The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1877-01-04


been limited that the in store will
be entirely exhausted the present wear, and il will
be necessary to at once begin to Teplenish them.
invite your special attention % the folio wing
| recommendations Of the secTeIsTy Of war: First,
that the claims under art Of July 4th 1854 for up
plies taken by the army during the war be removed
| from the Offices Of quaTteFmaster and COmmissaTy
generals and transferred 20 the claims commission.
These claims Of a similar nature 10 those now
before the southern claims commission, and war
debt bureau have not the clerical force for their
examination, nor proper machinery for nvestigat-
ing the loyalty OF the claimants. Second, that
congress sanction the scheme Of annuity
fund for the benefit Of the families Of deceased Off
GERS and that 1t also provide 70. the permanent
ganizatiOn OF the regular service, both Of which
were recon mended in my last annual message.
Third That the manufacturing operations Of the
ordinance department be concentrated at three
senals and an arm1rIy and that the remaining ar
senals be sold, and. the proceeds be applied TO
! this object by the ordinance department
THE NAVY.
The appropriations for river and harbor improve
ments for the current year were S50l5,O00. With
my approval the secretary Of war directed that Of
| this amount $4,000 should be expended, and no
| new work should be begun, and none prosecuted
I which were not of national importance subse-
! queutly this amount was increased to 1929, 100.
| Works are now progressing on this basis The
! Mississippi river, under = J. B Eads and
his associates, Is progressing tEvOTably. At the
| present time the channel Is FOB feet in
depth between the iettes at the mouth OF the pass,
and 1917 feet at the head OF the pass. Neither chan
| mel, however, the width required before the
| payment shall be made by the United States. A
| commission e. engineers and officers is exam
! lining these works and their report will be pre-
/ sented as soon as received.
: The report Of the secretary Of the navy shows
that he believes the service 70 be in condition
effective 1t is possible to keep it with the
and appropriations given the department. It is Of
course impossible TO rival the costly and expensive
| establishment Of great European pow rs with the
old material Of our navy to hich no increase has
been authorized since the war, except eight small
hrrFIe Iv- grIur 80 oh
had gone to decay yet the most has been done that
| was possible with the means at command, and by
substantially rebuilding old ships with durable
material, and completely repairing and rehtttng our
monitor feet, the navy has been gradually 90
brought up that though it does not
tbe pragtesT Dave OF the world II !, now sI IN
condition more perfect and effective than il ever
count of the inadequacy OF the appTC pTatOns made
last year by the working bureaus Of the depart
fore the aiding the greatly enhanced
price Of labor and materials, and the increase in
the cost of the naval service growing Of the uni
yersal use and great expense Of steam machinery.
provided at once, that they may be completed with
out further unnecessary delay and expense: When
this is done, ali the strength there is in the navy
will be developed and rseful in its foil capacity:
for offensive action should the necessity for that
arise, within reasonable distance from shore,
powerful than IL is, has been made cause OF com
plant against the secretary Of the navy by persons
]
his endeavors to bring the navy that have to its
! best nd most efficient condition, but the good
really to his pyactical action that We have at this
time any effective naval force at command.
| THE REPORT OF THE POsTMAsTER GEN
ERAL
shows an excess ofexpenditures, excluding pypan-
ditu!es on account Of preyous years over receipts
for the fiscal year ending June 10 1870 be e. ISL.
49, IS. The estimated expenditures for the fiscal
year ehHlng Juhe - -, are $50 - me -
meted revenue for the same period is 1904 6o,
approPriated as dsfcte3cy Of So ,s6 rs. The
postmaster general, like his predecessor, is COZ
salaries of postmastrs Of the fourth class is
cary for the good Of the service we'll for the
mends that the COMPENSATION of the class Of post
masters above mentioned be based Epon the bust
of their tive Offices AzCertained from
the returns TO the auditor of stamps Cancelled
A few pOstmaSters in the southern states have eT
pressed great spprehenson of their personal safety
account Of their connection with the postal SER
Of apprehonded danger should not be made public
est it hOUld result in the loss Of their lives, but no
ted except in the case Of mail messenger at spar
tanburg, $ G., who reported that he had been vio-
| amRtions An assistant Superintendent The rail-
way service Investigated this case and reported that
! ing his work to be PERFORMED by a substitute The
postmaster general thinks this s suhciently .sug-
severe punishment should be provided for the Of
| mails or of retardinE or otherwise obstruetlng
them by threats Of personal injury. 4 very crafty
ing result IL presented n the L8CE Lhat Lh5 ueuE,
| cheney Of this department duFing the last hscal
year reduced to AtSi,7gOls, - against S6lh,-
traced to large Increase in its erdiDary receipts
which greatly exceeded the estimates therefor and
receipts Of the postofhce department for the past
fiscal have increased At the rate OF over
Of eIpendituFes or the same period has been abO1t
I'VE per cent. per annum and the decrease OF den
nearly two per cent. per anuum. The
REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF AGRI-
CULTURE,
accompanying this message, will be found one Of
great interest, marking as Il do the great progress
Of the last century, the increase Of the produce Of
the soil and ledge and SIX i'll is the labor ofPro
duCinR, saving aud manipulating the same to pre-
pare them for the use OF mGn, in the improvements
and in the knowledge Of tho.e scieRti6c subjects
necessary to thorough system Of economy in agri-
and entomology. This report by thoss interested
IN agriculture, aud deriving rhei- support from IL,
will hRd il Of value in pointing o9t those articles
which raised in greater quantities than the needs
of the world require, and musteu Therefore Tor less
than the cost Of production, and these EhIcn com
mand q profit over the cost Of production, because
attention to the need Of the department for a new
gallery for the reception Of the exhibits returned
hibiis donated by very many foreign nations and to
the Fecomme ndat Of the commissioner Of agTi
The reports Of the district com missioners and the
board Of health are Just received too bate {" rea9
are heFew it'll submitted The
INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.
held in Philadelphia this year in eOmmemeTatton
Of the lOOth anniversary OF American tndePe denee
has proven great success. and will doubt Be Of
enduring advantage TO the CouEtTy. IL has shown
great progress in the arts, sciences AID mechanical!
skill made in u single century, and demonstrated
that but little behind the Older nations IN
one branch, while in some We scarcely have rival;
II has served, too, not only TO bring Ieople and
products Of skin and labor nom all parts OF the
world together bat to bring together people IT. m
all sections Of country, which must prove
great benefit in the information mParted, and the
pride Of county engendered IL has hesh suRgested
BY scientists Interested nd ted with theSmith