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About La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 1917)
$r It Mtftt ft mum Mtat i If! 8-3 II 1 tint IS if VOLUMIS XVJI. Why Shouldn Christmas in Union and Wallowa Counties, Amid Prosperity and Plenty He Merry? -8 X I , UP- TO-DATE CITY BUSINESS HOUSES AUK ALEUT, CIVIC AND SOCIAL INSTI TUTIONS AUU ACTIVE RAILROAD AND IN DUSTRIAL CENTER TOO Public IttlilclinirH. ('hiirrheu. Tmlire Itlliltliniru . Ai-,1 Klllir,.,. ixf Pfi.l,, ' Assessed Valuation of City $;i,758, 000 Tax Levy Three Mills. La Grande is the payroll city and olso a home city. It has many civic and social ad vantages, as well as being a railroad and industrial center. It is doing ahead. Extensive im provements are made every year. When you are writing to your friends about La Grande, keep some of the following ponts in mind: I.a Grande takes pride in its effi cient school system, v.hich embraces three modern and well equipped grade schools, a hifcth school and a corps of 4(i teachers. As d railroad division point , Lu Grande is the center of a throli'd-i.-c system .which brings to the city a payroll of $J0n,UUu monthly. I.a Grande is tho county scat of Union county, and. as it is the ter minal of the Joseph blanch line, which extends through Wallowa county, It draws from the '.Wallowa country as well. La Grande churches arc wide awake LA GRANDE I La Grande I "VAisi' .Pi '8.. Vv?$t 1 1 William Ilcllons, Division Superintendent if , J. F. Corbctt. AmI. SuprrinU-ndi-nl 3 I PHONE 03SERVER YCUR WANT ADS. MAIN 37 i4 and well attended, brilliant pastors have varied the work with unusual success. The population is nearly 70IJ0. The local business men are ener getic and have kept well abreast of the times. Three motion picture houses, show ing the best of films, furnish the en tertainment for the city for the greater part of the year. The library, postofficc, courthouse and other public buildings are modern and of pleasing nrrhitcilurul design. The library is well equipped and effi ciently managed. The Elks Home is a beautiful build ing of which the city is proud. Industries in La Grande include: Three sawmills. Cigar factory. . Large and modern packing plant. Tailor shops. Cider mill. Flour mills. . Bottling Works. Creameries. Ilex factories. Laundries. Electric light plant. Well equipped garages. Florist. Dairies, llakery. Wholesale houses. Two telephone companies. Foundry am! iron works. Two modern banks, lirick yard. Two taxi cab companies. J.n Grande has a modern paid fire department, equipped with an up-to-date motor truck. An efficient volun teer corps of fire fighters is also con stantly in readiness. The V. M. C. A. is filling its plate in the community with unusual suc cess. The "Y" is popular with the young and old alike and is a valuable asset -lo the community. The commission form of govern ment is in operation in La Grande. The city commission has three mem bers. The city manager is appointed ( by the commission. The city tax levy is three mills. (Continued on Page Two) S)t i V V' - i 1? s.j,x.lj,,xj lUL 1L I.. Lvon. IhviKtoii I.iviuu'i'r AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER PRINTS THE NEWS SATUUDAY, l)K('KMi:i:it 15, 1)17 POLICY OF itmsymuxtai.s ix k1hcat10x akio j:.mi'i,oyi;i in am, ;i:aii:s EQUIPMENT IS MODERN AND WELL SELECTED liegular Attendance Is Insisted I'pon I'm-onl-Teiicliers Association Co operates Course of SI inly Care tnlly I-'ollowcd I'nlilotic Duties Fulfilled. lly A. C. HAMPTON (Superintendent La Clrando Schools) The policy of the school adminis tration this year is to emphasize the ftinilnmoatais in education frum the first grade in tho elementary schools lo the last year in the high sehol. Mo far as material equipment Is con c mod the LaGrande schools compare favorably with any schools of their size in the slate, so I lie present policy is to utilize tho advantages tliat are afforded, in that tho maximum of educational efficiency may oe ac complished. It is held by the ad ministration as being self evident that the maximum of educational ef ficiency, cannot bo arioached.-UnliiflB certain fundamentals in edu.Mt'oiiii! adminisfi'ction bo cnnsisleii-.'