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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 1905)
THE MORNING OBEGONIA3T, MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1905. SOME PHASES OF INDUSTRIAL GROWTH IN THE STATE OF OREGON 12 5 E Lively Movement in Which the Best Lumber Tracts Are Transferred. NEW MILLS ARE BUILDING increase of Lumber Manufacturing and Tremendous Market Opened Resulting in Esla.bllshn.icnt of Many Industries. At the present rate not many tracts of Oregon timber will be left in Cie bands of tbpse who now claim title to them at the close of 193G. Each week, almost each day, sees fresh sales con taminated, and this at prices far be yond those of a year or two" ago. Gen erally speaking purchases are made for investment, not for early use. The most notable exception -4s in case of the "Weyerhaeuser syndicate, who pro pose at an early date to erect a. large mill on their recent purchases In the Klamath Lake region. The timber on the 30.000 acres they have there Just bought will keep such a mill busy for several years. At only 5,090,000 feet to the quarter section the 30,000 acres will yield the new owners 937,500,003 v feet. The chances are that on this particular tract the output will exceed the 5,000,000 to the quarter section es timated. There seems to be doubt as to the location of the new mill, though Klamath Falls, with the facilities of fered by the lake, offers too many ad vantages to pass by. It will easily be that the number of 2030 to 3000 per sons to be dependent on this enter prise when the start lias been made will be exceeded. Doubtless this is one of many attractions for building the Nutron-Klamath road. Cutting: Union County Timber. In the Union Republican we read of another new enterprise in this industry as follows: "The Zeek sawmill, 21 miles above In'on, on Catherine Creek, vas sold Mondny to an Idaho syndicate, who will at once begin extensive operatiops and will run the mill the year arpund. starting up on the ICth. A contract has been let for 600,005 feet of logs to E. O. Zeek. and as many more as he can put in by March 1. Ground has been secured opposite the Stoddard planer for a new planer, which will be in operation as soon as it can be assembled. The capital stock of the new company will bo $100,000, and articles of incorporation will be filed soon. It Is hinted that a railroad up the creek may be the next step toward tapping the immense timber belt trib utary to Uniop." Sash mid Door Factory. The Madras Pioneer prints the fol lowing, the timber tract In question lying from 10 to "15 miles north of PrincvJlle. "John Hargen. president of the Great "Western Lumber Company, which owns ii large mill and numerous acres of pine and fir timber about 15 miles south of Ashwood, was in town last Friday. The Great Western is probably the largest lumber company operating in this county, the company being com posed chiefly of Minnesota men. Their mill wan only recently started up. Some time ago it was announced by Mr. Hargen that as soon as arrange ments could be perfected, a sash and door factory would also be installed, and from which they expect to sup ply the great demand in Central Ore gon for these articles." The Spaulding Lumber Company, of Salem, is also enlarging its opportuni ties. The Statesman reports: "The Spaulding Lumber Company of this city has now added another "mill to their number, by purchasing the Independence plant. This mill has been doing a. lively business of late, owing to the unusual building rush In Independence, rnd the Spaulding com pany intends to put the establishment in such a condition by a complete overhauling tnat it will more than supply the market for that rustling city. The sawing capacity of the mill at the present time is 35,000 feet in a 24-hour run. The local mills are as" usual doing a rushing business, both in the local and the out-of-town trade." The mill in question is well placed for business, and a prosperous future is assured. 110(11100 Cedar Shingles. Cedar Is found in abundance in all the region of the lower Cascade Moun tains, several sections may be seen near Breitenbush on the Corvallis & Eastern Railroad, where It Is the pre dominating tree. The city referred to is Brownsville and the Times of that city is the paper giving the Informa tion below: "George Tycer. of this city, will build and operate a new shingle mill at the end of the Moyer lumber flume on the Calapoola River, 14 miles above Brownsville. Mr. Tycer left "Wednes day for the site of the proposed mill to commence the work of putting up a suitable mill building, which will be fitted with the latest Improved ma-i-nlncry for manufacturing first-class shlngW. It is proposed to have the new mill in operation at as early a date as possible. Mr. Tycer has spent some time cruising for cedar and finds there Is