OF THE University of California. Col T ^^ 'J^wD^'-T^y. * Class /^^^ ! Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/businessmethodsiOOunitrich r J ^^"'^'' BUSINESS METHODS IN THE WAE DEPARTMENT. REPORT OF THE BOARD APPOINTED IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE REQUEST OF THE SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE THE METHODS OF BUSINESS IN THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS. 8 R A^r or THE UNIVERSITY 17958. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1889. \A ^ t.c. TABLE OF CONTENTS. Page. Letter of Secretary of War, January 23, 1889, transmitting report of board to Sen- ate select committee (to Appendix 12) with recommendations 1-8 EEPOET OF BOARD. Orders of S. of W., March 22, 1888, appointing board on business methods 9 Letter of Senator Cockrell, chairman of Senate select committee, February 10, 1888, to S. of W., submitting extracts from report of that committee rec- ommending the appointment of a commission in War and Treasury Depart- ments to inquire into business methods, &c 9 W. D. circular, April 4, 1888, inviting suggestions -- 10 List of topics which have been considered and reported upon 11 History and character of work done by board 11 Salaries paid in the Department; payment for overtime work 11 Eetired list for employes 12 Stenographers in the Department 12 Appendix No. 1. Eequestsfor requisitions and settlement certificates 13 W. D. circular, April 19, 1888, discontinuing requests for requisitions __ 15 Appendix No. 2. Rules and regulations of War Department, June 4, 1888- 15 Appendix No. 3. Certificates of deposit 16 Exhibit A. Statutes concerning proceeds of Government property 25 Exhibit B. Statement of certificates of deposit received and disposed of in Req. Div. during fiscal year ending June 30, 1887 ... 26 Exhibit C. Army regulations concerning certificates of deposit 26 •W. D. letter of June 14, 1888, to Secretary of Treasury concerning CD 28 "W. D. circular of June 21, 1888, publishing letter of Secretary of Treasury of June 19, 1 888, concerning C. D. , and giving instructions 30 "W. D. orders of June 18, 1888, discontinuing books in Req. Div. recording CD 30 G. O. 52, A. G. O., July 11, 1888, revoking Par. 1608, A. R 30 Appendix No. 4. Army paymaster's collections 31 W. D. indorsement of June 22, 1888, approving recommendations of board-. 32 Appendix No. 5. Card index record of rolls of Vol. Army 33 Exhibit A. Card showing record of soldier ,_ 42 Remarks of A. G. on report of board 43 Older of S. of W. of January 18, 1889, directing the printing of card index of 48 rolls of 164th N.Y. Vols 45 Appendix No. 6. Credit requisitions 46 Exhibit A. Proposed consolidated form of deposit requisition 48 Exhibits B, E, H, L, O, R. Copies of deposit lists 50, 53, 56, 59, 62, 65 Exhibits C, F, I, M, P, S. Copies of deposit requisitions 51, 54, 57, 60, 63, 66 Exhibits D, G, K, N, Q, T. Copies of repay covering warrants . 52, 55, 58, 61 , 64, 67 Exhibit U. Copy of credit requisition, Q. M. G 68 Exhibit V. Copy of accountable requisition 69 Exhibit W. Copy of accountable warrant : 70 Exhibit X. Proposed consolidated form of accountable requisition 71 Letter of S. W. , August 9, 1888, to Secretary of Treasury in answer to request that credit requisitions be made out by W. D., and presenting the consol- idated form proposed by the board -_-^ 72 Action taken in W. D. consolidating deposit lists 72 W. D. circular, August 9, 1888, discontinuing requests for accountable requi- sitions and requiring accountable requisitions to be made in the bureaus-. 72 Form of accountable req. to be used 73 17958 1 I n Page. Appendix No. 7. Kequisitions on Public Printer 73 W. D. circular, September 11, 1888, discontinuing duplicate requisitions on Public Printer 74 Appendix No. 8. Administration 74 Proposed circular as to disposition of mail, filing of papers, submission of pa- pers to Secretary of War, ries to be punctually made by the designated carrier at all the delivery baskets or l>oxes in a Bureau every half hour, viz, 8.4.5, 9.1.5, 9.45, 10.15, 10.45, 11.15, 11.45 a. m., 1-J.30, 1.00, 1.30, 2.00, 2.30, 3.00, and 3.30 p. m., the carrier calling at each mail-basket twice each trip, once going and once returning, so as to insure the transmission of completed papers in either direction throughout the Bureau each half hour. '* Similar half-hourly collections and delivery of papers will be made between the several Bureaus and the office of the Secretary by an assistant messenger or laborer, to be designated by the Chief Clerk of the Department ; the hours of delivery being 9.00, 9.30, 10.00, 10.30, 11.00, 11.30 a. m, 12. m., 12.45, 1.15, 1.45, 2.15, 2.45 ,3.15, and 3.45 p. m. "In order that the fullest benefit may be derived from this method of communica- tion chiefs of Bureaus will require that all papers delivered be immediately taken up and placed in the hands of clerks engaged upon the work pertaining thereto ; and that every paper that has been acted upon in one room and which requires action in another be placed in the delivery-box before or at the time of the next collection. Cases which require immediate action will of course be delivered at once. The half- hourly delivery applies to cases which have been moved at longer intervals. " Reversible mail cards or jackets plainly addressed will be used for the protection and safe transmission of papers wherever their shape or size will permit. The ad- dress of the room or division from which sent to be in red ink on the inside of both folds, and of the room or division to which sent in black ink on the outside of both folds. " In order to allow time for the preparation of the necessary mail cards, this order will be carried into effect on the 1st of February next. "In the meantime estimates of the number and sizes of cards will be made by each bureau." In this connection, and as an illustration of the results which follow efficient ad- ministration and the application of practical business methods to the routine work of a public office, your attention is invited to the record and pension division of the Surgeon-Generars Office, and the work performed therein during the last two years. As stated in my annual report for 1887, the work of this division — "Had so far fallen in arrears that 9,511 unanswered calls for information relative to pension and other claims had accumulated in the office on December 13, 1886. Prior to that date a large number of cases were subjected to a delay of two and one- half and three months, and often for a longer period. "Thisstate of affairs had been brought about by a combination of causes, the most important of which were defective methods of work, laxity of discipline, indifference and lack of interest on the part of some of the clerks, many of whom were inatten- tive to duty, inefficient, physically or mentally disabled, or otherwise incompetent. Abelief seemed to pervade the whole office that no improvement in the old system was either desirable or possible, and that any change made in it must necessarily be for the worse. To such an extent was this carried that the two principal officers responsible for this division were of opinion that, for efficient and constant work, it was necessary to have from two to ten thousand cases always on hand. "Repeated efforts by the Department to secure greater expedition having failed, it was deemed necessary to relieve the chief of the division and detail another officer in his place, which was done early in December ; other changes were also made in the Bureau. In less than three months thereafter the great arrearage which existed was entirely reduced. The methods of work were changed, at once increasing its volume without diminishing its accuracy; the discipline of the force was improved; thirty disabled clerks, who for varions reasons were entitled to consideration, were assigned to such duties as they could efficiently perform with comfort to themselves; twenty worthless clerks were discharged, and it is now generally understood that the work of the office is of the first importance, to which personal preference and convenience must yield, and it has been clearly demonstrated that a large number of cases on hand is not essential to the efficient and economical employment of the clerks engaged on pension work. At the close of the fiscal year it was reported by the new chief of this division (Dr. Ainsworth) that any call for information from the records of the Surgeon-General's Office relative to pension claims could be answered in from one to three days from the date of its receipt." Not only was all this accomplished without increase in the clerical force of the division, but it was soon found that the changes which had been made in the method of work and discipline of the division rendered it possible to keep up the current work, and at the same time to assign a portion of the force to the preparation of a system of index record cards, which would simplify and greatly diminish the future work of the office. In this system the medical history of each, soldier as it appears on the hospital register is written on a separate card containing a suitable printed form. The cards are assorted by regiments, then arranged alphabetically by name within the regiment, so that when all the registers shall have been copied, the cards showing the medical history of a soldier, who may have been treated in any number of hospitals and in any part of the country, will by this arrangement all fall together automatically, and his whole medical history can be found by simply turning to the proper letter of the alphabet in the tile box containing the cards of his regiment. The advantages of this system of index-record cards are summed up in my last an- nual report (18e8) as follows : "They answer all the purposes of a copy or duplication of the valuable records, which, from constant handling, have been fast going to destruction ; their alphabet- ical arrangement in order of surnames under each regiment will obviate tedious, and in some cases unsuccessful, search of the original records ; a soldier's medical history can be readily furnished in cases where it is impossible to obtain any data upon which to search other than his name or military organization ; and, finally, should it be de- sired to print the hospital records, the index-cards, which contain everything re- corded in the registers, are in the best possible form to send to the printer." Work was commenced on this system in April, 1887, and has been pushed as rapidly as possible since. At first but a few clerks were available for this duty, but the num- ber so employed has steadily increased as the other work of the division has been lessened by the use of the constantly expanding card files, and the adoption of simpler and more expeditious methods of business, until of the 280 clerks allowed by law to this division, which number two years ago was found insufficient to keep the current work of the office nearer than two or three months from date, now 166 are constantly employed in the preparation of record cards, while with the remainder it is found easy to answer all calls upon the division in from one to three days from the date of their receipt. Over three and one-half millions of cards have already been made and it is believed that within the next fiscal year this great work will be practically completed, including the regimental hospital records now filed in the Adjutant- General office, which in a short time must be transferred to the Surgeon-General's Office to be card- indexed, and thus complete the entire medical history of the soldiers of the late war. Appendix 10 treats of the Supply division. The board describes the manner in which the stationery and miscellaneous supplies required for the use of the Depart- ment have been procured both prior and subsequent to 1882, at which last named date the method was changed, and give a statement of the reasons which, in July, 1884, led to the placing of the business of the supply division in the charge of a bonded officer of the Quartermaster's Department of the Army. They also explain wherein the placing of the business in the charge of an officer failed to accomj)lish the object in view and, as the officer in charge will go upon the retired list this year, they recommend that the supply division be placed in charge of a clerk in the Secretary's office, who should be required to give bonds. They invite attention to the salaries of like positions in some of the other Executive Departments, and suggest that the salary of tlje chief of the supply division should equal that of the chief of the stationery di- vision of the Treasury Department, which is $2,500 per annum. The recommenda- tions and suggestions met with my concurrence, and I gave them effect, so far as it was within my power to do so, by issuing orders on January 19th instant, as follows: "Capt. Charles H. Hoyt, assistant quartermaster, U. S. Array, is hereby relieved from duty in charge of the supply division of this Department, and will report to the Quartermaster-General. "Mr. M. R. Thorp, chief clerk of the supply division, is assigned to the charge of the supply division. He will give bond in the sum of $10,000 for the faithful per- formance of his dnties and will enter upon his duties after his bond is approved by the Secretary of War. " He will purchase, issue, and account lor all supplies and property in accordance with the regulations contained in the circulars of July 21, 1884, and February 19, 1885, except that portion of the regulations mentioaed which requires supplies to be purchased, issued, and accounted for in accordance with the regulations. prescribed for the Quartermaster's Department of the Army and the property returns of the offi- cer in charge to be examined in the office of the Quartermaster-General, in lieu of which requirements the books and accounts of the supply division will be hereafter inspected and reported upon by an officer of the inspector-ffeneraPs department in accordance with the regulations governing that department. '^ Appendix 11 treats of the subject, "Daily reports of work." The board quote in their report sections 173, 174, and 175 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, enjoining upon chief clerks in the several Departments and Bureaus, and other offices connected with the Departments, certain duties relating to the performance of the duties of the other clerks therein, and quote also a letter upon the subject addressed by the President to the Secretary of War April 11, 1845, and a circular issued there- upon by the latter on April 25, 1845. It appearing that the monthly reports of chief clerks required by section 174 of the Revised Statutes had not been made in writing since December, 1851, I, on April 23, 1887, issued a circular to the heads of Bureaus of the Department, enjoining a ptrict compliance with the requirements of sections 173, 174, and 175 of the Revised Statutes, and directing them to require each clerk in their respective offices to make a daily report of his (or her) attendance, and of the amount and character of work performed, and to require the respective chief clerks to submit to them a monthly report, compiled from the daily reports, showing the attendance of the clerks, the business transacted in the office during the month, the amount remaining on hand to be disposed of, etc. The reports thus required have since been regularly made, but in the opinion of the board, based upon reports from some of the bureaus and an examination of the forms used, the circular of April 23, 1887, has been too literally construed, and that in con- sequence thereof labor and time have been consumed in reporting details of work, without corresponding beneficial results.. The board therefore recommended the rescission of the above-mentioned circular, with other recommendations which I ap- proved and issued in the form of a circular, dated January 21st instant, as follows: " The circular of April 23, 1887, which requires reports to be made of work per- formed i)i the several bureaus of the Department, is hereby rescinded. "Chiefs of bureaus are authorized to exercise their discretion in the matter of re- ports of work performed in their respective bureaus, having in view the duties re- quired to be performed by chief clerks under sections 173 and 174 of the Revised Statutes." The report of the board on the subject of " Correspondence," Appendix 12, is still under consideration, and will be transmitted in a few days. The board in their report refer to unavoidable interruptions which retarded to some extent the progress of their labors, and, in closing, advance certain suggestions relat- ing to the organization of the civilian force of the Department. They refer to the inadequacy of the salaries of 6mploy^s in this Department, and to the propriety of a re-adjustment so as to equalize the salaries in the War Department with those in the Treasury Department. I invite attention to their remarks upon this general subject and to the views therein presented, in which I heartily concur. It is but simple justice that employes charged with important and responsible du- ties, requiring in many cases professional and technical qualifications, should be paid salaries commensurate with the value of their services. The chief clerk of the De- partment and the chiefs of divisions in the office of the Secretary of War, as also those occupying corresponding positions in the several bureaus, should be paid higher salaries than they now receive, and a reasonable number of the higher grade clerkships (class 4) additional to those now existing should be authorized, so as to provide for the promotion of a corresponding number of clerks of the lower grades who by reason of faithful and efficient service are entitled to an increase of salaries. I also invite attention to that portion of the report which speaks of the necessity for another stenographer in the office of the Secretary. The reasons advanced why an additional stenographer should be allowed this office are so conclusive, and, the economy that would result therefrom is so plainly shown, that I deem it unnecessary to say more than that I fully concur in the views of the board upon this subject. The necessity for an Assistant Secretary of War, for the performance of a portion of the excessive duties which now devolve upon the Secretary, is becoming more and more imperative, and I shall feel gratified if through your committee these subjects are brought to the attention of Congress. In transmitting the report of the board, I should feel that I had neglected a duty did I fail to make acknowledgment of the very efficient manner in which the members have discharged the responsible and delicate duties with which they were charged. TJieir report, which embraces a variety of subjects, shows that their examinations 8 into the methods of business took a wide range, extending to the minute details of every class of business coming under their consideration, and bears evidence of ardu- ous labor -well performed. The^khave pointed the way to many reforms in the busi- ness methods which will prove of enduring benelit to the public service, and I regret that I can not do more than record my appreciation of their valuable labors. Very respectfully, vonr obedient servant, William C. Endicott, Secretary of War. Hon. F. M. COCKRELL, Cliammn of Senate Select Committee to Examine the Methods of Condwjiing Business in the Executive Departments. REPORT OF THE BOARD. War Department, Board on Business Methods, January 21, 18S9. Tlie board ou business methods has the honor to submit the following report. The board was appointed by the foUowitag order : War Department, Washington City, March 22, 1888. Orders : A board to consist of John Tweed ale, chief clerk. War Department ; L. W. Tolman, chief of the division of requisitions and accounts, office of the Secretary of War, and Jacob Freeh, clerk class 4, Surgeon-General's Office, is hereby appointed to meet on the 24th day of March, 1888, and, after proper examination, to consider and report a practical plan for the more simple, speedy, and efficient transaction of the public busi- ness of the War Department and its bureaus. It is desirable that such business shall be finally disposed of with the greatest possible degree of correctness and promptness, with the least possible labor in briefing, notating, and copying, and with the smallest number of record entries and record books. It is also important that there shall be no duplication of work or repetition of coj)ies and records in the Department. The board will have free access to the records, and chiefs of bureaus are requested to extend such assistance as may be needed in the execution of this order. Maurice Pechin, clerk class 1, office of the Secretary of War, will report for duty as clerk of the board. William C. Endicott, Secretary of War. The board met on the day fixed in the order, and the letter from the chairman of the Senate Select Committee to Inquire into the Methods of Business in the Ex-scu- tive Departments was read. The letter is as follows : United States Senate, February 10, 1888. My Dear Sir: The select committee of the Senate required to investigate the methods of business and^work in the Executive Departments take the liberty of sub- mitting to you the following extracts from the report to be submitted to the Senate : The investigations of your committee have forced them to the conclusion that in the Treasury Department, the War Department, and Interior Department, and to a greater or less extent in other Departments, there are more briefings, notations, and record entries made, copying done, and record books kept than is necessary or requi- site in preserving proper records of the transactions of the public business or as safe- guards and checks against errors, mistakes, or frauds. They complicate the methods of business, cause unnecessary delays in its transac- tion, and much unnecessary work, and add to the accumulation of files of papers and record books seldom referred to, and tend greatly to lessen the sense of responsibility on the part of employes. Likewise, the items of business matters are required to pass through the hands of too many different officers and employes and through the hands of the same persons too often, thus causing the consumption of too much time in the disposition thereof and dividing the responsibility therefor among too many different employes. Some one clerk or employ 6, too often of the lower grades or classes as to salary, makes the examination and adjustment, and places his initials thereon, and all the others through whose hands the item of business may pass in its routine act simply upon the faith of the initials so made by the one clerk or emplov^. 9 10 Your committee foaud the labor and time necessary to investigate and determine all steps taken in the transaction of the multitudinous items of business matters coming before the various Departments for disposition under the present methods of business prevailing therein, and to point out the steps or links in the present system which could be left or taken out without detriment to accuracy and safety, too great to un- dertake with any prospect of completion in any reasonable time. The most feasible and practical remedy your committee can suggest is for the Sec- retary of the Treasury and the Secretary of War to select a committee or commission of three competent, industrious, painstaking officers or employes of their respective Departments most familiar with the existing methods of business therein and with correct, prompt, and proper business methods generally, and not wedded to the idea that the age of existing methods has made them the only correct and proper ones or that any change therein will be an improvement. This committee or commission in each Department should personally trace from in- ception to final disposition the various classes of public business therein transacted, and ascertain the exact number of persons, officers, or employes through whose hands the same passes, the time, attention, and labor devoted thereto by each, the kind of work done thereto by each, and the entries and records made by each. With this data plainly and fully before them, and understood by them, they ought to be able to de- termine with certainty, safety, and accuracy exactly what can be omitted, what necessary to be added, and the safe and proper changes to be made, and then devise and prepare judicious, safe, and correct methods for the transaction of the various classes of public business, so that they can be finally disposed of with the greatest possible degree of correctness and promptness, and with the least possible labor, briefing, notating, and copying, and with the sraalle«»t number of record entries and record books, and by passing through as few different hands as possible, etc. When they have completed their work and prepared the report thereof, they should then present the same to the Secretary appointing them, and if approved by him, or when corrected and approved by him, after full consultation, then the Secretary should cause the methods of business so determined upon to be strictly and rigidly carried out in every bureau and division of his Department, and hold the chiefs of bureaus and divisions to a strict accountability for the adoption and enforcement of such methods. If it should be found that legislation is necessary to adopt or carry out the pro- posed methods, the requisite legislation should be prepared and submitted to Congress for consideration and action. Your committee therefore recommend to the designated Secretaries to select such committees or commissions, and give them full authority and power to make the necessary examinations and such assistance as may be proper. Your committee have addressed letters to the Secretaries of the Treasury and of War, embodying these views and recommendations for their consideration and ac- tion. F. M. COCKRELL, Chairman of Senate Select Committee. Hon. William C. Endicott, Secretary of War, War Department, March 26, 1888. Official copy respectfully referred for the information of the War Department board appointed March 22, 188b, to report a plan for the more speedy transaction of the public business. By order of the Secretary of War. John Tweedale, Chief Clerk. The board then proceeded to consider the method to be adoptednn performing the work required. It was decided to consider the matters to be inquired into by topics, to investigate each separately, and when a conclusion was reached to report thereon to the Secretary of War, and thus proceed with the work seriatim. To aid the board the Secretary of War issued the following circular, inviting sug- gestions upon the subjects to be considered : [Circular.! War Department, Washington City, April 4, 1888. A board has been appointed to consider and report a practical plan for the more simple, speedy, and efficient transaction of the public business of the War Depart- ment and its bureaus. It is desirable that such business shall be finally disposed of with the greatest possible degree of correctness and promptness, with the least possible labor in briefing, notating, and copying, and with the smallest number of record en- tries and record books. It is also important that there shall be no duplication of work or repetition of copies and records in the Department. 11 Suggestions upon any of the subjects to be considered by theboard are invited, "witli requests that oommuui'cations be sent direct to the " Chairman of the board on busi- ness methods, War Department." William C. Endtcott, Secretary of War. A copy of this circular was sent to each person in Washington connected with the Department, and in response thereto twenty-one replies were received, containing various suggestions, which were of value in aiding the board in its investigation. The topics which have been considered and upon which reports have been made are as follows : (1) Requests for requisitions upon Treasury settlement certificates. (See Appen- dix No. 1.) (2) Rules and regulations for the War Department. (See Appendix No. 2.) (Note. — The proposed rules were referred to the board, and after consideration of the laws and rules in force in this and other Executive Departments, certain amendments were suggested.) (3) Certificates of deposit. (See Appendix No. 3.) (4) Army paymasters' collections. (See Appendix No. 4.) (5) Card-index record of the rolls of the volunteer army during the late war. (See Appendix No. 5.) (6) Credit requisitions for repayment of money into the Treasury. (See Appendix No. 6.) (7) Requisitions on the Public Printer. (See Appendix No. 7.) (H) Administration. (See Appendix No. 8.) (9) Messenger service. (See Appendix No. 9.) (10) Supply division. (See Appendix No. 10.) (11) Reports of work done. (SeeAppendixNo.il.) The report on "Correspondence," Appendix No. 12, is under consideration. The board continued in session until it became necessary to take a recess, in order that the members might return to their desks. The work incidental to the prepara- tion of the annual reports and estimates, and other important business delayed re-as- sembling until December 14, 1888. The work of investigation has been further de- layed by reason of interruptions during the sessions, caused by the members being frequently consulted upon matters pertaining to their regular official duties, by the chairman being called upon to perform certain duties of the Secretary, including the signing of his mail at times during his absence, and by the occasional absence of the other two members on duty connected with the board of promotion, of which they are members. These interruptions are not peculiar to this board, but would occur with any board composed ot members necessarily on duty at the place where their regular duties are performed. They are stated to account for any seeming delay in the business of the board. The investigation had to be made personally to be of value ; haste was unwise, for the existing condition must not only be ascertained, but the reason for it; because an apparent improvement may have been tried in the past and found wanting, hence after investigation much study was required to determine what should be done before recommending a change, else a mistake would make all the recommendations doubtful. With the greatest care mistakes must of necessity occur, especially in dealing with questions which can only be tested in the future, consequently the reasons for each recommendation have been fully stated, and it is hoped if put to the practical test they will prove of actual benefit in hastening the transaction of public business with the'least possible expenditure of labor. In closing this report it is remarked that no matter how perfect the system, success can be assured only through the intelligence, zeal, and fidelity of the working force. To accomplish this there should be reasonable rewards for faithful and valuable serv- ice. There should be an appropriation to pay clerks who must work overtime. Au appropriation was made to pay the "clerks in the Adjutant-General's Office and Sur- geon-General's Office who recently worked overtime, but in other offices and bureaus there are clerks who habitually do so in order to keep their work up, and they l«ave never received any compensation therefor. If the heads of Departments were en- abled to pay the clerks salaries equal to those paid for like services by corporations and commercial establishments it is believed it would be more satisfactory than the present system ; failing that, the pay of employes should here-adjusted by Congress. There has been no re-adJustment of salaries in the War Department since the war; they should certainly be on a par with those of the Treasury, which Department was reorganized in 1875. This great Department, with over 1,600 employes, disbursing over $40,000,000 an- nually, constantly passing upon economic and legal questions, the dredging of rivers, the construction of contracts, the regulation of canals, etc., has neither an assistant secretary nor a legal advistr to assist the Secretary in the determination of the mul- 12 tifarious questions coming before him. The necessity is great; the board can not but refer to it as bearing closely upon the questions it has been required to consider. While considering the subject of salaries it must be stated that with the rapid growth of Washington the expense of living has increased greatly, while the salaries remain so small as to atibrd only a bare subsistence. Not being a commercial city, the reputation made is not known where it would be valuable in affording an oi)portunity to enter civil pursuits outside of Government employ at a compensation commensu- rate with the ability of those ambitious to succeed. So the employes naturally long for the time when the nation will say to them that having served faithfully at small salaries, they shall be cared for in their declining years. With a retired list for the civil service the morale would be vastly improved and every department of the Gov- ernment would feel the beneficial effects of such wise and beneficent legislation. It would remove temptation, and the day when the faithful employ^ would be left penniless because no longer of value on account of age would be past forever. It has already been applied to the Judiciary, to the entire Army (officers and enlisted men), to the Navy, and the Marine Corps. Either one thing or the other should be done ; the salaries of competent employes should be raised to a just compensation in order that they may save something for the future, or they should be retired with pay when no longer able to perform efficient service. There are places in all the Departments filled by men who are superannu- ated ; they are retained in service because they have been faithful and it would be a hardship to discharge them. On this subject the Secretary of the Treasury (Hon. John Sherman), in a letter dated April 7, 1880, transmitting to the United States Sen- ate a list of the employes in the Treasury Department, says : " I am not advised that the removal of any individuals and the appointment of others in their stead is required at this time for the better dispatch of business, ex- cept perhaps in a few cases where persons who, on account of old age and physical and mental infirmities, are not as efficient as younger men would be; but these per- sons have been employed a great many years and have rendered faithful service to the Government. Their removal would be accompanied with great hardship to them personally, and I do not feel justified in making the changes." (See Senate Ex. Doc. 142, Forty-sixth Congress, second session.) Again, on March 17, 1882, the then Secretary of the Treasury (Hon. Chas. J. Folger), in a letter transmitting a similar list, says : " There are cases where persons who, on account of old age and physical and men- tal infirmities, are not as efficient as younger men would be ; but these persons have been employed for years and have rendered faithful service to the Government. Their removal would be accompanied with great hardship to them personally, and I do not feel justified in making the changes." (See Senate Ex. Doc. 138, Forty-sev- enth Congress, first session.) The board can add nothing to what has been so well expressed, except to say what is self-evident, that the places of employes of the class mentioned could be filled by younger and more efficient men to the benefit of the Government, and to add the recommendation that Congress, by appropriate legislation, may aftbrd relief to the Departments and at the same time provide for this worthy and faithful class of em- ploy6s. Finally, the board desires to express its appreciation of the valuable services ren- dered by Mr. Maurice Pechin, clerk of the board. In addition to clerical ability, he is an excellent stenographer, capable of correctly reporting testimony, and has in consequence been of great service in the investigations of the board. Since October 25, 1888, he has been on duty with the court of inquiry appointed " to examine into and report upon the entire subject of the lining of the tunnel extension of the Wash- ington aqueduct." He has reported much of the testimony taken by the court, and the board is informed that his services have been eminently satisfactory. It is not possible for one stenographer to take testimony for an entire day and have the record ready for the next day, and, therefore, to enable t;^e court to meet on successive days, it became necessary to contract with a firm of stenographers in this city to do part of the work of reporting. When the court adjourns bis services are desired by the Board of Ordnance and Fortifications, which Board will be in session for an indefinite time. The foregoing shows the necessity for another stenographer in the office of the Secretary of War. One is now provided by law, but the business of the Department requires two, and it will be more economical to provide for two than to contract for such services when they are needed in a pending investigation. The annual com- pensation ($1,800) paid to stenographers in the Departments would be exceeded in less than two months at the ruling rate, 25 cents i)ef folio, paid to stenographers employed under contract. Respectfully submitted. John Tweedale, l. w. tolman, Jacob Frech, Hon. William C. Exdicott, Members of Board. Secretary of Wa'\ APPENDICES Appendix No. 1. requests for requisitions on settlement certificates. War Department, Board on Business Methods, April 18, 1888. Sir: Mr. Tolman, chief of the division of requisitions and accounts, brought to the attention of the board on business methods a matter of routine in reference to bureau action on settlement certificates, which in his opinion could be siulplitied to the benefit of the service. Settlement certificates area statement of claims as allowed by the accounting offi- cers of the Treasury. When money is available the certificates pertaining to the ap- propriations under the jurisdiction of the War Department are sent by the Auditor to this Department for payment. Such certificate is sent to the bureau to which it pertains for appropriate action. Upon personal investigation by the board it is found that in some of the bureaus a certificate to which no objection is found is returned to the Secretary of War, with a notation on the back of the certificate that it has been '* noted " or "verified " in the bureau. In several of the bureaus, however, it is the custom to return the certificate to the Secretary of War with a letter signed by the chief of the bureau, setting forth in detail the information already fully and clearly stated in the certificate, viz, the name and addiess of the claimant, the number of the certificate, the amount found to be due, and the appropriation to which chargeable, and formally requesting the Secretary of War to issue a requisition on the Secretary of the Treasury for the amount. In one bureau separate letters are so prepared for each claimant named on a cer- tificate. As certificates sometimes embrace four or five different claims, that number of letters accompany the certificate. All of the chiefs of bureaus agree that these letters of request are entirely useless and can be dispensed with, and thus save considerable labor. It is accordingly recommended that the custom of issuing letters of request upon settlement certificates by the bureau officers be discontinued, and that the certificates be returned with an indorsement, which may be stamped upon the back of the cer- tificate, showing that it has been "noted," with the name of the office and date. If objections exist to the certificate under section 191, Revised Statutes, they should be stated in the indorsement. Very respectfully, John Tweedale, L. W. Tolman, Jacob Frech, Memhers of Board. Copies of settlement certificate, letter of request for requisition, and requisition referred to are herewith submitted. iroti. William C. Endicott, Secretary of War. 13 14 Copy of settlement certificate No. 8826. [No. of claim, 93441. Treasury Department, Third Auditor's Office, April 12, 1887. I certify that there is due from the United States to John D. Patton for 44,175 lbs. of straw jjurchased at Fort Meade, D. T., under the provisions of his contract of May 30, 1884, at $4.75 perton, one hundred and four dollars and ninety-two cents ($104.92). It is suggested that a requisition now issue, in order that the Secretary of the Treas- ury may retain said sum of $104.92, under the provisions of the act of March 3, 1875, to await the result of any suit which may be instituted against said Patton to re- cover damages sustained by the United States by reason of his failure to fulfill said contract of May 30, 1884. [Vide sett. No. , of this date.] Appropriation : Regular supplies, Q. M. D., 1385. Payable to , as appears from the statements and vouchers herewith transmitted for the decision of the Second Comjitroller of the Treasury thereon. John S. Williams, Auditor. To Hon. Second Comptroller of the Treasury. Second Comptroller's Office. I admit and certify the above balance this second day of August, 1887. Sigourney Butler, Second Comptroller. Issue. S. B. H., Q. M. GenU. Noted: Q. M. G. O., April 9, 1888. To be reported for appropriatiop. James Gilliss, Major and Qr. Mr., U. S. A. Copy of ''request" for requisition. $104.92. War Department, Office of the Quartermaster-General, Washington City, April 10, 1888. To the Secretary of War: Sir: Please cause a requisition for the sum of one hundred and four and ^ dollars to be issued in favor of John D. Patton. To be retained by the Secretary of the Treasury, as per annexed statement of the Second Comptroller and Third Auditor, No. 8826, '87. To be charged as follows, viz : To the appropriation for regular supplies, Quarter- master's Dept., 1885 and prior years, $104.92. Respectfully, S. B. HOLABIRD, Quartermaster- General, U. S. Army. 12718, '87. Entered April 11, 1888, Q. M. G. O. Copy of requisition. Sett. Requisition No. 437. War DePxVRtment. To the Secretary of the Treasury: Sir : Please to cause a warrant for one hundred and fonr dollars and ninety-two cents to be issued in favor of John D. Patton, the amount to be withheld by the Secre- tary of the Treasury to await the result of any suit that maybe instituted against said Patton, to recover damages sustaiued by the U. S. by reason of bis failure to ful- 15 fill his contract, May 30, 1884, to farniab straw at Fort Meade, D. T., due on settle- ment, as per certificate of Second Comptroller, No. 8826. To be charged to the under- mentioned appropriations. Given under my hand this 14th day of April, 1888. William C. Endicott, Secretary of War. $104.9:2. Countersigned. Second Comptroller. Registered. Third Auditor. Regular supplies. Quartermaster's Department, 1885 and prior years, $104. 92. 