Oregon City courier., January 25, 1917, Image 1

OREGON. CITY COUEffi
Eugene,.,- -"""' '
34th Year
OREGON CITY, OREGON, THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 1917
Number 45
EBY RE-ELECTED
CLUB
PRESIDENT
$1,500 PUBLICITY FUND IS SE
CURED BY LOCAL COMMER
CIAL ORGANIZATION
REVIEWS WORK OF THE YEAR
Hedges, Morris, Brodie Are Again
, Members of Board of Club
Governors
0. D. Eby, Oregon City attorney,
was re-elected president of the Com
mercial club at the meeting of that
organization on Saturday evening.
Dr. L. A. Morris, Joseph E. Hedges
and E. E. Brodie were re-elected as
members of the board of governors.
The feature of the meeting was the
report covering the year's work, and
outlining the activities for the coming
year, read by President Eby. , The
report shows a cash balance in club
funds of $480.62, after paying $2608.
97 to carry on Commercial club work
during the year.
The $1,500 publicity fund; to be
used in the publication of general in
formation and for carrying on all
work of the club, including some new
and highly important undertakings,
has been raised by the club, according
to President Eby's report. The ex
penditure of the fund will rest with
those contributing to it, and to get
the sentiment of these business' men
a meeting will be called at an early
date.
In his annual report President Eby
said in part:
. "During the year your board ' of
governors has endeavored to work in
co-operation with the county court of
Clackamas county, and with the farm
ing communities in an endeavor to
bring about a permanent system of
road construction and in this connec
tion have co-operated with the Port
land Automobile club and other pro
gressive clubs and organizations to
comprehend the road situation and
to take advantage of modern thought
and experiment in bringing the sys
tem of good permanent roads, which
it i evident to all thinking persons
is near at hand, and your committees
are now engaged in an earnest effort
to establish the permanent location
of the Pacific highway on the ' east
side of the river from Salem to Ore
gon City and then to Portland on the
west side through Oswego, and
through the aid of our county court
and our state highway commission,
both largely assisted by federal aid,
it is hoped that within the near fu
ture a permanent hard surface road
will be constructed over this route.
In connection with this permit me to
say, that our club has co-operated
with the county court in securing two
additional mills for permanent road
work this year.
"As president of your club, it af
fords me pleasure to report to you
that arrangements have just been
completed whereby the publicity com
mitee of our club have again secured
the co-operation of our business peo
ple with contributions with which to
carry on the work for the coming
year, and that more than $1500 has
been subscribed for this purpose, thus
securing a more active program of
publicity and in connection therewith
a greater opportunity for co-operation
with our neighboring counties
and cities.
"Within the last ten days matters
of local interest to us have transpired
in rapid succession and among these
things I mention the following:
"Last week a bill was introduced
in congress by Representative Haw
ley of this district appropriating the
sum of $80,000 for the purpose of
deepening the government locks at
our falls,- and considering the fact
that the dredging of the lower river
has brought about the condition re
quiring this deepening, it seems im
possible that such appropriation
should not be made.
"Only yesterday the bill appropri
ating $70,000 by our national congress
for a public building at Oregon City
passed the house and we are informed
that it will encounter little difficulty
in the senate, and it seems that our
long continued effort for a public
building -will at last be crowned with
success.
"At our present session of the Ore
gon legislature an effort is being
made to annex Oswego, including 13
sections of land, to Multnomah coun
ty, and another effort is being made
by certain citizens of Estacada to
form Cascade county out of the east
ern portion of Clackamas county.
"Our club has stood behind the or
ganized effort to oppose these meas
ures, and on the 18th inst. a special
train with about 75 citizens of Oregon
City and Clackamas county was taken
to Salem, where a public hearing be.
fore the proper committee was had.
"Taking the situation as a whole
we feel that our club and our city and
county should face the future with
optimism. As shown, there has been
a substantial growth of our business
industries which has brought about a
corresponding growth and increased
(Continued on page 8)
OSWEGO'S SECESSION
DEFEATED AT SALEM
DIMICK LEADS ATTACK AFTER
0
VISIT OF LARGE DELEGA
TION FROM CLACKAMAS
That the visit to Salem last Thurs-
day of a delegation of 75 Clackamas
county people opposed to the seces
sion of 13 square miles of territory
in the northwestern corner of the
county was successful would seem ap
parent from the fact that senate bill
No. 29, introduced by Senator Her-
mon C. Lewis, has been defeated
through an adverse report from the
senate committee on counties.
