Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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servaton has attracted in this country and even few States have made any eforts to prevent the wan ction of the forests, and to laws as will tend to keep -df merchantable lumber. In State our -eople have been al Skless in he destruction of timber without even realizing it is not likely that we will be WYet to arouse them to the im ,otthe subject. The State of tk Is foremost in the work of pIeservation. and while this ejet in its infancy even in that W01goecomplishing much that will able benefit to the futi're. ent of Agriculture has a ilvision and its officers are antime to assist in the way .01ag land :owners as to the t. pursue either for the n of- standing timber er of lapd' that is entirely open 1[oung trees or with seed. One i st Important things in con 'te work is to instruct the tothe .real value of their _ds,.andla this way prevent frgenx ignorantly disposing of e.s,hat are far below their e department of agri eastIcon)ection with Clem . is-f~work of beginning and *iu Ier thi preservation of lght be left to this insti a few thousand dol O;his work would pay big i PURCHASE ' EXPOSI 2 TION. 'wiI be the one hundredth the purchase fy the of the Louisiana Terri ---territory was pur AUe in 1863, and at nearly all of the Arkansas, Mis 0nnesofa, North and N4bteka, a. great part thalndfan Territory, Colo iiand all of Oregon and. eleBrate the cen of this event, the * xposition-will be MO. during 1903. The 'tior desire - edoeratin of the ."the Union In this Sm ion ollars have for.this p0rpose by and $10,009, of . Louis, and al t ive made aRpro hg and exhlbits. rhielthe Exposition -4- arpatriotic one slition will be, good accomp - GV~RMENT. th 1 which thef county - xes largely the of taxat1id upon ' ~o the, -interest coe nstttion fshouald niot .be Sspeelal legisla ul'ounties; but 4o~to adopt'auch ~. gte cosat of 'the *6ibistration of tbe ~eeoliighways andi ~9Osupport of the e institutions, ' . hich there is )While It is true -ary:Ia the differ' - as ttua that there * -~~*~tointyin out~coun n.As .the law now ey'colnuty in the Tw from every b~j~ e1gwA igeneral, ~.~a~As are excepted There s~hould be ; f out conditions m atters may be * ~~~tet counties, but - -~e-ngOmt.y'in re a~bthan at present. ieQulres It. ~ O-an4o to :dmi - afar as possible Sment -Law will be thne people and shduld tion has been called to Snmber of times, iand legislatIon, on certain idnhited by the Constitui vr ession of the General tnsanumber of laws rea * ~ 4qchtdi speeial subjects.. special laws bave fre he~f ~ire&unconstitutional seemsalgmost impos ~ sei~alof ,the counties the te1 hege been no Courts ~n p~zt o- ke uncertaintey of the onlt7 of the jury law,. and Innow before the Supreme 'r 4udicationl. This law and Iaqi regard to corporatiOns rgse morFe' trouble during tlie past ee I snargely because of the uncer a~Rty% f~ o what the law is. Such leg e itiou should .be ,earefully watched -aw?avoid.ed, if possible. - TATE GEOLOGIST. Saegardance with an Act passed jtthe last session, on the 30th - of Sril Er. Earle- Sloan. of this State, -was appointed State Geologist; He im Cana diately entered upon the disch'rge 7e thel duties of the office. In view of the South Carolina Inter-State and esti lndian Exposition and the ad aatges: to the people of the State rm an exhibit of the structural min -anand forest products, a great por z\ton of the attention of the State Geoc K ogst has been directed to securingZ a ceditable collection for exhibition. Ehere was not even a mieleus of a $61eton in the State. This has givnn th.State Geol-ogist very little time for tirough examination of the mineral ties, but has afforded a valuable iaar,basis for more complete Ssystematic work. SthoroOgh survey of the mnarine hate beds of the State is now mn ewith a view to determining - xtent and approximate value of State's resources in phospha~.e 1 Unon the completion of this ex amination It Is the purpose of the State Geologist to undertake a system atic study of the clays and kaolins of this State in order to determine their manufactured value. The State Geologist has responded to many demands by citizens for an expert opinion in regard to the min eral features of South Carolina, and much general information has been furnished. Of course a great deal could not be accomplished in a few months, but sufficient has been done to demon strate the wisdom of the Legislature in providing a State Geologist and a De Lartment of Geology. The State Geol. ogist tenders the State the gratuitous