12718—1837. The action taken by the Secretary of War upon the recommendation oi lue board appears in the following circular : [Circular.] War Department, Wasliington City, Ajml 19, 1888. Hereafter the custom of issuing '* requests " by the chiefs of Bureaus of this Depart- ment tor requisition upon Treasury settlement certificates in cases where no objec- tion to payment is known will be discontinued, and said certificates will be re- turned to the Secretary of War by indorsment, which may be written or stamped upon the same, showing that it has been noted. If objections are known, they should be indorsed upon the certificates for the af^+ion of the Secretary of War, under section 191 of the Revised Statutes. By order of the Secretary of War. John Tweedale, Chief Clerk . Appendix Xo. 2. rules and regulations op the war department. (1) The office hours are from 9 a. m. to 4 p. m., with a recess of half an hour at uoon. One clerk at least must remain on duty in each room during recess, and will be per- mitted to be absent for half an hour thereafter. All other time absent must be with proper permission or satisfactorily explained. (2) When unavoidably absent, employes must inform their immediate superiors of the cause, in writing, at the earliest practicable moment. (3) When public^business requires the attendance of employes in excess of the reg- ular office hours, they must be present, and note will be made of the number of hours of such extra attendance. (4) Visits to other rooms, except on public business, are prohibited. (5) Smoking, discussion, or loud talking is strictly prohibited. (6) The use of intoxicating liquors to such an extent as to cause unfitness for duty, or other habits having the same effect, will serve as a reason for discharge. (7) Employes not habitually correct in their work will be recommended for dis- charge. (8) A courteous demeanor must be maintained toward all persons. (9) All files, books, etc., when used, must be immediately replaced in their proper places. (10) Private business is not to be transacted in the public office, and the reading of books and newspapers will not be permitted except when required in the transaction of business. (11) Visitors will not be allowed in the rooms in which the clerks are employed, except by permission of the proper officials. 16 (12) The official records and business of the Department are strictly confidential, and are not to be disclosed or made the subject of conversation out of' the office, nor in the office, except so far as necessary to the proper discharge of the public business. (13) The clerks are expected to study the work upon which they are engaged, and in each branch or division one clerk must be so instructed as to be able to take charge during the absence of his chief. LEAVES OP ABSENCE. (14) The act of Congress approved March 3, 1883, provides: * * * "All absence from the Department on the part of said clerks or other employes, in excess of such leave of absence as may be granted by the heads thereof, which shall not exceed thirty days in any one year, except in case of sickness, shall be without pay." (15) Leaves of absence will be calculated by calendar years. (16) Only the head of the Department can grant leave of absence, but chiefs of bureaus and the chief clerk of the Department may grant leave by his authority. All applications for leave of absence exceeding sixty days must be submitted to the Secretary of War. (17) Leaves of absence will not be granted, except in special cases, between the 15th day of November and 1st day of May. (18) Leaves of absence will be recommended in such order as shall interfere as little as possible with the public business; and chiefs of bureaus will not i)ermit over 25 per cent, of their force to be absent at one time, unless in their judgment a larger percentage can be absent without detriment to the service. (19) The entire service during the year of those transferred from another bureau or Department will be considered in granting leaves of absence. (20) Employes who have been in the service of the Goveinmeut less than one year may be granted leave of absence at the rate of two and one-half days for each mouth of service. (21; The days when the Department is closed to business will not be charged when the same are included withiu the period of any leave of absence, other than a leave without pay. (22) Leaves of absence for more than one day will be granted for consecutive days only, and not exceeding thirty consecutive days, except in special cases. (23) Pay will be allowed for absence caused* by sickness, if it does not exceed thirty days in any calendar year, provided such absence is explained to the satisfaction of the chief of the bureau or head of the Department. (24) Pay will be stopped for absence in excess of the time allowed by these regu- lations ; but application may be made for the amount stoi\ped, accompanied by a proper medical certificate. The application must be forwarded through the proper channels, and chiefs of bureaus are requested to express their views thereon for the information of the Secretary of War. (25) Chiefs of bureaus are authorized to make such rules, not inconsistent with the foregoing, as may be necessary for the government of the employes on duty in their respective offices. War Department, June 4, 1888. William C. Endicott, Secretary of War. Appendix No. 3. CERTIFICATES OF DEPOSIT. War Department, Board on Business Methods, June 7, 1888. Hon. William C. Endicott, Secretary of War : Sir: The subjectof routine in regard to certificates of deposit having been brought to the attention of the board, the following report is submitted. certificates of deposit. Certificates of deposit arise under section 3621 of the Revised Statutes (embodied in paragraph 1598of the Army Regulations of 1881), which directs that '* every person who shall have moneys of the United Stafes in his hands or possession shall pay the same to the Treasurer, an assistant treasurer, or some public depositary of the United 17 States, and take his receipt for the same, in duplicate, and forward one of them forth- with to the Secretary of the Treasiuy." Such certificates are issued to officers of the Army in duplicate. The original is sent by the depositor to the Secretary of the Treasury, and by him to the Secretary of War for designation of the appropriation to which the money pertains. The du- plicate is retained by the depositor. They embrace two classes of public funds : (I) Moneys deposited to the credit of the United States or of the Treasurer of the United States, which can not be again withdrawn from the Treasury without a sub- sequent appropriation by Congress. (2^ Moneys deposited to the credit of the United States or of the Treasurer of the United States, which may be drawn out again upon the requisition of the Secretary of War without a subsequent appropriation. A synopsis of the several laws governing the disposition of the proceeds of Govern- ment property is appended to this report. (Exhibit A.) Receipts issued by a depositary to a disbursing officer for funds deposited to his credit in his official capacity, and subject only to his check in that capacity, should not be confounded with certificates of deposit referred to in this report. They are more properly designated as "disbursing officers' receipts" (par. 1603, A. R., 1881). They are not issued in duplicate, and are retained by the disbursing officer. The following statement shows the various steps taken in consecutive order from the beginning of action upon a certificate of deposit pertaining to the Quartermaster's Department to the final disposition thereof: Capt. A. H. Young, an assistant quartermaster, U. S. Army, on duty at Columbus Barracks, Ohio, in March, 1888, made a sale of fuel and cloth to officers of the Army at that station. Fuel is furnished to the Army out of the appropriation " Regular supplies. Quartermaster's Department," and cloth from the appropriation ''Clothing, camp, and garrison equipage," and the proceeds of sales to officers are by sections 3618 and 3692 of the Revised Statutes, permitted to revert to the appropria- tion out of which they were originally purchased. The proceeds of sales to officers are usually collected monthly by the officer making the sale, and accordingly. Captain Young collected $36.68, and sent it to the National Exchange Bank, Columbus, Ohio, a United States depository designated by the Sec- retary ot the Treasury, under the authority of section 5155 of the Revised Statutes. Paragraph 1599 of the Army Regulations prescribes that : ' ' The face of each certificate will be made to show, in writing, to what appropriation the deposit belongs, pro- vided the depositor possesses such information as may be necessary to enable the de- positary to state the same in preparing the certificate for issue." Captain Young therefore sent with the money information that the same belongs, $34.64, to ''Regu- lar supplies," and $2.04 to "Clothing and equipage." The certificate is prepared in duplicate, and reads as follows : Face of cet'tijicate. [Form 1. National Banks.] No. 99. The National Exchange Bank of Columbus, Columbus, Ohio, March 31, 1888. Icertify that Captain A. H. Young, Q.M., U.S. A, has this day deposited to the credit of the Treasurer"of the' United 'staVes thirty ^^^^^ i%% dollars on account of " Regular supplies $34.64 Clothingand equipage 2.04 for -which I have signed triplicate receipts. C. J. Hardy, Cashier. $36.68. Sales to ofScers and hosp. Captain Young is required by paragraph 1600 of the Army Regulations to take note of "the place, date, and amount of deposit, and the number of the certificate, to- gether with the appropriation, if specified, * * * on the account-current^r other proper return upon which the depositor desires to be credited with the money." He then mailed the original certificate direct to the Secretary of the Treasury, and retained the duplicate certificate, as authorized by section 3 of paragraph 1602, Army Regulations. When received at the office of the Secretary of the Treasury it was stamped on the back: Division Public Moneys, April 3, 1888. Received. 17958 2 18 When recorded in that division the certificate was placed in a wrapper, the first fold of which reads as follows : I Form No. 12, first indorsement.] Office of the Secretary of the Treasury, Division of Public Moneys, 18«-. Capt. A. H. Young, inclosing certificates of deposit No. 99, issued Mch. 31, 1888, in hia favor by the N. Exchange B'k, Columbus, O., for , .^:i6.68. Treasury DepartmenTj Secretary's Office, April :l, 1888. E. B. D. Respectfully referred to the Hon. Secretary of War for designation of the proper appropriation to the credit of which the amount ot the within certificate should be covered into the Treasury. By order of the Secretary : E. B. YOUMANS, Chief Clerk. The certificate and wrapper were inclosed in an envelope addressed to the Secre- tary of War and sent by mail through the city post-office to the War Department, where they were received at the record division, office Secretary of War (room No. 65, War Department, west wing), at 9 a. m., April b, 1888. The envelope was opened by the chief of the record division, who, finding that it was a certificate of deposit (which is not entered in the record division), placed it in the box of the requisition division, from which papers are taken at intervals during the day by messenger to the requisition division, and who placed it in the basket on the desk of the chief of the division, room No. 60, War Department, west wing. The chief, or assistant, seeing the character of the case, immediately passed it to the docket clerk, room 59, who stamped it : '* War Department. Division of Requisitions & Accounts. Apr. 5, '88. 6331." After stamping all such cases on hand, as above, he then stamped the docket num- ber within the circle of the above stamp "6331," giving wrappers and certificates the same docket number, and when all were stamped made the following entry on the "docket book," which is the "letters received ' of the requisition division, and contains a brief entry of all cases received in said division : Page 114 of docket hook, requisition division, for 1888. Number. Name. Subject settle- ment certifi- Inter- locu- tory. Sent— Received. cates, &c. To whom. Date. Number of req- uisitions. No. Amount 1888. Apr.6... * 6329 to 6353. ♦ * Certificates of deposit. See Record, &o., Cert. Dep. Book. * * * ■k R 1888. 5 * * * * ♦ ♦ This form shows also the printed headings of the columns. The docket clerk then passed the cases 6329 to 6353 to the clerk in the same room in charge of» certificates of deposit, who entered the certificate on the "record of certifi- cates of deposit," giving docket number, date of receipt, number of certificate, where deposited, amount, and date of reference to the bureau to which it pertains. 19 Becord of certificates of deposit. [Page 104. J i o o 1 ■a References. 1 jl i AOj. Gen. Q.M.Gen. Paym'at'r Gen. Com. Gen. of Snb. Chief of Ord. 1 1 a PC M D 1 J/ M 3 I M ; D A a M H 4 D Y 12 1 ^ ^ -^ -^ g § g 1 M « 02 P M DM DM DM capt. and A. Q. M. 1 It D c eg M D 1 M D M D J M • D si 1888 6331 4 5 99 Colnm- bns.O. 36. 68 QUI 4 ■i X. ''■ Thia form shows also the printed headings of the columns. He wrote on the certificate and wrapper ** 104 " (the page which shows the entry), and charged the certificate on the wrapper in red ink to the "Q. M. G." He then placed it in an envelope addressed to the Quartermaster-General, where it remained until the work of the day was completed, when the envelope was sealed and placed in the delivery box on the desk of the docket clerk. The envelope was then carried by the division messenger to the room of the chief clerk, Quartermaster-General's Office, No. Ill, third floor, War Department, west wing, who sent it to the clerk in charge of the accounts branch, fifth floor, center wing, No. 69, by whom it was handed to the clerk in charge of the records of certificates of deposit, who stamped on the certificate and wrapper the office stamp, showing date of receipt : B. Qr. Mr. General's Office. Received Apr. 12. 1888. 119 Note. — These certificates were until recently first entered on the book of '* Letters received " like other communications. He then examined the certificate to see whether it contained the information neces- sary to enable him to designate the appropriation. When a certificate does not con- tain this information (a rare occurrence), he examines the money accounts and prop- erty returns 'filed in the office. lu the case under consideration the certificate bore on its face all the necessary data, and he indorsed upon the back of it the following entry : 1888. [Sales to officers]. And on the second fold of the wrapper: 36.68 [2d indorsement.] C.G. S. "War Department, Quartermaster-General's Office, April 24, 1888. Respectfully returned to the Hon. Secretary of War with the appropriation designated as follows, viz: Regular supplies $34.64 Clothing and equipage 2.04 36768 1888. [Sales to officers.] B. p. 978. S. B. HOLABIRD, , nu r fts ^'^S-sB. i5 3 No Original. I certify that of the Treasurer of the United States dollars on account of 188 this d»y deposited to the credit for which I have signed duplicate certificates of deposit. $ [Back.] Wlien received at the Treasury De- partment tbe certificate will be stamped wi(h date of receipt and sent to the proper Department to designate appro- ation. If the money pertains to "miscella- neous receipts" tbecertiftcato will be re- turned to the Secretary of the Treasury ; if it reverts to an appropriation it will bo sent direct to the proper auditor. All stamps and indorsements to be placed hereunder. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, The Secretary of the Treasury. William C. Endicott, Secretary of War. 30 [Circular.] War Department, June 21, 1888. The following letter of the Secretary of the Treasury, coDcerning the action on cer- tificates of deposit, is published for the information and guidance of all concerned : Treasury Department, Office of the Secretary, Washington, D. C, June 19, 1888. Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receijit of your letter of the 14th instant suggesting, as a means of simplifying the routine pursued relative to certificates of deposit referred to your Department for designation of appropriation, that the cer- tificate, after its receipt and notation in this office, be immediately forwarded to the Secretary of War, without a wrapper, formal indorsement, or signature of the chief clerk; that when the appropriation is designated on the back of the certificate by the proper bureau of your Department it be forwarded direct from the bureau to the proper auditor in order that it may be listed, and that when the wliole or any part of the amount of the certificate of deposit is to be covered into the Treasury as a mis- cellaneous receipt such certificate be returned direct to this office, the miscellaneous receipt to be listed here and the certificate then referred to the proper auditor, when a part is to be listed by him. The suggestion meets with the approval of this office ; the loss or mislaying of a certificate occasions considerable delay and annoyance, and it is thought the wrapper is. a safeguard against such possible loss, but if it is fully understood in the several bureaus of your Department that prompt action be taken whenever the certificates are received, and that the certificates will be promptly indorsed and forwarded to their destination, the wrapper may be dispensed with, and in lieu thereof the cer- tificates be sent to your office each day in an envelope, without any official signature, but with simply a notation on the envelope of the number of certificates contained therein. A note, however, will be made each day on the books of this office opposite each certificate entry, showing date of reference to the War Department. It is not deemed practicable to change the form of certificate by printing thereon the instructions as suggested. Respectfully, yours, C. S. Fairchild, Secretary. The Secretary of War. Upon receipt of the certificates in a bureau they will be examined, and if the ap- propriation is correctly stated on the face, they will be stamped on the back ** ap- propriation designated on face," with name of bureau. If not correctly stated on the face the appropriation will be designated on the back ; in this case the stamp should read *' appropriation designated." Except in unavoidable cases certificates of deposit will be sent to the proper auditor or returned to the Secretary of the Treasury within two working days after their re- ceipt in the bureau. By order of the Secretary of War : Saml. Hodgkins, Acting Chief Clerk. War Department, June 18, 1888. Orders : From and after this date the books ** Record of certificates of deposit " and " Moneys repaid or covered into the Treasury," heretofore kept in the division of requisitions and accounts, will be discontinued. By order of the Secretary of War : Sam'l Hodgkins, Acting Chief Clerk. General Orders, \ Headquarters of the Army, No. 52. J Adj;utant-General's Office, Wa8hingto7i, July 11, 1888. By direction of the Secretary of War paragraph 1608 of .the Regulations is re- voked. By command of General Sheridan : R. C. Drum, Adjutant-General. 31 Appendix No. 4. ARMY PAYMASTERS' COLLECTIONS. [Memorandum).] War Depaut.aiext, Board on Business Methods, June 22, 1888. In considering the subject of certificates of deposit the board noticed that in pay- masters' collections funds pertaining to appropriations other than "Pay, etc., of the Army," with two exceptions, are covered into the Treasury to that fund, and after such cover-in are, through a long routine of labor, drawn out of that appropriation and covered into the appropriation to which they belong. The course pursued is shown in the following statement : Private Charles Goodrich, engineer battalion, having received transportation from Fort Leavenworth to New York City at a cost of |28, that amount is made a charge against him, and is collected by the paymaster, F. S. Dodge, who deposits the same with other collections for April, 1888, the whole amounting to $750.9.3, to the credit of the Treasurer of the United States. The paymaster reports said collection in his ** Abstract of collections," which he forwards monthly with his accounts to the Paymaster-Gen- eral. Upon receipt of the certificate of deposit in the Paymaster-General's OfiSce, an examination is made of the ^' Abstract of collections "for April, 1888, and the amount of the certificate ($750.93) is designated as pertaining to "Pay, etc., of the Army, $403.36," "Clothing and equipage, $346.40," and "Arming and equipping the militia, $1.17." The $28, although belonging to "Army transportation," is designated as belonging to "Pay, etc., of the Army," and is covered into the Treasury by deposit requisition to the credit of said appropriation. The Paymaster-General then writes to the Quartermaster-General as follows : [Letters sent. Form 11.1 War Department, Paymaster-General's Office, Washington, June 13, 1888. Sir : The appropriations subject to control of your ofiice are entitled to the benefit of the sums collected, as stated below, in the account of Maj. F. S. Dodge, paymaster, U. S. Army, for Ajjril, 1888, and included in the an^ount of his "Abstract of collec- tions " deposited by him to the credit of the Treasurer United States. The same having been designated on the deposit certificate for cover- in to "Pay, etc., of the Army, 1888," I have the honor to request that you take the steps necessary to trans- fer the amounts to the credit of the appropriation to which they belong. Voucher. Name. On what acconnt. Amount. 1157 Charles Goodrich, second.class pri- vate, Company C, Engineers. Transportation from Fort Leavenworth, Elans., to New York City. $28. 00 Very respectfully, your obedient servant, The Quartermaster-Genkral, U. S. Army. And the Quartermaster- General indorses this letter as follows : [First indorsement.] Wm. B. Eochester, Paymaster- General, U. S. Army. C. G. S. War Department, Quartermaster-General's Office, June 15, 1888. Respectfully submitted to the honorable the Secretary of War, recommending that the amount be transferred from the appropriation "Pay, etc., of the Armv, 1888,'' to " Army transportation, 1888," $28. S. B. Holabird, Quarterma^\Mfft^n^fi JLS. Army. OF THE UNIVERSITY J 32 The paper is then sent to the office of the Secretary of War, where it is taken up on the docket book, division of requisitions and accounts, as No. 11305, received June 19, 1868, and indorsed with a stamp. [Second indorsement.] • War Department, June — , 1888. Respectfully for^varded to the Second Auditor of the Treasury for settlement, as recommended by the Quartermaster-General. By order of the Secretary of War. Chief Cleric. After being initialed by the chief of the division and signed by the chief clerk, the indorsement is press-copied in the requisition division and the paper placed in an envelope for delivery to the Auditor. The Second Auditor then yirepares a settle- ment certificate that there is due from the appropriation for "pay, etc., of the Army, 1868 " to appropriation " Army transportation, 1888," the sum of $28, for which a transfer requisition will be issued to draw the amount from the iirst named appro- priation, and a counter requisition to credit the same to the last named appropriation. The certificate is then sent to the Second Comptroller, who admits and allows " the above reported balance " and signs the same. The-.settlement is then returned to the Second Auditor's office, where it is registered, and it is then sent to the office of the Secretary of War, and taken up on the docket book of the requisition division. The amount being a charge against the appropriation "pay, etc., of the Army," the settle- ment is sent to the Paymaster-General's office, who stamps the same, notes the charge, and returns it to the requisition division. The amount being also a credit to " Army transportation, 1888," the settlement is sent to the Quartermaster-General's office, where it is stamped, noted, and returned to the requisition division. The settlement, after being checked by the book-keeper, is then ready for requisi- tion, and the requisition clerk makes out two requisitions, "transfer" and " counter," and after these are compared they are placed in a basket for the Secretary's signa- ture. After signature the " transfer" is entered in the " Second Auditor's register of jjay requisitions" and the " counter" in the " register of credit requisitions," com- pared, and charged on the docket book to the Second Comptroller. Similar entries are made on the registers of requisitions in his office. The requisitions are initialed by a clerk and signed by the Comptroller. The settlement and transfer requisition is then sent to the Second Auditor's office for registry and signature of the Second Auditor, where the settlement is filed. The counter requisition is sent to the Third Auditor's office, where it is registered and initialed by the chief of division and signed by the Auditor. The transfer and counter requisitions next meet in the war- rant division, office Secretary of the Treasury, where transfer and counter warrants are prepared and attached to the requisitions, initialed by the chief of division, signed by the Secretary or Assistant Secretary, and registered. They are then sent to the First Comptroller for countersignature, " if warranted by law," and then to the Register of the Treasury to be registered. The further steps, before the funds are drawn from and repaid to the respective appropriations, it is not necessary here to follow. It is sufficient to state that all the duplication of work and records, initials and signatures can be obviated if the Pay- master-General will designate on the certificate of deposit all the appropriations to which the funds belong. Respectfully submitted to the honorable Secretary of War. John Tweed ale, l. w. tolman, Jacob Frbch, Members of Board. The views of the board were concurred in by the Secretary of War, who issued the following directions : Respectfully returned to the Paymaster-General, who will take the same action in .cases of credits for all other appropriations as is now done on account of clothing and ordnance stores. The proposed change will obviate the long and, in the opinion of the Secretary of War, entirely unnecessary routine stated in the accompanying memorandum. By order of the Secretary of War. Sam'l Hodgkins, Acting Chief Clerk. War Department, June 2*2, 1888. 33 Appendix No. 5. card-index record of rolls of volunteer army. War Department, Board on Business Methods, July 24, 1888. The board having examined into the subject of copying the regimental muster-rolls on lilo in the Adjutant-General's Office, find that on the 22d of March last the work of copying the military history of each officer and enlisted man from these rolls on a card-index record was commenced. The method of work adopted is as follows : The rolls of a regiment, consisting of the field and staff, and of the several companies, covering the entire time of service, are withdrawn from the tiles and turned over to the clerks engaged in copying in the register (or card-index record) division, under the charge of Mr. E. A. Woodward. All the rolls of a company, consisting of the muster-in, current or bi-monthly, and muster-out rolls, together with individual and detachment muster-out rolls, are issued at the same time to a copyist, who copies on ai>rintedform (card-index record) as much of the history of the first man named on the earliest roll as it contains. (This form, Avhich is 11| inches long and 9| inches wide, is appended to this report as Exhibit A. For the sake of brevity it will be spoken of hereafter as a " card." In the office it is called a "slip.") The copyist then takes a separate card for the next name on the roll, and so on until he has commenced a separate card for each man borne on the first roll. The cards are placed successively together, face down, as the entries are made, until the entire roll is copied. He then lays the copied roll aside and takes up the next in order of date, turns his set of cards face up, and copies the entry opposite the first name found on the second roll on the card pertaining to that name, and in the same manner the entry- opposite the second name is copied on the card j)ertaining to that name, and so con- tinues until all the entries on the second roll are copied on the appropriate cards. As a rule the names appear in the same order on successive rolls. When any roll con- tains a name not found on a prior roll, a card is commenced for such name. In this manner all the rolls are copied, and the entries for the same soldier all brought to one card with only one handling of each roll. After the rolls of a company are copied they are carefully compared by two clerks, one reading from the original roll and the other examining the cards. Errors found on the cards are corrected by the comparers. All the ijoformation on the rolls concerning a soldier is copied on his individual card except the name of the paymaster who paid him^ whose surname only is usually- given on the rolls. The roDs of three regiments (the 152d, 164th, and 177th, N. Y. Vols.) have been copied as above described, and the rolls of nine other regiments (the 155th, 157th, 16lst, 162d, 168th, 169th, 173d, 182d, and 186th, N. Y. Vols.) are in the hands of copy- ists. The cards of the 1.52d regiment have been bound in three volumes, averaginff three hundred and forty cards each. Part I contains the field and staff, and Companies A, B, and C ; Part II, Companies D, E, and F, and Part III, Companies H, I, and K. The cards are arranged in separate alphabetical order by field and staff, and by each company, making eleven alphabetical lists for the regiment. These three volumes are now used in place of the original rolls of the regiment in furnishing information called for by the Commissioner of Pensions, Second, Third, and Fourth Auditors, Second Comptroller, Commissioner of the General Land Office,, Connijissary-General of Subsistence, Quartermaster-General, adjutants-general of States, Loyal Legion, Grand Army of the Republic, and individuals, for various pur- poses. The search for the military history of a soldier is by their use reduced to a minimum, and the original worn and tattered rolls need not be handled again for that purpose. In view of the fact that calls for transcripts from the rolls are received at the Ad- jutant-General's Office from so many sources, it is the opinion of the board that a large amount of clerical work and much dpay would be saved by the printing of these card-index records as fast as a regiment is completed, and the distribution of copies to the different Bureaus requiring the information ; as in that case no calls for that particular information need thereafter bo made on the Adjutant-General, and the clerks now engaged in answering such calls could be relieved, one after another, and assigned to the pressing work of copying the worn muster-rolls of other regiments. The board is also of opinion that all the cards for a regiment should be arranged in one alphabetical series instead of eleven, the order in which the One hundred and Fifty-second Regiment is bound, thus greatly facilitating the search for the record of a member of a regiment whose company or rank is not definitely known; cases which, must increase in frequency with the lapse of time. 17958 3 34 In answer to any objection tliat may be raised to the publication of the informa- tion borne on these rolls, on the ground that it might form a basis for the prosecution of claims against the Government, it niay be stated: (1) Nearly every State has jmblished the military record of its soldiers who en- listed in the Union Army during the late war; uiul this record has been compiled in part from the rolls in the Adjutant-General's Office. (2) The War Department has published the roll of honor, showing name, date of death, and place of interment of all soldiers buried in national and other cemeteries. (3) Under joint resolution of March 2, 1865 (13 Stat., 570), the War Department published the Volunteer Army Register, containing the names of all volunteer officers, and showing casualties; and, (4) In February, 1807, the Senate of the United States authorized the publication of the military history of the Union soldiers who served in regiments raised in the State of Arkansas, showing name, rank, date of enlistment, muster, discharge or de- sertion, date and cause of death, date and nature of wound, and the action in which wounded. (See Senate Mis. Doc. 53, Thirty-ninth Congress, second session.) The fact that so much of the military history of soldiers of thelate war has already been published, seems to remove all ground for objection to printing the record of all soldiers for the information of the officers of the Government charged with the adju- dication of the claims of soldiers or their heirs. There can be no doubt whatever that the distribution of such printed copies to the different Bureaus of the Govern- ment would materially expedite the public business, and save clerical labor which is now expended in making calls in one otlice, searching the rolls in another^ writing up the information thus found and sending it to the office making the call; while in the mean time clerks must be constantly employed on the work of mending and copy- ing, first, the originals, and then the copies of these rolls, to prevent them from ac- tually falling to pieces from incessant wear and tear. When the rolls of a State have been printed in the form proposed, it will be prac- ticable to arrange the cards in one alphabetical series for the State, thus making it possible to find the record of a soldier whose regiment may be unknown ; and with the alphabetical arrangement for each State, it would not be a matter of great diffi- culty (except in case of common names) to find the record of a soldier whose State is unknown, by searching the alphabetical cards of each State. In a report of the Senate Select Committee on Business Methods (Report No. 507, Fiftieth Congress, first session, pp. 182 to 192), the question of continuing the com- pilation of regimental registers of the volunteer forces from the muster-rolls, a work that was begun in the Adjutant-General's Office years ago, as also the question of re- producing the rolls by photography, by the platino-type process, and by printing, is fully discussed. The reasons for discontinuing the compilation of the iiegimental registers, and for rejecting the proposition to reproduce the rolls by any of the means suggested, are clearly and fully set forth in said report, and need not therefore be re- peated here. In that report the Senate committee recommend the application of the card-index record system to these rolls, and of finally printing these cards in a con- densed fornx and furnishing copies to all divisions and Bureaus requiring the same. The report concludes as follows : " In the opinion of your committee this card-index record system is the solution, and the onl^ practical, feasible, and economical solution, of the vexed question in regard to the preservation of these rolls without further wear and destruction, and the placing of the data contained in them in an easily accessible and convenient condition for use. without the handling of the rolls. '* Your committee, therefore, unhesitatingly recommended the adoption of this system to the Secretary of War and the Adjutant-General, and recommend that the work upon the volunteer regimental registers be discontinued, and all the available force of employes be placed at work in compiling from the rolls upon these card records the military history and services, etc., of the officers and sohliers whose names are borne thereon, the rolls to be tUken by States, and as soon as the rolls, reports, records, etc., relating to the soldiers of any one State are completed upon these card-index records, then that the card-index records, arranged alphabetically by regiments, with- out regard to rank, be printed in sufficient numbers to furnish copies to all the divis- ions and Bureaus of all the Departments having any occasion to call for the military history, services, etc., of soldiers for any purpose in the work of such divisions and bureaus, and be prosecuted as rapidly as possible until completed as to all the States, then printed and distributed as above indicated. "When so completed, printtd, and distributed, then all the labor in the various divisions and Bureaus of all thn Departments in writing applications to or calls upon the Adjutant-General for information in regard to officers and sohliers, and all the labor in the office of the Adjutant-General in searching these rolls and answering such calls can be dispensed with, and the further use, wear, and tear of the rolls will cease, and there will bo no occasion to refer to or use the rolls except in case of a dis- pute as to the correctness of such card-index record, when the card-index record will show the particular rolls to be referred to for verification. 35 "The employds in any oflBce desiring any information in regard to any soldier can by knowing his regiment and State, qnickly take the printed book containing the names, record, etc., of the soldiers of that regiment and State, and find the informa- tion desired as easily and quickly as he could take a dictionary and tind the defini- tion of any word. "This work is so important that it should be prpsecuted with the greatest vigor and by every available employd, and, if necessary, there should be an additional force provided for." It has been estimated in the Adjutant-General's Office that there are 402,916 sep- arate rolls, or 2'2,:?84 sets of successive rolls of companies or equivalent organizations, averaging 18 rolls to a set. The total number of men furnished during the late war under the diHerent calls of the President is reported to be 2,778,304, and there were organizations in service equivalent to 2,047 regiments of 10 companies each. (Phis- terei-'s Statistical Record, p. 23.) Estimating that the total number of cards to be made will nearly equal the total number of men furnished, there would be 1,356 cards to each average regiment. It is thought that from 6 to 7 average cards can be printed in brevier type, in solid form, upon an octavo page (7| by 4^ inches); that all the cards could be printed on 463,051 such pages. To print each regiment separately will require about > « a £ a c «*- o o aj ® H I Haa^ T3'0 © 3d -a S 05 OO 00 t, 51 §1 §«D(M O 3aag o o X 23-0 O » «b --2 ^a 5 i: a ?? $f S a o o -y^ £ © <= H Ha^oogt? 'a So rs 41 <5 " ® Haa^^t? o c soc 2 '3'a ^ ^ "s 'T'o a >^ © ® 2 a • o . 55 o a C) JO eoeo ^2 ti. ® >« 0) a = J •Hacpt^a -3 5 a 5 *- - 40 Regi- ments carded by 30O men with ac- cretions. Regi- ments carded by 270 men with ac- cretions. Regi- ments carded by 240 men with ac- cretions. Regi- ments carded by 210 men with ac- cretions. Regi- ments carded by 180 men with ac- cretions. Regi- ments carded by 150 men with ac- cretions. Regi- ments carded by 120 men with ac- cretions. Regi- ments carded by 90 men with ac- cretions. Regi- ments carded by GO men with ac- cretions. ■* (M ^Regi- ments carded by 30 men with ac- cretions. CI Com- panies carded. 1 U\ to to j g ^ S ts i Force employed. ss ; tit ©go p a a: m ©o ! 2^ ! in i rs o a < 1 1 a 1 s Si 2 1 1 «2 1 a 1 .3 1 g 05 P a 1 41 From this table it appears that, commencing with 30 clerks, the average accretions have been one man every live and one-lifth mouths, that the force has doubled in thirteen years, aud in that time the rolls of 63:^.0 regiments have been carded. With 90 clerks the work can be completed in thirteen years; with 1'20 clerks, in eleven years; with 150 clerks, in nine years ; with 180 clerks, in eight years; with 210 clerks, in seven years; with 240 clerks, in six and one-half ye.ars ; with 270 clerks, in five and one-half years ; with 300 clerks, in five years. The work has been in progress but four months ; with time the clerks will become more expert and the time for completion of the wotk can doubtless be shortened. If it should be decided to print the card-index the board is of opinion that there will be a falling off in the number of calls, which will be felt in every branch of the ofiQce where such calls are noted, searched, answered, or initialed, and the expedition with which the calls can be answered will largely reduce the inquiries made with reference to cases which have been delayed. It is admitted that something must speedily be done to preserve the rolls. They are now so dilapidated that many of them crumble to pieces at the folds whenever they are opened. How long they will last can not be determined accurately ; with the present handling, perhaps not more than eight years. To make a card-index of the rolls in eight years 180 clerks should now be put upon the work, or 150 more than are now employed. Can that number be spared without delaying other work ? To answer this question we must consider for a moment the work in the record and pension division of the Surgeon-General's office. There the card-index of hos- pital registers of the war period will be completed within a year, and 100 clerks can then probably be transferred to the work of card-indexing in the Adjutant-General's office. Within a year, therefore, the work can be commenced in the Adjutant-Gen- eral's office with 130 clerks, and no doubt sufficient force can be added to complete it in eight years, and without any increase of appropriations. There is another alternative which will relievo a number of clerks in the Adjutant- General's office and tend to simplify the records. In March, 1884; the Surgeon-Gen- eral transferred to the Adjutant-General ** all hospital registers and prescription books, and all field registers and prescription books, so called, of State and Territo- rial regimental volunteer organizations, also of United States white and colored troops serving as complete regiments or battalions." These were added to a mass of similar records in the Adjutant-General's office. These records contain much valu- able information, but are difficult to search and take much time of the searchers. The information they contain is analogous to the information in the Surgeon-Gen- eral's office, and which is now being carded. If these records were transferred 'to the Surgeon-General's office the information they contain could be added to the card- index now approaching completion. The transfer of these records would enable a clerk in the Adjutant-General's office to answer many more calls than at present, and consequently a number of clerks could at once be available for work on the cards. While the board has not yet traced in detail the different classes of cases through the office, it finds that in the pension-record division 9 clerks are employed in record- ing calls for information from the volunteer rolls and records, and distributing them to the two divisions of rolls and records for search. This record is kept in order that the number of calls received and answered may be known, and that inquiries regard- ing their status may be replied to. If the 9 clerks in this division were assigned to the work of answering calls, about 70 more cases a day could be reported upon ; thus lessening the number of inquiries concerning delayed cases, saving the delay of two days now caused by entering and charging out the cases in the seven books, increas- ing the output of the office by about 1,700 cases a month, and hastening the transfer of clerks from the work of searching the rolls to that of making index-record cards. To readily find a case the date of the call must be given, otherwise the search must be made in three books for a case one year old. If all calls were answered promptly (say within one week) it is apparent that there would be but very few inquiries about delayed cases. After the calls have been answered the records are of no use, as a second call for information concerning the same man is entered anew, the pre- vious entry not being looked up. In the Paymaster-General's office no record is kept of the calls (about 2,400 a month; for information from the volunteer records in his office, for the reason that to do so would delay the answering of calls. They are now simply stamped with the date of receipt and counted. If in place of the date of receipt stamp now used in the pension record division, Adjutant-General's office, an automatic numbering and dating stamp were used, it would both show the date of receipt and accurately count the cases at one operation. The board recommends that the pension-record division of the enlisted volunteer pension branch be discontinued, and that the clerks employed therein be assigned to answering calls from the pension and other offices 42 The Tinatiswered calls in the first and second divisions of the volunteer rolls and records on hand July 1, 1888, were 11,986, some of the uncomplicated pension cases hein^ three weeks old, while some complicated pension cases are two months old, and the calls from the Second Auditor's office three months okl. The board is of opinion that measures should be at once taken to bring this work up so that no calls shall remain unanswered longer than one week. Kespectfully submitted. .John Twkedale, L. W. TOLMAi^, Jacob Frech, Memhera of Board. Hon. William C. Endicott, Secretary of War. Exhibit A. Bosicorth, Clement A. rank, private Co. A, 182d TiegH, New York Infantry (Q9th N. T. S. N. G. A.). Co. M. I. roll, dated.