Arizona silver belt., 1901-01-03

bined IS 21, 243 smaller than the aggre gate of four years ago. But the vote of minor parties made the total greater than in 1896.
 The impression prevails at Washing. ton that the senate is not going to be in hurry over the army reorganiza- tion bill and that makeshift measure will finally have to be accepted.
 Senator Mark Hanna is a patron of the Salvation Army, and at the big dinner given by the Army to the poor of Cleveland, Ohio, on Christmas, the senator made speech in which he highly commended the Army. Fifteen hundred people were fed
 The director of the mint estimates the production of silver in the United States during the present calendar year at 54, 764, 000 ounces, and the aver age commercial value 60 cents an ounce. This is 1 cent an ounce better than last year, though there was a slightly increased production.
 The trial of Cornelius Aivord, Jr |, defaulting cashier of the First National bank of this city, is on in the United States district court of New York. The amount of his defalcatiOn was S690,000. Part of it has been recov- cred through the sale of the personal effects in Alvord's home, the most i'm portant item being Mrs. Alvord's jewels, estimated to be worth $50, 900.
 The American Federation of Labc r has now affiliated with it no less than S2 national and international unions, with 9,494 subordinate local unions, having an aggregate membership of S04, ,050. In addition to these before mentioned general unions there are at present 1,052 independent char tered local unions, having 70, 150 mem bers, making total of 10,545 unions, with membership of SS3, 200. These figures are exclusive of the member ship indirectly affiliated through the medium of the central labor unions of 205 cities and l6 state federations of labor.
 Through a syndicate composed of several of her local banks and two New York financial institutions the city of New Orleans has just com pleted negotiations for loan of S12,- 100000 for public improvements, con. firmation by the city council being the only legal step now remaining prior to the delivery of the bonds. This money is to be used chiefly for drain age and modern system of sewerage, supplemented by additional provision for pure and abundant water supply. This policy is a wise and far.sighted one. The present officials of New Or leans are building for the future.
 An important departure in naviga- ton has been made on the Mssiissippi Three steel whalebacks, the steamboat McDougall and two barges, were re- gently launched at St. Louis, and have met the expectations of their pro- jectors, that they could carry freight more quickly than the other craft on the Mississippi, and so mu h more eheaply that they can recover for the river much of the frei.- ht which has been diverted 10 the railroads. The McDougall has eleven feet depth of hold and the barges each fourteen, with carrying capacity of 5000 tons; yet they draw only sixteen inches of water.
 A Santa Fe, x. M., dispatch of Dec. 27, says: uperintendsnt of Forest Reserves I. B. Hanna today received final orders from the secretary of the interior not to permit any sheep or goat grazing on the t1ila forest reserve for 1901. The interior department is taking up reserve after reserve and is Investigating conditions on them in reference to the grazing question. Thus far the Grand Canyon reserve in Arizona and the Gila reserve in New Mexico have been examined in the southwest and the grazing of sheep and goats prohibited on them. There are about 200, 900 sheep on the Gila re- serve and several thousand goats for which new range has to be found, or they must be disposed of by their owners.