County
News
STRAWBERRY CROWERS
HOLD MEETING
RAINIER—A strawberry grow
ers meeting held in the Rainier
City hall Friday, March 3, at
1:15 p. m.
Robert Rieder of the Oregon
State college extension service
will discuss insect control prob
lems and the situation in regard
to obtaining insecticides under
war conditions, John Becker of
the Gresham Berry Growers asso
ciation, who has just returned
from Washington, D. C., where
he was conferring in regard to
war demands and prices to be
paid for strawberries, will be
present to discuss the strawberry
situation.
All strawberry grow
ers and others inteiested are in
vited to be present.
SERVICEMEN’S
CENTER PLANNED
ST. HELENS— A service
men’s center, to be operated at
a downtown location, is being
planned by the St.Helens Junior
Women’s club, which has funds
available to finance the project.
For the present, the unit will
not be affiliated with the USO
or any other organized move
ment.
Club members will act as a
supervisory group and will need
the cooperation of all organiza
tions. Nature of the help needed
is not financial, but people of the
churches, lodges and other organ
ized groups will be called upon
to give their time and ability to
maintain the center. No date has
been announced for the opening
of the center
COUNTY RED CROSS
GOAL $19,600
ST. HELENS—Columbia Co.
people will be asked to give more
money to the Red Cross this year
than they have ever contributed
before, because tl > month-long
drive which gets tinder way next
Wednesday has a quota of $19,
600 to raise—more than 60 per
cent higher than the then record
goal of $12,000 set for the 1943
campaign. Incidentally, in ’43 the
county topped its quota by a
wide margin, raising more than
$15,000 in the campaign.
Local Chapter Gets Share
A generous share of the mon
ey the county raises during Mar.
will go towards (financing the
Columbia Red Cross chapter,
which has had many duties added
to its load by the war. The chap
ter now devotes much of its ac
tivity toward care for service
men’s relatives here—an unpub
licized job, for details of the help
offered are never released
CEMETARY DEAL
HITS SNAG
ST. HELENS—After extensive
exploration of the Hoffman farm
near Columbia Heights school’,
the site has been practically elim
inated as the place to establish a
city-owned cemetary, it was re
vealed this week. City Engineer
Slaght’s exploration uncovered
too much water in the subsoil, in
dicating the presence of several
underground
springs.
These
springs make the site unsuitable
for the intended purpose unless
the premises were tiled for drain
age. To tile the site would entail
a great amount of expense, and
it is believed the project will be
abandoned by the city for the
present. The depth of the soil
was sufficient, it was found dur
ing the explorations, and in ever-
y other respect the site was ideal.
Death Calls Mrs.
Dora Reynolds
Funeral services were held for
Mrs. Dora Hattie Reynolds at the
Bush funeral home on February
27. Mrs. Reynolds was born June
20th 1878 in Mist, Oregon and
died at her home in Vernonia on
the 24th of February. She is
survived by her husband, Edward
A. Reynolds, of Portltand; one
son George, of Portland; two
daughters, Mrs. Hattie Buckley,
Wheeler, Oregon, and Mrs. Ida
Habemand, Banks, Oregon; seven
grandchildren and five great
grandchildren. Three brothers,
George Jones, Mist, Oregon; Jim
Jones, IVernonia; and Lonzo
Jones, Eugene, Oregon. Three
sisters, Mrs. J. O. Libel, Mist;
Lizzy McCaulley, Seaside; Mrs.
Emma Aidradge, Mist.
Rev. Livingsltone officiated at
the services and internment was
made at Mist, Oregon,
Vernonia, Columbia County, Oregon
« °‘ °
Volume 22, Number 9
Muster Out Board Again Local R.o.
Help Due
Names McCrea Drive Rolls
Mrs. Estella Harris, Executive
secretary
for the
Columbia
County Red Cross has mustering
out forms for discharged veter
ans of the armed forces.
Mrs. Harris will be at the Ver
nonia Auto Company every Mon
day from 10:30 to 12:30 a. m.
to assist in making out these
forms. The discharged veterans
are eligable for mustering out
pay varying from $100 to $300.
Veterans interested may contact
Mrs. Harris or may write to St.
