Mr. CONNESS. I am directed by the ComPacificRR to otfer the following amendment to come in on page 19, section one, after line 447: Appropriations required to meet deficiencies for the fiscal year commencin ist day of July. 1865 and terminatin 30th day of one. 1866 on account of Engineer Office. Dept of the Interior. having thesupervision oft What was the original O Pacific railroad and branches, the land grant railroads. the wagon roads. are; For compensation of one government cornmisswner. Central Pacific railroad. appointed agreeably to act of July 1. 1862 and amended act of July 2. 1864 and instructed by the SecyInterior to attend meeting of board of Government directors. commissioners and engineer at Washington. DistCol. January 10. 1866, for purpose of harm standard of railroad to which the Pacific railro and branches shall conform. 75 days, at 8 dollars perday 86(1). Tor mileageof said commisIioners from SanFrancise o to Washington. 6,000569 miles and back. at ten cents permile. 8.l or compensation of 5 Government directors while attending meeting of board of Government directors, commissiionersa.nd engineer.for purposes above stated, ten days.at 8 dollars perday each, For mileage cfdo. from their residencesto Wash in ton and bac. $7. milcaize of Government engineer from Cincinnati. Ohio, to Omaha. Nebraska and thenpe to wusliin ton. in July. 1865, directed by the POTUS to examine and report upon Union Pacific railroad routes west from Omaha, 2902 miles.at ten cents permile. SH) 20. For mileage of do. from Washington to NewYork and back. in Au net. 1866.on account of Union pacific railway. 225 mileseach wa. at ten cents permile. 44 dollars. Hbr compensation of 3 Government commissioners appointed by the POTUS ngreenbl to act of July 1. 1862. to examipa 40 miles of nion Pacific railroad. eastern division (Kansas branch.) in Mnv. 186of, 14 days.at 8 dollars perday each or mileageof do. at ten centspermile. 8200. For compensationof 2 Governmentcommissmners appointed by the POTUS to reexamine 40 miles Union Pacific railroad, easterndivision. in October, 1860.31 days.“ ci lit dollars eachperday. $496 or mileage, at ten centspermile. 8500. For coin emotion and mileage oi onc commimioner of Union ucific railroad an oue commissionero Union Pacific railroad. Eastern division appointed 7 the President agreeablyto the act of Iuly 1.1862, M1d amended act of July 2. lSfri. durins 3 examinations of railroad before the close uf the fisenl79" 20 days each. at $150each examination for web road. in all 6 examinations. 82.700. a“ For compensation and mileage of 3 comissioners of Central Pacific railroad, up inted by the President agrccubl tonoto1July l 1.180“, and amended; act of July 2, 1364, during 3 exaininatipns of road before the close of the fiscal year, at 81,000 caoh examination. $3.150 For compensationand mileage of commissioners to examineportions of railroads reported completedac cording to law, to which grants of land inure, $2, 500. For pay. Subsistence and transportation of surveying party required by not approved July 1.1862t.o make the surveys to enable the POTUS to fix the point on the 100th me ridian ofion itude between the south mar in of the valley of the Republican river and the nort margin of the valley of t o Platte river, at which the several branch roads shall converge and meet the Union Pacific railroad. $20411). For drawin instruments, mapping material. stationery, &c., IF., Cost of completing bridge over Big Sioux, Vermillion and Dakota rivers, and Government wagonroad from Sioux City. Iowa, to Fort Randall, to Dakota Territory. 820,000. For commutation of quarters and fuel to officer of corps of engineers. U.S. Army, in chargeof engineer officers Dept of the Interior, agreea bly to Army reulations 1st August, 1865t.o June 530. 1866, to be pai by the Dept of the Interior aglreeably to Army reulations. 81.13764 or goodtIDRODOIBB., I will say, in reference to this appropriation, that it is not all for the Pacific rai roa; a very considerable art of it occurs under another law. There is an item of $20,000 for the construction of bridges over the Big Sioux and Vermillion rivers, authorized by an act of congress for the construction of a military road in akota; and the appropriation coming from the Interior Dept, and being absolutely necessar, is combined with those required for the Pacific railroad; audit appears to swell the whole amount. Another very large item of the appropriation both of those together making the greatest part of it, nearly 3/4ths of it is $20,000 for establishing the 100th meridian between the Platte and Republican rivers, as provided by the Pacific railroad act. That was a very expensive service, and has been performed. The other items of appropriations have arisen thus: the acts for the construction of the Pacific railroad provided for the appointment of commissioners to examine the divisions of roads which should be constructed when constructed and to report to the POTUS; but although the law provided for their appointment by the President, and for their report being made to him, there was no provision made bylaw for their payment, either by the companies or by the Government. Wit considerable experience new on the part of the Interior Dept, they believe that it is even profitable and proper for the Government to pasy these commissioners, so as to make them in epeudent of the companies whose roads they examined, because it will be remembered that very large amounts of Government subsidy in bonds and lands at once go to the companies from the Government of the U.S. upon the report of these commissioners. It is importapt, therefore, to keep these commissioners Within the influence and reach and power of the Government of the U.S. The various branches of the Pacific railrgad on the eastern ide of the continent gave riseto a great deal of trouble, both as regards the establishment of the routes they shou (I take, questions coming up between the different compa nies, and also in regard to the quality MLhe work performed. The 1st work performed by some of the companies reports being made by commissioners appointed by the President, of the completion of 20 miles of road was found to be totally insufficient as to the manner of its construction, and further examination was necessary to be made that the public interest might be protected and preserved, under the direction of the POTUS In thise onnection it was soon discovered by the Interior Dept that it was necessary to give this wor the close inspection of that Dept, and the present head of the Dept, soon after coming into others, found this to be absolutely necessary. The 1st step that he took was to ask from the President the detail of an Army engineer officer to the Inte prior Dept who should erect, not a bureau there, but a desk, to which all these reports should come, and from which a superintending and close vigilance should be exercised until at least the whole work was properly started. That has been accomplished. The engineer leaves here this day to join in making the 6th examination on this side, the companies being new vigorously engaged in making the railroad and pressing their work forwa with great energy. The charges that have accrued for all the work done connected with the Pacific railroad on both sides of the continent, in California and here, amount to about $17,000. The 2 great items of expenditure, as I before observed, the one for establishing the 100th me ridian and the one for the construction under another law of Congress of bridges over the Big Sioux and Vermillon rivers, form the main items of this appropriation. That art of the appropriation which relates to the acific railroad is very slight indeed, as will be observed by examination. It costs the Governmentvery little. But Iwill say in regard to that, that on examination I found an item amounting to $1,000 that was not necessary, and it has been stricken out. The company there was perfectly willing to pay the commissioners, and did pay them for the 1st 2 examinations made; but it was found that there was something very like an attempt by one of the commissioners to obtain extra compensation from the company, and the Interior Dept very prompt ydisplaced that commissioner and came to the conclusion, from the investigation of that case, that it was necessary and profitable to the Government to pay a direct compensation to the commissioners. I only say this in behalf of that end of the line to show that thereis no attempt to obtain money from the Treasury from that quarter. But a very small portion of this appropriation goes in that direction. I have no ileu t, for I have kept a pretty close eye upon all the work that has been done in this connection, that the Interior Dept has conferred a great service upon the count in connection with the construction of the acific railroad by the close rein it has held upon the compa nies by the establishment at the be inning of a system of organization and by proucing complete order, which now exists, out of disorder, which did exist, and that it has pursued both the line of economy and of the strictest public dot in this connection.