Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-07-27
THE | PENSION BUREAU.
HHAr TEE GOa1IrfEE ON WHITE
s.. HAsHTN6 HAS FOUND.

tiOn ON the War Wool Tax Again De
cided Awards for Steel Plate for u
Armsred vessel Washington Topics
1 WAsHlxsaoN. July 26.--The committe'
appointed by Secretary Noble to investi
gate thsFepott upon the manner OF ratini
pensions in the pension bureau during thu
last year. Is busily engaged in examining
cases. b statement is being prepared al
the pension Office, showing the number O
cases made special during the four monthi
of Tanners administrations IL is stated
these number less than ons thousand.
I Ths treasury department, to-day, de
cided an interesting question in regard to
the classification OF so-ealled ''garnettsd
wool wasts.n The question was on an ap'
peal By d. Wild 4 Go. from the decision ol
the collector Of customs at New York,
Iassa autyscf 90 pents o pound on
recsnt importations OF that merchandise
which they claimed to be dutiable at the
rate Of 10 cents pound. It appears from
the special report OF the United States ap.
praieer that the merchandise consists oi
eo-called ..woolen waste" which has been
''sarnetted,' or put through some
process by which it is practically
restored to the condition OF the manu-.
factured wool OF the drst-class wool. In q
letter to the collector, Acting Secretary
Bachelor, decided by the department on
the 26th OF October 1887, it was then, as
it vas on the 18th OF July, 1887, held that
wooden waste which has been broken
up and put through q 'sgarnettins" machine,
whereby it becomes practically secured
wool-that is to say, when OF first class
aud costing under 30 cents a pound in the
condition-the duty is 30 cents
per pound as assessed by the collectors.
The decision in the case in question
is therefore affirmed. ~ ...es s.a-r-
Tie setretary OF the navy has awarded
the contract for furnishing 42s tons Of
steel plates for the armorsd battlelship;
Maine, to the Linden Steel company OF
Pittsburg, for $34s753.
: The treasury department aquiesced in
the opinion OF the attorney general that
Chinese can pass through United States
territory in transit to foreign parts,
and the practice Of the depart
rnent, which has been exactly the re-.
verse, will be modified. Accordingly in.
structions were to-day sent to the collec.
tor at New Orleans to permit the landing
Of the Chinese who recently arrived there
ON the way to China. ;. .:..
Solicitor Hepburn, to whom the question
was offered, is Of the opinion that there is
nothing in the Chinese exclusion act to
prohibit the landing in the United States
Of Chinese who enlisted az servants on
United States naval vessels recently at
Samoa and whose service will terminate
upon the arrival Of the vessels at San
francisco. The solicitor considers that
these men form part OF the working outfit
Of the vessels, and that they are exempted
from the operations Of the exclusive acts.
The governor OF Alaska has requested the
officials Of the war department. to furnish
the territory with 250 stand of arms with
which to equip the. territorial militia.
There in no record OF the existence OF any
militia, but inasmtich as the war depart
naent will be secured against loss the arms
will probably be issued in accordance with
the request.
= Civil Service Commissioner Roosevelt
said, to-day, thatcharges had been brought
against both the pension office and the
sixth auditors Office, that men bad been
because they were Democrats:
He was not prepared to say that this was
a violation OF the law, but Individually
be was Of the opinion it was in violation
OF the spirit of the law. He thought that
no one, unless he happened to be active
partisan, should be dismissed from public
service. He said the commission was 60
ing to look the matter up, not only as re-
latins to the present but to the past.
The attorney general has given Secretary
Tracy an opinion to the effect that there
10 no legal objection to transit through the
United States Of the Cinnamon recently ar.
rived at New Orleans from Cuba. The
Chinese minister has asked that these men
be permitted to cross the United States on
their way home, and it is probable. in view
OF the attorney generals opinion, that bis
request will be granted. This opinion is In
accord with decision given by Solicitor
Hebburn on the same question some weeks
ago which was not, however. accepted by
the treasury department.