yr f
. 1
4 '
OREGON CITY COUlffi
33d Year
OREGON CITY, OREGON, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1915
Number 35
DRUGGISTS LIFE
T A HAPPY ONE
WAR IS NOT ONLY BUSINESS
FOE THAT MUST BE MET;
"ISMS" TAKE TOLLS
TRADE NOT AS IN OLD DAYS
Filling of Prescriptions now Least Im
portant Part of Game, Says One
Who Knows the "Inside''
"There are drugstores in our large
cities today that don't even pretend to
maintain a prescription department,"
said a veteran druggist to the Cour
ier the other day. "They hang out
an apothecary's sign, and then they
run a novelty store and get by with
it. Take it from me, the drug busi
ness is a fine thing to keep out of
these days."
The man had read the article that
' appeared in the Courier a couple of
weeks ago regarding the boost the
European war had given drug prices,
and of the way in which American
druggists were suffering from the
slaughter-fest abroad. And he want
ed to talk about his troubles.
. "Believe me," he said, "the war
isn't all that is driving the drugstore
men crazy. There are a lot of other
things. In the good old days it used
to be that the apothecary made a good
living from filing prescriptions that
the local doctors wrote. Pretty soon
the edge began to go from the pre
scription business, because the doctors
expected the druggist to print and
give him free nice little presscrip
tion blanks. The paper had to be
good stock and the printing had to be
fancy. Then the big patent medicine
companies began their advertising cam
paigns, and people quit letting the
doctor prescribe for them, and pre
scribed for themselves. If the drug
gist didn't carry every kind of patent
medicine there was, he began to lose
trade.
"And then the "isms'' began to hit
theb usiness. The doctors felt it first
and the druggist was right behind the
doctor to get the jab. There were
'drugless healers,' and 'scientists' and
'osteopaths' and neuropaths' and 'na
turpaths' and 'chiropaths' and a lot of
"Others, and they all had no use for the
druggist. ..Then the prohibition laws
came along and beleive me, until we
were prohibited from selling wine and
other things we didn't realize how
much profit there was in that side of
our business. And now the federal
government has come along and put
an awful damper on the sale of mor
phine, strychnine and other narcotic
drugs and while all of this is as it
should be, the poor druggist has anoth
er source of revenue taken away from
him.
"When the druggists first began to
feel the pinch they started in putting
a line of novelties, candy and cigars.
But did they make up their lost pro
fits on that? You bet they didn't.
The candy stores began to underbid
the druggist, the cigar store on the
corner got a fancy display case and
an electric sign, and funny writers in
the magazines began to knockingdrug
store cigars. And as for novelties,
why the drugstore has the fiercest kind
of competition for the straight novel
ty stores and as we can't begin to
carry as large stocks as they do, and
so can't buy as cheaply, we are hit
again.
"Honestly, the druggist is the hard
est hit man in the community these
days. Other business men may be
pinched by competition, but the drug-
gist is squeezed flat. People expect
a drugstore to be open all the time;
they expect a free telephone, and when
they do buy something it is usually a
five-cent stick of gum and two postage
stamps. And they kick if we don't
have stamps. About the only thing a
druggist makes an old-time profit on
now is soda water and ice cream, and
we have to put up about two thousand
dollars to get a showy fountain before
we get that business. No sir, the war
isn't the only thing that is 'knocking'
the druggist- it's a mighty poor bus
iness to start in right now.
"Just to show you that I mean this,
. and that it isn't moonshine, I want to
tell you about a friend of mine who
went to a large city and opened a
drugstore. He was wise to the game,
he was. He put in a soda fountain
and a lunch counter, a line of soap and
some stationery, and some candy, and
a lot of toys and some novelties, and
a couple of telephone booths, and a
branch posoffice, two dozen boxes of
live pills, and a gross of bottles of
headache cure, and then he put up a
big electric sign that said drugstore.
"The night he opened up an auto
mobile ran into a lamp post in front
of his place, and they brought the in
jured into the store. A doctor bob
bed up from somewhere, and told the
druggist to bring him some iodiform
gauze and some peroxide quick and
wanting to oblige and make a hit, the
druggist ran out the back door and
chased three blocks to another drug
store and bought the stuff, paying re
tail prices for it out of his own pocket.
And when he got back with it every
body was sore because it took him so
long to get it, one woman got hystei-
CIIAUTAUQUA HEAD QUITS
Harvey Cross Resigns Post After
Many Years Faithful Service
At a meeting of the directors of
the Willamette Valley Chautauqua as
sociation, held this week, the Hon.
