am VOL. 27 (THE HOME PAPER) DALLAS, POLK COUNTY. OREGON. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1915. (TWICE-A-WEEK) NO. 75 ENGLISH WALNUT AREA HUNDREDS OF ACRES PLANTED TO TREES IN POLK. Framquette and Mayette Predominate . and Quality Produced Is Consid ered Par Excellence. English walnut culture - in Polk county is no longer an experiment, several groves having matured in ex cellent condition and are producing, in abundant yields, a fine quality of walnuts tor an eager market cut the J larger number of groves are- imma- i tare, a majority of them having been J planted four or five years since. The I Greatest area devoted to walnut cul- t ture is that near Monmouth, planted ' by Charles Ireland and now owned and controlled by a company known as the Monmouth Walnut tracts, and containing approximately ZOO acres. This tract has been sub-divided and sold to various parties, who are rear ing the trees with the greatest of care in .the hope of developing remu nerative propositions. J. rt. stump I, of the same place has a grove of bear i ing trees, as has also Ira Powell. H. 'i L. Crider has quite a large tract of I four or five-year-old trees east of town. While these trees are matur- .' , ing Mr. Crider expects to reap a har- vest of prunes from the same ground, he having planted these fruit trees as ! fillers. Wear by is thirty acres plant- ; ed to English walnut trees, known as the Ja.. A. Thompson tract, which Mr i Thompson recently traded to Mr. Hammel of Albany in a deal for stock ; in Hotel Albany. Since coming into I- possesion of this grove Mr. Hammel ; who is looking after its progress very carefully. On the old Ewing place, i, near rolk station, William Light has fifteen acres of bearinsr trees which i., are producing somewhere around 700 to 900 pounds per annum, and ad- 'joining is Dr. Mark Hayter's young grove or .twelve acres, Probably the largest grove in the county outside of the sub-divided tract located near Mon mouth is that of H. C. Eakin at Rick meall, where that grower has fifty acres of trees five and six years old, some of which are bearing to some extent. There are others in the coun ty who have smaller groves, and all are of the opinion that eventually V l-rtllr itnnnhi will Ha a luiitra nsittit- in ' vregon for these appreciated nuts. f rom a single iull-Dearing tree it is not uncommon to harvest several Dushels of quits, and when it is con sidered that ithey sell at from 16 to 20 cents per pound English walnut raising must appeal as being attrac tive from a financial standpoint. Time was in the Willamette valley when walnut culture .was deemed expert mental by reason of the excessive rainfall and the general humidity on account of the prevailing heavy fogs, butt these theories have long since ' been exploded, and some of the mar kets' choicest nuts now comes from this territory. Those who understand the Conditions necessary to English walnut production, and who are fa miliar with climatic conditions of polk county, will immediately say that raising the nuts here successful ly has never been an experiment, but that the -results in every case have proven satisfactory. Those who have undertaken it find that there is no natural causes to prevent production of perfect walnuts. The Franquette is the chief variety tried here, although there are trees of the Mayette variety. The quality in each case is par excellence. Those wbo have been watching these trees with some interest declare that they prove that the English walnut may become a very valuable crop here. A nut grove is much less troublesome than an orchard of any kind; much less liable to harm from radical weather conditions or ravage by pests; much more hardy than most truit trees and its product rinds s much more steady and ready market No losses are sustained in shipment; the rates are cheaper because less ex pensive provision is necessary and much less loss attends the ban-est of ,the crop. The nuts are easily grad , ed and handled. The Observer pre dicts mat the English walnut produc tion will have a place in commercial reports in the future not far distant and that the owners of groves will be quite as partial to them as tbey may be of any other tree crop they may undertake to produce here for profit. tu.res sent otit by the General Elec tric company. The pictures 'consisted of four reels, entitled "Back to the Farm," showing the Pittsfield works of the General Electric company and many interesting features of the great work carried on there. A story was woven into the exhibition that made comedy, romance and educa tion. By viewing the pictures several hundred Dallas people, and especially the school children who attended one of the several fiee shows, got an al together new idea of the extensive scope of the great electric equipment company. Manager Martin lof the power company and O. C. bmith or the Grant theater, co-operated to pre sent the pictures free of cost. MERGER IS SUGGESTED COMMERCIAL AND LA CREOLE CLUBS PLAN CONSOLIDATION Latter Organization Takes Initiative, and Booster Body Appoints Com mittee to Investigate. - . LASTiRAILS ARE DOWN CONTRACTOR COMPLETES EX TENSION ON TEAL CREEK, Surveying Crew Mapping Out Route for Continuation of Line to Siletz Basin. If ho unforseen obstacle presents itself, Contractor Gilo, who is build ing