I - ' ;
s
OL. IX., No. HO.
CARELESSNESS
CAUSEOFMANY
GREAT
FIRES
DJIIBSKSISIIII
OKA WW PASS, JOHEMTIN-K COCNTV. OKKOOX, THH18IAV, SkWJOCt 9.
LilU HAMMING DEAL
sill.OOO Arrra or trriiixlnt UnU In
Hvn to Wheal J. I'. Morgan
Tuktw lUiul jn the Deal
$oMl,Orl WA8 Ii)HH II V "I'llK
vkntahli:" fikkh i. ixitkd
STATES IN lttitt
SMOKERS ARE GIVEN HI RAP
Amrit iul World In I'roiM'rty
Hlru-timi by Klrc, Hy Mre
MiitnIiuIm' AniMM'littloit'
New York, Jan. t. Curctetta
smoker unci uhdii of matches were
responsible for $15,724,656 of the
toUl loss of ftlO,46e.U54 worth of
property by "preventable fires" Id
the Itilted Slates during 1918, tie
cording to members of the Klre Mar
ehals' association of North America
who are holdlnii a two days' eon-
ferenre hero with the National
Hoard of Klre I'ndcrwrlter begin
nlnn todav.
Figures showing that the' United
Htates leads the world In property
desrmtlon by fire were Klven In the
-.,in"K ni'iiiiion. ine dcmago per
capita being stated aa 12.10 annu
lly In thla rountry aa compared with
4f centa In France, 33 cents In Eng
land. 28 cents In Germany, 25 cents
la Italy and Austria. 15 cents In
Switzerland and 1 1 centa In Holland.
Homer Rutledge. of Lansing.
Mirnignn, fire marshal of that stale,
discussed "The Arson Trout" .nrf
showed how Incendiaries had burned
IS. 111. 818 worth or property on.
Tear fttirtnv th. ... I....... .
- - i wm, exclusive oi
&, many other millions destroved
indirectly by explosions.
Despite the fact that the VnUmA
t States was at war and that enemy
Konts were active. 20 atatea rennrt
I ed a slight decrease In the number
1 of ' of arson. While It was
announced as a fact that In the first
nine months after America drew the
word $43,000,000 worth of-war In
dustries went up In smoke. In only
10 per cent of these cases was there
Tun suspicion of spy work. "Care
lessness" was designated as the blg
Bost firebug of all. One grain ele
vator fire alone destroyed enough
wheat to make a year's supply, of
bread for 200,000 soldiers.
Mnny fires at first attributed to
German spies and pyromanlaca were
found, upon Investigation, to be due
to other causes. One notable In
stance was a spertacular and costly
waterfront fire In Brooklyn, the
How's Stores. In which a vast quan
tity of grain Intended for shipment
to the allies was destroyed. It was
discovered that the blase was the
wmilt of a dust explosion caused by
spark either from friction or stntlc
olflctrlclty. Another conspicuous In
stance wns tho rtaltlnioro pier fire
which nt first was positively ascribed
to pro-Oormnn plotters. Rigid In
vestigation by federal ' agents.' ac-
cording to fire rnnrshals definitely
determined its non-Incendiary origin.
Croat Kails, Mout., Jan. s. .
Wheat will be harvested next fall
from cue of the world's largest
farms comprising about 200,000
acres of Indian lands in Mnnt.,,.
na Wyoming. Of this bi
about 83,000 acres of Irrigated land
na.e been plowed and seeded. un.i
the remainder It is announced will
db cultivated during the coming summer.
Tho lund Is located on tha
Hlackfuot and Port I'cck reservations'
In Montana and the Winn Rivi.
reservation In Wyoming. To' make
this land productive a corporation
with $2,000,000 caoltal w. -..
!wl last spring when Thomas li.
Campbell, a North Dakota farmr
conceived thA Idea of cultivating the
mousanus of acres of thn TnHi
lands in Montana and Wyoming. He
lacked capital but obtained the an.
proval and assistance of tho secre
tary of the Interior. Franklin V
Lane, and J. P. Morgan and other
loading New York bankers as mem
oi mo oourd of directors and
Mr. Campbell as president.
vn mis huge furm not a hor
will bo used. Instead, large tractors
capable of turning over large nuantl
ties of prairie sod Were purchased.
In all 62 of those inathines are now
the property of the corporation. im
the plowing record for last summer
was more than one acre a minute
for the working tli. On one day
1,880 acres were turned and broken
it is proposed to orcunlm h
farm into S.OOu-acre, units, each with
Its own group of permanent build
ings, modornly equipped and In
charge of a competent farm manager.
Bach farm will be separately man
aged. Contracts for tha leaslna of
inO land On lOIle term inrgimnnl.
have been exocuted with the covern-
ment through gocretary Lane.
1910
WHOM? JiXMBER 2860.
Haughtiest of Germans to take Hand io AfTairs at Capital
-cotn factions Uaim to HaFe Upper Hand Ebert
Scheidemann Government Reported Overthrown
Paris, Jan. 9.The Bbert-Bchelde- repuUed in thKlr .
I " w ivvajiuio
......... ..ilium , Germany nasitne public buildings.
been overturned, the extremists hav-i 1
Ing gained the upper band In Berlin Basil.' Jan. 9. Troops loyal to the
-..v. ..6UIUry .iRuung, according toert government have arrived
THREE QUESTIONS
LITTLE TALKED OF
League of Nations, Freedom of Seaa
and Disarmament Are Stickers.
Lansing and House Active
to the latest advices
A new revolutionary government
haa been proclaimed, composed of
Independent socialists. Part of the
government troops are reported to
have gone over to the rebels, and
Spartaenns now hold the principal
points In Berlin.
Civil war to spreading to other
parts of Germany and part of the
Rhenish provinces and Bavaria are
now reported involved.
from Potadam and driven the Soar-
tacans as far back aa the Tiergar
ten and reoccupled the printing
wonts, says the Frankfort Zeitung.
AVI.Vron AVKItAOKS 172 MILKS
VKH IX INTKIWITY FLIGHT
Cleveland, Ohio, Jan. 9. Brie
Springer, aviator, accompanied by
Mechanician Ernest Longchamn.
yesterday established a new world
record for speed when he flew from
Dayton to Cleveland In one hour and
15 minutes. The average speed was
172 miles an hour.
Amsterdam, Jan. 9. Severe fight
ing. In which artillery was employ
ed, took place In Berlin yesterday,
near the Central Telegraph office.
The Spartacans renewed their at
tempts to seize the chancellor's pal
ace, but were driven back with a loss
of 30 killed and 45 wounded, Berlin
dispatches to the Handelsblad says.
Berlin, Jan. 9. War on Berlin to
restore order haa teen threatened br
Bavaria, according to a speech in
the Bavarian chamber of deputies at
Munich, by Herr Auer, minister of
the Interior. He aatd Bavaria nro.
posed to Intervene with arms If con
ditions In Berlin continue unsettled.
Berlin, Jan. 9. Civil warfare has
already cost 20 times as many Uvea
aa were sacrificed in the overthrow
of the Hohenzollern dynasty 60 daya
ago. The government trooDa were
Amsterdam, Jan. 9. Street fight
ing in Berlin attained the greatest
intensity, saya a Berlin dispatch. The
government Is still maatr t th.
situation.
Berne, Jan. 9. Reports from Ber
lin today state that the rebels have
formed a new government under the
title of "The Revolutionary Commit
iee. comprising Herr Tiek, prest
aem or me spartacan league, and
two other Spartacans aDDear to ha
working with the socialists, or the
independenta. (The dispatch seems
to indicate that the new government
la a rival to the Ebert-Schledmann
government, and haa not. in f
displaced it, aa advices through Par
is indicate.)
London, Jan. 9. A German nv.
ernment wireless message aaya the
uermn government is taking all
necessary measures to destrov h
'Reign of Terror.' Some nart of
Berlin are now without lights and
water.
The Spartacans stormed the nrn.
vision depots; Interruoted the fond.
ing or civilians, and sold the fond to
soldiers.
'S
REFUNDING
SELL AT
Washington, Jan. 9. The house
rules committee refused to report
on the rule giving privileged status
to the bill appropriating $100,000.-
000 requested by President Wilson
for European relief.
C. 8. COMMISSION TO
HOLD EXAMINATIONS
YANKS FIRST THROUGH
HINDENBURG LINE
London, Jan. 9. American troops
were the first to break the Hlnden
burg line, according to the Dally
N'ews In Its comment today on the
report of Field Marshal Sir Douglas
FIGHTING IS RENEWED
THE KADISH
IT
Archangel, Jan.. 9. Artfvfttna
have been renewed by. the American
and allied forces on the Kadisb
front. The Americans burned the
vjuage or Kadlsh, retired from It
a l. - ' v. in i clii cu l ruin ii,
Haig on the operations from the end then went forward and re-occupied
The regime of the new city coun
cil whose personnel Is the same as
the old council, opened auspiciously
Wednesday night when the council
not only acrepted -the bid of the
bond house of Glrvhi & Miller of San
Francisco, whose Oregon agents are
Clark Kendall & Co. of Portland, tor
the purchase of $700,000 worth, 6
per cenj City of Medford refunding
"bonds, comprising, all of the out
etandlng water, sewer and paving
bonds and aocrued Interest. The
city Is to receive par value and ac
crued Interest until date of delivery.
