The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-03-12
WASHINGTON.

The Pay OF United States Marshals.
WASHINGTON, March 1.-THE House COM
mittee on appropriations to-day decided to in
corporate in the special deficiency bill an item
OF $6OO,OOO for the pay of United States mar
shals and deputies, without provision or
restrictions.
The Star Postal Service.
The special committee of the House appro-
priations committee, Mr.. Blackburn chairman,
resumed the examination of Monroe Salisbury
yesterday relative to the Star Route Service
He furnished a tabular statement of seventeen
routes in which he is interested, in each Of
which the cost for expedition has exceeded
$1,000 per annum. The table shows that the
aggregate of the original contracts upon these
routes was $l47, 200; that this has been in
expedited schedules, S2l7 ,O05, making the
aggregate compensation now paid bv the de-
partment, S553,973 Mr.. Salisbury was ques-
toned at length in regard to the different
routes, and admitted that on several of them
the passenger and express package business
was more profitable than carrying the mails,
and that II the department should withdraw
the extra compensation for increased trips and
expedition he would continue the fast service
Tor the sake OF the passenger and express traf-
fc; that on some routes he had expedited the
schedule beyond that offered by his contract
with the Post Office Department. in order to
secure this business, and that it paid him to do
so.
Hearings by the Post Office Committee.
Col Samuel G. Reid representing the Missis-
sippi Valley and Brazil Steamship Company of
st. Louis addressed the House committee on
post offices to-day advocating new feature of
connecting with the mail service postal ex-
press for carrying small packages or third class
mail matter, which he argued would yield
large revenue to the government.
Arguments were made before the committee
by VIM. w. Belknap and S. R. Hamill in be-
half Of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy
nv1d RvvNly rvt0v. N4I4 D. J.
Railroads tor extra compensation for Carrying
mails on Sundays under arrangement with the
Post Office Department but for which service
the Postmaster General rules that he has no
authority under the law to grant extra COM
pensation. Two bills are now before the COM
mittee providing for appropriations to pay for
this service.
The Patent Laws.
The Senate committee on patents to-day
commenced the hearing of arguments on the
House bill concerning suits brought to recover
damages for Infringement of patents. il.
Storrow OF Boston, in behalf of large num-
Der OF patentees in five or six eastern states
argued that the bill should be amended in
various particulars.
Southern Postal Facilities.
The Senate committee on post Offices heard
ex-Senators Fowler of Tennessee and Poole of
North Carolina in advocacy of the passage of
bill directing the Postmaster General to in
troduce and furnish for public use double
stamp envelopes, double postal cards, and
letter-sheet envelopes.
Government Officers Specializing in Rail-
road Bonds.
New YORK, March 1.-THE Herald's WASH
ington despatch intimates that congressman
clerks of committee and attaches have been
speculating in the securities of the Missouri.
Kansas and Texas railroad since Vests Okla
hama bill was introduced, and the stock which
before the bill was introduced was selling at
u, has gone nearly to 30.