Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (March 11, 1922)
VOL. L,X J XO. 19, 1 28 , f'ti;J (Or.n PORTLAND, OREGON, SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 1922 PRICE FIVE CENTS ter. LEADER OF GHOST-HUNTER HELD TOO FULL OF THEORY FROST SAID TO HAVE CAUSED MYSTERIOUS NOISES. INSURANCE COMPANIES STATE QUESTIONS 10-CENT SHOE SHINE CONTRACTORS ASK FILE STEWART PAPERS WAR APPEARS LOST REVOLT ARRESTED BY $190,000 THIEF S. RIGHT TO BID SOTJTHERX CALIFORNIA HAS WORST SHOCK IX YEARS. DEATH OF MISSING CASHIER OF DISPUTED. BOOTBLACK'S UNION LINES UP , WAYWARD SHOPS." ill DBENCHAIN FO Mohandas K. Gandhi Will Face Sedition Charge. 20YERNMENT CRISIS GRAVE retirement of Lord Reading as Viceroy Predicted. lOALITION CABINET BESET Resignation of Secretary Mantagu Contiques to 3fenace Political Stability of Ministry. BOMBAY, March 10. (By the As ociated 'Press.) India's non-co-oper- itionist leader, Mohandas K. Gandhi, as been arrested at Ahmadabad, 310 niles north of Bombay. . He is charged with eedition. : LONDON, March 10. (By the Asso rted Press.) Mohandas K. Gandhi, he Indian rion-co-operationist leader, as been placed under arrest. This nnouncement was 'made by the India ffice tonight. No details were given as to the lace and manner of his arrest, but ne announcement says there has been i trouble so. far. There were no further develop- lents in the India political crisis to- ight. It was stted authoritatively lan an announcement of the name of he successor of Edwin S. Montagu as ecretary for India had been post- oned until Monday or Tuesday. It li as added that It was virtually cer- ain the new secretary would not be Andrew Bonar Law. The eventual resignation of the arl of Reading as viceroy of India is till regarded as inevitable. Political Crisis Intensified. The India incident has intensified he strong feeling between the lib- ral and conservative wings of the oalition ministry. The liberal news apers, without exception) lament lat Mr. Montagu allowed himself to drawn into a "false etepV But ome of them think the result would ave been the same in any case, be ause had he consulted the cabinet nd the cabinet had refused to permit ublication of the India statement. he secretary still would have re- smed as a protest. While awaiting reports from India a to the effect of Mr. Montagu's res- nation the position of Viceroy ieading is the chief subject of the iscussions of the press. Viceroy Held In Right. Official circles which deal with In lan affairs do not Concur in the pre- afling opinion that the viceroy nec ssarily wilf follow the -secretary of tate for India in quitting the govern ment. It is stated that the earl of eading certainly was in his right as kr as technicalities were concerned 1th regard to the publication of the bdian statement. His action is declared to have been taken evidently on the belief that ublication of the Moslem viewpoint oncerning the settlement of near astern affairs was necessary, and he ought and received sanction from the ecretary for India, the only official f the home government to whom he as responsible. Mr. IHontasru Stands Ground. The opinion was expressed tonight mat the earl of Reading could stand Is ground as a champion of Indian ights, but it was considered likely hat he might attempt to defend Mr. lontagu's actions, and thus involve imself in the same kind of disfavor ihich caused the fall of his chief. That Mr. Montagu has not altered is opinion concerning the publicity iven the Indian situation was evi enced today by the activities of his ersonal secretaries, who got in touch ith all sections of the press this aft rnoon arranging for newspapers to ive the fullest publicity to Mr. Mon- agu's speech to his constituents at ambridge tomorrow. Kffect In India Awaited. The probable effect in India of Mr. ontagu's resignation is the subject f much curiosity and there are some Ugivings lest the removal of the tampion of Indian political reform ave a dangerous repercussion there. Equally momentous from the do estic political point of view is the feet the whole affair may have on e fortunes of the government, es- oeially as to the position of Prime tnister Lloyd George. Some believe ie chances that the premier will ake good his threatened resigna- on have been considerably increased id that, if, he also takes the view at American absentation from the enoa conference lessens the prospect success there, the country may on learn of his definite