VOL. 27
(TEE HOME PAPER)
DALLAS, FOLK COUNTY, OREGON, FRIDAY, MAY 21, 1915.
(TWICE-A-WEEK)
NO 23
MUGHWORKUNDERWAY
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS BEING
SPENT ON POLK ROADS.
Principal Rural Thoroughfares 'Will
Soon Be Oiled Each District
Now Busy,
Road master Waldo J. Finn Is busily
engaged in making preparations for
some substantial road Improvements
during the present season, some of
which are already under way In differ
ent parts of the county. Probably the,
most important project In contempla
tion in the way of permanent work is
the hard surfacing of a mile of high
way out of Independence, which will
be performed largely for expert men
tal purposes with a view to extending
this character of Improvement to oth
, er parts ofl the county. If this con-
crete road proves satisfactory the
plan Is to construct a like roadway
between Dallas and Independence,
then to Salem via. Independence, and
eventually on other principally travel
ed highways of the county. The city
of Independence raises something like
18,000 in road taxes each year, which
amount is turned over to the county
court for the construction and im
provement of county roads. The law
provides that one-half of this sum
must be expended within the district
from which It Is collected, and the
court will therefore have this addi
tional fund to fall back on In making
the proposed hard surface road. Of
course there are other roads In that
district to look after, and It Is possible
that the present season will elapse
without the permanent job having
been undertaken.
The county court contemplates do
ing a considerable amount of road
oiling as soon as weather conditions
will permit, the highways to have at
tention being between Dallas and Sa
lem; between Brunk's corner on the
Salem-Dallas road and Independence;
between Independence and Mon
mouth; between Monmouth and Dal
las, and the road north from West
Salem. This work will be performed
by the Star Transfer company of Dal
las. The county will probably pur
chase the material, and pay the com
pany three-fourths of a cent per gal
lon for spreading. In this manner
the work will be under the immediate
direction of the court, and the appara
tus being handy it can spread much
or little, as may be required to keep
down the dust during the summer.
According to the opinion of Road
master Finn the amount appropriated
by Ihg court for the repair and main-
iea? . v or roaas during me iau ana
winter months is altogether Inade
quate for the purpose. While 15,000
is only considered about half enough
the road master says It will do for a
starter. By the use of split-log drags
during the comfng fall he hopes to
keep the highways in fairly good
shape. Much gravel will be banked
during summer for use when It can
not be hauled. The upkeep of the
highways of the county is one of the
most Important questions for study,
but Mr. Finn is gradually solving it.
It may be interesting to the people
of Polk county to know what Is being
done in the way of highway better
ments at this time, and also something
about what the court has in contem
plation for the immediate future. The
Observer, therefore, herewith presents
by districts an outline of such m-1
provements, the Information being
furnished it by Mr. Finn.
District 1 The road has been grad
ed from the Butler store to the county
line, a distance of about three-quarters
of a mile, but unless Yamhill county
takes ud the work and continues it
nothing further will be done by Polk
county. The remainder of the dis
trict's money will be expended on a
piece of road near the Gibson place,
on the Gold Creek road, and the road
leading west from the Butler bridge.
This latter road has been graded, a
distance of about two miles, and is in
good condition to receive rock.
District 2 The Savery road from
the end of Buhler's lane to a point
where work was stopped last year In
district 17 will be rocked during the
season. There was considerable good
work in this district last year, but it
consisted mostly of grading. This
work is being continued preparatory
to rocking.
District 3 In this district most of
the money will be expended In and
around Perrydale on the road leading
to Dallas. There are some cuts and
rocking necessary, and this will be
given attention In so far as possible
with the funds in hand.
District 4 The new Fort Wayne
crusher recently purchased by the
county will be located at the Henry
quarry In this district, and approxi
mately 1500 yards of rock crushed
and placed on the roads that are now
being graded, mostly by donation
work. It is also the calculation of the
road master to do considerable work
on the Salem-McMtnnville road.
District & In this district Is a part
of the Independence-Salem road, the
maintenance of which is no small task.
Several places in the old road bed
broke through last winter, and this
necessitates some quite expensive
work.
District C Here much good work Is
being done. The gravel roads have
beer" edlngly well maintained and;
thret.Taid a half mites of contract i
grading near the Rogers place has
been let, the price being $50 per mil
the grading to be done to the com
plete satisfaction of the county court.
On the Bethel-Independence road In
this district a considerable amount of
work is also being done.
District 7 Road building In this
district Is a simple matter, because of
the small mileage, abundance of pit
and river gravel and the intelligent
manner in which the supervisor nan
dies the work. This is one of the few
districts of the county that pulls down
all of its road money, and this is
done through the efforts of Chas. Dir-
rell, the supervisor In that district.
