The Sunday Oregonian., September 27, 1914, SECTION THREE, Page 9, Image 45

THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, REPTEMRE11 27, 1914.
9
M' ARTHUR TURNS SEARCHLIGHT
ON A.W. LAFFERTY'S RECENT FIGURES
Representative's Statements of Success of Government Ownership of Rail-ways Picked to Pieces and Political
Machine Danger Pointed Address Is Given Before Portland Transportation Club at Weekly Luncheon.
CN. Mc ARTHUR, Republican candi
date for Congress In the Third or
Multnomah County district. Is
consistently opposed to the Govern
ment ownership of railroads, telegraph,
telephone and express service as pro
posed by Congressman A. "W. Lafferty,
with whom he now Is contesting- for
election.
At the recent weekly luncheon of the
Portland Transportation Club Mr. Mc
Arthur tore to pieces Mr. Lafferty's ar
guments in behalf of Government own
ership and advanced his reason for op
posing Government acquisition and
operation of these utilities.
Harmful Effects Forecast.
One of his principal grounds for op
position is the probable harmful effect
that it -will have upon the employe of
the industries involved.
His speech In full follows:
"The speech of Congressman A. W.
Lafferty on Nationalization of Ameri
can Railroads,' delivered In the House
of Representatives on March 11, 1914,
Is a remarkable document in that It
contains hardly one statement that is
not wholly disproved by the official re
ports of the Interstate Commerce Com
mission of this country and by the of
ficial reports of other governments
concerning their railroads. If those
Who know the truth should let Mr. Laf
ferty's speech go unanswered, they
v-ould consciously permit the readers
of it to be misled.
"There is another reason why It
should be answered: 1. e., that the mis
representations In It are typical of
those indulged In by many advocates of
public ownership; and unless something
Is done to stop them an entirely mis
taken public sentiment may be created,
which might lead to public action of
an unfortunate character. It is for
these reasons, and not from a desire to
engage, in controversy, that I make this
public reply to hlm.-
Government Machine Feared.
"Mr. Lafferty advocates public owner
ship not merely of railways, but of
telegraph and telephone systems,
steamship lines and several other in
dustries also. The adoption of this
policy would greatly increase the num
ber of .Government employes. Many ap
prehend that this would have evil po
litical consequences. This army of Gov
ernment employes, it is feared, would
dominate the politics of the country.
Mr. Lafferty opposes this view. The
number of Government employes would
not be increased enough, he says, to
do any harm. The statistics he gives'
in support of this view are all er
roneous. "He says the Government already has
600,000 employes; but the total number
of Federal civil employes, according to
the statistical abstract of the United
States, was in 1912 only 396,000. He
says that if we nationalize the rail
ways we will at once make civil ser
vants of the 1,600,000 now working
for the railroads. The number of rail
,way employes in, the United States on
June 30, 1912, according to the statis
tics of the Interstate Commerce Com
mission, was 1,699,218.
"He say3 that the number of tele
phone employes does not exceed 100,
000 and that the number of employes of
telegraph and express companies is not
more than 100,000. But the Bell tele
phone system alone on December 31,
1913, had 157,178 employes; 'and it is
estimated that other telephone com
panies now have 70,000 employes, mak
ing a total of approximately 225.000
telephone employes., The express com
panies had. 80,000 employes in 1907 and
the telegraph companies have about
60,000 employes, exclusive of those em
ployed jointly with the railroads, mak
ing a total of at least 130.000 express
and telegraph employes. If the steam
railways should be acquired, the Gov
ernment doubtless would take over the
electric railways which compete with
them and would most certainly take
over the sleeping car business of the
Pullman Company and also the various
private freight car lines which operate
over the railways.
List Reaches Millions.
"Even excluding the employes of elec
tric railways, the Pullman Company
and the private freight car lines, the
steam railways, telegraph and tele
phone companies and express com
panies have 2,055.000 employes, who
together with the 396,000 persons al
ready in the service of the Govern
ment, would make a total of 2,451,000
Government employes. Furthermore,
the work of Government employes is
restricted to eight hours a day, while
railway employes work 10 hours. If,
therefore, no change were made in
the laws regulating the hours of work
of Government employes, it would be
necessary to Increase the number '.of
railway employes approximately 20 per
cent, or about 340,000, which would
make the total number of Government
employes 2,790,000, instead of 2,200,
000, as estimated by Mr. Lafferty.
"Mr. Lafferty, on the basis bf his
erroneous figures, asserts that only
2.2 persons in every 100 of tne popu
lation of the United States would be
in Government employ. But the thing
which would determine the political
effect of Government ownership would
be, not the ratio between the number
of persons in Government employ and
the, total inhabitants of the country,
but the ratio between the number of
voters in Government employ and the
total number of voters in the country.
Employes Would Be Voters,
"Now, practically every Government
employe would be a voter; and the to
tal number of votes cast for President
In 1912 was a little more than 15,
000,000, while it is estimated that the
total number of votes in the country
is 21,000.000. In other words with
2.790.000 Government employes, we
should have 13.5 voters in Government
service for every 100 voters in the
country, and 19 voters in Government
service for .every 100 who voted for
President in 1912. 1
; "Mr. Lafferty says that government
ownership has had no bad political ef
fects in other countries. This state
ment is far from the truth. In France,
for example, 900.000 out of a total of
8.000.000 voters, or 11 in every 100,
are government employes; and. as a
result, according to William Morton
Fullerton, an English writer, in his re
cent book, 'Problems of Power,' gov
ernment in France has become "a
tyrannical monopoly of a minority,"
this minority Deing the government
employes.
