The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1893-07-29
FROM WASHINGTON CITY.

The appraisemcnt OF lots and parcels
OF land in the tOwnsite Of Port Angeles,
Wash, by the commission appointed by
Secretary Noble has been approved by
the Interior Department. The commis-
sion Of the general land Office is now
preparing instructions TO the proper Reg
ister and Receiver for the sale OF said
lots and parcels Of land. The settlers
under the law are entitled TO purchase at
the appraised value the town lot on
which they live and any other on which
they may have made valuable improve
mcnts. The remaining lands are TO be
sold TO the highest bidder above the ap-
praised value. The whole townsite ag-
gregates about 1900 acres.
The pension bureau has notified a
great many pensioners throughout the
entire country, who are drawing pen
sions under the act Of June q, 1890,
known AZ the Independent pensions act,
that payment Of their pensions will be
suspended for sixty days, during which
time they are required 10 show cause
why they should continue to draw pen
slOns. This action is pursuant 10 the re-
cent ruling OF Secretary Smith that a
pensiOncr under the act Of June q, 1890,
drawing a pension for total disability
must be shown 10 be physically incapa-
bic OF manual labor. II is estimated at
the pension office, although the work
has recently begun, that something over
1000 suspensions have already been
made.
Enlisted men in the navy will now
have the privilege Of purchasing their
discharge. Secretary Herbert has issued
an order establishing rules and regula-
tions for the purchase Of discharges au-
thorized by the last naval appropriation
bill. No man is TO be allowed TO pur-
chase his discharge while in debt to the
government, nor until he has served
three months. The price of discharge
during the fourth month Of enlistment
will be % per cent of the yearly pay Of
the applicant; during the fifth month
80 per cent, and so on, increasing per
cent per month until the fourteenth
month, when the maximum price is
reached. During the fifteenth month
the price will be 95 per cent Of the max
imum price; in the sixteenth month 90
per cent, and so on, decreasing 5 per cent
per month until the thirty y-fourth month,
when the applicant may apply for his
discharge without payment. No man is
allowed to purchase his discharge a sec
ond time, and those procuring discharges
by purchase forfeit all benefits due to
continuous service or honorable dis
charge. A discharge by purchase is not
an inherent right, but a privilege which
may be granted by the Navy Department.
The atmosphere about the weather
bureau has cleared off very perceptibly
since the recent Investigation, and affairs
are running along very smoothly, with
very little probability of any further
changes being made in the near future
in the bureau. Secretary Morton said
that he wished to make it popular; in
short, he will insist upon a useful fore
casting so the farmer, miner, shipper
and commercial man can derive from it
the greatest possible good. In addition
to cutting off number of what he calls
"uscless scientists" Secretary Morton
proposes to save money in the matter of
telegraph tolls. He also decided to dis
continue the river and tloOd-room work
and at an early date place the river fore
cast in charge of observers located on
the principal rivers. As a result Carl
Barns, F. II. Bigelow and Thomas E.
Russell, professors of meteorology, will
be dropped from the rolls this month
along with number of clerks and other
employees. In his forthcoming report
Secretary Morton will make two impor-
tant recommendations. One relates to
the indiscriminate distribution of garden
seed. and the other to the duplication of
experiments by stations, now being done
by the department.