Library, U of 0 “Vernonia, Gateway to Nehalem Valley Lumbering, Farming, Recreation.*' Summer Street Paving Talked By Councilmen Hard Surface for One Mile of Gravel Streets Intended Paving for city streets was the most important topic of Monday evening’s city council meeting and definite action was author ized as a result of the discussion. Hard-surfacing for streets not now paved was intended last year, but difficulty in obtaining gravel prevented the work at that time. At Monday's meeting the coun cil authorized Mayor George Johnson to reach an agreement with A. H. Saxton and Sons for 1250 yards of gravel. This mater ial will provide one mile of pav ing for streets not now having a hard surface and three miles of resurfacing on streets already paved that are in need of repairs. The firm engaged to supply the gravel has been doing contract work for the state and has a crusher located on the Apiary road. County equipment will do the paving this summer under the supervision of Cleve Mellinger road supervisor, who will deter mine which of the city streets not now paved have sufficient base rock to warrant the work this summer. The council also heard com plaints against the method of taxing punch boards Monday when several of the operators ap peared and asked that a different method of determining the tax be worked out. A two per cent tax on the gross income to be de rived from the board, but not less than 25c is the rate set up in the ordinance adopted by the council earlier this month. No change was made by the council Monday, but it was sug gested that the method be tried for a few weeks then brought up for discussion again by the operators. A request for a small plot of land near the city reservoir atop Corey Hill was granted the West Oregon Electric Cooperative for use to establish antenna equip ment for a two-way radio in stallation which is being contem plated by the cooperative. • Surplus Plasma Available Now Of all war surpluses no longer needed by the military, surplus blood plasma is one of the most valuable. It is available without charge to physicians and hos pitals in every community in the country. Physicians and hospitals may request and receive this plasma from their state departments of health. State departments of health obtain the plasma from the American Red Cross, whose sup ply constitutes the surplus return ed to it by the military. There is no charge for surplus plasma. The patient may be charged by his physician or hos pital for adminstration of the plasma transfusion, but surplus plasma itself bears a label that states,” No Charge Shall Be Made for Thi3 product.” Surplus plasma has as its source the millions of Americans from every walk of life who gave their blood during the wartime program. Through the Red Cross, blood was collected and turned over to the army and the navy. Most of it was processed into plasma; some of it went overseas as whole blood during the later months of the war. The Red Cross is distributing for civilian medical use another blood product made from sur pluses derived from blood donated during the war. This product is immune serum globulin, the best known agent for prophylaxis and modification of measles. This also is being distributed through stale health departments. ---------- • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1947 VERNONIA, COLUMBIA COUNTY, OREGON VOLUME 25, NUMBER 8 Radio Phone Tests Made ‘ Two-way radio telephone com munication tests were made here a few days ago by the West Ore gon Electric Cooperative, Mana ger Guy Thomas said in announc ing that clearance is being sought with the Federal Communications Commission and other regulatory bodies and that the approval of the REA in Washington, D. C., will be sought while he is there the latter part of this month. Tests made from a stationary antenna placed on Corey Hill proved better than 80 per cent ef fective. The equipment would be valuable to the Cooperative in re ducing the cost of operation, re ducing the time element involved in line outages, reduction of over time pay and by providing a means of reporting disasters, for est fires, accidents, etc. COUNTY NEWS SALMON DERBY DATES CHOSEN ST. HELENS—March 19 to April 30 inclusive, were the dates set for the Salmon Derby at a meeting of the Derby committee of the St. Helens Rod and Gun club Friday evening. The com mittee also agreed on the follow ing geographical limits for the event: the Columbia River at Columbia City, the mouth of the Lewis River, and the Willamette Slough to Sandtosh. Cash prizes will be awarded for the three largest fish: First prize will be $50; Second, $30; third, $20. In addition to these, there will also be many other prizes in merchandise, which will be sol icited from local business men. SEAGULLS USE MILL DOCK AS HEADQUARTERS ST. HELENS—Not for a long time have so many seagulls made headquarters at the mill dock but they were there last week by the hundreds. Much waste foods or scraps were thrown overboard from the vessels and the gulls were quick to detect that. The water of the river along side the dock is dirty and discol ored and the plumage of the gulls show this but most of them are fat and not afraid of humans. Later they wlill make their head quarters on Sand island when the smelt run starts up the river. March 1 Set For Red Cross Fund Campaign * $60,000,000 Goal Set to Carry on Work in 1947-48 On March 1 the American Red Cross through 2,500,000 to 3,000,- 000 volunteer workers will ask the public to subscribe $60,000,000 to carry on its far-reaching pro gram for the next fiscal year, 1947-48. Approximately 75 per cent of Red Cross funds are still spent in war-related services at home and overseas. More than 2,900 work ers still serve outside of the United States. As work in army and navy hospitals and other in stallations gradually decreases during the next few years, work with veterans and their families will increase. The 1947 goal of $60,000,000 was set after a careful survey which pared the 1947-48 budget to the minimum consistent with responsibilities of the orgapi- zation. At the present time more than 10,000 home service workers are employed in chapters, supple mented by 19,000 volunteers in this