retirement. Prime Minister Leaves London. Prime Minister Lloyd George, with s family, left today for Cricoieth. .'ales, for a vacation. Answering a jestion Mr. Lloyd George said: We have been keeping the bal ance quite fairly between the Turks hnd the Greeks, and we want real Lace in that part of the world. The ublication of a document of this tort (the Indian government mes- ge) makes it difficult to negotiate satisfactory peace. , . "As for Moslem opinion in India, e always have paid every regard it." - Furniture Is Thrown Around, Doors Moved Off Hinges and Dishes Rattled in Many Towns. LOS ANGELES, March 10. (Spe cial.) Southern California was rocked at 3:30 o'clock this morning by one of the most severe earthquakes in years and at Porterville residents ruhed Into the streets when the quake shook windows, rattled dishes and threw furniture around. In practically all towns of the southern part of the state clocks were stopped at the mo ment of the quake and people were awakened. At San Luis Obispo the pipe line of the Union Oil company was broken in four places. In other towns doors wcrn moved nff of their hinges, dishes were shaken and win- flows rattled. Santa Barbara reported1 that the shocks were felt with greater inten sity in the lower part of the city near ma uuctiii, wnere pracucaiiy an ot tho clocks were found to have been stopped. Hanfordp Taft, Bakers field, Guadalupe and Delano also re ported feeling the quake. In Los Angeles the clocks operated by telegraph were stopped and at Pasadena windows and glassware were rattled by the earth vibrations. Apparently the quake centered in the territory lying about Bakersfield in the east and San Luis Obispo; near the coast, about 200 miles north of Los Angeles. At Bakersfield there were three distinct shocks, the first and most severe one at 3:23 o'clock and the final one at 3:30. The greatest damage done by the quake was to the oil pipe line of the Union Oil company of California, be tween San Joaouin vllv noint. anH San Luis Obispo. The pipe, which is 150 miles long, was broken In four Dlaces. the breaks occurring between Antelope and Shandon, east of San bezzleroent as an officer of a corpora Luis Obispo. A loss of 1000 barrels of tion, fraudulent conversion and lar oil was caused by the breaks and ceny of $12,077, the amount of a check pumping had to be suspended. drawn on the Girard National bank Reports from all parts of the coun- try indicated that the quakes today I bad been widely recorded. Washing-! ton reporting shocks cf "pronounced I intensity" recorded ' at . the selsmo- I graph of Georgetown University. POSTMASTER ON BALLOT Halsey, Or., Believes Appointment of Winner Will Follow. ALBANY. Or.. March 10. (Special.) Tho next postmaster of Halsey, Or., will be selected by popular vote of the patrons of the office. At least an election will be held soon to see who is to be recommended, and it is pre- sumed the annolntment of the winner I at. the election will follow. Plans for the election were made at a meeting yesterday which was attended by the candidates for ap- pointment, officers of the Linn county republican central committee and a number of prominent residents. A civil service examination was held recently for the Halsey post- mastership and four applicants took it. The three who passed highest were Jay W. Moore, Arthur F. Rob- nett and Karl Bramwell. RADIO T& CARRY OPERAS Portland Musical Performances to Be Heard for 500 Miles. The music of Portland's season of grand opera by the Chicago Grand Opera company may be transmitted by wireless to all points within a radius of 500 to 1000 milesof Portland. Ne gotiations have been made for the in stallation of equipment at the public auditorium which will pick up the music of the great performances and carry it over the northwest by wire less. A number of people in Nampa, Idaho, have sent a representative here to see if arrangements cannot be made for the wireless equipment and re quests of. a similar nature also have come from various other cities, includ ing Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane and sev eral points in the Willamette valley. MR. HUCKEJISTEIN LEADS Three Men Certified for Appoint ment to Salem Postmastcrship. THE OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU, Washington, D. G, March 10. August Huckenstein leads the list of eligibles certified by the civil service commis sion for appointment to the postmas tership at Salem, Or., it was learned today. Mr. Huckenstein has a rating of 86. Following him" are John H. Farerri, with a rating of 83.20, and Andrew A. Lee, rated at 83. The sur prise of the report of the' commission is that the name of Walter L."Tooze Sr., fails to appear on the. list of eligibles. Bids for an extension of the federal building at Salem will be opened on March 29, the treasury department announced today. 