Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 September 1901 — WASHINGTON GOSSIP [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WASHINGTON GOSSIP

Prof. Galloway, chief of the bureau of plant industry at the Department of Agriculture. who has just returned from an inspection of the drought-stricken regions of the West, reports that he finds much to encourage him in the changed conditions. The farmers are more g<nerally accepting the advice of the department tq diversify crops, and are not staking their prosperity on one crop, as in years past. Prof. Galloway says that the beet sugar industry is attaining very respectable proportions. Sugar beets, h; declared, need much closer attention than most grains, corn for instance, but that it has been demonstrated at one of the experiment stations, which has gone into the beet raising business on rather a large scale, that a profit of about sls an acre can be realized. The planting, cultivating and harvesting of nn acre of beets, which will bring an average of SSO on the market, represents an outlay of $35. which includes the cost of all labor needed. On the southern peninsula of Michigan the raising of sugar beets. Prof. Galloway said, has almost taken the place of corn. Michigan will manufacture enough sugar from her beet crop this year to supply the whole population of the State. There is danger that the production of sugar beets in the middle West may be excessive and cause a slump in me market. Prof. Galloway found much of the corn suffering from un let-cultivation, the farmers in many places having evidently despaired of the crop and let the weeds run riot During the seven months ending Jan. 31 Inst the total value of merchandise imported into the Philippines was $17,--’.•99.167, as against $12,1574,705 for the same period a year before. The total of exports, for the same period was $12,637,359, as against $8.31*5.530 for a similar period the previous year, being an increase of 42 per cent in the value of Imports ami of 52 per cent in the value of exports. Gold and silver were imported to the value of $1,790,223, as against sl,588,16? for the previous year. The value of the exports was $3,029,734 in 1901, and $1,446,291 for the seven.months of 1900. The value of imports of merchandise from the several countries during the seven months ended Jan. 31, 1901 and 19**0, was as follows: United States. 1901, $1,493,488; 1960, $890,010: an in crease of $603,478, or 68 per cent. European countries, 1901, $8,974,183; 1900. $5,270,766: an increase of $3.71X5.417, or 70 per cent. Asin. 1901, $7,327,582; 1900, $6.0*16.222; an increase of $1,321,560, or 22 per cent. Oceanica, 1901, $197,*583; 1900, $507,702; a decrease of $310,019, or 61 per cent. Other countries, 1901, $6.231: 1900, $5. The value of exports of merchandise to the several countries during the seven months ended Jan. 31, 1901, $1,477,611: 1900. $2,037,630. European countries, 1901, $7,983,751; 1900, $3,201,!558; Asia, 1901, $2,543,410; 1900, $2,774,464; Oceanica, 1901, $286,805; 1900, $242,245; other countries. 1901, $345,782; 1900, $49,533.

Statistics of farm labor and the wages paid in the several States and territories, have been prepared by the Agricultural Department. A greater number of persons are directly engaged in some form of agriculture than in any other branch of labor. There were 22,735,661 persons. 10 years of age and over, having gainful occupations in the United States in 1890, of whom 8.295,(‘>34, or 36.9 per cent, were engaged in agriculture; of these. 3,004,•Mil were agricultural laborers, the class whose wages are' the subject of this report. Agricultural laborers—that is, those who work for hire, are a decreasing element as compared with the entire farm ialmr of the United States. In 1870 they constituted 48.9 per cent, or nearly one half of the agricultural workers; in 1880, 43.6 per cent, and in 1890, 35.8 per cent, or little more than one-third. The latest year covered by this report is 1899. Farm wages per month, by the year or season, without board and with board, were higher in 1899 than 1898. In rate of wages, with board, per month by the year from 1898 to 1899, tbe smallest changes are in Georgia. Texas, and New Mexico, each less than 1 per cent. The highest gain wns in Minnesota. 10 per cent, followed by Wisconsin, nearly 10 per eent, Washington and Michigan, each 9 per cent; North Dakota. 8.5; South Dakota, 7.5 per cent; and Wyoming. 7 per cent. In the United States, as a whole, wages per month by the year or season, both with and without lioard, had their maximum in 1866, and their ininiiuuni in 1879. Sir William Van Horne, chairman of the board of directors of the Canadian Pacific Railroad, has estimated that the grain crop in the Northwest would roach a total of 100,000.000 bushels. ’’This is a bumper crop,” said Sir William, “and will allow the farmers a surplus for export trade. I suppose the great harvest has had an appreciable effect on the se curitics of the Canadiai! Pacific, but they are selling at figures which I believe should have been reached some time ngo.” Sir William, who is the active head of the American syndicate constructing the railroad in Cuba, stated that, begin ning Monday there would l>e 4,000 men at work on the roadbed of the road.

William Jennings Bryan la branching out as an editor, ami recently placed on file in Washington a bill of sale by which he acquired the ownership of the National Watchman, which first appeared as the Silver Knight Watchman. The consideration named in the bill is SS. and the transfer includes the publishing plant ns well as the newspaper. The ontrnges committed by armed guerrillas and bandits against innocent Filipinos continue to be rigorously dealt with by the authorities in the Philippines. The records in about twenty cases were received at the Wnr Department the other day. They show that the death penalty wns inflicted upon thirteen murderers by the military commissioner, aud that five offenders were sentenced to hard inlior of from fifteen to thirty yearn. Carnegie gave the town of Motherwell, Scotland, f50,C00 for n town hall.