service alone. Added to this is the work of the Red Cross in supplying warm clothing and milk for children and medicines for the sick in battlescarred areas, and, at, home the provision of surplus blood plasma for civilians, and the courses in home nursing, nutri tion, first aid, water safety, and accident prevention, and help in time of disaster. The 1947 fund campaign will continue through March proclaim ed by President Truman as Red Cross Month. Red Cros3 Sabbath and Sunday were approved for Saturday, February 22. and Sun day February 23, by leaders of the Catholic, Jewish and Protest ant faiths. • No Special Sugar Stamp Planned There will be no special sugar stamps issued for canning this year. This reminder to housewives has been issued by OPA sugar VETERAN GROUPS WANT rationing officials following BLOOD TYPE LIST changes in regulations announced CLATSKANIE—A combined com mittee from Post No. 2994, Vet recently in Washington, D.C. The change from 5 to 10 pound erans of Foreign Wars and Post No. 68, American Legion is com stamps does not mean that con piling a list of persons of the sumers will have twice as much The community, according to blood sugar, OPA cautioned. housewife must spread 10 pounds types. The purpose of this list is to cover longer periods and must 1, in case of emergency blood set aside sugar for home canning transfusions, it would elim because no special home canning inate the expense of transporting stamp *ill be issued. The first 10 pound stamp be a large number of would-be don ors whose type is unknown, and comes valid on April 1. The cur 2, in the necessity of a series of rent 5-pound stamp, number 53, transfusions, donors could be expires on March 31 instead of lined in advance, and 3, valuable April 30 as orginally intended. The sugar supply picture can time would be saved in case of not be foretold until later ini the emergency. year, OPA said, but it is hoped • to bring a new 10-pound stamp every three months. This will give a total of 35 pounds per person for the year, 10 pounds more than was issued in 1946. Making future stamps good for The board of the Union High 10 pounds extends the use of the School, meeting Saturday night present ration book» an;! avoids an expenditure of 2 million dol of last week, considered con lars for new books, OPA said. tracts for teachers for the coming year and also the matter of pro viding for an increase in salary, Rebekah* Plan Dance A community store dance is Ray Milh, principal, said early scheduled for Saturday, March 1 this week. The increase will be in line at the I.O.O.F. hall by the Mt. with increases that are being Heart Social Club, the members asked by teachers in many other announced this week. The affair district« throughout the state and is different than the usual dance will also compensate somewhat in that entertainment in addition for the increased cost of living. to dancing will be a part of the The increase is set at 15 per cent evening. Door gifts will also add to the evening’s entertainment. the principal said. Teachers to Get Pay Increase Warden Warns Against Fires That period of the year which is most feared by foresters and silviculturalist3 interested in re forestration on cut-over lands is here Edward Schroeder, of the Northwest Oregon forest district warned Tuesday in pointing out the danger of burning fern. Between February and June there is that condition caused by the combination of weather con ditions and fuel which leads to disastrous damage to reproducing lands. During this interval a large portion of the cut-over lands in Northwest Oregon are covered with dead bracken fern and other small annual herba ceous materials which dry out sufficiently to carry fire with but two or three windy, clear days. To initate any successful forestry program in Northwest Oregon, the fern fire problem must be corrected. Many people are of the opinion that early fern fires do little damage to forest land, and some, in fact, think its beneficial since the hazard is removed. This is not true, as many of the bare areas in Clatsop, Columbia and Washington Counties were caused by repeated fern fire3. The fern fire lis usually of low heat in tensity but is of sufficient heat to kill all conifer seedlings up to at least 15 years of age. Con sequently, it is the fern fire Bath er than the lack of seed source which has created many of the denuded acres in the above des cribed areas. The hazard is not removed by burning, as the fire does not burn hotly enough to re move the heavier debris and the dead material which will burn is Home Freezers to Be Meeting Topic Myron G. Cropsey, associate professor of agricultural engin eering of Oregon State college will be here Thursday to tell about the making of home freez ers, the walk-in type, wall type and cabinet type, as well as dis cuss the purchasing of commer cial lockers. The meeting at which he will appear is scheduled for the Evangelical United Breth ren church social hall at 1:30 p.m. today, February 20 Mrs. Frank Morris, who is making local arrangements for the meet ing, said Monday. Mrs. Maud C. Casswell, county home denonstration agent, has been in charge of arranging for Mr. Cropsey’3 appearance here. Mr. Cropsey will be able to help with suggestions on buying and building home freezers and definite types of plans will be available. He will also bring a model home freezer for display and will present slides on the sub ject. • not a hazard in the summer be cause the new growth will be green and cover the ground com pletely by the first of June. Every spring this district has been plagued with fern fires which have been allowed to escape and spread over forest land. In 1943 the reports show that ap proximately 17,500 acres were burned over in February. The boundaries of the acres burned can be observed now, as there are no small reproduction or seedlings on these areas. The 1946 fire season was exceptional both in number of firds and acres burned over, but even though it was a record year one-third or 14 fires which burned oveq 650 acres or one-half of the total acreage were fern fires. The State Forester’s policy is not to interfere with a man’s property or the use to which he may wish to put