use of the scientific instruments and apparatus in his private laboratory provided, the State shall furnish him with an assistant to perform chem ical analyses and assist in clerical work for the State Geological Survey. Th,w equipment does not comprise special apparatus and furnaces for making practical working tests of china' clays, fire clays, tile clays, brick clays, and for the fire assays of gold ores, etc. The sum of twelve hundred dollars would afford a satisfactory equipment and the sum of six hundred dollars would cover a year's cost of chemicals and incidentals. These should be farn ished and the State Geologist should be given an assistant and required to have his laboratory and office in Co lumbia. The assistant could remain in the office at Columbia and be able to answer inquiries from citizens who --t desire to consult this depart in case the Geologist were ab seia on a survey or making investiga tions. I woul4 ilso recommend that you provide suitable funds for the publication of the results of the work of the Geological Survey in special bulletins to be issued from time to time in order to. afford readily avail able information on'such subjects in response to the many inquiries receiv ed. I would also suggest and recommend the consolidation of the offices of State Geologist and Phosphate Inspec tor, both as a matter of economy and of increasedfficiency. The phosphate mines come. properly under the De partm.ent of Geology and the Depart ment of Geology could very properly and appropriately look after the ,phos phate interests of the State. By TAs arrangement you could very easily furnish an assistant to the State Geo logist without an increase of appropri ations. The Department of Geology is a 'ery important one and should re ceive your encouragement. SOUH CAROLINA INTER-STATE AND WEST *INDIAN EXPOSI TION. At your last session you wisely made .an appropriation of $50,000 for the erection of a State building at the South Carolina Inter-State and West Indian Exposition. Under the provis ions of 4hat Act I appointed as State Commissioners Hon. Louis Appelt, of laning' Capt. Thos. Wilson, of Gades; Col. John B. Cleveland, of oL. -John B. Cleveland, of Spartan burg, and Capt. P. W. Wagener, presi dent of the Exposition Company. The Board of Commissioners subs,equently elected Mr. A. W. Love, of Chester, as superintendent of the State exhibit and building, and Mr. August Kohn as seretary and auditor of the board. The Commission made contracts for the erection of the Palace of Agricul ture,,and it is gratifying to state that the State building is perhaps the handsomest en the Exposition grounds. The collection of the ex~ hibts, which are entirely cred?itable, was largely under the personal super vision of Superintendent Love, who worked in conjunction with the .au thorities of the 'Exposition company. 'The Expositioni is a decided success and reflects credit upon the State and upon the South. The great purpose for which it wvas undertaken, the bringing of our own people into closer touch. enlarging our trade relations with the Ltin States, and displaying to the whole world the resources snd advan tages of this State and of -the South, under the excellent management which has the Exposition in charge, must and will be accomplished, and South Carolina.should feel a just pride in this success. -It is proposed, when the ExposiRion Is over, to make a permanent park out f the beautiful grounds. This would be a commendable close for the great enterprise, and it would be a handsome act on your part to'turn over th- ~tate uilding to the Exposition Company or its successors at the close of the Exposition, and such a course has my hearty approval. -TRUSTS. Recently the business an,d political wrorlds have been startled by great ombinations of capital seeking to drive 'smaller 'competing industries to the wall and to acquire complete con trol of the products and supply of cer tain articles of trade which are neces sries and which the people must have at almost any price. In a great many instances these combinations have been successful in their efforts to con trol the national market and the pow er they wield is immense. There is no doubt that it has taken business ability of a high order thus to gain control of a commodity and that without this abil-ity it could nct have been done. It is also true that the trusts, if rightly conducted, could be of benefit instead of an evil to the consumer. But as 'soon as a monopoly is acquired the tenden cy is to oppress, and with the great power which these combinations wield the oppression