important work, and that is always ready to take up the work and execute it without a moment's delay. Following is a statement showing the number of orders and circulars printed for The Military Secretary's office at the War Department branch printing office during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1906: General orders.. Special orders.. 2,896, 000 965, 100 199, 051 The second class of printing named above-i. e., station and other lists showing location of troops and status and whereabouts of officersincludes what may be termed the "serial documents" printed for this office at the branch printing office. To be of value, these lists must contain all changes made in the stations of troops and in the status and whereabouts of officers of the army up to the very moment of going to press. These changes are made in compliance with orders issued by this office, and it will readily be understood from the foregoing statement relative to the great number of such orders issued that the changes are necessarily of the greatest frequency, occurring, indeed, almost hourly, many of them being reported to the office by telegraph immediately upon their occurrence. It is absolutely essential that all changes made prior to the date of the publication of the lists shall be incorporated therein, and it would be manifestly impossible to accomplish this result if the work of printing the lists was done at a printing office situated at a distance from the department. The reasons, set forth above, which make it necessary that the printing of the orders themselves shall be done at an office which is in close touch and constant and immediate communication with the officials charged with the conduct of this important work apply with equal force to the printing of these lists, the value of which would be seriously impaired, if not wholly destroyed, by a failure to have embodied in the information which they contain the very latest advices of the department regarding the troops and their officers. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1906, 35,700 copies of these lists were printed. The blank forms which have been printed for The Military Secretary's office at the branch printing office may be described as (a) those which are urgently required to meet some new or unforeseen conditions, (b) small blank forms, (c) small editions of current forms. Blank forms of the first-named class have been printed at the branch office because they can be obtained therefrom much more expeditiously than from the Government Printing Office. In determining what requisitions for blank forms of the second and third classes should be sent to the branch printing office, it has been the desire and policy of The Military Secretary's office to limit its calls upon that printing office for work of this character to such amounts as would not interfere with the urgent work of printing the department orders and circulars and at the same time keep economically and profitably employed the force of printing office employees during such times as they might not be engaged upon the printing of the orders and circulars. In other words, the printing of small blank forms at the branch printing office has been regarded by this office as "knitting work" for the force which must necessarily be maintained in order that the work of issuing the orders, circulars, and lists might be performed with the expedition that the necessities of the service imperatively demand. As stated on page 1 of this memorandum, the work of setting an order in type, revising the proof, and printing the order can be accomplished without delay and in a few minutes. While no test has been made to determine the minimum time in which an order can be printed, it has been found by actual experience that an order has been set up, proof revised and returned, and the completed printed copies received in this office in 19 minutes from the time when the copy was sent to the branch printing office. * * * * F. C. AINSWORTH, DECEMBER 3, 1906. REPORTING AN ACCUMULATION OF PAPERS NOT NEEDED FOR THE SERVICE OF HIS DEPARTMENT. JUNE 6, 1910.-Referred to the Joint Select Committee on Disposition of Useless Executive Papers and ordered to be printed. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND LABOR, SIR: Pursuant to the provisions of the act of Congress entitled "An act to authorize and provide for the disposition of useless papers in the Executive Departments," approved February 16, 1889, as amended by the act approved March 2, 1895, I have the honor to report that there is in this department an accumulation of documents. and files of papers which are not needed or useful in the transaction of the current business of the department and have no permanent value or historical interest, as shown by the statement of their condition and character transmitted herewith. It is recommended that authority be granted for the disposition of the documents and files of papers mentioned, to the end that they may be sold as waste paper or otherwise disposed of, in accordance with law. A copy of this letter has been furnished the President of the Senate. Respectfully, BENJ. S. CABLE, The SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Description of papers on file in various bureaus of the Department of Com merce and Labor, which are not needed or useful in the transaction of current business and have no permanent value or historical interest. OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY. The following papers are at the main building of the department, 513-515 Fourteenth street NW., where samples may be inspected: Appointment Division: 1 lot of applications for appointment to position of shipping commissioner, of date prior to July 1, 1903. 