Second appropriation (available Oct. 14, 1918 to June 30, 1919), public No. 128, 65th Cong., approved Apr. 15, 1918 Expended for: Salaries Extra help‒‒‒‒‒ Printing and stationery_ Total expenditure_---. Balance unexpended June 30, 1919_. Third appropriation (available July 1, 1919 to June 30, 1920), public No. 346, 65th Cong., approved Mar. 4, 1919. Estimated expenditures: Salaries_ Printing and stationery Telegraph and telephone_. Furniture and equipment. Domestic travel. Total Statement of balance Dec. 31, 1919: Appropriation. Expended: Salaries Equipment, postage_ Printing, telephone, telegrams, etc- Reimbursements for travel- Total $39, 659. 09 340.91 25,000.00 $9, 441. 67 76. 10 626. 39 168. 13 2, 721. 17 $13, 306. 31 11, 693. 69 25,000.00 $22, 100.00 2,000.00 200.00 200.00 300.00 200.00 25,000.00 25, 000. 00 $12, 344. 96 128.63 14, 140. 04 10,859. 96 Balance Estimated expenditure of $30,000 recommended for appropriation in consular and diplomatic bill now under consideration (to be available July 1, 1920, to June 30, 1921): PRESENT SALARY ROLL OF UNITED STATES SECTION, INTERNATIONAL All the persons herein below named hold temporary appointments, terminable at the pleasure of the Secretary of the Treasury. The clerical staff in all cases have civil-service status, although the temporary positions to which they have been appointed have not in the past been filled by certification. Secretary general serves without pay. Assistant secretary general, $350 per month. Juristic expert, $300 per month. One legal research assistant, $200 per month. Two economic research assistants, each at $200 per month. Executive clerk, $166.67 per month. Five stenographers: "One at the rate of $1,800 per annum. Two at the rate of $1,400 per annum. Two at the rate of $1,200 per annum. One at the rate of $1.100 per annum. One at the rate of $800 per annum. One clerk at the rate of $1,100 per annum. Three messengers (boys): Two at the rate of $600 per annum. One at the rate of 480 per annum. One translator at the rate of $1,500 per annum. In addition, several technical assistants, several administrative assistants, and a number of clerical assistants have been appointed by direction of the Secretary of the Treasury in connection with preparations for the Second Pan American Financial Conference, but their salaries are paid from the appropriation made for that Congress in Public Act 379, Sixty-fourth Congress. Mr. SABATH. How did this International High Commission come into being, originally? Mr. Rowe. It was created by the First Pan American Financial Conference, soon after the outbreak of the war at the initiative of Mr. McAdoo. Mr. SABATH. Who was then Secretary of the Treasury? Mr. Rowe. Who was then Secretary of the Treasury. The President issued the invitations, after the necessary appropriations and authorization had been given by Congress, to all the Governments of Central and South America, to consider the financial situation on the American Continent as the result of the European war. The conference assembled in May, 1915, and as I stated, it was deemed highly important that some permanent organization be established for the purpose of carrying into effect the resolutions of that conference; and the organization that was adopted was the International High Commission composed of national sections, nine members in each country, presided over by the minister of finance. Mr. SABATH. Who appointed the members of the American 'section? Mr. RowE. They were appointed by the President in each country. Mr. SABATH. And they received no compensation for their services? Mr. Rowe. No compensation; all served without pay. Mr. SABATH. And this amount of money which has been appropriated is merely for the expense? Mr. Rowe. Yes. For instance, this last appropriation for the fiscal year ending June 30, is estimated expenditures as follows: Salaries, $22,100 we will furnish the committee the full list of all persons who are on the roll together with their salary-printing and stationery, $200; telegraph and telephone, $200; furniture and equipment, $200; postage, $300; domestic travel, $200. Mr. SABATH. You will insert that in the record of the hearing? Mr. Rowe. Yes; we will insert the detailed figures and also the prices. (The data above referred to was subsequently furnished in detail by Mr. Rowe, see above, page 56.) Mr. ROGERS. I think it is one of the few bargains the United States Government gets, as a matter of fact, Dr. Rowe. Mr. SABATH. And from your experience with this commission, you are satisfied it has accomplished a great deal of good for our country as well as for the commerce of the Nation? Mr. Rowe. I feel convinced that the United States has never made an expenditure of so small a sum of money for which it has secured so large a return, largely due to the fact that we have the cooperation of these very eminent leaders. Mr. SABATH. The thought originally came from Secretary McAdoo to create this commission that will be of such a vast aid to commerce of the Nation? Mr. Rowe. Yes. I am sorry we did not get word soon enough with reference to the hearing, as I would have asked Mr. McAdoo to come. Mr. HOUGHTON. It had been initiated before that, as I understand you; it began in 1911. Mr. Rowe. No; the organization of the International High Commission was initiated at the meeting of the First Pan American Conference in Washington, 1915. Mr. HOUGHTON. I do not mean the organization. I mean the work. Mr. Rowe. A certain part of it. For instance, the International Trade-Mark Convention was considered in 1910. If I may just refer to one item which has to do closely with the work of the International High Commission, the quota of the United States for the support of the International Trade-Mark Registration Bureau at Habana: There is no specific item inserted at the present time, owing to the fact that it is impossible to say what amount the United States will have to pay. The hope is that the United States will not have to pay anything; that by the end of this fiscal year the International Registration Bureau at Habana will have become selfsupporting, and that the fees will make it unnecessary for any of the countries party to the convention to contribute anything toward its support. On the other hand, the bureau does need a building, and the Cuban Government has taken the initiative and has donated an admirable site, the value of which I think has been estimated at $1,000,000, a site which is indicated on this map of Habana (exhibiting map to committee); and the distribution of the quota for the construction of