El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-11-16

only article forbidden % be brought
into this country Investigation dis
closed the fact that there are a good
many other things on the prohibited
list to which was added, by special
act Of congress, July 81 last, the prize
fight moving picture film.
The shutting out OF opium prepared
for smoking has brought into exist
ence a new and highly Objectionable
industry; i. e., the manufacture OF an
extract of the drug, which serves as
a very satisfactory substitute. 1t IS
made by rubbing crude opium IN
mortar with water, shaking the mix
ture at intervals. filtering il until the
fluid is nearly cOlOrless, and concen-
trating it by boiling The stuff is thus
reduced TO a gummy consistency, and
is utilizable for smoking
Crude opium IS still admitted at our
ports, so that there is no lack Of the
raw material But if it were excluded
by law plenty Of il would be snug
gied to supply the demand. Salts
ticians IN moral economies, say that
there are over 10000 habitual opium
smokers among the white people OF
this country mot to reckon the Chi
nese), every big city having its opium
haunts and habitues. They are bound
to have the drug. and the extract at
pinch will satisfy their requirements,
especially as it can be purchased read
lily enough at many drug stores.
No Opium Licenses Issued.
lowed by law to issue licenses Tor the
manufacture of smoking opium in the
United States Up to the present time
1t has never granted such license TO
anybody, however On the contrary,
successful efforts have been made to
put out of business the 'cOOkeries'
which. formerly numerous in san
Francisco and other Pacific coast cit
les, sought refuge and security later
on in out OF the way places-fOr eE-
nj oil he Za
Joaquin rivers, whence the opium was
shipped to San Francisco as butter and
eggs.
The business Of making opium ex-
tract is now conducted on a cOnsid-
cradle scale in Philadelphia, Balti-
more, and other cities in the east Ut
most secrecy is maintained by prOduc-
ers of the article, and up to the pres
ent time the government authorities
have not made much Roadway in their
efforts to put q stop to the business.
Whereas the crude opium contains
only about 9 percent OF morphine,
there is in the extract 20 percent, so
that the drug thus prepared has a
really frightfuI potency and is much
more injurious TO users than the
smoking opium which has been shut
out from importation
Myth Causes Ban On Game Eggs
One Of the oldest Of the articles
shut out, If one considers the reason
why, is the eggs Of game birds The
regulation governing such eggs had
its origin in an amazing myth, which
was to the effect that millions of eggs
of wild ducks, geese swans, and other
wild fowl were annually gathered IN
Alaska and the British possessions
and shipped to points in the east
where they were manufactured into
egg elbumen for US by bakers and
confectioners, in photography. and for
other purposes
It was alleged that these eggs. col
Iected from the breeding grounds of
the birds in the Yukon valley and else
where. were forwarded over the Ca
madam Pacific road in enormous guam
titles, single shipments sometimes
amounting to 1000, or even 1900,
barrels. They were mainly wild duck
and wild goose eggs, and the bulk Of
them were from Alaska but consid-
cradle quantities Git was declared)
came from British Columbia Immense
numbers, being partly Matched, were
incidentally destroyed The ducks in
question were canvas backs. teal etc,
and it was charged that this industry
had done more to diminish the for
mer multitudes Of wild fowl in Ore
gOn. Washington, Idaho, Montana, and
California than all the guns and dogs
Of sportsmen in that vast region.
The simple fact is that no such in
dustry existed Not a single shipment
of eggs of ducks or other wild fowl
was ever forWa rded over the Canadian
invention from beginning to end. But
it was widely believed, and to prevent
the threatened determination OF 1eath-
cred game by such means the tariff
act of 1894 forbade the importation
OF the eggs OF game birds into the
United States. This regulation still
remains in force, and for a while did
much harm, considerable quantities OF
such eggs, fetched from abroad for
purposes Of propagation, peInS
dumped into New York harbor. In
1902 however. an amendment was
adopted permitting eggs TO come IN
for propagation purposes only
which is where the matter stands at
present
Too Cheap For American Hens.
One or two further facts VIII make
the absurdity Of the yarn more mani
fest. Large quantities Of egg albumen
are imported into this country from
Russia. Germany, and France, where
in summer. when hens eggs are cheap,
millions of them are broken, and the
whites, with salt added to make them
keep, are dried in the form OF what
is known as "albumen cake. To
make one pound of the latter (Worth
so cents) requires $40 eggs-the price
being equivalent, therefore to cents
a dozen. This is a figure at which the
American hen cannot compete, and
hence it comes about that no egg albu-
men worth mentioning is mauufac-
tured in the United States. But even
If il were, how could wild duck and
goose eggs be collected in Alaska anc
fetched over thousands Of miles OF
railroad at a price low enough to en-
ter into competition with the output
Of the domestic chicken
Reference to this matter brings to
mind the question that came up for de-
cision by the treasury not very long
ago as to whether the hen is a hen or
a bird. considered from a tariff stand
point. Much advertisement was given
to the problem in the newspapers. but
nobody seems to have taken note of
what the final judgment was when it,
was made. SO knOtty was the point
that il had to be referred to the sec
rotary of the treasury, who declared
that the hen was not bird. And
this is where she stands at present
The point is Of more Importance than
might be imagined. If the hen were
bird. her eggs COT which many mill
lions are imported into this country
annually from China and elsewhere)
would come in free of duty. But. mas
much as she is merely a hen. her eggs
are duitable at 8 cents a Dozen mat