all appropriations; the preparation and issuance of allowance lists of ships for S. and A. material; the purchase of typewriters, adding machines, and mess equipment; the utilization and disposition of excess stock which has accumulated at various yards; the preparation and issue of the Standard Stock Catalog and the Index to Classification of Naval Stores; the upkeep of yard stock, including reserve stock and nával supply account stock, and the scrutiny of navy-yard plans of storehouses and plans of new ships, in so far as pertains to S. and A.

He is responsible for the purchase of all supplies for the Naval Establishment, including provisions and clothing; the preparation and issue of all standard Navy specifications, schedules of proposed purchases, and the preparation of contracts and bureau orders in connection with purchases; for the keeping of all of the property and money accounts of the Naval Establishment and the audit of all property returns from ships and stations, including naval supply account stores, ordnance stores, provisions, ships' stores and clothing, and other miscellaneous materials; has the direction of naval cost accounting, including industrial yard accounting systems, and the maintenance of records of expenditures by titles and accounts and plant and ship records.

OFFICE OF THE JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL.

The duties of the Judge Advocate General of the Navy shall be to revise and report upon the legal features of and to have recorded the proceedings of all courts-martial, courts of inquiry, boards of investigation and inquest, and boards for the examination of officers for retirement and promotion in the naval service; to prepare charges and specifications for courts-martial, and the necessary orders convening courts-martial, in cases where such courts are ordered by the Secretary of the Navy; to prepare court-martial orders promulgating the final action of the reviewing authority in court-martial cases; to prepare the necessary orders convening courts of inquiry in cases where such courts are ordered by the Secretary of the Navy, and boards for the examination of officers for promotion and retirement, for the examination of all candidates for appointment as officers in the naval service, other than midshipmen, and in the Naval Reserve Forces, and National Naval Volunteers, and to conduct all official correspondence relating to such courts and boards.

It shall also be the duty of the Judge Advocate General to examine and report upon all questions relating to rank and precedence, to promotions and retirements, and to the validity of the proceedings in court-martial cases; all matters relating to the supervision and control of naval prisons and prisoners, including prisoners of war; the removal of the mark of desertion; the correction of records of service and reporting thereupon in the Regular or Volunteer Navy; certification of discharge in true name; pardons; bills and resolutions introduced in Congress relating to the personnel and referred to the department for report, and the drafting and interpretation of statutes relating to personnel; references to the Comptroller of the Treasury with regard to pay and allowances of the personnel; questions involving points of law concerning the personnel; proceedings in the civil courts in all cases concerning the personnel as such; and to conduct the correspondence respecting the foregoing duties, including the preparation for submission to the Attorney General of all questions relating to subjects coming under his own cognizance which the Secretary of the Navy may direct to be so referred.

The study of international law is assigned to the Office of the Judge Advocate General. He shall examine and report upon questions of international law as may be required.

OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR.

The duties of the solicitor comprise and relate to examination and report upon questions of law, including the drafting and interpretation of statutes, and matters submitted to the accounting officers not relating to the personnel; preparation of advertisements, proposals, and contracts; the determination of the legal sufficiency of forms of contract prepared in the bureaus and other offices of the department; insurance; patents; the sufficiency and approval of official, contract, and other bonds and guaranties; proceedings in the civil courts by or against the Government or its officers in cases relating to material and not concerning the personnel as such; claims by or against the Government; questions submitted to the Attorney General, except such as are under the cognizance of the Judge Advocate General; bills and congressional resolutions and inquiries not relating to the personnel and not elsewhere assigned; the searching of titles, purchase, sale, transfer, and other questions affecting lands

and buildings pertaining to the Navy; the care and preservation of all muniments of title to land acquired for naval uses; and the correspondence respecting the foregoing duties; and rendering opinion upon any matter or question of law referred to him by the Secretary or Assistant Secretary.

MAJOR GENERAL COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS.

