Los Angeles herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1890-1893, 1891-12-25
Few Signs of Life at the
National Capital.
Eongressmen Gone Home for
the Christmas Holidays.
A Delegation of Blackfeet Visit the
Great Father.
Stephen b. Elkins Sworn I'm as Secretary
of war-Promotions in the Treas
ury Department to Be Made
on Merit Only.



WASHINGTON, Dec. 24.-There were
lew signs of life at the capitol today.
Most of the senators and representa-
tiyes have left Washington for their
homes, and there is no probability that
any committee work will be done dur
ing the holidays.
BLACKFEET VISIT THE GREAT FATHER.
The delegation of Blackfoot Indians
who are visiting this city were given a
reception and audience by the president
this afternoon.
A TIN PLATE DECISION.
Acting Secretary Spaulding has de-
cided that tin plates made in this coun-
try from imported block tin are to be
considered as domestic productions
within the meaning of the tariff act,
Just as if no foreign material entered
into their manufacture.
ELKINs SWORN IN.
Secretary of War Elkins was sworn
into Office today. Chief Clerk Tweedale
administered the oath OF Office.
He spent few hours receiving the
officials of the war department and left
the city on the afternoon train for Ell
kins, West Virginia, where he will
spend Christmas with his family.
IIEDEs BROTHERS TOBACCO.
In the matter of the importation of
Sumatra tobacco by Liebes Brothers,
San Francisco, the customs department
sustains the firms appeal against assess
ment on forty-one bales which it was
claimed should have been assessed as
filters at As cents a pound, instead of
wrappers at 81 pound, but sustains
Collector Phelps in the duty fixed on
200 bales of wrappers.
PROMOTIONS ON MERIT.
Pursuant to directions embraced in a
letter from the president to the head of
each department, the secretary OF the
treasury has completed a plan which
will take effect on the LIST OF January,
under which all promotions in the
treasury department will hereafter be
made on the basis of merit only, and as
the result of competitive examinations,
each examination for promotion to any
grade to be confined to the pclerks in
the next lower grade in the same office
or bureau. AS part of the plan thus
adopted a daily record will be kept of
the efficiency of each clerk by the chief
of his division, and in all examinations
this efficiency record will be the element
of chief weight. The efficiency record
will give the daily standing of each clerk
for punctuality, attendance, conduct
(including personal habits), accuracy,
industry, aptitude and general ability.
This new departure, with which the
officials of the treasury department are
fx,l =, Id
all promotions from the domain of polit-
ical influence and official favoritism,
and places them exclusively on the
basis of merit.
WINDOWS ESTIMATES.
The attention OF the treasury depart
ment was recently called by a cores
pondent of newspaper to the
statement to the effect that in his
annual estimate of receipts and eXpend-
itures for the fiscal year ended June 80,
1891, the late secretary Window over
estimated the receipts OF revenues
$52 900, 900, and underestimate the dis
bursements $67, 100000. The facts
shown by the books of the department
are given in the following letter from
Assistant Secretary Nettleton to Fl. L.
Earle of Washington:
The published statement is entirely
erroneous. IN his annual report Secre
tary Window estimated the total re-
ceipts, including the postal service, at
s472, 900, 900; the actual receipts proved
to be s4S7 907 946. Remembering the
tariff legislation, the Mckinley bill
made radical changes, the most of which
took effect after the date of the report.
In the same report Window estimated
the total expenditure, including the dis
bursements for the postal service, to be
$4,000 900 for the same fiscal year.
The actual expenditures prove to have
been $444, S57 ,768, an increase of nearly
$50, 900, 900 over the estimate. This
excess is almost wholly accounted for by
the expenditures growing out of legisla-
ton enacted, and judicial decisions rem
dered after the date of the report, which,
therefore. could not have been taken
into contemplation ia the estimate. The
principal item of this kind is $11 .521 900