Providing for the annexation of
Oswego and 13 square miles of
Clackamas county territory to Mult
nomah county, the Lewis bill was pre
sented in the house and referred to
the counties committee, comprising
Senators Orton, Dimick and Lienen
weber. Senators Dimick and Lienen
weber caused the defeat of the bill
by their majority report against it.
Senator Orton, the third member of
the committee, submitted a minority
report favoring the bill and moved
that his report be adopted in place of
the majority report.
Senator Dimick took up the attack
on the bill on the floor of the senate
and lead arguments against its adop
tion for nearly an hour, during which
time he presented a great mass of
facts and figures as to why the bill
should be defeated. The result was
a vote of 25 to 3 against the bill..
NET FISHERMEN ARE
IMPORTANT TO CITY
UNION DECIDES TO FIGHT FOR
RIGHTS ON RIVER HERE.
. SENDS MEN TO SALEM
That the net fishermen who an
nually congregate for profit on the
Willamette at 'Oregon City will fight
to the last for the preservation of an
industry that brings into the city
each year from $30,000 to $50,000,
became evident at a mass meet
ing at the Commercial club parlors
on Monday evening when the net fish
ermen presented their case publicly.
The fishermen will appeal to the
legislature to prevent, if possible, any
change in the dead line for net men,
unless it be put back close to the lad
der, and they will not tolerate a com
promise with sportsmen, it was de
cided at the meeting. In good sea
sons the net men make almost $50,-
000 from their fishing here, and still
the fish died in great numbers because
they cannot get over the ladder in the
falls without bruising themselves.
There was little opposition Monday
night to the desire of the net men to
have the deadline put back close to
the falls, as the general opinion was
that they should be allowed to profit
from the fish that would die by the
thousands if they were not taken
from the river. Anglers, it was said,
could not relieve this situation.
The organized fishermen will pre
sent their case to the state legisla
ture through the following commit
tee, appointed Monday by Charles
Gates, chairman of the meeting: Jo
seph E. Hedges, ex-senator, and B.
T. McBain, of the Commercial club,
and T. R. Haines, Charles Gates and
A. Natherline, of the Fishermen's
ion.
Mr. Hedges, M. A. Magone, H. L.
Kelley and Thomas Myers were
among the speakers at the meeting.
Of course, the net fishermen
haven't all the best of it, and before
their desires are realized they may
have a warm fight on hand. The fol
lowing resolution has alrady been
signed by the men whose names" ap
pear upon it:
We, the undersigned citizens of
Oregon City and Clackamas county,
wish to express ourselves as against
net fishing in the waters of the Wil
lamette river south of the Clackamas
river and are heartily in favor of the
Gill bill closing the Willamette river
to ne fishing from a point 1 miles
south of the Oswego bridge to the
falls. Signed: H. F. Tschirgi, H.
Wetzler, T. P. Randall, W. R. Logus,
R. E. Young, E. Schwab, R. L. Shep
herd, M. J. Gleason, R. J. Holton, B.
J. Staats, R. D. Wilson, Raymond P.
Caufield, Ralph J. Parker, M. A. El
liott, R. P. Friedrich, Chas. B. Bol
pea zlWee,t thehomeE SSYGD
linger, Harry E. Draper, Walter El
liott. R. H. Trullinger. R. W. Niles.
Luther McNulty, J. Spagle, Wm. Let
tenmaier, Chas. Risley, M. G. Nobel,
Dabid A. Mobley, L. J. Lageson, C. C,
Lageson, B. Barlow, T. B. Hayhurst,
F. J. Meyer, Wm. Fesseldin, Harvey
Hoots, H. B. Miller, W. Cannon, H,
Soule, Herman Buse, T. E. Carrico,
R. E. Shea, T. Delacour, L. West,
Roy Newman, Harry Stevenson, Leo
Hohn, W. B. Helsby, M. Goetz, El
mer Bowes, Lester V. Barllard, L. G.
Clayton, E. Frederick, Wm. Bower,
Erora C. Shively, E. E. Hamlin, A.