0LC0TT TO STATE POLICY Governor Expected to Announce Platform Late Next Week. SALEM, Or., March 10. (Special.) Governor Olcott, wno recently an nounced that he would be a candi date to succeed himself at the repub lican primary election May 19, prob ably will make public his platform late next week. This was the semi official announcement made at the executive offices here today. Although no intimation was given with relation to Governor Olcott's platform, his friends said it-probably will be brief. Downfall Is Attributed to "Pretty Pictures." EMBEZZLEMENT CONFESSED Desire to See Mother in Com fort Also Related. WALTER UNGER IS CAUGHT Ex.Asslstant Treasurer of Dr, Thomas V. Evans Dental Insti . tute Is Arrested. PHILADELPHIA, March 10. "Pret ty pictures," drawn by brokers, which led him deeper and deeper into debt in stock speculation and a desire to see his mother in comfort, wer blamed for his downfall today by waiter A. Unger, the 27-year-old ex assistant treasurer of the Dr. Thomas W. Evans dental institute and museum of the University of Pennsylvania, who is alleged to have embezzled securities of the institute valued at j.u,uut. Arter a hearing before a I magistrate Unger was held in $50,000 bail for court. Meanwhile the grand jury returned an indictment charging him with em- before his flight ten days ago. Capture Made In Lodging- House, Unger was captured in a Philadel- phia lodging house last night. When taken, he broke down completely and was said to have told police that he was guilty of taking the funds to play the stock market. Unger was assistant to Francis B. Reeves, 86-year-old treasurer of the funds which 'were in the form of ne gotiable securities held in , strong boxes at the Girard National bank, where he was 'employed as confiden- iaI secretary to Mr. Reeves, chairman of the, board of directors. A desire lo KeeP nla rao "er ln lne 8l3"e B naa oeen UBea lo acuaiea mm, ne told the police, to start playing the market. $10,000 Won and Then Lost. On one occasion, Unger declared he won 310,000 in a week, but held on too long and was forced to put up J3000 to cover the margins. At another time, he said, he had bought stock in a sufficient amount to net him $60,000" profit, but when he went to the brokers firm to collect, they denied that he had placed an order. i-'nger is liable to a sentence of 14 years and a fine of $2500 under the indictment returned today. - He will be arraigned Monday prob ably. Other indictments against him will be presented to the grand jury next week. Assistant District Attorney Gordon said. t ff l 1 I III VNHY W HcVSnV 3M llffi "f ' I Iff 1 ............................. ....... A . . . . ......;. .k Professor, However, Hopes That Antigonish Spook Will Revisit Trysting Place. HALIFAX, N. S., March 10. Dr. Walter Franklin Prince, the "Bpook seeker from New York, had not found the Antigonish ghost up to a late hour tonight at the home of Alex MacDonald. Mrs. MacDonald returned to the "haunted" house today and the house hold was furnished and arranged as at the time the family was frightened away by the mysterious fires. The professor beamed blandly through his horn bow spectacles when the stage waa all properly set. Ap parently he hoped that "everything would seem so home-like that the spook would revisit its old trysting place. -Dr. Prince is evidently becoming something of a mystery himself to the folks around about. ,v They say he is a great man, but what he is doing to find out about these fires I don't know," observed Red MacGillivray, an old resident, to night. "He seems to be. more wor ried about the spook stories of the detective and the reporter. Today he was telling his party that- the house was too solidly built to make noise , on a calm night. He did not seem to know that on a still night with a j power of frost a frame house cracks and talks as if it were .possessed by 40 thieves." "Did you tell him that was the kind of night when the detective and reporter heard the strange noises?" "No, he's doing the investigating, not me," said "Red." "Besides, I reckon he's too full of theories to be interested in facts." Has the doctor told you anything that would indicate he thinks that somebody around here had perpe trated a hoax?" 