Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-04-10
PostoffiCe Department EmpIoye
Who Has Made
Money.
ANNUAL INCOME IS SMALL.
salary n Only $500 Per Year But lie
Has Raised Quite a Large
Family
Special Correspondence.

NdhIllstun, ~ W. ApTll b,--lnere -
in the postofIice department an en-
ploye who has been on the rolls for
upwards OF 30 years at an annual salary
70 500, and who has, in spite of his
small income, educated Il large family
so well that today each and every one
OF them is able. and does, earn from
three to six times as much as the faith
er.
In 1873 Postmaster General Criswel
appointed Edwin Hodge as watch
man In the department and assigned to
him the care OF the official carriage.
Hodge was a coachman. who had boon
trained in England, and for nearly 90
years he sat on the box seat OF the
postmaster generals carriage with new
en- an accident. Through the adminis-
trations of Messrs Creswell, Marshall,
Jewell, Tyner, Key. Maynard, James,
Howe, Gresham, Hatton, Villas, Dickn-
son and Wannamaker he continued TO
guide the reins OF the official team Of
the postmaster general. Mr.. Bssell
succeeded Mr.. Villas and he concluded
that Hodge had borne the hard brunt
long enough, and In consequence as
signed him to an easier place inside
the building, and Hodge is there yet.
Anyone who gets off the elevator at
the fifth floor of the postoffce depart
ment will find the old gentleman at a
little table just opposite him as lie
alights. He will find d courteous pub
lie official servant ready to guide tho
stranger TO the room of the postmaster
general or any OF his assistants, and no
one will ever forget him. But not one
visitor in 10000 will ever discover that
the courteous little gentleman Is the
father of two young men who occupy
important positions IN the federal SER
vice besides four other children who
I'LL responsible positions In the bust
ness world. Mr. Hodges Oldest son IL
the chief chemist of the Army Medical
museum, whose duties require him to
test every package of drugs purchased
for the medical department Of the army
His second son IL the chief ethnologist
of the bureau of ethnology, and there
Is no man more competent for the po-
sition in the world today. A third son
Is engaged as a master plumber in this
city. and has business which nets him
AN income four times as great as that
of his father. The fourth son has been
connected with the Fidelity Life Insur-
ance company Of Philadelphia for the
past seven years. and has just been
promoted to the position of assistant
secretary at a salary of $4,000 per an
mum, Mr.. Hodges two daughters have
been employed for years In one OF the
biggest business concerns In Washing
ton, one as cashier. and the other rs
boOkkeeper, This record would seem to
Indicate that there are still opportuni-
ties for the children OF poor men even
I'm this trust ridden country
HAVE SMOKE NUISANCE.
For the past 10 years the commits
sioners Of the District of Columbia
have been trying TO abate the smoke
nuisance I'm the city Of Washington to
such an extent as to Insure clean as
well as pure air. They have succeed
ed TO a marked degree but not To their
entire satisfaction. Scarcely week
passes that the revenues are not In
creased by the collections of fines OF
$50 each from the proprietors Of de-
partment stores. managers of the
gtreet railroads and various other busi-
peSs men who have heretofore found
II Impossible TO prevent their smoke
stack from belching black smoke 10 n
greater period than the law allows.
But on Wednesday OF this week the
district commissioners were invited TO
tost smoke consuming furnace which
had just boon installed In one Of the
power houses of one OF the two cleo
trio railways doing business In the Dis
trict of Columbia.
This new furnace IL designed exact
~ on the principle OF a kerosene lamp.
The inventor claims that he dlscov-
cred that when a lamp chimney Is
taken from burner the carbon in the
oil and wick Of Il lamp escapes in tho
form Ut dense smoke; when, how
ever, the chimney Is returned to the
burner that smoke Ia all consumed. His
furnace Is built on the principle of n
lamp chimney and the tests which
have been conducted here seem TO in
dlcate that no has completely solved
the problem Of smoke consumption
which has bothered every municipality
In tho country, 1t Is claimed for this
invention that IN addition to COM
plete consumption OF all the carbon,
even IN coal slack, he very largely In
creases the heat producing qualities
OF even the drtiest fuel AS n guar
antee Of his good faith the inventor
offers 10 establish free OF charge the
furnaces which his company manu-
features, taking as his compensation
a certain percentage OF tho annual
saving In fuel for period OF years,
Washington Is without manufacture
leg, but II this invention will do what
"a claimed for II, Washington may yet
become manufacturing center OF
considerable Importance especially for
ordnance supplies and similar requires
ments of the federal government,
SUBSIDY a BUGBEAR.
When Ollvor H. j. Belmont was in
Congress he introduced q bill which
was designed to aid American ship
ping and at the same time to avoid n
direct subsidy Mr. Belmonts plan
provided for a preferential tariff upon
all goods imported In American bot
toms That is TO say he proposed that
n cargo arriving In the port of New
York, for instance, In an American
ship should be admitted at lower
rate Of duty than like cargo reaching
port in a German. French. English or
any other foreign vessel. OF course
under such circumstances the foreign
shipper would naturally select the
American vessel raher than Its COM
petitor because his cargo would be
admitted to American ports al a lower
rate of duty. He could, therefore, not
only afford to, but would be compelled,
10 pay nlsheT rate OF freight To the
American ship owner than TO the for
eigner, Mr.. Belmonts bill was intro
duced during the last days OF his
congressional term. II attracted con-
siderable amount OF attention at the
time but not enough to insure for IL
even pcrfunctory consideration by the
committee TO which II was referred.
Now. however number OF bills OF
similar import. some providing for
lower duties on goods imported In
American bottoms and others propos-
Ing certain concessions in the matter
OF tonnage taxes for American ships.
not given to foreign vessels are pend
Ing In both houses, 1t Is almost uni
versally conceded that something
must be done to encourage American
shipping and To overcome the disad-
vantages which such shipping has to