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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 23, 1917)
12 THE; SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, SEPTEMBER 23, 1917. RENTAL CONDITION TOPIC OF REALTORS Report of G. G. Rohrer on Di minishing Number of Va cancies Is Discussed. . . HIGHER PRICES PROPOSED Realty Board Members, as Organiz ation, Decline to Adopt Resolu- . tion for Increase, Though All Admit Justification. Curing a period that did not furnish any important property sales or build lug announcements, realtors were in terested particularly last week by the report on the local rental situation read at last Friday's meeting: of the Portland Realty Board by G. G. Rohrer, chairman of the board's rental com mittee, t Based on inquiries made of the vari ous rental agencies in Portland and of the managers or apartment-houses, Mr. Rohrer estimates that there are about 73 vacant apartment suites in the city of Portland and only about 1200 vacant residence district properties. On the strength of this showing: and the remarks of Professor Hastings, of Reed College, who, in addressing the Board Friday, showed that Portland property owners are not charging rent als commensurate with their invest ments, Mr. Rohrer introduced a resolu tion declaring- for an increase of rentals generally over the city. The resolution was lost, not because the board members did not feel that Increased rentals were Justified, but because they thought it would be a bad move for the board to make an organized effort for increased rents. Annual Report Made. "In making my annual report as chairman of the rental committee in January last. I showed approximately 4600 vacant properties in Portland; to day I take pleasure in showing you the following condition of the rental mar ket," said Mr.- Rohrer, in making his report for the rental committee. "From 75 per cent of the inquiries Bent to 42 firms handling rentals throughout the city. I find that there are approximately 700 vacant proper ties, including residences and stores. To this we may add a conservative Etimate of 500 properties which are not listed with agents. Therefore, the condition virtually shows about 1200 vacant properties. "Investigation also reveals that ap proximately 75 per cent of these vacan cies are in poor condition and in need of repairs. It is further shown that of the 25 per cent remaining of the ap parently good houses, only about 5 per cent of them are A-l modern houses in good condition. Therefore, it is essen tial that property owners put their houses in good, tenable condition if they wish to realize any income from them. "Investigation further shows that rents generally throughout the city In the residence districts have in creased from 5 to 20 per cent, while the business rentals Increased from 25 to 85 per cent. "It is very evident from the above figures and the figures to follow on the apartment-house condition, that the shipbuilding and other industrial Improvements are benefitting Portland Jn the way of filling up vacant proper ties. "A minute detailed investigation of the apartment-house situation is as follows: JTumber of West Side apartment houses. 115 dumber of apartment. 204 dumber of vacancies 45 Rent. Increased on the majority of apart -tnenti from SI to S3. "On the East Side the Investigation shows as follows: Number of apartment hou.es........... 31) Number of apartment. 70S dumber of vacancies -7 Kent, increased from $1 to $5.50. "We find that In a great many cases there are long waiting lists for apart ments, as high as 40 being reported in one Instance, while in others the houses are constantly filled, therefore no waiting lists are kept. "A summary of the apartment-house condition is as follows: Total number of apartment houses 1R7 Total number of apart menti .......... .37 14 Total number of vacant apartment....... 73 Kent, increased on about 30 per cent of the apartments. "It is with great pleasure and satis faction that we note the above Im proved condition, and these figures are presented to you as a little food for thought." Lanrelbnrst Home Sold. "U N. Everett, a Portland builder, last week sold the attractive new nine room residence located on the north side of East Burnside street, near Lau relhurst avenue, overlooking Laurel hurst Park, to Miss Minnie L Smith, a sister of Grant Smith, owner of a num ber of Portland apartment-houses and principal owner In the Multnomah Ho tel property, as well as in one of Port land's newest shipbuilding plants. The rale, which was closed through the Paul C. Murphy agency, was based on a cash consideration of $8500. ruring'the past live years Mr. Ever ett has built 15 beautiful homes In the Laurelhurst district. School Bids to Be Invited. Announcement was made last week by F. A. Xaramore, superintendent for school properties In the Portland dis trict, that the plans for the proposed Hawthorne-Buckman School building, to be erected at East Pine and a-t Sixteenth streets, will probably be completed" within the next two or three veeks. after which bids for tne work will bp Invited. The new building, which is estimated to cost about $175. 