Arizona weekly miner., 1876-12-15

Yet the most has been done that was DOS.
 sible to do with the means at command
 and substantially rebuilding some of o.,
 old ships with durable material and eo,..
 pleting. repairing and reft,ing our mopi,or
 fleet, the navy has been gradually so
 brought up that though does not main.
 tain its relative position among the pro-
 gressive navies of the world 1t 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 De.
 partment, which were actually less in
 amount than those made before the war
 notwithstanding the greatly enhanced
 price of labor and material, and the in
 crease in the cost of the naval service
 growing out of the universal use and great
 expense of steam machinery. The
 amount necessary for these repairs should
 be provided st once, that they may be
 completed without further unnecessary
 delay and expense. When this is done. ajl
 the strength there is in the navy will he
 developed and useful to its full capacitv
 and all will be powerful for the purpose of
 defensive and also for offensive action..
 should necessity for that arise within q reasonable distance from our shores: and the fact that our navy is not more modern and powerful than it has been is made a cause of complaint againts the Secretary of the Navy by persons who at the same time have criticized and complained of his endeavors to bring the navy that We have. to its best and most efficient condition. But the good sense of the country will understand that it is really to his practical action that we have at this time any effect i've navy force at command
 POSTAL DEPARTMENT.
 The report of the Postmaster General shows an excess of expenditures, excluding expenditures on account of the previous year over the receipts for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1876, to be S4,14I,9S 66. The estimated expenditure, for the fiscal year ending June'30, 1877, are $36, ,723, ,431.- 43. The estimated revenue for the same period Is $50, ,645, ,165, leaving an estimated excess of expenditure to be appropriated ss deficiency of $5,07S,257 43. The Post master-General, like his predecessor, is con- vinccd that change in the basis of adjust ing the salaries of Postmasters of the fourth class is necessary for the good of the service. as we'll as for the interests of the Goyeru. ment, and urgently recommends that the compensation of the class of Postmasters above mentioned be based upon the busi. ness of their respective offices, as ascertain ed from the sworn returns of the Auditor of stamps cancelled. A few Postmasters in the Southern States have expressed great apprehension of their personal safety on &C., count of their connection with the postal service, and have especially requested that their reports of apprehended danger should not be made public, lest it should result in the loss of their lives; but no positive tcsti- mony of interference has been submitted except in case of mail messenger at Spartanburg, in South Carolina, who report ed that he had been violently driven away while Tn charge of the mails, on account of his political affiliations. The Assistant Su- perintendent of the railway mail service in- vestigated this case, and reported that the messenger has disappeared from his post, leaving his work to be performed by sub Sttute. The postmaster General thinks his case Is sufficiently suggestive to justify him in recommending that more severe pun- Shmcnt should be provided for the offense 'f assaulting any person in charge of mails, pr of retarding or otherwise obstructing them by threats of personal injury 1ery gratifying result is presented in the act that the deficiency of this Department turing the last fiscal year was reduced tn s4,Oel, ,190 IS, as against S6.169 93ssS of he preceding year. The difference can be raced to the large increase of its ordinary ecelpts, which greatly exceed the estimates therefor, and slight decrease of its expen- futures. The ordinary receipts of the Post 'fhce Department for the seven past fiscal Tears have increased at an average rate of 'ver per cent. per annum, while the in- ,rease of expenditure for the same period las been about 51s per cent. per annum, md the decrease of deficiency in the reve- tues has been at the rate of nearly per ent. per annum.
 AGRICULTURE.
 The report of the Commissioner of Agri- ulture, accompanying this message, will 'e found one of great interest, making, as it oes, the great progress in the last century n the variety of products of the soil, in- reased knowledge and skill in the labor of reducing, saving and manufacturing the anne to prepare them for the use of man; n the Improvements of machinery to aid he agriculturist in his labors; and nowledge of scientific subjects necessary 3 thorough system in economy in agricul 1ral productions, namely: Chemistry, Pota- y, Entomology, etc. A study of this report y those interested in agriculture, and de- wing their support from it, will be found of alue in the pointing out those articles hich are raised in greater quantity than the eeds of the world require, and must sell lerefore for less than the cost of produc- on, and those which command profit yer cost of production because there is not n over production. I call special atten- on to the need of the Department for new lllery for the reception of the exhibits re- lrned from the Centennial Exhibition, in- uding exhibits donated by very many for gn nations, and to the recommendations
 the Commissioners of Agriculture gener- ly.
 The reports of the District Commission