Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-03-22
WANTED: TEXTBOOK ON
DOGS. HASKIN SAYS.
Daily Letter by Frederic j. Haskin

WASHINGTON, March 19.-Harry
B. Halves, a Representative in Con-
gress from Missouri, recently declar-
ed that the Department of Agricul-
ture should find time in the midst of
all its publication work to produce a
bulletin on the dog. Mr.. Hawes
pointed out that the Department has
issued a tremendous number of pub
! locations on a wide range of animals,
but has not put into permanent
printed form the information which
the public would like to have con-
corning mans best friend, the dog.
The Missouri Congressman spoke
with some feeling on what he re-
garded as the Departments neglect
in this particular, pointing out that
If a great Department OF the United
States Government can employ eX-
iperts to compile and publish 1nfor-
nation about almost every kind Of
animal from the weasel to the hog, a
little effort ought to be expended
on a scientific booklet concerning
the dog.
The real reason the Department
has not issued such a bulletin OBJ
viously is that the dog has a doubt
| full commercial value. He is not
l OOllllIlSl SldllbCd ~ oll3 eAhAh
He does not represent or constitute
| an industry as does the hog, the COW
or the sheep. Nor has he been the
subject of a publication because he
is a like the rat. 1t seems
peculiarly fitting that it should be
a Missouri Congressman who should
voice this complaint about the re-
missness of the Department of Agr4-
culture, for Missouri is the State of
the Union probably most frequently
thought of in connection with the
! dog. It was Senator Vest of that
state who delivered the famous i'd
| dress to the jury on the subject of
! the f~aithfulness of the dog. Finally,
| when Champ Clark, former Speaker
of the House of Representatives, be-
came a candidate for the presidential
nomination, his campaign symbol
was the Missouri hound dog, m of
the loWliest yet most faithful of the
canine breed. This campaign made
the Missouri hound famous froh.
coast to coast.
Congressman Halves has voiced his
complaint in an intelligent manner.
His criticism has been constructive,
for he has told just what such a
publication as he believes the Gov
eminent should compile should con-
tain. First, he thinks there should
be a reasonably accurate dog cen
sus. He makes his own unofficial
estimate of the American dog popu-
lation which, of course, he bases on
Missouri. Starting with the premise
that st. Louis, Missouri's chief city,
issues $4,000 dog licenses a year, he
estimates that Missouri has a dog
/ va-,Y1,tg1- - ON nm pAar So ~ a
from this figure, he arrives at a to-
tai American canine population of
1000, 900 which is about one dog to
every IL or Is persons-men. wo-
men and c~hildren-in the nation.
This means that every third family
has a dog.
Dogs Valued at Millions
Proceeding, he places a valuation
Of IS on every dog and shows that
the nation has an investment OF
S35, 900, 600 in its dog population.
Governments, says Congressman
Halves, have paid a good deal of at
tention to the canine species even il
the American Government has pub
lished no handbook concerning
them. Every State in the Union, he
points out, has on its statute books
some KING OF Legislation
dogs and every city of 5000 inhabi-
tants or more has some ordinance.
Ms. Halves says that, in general
the Government dog book should
follow this outline. First a descrip-
ton OF useful breeds and their stan
dards. Second, a chapter on feed
ing. Then a chapter on breeding
and one on house training, farm
training and special training. A di-
gest of State and municipal law af-
fecting dogs should be included and
finally a discussion OF bad dogs, OUT
laws, criminals, sheep-killers.
Congressman Halves insists that
there is as much a practical reason
for the Governments publishing q
book on the dog as on n other do
nestle animal. There are NOR
bre IS OF dogs, he says, than o.
horses, cattle, sheep or poultry. Tit
ldog is the oldest Of domesticatet
animals, having assisted him to ge
food and defend him against enc
mics before the advent of the hors'
or any of The other domestic ami
NAL companions OF man. On tn,
prehistoric tombs of Egyptians arS
I1xwyr4sns are to be found the like
4aes&as faith9nI Gagss Sothk