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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 8, 1907)
f. &&&&& j : ilia- EDITORIAL BM3E OP THE JOURNAL THE STORY OF THE JOURNALS GROWTH AND fv. PKOSPKK11Y la MAI Ut UKUUUJN N "OTHlNG more vividly illustrates the igrowth and de velopment of Oregon in recent years than the history of The Journal. By a happy coincidence, this paper made its advent just at the time when Oregon was awakening from the lethargy which had enthralled it for a genera tion. New blood, new ideas, new energy, new people were being injected into the state and the time was ripe for the appearance of an alert, intelligent, modern newspaper, one that would be a leader in the forward movement, a fearless champion of the people's rights and an advocate of every change that would bring about better conditions. LjSearance. Of the first few months of its existence, when it was . 1 1. . . n n n r- MAiii Tn TfJ unuer anoiner iiianagcjncui, wc uccu nui uuw. ah jum., 1902, it passed into the hands of its present owners. Since that time it has experienced a growth in circulation, in business and in influence rarely if ever equaled. It is unnecessary to cite the figures which illustrate this fact, for they are familiar to all our readers. But it is of interest to ask the cause of this extraordinary success. Wherein lies the secret of the unexampled popular sup port which has been accorded to The Journal? Whence came the impetus which enabled this newcomer in the journalistic field to - outstrip all competitors? Some will find explanation in the fact that for half a century the people of Oregon had groaned under the burden of a news paper monopoly, and will argue that this alone is reason sufficient for The Journal's success. Some will say that it is but part and parcel of the prosperity which has befallen Oregon in such abun dant tneasure within the last five years. Doubtless both were contributing causes, but that is all. The real underlying cause is the fact that almost from its beginning the people have recognized in The Journal a great moral force, an exponent of the newer, better and broader life upon which the state is entering. Its policy has been constructive, it has aimed to build up rather than to tear clown. It has cherished those things that make for civic righteousness and it has unhesitatingly laid bare those things that corrode and kill. The people of Oregon have had many battles to fight within the last half dozen years, and it is a source of deep gratification that in these battles The Journal has borne its part. One with the people, it has shared their struggles and their triumphs, and with them it has prospered. As for the future, the effort will be made to make the story of the years to come like that of the years that are past, a story of fidelity to the moral and material well being of our state and its people. Full of the hope of still better days to come, The Journal will continue to teach and to preach the bright gospel of optimism. As the years fleet past there will be a constantly greater and better Oregon and Portland and Pacific northwest, in all of which The Journal will be a helpful factor, becoming better and greater itself, along with the rest. We believe this number of The Journal will find favor in the eyes of those who receive and examine it. Much labor and expense have been bestowed upon it, to make it a worthy and notable edition, something different from and better than any special newspaper edition ever issued in this city or region. Though not appearing on the anniversary of The Journal's birth, this number is intended partly to celebrate the paper's fifth anniversary, but it has been somewhat delayed so as also to celebrate the accession of improved and more adequate machinery and other facilities, and a more complete and satisfactory news service. Readers and friends and we hope all readers are friends, whether they entirely agree with us at all times or not will find this, as we have said, a "different" paper from the ordinary special or annual edition. While there is much in it that is statistical, and calculated to give eastern people and people of the Oregon country as well information about this region's products, oppor tunities and resources, we have striven also to make this issue a thing of beauty, an artistic production, one worth observing care fully and laying aside for future perusal and notice. Both in the text of the articles and in the illustrations, the aim has been to gratify and satisfy the artistic sense of critical readers. The object has been not merely to present a mass of homely, practical infor mation about soil, climate, crops, etc., but to give readers pleas urable pictures both in words and in forms and coloring, and