District 8 Some good grading is
under way and crushed rock will soon
follow. One or two small bridges are
needed to replace ones in dilapidated
condition, but these are to be given at
tention before the season closes.
District 9 Polk and Benton coun
ties have an understanding in regard
to the Independence-Albany road, and
some good work is being done through
what Is known as the Prather bottom
When the work now under course of
construction is completed It will be in
splendid shape, and much of the
through travel will be diverted from
the CorvalHs-Monmouth road to the
Buena Vista road, Buena Vista being
In this district.
District 10 Practically all the grad
Ing of this road has been completed
A short stretch still remains, however,
on the Smith-De Armond road, but
this will soon be finished. Gravel for
the roads here will be shipped into
Suver and distributed from there,
(Continued on page six.)
CLUB CENSURES FAIR BOARD.
Takes Association to Task for Adver
tising Catalog House In Booklet,
At a meeting of the Commercial
club Wednesday night the county fair
board was censured for soliciting and
publishing foreign advertising in its
annual premium list, the principal ob
jection being to the announcement of
Portland mail-order house. J. E,
Miller, representing the Dallas band,
asked the aid of the club in securing
a subscription for the support of the
band during the summer. It is the
intention of the managers of the local
musical organization to secure a com
petent leader and furnish concerts
during the summer on the court house
lawn. A subscription list Is already
In circulation and should the commit
tee fail to secure the desired amount
the Commercial club will make ar
rangements to contribute the balance.
It was also decided at the meeting to
attend the Buell picnic on Friday.
MRS. ORA COSPER RE-ELECTED,
Oddfellows and Rehcknh Grand Lodg
es in Convention at XewKrt.
The Grand Lodge of Oddfellows in
session this week at Newport was the
most largely attended in the history
of the order. Officers present includ
ed: William Galloway, grand master;
John F. Hall, deputy grand master
H. S. Westbrook, grand warden; E. E.
Sharon, grand secretary; O. D. Doane,
grand treasurer; J. S. Fine, grand
marshal; B. M. Miller, grand con
ductor; A. J. Howell, grand guardian;
.1. A. Arbuckle, grand herald, and D,
S. Young, grand chaplain. The Grand
Lodge degree was conferred on 219
new members. There were 1500
members attending the convention.
The Rebekah assembly elected Rose
Palmer, president; Nellie Wattenburg,
vice-president; Mary Lankester, ward
en; Ora Cosper, secretary; Eda Jacobs,
treasurer and Emma Galloway, trustee
of home.
Sprinkling Cheap at Present.
Possibly because there is little need
for patronizing the pregon Power
company for aqua purl with which to
lay the dust on streets within the
corporate limits, the city council of
Independence is still delaying the mat
ter of fixing a price for water for the
purpose. The council, or at least
some of the members, are of the opin
ion that water should be contributed
without money and .without price, and
the talkflest is likely to continue un
til there is real need for the water.
Contracts Are Awarded.
At an adjourned meeting of the
council Wednesday evening the city
council awarded the contract for the
building of approximately 8000 Ilneat
feet of curbs to Holmes & Grant, their
bid for the work being 30 cents and
$2 each for corners. The oiling of
about twenty miles of streets was
awarded to the Star Transfer com
pany, the price for spreading the ma
terial being three-quarters of a cent.
URGE PERCENT SIGNED
OREGON HOP ASSOCIATION WILL
CONTROL WORLD'S MARKET.
Field Workers Continue to Turn
Contracts, and Headquarters
Greatly Encouraged.
In
If the predictions of the Oregon
Hop Growers' association come true,
by September 1 fully 70 per cent of
the acreage within the state will have
been signed up. Field workers are
now turning In contracts daily, and
have more than 50 per cent of the to
tal acreage within the control of the
association, which means that better
prices will obtain next fall. Those
growers who have subscribed stock
have paid 70 per cent of their sub
scriptions, thus placing the organi
zation on a safe and sound business
basis. It Is certain that the associa
tion will have the handling of more
hops this year than any other corpor
ation or Individual In the world. In
fact, there Is no other organization on
this globular wad that can approach
it for proportions. ' With this out
look, and the prospects for a good
crop, growers have every reason to be
sanguine.
The recent rains have given en
couragement to the hop growers of
the Willamette valley and with the
warm weather which will soon arrive
the yards are expected to make a re
markable growth. Hitherto many of
the yards have not' made the pro
gress which was desired because of
the lack of rain, but now this dan
ger is past and the yield should be
heavy unless unforseen circumstances
intervene. Reports from California
show that contracts there have al
ready been signed as high as 14 cents.