may become unbeara ble. This tendency has become so marked, and the evils resulting there from so patent, that it has led to much national and State legislation on tue subject. but in most instances toor.o avail. Combinations. are stll forming and those al ready - in existence are becom in more powerful. The tendency to wards centralization of wealth is be coming more marked every day. The trst is seeking to control every line of industry and capitalistic monopolies are becoming too powerful. It is only recently, however, that te trust has invaded the borders of thi State, but at present it is active in eeking to gain control of the sup py of those commoditieS in whicai it deals. In 1897 the General Assemnbly of-+ SothCaoina passed an Act "to prohibit trusts and combinations and to provide penalties," and at your last session a Joint Resolution was passed directing that the Attorney General of the State be "required to forthwith institute an investigatio4 to determine by what authoiity tle Virginia-Caro lina Chemical Company is doing busi ness in this State," and "whether said company or any person or corporation who may be engaged in any busi:ne-s within this State has violqted or is violating the provision of the laws of this State prohibiting trusts and com binations," and directing him to in stitute such proceedings as might be necessary to punish violators of said laws against trusts and combinations. Proceeding under these instructions given him by you, the Attorney Gen eral instituted a thorough investigation to determine whether this compauy is entitled to do business in this State under these laws of the State "pro hibiting trusts and combinations." A full and elaborate report, showing the work he has done and his plans, will be submitted to you. In the beginning he calls attention to the difficulties he had to encounter. The anti-trust aws have only recently been enacted in this country, and especially in this State, and are not fully developed. On the other hand they are as yet "embry onic and chaotic," in some parts being too sweeping and in others not cover ing the entire ground. These combina tions are organized secretly, and it is a most difficult matter to obtain defi nite information in regard to their formation and the purposes for which they are organized, and definite infor mation must be had in order to begin an action in the Courts. If an unlaw ful combination exist "the proof of the facts tending to establish its existence is locked up in the records of the par ticipating corporations." As you will see from the Attorney General's re port, difficulties of this kind are the ones that confronted him in his every move. . Especial attention is called to the defects In the laws of thts State regu lating corporations. It has been the tendency in this State to give corpora tions almost unlimited powers, such as the "unlimited power to deal in real estate," "the power to acquire and transfer shares of stock in other cor porations,". "the power to place under mortgage or deed of trust its franchise es, as well as all or any of its proper ty." When a foreign corporation com plies with certain "provisions and re quirements," which "provisions and requirements" amount to -little or nothing It "'shall enjoy the rights' of domestic corporations." In short, the tendency In this State has been to give corporations the same power to carry on busine.' which is accord'ed to the private individual. This principle is wrong. Corporations are creatures of the State. created by the State "not as the concession of a right, but as a favor bestowed," and mzs such creatures the State has a right to inquire into their affairs and methods of transact ing business, and 'when it is satisfied their methe.s are such as are not con ducive to the welfare of a majority of the people, then that State which cre ated them has the right to put them out of existence. The Attorney Genieral suggests sev eral amendments to our existing anti trust laws and the enactment of seve ral new la.ws. He has madie a thorough Investigation of this question of con trolling the trust's and his excellent report shows much study and care in its preparation. It is worthy your most careful and thoughtful con1sideration and my purpose is simply to direct your attention to that report. -RAILROAD COMMISSION. The annual report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners for the year just closed is one of the most complete that has been issued from this depart ment Thirty-nine (39) miles of new mileage have been built and opened for traffic during the