Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 1903)
Impressions of a Traveler. By Axtku Kahm. (Concluded from last week.) W lien the supper boll rant? wif vsrv triumphantly went down to eat, but I wen i siayeu on deck to admire the sea and the stars and almost anything I tried to walk, but walking isn't the most pieasant tiling in the world when the ueca. seems to come up and hit a fallow in the stomach. Hie sea and the stars and everything else soon lost their charm over me and I wished myself in some old fence-corner where the weeds grow high and the wires are not too far apart. Oh, how many such lovelv places I could recall to mv mind, beck oning me back to Oregon 'and home ; but the die was cast and so were a good many other things. Presently wifa came on duck, crowing like a democratic rooster before election. Bhe and I have never quarreled, but when she came and asked how I felt and told about the good things she had had to eat and that she sympathized with me and finally suggested that I had better go to bed and save my boots, even my wrath be gan to rise, but what could I do but try to swallow wrath and all, and I rushed down with a noise like that of many waters. After getting to bed I had the satisfaction of seeing some one else suc cumb to the inevitable. But there if an end to everything here on earth and by and by we fell asleep, rocked in the cradle of the deep. The following day we ient in our cabin, never moving more than was absolutely necessary, thus cheating the voracious old Atlantic of his customary toll. Monday morn ing, the wind having changed from east to southwest and the sea being smooth er, we again ventured on deck, tliougti in a somewhat staggering manner. That old hackneyed Baw, "misery loves conv pany" is, I dare say, never more appro pnately applied than when a seasick person sees a lot 01 otners in the same painful situation; and so when I came on deck this morning and was comfort ably ensconced in my steamer chair, in haling in deep breaths the pure, fresh sea air, it was with an almost fiendish satisfaction I noticed the' large number of pale, haggard faces, all wearing that sickly, foolish gnu which one accustom ed to traveling instantly recognizes as the mark of nausea. The many good things on the breakfast table held out no temptations to us and we felt fullv satisfied to be simply "on-lookers." Al though the white-cap were in evidence yet tne good ship ' 1-ucania bowled along smoothly enough. Oh, she is a beauty; long and slender and supple as a Diana, she fairly worms her way through the sea. One can feel her shake and quiver and twist and squirm as she parts the dark greeu liquid at the rate of 24 miles an hour. She is 020 feet long with a (12 foot beam; of 12,1(50 tons bur den, 30,000 horse power and lias accom modations for 1,500 passengers. At dinner time we both went down but I did not feel as though I could afford to eat anything to speak of; wife on the other hand did full justice to the meal and from this time on was a steady and appreciative boarder, never missing a meal. I, however, did not feel like gormandizing until about Thursday evening, when I ate two suppers and still felt like eating more. I also smoked a cigar, the first one since leav ing New York, and you can understand that I then felt first rate. It is a won der what an amount of pleasure and contentment there is wrapped up in a bundle of stinking weed, after having been deprived of it for four days. Fri day morning when we came on deck a F ileasant sight greeted our vision ; "Owld Ireland," the greenest gem in the Brit ish crown, lay before us, and the sight of her had the same effect on some of us weak-kneed mortals as has the applica tion of raw beef to a bruised eve. When first sighted nothing was visible but a 3 . I i ii . . TUTT-iying, rocKy auu innoHpnuoie cuam., with here and there a lighthouse, rais ing, as it were, a warning finger to the sea-worn mariner bidding him not to course too near; but this menacing and rocky barrenness gradually disappeared and green fields, divided by nicely trim med hawthorn hedges, the snow-white farmhouses and here and there the ruin of an old castle, took '"its 'place in the passing panorama. It is pleasant voya ging, this, along the coast of the Kmerald Isle. About noon Queenstown hove in sight and two small steamboats came out in the narrow bay to meet us, and on these the mail and passengers destined for Ireland were unloaded. Our stay here was short and soon we were again plow ing the briny deep. The surroundings of Queenstown are delightful both from an artistic and material and, so far as I could see, also ethical standpoint. It therefore occurred to me that this would be a nice place to live in and I proposed to wife that we settle down here aud go into the strawberry business. We could . also keep a cow, a few chickens and lastly it should be firstly a couple of pigs. Further, we could raise potatoes and some garden truck and if we in vested a small sum' of money in a boat, I know I could make money by fishing and wife could attend to the farm. He tween spells, when fishing was slack and the retail business didn't need our immediate attention, we could sail over to America and help Tom to wrench the clallenge cup from the Yankees. But wife is sort, of set in her ways and wouldn't listen to my argument", al though I am sure they were