The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-12-31
BUSINESS Laos
IN CONGRESS
Naval Affairs Rushing, However,
and Marines Resting
Satisfied.
By Ernest G. walker.
mail Special to The Advertiser). )

mail Special to The Advertiser).)
WASHINGTON, December l6.-Sev.
eral committees of congress 60 home
for the holidays with a grouchy feel.
ing because of the status of public
business with which they have imme.
diately to deal. One example suffices
to show the kind OF causes that bring
about this attitude. A certain mem
Der of the cabinet, who did deal Of
travelling during the summer and Az
tumn and who is very popular in WASH
| ington society just now, has been at
tending to other things to the excll-
sion of the business of his department.
The house committee, which makes up
the appropriation bill for that branch
of the public service, had ambitious
plans for conducting hearings and get
ting the bill well out of the way be-
fore the holidays.
| But this particular cabinet official
has not formulated his plans or made
his recommendations. Accordingly his
subordinates were not ready to appear
before the committee and announce
their program for appropriations. The
committee has been waiting, simply
waiting, and the present prospect is
/ that it will have to go ahead without
the required information from the cabi-
| net official but depend upon its being
furnished later on, perhaps when the
appropriation bill in question reaches
the senate.
There are numerous instances like
this, which explain much of the delay
on Capitol Hill. For while it is moth.
| ;p0 avoant;npo oil for oonorauc 70 do moth.
ing before the holidays, it is custom
airy for the various committees of the
house to "get busy and to 60 far
toward preparing legislation for the
postholiday period.
| Appropriations to Figure.
| Not only the regular appropriation
committee of the house, but the naval
committee, the military committee, the
postoflice committee, the agricultural
committee and the Indian committee
have appropriation bills to prepare.
These bills involve the hearing of a
vast number of government officials,
who are expected to explain in detail
the conditions prevailing in their Of
fees, the need for funds, the uses to
which these are put and so forth. In
some cases the preparation of these
bills has gone forward satisfactorily
but on the whole the work of the
various executive departments is so
backward this year that the committee
have often to wait for information
which should be ready on the very first
day of the session.
After the hearings, which generally
are printed in pamphlet form for ref
erence as well as for purposes of a
| M mn N ont rannrI 70 &c
essary to make up the bills. The
amount to be appropriated under this
; head and that head has to be deter
mined upon after the departmental of
ficials have been heard. The committee
chairmen like to get the hearings out
of the way early so that they can
: have their bills made up as soon as
possible after the holidays. They then
have better chance to obtain early
consideration in the house, which as
sures speedier consideration in the SEN
| ate and often the signing of the appro-
priation law in advance of the end
; of the session, so that there will not
| be the usual crush just before congress
is getting ready to go home.
Navy Bill in Shape.
! One set of hearings, however, that is
|
the navy appropriation bill. Admirals
and captains galore have been tramp
ing to the rooms of the naval affairs
committee of late every forenoon and
telling of the requirements of the SER
vice and standing cross-examinations
before the representatives who sit
around the big mahogany table. Usual
ly the naval appropriation bill is one
of the last to get before the house.
That is because of the large total it
carries in recent years and because of
the many troublesome problems carried
on that measure as provisions of legis-
ation.
Marines Satisfied.
Among other things it appears set.
tied that there will be no aggression
! against the Marine Corps this year MOI
any effort to take the marines off the
warshipsS That was accomplished
through an order by President Roose
welt about year ago and was subse,
quently annulled by a provision of con
gress. The naval authorities are dis
> posed now to accept that action as
final and will allow the marines to con
tinue on sea as well as land service
the same as heretofore. The marine
officers, who have resisted the removal
. of their men from warships, feel sat
isfied that that struggle is over fol
many years to come. There are SC
u many other things that the navy wants
: !, from congress it is unlikely that tn,
u old controversy will be reopened,
Junketers Late.
:. Another belated government brancl
3 this year is the waterways commission
composed of senators and members
II who travelled to Europe during the. sum
h mer visiting rivers and canals upA ant
down the continent with view Il
making recommendations, some o
which might be embodied in the rive
and harbor appropriation bill this year
n The extra session of congress last sum
n mer kept the iunketers in Washington
:, till early August They therefore ~
y | t.lrnol h. IL. IInlLul 2lnln. Inn nm