The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-02-02
EYES AND EARS
Of Government
Continued From y ge One.)

tiers of million dollars annually. This
does not mean that all the money goes
TO government men, who wear
badge under their coats and travel
about poking noses into this and that
corner grocery or place where provi-
slons OF any kind are sold There is a
big corps of wise chemists in Wash.
lngton, for whom the government pro-
vldes expensive laboratories. With re-
tort and crueible they test a wide va
riety of products year in and year out.
and perform inspection duty quite as
truly and undoubtedly quite as effec-
lively for the public welfare as the
gold braid men of the inspection corps
OF the army wno travel hither and
thlther to make sure that every en-
listed man keeps his shoes BACKED, his
rifle polished and is in all respects sol
dieriy. The inspecting chemists of
Uncle Sam s employees are authorized
by law not only to investigate and
test, but to eollate and compile and
demonstrate and illustrate They have
nearly sufficient authority TO examine
every mouthful of food that is eaten
by any man, woman or child of the
9o.0o0,000 in the United States. pro-
vided that mouthfnl has at any time
crossed a State border or is likely to
do So before it is consumed
In every State that borders on
either of the two oceans there are
steamboat inspectors, who are paid to
see that the hulls and boilers of ships
are safe. The government pays ont
annually almost half a million for this
service, which comprises the employ
ment of local inspectors, assistant in
speetors, clerks, supervising inspec-
tors and so on up to the inspector gen
eral, who has Offices in Washington.
Keeping Chinese Coolies Out.
An even half million goes annually
to keep Chinese coolies from coming
into the United States. These inspee
tors almost form Gordon of "eyes
and ears along the boundaries
north. south, east and west-of the
United States Not all of the half
million is paid for inspectors, however,
for some of it is used to defray ex-
penses of imprisonment and of depor-
tatien.
There are Indian agents and Indian
inspectors galore, whose services and
travelling expenses cost the government
few hudred thousand dollars annually.
There are eight Indian inspectors at
$500 each, who look after the loca-
| ton, construction and maintenance of
| irrigation works in which the Red men
are concerned. Others are employed in
keeping fire water away from Poor Lo
on reservations all the way from Okla
| homa to Alaska
The "eyes and ears of the Postoffiee
| Department cost something like mil
| lion dollars annually and comprise over
| $50 inspectors, who appear on occasion
af every postoffiee in the land to re-
| BORT upon the character of the local
postal service, track down yeggmen
and perform a hundred different kinds
| of services for the maintenance of the
| efficient collection, transportation, and
delivery of mail.
There are inspectators of immigration
and naturalization, who cost almost
| 5000 a year and about twelve
| months ago Congress authorized an ex
| ira division of information in that
connection which is costing about $40
| 600 or more. The administration OF
! the public lands calls for. another very
large contingent of government men.
Protection From Timber Thieves.
Quite a half million dollars annually
is spent TO prevent depredations OF
public timber, to protect public lands
| and to settle claims for swamp lands
This does not include large force en-
gagged in semi-inspection work for thu
| Forest Service. 1t involves in all the
ramifcations a very large annual eos
| running into the millions.
During the last two or three years
the inspectors and agents of the Inter
state Commerce Commission have be
come very numerous. They now ap
pear in considerable numbers on the
trains through the west, collecting ;
great volume of evidence and ascer
tanning whether interstate railroad
laws are obeyed For the execution
of laws to regulate commerce Congress
appropriated last year 100000 ano
1885, more for special agents anC
examiners to enforce compliance will
one section of the railroad regulation
law of 1906 In addition the Govern
ment is paying 100000 year 81
enable the Interstate Commerce Com
mission to keep informed regarding
pliduct Win Int act ~ pAoIiotS th'
safety of employees and travellers upol
railroads. -
The government men, whom tn
Bureau of Corporations now keep
afeld cost lot of money. A dozel
investigations year are undertaken
and involve travel far and wide On
item for these Investigations during
. the current fiscal year amounts t.
! S250,o00
Forty Seven Secret Service Men.
None of these expenditures touel
the activities of the Secret Service
which brought on the recent trouhi
between the President and Congress
While that is popularity supposed to b
the object of the inquiry by the spe
cial committee of the House, it is like
ly to become only one rather tin
detail in the entire investigation. Fo
the appropriation for 'ssuppressln
counterfeiting and other crimes,
amounting to $4,000, pays the e1
penses of about forty-seven Seere
Service men, who. in numbers. are II
significant as compared with the man
employees the government keeps bus
TO detect and suppress crime.
As matter of fact, the detecuv
and inspection agencies of the FEEDERS