year. The Com mission has had many important and difficult problems with which to deal, affecting' both the railroads and the people. The solution of these problems, ad well as the condition of the rail roads in the State', is fully stated in the report of the Board, and your attention is directed- to this report for informa tion concerning this.department of the State government. SrATE HOSPITAL FOR THE IN SANE. The constant accumulation of themi sane in asylums has been one of the most startling features in the history of the great charities of the cenitury just closed, these great asylums be ing at once the pride of the humani tarian and a stumbling block to the legislative economist. In origin our State Hospital dates among the very first, and it is now entering upon the eightieth year of its existence. Although unfortunately lo cated within a city, when it should have been long since removed to the country, f't has fu]filled its important mission in our Commtonwealth and given shelter to over 10,000 inmates. During the past year the admission of 459 patients has been the largest in the history of the institution. The growth of the Hospital during 'the last quarter of a century, and es pecially during the last decade has' been a matter of deepest concern to all entrusted with its administration, to the Executive and Legislative braneh es none the less than to the managing officers. The problem has been to pro vide with due economy for all unfortu nates within our borders who require the restraining care of an asylum, while excluding such persons who for various reasons .nay not properly be considered subjects for such charity. To draw this line justly to the affict ed and to the taxpayers is a problem not easy of solution. A brief statistical review may serve to present the numerical and finan cial sides of the q.uestion. Total Daily Total Per Ypar.Ptints. Average. Expenses. Capita. 175.. 428 312 $ 83.182 $210 40 S8.. 541 3 7 84.007 214 04 18 '5.. 914 593 336 977 146 34 1!0. .1014 754 10",744 13- 05 195. .1157 S27 113 3:32 116 76 15 : 0 .1461 104:3 327.181 102 71 101..1493 lo~s 135.3'6 103 '0 The per capita is based upon the ac tual yearly expense for support and ments. From these instructive figures doe no include r.Armanlent improve ments. From these instructive figures it appears that while the population of the institution has more than trebled In the total number as well as in the daily average, under care the total annual expenses have by rigid economy been kept at ibout the same figures, while the cost per patient has been re duced over one hundred dollars. The specific appropriation for supp'rt proper has been about $100,000.00 far nearly twenty years. In his report for 1900 Supt. Babeock expressed the opinion that it was "doubtful in view of the present pri ces of food stuffs and supplies whether the maintenance or support of patients can again be met for $100,000.00. For the next year it is probable that thc sum total for this itei will be ab:vc $105,000.00." The result has been as predictedl. and the necessities of the hospital have required an average monthly expenditure of over $9.000.00, and the opinion is now advanced by the Superintendent that for the next few years the monthly expenses for support alone will average $10,000.00. in view of the figures above shown and the expenses for maintaining the insane elsewhere the question suggesrs itself whether a too rigid economy has not heretofore been exercised .in the management of the finances of the Hospital. As to the prospect of,reducing the number of admissions the Board bf Regents make clear in their report that their conception of the propcr man agement of their charge lies in the -i.. rection of the broadest philanChropy and charity with the greatest good to, the greatest number. The Regents therefore hesitate to restrict the r.gt of admission of any bona fide ciz ze of our State who may require aylun care, and they are especially gaarded against recommending the refu?al of shelter to dependent old people, who would rightly fall to the custody of poor-houses if these county retreats made adequate provision for the aged and helpless. That the institution is imposed upon in the forced reception of non-resA dents I have during the pa7r year had personal experience and know'l'ge from corresponding with official of two neighboring States, who were pro hibite=1 by law from placin- persons formerly residentsvof this State in tbe.r charitable institutions. This question of "settlement," as it is technically called, has been referred to the Gen eral Assembly