rilE MORNING "OREGOXIAX. MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 1911. i FOBTLA.XD. OREGOX. TnfnH at Portland. Oragaa. Psstofllea aacond-Claaa Mallar. Subaoription haiM ZQrartably la (BT MAIL) rafty. ln-odJ. oaa year. .....$aj la!ly. Stiaday Included. Bis months.... J Pai.y. Sunday lacludad. thrta montlu.. X-al Ijally. Sunday lnctiia4. ona month... Daily, wlrhout ounday. on year....... S-00 la ly. without SuBdtir, a month. -M I l.jr. without un.'ay. throo months... Iaiiy. without Sunday, on month..... - wooiclw. ana aa.vr 5- fin4iT. aoo yTir . atiaday aad wsoklj. ana yaax. (BT CARRIER) r'!y. Sua4ay Includad. on roar...... I-ai,y. auaday Ineludod. an month. ... Haw ta Remit bond poatoffles manor rdr. oxsroaa ordor- or haraonal chock your local hank. Htampa. coin or eorroner or ai tna aaadera run. oia p""',ut" addraia lB full, larludlng county and atata. Posts HmLmm 1 a to ta naaoa. 1 cant: Id . ta u yaaaa. : rants; JO ta 0 ps. canta 40 to wO tun. 4 cants. Forties pooios dcubio rata. Esoloom flaalai nfllwi Vofraa A Conk' Hn haw Torn. Kruaawlck Building. Cat- ao. ttacar hulld:ng. rOBTLAD. MONDAY. J.Ol'AKI 1. I Mi. ,' (OKKIXti THE COXB-KRVATTOJC BOTTIX It Is usual for legislator to give ' greater consideration to the recom mentations of an Incoming Governor ' than to the advice of an outgoing Governor. It U to the now executive that the Legislature must look for fa- . vorable consideration of pet measures. . Usually, too. the policies of the retir ing Governor are well known, while outside of the main Issues of the pre- ceding campaign the policies of the new Governor are matters of interest ed speculation until the time of their delivery to the legislative Assembly, The Oregonian. therefor, drains It ' wise to fmi'hiuUe the Importance o one at least of the recommendations made by Acting Governor Howerinan This recommendation. which was ; given In full yesterday in The Orego ' filajl. deals w ith the conservation prob lem In a manner thoroughly In har ninny with the prevailing sentiment of the pople of Oregon. Oregon does nt question the great underlivnc DrlnciDle of "conservation so-called, but It does have a quarrel with those who. possessing vague no tions of conditions In the West, have played upon popular opinion or preju dice with the word In an effort to bring about something that is not con serration. A policy that once, as Governor Boverman points out, was inspired by the desire to preserve our watersheds, has degenerated into system of paternalism under which the r.r. rv. nmnna.l f rotnln the title to and control of all mineral lands and available water-power sites." It la even planned to impose a Fed eral tax on the development of water powers and coal lands a tnx that must of necessity be raid by AVestern consumers. Lands withdrawn under this policy have Included great tracts highly suit able for agriculture. Protests against this bottling up have frequently been met oy xne assertion tnu unuer tnw provisions of the Federal laws agricul tural lands may be segregated for en try by actual settlers. But In actual practice the Intent of the law has been controverted by the stratagem of the theorists In the forestry department. Money expended and good Intentions shown by settlers have been Ignored and the lands sought to be converted Into productive farms have almost In variably been "reserved Tor adminis trative purposes." A grave absurdity In the situation Is found In the fact that the state is ex pending taxpayers' money. Indirectly, In furtherance of the harmful policies of these uninformed Eastern vision sties. This money goes to the sup port of the Oregon Conservation Com. mission, against which the retiring ex ecutive reads the following indict ment: It has parfnrmad little If any real aerr Ire tor tha stat. but. on the other hand, has addod Ita Influence to that of the pr-a-aat almtnlstratlvo policies of the Feiiernl ;ovammnt In pravantln the doratopm-nt of tha atata and In -nrouraslna the with drawal of our landa from entry and haa ar eorapllahd aottilna toward aecurlne our fuat portion of tha reclamation fuira). It haa fonderetl sorre a-vt of political na tqr to thoea offtco-hoM-ra with who. l.wa and pollcx-a Ita dominant members concur. The Indictment is undoubtedly not directed at the individual members of the Commission, but Is Justly Intended as a criticism of the Influences that have warped the real purpose of the organization into an aid for political advancement, regardless of the effect such procedure might have upon the prosperity and development of the state. The Legislature need have no hesi tancy in adopting Governor Bower man's recommendation that this Com mission be abolished. Its policies have not been In accord with the recommendations of either the outgo ing or the incoming Governor, nor with the desires of an overwhelming majority of the people of Oregon. Money is ill spent for corking the bot tle that contains so much of Oregon's resources. It should not be difficult for the Legislature to make known officially the views of Oregon on matters of con servation. Oregon does not want a long-distance interference with true development, nor its people taxed for the maintenance of a cumbersome bu reau administered by soft-handed the orists. Its objections are directed at administrative policies which subvert the true meaning and Intent of the laws and regulations pertaining to conservation, and not at a conserva tion that will protect Its resources from monopoly and insure proportion ate benefits to present and future gen erations. According to the testimony of An drew Carnegie, "the more capital does for labor the more profit the employer makes." Continuing, the ironmaster stated that he had not had any strikes in twenty-six years. "I have not let ' any one, he explained, "have any thing to say about labor but myself." Mr. Carnegie, employing