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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 1920)
4L SPRUCE PRODUCTION SLOTH HELD PROVED Congressman Frear of Probe Body Is Visitor. POLITICAL BIAS DENIED Investigation Declared Free From Corruption and Wholesale Incompetency Proved. Investigation by the subcommittee of congress into the operations of the United States Spruce Production cor poration disclosed a record of inef ficiency and Incompetence from top to bottom, according to Representa tive Frear of Wisconsin, chairman of the committee which carried on the Investigation, who arrived In Port land yesterday morning with Mrs. Frear. This Is Mr. Frear'i first visit to Portland since the investigations and since the findings of the committee were given out in Washington. In discussing the case yesterday, he re iterated the statement given in the report that the Investigation showed wastefulness and incompetence. Blaa Charge Denied. In regard to charges which had been made that he was connected with a timber company in Oregon having government - contracts, Mr. Frear declared the charge to be ab solutely false, and asserted that every attempt was made to carry on the Investigation free from political bias, although charges to this effect were hurled at the committee here In the northwest. The sale of all the government holdings of spruce, timber, mills, etc., was urged by Mr. Frear as more eco nomical In the long run. and he de clared that the congressional com mittee still is empowered to delve into the operations of the Spruce Production corporation, in case any evidence Is submitted to show that the recent sale of the BlodgeHt tract, the Alsea Southern railroad and the Toledo mill for $2,400,000 or any other sales made in the future, are not reg ular. No investigation Is likely un less some charges are made, how ever, he said. Mr. and Mrs. Frear are on the way home after visiting the Philippine islands and China with the con gressional committee which made the trip across the Pacific last summer. They arrived in Portland yesterday morning and will leave this morning for Wisconsin via Spokane. Perhaps because of the fact that his committee of investigation Is still in existence, Mr. Frear declined to an swer many questions dealing with spruce division matters. lOO Wltntun Examined. "During the , Investigation " of air craft expenditures," said Mr. Frear, "testimony before the committee car ried its own argument. Our report covered over 4000 printed pages of testimony and over 100 witnesses were examined. Aircraft expenditures by the war department aggregated $1,051,000,000 during 19 months of war and at the signing of the armistice 213 De Haviland four observation planes had reached the French front. Five hundred and twenty-seven ma chines, largely -obsolete, purchased from the French government, were furnished American aviators. As all the allies were short of planes, ac cording to the testimony, whatever machines we bought were either of little value to them or weakened their own supply. "Rickenbacker, Melsner and other leading aviators and Generals Mitchell , and Kcnley were before our commit tee and all gave the same conclusions. Responsibility for the failure of our aircraft programme was fixed in the report, but as Judge Charles E. Hughes found in his Investigation no punishment could reach incompetency and that was the fault from top to bottom of our production programme, although American aviators ranked among the best in the world. "The De Haviland four observation planes were known by American avia tors as "flaming coffins,' and after our committee left the Pacific coast the country had a startling proof of the dangers of the machine, even in times of peace, when nine aviators were killed in 39 of these machines during last October's transcontinental air races. Paper Unfnlresst Critic. "'Our committee had no interest in presenting any colored or prejudiced record and every witness who cared to testify was heard. The record Epeaks for itself, but It may be of in terest to know that the unfalrest criticism received throughout the In vestlgation came from a Portland aft ernoon newspaper, which declared we were influenced by political bias. "Later in the east a record placed before our committee by our New Tork accounting experts disclosed al leged political contributions involv ing Colonel Deeds and Governor Cox of Ohio, which we were urged to in vestigate. We refused to do so be cause they were not connected with aircraft production, although Judge Hughes found that Colonel Deeds had been responsible for contracts reach ing many millions of dollars placed with Dayton, O.. business