an abundance to be had handily. He proposes to furnish a home product that will control the entire shingle trade of this section." While the shingle trade has been rapidly developed and tho demand In both local and .Eastern markets has been good, the output recently has. It Is stated, outrun the demand, with the usual result of lowering prices. The following account of an attempt at regulating the product and raising the price is quoted from the Telegram of December 14. We shall follow with Interest the developments. "President D. W Bass, pf the Seattle Shingle Mills Bureau, held a. confer ence with some of the local shlngle mill men in the Portland Hotel yester day for the purpose of Inducing them to come into the combine and enter the shut-down movement. About a dozen men. interested In shingle mills and tho lumber industry of the North west generally, were in attendance. "Mr. Bass said that of the 30.005. 090 feet of shingles manufactured daily by straight shingle mills in the State of Washington, 90 per cent are controlled by the combination. The movement. . as stated by Mr. Sate, Is mm LAND ROWING DEMAND JilililMMllit1iliii'i .. kiUSBCA. A 7 - . ? - .. - W- . r.'- WW A -liMIHtf I A YOUNG ORKGO.V ORCHARD. t i ........... K . for the purpose of closing down the shlngfo mills of the Northwest In order to curtail the output, that the shingle market would not be flooded with the product at the season when there was the least consumption, and to hold the surplus product over until the Spring, when the demand is better. All of the mills within the organization have been closed down since December L and Mr. Bass has hopes of Inducing the Portland mlllmen to enter the com bination. He has succeeded In getting them to agree to close down so far as the Eastern market Is concerned, but they will continue to run to supply the California trade. "The closing of the Washington mills, continued Mr. Bass, "has had the effect of raising the price of clear shingles 20 cents, and stars 25 cents, in the last two weeks. Clears are now selling at 51.S3 and stars at 51.55. It is likely that clears will reach ?L90 at least.' " - Big Tie Contract. The Mutolas is one of the rapid streams falling Into the Deschutes. The timber tributary to it Is both fine and abundant. But either the mlllmon or the reporter may possibly have added a couple of ciphers to the total of the contract referred to a trifling error, of course. "L. E. Allingham was In from his sawmill on the Maioles the first of the week." says the Prinevllle Review. "Mr. Allingham says the Great Southern Railway Company has awarded him a contract for 2.000,000 ties, which are to be delivered at the Deschutes at the point where the prospective road will cross that stream. This looks like business." Tics for 757 miles of track might tax the resources of that mill. Notice has bscn taken previously of the initiative by the court of Lane County in ascertaining the timber re sources that should, now or hereafter, be added to property available for tax ation. The Item which follows is sug gestive. "The two timber cruisers, Edwards and Roberts, who were engaged by the County Court to cruise and place an estimate on Lane County timber lands, 'nave Just completed their task after several months work. They find 1340 section of timber land of sufficient value to cruise and received $2, a sec tion for their work." If other Oregon counties follow this lead the aggregate will astonish the state. The Pacific Coast Lumber Manufac turers' Association held, last week, their annual meeting at Tacoma. From the repori we extract the following: "R. H. Alexander, of Vancouver, B. C chairman of the cargo branch, re ported general good trade conditions and promises for 190C In the foreign market good. W. A. Whitman, of Ta coma, chairman of the committee on values, reported against any change in the price list at this time, but recom mended that a committee be authorized to make changes before the next meet ing and upon a vote the committee was given this authority. "Secretary Beckman reported 4J per cent Incrcaso in rail shipments and 23 per cent Increase in cargo trade over 1904." Notice the laBt clause and bear in mlni President J. J. Hill's action In re gard to low freight rates as stimu lating production and consequent traffic. Verily, he Is wise in his gen eration. ON'E OMISSION' AFFECTS ALL Necessity or Concerted Action to Pro duce Clean lult. Can anyone who reads the next two clippings, and who knows anything of orchard conditions in the Willamette Val ley, forbear from a' smile? Here are two adjoining counties on the West Side, Polk and YamhllL In the first the County Inspector arranges a two days" fruitgrow ers' congress. Learned professors are to be on hand, with recipes and Instructions, b-HMKjT '."