Incomplete reports recently received from the bureaus show that there are 72 employees of this Department who are more or less superannuated; that the aggregate of their salaries is $73,385; and that their average age is 70 years. Perhaps a greater amount of superannuation and consequent loss to the Government may be found in the older departments and offices. As this Department last year recorded its opinion on the subject of superannuation, it is unnecessary to again point out the advantages and economy that would result from the retirement, which practically everyone admits should be on an adequate annuity, of the civil employees of the Government who have become inefficient through advancing age.

LEAVES OF ABSENCE.

In December, 1910, after considerable discussion had taken place with regard to the claim that the leave privilege was being abused in all departments, this Department instituted an investigation with respect to its own employees in the District of Columbia. Briefly, without including statistics involving the bureaus separately, the following general information was compiled from a consideration of the leave taken during the calendar year 1909:

With a view to determining whether an arbitrary rule should be formulated which would absolutely prevent any infringement of the leave privilege, the Department, in February last, addressed letters to the officers presiding over bureaus and offices in which employees had taken practically the full amount of annual and sick leave during the past three years, and requested them to suggest what, if any, remedial measures should be prescribed. The answers submitted show that the cases of apparent abuse are very rare, so it was deemed imprudent and injudicious to enforce an arbitrary rule which would affect the guilty and the innocent as well. It was decided, however, to send to each chief of bureau or office the names of the employees subordinate to him who had taken excessive leave, with directions that, notwithstanding the regulations on the subject, no sick leave be granted the employees referred to unless, in addition to the usual physician's certificate, the officer under whom the employee serves

is personally satisfied, and so certifies, that such person is actually so physically incapacitated as to be unable to appear for duty. The burden therefore rests, as heretofore, with such officers, under the careful supervision of the Department, to enforce the proper discipline with respect to this subject. Finally, as an additional safeguard to prevent the abuse of the privilege, the leave status of the employee was made an important part of his efficiency rating and therefore an essential element in determining questions relating to promotions.

EXECUTIVE ORDERS AFFECTING THE PERSONNEL.

During the year ended June 30, 1910, five Executive orders having direct application to the personnel of this Department were promulgated. During the past year there were only two such orders. One authorized the reinstatement of a clerk without reference to the year limitation of the reinstatement rule, because of her efficiency while in the service and the general good that would accrue to the service by her return thereto. The other authorized the transfer to the departmental service at Washington, D. C., without regard to the apportionment of the States of which they were legal residents, of certain employees whose services had been satisfactory but who had been furloughed without pay because of a general reduction in the force resulting from the reorganization of the Lighthouse Service.

CLASSIFICATION OF PRESIDENTIAL POSITIONS.

There are certain positions in the Department now in the presidential class and subject to confirmation by the Senate which might very properly be brought within the competitive classified service. These positions are supervising inspectors in the several districts of the Steamboat-Inspection Service; and agent, Alaska Salmon Fisheries; two assistant agents, Alaska Salmon Fisheries; warden, Alaska service; and four deputy wardens, Alaska service, of the Bureau of Fisheries.

There are apparently no reasons to be urged against the classification of supervising inspectors of the Steamboat-Inspection Service. While it is not unlikely that they were originally political offices and filled as a result of political favor, those conditions no longer exist, as is shown by the fact that the incumbents have retained their offices through changes of administration and that there has been a tendency of late to fill vacancies by promotion. If these positions were classified, all vacancies would undoubtedly be filled by promotion from within the service, and the Government would be benefited by having this particular line of its business under the management of well-trained officers.

One position of assistant agent and those of warden and deputy warden, in the Bureau of Fisheries, were created by the sundry civil act of March 4, 1911, effective July 1. When the annual estimates were submitted to Congress, it was the intention of the Department that these positions should be treated as classified, although possibly in some instances excepted from examination, but on June 1, 1911, the Attorney General expressed the opinion that, as there was no provision of law to the contrary, appointment to the positions was vested in the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.

To classify the positions referred to would require an act of Congress bestowing upon the Secretary the power of appointment, and this may be conveniently accomplished by the incorporation of suitable language in the next appropriation act.

ALLEGED POLITICAL ACTIVITY.

