INTERNATIONAL SEISMOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION.

Mr. MASON. What is that International Seismological Association? Mr. CARR. The International Seismological Association is an association which is devoted to the study of earthquakes, and in regard to that, I might say, that in addition to that they have several other associations embraced in this bill, such as the Radiotelegraph Convention, on page 20, the International Geodetic Association, on page 22. All of these are scientific bodies, and some of them were called into existence on the initiative of the German scientific bodies. Their future is at the present moment being discussed by the International Research Council. It is an international scientific association, and met last August or September at Brussels. They took up the whole question of the disposition of the different scientific bureaus and they are not yet ready to present to the Government of the United States a concrete plan for the handling of those international bureaus, but it is probably going to be found necessary to have a general rearrangement of them. A number of these bureaus are, I think, specially mentioned as bureaus to be brought up under the League of Nations when that goes into effect, so that while the Government is legally bound to pay its quota, the disposition of these international associations is likely to undergo a change in the very near future, when I presume the question of quota will also be revised, as well.

That is all, Mr. Chairman.

PECUNIARY CLAIMS COMMISSION.

The CHAIRMAN. The next is on line 6, of page 19, arbitration of outstanding pecuniary claims between United States and Great Britain.

Mr. CARR. That was brought into existence by virtue of a treaty, an agreement between the United States and Great Britain; and the only purpose of this small appropriation is to keep a very small number of people who have knowledge of the records of this claims commission and can therefore assist inquirers and others who may want to know or need to know what took place before the commission. The work of the commission was suspended when the war broke out, and has not yet been resumed. Presumably it will be resumed at some time in the future.

Mr. ROGERS. We formerly expended $65,000 annually for this work.

Mr. CARR. The only purpose of this is to hold together the records and the library, and have somebody there that is acquainted with them to examine the records for the benefit of those persons who have an interest in questions which have been before the commission.

Mr. HOUGHTON. This money will be expended during the coming year.

PEACE PALACE AT THE HAGUE.

The CHAIRMAN. The next is line 19, page 19, "Peace palace at The Hague."

Mr. CARR. There is an obligation on the part of the Government to pay our part of the maintenance of this palace.

INTERNATIONAL RADIOTELEGRAPHIC CONVENTION.

The CHAIRMAN. The next is line 1, page 20, "International Radiotelegraphic Convention."

Mr. CARR. That is also an international obligation based upon a treaty.

Mr. ROGERS. The next item, "United States section of the International High Commission," was very fully taken by Dr. Rowe.

WATERWAYS TREATY, UNITED STATES AND GREAT BRITAIN.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is line 15, page 20, "Waterways treaty, United States and Great Britain: International Joint ComInission, United States and Great Britain."

Mr. CARR. I think that probably the committee will, as usual, wish to hear from the chairman or secretary of that commission rather than from me. There is no increase in that appropriation asked for. The CHAIRMAN. Who is chairman of that commission?

Mr. CARR. I do not know who is chairman now. I will get in touch with them. They have offices in the Southern Building, and Mr. Kluttz is secretary of the commission.

The CHAIRMAN. Will you have the chairman here to-morrow at 10 o'clock?

Mr. CARR. To-morrow morning at 10 o'clock; yes, sir.

THIRD PAN AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC CONGRESS.

The CHAIRMAN. The next is, "Third Pan American Scientific Congress," at line 17, page 21.

Mr. CARR. That was covered by Dr. Rowe, as was also "Fifth International Conference of American States," at line 23.

PAYMENT TO PANAMA.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is at line 12, page 22, "Payment to the Government of Panama."

Mr. CARR. That is payment to the Government of Panama in pursuance of our treaty of November 18, 1903, and is the payment we make for the privilege of constructing the Panama Canal. Mr. MASON. That is the ninth annual payment?

GEODETIC ASSOCIATION.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is in line 18, on page 22, "International Geodetic Association for the measurement of the earth.”