Harvey E. Cross, for the past 23 years
secretary of the organization, resign
ed his office and declined to again ac
cept the responsible position which he
has so long and successfully held. Mr.
Cross will remain as a member of the
executive committee of the Gladstone
Chautauqua, and still retafhs owner
ship of the park where the annual
meetings are held. No successor for
the office of secretary has been select
ed. Mr. Cross, by his wise management
of the details of the annual Chautau
qua has been largely responsible for
the great success of the institution at
Gladstone, and which has drawn hun
dreds of people annually to the superb
camping and outing grounds where
the meetings are held. Under his di
rection the assembly hag grown and
prospered until it has attracted the
finest lyceum talent in the nation;
and that it has done a great deal of
good there is no doubt.
In giving up the detail manage
ment of the Chautauqua Mr. Cross
leaves the organization with all of its
debts paid and. with a balance of
some $1,800 in the treasury. Part of
this sum will probably be expended in
repairing the large auditorium and in
making improvements on the grounds
before the next season opens.
C. H. Dye was elected president of
the organization for the ensuing year
at this week's meeting, and commit
tees were named as follows; Execu
tive, C. H. Dye, H. E. Cross, W. A.
Huntley,; finance, John W. Loder, J.
E. Jack, George A. Harding; grounds
and restaurant, George A. Hoeye,
George C. Armstrong, Mrs. Jennie M.
Kemp; athletics, Chris Schuebel, F. A.
Olmsted and W. A. Huntley; transpor
tation, E. G. Caufield, Mrs. A. B.
Manley, Mrs. Emma M. Spooner. The
1916 program was left with the exe
cutive committee with power to act.
IDAHO GOVERNOR HERE
Moses Alexander Visits County Seat
and Great Woolen Mills
Moses Alexander, governor of Ida
ho, and "the only cultured democrat
in the Northwest," was a visitor in
Oregon City Tuesday of this week,
the guest of General Manager Jacobs
of the Oregon City woolen mills.
While here Gov. Alexander looked at
the elevator but didn't ride in it
had dinner at Mass's restaurant, and
inspected the woolen mills, which he
declared to be "the finest woolen
manufacturing plant in the North
west.'' The governor of Idaho made a very
large purchase of woolen goods, in
cluding mackinaw clothing, shirts and
blankets and a full assortment of les
ser goods; all of which will be .ship
ped to stores in which he is interest
ed in Idaho.
"Good times are coming quickly,"
said the visiting governor. "Every
where there are signs of increased
business, and I expect to see 1916 one
of the most successful years that the
country has seen.''
BIG CHANGE MADE
Oregon City Commercial Club now
Welcomes Visitors to City .
This week was an epoch-marking
time in Oregon City. This week saw
one of the greatest changes in the
county seat that ever occurred. This
week saw the disappearance of snob
bishness in certain quarters, and the
throwing wide of the portals of
friendship to the stranger .within our
gates.
THIS WEEK SAW THE WORD
PRIVATE" TAKEN OFF THE
DOORS OF THE COMMERCIAL
CLUB.
This action was taken at a meet
ing of the Board of Governors of the
club Wednesday afternoon.
The Courier, many, many months
ago, suggested that the door of the
Commercial club was about the poor
est place in the world for the word
"Private;" and urged the noble Ore
gon City boosters to at least appear
to welcome visitors to the city. The
Courier is glad to see that its criti
cism his resulted in a change; and
hopes it will be but the forerunner of
other changes for the better.
Canby "Pioneer" Dies
Tuesday afternoon as the well
known R. S. Coe happened into our
office we noticed that he was not in
the mood he usually is, and upon in
quiring of Mr. Coe what the main dif
ficulty was he informed us that his
old faithful servant horse, Prince,, had
died the morning before. Prince had
seen much hard service and had been
in the Coe family for over eighteen
years. R. S. stated that he passed
away at the ripe old age of 32 years.
(Canby Herald.)
"Printing with a punch" at the
Courier. x
ical, and the newspapers fund out
about it and next day roasted the place
to a frazzle in the press and two
weeks later that drugstore had a sign
on the front of it that read 'Closed by
the Sheriff.' Oh yes, the drug busi
ness is a fine business right now-
and if you sell school books, talking
machines, crockery, carpet sweepers
hot lunches and a side line of fresh
eggs. "
ULTIMATUM SEN!
y
IF MAIN STREET PAVING IS NOT
REPAIRED, PORTLAND CARS
WILL BE HALTED
CITY FATHERS SHOW SPIRIT
Council Meeting is Dull Affair till
Closing Moments, when Sparks
Begin to fly Right Merrily
City Attorney Schuebel was in
structed by the council Wednesday
evening to notify President Griffith,
of the Portland Railway, Light &
Power company, that unless his road
took immediate action to repair the
paving beside its tracks on Main
GOMPAN
For Clackamas County, Oregon, Containing Estimates of Pub
lic Expenditures for the Year 1916.