well deliv ered and very convincing from a busi ness standpoint. We hear a great deal nowadays about the American woman's .business ability, how they have better foresight than we men, etc., et, but here is an instance which plainly shows tlie fallacy of all such weak newspaper talk and what foolish creatures those women's rights advocates really are. I know that right here a fortune slipped out of my grasp and that the challenge cup is now forever lost to Tom. It was therefore with sad regrets and a heavy heart I .saw Queenstow n grow dimmer and dimmer and finally vanish before my tear-filled eyes. After again reach ing the channel we set a straight course for the English coast, and about 4 p. in. the last flickering lights of the only snakeless country in the world sank be hind the now darkening horizon. About 9 o'clock some lights were diseernable on our starboard tiow, and these 1 cor rectly surmised to be on the English foast, the land of the angels. That night we retired to our cabin -with the pleasant expectation that when old Sol with his life giving light and warmth again spanned the space be tween himself and mother earth we would be in the city of Liverpool. We ere both exceedingly and devoutly thankful for the pleasant weather which o far had attended our journey, and when going to bed that Friday night felt as though the Almerciful Father had taken us into his special care. At about 4 a. m. I awoke from the rattle of the anchor chain and knew then that the second stage of our journey was hap pily ended. After breakfast there was considerable hand shaking to be dis- Jxiet'd of and goud-bvs to be said, for we md of course made a number of ac quaintances among our fellow passen gers. There was a man from tt. Loim and Iii daughter who were going to visit his old home in England after an absence of 2S years. An old Irish couple who had fought grasshoppers and drouth in Kansas since lSWi when they came to America, r now about to make their first call ou the landol their nativity, llnui pathetic tight to see those old people tottering around on deck and gaze with wistful eyes on the country w hich, poverty stricken and priest ridden, had sent them in exile 30 years ago. What were their thoughts when they first saw Ireland after all those years of hardship and privations on me iar western pramesr What did they expect to find in the old country, pleasure? I think not. I questioned them and they did not know. There was one American drummer who smoked the first half of his cigar and ate the other half. This man owned the greater part of New York city, which probably was his greatest fault; we shook hands till the bones rattled. Then mere was a Dig Scotchman with i n equally big heart, who had been in Mexico, and who soon expected to see his "bairns" and "ooman." Then there were two Englishmen who came from Venezuela; one New Zealander who had been in the Boer war and now in tended to revisit Transvaal, and possibly settle down in that country. Two tr three more there were w ho craved my attention, but whose business I do not remember. And so of "Liicania's" 400 passengers none but three were left to keep us company on the third stage of our journey, and they were a Danish couple on their wedding trip to the old country and a Swedish girl on her way to visit her parents away up ill ti e Northern part of Sweden. It would be interesting to know where all those 400 people now are and what they are doing. I love to dwell on the recollections of this voyage, for on the whole they are pleasant. Our accom modations were luxurious and the ser vice penect. mere were stewards on every turn to do our bidding. The food served was equal to that ot a nrst-class hotel and we were treated with the utmost respect and civility. There was considerable musical talent on board and we were treated to several fine en tertainments. At nine o'clock we went ashore and through the cuBtom house. Here we expected to have everything in our pos session turned upside down, but to our surprise we were only asked if we had anything which Brother George or his government could possibly have a right to lay ton on, and upon informing them that such was not the case they bade us a pleasant good-Dye. VVe intended to go from Liverpool to the land where lor centuries the brawny Scot tickled the British lion with two handed swords till it roared and slunk back into its den again ; but the season of good weather being far advanced and my memory verdant with earlier .recol lections of the North Sea, we concluded to push on to our destination post-haste. I therefore made inquiries immediately concerning the best and quickest route to Copenhagen, and having this mapped out I bought tickets from Liverpool to Harwich, a small seaport town on the southeast coast of England. This route is the moBt convenient and the one fol lowed by an ever-increasing stream of tourists. The abo.ve-mentioned three persons went the same way on this, the third stage of our journey. It was pleasant riding through England, with more variation of scenery than I ex pected to find in this part of Great Brit ain. We passed through Manchester, a city that contains more factories than any other in the world, and also through Sheffield, that far-famed town where cutlery has been manufactured for more than seven hundred years. The train did not make a long stop at the latter