000, will contain about 25 or 26 class rooms, as well as a large swimming tank. It is to be two stories high, founded on a basement area about 200 feet square. The exterior of the build ing is to be of brick, trimmed with terra cotta. Ship Plant Adda Ruildlaa-s. The Supple & Ballin Shipbuilding Company took out building permits last week for the construction of a water front structure on East First street, between East Ash and East Ankeny streets, estimated to cost iii.000. and a one-story blacksmith shop at East ater and East Main streets, esti mated to cost $3000. ' The plans wire pepared by the employes of the com pany. Kor Small Homes Started. A. W. Davis took out building per mits last week for the construction of two $1400 residences in the St. Johns district, one to be located on Willamette boulevard and Catlin street, and the other on Willamette boulevard and St. Johns avenue. . Albert Dobner is building a $1500 bungalow at 1300 Grand uvenue. in what is known as Oreenridae Addition. On the order of W. J. Rink. Frank Seam Is building a one-story frame cfiidenea at 134 Tyler street, which is estimated to cost about $1000. PLANS FINISHED FOR FIRST UNIT OF ULTIMATE GROUP - r OF THREE STRUCTURES FOR U. OF 0. MEDICAL SCHOOL Drawings for Building Which Will Be Erected on Marquam Hill, Overlooking Terwilliger Boulevard, and to Cost Approximately $115,000, Await Ap - proval of Board of Regents Indications Are Project Will Be Finished by Opening of 1918 Fall Term. WMitefer L . i llmLl (m ) j . - : - c?:ffrT ' jl: ( iff) nH L r 'KJ?! 1 2?Z . ' st trfPzL " fill8' JZih r sstWfcJi ti T0 v - r ; f vXit . -Vs Jy Top First Unit of Unlversitr of Ores.. Medical School to Be Built Dnrlnar the Comina; Twelvemonth on Marqnam Hill, at a Cost of S115.0O0. Bottom Proposed Grasp of Medical Department Buildings, Toarether With Proposed Affiliated Hospitals, Which Are to Be Erected on the 23-Acre Tract Donated by the OW. It. X. Company. The Proposed Medlcnl Buildings Are in the Background, the First Unit Being at the Left of the Further Group of Three Structures. ' . SUBJECT to the approval of the Board of Regents of the University of Oregon the plans have been completed for the first unit of ultimate group of three buildings that are to be erected on the 23-acre tract of land on Marquam .Hill, overlooking .the Ter willlger boulevard,1 which was donated to the medical department of the Uni versity of Oregon a few years ago. to be used as the location for a medical center. The first unit, which is to cost ap proximately $115,000. Is to be a -two- story and basement structure, 7 by 200 feet in area. Its exterior is to be of white brick and terra cotta. The plans for the first building as well as for the entire group plan of affiliated hospit als that are proposed for ther future, are being handled by two Portland archi tectural firms. Lawrence L & Holford and Whitehouse & Fouilhoux, who are associated on this particular ' enter prise. Offer to County Refused. ' The carriage and automobile en trance to the Medical Center Is to be from the county road but the main court Hi front of the grouped buildings is to be on an axis with Broadway thus furnishing a comprehensive view of Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens from the high elevation of the school ATTRACTIVE RESIDENCE OF -rt,mm,3imuW Thui mtmi m 1 mum umir-m mr '", 7-n tw r-nn i ..i. mmm mmmmm inn -1 Mae-Room Residence Located on North Side of East Rurnside Street. Near- Iaurlhurst Avenue, Whirls Was Purchased Last Week kr Minnie I. Smith Fnm W. Pi. Everett. Tara.sk the Paul C. Murphy Sales Aa-euey. This Is the Ftfteeuth Residence Mr. Everett Has Built im the Laurelhurst District Darlas the Past Plv Vemra. grounds. Mount Hood is to be on the axis of connecting pathway between the group-of medical buildings and the affiliated hospitals, which may be state, county, city or private institu tions. Recently the County Commissioners were offered a - site for the proposed new county hospital building on the property set aside for the medical center, but the proffer was not accept ed due . to a disagreement among the County Commissioners. All buildings to-be erected on the grounds are .to be under the control of the Board of Re gents of the University of Oregon sim ilar to the plans that have been worked with eminent success in other states. Finish by Fall 1818 Hope. Or. K. A. J. Mackenzie, dean of the medical department of the University of Oregon, who has worked untiringly to create a medical center in Portland, said last week that he expected' that the first laboratory building of the medical group would undoubtedly be completed and ready for occupancy at the commencement of the school term in the Fall of 1918. He said that the school