Notice is hereby given that on Tuesday, December 14, 1915 in the County
Court room in the City of Oregon City, a meeting of the County Court will
be held for the purpose of levying taxes to defray probable expenses of the
County, and that at said time and place any taxpayer subject to such levy
when made, may be heard in favor of or against any proposed tax levies a3
may be required to raise the amounts as shown by the itemized estimate of
contemplated expenditures from the moneys proposed to be raised by taxa
tion, as made by the County Court, being as follows:
Estimate of amount of money to be rasled by taxation for the year 1916
for each department of county government, also the tax levied by all school
districts, all road districts and all cities within Clackamas County, as pro
vided by Chapter 234, Laws of 1913:
Roads and highways $210,000.00
Bridges 30,000.00
Total ?240,000.00
Registration and election 9,000.00
Sheriff's Office . '
Sheriff salary : 1,700.00
Sheriffs chief deputy , 1100.00
Sheriffs special deputies - 900.00
Investigating crime, livery, etc 1,200.00
Stamps and stationery 25.00
Tax Department: Chief Deputy 1100.00
Second deputy 720.00
3 Deputies 3 months in spring 540.00
2 Deputies 2 months in fall 360.00
Stamps, stationery and post cards 235.00
Bond .' 210.00
Total 7,090.00
Clerk's Office
Clerk's salary ' , 1,500.00
Clerk's chief deputy 900.00 i.
Clerk's second deputy 840.00
Clerk's third deputy 720.00
Postage and box reni. 130.00
Two typewriters 125.00
Office supplies and stationery 125.00
Filing cases ' 50.00
Bond . 35.00
Total 4,425.00
Recorder's Office
Recorder's salary 1,200.00
Recorder's deputy's salary 900.00
Deputy and book machine operator 840.00
One book machine operator 780.00
Extra help 130.00
Stamps and box rent 100.00
Bond ' 10.00
Envelopes and stationery 35.00
Ribbons for book machine 25.00
Ink, pens, pencils, etc 10.00
Repair on book machines ... , 15.00
New book machine . . .' '. 210.00
Recovering records 30.00
Total 4.285.00
Treasurer's Office
Treasurer's salary 1,000.00
Treasurer's deputy 720.00
Listing and adding machine 396.00
Fire proof counter and shelves 750.00
Bond 176.00
Stamps, ink and pencils 60.00
Special receipt books 20.00
Total
Surveyor's Office
Cost of road surveys, viewers, chalnmen, markers,
and mileage 3,000.00
Office equipment and stationery 1,000.00
Road index maps 1,500.00
Typewriting 120.00
Total
Assessor's Office
Assessor's salary
Assessor's chief deputy 900.00
Assessor's second deputy .660.00
Assessor's third deputy 660.00
Assessor's Held deputies 1,800.00
Extending tax roll 400.00
Stamps and traveling evpenseB 35.00
Pens, Ink and office supplies 15.00
Total 5,720.00
Court House
Two janitors 1,500.00
Water 60.00
Wood 200.00
Coal 325.00
Brushes 32.00
Toilet paper 12.00
Towels .. 15.00
Mops 15.00
Lawn hose, etc 20.00
Oil 15.00
Locks and repairs 15.00
Glass 15.00
Ice 10.00
Plumbing 75.00
Lamps 30.00
Miscellaneous 25.00
Total 3,364.00
Circuit Court . 11,000.00
County Court
County Judge salary 1,200.00
Clerk hire 120.00
Postage and stationery 50.00
Ono County Commissioner 900.00
street, Oregon City, the police would
halt all cars at Greenpoint and for
bid the line use of the city's chief
business thoroughfare.
This action came as a result of a
two weeks' delay on the company in
paying attention to complaints sent
by City Engineer Miller, City Attor
ney Schuebel, and members of the
street committee of the council re
garding the condition of the Belgian
block between the streetcar rails and
the new hard surface paving of Main
street. Twice the company has prom
ised to send a crew of men to fix the
matter up, and the crew has not yet
appeared.
