OREGON STATE ITEMS OF INTEREST
..,,-, ..K r -r 1 1 1
AID FROM STATE.
Is Necessary In Road Construction,
Says Convention.
Corvallis The voice of the Good
Roads convention 1b unanimously for
state aid in the construction of public
roads. No resolution to this effect
was adopted, but throughout the two
days' session the idea came to the front
at unexpected times and always with
the apparent approval of the delegates.
It was injected into the proceedings by
an Alsea farmer, who declared that
there ought to be state aid, so that
Portland would have to help pay the
price, because all that Portland is or
all that she hopes to be has come or is
to come from the products of the farms,
mines and millB in the territory of
which she is the commercial mistress.
This brought Judge Webster into the
open, and he declared his approval of
the Bentiment expressed by the Alsean,
and announced a belief that state aid
should be vouchsafed in road construc
tion, the state to pay about 50 cents
every time a certain community strug
gling with a road raised 50 cents.
HAILEY ON SUPREME BENCH
Governor Chamberlain Will Appoint
Pendleton Man.
Balem Governor Chamberlain has
announced that he will appoint T. G.
Hailey, of Pendleton, to succeed Jus
tice Wolverton on the supreme bench.
This appointment was expected, but
came much sooner than anticipated, for
there is really no vacancy as yet.
Governor Chamberlain has been con
sidering the matter of an appointment
to the supreme bench ever Bince it be
came probable that one of the superior
judges would be appointed to the Fed
eral bench. He had therefore weighed
the qualifications of available men and
was ready to make a selection.
By announcing the appointment at
once, -the governor has saved the
trouble of receiving and considering
the flood of recommendations and ap
BlicationB that would Boon have been
pouring in.
Books for Christmas.
People who buy books for children
nsuallv take what they can get most
easily, or what the clerk recommends
Everyone likes to make a good invest
ment, to get value received. The Ore
gon Library commission makes this
possible in so far as children's books
are concerned, for it has publisehd for
free distribution a list of something
over a hundred titles ot children's
"booka for Christmas gifts and for the
iome library. There are notes on the
Tiooks, and prices are given ranging
irom 15 cents to $3. Any one may get
this list by applying to the Becretary of
the commission at balem.
Big Ranch Sold.
Pendleton One of the biggest ranch
deals in the history of Eastern Oregon
was lust consummated here, in which
the ranches and sheep of Charlea Cun
ningham, the Umatilla county sheep
Jking, were sold to a company composed
of J. N. Burgess, J. M. Keeny, K. A
Kelsay and Dan J. Malarkey. The
-price paid was in the neighborhood of
$200,000. The deal has been pending
since October, when an option was giv
en the purchasers for 15,000. About
20,000 acres, 20,000 sheep and 1,000
tons of hay are included in the deal
More Smallpox at Eugene. ,
Eugene Two more cases of small
cox have been reported to the health
authorities, and the houses of A. J
Pickard and Warren Luckey are now in
quarantine. Earl LUckey, son of War
ren Luckey, was taken down and began
to break out while in the school room,
but it is not believed the other stu
dents were endangered, because the dis
ease had not reached the stage where it
would become contagious. Strict meae
tires are in force for stamping out the
disease as quickly as possible.
May Replace Woolen Mills.
Albany A proposition which would
allow Albany to regain Borne of the pay
Toll she lost through the burning ot the
Albany woolen mill last spring, has
been received from an Eastern man
who will remove a six Bet woolen mill
-plant to Albany, if local capitalists will
furnish the buildings. Besides having
double the capacity of the old mill, the
new concern proposes to operate in con
uection with the woolen mill a knitting
mill and a clothing manufactory.
Use Wagons in Lieu of Cars. '
' Athena On account of the scarcity
of cars, the Preston-Parton Milling
company is obliged to employ teams
to haul wheat overland to keep their
mills running. The conditions are
growing worse daily at the mills, which
are congested with the large amount of
accumulated flour, there being several
hundred thousand barrels on hand
awaiting shipment. Just when this
condition will be relieved is hard to
state .
ELABORATE PREPARATIONS.
Seven States Will Be Represented at
Fruitgrowers' Convention.
