pleted, it will still be necessary for them to be checked in the Supervising Architect's Office in order that they may in every way conform to the Government's requirements.

To promote the efficiency of the custodian forces at the various public buildings, and in line with the proper economy of service and expenditure, the department believed that the labor regulations covering the appointments of laborers and charwomen in the 36 largest cities should be extended to all the public buildings throughout the United States; and, on the department's recommendation, an Executive order was issued June 15, 1915, carrying this into effect. As the result of this order every employee in the custodian service has a civil-service status.

The foregoing touches only upon certain phases of the publicbuildings subject. The matter is of such importance, and the need of corrective measures which the Congress alone can provide so evident, that I hope to submit to the Congress, at a later date, a report in detail covering features which can not be amplified in a report of the present character.

CENTRAL HEATING AND POWER PLANT.

Bids for the proposed central heating, lighting, and power plant for public buildings, authorized by the sundry civil act of June 23, 1913, were opened on the 17th of November, 1915. The lowest of these bids is considerably in excess of the authorization, and the whole matter will have to be submitted to the Congress for further action very early in the session.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES BUILDING.

Under the authority contained in section 21 of the omnibus publicbuildings act approved March 4, 1913, the Supervising Architect's Office is engaged in the preparation of designs and estimates for “a fireproof national archives building, with modern library-stack type of architecture." The work is progressing satisfactorily and will be completed in time for submission during the coming winter for approval by the commission created by said act.

The act above referred to provided, among other things, "that before the said designs and estimates are completed inspection shall be made under the direction of the Secretary of the Treasury of the best modern national archive buildings in Europe, and consultation shall be had with the best authorities in Europe on the construction and arrangement of archive buildings."

It is recommended that the provision just quoted be repealed. Through the instrumentalities of the Department of State and the courtesy of certain foreign Governments, this department has ob

tained the plans of many of the best archive buildings in Europe, and the information which these supply is deemed sufficient for the purpose.

COAST GUARD.

The passage of the Coast Guard act at the last session of Congress is a source of great satisfaction to this department and to the country as well, inasmuch as it has relieved conditions in the former LifeSaving Service which, if they had been allowed to continue much longer, would have seriously crippled the efficiency of that humanitarian branch of the Government. The authorized organization of the Coast Guard has practically been completed, and without detriment to the public interests during the necessarily disturbed conditions incident to the rehabilitation of the personnel of the former Life-Saving Service. There are several minor legislative acts necessary to complete the details of reorganization, and attention is invited to the report of the Captain Commandant in that connection.

Upon my direction the Captain Commandant of the Coast Guard has conferred with an officer detailed by the Secretary of the Navy to outline a general plan for the cooperation of the Coast Guard with the Navy in time of war, or whenever necessary, in order that the resources of the new organization may be utilized to the fullest extent in the national defense. A tentative plan has been arranged, and when the details have been definitely worked out the necessary orders will be promulgated by both departments.

Ice patrol to promote safety at sea.

This department has continued the detail of two Coast Guard cutters to conduct the patrol of the ice regions of the North Atlantic in accordance with the terms of the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea, which was approved by the Senate December 16, 1914. The total cost of the ice patrol for the season of 1914 was $85,799.20, and the several foreign powers were notified as to the proportionate amounts due from them in accordance with article 7 of the convention. Up to the present time the amounts due the United States on account of the patrol for 1914 have been received from the following countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Great Britain, Italy, Norway, and Sweden. Through the usual diplomatic channels the several powers will be advised of the proportionate amounts due from them to defray the cost of the patrol for 1915.

New ships.

The two new cruising cutters, named the Ossipee and Tallapoosa, authorized by the act of June 24, 1914, have been completed and com

missioned in a remarkably short time. There was great need for these two vessels to replace the Woodbury and Winona.

The necessity for the other two ships recommended in previous reports is much more acute than ever. The fulfillment of an international agreement with regard to the North Pacific and the Bering Sea for the protection of the seal herds is now seriously hampered owing to the lack of cutters with which to patrol those waters. The Perry, which was lost in the Bering Sea in 1910, has not yet been replaced; and the loss of the Tahoma on September 20, 1914, which struck an unknown and uncharted reef, has greatly added to the embarrassment of the department in carrying out our international obligations. It is now imperatively necessary to have two new cruising cutters for service in the Pacific at a cost of $700,000.

Two harbor cutters, the Manhattan and Hartley, having been in service 42 years and 40 years at the ports of New York and San Francisco, respectively, are obsolete, worn out, and barely capable of performing any of the important duties required of them. It is earnestly recommended that an appropriation of $125,000 be provided to construct a cutter to replace the Manhattan at New York and a further appropriation of $50,000 to build or purchase an efficient tug to replace the old Hartley at San Francisco.

The personnel of the Coast Guard is now in excellent condition, and in order that the duties required by law of this branch of the public service, both in its civil and military functions, be performed effectively it is of the greatest importance that the new vessels asked for be authorized.

