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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 1913)
Histories! Soel.ty. ws Highest Grade Job Vrinling f.reaon Ad-Vcrtijcrs Get Hcjalts City nn VOLUME 9, NUMBER 8 HOOD RIVER, OREGON. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1913 SUBSCRIPTION, $1.50 A YEAR THE HOOD RIVER City Klay Buy Block For Parh E. L. Smith Property Is Offered tor $16,000, or a Tier of Lots for $4,ooo.--City Council Will Probably Submit It at Special ElectionStep Is Heartily Favored By Local Citizens A move has been started looking towards the purchase by the city of the K. L. Smith block between Oak and State streets to serve as a site (or the new Carnegie library and also for a public park and playground. The movement in this direction was brought about by the announcement that the present site for the library is Inadequate. This site includes the street which formerly passed through the Smith property and joining State and Oak streets. It is, however, only 40 feet in width and this has been de clared insufficient. A committee was appointed by the city council last week to investigate the matter and to find out if some more of the Smith property adjoining the site could be purctiased. This committee interviewed E. L. Smith who represents himself and the heirs. He stated that they would probably be willing to sell either a tier of four lots adjoining the present site or elsa the entire block. The four lots would cost $4,000, while the entire block could be secured for $16,000, which la felt to be reasonable. The property Is Ideally located for a library and park site. In the center of the city and on two of the main streets, it would be most convenient. At the same time the property Is or namented by many stalwart oaks, al most the sole relics of the oak groves which formerly occupied the townsite The proposition is meeting with hearty support on the part of those citizens who have been Informed of this opportunity. The city has long felt the need of a public park and this site is declared to be the only one which would fully meet all require ments. The chance to purchase It up on favorable terms at this time is looked upon as most opportune. The matter was submitted at a special meeting of the Commercial Club Monday afternoon. President W. L. Clarke of the club said that he esteemed it a splendid opportunity and one which the citizens of Hood Hiver should not neglect. He said it had been suggested that the club make some expression upon the matter. Several present' expressed them selves as heartily in favor of the prop osition. Among these were C.A. Hell, J. H. Hellbronner, Charles Hall, J. M. Schmeltzer, C. D. Nickolsen and New ton Clark. The last named made it a motion that the city council be urged ORANGE GROWER IS GOMINGBACK HERE According to a recent dispatch from Ixs Angeles at least one former Hood Hiver apple grower, who Is now In the orange business there, is anxious to return to his first love. This man is Rev. D. D. Dodge. The dispatch says: The wonders of the Oregon apple, told by visitors from the Northwest, is falling on receptive ears since the freeze of lust month. Many of the small orange growers, who were de pendent upon their crop to make both ends meet, are decidedly discouraged. Of course, the wealthy growers are able to pocket the loss resulting from the cold snap, and the industry here has not been set back by this season's misfortune, taken as a whole; but there are enough ranchers who were ruined financially by the failure of the crop to make the lesson of the Oregon apple an impressive one. Rev. D. D. Dodge, who formerly liv ed in the Hood Hiver Valley and now holds extensive land Interests In South, orn California, this week said he was going back to Oregon. "I don't want any orange land any more," he said. "I have had an offer of a good apple ranch In the Hood River country In exchange for all my holdings here and I am going to make the trade. I know from personal ex perience what . that Oregon land Is like, and It Is hard to beat." Oscar Vanderbllt, president of the National Apple Company, and known here as the "apple king" of Oregon, Is hern on his annual visit. He has been Interviewed by several of the lo cal papers and while he diplomatically refers to this as a "wonder land," he never loses an opportunity to praise the apple land In Oregon and the Hood River district fn particular. and to call a special election and submit the proposition to the people. County Judge Castner explained briefly the county's attitude in the matter. Carnegie will give $17,500 for the library building upon the under standing that an annual appropriation be made of 1,750 a year for mainte nance. Under the arrangement first contemplated the county was to pro vide two-thirds of this amount and the city the balance. This arrangement was not satisfactory to the Carnegie fund commission, however, and the county will assume the entire obliga tion. Under these circumstances it is deemed reasonable that the city should make the additional outlay for providing an adequate site. The lat ter can be secured, it is stated, upon easy terms so that the burden will fall very lightly upon the taxpayers. SENATOR BUTLER'S PLAN FAILS Bill Providing for Non-Partisan Judi ciary Shelved by Senate Ilutler's plan for a non-partisan judi ciary and to elect judges without ref erence to party lines met defeat in the Senate Friday. Thompson declar ed that the non-partisan plan has al