Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1907-03-09
CONGRESS COMES TO ENDI
Adjourned at Noon Today After .
Long Session
The SHIP SUBSIDY BILL FAILS
No Agreement on the Measure Could
Be Reached-Postsl clrks and
Carriers Fare Wen.

Washington, March THE senate
took a recess shortly after assembling
this morning. which action indicated
that all further effort to pass the ship
subsidy bin had been abandoned by
the senators. Both houses agreed 10
a conference report limiting the hours
OF railroad telegraphers
Ship Subsidy Bill Fails.
Both houses OF congress adjourned
S. noon today The ship subsidy bin
rallied of passage
Billion Dollar Congress.
The session which came to an end al
noon today has been one Of the most
extravagant since the foundation OF
the government The appropriations
Of The session aggregate a billion dol
lars.
The growth Of the federal expendi-
lures during The past twenty years has
been most remarkable. The gross ap-
proprlations by congress in 1887
amounted to only $3S7 ,ssO971. From
this figure, which at that time was
thought somewhat exmavagant, the ap-
preparations have orept up year by
year until the high water mark OF
$s20.1S4,624 was reached last year
1t has been only fifteen wears since
the first billion dollar congress came
into view when the appropriations for
two sessions of a congress aggregated
a billion dollars Some conservative
minded men felt then that the govern
ment was running to extravaganza,
but now the country has witnessed q
billion dollar session--two billion dol
lar congress, for it Is pretty safe to
predict that now the billion dollar
stage has been reached for Single
session. succeeding sessions viii find
1t necessary to appropriate as much as
has been appropriated at any preced-
ing session.
Increase For Postal Clerks,
The postofiice appropriation bill, as
it will finally became a law, will make
a generous increase in the salaries Of
the clerks and the carriers in the large
postoffices, besides giving the clerks
and the carriers opportunity to change
from one branch of the postofflce work
to the other The increase of salaries
apply, however, only to postofiices of
the first and second classes.
Beginning with the first Of next
July the clerks in Offices OF the first
and second classes, and carriers in the
city delivery service will be divided
into six grades. The salary of the first
grade will be $500; second grade,
$500; third grade, 5000; fourth grade.
$1,000; fifth grade, $1s100; sixth
grade. $1,000
Promotions of clerks and carriers
shall be at the beginning of the quar-
service in the next lower grade, and
the promotion shall be made only for
efficiency and faithfulness during the
preceding year.
Clerks shall be eligible for transfer
to the carrier service, or a carrier ell
igible to the clerical service, the trans.
fer to be made to any grade not high
er than the corresponding grade and
the employee so transferred shall have
the benefit of all the time he has serv.
ed in his original branch. No clerk or
carrier may be promoted more than
one grade within any one years period
of service. All the carriers who on the
first OF next July are of the $500
grade shall be promoted TO $1,000.
The salaries of many of the assist
ant postmasters are also increased.
The number of assistant postmasters
receiving $4,000 is increased from 25 TO
81. The number receiving $1,000 from
five to six Those receiving 1000
from two to five; the number receiving
$1,000 remains at IL; those receiving
$500 remains al $40; those receiving
$1,700 is increased from 50 TO 60; those
receiving $1,000 remains at 100; the
number receiving 81 800 is increased
from 80 to 1870; those receiving 81 400
is increased from 100 to 1885, the num-
Der receiving $1,000 is increased from
$50 to $40; those receiving s1,1OO are
increased from $40 to $50; those re-
ceivng 1000 are Increased from $50
to 270; the number receiving $500 is
increased from so to 20; the number
of $500 men remains at 60, as well as
the number of $500 assistants.
The bill does not specify the second
class Offices at which the salaries OF
the assistant postmaster will be in
creased. but it is certain that number
Of the West Virginia Offices will be in
Guided when the promitions are made
next July.
Auxi1iarv emnlOvps may he pmn1ov-