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About Nyssa gate city journal. (Nyssa, Or.) 1937-199? | View Entire Issue (Sept. 8, 1977)
Nyiso Gat« City Journal • Nyssa, Oregon Thursday, September 8, 1977 RI-Bl SlN aG N E W S EsS Forestry Job Market oeacN neue unurr commiswnw utnx atatsK ram of nn OSU Oceanographers Participate in British Study am ___ Down As part of a global effort aimed at improved long- range weather forecasting, three Oregon State Univer sity oceanographers will par ticipate September 7 to 30 in a British-led, sea-atmosphere study 300 miles west of Scotland. Wayne Burt. Frank Evans and Ben Moore will be aboard the biggest British research vessel, Discovery. It used to be that a bachelor’s degree in forestry was a sure ticket to a job in private or government fo restry. But that has changed in recent years as students have flocked into the nation's forestry schools, says the head advisor in the School of Forestry at Oregon State University. At OSU. enrollment in forestry in the fall of 1970 yas about 500. This coming fall there may be more than 1,000 students. The growth is not quite as dramatic as it seems, says advisor William Wheeler, since in 1973 the ~ Tbrestry school picked up more students when the Department of Resource Re creation Management was transferred to the school from the School of Health and Physical Education. "But it's still a ver»’ significant increase and has resulted in many more forestry graduates. The com petition for jobs is much greater and the number of jobs in the industry has not increased,** Wheeler ex plains. Among the four under graduate departments in the OSU forestry school, stu dents in the two largest- forest management and re source recreation manage ment-are having the great est difficulty finding accep table positions. "And it doesn't appear that this situation will change significantly for the better in the foreseeable future. The Fields will remain extremely competitive,” Wheeler pre dicts. Graduates in forest prod ucts have little difficulty finding employment and those in forest engineering are in “reasonable" demand. Wheeler enphasizes that he doesn’t want to scare any students from forestry be cause of the tight job market, "but we want to be sure the student who chooses forestry is being realistic. Of course. I must add that there always are jobs for the top forestry graduates, those students who really dig into the program at OSU.*' irrr IHHO nAMttm muì mrrFFOMrr TRUCKERS ENTERING OREGON from the east on Interstate SON will be required to stop at the new “port of entry“ at Farewell Bend, opened by the state Public Utility Commissioner Saturday, August 13. Commissioner Charles Davis said the joint PUC-highway division facility-like the one in Ashland-will be open 24 hours a day seven days a week to insure truck operators have proper authorization and have paid fees and taxes before operating on Oregon highways. “The new port of entry not only will further increase the amount of weight-mile tax we collect to help maintain Oregon's roads, but also will provide more convenient, around- the-clock service to truckers-a place where they can get all their business taken care of at once, any time of day or night," Davis said. Stopping at the port of entry will be mandatory, unlike at PUC field stations, which are open only weekdays. The 13 PUC employes at Farewell Bend will insure truckers have proper permits from the PUC, motor vehicles division, and highway division, and that they pay all taxes and fees, including any past du!. Safety investigators will make periodic checks, and may caution or put out of service those whose presence on the road would be hazardous. The highway division will employ nine weighmasters at Farewell Bend to check loads against weight, height and length limits. Violators may be cited or required to reduce loads, or the PUC may issue permits for allowable overweight or over-dimension ____ I loads. The new port of entry will have one scale to start, and another is expected to be added later.* "The establishment of this second port of entry is another step in tightening up the state's program for collecting taxes owed the state and keeping our highways safe,” according to Don Haakenson. assistant commissioner in charge of the PUC motor carrier program. The PUC expects to collect about $84 million during the 1975-77 biennium, most of which is forwarded to the highway division for road maintenance. The amount collected has increased in the last few years, partly due to mandatory stops at the Ashland port of entry, opened in January 1975. Over $41 million was collected in 1976, compared to $37.5 million in 1975 and $36.6 million in 1974. Estimates for 1977 are $43 million. The 1,216-square-foot Farewell Bend facility is situated on just under eight acres, located about 23 miles north of Ontario by the Snake River and Idaho border, to monitor the westbound traffic on Interstate SON. The legislative Emergency Board authorized $583,000 for its construction. The land and the facility are owned by the highway division, which contracted the job to Baker, Redi-Mix, Inc. A third port of entry has been authorized for Highway 97 just north of Klamath Falls, which will open probably next summer. The three facilities should create an effective checking system for truckers entering Oregon from the South, the commissioner said. Oregon Potato Commission to tlect Officers Election of officers will be taken up at the September 7 meeting of the Oregon Potato Commission in Klamath Falls at the Cimarron Motel. Commissioner Fred Deffer of Nyssa said that the tentative agenda for the 8:30 a.m. meeting includes elec tion of new officers for the coming year, preliminary planning for Oregon's An nual Potato Conference which will be held January 17-19 at Hermiston, discus sion of a year-long advertis ing program and possible foreign market development. Deffer said that the meet ing is open to the public. The fact-finding expedi tion is sponsored by the British Institute of Ocean Sciences. OSU. the only other participant this summer in the international project, draws funding from the U.S. Office of Naval Research. "A few key areas around the globe had been identified for intensive study because of their great importance in world weather," Burt said. “The 'Rockall* area off Scotland is one of them.'