Evening star., 1916-01-01
YEAR IN THE DEPARTMENTS.
TREASURY.

! TREASURY.
| The pan-American conference, held
| May 24-29, in Washington, under the
| auspices Of the Treasury Department
/ was followed by the appointment by
| the Secretary of the Treasury OF
american groups Of international COM
| mittees-one for each nation repre-
sented in the conference-and the
| American section of the Joint fnterna-
tional high commission Of uniformity
| Of laws. To carry out the plea OF
the conference for the establishment OF
transportation facilities Secretary NC
Adoo devised an administration Dill lor
| the creation Of merchant marine
Expenditures Of the government STEAD
/, lily outstripped receipts throughout the
| year, resulting In a much depieteo
working balance in the general 1uho
Of the Treasury: the condition OF the
| Treasury made imperative the con-
tinuance Of special revenue laws now
i in force, and other revenue-raisinE :
means to meet usual expenditures anu
| tho probability of q tremendously IN
| creased expenditure of federal 1unos
| to meet the administration program OF
preparedness. George i. Downey. then
| controller Of the Treasury, was ap
| pointed to the bench OF the Court OF
| Claims: W W Warwich sue succenaGe n,ade
assistant controller. John Shelton Wi
| Iiams, controller of the currency, ne
| gan a national campaign agalns.
| charges by national banks OF interest,"
| in excess of legal rates.
The revenue cutter service ana the
| life-saving service. amalgamated as the
| coast guard, completed the scheme OF
| reorganization. A list Of benefciaries
Of the fund for the relief OF S.Hs faiist1
to reimburse the Treasury was mace
public The Harrison anti-narcotic
law. regulating and restricting the use
of narcotics, went into erect undeT
the direction of the bureau Of internal
revenue. Contracts were let for the
construction of the proposed building
for the Department of the Interior
and the central heating and power
plant. The public health service an
nounced the cause and cure for pei
lagra, continued its rat-exterm.nation
plague campaign in New Orleans and
elsewhere. absorbed the quarantine sta
tion at Boston. and issued warning
from Europe during and especially
after the end of the war. The suit
of the Riggs National Bank Of wash
ington against the Secretary OF the
Treasury, the controller Of the cur
rency and the treasurer of the United
States. charging conspiracy to tn1ure
its business, was decided against the
bank in the Supreme Court OF the Dis
trict of Columbia; the question in
volved in the disposal of money with
held from the bank. alleged as nne,
is still under consideration OF the
court.
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
The Department Of Justice won an
important decision in the Supreme
Court of the United States. in the en-
forcement of antitrust laws, defeat
ing a plan to circumvent the require
|ments of the commodities clause; the
ruling forbade the D.. l.. e. w. X. r..
from transporting coal mined or pur-
chased by it and purporting to have
been sold to a supposititious coal COM
pany under contract. Thirty-one COM
mission merchants of the District of
Columbia. indicted under antitrust
laws. pleaded guilty of combination
in restraint of trade. The case against
the former directors of the n. Y, n. II.
& H. r. r., charged with monopoly Of
the transportation facilities of New
England, was heard in the court. Dur
ing the latter part of the year the
bureau of investigation was taxed with
the task of running down violations
of neutrality and alleged alien spies
and cOpSplratOrS VINO were unQeT Sus-
picion of plotting destruction of am
munition factories and other activities
of similar international Importance.
Among activities receiving such inves-
tigation were the false passport cases.
the attempt of Werner Horn to de-
stroy the International bridge at
Vanceboro, Me-, the cases of British
consular officers enlisting men for the
British army. the case of the officials
of the Hamburg american line, who
uttered false manifests for neutral
ships sailing from American ports to
coal and provision German warships,
and the widespread conspiracy to de-
stroy munitions plants disclosed with
the arrest of a number of men in New
york city and elsewhere. Attorney
General Gregory advanced plan for
the manufacturing by convicts in fed
eral penltentiaries of supplies intend
ed for government consumption
Through the awards of the Presiden-
tial commission. title was acquired to
most of the smaller holdings OF prop
erty in the proposed extension OF
Union station plaza.
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
The growth of the parcel post, not
withstanding the falling off in other
classes of the mail, was the most
notable feature of the years record Of
the Post Office Department, the latest
count at fifty leading cities showing
the handling of 30.93s,730 parcels. ag-
gregating 4l.s1a.452 pounds and pro-
ducing postage receipts amounting to