The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-12-14

expended, and no new works should bt
begun, and none prosecuted which were
not Of National Importance.
Subsequently this amount was in.
creased to $2,237 900, and works are
now progressing rapidly on this basis
The Improvement of the South Pass
of the Mississippi River, under ]. B
Eads and his associates, is progress
ing favorably; At the present time
there is channel of 203 feet in
depth between the jetties at the mouth
of the pass, and eighteen and one-hali
feet at the head of the pass. Neither
channel, however, has the width re.
quired before the payment shall be made
by us. A commission of Engineers and
Officers is now examining these works
and their reports will be presented az
soon as received.
THE NAVY.
The report of the Secretary of the
Navy shows that he believes the service
to be in a condition as effective as it Is
possible to keep it with the appropria-
tions given the Department.. 1t is, of
course, impossible to rival the costly and
progressive establishments of the great
European powers with the old material
of our navy to which no increase has
been authorized since. the war except
eight small cruisers built to supply the
place of others which had gone TO decay.
Yet the most has been done that was
possible with the means at command,
and by substantially rebuilding some of
our old ships with desirable material,
and completely repairing and refitting
our monitor fleet, the Navy has been
gradually so brought up that, though it
does not maintain its relative position
among the progressive navies of the
world, it is now in condition more
powerful and effective than it ever has
been in time of peace. The complete
repairs of our five heavy iron clads are
only delayed on account of the
inadequacy of the appropriation made
last year for the working bureaus
of the department which were actually
less in amount than those made before
the war, Notwithstanding the greatly en-
HANGED price of labor and materials, and
the increase in the cost of the naval
service growing out of the universal use
and great expense of steam machinery.
The money necessary for these repairs
should be provided at once, that they
may be completed without further
unnecessary delay and expense. When
this is done all the strength
that there is in the navy will be
developed, and will be useful to its
full capacity, and will be all-powerful
for the purpose of defense and also for
offensive action should necessity for that
arise within reasonable distance from
our shore.
The fact that our navy is not more
modern and powerful than it is has been
made a cause of complaint against the
Secretary of the Navy, by persons who
at the same time criticise and
complain of his endeavors to bring
up the navy that we have to its
best and most efficient condition. But
the good sense of the country will un-
derstand that it is really to his practical
action that we have at this time any ef
fective navy force ut command.
THE PosT-oFFICE.
The report of the Postmaster General
shows the excess of expenditures, in.
Guiding expenditures on account of
years, over the receipts for the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1876, to
be $4,15l, 1886. Estimated expendi-
lures for the fiscal year end
ing June 30, 1873, are $3,672, ,343.24;
estimated revenues for the same peri
cd is s$3, ,064. SIG, 500, leaving an estimated
excess of expenditures to be $6O7 ,826.74.
The Postmaster-General, like his prede-
cessor, is convinced that a change in the
basis of adjusting the salaries of postmas-
ters of the fourth class is necessary for
the good of the service, as well as for the
interests of the Government, and urgently
recommends that the compensation of
the class of postmasters above men,
toned be based upon the business
of their respective offices, as ascer-
tained from the sworn returns
to the Auditor of stamps cancelled. A
few postmasteIs in the Southern States
have expressed great apprehensions OF
their personal safety, on account of their
connection with the postal service, and
have specially requested th;sS their re-
ports of apprehended danger should not
be made public lest it should result in
the loss Of their lives; but no positive
testimony or interference has been sub
mitted except in the case of mail mes
senger, at Spantanburg, in South Caro-
lima, who reported that he had been
violently driven away, while in
charge, on account of his political affilia-
tions. An Assistant Superintendent of
the Railway Mail Service investigated
this case, and reported that the messen-
ger had disappeared from his post, leav-
ing his work to be performed by sub
stitute. The Postmaster-G General thinks
this case is sufficiently suggestive to
Justify him in recommending that a
more severe punishment should be pro-
vided for the ofense of assaulting any
person in charge of the mails, or of
retarding or otherwise obstructing them
by threats of personal injury. Avery
gratifying result is presented in the fact
that the deficiency of this department
during the last fiscal year was reduced
to "a, 1874, ,71018, as against Sc, 169, ,93S SS
of the preceding year. The difference
can be traced to the large increase in its
ordinary receipts, which greedy ex-
ceeded the estimate therefor, and a
slight decrease in its expenditures.
The ordinary receipts of the
Postoffice Department for the past seven
fiscal years, have increased at an average
of over eight per cent. per annum, while
the increase of expenditures for the same
period has been about five and a half per
cent. per annum, and the decrease Of
deficiency, in the revenues, has been
at the rate of nearly two per cent. per
annum.
THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION
held in Philadelphia, this year, in COM
memoration of the hundredth anniver-
sary of American independence, has
proved q great success, and will no
doubt be of enduring advantage to the
country. 1t has shown the great pro-
gres, in the arts, sciences, and mechan-
ical skill made in single century, and
demonstrated that we are but little be-
hind the older nations in any one
branch, while in some we scarcely have
rival. 1t has served, too, not only
IN hrino people and prod,cts of