* Age. Ran^. Day. Month. Tear. "Where. By whom. Term. Private 12th. Sept. . . 1862 New York.. Capt. Sullivan.... 3yr8. * Mustered in Newport News, Va., Nov. 17th, 1862. Remarks: On detached service in New York since Nov. 8tb, 1862, by order of Col. Murphy. No. and date order unknown. Muster roll for- Last paid. Bounty. Clothing. Paid. Due. Date of last settlement. Drawn since. • Remarks. 1862. Nov.l7 Doiu. Dolls. Dolls. Present. On detached service Nov. 17 to Dec. at New York since Nov. 8, 1862, by order of Brig. Gen. Corcoran. No. and date of order unknown. Present. Not yet mustered 3L 1863. into U. S. service. Received no pay. Apr 10 U. S. service. Present. Presen t. Never received an v May and June . July and Aug.. Apr.30 pay from date enlistnient. Mustered in Apr. 29. at Suf- folk, by Lieut. Hunt. Present. June 30 '63 Absent. Detached in New York for conscripts by or- der of Gen. Heiutzleinan. 1864. Jan. and Feb. .. Mar. and Apr.. "Vfav t«n(l .Tlinft June 30 York for conscripts by order of Gen. Heintzlenian. Altsent. Detaclied in New York for con.scr ipts by order of Gen, Heiutzleinan. Pi'esent. Returned from de- ' tached service in New York and arrest for desertion therefrom. Duo U. S. for clothing, $9.54; for arrest, $30.00. Ab.sent. Wounded May 22. Present. Julv and Aug.. Sept. and Oct . . Dec. 31, '63 .. Au«' 31 Present. Due TJ. S. bounty. i 1 1 $27.00. Due by U. S. for clothing not drawn, $16.39. 43 Bo8Worth, Clement A., ranJc, privale Co. J, 182d BegH, Kav York Infantry (Q9th N. Y, S. N. G. ^.)— Continued. Muster roll for— Last pp.id. Bounty. Clothing. • Paid. Due. Date of last settlement. Drawn since. Kemarks. 1864. Nov End Dec All"-. .31 DolU. DolU. Dolls. Pres(!nt. Due TJ. S. bounty 1865. Dec. 31, '64 .. $-27.00. Due by U. S. f{»r clothing, $16.39. Corporal. Presence or ab- Mar. and Apr.. May and June . Dec. 31, '64 .. Dec 31 '64 sence not stated. Charge for one cartridge-box belt. Present. Due TJ. S. for cloth- ingoverdmwn$2.37. Charge for one cross-belt. Present. Dnv U. S. for cloth- ing overdrawn $2 37. Charge for one cross-belt. Mustered out : With company. When. Where. ■ Last paid. Clothing. Bounty. Equipments lost, etc. Retained. Rank. r Month. Year. Last settled. Drawn since. 6 Corporal. 1 15 t July.. 1865 Near Washing- ton, D. C. Dec. 31, 1864 Sept. 1,1864 $54.50 25 75 $6.00 Remarks : < :;barge fqr one cross-belt. Age 27 years. Month. Regimental returns. Month. Regimental returns. BEMABES ON BEPOBT OF THE WAB DEPABTMENT BOABD ON BUSINESS METHODS. CARD-INDEX RECORDS OF ROLLS OF THE LATE VOLUNTEER FORCES. The narrative portions of the report is an accurate description of the minutisB of the work of transcribing on printed forms of *' card-index record" all the informa- tion the rolls attord concerning the military history of a soldier. The first recommendation of the Board is for printing the card-index records "as fast as a regiment is completed, and the distribution of copies to the diflerent Bureaus requiring the information." I can not concur in this recommendation, for the following reasons: 1. The time that would be required in reading and correcting proofs would neces- sarily retard the prompt preparation of answers to calls for information from the Pension and other Bureaus. 2. The record given in the cards, whilo correct so far as the rolls are concerned, is not absolutely reliable, as in many instances the entries on the rolls are reliable only when verified by other records not entered at present on the cards. As the dual pri- niary objects of the card system are to obviate the handling of the rolls and to record in compact form the information they contain, hence no part of the record of the soldier coutained in company and regimental books, and other records, is now entered on the cards, as to do so would greatly retard the copying of the rolls, which is the primary object. I desire to emphasize this fact to correct a widespread opinion that a correct abstract from the rolls furnishes a complete military history of any given man. 44 In view of this fact the printing of the card-index record at present would not he of henefit and the distrihtition of the record cards to other Bureaus woukl he open to serious ohjectious and tend to confusion. The supposed ohjection to the recommendation of the hoard, that such puhlication might allord the hasis for the prosecution of claims is, as represented hy the hoard, without valid ground, and is not cnnsidered. The real objection is that the record given'hy the cards, while correct as to the rolls, is incomplete, and, as stated above, in many cases the entries on the rolls are shown on investigation of other records to he erroneous; while, as stated hy the board, many of the States have published the military Yecords of their troops during the late war, based, in part, on data furnished by this office; such printed records are simply historical, and it is suggested for careful consideration whether similar records printed for this ofhce could properly be accepted by the auditing officers as the *' official" hasis for action. All complex systems of necessity involve division of duties and responsibilities. It is a correct rule of our .administrative systems that the auditing officers of the Gov- ernment are ^pendent on other officers for the official information needed to enable them to pass on the validity of claims, aud, therefore, even if absolutely complete mili- tary histories were now compiled in this office, the printing of such records and dis- tribution to other Bureaus of the Government would present a grave question, as in this case. For instance, for volunteers, the military records of this othce would vir- tually be transferred to the Pension Office, and the Adjutant-General, instead of an . active executive officer, would simply become the mere custodian of the original rolls. For these reasons the further recommendation for the printinii and distribution of the cards of the One hundred and sixty-fourth New York Volunteers, just completed, is not concurred in. The next recommendation of the board is that all the cards for a regiment should he arranged in one alphabetical series instead of by companies, and the reason assigned is that such an arrangement would facilitate the search for the record of a member of a regiment whose rank and company is not remembered by him, or known to his friends; cases which, the hoard adds, must increase in frequency with the lapse of time. The existing system of military records, National and State, affords such facilities for locating individual soldiers by companies that the reason given for the change to a regimental arrangement of names loses much of its force, and it is not therefore deemed advisable to chauge the present method of arrangement by companies, which preserves intact the unit of military organization throughout the service. The suggestion that when the rolls of a State have been printed it will be practica- ble to arrange the cards in alphabetical series for the States, simply tends further to obliterate all military organizations, converting military records into a vast agglom- eration of individual records without relation or co-ordination, and its supposed ad- vantages are not commensurate with the utter impossibility, without reference to the original rolls — a reference which the card system renders unnecessary — to determine the personnel of a given command. To facilitate the work of the copyists in the preparation of the cards the hoard suggests the adoption of cylinders on which the rolls may he mounted while being copied. While no special objection is seen to giving this decision a practical test, and the size and condition of the roll (repaired, when needed, before being given to the copyist) not considered a serious drawback to the copyist, it is thouojht that to place a roll on the cylinder, clamp it, the continuous changing and clamping would neces- sarily consume more time than at present with the use of long steel rulers, readily moved from line to line as needed. The fourth recommendation of the board is that hereafter when a call is received for the full military history of soldiers from the rolls of a regiment which has not yet been carded, that the searchers fill up cards similar to those prepared in the card- index record division, adding, of course, result of search made of any other record to answer the call. These cards to be printed in copying ink and ])ress-copied. The press-copy to be furnished the officer making the call, while the original cards should be tiled alphabetically by regiments, thus furnishing ready information for any sub- sequent calls in those cases. It is not possible, in this brief paper, to do more than indicate some of the many practical reasons which should juevent the adoption of this purely theoretical recommendation. A card-record slip is a fnll record of entries found opposite the name of a man on the muster-in, muster-out, and each aud every intermediary muster roll ; while, in a report to the Pension Office, after noting date of commencement of service, the clerk's examination of subsequent rolls is limited to observing whether the soldier is re- ported "present," without making a record of each entry, until he reaches a roll in- dicating a change of status. ♦ 45 One is a complete record of entries made on the original rolls, the other is a brief r^sum^ of service, and it is hardly necessary to add that an attempt to combine them wonld entail great loss of time in the preparation of reports. The card- record slip is carefully verified. The report is simply examined before being sent out. The tirst can be accepted as an official permanent record ; the sec- ond, for obvious reasons, can not and should not. Twelve thousand reports are made monthly. To press-copy thera would divert much time from more important work, not to speak of additional time required to properly assort the originals. Another consideration is that the crowded condition of the rooms attbrds not an inch of space for the filing of these numerous papers. The statement, that in view of the approaching completion of the work in the pension and record division of the Surgeon-General's Office, one hundred clerks can probatfly, a year hence, be transferred to the record slip division of this office, is one, when the time arrives, for the action of the Secretary of War. It is unnecessary to add that such a large addition to the force would very materially increase results, and if suit- able accommodations be provided, such a transfer will be highly desirable. The regular force of the record slip division is increased as rapidly as consistent with the volume of business in other divisions. The reduction of business connected with answers to calls for information from the rolls depends necessarily on tlie number of such calls received, and this number can not be anticipated. For instance, while the monthly average of calls received since July, 1887, has been 11,921, the number re- ceived in February, March, April, Mav, and October of this year has ranged from 13,174 to 17,205. The alternative is suggested by the board that all hospital records, by retrausfer to the Surgeon-General's Office, would relieve a number of clerks in this office and that such a transfer would enable the office to answer many more calls. Prior to 1884 hospital records of every description were found in the Adjutant- General's and Surgeon-General's Offices, and with a view to a proper division of this class of records, an arrangement was carried out, with tlie sanction of the Secretary of War, whereby all records of regimental hospitals then with the Surgeon-General were transferred to this office, while to his office were transferred all medical records not strictly regimental, viz, records of medical directors of departments, general, corps, division, and brigade hospitals, etc. The proper division brought together, in this office, all military records of soldiers while under regimental control, and has resulted, as anticipated, in greatly facilitating the rendition of reports and simplifying the business between the two offices and the Pension Bureau. The alternative proposition should not therefore be entertained, as its direct effect would be to recreate the confusion of records existing prior to 1884. The last recommendation of the board is to discontinue the peusicm record division. Unless it is formally assumed that the numerous calls, verbal and written, from Sena- tors, Members, and others, for information, should be disregarded and left unanswered, the pension record division is a necessity and its existence very materially lessens the time needed to answer such calls, and assures to the office a concise record of all cases received and answered. Respectfully submitted. E. C. Drum, Adjutant- General. [Received, War Department, January 3, 1889.] War Department, January 18, 1889. Having carefully considered the report of the board on the ''card-index records of the rolls of the late volunteer force" and the remarks of the Adjutant-General thereon, I am of opinion that a practical test of the value of the system, which has been com- menced, can only be made by printing and distributing to the proper officers the card-index of the muster-rolls of one regiment. It is therefore ordered that the card-index of the rolls of the One hundred and sixty-fourth New York Volunteers be printed and, to facilitate search, that the cards of said regiment be arranged in one alphabetical list. Requisition will accordingly be made upon the Public Printer for not less than three hundred copies of the work, the printed volume to contain a statement on the title-page that it is a transcript of the muster-rolls onlj^. When printed the book will at once be distributed to all officers of the Government who need a copy in the performance of their duties. Each officer to whom one or more copies may be sent will be requested to report as early as possible whether the book is of value in the dispatch of public business. This will enable the Department to report to Congress definite information as to the cost and value of the work. William C. Endicott, Secretary of War. 46 Appendix No. 6. credit requisitions. War Department, Board on Bcsiness Methods, August 6, 1888. The following letter from the Secretary of the Treasury conveying recomnieudations of the Treasury Coraraissiou that the War Department prepare credit requisitions from lists of deposits furnished by the book-keepers division of the Third Auditor's office, was referred to this board by the Secretary of War: Treasury Department, Office of the Secretary, Washington, D. C, July 21, 1888. Sir: I have the honor to invite your attention to the following recommendations of the Treasury commission, being certain changes in the j)re8ent business methods in the book-keepers division of the Third Auditor's office, viz : (1) That certiticates of deposit issued by national banks and by the Treasurer and assistant treasurers, to the order of the various United States disbursing officers, be listed on one and the same list, the heading of said list to read *'U. S. Treasury and National Banks." (2) That, at option, more than one certificate of deposit be listed on each of the lists sent to the Commissioner of Pensions for requisition to issue. (3) That the War Department and the Interior Department be requested hereafter to make out their own credit requisitions from the lists sent to them from the book- keepers division of the Third Auditor's office. As the recommendations include a request that your Department hereafter make out your own credit requisitions which appear to have been heretofore made out in 'the book-keepers division of the Third Auditor's office, I have the honor to submit the matter for your consideration, and, if approved by you, to request that you issue the necessary instructions to carry into effect the changes recommended by the com- mission so far as they relate to your Department. If the proposed change meets with your approval, please so advise me, and any blank requisitions now on hand in the Third Auditor's office, or further details con- cerning the work desired by you, will be furnished. Respectfully, yours, C. S. Fairchild, Secrela7'y. The Secretary- OF War. Upon investigation it is found that deposit requisitions are prepared in the office of the Second and Third Auditors, for the signature of the Secretary of War, from de- posit lists made up from the certificates of deposit passing through those offices ; that the unsigned deposit requisitions are forwarded to the Secretary of War for signature, together with the deposit lists upon which they are based; that while it is not known under what order or understanding the practice of preparing these requisitions in the Treasury Department arose, it has been found to be a convenient arrangement, so far as the War Department is concerned, as this Department is saved that much cler- ical labor, the number of credit requisitions received per mouth averaging one hun- dred and fifty. The Treasury commission recommends that the War Department be requested here- after to make out its own credit (deposit) requisitions from the lists sent to it from the book-keepers division of the Third Auditor's office. Considering the tw6 Departments together, the change if adopted, would neither increase nor diminish the amount of clerical labor now bestowed upon these requisi- tions, and therefore no reason can be assigned why the War Department should not prepare its own requisitions. The board is of opinion, however, that a great amount of clerical labor can be saved in the two Departments, and the multiplication of papers avoided by the adop- tion of a form upon a single sheet of paper, which would answer all the purposes of the three papers by which War Department deposits are now covered into the Treas- ury, and known respectively as "a deposit list," a "deposit requisition," and a "re- pay covering warrant." This consolidated form, or " deposit list-requisition-warrant," is appended to this re})ort as exhibit A. It will be found to differ from the present form of deposit lists (see Exhibits B, E, H, L, O, and R) in that it contains six separate columns for appropriations, thus allow- ing of the entry on one line of a dex)08it of moneys pertaining to ditterent a}>propria- tions ; the present form requires a separate line for each appropriation to which a de- posit pertains. A separate column for such moneys of the deposit as pertain to " miscellaneous re- 47 ceipts" dispenses with the necessity of making a separate explanatory note, which is now made ou the deposit lists. (See Exhibits B and E.) The introduction of separate columns for ditferent appropriations permits of the entry of many more deposits on a list of the usual size, and in order to illustrate this grai)hically six actual deposit lists (Exhibits B, E, H, L, O, and K) which accoui- panied six requisitions prepared for the signature of the Secretary of War in the book-keepers division of the Third Auditoi-'s office, have been entered on the one consolidated form (Exhibit A). Copies of the six requisitions referred to are also ap- pended to this report as Exhibits C, F, I, M, P, and 8. It will be observed that the order of the entries as they appear on deposit lists must be rearranged on the requi- sitions now in use in order that all the deposits relating to any one appropriation may appear together, and the amount deposited to the credit of each appropriation be clearly represented. The proposed form meets this requirement fully as each appropriation has a sepa- rate coluinn. Should the list embrace moneys deposited to the credit of appropriations having the same title, but pertaining to two ditierent years, this distinction can readily be made by footing the total for each year separately, and indicating the years opposite the respective totals. On the reverse side of the form, will he found a complete requisition, and a com- plete warrant, each so worded that it will not be necessary to repeat any of the items noted ou the list of deposits except the number of the deposit list, and the total amount to be "covered in." The requisition and warrant so appearing on this form, answer the purposes of the six requistions appended to this report as Exhibits C, F, I, M, P, and S, and the six warrants appended as Exhibits D, G, K, N,Q, and T. The board is informed that the deposit lists, requisitions, and warrants are filed in separate offices in the Treasury Department; should this not prove to be an insuper- able objection to the consolidation of the three documents into one, it is evident that a large amount of clerical labor would be saved, for after a list is prepared it will no longer be necessary to — (1) Re-arrange the items on the list according to appropriation. (2) Make new computation of totals in accordance with such arrangement. (3) Copy the re-arranged list on the requisition. (4) Examine the requisition to see that it is a correct copy. (5) Copy the requisition on the warrant, and (6) Examine the waiyant to see that it is correctly copied. But this is not all that the proposed blank will accomplish. While it may require eight signatures, the number affixed to the list, requisition, and warrant now in use, so much space is gained by the introduction of colunms for separate appropriations that the blank will ordinarily take the place of six or more sets of deposit lists, requi- sitious and warrants. The six sets of lists, requisitions, and warrants appended to this report require forty-eight official signatures, viz, each of the six lists is signed by the chief of the warrant division. Treasury Department; each of the six requisi- tions is signed by the Secretary of War, the Second Comptroller, and the Third Au- ditor ; each of the six warrants is signed by the Secretary of the Treasury, the First Comptroller, the Register, and the Treasurer. Thus one paper is substituted foreight- een, and eight signatures for forty-eight. This reduction in bulk of papers is alone an important consideration in view of the large number of deposit lists, deposit requi- sitions and repay warrants that are made out during the year, from all of which w^ould be eliminated the chance of error likely to arise in copying from one paper to another, and from a second to a third, and rendering entirely unnecessary the work of comparing these copies. Should such form be adopted the hook-keepers division of the Third Auditor's of- fice would be at once relieved from the task of i)reparing deposit requisitions, as rec- ommended by the Treasury commissiou. The board also deems it proper to express its opinion that a great saving of time and labor can be effected and possibility of error due to copying avoided by the con- solidation upon one sheet of the following papers: (1) The letter of request of the head of a Bureau that the Secretary of War issue an accountable requisition; (2) the accountable requisition based upon such request; and (3) the accountable warrant hased upon such requisition. When it is necessary to place public moneys pertaining to one or more appropria- tions to the credit of a disbursing officer, the proper head of Bureau forwards a letter (Exhibit U) to the Secretary of War, requesting that a certain sum be placed in a designated depository to the credit of the officer named, for which he is to he held accountable, and to be charged to the several appropriations iu specified amounts. This request is then copied on a blank form of "accountable requisition" (Exhibit V) in the division of requisitions and accounts, Office of the Secretary of War, signed by the Secretary, and forwarded to the Secretary of the Treasury, when the requisition is copied on a blank form of accountable warrant (Exhibit W) in the warrant division. Office of the Secretary of the Treasury. 48 The consolidated form to take tlie place of these three documents is appended to this report as Exhibit X. With the approval of the Secretary of War so much of this suggestion as looks to the consolidation of the letter of request and the requisition has been carried into eflect. The letter of request is thus reduced to one line on the margin of the requisition, containing the words '* Requested by ," and a space for the signature of the head of the Bureau. The body of the requisition is tilled out in the Bureau, thus saving the labor of copying from a letter on a requisition as is now done in the divis- ion of requisitions and accounts. In the proposed blank the lower halt is a complete warrant so worded that it will not be necessary to repeat any of the items noted on the requisition, except the number of the requisition and the total amount to be placed to the credit of the officer. While the proposed consolidated form (Exhibit X) will require as many signatures as now appear on the request, requisition, and warrant, it reduces those three papers to one, saves two copyings, diminishes the possibility of error, and prevents the ac- cumulation of duplicate or triplicate files X)ractical]y containing identical informa- tion. The board therefore suggests that the question of the adoption of these consolidated forms (Exhibits A and X) be submitted to the Secretary of the Treasury for his con- sideration. Respectfully submitted. John Tweedale, L. W. Tolman, Jacob Frech, Hon. William C. Endicott, Members of Board. Secretary of War. Exhibit A. DEPOSIT requisition. WAR DEPARTMENT. No. 5435. To the Secretary of the Treasury : Sir: Please issue a warrant on the persons named in within deposit list No. 89 | 1068, in favor of the Treasurer of the United States for eight- arming and equip'ng the militia 80 188 . Clothing, camp and garrison 188 . Medical and hospital depart- mpTit 188 . Subsistence of the Army ... .... 96 13 Received August 7, 1888. Office of the Treasurer of the United States. James W. Hyatt, Treasurer, 68 Exhibit U. war department. $2,002.05. No. 1840. Office of the Quartermaster-General, Washington City, July 27, 1888. To the Secretary of War : Sir : Please cause the sum of two thousand and two ^ dollars to be placed in the following-named depositories, viz: Dollars. Cts. Aast. treasurer U.S., New York 2,002 05 Qg Total 2,002 O'i •-I ::: to the credit of Col. Chas. H. Tompkins, Assist. Qr. Mr. Gen'l U. S. Army, Goy- a> ernor's Island, N. Y. Harbor, who is to be held accountable therefor, and charged "*** to the appropriations for — Dollars. Regnlar supplies, Quartermaster's Dept., for fiscal year ending June 30, Incidental expenses, Quartermaster's Dept., Barracks and quarters Transportation of the Army and its supplies Horses for cavalry and artillery Clothing, camp and garrison equipage Construction and repairs of hospitals National cemeteries Pay of supts. of national cemeteries 88 Total. Cts. 2,001 2.002 40 05 Respectfully, S. B. HOLABIRD, Quartermaster-General, U. S. Army. 69 Exhibit V. WAR DEPARTMENT. Acconntable requisition No. 541. To the Secretary of the Treasury : Sir : Please cause a warrant for two thousand and two dollars and five cents to be issued in favor of asst. treasurer U. S., New York, to be placed to the credit of Col. Chas. H. Tompkins, asst. qr. mr. genl. U. S. Army, Governor's Island, N. Y. Harbor, for which sum he is to be held accountable. To be charged to the undermentioned appropriations. Given under my hand this 1st day of August, 1888. $2,002i^.^. Wm. C. Endicott, Secretary of War. Countersigned : Registered : S. Butler, Second Comptroller. John S. Williams, Third Auditor. Appropriations. Regular supplies of the Qnarterraaster's Department ... Inculental expenses of the Quartermaster's Department. Horses for cavalry and artillery Barracks and quarters Transportation of the Army and its supplies, 1888 National cemetei'ies CouHtruction and repairs of hospitals, 1888 ClotlnniT, camp and jfaiTison equipage, 1888 Subsistence of the Army 70 Exhibit W. treasury department. [Office of the Secretary of the Treasury, division of warrants, estimates, and appropriations. Form 57 Accountable ■warrant. 1 No. . $2,002.05. To the Treasurer of the United States, greeting: Pay to asst. treasurer U. S., New York, to be placed to the credit of Col. Chas. H. TompkiDs, asst. qr'm'r-genl. U. S. Army, Governor's Island, N. Y. Harbor, or order, to be charged to the appropriations named in the margin, two thousand and two dol- lars and five cents; for which sum he, Chas.'H. Tompkins, is to be held accountable, pursuant to a requisition, No. 541, of the Secretary of War, dated August 1, 1888, countersigned by the Second Comptroller of the Treasury and registered by the Third Auditor. And for so doing this shall be your warrant. Given under my hand and the seal of the Treasury Department this fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight, and of Independence the one hundred and thirteenth. C. S. Fairchild, Secretary, Countersigned : M. J. Durham, First Comptroller. Registered : W. S. ROSECRANS, Eegister. Appropria tions. Subsistence of the Army Medical and hospital department. . Regular supplifes Quartermaster's Department Incidental expenses Quartermas- ter's Dep't Barracks and quarters 1888. Transportation of the Array and its supplies National cemeteries Pay of superintendents of national, cemeteries 001 40 1888. Clothing, camp and garrison equipage 1888. Construction and repairs of hospitals Pay, &c., of the Army Ordnance, ordnance stores, and supplies Ordnance service Repairs of arsenals Arming and equipping the militia. Office of the Treasurer of the United States. Received for this warrant the following draft : No. on ; No. on . Mailed . 71 Exhibit X. WAR DEPARTMENT. Accountable requisition No. 541. To the Secretary of the Treasury : Sir : Please cause a warrant for two thousand and two dollars and five cents to be issued in favor of asst. treasurer U. S., New York, to be placed to the credit of Col. Chas. H. Tompkins, asst. qr. mr. genl. U. S. Army, Governor's Island, New York Harbor, or order, for which sum he, Chas. H. Tompkins, is to be held accountable. To be charged to the undermentioned appropriations. Given under my hand this 1st day of August, 1888. $2,002.05. Wm. C. Endicott, Secretary of War, Countersigned : S. Butler, Second Comptroller. Registered : Jno. S. Williams, Third Auditor. Appropriations. Regular supplies of the Quartermaster's Department . . . Incidental expenses of the Quartermaster's Department Horses for cavalry and artillery Barracks and quarters Transportation of the Army audits supplies, 1888 Natioifel cemeteries Construction and repairs of hospitals, 1888 Clothing, camp and garrison equipage " Subsistence of the Army TREASURY DEPARTMENT. Accountable warrant No. 1001. To the Treasurer of the United States, greeting : Pay two thousand and two dollars and five cents, pursuant to the foregoing req- uisition, duly countersigned and registered, and for so doing this shall be your warrant. Given under my hand and the seal of the Treasury Department this fifth day of August, 1888. $2,002.05. 4 C. S. Fairchild,. Secretary. Countersigned : M. J. Durham, First Comptroller. Registered : W. S. ROSECRANS, Register. Office of the Treasurer of the United States. Received for this warrant the following draft ; No. on ; No. on mailed, . 72 War Department, Washington City, August 9, 1888. Sir : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the '21st of July embodying a recomniendation of the Treasury commission that the War Department be requested hereafter to make out its own credit requisitions from the lists sent here from the book-keepers division of the Third Auditor's ofiBce. In reply thereto I inclose herewith a report of the War Department board on busi- ness methods upon the subject. The board has prepared a consolidated form embracing a deposit list, a credit re- quisition, and a repay warrant, all in one, which, should it meet with your approval, will relieve the book-keepers division of the Third Auditor's oiiice from the work of this Department which it is now doing, and at the same time impose no additional work upon this Department, save the Treasury Department from the labor of filling out the repay warrants, and make a large reduction in the number of papers which now must be signed by many officials and then occupy valuable filing space. The board has also prepared a consolidated form embracing in one sheet a letter of request for accountable requisition, the accountable requisition based upon such request, and the accountable warrant based upon such requisition. The adoption of this form, if it should also meet with your favorable consideration- wonld, it is believed, save the Treasury Department considerable labor in the prep- aration of such warrants, and also diminish the quantity of papers to be filed. If it is deemed advisable by the Treasury Department that the credit requisition, now prepared in the Third Auditor's office, should be prepared in this Department, before action shall have been had upon the recommendation of the War Department board, I will thank yon to forward the blank requisitions now on hand in that office and the necessary instructions will be given to carry into effect the change recom- mended by the commission. Very respectfully, William C. Endicott, Secretary of War. The Secretary cf the Treasury. Inclosures: Copy of report of board of August 6, 1888, and Exhibits A to X inclusive. Pending the action of the Treasury Department upon the proposed consolidated forms (Exhibit A and X) the recommendation of the board for the consolirtation of a number of deposit lists upon one deposit requisition was carried into elfecr by print- ing upon the back of the existing lorm (Exhibit C) of requisitious the following form, which permitted the consolidation of a number of deposit lists upon one requisition^, thus greatly reducing the number of credit requisitions : Appropriations. Name and rank. Tear. Regular supplies, Q.M.D. Clothing, camp and garrison equipage. Inci- dental expenses, Q. M. D. Army transpor- tation. Total, Miscl- laneoua receipts. • Total ' At the same time a circular was issued by the Secretary of War consolidating; upon one form the letter of request (Exhibit U)loraccouutable requisition and the account- able requisition itself (Exhibit V). in onier to carry into effect so much of the sug- gested reform as lay in the power of the War Department to accomplish. The circular and the consolidated forui are given below: [Circulir.J War Dkpaktmext, August I), 1888. In order to simplify the businesnof this Department, rrflnce the possibility of error nd avoid the duplication of ].a]teiK containing praeticallv 'lie sanie information, tlie ecretary of War directs that tlie ])iactice in il.e difieient l^nn an^ of wiiimji a sep- rate ** request" ui>on which 1o base an accountalile requisition be dib««Miiinuej Secretary of War. •^ Countersigned : -g Second Comptroller. 'B. Registered : ^ Auditor. Appropriations. Regular supplies of the Quartermaster's Department . . . Inculeutal expenses of the Quartermaster's Department Horses for cavalry and artillery Barriicks and quarters. Transport at ion of tlie Army and its supplies ^atioual cemeteries Construction and repairs of hospitals Clothing, camp and gari ison equipage Subsistence of the Army Appendix No. 7. REQUISITIONS ON PUBLIC PRINTER. War Department, Board on Business Methods, September 10, 1888. A communication from the Chief Signal Officer, dated April 12, 1888, inviting at- tention to the increase of work involved in preparing requisitions in duplicate for printing and binding upon the Public Printer having been referred by the Secretary of War to the board, it was found that said duplicate requisitions were required by War Department oron prepares ibrtnal vouchers for the service. " In like manner purchases of snpplies nuide * in cases of emergency without legal public notice and formal contract' are reported and acted upon through the same channels, and generally all matters reiiuiring the action of the War Department. " It is far from the purpose of tlie Qnarternuister-General to interfere with or even to criticise the meth' ondeijce which legnlations ])rescribe and which in the wisdom of officers commaiuling troops may be necessary for proper military dis- cipline ; but it is submitted that in cases where such officers are not interested (where thelawsspecifically prescribe, as in seciion 1I3.<,U.S. Kevised Statutes),that the Quar- termaster's Department alone, under the diiection of the Secretary of War, shall act, irrespectiveof commanders of troo|>8, and in all cases affecting merely the fiscal rela- tions and responMil)ilitie8 of officers of the Quartermaster's Department, all this cir- cumlocutory routine, involving a waste ol time, of high-priced clerical labor, and unnecessary work, should be abolished." The Quartermaster-General conclndes with the remark that — ** If ihe Secretary of War can be lelieved of the woikof reviewing cases, the princi- ples of which have been previously determined (by intrusting and delegating to the Quartermaster-General the power of acting in his name), it is my opinion that it would result in a better and more economical ilis|)atch of public business." With reference to the views above expressed, it may be remarked that the order above quoted, of September 9, 1873, has not been revoked by the Secretary of War, 77 and therefore it is believed that the proposed circular, in addition to this order, will accomplish the object (h^siied by the Quartermaster-General, as far as it is possible to do so consistejitly with the duties of the Secretary of War. If the order of September 9, 1873, is to be continued in force it should now be ex- tended to all of the Bureaus of the Department, and the circular amended so as to au- thorize chiefs of Bureaus to dispose of such cases as they may believe to be properly within the scope of their authority, by decidin<5 them in their own name ; and when existing regulations or orders require certain cases to be submitted to the Secretary of War for his action, but in which there is no difference of opinion, no doubt as to the facts, law, or regulations, where the amount involved does not exceed $ , when the action of the Secretary in person is not r -quired by law, in which the decision of the Secretary can be distinctly foreseen, or the principles of which have been previ- ously determined, chiefs of Bureaus are authorized to decide such cases and sign the decision " By authority of the Secretary of War." If all cases acted on under delegated authority are signed " By authority of the Sec- retary of War" and the signature ''By order of the Secretary of War" is only used in ca^es where the Secretary has seen the papers and given orders, then the records will show with certainty just what cases have received thepersonal action of the Sec- retary of War. All of the cases signed by the Secretary or "By order of the Secre- tary of W^ar" should be recorded or noted in the Secretary's ofHce, in order that he may have nnder his immediate control the record of his own acts. To further complete the circular, a clause should be added authorizing chiefs of Bureaus to correspond with any military commander or staff officer upon the business of their respective Bureaus, fowarding the same, or a copy, through or to any com- ui*ider wlu) should be informed of the contents thereof. This, it is thought, will se- cure rapidity and correctness of execution as well as of action, and save not only clerical labor but the time of officials who now have to deal with the matters under consideration. Views in accord with the foregoing were expressed by several of the chiefs of Bu- reaus in their reports to the Secretary of War in April, 1885. These views are here quoted. The Adjutant-General says : "A large n timber of papers of an almost exclusively administrative character are sent to this office which, it seems to me, should be sent direct to the chiefs of admin- istrative Bureaus having charge of the matters to which they relate. This would not only reduce considerably the clerical work of at least one of the branches of my office, but would greatly facilitate the transaction of business. To illustrate the {)res- ent system of dealing with papers of this class 1 will cite an instance: An application is made by a post commander, through his post quartt-rmaster, for an amount of lum- ber to make certain repairs; this is forwarded, approved, to department headquarters; from there it is sent to the division headquarters, and thence to the Adjutant-General. On its receipt here it is referred to the Quartermaster-General, and by him returned to the Adjutant-General, when the latter submits it to the Lieutenant-General, who returns it to the Adjutant-General to be laid before the Secretary of War. To simplify this, I beg to suggest that the Regulations be so modified that papers of the class mentioned shall be sent by the department commander direct to the chief of the Bu- reau who must take action upon them, and by him submitted to the Secretary of War for consideration. If the application involves a military question upon which the Secretary of War would like to have the opinion of the highest military authority before finally acting upon it, the paper, by his direction, can be submitted to the General commanding the Arujy for his views. I am quite satisfied that some such course would save labor in this office, not increase it in others, and be more likely to secure promi)t and intelligent action than the circumlocutory one now pursued." The Quartermaster-General says: ''The work of the office will be more efficient, provided: "(1 ) The Quartermaster-General shall be permitted to act upon the papers pertaining to the fiscal matters of his own department, and, when necessary, to give the orders of the honorable the Secretaryof War in regard thereto, being responsible to the honorable Secretary of War alone for his action. Theofficersof the Quartermaster's Department should corresx)oud npon fiscal matters directly with the Quartermaster-General and receive his instructions directly thereon. (Copiesofinstructiotis received by any offi- cer of the Quartermaster's Department affecting the distribution of supplies, public property, or a redistribution, should be shown to the military commander interested by the officer serving nnder him who receives them.) "(2) The Quartermaster-General, under the Secretary of War, should give to any and all officers of the Quartermaster's Department all the necesvsary instructions about the transportation 'of military i)roperty and stores' throughout the United States under section 220, Ri-vised Statutes'. This applies to ordnance stores, to and from arsenals, to medical supplies, subsistence and quartermaster's stoves, and to all transportation for the civil bureaus of the Government across the continent, under the statutes for land-grant roads. 