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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 28, 1917)
VOL. L.TII. NO. 17,816. PORTLAND, OREGON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1917. PRICE FIVE CENTS. POOLING OFTRAFFIG TO BE FIRST ORDER KAISER ROUNDS UP HIS DISLOYAL ONES PARIS IN WAR TIME GERMANS BACK OF MEXICAN BANDITS ARSON PLOT BARED IN VALLEY TOWNS OLD ENGLISH TOWN IS "PASSING" CAMP OREGON WILL BUILD ONE SIXTH OF FLEET MOKE THAN SOO SOCIALISTS TEUTONS SOUTH OF BORDER ARE REPORTED BUSY. ANCIENT PLACE NOW HAS MOD ERN MILITARY COLOR. ARRESTED CHRISTMAS ETB. SAD All D UNWASHED j Sail i i r ? nanroau isornpeuuoii Will Vanish. SHORTEST ROUTE TO BE USED Increased Efficiency Expected to Relieve Congestion. ADVISORY BOARD TO STAY Equitable Distribution of Profits, Increased "Wages for Employes and Financing: of Improve- ments Demand Attention. 3 WHAT UMTED STATES RAIL. MANAGEMENT MEASS. The properties that will pass Into the control of the Govern ment are: All railroads, comprising 260, 000 miles of lines, valued at $17, 000.000,000. All coastwise, lake and river steamship lines. All terminals, terminal compa nies and terminal associations. The Pullman Company's sleep ing cars and parlor cars. The packers' and other con cerns' private car lines. All railroad elevators and warehouses. All railroad telegraph and tele phone lines. The Government guarantees to the stockholders of each of the railroads a. profit equal at least to the average profits of the road during- the fiscal years of 1916, 1916 and 1917. The railroads will continue to be operated by their respective corporations under the direction of Mr. McAdoo. . WASHINGTON, Dec 27. Soon after American railroads o flTirter'GOTem ment operation at noon tomorrow, Director-General McAdoo will Issue his first official order wiping: out com petitive conditions and providing: for complete pooling: of traffic, equipment, terminals and trackage facilities, and for the retention of present officers and employes. The Immediate result will be a re routing of traffic over shortest lines, regardless of the company with which shipments originate, and. the common use of terminals to effect maximum ef ficiency. Without expecting wonders under the new plan, officials look for ward to material improvement in the present traffic congestion within a few weeks. Freight to Move Speedily. Speedy movement of freight will be the first aim of the director-general But problems the solution of which must press close on the heels of actual transportation questions are the equit able reimbursement of roads for the use of their property on the basis of pre-war earnings. Increased wages for railroad employes, financing of neces sary improvements, building of addi tional lines or facilities and the tangled priority situation. Before most of these questions can be settled special legislation will be necessary and to urge this President Wilson is preparing a message to be delivered to Congress soon after It convenes after the holiday recess next Tuesday. Legislation already has been drafted. Advisory Board to Stay. The legislation, however, and prob lems . dependent on it can await the Qellberatlon of Congress, while Director feAdoo must get into action tomorrow, -ith powers already conferred on him by President Wilson. First he will con fer with the railroads' war board of presidents, whose services and advice he said today would be retained under the new administration. Then he will organize a corps of assistants and ad- leers, largely of experts of the Inter state Commerce Commission,' in whose building he will maintain headquarters for railroad supervision. Mr. McAdoo said today he had given almost no thought to the personnel of his staff and was not prepared to out line the details of his administration. He is determined, however, to avoid disrupting any railroad organization or any agencies already developed which can lend efficiency to the new order. Order Meets With Approval. Although the railroads' war board, Ofter being in executive session all day. sued no statement commenting on . overnment operation, railway execu ( lives indicated privately they were well pleased with the promised situation and optimism was reflected in the unusual rise In railroad securities on stock exchanges. Hundreds of telegrams of congratulation poured in on Mr. Mc Adoo. A dubious note came from the Cap itol, where several Republican mem bers of Congress expressed fear that the task was too big for the Govern ment to handle efficiently under war conditions, and others criticised the ap pointment of Secretary McAdoo as director-general. The labor question under Govern ment operation was discussed with (Concluded on Page 4, Column 1.) Men Forcibly Suppressed Have Long Been Persistent Critics of War Party's Government. LONDON, Dec. 27. More than 300 members of the German minority So cialist party were arrested on Christ mas eve by the German military au thorities, according to a Zurich dis patch given out today by the Wireless Press. The dispatch reads: "Following the arrest of minority Socialists at Cologne and Karlsruhe re cently, the German military authorities made a large number of arrests on Christmas eve in Munich, Frankfort, Lelpsic, Magdeburg, Dusseldorf, Darm stadt, Nuremburg, Dortmund, CasseL Mannheim, Mayence, Coburg, Duisburg and Gotha. "More than SOO minority Socialists and local leaders in the towns men tioned were arrested." No advices regarding the previous arrests of minority Socialists in Cologne and Karlsruhe had been received. The German minority Socialists comprise a strong faction in the party which re fused to follow the lead of Philipp Scheldemann and others in their virtually raqualifled support of the government. GUATEMALA BADLY SHAKEN Many Lives Lost and Property De stroyed by 33a rt liquake. WASHINGTON, Dec 27. An earth quake, general throughout Guatemala, yesterday caused a loss of from 10 to 40 lives and extensive property damage in Guatemala City, the State Depart ment was advised late today in a cable dispatch from the American charge there. No mention was made as to damage in the Interior. Miss Mary Tillman, 215 Fast Six teenth street, was much concerned yes terday over the report of the severe earthquake in Guatemala, where her sister, Mrs. Sumner Shaw, now lives. Mrs. Shaw has lived in Guatemala for almost 20 years and has frequently written of the earthquakes there. Mrs. Shaw was Caroline Tillman prior to her marriage to Mr. Shaw, who is a civil engineer stationed at Guatemala. VANCOUVER CAMP T0.GR0W Five Aero Squadrons to Be Sent and Buildings Will Be Erected. VANCOUVER, Wash., Dee. 27. (Spe cial.) Vancouver Barracks is to be greatly enlarged, it was reported here today. Five aero squadrons. In addition to those already stationed here, are to be sent here and five two-story build ings to accommodate them will be built at once. " Seven or eight ware houses will be built for supplies for the engineer depot. These buildings will be of a permanent nature and will be south of the cantonment buildings. Lieutenant-Colonel R. C. Moore, for merly here with the Company F En gineers, will have personal charge of the organisation of the 318th Engineers. A replacement camp of probably 2000 men will be established here perma nently. DRAFTED MEN CAN ENLIST Spruce Division SfU Open; Demand Great for Woodsmen. Special orders have been dispatched to the draft boards in this territory by Provost Marshal-General Crowder to the effect that any drafted man may still be enlisted in the spruce produc tion division of the Signal Corps If he indicates a wish so to do. "It is hoped that men, especially those who have been working in the forests or who have experience in this work, will indicate their wish to Join the spruce production division, as we are In need of men for this line of work," said Colonel Disque. "Such men virtually will be retain ing their positions in the logging camps and mills, as their services will be used in that manner if they wish to enlist In this section." MOON WHOLLY ECLIPSED Portland Watchers Catch Glimpse of Kartb's Shadow. A total eclipse of the moon, was an astronomical event of the early morn ing hours today. It was visible throughout North America generally and It was observed by many in Port land! as the clouds lifted. The moon entered the shadow at 11:55 last night. Totality began at 1:29 this morning and the moon left the shadow at 3:18 A. M. This was the second total eclipse of the moon this year, the first having taken place Jan nary 7-8. DYNAMITE PLOT IS FEARED Discovery of Explosive in. Coal Car Leads to Guarding of Camp Grant. ROCKFORD, III., Dec. 27. Discovery of a stick of dynamite in a car of coal billed from a Southern Indiana mine to the Rockford City Hospital, com bined with a furnace explosion that wrecked' the bungalow of William A. Ogden, resulted In an investigation be ing launched tonight by Federal offi cials and precautions taken to protect Camp Grant from any possible plot. Women Labor in Gar ments 2 Years Old. SHOES LOW, HOSE OF COTTON Few Evidences of Immorality Found by Major Patton. CONGRESSMEN ARE , FETED Hoqulam Editor Tells of Being: En tertained by General Pershing at Snmptnons Dinner and of Start for War Front. The Oregonian prints herewith the third of several articles from the pen of Major H. W. Patton. editor of the Hoqulam Wash lngtonlan. describing his observations on a recent trip to England and France. He was a member of a party sent to the battle front under Congressional auspices. He had exceptional opportunities for investigation of facta and conditions. They will be found an exceedingly valuable contribution to cur rent wartime discussion. BY MAJOR H- W. PATTON. We visited Eton, the famous boys' school, where the sons of titled and blooded Englishmen are prepared for college. The