The Poplar Standard : Voice of the oil city 1960-02-19

              H�STO �OA L 8�OISTY OF   ... ITA NA .   � HE      IA
State Legislative Council Draws Wide Interest at Wolf Point Meeting�
STATE'S TAX STRUCTURE CRITICISED
Filing Continues; Three Announce As Office Seekers
During the past week Walter Bur:. Poplar, filed for county auditor on the Democratic ticket. Hol-ger Chi istofferson filed for county commissioner for a six-year term on the Demo ticket and John Cribble. Mineral Bench, filed on the Republican slate for precinct committeeman.
CHRISTOFFERSON FILES FOR COMMISSIONER
Hnlgcr Christof ferson. F r o i d farmer, filed on the Democratic ticket fo.- a six-year term as county commissioner from the eastern district of Roosevelt county .this week.
Christofferson in filing for office, stated he did so at the request of thr residents of his community.
He was born and raised on a farm near Brookings. S. Dak. He come to Froid for a short time in 1913 but returned to South Dakota to complete his education. He came back to Froid in 1917 and since 1920 has farmed just south of Froid.
Christofferson has long been active in Froid community affairs. This is the first time he will run for a  public office.
Christofferson is married and has three daughters. Two of his daughters are married and the third and youngest is in her third year of college at Bozeman.
Christofferson is well known for ie�l�Vied .uu,uuri. hi .1 has judged at various fairs as well as at the state show.
NELS LUND FILES FOR RE-ELECTION
NELS LUND
SCOUT BANQUET TO JP OFFICE    HONORS 5ITH ANNIVERSARY
Nels Lund announced last week that he has filed on the Republican ticket for Justice of the Peace for Wolf Point Judicial township, a position he has held since 1951.
He came to Montana in 1916 and homesteaded north of Wolf Point in Roosevelt county. He has long been active in community and public affairs and served as a member of the first Agricultural Adjustment Act board in this area. From 1935 through 1940 he served on the school board of District 45.
Lund was appointed as Justice of the Peace for the Wolf Point township in 1951 by the county commissioners. At that time he was also appointed city police judge by the city council and juvenile officer for the Fifteenth Judicial District by the District Judge.
He has held these offices since his appointment in 1951.
Lund is married and has nine children.
WALTER BURT CANDIDATE FOR COUNTY AUDITOR
Walter Burt. PoDla'. filed Monday on the Democratic ticket for County Auditor.
Burt, who has lived in Roosevelt countv since 1927. is a former countv treasurer He has served as president of the Ponlar Linns Club, is presently serving his second three year term on the Poplar Oiimber of Commerce Board of TV-vctors md is a member of the Elks.
Burt is pre-ent'v manager of the Co-op store in Poplar. He lived in Froid for a number of years and in Wolf Point for 12 years. He moved to Poplar in 1954.
Burt is married and has two sons. Jim. Wolf Point and Monte, a senior at Northern Montana College. Havre.
John Gribble Files For Committeeman
John T. Gribble of the Mineral Bench community announced Tuesday that he has filed for the position of precinct committeeman on the Republican ticket.
The Foplar troop of the Boy Scouts of America celebrated the 50th anniversary of scouting with an Anniversary Banquet and Court of Honor Feb. 15 at the Legion Hall.
Approximately forty boys were present for the celebration. The leadership was well represented, with Scoutmaster Ed Salter, and Assistant Scoutmaster J. D. Wright, both present.
Twelve committeemen along with the chairman. Dana McGowan. and the secretary. J. Earl Bawden. were in attendance.
A featured part of the event was the displays of handicraft and knot tying which the Scouts had done. In the photo above Scouts proudly show their works
At the candle lighting service badges were presented to scouts who had achieved the rank of Tenderfoot. Second Class, and First Class. Merit badges and Service Stars were presented to those who had earned them.
Scoutmaster Saucr presented a film showing various camping trios taken by scouts during the past year.
A feature of the banquet was the great tiered cake baked by Mrs. Art Mohr in honor of her son. who was a scout in the early days of scounting.
Legislators Question Board Figures
erty tax in an effort to determine whether legislative action could help solve the problem of utility assessment.
The Board of Equalization states that the state-wide average assessment level of all classes of property is 35 to 37 per cent of true value, whereas its assessment of utilities averages some 20 percentage points higher. Because it is the Board's duty to equalize assessments, it has begun to lower utility valuations in accordance with its published ratios.
The figures the Board has cited are crucial. The committee is evaluating the basis upon which these figures have been determined and hopes to find out whether the ratios of assessed to full and true value employed by the Board are valid. If these ratios are not authentic, the Board's action cannot be defended.
