Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 1969)
t HtfPNEB GAZETTE-TIMES. Thurador. loauarf 30. ml iS52" heppner" GAZETTE-TIMES BcppBM. Or9ea fTStt FhoM S7C-S22S MORBOW COUJfTTS HEWSfAtEl The Heppner Gazette established March 30. 1R83. The Heppner Time established November 18. 1897. Consolidated February 15. 19 1Z MtMBtK Chaff nd Chatter Wes Sherman rtr (JKT?? ruiuiHiii V WaIsociation WESLEY A. SHEBMAN HELEN E. SHERMAN ARNOLD RAYMOND Shop Foreman Printer CAIL ELRKENBINE Society Circulation Auoclt'.ion . founded 1865 EDITOR AND PUBLISHER ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER REGGIE PASCAL Linotype Operator DALE COOPER pressman KELLY GREEN Apprentice c-..i r. .. . , . tin v cinnl rnnv 10 Cents. Published Every Thursday and Entered at the Post Oflice at Heppner. Oregon. a Second Class Matter. . . ...... Q Offu Hours: 8 a.m. to S p.m.. Monday through Friday. 9 a.m. until noon Saturday. District Shows New Conservation Concept Thi is the 2oth vear for the Heppner Soil and Water Const-nation district, and the Silw-r Anniversary will be noted at the annual meeting Tuesday night in the Lexington Grange hall. It is enlightening to review the achievements of the dis trict, for they are many. It is also interesting to note the changing concept of conservation being practiced ty the mem bers of the distrirt and the supervisors. Perhaps now the words "resource development" h?ve a f t ing I'lfcco in the districts name. It isn't hard to under ft.ir.d why this should be so when one peruses the year's er i'i.'.:! report as published cn pages 2 and 3 of the seconJ ((t: :i cf this paper. Virtually all of the projects with which the Soil Conser vation Pi' tr.c t has been connected through the pa.st year as v.el as their planning for the future concern resource dc veli prrent. . Consider their work with the Penland Prairie project, their connection with the discussed nuclear plant irrigation project, their work on the Rhea Creek project, their soil survey in the north end of the county, and their strong promotion and keen interest in irrigation through their work in such pro posals as the Columbia South Side project. All thse have one common characteristic development for a better future. Perhaps the word, "conservation," though still carrying the best of connotations, is not quite broad enough any more for a district which shows the vision and progressive intent of the one here. Conservation as the careful preservation and protection of resources, and management of them to prevent exploitation destruction and neglect remains a fine and noble purpose. All humans interested in preserving for posterity are dedicat ed to this. But the Heppner district, as revealed by its works, seems to be adding a new dimension that of utilizing and develop ing its resources, as contrasted with merely saving them. While they are protecting our soil and water resource, It Is now apparent that they are also working, as the good stewards they are, towards maximum utility. Perhaps the saving of the resource can best be assured ty using it under planned and careful management. The district's report last year was judged the best in Oregon, but this year's report, covering the two pages in the second section, may be even better from the standpoint of constructive activity and accomplishments. The report was compiled by Ken Turner, vice chairman of the supervisors, and represents the combined work of many. The pages include stories of vital importance to this area, for it is certain that wherever there is development of soil and water in Morrow county, the conservation district is involved. While the Heppner district doesn't rest on its laurels, the men who have made it what it is deserve hearty congratula tions on their Silver Anniversary. We share their pride in emphasizing that: The district has one-half of Oregon's stripcropping; it has one-third of Oregon's diversion terraces; it has the largest acreage of stub ble mulch in Oregon; it has been selected Oregon's No. 1 dis trict twice; it has had three State Conservation Men of the Year winners, and two consecutively in 1967 and 1968; it has had a state champion in the Conservation speech contest and four state finalists; and it had the best report of Oregon's 66 districts last year. Now, it's hard to top a record like that, but with their concept of resource development, this district is going to con tinue to show the way to others. And for the rest of Morrow county, the frosting on their Silver Anniversary cake is that you and I John Q. Citizen reap the rewards of their outstanding work! Keeping Posted on Meetings A suggestion has teen made that The Gazette-Times run a weekly schedule of meetings of local governmental agencies, those of other public bodies, and of at least some community organizations. The suggestion came from a person who said that he knows when the city council meets