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About Oregon City courier. (Oregon City, Or.) 1902-1919 | View Entire Issue (April 19, 1917)
OftgodN CITY coratt .SAM. 35th Year ' OREGON CITY, OREGON, THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 1917 Number 5 SCHOOLS GO IN FOR SPRING GARDENING BOARD DECIDES TO CANCEL IN SURANCE POLICIES HELD BY GERMAN COMPANIES The Oregon City Public Schools Industrial association has been organ ized among the pupils of the two grade schools and the high school and its existence was officially recognized at a meeting of the board of direct ors last night. The purpose of the association, as outlined to the board by City Superintendent F. J.: Tooze, is to encourage thrift among the pu pils and to interest them in garden ing work. , , Each member of the association will plant a home garden and in addi tion a number of lots about the city have been secured for the work. It is not to interfere in any way with the activities of the Girls' Honor Guard, Mr. Tooze says. The associa tion will be supervised by the princi pals of the three schools and the city superintendent. ' Especial attention will be paid to the growing of pota toes, corn, onions and beans. Plans to prevent the failure of any plot cultivated have been made. If a pu pil shows a lack of interest his work will immediately be assigned to an other pupil. At its nieeting last night the school board took what it called a patriotic and economic step when it ordered all insurance policies on schools held by German companies cancelled at once.' All German poli cies will be turned over to American companies and as other foreign com panies' policies mature they will be taken out in home companies. PUPILS WRITE ESSAYS Road Bond Workers Offer Prizes to County School Children Clackamas county school children are asked to participate in an essay contest in connection with the cam paign for the $6,000,000 road bond is sue in this county and B. T. McBain, one of the 12 disciples of road effi ciency of the Commercial club, has outlined the following as rules of the contest: Three prizes will be given for the best three essays in favor of the $6, .000,000 road bond issue. First prize, $7.50, best essay; second prize, $5.00; next best essay; third prize, $2.50, third best essay. The three prize essays will, be pub lished and the printed papers mailed to the winners with checks for amounts won. Copies of the bond bill can be se cured by writing to the secretary of state at Salem and asking for copies of house bill 500 as it will be voted upon. The committee to judge and award the prizes will be selected by the president of the Commercial club of Clackamas county, O. D. Eby. AH essays must be mailed to B. T. McBain, publicity agent, 12 disciples of road efficiency, West Linn, Oregon, and must be mailed not later than May 6. Parents,, of course, may help thejr children with the subject, but the children should compose and write their own essays. ROMANCE SHATTERED Prospective Bride Hadn't Given Her - Consent to Match The pretty romance of Elsie M. Criteser and Earl C. Wink, an Ore gon national guardsman stationed at Vancouver, was blighted Wednesday morning when Miss Criteser declined to have the ceremony performed and the license was destroyed. The story dates back to childhood days when the young couple were friends, both being raised near New Era. When the troops went to the Mexican bor der last summer, Wink corresponded with Mb friend. He came here from Vancouver this week and visited at the Criteser home. Although Miss Criteser admits her deep regard for her soldier-lover, she says she thought he could not get a marriage license without her signature, and she was much surprised when he showed her the document. "Maybe later we will marry," Miss Criteser said. Grand Jurors Named One member of the April jury ve nire was excused from service Mon day, John.Ficken, of near Estacada, because of deafness. Joe Mclntyre, whose residence was given as Oswe go, was reported dead. The grand jury selected includes D. H. Purcell, Parkplace; S. B. Seeley, Wilsonville; W. A. Hedges, Canemah; L. B. Yoder, Needy; Jerome Avery, Harmony; Walter Foster, Clackamas, and L. H. Wang, foreman, Canby. Kruger Sent to Salem William Kruger, one of the boys arrested for stealing junk from a city storehouse, was sent to the state training school Monday after the grand jury had ascertained that his was a juvenile case. The boy was once a