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About Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 12, 1912)
GRANTS TASS, JOSEPHINE COUNTY. OREGON. ' FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, : 3l NO. 40. vol. xxm. TAX LEVY RAISED 125 PER CENT STATE TAX COMMISSION HARD BLOW. HITS COUNIY LEVY IS 18 MILLS Figures for 1010 Were 917,182.08; for 1011 They Head $38- , 193.50. The state tax commission, as a state board of equalization, has bit Josephine county a bard blow, as the board has raised the amount that Josephine must pay Into the state treasury In the form of taxes to startling figures compared to the fig ures of last year. For 1910 the state board set the figures at I17.182.9S; f r 1911 the figures, which have just been received here, total $38,193.50, an increase of 125 per cent. Why this terrific raise is ' not known, said County Assessor Eclus Pollock, Saturday afternoon to a representative of The Courier, un less It Is intended as a punishment, or rather a belief that Josephine coun ty property was not being assessed at sufficient figures. Mr. Pollock states that be cannot recall any great Increase in state Indebtedness or appropriations that would demand such a high figure for this and oth er counties. But, he says, he Is of the opinion that all counties were likewise raised out of their boots. However, there is a possibility that Josephine county Is suspected of not assessing Us property high enough. The following article in the Oregonlan of Thursday of the past week Is significant. That ar ticle reads as follows: "SALEM, OrM Jan. 3. (Special.) As an example of applications which are made to the state land board for loans a table has been pre pared for Governor West indicating the applications recently made fron Josephine county. Out of a total of IS loans asked for the total amounts asked reach $24,750( The attorney's appraisement of the value of the laud which was to have been secur ity for these loans was ?11 2,000 whfle the assessed , valuation as shown by the books of the assessor was $19,587. "Some marked Instances of sim ilar discrepancies are apparent. For rtl-str.n?c In ore case the attorney ap praised land as valued at $12,000, when the assessed valuation is only $1810. In another the appraisement was $15,000, when the assessed val uation was only $3325. Similar con ditions exist in other counties and the state land board Is taking, steps to remedy it If possible." Regarding the property mentioned as assessed at only $1810 when the owner's attorney appraised It, so al leged, at i2.000, Jllr. Pollock states . that the owner told -him he had been trying t0 sell it for $10,000, but had 1 now reduced It to $8,000, and was seeking a buyer at that figure. ' Mr. Fohock remarked to The Courier that of course attorneys seek ing loans for clients would, in that instance, set as high a valuation on the'properties as they thought would stick and that surely the state tax commission would not take those figures Into consideration in fixing a county's taxes. . County Levy 18 Mills. The county court Saturday fixed the levy for 1911 at 18 mills. For 1910 It was 17 mills. ' The total as sessed valuation of the county Is now $10,505,686. Two elements en ter into this total. One is the as ' sessmect of the coun'.y as3C3-or. Mr. Pollock's assessments In the county tota $8,668. C05; the public ut'lities '-oarl's assessments on railroads, telegraph and telephone companies, electric light company and other lv.inor utilities doing an rntcr--oun-ty business, foots up $1,537,081. TMs' litter tctal has Juft. been re ceived from F.