Net proceeds, how owned and

used.

offices or parties authorized to dispose of said lands, which testimony shall be received as if taken before the officers of such land office.

SEC. 5. That the net proceeds arising from such sales, after defraying the expenses of appraisement and sale,which have heretofore or may hereafter be incurred, and also the outstanding indebtedness, principal and interest, of said Kansas tribe of Indians, which has heretofore been incurred under treaty stipulations, shall belong to said tribe in common, and may be used by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, under direction of the President of the United States, in providing and improving for them new homes in the Indian Territory, and in subsisting them Residue placed until they become self-sustaining; and the residue, not so required, shall be placed to their credit on the books of the Treasury, and bear interest at the rate of five per centum per annum, and be held as a fund for their civilization, the interest of which, and the principal, when deemed necessary by the President of the United States, may be used for such purpose: Provided, that no proceedings shall be taken under this act until the said Kansas Indians shall file their assent thereto with the Secretary of the Interior

at interest.

Proceedings under this act, when to be had.

July 6, 1876.

Pile and ponton bridge may be built by city of La Crosse.

How to be built.

1874, ch. 224, 18 Stat., 62.

Width of pontondraw.

Approval of plan by Secretary of War.

Approved, July 5, 1876.

CHAP. 169.-An act to authorize the construction of a ponton-bridge across the Mississippi River from some feasible point in La Crosse County, in the State of Wisconsin, to some feasible point in Houston County, in the State of Minnesota.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That it shall be lawful for the city of La Crosse to construct a pile and ponton bridge across the Mississippi River at some feasible point in La Crosse County in the State of Wisconsin, so as to connect with the opposite shore of the said river, in the State of Minnesota; said bridge to be built subject, except as herein modified, to all the terms, requirements, and limitations contained in the act entitled "An act to legalize and establish a ponton-railway-bridge across the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien, and to authorize the construction of a similar bridge at or near Clinton, Iowa," approved June sixth, eighteen hundred and seventy-four, so far as they may be applicable thereto.

SEC. 2. That the bridge shall be constructed with one suitable pontou-draw of not less than four hundred feet in width, located over the main channel of the river: Provided, That said bridge shall not be built or cominenced until the plan and specifications for its construction have been submitted to the Secretary of War for his approval, nor until he shall approve the plan and the location of said bridge; and if any change be made in the plan of construction of said bridge at any time, such change shall be subject to the approval of the Secretary of War; and Changes in con- any change in the construction or any alteration of said bridge that may be directed at any time by Congress or the Secretary of War shall be made at the cost and expense of the owners thereof: And provided further, That the right is hereby reserved to Congress to alter amend or repeal this act; and in case of the repeal of this act, the bridge shall be removed without expense to the United States, and if this act be amended any change or alteration required of the bridge shall be without cost to the United States.

struction.

Right to alter, amend, or repeal.

Alterations without cost to United States.

July 8, 1876.

Ponton railway transit and wagon bridge at Nebraska City.

Approved, July 6, 1876.

CHAP. 172.-An act authorizing the Nebraska City Bridge Company to construct a ponton railway-bridge across the Missouri River at Nebraska City in Otoe County, Nebraska.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That it shall be lawful for the Nebraska City Bridge Company, a corporation having authority from the State of Nebraska and from the State of Iowa, its successors and

assigns, to build, maintain, and operate a ponton railway-transit and wagon-bridge across the Missouri River at Nebraska City, in the county of Otoe, and State of Nebraska; and said company, its successors or assigns, shall keep up and maintain a suitable ponton-draw of not less than three hundred feet in length; and that said draw shall be opened promptly, upon reasonable sigual, for the passage of boats or rafts; but in no case shall unreasonable delay occur in the opening of said draw before or after the passage of trains; and the company, corporation, or individuals having the charge or control of said bridge shall, for the security of navigation, maintain, from sunset to sunrise, throughout the year, such lights on said bridge as may be required by the Light House Board.

Width of draw. Opening of draw.

Lights on bridge.

