L ib ra ry
U n i v e r s i t y o f Oregon
Sum ene, Or op on
>
Demoni a Eagle
VOLUME 51. NUMBER 52
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VERNONIA. OREGON
97064 — 10c Per Copy
Fnel Shortage Grows
Worse Throughout Area
With winter barely u ‘ -way
the future as presented by the
news media -doesn't look to
cheerful for both heating oil and
gasoline Reports are flooding in
from throughout the state of gas
shortages resulting in the closing
of stations and cars lined up for
blocks waiting at those few that
do have fuel.
At. St. Helens, Rainier and
ScuppiMise. in Columbia County,
the gas shortage has ceased to be
a myth and become an ir r ita -
tin g -if n o t c ritica l-re a lity
From Portland. Beaverton and
other surrounding areas the
word is coming loud and cle a r-
that they to are suffering from a
luck of gasoline with station
after station sporting signs "Out
ol (¡as
Only the fact that the weather
has been relatively mild has
preventing heating oil from
disappearing in a like manner
hut if winter should prove severe
it to could follow the route
gasoline is taking
Is this situation being shared
by the whole nation? Not neces
sarily.
"When you cross the border
into Oregon you might as well
say someone pulled the curtain,”
said one eyewitness to the "gas
shortage" in California “ I drove
all the way to Los Angeles and
out into the suburbs and found no
lack of fuel," he stated, adding
"on the way home stations were
o|M'rating in Southern. Central
and Northern California as late
as 11:30 p.m. with only one
showing a lim it of $lO--not ten
gallons hut $10. From the time I
came into Oregon I found only
one station open between there
and home
In the heart of the oilfields in
Texas the story is a bit different
They to are feeling the pinch of a
lack of fuel with one man saying,
"1 drove home from work, ate
supjx’r then went down to the
station to fill up only to find they
were sold out and didn’t expect
to get more before the end of the
Dealers in the Vernonia area
have already felt the pinch of the
fuel shortage with their supplies
cut hack from ten to 33 percent of
last year's December allotment.
It's not uad yet,
commented
one independent dealer, "but we
just don't know Things could get
a lot worse ”
Strangely enough despite pro
tests to the contrary—electricity
no longer seems to be in short
supply Winter rains and snows
in other areas have nearly filled
the reservoirs and left a snow
pack that should hold, giving this
area, at least, the electrical
energy it needs
“ People should start thinking
about using electricity instead of
burning all of their fuel oil
because right now it looks like
there may not lx- a whole lot of
oil around unless quotas are
raised,' stated one local dealer.
"We have no guarantees that we
w ill get the same quota next
month It could be raised and
then, again, it could be even less
than now There’s no way of
telling ”
Financially dealers are hurt
mg too With their normal
amount of gasoline cut they just
can't sell as much and many
have had to improvise their own
brand of rationing with sta
tions -ordinarily open six or
seven days a week—cutting back
to four or five and some lim iting
the amount of gasoline they w ill
sell at any one time By using
these stratagems they hope to
eke out their quotas and make
them last until the end of the
month.
'sorry no gas' but when its gone,
it's gone " The older man smiled
and shrugged, “ What else can I
do."
Stations have managed to
stagger the days they are closed
so that some station can be open
not last long if the require
ment—p r e s e n t 1 y a sugges
tion—tha' stations close on Sun
day should lx- put into official
effect.
Suggestions for saving gaso
line were readily given by some
none
already prevalent car pool.
Others were more novel. One
which could find favor with
many parents was stopping the
use of cars by high schoolers for
driving to school and letting
them take the bus instead Also
suggested was persuading young
people to give up their cars for
joy riding up and down the
streets of town
"Some of these kids spent
three and four dollars a day on
gas and then I see them driving
up and back on Bridge Street,
nine or ten times in an evening
That's gas that could be used to
get someone to w ork."
While kids may or may not
agree with the suggestions the
time could be near when it
becomes a question of just who
w ill get gas with government
rationing imposed, a situation
which could be more than incon
vient.
m onth." He laughed ruefully as
he commented, “ and I can
practically look out my window
and see those pumps working
away ”
In some ares of Columbia
County the worsi hasn't happen
ed yet but each day brings the
moment closer to when they
must cease operating until a new
"quota" is delivered Voluntary
gas rationing has worked (or
"home folks" but those who
come from out of town seeking
gas they can't find in their own
neighborhoods greatly deplenish
the remaining supply
"What can I do," one dealer
said “ I certainly can’t turn
them away if they want gas yet 1
need it for my regular custom
ers. It's a heck of a fix ."