could probably get along with the one building for two or three years unless the present enrollment is great ly increased.' "The medical school of the University COLONIAL DESIGN IS SOLD AT REPORTED CONSIDERATION OF $8300. ' of Oregon is the only school for doctors in the entire Pacific Northwest that has ' been given the class - A rating, which means that it meets the .Gov ernment : requirements - for highest' rat ing." said Dr. Mackenzie. "Our enroll ment this year in all departments will probably total 100, which is the record attendance ol all history. Fund Is KSO.ono. "The fund of $115,000 which is being used to build the- first unit was started by an-appropriation, of $50000 made by the 1915 legislature contingent upon our success in raising $25,000-by popu lar subscription, in Portland.. Thanks to the ' co-operation of many ,. public spirited citizens of Portland, some of whom contributed $2500 each, we were able to raise the prescribed $25,000 just in time and went before the recent leg islature with the request for $40,000 ad ditional, which was granted. . "Men of eminent authority from va rious parts of the country assure us that our campus is "to be "one of "the most attractive in the entire world and I feel that the ultimate medical center will be one of Portland's best assets. It will not only give Portland an in tegral part af the state university but will be the means of creating a cultural center within our city. "The architects have been " careful to plan the buildinprs for the highest point on Marquam Hill where they fit the topography and at, the same time be visible from all points on the East Side of the .river as well as from the business section.' Associated 'with Dr. Mackenzie in the administration of the University f Oregon medical department, in addi tion to the large number- of prominent practicing physicians- of Portland,, are the' following "full- time" professors and instructors : Dr. . William F. Allen, head of the department of anatomy; Dr. Harold B. Meyers, assistant dean and head of the department of phar macology; Dr. George E. Burget, head of -the department of - physiology ; Dr. Howard D. .Haskins, head of the de partment of biochemistry, and Dr. Frank -R. Menne. acting head of the de partment of bacteriology and path ology. - ' - - Bull dinar Detail. Given. It Is expectea that the plans for the first .unit of the medical group will be approved by the university regents some time this month and that actual construction will be commenced next month. The first floor of the building Is to house a number of laboratories, dark rooms, library, lecture rooms, women's rest rooms and the business office and faculty headquarters. The balance of the. laboratories, the museum, surgery and the dissecting rooms are to be on the top floor. The boiler room, a large lecture room, the men's club rooms, the embalming room, the store rooms and the janitors' quarters are to be provid ed in the basement of the building. The first electric light shone In 184-4. Portland Real Estate Is rapidly coming back, and within six months' time the "profit taking period" will be here. ' The Pacific Coast always is last to feel a business depres- sion. Business gets ; bad in the East, and after a couple of - years it reaches- Portland. Revivals of business operate in . exactly the same manner. N Portland and the Northwest suffered a depression of busi ness following the beginning of the war. The facts are that our boats were taken from the Pacific Ocean to carry war munitions across the Atlantic Our freight cars were used for war emergency and our great lumber industry was prac tically paralyzed. Now the Northwest is beginning to come into her own. War orders have reached Portland, as well as the balance of the country, and business is fine. Our manufacturing plants have a-demand for their entire output and our retailers are enjoying a good business. The people have cash. Beal estate, always being the last investment to respond to a movement of that character, has not yet felt the impulse of quickening life. But it will. In Portland the realty market is right now offering won derful chances for the investor. Prices are low. When prices " begin to raise, the movement will be in quick and frequent jumps. PORTLAND REALTY BOARD INDUSTRIAL SITES TO MOVE Buying for Immediate Use Is Dominant Feature of Mar ket for Real Estate. SPECULATOR NOW EXTINCT Money Now Favors Investment and Unprecedented Demand for Man ufactures Points to Obvious Opportunities at Home. BT R. C. ERSKINE. (Address on "Locatinr Industrie." de livered by Mr. Ersklne. of Seattle, at recent convention of Interstate Realty Association on Gray. Harbor, Wash.) Practically all the real estate which we are selling now is being bought for immediate use and the selling ot sites for the location or industries is the most Important of our current transac tions. - The Pacific Coast communities yearly send thousands of carloads