labor in a business so well protected by unfair laws and discrimination that even at the highest-priced labor in the world It affords such colossal profits that he can with difficulty spend more than a small portion of his vast income, is not In a position to offer expert testi mony regarding labor engaged In ordi nary Industries where the resultant profits of the labor are only legitimate and fair. No one grudges Mr. Carne gie's high-priced labor, or his low priced labor, the comparatively small portion of the profits that falls to their lot. but It is the millions of consum ers who are entitled to the credit for the numerous libraries nd peace do nations as well as the high wages that are supposed to prevail In Carnegie land. A TIME KOR IBJH PATIKNIE. The Irish members of oAsquith's coalition government wish home rule at once. But Asqulth serves notice that the first reform must be that of the House of Lords. So the . Irish members must con tent themselves for the present. The Premier announces that the Lib eral majority of the government will refuse to bo ."coerced" by "the Irian minority. Any other attitude, he says. would expose Liberals to the charge that they "prefer office to principle; the retention of office at the price of the abandonment of principle." The Premier declares the "predomi nant and governing issue" to be. "cur tailment of the veto of the House of Lords." A doxen or a score of great causes, he adds, hang upon that issue. One of these is Irish home rule. "In purely Irish affairs." Doea this mean Indefinite postpont ment of home rule? Probably not; but It evidently means delay for some time to come. Right now the Irish will have occasion to exercise self- control and moderation. Their ex plosive, frothy natures they will need to -hold subdued. They will have to be patient and to refrain from bolt ing the programme. Their only hope of home rule lies In adherence to the Libera coalition. Their only possible friends are In that camp.. Will the Irish prove themselves equal to this emergency? Will they "refuse to play" unless they get what they want? This ordeal of Irish pa tience will be an interesting spectacle. Victory will be a new triumph In Irish statesmanship. A MEKJTORiOl 8 TENSION 11 1.1- The ease with which a bill adding about 5. 000.000 to tho pension roll of the cnuntry slipped through the House at Washington offers some hope that a pension bill possessing real merit, and now before the House, may meet with similar success. This pension bill, which has never ap pealed very strongly to Congress, pro vides a pension for men who have become'too old or have been disabled In the life-saving service. If all the sleek, well-fed. rich old fellows who are now drawing pensions to which they are not entitled could be relieved of their unearned monthly instal ments of Government money, there would be ample funds for taking care of the men who have actually earned pensions. A recent extended expose of pension frauds by a prominent magazine con tained numerous photographs of men who were drawing pensions for total disability, and who were at the same time, receiving large salaries for their services in commercial and political life. The number of patriots for pay discovered by this magazine was no great that one can hardly question the charge that there are thousands of similar cases that might be unearthed if determined efforts were made to stop the frauds. With the Ufesavers, the case Is different. It requires a brave man to assume the risks that are the essential part of the work, and brave man would not as a rule be seeking a pension to which he was not entitled and which he did not need The Llfesavlng Service has become one of the most useful and valuable features of the work of the Govern ment. During the year Just close! the men In the service saved or as slsted In saving ships and cargoes of value of more than $10,000,000. In these disasters 77.000 lives were In Jeopardy, but, due largely to the effi cient work of the Llfesavlng Service, only 83 lives were lost. The work in volves great hardship, and the men grow old or are disabled at an age when, in easier walks of life, they would still be in their prime. Thus far the only provision on the pension order that the Government makes for the life-savers gives men who are injured while engaged in duty full pay for a year, but never In any circumstance for more than two years. As the pay Is Insufficient to admit of any great saving, old age finds most of these heroes objects of charity ln- stead of the care of those whose prop erty and Uvea have been saved by their efforts. MAKING A tiOOD START. Since January 1 money in an un precedented volume has been pouring Into New Tork from all parts of the country. The gain In surplus reserve of the clearing-house banks of New York for the first week In January was more than $12,000,000. bringing the total higher than the figure reached In any corresponding week since 1899. For the week ending last Saturday the record-breaking was still more pro- ounced. The surplus reserve was not only the highest on record at that dato. but it reached a higher figure than had been touched since early last Septem ber, when money stocks were being accumulated for crop-moving pur poses. That there should be such an accumulation of money In New York this time seems all the more re- markabT when it is noted that the disbursements through the New York banks on January dividend account were more than $200,000,000. With this direct, tangible evidence that there Is an abundance of money In the country. It Is not unreasonable to expect a return of confidence, which in the East has been missing for many months. The money which Is now owing into New York in record- breaking volume has fulfilled its crop- moving mission In the West and South and Is available for other purposes. As