INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESS OF OUR HOME STATE B E R R IE S N E E D P IC K IN G . F A R M BR IN G S $ 5 6 ,9 0 0 . C ro p A bundant and P rice s G ood, but J . Johnson Buys Farm f o r $ 1 5 ,0 0 0 ; Indians Have Failed. C lears $ 4 1 ,0 0 0 in 2 Years. Hood River— The berry season has commenced in earnest with a shipment o f 150 crates. It is now expected that the shipments will double rapidly and that by the first o f the week the season will be on in full force. Prices for berries are good, but pickers scarce. It is believed that growers are up against the most serious shortage of labor this year ever known, and that unless it is obtained quickly consider­ able loss will be sustained. The large number of Indians who unsually come into the valley, it is said by Joseph Tayhi, the Indian foreman who has for several years supplied hundreds o f his fellow tribesmen and their squaws, will not be here this year, as they have found employment looking after their places on the reservation. This has thrown a big scare into the growers, who are making every effort to secure pickers from Portland, the Willamette valley and Eastern Oregon. The highest prices ever paid for picking berries prevail, but it is feared that not half enough will come into the valley to gather the crop. Many o f the school children are being asked to help out the ranchers as soon as school closes. May 20, and everyone who can be spared will, take a hand at berry picking . A number of orchard- owners who are living in town and hav­ ing their places looked after by hired help announce that they will give their friends a lift, but it is estimated that the valley must secure 2,000 outsiders to get the crop to market. T O O M U C H FO R L IG H T S . E xp e rim e n ts W ith M e te r S how s B ig S aving O ve r F lat Rate. Salem— Beginning June 1, the state o f Oregon will buy electricity for all state institutions by meter instead of on a flat rate as at present, which, it is believed will mean a saving to the state o f from $3,000 to $5,000. As an experiment about a year ago meters were installed and as a result the change will be made at once. During 11 months, beginning June 1, 1909, and ending April 30, 1910, the state paid the Portland Railway, Light & Power company $12,048.31 at a flat rate for lights which would have been at meter rates $9,838.05, or a saving o f $2,210.26. No effort was made to conserve the power for lights under the flat rate, while every super­ intendent o f the state institutions un­ der the meter system will be instructed not to burn lights not absolutely need­ ed, so Governor Benson and the new chief clerk, H. H. Corey, believe the saving will reach nearly $5,000 a year. The state also pays $123 per month, flat for power otherwise than that util­ ized for lights, or during the 11 months mentioned a total o f $1,353. Under the meter rates the bill for power would have been, for the same period, $429. _________ Lebanon F a ir June 15, 16, 17. Lebanon— The Strawberry Fair and Festival committee held a meeting this week, at which the dates for the fair were set for June 15, 16 and 17, when the growers say the berries will be at their best. Last year the fair was held on June 5 and was two weeks too early to get the best berries in the ex­ hibits. This year the delicious fruit will ripen at least a week earlier, and the fair is set for nearly a week, later, which should bring the fair on at the very height o f the berry season. B ig New M ill W ill S ta rt. Wallowa— The first trainload o f logs for the big Nibley-Mimnaugh Lumber company’s mill has arrived at the mill. A large number of logs are banked out, ready to be delivered. The mill is ready. The mill has a capacity o f 50,- 000 feet per day and is the largest of ten mills which will market a tots', of 30,000,000 feet of lumber here an­ nually. B e rrie s Ripe a t U m atilla. Umatilla— The first strawberries of the season were put on the market here early last week and came from the Mc­ Farland and Edwards ranches. The berries are a good size and much more luscious than the California fruiL Cherries are now beginning to ripen and will be put on the market soon. O re Find D ra w s M iners. Myrtle Creek— Excitement among miners has been caused by a recent find four miles above Canyonville, where a wide dike o f ore, carrying chalcopyrite yielding $14 to $26 to the ton, has been discovered. Seventeen locatior.