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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 1979)
-j. Sr- '-i flp" TWO The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon, Thursday January 25, 1979 The Heppner GAZETTE-TIMES UDCIOEPeDCTO VST- Pioneer Memorial needs direction from board Pioneer Memorial Hospital's future as out lined by the Northwest Medical Foundation (NWMF) in their recently completed survey points to the need for a concerted effort by the hospital board 'to develop a firm and complete management plan. Hospital board members have complained in the past that "no authority is given them with which to make their decisions enforceable"; claiming the County Court overturns their determinations. Oregon State statutes clearly state otherwise. The Pioneer Memorial Hospital Board of Directors has clearly defined statutory authority and perhaps they should familiarize themselves with that authority. At the same time, the Morrow County Court should clearly separate themselves from hospital operations and decisions; and back the board on its recommendations and determinations. The NWMF report shouldn't be used as the sole instrument in deciding the hopital's future, but, it clearly outlines some basic problems: administra tion and management; the need to improve facilities and upgrade equipment; the need to attract more doctors to Heppner, Boardman, Condon and Fossil; and the need for broad-based, community support. 1 J"- 1 t ! 1 I r f , I f I - ( .. IS'- 1 v r " . ' V A meeting of the Doctor Search Committee held t recently for election of new officers fell short of the needed quorum. Only two members Kent Good- , year and Dan Sweeney of the more than 30 members showed up; The search for physicians for Heppner, Boardman and -the tri-county area appears to be at a standstill. What now? if LEIf iHS FROM READERS 'Humane education9 may help solve teen problems Editor: You were kind to print the two sordid expose letters about the actions of our local young people. It is most honorable of the letter writers to expose these vandal acts rather than sweep them under the rug and pretend they did not happen. Most people think if juvenile criminals were exposed by name and not hidden in closed courts, that there would be less crime and violence. These letters are most certainly good proof of how very badly we do need Humane Education in our schools. "The lack of humane education is the principal cause of crime and violence. "...The Journal of Education. To the young people who do know better these letters should be encouragement for them to hang in there and give Angus Assn. leader has 'beef with Carter Administration cattle policy Dear President Carter: The message your administration is sending to beef cattle producers is being received loud and clear. Unfortunately, I doubt the message they are receiving is the message you think you are transmitting. I represent 35,322 producers of Angus cattle who are working to increase the production of high quality beef cattle in this country. And they will, if they are allowed to make reasonable profits on their investment, get a return for their labor, and are confident that these reasonable returns will continue for at least a few years. They need this assurance in order to justify investing in long range production expansion. These American Angus Association members represent more than 106,000 consumers. This is not a lot of people compared to the total population, but agriculture producers consume more products per capita than other segments of the population because they buy goods for production in addition to what they need for day to day living. Cattle producers therefore are extremely conscious of rising costs and the need to keep inflation under control. It is for these reasons that I am concerned about the communications gap between you and cattle producers. I believe that you are trying to encourage beef producers to expand production. But your actions and comments along with those of Secretary Bergland are having the reverse effect. Livestock producers received no federal subsidy when they were losing their shirts. Many producers in business in 1974 went bankrupt. Others lost their life savings at retirement age, with little chance of ever making it back. Many of the producers that survived did so by increasing their debt load and almost all survivors found other sources of income. Those losses incurred by livestock producers were a subsidy to consumers who enjoyed beef from 1974 through 1977. priced below the cost of production. These low prices helped keep the inflation index down, and made your administration's inflation fight look better than it deserved in 1976 and 1977. Beef prices in 1978 moved to profitable levels for the first time since 1973. Instead of praising cattlemen for helping keep inflation down in previous years and pointing out to the public that the new higher prices were justified, you and your administration spokesmen started to label beef an inflation leader. And this at a time when beef prices still had not reached the level of a few years earlier. Administration efforts to expand production should have started in 1976 when cattlemen were still losing money. But nothing was done. The solution to the problem, then as now, was to assure cattlemen that profitable times were just around the corner and could be counted on for some time to come. This would have helped slow herd liquidation and brought about earlier expansion. To make matters worse, your efforts in 1978 and 1979 are still not doing this. Expansion of beef imports by 200 million pounds in 1978 and an additional increase of 78 million pounds in 1979, has discouraged beef cattle expansion. The same is true for your veto of the beef import bill. These actions say to cattlemen that long term herd expansion may not be profitable. It encourages them to take profits now rather than to retain cows and heifers for breeding and future expansion. To put it briefly your actions have made cattlemen leary of the future. Cattlemen, agricultural