Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-11-28

| wall, PORTO RlcO ana the PnlllpplneS.
1t includes: Gun and mortar batteries,
S4,4S9. 500; electrical installations at
seacoast Notifications, S1,000,000: sites
for Notifications and seacoast defenses,
! fenses. S1,000,000; experimental auto
mobile torpedoes, 100000: seacoast
batteries at Guantanamo, S1,020,000;
Honolulu and Pearl harbor, S1,110,000;
| Manila, S6,4SS,000 and installation of
| electric plants at these places and at
Subig bay, $500, 992. The modern works
Of defense now constructed represent
an expenditure of approximately $685.
100000 for engineering work alone. For
| the engineer work involved the compile
| ton of the defenses recommended by
| the Taft board the estimate is S16,052,-
| 413. Gen. Mackenzie's report deals also
with the improvement of rivers and
| harbOrs 1t submits estimates aggre-
| eating $2I,000,000 for the fiscal year
| 1909.
| -
There is to be an epidemic of rail-
way regulation legislation in the vari-
| Gus legislatures throughout the United
! States during the coming winter. Last
winter there was an epidemic of two
cent-a-mile fare laws. The New York
public utilities law, for which Gov.
| Hughes is responsible and which is
very sweeping in its provisions, is like
| ly to be used as a model. The officials
of the New York Public Service Com
mission have been deluged with in
! quiries for information and applica-
| lions for copies of the law from every
corner of the country, and the fact that
the railway managers in New York
| have accepted the extreme forms of
| regulations provided in that law will
be used as an unanswerable argument
against any opposition that may be
raised elsewhere.
In a formal statement issued at
| Washington President Roosevelt said
| the result of the elections was tex
tremely gratifying" and that he had
sent letter of congratulation to Mr..
Heney of San Francisco. The victory
in New Jersey, he says is just what
happened there in the middle of the
Mckinley administration nine years
ago. As compared with the elections
next preceding the last Presidential, or
in 1903, the Republicans have done bet
ter, thinks the President, considering
| especially the sweeping victory in Ken
lucky for the first time since the first
Mckinley vote. The result in Manhat-
tan he finds to be due to purely local
causes.
An important change in the regula-
tons for acquiring homesteads on the
| public domain has been announced by
Commissioner Ballinger of the general
land office. AS an additional precau-
ton against fraud all persons making
homestead entries on public lands af-
ter Nov. 1 will be required to prove
actual residence on the land for four
teen months before they will be per-
mitted to commute" the entries to
obtain title by cash payment. Here
tofore the period of actual residence
has been eight months. The ruling
will not affect entries made prior to
Nov. 1, 1907.
After a conference at the White
House with Secretary Garfield of the
Interior Department, Assistant Secre-
tary Oliver of the War Department,
and Commissioner of Indian Affairs
Leupp, the President decided to con-
tinue the policy OF the Indian Bureau
of furnishing the Indians an opportu-
nifty to work, and, in case of their fail
ure to take advantage of the opportu-
nifty, toleave them to their own resources.
This is the result of the recent out
| break of band of renegade Ute In
| dams now located on the Cheyenne
River Reservation in North Dakota.
To the Committee on Paper of the
American Newspaper Publishers Asso-
citation which called at the White
| House, President Roosevelt intimated
| that he would urge Congress to repeal
the tariff on print paper, wood pulp
and the wood that goes into the manu-
facture of paper; also that he would
have the Department of Justice inves-
| tigate the paper trust to see if it had
violated the laws.
-
The prompt acquiescence of the
| banks in the suggestion of the Treas
ury Department that other securities
might be deposited with the treasury
| to take the place of government bonds,
which latter could thus be used for
taking out additional circulation, has
considerably augmented the currency
| available for commercial use.
Postmaster General Meyer believes
| that his work in efficiency is impaired
| by following the custom OF sitting at
a desk. When he was the presiding Off
Ger of the lower branch of the Massa-
| chusetts Assembly he used a massive
desk, made of walnut, highly en-
bellished, and standing more than four
| feet high. This has been brought to
| Washington and installed in his Office.
This he will use hereafter, standing up
at his work.
-
In order to make army service more
attractive for the enlisted men, the
War Department has determined upon
certain reforms some of which may
| be put into effect by executive author
| ity and others only with the co-opera-
ton of Congress and increased appro-
priations. One of the changes proposed
| is that the soldier shall receive his
| first razor, tooth brush, soap and SIM
| liar articles from the government with
out charge, but after the first supply
he must maintain his toilet kit at his
own expense.