1HD jtA-l.
VOL. XXI.
GRANTS PASS. JOSEPHINE COUNTY, OREGON, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1906.
No. 45.
TAX COLLECTING TO
BEGIN NEXT MONDAY
Big Rebate on 1 ax-aPaid b March
15 Assessor Ffvllin Preparing
for the Next Assessment.
Tax paying tima for Josephine
county will begin Monday, February
12, and all who pay their taxes before
March 15, will get a rebate of 3 per
j cent. If half is paid by April 2, the
S. other half can stand until the first
Monday in October, but no rebate is
fSJ given on the half that is paid before
, the first Monday in April, nor is there
I. interest charged on tbe deferred pay
i Bient. If no payment is made by the
" first Monday in April then a penalty
of 10 per cent is added to the amount
of the taxes and a further penalty of
1 per cent a month is charged np to
the delinquent until the taxes are
paid. The delinquent tax roll
will be made np after tbe first
Monday in October, and after having
been advertised the property will be
sold, the owner being permitted to
redeem it by paying the taxes, interest
and costs.
County Clerk S. F. Cheshire will
have tbe duplicata roll completed this
we?b, with the amonnt of every man's
taxes given on it, and it will also
show the several funds that are lo be
credited from tbe collections, these
embracing state, couu'y, school, road,
city and school district levies. This
roll will be turned over to Sheriff
... Lewis Saturday and Monday the rush
of taxpayers will begin as all that aru
able will waut to pay so as to gut the
8 per cent discount, which is quite an
item to the large taxpayers. .
The tax roll for 11)05, on which
taxes are now to be collected, amounts
to $1,209,380. The various tax levies
to be collected on this roll are state
4 tax 1.4 mills, county tax 6.7
mills, county school and library 4
mills, road 2 3 mills, Grants Pass
city 3 mills, school district No. 1,
Selina, 2 mills; No. S, Kerby, 2 mills;
No. 7, Grants Pass, 7 mills; No. 10,
Laurel Grove, 4 milis; No. 11, Le
laud, 4 mills; No. 17, Robertson, 2
mills; No. 19, Lee, 1 mill; No. 22,
Lucky Queen, 1 1-2 mills; No. 34,
4 Lower Grave Creek, 2 mills.
The Btate tax for this year will
amount to 15,225. For last year it
amounted to nearly $10,00u and for
19U4 nearly $11,000.
Jackson oounty on a valuation of
(12,712,024 has t levy of 4.5 millB
county, .08 mill for road, 2,6 mills for
school, 1.6 mills for state, making a
total of 16.7 mills. This will raise
about $117,000. Ashland has a city
tax of 8 1-2 mills and a school tax of
6 mills, making a total including the
i oounty, on oity property of 23.5
mills.
Medford bag a city levy of 7 mills
and a school levy of 4.5 mills making
. total of oity and oounty of 21 mills.
Grants Pass has a toUt of 23 mills, of
this 8 millB is city, 7 mills school and
13 county and state. Portland's total
tax levy it 14.8 mills on a valuation
of $181,197,561.
County Assessor W. H. Fallin is
now preparing bis blanks for the 1906
assessment and will have all in
.-! s readiness to begin the work on March
''u--. .... .
ist as provided ny law. ne has fin
gaged G. A. Savage to assist him
for this year. As there is no census
or other extra work to be done Mr.
. Savage will be the only deputy, he
aud Assessor Fallin being able to do
both the field and office work in
time for tbe meeting of the board
of equalization which will be about
-J the first of Oo'.ober. Mr. Savage has
been a successful school teacher and
rbeen resident of the county for
. several years and is both well ac
quainted with property values and
has the ability to be a competeut
deputy.
Assessor Fallin has adopted a new
method of securing the lift of uew
buildings and other improvements
that have been made in Grants Pass
linen the last assessment was made
that is proving successful and which
. prevents the liability of property es
caping assessment, as was frequently
the case under the old syBtetn. In
making the assessment of lots in
Grants Pass the numbers and owners
names are taken frcm the oounty
records, and judging by the location
the assessor fixes tbe valuation. The
improvements can only be judged br
personal examination of tbe property.