Figures Are Exposed.
"Continuing, Mr. Lafferty says that
Government ownership of railways is
not 'Socialistic," and gives statistics
intended to show that this policy has
been generally adopted. 'The world is
mot socialistic." he asserts, 'yet 50 out
of the 54 countries of the world have
government ownership of the rail
ways, the only exceptions being the
United States,. Turkey, Spain and Great
Britain.'...
"He then gives figures purporting to
show the private and government
mileage In these 50 countries, their to
tal private mileage being represented
a' 86,894 and their total Government
mileage as 218,358 miles. He adds:
'The fact that 50 out of -54 countries
of the world have substantially
adopted government ownership and
operation of railways as their national
policy ought to be complete refutation
of the claim that it is socialistic.'
"Either Mr. Lafferty is ignorant re
garding his subject, or the purpose of
all these statements and statistics Is
to deceive. They tend to give the lm-
presalon that government ownership
is the preponderant policy of the
woria, wnue the truth is that private '
ownership-is and always has been the
preponderant policy of the world. The
Arcniv fur Eisenbahnwesen is the of
ficial publication of the Prussian gov
ernment railways. The latest inves
tigation of the relative mileages of
the government and private railways
throughout the world was made by this
publication. and Its. investigation
showed that on January 1, 1910, the
total railway mileage of the globe was
639,621 miles, of which only 188.258
miles, or 29.4 per cent, was owned by
governments, while 451.363 miles, or
70.6 per cent, was owned , by private
companies.
Statistics Pull of Errors.
"The statistics given by Mr. Lafferty
are full - of the most glaring errors.
For example, he credits France with
24,849 miles of government railways
and no private railways. The fact is
that there are in France only 5500 miles
r of state railways, while there are
25,159 miles of private railways. He
credits Argentina with only 10,000
miles of private railways, whereas it
has more than 15.000 miles of private
railways.
"Mr. Lafferty actually succeeds in
finding in the 50 countries which he
names 30,000 more miles of state rail
ways than there are in the whole
world! The mileages of railways ownd
by states and companies on the six
great continents, as given by the
Archlv fur Eisenbahnwesen, are as fol
lows: Mileage of Mileage of
state-owned company-owned
Continent
railways.
railways
Europe
North America. .
.107,603
. 1,759
. JO.-lSl
00.6.2
2S4.SS9
29,804
2.RW1
0,22
1.23o
South America. .
ABia
.. 36,710
Africa 13,668
Australia 18.027
Total ..... i..lS8.238 431,363
"The largest mileage of private rail
ways is in the United States, but even
outside of this country the privately
owned mileage is more than 22.000
miles greater . than the total state
owned mileage.
Lafferty's Plan Discussed.
"Proceeding,- Mr. Lafferty attempts
to show that by acquiring the railways
the Government could save the people
of the United States from $400,000,000
to $700,000,000 a year. The railways, he
says, are capitalized for $20,000,000,000.
and earned 5 per cent on this in 1913,
or $1,000,000,000. The Government could
acquire them for their capitalization
and pay interest on the bonds Issued
at 3 per cent, which would enable It
to save $400,000,000 annually. Not sat
isfied with having effected this great
economy, he adds that the railways are
really capitalized for twice their value
and, therefore, the Government prob
ably would not have to pay more than
$10,000,000,000 for them. Its interest
would then be only $800,000,000 a year,
and the saving would be $700,000,000
a year.
"The trouble with these figures Is
that every one of them is either in
cprrect or absurd. The railways never
have earned $1,000,000,000 net money in
their history. On' page 15 of his own
pamphlet Mr. Lafferty gives statistics
t the Interstate Commerce Commis
sion, showing that in the year ended
June 30, 1913. the net operating In
come of railways earning more than
$1,000,000 gross each was only $815,
600,000. Interest Too Low.
"If the net operating income of the
various small roads earning less than
$1,000,000 gross each were included,
they would not increase the total net
operating Income much certainly not
to more than $850,000,000. The Govern
ment could not borrow the large
amount of capital required to buy the
railways for 3 per cent. It is Jiighly
improbable that it could borrow It for
less than 3V4 or 4 per cent. The Prus
sian Government, which owns the larg
est mileage of railways of any coun
try ir the world, recently found itself
unable to sell 4 per cent bonds at par.
Mr. Lafferty's estimate that the Gov
ernment could acquire the railways for
$10,000,000,000 is extremely absurd.
Charles A. Prouty, formerly chairman
of the Interstate Commerce Commis
sion, and now director of the valuation
of all the railways of the United States,
which the Commission is making, esti
mated In a recent address that it
would cost $20,000,000,000 to acquire
them.
"If the Government should pay. this
for them, and its Interest rate -were
3H per cent. Its annual interest would
be $700,000,000. The interest and divi
dends paid by the railway companies
at present amount to $675,000,000 a
year. On this basis the Government
would lose $25,000,000 a year by buying
the railways. The railway companies
Invest in their properties the money
they have left after paying interest and
dividends; and if the Government did
not do likewise it would not maintain
the properties as well as the companies
do now.
Opera ting Cost Ignored.