Use of bridge by

Right of way for postal and telegraphic purposes. Charge for mails aud troops.

SEC. 2. That all railway companies desiring to use said ponton-bridge shall have, and be entitled to, equal rights and privileges in the use of railway companies. the same, and in the use of the machinery and fixtures thereof, and of all approaches thereto, under and upon such terms and conditions as shall be prescribed by the Secretary of War, upon hearing the allega tions and proofs of the parties in case they shall not agree; and the United States shall have the right of way for postal and telegraphic purposes across said bridge; and no greater charge shall be made for the transmission over the same of the mails, the troops, and munitions of war of the United States than the rate per mile paid for the trans portation over the railroads or public highways leading to said bridge; and in case of any litigation arising from any obstruction, or alleged obstruction, to the navigation of the said Missouri River, created by the construction of said bridge under this act, the cause or question arising may be tried before the district or circuit court of the United States of any State wherein the obstruction exists.

Suits for obstruction of river.

Where triable.

Amendment of

ity for damages.

Alterations sub

SEC. 3. That the right to alter or amend this act so as to prevent or remove all material obstructions to the navigation of said Missouri act without liabil River is hereby expressly reserved, without any liability to the Government for damages on account of the alteration or amendment of this act, or on account of the prevention or requiring the removal of any such obstructions; and if any change be made in the plan of construc tion of said ponton-bridge, such change shall be subject to the approval ject to approval. of the Secretary of War; and any change in the construction or any alteration of said bridge that may be directed at any time by Congress or the Secretary of War shall be at the cost and expense of the owners thereof. Said bridge shall be constructed, as near as may be practicable, upon the line heretofore surveyed and established by the Nebraska City Bridge Company.

Alterations, when

to be made.
Location.

tion.

Plans of construcmitted.

SEC. 4. That any bridge authorized to be constructed under this act Regulations for shall be built and located under and subject to such regulations for the security of navigasecurity of navigation of said river as the Secretary of War shall prescribe; and to secure that object, the said company or corporation shall submit to the Secretary of War, for his examination and approval, a design and drawings of the bridge, and a map of the location, giving, for the space of one mile above and one mile below the proposed location, etc., to be subtion, the topography of the banks of the river, the shore-lines at high and low water, the direction and strength of the currents at all stages, and the soundings, accurately showing the bed of the stream, the location of any other bridge or bridges, and shall furnish such other information as may be required for a full and satisfactory understanding of the subject; and until the said plan and location of the bridge are ap- built till plan subproved by the Secretary of War, the bridge shall not be built Approved, July 8, 1876

Bridge not to be

mitted.

July 10, 1876.

CHAP. 177.-An act to continue the provisions of an act entitled "an act to provide temporarily for the expenditures of the Government" &c &e.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United Extension of ap- States of America in Congress assembled, That the provisions of an act propriation for ten entitled "An act to provide temporarily for the expenditures of the

days.

Ante, p. 65. Post, pp. 95, 122, 131, 168.

Government" approved June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and seventysix be, and the same are hereby, extended and continued in full force and effect for the period of ten days from and after the tenth day of July, eighteen hundred and seventy-six, and no longer.

Approved, July 10, 1876.

July 12, 1876.
Post, p. 383.

Postal service.

CHAP. 179.-An act making appropriations for the service of the Post Office Department for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-seven, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United Appropriation. States of America in Congress assembled, That the following sums be, and the same are hereby, appropriated for the service of the Post Office Department for the year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-seven, out of any money in the Treasury arising from the revenues of said Department, in conformity to the act of July second, eighteen hundred and thirty-six, as follows:

R. S.,

Title xlvi.

Mail depredations.

Post-route maps.

Sale of maps.

Advertising.

OFFICE OF THE POSTMASTER GENERAL.

For mail depredations and special agents, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and not exceeding seven thousand five hundred dollars of this amount may be expended for fees to United States attorneys, marshals, clerks of courts, and counsel necessarily employed by special agents of the Post-Office Department, subject to approval by the Attor ney-General.

