The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1945-02-08
GOVERNOR m Says
Small Towns
--s H. .-GE"' --.|-
Must Get Busy
Liquor question to be
up to towns, with
option possible

in this column, Mon Wallgren, the
new man in the governors chair,
tells for the first time his reac-
ton to the problems of the small
towns and communities of this
state.
=. His words were given only to
this writer, whose request for a
special interview was granted in
behalf of the "a weekly news
papers in which this column ap-
pears. The daily press was not
there, for the Governor agreed
that the weeklies had their right
to his views on small community
problems.
A highlight of the conversation
was the Governors use of the in
terview to "serve notice" on the
small communities that they must
get busy on postwar planning.
"What's left of the general fund
surplus (after certain major post
war allocations) will be pooled
into one fund for a public works
program" Wallgren explained.
"Our thought at the present mo-
ment is to establish public works
department with a director and
supervisors throughout the state
to aid in the creation and super
vision of projects.
Whether the legislature will
use up the surplus, of course, is
another question. but hope there
will be enough left for this pro-
Egram. 49, - Il
''Thfs shouldn't be an Immediate
thing. The money should be left
in the governors care to be spent
so many days or months after
cessation of hostilities. After all,
the boys will be coming home
with some money in their pockets.
We shouldn't have to rush into
this matter of public works"
It was then that we asked him
if what he had said wasn't a 'sno-
tice" to small towns to get busy on
likely postwar public works prof.
ects He replied eyes, and tell
them to start arranging now to
set aside matching money for
state aid"
Federal, not state, control will
be the byword of his administra-
TONS handling of the Grand
Coulee dam irrigation develop
ment, the Governor said. This
is a matter of keen interest to
many Eastern Washington COM
munities.
'sWe'n have to go along with
the federal program" the man
who left the United States Senate
to be governor said after we
asked him what his idea was on
control of the development from
Washington, DC. 'eThere is too
great an amount of money in
volved. The state just couldn't
undertake it. Besides, the project
doesn't lie entirely within the
state. Oregon is affected some
what, as WELL"
The chief executive said, how
ever, that the state was "going
ahead" while it awaited decisions
from Washington, DC. He said
he was "enthused" at the prog
ress of the Columbia Basin COM
mission, a state agency, and point
ed out that the commission is
scheduled for another meeting on
Feb. Is. He seemed particularly
proud of his recent appointment of
former senator, Clarence G. Dill,
Spokane Democrat, to the COM
mission. 81
The Governor lit a cigaret while
we plunged into the next topic
the liquor question. He had just
delivered to the legislature his
message advocating the sale of
liquor by the drink in hotels, res
taurants, and clubs within in
corporated cities and towns and on
trains and boats. We said we as
sumed we were correct in saying
that much of the opposition to
the idea probably would come
from small towns.
81 presume that's true" Wall
gren said. "But after getting the
first reaction to my proposal, I
find that I'm being considered a
dry. People have found my
bill quite conservative and mod
crate. The local option clause
gives the small towns the right
to express themselves. They GER
tainly can't object to that"
Population centers which have
not incorporated are ''just shut
OUT, the Governor said, but he
added that he believed the state
Continued on Page 81