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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