Phenoxy herbicides debated by Wheat League, public
Wheat farmers are girding
for a political fight to try to
defeat an initiative measure
on the November ballot that
would restrict the use of
phenoxy herbicides.
Morrow County growers
Monday heard the call to
battle from Earl Pryor of
Condon who said, "It's going
to cost money."
Pryor, former president of
the Oregon Wheat Growers
League, said "I'm sure you're
going to be solicited for funds,
and as sure as I am standing
here, it's going to be on the
ballot."
He spoke at a meeting that
had been called to hear pro
and con discussion on the use,
in particular, of 2,4-D. From
75 to 100 persons crowded St.
Patrick's Roman Catholic
Church Parish Hall in Hepp
ner for the session.
Pryor recalled that when he
first started farming, "I had a
h of a time trying to stay on
top of the weeds. I don't like to
use chemicals, but they are a
necessary tool."
He said wheat farmers have
formed the Oregon Food and
Shelter Committee as a politi
cal organization to fight the
proposed initiative that, if
passed, would severely re
strict the spraying of chemical
herbicides and require any
application to be done by
licensed pesticide dealers,
consultants, applicators or
operators.
"You and I, without a
consultant's license, will not
be able to buy the chemicals,"
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1
Georgia Hoglund -opposes herbicides
he declared. "It would elimi
nate the opportunity for farm
ers to apply their own chemi
cals." The pro and con discussions
were presented by Dr. Jim
Witt, specialist in chemistry
and environmental toxology
for Oregon State University,
and Georgia Hoglund from
Clarkston, Wash., chairperson
of Citizens Against Toxic
Herbicides.
In their talks, each pre
sented a series of statistical
charts with the use of a slide
projector.
Witt said there is public
concern over the use of 2,4-D.
"Our main purpose and the
thing I want you to watch
for," he said, "is whether
2,4-D is harmful or not
harmful. There is a way of
trying to evaluate the use of
any chemical for its safety or
as a hazard."
He said no evaluation comes
out with "neat and safe
answers this is a hazard, this
is safe."
Witt used a Latin formula,
"Sola dosis facit venom,"
which he explained means
"the dose alone makes the
poison." This supports the
principle that chemicals are
poisonous but their injurious
effect would depend on se
veral factors relating to do
sage and exposure.
"Any chemical can have
toxic effects on animals," he
said, adding that people must
determine comparative risks
in their use of such chemicals
as 2,4-D.
"There is absolute risk, zero
risk, and comparative risk,"
he said. "We have to deter
mine what the level of
exposure is. What is the
largest dose that causes no
effect?"
If people become ill in areas
where chemical spraying has
taken place, he said, there
may not be a relationship
unless a probable exposure
level has been determined.
Hoglund related the fight of
her organization against the
use of chemicals in the forests
of northern Idaho. She said
study groups had delved
deeply into scientific litera
ture, spent many hours talk
ing with experts in many
scientific fields, and traveled
extensively throughout the
United States where phenoxy
herbicides have been used.
She said adverse health data
had been found with such
herbicide use.
"One of our most astonish
ing discoveries is that timber
growth is inhibited instead of
promoted by the use of
herbicides." she said. "It
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Dr. Jim Witt analyses the risks
The Heppner
TTTlft
Mor row County's Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
Weather
"ii
appears that herbicides are
being used as an excuse to
increase the allowable cut on
the national forests, and were
part of a paper shuffle used to
inflate productivity projec
tions for sustained yield."
She said her organization
has always actively supported
weed control, realizing that
the agricultural community
cannot survive if weeds are
not controlled. "We as consu
mers don't eat unless weeds
are controlled," she said.
She said Idaho has intro
duced a plan for controlling
noxious weeds by biological
methods and through trying to
prevent their entry into Idaho.
Her organization, she said,
has made "a major commit
ment to the agricultural
community. ..to the research
of viable alternatives to
chemical over-use, to the
revision of the state weed law,
to support the state's progres
sive weed control program."
The aim, she said, is Jo
phase down the use of chemi
cals. The organization also is
involved in providing farmers
with "cost effective and envi
ronmentally sound tools."
