The Somerset reporter., 1904-10-20
At Washington.

Investigation of the General Slocum
disaster by the national commission
created for the purpose has been COM
pleted and the report of the commission
was made public Friday In connection
with the important findings of the COM
mission, presented in the report, Pres-
dent Roosevelt, to whom the report was
submitted, has written a letter to Sec
Ietary Victor Ii Metcalf of the depart
ment of commerce and labor, briefly
summarizing the report and directing
him TO carry into effect the recommend
atoms of the commission. He also di-
rects that Robert 5. Rode, supervising
inspector of the second district, steam
boat inspection service, and James A.
Dumont and Thomas II. Barrett, local
inspectors in charge of the port of New
York, be discharged from the service,
the commission holding them directly
| responsible for the laxity of the steam
! boat inspection to which the Slocum
disaster was directly attributable
That the canteen is of great moral
benefit to the army is the claim made by
Brigadier General G. H Burton in his
annual report as inspector general of
the army To the secretary of war has
this be says, "leads to sickness, the
commission of military offences, deser-
ton and other crimes, az well as i'm
paired discipline. by driving men to
resort to the low dives and groggeries
that have sprung up like mushrooms
around military reservations since the
prohibition law was enacted In fact
the canteen feature Is not only benefit
Inn IN ri
the sales Of beer and light wines are
used to i'm prove the mess as we'll as for
the purchase of period calls, publications,
etc all of which adds to the soldiers
comfort and contentment
The postal deficiency for the fiscal
year.euding June 80, 1904, last, was So
TO, 49, The figures were completed by
the auditor for The postoffice department,
Joseph } Mceardy, this week They
show a total postal expenditure during
the year of S152 1862, JIG, total postal
revenue Sl43, 5S2 GA
Ellis H. Roberts, treasurer of the
United States, has submitted to Secre-
tyay haw the annual report on the
transactions of the treasury during the
fiscal year ended June 30, 1904 The
net ordinary revenues are shown to have
been $40 631 $40, decrease of $40, 764, :
OPS as compared with 1903, and the net
ordinary expenditures S582, 402, 1921, an
increase of 78,303,314 In the receipts
the principal falling off was S23, sos, 070
in customs, while in the disbursement s
the important increases were Sill 423-
446 in commerce and labor, $50, 1888, $50
In treasury paper and 500, 1873, 067 for the
navy. Unusual expenditures were $50
DOC, 600 on account of the Panama canal,
and 81 900. 900 loaned to the Louisiana
Purchase Exposition o But for these,
the recorded deficiency of 81, ITO, 81
would have been changed to surplus
of $12, 500 428
san Domingo has finally agreed to pay
the award of the arbtrators in the case
of the san Domingo Improvement Com
pany, amounting to 81 500, 900 The Do
minican government gave notice week
ago that it would refuse to pay the
award.
BY order of the general staff, army
officers are henceforth prohibited from
soliciting contributions for presents to
those In superior official positions The
penalty for offenders is discharge from
the government employ.
Postal estimates for the coming fiscal
year have been completed, in readiness
for submission to ongress The ex-
traordinary total of 1888 74S 495 will be
recommended for the twelve months be-
ginning July / The current appropria.
tions amount to $40 845, 998, an increase
of nearly eight per cent
From data in the office of the Inter
state Commerce Commission tabulated
from reports made by railway companies
under the accident law fo March 3, 1901 4,
it is shown that during the first Six
moaths of the present year 388 persons
were killed in collisions, aerailments
and miscellaneous train wrecks, includ-
ing locomotive boiler explosions OF
which sixty-three were passengers.