The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1894-12-07

S49. 1929. The number OF orders paid was 35l :
$50. an increase over the preceding year Of Co.
26S, and their value was S65e3. 1897 an in
| crease OF SIi.2S5iIS.0j. From the foregoing
statements it appears that the total issue OF
money orders and postal notes for the year
amounted to I6,.235. I.9.3'. The number OF let
| tiers and packages mailed during the year for
| special delivery was 3.f36910- The special de-
| livery stamps used upon these letters and
| packages amounted to s3I3.657. The messen-
gers fees paid for their delivery amounted to
! S26l 2O6.7O. leaving a balance in favor OF the
government OF Sss.4S1.3l. The report shows
most gratifying results in the way of economies
| in the cost and amour, of supplies used in the
service. amounting in all to sI6,6i9. 0I7.i2.
Our Navy.
Attention is called to. the report Of the sec
tary OF the navy. which shows very gratifying
progress in the construction of ships for our
navy. All the vessels now building including
the three torpedo boats authorized at the last
session of congress. and excepting the first
class battleship Iowa, will probably be COM
p.eted during the coming fiscal year. The es-
Inmates for the increase of the navy for the
year ending June -. 1895. are large. but they
include practically the entire sum necessary to
complete aad equip all the new ships now in
commission: 50 that. unless new ships are au-
thorized. the appropriation for the naval serv-
ice for the fiscal year ending June %, 1897.
should fall below the estimates for the coming
year by at least 81. .O01.
The secretary presents with much earnest
ness plea for the authorization of three ad-
d1tional b1ttle>hips and twelve torpedo boats.
II we are to have navy for warlikc operations.
offensive and defensive. We certainly ought to
increase both the number of battieShipS and
torpedo boats.
The Interior Department.
The report Of the secretary OF the interior
exhibits the situation of the numerous and in
teresting branches of the public service con-
nected with his department. recommend this
report and the valuable recommendations OF
the secretary to careful attention of congress.
The public land disposed OF during the
year amounted to 101-0.i0l77 acres
including a.sS7.6Oj OF Indian lands
L is estimated that the public domain still re-
naming amounts to little more than 600 OO).-
ODJ acres. excluding. however. about 3e0.0J0.00)
acres in ALASKA as well as military reservations
and railroad and other selections OF lands I'M
adjudicated.
An exceedingly important recommendation
Of the secretary relates to the manner in which
contests and iitgated cases growing out OF eff
forts to obtain government land are de-
termincd. L concur in the opinion that the
commissioner of the general land Office should
be relieved of this duty of deciding iitigated
land cases: that II nom partisan court should be
created TO pass or such cases and that decis-
ions Of this court should be final. at least so far
as the decisions of the department are final.
At the close of the last fiscal wear on the
9th day of June. 1894. there were 99.5H per-
sons or the pension rolls. being u net increase
of 3.o3! over the number reported ut the end
OF the previous year These pensioners may
be classified as follows: Soldiers and sailors,
survivors of all wars. ia, sos: widows and rela-
tiveS of deceased soldiers. a15, Isl: army nurses
in war of the rebellion. ii4. OF these pension
erS. 3e.o39 are surviving soldiers of Indian and
other wars prior to the late civil war and
the widows and relatives of such soldiers.
The remainder. numbering 937, sos are re-
ceivinS pensions on account of the of the
rebellion, and of these 4s9,344 are on the rolls
under the authority of the act OF June % 1890,
sometimes called the dependent pension law.
The total amount expended for pensions dur
ing the year was S139S ~ jl .05. leaving an I'M
expected balance from the sum appropriated
of S25, 1926. The sum necessary to meet
pension expenditures for the year ending June
80. 1896. is estimated at Sl4O,00).O)J. The
commissioner of pensions is OF the opinion
that he year 1895 being the thirtieth
after fas; close Of the of the rebellion
must. according to sensible human calculation,
see the highest limit of the pension roll, and
that after that year it must begin to decline.
The claims pending in the bureau have de-
creased to more than 5000 duriCg the wear. A
large proportion of the new claims filed are for
increase OF pension by those now on the rolls.
The number of certificates issued was SO,3l3
The names dropped from the rolls for all
causes during the year numbered 1851. Among
our pensioners are nine widows and three
forty-fvc survivors of the war of 1872
Agricultural Matters.
The secretary of agriculture in his report re-
views the operations of his department
FOR the last fiscal year. and makes recomrnen-
dations for the further extension of its USE
fulnesS. He reports i saving in expenditures
during the year of S5o),O)o. which is covered
back into the treasury. This sum is % per
cent. OF the entire appropriation, as special
study has been made of the demand for Amer
lean farm products in all foreign markets, es-
pecially in Great Britain.
That country received from the United States
during the nine months ending September 30,
1894. 3O5,G0l live beef cattle valued ut Sa6.5OO-
900 as against 1851 cattle. valued at Sl663I.-
OO) during the same period for 1898. During
the first six months of 1894 the United King
dom took also ll2.00)0U pounds of dressed
beef from the United States valued at nearly
$1,000 900.
The report shows that during the nine months
Immediately preceding September 80 1891. the
United States exported to Great Britain 222.-
bushels, valued at S2,50JOJ0 and of
horses s,S1l at average value of
S139 per head. There falling of in Amer
lean wheat exports of 1900 900 bushels and the
secretary is inclined to believe that wheat may
not in the future be the staple export cereal
product of our country. but that corn will con-
tinue to advance in Importance export on
account of the new uses to which il is con-
stantly being appropriated. The exports of
agricultural products from the United States
for the fiscal year ending June 30. 1921 amount
ed to 1928. S6} OBS. being 722S per cent. of Amer
lean exports of every description, and the
United Kingdom Of Great Britain took more
than "a per cent. of all farm products finding
foreign markets.
The secretary of agriculture recommends
that the law providing for the microscopical
inspection Of export and interstate meat be so
amended as to compel owners of the meat in
Spected to pay the cost Of such inspection and
call attention to the arguments presented in
mis- report in support of this recommendation.
The live beef cattle exported and tagged dur
ing the year numbered $685. This is an in
crease OF 6o,533 head over the previous year.
The Civil Service.
The advantages to the public service of an
adherence to the principles of civil service re-
form are constantly more apparent and moth
ing is so encouraging to those in official life
who honestly desire good government as the in
creaSing appreciation by our people of these
advantages. vast majority OF the voters of
the land are ready to insist that the time and
the attention of those they select to perform for
them important public duties. should not be
distributed by doing out minor Offices and
they are growing to be unanimous in regarding
party organization something that should
be used in establishing party principles instead
Of debating the distribution of public places as
rewards of partisan activity. Numerous add-
tlonal offices and places have lately been
brought within civil service rules and regula-
tionS and some others will probably be in
cluded. The report of the commissioners will
be submitted to the congress, and invite care
full attention to the recommendations it con-
tairS.
A Board of Health.
I am entirely convinced that we ought not to