three miles of logging railroad up Teal creek for the Falls City Lum ber company, or its successor, will have completed the undertaking by oaturday night, when the crew will be dismissed. Work on this exten sion has been in progress since last June, and gives the lumbering con cern a track into the woods seven miles in length, and penetrates some of the finest timber on the coast. It is this road which the new interests that have taken over the extensive sawmill at Falls City contemplates continuing into the Cobb and Mitchell holdings, about seven miles beyond the present terminus of the line. An engineering corps is now engaged in surveying the proposed extension, and it is more than probable that work on it will be inaugurated as early as possible in the spring. Since last June Contractor Gilo has had a crew of workmen constantly employed on the Teal creek line. There is still much speculation as to when the sawmill will resume oper ations, no one in the city by the falls of the Little Luckiamute having any definite information on the subject, It is somewhat generally talked, how ever, that the wheels will be jet in motion within sixty days, but this is only surmise. It is quite certain that the mill will not remain idle long, the improvement in market conditions having a tendency to strengthen this belief. As a representative of the board of directors of, the La Creole club, A. L. Martin appeared at the meeting of the Commercial club on Wednesday evening and asked the consideration of that body on the question of a merger of the two organizations. The discussion of the subject that the members of the Commercial club en tered into resulted in the appointment of a committee of three, comprising W. L. Soehren, E. K. Piasecki and Tracy Staats, to confer with a similar committee appointed by the initiators of the plan, and the two to confer with the Salem Commercial club to get the plan and ideas which were employed in the merger there. The idea, as advocated by the directors of the La Creole club, was given much thought by those present at the Com mercial club meeting and when the committee appointed reports back it is very likely ithat it will meet with much enthusiastic support from the Commercial club. No definite step could be taken at this time, however, as a result of the invitation of the social club, other than the appoint ment of a committee to confer with the Salem club The matter of graveling the wagon track, a railroad property near the depot, was referred by Vice-President N. I. Guy to W. L. Soehren, chairman of the railroad committee, and Mr. Soehren will urge that this work be done by the railroad. The matter of sending the Dallas band to the Dallas Lebanon game at the latter city on Ihursday next, as suggested by J. E. French on behalf of the High School TO ELEVATE STANDARD BAR ASSOCIATION DESIROUS OF HAVING REAL LAWYERS. Proof of High School Education and Three Years' Study, Named Among the Requirements. LUMBER RATE HEARING INTERSTATE COMMERCE COM MISSION HEARS COMPLAINTS Portland Sawmill Owners Content That Rate Establishes Preferen tial of Four Cents. Athletic association, was vetoed by the club, and the band will take no Thanksgiving trip. Other matters to come before the club were of a rou tine nature, including the reading of communications and the allowing of a few bills. FUNERAL THIS AFTERNOON. Data For Arguments Set The habeas corpus case of Mollie Bowers vs. Milt. Grant and wife, ap - pealed from Polk county to the su preme court, will be heard by the latl ter judicial body on December 1. vt al ter Too re will appear for the plain tiff and Sibley and Holman for the defense. The action was brought to recover to the mother the child now in possession of the Grants, which ease has been heard and reheard in the local courts for some time past. Educational Films Shown. At a free matinee on Tuesday after . noon the Oregon Power company pre sented to large audiences at the Grand theater free educational motion pie- Examiner Butler of the Interstate Commerce commission is today hear ing the Willamette vallev lumber rate case, which the Portland mills are at tempting to have the Southern Pacif ic abolish. The Portland lumbermen contend that the rate in effect estab lishes a preferential of about 4 cents per 100 pounds on lumber milled in the valley. That the district so in cluded is bounded by the south line of the rortland city limits they as sert to be proof that the southern Pacific hi deliberately planning to shut out Portland from the benefits of the interior California trade. The valley mills, on the other hand, con tend themselves entitled to a lower rate because of the shorter haul. They say they have no chance to ship their lumber by water to the California ports. The valley mills are pointing to general discrimination against it hem in regard to distribution of lumber in districts other than interior California, particularly along the Great Northern, Milwaukee, Northern Pacific, Canadian Pacific and the Soo line, to reach which points the valley mills have to pay the local rate into Portland before the through rate ap plies. I Upon the final result of the hearing much depends. The mills of the Wil lamette valley have long been at dis advantage in competition with mills having water transportation facili ties, and