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The Commoner
VOIir-14, NO. 9
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The Work of the President's Cabinet
'., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE where lliolr liberation could possibly add to the
' natural damage.
OUTBREAK OF STA BLE FLY The moths are already showing t JemsolveB in
. . ,, , , , , , Virginia and in Maryland, and the departments
' The stockmen of north Texas, Oklahoma and fl are catching specimens at Portsmouth
tho grain belt to the north have been confronted cliarlottesville In Virginia, and Hagerstown
with conditions favorable to a serious outbreak . Maryland The agents at Portsmouth are ap-
of the stable fly, and the department has been . d gtain t0 one wing of eacn specimen
recommending methods of control for this pest lht tl at Charlottesville a" black or yel-
during the past month. In to&-Blng lowbstaln; and thoBe at Hagerstown, a violet
section it has B0 th l color. Then the moths are left to follow the
after threshing Is by far the most Important , th ,d h pursued. The
stop. Oat s raw and rice straw are preferred by depaptmont,8 agQni east of Mississippi have been
the fly for its breeding although in tho absence p t
ftSX TERRITORY RELEASED FROM QUARANTINE
largo numbers of them. The Secretary of Agriculture has issued an
TiAnnnAnq viot atf q.hoitr law order to take effect September 1, lifting the quar-
RAILROADS VIOLA Tb .S-1IOUR LAW anUne Qn account Qf Texag fever oi cattle from
For tho confinement of cattle for more tnun CGrtain portions of South, Carolina, Georgia, Ala-
28 hours without unloading for feed, watered bama Mississippi, and Louisiana. This action is
rest, 37 prosecutions have been reported to the taken aB a regult of further progress made in the
bureau of animal industry or the department eradlcation Df cattie ticks by co-operation be-
during the month of June. Tiie lines for those tween sate and federal authorities. The -area
total nearly $5,000. The railroads who were released am0Unts to 6,801 square miles. This
defendants in tho prosecutions and the fines brings tne total territory leleased from quaran-
whicli were imposed on them are as follows: tine slnce the beginning of the work in ld06 up
Number to 222,709- square miles, which 'is .nearly one-
of Cases Defendant Fine, third of the total area infested with ticks at-the
0 Chicago, Rock Island & Pac. R. Co. $712.90 time the work of eradication was begun.
4 Mobile & Ohio It. R. Co. . . 460.20 UTAH FREED FR0M QUARANTINE FOR
lChesnpeake & Ohio Ry. Co 118.50 gHBBp SCABIES
2 Chicago & Alton R. R. Co 235.60 ..,..
12 -Atchison, Topeka& Santa Fe R. R. 1,859.60 The department has given notice that mas-
3 Kansas City Mexico & Orient R. R. 352.50 mucn as the counties of Carbon, Emery, and
1 Northern Pacific Ry. Co 204.09 Grand, in the state of Utah, ere now free from
1 Chicago & Northwestern Ry. Co... 215.11 the disease known as scabies among sheep, the
lCieveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. quarantine against these counties has been lifted,
Louis 113.61 effective August 24, 1914. This frees the entire v
1 St. LouisVsan Francisco R. R. Co. 116.70 state of utah from the quarantine for sheep
2 Louisville & Nashville R. R. Co... 227.16 scabies. The only territory remaining under
, ,vChicago Great Western R. R. Co. . . 120.80 .federal quarantine for this disease consists of
. 1 , Iowa Central R. R. Co 119.40 the western portion of California, the. soiith-
1 Missouri Pacific Ry. Co 115.90 eastern portion of Colorado, and the entire state
, of Texas. ' '
,37 Total $4,972.07 The result in Utah has been accomplished by
poati irx-wnTq cjTTTnviivp rnisjvirT PAMpq an effe?tive state law passed by the 'Utah legist
ROAD LXPER1S SiUDYING CONVICT CAMPS lature ln 1913 for the eradication of live stock
A joint arrangement has been perfected be- diseases, and through active co-operation under
tween tho department's office of public roads and that law on the" part of the state board of sheep
tho public health service for the study of con- commissioners with the department. For over
vict camps and of the utilization of convict la- twelve years prior to the passage of the law the
bor in the construction of roads and the prepar- state and federal authorities had been working
ation of road materials. There is a constantly to eradicate sheep scab from Utah, but with un-
increasing tendency on the part of state govern- satisfactory results.
montB to use convict labor in works of public im- QUARANTINE FOR ILLINOIS CATTLE
provement, such as road construction, rather ... ... . wulLllJ
than in the manufacture of articles which com- .. A.n cattle in five counties in northeastern II-
pete with tho product of free labor. Jino.ls n be un,der a" federal quarantine for
The purpose of the joint study is to determine go S5 Sf? n??t0m V 19,14-;,,,Th,e
tho conditions and methods by which most sat- e or and the samta ry officials of Illinois
isfactory results are obtained and the lines along JJ " Sfjif? ' Xf L Y Unh f?e feierff autlr"
which improvements may be inaugurated. Col- J. " in quarantine effective The
orado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, and Wash- Jup ni? rlir ' McHenry' Kane'
ington are states where visits will first be mane. TTmw Jiw 'a r t
Later on the studies will extend to Michigan, 11- 0MZJ?hil WUie no cattle
linois, New York. New Jersey, Virginia, North llMMLn ?Ve cunties for dairv
and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma, Jf?" ?ZwoL thf? ar5 aC(?om-
Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. STJ1 flatef f? that they have
been subjected to the tuberculin test and found
BULLETIN ON ARSENICAL CATTLE DIPS free from disease. These certificates must be is-
The department has issued a 16-page Farmers' fiUe(1 by an employe of the bureau of animal in-
Bulletin .(No. 603) on methods of preparation dustry, United States department of agriculture.
and directions for the use of arsenical cattle
dips. These are the dips which are effective DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
against the Texas fever tick. r-4- .