that building, which is to cost $1,000,000, places the quota of the United States at $825,000. That would seem a very large quota for the United States to pay, but the distribution is based on the same plan as the distribution of the expenses of the Pan American Union. Of course, it may be said, furthermore, that the United States is one of the chief beneficiaries of the establishment of the bureau. The bureau is at present very inadequately housed, and as the work increases the bureau should receive adequate housing facilities. Mr. ROGERS. The apportionment is based on population, is it not? Mr. Rowe. On population. Mr. ROGERS. I notice the letter of the Secretary of State explaining this bill, page 10 of the Secretary's report, wherein the value of the lot is given at not less than $150,000. Mr. Rowe. Yes; it indicates a very desirable site, next to the new presidential palace. Mr. DICKINSON. If our appropriation is to be not only necessary but "imperative," does this come within the class of being imperative? Mr. Rowe. It is imperative in this sense, that, of course, the first year of the actual operation of the bureau, which is this year, the number of registrations which the bureau has made is comparatively small. That is going to increase very rapidly with each year, and it is essential to secure for the bureau an adequate building. While the bureau will continue to function, even if it does not get a new building, you must remember that an appropriation made now will probably mean that no building will be available until possibly 1921 or 1922. Building is not quite as rapid in Habana as here. It will probably mean two years from now before that building is completed. Mr. DICKINSON. Would our interests suffer any serious handicap by delaying this item in the appropriation for another year; would we lose anything? Mr. Rowe. I would not say that a catastrophe would result, but I do feel that as long as it means in any case a delay from the time of appropriation to actual completion possibly three years. You see, the idea is to have an international competition so as to make this building worthy of its purpose and give it a real international char acter. Mr. ROGERS. In the appropriation for the current year, namely, diplomatic and consular appropriation act approved March 4, 1919, an unexpended balance of $56,450 was made available for the current fiscal year for the work of this international trade-mark registration bureau. Mr. RowE. Yes. Mr. ROGERS. Has that amount been spent in whole or in part? Mr. MCGUIRE. This is a statement of the accounts of the bureau on December 31 last, the latest transmitted by the director of the bureau. Received on account of quota of the United States.. Received from Cuba, in accordance with the law of July 3, 1918. Received from Panama__ Received from Nicaragua. Registration fees Total received up to this day-- Expenditures covering salaries, equipment, stationery, and the like, up to Dec. 31_. Balance to the credit of the bureau on deposit in the Banco $25,000.00 10,000.00 198.06 335.38 4,350.00 39, 883. 44 17, 610. 01 22, 273.43 The United States is planning to turn over $5,000 a month. Mr. ROGERS. That will just about use up the remainder of the appropriation? Mr. Rowe. It will nearly use it. But each month the requirements will diminish because the Commissioner of Patents is now accumulat ing so much money to transmit to Habana, when the bill authorizing him to transmit it has been passed by Congress, that the fees will very soon begin to mount and will approximate the sum which was estimated when the bureau was established. Mr. ROGERS. And, as you think that the service is likely to become substantially self-supporting after July 1 next, you are not asking for an appropriation at this time for the ensuing fiscal year? Mr. RowE. We want to get a little more definite information as to what it will be necessary to request. Mr. ROGERS. I other words, you are not esstopping yourself from coming back and getting some more later? Mr. Rowe. Some more? You mean getting something for the next fiscal year? Mr. ROGERS. In addition to this $56,450 for this year, you are likely to need something next year and later? Mr. Rowe. Provided the bureau has not become self-supporting. But it is very likely that the bureau will soon become self-supporting. We require a little legislation in this country in order to hand over to the bureau the fees which the Commissioner of Patents will collect on registrations in the United States. Mr. HOUGHTON. I see that the Secretary of State in his memorandum here bases the share that the United States should contribute upon the shares that have been contributed by Cuba, on the broad theory that we ought to give five times as much as Cuba did. That may be one method of determining a proportion, but what does the $285,000 plus an abundant estimate mean by way of a building? Is it determined merely by multiplying the Cuban quota by 5 or have you worked out the needs of floor space equivalent that seemed to justify any such total. This is going to be very difficult to get this year; and the reason seemed to me particularly apt that should Cuba give $300,000, then we would have to put up $1,500,000. Mr. Rowe. The distribution was made on the basis of population. Mr. HOUGHTON. That does not get the total; that is the ratio. Why do we put up a building for $800,000 and not $80,000,000 or $80,000? Mr. Rowe. Of course, before plans are drawn and before the competition begins, it is necessary to form some sort of an idea as to what an adequate building would cost; and as nearly as that estimate could be made, it was felt that on that site, a building would cost $1,000,000. Mr. HOUGHTON. It might on that site cost almost anything. I mean, what is the real reason that we have $825,000 to pay. Do we need so many square feet; do we need a certain kind of building; do we need a certain kind of equipment; is that figured out so we can get it, or is that simply done in this method of ratio building by which what anybody else does we multiply by 5? Mr. Rowe. It was figured out on this basis that a building to meet the needs of the bureau would cost about $1,000,000. Cuba's actual quota would not be $150,000, if the distribution was made on a purely population basis. Mr. HOUGHTON. You are prepared, then, to put into the record, either formally or informally, the reason why $800,000 is required? Mr. Rowe. Yes; we will submit a statement on that. (The statement referred to was subsequently furnished by Mr. Rowe and is here printed in full, as follows:) |