The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-16
RURAL FREE DELIVERY
SERVICE NOT TO SUFFER,
100000 WILL BE VOTED
Emergency Appropriation to Be In
corporated in the Urgent De
fciency Bill.
QUESTION OF SALARIES
For Carriers May Be Fought Out
in House if Committee Re-
jects Item.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

Special TO the indianapolis journal.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15-The sum of
100000 will be made available as ar emer-
gency appropriation for rural free delivery.
The funds for the current fiscal year will
be exhausted by March l and Postmaster
General Payne has directed the attention
of the House committee to this fact. The
item will be incorporated in the urgent de-
fciency bill. which will be reported to the
House early next week by representative
Hemenway. There will be no opposition to
this appropriation. which is desired in order
that the extension of rural free delivery
may be continued Uninterrupted.
No conclusion has yet been reached by
the House committee on postoffices relative
TO increased salaries for rural carriers.
The committee will conclude hearings on
the postal appropriation bill next week,
when active work on the measure will be
started. If the committee refuses TO re-
port an item carrying increased salaries
for the carriers the matter will be fought
out on the floor.
Labor leaders who are supporting the
"anti-conspiracy'' or 'anti-injunction" bill
are turning TO the Senate, where this meas
ure has been defeated three times. In hear
ings held before the House committee dur
ing the past week great bitterness was
manifested among those appearing for and
those against the bill. Constituent organ
izations of the National Manufacturers AS
ISOLATION, of which D.. NJ. Parry, of Indian
apolis, Is president. are bitterly opposed 10
the "a~nti-injunction" bill. The hearings
will be continued before the committee on
judiciary for several days. Samuel Com
perS, head of the American Federation of
Labor, James Grimes, of the United Broth
erhood of Carpenters and Joiners of Amer
lea, Charles A. Nelson, of the Electrical
Workers Union of America, and a. Furu-
seth, of the Seaman's Union, are the lead
ing advocates of the proposed law. Mr..
Gompers pleads for early consideration,
saying that the opposition would undoubt-
edly undertake to delay progress of the
bill as much as possible. As the House
ommitt has reported the bill favorably
three times, he does not think its friends
have any new arguments TO advance, and
ings should be reversed and the opponents
of the measure should be heard first. He
will go to Porto Rico to investigate labor
conditions on the island on Feb. 6, and asks
that the hearings, If possible, be completed
before his departure.
If a bill now pending in the Senate is
passed the sum of $730,000 will be appor-
toned to Indiana for the Improvement of
the roads in the State. The measure pro-
poses the creation of a bureau of highways
and appropriating S24.0 00, 900 toward the i'm
provement of the roads of the United States
10 be divided equally among the States and
Territories according to population and
with the prOviSO that each State or Terri
tory receiving such benefit must contribute
dollar for dollar from its own treasury
and the work be done under the supervision
of the bureau. The campaign Tor good
roads is now being conducted before Con-
greSS by the National Good Roads Asso-
citation, which will meet here on the 18th
instant, and appear before the Senate and
House committees on agriculture, after
which 1t is expected both committees will
report a bill for this purpose.
The second annual report of the Irriga-
ton Reclamation Service, under the charge
e TT NIL
will soon be issued as a public document.
The report will give a general description
of the work being done by the government
in the various Western States and Terri
tories under the national irrigation law.
Actual construction has been begun in Ari-
IONA and Nevada on two great projects
which will reclaim several hundred thou
sand acres of fertile land and build il up
into dense agricultural communities. De-
tailed surveys have been and are being
made of numerous other projects, and sew
eral of these will be taken up during the
coming year. BY the end of the present
fiscal year there will doubtless be some
thing like twenty-three or twenty-four mil
lion dollars in the reclamation fund for this
work. The general idea is, as expressed
in the report, that the irrigation law is a
safe and carefully framed act and can be
worked out to advantage. No change or
amendment to the law is recommended TO
Congress. If after an actual trial upon two
or three projects some weak point deveI-
ops, then the government will be in a
HOSAIAOh W v
what change is needed.
New questions are constantly coming up
to vex the officials in charge of the rural
free delivery service. There have been no
material changes in the rural service as
established by August w. Machen, former
superintendent. But complaints are made
which neceSSitate minor notifications. The
most recent comes from communities where
fOurth-class postoffices have been abolished.
The complaint is made that the department
starts rural free delivery routes at county
seats wherever it is possible to do so. thus
necessitating the abandonment of small of
fees that could be continued if they were
made the starting point for one or two rural
free delivery routes. Persons in Indiana
have recommended that wherever possible
rural routes should be established at the
small postoffices instead of at those located
at the county seat.
The House committee on interstate and
foreign m to-day ordered a favor
able report on the Hepburn bill extending
the laws prohibiting interstate transporta-
ton of obscene literature when imported
into the United States from abroad.
The House committee on judiciary to-day
fixed Feb. "A, % and 26 next as dates for
hearings on the Grosvenor bill against in
functions. The opponents of the measure
will be heard first.
Orders have been issued at the War De-
partment for the manufacture of forty
nine-inch rapid-fire guns, model of 1903.
r +
The Senate committee on Pacific islands
and Porto Rico has made a favorable re-
port on Senator Blackburn's bill to pay
Liliuokalani, formerly Queen of Hawaii. the
sum of $4,000 in full satisfaction of all
claims TO the former crown lands in Ha-
wall.
Representatives Griffith and Zenor will
appear before the committee on rivers and
harbors on the 10Th to urge favorable ac-
ton on the project of a dam across the
Ohio river at the head of the falls.
The Indiana senators are still receiving
letters indorsing Daniel E. Griner. Of Port
land. for a position as special agent in the
land office.
Mrs. Harriet A. Malpas and Miss Cora
Richcreek, of Indianapolis, are guests of
Charles f. Malpas, who is employed in the
Census Bureau.
Clamor Pelzer, of BOonville, sergeant-at-
arms of the Indiana Senate, left for home
to-day. He has been here for the past two
weeks the guest OF representative Hemen-
way.
Senator and Mrs. Fairbanks to-day re-
turned from Pittsburg. where they went to
attend the marriage Of Warren Fairbanks
to Miss Helene Cassidy.