. car ried out in each of the schools. The first of tho above mentioned fundamentals that Ih being insisted upon is attendance. The atteifliou of the parents through the I'urcnt Teachers Association is being called SCHOOL BOARD OUT 0 . &. N. Division Point, Railroad Men Active, Payroll I.a flramlc is pmud of the fact that it is a division point, that the admin istration of tho Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation company is centered in this city. Tho past year has been a husy one for the railroad men. The war has hnmjrht on great worries and resnon fjihilitios. The traffic on the main line and the branch line has been heavy. Supplies of great value ha'o beer, shipped to the allies and to the government. Vigilance ban been m quired at every point. This means bard work; watchfulness increases tho strain. The importance of keeping traffic moving, of giving the puoli:1 good servkc v-as never greater than it is today. It. is to the credit of S'iMeriaiend"nt William ItoHons and the nin of bis divi.sim thsit traffic h;is been kept movinjr winter ur suinnier;- there has been no congestion on this division. In every way the men have risen to their responsibilities and have grvci good service. Resides doing their railroad v:.t;k, which is just now a 'national and pa triotic i-ccessity, th" railro:id uvn have also given of their means to the patriot it service of the government. The men of this division suhs'.'ri'xM over MMJ.Oim to the first liberty loan and over $."$Mtun tothe sc.orrl. Ti es' amount!) went in to help swell up La Grande'? totals. Tl,e liberal sunpnrt of the g-,t'rr-ment by the railroad men uaa nnii--possible by the fact that the Union l'a. f s system, through hurman I,oett, made arnngements lo ab tw th-; men to purchase bom's on thj m stalln:cnt plan. The railroad bought and pa'd cash for the bonds, and t'-.e men wJv: desire buy the bftn'!. n month!;- payments. Many of th'1 rail road men, however, paid cash for thur Liberty bonds. When the Red f'r tss campaign came on and Union county's mrota was ove" ij-'lo.OOO, the railroad mn entered into the spirit of the occasion and th" rail road men's team went out and mad'. good. They did likewise for the Arniy V. M. C. A. Not a single campaign has gone on for n mitionnl cau:-:e in which the railroad men have tint pu. their shotiiderp to the wlii'v!. One of the bigyest evnts n( the year from a patriotic sndpoinl was the raising of the benuliful Am'ri-!u; flag over the flagpole at th? I.a (irandc station. The f l iepole and thr o-v t r-flv jeN to the absolute necessity of regular attendance on tho part of thu pupils, if they would hope lo make satis factory pro gross. Course of Study. 1 Then another matter that is con sidered of great importance is the necessity of following tile course of study definitely grado by grade. The teachers, In co-oporation with the principals and superintendent, are endeavoring to check up by a series of tests In each grade, in order that tho work of each grade may be mastered before pupils are promoted to the next higher grade. It Is the feeling of all the 'teachers that this is one of the very important tjiings to be accomplished, ami through tho In-arty co-operation of the parents it will be accomplished. School Work Followed The board of education and the whole organization is insisting that the pupils be held consistently to the regular school work, and that inno vations which interfere with the school work be eliminated so far as possible. The community has responded in a splendid manner to the appeals that the schools have made for eo-oporn-tion in all matters, and the teachers are especially grateful to the com munity for not insisting that the chil dren be taken from their regular work for participation in community affairs, unless it is a matter of vital necessity.' The schools have been pleased to co-operate in matters of general pa triotic concern, anil through the agency of the schools the food pledge cards were placed in P!) per cent of the homes of I.a Grande and over $500 was raised for the local and army Y. M. C. A. Fire Drills The schools are emphasizing the necessity for adequate fire drills, and it is particularly gratifying to know (hat the Central Building holds the state record for fire drills, having j emptied the building of -150 pupils in -1 1 seconds. Tho enrollment, although Increas- Continued on Page 4.) I .A. J. Martin, La (irandc Storekeeper. I One of the Oldest Pioneers of the j La Grande Officials. I flag are presents of the O.