J. Todd, Thos. Sinn, Geo. Fields, J.
H. Fields, A. C. Lofton, F. B. Stur-
gis, G. A. Burrell, Fred Berard, Louis
Pays, G. B. Thomas, J. F. Tidd, C. D,
Helsey, J. Straight, E. Bittner, R.
Bittner, L. H. Feaster, L. W. Smith,
BLAST FURNACES
ARE DISMANTLED
INDUSTRY FAILS TO PAY DIVI
DENDS. WILL BE SOLD
AS JUNK
OSWEGO PLANT WAS PIONEER
Great Fortunes Foreseen by Those
Who Erected Plant and Mined
Iron 50 Years Ago
The faded dream of another day
the Spanish castle that was really
built, but which failed to hold the
riches that had been foreseen by the
builders, is being torn down at Os-
wego. And with the process goes one
of Clackamas county's landmarks and
what promised to be one of the most
successful enterprises in the . state.
The Oregon Iron & Steel Co., is dis
mantling its blast furnaces and will
sell the metal as junk in the hope of
regaining a little of the fortune put
into the undertaking. .
It was here, on August 24, 1867,
that the first pig iron in the United
States west of the Rocky mountains
was made, and it came from ore
mined two miles west of the present
town of Oswego, seven 'miles south
of the business center of Portland.
There were many effervescing
hearts around the modest hamlet of
Oswego at that time. Wonderful
things were expected by the people
as a result of the new venture. There
were visions of an enormous payroll.
There were others of great business
structures, beautiful, homes, splendid
churches, palatial theatres and all the
concomitants of a live metropolis.
There were those expecting that
location to become the heart of Port
land. It would require substantial
banking houses' to handle the finances
of the industries which would spring
up. There would be rolling mrlls ad
jacent to the river. There would
come carwheel foundries, and machine
shops would help consume the pro
duct of the furnaces. Carshops would
supply railroads with their rolling
Btock, and steamships would receive
their Equipment of . machinery from
Oswego. A Pittsburg on a modest
scale was to spring up and flourish,
because there would be a demand for
its manufactures.
But, alas, the Mesaba Iron range of
Minnesota was discovered. There
was a valley there with iron ore on
one side which could be mined with a
steam shovel. On the opposite side
coal mines were found, and alongside
these limestone sufficient to last the
workers 1000 years! The Oswego ore
was low grade and solid as a rock.
Fir wood must be converted into char
coal to heat the furnaces, and lime be
brought from an island of Puget
sound. All this cost money, and the
result was that pig iron from the
Mesaba mines could be laid down in
Portland cheaper than it could be
produced at the Oswego plant, and for
this reason the industry proved a fi
nancial failure.
Though pig iron was produced in
1867, the company was not incorpor-
ated until 1888. At that time the
project was reorganized by the Ladd
family and the lata Simeon G. Reed,
and is now the property of the Ladd
estate, Reed college and one or two
other small interests.
For a time the feasibility of ship
ping ore from iron deposits of con
siderable magnitude in Mexico, owned
by the company, has been under con
sideration, but the idea has appar
ently been abandoned. Again it has
been claimed that rich ore from Chile
could be laid down here at a 'small
figure and the plant might be utilized
in smelting it. Serious consideration
was given to this aspect of the situa
tion, but this, too, according to the
judgment of the owners, would not
prove profitable. Then the present
extremely high price of iron looming
up as it does before the eyes of the
management, doubtless has had an
influence in determining the destruc
tion of the plant, the cost of which
has been upward of $300,000. ,
"There are hundreds of tons of iron
and steel up there which may be re
covered," says A. S. Patulo, secre
tary and general superintendent.
"Just how many we do not know, but
there is an immense quantity. The
capacity of the vorks is 125 tons each
24 hours, and its magnitude may be
judged from that. Its smokestack,
10 feet in diameter, is 160 feet high,
and there is an 800 horsepower engine
in good condition. The smokestack
and other parts of the outfit will be
available in the construction of
drums, and with present prices of
such material this is to be considered
an auspicious time in which to mar
ket it."
