The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1883-01-05

treasury department and by the committee
or ways and means. 1t Is Intended to legal
lie long-standing custom that Is very con-
venient Tor american millIowners and Can;
very slightly affect the revenues of the gov
| ernment.
| THE NEW COMBINATION POSrALs.
The postofiice department has contracted
Tor very large quantity OF the new style
postal cards, or combined letter and envel.
| ope, as II Is sometimes called. Fears have
been expressed by some postal experts that
II would interfere greatly with the revenue
of the department. especially II reduction
In postage to 2 cents were adopted, but
| those In favor OF the new cards reply that
the same was claimed when the postal cards
were first proposed, and then, as now, letter
postage was cents. Should reduction be
made larger sheet and envelope combined
with 2 cent stamp upon II would be
among the things to follow.
NoXioUs WINES AND BRANDIEs.
George w. Roosevelt, United States con-
sui at Bordeaux, In recent communication
TO the state department, referring to the
adulteration of French wines and brandies
sent to this country, says: "As regards the
injury effected by the use of these liquids
being sufficient cause to justify their pro-
hibition as a sanitary measure, l am Of the
opinion that II, bya given test, n0xiOus
element was found in goods actually ar
rived from France for consumption In the
United States, there would be better
grounds for prohibiting the entry of French
wines and brandies In. the United States
than there was for putting an embargo on
American pork coming into France.
aUENTHER AND THE IMMIGRANTS.
Representative Guenther, of Wisconsin,
has been over to New York looking into
the condition of affairs at Castle Garden,
where all immigrants are landed. Under
the law pach ctaame In in limo landing i'm m, :
grants mt Castle Garden must pay per cap
tia tax of 50 cents in order to keep the
place in proper condition. Guenther finds
affairs at the Garden In very bad condition.
He says the place is'filthy and disease is up
on every hand, while men and women are
herded together like SO many cattle. Ordi-
nary sanitary precautions that would re-
quire an expenditure of only few hundred
dollars per annum have been entirely neg
lected. Guenther has reported what he
he will have the matter investigated.
PINING FOR FLORIDA.
1t is reported at the treasury department
that United States Treasurer Gilfllan In.
tends at no late day to resign his position.
He Is now In Florida where, representing
Washington company, he has purchased
an immense tract of Orange-grOwing land.
1t Is said he will remove his family to that
state and locate there permanently. Flori-
da seems to have peculiar attraction for
United States treaSurerS. Gen. Spinner,
whose chirography once Ornamented our le-
gal tenders, now makes Florida his home.
John G. New, who was Gilfillan's prede,-
an would have resigned his position as
treasurer when Garfield came in had it not
been for the personal request OF the latter
that he remain. Gillian and Garfield were
classmates at Williams college.
REFUNDING TAXES.
A communication from the secretary of
the treasury transmitting to the senate the
estimate OF the commissioner of internal
revenue of the amount OF money required to
refund taxes on cigars, cigarettes, tobacco,
distilled spirits. and matches, notes the diff
ficulty Of arriving at any accurate estimate,
saying there are 3l.692 dealers in manu-
featured tobacco, | ,:s!S rectifiers of distilled
spirits, 4,otl wholesale dealers in distilled
spirits, and 16S, no retail liquOr-dealers in
however, that there are $1,000, 000 gallons of
tax-paid distilled spirits in the hands of the
trade, the tax upon which Is So, 500, 900;
tax-paid manufactured tobacco In the hands
of dealers, ~, S2l ,223 pounds, the tax on
which is Se.2S5, ri; number of cigars and
cigarettes, 7S2, ~, l07, the tax on which Is
S4,204, 242; tax on matches in the hands of
dealers, 81, 900, 753; total amount of taxes to
be refunded, SBCSn,716. A considerable
proportion of the articles above mentioned
are now In DrOkcn PACKAGES.
CHANGES IN THE WAR DEPARTMENT.
The passage by the senate of the civil-ser-
vice reform bill has inspired Secretary Lin
coin to carry out plan which he has had
under consideration for some time past to
promote the efficiency of the clerks in the
war department. Hitherto this branch Of
the service has been Mecca toward which
many clerks, discharged from other depart
ments, have turned longing, eyes, rs the du-
tobt fba har
garded as sure for life. Under such state
of affairs numerous abuses crept IN, and the
privileges accorded the employees were far
in excess of those in any other public office.
Now 1t Is proposed TO run the department
on the same principle that the treasury is
conducted, and when the clerks return to
their desks on Tuesday morning they will
probably be confronted with al order pro-
hibiting smoking, social visits during office
hours, and other restrictions upon their
ed for lunch, and such as fail to conform to
the new rules will be dismissed summarily,
1t Is proposed to make this II model depart
ment, and Secretary Lincoln has establish
ed the reputation of being master of his own
house, so that no delinquency will be per-
mitted.
DISTRIBUTION OF SEEDS.
The commissioner of agriculture, in his
report to congress relative to the work of
his department, makes a formidable exhib- |
II of the distribution of seeds alone. Under |
the special appropriation by congress of
$40, 900 for seeds to the southern flooded |
districts, sos, 95S packages were sent, diyid- |
ed as follows: Vegetables, Ala, SS6; field
corn, 1854; field peas, &c, 957; field beans,
1894; field millet, 1888; field cotton, 159. |
The whole number of seeds sent out by the |
bureau during the year was, by packages, /
Z, 1896, 476 Of these packages LOSS, 4D were |
sent out through members of congress and |
$50 through agricultural societies |
900, IL through statistical correspondents,
sos, 95S as above mentioned by special ap-
and the remainder, So, Pa pack
ages, to miscellaneous applicants. OF the
total number OF packages 80, 773 were cotton
seeds, 87,05l wheat, 1924 oats, 81, s97 corn,
90 700 turnips, ITO, 45s flowers, 1,G5l, i0i vege
tables, S3,2l5 tobacco, 1857 peas, and IA
1886 strawberry. These are the principal
items. There were l07 kinds Of vegetables,
Is kinds Of wheat, 81 kinds of flowers, IL
kinds of corn and 10 kinds of sorghum. The
of flower over grain packages is
three to one.
THE WHISKY BILL.