V"
i
VOL. XXII.
GRANTS PASS, JOSEPHINE COUNTY, OREGON, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1906.
No. 24.
i . .'
I 9 fl 1 III! III! I HI II r
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GRANTS PASS SCH00LS
LEAD SOUTHERN OREGON
Enrollment Increase and Twenty-Two
Teachers are Now ,
Employed.
The Grants Pass schools .opened
Monday with an enrollment of 683,
XV lcb u 84 more ,n8D for tle first
' dayof the term last year.. The at-
Stiy tendance will be greatly increased
during the next two weeks by the
retorn to the city of the families
nrliA -u-ont- I .
those who, moved to the. sawmills
and mines last Spring. The corps
of teacbeis numbers 23, while Ashland
baa 31 and Medford 14, thus giving
Grants Pass the lead of Rogue River
Valley towns In the siz of its schools.
The enrollment in the High School
baa made a satisfactory increase and
City Superintendent R. R. Turner
hope the number of graduates for
this year will be doable the number
of last year, thus keeping op the ratio
of increase for the number of gradu
ates last year was just double that of
the previous year. A number of addi
tional students are expected to enter
the High Sohool but Prof. Turner
does not anticipate that they will in-
crease materially the size of the
graduating class as it is the rule in
all high schools that fully 80 per oent
. of those wbo enter after tbe first drop
V out before the close of tbe term. The
cause is tbat a student who has not
ambition to start with the class laoks
the energy to keep op with his
studies. The High School is a county
high school the fund for its main
tenance being raised by both Grants
Pasa and Josephine county, so that it
, is open free of tuition .to all residents
of tbe county. ' Heretofore tbe county
has.oontribated $1100 each year for its
support the city putting up the bal
ance. At the request of a number of
. leading taxpayers the county board
If of edacation aomposed of Coaoty Su
perintendent Lincoln Savage, County
Judge Stephen Jewell and Commis
sioners J.. I. Logan and M. .A. Wertz
at their session Wednesday increased
tbe High School fund to $1350 a year.
Thia with the increased amount that
tbe city p'ovided for in its tax levy
for thia year will give a maintenance
fund for the Grants Pans High School
not exceeded by any similar school in
the state in a town the size of this city.
The oourse of study in tbd schools
of the city has been enlarged and
made more in keeping with the de
maud of the times to have the school
work practical and to fully fit boys
and girls to take up the ordinary vo
cations of life without the further
expense and time and the necessity of
leaving home to attend a distant
soliooL In addition to the usual class
ical and English branchea taught in
the best high schools, bookkeeping
and stenography ate taught and the
board intends to add typewriting in
the near future. That this latter
study has become a necessity is ap
parent in the correspondence that a
business man receives, for a very
large uer cent of the type written
letters show a gross lack of knowledge
by the writers of the most oommon
rules of spelling, capitals, punctu
ation and arrangement of the matter.
In a written letter these essentials
; jf can be hidden by pool chirograpny
but he printed" characters of the type
writer bring them out in embarrassing
prominence. It has come tbat every
person having even a reasonable
amount of correspondence uses a type-
hi writer and a it is not possible for ail
to have the benefit of a training at a
business college the high school should
fill this need as much as possible. '
1
The beard is considering having draw
ing taught in all the grades for this
is another necessity to a well-roundel
education. Not that all should be or
could be taught to be artists, but
every man and woman should have
sufficient knowledge of drawing that
they could, if occasion required, draw
tbe plan of a house, make sketch of
any article that they desired to more
fully explain. The board is able to
get a highly competent teacher at a
reasonable salary for this - position,
Mr. O'Brien, who conducts the art
classes in the Masonio block, having
agreed to take charge of the work.
Mr. O'Brien is a teacher of drawing
and painting of years experience and
was one of the leading artists of
Chicago, before coming to Grants
Pass last year for his health The
adding of this study would make no
great increase in expense in providing
the books, etc, as tbe outfit for a
scholar costs but little. There is a
likelihood that vocal musio may be
taught in tbe grades to give the child
ren some training in singing.
RAILROAD WAR IN
EASTERN OREGON
HaLrrtm&n and Hill Interest are
Striving to Get Control of
ThaJ Section.