Reports from
Washington
show that most areas there are
not yet hard hit by the shortage.
“ We're getting gas all right but
'he price keeps climbing That
hurls If you have the money you
don’t seem to have any prob
lem .”
Is the fuel shortage a myth
bred from the fertile mind of
some one person or is it being
handled so badly
by
both
government and oil companies
alike as to threaten some areas
with a complete shutdown''
No matter what anyone's
personal feelings are on the
current fuel crisis it does point
up one fact The year 1974 should
prove to be an interesting one
THURSDAY. DEC
27, 1973
CZ Newsprint Price
Increase Granted
Alien Address
Report Needed
Crown Zellerbach announced
that it has received Cost of
Living Council approval for a
cost-justified price increase for
domestically - produced news
print sold in Western U S m ar
kets.
The company said the current
price for domestically produced
30 pound standard newsprint is
$183 68 a ton, compared with
$177.50 a ton prior to the Cost of
Living Council decision
Albert Conversano, Jr., Dis
trict Director, of the Im m igra
tion and Naturalization Service
advised this week that the
annual alien address report pro
gram is again under way.
According to M r Conversano,
23,791 aliens reported their ad
dresses last year in the State of
Oregon The number this year is
expected to be slightly larger.
The
Im m igration official
pointed out that the address
reports are required by law and
w illful failure to comply with
these requirements may lead to
ser i ous consequences.
Forms with which to make the
reports are available at all Post
Offices and Im m igration and
Naturalization Service Offices.
After fillin g out the card the
alien may place a stamp on the
card and m ail it directly to the
address preprinted on the re
verse of the form. Aliens who
complete the alien card at a
Service Office w ill give the
completed card to the service
employee For those unable to
personally return the cards may
mail them to the address on the
card.
Conversano added that trained
personnel w ill be on hand in all
offices of the Im migration and
Naturalization Service to answer
any questions the reporting
aliens may have regarding Im
m igration and Naturalization
matters Sufficient trained per
sonnel are not available to
furnish this assistance in all Post
Offices.
Fatalities
Hit New Low
T raffic fatalities in Oregon are
down about 100 this year as
compared to 1972. This has
prompted Gil Bellamy, Oregon
T raffic Safety Commission Ad
m inistrator to predict that there
w ill be fewer traffic deaths in
1973 than any year since 1964
Bellamy points out that during
the ten year period from the first
day of 1964 through the last day
of 1973 it is estimated that the
following changes w ill have oc-
cured: Licensed drivers 36 per
cent increase; registered vehic
les 52 percent increase; and
miles traveled 60 percent in
crease.
Approximately 30 of the 100
reduction in the number of
fatalities for the state has been
recorded in Portland. T raffic
deaths are down 40 percent this
year in the city.
HELP, Inc. To Assist State
During Energy Crisis
HELP, Inc , the Information
and Referral Center in Columbia
County, has agreed to be the
local information Center for the
Oregon State Energy Inform at
ion Office dealing with the fuel
shortage All persons can get
information aliout Hardship As
sistance and what they must do
to get such assistance. The of
ficial application forms for get
ting Hardship Assistance w ill
also be at the HELP office, or
they can be mailed out to callers
Thv Program does not cover
gasoline at this time. The basic
purpose of the Energy Hardship
Assistance program is to get
heating fuels to those home and
business that are without such
fuel to heat the home and
business, and to operate the
business The State has the
authority to re-allocate about 10
percent of existing supplies to
hardship cases They are pre
sently able to act on applications
for hardship assistance in about
one week The normal procedure
is to call the State Energy
Information Center in Salem on
the toll free number (1-800-
452-0340) The State then would
send out to the caller an ap
plication form, which the caller
would fill out and return to the
State Office. The State would
then determine whether a hard
ship did in fact exist, determine
how much fuel the applicant
should have, and order the fuel
delivered. With HELP, Inc. an
swering questions in person at
their St Helens Center, or by its
toll free telephone (Commerce
9882-call operator to get), and
with HELP, Inc. either giving
the applications out in person or
by mail, the time period should
be reduced, which would mean
that eligible home owners and
businesses would get their need
ed fuel sooner It is hoped in the
future, that the State Energy
Office would have personnel in
Columbia County to make the
final decision on whether a
person would or would not get
such Hardship Assistance and
therefore reduce the tim e period
even more, but for now with
HELP, Inc giving information
and providing the application
forms, some time w ill be saved
even though the final decisions
w ill be made in Salem and not by
the HELP, Inc. center staff.