of raw ma terial back East, there to be manufac tured by tens of thousands of people, whom We never see, into articles which are shipped back to us for our use. So our grain sold by the bushel returns as breakfast food bought by the ounce; our tons of wool come back as gar ments and we buy the metals from our mines as hardware and machinery. Benefits Needlessly Lost. Thus we needlessly pay the freight twice across the continent and lose the advantage of increased population and the profits of manufacture and distri bution. This has been a natural pen alty of being new. but we need pay it no longer. The next big crop of West ern millionaires will be the successful leaders of the movement now well un der way to put general manufacturing to the very front among Western ac tivities, and while the captains of in dustry get rich every industrious clti xen will profit. There has never been a manufactur ing opportunity like the present oppor tunity right here. Money favors in vestment rather than speculation and is plentiful and cheap. Labor cost, for the first time in years, is practically equalized throughout the country and the low price of land offsets the high cost of building. The big Eastern manufacturers are so satiated with war orders that they are not very anxious for far Western business and our in fant industries can get a substantial growth and a strong hold on the mar ket, with less serious competition than at any time before. Goods in Heavy Demand. There is an unpreceedented demand for -goods of every class, our own pro duction of raw material is maxinrum in quantity and quality, and to supply deficiencies such as fine hardwoods for furniture making we need only tap the stream of such materials from the Orient as It flows eastward through our ports. Our spectacular shipbuilding devel opment has been so rapid and the ex pansion of market and price for grains, lumber and other raw materials so un precedented that many otherwise well informed people do not realize that our general manufacturing also has simply leaped ahead the past few years and is now showing unexampled progress. This takes two chief forms: Manufac turing for local consumption things which we have previously bought from the East and making up into parts or finished product more and more of the materials we ship. Wise and logical procedure, you will certainly agree. Our present manufacturing expan sion has a big place in it for the real estate man who will definitely prepare himself to specialize in locating indus tries, and every industry possessing the elements of success .which he suitably locates represents a true community service. Home Industries Important. Returning to present day conditions, we find that most cities specialize In the manufacture of a few articles, and it is probably best that a city be known as the producer of a few excel lent things which it exports, but it is clear that there are many things that every city of any size should produce for. Itself in addition to manufacturing its staple export articles. To illustrate, the Northwest need not grieve because it 'has no watch factory, though we would welcome watch factories. On the other hand, if either Seattle or Portland were without a macaroni factory, it would be inexcusable, and each having several, though neighborly, it is rather wasteful in transportation for Portland to buy Seattle macaroni or for Seattle to buy Portland's. Grays Harbor could give no excuse for send ing her laundry to either Seattle or Portland, Everett certainly should bake her own pies and none of us should have to go east of the Rockies for our soap, though at present we'd be a dirty lot if we didn't. In other words, highly specialized plants pro ducing small valuable articles need not be reproduced in every community, while bulky articles of simple manu facture from raw material at hand should be produced locally. Real Estate Speculator Extinct. It has been said and often repeated that real estate speculators, by plac- BEGIN 116 ing high prices on industrial land, have scared away industries. There never was much to this, and let it be known that now the real estate speculator, in this part of the country at least, is ex tinct, and all our Coast cities have fac tory sites galore at bargain prices. If anyone is searching for enemies of in dustry we recommend for their most vigorous consideration the fly-by-night sellers of fake industrial stocks usual ly in some wonderful "invention and also any black sheep among our local manufacturers who may be making'an inferior product. The one frightens away possible investors in good com mercial enterprises and the other dis courages possible buyers of local prod ucts. Andrew Carnegie, through his libra ries, can teach us a great deal wntcn we should know and We must be very thankful to him and to the reference librarians for placing at our disposal practically everything that has been written about factories but a