storeroom and one office room, the latter to be used as a downtown office. Neither the Coast and Geodetic Survey nor the Bureau of Fisheries is satisfactorily accommodated at present. The buildings occupied by the former are old, largely nonfireproof, and unsuited for modern office purposes. The same is true of the building of the Bureau of Fisheries. But to omit these bureaus from the new building does not place them in any worse position than they were before, and the reasons for omitting them are apparently good. The Coast Survey is a producing bureau. It has considerable machinery in its printing and lithographic departments. The Bureau of Fisheries has laboratories and an aquarium, neither of which is properly placed in an administrative building. It was therefore thought that these buildings might be left out of consideration in the preparation of detailed plans. There is no question that both bureaus should have better and more modern accommodations at the earliest possible moment; but this does not appear to be sufficient reason for forcing them into a building which would immediately be inadequate and which is intended for purely administrative purposes. It is hoped that with the omission of the bureaus just named the new building will afford adequate space for a number of years. If the Department of Commerce and Labor is properly developed, it must grow with the commerce of the nation; and it would be poor policy to provide for only immediate needs in a structure which will endure for generations. I therefore recommend that steps be taken to acquire property in the immediate vicinity of the proposed new building of the Department for the erection of one or two buildings for the accommodation of the Coast and Geodetic Survey and the Bureau of Fisheries. In order to bring about the most efficient administration, these buildings should be adjacent to the main building, so that there may be direct communication. PROVISIONS FOR THE BETTER PROTECTION OF LIFE AND PROPERTY. During the year the matter of the safety of employees and of the better protection of records has received the Department's attention. All elevators in buildings occupied by the Department have been and are regularly inspected and certificated by the District authorities at the Department's request. New fire escapes have been erected where necessary, stair wells and elevator shafts have been protected by fireproofing, and fire signals have been installed. In the more. crowded buildings fire drills have been inaugurated, and every reasonable step has been taken to guard against loss of life and property by fire. Early in the year the District authorities examined the buildings occupied by the Department at the Department's request, and submitted a full report of conditions. Most of the recommendations have been followed and others are still under consideration. COOPERATION WITH THE PRESIDENT'S COMMISSION ON ECONOMY AND EFFICIENCY. The Committee on Economy and Efficiency of this Department, appointed in September, 1910, has cooperated with the President's Commission on Economy and Efficiency as fully as the regular work of individual members of the committee would permit. I may say that members have shown great devotion in their efforts to advance the general economy and efficiency program without permitting their regular work to suffer. The members of this Department's committee have worked with the President's Commission both as a committee and individually; and at the same time have independently of that body given attention to questions of economy within the Department. Much detailed information on various subjects has been furnished the Commission, especially in respect to the details of administration, organization, business methods and procedure, and along the lines of expenditure, appropriation, and estimate classifications. Each member of the Department's committee has served on one or more special committees appointed at the suggestion of the President's Commission, and has assisted in the formulation of reports which have already been submitted. In addition, other employees of the Department, not members of the departmental committee, have served from time to time on special committees, several of which are still at work. Apart from the advantageous changes in Government methods, which may result from expert study of the detailed information which has been furnished the President's Commission, it is thought that the mere compilation of this information has been of substantial advantage to the Department. It has afforded those in authority an opportunity to analyze their own duties and responsibilities and has thus put them in position to look at their own work from an entirely new viewpoint. While an advance has been made in this Department in the direction of efficiency and economy, much remains to be done, especially in respect to duplication which is now unavoidable owing to the fact that the Department's bureaus are scattered over so wide an area. As soon as these bureaus are brought together in one building a new field will be opened to the Department's committee, and it is the intention to formulate a plan for closer and more compact cooperation which it is hoped and expected will bring about greater efficiency and substantial economy. DISBURSING OFFICE. The itemized statement of the disbursements from the contingent fund of the Department of Commerce and Labor and the appropriation for "General expenses, Bureau of Standards," for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1911, required to be submitted to Congress by section 193 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, the itemized statement of expenditures under all appropriations for propagation of food fishes during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1911, required by the act of Congress approved March 3, 1887 (24 Stat. L., 523), and a statement showing travel on official business by officers and employees (other than the special agents, inspectors, and employees in the discharge of their regular duties, who are required to travel constantly) from Washington to points outside of the District of Columbia during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1911, as required by the act of Congress approved May 22, 1908 (35 Stat. L., 244), will be transmitted to Congress in the usual form. The following table shows the total amounts of all annual appropriations for the various bureaus and services of the Department of Commerce and Labor for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1911, of all appropriations made for public works in the various services of the Department which, under the law, may be disbursed without regard to any particular year, and of all permanent indefinite and deficiency appropriations: The disbursements by the Disbursing Clerk of the Department of Commerce and Labor during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1911, arranged according to items of appropriation, are as follows: OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY. Salaries, Office of Secretary of Commerce and Labor, 1910... Payment to John J. Cannon and Benjamin Smith.. $6,806. 11 148, 717. 17 9.06 236.48 23, 918.70 72, 346. 01 5,744. 71 43, 429. 03 150.00 663.00 1,250.00 Total.... 303, 270. 27 BUREAU OF CORPORATIONS. Salaries, Bureau of Corporations, 1910..... 3, 464. 79 73, 264. 61 5, 650. 43 Salaries and expenses, special attorneys, examiners, etc., Bureau of 112, 505. 58 Total..... 194, 885. 41 BUREAU OF MANUFACTURES. Salaries, Bureau of Manufactures, 1910.. Salaries, Bureau of Manufactures, 1911.. Collating tariffs of foreign countries, 1911..... Salaries and expenses, special agents, Department of Commerce and Salaries and expenses, commercial agents, Department of Commerce Total...... 1, 405. 87 34, 290. 70 375.96 7, 514. 77 7.31 1,282.89 44, 877.50 STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION SERVICE. Salaries, Office of Supervising Inspector General, Steamboat-Inspec- $601. 69 Salaries, Office of Supervising Inspector General, Steamboat-Inspec- Instruments for measuring vessels and counting passengers, 1911... Refund to Judson S. Walter..... 1, 349. 21 1, 166. 50 5,493. 58 65, 305. 15 Total...... 104, 097. 57 BUREAU OF STANDARDS. Salaries, Bureau of Standards, 1910.... General expenses, Bureau of Standards, 1909.. General expenses, Bureau of Standards, 1911.. Improvement and care of grounds, Bureau of Standards, 1910..... Laboratory, Bureau of Standards.... Testing machine, Bureau of Standards. Gaslight standards, Bureau of Standards, 1910.. Weights and measures, Bureau of Standards, 1910.... Weights and measures, Bureau of Standards, 1910-11.... Testing structural materials, Bureau of Standards, 1911.... Testing machine, Bureau of Standards, Pittsburgh, Pa... 6, 511. 08 181, 406. 84 8, 370. 18 9.22 2, 648. 67 309.06 2, 192. 65 1, 910. 00 65, 463. 03 1, 338. 53 641. 31 7, 466. 59 Investigating effects of electric currents, Bureau of Standards, 1911... Testing structural materials of the United States, Bureau of Standards. Total.... 11, 587. 65 49, 417. 24 15,000.00 414, 543. 39 |