MONTANA FORESTS ABLAZE OF CURRENT WEEK Brief Resume Most Important Daily News Items. COMPILED FOR YOU Events o f Noted People. Government« and Pacific Noiihweat and Other Thing« W orth Knowing. Milton Sebastian Lansing, 20 years old, a nephew o f Robert Lansing, sec­ retary o f state, enlisted in the navy at Los Angeles Wednesday. Earlv Start Belie»ed to Portend Much Damage Town ia Threatened. Missoula. Mont. — With scores o f fires, some covering large areas anil blazing unchecked, others small and yet within control, burning in dry for­ ests o f Western Montana and Northern Idaho, the fire situation in the terri­ tory embraced within district No. 1 o f the Forest service is the moat acute that it has ever been at this time o f the year, forestry officials declare. Indications point to a fire season worse than that o f 1917, they said, since it is starting fully a month ear­ lier. More than 500 men are fighting fires in the national forests o f this district, 150 o f them engaged in an effort to save the town o f Essex, in the Flat- head forest, on the Great Northern railway. One hundred others are fighting a fire near Belton, at the west end o f Glacier National Park. Two hundred ami fifty men are still fighting the fire on Marble creek, near the St. Joe forest in Northern Idaho, where thousands o f acres o f valuable privately owned timber land are being burned over. The blaze was declared to be the worst in the district. Other fires were reported on Canyon Ferry Gulch, at the west end o f Hell- gate canyon, in the Helena forest; on Deep creek, in the Lolo forest; in the Bitter Root mountains and in the Cab­ inet forest. NEW WESTERN FIR P r á A A A A A A A á W A A W A A W A A w A STATE N E W ws S IN BRIEF, fîOA^T uuMOi MFN men RETURN n ciunn : iJ L . Extended Conference at Capitol Makes Adjustment. ▲AAAAAA w w w v Union county’s quota o f grammar school graduates has tieen filled, five by volunteering and the remainder by induction. .T ra in in g o f a U>0 voice choir to ap­ pear on the Fourth o f July celebration program at I .a Grande, began recently under the direction o f Mrs. A. L. Rich­ ardson. With figures on the recent primary ,.lootlon lwmK ove felt, pending the adjust­ ment o f rate« on a basis that w ill be fair to various interests. Word from the headquarters o f the Western traffic committee at Chicago, brings assurance that the intention o f the railroad administration is to have the district committees work out Un­ equitable mollifications necessary. It is generally recognised that in­ creased earnings had become impera­ tive to the operation o f the railroads, and the 25 ;*-r cent increase under or­ der No. 28 was the necessary step to begin the establishment o f rates to yield the necessary revenue. In the very nature o f commerce and traffic it necessarily follow* that the effect of the application o f the general rates announced w ill seriously affect the producer or manufacturer whose good* find a market in distant sections o f the country as against the man with a lo­ cal market. New W ar Taxes Discussed. Washington, D. C. Installment plan |>ayment o f war taxes will lie pro­ vided for in the new r<*cnue bill which the house ways ami means com­ mittee is preparing t<> ilraft. Chair­ man Kitchin disclosed this fact during a hearing liefore the committee, when A lbert R. Palmer, o f New York, repre­ senting a large number o f corpora­ tions, urged that such provision lie made. Mr. Palmer advocated tax on gross sales, which he said would tie less felt than the tax on war profita. He op­ posed » tax on stock dividends, con­ tending that exemption from taxes should not lie based on capital liecause o f the widely varying revenues o f companies operating along the same lines. He argued for a tax on gross income which could be passed along easily to the consumer. Holstein C alf H rin g i $U .000. Minneapolis What ia said to ! • the highest price ever paid for a thorough­ bred calf in Minnesota was recorded at the Wood la k o farm at Richfield, Minn., a Minneapolis suburb, when Sir Pietertye Skylark Ormaby was pur­ chased for $10,000 by E. C. Schroeder, o f Moorhead, Minn. Sixty-nine pure- blooded Holstein*, the property o f John B. Irwin, owner o f the farm, were sold for a total o f $45,300, an average o f $640 a head. Stockmen and breeder* from all over the Northwest attended. Two bulls sold for $2300 each. Kate Order to He Amended. Washington, D. C. Railroad admin­ istration officials have reached a decis­ ion to rescind that portion o f the new freight rate order prescribing that higher interstate rates shall apply on intrastate shipments when interstate schedules already exist, and a final or­ der to thia effect may be issued in a few days. MONEY IS GIVEN NORTHWEST «. s. m i n r Federal Forecast Shows Second Largest Crop on Record. OTHER CROPS RECORD Continuation o f the Recent Favorable Growing Conditions May Yet Put 1918 Harvest in E’lrst Rank. Washington, I). C.