Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-01-24
Late kilograms,
WASHINGTON.
Thc Duty on Oranges. 4. >.

'snc Duty on Oranges. r..
WASHINGTON, Jaa -.
Attorney General Williams has
written to Senator Sargent denying
! the assertion in the memorial OF the
! Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce,
| that he had rendered a decision to the
effect that tropical and semi-trop.cal
fruits for consumption can be admitted
free of duty. The question has never
been considered by his department,
and he is not aware that any such de-
cision has ever been rendered by any
other department of Government.
There is decided improvement in
the revenue. Collections from both
internal revenue and import duties,
are constantly increasing, though it
seems likely to be several months be-
fore the normal condition of business
will be restored. Expenditures on
great many public Improvements have
been stopped and the drafts on the
Treasury for two or three months will
be accordingly much lessened. The
increase Of the revenue and deduction
OF expenditures will cooperate to
make the debt statement for January
much more favorable than for Decem-
Der. The same influence will be active
through February and March, and
there is very good reason to believe
that for the first three, months of the
present year, taken together, there
will be no material increase of the
public debt. About half of the S44,.
100000 reserve is in circulation. Some
what more than half of it has been
drawn, but $4,000, 900 appears as a cur
rency balance in the Treasury:
Mr.. Garfield, of Ohio, introduced in
the House yesterday joint resolution
providing that the vacancies in the
Board Of Regents of the Smithsonian
Institute, of the class "other than
members of Congress" be filled by the
appointment Of Asa Gray, of Massa-
chusetts, in place of Louis Agassiz, de-
ceased; J. ID. Dana, of Connecticut, in
place of Theodore d.. Woolsey, and
Alexander Y. Stewart of New York, in
place of VIM. b. Astor, whose terms
have expired; and that John Mclean,
of.New Jersey, and Peter Parker, of
Washington City, whose terms have
expired, be re-appointed.
& A bill was introduced in the House
yesterday providing for bureau of
nationalinternal Improvements, which
authorizes the creation of q bureau,
consisting of the Chief Engineer of the
Army, Secretary of the Smithsonian
Institute, the superintendent Of the
National Observatory, and the Com
missioner of Agriculture, to organize
acomprehensivc and general survey
OF the United States, with especial ref
erence as to advising Congress as to
the establishment of uniform, con-
nected and continuous system of i'm
provements tending to develop the re-
sources of the country. The bill pro-
vides for the execution of work order
ed by Congress under the direction of
this bureau.
The House Committee on Foreign
Affairs held a meeting this morning
and distributed the work before it to
various subcommittee. All memo
rails, petitions, bills and resolutions
with reference to the recognition of
T Cuban, belligerency We're referred to
the Chairman, Mr.. Orth, with instruc-
tons to report "a bill on the subject,
for their action.
The House Committee on Territories
discussed to-day the bill rece ntly in
troduced concering the execution of
the laws in the territory of Utah,
whichprescribes more fully the duties
of United States judges and morshals,
and the means of obtaining jurors in
the courts of that territory. They de-
cided to hold three sessions week
until the bill is disposed of.