Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-12-11

per1ments III Iree delivery in the smaller cities
| and towns. The results of these experiments |
have been SO satisfactory that the postmaster
general recommends, and concur in the rec |
| ommendation, that the free delivery system |
| be at once extended to towns of 5000 popula |
| ton. His discussion of the inadequate facili |
| ties extended under our present system to
| rural communities and his suggestions with a
| view to give these communities fuller par |
ticipation in the benefits of the postal service
| are worthy of your careful consideration.
| 1t is not just that the farmer, who receives |
| his mail at neighboring town, should not |
only be compelled to send to the postoffice for |
| it, but to pay a considerable rent for box in
which to place it or to wait his turn at gen.
eral delivery, while the city resident has his
| mail brought to his door. 1t is stated that |
| over 1000 neighborhoods are under the pres
ent system receiving mail st postoffices where
| money orders and postal notes not issued. |
| The extension of this system to these commu-
| mites is especially desirable, the patrons of
such offices are not possessed of the other IA
| cilities offered in more populous communities
| for the transmission of small sums of money.
have in message to the preceding congress
| expressed my views rs to a modified use of the |
| telegraph in connection with the postal serv-
| ice.
| In pursuance of the ocean mail law of March !
| 3, 1871, and after a most careful study of the
| whole subject and frequent conferences with |
| ship owners, boards of trade and others, ad-
| vertlsements were issued by the postmaster
! general for fifty-three lines of ocean mail |
| servlce-ten to Great Britain and the Cont |
| nent, twenty -seven to South America, three to
China and japan. four to Australia and the
| Pacific islands, seven to the West Indies and
| two to Mexico. 1t was not of course expected
| that bids for all these lines would be received
| or that service upon them all would be con- |
tracted for. 1t was intended, in furtherance
| loft 1lp acf fOc 1iIaS nos
sible, while including in the list most or all OF
| the foreign lines occupied by American
| ships.
1t was hoped that a line to England, and per-
| haps one to the Continent, would be secured;
but the outlay required to equip such lines
wholly with new ships of the first class, and
the difficulty of establishing new lines in COM
| petition with those already established, de-
| TERED bidders whose interest had been en-
| listed. 1t is hoped that way may yet be
| found of overcoming these difficulties. The
| Brazil Steamship company, by reason of a mis-
| calculation to the speed of its vessels, was
not able to bid under the terms of the adver
| tisement. The policy of the department was
| to secure from the established lines an inn
| proved service as condition of giving to
| them the benefits of the law. This, in all in
| stances, has been attained The postmaster
| general estimates that an expenditure in Amer |
lean shipyards of about Sl0,000OON will be nee |
essary to enable the bidders to construct the
ships called for by the service which they have
| accepted.
lido not think there is any reason for discour
| agement or for any turning back from the pol |
icy of this legislation. Indeed a good begin |
ming has been made, and the subject is |
further considered and understood by capital |
lists and shipping people, new lines will be ready
to meet future proposals, and we may date
from the passage of this law the revival of
American shipping interests and the recovery
of a fair share of the carrying trade of the |
world. We were receiving for foreign postage |
nearly $2,0O0,000 under the old system and the |
outlay for ocean mail service did not exceed |
100000 per annum. 1t is estimated by the |
postmaster general that, if all the contracts |
proposed are completed, it will require $247 1854
for this year in addition to the appropriation |
for sea and inland postage already in the esti- |
mates, and that for the next fiscal year, ending
June 30, 1898, there would probably be needed
| about $560000.
The New Navy.
The report of the secretary of the navy shows
a gratifying increase of new naval vessels in |
commission. The Newark, Concord, Benning- |
ton and MiantonOmoh have been added during |
the year, with an aggregate of something more |
than IL 900 tons. Twenty-four warships of all
classes are now under construction in the navy |
yards and private shops, but, while the work |
upon them is going forward satisfactorily, the |
completion of the more important vessels will
yet require about years time. Some of the |
vessels now under construction, it is believed, |
will be triumphs of naval engineering.
When it is recollected that the work OF |
building modern navy was only initiated in
the year 1888, that our naval constructors and
shipbuilders were practically without expert |
ence in the construction of large iron or steel
ships, that our engine shops were unfamiliar
with great marine engines, and that the manu-
facture of steel forgings for guns and plates
almost wholly foreign industry, the progress
that has been made is not only highly satisfac
tory, but furnishes the assurance that the
United States will before long attain, in the
construction of such vessels, with their engines
and ornaments, the same pre-eminence which
it attained when the best instrument of ocean
commerce was the clipper ship and the most
impressive exhibit of naval power the old
wooden three decker man-of-war
The officers of the navy and the proprietors
and engineers of our great private shops have
responded with wonderful intelligence and
professional zeal to the confidence expressed |
by congress in its liberal legislation We have
now at Washington gun shop, organized and
conducted by naval officers, that in its system
economy and product is unexcelled. Expert.
ments with armor plate have been conducted
during the year with most important results
1t is now believed that plate of higher resist
ing power than any in use has been found, and
that the tests have demonstrated that cheaper
methods OF manufacture than those heretofore
thought necessary can be used.
commend to your favorable consideration
the recommendations Of the secretary. who
has, am sure, given to them the most consci-
entious study.
The Department of the Interior.
The report of the secretary of the interior
shows that very gratifying progress has been
made in all of the bureaus which make up that
complex and difficult department.
1.-THE presidents remarks on the work of the
bureau of Indian affairs and on the general In
LENGTHY.
mendations are made therein to congress]
The Pension Bureau.
The administration of the pension bureau
has been characterized during the year by
great diligence. The total number of pension
ers upon the roll on the 30th day of June 1891,
was 676l60. There were allowed during the
fiscal year ending at that time 250,565
cases. OF this number 102,3S7 were allowed
under the law of June a. 1890. The issuing OF
certificates has been proceeding at the rate OF
about $4,000 per month, about Is per cent. OF
these being cases under the new law. The
commissioner expresses the opinion that he
will be able to carefully adjudicate and allow
35O,0OO claims during the present fiscal year.
The appropriation for the payment of pensions
for the fiscal year 1901 was $127 6S5 1893 49, and
the amount expended Sis, $50, 64925, leaving an
uneXpended surplus of So, Isl, 14464.
The commissioner is quite confident that
there will be no call this year for a deficiency
appropriation, Notwithstanding the rapidity
with which the work is being pushed. The
mistake which has been made by many in
their exaggerated estimates of the cost of pen.
sions is in not taking account of the dimin-
ished value of first payments under the recent
legislation. These payments, under the gen.
eral law. have been for many years very large
as the pensions, when allowed, dated from the
time of filing the claim, and most of these
claims had been pending for years. The first
payments under the law of June, 1890, are rela-
lively small, and, as the per cent. of these
cases increases and that of the old cases dmin.
ishes, the annual aggregate of first payments
is largely reduced.
The commissioner, under dEee of Nov. 13,
furnishes me with the statement that during
the last four months 1915 certificates were
issued, n, 500 under the general law and s. 2S2
under the act of June q, 1890. The average
first payment during these four months was