County
News
DEATHS IN YEAR 1943 ONE
MORE THAN IN 1942
RAINIER — City Recorder N.
N. Blumensaddt announces that
during the year 1943 there wera
19 deaths recorded at the local
office. In the preceding year of
1942 there were 18.
There were no births recorded
here in 1943, as contracted with
10 recorded in 1942. The near
ness of the Longview hospitals is
a probable cause for the lack of
birth registrations here.
1943 WAS DRIEST OF
PAST EIGHT YEARS
CLATSKANIE — The year
1943 was the driest in this local
ity in the past eight years that
weather has been reported.
The most unusual feature of
the year’s weather was the 27
consecutive days of rainless
weather starting on February
12 and confining through until
March 10th. That was the long
est dry spell of the year.
The total precipitation for
1943 was 44.20 inches with
March the wettest month.
COUNTY COURT MAKES
ANNUAL APPOINTMENTS
ST. HELENS — Announce
ment was made last Wednesday
of the annual appointments made
by the county court. Without ex
ception, all appointments were of
persons already employed by the
county in th various jobs.
Road foreman appointments
were as follows: Vernonia, G. C.
Mellinger;
Scappoose,
Lloyd
• Lynch; St. Helens, U. W. Clark;
Deer Island, Fred Colvin; Goble,
Fritz Anliker; Raniier, Donald
Parcher; Clatskanie, Oscar Lind
berg; Mist Joseph Banzer.
FISHERMEN’S UNION
PLANS NEW HOUSE
RAINIER — A two - story
building for a receiving station is
to be built here in the very near
future by the Fishermen's Union
of Astoria on lots just east of
the Rainier .'Creamery. The lots
were purchased several months
ago, and collection of materials
for construction is now being
carried out by the organization.
Installation 'of modern equip
ment, including not only office
and storage facilities, but as well
a boat hoist and net drying fa
cilities are planned and also
there will be an oil pipe line
from the street to the building
to supply boats.
SHIELDS ON LIGHTS
TO BE REMOVED
ST. HELENS — With excep
tion of the downtown area from
St. Helens to Cowlitz streets,
St. Helens is still partially dim
med out, as far as street lights
are concerned, despite the fact
that the dimout rule was removed
by the army several weeks ago.
However, Portland General tEU'ec-
tric Co. linemen are removing
the dimout shields as they replace
new globes in the Street lights
and it is estimated that all
shields would be removed within
.three months.
All Teachers at Work
Although there is still a great
deal of flu and other sickness
in Vernonia, attendance among
students and teachers at the high
school and grade school is back
to normal. For the first time
since Christmas, there was a per
fect attendance of teachers at
the Washington grade school
when school opened on Monday.
Volume 22, Number 3
Vernonia, Columbia County, Oregon
War Fund Drive
Begins This Week
The 4th War Loan drive in
Vernonia is off to a smashing
start as members of Mrs. R. D.
Eby’s committee started out ear
ly Monday on their tour of the
city. Vernonia has been broken
up into five sections, each with
a captain and a team; and
through their eforts to contact
each home and place of business,
the drive will go over the top.
The captains with their work
ers appointed by Mrs. Eby are
as follows: Mrs. E. E. Gwin with
Mrs. John Kirk, Mrs. Frank Mc
Cord, Mrs. Blaine Cobat, Mrs.
Walter Parker, and Mrs. Howard
Frank; Mrs. Harry Culbertson
with Mrs. Juanita Green, Mrs.
Joyce Culbertson, and Mrs. Retta
Lamping; Mrs. U. J. Bittner with
Mrs. Cecil Johnson, Mrs. R. If.
Jackson, f Mrs. John Grady, and
Mrs. 0. Mellinger; Mrs. A. L.
Anderson with Mrs. Hamp Rob
erson, Mrs. Phil Taylor, Mrs.
Ben Brickel, and Mrs. Holly Hol-
'comb; Mrs. Mary Sorlee with
Mrs. Virgil Powell, Mrs. Ethel
Buffmire, and Mrs. Frank Riley.
Of interest to Vernonia resi
dents is the pamphlet issued in
connection with the drive in
Assistance to Be
Given Taxpayers
which Oregon boys all over the
world have written that they ex
pect all at home to do their duty
in the 4th War Loan. Individual
pictures of the boys appear in
this booklet and two of them
are Vernonia boys, Captain G.
W. Laird and Pvt. George Turn
er.
