Washington State journal and Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1906-1907, 1906-11-21

Unclo Sam does not pay prlncely
salaries to his army Of clerks In WASH
ington. but he has the merit Of keep
ing those In service who demonstrate
their ability and trustworthiness. No
man who accepts a clerkship in any
Il the departments at the capital can
hope to become rich, but II he behaves
himself and gives reasonable attention
to the work he Is assured of employ
ment for about as long as he cares to
work. The man who has been longest
In Uncle Sans employ Is James F.
Hobbs, one Of the disbursing clerks.
For more than fifty-three years he has
come and gone in the regular routine
Of his work for the government. During
his half-century OF service for the gov
eminent he has paid out over $780,
100000. and there Is not one scratch
against him showing an error OF
single penny. There are several other
clerks who have worked half century
and large number who have been In
the service for more than forty years.
-
Backed by the Navy Department,
Fred J. Buenzle a chief yoeman In the
United States Navy, has begun suit
for $500 damages against the New
port Amusement Association, which
conducts the Seaview Dancing pavilion,
because he was excluded from the
place OF amusement on account of his
sailors uniform. Recovery Of the sum
paid for the ticket and $500 for the
annoyance, modification, lndignity and
humiliation are demanded. This Is the
first civil action ever taken to estab-
llsh the rights of United States sailors
to appear at social entertainments In
uniform. 1t is understood that the.
Navy department is paying the legal
fees In order to establish precedent
49,
Filming of employees as a means Of
enforcing discipline in the postal SER
vice, a system that has been In opera
ton for many years, Is to be abolished.
First Assistant Postmaster General
Hitchcock, who has Jurisdiction Of all
postoffice employees, has reached the
conclusion that 1t is detrimental rather
than helpful. He proposes to estab
lish uniform system Of efficiency rec
ords. 10 that end he has started As
sistant Superintendent John A. Holmes
OF his bureau on tour Of inspection
Of the largest postofiices Of the United
States. DIR. Holmes will confer with
postmasters and their assistants re-
garding the change.
~.
From dray In the service Of the
United States Subtreasury In New York
City a bag containing fifty dollars In
nlckels fell to the street, and the coinA
scattered In every direction. The crowd
scrambled for the coins. An officer of
the Treasury Department and police.
man explained that the money belonged
to the government, and requested that
1t be given back. The response was
immediate. Every one of the thousand
coins was returned. There Is no reason
to suppose that this crowd had been
specially chosen by fate to represent the
American people.
49,.
Who owns the champion egg layer of
all hens? This question is raised by
the Agricultural Department, through
the temporary awarding of the prize to
a fowl possessed by a worthy citizen Of
Alexandria, Va. The award Is SUBJ
ject to revision and later returns may
deprive the proud Alexandrian Of his
laurels. The Virginia champion has
since Oct. 8. 1905, 291 eggs to her
credit and before the close of the year
will cross the 800 mark. Exclusive of
the moulting season the hen has laid
an egg every twenty-five hours.
-
Bodies Of the pauper dead In the Dis
trict Of Columbia are not to be buried
In the potter's field, but are to be ere.
mated, for Congress has appropriated
$4,000 for building suitable crema.
tory. Objection to cremation Is heard
less frequently than 1t was genera.
ton ago, possibly because the people
have begun to understand that inciner-
alton 10 only quickening Of the nat
ural process that goes on In the
ground.
.:-:.
Preparation for war Is an expensive
process. The United States gunboat
Bancroft has just been consigned to
the scrap-heap after but thirteen years
of service; and the battleship Texas
and the cruiser Philadelphia-both
comparatively recent vessels - have
been withdrawn from active duty.
Within short time thirty British war
vessels have been sold for a sum the
aggregate of which was less than the
cost of the smallest of the vessels sold.
-.
Genera lorders issued Dy the War
Department 1x the enlisted strength OF
the army at e2,515 men. There are 49,.
165 in the artillery corps, 24.4s0 men
In the thirty regiments of Infantry,
,282 in the three battalions Of eneI.
neers and 4.47S in staff departments.
The Department of Commerce and
Labor finds that the value Of raw cot.
ton exported In the last fiscal year, for
the first time, passed the $4OO,OOO,OO0
mark, exceeding by far the value of any
1ther article of mercha ndiso aont o,,f NJ