because the fire siren blows for its meetings, but he had no idea when the others meet He proved his point for the need of a schedule when he made this statement because the fire siren doesn't blow for council metings! It blows for fire drills two blasts on the second and fourth Monday evenings of each month. This schedule should include school board meetings, city council meetings, county court meetings, Port commission meetings, fair and rodeo meetings. Lions Club, Soroptimist club, Chamber of Commerce meetings and probably many others. This man made a good case for the need of communica tion. Somehow, since we know pretty well when these meet ings are held, we thought most everyone did, but apparently they do not. . So we intend to follow up on this suggestion, and just as soon as we get it organized, we will attempt to keep such a schedule in print regularly. We will try to contact the dif ferent agencies and organizations to ask them to supply a list of regular meetings and to keep us posted on special meetings of public interest that they may schedule. The ef fectiveness of the schedule will depend on their response, es pecially in reference to the special meetings. We'll leave the matter open to any standing organization that wants to be included but have a little apprehension be cause we probably wouldn't have space to list every single organization in the county. We'll do our best, though, and will cry "Uncle" in the unlikely event that the response over whelms us. Charles and Helen Ruggles have done the public a serv ice for years by running their popular "Community Billboard" column on this editorial page. It has been a much appreci ated service. This column, however, is not to be used for regular meetings but rather for coming programs, public events, dinners, community sales and so on which need spe cial publicizing. It is hoped that this schedule of meetings will help the local channels of communication. I BE OF GOOD CHEER The heat wave will be over sooner than you think. IF YOl' WANT to beiit the per il of cabin fever and mow eUuMmphobia. why not Use a little psvcholi.trv? Get your lawn chair out of the garage or base- ment. U'n a short -sieewd Ha waiian shirt, set up the chairs in the vsrd while nonchalantly disregarding the snow, and pre tend ju're hating a siesta in the -sun. SOMEONE FROM AFAR made a jesting rem.irk about one cf Morrcw county's slogans. "What about vour 'Banana Bell' now?" he jeered. Well. sir. maybe our theme Mine at the moment should be. "Ye. We Have No Bananas To day!" Eut we are a lot closer to being a Banana Belt than Eu gene, or Roseburg, or Coos Bay. And another nice thine about it Is that we in this county have good use for the snow, since it means moisture for our crops. Except fur some cf the kids, the western Oregonians can see no dad-blamed good in it! ; ' - r . l! ' ' " ''' .' STATE CAPITOL Special Election Possible by April 7 -v v". MAYBE WE could make a game out of it. For instance, we might devise some awards for those who do the best job of cleaning off their walks. (We're all getting a lot of practice on thisi. The business folks on the Main street block between Wil low and Center on the east side did a real neat Job this week. and we understand Mayor Bill Coliins was in the thick of it. So did those on the west side of Main on the block between Willow and May, in the neigh borhood of Western Auto, Gard ners. Turner, var.M. ar.a a., ana Peterson's. In both cases, they slicked off the sidewalk and disposed of the snow bv making little mountains at the curb, but neat Iv cleaning the walk bare in be tween so that motorists have easy access. In our observations, we'd iu-t about have to say that John Pfeiffer is the snow shoveling champ. He hardly lets a flake fall before he has it cleaned off from around his Western Aula store. SOMEONE PROBABLY should put a sign around some of the buildings here, "Danger from Falling Icicles." And we don't mean this entirely in lest. There are some mighty big icic les developing around, and some of them hang precariously. When their weight gets too much, thev can come plunging towards the ground and be a lethal spear. We saw one such about six feet long that kids were playing under. A light tap from a pole was all that was needed to knock it down. They're pretty but danger ous. DIFFERENT FOLKS are coming up with a wide gamut of new problems as the snow and cold lingers. One couple, wiiose names we will keep anonymous, finally went to a neighbor's house to take showers. Their frozen pipes have kept them out of the bathtub at home. Another family found thick ice in the attic of their home. It started to thaw and ran down curtains and draperies until they were removed. iAnd a good many of us, perhaps even most of us, may have other cute little problems when the thaw starts! IF IT WARMS UP too fast, it might result in the worst mess you ever thaw. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT and the Pioneer Memorial Hospital deserve medals! Together they have accomplished a sienificant achievement NO LONGER will the fire horn blow 12 long pierc ing blasts on the first Monday of each month at noon! Since the hospital has agreed to handle fire calls on an emer gency basis and assures that someone is on duty the clock around, the 12-blast monthly test is no longer considered nec essary. Those in the downtown area close to the air horn will rejoice at this. If one happened to be talking on a long distance tele phone call when the shattering unearthly wails sounded, he had the choice of hanging up or waiting it out. There was no hearing anyone above that! FRANK HALVORSEN ncugb to melt Shooting hot our mow 7 PROPERTY TAX FAX QUESTION: How can I find out who owns a piece of unimproved proper ty? ANSWER: The Assessor's office can help vou here. The more information you have about the property the easier it win be to determine the correct ownership. Adjacent property owners, if unable to give ycu the owner's name, may know the acreage involved. The name of the adjacent properly owners also helps. Measure the distance to the property from the nearest crossroads and how far and what direction from the nearest town, grange hall or other landmark. Bring this in formation to your assessor and let him take it from there. There is no charge. MAN ALIVE! Hew Frar.k Hal vorsen is re-writirc the record books at lone! We haven't s-en much mention of his basketball ftats in the dailv rapeis. hut he currently Is scoring at the rate of 27 8 points per game! If this doesn't lead all high school individual ru-ketbail scoring in the state, it must be close to it. Frank tallied 46 acain-t Uma pine and almost certainly would have gone over 5 ) if Coach Gene Dockter hadn't merctful Iv (for Umapinel taken him out when the victory was assured. Adding to the scoring achieve ment was the fact that Frank made 25 points in or.e quarter the third. In getting the i' he shot an smazin? average, too hitting 20 of 27 tries for a percentage if 71! That's almost hot enough to melt all the s::ow in Morrow county. Previously, Frank's high for the year was 37 against River side. Just to show that he is human, he dropped to 3o" against Umatilla at lone. SPEAKING OF SCORING rec ords, that 90 points Heppner shoved in against Enterprise was the highest we can recall fcr a Mustang team, but we haven't really researched it to sav for sure that it is a record. We have some really interest ing basketball teams here this year lone rated No. 2 in the state in B ranks with Wallowa on top. and Hoetw now rated sixth in the Ottoman's A-2 poll. JUST ONE MORE cold weather note: Sheriff John Mollahan asks that we remind the puh lie to he sure to take care of their livestock in this severe time. Livestock growers do this as a matter of course, but may be some other folks who have one animal or two, aren't quite so well versed in caring for them during such a cold streak. The sheriff said that he had received a complaint or two about animals not being cared for. However, he checked one case out Tuesday, taking the veterinarian along, and found that the stock of the farmer in question were being fed, being watered, and seemed to be get ting humane treatment, even though they were on the lean side. Br ROBERT T. SMITH Speaker el th Bout Attention during the first thr.-e weeks of the legislative s.-vn.n h been focused on our biggest issue: projx-rty tax re lief , , There will be no delaying on hhi subtevt as there was dur- ,r.s the r.o7 wsslon because an earlv decision is a ne--slty. The committee members will return to Salem tomorrow to be gin drafting the final product, which will then be presented to the House. The Tax Committee chairman. Rep. Flod Hart of Medford. has told me that the property tax rvhef till should be completej bv the middle of February, with a vote of the people possible by he middle of April. This timing would allow lo cal government officials to know how much state revenue will be available before they put the fi nal touches on their budgets for 'he coming vear. Pioneer Ponderings Br w. s. CAVERHILL A Barter Man One of the men who deserves a place in Eastern Oregon his tory was Clint Haight, one time editor of the Blue Mountain Eagle. Clint's economic philoso phy included loans without in terest and more barter. The lat ter created a situation between us. I had refused to subscribe for his paper and he refused to ouit sending it until I owed him S20 for 10 vears subscription. We agreed to barter. I put or.e ton of U. S. No. 1 prunes in his name with a Milton-Freewater shipper. He cancelled his bill. In February he wrote "I have a check for SS.88 that bounc es, what do I do?" I replied "Keep sending it in. It will set tle down in time." It did. Haight went to the legisla ture and made history in that body