so make the paper one of lasting and unusual value. i The Journal rejoices in its own growth and prospects, of course but does so continually conscious that it can and does grow andV prosper only as the city, the state, the region in which it is pub lished grow and prosper. A daily newspaper is peculiarly a part of the life and movement and activities and aspirations of the community and region in whTcl) it is produced. It should be ambitious to be a leader andteacher of all that is good and pro- gressive, and so be if anything a little in advance of, rather thai lagging behind, the complex and cosmopolitan life all around it. - Yet after all it must be largely what its environment makes it, and can largely succeed only in conjunction with the success and progress of the community. The Journal aims to be peculiarly a people's paper; one to serve and enlighten and benefit the common people of all classes and kinds, preferring always to please them,)- even the humblest, yet not fearing to offend if criticism and cor-'. rection are needed. , j; So we hope this special number, produced at so much' cost iaf labor and money, will be duly appreciated as we have no doubtL- it will be. Herein will be found something of interest for "all classes and conditions of men"; much of information and mucH to attract. It has been aimed to make it especially adapted to send '7 away to eastern people, and if it shall be liberally and widely ; distributed, we are confident that it will be seed that will bring I1 forth a large and profitable harvest of homeseekers and investors. " So with its manifold messages of various kinds and to multi-.; tudes of people, we send forth this issue, confident that, though' imperfections will be found in it, its reception will be cordial and according to its merits. This special edition is in one sense a : result, a fulfillment, a proof of achievement and victory won; but it is also an earnest, a promise, an indication of greater and better l' things to be, for it, as well as for this region, state and city. 1 AN EPITOME OF OREGON'S NATURAL RESOURCES N PRESENTING this "t ittn Anniversary edi tion" of The Journal to its readers, the man agement has spared neither pains nor expense to nlace before the people of the Oregon coun try, as well as those of the east and other local ities who are contemplating a change of residence, the resources, advantages and opportunities offered by the Beaver State. In compiling a work of this kind, perhaps the largest and most expensive ever issued by any news paper on the coast, the better part of a year has been consumed; the best efforts of the best writers on their particular subjects have been brought into action; the services of the best photographers of the state have been secured, and the best artists and engravers on the coast have been employed for weeks in presenting by picture and text the beau ties of Oregon. Oregon is a great state. Even those who are native to its soil as well as those who have made it their home by adoption hardly appreciate its many advantages. We are just beginning to awake to a realization of the opportunities offered for capital and labor. The eyes of the country are being focused upon the great northwest, and Ore gon is just beginning to come into its own. In presenting this Anniyersary Edition to the public no object of financial gain was sought. The Journal is interested in the growth of the whole northwest, but .more especially in the growth of Oregon, and if its humble efforts have the effect of enlightening the people of other sections of the country, of awakening the dormant energies of our own people, of inducing capital to invest in our mines, our manufactories, our woolen and lumber millj; of causing the sturdy agriculturist Nand fruit grower to settle upon and make homes St of our broad acres of vacant lands; of inducing railroad builders to extend their lines to those rich sections of the state where railroads are so badly needed, and where their construction would make wealthy empires of now comparatively barren wastes; if it can succeed in making two blades of grass grow where one grew before, it will consider its efforts well rewarded. In the pages which follow long-winded and unreadable articles and columns of dry and unin teresting statistics have been studiously avoided, the object being not to "fill space," but to present to the reader in as attractive and concise a form as possible the opportunities Oregon offers for the man of energy and enterprise; for him who seeki investment for his surplus capital, or the man whose only wealth is his muscle and brawn. In the pages which follow the following sub jects have been prepared and treated for those who would know more about Oregon: Agriculture. Agriculture is given, a prominent place in the fourth section of the supplement. Lumbering is probably considered the greatest of Oregon's in dustries, but agriculture is a close second. It is almost impossible to accurately gauge the value of the state's agricultural products. The only crops of which the value can even be approximated are grain, hops and sugar beets, leaving hay, root crops and vegetables to guess work. Wheat, oats and barley show an average yield per acre higher than rthr ttatf thr acorriratr returns , fnr tfic I OIITj w -' t OO - - v . . . I ifrfee being $11,248,776, divided as shown in the lsollowing statement of grain crops of Oregon, 1906: F. Yield Acres. Bushels. Value, per acre. .... 