Left until the iron and steel mar
ket returned to normal, it is not like
ly that it would pay to dismantle the
works, but now that the scrap can be
sold for probably $30 to $40 a ton, the
receipts will help in a modest way to
make good losses of former times,
The Vulcan Welding company will
have charge of the work of the wreck
ing. Its oxy-acetylene tanks will be
moved up the river, and the steel
MANY SCHOOLS JOIN
IN PLANS OF LEAGUE
PRIZES OFFERED IN CONTESTS.
STORY WRITING MORE POP
ULAR THAN ATHLETICS
Forty-three schools have joined the
new Clackamas School league, organ
ized under the direction of Brenton
Vedder, county school supervisor, and
Superintendent J. E. Calavan. The
purpose of the league, as explained by
Mr. Vedder,, is the encouragement of
such work as debating, oratorical and
declamatory contests, short story and
essay writing and athletics, and the
plans include inter-school contests
throughout the county. In addition
to the ,43 grade schools which have
become members of the league, there
are seven high schools, including
those at Oregon City, Milwaukie, Mo
lalla, New Colton, Cahby, Williamette
and Estacada.
Mr. Vedder has outlined rules for
the contests in the several divisions
of endeavor which will be followed by
the members of the league, and while
some of the schools have entered only
one or two of the six divisions, there
is to be a great deal of activity in all
the branches. The same rules for a
given branch of the work will apply
to both grammar and' high schools.
An odd feature of the participation
of the total of 50 schools entered in
the league is that the majority of
them have evidenced greater interest
in short story writing than in any
other of the branches outlined. Of
the entire number of schools only six
have failed to enter the short story
writing branch. .
While athletics might appear to be
a greater attraction to the average
school pupil, it is a fact that less than
half of the 50 schools have entered
this branch. This is partly explained
by the fact that some of the schools
must limit their athletic activity and
make it decidedly local. All the high
schools have entered the athletic di
vision. It is proposed to "organize
grammar and high school baseball
leagues for inter-school contests.
The essay writing has had an in
centive added through the cash prizes
posted by A. King Wilson, mayor of
Oswego, and through other 1 prizes,
such as cups and pennants, that may
be given. For essays on "Clackamas
County Wagon Roads, Past, Present
and Future," the following cash priz
es have been posted: $5 for the best
essay by a "grammar school student;
for the second, $4; third, $3; fourth,
$2; fifth, $1. For the best essay by
a high school student, $4; second, $3;
third, $2; fourth $1.
The high schools which have taken
membership in the league are enter
ing generally into the several divi
sions, with athletics unanimous. On
ly one has failed to enter short story
writing, essay writing and declama
tory contests. - Oratory has attracted
only three high schools, while four
have entered debating.
Grammar schools in the following
communities have taken membership
in the league: Milwaukie, Canemah,
Meadowbrook, Mundorf, Macksburg,
Oak Lawn, Maple Lane, Concord,
Stone, Bolton, West Linn, Molalla,
Liberal, Marks Prairie, Needy, Mt.
Pleasant, Harmony, Douglas Ridge,
Bee Hill, Barclay, Eastham, Brown's
Tracy, Dryland, Damascus, Schuebel,
Union Hall, Canby, Porter, Ninety-
one, Oak Grove, Willamette, Estaca
da, Twilight, Lone Elder, JJennings
Lodge, Gladstone, Wichita, Arden
wald, Echo Dell, Cottrell, Oswego and
Garfield.
BLOCK FOUND IN PIPE
Mystery Added by Presence of For
eign Matter in Water System
Superintendent F. McCausland of
the Oregon City water system found
a four by eight inch block of wood
in the water main at the south end of
Main street early yesterday when he
searched for a reason why a valve at
the pumping plant would not work.
The water was shut off at another
stop and the valve taken to pieces.
Lately several different obstructions
have been taken from the water pipes
of the main system and from the ele
vator, and the present case adds deep
er mystery in the minds of members
of the board, who are unable to ac
count for the presence of foreign mat
ter.
1
S THE DAYS OF '49 .
J "The Days of Forty-nine," S
J will be passed in review at the
J Elks temple here next Wednes-
day evening by Oregon City
J lodge of Elks. A typical early J
J day mining camp will be re- 4
. produced with all the thunder J
J and all the gayety of the real J
J thing. The committee in
J charge includes Dr. C. Mount, J
J H. L. Kelly, W. R. Logus, R. C.