-khH .SKJJaaHP'1' jaaL. m mUUm jtMUWIMbK' THE NOBLE FIR, AN IDEAL LtTXRKR TREK. and demonstrations, and the rest of the apparatus for waging war on the winged pests which ruin fruit and rob the grower. Everyone knows that common action against these enemies' Is essential to suc cess. Useless Indeed Is It for one to spray and spray, prune, clean and cultivate, when one's neighbor across the boun dary folds his hands and lets his orchard take Its chance of codlin moth and scale. And yet that condition Is precisely what the second act discloses. The Polk Coun ty Inspector calls his orchardlsts to sethe'r to hear, among other things not more necessary, about "Hortlonltural Laws." There should he another com mandment added to the ten. for the spe cial benefit of the fruitgrower, "Thou halt not ruin thy neighbor's orchard." Look on this picture: "I have arranged to hold a two days' meeting for the benefit of fruitgrowers of Polk County; Thursday. December 21. at the Courthouse In Dallas, one day; Friday, December 22. at Independence, one day. Meeting? open at 10 A- M. and 1 P. M each day. AH growers of fruit, whether you raise much or little, are cordially Invited to meet with us. Pro feasor Cordley. or Corvallis. will lecture on fruit pests and diseases of trees. Cnarlcs A. Park, or Salem, will talk on Horticultural laws. If you have a dis eased tree, bring a limb with you. Don't forget the dates. J. B. Nunn, County Inspector." Then on this: "This being my first year on the place, and also In Oregon, I did not spray; but thought It best to see the results of neg lect to its full extent. There were also some Bartlett pears grown on the place, and a part of them were also spoiled, and fell off before they were ripe: one-third of thexs pears, however, were of good quality. There was a seedling apple tree along the river bank a quarter of a mile from here, and well hidden among shrub bery, and as the tree was very full of fruit. I picked two-thirds of the apple? off early in Summer, thinking that tho moths would not find the fruit so far away from other fruit trees, but at the time of harvest I found nearly every ap ple wormy and only fit for cooking, though If not wormy, these apples were of good quality. Next, I bought a bushol of Bartlett pears In this vicinity, the pears- being of good quality, but affected some with Ean Jose scale- Another bushel of Bartlctt's bought from other parties was of much Inferior quality, badly affected with San Jose scale, and of no commercial value. A bushel of Winter Nellies bought also In the neigh borhood was affected with San Jose scale and fungus dheasc and was unfit for family use. as well as for the market. Then I received a bushel or Italian pra nfts from Dayton, and they were also affected with the San Jose scale. Of all the fruit grown on trees here, I found the cherries the healthiest, and the trees in fair condition, though even they need spraying in some localities. "This Is a fair Indication of the condi tion of fruit trees In this vicinity. Any body who walks through many of these Willamette Valley villages, can at this present moment see the apples and pears yet lying under the trees or hanging thereon, thus furnishing fine biding and breeding places for all kinds of vermin, that feeds on fruit or tree, and will also find trees and branches overgrown with layers of moss. "There Is a. rcmed; for every pest that destroys our fruit and our fruit trees, and also for every fungus disease, and by writing to the fruit commissioner of our district. Mr. W. K. Newell, of Dllley. Washington County, this stale, one will receive the Information wanted, as well at? a spraying bulletin, to tell how to spray,, what to spray for and what to spray .'with, as well a when to spray, and it is high time that the public wakes up to the necessity of It. Truly youTs, H. W. Koch. Lafayette. Or." DEUGUrrPI. NEWPORT. fplradld Weather at Thlt Tegular ractito Ceat nctorfc. Delightful In every particular Is tho weather at Newport, and the Southern Pacific and tijc Corvallis & Eastern rail roads have resumed their cheap rates to this place for the Winter. Particulars by at king at Third and Washington streets. Tort land. 1 r"i Some Ideas Evolved to Aid "Oregon Industry. WATER-POWER INVENTION Union County Canal Entcrrl.c In Volves Great Possibilities East Umatilla Water-Users JForm Association as Required. Union County is proceeding to de velop Its resources at a rapid rate, and In no direction with greater cer tainty of success than In Irrigation. The Baker City Democrat says: "Articles of Incorporation have been filed at La Grande for the Grand Ronde Irrigation Company, with the capital stock placed at 5100.000. The Incorporators are Walter M. Pierce. C. H. Crawford and T. R. Berry. The object Is to secure water to the extent of 10.000 Inches for Irrigating pur poses In Grand Ronde. The water Is to be secured from MInam