The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1893-07-21
NATIONAL AFFAIRS.
Vacation Gossip from the National
Capital
Secretary Morton Has Something to Say
About the Cost of Meat Inspection
Statement in Regard TO tho
Pension ONCE.
Bureau of Animal Industry.

Bureau of Animal Industry.
| WASHINGTON. July 14.-''I have no,
proposed the stoppage of meat inspec
ton" said Secretary Morton to-day,
''for the law distinctly says that it shall
go on. and no officer has the power to
abrogate the laws enacted by congress.
However, under that law there is dis
cretionary power which enables the
secretary to reduce expenses. especially
unnecessary ones If the benefits to
be derived from the law are sup
posed to be in the direction of
creating demand for our meats
abroad, then the law is failure.
The inspection of beef for export be-
gan May IS, 1891, and the first ship
%, four days later The microscopic
inspection of pork for export began
June %. 1891, and the first inspected
pork exported was shipped September
5. 1891. Since inspection began,
up to May 81 last, little
more than two years, we have
sold to countries demanding a GER
tificate of inspection meat of the value
of s4,57T,413. During the same period
We have paid to microscopists alone tc
inspect this meat the sum of 1924, 495,
and before they could begin their work
the government laid out SS,475 for mi.
crOscopes. Other expenses amounted
to So 92, SO that the total for inspec
ton was s per cent. of the value of the
entire product sold. The question is
shall the people be taxed in this way
to assist few industries, or shall
the men engaged in the business of eX
portation stand the expense themselves.
The countries requiring this inspection
are Germany, France, Denmark, Italy
and Austria. Now look at the other
side of the question during the same
period. We have sold to countries not
demanding this inspection meat to the
amount of more than $4,000. 900 and
that, too, without the cost of a dollar
to the general public. 1t is not the
intention of this department to do any
thing that will cripple the business of
the country, but it is the positive inten-
ton to do all that can be done in the
way of cutting off useless and orna-
mental employees and that work will go
on SO long as any such officials are dis
covered
Secretary Morton gave as an illus
tration of the way in which what he
facetiously termed the Bureau of Ami
NAL Incidence" had grown, the facts in
the case of the two stations at Omaha
and Kansas City. At these two places
the government had paid out more
than $4,000 in salaries to inspectors of
meat for export. and yet the reports of
the customs officers showed that not
one dollars worth OF meat had been
exported by packers in these two cities
Pension Savings.
WASHINGTON. July 1.-THE special
examination division of the bureau of
pensions, which is charged with the
investigation of criminal matters in
pension claims as well as the investiga.
ton of merit claims in which prima
facie case has been established before
reference to that division, has kept q
record since May of the amount in
volved in final payment of every case
after special investigation.
This record shows that for the months
of May and June last. in these prima
facie cases. which would have been al
lowed had they not been specially in
vestigated, the first payment would
have amounted to S15O,279. A great |
many cases investigated were found to
possess merit and were allowed, but Of |
the number investigated and rejected |
saving to the government of the above
amount has resulted.
The expenses of the special examina-
ton division for the months of May |
and June last in the investigation of
prima facie merit claims, and all other
matters pertaining to the work of di-
vision, amounted to SD, $50, leaving a
net saving to the government of s113,-
SS4. To this amount may be added
IS, 504 which was recovered in cash by
special examiners and covered into the
treasury, making the total net savings
to the government of SIG, SSS.