The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-27
CABLE TO HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
CONSTRUCTION AUTHORIZED BY
AN APPROPRIATION RIDER.
To Be Built By Navy Department
and Operated By Postoffice De-
partment-Limit of Cost.

Washington, Feb. 26.-The senate
committee on appropriations has COM
pleted consideration of the sundry civil
bill as passed by the house and re-
ported it to the senate. The most i'm
portant amendment makes provision
! for cable to Honolulu. The amend
ment provides that the cost of the
cable shall not exceed $500, 600.
The text of the amendment follows:
That there shall be constructed by the
| United States, under the direction of
the secretary of the navy, for military.
naval and postal purposS, a submarine
Geographic cable and connecting land
| lines from a Pacific port in the state
of California, to be designated by the
president, to the city of Honolulu, in
the Hawaiian islands.
That the secretary of the navy is
hereby authorized. empowered and di-
! rected to detail one or more vessels of
the United States for the purpose OF
making surveys and taking careful
necessary soundings in order to de-
termine the most practicable line for
said cable.
THAT the construction and laying
of SUCH cable or cables shall be under
the general control and direction of the
secretary of the navy and he is hereby
empowered and required Immediately
after the passage of this act, to pres
cribe and cause to be prepared plans
and specifications for the construction
and laying of said line of Geographic
cable to be constructed and put in
operation at the earliest practicable
date. Confess for construction and
laying of said line of Geographic cable
and for supplying the necessary in
struments and appliances connected
Herewith, except such work as can be
advant2geously and efficiently done by
the navy department. shall be award
ed and executed by the lowest respOn-
sible bidder or bidders, after such no
tice' by advertisement for sealed bids
as shall be deemed reasonable and Suf-
ficient by the secretary of the navy.
Provided, that in all advertisements for
bids, ii shall be provided that all ap-
planes and materials shall be of the
best quality, adapted for the highest
efficiency. That when such tele-
graphic cable is completed, the opera
ton of the same shall be under the con-
troll of the postmaster general, who
shall establish a rate of toll for COM
mercial messages not exceeding %
cents per word to Honolulu and for
press messages at a rate not exceeding
one-third OF the above named rates;
and the sum of $500 900 is hereby ap-
propriated toward construction of said
cable, and the total cost of said line
shall not exceed S2,500,000, to be paid for
from time to time as appropriations
shall be made by congress-
A proviso is added 70 the appropria-
ton for the protection of forest reserves
so as to provide that keepers shall en-
force the laws of the states in which
such reservations are located and
legalizing homestead entries upon the
Black Hills forest reservation made
prior TO Sep. 10, 1899
The total appropriation for the geo
logical survey is increased from $751;
600 to S749 600.
Proviso attached to appropriation for
government printing office, fixing pay
of bOOkbinders and printers at 80 cents
an hour: new government printing Of
fee $3.50, 900. limit of cost S2,000090.