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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (March 28, 1915)
THE SUXDAT OREGOyiAX, PORTLAND, MARCH 28, 1915. 8 FORTLANB. OREGON'. Entered at Portland. Oregon. Postofflce as second-class matter. Subscription Rates Invariably In advance. (By Mall.) Dally, Sunday Included, one year ? "u Ijaliy. Sunday Included, six months. - Jjaliy, fcunnay inciuuvu, in,.;,, m.... ---- -- - Dally. Sunday included, one month. -o lalty, wunout siuiubj, uim J ' - ---- Iatly. without Sunday, fix month rai;v wirhmr KuodaT. three monlni. . . l.o Dally, without Sunday, one month.... Weekly, one year Sunday, one year Sunday And Weekly, one year iTtv C' rrl .T 1 .60 1.50 S.50 Eallv. Sunday included, one year ...... .$9.00 Xally, Sunday included, one month... .. . How to Bnlt Send Postofflce money or der, express oraer or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at ' Kinder' s risk. Give postofflce address In lull. Including county And state. Postage Bates 12 to 16 pages. 1 cent; la to 32 pages, cents; 34 to 46 pages, 3 cents; SO to G pages, 4 cents; 62 to 78 pages, a cents: 78 to 62 pages, S cents. Foreign post age, double rates. Eastern Bnstnuw Office Veree ft Conk It n. New York. Brunswick building; Chicago, fctenger building. Ban Franelwo Office R. J. Bldwell Com pany, 742 Market street. PORTLAND. SUNDAY, MARCH 18. 1913. CLASS AID. It is somewhat singular that while In Oregon public sentiment in favor of state aid to employers in insuring against industrial accidents induces the Legislature to make no change, other states look askance even at a high cost of administration of compensation laws. In Oregon not only is a share of the losses incurred by industry through payment of compensation taken overby the state, but the cost of administering the law comes out of public funds. The state stands praC' tically alone in this respect. The recent Idaho Legislature adopted a compensation law, which Governor Alexander vetoed. A chief reason for his disapproval "was the large appropriation made for adminis tering the law. Another reason was found In the low schedule of compen sation specified for Injuries. In the veto it Is said that he had the support of the major portion of organized labor In that state. In New York In the first three months of the fiscal year 1914 the Compensation Commisison expended all of the $500,000 appropriated for its expenses for twelve months and ere' ated a deficit of $25,000. The New York Compensation Commission now recommends that after July 1 the ad ministration expenses be borne by those carrying Insurance. In other iwords. It Is proposed in New York that the general public pay notning to maintain the compensation principle, but that industry bear all the cost. Oregon, in paying not only adminis tration expenses, but part of the in surance premiums, is certainly gener ous in comparison." New York has provided a striking example of the tendency of state de partments needlessly supported by the public to outrun the bounds of reason In their expenditures. The dissipation of the Compensation Board s appro priation caused Governor Whitman, on February 3, to send an emergency mes sage to the Legislature. This message recited that the commisison naa rentea elaborate offices in New York at a cost of $35,000 a year: had paid one spe cial counsel $10,000 for three months' work; that the number of its em nloves was grossly excessive, the rate of their remuneration inexcusably high, and that the office furnishings mere absurdly extravagant. But another cause was found by Governor Whitman for depletion of the funds. He said: Th. law itlf la an attempt to work a complete separation between employer and employe, so that they may not only be apart as separate laicreow, wut iu i may be opposing interests, when they should be a single and unified Interest. In this at tempt tho law provides that in every case of accident, great and small, tho whole transac tion of adjustment and payment must be done through the workmen's compensation commission. The result shows that the at tempt by the state to do the business of Its citizens must Inevitably cause enormous expense to the state government, besides the inconvenience and disorganization of private business and injury to private interest, whether of capital or labor. Tho necessity that every claim be passed upon by the board before pay ment may be made has led to extreme delay in almost every case in New York. Employes suffering temporary disability have recovered and gone back to work long before their claims were paid. In the face of these con ditions and of Governor Whitman's message, one Assemblyman has charged that the effort to amend this defect in the law is the result of col lusion between the casualty companies and the bosses, the casualty companies being permitted to write compensation insurance in that state. An uninformed New York newspaper observes that whatever the inspiration back of it, an amendment that would permit im mediate payment of claims by private companies would bring back the ambulance-chaser and open the way for all manner of abuses. An equally uninformed Oregon news paper, taking its text from the New York newspaper, congratulates this Hate on having escaped the struggle that Is now going on in New York through the refusal of the Legislature to pass the Michigan law, recommended by Governor Withycombe. Facts and sound argument ought to be more weighty than expressions of mere sus picion. Yet such suspicions have been encountered at every turn in the ef fort to save Oregon from plunging Into