Tbe San Francisco Chronicle of
Saturday says that tbe recent an
nouncement that the Weed railroad
was to be extended by tbe Southern
Pacific and the Weed-Natron branch
made a main line for trafflo between
Portland 'and San Francisco, was to
oonoeal the real meaning of its pur
chase by tbe harriman people. The
Chronicle says: A railroad war of
the keenest interest to Californians,
and having as the prize the control of
the heart of Oregon, is now being
waged by two huge interests. Tbe
Hill people and the Harriman inter
ests are battling for the control of tbe
rich lands of Oregon and the vast
stretches of country to be opened up
by the . irrigation project in the
Klamath country, i
The war is none the less deadly be
cause of tbe quietness witb which it
IB being conducted. No plans are
heralded, but both sides are going
into the matter with the grim dete ?
mination to win. The first intima
tion of tbe straggle that came from
the citadels of the two forces was the
announcement made by the Southern
Pacific Company that it had purchased
the California Northeastern. In
order to veil the significance of the
purchase the officials intimated that
in time this road would be used as
one of the main lines for the traffic to
the north, and that the Shasta route
would pas over the proposed line of
the California Northeastern.
Thia announcement wa to conceal
the real meaning of the purchase. It
is the plan of the Southern Pacific to
build the California Northeastern to
Klamath Falls, w' ich was the route
of the proposed road. Eut the South
ern Pacific will not stop nt that point.
If the route of the California North
eastern fiom Weed, on the main line
of the Southern Pacific, is produced
it will be found to run in a north
easterly direction and meet the Ore
gon Short Line of the Southern Pa
cific at Huntintgon. This road will
completely open up the heart of Ore
gon. This move on tbe part of tbe
Southern Pasiflo has completely out
witted the Hill outfit. The plan of
Hill was to build a road called the
San Francisco, Idaho and .Montana,
which is to start at Butte, Mont, and
run in a sauthwesterly direction
thrnonh Salmon CitT. Boise (Idaho),
and on down to San Fraocisro. This
line would open up a new stretch of
territory and 'would afford a decided
rat-off for travel from tbe Northwest,
now reaching San Francisco by way
of Portland.
Real Estate
AND
Rent Houses
g W. L,. IRELAND,
JShQ Real Estate Man.
Ground Floor,
Grants Pass,
Courier Bldg.
Oregon.
ROGUE RIVER A
' SECOND HOOD RIVER
Says a Hood River Apple Grower
Who Was Well Pleased With
Thia Valley.
The Oregonian of Tnesday gives the
subjoined interview with A. I.
Mason, the Hood River apple grower
who witb Dr. James Withycombe and
Prof. C. L Lewis, of .the State Ag
ricultural College, conducted a aeries
ofiixftuit growers meetings in this
section of Rogue River Valley. Mr.
Mason, in the interview paid an ap
preciated compliment to this Valley
whioli he says is a second Hood River.
Of tbe destruction of salmon in Rogue
river at the dam of the Water Works
Mr. Mason made a personal observa
tion and he thinks it a gross neglect
and cruelty to tbe fish that no ladder
is provided for their getting over the
dam :
"Professors Withyoombe and Lewis,
of the Oregon Agricultural College,
accompanied by A. I. Mason, of
Hood River, have- returned from a
trip into the Rogue River country,
where they went upon experimental
work oonnected with the Agricultural
College.
"Mr. Mason, wbo returned to his
home last evening, speaks in the high
tes terms of tbe undeveloped re
sources of the Rogue River country,
and says the people of that section are
just awakening to the possibilities of
the region for froitrgowing as well as
other important industries.
"Acoording to Mr. Mason, one of
tbe finest marble quarries in tbe
country exists in the vioinity of
Grants Pasa, the product of which
ranks with tbe best in the United
States. Both black and white mar
ble are mined in abundance, tbe sap
ply being more than sufficient to sup
ply immediate demands in this state,
and be deplores tbe fact that sucb an
important industry is overlooked to a
largo extent, and money sent away for
an inferior grade of this kind of
building material.
'While Mr. Mason is a great ad
mirer of tbe Rogue River Valley re
gion, his loyalty to Hood River is
still paramount in his -nature, and he
considers that the greatest compli
ment he can pay to tbe southern fro it
growing belt is that it is a second
edition of Hood River.
'He thinks the State Fish Warden
should look after things a little more
carefully in connection with the dam
In Rogue River, near Grants Pass,
which, he aaya, la defloient in fish
ladders, with the result that salmon
are dying by the score in the effort
to get np stream and spawn.
