REPORT OF THE PHILIPPINE COMMISSION. TABLE NO. 5.-Disbursements by James G. Jester, United States disbursing officer, during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1903-Continued. Recapitulation of receipts and disbursements by J. G. Jester during the fiscal year 1903. Balance on hand July 1, 1902 RESOURCES. December 26, 1902, transferred by H. A. Lampman.. Received from British Foreign Insurance Co., loss on shipment of envelopes by R. Carter Ballantyne. To error on weekly statement June 1-6, 1903. $93, 121.77 127.25 .86 $105, 249.88 103, 350. 22 105, 249. 88 TABLE NO. 6.—Sundry disbursements for the fiscal year 1903, made at Manila by H. A. Repairing delivery wagon.. Philippine Publishing Co.: Lithographing maps and curves for Weather Bureau.. 3,000 maps for Agricultural Department John T. Pickett: Repairing harness 192.00 75.17 10. 20 20.41 70.96 80.00 7.00 Pedro P. Roxas: For rent of warehouse, eleven months. Calder & Co.: Terminal charges on time-stamp clock, landing, and clearing. Act 437.-Laying out grounds. Department of engineering and public works: Improvement of the grounds of public printing plant... 6.00 13. 44 19.44 1, 370. 73 EXHIBIT D. REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF ARCHIVES, BUREAU OF PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS, AND TRADE-MARKS, 1903. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, BUREAU OF ARCHIVES, Manila, September 14, 1903. Hon. JAMES F. SMITH, Secretary of Public Instruction. SIR: The nature of the work being carried on in this bureau was described in last year's report. The examination and classification of the great number of documents pertaining to the different branches of the Spanish administration is an arduous work, difficult to accomplish because of the condition in which they were found when the United States Government took possession of them upon the termination of Spanish sovereignty in these islands, as I had the honor to state in my former reports. Owing to the concentration in these archives of all the protocols formerly in the custody of the different notaries of these islands, the work mentioned in the preceding paragraph was necessarily suspended for some time, as the entire office force was required to receive and verify the protocols, which was a delicate and laborious matter, on account of the great importance of these documents, which constitute, one may say, the warranty of property in these islands. These protocols comprise 2,251 bound volumes, which, one by one, have had to be verified by the statements attached to each of them. Subsequently, nearly all the clerks of this office have been engaged in the preparation of certified copies, and such is the number of applications therefor that it has been necessary to detail as additional typewriter operators two clerks of this office. However, the arrangement and classification of the archives has not been wholly neglected. In order to carry on both lines of work effectively, I arranged to alternate them by taking advantage of every moment not demanded for work on the copies and keeping the bureau open and the entire force at work seven hours daily, instead of six hours, as fixed by law. In this manner the additional work furnished by the protocols has been kept up simultaneously with reasonable progress in the original work of the bureau, thus avoiding an increase in the clerical force, which would have caused an additional expenditure of public funds. Since the receipt of the protocols up to the 31st of last August, 298 copies have been furnished to private individuals, comprising 1,739 sheets, and 490,244 words, fees for which amount to $246.17 United States currency; searching fees, on account of the antiquity of documents referred to, amount to $120.05; and certification fees on 292 copies, $73, making a total of $439.22, which has been deposited in the treasury. Thirty-eight copies have also been furnished to different officials, comprising 191 sheets and 19,791 words, for which, according to law, no charge is made. The classified royal cedulas and orders amount to 245 volumes, and there are 5,000 volumes of records of different matters dispatched by the various departments and offices of the government in these islands during Spanish domination. Besides this labor, which itself represents a considerable effort worthy of consideration, there is to be taken into account a most important task pressing upon this office, which is the duty of furnishing exact and important information in memoranda and special reports upon matters pertaining to the period of Spanish sovereignty here, importance of which may be seen by the data set forth in the statement placed at the end of this report, which does not include the numerous reports verbally made daily to different civil and military officials. The business of this office has suffered a new interruption, as, on account of the recent removal to this building (the Ayuntamiento), the greater part of the archives, already arranged and classified, having been to a degree thrown again into disorder, owing to such removal, this inconvenience being unavoidable, notwithstanding the greatest care being taken, in view of the vast number of documents and bundles of loose papers, transportation of which was necessarily intrusted to inexpert people, as otherwise the task would have been slow and interminable in completion. This is the fourth removal of this bureau, and this fact will give an idea of the great difficulties encountered in its organization, these recurring, unavoidable alterations requiring valuable time for rearrangement, which is unfortunately lost afterwards. Assuming this removal to be the last, I anticipate, in view of the excellent location now occupied, that the business of this office may continue hereafter without interruption until the final termination of its organization. There is inclosed a special report that is the product of long and painstaking study, which under this date I submit to the civil commission through your office in order to clear up definitively all doubts which may exist in respect of the ownership of the "Arroceros” and the "Aguadas" grounds. I thought it necessary to compile this information on account of the frequent consultations and inquiries made by the municipality, not only about the properties mentioned, but also regarding other properties with no known owners, of which the city assumes possession, to the detriment of the interests of the insular government. Before concluding I deem it a matter of justice to mention the services certain employees of this office are rendering with such intelligence and zeal as to merit greater compensation than that now received by them. These employees are Manuel M. Miranda, Rosauro de Guzman, Simeon Magpantay, Domingo Aguirre, and Catalino Tuason. Mr. Miranda, who was for many years an employee of the Spanish Government, is in charge of the issue of copies of notarial documents, the collection of fees therefor, the preparation of accounts, and in addition performs the duties of property clerk of this bureau. By reason of his special experience gained in offices of the Spanish Government he is able to assist greatly in the preparation of memoranda and special reports required from these archives, and during the absence of the chief of the bureau acts in his stead. His salary is $1,200 per annum. |