place and 1 had therefore little oppor tunity to "look around." The most noticeable thing was the dense smoke, which covered the city and surrounding country to a depth of thirty feet. Above this mantle of floating particles of coal could be seen the tops of numberless smokestacks, all emitting black clouds which added to the denseness of the poisoned atmosphere. When we emerg ed from this pall the country lay before us in all its glory, some parts were rugged enough to lmagiue ourselves back to the "Wealthy and wonderful West." Hills and rocky bluffs, wastes where nothing grew but the sturdy heath which served as pasture for the frugal sheep; then again beautiful val leys would meet the traveler's gaze, in tensively cultivated fields with haw thorn hedges as dividing lines, velvety meadows upon which grazed horses, cattle and sheep of blooded stock were in evidence on every hand. The crops of grain and hay were tremendous, but owing to the cold and rainy summer the season was an uncommonly late one, and fears were entertained that a large :art of the crops would be ruined, or at east of poor quality. The country from Liverpool to Harwich, as seen from the car window was in truth a varying pan orama of the most lovely landscape that the good Lord ever presented to man. Cities and villages, hills and dales, brooks and canals, pleasant farm homes neatly snuggled among groves of birch, beech and oaks. Our English cousins have indeed a lovely country, and, by jove, doncher-know I am glad of it, for I have always found them civil, pleas ant and obliging, both as individuals and as a nation-the anti-British blather skites to the contrary notwithstanding. No one who has come largely in touch with or seen the English in England dare to maintain the opinion that they are anything but true, kind-hearted and etraighttorward people, without ex posing his bigotry or ignorance. As to the accommodations on the English railroads I will cite one instance. In quiring of the conductor whether the train stopped long enough about 6 o'clock for the passengers to get some lunch, he saluted and answered very politely that it did not, but he would send a telegram ahead to the next sta tion and order one if we would kindly state w hat was wanted. As supper was waiting for us on the boat at Harwich we did not want anything but sand wiches, so I ordered 15 of the latter and four cups of tea. A half hour later the train stopied and in came a waiter with a tray loaded with the requested food, w hich was of excellent quality. I ex pected to haxe to pay a pretty stiff price lor this uniieual pmceedure, but before I had time to ask, the waiter said: "One six-pence, sir." ,That is, the whole thing cost 30 cents. I paid it with a "tip" and English money, and off we went. I wish to state right here that from the time we left the Pullman sleeper the tipping system was adopted in a modified form. When you go abroad don't be bashful about offering tips, and generally speaking the money thus invested is not "dead capital," i n the contrary it seems to create life. We ate our sandwiches and drank our tea leisurely and w hen through put the tray and disiies under the seats. I inquired into this rather singular way of serving refreshments and was informed that tl e railroad company is a public servant a id exists for the public, and not the p iblic for the railroad. The dishes are C illecU-d at the end of each division and returned to the place w hence they came. They may, and do have many novel customs and strange doctrines in the old world, but some of them might at least be initiated in a newer country to the advantage and comfort of the peo ple. The railroad cars in England, as well as in Sweden, Norway anil Denmark divided into compar.uient with an alley running on one side, so w hen a party of f'.ur, five or six enters an apartment no stranger is thrust upor. them unless the train is very crowded, w hich seldom is the case as there generally are pleuty of cars attached to each train. At the last three hours of our journey from Liver pool to Harwich was after nightfall, and nothing could be seen from the car window, I had plenty of time for com parison and reflection but these I leave for the readers to guess at and discuss when no better subject is at hand. VVe arrived at Harwich at 9 :30. at which time the steamer connecting with the train was due to sail for Esbjerg, .Den mark. After having stowed away a hearty supper, smoked a cigar and re tired to our stateroom we made such necessary preparations for the night as I knew the weather outside the harbor warranted. The North Sea never was favorably inclined toward me, and it is a fact that the very thought of this sheet of water at any time makes me feel like going to bed ; so we cleared our cabin for action and heaved to for the night, expecting to b half across the North Sea before getting up tne lonow ing day. Ever since we arrived I had heard the steady clanking of machinery, but at first paid no attention to it, now, however. I wondered what it meant and whv we did not move. I knew the steamer was ready to sail even before our arrival, but 1 was tired and soon fell asleep, never dreaming of any dan ger. When I awoke early in the morn ing that steady and regular working of machinery still went on and we were still in England. This aroused my sus picion, and determined to find out what