Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-04
WHERE is THAT REPORT?

The presence of the entomologist,
Albert Koebele, in this city, naturally
leads up to question. Mr.. Koebele
was sent by the United States to Aus
tralia in 1888, to see if he could discover
a natural enemy to the white cottony
scale-bug, whose ravages among the
orange trees in the two years previous
TO that date had been the principal
cause of decline in the great land
boom.
Frank McCoppin was appointed some
time in January. 1888, as chief commits
sioner on the part of the United States
to the worlds fair at Melbourne, of that
year. Some delay was occasioned in
the appointment of the four assistant
commissioners provided for in the bill,
but on the 2sth of April Mr.. Bayard
(then secretary of state) appointed
them, consisting of Alexander Campbell,
of Louisiana; Francis Wheeler, of New
York; Richard L. Miller, OF Virginia,
and Thomas Il. Merry, of Oregon. I'm
mediately on receiving his commission,
Mr.. Wheeler sailed for Sydney and Mr..
Merry followed him month later.
Just before he sailed, Mr.. McCoppin laid
before him correspondence that had
passed between himself and the depart
ment of agriculture, relative to the
sending out of an entomologist to
accompany the commissioners. The
commissioner OF agriculture said there
was no money appropriated for any such
purpose in his department, nor was
there any contingent fund whereby the
expenses of an entomologist could be de-
frayed. He therefore suggested that the
salary of the entomologist $4,000, to in
clude all travelling expenses) be paid out
of the $50, 600 appropriated by congress
for the salaries and expenses of this
commission.
Mr.. McCoppin was anxious to serve
the people of Southern California in
this matter, and solicited Mr.. Merry's
cooperation. The latter replied that he
was perfectly willing to have the ento-
mologist's salary paid out oil the $50 900
appropriation, provided that the ento-
mological report should be published in
the reports of the Melborne exhibition
commission, to be printed by the depart
ment of state, and not issued by the
bureau of agriculture, as the latter was
doing nothing towards providing for
payment OF the. entomologist's salary.
This matter was clearly understood, and
the letter of the chief commissioner
and his assistant was in the latter's
handwriting. Upon this showing by
Messrs. McCoppin and Merry, the name
of Mr.. Albert Koebele was placed on
the rolls of the state department.
The labors of the commission closed
in January, 1889, and the several MEM
bers thereof came back to America, ac-
companied by the secretary, Adolrh
Marx, a lieutenant in the navy, who, in
addition to his salary as a naval officer,
received Sc per day salary as secretary,
and his transportation to and from Mel
bourne free of charge to himself. Mr..
McCoppin received $4,000 salary and
$500 travelling expenses, while the poor
assistant commissioners only got $25QO
apiece for everything, and had to pay
about $1100 for railway and steamship
fares out of that. No sooner had Marx
returned than he was set to work as
editor of the report Of the commission,
at salary of $3.50 per month. This was
some time in 1889, during the first part
of Mr.. Blaine's term as secretary.
Now, then, where is that report? The
money that paid Mr.. Koebele's ex-
pensee to and from Australia was grant
ed upon the express stipulation that his
report should form part and parcel Of
the entire report of the commission.
There were reports made by all the as
sistant commissioners. Mr.. Camp
BELLS portion covered the wool in terest !:
Mr.. Miller's the tobacco and sugar in.
terests Mr.. Merry's the quartz mining
and inland river navigation; and Mr..
Wheeler's the commercial relations,
between Australia and America. None
of these are of any great interest to the
readers of the HERALD, but the report
of Mr.. Koebele is something that is of
Importance to every fruit-grower be-
tween Tehama and San Diego.
Why has not the report been printed
by the department of state? At the
close of the exhibition there remained
an unexpended balance of nearly $4,000
to the credit of that appropriation, out
of which the four assistant COM
missioners asked to be paid
$500 apiece for travelling expenses,
to put them on an even footing with the
chief commissioner. Both Secretaries
Bayard and Blaine refused to allow this,
and the money still remains to the credit
of the appropriation, if it has not been
meanwhile expended on the "editorial"
labors of Mr.. Marx. Hence we ask the
question, why has not the report of the
Melbourne commission of 1883 been
published? Can Mr.. Secretary Foster
tell?
TIE quarantining of the Pacific Mail
company's steamer City of Panama,
from the port whose name she bears,
woo N, act of n1ain dutv IN tho mart NJ