-W. K. N. : to tile .shopmen. When the war broke out., the simp men wanted to raise a big flag over the shops. They com municated th(.ir desires to Superin tendent Hollons and. much to their gratification, found that the company was willing to furnish the fl::g and the flagpole, which "re the largest in K;'stcrn Oregon. The raising of the1 flag was made a patriotic occasion here with a parade and speeches and i!h mu-'h to arou,.e the spirit of tho community at the outbreak of the war One of the big const rurtive, things j that President Kai rell has cn-nurnged Uiis year is the planting f the iaif 1 road riglit-tf-way. He. had started jthis before the w;:r and befoie the I frnd eonservat ion movement. When ! the war came, the movement was -! celerated. Many of the railroad men I are planning garden on the right-of-way and thereby reducing their cost I of living. I Another mov-ment which th- O.-W. j IL N. Co. fostered throughout t!ii: j territory was tho food garden cam ' paign, the O.-W. sending out a special . train with Par mer Smith and O. A. ('. , demonstrators to teach the people ! what to t and how to raise it. j Another Ing event was the O.-W. ' employes' picnic this summer, when two trains were run from La Grande to -lo.-eph, the ien taking their fami lies, find snorts and amusements be ' il g enjoyed at Wallowa lake. THE DAY IT HAPPENS SUCTION TWO PAYROLL CITY YEA ULY DISBURSEMENTS LAHOU OVEIt TWO MIL LIONS A YEAH TO RAILROAD AND SAWMILLS PAY OUT LARGE SUMS O.-W. It. & X. Payroll Alone Is Over One Hundred Thousand Dollars n Month Sawmills Pay Out Over; Sixty Thousand Dollars a Month. The payroll of La Grande is the second largest in tho slate of Ore gon, exceeding $2,000,000 per year. This is not an exaggerated statement but is an actual fact, founded on statements made by employers of la I or, and this Is tho direct payroll money paid to employes, .and docs not take into consideration tho largo sums of money that are paid out for ma terials, fruit, vegetables, hay, grain, cattle, hogs, lumber, oct, and which money is retained in circulation in the community. The O.-W. U. & N. payroll for this division is $170,000 per month, or 0-10,000, of which $100,000 per month or $l,liOO,000, is distributed to La Grande employes. A large portion of the other $KI0,000 per year also gets distributed here in La Grande, this being tho central point of tho two counties. The railroad employs in their shops at La Grande ;i20 men, 100 engine LA GRANDE HAS RECORD OF LARGE i ,ll jfe . " .A.- E S 1 M b A & -.W C "i lrWBf JB. tJ. ttfliN5l ( i.-"5-i-..-V!l.rJ';- -'! Kccne on j t'oiniii;,- down to in.'i'crial thiti;st I I few persons rcali.e wlia the presence IM LIC tllVIl(III 1 1" Ml L Ilie.UIS lO I.a ' i . i , .1 - ' ity' .-ii-.u'ii-I I..-I (ireinie. The riiih-oad j payroll for the I.a Cran-le division is j j ITIi.'.nn tn S:!(il,liiio a uionlh. The p.ij roll for the employes in I.a llran-le: al s fioil.oim a iiioiitn, or Xl,xlii,. j '(( a year. I ! One huii'ln-il engine crews operate I j upon the division. 1 Review of Religious Conditions In the City of La Grande Inning the past ye; r, there have been a number of changes in the min isterial ranks. The Rev. 0. L. Clark, the genial pastor of the Presbyterian church, was given an extended leave last dune, in order to fill the post of s'cretary in the Y. M. V,. A. at Camn Lewis, American Lake, Wash. His pulpit has been filled by supplies dur ing his absence. As he may be sent to Prance short ly, this may necessi PHONE THE OBSERVER YOUR NEWS. MAIN 37 l'Alil'lS 1 TO 8 crews, besides section hands uiul other employes. The lumber interests are extensive and have a very large payroll, that of tho Palmer Lumber company ex ceeding on an average $.0,00Ua month, or $180,000 per year. The Grande Uonde Lumber .com pany's payroll exceeds $20,000 per month, or $210,000 per year. The Grande Uonde Meat company's payroll averages $2,500 per month. The threo department stores distribute- $11,000 per month, or $.10,000 pel year. The eight garages and selling agen cies' payrolls amount to $3,800 per month, or $10,00(1 per year. The payroll of the Daily and Week ly Observer and the Arcade and Star theatres amounts to over $;13,000 per