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ASTORIA, OREGON, TUESDAY, JULY W,.1904.
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PAGE FOUR.
A,
CI)e Illortiiiio flstoriati
ESTABLISHED 1873
PUBLISHED BY
ASTORIAN PUBLISHING COMPANY.
J. II. CARTER, GENERAL MANAGER.
RATES.
By mail, per year $6 00
By mail, per month 50
By carriers, per month 60
THE SEMI-WEEKLY ASTOMAX.
By mail, per year, in advance ?1 00
M A ' I .
HOW CITIES ARE MADE.
The Oregonian, in an excellent Sunday editorial,
calls attention to the dire consequents which have
resulted from the improper laying out of that city,
the streets of which are too narrow and the blocks
too short The case of St. Louis is cited in support
of the well-defined theory that narrow streets re
tard municipal progress. St Louis has no elevated
railways," because it does not need them. Its streets
are wide enough to enable the surface lines to handle
the traffic, and the length of the blocks reduces the
number of stops and thereby cuts down distance,
Less than half the time ia required to travel a mile
in St Louis by street car than is required in New
jYork, or, indeed, in most of the larger of the Amer
ican cities.
If a mistake was made in laying out Portland, an
everlasting crime was committed in the laying out
of Astoria. This bustling city of 15,000 or more
people is trying to transact nearly all of its business
on one narrow, shaky street. This street measures
about 34 feet from sidewalk to sidewalk, and of this
width the street car track occupies almost six feet
During the busiest times of the day teams block the
thoroughfare, and the pedestrian on the sidewalk is
covered with mud from the wheels of passing wagons
if the weather happens to be at all wet
Certainly commercial street is not wide enough to
accommodate the amount of traffic at present
handled. Astoria is a growing city, and if one may
judge from the increase in population of the last
two years it will not be long before the 25,000 mark
is reached. "What, then, will we do for a street T
Our present alleyways will not suffice to accommo
date the traffic of a city of 15,000, much less that
of a city of 25,000. We are face to face with a
municipal problem that must be solved, and solved
at once.
There is just one way out of the dilemma every
other street in the city must be vacated. The sooner
this done, the lighter will be the cast. Nearly all
of the present-day property owners will be compelled
to bear the burden of an early error in laying out the
city, so none will benefit bjr tlelay. If the city were
growing smaller, it might be advisable to ' remain
inactive; but, as Astoria is expanding every day,
delay in correcting the. street system merely adds
cost to the project.
Here is something for the council to take up and
settle.
Incidentally, it might be mentioned in this con
nection that there have been some surprising in
stances of public neglect during the past few years.
Not many months ago a seawall proposal was un
dertaken. A committee of energetic men spent eight
or ten weeks in preparing a preliminary report.
This report was submitted to the Chamber of Com
merce, but has not since been heard of. Everyone
is agreed that the seawall is the first step toward 's
Astoria's real advancement, yet there has been an
evident neglect of this most important matter. If
undertakings of the kind are permitted to die, those
Astorians who aspire to residence in a great city
might as well move over to Warrenton and start
anew. I
OUR GREAT RAILWAY SYSTEM.
i
Advance information relative to the report of
the interstate commerce commission for the year
ended June 30, 1903, has just been sent out from
Washington. According to the preliminary state
ment, the total single-track railway mileage in the
United States on June 30, 1903, was 207,977.22
miles, having increased 5,505.37 miles in, the year
ending on that date. This increase exceeds that of
any previous year since 1890.
The number of persons on the pay rolls of the
railways in the United States, as returned for June
30, 1903, was 1,312,537, or 639 per 100 miles of
line. These figures, when compared with corre
sponding ones for the year 1902, show an increase
of 123,222 in the number of employes, or 45 per
100 miles of line. The classification of employes in
cludes enginemen, 52,993; firemen, 56,041; conduc
tors, 39,741, and other trainmen, 104,885. There
were 49,961 switch tenders, crossing tenders, and
watchmen. With regard to the four general divis
ions of railway employment it appears that general
administration required the services of 45,222 em
ployes; maintenance of way and structures, 433,
648 employes; maintenance of equipment, 253,889
employes; and conducting transportation, 576,881
employes. This statement disregards a few em
ployes of which no assignment was made.
The usual statement of the average daily com
pensation of the 18 classes of employes for a series
of years is contained in the present report, which
shows also the aggregate amount of compensation
paid to more than 97 per cent of the number of em
ployes for the year 1903 and more than 99 per cent
for the six years preceding. The amount of wages
and salaries paid to employes during the year end
ing June 30, 1903, as reported, was $757,321,415;
but this amount, as compared with the total reported
for the year 1902, is understated for want of re
turns by $18,000,000 at least.