needless expenditures in main taining the compensation principle, and they seem to have taken hold. - Truth Is, the adoption of the Michi gan law would not have plunged Ore gon Into the struggle New York is now undergoing, for the reason that the provision in controversy in New York Is not contained in the Michigan law. In Michigan, payments to injured workmen or their dependents are not tlrst passed upon by the state board, but are paid immediately, thus saving the workman or his dependents need less suffering for want of money. The claims are, however, checked up later by the board and if found incorrect adjustment is required. This system Old not bring back the ambulance chaser or lead to abuses. Some of the high National labor leaders are au thority for that. Whatever mild tolerance the Oregon public may now give to state aid to industrial employers It is quite proba ble that ultimately, as the cost of that policy grows, the people will ask them selves why they should help the em ployer take care of his industrial in surance, when the state does not aid him to pay his fire insurance or help the individual to carry his life in surance, or assist the owner of the of tlce building to carry the public lia bility involved in operating his ele vators. It seems absurd that any person should have expected the steamer Great Northern to come from Phila delphia to the Pacific Coast empty when hundreds of people wished to travel on her. The law against use Of the Canal by. railroad-owned steam ers was evidently intended to apply to vessels running regularly on the Canal route, not to vessels passing through the Canal to a route where the law does not apply. AGAINST THE BONDS. The case for the opposition to the $1,250,000 bond issue for roads in Multnomah County is fully set forth in a letter from Mr. Korell, printed today. The several main points of the anti-bonding argument are: (1) that Portland, which will pay most of the road tax. is heavily in debt now; tJ) that present roads are good enough; (3) that hard-surface roads are chiefly desired by automobilists; and (4) that the value of the Columbia Highway is purely scenic. Like other objectors to a definite programme of road development, Mr. Korell protests that he is "heartily in sympathy with every movement for securing good roads in Oregon. What he complains about obviously is that they must be paid for. Undoubtedly if a plan could be devised by whicn we might have splendid roads which do not cost the taxpayer a dollar, Mr. Korell and his fellow-objectors would be for It. But there is no such way. If a way could be devised to keep, heavy traffic off the present country roads, undoubtedly they would be good enough.. But the march of the times has brought the automobile and the auto truck, arid it Is Just as great folly to Insist that all traffic on roads shall be carried on by horses and wagons as it would be to suggest that we tear down our trolley lines and go back to horse-drawn streetcars. SJiall we pro gress or shall we retrograde? That Is the question clearly put forth In the issue over hard-surface roads. But there Is more to be said about the money cost of paved roads. From the standpoint of economy, they must be built. Here Is the situation In a nutshell: " The present cost of maintaining 70 miles of roads In Multnomah County per annumr'is $1000 per mile, or $70, 000 per year. The cost of oiling is $18,000 per year. For ten years hard surface roads are guaranteed by the builder, so that these Items will be eliminated, at least for that period. Here Is a total of $88,000 per annum which will disappear with the advent of the paved road. The annual interest charge on $1 250,000 bonds is $62,500 per year. So that, for at least five years, when the county undertakes to begin paying part of the principal, the road tax will be less rather than greater, and thereafter it need not be greater. If the road bonds do not carry. It Is inevitable that paved roads be built anyway, and it must and will be done out of current road revenues from taxation. The cheap way to get good roads is to build them systematically and com pletely, under the bonding plan. ANSTlirS IJMIT. It will be a long time before we hear the last of the question how much alcohol a person can consume daily without injuring himself: Some say none at all. Other estimates run all the way from a thimbleful to a hogs head. The Prudential Life Insurance Company adopts "Anstie's limit" and those who do not exceed it are accept ed as good risks if their habits are otherwise praiseworthy. This limit cannot be stigmatized as ascetic. It permits a person to drink eight table spoonfuls of whisky or a quart of beer dally, enough to satisfy moderate ap petites. The best medical opinion of our day does not quite agree with Anstie on the subject of alcoholic bev erages. The doctors are decidedly of the opinion that abstinence is prefer able to moderation. . Laboratory ex periments have shown pretty conclu sively that very small quantities of alcohol impair a man's bodily and mental efficiency. The ability to add numbers declines, the memory is weakened, and the Judgment Is per verted. No man can expect to be quite at his best with a dose of alcohol In his stomach even if it is a small dose. Moderate drinking may not injure a person's health to all outward appear ances for a long time and yet it may prepare the way for Internal disorders. It is admitted by all authorities that alcohol promotes that arteriosclerosis which is the scourge of advanced age. It affects the kidneys disastrously and predisposes the lungs to pneumonia. What