The Saint Paul globe., 1900-05-18
Capital BdG.
Washington Gossip, Political and
Otherwise, for the Readers
of the Globe.

IL
| Consul John II. Grcut, at Valetta, states
in recent report to the state department
! as follows:
Ihere seems to be apidly-growing de-
| mand for American flour at this port Uo
TO WITHIN a year, about all the -four used
! mere was either local product or was
! brought from Liverpool mills The de-
lnand for our flour is due not little to
| the iact that we now have direct COM
nunlcatfon with the United States by the
| mediterranean and New York Steamship
company. Many merchants are in CORE
| spondence with our flour dealers with re-
gard to shipments Each steamer from
! New York brings good-sized orders,
Whlch, from now on, will increase in size
| The Malta government seems disposed to
IdVor the importation of wheat rather
Ihan hour, owing to there being ne eces-
slIy, from naval point Of view, for the
| storage at all times of large quantities
OF wheat. The government runs a mill Of
rather ancient construction, which manu-
IactureS all of the flour for naval and m l.
ltary purposes, and there are one Or two
private mills of modern build which, TO a
certain extent, supply -four for general
use. But there is a demand for the fer
e1gn product and the American is pre-
ferred The last shipments from New
1orK teil little short. as regulations ap-
pertaining to flour were under considera1-
1 IL
merchants hesitated to send even norm Al
orders to the United ates pending the
settlement of the matter. The govern
ment has, however, just finished its i lib
| erat1ons, and the result is an ordinance in
which it is stated that importers will have
TO declare whether impoctations of fCur
contain any mixture, above 5 Der cent
OF any substance other than the product
or pure wheat. In lieu cf this deciara-
ton the alternative is given of produc-
ing 10 the collector of customs a Certifi-
cate signed by the shipper of the -four,
showing whether it contains mixture OF
any substance other than the product of
pure wheat, with statement of what the
mixture consists and the proportions of
the same. Certificate es from shippers must
be attested by the British consular officer
nearest to the place where the certificate
Is signed. 1t was expected that the duty
upon flour at this port would be raised
put, to the qualification of importers here.
this was not the case.
With view to promoting and increas,
Ing the interest in good roads the Office
! OF public road inquiries of the United
states department of agriculture has re,
| Gently 1naugurated movement to inter-
| est the authorities and students of the.
| agricultural and mechanical colleges in
the subject of road Improvement To
/ NA44H NliN ctIJCGb-iSSSOH TOdu Work has been
| done at the agricultural college of New
| Jersey, New Brunswick; at the Rhode
lslahd agricultural college, Kindston; at
! the University of Tennessee, Knoxville
! and at Clemson college, Calhoun, S. c.
| 1t is believed that the work done at
| Clemson college has been the most sue,
! cessIul. John G. Calhoun was one of this
pioneers IN the good-rOads movement in
1 The United States, and Clemson college is
| situated his old bnnnactood
| Calhoun. the nearest railroad station. Is
| one mile from the college. The road YVES
| o. sum clay, which. during wet weather
became SO soft and spongy that it waa
/ rendered almost impossible. The grades
| were very irregular, and the hauling of
coal and heavy freight over it was a
source of considerable expense to the col
| iege.
The Office of public road inquiries sent
| a special agent to the college TO supervise
| the improvement of this road and at the
same time to promote among the college
| authorities and students an increased in
! terest in road Improvement A series of
| Illustrated lectures on road making We're
| given, and the lectures were supplement-
| ed with practical demonstrations of how
| good roads ought and ought not to be
| built The road leading from the college
| TO calhoun was macadamized to a deDth
| of nine inches and to a width of nine feet
| In order to test the various kinds of ma
terlal found in South Carolina, and tn
teach the students hoE to utilize these
materials to the best advantage.
the following experiments were made:
First. gneiss surface on telford
| foundation; second, quartz on tel
ford foundation; third, gneiss on
I macadam foundation; fourth. quartz
on macadam foundation fifth, gravel on
| nacadam foundation; sixth, coat of sand
| on clay foundation. Experiments / 8 :
and were the most successful. The
surface OF samples 2 and have not vet
| been consolidated, and it is believed that
! much of the material will be crushed nv,
! the wheels OF vehicles and washed away
| before smooth hard surface can he
i obtained. Smooth, hard durable roads are
| the results Of J. 3 and s.
Ihese practical experiments, by shoWIra
Wnat can be done with the materials
Whlch abound in that state, but which
| heretofore have not been effectively used
1t is believed will result in a more gen
| eral use of stone, gravel, sand and CLAW.
| as we'll as the employment of modern
| iaDor-SaVinS machinery in the construr
| ton Of improved roads The students
| TOOK remarkable interest In the work, and
| many OF them were led to realize that
| there is large field open to them. and
| that they can, with profit to themselves
| devote much Of their time and attention
| TO this subject
| Suppiementing the class work, many Of
| the students who took this course have
| submitted essays subjects Of road
building. Some OF the titles of these
| papers are as follows: "The Missionary
| Feature Of Road Improvement" The
| Benefits of Good Roads" Road Improve
| ment" Road Construction" General
| Construction Of Roads" improvements
of Country Roads," Notes on the Con-
| struction and Repair of Earth Roads :.
Road Drainage" and 1.-The Need of I'm
| proved Roads in South Carolina and How
| They Can Be Obtained"
/ Many of the essays are well writtes
| and shcw the great interest taken in tha
subject by the writer's. 1t is hoped thai
! this work by the students of Clemson
| college will have a beneficial effect not
| alone in South Carolina but in the states
| from which the students come also. thar
| it will have the effect of inducing other
institutions of a similar character to take
| up and teach theoretical and practical
| road building.
j. S. Van Antwerp