associates "We endeavored to confine our in vestigations to the strict airplane production programme, as directed by congress and were not diverted by other Issues. The failure of thai programme was notorious. We gave the reasons based on sworn testi mony. , Dlnque'a Failure Revealed. "In the spruce investigation we found that . private operators were ' furnishing all the airplane spruce that could be used by our allies and this government by September, 1918, two months before the armistice was signed, and that Colonel Disque and his army of 30,000 soldiers and four cost-plus contractors who held con tracts aggregating over $50,000,000, only furnished 7 per cent of the spruce during the war. This is in brief the finding of our committee. "One of your local newspapers took occasion to criticise me because of supposed connection with a timber holding company down in Lincoln county. The facts were all in the record. After I refused to accept an assignment on the committee I with drew my letter of declination because of Speaker Gilletfs desire. Later the committee took up the spruce In vestigation at the request of Judge Hughes. It was charged after our departure from Portland that I was an officer in a timber cor-pany that had valuable contracts with the gov ernment. This was based on an old letterhead sent by a small timber company official in Madison, Wis., who asked me where to get informa tion regarding the United States Spruce company and I advised him to write to Colonel Stearns. This he did and Stearns had the letter pho tographed, according to my under standing, to show my connection with the timber-holding company. "It was all ridiculous, because I had INTRICATE INSTRUMENTS AID WEATHER MAN IN MAKING HIS PROGNOSTICATIONS United States Bureau Founded by Resolution Approved on February 9, 1870 Initial Service, Only for Navigation, la Greatly Extended. I A- U ft . ft "T I rJ( if7 if - L I ! r - - b "; ': : m TT 'p -'Slh :'il -ill 'A kt ill oktI??4l Itxi w ill i -JLivi ir zU'ii - d ''inn - r 2 -jw-' a 1 la the foresronad Is the krErngraph, to measnre moisture, vrhtle the thermograph Is In the rear. 2 Rainfall la measured by Inches, much In the same manner in which the chauffeur teats his supply of gasoline. 3 Impor tant factors la forecaatlnn weather are air preasnre and wind velocity. Science has invented the baragraph and anemometer to record theae. N THE DATS of the past and by gone generations our forefathers looked at the weather cock to determine the direction of the wind. scanned the sky knowingly morning and evening and exchanged comments as to what their ideas of the weather during the following 24 hours would be. Some farmers today still cling to the old-fashioned way of telling the weather by placing a miniature doll's house on their porches and they be lieve that when the doll in pink ap- nan re at th, !anr rtf thp house the weather will be fair but If the dollcofEt own will have certain appa- in blue should be seen rainy- weather is In store. But such antique methods of weather forecasting are nearly ex tinct and today most country, like city folk, rely upon the report of the local weather man. Though" we have come to know that the forecasting of the weather bureau embodies far more scientific skill than the signs in which tone still believe, few per sons realize Just how much science is really displayed in the making out of the simple statements: "Fair; rainy. or unsettled weather." SUmmer is the season when the weather concerns us most. It is the time when we hope "it will be a clear day tomorrow because we want to go on a picnic" or when the farmer anxiously prays for rain on account of the crops or fair and warm as the case may be. While the human eye and the brain of the weather man are still important factors in the making of his semi idaily reports In these days of modern inventions, science has provided him with still more certain methods In the shape of various Ingenious and intricate electrically operated appa ratus. The United States weather bureau was founded by a resolution approved February 9. 