From population maps just completed by the city school office, the center of the elementary school population of the city has moved 850 feet northeast in the last three years. During the same time the senior high school population has moved about 400 feet south and west. In 1925-26 the elementary school center was 500 feet southwest of the high school center, while in 1929 it had moved to a point over 700 feet northeast of the high school center, showing that these two centers moving in almost opposite directions have met and passed each other in that time.
    The center of the city's elementary school population for 1925-26 was on Sixth Street between Oakdale and Ivy streets. In 1929 it had shifted to Grape Street between Fourth and Fifth.
    The center of the senior high school population for 1925-26 was on Holly Street near Fifth, but in 1929 had moved to Ivy Street between Fifth and Sixth streets.
    The junior high school center remained nearly stationary during the three-year period, moving only from a point on Fifth Street between Grape and Holly to a point on Holly between Fourth and Fifth, probably less than 100 feet.
    According to E. H. Hedrick, city school superintendent, "There has been no strong single direction trend in the movement of the city's population, taken as a whole. The spread has been outward to the southwest, west, north and east."
    The reason why the elementary population has moved northeast, while that of the high school has moved southwest, according to Mr. Hedrick, is due to the fact that a smaller percentage of the children in the north end, or mill district, are entering high school than is the case of the more settled residence districts farther south. Many families, more or less transient, live in the auto camps and the small houses on the north side. These contribute quite a number of children to the elementary schools, but fewer to the high school in proportion to the number of their elementary children. The compulsory education law in Oregon compels all elementary children, even of transient families, to be in school while they are here, but it does not apply to high school pupils.
    The population maps with the computations on them are chiefly the work of Roland Humphreys of the high school mathematics department, who has completed them by working evenings in the superintendent's office the past few weeks. City maps 50x32, scale 100 feet to the inch, compiled by F. C. Dillard, engineer, were used by Mr. Humphreys for the work. On these the population distribution is shown by placing a clean heavy dot to indicate the exact place of residence of each child in the city. There are six maps in all, and may be seen by anyone interested at the city school office in the Medford Building.

    That the prosperity and growth of Medford and Jackson County have not been more pronounced in 20 years than now was declared by S. Sumpter Smith of the Medford Mail Tribune while a Portland visitor.
    A substantial increase in real and personal property values is reported by the assessor, he said. The lumber mills and box factories have all been running six days a week. The Owen-Oregon mill, one of the largest in the state, has operated with two shifts of eight hours each.
    The Medford district is now harvesting one of the largest fruit crops in history and receiving good prices.
    About 2000 cars of pears have been shipped and an equal or larger number are yet to go to market. Cannery prices in Oregon and California for years run as high as $85 a ton for Bartletts and $110 for fall pears. Twenty cars of the famous Bosc pears are leaving for Detroit and, beginning October 7, Medford will put on a campaign to show the Detroiters that the famous Rogue River Bosc is the best fruit in the world. Professor Harriman of Oregon State College will assist in this campaign.
    This year a half million dollars was spent in Medford in the erection of new pre-cooling, cold storage and fruit packing plants and in repairs and enlargements to other plants.
    Nearing completion is the new Class A airport, three miles north of Medford, one of the largest and most modern plants on the coast. It is over a mile long and a half mile wide, with a hangar 110 by 140 feet that will accommodate 16 large planes. There is also a new administration building, pilots' quarters, waiting room, first aid station, restaurant, machine shop and other conveniences.
    The first flight from the new field by the Pacific Air Transport will occur October 2, but the official dedication will not take place until July 3, 4 and 5 of next year, when Medford will stage the biggest event so far programmed for Oregon.
    There will be air races day and night from Portland and Oakland to Medford. There will be also all kinds of air stunts in which many noted aviators will take part.
    Governor Patterson will ask that the aviation congress of the 17 western states will be held at Medford during this celebration.
    A feature will be a pageant depicting the evolution of transportation from the Grecian age to the present, including a vision of aviation now and hereafter. This will be in charge of Dorris Smith, noted for her work in Portland and Eugene pageants.
    The Ford Motor Company was so impressed with Medford's people's air-mindedness that they ran a page ad in 10 of the leading magazines telling of Medford's issue of $120,000 in bonds voted by a margin of 13 to 1 to build the airport, and citing the Medford instance to other cities as an example to follow. No other city in the country has received such recognition.
    Medford is on the through airway of the coast.
    The government has constructed one of its airways super-radio stations in Medford that will be put in operation soon on a 24-hour basis. This, with the new government aerological weather bureau station, will broadcast reports for all ships on the air.--Oregon Journal.
Medford Mail Tribune, September 27, 1929, page B2

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