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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1910)
THE MORNING OREGONIAN, SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 1910. PORTLAND NW G HOTELS or M9DERN Bt C. M. Dickinson. lTenide-nt Western HatFlmeQ'1 Protective AmoclAtlon. " jOIATB suited to the comforti of man, and resources stored by na ture upon the earth and within the earth, are the primary features leading to the development of communities and the building of large cities. A hamlet properly located and surrounded by an Abundance of natural resources, in or der to develop into a thriving, bustling, growing city, needs cheap and effi cient transportation.- Transportation is divided into two classes water and rail. In this respect the City of Port land, founded in 1S43. was admirably located how well located probably its original founders never realized. The pathfinders for our greatest transcon tinental railroads have recognised these native advantages, and today all rail ways run down hill to Portland. "Both banks of the matchless Columbia RlVr er. draining an empire, are paralleled toy these-modern agencies of wealth. Portland's splendid fresh-water harbor Is unsurpassed: its rapid growth, su premacy and subatant lability are mar vels to our Eastern tourists. It is an undisputed fact that the next requirement to transportation facilities in the development of a city are whole some, adequate and popular-priced ho tel accommodations. The City of Port land has shown a most marvelous growth, and probably no other class of business has better kept pace with and aliepri of its growth than have, its hotel facilities. The public at large probably docs not realize the hotel de velopment that has taken place in the City of Portland during the last five years. In the Kail of 1904 there were but five hotels which could he classed as either first or second class, that catered particularly to the wants of the transient guest. These five hotels had their busses at the rtation to meet the visitor upon s arrival In town. The combined caparN It J- of these hotels was about 800 rooms. Accommodate Thousands Lake Lire Pleasant tor the Tourist. ri 8 ' J2 I I 11 1 6 . vh V - t: ( aU9 H ...iiliWfc. mi 2j ? - ill. i. " II'-" f l:r Mi J o ' mm mm 3 jk if "5 I 111 n m i III .Mil Li f- ---Ur .i-: i"T ii ii riif-HT Ik I"" i None had more than a very few rooms with private bath, hot and cold run ning water, and none had telephone conveniences in its rooms. The ag gregate market value of the five prop erties was in the vicinity of $2,000,000. louring the lapse of five years no less than 10 other hostelrles, varying in size up to 300 rooms, have been construct ed, and "the original five have been reconstructed and refurnished. Im mense amounts of money have been pent upon them, and all today have as good, complete and up-to-date accom modations as can be found in cities anywhere. Besides these more Important hotels, n innumerable number of smaller up-to-date ones have been ' constructed, nd I believe I am within the facts in stating that the hotels in the City of Portland represent an investment of about Ho. 000. 000. No less than-20 ho tels are today sending their busses t the Union Station to receive and trans port guests to their hostelries. The hotels of Portland are competent and ble to care from 2000 to 3000 transient guests a day. I have never visited any city of twice the size where the trav eler encotinters at the railway station ao many busses as he does when alight ing at the Union Station In this city. In 1905 the Lewis and Clark Reposi tion was held In this city. The North west had never before experienced so large a travel as then, and notwith standing the small number of hotels ex isting as compared with the present. the arrivals were easily cared for and properly housed wtthout exorbitant charge. Various mushroom hotels were constructed to overcharge the travel ing public and reap a harvest. ' With out exception these schemes resulted in financial loss owing to the ability of the then existing hotels and. their man agement. The Alaska-Tukon-Pacific Exposi tion, held in the City of Seattle, opened June 15. 1909. The travel from June la to October 15 broke all records for ine iNonnwesi, anu yet the notels or Portland were able to care for all who applied, with room for more, and the prices were not . raised over, those al ways prevailing. I know of no better argument of the growth of the City of Portland than the improvement of physical conditions and the Increase: in capacity of its ho tels, and today it .would be. impossible lor any influx of travel, either ordi nary or extraordinary, to come to Port-, land and find its hotel accommodations inadequate or its hotel prices exorbi tant. I dare say the future, will- keep pace with th-past in the-growth of the city, and T personally know, that the larger existing hotels. Of Portland today, have plans. ready for expansion of capacity as the conditions may war rant. "Heaven -hath no welcome like well-kept inn." and the hotelmen of Portland will see to it that the visitors are properly welcomed and cared for. LIBRARY NEEDS NEW HOME Public Institution, Founded and Supported by Portland Citizens, r Has Outgrown