In this sale Medford has done bet
ter than any other Paclfio coast city
The credit of finding the bond buyer
t such favorable terms belongs to
Mayor Gates. t
The' United States Civil Snrvi
Commission announces that a forest
and field clerk examination will bo
hold In this city on January 25,
1919, to fill vacancies in the nnattinti
of forest clerk, forest service and
clerk In the reclamation and other
field branches of the government
service throughout the 11th clyli ser
vice district Washington, ' Oregon,
Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Alas
ka. The entrance aalnrv fnr thn
sltion of forest clerk Is $1100 or
$1200 a year: for the noHlt.Inn r
olerk in the reclamation and other
services, $1100 to $1500 a year.
Age limit for forest clerk, 18 to
46 years; for field clerk, 18 years
or over. Both men- and women win
be admitted to the examination An.
plication blank ana? Information may
oe obtained at the nostofflce. thu
city. .
of April Inst to the close of hostlll
ties. The News points out that at
least the first mention or a break
through contained-in the field maK
shal's report was In the course of
his description of the day's work on
September 29, In which he wrote:
"North of Bellengllse, the 30th
American division, Major General
R. M. Lewis, having broken through
the deep defenses of the Hindenbnrs
line, stormed Belllncourt and seized
Nouroy. On their left the 27th Am
erienn division. Major General O'Ry
an, mot with very heavy enfilading
machine gun fire, but pressed on
with great gallantry as far rb Jouy
where a bitter struggle took place for
possession of the village. " The fight
ing on the whole front of the 2nd
American corps was severe, and Id
Belllncourt, Nouroy, Gtlleniont farm
and a number of other points, amid
the Intricate defenses of the Hlnden-
burg line, strong bodies of the enemy
held out with great obstinacy for
many hours.
"These points of resistance were
gradually overcome, either bv the
support of the American divisions or
by the Rth and 3rd Australian di
visions."
the ruins, according in tha
plete reports.
. . t
COMMISSION MA
fLEAVE
GLENDALE OFF ROUTE
Although not confirmed, it was
reported In this city today that the
stato highway commission had fin
ally decided to leave Glendnln off
tuo mum nignway ana construct a I
bridge across Cow Creek, in the vi
cinity of the C. O. Garrett A-anch
Glendale is about three miles off
the straight line and the eommU.
sloners do not feel Justified in build
ing rive or six miles of extra high
way to place the thrivina- little Mtv
of dlendale on the route. However,
there Is a fine road leading from
Glendale to the main highway, con
necting with the same si Stun
Gulch Pass, and this stretch of mad
will probably be heavily graveled in
the near future.
Paris, Jan. 9. Secretary of State
Lansing, Colonel E. M. House and
Lord Robert Cecil, who haa made
the subject of the league of nations
a special study on behalf of the
British government, held a lone
conference today regarding the de
tails to be worked out in forming a
league of nations. Their conference
followed consultations between Pres
ident Wilson and Colonel House last
evening. .
There seems to be excellent an.
thorlty for saying that plans for the
settlement of the most important
questions the league of nations,
the freedom of the seas and disarm
ament are still verr indefinite.
Several propositions are beina
put forward' for the adjustment of
these matters, but there is none
having the color of official sanction
xr Mr. Wilson has drawn up any sne.
ciflc plans, he has not divulged them
and it is known that he is cloaelv
studying various suggestions that
are advanced by others.
The best Information obtalnahu
as to conferences so far held wtHi
British and Italian statesmen la that
they were very satisfactory, develop
ing no differences as to principles
involved.