*- were made and several more will be made immediately. P lanning C h e rry O rc h a rd . Eugene— E. M. Warren, who owns the tract of land on Bailey hill on which was located the old Tom Segar prune orchard, has grubbed up7every tree in the orchard, 16 acres, and may plant the tract to Royal Ann cherries n the near future. Eugene— One of the largest deals in real estate made in Eugene for some time is the sale o f the Jonathan John­ son farm, known as the old B. F. Dunn place, half mile north o f the city limits of Eugene and containing 1,138 acres., to W. B. Holeman, o f Puyallup, Wash. The prire paid for the tract was $50 an acre, or $56,900. Two years ago Mr. Johnson paid $15,000 for the place. Mr. Holeman, who is cashier of the First National bank o f Puyallup, will move to Eugene to reside and will erect a fine residence on a hill on the tract which he has just purchased. A part o f the farm lies on a sloping hill and a part in a beautiful valley ex­ tending from Spencer's Butte six miles to the city o f Eugene. Mr. Holeman will divide the farm into smaller tracts and will plant most of it to fruit, as it is admirably adapted to that culture. As a further example o f the rise in land values in this vicinity, Mr. John­ son, the seller of this tract, two years and a half ago bought the Whitney farm o f 200 acres, which has recently been bought by Seattle capitalists, for $37.50 an acre, and six months later sold it to J. O. Storey, of Portland, for $60 an acre. Two years later, only a few days ago, Mr. Storey sold the tract to J. P. Howe and others, o f Seatlte, for $250 an acre. Roadway to Jose ph ine 's Caves. Grants Pass— To make more pleas­ ant the trip to the caves this summer the great limestone labyrinths of Gray- back mountain, known as Oregon’s Marble Halls, will be put in shape to receive visitors at an early date. These caves are said to be the largest marble halls in the world, and every year are visited by tourists from all sections o f the United States. Form­ erly the caves were controlled by pri­ vate individuals, but are now within the confines o f the Siskiyou forest re­ serve, and much the same as a national park. They will be protected and cared for by rangers of the forset serv­ ice, in fact, one o f the main camps of the rangers ¿s near the entrance to the labyrinths. Thousands o f people would visit the caves but for the hard journey. Lo­ cated 55 miles south o f Grants Pass and with the last 22 miles of the dis­ tance covered only by a narrow, rough and tortuous mountain trail, the trip to the marble halls is anything but pleasant, and can only be made by the aid o f pack animals. The government, through its appropriations for such purposes, will construct a road to the caves from the main highway at W il­ liams valley, and will provide suitable shelter at the caves. Being situated in the heart o f the forest and well up on the Siskiyous, the entrance to the caves is an ideal spot for camping, with an abundance o f big game close at hand. PO R TLAN D W IN T E R W H E A T IM P R O V E S . C ro p R eports S h o w P acific w est G rain B e tte r. N o rth ­ Washington, May 11.— According to May estimates o f the department o f agriculture, the winter Wheat crop of the Pacific Northwest was in better condition May 1, 1910, than May 1, 1909, in Washington and Idaho the condition being above the 10-year av­ erage. Reports show that 6 per cent o f the winter wheat acreage in Oregon has been abandoned, leaving 476,000 acres to be harvested. The condition o f this crop is reported at 95, as compared with 93 last year. The 10-year aver­ age for Oregon is 96. Eight and , two-tenths per cent of the Washington acreage has been aban­ doned, leaving 676,000 acres to be har­ vested, the condition o f the crop on May 1 is 95, being 2 per cent above that of last year and 3 per cent above the 10-year average. In Idaho 4 per cent o f the acreage has been abandoned, leaving 345,000 acres to be harvested. The condition o f the Idaho winter wheat on May 1 was 98, against 93 o f last year, and 95 on the 10-year average. SOCIALISTS BACK UP THEORIES WITH CASH. Milwaukee, W is., May 11.— It is an­ nounced by city officials that Milwau­ kee municipal bonds will not go beg­ ging under a Social Democratic admin­ istration. A t a meeting in Chicago the execu­ tive board o f the International Bakers’ union decided to buy Milwaukee bonds to the extent o f $200,000, should the need for such action arise. The bak­ ers have in their treasury $200,000 ¡in United States bonds and these they have decided to sell, giving them that amount o f money for Milwaukee bonds should there be any move by Eastern bankers to hamper the Social Demo­ cratic administration. The International Bakers’ union re­ quested all other unions to take similar action. It is said the brewery work­ ers’ organization, holding nearly $1,- 000,000 in United States bonds, will fall in line on the proposition. M IN E R S R E S U M E C R U S A D E . F u rth e r D is o rd e rs Result in P itts b u rg D is tric t in K anras. Pittsburg, Kansas, May 11.