78 *' (3) The Qiiartenuaster-General ought to give the honorable Secretary of War's in- structions in regard to purchase of supplies out of th(3 api)ropriation for his depart- ment, designating the place, time, and amounts authorized, the usual information about the same being given by them to the commanders under whom they are serv- ing. **To transact fiscal business through the medium of many different agents causes infinite confusion and confounds all principles of the division of labor, and renders it impossible to define and establish a just responsibility in the expenditures of public funds. The officers of the Quartermaster's Department, wherever stationed, when do- ing duty under their bonds, should 'be subject to the orders of the Quartermaster- Grenerai, under sections 1133 and 1139, in so far as they are fiscal officers, or in what relates to the expenditure of the appropriation for their Department, and no military commander should interfere with that part of their duties, unless in an emergency or to prevent a plain case of fraud on the Government. A gradual modification of the regulations will be necessary to fix these practices upon their proper legal foot- ing, which prevailed in the military establishment until the late war. " It is important that the Quartermaster-General keep the papers relating to his own Department in regard to fiscal matters and the supply of troops at military posts with fuel, forage, straw, stationery, water, and general supplies ; and also in the con- struction of barracks and quarters; for, without the data and the proper knowledge of the changes and business of his Department going on at the several posts and sta- tions ho can form no correct opinions nor hold the officers of his Department to any such accountability as is contemplated by statute." The Commissary-General of Subsistence says : "In my opinion not only the work of this Bureau of the War Department, hut that of others, has been considerably increased in recent years by the practice that has grown up, under the requirement of military commanders, whereby very much of the correspondence of the staff and supply departments of the Army has to be con- ducted by or through the Adjutant-General's Department of the Army, instead of being conducted directly with the chiefs of those departments, as formerly." The Chief of Ordnance says: " (l"* The Ordnance Bureau is a branch of the War Department, and its records are a portion of the War Department records. All Ordnance Bureau papers, no matter where referred for action within the War Department, should therefore be finally returned to this office lor file ; a note of such disposition by other offices through which it passes being sufficient for the completion of their records. The same rule should apply to the papers belonging to other Bureaus passing through and acted on in like manner. "(2) Army Regulations 2520 requires that requisitions, after approval by the de- partment commander, shall be sent direct to the Chief of Ordnance, but it is of frequent occurrence to receive requisitions which, insteadof being mailed direct by the depart- ment commander, have been by him forwarded to the division commander, and by him to the Adjutant-General, and by the latter sent to this office. A compliance with regulations would in such cases, and they are very numerous, save the Government much needless labor. It seems to me that so simple a rule should govern even with- out special regulations, and that is, that a paper that on its face clearly calls for the action of the Chief of Ordnance, and can not be acted on by any other official, ought to be sent direct to him. Should action be required by higher authority, it then goes properly indorsed by the only official whgae duty is to advise, and the completed papers are in condition for final action." In conclusion, if the recommendations of the board are approved, it is suggested that as this circular will authorize chiefs of Bureaus, as such, to dispose of cases which are within the scope of their authority, they should be requested to report hereafter, and as soon as business will permit, a list of general orders and paragraphs of Army Regulations which should be amended or revoked so as to conform to the letter and spirit of the circular, accompanied with a draught of an order to accomplish the purpose. The circular, therefore, if amended in accordance with the foregoing suggestions, will read as follows : [Circular.] Wae Department, , 1889. Letters and other papers received at the War Department or any of its Bureaus will, unless otherwise directed, be at once sent to the offices to which they pertain without instructions, each chief of a Bureau being responsible that the mail sent to him is promptly acted upon and report made to the Secretary of War in cases requir- ing his action, or to which he should reply. When acted upon by the Secretary the proper notation will be made and the papers sent to the office to which the subject- matter pertains, unless instructions to the contrary are given ; and generally only 79 such papers will be filed in the office of the Secretary of War as do not pertaiu to the business of any of the subordinate Bureaus. This rule will also apply to the filing of papers in the Bureaus and offices of the Department. Only such papers will be filed in a given bureau or office as clearly belong to its business and are within the juris- diction of the chief thereof. A paper submitted for the action of the Secretary of War will be so prepared as that the last indorsement or report shall contain, in the fewest possible words, a sum- mary of the case, unless this appears in some report on the same or an accompanying paper to which reference is made ; it should also show the question to be decided, and conclude with an opinion or recommendation. When necessary the law, orders, or customs of the service governing in like cases will be stated, and the case made com- plete in itself, so that reference to previous papers will only be necessary to aflford more definite information upon matters already summarized in the report. Where it is evident that it will be necessary to send the report of the Bureau officer with the reply of the Secretary of War, the report should be separate from the papers or a copy of it submitted. The subject of correspondence will be indicated by the writer in the upper left-hand corner of the first page of the letter or report, the ''subject " not to exceed three or four words. Chiefs of Bureaus are authorized to decide cases properly within the scope of their authority in their own name. When existing regulations or orders require certain, cases to be submitted to the Secretary of War for his action, but in which there is no dilference of opinion, no doubt as to the facts, law, or regulations, where the amount involved does not exceed $ , when the decision of the Secretary of War can be distinctly foreseen, or the principles of which have been previously determined, chiefs of Bureaus are authorized to decide such cases and sign the decision " By au- thority of the Secretary of War," provided, any case so decided pertains to the par- ticular class of business over which the chief of the Bureau who decides the case has jurisdiction. All cases decided by the Secretary of War, or in which he has given orders, will be signed either by the Secretary or **By order of the Secretary of War," and all such cases must be noted or recorded in the office of the Secretary. Chiefs of Bureaus are authorized to correspond with any military commander or staff officer upon the business of their respective Bureaus, forwarding the same, or a copy, through or to any commander who should be informed of the contents thereof. The Secretary of War requests chiefs of Bureaus to see that the requirements of this circular are fully complied with. By order of the Secretary of War. Kespectfully submitted. Hon. William C. Secretary of War. Chief Clerk. John Tweedale, L. W. TOLMAN, Jacob Frech, Members of Board. [Indorsement.] War Department, January 15, 1889. Kespectfully referred to* for his views and for such amendments as in his opinion should be made to the circular in order to simplify and hasten the work of the De- partment and do away with unnecessary routine ; also for a detailed statement of the classes of work falling within thejurisdictien of his office. This report is 'desired by the 22d instant. It is the intention when the statements from the several chiefs of Bureaus are received to have them classified and arranged for ready reference ; then to be printed and distributed, so that there need be no doubt where to send a paper when its subject is ascertained. When report shall have been made upon this circular, you are requested to trans- mit as soon as possible thereafter a list of general orders and paragraphs of Army Regulations which should be amended or revoked, so as to conform to the letter and spirit of this circular, accompanied with a draught of an order to accomplish the pur- pose. William C. Endicott, Secretary of War. * To the chiefs of the several Bureaus of the War Department. 80 Appendix No. 9. MESSENGER SERVICE. War Department, Board on Business Methods, January 17, 1889. The "board having taken into consideration the subject of transfer of official papers between bureaus, divisions, sections, and desks, has the honor to submit the follov?^- ing report and recommendation : MEANS OF FREQUENT COMMUNICATION BETWEEN BUREAUS, DIVISIONS, SECTIONS, AND DESKS BY MESSENGER SERVICE. A letter, paper, or case necessarily passes through many hands from the time of its receipt in the Department until it is liually acted upon and disposed of. Hence the necessity for frequent communication iu person or by messenger between officials or clerks who have in auy manner to deal with one and the same item of business. In theory, cases not routine are transferred as soon as ready for action by another person; but new business follows close on the completed, and the mind occupied with it instantly leaves the finished work, which may not be at once transferred by reason of the messenger being otherwise engaged. In practice, therefore, it happens that delays do occur, and the mail is consequently moved at irregular intervals. This delay principally affects the merely routine cases, which constitute a large part of the work, and which are not liable to have attencion called to them. It becomes of great importance, therefore, to adopt a system which shall be automatic, and move all cases ■^vith the rapidity of special cases. The amount of delay resulting from infrequent communication becomes apparent in timing the transfer of a paper which for the sake of brevity and simplicity will be presumed in the following illustration to require but slight action at each of the six stages through which it is traced, and that papers of that class are transferred as ofteu as twice a day. (1) A receives a paper on Monday morning, acts on it without delaj"^, and places it with similar papers in a basket or box for delivery by messenger td B. (2 ) B receives it on the same day by afternoon delivery, acts on it, and places it in a basket for delivery by messenger to C. (0) C receives it on Tuesday morning, acts on it, and it goes in a similar manner toD. (4) D receives it on Tuesday afternoon, acts on it, and sends it toE. (5) E receives it on Wednesday morning, acts on it, and sends it to F. (6) F receives it on Wednesday afternoon, acts on it, and sends it to G, who receives it on Thursday morning. Thus there may be three whole days consumed in simply passing a paper through six hands; and this on a supposition that it is acted on by each person as soon as re- ceived, or at least is not delayed by arrearage of similar papers not yet acted on at any of the stages of its progress. It is evident that much of this delay can be obvi- ated by providing for the more frequent transfer of papers from one branch of work to another. Half-hourly offias mail delivery. It is therefore recommended that round-trip collections and deliveries be punctually made at the different delivery baskets or boxes in a Bureau, at least once every half hour, thus bringing all the rooms, sections, and divisions of a Bureau in frequent and regular communication with each other ; so that a paper that has received appropri- ate action at any stage of its progress, goes from the desk at which it has just been acted on to the desk at which it is to receive its next action within thirty minutes. It is also recommended that similar half-hourly collections and deliveries be adopted for the transfer of papers between the several Bureaus and the office of the Secretary. In order that the fullest benetit may be derived from this frequent means of com- munication — (1) All papers should be immediately taken up on receipt and placed in the hands of one or more of the clerks engaged upon the class or classes of work pertaining thereto. (2) If such clerks have an arrearage of work on hand, every possible exertion should be made to dispose of such arrearage, so that a paper will not have to lie hours or days simply awaiting its turn. (3) Every paper that has received suitable action should be placed in the delivery- box before or at the time of the next collection. 81 (4) In other words, if two or more cases are acted on by any clerk in any half hour, let them all bo transferred by the next delivery ; but if only one case has been acted on by him in any half hour, let it be transferred by the next delivery, and not lie on a desk simply because other similar cases have not yet been acted on. Under this method of frequent and regular delivery of papers, every case will be moved with practically the same expedition as special cases. The necessity fol* re- l)lying to urgent inquiries about delayed cases, entertaining requests to make such cases special, looking them up in the office, taking them out of their regular routine, and watching them closely at each stage of their progress to prevent their relapse into the routine, would be practically reduced to the minimum. Cases requiring immediate action should, of course, be delivered at once from hand to hand by clerks or messengers, «as the frequent regular delivery is intended only to expedite cases which are now moved at longer intervals of time. Office mail-cards. In order that a paper or number of papers may be readily dispatched to their des- tination, appropriate reversible cards or jackets, plainly addressed, should be pro- vided for the transmission of such papers where%^er practicable. Such card or jacket can be placed on top of a thick jiackage of papers or folded about a few papers, and held fast by means of a rubber band, so that it may be readily unfastened. The cards should have the address in red ink of the room or division from which sent on the inside of both folds, and that of the room or division to which sent in black ink on the outside of both folds, so that when the card is folded the address may be readily seen with either side up. The folds should be of stiff card-board, hinged with muslin. As the addresses on the card accompanying the papers will always clearly indicate to whom they are to go, and from whom they came, addressing of envelopes or slips will be obviated. Where A usually sends papers to B, the cards used by A may be addressed to B in black, and contain the address of A on the reverse side in red, with remark : " Keturn to A." This will insure the return of the cards to A for use by the next delivery. So, where B has occasion to send papers to A, B should be provided with a similar set of cards, with A's address in black and B's in red, with remark : ^' Return to B." This will i)revent all the cards being at one end of the line when some are wanted at the other. While a difference in color of addresses is not indispensable, it will be found conven- ient where many cards from different sources are handled, as when a card is received having a black address on the outside it is at once known that it belongs to the di- vision indicated in red on the reverse side, so it need simply be reversed, after taking out the papers, and dropped into the outgoing basket, wriile one received with a red address outside is retained, it having arrived at the division where it belongs. To accomplish the half-hourly mail delivery it will be necessary in most of the Bu- reaus to have one or more messengers exclusively engaged upon this work. They can, no doubt, be readily designated, as the other messengers will have more time to attend to other work. Respectfully submitted. John Tweedale, L. W. TOLMAN, Jacob I^'rench, Memhera of Board. Hon. Wm. C. Endicott, Secretary of War. m [Orders.] War Department, Washington City, January 18, 1889. In order to secure frequent and prompt delivery of official papers between the rooms or sections of a Bureau, the chief of each Bureau in which the business trans- acted will warrant such action, is hereby directed to assign an assistant messeuger or laborer to the duty of regularly collecting and delivering official papers. Collections and deliveries to be punctually made by the designated carrier at all the deliverv baskets or boxes in a Bureau every half hour, viz, 8.45, 9.15, 9.45, 10.15, 10.45, 11.15, 11.45 a. m. ; 12.30, 1.00, 1.30, 2.00, 2.30, 3.00 and 3.30 p. m. ; the carrier calling At each mail-basket twice each trip, once going and once returning, so as to insure 17958 6 82 the transmission of completed papers in either direction throughout the Bureau each half hour. Similar half-hourly collections and delivery of papers will he made between the several Bureaus and the office of the Secretary by an assistant messenger or laborer, to be designated by the chief clerk of the Department ; the hours of delivery being 9.00, 9.30, 10.00, 10.30, 11.00, and 11.30 a. m. ; 12.00 m. ; 12.45, 1.15, 1.45, 2.15,2.45, 3.15, and 3.45 p. m. In order that the fullest benefit may be derived from this method of communica- tion, chiefs of Bureaus will require that all papers delivered be immediately taken up and placed in the hands of clerks engaged upon the work pertaining thereto; and thai) every j)aper that has been acted upon in one room, and which requires action in another, be placed in the delivery box before or at the time of the next collection. Cases which require immediate action will, of course, be delivered at once. The half-hour delivery applies to cases which have been moved at longer intervals. Keversible mail-cards or jackets, plainly addressed, will be used for the protection and safe transmission of papers, wherever their shape or size will permit; the ad- dress of the room or division from which sent to be in red ink on the inside of both folds, and of the room or division to which sent in black ink on the outside of both folds. In order to allow time for the preparation of the necessary mail- cards, this order will be carried into eflFect on the Ist of February next. In the meantime estimates of the number and sizes of cards will be made by each Bureau. As explanatory of this system, the report of the board on business methods is hereto appended. Wm. C. Endicott, Secretary of War, Appendix I^o. 10. SUPPLY DIVISION. War Department, Board on Business Methods, January 18, 1889. The board has the honor to submit the following report upon the subject of the procurement of supplies for the Depai-tment and its Bureaus : For many years prior to 1882 the contract for supplying stationery was awarded to the bidder whose total bid for all the items on the schedule was the lowest, and each Bureau purchased directly from the contractor. The form of the advertisement in- viting proposals for stationery was changed by the Secretary of War in liis adver- tisement ot May 22,1883, the following clause 'being inserted: "Bids will be con- sidered on each item separately." Bidders were required to submit samples of the goods proposed to be furnished, and a board of experienced clerks was appointed to pass upon the samples received, with instructions to " consider each item separately and determine their recommendation for an award on each article before passing to the next. Upon the approval of the recommendation of the board by the Secretary of War, a contract was entered into with the lowest bidder who proposed to furnish a particular item of stationery equal to the sample selected. Prior to 1883 egch Bureau had a separate appropriation for office contingencies, out ot which articles of stationery and miscellaneous supplies were purchased, and until that year miscellaneous supplies were purchased as needed by each Bureau without advertisement. In the act approved March 3, 1883 (22 Statutes, 552), the fourteen sepa- rate appropriations, for office contingencies, were merged into two appropriations, one lor stationery, the other for contingent expenses, which includes miscellaneous supplies, and these two appropriations were placed under the direct control of the Secretary of War. The method adopted in 1882 for the purchase of stationery, as described above, has since 1883 been applied as far as possible tp the purchase of mis- isellaneouB supplies. *-.>..- j^ 83 The following table shows the result for each year from 1882 to 1888 : Statement of expenditures. FOR MISCELLANEOUS SUPPLIES. Office or Bureau. Secretary's. ...i. Adjutant-General Surjreon-Gpneral < > Quiiitennaster-General . Payraaster-General . . . . Chief of" Eniiiueers Chief of Orduauce Comniissary-General . . . "Winder Building Inspector-General War Kecords Judpe - Advocate- Gen- eral Signal Total Eiscal year ending- June 30, 1882.* June 30, 1883.* June 30, 1884. $5. 188. 69 11, 494. 98 11,452.55 7, 791. 86 3, 091. 65 2, 036. 66 1, 418. 27 1, 801. 45 4,291.70 284. 82 1, 717. 88 1,207.99 1. 966. 95 53, 745. 45 June 30, 1885. $7,774.03 11,003.08 10,716.45 7,816.21 2,398.12 2, 017. 57 2, 196. 66 2,313.39 4,144.21 430. 46 1, 785. 53 1,979.01 7, 036. 15 61, 610. 87 June 30, 1886. $5, 050. 90 10,400.21 9, 854. 19 7, 971. 90 2,783.79 1, 423. 29 l,.i69.54 2,115.30 8, 777. 46 162. 28 1, 920. 14 1, 519. 89 7,304.22 , 653. 11 57, June .30, 1887. $6, 552. 83 10, 643. 93 10, 055. 59 6, 581. 41 2, 525. 02 1, 447. 29 1, 941. .56 1, 5(50. 54 5, 880. 71 144. 20 1, 944. 69 1, 476. 09 7, 090. 03 June 30, 1888. $7, 449. 38 10, 467. 28 12. 644. 18 7, 135. 41 2. 142. 30 2, 527. 96 1, 766. 94 2, 200. 5ft 3, 748. 87 494.04 1,241.57 704.56 7,012.74 89 59, 535. 81 ■ No separate record. FOR STATIONERY. Secretary's $8, 502. 26 $1, 449. 58 1, 983. 48 3, 025. 68 2, 799. 03 2, 668. 48 1,846.91 Adjutant-General 5.635.24 3,627.71 3, 965. 28 4, 613. 80 5, 356. 10 3, 368. 71 6, 714. 71 Surgeon-General 5, 758. 18 4, 920. 15 4,489.31 5,011.17 4, 645. 62 3, 811. 74 4, 087. 87 Quartern) aster- General . 3, .594. 84 2, 078. 61 2, 985. 52 2, 914. 16 2, 987. 30 3,235.25 2, 945. 53 Pavmastf r-General 1,127.49 773. 04 384. 97 441. 82 658. 48 504. 01 651. 76 Chief of Engineers 1, 184. 42 1, 074. 05 1, 053. 77 858. 02 988. 63 1, 159. 83 772. 02 Chief of Ordnance 864.92 629. 70 858. 64 703. 27 531.89 939. 95 840. 21 Coramissarv-General . . . 562. 06 402. 13 292. 18 344.37 400. 05 457. 58 232. 53 Inspector-General 241. 00 36.45 57.43 194. 55 254.80 139. 68 130. 86 War Records 1, 981. 43 578. 91 360. 75 538. 80 464.87 404.28 411.29 Judge - Advocate- Gen- eral 217. 80 4,249.48 222. 89 2, 655. 69 222. 88 4, 519. 68 285. 22 3, 489. 63 305. 00 4, 182. 85 243.12 3, 710. 61 260. 41 Signal 4, 060. 34 Total 33,919.12 18,44&91 21, 173. 89 22, 420. 49 23, 474. 62 20, 643. 24 22, 954. 44 The first column (1882) of the table of expenditures for stationery shows the amount expended under the old system when the contract was awarded in bulk to one per- son, and is about the average amount expended in previous years. The other col- umns show the result of the new system, under which the saving in the Secretary's office was over 80 per cent, in 1883, and over 75 per cent, in 1884, and over 40 per cent, in the whole Department, and yet early in 1883 over six hundred new clerks were added to the force of the Department. The expenditures have been substantially uniform in amount since the adoption of the new system. It is to be regretted that, as no separate account was kept of the expenditures for miscellaneous supplies prior to July 1, 1883, it is not possible to make a comparison of the expenditures for those supplies. Up to July 21, 1884, the chief clerk of the Department, under the Secretary, had charge of the purchase and issue of stationery and miscellaneous supplies, with the proper assistants in immediate charge. The system worked well and economically, but neither the Secretary nor the chief clerk could exercise careful personal super- vision of the work, their time being so fully occupied with more important official matters. The Secretary, therefore, to relieve himself of direct responsibility for the purchase and issue of supplies for which ho was contracting officer, decided to j)lace 84 the business in charge of a bonded officer of the Quartermaster's Department of the Army. Accordingly the following circular was issued : [Circular.] War Department, Washington City, July 21, 1884. The following is published for the information and guidance of the chiefs of Bureaus and officers on duty in the War Department : (1) The stationery and miscellaneous supply divisions of the War Department will bo consolidated, and known as the " supply division of the War Department." (2) The officer assigned to duty in charge of the supply division will purchase, is- sue, and account for all supplies for the War Department and its Bureaus, in accord- ance with the regulations prescribed for the Quartermaster's Department of the Army. Exclusive of the libraries, he will take up aud account for all public i^roperty belong- ing to the War Department and its Bureaus. Chiefs of Bureaus w ill cause their chief clerks, superintendents of buildings, or other persons in charge to furnish the officer accountable with memorandum receipts for all property in their respective Bureaus or divisions. (3) For all indebtedness incurred by the officer in charge of the supply division on account of the War Department and its Bureaus he will prepare and certify proper vouchers for payment by the disbursing clerk of the War Department. He will have- charge of and properly keep the books referred to in section 197, Revised Statutes of the United States, and will keep such other books aud records as may be necessary to make, at all times, a clear and correct exhibit of all purchases, issues, stock ou hand, and expenses incurred on account of the War Department and its Bureaus. (4) Notice of the allotment to the several Bureaus and offices from the amount ap- propriated for contingent expenses will be given from this office, and the sum allotted to each will not be exceeded without special authority from the Secretary of War. (5) When property or supplies are required for the service of any Bureau of the War Department, requisition therefor, signed or approved by the chief of Bureau, will be made by the officer in char^jeof the supply division of the War Department. Bills for gas, telegraphing, freight, and express charges will be rendered as here- tofore, verilied by the respective chiefs of Bureaus, aud forwarded to the Secretary of War for payment. Repairs of buildings and furniture, which require immediate attention, may be made under the supervision of the chief of the Bureau in which the repairs are needed, and the bills for tlie same, after having received his approval, will be forwarded to this office for payment. Robert T. Lincoln, Secretary of War. The officer detailed (Capt. C. H. Hoyt) has since continued in charge. He makes all the contracts and issues the supplies. It was the intention, as will be seen from the circular, to have the officer account for the supplies "in accordance with the regula- tions prescribed for the Quartermaster's Department ; " that is, his accounts, vouch- ers, etc., should be audited oy the Third Auditor of the Treasury, that officer having charge of the accounts of quartermasters. But the quartermaster in charge of the War Department supply division makes no disbursements. All of his accounts are paid by the disbursing clerk of the War Department, from the proper appropriation, which is contained in the legislative, executive, and judicial appropriation act. The expendi- tures from this appropriation are audited byth'e First Auditor of the Treasury, and the accounts and vouchers of the officer in cTjarge of the supply division must go there for audit if anywhere. But that officer does not audit the accounts of quartermasters, and consequently has no clerks skilled in the requirements of the Army Regulations. To overcome the difficulty a circular was issued, providing that after passing the scru- tiny of the Quartermaster-General the accounts should be filed in the office of the Secretary. The following is the circular : rCircalar.l War Department, Washington City, February 19, 188C. Referring to the circular of July 21, 1884, from this Department, establishing the '^ supply division of the War Department," the following regulations will be observed in accounting for the supplies furnished said division : The officer assigned to duty in charge of the supply division will purchase, issue, and account for all supplies for the War Department and its Bureaus, in accordance with 85 the regulations prescribed for tbo Quartermaster's Department of the Army. His property returns will be examined in the office of the Quartermaster-General, and if not satisfactory, he will furnish such additional information as will satisfy the Quarter- master-General that the property has been properly iiurcliased, issued, and accounted for; except that the propriety of the purchase of any article will not be raised by tlie Quartermaster-General. The officer in charge of the supply division — when in doubt as to the propriety of filling any requisition matte upon him under Paragraph V of War Department circular of July '21, 1884, will submit the question to the Secretary of War for decision. When the returns have passed the scrutiny of the Quartermaster-General, and are satisfactory to him, they will be forwarded to the Secretary of War for tile in the War Department. When supplies are issued from the supply division to the War Department and its Bureaus, th<'y will be receipted for in each Bureau by an officer of the Aru«y on duty in the Bureau designated for the purpose, with the approval of the Secretary of War, and in the office ot the Secretary of War by the chief clerk or the officer acting for him, which receipts will be a sufficient discharge of the officer in charge of the sup- ply division of his accountability for the articles covered by the receipts. B^iel and articles of stationery and the minor items of miscellaneous supplier will be dropped from further accountability when issued and properly receipted for ; the larger and more important articles of miscellaneous supplies will be accounted for by the officer in charge of the supply division, under section 197 of the Revised Stat- utes. • Robert T. Lincoln, Secretary of War. From the foregoing it will be seen that an officer of the Army was assigned to the charge of the supply division for two reasons ; first, that he might be the contracting officer, and as such contract in his own name for supplies for the Department and be directly responsible for their purchase and issue ; and, second, that he should account for all such supplies purchased and issued in accordance with the regulations pre- scribed for the Quartermaster's Department of the Army. The second reason for the assignment has not been fully accomplished, because, as stated above, it was not practicable to have his accounts audited where those of other quartermasters were audited. It may also be said that he has no accounts to audit, as he makes no disbursements, all of the accounts for supplies purchased being paid by the disbursing clerk of the War Department, whose accounts are audited by the First Auditor. The second reason failing, the first may readily be met by requiring one of the clerks to give bond for the faithful performance of his duties and authorizing him to contract for supplies. It is believed the security afforded by an officer of the Army being in charge of the. division is not any greater than it would be if a bonded clerk was placed in charge, Allof the Bureaus of the Department (except the Signal Office) are now in one buildiugg and the records and stores of the supply division may be inspected at any time. A the officer in charge of the division will go upon the retired list this year, the board has no hesitation in recommending that the supply division be placed in charge of a clerk in the Secretary's Office, who shall be required to give bond. From consulta- tion with chiefs of Bureaus it is believed this will give general satisfaction. The system of purchasing and issuing supplies in this Department is practically the same as that adopted in the Department of the Interior, the Treasury, and in other Depart- ments. In concluding this report attention is called to the fact that the salaries of like positions in other Departments are as follows : The chief of the division of stationery, printing, and blanks. Treasury Department, |2,500; the chief of the miscellaneous division, Treasury Department, |2,500 ; the chief of the stationery and printing divis- ion. Interior Department, $2,000, and the custodian in charge of miscellaneous sup- plies, same Department, $1,600. The custodian gives bond in the sum of $5,000. The supply division of the War Department purchases and issues both stationery and miscellaneous supplies. The salary of the chief of that division should therefore oqual that of the chief of the stationery division of the Treasury. In the annual es- imatesthe salaries of all chiefs of division in this Department are recommended to be $2,400. Respectfully submitted. John Tweedale, l. w. tolman, Jacob Frech, Members of Board. Hon. William C. Endicott, Secretary of War. 86 [Orders. 1 War Department, Washington Citi/, January 19, 1889. Capt. Charles H. Hoyt, assistant quarterui aster, U. S. Array, is hereby relieved from duty in charge of the supply division of this Department, and will report to the Quartermaster-General. Mr. M. R. Thorp, chief clerk of the supply division, is assigned to the charge of the supply division. He will give bond in the sum of $10,000 for the faithful per- formance of his duties; and will enter upon his duties after his bond is approved by the Secretary of War. He will purchase, issue, and account for all supplies and property in accordance with the regulations contained in the circulars of July '21, 1884, and February 19, 1885, except that portion of the regulations mentioned which requires supplies to be purchased, issued, and accounted for in accordance with the regulations prescribed for the Quartermaster's Department of the Army and the property returns of the oflScer in charge to be examined in the office of the Quartermaster-General, in lieu of which requirements the books and accounts of the supply division will be hereafter inspected and reported upon by an officer of the Inspector-General's Department, in accordance with the regulations governing that Department. William C. Endicott, Secretary of War. Appendix l^o, 11. DAILY REPORTS OP "WORK. War Department, Board on Business Methods, January 19, 1889. The attention of the board having been called to the matter of daily reports of the amount and character of work performed by clerks, after careful examination the following report is respectfully submitted : The act approved August 26, 1842 (section 13, now section 173, 'Revised Statutes), provides that "each chief clerk in the several Departments and bureaus, and other officers connected with the Departments, shall supervise, under the direction of his immediate superior, the duties ofthe other clerks therein, and see that they are faith- fully performed." In the same section (now section 174, Revised Statutes) it is also provided that he " shall take care, from time to time, that the duties of the other clerks aredistributed with equality and uniformity according to the nature of the case. He shall revise such distribution, from time to time, for the purpose of correcting any tendency to undue accumulation or reduction of duties, whether arising from individual negligence or incapacity, or from increase or diminution of particular kinds of business ; and he shall report monthly to his superior officer any existing defect that he may be aware of in the arrangement or dispatch of business." And in the same section (now section 17.5, Revised Statutes) it is further pro- vided that " each head of a Department, chief of a bureau, or other superior officer, shall, upon receiving each monthly report of his chief clerk, rendered pursuant to the preceding section, examine the facts stated therein, and take such measures in the exercise of the powers conferred upon him bylaw, as may be necessary and proper to amend any existing defects in the arrangement or dispatch of business disclosed by such report." On the 11th of April, 1845, the President addressed the following letter to the Sec- retary of War upon the subject : Washington City, April 11, 1845. Sir: In executing the laws there is no duty which appears to me more imperative than to take care that officers who receive the public money shall promptly and fully perform the duties for which the law appropriates their respective salaries. Justice to the public and a proper regard for the clearly expressed will of Congress require that this shall be done. Those who come to the seat of Government on public business should not be unnecessarily delayed by the negligence or inattention of the heads of bureaus or clerks connected with the Executive Departments. I therefore invite your atten- tion to the thirteenth section of the act of Congress approved on the 26th August, 1842, entitled " An act legalizing and making appropriations for such necessary objects as 87 have been usually included In the general appropriation bills -without authority of law, and to fix and provide for certain incidental expenses of the departments and officers of Government, and for other purposes;" and to the twelfth section of the " Act to reorganize the General Land Office," approved on the 4th of July, 1836. I desire that you will cause the monthly reports required hy the act of 1842 to be regularly made and that you will transmit them to me. The law contemplates that the distribution of labor amongst the clerks shall bear a fair proportion to their compensation, and it is unjust that the meritorious and faithful should have to perform the duties of such as may be found to be negligent, idle, or incompetent. To prevent this injustice, it is essential that each clerk shall attend regularly in his office, and discharge his own appropriate duties. It is desired that each head of a bureau shall cause to be kept a daily statement showing the ab- sence of each clerk from his duty, during office hours — the causes of such absence as far as he may be able to ascertain them, and that this statement accompany the monthly reports. I also" desire that you will accompany the monthly reports with a statement of any complaints which may be made to you of any clerk in your office who may have con- tracted debts since his appoiutment, and does not pay them agreeably to his contract. Disclaiming any right to interfere with the private affairs of officers of Government, I am yet unwilling that they shall be embarrassed in the performance of their public duties by the just importunities of disappointed creditors, who trusted them on the faith of their compensation from the Treasury. Believing that the duties required of the officers and clerks employed in the several Executive Departments are by no means unreasonable, and impressed with the im- portance of a prompt and efficient dispatch of the public business, I desire that you will-take measures for the due execution of the laws to which I have called your at- tention. Respectfully, yours, James K. Polk. Hon. William L. Mabcy, Secretary of War. Thereupon the following circular was issued by the Secretary of War [Circular to the bureaus of the "War Department.! War Department, Aj^ril 25, 1845. Particular attention is directed to be paid to the reports required by the thirteenth section of the act of August 26, 1842, relative to clerks, etc., and a strict compliance with all its provisions is required ; and it is further required that all absences from office b'itween the hours of half past eight a. m. and half past three p. m., for which permission has not been given, be embraced in the monthly reports. " It is unjust that the meritorious and faithful should have to perform the duties of such as may be found negligent, idle, or incompetent." W. L. Marcy, Secretary of War. The monthly reports of chief clerks required by section 174, Revised Statutes, do not seem to have been made in writing from December, 1851, until April, 1887, when the following circular was issued by the Secretary of War : ICircular.J Washington City, April 23, 1887. The attention of heads of bureaus of the War Department is invited to sections 173, 174, and 175, of the Revised Statutes, and a strict compliance therewith is enjoined. Heads of bureaus will require each clerk in their respective offices to make a daily report of his (or her) attendance, and of the amount and character of work performed, and will require the respective chief clerks to submit to them a monthly report, com- piled from the daily reports, showing the attendance of the clerks, the business trans- acted in the office during the month, and the amount remaining on hand to be dis- lK>scd of. These reports should be made on blank forms, and should not contain statonients of work which can not be verified by reference to the records, such as oral inquiries and replies, a remark on the blank form being sufficient to cover all that lieed be said in regard to work that can not be tabulated. By order of the Secretary of War : John Tweedale, CMef ClerTc. 