Tho bulletin gives farmers and stock raisers INVESTIGATE RISE IN PRICES
explicit practical directions for the making and Instructions have been sent by Secretary Red
use of boiled and self-boiled dips. The measures fleld to field agents of tho bureau in New York
prescribed for the safe handling of these poison- Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta'
ous substances should be read attentively by and New Orleans to inquire immediately and
every farmer who wishes to dip his own cattle, carefully whether there has been a recent riso
Tho bulletin will be sent free to any one who in retail prices in those -localities and if so on
will send a postcard to the Editor and Chief, what articles and to what extent, special atten-
Division of Publications, U. S. Department of tion being given to foodstuffs and articles of
'Agriculture, clothing and other necessaries. They are to
ARMY-WORM MOT WITH ONE COLORED SnSSSS:? V&'s g7 if
To determine the habits of the troublesome & TLffS.
army worm, the department's entomologists are facts will bo noted. The reasons given for ,
catching army-worm moths where they are plen- advance that may have occurred Uu y
tiful, coloring one wing of each, and then liber- certalned and inquiry is to be made SarticuKHv
ating them n the same territory so that they as to whether such reasons ate the Si? n
may determine whether thefee moths fly direct Special care will be exerciBPd in TJ?1 ?n,es'
west, or north, and how quickly and far they if there harbLranv Llvanni ,?0 t determining
will spread. A better knowledge of the habits either on the
of this pest should enable the department to temporarV llay in oceln transit w ?? the
control its spread. No moths are to bo let loose &7stocM
that may have been ndyanced and whether the
facts shp.w a purpose to'use the. war situation to
isecure undue extra profits by tincreased prices
will bo considered.
( An effort wjill.bo made to learn if any com
bination exists for the advance of prices under
existing conditions.
As soon, as the facts shall have been deter
mined sufficiently to give a clear idea of the gen
eral situation, reports will be made to. the chief
of the bureau of foreign" and domestic commerce
and the inquiry continued subject to his instruc
tions. EXTENDING EXPORT TRADE
In view of the importance not only of main
taining but of extending export trade under ex
isting conditions, and in practical appreciation
of. the opportunity afforded to do so in South
-America through the proffered cooperation in
mutual trade cqming from both official and pri
vate, sources, the department of commerce is
undertaking the establishment of . both a per
manent and traveling force in South America.
This force .will consist of men familiar with
the language, customs and business methods of
Latin America, who have had practical experi
ence in various lines of business carried on with
Latin-American countries.
Four of the department officers will be com
mercial attaches for which provision was made
by recent legislation. They will be assigned,
respectively to Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires,
Santiago, and Lima. It is hoped. to have these
officials at their posts before the first of October.
In addition to these, six traveling commercial
agents will be promptly dispatched to South
America and will, in their travels, cover all the
commercial areas of that continent. These will
include specialists in hardware, textiles, lumber
and other industries, and arrangements will be
made also for a general study of any commercial
and industrial opportunities that may be open in
favor of American interests.
Although American trade is well established
in Argentina, Brazil; Chile, and Peru and is
growing despite of the lack of direct banking fa
cilities, steamship 'a'cdommodations, etc., Amer
ican banks are imperatively heede'd1 ih South
America" as-a dependable resotfrcef in the- 'c'a'm
paign for greater trade. This is the conclusion
of E. N. Hurley, President of the Illinois Manu
facturers' Association, who has submitted to the
department a report on banking and credit in
South America, based upon a careful investiga
tion .of that field. Mr. Hurley was assigned to
this special task by Secretary Redfield, who is
making a strenuous effort to increase the sale
of American products in South America and was
instrumental, in securing an appropriation from
congress for this particular purpose.
Foreign and native banking houses reasonably
well accommodate the ordinary routine of Amer
ican trade, Mr, Hurley states, but they naturally
withhold the full measure of interest and solicit
ous support accorded to enterprises of their own
nationality. Moreover, many valuable collateral
benefits arising from the financing of over-sea
trade are lost through American reliance upon
London banking mediation, while the compul
sory use of European materials in many South
American enterprises financed in Europe is
steadily restricting the potential market for
American goods. American salesman and trad
ing houses also lack the support given by foreign
banks to their national trade seekers.
Mr. Hurley's study of the problem of banking
and credit in. South America was made from the
point of view of the manufacturer. It is not a
technical banking report; rather it deals with
the financial environment qf American trade in
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru, its disad
vantages and examples from the experience of
other nations that have considered over-sea
banking operations essential to their conquest of
foreign trade.
As to the feasibility of establishing banks in
South America Mr. Hurley summarizes the meth
ods as branches of American national banks,
organized solely for American business in
South America, purchase of an interest in ex
isting South American banks, and banks for in
vestment and Industrial development. Mr. Hur
ley states that various kinds of banking must
bo carried on by an institution adapted to assist
American trade, for its business like that of
jMiropean banks in South America, can not be
limited to strictly commercial banking. Bank
ing services there are intimately connected with
. oans to governmepts and cities, with industrial
investments, etc., which would not come under
the operation of the United States federal re-