'No. Didn't he tell the people we were a simple and guileless folk; And the professor ought to know, because we told him so. But we are not so simple as to be worried over the spook stories of the detective and reporter. When a man gets a fright his muscles twitch and strain, giving a sensation like a slap. Even a scien tist ought to know that, and get t work on the fires. . We saw them and they left a mark. If the doc tor is the great man they say he is, let him explain the fires. If he is going to explain the spooks of the detective and reporter first, he may have to hang around here until next winter when there is frost enough to set the old house cracking:" On the other hand. Dr. Prince said: "On an expedition like this, it is a case of potluck, he eaid. "The fish j may bite or they may not. To change the metaphor the psychic faucet is not always on tap." BERGER WILL-RUN AGAIN Socialist, Twice Excluded From Congress, Is Candidate. ST. LOUIS, March 10. Victor L. Berger of Milwaukee, socialist leader, who three times was elected to con gress anu twice excluded by vote of the house, announced here, today he would run for congress again. GOOD NEWS FROM THE FRONT. I Attorneys Prepare to Resist Claim of Kelso Widowt on Husband's Life Policies. PUGET SOUND BUREAU, Seattle, Wash., March 10. Five depositions to the effect that F. L. Stewart, missing cashier of the defunct Kelso State bank, .had been seen alive and well since his reputed death in the Colum bia river, March 17, 1921, were filed today in the office of the deputy clerk of the United States district court at Tacoma. Two depositions were from ex-residents of Kelso, who said they knew Stewart by sight, and had met him in. southern California since his dis appearance, which occurred a few hours after the state bank examiner had closed the Kelso institution. Three were from the captain and two sailors of a vessel on which Stewart was said to have taken passage to Manzanita, Mexico. The names of the signers have been, kept secret. These depositions-have not yet been 'published,"? that being the legal term for making their contents generally known. They were taken in Cali fornia recently by S. A. Keenan of Seattle, counsel for the Prudential In surance company, and Maurice Lang borne of Tacoma, counsel for Mrs. Stewart,' in her effort to collect the life and accident insurance carried by her husband and amounting to about $120,000 in all. Keenan and Lang horne made the trip to and from Cali fornia together so that both sides of 'the controversy might be represented when the depositions were made. Neither lawyer will discuss the de tails of the depositions or disclose the names of the deponents prior to pub lication. The depositions probably will be published in Judge Cushman's court at Tacoma Monday. The Prudential company's policy on the life of Stewart is for $50,000, the largest Bingle policy carried by the cashier. In taking the depositions Attorney Keenan represented in way the interests of all the insurance companies concerned. Other policies held by Stewart were in companies represented in the legal controversy by the Seattle firms of Preston, Thorgrimson & Turner and Chadwick, McMicken, Ramsey & Rupp. O. B. Thorgrimson and Otto B. Rupp of these two Arms were in Portland Wednesday and visited Kalama and Kelso Thursday, their purpose being to familiarize them selves with the scene of Stewart's ac tivities as a banker and the scene of his alleged drowning. Both are aware of the contents of the depositions taken in California, but since the Pru dential's case is set as the first to be tried, counsel for the other companies have maintained professional silence, except to declare their belief that Stewart Is still -alive. U. S. PAYS UP $166,000 Appropriation Is for Increases to Patent Office Employes. WASHINGTON. D. C, March 10. An appropriation of $166,000 for in creased salaries for patent office em ployes to conform to the new patent office reorganization law was added to the deficiency bill as reported to day by the senate appropriations com Kennedy Murder Defend ant Is Grilled. THREE SWEETHEARTS IN CASE Relations With Burch" and 0b enchain Investigated. SURPRISE IS SPRUNG Query of Whether Defendant Had Been Married to Kennedy "On High Seas" Asked. LOS