The Portland daily press., 1877-05-07
WASHINGTON.
Pension Agencies.


WASHINGTON, May 5.-Under the new or.
ganization OF the pension bureau, only four
Eastern offices will be retained One fol
Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. of which
the agency will probably be at Portland; one
for the rest of New England, with the agency
at Boston, and two in New York, With agencies
at New York city and Canandaigua. The
present 80 agencies are to be consolidated into
IL. The aggregate reduction of expenditures
will be $135,000.
The Whisky Gases.
Secretary Sherman has approved in formal
French and refuses the proposition of Junker,
Roeller & Kissinger to pay 800 and costs in
stead OF $597. 1893 claimed as taxes or as forfeit
for violation OF the revenue laws. The Score.
tary says that any verbal agreement made had
been fulfilled by the government in not i'm.
prisoning them and they cannot legally be re.
leased from the full amount of the fine.
The Proposed Removal of the Sioux.
Gen. Crook had a long conference today with
the Secretary of the Interior and the Commits.
sioner of Indian Affairs in regard to the re-
movai OF the Sioux agencies to the Missouri
Secretary Schurz and Commissioner Smith
concur with Crook in his view that the Indians
be compelled to work for their rations and the
conference was with a view to ascertainng
how the labor of the Indians could be utilized
IN the interests both of the Indians and che
government. No definite conclusions were
reached as to the precise location of the new
agencies, but it seems to be certain that the
Indians will not be removed until next autumn
as during the warm seasons the Indians strug-
gle off on hunting expeditions but they can
be easily collected and held together on the
approach of cold weather
Reform iu Advertising,
WASHINGTON, May 6-Postmaster Genera
Key, Secretary Thompson of the Navy, and
Secretary Schurz of the Interior. have made a
don TO-
advertising in their Departments. The De-
partments will as usual designate the papers,
but the advertisements will be placed by firm
OF advertising experts by whom all the bills for
advertising will be examined and corrected in
the light of experience obtained in commercial
advertising business. Under this system the
government will pay no more for its advertis.
ing than commercial firm pays for the same
service, and whatever abuses or extortions may
nave been possible under the old system they
the country endorse the new plan and the Off
GERS who have thus inaugurated the reform are
country. 0
Various Matters.
The Secretary of the Interior has not fari6ed
out any government advertisements, but has
cut them down materially.
The trial of ex-Assistant Secretary DIVER
and others for conspiracy to defraud the gov
eminent was set down to-day for the 10th ms
tant.
The question of Thanking envelopes for off.
cals has been referred to the Attorney Gener-
al.
T. a. Spence has been appointed special
agent for the Postotfce Department to inspect
mail routes.
zen. Sheridan is not an applicant for min
lster to Central America and nothing has been
dent. ~
naval Constructor F. L. Fernald will be
90 =
Washington navy yard in place of John w.
Easily, recently appointed chief of the bureau,
vice Hanscom, removed.
The official statement shows the reduction of
the national debt OF the United States from
March LIST, 1879, to April Both, 1873, $445, 154,-
64281.
The double.turreted iron clad Miantonomah
has been ordered to get ready for sea.
The report that Murat Halsted has been
rendered the Turkish mission is unc0nfrmed.