Senator Ringling. chairman of
The Montana Legislative Council's three-day meeting held in Wolf Point Feb. 14-16 drew large crowds of eastern Montana residents and surrounding legislators to the series of meetings that ran the gauntlet from the changing of age-old legislative proceaures to loud protests against the state Board of Equalization's handling of the reclassification of land throughout the state and denunciation of its reduction of utility assessments.
The taxation subcommittc meeting, held at 1:30 p.m. Monday, drew the largest gathering of the three days.
At the conclusion of the council's agenda Tuesday morning, the council, headed by Robert Durkee. chairman, went on record officially in an expression of gratitude for the wide interest of eastern Montana residents in the council's work. They also Issued a special note of thanks to the Wolf Point Jaycees for extending the council an invitation to meet in Wolf Point District Judge Jack R. Loucks also thanked the group for meeting in Wolf Point.
Senator Paul Ringling, taxation subcommittee head, pointed out during the meeting that the board's reduction of assessments of major utility companies has resulted in a loss of almost 35 million dollars of assessed valuation of intercoun-ty utilities.
The statement drew wry smiles and murmurs from the audience.
Senator Bertha Strceter iR-Lake) said that the 35 per cent figure the board uses as the average of prop- [ erty. excluding utilities, is out of! line and the average is closer to 45 per cent. According to Senator! Strceter. the board is using one i
IS to JTtfES "The I TheEcon-O-Wash. a new twenty key point." she stated "is in the tour hour- co,n operated self-scrv-method of administration." ice laundry begins operation this
John Cavan <R-Yellowstone) said week at Poplar across the street "There has been no administration from the bowling alley next to the of tax laws for a good many years, | Ford garage. It is another of Arley possibly 40 to 50." I Strom's   projects   to   offer   added
Both Sen. Strceter and Rep. Gil- seYviccs to me People of Poplar, leather stated that utilities should; This event will be marked bv a be assessed on the figure they use one-day grand aliening Saturday as a basis for the rate increase re-1 Feb. 20. when free washing and quests rather than use a formula j drying will be offered to custom-which in the end arrives at figures crs between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. below that used for a rate increase. | Th new Econ-O-Wash will be The subcommittee m e m b e r s' unattended day and night. Custom-agreed that the problem is one Of j ers may use as many of the laun-inefficiency and administration I dry's agistator-type washers as they which has gradually built up over i need to do the whole week's wash the years. I at once.  This   particular  installa-
Legislative members who are not',ion h:,s �"' special motor-controlled on the council but attended the instant maximum water tempera-meeting were Rep. Bardanouve. i ,l""c attachment for a cleaner. Blaine; Rep. and Mrs. Eskildsen. sterilized wash. Drying is a speedy Phillips; Rep Barnard and Sen. operation, too. with each big corn-Cotton. Valley; Sen. Carney and mercia! dryer holding up to four Rep. Fladager. Daniels; Rep. Mac- washer loads of clothes. Strom Donald, speaker of the House.!"*��� that experience has shows Garfield; Sen. Thiessen. Richland: *ha� an average week s wash can Rep. Devier. Dawson; Sen. and i bc.do1n,e ,n.less ,hj,n one i\our- ���P Mrs. Hagenston, Dawson and Sen. 'and b each are dispensed in bulk and Mrs. Nces. Roosevelt. Former 1� customers may bring their own. legislators present were Reid Tay-,Tne., coin-operated laundry is cur-inr =nd Mnrtin Reek | rently the fastest growing innova-
the Taxation Subcommittee stated that "It appears to the subcommittee that using the State Board's own figures there is a wide discrepancy in the assessment percentages between different utility companies even though the Board feel that they have a higher duty to equalize than to assess."
The committee is also studying the method the Board employs in its assessment of utilities. The Board employs a "unit appraisal'' method based on stock and bond value, capitalized net earnings, and plant cost figures. The committee hopes to determine whether the detailed application of the Board's method succeeds in arriving at the 'market" value of utilities. Several questions regarding the percentage at which earnings are capitalized, the manner of allocating valuations among counties and a possible conflict between the local
for not spelling out in writing, the guidelines to be used in reclassification. "A field man from the Board will provide oral instructions one month which contradict statements _ made a month or two before" was whether proper sampling and big with the land clssification pro-! a specific comment made. "I think weighting techniques were em- gram in Daniels county, criticized! the State Board should be looking ployed. It was brought out that the I the   State   Board   of   Equalization'     .(Continued on Page Pour)
and state board assessment methods I utilities themselves are furnishing have been posed by the subcom- most of the data used by the Board mittce. in preparing its ratios.