ANGELES, March 10. Mrs. Madalynne Obenchain, on trial charged with conspiring to murder J. Belton Kennedy, ' the man she swore she loved, matched wits today with Deputy District Attorney Keyes in an all day cross examination. The young defendant was called upon to tell of her relations with the three men who came into her life and had to do with circumstances leading up to her pres ent situation. These men were Kennedy, Arthur C. Burch, jointly indicted with her on the charge of murdering Kennedy, and Ralph R. Obenchain, her divorced hus. band, now one of the defense at torneys. , Kennedy, Mrs. Obenchain replied to Keyes, was the one who commanded her love. She eaid she never loved Burch and believed he never loved her. And she declared that Kennedy Induced her to leave Mr. Obenchain within a month of her i marriage which took place January 1, 1919. Letter Rend In Court. Mr. Keyes led up to the last dec laration by reading from " a letter dated in January, 1919, sent by Mrs. Obenchain to Kennedy, in which the following passage occurred: "My love is yours. It won't be long until we can be together." "What did you mean by that?" Kit-yes demanded. . "I meant he had induced me to leave my husband," replied the de fendant. She said that Kennedy had besought her to have the marriage annulled, but that later It was de cided she would seek a divorce. Surprise' Sprung by Query. The deputy district attorney sprung the principal surprise of the day when he asked Mrs. Obenchain if she ever had been married to Kennedy "on the high seas." After a long pause she replied, "No. This was the first intimation of anything of the kind in the case and Mr. Keyes did not in dicate what, if anything, was behind the question. Questioned concerning Burch, Mrs Obenchain repeated he was -simply a friend she had known since they had attended college together and that she never had any agreement with him to take the life of Kennedy. The cross-examination had not been ) completed when court adjourned until 9 o'clock Monday morning, mr. Atjes said he woulu at that time question Mrs. Obenchain about the shooting of Kennedy in Beverly Glen on the night of August 5, last. Defendant Shows Strain. As Mrs. Obenchain stepped from the witness stand when court adjourned her appearance clearly showed the strain under which she had been dur ing the day. In answering the ques tions put to her 'by the deputy dis trict attorney she frequently hesi tated before replying, which was more noticeable on account of the ready answer she gave to questions by her counsel during her direct ex amination yesterday. The prosecution opened its oross examination at the point of time where she first met Kennedy in 1917 in Los Angeles. She testified to his inentioning love to her early in their acq-oaintance, and said that while he cared for her he was under obliga tions to another girl. Their engage ment was made on August 1. 1918, she said, and they were together fre quently. She reiterated her testimony of yesterday that her ex-husband, i Ralph Obenchain, arrived in Los An geles on December 24, 1918. Engaxcmrnt Is Broken. Her engagement to Kennedy, she said, was broken on Christmas day in a telephone conversation with Ken nedy. When asked the reason for breaking the engagement, ehe replied that' it was apparently impossible to reconcile Kennedy's parents to the marriage and that their opposition "would not permii him to start life with me as it should be started." She admitted that she was in love with Kennedy at the time she married Obenchain on January 1, 1919. Shortly after her. marriage, ehe said, Kennedy telephoned her and told her he was willing to break away from hie parents and marry her. Kennedy Makes SiifCRrestlon. It was -Kennedy, she said, who sug gested that she get an annulment of her marriage, this pWan being aban doned later, and a divorce obtained. Step by step sho was led over her testimony of yesterday, but there were no material differences in her two re citals of -the details, fane told of Obenchain's leaving her and going to Chicago; of her going to Chicago on (Concluded ou l aso 2, Column hi All but One of Stands Reported to Have Returned to 1 5-Ccnt Schedule During Day. The war for 10-cent shines gave signs of dying a natural death yes terday when all but one of the stands were reported to have restored the 15-cent price and turned in the pla cards advertising the reduced price to A. Eliopoulos, secretary of the boot