The trouble, according to City En
gineer Miller, is that water which
formerly seeped through the cracks of
the old brick paving is now unable to
find an outlet through the impervious
Worswick pavement, and so seeps
down between the Belgian blocks on
the interurban line right-of-way, and
sluices about beneath the ties, caus
ing the track to sink and expose the
edge of the hard surface pavement
which is being rapidly chipped off by
street traffic. The railway tracks
must be raised to grade again, it is
said, and the blocks between them
(Continued on Page 8)
OFFICIAL COUNTY BUDGET
3,121.00
5,620.00
1,250.00
M IIS
I
S
LABORER
IN SPITE OF TREMENDOUSLY
INCREASED PROFITS, LOW
WAGES ARE THE RULE
FEDERAL QUERY SHOWS FACT
Ownership of Plants Which is
of Importance to Everyone
(By Clyde H. Tavenner)
Thanks to an investigation of the
Bethlehem Steel Co.'s strike in 1910,
information is available as to con
ditions of labor in that' armor-mak
ing concern's plants. The inquiry was!
made by the United States Bureau of
One County Commissioner
Commissioners' traveling expenses
Total
Justice Court
Coroner
Insane
School Superintendent's Office
School Superintendent's salary
One school supervisor
Clerk
Expense of Superintendent
Truant officer
Postage and express
Supplies
Eighth grade examinations
Institute
Furniture
Teachers' examination
Total
Health Officer
Health nffioer's salary
Fumigating and disinfectants
Traveling expenses
Registrars
Total
Fruit Inspector, per diem and expense
Stock Inspector
Indigent Soldier
Widow s Pensions ,
Care of Poor
Cost of keeping
Hospital bills
Total
Jail .
Board of prisoners
Jail fixtures and supplies
Total
Juvenile Court
Juvenile officer . . .
Juvenile matron . .
Total
Scalp Bounty
Tax Rebate .
Printing and Advertising
Publishing County Court proceedings and expendi
tures Advertising for bids
Assessor Tax rolls, printing and advertising
Clerk Registers, journals and blanks
Recorder Blank records, deeds 54, mortgage 90,
chattel mortgage 18
Sheriff Cash books 120, receipts 150, post cards 20.
Total
State and County Fairs
For Purchase of County Fair Grounds.
Sealer of Weights and Measures
Rent of Armory , ....
Forest Fires . . . .'
Experting County Books
Damages
Cattle Indemnity
Insurance
Insurance on Court House.
Insurance on Bridges
Total
For State Tax, estimated .
For School Tax, estimated
For School Library Fund .
District Attorney's Office
Expenses in enforcing dry law..
Total
Schools
Library
Receipts Clerks' office
Receipts Recorder's office
Receipts Sheriffs office
Fines in Circuit Court
Fined in Justice Court
Total
HIGH SCHOOL
High School.
Oregon City
Milwaukie f
Canby
Estacada
Molalla
Colton
Sandy
Portland
Marion County
Yamhill County
Total
Balances on hand Nov. 1, 1915
Special-School fund
City fund
General fund
County School fund
County Fair fund
State School fund
Institute fund
1915 Taxes Collected
Total
Labor in 1910, under the direction of
Ethelebcrt Stewart, a special agent
of the Labor Bureau at the time, who
bore the reputation of being one of
the most experienced economic inves
tigators in the country.
When this strike began there were
no labor, organizations in the plant;
the company would not permit them.
It was the higher grade workres who
led off in the strike. Many of the highest-grade
men had appsoximately a
10-hour day. But they were fre
quently being required to work over
time on week days and to do addition
al work on Sundays. Fearing that the
encroachment of overtime and Sunday
work were leading to a 12-hour and
7-day schedule for the whole force,
they therefore protested. Therefore
the protesting committee was dis
charged; therefore the strike.
The Government investigation re
vealed this: .
Out of every 100 men 29 working
7 days every week; 43, including these
29, working some Sundays in the
month; 51 working 12 hours a day;
25 working 12 hours a day, 7 days
a week; 46 earning less than $2 a
day.
These are the grim figures which
(Continued on Page 8)
900.00
600.00
3,770.00
3,000.00
1.400.00
300.00
1,000.00
1,100.00
480.00
300.00
100.00
200.00
200.00
108.00
. 250.00
50.00
25.00
3,813.00
098 '20
1,000 00
300.00
250.00
2,248.20
500.00
60.00
300.00
11,000.00
10,000.00
2,000.00
12,000.00
1,000.00
100.00
1,100.00
500.00
500.00
1,000.00
550.00
450.00
1,600.00
200.00
550.00
500.00
102.00
290.00,
3,302.00
400.00
7,950.00
425.00
300.00
600.00
350.00
2,000.00
1,600.00
180.00
400.00
580.00
126,000.00
06,000.00
1,200.00
3,000.00
94,400.00
1,180.00
7,000.00
6,500.00
720.00
1,400.00
500.00
3,000.00
16.120.00
TUITION FUND
No. Scholars.
