The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-12-29
MORGAN SMOKED
WOODCHUCK OUT
Case in Which the Government
Is Getting Robbed.
ELECTRIC POSTAL SYSTEM
COLONIES ARE FURNISHING UN-
Gle SAN A GREAT MARKET.
fspeclal 10 The Herald.l

world. but he has acquired experience
and skin in politics rather than rheu-
matism and infirmity of mind, and he
is an adept in hunting a woodchuck.
That he has recently succeeded in
smoking out one of the pestiferous var
minis is evident by the surprise he
sprung the other day in connection with
the isthmian canal commissioners,
whose capacity and industry in the
way of drawing salaries, while not en-
ployed, is the smoothest maneuver on
record. According to Senator Morgan,
there is no provision in the canal bill
for the payment of salaries, the mat
ter being left TO the president. Yet
these thrifty gentlemen who are on the
payroll for $l,999 each have been draw
ing pay for twenty-nine months, while
they have seen actual service in Paris
and elsewhere for less than four
months. Thus far they have drawn
the modest sum of S265, 900 and, accord
ing TO the senator, * is impossible TO
secure a detailed statement of the ex-
penses of the commissioners, which ag-
gregate considerably over 81, 600, 600. In
the way of soft and easy snaps, this
certainly lays over the deck, and when
1t comes to passing out such abnor-
mally chunks of political pie, is ii any
wonder that the boys who have been
left out in the cold complain at the
rank. not to say criminal, discrimirla-
ten?
Electric Postal System.
Uncle Sam has done much to perfect
the transportation of mail in the last
half century, but the invention of an
Italian count if it proves successful,
will make his giant strides seem child
lsh tOddling. Briefly, Count Taeggfs
invention is an electric postal system.
from Washington to Chicago in four
hours, while the distance from the cap
ital TO the metropolis may be covered
in one hour. Such a scheme of mail
transit would mean centuries of time
saved. Extravagant in everything else.
this government is yeritable miser OF
time
A light railway, supported by tall
poles and looking a good deal like a
new kind of telegraph wire, would con-
meet the various towns and cities. The
carriage which would travel over this
elevated line would resemble torpedo
on wheels and would weigh about $50
pounds. This IS the correspondence
carrying car. and though it is built to
go on six wheels, gripping three sep
Rrate wires. once it gets up speed. it
can very easily run along after the
fashion of a bicycle, thus reducing the
friction. OF course, the motor power
is electricity.
In connection with the wire road and
its lightning mail carriers, there is an
ingenious system of letter boxes. The
new posting boxes are placed inside
light columns forty-five feet high,
which are connected at the top by a
single aerial line. Along this line,
which is connected with main post
office, runs a collecting box. The COL
lecting boxes are run at intervals of
five minutes. When one of them ar
rives at a collecting column the post
ing box inside the column rises and
empties it's contents into the collecting
box, which is then automatically re-
leased and flies on to the next column.
Artesian Well Experiments.
The geological survey has been re-
quested by several western congress-
men to devote a portion of the funds
available for reclamation of arid lands
under the new irrigation act to expert
ments with artesian wells. If these
experiments. when tried, prove to be
successful, great areas of land would
be made productive that neither bitches
nor reservoirs could reach. The French
colony in Algeria on the edge Of the
Sahara, has made success with ar
tesian wells. In California thousands
of acres of land, once considered worth
less, have become remunerative
through the use of artesian wells, and
are as productive as any in the state.
In Hawaii the people have delved for
this subterranean flow and found water
in abundance clause of the irriga-
tiOn act authorizes construction of ar
tesian wells. and the geological survey
IS inclined to grant the request and to
conduct a series of experiments in ar
tesian we'll digging in eastern Wyo-
ming, the Dakotas, eastern Colorado,
western Kansas and other portions of
the arid and semi-arid west.
Colonial Market.
The new possessions of the United
States are supplying n growing market
to producers and manufacturers of this
country. Our shipments OF merchan-
disc TO Porto Rico during the past ten
months amounted TO over S10,O0O,O00,
against Sc, 900 in the corresponding
months last year, Shipments TO the
Philippines were over S4,000.000, a gain
Of Sl,O0Q,000 over the corresponding
month last year. Annual shipments
from the United States to the Hawaiian
islands are estimated at $40 600 600 per
annum. To Alaska the shipments aver
age S1.oO0000 a month. From figures
at hand ii is estimated the four pos
sessions named viii furnish during the
year which is about ending a market
FOR about 10000, 600 worth of the prod
ucts of the United States, chiefly agri-
Protection of Children.
Representative Shafroth has intro
duced : bill under. which provision IS
made for the establishment OF a ma
fiOnal board OF child and animal pro-
lection. The board is TO consist Of
three citizens of the United States, to
be appointed by the president. Tt is
authorized 70 employ a secretary at a
salary of $500 per year. The mem
hers Of the board shall receive no COM
pensation, but shall be allowed not TO
exceed S. per day for expenses while
travelling on the work of the board, in
addition 10 transportation. It shall be
the duty of the board 10 obtain and
record information concerning the con-
dition of dependent, neglected and
abused or viciOusly reared children,
and of neglected and abused dumb ami
mails throughout the United States and
rs possessions; 20 study the cause of
abuse, 10 record the conclusions
reached, TO suggest and urge remedies.
to promote uniform and efficient legis-
lation in the states, territories and ISL
and possessions for the protection of
children and dumb animals. and to aid
in the creation of state and territorial
laws for their protection. The board
shall arrange for a convention to be
held at the st. Louis exposition, and
shall correspond with representative
Of foreign governments. with a view
to having delegates from them present
at such conventions, and shall cause
the publication of its proceedings. The
hin r1rovfdaS for aOprOrfysfq ion of