The Major General Commandant of the Marine Corps is responsible to the Secretary of the Navy for the general efficiency and discipline of the corps; makes such distribution of officers and men for duty at the several shore stations as shall appear to him to be most advantageous for the interests of the service; furnishes detachments for vessels of the Navy according to the authorized scale of allowance; under the direction of the Secretary of the Navy, issues orders for the movement of officers and troops, and such other orders and instructions for their guidance as may be necessary; and has charge and exercises general supervision and control of the recruiting service of the corps, and of the necessary expenses thereof, including the establishment of recruiting stations.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR.

SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR.

The Secretary of the Interior is charged with the supervision of public business relating to patents for inventions, pensions and bounty lands, the public lands and surveys, the Indians, education, the Geological Survey, the Reclamation Service, the Bureau of Mines, national parks, the Capitol Building and Grounds, distribution of appropriations for agricultural and mechanical colleges in the States and Territories and certain hospitals and eleemosynary institutions in the District of Columbia. By authority of the President the Secretary of the Interior has general supervision over the work of constructing the Government railroad in the Territory of Alaska. He also exercises certain other powers and duties in relation to the Territories of Alaska and Hawaii. He is authorized by Executive order of March 20, 1920, to adjust, liquidate, and pay claims against the United States Fuel Administration.

FIRST ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR.

In the absence of the Secretary the First Assistant Secretary becomes Acting Secretary. He is especially charged with supervision of the business of the General Land Office, including cases appealed to the Secretary of the Interior from decisions of that bureau involving public lands; applications for easements or rights of way for reservoirs, ditches, railroads, telephone and power-transmission lines; selections of public lands under grants made by Congress to aid in the construction of railroads and wagon roads, for reclamation, and for the benefit of educational and other public institutions, etc. National park matters and Indian affairs affecting the disposal of the public domain are under his supervision. He considers proposed legislation pertaining to matters under his supervision. From time to time duties in connection with the affairs of other bureaus of the department are assigned to him.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR.

The Assistant Secretary has general supervision over all matters concerning the Patent Office, the Pension Office (including appeals from the decisions of the Commissioner of Pensions), Indian Office matters, excepting those affecting the disposal of the public domain, and the Bureau of Education, the execution of contracts and the approval of vouchers covering expenditures of money for the eleemosynary institutions under the Department of the Interior in the District of Columbia (including St. Elizabeths Hospital), and various miscellaneous matters over which the department has jurisdiction. He also considers proposed legislation pertaining to matters under his supervision. Duties in connection with the affairs of other bureaus are assigned to him from time to time.

CHIEF CLERK.

As the chief executive officer of the department and the administrative head of the Office of the Secretary the chief clerk has supervision over the clerks and other employees of the department (including the watch, mechanical, and labor forces), enforces the general regulations of the department, and is superintendent of the several buildings occupied by the department. He also supervises the classification

and compilation of all estimates of appropriations, and has general supervision of expenditures from appropriations for contingent expenses for the department, including stationery and postage on mail addressed to postal-union countries. The detailed work relating to corporate sureties on bonds, to eleemosynary institutions in the District of Columbia under the Department of the Interior, the Capitol Building and Grounds, the admission of attorneys and agents to practice and disbarments from practice, the office of the returns clerk, and miscellaneous matters is done in his office. During the temporary absence of the Secretary and the Assistant Secretaries he may be designated by the Secretary to sign official papers and documents.

COMMISSIONER OF THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE.

The Commissioner of the General Land Office is charged with the survey, management, and disposition of the public lands, the adjudication of conflicting claims relating thereto, the granting of railroad and other rights of way, easements, the issuance of patents for lands, and with furnishing certified copies of land patents and of records, plats, and papers on file in his office. In national forests he executes all laws relating to surveying, prospecting, locating, appropriating, entering, reconveying, or patenting of public lands, and to the granting of rights of way amounting to

easements.

COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS.

The Commissioner of Indian Affairs has charge of the Indian tribes of the United States (exclusive of Alaska), their education, lands, moneys, schools, purchase of supplies, and general welfare.

