The record-union., 1896-11-23

for Congressman This Year,
WASHINGTON, Nov. 22.-In his
fourth annual report the Secretary of
Agriculture shows that with S1SO,0OO
that may be saved from the appropria-
tons for the current fiscal year, there
will have been covered back into the
Treasury since March {; 1898, over 81
UoU,OOO. That this great economy was
effected without any loss of efficiency
he attributes in large degree to the
Improvement in the personnel in the
force under civil service rules.
One more step Secretary Morton
deems necessary to complete the sys-
tenn of civil service in his department
This is the appointment of director in
charge of bureaus and scientific in
vestigations who shall be designated to
serve as acting Secretary in case of
the absence simultaneously of the Sec
retary and Assistant Secretary He
declares that the chiefs of the scien-
tific bureaus and divisions and their
assistants do the actual thinking and
reasoning for the development of agri-
cultural science and adds that the per-
sons are not adequately compensated
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 80
per cent. higher than they We're get
ting from the Government
The inspection of animals intended
for food is discussed at length All
animals for food should be inspected
The total consumption of meat in Great
Britain for the year was ], ,1O0,0 tons,
10 per cent. Of which was produced at
home, the remaining % per cent. be-
ing produced abroad. Of the live meat
arriving in Great Britain during the
!, erst half of the year 1896 the United
States supplied 10 per cent. of the cat
tie and 10 per cent of the sheep. The
7 testimony of the department represent
| atives abroad is that cattle from the
United States arrive in English ports in
excellent coGaition. The Glasgow mar
ket is especially commended to Ameri-
can shippers, as in that city cattle from
the United States compete with the
very highest quality of British animals
American packers are not participat-
sumption of swine flesh and hog prod
ucts in Great Britain as much as they
ought to, because they do not cure
meats to suit the British demand; on
the other hand, Canadian and Danish
packers are increasing their shipments
every year. American bacon averages
about two cents per pound below Con-
| tinental and Irish bacon, and about
| three cents below English.
The shipment Of American horses to
England is steadily increasing. In 1893
Great Britain took 1873 American
horses, nearly $4,000 in 1894 and "a 900
/ in 1893. but 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 fis-
cal year weighed $50 tons and occupied
thirty mail cars in transit The cost
of carrying them through the mails
was over $4,000 Enough seed was
sent out eratuitously to plant 115
square miles of garden. Each Congress
man received enough to plant 1884,
/ acres. For the current year at present
prices the amount required by Con-
grees to be expended in the purchase
of seed will make each Congressman's 8
quota double what 1t was last year
| The Secretary regrets this as an un-
necessary and wasteful expenditure of
public money and hopes Congress may
in good time put a stop thereto.
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
and Northeast. States along the north
Atlantic. he says, are quite heavily in
numbered with farm mortgages and
New Jersey carries a debt of this kind
greater in proportion to it's farm val
uations than any State in the Union.
Referring to the stress of competition
which the American farmer is compelled
to endure, Mr.. Morton calls attention
to nearly 100000 farms of eighty
acres each given away by the Govern
ment under the Homestead Act of 1866
during the past thirty years, and to the
amount donated under the timber cul-
ture law, equivalent to over $50. 900
more farms of the same size. 1t was
impossible. he says. for farmers in the
old States to profitably sell their pro-
ducts in competition with those OF the
newer States grown uopn lands which
cost their owners nothing.
Referring to the impression that lower
rates of interest are charged for money
loaned upon farms than that loaned
on other kinds of real estate, Secretary
Morton states that the rate of interest
charged upon mortgages on residential
property other than farms averages
S4-10O of l 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 residen-
tial property. In two States the rates
are the same upon urban and rural real
estate In Pennsylvania, Maryland, Vir-
ginia, West Virginia, Kentucky. Wis
consin, Kansas. Iowa. Texas and Ala
bama the rates of interest are less for
money secured by mortgages than for