Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-11-07
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS DOING

Of 1t on a large scale, it has gone
further in this ca sc and is actually con-
Quoting fishing operations on q COM
mercial scale. Arrangements were
made with the owner Of a fishing vessel
to make the catches on the grounds
discovered by tie government far from
the usual fishing areas, and every few
days thousands of pounds of the prac-
tically unknown fish are taken to the
New York markets. There the bureau
of fisheries is advertising the new sea
food by colored posters bearing its
official Endorsement, which have been
distributed to the dealers. At the same
time the new fish is being recommend
ed to the fishermen as product that
final link in the chain, the consumer.
is being appraised of the excellent all
year food value of the fish. To make
acquaintance with the new product
easy, the bureau has even collected
and distributed group of choice
recipes for preparing the new delicacy.
Seldom have greater romance and mys-
terry been found in connection with ami
NAL life than in the case of the tile
fish. The capture Of a specimen In deep
| water in the edge of the gulf stream
off the middle Atlantic coast was made
in 1879 and was complete surprise to
the scientific world, being the first
specimen so far as Is known that had
ever been seen by man. The fish was
christened Lopholatilus Chameleon
ticeps by scientists, but some practical
person cut this to the final syllable
| "tilus'' and even shortened this so that
it has since been known popularity as
| "tilef1sh."
The bureau of fisheries found the new
marine product to be an excellent food
fish and began at that early date to
popuiarize It. Little progress had been
made, however, when a shift such as
had never before been known occurred
in the course of the gulf stream. The
fish lived not over shallow "banks' as
most fish caught commercially. but in
the narrow zone where the warm wa
tiers of the gulf stream come in con-
tact with the steep slopes of the foun-
dalton of the North American conti-
stream left the fish to be enveloped by
cold water with the result that up
ward of billion and a half were
killed.
product was wholly destroyed In the
space of a few weeks. and 1t was
thought for years that the tilefsh had
been exterminated. In recent years.
it's former position. has restored con
ditions that made 1t possible Tor the
tilefsh to thrive, and they have become
lre-established in as large numbers, ap-
pa rently as formerly.
DR.. Fl. N. Smith. chief of the bureau
of fisheries is taking keen interest IN
placing the tilef1sh on a solid oasls
among American sea foods. and beheVes
that the new fishing industry that IS
sure sure to- be built up will place hun
ldreds of thousands of additional dollars
in the sockets of American fishermen
rs we'll as give another economical
housewife. One of the valuable fea-
lures in connection with the new in
dustry. Dr. Smith points out, is the Iact
that the fishing grounds are wl.hln
1ynS a
close to Boston Dr. Smith points to
the fact that the gulf stream has never
been known to shift from Its course
hut once, and feels that the probability
lis strong that the tilefsh grounts Will
be permanent.
While dredging forces are working
at top speed seeking to clear obstruct-
ing slides out Of the Pana-
Canal Zone ma canal. practically all
other government en-
hallIoau. ployes in the Canal Zone
are also working under special Stress
for the tying up Of traffic has revolu-
tionized most of the activities on the
listhmus that were beginning to settle
into known channels.
| First and most noticeable of the eff
fects were the increased demands on
the Panama railroad, which, in the days
before the opening of the canal, carried
the heaviest per mile traffic of the
world, but which lately had come to be
almost exclusively a carrier OF local
supplies. The road, which is controlled
by the United States government, inn
mediately put a special rate-practl-
cally cost-of-serviee ;ta ,ans erect
Wherever 1t has been possible for
vessels waiting at the two ends OF the
canal to effect exchange agreements
their cargoes have been transferred
The road is now carrying between 1000
and 5000 tons of transisthmian freight
a day.
In the matter of demand for supplies,
the closing of the canal made another
big difference Many ships that were
planning to run through the canal in
less than day with practically no ex-
penditure of their own power found
that they would have to put back to
sea and spend from twenty to forty
days of steady steaming to reach their
ports.
The tie-up came when the supply Of
fuel oil was low, but enough has been
spared to get ships to the next supply
port The chief embarrassment has
been to supply sufficient ice and per-
ishable foods. The staple foods were
at hand in sufficient quantities to meet
all demands, and the government bak-
cry, though taxed, has met all calls
for bread.
Because the postal system has agen-
cies in every city and town and many
villages. besides a net
Utilizing the work of routes in the
non country, and so comes
fost omces. intimately into the
lives of most of the people. 1t is being
called on more and more by Congress
to perform additional services and by
the various other federal departments
to lend hand in the transaction of
| their business.
Originally the postal system was
merely the carrier Of written communi-
cations Now it carries as well articles
of all sorts, and transports money,
banks the peoples savings, helps them
invest in government bonds and Issues
travellers checks for them when they
go on a journey.
The federal land Office, the War De-
partment, the Navy and other govern
ment agencies are constantly using the
post Office buildings as places in which
to post their advertisements. and re-
Gently the postal system has been made
one of the links in the federal en-
ployment bureau that has been estab-
lished by the Department of Labor. The
Loft Sf orujo 1urhi he