Omaha daily bee., 1906-08-10
BITS OF WASHINGTON LIFE.
Minor scenes and incidents sketcbed
on the gnot

JOylnk uuloWlulg lue ntlNutke OF HouNu
postage rates and has taken steps TO OBJ
tain evidence to justify action. The law
admitting magazines and other publioa-
tions to the pound rate Of postage requires
that each must have a bona fde subscrip-
ton list, and that the subscription must be
paid for In cash by the subscriber or some
friend The department has obtained pos
session Of the subscription lists Of many
Of these publications. and II Is sending
communications, asking those to whom
these publications are mailed whether they
or their friends paid for the subscription.
Many responses have already been re-
ceived, and a large proportion say that the
papers in question are being mailed with
out having been paid for. When several
such answers regarding one publication are
in the hands Of the department the man.
ayers Of the publication are summoned
and asked to show cause why they should
not be deprived OF the privilege OF mail
ing their publications at one cent pound
rate When unable to furnish a satisfac-
tory reason they are then denied the priv
ilege and to continue their business must
pay cents a pound.
The moving picture scheme Of the Navy
department designed to boom enlistments
in the service, is to be tried at once In
the lake cities and in the northwest Bio
graph exhibitions will be freely given In
public halls, and they will be advertised
in advance. The objection urged in the
last session of congress against the too
attractive posters put out by recruiting Of
ficers seems to be met in this case by
having pictures represent all sides Of naval
life the drudgery of II as well as the dress
parade. Among the scenes to be depicted
are blue Jackets at work coaling ship,
scrubbing decks and mending and washing
clothes, as well as sham battles, target
practice and the various drills. OF course,
the general effect of the exhibition is ex-
pected to make navy life seem attractive,
besides stirring the patriotic sentiments
Of the young man whom the department
wishes to reach.
The nine executive departments of the
government made a big inroad into the
vast quantities of miscellaneous supplies
purchased for the clerks during the past
| fiscal year. There were i,117442 lead PEN
ellis used. If manufactured uncut these
would make a pencil 142 miles and 10 rods
! long Placed side by side they would make
| a boardwalk IS inches wide and miles
long Under the rules each clerk is al
lowed one pencil every two days.
The clerks used 6s,676,2ss sheets Of paper,
letter size. In year. These sheets placed
side by side would cover a plot Of 2,S46
acres and have some left over.
The government last year purchased and
distributed 4,S7l.lO pen points more than
$4,000 pen holders, 1886 gallons OF paste,
! $3.50 pints of black ink, 5,766 pints OF red
ink. IA pins and 2oSS6,SOO rubber
bands.
The premium or piece system of work
will not be introduced into the Washington
navy yard until the men themselves ad-
vocate the system.
This was the decision reached by Acting
Secretary Of the Navy Newberry the other
day after a lengthy conference with rep
resentatives from the gun factory, who eX-
planned the disadvantages of the proposed
| system. The premium or piece plan of
work was suggested recently by Rear Ad-
miral Leutze, commandant Of the yard.
Andrew jackson Johnson, colored, came
! over from Alexandria and wandered along
the river front for job. Near the
| Eleventh street oyster wharf he saw a
crowd of colored men, all headed the same
way and moving rapidly
He Joined the procession.
| w nat s you all gNlne dlOnB 81 last Aui :
he asked the man whose elbow was stick
| ing farthest into his ribs.
'You watch out, son. That's all you
gotter do. Jes' you watch out Bes job
in the worl' jes' a-waitin' for us"
BY that time the crowd had reached the
dock where, before their cleaning and as
tonished eyes, laid the realization of their
widest dreams-a coasting sloop laden to
the gunwale with real. sure-enough water
melons, green outside, but the pinkiest
pink inside
The crowd of colored men made one
plunge while the venturous mariner who
was waiting to hire stevedores was almost
pushed into the water.
Andrew Jackson Johnson got job, and
later on reached his home in Alexandra
with a watermelon under each arm and
two or three more slowed away where they
would do the most good.
at tole you, chile" he said to Andrew
Jackson Johnson, jr., who was obscured
behind huge section of melon, Il tole
you that-that yer boat was done a-abulgin
wifi melons. Jes' a-bulgin'. Moren seben-
teen hund'd. More'n you an me could eat
| in a whole week. If ever l gotter WORK
| regular, l want to unload melons. That
amt work, chile That's jes' play. But
the boss, he do watch them juicy ones toe
powerful hard"