ward of the state school and was paroled into the keeping of his mother. When he was arrested Sat urday he waived preliminary hearing and was bound over to the grand jury, which, because of the lad's age, could not deal with the case. T NOT FIRE TRUCK DEMANDS OF DQNATORS AND TNDERWRITERS MAY DE FEAT ELECTION ORDER WANT SYSTEMS CONNECTED Council Confronted With Necessity of Buying Particular Make of Machine or None The demands of those who have been most anxious for improved fire fighting facilities in Oregon City are apt to defeat the plans for the im provement as voted by the people at a special election and as outlined by the city council at a series of meet ings. This was' the feeling of the city council at a special meeting held Friday evening. The board of fire underwriters, which had promised a reduction in insurance rates, has at tached strings to any action it may take toward the reduction, and there are strings as well to the offer of donations toward the cost of the pro posed new apparatus, that may turn the council from an attitude of co operation to one of antipathy toward the new fire department, according to statements made Friday. The fire underwriters demand that a physical connection be made be tween the water systems of Oregon City and West Linn by the installa tion of a short auxiliary mam at the corner of Main and Seventh streets in this city. That such a thing can be done legally, is the opinion re turned by City Prosecutor George Story of Oregon City. West Linn has consented to the connection with the proviso that Oregon City agrees to send its proposed fire department to West Linn in answer to any call by any officer of that city, and West Linn is to be relieved of any cost in connection with the water system job or the fire department. West Linn reserves the right to revoke the contract at any time. The underwriters, after a survey and In vestigation made by C. F. Wagner, their engineer, also demand that a certain make of motor-driven appar atus be purchased and that it be equipped with a self-starter at an ad ditional cost to the city of $200. Be sides this, the city will be required to pay three firemen to remain on duty at all hours and to supply 8 or 10 volunteer firemen to sleep at the fire station. It was learned by several of the councilmen Friday night that the do nations of W. P. Hawley and A. R. Jacobs are contingent upon the pur chase of one certain type and make of fire apparatus, and the council does not receive the proposition kindly, since its committee, headed by Coun cilman H. M. Templeton, has -proved to its own satisfaction that other makes at a less cost will serve Oregon City equally as well as the one de manded. The donations are being held in abeyance until the water sys tem connection is made and until the order is placed for the particular make of machine specified. With all these demands complied with, the underwriters agree to re duce the rate on business district fire insurance to the extent of 4 or 5 per cent, with the understanding that the reduction does not apply to dwelling houses and insurable property of a similar class. In reviewing the history of the movement for a new and modern fire department for the city," Councilman Templeton, the chief speaker at the session Friday night, said that the plan was threatened by the unusual demands of those who have fostered the movement "I don't believe it is to the advan tage of Oregon City to comply with all these demands when the expense attached to them will be such a bur den," Mr. Templeton said. "I advise the council to go slow and think well, lest we find ourselves in a predica ment that we cannot get out of." Mr. Templeton presented a draft of a budget to cover a new fire de partment for 1918, showing that the approximate cost of upkeep would amount to nearly $4000. The entire matter was left in the hands of the same councilmanic committee, and it has orders to report back on any fur ther investigation. At the same meeting the city coun cil by unanimous vote granted the Girls' Honor Guard the use of any vacant city property the young wo men care to use in connection with their campaign for agricultural pre paredness. The offer is made sub ject to the sale of the property, but there will be no important sale dur ing the year, the council believes. The girls will plant city lots to po tatoes and other crops. In view of the unsuccessful con duct of the fire alarm system in the city, the council