One has only to read these ar
ticles written by boys who are
giving all, to remember how im
portant it is to each and every
one of us to help our government
send equipment and supplies to
our armed forces by buying
bonds and more bonds.
Although no exact amount has
been turned into Mrs. Eby so
far, the committee is well satis
fied with the amount collected
to date.
Loggers Win Tues.
Meet St. Helens
The youthful Vernonia Log
gers pulled the first major up
set of the current campaign by
scalping the veteran Scappoose
Indians on their home court
Tuesday night 47 to 44.
The Loggers were a hard-driv
ing ball-hawking band Tuesday
to overcome superior height,
weight airri oxperience: Trailing
at the half time intermission 27
to 24, the locals scored 18 points
in a third period scoring spree to
take the lead which was never
relinquished.
According to word issued by
J. W. Maloney, collector of in
ternal revenue, a deputy collec
tor will be in Vernonia, Febru
ary 4th and Sth to give assist
ance in filing federal income tax
returns for 1943. He will also be
in Forest Grove on February 17th
to 19th inclusive, in St. Helens,
Coach Robbins boys face the
February 1st to 3rd, inclusive,
Clatskanie, January 25th
and acid test on the home court to
26th; and Rainier, January 24th. morrow night when they engage
In addition the same assist • the league leading St. Helens
ance is available to all taxpay Lions in a game which will mean
ers At the 'office of the collector much in the Columbia county
of internal revenue, Custom league. The Vernonia boys have
House, Portland, each day until been working hard to perfect a
March 15th, the final day of the defense to cope with the high-
scoring Saints, especially their
filing period.
veteran center, Glen Kinney, who
has been a tower of strength
in early St. Helens victories.
School officials are expecting a
capacity crowd for Friday’s
game.
.
Mayor Invited to
League Meeting
Mayor George W. Johnson,
members of the city council, and
other officials of Vernonia have
been invited by Mayor John H.
Houston of Klamath Falls, pres
ident of the League of Oregon
Cities, to attend a regional meet
ing of the league to be held in
St. Helens on Thursday evening,
January 20.
The development of policies
and specific community programs
designed to meet postwar condi
tions will be one of the primary
objectives of the cities’ regional
meetings this year. Public works
programming, juvenile delinquen
cy, housing and other war and
postwar problems are scheduled
for consideration.
Vernonia 47
Byers 10
Riley 2
Rolline 9
Nance 19
Larsen 5
Melis 2
Colsen
44 Scappoose
12 Johnson
F
F
6 McReary
C 16 B. Anderson
6 Pese
G
Shearer
G
S 2 H. Anderson
S
Half Year’» Work Done
High school students have been
busy the past week with final
examinations and Friday will
mark the end of the term or the
completion cf one half year’s
work. However, there will be no
vacation as school will begin
again on Monday with no major
changes.
Forestry Club to Start for High
School Boys; Study Is New in County
With the opening of the new
term at the high school, a new
activity will be inaugurated which
will be of great benefit and in
terest to the boys of the school.
It is the formation of a Forestry
club dealing with the conserva
tion, culture, protection and ut
ilization of the forest and for
estry as a profession. Member
ship will be open to all boys
registered in the school and su
pervision will be under Harold
McEntire who has himself had
a great deal of experience in the
line of forestry.
Through the efforts of N. S.
Rogers of the
Oregon
state
board of forestry, several men
were sent to Vernonia to talk to
the boys and to present each boy
with a compiled book of forestry
facts which will be used along
with two books, “Forest Law”
and “Index to Oregon Trees,”
as text books.
The boys will do a great deal
of field work and go on caipping
trips in different sections of the
county to study first hand the
different trees and their uses in
the community^. The forestry
board has promised to send
speakers from time to time to
give information to the boys.
As Vernonia ia in the heart
of the timber and logging coun
try the boys will have at jess
to all types of forestry problems.
Valuable knowledge can be ob
tained from the Clark and Wil
son Lumber Co. and the Oregon-
American Lumber corporation;
and Mr. May and Mr. Kyle from
Pittsburg have promised to help
the boys at any time. From this
course the boys will be able to
pass the forest cruise and su-
pression test enabling them to
work for the forestry depart
ment during summer vacations.
This basic training was first
started in the high school of
Salem in 1942-43 with the for
estry department furnishing the
text book; but this is the first
venture of this kind to be tried
in Columbia county and from the
feeler^ that have already been
put out, the interest in this ac
tivity deems ft to be a lasting
success as a forerunner cf more
intensive study of Oregon's nat
ural resource, the forest.
