The Portland daily press., 1883-08-31

vessels, has gone to New York to Cooperate
| with the local authorities in endeavoring to
ascertain the cause Of the diaster A search
i OF the records proved that the boiler was in
/ spected In June. In an informal talk, Gen.
| Dumont said that the present laws needed
| amending In several important particulars in
| order to increase their efficiency, and that he
| had labored for several years TO secure these
| changes without success. Some OF the points
| to which Gen. Dumont referred are these:
| One OF the fundamental endorsements is the
fact that Congress has in effect delegated to
the Board Of Supervising Inspectors the power
TO prescribe the regulations by which the ser
vice Is controlled. This board meets in
| Washington each year in January and pre-
| scribe rules which, if approved by the Secre-
| tary OF the Treasury, becomes law. These
| rules cannot be changed except by the
| board, nor can the limits of Supervising In
| spector be restricted or extended except by the
| formal action of this board in annual session.
one OF the consequence Is that in the event of
| the sickness, disability or absence of a Super
visng inspector or OF vancancy from any
| cause, the Treasury Department is absolutely
without authority to make provisions for the
performance of the duties of such an officer,
however much the public interest may suffer.
The absurdity of such delegation of legisla-
tive authority Is the more apparent when II is
known that the inspectors who compose this
board make the laws which they are them
selves to execute, and, further, that these same
Inspectors within their respective districts
have full power to investigate the causes OF all
disasters for which, In fSct, they may be per-
sonally, morally and legally responsible. The
condition OF the steamboat law is such that the
Steamboat Inspectors make their own laws
and can repeal them if their execution appears
| to be unpleasant TO them. Another defect in
the existing law arises out of the construction
| by the board of section 4506, Revised Statutes.
According to the construction which is given
to it by the Supervising Inspectors, it means
that it is optional with these Inspectors wheth.
er they shall personally visit or supervise the
work of their subordinates; yet there can be
no doubt that it was the intention of the
trainers of the law that visits of this
kind should be made to all vessels. A change
suggested is to so modify the section that the
duty Of such vsitatons shall be compulsory.
Still another defect in the existing law is that
there is no provision which requires that in
spectors shall be appointed from the licensed
officers of the service, such as masters, pilots,
engineers of steam vessels, and persons who,
by virtue of their position, possess the high
| qualifications necessary for such duties. The
inspectors, on the contrary, are considered a
| part of local political patronage. The Super
vising Inspector General has practically, no
voice in their selection, and there is nothing,
| SO far as the law or the execution of it often
| goes, to prevent the appointment of very in
| ferior persons to these responsible positions.
When Mr.. Starbuck took charge OF the New
| York inspection district he proposed that
| these Deputy Inspectors should be required to
make oath to the reports of their inspection.
| At this suggestion there was a meeting. FL
nally Mr.. Starbuck informed the deputies that
| If they made honest reports they certainly
could not object to swearing to them, and that
| If they we're making dishonest reports the
| government ought to know it. The result was
| that the local steamboat system in New York
was changed and the deputies are now re-
quired to make oath to their reports. Gen.
| Dumont insists that the changes indicated
should be made for the benefit of the service.
| Decreased Iuternal Reyenue Collections.
H. aoF sakau l..~
| the first month Of the fiscal years ending June
| 80, 1882 and 1888, were as follows: From
| spirits-July, 1882, $4,750961; July, 1888, So
| 263, ,096; increase, S5l2, 1875. From tobacco
1882, So, SIC. .254; 1885, 81 929 415 decrease, ST.,
| $3.50, ,839. From iermented liquors-1S82, ST.
| 721,510; 1885, S1,S69151; increase, S147 Gal.
| From banks and bankers-1SS2, 81, ,007, 1894;
| 1888, S400; decrease, $1,007,494 From mis-
cellaneous sources-1SS2. $57S,S58; 1885, $780,
1889, S11 ,S75,s77; 1883, s9,i61 .94S; decrease,
| 81 ,713,629. The principal items of decrease
were manufactured tobacco, 81, ,064,6 ,635. and
! from banks and bankers, 81 COZ ,54. The
| principal items OF increased were spirits dis
| titled from materials other than apples,
| peaches or grapes, $490,915, and fermented
| liquors, s149,972.