blacks' union, and the last one prom ised to turn his in at closing time last night. ' Following the bootblacks' indigna tion meeting held in. the Panama building Thursday night another can vass was made of the shops which had bolted the union rules an'd they were persuaded to go back to the 15-cent price. Eliopoulos said last night that the union would reduce the price of shoe shines as soon as proprietors of stands were able to procure lower rents and the costs of materials were reduced. He declared it was impossible to make a living at the 10-cent price under present conditions, and that offic'als of the union felt the public preferred to pay the higher price rather than have their shoes treated with inferior materials which would have to be used if the price was reduced. SALEM, Or., March 10. (Special.) Salem is now having its shoes shined for 10 cents. One local shop yester day posted a notice acquaintaing its patrons with the S-cent reduction. DRESS REFORM ORDERED Bank Bans Shirt Sleeves, Short Skirts and Bare Arms. NEWARK, N. J., March 10. Shirt sleeves as well as short skirts and bare arm's are prohibited in a rule promulgated today by the board of directors of the Fidelity Union & Trust company, one of the largest banking houses in New Jersey. Beginning April 1, the rule sets forth, the 200 girl and women em ployes of the institution shall wear "an .ordinary garment over which must be a loose jumper waist with long eleeves, the front coming well around the neck, and with skirts reaching to within 12 inches of the floor." On the same date men will cease to work in their shirt,, sleeves and will don "a coat of some kind with long sleeves." . . . - PANTS SLIP; LIBERTY LOST Tentlike Trousers Causes Return or Runaway Inmate to Poor Parm. SALEM, Or., March 10. (Special.) If the trousers worn by James Wright, 65 years of age, had not been built along tent dimensions he prob ably would 'have made good his es cape from the county poor farm. , -This morning -Patrolman Walter Thompson sighted Wright, who was wearing trousers much too large for him. There were no suspenders, and without warning the garment dropped to the ground. The patrolman took Wright to the police station. It was later learnea that Wright was on his way to Port land. He was returned to the farm. INDEX OF TODAY'S NEWS Tbe Weather. YESTERDAY'S Maximum temperature, 44 desree.: minimum, 35 degree.. TODAY'S-r-Probably shower.; wind, be coming- westerly. Foreign. Ghost-hunter hope, spirit will come yet. Page 1. British arrest leader of revolt In India on. charge ot .edition, rage i. United State, expense claim given silled finance ministers, .rage o. Day full of terror in South Africa strike zone, rage o. National. Government conference committees recom mend allocation ot wireless leiepuon. wave lengths. Page 3. , Deceit charged to United States arms dele-a-atlon. Page 2. Ways and means committee to consider bonus bill Monday. Page 2. Democrats attack bill naming new Judges. Pago o. Domestic. Ten thousand dollars in diamonds found on three suspects. Page 8., State opens fire on Mrs. Obenchain. Page L Self-made Yankee scorns title of earl. Page 2. i One hundred and ninety thousand-dollar embezzler blames speculation. Page 1 Southern California rocked by severe quake Page 1. Employes declare railroads have evaded orders or Doara. mso Alien service men Hasten to Decome citizens under special dispensation of congress. Page 8. Pacific Northwest, nace for Seattle postmaster begun Page . Insurance companies ile papers in F. I Stewart case. Page 1. Corvallis student wins oratory prize. Page 4. Sports. Beavers defeat Cubs. 7 to 5. Page 18. State title swim tonight. Page 16. Triple main event for fight fans tonight. Page 17. Nine schools to enter state hoop tourney. Page 16. Commercial and Marine. Demand takes care of wheat offerings Id northwest at steady prices. Page 22. Chicago wheat market recovers from re cent weakness. Page 23. Apple shipment reaches England In fin. condition. Page 12. All government war bonds stronger. Page 23. Portland and Vicinity. Federal employes must pay income tax. Page 13. Caberet ' owner who permitted white girls to dance witn negroes put out of busi ness. Page 8. Eggs at 22 cent, predicted within week. Page 15. Contractors ask for chance to bid on pub lic projects, rag. i. Ten-cent shoe-shine war appears lost. Page 1. Weather report, data and forecast. Page 12. Japanese consul entertained at banquet. Page 4. Policy