ways been a plan fostered and father ed by Democrats and called attention to the defeat administered the so-called non-partisan candidates for the Su preme Bench in 1910. The bill was postponed Indefinitely by a vote of 18 against 10 In its favor. HOUSE PASSES BILL FIXING SALARIES Hood River county, on account of its comparatively small are. Is rank ed in the sixth or last class In the bill fixing salaries of county officials as passed by the House at its session Fri day night. This bill classifies the 34 counties in the state according to population, area and assessed valuation and fixes the salaries of all county officials in each class at the same figure. Hood River is in the sixth class, which also Includes Curry .Gilliam, Lin coln, Sherman and Wheeler. The sal aries are fixed for this class as fol lows: Sheriff, $1600; county clerk, $1600; assessor, $1400; judge, $1200; school superintendent, $900, and treas urer, $500. The present salaries paid in this county are as follows: Sheriff, $1200; county clerk, $1200; assessor, $900; Judge, $300; school superintendent, $400; treasurer, $100. County commissioners of each class receive $5 a day while actually work ing. The measure is one of Governor West's bills. It is designed to take salaries of county officials out of poli tics, to fix them on a scientific basis, and to put an end to the log rolling at every legislature over bills for salary Increases. Eastern Oregon representatives put through an amendment raising the sal aries of their counties, which are In the third class, so that they are higher than those of the Becond class. They declared this to be necssary because of the big sums Eastern Oregon offic ials must pay out of their salaries for traveling expenses, owing to the dis tances. The bill passed with a margin of three votes. Multnomah county, the only one In the first class, Is not affected by the bill At present. For Lane and Marion In the second cIuhb, the salaries are: Sheriff, $2000; clerk, $1800; assessor, $1800; Judge, $1600; school superintendent, $1600; treasurer, $1200. In the third class, comprising Clack amas, Douglas, Jackson, Linn and Umatilla, salaries for the same officials are respectively, $1900, $1700, $1700, $1500, $1500 and $1400. In the fourth class, as amended by the Eastern Oregon representatives, salaries are fixed at $2200, $1800, $1600, $1400, $1400 and $1100. In this class are Maker. Coos, Crook, Grant, Harney, Klamath, Lake Malheur, Un ion, Wasco, Washington and Yamhill. In the fifth dug comprising Henton, ClntHop. Columbia, Josephine, Morrow, I'olk, Tillamook and Wallowa, salaries are fixed at $1700, $1500, $1500, $1300, $1,100 and $900. HOOD RIVER MAY GETPROSECUTOR Hood River's chances of getting a district attorney or county attorney of her own were strengthened Friday when the Hill County Attorney bill passed the House, with but four mem bers voting ttgainst It. The measure abolishes district attorneys and sub stitutes for them county attorneys. Owing to the practically unanimous support which the bill received In the House it appears probable at this writing that It will also pass the Sen ate. If such is the case Hood River will be In a position to benefit. Un der the present arrangement the dis trict attorney serves the three coun ties of Hood River, Wasco and Crook and the large extent of territory which he is compelled to serve is a handi cap. Furthermore It is difficult to secure a competent attorney to accept the position of deputy In this' county and the office is now vacant. Under the new bill the county at torney would not only assume the duties of prosecutor, but he would also act as legal adviser to the county court. The bill fixes the salaries which shall be paid the attorneys in the sev eral counties of the state. In Hood River the salary Is placed at $1500. The same salary Is specified for the Wasco county attorney. Other sal aries range from $800 to $4000. Interest In Poultry Is Aroused by Lectures Here That the poultry business has many local devotees was shown Saturday when large crowds gathered both af ternoon and evening at the Commerc ctal Club to hear Professor Dryden ex plain the most modern methods of pro ducing more and better eggs. Moving pictures and stereopticon views served to make the lectures ln- teresting and to impress upon the audience the exact meaning of the speaker's statements. Simmered down Into half a dozen words, Professor Dryden's message was that profitable egg production does not depend so much upon the breed, housing, feed ing nor general care of the hen so much as upon whether or not it has been bred from egg producing stock. Great as is the fruit Industry, in this state. Professor Dryden created some surprise when he stated that re cent statistics have shown that the poultry products of the state exceed by more than 50 per cent the fruit products. In other words eggs are bringing more money Into Oregon than are. her apples. The present annual value of poultry products in Oregon is about $7,000,000, he stated, and pre dicted that within the next few years his figure would reach $20,000,000. On ly a start has been made In the poul try business in this state, he declared. The speaker made some apologies for talking poultry in a community which takes pride in being almost ex clusively an apple section, the most famous, as Professor Dryden stated, in either the United States or the world, but he said the farmers would find it worth their while to raise hens as well as