The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-03-31

bin is likely to pass to evade the tarin issue.
One-fifth of the petitions presented In Decem-
Der and January were for railroad legislation.
There are none now, and no advocate before
the committee, and the clamor Is dying out.
Regan's bill will fail.
Secretary Kirkwood was asked when he ex-
pected to retire from the interior department..
He answered that he did not know, but IL he
believed the newspapers his tenure of Office
was brief. He said he was ready to receive his
walking orders at any time though he had not
as yet received any intimaton from the presi-
dent In regard to the matter, though he would
not be surprised to receive such intimation at
any time. Kirkwood declined to express any
opinion as to who his successor would be.
Treasurer Gilfillan says there is a pressing
need of fractional currency. The demands
for 1t in small quantities are coming from all
parts OF the country. 1t is needed for trans
mission through the mails of sums less than
$780, and for certain classes OF business that
have been wholly destroyed for want of this
medium OF exchange. The latter applies es-
pecially to certain manufactures in New Eng
land, which are sent by mail on receipt of %
cents, coin being too heavy and uncertain for
this light traffic. Mr. Gilfllan says a good many
complaints come from newspaper publishers,
who get so many postage stamps that they
don't know what to do with them, the govern
ment not redeeming them. The treasurer
claims the right to issue this fractional cur
rency, but an appropriation to pay expenses is
first necessary. He advocates the issue.
An examination by Second Assistant Post
master-General Elmer Of the recent letting of
the star routes west Of the Mississippi for an
other term of four years, beginning July l,
1881, shows that under the new contracts the
q will ha anlxr hale
as 1t was January l, 1881, two months before
Mr.. James became postmaster-general. The
cost In what is known rs the Pacific section on
Jan. ], 1881, was 1854, 165 and under the new
contracts the cost will be $l125, 49, to which
SlSS,S50 should be added for tho new railway
service which has superseded the star service
since March 4, 1881. The cost of star service
per mile In that section on July l, 1882 will only
be 49h per cent. Of the cost OF the star service.
The annual cost OF twenty-one expedited routes
on Jan. ], 1881, under Gen. Brady, was $6i7, 638
Under James and Elmer the cost Of the same
routes was reduced to Sl2l 1851, and they have
been let substantially as they were after that
reduction, but with faster schedules, for $97,-
1874.
The subcommittee of the ways and means
committee which has charge Of subjects relat-
Ing to changes in internal revenue taxation
has been instructed by tho full committee to
prepare bill abolishing all internal revenue
Ca&eS except the TAX on distilled SplrltS, matt
liquors, manufactured tobacco, bank circula-
ton, and alcoholic medicines, reserving for its
discretion reduction of the tax on cigars and
the special taxes on dealers, manufacturers,
etc. If the committee should prepare q bill
abolishing all other taxes except those re-
served for its discretion, the total reduction
would be nearly as follows, according to the
commissioners estimator
Capital and deposits of banks and
bankers other than national
hanks. $4,000. commandments 3,162SW
Capital and deposits of national
pahhs. .......................... o,olSi.o
Bank checks. ...................... :. 2,2534l1
Matches ............... ............... 3,28,5S0
Proprietary medicines, perfumery,
cosmetics, etc. .....'...,....,..... 2,226,5
Total .....................Sl6 SIG, S92 $50
If to these reductions the committee should
add reductions on cigars and special taxes, tho
total would be increased rs follows:
Cigars, reduced from So to 81 pc.
Rocti1ers, from 500 to Sl20 each 49,. 18TH
Wholesale iquor-dealers, from Sl00 to
SOJ cacn. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. lo4,f4S
each. -. .....'.................. 2,2ls,3Is
SO each. ..........,.. .............. 1883
s12 each .................... 41,6sl
from S. to $40 each ...........,.. 1,OOl,273
So each. Observation-Disclosures ' 3,799
Peddlers of tobacco. 9S71
Brewers. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 50,1l8
liquors. Observation-Disclosures. 5000
A total reduction of these special tax