By Don Gilliam
Hi LoPre. Sun., Mar. 2 55 38
Tues., Feb. 26 58 37 .28 Mon.,Feb.3 55 38
Wed., Feb. 27 62 45 .04 Feb. Prec. 1.95
Thurs., Feb. 28 57 42 .22 Feb. (Normal)
Fri.Feb. 29 56 33 1.16
Sat., Mar. 1 53 32 Feb. 1979 J. 15
VOL. 98 NO. 10
THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 1980
2i) CKNTS
10 PAGES
HKPPNER. OREGON
Few challengers
Incumbents run for re-election
By Steven A. Powell
Most of the Morrow County
elected officials are running
for re-election and they will all
win hands down if some
interested persons do not
come out of the woodwork
during this final week for
applying.
The deadline to file or
petition for a county office is
next Tuesday, March 11.
That does not give inter
ested candidates much time
but the process to become
eligible to be placed on the
May 20 primary election ballot
is not that complicated.
A person can pay a $50 filing
fee at the county clerk's office
at the courthouse in Heppner
or file a petition with the party
of your choice. County clerk
Barbara Bloodsworth said to
file a petition, a person needs
22 signatures from registered
Democrats in the county to
run as a Democrat and 17
signatures from registered
Republicans in the county to
run as a Republican. To run as
an independent, a person
needs approximately 30 signa
tures. Names on the petition
also must come from at least
two different voting precincts.
The only qualifications to be
eligible for a county elected
office is that the person be a
registered voter and regis
tered to a political party.
Applications are available
at the courthouse. The appli
cation includes a statement
asking for 12 words that can
appear after your name on the
ballot.
The positions that are up for
election and their current
approximate salaries are:
county judge ($17,208), two
county commissioner posi
tions (approximately $9,000
for part-time), county asses
sor ($15,695), county clerk
($15,695), county treasurer
($11,326), fifth district justice
($16,770), sixth district justice
($10,939), and the county
sheriff ($15,695).
Requests have been made to
the county budget committee
to raise all of the salaries. The
request is to have all of the
county officials make the
same amount of money
($21,720) except the county
judge ($25,000) and the two
justices (about $17,000 each).
Another proposal is to have
all the county officials receive
raises to $19,618.
Whatever salaries are ap
proved for the county officials,
there are still only two
positions as of Monday, that
have more than one person
running for it.
Beverly Launer of Heppner,
a Democrat, is running for the
position of county treasurer
tax collector against Alice
Vance of Heppner, a Republi
can. In the only other race, Gene
L. Allen of Boardman, a
Republican, and Jim Brooks
of Boardman, also a Republi
can, are challenging incum
bent Warren McCoy of Irri
gon. a Republican, for the four
year term of county commi
sioner. County Judge Don McElli
gott of lone, a Democrat, is
the only person running for
that office. Ernest Jorgensen
of Boardman is the incumbent
and only person running for
the fifth district justice posi
tion. Incumbent Greg Sweek, a
Democrat, is a candidate for
the assessor's position and
Dorothy Krebs is the only
candidate for the two-year
county commissioner position.
The reason that is a two-year
position, according to county
clerk Barbara Bloodsworth, is
because Krebs was appointed
to that position because of the
death of the previous.cornrnu-;-sioner.
The positions ' are
supposed to be staggered at
two-year intervals and that is
why the position this time is
for two years but in 1982 it will
again be a four-year term.
Larry Fetcsh of lone, a
Democrat, is the single candi
date to be county sheriff and
Bloodsworth of Heppner, also
a Democrat, is the only
candidate to be county clerk.
Charlotte Gray is the only
candidate for the justice court
position in Heppner.
Two positions require extra
qualifications. The county as
sessor must be a certified
appraiser and have a certain
amount of work experience
among other qualifications.
The sheriff must be at least
21 years old. be certified or
able to be certified by the
Board of Police Standards and
Training, and the sheriff must
have two years of post high
school education or four years
of experience or four years of
combined education and ex
perience. County Clerk Bloodsworth
added that there are positions
open for 18 Republicans and 18
Democrats to file for precinct
committee persons.
15 to lose land
to Willow Dam project
Fifteen Heppner area resi
dents plus the city of Heppner
and Morrow County will be
losing land to the Army Corps
of Engineers for the construc
tion of the Willow Creek Dam,
it was announced Tuesday
night at Heppner High School
by Corps personnel.
R.S. Thompson has the most
to lose as the Corps must
purchase 283.16 acres of his
land.
Public affairs officer Dug
Duggar said the Corps has
four methods of purchasing
property. It can pay a fee,
transfer or trade property
with an owner, license, or pay
an easement fee to essentially
rent the land so the Corps can
use it but the owner will still
be the legal owner.