River by means of canals, conduits, pipe lines, etc." From Elgin Is received the follow ing: "The Grand Ronde Electric Company Is contemplating the Installation of a 16.000 pumping plant on the Grand Ronde River, near Imbler. which will place about 7000 acres under Irrigation. The contemplated plant will consist of 200-horse power electric motor and flow of 200 Inches of water during the Irrigating season. The sub-Irrigation and rainfall In this part of the valley are not of sufficient force to make the sugar-beet Industry a de cided success." An Instance of co-operative effort which is worthy of special notice and approval Is found In the following. The statement Is condensed from a more detailed account In the Elgin Recorder. The speaker lives near Joseph. In Wallowa County. T. L. Cavlness thus describes their enter prise: "The company, which is a private one. is named "The Sheep Mountain Irrigation Company. and Is composed of the following named subscribers; L. Knapper. Jonathan Haas. E. T. Roup. M. Williams and myself. We are using the water of Little Sheep and before the completion of the enterprise will tap the waters of Big Sheep Creek. The land to be irrigated, some 1500 acres, lies In the Joseph Valley. It will be sown to wheat, alfalfa and other crops. "The Irrigation ditch will be eight Vnlles long, ten feet wide on the bot tom and sloping to 16 feet on the top. It will carry four feet of water, suffi cient to float timbers, which we pro pose utilizing for various purposes. So far about six miles of -our ditch have been completed. Involving an expendi ture of about 520.000. When completed the total cost' will reach nearly 530,000. We are proceeding slowly as the un dertaking Involves a considerable out lay. Next year we will work on the remaining two miles, and If not com pleted by the end of 1906. we will fin ish it the next year." East Umatilla Project. Arrangements for the Government project known as the East Umatilla are proceeding rapidly. The East Ore gonlan gives a. full report of the meet ing at Echo. December 9, of the water users whose assent and conjoined ac tion Is necessary to comply with the requirements laid down by Secretary Hitchcock. The necessary bylaws and resolutions were adopted and sent on for the Secretary's approval. Having been framed and signed under the eye of John T. Whistler, the Govern ment Irrigation Engineer. It may be assured that all necessary formalities have been complied with, and that In due course and at an early date con struction wilt be entered upon. It is generally known now that all private owners of land within the bounds of tlje Government's project must surrender their holdings down to 160 acres .of land for each Individual. Th report concludes as follows; "Six Irrigation companies, already organized and now working In that vicinity, will be affected by the East Umatilla Government project, as fol lows: The Furnish Ditch Company, which Is now rapidly completing a main canal, will be affected to the extent of "about 2500 acres; Cold Springs Ditch Company. Beitle Ditch Company. Maxwell Ditch Company. Brownell Ditch Company, and th& Thrce-Mlle Falls Ditch Corapany. The six companies interested now have about 25 miles of main ditches al ready built and about 25 miles more projected. About 30.80P acres of land will be covered by these ditch com panies, all of which have signified their willingness to come under the Government regulations If satisfactory arrangements can be made. An effort will be made to secure a test of Win ter Irragation along the main Govern ment canal In the hilly .district west of Foster." New Water Power. Many devices have been Invented for utilizing the current of a river for de veloping power. On historic rivers of Europe floating flour mills -have been in use for centuries, saoored across the current, and grinding- away. In this country variations of wheels, set hori zontally or perpendicularly, have been tried, and sme have succeeded. If that success ca he desaeastrated en a practical ww-ktag scale, after the sao4l has saUsAe the taveatvr and m GAIN his friends, there Is a future for such machines, both In Oregon and els'e where. The description of the most recent one. to be soon practically tried, is as follows. The Inventor Is X. S. Mathews, and the paper states that the test will be made at the mouth of the Deschutes. The description fol lows: "He is now engaged In putting In the wheel, which Is a drum five feet in diameter and six feet long and will float on top of the water. It draws but three feet of water and Is said to be able to generate 10 horse power. It will be anchored in the stream by cables attached to the shore and will raise and lo"wer with the rise or fall of the stream and is, therefore, non destructible by high water or freshets which have always destroyed the sta tionary