-Iem. The two, Mr. To'.lo'k's and the public' titillt le b;ard, make tin the total of f 10.. "i" -CS6. GRANTS PASS MEN AT MINING CONGRESS. , Attorney Frank J. Newman of Medford, chairman of the program committee of the Southern Oregon and Northern California Mining con gress, to be held In Medford Febru ary 2 and 3, writes The Courier as follows "The committee appointed to look after the exhibits reports that we will hare the finest exhibit of ore and machinery ever shown in Southern Oregon. The committee on publica tion and advertising is also making big strides and various booklets and other souvenirs are being prepared tor distribution. "Nothing is being left undone looking to the perfection of plans for making this the biggest meet that the congress has yet held. You will be furnished further information at any time on request, and being on the publication committee, I trust that you will cot be backward about making such request at any time, either to me or to any of the chair men of the other committees, the names of which will e furnished by me If you desire them." Mr. Newman Incloses the program as made up by the committee for the two days. It is as follows: FIRST DAY FORENOON. Meeting of trains with band. Inspection of Exhibits. Committee Work. "9:45. Music and procession to hall. 10:00. Address of welcome, May or Canon of Medford. Responses by mayors of Yreka, Ashland and Grants Pass. - 10:30. Address: "Genesis .and Deposition of Ore Bodies." T. K. Murray, Grants Pass, Oregon. 10:45. "Our Congress." Attorney Frank L. Newman, Medford, Oregon. , 11:30. "Conditions in the Apple gate Mining District, Josephine .Coun. ty, Oregon." Adolph Maler,' metal lurgical engineer. Afternoon First Day. . 2:00. "Capital vs. Mining In Southern Oregon." W. J Grants Pass, Oregon. .. Wlmei. i 2:30? "Mine Promotion and De velopment." Attorney R. G. Smith, mayor of Grants Pass, Oregon. 3:00 "Early Mining Remlnes cences of This District." Judge W. M. Colvlg of Medford and E. K. An derson of Ashland. 4:00. ''Needed Mining Leglsla tlon."Wudge Thos. C. Burke, Bak er City. 5:00." "School of Mines." Prof. H. M. Parks, Corvallls. General Discussion. Evening. 7:00. Music on street and pro cession to hall. j 7:30. Address, "Prospecting." T. M. Anderson, Kerby District. N ,8:00. "Whafs'Dolng." (1). Siskiyou County Attorney Otto Hoses, SIsson, Cal. (2) . Jackson "County. E. W. Liljegram, M. E., Medford. (3) . Josephine County. C. L Mangum, Grants Pass. (4). -Douglass County. To Supplied. SECOND DAY FORENOON. be Drilling contests for suitable prizes. Awarding of prizes on exhibits, v Afternoon. Address: "The Boliemla Llstrlct" M. O. Warren,' Cottage Grove, Ore gon. . Address: "Our Coal Mines. To Ik Supplied. Address: "Our Clays." Geo. E. Boose, Tolo, Oregon. Address: "Our Building Stone." E A. Hicks, Medfo'rd, Oregon. Address: "Organization." L. D Mahone, Portland, Oregon. Address: "Public Land Question." Secretary Callbreath of the Amer ican Mining Congress. Attorney Newman, In his. letter to The Courier, adds: : "It Is also planned to have several speakers of national repute here to take part on the prttfram, and sev eral of the manufacturers of mining machinery will have exhibits." I Pa.f., prominent In the affairs of Gold From Hoix-ln'iul I tj,e two companies, state that they J. H. Miller, merchant -at Wll- j were' selling agents only; that their Hams, was in the city Wednesday I commission wtfs forty per cent . transacting business and Incl.lontally ' The band played, the sliver sp'kf shipping some gold from the Horse-Ifim driven,, the "tumult and the head Tine at Wlllfams and owned byltnoutlng dies" and the railroad i the Bristol s. Mr. Miller had about I went nowhere. About all the visible 20 ounocj of amalgam. ' 1 asest Of the railroad company Is a R. I PROMOTERS ARE INDICTED LOTTERY AND MONEY BY FALSE PRETENSE CHARGED. KOLLOCK IS DISCHARGED H. L. Cliapiu of Portland, President I of Company, Coder 1-000 Bonds. From Sunday's Dally. H. L. Chapin of Portland, said to be or was, the president of the Portland Realty board, and John K. Kollock, an attorney of Portland, will wake u. this morning to find that they have been Indicted by the Josephine county grand jury. The indictments were filed at about 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon. A message was Bent to the sheriff of Multnomah county to arrest both Chapin. and Kollock. They may give bond, there or they may, be brought to Grants Pass. There are two indictments against each man. ihe first is "indictment for running a lottery;" the second reads "Indictment for obtaining money under false pretense." The Indictments crew out of the promo tion of the "Grants Pass and Rogue River Railway company" and the "Rogue