Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-01-29
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Harrisburg people are naturally
much interested in the annual meet
ings of the State Board of Agriculture,
which brings to the city representa-
tive men from the rural districts of
every county in the State and es-
pecially In view OF the fact that the
State Capitol was the place where the
poard was organized and where it has
held meeting at least once a year
since 1t was created. The first meet
ing of the board was held in the old
state House in 1877 and according to
statements made by people about the
capitol the sessions We're held in the
old Supreme Court chamber, which
was on the second floor of the Inter-
nal Affairs building. the southern
building Of the group of three on
Capitol HILL Some of the meetings
nave been held in the city's halls and
even churches, but most of the ses-
sions were held in early days in the
legislative or court chambers at the
Capitol. Since the completion of the
new Capitol the meetings have been
held in the blue and gold House eau
Gus room, where other agricultural
meetings have been held from time to
time. 1t is said that only two men
VINO took an active part in the first
meeting In 1877 are alive. They are
Ihomas j. Edge, who was the first
secretary of the board. according to
recollectlons of men active in it's ser
vice, and who was the first Secretary
OF Agriculture, serving from March
Il, 1895, to April "a, 1899; and John
Hamilton, who succeeded him as Sec
retary of Agriculture and who served
until February IS, 1908. Both of
these former secretaries are much in
1A h@
IN North Sixth street in this city and
Professor Hamilton is connected with
the Federal Department of Agricul-
ture. incidentally. it might be men,
TONED that yesterday Secretary Critch-
held called to the platform Samuel r.
Downing of Chester county, who was
a member Of the board when the Sec
retary became member twenty-four
years ago. The board has had a long
and interesting career and the Gov
ernor's suggestion that 1t do some
thing about the road problem opens a
broad field of usefulness for it.
Cities which want squirrels for their
public parks will have to get them by
some other means than trapping, and
II they do obtain them they are liable
to have some of their own officials
arrested for violation of the confused
game laws which now prevail in Penn
sylvania. This is the situation that
exists as a result of an effort of Will
Transport and other cities to get squir-
rels for their parks. Years ago Har-
rlsburg got squirrels from the State
House Park in Richmond for Capitol
Park and now the furred denizens of
the Comm monwealth's domain are one
of the great attractions of the place.
This has caused other cities to take
steps to get squirrels as an attraction
and recently advertisement was made
that good prices would be paid for
grey squirrels. DR.. Joseph Kalbfus,
secretary of the State Game Commits
sion, has called a halt on the trapping
and says that under the law he will
arrest anyone trapping a squirrel His
reason is that the game laws permit
squirrels to be taken only with q gun
and that in particular season. He
offers no solution for the situation,
saying that the law is plain and that
he cannot allow even cities to trap or
pay people to trap squirrels for public
purposes. Even the Game Commits
sion in its recent report raped the
game laws and 1t is probable that
some steps to straighten out the alb
surd propositions will be made when
the Legislature assemblies next jan
uary.
One Of the oldest payments that
gets into Father PENIS hands was
made at the State Treasury to-day. 1t
was a $4,000 annuity from the Erie
Railroad Company for a right of way
through Susquehanna and Pike coun-
ties. The company has been paying
this since 1S49 and has paid enough to
build the line in this State several
times over. The money goes to those
two counties, the State not getting any
of it. The Erie is one of the few rail-
roads which are foreign corporations
and yet hold lines in this State. The
Delaware and Hudson has a right
dating from 1928 and the Baltimore
and Ohio has another.
The late Clarence E. Seitz, who died
suddenly in Philadelphia a few days
ago. was we'll known here and was one
of the experts in the income tax end
of the internal revenue service He
was skilled as an accountant and his
death will be severely felt in the
Philadelphia office.
John P. Connolly, who was here
yesterday as counsel for Philadelphia
cold storage warehouse people and
who appeared before Judge Kunkel,
Is none other than the chairman of
the finance committee Of the Phila-
delphia councils, who is much in the
limelight. He is comparatively
young man. slender, but alert, and
with mind that is working all the
time. He took little part in the case,
but when he did speak people listened.
Observation-Disclosures an