for sonle years, but no I action has been taken. It would now appear that it is a question of growing importance and that self-preservation now demands that we restrict the right of admission of non-residents to the Hospital r.s has been done by our neighbors. The Regents and Superintendenits call attention to the. need for the ex pansion and develQpment of the Hos pital of a small area of land-three and a quarter acres-adjoining the present grounds of the negro building and recommend its purchese at about I$4,000.00 one thou.sand dollars being 'paid annually until the whole is paid. As the ultimate benefit to the Hospital of this land will be great in compar ison with the annual appropriation asked for, I join in the recommenda ion. - THE STATE PENITENiTIARY. The annual report of this instituton will be submitted to you. The year .iust closed has been 'a hard one on m'tst farmers, and the State farms have not Ibeen an exception. Especially have the State farms suffered, as a large por tion of the land lies on the river an.I is subject to overflow. The'year has been very unsatisfactory agricultural ly. The oat crop in the. swamp lands was entirely lost. Three stands of corn were drowned by the overflow of Ithe bottom lands and, therefore, 'but little corn was made. The crop on the upland was fairly good. The new prison building has been Icompleted and adds much to the comn fort and health of the prisoners. The institution, however, has cdone remarkably well and makes a good showing, even through great loss was sustained on account of the high wa ters, and evidences careful and pra dent management on the part of the Superintendent and the Boar of Di rectors. CONVICT STATEMENT. Prisoners in confinement De cember 31, 1900 ...--.-----.-- I5 From Courts since.that time. .235 Recaptured.........------8 243 1,038 Dscharged...-.....-- ---178 P adoned.......-- .--- .--... 6 Escaped ....-.. ------ -------16 Killed while trying to escape.. 1 D Died...........---------4*27 Acidentally killed.......--2-250 Ilnprison December 31, 1901 -..-. 788 FINANCES. Balance cash on hand Dec. 31, 1900 .. .--...$ 3,933 13 Total rceipts ' for 1901 .. ...-....70,823 48-974,756 61 Crrent ,expe-nses for 1901.-------4,726 46 Expended for per manent improve: ments .1901... .15,243 13 Cash in bank De enber 31, 1901 11,787 02-$74,756 61 In addition to this there is already earned for the year 1901, in sight and aailable, $6,150 and 100 bales of cot ton somewhat damaged unsold. CONCLUSION. In whatever legislation you enact you should keep in mind the happiness and prosperity of the people of the State. The public treasury-should be carefully guarded at all times, but es pecially at this time should you be careful and economical i.n appropriat ing the people's money. Whatever you undertake that looks~ to the uplifting and betterment of the people andi the progress and development of the State will have my co-operation. The legis ative and executive dopartments should unite their best efforts'to bring credit to the Commonwealth and to maintain a government which will keep before the people the highest ideals of civic virtue. M. B. McSWEENEY, Governor. Convict Labor on -Eoads. TEE suggestion which was some time ago made in these columns t'.at able bodied in mates of prisons and peniten tiaries 'e set at work building im proved roads seems at last to be acted upon to a considerable extrent, and wi'1 g-atifying results. TLe convicts Li the State prisons are as a rule other wise emplicyed. but those in charge of the penitentiaries have not been able to provide work in prison shops for the prisoners under their control, and so i have sought it outside. In eight or i more counties of this State the pFni tentiary prisoners are employed eLher at road building or at crushing stono for road building. It is not known that any bad effects have been experienced from the undertaking, while t'ie good effects are numerous and obvious. Among the latter these are conspicu ous: The prisoners have the physical and moral benefit of healthful labor in the open air; the prisoners are made to pay their way instead of being a heavy charge upon the community; the construction of good roads is promoted and the cost of them is decreased; and the number of prisoners is diministed, for tramps and other "sons of rest" avoid counties where comrittal to the penitentiary means stone treaking and road building. It may be added that one of the chief objections to the system-the offensive parading of con victs in the public view-has been found groundless, for no one would take the penitentiary prisoners