smaller boys wear round about jackets and the older tailed coats, but all are topped by tall silk hats. There are few things funnier than a 12-year-old boy wearing a plug hat. I talked with several youngsters and found that all of them intended enter ing the army when through at Eton. They had no idea of going to college; no career of statesmanship, finance, law or commerce occupied their thoughts. The army and the army alone was the goal of their desire. If the war lasts long enough the desire will be gratified. I confess to a feeling of sadness when I thought of those hundreds of bright- faced youngsters in the front-line trenches. Policemen's Jons Easy. There is an almost total absence of crime in London, I read the newspa pers "carefully and there were no police court reports. The policemen have nothing to do, as the motor travel is so light that the streets may be crossed in safety. No private motors are per mitted to run. I openly confess that I . formerly thought very little of the English. The memory Of the Revolutionary War and the burning of the Capitol at Wash ington rankled. Then my knowledge of Englishmen had been obtained through acquaintance with the "remit tance" men who infested Southern Cali fornia in early days, and I did not think much of them. Visit Alters Views. My visit to London completely changed this viewpoint. I never saw a finer lot of peoDle. They fully meas ure up to the Americans and in some respects are far ahead of us. They are (Concluded on Page 2. Column ft. ) NAPOLEON THE FOURTH VS. IVAN THE TERRIBLY FOOLISH. WO PCI V ACCEPT l' ' 1 , , ... Two Troops of V. ' S. Cavalry Now Somewhere in Southern Repub lic Chasing Outlaws. EL PASO, Texas. Dec. 27. A reliable report was received here tonight that the Mexican bandit raids into the Big Bend district of Texas were being in spired by Germans now operating south of the border in conjunction with American draft evaders. Federal offi cials are making a careful investiga tion of this report. MARFA, Texav Dec. 27. Two troops of United States cavalry are "some where in Mexico? today, after pursu ing the Mexican bandits who raided the Brite ranch, store and postofflce an killed the mail-stage driver and his passengers Christmas morning. No information was received at mili tary headquarters today from the com mands of Captains Fiske and Ander son, who hit a "hot trail" late yesterday and followed it across the Rio Grande Couriers are expected to reach the river Signal Corps station today with news from them. 3 U. S. SOLDIERS KILLED German Airmen Drop Bombs on Americans on Western Front. WITH THE AMERICAN ARMT IN FRANCE, Thursday. Dec 27. (By the Associated Press.) A corporal of American engineers was killed and one private was wounded Christmas eve when a German shell dropped near a party . of American engineers working in trenches on a section of the French front. The engineers for several weeks had been working along the front with veteran French engineers for purposes of instruction. During a recent moonlight night German aviators dropped bombs near a certain town and two American pri vates, who were in a camp in a wood, were killed. The German airmen flew low and dropped their bombs accu rately. EAST FACES ARCTIC WAVE Ten Below Predicted for Chicago by This Evening or Tomorrow. CHICAGO, "Dec. 27. A drop of 40 de grees in temperature to 10 Lelow xero by Friday, night or Saturday morning Is predicted for .Chicago in a., special forecast Issued this afternoon. BOSTON, Dec 27. Boston experi enced the coldest weather of the Win ter early today with a minimum tem perature of 3 degrees above zero at 7 o'clock. The cold extended throughout New England, Greenville, Me., report ing a minimum of 18 below. MUNITION TRAIN BLOWN UP Town in Belgium Almost Laid Waste by Explosion. AMSTERDAM. Dec 27. The town of Rousselaere (Roulleres), in' Belgium, was almost laid waste recently by the explosion of an ammunition train, caused by bombs dropped by a British airman, according to the frontier cor respondent of the Telegraaf. Gaston-Sheridan-Sa-lem District Menaced. LETTERS REVEAL FOUL PLAN Fiends Mark Mills and Ware houses for Destruction. CARLTON FIRE INCENDIARY State Fire Marshal Wells' Depu ties Discover Explosives and Evi dence to Show Reign of Ter ror Has Been Planned. SALEM, Or.. Dec 27. (Special.) State Fire Marshal Wells and his depu ties, following the burning last Sun day morning of the Johnson grain elevator at Carlton, have obtained evidence which indicates a concerted plot to destroy mills and warehouses from Gaston to Sheridan and from there to Salem. Federal and local authorities have been notified of the evidence at hand and Deputies Gilbert Allen, H. H. Pom eroy and George W. Stokes have been instructed by Fire Marshal Wells to continue their investigation, which may bring to light still further evidence of a plot to establish a Valley-wide reign of terror. Letters Bare Plot. The