88 This circular provides that the daily report of work performed by each clerk " should not contain statements of work which can not be verified by reference to the records, snch as oral inquiries and replies." From the fact that only statements of oral inqniries and replies were specifically excepted from the requirements of the circular, it was generally understood that a detailed report was required of all work not falling under the head of oral inquiries or replies. As a consequence, at the end of each month the chief clerks of some of the 13ureaus receive a voluminous mass of figures to consolidate, indicating minute classification of clerical business, from much of which no useful deduction can bo made as to the relative or actual amount of work performed by individual clerks or by the divisions in the Ikireau. The blank form for the monthly report of the chief clerk of the Signal Office has two hundred and twelve columns, with a printed heading for each, indicating the various kinds of work performed. The footings of the columns on the November re- report vary from 2 to 40,144. The Chief Signal Officer, in his annual report for 1888, invites attention "to the great and apparently profitless consumption of time at Government expense entailed by the daily reports of work, made by each person performing clerical duty, to the ciiief clerk of this office a« prescribed by existing orders. It is within bounds to estimate that the cost of such work to the Government consumes the time of four clerks, at an expense of about $4,000 annually. The outcome of such daily reports is a summary, which, indeed, tells how many letters have been read and distributed, bow many briefed, recorded, and numbered, how many noted, and other items of like character, but it is impossible that data of this character shall give any ade- quate idea of the amount of work annually performed by the clerk. Many letters are of such a character that fifty such letters daily would not be an arduous task for a type-writer or copyist, while others are of such length, and are written under such disadvantages that ten of them would entail a hard day's work. •' The chiefs of divisions should be, and are believed to be, men of such character and standing that they can be relied upon to see that the clerks under their charge do a fair day's work for the Government, and in case any division chief is inclined to favor any person under his charge, he is enabled, under the present system, to so arrange matters that the poorest clerk in the division can have the largest record on paper. It is urgently recommended that the report bo discontinued." The chief clerk of the Surgeon-General's office says : " Experience in this office has developed some features probably' not so clear at the date of the circular. , These features are all of an unfavorable character. The small- est apparent objection is that it consumes time. The last monthly report showed 357 clerks present for duty the whole or part of the time, making approximately 9,000 days' work, the details of which are to be compiled. and tabulated. These de- tails for the month aggregate 611,867, or for the year, 7,342,404. I compute that the time occupied in making and tabulating these reports is equal to that of three clerks the year round. As the average pay of clerks in this Bureau is $1,*259.47 the annual expense to the country is $3,778.41. "What the above enormous figures represent is not easy to say, as they have no common measure, and there is not the slightest resemblance in the things counted. I shall for the nonce call the items of work, of whatever kind — 'somethings' — ana we soon find that one man does a good many more 'somethings' than ;inother, who may be just as fully employed. The clerks in the museum average 169 'some- things,' while those in the library, under the same supervision, make 1,600. 'A' is credited with doing 28,101 'somethings' in the month, and on the same page, oppo- site the name of ' B,' is the figure 2. Even things of the same name are not neces- sarily equivalent. What I now write may be called a letter and so may a sheet that requires only three lines of writing, and it is so throughout. "Again the figures, whatever they may mean, have not the character of evidence. They are written solely by the men whose real or supposed interest is to make the best showing they can. I do not say that any one makes a false report ; but I do say that if in a body of three hundred and fifty men not one will deviate a unit from verity to favor himself, then they are honest enough to do without this contrivance. If they be not honest it will do no good. It nuiy be said that the clerk's report should be verified and certified by the chief of tlie division. To that the simple answer is that it can't be done. Suppose a clerk claims to have niade two hundred entries and cross references, here and there in several books. To verify them would take nearly as much time as to make them — that is, the whole of it; and during the verification the clerk and his books would be idle. The process would be self-destructive. "When a clerk is employed upon work presenting no result that can be counted or measured he is allowed to be let oft' with a marginal remark. I find, in consequence, seventy-nine m*^n em])loyed wholly, and seventy-one partly, on work that can not bo counted. To count a ])art and omit the rest gives no better measure than to omit the whole. ' B,' named above, did two ' somethings' in March and an indeterminate 89 quantity of something else ; and the total would bo as iutelli<;ibleif the first element were left out. Thus for one hundred and fifty clerks the rejiorts fail on their face ; and those who handle them Uest kuow that for the reuuiiuder they aliord nothing either significant or reliable. *' It has been found impossible to substitute these reports for any of the records or memoranda already kept by the office for its own information. Hence they are wholly 'superadded. When a clerk works six days under an intelligent superior, a^ pretty fair estimate can bo made of his capabilities, and his assignment to any particular duty is based upon such estimate." In view of the foregoing and upon examination of the forms used, the board is of opinion that the order of April 23, 1887, has been too literally construed, and that in consequence labor and time have been consumed in reporting details of work without corresponding beneficial results. It is therefore recommended that the circular of April 23, 1S87, be rescinded, and that chiefs of Bureaus be authorized to exercise their discretion in the matter of re- ports of work performed in their respective Bureaus, having in view the duties required to be performed by chief clerks under sections 173 and 174 of the Revised Statutes. Respectfully submitted. John Tweedale, l. w. tolman, Jacob Frecii, Memhei's of Boara. Hon. William C. Exdicott, Secretary of War. The following order was issued upon the recommendation of the board : [Circular.] War Department, January 21, 1889. The circular of April 23, 1887, which requires reports to be made of work performed in the several Bureaus of the Department is hereby rescinded. Chiefs of Bureaus are authorized to exercise their discretion in the matter of reports of work performed in their respective Bureaus, having in view the duties required to be performed by chief clerks under sections 173 and 174 of the Revised Statutes. By order of the Secretary of War. Sam'l Hodgkins, Acting Chief Cleric. CORRESPONDENCE. War Department, Washington City, February 15, 1889. Sir: In connection with my letter of January 23, ultimo, transmitting the report of the Board on Business Methods and appendices, I have the honor now to transmit here- with the report of the board on the subject of " correspondence," with my orders of this date upon the subject; also copy of the circular of the 9th instant, directing that cases be traced in the several divisions of the Department. I also inclose a copy of my order of the 13th instant on the subject of administration, a copy of a list showing the assignment of work in the offices and bureaus of the Depart- ment; also a copy of the circular of the 9th instant, requiring similar lists to be prepared of the work pertaining to each bureau and giving the names of officials to whom it is sent after its receipt and entry. It is important that the reports of the board be printed for distribution in the De- partment, and it is estimated that about 3,000 copies will be needed for this purpose. The adoption of the recommendations upon the subject of correspondence will make it necessary to purchase a number of cabinet letter-files, and about 500,000 blanks will have to be printed for the card-index system. There are some forty record divisions at present in existence in the Department. If each 'division requires two letter-files, eighty will be required, at an average cost of $50, $4,000. An appropriation of $5,000 should therefore be made in the deficiency bill for the Department. A deficiency estimate oi $10,000 has already been submitted (page 12, House Ex. Doc. 71, Fiftieth Congress, sec- ond session) for printing and binding, and that amount should be appropriated. The difficulty of overcoming bi:is in favor of existing systems is great, and while re- ports and rules may point the way to improvements and orders enforce them for a time, 90 persistent etfort closely followed up is the only hope of accomplishing enduring results. If, therefore, it is desired that this work shall be done by a board, and this seems best to secure uniformity, the investigation must go into minute particulars, which will take a long time. The members for a board ,to investigate thoroughly all matters in- volving clerical labor in the Department can not well be spared from the force now allowed by law, for, as stated by the Board in its report of the 2 1st ultimo, the mem- bers of a board necessarily on duty at the place where their regular duties are per- formed are frequently consulted upon matters pertaining to their regular official duties, and thus the investigation is interrupted and delayed; so for a board to conduct an ex- tended investigation there should be an appropriation to provide for the payment of the members of the board and expenses, and this would enable the Secretary to fill the places of those members of the board selected from the employes of the Department. Very respectfully, Wm. C. Endicott, Secretary of War. Hon. F. M. COCKRELL, Chaii-man of the Senate Select Committee to Eicamine the Methods of Conducting Business in the Execniive Departments. (INCLOSUEES.) Keport of Board and exhibits, No. 1. Circular of February 9, 1889, No. 2. Circular of February 13, 1889, No. 3. Assignment of business, No. 4. Circular of February 9, 1889, No. 5. Appendix No. 12. flndosure No. 1.1 CORRESPONDENCE. Wab Depabtment, Board on Business Methods, February 14, 1889. The board has the honor to report upon the subject of departmental correspondence. definitions. To avoid repetition, certain words and phrases used in this paper, when not otherwise explained, are to be understood as meaning as follows: By "action on papers" is meant whatever is done with a paper up to and including the final decision thereon, except the carrying of it around by messengers or passing it from one to another, which can not of course be reckoned among any of the successive steps in its progress to a final decision, and except also the processes of briefing, enter- ing, indexing, noting, and recording, which are occasionally mentioned collectively herein under the term "recording. " " Clerks " include all persons in the civil service of the Department not appointed by the President. "Department " includes all offices or bureaus connected with the "War Department in the city of Washington. "Important papers" include all papers emanating from or received at the Depart- ment which contain, either in themselves or by reference thereto, information of value for future reference. " Information of value" includes facts, decisions, laws. This is not to be understood as including all facts, for instance, the mere re-statement of facts which appear on the rec- ords, where they will be searched for. in any event, is in the nature of an extract from the records and need not be again recorded, the original being sufficient. If, however, the search has consumed time the result of which maybe useful in the future, it should be preserved in some way, provided it will not take as much time to find the result of the search as to again search the original record. The word "mail" or "letters" or "papers" includes all correspondence upon official business received at or sent from the several bureaus or offices of the Department, as de- 91 fined in the instructions of October 1, 1870. The personal or sfemi-ofTicial corresponcl- ence of an official is not included, and does not become a part of the official correspond- ence until the person addressed so decides. With such a letter, therelore, an interval may elapse before its apparent receipt at the Department, as shown by the date-stamp, during which it has been in the personal possession of the official addressed. " Recorded" or "recording" includes all the work therewith connected, viz, brief- ing, recording, numbering, indexing, or notating. INSTBUCTIONS AT PRESENT IN FOECE. The existing "instructions for keeping the records and transacting the clerical busi- ness of the War Department " were published October 1, 1870, in a pamphlet, a copy of which is herewith submitted, marked Exhibit A. This book defines "letters received " and " letters sent," provides rules for the receipt and distribution of the mail, gives in- structions how to brief and record letters received, to prepare communications for ex- ecutive action, to record lettess sent, to index communications and precedents; it directs that handwriting in books and on papers shall be plain and of good size, and forbids flourishes or ornamental writing. The rules are clear and concise; they have been in use in the present form eighteen years, and rules very similar have been in use for a much longer period. The result of this long use is largely in their favor, papers or precedents are quickly found, and when it is desired to collect all correspondence on a given subject extending over a series of years it can be done in a short time, provided the first search is supplemented by one or two special searches on lines suggested by the papers found on the first search, and it may reasonably be assumed that the papers thus colleccted comprise all that have been filed on the subject, except those which have not remained on the files, and in lieu of such papers the books afibrd information as to their contents and the action thereon. The system by which this is accomplished is of great value, but it may be carried so far as to unnecessarily delay the public business; thus if important papers are recorded and trifling matters noted, the time of clerks will be taken up with work not really necessary, and the record-books and files incumbered with useless entries and papers. It then becomes important to consider what the present instructions for keeping the records require. They classify official business, and define "letters received" and "letters sent" as follows: "All the clerical business of an executive bureau or military office is comprehended within the terms ' letters received ' and ' letters sent;' and all action upon official papers is either of a record or executive character. "'Letters received ' consist of written or printed communications coming into the bureau, whether in the guise of a formal letter, an indorsement upon a letter, a memo- randum, a numbered or unnumbered circular, general or special order in any way relat- ing to the business of the bureau, an unofficial or informal communication upon official matters, if it be necessary or proper to be recorded, a memorandum made in the office of any verbal communication of which a record should exist, and generally of any com- munication reaching the bureau to which future reference may become necessary or de- sirable. Letters sent ' consist of all communications of foregoing character issued from the bureau." The instructions also contain provisions as follows: "Papers requiring immediate action should be briefed and recorded at the first opportunity. " * * * "A brief of every official communication received should be indorsed upon its first or upper fold, exhibiting the place where the letter was written, the date of the communication, the name or official designation of the writer, or the title of the Department, bureau, office, court, etc., whence the communication proceeds, and a synopsis of the contents or sub- ject of the letter. Everything of importance should appear in the brief, but prolixity should be avoided." The clerk should note in the book of letters received the action taken upon the papers entered (see p. 8), but on page 11 it is provided that "simple reference of papers by indorsement, as well as reference for ' report ' or ' remark ' only, should be made according to a set form of phraseology, to save the necessity of recording them at length in the book of letters sent" (Such indorsements may, therefore, under the rules, either be noted in " letters received" or recorded in "letters sent." "No com- munication properly briefed should be again briefed in the same or any other office." " When a letter received has been briefed, it should be entered in a record book kept for the purpose. " "No communication should be recorded in more than one record book in the same bureau, unless more than one class of record business is involved in it, in which case entries of so much of its subjects and the action upon it as relate to other record divis- ions may be made in the books of those divisions and proper notations thereof placed on the paper." "A record book of letters sent" "should be kept in connection with the record book of letters received, in which should be recorded in full all communications 92 issued from the bureau, except simple iudorseraents of reference for action, report, or remark, and regular series of orders of which sets are separately kept on file." ' ' Such letters sent as are of a purely routine character and of frequent recurrence should be prepared upon printed forms, designated by numliers or otherwise, in which case only the manuscript portion of the letter, with the designation of the form aflfixed, need be recorded. Briel descriptive headings should precede the entry of such indorsements as do not within themselves set forth the names of persons and things or the subjects con- cerned sufficiently for indexing purposes." These instructions require the briefing, entering, numbering, and indexing of all let- ters received " to which future reference may become necessary or desirable," and the recording and indexing of all letters sent and indorsements, with the following excep- tions: (1 ) An unofficial or informal communication upon official matters, if it is not neces- sary or proper to be recorded. (2) The report upon any case by an assistant in a bureau, when the superior officer prefers that the report should appear over his own name or signature; in such case the report of the assistant should not be recorded. (3) Simple indorsements of reference for action, report, .or remark, and regular series of orders of which sets are regularly kept on file. (4) Letters sent of a purely routine character prepared upon printed forms; in such case only the manuscript portion of the letter with designation of the form need be re- corded. EXCEPTIONS IN PRACTICE. The result of practice and experience, however, has been to make many additional exceptions to these rules, as shown by the following table. This table also shows, in some instances, the classes of papers which are now recorded, and where not stated it is presumed all other papers are recorded: Letters received. Office. Subject. Briefed. Entered. Remarks. Secy. War. No No To reqn. div. Kequisitions on Public Printer.. p:stiuaate.s from Public Printer... Memorandum bills from Pub- lic Printer. Advice of drafts from Treasury Department. Letters relative to advertising... Accounts for advertising 1?f>oni«it'inTict for Riinnlif»4 No No Do. No N« Do. No No Do. No No No Do. No To cor. div. No No Do. No No To supoly div. Acknowledging receipt of Re- bellion Records. Applications for duplicate dis- charge. Applications for removal charge of desertion. Ar»r»liont,if»n fnr rp-m lister No No No To library. No To A.G.O. No No .... No Do. No No Do. Applications for address of of- iicers or soldiers. Applications for Army. Register. Applications for Army Regula- tions. Applications for appointment in Army. Applications for discharge from Army. Applications for reruission of sentence. All papers in regard to appoint- ment in Military Academy. Application for supt. national cemetery. No Do. No No Do. No No Do. No No No Do. No Do. No No Do. No No Do. No No ToQ.M.G. No No Do. Inquiries about burial place of soldiers. Application for commutation of rations. To be examined for assistant surgeon. For appointment as assistant surgeon. No No Do. No ToC.G.S. No No No ToS.G.O. No . . . Do. 93 Letters received — Continued. Office. Subject. Briefed. Entered. Remarks. Secy. War. No No No.. To Comr. Pen- sions. Do About pensions No No No To 2d Audr (The last three are merely put in envelopes and sent to pro- per address.) All other letters Yes Yes A.G.O. l£nl.Brch.,Reg. Army. AUcarfcs Yes, if not already briefed. Yes Yes Letters : Except such as i nj udg- inentof olerk in charge "con- tain nothing of any value for future reference; " judgment based on experience; a fixed rule not wise. L.R. not entered are not briefed; usually returned by indorse- ment or letter (some times printed). Such letters in- clude— Inquiry for address of offi- cers or ex-officers. Inquiries about appoint- ments, vacancies, etc. All received from Army thro' military channels which ex- clusively pertain to another bureau or staff. Marked in red ink or blue pen- cil '* Q. M. G.," "C. G. S.," etc., entered in memoranda book, name, date, very brief pur- port, and when sent to bu- reau. Inquiries for address of officers and enlisted men. Requests for ordei-8, regulations or publications. Letters from members of Con- gress or others urging speedy action on cases. • Inquiries relating to matters not requiring a permanent record. These tiled with press-copy of answer, and after 2 years such as no use destroyed. All other letters Yes. No No No No No No No No No No , No No • No No Yes Yes , Vol . ser V ice Requests for routine informa- tion Requests urging speedy reports on calls. (Returned by indorsement with information.) Other letters No No branch. No No Yes Yes No Vol. enl. branch. For certificate in.lieuof lost dis- charge unaccompanied by tes- timony. For address of officers and en- listed men of vol. service. For information concerning claims for vols, of Revolu- tionarj' war and war of 1812. Requests from attorneys, mem- bers of Congress, and claim- ants that reports be furnished Second Auditor and Commis- sioner of Pensions. For information about bounty and pension claims, horse claims, and claims for com- mutation of rations while prisoners of war. For information about claims for commutation for artificial limbs. • For information about claims of men in Navy or Marine Corps. No No... No No No No No No . No No No No No 94 Letters received — Continued, Office. Subject. Briefed. Entered. Remarks. A.G.O. Vol. enl. branch. For record of soldiers for G. A. JR. and Sons of Veterans pur- poses. For settlement of accounts of deceased soldiers. From supt. military homes for military history of disabled vols. From adjutant-general of States for military histories. Calls from Pension Office, Land Office.and heads of bureaus for statements of military serv- ice, etc. Only letters of importance or containing information of value are briefed and entered. No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Except acknowledgment of blanks. Court-martial records : (Register kept oPdate received, No., name, rank, regiment of party tried, president of court, judge ad vocate,and when and where convened.) Letters transmitting record. Numbered. Application for abstract of trials.. (Note in book— date .received, name, rank, company, and regiment of party tried and name or office of applicant.) No No . Filed with appli- cation. J.A.G No No Yes Yes Q.M. G Settlement lettersfrom Second and Third Auditor. Noted on Register of Accounts. No No.. For xva. r d p d ^r\ Yes Yes officer. C.G.S Printed matter includingG.and S, O. and circulars No No No No ... . Properly noted. Do Acknowledgments of orders, annual reports, etc. A r»r>r»i I n f « «■> n r rp n t, No No ... Do No No Do Returns of subsistence stores Returns of subsistence property.. Letters of transmittal of above.. Weekly and monthly state- ments of funds. Treasury settlements No •• No „... No Do No Do No No Do No No . .. Do No No Do Certificates of deposit No No Do. Inventory and inspection re- ports. No No Do No No Do Claims of enlisted men on fur- lough during the war. Claims of miscellaneous charac- ter. JnQuiries as to claims No.... No No Do. No Do No No Do Inquiries from Pension Office and Second Auditor in con- nection'with pending claims. Replies from Adjutant-General, Depot Commissary of Subsist- ence, Second Auditor, Sur- geon General, or Commis- sioner of Pensions in connec- tion with pending claims. Printed slips of advertisements from Secretary's Office. Printed monthly price-list sub- sistence stores, Washington depot. No ... No Do No No No Do. No Do. No No Do, Yes Yes Sur. Gen.: Name of claimant only. Yes No Filed with claim division. Those thai belong to division ... Others sent to destination .mv" Yes alphabetically. division. No ,„„.,..., ... No .,,, 95 Letters received — Continued. Office. Subject. Briefed. Entered. Remarks. Sur. Gen. : Property divis- ion. Record and pen- sion division. Aluseumand Li- Letters of transmittal forward- ing returns or vouchers Relating to employes of the di- vision. Calls for medical history from Commissioner of Pensions, Adjutant-General.SecoHd Au- ditor, etc. All letters received No Yea No No Filed with returns or vouchers. Filed in envelope alphabetically. Call returned with report in the case ; detached brief with result of search filed. Detached brief made. Yes Name, reg- iment, and office No. of call on alp habeti- cal i n d ex only. Yes.. brary division. P M G Second Auditor and Second Comptroller inquiries sis to payment to otticers and sol- diers. Date received stamped. Back-pay and bounty inquiries for private persons. Notification from Second Audi- tor of allowance of a claim and that certificate will be «ent when Congress makes appropriation. No No No .. . . . Returned with re- No ply indorsed. Referred to prop- er officer. Filed awaiting certificate. No Yes No Yes Requests from officers on ofli- cial blank forms. Applications on official blank forms. Yes No No Filed in division. Yes Do Yes No No Yes Do. Acknowledgments on official blanks. All other letters received . Yes Do. Yes Ordnauce Errors. in property returns No No No Filed with re- No turns, [Retained till re- ceipt of blanks and publica- ' tions have been Asking for publications No No Letters of transmittal, not ex- planatory. No No Yes ack'g'd, and . then destroyed. Destroyed when account is set- tled. Yes Signal: Corresp,div.,sig. series. Corresp. div., obs. series. Yes Yes From paid observers are briefed atstation; date received, No., and station recorded, and filed by station. Applications for enlistment. Applications listed by name. No., date received, and filed in envelopes alphabetically. Unimportant letters generally from private persons on rou- tine matters. Listed by sur- name. No., date received, in- itialed, and filed alphabeti- cally. From voiuiitarv observers port indexed. No No 'M'iaf>1 aprif^a No . No ... •'V" series No No No No Property and disbg. divis- ion. V and D same as "miscellane- ous," except V series has vol- urvteer station noted on brief fold and filed by stations. Money and property accounts, name and subject indexed. Letters transmitting bills Requesting publications (not indexed). Letters, name, and purport in- dexed. These included— Letters transmitting pro)>- erty returns, etc. Statements of public funds, reports of other line funds. Subject No On not more than one line. No Filed numeri- cally. Filed Writers' in- initial. Yes Yes No Filed alphabeti- cally. fice. Yes vision. No ;.. . cally. Entry discontin- ued Oct. 5, '88. Do. Yes No 96 Letters sent. Office. Written. Printed. Press- copied. 1 Re- corded. Remarks. Sec. of War: Kecord iliv.... To Civil Service Com- mission : To certify name Yes Yes Name selected... Yes Yes Advice that appointee Yes Yes has taken oatk and entered on duty. Advice of permsinent Yes. ... Yes appointment. ! Advice of changes Yes Yes Press copies filed with papers. Letter of appointment.. Yes No Letler-of promotion Y'es No Letter of transfer Yes Y'es No No Letter of reduction in 1 grade. Letter .accepting resig- Y'es No nation. i Letter of discharge Yes No Requisitions u 11 d li c - Notification that letters Yes No Press copy kept in of ti-ansmittal not re- book and i n - counts di- quired witli certifi- dexed. vision. cates of deposit. Supply divis- ion. Disbursing clerk noti- Yes No Press copy kept fied of accounts sent in book and in- out. dexed. Orders for supplies un- Yes No Press copy kept der contract. and properly noted. Do. Orders for supplies not Yea No under contract, mis- cellaneous. Cjlders for supplies not Y'-es No Do. under contract, sta- tionery. Orders for repairs Yes . No Do Request to execute Yes!;,.. No Do. contract. Notification of awards.. Yes No Do. Inclosing copy of con- Yes No Do. tract. Notice to report for Yes No Do. work. Action on requisitions.. Yes No. ... Do. Request for signature Yes No Do. . to receipts. Transmitting accounts Yes No Do. for signature. Correspond- ence div'n. For special passport Yea.... Yea.... Press copy filetl with papers. For admission free of duty. Sending papers to Yes... No Do. Yes.... Yes.... Do. House Committee on War Claims. Inclosing report on Yes. ... Yea.... Do. bill to House 'Com- mittee on Military Affairs. Evidence to Attorney- Yea.... Yes... First letter of this General for Court of kind in book re- Claims. cord cd, and thereafter writ- ten portions only. To Attorney-Gieneral, Yea.... Y'es.... Press copy filed evidence of loyalty with papers. or disloyalty in Courtof Claims case. To Court of Claims Yes.... Yea.... Firstletter of this transmitting papers. kind in book recorded, and • thereafter writ- ten portions only. To Court of Claims, Yea.... Yes Press copy filed no record found of with papers. claim. Notification of trans- Yea.... ! Y'es.... Do. mittal. 1 97 Letters sm^— Continued. Office. Written. Printed. Press- copied. Re- corded. Remarks. Sec. of War: Correspond- ence div'n Requests to make des- ignations for "Offi- Yes Yes Press copy filed with papers. —Cont'd. cial Records War of Rebellion." Request for present Yes Yes Do. post-office address of person designated. Request to make an- Yes Yea Do. other designation if organization does not exist. Transfer of books. Yes Yes Do. Librarv di- Inclosing receipt for signature. Yes Yes Do. vigion. Sending "Official Rec- Yes Yes Do. ords War of Rebel- lion" to Bureaus. For binding Records Yes Yes First of this kind War of Rebellion in book re- for subscribers. corded, and thereafter writ- ten portions only. Subscribers notified No No Noted. that order given for binding work. Duplication of desig- Yes Yes Press copy filed nations. witli papers. Response to requests No No..... Noted. for annual reports. 1 Acknowledgment of Yes No Do. receipt of money. When party desig- No No Do. nated has died. To return book to Li- No No Do. brary. A.G.O.: A.C.P.branch Letters which will No Yes.... ever be needed for reference. Letters in reply to such letters re- No- No ■^^" ceived as are not entered, as a rule. Miscl.brch... Answers to letters not Yes No entered. "Vol. service Such as do not em- Yes*... No Filed with papers. branch. brace decisions. Vol. enlst. List of letters noted Some. Some.. Press copies kept branch. under letters re- ceived, as not re- corded. Many are answered by print- ed and manuscript answers. for awhile and then destroyed. Letters transm i 1 1 i n g blanks. No No ... Noted opposite ap- plication on let- ters received. All other letters sent... Yes Yes J. A. G Answers to applica- tions for abstract 'f No Not«d on applica- tion book. trials. All other letters sent... Yes Yes Yes Only impor- Indexed. Q. M. G All letters sent and endorsements. L. R. and press- tant. copy filed with papers. C. G. S Yes Yes No..... Some letters sent Yes Noted in record 1 books. Answers to inquiries 1 No No as to status of claim. ' Replies to requests for blanks to make No.. No. out claim. S. G : Administra- All— indexed by sub- Yes Yes tion div. ject and author. 17958 7 * Or draft preserved. 98 Letters sent — Continued. Office. Written. Printed. Press- copied. 1 cord^ed. Remarks. i S.G.: Disbg. and trust div. Replies by circular No No Noted on claims. Written Yes Yes No No Filed with claim. Property di- Letters of notificati»H Press-copy books vision. of action of office. indexed, num- bered, and pre- served. Notification of settle- No Noted on record ment of accounts. books. Record and Relating; to empioyes. No No Copy filed alpha- betically. pension div. Reports to Comr. of Pensions.Adjt. Gen- No No filed with de- eral, Second Audi- tached brief. tor, and others from records on file. Museum and All letters sent Yes library div. Letters of acknowledg- ment. Yes Name, address, and article ackgd. and blanks indi- cated. p M. G For statement of serv- ice from Adjt. Gen. No No Filed with reply. Statement of suspen- No No Filed with P. M.'s sions in accounts. reply, which is entered as a let- ter received. For list of outstanding No No Noted on record checks. of outstanding checks. Requesting report of No No Response recort* ed in letters re change of station and address. ceived. Removal of suspen- (Orig- No Checked on rec- sions (in duplicate). inal only) ord. Yes. ■».T 1 Soldiei's' deposit No No Properly noted. Paymaster notified ; No ■No Noted on register account sent to Sec- of paymasters' ond Auditor. 1 accounts. Letters of advice about No No I funds. 1 All other letters sent... Yes Yes Yes Yes.. .. Knciripprs . . Written on regular printed forms. Ko Press books in- Routine unimportant letters. dexed. NotedinL. R. and press-copy filed with papers. Other letters sent Yes Yes Indorsement on let- ters which are even- Yes No ^ tually returned to office for file. Yes No [Accounts show accounts. date. Notification of exami- Yes No nation of property or cash accounts. Other letters sent Yes Yes Signal All letters Yes i No Press- copied into books correspond- ing in general to se- ries of letters re- ceived. Name of person written to. Series indicates sub- ject, so that is not indexed except "Miscellaneous" and "Signal." Two press-copies of im- portant letters tak- en, one of which is filed with papers. . 99 This list of papers, which experience has shown to be unnecessary to record, is here con- densed, and to make the practice uniform throughout the Department it is recommended that all papers of the jlasses here enumerated be not recorded hereafter: (1) All papers that do not pertain to the business of the office where received, and which, under the circular of 13th instant, will be at once sent to the proper office for ac- tion. Where necessary to keep a list, see recommendation as to card-index briefs. (2) Official calls for information from records on file, when necessary to keep more than a mere list, see recommendation as to card-index brief, on which can be noted the date when such a paper is referred elsewhere for information, when received back and finally disposed of. These cards to be filed alphabetically and destroyed when no longer needed. (3) Letters inquiring as to status of claims, or requesting action thereon, which con- tain no information of value, to be answered by indorsement whenever practicable; if answered by letter they should be destroyed when no longer needed. Should they, how- ever, contain material information additional to that which is already filed they should be placed with the papers in the case. (4) Weekly and monthly statements of funds, accounts current, vouchers, returns of stores and property, inventories, inspection reports, or both, and generally any regular reports or returns that are in the ordinary course of business necessarily noted or listed elsewhere than on letters- received books, and filed systematically for ready reference. The fact of being listed or noted should be stamped thereon, with date and name of office, so they may not be again noted or listed. (5) Letters of transmittal containing no material information additional to the matter transmitted need not be preserved; such letters should only be written when the matter transmitted does not show by whom it was sent. (6) Kequests for and acknowledgments of receipts of publications and blanks. Where they are numerous requests should be listed, and acknowledgments noted on such lists. (7) Circulars, orders, etc., should be preserved in separate files. (8) Letters from persons evidently insane. Papers not recorded, listed, noted, or filed away in such manner as to be easily referred to, if worth keeping, may be filed in cabinet-letter files as suggested under head of ' ' General remarks. ' ' With these classes excluded, it is probable there may still remain many papers which need not be recorded. To ascertain this it is important that the experience of the clerks be utilized to ascertain, if possible, what classes of papers are rarely if ever referred to, and also whether any of the classes named above should be recorded, and why. In order that this information may be exact, and not depend on the memory of searchers, it is recommended that searchers be required to keep a memorandum book, showing the subject of papers searched for, the office-mark of the papers, or name if not entered, and for whom searched. From these books they can compile the information needed in the reports suggested, and it will take no longer for a searcher to keep this book than to make a memorandum on a loose slip of paper. It is also recommended that this infor- mation be compiled once a year, say on the first Monday in October, and that the reports from the several bureaus be collated. If it shall thereupon appear that the opinion on a given class of papers is almost unanimous, this expert testimony will be of the greatest value in determining with safety what classes of papers need not be recorded, and also whether any of the excepted classes should be recorded. The searcher can not make a record that will show what papers are not called for; that will depend on the memory of those who enter the papers. The searcher's book will only show the papers called for. If there has been but one call during the year for papers of a class of which many are entered, it will be possible to say of that class that it is rarely referred to, while if many calls are made for papers of another class, that will be evidence of the value of recording such papers. The searcher's book above recommended will also serve as a charge-book for papers taken from the files temporarily. Papers are often so withdrawn and returned the same day, thus canceling the charge. If a charge remains on the searcher's book for a few days it should be ascertained if the papers are likely to remain off the files for an indefi- nite peried, and, if so, the charge should be noted on the card- index number book sug- gested under the title "Card-index." If the card-index is not adopted the charge should then be made on the book of letters received. By keeping the charges on the searcher's book a compact record is kept of papers oft' the files temporarily, and it should be the duty of the searcher to keep track of them with a view to their early return to the files. Under the present system papers temporarily withdrawn from the files are at once charged in the book of letters received, and it is not the particular duty of any one to look after the paper to see that it is returned. If returned, the charge may be removed; if not, the charge remains, and the paper is supposed to be somewhere about the office. It may have been acted upon and the charge overlooked. The method proposed is simple. Charges now are scattered through large volumes of about one thousand pages. Back and forth the clerk goes making charges and removing 100 them. On the searcher's book many charges are canceled and need not be posted to the permanent record. It also expedites business because it provides for calling up papers on which action might otherwise be delayed. While a record should only be made of such papers as are important, it is to be borne in mind that there is no limit of time within which claims must be presented, with a very few exceptions not necessary to name here, and the necessity of care in selecting classes of papers is therefore apparent. METHOD OF ENTEEING AND ACTING ON PAPERS. Having disposed of the classes of work that need not be recorded, it is proper now to illustrate the method of entering a letter received at the Department. To show clearly the several steps of its progress from the time of its receipt until the action thereon is completed, an actual case has been traced and is here given: Transfer of steamer Success from Qiiiiicy, Illinois, to Flam Point Reach, Mississippi River. On December 14, 1888, Capt. Smith S. Leach (1), Corps of Engineers U. 8. Array, sta- tioned at Memphis, Tenn., addressed a letter to the Chief of Engineers U. S. Army, "Washington, D. C, requesting approval of the employment of a pilot for the transfer of the steamer Success with tow from Quincy, 111., to Saint Louis, Mo., $2rt, and of another pilot from Saint Louis to Fletcher's Point, Ark. , at rate of $150 per month ; to be paid from allotment for improving Plum Point Reach. The letter, with the other mail matter re- received at the same time, was on December 17, 1888, brought from the Washingt(m City post-ofl&ce in the War Department mail- wagon (2), contained in the locked mail-pouch be- longing to the office of the Chief of Engineers, which pouch was taken from the wagon to said office by Mr. F. C. Hartman (3), an assistant messengerof that office (salary |720 per an- num), who unlocked the pouch, took therefrom its contents, and placed the same upon the desk of Mr. Wm. J. Warren, chief clerk of the office (salary $2,000 per annum). Mr. Warren (4), after examining it and separating the personal from the official mail, turned the latter over to Mr. Hartman (5), who cut open the envelopes, and, without removing their contents, placed them again upon the desk of Mr. Warren (6), who removed and read the papers in each case for the purpose of acquainting himself with the contents and to give the papers proper disposition for action. Finding that this case pertained to "third division " of the office, he placed upon the letter a slip of paper upon which was printed in bold type "third division" first stamping the slip with office stamp showing date of receipt of the letter, placed a rubber band around the papers, and sent them to General T. L. Casey, Chief of Engineers. General Casey (7) looked the case over and placed it in a basket upon his desk labeled "Major Post,'- from which it was taken by messenger (8) and carried to Maj. J. C. Post, Corps of Engineers, who has supervision of the class of business to which the case related. Major Post (9), after reading the case, sent it to Mr. P. J. Dempsey (10), a clerk of class 4, chief clerk of third division, who stamped "III" in lower left-hand corner of first fold, and sent it by messenger (11) to Mr. S. Duryee (12), a clerk of class 4, chief of the record division, for record. Upon its receipt by Mr. Duryee, he handed it to Mr. John B. Nichols (13), a clerk of class 1, .in charge of "B " book of letters received, who stamped it with office stamp showing date of re- ceipt, numbered it (5402), placed a brief upon the first fold, showing date, name, and rank of writer and summary of the subject-matter, and entered it in letters -received book (B), the entry, including the headings and notations of action taken in the case, being as follows: 1888. Letters received {B) Engineer Department. Date of re- ceipt and file No. Name of writer. Date and subject of letter. Action. * * * * * * • Dec 17 Leach, Capt. S.S. 5591 W.D.1888. Memphis Tenn Dec 14 III Dec. 17. 