wheels used In Oregon "streams. The drum is air-tight and buoyant and is equipped with paddles or wings which open as the wheel turns. In time to be caught by the current, thus generating enormous power with a small surface. .The wheel Is made of Iron and weighs but 1600 pounds. In cluding the frames and attachments. The main shaft is equipped for the attachment of knuckles by which power may be transmitted to any kind of a pump or other machinery on the shore, and ,lt Is said to be the first wheel ever patented which was Intend ed to float on the surface of a stream. Cost Is Slight. "The wheel will pump 2000 gallons of water per hour with a No. 4 pump and Its capacity Is even greater than this with a larger pump. It Is said that a wheel having a capacity of 100 horse power can be constructed for 51000. thus revolutionizing the question of power on running streams, a strong current Is not required to produce power, as the wings unfold and give the wheel almost double its actual di ameter. The new wheel now com pleted was built by Baker City En gineering Works." Oregon has many rapid and powerful rivers whose beds have been. In the course of ages, cut deep below the surface of the neighboring land. If their water can be. by such simple and Inexpensive means as now Indicated, elevated and made to flow over the ad Joining lands, a great feat will have been accomplished. O. IX. & X. PROTECTS TRAFFIC Block Signals Being Installed on Three Sections of Road. The O. R. & N. Co. has taken the lead, as promised, in installation of the block system, for the 63 mlls between La Grande and Cayuse. It is understood that the 25 miles or thereabouts between Pqrtland and Bonneville Is to be simi larly protected, and- as soon as this work Is completed the stretch of road through the Burnt River Canyon will be taken In hand. Description of the apparatus used follows. It will be seen that the automatic arrangements are far In ad vance of the old plan, which involved the erection of a 'signal-house wherever one unit of thesystem met the next one. wherein a signalman kepv constant watch and was responsible for passage of trains cn 'to the section under his charge. "A separate system of electric wires consisting of three and five heavy wires carries the electric current from the power station to the various storage bat teries along the line. The signals are so arranged that they protect the trains from head-on collisions as well as from collisions from the rear. The night lamps on the signals burn for eight days and nights. and are attended by employes whose duty it is to keep the apparatus in working order. As long as a train is In one of the blocks, another train, ap proaching from either direction, cannot enter that block, thus preventing collis ions of any kind, if the signals are' obey ed. The signals arc operated automat ically by the wheels of the cars or en gine and the arms of the signals remain In an elevated position or at the "dan ger" position, as it Is called by railroad men. as long as the wheels are in con tact with it. "When the train leaves the block, the pressure of the wheels on the apparatus releases the arm and it fails down to T t- DEVELOPING AN "Safety" position, and all trains finding the arms is this position may proceed in perfect safety as It Is knows that no other trala Is nearer than two miles, which Is the dJataace each htock ex-tead." linOPHDANT Feeding of Stock for Market Generally Pays Well. OREGON HAS ADVANTAGES Experience in Other States and Abroad Contains Pertinent Sug gestions for Farmers In the Willamette Valley. Snow Is reported to have fallen In Har ney and Malheur Counties earlier than usual. Consequently, stockmen have had already to commence Winter feeding. The Burns Times-Herald states that hay is abundant in that section, and that all cattle-owners are well prepared. The Ba ker Herald is advised that the Snake River country Is over-supplied with hay for the needs of the stock now owned, and that purchases from neighboring dis tricts are being made to consume the for age: "Some of the ranchers are buying stock and expect to Winter them on their land, feeding the cattle with the surplus hay. A band or 5C0 yearlings passed through Baker City yesterday that had been pur chased near Haines and. North Powder by W. F. Baker, of this city. They were being driven to the large Cook ranch, on the Snake, to be fattened thi3 Winter and sold In the Spring.". The Democrat of Baker City writes en couragingly as to probable higher prices following exceptional sales of stock ear lier in the year: "Livestock" conditions in the Interior country of Eastern Oregon are more sat isfactory than for several years. Sales have been exceptionally heavy during the Fall and Summer, while growers were able to replenish their herds at prices which practically guarantee a profit on the