work ing on the roads ta be other than or dinary laborers. There is reason to believe that this cystem might profitably and properly be extended throughout the State, and be applied to the inmates of State pris ons as well as of penitentiaries-when other work fails. The prisoners might also be employc.d at repairing and maintaining the roads after they are built. Most of the prisoners at Sing Sing are now at work, but it is not long since that most of them were idle and were seriously suffering, mor ally and physically, from enforced ileness. And yet within a few hours' drive of Ossining are hundreds of miles of road that are in' their badness a reproach to the community and a cause of 7exation and of actual pecun iary loss to all who are compelled to use them. We doG not mean, of ccurse, that counties said towns are to wait until prisoners ean be secured to bu'ld good roads. But whenever and wher ever able bodied prisoners are idle thle reproach of bad roads is aggravated t vofold. All roads should be made and kept good, 'and all prisoners who. are able to work should be kept at healthful and profitable work. These are two rules which should be con stanty observed, and between which an intimate relationship Is to be found. -New York Tribune. Aa Erxnple of thle Benle-ts. An example of the benents of good roads to a country town is well Let foth by General Eg G. HarriEon, of the Road Inguiry Ofiice, Department: of Agriculture. He found, that good: roads made Morristown, a little New: Jersey village, a centre of culture and sociability because the people for miles around, finding travel on the highways easy and comfortable, sought rela:ation and improveulent and drove into the town to find them. And still better, the gced roads gave a great im:petus to free ru-al postal delivery. He says: In that section more thaan double the number of mi'es were covered by car rier than on common roads, and now these mails; are delivered from house to house at less cn)ense than rihen the mnail was carried undcr the star rcute system frcm village to village, and left at the store cr postomee; a saving of $830 on those roads. I was interested in get ing the res'-lt of that free rural delivery, and hcre it is. I will give :it to you in round numbers, so you can remember it. It was es tablished and went in force in July, 189; for the month of July a little shcrt of 1500 pieces were carried.,~ In the month of December of that year) 2303 were carried. Now, take the same months in the year 1S90. ID July there were 3500, and In Decem ber, SO000 pieces carried, and a little over. Now, you see, there is some improverent there. That r.ight be] n lines of busineso, but it is mor'e likely that it stirred up social interest and letter writing, which all tends .to develop the country. Now, here is a further result. You know th > city de livery is by rules ci: the Postodice Dc partet only put in citIes, and it is established wherQ the city's popula tin is 10,003, or where the annual 1 receipts of the postoftice are $10,03) and over. The result of this Is that now Morristown, N. J., has a city de lvery, because the receip:s havo come c,' to the reauired ('10,00J0. These ares oe cf the results of the system of oo roadc.-New York Tribune. Benenit For Road Taxes. Those who objected to the high taxes for road improvement last spring may ?rd themselves more heavily taxed with bad roads than if compelled to pay cash to the collector. In some por tions of the State farmers are almoet blockaded when heavy snows fall or the frost is leaving the ground. More enet is derived from road taxes man rcm any other sums expended in the ommu ty-.. hladelnhia Record. MILITIA IS PRAISED. Wjutant General Speaks Hihly of Our Soldiers. Adjutant General Floyd's .annual rc ort is rapidly nearing comPletion. It , to be transmittcd through the gdv rinr to the geeral assembly. In his nLrcductory remarks Gcn. Floyd ,ays: "it gives me pleasure to note thc ucreasing inteiest and enhusia4in hat pervades every branch of the -rvice. And the daily additions tbt re being made by enlistraent in the -anks from among the young men :wilng from the various militaryu chools of the State are comforting .nd assuring of an even advancing friiency. The interest your excel eney has evinced in the past and the neouragement you have always given nakes it useless to suggest that you rgo upon our law-makers the, ii ortance of liberally supporting our olunteer troops. The zeal and pa lence they evince, the sacriaces tfey ao, the money they contribute Gf heir own private means, in the ef orts to serve the