5^2 In connection with transfer of Str. Success and tow from Quincy, 111., to Plum Point Reach, reqs. approval of employment of a pilot fro?n Quincy to St. Louis, $25, and of another pilot from St. Louis to Fletch- er's Pt., Ark., at rate of $150 pr. mo.: to be paid from allotment for impg. Plum Point Reach. To Sec'y War Dec. 21, '88, recomd. Back Dec. 24,'88, approved Dec. 22. Ill Dec. 26. T«)C;apt. Leach Dec. 27,'88, for guiy forego- ing endt.: toberet'd. Back .Ian. .3, '89. Filed Jan. 3, '89. • • • • ♦ * • 101 Mr. Nichols then placed a perpendicular mark in the upper left-hand comer to signify that the case had been entered in the book of letters received. The case was then passed to Mr. M. W. Saxton (14), a clerk of class 3, who indexed it iu the index-book both by name and subject, the book beinj; alphabetically tagged, and containing on the right-hand pages a marginal cut index, giving, by combinations, the first three letters of any name or subject, and giving, also, the subject in full, in such cases as form the subject of frequent correspondence, thus enabling immediate reference to be made to any particular subject upon which information may be desired. The pages, at the top of which the year is printed, are divided by blue lines into spaces of about one inch long and three-quarters of an inch wide, into one of which is written the subject and file-number of the paper indexed. The subject and file-number are written in red ink, except in the cases of papers coming into theofl&ce from the War Department or cases of an extraordinary character, which are indexed in black ink. This case was indexed under six separate headings or key- words, as follows: 1888. L Leach, Captain Smith S. Employ pilot in taking tow Suc- cess from Quin- cy to Plum Pt., 5402-B. P Pilots. Leach employ —to take dredge Success to Plum Pt., 5402-B. S Dre Success, Tow B dge oat. Leach employ pilots to take— from Quincy to Plum Pt., 5402- B. P Plum Point Re ach.Miss. River. Leach employ pilot to take str. Success from Quincy, Ills., to — , 5402-B. B Boats, Tow. Success P. 95L u H 1" War Dept. ' ♦Mississippi Ri ver Commission Approves Leach's hire of pilot, trans, str. Suc- cess, 5402-B. Note— The dash, thus — , is used in indexing to obviate the repetition of, and is in substitution for, the index word. * Heading at top of page. Mr. Saxton then made a mark across the perpendicular mark in upper left-hand cor- ner, to signify that the case had been indexed, and returned the case to Mr. Nichols (15), who charged it to third division by a notation in red ink in the column headed "Action," opposite the entry of the case in the book of letters received, and sent it by messenger (16) to Mr. Dempsey (17), who in turn sent it by messenger (18) to Major Post (19). After reading it over Major Post sent it to Mr. R. W. Burgess (20), civil en- gineer (salary $3,600), who drafted an indorsement on a slip of paper and returned the case therewith to Major Post (21), who looked it over and signified his approval of the proposed indorsement by placing his initials (J. C. P.) upon the slip. He then sent the case by messenger (22) to General Casey (23), who, approving the indorsement, so sig- nified by writing upon the slip the word "Yes," and affixing his initials, "T. L. C." He then returned the case to Major Post (24), who again sent it to Mr. Dempsey (25). By Mr. Dempsey it was handed to Mr.S. R, Kiner (class 1) (26), who placed upon the 102 paper tbe indorsement, as per draft, and returned the case to Mr. Dempsey (27), who again sent it to Major Post (28), who, after examining the indorsement, placed his ini- tials in the upper left-hand corner and sent it by messenger (29) to General Casey (30) for signature. After signing the indorsement General Casey returned the case to Major Post (31), who again sent it to Mr. Dempsey (32). The latter then handed it to Mr. W. Jansen (class 3) (33), who press-copied the indorsement on a loose sheet, entered the case in a "dispatch " book (memorandum receipt book), and sent it by messenger (34) to the record division of the War Department in a sealed envelope addressed, in print, to the "Secretary of War — Koom 65." The following shows 'the entry: Name. When sent. Nature of communication. Signature of receiver. * Secretary of War Dec. 22, '88 * * Leach for pilot, 5402 '«8 B * * * k.' D. Bui-WeU. (35) Mr. Jansen then folded the press copy of the indorsement into three equal folds, wrote in pencil upon the back of the first fold the date, file number of the paper upon which the indorsement was based, name of person to whom sent, and sent it by messenger (36) to Mr. Duryee (37), who passed it to Mr. Nichols (38), class 1, who made therefrom a notation in red ink in the book of letters received, showing the action as per the indorse- ment, as follows: "To Secy. War, Dec. 21, '88, reconid." He then handed the press copy to Mr. Johnson (39) (skilled laborer, salary $720), who placed it in a temporary wrapper to await final disposition of the case. The indorsement was as follows: [1st indoraement.] J.C.P. Office Chief op Engineers U. S. Army. Bee. 21, 1888. Respectfully submitted to the Secretary of War with recommendation for approval. Thos. Lincoln Casey, Brig. Qen., Chief of Engineers. ^1888. B Upon receipt of the case in the record division of the War Department the envelope in which it was contained was (in the absence of the chief of the division, who at the time was acting chief clerk of the Department) opened by Mr. C. H. Carrington (40), a clerk of cl^ss 4, and at the time acting chief of the division, who, after removing the paper and reading its subject-matter, marked upon it in pencil " Maj. Adams," to sig- nify to the clerk in charge of the letters-received book, in which the cavse was to be en- tered, that it was to be sent to Major Adams, the subject being of a class usually acted upon by that officer. Mr. Carrington then handed it to one of the office messengers (41 ), who stamped it with office stamp upon the first fold, showing the date of its receipt De- cember 22, 1888, and handed it to Mr. A. L. Robinson (42), class 2, who indexed it both by name and subject, and placed upon it the file number (5591) and letter of the book (A) in which it was to be entered. The index book is alphabetically tagged on left-hand pages, and on right-hand pages is an alphabetical cut index, which constitutes an index by the second letter of the name or subject concemifig which information may be desired, and facilitates reference thereto. £ach page is ruled with a marginal line on the left, and at the top of the page are printed the first three letters of the name or subjects be- ginning, and the names or subjects ending, the entries on the page. To illustrate: A page having printed at the topGLE CILY would show it to be the proper page on which to index any name or subject the first two letters of which are Gl and the third letter of which is any letter from E to Y, inclusive. The case was indexed under six separate headings or key- words, as follows: E Engineers, Chief of. Plum Point Reach, Miss. River. Pilots for sir. Success. 5591a. L Leach,Capt. S. S Pilots for str. «S'ur<'«».s. 5rt91a. P Pilots i^tr. Success. Plum Point Reach. 5591a, P Plum Point Reach (See Miss. River.) Q Quincy, 111 Ktr.S««rre«K to Plum Point Reach. Pilots. 5591a. M Mississippi River Plum Point Reach. Pilots for str. Sttccess. &59Ia. * The case was then taken from Mr. Robinson's desk by Mr. J. T. Smith (43), class 1, in charge of Book A of letters received, who entered it in said l)ook, made a notation thereon 103 in red ink charging the case to Major Adams (Maj. M. H. Adams, Corps of Engineers), and placed it in the mail-box on his desk, from which it was carried by messenger (44) to that ofiicer. The entry in the book of letters received, including notations of actions taken, is as follows: Dec. 22. 5591 Chief of Engineers, Dec. 21, '88 Submits, recommending approval, comn. of Capt. S. S. Leach, Memphis, Tenn., in connection with transferor str. Success and tow from Quincy, 111., to Plum Point Reach.requesting approval ofemploymentofa pilot from Quincy to St. Louis, $25, and another pilot from St. Louis to Fletcher's Point, Ark., at a rate of §150 per mo., to be paid from allotment for improving Plum Point Reach. Maj. Adams, Dec. 22. Kec'd back 22. Approved. By order of the Secretary of War : Saml. Hodgkins, Acting Chiej CI rk. War Dept., Dec. 22, '88, Erigrs., Dec. 24. Upon receipt of the case by Major Adams (45) he submitted it to the Secretary of War (46), who, having expressed his approval of the recommendation of the Chief of Engi- neers, Major Adams drafted an indorsement and sent the case therewith to Mr. J. B, Ran- dolph (47), class 4, assistant to the chief clerk of the Department. Mr. Randolph read the case, placed the indorsement, as per draft, thereon, checked the letter "a" in the word War in the indorsement with a red-ink mark, to signify that the indorsement was drafted by Major Adams, and placed the case in a basket on his desk in which are regu- larly placed such papers as are to be signed by the chief clerk. He then filed the draft of the indorsement in a pigeon-hole in one of the office book-cases in which such drafts are usually kept for a reasonable time for reference, should it become necessary or desir- able. The acting chief clerk, Mr. Samuel Hodgkins (48), upon taking up the case, ex- amined it with reference to its subject-matter and the recommendation submitted by the Chief of Engineers, and, thus satisfying himself that it was clerically correct, he signed his name to the indorsement and returned the case to Mr. Randolph (49), who placed it in the mail-box upon his desk belonging to the record division, whence it was taken by messenger (50) of that division. The indorsement was as follows: Approved. By order of the Secretary of War: War Dkpt., Dec. 22, '88. Saml. Hodgkins, Acting Chief Clerk. The case when taken by the messenger of the record division from the office of the chief clerk was handed to Mr. Carrington (51), acting chief, who read the indorsement and sent the case by messenger (52) to Mr. Smith (53), who entered the indorsement in red ink opposite the entry of the case in "A" book of letters received, charged it to the Engineer Bureau by a notation in red ink in said book, placed a red-ink check-mark in upper left-hand corner of the indorsement, to signify its entry, and sent it to the Engineer Bureau by messenger (54). Upon its receipt back by Mr. Warren (55), chief clerk of the office of the Chief of En- gineers, he put upon it a third division slip, and sent it to General Casey (56), the slip being stamped with office stamp, showing date of receipt back, and having written upon it by Mr. Warren, in blue pencil, the words, "From the War Department, " so that the general might see that the case was one which had been acted upon by the Secretary of War, and that immediate attention might thus be drawn to the case. It was then placed 1 y General Casey in Major Post's mail basket, taken by messenger (57) to that officer (58), and by him sent by messenger (59) to Mr. Dempsey (60). Mr. Dempsey then sent, it by messenger (61) to Mr, Duryee (62), by whom it was handed to Mr. Nichols (63), who stamped it on first fold with office stamp, showing its receipt back December 24, approved, and on second fold showing only its receipt back, December 24, 1888, and handed to Mr. Saxton (64), who indexed the indorsement of the Secretary of War. plac- ing a checkmark in blue pencil on the lower left-hand corner thereof, to signify its having been indexed, and returned thacase to Mr. Nichols (65). The latter then charged the case to third division by a notation opposite its entry in the book of letters received, and sent it to Mr. Duryee (66), who returned it to Mr. Dempsey (67). Mr. Dempsey then sent it to Major Post (68), who examined it and handed it to Mr. Burgess (69), who drafted an indorsement and returned the -case therewith to Major Post (70), who then placed his initials in the upper left-hand corner of the draft and sent the case to General 104 Casey (71), who wrote upon the draft the word "Yes," aftixed his initials thereunder, signifying his approval, and returned the case to Major Post (72), who again sent it to Mr. Dempsey (73). The latter then handed it to Mr. Jansen (74), who placed upon the paper the indorsement as per draft and returned it to Mr. Dempsey (75), who sent it to Major Post (76) for signature. After being signed by Major Post it was returned to Mr. Dempsey (77), who again handed it to Mr. Jansen (78), who made a press copy of the indorsement on a loose sheet, and placed the original paper in an envelope properly addressed for the mail. He then folded the press copy into three equal folds, upon the first of which he wrote in pencil the date, file number of the paper on which it was based, and name of peison to whom sent, and sent it to Mr. Duryee (79), who handed it to Mr. Nichols (80), who made therefrom a notation opposite the entry of the case in the book of letters received, showing the action as per the indorsement, and handed it to Mr. Johnson (81), who placed, with the previous press copy, in a temporary wrapper to await final disposition of the case. The indorsement was as follows: fad indorsement.] Office Chief of Engineers U. S. Army, Dec. 27, 1888. Respectfully returned to Capt. S. S. Leach, Corps of Engineers, inviting attention to the foregoing indorsement, by which he will be guided. After such record as may be necessary has been made, this paper will be returned to this office. By command of Brig. Gen. Casey : Jas. C. Post, Major of Engineers. Upon the receipt of the case at the office of Captain Leach (82) it was stamped on the first fold with office stamp, showing date, and was returned to the Chief of Engineers U. S. Army, by indorsement as follows: [4th indorsement.] U. S. Engineer Office, Memphis, Tenn., Dec. 31, 1888. Respectfully returned to the Chief of Engineers U. S. Army, as required in 3d indorsement, rec- ord having been made for the files of this office. Smith S. Leach, Captain of Engineers. The case was received back at the office of the Chief of Engineers January 3, 1889, having been brought from the Washington City post-office in the War Department mail- wagon (83), contained, with other mail matter, in the locked mail-pouch of the office of the Chief of Engineers, which was taken from the wagon to that office by Mr. F. C. Hartman (84), an assistant messenger of said office, who unlocked the pouch, took there- from its contents and placed the same upon the desk of the chief clerk, Mr. William J. Warren (85). After separating the personal from the official mail, Mr. Warren turned the latter over to Mr. Hartman (86), who cut open the envelope and covers and, without removing the contents, replaced the same upon Mr. Warren's (87) desk. Mr. Warren then glanced at the subject-matter of each case, and finding that this one pertained to third division, he placed upon it a slip with "third division" printed upon it, first stamping the slip with office stamp to show the date of receipt, placed a rubber band around the papers and sent them to General Casey (88), who, alter looking over the case, placed it in a basket upon his desk labeled "Maj. Post," Irom which it was taken by messenger (89) and carried to that officer (90). Major Post, after examining the case and finding that no further action thereon was required, wrote in pencil upon the first fold the word "File," under which he affixed his initials, and sent the case by messen- ger (91) to Mr. Dempsey (92). By Mr. Dempsey it was sent to Mr. Duryee (93), by whom it was handed to Mr. Nichols (94), who stamped it both on the first and third folds with office stamp, showing the date of its receipt back, made a notation of its re- ceipt back, in red ink, opposite the entry of the case in the book of letters received; also made a similar notation of the case being filed, checked the notation "File, J, C. P." with blue pencil, to signify that said notation had been made, and handed the case to Mr. Johnson (skilled laborer, salary $720) (95), who filed it in a file-box, filing also therewith the press copies of indorsements which had previously been filed in a tempo- rary wrapper to await final disposition of the case. The (liv'mon .nlips which are placed upon c^es by Mr. Warren, the chief clerk, remain with them until they reach the record division (Mr. Duryee), where, after proper record 105 of the cases, the slips are filed for a reasonable period for reference should it be desirable. When a large number of them has accumulated, and it is certain that no occasion for ref- erence to them will arise, they are disposed of as waste paper, they not being regarded as a record, but simply as ofl&ce memoranda. The following is a copy of the slip that was used in this case, and others which accom- panied it, when it left Mr. Warren's desk: Office of the Chief of Engineers, Dec. 17, 1888. United States Army. 12-15 III DIVISION. J. C. P. 5393—5402 B 17, 3.30 5404-5411 18. 10.15 The office stamp being placed a?>ore the word " division " signifies that the case was re ceived by Mr. Warren before 12 o'clock m. Had the case been received by him after tha hour the stamp would have been placed helow the word "division." The figures 12— 15 in pencil to the right of the office stamp indicate the time (12.15 o'clock) at which the papers were received at the record division. The initials J. C. P. in pencil are those of Maj. J. C. Post, and signify that he examined all the cases which accompanied the slip. The figures 5393—5402, 5404—5411, signify that cases which were numbered from 5393 to 5402, inclusive, and from 5404 to 5411, inclusive, accompanied the slip. The fig- ures 17, — 3.30 indicate the day (17) and the hour at which the cases from 5393 to 5402, inclusive, were sent from the record division for action. The figures 18, — 10.15 indicate the day (December 18 j and the hour at which the cases from 5404 to 5411 were similarly sent. Case No. 5403, which, it will be observed, is an intermediate number to the above, was a telegram which, having been immediately disposed of upon its receipt, was not noted upon the slip. Note. — It will be observed that in the transfer of the papers from one to another the mode of transfer is not specified in each case, it being impossible, by reason of the lapse of time since the case was disposed of, to determine whether the transfer was by mes- senger or by the clerk from whom transferred. Where it could be determined with reasonable certainty that the transfer was made by messenger it is so stated. Following is a transcript of Captain Leach's letter: 529 Capt. Smith S. Leach, Corps of Engineers U. 8. A., In charge. Improving Mississippi River, IsT AND 2d Districts, U. S. Engineer Office, Memphis, Tenn., December 14, 1 To the Chief of Engineers U. S. Army, Washington, D. C: Sir : I have the honor to ask for the approval of the employment of one pilot for the trip from Quincy, 111., to St. Louis, Mo., at $25.00 for the trip; and of another pilot ferservice from St. Louis. Mo., to Fletcher's L'dg, Ark., at the rate of $150.00 per month. The services of these men were re- quired to conduct the U. S. steamer "Success," with tow, from Quincy, 111., to the works at Plum Point Reach, and it was impracticable to obtain authority previous to their employment. It is pro- posed to pay them from allotment for " PJum Point Reach," appropriation for " Improving Missis- sippi River." Very respectfully, your obedient servant. Smith S. Leach, Captain of Engineers. 106 Following is a copy of the back or reverse side of the letter, showing office indorsements, etc. The perpendicular lines indicate the folds: 5402 ENGB. DEPT, 1888 B Rec'd Dec. 17 WAR DEPARTMENT. Received Dec. 22 Memphis. Tenn., Dec. 14, 1888. Leach, Capt. S. S. In connection with transfer of Str. Success and tow from Quin- I'y, 111., to Plum Point Reach, reqs. approval of employment of a pilot from Quincy to St. Louis, $25, and of another pilot from St. Liouis to Fletcher's Pt., Ark., at rate of $150 pr. mo.; to be paid from allotment for impg. Plum Point reach. File. J. C. P. U. S. Engineer OflB.ce, Mem- phis, Tenn. Received Dec. 31, 1888. Reed. Engr. Deptback Dec.24, 1888. Approved. , Reed. Engr. Dept, back Jan. 3, [1st indorsement.] Office Chief of Engineers U. S. Army, J. C. P. i>ec.21,1888. Respectfully submitted to the Secretary of War with recom- mendation of approval. Thos. Lincoln Casey. Brig. Gen. Chief of Engineers. Approved. By order of the Secretary of War : Saml. Hodgkins, Acting Chief Clerk. War Dept., Dec. 22, 1888. Reed. Engr. Dept. Dec. 24, 1883, [3d indorsement.] Office Chief op Engineers U. S. Army,- Dec. 27, 1888. Respectfully return ed to Capt. S. S. Leach, Corps of Engineers, inviting attention to the forego- ing indorsement, by which he will be guided. After such record as may be necessary has been made, this this paper will be returned to this office. By command of Brig. Gen. Casey : Jas. C. Post, Major of Engineers. 5402 ,„„„ ^— 1888 [4th indorsement.] U. S. Engineer Office, Memphis, Tenn., Dec. 31, 1888. Respectfully returned to the Chief of Engineers U. S. Army, as required in 3d indorsement, record having been made for the files of this office. Smith S. Leach, Captain of Engineers. Reed. Engr. Dept. Jan. 3, 1889. The history of this case shows, as nearly as can now be determined, that in its course from Captain Leach, through the War Department, including its return to that officer and its return again by him to the War Department, it was handled by officers and clerks seventy-six times, and including messenger service, ninety-four times. The Chief of Engineers handled it six times: first, when it came into the office and he thus knew it was pending; second, when he approved of the action proposed; third, when he signed the indorsement containing his views; fourth, when the paper was re- turned to his office with the action of the Secretary of War thereon; fifth, when he ap- proved the indorsement proposed to carry out the orders of the Secretary; and sixth, when he saw that the orders had been carried out and the case closed. Maj. J. C. Post, Corps of Engineers, in immediate charge of the third division, which has charge of all matters relating to rivers and harbors, handled it twelve times: (1) when sent to him by the Chief of Engineers he read it; (2J after entry in the books lie looked at it again and sent it to have indorsement drafted; (3) indorsement being drafted, he put his initials on it to show he approved it; (4) the draft being approved by the Chief of Engineers, he sent it to the clerk to put on the paper; (5) when indorsement was placed on the piper he initialed it to show it was correct; {G) when signed by the Chief of Engineers he saw it again, and thus knew the action of the office had been taken; (7) he next read the action of the Secretary and sent the paper to be ''received back" on the books; (8) this being done, he sent to have indorsement drafted to carry out or- ders; (9) he put his initials on draft to show he approved it; (10) draft being approved by Chief of Engineers, he sent the draft to be placed on the paper; (11) it having been placed on paper, he signed indorsement; (12) paper having been returned by Captain Leach, he saw that action was complete and ordered paper iSled. Mr. Stevens (clerk of class $1,000) in charge of mail-wagon of War Department, han- 107 died the paper three times: (1) when he brought it from the post-office; (2) when he took it from the Department to the post-office, when it was returned to Captain Leach; (3) when he again brought it from the post-office upon its return by Captain Leach. Mr. Warren, chief clerk, office Chief of Engineers (salary $2,000 per annum), handled it five times: (1) when he handed it to Mr. Hartman, messenger, to cut open the enve- lope in which it was contained — this saves time, as the envelopes are being cut while the mail, often large, is being assorted; (2) when he looked it over and sent it to Gen- eral Casey with the time-slip attached; (8) at the time of its receipt back from the War Department; (4) when he at the time of its second receipt from Captain Leach handed it to Mr. Hartman to cut open the envelope; (5) when he again looked it over and sent it to General Casey. Mr. Hartman, assistant* messenger, office Chief of Engineers (salary |720), handled it four times: (1) when he brought it from the mail-wagon to Mr. Warren's desk; (2) when he cut open the envelope and replaced it upon Mr. Warren's desk; (3) when for the second time he brought it from the mail- wagon to Mr. Warren's desk; (4) when he cut open the envelope and replaced it upon Mr. Warren's desk. Mr. Dempsey, clerk of class 4 and chief clerk of the third division, office Chief of En- gineers, handled it eleven times: (1) when it was sent to him by Major Post, when he stamped it with the figures 111 in lower left-handed corner and sent it to Mr. Duryee, chief of record division, for record; (2) when it was returned to him after having been recorded and indexed, and was returned by him to Major Post; (3) when it was sent to him by Major Post to have indorsement placed upon it; (4) when it was returned to him by the clerk who had placed the indorsement upon it, when he again returned it to Major Post; (5) when Major Post returned it to him after the indorsement had been signed by General Casey; (6) when it was sent to him by Major Post after having been acted upon by the Secretary of War; (7) when it was returned to him from the record division, to which it was sent to have the action of the Secretary of War properly re- corded; (8) when it was again sent to him by Major Post to have another indorsement placed upon it; (9) when it was returned to him by the clerk who had placed the in- dorsement upon it; (10) when it was returned to him by Major Post after the indorse- ment had been signed; (11) when it was sent to him by Major Post upon its return by Captain Leach after which it was filed. Mr. Duryee, clerk of class 4 and chief of record division, office of the Chief of Engi- neers, handled it five times: (1) when it was sent to him by Mr. Dempsey for record; (2) when the press-copy of the indorsement was sent to him to be temporarily filed; (3) when it was sent to him by Mr. Dempsey to have the action of the Secretary of War recorded; (4) when it was returned to him after the indorsement of the Secretary of War had been properly noted and indexed; (5) when it was sent to hinf after its receipt back from Captain Leach to be permanently filed. Mr. Nichols, clerk of class 1, office of Chief of Engineers, handled it six times: (1) when it was stamped, briefed, and recorded by him in book of letters received; (2) when he noted in the book of letters received the indorsement submitting the case to the Secretary of War; (3) when he stamped it upon its receipt back from the Secretary of War, and made notation of its approval; (4) when he made a notation charging the case to the third division; (5) when he made a notation of the indorsement returning the case to Captain Leach; (6) when he stamped it showing its receipt back from Captain Leach and made notation thereof, and of the case being filed. Mr. Saxton, clerk of class 3, office Chief of Engineers, handled it twice: (1) when he indexed it at the time of its first receipt in the record division, office Chief of Engineers; (2) when he indexed the action of the Secretary of War. Mr. Burgess, civil engineer, office Chief of Engineers (salary $3,600), handled the case twice: (1) when he prepared the draft of the indorsement submitting the case to the Secretary of War; (2) when he prepared the draft of the indorsement returning it to Captain Leach. Mr. Kiner, clerk of class 1, office Chief of Engineers, handled the case once, having placed thereon the indorsement submitting it to the Secretary of War. Mr. Jansen, clerk of class 3, office Chief of Engineers, handled the case three times: (1) when he press-copied the indorsement submitting it to the Secretary of War; (2) when he placed upon the case the indorsement returning it to Captain Leach; (3) when he press-copied said indorsement. Mr. Johnson, skilled laborer, office Chief of Engineers (salary $720). handled it three times: (1) when he temporarily filed the press-copy of the indorsement submitting the case to the Secretary of War; (2) when he similarly filed the press-copy of the indorse- ment returning the case to Captain Leach; (3) when he placed the case in the permanent files. Mr. Carrington, clerk of class 4, record division. War DepartmentVat the time acting chief of the division), handled the case twice: (1) when he opened the envelope, looked 108 the case over, and marked it for Major Adams; (:2) when it was returned to the record division after the indorsement of approval hai lieen signed. Mr. Kobinson, clerk of class 2, record division, War Department, handled the case once, for the purpose of indexing it in the index-book of letters received. Mr. Smith, clerk of class 1, record division, War Department, handled the case twice: (1) when he entered it in book (A) of letters received : (2) when he noted in said book the indorsement of approval. Major Adams, Corps of Engineers (on duty in office of Secretary of War), handled the case twice: (1) when he submitted it to the Secretary of War for his action; (2) when he prepared the draft of indorsement of approval. The Secretary of War handled the case once, when he examined it and indicated his approval of the recommendation of the Chief of Engineers. Mr. Eandolph, clerk of class 4 (assistant to the chief clerk, War Department), handled the case twice: (1) when he placed the indorsement of approval upon the case; (2) when he received it back from the acting chief clerk, after the indorsement was signed, and sent it to the record division. Mr. Hodgkins, chief of the record division, War Department (at the time acting chief clerk), handled the case once, when he signed the indorsement of approval. This statement and this analysis show vividly every item of work that has been done in the case of the steamer Success^ but it is not to be assumed that the eflect of handling it by so many people has therefore been to delay it unnecessarily. The passing on from hand to hand has enabled those who have thus looked at it to keep fully abreast with the work of the office, to see that it is properly done, and thus to carefully supervise it. At the same time they are busily engaged with other matters. The Chief of Engineers, while he has apparently only looked at this paper, has satisfied himself that the action proposed is correct. It has taken only a moment, while at the same time he has been busy with visitors on official matters and with the important professional problems in- volved in the duties of the Corps of Engineers connected with the improvement of rivers and harbors and the fortifications of the country. Major Post has handled it oftener than any other officer, but this is accounted for by the fact that it pertained to the duties of his division of the office. His experience has enabled him to pass upon it with a mere glance which has satisfied him that it is cor- rect, and in the mean time he has been absorbed in perhaps some professional problem about the dredging of a river, the building of dikes or bridges, and other matters com- ing before him. The chief clerk of the office guides the clerical force, distributes the mail to the proper divisions, keeps it going, sees that it is correct, and at the same time is busy with vis- itors on official matters and other duties for the performance of which he is responsible. The several clerks in charge of divisions look at the work so that they may know to whom to distribute, and again see that it is correct, while, at the same time, by this distribution they keep all usefully employed. It is not, of course, necessary here to state all the duties perforn^ed by each official. In the subdivisions of the office the duties are similar to those of chiefs of divisions, and finally the case comes to those who do the actual work of entering in books, noting, briefing, copying, indexing, etc. In this particular case, while at first glance it might appear that it was handled more frequently than was necessary, still it is to be remem- bered that each of these individuals have to perform but a fractional part of the work, which has occupied but a small part of the time, and that at other times they have been engaged upon other work which should fully occupy their time. For instance, the chief clerk may have been engaged upon some important matter to which he must give his own individual attention; writing up a report, or searching for something which is within his own knowledge. So the chiefs and subchiefs of division are also engaged. This will be apparent when it is considered that in the office of the Chief of Engineers there are five officers, forty-nine clerks, and thirteen messengers; that this force has ac- complished the work devolved upon the Chief of Engineers in the river and harbor bill, the appropriations ibr which have averaged $10,500,000 annually, and in the fortifica- tion bill, the appropriations for which have averaged $215,000 for the fiscal years from 1883 to 1889, and in addition incidental questions coming up from the Army in regard to engineering matters, questions growing out of the late war in regard to positions of troops, maps of battle-fields, and of fortifications, etc. It may be possible that the fact of passing through so many hands has delayed the work to some *>ixtent, and with a view of reducing this to the lowest possible limit the board took up the question of the messenger service, and upon its recommendation the Secretary of War issued an order providing for a half hourly collection and delivery of the mail, which, when put into operation in all the divisions of the several offices and bureaus of the Department, will effect the transfer of papei-s and of communications with an expedition not now possible, and at the same time enable it to be done with a 109 smaller force of messengers than is now engaged upon the work, thus enabling the other messengers not thus engaged to be more constantly at the call of those who may need them to carry oral rnessages about the Department and to take care of the rooms and keep everything in proper order. The value of this system is evident after it is put into practical operation. In theory papers are moved as fast as they are ready, and this sys- tem seems useless as being aa additional requirement. But when a messenger is wanted he may be away carrying a message and the paper is delayed. In some divisions the mail moves but two or three times a day. By means of regular half-hourly messenger trips between the offices of the chief clerk of the several bureaus and of the Department each of the ten bureaus can transmit a paper to any one of the other nine bureaus and receive one from any of the other nine bureaus every half-hour. That is, papers can by this specific service be moved in (10 times 9=) 90 difierent directions by one round trip of the messenger, and experiment has demonstrated that he can easily accomplish such trips in twenty minutes. As four- teen such trips can readily be made a day by a messenger, he can accomplish or make possible (90X14= ) 1,260 separate deliveries between the bureaus and the office of the Sec- retary of War; or in other worde, 1,260 individual official papers can in one day be taken up in the different bureaus and delivered at their proper destination within half an hour after they are completed, no two papers being sent at the same time to the same destina- tion by any one bureau. Should two, three, or more papers be sent at the same time from one bureau to another this estimated number of exchanges of actual papers would be increased in a correspond- ing ratio. While on the one hand each bureau does not have occasion to send papers to every other bureau iu every delivery, on the other hand some bureaus send many papers at a time. It may therefore not be improper to assume that the number of exchanges of actual papers between bureaus by this system will approximate the number of points of contact made by the messenger, which, as above stated, is 1,260. The offices and bureaus of the Department comprise about ninety divisions. These divisions have the same occasion to transmit papers back and forth as the bureaus. The hall-hourly messenger service should therefore be applied also to every division of each bureau, the division messenger including in his trips the office of the chief clerk of the bureau. By this means a paper requiring to go from a division of one bureau to a di- vision of another bureau will reach its destination by transfer from and to the division messenger through the baskets of the chief clerks of the two bureaus. By this method also every division of a bureau is automatically put in speedy commu- nication with every division of all other bureaus. This messenger service, therefore, enables each of the ninety divisions to communicate with each of the other eighty-nine divisions, making (90X89=) 8,010 possible transfers of papers per trip. Fourteen trips a day will permit of (8,010X14=) 112,140 possible transfers throughout the Depart- ment, so that this number of individual papers could be transferred by this system with- out any two papers making the same journey at the same time, and without the neces- sity on the part of the sender of addressing and sealing an envelope, ringing for a mes- senger, waiting until he comes, handing him the paper, telling him where to go; nor on the part of the recipient of telling the messenger that there is or is not a reply. It is estimated that this method of transfer can be accomplished by about twenty mes- sengers, and that as the balance of the laboring and messenger force of the Department will thereby be relieved from the work of transmitting ordinary papers not requiring more speedy delivery than every half hour, they will be available for the carrying of oral messages, of papers requiring immediate transfer, and other necessary work of the Department. To the criticism that the clerical work has been done by low-grade clerks, while those of a higher grade seem to have merely glanced at it and passed it on to ^others to do the work, it is to be remarked that there must be supervision, and in a large business many must be employed in doing fractional parts of work. This is but one case of a ceaseless number. The high-grade clerk is experienced; a glance at many of the cases is sufficient to enable him to determine the next step neces- sary; other cases he must examine carefully; he is busy answering questions, directing, supervising: the clerks of the lower grades do the writing, searching, filing, and index- ing. It is not asserted that all in the higher grades are better clerks than those in the lower grades, that they are more intelligent or more industrious, or that all of the clerks are usefully and necessarily employed, but it is believed this is true generally, for the work must be done satisfactorily and must not be allowed to accumulate. Chiefs of bu- reaus, being responsible for the character of the work in their respective bureaus, endeavor to secure the best men for responsible places, and to secure this they make their recom- mendations when there are vacancies, having also in view the result of the examination before the Civil Service Board of Promotion; and the appointment is made by the Sec- retary of War in accordance with such recommendation. 