Helens.
Six Give Blood At
Hillsboro Monday
JIrs. Frank Hartwick, chair
man of the blood donors commit
tee, took six Vernonia women
to the Hillsboro blood doning
center Monday, Februalrp 28.
Those giving blood were Mrs.
Louise George, Mrs. Mona Gor-
don, Mrs. Ira Baucom, Mrs. Roy
Zimmerdahl, Mrs. Milton Lamp
ing and Mrs. Harry Kerns.
Mrs. Hartwick plans two trips
a month to the Hillsboro center
and urges those who are donat
ing to continue. If possible, those
in charge of the work would like
to increase the number of one
time donors.
A period of ten weeks must
pass between donations.
School Head
All of Teaching
Staff Renamed for
Coming Year’s Work
A meeting of the school board
was held Saturday evening, Feb
ruary 26 at which time Wallace
McCrae was appointed to serve
his eighth year as principal of
Vernonia high school. Mr. Mc
Crae served as coach for the
high school in 1934, ’35 and ’36
before being appointed principal.
Prior to that time he was coach
at the Washington grade school
for two years.
Mr. McCrae is a graduate of
Oregon College of Education and
of the University of Oregon and
has also done graduate work at
the University of Oregon.
All of the present teaching
staff was rehired which includes
Miss Freda Beck, Mrs. Margaret
Dement, Harold MdEintire, Ray
Mills, Mrs. Orile Robbins, Orile
Robbins and Miss Esther Wille's.
One vacancy remains on the high
school staff which was previously
filled by Mrs. Sam Hearing. Mrs.
Robert Martin, who is finishing
Mrs. Hearing’s term is not a can
didate for re-election.
R. L. Spencer has been rehired
for another year as custodian of
the building.
Funeral Gas Permitted
New Gas Coupons Due
New B-3, C-3, E-l, R-l and
T-2 QTR gasoline ration cou
pons will be issued .on March 1.
The T coupons bear the designa
tion of “2nd QTR”. These are
to be used exclusively for the
second quarter in issuing trans
port ration coupons.
Gasoline may be issued to
immediate blood relatives for
funeral purposes where the trav-
eling doesn’t exceed 500 miles
round trip. This gasoline will
be drawn from the quota of
“hardship gasoline, »» 1 and ig avail-
able to mother, father, son or
deceased.
daughter of
WTio
received nine stars for successful
Recently enlisted in the marine submarine trips.
Coxswain Robbins has been in
corps women’s reserve is Mrs.
all the big battles in the Pacific.
Elizabeth Carrol Irvin, daughter His submarine is in port now for
of Mr. A. F. Schalock. Private new construction and will be in
Irvin will be transferred in the San Fransisco until March 20.
near future to Camp Lejeune, N.
During one of the battles last
C., for six weeks indoctrination June the submarine hit a mine
training.
and R'obbins was paralyized for
A Vernonia high school grad 14 days, but is all right now. He
uate, Mrs. Irvin attended the serves as torpedoman on the sub.
University of Oregon for three
Robbins is a brother of Mrs.
years. She is currently employed James W yatt.
at Boeing’s Aircraft Company in ,
HOME ON FURLOUGH
Seattle.
Milo John visited his parents,
SOMEWHERE IN
Mr & Mrs Henry John and other
NEW GUINEA
relatives, while on furlough from
Mr. and Mrs. L. O. Harlan of Camp Roberts, California. He will
Wilark have recently received be transferred, upon completing
two letters from their son, M his furlough, to a training camp
Sgt.G. B. Harlan who has recent in Louisiana.
ly been stationed somewhere in
New Guinea. He mentions looking STATIONED AT ASTORIA
MIST — Frank Checmonek,
down on the Owen Stanley Mts.
from the window of their plane. who has been with the U. S.
These mountains are very rough armed forces for a long period
and he says it is no wonder they of time, is now stationed at As-
had such a hard time getting the toria. He was home over the
Japs out of them. He writes,“You week end.
ought to see my cute fox hole.