soon as there is a restoration of confidence, borrowers and lenders will get together and make use of it. An early settlement of some of the most Important suits against railroads and other industrial corporations would ndoubtedly prove" highly beneficial to every one. not excepting the defend ants. Nearly every prominent rail road In the country is in need of money with which to construct new lines or repair old ones, but Just at present railroad securities are far from attractive to Investors. That there is excellent reason for the investing public to steer clear of them, as well as from Industrial stocks. Is quite strikingly shown In a recent compilation giving the values of ninety-five prominent railroad and the same number of industrial stocks at the close of business December 31, 1909. and . on the same date in 1910. In that , twelve months the railroad stocks showed a depreciation of $851, 395.000, or 16.92 per cent: the indus trial stocks depreciated $484,808,000. or lt.zt per cent, or a total for both Industrials and railroads of $1,338, 393.000. or 14.85 per cent. Without discussing the merits or the demerits of the causes which have combined to make railroad and industrial securi ties such an unpopular form of invest ment, it Is easy to understand that no cautious Investor would care to put his money in anything where It would lose nearly 15 per cent in a single year. Meanwhile new wealth is being cre ited more rapidly than ever before. and it is crowding right along on the heels of that already in use. The cor poration and the anti-corporation, the j ra-uroua ana tne aim-rum ui, ivta will settle their differences and get down to business on a new basis. Ore gon for the past year has experienced with very pleasant sensations what it means to have the railroads spend ing millions in new construction, and would like to see financial conditions adjusted so that similar prosperity could spread over the rest of the coun try. It woulfl Increase the aemand for Oregon lumber, apples, salmon, hops and other products. IIARIt OK OREGON PROJECTS. Between Senator Carter and the Army board, Oregon Irrigation proj ects suffer rough handling, i Senator Carter's tender Sensibilities are much stirred by accusations of lack of faith. If not integrity." against 'those charged with the management of the Reclamation Service" at Klam ath, and he declares In substance that the Klamath project "never . should have been undertaken by the Govern ment." Senator Carter's idea of a reclama tlon project that deserves generous support is that It shall be located in Montana. His conspicuous success in persuading the Army board to the same view In its distribution of the 45.000.000 reclamation fund would appear to show that the Montana defi nition of a meritorious reclamation scheme has powerful approval. Yet Senator Chamberlain, who is also a member of the Senate Irrlga tlon committee, could do little or notli lng for Klamath or for West l'm' tilla. Did Carter bamboozle and hyp notlze him. too? t'KEK PASSES AOAIN? The bill intended to compel railroad companies to Issue free transportation comes up at an Inopportune time. Just at present there is more anti-railroad legislation before the people than ever. The railroads complain that they are being taxed too heavily and that they are not receiving rates in keep ing with the service they give. Every deadhead they would carry under the proposed law, whether official or oth erwise, would to a degree reduce the revenues and offer an excuse for the roads to make reciprocal demands on the state. Having at last got this railroad business down to a business basis, woujd It not be well to keep it there and neither be obliged to ask nor receive favors from the roads? Any state official, even a member of the Legislature, who objected to pay ing his fare, could of course resign. It should also be remembered that the people have already voted once on this pass proposition and re jected it. THE NEW TIME'S PROGRESS. Never before, In this Northwest country, were opportunities for hand and brain so varied. Some persons may find difficulty in fitting into this new growth that is now pressing for ward. In every country and in every time there have been such. But at no time in the history of Oregon and Washington has such variety of em ployment presented luelf to residents and newcomers. In agriculture and In animal hus-. bandry activities are multiplying. New lessons of fruitgrowing are con tinually impressing themselves on our people. The apple, the pear, the strawberry, the grape, the peach, the cherry, each and all are contributing to the progress of the country as would not have been thought possible ten or fifteen years ago. Boll, altitude. moisture of each locality are coming to be understood in their differing con ditions. The business of dairying. though not growing as rapidly as the people's needs for its products, is con stantly Improving. Breeding of sheep, cattle, goats and hogs makes steady gains. Also that of poultry. The country's business In manufactures shows steady expansion. More and more the population Ls consuming the goods of its own factories. New rail roads are opening up new localities, each of which will turn its wealth into the general store and will be developed along the lines of Its own best produc tive power. A thrifty people is one that has many wants and is able to satisfy them. A people that turns most re sources to account is one that has highest place in the world's prosperity. Resources are not thus wasted; they are converted into human comforts. But a people that must depend on im ported goods is poor indeed. It does not get ahead. It is laggard In the world procession. Oregon and Washington are depend ing less and less on importations of produce and fruit from California. They are .canning more and more of their own products of orchard and garden. Their furniture factories are supplying their homes. Their own clay is burnt into bricks and tile. Their own shops are making their engines and machinery. Their woolen mills are enlarging their product. All this is causing the country to make fast galfis. So little of this work was done here in the olden time that the country's progress was slow. The early citizens who hoped that they would live to see the buzzing hives of Industry that they pictured in their dreams passed to the undiscovered country with their pictures unrealized. It has taken 60 years of toilsome growth to create in these two states homes and sustenance for their 2,000. 