"Mr. Lafferty says nothing of the heavy
increases in operating expenses which
probably would occur under govern
ment ownership, thereby greatly re
ducing the net earnings unless passen
ger and freight rates were .increased.
In every country in the world where
government ownership has been adept-
ed, there has been a large increase in
the number of employes and In operat
ing expenses. Within three years af
ter the Western Railway of France
was nationalized In 1908, the number
of its employes had increased by E280,
or more than 10 per cent. Its operat
ing expenses Increased in four years
from $29,600,000 to $44,600,000, or 60
per cent; and, meantime, its gross
earnings Increased only 12 per cent.
Within three years after government
ownership was adopted in Italy the
number of railway employes increased
from 97,000 to 137,000.
"As has already been shown, unless
the present Federal law regarding the
hours of work of Government employes
were changed, the number of railway
employes under Government ownership
here would have to be increased by
about 340,000, which, on the basis of
present wages, would add about $245,
000,000 a year to the operating expenses
of the railways.
Salary Rule Kurr Small.
"While Mr. Lafferty sayB nothing
about these probable increases in ex
penses, he predicts that expenses would
be curtailed by the abolition of the
'princely' salaries now paid to railway
officers. It is true that there are some
large salaries paid on railways. But,
on the average, the official salaries
paid are small, and the total saving
that could be made by reducing thj
is trifling.
"The total operating expenses of the
railways of the United States in the
year ended June SO, 1911, the latest
year for which we have complete sta
tistics, were $1,844,065,958. The total
salaries paid to the 15.824 officers In
that year were $39,864,265, or but 2.16
per cent of the total operating ex
penses. Therefore, to reduce these
princely salaries 60 per cent would
reduce operating expenses only 1 per
cent, and to completely abolish all of
ficial salaries would reduce operating
expenses only 2 per cent.
Inane on Rates Taken.
"Continuing, Mr. Lafferty argues
that railway rates are lower under
Government than under private owner
shep. 'If.' he adds, 'the German (state)
railroads were operating In the United
States, where they would; have the
I eflt of the long haul, it is safe to say
their rates would not be more than
one-half of what we are now payin
The railway rates In Germany now are
much cheaper on the average than they
are in the United States."
It is true that the passenger rates on
the state railways of Germany are low
er than the passenger rates on the rail
ways of the United States; but the
amount of passenger traffic ner mile on
the German roads, owing to the greater
density or population, is five times as
great as on the American roads. Be
sides, the low average passenger rate
in Germany is due chiefly to low rates
made on grades of service inferior to
any known in this country. The rate
for first-class service in Germany is
higher than, and that for second class
almost as high as, the average rate in
the United States.
"As to freight rates, it is the exact
opposite of true to assert that they are
lower in Germany than in the United
States, even when full allowance is
made for the fact that on the average
freight is hauled a greater distance in
this country. The average rate per
ton per mile in Germany in 1911 was
13.9 mills. In the United States in the
same year it was only 7.57 mills or
45.6 per cent less. - The average haul
In Germany was only 62 miles, while
in this country it was 143 miles, which
tended to make it possible for the rail
ways of the United States to handle
their freight more economically.
' Wages Here Higher.
"But there was another and more im
portant Influence which tended to make
the expense of hauling both passengers
and freight much greater here than in
Germany. This was the difference In
the wages paid to railway employes In
the two countries. The average wage
paid In the United States in 1911 was
$724, while in Germany it was only
$392, or 46 per cent less. This differ
ence between the wages paid is more
than an offset to the difference be
tween the lengths of the average hauls ;
and, all things considered, it is a fair
inference that ' freight rates in this
country are not much more than one
half as. high, relatively, as they are
on the government railways of Ger
many. 'American Freight Rates Low.
"That freight rates In thia country
are relatively low is conceded by Ger
man students of this subject. In a talk
before the New York Railroad Club in
May, 1913, Baron von Eltz, technical at
tache of the German Consulate-General
of New York City, said: 'I believe
that a comparison between the Ameri
can and German rates tends, indeed, to
strengthen the impression that Ameri
can freight rates are low. if not too
low.
'tnd, ln Its anual report, referring
to the induetrlal situation in the United
fles' the Deutsche ank of Berlin
said: The American railway companies
require higher rates, tne existing
freight rates are the lowest ln the
world: a fraction only of the English
rates: although the wages in the United
btates are more than twice as high as
the average paid in Europe.'
Issue Becomes Vital.
"As the view of the disinterested
foreign observer it will be of Interest
to add the following comment which
the Deutsche Bank makes: This ques
tion (that of freight rates? is. there
fore, one of decisive Imnortanf. tK.
whole political economy of the United
on. to me possioiuty of securing
the urgently needed new capital, the
consequent thriving of important in
dustries and the Increased additional
opportunities for labor depend on the
profit-yielding management of the
great railway systems.'
'IGenerally speaking. Government
railways tend to make their passenger
rates relatively low while private rail
ways tend to make their freight rates
relatively low. And low freight rates
are much more important because the
amount of freight traffic handled Is
larger on almost all railways than the
amount of passenger traffic handled
It will be noted that the Deutsche
Bank said that the existing freight
rates in the United States 'are the low
est in the world.' The average rate
per ton per mile on the railways- of
this country, as already stated, is 7 67
mills. The average rate per ton per
mile on some state railways are as
follows: France. 15.5 mills; New South
Wales. 17.8 mills; Belgium. 11.8 mills;
Switzerland,- 30 . mills; Denmark, 21 4
mills; Bulgaria. 17.6 mills; Austria,
14.7 mills; Hungary. 13.3 mills, and ln
most of these countries the railway
wages are no more than half as high
as those paid ln the United States.