For preparation and publication of post-route maps, twenty thousand dollars; and the Postmaster General may authorize the publication aud sale of said maps to individuals at the cost thereof, the proceeds of said sales to be applied as a further appropriation for said purpose.

For advertising, forty thousand dollars: Provided, That the Postmaster-General shall cause advertisements of all general mail lettings Advertisements of each State and Territory to be conspicuously posted up in each postto be posted up. office in the State and Territory embraced in said advertisements for at least sixty days before the time of such general letting; and no other advertisement of such lettings shall be required; but this provision shall not apply to any other than general mail lettings.

Postmasters.
Clerks.

Rates of compen

sation.

Proviso.

Letter-carriers.

OFFICE OF THE FIRST ASSISTANT POSTMASTER GENERAL.

For compensation to postmasters, seven million dollars.

For compensation to clerks in post-offices, three million two hundred and ninety thousand dollars; and the Postmaster General is hereby directed to cause a careful inquiry to be made into the rates of compensation now paid to clerks in post offices, with a view to a more equitable adjustment and reduction thereof; and if such rearrangement is practi cable, to put the same in force from and after July first, eighteen hundred and seventy-six: Provided, That such adjustment shall in no case involve an increase over and above the present aggregate compensation as provided in this act.

For payment to letter carriers, one million nine hundred thousand dollars. It shall be the duty of the Postmaster General to carefully inquire into the number of carriers employed in the several cities where Reduction of ser- the free delivery of mail matter is established, and reduce the number of carriers and the number of deliveries of the mails by such carriers for each day to the reasonable requirements of the public service.

vice.

For wrapping paper, twenty thousand dollars.

For wrapping twine, fifty thousand dollars.

For marking and rating stamps, ten thousand dollars.

For letter balances and scales, five thousand dollars.

For rent, light, and fuel, three hundred and ninety thousand dollars.
For office furniture, twenty thousand dollars.

For stationery, fifty thousand dollars.

For miscellaneous and incidental items, seventy-five thousand dollars.

OFFICE OF THE SECOND ASSISTANT POSTMASTER-GENERAL.

Wrapping paper.
Twine.

Marking stamps.
Letter-balances,

Rent, etc.
Furniture.

Stationery.
Miscellaneous.

Inland mail

Compensation to railroads to be readjusted.

1873, ch. 231, 17 Stat., 556.

For iuland mail transportation, namely: For transportation on starroutes and by steam-boats, and all other than railroad-routes, six million transportation. seven hundred and thirty-seven thousand eight hundred and fifty-one dollars; for transportation by railroad, nine million one hundred thousand dollars: Provided, That the Postmaster General be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to readjust the compensation to be paid from and after the first day of July, eighteen hundred and sev enty six, for transportation of mails on railroad routes by reducing the compensation to all railroad companies for the transportation of mails ten per centum per annum from the rates fixed and allowed by the first section of an act entitled "An act making appropriations for the service of the Post-Office Department for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-four, and for other purposes," approved March third, eighteen hundred and seventy-three, for the transportation of mals on the basis of the average weight. And the President of the United States is hereby authorized to appoint a commission of three skilled and competent persons, who shall examine into the subject of transportation of the mails by railroad-companies, service. and report to Congress at the commencement of its next session such rules and regulations for such transportation and rates of compensation gress. therefor as shall in their opinion be just and expedient, and enable the Department to fulfil the required and necessary service for the public. And to defray the expense of said commission, the sum of ten thousand dollars is hereby appropriated out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated.

For compensation to railway-post-office clerks, one million two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars.

For route-agents, nine hundred and seventy-two thousand five hundred dollars.

For mail-route messengers, one hundred and fifty-three thousand five hundred dollars.

For local agents, one hundred and nine thousand dollars.

For mail-messengers, six hundred aud seventy thousand five hundred dollars.

For mail-locks and keys, twenty thousand dollars.

For mail-bags and mail-bag catchers, one hundred and seventy five thousand dollars.