— March­ ing miners resumed their crusade against the operations o f the mines in this vicinity today and some disorder resulted. Forty-seven miners at Croburg at­ tempted to pull the fires in the mines there, but they were driven away by other miners seeking to prevent trouble. At Curransville, the marchers suc­ ceeded in putting out the fires in the Breezy Hill mines and the men there were driven away. The fires under the boilers o f the coal company’s water works also were drawn, and the town is without water. The marchers later started for the mines near Mulberry. M ARKETS. W AG ES F U R T H E R IN C R E A S E . BRIEF REPORT OF THE DAILY WORK OF NATION’S LAWMAKERS Washington, May 1 6 .— Stone, of Missouri, in the senate today, painted a picture o f that body under what he termed the new leadership of the “ in­ surgents.” Contending that in the contest of last Friday over the long and short haul provision o f the railroad bill the “ insurgents” had won a signal victory, he painted Cummins as occupying the place o f Aldrich; La Follette that of Hale; Bristow that of Lodge, and Nel­ son that o f Gallinger. J He pictured Clapp, “ the bold, black eagle o f Minnesota,” as chairman of the committee on interstate commerce, in place o f Elkins, while Beveridge was to be found exhorting his collea­ gues to harmony • and regularity and Dolliver acting as musical director, and the “ silver voice o f Carter” was to be heard sweetly echoing in the chorus. By a vote o f 40 to 45, the house of representatives today declined to pass Senator Jones’ bill authorizing the sale o f the Walla Walla military reserva­ tion to Whitman college, at $150 per acre. Two attempts were made to pass the bill, first by unanimous con­ sent, but Fitzgerald o f New York ob­ jected,|and later under a suspension of the rules. On motion o f Representative Ellis, the house today passed the senate bill changing the name o f the Willamette customs district to the “ Portland cus­ toms district,” and fixing the salary o f the collector at $6,000. The bill also changes the name of the Southern Oregon district to “ Coos Bay,” and the district o f Oregon is charged to “ Astoria.” The house o f representatives tod 7 passed the senate bill authorizing the Spokane & British Columbia railroad to bridge the Columbia river near the mouth of the San Poil river, Washing­ ton. Washington, May 14.— Many mem­ bers o f the house o f representatives today received in the mail a printed copy o f a telegram sent to Representa­ tive Poindexter May 9 by Father H. J. Vandeven, pastor of St. Patrick’s church of Walla Walla, viciously at­ tacking the Jones bill authorizing the sale o f the Walla Walla military reservation to Whitman college. It is expected this bill will be called up for passage in the house Monday, and the sender o f the telegram expects his mes­ sage to be read to the house at that time. The house committee on library has favorably reported the Humphrey bill authorizing the marking o f the old Oregon trail, and authorizes an appro­ priation o f $25,000 as the government’s contribution toward the cost o f the un­ dertaking. The bill is amended to per­ mit the secretary o f war to receive contributions from any one source to a fund to be known as the Oregon trail fund, which money shall be used, in connection with that appropriated by congress, in the erection o f suitable monuments along the Oregon trail. The adoption by the senate yesterday o f a long and short haul amendment to the railroad bill will result, it is be­ lieved, in hastening the final vote on the measure and make easier the task o f the conferees who will attempt to harmonize the differences between the senate and the house. This is the con­ census o f opinion expressed by con­ gress leaders. corporation tax law is exceeding our expectations,” said Internal Revenue Commissioner Royal E. Cabell, the official charged primarily with the im­ position and collection o f this new form o f tax which was authorized by the Payne-Aldrich tariff act o f August 5, i909. “ Not only will the corporation tax yield a greater revenue than we antici­ pated,” continued the commissioner, “ but the corporations, with very few exceptions, are showing a disposition to meet the requirements of the law and have made prompt returns. There has been very little attempt to