Friday night in structed the fire and water committee to demand that the Pacific Telephone Telegraph company see to it that some one is on hand to give the pro per signal at the proper time. On Sunday night a chimney blaze called out the department after a telephone girl had been caned from a picture GITY MIGH BUY WIRES INDORSE PLAN FOR Y. M. C. A. FUND WILL JOIN RED CROSS. OSWE GO MEETING IS TO BE HELD NEXT TUESDAY The Live Wires of the Commercial club plan active cooperation with the Y( M. C. A. forces'of the state to raise a portion of the fund necessary to carry on the work of the association in the military camps of the nation and upon the battlefields if it comes to that. This action was decided up on at the meeting of the Wires at the Electric hotel o;i Tuesday. A. C. Howland is chairman of a commit tee to outline cooperation plans. The program of the meeting was given over to patriotic subjects and after considerable discussion the Wires voted to join the recently or ganized Red Cross society as a body, that they might lend all possible as sistance to the society in its great work throughout the world. From an approval of the creation of a cavalry troop in this city, the Wires returned to a discussion of an armory for Oregon City. The pa triotic feeling is high here, and there is talk of organizing not only a troop of cavalry, but an infantry company and a modern armory will be among the equipments asked for the troops. The Wires worked for an armorv here until the local national guard com pany was transferred to Portland, following the tour of duty on the Mexican border. The Live Wire meeting at Oswego will be held next Tuesday, when the members of the organization will be guests of the Oswego-Portland Ce ment company. The postponement of the trip was necessary because the cement plant was not in operation. WILL JOIN RED CROSS P. E. O. Sisterhood Hears of Mrs. Caufield's Ocean Voyage The local chapter of the P. E. O. sisterhood met at the home of Mrs. Theodore Osmund, where Mrs. W. A. Dimick was joint hostess, on Tues day. Covers were laid for 12 and a delightful luncheon was served in honor of Mrs. C. H. Caufield, just re turned to Oregon City from a Hawai ian voyage. The Osmund home was tastefully decorated in yellow and white with daffodils to lend the spring tone to the rooms. The place cards bore hand painted daffodils. Mrs. Cau field told in a very pleasant manner of tho trip she has just completed. The chapter voted to join the recently organized Red Cross branch as a body. Those present at the meeting Tues day were Mrs. C. H. Caufield, Mrs. T. A. Burke, Mrs. C. Schuebel, Mrs. J. R. Bowland, Mrs. J. F. Clark, Mrs. Raymond Caufield, Mrs E. W. Scott, Mrs. Thompson Meldrum, Mrs. F. J. Tooze, Miss Florence Grace, Mrs. Os mund and Mrs. Dimick. Mrs. Elwood Sues Jessie L. Elwood, who was mar ried to William H. Elwood at Van couver, Wash., on March 13, 1914, Saturday applied for divorce from him. Mrs. Ellwood charges her hus band with cruelty and says that he accused her of infidelity repeatedly and upon one occasion drew a gun on her in menacing manner. She left her husband on May 9, 1915. Willamette School Drills Regular drill periods in which most of the boys of the Willamette school will participate were started there Monday morning under the direction of Perry Barnes, drill master. Drill periods willbeheldthr eetimesaweek.G periods will be held three times a week, and those past the school age who care to benefit by the training are asked to join with the children in their work. Five Licenses Issued -Marriage licenses were issued here Saturday to Josie Dwyre and Burnie Loney, of Barton; Katherine Myrtle Leffler and Herman Carl Stuwe, of Aurora, route 2; Frieda M. Brugger and Warde A. Graham, 201 Thirteenth street, Portland; Gertrude Bell Fro mong and William Samuel Jacobs, Gladstone, and Ethlind Risley and Robert Bradshaw, of The Dalles. Petition in Probate A petition for letters of adminis tration in the estate of Maiko Rim- kus was filed in the county court here Monday by E. W. Bartlett of Estaca da. Rimkus left no known relatives except K. Sarvickas, according to the petition, and left 20 acres of land, valued at $900, and upon which there is a mortgage for nearly half its value. Names Administrator County Judge H. S. Anderson Fri day appointed C. C. Boerner as ad ministrator of ihe estate of his late father, Henry W. Boerner. There are four heirs to share in personal property