The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1918-12-06

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chemical war service has informed o.
D. Center, director. Of college extension
at the Oregon Agricultural college,
that the collection of nut shells for gas
masks should be discontinued at once.
Shipments Of less than 10 tons at
shipping points should not be forward
ed. f. gs
In telegram pointing out that the
action Of the Emergency Fleet corpor.
alton In suddenly cancelling a large
number Of shipbuilding contracts has
created decidedly serious situation
in Oregon, Governor Withycombe has
appealed to President Wilson, asking
that he intervene and that the con-
tracts be reinstated.
Reedsport, the city Of sawmills,
claims to have received the first COM
mercial lumber order following the
closing of government work in spruce,
white cedar and fir lines. The order
come to the c. McC. Johnson mill. The
mill is asked by Seattle lumber com
pany to hurry out an order of 2,O0O,-
900 feet of fir, to be shipped by rail.
One million reports received from
army camp surgeons by Surgeon-Gen-
eral Rupert Blue show that Oregon,
as represented by its men who were
sent to army camps, had a cleaner bill
of health than any other state in the
union. Only SO of / per cent of the
men going into the army from this
state were afflicted with social dis
ease.
District No. II, as the Oregon dis
trict of the wooden ship division of
the Emergency Fleet corporation is
officially designated, is to remain in
dependent of the North Pacific div
ision, or Washington district, accord
ing to official word received to that
effect The district is to continue un-
disturbed until the termination Of
wooden ship construction for the gov
ernment. +,
Soldiers are advised to retain their
government insurance policies and not
allow them to lapse, in a statement is
sued by Insurance Commissioner Har-
vey Wells. "My advice" said Mr..
Wells, sis that government insurance
be continued for the reason that many
of the boys will come back more or
less physically impaired and will find
it impossible to obtain insurance in
regular companies"
The cargo lumber shipments from
the Columbia river in October were
exceptionally light. According to sta
tistics compiled, 16 vessels loaded 49,
464,171 feet of lumber at the lower
river mills during the month. In the
same period II vessels loaded 7,692,355
feet of lumber at the up-river mills,
making grand total of 21,156,526 feet
of lumber that left the Columbia river
in cargoes during the month Of 0c-
tober.
With more than $6,000,O00 available
for next year for highway construc-
tion the state highway commission
has called upon the various counties
for their grading budgets, and as soon
as they are received the commission
will hold a meeting and formulate its
hard'surfacing program. Under the
law the counties must do the grading,
and 1t will be the general policy Of
the commission during the year to
as many of the projects
as the counties are prepared to grade.
The application Of the Astoria water
commission for the appropriation of
16 second feet of water from Big creek
for municipal supply has been ap-
proved by State Engineer Percy A.
Cupper. It is not intended to use
this supply until additional water for
the city is needed, but the. source of
supply will be protected. When the
supply is to be used, it is proposed to
construct a 30-inch pipe line 16h
miles, at an estimated cost of $500,000,
which will deliver the water to the
present reservoir.
Harbor improvements to cost ap-
proximately s1.5OO,000 were authorized
by the Port of Astoria commission at
a recent meeting. The projects in
clude construction of drydock Of
$4,000 tons capacity and the creation
of third pier at the port dock, with
a warehouse equipped with modern
cargo handling machinery. The pro-
posed new pier will be large enough
to berth at one time six liners of
$4,000 tons each and the drydock will
be able to handle the largest carriers
afloat. The commission also plans to
build additional bulk grain storage
bins with a capacity Of 100000
bushels.
Postmaster-General Burleson advis-
ed the public service commission by
telegraph that he has made effective
as of November Is an increase of
wages for telephone-operating en-