Building First Occupied in 1902. ; . A NEW public library building is now proposed for Portland, the handsome structure occupying a half-block on Stark street between 6eventh and Park, having now become too small for the growing needs of the institution. The existing public library, which Is not a Carnegie institution, was estab lished on the first floor of the building now In use In 1902. Today every por tion of the structure is in use. and the work of the library has been extended until it covers the territory surround ing Portland. At the end of the first year the mem bership was S10T. the circulation of books for home use was 110.66S. and the number of books in the library waa 37,715. more than half of whiclS were uncatalogued. According t(T the last annual report of the librarian, Mary Frances Isom, to the Library 'Association,, covering the period ending October 31, the total number of catalogued volumes .in the library was S3. 558. the lending 'collec tion numbered 57.530, the membership was 27.223. and the circulation from the lending collection was 386.680. - The estimated Increase in circulation for the entire year over the circulation of 190g is abo.ut, 80.000. The number of catalogued volumes has increased in 10 months more than . 3000, . and . the membership more than 4000, It is interesting also to note that. the attendance for the 10 months included in the report of the librarian, was 586, S37. , . " There are three branch stations of the Public Library one at Sellwood. one at East Eleventh ana East Alder streets, and one at Albina. The Sellwood branch, has a member ship of 1054, and in 10 months the ci culation - was 17,196. The Albina branch records a membership of 2152. and a circulation of 3S.S00: the East Side station a membership of 7666 and a circulation of 63.086. It la admitted that the 'Central Library building Is now too small, and :j It . , I I .7 I s, jl - fit - Z&3r X v IS 7 - ' t mil imZl - II W't-D'ti t - ii.- t-s pkp ijrTi -". M s.i - . J I lif 5. -JSS555r Am that establi taat the branches a the branches that in inadequate bull fore proposed, in the event the associa tion finds it possible to acquire sites by gift or otherwise, that it ask the city for the full maximum levy of .2 mills in place of the old levy of .13 mills, and 'for authorization to build branch library buildings. It. Is also proposed to sell the central building and site now in use, and acquire a -full brock farther removed from the busi ness center of the city, and there erect a new building that will provide room for those who visit the library, room for the volumes and give an opportun ity also for growth and the broadening of the scope of the Institution's activi ties. In addition to the central library and the .three branches, ' there have ' been established nine reading rooms. These are at Arleta, Gresham. Lents. Monta vflla. North Albina. Peninsula. South Portland. - Troutdale and University Park.- There are 500 to 600 volumes in each reading room. - There are also 15 deposit stations at each of which a collection of 50 books Is placed and changed at Intervals. These deposit stations are at Bridal Veil, Brooks, Cedarvil). Corbet V Fair- view," German Town, Hurlburt, La-tour-ell, Multnomah, Orient.' Palmer. Pleas ant Valley, Powell Valley, Rockwood and Woodstock. ; The- total circulation through the deposit stations In the 1 months of 1909 renorted ws tfi9K From August to January study -libra' rles were issued monthly to each of the 10 granges in Multnomah County. Boxes-of books numbering 3617 vol umes were loaned to the county schools, and the circulation . attained 10.737. Seventy-three teachers of country schools were, assigned libraries at the beginning of the last school year. The children's- department is an in teresting and growing adjunct to 'the main- library. Th-ie department has -a membership of - 5456. and dirring the year .there was an approximate attend ance of 58.000 children. 10,000 adults, a book circulation of 60.000 and a pic ture circulation of -18.000: The -records of .the department show an increase -of 17 per cent for 10 months.-.of 19.09 over 'a similar period in 1908. A story hour was one of the features of the children's department .during the Spring months.' Talks on early Oregon mm 1 it - . -"T 3 m Si 'MM f:.w' r history were given' on successive Kri day ' afternoons by Mrs. Eva Emery Dye.. F. H. Grubbs. Thomas N. Strong. Colonel Robert Miller and Colonel C. K. S. Wood. The story hour was well at tended throughout the year. The hour has .recently, been changed to Satur day morning for the benefit of coun try children ' who may', drive into . town on that day. An - exhibit of the library, work of Multnomah County was sent to . the A-V-P Exposition, and received a .gold medal. Photographs of the branfli libraries,- deposit stations and other dis tributing points, together with. a model traveling library, formed the exhibit. Pictures of the reading-rooms at Trout- dale and Gresham and of the school and Grange at Pleasant Valley, and a map of the county showing its distrib utive points, added greatly to the ex hibit and attracted wide attention. In a number of ojher ways the Lib rary Association is fostering interest In the value of books.