valued at $1000. show and had sounded the wrong call, taking the firemen to another part of town. A sum of $200 was appropriated Friday night for the building of a sewer to connect blocks 82 and 73, for which the property owners had al ready been assessed. LULTf LEAGUE READY 0 1 H. L. KELLY ELECTED PRESI DENT AT ORGANIZATION MEETING. PLANS MADE WOULD INCREASE ARMY PAY Cooperative Work is Undertaken. Branch League at Gladstone is Voted in. With a large' number of patriotic citizens present at the Elks' club last Thursday night, the Loyalty league was organized as a successor to the Preparedness league. The new name was incorporated in the constitution and adopted by the meeting. The Girls' Honor guard and the Woman's Relief corps had many members qut in addition to a group of G. A. R. members.- Of the 150 persons at the meeting, 50 signed the constitution and paid the nominal dues. The Loyalty league's progress will be directed by H. L. Kelly, president, and the following officers, elected Thursday to serve for the year; Mrs. J. R. Hickman, vice-president; E. C. Brownlee, secretary; Dr. A. L. Beatie, treasurer; Mrs. J. R. Hickman, Mrs, James H. Cary, Miss Cis Pratt, Dr. Clyde Mount, William Hammond, O. D. Eby arid James H. Cary, members of the executive committee. It is the purpose of the league to co-operate in any patriotic work undertaken in Clackamas county and to initiate such' movements as appear to be for the welfare of the nation and Clackamas County's quota of soldiers. Along this line the plan of fostering the in dividual interests of Clackamas coun ty boys at the front was an import ant step taken Thursday night. Each soldier will have a big brother or a big sister in the Loyalty league to look directly after his interests. A committee to organize such work consists of W. F. Tipton, Miss Edith Dawson and Miss Rose Price. The league will aid the Girls' Honor guard in its proposed agri cultural activities, and a committee including Dr. George Hoeye, Henry Strebig and O. D.. Eby was appointed for that purpose. A committee to as sist in the organization of a Red Cross society here is O. W. Eastham, Miss Marian Lewthyaite and A. M. Sinott. The membership campaign will be in the hands of a committee including W. B. Howell, E. L. Johnson, Miss Merle Keck, Orena May and H. 0. Paddock. The secretary was instructed to ask the federal government for plans in which the league could assist for the welfare of the nation in its crisis. At the meeting of the Loyalty league at the Commercial club on Wednesday evening the secretary was instructed to send resolutionsto the Oregon delegation in congress and to Governor Withycombe, calling upon them to make all possible effort to have the wages of the enlisted men in the military service of the nation in creased. Double pay will be asked in all branches of the service. The league took in the Gladstone branch league as a body and in all material matters the two communi ties will work as a unit. It may be that later on other communities will organize branches under the consti tution of the 1 ocal parent league. Gladstone s league will retain sep arate identity and officers for local affairs. A bugle corps and flag guard is to be organized here under the direction of a committee of which Fred Miller is chairman. The flag guard and bu gle corps will be the representative of the Loyalty league in all public affairs. The next league meeting is to be held at the Commercial club on next Wednesday evening. 8 J $ $ tiJ JJ J$ jl LEWIS JONES WINS J Lewis Jones, of Estacada J high school, carried away first J honors in the high school ora- J J torical contest at the local J J school on Saturday evening. J J The contest was held under the J J auspices of the County School J J league, and was directed by J J Brenton Vedder, school super- Jt & visor. The other winner in the J i same contest was Robert Bar- J nett, Oregon City, second. J ji tt fcjC J jt Two Youths Arrested After being implicated in thefts by another boy, Lloyd Baxter and Charles Kruger were arrested Satur day and confessed to breaking into city storehouses and other places to steal junk. The two boys were appre hended by Constable D. E. Frost and were arrested by Mr. Frost and Lee French. Before Justice of the Peace John N. Sieverg the lads waived pre liminary examination and were held to the grand jury. Marriage Licenses Marriage licenses were issued here Monday to Winifred Mae Harvey and Roy