERSED IN A NUPTIAL DESUDASCENCE; SUCH LANGUAGE ELICITS MOST READERS CHAGRIN CAUSING FEELINGS THAT VERGE ON THE MURDEROUS; AND WHEN POLITICIANS EMPLOY THE SAME SIN SUCH REACTION HAS ALSO OCCURRED TO US. WHEN SEEKING OUR VOTES HE WILL SELDOM COME OUT AND EXHIBIT HIS AIMS LIKE WE KNEW HE SHOULD, AVOIDING THE ISSUES WHICH LEAVES US NO DOUBT HE'S DOOMED TO INOCUOUS DESUETUDE. SO MAKE SIMPLE STATEMENTS IN USE EVERY AND AVOrD ALL PRETENSE AND POMPOSITY. AND NEVER, NO NEVER BE CARRIED AWAY BY EXUBERANCE OF YOUR VERBOSITY. DAY HARRY W. FLETCHER Coming Events HEPPNER HIGH FOOTBALL Wahtonka at Heppner, Oct 18, 8 p.m. Pilot Rock at Pilot Rock, Oct 25, 8 p.m. Grant Union at Heppner, Nov i a n m. Support the Mustangs! FALL RUMMAGE SALE Sponsored by Heppner Civic Leaeue Friday & Saturday, Oct. 25- 26 Former Tryco building, 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Baked Food Sale on Friday TURKEY DINNER Sunday, Oct. 20, 12:30-6 p.m St. Patrick's Parish Hall Come and bring the family Hunters and visitors welcome SPEECH CONTEST Sponsored by Heppner Soil and Water Conservation Distr. Thursday, Oct. 24, 7: 30 p.m.. Heppner High Multipurpose Room Public urged to attend FARM-CITY BANQUET Wednesday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. Heppner High Multipurpose Room Walter Leth, guest speaker $100 diamond given awav rickets now on sale SPONSORED AS A PUBLIC SERVICE BY C. A. RUGGLES Insurance Agency P. O. Box 247 PH. 676-9625 Heppner "Need to know the area code for Scarsdale, New YorIc?H p Look in the "CALL GUIDE" section W4 in the front of your LMi TELEPHONE DIRECTORY