COMMISSIONER OF PENSIONS.

The Commissioner of Pensions supervises the examination and adjudication of all claims arising under laws passed by Congress granting pensions on account of service in the Army or Navy rendered wholly prior to October 6, 1917; claims for reimbursement for the expenses of the last sickness and burial of deceased pensioners; and also claims for bounty-land warrants based upon military or naval service rendered prior to March 3, 1855.

COMMISSIONER OF PATENTS.

The Commissioner of Patents is charged with the administration of the patent laws, and supervision of all matters relating to the granting of letters patent for inventions, and the registration of trade-marks. He is by statute made the tribunal of last resort in the Patent Office, and has appellate jurisdiction in the trial of interference cases, of the patentability of inventions, and of registration of trade-marks.1

COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION.

The Commissioner of Education collects statistics and general information showing the condition and progress of education, advises State, county, and local school officers as to the administration and improvement of schools; issues an annual report, a bulletin in several numbers annually, and miscellaneous publications; has charge of the schools for the education of native children in Alaska; supervises the reindeer industry in Alaska; and administers the endowment fund for the support of colleges for the benefit of agriculture and mechanic arts. He has charge of the promotion of home gardening under school direction in cities and towns and is promoting the increased production of foodstuffs through the organization of the United States School Garden Army. He is a member of the Federal Board for Vocational Education, which has charge of the administration of the act of Congress providing Federal aid for vocational education in the several States.

DIRECTOR OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.

The Director of the Geological Survey is charged under direction of the Secretary of the Interior with classification of the public lands and the examination of the geologic structure, mineral resources, and mineral products of the national domain. In conformity with this authorization, the Geological Survey has been engaged in making a geologic map of the United States, involving both topographic and geologic surveys, in collecting annually the statistics of mineral production, and in conducting investigations relating to surface and underground waters.

1 Appeals lie from his decisions to the United States Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia.

THE RECLAMATION SERVICE.

The Reclamation Service, under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior, is charged with the survey, construction, and operation of irrigation works in the arid States as authorized by the reclamation act of June 17, 1902, and amendments. The executive officer of the service is the director and chief engineer, who directs the work of investigating, building, operating, and maintaining the works.

DIRECTOR OF THE BUREAU OF MINES.

The Director of the Bureau of Mines is charged with the investigation of the methods of mining, especially in relation to the safety of miners and the appliances best adapted to prevent accidents, the possible improvement of conditions under which mining operations are carried on, the treatment of ores and other mineral substances, the use of explosives and electricity, the prevention of accidents, the prevention of waste, and the improvement of methods in the production of petroleum and natural gas, and other inquiries and technological investigations pertinent to such industries. He also has charge of tests and analyses of coals, lignites, ores, and other mineral fuel substances belonging to or for the use of the United States, and has supervision over the mine inspector for Alaska. He is also charged, under the sundry civil act of July 1, 1918, with the establishment of Government fuel yards in the District of Columbia for the storage and distribution of fuel for the use of and delivery to all branches of the Federal service and the municipal government in the District of Columbia and such parts thereof as may be situated immediately without the District of Columbia.

DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL PARK SERVICE.

The Director of the National Park Service is charged with the duty of administering the national parks, the national monuments under the jurisdiction of the Interior Department, and the Hot Springs Reservation in Arkansas, including the maintenance, improvement, and protection of the parks, monuments, and reservation, and the control of the concessioners operating utilities therein for the care of visitors.

BOARD OF INDIAN COMMISSIONERS.

The Board of Indian Commissioners, created in 1869, is a body of unpaid citizens, appointed by the President, who maintain an office in Washington, for the expenses of which and of travel Congress appropriates. The board is not a bureau or division of any department, but is purposely kept reasonably independent and afforded opportunities for investigation in order that it may freely express an intelligent and impartial opinion concerning Indian legislation and administration. Its legal duties are to visit and inspect branches of the Indian Service, to cooperate with the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in the purchase and inspection of Indian supplies, and to report to the Secretary of the Interior, to whom and to the President the board acts in an advisory capacity, with respect to plans of civilizing or dealing with the Indians.

