The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1920-08-21
SLATER WRITES
TO EXAMINER
FORMER COLVILLE ATTORNEY
IS NOW AT ALAMEDA
CALIFORNIA
Took Trip by Auto From COlville to
Frisco, and Made Many Interest
ing Observations on Way

Alameda, Cal, August 16.-Travel-
ing through Oregon one is struck
with the grandeur of the scenery
in the eastern part by the vast
plains of farm and range lands; in
the west by the snuggery of the
plump hills and intervening valleys
where water abounds everywhere.
The people are, apparently, prosper
Gus and contented as they always
are, who lead a pastoral life, "far
from the madding crowd" of the city.
Oregon, with its population of about
3OOOOO. souls, not TO exceed + a
million at the most, the major of
whom live in the cities has big
job on it's hands to develop md
make productive the 81 100000 acres
of earth surface within its bounda-
les, 36,000,000 acres of which is,
With the exception of half a million
acres of school lands, under federal
control and not taxed. Yet, it il!
productive country, numbering as
great variety of natural resources,
including farming, timber, mining,
and orchard products, as may be
found in any state of the union. Up
to date 'the chief employment of the
people has been confined to "grab-
bing" the native resources, while in
Washington and California long
strides have measured the distance
into the fields of industrial develop
ment. Portland, with more than half
the population of the state, more
than so per cent Of the other half in
the interior cities, provides the only
local market. But the war brought
Oregon to her industrial Senses, and
its people have learned that her re-
sources can be converted into ships,
and adjacent to her forests are the
lumber and paper mills, cement mills,
canneries, boundaries and factories
are coming onto the scene, and Ore
gon is coming into her own. Recount
ing the industrial activities on the
way down the coast one must stop
occasionally for inquiry. Travelling
down the Columbia highway the only
important and outstanding feature is
the scenery. A short trip through
defile back into the Cascade range
disclosed considerable valley with
heavily timbered slopes where saw
mill with 100000 feet daily capacity
was operating against a supply suf
ficiently large to last a dozen years.
Thus are the mountain slopes on
either side of the range covered with
the finest timber for a distance Of
800 miles through the state. This
supply has scarcely been touched,
although there are many large mills
eating ravenously into the great
supply. On the coast borders the
timber area is large and extensive;
but between the mountains and the
coast rolling hills covered with oak,
ash, chaporal and bald patches of
grass remind one of the uplands of
Missouri. The Willamette valley for
100 miles or more extending south
ward from Portland is about 40
miles wide and is practically all level
and cultivated in every variety of
farm product known to the climate.
1t is the most homelike country we
traversed.
The State University at Eugene,
Oregon Agricultural College and the
Willamette University at Salem and
the state capitol were visited. Oregon
takes just pride in her institutions
which are attracting much attention
In Oregon City, West Linn and
Lebanon are large paper mills work.
ing to capacity and spending mil
lions of money for pulp supply. At
Oregon City is a mill for the manu-
facture of veneer from oak, ash and
other adaptable native woods. The
logs are cut to desired lengths, sub
merged for a considerable time in
water heated by steam, and while yet
soft are placed in lathe-like ma
chine and turned against keen blade
which ceaves the wood in sheets the
length Of the log and of any width
desired. The thickness of the sheet
is about one-sixteenth of an inch.
The veneer is glued on cheap base
and highly polished and is worked in
to highclass furniture. | saw a dining
table made from this material which
was offered as solid oak and priced
upon the floor of leading Oakland
furniture house at $40. In speaking
of timber, the deserts of Oregon are
more or less covered with juniper,
sort of dry land cedar. This has