River Townslte company." E. J. Bowen happened In Grants Pass during the spring of 1911. Messrs. Rlggs & Lucas met him. A railroad was proposed up Williams creek. Bowen brought Chapin here from Portland. The Grants Iga'ss and Rogue, Hiver Railroad company was organized. The Rogue River Townslte company was organized. The' people were ?s!:ed to put up money to the railroad company, to be paid In Installments as the work pro gressed. The people did. The track got across Rogue River, but never farther. The people of Grants Pass, Josephine county and elsewhere were asked to buy lots In "Soutn Grants Pass," a beautiful thing on the maps, but an open stretch of land, in reality. The people re sponded, making first payments on contracts. , Regarding the lottery charge Dis trict Attorney Mulkey last evening said: "The way the lottery lndlctmcjt came atoui Is because the townslte company pulled off the following stunt: A purchaser of a lot was al lowed the privilege In a drawing. It he drew any one of 47 lots, se lected by the townslte company, among the 400 remaining lots he had the privilege of buying Buch 'drawn lot at half its value. These lots were designated by the town site company as 'prize lots.' " Regarding the indictments charg ing obtalnln money under false pre tense they came "about from the fact that the townslte company Is al leged to have sold lots In thy coun ty road. This came about In this wise: It is alleged that for the priv ilege of platting the townslte over the county road which meandered diagonally through the tract, the company was to make the streets usable so the road would be unnec essary; but this, it Is alleged, they never did. And when the purchas er of a lot embracing a portion of the road laid the foundation of his house In the road, he was stopped by the seounty authorities. Geo. E. Waldrom of Medford began the in ves'tlgat'on, and from his initiative came a thorough overhauling of the doings of the land company with the result that Indictments followed. Bowen was, more closely connected with the railroad company, hence gets off unscatned. Messrs. Rlggs and Lucas of Grants little locomotive familiarly known as the "One Spot," and a long-legged spidery trestle across Rogue river which Is counted on to go out at the first flood-tide and splatter all over the Sixth street Iron bridge. From Monday's Dally. John K. Kollock, former secretary of the Rogue River Townslte com pany, who, with H. L. Chapin, presi dent of the company, was indicted Saturday by the Josephine county grand jury, today sat In the circuit, court room and heard District Attor ney B. Fv Mulkey ask Judge Calkins to dismiss both Indictments against him. Judge Calkins, after asking the uisirici uuuruej nuuie umy nuoi tlons regardtng the case, dismissed the Indictments. Kollock was evidently much re lieved mentally when the cases against him were dismissed. In moving for the dismissal of the Indictment against John K. Kollock Mr. Mulkey stated th- the records of the Rogue River Townslte com pany show that Kollock had resign ed as a director apd secretary of such corporation 21 days before the 11th of March, 1911, the day the lots were sold under the allotment ?lan. ' "So far as this particular sale Is concerned," Bald Mulkey to the court, "Mr. Kollock could have had no connection with the lottery scheme. , "There was nd evidence before the grand Jury to show any sales prior to March 4, 1911. The verbal testi mony In the grand Jury room con nected Mr.. Kollock with the transac tion as the duly qualified and acting secretary of the corporation at the time of the alleged sales then being considered. The lottery features of the sales of lands by the Rogue Riv er Townslte company are present but I do not regard Mr. Kollock as a party responsible. "Had the grand Jury been In pos session of the record testimony In this case, I feel sure the Indictment would not have been returned, so far a3 Mr. Kollock Is concerned. Having that testimony before me and being fnlly advised, I move that the Indict ment be dismissed as to John K. Kollock. "The same state of facts exists as to the dismissal of the Indictment as to Kollock charged Jointly