Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-11-09
Ei1r,1ttsg Glra1

Elk appear to have become as
much of a nuisance in some parts
of Pennsylvania as deer are to the
farmers of the southern counties and
the bear to the people of the northern
tier according to reports which have
been coming here from central
counties. The State Game Com
mission has dispatched wardens to
Blair county to investigate damage
done to fields and reports that as
high as thirty elk are in one hard.
Report of damage done to fields and
orchards in Snyder, Center and Hunt
ingdon counties have also been re-
ceived, while there have been stor-
les brought here of orchards in
southern counties wrecked by deer
rubbing their horns against young
trees. These reports are being in
vestigated by the state authorities.
a surprise to sportsmen and the re-
ports on file show that the animals
have travelled long distances in the
mountain counties. The deer have
multiplied rapidly since the killing
of does and young deer without horns
has been forbidden, but it was not
thought that elk would become so
plentiful as reports indicate. They
have been travelling in herds and in
summer have been seen in the north
tnr 1,fI f,, fLn xrys,,N 4,
have been clear down to Mason and
DiXon's line. They have become
fairly common in the upper Susque-
hanna valley. 1t is believed that
there are over 800 in the state at
present.
The most elaborate plans ever
made by the State Forestry depart
ment to prevent spread of forest
fires have been worked out by the
fire service bureau and telephones
and wigwag signals will be employ
ed to give notice of blazes which
may occur in the woods. In addi-
ton to companies owning large tracts
of forest land the state is now CO.
operating with an organization of
the anthracite coal companies in
SchuyllSill, Carbon and other coun-
ties which have extensive woodland
properties. The plans call for mob
ilization of forces to fight fires on
system of alarms.
Operation of the draft law in Penn
sylVania has resulted in so many
letters in which the writer's threat
en- to do all kinds of things that a
| special file has been established at
the state draft headquarters to keep
such communications for study. Thus
far only wrath and no deep seated
| intention to grow destructive has
been discovered. Most of the let
ters are regarded as more in ma
ture of desire to speak minds plainly.
Some of them are frankly profane
and others threaten to take the
| national government into the courts.
The draft officers come in for a pret-
ty large share of the blame. Many
of the letters are pitiful and as far
| as possible where cases of actual
| distress are indicated the situation
has been brought to the attention
of the local boards. Thus far COM
paratively few cases have been re-
opened and then only where it has
been shown that dependency was a
serious matter.
| Payment of state corporation cap
| ital stock and loan taxes is COM
mencing to show the approach of the
close of the fiscal year of the COM
monwealth and there is a big in
crease in the number of checks
reaching the Capitol. The checks
range all the way from So or $40
up to 100000. Generally the last
two weeks in November the state
revenue jumps into the millions and
there are signs that it is going to
be something impress again.
=
With the departure of the Signal
corps contingent tonight Harrisburg
will have sent men to practically
every branch of the United States
military service. 1t is already rep
resented in the navy and marine
corps quite extensively and 1t has
men in the cavalry, infantry. artil-
lery, the medical, quartermasters
ordnance, signal, aviation, engineers,
railway, forestry gas and flame, cleo
trical and every other branch. The
number of Dauphin county men is
shown by the places where they
turned up to vote on Tuesday
throughout the country's camps.
The closeness of the contest for
the mayoralty recalls some days
when there were fights which hinged
on score of votes, but no one seems
to remember when the chief magis-
tracy of the city hung in the balance
so long as it has this year. OF course,
the country has never been up
against the same situation in regard
to the voting of its men as at pres
ent and Harrisburg suffers along
with the rest in uncertainty. Yes
terday afternoon man long familiar
with elections here remarked as he
looked out over the cleared part OF
the Eighth ward so soon to be q
park: "Well, maybe the uncertainty
would not have been so prolonged
If the houses were still standing over
there"
Senator Boies Penrose, who was
here yesterday on his way to Penn's
Creek to be guest of Judge Wilmer
on hunting trip, says that he will
hardly get a chance to go west to
hunt in the Rockies, but that he has
found Pennsylvania to be pretty
good hunting state. The Senator Is
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