Assessor Fallin prepared a map of the
oity showing all the lots and the
location of buildings. Each February
before beginning his assessment he
' takes bis map and goes over the city
ut street by street and marks down
IJ all new buildings, and makes a note
of their size and value. This is of
special value in assessing lots be
longing to non-residents, for build
ings are frequently erected on these
lots and the assessor may not learn of
it for a year or two.
Iu fixing valuations on tbe roll of
1905 Assessor Fallin alruont doubled
the total of the roll over that of 1904,
raising property to more nearly repre
senting its cash value. As now on
the roll valuations are yet far below
actual cash worth. The Southern
Pacific roadbed was assessed at f 10, -000
a mile, when it is fully worth
$50,000 a mile, for that was the valua
tion placed on the Astoria & Colum
bia River Railroad, a local road be
tween Astoria and Portland, when
it was recently sold. The rail
road lands were assessed at $3.50
and $5.00 an acre, though there are
thousands of acres of the company's
timber, mineral and farm laud in
Josephine county that are worth from
$10 to $100 an acre. As an instance
there is a traot of rich river bottom
land, adjoining Grants Pass townsite
on the east, belonging to th railroad
company that would readily sell for
$150 on acre, though assessed at but
$5 an acre. Farm lands and other
olasses of property are yet rated mnoh
below cash value on the assessment
roll, and it will be tbe policy of As
sessor Fallin, if permitted by the
other members of the board of equali
zation, who are the county judge and
clerk, to still further advanoe valua
tions until all property Bhall be assess
ed at its real worth.
For the first time in the history of
Josphine county land will be assess
ed at a fixed percentage of its value.
The county court employed early last
Fall J. M. Stites of Williams, one of
tbe most expert timber cruisers in
Southern Oregon, to cruise all timber
land in the county, both railroad aud
private owned. He will also value all
other railroad and speculator land.
The farm laud will be valued by
Assessor Fallin. When this new
schedule is made up all land in
Josephine county will be assessed at
approximately its cash value. This
cruising may give a surprise to many
persons who have taken up timber
olaims, for if they find their land as
sessed at about $1.50 an acre it will
be proof that they are the luckless
owner of a tr'Ot of brush or barren
rocks, while if their land is valued on
the tax roll at about $20 an acre they
can rest assured that they have a fine
piece of timber that will bring them
a fortune when mucadaniizd roads
aud electrio railroads give cheap
transportation to market for the
thousands of acres of tine timber, in
Josephine county.
EASTERNERS WANT TO
LEARN OF GRANTS PASS
Can get Pamphlets About Jack
son County, but not of
Josrphlne.
That Grants Pass is woefully lack
ing in suitable advertising matter
with which to supply the hundreds of
bomeseekers in the Eastern States who
are continually writing for informa
tion in regard to this vicinity is
forceably brought out in tne follow
ing. letter which was received by Jos.
Moss a few days ago from Pennsyl
vania. This oounty should have a
comprehensive pamphlet of small size
suitable for mailing in an ordinary
envelope aud containing such infor
mation as is constantly asked for by
intending settlers:
Dear Sir: I reoeived yours of the
24th and will say that 3 intend to
locate in the Rogue River Vallev, my
self and several friends hae been
trying to get some information about
your section but have not received
any et except what yon have sent.
We have Rot a bushel of illustrated
matter from Medford, Ashland and
Jacksonville, but have received none
from Grants Pass and that is where
we intend to locate if we cau get any
information. Please let us know
what the lay of the country is around
Grants Pas'; we want a place for a
nioe home nnd mixed farming. Some
of os want 100 acres and some want 60
and 75 acres, partly improved and im
proved places, aud close to oity and on
the river if possible. What kind of
soil have you there and can orops be
grown without irrigation? Explain
the water rights in your circular.
Have you any snakes and what kind
and are they troublesome? Give us
nil the information yon can. I Intend
to come out as soon as the weather
breaks up if I can.
Bert Barnes, the jeweler, whom)
shop is in the Clemens block on
North Sixth street, is doing his full
part to keep pace with the growth of
Grants Pass. He has enlarged bis
space and put in a second work
bench and employed M. Mansfield to
assist him with his work. Mr. Mans-
lie Id is an industrious, capable young
man, aud in well known to the resi
dents of this oity as a first class
jeweler.