La Grande Elaborate preparations
are being made in this city for the en
tertainment of the Fruitgrowersg' con
vention here January 3 to 5. Secretary
C. D. Huffman, of this place, has re
ceived many communications from del-
,tes, and Oregon, Washington, Cali
fornia, Idaho, Utah, Montana and
Wyoming will be represented.
The exereises will probably be held
in the opera house, and the commercial
club hall will be utilized for an exhi
bition room. Hood River has signified
its intention of having an exhib t here,
and many other fruitgrowing communi
ties are arousing interest. La Grande
will be well represented. A large
number of growers of this valley will
save their best fruits for the occasion,
and anyone alone is able to make a
creditable showing. One flouring mill
is considering erecting a huge pyramid
of flour reaching to the ceiling to ad
vertise the grains.
A strenuous campaign will be started
soon and delegates from all over the
valley will be asked to prepare the ex
hibit.
' Fishing Law Is Defied.
Tillamook Although the fishing
season for Tillamook closed on the
20th, fishing is in full blast on Tilla
mook bay, and Elmore's cannery is also
running to its capacity and is receiving
large quantity of fish, as there is a
fine run of silversides, and the fisher
men are doing well. The cannery has
agreed to take all the fish, and as it
has a 'ot of empty cans on hand that it
wants to fill this season, no attention
is being paid to the closed season by
the cannery people. Only one or two
fishermen have stopped fishing and
complied with the law. .
Much Work for Wolverton.
Salem There are 34 cases to be de
cided by the Supreme court, presuma
bly before Judge Wolverton leaves the
bench. These cases have all been
argued before the court. Twenty-four
of these cases were heard at the recent
session of the court at Pendleton. Ten
cases heard in this city have not been
passed upon. Among the latter is the
noted Marquam case, which the court
has had under advisement for several
months. If all these cases are decided
before Judge Wolverton retires, it
will require at least two weeks.
New Road in Baker -County.
Baker City Private advices received
from engineers in the field state that
surveys have been approved for build
ing another railroad in Baker county
connecting Union with the Cornucopia
timber country, ihe ' promoters are
after timber traffic and nothing else
For obvious reasons the names of the
promoters and financiers are kept quiet
for the present. The money is giaran
teed in New York.
PORTLAND MARKETS.
Wheat Club, 7172c per bushel
bluestem, 7374c; valley, 7475c
red, 6768c.
Oats No. 1 white feed, $26.50; gray
$26.50 per ton.
Barley Feed, $22 per ton ; brewing
$2222.50; rolled, $2323.50.
Rye $1.60(81.60 per cental.
Hay Eastern Oregon timothy, $15
16 per ton; valley timothy, $1112
clover, $89; grain hay, $89.
Fruits Apples, $11.50 per box
huckleberries, c per pound; pears
s i.zoi.oo.per pox; quinces, fl per
box.
vegetables ueanB, wax, 12c per
pound; cabbage, llc per pound
cauliflower, $1.752.25 per crate; eel
ery, 75c per dozen; cucumbers, 5060c
per dozen; pumpkins, lc per
pound; tomatoes, $1 per crate; sprouts.
7c per pound; squash, lc per
pound; turnips, 90c$l per sack; car
rots, 6575c per sack; beets, 85c$l
per Back.
Onions Oregon yellow Danvers
$1.25 per sack.
Potatoes Fancy graded Burbanks
65 70c per sack; ordinary, 55 60c
Merced sweets, sacks, $1.90; crates,
$2.15.
Butter Fancy creamery, 2527
per pound.
Eggs Oregon ranch, 35c per dozen.
Poultry Average old hens, 10c per
pound; young roosters, 9c; springs,
llMc;dressed chickens, 1214c; tur
keys, live, 16c; turkeys, dressed,
choice, 1820c; geese, live, 8)9c;
ducka, 1415c.
' Hops Oregon, 1905, choice, 10
olds, 57c.
Wool Eastern Oregon, average best,
1621c; valley, 2426c per pound;
mohair, choice, 30c.
Beef Dressed bulls, l2cper pound;
cows, 84c; country steers, 44)c.
