The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-08-17

WHAT A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL
 THINKS OF TABBY.
 Cats are known to carry in their
 fur the germs of such dreaded
 diseases as tuberculosis. smallpox.
 scarlet fever. and diptheria.
 "They communicate diseases to
 children.
 They are as susceptible to hydro
 phobia as dogs.
 "Cats spread ringworms.
 "They kill between three and four
 million game and song birds in
 New York State alone each year.
 "Only about five per cent. of them
 are mouSers.'
 DIR. A. K FISHER.
 Biological Survey.
 United States Department of Agrl-
 culture.
 Washington, Aug 17.-Peaceful Tab by purring upon the hearth. petted and pampered by the whole family is now declared by a government scientist to be an agent of the most deadly germs. spreading disease and death among those who fondle her.
 Investigation has proven that in a cats sleek soft fur. upon which the baby delights to rub its cheeks. turk the germs of tuberculosis. or smallpox and that deadly disease of babies ana children. dipitheria.
 The cat is a roaming animal. Even the most carefully watched house pet will slink out at night and it is then that they come in contact with in fected dirty oats which live perhaps in squallid shanties among disease stricken people. It's long fur affords natural breeding place for the germs.
 That cat returns to its home thoroughly innoculated. The mother smiles as the baby tumbles about on the floor with Tabby. When the child is stricken every disease breeding cat" says Dr. A. K. Fisher.
 It is a noted fact that people who would not touch dog think nothing of fondling and kissing cats. Fellnes are particularly fond of jumping upon the beds of their masters and cuddIing close to them. Babies are allowed to play freely with cats.
 Practically the only thing to be fear ed from a dog is hydrophobia. To this terrible disease, says pr. Fisher. cats are as susceptible as dogs though they do not bite people as often. yet cases
 
 infrequent.
 The Biological Survey is. now work ing on plans to have laws passed in the District of Columbia as a guidance for all the state to license cats. be- cause, they say. most of the trouble comes from stray cats. The danger in the house cat, living in clean home comes mainly through its contact with alley cats. Licensing would permit the killing sof stray cats
 Data is now being gathered by the Survey upon the subject of disease in lection by cats Dr. Fisher hopes soon to publish a bulletin citing specific in stances.
 Two cases are given by a prominent French scientist. H. Bergeon. of cats which were infected with tubercular germs through contact with persons af- f1icted with the disease. In both in- stances the cats were owned in farn1l- ies where young girls died from the malady The death of the oats oc- cured shortly afterward. The doctors had noticed the fondness of the girls for the cats A post mortem examln- ation of the cats was accordingly made with the results that in both instances unmistakeable traces of tubercular 1n- lection were found.
 The next charge brought against the cat by Dr. Fisher. is that it spreads ringworms. a very painful and some times dangerous disease. Rats ana mice are peculiarly susceptible to this disease, and it is transmitted from them to cats The presence of the d1- sease on cats hidden by their fur IS not uncommon. It was through the frequent appearance of ringworms on hands of babies that the germ theory was first pursued against the cat.
 Cats are considered the natural enc mics of rats and mice. They are kept ci,,,n1v fo kill these nests Dr. Fisher claims that not five per cent. of the cats are mousers and that instead they kill game and song birds:
 "As a matter of fact" said Dr. Fish CT, "cats prefer birds to mice. They will spend twice as much time hunting a cats quarry during the year he will find that the birds killed far out num- Der the mice.
 Recently there has been much at- tention paid to rats and the harm they do, both as destroyers and as spread CTS of disease. In this connection IL has been pointed out what a valuable animal the cat is to keep down the rats That is an error. I can state from my own personal observation that only about five per cent of the cats are mousers.
 Little harm would be done if the whole cat tribe were exterminated but there would be too much opposition to that. Still we think that when many of the facts concerning cats have been made public mothers will be more care full in letting their children play with them."
 While Americans are wondering when. where and how the postal saV- ings system is to be established the untutored native may wave his pass book and remark that in the Philip pines the postal savings bank is an old thing Whether beads ana clam shells and brass roads are received as deposits is not mentioned but the main fact is that the wards in the far Pa cific have a privilege not yet accorded to their guardians
 A recent report received at the Treas- ury department shows that there are in the islands 28O postoffices at which deposits are received There were 12.- 331 depositors and the amount of the money they had placed in the care or the government was 1.621.275 pesos or Philippine dollars worth 50 cents III United States money The government guarantees of banks with which a part of the postal funds have been de- posted. Investments have also been made by the government ofhc1als. III charge of the postal banks. in Manila city bonds and railroad bonds in flrst mortgages Among the depositors are 342 Americans. 7.709 F1ipinos. 389 Europeans and 264 Asiatics. The rate of interest on deposits is two and a half per cent. but the government re- serves the right to change the rato at the end of any year
 The system has worked satisfactorily %0 oIJ 6 Inc