it does to the brain is a matter of controversy, but certainly the "in hibitory faculties" are weakened by alcohol and a man Is thus rendered unduly susceptible to low temptations of many sorts. There is a great deal of evidence to show that alcoholic drinks impair a person's powers of resistance to disease, especially to pneumonia. Wounds heal with less than normal speed on patients who uso alcohol even in small quantities. Without any regard to law or morals it appears to be well established that alcoholic beverages are more profit able to those who sell than to those who consume them. TYPHOU) AND SCTRVr. The privation and disease at Przemysl were much the same as every city has to undergo during a prolonged siege. Civilians must have suffered more than Uie soldiers and this Is also characteristic of sieges. The commander of an invested town usually deems it his duty to provide for the troops first. If anything is left after their wants are satisfied it is doled out to the non-combatants. In some sieges useless civilians have been slain to enable the defenders to hold out longer. Sometimes the old men, women and children have been driven from the city for the same pur pose. Occasionally it is recorded that the investing troops have driven the fugitives back again to embarrass the defenders. In time of siege the civil ian appetite always fights on the side of the enemy. In Przemysl it appears that little or nothing was left for any body to eat long before the fortress surrendered. Both soldiers and citi zens were reduced to the last extrem ity of hunger and, naturally, their surroundings must have been unen durably filthy. Under such conditions the filth diseases such as typhoid and typhus are amost certain to sweep away thousands. It is reported that a quarter of the garrison at Przemysl were down with typhoid in the course of the siege. The number of citizens who suffered is not given. Such trivial facts are of no consequence in war. For some reason the garrison at Przemysl was not provided with typhoid vaccine which has proved so efficacious in most armies. In our own it has reduced the typhoid death rate to zero. Per haps religious prejudices prevented he use of the vaccine. Human life in same Of the mid-European countries is of small account in comparison with superstition. The- city also suffered from scurvy, which is a disease that attacks the human system when it Is deprived of proper . nourishment. In former centuries it was the scourge of deep sea navigators and arctic voy agers, but with the hygienic diet which modern conditions enable sailors to enjoy scurvy is no longer dreaded on shipboard. It survives, however, as one of the blessings of war. POWER OF BdUEAtTCRACY. The letter from Mr. B. F. Jones, printed today, illuminates the methods by which an overgrown and vigorous bureau overturns the gentle efforts of Congress to give western states re lief from the Pinchot policy of reser vation. The law very plainly says that agri cultural lands in the National forests are open to homestead entry. But there must, of course, be some author ity to determine whether lands en tered upon as agricultural are in fact of that character. If the authority selected be opposed to settlement in the forests the way to defeat the law Is simple. The homesteader, almost invariably, has no capital, and cannot live in idleness for an indefinite period. If action on his application awaits In spection and re-inspection, survey and re-survey, he isj more than likely to become weary of his efforts to begin the making of a home and abandon the application. But if he sticks he usually learns that he may take up twenty, fifty or seventy acres, only, with boundary lines of fantastic ir regularity. The case Mr. Jones cites well illustrates the point. The tract that homeseeker was finally permitted to file on contained only seventy-two acres, was half a mile long, from five to eleven rods wide and had fifty four corners. It is no wonder that in 'the Roseburg land district in which the reserved land aggregates more than 4,000,000 acres and contains much agricultural land, fewer than 400 claims have been filed in nine years. If each of these claimshad been allowed to the full extent of 160 acres the land taken would be less than 64,000 acres. The land . settled was probably nearer 20,000 acres a mere speck In an area larger than the States of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. GOOD FOB SWITZERLAND. NOT FOR VS. In its search for arguments in favor of public ownership of railroads, the New York American has discovered that Switzerland bought the railroads in order to remove the cause of cor ruption in the Legislature. It then asks: "If good fcr Switzerland, why not for us?" One reason "why not for us" is that while Switzerland owns 2000 miles of railroad on which there is a debt of $300,000,000. there are In this country over 200,000 miles of railroad capi talized at about $20,000,000,000. It is a much larger contract for the United States than it was for Switzerland. Another reason is that we are try ing to reach the same end as Switzer land bv a different route, namely, pub- hic supervision of privately-owned railroads. We have made commenda ble Drocress in that policy and we should try it fairly. It has borne pretty hard on the railroads so lar, but iwe hope that, when the hostility to them which it started has died down, it will do equal justice both to the railroads and the public. We have succeeded fairly well in taking- the railroads out of politics and are making progress In that line, so why resort to the