Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1907-04-25

The people of the United States are
the greatest sugar consumers in the
world and they are largely dependent
upon foreign producers for their sup
plies, but if Secretary of Agriculture
James Wilson is clear in his views
as to the future of beet sugar, the
sugar producers of this country will
soon be able to sell sugar for price
against which the foreign sugar
makers will find com petition utterly
hopeless.
This achievement is foreshad0wed
by prospective reductions in the cost
of production. The cost of planting
and thinning the crop has heretofore
been heavy, because of the fact that
the normal seeds of the sugar beet
contain from one to five germs. The
seeds must be planted by hand, and
when they have germinated the
grower must go over the field and
laboriously thin out the surplus
plants.
TO remedy this, the department
of agriculture has been patiently de
veloping by the process of selecting
a one germ seed that will produce a
single stalk, and now has seed that
will do this fifty times out of hnnd-
red. When after further cultivation,
the single seed germ, is brought to
perfection, Secretary Wilson says
the cost of production will be de-
creased % per cent, because the plant
ing and the cultivation can all be
done by machinery.
The secretary predicts that with
this and other important economic
changes the United States will be
able to produce sugar for two cents a
pound.
This thing of going fishing on the
first day of the trout season has be
came fad with large number OF
anglers. The call of the stream is ir-
resistable, and regardless of the state
of the weather the trouter hikes to
the wilds with as pleasant anticipa-
tiOns as are felt by the woman with
a new bonnet on the eve of Easter
morn. What the premature trouter
says to himself when he stands on
the banks of the stream and finds
two inch ice on the water and a cold
wind blowing through his whiskers
would not sound well if repeated by
phonograph at a social gather
ing. -Williamsport News.
The bill now before the state sen
ate providing for the levying of a
tax upon all soap clubs or organiza-
tions of people doing business with
firms outside of the state. IL exact
statistics were made public. the
amount of business done by associa-
tions of people with firms from other
states would he seen to be surpris
ing. There are numerous clubs that
are called soap clubs, which trade
not only on soap, but in many other
branches of the grocery trade. While
the amount of business transacted by
any one club is not large, if tax
were to be levied upon it equal to
the regular state mercantile tax the
payment of the same would undoubt-
edly prove burdensome and DESTROY
the profits,
According to the state rating all
mercantile establishments must pay
an annual tax at the rate of ST f0l
business not exceeding 81, 900; So for
business not exceeding $1,000, and
SO ON in the denominations of fives.
These clubs would likely all be rated
under the minimum class, which
would mean tax oil 81 per year, but
with the additional tax of 81 for
every mercantile establishment do
ing business and their members
would be compelled to come back to
to the local trade with their business.
Harrisburg, April IS. = For the
first time since they came together
the members of the House held three
sessions yesterday, inaugurating a
series ofevening sessions preparatory
to adjournment May Is.
Despite the fact that they had put
in hard days work, the lawmakers
were in good spirits, and made mer-
| nv last uir'lt when passing on SECOND