Image provided by: Portland General Electric; Portland, OR.
About Eastern Clackamas news. (Estacada, Or.) 1916-1928 | View Entire Issue (March 8, 1917)
EASTERN CLACKAMAS NEWS D evoted to the Interests o f Eastern V olume 10, N umber 25 E stacada , O regon , T hursday , PROPOSED CHEESE FACTORY MEETS SET-BACK DIMICK EXPLAINS S 2 2 0 0 BRIDGE DEAL More Cooperation Needed To Assure Industrial Growth Implies Wastfulness Aimed At Local Supervisors A rather discouraging condi tion now faces the committee in charge o f the soliciting o f stock and contracts for the proposed cheese factory at Estacada, with most o f the real interest in the project confined to those farmers residing in Springwater, Viola and points on the south side of the river. The only reason that can be as signed for this change o f attitude, is due to certain statistics obtain ed by meml>ers o f the committee from one or two similar indus tries in the state, which statis tics have had the effect o f dis heartening some of the promoters. Then furthermore, there is a difference o f opinion as to the merits of a cheese factory as com pared with the establishment o f a local sweet cream station, or the starting o f a creamery. There are few farmers but a- gree that any industry which would centralize the marketing o f the dairy products, would be a success, but as has happened here and elsewhere before, real cooperation is lacking. All admit that moremoney can be made by the farmers if they profit by both the manufacture and sale o f the milk and no good reason has been presented why the dairy products o f this com munity cannot be manufactured at a profit here, as well as at more distant points. Despite a few disheartening figures which have been brought to the attention o f the committee, the cheese making industry at large is a good paying proposi tion and there is no reason why this community cannot accom plish what other Oregon districts are. Through the traffic department o f the P. R. L. & P. Co., the News is this week in receipt o f a letter, stating that a Seattle com pany is looking for a location in Oregon, where a daily supply of 100,000 pounds o f milk can be obtained. This district, a t this time could not furnish such a volume o f milk, but the very fact that capital is looking for locations to manufacture dairy products, in dicates that a profit can be made and this community should get aboard the industrial wave, or be washed aside into the calm obli vion o f the back-waters. Herbert A. Emerson, Deputy Commissioner of Foods and Mar kets o f the State o f New York, told about 200 business men and farmers in Eugene the other day, that " I f the war in Europe con tinues another year, the produc tion o f dairy products in Russia and Siberia, which have in the Concluded on third page While the News has never re ceived any direct explanation of the difference between the $2200 paid by the taxpayers for the Eagle Creek Falls bridge and the $340. paid to the contractors, which condition was brought out in connection with the recent Cascade County movement, the News is pleased to reproduce herewith the nearest to an ex planation that has turned up, be ing a letter received bv forme Road Supervisor D. M. Marshall o f Estacada, from Ex-County Judge Grant B. Dimick o f Ore gon City. Oregon City, Oregon March 1, 1917 Mr. M. Marshall, Estacada, Or. Dear Sir: I have h^ard considerable regard ing the buildiSK of the bridge at Eagle Creek Fall«, and the misrepresentations that have been made by a number of people living at Estacada. Now you were supervisor at the time that bridge was built, if I remem ber correctly, and when the question a- rose as to the building of that bridge, there were two other questions involv ed that were considered by the Court at the same time. One was the build ing of the bridge under a contract price o f (349.00. The other was the building of the road around the hill South o f the bridge, instead of going over the sharp point followed by pioneers in the early settlement o f tnat country, and the improvement of the road from near the Grange Hall at Eagle Creek up to the bridge, and the whole amount of the improvement which hinged o n the bridge construction was estimated to entail ai. outlay of some $2290 and the Court went out and went over the pro posed improvements and approved the same. The records show that the bridge was built and $340 was paid therefor, and the report of the supervisors show that the other work was done and the money paid therefor If this money was not properly expended it was the fault of the supervisor who had charge o f that work, and it requires more than an Es tacada "boomer” to make me believe that you or Henry Johnson or any sup ervisor who had charge of that work ever misappropriated one dollar of that money. Yours very truly, Grant B. Dimick i It will be noted from the above letter that the difference o f $1850. was expended on road work, ex tending from the Eagle Creek ■Grange Hall to the top o f the Eagle Creek canyon hill in Gar field District No. 10., represen ting many miles o f road. Granted