on Public Projects Criticised. COMPETITION IS URGED Federal, State, County, City Shut-Outs Opposed. CONVENTION IS OPENED Budgets of Expense Ought to Be Submitted and Compared Willi Private Offers, Is Assertion. The practice of the government de partmcnts, states, counties and mu nicipalities In doing their own con struction work without submitting budgets of expense and without com parison of such budgets with the bids of professional contractors was scored yesterday in a number of speeches made before the Pacific northwest chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America In the open ing sessions of its third annual con vention. Revisal of immigration laws to ad mit better laboring men Into the coun try, distribution ot public building over periods of depression and asser tions of the desire to co-operate with the government, with the financial world and with the publio in such matters as safe building, restriction of price combines in material sup plies and censorship of cement monop. olles were some of tbe other issues brought up. ItesolvtloB la Soageated. The expression of the opinion ot the association on the practice of public departments contracting was brought to & head by Sam Hedges, prominent contractor of Seattle, who asked at the end of the afternoon meeting that a resolution be drawn condemning publio construction when contractors were not allowed to sub mit bids for comparison. "I believe a great deal of the pub- lie's money is wasted," he declared. In building projects which are car ried out on the day labor plan In stead of by contract. It Is the custom of some government bodies to ask for bids from contractors and if the work can be done for less money by private companies than the bodies themselves can have It done, to award the con tracts. One of these bodies is th war department in the case of eli4 building. Fairness to Publle I'rged. "When such gigantic sums are ex pended in public construction It Is only fair to the public that the lowest figures be obtained. I refer to recla mation and irrigation projects, where millions are involved, to road building and contracting for public bulldlnga." At the end of his talk, the resolu tions committee of the chapter said that such ' a resolution had been drawn and would be presented today. The convention was opened by an address of welcome by Mayor Baker, who also dealt on public contracts and declared his belief that the con tractors should have a chance to bid on public works. He emphasized the importance of the construction world in the production of national and civic wealth and expressed confidence in such an organization as the con tractors' association. His talk was concluded with a number of remarks on the construction problems which confronted Portland with regard to the 1925 exposition and said the build ing necessary to the exposition was only' a beginning of the building which would be necessary afterwards. 1'roflts) Are DUraMed. ' Natt McDougall, president of the northwest chapter, then Introduced W. O. Winston, past-president ot the national association, from Minne apolis,, who spoke on contrctors' profits and the necessity and also the avoidance of taking losses. The speech of the morning, how ever, was made by Arthur K. Kent, national president, from Los Amielos. "The Pacific coast has an unlimited future," Mr. Bent said, "and its de. velopment depends primarily on the builders. Construction underlies all human development, and In its po sition as sponsor to the country's building, the association must keep high its aims, mqhods and character in order to enjoy publio confidence and promote building. In the building of highway, rail ways, public works and buildings. 30 per cent of the wealth of the country is produced, and .consequently the contractors have an economic duty to perform and a responsibility to carry. The function of our organization is to carry these loads. Immigration Another Subject. The immigration problem was brought out in an address by K. J. Harding of Washington, D. C, asls tant national secretary, who said that the association was in favor of re stricted immigration but was work ing with the government committee in hopes of arriving at a solution which would admit enough worklnn men to avoid a shortage of lalior. Thl shortage, he declared, would appear v if the expected boom in buiidiug ma terialized. "The association is also trying to (Conuiudtd on Pag. 2, Column & ) ' 4 '