The subcommittee intends to in- At the conclusion of the meet-vestigate the basis for the Board's ing. John Higgins. a member of sales   ratio   study   to determine | the audience who has been work-
The Poplar Standard
'Voice of The Oil City"
VOL. 50�NO  14
Poplar, Roosevelt County. Montana. Friday. February 19. 1960
Tournament Plans Complete To Get Underway Thursday
ECON-OWASH GRAND OPENING IS SATURDAY
Murphy Gives $5,000 for Hospital
lor and Martin Beck.
Taxation Subcommittee
During the February Legislative Council meeting at Wolf Point, the
Councils  pxation   Subc(.rnmitteelnome"Ya'u"ndry oiscussed the recent reduction of utility valuations   by   the   State Board of Equalization.
The subcommittee has found that on a state-wide basis, the Board's reduction of assessment of major utility companies has resulted in a loss of almost 35 million dollars of assessed valuation of intercounty utilities. If minor utilities and cooperatives received a similar average reduction, the Board's action may have resulted in an additional loss of 6 million dollars valuation. Allocations of cooperative utilities are taxable at 7 per cent of assessed value: other utilities are taxable at 40 per cent of assessed value. Thus for major utilities alone, the Board's reduction of assessments has meant a state-wide loss of about 14 mil ble valuation
tion in the laundry industry. Strom says. Customers find them convenient and economical to use without fte investment and upkeep of a
PTA FOUNDERS' DAY MEETING IS SET FOR FEB. 24
Shown above left to right are Poplar Lions President Buster Zimmerman, Skull Moe. hospital board head and M. T. James of the Murphy Oil Corporation at a ceremony held last week in Poplar when James presented Moe a $5,000 check on behalf of Murphy for the community hospital proposed for Poplar.
The check was presented at the weekly  Lions meeting.
[Large Turnout at GOP Dinner-
The regular February meeting of the Poplar P.T.A. will meet one day earlier on Wednesday. Feb. 24. at 8 p.m. due to the basketball tournament which starts Thursday.
The program will include a skit, directed by Mrs. Harvey Starling, on the importance of P.T.A. Maga-dollars of taxa- zines.
Since this is the Annual Founder':
Since the Board's action may Day meeting, a special cake have serious consequences for the, be served by the executive corn-state's property tax base, the sub- mittee. in honor of Mrs Hearst committee has decided to interrupt and Mrs. Birney. co-founders of its study of other areas of the prop- the Parent Teacher Association
Candidates Gather at Dinner �
MAUDE FAIRLEY RECEIVES DIPLOMA
Mrs. Maude Fairley has received her diploma from the Famous Art School in New Port. Conn, where she has been studying art She specialized in oil paintings, and some of her work will be displayed in Hall's Retail window soon.
WAMBACH TAKES OWNERSHIP OF GAMBLE STORE
Marvin Wambach has purchased the Gamble Store from Mrs. Fred Wynia and will continue to give the same fine service the people of Poplar have received through the years.
He stated that the same employees will continue on in the store. In addition. Mrs. Wambach will be added to the staff.
Wambach is experienced in business and is well known in Poplar, having operated the Standard Service Station for eight years.
WELLIVER BROTHERS HAVE SKATING PARTY
In honor of Richard Welliver's fourteenth birthday, and Darrell Welliver's thirteenth birthday.
Gerard Charges Democrats Playing Politics with Budget
Rep. Sumner Gerard of Ennis. Republican Senate candidate, charged that the "essential defense of opr nation will be hurt if Dem-crats continue playing politics with the budget."
An estimated 300 people attended the gathering at the Elks in Wolf Point Thursday night for the annual Lincoln Day dinner. People had to be held back so ample seating could be provided.
Gerard, a veteran of Army Air Force, Navy and Marine service in World War II, told a Lincoln Day dinner gathering that he "prefers to go along with President Eisenhower's vast knowledge and experience as both a President and a supreme commander, rather than with some Democrats who are merely trying to get the presidential nomintion.
"I believe that debate is healthy,
skating party was held at the farm I �ut "responsible attacks are not. home of their grandparents. Mr. and ' For .?xanlPle- * would prefer to Mrs. Tom WeUiver. Sundav. Feb. see ^ Alr. Force. B:70 Program 14. Twentv-two voung people en- R'ven more 'unds. in place of some joyed skating followed by dinner. ' �f ,.our foreign aid projects. But I
Picture
Republican candidates for public office from Roosevelt county gathered with some 300 persons from eastern Montana at the
annual Lincoln Day dinner which was held Thursday night In the Elks dining room.
Sumner Gerard, candidate for U. S. senator and main speaker of the evening is shown being introduced to George Grayson, Republican candidate, for state senator from Roosevelt' county by County Chairman Aldon Lee.
From left to right are Gerard, Grayson, Loran Casey, representative candidate; Robert Bjorge, commissioner candidate; Arnold Hertlng, candidate for county auditor, and Nels Lund, justice of the peace. Wolf Point township.
believe we can examine cold facts, rather than generating hot air."
