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About Spray courier. (Spray, Or.) 1???-19?? | View Entire Issue (March 25, 1915)
Till! COimiKIl II (Uviilod to Uia hl InUruK of HI'HAY and WIIKIiXKK COUNTY. Th. Iluaral imtnm. woof tliaoltlcsna of thla wm tloti la raapaatf ully follelUnl, Publiihad ovary Thuratlay by RUSSELL D. PRICE. Subscription Ratal Par Year $1.(10 Wx Month..., ,,, .to Thraa Month. M VOL. XIII. SL'JtAYV WIIEELEU COUNTY, OllEGON, TIIUliSDAY, MARCH 25, 1915. NO. 6. NEWS NOTES OF CURRENT WEEK Resume of World's Important Events Told in Brief. Allies Lose Three Ships by lurks' Floating Mines London The Britluh battleships Ir resistible and Ocean and the French battluHhip Houvet were blown up by flouting mines whllo engaged with the remainder of the allied fleet In attack Ing the forta In The Narrowa of the Dardanelles Thursday. The crewa of the two British ahlpi were virtually all aavod, having been transferred to other ships under a hot flro, but an internal explosion took place on board the Houvet after she hud fouled the mine and most of her crew was lost. The Bouvet sank within three mln ute of the time that she hit the mine. ihe waters in which the ships were lost bad been swept of mines, but the IiritlHh admiralty asserts that the Turks ar.d Germans sot floating con tainers of explosives adrift and these were carried down by the current on to the allied ships gathered Inside the entrance of the straits. Ail the ships that were sunk were old ones, the Bouvet having been com pleted nearly 20 years ago and the Ocean and Irresistible in 1898. They were useful, however, for the work in when they were engaged in the Dar danellea. ihe destroyed Uritish ships are being replaced by the battleships (jueen and Implacable, vessels of Governor Spry, of Utah, vetoes pro- similar type. They are said to have hibltlon bill paused by the legislature, started some time ago for near West- declaring that the saloon is simply waters In anticipation of just such transferred to the druar store. losses as have now occurred. Two -.!. n .1 t t. i i i.i 0lner sn,P engaged in ine ngniing, City of Portland has just completed, n.uf-h tZu ,t... in.iKii a municipal own or mo mosi moaern Bn(1 th. Vrani,h h.,,tHhln n.nloi.. Jitney busses In San Francisco now give transfers to the municipal street cars. Germany Is reported to bo building two railways to the frontier of Alsace- Lorraine It is reported that tho Russians have pillaged and destroyed 80,000 homes in bast Prussia The German relchstag has adopted without dubate the war estimates, and also passed tho foreign estimates. One of Washington's largest shingle mills, located at Central Ih, has re- opened sinco shutting down tho first of the year. Numerous plagues and diseases prev alent in Serbia are reported to be dev astating a largo percentage of the population. It is estimated by Alice Clement and Mary Riley, policewomen of Chicago, that ono woman in each twenty In that city smoke cigarettes. type. Tho horses will havo sanitary stalls, washroom and hospital, Protesting against the action of the board of regents of the University of Utah, in dismissing four teachers, 14 other professors have resigned. Washington government considers that the recent notes from the allies do not give the proper answers, which, our government deems, should be in detail. Austria is reported to be continuing work on the fortifications all along the Italian frontier, and the garrisons have been reinforced by fantry. The French chamber of deputies has unanimously passed a bill authorizing were hit by shells and damaged, The British casualties, according to the British official report, "were not heavy, considering tho scale of the operations. The damage done to the Turkish forts by the heavy bombardment has not yet been ascertained. It is said that the operations against them are continuing. The damage done to the Turkish forts by the heavy bombard ment has not yet been ascertained. It is said that the operations against them are continuing. The forta at tacked were those on either side of artillery and In- Kephec bay and on Kephea point out side The Narrows and those on Kind Bahr and Chanak in The Narrows. The Kephez forts replied strongly i a i i.. i a th. tn tho limit fcr wucu uainBouiua mjva.iu.-eu, unug. ti,.i..n..ft.....inH.r.. up the Dardanelles, and all the ships 4 t?iui Ann nnn ... mnn nrm nnn were hit. It is asserted that these 1IVM1 fivv,uw,vv w fjuu,vuu,uvu, .. ftll.. A A Uy. Another British steamer, the Glen- bardment of those in The Narrows was artney, from Bangkok for London under way when the three battleships loaded with rice, has been torpedoed struck mines. The blowing up of the by a German submarine off Beachy ships did not cause a cessation of the Head in the English Channel. Only fighting, which continued until dark ness Intervened. It is understood that the bombardment was resumed, Five Russian Lines fall Before Austrian Attack Vienna, via London Herr Lennhoff, correspondent of the Zeitung Am Mit tag, sends the following dispatch from Austrian headquarters under date of March 18: "The Russian offensive against the one of the crew was drowned. Testifying before the "American land" investigation, an owner of 12, 000 acres in Texas, admitted