000 people. Slow, exasperatingly slow, the early progress was. Now, how ever, the growth Is fast. The 2,000, 000 population will be doubled, trebled, in but a fraction of the long period that has passed. There are opportunities for purpose ful energy in this country in more var ied number than ever before. But the . men and the women who come here to take up tasks should be equipped for what they undertake to do. The "im migration" that comes simply for a "change" or thinking that life here may be less laborious than elsewhere. or that. In spite of shlftlessness, there will be some way to "get along." will be sorely disappointed: But the Im migration that has wiling hands and Is not too proud nor too firmly planted J on its "rights" to delve into the hard tasks; that applies prudence, foresight and industry to Its labors this kind of newcomers will be richly rewarded. The early Inhabitants of Oregon and Washington dreamed of the big doings of the present day a quarter of a cen tury ago. When Henry .Villard, at that time, offered the people here the fruits of his railroad genius, their en thusiasm surpassed that of the people of the present day. When the Oregon Short Line and Union Pacific and the Southern Pacific made connections with this country there was enthusl- i-asm again. But after each of these great exploits the country still lagged. Progress was still slow. Now, however, we are fairly entered Into the new time. It is an opening that thrills our people, pioneers and newcomers. This country has a self dependence and a self-reliance that It never had ltfore. The Harrlman tunnel under the pen insula Is completed and it is announced that It will admit of a reduction of thirty minutes In the running time be tween Portland and Puget Sound. The Northern Pacific Railroad Company, owner of the track which Is now Joint ly used between Vancouver and Ta- coma by the three roads, is double tracking the line between Kalama and Puget Sound, and when that work is completed and the roadbed Is worn down there should be an opportunity for a reduction still further in time. Portland and the Puget Sound cltief are growing so rapidly and have so much in common that the time is ap proaching when limited trains making very few stops will carry passengers through from Portland to Tacoma in about three hours without encounter ing risks Of consequence. In a review of prospects requiring the attention of machinery houses in the early part of 1911, a Seattle corre spondent in the annual number of the Iron Age takes a very optimistic view of Northwest trade conditions. It is interesting to note that of eleven pros pects of magnitude mentioned five are in Oregon, and that two others have Oregon companies behind them. In this list are named the proposed Springfield electric power plant; im provements at the West Coast mines at Bohemia; the appropriation of $760,000 for improvements by the Portland Gas & Coke Company; the bond issue of $30,000 at Falls City for water works; the Iettlnr of contract for an auxiliary steam plant by the Mount Hood Railway & Power Com pany; the new generating plant In Chehalls to 'be built by a company having headquarters In Portland and the plan of Barr Bros.-Rogers Cutlery Company, of Eugene, to build a plant at Palo Alto, CaL Tobacco growers In forty counties in Kentucky have voted to abandon this year's crop of white burley to bacco. This action is taken for the purpose of decreasing the supply and increasing prices. The territory in volved Is that in which the night rid ers have been quite active for the past three years, and presumably if some Kentuckian of the Daniel Boone type attempts to prove this Is a free coun try by putting in a crop of tobacco he will be murdered or maimed in regu lation night-rider style. There is good soil In Kentucky, and It will produce crops other than tobacco. Perhaps some of the tobacco men may get in a crop of something else this year that will pay so much better than tobacco that it will no longer be necessary to grow the "weed" and thus invite the attacks of the cowardly night riders. Little by little baseball magnates are getting common sense beaten into their heads. The latest manifesta tion of the phenomenon is a rule that umpires' eyes must be examined. They need it. Oh, how many, many times In Portland last season were the Cali fornia autocrats afflicted with astig matism! . Wonder how often the. eyes must be inspected. An umpire might be onto his Job all right Tuesday, but suppose that night he looked at the electrolier several times through the bottom of a beer glass. Would his lenses focus accurately at Wednes day's game? It may prove a wise plan to test the eyesight of players also. Baseball everywhere Is profita ble, so why not each club carry an of ficial oculist on the aggregation's pay roll? Then if the home team loses, mob the eye doctor. The United States has the greatest warship afloat. The Arkansas, which was launched at Philadelphia Satur day, has a dozen 12-inch guns and when she gets busy with all her equipment she can throw about 11,000 pounds of broadside shot. The vessel is of 26,000 tons displacement and will carry eighty-five officers and