Winter feeding. About K00 head of fine grass-fed beeves were sold to outside persons, while several hundred head of feeders were taken out by Butter Creek stockmen. The number has been only partly replaced by the natural Increase and purchase of young stock, so that the number to be fed Is smaller" than ordi nary. This fact, taken in connection with the abundance of feed on hand and the extremely heavy Autumn snows, Is bring ing about a stronger demand." Develop Stock Feeding. The Willamette Valley Development League, at the Woodburn meetings, last Friday. listened to various speakers on the Improvement of the farmers" profits from Valley lands. No suggestion was .made that cattle might be bought off the ranges and fed on Valley farms for Win ter and Spring markets. Possibly the next clipping may suggest a reason. If the prices of 4V cents per pound by the carcass to the retailer is to hold good, and out of that the wholesale buyer Is to get his profit, there is not very much left for the farmer who has bought steers in the Fall and fed them for four to six months for the Spring trade. Yet that industry pays the Iowa and Kansas farmer, and Oregon can cer tainly provide feeding and fattening ma terials as cheaply and well as those states. Of course, a considerable increase of weight In the animal goes to the credit of the Valley farmer who has bougnt in the Fall months. But it would be inter esting if some of our enterprising farmers who are raising feed In large tonnage would ,try the experiment out, keep ac curate accounts and publish the results for the benefit of their fellows. Increase in the acreage of alfalfa raised In our home counties, which is already rapid, may assist in the provision of fattening Winter feed.. Following is the statement of a cattleman: '"Henry Ervin. or Payette. Idaho, is in the city disposing or a shipment of beer cattle he brought down this week. Ho says range cattle are now too poor for beer In his part or the country, and that Portland will have to draw on the hay-red stock ror the remainder of the Winter. Mr. Ervin has quite a number-of cattle still on hand, which he will bring by rail as the season advances and prices justify. ' 'Beer cattle are not very high in Port land now," he said today, "as cattlemen have been hurrying In their range cattle berore the stock get poor. Hereafter I look for better prices. " 'Where small retailers have their own shops and have to buy from the packers their profit must be added to the price consumers pay for beef, mutton and pork,' he said, 'and this makes the differ ence between the wholesale and the retail prices too great. " 'Retailers get their beef at about 4,. cents per pound by the carcass, and could retail the meat at an average of 8 or 9 cents with profit. More beef would be eaten if the retail price were lower; the OREGON MINE. wholesaler would get his profit, the re tailer would make enough, and the stock Hiaa would get a price for bis steers that would condensate him for hjs time and expense In .reducing.' " A report Jat received from a Lincoln County stockman is that buyers there are offering 530. and no more, for good steers. The Baker City packing-house Is getting ready for business fasL How long will It be before Portland follows this lead? If Willamette Valley farmers Increase the number of fat cattle as they should. It wolud be a great inducement. The big packing plant of the Baker City Packing Company three miles north or this city, is rapidly nearing completion, and as soon as .the steam hoist Is in place killing or cattle, hogs. etc.. will begin." Considering current prices ror creamery butter, addition to the number or modern creameries should he welcome. Dayton Is to be congraulated: "The creamery building has been com pleted, and the machinery all Installed. A test was made, and everything worked like a charm, everything being almost automatic In action. The building and machinery have been accepted by the company, and as soon as a competent man Is secured the creamery will start up. It is one or the most up-to-date institutions or the kind in the country." More Crop. Diversity. In the old country, grades of barley not desirable ror malting purposes are always ground ror reed to finish off the hogs. With the prices paid In these markets for malting barley. It Is strange that more is not raised. The four-course system on high-priced English farm Jnnrt is ly. wheat, barley, oats and clover or soma other desirable forage plant, beet or Swede turnips. Perhaps Dr. Withycombo might tell his farm audiences something along this line. The Valley farmer will have to make up his mind to expend, more labor (his own or some other man's) on the cropping of his farm, than was the custom In the good old days tiow rap idly paslsng into history: "Julius Roesch, proprietor of the La. Grande brewery, estimates