1870. This resolution de clared that the secretary of war be authorized and required to provide for taking meteorol. ,ical observations at the military stations in the in terior of the continent and to give notice on the seacoast and lake shores of approaching storms. Though the weather bureau was established first for navigation pur poses its use was so successful that in 1890 congress passed an act pro vldlng for its service in connection ', with business and agriculture, and in ' never received a dollar from the com pany In my life, and only took an hon orary position at the time of organiza tion about 12 years ago. I resigned all corporate positions when I was elected to congress eight years ago, and knew nothing about the com pany's contracts, if they had any. So far as I could learn It never had any government contracts during the war. I knew of none, in any event, and when we went down to Lincoln county I told those with whom I was asso ciated that I formerly was connected with a small company that had hold ings in that section, but not related in any way to any contracts we had under Investigation. I have never re ceived a dollar from that company or any other timber company and had no conscious prejudice against the spruce officials, excepting such as they pro voked by their attitude towards the investigation, and record of manage ment and mismanagement. "All findings of our committee were based on evidence that was generally undisputed or overwhelming, in our judgment. The spruce Investigation was only part of the work performed by the committee, as shown by the testimony. Blodeett Project Criticised. "The Blodgett tract's purchase and building of the railroad and the To ledo mill was severely criticised in our report. The road And mill were of little value apart from the timber. I believe the government bought the timber at a fair figure during the war and the timber was the best part of the property sold. All the properties ought to be closed out as quickly as possible and I believe that policy will bring more money to the government than to pay carrying charges in the hope of some possible big sale in'the future. "If the sale In Lincoln couTity was not made openly, and to the one offer 1891 the weather bureau of the de partment' of agriculture was or- trtinlKftfl Today there are 200 branches ofi" .f u "Vt w ri , laci, recorded every moment by varl- the weather bureau in the United States. Besides these there are 1500 co-operating stations. Every main branch of the weather bureau is sup posed to be able to predict for a radius of 1500 square miles. Everything in connection with the work has been so standardized that weather bureaus, the country over, are operated much alike- today apart from the fact that sometimes a sea- ratut to warn ships of approaching storms, whereas such apparatus is not necessary for inland stations. The weather prophet himself must be a man of many qualifications. He must know how to read the automatic barometers. . He must be an able mathematician In order to figure his computations. He must be a drafts man so that he. can outline the terri torial map with its network of lines an-1 ciicles which show high and low pressures, high and low temperatures and all the' signs of the day. And, last but not least, he must also have some knowledge of type-setting so as to make up his printed maps and fpre castures. Some weather prophets are even adept at the switchboard and take turns in answering the many nnxioUs inquiries which come to them over the telephone. , After the weather man has arrived at his office in the morning and has removed his hat but probably has had no time to open his mail he hur ries to the roof and scans the clouds. He has reported for duty at an early hour, in time to make the barometric reao'.ngs at 8 o'clock. With Bis naked eye he obtains a mental picture of the sky. He notes whether it is clear or cloudy and if so" what kind of clouds there are, how many and from what direction they are floating. It is not till later that the electrical barometers are read. - These automatic instruments are so wired that, they mechanically regis-i ter in the weather bureau below the roof. The readings are made twice in every 24 hours, at 8 in the morning and at 8 o'clock at night. Temperature, pressure of air. pre- j clpitation, direction of wind, current w;nd velocity, clouds and maximum and minimum temperatures are fac- ing the highest price our committee Is still empowered to inquire into all details, but unless evidence to that effect is furnished I do not believe our committee will, question this or other sales made by the spruce com pany officials." FIR TAKES PLACE OF PINE Canadian Ruling Places Coast Tim ber Ahead of South. VANCOUVER. B. C. Aug. 29. (Spe cial.) Douglas fir from British Co lumbia, instead of southern, pine, will in luture be used in the construction of the decks and derricks on boats built for the Canadian government merchant marine. This ruling has been made by the minister of marine and fisheries and affects eight vessels now being built in British Columbia shipyards for the government service. Cunningham Not In Legion Race. CENTRALIA, Wash., Aug. 29. (Special.) C. D. Cunningham. Cen tralta attorney, who prosecuted the I. W. W. in the