this explanation is cor rect, then why did Mr. Dimick state before the House Commit tee on Counties in the last legis lature, that the bridge cost $2200? It looks very much as though Mr. Dimick purposely misrepresent ed. for money expended for road construction has no business be ing charged to bridge building. If, as has been sum m ed, that the county records are in such a disgraceful condition that $1860 is charged to a wrong account, it is all the more necessary that Clackamas County M arch 8, 1917 High School Plans Being Considered The Estacada school hoard have been busy for the past two weeks, inspecting the various sets o f plans for high school build ings, being submitted by many o f the leading architects o f the state. The sale o f the bonds was to have been advertised for an ear ly date, but as the law states that the State Land Board shall have the first option on the purchase o f same, correspondence with this hoard developed the fact that the Land Board is anxious to pur chase the-bonds and will proba bly pay par or above, or at least pay as much as offered by outside bidders. O f the plans considered, all are attractive and embody the latest up-to-date school facilities, with well ventilated class rooms and a large general assembly room, cap able o f seating from 500 to 650 people. The exterior views as submitted, guarantee the erection o f a beautiful building and one which will be a show-spot for Estacada. some competent a u d i t o r s be employed to straighten out a sys tem which is as unbusinesslike as Clackamas County’s seems to be, or apparently was during years past. You will note from the above letter a tendency to shift the re sponsibility onto Messrs. Marshall and Johnson, who at that time were the supervisors in the two districts adjoining the bridge. It should be unnecessary to state that no taxpayer in Eastern Clackamas County has ever even insinuated that any misappropria tion o f funds was traceaole to the road supervisors, nor have any insinuations or charges o f other than wasteful methods been ad vanced against the former county courts. But that an obsolete, in adequate, unbusinesslike system o f keeping Clackamas County’s records is claimed and this con tention is backed by the latest finding o f the expert accountants, who lately went over the records and who a few years ago made a preliminary audit. Taken altogether, the above explanation from Judge Dimick is a feeble one, indicating clearly that he either intended to misrep resent the local bridge expendi tures, or admitting that the sys tem for keeping the expenditures segregated, is a rotten one. If Judge Dimick has any fur ther explanations to make on this subject, or others pertaining thereto, the columns o f the News are open for his version, but to try to insinuate that charges o f misappropriation o f moneys by the local road supervisors are be ing made by "an Estacada boom er” will in no ways shift the res ponsibility nor satisfactorily ex plain the wastefulness. $1. P er Y ear Suit To Break Road Tax A suit was begun in Oregon i City last Saturday, by P. E. Linn | o f Garfield, the Union Lumber Co. and other lumber ‘concerns, owning land in Road District No. 49, against Clackamas County and Sheriff Wilson, for the an nulment o f the 1916 road tax in that district. This road district at its last meeting duly voted in favor o f the 10 mill special road tax, which has been current for several years and while in former years, attempts have been made to an nul the vote o f the resident tax payers this is the first time that a suit has been actually begun. If this tax is declared illegal, is will do away with the majority o f the contemplated road building in the upper Garfield district, de spite the wishes o f the residents and land owners therein. Hotel Probably Will Remain Closed F. D. Hunt, Traffic Manager of the P. R. L. & P. Co., was an Estacada business visitor last Monday. Mr. Hunt holds out little hopes o f the Hotel Estacada being opened up this season and owing to the generally quiet busi ness conditions with his company, expects that the contemplated appropriation for the improve ment o f the Estacada Park and pavilion will not materialize. Cascade Measure Cannot Get On June Ballot After receiving the best o f le gal advice from leading attorneys and final word from the Secre tary o f State, the promoters o f the Cascade County movement finally gave up hopes o f being able to get the measure placed upon the ballot at the coming June 4th election. As this election is in the nature of a special election, and as the legislature specifically stipulated the measures that were to be vot ed upon, there is no loop-hole through which the new county creation can be submitted to a vote o f the people o f this coun ty, before the next general elec tion in November 1918. Slander Suit Begun l Walter Givens o f Estacada, through his attorneys, E. W. Bartlett o f Estacada and George C. Brownell of Oregon City, on Monday entered 3uit at Oregon City, asking $25,000 damages against M. J. K erkesof Portland, for alleged slander.