Beatty, of Aurora, and to C. Mil dred McLain and David L. McKilli can, of near Osegon City. COUNCIL DELAYS IN PURCHASE OF TRUCK PROMISE TO SALESMEN KEEPS COUNCIL FROM BEING BOUND BY DEMANDS Because the city council had prom ised fire apparatus salesmen not to take action toward the purchase of any one truck without notifying the salesmen of all companies, the or dering of a motor driven fire appar atus was again postponed last even ing. The council committee which has been investigating several phases of the matter of reorganizing the fire department, reported last night fa vooring the purchase of the particular truck" to which the donators to the fund adhere and upon which the un derwriters base their insurance re duction. ' When the body was about to pass a motion instructing the recorder to return all checks but that sent in by the fortunate concern the machinery stopped working. That would be buying the truck and the council had promised not to buy in the absence of salesmen. Councilman Cox came to the rescue with an amendment to the motion and it was voted to ac cept the report and discharge the committee with the undersanding that the council does not agree to purchase any one truck. At the meeting last evening the council appropriated $250 to pay for a street sweeper recently purchased and granted the Miller-Parker Co. permission to lay a sewer at Ninth and Main streets. The Western Un ion Telegraph Co. was given permis sion to cut trees that are too close to its wires between Third and Eleventh streets along the Southern Pacific tracks. The work will be done under the supervision of the city engineer. FAILURES ARE LESS Dun's Review Asserts Liabilities in Oregon Notably Smaller With business continuing remark ably active and profitable, the coun try's commercial mortality remains relatively moderate, insolvencies dur ing the first quarter of 1917, evclusive of banks and other fiduciary suspen sions, numbering 3,937 and supplying liabilities of $52,307,099. This is the best numerical exhibit for the period since 1910, when there were 3,525 failures, and the sum of money involv ed is smaller than in all years back to 1909, which disclosed an indebted ness for the first three months of about $44,600,000. The present fig ures contrast with 5,387 defaults for $61,492,746 last year; 7,216 for $105,- 703,335 in the opening quarter of 1915 the maximum point on record and 4,826 reverses in 1914 for $83, 221,826. Whereas there was a 16 per cent decrease in number of failures in the Pacific section, the indebtedness was somewhat larger, 443 defaults for $6, 669,273 comparing with 528 in 1916 for $5,977,653. Fewer reverses oc curred in each of the three states, the decrease in California being 61; in Washington 20, and in Oregon 4, while the liabilities were notably smaller In Oregon and also moderately less in California. In Washington, on the other hand, the amount increased sharply, owing to a single insolvency of exceptional magnitude. This oc curred in the class embracing agents, brokers, etc., which was the only one showing expansion in comparison with 1916. Numerically, there was im provement in manufacturing, trading and other commercial lines. Car Jumps Track When a brakeman on a northbound passenger train threw the switch near the depot too suddenly the rear car jumped the track. The train con tinued to Portland and a crew came out to haul the coach back on the track. The railroad eight-hour law interfered when thee rew of another engine was forced to stop work be cause its day was done. The latter crew and its engine were "deadhead ed" in when efforts to get the car on the track were futile. This morning the work was completed and the plowed right-of-way was repaired. Dr. Matson Coming Dr. Ralph C. MatBon, a member of the British medical reserve and who has recently returned from the French front, has been called to Ore gon City to lecture on next Tuesday evening under the auspices of the local society of Red Cross. The meet ing is to be held at Busch's hall and Dr. Matson will illustrate his lecture with lantern slides made from pic tures he took on the battlefields. The lecture will be the feature of the reg ular meeting of the Red Cross so ciety. Judgment for Andrews A default judgment was entered Friday in favor of Frank E. Andrews in his suit against J. E. and Phoebe J. Gage, and Mr. Andrews recovers $1116.90 with interest at 8 per cent from July 28, 1914. Title to real es tate in this