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DISHES FREE TO YOU
Yes, we are giving them away one with every $2.00
cash purchase, and the dish $4.00 worth ot . goods is
twice as good as the dish with $2 worth, and so
on up to a $10.00 purchase, with which you get a 3
piece set, consisting of Cream Pitcher, Sugar Bowl
and Butter Dish.
Jas. Muckle & Son's Department Store
St Helens, Oregon
lOJ
tOOOl
rooo
The "V n .
wegon rnsi
Founded 1881
Entered at the Postoffice rl St. Helens,
Oregon, at tecond-clasa at aii matter.
UlMd Er.ry F AU by
The MUt Publishing Company
George H. Flagf
Editor ai Manager
Subs cairriox Rates
One Tear $1.5
Sixtnonthf, .75
Advertisir rates made known on appli
cation. Legal notices 25 cents per line
County Official
Paper
THAT FIRE DEPARTMENT
Will we ever have a fire depart
ment in St. Helens? In the fire
last Monday night this city had
a narrow escape from destruction.
There was a high north wind
blowing, and had the city hall or
the Deming residence caught the
whole of the block in which they
are located would have inevitably
been burned. When the hose
cart was brought and the hose
attached to the hydrant it took
about five minutes to unwind the
first fifty feet or bo owing to the
fact that when it was put on the
cart it had not been wound prop
erly and one of the couplings
stuck out so that it interfered
with the drum on which the hose
was wound, keeping it from un
winding. If the hall had caught
at that time it would have had a
good start towards destruction
before anything could have been
done, and the way that the sparks
were falling on it the chances
appeared to be good for its burn
ing. It appears to be hard to find
some plan that would serve to
hold a company together, as the
ones who make the best firemen
are not really interested to the
extent of the merchants and
businessmen of the-town. To
get these men to drill and take
an active part in the matter of
fire protection there must be
soma tort of an inducement be
sides merely hard work and be
ing on hand every time that their
chief calls a drill. We have heard
a number of plan's suggested but
as yet none of them have been
tried. Before the Fourth of July,
when the danger from fire is
always great, a strenuous effort
should be made by the business
men to get the boys together in
this matter.
PENNY POSTAGE IN SIGHT
Wuhington (D. C), Port.
For the first time in 30 years,
according to Postoffice Depart
ment figures, the Postoffice De
partment is selfsustaining, and
Postmaster General Hitchcock
has returned to the Treasury
$3,000,000, that had been set
aside from the public funds to
defray the expenses of the de
partment for the current year.
The department has a surplus of
$1,000,000, gained from its own
earnings, and a handsome sur:
plus is looked for at the end of
the fiscal year.
The postal deficit at the end
of the last fiscal year was $17.
500, 000. To change this into
a surplus is a remarkable piece
of executive and administrative
work, of which President Taft
and Postmaster General Hitch
cock have reason to be proud. It
is not a promise, but a perfor
mance, and as such it puts all
other Government experts in
economy and efficiency upon their
mettle.
Now that the postal service is
paying its own way, why should
not one-cent postage be intro
duced? The department makes
money on first-classmail carriage,
and the immense increase of
business following one-cent post
age would go far to keep first
class carriage profitable. At any
rate, the deficit would be in
significant in comparison with
the benefits derived by the pub
lic. Postmaster-General Hitchcock
has already earned enduring
credit for his administration of
hi3 department, but it would be
a crowning achievement if one
cent postage could be established
during his incumbency. At the
rate he is now saving, this great
improvement could be made
during this administration with
out causing a deficit.
Boost for that Fourth of July
celebration at St. Helens.
The settling of the titles to the
land along the Strand is the talk
of the town, and there seems at
the present time to be some diff
erence of opinion as to the prob-
j able outcome of the suit brought
by the City. We understand
that at present Mr. Harris is the
only one who ha3 been served
with any papers in. the matter,
: but the people owning lands at
j the foot of the other streets will
j of course be made parties to the
suit. In the case of the suit on
the land at the foot of Cowlitz
Street the main matter for con
tention seems to be as to whether
that street runs clear through to
the river or ends in the Strand,
and in one case already tried the
judge held that it ended in the
Strand. The property at the foot
of the other streets will be easier
to quiet the title to than at the'
foot of Cowlitz. M. C. Gray also
owns a small building at that
point.
Help to make the Rose Show
at Clatskanie tomorrow a success.
This has become an annual event,
and in past has always been one
of the big things of the year at
the down river town,
ANNUAL SCHOOL MEETING
State Superintendent of Public
Instruction L. R. Alderman is
sending out pamphlets and letters
this year with the object of arous
ing more interest in the annual
school meeting that is held all
over the State on the 19th of
June. Part of the pamphlet is
as follows;
Please take the time on the
morning of the 10th to fo over
to the school house and look over
school grounds and buildings.
See if you can help to have con
ditions improved if they need im
provements; if they do not, may
I ask you to show your appre
ciation to the members of the
School Board who brought about
these conditions wjthout pay or
without thanks. Some of our
school buildings are very un
sanitary, and our schools will not
be what they should be until we
have the united support of all our
school patrons.
Yours for the best schools
possible,
L. R. Alderman.
We fiave heard considerable
comment as to the necessary
qualifications to vote at a school
meeting and print the following
for the information of those who
are in doubt;
Any citizen of this State, male
or female, who is twenty-one
years of age and ha3 rssided in
the district thirty days immedi
ately preceding the meeting or
election, and has property in the
district as shown by the last
county assessment, and not
assessed by the sheriff, on which
he or she is liable or subject to
pay a tax, shall be entitled to vote
at any school meeting or election
in said district; provided, that,
for the purposes of this section,
any man who has declared his
intention to become a citizen of
the United States, and has resided
in the State for six months im
mediately preceding the meeting
or election where he proposes to
vote, shall be considered a citi
zen of this State; provided further
that any person shall be deemed
to have complied with property
qualifications imposed by this
section who presents to the di
rectors or judges of election satis
factory evidence that he or she
has stock, shares or ownership
in any corporation, firm, or co
partnership which has property
in the district, as shown by the
last county assessment, and not
assessed by the sheriff, on which
such corporation, firm or co
partnership pays a tax, even
though his or her individual name
does not appear upon the tax roll;
provided further, that in districts
of the third class any head of a
family who is otherwise a qual
ified elector, and having child
ren of school age, may vote at
such election without property
qualifications.
NO USE TALKING
When you want the
best in Job Printing the
proper place to go is
THE MIST PRINT SHOP
ST. HELENS, OREGON
nrswrsmm rrvmi r a a 1 1 b m ra n a t rm y m t
j FINE STATIONERY
I For PARTICULAR People
We Are Confident of Our
. Ability to Please You.
A NEW LINE OF FOUNTAIN PENS
From One Dollar to Five
a a
i 7 arge Assortment of $ost Carts
.
Deming's Drug Store st. Helens, or.
' fl ujjUJLiejLU J
Columbia County Abstract
And Trust Co
Ab.racU,ReaI Estate, Insurance.
Loans, Conveyancing
St. Helens, Oregon
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