Peter Lennon will be paid
for 87.21 acres and will receive
an easement fee for .30 acres.
Carl Thorpe will receive an
easement payment for 17.62
acres, Morrow County will
receive a fee for a total of 17.09
acres and J.G. Barrett will be
paid for 13.26 aeres of land.
Richard Wilkinson will lose
7.46 acres because of the dam
construction. Larry Angell
will receive a fee for 6.27 acres
and an easement fee for 1.18
acres. Christopher George
will be paid for 6.26 acres,
James H. Hager 4.49, Olive B.
Hughes 2.86, C.A. Warren 2.13,
Gene Pierce 2.11, Eddie Gun
derson 1.24, the city of
Heppner .92, Robert C. John
son .33, Larry Mills .11 and
Mary VanBlockland .01.
The land acquisition phase
began with the informational
meeting Tuesday. Duggar
said the Corps will begin
construction on the dam in the
late summer.
County favors Beef vote
but national voters don't
Suspect arraigned
in explosives theft
Electric rate hikes to increase revenue 37
Rate increases for Columbia
Basin Electric Cooperative,
going into effect with Febru
ary billings, have been de
signed to increase the sys
tem's revenues by 37 percent,
according to a letter issued by
Manager Fred R. Toombs.
The letter was mailed to
consumers last weekend.
"Not all of the rates will
increase by the same amount
and not all consumers under a
given rate can expect the
same increase, as they may
vary with usage," Toombs
said in the letter.
He pointed out that the cost
of serving irrigators "is ap
proximately $725,000," and the
original rate proposal was
designed to collect this
amount from them.
"However, on close exami
nation, it was found that the
cost of serving the small
pumps was much more than
we were going to collect. The
rate was then adjusted so each
irrigator paid for the cost of
serving his particular installa
tion," Toombs said.
"However, in these changes
(affecting irrigators), no
other class of consumer was
affected. The irrigation class
still had to produce the
original $725,000."
Toombs' letter explains
there are five classes of
customers under the rate
structure residential, indus
trial, commercial, irrigation
and street lighting.
Columbia Basin engaged the
service of rate consultants
at considerable expense,
Toombs said, to determine the
fair share of expenses each
class of customer should bear.
He pointed out that if
Columbia Basin had not
bought out Pacific Power &
Light Co. in Condon, Fossil
and Hepp"er, "those areas
would be paying a signifi
cantly lather rate for the
average user.
"Both rural and town cus
tomers pay the same rate,
conforming to the basic princi
ple of the rural electric
program, which is to provide
central-station power to all
residences at equal rates,"
Toombs said. "This was the
justification for the government-authorized
2 percent and
5 percent REA (Rural Electri
fication Administration) loans
which we all benefit from."
He said residential rates are
in the form of a service charge
plus energy at a flat rate.
"Thus, conservation efforts
on the consumer's part are
reflected sharply in the total
bill and are consistent with
both Bonneville Power Admi-1
nistration and U.S. Depart
ment of Energy guidelines.
"The average residential
user on Columbia Basin's lines
using 1,396 kilowatt hours
would pay $35.31, while cus
tomers of Pacific Power &
Light in Oregon would pay
$40.27 in the winter and $36.89 r
in the summer.
"This is significant, as the
consumers of Pacific Power &
Light are more closely con
centrated. "Industrial customers uti
lize only the transmission
system of the cooperataive
and have paid relatively high
rates and are served at
minimal cost which does not
require use of the distribution
system ; therefore, the cost-of-service
study shows they are
paying their fair share at
present rates.
"The increase to irrigation
customers is slightly higher
than the system average
because of the cost incurred in
providing transmission, distri
bution and substation capacity
costs associated with these
, types of services."
Toombs said the increases
would not have been as great
if the recent ice storm had not
occurred.
Floyd Everett Harshman,
formerly an employee at
Kinzua, was arrested Feb. 29
in connection with the theft of
explosives from an Oregon
State Highway Dept. trailer
between Lexington and Hepp
ner. Harshman was arraigned in
the Sixth District Justice
Court in Heppner Monday.
The formal charge brought
against him by Morrow
County District Attorney Den
nis Doherty is for the felony of
theft in the first degree. It is a
Class C felony carrying with it
a maximum of five years in
the state penitentiary and a
$2,500 fine.