by howling like a coyote during a prolonged session. He said "I'm lonesome for the sa.ee brush country." These are two of his many unusual perform ances that made him a man to be remembered. TO THE EDITOR Those Other Days To the Editor: It was late In the day that Tuesday of April 4, 1905. when the train pulled in at Heppner. !t had been a hard seven days grind from Galax. Virginia, for a 19 year-old lad w-ho wanted 'o go west. Siens of the Great Flood were still about, such as piles of trash against the stock yard fences. But the Surrey with the Fringe on top was waiting, so two "drummers" and myself histed our grips aboard and rode up to the Palace Hotel, which was on same corner as Ford Agency is now. Among 'he sites on our leisurely ride to the hotel were several Chinese cafes, couple of livery stables and a hardware store w ith quaint motto, "We have it, we'll get it or it is not made." Also a p!ace of travelers' refreshments, named "Frog Pond." and oper ated by Vic Groshens much to the delight of the weary and the forlorn. Thusly, was I introduced into Heppner. The streets were dim ly lit and muddy but cobble stone crosswalks gave hope to the future and destiny awaited. Next morning my first job was born. Art Minor who was owner of Penland Land & Livestock Co., took me on as night herd er to his foreman, Jerome O' Conner. I must hasten to add at this point what with turns of time and tide it is just possible some of the facts related here may have evaporated just a smidg in, but bear with me. Long time Friend, as related to his eldest son Clair H. Cox, Corvallis, Oregon It would also allow the leg .luturt, which will still be in M'vsion. to examine alternatives khould the referral be unMuivrv fcful. There are many thing which we mui.t take Into consideration before maklriE our final decis ion. First, is there a real need for rroiN-rtv tax relief? Those oppos ing a referral to the people do not seem to think to, but a look at the figure should tell us that property taxes are bearing too much of the burden of lo cal government costs. Property taxes statewide have risen bv more than 110 per rent in the past 10 years. This Vear, thev jumped by $35.2 million, and we have every reason to believe that the Increase will be even larger next year. Second, should property tax relief go to all Oregon citizens who are presently paving prop erty taxes, or should rellel Dt limited only to certain classes of taxpayers? Shift Point Argued Some opponents of across-tne- hoard property tax relief argue that this would constitute a shift from business to the homeowner. But what is business? It is more than giant corporations and utilities. Business Is people. Business Is the corner grocery store, the laundry, the barber shop, the family operated feed store, farms and ranches. Third, should some type of meaningful limitation be ap plied so that property taxes would not be able to revert to the spectacular Increase? Proponents of homeowner on ly relief do not provide for a (his program would rapidly be gobbled up In a few short years. In other words., we would ! right back wheie we marled Hi another few years, Fourth, should the state as sume a greater share of the cost of primary and secondary educa tion? Presently, the state con tribute about 21 per cent cf the cost of local education. Un der the governor's program, ! re state would provide at least 51 per cent of the cost of educa tion, thus decreasing the bur den on the property tax. Subject Is Complex These are lust a few of the factors we must take into con sideration, so you can see th; this Is a very complex subject with no easy answers. As the property tax relief pro gram begins to take shape, we can discuss these points again, with specific application to the bill. Above all. however, I think it Is fundamental that the people be allowed to make the final decision. It has been five year since an Income tax proposal has been referred to the people, and it has been more than 20 years since a sales tax referral. I don't presume, as some do, to speak for the people of Ore gon or to state with any cer tainty whether or not they war.t property tax relief badly enough to pay the price of an alterna tive revenue. We feel that the people of Oregon are capable of speaking for themselves on this subject, and we are determined that the y shall have this right. I am very eager to hear of your ideas or suggestions about oronertv tax renei. anu iuutv limitation. The revenue from forward to hearing from you YOUR Memories Dear Wes and Helen: Enclosed you will find our check as payment for another year's subscription to the Hepp ner Gazette-Times. We just can not go into the new year with out the weekly edition to keep us up to date on the latest news from "home." Last week's edition with pic tures of the courthouse and a wet snow storm in Heppner brought back many memories. A resident of Morrow