The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1910-08-06
news FROM THE
NATIONS CAPITAL
Especial to silver state.)

nave Uccu Sidu again u uuu On tuelr
desks the old familiar publication,
Daily Consular and Trade Reports. -
This publication suffered an eclipse
during the latter part Of the last fiscal
year because the appropriation which
was drawn on for it's preparation and
publication became exhausted, and it
became necessary to issue it only once
a week. Congress came to the rescue
and provided the money to get it out
regularly. Under the management Of
Maj. John Carson, chief of the bureau
of manufactures, the Daily Consular
and Trade Reports attained value of
much Importance to the commercial in
terests Of the United States. Major
Carson took a great deal of editorial
pride in it, and the commercial as well
as the newspaper world felt lost when
its visits grew infrequent. In this lit
tie publication is condensed the best Of
the reports submitted regularly to the
department of state by the consuls in
all parts of the world. It is a part of
the duty of the United States consuls
and consular agents to keep a close
watch on trade in foreign countries.
They are expected to make frequent re-
ports on the possibilities for extend
ing American commerce, which reports,
in the aggregate, offer many valuable
suggestions to those business men Of
the country who aim to secure abroad
a market for their goods manufactured
and otherwise.
The quality of the United States con-
sular service has improved greatly in
the past five or six years. Political ap-
pointments are now seldom made. Ap-
piicants for appointment must now Sc
cure the approval of the state depart
ment to their candidacy, and then they
are given examinations both written
and oral, to test their fitness for the
positions which they wish to occupy.
In this way the service is gradually
being recruited from a class of we'll
educated, intelligent, energetic and am
bilious young men. who are raising the
standard of the service and making it
one of the best in the world. One very
important result will be the extension
of our foreign trade. At the same
time the consuls are giving close atten.
tion to the interests of American citi-
zens abroad. The Introduction of the
civil service idea into the foreign SER
vice is doing much to elevate it and
make it a career upon which even the
most ambitious may well seek to enter.
Oil as Locomotive Fuel.
Many years ago, with the discovery
of oil in California. where coal was
scarce and very expensive, the railroads
there adopted it for fuel in their loco
motives. There was an immediate bene-
fit in the direction of economical opera
tion. Moreover, travel was given an
added delight because of the absence of
einders and smoke. Incidentally, there
was such large decrease in the num-
Der of grain and grass fires due to the
absence of the flaming cinders which
started many fires, that the Santa Fe
railroad found in the saving by fewer
damage suits from farmers and others.
reason enough in itself for converting
all locomotives on it's Pacific coast lines
into oil burners.
The example of the western roads
might well be followed by those in the
rest of the country where there is a
sufficient supply of oil to insure the
steady and economical supply Of that
fuel. Anyone who travels on a road
where coal is used, as for instance on
the routes between Washington and
New York. will wonder why the use Of
oil fuel is not adopted. The smoke and
cinders from the locomotives render
travel on such roads in the summer
time, when windows must be kept open
to insure fresh air to prevent suf-
location, a positive burden. Probably
some enterprising railroad will meet
this issue before long, and equip its
locomotives with oil burners. thereby
winning both the gratitude and the pat
ronage of long suffering public.
Tropical valley Of Imperial.
Many persons are aware by this time
that the United States possesses a
tropical valley away down in the south
western part of the country, in what
was one time a portion of the "back
country" of San Diego, but which has
somewhat recently been cut off and
modelled into new country called I'm
perial. Only a few years ago this was
a portion of the famous desert region
where sidewinders. chuckawallas and
gila monsters resented the intrusion of
the prospector. The heat reached 100
degrees sometimes in the shade, if
there was any shade, and it was
thought that the region was worse than
useless. However, an enthusiastic en-
gineer had an idea that irrigation
would turn the desert into a garden,
and although he was jeered at and
hooted at he persisted until at length,
out of his efforts it came to pass that
dam was built, bitches dug and water
conveyed from the Colorado river to
this sandy desert. Then the magical
Transformation took place, and the des
ert began to bloom. Now the first can
| taloupes of the season come from I'm
perial valley. the introduction of cot
ton has resulted in the planting of TO-
600 acres this year with no pests to
annoy the farmers. the cottonwood
grows to the dimensions of a saw log
in three or four years and in short ev-
erything grows like mad as soon as the
water is turned on to give the soil life.
And it has been found that the soil is
not sand. as was commonly supposed,
hut silt from the overflow through past
ages of the Colorado river. Now
comes the chief vitieultrual expert of
| 80