producers, and all consumers are waiting for signs that you are going to take a realistic approach to slowing down or stopping inflation. As President of the United States you are in the best position to curb deficit spending and bureaucratic inefficiency. Putting the blame for much of our inflation on the beef cattle industry will not even slow down inflation's growth. Worse, it will cause cattlemen to hold back on plans for increased production, and will work against your campaign promises of reducing inflation to manageable levels and balancing the federal budget in 1981. Sincerely, C.K. Allen Executive Vice-President American Angus Association the community a better impression of themselves. It is hard for me to believe that young people could change so much in 20 and 30 years. I loved to give parties tor my kids, and, during those 18 years it was customary for all of the kids to make the rounds and express their thanks and appreciation to all chaperones and helpers with the parties, dances and good old fashion school picnics. I agree with Judy Paine and Jim Ackley that the parents are much to blame for allowing kids to get in such despicable, disrespectful ruts of apathy. I always will think we all are to blame for not putting more pressure on our legislators for making pot, marijuana, grass or whatever they call it legal. By allowing everybody to just have a little is just a big fat cover-up and encouragement that everyone should have a little to do the modern "in" thing! During my 18 years of parties for kids I had only one disappointment. In those days the Soroptimists gave the kids hay rides and parties in the mountains. fqr Halloween entertainment. I thought it would be fun to help, so I filled a five-gallon stone crock with cookies and took most of my years of collections of homemade and store made Halloween decorations to the mountain cabin above the forks of Willow Creek, that the late Frank Wilkinson was generous enough to let us use. We had two bonfires going, coffee made and soft drinks ready. The spooky lighted decorations were on the picnic tables and hung around the grounds in trees. In a few minutes a few thoughtless kids darkened the grounds and dampened our party spirits for all of us by throwing all decorations in the creek. That was the end of my energy for that kind of parties, so I know how these people feel who have given their time and talent for the good of all young people in the community. For the last 13 years my pleasure and satisfaction has been achieved by speaking up for the speechless, helpless, defenseless animals. Many of my friends are saying, "The more they see of some people the more they think of their dogs." Who can blame them when hoodlums act like the letters describe? No animal has ever stooped to do the things that people do; so these heathenish vandal actions should not be compared to animalistic behavior. This statement is an insult to the animals' intelligence and morals. No turkey, wolf, sheep or any animal for that matter would be caught doing those vile, insidious, destructive deeds. At the best of the motels I've never been turned down with my dogs (of course that was before I got a dozen). They all said to me, "dogs are less trouble than some children, dogs don't wreck TVs, plug up toilets, burn holes in bedding and steal things." Just before Christmas I subscribed to several Humane Magazines for the Heppner High School Library. I hope the kids will find time to read them. They could get some good tips on manners, kindness and how to have worthwhile fun and make this a better world to live in. Sincerely, Lois Winchester -i ; J Sifting through the TIMES It was a bad week for bunnies in .Morrow County 50 years ago, when about 75 residents of the Alpine area took club in hand gathered at the Kilkenny ranch on Lower Sand Hollow for a rabbit drive. According to a Gazette-Times account of the event, "the drive started at 11 o'clock at the Mike Sepanek farm, rounding up a large portion of the rabbits in the canyon bottom for a distance of some four and a half miles, past the Kilkenny house to a point where a pen had been constructed to receive them. The drive netted in the neighborhood of 3,000 furry denizens of the sage land. "The Alpine Farm Bureau, sponsors of the drive, were hosts to the visitors, providing a bounteous luncheon at the end of the drive, which was devoured in large quantities by men, women and children who were made ravenously hungry by the long tramp through the snow and the execution ceremonies. "B.G. Sigsbee, manager of the Star Theater, was in the thick of the drive, grinding away at his movie camera in hopes of having some good pictures to throw on the local screen at a later date. E. Albee, who had been stationed at the Kilkenny farm for two months trapping and hunting, was given possession of the dead rabbits for removal of their pelts. In timing Mr. Albee, it was found he could skin two of the animals in a minute. "Providing the snow remains on the ground, the Alpine Farm Bureau will sponsor another drive at the same place next Sunday." In more demure action in Morrow County during the same week a half-century ago, the possibility of opening up the Columbia River to wheat barge transportation was the topic of a lengthy discussion at the Morrow County Courthouse. Members of the Eastern Oregon Wheat Growers League, embittered over a recent rail rate hike, gathered in Heppner to hear W.W. Harrah of Pendleton tell them that "open river transportation was not only now a possibility, but almost a certainty provided farmers want it." Opening the Columbia to Eastern Oregon grain traffic would result in a 20 per cent drop in transportation costs, Harrah said. Heppner's VFW post was continuing a drive to complete payments on a new ambulance 30 years ago this week. Among the local contributors to the fund was Margaret Phelps of Phelps Funeral Home. In a letter to the Gazette-Times, Mrs. Phelps wrote: "For fear that some of my friends may feel the ambulance will interfere with my business, I want to say that