State; aye, the dig ity and pride of the commonwealtb, he safety of life and property, the nsul'ance of peace and good order, 11 demand it. And it will be a -uly nerltorioiis act, which all good citid :ens will sanction and endorse "when south Carolina follows the example if her sister States in the matter of )roviding ample appropriations for er volunteer soldiery." "The annual appropriation- for last Iccade, made by the national gov rnment for arming and equipping Lhe militia of the States has - Ute 40,000, each State drawing its pro raa .s.ha're according to populat;,on. n March, 1900, the Interstate Na ional Guard association composed of he adjutant generals of the States, issembled in convention at Washing ton for the' purpose of urging and imi pressing upon congress the paramount importance of increasing the annual -.ppropriation for eq-aipping the idi Itia of the country. The conventicu was largely attended, 39 States of thc Unon being represented. -Upon re quest of the convention the com - 1tee on militia and millitary' of both houses of congress granted to Dur association a most courteous and patient hearing which resulted in the passage of a bill by congress, In reasing the appropriation , froni $40,000 to $1,000,000 annually, mak ing the increase of South Carolina a uota from $3,000 to about $18,S88. It was my privilege and gratification toa~ attend the convention of adjutant enerals on the above occasion ran*l o present to the congressional dam.-' mittee the views I entertained as tor the necessities of a thoroughly equip ped volunteer service, and why I cn eived it but right and just that Th ational government should make' mple provision therefor. It is my pleasure to report that the increa.se f appropriation has enabled me the urrent year to supply almost the en tire service with modern accoutrc ments. And during the coming year and before the expiration of my p:r qnt term of office I confidently hor ohave every company -in the Statcr s ompletely and modernly equipped' s the regular army, witlh the excep tion of the 'magazine rile,' the in troucton of whlch will have to be gradual on account of the price. In :onnction herewith I inay add that has notified the States that the Kr'ag Jorgensen rifles would be issued oi. equistion for arming the inilitta) mng the adjutant generals and nilitary men of long service in the militia there has been tonsiderghlc disussion as to the wisdom of arm ing the militia with the magazine rifle. With deepest interest and after exhanECive inquiry, I find that he general opinion of officers high in rank in our own State militia (some of whom have had practical war ex erIence with the magazine rifie) is hat for all purposes the best gun for he volunteer service is the: 45 cali bre Springfield~ rifle, and their con clusons are based upon the sin plicity of its make, its resistance to hard usage and the case with which It can be kept clean and in order, while the magazine gun is of delicate nechanism, complicated, easy to get ut of order, hard to keep clean, and; or execution no better tirn the~ sprnged except for long di2tance.. "As to my position in the, matter, am led, after critical examination )t the Krag rlae, to agree to the~ tove opinion, but would advise, how 3ver, that a few be procnrred from he next year's a.ppropriation so that each company msay have a squad rmed with the Krag rifle f'or target ractice, and in order that the. men nay become gradually familiar and! klled in its use." No Quarantine Necessary/ Jacksonville, Fla., Spee!al.-Dr'. J. . Porter, State health officer of the state of Florida, has- issuede a letter for he information of the public, from rhich the following is quoted: "It his ot been thought necessary to issue my special instructions on the snb at of Quarantine regulations for this vinter. There has been so little fever n Cuba this year that the quarantine ason was not prolonged. The vacci ation requisite for leaving Cuba is in rce as usual. There is no disinfection ff baggage or other interruption to ravel other than an inspection of pas ngers prior to leaving Cuban ports." Vield of WVheat Washington, Special.-The statisti dn of the Department of Agriculture stimates the average yield per acre of heat in the United States in 1001 at A.8 bushels, as compace-d with 12.3 ushels in 1900, 12.3 bushels in IS!I9. 5.3 bushels in 1SOS, anid 13.3 bushels - he mean averages of the last ten years. 'h newly seeded arca of winter wheat. s provisonlly estimated at 32,000,000 res, an increase of 3.6 per cant. upon he area estimated to have been sown the fall of 190'0.