The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-23
ANNUAL REPORT OF
SECRETARY MORTON
Economy Has Been Practiced 10 the
Agricultural Department.
BIG EXPENSE FOR FREE SEEDS
The Secretary Calls This an Cnncces.
sa,y and Wastcful Expenditure Of
Public Money and Hopes Congress
Will Put u Stop Thereto.

Washington, Nov. 22.--ln his fourth
| annual report the secretary OF agricul-
| ture shows that with $2S0,0O0 which
| may be saved from the appropriations
| for the current fiscal year, there Will
have been converted back into the
treasury since March Z. 1898, over W.
| OOO,O That this great economy was
effected without any loss of efficiency
he attributes in large degree to the
improvement in the personnel OF the
service under the civil service.
He states that during the past few
years no less than thirty-two skilled
experts in the department service have
left it to take positions in Institutes
of learning at salaries averaging fully
50 per cent. higher than they were get
ting from the government.
The testimony of the department rep
resentatives abroad Is that cattle from
the United States arrive in English
ports in excellent condition. The Glas-
gov market Is especially recommend
| ed to American shippers, as in that city
cattle from the United States compete
| with the very highest quality OF British
animals.
American packers are not participant
| ing in the profits of the growth In con-
sumption of swine flesh and hog pro-
| ducts in Great Britain as much as they
| ought to, because they do not cure
| meats to suit the British demand.
The shipment of American horses to
England is steadily increasing. and
| during the first nine months of 1896
more American horses were shipped
into England than in any previous
| twelve months.
The seeds distributed gratuitously by
the government during the present tis-
cal year weighed 23O tons and oc-
cupied thirty mail cars In transit. The
cost of carrying them through the mails
was over $4,000. Enough seed was
sent out gratuitously to plant 1l5 square
miles of garden. Each congressman re-
ceived enough to plant 163la acres. For
the current year. at present prices. the
amount required bv congress to be ex-
pended in the purchase of seed will
make each congressman's quota double
what it was last year. The secretary
calls this an unnecessary and waste
full expenditure Of public money and
hopes congress may in good time put
stop thereto.
REFUTES THE CAMPAIGN LIE.
Secretary Morton refutes the idea
prevailing that the farms OF the West
and South are more heavily burdened
with mortgages than those of the East
~
Atlantic, he says, are quite heavily en-
numbered with farm mortgages, and
New Jersey carries debt Of this kind
greater in proportion to its farm valu-
ations than any state in the Union.
Referring to the impression that
greater rates of interest are charged
for money loaned upon farms than for
that loaned upon other kinds of real
estate, Secretary Morton states that
the rate of interest charges on mort
cages upon residential property other
than farm averages eighty-fOur hun
dredth of one per cent less than the
rate of interest charged upon farm
loans. In seventeen states the average
rate charged ON the latter is less than
that demanded for loans upon other
residential property. In two states the
rates are the same upon urban and ru-
raj real estate.
During the fiscal year just ended the
exported products of American farms
aggregated $570,00000O, an increase of
$11. .O00, GOO over the preceding year. In
spite of this there was falling off
In the percentage of agricultural pro-
ducts exported to the total exports,
but this was due to the unprecedented
sale abroad Of American manufactured
goods.
The principal market for American
products is found in the United King
dom of Great Britain and her colonies.
Secretary Morton asks If a nation.
which, like the United States, possess
the greatest power and facilities for
producing and manufacturing things
which the world demands, is not de-
stined to monopolize the markets Of the
globe.