OFFICE OF THE THIRD ASSISTANT POSTMASTER GENERAL.

For manufacture of adhesive postage-stamps, one hundred and fortyseven thousand seven hundred and sixty-two dollars.

For pay of agent and assistants to distribute stamps and expenses of the agency, six thousand and nine hundred dollars.

Commission to railroad

examine

Report to Con

Post, p. 385.

Railway-postoffice clerks. Route-agents.

Mail-route mes

sengers.

Local agents.
Mail-messengers.

Locks and keys.
Mail-bags, etc.

Postage-stamps.

Stamped envel

For manufacture of stamped envelopes and newspaper-wrappers five hundred and thirty-five thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight dol- opes. lars.

For pay of agent and assistants to distribute stamped envelopes and newspaper-wrappers, and expenses of agency, sixteen thousand three hundred dollars.

Postal-cards.

Registered-package envelopes, etc. Office envelopes. Dead-letter envelopes.

Ship, steamboat, and way letters. Engraving, etc.

Miscellaneous.

Foreign mail

transportation.

Balances due foreign countries. Post, p. 584.

Official postagestamps.

Appropriation in addition to reve

nues.

Steamship-service between San Francisco, Japan,

and China.

Annual report of Sixth Auditor.

1874, ch. 456, § 11, 18 Stat., 233, repealed.

Postmasters divided into classes.

Appointment postmasters.

Term of office.

of

For manufacture of postal cards, two hundred and sixteen thousand seven hundred and sixty dollars.

For pay of agent and assistants to distribute postal cards, and expenses of agency, six thousand one hundred dollars.

For registered-package envelopes, locks, and seals, forty thousand dollars.

For office-envelopes, forty thousand dollars.

For dead-letter envelopes, two thousand one hundred and fifty dollars. For ship, steamboat, and way letters, seven thousand five hundred dollars.

For engraving, printing, and binding drafts and warrants, one thou sand five hundred dollars.

For miscellaneous items in the office of the Postmaster-General, one thousand five hundred dollars.

OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF FOREIGN MAILS.

For transportation of foreign mails, two hundred and twenty thousand dollars. For balances due foreign countries, fifty thousand dollars, including the United States' portion of the expense of the international office organized under the provisions of article fifteen of the general postal union treaty concluded at Berne October ninth, eighteen hundred and seventy four.

For official postage-stamps, for the use of the Post-Office Department, eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

SEC. 2. That if the revenue of the Post-Office Department shall be insufficient to meet the appropriations made by this act, then the sum of five million six hundred and sixty seven thousand four hundred and ninety-eight dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, be, and the same is hereby, appropriated, to be paid out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to supply deficiencies in revenue of the Post Office Department for the year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-seven.

SEC. 3. That the following sums be, and they are hereby, appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, namely: For steamship-service between San Francisco, China, and Japan, two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

SEC. 4. That the annual reports of the Auditor of the Treasury for the Post-Office Department to the Postmaster General shall show the finan cial condition of the Post-Office Department at the close of each fiscal year, and be made a part of the Postmaster General's annual report to Congress for that fiscal year.

That section eleven of the act approved June twenty-third, eighteen hundred and seventy-four, be, and is hereby, repealed, and that the following be enacted in lieu thereof.

SEC. 5. That the postmasters shall be divided into four classes, as follows: The first class shall embrace all those whose annual salaries are three thousand dollars or more than three thousand dollars; the second class shall embrace all those whose annual salaries are less than three thousand dollars, but not less than two thousand dollars; the third class shall embrace all those whose annual salaries are less than two thousand dollars, but not less than one thousand dollars; the fourth class shall embrace all postmasters whose annual compensation, exclusive of their commissions on the money-order business of their offices, amounts to less than one thousand dollars.

SEC. 6. Postmasters of the first, second, and third classes shall be appointed and may be removed by the President by aud with the advice and consent of the Senate, and shall hold their offices for four years unless sooner removed or suspended according to law; and postmasters of the fourth class shall be appointed and may be removed by the Post