a strenuous effort will be made by them to sustain the Southern Pacific company in its contention that because of the shorter haul to Cali fornia points the valley mills are en titled to the consideration given. The case was instituted by the Inman Poalsen Lumber company and the Western Lumber company of Port land, who are seeking to have the rate set aside, holding that the Portland is being discriminated against. Late Edward Biddle Will Be Interred By Brother Lodgemen. Funeral services over the remains of the late Edward Biddle, whose de mise on Monday saddened his many friends, will be held at the Chapman parlors at 1:JU this afternoon and in ferment will be at the I. 0. O. F. cem etery. Jennings Lodge, number 9, I. O. O. F., will have charge of the ser vices and a large number of lodgemen will gather to pay their final tribute of respect to their departed brother. Mr. Biddle was at one time grand high priest of Royal Arch Masons in Oregon and was for eight years high priest of Ainsworth chapter. Only tew relatives can be present at the services, including Louis S. Biddle of Virginia City, Nevada, who has arriv ed in Dallas. Until the hour of the funeral the remains may be viewed at the Chapman parlors. Scouts to Tackle Corvallis. A game of basketball between the Dallas and Corvallis Boy Scouts has been arranged for December 4, to be played at the latter place. The lo cals are now in practice, and hope to bnng home a victory. PSHAWiWHAT'STNEUSE RACE SUICIDE CAUSE GIVEN FURTHER ENCOURAGEMENT. Attorney General Rules That Quanti ty of Booze Per Family Must Be Same Throughout the Game. New Club Booms. The new club rooms of the Wood men of the World are being greatly enjoyed these evenings by member of that organization. That only two quarts of whisky or two dozen bottles of beer can be se cured monthly in 1916 by any family, whether it consists of two persons or ten or whether all are full grown, was the ruling of Attorney General Brown in answer to an inquiry. The inquiry er wanted to know if in a household where the family consisted of a par ent, two sons over 25 and a daughter or du, all or tnem earning separate incomes, they could not individually secure liquor. In holding that they could not, Mr. Brown quoted a defi nition of a family, as follows : "In its ordinary and primarv sense the term signifies the collective bodv of persons living in one house, or un der one head or manager, or one do mestic government; the relations be tween such persons necessarily being or. a permanent or domestic character, not that of persons abiding tempor arily together as strangers; a house hold; those who live under the same roof with the pater families, wbo form bis fireside." The law says it shall be unlawful for any one person or family to re ceive a shipment of more than two quarts of whisky or Uro dozen bottles of beer during four consecutive weeks. To devise: a plan that would bring snore efficient and better prepared banisters before the bar in Oregon, Oscar Hayter, and his colleagues on the examining board of the Oregon State Bar ; association, have been working for many months. Theire are hundreds of lawyers in the state who were admitted to practice in the early days who are unable to cope with present day conditions to a de gree that insures even as much as a livelihood. These men passed the bar examination when that barricade was more or less of a joke. It was cus tomary to pass every applicant for a certificate to practice law in this state, and no matter how little the applicant knew of law he had a reas onable assurance that he would get that certificate. This is not in depre ciation of the many excellent gentle men and able lawyers who were ad mitted in the early days, but of that element of the whole which is incap able of earning its way properly in the profession. Young men taking up a legal practice, without a reas onable foundation in training, had no chance of making headway, and to their sorrow they have wound up in a maze of learned competition that absolutely shuts them out of the le gal business of the day. In Polk county there were men who had nev er much more than glanced at law books of any kind who were admitted to the bar, and to practice of all kinds. It is with the idea of giving young men who would become lawyers reasonable assurance of an honest liv lihood and a good and reputable prac tice, that the examining board is plan ning for its future. Applicants will be required to present proof of hav ing had at least a high school educa tion or its equivalent and must show that they have studied law for three years. These requirements will be augmented by the examination that will test an applicant's knowledge of the things he claims to be versed in, The plan.will not make, a Jjarrier to anyone property tilted .to practice, and will further elevate the profession by giving some assurance that the men before the bar are lawyers. special tax for this year say that it would create a fund of about $1,700, which in addition to the tegular levy is quite sufficient under present fi nancial conditions. Others who are enthusiastically in favor of -good roads are willing to strain a point and go the limit, believing that good roads are business getters for the community. It is proposed to im prove the road between Falls City