GREAT STRIKE
IN FULL SWING
AT NEW YORK
1911 ONE Of. RSI
W0.U
Oregon Agricultural Collera. Cnr-
rauia, Jan. 9. That 1918 was nn
of the hottest and driest year on pa.
cord at. the college Is shown In the
annual weather aumraarr hv m v
- - -
xorgerson, assistant professor of
soils and weather observer. The
college records have been kept for
9 years. December was nnnsiiAiiv
cold and dry. the mean minimum
temperature Tor the month being
a degrees or 10 degrees below that
for 1917. The rainfall waa 4 87
inches, or 2.22 below normal, mak
ing a total deficiency for 1918 of
9.24 Inches.
ALL SOLDIERS MUST BE
GIVEN EQUAL CHANCE
IT
IT A BULL'S EYE
Basel, Jan. 9. An attain nf w
made at Prague to assassinate rir
Karl Kramars, the Czecho-Slovak
premier; Eight shots were fired,
but" none- took" effect; I (
CONFERENCE POSTPONED
'TILL EARLY NEXT WEEK
Paris, Jan. 9. President Wilson's
conference with the premiers of 1
England, France and italv-wtn nni
begin before early next week. The
conference was to start today, but
Lloyd George was delayed. -C
The following communicailnn
from military headquarters has just
oeen received by the local board
rracucally every local board In
the, state of Oregon ' is being over
whelmed with requests for certifi
cates, affidavits and recommenda
tions relating to men whom they in
ducted during the war period, such
documents being desired by the
men themselves, or by their rela
tives and friends, in an effort to has
ten discharge from military service
The demobilization of the army is
a tremendous task. Every soldier,
naturally, desires to get out of the
service and back to civil life, with
out delay. Manifestly all soldiers
cannot be discharged Immediately,
and for every soldier who is shown
some special favor or consideration,
some other soldier has to wait just
that much longer for his discharge.
It is desired to point out that lo
cal boards are under no obligation
whatever to furnish the character nf
documents mentioned.
It is suggested that local boards
do not prepare or sign any docu
ments Intended to hurry the dis
charge of men from military service.
If a commanding officer Initiates a
request to a board for information or
for Its opinion, such request should
be promptly answered. Investiga
tion has demonstrated.' howevAp
that unless the information: Is asked
by a commanding officer, the affi
davits, certificates, letters, and nth.
er documents have little or no ef
fect and do not tend to hasten ' the
discharge' process.'
SECRETARIES DAJflELS A YD
BAKER CALLED IS COXFFR-EXCE
15,000 MEN JE AFFECTED
Marine Workers Cause Tle-ap of
Ferryboats, Lighters, Coal Barges
and Other Craft
New York, Jan. 9. With approx
imately 15,000 men affected, tha
strike of the marine workers affilia
tion, went into effect this morning.
Ferryboats, steam lighters, eos.1
barges, two boats and other harbor
craft are at a standstill.
Washington, Jan. 9. Secretaries
Daniels and Baker were called into
conference with rnnniuntiHuo. n
the railroad administration and ship
ping board to consider the New
Tork harbor strike.
GOLD HILL HARVESTS
BEHBW JANUARY
It Isn't in every section of Oreimn
that a .bean crop can be harvtid in
January, ut the laurel goer to some
of the citisens of Gold Hill- for
complishing this paradoxical stunt
Gold Hill citizens not only have the
climate, the water and the soil to
produce such wonders, but they
were assisted y the Southern Pa.
ciflo company, which company is a
ways doing its utmost to oromote
the agricultural interests of Oregon.
And here is how the wonderful eron
was produced ther localities can
do as well if instructions are closely
followed:
It was the crew of a freight' train
that "spilled the beans." so to sneak.
and let the cat out of the bag. aa
well as the beans out of the car. Two
locomotives were laborously trailing
a long freight through that fair lit-
tie city when a few ears In the center
turned turtle. One car contained
beans and it was a master exhibition
of sowing the S. iP. company staeed.
The little pellets that made Boston
famous were liberally scattered
over the right-of-way. '
'The beans wer allowed to. lay
there so long that It was rumored
that harvest hands could not be se
cured. It was then that a number of
Gold Hill's loyal citizens bravely
volunteered, and sacks were soon
filled by willing hands. The crop
was saved. , But at this . . juncture
Cruel Fate poked in his ugly nose.
There was a man no one doubted
his authority who gently Intimated
that the beans' had best be stored at
once In the depot for safe -keeping.
The man was right it was best to
do : so the beans might freeze so
people came from many directions
with big sacks, little sacks and all
kinds of sacks filled with beans,
and left them at the designated spot
agreed upon. '
It was a fine crop and "went
many sacks to the acre." but the
Gold HUlltes didn't need the beans
anyway.
IT AGAINST
FLAG BEN LAUNCHED
Washington, Jan. 9. A national
association opposed to woman suf
frage convened and planned a nation-wide
fighting against the "red
flag" movement and considered a
program for a fight on the Susan
Anthony amendment in the next
congress. . -v.. .. ; , , :