Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-01-08
CHAIRMAN RETURNS FROM ZONE
He and Committee Back from Con-
ference with Goethals.
TOLLS AND RIGHTS UNDECIDED
Sherwood Pension Measure Will Be
Considered in Senate.
UPPER HOUSE FOR ECONOMY
Measure that Has Passed the House
Has Few Friends I'm Upper Cham
ber--Lorimer to Testify
Under Oath.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7.-Legislative
machinery 20 provide for operation OF tho
Panama canal and control OF the canal
zone will he started Tuesday when the
house committee on interstate commerce
Will hold It's first meeting to frame u
program for hearing and other prelm-
mary work as a basis OF the bill which
will be reported out to tho house later
I'm tho session.
Chairman Adamson and his committee
have Just returned from a trip TO Panama
where they conferred with Chief Engineer
Goethals and other officials who are
working TO put the great Isthmian ditch
into active operation by January 1915.
ana perhaps as they say, a year earlier
Mr. AdRmson has voiced the opinion
that the progress and the quality OF the
work done there Is entirely satisfactory.
The intention of the committee is 20
seek as much light as possible. Mr..
Adamson said Colonel Goethals might be
summoned to Washington and that II the
secretary OF war or the secretary OF the
navy could give tho committee any in
formation they would be asked TO appear.
To Consider Canal Rates.
Tho question OF the treatment 10 he
accorded shipping, whether TO give craft
flying the American flag. either coast
wise. or 60 foreign ports, preferential
rates In connection with the passage
through the canal etc, and the problem
whether 20 vest wide discretion in tho
case AS TO the amount of tolls or to make
specific legislative provisions for the
rates In the bill, will be fought out In
the committee, The senate committee
on interoceanic canals has made no plans,
being disposed TO wait upon the house.
Two appropriation bills are about ready
TO emerge from the committee of the
house. The district OF Columbia bill
which last year carried sl2OOO.OOO will be
completed and reported to the house early
this week, and II will be followed quickly
by the pension appropriation bill. which
runs, usually. close to s15OOOO,OOO.
Even with this big pension supply meas
ure. n formidable supplement to the pen
sion expenditures, the Sherwood so-called
dolar-a-day bill viii be considered in the
senate committee on pensions tomorrow.
The Sherwood bill. which already has
passed the house. has few friends in the
senate. and the disposition is to cut any
expenditure along that line TO at least
25,OOo,cOO or $9OOOO,OOO.
McCumber 10 Urge BIZ.
Chairman McCumber Of the senate com
mittee on pensions has bill OF his own
embodylng both age and service features
which he viii urge as a substitute. His
estimate OF the annual cost under his bill
Is approximately sl7,OOO,OOO while the
Sherwood bill Is estimated at about S75,-
900 900. Action thus far has been delayed
70 await revised cost and estimates from
the pension bureau.
The arbitration treaties with Great
Britain probably will be called up in open
session OF the senate within "A fortnight
Friends OF the treaties have held up
action pending marshalling of the
strength necessary for their ratification.
This strength has not developed suffi-
clently yet, but there are indications OF
a gain among the democratic senators
and a sentiment increasingly favorable
to Senator Roots proposal to provide dl-
rectly that nothing In the treaties shall
be construed to bind the United States
TO arbitrate such questions as the Monroe
doctrine or control Of immigration.
> LorImer Ia Testify,
Senator Lurimcr tomorrow will testify
under oath for the first time since tho
senate ordered an investigation OF his
election. Judge Hanecy, his counsel, in
tends to let the senator tell his own story
in his own way. lie may take two days to
do So Then the cross-eXamination will
begin Some senators on the investigating
committee intend TO question Mr.. Lorimer
at length. Following mis- testimony, tho
committee is expected to begin work on
It's report to the senate, where the final
fight viii come,
The house sugar trust investigating
committees are scheduled to resume hear
ings tomorrow and the national monetary
comWission will make it's final report to
congress on Tuesday. Senator Dupont
viii speak In the senate Tuesday on n
bin 10 raise volunteer military forces in
time Of actual or threatened war and tho
house foreign affairs committee the same
day will act on the bill making effective
the international protection OF fur seal
and otter i'm the north Pacific.
Andrew Carnegie is expected 10 testify
before the house steel committee on
Wednesday.