The San Francisco call., 1905-01-04

1856 persons, while six months later the
number had been reduced to 1856. This
marked difference between the winter
population of the jails, and that of the
summer, emphasizes the conclusion an
nounced by the board that some form
of work ought to be found for county
Jail prisoners.
OF unfortunates condemned by pow
erty or old age and sickness to be
inmates of hospitals and inflrmartes
there are no less than 4042 in the State,
and they are divided between Gus
todial and hospital cases in about the
proportion Of two to one.
In the report of the Secretary OF
State attention Is called to the neces-
sity for making an appropriation which
will render 1t possible to execute some
Of the needed repairs to the State
Capitol. This is a noble building, and
great credit to earlier generations of
Californians, but in its plumbing and
heating systems 1t Is sadly antiQuated,
besides being out Of repair in good
many ways. The report Of the State
Board of Health declares the present
condition of the building dangerous to
the health of it's inmates.
/ wish also to indorse the suggestion
Of the Secretary of State that better
facilities for the keeping and proper
arrangement of the archives are
urgently needed.
In the biennial report presented by
the Commissioner of the Bureau of
Labor Statistics will be found indus
interest. 1t is shown, on the evidence
Of the figures Of the last census, that
the number of the unemployed Is
smaller in this State than the average
in the country at large. In the cities
there has been during the past several
years general shortening of the work
ing day for mechanics and several
other classes of employees, with an in
crease in pay. The number of women
and children who are breadwinners is
increasing in California as well as else
where, although the proportion of this
class of workers is smaller than in
other parts of the country. Labor
organizations have increased rapidly
during the last two years, and include
now more than eight hundred unions,
whose membership Is estimated to be
over 100000
A special report on workingmen and
university education shows that the
number of students in the University
of California who are sons or daugh-
ters of wage-earners Is large and that
these students make a fine showing
they comprise 20 per cent of the in
trants, 26 per cent of the graduates and
32 per cent of the honor men.
l recommend that the scope of the
statistical work done by this bureau be
enlarged sufficiently to enable it to col
lect statistics of marriage and divorce
and also of crimes, which could be ac-
complished at small expense. by requir-
ing the cooperation of county and city
officers.
/ am glad to be able to say that the
new horticultural commission law.
which received my approval March 25,
1908, has proven effective for the pur-
poses intended, and, with some possible
additions of power and resource, bids
fair to continue to meet all reasonable
requirements.
Perhaps the most important horticul-
tural fact yet brought to light is that
predaceous insects, while in their ma
tive habitat and attended by their nat
ural adversaries, are never or seldom
so injurious to plant life as to make
any form of husbandry Improbable. 1t
is only when one insect is imported
without the company of it's natural
enemy that the balance of nature is
disturbed and injury inflicted upon ag-
ricultural and horticultural production.
To such advantage has this fact been
employed in California, and mainly
through the assiduous efforts of the
State horticultural office, that the once
dreaded San Jose scale is now rendered
almost powerless for evil, and the va
rious forms of orange scale are fast
disappearing from the orchards 1t is
reasonable estimate that the Scutel-
lista cyanea, which Is cleaning the
trees of black scale, has proven Itself
worth a round million dollars to our
commonwealth, and 1t is hardly toe
much to say that the Vedalia cardinals
rescued the great citrus fruit industry
from imminent danger of destruction
through the cottony cushion scale.