drastic Swiss remedy? Public ownership does not aiwajis succeed as well as if is alleged to have succeeded in Switzerland. For example, France no sooner acquired one railroad than operating expenses increased amazingly, because of the Frenchman's yearning for a govern ment job. Government roads in France do not pay, and there is good cause to expect the same result in the United States. Our Government must show much higher ability to manage the busi ness it has already in hand Deiore we can safely trust it with more. Any railroad manager would be ashamed of such a record as the Government has made with rivers and harbors, reclamation, public buildings and other things. A Government of which it can be said that $300,000,000 could be saved if it were run on business prin ciples is not to be trusted with an additional $20,000,000,000 job. These are only a few of many rea sons why what is good for Switzer land Is not good for us. TEAM WORK. At the present time there seems to be a movement all over the state in behalf of better promotion work. Per haps the merger of several organiza tions in Portland into one great Cham ber of Commerce has had much to do with the activities in various other communities, for this work, now so near completion, has been well adver tised throughout the Northwest. When the start was made a few months ago to weld these organizations Into one harmonious whole the task looked rather visionary, for -such a work has been dreamed about by enthusiasts for, at least three decades; but, thanks to a splendid leadership and the loyal support of a hundred or more able workers, the task is about completed. When it is done Portland ought to take a day off and hold a celebration In honor of one of the greatest achieve ments of our citizens. Looking at similar conditions in other cities of the state, we find that wherever there is a good working or ganization, composed of men who deep down in their hearts have a love and pride for their home owns, such or ganizations are accomplishing much good. But even in these smaller cities the work might be more efficient were a welding together of the various civic organizations brought aDout, as nas been done in Portland. With pride and pleasure we take note of the accomplishments of the people of The Dalles, assisted by a committee of six. nearly all, perhaps all of whom belong to their Business Men's Club, which is the name of their civic promotion organization. Mr. Ed- .-ard C. Pease is at the head or tnis committee and during the last few months they have accomplished the seeming impossible by saving the O. W. R. & N. shops. The railway com pany had determined to remove them to Sherman, and the division point was to go with it. Now The Dalles is not onlv assured of tne retention or tne shops, but that they will be rebuilt on a new site and on a very large scale. However, the greater achievement has been consummated in the last two weeks the securing of a fruit packing plant, which Is to be erected in time to take care of the cherries. pears and apricots this season. When the nlant is compieieo. it viu Danube all sorts of fruits and vegetables. The buildings, now about to be begun, will be on the riverfront, with the railroad on the south. This structure will be 290 by 260 feet. In the shape of a hollow oblong, the buildings being 60 feet wide. From 200 to 300 hands will be employed during the working season. Already the owners, Messrs. Libby, McNeill & Libby, a concern with a world-wide reputation, have contracted for 1000 tons of pears, 400 tons of cherries aiMY 500 tons of apricots for each of the coming five years, at re markably good prices. Many cities larger than The Dalles were in com petition for this plant, notably Walla Walla and North Yakima. But Mr. Pease and his co-workers were able to show to the satisfaction of Messrs. Libby, McNeill & Libby that The Dalles was the ideal spot for such a plant and they won. STARVED CHILDREN. It is a question whether the chll dren of the rich or the poor suffer most for want of proper food. The petted .darlings of the rich usually have enough to eat, such as it is,, but their diet often lacks the proper ele ments to nourish the human body. The children of the poor are frequent ly dwarfed and depraved physically from sheer starvation, but the wealthy dwellers in hotels and sumptuous apartments probably suffer quite as much for lack of proper nourishment. The pampered little creatures devour everything they ought not to have and get very little that is really good for them. It is a distressing sight to see the 6-year-old daughter of a millionaire sit down at a hotel table and choose for her dinner the most indigestible dishes on the bill of fare with nobody to correct her appetite. Of course such a child cannot grow, up a healthy woman. She will necessarily be dys peptic, hysterical and hypochondriacal. Still the rich are not all simpletons by any means in the management of their families., Many of them employ com petent nurses and tutors who regulate the children's diet with strict regard to the requirements of health. No doubt the worst pampered chil dren In the United States are, upon the whole, those of the comfortable mid dle class. Among these people there is zealous competition to make "our children" outshine the neighbors'." So the unhappy little creatures are over loaded with fine clothes, reared In idleness and Indulged In every peevish whim at the table and in the drawing room. The result Is a badly nourished mind as well as body. Ill-health in mature years aritl race suicide. The best private schools in the country