Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-02
DEMANDS MONEY BACK
Railroad Asks Government to
Pay Fumigation Bill.
FIRST CLAIM OF SORT
Would Cost Several More Millions if
Allowed.
WILSON ORDERED PROBATION
New York Central Paid Out $780,
554e6 to Purify Cars and
Seeks Reimbursement.
FIRST CLAIM OF SORT
WILSON ORDERED PRECAUTI0N

If a claim is allowed for $36. .6 filed
against the Secretary OF Agriculture by
the New York Central and Hudson River
Railroad Company. a precedent Will De
created which will cost the United states
government several million dollars.
The claim is the first of its kind ever
made against the government. and is for
reimbursement for the cost of fumigating
cars pursuant to an order issued by Sec
rotary Wilson last November in connec-
ton with his campaign against the spread
of the foot and mouth disease among cat
tie in New York and Pennsylvania.
The Department of Agriculture found it
necessary in many instances to destroy
herds OF cattle and barns belonging to
farmers in the quarantine districts IN
stamping out the disease In such cases
the farmers were reimbursed for their
losses the United States government pay
ing two-thirds of the indemnity and the
different state governments the remain
ing third.
The railroads claim that if the farmers
are reimbursed they should receive COM
pensation for their losses also.
Attitude of Railroad.
In letter to Secretary Wilson the Off
Gals of the New York Central and Hud-
son River road call his attention to his
order that placed New York and Pennsyl-
vania in quarantine and to letters OF
Bernard =. Mense. an inspector of the de-
partmeut written to the superintendent o.
the Stockyards at East Buffalo. In his
letter Inspector Menge said that the force
at work at the stockyards and on the cat
tie cars was insufficient to disinfect with
in the proper time, and added that haste
was necessary because of the outbreak
IF the foot and mouth disease in Penn
sylvania among cattle which had been
shipped from the East Buffalo yards
In response TO these communications the
railroad officials put on an extra force
and fumigated the stockyards and the
ears. the work being done under the in
struction of United States officials The
cost of fumisatinS the ears was S26 49, .96
and the cost of fumigating the stock
yards at East Buffalo S1UoSI, making a
total outlay of SS6,JJ496.
The argument advanced by the railroad
company in support of its claim for reim-
bursement is that its cars were found to
lie not infected and that the extra ex-
pense it was put to was due to the direct
order of the Secretary of Agriculture.
First Claim of Sort.
Although many railroads throughout the
country have been compelled to fumigate
their cars on account of epidemics among
live stock. none has ever before attempt
gov
eminent. Should the claim of the New
York Central be allowed, however it is
certain that other roads will follow its
example and endeavor to recover.
At least twenty-five railroads were
forced to fumgate their cars during the
foot and mouth epidemic last fall. when
New York and Pennsylvania were quar-
antined.
In the west epidemics of scabies have
cost the railroads thousands of dollars
The same conditions applied to the rail-
roads of the south in the fight against
the spread of the Texas fever tick.
Officials of the Department Of Agricul-
ture estimate that If all the claims for
such sfumigation were filed they would
run up to several millions of dollars.
No action has been taken by the de-
partment. 1t is probable that the claim
will be disallowed on the ground that the
railroad need not have fumigated its
cars. The alternative would have been
to stop the interstate shipment of cattle.
If Secretary Wilson turns the claim
down recourse may be had by a suit
against the government in the United
States Court of Claims