The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1908-02-12

It's going 10 cost something 10 he cat
in the District of Columbia II the bill
that Commissioner mcfarland fancics Is
fayorably acted upon by his TWO associate
Commissioners.
To be just ana Ouery, old, midnight min
strel of a TomCat is going 90 cost five
large sim0leons a year.
To be an auti-race-suicide tabby cat is
going 10 stick somebody for ten walli-
pusses per aHnum.
And not to dig up the required tax
means for the neglected feline "a quiet
fifteen minutes with the pouudmaster and
"a sp0ngeful Of chloroform.
Claims Too Many Cats.
Commissioner mcfarland says there are
too many cats. He Saws that when he
gets through Lis days toll az the District
Building and walks home for exercise he
sees so many poor, disrepuJa0lc, home
less f0rsakeH. bsttIe-sc8rred and woe
begone specimens Of the genH Thomas
and Tabby sitting djsc0Hs0late on the
curbstoues or walIowiug in the cutters
that he loses his appetite. And al night
the sweetness of his dreams is tainted
discoiared. and otherwise adulterated by
inLarmonious ChorIsUs from the fence
top emIuenees Of feline VsgaboHdia.
The leading Commissioner idea is that
people who are fond enough or cats To
care for them properly viii be willing to
dig zap the tax. and that all the cats not
properly housed. fed. and tagged should
be suagged by the pound wagon and has
tened 10 au mtimely bat painless demise
Dear old Bruno our faithful friend
doesn't get the laugh on his natural enc
my On this matter either The Commis-
sioner plans 90 raise the dog tax 10 the
same amount suggested for the cats. and
20 wraak summary judgment upon all
Nag-tail FidOs whose owners don't care
90 see the raise
Just how the pouud-waE0u men are go
iTg to take care Of mixed cargo has
not been settled. Would it not be a pea. o.
Iul sight to see Il WiTe-nettiug covered
wagon filled 90 the bTim with cute little
street cats and dogs Yes. IL wOuld-not.
II is probable that after the FIRST few
experiments the animal collectors VIII
initiate an intelligent expression and lie
eide that separate wagons are necessary.
VIII Hear from Public.
Commissioner MacfarIand is going 10
give all the cat owners in Washington "a
chance to express their views on this
proposed measure before 10 is put up 10
the board for action lie wishes - find
out what the public sentiment is. II is
70 be conjectured. without overstepping
the limits Of prudent foresight. and with
due regard to the possibilities of being
mistaken. and the faIlabHity Of hasty
Judgment, and all that sort of thing that
as Far as getting next 20 the public SEN
tment Is concerned, the Commissioner
viii get his wish.
The bin as drawn up by Health Off
Ger Woodward on the request of the
COMMISSIONER calls for dog and cat taxes,
as follows.
Upon each male dog and eat S per
annum, and upon each female dog and
cat so per annum, payable I'm advance
during the month Of July of each year.
or in the case of dogs and cats brought
into the District Of Columbia, or attain
ing taxable age or sold by the pound
master. after said month, within one
week after entering said District or at
tanning such age, or after the date of
said sale, as the case may be
Must Not Run ut Large.
Provided, that no untagged dog or cat
shall be allowed to run at large. Any
person who I'm the District of Columbia
owns or barbors any taxable dog or cat.
or sells, buys, gives. receives, or ex-
changes, otherwise than by sale by or
purchase from the poundmaster Of said
District any taxable dog or cat upon
which the tax aforesaid is due and UNI
paid, shall, upon conviction thereof. be
punished by a fine not exceeding 500
Also. that the provisions of this act
in relation TO dogs are hereby made APP
plicable in relation 70 cats; provided, that
the right thus conferred upon the own
eT OF custodian of any tagged cat to
hermit II 10 run at large et,aI not 10