that ten ants with large families were desira ble because the children could be pressed into work, especially during the rush season. Mine-laying drills by the troops at Fort Stevens, Oregon, were com menced this week under the direction rt 4ttn sfTlniaa An knotvl rVia otou nrt or Vi WJW VIIIVU1B VIS Will V. VtiW UVVUIIIVt I it 1 II 1 Major Ringgold. The drills are being p"n.an nas oroKen aown more held in the night, a short distance be- H"'"' " low the government wharf. The prac- ld?r,n the v,Kr w'th T)whih thf. at" Lain ffoa uokuiii xuc ivuDoiauo uurc was to break the Austrian and German lines east of Lupkow pass. They sent forward huge forces there, but all at tacks were repulsed with enormous Russian losses, and the AuBtrians and Germans are steadily, if slowly, gain- ing ground, 'The Russian tactics consisted in charging, in five successive lines. As sodn as one line was cut down another advanced, until all five had been shot down. The Russians sent forward all available troops, even adjuncts, like the older men who previously were used only as guards for the military workshops. Even military tailors and cooks were forced into the attacking line. "This caused an apparent relaxation in the vigilance of the Russian vedette service. German troops making a flanking movement over difficult ter rain found all the pickets, even the machine gun divisions, sleeping. In battle, however, the Russians fought recklessly, firing while standing with their bodies entirely exposed to the hottest hail of bullets, 'The attacking forces, chiefly Si berians, held their ground stubbornly, Although many hundreds were taken tice will be continued until the open ing of the fishing season on May 1. Wife of ex-Governor Moody of Ore gon, dies suddenly at Salem. United States government will send a sharp protest to England and her allies for the commercial blockade against.Germany. Sinking of the cruiser Dresden by British is claimed to be unfair by the German officers, inasmuch as the ves sel was at anchor In neutral waters. It is also claimed that a shell from the British warship killed a woman and child on shore. The largest superdreadnaught in the world was launched at Newport News by Uncle Sam. She will carry twelve 14-inch guns and has a displacement of 4000 tons more than England's largest warship. The cost to build her is $14,000,000. The German sea raider, Prinz Eitel Frederick, at Newport News for re pairs, honored America by having the band play the Star-Spangled Banner as the President's yacht passed on its way to the launching of the super dreadnaught Pennsylvania. Germany has sufficient food to meet prisoners, none of them surrendered her needs for two years, according to readily, but had to be overpowered in W. D. Boyce, editor of the Chicago Ledger, and Horace Herr, editor of the Indianapolis Times, who have just returned from a trip through Germany. Messrs. Boyce and Herr said that Ger many was only "bluffing" about a food shortage. the trenches. It finally became evi dent that the Russians lacked reserves of equal quality." Karlsruhe Rumor Grows. London The secretary of the Brit ish admiralty announces that there is Living on $6 a week in New York is every reason to believe that the Ger- a simple problem, Miss Dorothy Mil- man cruiser Karlsruhe was sunk in the ler, a 19-year-old shop-girl, told a leg- neighborhood of the West Indies at islative committee investigating the the beginning of November. Those of minimum wage problem. If one wants her crew who were rescued, he says, more clothes, she explained, it is only reached Germany early in December necessary to eat less food and if more on the steamer Rio Grande, which had food is wanted, skimp on the clothes been acting in concert with the Karls allowance. ruhe. New State Laws Will Reduce Cost of Elections Salem Important changes in the election laws simplifying the registra tion and election machinery and mak ing material reductions in the expense were enacted at the recent session of the legislature. The new law provid ing for the election of delegates to party national conventions and Presi dential electors will save the state about $10,000 a year, for, under it, each person so honored must pay his own expenses. House bill 227, which provides for two judges of election in stead of three, it is estimated, will save the state $20,000 each election year. Just what saving the permanent! registration law will effect is difficult to estimate, but it should be a material one. This law, while not considered a perfect one, is regarded as a "step in the right direction." It provides that in registering the electors the county clerks shall use the card index system. The clerks shall register any unquali fied elector who may request to be registered at any time after the first Monday in January, 1916, to within 80 days preceding any general or primary election. As a result electors desiring to vote in the primary May, 1916, will have only about three and one-half months to register. Electors absent from their county may register before any notary public or county clerk in the county where they may be. In such cases the notary public or county clerk shall- mail the affidavit of the elector to the county clerk of the elector's county and may