Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1893-04-13
NATIONAL CAPITAL.
Question of Sheathing Our Naval
Vessels Receiving Attention
From the Secretary.

required 70 perform. lie hopes by this
means to secure high standard in the
department.
A Republican Senator, who stands
high in the party councils, says the pro-
posed Senatorial investigations OF pri-
vate character and the reorganization
schemes will come TO nothing this ses-
sion. They cannot be considered while
the contested seats are under considera-
ton, and when that subject il disposed
OF the Senate will probably adjourn, as
the quorum would otherwise disappear
within two days after the President no.
titled the Senate he has no further busi
ness TO present TO it.
Secretary Carlisle is having prepared
list Of the employees Of the Treasury
Department, with the salaries they re-
ceive, and will have it arranged by
States. The list has been prepared al
ready to such an extent as to show a
great disproportion among the States,
some having many more clerks than their
prO-"r quota and others less. The Sec
retary, it is understood, intends by every
means in his power 20 reduce the Dis
trict OF Columbia's list OF employees so
that the States may receive their proper
quota Of appointments.
Assistant Secretary Bussey has rel =
dered an important decision in the mat
ter OF the claim of Joseph p. Smith for
an increase Of pension on the ground Of
new disabilities, in which he oyerrules
the action oi tine Commissioner vi PEN
sions in allowing an attorney fee OF 80.
The claim for increase was made under
the act vi June 27, 1890, and the Assist
ant Secretary holds that all such claims
should be treated as strictly increase
claims whether new disabilities are
claimed or not, for which a fee OF only
So can be allowed. 1t is said that prob
ably 100000 claims will be affected by
this decision.
The Senate Committee on Foreign Re-
lations held meeting the other morn
ing. 1t is understood that, while favor
able to making public the text of the
Russian treaty, it was unable to agree
upon favorable report by reason OF dis
agreements relative to the correspond
ence accompanying the convention. A
well-known Senator, who is the cham
pion Of general humanitarian legisla-
ton, states that, when published, the
treaty will be found neither more nor
less Objectionable than several other
treaties which have been in operation
for some years. The criticisms, he says,
are due to a conception OF the effect Of
the instrument upon the garbled ex-
tracts of surreptitious publication Of
the treaty first sent to the Senate''
Secretaries Gresham and Carlisle while
looking into the expenditures of the
Behring Sea Commission reached some
| allowances which were extravagant and
should be discontinued. 1t appears that
| everybody connected with the commits
sion, from the stenographcr down have
been given very liberal allowances, which
the officials OF this administration in.
clude under the head OF "useless extrav-
agance," There are, it is said, eight or
ten officials connected with the commits
sion who are receiving more than double
pay by drawing so to $l5 per day in ad-
dition to regular salaries, which range
from 81 800 to $500 per annum. Ru-
mors of these exposures have made
quite a stir in the department, and some
interesting developments are expected.
Assistant Secretary Spaulding has
written the following letter to Collectors
on the Pacific Coast THE department
is informed that the practice obtains
among Chinese laborers in this country
of entrusting money to merchants, which
is treated as a part OF the capital in the
business. Chinese laborers who have
made such disposition OF their savings,
although not actually engaged in bust
ness, have claimed to be merchants, and
say they are thereby entitled to leave the
country and return at pleasure. The de-
partment desires YOU TO closely scrutin-
ize the certificates which may be pre-
sented Mt your port by returning Chinese
and to require evidence OF the standing
Of the holders rs bona-tide merchants,
actively engaged in business. In no case
should Chinese be permitted to enter as
merchants unless their right to the priv
ilege is clearly established, and where it
appears the practice herein referred to is
attempted the certificates presented
should be ignored, the holders arrested
and the facts reported to the depart
ment,"
The question of sheathing our naval
vessels is one TO which Secretary Herbert,
II is said, proposes to give some earnest
consideration. Naval Constructor llich-
born has prepared some important data
on the subject. He shows that the At
lanta on her trial trip with clean bot
tom attained speed OF l5.5 knots
an hour with S,Si5-horse power,
while the Boston, her exact duplicate,
with comparatively foul bottom made
but 1873 knots on S,S90-horse power,
Constructor Hichborn holds that the inn
portance OF the preservation of the bot
tom OF steel vessels from corrosion and
fouling can hardly be overcstimated and
is continually emphasized by the reports
OF loss OF speed and increased coal con-
sumption received from our new un-
sheathed steel vessels now in commits
sion, Unless our cruisers are to be con-
fined to cruises of short duration in the
neighborhood OF our own ports, il would
appear that they are deficient in the
most important quality-the ability to
maintain high speed at sea for long pc-
riods. The additional expense incurred
in putting on the shcathing OF wood and
copper is in reality great saving dur
ing the lifetime OF ship, rs it obviatcs
the necessity OF frequent docking and
the largely Increased coal bills when the
the metal bottom is foul. For vessel
like the Chicago the cost would be be-
tween $500 and 500 for docking alone.
To this sum must be added about 1000
for scraplng and painting, In Great
Britain competition has brought the
charges for private docks down 10 min
imum, but the docks in India, China,
Australia and on the Pacific Coast are
very expensive, Captain Hichhorn rcC-
ommends that all cruising vessels in
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