636,064 12,950,000 $9,712,500 20.36 .... 101,625 3,22174 1,224,704 30.53 . ... 25,953 639,378 311,572 24.5 A crop failure has never been known in Oregon, t ;Yields have at iimes been greatly reduced,! owing to yi exceptional! Idyerse conditions of weather, etc, Wheat Oats . Barley but a failure of crops as understood in the south and middle west is yet to be recorded in Oregon. Banks and Bankers. With 27 banking and trust institutions Portland is the financial anchor of the North Pacific coast. Its business firms are rated at something over $107,000,000. Its Clearing House association record for 1906 showed clearings of $281,170,796.26, as com pared to $106,918,027 in 1900 and $58,842,284 in 1895. Today its bank deposits are estimated at $61,250,000, as compared to $35,000,000 in 1900. There are 23 banking institutions in Portland, and the following figures show the bank deposits during the past four years: 1904 $40,914,529 1905 44,689.800 1906 51,714,929 1907 61,250,000 The subject of banking is exhaustively treated on page 6 of the first section of the supplement. Coal On the fifteenth page of the last section may be found a resume of the coal mining industry in Ore gon. Although the industry of coal mining in Washington is much more important than it is in Oregon, there is direct evidence that ju9t as extensive beds of coal underlie the surface of Ore gon as are found in the state on the north. Coal in Washington is semi-bituminous; that in Oregon is lignite, but of a high quality. The Coos Bay coal fields on the coast of Oregon are among the oldest worked mines on the coast. Coal of good quality has been found in Yamhill, Clatsop, Coos, Umatilla, Morrow, Grant and other counties. The John Day valley, which has one of the oldest formations known to geologists, has extensive coal measures, but there has been little development, principally on account of lack of transportation facilities. Colleges and Schools. The colleges and schools of Oregon rank high and are on an equality with those of the older settled states. The educational institutions are given attention in an article on page 13 of the first section of the supplement. Columbia River. In volume and in commercial value the Columbia is second only to the Mississippi. Its banks are more stable, its waters are clearer and its ice blockades are much less in duration. Unlike the Mississippi, the Columbia seeks the ocean in a line parallel to trade channels and not at right angles to them. Extensive improvements are now being made by the government, which will open the Columbia to navigation from its mouth to Lewiston, Idaho. The beautiful Scenery along the Columbia is not surpassed by that of any river in the world. Dairying. Mr. JL W. Bailey, on page 2 of the sixth section, has an interesting article on the dairying industry in Oregon. Oregon offers the best advantages for successful dairying of any state in the union. It is even ahead of the famous Channel islands, the home of the Jersey and the Guernsey, in the pos sibilities of the widest development of its dairying industry. And yet dairying here is but in its in fancy. The price of good butter at retail in Port land is never less than 30 and much of the time 40 cents a pound. Oregon has two advantages for the dairyman a mild climate affording pasturage all the year, and a world's market at the ocean door of Portland. Ever since dairying has been in vogue in the state there has been a steady gain in its extent until now there are 287 creameries, 130 cheese factories and three condensed milk factories in active operation,; ' Oregon's fisheries,, constitute one of iu leading industries. Figures of 1907 are not obtainable, but reliable estimates place this year's salmon pack at 4,985 tons. This equals 166,000 cases. As the cured fish are said to cost the packer 10 cents a pound, the cold storage pack of the Columbia river this year represents a cash value of $96,000 before any margin for profit is figured. The aggregate annual value of the output of Oregon fisheries is $3,500,000. This includes fish and