I am 100 per cent for it." Twenty-five years ago this week, many residents of Heppner, lone and Lexington appeared at a Chamber of Commerce meeting in Heppner to complain about an upcoming reduction in mail service. The U.S. Post Office was planning to discontinue seven day a week service to three towns effective Jan. 31, 1954, as part of a nationwide cost-cutting program. Towns that were not situated along major rail routes were being dropped from the seven-day service. Mr. and Mrs. Steve Aalberg sold the Heppner Bakery to Arnold Grotte of Portland during the same week in 1954, and announced that they intended to move to Portland. Thieves broke into the Gilliam and Bisbee Hardware Store, making off with two rifles, a pistol and numerous boxes of ammunition. Cattle prices were not exactly astronomical in the area 25 years ago. Steve Thompson of Heppner topped the Hermiston Livestock Auction with a 1,040-pound whiteface that went for 16.2 cents per pound. Injuries were in the news 10 years ago this week, most of them due to the semi-hazardous recreation opportunities afforded by a heavy snowfall. Heppner High student Keith Curnutt suffered a concussion and was confined to bed for several days when the inner tube he was riding down a slippery city street collided with a post. Kristi Haguewood, then 12, lost control of her innertube-sled, landing in a ditch and striking solid ice. The accident made it temporarily impossible for her to sit or stand, and X-rays were taken to see if any bones were broken. Jimmy Raymond, then seven, was involved in a similar accident that resulted in a fractured left elbow. But an accident may have saved the life of a Heppner serviceman stationed on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Enterprise. John F. Cole suffered a concussion the day before one of the carrier's planes accidentlly dropped a bomb while being carted off the flight deck, seriously damaging the huge ship. Since Cole was confined to sick bay, he was not able to join with fellow fire team members in fighting a blaze on the deck. Three members of Cole's fire crew were seriously injured in the incident. Five years ago this week, Heppner High football standout John Boyer was named to the nationwide high school All-American first team roster. The defensive halfback and offensive split end had never gone out for football prior to his senior year, fearing that to do so could have brought down his grade point average. Former governess advises on youth discipline SUBSCRIPTION RATE $8.00 In Morrow, Umatilla, Wheeler & Gilliam County; $10.00 elsewhere The Heppner AZETTTE-TIME Morrow County's Award-Winning Weekly Newspaper The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow Published every Thursday and entered os second-class matter at the Post Office at Heppner, Oregon, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Second-class postage paid at Heppner, Oregon. G.M. Reed, Publisher Dolores Reed, Co-publisher Terry M. Hager, Managing Editor Rick Steelhammer, News Editor Eileen Saling, Office Manager Justine Weatherford, Local Columnist Gayle Rush, Composition Melissa Scott, Composition Cindi Doherty, AdvertisingOffice Ron Jordon, Printer Editor: I was very interested in the stories about teen behavior. Having been a baby nurse and governess for 20 years, caring and raising children from infancy to teenage for wealthy, career and professional people. I can readilly see the evolution to these turbulent times, and why so many of our young people are copping out, taking pot, resorting to bullyism and vandalism. They are angry as they feel cheated, unfulfilled, at society and their parents for creating this busy world. These kids want family love, comradship, togetherness and for someone to sit down and listen to them. They realize that their fathers have to go to work to support the home, but when the mother goes to work with high promises of new clothes, personal radios, TV, weekly allowances if they help with the housework, the children are excited, but when they come home daily to an empty house, late meals, TV snacks, dirty house, no clean ciothes, the excitement of rewards goes quickly out of their minds and they start to roam the neighborhoods, become sullen, refuse to obey curfews (if any) and everything starts getting out of hand. It all starts with a good foundation. When babies start to crawl and get into every nook and corner, or they refuse to eat unless they can feed themselves, this is when their tempers get started. I counter this with strong and loud "No's." I feed the children till about the age of two when I feel they are ready to eat neatly. The best and safest place to keep the children to the age of three is the old playpen while busily occupied. They can eat and sleep there. Of course they try to climb out, and again I use my loudest voice ordering them to remain, telling them that as soon as I have time I'd read them a story. From the age three they are taught to dress themselves, perform their toiletries and put away their clothes and toys. At four they are shown how to wash their toy dishes, empty waste and garbage containers. At five they often are allowed to do the family dishes, sweeping and yard work and have and maintain their plot of garden which they learn about and plant themselves. I also teach them their ABC's, to count to 100 and they further learn when I take them on shopping tours. They have also been taught how to make several kinds of sandwiches and are being taught cooking skills which is so necessary in later life. From six on is school. I insist on their parents eating the main meal with the children, listening to them, seeing their projects and accomplishments and to discuss their present and future plans with the children. Today's parents are putting their children on a pedestal and worshipping them like idols, instead they should make their children "tow the line", obey and teach them to help themselves. But you can't start after they are 12. Deidre Davis Medford, Ore. RUBBER STAMPS MADE TO ORDER The Gazette-Times Phone 676-9228