was the matter I went on deck. Here I encountered the first mate and ipon my maturing whv we were still in Harwich, was informed that there was a slight trouble with the machinery and that it soon would be all right, but this reply did not satisfy me, as there seemed to De something mysterious in tne whole proceedme. the men hurrying Dack and forth, grimy and besmirched, and I was almost certain that the pumps had been working all night. I now went forward and spying an old tar alone in the bow of the ship I put the direct question to him why the pumps had been going all night and if the boat was about to sink. Taken by surprise he probably forgot his orders to keep mum and said mat the boat was "all right," but that there was tire in the coal-bunkers which started the day before. This was cer tainly pleasant and reassuring news; fire in the bunkers and the ship about to sail I I went to the captain and asked him if he intended to put to sea with fire In the coal bunkers and the wind blowing a gale outside, but he assured me U.ere was no danger whatever, the fire was under control and at any rate it did not require more than 23 hours to make the voyage, it all went well, we now went down to breakfast, but all 1 could consume was a cup of coffee. The steamer now cast loose her moorings and we were soon out on the fourth stage of our journey. A hard east wind was blowing and the sea ran pretty high, which together with the danger of fire breaking out in the coal bunkers, made me wish we had stayed in Harwich till the next boat went. Presently, how ever, I felt "that tired teeiing" come over me which spareth few and deadens all other feelings, whether they be of a sad or a joyful nature. After several liberal offerings intended to appease Neptune, I rolled down the stairs and tumbled into Iny "bunk" without a thought of my toilet; didn't care whether my hair was parted in the mid dle or on the side. After an hour or so my wife ca me down and made her entry with con siderable less dignity than I did, tri umohantlv declaring that she staved on deck, longer than I and was now satis fied to rest on her laurels, tor 27 hours the steamer pounded against the heavy head sea, never slackening her speed though I sometimes thought she would snlit. Now and then we ventured un on our knees for a minute or two to look out through the port-holes, and strange to say it was not without a feeling of glee we saw a staunch boat tossed aside by some particularly large wave as though she had been a toy, but soon she would again regain her course and gracefully mount the green rolling hills as they attempted to block her way. We passed many vessels, mostly North Sea fishing smacks, laying to with small sails and dragging their heavy fishing apparatus. At 1 o'clock the following day land was sighted, the low, sandy and bleak west coast of Denmark, and the wind blowing off shore the sea smoothed down, which circumstance we were not slow to take advantage of. I was soon oa deck and thanked the Lord that I was again permitted to hold my head erect and able to look my fel low beings in an ungrinning face. The steamer was soon thereafter at her dock and we went ashore light hearted and jubilant that the last big water was crossed and that we were again on terra firma. The North Sea had once more proved his boisterous character as though such a thing was necessary and yet, when we look back at our experi ence on this trip it is neither with fear nor trembling, and we should not hesi tate a moment to embark on the same boat, "J. C. La Cour," any day. She is elegantly and comfortably furnished and as on "Lucania" there are many to do your bidding. At Esbjerg we went through the custom house more for the sake of formality than anything else, for when I told the officials that we were on our way to Sweden, not even a question was asked. Esbjerg is a small seaport town on the west const of Denmark. The houses are well built of brick, the streets smooth and exceedingly clean. It exists on fish and tourists, and I was told the latter are always found to be more tender than the former, though seldom cooked. This statement I readily believe after my own experience there. There was a train about to leave shortly after we arrived, but as it was a mixed freight and passenger train we concluded to wait till midnight when the "flyer" left for Copenhagen. In the meantime we drank coffee and smoked excellent cigars which cost two and a half cents apiece, and yet they were equal in both quality and quantity to those we pay a "bit" for in "the States," but we were Americans and had to be plucked in some way and the "Great Dane's" chance came when I paid for the lunch. As we yet felt like anything but eating a hearty meal, I ordered some bread and butter, cold meats and milk and for this they charged one dollar per person, though ordinarily twenty cents would be a big price in Denmark, but there is no teacher like experience and the next time I travel in Denmark it shall be in the guise of a plain Swede and not an American. At 12:10, midnight, we left Esbjerg and began the fifth stage of our journey. We snuggled down in the car the best.we could and courted sleep ac cording to all the scientific rules I could recall off-hand, but to no avail. We were too tired, in fact exhausted, and we felt as though a thousand needles pricked our anatomy. We changed