The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-10-25
DEPARTMENT NOTES.
FRIDAY.

The department offices yesterday
afforded but beggarly account in the
way of items, the governor and heads
| of the departments, with one or two
exceptions, and nearly all the clerks
taking advantage of the universal
/ holiday, which was generally and
very literally recognized to attend
the fair. As it happened some OF
/ those who attended the exposition
1 wished they had not gone; for al
/ though there was scarcely sprinkle
of rain in the city, south OF the CAPT
tol. there was perfect deluge at the
fair grounds, of which it may be fair
" said--such is the fate of fairs:
at came down in torrents,
In bucketsfull poured down from on high,
| AS tho great anger holes had been bored III
/ the sky"
Col. Swain, who so complacently
sits as arbiter of the accounts of the
state, and by his able and Judicious
rulings as comptroller, directs its
finances III the properly prescribed
channels of legislation, was engaged
in looking up presidents for same of
his more important rulings-among
others, that declaring the national
banks in this state subject to the &C.
cupation tax. So far us his investiga-
ton goes, his ruling on this point is
! in accord with all the decisions which
he could find bearing directly or indi.
| rectly on the subject. The banks,
however, will probably raise an issue
on the question.
The comptroller takes the position
that the banks are not exempt from
| ~, ~ &c. IL
| the courts, under the late decisions of
! the supreme court, at Washington,
have no power to interfere with state
regulations.
THE STATE UNIVERSITY.
VIM. E. smith, of Seguln, matricu-
| lated yesterday as a student of the
university, making 1873 students reg
istered up to this date. There will
evidently be over 200 students during
the first term of the university, and
probably $50 by the close of the ses-
sion, quite enough names to make a
fair exhibit for the first catalogue of
the institution,
FISH COMMISSIONERS DEPARTMENT.
Fish Commissioner Lubbock is in
frequent receipt Of interesting works
on the subject Of fish culture. In one
of them, the Bulletin Of the United
States fish commissioner, we find a
letter published from Georgia in
which the writer mentions an expert
ment which he made by introducing
Dream into pond of carp. In this
pond, which he subsequently drained,
he says: Il put plenty OF young
Dream, but what puzzles me is that L
| find any quantity of small fish about
three times their size. l would Thick
these were young carp but for these
| reasons; the carp that would have
spawned them are only a little over
one year old and the mouth resembles
that of the carp in shape, but does not
have the thick lips of the carp. l
have secured specimens to await fur
ther developments"
1t would be an interesting develop
ment il the carp could be crossed with
the Dream, which latter the writer of
! this article knows is one of the finest
fish of the perch species in the South
ern waters; but in the Georgia case
the fish referred to are very probably
young carp, and not hybridS of the
carp and Dream, as it has been demon
strated here by DR.. Walker, clerk
in the comptroller's Office, that carp
will propagate in Il years time.
The Dream would be fine fish to
introduce here, and can be easily pro-
cured from Louisiana. We should
like to hear further as to the results
of the Georgia experiment.
| COMPTROLLER DEPARTMENT..
Assessment rolls of Brazoria county
received yesterday show an increase
of $l95, 900 in taxable values.
STATE DEPARTMENT.
The charter of the Galveston Water
Company, capital stock 100000, was
| filed yesterday. Messrs. Morgan
Jones, j. II. Britton ami w. G. Conner
are named as incorporators.
Also charter of the Austin City
Water Company, increasing the stock
from $250,000 to $350,0OO.
LAND FRAUD BOARD.
This board has adjourned till De-
cember, when they will report upon
the Gibson certificates and the alleged
Haskell county frauds.
LAND DEPARTMENT.
Representative Browning, of Whee-
Ter county, expresses the opinion
that the best plan to prevent
fence cutting would be to
frame a law against parties en-
closing lands not their own and make
| it felony with severe penalty for
fence cutting. He seems doubtful as
to the power of the state to compel
land owners to make openings merely
for otheas to use the water in their
pastures.
Representative Brown states that
the charge of the land fraud board is
true as to the signing of the name OF
the surveyor of Wheeler county by
the agent of Lindsay, lizard and Har.
old, in the matter of the filing of 18C
sections of school land in that county
The agent, it is stated, explains the
fact by saying that he signed the sur
veyor's name with that officers know
ledge.