TO HAUL SAW LOGS
- TO GRANTS PASS
Railioads to Illinois, ApplegMe,
Jump-off-Joe Valley Make
Good Market for Timber.
If we had a sawmill in Grants Pass
that would cut 500,000 feet of lumber
daily, it would take over 15 years to
harvest our present crop of timber.
What would be the results, and how
can we make it possible to have 200,
000 feet of logs out into lumber daily
within the city of Grants Pass?
These are momentous questions,
but they can be answered. It is the
history of all lumbering districts
that sawlogs can be procured cheaper
delivered by railroad aud water,
where conditions are favorable, irom
the ranchers and property holders
along such railroads or rivers than by
other methods of lumbering. Why?
Because the ranchers, while clearing
have a few or several hundred thous
and feet of timber that must be re
moved. They can fall a tree and
cut it into log lengths haul it a mile
to a railroad aud load on the cars
nearly as cheap as to pile and burn
them. There would not be a dollar
per thousand difference to the
rancher; therefore anything he got
in excess of one dollar a thousand
would be profit to him. Moreover,
he would feel better in knowing that
his timber had gone into the com
mercial world and into the channels
of trade instead of up in smoke.
Thote are a great many rauchers
who have a bunch of timber here aud
there not large enough for a milling
proposition. Under existing condi
tions such tracls of timber stand in
definitely awaiting a market. At the
same time the rancher has idle horses
which could as well be employed
hauling logs to the railroad. He has
son 8 also who have plenty of leisure
time during the year to out aud put
from 100,000 to 1,000,000 feet of logs
ou the cars annually ; and their ex
pense would not oe much. In all
timbered localities where people are
struggling to build homeB it is very
helpful aud convenient to have a
market for their timber through the
agency of a railroad near at hand.
The time consumed in handling these
logs does not mean so mach to them
as it means immediat returns for
labor done on the farm and in the
process of bnilding a home. It is far
better for them to be following j rnfit
able employment at home, especially
when it is in the direct line of im
provement, than to be obliged to go
away aid earn day's wages; while
away, tho improvements on the ranch
will run down instead of building
up. In this way, through the
agency of a railroad into the timbered
districts, the rancher is given em
ployment at home both for hlinsolf,
his boys and his hired men the whole
year through. Thus the rancher be
comes more prosperous, and his pros
perity means the prosperity of the
merchant.
Another benefit, and a direct one to
the sawmill man, by purchasing the
timber of the rauchmnn, is that he
can secure any kind of tim
ber desired to fill immediate order.
When he wants sugar pine, he can
contract for sugr pine, thus enabling
him to run his mill every mouth in
the year and cutting only suoh lumber
as the market demands. This puts
the mill man in close, touch with all
available timber the whole length of
the logging railway; while by exist
ing methods he is compelled to em'
ploy crews aud teams at enormous ex
penses to out and haul the logs for
miles, and also being obliged to pur
chase a tract of timber at from 75
cents to $2 per thousand s ompagn.
Mill men will agree with me that the
average lumber men and loggers work
more for the salary than to get logs to
the mill.
When the sawmill man goes into big
blocks of timber he has confronting
him the problem of hauling his lum
ber to market. And this problem is
an entirely separata one from that of
logging and sawing. He is also ob
liged to burn bis slabs, which, if out
in town, oonld be converted into stove
wood to good profit. Tbe cost of
hauling lumber to market here ranges
from $2 to $3 per thousand feet, price
being governed by distance aud road
conditions.
The sale of the third grade lomber,
tbe slabwood and 'the sawdust, all
burned in tbe refuse heap at the
country mills, would amount to fully
half of the freight charges on the logs,
thus delivering lumber in Grants
Pass for half what it wonld cost were
the mills located in tbe country.
So we now find tbe same problems
confronting us here in Josephine
'couutyas has confronted every tim
bered locality in the United States.
IKUVUIII U..O WHO lfUU V....V ' f
must make some disposition of he
must remove it in order to clear his
ranch. The rancher has his teams
with which to haul, which from his
standpoint costs him practically noth
ing, while the mill man is obliged to
hire and pay big wages for his work.
