Evening star., 1895-10-28
THE COURT OF CLAIMS
Important Gases to Come Before It During
the Present Term
Rebate ON Alcohol Tax The Letter
Carriers md Their Over
time Allowances.

The Court of Claims reassembled this
morning after it's long summer recess.
There is an unusually large number of i'm
portant cases on it's trial docket. OF the
10000 cases now pending before the court,
that of Sharp Dohme. manufacturing
druggists of Baltimore, will probably at
tract the largest share of public interest
This case is brought to test the validity Of
the free alcohol clause of the rev tariff act
in SO far as it applies to alcohol used in
manufactures. Another test case is that of
Robert Dunlap, the New York hat manu-
facturer. Both of these cases are substan-
TALLY ready for trial SO far as the taking of
evidence is concerned. The Dunlap case is
materially different from that of Sharp &
Dohme, inasmuch as there appears to be
some question as to whether alcohol used in
manufacturing hats GENES within the
meaning Of the act which declares that
ANY manufacturer finding it necessary to
use alcohol in the arts or in any medicinal
payment Of the tax already paid on such
alcohol.
Contention of the Claimants.
1t will be the contention of the claimants,
10 doubt. that "arts," in the sense intended
to be conveyed in the act, include all manu-
factures in which alcohol is used. This
view of the case will be combated by the
government, and the question will be raised
whether Congress, by its failure to make
an appropriation for carrying this section
of the act into effect, did not, in fact, post
pone the time at which it was to go into
operation. 1t has been estimated that there
are 10000 manufacturers in this country
ircluding small druggists, who, if the
courts sustain the claimants, will be enti-
tied to rebates aggregating s1O,Oo0,0o0. OF
this amount suits already have been filed
amounting to about $2,JOO0O0. The follow
ing are some of the uses to which alcohol is
put, and for which applications for rebates
have already been filed: Analine colors.
bronze powders, bay rum, bitters, candy,
cement, cologne spirits, cherry tonic, ca
tarrh cure, essential oils. ethers, flavoring
extracts, fluid extracts, medicinal prepara-
tions, medicine for skin diseases, lavender
salts, liniment, toilet waters, licorice, metal
lie ammunition, paints, Photographic dry
plates. perfumery. soaps. varnish, witch
hazel -~---' --'
Letter Carriers Overtime.
be that involving the question whether the
act of 1883 which gave letter carriers COM
pensation in excess of eight hours a day
intended that the eight hours should be
consecutive. The Post Office Department
has held up to this time that there may be
intervals tetween the working hours. The
letter carriers, however, contend that Con-
gress did not contemplate that they might
be laid off half hour, or less, three or four
times day while waiting for the arrival
of mails. The case which will test the law
comes from New York. About 1900 letter
carriers now have claims pending under
the Interpretation placed upon the law by
the Postmaster General Another interest
ing class of cases will be those for damages
arising from the encroachments of the Mis-
sissippi river by reason of government i'm
proveclents. which contracted the channels
causing overflows. Another case is that of
the Western Union Telegraph Company
against the government for tolls on gov
ernment messages under the rates fixed by
Postmaster General Wanamaker. These
rates, 1t is claimed We're far below the cost
of the service. The present rate is about
one-third higher than that fixed by Mr.
Wanamaker. About $200.CO0 is involved in
this suit.