Arizona republican., 1907-12-04

| experiments for :he purpose of devis- ing and perfecting simple methods for holding in check the hordes of destruc- tive rodents rats, mice, rabbits, gophers, prairie dogs and ground squir- Irels-which annually destroy crops worth many millions of dollars; and it has published practical directions for the destruction of wolves and coyotes on the stock ranges of the West, re- sultine during the past year in an es- timated saving of cattle and sheep valued at upwards of a million dollars.
 Tt has inaugurated a system of in spection at the principal ports of entry or both Atlantic and Pacific coasts by means of which the introduction of lnoXious mammals and birds is pre- vented, thus keeping out the mongoose and certain birds which are as much to be dreaded>as the previously intro duced English sparrow and the house rats and mice.
 Tn the interest of game protection 1t has co-operated with local officials in every State in the Union, has striv- en to promote uniform legislation in the several States, has rendered i'm portant service in enforcing the Fed eral law regulating interstate traffic in game, and has shown how game protection may be made to yield a large revenue to the State - revenue amounting in the case of Illinois to sl2S,000 in single year.
 1 The Biological Survey has explored the faunas and floras of America with reference to the distribution of ami mals and plants; it has defined and mapped the natural life areas-areas in which, by reason of prevailing cli- matic conditions, certain kinds of ami mals and plants occur-and has point ed out the adaptability of these areas to the cultivation of particular crops. The results of these investigations are not only of high educational value but are worth each year to the progressive farmers of the country many times the -cost of maintaining the Survey, which, it may be added. is exceedingly small. l recommend to Congress that this bu- reau. whose usefulness is seriously | handicapped by lack of funds. be granted an appropriation in some de- gree commensurate with the import | ance of the work it is doing.
 Ocean Mail Service.
 
 unsatisfactory condition of our for eign mail service, which, because of the lack of American steamship lines ! is now largely done through foreign lines. and which, particularly so far as South and Central America are con cerned, is done in manner which con- stitutes a serious barrier to the ex- tension of our commerce.
 The time has come. in my judgment tO set to work seriously to make our ocean mail service correspond more closely with our recent commercial and political development. A beginning was made by the ocean mail act of March 3, 1891. but even at that time the act was known to be inadequate in various particulars. Since that time events have moved rapidly in our his | tory, We have acquired Hawaii. the Philippines. and lesser islands in the Pacific. We are steadily prosecuting the great work of uniting at the Isth- mus the waters of the Atlantic and the Pacific. To a greater extent than seemed probable even a dozen years ago. we may look to an American fu- ture on the sea worthy of the tradi- tions of our past As the first step in that direction. and the step most feas- ible at the present time. I recommend the extension of the ocean mail act of 1891. That act has stood for some years free from successful criticism of its principle and purpose. It was based on theories of the obligations of great maritime nation, undisputed in our own land and followed by oth- CT nations since the beginning of steam navigation. Briefly those theories are. that it is the duty of a first-class Power so far as practicable to carry Its ocean mails under its own flag; that the fast ocean steamships and their crews. required for such mail service. are valuable auxiliaries to the sea power of a nation. Furthermore, the construction of such steamships insures the maintenance in an eff cient condition of the shipyards in which our battleships must be built "The expenditure of public money for the performance of such necessary functions of government is certainly warranted. nor is it necessary to dwell upon the incidental benefits to our for eign commerce. to the shipbuilding in dustry. and to ship owning and naviga- | tion which will accompany the dis charge of these urgent public duties, though they, too. should have weight.
 'The only serious question is wheth- CT at this time We can afford to i'm prove our ocean mail service as it should be improved. All doubt on this subject is removed by the reports of the PostOffice Department. For the fiscal year ended June 30. 1907, that Department estimates that the postage collected on the articles exchanged with foreign countries other than Can ada and Mexico amounted to $6,579,- 043.4s. or s3637. .226.S1 more than the net cost of the service exclusive of the cost of transporting the articles be- tween the United States exchange postoffices at which they were mailed or delivered. In other words, the Gov ernment of the United States, having assumed a monopoly of carrying the mails for the people, is making a profit of over $3.600, ,000 by rendering a cheap and inefficient service. That profit believe. should be devoted to strength ening our maritime power in those di- rections where it will best promote our prestige. The country is familiar with the facts of our maritime impo- tence in the harbors of the great and friendly Republics of South America Following the failure of the shipbuild- iEg bill we lost our only American line | of steamers to Austral Ia Sia and that