The rancher and his sons can do their
work without an overseer whil? the
mill man must have bis work well
managed by superintendents. The
rancher already has roads, while the
mill man must build all his own
roads, and for the special purpose of
reaching the timber. The rancher
and his help while getting out timber
are at home and on very little ex
pense, while the mill man must go
to the expense of building a camp and
properly equipping it. When the
rancher has put his million feet of
timber on tha oars, the logs are rolled
to mariet without further delay while
the mill man, with his mill in the
country, still has the most serious
end of the problem to solve that of
hauling the lumber to market, em
ploying four and six teams, or road
engines; such work bringing no end
of trouble in the breaking d)wn of
wagons, sick horses, wet weather
and bad roads, breaking down of
bridges, and many other familiar'
things to the lumber hauler.
We all know how lumbering has
been carried on since the beginning
of the industry iu Josephine County.
It has always been the same expen
sive proposition. " Why not now make
a change? Why not encourage onr
mill men to move their mills to
Grants Pass? A gnnerouB laud holder
is now offering very desirable mill
sites in Grants Pass free.
There is no doubt but that satisfact
ory arrangements oonld be made with
the company which proposes to build
a railway from Grants Pas9 to Cres
cent City to use the same bridge and
a portion of the track bb a logging
railroad. That portion of it could be
used for such use and fiom that point
run a logging road up Applegate river.
And in the building of such a log
ging railroad no great expense need be
gone to, if the same methods are fol
lowed here by the Grants Pass &
Western Railway as are followed in
other sections where railroads are
built for immediate use and for simi
lar purposes. Blast out the stumps,
put down the ties and lay the steel;
then put on the logging train and set
the business going. Use the profits
to build the road. Logging cars are
built gillguys to allow them to run
over irregular track. Locomotives are
constructed for operation on the same
kind of road. But few boxoars would
be needed the first year. Special ore-
1 cars can be procured for the hauling
' of ore over rough traok. The passen
'ger, express and mail traffic of each
train would more than pay running
expenses of such trains. At the same
time each train could bring in 100,000
feet of logs, and by making two trips
a day wouM land 200,000 feet of logs
to onr mills in Gants Pass daily. At
$3 a thousand freight it would make
a net profit for the road of $400 a day
(besides the transportation of ores)
and $12,000 a month, or $144,000 an
nually. This profit alone would build
and equip two miles of road eaoh
month, or 24 miles a year, aud by so
managing, in two years the citizens
oi Grants Pass can own a fully
equipped road through the ApplegAte
Valley, to the Blue Ledge mine and
have it free from all debt, and no
danger of any company transferring
the stock in any way that would re
tard the development of Grants Pass.
What would such a proposition
mean for Grants Pass? Can we afford
to sleep on our oars at this time?
If we had eight small mills operat
ing in Grants Pass, cutting 25,000
feet of lumber each, daily, instead of
the 1? or 13 that are now scattered
through the woods, time mills,
through the agency of such a railroad
as is proposed, would soon enlarge
their capacity to 100,000 feet each
dally. They could do this because
they would be able to procure their
logs at much lest cost than they most
pay now by present msthods. And
what would that mean for Grants
Pass?
Logs can be bought of rauchers, de
livered on board logging trains, for at
least $3 per thousand feet. While
the Applegate Boom & Lumber Co.
were operating they bought a large
per cent of their logs at $3.50 per
thousand dumped in the river.
Freight to Grants Pass would be
about $2 per thousand, making the
total cost of logs, delivered on mill
man's dock in town, only $5 per
thousand feet.
Then, since it would be so much
better for tb" c'ty and county to have
such a logging road into the timber
and to have our sawmills in town
iusread of scattering through the
woods, why not bring such a condi
tion abDut? This being the first step
toward making Grants Pass a manu
facturing center.
Besides the timber there are many
other things to consider and industries
to foster by the building of such a
road. What would it mean to Grants
Pass? Making a prophecy on the
basis of what other towns have be
come by similar development, it can
be conservatively stated that with
Buch a road Grants Pass would soon
be a oity of 15,000 or 20,000 inhabi
tants instead of 4000. Above the
fact that onr surrounding country
would be developed, industries fos
tered and other enterprises encouraged,
would be the pay roll aud its distribu
tion by the , 1000 or more men em
ployed here in town, and an even
greater number employed lucratively.