apples. Good Layers In All Breeds In opening his lecture the speaker showed pictures of the three leading small hen for egg producing and Vx general utility hen. He then made the statement that big egg production ia not a matter of breed. It has been thoroughly demonstrated that there are big layers among all breeds. In Australia annual competitions have been held for a number of years and a different breed of hens have carried off the egg-laying honors every year. Neither is egg production a matter entirely of care, he said. Experiments have conclusively proven that hens In the same pen, fed the same rations, given Identically the same care have varied widely In their production, some exceeding the 200 egg mark and others not laying over a dozen eggs during the entire year. Trap Nest Tells Story The most important discovery In the poultry world during the past few years has been the trap nest, he said. Now the breding is being carried on with mathematical precision. Th experiment station at the O. A. C. Is breeding from their beat layers and Is constantly producing stock which, the trap nesls show, Insure good layers. They are making a specialty of pro ducing cockerels from these laying strains and are working to Improve the egg production throughout the state. They are selling these cocker, els to poultry men at reasonable rates and hope to J.ave a larger number In future. Heavy laying, he said, has ORCHARD SWINDLERS GIVEN SENTENCE Two of the men who confessed to swindling people out of their homes In connection with the Columbia River Orchards swindle were sentenced by United States Judge Bean at Portland the last of the week. They were H.H. Humphrey and R. IL McWhorter and they were sentenced to 60 days' Im prisonment and $1000 fine. The light sentences were given on recommenda tion of U. S. Attorney McCourt. These men were Involved in the big million-dollar De Larm swindle, in which case A. J. Blehl received a two year sentence in the United States penitentiary at McNeil's Island. "I recommend that Humphrey and McWhorter be given light sentences because they are less guilty for the De Larm swindle than the others," said McCourt. "McWhorter was mere ly a stenographer who did as he was told and who had little to do w ith the organization of this gigantic swindle. Humphrey was in the company be fore it was taken over by Biehl and De Larm and when he found, in July, that crooked work was being trans acted he quit the concern. SOME WAD Miss Del. O. Ashley was confined to her home Wednesday, owing to a lame foot, caused by her pocketbook falling on the same. Ottawa Fair Dealer. been shown clearly to be a case of heredity. The idea which haa prevailed among some poultry men that layers can be determined by the shape of the ben's body has been shown to be incorrect, he said. A large number of cuts of hens secured by the O. A. C. were sent to poultry men throughout the coun try to pick out the heavy layers and the returns were widely divergent, no two agreeing. Breeding for Winter Layers The important maitor of securing eggs In winter was brought up and here again. Professor Dryden said, it is a question of breeding. He gave statistics to show that It is the poorly bred hen which lays enly when eggs are cheapest. The highbred layers were the ones, these figures showed, which produced eggs during winter as well as Bummer. The age of the hen also has much to do with their laying, he said. He gave figures which showed that there was a profitable production per hen the first year. The second year the production diminished, but he said it was still large enough to be' profitable. In the third year, however, the pro duction diminigbed, but he said It was still large enough to be profitable. In the third year, however, the produc tion per hen was so much less that it was cheaper to kit" the hen. In the course of his lecture the speaker gave advice on feeding and proper housing of the hens. The ad dress was comprehensive and Instruct. Ive. The same lecture was repeated In the evening, especially for school children and townspeople. PREFER SPRAYING BEFORE BUDS OPEN "An almost universal practice in this state and a good ont Is to spray the orchard, whatever the kind of fruit, with lime-sulphur at some time when the trees are dormant," says Circular Bulletin No. 13, Crop Pest Series No.3 on Orchard Spraying by Professors A. B. Cordley and H. S. Jackson of the Oregon Agricultural College. "While this application Is made pri marily for San Jose scale, we believe there Is no other which has such a generally beneficial result. It is the annual 'house-cleaning' of the orch ards. "The best time for this winter Bpray ing is Immediately after the leaves drop In the fall even before they are all off or before the buds open in the spring. Personally, we would prefer the latter were the orchards seriously infested with San Jose scale; the for mer were it badly infested with an thracnose. It should be noted, however, that Blnce the introduction of the use of lime-sulphur as a spring and fall ap plications of Itinc-sulphur are made, all winter spraying may be omlted, ex cept in the case of orchards which have been badly neglected.' Read the Newt. It tells It all. CABIN MUST GO; WAS OLD LANDMARK (from the Journal) One of the oldest landmarks of Hood River has been ordered to give way to the march of progress. A highway will be built by the city over the strip of land occupied by the cabin leading to the manufacturing district at the west end of the city. The cabin was built about 35 years ago, and occupied by trappers and later by two old Germans, who assist ed in the building of what is now the O.