are those patronized exclu sively by the enlightened rich. The boys who attend them are rigorously exercised, taught a variety of useful knowledge and fed on nourishing food. It is among the middle-class worship ers of the rlchxwho Imitate their fol lies but not their virtues that it is most the vogue to spoil children. STONEWALL JACKSON. General Thomas J. Jackson, better known to readers as "Stonewall Jack son," was. mortally wounded at the battle of Chancellorsvllle in 1863 and died not long afterward. His second wife, whose maiden name was Anna Morrison, died last Wednesday, hav ing survived him fifty-two years. In 1892 she published a Life of her dis tinguished husband, which gives an extraordinarily interesting account of his personal character and public services. He was born in Virginia in 1824 of parents not very well to do, and after their death, which occurred in his boyhood, he saw many hard ships, some of which must be at tributed to the daring adventurous ness of his disposition. On one occa sion, in company with his brother, he ran away from his adopted home and the two boys made their way as far west as the Mississippi, where they lived one whole Summer on an island, earning a scanty living by cutting cordwood for steamboats. - But this wildness was a passing phase of Jackson's character. He soon devel oped those serious, meditative traits which endured till his death and Im part to his letters more of the tone of a pastor than of a military com mander. At the West Point Military Academy, to which his friends secured him an appointment, he drew up some rules for his personal conduct which breathe a stern sense of duty far beyond his years. He had adopted for his life motto, "You may be whatever you resolve to be," and began his precepts with the injunction, "Through life let your principal object be the discharge of duty." This rule he seems to have obeyed almost literally at West Point, where his somewhat less than brilliant mental powers obliged him to study with severe diligence in order to keep up with his class. There, as every where, to the day of his death, he won the affectionate respect of all who knew him. His Christianity was too simple and sincere to be misinter preted, even by the relentless cynicism of young students, and Its mild beams shone as steadily on the battlefield as in his lecture room at the Virginia Military Institute. Jackson was made a professor at the institute after two years' service in the Mexican War, followed by a short interval of that ineffective, dilar tory w-andering from pillar to post, which seems to be the lot of most of our officers in time of peace. His education had scarcely fitted him for a professor's duties, but he managed "to keep ahead of the class," which was all that could reasonably be ex pected of a teacher in those days. At the institute he married his second wife, whose affectionate and admiring Life of her husband we are following in this brief account of a remarkable man. His idyllic professorial career was rudely broken In upon in 1859 by a call to attend the execution of John Brown in his capacity as an officer of the Army. He wrote his wife a vivid description of Brown's death, telling how the sorely wounded old man "behaved with unflinching firmness" and hoping that he might not be ordered by the Almighty to "depart into everlasting fire." It were much to be wished that every man's chance of escaping those flames were as good as old John Brown's. But Stonewall Jackson regarded the affair from his own standpoint, which was that of an uncompromising state's rights man and a believer in the divine Institution of slavery. He confessed that he could not quite un derstand why the good Lord should have doomed the negroes to perpetual servitude, but he had no doubt of the fact, and, like other pious Southerners, both clerical and lay, could quote plenty of texts to sustain his opinion. He agreed with Jefferson Davis that war was likely to bring terrible calamities upon the South and pre ferred to fight for the rights of the states within the Union rather than from the outside. Secession was not favored by Jackson, nor, in fact, by the State of Virginia, at first. It was not till the National Government had an nounced its purpose to coerce the seceding states and Fort Sumter had been reduced by the South Carolinans that Virginia Joined openly In the rebellion. Jackson then withdrew from his peaceful pursuits at the Vir ginia Military Institute and took command of the state troops. Thus the die was cast and the struggle begun, which was not to end until Jackson, with many other gallant heroes, had been slain and the civ ilization which nurtured them had been destroyed. In tent and field Stonewall Jackson prayed fervently and continuously for the victory of his cause. There is no doubt whatever that the prayers offered to heaven for the triumph of the slave oligarchy were Just as sin cere as those from Northern Hps .!n,t if .Tnclrsnn'ji widow wonders that the petitions of her people were not granted. "T:nat so many uuit-cu j .,,- .-t. -., stinulrl have been ici rcifc 4j.cjv-.w - - offered in vain," she laments pathetic ally. Is one or tnose mysteries ua fatiinmiid bv finite minds. The mighty ruler of the nations saw fit to give victory to tne strong arm oi power and he makes no mistakes." She might have added that he fol lowed his usual practice In this par ticular, as both Napoleon and Gibbon noticed long ago. TaoL-ann'c- conftCP-l tn the CaUSO Of the Confederacy were inestimable. Among a group of officers far too ready to quarrel with one another and complain or tneir superiors u i ... .. v... kit. nit! ont lnva.1 and self- llllpl-1 Llll UlilJ 1' I " sacrificing. On the battlefield his bravery was an inspiration to nis men and his genius for command was un failing. When he was able to lay his own plans and execute them he was scarcely ever defeated. For blundering superiors ne oiteu sav n disastrous day. He won his heroic nickname at the first battle of Bull r. ...