The growers ol California now are
wholly organized and the associations
in the two states will undoubtedly
form a powerful factor this season In
bringing good prices to the growers it
is declared.
AIRLIE OUTDOES ITSELF
FOUR GOOD ROADS DAYS IN AS
MANY WEEKS ARE PLANNED.
SEVENTY-EIGHT TO GRADUATE.
Dallas Loads Schools of County With
Thirty-One.
J. A. Churchill, superintendent of
public instruction, has announced that
the four-year high schools of Oregon
would graduate 2046 pupils, 831 of
whom are boys, and 1214 girls, this
spring. Portland, with three schools,
will have 366. Outside of the me
tropolis, Eugene leads with 107 and
Salem Is second with 102. The grad
uates from the schools of Polk county
are: Dallas, 81: Perrydale, 9; Mon
mouth, 12; Alrlle, 6; Independence,
21.
Illustrating the remarkable develop
ment of the schools of Oregon, Mr.
Churchill says that thirteen years ago
there were only five four-year high
schools, while now there are 118.
Commercial Organization starts Some
thing; of Real Benefit to Tliat
Rural Community.
The people of the Alrlle section are
becoming enthused over better high
ways, and are exerting themselves to
bring about the much-needed Im
provement of roads leading to and
from that center. At a session of the
Alrlle Commercial club Tuesday even
ing a committee was appointed to
perfect arrangements for a good road
day once each week for a period of
four successive weeks, the object being
to assemble men and teams from the
entire neighborhood for Bervlce upon
those highways requiring attention.
This committee is composed of Messrs.
C. A. French, J. W.. McBee, U C.
Caughy and M. L. Tubandt. Although
the dates have not as yet been decided
upon, it is known to the committee
that about forty teams will be donated,
and that practically every able bodied
male member of the community will
turn out and devote the day to bet
tering the condition of the several
roads.
In this undertaking the commercial
organization is to be congratulated
upon having been able to create suffic
ient enthusiasm to call forth such
liberal response to its appeal for help
In this direction. For a number of
years this Immediate section has been
quite badly neglected, much of the
money alloted to the district having
been expended in other parts of the
territory. Immediately following the
organization of the booster body a
movement was launched to get at
tention paid to Alrlie and the adjacent
country, and this concerted action has
brought forth fruit. In another col
umn of The Observer today, Road
master Finn is quoted as saying that
practically all the money allotted to
this district will be expended In and
around Alrlie, which statement will
certainly be received with rejoicing by
the people of that place.
in Dallas has Just returned from
three months' study of the European
battlefields, having been on the firing
line in France and Belgium. He col
lected over 400 fine colored slides for
the' stereoptlcan, Illustrating scenes
and conditions as they are on the
battle front. Dr. Lewtas will visit
Dallas next Monday, and will deliver
his fascinating lecture In the Metho
dist church Tuesday evening. Admis
sion 35 cents.
TAX CHANGE COMES TOMORROW.
Will But No Property.
Twenty-four years ago the late Cor
nelius Hughes made a will deeding
property he then owned to his heirs.
Since that time, however, this proper
ty, consisting of a ten-acre prune or
chard near town and some town prop
erty, had been disposed of by the own-
and at the time of his death he
had small means. The will is now
in the hands of County Judge Teal.
Mayor Will Return Soon.
Mr. John Bird returned this morn
ing from Portland. While there he
islted Mayor Klrkpatrlck, and learn
ed that the attending physician will
permit the patient to return to Dallas
ithin a few days.
Sheriff Orr Then Succeeds Treasurer
Holman as Collector of Taxes.
Tomorrow morniag Sheriff Orrv,beT
comes tax collector for Polk county,
succeeding Treasurer,. Holman, the last
legislature providing that this change
be made on May 22. The transfer
will be made without pomp or cere
mony, the treasurer simply surrender
ing this part of his work to the sher
iff's office after having made a state
ment to the county court.
The salary of the treasurer, which
is S1500 per year, the county court
having paid one-half of the amount
for tax collecting, will be reduced to
$750, but notwithstanding the shame
ful sum Mr. Holman will continue In
office, probably with the hope of bet
ter things In the future.
FARMERS ENTHUSIASTIC.