three deputies have spent several days at Carlton and the vicinity. In another warehouse at Carlton dis covery was made of a man's coat, prac tically new, in which were 50 feet of fuse, and in the immediate vicinity dis covery was made of dynamite and ni troglycerin. Two letters found in a wallet in the coat, which have been turned over to the authorities, disclose the skeletonized details of a plan for leaving a trail of smoke and ruin through the central section of the Willamette Valley. These letters are addressed to a man in Portland, for whom immediate search will be made They mention the fact that numerous warehouses are located in the valley and intimate that they offer easy prey. Fast. Anto Is Used. In addition mention is made of a new automobile, which can "go like hell, in the language of the letter. The investigating deputies found people at Carlton who declared that they heard an automobile leave the mill shortly before the fire was dis covered and other parties vouch for the fact that the automobile passed farm houses shortly afterward, going at great speed. In addition to the coat and explosives and fuse, a small sum of money and some stamps were found, as well as a new pair of shoes, all of which lead the deputies to believe that someone who was planning to - set fire to. or blow up the other warehouse, was (Concluded on Page 8, Column 1.) Here American Soldiers Gather, Re main for While and Fraternize With British "Elizas." SOMEWHERE IN ENGLAND, Dec 14. (Correspondence of the Associated Press.) Here, in one of the most an cient cities of England, is the prin cipal camp in Great Britain of the United States Army. The camp is what is known as a "passing" one. Men come here after landing on British soil and undergo a sort of quarantine for a week or so. Then, their whole unit having been as sembled, they depart to be trained in France. The camp is policed by men of the United States marines. The Colonel commanding the camp is an old West Pointer. His Adjutant, a captain of marines, is from An napolis. There are a number of Brit ish officers and soldiers assigned to as sist the Americans. The British offi cers are known technically as "liason officers," but Tommy Atkins long ago shortened this to "Elizas," a useful nickname wl.lch has been adopted also by the American soldiers. PIDD C0URTMARTIAL ENDS Young Wife of Soldier Assailant Testifies Against Him. TACOMA, Wash., Dec. 27. Hearing of the case of Private George Pidd, 44th Infantry, charged with assault to com mit murder, was concluded by court martial at Camp Lewis this afternoon. Announcement of the findings is ex pected soon. Mrs. Pidd, the young wife of the prisoner, was one of the wit nesses against him. MILK DEALERS INDICTED Minneapolis Men Charged With Fix ing Prices and Controlling Supply. MINNEAPOLIS. Dec. 27. Five mem bers of the executive committee of the Twin City Milk Producers Association were indicted by the Hennepin County grand Jury today, charged with viola tion of the state anti-trust laws. It Is alleged the association fixed the price and controlled the supply of milk in, Minneapolis. 73 DEAD FROM PNEUMONIA Shortage of' Coal Blamed for 2 4 Hour Death Record. NEW YORK, Dec. 27. Shortage of coal was given by the Board of Health today as one of the reasons for 73 deaths here of pneumonia within the last 24 hours. This is the highest record of deaths from this disease in one day in the last five years. INDEX OF TODAY'S NEWS The Weather. YESTERDAY'S Maximum temperature, 1 degrees; minimum. 58 degrees. TODAY'S Rain; fresh southeaaterly winds. Foreign. Ancient English town now American Army camp. Page 1. 800 German Socialists arrested Christmas eve. Page 1. War. Germans said to be inspiring Mexican bandits. Page 1. Germans twice repulsed by French on Verdun front. Page 3. Ten Aiistrn-German alrolanea hrmirht in Italv. Pare 13. V Central powers make general peace proposal. rage z. Hugh Gibson tells of Germans looting and drinking in seigium. rage o Major Patton. of Hoqulam. finds Paris dirty alter tnree yean oi war. .rage 1. National. First railroad order will be for pooling traf flc Page 1. Deliveries or soldier clothing slow, says General snarpe. rage s. South declared derelict in shipbuilding. Page 4. Coal Inquiry narrowed by Government con trol of railroads. Page 4. Sports. Bowling tourney Is postponed. Page 12. Portland won't get Wlllard match. Page 12. Hockey season to open here tonight. Page 12. Wrestlers opposed . to "Strangler" Lewis' head lock. Page 12. Pacific Northwest. Plot bared to burn mills and warehouses In Willamette Valley. Page 1. Oregon Supreme Court holds Portland's antl- plcketlng ordinance unconstitutional. Page 14. Mayor Gill announces he will seek: re-election. Page 6. Willamette rising at Oregon City, but flood stage deemed unlikely. Page 7. Commercial and Marine. Fair-sized wool transfers reported In local market. Page 17. Grain prices weaken in