collect a fee not to exceed 25 cents from the elector. It is declared that in cities and other growing communities precinct bound aries are changing constantly and as a result thousands of electors to vote will have to register at least every two years. It also is pointed out that many voters may be disfranchised as a result of this provision through ig norance of changes in precinct bound aries. Election experts say the law should have been provided for the county clerks to make the changes necessay for recording the electors in the proper precincts when boundaries are changed without the necessity for re-registrations. When an elector moves from one county to another the county clerk is authorized to send his registration blank to the clerk of the county where the elector locates. House bill 228 is designed to facil itate votintr. It dispenses with the poll book and substitutes precinct reg ister lists. It will not be necessary for the clerk to write the names of the electors as they vote, but instead he will check the names off on his lists, One of the most important laws passed by the legislature is that pro viding for the election of delegates to party conventions and Presidential electors. Under the law which it re peals, the voters could vote for only one delegate and one elector. Under the new law, with the present appor tionment, each party will be entitled to two delegates from each congres sional district and four from the state at large. Under it every elector of a political party will have the right to vote for two delegates from his con gressional district and four from the state at large. Nomination of Presi dential electors is from the state at large, and each voter will be entitled to cast his ballot for the number of electors allotted his party. The pro visions under the present law which authorizes the state to pay the ex penses of the delegates is repealed and henceforth they will have to pay their own expenses, as they do in other states. Hood River Apple Growers9 Association Votes to Secede Hood River The board of directorVfvear. After the meeting, when asked Southern Landlords Want Child Laborers Dallas, Texas J. Tom Pagitt, owner of 12,000 acres of Texas land, described some tenant problems on his estate from the land owner's point of view before the Federal committee on industrial relations at its American land question hearing Saturday. The Pagitt place in Coleman county, he said, has 22 tenant families on about 2000 acres, the remainder being .eased to cattlemen. He said his agent prefers to get tenants with large families of chil dren, because the country is so sparsely settled that the women and children form almost the only available source of extra labor supply in cotton picking season. The women among his ten ants, he said, usually chop, hoe, and help with picking cotton. Children be gin work in the fields at about 8 years of age. A tenant, be said, would have diffi culty hiring farm hands, because he could not, as a rule, pay their wages until after the crop was sold. Describing conditions. Mr. Pagitt said the cheapest tenant house on his place has two rooms and cost $225, while the largest haa four rooms, cost ing $400. None are screened, he said. Would you object to a tenant who believed in certain principles of gov ernment or reform, advocating them while living on your place?" asked Mr. Walsh. No," replied Mr. Pagitt, "but I would not like a tenant who stirred up trouble by talking at the storeand try ing to make other men dislike his landlord." "What hours should a tenant spend at work.'" asked Commissioner Walsh. wen," replied Mr. ragitt, "in crop season some of them go to work at 4 in the morning, some at 6, and they generally work until dark. TRADE RESUMING NORMAL BASIS General Revival of Business Is Seen In All Lines. Bank Clearings Show Dig Gains Prospects of Large Crops Also Gives Impetus. U. S. Considers Allies As Not Answering Note of the Hood River Apple Growers' as sociation has recommended that the Hood River association withdraw from the North Pacific Fruit Distributors. Final action, however, rests with the members of the local association, who will vote on the question at the annual meeting in April. The vote of the directors was unanimous. A ser ies of meetings will be held through out the valley to discuss the action of the directors. Prominent growers who are ac quainted with the sentiment through out the community declare that the action of the board of directors will receive practically the unanimous sup port of the organization's membership. "I know of a tonnage of at least 100,000 boxes of apples that will be immediately signed up with the asso ciation," says Oscar Vanderbilt, a member of the recently elected Grow ers' Council, "as soon as it is learned that the Apple Growers' association is no longer an affiliation of the Distributors." While it was expected that the growers at the April meeting would in all probability take action to withdraw from the Distributors, this action on the part of the board of directors came a great surprise. The baste with which the board acted probably comes as a direct result of the failure of Mr. Vanderbilt Saturday to accept a nomi nation to the board for the coming his motive in refusing