Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-14
Under Consideration in the Senate
Today.
HAND VERSUS STEAM PRESSES.
Proposed Annex to the Engraving
and Printing Bureau Building.
SPEAKER REED AND Mr.. ENLoE TALK.
SENATE.


House bill for the disposition of the abandoned
| military reservation of Fort Ellis Mont
House bill granting certain lots of land to a
| school district in Michigan.
Senate bill appropriating $50 900 for a me-
mortal structure at Marietta, Ohio, commemor-
stive OF the settlement of the northwestern ter
| ritory.
MONUMENT TO GEN. PUTNAM.
Mr.. Hoar introduced a bill appropriating
$5O.OO0 FOR the erection of a statue or monu-
| ment In Washington to the memory Of Mai.
Gen: Israel Putnam and appointing the Secretary
OF War, the chairman of the joint committee on
the library and the architect of the Capitol to
contract for it. Referred
The presiding officer Mr.. ingalls,, announced
MS signature to the silver bill.
Mr. Hoar offered a resolution (Which was
agreed to) directing the Secretary OF the Treas-
ury 70 furnish such reports OF the commission
mitted.
Ihe Senate proceeded to the consideration of
'ne suhdry civil appropriation bill.
STATUS OF THE APPROPRIATION BILLS.
Mr. Edmunds asked Mr.. Allison if he was
prepared to give to the Senate the status of the
various appropriation bills.
Mr. Aiilson said that the agricultural bill and
the army bill had become laws The consular
ana diplomatic bill was in the hands of the
PRESIDENT. The District of Columbia bill was
pending in the House of Representatives on
conference report The fortifcation bill was
IN the hands Of a conference committee The
lhdlah appropriation bill would be reported to-
uAy or tomorrow from the Senate appropria-
uoh committee. The legislative, executive and
judicial appropriation bill Was a law So was
the military academy bill. the naval appropri-
atioh Dill. the pension appropriation bill and
tne posi- once appropriation bill The river and
narpor Dlii and the sundry civil bill were still
uhacted ON by the Senate. The general defici-
ehcy blll (Which would probably cover four or
n'e million dollars) was still behind. All those
appropriation bills with the river and harbor
the sundry civil and the deficiency bill esti-
mated would aggregate about 1853 900 OOO
Mr. uorman-1 hat does not include the per-
manent appropriations of about one hundred
millions
Mr.. Allison-It does not 1t only includes the
regular appropriation bills.
Mr. dorman presented a statement in refu-
tauon OF statements that the delay in the mat
ter OF the great appropriation bills was the
fault OF the Senate.
sUNDRY CIVIL BILL
Among the amendments reported from the
committee on appropriations to the sundry
civil bill and agreed to by the Senate we're the
following: Inserting item of $4,000 for the
completion OF the building and approach of
the post oiice and court house at Baltimore.
increasing the item Tor repairs of the Chicago
custom house from S46, 900 to 500 1000 Insert
Ing an item Of S30, 900 for q public building at
New London, Conn.
PROPOSED ENLARGEMENT OF BUREAU OF ENoRAy-
ING AND PRINTING.
Inc amendment to insert an item of $50 900
Tor the erection OF a wing at the west end of
the building for the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing having been reached, Mr.. Cockrell
asked whether the new wing was for the pur-
pose OF accommodating the hand plate-printing
presses.
MIR. Allison-Undoubtedly unless steam
presses shall be hereafter put in.
MIR. COckrell - But heretofore when the
steam presses were in use there was no occasion
for IN additional building.
MIR. Allison 1t has been estimated for two or
three times.
HAND PRESSES VERSUS STEAM PRESSES.
Mr.. Cockrell-I hold in my hand the report
OF Mr. Meredith, chief of the bureau, in reply to
resolution of the Senate calling for a COM
parative statement of the work and cost of the
hand presses and Of the steam presses, and it
shows the demagogic folly, extrayaoance
cowardice and prodigality Of the legislation
dlscontinuing the use of steam presses
inns paper shows an additional cost of
$6l, ,OOO year for a less amount of work than
was done before. And in addition to that we
have now to put up building to cost $50. 600 to
accommodate the hand-press operatives.
MR.. HAwLEY ON HAND PRESSES.
MIR. Hawley stated the necessity for more
room at the bureau, entirely Independent of
the question between steam presses and hand
presses. He had not the slightest shadow of a
doubt he said, as to what the government
ought to do in the matter. The work of maxi
ing impressions could not be done to the best
advantage by steam presses.
MIR. Harris thought that the question between
the steam presses and hand presses was not in
volved In the pending amendment, but he
stated that, after a long investigation two
years ago by Mr.. Hiscock and himself as a
subcommittee of the finance COMMITTEES thev
were absolutely convinced that the steam print
Ing presses did more uniform and more accu-
rate and better work than the hand presses.
MR.. aoRMAN ADVOCATED THE AMENDMENT
and quoted Mr.. Meredith as stating Gn letter
to Mr. Allison last month) that the cost of hand
presses over steam presses was only from to
10 per cent and that the superiority of the hand
work fully justified the additional expenditure.
THE AMENDMENT AGREED TO.
After further discussion the amendment was
agreed to.
FOR IMPROVING TREASURY VAULTS
The next amendment was the insertion of an
item OF 1888, 500 for the purpose Of improving,
extending and repairing vaults in the Treasury
building and for constructing new vaults or
SITES therein.
Mr.. Mcpherson inquired as to the purpose of |
such an expenditure. almost large enough he |
said, to construct a new Treasury building
MIR. Allison said that the item was concen- |
tration or boiling down of bill that had passed
the House on the 2lst of April last The treas |
urer and Secretary of the Treasury were very |
anxious about it, considering that the |
present interior arrangement Of vaults and |
safes required a complete overhauling.
THE AMENDMENT AGREED To-
The amendment was agreed to.
Among the amendments reported by the |
committee on appropriations and agreed to by |
the Senate were the following: Inserting items |
for light houses, beacons and fog signals as fol.
lows: At Lubec narrows, Maine, s15.5OO; at |
Cornfield Point light vessel, Connecticut, |
$4,000; at Old Orchard shoal, New York, and |
at Warckaack light station, $4,000 First |
class light vessel at Fenwicks Island |
shoal, Md. $4,000. Light house and fog signal |
at Maryland Point, Potomac river, O,OOO.
Additional land for Portsmouth light house |
depot, Va, $4,000. New dwelling at
Cape Hatieras light station, sb,OoO.
For light ship at Frying Pan shoals,
NC, $4,000 For light vessel at Martins In |
dustry, SC, s70,0 For light station on
Eleven Foot Shoal, Mich, ZOO. For CON-
pieting light house on the easterly end OF the
outer breakwater at Chicago, els, 900. For COM
pleting light house on Northwest Seal Rock, Oh
MT Col -.