* Burt participated in a 1972 international study off Ire land; a 1975 study in the East China Sea and waters sur rounding Okinawa; and will go back in 1978 to the waters off Scotland tu "zero in" on the area identified as most critical from this fall's work. “Weather forecasts are good now for short periods of time.** Burt explained, "but the system breaks down in relation to long-range fore casts because of lack of information and understand ing of how winds and weather are affected by the oceans, which cover about three- fourths of the earth's surface. "Scientists believe we've gone about as far as we can go with forecasting methods that are largely land-bound. To do better, we have to have more ocean data and must know about the relationships between the oceans and the atmosphere,'* he continued. Recognizing that no one country could do the job alone, more than 50 nations have banded together, Burt said, in a Global \ Atmos pheric Research Program (GARP). The OSU ocean ographer describes GARP as “one of the largest and most complex international scien tific experiments ever under taken." Hawkins Attacks Proposed 1902 Law "Oregon and the nation's farmers, as well as consu mers would be seriously hurt if proposed regulations go into effect, based on a law passed in 1902, requiring many farmers who irrigate more than 160 acres are forced to sell their 'excess' acreage,'* so expressed the President of the 3000-mem- ber Oregon Cattlemen's As sociation. Bert Hawkins, Ontario, speaking at the noon luncheon of the Ontario Lions Club (Tuesday. August 30, Ontario). The OCA President expressed sharp disagree ment with Secretary of Interior Andrus's proposal to restrict owner of western lands irrigated with water from Federal reclamation projects. Hawkins added. “Secre tary Andrus, and the Carter Administration stated last week that the objective of this 1902 law is to help family farms and break up corporate farms. In my opinion, just the opposite would be true. Instead of preserving family farms, this proposal would force the break up of many family operations in Oregon and throughout the western United States. "Except for some specialty crops,” said OCA President, Bert Hawkins. "160 acres no longer are a viable produc tion unit. Back in 1902, when farmers were using horse- drawn plows, a farm that size was about all that a family could handle. But now. with modern technology and equip ment, it is no longer practical. A farmer who had to sell off ail but 160 acres would be forced out of business because he couldn't even afford to own a tractor. A family simply can't make a decent return on a farm that size." Hawkins said that the OCA will join other western agriculture groups as well as the National Cattlemen's Association in filing objec tions to these proposed regulations, and would even be looking at possible cha nges in the legislation invol ved. Hawkins said he would be meeting in Kansas City later this week with other agriculture leaders from throughout the country to determine additional action in stopping the enforcement of these regulations. He also stated that the OCA has let the Oregon Congressional delegation know of their objections. "This latest action by 'Super Brother' in Washing ton," Hawkins said, "ap pears to be another move- instituted by unrealistic en vironmentalists and social reformers--to use or pass laws dealing with environ ment as a means of restruc turing American agriculture and society along the lines they want, regardless of the effecl on farmers or the public at large. "The land restriction pro posal appears to be coming from the same people who oppose modern technology and equipment, who would redistribute America's farm land, and would require millions of persons to leave their jobs and homes in the city and go back to non mechanized, hand-labor far ming on small subsistence units. They wouldn't go back to horse-drawn streetcars in Portland. Oregon or Wash ington, D.C., but they're asking us to return to turn- of-the-century farming me thods.’* Hawkins concluded that by far most farming continues in the hands of family ope rators. although the units now are considerably larger and more efficient than in former years. As a result, he said, carrying the 1902 law and the proposed regulations to the ultimate could hurt, not help, many of today's farmers and ranchers, and force the public to pay much more for food in the process. U.S. Railroads Want 5% Rat« In ere a»« Three U.S. Railroad Asso ciations (Western Eastern snd Southern) wsnt an across-the-board freight in crease of 5% to become effective November 30. They plan to Tile a rate increase request with the Interstate Commerce Commission be fore October I. If approved by the ICC, this would be the second general rail rate hike since January, when a 4% increase became effective. That in crease generated $694 mil lion in additional revenues snnually for carriers. This proposed increase is to cover the increased costs of fuels, materials, supplies and a 4% wage increase plus cost-of- living increase of 18c per hour, that took effect last July I. The proposed in crease is not expected to provide for any exceptions. H/At/T Working together » « Norm Jacobs, Traffic Agent/ Spokane; Bill DeMessemaker, Welder, Hinkle; Bryan Hendrickson, Ifraffic Clerk, Walla Walla; Jane McCormick, Cashier, Kennewick; Len Corey, Weighmaster, Yakima; David Berto, Switchman, Spokane; Ed Lindsay, Car Clerk, Pendleton; Donna Rock, General Clerk, Hinkle; Charles Koczan, Lead Car Inspector, La Grande; Rich Hickman, Interchange Clerk, Spokane; “Beans” McClenahen, Yard Engineer, Hinkle; Jerry Hammon, Water Service Leadman, Spokane; Kay Gingras, Telegrapher Clerk, La Grande; Iterry McCoy, Relief Clerk, Kellogg. F We the can handle it Union Pacific railroad people 1 i
