Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-03-28
GOSSIP FROM GOTHAM
MIR. Cages Ideas on Bank
System Criticised.
ANENT CUBAN SUGAR
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER HAS NINE
PRIVATE SECRETARIES.
j. Pierpont Morgan to Be Asked to
Testify in Railroad Law
Suit.
ANENT CUBAN SUGAR

suit.
special Correspondence of The Evening Star
NEW YORK. March 20. 1902
In view of ex-Secretary Cages recent
suggestion regarding the national banking
system in a speech at Columbia University
Mr. A. B. Hepburn of the Chase National
Bank says that the most satisfactory plan
of revision would be to have a system OF
branch banks. The scheme of Gage he
says, is the system of branch banks re-
Nersed While this system would do away
| with the dangers and difficulties of the
present national banking system and pro-
| Nioe an elastic currency. II had also sew
erai defects 1t would hardly succeed, as
small banks have no money to invest in a
central institution, which would in a meas
ure be rival of its constituents.
since the passage of the bill by the New
York legislature prohibiting the shooting of
| live pigeons within the confines of the state
the opponents of the measure have been
very quiet, giving the outward semblance of
| conforming TO the law gracefully. This has
been the appearance on the surface. but the
| conversation has not been of so mild a
| character among the enthusiasts of pireon
shooting whenever a few members of the
| Westminster and Cartaret clubs or of the
interstate Park Association have gathered
| together. The most outspoken of these adj
| mirers of pigeon shooting have been care
| 1ul not TO allow their statements to go too
| far at the present time 1t can be DEFINITELY
| stated, however, that there has been con-
| siderable serious discussion of making a
| test case of the provisions of the hill
| Frank Butler, who is well known whenever
| says: N'
1t is barely possible that YOU NAV see
| pigeon shooting going on as before in a
very snort Tune l fully expect. from what
| nave heard said on the subject to see a
| test case made within short time"
Bill to Provide Against Fires.
What is believed to be a "nigger in the
woodpile" has been scented I'm the bin in
troduced in the legislature by Senator
| Green, which ostensibly provides that all
| buildings more than one story in height
| shall be equipped with fire escapes At
| first it was believed that this was a good
] measure, and would assist the New York
building officials to force hotel keepers in
| particular to attach fire escapes Several
| years ago New York and Brooklyn dis
| covered that the passage of a certain ordf-
| nance meant that all buildings would have
+ TO supply a fire escape of a certain make
| The ordinance passed, and for a time the
| schemers made much money. But a change
in the political complexion of the two
cities changed the laws. and the politically
such a remuneratve business While no
| charges have yet been made in reference
| to the Green bill, its careful scrutiny is de-
sired by the officials of the department of
buildings for the borough of Manhattan
| Suspicion attaches to it because of the men
who are back of it. They are said to be
| the same individuals who figured in the
scandal Of few years ago.
Duty on Cuban Sugars.
well-known authority on the cost of re-
| fning sugar the cost of producing raw or
centrifugal sugars in Cuba and all the va
| rious questions involved in the present
| question whether any reduction should be
made in the duty raw sugars import
ed from Cuba said that Congress would
probably grant a reduction of 20 per cent
and that, in the opinion of many persons,
would be sufficient and just reduction.
He added: THE persons who hold that
opinion surely cannot have read the testi-
mony before the ways and means COM
mittee or. if they have. they do not at
tach full weight to it. 1 mean the uncon-
troverted facts as shown by that testi-
mony. Today ii costs a Cuban planter 81
per 100 pounds to put his raw sugar free
on board ship in any port in Cuba. All
that that sugar will sell for in this city
today Of the planter is forced to sell it,
is 81 60. That leaves him ~ cents to the
bad. Assuming that be received the beDe-
fit of reduction of 20 per cent in the tariff
Cor 80 cents) he would still be cents to
the bad
Hard to Reach John D. Rockefeller.
John d. Rockefeller. the richest man in
the world and also of the hardest OF
workers, has so many private secretaries
that the casual callers at the Office of the
Standard Oil Company feel If they have
been through a crystal maze after they get
away Recently newspaper man, who
had been granted the rare privilege Of
quoting Mr. Rockefeller on business prop
osition. wanted to be sure that a note
would reach Mr.. Rockefeller
Let me see Mr.. Rockefeller's private
secretary" he said TO the colored door
keeper
.he has nine private secretaries, sir.
Il want to see the young gentleman with
black hair and a small mustache.
There are four of them, sir, with black
hair and small mustaches."
The caller gave it up. He is not yet sure
that this note ever reached either MT.
Rockefeller or the right private secretary
with the small mustache.
Mayor Low and Civil Service.
So serious is the discussion between the
local civil service commission and the state
board, to which it is subordinate, that
Mayor Low has decided to take hard in
the matter. The state board, which is
composed of two republicans and one demo-
crat has refused nearly every request Of
the municipal commission to permit exemp-
tions, and while this has been very dis
concerning to the local authorities, the
crowning hardship came on Saturday, when
the state board declined to consent to the
abrogation or revision of the eligible lists.
which. according to the municipal COM
mission. We're padded to an alarming ex--
tent by Tammany. So strained have be-
come relations that the mayor has In
duced the state board to hold a conference
with him in this city next Saturday. when
he hopes to convince its members that
great frauds perpetrated during the Van
Wyck administration have left upon the
eligible lists hundreds OF incapable men.
Wien j. Pierpont Morgan returns from
Jekyll Island he win be asked to testify
in the ease of Peter Power, who is suing
TO annuI the Northern Securities merger Of
the Great Northern and Northern Pacific
railways Attorneys w. A. Lancaster and
n. II. Bouteiie OF St. Paul. who represent
Power. are in New York to be present at
the examination CT Mr. Morgan The big
fnancior VIII san for Europe early IN
April, and Powers attorneys want to get
his testimony before he leaves the coun-
try. Mr.. Morgan may refuse to testify.
following the example of the Amaigamated
Copper directors