-W. R. & N. R. R. The lumber was brought up from Portland and carried about a mile from the steamboat land ing The cabin is about 6x12 feet in size, and in building it total disregard was paid to the points of the compass, square and plumb line. For the past 15 years one of Hood River's most conspicuous characters has resided in the cabin "Barney" Flynn, a staunch and sturdy Irishman, weighing 200 pounds. "Barney" came to America over half a century ago, went into the California gold fields, and later mined in several sections of the Northwest. He has made fortunes and spent fortunes. He has traveled over the United States in search of two brothers who preceded him to this country, but has never been able to locate either of them. "Barney's" cab in near the freight depot is a multum In parvo kitchen, dining room, par lor and sleeping room all in one. FAILURE INVOLVES NEW STORE HERE Barde and Levitt's branch clothing store established here about a month ago closed its doors Friday morning, being involved in the assignment which affected the chain of stoses op erated in Oregon City, Salem and Cor vallis. J.. Levitt, who operated the stores, has ben in active charge of the one at Oregon City. He made the assign ment in favor of the Merchants' Pro tective Association of Portland, giving his liabilities as $125,000 and his as sets as the same amount, . He said he was unable to pay w holesalers by rea son of poor collections. The two clerks who came here in charge of the store left Friday after noon for Oregon City. They were un acquainted with the facts, but were of the opinion that the firm would re open their store here if possible after an adjustment had been made. An appraiser spent the last of the week here inventorying the stock. The com pany had few local creditors. POSTOFFICE WILL PAINTJHINGS RED Postmaster General Hitchcock has issued orders to employes of the post office department to paint everything red. Wine colors and pale sickly reds will not do. Red real red is the word. Every delivery wagon, city par. eel post and rural free delivery ve hicle must be red. All mail boxes throughout the United States must De red. To try out the new color Hitch cock ordered some of the Washington City wagons painted. The wagons, wine-colored, were taken to the post office building for his inspection. "Take them back and make them red red wit hout any sort of blend," said the postmaster general. And red they are. The only protests came from the rural carriers, who say that in their red wagons they will be chased by all the bulls and turkey gobblers alon? their routes. TO LECTURE AT OAK GROVE TOMORROW West Side orchardists are prepar ing to turn out en masse tomorrow when the O. A. C. lecturers will give their extension course at the Park Grange Hall. Dean A. B. Cordley and Professors Lewis and Jackson arrived Sunday and lectured before a large number at Pine Grove Monday. Yes terday they were at Parkdale and to day are at Odell. At Oak Grove the meeting will be held under the auspices of the West Side Improvement Club. It will begin at 10 a. m. and will be an all day ses sion. Ever) body, whether a member of the Improvement Club or not, Is cordially Invited to attend and bring lunch. It will be possible to secure much valuable Information on horti cultural problems and a large a'ten 1. once Is expected. H. Fm Davidson Returns With Advice for Growers Says Orchardists Hust Study Economic Methods of Production, Eliminate the Small Sizes, Secure Concessions from the Railroads and Reduce the Cost of Selling Through Co-operation. H. F. Davidson, who has just return, ed from a trip which Included practi cally all the apple-producing and apple consuming centers of the country, sums up his advice to local growers by declaring that there are four things which must receive their attention as follows: More economic methods of production, concessions from the rail roads in freight rates on apples, ellmi. nation of the small sizes and reduced cost of selling through concentration of selling effort and co-operation. Of these four Mr. Davidson believes that the need of economy In produc tion Is especlallly deserving of atten tion here. "It is nothing less than ridiculous," he says," to see the orch ardists here raising only apples on their farms and shipping in all the other necessities of life vegetables, hay, grain, butter and eggs, even bread, the latter being shipped from Portland every day In quantities which are sur prising. Why a real farmer would be almost ashamed to be caught buying store bread when bis wife can make it at home and get much more for his money. It is unnecessary extrava gance and poor economy. I use it, however, only as an illustration. We ought to have our own gardens and keep cows, have a creamery and pro duce our own dairy products. There is going to be money in apple raising, but it is not going to be for the farmer who fails to follow the common econ mic principles which are demanded in other lines of business. Unusual Condition This Year Conditions in the apple market this year have been remarkable," said Mr. Davidson, "It was the first time In many years that such a tremendous crop of uniformly good quality was produced throughout the country. These really fine quality apples were brought in direct competition with tle box apples of the