Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, December 20, 1918, Page 1

o _ VOLUME XVL NO. 309 ‘(TTY SATURDAY Question of Authorizing Bonds for Water Filter System to Supply Bemidji VOTERS ONLY TO DECIDE MUCH MOOTED PROBLEM Polls Located - City Hall;_ All|° - Ballots Must Be Cast at That Place Tomorrow will take place the spe- cial municipal election: on* whether the voters shall authorize the issu- ance of $125,000 ~ worth of .bonds " with which to_construct a filter wat- er system for the city and extend the water main to Nymore. The question is whether or not the city shall first construct a crib in the Mississippi river channel in the center of Lake Irving, lay an intake to tbe'shore and install a pump and chiorine purifying equipment, 1o cost: approximately $30,000. " 7he next step to follow would be selling additional bonds and the in- stallation of a filter- plant. * phe third step would be to lay 3 water main to the fifth ward, to supply that part of the city, the rest of the bonds to be sold for that purpose. Much Mooted Question. - The question ed in Bemidji. There have been dif- ferences of opinions as to whether it was adyisablé to abandon the well system and install the proposed filter system. ~ The quality. of the" avater has also been an issue while the guantity on occasions has been in- adequate. There are many who - ¢laim pure and plenty of water is| available at the wells with proper attention, that a filter plant is mnol needed.. The council has been at work on the project for over a year, The question of taxes has been ‘broached and discussed, it being held that taxes are now almost beyond veach, and the question has been ihreshed out pro and con practically the entire year. City Hall Polling Place. The polling places for all wards of the city will be at the City hall, Bemidji, where each ward will be ‘represented by a voting booth and manned by judges and clerks from ‘has been much moot- | =T _ “_ T EEESET = T SEEs %3 SS5S <E£55 ) > PR g TrZeT 2.2 = & 2 eSS &S OPHERE ooy AT 3 < s RN SN~ 5 o~ £ N : B S T A e S e St (2 A the respective voting precincts. Ward ~residents should come to the city ‘building and cast their ballot. Polls -will be open from € o'clock in the {morning until 9 o’clock at night. ‘ It is a question for the voters only Ito decide. € CONGRESSMAN KNUTSON PAY 'BEMIDIL VISIT ON BUSINESS The coming of Congressman Knut- $on to Beltrami county in the interest of needed government work, will be the occasion for a smoker to be given in his honcr by the Commercial club tomorrow evening at 8 o’clock. The general public is cordiaily invited to he present, as a special program will be presented and Congréssman Knut- son will be heard. CONGRESSMAN KNUTSON Hon. Harold Knutson of St. Cloud, member of congress from the Sixth district, Minnesota, was in Bemidji today enroute to Cass Lake on a matter pertaining to his work in Washington, and while here was o warmly greeted by his many friends. He will return to Bemidji this after- noon- and -tomorrow confer with Su- perintendent Dickens, superintendent of the Red Lake Indian reservation, relative to a new bridge and other matters. Congressman Knutson has just re- covered from a seévere attack of ‘the “flu,” having joined the epidemic’s ranks when congress recessed. How- ever, while at his home he kept tab on Washington affairs and when the order was issued for returning and discharged soldiers to give up their uniforms he Wwired Chairman Dent of the military affairs committee urging ‘that the order be rescinded. It was done and the boys may retain the uniforms they wore while in the service of Uncle Sam. Congressman Knutson also- ex- pressed himself as grateful to the voters of Beltrami county for the handsome majority he received in the recent election. He predicted great things for the propesal for allotment {of lands for returned soldiers, which would be a great boon to Minnesota, |specially in the northern part. He also predicted that the coming year Would be a big one in every way for Minnesota and expressed himself as istonished that Northern Minnesota |was so prosperous upon emerging {from its siege of war, from which {it received littie benefit. | BEMIDJI MARINE COMMISSIONED Harpld Hayner, who has been in service in the ted States marines, has been commissioned after attend- ing the third officers school at { Quantico, Va., after an attendance | of sixteen weeks at the school. He |is expected to make Bemidji a visit !soom, he being a son of R. C. Hayner tof this city. | coming year may Embargo on your happiness;may ) your opportunities not be En- {1 trenched ; may the Battles of the past be forgotien,and the Bugle { call lead you onto loved ones xwho love you,ana watch over you. | IN OFFICERS' TRAINING CAJ(P| | - . eSS D Sy e S S { joys of Peace loYou; and in SENATOR 0’NEIL SPEAKS TO THE WOODMEN TONIGHT Members-of the Modern Woodmen of America will meet tonight at the Commerelal eluli for ail open meeting to which the general publié {8 fnvit- ed, to hear Senator D. P, O'Neil 6f Thief River Falls, district deputy of the