Panama Line Charges High.
"To reinforce his argument for Gov
ernment ownership, Mr. Lafferty refers
to the rates made and the financial
results gained on the Panama Railroad
Bince it has been owned and operated
by the Government. Now. the fact Is,
that the average rate per ton per mile
on the Government-owned Panama
EGG LAYING HEN TYPE
NOW BEING DEVELOPED
Indications Are That Commercial Poultry Fanners Are Breaking Away
From Standards Arbitrarily Set by Fanciers as Necessities.
EGG TYPE OF FOWL.
BY W. LUDWIG.
T
YPE Is a word used by the poultry-
men to classify breeds, accord
ing to their fixed combinations
of qualities adapted to produce defi
nite results. As we have the dairy and
beef type of cattle so we have the egg
and meat type of fowls. A farmer who
feeds steers for beef production care
fully selects the type of individual
which lie knows will make the best
feeder. This type is entirely different
from the one a dairyman would select.
He knows that certain characteristics
in cattle Indicate productiveness or
non-productiveness, and the poultry
man is learning that there is a definite
type that indicates productiveness.
Again there is the man who In selecting
a horse to do hauling, buys one that he
thinks will do the work, while the man
selecting a race horse will buy one of
another type.
Poultry breeders for years have
striven to breed the type of fowl that
would win honors In competition ao
cording to the rules established by the
members of the American Poultry As
sociation. In instances, the fancier
conforming to this type designated by
these rules has allowed his creations
to suffer in the exercise of natural
function egg laying. A noted writer
states, "that in breeding for eggs a
type results, naturally, as it must. Is
the layer to be dubbed a hybrid be
cause the fancy conforms to lines laid
down by a minority or because the
beak is a shade too dark? Because
type, shape and plumage do not rigid
ly conform to the standard Is hot a
reasonable excuse for calling a bird a
mongrel or because this self-same
standard permits one-half of the white
ear-lobe of a leghorn to be red does not
make It a er,oss-breed. Possibly the
defects In show-birds may be covered
up, at show time entirely eliminated,
buLthe trap nest records the egg the hen
lays ana tne commercial farmer does
not care whether - her legs are Dale
ben-jcream or as yellow as artificial but
Railroad In 1912 was $.99 cents, or
more than five times as high as the
average on the railways of the United
States. The Panama Railroad earns
large profits, but this is because of its
excessive freight rates. Its net earn
ings in 1912 were $1,802,000. If its
average rata per ton per mile had
been only twice as great as, the aver
age on the railways of the United
States, or, let us say. 1.5 cents, its net
earnings would have been $1,836,000
less than they were, and instead of
earning a profit it would have failed
by $34,030 to earn its operating ex
penses. The statistics of the Panama
Railroad indicate that, under Govern
ment management, it costs it three or
four times as much to handle its traffic
as it would cost an ordinarily well
managed railway in the United States
to handle the same traffic.
Government Companies Slow.
"Mr. Lafferty contends that Govern
ment service is much mora expeditious
and satisfactory than that of private
companies. ' It is not so easy to refute
this statement as it is to refute others
made by him, because to do so would
Involve the presentation of masses of
statistical and other evidence too great
to be Included here. It must suffice
to say that a large majority of per
sons who have had experience with the
state railways, telegraphs and tele
phones of the United States, entirely
differ from Mr. Lafferty in their opin
ions of the relative qualities of the
service rendered in Europe and ln the
United States.
"If one wishes an intelligent and un
biased presentation of the facts regard
ing state railways, telegraphs and tele
phones in Europe, let him read the
series of articles on "government owner
ship ln Europe recently contributed to
the Saturday Evening Post by Will
Payne. Mr. Payne, who was sent to
Europe expressly to study the subject
of government ownership, and especial
ly government service, for the Satur
day Evening Post, gives fact after fact
and specific Incident after specific in
cident tending to show that the serv
ice given by state industries ln Europe
Is far inferior to that given by private
concerns ln this country.
Poor Service Denounced.
Furthermore, the state railways, tel
ephones and telegraph concerns of Eu
rope are bitterly criticised by their
own newspapers for their poor service.
For example, last January the' London
Daily Malt said in an editorial: 'Why 1.
It that government ownership and man
agement of telephones Is practically
always a failure? Why is it that for
very thousand Europeans there is only
one telephone, while for every thou
sand Americans there are 15? Why is
It that not one of the many discoveries
that have transformed the telephone
Industry in' the past 30 years has ema
nated from a department of state? "Why
is it that throughout the length and
breadth of Great Britain and the con
tinent hardly a single efficient long
distance service is to be found?
"Regarding the service of the rail
ways of France, Mr. Payne says in an
article in the Saturday Evening Post
of May 2, after having severely criti
cised the service of the French govern
ment railways:
"Of course, a good deal of this Is
true of the privately owned roads as
well as of the state-owned; yet there
is an overwhelming mass of testimony
to show that the state-owned roads
give. the poorest service and have been
the slowest to make improvements."
State Trslas Are Cabooses.