the nomination, he explained that he preferred to be a free lance to being tied up with the Distributors. The board held a meet ing Saturday night, with the result that the above announcement was made. With relations with the North Pa cific Fruit Distributors severed, the Hood River Valley will undoubtedly be the most strongly organized section in the Northwest, because many growers who now ship independently will join the association. It is estimated that 95 per cent of the Hood River apples will be shipped this year through the local association. Many growers during the past two years have shipped independently on account of the affiliation. These will now join the local association, which will market its fruit direct. While the local growers do not find fault with the basic principles of the Spokane agency, complaint has been heard because of the overhead expense, which, it is declared, is exorbitant. The financial management also has been criticized. While returns are re ceived at the main office soon after sales are made, because of the com plexity of pools the grower has to await too long before receiving his money. H. F. Davidson, president of the Distributors, is a member of the board of directors of the Apple Growers' association. Oregon Asked for Militia. Salem Governor Withycombe has made application to the Navy depart ment for the assignment of the old battleship Oregon to Portland for use by the Naval Militia of the state. It would replace the cruiser Boston now in the Portland harbor. The governor acted upon the suggestion of Adjutant General White, who believes the as signment of the historic vessel to Ore gon waters would give great impetus to the upbuilding of the militia. In writing the Navy department the governor strongly urged the that the loan of the Oregon be granted this state. He pointed out that the assign ment of the battleship would aid ma terially in increasing the scope and efficiency of the Naval Militia and would have a great deal to do in popu larizing and perpetuating the organiz ation. He further dwelt upon the fit ness, Irom r sentimental standpoint, of having the battleship transferred to its namesake state. City's Threats Cut Rates. Baker That the proposed municipal electric light plant would put his com pany out of business and that the com pany had been forced by threats of the municipal plant to lower its rates was the testimony of F. A. Harmon, gen eral manager of the Eastern Oregon Light & Power company, before the State Railroad commission in its final hearing of the company's rates here. Brother Gets Insurance. La Grande Like a letter from the grave came word to Edward Bussey, a cabdriver of this city, from his brother, the late Major General Cyrus Bussey, who died in Washington and was buried in Arlington Cemetery re cently. The La Grande man knew nothing of his brother's death until a letter came that had been written in 1913, to be held until death visited the old general. With the letter came notice that considerable life insurance had been left in the La Grande man's name. The epistle was a brotherly farewell. Two Claim County Bonds. Ontario The Malheur county bonds, issued at the fall election for the con struction of a bridge across the Snake river at Big Bend, and sold at public sale on March 1 to Hall & Lewis, a bonding firm, of Portland, at a pre mium of $1910, are now being held by Keeler Bros., of Denver, who claim the bonds by virtue of a sale on March 1, signed by the County court and cer tified by the county clerk, at a pre mium of $750. Board Job Bars Sales. Salem Attorney General Brown, in response to a query by Frank Steiwer, district attorney of Umatilla county, held that it is unlawful for a school director, who is a merchant or a stock holder and manager of a corporation. Washington, D. C. The United States government considers that Great Britain and France, in the Brit ish order-in-council and in the accom panying notes, have not answered the questions propounded to them as to what warrant there is under interna tional law tor the establishment of an embargo on all commercial intercourse, directly or indirectly, between Ger many and neutral countries. It was declared officially at the State department that this government still does not know whether the action of the allies is interned as a legal block ade or whether the ordinary rules of contraband and non-contraband are to be the legal basis for future deten tions. On a determination of this question probably will depend not only the nature of any steps which may be taken by the United States at this time, but also the basis for the many claims for damages arising out of in terruptions to American commerce un der the new policy of the allies. Submarine Contract Let. Washington, D. C. Secretary Dan iels signed contract plans for the navy's first sea-going submarine and announced that it would be known as the Schley, in honor of the late Rear Admiral Schley. The contract, as well as contracts for three harbor defense submarines, was awarded to the Elec tric Boat company, of Groton, Conn. Navy officials believe the new sea going submarine, upon which construc tion will now be commenced, is the first of that type in the world. Her displacement will be in the neighbor