more than 1000 men. Unfortunately for Uncle Sam, the glory of having the greatest battleship afloat may not rest with us very long. The Arkansas is only 60 per cent completed, and prob ably by the time the other 40 per cent has been attended to some of our for eign neighbors who are racing each other In the big-ship competition will have launched a still greater craft. , "Now that Oregon is entitled to an other Congressman, The Oregonian wants both Congressmen to come from the Willamette Valley," remarks the Malheur Enterprise. It may not be worth while, but The Oregonian will endeavor to enlighten the Malheur pa per to the extent of Informing it that Oregon now has two Representatives In Congress, and under the reappor tionment will have tHce. The Orego nian has, moreover, made no sugges tion that "both" or all Representa tives come from the Willamette Valley, or anywhere. It is indifferent. Though it naturally desires that they come from somewhere In Oregon. This Government is too easy with its wards. A bill is pending to allow the Apaches held at Fort Sill to return to the reservation. Of course they can do no more killing of white settlers, but release from prison will lessen punishment, and that is what should not be done with an Apache. The two-score people who spent four days comfortably in a Great Northern train In Montana, snowbound and the mercury at 58 below, learned some thing of modern railroading. Testing the eyes of National League umpires will provide men who can sidestep wlien an indignant runner "sees red." Butler Ames, old Ben's grandson, has the proper blood to welcome a controversy with the Colonel. QCESTIONS FOR SIXGLE-TAIERS. Why JVot Be Content With Preaent Great Growth and Prosperity PORTLAND, Or.. Jan. 13. (To the Editor.) The recent discussion on "Sin gle Tax" between Messrs. Cuslck and HImes, found on the editorial page of The Oregon'an, has interested me, and I have hoped to see more of it. Mr. HImes says: "It is not the pur pose of single tax to place all taxes on land, but on land values, found largely in unused city sites held for specula tion, and franchises which are land val lues held by public utility corporations." Does he mean, for Instance, that va cant land adjoining land on which stands a skyscraper should be taxed about the same amount as the owner of the skyscraper pays? That the owner of land beside a mill, factory, or wharf should pay as much as the owners of these? That an employe trying to save up enough o pay for a couple of lots on which to build a home should pay the same as his employer who has a fine home nearby pays on the same number of lots under his improve ments? Would he try to force the building of improvements to make land pay, re gardless of the flnanc'al condition of owners or whether they (the improve ments) could be made to pay. in com petition with properties already- builtT Would he force heavy toll from own ers of a franchise before the use of said franchise could be made to pay, or wait until It did pay? Would capitalists loan money on im provements and enterprises thus sit uated? Would people want to buy land un der such condition? If not, which way would the value of land go, and how long before the land would go for taxes, and could It be used to pay public bills? He says there would be "impetus to business, and rise in city land values also "The so-called single tax would check speculation and discourage land monopoly." How both these? I quote further: "Under a system of land-value tax there is much poor land in Oregon now taxed because it is 'n private hands, that should not be taxed at all, as It has no rental or use value." Who owns these worthless lands? Speculators' How about the value of a town lot if it could not be made to pay. or was of no rental or "use value"? He says : "The agricultural class will have nothing to fear; the values are not in the country districts, but in the cities the farmers will be relieved of some of their unjuest burdens." If the values are not high in the coun try how about land selling from $100 to $1000, per acre and going higher? Lo the poor farmer! Can he now raise enough to supply the demands of his city broth' ers at "high cost of living" prices? Mr. HImes writes furthor. that "for the benefit of ail, the slogan and advice of James J. Hill, 'Back to the land.' should be realized." If the people were too poor to live in town, what would they buy high priced land and equipments with and who would they sell their produce to If the cities were half depopulated and the producers ten times as many as now? Portland and vicinity are a fair crl terion by which to Judge the whole United States, and nearly every one is busy and contented. We are building all the dwellings and business blocks that the growth of the country and city de mands, on a paying basis. Reasonable people of all classes are banking on the prosperity and - stability of things as they now are and may continue to be until unwise people may, through the unwise system of law making under the initiative and referendum disrupt thing. How would it do for chronic agitators to let well enough alone for awhile or until there is a slight reason for com plaint and not be continually trying to get in contact with eome one to cuss or cuss them. G. B. TUCKER, 1653 Fiske! street. Reply to Mr. Cuslck. PORTLAND, Or., Jan. 10. (To the Edi tor.) Friend W. A. Cuslck has some queer ideas of the single tax that I cannot be responsible for. Thanking The Oregonian for the space devoted, and not wishing to trespass too greatly, allow me to point out some of them exposed to the public in his communication of January 9. "Above ground property: what on earth does friend Cusick mean by that? I never used the term. I never heard of such a definition used, but as he Quotes it I presume somebody did. No one in Oregon has ever proposed