Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-12-14
OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON: FRIDAY EVENING" DEC IA, 1894.
things which should be terminated, on
all grounds, public and private, at the
earliest possible moment.

things which should be terminated, on
all grounds, public and private, at the
earliest possible moment.
OPERATIONS OF THE POST OFFICE.
The report of the Postmaster General
presents a comprehensive statement
OF operations of the post office depart
ment for the last fiscal year. The
receipts of the department during the
year amounted to $7J J,0S0,4 ,47OO4 and
the expenditures to $S4,324,41415.
The Postmaster General states that
the latest indications are so favorable
that he confidently predicts an in
crease of at least eight per cent. in the
revenues of the current year over those
of the last year.
Pretended newspapers are started by
business houses for the mere purpose
of advertising goods. complying with
the law in form only and disseminating
the publications as soon as the period
of advertising is over. Sample copies"
of pretended newspapers are issued in
great numbers for like purpose only.
The result is a great loss of revenue to
the government. Besides it is a trick
upon both its rival houses and the reg
ular and legitimate newspapers.
Hundreds of thousands OF packages
OF seed and grain are uselessly dis.
tributed through the Department OF
Agriculture. The Postmaster General
predicts that if the law be so amended
As to eradicate the abuses, not only
will the postofiice department not
show deficiency, but he believes that
in the near future all legitimate news
papers and periodical magazines will
be properly transmitted through the
mails to their subscribers free of cost.
The number of letters and packages
mailed during the year for special de-
livery was 3,436,070. The special de-
livery stamps used upon these letters
and packages amounted to $343697.
The messengers fees paid for their de-
livery amounted to $26l ,20O.7O, leav.
ing balance favor of the government
Of $s2 2,4S7.3O.
| tnI mil ha -
Office established 1861 employees who
are in the classified service.
NAVAL AFFAIRS.
The torpedo boats authorized at the
last session of Congress, and except
ing the first-class battleship "Iowa,"
will probably be completed during the
coming fiscal year.
The estimates for the increase of the
navy for the year ending June 80,
1895, are large, but they include
practically the entire sum necessary to
complete and equip all the new ships
not now in commission, 80 that unless
new ships are authorized the ap.
propriations for the naval service for
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1896,
should fall below the estimates for the
coming year by at least $12,OOO,OOO.
The secretary presents with much
earnestness q plea for the authorize
ton of three additional battleships and
10 or II torpedo boats.
recommend that provision be made
for construction of additional battle
ships and torpedo boats.
The manufacture of guns for the
Washington navy yard is proceeding
satisfactorily and none of our new
ships will be required to wait for their
guns or ordnance equipment.
The war now in progress between
China and Japan has rendered it nec-
essary or expedient to dispatch eight
vessels to those waters.
Both: the Secretary OF the Navy and
the Secretary and Treasury recon-
mend the transfer of the work of the
coast survey proper to the navy depart
ment.
l concur in this recommendation.
feel it my imperative duty to call
attention TO the recommendations of
the secretary in regard to the person
mel of the line of the navy. The
staguation of promotion in this, the
vital branch OF the service, is so great
as to seriously impair its efficiency.
The system adopted few years ago
regulating the employment of labor At
navy yards is rigidly upheld and has
fully demonstrated its usefulness and
efficiency.
THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.
The public land deposed of during
the year amounted to 10,406, ,lOO.77
acres, including 2S,S67.O55 acres of
Indian lands. 1t is estimated that the
public domain still remaining amounts
to little more than 6OO, ,OOO, 600 acres,
in Alaska as we'll as military reserva-
tions and railroad and other sections
of land yet unadjudicated.
The total cash receipts from sale OF
lands amounted to 81, ,674 4,2S5.79, in
Guiding $9l ,9S1.03 received for Indian
lands.
Thirty-fve patents were issued for
agricultural land and 3,lOO patents
were issued for Indians on allotment
of their lands in severalty, the land so
allotted being inalienable by the
Indian allottees for period OF % years
after patent.
THE INDIAN PROBLEM.
Though the conditions OF the In
dians shows a steady and healthy pro
gress their situation is not satisfactory
At all points. Some of them, to whom
allotments of land have been made,
are found to be unable or disinclined
to follow agricultural pursuits or to
otherwise benefcially manage their
land. This is especially true of the
Cheyennes and ArapahOes.
l am convinced that the proper solu-
ton of the Indian problem and the
success of every step taken in that di-