cars first at "Little Belt' and latsr at "Big Belt." These so-called "Belta" are arms of the North Sea, but directly connected with "Skagerrack," which is that part of the North Sea that lies south of Nor way. It took the ferry twenty minutes to cross Little Belt and two hours that of Big Belt After getting acroas the latter it was light enough to enable ua to see the surrounding country. The farmers of IVnmark know how to farm it and here I saw the finest and best cultivated fields I had observed. It is demonstrated that husbandmen here with holdings of eight acres and with families of seven children, can and do make a comfortable living upon their land. The crops must nave Deen tre- mendouB if one can judge from the many grain stacks which .occupied a prominent place at every farm house. There is practically no poverty in Den mark : neither is there any great for tunes. The people are comfortably fed. dressed and housed, drink their coffee and beer and smoke tl e r long pipes in contentment. There are schemes afoot now to pension every old man and woman in Denmark if they need it, thus doing away witn tne humiliating poor house institution. We arrived in Copenhagen at 8 o'clock a. m. and not any too soon, for wife was sick and 1 was getting somewhat ner vous myself. VVe went to a hotel with the intention of staying a couple of days ana attend to some business that re quired my personal attention, but not knowing what serious turn wife's illness might take I concluded to take the first steamer for Sweden, and thus began the sixth and last stage ot our lournev. What were my feelings and emotions as we neared the goal of our near v eight thousand mile journey and the lights of my native country became visi ble? Whom of you have been reared in ease and comfort without a thought of the tomorrow, going when you pleased and coming when you pleased and al most doing as you pleased? Whom of you have been exiled for more than 15 years, separated from home and loved ones, from all that was dear and sacred to you in youth and manhood, from an old father and an only beloved sister woo was both mother, sister and pro ther? Answer if vou can. I cannot. We arrived in Helsingborg after night fall and as no one knew we had come I telephoned home, and ten minutes later we were all crying. A. N. R. (if(K)d Roads Meeting:. Saturday, Dec 27, meeling for good roads was called to order by the chair man, A. 1. Mason. Minutes or pre vious meeting were read Dy becretary J. L. tiersiiuer, alter which he re signed as secretary, whereupon It, Shelley of Odell was appointed In his stead. Committee on legislation made a verbal report through Charles Sproat, the chairman or the committee being absent. The purport of the report was to take up the matter or having a bill framed to present to the legislature. Committee on temporary relief on roads reported that they thought it necessary to first see what the people of tiooct itiver valley would cio before asking the county court for assistance. Commissioner Hibbard being present, thought the county commissioners would be willing to do as much as the people of the community would do His opinion was based upon established preceaeuis. On motion the committee on imme diate relief whs requested to take steps to secure renei mr district io. o. On motion Warren Wells was added to the committee on temporary relief. Chairman Mason read an excellent paper on the subject. On motion the paper was ordered published in the Glacier. Several parties made suggestions, all of which were good. Chairman VVmchell of the legislative committee made the following report Dy reading a letter troui representative Whealdon expressing regrets for not attending meeting but promised his hearty co-operation in the matter of gooa roads. The sum or fl.uo was collected to nay hall rent. Moved that the Glacier be requested to ask other county papers to publish the chairman's paper. Moved that the committee on legis lation be instructed to usk for the privilege of voting a special tax of not less than one mill nor more than 10 mills annually for road purposes. On motion adjourned to meet at call of president when requested by five members. A. I. Mason, Chairman. Roswell Shelley, Secretary. Friends of the good roads convention : In considering the question of good roads, upon one proposi tion we can all agree, viz: that we should have better roads in Hood Itiver valley. This fact is more forcibly impressed upon the residents of the East Side, owing to their occupation of growing apples and being compelled to haul most of them after our rainy season has begun. While we agree upo-i the necessity of securing better roads, yet we may dif fer upon the manner by which we can secure them. I will agree only iu part with the most of you ill asking for a law giving any road district the right to vote a special tax for road purposes but I must urge you to have the law so worded that the special tax voted cannot be too high. There must be a limit to taxation. We must expect some opposition to such a change in our road laws, but that opposition will be limited, in my opinion, to the corporate power through out the state, and if there is a reasonable limit to the special tax to be voted upon, we will receive leas opposition in securing the desired legislation. While we may be of one mind in ask ing for this special tax law yet we must