HOME ON FURLOUGH
I’ll lay odds that the Good House
Eldon Walker was home last
keeping would gladly put their
week visiting his parents, Mr.
seal of approval on it.
and Mrs. E. E. Walker, while on
In a letter received a few days
furlough from Camp Adair. He
later than the above, he mentions
was due for a transfer as soon
that he has been in the hospital,
as he returned to camp. He re
and that he has been losing
turned there last Saturday.
weight. He says he had his first
drink of cold water since leaving VISITS GRANDMOTHER
San Fransisco. He mentions see
Jack English visited his grand
ing the strangest looking and act mother, Mrs. M. J. Wall and oth
ing fish he has ever seen. It was er relatives over the week enJ
shaped like a bullhead and wopld while on leave from the navy. He
go skipping across the water is stationed at San .Diego, Cali
and then climb up on a stick. It fornia.
had two legs also. There are
some amazing looking creatures ATTENDS LODGE
In a recent letter to his par
around there. There are bats as
big as chickens, crabs that climb ents, Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Powell,
trees, and grasshoppers six or De Loss Powell, who enlisted in
the navy over a year ago and
seven inches long.
who is a petty officer second
HOME ON LEAVE
class, writes «I attending a Ma
Richard Robbins, Coxswain, ar sonic lodge meeting on Guadalca
rived home on leave last Monday, nal the first Tuesday evening
Februrary 21. He has served o- ’ after landing there. He stated
verseas for 23 months and has
(Continued on page 6)
JO1NS THE MARINES
The committees working in the
Red Cross drive doing canvass
work started yesterday in their
house-to-house and business dis
trict canvass in an effort to gain
the quota of $4,000 for the Ne
halem Valley.
The
Oregon
State
Guard
turned over $50 to the drive last
week, This was the first mon-
ey received in tljis drive with
the exception of the large fund
turned over by the IWA mem-
bers recently.
Mrs. Harry Culbertson, chair
man of this drive, announced
that two dances will be given in
the near future with funds from
them going towards the drive
goal.
Guy R. Mills
Called By Death
Guy Robert Mills of Garibaldi
and a former resident of Ver
nonia, passed away at (he Tilla
mook general hospital on Febru
ary 19 after a long illness. He
was born on January 6, 1878 at
New Hampton, Iowa. He had op
erated a servic station at Gari
baldi for some time before he
was taken ill. He was a member
of the I.O.O.F. He is survived by
three brothers, Emery J. Mills
of Chico, California; Thomas B.
and Clive of Vernonia.
Funeral services in charge of
Lundberg’s was held at the Bush
Funeral Home Sunday, February
27 with Rev. W. O. Livingstone
officiating. He was taken to the
Riverview Abby in Portland for
internment in the Masoleum.
Loggers Slated
For Tournament
The nineth annual district
championship basketball tourna
ment for district five, Oregon
High School Athletic association
will be held at Astoria Thursday,
Friday and Saturday, March 2,
3 and 4. This, will be a 14-game
double - elimination tournament
between the eight best teams of
Columbia, Clatsop and Tillamook
counties for the purpose of se
lecting a team for the state tour
nament.
Thursday’s games will be play
ed in the Astoria high school’
gymnasium, The remaining games
are to be played in the USO
building.
(
Eight teams are needed for
the tournament. Therefore the
host school which is Astoria, will
play their second team, making
the required number.
The opening game will be
played at three o’clock with
Scappoose playing Astoria's se
cond team. At four, St. Helens
plays Tillamook, 7:30 p.m., Rai-
nier and Seaside play and the
final game of the day will be
Vernonia and Astoria.
The Loggers are working hard
in preparation for the tourna
ment under the coaching of Orile
Robbins. The team will be minus
an alternate due to the fact that
Max Millis is ill with the flu.
The squad that has been chos
en to attend this tournament is
as follows: Jack Nance, Fred
Larsen, Dan Rollins, Duke Byers,
Gerald Riley, Ralph Sturdevant,
Dickie Colsen and Jack Riley
which makes an eight-man team
which is allowed by .tournament
rules. The alternates to be used
in the event of sickness or in
jury of the above eight are
Marvin Turner and Max Millis.
The referees are Chase and Len-
chitsky of Portland.
