Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-11-26

iIg Issued to troops has proved sstisfac
tory, except the campaign hats, an
measures are being taken TO procur
more suitable ones ia their stead
Through the courtesy Of Sir Edwar
Thornton, 100 cork helmets, such as ar
worn by the British troops in hot couu
tries, have been procured, and are beinj
tried in Arizona. Clothing TO the vaiu
OF SlS4 04l has been Issued to III
National Home for Disabled Volunteers
leaving due that institution from the ap
preparation $50, 800. The animal
purchased during the year were, 102
mules, at al average cost Of Sl34 81; i
team horses, at an average cost o
Sl93 06; 1915 cavalry and ARTILLERY
horses, at an average cost of $3.50 So
total cost Of animals, $500 S95 "a, Their
were 1925 aHimals sold during the year
for which so, 90l IS was received anC
deposited in the United States treasury
The cost Of forage wss much increased
by the rayages Of the grOsshOppers ant
drought in certain localities, which con
sequently increased the expenditures OF
account of this class Of supply, and ne
cessitst ted the reduction Of the forage "a
tons slightly in order TO keep within the
appropriation. There were no army
wagons purchased during the year; but
the supply is now so reduced that it will
be necessary to replenish the stock with.
out delay, and the establishment OF 8
mandatory for that purpose is recon-.
mended. Measures have been taken Il
have the quaItermsster's Department
represented at the Centennial at Phila.
dsiphia next summer by display of az
ticles of supply. The passage of law
providing for the destruction or removal
to stOrehouse OF the accumulated mass
of useless paper is again urged"
POstmaster-GeneraI's Annual Report.
WASHINGTON, November 24.-The
| pOstmaster-genersl has completed his
annual report. He read it to- day to the
President from proofslips. The report
is shorter than usual. Mr.. TyDer, sec.
Ond assistant postmaster-general, has
| prepared letter containing the leading
facts relative to the transportation OF
the mails, to which the pOstmaster-gen-
eral refers ia his report The following
Is a synopsis Of Tyner's letter: The
transportation Of domestic mails is de-
nominated inland mail transportation to
distinguish it from the service required
In conveying foreign mails. 1t consists
! Of three kinds Of service:
! First--Such as is performed by railroads,
whose compensation is determined by
| the weight Of the mails and railway
! pOstOffice cars provided. The law author
| ICES the pOstmRs! er- general TO contract
with railway companies for carrying the
mails without advertising therefor.
| Second-SteambOat service, which
may be contracted for with or without
advertising, as the postmaster-geneT
| may believe the public interest and con-
venience shall require,
Third-An other service than that per-
| formed by railways and steamboats,,
and known in the department as "starp
| service.
The lswrequiTes that contracts for car
| rying the mails on ''starn routes shall
be made with the lowest bidder in each
case, who shall perform the service in
| accordance with q previous advertise
ment therefor. During the fiscal year
ended June 80, 1875, the cost Of inland
mail transportation was as follows, to-
wit: On 81 railroad routes, Rggregat-
ing 70,083 miles in length, S., 2l6, SIS; on
elghty-Dine steamboat routes, aggregSt-
ing 1888 miles in length, 1854, 100; on
1923 other routes designated as "star"
routes, aggregating 1920 miles in
length, IS, 453, 721; total cost during the
last fiscal year SIS, 1853 1853, which was an
ipcresse Of S776 miles in the length of
routes over the preceding year, and q
decrease of $4S, 68S in the cost thereof.
TIE appropriation to cover the eXpendi-
ture for inland transportation during the
present fiscal year is Sl7, 54S,0 eco. The
same sum is estimated for the next year.
An appropriation for the next year.
equal to that provided for this year, will
be sufficient. The law OF March
8, 1873, fixing the compelsa-
ton Of railroads for carrying
the mails, requires that their pay shall
be readjusted on the basis of the actual
weights OF mails carried thereon oncefn
every period of not more than four years.
At the close Of the last fiscal year the
mails were carried on eighty. four Iall-
roads in the United States whose pay
had net bsen determined under Ube law,
for the reason that no weights had been
taken of the mails they carried. The
cause of the delay in most OF these cases
originated IN cayelessness and the fail.
uTe OF the companies to take said
weights when asked to do so by The de-
pRItments. Hence, it becomes necessa-
ry TO recognize their service provisional
ly at the rates of pay under the previous
laws, subject to re8djustment on weights
yet to be taken, which Teadjustment
will ante-date July l, 1873, the date at
which the existing law took effect. The
annual cost of service on such lines, and
which is recOe niZed for payment quar-
terly, is S76, 24S, $40. During the LAST
fiscal year railway p0stotfice cars were
used on sixty-two lines of railroad, and
sol postal clerks were employed thereon
OF an annual cost Of 81, 122, $40. The in
crease in the aggregate salaries of pos
tai clerks last year over the pre-
ceding one was 500 per cent, while |
the appropriation for the current year is |
81, Isl, 141, or 11.9S per cent. more tran |
the cost Of last yesr. Since the close OF |
the last fiscal year, orders have been |
issued for extending this class of service |
between Pitts burg and st. Louis, and |
between Pittsburg and Cincinnati, and |
for increasing it by the addition Of an
other daily line of postal-caIs between |
New York aud Pittsburg, which will |
likely result in increasing the aggregate |
salaries of postal clerks in greater per |
cent. than the year before. 1t is be-
lieved, however, that the present sppro- |
priatiOn will be ample to meet the in
creased expense, but it is safe to calcu-
late that a further increase will be re.
quired for the next fiscal year. Hence,
il is recommended that an appropriation
Of 81, 309, AL 80 be asked, which will be
an increase of only 416 per cent. of the
for the current year. The
asked for next year ex-
coed those provided for the year in the
sum of only SIS Ala.
Annual Report of the Chief of Ord.
nance of the Army.
WASHINGTON, November 24-The
report OF Brigadier-G General Benet, chief
Of ordnance of the bureau ofthe United
States army, shows that during the past
year all the varied duties Of the depart
ment and operations Of the several arse
mails and national srmory, have been
performed with q view to the ecOnomi-
cal expenditure of the limited sppropri.
atoms made, and an efficient aud sue
cessiul administration Of the depart
ment. This bureau has for several
years past called attention to the neces-
5ity of au increase to the annual 9pprC-
priatiOu for the arming and eqHippiug OF
the militia. The annual spprOpria-
ton Of 500, 600 was made in 1908, when
the population of the country was about
eight millions; st the present time, with
B population Of over forty millions, the
amount appropriated is still the same,
and it is impossible for this department
10 meet sll the demands made upon it
oy the States and Territories. The last
1tficisl reports give the following as the