The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-10-17
E. Fl. DILLON & co.
=OUR WASHINGTONLET
 =OOAA " AAAAAA w "A " A~A A~A\ s
 An Impartial Review of DOngS at Our Seat Of Government


 1 tion, which is low for Porto Rico. The average from 1888 to 1898 was 30 and in 1901 the rate was 40 per thou sand.
 During the year treatment was kiv- 1 en to 49,407 victims of the hookworm | disease and in 19,423 cases complete l cures were effected. Seven thousand sufferers were improved in health and these and the uncured are under l treatment.
 1 cult to extend aid there are still 300,- 1 900 hookworrn victims.
 Instructions in agriculture has been ] welcomed with enthusiasm by the peo- pie and will have a great influence | in bettering conditions in the island. | The humber of school children enre11- ed last year was 121, ,453. When the l United States took possession of the 1 island in 1899 there were 25,789 chi1- dren in schools. Last year the chi1- dren in 89 per cent of the schools | were taught wholly in English The 1 studies differ little. from those in the | better schools of the United States. / Washington. Oct. 17-A horse marine who takes part in 90 mile test ride prescribed by presidential order must provide a steed at his own expense. Such is a decision rendered in a con tested case by the comptroller of the treasury. Az colonel in the marine corps, after making the ride,- collected $15 in his expense account. The item  requested in military language to re- init He replied politely that in his opinion the law provided that the gov ernnent should pay the horse bill and therefore he wished to be excused from yielding up $15. The money was then deducted from his pay. The col onel appealed to the Comptroller and in due time was informed that the bill was properly charged against him. He was informed that officers above the rank of Captain are not entitled r., xxri+ oGrn and equipment at the expense of the United States for the 90 mile ride. The use of the horse was declared to be entirely for thebenef1t of the colonel and he was held to be liable for the expense.
 ment of Agriculture reports that the month of September was favorable for crops in general; taking the Uni- ted States as a whole; whole an an ha11t improyeo q per cent being shown, whereas there usually is an average decline in Sep tember of 0.8 per cent. Aggregate crop conditions in the United States on October 1 Cor the time of harvesD were about 1.s per cent higher than on the corresponding date a year ago age condition on October 1, Cor at the time of harvesD of the past ten years. The area under cultivation is 3.2 per cent more than last year.
 Washington, Oct 17-In several American cities attempts are being made to eradicate the usury evil of loan sharks and pawn shops by the establishment of low interest loan SO- cieties conducted simply to meet their operating expenses. A band of phil parent success, has established a s'pawn society," which loans money upon pledges at one per cent per month as compared with the usual eI n that PitV bv private brokers of ten per cent per month. The idea in this country is a copy of the mum icipal pawn societies of several Euro pean cities.
 An account of one of these is giv- en in a report to the State Depart ment by Consul Henry H. Morgan. It is the municipal pawn society of Amsterdam, Holland, known as the Bank van Leening.: This is probably the oldest pawn shop in existence. It was started in the early part of the Seventeenth century The earliest rec ord loan made by this institution was on April 29, 1914 The business is still conducted in the original build ing erected for it at that time though fifteen branch offices have been open ed throughout the city to meet the ever increasing demands of the bus mess.
 To show the "easy familiarity with the "hock shop which long contact with this venerable institution has bred in Hol1anders, Consul Morgan states that it is the custom of a vast number of the poorer people of Am Sterdam to pawn their Sunday best'' clothes on Monday morning, redeem them Saturday night and soak them again on the following Monday morn ing, thus securing their use for the Sunday outing. Over forty per cent of the business of the Bank van Leening, which amounts yearly to over a million dollars, is of pledges of this class household articles. etc.
 The rates of interest charged run according to the kind of goods pawn ed from to 13 per cent per annun Amsterdam has never placed single law upon it's statute books regulating the interest charges of pawn shops simply because the competition of the them out of business. Besides the in terest charges there is fee demand ed on all pledges to meet the admin istrat3ve expenses of the institution. This is only from $oo4 to $1o an arti- cle. Yet from these sources of in come the sale of unredeemed pledges and rents for offices in the bank building, the Bank van Leening in sures every article which it holds in pawn, pensions all old employees and their widows and clears three percent on it's investment.
 Each pledge is held for six months and then, failing it's redemption by the owners, is sold at public auction after being advertised for two days The capital of the Bank is $2O2, $50. thousand dollars year. It contri- butes $5,000 a year to it's pension fund.
 The Bank van Leening is strictly a municipal affair the business being conducted by five directors appointed by the city government and by the Burgomaster or Mayor. By its char