Mr. CARR. With regard to the International Geodetic Association, the same may be said of that that was said a moment ago as to the seismological association. Its status is uncertain. It is an association orginally organized by some scientists of Prussia, and, therefore, its continuance in the present form is now under consideration by the International Research Council and by the International Scientific Congress, members of which met and discussed the subject last August or September.

While the Government has an obligation to keep up its observatory, which is located at Ukiah, Calif., until the disposition of the association can be determined, it is not known what the future of the association will be. It is believed, however, that we should continue to support our observatory at Ukiah, Calif.

Mr. ROGERS. That observatory is appropriated for, I presume, through the sundry civil bill?

Mr. CARR. My recollection is that this is all the appropriation made for it.

Mr. ROGERS. I presumed that it costs very much more than $1,500 a year to maintain the observatory.

Mr. CARR. As a matter of fact, it costs a very little more than that. Mr. MASON. I presume that some of the expenses are paid by the Navy Department; I suppose the Navy officers are paid through the regular naval appropriations.

Mr. CARR. We used to pay $4,000 into the association. The association in turn alloted to this country, or rather spent in this country more than that sum for the maintenance of two small observatories, one out at Ukiah, Calif., and the other, Gaithersburg, Md. When the war broke out, and the Allies went to war with Germany, the allied governments then undertook the support of the observatories in their territories themselves. Congress made a small appropriation—I forget what it was a very small appropriation by which the United States undertook to maintain this observatory at Ukiah, Calif., and the one at Gaithersburg, Md. Afterwards the Gaithersburg observatory ceased to be a charge on that appropriation and the observatory at Ukiah is the only one that is kept up.

Japan likewise took control over and supported the observatories located in her territory. That condition still exists. Now, you notice this appears only to pay for our membership in the association. We have our membership fee in the association and that, whatever sum it is, that is spent for the maintenance of that observatory at Ukiah, is to be deducted from whatever quota is due from the United States. In other words, when the final account is rendered these amounts that we have spent on our observatories in this country will be deducted from the amount due from us under the general rules of the association.

Our regular membership fee was $1,500, and then we began in 1915 to spend $3,000. That was merely for the upkeep of the observatory at Ukiah. So that, instead of there being an appropriation in some other bill, it appears that the amount spent there is really what is inserted in this bill-$1,500 a year. Does that answer your question?

Mr. ROGERS. Yes, indeed.

Mr. DICKINSON. Is there any particular reason why that item. should not be cut out of the bill?

Mr. CARR. It is one of the bureaus we discussed yesterday. We are a member of this association and have been for a long time, along with a number of other governments. If we do not provide for our membership fee, we shall be asked for it some day and then have to provide for it in a deficiency act. So, it is just about as broad as it is long as I see it. In this case, we supported our own observatory on the theory that whatever the support cost us would be deducted from our regular quota, and I believe that we ought to continue to

pay that until the disposition of that association in some other way is determined.

INTERPARLIAMENTARY UNION.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, "Nineteenth Conference Interparliamentary Union." I saw Mr. McKinley this morning and he said he would like to be heard in case there was any objection to that item.

Mr. MOORES. You know we invited them to meet here and they have not accepted. This provides for an appropriation of $40,000. Mr. ROGERS. I am opposed to this item.

Mr. SABATH. To what item?

Mr. ROGERS. To this item on page 23. I think I ought, in fairness, to say that, in case Mr. McKinley wants to be heard.

Mr. MOORES. I will ask that Dr. S. D. North be heard, and I desire to be heard, if there is any objection.

(There was a roll call of the House.)

The CHAIRMAN. I would like very much to continue, as Mr. Mondell and the Speaker are very anxious to get this bill on the floor. We could declare a recess of 30 minutes to go down and answer the roll call and then come back. I believe that we ought to finish with Mr. Carr to-day and the other items as soon as we can.

Mr. MASON. I want to be heard on some of those items.