The Montana House minority leader dealt with defense and state's rights, as well as reiterating his previous platform statements on agriculture, inflation, Montana's economic growth, and taxing and spending. He concluded his series of Lincoln Day t?.'Vs with his final two platform points on Saturday at Kalispell.
On state's rights, Gerard said. "The states are the very foundation of our Republic. This constitutional concept is something too few persons understand, and far too many attack�either maliciously or out of ignorance.
"Unfortunately, weakening of the state through federal aid, federal controls and taking over tax sources for the federal government appears to be the aim of the Montana Democrat congressional delegation. Having served in the state egislature, I know we need a stronger state government This re-
quires people in Congress who believe in this constitutional concept"
In his talk at Bozeman last Wednesday, Gerard said "Economic growth of Montana is the first order of business for any U. S. senator." He added that "There is no reason for industry to come to Montana as long as our Democrat congressional delegation says the answers to our problems are more high federal spending, more federal dams and more anti-business legislation.'
Annual Chamber Dinner Is Feb. 22
The annual Chamber of Commerce dinner and report to members will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday. Feb. 22, in the dining room of the Shamrock Cafe No. 2.
The guest speaker for the occasion will be Fred Heinccke. president of the First National Bank of Glasgow.
Tickets may be purchased from Cliff Knudson. All members are urged to attend.
B DIVISIONAL TOURNAMENT IS FEB. 25-27
School officials from six of the eight schools in the eastern class B division met in Wolf Point Monday and announced final plans for the divisional tournment which will be held in Wolf Point Feb. 25. 26. and 27. according to divisional secretary-treasurer and tournament manager. Cliff Harmala.
Teams were seeded from season's standings, and in the ease of Wolf Point and Plentywood who were tied, a flip of the coin put Wolf Point in third and Plenty-wood in fourth place. Final stand* ings are Nashua. Baker. Wolf Point Plentywood. Fail-view. Circle. Poplar and Scobey.
Tournament officials for the three-dav hoop meet are Tony Carlson. Great Falls: Henry Rae, Red Lodge: Clarence Hoffman, Wardon. and Stan Rathman. Cho-teau.
First game of the tourney at 2 p.m. Thursday. Feb. 25 will pit ieaguc leading Nashua against last-place Scobey. The second game, slated to get underway at 3:30 p.m. will see Baker meeting Poplar.
In game three at 7:30 p.m. Thursday evening it will be Plentywood vs. Fairview and the day's basketball will conclude at 9 p.m. when Wolf Point runs against Circle.
The losers of games one and three will met at 2 p.m. on Friday and the losers of games two and four will play at 3:30 p.m. Winners of games one and three and two and four will take up the battle for the tourney crown at 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. respectively.
Interest in this year's tournament is running at a high pitch and capacity crowds are expected to attend all games of the tourney.
Officials explain the high interest this year due to the fact that such a large number of teams are so evenly balanced and it could end up as anybody's guess who the final victor will be.
Wolf Point Superintendent Cliff Harmala announced today that there are still a number of reserved seat tickets available at Dasinger's Cleaners in Wolf Point
Winners of the local divisional tourney will travel to the state tournament
County Democrats To Hold Brockton Meeting Feb. 29
Mrs. Jean Schwinden. president of the Roosevelt County Democratic club, announced that they will hold a kick-off meeting for the 1960 election campaign Monday evening. Feb. 29 at 8 p.m. in the hot lunch room of the elementary school at Brockton.
The group wiii discuss 1960 plans and also elect officers for the coming year.
Mr and Mrs Kenneth Parks and Mrs Chris Jensen and daughter. Wolf Point, were dinner guests of Mr. and Mrs. George Sagissor Sunday.
Soil Supervisors Attend Conference
Soil Conservation District Supervisors from northeastern Montana counties attended a training conference at Wolf.Point. Feb .11, according to Dormah Butts, Roosevelt county soil conservationist
The conference was arranged by the state Soil Conservation Committee. Truman C. Anderson. Executive Secretary of the committee and Rex Campbell, state Executive Conservationist of Bozeman were the main speakers.
Eugene Larsen of Culbetrson was program chairman, representing the host district
Oscar Hippe of Froid. chairman of the state Association of Soil Conservation Districts, Herbert Hong of Wolf Point and Carl Hunter of Sidney gave a report on the National convention which was held in Louisville, Ky.
The conference was directed in particular to the newer supervisors, states Butts. The job of the supervisors and how to motivate people to get conversation on the land was stressed. Soil Conservation Districts represented were Daniels. Sheridan. Roosevelt Mc-Cone, Richland and Valley counties.
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