with H. L. Chapin for obtaining money by false pretenses In the sale of lots to George E. Waldron embracing por tions of county road, such sale being made on the 4th day of March, 1911." Statement by Kollock. To a representative of The Courier Kollock Bald: "My only connection with the Rogue River Townslte company was as attorney In the preparation of the organization papers. In that con nection I acted as secretary of the company only until the organization was completed and resigned as di rector and secretary on February 20, eighteen days after the articles of In corporation were filed. Neither be fore nor after that time did I have any connection with the sale of the company's property or with the plat of South Grants Pass. "As to the charge of receiving money under false pretenses, I might state incidentally that I have never received one cent from the company or from any of the companies with which I was associated, either as at- torryy 's fees or otherwise.' AFTER R.R. TRESTLE AGAIN An effort Is to be made to get s court order to pull down the long trestle across Rogue river near the city limits, built by the Grants Pass & Rogue River Railroad company. Thef grand jury today, In Its re port to Judge Calkins, recommended that tbe county court begin legal proceedings to that end. The coun ty ar.irt, being In session, took Im mediate action, and Instructed Dis trict Attorney Mull:ey to start hii!: at once. The grand Jurors decreed that tin trestle is a serious menace to tli county's steel bridge acrors t!if Rogue, Irf that the trestle Is ilablf to go out when high waters bes'.n t'i rush down the river, and the niai-s ot timbers crash onto Hie strcl brld- it Is not supposed that any M-rlmi' opposition will be met by th" count In Its efforts to set an order from tin circuit court to demoIUu the trestle APPLICATIONS FOR RECEIVER WIND I P BUSINESS OF GRANTS I PASS AND R, R, RY. PORTLAND MAN APPOINTED Attorney J. C. Jenkins Here to Take Up Tangled Thread of Road's Affairs. From Monday's Dally. Two different applications were made today ror receivet snips lor tne Grants Pass & Rogue River Railroad company, one application being made m we nuunoman county coun rorwauu. ua u m w w.uu.w court of Josephine county. Both courts granted receiversnips, uih me iuuiiuuiuiiu couutj tion oeai tne josepnme ena to u D7 an hour. Attorney II. D. Norton of Grants Pass, representing various creditors OI me rauroaa company, receiYea tslHrsm from Portland this fore-k noon stating that a receivership had been granted there at 9:15 o'clock this morning, the application reading for the 'Pacific Western Railroad company and subsidiary corpora- Hons." "The "Pacific Western" Is the par- ent or holding company, the Grants Pass and Rogue River railroad com- pany being one of the subsidiary cor- poratlons. John C. JenklnR, a lawyer of Port- land, was named receiver by the Multnomah county. Judge. II. N. Parker of Grants Pass, who holds a bill for grading against the local road, this morning asked for a receivership here. Judge Calkins made an order to that effect and named M. J. Anderson as receiver, Then Attorney Norton received his telegram, Ho Informed Judge Calk- Ins of Its contents, that a receiver- ship had been granted In Portland at 9:15 a. m., somewhat ahead of the Josephine circuit court. Judge Calk- Ins then Instructed that his order for a receivership bo held In nbeyanco untll he Is Informed officially of the tictlon of the Multnomah court. Judge Calkins then ordered that all other creditors be allowed to Inter vene. A formal showing must be made In Grants Pass of the records at Port land granting the receivership. A rprtlfled codv will be sent to the court here. This meaiiii that, If the Portland receivership wr.s granted first, GrantB Pass creditors will be compelled to filn their claims In the Multnomah court Attorney John C. Jenkins of Port land, who Monday .was appointed re ceiver of the Pacific Western company and subsidiary corporations, includ ing the Grants Pass and Rogue River Railroad company and the Rogue River Townslte company (South Grants Pa:jq), arrived here this morn lng and at once got busy with de talis of