not forget that all obstacles have not been removed after the bill haa become a law. To secure a majority vote upon any special road tax we may expect op position. The corporate power will be at the polls,either directly or Indirectly, if the latter, possibly dressed In the cloak of a politician, who may act as a ward healer or a vote maker, und may even go so far as to force some il legal voting. VVe may also expect to have some political and neighborhood factions who will contend for the dis bursement of the special tax money arteritis collected. Just where that money is to be expended, upon what particular road in the road district it will fall, may not always be satisfac tory to a majority of the voters in the district The road supervisor, or the board of supervisors if one is created, may expend all special taxes collectedon one particular road to the detriment of other parts of the district. Now don't jump at the conclusion that if it is spent on any road In the district that it could not be a detriment to some other portion 'of that district. Aside from taxation without repre sentation let me illustrate another thought. Suppose the special tax could be voted in East Hood River district for several years until our main road from town to Pine Grove school house, a distance of about five miles, was all macadamized. This would satisfy at present a majority of the property own ers, but let us step forward five or 10 years; we then find a desire for another road tributary to ibis one, or to extend it up the valley. Hut this first five miles of road still has control of the vote and the people who have been benefited by a macadamized road and have become a little wltlsh don't want topayaiiv more taxes)than they are com pelled. I want to ask you in all can dor, do you think any other road in the district could ever be macadamized under such conditions? There it. a movement now to build a new road up the Hood river bottom on . the East Side. Do you think, under a special tax to be voted by a majority vote of the road district that if either road was macadamized would theotherever be? 1 think not Now don't infer that I am opposed entirely to the special tax law to be voted ; I want it, but I want it limited to a small tax, which is abso lutely necessary to repair and keep our rouus in nrst-ciuss condition; our pres ent roau tax is insumcieni in our road district. A special road tax should be used so as not to discriminate in favor of one part of district against another part. If the special tax voted in any district is used to macadamize any particular road it always forces some to pay for something which they cannot use. To illustrate, in East Hood River district, if main road was macadamized from town to Pine Grove, there would be some tax payers who live on the west side of the river ; some who live in the west corner of the district, who travel the Tucker road aud some M viugeast of town, an or whom would be taxed heavily for the benefit of others. 1 am opposed to a heavy special tax for macadam purposes when it is to be votea on an residents or the district and used to benefit but a part. Let me offer a plan, which to my mind is far oeuer. ii the people living along auy county road desire to macadam that road let It be done by petition. VVe should have a law so framed that the county court would have the power to grant tne request ot auy petition which is signed by a majority ot the pronertv owners along auy road, which they de sire to macadamize, ana the county court siiouia Dave tue power to levy a special tax to meet the required ex penses of said road within one mile from its center on both sides, and said taxes should be collected as all other taxes. It ts very plain to any reason able man that the property which lies abutting Hie proposed macadamized road will be mostly benefited, both in property value and easy access. Hence this property should pay the heaviest part of expenses. In like manner the property lying closer to the road should pay most of the special tax .To illustrate this Idea, property lying oil and within a quarter mile of a macadam road should be taxed 40 per cent, pronertv lying between a quarter and half-mile should pay 30 per cent, property lying between one-half and three-quarters of ot a mile, should pay 20 per cent, aud property lying between three-fourths of a mile and a mile, should pay 10 per cent of the cost. This rate may not be exactly correct but is very near it ana will do tor an illustration of this plan to macadamize a road. This system is used in nearly all cities in macadamizing streets. Un der this system no party is unjustly taxed aud no part of a district cau dictate what kind of roads the other part must have, and those benefited pay the bills while those who are not, still have a chance to macadamize their own roads. Iu asking for legislation to give us the power to macadamize roads under this petition plan it would arouse less opposition trom the corporate powers ana would give us au oppor tunity to macadamize every road in the valley, providing the taxpayers along suld roads desire to do so. When we first met in convention one week ago I was strongly iu favor of the special tax for macadamizing being voted. Since giving it careful study I am forced to favor thy plan of macad amizing by petitioning the county court, which shall have the power to levy an