Kinzua personnel
manager moves
Dan Sweeney, personnel
manager for Kinzua Corp. in
Heppner, will join Boise
Cascade Corp. at its Oregon
regional office at Monmouth.
Sweeney, the son of Mayor
Jerry Sweeney, has been with
Kinzua for six years. His new
job as employee relations
coordinator will start March
17.
The charges are for receiv
ing, retaining and concealing
more than 1,000 pounds of
explosives that were in his
possession. Doherty said addi
tional charges may be added
at a later date.
Doherty asked for substan
tial bail because Harshman
does not have any permanent
residence in the area. Justice
Charlotte Gray set the bail at
$25,000. Of that, 10 percent
($2,500) must be posted before
he will be released from the
Umatilla County Jail in Pen
dleton. Harshman requested a
court appointed attorney and
he filed the necessary forms.
Justice Gray appointed Den
nis Hackler of Pendleton as
his attorney.
The theft of the explosives
from the trailer off Highway
74 was reported last week by
George Siler of Pendleton.
William Jay Devin was
arraigned Monday for posses-.
sion of less than one ounce of
marijuana. Doherty said addi
tional charges may be brought
against him. Devin, Box 515 in
Lexington, entered a not
guilty plea.
Morrow County cattlemen
voted 91 percent in favor of the
Beeferendum, which would
have assessed ranchers 20
cents on each $100 they get
from cattle sales to pay for
beef research and promotion.
While Oregon ranchers fa
vored the idea, the proposal
was defeated nationally.
"We are very disap
pointed." said Norma French
of Heppner, whose husband
Ray is president of the Oregon
Cattlemen's Association.
"The referendum passed by
91 percent in Morrow Coun
ty," she said, "and we were
told by the state office, when
we called, that it passed by 71
percent in Oregon. . We do
know that in the Dakotas,
Texas and Oklahoma it was
defeated."
Mrs. French said she was
"very appreciative" of the
CowBelles organization that
mounted a telephone cam
paign to encourage ranchers
in this area to vote.
"Not at this time," she
replied, when asked if another
attempt would be made to vote
on the research and promotion
assessment.
"We'll be going back to
Washington in the middle of
March to attend the National
Cattlemen's Association," she
said. "There will be discussion
there. Ray is on the board."
The vote was sponsored by
the cattlement with the assis
tance of the Agricultural
Stabilization and Conserva
tion Service.
A report carried by United
Press International attributed
the defeat of the Beeferendum
to the current prosperity of the
beef industry. JoAnne Smith
of Micanopy, Fla., chairman
of the group that sponsored
the national vote, said consu-
research and promotion would
be passed on to the consu
mers. Farm groups that opposed
the proposal said billions of
dollars were already being
spent on research and adver
tising by the food industry and
the government.
In this connection, Mrs.
French commented, "We do
have the National Beef Board
and the Oregon Beef Council."
The Oregon Journal news
paper of Portland quoted Dick
Nichols of Winston, state
chairman for the program, as
speculating on two factors for
the defeat.
One was that the cattle
industry isn't the economic
disaster area it was a few
years" ago. Prices are at a
respectable level, he said, and
should hold for a while.
The other factor was 'that
cattlemen favoring the pro
gram were so sure that it
would be approved they ne
glected to vote.
"With the market better, it's
hard to pass a program like
this. The ranchers don't need
help so badly," Nichols said.
He noted that most of the
negative votes came from
areas where farming is em
phasized more than cattle
raising.
Divers find body
Divers recovered the body
of four-year-old Lucas Glenn
of Hermiston Sunday in a pond
400 feet from the boy's home.
The boy, son of Dan and Jo
Glenn, had been the object of a
widespread search since Jan.
8. when he went out to play in
the snow. The search was
launched when he did not
return home. No trace was
found of him. More than 300
persons were involved in the
hunt.
The team of divers who
found ihe body next a clump of
cattails were members of the
Columbia Basin Search and
Rescue Council of Kennewick,
Wash.
Initially the search for the
boy had been hampered by 13
inches of snow.
Survivors, in addition to the
parents, include a sister, Kelly
Rose Glenn of Hermiston, and
the grandparents, Mr. and
Mrs. Francis Rondhuis of
Portland; Richard Glenn of
Pendleton, and Patricia Lee
Glenn of Portland.
A funeral Mass was to be
held Tuesday at Our Lady of
Angels Roman Catholic ,
Church in Hermiston with
burial in the Stanfield Cemetery.