"Referring again to the service of
the Frencn state railways, he Bays: 'I
do not know .whether you have ever
ridden in the caboose of a way freight
on a third-class railroad ln the United
States- when there were as many pas
sengers as the vehicle could well hold,
most of them addicted to pipes and
the sort of trfbacco that comes in largo
loose brown-paper packages. There
was a time when it was my privilege
to enjoy- that experience rather fre
quently; and, except for the free-and-easy
sociability of the caboose, that
comes much nearer to conditions of
travel on some state trains ln France
than anything else I have ever seen ln
the United States.'
"If one will but look about him and,
contrast the kind of service usually
rendered in his own city, his own
state and his own country by Govern
ment and private concerns, he will
speedily disabuse'hls mind of any no
tion he may have that governments or
dinarily do things better than private
companies.
Statements Called Unreliable.
"Mr. Lafferty makes numerous as
sertions in support of his plea for
Government ownership besides those
mentioned, which are equally as mis
leading. Enough has been said, how
ever, to - show that his statements of
facts are wholly unreliable and his de
ductions from them, entirely untenable.
Like many other advocates of public
ownership, he seems to believe so
strongly in his cause aa to think that
he may rightfully resort to every form
of misrepresentation ln order to bolster
up his argument for it.
"But the public is not likely to re
garr the matter ln that light. It Is
likely to conclude that a policy for
which a case cannot be made out ex
cept by the use of all manner of mis
statements and misrepresentations is
hardly a safe policy to adopt, and that
men who resort to the use of such
means of creating public Sentiment are
not safe leaders to follow."
ter color. Just bo she performs to the
utmost her natural functions."
Laying Qualities May Suffer.
Purvis in Poultry Life, states, "he is
afraid for the future of the Buttercup
breed. The craze for plumage marked
In a certain arbitrary way, contrary to
the nature of the fowl will, if per
sisted in. interfere with the laying
qualities of the breed. unless great
care is taken to breed for eggs as well
as for feathers, and there is not the
remotest chance that this will be done
by any considerable percentage of the
breeders. A very large majority of
the breeders will select the birds for
their markings Instead of for egg pro
duction This always has been the
rule and will continue to be as long
as present conditions obtain. It seems
deplorable that this breed should go
the way of others. I am a fancier and
have been one for more years than
most fanciers. It has been more than
S3 yearB since I began to breed pure
bred fowls and I do not hesitate to say
that there is more, than one breed that
averages fewer eggs to the individual
i Sketch Illnat rating V-Shaped Type I
of Poultry. 1
ROBERT A.
(Continued From Pair 8)
the firm had received a standing, they
were incorporated and many stock
holders taken in. So that at the pres
ent time the Booth & Kelly interests
are less than a third.
I have gone into this portion of the
business career of R. A. Booth be
cause the firm of which he was and
still is a member has suffered the
same criticisms as nearly all our latter-day
successful concerns have suf
fered. A good many people seem to
think business success Is a crime.
Even many of the Government offi
cials act on that theory. So loud did
the howls become against the firm
that they were prosecuted by the De
partment of Justice. For what?
Why, of all the million acres or bo
of land they had handled titles of
three claims, taken by relatives of the
Booths, were attacked. Judge Bean
made short work of the case, but Judge
Gilbert, in the Circuit Court of Ap
peals, had it sent up to the Supreme
Court. Perhaps even in the 'and
picked Jury"cases there was not a
case with less merit than this case
against the Booth-Kelly Company.
Working Time Reduced.
One of the first acts of the Booth
Kelly Company after beginning opera
tions was to reduce the hours of the
unen from 11 to 10 and to raise their
pay 25 cents a day. That act alone
ought to show .how: the company
stands on the labor question; how it
has always stood. But I wanted full
knowledge on this question, so I went
out the other day to the Coburg mill
and the Springfield mill and mixed
in with the men. . But I am a little
ahead of the story. I first went to
the offices in Eugene and interviewed
a few of the older employes there.
I talked first with A. C. Dixon, the
manager. He has been with the con
cern 21 years, haa worked up to his
present position by strict attention to
duty. I asked Mr. Dixon how the em
ployes generally looked upon Mr.
Booth.
"As a friend." he replied with ve
hemence. "Robert Booth has never
seemed to any of us as other than a
friend and companion, save when we
needed his advice or counsel; then
we looked upon him as a second father.
I think I could cite hundreds of cases
where he has acted as arbitrator and
has settled difficulties, great and
small, that have come up between
some of our men. And his decisions
have always been considered Just and
have stood."
No Friction Among Workers.
I asked Mr. Dixon about the pay of
the men and found the wages aver
aged $3.25 a day ln the woods and
$2.67 ln the mills. . That is exclusive
of the pay of the superintendents and
bosses and does not Include the office
forces. I then Inquired Into the mat
ter of labor troubles, such as walk
outs, lockouts, strikes, etc. I was as
sured by Mr. Dixon, as I had been by
Mr. Booth, that never in the history
of the firm had there been. the least
friction between the management and
the men, not even a demand for higher
wages.
"The men have always known that
this company pays the top prices for
labor, usually a little more," said Mr.
Dixon.
He then remarked that as to Robert
A. Booth there was a side of his char
acter unknown, fully, to everybody
except Mr. Booth, his family and him
self (Mr. Dixon.) That was his chart
ties. "He has made some notable gifts
which have found their way Into print
without the consent of Mr. Booth. But
the public knows nothing about the
large list of needy individuals he reg
ularly remits to. I know this, because
It Is a part of my duties to see that
the checks go regularly. But Mr.