"'Oat of 30 large-sized fish,' said
Mr. Mason, ' I counted only four that
got over the falls. The rest perished
in the attempt, their bodies floating
along as a mute denunciation of the
neglect to provide proper facilities
for the salmon to reach their spawn
ing grounds.' "
COMMERCIAL CLUB AND
" MINERS ASS0. MERGE
Commercial Club Will Maintain
Exhibit Rooms Formerly
Kept by Association.
A special meeting of the Grants
Pass commercial club was held at the
mining exhibit rooms Monday even
ing at which a merger of the Com
mercial Clob and the Miners Associa
tion was affected, the Miners Asso
ciation turning over their exhibit
and effects to the Club who will main
tain tbe exhibit room as heretofore.
The Miners'Aasociation has for nearly
three years past kept an exhibit room
open, the expense of its maintenance
being borne by business and mining
men who subscribed toward its sop
port. The club now haa a membership of
over 40 and an effort ia being made
to increase the number.
Three new departments were added
to the dob and vice-presidents elected
to the bead of the departments as fol
lows: Department of mines, Frank
South ; department of timber, H. L
Gilkey; department of irrigation,
Geo. S. Calhoun.
Tbe matter of Southern Oregon ad
vertising was brought up and a com
mittee which had previously been I
appointed was inatrooted to apptar
before the coanty court and ask for j
poses. In consideration of the fact
that all property would be benefitted
alike by any advantages accruing
from advertising, it is unfair to leave
this burden on the shoulders of a few
of the business men who will be no
more benefitted thau the balance of
the people of the county.
Roy S. Wilson, delegate to the Irri
gation Congress at Boise, made a very
interesting report of the meeting and
expressed belief in the probability
that Josephine county might share in
the irrigation work carried on by the
government Mr. Wilson and County
Judge Jewell were in conference
with the beads of the officials re
clamation service- and laid before
them the needs and possibilities of
Josephine county and particularly the
section of land south of Roguejiver, in
which thousands of acres of land could
be covered by a ditch, wbiob according
to a map of watershed! and elevations,
could be accomplished at a minimum
cost. It is probable that some of the
officials in the reclamation service
will visit Josephine county later on.
Mining Nn Return
A. L. Smith, the well known min
ing man, returned Saturday to Grants
Paas accompanied by Mrs. Smith to
again take np their residenoe in this
olty. They left last Spring and Mrs.
IsSmith has been with her parents at
Neodesha, Kan., while Mr. Smith
has been looking over tbe mining
districts of Missouri, Colorado and
Nevada. In the latter slate be located
some claims that are very promising,
and be thinks Soahtern Oregon has a
good future and will yet be a big
mining district and that as a desirable
place of residence it is far ahead
of any state he baa lived in.
S. H. Otta, a well known mining
man of Cripple Creek, Colo., aoooui-
panied Mr. Smith to Grants and will
looa over thia district with a view of
locating here. Mr. Otta fvlnks that
section that has so good a showing as
Southern Oregon will prove to be a
rich mining district
Miners' blinks at the Courier office.
Front Street, south side
opposite
the Railroad Depot.
Satisfaction Guaranteed.
Furniture
Carpets
Lace Curtains
Portieres
Mattresses
Pillows
Cots
Mirrors
Linoleums
Window Shades
Pictures
Picture Frames
e Clocks
Wall Paper
Paper Mieathings
Wall Paper
Big assort
ment of Wall
Papers, are
abjs o 1 u t e 1 y
new, up - to'
date and the
prices tight.
10c to 75c
COMFORTS
Our immense
stock has ar
rived. The as
sortment is cer
trinly had to beat; lrom $5.00
down to our special offering a
$1.35 Comfort for $1.00
Dish Drainers a
most useful article
in a number of ways
25c
We desire to call particu
epecials tbat Li our sales
Carpet Remnants,
Ifyoubuv it at THomaS SL O'Neill's you get it right.
FRUIT GROWERS TO .
HOLD MEETING
Will Meet Saturday, Septembr 22
to Take Steps lo Have State
Law Enforced.
