All metal parts of an electrical system must be grounded. The main service which usually includes the meter base up to the main service panel are bonded to the neutral of the power company . Once the conductors leave the main panel then the neutral and grounds are run separately.
What do you mean by "not grounded"? Is there no connection to a grounding electrode or is the MBJ missing or something else?
The 1971 NEC would have been the code in effect in Oregon and a metal underground water pipe where available having 10 feet in contact with the dirt was permitted to serve as the only electrode if no other qualifying electrodes are/were present.
Yes a connection to a grounding electrode was required in 1973. Back then it was almost always a metal water pipe being used as the sole electrode. If the main bonding jumper is installed then the system is likely grounded just not correctly.
Which panels are you writing about. What do you mean when you say Grounding? Is there no Grounding Electrode System? Are the panels the Service Equipment? Is there a main breaker in each of those panels? Are the panels supplied from the same set of conductors? If you take photographs of the panels that show the entire panel with the covers off and one of all of the Service Equipment at once were we can see all of the wires that come in from the utility supply and all the wires going out of the equipment to the various loads that we could comment much more effectively.