county is quieted and Mr. Andrews' mortgage is declared to be a prior lien against property held by the Gages. He also gets $100 costs. The Oregon City Courier and the Oregon Daily Journal (except Sun day) for $4.76. U-BOAT ATTACKS U. S. SHIP SMITH TORPEDO PLAINLY SEEN 30 YARDS FROM BOW. MAY BE STEP IN BIG BLOCKADE REPORT IS SUBSTANTIATED Word Comes That Germany is About to Declare Prohibited Sub marine Zone . The first gun in the war threaten ing the American nation since a state of war was declared was fired by a German submarine at the destroyer Smith about 100 miles south of New York. Regarding the attack of the undersea boat the navy department announced: Reported from Fire Island light ship to the naval stations at Boston and New York at 3:30 a. m. on the 17th an enemy submarine was sight ed by the United States ship Smith, sunning apparently submerged. Sub marine fired a torpedo at the U. S. S. Smith, which missed her bow by 30 yards. The wake of the torpedo was plainly seen crossing the bow. Sub marine disappeared." The presence of enemy submersl- bles in American waters indicates that the threatened German submar ine blockade of American Atlantic ports has begun. First information of the encoun ter came to the navy department in a roundabout way from the Boston navy -yard, which picked up the Smith's report saying she had been fired upon by a German U-boat. The navy department, after com municating with Fire Island, Boston, New York and some other points on the Atlantic coast, announced that the report of the Smith's encounter had been substantiated by official in vestigation. Whether the presence of the Ger man submarine merely foreshadows a sporadic raid such as the U-53 con ducted off the New England coast, or whether it is the signal for the beginning of a general submarine blockade of the Atlantic coast is not known. The attack by the U-boat is Ger many's first recognition of the state of war declared by the United States. It was stated in Germany soon after the action of congress that no ag gressive steps would be taken against the United States. Practically no American officials believe this statement, however, and steps to meet aggressive action were taken at once. ' The probability of submarine attacks on unprotected seaboard cities and towns, raids on shipping within sight of American shores and a submarine blockade of the principal Atlantic ports with the purpose of terrorizing shipping and people were expected. Last week word came to Washing ton in a roundabout way that Ger many was about to declare a prohib ited submarine zone about the har bors at Boston, New York, the Dela ware capes, Chesapeake bay, Charles ton and Savannah. This would have included all the important ports on the Atlantic seaboard. It was said then that an official warning to neu trals of the prohibited zone would be issued from Berlin. Some American officials were dis inclined to credit the report, but the pentente diplomatic corps believed in it and predicted that Germany would soon carry the submarine campaign to this side of the Atlantic, princi pally for the purpose of scaring neu tral shipping away from American harbors and to raid the great squad rons of merchant ships which are moving food and supplies to Ameri ca's allies on the European battle fronts. Pierson Brings Suit Action was filed in the circuit court here Wednesday morning by C. M. Pierson against the Title & Trust Co. and others, to collect on a promissory note for $1500 and attorney's fees of $150. The note is dated at Portland on June 10, 1916, and calls for 8 per cent interest. Marriage Licenses A marriage license was issued here Tuesday by County Clerk Iva Har rington to Anna Gawlista and John Mikulia, of 686 Overton street, Port land. Another license was issued Wednesday to Anna L. Hodge and Earl Tiedeman, of Oregon City, route 7. Miss Risley Married Miss Ethelind Risley, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles II. Risley, was married on Saturday evening to Rob ert C. Bradshaw, son of Judge Brad shaw, of The Dalles. The ceremony was performed at the home of the bride's parents at Risley, near Mjl waukie. Esson Brings Suit R. E. Esson, Sandy druggist, last week brought suit against George Harvison to recover on a promissory note for $38.05 dated at Boring on April 17, 191. RED CROSS SOCIETY IS ORGANIZED HERE DR. HUGH MOUNT CHAIRMAN. LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS JOIN AS BODIES The