United War
Fund Drive
Successful
$5,850.96 Donated by
Local 5-37 Member»
Here for Chest Fund
At th meeting of January 13,
Local 5-37, IWA completed its
War Chest and Red Cross drive
for the year of 1943 with a re
port that all members were
proud of. Guests for the even
ing were R. W. Simeral, chair
man cf Columbia county war
chest, R. Pollack, editor of the
St. Helens’ Sentinel-Mist, the
chrirman of the St. Helen’s war
chest cbmmitt and Mrs. Harry
Culbertson, chairman of Vernon-
ia war chejt fund with two of
her committee. Mrs. Ralph Val-
piani and Mrs. Ben Brickel.
Speaker of the evening was
Natalie Panek, National CIO war
relief director of the Northwest
and Mr. Galbraith, editor of the
International Woodworker.
$5,850.96 check donated by
the members of Local 5-37 was
presented to Mr. Simeral for Co
lumbia’s war chest and checks
for $287.68 and $220.74 were
forwarded to Clatsop and Mult
nomah counties respectively for
their war chest fund. The bal
ance of all money collected will
be held in reserve to be present
ed to the Red Cross when their
1944 drive starts.
In athlitiim to the amounts do
nated by the union, Mrs. Harry
Culbertson turned in $1,005.15
as Vernonia’s contribution to the
War Fund. Much credit for the
success of the drive was due to
the hard working committe which
is ad follows: Mrs. H. Sturdevant,
Mrs. C. Walrath,
Mrs.
Ben
Brickel, Mrs. A. Kullander, Mrs.
V. Powell, Mrs. R. Valpiani, Mrs.
A. Rice of Wilark, Mrs. Roy
Hughes of Mist and Mrs. G. BeF
lingham, Mrs. Carrie Davis and
Louise Johnson of Birkenfeld.
Some Shoe Types
Off Rationing Now
Certain types of novelty and
other low-priced women’s'” shoes
went on sale ration-free Monday
in the shoe stores all over the
country and will Ibe available
through January 29th. These
shoes must sell for $3.00 a pair
or less and in this way the deal
ers may move limited quantities
of wearable shoes not readily
sold for ration stamps.
Mail order houses, wholesalers
and manufacturers may also sell
15 per cent of their September
30 stocks of women’s shoes ra
tion free, subject to the $3.00
price limit. The shoes must be
marked “nonrationed” with of
ficial OPA stickers. Retailers will
benefit from this provision, too,
since shoes with “nonrationed”
¡tickers on them may be sold
rationfree any time and are not
limited to the two weeks.
T Coupon Method Told
Since the new strip T coupons
do not fit gummed sheets R-120,
dealers are requested to place
10 coupons in each row by over
lapping. Dealers should not cov
er any part of the top of Form
R-120 as pertinent information
thereon must be available for
checking. Each filled sheet must
contain fifty coupons. Gasoline
distributors of Portland have
been advised of this procedure
and local distributors should fol
low this same set up.
Goat Meeting Planned
Members of the Nehalem Val
ley Goat Raisers association will
hold a meeting Saturday, Janu
ary 29, it was announced this
week by O. G. Weed, president
cf the as-cciation. Time and
place will be announced next
week.
Thursday, January 20, 1944
Wallace McCrae to Head
"March of Dimes" Drive
To Finance Polio Treatment
The “March of Dimes” cam office in St. Helens. Personal
paign, intended to raise $2,000 solicitation and contributions by
to aid in financing care for in unsolicited persons will be re
fantile paralysis victims in this lied upon to raise most of the
county and to help provide funds county quota, the chairman of
for research on cures for this the county declared, adding that
disease will get underway soon last year’s drive cost only 2.6 per
in Columbia county. Wallace cent of the amount raised, an
McCrae has been appointed chair unusualy low figure.
man for Vernonia and will en
deavor to put the drive over suc
cessfully. Otto H. H. Peterson,
Columbia county superintendent
of schools, has been named to
act as temporary chairman of the
One night the past week, Lloyd
county in place of George Cald Callister, Oregonian carrier, was
well, chairman for the past sev
coming up the hill out of Timb
eral years, who is now ill.
