The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1877-04-05
SUMMARY OF BILLS FOR 1878.

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Postoffice bll.................... 1926, $50 0t
| Fertilization bill ................... 100000 0C
Consular and Diplomatic BILL. 1,136,S47 sc
Legislative and executive bill. 15,314,960 0C
Military academy bill......,...... 2s6,6oi oc
Indian bill. ..................". 4,751 400 Il
Deficiency bill .................... 2,39S, 956 So
Naval bill Observation-Disclosures. S,449, 952 &C
Sundry civil bill.................. l9,59O,229 80
Total of ten bills ,93S 81
Total of same bills last year, 116,735, 042 90
There were passed .E. .a
IN ApDfr1oN TO THESE.
two small bills, the house deficiency bill,
$139, 254,9S, and the printing deficiency
bill of $3.50, 900. The house committee
on appropriations attempted reduction
of about $500, 900 in the naval appropri-
alton, but failed in the effort. The bill
as passed appropriates about 100000
more than last years bill, but this is
100000 less than Robson and the
senate wonld have had it. The senate
attempted to raise the amount of the
pay of the navy over million dollars
above
THE HOUSE FIGURES,
but they split the difference, and fixed
it at 6,600,000. The house sought to
fix the item for the bureau of equipment
and recruiting at 100000, but finally
allowed $4,000. OF this amount $10,-
900 is Immediately available for provis-
ions and clothing. The item for the
bureau of construction and repair is
81, 100000, which is almost exactly one
half less than the senate demanded.
The item for the bureau OF engraving is
$942, 900, for which the senate demanded
100000. . ....
THE MAIN POINT
on which the senate yielded was its de-
mand that $1,5O0,00O for construction
and repair and s75o,ooO for engineering
should be Immediately available. This
would have helped out Mr. Robson and
the new administration beautifully, but
they yielded to prevent an extra session.
The bill is in all it's minor details the
same as the bill last year. The house
yielded the scheme for mixed commits
sion on the navy, which was Whit
thorne's pet hobby, and which was at
tached to this bill.
THE GREATEST VICTORY OF THE HOUSE
was on the post-ofiie bill, which they
succeeded in reducing million below
the appropriation of last year, in spite
of the growing demands of the depart.
ment. The senate undertook to pass in
this bill subsidies of half million for
the Pacific mail steamship company's
Asiatic line, and the same amount for
the mail service between New Orleans
and Rio Janeiro. The schemes were two
of the greatest jobs that appeared in
congress, and their defeat was a great
good fortune for the country. The
second one was merely cover for sale
of one or more iron steamships by John
Roach, of Philadelphia, the provision
being that the ship should be " accepted"
by some naval officer to be appointed by
the secretary of the navy. The follow
ing are
THE PRINCIPLE ITEMS ,.
of this bill Compensation of postmas-
tiers, S7,250, 900; payment of letter-car-
riers, $l,s25, 900; rent, light and fuel,
$4OO, 900; clerks in post-ofices, $780,
900; advertising, 100000; stationary,
$685. 900; miscellaneous incidental items,
$4,000; inland mail transportation,
$50, 100000 Or this amount the bill
says $3.50, 900 may be used for
THE FAST MAILS. ... |
The department demanded $3.50, 1000.
Other items are as follows: Compensa-
tion to railway post-office clerks, 81 1926
600; route agents, $l,OOO,Q00; mail
route messengers, $3.50, 900; local agents,
$4,000; mail messengers, 100000;
mail-bags and bag catchers, 5000, 900
manufacture of stamps, $l50,747; man
ufacture of stamped envelopes and news
paper WidPpcis, %oVV,ooo, Alahuidcture
of postal cards, $500, 900; Transports
ton of foreign mails, $25O,OO0.
THE AMOUNT ACTUALLY APPROPRIATED
and available under this bill in excess of
the revenues of the department is 49,
952,725. The amount Of $4,000 is i
to continue the post-ofiice |
commission, so-called, and the bill in
structs the postmaster general to cause a