Evening star., 1898-12-05

| dispatch of experienced men from the es-
| tablished force and by directing all the in
1 strumentalities of the ralway-mail and
post-oftice service. so far as necessary, to
this new need. Congress passed an act en-
pcwering the Postmast er- General to estab-
| Iish offices branches at every military
| camp or station. and under this authority
the postal machinery was speedily put into
effective operation.
Under the same authority, when our
| forces moved upon Cuba, Porto Rico and
the Philippines they were attended and fol
low ed by the postal service. Though the
at of Congress authorized the appointment
| of postmasters where necessary, 1t was
early determined that the public interests
would best be subserved, not by new desig-
nations. but by the detail of experienced
men familiar with every branch of the
service, and this policy was steadily fol-
lowed. When the territory which was the
theater of conflict came into our possession,
it became necessary to re-establish mail IA
ci!ities for the resident population well
as to provide them for our forces of occL-
patton, and The former requirement was
met through the extension and application
OF the latter obligation. / gave the requi-
site authority and the same general prin-
ciple was applied to this as to other
branches of civil administration under mill
itary occupation. The details are more par
tcularly given in the report of the Post
master-General, and while the work is only
just begun. it is pleasing to be able to say
that the service in the territory which has
come under our control is already mate
rally improved.
INCREASE OF THE NAVY.
The following recommendations of the
Secretary of the Navy relative to the in
crease of the Navy have my earnest ap-
proval:
1. Three seagoing sheathed and coppered
battle ships of about 1850 tons trial dis
placement, carrying the heaviest armor and
most powerful ordnance for vessels of their
class, and to have the highest practicable
speed and great radius of action. Esti-
mated cost, exclusive of armor and arma-
ment, So, 800 900 each.
2. Three sheathed and coppered armored
cruisers of about II, 900 tons trial displace-
ment, carrying the heaviest armor and
most powerful ordnance for vessels of their
class, and to have the highest practica BILE
speed and great radius of action. Esti-
mated cost, exclusive of armor and arma-
ment, 81 100000 each.
3. Three sheathed and coppered protected
cruisers of about 5000 tons trial displace-
ment: to have the highest practicable
speed and great radius of action, and to
carry the most powerful ordnance suitable
for vessels of their class. Estimated cost
exclusive of arnlor and armament s. 1j0-
900 each.
4. Six sheathed and coppered cruisers of
about 900 tons trial displacement; to have
the highest speed compatible with good
cruising qualities, great radius of action
and to carry the most powerful ordnance
suited to vessels of their class Estima ted
cost, exclusive of armament s1l41 500
each.
L join with the Secretary of the Navy in
recommending that the grades Of Admiral
and Fice-Admiral be temporarily revived.
to be filled by officers who have specially
distinguished themselves in the war with
Srain.
THE TWELFTH CENSUS.
l earnestly urge upon Congress the i'm
portance of early legislation providing for
| the taking Of the Twelfth Census This IS
necessary in view of the large amount of
work which must be performed In the prep-
aration of the schedules preparatory to the
enumeration of the population.
IHE fENSION ROLLS.
There were on the pension rolls on June
10, 1898, 993,I14 Names an increase of near
ly $4,000 over the number the rolls on
the same day of the preceding year The
amount appropriated by the act of Decem-
Der - 1896, for the payment of pensions
for the fiscal year of 1898 was $40 900 600.
Eight million seventy thousand eight hun
dred and seventy-two dollars and forty-six
! ~ E1t i
81, 1898, TO cover DEFICIENCIES in Army pen
sions, and repayments in the sum of S12-
| 02o33, making total of S14s. .Os2. .S92. 20
available for the payment of pensions dur
ing the fiscal year 1898. The amount dis
bursed from that sum was $144 ,651 ,S79 so.
| leaving balance of So, ,431 O1299 unexpend-
ed on the Both of June, 1898, which was
covered into the Treasury. There were 3S9
rames added to the rolls during the year
by special acts passed at the second ses-
sion of the Fifty-fifth Congress, making a
total of 6,4S6 pensioners by Congressional
enactments since 1861.
The total receipts of the Patent Office
during the past year were S1253, ,94s A.
The expenditures were 81 ,OS1 ,633 10 leaving
a surplus of SIP, ,314.65.
The public lands disposed of by the Gov
ernment during the year reached S, ,453 S9G. %
acres an increase of Gil 1SO26 acres over
| the previou- year. The total receipts from
| public lands during the fiscal year amount
ed to $2,277 ,9951S. an increase of $3.50, ,O63 90
| over the preceding year. The lands en-
braced in the eleven forest reservations
which were suspended by the act of June A.
1897, again became subject to the operations
| of the proclamations of February %, 1897
creating them, which added an estimated
amount of 1881 800 acres to the area en-
braced in the reserves previously created.
| In addition thereto two new reserves were
created during the year-the Pine Mountain
and Zaca Lake Reserve in California en-
bracing 1,644.5A acres, and the Prescott
Reserve in Arizona. embracing 10 $40 acres ::
while the Pecos River Reserve in New Mex
| leo has been changed and enlarged to IN
clude 10000 additional acres.
AT the close of the year thirty forest res
| ervations, not including those of the Afog-
nae Forest and the Fish Culture Reserve in
Alaska, had been created by Executive
| proclamations under section "A of the act
| of March 3, 1891, embracing an estimat ted
| area of 49, T19,44 acres.
| The Department of the Interior has mall