-i. risnArnl T .Pf of South ' ,1 11.1 - , Carolina, seeing how Jackson with his Virginians was turning iiireaieneu u tr Tirr.' h firl "There he ir.ii 1 1 1 1 1' L..i. j i stands like a stone wall; rally behind him." But his true glory was not. so much his genius and courage on the field of battle as his indomitable fidelity to duty in life and death. AN ARMY FREE FOR ATTACK. Tutor rennrta of the surrender of Przemsyl to the Russians enhance Its importance as to the outcome of the war. The number of prisoners is near ly 120,000, a greater number than surrendered at Sedan in 1870 or in any .ik.. ..Mnmut nf the n resent war. uiuci cie,.fc,v.". - . The large number of cannon captured by the Russians will be a very wel come acquisition to them, for they hoo hwn rpnuted to be short of artillery and have suffered heavy losses in that arm In East Prussia. tv, tni,ni!) in the number or pris oners over the first estimates must raise our estimates of the numDer oi Russians engaged In the siege and now released for other operations. , This ..,i onroiv ho double the number of besieged, or about 250,000 men. That ti,mwn Kiirirfpnlv asainst the Austro-Germans in the Carpathians, might succeed in cutting a. through into Hungary; it might beat t.a. Anatrian resistance in Bukowina, effect an entrance into Hun gary from the east ana turn ia. flank of the army holding the Carpa thians; or it might advance west ward. The Dunajec River has been the limit of Russia's advance west ward through Gallcia, but the Przemsyl army might attempt to force a passage in order to advance on Cracow and threaten Silesia. The release of this considerable force of Russians and the elimina tion of 120,000 Austrians are particu larly fortunate for the allies at tils time, for it comes almost on th eve - iL inHi.tna teH offensive in the vl mo '-"---'I west with reinforcements from both France and Britain. Just so many more men will be needed by termaiij in the east and Just so many less will ,,oii!iiio for her campaign In the west because the Austrian fortress has fallen. ; . FRIEND OF THE MAIL-ORDER HOUSE, Making the Parcel Post Ridicu- " wnntrt h a suitable title ior a 111 Ll-J, . . ..... report submitted to Congress by Sen ator BrlStOW, or lauaa, i" explains In considerable detail how Postmaster-General Burleson, largely by exceeding his authority, has re duced the efficiency of the parcel post. . -t?,,.iAcnn Ytast uD&et and made ludicrous the schedule of rates, and t-ha nprrsi nost more an aajunci of the mail-order houses of the coun try than a boon to the farmers or a benefit to- the city man hoping to re duce the cost of living by this means of transportation. Senator Bristow was maae cumiuuui int c0nat nnd House commit- Ui juii-" ., . to the Darcel post, and ICC L U I . ' CI - - the report recently made is a severe arraignment of the aaminisirauuii ui v. -..1.1 Tinar Rprvice under the di- li 1 1; " . . . i- rection of Mr. Burleson. Some of the discoveries made by the committee are startling. For instance, out of 37,7f& rtnffii-p that submitted reports on the parcel post, only 697 reported out going parcel post business in excess of their incoming business. More than 98 per cent of the omces receivea more parcel post matter than they sent. It was found that 46,145,699 or 7,- UOff,WAX jy.i . six weeks throughout the United States Tir from New York City and r.n cm nari.nia Tianriieri in b. eiven Chicago, the homes of the big mall- order houses. While new iorx ois ,(,.v,rt in that Deriod. 26,696,489 parcels, it received only 1.895,453 parcels, and in Chicago tne percentaBe k,, tho snmR. "The tremendous was cmvu. amount-of merchandise sent out by the mail-order houses of those cities is, oi course, the explanation of this condi i snvs the Bristow report It continues: The amount, moreover, of the parcel post business which originated in these two of fices Is greatly in excess of that shown by the report of the postmasters, because large houses In these cities ship by freight their catalogues and great quantities of their merchandise to many distributing centers. where the packages are dlstrlDutea tnrougn the mall by the smaller omces. From the best miormation tne commutes has been able to obtain, it is convinced tnot the practice of aenalng oy ireignt tor ais tribution In the short rones by mail, and the greatly reduced rates wnicn tnese mnu-iwuci concerns have odwiuw uj mo mi-hb-hb ii-..l.n nf ftici. PfltAlaeilM f TOTTl tne iiiiB3iii.il."". . - third class to fourth class, have resulted in a loss to the -Government of many millions per annum, iot cunmnvt ...... . evidence that one firm alone has saved postage aggregating approximately l,00fi,000 per annum by this change. The reference is ,to the order of March 16, 1914. Prior thereto the rate on books was 1 cent for each two ounces. The Postmaster-General, on the date named, stipulated that par cels of books weighing more than eight ounces should take the estab lished parcel-post rates. Thus, under that order an eight-ounce package of books is carried from New York to San Francisco for 4 cents, while a nine-ounce package costs 12 cents; a six-ounce package is carried for S cents. . Bearing these