Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-07-22
THE NEWS BUDGET.
A Summary of Events During the
Past Week.
FROM THE CAPITAL

THE treasury department has purchased
United States bonds to the cmOunt OF S23|,-
600 for the sinking fund OF the Union and
Central Pacific railroads.
THE acknowledgement has decided to
break up the practice OF sending through
the mails advertising cards of various
sizes with one cent stamps attached. After
Oct / no cards except the regulation pos
tal cards will be transmitted at less rate
than three cents for each half ounce.
ATTORNEY -GENEPAL DEvENs has taken
charge of the case against Payne, arrested
for invasion of Indian Territory. He will
at once direct a swift prosecution, and as
this is Pavne's second violation of the law
the full penalty will be enforced.
A SCIENTIFIC expedition left the Smith
sonian Institute on the Goth inst, on the
United States steam yacht Lookout, for
the lower waters Of the Potomac and north
ern shore Of Chesapeake Bay. The object
of the expedition is to study the position
of the recently discovered Spanish mack
eral fisheries.
THERE has been somewhat of a scare
among persons interested in the river and
harbor improvements now in progress at
various points in the country, over the re-
port that the cabinet had decided to restrict
matter Of drawing the appropriations
from the treasury for the river and harbor
work, the impression seeming to prevail
that the work would be suspended. Such
is not the case.
JUDGE TARBELI4, deputy first comptroller
Of the treasury department, has rendered
decision in which he holds that the ex-
listing law does not make it compulsory
upon the government to pay sub-COntract-
ors for carrying United States mails, the
extra months compensation provided for
In the event of discOntinuance Ofthe route
and unless sub-contractOrs make special
provisions In their contracts with the ORR
glnal contractor to receive this allowance
it falls to the original contractor when the
route is discontinued
CONGRESS last session authorized Com
missioner lie Due to sink two artesian
wells, at $4,000 apiece, in the arid coun-
try, east of the Rocky Mountains. 1t also
appropriated $1,000 to enable him to OBJ
tain data relative to the aridity Of agricul-
tural lands in the United States, He in
tends taking a trip to San Francisco short
ly TO secure by observation and COmmuni-
cation the information necessary to the Sc
lection Of the well sites and the prepara-
ton of the report on fertility.
TIE annual report of Colonel Worthing-
ton, the statistician of the Agricultural de
partment, just made gives some interest
ing facts concerning farm labor and wages.
In the Pacific and mining states and
Territories the range of wages for farm
Iaborcrs, without board is between $50 10
in Montana and S22.50 in Washington
Territory. Of the states east of the Mis-
souri,, Minnesota pays her farm laborers
better than any other Northern state.
monthly wages with board being S16.33,
while Vermont pays only $3.50. In the
Southern states the prices paid range from
9l2.26 in Louisiana to 81 80 in South Car
olina, the average being $3.50. The cost of
subsisting the laborer for the average of
the whole country in 1880 is SLY a month,
against 81 II in 1870 The demand for la
borers Is good in all sections of the coun-
trv