man can read and study and think till ns's as wise as Solomon ever was and still be just as dead as Solomon- is now.. To be successful in locating indus tries we must study closely our subject, our field, all the sources of possible business and then firmly resolve that no one in town will be able to work any harder or more carefully than we do. TWO FARMS ARE SOLD S47.O0O INVOLVED IN M'KENNA. DEALS RECENTLY. Portland Apartment Is Turned ta as Part Payment on S4o,0O0 Place ' at Farmtncton, Through the firm of Coe A. McKenna & Co., A. S. Ellis last week purchased the 370-acre farm of George S. Robin son at Farmington. Mr. Ellis has taken immediate possession. It is un derstood that the consideration was about J40.000. As part of the purchase price Mr. Ellis turned in the Westonia Apartment-house at 666 Glisan street. The transaction was handled through the escrow department of the Title & Trust Company. Coe A. McKenna & Co. also report the sale of the Browndale Farms near Aurora, belonging to the Consolidated Investment Company, of Portland, .to O. H. Gray. This was a cash sale and the consideration was $7000. Mr. Gray has already taken possession. E. B. Rabb, farm manager for Coe A. McKenna & Co., has been busy dur ing the last few weeks showing valley property, and has a -number of deals in the process of closing. He reports that the Fall rains have had a stimu lating effect on the farm land market, and that his firm is anticipating an active Fall business. CLOUDED TITLE IS OBSTACLE Plan Being Worked Out to Make Coos Property Salable. MARSHFIELD, Or., Sept. 22. (Spe cial.) The fine Kinney property, be tween this city and North Bend, which has been under a clouded title for 11 years, preventing the improvement of the intermediate section, may be turned into a stock company and the title perfected, if plans now under way ma ture. Fred Hollister, of North Bend, and Frank B. Waite, of Sutherlin. are working out a plan putting the prop erty into salable condition. If this is accomplished it is believed the district will be the scene of rapid improve ment, since building sites can be had there at reasonable figures. The proposed company asks for 30, 000 in local subscriptions to consum mate the deal. The property owes the county more than $70,000 In delinquent taxes, and if the amount is not settled within three months will be sold at Sheriff's auction. Chetaalis Banks Thrive. CHEHALIS, Wash.. Sept. 22. (Spe cial.) Chehalis has been enjoying un usual prosperity this Summer and Fall and it is reflected in the bank state ments issued by the three Chehalis banks under date of September 11. This statement shows total deposits to be " $2,340,170.29, a gain of $348,359 com pared with the same time last year.' $15,000 Aberdeen Building Sold. ABERDEEN, Wash., Sept. 22. (Spe cial.) The one-story brick and cement building owned by Silas Pearson was sold today for $15,000 to Dr. M. H. Pearson and his daughter, Mrs. James Marlatt. It occupies land 75 feet square. The building is occupied- by the City Retail Lumber Company. S10.00O Mill Bulldlns Commenced. - On behalf of the Central Door & Lumber Company, E. G. Anderson has commenced the erection of a two-story planing mill, building at 967 East Twenty-fourth street, which is esti mated to cost about $10,000. according to the building permit, issued last week. Track on New Line Being Laid. NORTH YAKIMA, Wash., Sept. 22. (Special.) Tracklaylng on the Tieton extension of the Northern Pacific's Cowlche branch began this week. The track will be built to the terminus at Tieton by October 15. The Maine deer killed last year to taled 12.000. Directory of Prominent Life Insurance Agencies Members of Life Underwriter Association of Oregon Wm. Goldman, General Manager. NATIONAL. LIFE OF VERMONT. Oregonlan Bldg. H. G. Colton, Manager, MASSACHUSETTS MUTUAL. LIFE. Chamber of Commerce Bldg E. L. Harmon. Manager, PENN MUTUAL, L.1FE. Northwestern Bank Bldg. Horace Mecklem, Manager, NEW ENGLAND MUTUAL, LIFE. Northwestern Bank Bldg. Petlis-Grossmayer Co.. General Agents, TRAVELERS INSURANCE COMPANY. 303-310 Wilcox Bldg. MORTGAGE LOANS Very flexible contract. NEW WORLD LIFE INSURANCE CO.. 202 Stevens Bldg. Albee & Amesbury. General Agents. . NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL LIFE INS. CO. Northwestern Bank Bldg John pauer. Superintendent. THE PRUDENTIAL INSURANCE CO. 601 Northwestern Bank Bldg. T. H. McAllls. State Mgr.. UNION MUTUAL LIFE INS. CO., Board of Trade Bldg V.AizH-r W Smith. Manazer. EQUITABLE LIFE ASSURANCE SOCIETY. State Members Portland Realty Board The following real estate men are the accredited members In their re spective cities of the Portland Realty Board. None of these sought membership, but were selected after a canvass of the available men in their line." If you have a real estate transaction in any of these cities or wish information, write them: Astoria Astoria Harbor Imp. Co. Bend J. A. Eastes. Rosebura- W. A. Bogard.