view of probable larger movement. rage IT. December rain exceeds normal by 5 inches. Page 14. Stocks of all classes rise sharply as result of Federal control of railroads. Page 17. Portland and Vicinity. . Farmers and labor to confer as to forming non-partisan league, rage is. County tax levy may drop to 4.5 mills. Page 11. Men between 81 and 40 can Join TJ. S. Guard for service at home. Page 11. New traffic law In Portland proposed. Page 9. Erie office in Portland closed as result of railroad change. Page 4. Oregon pledges to build one-sixth of emer gency fleet, rage 1. Coos Bay country prospering, says A. R. O Brifln. Page 7. Troops visiting Portland will be well cared lor. rage 7. Shippers urged to co-operate with roads in reducing car shortage. Page 4. V. S. brings suit to confirm title to rail road grant lands, rage lu. Committee of Oregon teachers reports en sex Instruction In schools. Page 6. Civil Service Board supports Helber in city incinerator controversy, rage a. Draft advisory boards relieved of conges tion, rage is. Elks will assume charge of Red Cross mem bership drlv. New Year's eve. Page 14. Weather report, data and forecast. Page 14. State's Pledge Sent to Chairman Hurley. TONNAGE MAY BE INCREASED Wooden Ship Output Capable of Expansion. COAST DOING BIG SHARE yards of "West Shoulder Big Part of Burden of Providing Means ot Moving Nation's Armies and Supplies During War. Oregon will undertake to deliver 525,000 tons of wooden ships and 400, 000 tons of steel ships in 1918 for the United States Shipping Board, the com bined tonnage being almost one-sixth of the shipbuilding programme of the Board for the coming year. The estimate of 525,000 tons of wooden ships for this state is asserted to be most conservative, and it is not improbable that it will reach 600,000 tons, say Informed builders. A telegram was sent last night to Edward N. Hurley, chairman of the Shipping Board, advising him of Ore gon's pledge. The message was in re ply to one sent by Chairman Hurley to the Chamber of Commerce last week, and was signed by H. L. Corbett, presi dent of the Chamber. It was as fol lows: "Answering your message of the 18 th: "Wood construction Under present conditions of shipbuilding labor we will launch 25,000 tons, deadweight, in 1918. Installation of machinery will be predicated on priority accorded our builders by War Industry Board, which controls. However, with Government co-operation, we can arrange for in creased engine and boiler construction over present orders for this equipment. Safety Margin Provided. ""Steel "construction We will launch and equip 400,000 tons, deadweight, in 1918. We consider our estimates low and contain ample margin of safety if present efficient programme of your Board continues." Before the message was dispatched the estimate was referred to Lloyd J. Wentworth, In charge of the Oregon District for the Emergency Fleet Cor poration, and received his approval, which was regarded essential in view of the fact he is familiar with the yards, the amount of material that can be gotten out for wooden steamers and the labor situation. Puget Sound and Grays Harbor ship builders have promised Chairman Hur ley that they will deliver 600,000 tons of steel ships and 400,000 tons of wooden vessels during the year. San Francisco shipyards have pledged 600, 000 tons of steel ships and 100,000 tons of wooden vessels during 1918. With 1,500,000 tons of steel vessels and 1,025,000 tons of wooden vessels, or a total of 2.525,000 tons, pledged from the Pacific Coast, it is oertain the West will play a considerable pare in floating Uncle Sam's Army and ita accoutrements and supplies during a part of next year and all of 1919. Failure Suggestion Discredited. Taking into consideration the wooden fleet alone. It would seem as if there (Concluded on Page 18, Column 4.) THE EVOLUTION OF A STATE! The Annual edition of The Oregonian, for years an epic of fact, figures and photographs, will this year show Oregon's part in the war preparedness programme, and its evolution as a state, in addition to telling a systematic and absorbing story of the vast resources that are behind the "Oregon First" spirit. Designed to interest and at tract, the Annual Oregonian this year will feature a photographic grasp of the state's growth, not only in the last 12 months, but during its history. Artists trained in the fine execution of an idea, and writers primed with facts and skilled in writing them into history and story, supple-' ment the attractive survey of the camera lens. Statisticians have made romance out of truth in such a way that figures be come interesting not alone for the story they tell and the work they represent, but because of the way they are presented. The Annual Oregonian has al ways been a prized document in libraries and archives where rec ords of the world are kept. It is recognized as a standard story of Oregon's evolution and prog- A