New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-29
WASHINGTON NEWS NOTES
Washington, Nav a

THE PRINTING OFFICE OUT or FUND.-
| Public Printer Palmer has called the attention OF
| Congress to the fact that more money is needed
Immediately to keep the Government Printing OF.
fee operation until the end OF the current fiscal
year. and the Senate passed joint resolution this
week making appropriation for that purpose
The Joint resolution reached the House OF Repre-
senatves yesterday. but action could not be taken
because Of the lack OF quorum. II Is probable
that the same state of affairs Will be found to
exist on Monday, which is Memorial Day this
year, May 30 falling Sunday. The House Of
Representatives. however. cannot be held re-
sponsIble even IL 1t shall be FOUND necessary to
curtaI the amount OF work in the Government
Printing Office for few days. That body passed
on March 19-eleven weeks ago-the General De-
hciency Appropriation bill. which carried item
OF $4,000 for deficiencies In the appropriations for
the public printing and binding. The bill was sent
to the Senate and referred TO the Committee on
Tnsre # has SfR aa s
| forward and passed within reasonable time or
n merit Prntng Office would not now be in such
desperate straits on account Of lack OF funds to
carry on It's WORK
RESOURCES OF MISUNDERSTANDING Of tho
rich natural but almost wholly undeveloped re-
sources of Honduras, Robert NJ Freyer civil en-
gineer who has twice visited that republic and 10
well Informed In regard to the opportunities and
advantages IL offers. said:
1T is of the countries upon which nature
has bestowed II bountes with iaylsh hand. Ii 10
a land Of perpetual spring and summer. where
flowers and fruits abound all the year round. Crops
grow there almost without cultivation. Sugar.
cane needs TO be repanted but once In ten years.
and the same is true Of cotton. Bananas produce
regularly a great number from the same root and
require but LITTLE attention Two crops Of lemons,
oranges and kindred fruits are gathered every
year and there is any frost TO kill the trees
Cocoanut and rubber trees become productive in
xgrbf fVnr MIA M
profitable. The only drawback to the country IS s
lack OF interior transportation facilities Strange
dTed and fty miles Of Florida that IS rich IN gold
and silver mines that lie idle and undeycoped be-
cause there is way to transport machinery; that
has quarries of marble equal 10 any In Italy; that
has the most fertile lana imaginable and a climate
unsurpassed: a country OF 1900 square miles and
yet with only one railroad, and that less than sixty
miles in length. There are scarcely any wagon
roads and on the northern coast only mule trails.
II Is not 10 be supposed however, that this condl
ton of things will last forever In fact, it is safe to
predict that an era OF railroad building in Hon
duras Is near at hand"
CAPTAIN MINORS SEALS.-"On a little coral
island some hundred miles south OF Florida.
townsman Of mine Captain Minor. lately captured
twenty-four head Of seals, belonging TO a species
that thought to be extinct" said sewall c.
Cobb of Pensacola. Fla, who is in Washington
They are known as the Monarchs Of the Tropics
and differ considerably from their brethren found
In northern waters. One striking feature is their
docllity; they make effort 20 escape capture and
ew to IL IKE DnE h aTd psi SRGsd
and the Smithsonian Institution here has contract
surprise to scientific men, who supposed that this
species had become extinct. The seals are or no
commercial value worth mentioning.
THE CRAMPED PATENT OFFICE-Attention
has frequently been drawn in these dispatches to
| the narrow. unhealthfu and altogether inadequate
and unsuitable quarters occupied by the United
States Patent Office IN Washington, which are
fantp mo m f1q eai
sons therein employed. There is another feature
Of tho matter which also deserves attention and
that is the constant and expensive waste OF time
in getting at the archives on account OF lack OF
space and ordinary conveniences In no way is the
expense caused by this lack of facilities better
shown than In the system Of storing the printed
copies Of patents. 1t would cost $500 in labor 70
collect from the files copy of each OF the six
hundred thousand patents. II these patents were
stored conveniently. instead OF being scattered IN
every available place from cellar to garrett OF the
Patent Office Building. and IL they were kept in
properly constructed filing cases instead OF being
wrapped in cotton. man could do the work Of
five at present AS IL IS. ten men cannot take the
the demand Of inventors and attorneys who daily
make application to purchase them Not long ago
that he desired to obtain a copy OF each patent
that had been issued by the United States Gov.
would take one clerk to take from the files Of the
Office single copy OF each patent There are are
printed copies OF each are Kept in bundles with the
per for quick reference There trained men
ten Of them whose only work Is to ia, take s these
FURNISH to- any one who desires to purchase them
They are quick in handling the bundles, yet i Is
three years merely to pull from the racks single
copy of each patent filed in the office AS this class
of labor Is paid 500 year, the cost TO the Gov
eminent of getting out the patents from the racks
would be sO Scores Of times Commissioners mis- OF
building in which to do the work but every year
no attention is paid to Urgent appeals: The Patent
office has never cost the Government cent and
Improvement OF its facilities.
SIZE AND THE COMPETITIVE DRILL.-"Young
Mr. sze" as he is called an attache OF the Chinese
Legation who Is q student in the High School here
came off with flying colors in the competitive drill
Of the High School cadets. SEE is tall young Ce-
lestial apparently about sixteen. who IS regarded
as an unusually clever student in the school at
which he has been pupil for the last three
Both his English and his manners are so good that
he had the honor OF being interpreter Tor Mrs.
Yang Yu the wife OF the former Minister OF China,
and accompanied her in her round OF visits and to
all social entertainments He IS one OF the two in
new Minister and My Chung. chief translator. is
the other. SEES part in the dr was fine that IL
attracted general attention, and he was repeatedly
cheered by the great crowd Of visitors present with
China The Minister OF China and Mrs. WI. their
little boy. Charles Chu and all the secretaries
turned out In honor or see, 10 witness the drill.
They wore beautiful brocades of many colors and
were picturesque box party. Mrs WI smiling and
Interested, and with her tiny feet IN the Least
concealed by her native dress. OF course received
much attention from the American women around
her
SUCCESSFUL WORK FOR GREECE.-Countess
d Brazza president of the American Aid TO the
Greek Red Cross. is wording heart and soul In
behalf of the sick. wounded and needy people OF
Greece Count di Brazza Is a delegate from Italy
10 the Postal Congress. and his wife. who Is an
American woman. appreciates the advantage OF
killing two birds with one stone" She has taken
a house in Washington. and while her husband 10
working 10 promote the postal interests OF Italy,
she is working 10 help the suffering Greeks. The