No provision of law whereby a responsible person may perform the duties of keeper during the absence of the latter in the inactive season.Special attention is invited to a matter closely related to the subject just discussed, and which it is believed calls for early remedial action by Congress. The law requires that the keepers of Coast Guard stations shall "reside continually at or in the immediate vicinity of their respective stations," and provides annual compensation for them. There is, therefore, no inactive season so far as keepers are concerned. In case of the temporary absence of a keeper on account of sickness or other disability during the so-called inactive season, he is paid his full compensation allowed by law, employs a person at his own expense to take charge of the station, and is reimbursed for the amount thus paid upon the establishment of a claim for benefits under the provisions of section 7 of the act of May 4, 1882. This proceeding is fundamentally wrong, subversive of discipline, and detrimental to the interests of the Government and should be discontinued, because it results in placing in charge of a Coast Guard station a person who is not amenable to the laws and regulations of the service, and therefore not responsible to the Government. There is no alternative, however, as under existing law a surfman can not be placed on duty at a station during the inactive season, except to be summoned for temporary duty in connection with wrecks or rescue work, in which case the law specifically provides for such employment. It also frequently becomes necessary to detail a keeper during the inactive season for other important temporary duty for which he is peculiarly qualified. Even in a case of this kind the service is put to the extremity of having an irresponsible person take charge of the station in the absence of the keeper. An exactly similar situation arises in case of the death of a keeper, pending the designation of his successor. It is essential that at least one responsible member of the Coast Guard be on duty at each station at all times during the inactive season to protect and care for the public property, to intelligently conduct the business of the station, and who is vested with full authority to collect a crew and competent to take charge of and direct them in the event of a shipwreck or other disaster. The removal of the present legislative restriction against the employment of surfmen during the inactive season is therefore necessary for the proper conduct of the Coast Guard, and it is earnestly recommended that Congress be requested to provide appropriate legislation to the end that the regularly enlisted personnel of the service may be assigned to duty at stations during the inactive season to meet such emergencies as have been enumerated. Saving of life and property on interior navigable waters.-The recommendation made in the last two annual reports for authority to construct and maintain three light-draft cutters on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and their tributaries is renewed. The fact that the floods during the past two years have not resulted in very serious damage on those waters does not indicate by any means that there is to be a continuous exemption from serious consequences of the annual rise in these rivers. There is a constantly growing demand for the services of cutters along these inland waterways in connection with the policing and regulation of the vast fleet of motor boats which is annually being augmented. Numerous occasions have arisen when the services of cutters would have been instrumental in saving life and property from accidents which occur along the rivers. The increased cost of such a patrol would be inconsiderable compared with the benefits to be derived, and the people along the banks of the inland waters, it would appear, are as much entitled to Federal protection of this kind as are those who live along the shores of the seacoast and the Great Lakes. Service depot in Alaska.-Attention is again invited to previous recommendations looking toward the establishment of a permanent supply depot at Unalaska or Dutch Harbor. As before indicated, the saving in fuel alone for vessels of the Coast Guard would amount to not less than $18,000 per annum. As vessels of the Fish Commission, Coast Survey, Lighthouse Establishment, and occasionally naval vessels could make use of this general supply depot, the saving on their account would, in all probability, amount to as much as for the Coast Guard cutters. Estimates of the cost of such a supply depot indicate that it could be purchased and fitted up complete for approximately $150,000. An annual saving of $36,000 incident to an investment of only $150,000 is so evidently a good business proposition as to need no further argument in its behalf. DIVISION OF LOANS AND CURRENCY. Public-debt transactions. Changes in interest-bearing debt of the United States: Amount outstanding June 30, 1914.. $967, 953, 310 Postal savings bonds, seventh series, dated July 1, 1914.... Amount outstanding June 30, 1915.. 872, 240 933, 540 969, 759, 090 Interest on public debt. Interest amounting to $21,309,679.90 on registered bonds of the United States became due, involving the issuance of 137,559 checks. One hundred and seventeen duplicate checks were issued. Insular and District of Columbia loans. The following table shows the changes in these loans: Interest on the above loans amounting to $991,693 became due and was certified to the Treasurer for payment. Circulation. The amounts of the several kinds of money in circulation in the United States on the first day of each month during the year are shown in the following table in millions of dollars: Total......... Per capita (in dollars).. August. 1,026 ដ៍មីសâī July. September. October. November. December. January. February. March. April. May. June. July. 611 632 657 665 987 1,027 1,072 70 69 3, 4023, 367 3, 478 3,694 3, 715 3, 630 3, 545 3, 484 3, 460 3, 484 3, 493 3, 527 3, 569 34.3 33.9 35.0 37.1 37.3 36.4 35.5 34.8 34.5 34.7 34.7 35.0 35.4 1 Revised figures. The increases and decreases in the amounts of the several kinds of money in circulation between July 1, 1914, and July 1, 1915, are shown in the following table: Comparative statement showing the changes in circulation. At the date of the last report (Sept. 30, 1914), 43 national currency associations had been formed and approved by the department, with 1,936 member banks having an aggregate capital and surplus of $1,162,657,901. The formation of the National Currency Association of Central New York was approved by the department on October 1, 1914, with 10 member banks and a combined capital and surplus of $5,025,000; the National Currency Association of the State of Vermont was approved on December 16, 1914, with 34 member banks and a combined capital and surplus of $5,665,000. This was the last association formed, and, as many of the associations extended the territory originally included under their jurisdiction, every national bank in the United States was located in the territory of some national currency association and was entitled, if it had the necessary qualifications, to the benefits of the Aldrich-Vreeland Act, as amended, except in the States of Wyoming and Maine. These two States did not form associations and remained unattached to any other association. Many new members were admitted until the 45 associations had a membership of 2,197 banks and an aggregate capital and surplus of $1,211,071,539. The following table shows the capital and surplus of the member banks as of December 31, 1914, and the amount of additional circulation issued to June 30, 1915, the date of the expiration of the act. Four of the associations did not request the issue of additional circulation. The Comptroller of the Currency reports that all of the additional circulation issued, including $910,500 issued to banks individually under section 3 of the act referred to, was retired by June 30, 1915, except $200,000 issued to the First National Bank of Uniontown, Pa., which bank is in the hands of a receiver. |