1 lot of applications for appointment in the Immigration Service, of date prior to July 1, 1903. 1 lot of applications for appointment to various positions in the different bureaus transferred from the Treasury Department to this department, of date prior to July 1, 1903. 1 lot of applications for appointment, of date subsequent to February, 1903, and prior to August, 1905. 1 lot of personal-history sheets, Light-House Service, of date prior to July 1, 1903. The following papers are at the department annex, 462-464 Louisiana avenue NW., where samples may be inspected: Division of Publications: Requisitions and receipted invoices for blank forms from the Immigration, Steamboat-Inspection, Shipping, and Customs services and the LightHouse Establishment, fiscal years ended June 30, 1904 to 1908, inclusive. Bureau requisitions for stock books and blanks, fiscal years ended June 30, 1904 to 1908, inclusive. Requisitions for printed stationery from the Immigration, SteamboatInspection, and Shipping services and the Light-House Establishment, fiscal years ended June 30, 1904 to 1908, inclusive. Bureau requisitions for printing and binding, fiscal years ended June 30, 1904 to 1908, inclusive. Bureau requisitions for printed envelopes, fiscal year ended June 30, 1904 Memorandum invoices for envelopes, fiscal years ended June 30, 1904 to 1908, inclusive. Press copy books of invoices of blank forms furnished the Immigration, Steamboat-Inspection, Shipping, and Customs services and the LightHouse Establishment, fiscal years ended June 30, 1904 and 1905. BUREAU OF THE CENSUS. Papers are at the Bureau of the Census, B street between First and Second streets NW., where samples may be inspected: Duplicate and void copies of agricultural schedules of Twelfth Census. Blanks in use during Twelfth Census. Miscellaneous matter. BUREAU OF NAVIGATION. Papers are at the Bureau of Navigation, department annex, 462-464 Louisiana avenue NW., where samples may be inspected: Press copy books of letters sent to customs officers relating to Tonnage accounts, etc., 1868-1893, 49 v. Errors in marine documents, 1893-1907, 46 v. One old volume, index of merchant vessels, contents transcribed. Annual lists, manuscript, 1908. Abstracts of indorsements of changes of masters. Receipts of lists of merchant vessels, annual reports, navigation laws, etc. Notices of adjustments of shipping commissioners' accounts. Reports of examinations of passenger vessels, 1906-8. Transmitting letters for above (7). Reports of the crews of vessels. Returns of seamen shipped and discharged. Miscellaneous letters received. Reports of no transactions. At Astoria, Oreg.: Outward foreign manifest. Shipping manifest. Inward foreign manifest. Crew bond. Coasting manifest. Oath of new master. STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION SERVICE. Papers are at the office of the Steamboat-Inspection Service, department annex, 462-464 Louisiana avenue NW., where samples may be inspected: Annual reports of lifeboat and life-raft equipment of vessels, fiscal years ended June 30, 1895, 1896, 1897, and 1908. Semimonthly reports of vessels visited by supervising inspectors, calender years 1907 and 1908. Casualty reports, calendar years 1907 and 1908. License reports for fiscal years ended June 30, 1908 and 1909. Reports of examinations for color blindness for fiscal years ended June 30, 1908 and 1909. Monthly reports of absences for calendar years 1907 and 1908. Reports of excursion permits issued, fiscal years ended June 30, 1908 and 1909. Reports of public property, calendar years 1907 and 1908. Weekly reports of vessels inspected, calendar years 1907 and 1908. Quarterly statements of local boards and customs officers of certificates of inspection issued, calendar years 1907 and 1908. Triplicate personal expense accounts of supervising, local, and assistant inspectors, calendar years 1907 and 1908. Reports of life preservers examined, calendar years 1907 and 1908. Weekly reports of material tested at mills by assistant inspectors, calendar years 1907 and 1908. Certifications of witnesses' fees, fiscal years ended June 30, 1907 and 1908. Leave cards, calendar years 1906 and 1907. Reports of change of name of vessels, 1906 and 1907. Canceled license books of old form for master of barges. Canceled licenses to 1909. Copy for printer, annual report for years ended June 30, 1907 and 1908. LIGHT-HOUSE BOARD. Papers are at the office of the board, department annex, 462-464 Louisiana avenue, NW., where samples may be inspected: 445 copies of List of Lights and Fog-Signals on the Pacific Coast of North America, and on the Hawaiian, Midway, Guam, and the American Samoan Islands, and of the Lights and Fog-Signals on the Coast of British Columbia, corrected to April 30, 1908, now obsolete. 180 copies of sea directories and pilots, foreign light lists, tide tables, etc., now obsolete. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. Papers are at the department's storehouse, 470 Louisiana avenue, NW., where samples may be inspected: Duplicate vouchers from 1872 to 1890. 200 copy books of acknowledgments of applications for fish, announcements of shipments of fish, etc., sent out by Division of Fish Culture. 20 copy books of office letters relating to messenger and distribution work. CO copy books of circular letters transmitting checks. 7 old letter books of tabular instructions relating to fish distribution. 2 old letter books containing routine correspondence of property clerk. 1 bundle of old miscellaneous tabular reports and data on bass, carp, and shad. Old requisitions received from field stations. Applications for carp, 1881-1889. |