A meeting of the Grants Pass Fruit
Growers Association will be held at
the Courier office on Saturday, Sep
tember 23, at 1:80 p m Every mem
ber of the Association is expected to
be present as there are several matters
of importance to be acted on. . The
meeting will' be open to all fruit
growers and every person who haa an
orchard, even of hut a dozen trees, is
invited and expected to be present.
One of the principal matters for
action U1 be the adopting of a peti
tion to the oounty court asking for the
appointment of a county fruit in
spector and tbe recommending of a
suitable person for tbe position, to
enforoe the new state law that makes
it obligatory on all owners of diseased
fruit trees to either free them of peats
or destroy them nnder penalty of it
being done by the inspector and the
oost becoming a lean upon the land.
As every fruit tree owner will be
forced to spray and as the first spray
ing will have to be done to soon as
the leaves are off the trees spray ma
terial will be In demand and tbe
anion will sapply it at oost to all
fro it growers in order to assist them
in cleaning np their orchards. All
who will require spray material will
be expected to give in at this meeting
tbe amount they will require.
It being impossible to rent a suit
able warehouse in Grants Pass in
which to handle this year's crop of
apples Jt is necessary that the Associa
tion build a warehouse. At the forth
coming meeting this matter will he
considered and arrangements made to
secure suitable grounds and the erect
ion of the building. As this will
require a legal organization - to
properly carry on the basinets of the
Thomas & O'lleill
Homes Furnished Complete
The new Rugs have arrived,
beautifal patterns; call and see
them. $15.00 to $32.00. We
can give you a Carpet at a close
figure that will make you happy
and your house beautiful.
RANGES This range is the latest
in a thoroughly reliable Range at a
moderate price; no expense has
been spared in getting it out and we
guarantee it to please; it is a per
fect baker, economical in fuel, at
tractive, durable and the price easy.
Call and see them.
Go-Car ts
m ..." ,wm VV""
.BSll
tfef
U .fp
ft TAvJHj!
flip'.; (vzZD
HT- .
Dairy Pails,
Association and enable funds to be
seoured with which to pay for the
warehouso and fitting it up It will be
necessary to Incorporate.
In order to have a basis on which to
negotiate with dealers for the pur
chase of the apple orop it is expected
that evety farmer, who will ship
through the Association, will submit
at the meeting to be held next Satur
day a careful estimate of the first
grade apples in bis orchard. As there
is a likelihood of there being a cider
and vinegar factory erected in Grauts
Pasa thia Fall an estimate is wanted
of the non-shipping apples and also of
pears and prunes.
The mooes of the Association
means the placing of the fruit In
dustry of thia section of Rogue River
Valley on a profitable basis. To
tbat end it is to the Interest of
both farmers and business men to aid
the organization all possible In its
efforts to get the pests eradicated from
the orchards of this section and of se
curing better market facilities and
better prices for fruit
At the meeting on tbe 23d all the
fruit growers should attend for it
will be to their financial advantage
in many ways.
Alex Watts, the veteran miner and
one of the few left residing in Josephine
county of the men wbo opened np the
mines at Sailor Diggings, now Waldo,
in 1851-2, where the first perma
nent mining camp was established la -Josephine
county, was in Grants Pass -Monday
from his farm and mine near
Provolt Mr. Watts was accompanied
by his wife and their daughter, Mrs.
A. J. Schrimpf of Santa Paula, Cai,
who is here on a visit. Mrs. Watts
and Mrs. Schrimpf left by the evening
train for Roaeborg, where they go by
stage to Myrtle Point to visit Mrs.
W. Harrington, a daughter of Mrs.
Watts, wno resides there. They will
then go to Rlverton to visit Mrs. A.
S. York, another daughter and George
Elliott, a son.
Fine commercial
Courier office. '
printing at the
Opposite Band
Stand
in
the
Depot Grounds.
Money Back if You Want II.
Stoves
Ranges
Granite-ware
Tinware
Wooden-ware
WiMow-ware
Crockery
Glassware
Lamps
Cutlery
Fine China
Ilaby Carriages
Go-Carts
A lot of
odd pat
terns in
all kinds of
Mattings
to close at
20' dis
count. PILLOWS-
a big line in
the best of
tickings, and
at the old
prices 75c to $2.25 gets as
good a Pillow as can be had for
the money.
Cuspidors in earth
en, China and steel
30c to $1 00
lar attention to this week's
on Comforts, Mattings,
Flint Tumble:.
Ml
an appropriation, for advertising pur-1