such a definition in any law that the writer ever heard of. Is Cusick's idea that the single tax proposes to tax the cellar and foundations and not the house, the hull of a ship below the water line and not the sails? Absurd! But tills is the proposition of the land value tax measure that will shortly be placed before the people of Multnomah County: Exempt all improvements or personal property from taxation; tax all land values, timber, mineral wealth, rights of way, franchises of public corporations. This would not consiifer whether a tree or a house was below or above the ground, or whether a machine was In the cellar or the attic. Another queer use of English afflicts friend Cusick when he talks of the "tax burden" of Multnomah County being in creased by $100,000,000. In 1909 all the taxes of the county amounted to $4,394,000 In round number The tax burden by exempting "Improvements and personal property could not possibly re increased to $100,000,000. He probaoiy means that the taxes on this latter sum would be added to the present tax on land values. In accordance with calculations made from the official returns by the best real estate and actuaries' figures in no casa would the taxes on land values of the farmers be doubled In any county in Oregon, although In eome cases the taxes on Idle lands would be so Increased. The working and producing people of Malheur County, Including merchants and pro fessional men, pay $57,000 too ihuch. All the county taxes of Malheur in 1909 amounted to less than $112,000i The land speculators paid over $50,000 too little, and so on In other countries. If tho large land holder with no im provements is assessed more, he will sell to someone who will use. or. he will use himself. That will be the general ten dency of a tax on land values to put a premium upon use. The farmer, on the other hand actually using his land, has now, and always and everywhere has, a great amount of capital1 Invested In improvements. The effect of a land value tax is to encourage him to use his land, to improve his land and to upbuild and beautify his home. The more he does so the better he Is off. The speculator selling his lands will sell to those who will use and develop It. The confiscatory part of the taxa tion question lays with those who now tax the worker for his industry and thrift. The error of friend Cuslek. as with many other wise men, consists in con founding In his mental processes the im provements and personal property of the farmer with his actual land values. The two are entirely separate and dis tinct The farmers of Oregon are as sessed on over $100,000,000 worth of im provements classified as land. They pay over $2,000,000 In taxes on these Improved values, which they should not pay. A tax on land values would relieve them of this. An ounce of fact Is worth a pound of theory. The facts developed in Van couver, B. C. and hundreds of other places throughout the world, absolutely and invariably uphold the contentions of the single taxers. In so far as their prin ciples have been applied. Mr. Cuslck should go to Vancouver and find sut who rta.v tha t&xea now that the rottare of the mechanic the palace of the million- I aire, the big business buildiDg and the shack, are exempt from taxation, the dif ference being taken up by land values. The farmed lands of Oregon are as sessed on an average $22.50 more than unimproved land alongside. The tax on that sum amounts to the fine levied for clearing and plowing and preparing land. In the- aggregate It amounts to millions in taxes paid by farmers in excess of their Just share. Friend Cuslck should read up, and not depend upon hearsay for his Ideas of the single tax. Find out what its advocates propose, and then seek the facts. ALFRED D. CRIDGE. EQUAL, HEADWAY BY CARS NEEDED Former Traffic Man Points Out Diffi culties Encountered. PORTLAND, Or., Jan. 9. (To the Edi torsAs I have recently become a per manent East Side resident of this city and having severed my connection with the Twin City Rapid Transit Company, with whom I'havebeen associated in dif ferent capacities for nearly 17 years, the frequent letters by the people and arti cles criticizing tho street railway serv ice in the city have led me to make a study of the local situation to see if In my Judgment the service could not be improved and perhaps offer a sugges tion to the local company in this line which, on account of my experience, might perhaps be taken kindly. ' in the Twin Cities we held the safety of the public to be of the first import ance and then came the maintenance of cars on an equal headway. I jjresume that the local company to its own in terest would consider safety first but to a casual observer It would seem that maintaining time schedules was the last thing considered and here Is where the people who must depend on tne cars tveing on time come In with their criti cism, because there can never be efficient service unless cars are run on an equal headway. From experience I know a time schedule cannot be put into prac tical operation as long as cars as well as everything are held up from 4 to 15 minutes on account of opening of the bridges. Take, for instance, a line operated on a ten-minute schedule. If a car on that line Is held up on the bridge say five minutes, the congestion resulting from opening the draw that length of ttm would, during rush hours when team traffic Is heavy, delay it another five minutes, which would give it an overload causing It to lose another ten minutes before reaching the end of the line, so In place of a ten-minut service we would have 30 minutes head way with people jamming and crowding the first car while the others would be comparatively empty. The only way to get a ten-minute service again would be to ' turn back before reaching the terminal of the line. Now that same car may be held at some