Evening star., 1940-04-23
California Too Hard
To Get Into, Mayor
Of Portland Found
Stote's Oregon Border
One of Worst Trade
Barrier Sore Spots
Fifth and last in a series OF ar
ttcles on State trade barriers.
Nv the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO, April 23.-The
Mayor of Portland, Oreg, once re-
fused to attend convention in San
Francisco on the ground that 1t was
altogether too difficult to get into
California"
A short time previously, the May
or, Joseph K. Carson, venturing
across his State line, ran smack
dab into a place where California
officers gave his entourage a pest
inspection, a motor vehicle check
I'D and, after some routine ques-
tions, an official okay to proceed
into the Golden State.
Even the most intimate things
that women wear" said the Of
Tended Mayor, "had to be inspected
at the California line. When
California comes back into the
Union I'll try to 60 there. Otherwise
I'm afraid I would have to get
passport"
That incident marked a high
point in the "Balkanization" of the
California Oregon border, one Of the
sore spots of the country so far as
trade restrictions between States are
concerned.
Other States Follow.
CALIFORNIA; pride in her fruits and
vegetables led to the setting up OF
restrictions originally to protect her
orchards and fields against imported
pests. Efforts to protect home in
dustry later in the lean years led
to intensification of these restric-
tions.
Resentment grew. Other States
got the idea and did some recipro-
cal resenting. Regional trade Suf-
fered as economic anschluss be-
tween the Far Western States ebbed.
The Oregon California difficulty
had a simple beginning. Oregon
was proud of its nursery products.
California barred some of these al
legdly because of earwig infestation.
Oregon then decided to inspect
citrus fruit for scale, and charged
shippers Is cents box to have the
pest removed from infected packs
California ordered the seizure of
incoming Oregon Strawberries on
the ground they were packed in
deceptive" containers-boXes with
raised bottoms and sloping sides.
These boxes had been standardized
by Oregon law. Growers complained
another State was forcing them to
violate their own statutes. The dis
pute went to the United States Su-
preme Court which ruled in Ore
CONS favor.
Still Many Restrictions.
Still the berry shipments were
seized. Oregon began picking on
California wine bottles-the kind
with indented bottoms. 1t also found
some California produce containers
with raised bottoms. The matter
was compromised when the Ore
gonians agreed to nick the sides
of their boxes so the customers
could see the raised bottoms.
- But Oregon still bristles with
regulations, handicapping out-of-
State produce, excluding dealer
caravans of used cars and holding
truck-weight maximums below those
Of California and Washington
Since the Carson incident Oregon
even has talked about establishing
a Greeting and Information Serv-
ice' to welcome motorists from the
Golden State.
CALIFORNIA; border motor vehicle
checking stations, which aroused
the anger of so many visitors and
played leading part in the notable
bum blockade" set up by Los
Angeles County in 1886, have been
abolished. Border bug inspection
continues. but is less painful.
Thousands of indigents were
turned back when the Los Angeles
police moved into strategic places
along the -mile-long border of
Eastern California. Some of the
transient flow was backed up into
Arizona and Nevada, which either
objected or also took steps. The
blockade eventually was held in
violation of the United States con-
stitutional guarantee of freedom of
movement between States. Since
then California has considered a