The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1909-01-15
NOTES FROM WASHINGTON
Especial Correspondence.)
Aid To Life savers.-To secure

cooperation of the United States life
saving service and those companies
possessing life saving vessels equipped
with wireless telegraph is the object
OF bill introduced recently by Rep.
preventative Calder of New York. IL
empowers the life saving service TO
cooperate with these companies and
also TO notify them of all wrecks
which may occur on the Atlantic coast
| but specifies that the United States
government shall not be liable for any
recompense for aid which these com.
| panies may give in saving human life
| or insuring the safety of vessels.
Care of Dependent Children.-Spon-
taneous and general approval has
been given the movement initiated by
President Roosevelt recently in call
| ing a conference TO meet in Washing
| ION on Jan. % and 26 to discuss the
| problem of caring for the dependent
| children of the country. The Presi
| dent has sent James r. West of this
| city 10 New York city to learn the
names of men and women thoroughly
| conversant with the care of depend
ent children and these persons are tc
| be invited TO the conference. II is
expected that the President will an
nounce the official list in few days
Manila Wants Free Trade.-Secre
tary Wright will submit to Chairman
Payne OF the house committee oD
ways and means considering the re.
vision of the tariff, a petition from
the Manila Merchants Association con.
tanning about 100000 signatures OF
business men and people in the Phil
ippines, asking for free trade between
the United States and the Philippine
Islands. 1t is expected that in for
warding the petition the secretary
will accompany ii with letter urg
ing the removal of the existing tarih
barriers in the interests of the indus
trial development of the Philippines
industrial development OF the Philip
pines.
No River and Harbor BilI.-There
will be no river and harvor bill this
year. The house committee on rivers
and harbors held a meeting the other
day, and, after discussion, postponed
formal action for while, but the
members informally agreed among
themselves that it was not eXpedient
at this time to bring in a general bill
a few surveys will be authorized, and
money, of course, will have TO be ap
propriated to continue the work now
in progress, but no new projects viii
be undertaken. The committee has
reached the meeting of the ways
Heretofore money for the improve
ment of rivers and harbors has been
appropriated in an indscriminate
fashion and without regard to system
The member with the biggest pull OF
the most persuasive eloquence or the
most clamorous constituents secured
an appropriation; the modest member
with some self-respect usually got
nothing The river and harbor bill
has been popularity known as the porl
were distributed by favor.
General Detective 5ureau.-The eX
ecutive departments will cooperate
with the senate committee on appro
priations in arriving at the facts re
garding the employment Of secret ser.
vice officials in other departments
than the treasury and in other work
than the ferreting out of counterfeit
ers. Senator Hale, acting chairman OF
the committee, has been told that the
executive branch of the government
desires that all the facts be under
stood. The departments are prepared
TO justify their course in the employ
ment of the men of the service. and II
now looks as if the inquiry would be
directed TO the necessity Of a general
detective bureau in the government
| service Request has been made OF
the treasury, interior and navy de.
partments of justice and commerce
and labor for full information as to
their drafts upon the secret service IN
the promised replies are received, the
committee will begin the considers
ton of the subject The work Of col.
, lecting the data in each of these de.
partments is voluminous, and there
| will be some delay in furnishing them
The Pension list.-The report of the
secretary of the interior gives some
! facts of general public interest rela
tive to the list of pensioners who have
| served in the army or navy of the
! United States. and of those who have
! been recognized by law as dependent
on them The time has happily passed
! when comment upon the pension roll
| was assumed TO imply hostility TO the
veterans, and interest in the facts
! does not by any means imply criticism
l..g . q L.. H., Il No ol