and Pedee. Eph Wiley says he is not as un reasonable as some. Eph doesn't wish to be able to sleep under a blanket during the hot months. All he asks is to be able to sleep comfortably on top of the spread. MAY YIELD TO DEMAND TAX FOR BRIDGE MAY BE IN CORPORATED IN BUDGET. County Court Considering Splitting Cost, Making Cost of Structure Cover Two Years. ELECTRIC LINE IS PLAN SOUTHERN PACIFIC TO CHANGE CORVALLIS-WHITES0N LINE Legislation Is Pending, But Action Preliminary to Alteration of System Is Passible. Will Plant Strawberries. J. C. Stingley, who has a small plot of land near the -reservoir, will set about an acre to strawberry plants next spring. He will set Clark's seedlings, this variety being considered the best shippers. The soil of this section is ideal for straw berry culture. It is here that Mr. Fisher and "Frank Coad each have several acres of strawberry plants, from which they realize handsomely. . Fenton'i Ghost to Appear, i On Friday evening, December 3, the Perrydale high school will present a play entitled, "The Fenton Ghost," at the 'high school auditorium in this city. The proceeds from the enter tainment are for the benefit of the gymnasium fund of that school, and the cause being worthy and the play one of real merit, there should be a large attendance. DISCUSS SPECIAL LEVY BUSINESS MEN OF FALLS CITY ARE FOR GOOD ROADS. Special Meeting of Tax-Payers Vote on Proposition Called for Saturday, November 27. to At a meeting of the Falls City Bus iness Men's club Tuesday evening President Mebrling presided, and heard a discussion of the question of raising a special tax for the further improvement of highways in district number 21 next year. A meeting for the purpose of voting on the propo sition has been called for November 27, and the amount to be raised is practically the only question to be settled, a large majority of the tax payers favoring creation of a special fund to be expended in bettering the condition of the roads leading to Falls City. There appears to be some dif ferences of opinion as to the millage ax to be levied, some believing that it should be three mills, while others express more moderate ideas concern ing it There is a probability that under the circumstances a comprom ise will be effected at the meeting on the date named, and that the special tax will be levied according to pro gram. The district last year levied a spec ial tax of three mills, which raised approximately $5,000 for road work. A goodly portion of this amount was expended on the new trunk line to Newport. Those favoring a one-mill Electrification of the Southern Pa cific line between Whiteson and Cor vallis will be made possible soon af ter the first ox the year by legislation now pending before1 the city council of Corvallis, and which will be up for final consideration next Monday night. Ralph E. Moody, attorney for the oouthera faciho, has just return ed from San Francisco, where he con ferred with other company officials on the subject. He reports that the southern Pacific is eager to proceed with the electrification, and hopes to have the work done early in the year. Two ordinances now are pending before the Corvallis council, and one of them probably will be read the secona time and ordered published at tfie meeting next Monday. Under the Corvallis charter an ordinance must be published for 60 days before it can finally be passed and become effective. However, the Southern Pa cific, meanwhile, can arrange a lot of preliminary work, so that it can start actual electric construction in the city of Corvallis as soon as the measure goes into effect. By completing this link of 43 miles between Whiteson and Corvallis, the Southern Pacific will have a complete electric line between rortland a nd Corvallis, with an alternate electric route between rortland and McMinn- ville. . The greater part of the ma terial tor the proposed improvement is now stored at McCoy, and has been for a long tune past. STORE HAS NEW OWNER SIMONTON & SCOTT RETIRE FROM GROCERY TRAFFIC, Mr. Tankersly of Corvallis Purchases Court Street Stock, and Is Now In Possession. The stock and good will of the Si monton & Scott grocery store, one of the best-known establishments of its class in the city, has been transferred to E. N. Tankersly, recently of Cor vallis. Mr. Tankersly has been negoti ating with the owners of the store for several weeks and only on Wednes day evening did they agree to terms of sale. Mr. Simonton is to release his holdings, but will remain in the store tor the time being to assist the new owner. That Mr. Tankersley is a good groceryman is attested by the several successful stores he conducted before he came to Oregon just a year ago. He has spent most of his life in Texas and for many years has been a merchant. At Corvallis he was in the First National bank, from which he withdrew to enter the grocery bus iness here. Inventory of the stock of the Si monton & Scott store was started on Wednesday evening and is now prac tically completed. The stock will be re-arranged by the progressive new owner, who will conduct a strictly cash business. Mr. Tankersly has seen the development of the Green Trading stamp idea and has a great opinion of its success, so that the lit tle green premiums will be a feature of the business of the new store. Mr. Tankersly