Veal Dressed, Z7c per pound.
Mutton Dressed, fancy, 77c per
pound; ordinary, 45c; lambs, 1
8c. i -
Pork Dressed, 67c per pound.
GREATEST HARVEST IN HISTORY
Present Year Was Record Breaker in
' United States.
Washington, Nov .28 "Wealth pro
duction on the farms of the United
States in 1905 reached the highest
amount ever attained in this or any
other country $6,415,000,000."
In the first annual report of his third
term Secretary of Agriculture Wilson
presents an array of figures and a state
ment representing products and profits
of the farmers of this country, which
he admits "dreams of wealth produc
tion could hardly equal."
Four crops make new high records as
to value corn, hay, wheat and rice
although in amount of production the
corn is the only one that exceeds pre
vious yields. In every crop the gen
eral level of production was high and
that of prices still higher. Beside the
enormous yield of wealth the secretary
estimates that the farms of the country
have increased in value during the past
five years to a present aggregate of $6,
133,000,000. "Every sunset during the past five
years," he says, nas registered an in
crease of (3,400,000 in the value of the
farms of this country."
Analyzing the principal crops for the
year, the secretary says that corn
reached its highest production at 2,
708,000,000 buBhels, a gain of 42,000,
000 over the next highest year, 1899;
hay is second in order of value, al
though cotton held second place during
the two preceding years. The hay crop
this year is valued at $60,000,000.
Cotton comes third, with a valuation
of $575,000,000; wheat, $525,000,000;
oats, $282,000,000; potatoes, $138,
000,000; barley, $58,000,000; tobacco,
$12,000,000; sugar, cane and sugar
beets, $50,000,000; rice, $13,000,-
000; dairy products, $50,000,000, an
increase of $54,000,000, over last year.
PLENTY OF MONEY.
Secretary of Interior Has Not Been
Furnished Proper Figures.
Washington, Nov. 28. When the
secretary of the Interior and the Recla
mation service reach an understanding
as to the extent and condition of the
national reclamation fund, it is expect
ed that a number of new irrigation pro
jects, including projects in Eastern
Oregon and Eastern Washington, will
be approved and placed under contract.
But until there is a complete under
standing, the present chaotic condition
must continue, and inactivity will be I
the rule, save on projects that are act
ually under contract.
The great misunderstanding that now
prevails is as to the amount of money
available for use, and the restrictions
under which that money may be ex
pended. The Reclamation service has
ita own set of figures, but those figurea
do not coincide with the figurea which
have been furnished Secretary Hitch
cock by the men in his own department
upon whom he relieB. The secretary,
confronted with very different financial
statements, from sources which ought
to agree, has concluded that neither is
right, yet he is unable to figure out for
himself just how much money he has
to spend, and how much he has spent
in the sj4 yeara the reclamation law
haa been in force.
WRECK TAKES FIRE.
Fourteen Persons Lose Lives in Mas
sachusetts Disaster.
Lincoln, Mass., Nov. 28. Fourteen
persons were killed, 25 were- seriously
injured, and probably a score of othera
cut and bruised in the moat disastrous
railroad wreck recorded in this state
for many yeara. The wreck occurred
at 8:15 o'clock, at Baker'a Bridge sta
tion, a mile and a half west of Lincoln,
on the main line of the Fitchburg di
vision of the Boston & Maine railroad.
The regular express, which left Boston
at 7:45 o'clock for Montreal, by way of
the Rutland system, crashed into the
rear end of an accommodation train
bound for points on the Marlborough
branch, and which started from Boston
at 7:15.
Of the dead, a dozen were passengers
in the two rear cars of the Marlborough
train. The other two were Engineer
Barnard, of the Montreal express, and
hia fireman. No passengers on the
express train were injured. Of those
who lost their lives, a number were ap
parently instantly killed in the collis
ion, while othera were either burned to
death or died from suffocation.
Oppose Rate Legislation.
Chicago, Nov. 28. An organized
movement on the part of railroad em
ployes in every branch of the service
has been put on foot to secure con
certed action against the Roosevelt idea
of rate legislation. Preliminary steps
have already been taken by a commit
tee of the brotherhoods of railroad men
for a general mass meeting. Rate reg
ulation, in the opinion of the em
ployes, means a subsequent reduction
in wages for them, and they propbse a
strong organization to oppose traffic
rates.