The par value of the amount of railway capital
outstanding on June 30, 1903, was $12,599,9.90,258,
which represents a capitalization of $63,186 per
mile for the railways in the United States. Of this
capital, $6,155,559,032 existed as stock, of which
$4,876,961,012 was common and $1,278,598,020 pre
ferred, and the remaining part, $6,444,431,226 as
funded debt. Of the total capital stock outstand
ing, $2,704,821,163, or 43.94 per cent, paid no divi
dends. The t amount of dividends declared during
the year was $196,728,176, being equivalent to 5.70
per cent on dividend-paying stock. For the year
ending June 30, 1902, the amount of dividends de
clared was $185,391,655.
The number of passengers reported as carried by
the railways in the year ending June 30, 1903, was
694,891,535, indicating an increase of 45,013,030, as
compared with the year ending June 30, 1902. The
passenger mileage, or the number of passengers car
ried one mile, was 20,915,763,881, having increased
1,225,826,261.
The number of tons of freight reported as carried
(including freight received from connecting roads
and other carriers) was 1,304,394,323, which ex
ceeds the tonnage of the previous year by 104,078,
536 tons. The ton mileage, or the number of tons
carried one mile, was 173,222,278,993, the increase
being 15,932,908,940. The number of tons carried
one mile per mile of line was 855,447, which figures
indicate an increase in the density of freight traffic
of 62,096 ton miles per mile of line.
CANADA AND WHEAT EXPORTS.
A Canadian newspaper correspondent asserts
and with unmistakable signs of satisfaction that if
the exports of wheat from the United States con
tinue to fall off as they have done of late, the Do
minion confidently expects to supply other countries
with the quantity of wheat that they have hitherto
obtained from this country.
In the circumstances, this is rather an ambitious
expectation.
In 1902, Canada raised, all told, only 98,000,000
bushels of wheat, while our total exports of that
cereal most of it going to Europe amounted in
the same year to 155,000,000 bushels. In 1902 our
exports of wheat to the United Kingdom alone
amounted to practically 78,000,000 bushels, while
Canada's exports of the same staple amounted to
only a trifle over 20 per cent of that quantity. Our
total wheat crop in 1902, although it fell oft about
80,000,000 bushels as compared with 1901, amounted
to 670,000,000 bushels, seven-fold more than the
Canadian crop.
There is no question that there are great possibil
ities for wheat-growing in the western unsettled sec
tions of the Dominion. The soil there is fertile and
is adapted to that purpose, while land can be had
for almost a song. But the regions in question are
largely unoccupied and undeveloped, and vast tracts
of the territory are destitute of transportation fa
cilities and even of ordinary highways. In time no
doubt these deficiencies will be corrected, but that
time is apparently a long distance off.
Meanwhile, it is to be borne in mind that there are
other countries in which the production of wheat is
increasing. Argentina is making tremendous strides
in this direction, as likewise is Australia. India is
another country that has made marked progress in
the cultivation of wheat. All three of these countries
are large exporters of that cereal and each is eagerly
striving to extend its markets for it.
Moreover, it would be just as well not to count
too confidently on the early retirement of the United
States as a producer of wheat for the outside world.
It is true that our urban population is swiftly in
creasing, but our wheat acreage still tends upward
and this is accompanied by more scientific methods
of cultivation. These conditions will probably make
for a continuance of wheat exports from this country
for a good many years yet to come.
Secretary Hay has been asked to protect Christians
who are being murdered in Armenia. Christians
who are stoned in New York for riding in automo
biles are also crying for assistance and protection.
The "dollar watch" man has been married. He
will probably learn new wrinkles about marking
time.
Correct Clothes for Men
ADEIN NEW YORK."
When you hear
that about
clothes it means
a lot to you, the
wearer; and to
us, the dealer.
t.l I 1! I
sell ALFRED BENJAMIN & CO.
Clothes, because we know their
New York-made apparel is the
best of the best. Wear clothes
bearing this label
Jpd Ijenjamins (9
MAKERS & NEWARK
and join the great army of Never
Frets who know a good thing
when they see it
Eoul to (In custom-mads In til but
price Th mken" gusranttt, and
ours, with tvery garment W art
Exdtuiv Dlitributort In this city,
Wsttereon's Parting Shot.
Mr. Cleveland hut no democratic fol
lowing whatever in the went or south.
How could he have? When the Cleve
land talk doea not emanate from repub
lican sources It Is the merest recrudes
cence of the political nodescrliit the
man of business who has no party the
mongrel American who would be glad
to abolish quadrennial elections In fa
vor of a life tenure In the chief magis
tracy. To such persons a soggy con
servative like Mr. Cleveland happy In
the occupancy of the office and the
agreeable exercise of Its routine and
willing to keep things as they are
naturally becomes the ideal president.
But to democrats of sentiment and
conviction Mr. Cleveland stands as the
Incarnation of Ignorance, obstinacy and
failure. To his Insufficiency, his In
sufferable self-confldcnce and exaspcr
alng tactlessness, we owe our undoing.
He wrecked us. Are there no pennltles
to be any longer assessed against
Incompetency leading to disaster?
Louisville Courier-Journal.
Advertised Letter List.
Following Is a list of the unclaimed
letters remaining uncalled for:
Akle, A. L.
