The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1912-07-25
NEWS FROM OUR
NATIONAL CAPITAL
Senate Committee Agrees to a
Modified Form of BOurne's
Parcels Post Measure.

measure will be reported promptly.
Senators Bristow and Bourne, sit
ting as a subcommittee on the parcels
post, agreed on a modified form of
Senator BOurne's plan. It retains
Senator Bourne's scheme for a divis-
ion of the country into zones within
which rates for the transmission of
parcels shall be the same.
Senator Bristow believed the
Bourne plan would place rates so low
that the project would be found i'm
practicable To meet his objections,
eight zones were outlined instead of
six, as originally planned, and the
rates proposed by Senator Bourne
were increased.
Country Divided Into Zones.
Senators Bourne and Bristow
agreed upon the parcels post zones as
follows:
First zone, length so miles, rate
cents for the first pound, cents for
each additional pound second zone,
length $50 miles, rate and cents;
third zone, length 300 miles, rate
and cents; fourth zone, length 600
miles, rate and cents; fifth zone,
length 1000 miles, rate and cents;
sixth zone, length 400 miles, rate 10
and 9 cents; seventh zone, length 1900
miles, rate II and 10 cents; eighth
zone, length over 1900 miles, rate II
cents per pound straight. Maximum
packages II pounds.
A provision Is made for local deliv-
cry fixing a charge of five cents for
the first pound and one cent for each
additional pound, or Is cents for an
11-pound package.
House Censures Building Plans
Severe censure Of the government
methods of erecting public buildings
is contained in the report of the house
buildings.
The committee points out the ex-
travagance and waste and the posi-
bilities of fraud in public expendi-
lures.
The committee recommends that
government buildings be standardized
and endeavors to point out what it
considers the folly of maintaining
big force OF draughtsmen and archi-
tects to make plans for every building
constructed by the government. The
report finds that since 1902 721 build
ings have been erected and that there
are now pending bills for $50 build
ings, to cost an aggregate of $70,000,-
900.
The committee urges that members
of congress be less jealous in their
efforts to get public buildings for their
districts and recommends legislation
making it illegal to erect a public
building in any city of less that 5000
inhabitants or whose postoffice takes
in less than $4,000 annually.
Homestead Rules Made.
Regulations governing entries under
the Borah three-year homestead law
have been issued by Secretary Fisher.
Credit for the three-year period
must begin from actual residence.
Proof must be submitted within five
years. Cultivation for three years,
counting from date of entry, is re-
quired, including actual cultivation of
not less than one-sixteenth of the
land beginning with the second year
and not less than one-eighth begin
ming with the third year and until
final proof.
Absence from the land for not more
than five months in one continuous
period is allowed, but bona fde con-
tinuous residence during the remain
must be shown.
National Capital Brevities.
An investigation of expenditures in
the forest service by special senate
committee is asked in a resolution
presented by Senator Overman.
Congressman Suffers bill, provid-
ing for the creation of a department
of labor, has passed the house. The
measure creates the position of Sec
rotary of labor, who shall be a mem
Der of the cabinet.
Investigation of federal officehold
ers' activities in the republican pre-
convention compaign and at Chicago
will be made by the United States
civil service commission and will COM
mence about August 1.
Correspondence between the state
department and the British govern
ment looking to the suppression of
atrocities practiced upon natives Of
the Putumayo rubber country indi-
Gates that the two governments are
in perfect accord.
The Impeachment of Judge Robert