year, or $2,7fiO per month. Tho two laundries distribute be tween $ 18,000 and $20,000 in wages each year. There- are a largo number of other industries and stores in La Grande which add very materially to the pay roll, so that the statement that La Grande has a payroll in excess of $:!, 000,000 per year is a very conserva tive statement. Taking into consideration tho amount of other money that is dis tributed in Jji Grande and its imme diate contributory territory, La Grande is undoubtedly the second city in the state of Oregon as far us pay roll and distribution of money. La Grande, outside of its employes payroll, distributes sums in very large figures lo its ranchers for wheat that is sold but not reserved for seeding, j us the great Grande Rondo Valley is very productive and raises large quan tities of wheat, barley and oats. Tho buy yield is also heavy as the valley is noted for its alfalfa crop.' It is also a great stock feeding sec tion, Union and Wallowa counties feeding large flocks of sheep and big herds of cattle. Carload after carload or hogs are also shipped from this point as the distributing center of the two counties. The income from the fruit industry (Continued on pngo 4.) l .v .a. . A 1 he O.-W. It. & N., Showing ihc Track V'he shops me a uroul institution 1 A-ith l-.!0 employes on Hie payroll -,P ' l-C' :-f IIMt -t, I iPU-l'IIM'U.M. it llll lll'i 11,11111 ..I It , mi . ti . . IM" NflOpS, 1 rMlfMiniMISC .'1 1 1 1 1 I IH I l, 1 1 1 M . : I nii'l' have all ii-,-.-ived i-ie.-.-, ,'lur- in,; Hie last year. ai die head f the division is Wil oc;i:ri.lnein. i nc nicn ;ne wi-n i:'im j.im ;ons, who presides over his' family without friction, .laim .-. Coi heU is assistant sil:erilitcli'h lil . II. I.. I.yon is ilivisioii enirinecr, 1.. A. McAllister division storekeeper: .1. W. tate his resignation if the war contin-J 'ues for an indefinite period, lie has' been greatly missed, and many a fer- vent prayer for his preservation will be offered by his host of friends. j j The llev. Lr. Kdwards of the Pirsl i Methodist church was transferred to Ashland, Oregon, lo the general regret of the community, in which he Win ! deservedly. Hut his place is aceept 'ablv filled by the Lev. O. 11. reeve, luH,,.M,J! ...uc. . - 1 , ..I NUMBKIt 9!) ? In the Midst : of Plenty, Let Vh See That the Poor and Needy, hcrevcr 'Ihey Arc, Are Not Overlooked. AITEU CHOPS AUK HAItVESTF.I), GLANCE IN RETROSPECT SHOWS THIS COUNTY AGRICULTURIST REVIEWS PAST YEAR Wheat Crop lillO.000 Hushed Pota toes Surpass Expectations Sep tember Rains llring On New Grass and Restore (he linage. By PAUL II. SPILLMAN, , County Agricultural Agent. We of Union county huve enjoyed a variety td extreme weather condi tions dunmr tho season of 1017. May be we have not altogether enjoyed our seasonal extreme:); to tell the truth, our moods correspond closely with the weather, and why should they not? The man who is largely made or -ruined by seasonal conditions or ec centricities ol the weather, most nat urally feds optimistic or otherwise, depending upon what he considers tho immediate or ultimate effects the weather will have upon his crops or upon his livestock, directly or indi rectly. Still, when, we take a back-: ward look at tho close of the year, and particularly this season, wo must ad mit that ' it wasn t as bud as it might -have beoir' and, in fact, I believe we -of Union county can pretty nearly sav as much at the close of almost any (Continued on Page 4.) Large 3 -.Ari ' "l 1 v "v (urdcn.s l.'unell, chief clerk; A. .1. Murlin, Kirokeeier. .1. II. Ivroiioy is city . j jr J . . . , .... I . . , 1 1 1 K c-1 nircnl. Hie inevlianical depart- l"",lt ' ' chaise of the follovviiiR: , ' - Thomas, master incchnriii-; .1. M. : Hurley, cencial foicnian of locomo- live departini-al; .1. T. Itidcnaur, e;en eral foreman of shops; A. (.'. McClel land, general f-n-enian of car de(iarl iiient; S. Imryea, foi-eniun of ni;:ht roundhouse force. I). I)., who same here from Portland. Or. Kce.se is a student nnd a srhoir.r, ami no doubt be will win his way as his predecessor did. The Kev. .!. ,L Tickn::r of the P.aptist church will soon leave. While his stay here has been brief, yet hi.i work has horns fruit of which his successor will reap the benefit. (Continued on Page Three) NATURE S BEEN 10 UNION