it. If an in dividual owner wishes to burn his fern, that is his own business and he will not be criticised by the department. It is the legal res ponsibility of the forest agency to protect the lands upon which Sign-up for Farm Plans Due Today Farmers in this part of the Nehalem Valley are urged by County Agent George Nelson to be present today, Thursday, Feb ruary 20, at the Washington grade school to sign up for part icipation in the 1947 agricultural conservation program which has been set up for Columbia County. The meeting here is scheduled to J>egin at 10 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. with members of the com munity committee and the county office staff present to assist in filing plans and answering quest ions about the program. The county office will not be able to send out supervisors to contact farmers who wish to part icipate in this year’s program. It will be necessary for farmers to attend the meeting here or go to the county office at St. Helens. • the owner does nod desire burn ing, and this is the complication. Too many such fires are set on the landowner’s land and allowed to spread wherever the wind pushes it. Following along this policy, a set of suggested con ditions are listed which should be followed wherever an owner de sires to burn: 1. Areas to be burned should be trailed or bounded by roads or natural barriers so that fire can be held on the ownership. A fence line is not a fire trail. 2. Set the fire from the top of the slope and burn out a trail be fore setting at the fgot of the slope. 3. Fell snags along the prop erty line so that fire will not blow across. ’ 4. Do not set fires during strong wind periods, as it is most difficult to control the fire on such days. 5. Consult your fire warden or district forestry headquarters be fore burning any large areas. Even though the fire season may be open, the warden will cooperate in laying out the area so that it can be burned safely. Regardless of the time of year, the State Forester is responsible for the control of the bpread of fire. The law is so designed that the State Forester may close the fire season any time after the first of February. If conditions arise so that fern fires become a problem, the season will be closed so that permits will be required. To close the season necessitates the early hiring ¡of lookout and warden personnel. This raises the cost of protection which is reflected in taxes. In other words, a few careless individuals are raising the taxes on all forest or protected lands in the district. Even though the season is open, an individual makes himself liable whenever he allows a fire to es cape from his land. It is possible to prosecute, and the policy of the district will be to make every effort to discover that individual responsible for the starting of the fire. Lions Urge Pay 3-E Mill Plans Raise, More Fish New Location The Lions Club, at Monday’s meeting, took action which places the club on record as favoring a measure to be considered soon by the Oregon State legislature. The measure concerns the in creasing of salaries and also the force of the Oregon state police. A discussion of the matter brought forth information that considerable game poaching is now being practiced in the valley. The opinion expressed Monday pointed out that the present limit ed state police force and the low salaries paid prevent proper en forcement of the state’s laws, not only those dealing with fish and game regulation. The club will also ask the state Because he flew across the Arc game commission to plant both tic Circle while in the perform steelhead and trout in this vicinity ance of his duty, First Lieutenant this year. Such a planting has Clarence H. lumping of Vernonia not been made for several years. was awarded a certificate Feb • ruary 6 making him an official member of the Society Of Blue Noses of the 46th Reconneissance Squadron (Very Long Range) Photographic, Ladd Field, Fair banks Alaska. Paul Hinamon, owner of the Lieutenant Lamping serves as a pilot and photo intelligence Modern Gas and Appliance, an officer of the 46th Recon Squad nounces a new line for the firm ron and came to Alaska to work with the delivery here Monday of with the B-29 photographic unit merchandise which has been plac ed on display. The firm is act in the fall of last year. The 46th Recon Squadron has ing as agent for the Gibson trac been in Alaska for the past sev tor, a carload having been ob eral months, making photographs tained for this area. The tractors have been placed of unsurveyed terrain, weather surveys, and developing equip on display in the building form ment and procedures for Artic erly housing the United Electric flying and cold weather main and Supply company on Washing tenance as part of the Army air ton street. The tractor is adapted forces cold weather testing pro for U3e on the small general farm. gram. Lt Lamping Gets Blue Nose Award Tractor Agency Opened Here The 3-E Lumber company, which has been operating on the Stoney Point is placing the mill on the Elmer Bergerson place in Section 35, 4-5. The mill is ex pected to cut 75 to 100 thousand per week. Mr. Bergerson has a year’s sup ply of timber ahead at present. The mill pond is being dug and the placing of new machinery will start immediately. A num ber of buildings and houses are to be built at once. The mill will probably operate for several years in this location on the Nehalem highway. • Course Study to Continue Tonight Another class of instructions on party entertainment is scheduled for the Legion hall this evening, February 20, at 7:30, Mrs. H. H. King said this week when she mentioned that Mrs. Maud Cass well, county home demonstration agent would be here. It is poss ible that a representative of the Oregon State College extension service will also be present. The instruction is being re ceived so that a recreation center for young people of the inter mediate ages can be established later. The ages include students in the seventh and eighth grades and the first two years of high school. Although the course of instruc tion was arranged by the legion Auxiliary, the meetings are open to everyone interested in that sort of work, Mrs. King said.