murder trial at Monte sano, announced yesterday that he would not be a candidate for the office of state commander of the American "Legion at the Spokane con vention of the legion this week. The Aberdeen post a few days ago in dorsed Mr. Cunningham for com mander. . Chehalis Issues Marriage Permits. CHEHALIS. Wash.. Aug. 29. (Spe cial.) Marriage licenses have been Issued at Chehalis to George Wild ridge of Seattle and Dora Hendricks of Rochester; James G. Hays of Che- Gilllams Service, N. T. tors which go toward making up the weather report. The state of these elements of na- cus electrical devices. For, while the work of the weather bureau cea.se.s about midnight and it is not resumed for a few brief hours till early the next morning, the automatic contrivances are always on the Job. After the weather prophet scans the sky with his eye he takes note of what nature has been doing since the last barometric readings by studying the slowly revolving charts in the office and the. thermometers on th roof. Upon these charts science is registering continually just what the sun, wind and rain are doing. The highest and lowest tempera tures since the preceding readings arc taken by -maximum and minimum thermometers exposed in shuttered shelters. One curious fact Which the weather man points out is that a per son rarely feels as hot as the day really Is. Usually there Is between 10 and 15 degrees difference in the actual and sensible or human body's temperature. Only in time of heavy fop or storm is it the same. To measure wind velocity an instru ment called the anemometer is used. This self-registers so as to make a continuous automatic record of the wind, showing the rate and time of occurrence of all winds. A thermo graph "writes the temperature unceas ingly on clock time. Perhaps the most important piece of scientific machinery in Uncle Sam's weather bureau outfit is the, meteoro graph or triple register. Three thing) are recorded on this scientific inven tion, the action of the wind, rain and sunshine. Numerous Instruments are needed to ' test the moisture and rainfall. There is a bucketlike rain gauge into which the drops fall for measurement effected with a yard stick, so that the number of inches of rainfall can be noted. There is the rain-weighing gauge, which is fitted with scales Similar to mnK llRArl in a errr.ar only of course much more accurate- The rain is weighed and measured by a tipping bucket, which mechani cally upsets and makes an automatic record of every hundredth of an inch of rainfall, indicating the time of the beginning and ending and the rate of fall for every shower. Even the mois ture is measured by the hygrograph. halis and Alice Townsend of Cen tralia; Stoddard C. Irving of Chicago and Helen Hurt of-Toledo; J. H. Skin ner of Granite Falls. Wash., and Mrs. E. A. Skinner of Onalaska. R0TARIANS PLAN PICNIC Prizes- to Be Awarded Children, Women and Fat Men. Rotarlans and their families will noia a picnic luesaay afternoon at Montrose park, wlere a special-committee has arranged a series of ath letic and pleasure "stunts." Prizes will be awarded to children. In he ladies' events one to three prises will be awarded. Single men, married men and fat men will com pete In many events. The picnic is in charge of Edgar S. Higgins, chair man of the Rotary committee. Colonel White to Address. Kiwanis. Colonel Georgs A.' White, adjutant general of the state, will be the the speaker of the day at the regular weekly luncheon and meeting of the Kiwanis club in the Tyrolean room of the Benson hotel Tuesday. His subject will be "The Japanese Prob lem." Frederick Lowengiirt Dies. Frederick Lloyd Lowengart, son of Philip Lowengart. died yesterday at St. Vincent's hospital after a three days' illness. He was 26 years old and had been connected with M. Seller & Co. He was a brother of Sanford Lowengart. S. Sc. H. green Hoi man Fuel Co. Adv. stamps ror cash. Main 353. 680-21. 11 DIE IN HIDEOUS NIGHT DF Rattle of Guns Mingle With . Shrieks in Belfast. FIRE BRIGADE IS BUSY Featnre of Irish Fight Is Extent of Destruction of Property by Incendiarism. BELFAST, Aug. 29j Eleven men dead .is the toll of Saturday night's fighting in' Belfast. In addition to the six men killed during the height of the battle, two of the wounded died today. A feature of the rioting was the extent of the destruction of property by Incendiarism. The fire brigade had an especially hard time during the night in fighting the flames. Their work was rendered hideous by the constant rattle of machine guns. The Sinn Feiners were in strong force and appeared to be well supplied with arms and ammunition. Bitterness Is Dtaplayed. The greatest of