The evening times., 1898-12-06
f 500 and less. accompanied by fun paw


of the amount subscribed. The total of
subscriptions of 500 and less was $780,
1850, and the total in greater amounts
than $500. including certain proposals
guaranteeing the loan, amounted in the
aggregate to more than 81. 400. 900. 900.
AS provided by the circular. the allot-
ment of bonds to subscribers Of amounts
greater than $500 began Immediately upon
the close of the books July IA, the smallest
subscriptions being first allotted until
those of 81, 400 and less had been reached
There was a residue. ascertained to be
about 81. 500. .0G0 which was allotted pro
rata among the subscribers of $i5e0, each
subscriber for that amount being award
ed the sum of 1890.
The foreign commerce of the fiscal year
is shown TO have been phenomenal. The
expectations of products of both field and
factory exceeded in value those of any
preceding year. and the grand total of
exports was tEe largest ever recorded
For the first time in the history of our
foreign commerce the years expectations
averaged more than sl0o eG0.0lJ per month,
the total being fl23l. :s2.2:2l against sl.l51-
95j 556 in 1881 ard Sl,0S0. .IfS in 1852, no
ether years having reached the b.I.i0u-d0.-
lar line.
In connection with the operations of the
tariff the report says:
''Eome:.ic Industrial enterprises ara uH-
questIOEaby benefited By the tariff act Of
1sS designed as wen 10 encourage home
industries g to increase the revenues Of
the Government. BY reason of the fact
that importers, anticipating the passage
Of the act referred TO, provided themselves
with large Stocks OF merchandise Of every
description. the tariff of 1897 cannot be re-
garted as fairly tested by the receipts i'm
mediately following it's passage. As an
ililIE -
ii may be stated that during the first four
months Cf the fiscal year 1893 the receipts
from customs exclusive OF the duty on
tea provided by the war revenue lawD
amounted to So. .7I60s0 which is Sie33 O26
in excess of the receipts for similar Pc
riod in any year since 1s92-
~ reciprocal commercial agreement has
! been entered into Dct.een the United
States and France. under the provisions Of
section OF the tariff ac; Of 1881. and ne
gotiatiOns with similar object in view
are in progress with other countries
Considerable space is given in the re-
port To the enforcement Of the law gov
erning the Importation, manufacture and
sale of intoxicating Liquors in the Terri
tory Of Alaska. The difficulties Of such
enforcement are set forth and methods
adopted by the department to suppress
the illicit traffic are described. The sal
mon fisheries in Alaska are also referred
/ to and tire seal herd IS The subject Of a
! lengthy paper Since the passage of the
| act Of December % 1897! prohibiting. the
I taking of fur seals by subjects of the
I nited States, there has been no piIdcic
/ scaling in the prohibited area. north OF
! the thirty-:ifth degree of north latitude
. by any vessels sailing under the flag OF
/ the United States
! The British sealing feet. however. has
/ continued its operations during the past
: year. both on the northwest coast and in
Behring Sen. From the copy of the ap-
( proved minutes OF the Canadian privy
council transmitted 10 this Government
: in accordance with the provisions Of the
Paris award. II appears that 50 British
+ sealing vessels operated on the northwest
coast during the past Spring. as cont
pared with 81 British vessels sealing dur
! ing the Spring previous. The total catch
during the Spring Of 1S9S was la5Sl. in
Guiding canoe catch BY Indians Of 52s
! as against 6loo skins taken by the same
! feet during the season OF 1897 which
! number included a canoe catch of LOIS
( The only hope for the preservation OF
/ the Pribilof Islands herd of seals il IS
/ believed. lies in the complete cessation Of
| pelagtc sealing. With this accomplished
! and the breeding females allowed 10 bring
! forth their young without mOIestatioa
| from deep-sea hunting. natural causes
/ Will operate 10 bring about a rehabilit
ton Of the rookeries and restore a vaIu-
f. able industry to its former Importance
| During the past year work has teen
| prosecuted on forty-three buildings. of
which fifteen have been completed. No
new buildings have been authorized since
| the last report. The total amount expend-
ed on public buildings during the year
ended September 80. 1895 was 50. -. 1913
The necessity for a hall of records in
| this city in which may be safely stored
against accident from fire. the large ac-
cumulatton of valuable documents which
row cucumber the files of this and CO.
ordinate departments is again called to
! the attention of Congress. The Secretary
of War. in 1873. called attention to the
dangerous siJua tiou of records of great
value in the quartermaster generals Of
flee
AT various times Congress has recog-
nized the situation and has enacted Iegis-
latiOn. the earliest being in the sundry
civil bill. approved August :. ISSs. in which
the supervising architect Of this depart
meHt was directed To make a report 10 the
following session of Congress. in regard
to the matter. The supervising architect.
on January Il, 1883, reported in favor of a
site known as ''ArmOry Square" between
Sixth and Seventh Streets southwest.
Plans and specifications were prepared fo-
Il
estimated that the probable cost would
be 81. C36. O54.
January f. 1898, the Secretary of the
Treasury, the report says. addressed d
letter 10 the secretary of the Senate Com
nlittee on Public Buildings and Grounds
reporting the Senate bill authorizing
the acquisition of a site al the corner Of
Ohio Avenue and Fifteenth Street. Oh.
ton is made to the site in the present re-
port, however, owing to its remoteness
and the fact that il is liable To inundation
The finances of the District of Columbia
are referred To as follows:
The net expenditures on account OF tht
| District of Columbia for the fiscal veal
1898 Were 81. .319, 1854. The net revenues de
posted in the Treasury on this account
for the same period We're $3,121.S93.IG.
Under the operations of the sinkine
funds, the net reduction of the bonded
debt during the year was $611.60O, and oi
the annual interest charge, 81, 442
The District appropriation act approved
June 80, 1898, authorizes and directs tn,
Secretary of War to resume work on tn
Aqueduct tunnel, and Ieappropriates tbs
balance remaining of the appropriation:
for increasing the water supply. TO be ad
I vanced out of the revenues OF the United
States, and not subject to the condition!
of the capital account created by the ac
of July 15, 1882. and also appropriateS al
equal sum out of the surplus general rev
enues of the District of Columbia. These
appropriations were made Immediately
| available.
The immigration question is referred I,
at some length. The report says:
THE report of the commissioner genera
| ion mi