The Good Roads Movement Spreading
Throughout Polk County,
That the farmers of Polk county
have been brought to an appreciation
of the value of Improved highways Is
shown In a rather significant way by
the manner In which several comma
nlties have turned out this spring and
donated services in this commendable
cause. Farmers generally now favor
better roads and Insist that the county
court continue its generous policy in
this direction. There Is clamoring
from all sections for "road money,
and the court finds It a difficult prop
osition to comply with the requests
coming In from all quarters, In fact it
Is an impossibility. But the work Is
going forward rapidly, the purpose
being to make the Improvements as
permanent as funds in hand will per
mit. Time was when the farmers looked
with suspicion on good roads propos
als, believing that It was mainly a
Bcheme to fix up the country highways
for the use of automobllists and to
draw country trade to the cities. They
have gotten over this' idea, however,
and have discovered that the benefits
and advantages of good roads come to
them, even more than to others. They
have found that good roads are a good
Investment, and If retrenchment Is to
be made they want It done In other
directions. And when the farmers
want a thing they usually manage to
get It. Which is another way of say
ing that while Polk has made a fine
start-In the improvement of highways,
In a few years it probably will have
one of the best systems of roads to
be found anywhere In the state.
WOULD RECOVER DAMAGES.
Responsibility Rests With Bones.
From Independence comes a denial
of the statement that Prof. Bones re
signed his position in the schools of
that place rather than to apologize to
the board ot education. Our Inform
ant says the board requested an apol
ogy, but did not Insist that It be forth
coming to the extent of threatening
dismissal. The resignation was whol
ly the act of the teacher himself.
Hack From the War.
Rev. John Lewtas, the popular
evangelist and lecturer well known
CHRISTENS THE ARIZONA JUNE 19.
Hair for Grand Army Veterans.
On behalf of the local post of the
Grand Army of the Republic, The Ob
server on Tuesday urged that some
Dallas society present that organisa
tion with the stars and stripes, the
post being unable to provide flag.
When the Commercial club met the
following evening the matter was tak
en up with the result that the vet
erans will soon be presented with a
starry banner.
Boys Small Fruit Tract.
Sidney I Johnson, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Wynn Johnson, has purchased
tea acres of young orchard from J. N.
Conn, the consideration being $300-9.
The tract is planted to prune trees.
three years old. and adjoins the forty
acre orchard of his father, known as
Sidney orchards.
Kit 4 t jr'- I
V4 . J
Miss Esther Boas of Arizona has been appointed by Governor Hunt u
sponsor for our newest super-Dread nought at the Brooklyn navy yard.
Mrs. Morgan Seeks $7500 From the
Southern Pacific Company.
Suit; asking judgment for $7500 for
.the death of her husband, B. W. Mor
gan, on April 6, 1915, through the
alleged negligence of the Southern Pa
cific company, was filed against the
company yesterday by Blanche Mor
gan, says the Statesman. Plaintiff
claims that her husband was driving
along the Silverton road near that
city about 9:30 o'clock on the morning
of April 6, and that he was struck by
a Southern Pacific train, sustaining
injuries from which he died a few
hours later. Plaintiff alleges that her
husband was careful and that the de
fendants failed to whistle or ring a
bell to give warning and that the fire
man was on the right side of the loco
motive when he should have been on
the left side. Had the fireman been
on the left side It is claimed, he could
have seen the approaching team and
wagon.
Plaintiff places the loss of her hus
band's support and care at $7600 to
herself and six children ranging in
age from five months to fourteen
years.
MUST PUBUSH BUDGETS
SCHOOL LAW MAKES IMPORTANT
CHANGE IN PROCEDURE.
Where There Are no Newspapers No
tice Must Be Placed on School
House Door.
DR. BUTLER'S AUTO STOLEN.
Independence Physician's Car Taken
While He Attends Circus.
Stealing an automobile belonging to
Dr. C. W. Butler of Independence, af
ter the physician had left it near the
circus grounds in Salem Thursday
night while he attended the perform
ance, four young men had their joy
ride brought to an abrupt end, when
the machine skidded, crashed into the
curb and a telephone pole and was
wrecked. Apparently none of the oc
cupants of the stolen car were Injured,
for according to eyewitnesses, no soon
er had the car struck the pole, than
they leaped out and disappeared In
the darkness. The automobile had
one of the forward wheels broken off
and the engine was badly smashed.
Statesman.
Hereafter in making tax levies all
school districts in the state of Oregon
will be compelled by law to publish or
post a budget statement of the esti
mated amount of revenue required for
the ensuing year for the maintenance
of the schools, and It is also manda
tory that the districts in which high
schools are maintained, shall publish
or post notices of special or annual
meetings of the districts at least two
weeks before the meeting is held. In
districts where there are no newspa
pers the notice Is posted on the door
of the school house, but where news
papers are published the notice ap
pears in the papers. This is the sub
stance of a law passed at the 1915
session of the legislature.