Famine In Part of Japan.
Victoria, B. C, Nov. 28. Famine
prevails because of the failure of the
rice crop in Northeast Japan. Thegov
eminent haa begun relief measures.
SIDETRACK TARIFF
Rate Regulation the Only Prob
lem Before Coining Session.
CONCENTRATION OF ATTENTION
President Will Not Give Senate Any
Excuse to Avoid Action by De
bating In the Air.
Washington, Nov. 28. For various
reasons President Roosevelt will not
urge congress at the approaching ses
sion to take up the question of tariff
revision. He believes the railroad rate
question is the most vital issue which
confronts the people of the United
States today, and he is therefore un
willipg to bring to the front any other
problem whose discussion would tend
to postpone, if not defeat, legislation
on that subject. He proceeds on the
theory that the worst evil should be
first cured. Alter four years' experi
ence in the white house, and with a
comprehensive knowledge of the meth
ods resorted to by congress to defeat
legislation which ia distasteful, the
president 1b fully aware that he would
materially decrease the chances of get
ting rate legislation if he should make
tariff revision an issue of equal import
ance with the regulation of freight
rates. He is aware that the senate
would quickly seize upon this opportu
mty and concentrate ita attention on a
tariff bill, not so much with any idea
of modifying the Dingley tariff aa to
distract attention and sidetrack the
rate bill before it reached a critical
stage.
There ia other legislation which the
president hopes to have passed besides
the railroad rate bill, but he is more
anxious about that measure than any
other, and he will concentrate his
efforts to secure such a law as will, in
hia judgment, effectively check discriin
inations of all sorts. He wanta a law
which will apply the "square deal"
rule to railroad business, and if his in
fluence, backed by public opinion, can
bring it about, auch a law will be writ
ten on the statute books before the first
session of the a nty-mntn congress aa
journs.
CANAL ENGINEERS DEPART. ,
Ridicule Reports They Have Changed
Decision on Sea Level.
Washington, Nov. 28. The five for
eign delegates to the board of consult
ing engineers of the Isthmain Canal
commission left for New York today
and will Bail for their homes. They
will meet again in Brussels during the
first days of January. General DaviB
will go to that city aa representative of
the American members of the board
and will take with him the documents.
which are not yet drawn up, and which
then will have to be signed by the for
eign delegates.
Sneaking of published stones that
they had reconsidered their first vote
one of the delegates made the following
statement:
"Whatever we have had to 6ay will
be found in the report which will
shortly be in the hands of President
Roosevelt. That we should change our
vote on a subject to which for three
montha we had given the closest atten
tion, and should change it merely be
cause aome parties are not contented
with it, is a great abaurdity."
Leave Isle of Pines to Cuba.
Washington, Nov. 28. The Cuban
government will be permitted to settle
to its own satisfaction the existing
trouble on the Isle of Pines. The
State department haa so announced. Of
course, if American citizens were to be
unduly persecuted or maltreated be
cause of any exercise by them of their
right of freedom of speech or assembly
this government will take steps to se
cure for them justice. But if those
Americans on the islands place them
selves outside the pale of the law by
refusing to recognize the authority of
the Cuban government, they will have
to take the consequences.
Pesthouse Was Burglarized.
Butte, Mont., Nov. 28. A Great
Falls dispatch to the Miner states that
the people of Teton county are in a fu
rore over what ia believed to be
threatened epidemic of smallpox as the
result of burglarizing of the pesthouse
Several smallpox patients were confined
in the detention house and the piace
has never been fumigated to the extent
that it is believed that all danger of
contagion ia past. The people have
been publicly warned by the health
officials to be on the alert for any ap
pearance of the disease.
Governor of Moscow Dismissed.
London, Nov. 28. The correspond
ent of the Standard at Moscow says that
General Drunovo, governor of Moscow,
has been dismissed in disgrace owing to
the revolutionary proceedings of the
congress of peasants.
MAY LOSE POSITION.