assessment upon all property abutting aud adjacent within one mile ot said road to be macadamized. I would recommend a law making the county road fund pay for surveying. setting grade stakes aud preparing the grade 20 feet wide for receiving mac adam, jl would also recommend that a board of supervisors be elected iu each road district, especially In road districts where a special tax is levied, instead or one supervisor as uuder our present law. I would also recommend that all macadumizing be done by con tract and the contractor be held re sponsible with a heavy bond. l would advise tue investigation or the bonded assessment system now in use Iu Portland pertaining to street improvements and that a similar 'law be made to apply to taxes for macad amizing roads. .Lest some may not understand tills system I'll give a brief illustration. The tax tor macadam izing would be levied by the county court. 1 his would be a heavy tax. some could not pay all at once. Under the bonded assessment, those who de sired could pay one-tenth each year for 10 years, paying ti per cent per an num ou all taxes remaining unpaid each year. Those who desired could pay all taxes at once. Under this system no bond is placed over the dis trict ana every one who takes out a bonded assessment virtually signs a tax Hen upon his property, and the se curity is such that the obligations would meet a ready sale, thereby making it possible to obtain ready cash for the early completion of suid macadamiz ing. in conclusion i desire to Bay that my thoughts may not coincide with yours, but 1 am willing to exchange them aud do my just share in trying to secure good roads. But I must em phasize this thought I am disgusted aud absolutely opposed to trying to patch up our old worn out mud roads In any manner whatever, and shall continue to try to convince my friends that the only right way to repair our roads is by placing upon them a good macadamized road bed not less than 10 inches deep and 20 feet wide. We have abundance or rock and gravel in easy access to most of our roads and cost of macadamizing would be lets here than similar work in other states. VVe are engaged in fruit growing, which demands the best of roads to success fully market our product. We are living in a district having a heavy rainfall and engaged in vocations re quiring heavy hauling during this season. We represent a very thickly settled farming district, with land val ues higher than in many Eastern states which are traversed with macadam ized roads from one side to the other, and we represent a settlement of far mers who for enterprise and thrill are unexcelled any where. Let us, then, make our valley as noted for its good roads and good schools as it is for its big red apples and delicious strawber ries. A. 1. Mason. Thanks, Jtro. Kellogg. We cannot help remarking that the Hood River Glacier is the best printed, most carefully folded and neatly ar ranged paper that comes to our ex change, table, not by chance this week, but hfty-two weeks in the year. It is a pleasure to read such a paper, ads and all. Wasco News. Earlj ( loslii? Agreement. We the undersigned business men of Hood River agree to close, vacate and disappear from our respective places of business not later than 7 p. m., .-very day except Saturday evening; this agreement to remain effective and in force during the months of January and February, ISAM: (signed) Wm M Stewart, Geo 1 Crowell, A S Blowers & Son, frank A (.ram, J fc Ilanna. Geo I Slocom, V O Ash A Co, O B Hartley, T C Dallas. J 8 Booth, rj t Bartmess, JIcGuire tiros, treat & HucUbay, Ralph Savage, H R Com mercial Co, i E Rand, S A Knapp. St the display of Fancy, decorated table-ware at The Spot Cash Grocery. Christmas -AT Spot Cash Persian Dates, new, California Figs, Nuts and Candy,. Mince Meat, Sweet Pickles, Cranberries, Cocoanuts, Yours for quick sales Free Delivery. TOWN PROPERTY. Coe's Addition to Hood River. ONLY 14 LOTS LEFT. The most sightly location in Hood River. Large lota, at prices , that will be sure to suit. This will bear Immediate investigation. Don't let this opportunity slip by. It means a home to yoa at very small cost. We have listed Farm Lands, Homesteads, Timber Claims la fact, most anything that you want, improved or unimproved. Our prices are always right. Call on or address GEO. D- CTJLBERTSON & CO. Williams Pharmacy, Otten Building, i G. E.. WILLIAMS, Prop'r. Headquarters for Pure Drugs, Toilet Articles, PATENT MEDICINES, SPRAYING MATERIALS. Prescriptions my Specialty. Millinery at i Cost All our Pattern, Street and Tailored Hats at cost. See our show window for prices that defy competition. Gentlemen, Make your wives, daughters or sweethearts a Xmas present of one of those lovely Pattern Hats. MAE B. ROE, Milliner. Stages to Cloud Cap Inn. Ticket office for the Regulator Line of Steamers Telephone and have a hack carry you to and from the boat landing If you want a first-class turnout call on the HOOD RIVER TRANSFER AND LIVERY CO. COLUMBIA NURSERY. Established 1802. Offers a full line of Gmml Nraw SB, One ait Two-year-old Ail ' And other Fruit Trees, Plants, Shrubs and Vines. You are Invited To examine the stock and let us know what you want. H. C. BATEHAM, Proprietor. Telephone 604. Letter from Pasadena. Pasadena, Cal., Dec. 20. Editor Gla cier: Thinking a few hues from this section might be of interest to some of