this end of his work. Mr. Jenkins stated that he would be here at least two days, and that when he departed he expected that matters would be in a more satlsfac- ory shape. Regarding creditors and bills agalnst the two corporations nere, power the city council to Issue bond ! Mr. Jenkins stated that ho soon with which to pay off the present In would make a request through the debtcdncss of the city. The limit U newspapers their bills. to all creditors to Die Attorney II. D. Norton, who repre sents various creditors, was In con forence this afternoon with Receiver Jenkins. Mr. Norton later expressed Mmuelf nq hniiefiil of cond results from the receivership. from lliurH'iujn unuj. rri. I..,,. nntlir Subscribers in t.mnts i ass anu others who refuse,! to pny runner money Into the treasury of the Grants I'fiss & Rogue Ulvor Railroad com- pnny. may coon be compelled by or iVr r,f court to do so. The words "rrnv be compelled" are used, be- MAYOR SMITH TO DEBATE WITH SOCIALIST FEB. 11 C. W. Hunton. of the local aoclallst 'party, Informs The Conrier thu one ot hi party's national speakers, N. A. Richardson, will debate with Mayor R. Q. Smith In the Grants Pass opera louse, the date being February 11. Richardson was to fill on ot tne socialist's Lyceum date hee at that time, hit subject being "Way Things H,'p!n. A0 ,P!V" abandoned, however, and the speaker enter a de bate with Mayor Smith on the ques tion of socialism. Tbe hour will be 8 p. in. The formal subject to be contested between Richardson and the mayor Is "Resolved, That the socialist plat form offers the best available solu tion of the Industrial problems ot to day, and that anions: these oroblems rfl ... concentr.tkm 0. w..Uh ownerihip, corruption In gorernment ...... ...... b.tween laborera .... amployeri( tne unempi0yed, panics an(1 international wars." Rch&rd3cn will speak 65 minutes; Rmlth sn m.nil.n. rtioh.nn tor. , mlnuteB. 8mlth 10 minutei, Nq mw argument ar to bi ntro. duced ,n tne clo8lng ten mnutM. GRAND JURY ADJOURNS-' CAtfT DrrAHMTNT. ATIANC iUHt KtlWmLNDAllUrto From Monday's Dally. The Josephine county grand jury adjourned today, and made several important recommendations. The grand jurors In their report to Judge Calkins stated that the? had recelv- ed a partial report from O. F. Calll goo, who Is auditing the county books and added: "From a consideration of the above report we would make the fol- lowing recommendations: That the county court employ sufficient com- potent help In the sheriff's office dur- ng tax paying season In order that taxes collected be turned over to the treasurer promptly. "We would recommond that the county clerk keep a book showing the financial standing of the county. which book should bo balanced monthly ve find that In the past larger balances have been carried In the treasury than seem necessary, and v e would therefore recommend that n can be made for warrants when- ever the necessary funds are avail able, according to laws prescribing. "We would recommend that the county court begin Immediate action In the circuit court to have the Grants Tass & Rogue River company bridge across Rogue river removed, as it Is a serious menace to tbe coun ty bridge "Respectfully submitted, "M. J. ANDERSON, Foreman. "G. W. SCOTT, "JACOU HANSETH. "W. R. RANNIE. "OLIVER MORRISON. ! "J. S. DOBYNS. "GEO. R. RIDDLE." PETITIONS CALL FOR SPECIAL CITY ELECTION Appearing on pugo 5 of this Issue of The Courier w'U be found the leg al notices of the proposed amend ments to the city charter. These three amendments nropose that a special election be called that (l) salaries of city officers be fixed, (2) that no franchise be granted only by vote of the people, and (3) to ein- fixed in the petition at $80,000. Tho throe- proposals come In the form of Initiative petitions, and were originated, primarily, by Mayor It. G. Smith 21 CERTIFICATES ISSUED T,, . ,.... ot.,a . amotion for tea. hers shows that 2 1 0 ,ne 23 aru,HCnn(g for one-ven; gtate ,;,.rflfi ates were sticcosriful and wm recelvo certificates. Complete returns for life certifi cates, five-year certificates and pri mary certificated hav not yet ber. secured ' from the grading board.