that he con sumes fully one-third of the Union County barley crop yearly. This season he pur chased 10.000 bushels of the best brewing barley early In the season, paying from to 96 cents a hundred. He was indeed fortunate, as the price or the poorest reed barley at this Ume has almost reached that figure." sa-3 the La Grande Observ er. "A rew years back Mr. Roesch made a specialty of shipping considerable malt from this city to inland points as far east as Salt Lake. The grain markets of tho East have enabled the brewers of the more Eastern points, together with cheap er freight rates, to purchase from the Middle West. This had cut off part of the market from the La Grande establish ment." 15 ASHLAXD CONSIDERING WATER WORKS PROBLEM. Albany System Acquired by Xew Owners and Extensive Better ments Are Projected. In the Jackson County papers we find several references to, the great question pending in the Qi.ty of Ashland whether to close with the offer described in thl3 item: r "The Ashland Electric Light Company has offered its plant to the City or Ash land for the cost of the plant and 7 per cent interest, which is figured to be about 560.000. included Is a 20-year contract with the Condor Water & Power Company, which now furnishes the current to the city." There seems to be a strong sentiment in favor of Joining the ranks of those cities which have made up their minds to face the problems that they may en Joy the advantages of municipal owner ship. On the other hand, we read that Al bany is to gain Immediate advantage from the recent purchase of the water works of that clly by the firm of Rhodes. Sinkler & Butcher, of Philadel phia, who have In a few short months become the power to be reckoned with in the cities of the Willamette Valley. What .they intend doing forthwith Is described as follows: "Rhodes. Sinkler &. Butcher, the new owners of the Albany Light & Water Company's plant in Albany, will begin the first improvement in the nature or a filter station ror all water used in town, immediately. The company has purchased land near Elklns Falls, In the canal, about one mile trom Albany, and will construct a large reservoir and filtering station, capable or filtering 150,000 gal lons or water per day. Tho water used by Albany people comes rrom the South Santlam River, near Lebanon. It Is taken from the river in a canal and flows through the prairie 14 miles before reaching Albany. While It is good mountain water at the start. It becomes more or less impure before reaching Albany, after flowing through fields, pastures, etc, in many instances being close to barn lots. The new ar rangement will. It Is claimed, give Al bany the best water in .the Valley, out side of Portland, ir the new proprietors or the electric works should desire to construct an. electric plant at the falls where the reservoir Is to be built, suf ficient power could be generated from the falls to do away with the town plant. This is a move often contemplated by the old company." The opportunity for a first-class power plant at the falls in the canal within less than a mile from the city Is unique, and heretofore but partially utilized. By con structing a flume a mile in length a fall of upward or 20 reet can be devel oped, utilizing the whole water of the canal. No small opportunity for manu factures for the city and very large profit for the new owners or the canal. "JUDGED - BY TJIEIR WORK. Electric Roads Prove Genuineness by Starting Construction. Promises are to be followed by per formance. On Monday of last week the first shoveirul or dirt was thrown by Mayor Waters or Salem a well-deserved honor, recognizing both his official po sition, and the services he Is known to have rendered to the new road or the Willamette Valley Traction Company. The official programme or construction is announced aa rollows: Salem to Che mawa within three months; Woodburn before Spring is over, and to Portland by 1M7. It is further stated that the time between the two cities is to be an hour and a half, and the passenger fare ror the round trip not to exceed 52. A rich and well-developed Tanning country will receive the marked benefits ot frequent and cheap transportation. The cities will gain from the side of markets ror rresh and excellent products or the rarm, dairy, orchard and truck farm- Suburban limits will be extended and city business people be encouraged to become dwellera In the country. In Union County it is announced that the surveyors of their new Central elec tric line are ready for work and that con struction will follow closely on the heels of the surveys. Baker County has caught the infec tion. We learn from the Democrat that an electric read Is proposed, as an exten sion of the Lack street railway la Baker City, wherefcy the farmers of the Powder River Valley will fee connected with that, city.