order, and Rev. Richard Saunder- son of Excelsior, state lecturer for the fraternity, speak on patriotism and fraternity. Senator O’Neil is the legislator who fathered the bill for the sixth state normal school which was located in Bemidji and now . practically com- plete, and paid the‘)énal(y at the last election as the result of studied at- tack on the part of the bolsheviki that Bemidji paid him $8,000 for working to locate the school in this city, a most absurd and vicious line of propaganda. FLECTRIC CONTRACT ON NORMAL IS COMPLETED: BEMIDJI DOES THE WORK The finishing touches on the elec- trie wiring of the new normal school are being made and is practically finished. The fixtures are yet to be purchased. The plumbing and heat- ing systems have also been installed and the handsome structure is practi- cally ready for its furnishings and equipment. » The contract for the wiring was secured in Bemidji and Bemidji elec- triciang did the job, absolutely no outside help being employed. The contract was let to the Minnesota Light and Power company’s office here against several large special eontractors from - throughout state. The actual work was super- {intended by A. J. ylor, manager of the Bemidji office of the Light and Power compan ho was per- gonally activ His istants were regular employes of the local plant Larson, and the three were the only ones who did the work, which is a high compliment to Manager Naylor and his men, and the light company, as well, is to be congratulated. the ! and were Archie Bowers and Gust|. 0 LS 5.3 ey :1& — 4 m‘ > > T3 23 T =l Sa ey g and in the) [} there be no | v g b & ' “3 |RED CROSS CHRISTMAS ROLL CALL NOW NEAR 1,000 STILL MOUNTING From evety indication, the South Bn!t'r;i'mi_county chapter of the Red Cross Will reach well over the thou- sand mark in new memberships and rencwg\ls of memberships, for last night’s total reached 987, with the Forth ward not included, nor several other reports yet to be heard from, in the Christmas roll call.” The showing is indeed gratifying to R. H. Schumaker, chairman of the drive, :and he himself intends to go to the lumber camps Sunday to in- terest the men in the big drive. The loyal citizens of Bemidji and south Beltrami realize that the work of the Red Cross has not in any manner ceased, nor, slackened. The huge allied armies are still in the field, bringing peace and order out of war stricken nations. The men must he taken care of in this trying time and must not be neglected nor cast aside without a continuance of the comforts, provided by the Red Cross. It costs only a dollar to join the Red Cross and the little butten in- dicates that the wearer is still back- ing the boys over there, many of whom are from Bemidji and Beltrami county. | If you have not as yet enrolled, | step into the postoffice, any of the drug stores, the jewelry stofes, Mark- ham hotel, or the Farmers’' State bank in the Fifth ward and do so. You will be lonesome if you don't. the vaca he manual training de- he high school is in- v of work dome by artment, that the dji may see the traini received by this de- partment of education. The exhibit will be shown all day In Blks temple t ent of memb of t ople of DBer tomorrow d the general public is cordially ited -to call and inspect the display ] 1 TI e ) SR £ B MANUAL TRAINING DEPARTMENT | | for the week this afternoon, they will results | FORTY-FIVE CENTS PER-MON MILLIONS WASTED ONBIG HOG } SHIPPLANT:SHOWN ISLAND IN PROBE REPORT (By United Press.) . Washington, Dec. 20.—Gross mismanagement and extrav- agance permeated the affairs of the American International corporation in building the great Hog Island shipbuilding plant at Philadelphia, according to the findings of the department of justice investigation, made public at the white house today. No criminal responsibility is fixed. GRATTON HOME FROM SERVICE: SAW MAIMED SOLDIERS RETURNING Frank Gratton has returned from serving in the United States army, coming from Newport News, and is glad to be ‘back home,” althought he misses many of his friends who are still in the military. ‘He tells of the arrival from over seas of thousands of Americans, among them the maimed and wound- ed and says it is a most pitiful sight, as the boys who are the most serious- ly maimed are quiet and rgticent. while many of them wear their serv- jee stripes and other insignia of weinds in wetion 3 He cites an incident where one soldier lost both legs and an arm. Another was decorated with two gold and one blue stripe anad other in- signia and that when he said to him, “Well, boy, are you glad to get home?” the young chap broke down and cried and replied, “You, bet I am. Got my feet on good old U. S. A. soil again. - “They don't say much,” said Gratton. - “They are glad to get back. I've seen all to pieces but they don’t feel that want to be sympathized with. the b 2 seem content to have done their They bit.” SCHOOL PUPILS ACTIVE IN CHRISTMAS WAR WORK The city schools have completed 143 one-story scrapbooks to be sent to the hospitals “‘over there.” They also raised §59.66 for the Red Cross