New-York tribune., 1900-04-15
TOPICS IN CALIFORNIA.
EONoRS TO PHILIPPINE COMMISSION
MRS. HEARSTS PLANS FOR UNI
EE-c vupnrYcFI TINE
FE'S THROUGH LINE.


on the Of its departure for Manila was
notable event, because of the representative men
who gathered to do honor to the guests OF the
city, and because of the speeches, which re-
fiected the sentiment OF the Coast in regard to
the retention and administration OF the islands
The banquet given especially in honor OF
Professor Bernard Moses California's member
OF the Commission. and United States Judge
Morrow presided. The speakers. besides the
Commissioners, were Professor Bacon, Of the
University of California, and Whitelaw Reid.
Mr.. Reid dwelt the necessity of eliminating
politics from the work Of the Commission. and
the important duties of the members. among
which were first. to establish order then Justice,
then American civil rights and, lastly local self
government. Mr.. Reid caused much laughter by
MS grouping Of present day parties Repub
licans, Democrats and Dewey men.
The Oceanic Steamship Company. Of this city.
cf which John d. Spreckels is president, received
news this week of the signing of the contract
for carrying the Australian and Tahiti malls.
The Australian mail contract this company has
had for years but the company will put on
new steam service TO Tahiti and the officers hope
10 develop large a tourist business this line
as they have now with Honolulu.
The large number of Japanese coming in
every steamer has aroused the vigilance of the
State Commissioner of immigration, and he finds
many in every ship who have regular legal
papers. Most of these are plainly Of the contract
labor class but they have mauaged to evade
the issue by spurious papers, which represent
them as merchants men who have sufficient
money for their needs. The temptation to in
troduce japanese contract labor is great be-
cause Of the lack Of persons TO harvest the fruit
crop The complaint of loss of fruit because of
the failure of pickers is growing stronger every
season. as a large number OF the Chinese. who
used TO be contented TO do orchard work, are
now in trade or farming for themselves and no
new Chinese Ia borers are admitted.
The suicide AT Iivermore this week Of Henry
H Pitcher. manager of the Varney estate, be-
cause he didn't dare produce the books in court
that would have convicted him of embezzling
the funds OF the estate, has cast a very ugly
light on the two other trustees, John Taylor and
Thomas H. B. Varney- The annuities under
the Varney estate amounted to only $1,000
year while SO 900 a year spent in man
aging It. The heirs demanded that the bulk of
the estate be distributed. and only enough left
intact 70 pay these annuities The trustees OBJ
3ected and in the preliminary investigation it
was found that Pitcher had put $4,000 Of the
estates funds into the bank of Ltvermore or
which he the real head and never PAID In
terest on it, while he sold sixteen thousand
shares Of the Kennedy mine 10 himself and his
fellow trustees at SO a share Just before the
price advanced TO S15 share, because OF a pay
ment of a large monthly dividend To evade
more damaging revelations in court, Pitcher
committed suicide.
The news from Washington that San Fran
cisco Will probably secure at this session new
custom house was received here with inuch
satisfaction. For fifty years the custom house
has been over the old pOstoffice, at Battery and
Washington SITS. Several times the ramshackle
old brick building has been badly damaged py
fafflf
and the main distributing office was moved TO
the new ferry station at the foot of Market-st
The custom house should be near the water
front, as the present quarters are nan mile
from the centre Of the importing trade
Mrs Phoebe Hearst has announced this week
several plans for helping the University or call
forna. The most important is the first step IN
providing dormltorles Ior women sluCnlco, 80, "
whom there are go in the university. Many OF
the girls dislike the present arrangements, which
compel them to seek boarding places in the col
lege town Of Berkeley. a beginning Will be
made with one clubhouse. 10 accommodate four
teen girls which VIII be run on the com commons mons
plan. AT the beginning of the next college term
Mrs Hearst win have open the largest gym
rasium for women in this country. The new
social hail. which she built recently. VIII be
transformed into a gymnasium: Her third
scheme is a museum Of art and archaeology,
that are for sale in Europe
The earnings of the Southern Pacific Railroad
Company for February. which have just been
reported. furnish good index 70 the prosperity
of the West They amount TO S56446S5, show
ing a gross increase OF SOC February
OF last year and net increase of S3oil3S
The Santa Fe Railroad Company has given
notice that May l it will begin running
through trains from San Francisco to Chicago.
A ferry will carry passengers to Port Richmond,
CT San Pablo Bay, from which point the run
viii be made over the San Joaquin Valley Road
to AIojave and thence by the regular Santa Fe
line to the East This does not mean a genuine
competing transcontinental line, as the Santa
Fe has tracka ge arrangements with the South
ern Pacific and divides much of the business in
her
agreement is that the Southern Pacific company
has again refused this week TO build into San
Diego from Yuma. as such a road would cut
heavily into the business OF the Santa Fe.
The battleship Iowa arrived this week from
Monterey. Since her departure she has had ex-
tensive target practice at Magdalena Bay. The
crew went on shore al Magdalena Bay, camped
The Iowa has visited all Southern coast ports
recently In three weeks she will go to Port
Orchard drydock for thorough cleaning.
The Neiu company opened ten weeks en-
gagement at the California Theatre this week In
"a Bachelors Romance The Columbia is
filed with Vests Mnstrels, and "Quo Vadis"
at the Alcazar seems to be in for a big run
the house is crowded every night. On Easter
Monday Hambourg and Petschnikoff, accom-
panied by Lachaume will begin a series OF con-
certs.
Jacob II. Schiff. the New-York capitalist and
philanthropist. is here short visit with
party Of friends.
Coils P. Huntington has given the Hopkins
Art Institute William Keith's fine painting The
Summit of the Sierra"
A piece of property in the heart of China
town sold yesterday. 1t is the old Jobson
building. the southeast corner OF Sacramento
and Dupont SITS, which rents for $3.50 month.
The purchaser was L. Scatena, q rich Italian
fruit dealer, who paid S4o,OO0.