, 1860-04-27

these cases the employees were halfbreeds
Two dollars may be taken as the lowest
rate At several Of the posts three dollars
was the lowest rate, and at Fort Dalles
and Fort Lane rates as high as four dol
lars and five dollars, respectively, were
paid. At one of these posts six dollars
per day were paid chief packers. The An-
ditor allows four dollars in the volunteer
service. In the regular service nine dol
lars per day were paid for an agent TO pur-
chase animals; the Auditor allows four dol
lars. Yet Inc fixes the minimum of the
regular service as the maximum of the vol
unteers, although the former was paid in
cash and the hitter was rendered on credit.
The Auditor has made some little dis
elimination in fixing the prices of supplies
in this, that he has adopted not Uniform
maximum for both Territories, as in the
case Of labor, &c, bnt has made some
slight changes of maximum from locality
to locality But for a given locality the
maximum is simply the average of the reg
ular purchases. The prices, when below
this average, as they frequently were, are
not raised to it, and thus he has actually
reduced the rates of supplies for the volun.
teer service below what the evidence ad-
duced in bis own report shows to have been
the cash prices paid by the regular service.
In fixing. however, these maxima, mol
being advised Of the peculiarities Of the ser
vice, as were the commission, he has come
to some very singular conclusions. Thus
hn hac allnWa1 .,LunI
for certhin supplies at Port Townsend than
At Olympia and Steilaeoom, aud evidently
based on the cost of transportation between
these localities. Now, during the whole
Indian war the cash prices of transporta-
tion ranged from four 10 six cents per
pound On Puget Sound, supplies were
procured IN large quantities in San Fran
cisco nnd in Portland, Oregon, and were
taken to the Sound by the Straits de Fuea.
This was especially the case with sugar,
coffee. blankets and clothing. Large guam
titles of -four and bacon were also procured
in this manner. They were generally pro
cured by special contracts; and as regards
all the purchases in San Francisco, by spc-
cial contracts with the Sound merchants,
and ut prices not rating higher than the
prices of the SAME articles sold to the citi.
zens by the same merchants at the ordina.
ry short credits of the country.
The Auditor has assn med the Oregon
bushel oil oats as thirty-fop opr pounds, where.
as it is forty pounds. ThiS is an important
matter. Lieutenant Sweifzer bought very
large quantities of hay and \oats in south
crn Oregon. His PURCHASES were made
during the first three or four months of the
war. Being in magnitude like those of the
volunteer service. they had the same effect
to drain the country and TO influence the
prices. He paid for oats from FIVE to
twelve aud half cents per pound, or from
two dollars 10 five dollars per bushel, and
at an average Of six and thyee-tenths cents
per pound, or two dollars and lfty-twO
cents per bnshel; aud for, hay from $50 to
$3.50 per ton, aud at an average Of $44 per
ton. The Auditors maximum for the vol
unteer is 81 per Lnshel for oats and $44
per ton for hay, which is not~certainly hav-
ing due regard to the prices current in
the country at the time. In the hire Of
animals. the regular service paid as high as
81 for horses, ,-S3 for mules, and 50 per
yoke Of oxen per day, and for hire of OK
teams with driver as high as $40 per day.
The Auditor allows 81 for horses, 81 %
for mules per day, but does not state what
lie has allowed lor hire of oxen or teams.
Again, in the regular service as high as
81 80 was paid Tor forging aud stabling
horses per day, 81 for pasturage and stab
ling per day, aud, and 81 for nights lodg
ing.
In the prices fixed by the Auditor for
animals, he is also equally wide Of the
mark. lie refers particularly 10 Lieuten.
ant Withers' purchase whilst quartcrmas.
ter at Vancouver aud givest Lieutenant
WitherS letter in relation toit. Mr.. Q. A.
Eastman, one Of the gentlemen to whom
Lieutenant Nilhers refers, and who was at
that time quartermaster's clerk at Vaneou
yer, in letter TO Mr.. Stevens, delegate
from Washington, under date of January
10, 1860, referring to these purchases Of
Lieut.. Withers, says:
"The purchases referred to were Of u
mixed character, ranging in price from,
think, as low as $50 up to 5000 or therea.
bouts, and in kind from the strong, rough,
hardy Indian horse up to hali-breeds and
full-blood American horses. They were
bought mostly for packing and general
train service, the use Of spies and guides,
and the temporary mounting of foot troops,
TO be returned to packing, &c, on the ex,
piraiion OF such temporary service. OF the