bitterness was dis played during the fighting. There was, a great amount of wrecking of houses and the burning of furniture Indoors and in the street. The yells of the mob, shrieks of wome nand children and groans of the Injured were audible. When the rioting was at its worst, women could be seen in their night attire, rushing fro their homes, attempting to lead their families from the danger zone. The excitement was Intense until 10 o'clock Sunday morning. Isolated firing was heard today -and the peo ple were apprehensive lest there should be a renewal of the disorders at nightfall. Three attempts were made tonight to burn the Independent labor party hall. The building was seriously damaged. Police Charge Crowds. The police tonight charged crowds in the Crumlln road with their ba tons, but order was restored until troops arrived. It is reported that an armored car fired on a crowd around a bonfire and that a boy was shot. Two constables are reported Bent to hospitals. In broad daylight Sinn Feinera en tered Bailry castle, County Antrim, barracks and decamped with all arms and ammunition. A well-known re publican i called at the barracks and engaged the garrison sergeant and three constables in conversation when a motor dashed up and five men, re volvers in hand, leaped out, ran past the party into the barracks. - The police were too surprised to offer re sistance. The "Sinn Fein notice posted near Newmarket railway station, Cork, says that all military found outdoors after 8 P. M. will be severely dealt with. Quiet prevailed in Belfast at mid night tonight. FIREMEN HOLD PICNIC PITTING AT CRYSTAL LAKE IS ATTENDED BY 2 50 0. Athletic Events, Dancing, Music and Speech by Mayor Make Up Programme. Nearly 2500 persons attended the annual picnic held yesterday by Port land firemen at Crystal Lake park. Athletic events, dancing, music and speaking made up a programme that continued from early forenoon until late last night. Mayor Baker delivered an address at noon. The athletlo events followed. The 100-yard dash, first prize, was taken by Mr. Zetroy and second prise by Mr. Turzlnski. Mrs. Bateman took first prize in the 50-yard dash for OTNG "Wlh.y use cereals that need, sweetening ' wKile sixa-r is an item, of table Why xiot eat building cer with its own A package not. only delights taste ."but provides sturdy food value from its blended, full cooked elements of wheat and malted barleys At grocers9 everywhere Maxle ty Postuxri Cereal Colnc. Battle Creek,Micn. married women, with Mrs. Wymore a close second. In the 60-yard dash for single women Miss Younts took first place and Miss D. Toman second. In the 60-yard dash for boys between IS and 16 years of age Master Tlnushint won first prize and S. Hunt second. Miss M. M. Bertram took first prize in the girls' 60-yard dash and Miss D. Watson second. In the 75-yard run for men weigh ing more than 200 pounds Fireman Dolthy took first place and Fireman Cottle was second. Mrs. W. Trout took first 'prize in the 60-yard dash for stout women and Mrs. Cottle was sec ond. In the 25-yard dash for boys and girls between "8 and 12 years Marie Moher won the prize. C. Z. Spencer on the 100-yard dash for firemen. Pete Kumpf took first place in the pillow fight from poles 18 feet in the air. In the firemen's ladder race, 20 feet high. Chief Ginsell's district won. The hose company race was taken by engine company No. 4.- The hose race with cart was won by engine com pany No. 5. C. Z. Spencer also won the log-rolling contest. Mike Amacher proved the most capable walker along narrow pole over water. in the tug of war across the lake a team composed of -Amacher, Watts and Stu art won the honors. Dancing in the evening completed the programme. AUTO PUNCTURES GROCERY PEDESTRIAN RCS DOWN By- PICMC PARTY. Accident Outside Limits of City; Policeman Turns Case Over to Sheriff; No Arrests Made. Harry Westbrook, East Seventy eighth street and Sixty-ninth' avenue, was struck, and injured by an auto mobile c.riven by Tom Chakalls, 161 North Fifteenth street, at the Inter section of Eighty-second street and Seventieth avenue vesterday noon. After running down the man the machine, which was carrying a picnic party en route to Oregon City, swerved and collided with the side of a small grocery store on the corner. The automobile, was wrecked and a hole was torn in the side of the store. Following the accident Westbrook, who was injured about the arm, ribs and the side of his head, was taken home by the Ambulance Service com pany. Besides the driver, the automobile contained at the time of the accident Pete Pappaa, Fifth and Ankeny streets; John Zllos and Gus Dlmas, of the Vernon hotel, and Mrs. F. Har ris, of the Tate hotel. Motorcycle Patrolman Ingle made a run from the new east side station upon the receipt of the news of the accident. Upon learning that the accident occurred outside of the city limits, however, he turned the In vestigation over to the sheriff's of fice. No arrests were made last night. 