This year’s goal, based on a er when he looked up into the
contribution of approximately a sky co the northwest and saw a
dime apiece from all of Colum brilliant rainbow in the sky. He
bia’s people, is considerably high was so impressed with the sight
er than the sum the county has that he returned to the station
been able to raise in the past at Timber and showed it to the
years. Usually this has totaled agent. Mr. Callister first noticed
the rainbow at 2:15 a.m. and
in the neighborhood of $700.
As will be the case in the cur said it lasted about 15 or 20
rent campaign, half of this mon minutes.
ey was retained by the county
chapter of the National Infantile
Paralysis Foundation and the re
mainder went to the foundation,
which uses it to finance research
work and to purchase such equip
ment as iron lungs. Of the sum
At the regular meeting of the
which the county chapter retain
city council held Monday even
ed, approximately $300 was turn
ing, all officers were re-appoint
ed over to the Shrine and Doern-
ed for the following terms and
becker hospitals in Portland to
the contract to clean out the
help finance care of those strick
septic tanks of the city was ap
en with the disease.
proved.
Record« disclosed that there
The contract states that the
have been five new cases of in
work will be started on or before
fantile paralysis in Columbia
January 22 and to be completed
county this year, in addition to
within 30 days. Cost will be
the six old ones. Three of these
$5.00 per load, each load to be
suferers have been admitted to
at least two tons of measurable
the Shrine hospital, one to the
dirt. It is also stated in the con
Doernbecker, three to the Mult
tract that trucks of two-ton or
nomah county isolation hospitul
more capacity will be used and
and one to the Good Samaritan.
that the work is to be performed
Some of the county chapter’s
with as little damage to any
funds were used to send five
property as is possible.
Columbia nurse« to Portland re
cently to study the technique
involved in the Sister Kenney Junior Play Due
The junior class of the Ver
treatment for infantile paralysis.
Persons wishing to contribute nonia high school has chosen Noel
to the “March of Dimes" cam Coward’s “Blythe Spirit” as its
paign may do so by turning annual class play. It will be pre
their money over to members sented on the night of February
of their own county committee or 4 at 8 p.m. in the auditorium of
by sending the cash to Peterson’s the Washington grade school.
Sees Rainbow
At Night
All Officers of
City Re-elected
Æ
Those Who
Are in It
is and advanced. The ne*w offic
From general headquarters in er is 2nd Lt. Marshall Charles
the South Pacific area comes Makinster, 22. He was formerly
word of the death of Joe C. Net- a logger and qualified as an av
ka, former Vernonia boy, killed iation cadet January 26, 1943.
in action on December 29th.
SERGEANT IN AUSTRALIA
In a personal letter to his wife
Word has been received that
General Douglas MacArthur says Sgt. Bus Acord is serving with
“His service under me was char the air Corps somewhere in Aus
acterized by his complete devo
tralia.
tion to our beloved country and ✓
his noble death integrates him HERE WITH FAMILY
with its imperishable glory. I
Art Spofford, Coxswain, spent
lost a gallant comrade-in-arms two day« in Vernonia with his
and a splendid gentleman.”
mother, Mrs. Bessie Spofford. His
He is survived by his wife, sister, Mrs. E. S. Biddle and
Bessie Bell Netka, now of Ver family came up from Astoria for
nonia, his mother, two sisters, the day. He left to go to Seattle
and a brother in California, and to join hi« ship.
his father-in-law, George Bell of
TO LEAVE FRIDAY
Vernonia.
Claire Sunnel, who arrived
TO COMPLETE TRAINING
here a few days ago for the fun
Pvt. Lynn Brady was in Ver eral of his wife, will leave Fri
nonia for a few days visiting with day for Camp Polk, Louisiana.
his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. T.
Brady. He has been training at MARRIED IN VIRGINIA
T/Sgt. Clifton N. Hiatt and
Fort Riley for several months,
and returned to Ft. Meade, Mary Mabel Musk Simpson were mar
ried December 18th in Sandston,
land to complete his training.
Vi9rginia, the ceremony taking
place in the Methodist church
GETS WINGS
One Vernonia man was among where the bride has been organ
those who were commissioned ist for several years. The bride
and given the silver wings of the is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
military pilot at graduation ex Luther George Musk of Sand
ercises at the advanced twin en ston, and the groom is the son
gine flying school at Blytheville, of Mrs. Ethel Hiatt of Portland,
Arkansas, January 7. The win sister of Mrs. Ralph Reynolds of
ning of the commission marks Vernonia and graduated from
the successful completion of three Vernonia high school in 1939.
phases of training; primary, bas
More "Those Who Ate,” page 6
KILLED IN ACTION