So if anyone has any questions
about fuel for home or business,
call the operator and ask for
Commerce 9882. In St Helens
you can call direct to 397-3511.
The HELP, Inc. office is
located at 351 Columbia Blvd.,
St. Helens If you prefer to call
Salem direct, the toll free num
ber there is 1-800-542-0340 Their
office is located in Room 6, State
Capital Building.
K
«!■*•••... rr<i ,
Museum Receives
Slate Allocation
The State Highway Division
distributed $27,500 to 17 counties
to cover eligible costs of main
tenance ana operation of local
museums during fiscal year
1972-73, it was announced today
by F.B Klaboe, adm inistrator
and state highway engineer
The appropriation is authoriz
ed by statute and goes to the
various counties as reimburse
ment for amounts spent in
support o( local museums The
amounts ranged from $126 72 to
$2,534.26.
Columbia County Historical
Society at Vernonia received
$953.32 of the allocation.
WINNERS of the window contest sponsored by
the Vernonia Lions Club are from (op to bottom:
first place, Vernonia Variety, prepared by the
Mystery Santa Contest Over
'A Cantata For Christmas'
Scheduled For December 27
1
A music composition. "A Can
lata for Christm as", by Don
Wilson, a native Vernonian w ill
be presented in Vernonia to
night, Thursday, Dec 27, in the
L.D.S. Chapel. The performance
is open to the public.
The Cantata conducted by,
Don Wilson, w ill be sung by a
chorus of about thirty-five young
adults from the Portland area,
where the work was given its
first public performance the
Sunday before Christmas It w ill
be accompanied by piano and
organ.
The Cantata is divided in three
parts, representing the Shep
erds, the Wise Men and the
Angels, and ends with a Hallelu-
'a Chorus in the classic style
Tiis is the firs, form al presenta
tion of a musical composition by
Don Wilson.
Mr Wilson is the son of Mr
and Mrs. Wilbur E Wilson, of
Vernonia He lived all of his life
here until after his graduation
from Vernonia High School He
attended Portland State Univer
sity where he majored in art and
then transferred to Brigham
Young University from which he
graduated after majoring in both
a rl and music composition
The Cantata is scheduled to
begin at 8 p.m. There is no
admission charge. The L.D.S.
Chapel is located at 850 Madison
i
sh You A Merry Christmas” and "Jingle
Ils" as presented by the afternoon klnder-
rten followed by the audience singing Christ
is carols. The morning kindergarten class
(ether to sing "Christmas Gifts’*
and “O Come Little Children.” The annual
Christmas program featured members from each
class grades first through eighth with the band
and chorus also entertaining the guests.
Brownies; second place, Sew Simple Shop; and
third, General Telephone Co.
Avenue.
Following the performance a
reception w ill be given in Hie
social room. The public is
cordially invided.
Christmas is over and now it is
time to reveal the identity of the
Mystery Santa Claus who hid
behind the mask of that jo lly old
gentleman
as genial
Sam
Hearing Ix'tter known Io many
as "B uck.”
First place winner in the
contest is Maxine Mcdges who
w ill receive $10 lor her astute
guess Runner up was Mrs B.P.
Westei lxTg who collects $5 for
her correct identification of the
Mystery Santa.
Prizes were donated by the
Chamber of Commerce which
sponsors the annual contest.
Winners may pit k up their prizes
al Hie Vernonia Eagle office.
College Sets
Scholarships
Reed College w ill award ap
proximately ten scholarships of
$2,500 each Io students entering
in fall 1974 from secondary
schools in Oregon, Washington,
Idaho, Alaska, and Hawaii
Each recipient w ill be granted
$1.000 in the firs, year and $500 in
each of the succeeding three
years, independent of any aid
awarded through Reed's regular
financial aid program.
Application deadline for the
scholarships is March 1, 1974
Awards w ill be announced in
mid-April The admissions office
is administering the program.
Dec. 29 Reunion Date
For those who plan to attend
the class of 63 reunion to l>e held
December 29 at Alice's Timber
nook please contact Sue Torger
son, Canby, Oregon
SANTA'S MASK was removed, following the d osing of the
Mystery Santa Contest, sponsored by the Vernonia < hamber of
Commerce and beneath was found the genial features of Sam
"Buck" Hearing.
I