J Parker, James Petty, L. Ruco- 5
. nich, H. W. Strebig, H. F. J
J Tschirgi, S. L. Stevens, C. U. J
J Wilson, C. W. Pope, J. J. To- J
bin, Gilbert L. Hedges and L. 3
J McGaghuey. J
j& $ i fct $ jft $ jjt
smokestack will be cut into such
pieces as will make them useful for
tank construction. By the processes
employed many other parts can be
rendered profitable in making other
parts and pieces of machinery.
TRAIN TO SALEM
T
CASCADE COUNTY OPPOSITION
TO MEET WITH COMMITTEE
AT SALEM TONIGHT
STEPHENS BILL PRESENTED
Salaries and Boundaries Fixed and
Estacada Named as Cascade
County Seat
One hundred passengers have been
guaranteed by the Live Wires for a
special train to Salem at 2 o'clock
this afternoon, when a delegation
from all parts of Clackamas county
will meet with the house counties
committee to oppose the creating of
Cascade county. The bill for the di
vision has been presented in the house
and there is reported to be a strong
lobby in its favor from the Estacada
district
The special train arranged for at
the meeting of the Live Wires Tues
day will leave Oregon City at 2
o'clock, returning as soon as the meet
ing with the committee is closed. All
persons interested in opposing the di
vision in any part of the county have
been asked to accompany the delega
tion. Arrangements have been made
so that passengers may, at a reduced
fare, take any train during the day,
providing they return on the special.
Canby, Eagle Creek, Molalla, Spring
water and other communities are
forming parties for the trip.
Main Trunk Schuebel Tuesday ap
pointed O. D. Eby, B. T. McBain and
Theodore Osmund as members of a
committee to attend the meeting of
the Progressive Business Men's club
at Portland to take up with them the
reasons for local opposition to the
Barrett road bill that has been pre
sented at Salem.
The Stephens bill (house bill No.
165) was introduced on last Friday,
providing for the division of Clacka
mas county and creating Cascade
county. It defines the boundaries of
the' new county by a line running one
mile east of upper Colton, one mile
east of the Highland school house and
one mile west and one mile north of
Barton. The population of the pro
posed county is estimated in the bill
at 5500, although figures compiled
from the records made the figure al
most 1000 less, and Estacada is des
ignated as the "temporary" county
seat. The settlement of the county
seat question would be left to the
voters at the next regular election.
The Stephens bill provides that
Cascade county shall be in the 16th
representative district, the 12th sen
atorial district and the 5th judicial
district, with court terms defined as
the third Monday in March and the
first Monday in October. County rec
ords are to be delivered to the pro
posed new ' county within 30 days
after the bill becomes a law.
Salaries of Cascade county offi
cers, as set down in the Stephens
bill, are: County judge, $600; county
clerk and recorder, $1000; deputies,
$600; sheriff, $1000; deputies, $800;
county assessor, $900; deputy, $400;
county school superintendent, $1000;
county treasurer, $250; coroner, to be
also county physician and health of
ficer, $750; surveyor, $5 for each day
actuary employed; county commis
sioners, $3 a day and 10 cents milage;
district attorney for 1917 and 1918,
$900, and thereafter, unless changed
by law, $600.
FARE MAY BE LESS
Crandall Bill Would Reduce Railroad
Fare in Long Haul
If house bill No. 205, introduced by
Representative Crandall. of Malheur
Tuesday morning, becomes a law, Or
egon will have a miximum fare of
2 cents on all of its steam roads in
hauls of more than five miles and a
3-cent fare for shorter hauls.
The bill is fashioned along the
lines of the 3-cent fare law instituted
in Cleveland a few years ago by the
late Tom Johnson. ' It provides that
the law shall apply to all railroad
companies with an earning capacity
of $1000 or more and for those with
a less earning capacity, 8 cents
shall take the place of the original
rate. Children under 12 years of age
will be carried at half fare.
A clause in the act makes it im
possible for streetcars to charge
more than 10 cents fare and the min
imum charge is fixed at 5 cents. For
a violation of the act a fine of from
$1000 to $5000 is provided.
Saturday's Divorces
Rose Hackett seeks a divorce from
A. R. Hackett in the complaint she
filed here Saturday. She alleges
cruelty, and asks for the custody of a
son, Richard and Edward, 3 years old
They were married in Seattle on Jan
uary 20, 1913.