Under Rule I, section 1, of the Civil-Service Rules, employees are prohibited from using their official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with elections or affecting the results thereof, and from taking an active part in the management of political campaigns. They may, however, vote as they please and express privately their opinion on political subjects. Although a great deal of literature on the subject has been distributed among employees by the Department and the Civil Service Commission, it is but natural that in a great Department having thousands of employees in all sections of the country there should be some few who are unaware of the existence of this rule or perhaps unfamiliar or careless with its interpretation. During the last fiscal year only 10 cases of alleged political activity on the part of its employees were brought to the Department's attention. In 2 cases the charges were not proved; in 2 the employees were warned; while in the remaining 6 cases the employees concerned resigned from the Federal positions they were holding or from the political associations of which they were members.

DESIGNATIONS OF OFFICIALS TO ACT AS CHIEFS OF BUREAUS.

It was found during the past year that section 178 of the Revised Statutes, which designates the officer who shall act in the absence of the chief of a bureau or service whose appointment is vested in the President, could not be applied to certain bureaus in the Department. Under the terms of this statute, during the absence of the chief "the assistant or deputy of such chief or of such officer, or if there be none, then the chief clerk of such bureau," is authorized to perform his duties. Thus, no provision is made to cover bureaus where there are neither deputies nor chief clerks, such as, for instance, the Bureau of Standards and the offices of the different districts of the Steamboat-Inspection Service, and bureaus from which, although there may be a chief clerk,

the chief and his assistant are absent at the same time, as has occasionally happened.

To remedy this condition Congress, at the Department's request, incorporated a clause in the last legislative, executive, and judical appropriation act authorizing the Secretary to designate some employee to act as chief of bureau in any case where this action was thought to be necessary.

DIVISION OF PUBLICATIONS.

VOLUME AND COST OF PRINTING.

There was allotted to the Department (exclusive of the Bureau of the Census) for printing and binding for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1911, the sum of $375,000, and for the publication of the World Trade Directory, prepared by the Bureau of Manufactures, a further allotment of $6,500 was made, making the total amount available $381,500. Of the regular allotment, $370,030.22 was expended, leaving a balance of $4,969.78 to be covered into the Treasury. The total amount appropriated for printing the World Trade Directory ($6,500) was consumed in printing the work, the Department paying also out of its general allotment $840.45 for 100 bound copies and 50 press proofs printed on one side for office use for the Bureau of Manufactures. The increase in expenditures for the regular work of the Department, as compared with the fiscal year 1910, was $8,499.79, or 2.35 per cent.

The following table shows the quantity and cost of each class of work ordered from the Public Printer during the fiscal years 1909, 1910, and 1911:

Class.

1909

1910

1911

Quantity. Cost. Quantity. Cost. Quantity. Cost.

An examination of the above figures will show that there was an increase in the quantity ordered of each of the classes of work with the exception of memorandum sheets printed, blank books made, and miscellaneous books bound for library purposes. Of blank forms there was an increase in the number printed of nearly 2,750,000, or 28.40 per cent; of reports and pamphlets, an increase of about 2,160,000, or 69.16 per cent; of letterheads, 197,500, or 9.60 per cent; of envelopes, 12,700, or 14.81 per cent; of circulars and decisions, 19,750, or 5.63 per cent; of index cards, 650,500, or 65.44 per cent; and of guide cards and vertical folders, 197,000, or 46.18 per cent. The increase in the number of reports and pamphlets printed in 1911 over 1910 is due principally to the act of June 25, 1910, which authorized the edition of the Daily Consular and Trade Reports to be increased from 10,000 to not exceeding 20,000 copies. More than 4,000,000 copies of this publication alone were printed and distributed during the past year. The increase in the number of blank forms printed is due largely to the substitution of loose forms and cards for blank record books in the SteamboatInspection Service and to the use of card forms for reporting immigration statistics.

The statement presented below gives the expenditures for printing and binding for each bureau, office, and service (except the Bureau of the Census) for the fiscal years 1909, 1910, and 1911, and the increase or decrease in 1911 as compared with 1910:

1 of this amount, $1,337.43 was for supplies furnished to the Bureau of the Census, which reimbursed the Department's allotment to that extent.

2 Cost of work for Division of Naturalization carried under the Naturalization Service account.