organization of an auxiliary chapter of the American Red Cross society was perfected at Busch's hall Monday evening before a large meet ing and 131 charter members signed the roll. Thirty-three members of the Derthick club, a woman's musical organization, attended in a body and signed the roll. A campaign will be launched at once to secure 1000 members for th chapter, which will be allied with the Portland organization. Will Lipman, vice-president of the State Red Cross society, spoke, outlining the pur poses of the society, and Dr. K. A. J. MacKenzie, state president, also spoke. The Girls' Honor Guard stair. ed the meeting in behalf of the Port land branch of the society and at tended the meeting in a body. Dr. Hue-h S. Mount was elected chairman of the chapter, and he will be assisted by the following officers: A. R. Jacobs. T. W. Sullivan and Mr. Linn E. Jones, vice-presidents; E. G. Uauheld, secretary-treasurer, and A. A. Price. Mrs. Georere A. Hardinn- and Mrs. Walter A. Dimick, trustees. The membership fee collected from each one who signs the roll of the society is $1, and in addition to the $131 collected from memberships last night a donation of $50 was credited to A. R. Jacobs, nresident nf the Oregon City Manufacturing com pany. The Live Wires and the local P. E. O. chaDter will ioin the Rd Cross society as bodies. ROAD BONDS AND TAXES Committee Refutes Favorite Argu ment of Bond Opponents . Opponents of the road bond bill contend that the proposed bond issue will become an added burden to the general taxpayer. As a complete an swer and refutation of this argument, the legislative good roads committee has incorporated the following state-. ment as a part 'of its argument in support of the bond bill which will be published in the official state pam phlet: "We have ascertained- from the records of the office of the secretary of state that the income from the present quarter-mill tax is $220,000 per annum; that the income from auto licenses, based upon the presenk num ber of automobiles at the increased li cense rate effective August 1, will be not less than $310,000 per annum, to be used in jaying interest and princi pal of bonds. The above funds will be sufficient not only to pay the in terest and the principal of the $6, 000,000 bonds authorized by this act, but will also pay the interest and principal of the $1,819,280.55 in bonds authorized to meet the government, road appropriation. After paying these bonds there will be a surplus of at least $2,793,402.66. Since 1911 the increase in the number of automobiles in the state of Oregon has been 33 and one-third per cent per year. With the completion of good roads this in crease will naturally be larger. How ever, we have not taken any Increase into account but have based our fig ures on the present number of auto mobiles." Desertion is Charged J. A. Sargeant of Walla Walla, Wash., was arrested near Mulino Fri day by Constable D. E. Frost, on a warrant sent here from the Washing ton city, charging Sargeant with wife desertion. The man was working in a wood camp when he was located by Mr. Frost and was held in the county jail here for the arrival of officers from Walla Walla. Visitors at Mulino School Among those visiting the Mulino school last week were Mrs. Eliza Dan iels and Mrs. Erickson and daughter, Hazel. The teachers became so alarmed, the Courier's informant states in a note, that two private de- tectives were immediately set on their trail to see what they came for. As yet the detectives have not a clue, the writer says. Bartlett Petitions for Letters E. W. Bartlett of Estacada Tues day filed a petition for letters of ad ministration in the estate of George o. Thomas, who died m this county on April 4, leaving personal property valued at $5000. The names of seven heirs are given by the petitioner. These are sons and daughters rang ing in age between 63 and 48 years. Local Institute Planned A local teachers' institute will be held in the I. O. O. F. hall at Sandy all day Saturday. Some out-of-town speakers will be present The county zone test in arithmetic and spelling will be held at the Sandy school Fri day, beginning at 9 a. m. Districts 46, 66, 39, 83, 52, 42, 113, 13, 45, 125 and 124 will take part. Friday the Thirteenth Marriage licenses were Issued here Friday in County Clerk Harrington's office to Regina A. Huerth and James Woodward, of Parkplace, and Erma El8aline Lee and Elmo Hiram Dow, of 213 Fourth street, Oregon City.