Frank E. Cross has filed suit for
divorce from Bessie Cross, whom he
married at Portland, December 23,
1913.
Judge Campbell on Saturday
signed a divorce decree separating
Joseph J. and Mane Spiess.
MAY
BUILDINGS BILL IS
APPROVED BY HOUSE
W. C. HAWLEY WIRES NEWS
THAT HAS BEEN EXPECTED
HERE FOR SEVEN YEARS
"The public building appropriation
bill, including $70,000 for the' con
struction of the new federal building
in Oregon City, has passed the
house."
This was the information in a tele
gram received on Saturday by the
Live Wire committee in charge of the
proposed federal building plans, from
W. C. Hawley, representative in con
gress. A short time ago the Live
Wires sent to Mr. Hawley petitions
bearing the names of practically all
local business men, asking to show
the needs of the community in the
way of better postoffice facilities, and
the message from Congressman Haw
ley is the answer.
It is probable that no trouble will
arise now and that the appropriation
bill will pass the senate, insuring the
early construction of the building
here. Members of the Live Wire
committee believe the matter is set
tled.
For seven years Oregon City has
been trying to secure federal aid for
the postoffice building here, and not
until this year have hopes been high.
The Live Wires, the Commercial club,
Postmaster J. J. Cooke and other
agencies have co-operated to insure
the proposed building, with the result
indicated by Mr. Hawley's message.
B. T. McBain is chairman of the Live
Wire committee. The present post
office is in a building built for the
purpose by the Weinhard estate and
leased to the government for a per
iod of five years. It has long been
considered inadequate and the work
of the office overcrowds it greatly.
STORY AND SCHUEBEL
MAY ARGUE TANGLES
George L. Story, elected city at
torney at the municipal election in
December, and whose office has been
declared that of city prosecutor by
the council,' promises to show how
how and why he is both city attorney
and city prosecutor at the regular
council meeting in February. Mr.
Story's office is contested by the
council through the appointment of C.
Schuebel, formerly the city's legal ad
viser, to the position of city attorney.
It is probable, Mr. Schuebel says, that
he will be present tp argue the mat
ter with Mr. Story if necessary. Mr.
Story, according to the interpretation
of several councilmen, is entitled to
a wage and to all the duties of the
city attorneyship. Mr. Schuebel, on
the other hand, claims Mr. Story is
only entitled to fees. Mr. Schuebel
has been retained at a salary of $60
a month and H. M, Templeton, chair
man of the finance committee of the
council, has announced that he will
refuse to approve a warrant for the
payment of the wage.
YOUTH LOSES MIND
Music Teacher Wanders to Oregon
City to Escape Pursuers .
Suffering under a mental strain,
Harry L. Morse, son of Henry Pratt
Morse, a prominent Milwaukie, Wis.,
attorney, wandered into Oregon City
Saturday from Portland. The young
man has had a nervous breakdown,
physicians say, and will probably re
cover his mental balance. His sister,
Miss Marian Esther Morse of Seattle,
arrived here lute Saturday night, and
the father left Milwaukie immediate
ly upon being advised of, his son's
condition.
Young Morse, it is said, has been
teaching music at Drain, Douglas
county, and left there to spend the
Christmas holidays in Seattle. He
left there on January 8, his sister
says, and has suffered the loss of
mind since then. There has been a
noticeable improvement in his con
dition since Morse walked into Dis
trict Attorney Gilbert L. Hedges'
office Saturday and asked for an in
vestigation of s 'hool land frauds in
Douglas county. He spent all of Sat
urday in writing notes of instruction
to imaginary dettitives and in ward
ing off his own imaginary pursuers.
On Sunday he relumed to Seattle
with his sister and H. Tremboth from
the sheriff's office.