Northwest. "Another depressing factor has been the mild weather in the East. Bulk apples which are usually worked onto the market in October and November could be held this year and were be ing shipped two months longer than usual. This made it possible for the East to market a larger proportion of its bumper crop than has been the case for many years. The same con dition prevailed in the potato, cab bage and onion markets for the same reasons. More Wholesalers Needed "I came Into contact with the mar Work on City's $90,000 Water System Is Started Work was started yesterday on Hood River's new $9'M00 water system. John Acker, who will be in charge of the local work for the Reliance Con struction Company, contractors, arriv ed Monday with an assistant and at once begin hiring local help. He brought with him no foreign laborers POISON IN SOIL MAY CAUSE DRY ROT Poison in the soil may have some thing to do with dry rot, aecoruing to an experiment made on a piece cf hast Side silt loam soil by Professor W. II. Ijiwreuce. A Mot k of about 100 New tow n tre-'g in this orchard did not produce mere than 5o per cent marketable leu'.: while neighboring trees were free from dry rot. Professor Lawrence toon samples of the soil and sent them to the Department of Agriculture for an alysis, believing that it might resemble the so-called "wheat sick soils." He has just received a report from Wash ington. This states that the analysis did not show any one of the 4i known toxic substances known to be injur ious to plant growth, but the soil did show large quantities of oxalic acid. At some timcg during the season this is very poisonous to plant life. The calcium suit of oxalic acid was found to run four tons to the acre foot. "This large amount," Professor l-aw rence sas. ' would seriously Interfere with the lime content of the soil, reu dering it unavailable and it may he in part responsible for some of the ilitll culties now occurring. keting conditions on my trip and I am convinced that the prejudice which ex ists in favor of eliminating the whole saler -from the box apple deal la poor ly founded. What we do need is to get more wholesalers to handle the boxed apples. This is one of the sur est ways in which to Increase the demand for our goods for the whole saler practically determines the kind of fruit which shall be marketed in his territory. "While speaking of marketing I might also add that one of the factors which has militated against the North west boxed apples this year Is the fact that carload lots have been offered on the auction market at a sacrifice. It is significant that practically no bar rel apples are ever offered on the auction market. "I saw loose apples shipped In car lots in both large and small cities and then taken from the cars and sold for 50 cents per bushel. However, I was not in a single city where I did not see the Hood River apples as well as other Northwest fruit. It seems that the disribution from Eastern and Middle West centers has covered the entire territory, and If the fellow who is standing out for a better distribution can do a better job, I can guarantee him a most excellent salary. "The Northwest must quit shipping small apples to Eastern and foreign markets. Nothing Bmaller than 150 s and 165's should be shipped East or abroad, and the choice grades should never be placed aboard the cars for Eastern transit. "From the standpoint of value, the Hood River apples stood in the lead in all of the markets. Hood River excels the world in growing Spitzenbergs and Yellow Newtowns and these varieties will always remain a remunerative crop here, compared with, other varie-V ties from the Northwest." Looking to the future, Mr. Davidson is relucant to make any prediction, but he does believe that, in the light of past experience, the prospect Is for a small crop In the East and also in other Northwest sections this year. He believes, however, that Hood River may get a crop equal to that of last season. Pittsburg women are advocating the opening of "curbstone markets" to cut the cost of living. The News for good printing. and stated that it will be the policy of the company to hire as many men here as possible in prosecuting the big work. The first earth for the new system was broken at Twelfth and Wilson streets on the Heights, where trench ing was started. Most of the work during the first few ks will be done on the Heights, the majority of the pipes in the downtown system having been laid last year. At the meeting of the city council Monday a resolution was passed call ing for bids for the construction ot the remaining two units of the sys etn. three units having been awarded the Reliance Company. These units which will now be awarded include the reservoir and heudworks. This notice will be found In another column. Bids for the construction of the two remaining units call for the comple tion of the work at the same time as the distribution system June 1. INVESTIGATION OF ROAD WORK ORDERED An investigation as to what right the O.-W. It. & N. has to prevent com. pletiuti of the public road between Multnomah County and this city will be investigated by the Governor under I provisions of a bill which passed the j Senate Friday. Ilutler, introducer f the bill, declared that when the prede. I censors of the present company con jstructed their railroad they agreed a' i any time to make provision for a wax on road, that they aro now overriding (his agreement and h believe Home definite action should he taken