The broad ax., 1906-12-15
WASHINGTON LETTER
rsp.c,.I corrssponaenos.l

any pcfBOn VINO Nlone3 70 Uuy Aour
elephants st q bargain probably can
be accommodated by applying to As
sistant Secretary Of the Treasury Rey-
nolds. As an inducement Mr.. Reynolds
viii throw in a guarantee that these
animals are reasonably well trained
A man named Thompson brought
three elephants In by way Of New
York In August, 1905, for exhibition
purposes and, not being very well ae-
quaInted with the tariff law, valued
them at $1,000. The Dingley law In
one Of its innocent paragraphs, after
fixing the duty on horses, sheep, hogs
and cattle at specific amounts In each
case, Jumps everything else under
animals not otherwise specially pro-
vided for" and assesses q duty OF 20
per cent ad valorem. In this particu-
lar case It meant an expenditure for
Mr.. Thompson OF $500.
Elephants Bother OAeials-
Subsequently Mr.. Thompson took bis
elephants to Canada and then brought
them back BY way Of Buffalo. Hav-
Ing grown wise, n he thought. Mr..
Thompson placed q valuation Of $500
on his elephants. The customs In
spector at Buffalo, not much Of an ele-
plant expert, either, ran the valuation
up to $4,000. and pending the decision
Of the authorities the animals were
permitted to be taken into the state
The authorities investigated the matter
and found that the owner had asked
$4,000 for the three elephants Just
before bringing them back Into tho
United States.
Another provision Of the DingIey law
confscates articles imported when the
valuation placed upon them 10 30 per
cent les than their real value. Mr..
Thompson had violated this provision
Of the law, and the customs omesrs
ssized the animals.
Oats In High RavOP In Capital.
II the love for cats continues to grow
the White Houee prohibition relating
to dogs win have TO be extended to In
clude the tables. Even men In WASH
ington are not averse to showing their
liking for the eat. Guests In the home
Of Admiral Dewey must make the &C
Quaintance Of q big MAnx cat, usually
stretched before the open nre. Mrs
Elkins has q bobtaIled cat, named To-
60 because 1t was born on the day Of
that laps big sea fight The Roosevelt
children took to the White House from
Oyster Bay a pretty Maltese to take
the place OF their six toed cat which
died last spring. The newcomer wan
ders around the mansion and the exec
utive once and frequently strolls into
the cabinet room when councils are In
session and sits on the hearth, yawn-
Ing In a way that sensitive statesmen
might consider positively insulting.
Engine Smoke Barred.
Steam engines will be prohibited en-
trance to the District Of Columbia on
the completion Of the new Union sta
ton In Washington
The commissioners Of the District Of
Columbia recently took final action In
an order prohibiting the use Of any
thing except electric engines In draw
Ing trains into the new Union station
This applies to all railroads entering
the city and is made in the interest Of
the antismoke crusade which has been
waged here for several years. There Is
already q law imposing heavy fines on
perpetrators of the smoke nuisance.
For Sanitary Diaries.
Strict regulations for the govern
ment of dairymen and diaries Is en-
bodied in q bill which has been draft
ed by Health Officer Woodward and
approved by Commissioner Macfar-
land.
The proposed bill provides that no
person shall sell milk or cream or hold,
offer or produce milk or cream for sale
as such or after being manufactured
into any food or drink for sale In the
District without permit to do so from
the health officer. Before granting q
permit the health officer must be sat
isfied of the healthfulness Of the COWS
and of the cleanliness and character
Of all apparatus and utensils used In
connection with the dairy and with the
delivery Of the milk.
Milk Must BE Pure.
Provisions are also made for the
revocation Of a permit from any per-
son who sells or offers for sale any
milk or cream which has been exposed
to infection by Asiatic cholera, an
thrax, diphtheria, erysipelas, scarlet
fever. smallpox, splenlc fever, tuber-
culosIs or typhoid fever so as to rem
der Its distribution dangerous to public
health. Inspectors Of the health de-
partment under the authority Of the
new bill are to be permitted to enter
and inspect all places In the District
where milk or cream Is sold Any
milk which Is found to contain a pre-
sentative, coloring matter or gross dit
or filth may be treated by the health
officer with some nonpoisonous, oaor-
Gus substance or coloring matter 50 as
effectually to prevent the sale thereof
for use by human beings.
December weather Record