shellfish consumed locally and shipped abroad. Oregon's fisheries are treated in an article on page 14 of the fifth section. Fruits. Practically the whole of Oregon is adaptable to the raising of high priced fruits. While a few valleys here and there have developed the industry to a high degree, every county in the state is pro ducing in a quiet way the same and equally delicious kinds of fruits. There are thousands of acres of cheap lands in Oregon capable of netting the grower $200 to $500 an acre annually. The total value of Oregon's fruit crop for 1906 amounted to approx imately $4,000,000. By referring topage 4 of the sixth section the reader may glean an idea of fruit culture in Oregon. Hops. Many sections of the state are especially adapted to the raising of hops, and few branches of agricul ture show larger profits. The acreage in 1906 was 18,500; total production 18,150,000 pounds; total value $2,359,500; estimated profit $1,633,500. Irrigation. Irrigation is treated in section 4 of the supple ment. Oregon is known as the "Webfoot" state, and all crops grow without irrigation. Yet in the eastern and southeastern portions there are semi arid regions that need moisture, and to insure abundant yields large irrigation enterprises have been inaugurated both by the government and pri vate corporations. It is estimated that there arc now 387,095 acres of irrigated land in the state. Livestock. On page 2 of the sixth section Oregon's live stock is treated in an interesting manner. Stock of all kinds thrive in every county in the state, and more attention than ever is being paid to the breed ing of blooded stock. Oregon is noted for her superior horses, her fine milch cows and few states outrank her in the number of sheep and production of wool. The value of Oregon's livestock is $38, 750,000, and of animal products (exclusive of wool and mohair), $13,500,000. Lumber and Timber. Chief among the natural products of Oregon is timber, and the manufacture 'of lumber is among its chief enterprises. Of the land surface of Oregon 43 per cent is wooded, 30 per cent is covered with merchantable timber, while 57 per cent is open country or land having been cleared of timber. The number of sawmills in the state is 577. The output in 1906 was 2,000,000,000 feet, valued at $30,000,000. Wages paid were $11,696,000. The lumber industry is treated on page 2 of the fourth section. Manufacturing. Oregon is making phenomenal advancement in industrial development, and in the near future will rank industrially in a manner commensurate with her matchless, varied and inexhaustible resources. Following is a summary of the manufacturing and mechanical industries of the state for 1906: Number of manufactories 4.50C Capital invested $45,000,000 Value of land and buildings $13,000,000 Wage earners employed 40.00C Total wages paid $20,000,000 Value orptoduct of. state 95,00000 There are few counties in Oregon in which mineral of some kind has not been found. There are 3.700 men employed in the mines, whose wages average $3 a day, making a total pf $11,100 for every day in the year. The mineral deposits em brace every known product, both for commercial use and the arts. It is impossible to estimate the value of the products, but it is known that at least $5,000,000 a year is paid in wages. In the fifth sec tion of the supplement will be found interesting articles on Oregon's mines and mining. Public Land. There is yet much vacant government land sub ject to entry in the state of Oregon. It may be found in every county in the state. The methods of securing such laud are governed by the United States laws and entrymen are given courteous atten tion at the various land offices throughout the state. A comprehensive article on government lands is found on page 2 of the sixth section, and the amount of lands in each county will be ascer tained by perusing the article on "The Counties of Oregon," found in the third section. Oregon in Paragraphs. Oregon's fruit crop aggregated $4,000,000 in 1906. Oregon's dairy products aggregated $14,000,000 in 1906. Oregon produced about 10,000 bushels of flax seed during 1906. The value of land under cultivation in Oregon is $175,000,000. Only about 17 per cent of the land in Oregon is in cultivation. Oregon last year raised 348,861 bushels of corn, valued at $208,916. Oregon last year produced 2,300,896 tons of hay, valued at $23,008,960. Oregon's gold, stiver, borax and coal mines pro duce annually $6,750,000. The value of garden truck raised in Oregon last year reached $1,500,000. Oregon last year raised 3,961,367 bushels of potatoes, valued at $1,980,683. Oregon has more undeveloped resources than any other state in the union. Oregon farmers distributed more than $5,000,000 in 1906 for labor. Oregon