The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-01-14
KEW YORK DOG TAX.
FPINIONS FOR AND AGAINST
 THE PROPOSED BILL.

l Owners of ThOrOushbreds United on the
 Need of Aid to the Kennels and Shows
 Fears of "A Nigger in the Wood
 pile"-LiyeIy Interest in the Discus
 sion.
 No topic has so stirred up the owners of thoroughbred dogs in recent years as has the bill to be introduced under the auspices of the State Department of Agriculture at Albany to fix uniform state tax on dogs. The addition as to the use of the revenue, which on a ba- sis of five hundred thousand dogs would probably be two million dollars, sug- gested by James Mortimer of the West minister Kennel club, that part of the proceeds should be used as premiums at dog shows and to improve the dog breeding industry has been accepted as a good suggestion by s. J. H. Krackie, assistant state commissioner of agricul- ture; and if this benefit were explicitly stated some very influential dog owners Aiib51ll i6tNUT HIOpUSSu plll
 There are many, however. who fear that the tax would be a too costly one to collect by State supervision, and that only the minimum of benefits to be conferred would reach the dog breeders. What this class thinks was expressed succinctly by J. Willoughby Mitchell of the Scottish and Welsh ter Tier sDecialtv clubs. who said: If the tax is to come back to the dog breed CTS I favor it, but if it is a scheme to provide fat jobs for politicians I am against it''
 The views of the more conservative dog owners were expressed by Joseph E. Thomas, IT,, of the Russian Wolf hound Club. He says:
 II believe that the regulation of the dog tax by the State Government, if properly regulated, might be made of immense value to agricultural interests in general, and to the interests of the thoroughbred dog breeding in particu- lar. Under the present system, little or nothing is done officially for the amelioration of the different breeds of thoroughbred dogs in this State. Out side of the private interests which sup port the breeds and kennel club shows, there is vast amount of ignorance concerning thoroughbred dogs. It would be of tremendous benefit if at
 Ast a part of the tax collected by the % State could be diverted to channels for the better understanding and regu- lation of such dog diseases as rabies and distemDer, concerning which there is even among the best of veterinary authorities the greatest lack of under standing. If we are going to have dogs at all. every effort should be made to ] have the most beautiful thoroughbreds, and the breeding of the same should be encouraged instead of discouraged, which is at present the case.
 As MT Vredeslburgh, secretary of the American Kennel Club, has sug- sested, a registered dog should have some advantages over an unregistered a2ipal. At the present the owner of the thoroughbred bitch. which he is keeping for the purpose of producing the best thoroughbred animals possible, has to pay the same tax as the owner of the lnongrel cur which runs at liberty about the streets. There is lit tie done in this country for the intelli- gent supervision of live stock interests in general. and practically nothing done for dogs. Distances are so great in this country, and the shipping charges of the express companies are so exhorbitant and badly regulated, es- pecially in the larger breeds, that any assistance or intelligent supervision by the State would be received, by dog fanciers with the greatest of interest.
 In this city and wherever the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Ami nals is the collecting agent, the dog owners pay a license fee for each dog and the revenue, with additions from the society's own funds, is used to gather and destroy the stray dogs and cats, with other work of direct benefit to the community. In the countries throughout the State where sheep are kept tax is collected to recoup the sheep breeders for the depredations from dogs, but in counties where no sheep are kept the tax is not very strictly collected. It was pointed out by one dog owner that a State tax pro- noted by the agricultural interests, which is fine on the dog as a male factor, could not logically be used to promote the breeding of such malefac- tors, that is by offering premiums, to help dog shows or the breeding of thor 0ughbred dogs.
 Dog show exhibitors, until they have seen the text of the bill. are not in clined to speak on the efficacy of a uni form State tax, but they are united in the opinion that in the interest of prog ress the Department of Agriculture should give aid to dug shows, aside from any scientific work to be contem- plated regarding the causes and cure of the diseases of the dog. The stamping out of the false ideas regarding hy- drophobia in the public mind was pointed out by several as fruitful field ofSwork for the department
 George R. Schauber, proprietor of the S.,Cffton Hill Farm at Ballston Lake, this State, which has been a home of pure bred prize winning cattle. swine, collies and poultry ever since 1776, un- der date of Jan. 4, sent the following letter to the American Kennel Club: T notice that during the present sit ting of the Legislature a bill is to be in