- A bumper wheat crop this year, which before harvest may develop into a production o f 1,- 000,000,000 bushels, was forecast by the department o f Agriculture in its June crop report givin g ths first indi­ cation o f the size o f this year’s spring »h e a t output. ,(1 Basing its estimate on June 1 lions, the de|>urt,ment forecast wheat production o f 031,000,000 els, which would place this year's vest as the second largest in the tory o f the country. In June o f 1916 a total w ln^. duction o f W u . immi . imhi bushels tvaJ forecast and the quantity gradually! crept upwanl until the final figures for tlie ye;. ■ showed the crop to lie 1,A 025.800.000 Iw-shels. The acreage sown to spring wheat tliis year is larger by 2,000,000 acre* than ever sown before and 21.6 per cent larger than last year, aggregating 2.489.000 m m The condition o f the crop on June 1 was 95.2 per cent o f normal, or 1.6 per cent better than the* 10-year average. A production o f 344,000,000 bushels was forecast. That is 11,000,000 bushels more than harvested lust year and only alsiut 7,000,000 bushels less than the record spring wheat harvest o f 1916. W inter wheat, growing on the sec­ ond largest acreage ever planted, showed a condition 3 per cent butter than the 10-year average, with 83.8 per cent o f a normal crop. A produc­ tion o f 587,000,000 bushels was fore­ cast, which is 60 , 000,000 bushel* more than forecast from conditions existing May 1. Such a crop would be the thin) in size grown in this country. The oat crop also promises to lie o f record pro|iortions. On nn acreage 2.1 per cent larger than last year, when the reconl crop 1,687,000,000 bushels was grown, Juno 1 conditions war­ rant a forecast o f 1,500,0(81,000 bush­ els. Only last year’s and the crop o f 1915 exceeded that quantity. Rye production w ill lie a record, the forecast being 81,000,000 bushels, which is slightly less than was fore­ cast in May. l-ast year’s crop was 60,100,(8)0 bushels, which was a record. HOOVER STRIKES AT PRICES W heat— Bulk basis for No. 1 grade; Hard white, $2.05. Soft white, $2.03. W hite club, $2.01. Red Walla, $1.98. No. 2 grade, 3c less; No. 3 grade, 6 c less. Other grades handled by sample. Flour — Patents, $10 per barrel; whole wheat, $9.60; graham, $9.20; barley flour, $14.50(u 15.00; rye flour, $10.750) 12.75; com meal, white, $6.50; yellow, $6.25 per barrel. M illfeed - Net mill prices, car lots: Bran, $30.00 per ton; shorts, $32; middlings, $39; mixed cars and less than carloads, 50c m ore; rolled barley, $75o/-76; rolled oats, $73. Com Whole, $77 per ton; cracked, $78. Hay — Buying prices, delivered: Eastern Oregon timothy, $29(o30 |>er ton; valley timothy, $25(o26; alfalfa, $240)24.50; valley grain hay, $22; clover, $190)20.00; straw, $9.000)10. Butter -Cubes, extras, 37Jo; prime firsts, 37c; prints, extras, 42c; car­ tons, lc extra; butterfat. No. 1, 41c delivered. Eggs Ranch, current receipts, 34c; candled, 35c; selects, 36c per dozen. Poultry — Hens, 27c; broilers, 40c; ducks, 32c; geese, 20c; turkeys, live, 260/;27c; dressed, 37c per pound. Pork— Fancy, 23oT23|c per pound. Sack Vegetables Carrots, $1.15 per sack; turnips, $1.50; parsnips, $1.25; beets, $ 2 . Potatoes Oregon Burbanks, 76o0/ $1 per hundred; new California, 10c per pound; sweet potatoes, 10 c per pound. Onions—Jobbing prices, l(o)l|c per pound. ______ Cattle— June 12, 1918. Prime steers......... .$14.00(0)15.00 Good to choice ste e rs .. . . 12.50(0 13.60 Medium to good steers.. 11.006(12.00 Fair to medium Bteers . . 10.50(0 11.50 Common to fa ir steers . . 9.00(010.00 Choice cows and heifers. 11.00(0 12.00 Com. to good cows and h f 6.50(d) 8.50 Canners ......................... 4.00(d) 6.00 Bulls................................. 6.500(10.00 Calves.............................. 8.500)12.00 Stockers and fe e d e r s ..., 8.000)110.00 Hogs— Prime m ixed................... $16.500416.65 Medium m ixed............... 16 . 350416.50 Rough h e a v ie s ............... 15.50(0)15.60 P ig s ................................. 15. 260 )) 16.60 Bulk................................. 17.60 Sheep— ' Prime spring lambs........$ 16 . 000 ). 16 .50 Heavy lambs................... 15.500D16.00 Y earlin gs......................... 9.600D10.50 W ethers........................... 9.000)110.00 Ew es............................... 6.600D 9.00 Administrator Orders Nation-Wide Re­ form in F’ood Staples. Washington, D. C.— A country-wide move to reduce the coat o f food to the consumsr and standardize methods o f compelling the observance by dealers o f " f a ir price lis t«” was ordered Sat­ urday by Food Administrator Hoover. Lists w ill tie published in every country, town and city, and consumers w ill lie asked to co-operate with offi­ cials in forcing merchants to bring their prices to a uniform level. In carrying out the new standardiza­ tion plan, the administration will es­ tablish price-interpreting committees composed o f representatives o f whole- xalers, retailers and consumers. The board w ill determine fa ir retail prices on basic commodities that com­ prise a large part o f the nation’s diet. The published lists will give the range o f maximum selling prices, showing a reasonable price which will reflect the prices that should obtain in "cash and carry” stores, and a higher price rep­ resenting n fair price for the “ credit and delivery” store*. The local administrator for each lo­ cality will act as chairman o f the price board. Each isiard w ill have detailed reports o f actual wholesale prices and w ill ascertain fair margins o f profit the retailer should lie satisfied with. Newspapers w ill be asked to co­ operate by setting aside a particular position weekly for publication o f the lists, with footnotes on the food prob­ lem and the use o f suhatitutes for the foods most needed abroad. A close check w ill lie kept on ob­ servance o f the lists. Consumers will lie expected to rejiort to the local food administrator any store charging more than the established price for any com­ modity. ___________ Governor Lister is Weak. Olympia, Wash. — Governor Lister returned to his living apartments in Olympia Saturday afternoon and an­ nounced that he would handle state business in his rooms for the next week instead o f at the capitol. H e is still under medical treatment which began in Chicago two weeks ago and la forbidden physical exertion. The na­ ture o f his illness was not announced. The governor was absent from the state nearly a month on hia Eastern trip, when he originally expected to return in two weeka. o