Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-12-31

required for tina, purpose. In snch IN event
ysould respectfully refer Congress. TO my - re-
port, - containing the views Of the department
Ion the snbieot.
A critical examinations Of he estinstes fcf The
mart 6scal year submitted TO Congress, will exhib
n considerable redueton from former estimHses.
The remark 10 applicable 70 every dseartnent
where any discretion fas be exercised over the ex
penditurc In most cases tho amounts are hxed
by law. and can neither be increased nor dimin-
ished by the head vi the department. have en-
deavored 10 enforce the strictcst economy ~ the
various branches of the Treasury Department.
lin the single branch for collecting the revenue the
expense has been materially reduced by adopting
and carving out where the power existed, the re-
forms recommended in the bills for recognizing
the collection districts Of the United States &C..
submitted by the department to the last Congress
With further Reductions which IL is contemplated
to make. have felt warranted IN reducing the es-
innate for the expense Of collecting the revenue
for the next fiscal year five hundred Thousand dol
lars. The passage Of the bill to which have re-
ferred would greatly aid the department IN this
work Of refarm.
The public dsbt on lst July. 1858. rs stated in
nv last annual report. was S25. 1897 66. The
act of june II, 1853, authorized an additional
loan of $40, 100000, which has been accordingly
negotiated or this SIS, 620. 900 had been paid in
to the Treasury, and the stock issued therefor on
\ the lN OF july, lNDJ, the commencement VI ,"c
present fiscal year. A portion Of the remainder
has been since paid and che stock therefor issued.
The balance will doubtless DO SION completed,
which will make the permanent public debt S1o.-
1855, 997 &C.
! or the temporary public debt authorized by the
act Of December. %, 1851. providing for the issue
OF $40 900 900 in treasury notes, there were out
standing on the LIST July, 1s1S, AS shown by last
last report, SI975i,s00. On the 3Oth juno, 1859,
tho close of last fiscal year. the amount Of these
notes out.anding was $1,000, 800 The details
of the various descriptions OF the public debt on
the Both Juna, 1859, are shown by the statement
marked 3.
In the estimated means Of the Treasury for the
pre- sent and next fiscal years it will be seen that
no provision is made for the permanent redemption
OF any portion of the twenty millions OF Treasury
notes. The authority for re-issuing these nItes
will expire on the Both Of juno next, and it will
therefore be necessary for Congress 10 extend the
law for that purpose for another period.
On the DIST Of January last submitted to the
House Of Representatives, in answer to resolutions
Of that BODY u report in reference to the Export
and impor, trade Of the United State. with Great
Britain and France. The Investigation which
WAS required 10 make for that purpose brought 10
my attention the various systems adopted by diff
ferent countries Of obtaining and keeping CONNER
cial statistics. These systems are ~ variant TINT
| found it imprncticablc to institute any compari-
OF the facts exhibited in tho tables Of different
Governments which could be regarded nccu-
rate and reliable. Every commercial man will
pronounce such n state Of things IN evil OF great
magnitude and one which demands aprompt rem
edv, If it can be found.
TO avoid reconciliation Of the views prc.en.
tod in that report, and for the purpose OF bringing
the attention ofthe present Congress, append u
this report a copy OF that communication. marked
Il and would ask for it u consideration ut this
m | al putk n vi leupHt
be conferred upon the commercial interest Of the
country Mt so small an expense than the adopt III
by the leading commercial governments of the
world of n uniform system of commercial statistics
IA uniform unit and currency, and uniform
weights and measures. Upon one branch Of the
subject, valuable u.gestions will be iound the
accompanying reports Of tue Director Of the Mint
The importance Of the subject cannot DO uvcrcst-
mated mud it il hoped that it will receive tho car
fnl consideration Of Congress at it's present scs-
sion.
/ | must agnin cnll the attention of Congress to
the provisions Of the net Of March 3, 1887, on the
subject of deposits by disbursing agents. and re-
peat the recommendation heretofore made for its
mo 1ifcation In my former reports have pre-
SEN ted the reasons for some change Of that net NJ
fully that deem it unnecessary to do more at this
tmo than to refer to those reports, and, for the
reasons therein stated, ngan to request the action
of Congress on the subject.
The attention of Congress is particularly called
to the accompanying report from the engn in
charge Of the Bureau of Construction. 1t gives u
full and detailed account Of the operations Of that
bureau, charged with the construction of the va
rious public buildings under tho direction of this
department. The principal buildings now in
course Of construction the Treasury extension,
in this city. und the custom houses nj Charleston
and New Orleans These building. were com.
menced unler the direction of Congress before |
iptn ,ti.o Enah # ,,la ,at
an extensive scale, and large amounts have been
expended in their erection before my conuexion
with this department. For this neither my pro-
deccssors nor myself are responsible. Our duty
in the premises has been simply executive. I'm
der these circumstances ! submitted, ut the last
session Of Congress estimates for continuing the
work upon them during tho present fiscal year.
Having been commenced deemed il sound poll
cy and true economy to prosecute the works with
energy To their completion. The estimates sub
United at the last session made under that
conviction. Congress to"k different view Of tho
subject, and reduced the estimates to point
which seemed to 10 * merely To the duty OF pre-
serving the unfinished works from injury, and
suspendng, for the present ut least their compile
Iton. In accordance with the policy thus ind,ca-
ted, directed the operations on all these build
ing to DO brought within the means ut the dispo-
sal Of the department: and when those means
were exhausted to stop the work The report of
the engineer in charge will show that these direc-
tons have been thus far complied with. The bal
ances Of former appropriations will soon be ex-
hausted. when all further operations will be sus-
ipeuded. In accordance with the policy SO clear
v indicated by the action Of the last Congress,
have only estimated for sufficient sum to keep
them from injury for the next fiscal year. If
Congress should adopt different policy ut the
present session, and determine to continue opera
tons on these works, would respectfully refer t.,
the report of the engineer in charge for estimates
of the amounts that will be required dnring the
next fiscal year;
would again invite tho attention of Congress