Booth is not the man to make a ten
dollar or a thousand-dollar gift and
rush Into print, hoping to get the
amount back, with interest, in the way
of advertising. He. is not built that
way. And I am satisfied that he gives
considerable sums for charitable pur
poses that even I know nothing about.
His heart is easily touched by the
pleas of the unfortunate and his check
book is always handy. I know he uses
It frequently, unknown to anybody
save himself; perhaps later to tell his
wife."
(Libor Troubles Vnknovrn.
Remember, the Booth-Kelly Com
pany for a number of years ln the Re
publican times had on their payrolls
as many as 1500 names. Even in these
Democratic days they have nearly 900.
And never a bit of labor trouble; al
ways fair and Just to employes. Mr.
Booth acted as counsellor and friend
whenever called upon, which was fre
quent. Mr. Booth knew nearly all of
the men by name and took an inter
est ln their home affairs, particuarly
the young men. That Is why these
employes say they are going to vote
for R. A. Booth ln November prac
tically to a man. Could anything makeJ
these men are going to give htm their
support? I believe nothing could please
him more.
Thomas Roche Is another employe
than the same breed averaged a third
of a century ago.-.
"In my early experience I had some
Black Spanish hens that were remark
able layers. Today the Black Spanish
fowl can hardly be called moderately
good layers as the breed averages.
This Is true of other breeds, notably
the Hamburgs and Polish fowls. If
I were .to say It Is true of the Wyan
dottes also I would get into trouble
but there are those who say it and I
am ln no position to argue the case
with them."
Staandards Are Channred.
At a recent meeting of the Ameri
can Poultry Association held ln Chi
cago, in revising the 1916 standard,
the length of the body of the Wyan
dotte, fowf was increased at the re
quest' of breeders desiring to Increase
egg production. At the same time the
weight of the Leghorn pullets was
Increased from three to three and a
half pounds. This would Indicate that
fanciers are recognizing that the racy
type of . Leghorns previously bred Is
not conducive to prolific egg produc
tion. The breeder of fancy stock has been
interested Introducing a certain color,
etc., while the commercial breeder has
been developing a type of fowl with
certain characteristics denoting egg
production. Ignoring the exhibition
points and setting his standard in
eggs and meat.
6ome years ago a poultry breeder
introduced a crude appliance to dis
cover the Individual performance of
each hen. This trap jiest did not be
come popular until after an experiment
station issued a publication of Indi
vidual egg records, showing that hens
of the same breed varied widely in
laying ability. Then progressive poul
trymen began to keep records of their
layers, recognizing that the basis of
improvement is a knowledge of the in
dividual whose performance was supe
rior to others.
Laying; Contests Effective.
The poultry press, giving great pub
licity to records made by trap-nested
hens, especially ln the egg-laying con
tests conducted throughout the coun
try, has sprung the movement for the
breeding of fowls along more definite
lines, with the result that another type
of fowl Is being ereated the egg type.
We can tell then the good fnom the
had by certain Characteristics the
difference ln type between the layer
and the non-layer. "The Babcock
test" ln the dairy business Is the final
test of the quantity of butterfat, ' and
the trap nest will be the final- test in
BOOTH, IDEAL MAN
who has been ln the office for 15
years. He is a-fine specimen of an
Irish gentleman. He Is a graduate of
the Dublin University.
"Mr. Booth is our friend rather than
our employer. I have asked him many
favors, financial and otherwise, and
he has never failed me. Nobody but
Mr. Dixon knows what a long roll of
needy look to him for their support,
and I am sure Mr. Dixon comes far
from knowing all," said Mr. Roche.
I went out to the mill at Coburg and
talked with the superintendent, Hugo
Hallln. a native of Sweden. He came
to Oregon in 1900 and went to work
ln the woods for the firm and has
worked. his way steadily up.
"Mr. Booth is one of the fairest men
and best friends a man ever worked
for," he said. "I have prospered ever
Bince I came here. I have a lovely
wife, four fine children, a nice home
and quite a lot of other property, all
made by working for the Booth-Kelly
Company. I would not quit them if
promised double the pay I get here."
No Complaints Heard.
So I went right down the line. I
interviewed perhaps a half hundred,
trying to find Just one dissatisfied em
ploye, just a single knocker. I asked
for one such, but not a man could
point one out.
"Haven't you." I asked, "even one
of the shiftless ' class who Is dissatis
fied one who thinks Mr. Booth ought
to divide, by fair means or foul, some
of hlB wealth among the ne'er-do-wells
?"
"Not that I know of," would be the
answer. "Once ln a while one of those
chaps drop ln and work a few days,
but the atmosphere is not congenial
to him, so he hikes along to some place
where there is more excitement."
Then I went to . bankers and busi
ness men, to lawyers and doctors, both
ln the City of Eugene and ln Spring
field and Coburg: to men who have
known him all the way from 10 to 45
years, and always the same story:
"There never was a fairer man, a bet
ter friend or a better citizen."
There is another side to be consid
ered his fitness for the office be
seeks. I have shown his business
ability, and that goes a long, long way
in the United States Senate. Some of
the ablest leaders who ever sat ln that
body were sent there from the bank
counter, the workshop, the loom or the
farm. Some of the best men there to
day came directly from the direction
of their own large business affairs to
take part ln directing those of Uncle
Sam.