The CHAIRMAN. We will be delighted to hear you. I think we had better take a recess for an hour so that we may get lunch. (Whereupon at 12.10 the committee took a recess.)

AFTER RECESS.

The committee reassembled at the expiration of the recess.

STATEMENT OF MR. WILBUR J. CARR, DIRECTOR OF THE CONSULAR SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF STATE-Resumed.

Mr. CARR. I think we had just finished with the Interparliamentary Union, on page 23.

The CHAIRMAN. That is a treaty obligation, is it not?

Mr. CARR. That is a treaty obligation, with the International Commission on Public and Private International Law. Work is supposed to be under way on that, and has been under way since, I think, about 1915; but, so far as I can find, none of the money has thus far been spent.

SALARIES, CONSULAR SERVICE.

The CHAIRMAN. The next is salaries in the Consular Service.

Mr. CARR. For salaries in the Consular Service there is no increase requested. Inasmuch as last year Congress gave us a considerable increase, it was not thought that we should ask for an additional appropriation this year. Indeed, under the rule which the Cabinet adopted, we would have been unable to ask for an increase in the scale of salaries this year, because the decision was that no increases in salaries should be requested in the estimates.

The CHAIRMAN. What were the appropriations for the item in 1914 and 1915?

Mr. CARR. The appropriations in 1914 and 1915 were $1,062,000; in 1916, $1,107,000; in 1917, $1,164,000; in 1918 and 1919, $1,233,500; and last year $1,974,500.

Mr. ROGERS. You are asking the same amount this year as last year?

Not

Mr. CARR. We are asking the same amount this year as last. only do we need the number of men we have but the amount appropriated for their salaries is really at a rate considerably lower than the purchasing value of those salaries in 1914.

When I say that our salaries are really on a scale at present of $2,500 to $3,000 for a vice consul, of $3,000 to $8,000 for a consul and consul general, there being only two posts above $8,000, I think I can show easily that our salaries do not reach the standard set by the old salary scale of the British, by which they give their consuls from $3,893 to $4,866, or, with their representation allowance, $4,379 to $6,812. Our consuls general receive from $5,500 to $8,000; there being only two places above $8,000, I do not include them. The British, on the other hand, receive in salary and representative allowance $6,325 to $9,245, and, in addition to the representation allowance and the salary, they give, according to the needs of each post, a local allowance similar to our post allowance, the amount of which I do not happen to have.

But you will see at a glance that their salaries, generally speaking, are considerably in advance of our salaries and their allowances are more numerous and more generous than our allowances.

So that the point I am really making is that I think this salary scale of ours is an absolute minimum, and I think that Congress will have to be asked in the very near future to reconsider the salary scale and the total income of our officers abroad.

Mr. CONNALLY. When you ask for that $1,974,500, does the law fix the compensation of consuls?

Mr. CARR. Yes.

Mr. CONNALLY. Or does it merely fix the classifications at which you have power to appoint?

Mr. CARR. The law says that there shall be consuls general at $12,000, $8,000, $6,000, $5,500, and $4,500, and consuls at $8,000, $6,000, $5,000, $4,000, $3,500, $3,000, $2,500, and $2,000.

Mr. CONNALLY. Does the act say how many there shall be of each class?

Mr. CARR. No; the act does not provide that.

Mr. CONNALLY. It leaves that up to the State Department; is that correct?

Mr. CARR. It leaves it to the State Department to say how many shall be in each class. But, understand, the State Department's action on that matter is governed by several considerations. In the first place, it must maintain a relationship between the different classes which will afford a safe basis of promotion from a lower class to a higher class; that is to say, you can not have a great many men in a higher class and only a few men in a lower class, because then you will not have any satisfactory opportunity for selection when you come to promotion. On the other hand, no promotion of any officer can be made without the advice and consent of the Senate; so that at least one House of Congress always has absolute control of the number of men who shall be in each class.