other time of the day when traffic Is not so heavy and only lose whatever time it would take to onen and close the draw and still be able to take care of the extra passengers occasioned by such delav. It has also been my experience that whenever cars are behind time th danger ' of accidents is much greater. Therefore it is only reasonable to believe that the company should, in order to avoid accidents and criticism by the public on account of late and bunched cars, make every effort to maintain tha time schedule. I have also heard the people criticise the comDanv for turning cars before reaching terminals. However undesir able to have to change from one car to another it is the only way to get back to an equal headway. Now I do not know this to be a fact but have hoen in formed by residents of Portland tna there are the same number of bridges crossing the Willamette at the present time that there was ten years ago and I see by the recent census figures that the city has increased in population durJne- tha same rjeriod over 100 per cent It is very evident that either you had too much transportation facilities in the wav of bridees ten years ago, wnicn hardlv Drobable Judging by my experi ence with municipal affairs, or you have no adequate facilities to-handle twice the number of Deonle now tnat you am men, It is hardly fair to compare operating conditions here to tnosa existing in Minneapolis, as the streets are narrow here, which makes rapid transit exceed ingly dangerous. Thery the blocks are nni i feet long, as against from 400 to 500 In Minneapolis, necessitating frequent tr.na with correspondingly slower sched ules. But a few mmuies more running fimo wnnM hardly be noticeable if the headwav could be maintained particular- iir Hnrinr tho two hours in the morning and evening wnen over iwo-mirao ui mo rici traffic la handled. it m tn me that some compromise r.iA ho arranged between tne city ana ih. nuviir.itlon companies wnereDy ino bridges could be closed say between 6:30 and 8:30 A. M. ana 4:30 ana d.ju r. m-. which would remove the greatest obstacle the company has to contend with as It would also remove the best excuse the company has to offer for not maintaining a riAfter service. Tn conclusion let me state tnai a am nt nnw connected- with this or any other street railway company but have entered Into business for myseir. CARL O. DUAJULiaiv, 24 East Seventh street Hotter of Washington Officers. WHITfi SALMON. Wash., Jan. 14. (To the Editor.) Will you please publish in The Oregonian a roster of tne state on cers of the State of Washington, also the Senators and .Representatives In Congress from Washington. A large number of iirhth er&da DUDlls are to take the ex amination January 19 and 20 and that question is frequently asked. Tour com pliance win te greauy upprecmieu. A. X vv UUlrf L The state and Congressional officers in Washington, not Including department heads or commissioners appointed by the Governor follow: Governor, M. B. Hay; Lieutenant-Governor, vacant: Secretary of State, L M. Howell; Treasurer, John Lewis; Land Commissioner, to. w, Ttnaa: School Superlntenaent. n. r. Dewey Auditor, C. W. Clausen; Attorney General, W. P. Bell Insurance Commis sioner, J. H. Schively; Justices of Su- r,rmo fnnrt. R. O. Dunbar. H. ttuoKin, m a ifiillorton. S. J. Chadwlck, Wallace Mount, H. D. Crow, M. F. nose. . -u. Morris, E N. Parker; United States Sena w Jones. S. H. Piles (Senator- elect to succeed Piles Miles Poindexter): Representatives in congress, vim xj. Humphrey, W. W. McCredie, Miles Poin dexter (Congressmen-elect to succeed McCredie and Poindexter Stanton War burton, William La Follette). Building; Reatrlctlons. PORTLAND, Jan. 12. (To the Editor.) Please Inform me through The Oregonian if there is a limit to the height of the buildings to be erected In Portland, and if so, how many stories may there be in one building? If this be true. Is there any way in which a person or persons can erect a structure of more than 20 floors? A SUBSCRIBER. The recently-adopted building ordi nance restricts the height of business blocks to 160 feet and 12 stories. Parcels Post In Europel . PORTLAND, Jan. 14. (To the Edi tor.) Regarding parcels post, for which a great part of opposition has come from dealers, I wish to say that In Europe small and large dealers are those who use most the parcels post system. Practically the people order whatever parcels they want through their dealers, as it saves them time and trouble. They do not pay any more than If they ordered directly and the dealers make their commission. I E. N. OREGON WOOL AXD OREGON APPLE State Haa Equal Opportunity to Be' Famous for Ita Textiles. PORTLAND, Jan. 14. (To the Edi tor.) Nothing has ever taken me back to old England in the last 22 years as did the sheep show. While walking around among the beautiful sheep, it seemed to me I was in the cattle mar-, ket of one of the country towns of England pn a market day. Especially so when I got to the Cotswolds I was right at home, as the Cotswold Hills (the home of the Cotswold sheep) aro only 16 miles from the old city of Gloucester, my birthplace. I must say, I have seen a lot of sheep In Eng land but never saw a finer fcunch than at the Oregon show. I was much interested In the remarks of the judge of the show, when he said that Oregon's climatic conditions and soil were so well adapted for sheip and woolgrowing. I thought at the time there Is also another reason for this good sendoff to Oregon. Had Ore gon only a bunch of poor, mongrel sheep on show, being allowed to run wild, without any pride or care, or thought of them or the kind of wool produced, the same Judge would most likely have said, "You can see by the wool of these sheep that Oregon is not adapted to the growing of wools." Nothing has advertised Oregon more than her fruit, especially Hood River