30 OF 70 RED UNITS LEFT Bolshevik! Spreading Fire and Blood in Eastern Galicia. PARIS. Aug. 29. The Warsaw cor respondent of L'Information quotes General RozwadowskI, president Pll sudskl's chief of staff, as saying: "Of the 70 divisions that gath ered against Poland there remain barely thirty, but they are organizing new armies. They are spreading fire and blood in eastern Galicia and arm ing bands of peasants. Our informa tlom justifies us in affirming that the bolsheviki are preparing a great of fensive in eastern Galicia with 15 new divisions and that the military operations soon will begin." RAIN BRAVED BY MANY Despite Showers Columbia Beach Attracts; Guard Plans Fete. Despite morning showers and threatening clouds for a part of the afternoon, many persons journeyed to Columbia beach yesterday. Because of the coolness of the weather the contest among the bath ing girls to decide who wore the prettiest water costume on th beach had to be postponed. The competi tion will be continued, however, and the award of the final prize will be made before the close of the swim- that eai , pure Good Health and Disinfection Are Partners Homes in wtich proper disinfection is an every-day habit are seldom visited by con tagious diseases. , Frequent disinfection kills the germs of typhoid, diphtheria, grippe, influenza, or any other communicable disease. Toilet-rooms, sinks, drains, floors, window-sills, garbage cans, dark corners all are favorite birthplaces for disease germs. Sprinkle a solution of Lysol Disinfectant frequently in all such places. Insist that Lysol Disinfectant be added to scrubbing water, too. Used regularly, Lysol Disinfectant kills germ life or prevents its creation. A 50c bottle makes five gallons of power ful disinfectant; a 25c bottle makes two gallons. Remember, there is but one genuine Lysol Disinfectant made, bottled, signed, and sealed by Lehn & Fink, Inc. Lysol Toilet Soap 25c a Cake Contains th necessary proportion of the antiseptic inrredients of Lysol Disinfectant to protect the health of the skin. It Is also refreshingly soothing, besllng, and helpful lor improving the skin. Ask your dealer. If he hasn't it ask him to order it for you. mlng season some time nest month with the Columbia river champion ships. The dancing yesterday in the big pavilion at the park was the most popular of the attractions, but when the afternoon turned out pleasant the fun features and the rides drew their full share of patronage. The Multnomah guard is preparing for a large celebration to be held at the beach just before Labor day and the Columbia river swimming cham pionships will be a part of that event. "Stunts" of every kind are beine; ar ranged for the programme which the guard members declare will be the best they ever have held. INFLUX 2000 IN ONE DAY Many Overseas Immigrants Go to Toronto, Ont. TORONTO. Ont.. Aug. 29. (Special.) 1 More'than 2000 immigrants from overseas arrived here in one day last week. Among them were linen work- : ers and shoemakers who .were met by representatives of the industries. There was also a large number of domestics who obtained work in the city. ' British Columbia Seeks Oil. VICTORIA, B. C. Investigations of i oil possibilities of the Peace river country of British Columbia are to be continued this summer by the provincial government. T. D. Patton. minister of lands, has engaged Dr. John A. Dresser, Montreal geologist, ch cost? health- swe sixg; STIC L--'"iSS'D - Mate "tam Cere., Comn ST I eclanr Lysol Shaving Cream in Tubes Contains the necessary proportion of the antiseptic ingredients of Lysol Disinfectant to render the razor, strop, cup, and shaving-brush asep ticafly clean, guard tiny cuts from I nfection, and give an antiseptia shave. If your dealer hasn't ;t, ask him to order a supply for you. to head ; complete . party into the section to work started last year. wfth Mae Murray and David Powell I Wonderful Medietas TRY' this approved rem edy. Just the tonic for nervousness, sleeplessness, depressed feeling, loss of appetite, digestive troubles, brain fag, or slow recovery from influenza and kindred ailments. A tonic, alterative and diuretic for blood and nerve disorders. 11 t&zZnr& a i v.- i i 1 i , . . . . I An intimate tale jj woman's love -life, jj ft) Samecast that U g V you saw in "On g H h With the Dance" g B H B NOW PLAYING B t Tv'- -r.: rf .v. jv .--.4