The Jersey City news., 1906-06-04
Eminent Engineers Have
Totally Different Opinions
of the Merits of the Vari-
GUS Styles Of Cut
CHAIRMAN FOR SEA LEVEL
KEEP COMMISSION SCORES THE
CROP REPORTS ISSUED BY THE
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICUL-
TURE.

WASHINGTON, June 3, 19O6.-An
interesting fight seems imminent with
reference to the type of the Panama
Canal. 1t is case where eminent engi-
of the Isthmian Canal Commission, and
every engineer on the isthmus, has de-
cided preference for the lock canal rather
than a sea level canal. If politics and
red tape could be eliminated Mr.. Stevens
would be decidedly in favor of building
the canal entirely by the government.
the canal entirely by the government.
teroceanic canals has recommended that
strong minority report favors the lock
| level, and it is believed that a majority
| in the House is favorable to the latter
type.
An interesting situation has been
J brought by the hearings before the House
committee The railroad is as independ-
ent as any railroad can be of govern
| mental restrictions, and yet the govern
ment owns all of the stock of the rail-
| foad except one share each director
holds, and the government has options ON
the outstanding shares. The officers who
manage the railroad hold positions with
the Canal Commission;, the contracts for
transportation are made independently
of governmental restriction; the money
for new equipment is borrowed from the
government and repaid from the earn
ings of the road.
The Senate committee on appropria-
tions has reported the District of Colum-
bia appropriation bill for the next fiscal
year. 1t carries an aggregate of $40, 49,
2O6. 1R The Senate has increased the
bill 81 1,299, ,863.01. There are many
changes maue IN rne way OF increased
appropriations This is often done by
the Senate. The House will use the
pruning knife on all of the items in an
estimate that is made to the committee,
and if there is anything that those inter
ested wish added to the bill they usually
rely upon the Senate to make the in
crease desired.
of ORG
feeling particularly sad of late. For
years the ordinary clerk or secretary to
a Congressman has been buoyed up with
the hope that some day the committee on
accounts would have a generous mood
and report bill to increase the allow
ance to Congressman for their secretaries.
The sadness of the clerks is due to the
fact that the Senate increased the sala-
ries Of the ordinary Senatorial secretary
from 81 800 to $1,SOO, which is 5000
more year than the average secretary
on accounts and have had petitions nu-
Year after yeaer the clerks on the
House side discuss the discrimination that
prevails. At different times they have
organized and adopted all sorts of resolu-
tions to call the attention of the Congress
men to the inequalities that exist with
reference to calaries. At different times
| they have appeared before the committee
| on accounts and have had petitions nu-
| merously signed. The effort to get larger
| salaries for the secretaries never goes be-
yond a certain point, and that is the last
| that is heard of it until the next session.
| The committee, it is understood, is fav-
| orable to the increase but there are re-
ports that the Speaker is not disposed
to let anything of the sort come out until
next session, and therefore, the disap-
| pointed clerks are now trying to cultivate
patience and wait until next December.
| Chairman Tawney, of the committee
| ON appropriations, has justified the judg-
| ment of Speaker Cannon in appointing
| him as chairman of the committee. 1t is
estimated that the expenditures that will
| have been authorized by the present ses-
sion of Congress will aggregate about