The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-30
The Sums Neither Numerous Nor Large-A
Number of New Post Routes To Be
Established.
Slight Notifications of the Order
Consolidating Revenue Districts.
Democratic Leaders Attempting to Secure
Harmony-What Garfield Would Have
Done in the Star-Route Gases.
INDIANA'S SHARE.
Public Money To Be Expended in This State
During the Coming Year.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON, June 29.-Under practice
''as old as the hills" the government dates
its fiscal year from the 1st of July. This is
the period from which all calculations are
made relating to monetary matters, and all
disbursements are also commenced, for the
sake of regularity, from the same date. As
consequence of this, the various departments
will be spending money in one half of the
calendar year of 1888, in what is termed the
fiscal year 1884, because the year ends on the
30th of June in the latter year. This was
originally introduced for convenience, as
Congress meets only one month previous to
the ending of the calendar year. and it would
be impossible to prepare the appropriations
in so short period; indeed, with the present
lengthy sessions, the money bills are fire.
quently not completed until the beginning
of the fiscal year. AS matter of current
interest, intend to tell the readers
of the Journal what they can expect
from their government. now the new fiscal
year is at hand
One of the most important direct favors
asked of the government is public building.
Almost every place of any size wants gran
ite building as the quarters OF the govern
'ment officials located therein. In the
State of Indiana two places will be thus
favored in the new fiscal year-Fort Wayne
and Terre Haute. At the former place
there will be available for work on the
structure intended for a courthouse and
postoffce $4,000. This building is to cost
rlo Ill b
complete it Congress will have to allow at the
next session $50, ,OOO Terre Haute proved a
little more ambitious and will have a hun
dred and fifty thousand dollar structure of
| which amount there is now on hand $4,000
to carry forward the project. Of course, to
finish it like sum will have to be provided
by the next Congress.
As there has been some trouble in secur
ing proper sites for structures of this kind, a
law now exists by which the Treasury De-
partment is authorized ito acquire by pur-
chase or condemnation the necessary lands
for public buildings" 1t might be men
toned, also that these buildings are to con-
tain fire-proof vaults, and to render
them secure from attacks by fire are to be
isolated from adjoining houses by space of
at least forty feet.
Even after the government acquires the
buildings 1t costs not little to keep them in
condition for use. Expenses arise on every
hand, and the miscellaneous expenditures are
not inconsiderable, as can be seen from the
following statement of such items connected
with those in Indiana. The estimates of the
Treasury for the new fiscal year are as follows:
For the building in Indianapolis, fuel, s., $780,
light, $1,000; water, $4OO; ice, $40, and other
miscellaneous expenses, $3.50. Besides this,
the care and labor of this building costs, an
nually, $4,620, which includes the pay of
janitor, engineer, labor, etc. In the case of
the Evansville building the expenses will be:
Fuel, $72S5O; light, $169O; water, $3.50; ice,
$315, and other incidentals, $15S.5O. The
care of this building costs 50, $50, and even
the cleaning of the streets in the neighbor-
hood, $3.50.
1t may not be generally known, but still it
is fact, that the government annually pays
an annuity of 81, 100 to Indiana Indians.
The tribe is the Miamis of Eel river
The expenses of collecting the revenue
from customs are met by permanent appro-
priations. Within the limits of the State of
Indiana there are two collection districts
Indianapolis and Evansville. Under the re-
vised estimates of the Treasury commission,
approved by the Secretary, the expenses of
collection at the port of indianapolis will be
$4.418. This is reduction of $500 in the
salary account In the Evansville district
the expense is 81 400. UNDER scheme of
consolidation as devised by the Secretary of
the Treasury, the latter district would be
abolished, and all the business concentrated
in the single port of indianapolis. This
would also reduce the expenditures to So
100. In support of this scheme of consolida-
ton the Secretary says that there are many
districts in which no duties have been col
lected for years, and there are others in
which the duties collected are not sufficient
to pay the cost of collection. The labors of
the officers in these districts are confined al
most entirely to making up monthly and
quarterly return, often of mo transactions"
to the department
1t is we'll known that Congress at the last
session failed to make any appropriations for
the continuance of work on the river i'm
provements throughout the country, but
nevertheless small balances remain on hand
from former appropriations to continue
work on some of these projects In this
favorable condition, under all the circum-
stances, are placed the few river and harbor
Improvements of Indiana To enable the
| projects to be carried on there will be avail