apples. Now, it is not only the apples that made Hood River famous; it is the honest way of packing them. When one sees the brand he has confidence that the apples are all right, and that the old gag of a stovepipe down the center filled with small, scrubby, wormy apples has not been worked on hini. This gives the purchaser confidence, and confidence creates demand, and as supply and demand regulate the price of an article this Is one of the big rea sons why the East and Europe give tho big price they do for Hood River applet. The whole world gives our climatic con ditions the credit they deserve as cre ating one of the best fruitgrowing sec tions in the world. Now. wouldn't It be nice If we could hear these same remarks said of our textiles? Experts admit that our wools are good. Mr. Francis, the Philadel phia expert, a year or so ago admitted that our olimatlc conditions, as well as the soft water from our beautiful mountain streams, were not to be ex celled at least In the United States. When we get to making woolens or worsteds, then will Oregon become known as the best place in the United States for the manufacture of textiles, and then will be the time that Oregon will be able to get from 25 to SO cents more per yard for goods of the samn quality as that made in less favored sections of the country. Western Oregon conditions are equal to the best in the world for manufac turing first-class goods, and as our fine conditions will only show them selves on good grades, as it does on good fruit, the quicker we get a pride about us and produce such goods, the quicker will we be able to keep a great deal of money at home that now goes to Europe for cloths to ba worn in Oregon.-' How nice it would be to have a man come up to you and say. "Jim, I like that suit you are wearing. Is that English, Irish or Scotch?" and then to be able to say to him in answer, "The goods In this suit was made right here in Oregon; from wool grown in Ore gon." The people are all ready to buy these goods and ready to pay the price for thorn, and what is the reason that our wools, climate and water cannot have a fair chance to show the world what we can do in the production of woolen fabrics as well as growing fine apples? I am, -yours respectfully, CHARLES COOPET. THE DINER ISf THE CAFETERIA. Annoyed One Complains of Wordy Menu Aaaaulta by Servers, PORTLAND, Jan. 13. (To the Editor.) "A Server," as she (or he) states In The Oregonian of January 13, seems to have troubles, and also seems to think there is but one side to this question. Lika many other questions, it occurs to mo that it has two. I have seen many a man pass through the "chutes" at a cafeteria without ut tering an unnecessary syllable, and many another who would have done so had he had half a chance. But one seldom has a chance to get through so easily. By the time-he has gathered up the vari ous utensils with which he purposes to make an onslaught upon sundry viands. the first server behind the counter, the one with a white suit, a tall white cap, an Immense butcher knife with which he makes rapid and bloodcurdling rasp ings on a long steel, and a ferocious for eign look upon his face, asks with a long-drawn wail: . "Roast beef-mutton-pork-liver and ba- con-tongue-corned beef and cabbage-sau sage; home-made sausage, sir; with home made gravy?" Perhaps you had an idea when you en tered the place of what you wanted, or perhaps you might have gotten an Idea when you saw the smoking meats: if you did you will have to keep cool under this fire or you will no longer be able to hang onto an idea, and if you are an ordinary man you will be startled into selecting something so rapidly that you will almost Invariably select something you don't want. On you go: Mashed potato-cornbread- hot rolls-soup?" lisps the demure damsel presiding over these foods. Now if you were left (to yourself you would have no trouble in at once selecting and say ing exactly what you want: but the tone of voice and manner of this poor abused creature causes you to glance around nervously to see If the line is bearing down upon you so rapidly it can not be stopped, and you gurgle out hur riedly: "Gimme some hot rolls." You wanted some of those mashed potatoes with gravy, but were too confused and frightened to know how to say so. And so It goes on aown tne une 01 vegetables, pies, puddings and cakes. You know what you want if you only had time to think, but the names of eleventeen kinds of food are continually ringing in your ears and you can't think any more than you could stop to read a book on a battieneia. I will venture to say that if the ordi nary person were left to himself, given chance to select and say wnat ne wanted, the servers would not find him very bad customer. It is barely pos- ible they create some of their own troubles. And then, we should all follow the golden rule, you know. Farmers Bulldine Fireproof Homes. Indianapolis News. The Mutual Insurance Companies' Union of Indiana, an association made up of organizations which protect tnou sands of Indiana farm homes from fire losses, met recently. "George V. Kell, of Huntertown, president of tne as sociation, made his annual address. He said one good result that is com ing out of the scarcity or tlmDer is that the farmers are making steady ad vances in the direction of fireproof homes and barns. Safety from fire also 9 snreadlng in the rural districts since electric and gas lighting have begun to take the place of tallow candles and il lamps. Arizona and Vtw Mexico. MINTO, Wash., Jan. 13. (To the Ed itor.) Will you kindly Inform me as to whether New Mexico and Arizona have been admitted as states. If so, when? A SUBSCRIBER. New Mexico and Arizona are not yel states. Congress has passed an acl providing for their admission, but the constitutions adopted by the prospec tive states have not yet been approved