Nothing was known of this law In
Lane county educational circles until
an attorney called the attention of) E.
Moore, county school superinten
dent to it yesterday. Inasmuch as the
annual meeting of the districts of the
county comes on the third Monday In
June, at which time the tax levies are
fixed, the clerks of the district have
little time to prepare the budgets and
notices of meetings. In case the new
law is not complied with through lack
of knowledge of the law or otherwise.
the tax will be null and void. The
new law is entitled:
An act to provide for a more ade
quate notice of school district meet
ings and to provide for the publica
tion of a budget of the estimated rev
enues required for the ensuing year."
It reads as-follows:
"Section 1. The clerk of any school
district maintaining high school grades
and in which a newspaper Is published
shall publish a notice of each annual
and each special meeting or election
in one or more of the newspapers pub
lished in said district and having a
general circulation in the district, at
least two weeks before such meeting Is
held, and in case no newspaper is pub
lished In such district, the clerk shall
post said notice on the school house
door In such district.
'Section 2. It shall be the duty of
the district clerk of any district at
least two weeks before a meeting Is
held for the purpose of levying taxes
to publish in one or more newspapers
published in the district and having a
general circulation, a budget state
ment of the estimated amount of rev
enue required for the ensuing year for
the maintenance of the school district,
and In districts in which no newspaper
Is published the clerk shall post such
budget on the door of the school
house In said district at least ten days
before the meeting. It shall be the
duty of the directors of any such dis
trict to make out and deliver to the
district clerk of their district, an Item
ized statement of the amount of rev
enues which may be required for the
purpose ofl carrying on the district
schools for the ensuing year, which
statement shall be signed by the
board of directors at a legally called
board meeting."
STEVENS OPENS GOAT DAIRY.
Falls City Man Engages In Bnslness
in State's Metropolis.
F. J. Stevens, who has a goat ranch
near Falls City, has opened a goat
dairy in Portland, having shipped
part of his herd to the metropolis last
week. Of the venture the Oregonlan
says: "The first sample of the goat
milk was sent to the milk laboratories
yesterday for analysis. The goat dairy
will be subject to Inspection the same
as dairies selling cow milk, according
to Instructions of City Health Officer
Marcellus. The goat milk Is used for
babies. Mr. Stevens says he hopes to -enlarge
his venture rapidly."
TRAIN KILLS AGED WOMAN.
Mrs. Letltla Evans Hit While Walk
ing Track to Daughter's Home.
Mrs. Letltla Evans. 62 years old, one
of the most prominent women of Mar
ion county, was killed last night by a
Shasta Limited train at Brooks. The
train struck her while she was walk
ing on the track to the home of her
daughter, Mrs. J. W. Fruit. Besides
her husband, she ts survived by four
children Dr. J. C. Evans, physician
at the State Insane asylum: H. C.
Evans, also of Salem; L. F. Evans of
Lostlne, and Mrs. Fruit She was a
daughter of the late John Savage, a
pioneer of Marlon, and a sister of
George O. Savage, a merchant of New
port, Oregon.
Young- Hoseer Denied Freedom.
Louis Husser, Sr., Informs The Ob
server that although great pressure
has been brought to bear upon the
case the release of his . son, Louis
Husser, Jr., who Is held In a detention
camp at Kingston, Canada, la now
considered quite Improbable until af
ter the close of the European war.
Oscar Hayter has been acting for Mr.
Husser.
Polk Leads All Others.
Polk county, perhaps has more pure
bred, registered cattle than any other
county in the state of Oregon. There
are 676 registered cattle of Jersey
breed with a total valuation of over
$1,500,000. Of these 151 are In the
register of merit, Indicating that num
ber of the very best cattle In the
country.
Dr. Dunsmore Here Temporarily.
Dr. H. C. Dunsmore of Indepen
dence, Polk county's representative at
the Panama-Pacific exposition, return
ed home Wednesday evening, his mis
sion being to perform the marriage
ceremony for his daughter. He win
return to San Francisco the first of
the week. ,
Remains of Pioneer Laid Away.
The funeral over the body of the
late Cornelius Hughes was held from
the undertaking parlor Wednesday af
ternoon, and was attended by the
Masonic order, of which he waa a
member, in a body. Interment vaa In
Oddfellows' cemetery.
Recent Births.
Born, to Mr. and Mrs. Webb Lewis
of Oak Grove, last Friday, a son.
Born, to Rev. and Mrs. F. W. Neal
at Dallas hospital last Friday, a son.
Born, to Mr. and Mrs. William Mil
ler of Salt Creek, on Friday last, a
son.