In any plan for the national defense, Coast Guard cutters will have important assignments, so that in addition to the need of these vessels for ordinary purposes all authorizations of the kind are valuable to the country from a military standpoint.

Rebuilding stations.

Out of a total of 279 Coast Guard stations there are 21 in such poor condition that they should be rebuilt as soon as possible. The average age of these buildings is 37 years, the oldest having been built 43 years and the latest 29 years ago. Situated as they are in exposed places, these frame buildings, which have been subjected to the devastating coast storms of wind, rain, and sand for so long a period without extensive repairs, must of necessity be in very bad condition. Suffice it to say these 21 stations are beyond repair, and a majority of them are in such a state that rebuilding can be no longer deferred without menace to the crews and reproach to the Government. Last year an estimate of $235,000 was submitted for this purpose. Congress appropriated but $150,000 regardless of the

recommendation. In order to make the current repairs to the stations during the next fiscal year and to provide for the rebuilding of antiquated and dilapidated buildings the sum of $300,000 will be needed.

RELIEF FOR AMERICAN CITIZENS IN EUROPE.

The work of extending relief to American citizens abroad, the necessity for which arose out of the conditions brought about by the outbreak of hostilities in Europe, has been practically concluded. A number of accounts of diplomatic and consular officers through whom disbursements were made remain to be received and settled, and until then it will not be possible to make a complete report of the operations of the relief board. While accurate figures are not obtainable, it is probable that more than 150,000 Americans were scattered throughout Europe at the beginning of the war, a large number of whom were assisted in one way or another to return safely to their homes. In accordance with a provision in the joint resolution appropriating money for this purpose, relief officers were directed to procure from each person to whom assistance was extended a promissory note or other form of obligation to reimburse the Government. There have been received thus far in the Treasury Department 10,280 of these obligations, aggregating $605,924.77 in amount, the collection of which has been undertaken through the office of the Treasurer of the United States. The Treasurer has been unable to locate many of the persons whose names are signed to these obligations at the addresses given, and others have refused to pay. Some have stated that they are financially unable to pay and others are making payment in installments, while a large amount of the money has been repaid. In the early summer I made the announcement that a list of those who had failed to pay, but were-financially able to do so, would be made public, and on November 1 a list of about 1,400 names was given to the press. This included only cases where the person had refused to repay the money advanced or where it had been impossible to locate him; the names of those who are making an effort to pay or who pleaded inability to do so through poverty were withheld.

TRANSPORTATION OF PUBLIC MONEYS AND SECURITIES.

In my last annual report I made reference to the manner in which moneys and securities were being transmitted, and took occasion to call attention to a substantial saving which I had effected by sending certain shipments of money by mail instead of by express. Effective August 16, 1915, I directed a change in the manner of shipments from express to registered mail, and concluded an arrangement with the representatives of five large insurance companies for all

moneys thus shipped to be insured at low rates. It was found, after a few days trial, that full first-class postage rates were too expensive on bills of small denomination. Accordingly, on August 23, 1915, after an agreement with the Postmaster General, I directed bills of these denominations to move at the parcel-post rates, the shipments to be registered and insured. The new plan is proving economical not only to the Government, but also to the banks on practically all shipments. It is impossible to estimate accurately the economies that will eventually result, but I am satisfied from reports in hand that the aggregate annual saving will run into very large figures.

NEW DAILY TREASURY STATEMENT.

For a long time the daily Treasury statement has not been satisfactory, because it did not accurately reflect the condition of the Treasury. I appointed a committee of the Treasury Department to carefully investigate this matter and to prepare a new form of statement which would accurately represent and convey, as nearly as it is practicable to do so, the true condition of the Treasury each day. This resulted in the form of daily Treasury statement now being issued, which became effective October 1, 1915. A new form of public-debt statement was also adopted and became effective beginning with the month of October, 1915. It will show the actual condition of the Treasury and the state of the public debt at the close of business each month.

The most important points in which the new form of daily statement differs from the old are the following:

The assets and liabilities of the Government have heretofore been published under two general classifications, viz, (1) the general fund, and (2) the currency trust funds, the general fund, and the gold reserve fund.

The new form shows the assets and liabilities divided into three general classes, viz, (1) gold, (2) silver dollars, and (3) the general fund. This gives at a glance the amount of gold and the amount of silver dollars in the Treasury, the liabilities against such coin and bullion, and the actual condition of the general fund.

In the new form the item "Disbursing officers' balances" is excluded from the liability side of the general fund and included in the net balance. These disbursing officers' balances consist of amounts placed by the Secretary of the Treasury to the credit of disbursing officers, against which they are authorized to draw checks in payment of public obligations. These amounts are funds of the United States in the same sense that the balance remaining, subject to the warrant of the Secretary alone, is money of the United States.