The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1868-12-25


! specially instructed 10 examine the To-
cation, construction, and equipment
OF their road. | submitted for the o.
/ piniOn of the Attorney-General certain
! questions in regard to the authority Of
! the Executive which arose upon this
! report, and those which had from time
/ TO time been presented by the COM
nissioners appointed to inspect each
successive section Of the work. After
/ carefully considering the law of the
case, he affirmed the right of the Exec
utive to order, if necessary, q thorough
revision of the entire road. Comtais-
/ sioners were thereupOn appointed to
! examine this and other lines, and have
recently submitted statement of their
/ investigations, of which the report of
| the Secretary of the Interior furnishes
/ specific Information.
The report Of the Secretary Of War
/ contains information OF interest and
/ importance respecting the several
/ bureaus Of the War Department and
1 the operations of the army. The
strength of our military force, on the
/ Both of September last, was forty eight
/ thousand men, and it was computed
that by the first of January next, this
! number will he decreased to forty
/ three thousand. It is the opinion Of
| the Secretary of War that within the
next year considerable diminution
of the infantry force may be made
! without detriment to the interests of
the country and in view Of the great
expense attending the military peace es-
tablishm2ut, and theabsolute necessity
| of retrenchment wherever it can be ap-
piled, it is to be hoped that Congress
will sanction the reduction which his
report recommends While in 1850
sixteen thousand three hundred men
cost the nation SIG, ,472, 900. the sum of
$50, $50, 600 is estimated as necessary
/ for the support Of the army during the
fiscal year end:nr June 80, 1870. The
estimates of the War Department for
the last two fiscal years were, for 1867,
S}}3, 81, iGl, and for 1865, $2J, Dos, ,G69.
The actual expenditures during the
same periods were, respectively, $9G,-
224 ,4lj and Sl23. .2i6,64S. The estimate
submitted in December last for the
fiscal year ending June %, 1869, was
81, 124, ,707 the expenditures for the
first quarter, ending the 30th of Sep
tember last, were ST ,2l9 III, and the
Secretary of the Treasury gives $685.
GOO 000 as the amount which will prob
ably be required during the remaining
three quarters, if there should be no
reduction Of the army-makiug its ag-
gregate cost for the year considerably
in excess of ninety-three Millions
The difference between the estimates
and expenditures for the three fiscal
years which have beer named is thus
shown to be SI75, ,3f3 for this single
branch Of the public service.
the report Of the Secretary of the
Navy exhibits the operations Of that
Department and Of the navy during
the year. 4 considerable reduction Of
the force has been effected. There are
forty-tw0 vessels carrying four hun
dred and eleven guns, in the six squad
rOns which are established in different
parts of the world. Three Of these YES
sells are returning to the United States
and four are used as stOreShips, leaving
the actual cruising force thirty five
vessels, carrying three hundred and
titty-siX guns. The total number Of
vessels in the navy Is two hundred and
six, mounting seventeen hundred and
forty-three guns. Eighty-One vessels
of every description are in use, armed
with six hundred and ninety-siX guns.
The number Of enlisted men in the
service, including apprentices, has
been reduced TO eight thousand five
hundred. An increase Of navy yard
facilities is recommended aS measure
which will, in the event of war, be
promOtive OF economy and security
\ more thorough and systematic sur
vey of the North Pacific Ocean is adj
vised in view Of cur recent acquisitions.
our expanding commerce, and the in
cifc States and Asia. The naval pen
sion fund, which consists of a moicty
of the avails OfpriZes captured during
the war, amounts to $4,000, 900. EX-
cGptiOn is.taken to the act Of 23d July
last, which reduces the interest on the
fund loaned to the government by the
Secretary, as trustee, 10 three per cent.
instead of six per cent, which was
originally stipulated when the invest
meut was made. An amendment of
the pension laws is suggested to remedy
omissions and defects in existing enact
ments. The expenditures of the de-
partment during the last fiscal year
were $40, l20, ,39l, and the estimates for
the coming year amount to $2D, 1913, IA.
The OStmaStcrGtneral'S ; report fur
niSheS a full and clear exhibit of tn.
service The ordinary postal revenue
for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1868,
was SIG, ,2J2 500, and the total eNpendi-
lures, embracing all the service for
which special appropriations have
been made by Congress, amounted to
So. 40, ,J92, showing an excess Of eX-
penditures Of So, ~ ,90l. Deduction
from the expenditures the sum of ST.
096, ,525, the amount OF appropriations
for ocean steamship aud other special
service, the excess ofeXpenditurcs was
Si,5u 4G6. BY using an unexpected
balance III the Treasury Of $},SU0,093,
the actual sum for which Il special ap-
preparation is required to meet the de-
iicency is S741, 466. The causes which
produced this large excess of eXpeudi-
ture over revenue were the restoration
of service in the late insur@ent States.
and the putting into operation OF new
service established by acts Of Congress,
which amounted, within the last two
years and a half, to about 500 miles
equal to more than one-third of the
whole amount of the service at the
close of the war. New postal cOnyen-
tions with Great Britain, North Ger
many, Belgium, the Netherlands,
Switzerland, and Italy, respectively.
have been carried into effect. Under
their provisions important improve
ments have resulted in reduced rates
of international postage, and enlarged
mail facilities with European countries.
The cost of the United States trans
a Atlantic ocean mail service since Jan
uary /, 1866 has been largely leSsened
undertheoperatiOn Ofthese new conven-
tiOns, reduction OF over one-half haV-
ing been,eflected under the new arrange
ments for ocean mail steamship SER
vice which went into effect on that
date. The attention Of Congress is in
vited to the practical suggestions and
recommendations made in his report