Arizona silver belt., 1900-03-29

been applied for for banks of $25, 900 capital in towns of 1000 population, and Comptroller Dawes thinks the total will go up to 300 before the end of the month. The applications come mostly from agricultural towns in the middle west, Iowa leading.
 The distress in India, caused by the famine, is increasing in extent and se- verity. Prices there have risen to the level of 1897, the great famine year, and are still rising. There are now employed on the great relief works in the famine. stricken districts 4,sl0,00C persons.
 There are now but two surviving children of the notable family of Ly' man Beecher-the Rev. Chas Beecher of Georgetown and Mrs. Isabella R. Hooker of Hartford, writer and lee. turer. Nearly all of the children oi Lyman Beecher attained distinction to a degree scarcely paralleled by any other family in American history.
 According to the figures just fur. nisned by the United States bureau of statistics there were just i7.il6,000 of us on January 1, 1900. lfthese figures are official, as they profess to be, what's the use of the 5O,000 enumer- ators who are about to take the cen ! sus?
 Heirs of Cornelius vanderbilt will | oe called on in the next few days to i pay the largest inheritance transfer l tax ever pail into the New York state | treasury under the existing law. This tax. it is estimated, will amount to about Si,C0c,0o0, This ought to satisfy the most ca Dacious nav.
 Tie French goternment has adopted the method of counting the hours from 1 to 24, instead ofdistiDguishing morn ing hours from afternoon hours by the usual signs "A. NJ. and P. NJ It Is be- lieved the change will prevent many mistakes, caused by the omission of the distinguishing letters in important messages and documents
 After spirited discussion extend ing over three days the Loud bill re- lating to second class mail matter, and intended to cinch the newspapers, was recommitted by the house 10 the com mittee on postofiices and postroadS. The majority in favor of recommitting was so decided that it is considered un- likely that the measure will again ap- pear during the present session.
 When asked at Tucson about the Southern Pacific coal concessions, c. P Huntington said in regard to the Sonora field, loo nileS below Nogales, that are ,OO0 acres Un which the com pany will work after several crucial tests were made. As well as he could judge, the Sonora coal would turn out satisfactorily, and he thought the same would burn out clean, just what was required.
 Ellis II. Roberts, treasurer of the ! United States, announces that under 1 the new currency law nearly SIP, 0O0,- GOO of silver bullion must be immedi- ately purchased by the hints for the | coinage of 10. ? and 70 cent pieces. | The new law requires that the sub | sidiary silver shall hereafter be kept | at s100, GOO, ,000 which is an increase of I S24, ,OOO, 900, s24,574,5S7l, for the amount outstanding on the first of the month was S775. 425, 4l3.
 1 Good authorities declare that the ! cause of the deficit in postal revenues | is due, not to seconG-class matter, but to the e&travagant prices paid under all administrations to the railways for carrying the mails. The railways charge the government from p to 90 per cent more than they charge ex- press companies, and they grant no better facilities in return. The rates of hire for postoffice railway cars are something enormous.
 The Transvaal legation at Brussels and the Orange Free State consulate at The Hague are preparing circular to be sent to the powers, protesting against the threat of General Pretty man, British military governor oi Bloemfuntein, to cOnfiscate the prop erty of burghers who do not surrender their arms. The representatives of the republic contend that such actioi would be q gross violation of nterna tional law.
 A Washington dispatch charges tha Speaker Henderson is suppressing the resolution to investigate the charges made by former Consul Macrum, in troduced in the house one month agc by Representative Wheeler of Ken lucky. The arbitrary action on tn part of the speaker is said to be in 7 spired by suggestion from the Whit House, which holds that such investi gation at this time would be unwis and would do the republican part great injury.
 Representative Lane of Iowa Ina