Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1905-02-09

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The postal service of the United
States employs more persons than FhaI
| OF any other government in the world.
The chief clerk of the POStOffice De-
| partment has prepared n list showing
| that 267,502 persons are under the Or
ders of the Postmaster General. Inc
army and navy combined does not aS-
gregate more than half of this num-
Der. The postal employees are divided
as follows: PoStmaSters, 69,4S6; rural
free delivery carriers, 3O,O01; city let
ter carriers, u ,J54: star routes and
railway mail service, 42,131, Of which
1924 are in the railway mail service;
clerks, second class Offices, q, I43; as
sstant pOstmasters in first and second
class pOStotficeS, / .J34; estimated num-
Der of clerks in third and fourth class
offices, 14,C00; estimated number OF
clerks paid by pOstmasters, G2,OOO. In
the PostOffice Department there are
1,15G clerks and other employees and
400 inspectors. The figures of Chief
Clerk Chance do not include 10000
substitute rural free delivery carriers
and about 1900 substitute city letter
carriers, which would swell the figures
to 302,302 employees. 1t is estimated
that the postal employees draw about
$16,000,000 year in salaries.
BY the Panama Canal the distance
by water from San Francisco to New
York will be reduced from 1890 to
$500 and the distance from New York
to Yolzohoma or to Sydney will be re-
duced from about 1860 to less than
10000 On the other hand, the Panama
Canal will make it no easier to run
over from New York to Hong Kong
for days fishing than it is now to
20 by the Suez; the routes east and
west are each more than 11,600 miles
long, and the route by way Of Suez is
100 miles shorter.
Interest in the Department Of Agri-
cultures water steriliZer has been re-
newed by the success attained in 4
city of the Middle West The water
supply JOu DtCOllc lulCClCu Will y
phoid-fever germs. DR.. Moore of the
department steriliZcd the reservoir
with copper sulphate so successfully
that although the germs were wholly
eradicated and the epidemic checked,
no trace OF the disinfectant could be
detected in the water by sight, smell
or taste. The amount was one part Of
copper sulphate to one hundred thou
sand parts of water.
Prof. Wiley, of the Bureau of Chem
istry at Washington, who is conduct
ing the adulterated food experiments,
complains that he is utterly unable to
procure for his purpose any uncolored
butter. He also denounced the use of
the coal tar dyes with which butter
is colored, saying that they 'overbur-
den the kidneys" This is an instruct
i've comment on the United States laws
which prohibit the coloring of artifi-
cial butter, even with palm OIL which |
is perfectly wholesome, but permit the |
cOlOring of genuine butter with coal |
tar dyes or anything else.
-
1t is expected that q constitutional |
amendment will be offered during the |
present session of Congress prohibiting |
polysamy in any State or Territory of |
the Union. 1t is now agreed that this |
is the only method by which the con-
ditiOn of affairs in Utah can be rem
edied. 1t is impossible to revoke the
enabling act by which Utah gained
Statehood, and the general opinion
seems to be that a constitutional
amendment is necessary to give the
government sufficient authority over
a State in which pOlygamy is prac-
ticed to eradicate the evil.
Fearing the arduOus work of the
mid-Winter maneuvcrS of the North !
Atlantic squadron of the United
States navy, some $50 men deserted |
during three months last autumn, a
fact which has just leaked out from
official sources. The following esti-
mate is made Of the numbers of de-
serters from various vessels: Battle
ships-Kearsarge so; Alabama, 10; Il
linois, Go; Massachusetts, 80; Maine,
Ga; Iowa, 70; Missouri, 100. Converted
yachts-Mayflower 16; Scorpion, IS.
-:
Grover Cleveland, the only living
will be y years old when
term is completed in 1909;