New-York tribune., 1874-04-22
THE PACIFIC MAIL SUBSIDY QUESTION.


Senate bill.
THE PACIFIC MAIL SUBSIDY QUESTION.
The House Committee on Appropriations ana tno
House Committee on Commerce held joint meet
ing to-day on lthe subject Of the proposed coht'nu
ance of the contract with the Pacific Mail SteamShp
Company for semi-monthly mail service between
San-Francisco and China, al an additional subsidy
of S5O0,00O per annum. John Roach OF the Morgah
Iron Works of Ncw-York, and Delaware River snip
building Company, made an argumentative s'aVc'
ment showing the desirabilty of preserving the COM
merce of the Pacific to an American line and ufe'ns
the propriety of giving the Company further tne III
which to provide the necessary iron steamships W
perform the increased service in accordance Win
the reduirements of the contract. 1t was agreeu
that each Committee shall appoint sub-comlnlttee
of three members who, IN connection Win sup
committee on postal affairs will consider TINS sulect
and report to their respective coihiIrttes rt cra
action should be taken regarding It,. me oecre-
tary of the Navy will also be invited 10 oAPio''
his views on the same subject
THE EXPENDITURES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE.
The alleged neglect or refusal Of number OF
clerks of district courts to report the amount OF
received and turn to the Treasury the surplus
over the amount they allowed by law to retain,
turns ont to be an exaggeratlon. The Committee OH
Expenditures in the Department of Justice, on IN
yeStlgatlnQ the matter, 1Ounu only one Cicih ."
fault This was Jas. Mcpherson of the Southern
District of Georgia, and he it appears. made haste
to settle his accounts when he found he was 10 DO
the subject of Congressional inquiry. After tne
Committee sent subpoena for him to appear WIN
his books and accounts, the Attorney-Generai IN
formed them that he had made satisfactory set.lc W.
ment with the proper accounting oincels oi .ne
Treasury.
THE ALLEGED IRREGULARITIES IN THE PoSi-
OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
The House Committee on Post-Ofices and Post
Roads had a meeting to-day relative to the charges
made of alleged Irregularities in connection win
mail lettings, &c, and adjourned till Friday. III 10
stated by several members Uf the Committee that
the troubles of which complaint is made seem 10
result from defects in the law designed to prevent
straw bidding, and do not involve any inten-
tional wrong-dolng by the Department. 1t is also
stated that many if not ALL of the charges preferred
by Representative Stone were investigated IN the
last Congress- and that the majority report OF the
Committee at that time fully exonerated the De-
partmeDt.
THE TEXAS MILITARY TELEGRAPH PROJECT.
According to the estimates of the Chief Slgnai
Officer it will cost only 800 mile to build the pro-
jected military telegraph in Texas, if the work Is
done by the soldiers under the direction of men IN
sructed at the headquarters of the Signal Corps at
Fort Whippe, near Washington. If the line is con-
structed by contract the cost will be $500 per nIe
This information was laid before the Hodse to-day,
and was Just day too late to be of any service for
the bill for the construction of the line which 1t re-
ferred to passed yesterday no one appearing au
the time TO have any very trustworthy data az 70
the cost of the work.