It seems strange that the only hon
orary title that Mr. Booth ever had
was Senator. Senator he will un
doubtedly remain. He served (and it
was the only office he was ever elected
to) in the State Senate for eight years
1900-1908 and then refused further
service, owing to business affair's.
This office was not sought by him;
lie was nominated and elected and re
elected three times against his will.
I asked a gentleman who served the
entire eight years with him what sort
cf a legislator he made.
Record as Senator Bright.
"One of the ablest men in the bodies
he sat In." was the reply. "He always
stood for right and justice and'clean
ness. He was a hard and conscientious
committee worker, was a constant at
tendant upon the sessions and was one
of the clearest and most Incisive
speakers and ablest debaters that sat
In the Senate while I was a member."
I went further and asked this fel
low Senator of his what sort of a fig
ure he thought Mr. Booth would cut
In the United States Senate.
"What sort of a. figure?" he in
quired. "Why, he will stand shoulder
to shoulder with . the. big men ln that
body. He will make a Senator that
Oregon will be proud of, for I can tell
you he will not only look out every
moment for the Interests of his con
stituents, but for the interests of the
whole people of the Nation."
I am going now to touch upon one
more side of Mr. Booth's character and
then I am done.
Mr. Booth was married May IS, 1881,
to Mlsg Clintona A. La Raut. In look
ing over the old records of the Wilbur
Academy I found the name that most
frequently stood as close to the head,
or at the head of the classes as young
Booth, was that of Clintona La Raut.
I also knew that La Raut was a promi
nent name ln Southern Oregon for
many, many years.
i'Yes." said Mr. Booth, "this is the
same Clintona; "we were married on
my 21st birthday; we had been sweet
hearts for eight years."
I found that there were only a few
days' difference in their ages.
They have had four children, but the
oldest, as said before, died several
years ago at the age of 4. Those liv
ing are: Robert R.. Floyd W. and
Barbara W. The boys are both of age
and both married. Robert is a farmer
near Yoncalla. his father being his
partner ln the ownership and manage
ment of a 1700-acre farn-ii They are
going to specialize in raising high
grade cattle, sheep, swine and horses
and in the rotation of crops and ln
feeding. In fact, they began this two
poultry. Any person who observes
closely the selection of breeders which
resemble that type and breeds for egg
production will develop a uniform flock
and if the characteristics which make
up this type are associated with pro
lific egg production he will be able to
fix firmly In his mind the egg type.
Thus for an Intelligent selection o?
our livestock, the purpose for which It
is to be used is determined first, and
the same principles of selection can be
applied to poultry.
In applying this principle ln the
poultry business there are several
things which should be considered in
selecting hens for layers, says the
Kansas State Experimental Station:
(1) Shape and size, (2) color and head
furnishings, (3) actions of the Individ
uals, (4) pelvic bone test.
V Shape Is Favored.
The first thing to notice concerning
the shape is as to whether or not the
hen is rangy or blocky. A blocky hen
indicates a meat producer, while the
more rangy one indicates the produc
tion of eggs. Since the development
of the egg. to a large extent, takes
place in the region of the body below
the broad part of the back, that part
of the body should be broader than the
forepart. This gives to the body a V
shaped appearance, as viewed from the
top, the small part of the "V" lying
toward the front.
When a hen is in heavy laying condi
tion her abdomen is lower than the
breast line. This enlargement of the
body in the abdominal region makes
the back appear somewhat narrower,
giving the body a V-shaped appear
ance from the back downward on the
sides, as viewed from the rear. Thus
a body V-shaped ln three directions in
dicates large productive powers.
Larger Birds - Lay Larirer Egxs.
A large hen usually lays the larger
egrss. This rule may not hold true if
she happens to be a heavy producer, for
then the tendency is to produce small
er eggs. With such fowls as Leghorns,
whose tendency is to lay smaller eggs,
the selection should be for large size
of body, rather than small.
A good layer is longer in body, neck
and legs than a meat producing hen.
She stands up well, and has a well
spread tail. Observation has shown
that a pinch-tailed Leghorn is not as
good a layer generally as a fan-tailed
one.
The character of the head furnish
ings is ntndlcatlc-n of the hen's laying
condition. When a hen is ln full lay
ing her comb Is full and brightened.
Some Plyr-iuth Rocks when laying
years ago. Robert and his wife have
two fine children, the eldest of course
bearing the name of Robert, being the
fourth of that name.
Sons Work at Plant.
Floyd for a time was a partner with
his brother. But his wife did not take
kindly to farm life, so her husband
came back to Eugene and entered the "
employment of the Booth-Kelly Com
pany. And he began at the bottom
as a laborer. He runs a little electric
truck around, hauling lumber ln the
yard. On a Monday morning, while
visiting the Booths.' I heard a commo
tion about 5 o'clock. I later learned
that it was Floyd getting an early
breakfast so he could get to the mill
at Springfield by 5:30 to get his truck
in order for the day's work.
Mr. Booth has seen to it that upon
coming of age both of the boys were
well provided for. They are worth
considerable money, enough for a com
petency, considering their frugal hab
its. If they did not choose to work
another day. But none of the Booths
was ever built that way.