figures in mind, the committee points out that the order of the Postmaster-General of January '31, 1914, changes the third-class rates as fixed by law and admits to the par cel post miscellaneous printed matter in packages weighing more than four pounds, but retains within the third class, with the third-class rate of two ounces for 1 cent, all such printed mat ter in packages weighing not more than four pounds. As a result of this order a package of miscellaneous printed matter weighing four pounds can be shipped from Washington, D. C, to Norfolk, Va., 150 miles, for 32 cents; if one ounce is added to the weight of the package, the rate drops to 9 cents. Continuing, the report says: No other change made by the departmental order has been so Inequitable as the one which practically merges the first and sec ond rones. Its effect is to benefit espe cially the mall-order houses by giving them an undue advantage over the local dealera In transportation expense. Under the rone system now In effect a mall-order house can estabish a branch agency In the territory which the concern seeks to reach, and within a radial distance of 100 miles from the lo cation of such agency, the mall-order house gets exactly the same rate as the Govern ment charges the local merchant, who anlpa only a few miles, notwithstanding the marked difference In the cost of the transportation service rendered. The Gov ernment olds the mall-order house by giving him a greater service without charglug him a correspondingly greater fee. This review of the Bristow report only touches a few items of malad ministration charged up against the present Administration of the Post office Department. Mr. Burleson, by arbitrary orders, has overturned some of the most essential features of the parcel-post law, and has made It an unbusinesslike affair, whereas the law left it on a sound basis, and one that at least would stand the test of con sistency and reason. The Waldport Watchman is the name of a weekly newspaper pub lished at Waldport on Alsea Bay In Lincoln County, Oregon, which made its first appearance March 18. . The paper is the first ever published at Waldport and Frank M. Roberts, who came from Idaho, is editor, publisher and owner. Five years ago W. F. Keady, ,of Waldport,, edited a monthly paper devoted to the interests of that locality, but the paper was printed in Portland and only a few Issues ap peared. The new publication has four pages of local news and four of pat ented items; it Is carefully edited and makes a neat appearance and doubt less will be well patronized by resi dents of Southern Lincoln County. Waldport lies on Alsea Bay, wiiich is noted for its crabs, fish and clams. There are numerous streams for trout fishing nearby and hunting is unex celled. A sawmill forms the princi pal industry, but the town supplies the lower part of Lincoln County. The Pacific Ocean beach is on one side of the town and offers fine surf-bathing. Alsea Bay is visited by schooners from Portland and when the enormous tim ber resources back of Waldport are developed, Waldport should become a K-ery active seaport. The new news paper will aid in upbuilding tne town and advertising its resources. There is a fine opening for Colonel Lawson, dead shot, in Salem. A cham bermaid in a livery stable fired at a rat and hit a horse, paying a fine in consequence. The late warden could teach him to do better. Texre Haute's tampering with voting machines will militate against their adoption In other states than Indiana, But an Indiana politician would tam per with the turnstile at the pearly gates of heaven. No, Edith, It is not exactly correct, even for the society reporter, to refer to a Jitney ride as motoring. To "mo w vnn rouiiv Rhould occuov a pri vate vehicle costing not less than $900. rvha Tiiiii-tnirether all-toerethcr spirit in the new Chamber of Commerce will not abate until B00O memDers are en rolled. Portland does not leave a Job unfinished. Canneries like that to be erected at Tho rwlles. If strune through the Co lumbia and Willamette valleys, would go far to stop the "waste or Oregon fruit. In fiction, in a disaster similar to that of the F-4. the men would be released through the torpedo tube, leaving the last to die a hero. Smoking out the Turk from the Dardanelles is slow work and the sus picion grows that the Turk Jjaa an air hole some place. California's Olive day should have a companion in Lemon day, when the acid fruit is handed to defeated can didates for office. Perhaps Mrs. Marshall was too close at hand to make the Vice-President's acceptance of that glass of champagne advisable. Tho -iltnev has been declared a com mon carrier and so it Is, rather a little too common to suit the traction peo ple. PuriHc elections show that the Japa- RAiaa. war nurtv has been upheld. Food for reflection in that dispatch. -Coea- talroa urA forbidden in Ber lin, but the griddle cake, hot off the pan, is a fine substitute. ti nld srame of "Codlin's your friend, not Short," has been played to finish with ltaiy. Pnii, n. throo more vearfl and the popular vacation exodus will do to me ruins of Europe. British strikers are delaying war material. This is no time for a strike in England Get out the old gray auto, put the Jit sign on it and we'll go out for a ride. Fear of massacre moves Washington to words. After the Fair, come north to Won derland. The western battle line Is still hiber nating. ' Austria is close to her last gasp. ' Some Chamber of Commerce! Hints of peace are in the air. Ball in a few more hours. Gleams Through the Mist My lira a Collins. Easter Doaaeta. Let