evade the law, and it may be said to be work­ ing with greater satisfaction than might reasonably be expected of a law so new and which is such a radical de­ parture from past practice. “ While the constitutionality o f the corporation tax has been brought into question and will soon be decided by the United States Supreme court, we are proceeding with the enforcement o f the law as if the question had not been raised, for the law today is bind­ ing in its effect and will continue so, unless declared unconstitutional.” The commissioner in his annual re­ port estimated that the corporation tax for the first year, being the calendar year which ended December 31, 1909, would approximate $25,000,000. In congress the estimates ran all the way from $12,000,000 to $50,000,000. Washington, May 11.— Senator Jones today introduced a bill appropriating $25,000 to defray the cost of experi­ menting with the parcels post system on rural I r e delivery routes. He also presented to the Interior department a petition of residents o f Nespelim, Okanogan county, on the south half o f the Colville Indian reservation, asking that lands they occupy be set aside as a tow nsite,before the reservation is opened to general entry. Senator Piles presented an amend­ ment to the sundry civil bill increasing the appropriation for roads to ML Rainier national park from $20,000 to $25,000. The house territories committee fa ­ vorably reported Delegate Wicker- sham’s bill appropriating $25,000 for the erection o f detention hospitals for the insane at Nome and Fairbanks, Alaska. Senator Borah delivered a speech or* practical conservation in the senate to­ day, and repeatedly punctured theoret­ ical ideas advanced by Pinchot and Garfield. Washington, May 10.— “ Water com­ petition is a ficiton, ” declared Senator Heyburn, of Idaho, in the course of a speech in support o f his long and short haul amendment to the interstate com­ merce bill. His declaration was made in re­ sponse to an interruption by Senator Briggs, o f New Jersey, who had set up the argument that transcontinental rail rates were necessarily affected by water competition, an argument that did not meet the approval o f the Idaho senator, but which brought forth the foregoing answer. Without a single dissenting Republi­ can vote, the house today passed the railroad bill, one of the chief measures which President Taft wished enacted at the present session o f congress, by 200 to 126. Fourteen Democrats joined the ma­ jority. President Taft tonight said that he was deeply gratified over the passage o f the measure. He was es­ pecially pleased with the comfortable margin by which the commerce court feature was kept in the bill, for he re­ gards this court as probably the moat important step in the proposed law. Referring to the clause providing for the physical valuation of railroads, Mr. Taft pointed out that the power now practically rests with the Interstate Commerce commission, and that the difficulty in carrying out such a plan always has been found in the enormous cost o f the undertaking. Just before adjourning today, thé senate adopted a substitute for the resolution directing an investigation o f abuses of the franking privilege, which was introduced yesterday by Senator Stone, o f Missouri. The sub­ stitute authorizes an investigation into the special case covered by the Stone resolution, which had reference to the circulation o f a pamphlet in defense o f the Payne-Aldrich tariff law. Wheat — Track prices: Bluestem, 88c; club, 85c; red Russian, 84c; val­ Five Thousand T ele grap he rs Gain ley, 85c. Concessions fro m R ailroad. Barley— Feed and brewing, $22(8 23. Corn— Whole, $33; cracked, $34 ton. Philadelphia, May 11.— Several im­ Hay— Track prices: Timothy, W il­ portant concessions have been secured lamette valley, $20(8 21 per ton; East­ by the 5,000 telegraphers on the Penn­ Washington May 13.— By a sudden ern Oregon, $22(825; alfalfa, $16.50 sylvania railroad system east of Pitts­ welding late today o f supposedly irre­ @$17.50; grain hay, $17@18. burg, following a meeting o f the gen­ concilable factions, the senate by a Oats— No. 1 white, $26.50@27.50. eral committee representing the oper­ vote o f 56 to 10 adopted a compromise Fresh Fruits— Strawberries, Oregon, ators and General Manager Myers, of amendment to the railroad bill for the regulation o f relative charges for long $2.50@4 per crate; apples, $1.50@3 the company. per box. In addition to the general 6 per cent and short hauls. Potatoes — Carload buying prices: I increase in wages recently declared by The agreement was reached chiefly Oregon, 4