first came to Dallas about three weeks ago and started the ne gotiations that this week concluded in the transfer of the store. It was thought for a time that he would es tablish another store here, but this be refused to do until he had attempted to get one of those already establish ed. Mr. Tankersly recognizes this as a good field for tbe grocery business and he intends to conduct his store along the most approved lines of bus iness. Meeting of Elks Tonight, AH local Elks should remember the meeting at tbe council chamber this evening, and be present. Messrs. Patterson and Parks of the eastern part of Polk eounty were Dal las visitors on Tuesday. Because there seems to be no al ternative it is very likely that the Polk county court, at its reirular meet ing early next month, will include in the annual budget some provision for the inter-county bridge, and that structure may get a start in the world . by next spring. The bridge question has become famous in the short time it has been in the public mind and on the public tongue of the two coun ties. It has called forth a great var iety of engineering talent that has put ' the fear of death into the hearts of the hundreds who daily cross the bridge, and shiver every bone in their bodies for fear the gallant wind will throw itself into the high and speed up to twenty-five miles an hour' with the disastrous result that the old, weak and dejected bridge would col lapse like so much box-wood, and would be washed away to an eventual fine powder by the surging torrent of the mighty Willamette that charges on its tempetuous way beneath the ghostly bridge. People who never be fore knew fear are up in arms, crying for the preservation of the race that would perish from the face of the earth when the twenty-five mile wind pushed our historic old monument to transportation into the river, and are criticising the county court for its in activity. The engineering talent has said that the bridge was a physical myth, that it should be immediately condemned and the traffic allowed to swim the stream, and on the heels of its utterances has also said a limited traffic, say 1400 pounds to the foot, might safely travel over the bridge, for a year or so. Salem merchants got the talent to switch its .remarks of condemnation, but now, it seems, some, of the same element have gathered in high coun cil to Bay that the bridge cannot with stand the ravages of the wind. Then, too, after an estimated repair cost of $500 had stretched itself into $1350, and after Mr. Holmes and Mr. Cantine and Mr. Morse, representing the well known bridge builder, Ralph Modjes ki, had inspected the structure. The . , bridge, therefore, is closed to traffic during gales. But that isn't the end of the story. The next chapter opens with the inspecting epidemic stamped out after all available inspectors have had a finger in the pie. Nine chances to ten the bridge will be ordered clos ed permanently. In Buch an event there is only one way out for the Polk county court. That body must make arrangements to care for its share of the cost of a new bridge. The opin ion expressed by Judge Teal yester day that the bridge cost could be in cluded, at least in part, in the budget that will be prepared early in Decem ber, is undoubtedly founded well. But to care tor this cost will mean that other very necessary improvement work will have to be set aside for a year or two, and that the tax rate in the county will remain the same as it was last year, rather than being de creased by several mills as Judge Teal had hoped to do next month. There must be a bridge, and if the present structure is forced to remain idle the only thing that can be done is for -Polk county to heed what are practi cally demands from Salem and help build a new one. At best only a part of the cost could be provided in the budget this year and work could not be started until spring. Rainy weath er would again set in before the bridge was finished and it could not be completed before the end of the following summer. Therefore, if the inspectors get a majority vote that the bridge is as useless as a nanny- goat in a deep well it will be two years before Polk county people have the excruciating pleasure of patro nizing aalem commercial interests, which will have been largely respon sible for condemning the present structure. Judge Teal, in common with a majority of Polk county peo ple, thinks that tbe present bridge would serve well its purpose for another year or so, or until the eoun ty can fairly and squarely ask over burdened taxpayers to dig up the cost . of a new one. This thing of having farms confiscated for taxes and per sonal property sold at auction to sat isfy the sheriff's judgment seems Jb have escaped Marion eounty in the near vicinity of the paved streets and large commercial houses, where the principal hives of new-bridge agita tion may be found on any dark even ing. But if the old bridge is not to be, a new bridge must be, so the quick er Judge Teal an his commissioners bring themselves to the drastic duty of duplicating the assessment of last year, the sooner will engineers and Sale mites be happy and peaceful. Read tbs Advertisements. Readers of The Observer are invit ed to peruse tbe advertisements in these columns before making their holiday purchases.