The Portland daily press., 1896-11-23
Winners in Fierce Contest to Feed
Mankind.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRE-
TARY OF AGRICULTURE.

as Wasteful Expenditure-West Not
More Heavily Burdened With Mort
cages Than East.
Washington, November 22.-The fourth
annual report of the Secretary of Agri-
culture shows that with the $3.50, 600
which may be saved from appropriations
for the current fiscal year, there will
have been covered back into the treasury
bs this department. since March z, 1893,
over $4,000, 200. That this great economy
WAS effected without loss of efficiency,
be attributes in large degree to the i'm
provement in the personnel of the force
under civil service rules.
One more step Secretary Morton deems
ls necessary to complete the system of
civil service in his department.. This is
the appOintment OF permanent "direc-
tor in charge of bureaus and scientific
nyestigntions' who shall be designated
to serve as acting secretary in case of the
absence simultaneously of the secretary
and assistant secretary. He declares that
the chiefs OF the scientific bureaus and
divisions aud their assistants do the 40
tual thinking and reasoning for the de-
velopment OF agriculture science and
| these persons are not adequately COM
pensated.
He states that during the past few
years. 81 skilled experts in the depart
ment service have left it to take posi-
tions in the institutes of learning at
| salaries ayering fully so per cent higher
| than they were getting from the govern
ment The inspection Of animals in
tended forS ood is treated of at length.
Mr.. Morton urges that government in
spection should be extended to all anil
| mails intended for human food whether
for consumption in the United States
| or abroad.
He maintains the oost::of this inspection
should be paid by packers. The total
consumption of meat in Great Britain
for the year was /, 100, 600 tons-75 per
| cent of which was produced at home, the
remaining 25 per cent being imported.
OF the live meat arriving in the United
Kingdom during the first six months OF
1895, the United States supplied 1911
per cent of the cattle and 5.26 per cent
Of the sheep. The testimony of the
department representatives abroad is
that cattle from the United States arrive
In the English ports in excellent condi-
t1on. American packers are not partic-
ipatina in the profits of the growth in
the consumption of swine flesh and hog
products in Great Britain as much asFthey
ought to, because they do not cure the
LII cuuS W S0iU VAO bItt1bn u0iuduuSs
On the other hand the Danish and
Canadian packers are increasing ship-
ments every year.
American bacon averages about two
cents per pound below Continental aud
Irish bacon ana about three cents below
English.
The shipments of American horses to
England is steadily, increasing. In 1893
Great Britain took 3.737 American
horses. nearly 23, 600 in 1894, and "a, ,0O0
in 1896. During the first nine months
of 1896 more American horses were
shipped into England than in any pre-
v1ous 10 months.
Ihe seeds distributed gratutiously by
the government during the fiscal year
weighed $50 tons and occupied 80 mails
cars in transit. The COST of carrying
them through the mails was over $40,
600. Enough seed was sent out
gratuitoualy ito plant 115 square miles
of garden. Each congressman receives
enough to plant 1853 1-2 acres. For the
current year at present prices, the
amount required by Congress to be
expended in the purchase of seed will
| make each Congressman quota double
what it was last year. The secretary
calls this an unnecessary and wasteful
expenditure of public money and hopes
Congress may in good time put stop
thereto.
Secretary N ortbn refutes the idea nre.