Speeding Brings Arrests
Five local people were arrest
ed for speeding the past week
and were penalized, some having
to surrender gasoline coupon«.
One person was reported to have
been going 80 mil« per hour
Thursday, March 2, 1944
T
Electricty Users May See
Change Here; REA Is
Proposed Thurs. Night
Users of electricity in the Upper Nehalem Valley
will see new developments in this region if plans
of the organization formed here last Thursday even
ing develop as intended. Meeting with representatives
of the rural electrification administration were farm
ers and business men from this vicinity, from Jewell
and Elsie and from Washington county to hear a plan
proposed by REA to form a cooperative which would
embrace all this area. In setting up the organization,
a board of seven was named including Lee Wooden
of Jewell, Noble Dunlap of Mist, Charles Uhlin of
Timber, Frank Genzer of Buxton, Fred Knox of Gas
ton, Paul Gordon of Vernonia and Harry King of
Riverview.
Organization Procedure Explained by Lewis
The organization of an REA cooperative was ex
plained by G. A. Lewis, who represents the applica
tions and loans division of REA in this region. He
told steps necessary in organizing and advantages to
be gained from the cooperative. He brought out the
fact that if the cooperative was formed here it would
have about 1800 users which would include 927 pres
ent users of Oregon Gas and Electric electricity, mem
bers of the Jewell REA, 93 from Timber, approxi
mately 412 users in Washington county and 100 from
Yamhill county. When this REA, should it be formed,
would be able to obtain materials for line construc
tion, it was pointed out that many neyv users could be
obtained in sections not now served by electricity.
Likewise, by setting up the district now and making
all necessary plans, it will be possible to obtain ma
terials for construction as soon as manufacture is
started following the war.
REA Members Not Responsible for Debts
Mr. Lewis also explained that a fee of $5.00 is
charged for membership in the cooperative, that the
coop members elect their own directors, name its
place of business, that members are not responsible
for the debts of the coop and that the government
takes a mortage on the line and a lien on the revenue
of the system for repayment of money used to build
the system. In other words, the cooperative operates
at cost witl} possibly a little additional revenue to set
up a reserve for emergencies.
After the group elected last Thursday night has
made arrangements for the organization with REA
headquarters in St. Louis, Mo., and negotiations
have been made attempting to purchase the Oregon
Gas and Electric property, mass meetings will be held
throughout the territory proposed as part of the dis
trict and all residents will have the opportunity to de
cide the merits of the cooperative.
Negotiating Committee Named by Board
In the meantime, Harry King, Charles Uhlin and
Noble Dunlap were named to negotiate with the Ore
gon Gas and Electric company for purchase of its
property. Negotiations will be carried on under the
legal advice of R. M. Burley, attorney for the Nehalem
Basin Peoples’ Utility district and also elected attorn
ey for the proposed REA by the newly formed board
Thursday night.
Representing the REA here in addition to Mr.
Lewis were E. G. Keffer, field representative of the
applications and loans division of REA and W. B.
Bigelow, regional construction engineer of this region
of REA.
In taking preliminary steps toward obtaining
obtaininj a
charter, the new board chose the name of
c. West
___ Ore-
gon Electric cooperative, The meeting was held at
the Bush Funeral Home.
Spare Stamp 4
Valid for Pork
Columbia Co. Tops
4th War Loan Goal
The pork bonus announced I this
week by OPA is applied by vail-
dation of spare stamp No. 4 in
war ration book No. 4 for five
points. Three stamps had been
1
validated for the same amount
previously. This extra allowance
is good from Wednesday through
Saturday of this week.
Meat
animals,
particularly
hogs, have continued to reach
the markets in unexpectedly
large numbers and cold storage
space must be cleared for the
flush production season of eggs
and dairy products in the spring.
Columbia county at the last
minute went over their over-all
quota of $1,198,800 as well as
the quota set for the E bonds.
Irving T. Rau, Columbia count«
y chairman of War Savings Bond
Committee, wishes to thank every
one who had a part in this
fourth war loan drive for the
splendid work they accomplished.
In a letter received by Mrs.
R. D. Eby from Mr, Rau he
states that Columbia county went
over its quota 103.5 per cent.