Banquet Tonight ' t
A banquet and entertainment pro
gram at which the "blues" of the
United Artisans will be hosts to the
"reds," who were winners in a recent
membership contest, will be held at
the lodge- rooms tonight.
jfr jt jjt tt jt j& oi
J 5 DEPUTIES NAMED J
Jt v
J County Assessor W. W. Ev- !
erhart has announced the se- J
v lection of 5 field deputies of
J 13 who must be appointed for J
! the, year. Those named Tues- J
J day are L. M. Davis, Beaver J
1 Creek; W. B. Barksdale, Oak J
v" Grove; W. H. Holder, Estaea- J
J da; Julius Paulsen, George, J
J and William Morand, Boring. J
J The deputies will begin the an- J
J nual apraisement about April J
J 1, ., J
BETTER HIGHWAY
BILL PRESENTED
LAURGAARD PROPOSAL WOULD
PUT MAIN VALLEY ROAD
THROUGH OREGON CITY
MAY CHANGE HIGHWAY CODE
New Measure Considered Best Yet
Offered for Legislation. Is
Approved Here
' A substitute road bill which would
take the place of that presented at
Salem last week by Representative
Barrett was offered on Monday by
Representative Laurgaard of Mult-
noman county, xne proposea meas
ure would appear to answer all the
requests of Clackamas county by in
cluding practically what has been
asked, and, on the face of it, there is
far greater justice in the Lauregaard
bill than in the one first presented.
Mr. Laurgaard would revise most of
the highway code of the state, in ad
dition to designating the western Ore
gon state aid road as one running
through Oregon City to Salem.
Three highway commissioners to
serve without pay, and the selection
of a practical road-building engineer
as the ex-officio chairman of the com
mission are provided by Representa
tive Laurgaard's house bill No. 191.
It is believed in Salem to be the best
of the Beveral highway codes to be
submitted.
If the bill is passed it means the
elimination of State ' Engineer Lewis
and the refeat of the Claude McCul
loch highway commission bill.
Each congressional district is to be
represented on the contemplated com
mission by one commissioner who will
serve a six-year term. The bill spec
ifies that the state engineer shall have
practical training in road building as
well as technical knowledge. He will
receive a salary of $6000 a year.
The primary highways of the state
are specified as follows:
State highway No. 1 From the
city of Portland in a southerly direc
tion direct to the California line, pass
ing through Oregon City, Salem, Al
bany, Eugene, Roseburg, Grants
Pass, Medford and Ashland.
State highway No. 2 From the
city of Portland in an easterly direc
tion to Ontario, Ore., passing through
Hood River, The Dalles, Pendleton
and Baker.
city of Portland in a northwesterly
direction to Seaside, passing through
St. Helens and Astoria. Secondary
highways are still to be designated.
On work involving an expenditure
of less than $2000 the question of
spending the money will be left to
the discretion of the commission.
Under the provisions of the act,
j,he state engineer may be called upon
in an advisory capacity by the county
courts of the state. It is left to the
judgment of the commission as to the
use of convicts in the construction of
roads, and should the commission de
mand convict labor, it is mandatory
with the governor to provide such la
bor as the commission may call for.
$4000 CHECK RECEIVED
County's Share of Automobile Fees
Comes to Treasurer M. E. Dunn ,
County Treasurer M, E. Dunn has
received a voucher for $4000.08 from
Secretary of State Ben W. Olcott
covering Clackamas county's share of
the motor vehicle and chauffeur reg
is tration fees for the past year.
The receipts to the state govern
ment from Clackamas county amount
ed last year to $4875, and when the
cost of license plates, chauffeur badg
es, postage and incidentals was de
ducted there remained the amount of
the check received by Treasurer
Dunn. The total receipts from li
censes and registrations during the
year were $146,232, while the entire
cost of producing plates,, badges and
incidentals was $26,244.55, leaving a
total of $119,987.45 to be distributed
to the counties.
It is interesting to note, in con
nection with the report on the auto
mobile department under Secretary
Olcott, that Clackamas county re
ceives more than any other county
but five. Only Multnomah, Jackson,
Umatilla, Lane and Marion receive a
greater return, Multnomah, of course,
being the greater benefactor. Clack
amas pays more into the state auto
mobile department than any but these
five counties.
The average fee collected for all
transactions by the state department
is $3.17, while the average fee for
the registration11 of automobiles is
$3.57.
$1000 Judgment Granted
T. J. Concannon and Josiah Welch
were Saturday given a judgment
against Archie L. and Florence W.
Watt in the sum of $1000, f ith inter
est at 8 per cent The judgment is
secured by a first lien to property in
the J. D. Garrett donation land claim.
The suits of John Vigeluls against
H. H. Johnson and W. W. Walker
against C. M. Pierson were, dismissed.
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