wits delight to aling and alight Mlladl'a hat with all their might; With Hps shut tight. I'll shun the fight. Nor make remarks upon It. Since Adam dolved and since Kva span. Each year the Jokesmlth's roast and pan The atyles that lure the vlvee of man Especially the bonnet. Ere Easter was established cause For ladles' hat with bright gewgaws. Men muttered pshawe" and loud "hawbawa About their styles of lidn; And Adam's teeth he would unsheathe. And snort at poor Eve's myrtle wreath! Just as we've mocked the maid beneath The far-flung "merry wld." Myself, when young, my Jokes have hung On maidens' hats, and aonneta sung In Jest. In days of yore. But years maturer make me surer That I was wrong to be a skewerer Of woman's fads. I cannot cure 'er, ' And so I Jibe no more. Besides. I view with In'trest new The hat styles men have turned unto. And mutter. "O-ol What women do. When everyimng eaio. - . ,,.. Tl- V. - .. mullah IM Dot BO 1 Ul! 1 1 11 . " i' - - - 1 That women he will mock so cruellsh Nor also view wltn nuinor gnoujim The way men dress the head?" So Mary, Mary, quite contrary. I grudge you not your Tlpperary," i Upon your hats, whose fashions vary, I'll drop no Jokesmlth's curse. I gare upon It, Eve, aa you don It; I own it Is a dinky bonnet; But I will stake my aoul and pawn IH That Adam's hat la worse. Note Well, there ought to be such a word. e e e "Sir," said the courteous office boy "Where were you last weekr I roared. "I was lost In the composing room," whimpered the C. O. ' B, "That's what you get for trailing me along on the end of the colyum." , "Well, what have you to say?" "Oh sir!" he cried eagerly. "I have begun to compile a five-inch bookshelf for busy men." "What Is ltf "The Sporting Editor complains that the classics are too long for the buy man to read," explained the C. O. B., "and so I have boiled down 'Paradise Lost' for him as follows." "Shoot!" I said austerely. He read: e e Satan's troop Flew the coop; Wily snake; Eve's mistake; Fig-leaf coat: Man's the goat. e e e "Is that alir I asked. "Yes, for the present," lie said with a satisfied expression. "The geeond volume for the 'Five-Inch Shelf will be the 'Iliad' or 'The Lady of the La'-e,' I don't know which, yet." And I turned to the Market Editor with tears as the C. O. B. dwindled down the hall. "Our little boy Is growing up," I said fondly, "and will soon be big enough to kill." e e e Solemn Thought. "How sad," I oft think, as I dress, "For this terrestrial ball. If the man who Invented gallusses Had never lived at alL" e e Tnllr nf nnlveran.1 Deuce la absurd ao long as there remains one man who will plant Spring garden and one neighbor who will keep chickens. e e e Mary, our city's pride and pearl. Hae got a com, I hear; But Mary Is a Hello Girl, And the corn is In the ear. V Here's some more reminiscent stuff frfom departed day that came via an old copy of the San Francisco Chron icle: She's stopping at the Mountain House, Hut great aecluslon aeeks; She always dresses In the dark. Because the mountain peaks. We merely wish to add: But once we saw the mountain peak. When she her dressing tried. A cloud o'erspread the mountain's brow. And then the mountain side. e e e All the world's a movie film and all us men and women merely flickers. e e e Our Own Popular Hong. Gretchen was a noble girl, of very ancient Hue; Her father owned a contra-bass, Mid played "Die Watch ain Kbein." He tried to raise his children well and keep them out of Jail. But when It came to Gretchen's case, he feared that he would tall; For on the latest toggery ehe'e all her money spent. And often to Theaytcrs and to Grills wllb fellows went. Her father found her cracking crab In a big grill one day. And aa he swlpod her beer and cheese, thesa words to her did say: Chorus Oh, daughter, to my Hp and eya It brings a sigh and tear To see you flying round ao high and tliua behaving here. I do not mind that Turkish cigarette, as you puff on It, But why, oh, why, will you put on that Tlpperary bonnet? Shoes are quite a nuisance, but I pre fer being pestered with "Shine, airl" rather than to hear gome fresh chirop odist yell: "Toeg need manicuring, air!" as I pass his stand. Matt. 7l6 Ileilseil. Why beholdest thou the wrist watch that Is on thy brother's wrist, but con slderest not the lavender band that la on thine own headgear? 0E SIRE KOAU TO 1'IIOSPEKITY Establish More Factories anal Patrwn lae Oregon Indnetry, Saye Writer. PORTLAND, March 26. (To the Edi tor.) Permit mo to offer a few sug gestions for increasing the prosperity of our city and state. Pittsburg, Kan sas City and Omaha have become pros perous cities through the advent of large factories and Immense packing plants. Why ahould not I'ortlund put forth gigantic efforts for the establish ment of factories? The swapping of real estate or tha swapping of merchandise will not pro duce prosperity. Millions of dollars are sent East every year for clothing, ho siery, shoes, etc., which could be pro duced here. Ten million dollars, ata tlstica tell us, are sent Kast for clxara. Why not buy from the home manufac turer? He la our friend. Ho spend his money with ua. After all. the to bacco is all grown in the same field. Let "Made In Oregon becoroa the slogan for tha entire atate. "Ood helps those that help themselvel." Let ua produce something. Let us establish payrolls and business will take care f itself. Strongly encourage the build ing of more factories and assist those rw.ur in motion. Make Portland and Orearon more prosperous and therefore more healthful un-i it. curuoqutnce nnp- plcr. JOHN lilji I lv!.ill Lit.