ALASKAN ENGINEERING COMMISSION.

The Alaskan Engineering Commission was created under the act of March 12, 1914, which empowered, authorized, and directed the President to locate, construct, operate, or lease a railroad, or railroads, to connect the interior of Alaska with one or more of the open navigable ports on the coast. Authority was also granted to purchase existing railroads, to construct, maintain, and operate telegraph and telephone lines, and to make reservations of public lands in Alaska necessary for the purposes of the railroad.

For the execution of this work a commission of three engineers was appointed by the President to make the necessary surveys. They were directed to report to the Secretary of the Interior, under whom the President placed the general administration of the work. After the completion of the preliminary surveys, the President by Executive order selected the route for the railway from the coast to the interior. Construction of the railway was begun in 1915, under the general supervision of the Secretary of the Interior, and is now in progress.

WAR MINERALS RELIEF COMMISSION.

The War Minerals Relief Commission assists the Secretary of the Interior in the adjustment of claims filed under the war minerals relief act (sec. 5, act of Mar. 2, 1919, 40 Stat., 1271) for losses incurred in producing or preparing to produce manganese, chrome, pyrites, or tungsten during the war.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE.

The Secretary of Agriculture is charged with the work of promoting agriculture in its broadest sense. He exercises general supervision and control over the affairs of the department and formulates and establishes the general policies to be pursued by its various branches and offices.

CHIEF CLERK.

The chief clerk has general supervision of clerks and employees; of the order of business of the department and of records of the Secretary's office; and of expenditures from appropriations for miscellaneous expenses, rents, etc. He is responsible for the enforcement of the general regulations of the department and is custodian of buildings.

SOLICITOR.

The Solicitor is the legal adviser of the Secretary and the heads of the several branches of the department. He directs and supervises all law work of the department.

OFFICE OF FARM MANAGEMENT.

This office studies the farmer's economic problems with a view to reducing costs and increasing profits through a better organization of the farm and a better adjustment of production to the demands of the market. Especial attention is given to cost of production, farm organization, farm finance, the geographical distribution of types of farming, the supply and use of labor, land utilization and land tenure, and farm life studies.

WEATHER BUREAU.

The Weather Bureau has charge of the forecasting of the weather; the issue and display of weather forecasts, and storm, cold-wave, frost, and flood warnings; the gauging and reporting of river stages; the maintenance and operation of the United States Weather Bureau telegraph and telephone lines; the collection and transmission of marine intelligence for the benefit of commerce and navigation; the_reporting of temperature and rainfall conditions for agricultural interests; and the taking of such meteorological observations as may be necessary to determine and record the climatic conditions of the United States, including investigations in aerology in the aid of aviation, in seismology, and in volcanology.

BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY.

The Bureau of Animal Industry has charge of the work of the department relating to the live-stock industry. In general it deals with the investigation, control, and eradication of diseases of animals, the inspection and quarantine of live stock, the inspection of meat and meat food products, and with animal husbandry and dairying.

BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY.

The Bureau of Plant Industry studies plant life in all its relations to agriculture. The scientific work of the bureau is divided into 33 distinct groups, over each of which is placed a scientifically trained officer, who reports directly to the chief and associate chief of the bureau. The work of the bureau is conducted on the project plan, the investigations under each of the offices being arranged by group projects consisting of closely related lines of work, which group projects are further divided into projects.

FOREST SERVICE.

The Forest Service administers the national forests; studies forest conditions and methods of forest utilization; investigates the mechanical and physical properties of woods and the processes employed in the manufacture of forest products; and gathers information concerning the needs of the various wood-using industries and the relation of forests to the public welfare generally.

BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY.

The Bureau of Chemistry is concerned with analytical work and investigation under the food and drugs act, questions of agricultural chemistry of public interest, and other chemical investigations referred to it by the Government.