Politics in Maryland.
| Ex-Congressman Urner of Maryland, who is
| here, states that he is actually confident that
| the Republicans may elect their State ticket
| there this fall. He bases his hopes upon the
| fact that the Republicans now united,
while the Democrats are hopelessly divided.
| The Hamilton ring of the Democracy, he be-
| lieves, would vote with the Republicans rather
| than permit the opposite faction of the Democ-
| racy TO win.
The Dead Letter Once
| The chief of the dead letter division of the
Post-office Department is preparing his report
| for the fiscal year just closed. The report will
| show an increased number of letters received
/ NJ Shn Aixytcta hnt fho IN, 1Dah
| received there will not be in proportion to the
| increase in the general business of the depart
| ment. This is accounted for by the fact that
| the practice of registering valuable letters is
becoming yearly more popular. AS conse-
| quence letters which cannot be delivered to
| the addressee are more frequently returned to
the sender One of the things that the report
from this bureau will show is the large increase
| in letters returned to countries in the postal
union. There are rs countries to which letters
are returned from the Dead Letter Office, to
| fourteen of which weekly package is sent, to
| the others once a month. Italy furnishes the
greatest number Of letters in proportion to her
| size, which is due to the fact that in many in
stances the names which are written on the
| letters are illegible, and the Italians in this
country are of a pomadic disposition and hard
| to find. The letters returned to-day furnish
| fair sample of the ratio each week to the prin-
| cipal countries. They were: Canada 1900;
| Switzerland, 80; Belgium, "a; Sweden, 541
| Spain, 16; Russia, 167; Portugal 90; Norway,
| 223; Netherlands. 35: Italy, 1855; Great
| Britain, 2066; Germany, 1860: France, 147
| Denmark, 92,
| Southern Politicians Who will support
Arthur.
| A delegation OF Virginia Readiusters and OF
other noted anti-Bourbon leaders of the South
! was in session last night in this city consider
| ing the political situation. Their meeting was
| secret one. There was said to be present at
| it Gen. Malone of Virginia, Gen. Longstreet,
| United States Marshal of Georgia. Gen. Cha-
mers OF Mississippi. Col Brady, Collector Of
| Customs at Petersburg, and other Virginia
| politicians The gentlemen are mysterious as
/ to the purpose of their conference or the re-
| suits of it, but they admit, in substance, that
| II Gen. Arthur shall choose, as they put it, to
| stand by them they will support his claims for
the Republican nomination for the Presidency,
/ and endeavor to secure for him the electoral
| vote OF at least one sovereign State. That is
| unquestionably the position of Gen. Malone,
/ and he is endeavoring SO to manage the politics
| of Virginia that he can control its electoral
| vote. The fact that John s. Woltz, late cand-
| date for Congress on the Readiuster ticket
| from one of the Virginia districts, who has had
| difficulties with Malone, attended the confer
| ence, would indicate Malone has healed the
| difference.
Army Omcers 10 be Retired.
/ G. j. A. Ekin, Colonel and Assistant Guar
| termaster General, win be placed on the re-
/ tired list of the army tomorrow The follow
/ ing officers of the navy will be retired during
| the present year:-Commodore A. @. Rhind,
| Oct. 3lst Rear Admiral j. Nj. b. Clitz, Dec.
1st, and Paymaster j. S. Cunningham, Dec. %.
| Miscellaneous.
The Washington attorneys are greatly an-
| noyed at the circular of Commissioner Evans,
| which empowers Collectors of Internal Reven-
ne in their respective districts to decide what
are compounded liquors. Such decision ir-
terferes with a very profitable practice in
| Washington on the part of revenue lawyers.
| The Commissioner, however. has declined to
| reconsider his decision.
Colonel Don Piatt, who has recovered his
health, contemplates, it is said, establishing
| another news paper in this city.
The city post office was to-day supplied with
the first instalment of the new postal notes.
| They are printed in yellow ink and bound in
| books of 800 notes and stubbs, Eighty thou
| sand books have been sent to various money
| order Offices
| Please Raise your Quarantine.
PENSACOLA, Aug. 30.-The board of health
today adopted resolutions requesting the health
authorities of neighboring cities and towns to
raise their quarantine against Pensacola as
there is no reasonable causes for continuance
| Of the same
|