The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1884-01-11

commirtee wouia not recommend tine APP
preparation of money asked for by Secre-
| tary Chandler for the construction of new
naval vessels, but would confine the APP
preparations to the construction of vessels
already authorized by law. He intimated
that the committee would request Chandler
to answer series of questions before the
naval bill Is reported TO the house.
THE TIMBER-cULTURE ACT.
There will be hard fight this session
In congress over the recommendations of
Secretary Teller, the commissioner of the
repeal Of the presumption law and the tim
ber-culture act. That there Is very strong
sentiment In the house In favor of the pro-
posed repeal Is indicated by the large num-
Der of bills introduced and referred to
the public lands committee. There is
scarcely any doubt that that committee
will, at an early day, report q measure
embodying the points OF the bills intro
dnced, and also certain notifications of
the homestead act. The repeal will be
larly from land spectators In various
parts OF the country, who succeeded at the
last session of congress In having removed
from the sundry civil bill q provision that
| had been inserted by the house repeating
the preemption law.
CHOLERA IN EGYPT.
The national, board of health has infer
nation communicated by the state depart
| ment of the continuance of cholera in
Alexandria. Judge Farman, of the inter-
national tribunal at Cairo, says: There
death Sma So crsGs IN whsh tSs at
| tackled recover" He estimates the num-
| Der OF deaths from cholera during the past
summer as double that given by the official
reports. The United States consul gener-
al at Cairo reports the official estimate 49,
0JO to $1,000. Owing to the want of proper
organization, however, the returns are not
trustworthy. For example. on July "A the
sanitary bulletin fixed the deaths in Cairo
at 465; From police statistics they ex-
ceeded ], 200; The consul general reports
that In well-infOrmed official circles the
number of victims is estimated at between
$4,000 and 10000. In many villages in the
interior he says, the majority of the la
boring population died, and In some in
appeared. not sufficient effective help
remaining to cultivate and harvest the
crops"
CIVIL SERVICE.
The work of the civil-servce commits
sioners, Messrs. Eaton, Gregory, and Tho
man, for the year will be reviewed in their
annual report which will be submitted
to- the president sometime about the
middle OF the month. AS the actual work
| of civil-service examinations did not be-
| gin until last July, the report upon which
they are now engaged will really cover a
4
sioners will declare that their experience
has demonstrated the entire practicability
of the present law, and they will probably
not recommend any change, but they will
ask to be allowed the services of a clerk
at their main office at a salary of ST. 400.
| The report will contain specimen sheets
| of the questions used in examinations i'm
all parts of the country, which have been
| ridicued In some quarters. Some attempts
| to circumvent the commissioners by COM
| petitors In examinations have failed, and
none are known to have succeeded. Sew
| eral instances of sharp practice are men,
| toned. The commissioners refer to the
| difficulties thrown in their way in some To-
| calities by enemies of civil service reform,
but state they were overcome. Nearly
! fourteen thousand places are to be filled
| under the ciyil-seryce regulations, the
salaries for which generally range from
commissioners will claim that in as many
| of these places as the commission has
| filled, the general tendency has been to-
| ward a decided Improvement in the char
acter and efficiency of the employees.
PENSION BUREAU.
Chairman Randall, of the appropriations
| committee, says the subcommittee on pen
| sions have, after careful examination,
concluded that an appropriation of SIS
| 000, 600 In addition to the unexpended bal
ance that will remain will be ample for
pensions He says the estimate of the
600 and $50, 600, 900 for the year, and that
those figures come up to what the secreta-
ry OF the treasury thinks will be neces-
| sary. When Commissioner Dudley asked
for and obtained $l0O, OOo, 600 he estimated
there would be surplus or an unexpended
balance of $14 600 600, when in fact it
reached SSa, coo. 900. At the beginning of
the current fiscal year the commissioner
had $l25, 000, 600 on hand. Up to the pres
ent he has used $50 900, and the sub
committee estimate that he will at the end
of the year have left at least SIS, 600, 600.
To this they propose to add SIS, 0OO, 900,
thus making the appropriation for pen.
sions for the next fiscal year $40, 0Oo, 600,
think will be sufficient
Col. Dudley will recommend to the Sec
rotary of the interior plan for improving
the efficiency of the pension office. 1t in
out regard to their grade, aud the reten-
ton OF only the most competent and eff
cient clerks. He thinks the process Of ex-
purgation would result in the dismissal of
S5O clerks and the appointments of about
lOO new men, also, that the aggregate
saving In salaries would be about Sl25, 600
year.
AMERIcA's HARBoR DEFENsEs.
M. Challmel- Lacour minister of foreign
affairs in the French cabinet, said i'm con-
versation with gentleman described as q
prominent member OF one OF the houses of
congress, and who Is undoubtedly Senator
Randall l.. Gibson, of Louisiana: your
country Is not strong enough in naval and
military forces rs they are now considered
to compel any European nation to accept
the theory of supremacy of American
ideas on the North American continent if
1t should be questioned. Holding the
opinions you do it Is the wonder of all
Europe that you have permitted your
means of defense and Offense-that is,
your army and navy-to become so reduced.
How do you intend to maintain the Mon
roe doctrine If France questions your right
OF interference with the Lesseps canal? l
admit your wealth, but not your physical
power. Your moral influence Is very
great, but to every nation in Europe ex-
cept France Your republic is standing
menace of Its destruction. The glory of |
the great country across the sea Is an ac-
tual threat to Germany, Austria, and Rus
STA, and all other monarches, and nothing
would so please them as to witness your
humiliation as a nation, or even the de-
struction of republican idea. and you
may be sure 1t will come sooner or later IL |