Mitchell Likely To Be Displaced on
Senate Canal Committee.
Washington, Nov. 27. Apparently
Senator Mitchell ia to be deprived of
the chairmanship of the committee on
interoceanic canals when the senate re
organizes next month. This has not
been definitely decided, but it ia the
concenaus of opinion of arriving sena-
tora that Mitchell will have to relin
quish his chairmanship in order that
some active member of the canal com
mittee can preside at its meetings this
winter.
Congress must appropriate money
ea.ly in the coming session for contin
uing work on the Panama canal, and
must decide whether the canal shall be
built with locks or at the sea level.
This legislation, together with all other
legislation pertaining to the canal and
the canal zone, must be considered by
the canal committee, and will be one
of the most important topics to be con
sidered. Because of ita importance,
senators believe the canal committee
should have an active chairman, who
can not only preaide at committee
meetings, but who can vote both in
committee and in the senate, and who
can furthermore take charge of canal
legislation after it haa been reported to
the senate.
AMEND IMMIGRATION LAWS.
Sargent's Plan for Keeping Out All
Undesirables;
Washington, Nov. 27. Radical
changes in the immigration laws will
be made next year, if the suggestions
of Commissioner General Sargent are
put into effect. Mr. Sargent ia anxioua
to - have limita placed on the number
of immigrants, and that persons who
are either too young or too old to sup
port themselves should not be per
mitted to disembark. This would not,,
however, apply to those who can furn
ish guarantees that they are on then
way to relatives.
Mr. Sargent believes that by an ar
rangement with foreign governments
the useless traffic of deportation of im
migrants unfit to land here could be
stopped. Before an immigrant is per
mitted to take passage for America, he
should undergo an examination at the
point of embarkation.
HITCHCOCK TO RESIGN.
Rumor That Western Congressmen
Have Got His Scalp.
Washington, Nov. 27. The fact
leaked out tonight from a responsible
source that at a recent cabinet meeting
Ethan Allen Hitchcock, Becretary of
the Interior, expressed a desire to ten
der his resignation July 1 next. The
same authority announces that Vespa
sian Warner, of Illinois, now commis
sioner of peniionB, is to succeed him.
It is said the proposed change in the
cabinet haa been brought about by
membera of congress from western
Btatea, who charge that Mr. Hitchcock,
in operations against land grabbers,
has permitted hia peraonal , feelinga to
enter into the prosecutions. Whle
this charge had been often repeated, it
ia said that the retirement of Mr.
Hitchcock will be wholly due to the
desire of the president to surround
himself with younger men.
MILLION WOMEN FIGHT SvlOOT.
Characterize Him as a Man Sanction-
, ing Practice of Polygamy.
Philadelphia, Nov. 27. A meeting
of the executive committee of the Na
tional League of Women's organiza
tions, formed two years ago to oppose
the continuance in the United States
senate of Senator Reed Smoot, of Utah,
was held here today. Women from all
sections of the country were present.
It was announced that a petition would
be presented to the senate asking for
the exclusion of Mr. Smoot on the
ground that "he is a member of a
heirarchy whose president and a major
ity of the membera pratctice and teach
polygamy." The memorial will state
that "Mr. Smoot has never raised hia
voice against these doctrines, and the
Mormon hierarchy has broken its cov
enants which it gave to the United
States when statehood waa granted."
Summoned by Judge Hunt.
Helena, Nov. 27. United States
Judge Hunt today ordered Frederick A.
Hyde, John A. Benaon and other Cali
fornians to appear and answer on Feb
ruary 5 the complaint charging them
with having fraudulently obtained a
forest reserve scrip, under which 4,000
acres of Montana land was secured from
the government. The government seeks
to have the land retored to it. There
are a number of Montana corporations
and individuals who are also named aa
defendants in the bill of complaint
filed.
Will Cut Forests and Crops,
Iibvu, Nov. 27. Agrarian disorders
have broken out in the Baltic province.
A peasant meeting adopted resolutions
to cut forest on private land and to ap
propriate crops. The governor general
has issued a proclamation to the troops
to fire on such offenders, and Baying
that the participants at such meetings
will be court martialed and sent to dis
tant provinces.