The Dolores star., 1905-03-24

work 'the commission has acted up to
| the entire limit of its authority"
The Senate has confirmed the NOM
ination of Frank Hitchcock OF Massa-
| chusetts to be first assistant postmas-
ter general.
Chairman Elkins of the Senate COM
mittee on interstate commerce. an
nounces that the committee will begin
| hearings on the railway rate subject
April 18th.
Judge Wheeler in the United States
| Circuit Court at New York has handed
| down an opinion which. if finally sus-
tanned. will cost the United States
| government s5.0O0O0O. This money
the government will have to refund TO
the American Sugar Refining Com
pany for duties paid on raw sugars
imported from Cuba in 1903 and upon
which the company contended that
reduction of twenty per cent should
have been allowed under the then ex-
isting treaty.
The Senate has confirmed the fol-
| lowing nominations: Charles II.
Treat, New York, treasurer of the
United States; Edward Whitson. dis
trict judge for the Eastern district of
Washington; George w. Roosevelt.
Pennsylvania, consul general at Brus-
sells; T. st. John Gaffney. New York,
consul general at Dresden. Saxony;
Edwin Walter Sims, Illinois. solicitor
of the Department of Commerce and
Labor; Peter Joseph Osterhaus, to be
a brigadier general. retired.
In order to allay any misapprehen.
! sion relative to the policy of the ad-
ministration with respect to the future
of the Philippines, Secretary Taft to-
day made public the text of letter
which he wrote to John N Blair of
| New York beafing directly on that sub
| ject. The secretary states plainly
| that the policy of the administration
Is the definite retention of the Philip
pines "for the purpose of developing
the prosperity and self-governing ca
pacity of the Philippine people" That
shall be done when the Filipinos have
reached condition when they can
| safely be trusted with their own gov
ernment, the secretary believes to be
a question which doubtless will have
TO be settled by another generation
than the present.
The secretary of the interior has
awarded contract for the construc-
ton in Salt River valley. Arizona ter
ritory. of what, when completed, will
be one of the largest dams in the
world The project will be built in ac-
cordance with the terms of the ma
tional irrigation act. 1t will cost ST.
100000 and the work will be done by
J. NJ. O'Rourke & Co. of Galveston
Texas. In addition to overfowing
about 100000 acres of land, the dam
will supply water power for hun
dreds of places throughout the ter
ritory. The dam, which will be known
as the Roosevelt dam, will be 225 feet
high and at its base will have thick
ness of about 200 feet or the length
of an ordinary city block. The work
must be completed within one year.
according to the terms of the contract.
A solid month of travelling through
the West has been arranged by the
House and Senate irrigation commit
tees who will visit the various govern
ment irrigation projects this summer.
Two carloads of senators and repre-
sentatives and their wives will leave
Chicago on June 1st over the Rock
Island and proceed to Ell Paso. Texas.
During the entire month of June the
party will travel over the West and
visit every government reclamation
project now under construction The
route will lead up through Arizona
and out to California. From there the
party will return to Nevada and wit.
ness the opening Of the irrigation sys-
TEN at Hazen on June 18th. the ami
versary of the passage OF the reclama-
tion act. Proceeding from Salt Lake
City the committee will go to the
Northwest, and from there return into
Wyoming, Colorado. and the Gunnison
projects will be visited last The party
will break up in Denver early in July
A strong effort is being made by
Chairman Mondell to have many east
ern members and those unacquainted
with the wonderful irrigation work OF
tho West IN On the trim