Christmas war fund, of this amount $18.10 was used to pay for twelve Christmas boxes which were sent to the children in the fire zone in Northern Minnesota, =The balance, $41.66, was put in “The Little White Stocking,” a fund to help the war children of the allies, who need warm clothing as well ag tood. MAIL SACK IS STOLEN: While taking a short cut to his destination this morning, “Jim"” Miller discovered a rifled parcel post mail sack in a vacant plot west of Koors Bros. wholesale bakery plant, and Mr. Mitler immediately notified Postmaster Ritchie, wno proceeded to the scene of the discovery. The sack, it is declared, came in on the M. & I. road and apparently had been dumped onto the platform for relay to Shooks, from the 4:45 o’clock train yesterday morning. The sack had been rifled completely, the only articies left behind widely scat. tered being two small envelopes, con- taining something for a hardware store, a man's ghirt, about five yards of silk for a dress, some toys and Christmas candles. The sack was stolen from the depot platform, and foot tracks near where found were practically identical with those disc Given Hardware the same night, store, burglarized With the close of the public schools d throughout next week mas vacation. It has 12l custom to allow two he holiday close of the schools for obediance to the ic mandate changed the custom, at an additional week might accrue the school year. Practically all teachers .residing outside the city will leave tonight or remain cl for the .C k to tomorrow for their homes to spend Ithe coming week. .__‘,‘_ 0 RIFLED IN VACANT LOT overed at the rear of the|, FOR CHRISTMAS WEEK: DELIVERED ONE SHIP, Washington, Dec. 20.—The cost of the great shipbuilding plant at Hog Island was estimated at $63,- 300,000 by Charles Piez, general manager of the shipping board’s Tmergency Fleet corporation. He ¢aid that the yard, which has de- livered one ship and has fifty keels laid should be completed in sixty days. Hard Problem. The original estimate of cost for a plant on a smaller scale was $21,- 000,000 and this was increased later to $27,000,000, Upon a survey to be made about January 1, to detrmine whether the American International corporation is reducing operating ex- ses, Mr. Piez said, will determine /hether the government shall take over the shipyard. Mr, Piez was testifying before the genate , commerce committee at the opening of its project. “Would you have the government take over the yards or continue their operation as now?” Senator Johnson of Cali- fornia had asked. Some Grave Disadvantages. “That question is being consider- ed now,” replied Mr. Piez. ‘“There are some grave disaavantages in tak- ing them over.” The decision to reopen the inquiry resulted from a statement recently made in the senate that $68,000,000 'em blind and shot|had been spent so far on construction completed until re- modifica- and that the one ship there was not seaworthy turned to the yards for tions. WARFIELD TELLS WHY HE FAVORS THE WELLS Concerning the discussion on the water works problem, the following communication was received today by The Pioneer: “Iditor Pioneer: In order to give the readers of your paper an idea why 1 am in favor of our well 8ys- tem, 1 will endeavor to give you & few facts. “First, we have water that has been tested by the state board of health from year to year ever since well No. 1 was put in in 1904, “‘Second, it is artesian water, ralgs ing to about eleven feet above the level -of Lake Bemidji, proving other than local source. “No. 1 well supplied the city from 1904 until 1909, when its flow was gradually lessened, caused by sand stopping the screen. So the councik deemed it necessary to dig No. 2, {and about four years after No. 2 was dug, No. 3 was put in and last sum- mer the city was short of water aguin. Then for the first time in the history of the wells they were cleaned. No: 2 was cleaned first, then No. 1 and last No. 3. After it was cleaned the idea of measur- ing the amount of water avaflable was carried out and found that by putting a pump in the well at 27 feet from the surface 115 gallons per minute and at 90 feet 208 gallons were obtained. Now at thig time of the year the city is using from 150,000 gallons to 175,000 per 24 hours, and the most water ever pumped to my knowledge was 325,000 in 24 hours. Now if a pump was placed in No. 3 well, I gay No. 3 as it {s the one mentioned, 90 feet down our test shows 299,~ 0 gallons in 24 hours, without calling for No. 1 or No. 2 at alk And we have every reason to believe that with a new screen in No. 1 we could obtain three times what the test showed on No. 3 without going eper with our pump. sting this will give you an jdea why I am so favorable to the well system and always have been, |I am- yours truly, “C. W, WARFIELD.” [ITALIAN LEADERS CONFER | WITH PRESIDENT WILSON (By United Press.) Paris, Dec. 20.—Italian leaders went into conference with President Wilson today. Preimer Orlando and the foreign minister called at Murat palace at 11 o’clock and were with the president some time. +— SR s