your readers, I will write a few lines. We arrived in Los Angeles, the "City of the Angels," on November 7, and on the 8th went out to Long Beach and made Mr. and Mrs. Templeton a visit. we spent two nays wuti mem. rney have a nice home and are doing well. They took us for a drive on the beach, where we gathered beautifully tinted shells aud watched the waves and breakers as they came rolling in. We also visited Mr. Linsey and wife, who have a small nursery and are doing a good business. They like their home here, although they nave a warm spot iu their hearts for Hood River and the host of friends they left there. Long Beach is a very pretty place, aud property is increasing iu value very rapidly. One good feature of the town is that no saloons are allowed, which speaks well for the place. We remained in Los Angeles for a month. Everything in the line of pro visions are very high, and unless a person has a long pocket book I would advise them to stay away from South ern California. As an example, beef is from 15c to 25c a pound; chickens, 18c; turkeys, 25c to 40c, and everything else In the same proportion. I saw some apples marked "Oregon," 2 lbs. tor 15c, and the merchant became quite indignant when I told him we fed such apples to the pigs In Oregon. Oranges are quite plentiful aud cheap vou can get three or four for a nickel. I would much rittier Dave one oi our iiooa River apples. , ' At present we are at Pasadena. Guy is in the Ballard sanitarium,! while I am staying with a Methodist minister's family. We like Pasadeua. and it is much nicer city than Los Angeles. A great many wealthy people have their Domes nere ana tneir ousiness in is Angeles. The weather has been fine ever since we have been here, with almost contin uous sunshine. Up to the present time there has only been atwut seven inches of rainfall. There has been do frost, and flowers of all kinds are in bloom. New Year's w ill be a great day here, as thevbavea rose carnival, and every one makes great preparations for it. We had a very pleasant surprise. When we arrived here I fouud an aunt and three cousins that I had not seen for thirty years so we are not eutirely among Grangers, although a long ways from home. We look forward easrerly to the time when we will start for Hood Kivcr. The weekly vUita of the Glacier seems like greeting an old friend. I send Christmas aud New Year's greet Greetings THE Grocery. Sweet Potatoes, Buckwheat Flour, Maple Syrup, All kinds of Cereal Foods, Salt Salmon, home packed, Pop Corn, Hams, Bacon and Lard, and small profits, J. E. HANNA. Phone 63. ings to all my Hood River friends. Mbs. Q. D. Woodwokth. Apple Pest of California. "We are selling apples for f 1.25 a box in San Francisco," said Robert Welch, a San Francisco commission man, "that last year at this time could hardly find a market at 75o. This Indicates the condition of our crop. This year we have had a pest in the orchards Iu the central part of the state, where the great er part of the native apples are grown, and they have destroyed thousands of bushels. The pests are in the form of a little fly, which bites, and afterwards the fruit withers. "So far they have been confined to one section and a short time ago the fruit inspector announced that they had beou eradicated. "We have placed large orders with Oregon dealers and are now in Wash ington for thesame purpose. The Wash ington apple Is the fa vorite in California, and in other years we have used a large amount of them. However, if we can get all we want this year we will be able to handle double the number of boxes we have in any other year. Fresh Cows. t have for tale M River-Ida farm, 3 mile, went of town, aeveral head ot two-yeanold oow and helfera. Howe are now rreah; otbera toon In milk. A. I am f olnf oat of the dairy btMlneaa, now la your chance to get tome or the bent dairy etock In Hood River valley. Frioee from S35 op. ya J. W. MORTON. Summons. Ia the Circuit Court of tht Rtate ot Oregon, for the Oou nty of W haco. Clara Chrlttlan-en, plaintiff, Nnjj Chrle Uaoaeo. defendant. SnUfo- lUvfTree. NOTIC K. v To Nell Cbrtttianten, the above-named de fendant; v In the name of the Mute of Omfon, yoa. are herebj required to appear and answer the complaint filed agaln.t yoa In the above en titled eult, on or before tlx week, from the Win day of December, 1SK12, and If yon fall to to en.wer, the plaintiff above named will take Judgment egatnat yon for want thereof, and apply to the court for the relief prayed for In the eomplaint on file herein, to-wlu That the bond of matrimony now exIMInf between yoa and the plaintiff herein be dla olved and forever annulled, and for the eara, euttody and control of the Infant ehlld born from yoor onion with the said plaintiff, and for foerel relief. Thia aummont la aerved upon yon by pub lication thereof onoe a week for ai z eooaero Uve werka, and for seven eonaerutlve Inwr ttona. In the Hood River Hlarler, a newtpaper ol general circulation, deatfn.ted aa moat likely to five yon notice, publlahed weekly In the County of WaasOjHtale of Oregon, and It ao aerved by vtrtoeof an order made and entervd herein on thedlh day of December, A D. iwri. by the Hon. W. U Hradihaw, Judge of aald court. The date of aald ordw I. Decem ber , BOS, and the date of the Ant pubiiraUoa ofthi notice and aummona la December IX uot John leu.nd hewdekmon, Attorney fur I'laiqUlX.