annually produces 2,250 tops of ref'ned beet sugar, valued at $225,000. Oregon streams offer the finest game fishing to be found anywhere in tfte world. The wool clip of Oregon last year reached 16, 500,000 pounds, valuedat $2,730,000. Oregon has room f6r many people. Great areas of public land are avaible for homes for settlers. Oregon is the laniH of opportunity. There are some 23,000,000 acres' of public land in Oregon awaiting owners. , There are 39,399 fiarms in Oregon, comprising 11,071,327 acres. The average size of an Oregon farm is 281 acres. It costs about 28 cents a bushel to raise wheat in Oregon, and the average yield is about 30 bushels to the acre. The production of wheat, corn, hay, potatoes, hops, barley, vegetables, etc., in Oregon for 1906 aggregated $S7,400,000. Oregon has 10,000 livestock farms, $38,750,000 worth of livestock, and her annual output of live stock products aggregates $13,500,000. One of the finest valleys on the American conti nent is the Willamette in Orrgon, about -135 mile long and averaging 60 miles wide.- jAfl tf Oregon apples are known and ioli?jn three c continents. In London they sell for price! equiya4j lent to about 7 cents apiece. .- - ' 'J I vibe we ia .Oregon VOO4OOQ chickens; 75CC3 1 j, . -. .. t jpjf-.- 'if 1 ; i V'X?''V a ,' ! t -; s 'v'-v . i '1 T ' v t . ' t ; h turkeys, 70,000 geese and 52,000 ducks. Twenty mil-h lion dozen eggs are laid annually in Oregon. ' Approximately 400,000 acres of land in Oregon are under irrigation, and the reclamation by irriga tion of about as many more acres is now under way. The world's greatest timber belt is to be found in the counties of Clatsop, Columbia, Washington Tillamook, Coos, Douglas and Lane, in Oregon. The total output of Oregon farms, orchards, ranches, mines, waters and factories for 1906 aggr gated $253,310,000, or more than $400 for everjj man, woman and child in the state. . Oregon contains nearly two and a quarter mil lion acres more than New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut New Jersey and Delaware put together. Oregon raises more hops than any other Statfll in the union. It took 40,000 pickers last fall to har vest a crop aggregating 18,150,000 pounds, the total value of which was, $2,359,500. Area of Oregon, 94,560 square miles, or 60,076,OOQ acres, valley, hill, table and mountain; fertile lands, large ranges, vast forests and rich mines not hall utilized or developed. Crops never fail in Oregon, Population 624,000. Average rainfall for 1(J years has varied from 36.25 inches at Roseburg toi 40.8 inches at Portland. Average cold during thd winter months reaches limit as low as 18 or 20 d grees above zero, but cold spells are of short dura tion. ' " Portland Pointers. The lumber cut of Portland was doubled la value in 1906, with a gain of $5,000,000. More than $24,000,000 worth of realty changed hands in Portland in 1906. School buildings erected in Portland during 1906 represent an expenditure of more than $200,000.' The volume of real estate transactions in Port land exceeded the record of 1905 by more thar4 $9,000,000. The total volume of building operations in Port land during 1906 was greater than that of 1905 b more than $2,000,000. About 60 passenger and freight trains arrive at and leave Portland every day, not including trains in the suburban service. The aggregate of Portland's postoffice business for 1906 was $9,432,143. Receipts from sales of post age stamps aggregated $540,266. Brink clearings in Portland aggregated' in 1905 $228,402,712.69 and in 1906 $281,170,796.26. The city; is the financial center of the Pacific northwest. Portland harbor is the only fresh water harbor, on the Pacific coast, and it is visited by shipping representative of every maritime nation in the world. Ti Portland's aggregate value of manufactured products other than lumber increased more than 10 per cent during 1906, and added over $4,000,000 more to the wealth, of the city than during the preceding year. Portland , is one of the wealthiest cities in the United States, relatively to its population. The aggregate assessed valuation of its taxable property is $200,000,000. Portland's total bank deposits foe 1906 were $5 f,7 14,929, and this year ere more than $61,000,000. i.ir There arej in Portland 265 miles of water mains, ' supplying the' city daily wit 24,000,000 gaflons el the purest mountain stream water in the world. The capacity of the city water works, installed ft e cost of $4,034,08141, is adequate to the requirements el 500,000' ibplt.f ----- - There are 201 miles 6 street railway in r " land, over which the Portland Railway, J,i t Power Company is operating 3"3 r"' ' employing force oIJOO men. Jy t. - . complete systerfl ol transfers pti.: s ; - ill iixKtiou isi J 7 1 h i t A v,