It is just possible soma person has
called your attention to the fact that
Mr. Booth lives in a palace, or in a
hovel, as best befits the occasion and
the teller of the tale. I wish you
could dissect the house he does live
in a house that belongs to the young
est boy. Floyd. It was at first. I think,
a dwelling of one room. Later a
couple more rooms were added; then,
after a few years, I suppose the family
of the occupants expanded and a few
more rooms were added. And so on
until it is really four or five houses
built into one. I would not 'go so far
as to say the quickest way to get up
stairs in that house Is to start down
cellar, but I can safely say that it is
considerable of a job to get from one
part of it to another.
Home Lite Beautiful.
The family of Robert A. Booth can
not be described properly as father,
mother, two sons, and a daughter. More
properly it is a household composed of
three young gentlemen and two young
ladies; still more properly it is a-quintet
of brothers and sisters. Why, bless
your soul, each one of them thinks
that home is the brightest spot on
earth, as it is the happiest. And right
straight to the family circle goes every
trouble, every sorrow and every joy.
Mr. Booth never makes a deal, im
portant or unimportant, without going
over it fully with his wife and chil
dren. The boys never have a trouble
that does not come before that loving
tribunal.
"I suppose," remarked Robert. Jr..
to me as we were riding out toward
Coburg, "many people- wonder how it
is that I go out so little. I scarcely
ever go up town of an evening; never
have. I and brother and sister can
almost always be found at home, if
we are ln town. I will tell you why
because that is the place where we en
Joy ourselves the most; that is where
we are all the happiest."
The same can be said of the senior
Booth. He never- cares to be away
from home a moment beyond the actual
requirements of his business. He is a
typical home-lover, as kind a father
as ever lived and as loving and con
stant a husband as woman ever had.
i
- Tribute Paid to Mother.
A word about Mr. Booth's mother;
a word of tribute to her from her son.
I asked him a very personal question,
as to the underlying principles of his
successful career and the establish
ment of his character. Quick as a
flash, his eyes brightening and his
countenance lightening, he replied:
"My mother! Yes. all that I am or
ever am Is due to my mother, the
sweetest, best, most loving, most pa
tient mother that'any person ever had;
and not only a mother to her family,
but to the entire neighborhood. No
matter how hard the day might .have
been, how severe the labor, how great
the troubles of her own, she was ready
on the instant, at any hour of the
night, to visit, far or near, any person
In distress and remain as long as her
services were needed.
"And the best thing that I can say
about my father, my sisters and my
brothers is that we were always ready
to assist this good woman in every
way we could. When she was called
away on her visits of mercy the house
hold work went along smoothly, so far
as the dally routine of cooking, eat
ing and keeping the house ln order
went: buU what a Joyful moment it
always was when our mother returned
to us!"
I wonder if a man who has dem
onstrated that he has business ability
of a high order; that he has always
been upright, honorable, just; that h
has ever been a good son, a kind
brother, a loving and dutiful husband,
a gentle and noble father, a fair and
honorable employer I wonder If such
a man would not make Oregon a
capable and honorable Senator?
The verdict is with the people, but
I have confidence enough in the elec
torate of the State of Oregon to feel '
that when a man like Mr. Booth comes
before them and asks their votes asks
them on his own and his party's recorJ
that the voters will not say him nay
heavily will have lopped combs, and
therefore, become disqualified fwsjphow
hirds. When hens ara molting v they
lose all their color in face and comb
and the size of their combs becomes
small, but as soon as laying com
mences the combs enlarge and the color
returns. Many instances have been
noted with Leghorns and Mlnorcas
Vhlch iridic? te that the birds with the
lxrgest and reddest combs are in heavy
laying condition. Exceptions to this
rule sometimes occur, but they are rare.
'
Pelvic Bone Test Advised.
' A laying hen la always a singing hen.
She works and hunts for food all day,
is the first off of the roost and the
laet to go to roost. She is nervous
and active, keeping herself up to the
greatest possible pitch.
The pelvic bone test some have
claimed as final and conclusive. Im
mediately below the tall at the end of
the side pieces of the back are two
somewhat bony protuberances. These
are called the pelvic, or "lay", bones,
and are Just above the vent through
which the eggs must pass. When an
egg Is laid, these bones must be forced
to allow its free passage. When these
bones are soft and pliable, and spread
sufficient to allow three fingers to
be placed between them. It is an
Indication that the hen Is laying.
If they are hard and bony and close
together, the hen would not be
considered as laying at that time.
Experience has shown that this method
usually will tell whether or not a hen
is laying at. the time the examination
Is made.
To sum up, an ideal laying hen should
conform as nearly as possible to the
following: She must be healthy, comb
wattles and face red in color, eye
bright and lustrous, neck not short, but
rather medium to long, breast broad
and long, sloping upward, back long
and broad, abdomen wide and deeper
than breast, shanks well spread and
rather long, V shaped in three ways,
viz: (a) on sides, front to rear. (b)
top and bottom, front to rear, (c)
base of tail downwards, and a well
spread tail.
Cliehalls Church Has Birthday.
CHEHALIS, Wash., Sept. 26. (Spe
ciaL) The Church of the Epiphany,
the local Episcopal church, celebrated
Its thirtieth anniversary Sunday.
Bishop F. W. Keater, Rev. Dr. R, n.
Nevius and Rev. Mr. Vincent were in
attendance from outside the city. The
occasion was made memorable by the
local congregation.