county for over 61 years and 245 chang ing seasons left many scars on my old carcass, which the heal ing sunshine of Arizona is try ing to preserve. (Wes, I iust had to say that, please pardon). Remember, you asked me once why I ever left Oregon. With every good wish for a prosperous new year, I remain, Sincerely, Garnet Barratt Meeting Changed Previously scheduled potluck dinner and regular meeting of the Heppner Wranglers riding club, set for February 5, have been cancelled. These will be held at a later date, with the improvement of weather condit ions, officers announce. SENATOR REPORTS'. . . BY KEN JERNSTEDT. STATE SENATOR 18th District Including Morrow county Many people have asked me how my duties in tne senaie compare with my duties while in the House or Kepresentatives last session. I thought that it might be a good idea to cive that question a little consider ation in this article. Let me say that coming down here knowing everyone in the Senate before I arrived has helped a lot. It also helps to be able to go over to the House of Representatives and know two-thirds of those members at the beginning of the session. The members of the Senate have gone out of their way to make the five new members feel at home. My committee as signments are very much to my liking and ones that should be helpful to the area I serve. The office space provided for Senators is most helpful as far as office work is concerned both for myself and my secre tary. (I am hopeful that some day this can be provided for members of the House). The fact that there are only 30 members in the Senate puts a lot more emphasis on each member's vote especially when the fact that we have even more committees is considered. Five members on a committee are much more common while most House Committees have nine members. It can readily be seen that three members can control a vote in a five-man situation. We do have a few seven-man groups. Because I now serve six coun ties instead of two in the House, I carry on a much larger corre spondence than I did two years s i I . . ago with a larger variety of problems to solve and questions to answer. At this stage of the session it is difficult to estimate how much of a load the committee assignments will be as very few of the bills have reached the committees. For instance, we have just received our first Agriculture bills and will start hearings on them next week. It is my intention to discuss these bills in this article as thev come before my various commit tees. I will also try to keep you informed concerning other bills before the other committees. Remember you can always contact me by writing to me here at the Senate, Salem, Oregon. J COMMUNITY V 1 BILLBOARD I Knifty Sewers Meet On January 27 a meeting of ; the Kniftv Sewers 4-H club was called to order bv Sharon Me- j Carl, president. Minutes were ; read bv Anita Davidson. There ; was no new or old business. Re- j freshments were served by Shar- on McCarl. Our next meeting I will be on February 10. t Debra Yocom, reporter The Rhyming Philosopher ALLEVIATION WE'RE UP TO OUR EARS IN CONFUSION AND TEARS, SURROUNDED BY WRECKAGE AND TROUBLE: ALAS! CHRISTMAS TOYS SENT TO SMALL GIRLS AND BOYS ARE SMASHED TO EXTINCTION AND RUBBLE. THERE'S DOLLS UP IN TRACTION AND TRUCKS OUT OF ACTION AND RAILROADS DEFUNCT BY COLLISIONS; THERE'S CRUISERS WITH BRUISES AND BIKES WITH ABUSES AND FOOTBALLS WITH FATAL INCISIONS. SO CRAMPS AND HIS HAMMER RESPONDS TO THE CLAMOR WITH RIVETS AND WIRE AND SOME STICKUM; REPAIRS ARE EFFECTFD AS MOST KIDS EXPECTED, FOR GRANDPA'S THE CHAP WHO CAN FIXUM. BUT WHO RECOGNIZES THAT TERRIBLE CRISES WE'RE HEIR TO WITH NO CHANCE TO VOTE ON: THOSF SOX AND CRAVATS AND THOSE HIDEOUS HATS WHICH SISTERS AND AUNTS SEEM TO DOTE ON. THEY OUGHT TO KNOW BETTER THAN GIVE US A SWEATER A NIGHTMARE. EXCUSE THEM! IT SEEMS NECESSARY THEN SNEAKILY LOSE THEM! ENDOWED LIKE BUT EACH JANUARY TO WEAR THEM, HARRY W. FLETCHER Coming Events HEPPNER BASKETBALL Friday, Jan. 31, Wahtonka there. League game. Sat. Feb. 1. DeSales, here Friday, Feb. 7, Madras, here. League game. Support the Mustangs! GRADE SCHOOL Friday, Jan. 31, Arlington, here, 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, Pilot Rock, there, 2 p.m. ELEMENTARY PTA Rescheduled meeting, Wed.. Feb. 5, 7:30 p.m. Film and panel discussion on "Sex, the Moral Dilemma." High school students and parents welcome SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION ANNUAL MEETING Tuesday, Feb. 4, 7:30 p.m. Lexington Grange Hall Special program, "Water for Morrow County Farmlands." VALENTINE CARD PARTY Bv Sans Souci Rebekah Lode Saturday. Feb. 15, 8 p.m., IOOF Hall Bridge. Pinochle, Refresh ments Public invited MOTHETtS' CLUB DINNER Sweetheart Dinner, Saturday. Feb. 8. 6:30 p.m. Episcopal Parish Hall Members and invited guests SPONSORED AS A PUBLIC SERVICE BY C. A. RUGGLES Insurance Agency a Box 247 PH. 676-S625 Heppnar
