Wichita eagle., 1888-02-01
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3l.-The house COM
mittee on banking and currency today re
ported favorably to the house, Mr.. Ding
ley's bill authorizing the secretary of the
treasury to invest the money deposited by
National banks for the requirement of their
circulation in the purchase % United
States bonds at current market rates. The
bonds so purchased, with interest accruing,
are to be held in trust and used for the
payment of the circulating notes Of the
banks which have deposited lawfully
money for such payment. The committee
reports an amendment limiting to IS per
cent, the amount that may be invested,
and authorizing the secretary to sell the
bonds redeemed. If it shall be necessary to
redeem the circulating notes outstanding.
The report of the minority OF the COM
mittee on commerce, which was today
presented to the house by Mr.. Rayner, is
signed by himself and Messrs. Anderson,
of Kansas, Tarsney, of Michigan, Ander-
son, of Iowa, and Lagan. of Louisiana. 1t
states that the effect of the majority re-
port will be to lay the original resolution
on the table. Congress has Il right to in
vestigate this subject 1.-THE Reading strike)
because the Reading Railroad company is
common carrier transporting commerce
between the states. Concerning the
commission TO make an investiga-
ton, that fact does not deprive
congress of its jurisdiction in the premises
and the evils complained of will have
reached their elimination before the inter
state commerce commission can take def
mite action in the matter. The railroad
company, the report says, has formed an
ostenSibly independent company to carry
on its mining operations, but that company
is substantially the railroad company, con
trolled by its directors and managed by its
officers ard agents. The vital questions
underlying this controversy are whether
the railroad company is shielding itself
under the charter of the coal and iron
company to produce a coal famine and
raise the price OF coal, and is there
combination or conspiracy be-
tween the two companies, actually
one and the same. to enable the
railroad company, indirectly, to escape its
duties as a common carrier: and is the
railroad company, in pursuance of sys-
TEN of allotment made by the anthracite
board of trade, discriminating against IN
dividual operators in the mining regions.
Congress has power TO expose the con-
spiracy, if there be one. The fact that la
Dor has been struck down and that ruin
and distress pervades the Lehigh and
Schuylkill regions requires only one Incl
dent of this trouble.
The house committee on war claims will
report favorably the senate bill authoriZ-
ing the secretary OF the treasury to make
an examination of moneys claimed to be
due the state of Missouri from the United
States government on account Of payments
made by the state TO her. soldiers for mill
tary services rendered the United States In
Suppressing the rebellion.
The secretary of the interior today
transmitted to the house, with d favorable
endorsement, letter from the acting COM
missioner of the land office in which he
says that after mature deliberatiOn, he
has come 10 the conclusion that the est!-
mates for the surveys of public lands are
too small, and he therefore, requests an
additional appropriation of 100000 to be
distributed among the various districts, to
facilitate the work of Surveying the public
lands. He also asks an appropriation OF
S300, 900 to be especially devoted to the sur
vey of lands within the grant and idemnity
limits OF land grant railroads. and an APP
preparation of $4,000 for clerical services
in the Office OF the surveys general and OF
$4,000 for increased surveys.