This is no idle dream. It is only a
little sketch of our wonderful possi
bilities. It remains for us to put our
shoulders to the wheel and push the
Grants Pass & Western railroad move
ment that is now on. Now is tbe
time for action. NOW I
W. B. SHERMAN.
Pioneer Merchant Visits Grivnts
P ex ss.
D. H. Miller of Medford was . in
Grants Pass Monday and Tuesday on
a business trip. Mr. Miller opened
the first hardware store in Medford
and was continuously iu that business
nntil last year when he sold out, hav
ing made a competency and he is now
giving his time to his investments.
Mr. Miller is now sorting bis second
term as treasurer of Jackson county,
being eleoted on the democrat ticket
in a strong republican oounty.
Mr. Miller stated that County Clerk
John S. Orth would have the dupli
cate tax roll for Jackson bounty com
pleted next week aud that Sheriff
Joseph M. Rader would begin to col
lect taxes on February 20.
THESE PRICES ARE SPECIAL AND FOR THE TIME
SPECIFIED. THE GOODS CAN NOT LAST LONG. A
LOOK WILL CONVINCE YOU THAT our VALUES ARE
UNEQUALLED.
30
DAY
"SALE '
From January 15tH to February 15th
....SPECIALS
All Ingrain Wall Papers 25$ per Bolt of 3 Rolls
All Pillows 20 Discount that moans
Pillows formerly $1.00 now .80c
1.50 " $1.20
2.00 " 1.60
' " 4.00 " 3.20 I
Sofa Pillows included. '
All Air-Tight Heaters 33J Discount
Heaters formerly $7 50 now $5.00
" 5.50 " 3.67
Cook StOYes Regular $15.00, Special $12.90
Dinner ware, Blue and White, 20 per cont off.
1 lot 30x60 Rugs, regular $1.50 and $2.00 &i
Some shopworn, to close at AyU
I lot Cotton Carpet, regular staple goods. We QKn
have too much; regular 48c, now OOC
Cut Glass 33 J por cont Discount, that means
goods that sold for $5.00 are now $3.54.
Range Cook Stoves, with rosorvoir, regular $30.00.
now $23.50.
Trunks $9.00 Trunki for $0.50.
Oak Upright Folding Bods regular $22.03, no $ 17.60
Mahogany Finish Suits 3 pieces
Bed, Dresser and Commode, large French
bevel plate mirrors, regular $35.00 $27.50
Solid Quartered Oak Buffettr
Polished French bevel plate mitror, regu
lar $37.50 7.... $27.85
Solid Quarterod Oak Chiffoniers
Polished large French bevel plate mirror, reg
ular $26.00, for ;...$21.G5
Lace Curtains 25 per cent discount
Portieres, 20 per cent discount
Table Covers, 25 per cent discount
Picture Frames, 20 per cont discount
Picture Mouldinzs A choice sclection. riag in your pic
fa tures. ,;iX ; flji
Thomas & O'Neill
HOUSEFURNISHERS
TEACHERS EXAMINATION
BEGINS WEDNESDAY
Liow Wages and Short Terms Make
Scarcity of Tea. chars
Teachers Wanted.
The semi-anuual examination for
teachers for Josephine county will
begin at the court house in Grants
Pass next Wednesday at 9 a. m. .The
examination will be for both county
and state papers aud will continue
until Saturday. Supt. Savage expects
that there will be a large attendance
of applicants as there is a scarcity of
t aohers in the oounty.
The cause for this scarcity of
teachers is that wages have not been
raised while for the past five yearn
the cost of living has steadily, gone
up. Wages in other vocations being
good teachers leave the school I'if m -at
the first opportunity. The short
terms of the schools is another big
factor in depleting the ranks of teach
ers for most of the districts of the
county have bnt four to five months
of sohool, few have seven aud eight
months and only Grants Pass and
one or two other districts have nine
mouths.
Of present vacancies Wilderville
wants a man teacher, Woodville
wants two teachers and Winter wants
a teaohet. A teacher has been se
cured for the Jewell district,
Stephen Jewell having been hired
and a four months term will begin
on February 19
In the Hugo district MIbs Ethel
Newell closed four months term
with January and so well pleased
were the patrons of the school with
her work that they hired her for an
additional three months, levying a
speoial tax on the district to raise '
the required funds to pay the salary.
Placer blanks at the Courier office.
i
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