Astoria Fish Co,
Clark, Nicholas.
Carlton, Geo. T.
Carter, Mr. Jim C.
Dean, C. Hv .
Fortsnett, C.
Gamarche, Mr. T.
GotshatI, J. Howard.
Grlswold, J. B.
Halverson, Mr. O. G.
Hansen, Mr. Olof H.
Hoos, Mr. t
Johnson, Rev. T.
Kallstrom, A. ( ,'
Kimon, Mr. A. H.
Lantree, Aug.
Lasmurrlt, W. J.
Lewis, T. F.
McLean, Mr. John.
Nicholson, D. W.
Nllson, Halvard.
Gillen & O'Brien.
O'Connor, Thos. O. W.
Opa, Mrs. Soffle.
Pennell, Mrs. A. B.
Fullian, W. J.
Reanmee, Mr. Alatf.
Rutter, T. F.
Scantlin, Mr. T. 11.
Stevens, Mr. George W.
Tasthlng, R. C.
Thomas, Mr. E. (6). t
Tuomenen, Mr. Nestar.
Webster, (H. S.
Wilson, Mrs. G. R.
Woodslde, Will.
Foreign,
Kalllo, Mr. Talmarl.
Joshmusen, Mrs. Peter.
Skooney, Mr. Severln (2).
Wells, Mr. George.
nn
"I been aitnf Pert for I neon!, with
Wbicta I here bee efHtcled for r twenty yeert,
ad I cu ir b CunnU sere (ire m mor
relief then nf other remedr bio titt tried. I
lull eertnlnlf recommend them to mj friends M
keiuf il taejr lue ereieDted."
Tlioi, Qlllird, BIla, Hi
yfpmYl Best For
L jU Th Dowels
CAMDY C ATrURDC
P1ee.ee.nt, Peleteble, Potent, Te S'wJ.tto 0o.
Merer Sicken, Weaken or Gripe, let, Kt.Me. Haiti
old In balk. The (entitle Ublet ll.eiped OOO.
8udU4 to ear or roar mane? keek.
I Sterling Remedy Co., Chicago or H.T. SVt
muiitti, TEJ KLUSl EJUS
Clothes For Active Men
The harder you are
on your clothes the
moro reason for being
sure they're Hart,
SchalT ne r & Marx
clothes.
Theso clothes are not
only made to look well;
but they're made for
wear. And as long as
they wear they look
woll. You will find
them tho most economi
cal clothes you ever
had both for the service
they'll give you and for
the satisfaction in ap
pearances you will get.
nfM V
it I II
Crrl1it ItOt It . a Kerf
P. A. STOKES, 0" Price Ta Everybody
Scow Bay Iron 8 Brass Works
Manufacturers of
Iron, Steel, Brass and Bronze Castings.
General Foundryuien and Patternmakers.
Absolutely firstclass work. Prices lowest
Phone 2451
Corner Eighteenth and Franklin.
The TROY Laundry
Is the only White Labor Laundry in the City. Does the Best
of Work at very reasonable Prices, and is ia every way worthy
of your patronage.1 Cor. 10th and DUAXE STS. Phono 1991
PRAEL 0 COOK TRANSFER CO.
Telephone 221.
Draying and Expressing
AH goods shipped to our care will receive special attention.
709-715 Commercial Street.
0
0
0
0
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Reliance
Electrical
WorKs
H.w.cvusa,
Manager
We are thoroughly prepared for making
estimate, and executing order, for
ail kind, of elootrical installing and
repairing. Supplies in atock. We
wll the Celebrated SHELBY LAMP.
CallnpFiionellCL
428 BOND STREET
FRESH AND CURED MEATS
Wholesale and Retail
Ships, Logging Camps and Mills supplied on short notice.
LIVE STOCK BOUGHT AND SOLD
3 WASHINGTON MARKET . CHRISTENS0N CO.
433 Commercial Street
Phone Main 121
Sherman Transfer Co.
HENRY SHERMAN, Manager
Hacks, Carriages Baggage Checked and Transferred Trucks and
Furniture Wagons Pianos Moved, Boxed and Shipped.
LACE CURTAINS
This department ii crowded to Its utmost with new Curtain
creations
IMPORTED BRUSSELS NET CURTAINSIn neat, dainty pat
terns, at, per pair $6.00, $8.00 and $10.00
IRISH POINT CURTAINS These are very desirable Curtains; in
neat designs, at, per pair $4.00 and $5.00
COTTAGE CURTAINSIn blue and white, green and white and
pink and white; these are the latest creations for bedroom, sitting-room
or dining-room, at a pair... $1.25, $1.50, $1.75, $2.50, $3.00
ORIENTAL TAPESTRY CURTAINS-In new rich patterns and
cdorings, at, per pair........ .....$2.00, $2.50, $3.00 and $3.50 I
ALL 8TREET CARS TAKE YOU TO
ZAPF a CO.,
WHERE YOUR CREDIT IS GOOD.