The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1896-11-26
MORTON'S REPORT.
rhe Secretary of Agriculture Tells of tho
Work Of His Department.

rhe Secretary of Agriculture Tells Of tho
Work Of His Department..
Washington, Nov. 23-1n his fourth annu-
Il report the secretary OF agriculture SHOWS shows
from tho appropriations for tho current Ms
:al year, there will have been covered back
INTO the treasury since March Z. 1886. over
t2.000.000. That this great economy was
effected without any loss of efficiency he at
tributes in q large degree to the improve
ment in the personnel OF the force under the
civil service rules.
The inspection of animals intended for
food Is treated'at length. Mr.: Morton urges
extended to all animals intended FOR human
food. whether for consumption In the
United States or abroad, but he maintains
that the cost of this inspection should be
paid by the packers The total consump-
vas 1000, 900 tons. Is per cent Of which was
produced at home. the remaining rs per
cent. being produced abroad. OF the live
meat arriving In Great Britain during the
first half Of the year Of 1896. the United
States supplied Is per cent OF the cattle
and As per cent. OF the sheep. The testi-
mony Of the department representatives
abroad Is that cattle from the United States
arrive in English ports in excellent condt-
: commended to American shippers. as In
, that city cattle from the United States com.
pete" with the very highest qualities OF
British animals.
American packers are not participating in
the profits Of the growth in consumption
OF swine flesh and hog products IN Great
Britain as much as they ought to. because
they do not cure meats to suit the British
demand: on the other hand. Danish and
Canadian packers are increasing their
shipments every year. American bacon
averages about two cents per pound below
al r}oh
three cents below English.
The shipment Of American horses to Eng
land Is steadily increasing. In 1873 Great
Britain took 1858 American horses nearly
q 900 In 1894 and 81 600 in 1885, but during the
first nine months of 1896 more American
horses were shipped into England than IN
any previous ~ months.
The seed distributed gratuitously by the
government during the present fiscal year
weighed 230 tons and occupied 30 mail cars
in transit. The cost Of carrying them
through the mails was over $4,000. Enough
seed was sent out cautiously to plant lis
square miles Of garden. Ex-congressmen
received enough to plant 1884, acres. For
the current year at present prices the
amount required by congress to beck
pended in the purchase OF seed will make
each congrcssman's quota double what
It was last year. The secretary regrets this
unnecessary and wasteful expenditure Of
public money and hopes congress may in
good time put stop thereto.
Referring to the stress of competition
which the American farmer Is compelled to
endure, Mr. Morton calls attention to near
ly 100000 farms Of so acres each given
away by the government under the home
tead act of 1866 during the past 30 years. and
to the amount donated under the timber
culture law equivalent to over $4,000 more
farms OF the same size. 1t was impossible.
he says, for farmers in the old states to
rrofitably sell their prod ucts In competition
with those Of the newer states. grown upon
lands which cost their owners nothing.
Secretary Morton refutes the idea pre-
vailine that the farms Of the west and
south are more heavily burdened with
MORTGAGES than those OF the east and
northeast States along the north ATTAIN
tic. he says. are quite heavny KY, lncumoereo
with farm mortgages. and New Jersey car
ries a debt Of this kind greater in proper
ton to its farm valuations than any state
In the union.
Referring to the impression that greater
rates OF interest are charged for money
other kinds Of real estate, Secretary Nor.
ton states that the rate Of interest charged
upon mortgages on residential property
other than farms averages elghty.tour nun.
dredths OF one per cent. less than the rate OF
interest charged upon farm loans. In II:
states tho average ratio charged upon the
latter IL less than that demanded for loans
upon other residential property. In two
states the rates are the same upon urban
and rural real estate. In Pennsylvania,
Maryland, Virginia. Kentucky. Wisconsin.
Kansas, Iowa. Texas and Alabama tho
rates Of interest are less for money secured
by mortgages than for money secured ny
other realty. In five states. including Kan
sas, the difference in favor OF the farmer
il from one-fourth to one-half of one per
cent, and in Texas It Is over one per cent.
II a western farmer pays higher interest
than the eastern. so does the western mer-
chant, common carrier or manufacturers
During the fiscal year just ended. the ex-
gregated $57O. 100000. an increase OF $780,
zoo over the precedingyear. In spite of this,
there was falling off in the percentage OF
agricultural products exported to the total
exports. but this was due to the unprece-
dented sale abroad OF American manufac-
tured goods. The principal market for
American products Is found in the united
kingdom OF Great Britain Ind her col
onies.. These English-speaking people
bought IS per cent. OF exports from ,s sme
United States during the fiscal year 1886.
Together with Germany, France. HOLLAND
and Belgium, they purchased SIS per cent.
of our entire output, leaving Isl per cent.
tor tho rest Of the world.
Secretary Morton asks If nation which.
like the United States, possesses the great
est power and facilities for producing and
manufacturing things which the world de-
mands Is not destined to monopoltze the
markets Of the globe. With the most IA
vorable conditions for varied and success
full agriculture and the lightest burden Of
national taxation, what country, he asks.
can compete with this In developing the
best resources Of human toll with mini
mum Of human effort With our wonderful
labor-saving contrivances applied to nearly
every avenue Of production, the wages paid
in the United States. In the production Of
wheat and cotton, for instance. are so to 100
per cent. higher than IN countries with
which we compete. so the wages paid In
manufactures from metal are from % to
100 per cent. higher than the wages paid
workers in the same industries by other
nations. And in this contest for feeding
and furnishing NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
the fierce competition which it meets all
over the globe-American agriculture, man.
ufa cture and commerce Gre steadily gain
ing more trade, and thus furnishing an en-
larged wage fund on q gold basis out Of
which some millions of American labor
ers and skilled artisans draw their yearly
remuneration, and upon which they and
their families largely depend for employ
ment and comfort
prot. Willis L. Moore. chief Of the wealth
or bureau. has submitted to the secretary
of agriculture his report Of the operations
of the bureau during the fiscal year OF his
ol,niniat ra tion Among other things nc