hood of 1000 tons, with a surface speed of 20 knots and in underwater speed of between 10 and 12 knots. One Woman In 20 Smokes. Chicago One woman in every 20 in this city is a cigarette smoker, accord ing to an estimate after an investiga tioon - by Alice Clement and Mary Riley, policewomen. In the Jewish, Polish and Italian districts the per centage of smokers was smaller, they said, only 2 per cent of the women using tobacco. "We covered all parts of the city," said Miss Clement. "Few working girls or girls of the middle classes smoke. The habit does not seem to be growing." Officer Loss Is Growing. London A casualty list of officers received from the headquarters in the field, under date of March 15, gives the names of 83 officers, including Hindus, who were killed or have died from wounds, and of 123 wounded or missing. This brings up the total cas ualties among officers since March 10, as officially reported, to 195 killed or dead from wounds and 316 wounded or missing. Poker Legal in Nevada. Carson City, Nev. After rushing through a gambling law the Nevada legislature adjowsed early Saturday. The gambling law makes all gam bling a felony except poker, whist, solo and five hundred. When no per centage is taken these are lawful games. Otherwise they are felonies. Praris Mutual betting on tracks of to sell supplies to a school district. J licensed associations is permitted. Chicago Trade in general lines all over the country has shown seasonable improvement. Encouraging reports come from all sections of the country, embracing the centers of Llarge industries. Significance attaches to the increase last week's bank clearings at the agricultural centers, Kansas City show ing a gain of 25.5 per cent over figures of a year ago. Minneapolis gained 23.8 per cent . Omaha increased 10.5 per cent. St. Paul and Duluth gained 4 per cent each. Enormous orders for machinery are a feature of the trade situation, both for domestic and foreign account. The steel and iron business has held its own. Railroad financing progresses and steel and equipment orders are be ing placed with more freedom for the more urgent requirements of trans portation lines. Steel mill operations averaged around 69 per cent in the past week, which shows that specifications against contracts are holding up. Unmistakable evidence of strong un derlying confidence that great business activity will come to the United States is reflected in preparations now being made by bankers to meet the condi tions. General business has been creeping steadily back to a normal basis and, as it moves ahead, each week gathering stronger momentum, the country is nearing another agricultural harvest. Winter crops never before furnished such an encouraging outlook and, in view of high prices received for the last yield, dealers believe it is safe to assume that spring plantings of all grains and cereals will be greatly en larged in acreage this season. Bankers have gone into seasonable conditions like this before, probably not exactly the same in respect of cir cumstances which the foreign war has brought up, but they know what the harvest period means to them in re quirements of funds with which to finance the movement of farm products. They also realize that the trade vol ume promises to attain great height if the coming crops are large ones and that they must prepare to meet two fold force of financial requirements. The plethora of wealth created by the last agricultural production is expect ed naturally to double the effect of another yield of equal proportions with high prices and world-wide demand. San Juan Forts Fire On German Ship San Juan, Porto Rico The German merchant steamer Odenwald, which at tempted to leave port Monday without clearance papers, was stopped as she was passing out the entance to the harbor by two shots across her bows from a five-inch gun and dircet shots from a Maxim. She then returned and was taken in charge by the col lector of customs. Permission to sail was refused the Odenwald by the collector, pending in structions from Washington. The steamer has been at San Juan since August 6. She was bound for Euro pean ports from the West Indies with freight and passengers and sought ref uge here. She began coaling andtak ing on provisions three days ago. Failing to obtain the necessary clearance papers, her commander ap parently decided to risk the attempt to put to sea. A heavy gun on Monro Castle sent two shots across her bows as a warning, but it was not until the machine gun opened a direct fire that the steamer stopped and headed back to port. Sarah To Act Until Death. New York In a letter received here by Lou Tellegen, formerly her leading man, Sarah Bernhardt says: "I am continuing to improve rapidly. You ask if I will go on playing. How can you ask? Until the other leg is bur ied in my grave, I shall never cease to go on acting. I keep up my spirits and have a ravenous appetite for get ting back to work." Army Uses Neutral Food. London It was the German sub marinel U-28 which seized the Dutch steamers Batavier V and Zaanstroom, according to the Daily News' Rotter dam correspondent. U-28 has been for some days sheltering under the lee of the Maas lightship, taking toll from all shipping, especially British.