Rate.
Total
10,858.40
1,704.00
1,670.00
3,024.00
1,755.00
648.00
45.00
6,484.80
487.29
80.00
26,756.49
196
24
39
48
39
1
4
11
2
55.40
71.00
42.80
63.00
45.00
72.00
45.00
77.20
H.
1.
9.
li
V
813.89
752.81
541.34
450.78
.35
353.17
213.92
173.20
CR,472.2G
ELEVATOR
SUCCESSFUL TRIP
MUNICIPAL LIFT CARRIES ITS
FIRST LOAD OF HUMANITY
HIGH UP STEEL TOWER
NO CEREMONIES GREET ACT
Man Who Built First Steps on 'Face
of Bluff is among Passengers
To Make Initial Ride
Before 1874 anybody who wanted
to get to the top if the bluff in Ore
gon City had to trudge up the Singer
hill trail, or else could scramble over
one of the Indian paths that led up
the face of the rock wall that borders
the river back of the business section
of the city. Up at the top of the
bluff was the end of the old Oregon
Trail. In 1874 G. R. H. Miller built
a winding flight of wooden steps, sup
ported on tall joists, up the face of
the cliff, and people hailed the stair
way as a great improvement.
On November 15, 1915, 41 years
after the first steps were built, the
man who constructed the first "im
provement'' was lifted from the lower
city level, at the head of Seventh
street, to the top of the bluff without
any exertion on his part. For on that
day, which was last Monday Oregon
City's free municipal elevator made
its first trip, and G. R. H. Miller was
one of the first passengers to make
the ascent.
When Mr. Miller's first flight of
steps was completed, the pioneers of
that day thought a great feat had
been accomplished, and they celebrat
ed with a brass band and speeches.
When Mr. Miller went up, with others,
in the elevator, only a score of people
knew anything about it; and there
was no band and no speechmaking.
But in the intervening years, Mr. Mil
ler had see great changes in Oregon
City, and the few people remaining
who climbed the first steps had seen
a modern city grow about and be
yond those old steps.
Oregon City's elevator has been
long spoken of as the jinx of the
county seat. Though it was authoriz
ed three years ago, litigation and
grief delayed its operation until this
week and to further carry out the .
idea of the jinx, it is to be remarked
that thirteen people made the first
ascent in the car. Those who risked
the "hoodoo" and who boarded the
big iron cake for the first hoist .up
the steel tower, were: G. R. H. Mil
ler, John F. Albright, chairman of
the elevator committee of the coun
cil; W. A. Long, chairman of the
water committee of the council; Linn
E. Jones, mayor of the county seat;
the Rev. W. L. Milliken, pastor of the
First Baptist church; E. L. Shaw,
chief of police; E. R. Brown, George
Randall, I. Shockley, City Engineer
Miller, William Andresen, chairman
of the South Fork Water Commission,
W. L. Mulvey and an operative of the
Otis Elevator company.
The elevator went up to the top
of the tower at half speed, and after
a pause, came slowly down. . No ef
fort was made to make the trip in
quick time, as the elevator had not
been tested by the state labor com
missioner's office. Labor Commission
er Hoff will get around to this detail
as soon as office routine permits. The
initial ascent of the elevator was made
at 12:29 p. m., and no hitch occurred
to mar the trip.
The elevator requires 250 gallons
of water for each round trip. It will
accommodate 15 persons at a time,
and is designed to make 20 round
trips an hour. No charge will be
made for travel upon it during the
remainder of the year, and it is not
believed that the incoming council will
attach any charge to it.
Persistence in testing out the
"jinx" that has been hovering over
the elevator resulted in a "skidoo
party'' making the trip Tuesday at
noon, when 23 citizens made the as
cent. Nothing happened, and Jack
Albright, head of the elevator com
mittee, says that if the lift can car
ry 13 people one day and 23 the next,
it must be all right.
GLADSTONE MAY GROW
The Gladstone Commercial cluh has
called a meeting of interested citi
zens for Friday evening, at which
time plans, for the enlargement of
Gladstone will be taken up. The plan
that will be laid before the meeting
calls for the annexation of all terri
tory north to Glen Echo, and west to
the banks of the Willamette. It is
also possible that the lively city will
consider stretching its boundaries
south along the river till it meets
those of Oreeon Citv. and including in
Gladstone the "China gardens.'
I he increased territory is desired
to give Gladstone property with an
assessed valuation of close to a mil
lion dollars, so that with a three-mill
levy many improvements may be
made. Good and modern roadways
directly on the line of Portland travel,
are among the betterments that will
be proposed if the annexation scheme
is approved by those property owners
who will be effected.