110 Whether there are any useless briefs, records, or notations made in this class of papers has already been partly considered and recommendation made that certain classes of paper be not recorded. This subject will be further considered in this report hereafter. Whether there are any links in the chain that can be omitted has been reported upon in the paper upon "Administration." It is evident that papers often pass through too many hands, and as this is a matter that can best be remedied by chiefs of bureaus, it is recommended that a circular be is- sued as follows: [Circular.] War Department, Washington City, Febriuiry, 1889. In the matter of briefing and entering ''letters received" and recording "letters sent" and indorsements in the respective bureaus and offices of the War Depart- ment, attention is invited to the case entitled "Salaries and Fees of United States Con- suls," published on pages 25 to 37, inclusive, of volume t of the report of the Select Com- mittee of the United States Senate, appointed under Senate resolution of March 3, 1887, to inquire into and examine the methods of business and work in the Executive Depart- ments, etc. With this case as a sample to be followed, chiefs of bureaus are requested to have an actual case selected, such as will show the average action or work upon cases in their respective bureaus or offices, then to have a history of the case prepared by the clerk in charge, showing in minute detail (including copies of briefs, office marks, indorsements, letters, entries in record, and index-books, etc. ) the action from and including the re- ceipt of the case in the office, through its various courses to and including its final dis- position, in like manner as is shown in the case mentioned. This history having been prepared as required, chiefs of bureaus will cause an inves- tigation of the subject to be made, and having thereupon decided whether any unneces- sary work has been done or any persons have been employed on the work more than were needed, and what possible improvements can be made in the methods adopted, they will apply the appropriate remedy and make report of their action to the Secretary of War, and transmit therewith a copy of the history of each case made up as above di- rected. By order of the Secretary of War. Chief Clerk. It is believed this tracing of papers and writing down every step that has been taken, either by officers, clerks, or others will show the operation so clearly that it will be ap- parent that there is a possibility of improvement, and various steps that have been taken in the past will be cut off in future, and the work expedited. Thus the object desired by the Senate committee, and required by the order convening the board, will be ac- complished and the remedy applied by the officers directly responsible for the work. PENSION CLAIM OP THOMAS W. TAYLOR. This case has been selected at random as showing delay, which will be remedied to a great extent 'by the foregoing circular and the order of January 18, 1889, requiring half-hourly mail collections and deliveries. It has not been traced step by step like the case of the steamer Success. The circular just suggested requires cases to be selected in all of the divisions of the Department and traced step by step. A copy of this case will therefore be sufficient for the presejit pur- pose. The following is a copy of the papers in the case: Ill (1) Mid. Division. First call on Adjutant-General, TJ. S. A. Claim No. 676347. Thoa. W. Taylor. Co. 1, 161st Ohio Vols. Dec. 1st, 1888. (2) (3) Mid. Div. J.H.T.. Ex'r. No. 676347. Thos. W. Taylor. Co. I, 161st Ohio Vols. (3-060) Adjutant-General's Office, Received Dec. 4, 1888. Enlisted Volunteer Pension Branch. Depaktment op the Interior, Bureau of Pensions, Dec. 1st, 1888. Sir: I have the honor to request that you -will furnish from the records of the War Department a full report as to the service, disability, and hospital treatment of Thomas W.Taylor, who, it is claimed, enlisted May 2d, 1864, and served as private in Co. 1, 161st Reg't Ohio N. G. Vols.; also in Co. and was discharged at Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 21st, 1864. While serving in Co. 1, 161st Vols, he was disabled by feVer, deafness, lung and heart trouble, at Frederick, Md.. Aug., 1864.^ , . Also . and was treated in hospitals, of which the names, location, and dates of treatment are as follows: Regimental Hospital Very respectfully. The Adjutant-General,,U. S. Army. 13502—75 M. O 6—002. John C. Black, Commissioner. ¥/ 112 (4) First division volunteer rolls and records. Thomas Taylor, I Co., 161 Regt. Ohio Vols. Regt'l Des. Book. 1 _,. ., , Hospital records. ■ I" Not on file. .. Con. M. Reports. Order Books. Letter Books. Go. Des. Book. -Ex. Co. M. Reports 'Ex. Clothing Books. Co. Returns. Not on file. Casualties. Med. Certificates. Furloughs. Files. 15 (5) Mr. Hesse: No detachment or individual muster-out roll or certificate of disability on file. The records of this di vison furnish no further evidence of disability. Ist Div., V. R. R. 1 Dec. 14, 1888. J (6) th. I. a 10894 B Adjt. Genl's Office Enlisted Br. Reed. Dec. 17. 1888 113 C7) Pension Office, Dec. 1, 1888. Thomas W. Taylor, Co. I, 161 Reg'l Ohio V^ols. Commissioner of Pensions requests full state- ment of service. Wrapper. 123 377 15 3 — 378 (8) Second Auditor's Oflice, Dec. 22, 1888. Mail Room. War Department, Adjutant General's Office, Washington, Dec. 21, 1 Respectfully referred to the Second Auditor of the Treasury, with request that he will inform this office whether his flies contain any record of payment to this soldier on final statements or muster-out roll, and, if so, the date, place, and cause of his discharge. Please return these papers with the report. C. McKeever, Assistant Adjutant-Oeneral, (199) Reed, back with report and I Enc. Jan.31, '89. J.K. (9) [Form 29.] Treasury Department, Second Auditor's Office, Washington, D. C, Jan'y 18,1889. 4 W Sir ; Please give the last payment, and any ordinary or add. bounty payments, when and 5 " by whom made to Thomas W. Taylor. late Pvt. Company " I " 161 Ohio Volun- 6 " leers, who was discharged after the 2d day of Sept., 1864 (Notation on M-O roll; "certif. to 7 " Maj. Sabin,Aug. 14, 1865.") 8 " Very respectfully, 9 " Wm. a. Day, 10 " Auditor. 11" J.F.K.80. By F. E.G. 13 " Paymaster General's Office, U.S.A. Rec'd Jan. 21.1889. Vol. Record Division. To the Paymaster-General. . (10) Second Auditor's Office, Jan. 22, 1889. Mail Room. War Department, Paymaster-General's Office, Washington, D. C, Jan. 21,1 Sir : It app)ears on record that Thos. W. Taylor, late pt. Company I ISlst Regiment Ohio Volunteers, was last paid by Major J. A. Sabin, 6678, on the 2l8t day of Aug., 1865. . *' ' •» ^ No record of A. B. Very respectfully, Wm. B. Rochester, Paymaster-Oeneral, ByB. To the Second Auditor of the Treasury. [Ed. 7-29-87-20,000.] 17958 8 114 ai) [Form 113.] Respecttully returned to the Assistant Adjutant-General. Thomas VV. Taylor, late pvt., Co. "I," 161 Ohio U. S. Vols., Sept. Ist, 1864. No final statement with voucher: data obtained from M I O 1343-1914. J. F. K. 80. [Ed. 1-27, '87—5.000.] (12) Respectfully referred to the Surgeon-General U, S. Army for papers be returned with report. By order of the Secretary of War. Treasury Department, Second Auditor's Office, January 26, 1889. was last paid on Form 5 to include roll of company. Wm. a. Day, Auditor. By J. H. B. Jenkins. War Department, Adjutant-General's Office, Washington, Feby. 2, 1889. information, with request that these O.E.C. C. McKeever, Asst. Adjutant-General. (123) (13) R. & P. DIV. *^ rH 530460 S. G. O. (14) Name. Rank. Co. Regi- ment. Date of admis- sion. Record of— Diag. nosis. Disposition and re- marks. Thos. W.Taylor. P I... 161 Ohio 1864. Aug. 14... Gen. Hosp., Fred- erick, Md. Typhoid fever. Returned to duty Sept. 19, '64. • Note.. 115 (15) Case of Thomas W. Taylor, P, Co. 1, 161 Reg't Ohio V. Claim No. 676347. War Department, • Sukgeon-Genekal's Office, Recokd and Pension Division, Washington, D. C, Feb.l, 1889. This transcript from the records on file in this office is respectfully furnished for the information of the Adjutant-General, U. S. A., and embodies all the information which has been found on a search of those records made in full compliance with the inclosed request. All papers pertaining to the case are herewith returned. By order of the Surgeun-General. F. C. AiNSWOKTH, Capt. and Assistant Surgeon, U. 8. A. Per R. & P. Div., No. 530160. J. C. F. (16) War Department, 676347 Adjutant-General's Office, Washington, , 188 . Respectfully returned to the Commissioner of Pensions. Thomas Taylor, a private of Company I, leist Regiment Ohio Volunteers, was enrolled on the 2(1 day of May, 18t>4. at Findlay, Ohio (100 days), and is reported on muster-out roll, dated Camp Chase, Oliio, Sept. 2, 1864, "sick at U. S. Gen. Hospital, Frederick, Md." Muster and muster-out roll only on file. Reg'l returns for May and July, 1864 (only on file), do not report him absent. Co. returns not on file. Reg'l hospital records not on file. Name also borne as Thomas W. Taylor. R. C. Drum, Adjutant-General. By Th. I. S. (2.) C. 3-019. From the foregoing it appears that the Commissioner of Pensions wrote to the Adju- tant-General for a report in the case on December 1, 1888, but the letter was not received in the Adjutant-General's Office until December 4, 1888, a delay of three days. The case was undergoing search in the Adjutant-General's Office until December 21, 1888 — seventeen days — when it was sent to the Second Auditor of the Treasury for informa- tion. Twenty-eight days thereafter — January 18, 1889— the Second Auditor wrote to the Paymaster-General for information, but the letter was not received in his office until January 21, 1889 — a delay of three days — and was answered on the day of its receipt, the answer having been received in the Second Auditor's Office on the following day — January 22, 1889. The case was returned by the Second Auditor to the Adjutant-Gen- eral by indorsement dated January 26, 1889, the latter date being thirty-six days subse- quent to that on which the case was sent to the Auditor. A notation on the case shows it to have been received back in the office of the Adj utant-General January 31, 1889. It is hardly supposable that an interval of four days — or five days including either the date of the indorsement or that of the notation mentioned — could have been consumed in the trans- mission of the case between the two offices, and as the mail coming into the Adjutant- General's Office is opened by the clerk in charge of the mail-room, from which it is taken by messengers at irregular intervals to the divisions to which it respectively pertains, and is not stamped to show the date of its receipt until after it reaches the division to which it belongs, it is thought probable that the case may in fact have been received into the office prior to the date given in the notation, and this may be true of the other delays in transmission mentioned. On February 2, 1889, seven days subsequent to its return as per the indorsement of the Second Auditor, the case was returned by the Ad- jutant-General to the Surgeon-General, but did not reach the office of the latter until 116 February 5, 1889— a delay of three days. Two days thereafter — February 7, 1889 — the Surgeon-General returned the case to the Adjutant-General, where its record was com- pleted and made ready to send to the Commissioner of Pensions February 14, 1889. The advantages of the half-hourly messenger service, which was put in operation the 1st instant, has already been clearly demonstrated in the division of requisitions and ac- counts, oflfice of the Secretary of War. Under the former system, while a paper received one day may have been sent out the same day, it would not have come back, unless made * ' special, ' ' the same day. Now a settlement certificate is received, charged out, returned, the requisition is prepared, signed, entered, and sent to the Treasury on the same day, and this rapidity of movement is had without the least inconvenience. METHODS OF GOVERNMENT DEPAETMENTS AND COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS. It now becomes proper to state the method adopted by the board in its investigation of this subject. Having a practical knowledge of the business of the Department and the manner of keeping the records, it was deemed essential in the first place to ascertain the methods of business relating to correspondence adopted by large corporations and commercial establishments. Accordingly, with the sanction of the Secretary of War, the board, on December 14 last, proceeded to Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, and vLsited the offices of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Philadelphia; the agent in Philadelphia of the New York Mutual Life Insurance Company; the Southern Pacilic Railroad Company, New York City; the Equitable Life Assurance Society, New York City; the Mutual Reserve Fund Life Association, New York City; the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, New York City; the New England Mutual Life Insurance Com- pany, Boston, and the establishments of Messrs. W. & J. Sloane and Edwin S. Greely, of New York City, and John Wanamaker, of Philadelphia. On December 24 the board returned, having been afforded every facility to accomplish the object in view. As the work of the Department would not admit of a prolonged absence the investigation was confined to the system adopted by the companies named, of receiving, listing, answering, and filing correspondence. It was found to difier greatly from that adopted by this De- partment. In corporations and commercial establishments correspondence is acted upon and an- swered before any record is made of it. In Government offices the reverse is the rule. In the one case delay is of rare occurrence, in the other there is more or less delay in many cases. The cause is due to the essential difference in the business. The principal business of corporations and commercial establishments is that for which they are organized, viz. , the transportation of freight and passengers, the insurance of lives, the buying and selling of goods, etc. ; the incidental business is correspondence which relates almost entirely to current business and is at once disposed of; such corre- spondence rarely requires an examination of old records before it can be answered. While the correspondence is perhaps of equal or greater volume, the commercial house has little or no occasion to refer to any of its files of letters received or sent after the business matters involved have been brought to a conclusion. The business of the War Department is transacted to a great extent by correspondence, and except where the matter is purely routine an examination of records or a report from some official is re- quired before a satisfactory answer can be made. This correspondence constitutes the actual stock or matter of business of the Department in its dealings with creditors and claimants for all time. There is no general statute of limitations affecting Government claims, so such claims, with a few exceptions, must be considered without regard to their antiquity; and even the cases which have been specially barred by law are liable to be called up by means of a petition to Congress, praying for relief. The following table shows the contrast, in some particulars, between the two methods of business: In pHvate eslablishments. In Government offices. Same. Envelopes not retained. Correspondence is opened as soon as received. Envelopes retained for a stated period, aver- aging forty-eight hours. In some oflices a running list, by name only, ' Each " letter received" is briefed on the back, is made each day, and letters at once distributed , which brief is entered in a book; known as the to the proper departments for action. The ac- ' " I^etters-received book," numl>ered, and the tion is noted on tlie letter, which is sent back to j name of the writer, and all proper names in the the clerk to answer and file. Prior to filing a i letter, as also the subject, are carefully iiulexed. li.st is made, by date only, of each letter, showing When this is done the letters are distrilmteil to name, subject, and answer. This never exceeds I the proper ofllcials for action. Important letters one line. Each line is numl>ered, and the corre- j are given the preference in entry, etc. The ao- sponding number only is placed on back of let- i tion on papers is either l>y indorsement or let- ter. The lettersare filed away in even hundreds ter. An indorsement is noted in the book of for ready reference. The answers, or "letters I "letters received," in the appropriate column, sent," are press-copied only and indexed by I opposite the entry of the letter.or if long recorded 117 name. Many houses use the indexed letter file- I in the book of "letters sent." Letters sent are cabinets, Cameron, Aniherg «fe Co. (or similar I press-copied, these are copied into a permanent books), for filing away letters. Imok of " letters sent," and the press-copies filed with the papers. A list of letters received and sent which are not recorded has already been given on pages 6 to 28. This is rarely done. When a letter can not be answered at once its receipt is acknowledged. Correspondence, as far as it can be controlled, is confined to one subject. No rule on the subject, but one recommended in paper on "Administi-ation." See Appendix No. 8. In addition it may be said that competition in trade, the personal interest of pro- prietors, the present or prospective interest of superintendents and heads of Departments, and the direct control and discharge of employes, which gives greater moral force to a caution or% reprimand, explain in part the cause of the difference between the business methods of commercial establishments and the Government Departments. NECESSITY OF RECORDING IMPORTANT PAPERS — DUPLICATION OF ENTRIES TO BE AVOIDED. If all letters were filed in the ofl&ce where received, a mere inde.K of names and a bare statement of the subject would be sufficient to enable the searcher to find the letter it- self. But all the letters are not filed; many are returned or referred with orders, reports, information, or expressions of opinion indorsed thereon, and do not come back. The practice of indorsing orders, etc., on letters is old and expedites business; it saves let- ter writing, and at times the copying of the letter on which the indorsement is placed. Letters so indorsed are often of great importance. It eventually becomes necessary to refer to one or more of them in a case involving a similar principle or which pertains to or is a continuation of the same subject. In the absence of the papers the entry on the book of letters received is the next best evidence; it contains a statement in the nature of a syllabus of the contents of the paper desired, and also of the date of receipt, the action thereon if by indorsement, or the page of the letter- book if a letter was written. It is evident that it takes considerable time to do this properly, and when there is a large correspondence, many clerks — clerks to receive the mail, to brief, enter, and index it, to make notations and searches, and to file away papers. In many of the oflices the correspondence is large, and to keep trace of it it is entered before it is acted upon. This is a delay at the inception which is most marked, especially in cases which it is known are pending and require immediate action. So it is the rule to make such cases * ' special, ' ' and hurry them through the record books ahead of the other mail. Again, when an important paper is acted upon by indorsement, of course it should go out at once, but the inevitable delay of recording again occurs. To reduce this to the lowest limit it is again made special and sometimes the indorsement is dictated to a stenographer so the record may be made on the books while the paper goes on its way. Short methods are adopted consistent with a record that shall be of value for future reference. But is such a record necessary in all cases? Not by any means. Only im- portant papers should be recorded. But the practical difficulty of deciding this question has led to the entering of many letters received, the recording of many letters sent, and indorsements which are not important. To meet the difficulty in part, lists have been prepared in the several offices of classes of correspondence which should not be recorded. These lists are given on pages 92 to 98 of this report. Important ' ' letters sent ' ' are recorded in permanent books, because there is no copy- ing ink in use which is permanent for the purposes of the Government. Press-copies are good for many years — ten, twenty, thirty perhaps — but they begin to change color after a few years, and some soon fade so as to be illegible, while it may be necessary to con- sult a record after the lapse of one hundred years. An ink that will last for an indefi- nite period is therefore required for governmental use. Another reason is that, if press- copy books alone were used, they would soon become dilapidated by constant use. Further, the press-copy of the reply to a letter is filed with the letter, thus making the case as filed complete in itself. This practice is a great convenience when a case is being made up from the papers themselves, especially when they are numerous, and saves the time which would otherwise be required to consult the records. If press-copies were not recorded, they must be kept in books and indexed, then in making up a case it would be necessary to search the records for replies to letters, to make notes of the re- plies, and it would often be necessary to extend the search to other offices of the Depart- ment, where action had been communicated by letter. This is saved by the present system of recording letters and filing the press-copies with the proper papers. This elaborate system of recording has been in use for many years. It works smoothly but slowly; slow at first, but it undoubtedly saves much time when it becomes neces- sary to refer to previous papers. It takes but a comparatively short time to say defi- 118 nitely whether a paper has been filed in any of the offices of the War Department, s:;y within the past twenty years. In the office of the Secretary it can generally be told in from one-half to three-quarters of an hour. The following is the result of an actual test made on the 17th of January : Search was made from January 1, lb68, to January 1, 1889, for the name J. T. Smith or Joshua T. Smith. The name was found once in 1870, once in 1882, once in 1883, twice in 1884, once in 1885, once in 1886, and once in 1887- The time occupied was fifty minutes. The name Harry Barton was searched for from 16G8 to 1889, inclusive. It was found once in 1883 and twice in 1888. Time consumed in making the search, twenty-three minutes. The name Horace Williams was searched for from 1868 to 1888, inclusive, and not found. Time consumed in search, forty minutes. But with this system there is undoubtedly a duplication of entries. A papet addressed to the Secretary of War is entered in his office; if referred to the Adjutant-General it is entered in his office; and so it is entered in any office to which it is referred. This du- plication of entries will be remedied to a great extentjby the order issued on the 13th in- stant on the subject of "Administration. " As all the offices and bureaus are now in one building (except the Signal Office) the records are easily accessible, consequently the original entry of a paper should be sufficient for all purposes. When a paper is referred to another office the action there taken can, if necessary, be noted, and the notation should show the action taken, followed by the office-mark of the paper where it was first recorded; then when the paper is needed it can be obtained from the office where it is filed. If this rule is adopted can a particular paper be found on which action was indorsed ? Yes, (1) if the indorsement sets forth the names of persons and things, or the sub- jects concerned, sufficiently for indexing purposes; (2) if it does not and important action on many papers is simply indicated by the word "approved" or "recom- mended," etc., the paper in such a case can be found by indexing from the paper itself, as is now done in most cases, and by inserting in the index the number of the paper as shown by the office-mark where the paper was first entered, it being assumed that that office has jurisdiction of the subject-matter. This will also apply to cases where the ac- tion is communicated by letter instead of by indorsement. Of course the index will only point to the paper, and to ascertain the action taken in the second class of cases mentioned above it will be necessary to send for the papers, but this is only a few steps farther for the messenger than he takes at present. It is a per- tinent question whether it is necessary to even index the second class of cases, or to re- cord and index many of the first class in any office other than where the paper is first recorded. It is true the action may be important in itself, but unless it forms a prece- dent fof action in other cases, one record is sufficient for reference. The subject of prece- dents and their notation will be considered under the heading "card index of decis- ions or precedents. ' ' The present system would be too slow for a time of war, when things must be done in a hurry, and therefore a system applicable to all times should be adopted. EECEIPT OF MAIL— FIRST ACTION ON. If the clerk in charge of any record division is not present at 9 o'clock or any other time when mail is received the mail should not be delayed on that account; nor should it be delayed when he is present to enable him to read it. At 9 o'clock, and whenever received, a sufficient number of clerks in the several record divisions should be required to suspend all other business and open the mail. As each clerk reads a letter he should underscore in blue pencil all names of persons and of things written about, unless it should include a list of persons or things, when the underscoring may be omitted. He should also draw a line in blue pencil along the margin of the letter where the subject is stated or a question is asked. This will take but little more time than it does to read the letter and will be facilitated if the subject of correspondence is indicated by the writer at the upper left-hand corner of the first page of the letter or report, as rec- ommended by the board in the report upon "Administration." The letters pertaining to the business of the office should then be separated from those that pertain to the business of other offices. Those pertaining to the business of other offices should be noted on the brief cards hereafter recommended if chiefs of bureaus deem it necessary to keep trace of such papers. This mail should then be marked with the initials of the office to which it pertains, the clerks being guided in this respect by the lists to be published showing the jurisdiction of each office, and the mail being then handed to the chief of the division, section, or room, he or the person acting for him should at once send it to the proper offices. This should all be completed within half an hour after receipt of the mail, and then the papers 'which pertain to the business of the office should be taken up, briefed, and entered, except the classes of letters heretofore noted, which it is recommended be not entered. 119 The briefers ahould note on each paper in lead pencil the name of the official in the office to whom it is to be sent for action, being guided by a list which should be pre- pared in each office or bureau showing the class of work each offitnal acts on. As fast as entered, and not exceeding intervals of one-half an hour, the mail should be handed to the chief of the division, section, or room, in order that he may read the briefs and in- form himself of the nature of the communications passing through his office; having done this he should at once send them to their destination. None of these suggestions, of course, to interfere with special cases, but if this course is thoroughly carried out all will go through with the rapidity of special cases. BRIEFING AND INDEXING. The rules for briefing contained in the instructions should be carefully followed. The tendency is to make them too long by the use of superfluous words and reference to immaterial matters. The subject should be stated in the fewest possible words, so as to show in the absence of the paper what in particular was written about, bearing in mind that it is generally necessary to read the paper before it can be finally acted upon. The brief enables the paper to be "passed rapidly from one to another until it reaches the authority competent to decide. The attention of the board has been called to some briefs which are in fact longer than the letter. The principal subject should be indexed so as to clearly indicate the paper sought. With the adoption of the card-index in lieu of letters-received books, the brief, reply, notations, and all about the paper will be written on a card, having the principal sub- ject written at the top, and under that title it will be filed. The principal subject is the word or words finally remembered, as "Bridge " when a particular bridge is forgot- ten, "Absence" instead of "leave of absence," "Subsistence supplies" or "Transporta- tion" instead of particular articles, the articles following the title of principal subject, thus: "Subsistence supplies — pork," "Transportation — wagons;" such cards will fall into the appropriate subdivisions of the principal subjects, and all papers about sub- sistence supplies or transportation will come together, the subdivisions following in alphabetical order, as also the cards of each subdivision. Thus, if Jones writes about wagons the card will be found in its proper alphabetical place of the sub-division ' ' wag- ons" of the subject or division "Transportation." To know that one should look for Jones' letter about wagons under "Transportation." Let rules be prepared and printed for the guidance of those who make the cards and those who file them, showing in two columns lists of principal subjects and their subdivisions (see Exhibit C) ; thus, if a letter about the "Eastern Branch Bridge, Potomac River," is looked for, instead of turning to the letter " E " in the file-boxes he will know by the rules that all bridges are filed under the word "Bridge," and turning to "E" of bridge he will find the card. This system will save indexing subjects under many heads. Under the present system the bridge supposed would be indexed under "Bridge," "Eastern Branch," and "Potomac Kiver," and probably "Chief of Engineers," as the business pertains to his office. One subject will generally be enough, proper names being indexed on sep- arate cards with reference to the "principal subject" and filed by themselves alphabet- ically as cross-reference cards. CONSOLIDATION OF RECORD DIVISIONS. It has been suggested that the records of " letters received " and " letters sent" in each bureau be consolidated into one general record and file division, thus saving labor and simplifying the work, while classification and distribution lead to complication and duplication. It is true that less clerks can do this work in one division than if it is in several, and when practicable there should be but one record division in a bureau. To facilitate the work of those who act on cases, or prepare them for action, it is considered important that they should be near the record, and if classified the record is thought to be more accessible. It was the object of the board which compiled the 1870 instructions to have but one record and file-room in each bureau, but in practice several have been authorized in some of the bureaus. In any event duplication of entries should be avoided and record divis- ions should not be multiplied in any bureau except after careful investigation, and for impera- tive reasons, and only when approved by the Secretary of War. It should be borne in mind that several record divisions in one bureau tend to con- fusion, unless the subdivisions are natural and the boundaries plainly and definitely marked. Vagueness in any respect causes uncertainty where to search for papers, and much loss of time. In view of the great number of record books in the Department, it is evident that a preface or introduction is necessary in many of them to show the purpose they were in- 120 tended to serve, for public records ought not to need the skill of experts or the memory of officials to understand them. A copy of one such introduction, kindly furnished by the chief clerk of the Surgeon General's Office, is here given more as a suggestion of the need of such an introduction than as a particular form to be followed: "This book was made up in 1885, and was intended to contain, as far as could be ascer- tained, the names of all persons and quasi-persons paid by medical disbursing officers, beginning with July 1, 1802, and ending with Abstract Books 18, 19 and '20. The sev- eral accounts in these are brought down to very different dates; some no farther than April 30, 1807, and others as far as July, 1874. "The books referred to are an old ledger, lettered G, commencing July, 1862, and Abstract Books 2 and 4 to 20, inclusive. There never was any Abstract Book 1 or 3. Formerly these abstracts were made on loose sheets and then copied in the ledger. The books were made to save this double writing. When they were ordered it was thought there would be loose sheets enough to make three thin volumes, and' so they were num- bered from 4 upwards. When the books came from the binder those loose sheets that were of nearly uniform size were bound into one thick volume numbered 2. The re- mainder of the papers, which were of various sizes and patterns, were copied into Ledger G. " As several persons may have the same name, and on the other hand the same per- son may recur in several places, fulfilling different functions, no attempt has been made to separate them. On the general roll of artificial limbs eleven men bear the simple name of John Smith, while in the books here indexed the name occurs thirty-six times. How many persons it represents is unknown. The reason for not attempting to discrim- inate is that but a small percentage will ever be inquired for, and when they are wanted it will be as easy to separate them as now. The labor will thus be saved of analyzing names that will never be called for. "Although considerable pains have been taken, many names are no doubt incorrect. They were at first taken down hurriedly on pay-rolls by clerks who caught them by ear as best they could, and did not always write them in a very legible manner." SUGGESTIONS OF THE CHIEF SIGNAL OFFICER. The Chief Signal Officer recommends the following as improved business methods for the War Department: * ' Letters received should be marked with a dated receiving-stamp, and numbered con- secutively. The letters -received book should be dispensed with as an unnecessary elaboration, which is kept up by no business man in the world. The consecutive num- bering of letters received and very full index books of names, places, and subjects (which are now kept) are sufficient for practical purposes. Not more than one letter out of a hundred in this office is ever consulted after once going to the files, and not more than one in five hundred quits the office files. When letters leave the office a concise sum- mary of the contents should be retained for file in place of the letter sent out. The adoption of this plan would be worth three clerks to this office, and allow that reduction in force another year. If, however, letters must be briefed, press-copies instead of written copies of the brief should be adopted, and for the letters-received book a complete index of briefs be substituted. Whenever the number of communications on any subject is sufficiently large to justify it there should be a separate series of numbers, and a letters- received book or index for each class alone, thus obviating the necessity of recording or indexing the subject. ^^ Letters sent. — Press-copies only should be made, and in case of indorsements press- copies on loose sheets should be placed in the files of the letters received. Separate books should be kept for separate classes of subjects whenever the number of communi- cations on any subject is large enough to j ustify it. As I'ar as pr^cticjible, skeleton letter- forms, in copying-ink, should be used, thus reducing to a minimum the amount of pen- work. Letters sent, based on letters received, should be filed with letters received, so that the copy of the action and the communication would be together." From the foregoing it appears that not one letter in a hundred in the Signal Office is consulted after it is filed, and not one in five hundred quits the office files. Under these circumstances it is evident that the business is entirely current, and when disposed of is rarely, if ever, referred to. This statement of facts is like the hypothetical case stated on page 117, as follows: "If all letters were filed in the office where received, a mere in- dex of names and a bare statement of the subject would be sufficient to enable the searcher to find the letter itself " As, therefore, all letters are filed in the Signal Office, except one in five hundred, no objection is seen to the adoption in that office of the sys- tem proposed by the Chief Signal Officer. But a very different state of facts exists in other bureaus, and the system should not be adopted elsewhere, at least for the present. It is a radical change from the system 121 in use and will lead to confusion, if adopted, while the changes here recommended are being put into operation. CARD-INDEX BRIEFS. With reference to that portion of the mail which is addressed to the Secretary of War, hut to answer which it is necessary to obtain information or an expression of opinion from another office of the Department, it is recommended that the following course be pursued: Let such mail be immediately separated from the rest and handed to a suffi- cient numberof clerks to make card-index briefs of it, the entire time occupied noi to exceed half an hour; the cards to be in size, 8 inches long by 'S\ inches wide, as follows: [Face of card.] Letters Received Office Secretary of War on Business pertaining to bureaus. Date- From- —[Placel- _[Date]- [Writer]- Subject- No.of inclosures Received M Sent same date -Mto- Acknoivledged same date- Reed, back — '. — M M- Bureau office mark- Action Prepared by- -[Signature of clerk. ] [Reverse of card.] Letters received at the office of the Secre- tary of War pertaining to bureaus will be entered on brief cards and the letters sent to the proper bureaus. Such letters to remain in the office of the Secretary not to exceed one-half hour. Letters of acknowledgement on blank forms to be filled out from these cards after the letters are sent to the bureaus, and mailed on day of receipt of letters. Brief cards to be filed alphabetically by surname. No other entry to be made, and no marks to be placed on such letters or inclosures, except office date of receipt and name of of- fice to which it pertains and numberof in- closures, these to be placed on first page of each letter. * First tliree letters of surname. The letters to whichthis would apply in the Secretary's office are those from Senators, members of Congress, and others, to which he is expected to reply; but to do so he must first obtain a report from some source outside of his own office. A subject index of these cards will not be ueeded. Subjects are usually called for by those who do not remember the name of the writer, but in the office where the cards are 122 made the papers will generally be seen only by the clerks who make the cards, hence in that olfice subjects will not be called for of such papers, and they can only be called up by the writers. The object of the brief card, as will be seen, is to get the paper under action at once, so that the reply will be delayed as little as possible, and also to enable the letter to be traced, if necessary. When a paper of this class is returned to the office of the Secre- tary, if of sufficient importance, it may be entered on the book of letters received, or on the permanent record card, if the recommendation under the head of "Card Index" is approved, and the brief card destroyed, having served its purpose; all papers finally to be sent or returned for file to the chief of the bureau having jurisdiction of the subject treated of, as proposed in the report upon ''Administration." Many cases must be re- turned to the Secretary of War, because court-esy demands that he should reply to the writer, but which are not of sufficient importance to warrant a permanent record. In such cases the fact of final reply should be noted on the proper brief card and the letter and press-copy of reply filed in the office furnishing the information. In case a letter received is not entered on the permanent record, and it is decided to record the reply, the record of the letter on a record card will, in most cases, be sufficient, especially if the bureau office-mark of the paper is noted thereon, and then the paper can be sent for when needed. This applies with equal force to indorsements. See remarks on this sub- ject under the heading "Duplication of entries." In the bureaus of the Department a record of papers of merely transient importance can also be kept on brief cards, which need not be entered on the permanent records of the office. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. (1) When the reply to a letter will be delayed for a short time; (2) when a letter is sent elsewhere for report before it can be answered; (3) when the letter is upon a sub- ject over which the official addressed has no jurisdiction, and (4) in other cases which will suggest themselves in actual practice, it is recommended that an acknowledgment of the receipt be sent in any case where the writer may be in doubt whether his letter has been received or not. For the acknowledgment of letters from persons who rarely write to the Department a postal card may be used, with a suitable form printed thereon, having the fewest pos- sible blanks to be filled, as follows: War Department, Official Business, Penalty for private use, $300. War Departmext, Washington, D. C, , 1 has been received anr? referred to Your letter dated the Secretary of the Treasury, who has jurisdiction of the matter, and with whom you should correspond. Wm. C, Exdicott, Secretary of War. A number of diiferent forms might be printed for use in the Department and its bu- reaus, only requiring the name and address of the writer to be inserted on one side and two dates "on the other. When, however, many letters are received from one individual or a member of either House of Congress, or any other official refers letters from his correspondents, it will be necessary to use a blank letter form in which can be inserted the name and address of 123 the correspondent and the subject. This will remove doubt as to what particular letter on a given date is acknowledged, and the law (22 Statutes, 563) can then be complied with, which requires letters to Senators, Representiitives, and Delegates to be accom- panied with envelopes addressed to their correspondents. The following forms are suggested as embodying the idea intended to be conveyed: War Depabtment, Washington, D. C, ,1889. Sir: Your letter of [date] [subject] is received. As soon as the information desired by you is obtained you will be duly advisfed. Respectfully, Wm. C. Endicott, Secretary of War, War Department, Washington, D. C, , 1889. Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your reference of a letter dated, [place] [date! from _____^ asking [subject] The information desired by your correspondent has been called for, and will be communicated to you when received. Respectfully, Wm. C. Endicott, Secretary of War. When acknowledged such letters should be stamped on the first page as follows: Office Secretary of War, January , 1889, Acknowledged. CARD INDEX. A card index is not of necessity a card. It may be of any size and on paper of any kind. It should be of suitable size and on good, stiff white linen paper. The form and size suggested by the board on which to list papers pertaining to the business of other bureaus is good for many purposes. The size and form of the card depend on the use to be made of it. If at the end of each year it is desired to preserve the informa- tion contained on the cards in book form the cards should be as large as the proposed book to avoid re-copying, with a sufficient margin on the left to enable the cards to be bound without obscuring the writing, and a margin at the top and bottom and on the right, so that the edges may be trimmed and the pages numbered when bound. Such cards become at once a card record and a card index — a card record of the things re- corded arranged alphabetically by principal subjects, with cross-reference cards for names and subordinate subjects. These cross-reference cards should be no larger than the index-brief cards already recommended, and should be consolidated at the end of the year and inserted at the end of the volume; or, if numerous, they should be bound separately. On the record card can be recorded all that is now contained in the books of letters received, the arrangement to be similar to the form suggested under the title "Card- 124 index brief." The blank spaces on the front and back aflford room to record, in full if necessary, the action taken, whether by indorsement or letter. This record card there- fore combines in itself four books, viz, the book of letters received and its index and the book of letters sent and its index. A letter originating in the office not based on any paper, if necessary to record, can be also recorded on a card and filed under its ap- propriate subject. This system has many advantages not possessed by that now in use. (1) It is easier to write on a single sheet of paper than in a book. (2) The clerk is not interrupted in his work by frequent reference to the book in which he is writing, as is now the case. (3) A card can be sent within the Department where needed. This saves the labor of making notes, and the delay caused thereby to the official and to the person who has called for the information. It is an easy matter to make an accurate charge of such card, so it may be recalled to the tiles when no longer needed elsewhere. (4) Subjects are arranged topically and compactly. This in itself saves much labor. By the present system there is no arrangement of subjects; papers are entered as they ar- rive, the subjects are indexed, and the time is consumed in making extracts from the records when it is necessary to bring one subject together, or in making notes of num- bers, and hunting through the books to see where the papers are, prior to collecting the papers. This card-record book is more elaborate'than the "card-index of decisions" suggested in another part of this report. These would be bound by years. The decision cards run through many years, and are really the working data for intricate ca.ses ; that sub- ject and its advantages are treated of more fully under the appropriate heading. By the card-index system papers are entered as received, but the cards must be filed alphabetically. This system does not therefore give a list of papers in order of datej if it did it would be but little better than the book of letters received. This objection is, however, met by the use of the numbered charge book hereafter recommended. The clerk in giving a number to papers should place in the margin of the book the date op- posite the first number used each day; then, the subject being stated opposite each num- ber, it is easy to look up the papers of any date when necessary. There is only one reason in favor of entering papers as they are received in the order of date, viz: It can be ascertained what papers were received on a given date. But what advantage is that ? Simply this, by running over all the entries of one or more days a paper may be found that is forgotten. This is very rarely necessary, and does not often accomplish the purpose. It must be assumed as true that unless something is remembered about a paper it can not be found. An elaboration of records will effect nothing in such a contingency. For instance, one must either know the name of the writer, some proper name mentioned in the letter, or the subject of the correspondence, else a search will be without avail. The decision may be remembered in a general way, but the possibility of finding it is more remote than if one of the other three elements is known. Hence the need of an index of decisions or precedents which is elsewhere sug- gested. It is as easy to give papers a number for filing purposes under the card-index system as under any other method. Give the papers pertaining to the office, and which should be entered a running number, keeping tally of the numbers used on a card as is now- done in some offices, or in a book, as suggested under the title "To keep trace of cards and numbers on paper," which is believed to be preferable as it will show the particular numbers which belong to a given date, which may be important if it should ever be es- sential to show that a number on a paper was not correct because it was a different num- ber from the numbers used on the date in question. Such a contingency might never arise, but it is as little trouble to keep the numbers in a book as on a card. The arrangement by subjects is the best method, as subjects are remembered when names are forgotten. To illustrate: A writes about the bridge across the Eastern Branch of the Potomac River. The principal subject is " Bridge. " All papers received on that subject during the year fall together, each bridge by itself. The card is tliferefore filed under the principal subject, " Bridge," with cross references on other cards as suggested under title ' ' Briefing and indexing. ' ' Again, .suppose B writes about the claim of Rich- ard S. Williams and files evidence. The principal subject is "Williams, Richard S.," with cross-reference: "B. Aboutclaim of Williams. See Williams, R.S." Itinvolves no difficulty. Having found the card of the principal subject, it gives the number of the paper so it can be found, or the action if it is not in the office. It is objected that cjirds may be lost or mislaid. This may happen; so papers may be lost or mislaid, and other mistakes may be made, but such thinjrs are liable to happen with any system. Care is therefore as necessary here as in other matters. An absolutely perfect record is an idetil rarely attained, and certainly not worth the time, trouble, and cost when something less perfect will serve the purpose as well. When required it is made, and can be made again, but it is only necessary in a few cases. i 125 That the danger of losing index record-cards is infinitesimal, if ordinary care is exer- cised in handling them, is fully established by the experience of the record and pension division of the Surgeon-General's Office. In that division over three and one-half mill- ion cards, representing the medical histories of sick and wounded soldiers, are on file. These cards are used in furnishing information to the Adjutant-General, the Commis- sioner of Pensions, the Second Auditor, and others in pension and other claims against the Government. Since the 12th of March, 1888, when the cards were first used for this purpose, over 57,000 cards have been removed from the files to accompany cases, all of which have been passed through the hands of the various searchers, examiners, and in- dorsers in two separate buildings located in different portions of the city, and yet only two of the cards so removed from the files have failed to be returned. The numbers of these two cards having been recorded, at the time they were taken from the files it was a matter of no difficulty whatever not only to reproduce them from the original records, but to determine as well the individual clerks who were responsible for their loss. So with the card index here suggested; if a card is lost the book shows the number and subject, and from the paper, generally on file somewhere in the Department, the card can be reproduced. The following table shows the number of pages of record of letters received and let- ters sent in the several offices and bureaus of the War department during the calendar year 1888, the average number of lines of record required for each letter received, etc. : %Ul^''^ 126 I * '--^ii'::'o« « _ « u "5 03 H O SI 'pazspui puv '!)uds 'P(39J J»)'^a[ T{3«9 JO pJO -oaj aq^ oj sauji jo 'o^ 'av 'pi^Aiaa -aj sjd^'tai JO 'ox l^ioi 'SdSvdjoazjs 2 o "S o © a 1 e if 0) > 2 o a c o 60 ^ -o 03 13 03 'O T! ^, S (3 1 T! 03 1 a> § o a M "3 ii "« i "3 0/ = 2 « C c s i?"S s O O O O us tn tout) .-< «i-l^-Hr-l— OOO— IOO-< OOO OOPC OOO 1-1 O <-< O 1-1 iH Avp qoB8 papaooaj saSBj •aS«d « o^ o gf aoi B JO -on aSvjaAy ow^ •:qjaio I Xq if«p qova papjooaj sauii 'paXoidma s^iap jo 'ox •a«aXojsXBpoosjo Xbd qoBa papaooaj eauji 'papiooaj saan x^<*Ji 'papjtoaai sanj'x ir-i«35 T)< rH in> 1-H 00 rH 35 M «o «5 I- ( 'ad«d jad sauii 1^5: ?S 'papjooai saS^d jo '©x ■^ 'M M -H O C> -< C> — I- O O I 'papiooai -BioA JO 'o^ « jai jtf iai :« :ai i"^ joJ j"^ K ij !^ ;j ;J ;j :J :»J jj -^ -tJ > o (WW* 127 J. 1 J. J, 1 J, J» J. . .23 .2 •S .2 .2 .2 1 s i i 03 i i 1 i to ? i o a 2 o t o o Xi ^ •^ Ji •s -d 1 -0 'd c -d -d s S d eS OS 03 s: 1 § 1 1 03 bo 1 03 1 1 y 1 ■« o •§ "3 "3 « § s a c fi c r; a ri ^ J4 M ^ M ^ rii! J!<) t' S . u « . S3 , « . 4» . 4) , « . o -3* r^s -62 -32 •32 •3^2 •aiS -3* 0) d « a (0 a (U C (V a 0'<»<«5inw:)0©oooQ©ooiciftojoco«oo tj oT'^ i> JO oT o"(ri QOto'^fo't^ ift'io lO o" ?o --^' « c4" o eO iH eOrH'^rHM Ttl rHT-IT(A 1^3 ih4 :^ H5wJ»qH5H5H3M>-3^K:!^5hJ^» iJ»:;j. ;^^jij^H5^J : M : M : M : M M 73 pH'ocK'dW'ocOnaaH'dcO'd a ,• a s a -; a ,• a ^- a -5 a I-, H4 »-i M HH M hH M >-l hH l-< H-J l-l a 2 cs 5 »- a eS S3 J. cr C'd - OS h- .2«2 > g » 5 ^ 3 128 ^ 2 £SS 5>.S 5 o °^c l|: •O -a ■c^o 1 charge an charge an S5£ III ^ a c §« -^ -^ •^^•=•1 2o « « «0 « «• « l?ll a «S V « OJ e! C CO c CJ3 >- — 55 o ■ O OH •paxapui puB '^uas '.^ = : :^ M U 1 ;s ;• : : i 5 'p § -09i 9ti% o% sauiijo -Oii AV ;N ; : •paAiao g i :o : Ml M M : :2 • ll ! 1 1 -9i saa-Hai jo o^ iwjoj. N : i-^ ■ ; :^ i 5 ; I ;^ = \\a : : i ^;!:i-i-^i'i";jr^;!:;j:i- j i^-i- ??s?^i*i'^;?-i-i^o ;i: i^ *893vdj0 3ZIg "-I : •21J8ID I Aq : ^ : \^ \ i 1^ M i : :t> : :^ : : : -H Xnp qava papjooaj saSv^ : N : ieo : ::«::: ': : : : ieo" : :ei •3S«d ! si 18 1 Ms 1 n i Ms i '' \n i i B oj 4Mf.u>fe JO -o^i a3«jaA V : "* \ i"^ : \\\4\ : :io S •jjjap T £q : : 5l \$\ Us M i : : : : \\\^\ Ml ': 1 : : ?? Avp qo«a papjooQj saun : : : : • : : • • ! : : •paXoidcaa B3ijaio jo -o^i { eo : In : 1 h M h M ■ \ \oi \ ■ h M eo •JBOiCO^sXBpOOSJO 1; : • =5 : life ! M 1 i \\\%l Ms ^ iCwp qowa papjoaaa saaii ■ • eo : I :^ : I i : : : : : : : : : •papjooaj sauii ibjox :o» : Mil : :.H » : : : : : • M^i 1 12 1 ; : :~* 'papjoaaj saaii 24,960 2,520 61,362 2,352 24,120 1,806 60,732 6,594 19,280 1,575 33,768 1,708 163,500 22,144 124,527 32,280 22,059 8,990 56,546 10,150 39,775 4.251 eo- :tf : •aSvd jad sauii 8^^5S§g^g§g53^ i \^^ g?3^§SSg5S?c§§ n i%^ •Ba3Bdjoo^ 624 60 ,461 56 6a3 43 ,446 157 482 37i 804 401 [iii" 308 3,270 692 3,193 807 513 155 1, 154 175 1,075 109 1 i§^ 1 rt ^ : :^ 'papjoaai 'sjoa jo -o^ 1 rH rH (N i-t fH .H N eo .H rH r-l iH 1 j N ■* lO -^ lO M « ,-1 iH fH fH ii-i : ::::::::: :W iaj itf ico : M iw ;« lui :« i ^ U i :« : ! 5 . •S U iJ :h4 :J i ^ i.4 i.4 :J U { ^ ^ :i iH5 1^ U 1 : M : « : H : M : «;«:«;« : M • M : t '4 : M : H : M K-Soi'Stf^ai^Di^x^OJ'gcrJ^ Ci^aj ^ tf^x^ L.R Inde L.S. Inde: j5j£j5^5.^^j,5.45j-^ ^a^ a ^a^a ij : I : i > : *J : 2 i: 1 i : : > > a 9 cc ^ "-3 .t. ft''' -« S.2 i Gen. of isc. div ccts. an ontract laims d on-Ger . and M roperty si gS ^ O U S^ ^ ;s I a i S 129 i 1 s M u a 1 a s -a i 1 c CI c 1 n c eS c 0) c .s C C 2 9 C eS • 2 "0 c OS "3 '6 i 1 a, >. 'c -2 1 8 2 M ■33 § c "3 > i" a 8 0. >> r3 rn II 0.22 i: 03 0) 4) •- -J X CO 53 f- is is : s s' i o s 1 0' — ' S 00" 1 N g( ft > ■■»<-^ ooireeq cjw — --MM^ ^05^ coct> oj 2 2 "^ ""'2 h'S'S^ {"("x x^'><'«}< >< X « X XXX 75 X X X X >< >< X X oooTo cTrTotc ^Lo^i(? 1- » ifs osxo ift'o(Nc^i-tei-ic.-|aHs.-i« STcJr X X 22 X 2 X 2 X 2 '^ ^« -I* 3 8 CO CO " - -^ ■^J" ^ ^ 8 S5 8 l- ?? 8 ^ S 8 7^ ©J M ■^ « ^ Oi - ec -Ici 3 t i i 1 - - - - - - - s 35' ift 0- s i i" 5^S i^'gS^' - - - - - 1—1 1^ 5 S^^^^^^§5?§^!5^^^lo2S$2^i5^ ^!§^ g?g§ ?iSS SJ!?5 S ^ ?? IIS ?3 % i S? --slS-§"-^'2"isiiii"J g?^ ii ii§ r SS? i-T eo" of i-T DO X 1^ 'd X or a >< a •or c 1 > "» c n c c c a i. i e "2 a c 1 ■2 a "5 c 5; p. u I z •g c t c «.- C 1 e C c a 5 c c i J 17958 9 130 From this table it appear3 that in the year 1838 there were 4,296,314 lines recorded in the books of letters received and letters sent and indexes thereto; that 238,070 let- ters were received (exclusive of the Signal Office, in which the lines recorded are not given) which is equal to 18 lines for the complete record of each letter received. A card, therefore, of 8 inches by 10 j inches, with an interior space within lines of 6^ inches by 8.] inches will contain for record purposes on both sides of the sheet more than 50 lines, amply suflScient for the purpose. A record card of the size suggested will be large enough to record all that is done with most letters received; i. e., on it the brief can be entered, the action noted or recorded, aiyl the reply recorded in full, and when a long letter is written in reply other sheets can be added with the proper index words at the top of each sheet, then to be tied or fastened together at the upper left-hand corner until the volume is bound. The following is submitted as a sample of a record card that will answer the purpose: [Face of record card.] Transportation. Wagons. Jones, J. R. Office Secretary of War. No. 1 1889. Return to Record Division, Room 235, as soon as read, once, so this card can be returned to the files. If a copy is desired it must be made at Date [Plaee ] From [Date] Subject * No. of inclosures . Received 1889. Sent to. Acknowledged 1889. Received back. Bureau office mark Action. [To be ruled on back within exterior lines, for recording letters sent that cover more than first page. The blank space outside of lines must not be written on ; it is for binaing purposes.] 131 [Reverse of record card.] FILE-CASES FOR RECORD CARDS. If index-record cards are adopted they should be filed away flat until bound. If stood on edge the size of the card will cause them to bend, and thus they will get out of order. It is believed that cabinet letter-files, suggested under the head of ** General remarks," will be found most convenient to use for this purpose. Such a Jetter-file of thirty-six boxes will contain eleven thousand carets. Before an order is given for cabinet files the index-book of letters received for 1888 should be studied to determine the arrangement of the indexes for the boxes. As each box has provision for twenty-five subdivisions, the thirty-six boxes will embrace nine hundred subdivisions. The indexes should therefore be so arranged as to make, as nearly as practicable, one nine-hundredths of the total number of record cards fall into each subdivision. A careful count of the names of persons and of subjects on the index books of last year should be made, keep- ing in mind that the cards to be filed under subjects are to be arranged alphabetically under the heading of the principal subject to which they belong. By this means ap- proximately uniform divisions can be made so that each of the twenty-five subdivisions in a box will receive a due share of cards, and none be unnecessarily crowded. Where a principal subject is likely to embrace about one thirty-sixth of the whole number of cards a whole file-box should be devoted to it for convenience of reference; for instance: ' 'Army, " " Subsistence stores, " " Transportation, " " Papers awaiting final action, ' ' etc. A specimen of arrangement of principal subjects and subdivisions is herewith submitted as a guide. (See Exhibit C. ) The cross-reference cards are recommended to be made the size of ' ' brief cards. ' ' These should be stood on end, and a stiffer paper should be used. A linen record paper, twenty pounds per ream, is suggested, the cards to be filed for easy reference in Woodruff or similar file-boxes. 132 INDEX OF NAMES ON KECORD CAEDS. Proper names should be indexed on " cross-reference cards " (see Exhibit D), and refer to the subject under which the record card is filed; the date of letter should also be given. This will often save looking at many subjects, or many cards on the same subject, when there are many letters from the same person, thus: * 'Jones, J. R see Transportation wagons January 12, 1889." The same rule as to the use of black and red inks should prevail as at present, viz: Black ink for the person who writes, and red ink for the person, etc., writteu about. TO KEEP TRACE OF CARDS AND NUMBERS ON PAPERS. TheTecord cards should be numbered consecutively, commencing with number one on the first of each calendar year. Each paper should have the same number as its record card, and be filed numerically. One clerk should be in charge of the cards. He should have a charge-book with each line numbered consecutively through the book and containing a few more numbers than the number of letters received during the last preceding year. This book should have four columns, the first lor the numbers, the second for the index word at the head of the record card, as for example — No. 301 — Transportation — Wagons— Jones, J. R. — the third column for charges for record cards, showing the names of persons to whom cards are sent, including time and date. The fourth column for charges for papers, showing the names of persons to whom papers are sent, including ^ate. When a record card is withdrawn it should be immediately charged in lead pencil to the person to whom sent. It should be the duty of the clerk in charge of cards to see that a record card is returned within one-half hour after it is charged out, if pos- sible, and he should report to the chief of the division any cards not returned, at the <;lose of the day. The cards should have printed on them " Return to Record divis- ion, Room , as soon as read. If a copy is desired, it must be made at once, so Ihis card can be returned to the files." When returned the lead-pencil charge must be at once erased. When a charge has remained on the charge-book more than one day the clerk in charge must immediately search the card-file to see if it has been returned, and if not, every exertion must be made to find the missing card. By searching for cards, within a short time alter they have been charged out, the danger of loss will be almost entirely removed. Practical experience in the Surgeon-General's Office shows that the danger is slight. The average number of letters received in one d^y in the office of the Secretary of War is fifty, so the charge clerk will have but fifty lines to write in his charge-book, and this he can do at intervals as he receives cards for file. If it appears from this book that a paper has been charged to some person for six days the charge may be posted to the record card; but it is believed this will not be neees- «ary as this book will serve every purpose as a charge-book, and thus the cards need not be so often referred to and a more careful watch can be kept of papers. Papers charged out over one day should be looked up. Under the present system many papers are charged to persons who have returned the papers to the files, perhaps with other papers, and the charge has through oversight not been removed. Subsequently the papers are found on the files or returned from some other office and the charge removed. Such charges are misleading and cause trouble. The danger of oversight will be largely re- duced by the use of this book, and by making it the duty of the proper clerk to see that papers charged out are looked up ••t intervals and returned to the files as soon as possible. The incidental efl'ect of thus looking up papers will be to hasten the action thereon. For ease and rapidity of reference the card-record charge-book should have fifty lines ix) the page, and each line being consecutively numbered will give a list of one hundred papers wherever the book is opened. For 15,000 letters received a book of 300 pages ^ill therefore be required. The book should be tagged at each 1 ,000 numbers with pages cut on the margin for each 100 numV)ers. Thus it will be possible by two movements to turn to the number wanted. The numbers on all the pages should be as follows: The left-hand pages from to 49; those on the right-hand from 50 to 99; then but one, two, •or three figures will need to be added at the top of each page. 133 The following is a sample of the book suggested: N Subject. When and to whom record card sent. When and to whom papers sent. 5500 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 5510 11 12 etc. to 49 Note. — The pag:e should be 10 inches wide, the numbered column 1 inch wide, the subject col- umn 4^ inches, and each of the charge columns 2 inches wide. PAPERS AWAITING FINAL ACTION. There should be a temporary file, of course, arranged alphabetically, of record cards^ in which should be placed the cards of cases awaiting final action. Such cards would be most frequently referred to in answer to inquiries and to place notations upon them. By this means it will be possible to call up the unanswered mail of the office. Such cards when finally acted upon, that is, when the decision had been noted or the office reply recorded, should be put in their proper places in the permanent card boxes. CAED INDEX OF DECISIONS OR PRECEDENTS. An index of decisions or precedents differs from an index of subjects in that the latter is a brief index pointing to the papers on a subject which must be referred to in order to ascertain the decision thereon, while the former is a concise statement of the decision itself in leading or novel cases, thus in the course of time grouping together precedent* to form a rule or serve as a guide for future action. The instructions now in force for keeping the records and transacting the clerical work of the Department require: "A copious index of subjects of general interest, or involving principles applicable to» similar cases likely to arise hereafter, should be compiled from individual cases after they have been recorded in the entry books, and have received the action of the proper authorities. This index should extend to the business of the entire bureau, and should embrace the records of as many unbroken years as is consistent with convenience of size and handling. The design of this book of reference is to aid in securing uniform, just, and speedy decisions upon certain classes of cases of frequent occurrence, which might otherwise require each of them a lengthened search and study of principles, authorities, and precedents. Great care should be given to the preparation and keeping of this in- dex." In lieu of this book of reference it is recommended, however, that the card-index sys- tem be adopted. The benefits of the card index wherever it can be used are so great that it has generally been adopted in large libraries for names and subjects. If applicable to libraries of hundreds of thousands of volumes of course it is applicable to this subject.. It is capable o£ indefinite expan.sion, and each subject is compact and complete in itself,, while with record books the subject is scattered and reference to several volumes may b& necessary. It saves time, as the information is always available; it also saves the labor of copying or the making of notes or memorandums from the books, and as all the carda on the subject under consideration can be sent for when needed in the office and without interrupting the work of indexing. Further, a book of reference must be indexed, which is not necessary with cards. They are arranged alphabetically like a dictionary or encyclopedia, cross reference being made where necessary to insure the finding of the subject. Cross references are made now, so that is not additional work. A good card index of decisions is a great desideratum. If when a subject is under consideration the cards are available to show the current of decision.s upon the subject, the line of action pursued at different periods, the reasons for changes being shown by 134 reference to laws and orders, the subject at once becomes clear and easily understood •without dependence upon memory or experience. The card index takes the place of memory and experience, and thus the affairs of an office are administered with ease and certainty, and decisions become stable and pro- gressive. The decisions noted in the books now required to be kept are difficult ot ac- cess because scattered through many volumes in the various bureaus. With this system inaugurated it becomes possible to collect the cards in the various offices and bureaus on a given subject, and with the information thus obtained, to prepare a paper which shall show its history, development, customs of the service, laws, and orders, and thus a book can be formed by topics somewhat like Clode's "Military Forces of the Crown," which "would be of the greatest value for the practical use of the Department in the transaction of every-day business. Such a book, showing why certain lines of action have been modified, changed, or aban- doned, gives the new oificial the experience of his predecessors and enables liim to con- tinue improved methods instead of adhering to old systems which experience has proved imperfect. As a suggestion of a plan for such an index, see Exhibit B, in which could also be in- cluded draits of important letters; lor instance, in a certain case, care has been given to the drafting of a reply to a letter so that it will fit the case and other like cases. Sup- pose the subject is "eight-hour law;" with this subject at the head of the card a draft of the letter is copied thereon, and it is then always available lor like cases with- out further search. The cards for the card index of decisions or precedents in the several bureaus should be alike in size, with the name of the office plainly printed thereon, and when a copy of a card is made it should be marked "copy." A copy furnished to another office may be filed with other cards in that office, as the word "copy" written or printed thereon in large letters shows it need not be returned. ABBEEVIATIOXS. It is suggested that this list of abbreviations be pasted on first fly-leaf of all record books or of bound volumes of record cards. The following abbreviations should be used in records in lieu of such words written in full in letters, orders, etc. When a copy is made therefrom all abbreviations should be written in full, as shown by this list: W.D ....War Department. iVashington Office. i Office, neral. J.A.G.O (i.M.G Q. M. G.O... C.G.S 0. C.G.S S.G S.G.O P.M.G P.M.G.O... C.of E ....Judfff-Advocate-Generars Office W.D,W. C... War Department, ^ Quart enuHster-General. Jan Feb Mch City. ■• January. February. March. Quaitermaster-General's Office. Commissary-General of Subsist- ence. Offit-e of Commissary-General of May"'.'.!!".*...."*.'." June July Aug Seirt April. ....May. June. July. August. Subsistence. Surjieon-General. Sur«;eon-Generai"s Office. Paymaster-General. Paymaster-Genenirs Office. Chief of Engineers. Oct October. O. C. of E.... Office of Chief of Engineers. Nov November. C. ofO O.C.ofO Chief of Ordnance. Dec December Office of Chief of Ordnance. A. G A.G.O I. G I.G.O JAG Adjutant-General. Adjutant-General a Inspector-General. Inspector-General' C.S. O O.C.S. O Resp'y S.ofW Chief Signal Officer. Officeof Chief Signal Officer. Respectfully. C.C Chief Clerk. Space is saved in the records by the use of these abbreviations, and hereafter the place and date should be placed on one line, aad the conclusion of the letter ako on one line, thus: W. D., W. C, Jan. 16, 1889. Resp'y., Wm. C. Endicott, S of W. REPLIES TO LETTER.S. An answer to a letter should be short, clear, and concise, and where it must be studied to understand the meaning the answer should be recast. The opening paragraph should give the date of the letter to which it is a reply, and state the subject in a general way in a few words when practicable. Questions asked should be answered in order in the 135 body of the letter. If possible, letters should be on one subject only. Adherence to the foregoing will save the time of the clerk who writes the letter, of the officer who signs it, and of the clerk who records it. These remarks, of course, do not apply to forms of letters that have been printed, but they should be considered in the preparation of forms. In one of the letters received by the board in answer to the invitation of the Secre- tary it is suggested that the words, "your obedient servant," be omitted from letters, and the following calculation is made: "In this office we record about '2,800 pages of let- ters sent each year, with an average of two letters to each page couiaiDiug ' your obedi- ent servant.' This will make 5,600 lines of the books used each year, and, there being 47 lines to the page, 122 pages are wasted, not counting the labor expended by the clerks who write and copy the letters.'* He also suggests that in the place of " very respect- fully," the letters close with the word "respectfully," thus eflectiug another saving. For' the reasons so graphically shown the board concurs in the suggestion made, believ- ing that a due regard to courtesy will be shown by the use of the word " respectfully " at the close of the letter, or at most by the use of the words " very respectfully," with but a few exceptions which may occur in correspondence of a diplomatic character. In connection with the suggestions made upon this subject the following example, taken from the records, is given of a letter that is not concise: War Department, WasJiington City, April 3, 1888. Sir: In reply to your letters of the 12th and 26th ultimo, requesting that the official records of the War of the Rebellion, which have heretofore been mailed to you at Turner Centre, Me., be mailed to you in the future at Canton, Me., I have the honor to advise you tkat the change of address has been made as requested, and that the future volumes of the work in question will be sent to you at Canton, Me. Very respectfully, etc., Mr. The following would have been sufficient: War Department, Washington City, April 3, 1888. Sir: In compliance with your request the address for your copy of the Rebellion Rec- ords has been changed to Canton, Me. Respectfully, etc., Mr. These examples will show how replies to letters may be reduced to a few words and serve the purpose as well. GENERAL REMARKS. Cabinet letter files. — Letters of slight importance which need not be entered or even listed, but which it is desired to retain for a short time, should be filed in index files for ready reference, thus saving the labor of listing many papers. The letter-file cabinets manu- factured by Cameron, Amberg & Co. , of Chicago, and by Brower Brothers, of New York City, will serve as an illustration of the kind of files referred to. Files. — To save space in the files, communication which do not contain information necessary to be retained, should be returned by indorsement contaiiyng the information desired. Indorsements. — Papers which are referred within the Department for "report" or "re- mark " or "to note ' ' should not be formally indorsed and signed when it can be avoided, and a red-ink notation following the brief or last indorsement is generally sufficient, as **A. G. report" "J. A. G. to note." "Noted in J. A. G. O., and returned. " It will not often be necessary to do this under the rules contained in the circular on ' ' Adminis- tration." Letters for immediate attention. — There are some letters which should at once be brought to the attention of the official addressed — these will readily suggest themselves — they are of more than ordinary importance and in no sense routine — he should know they have been received, so he can indicate the action thereon before they have been sent elsewhere. These are the exceptional cases, outside the rules, even though the subject treated of is one pertaining to the business of another bureau, which will probably be consulted before reply is made. In this class are letters, not routine, from the President, heads of Departments, resolutions of Congress, letters from members of either House of Congress, from governors of States, etc. , not necessary to indicate further, as they will be readily Tecognized when received. 136 Lists.— V^^hen a list of names is to be prepared, either of persons or things, if an al- phabetical arrangement will serve the purpose as well as any other it should be pre- ferred, being more convenient for reference. Notations. — A short indorsement placed upon a letter as follows: "War Department, Jan'y 21, 1889. Respectfully referred to the major-general commanding the Army, for remark. Wm. C. Endicott, Sec'y of War," should not be recorded in full, a nota- tion as follows is sufficient: "Comdg. gen'l for remark, Jan. 21, '89," and this course should be followed in other simple indorsements not in themselves important. Fapers pertaining to several bureaus. — When a communication is received which calls for information or action in several bureaus, it should be passed from one to the other until the information is complete, then to be returned for final action to ihe bureau which has jurisdiction over the principal subject involved in the communication — where it will be filed. In such cases the initials of the several bureaus will be indicated on the paper in red ink in the order in which the information is required. Red ink. — The red-ink ruling on papers is, inmost cases, more ornamental than use- ful, and should be discontinued. Where necef-sary, words can be underscored more quickly with a colored pencil, as has been recommended in another pait of this paper. This does not refer to the use of red ink in the ruling of tables, forms, etc. Result of search to be preserved. — Whenever necessary to search for decisions, laws, or- ders, customs, and precedents, bearing upon any particular subject the result of such search should be filed under its proper subject for future reference. To enable this to- be done with little or no extra labor the searcher should be provided with card-index, blanks of proper size upon which to make a record of the search. Secretary's office. — As the ofl&ce of the Secretary is, to a great extent, the bureau of in- formation for the entire Department, it will be necessary to make a note of many cases which strictly belong to the business of particular bureaus, but as the law places them all under his direction the record of his action should be noted in his own office, in order that he may have easily accessible the record of his own acts, and thus be enabled to at once answer inquiries. Unanswered mail. — It is customary in some corporations for the president to call at in- tervals for the unanswered mail and ascertain the cause of delay. This custom can be adopted in the Department by the use of the temporary file of record cards of cases, awaiting final action, heretofore recommended. MISCELLANEOUS. At several of the establishments visited by the board there were in u*e appliances; called "mail chutes," for the conveyance of mail matter from the upper stories to the ground floor. These were perpendicular conductors extending through the intervening rooms or corridors, to the basement, with openings on each floor large enough for the insertion of letters. Where visible they had glass fronts, so that any mail ipatter that was lodged could be seen. The chutes ran into locked boxes on the ground floor, to which the post-office letter-carriers hold the keys. A modification of this arrangement could be applied with advantage to this building. The following diagram will serve a» an illustration: Mail chutes. Fifth floor, library Fourth floor, mail forC.G.S.and P.M.G Third floor, mail for Q.M.G.andS.G , Second floor, mail for 8. of W., A.G.,and J.A.G Firstfloor, mailforC.ofO.andC.ofE Basement, mail for post-office, supply div., Supt. P. B. & G. and depot Q. M.. By this arrangement mail could be dropped to any floor of the building and taken to its destination by the half-hourly mail messengers on their rounds, or sooner, if a mes- senger with a key happened to be passing. The elevator service could likewise be util- ized to convey mail to the upper floor. In the office of the Metropolitan Insurance Company of New York pneumatic tubes are in use for the conveyance of mail between rooms and floors with the utmost rapidity, and that company also uses a cheap and convenient telephone service, known as the vil- 137 lage telephone. It is entirely independent of the commercial line, and is confined ex- clusively to the building. Each telephone has a switch-board, by which it is possible to call up and converse with any one of the forty or fifty stations in the building. It is much cheaper than the regular service and is more convenient and rapid for the trans- mission of messages where there are a number of offices under one management in the same building. CONCLUSION. In conclusion the board desires to state that to have investigated each particular class of work in the Department would have required a long time and delayed the report longer than appeared to be necessary, hence types were selected, and as the recommen- dations made are of general application, it is believed they will accomplish, if carried into execution, the result desired. But in order that the work thus commenced shall continue it should be generally understood that it is the duty of all persons in charge of any class of work to study it with a view to the adoption by proper authority of such short methods as will secure simplicity of routine as well as safety of record, and the elimination of whatever is unnecessary either in the entry or handling of papers, and to endeavor to make not an absolutely complete and perfect record, but one that will be sufficient for the purpose. Ii is not to be presumed that this is not done now by some, but it is the duty of all. Routine clogs the actual work of which it is but an incident; more thought must there- fore be given to the routine or mechanical part of the work, if the expression is allow- able, in order that the actual work of the Department may be more nearly assimilated to that of the business of the country, and enable it to do in time of peace what must be done in time of war. Eoutine and custom run in grooves which deepen with age, and anything involving change in fixed habits is looked upon with little favor. So while it is possible to state the advantages of quicker methods, and to make rules providing for their adoption, the enforcement of the rules and the prevention of retrogression can only be accomplished by constant supervision, which must also be directed to the prevention in future of the growth of unnecessary routine. This is a difficult task and will be met with many ob- stacles which can only be overcome by giving the necessary power to those who must supervise, subject, of course, at all times to confirmation or rejexjtiou by the head of the Department or other proper authority. A willing and cheerful execution of orders will carry out the rules so as to accomplish the result desired, and the business of the Department will be transacted with the great- est possible dispatch ; while, on the contrary, the best rules can be so carried out as to prove to a great extent worthless. The recommendations and suggestions made herein, if approved, will reduce the work in many of the offices. A number of clerks can therefore be spared for duty in prepar- ing the card-index record of the rolls of the volunteer army during the late war. It will be observed that the recommendations contained in this report relate to the clerical part of the work of the several offices and do not affect the duties or prerogatives of the Secretary of War or chiefs of bureaus. The object is to facilitate the work and hasten the execution of what has been decided. Respectfully submitted. John Tweedale, L. W. TOLMAN, Jacob Frech, Members of Board, Hon. William C. Endicott, Secretary of War, War Department, February 15, 1889. The result of experience in the War Department convinces me that delay in the trans- action of business can be remedied with no loss of security by the adoption of more rapid methods. I am more confident that this is true from my experience in the pension work of the Surgeon-General's Office. It was the opinion of the officer in charge that a large accu- mulation of unanswered calls was necessary in order that the work might be econom- ically performed, and as his opinion could not be changed he was relieved and another officer was detailed in his place. This has been followed with the most satisfactory re- sults. There are no delayed cases now, and the records of the office have been put upon cards as easily referreil to as a dictionary. When the regimental hospital records, now 138 in the Adjutant-General's Office, are transferred to the Surgeon-General's Office^ the en- tire medical history of each soldier in service during the late war will be placed on a series of cards filed together in one place. These cards can all be completed within a year, and thereafter it will be possible to give the entire medical history of a soldier in one Or two days after the receipt of a call for such history. The system is easy and practi- cable, but to make it successful it required the constant individual attention of the offi- cer in charge. After carefully reading the report upon the subject of "correspondence," during its preparation and since its completion, I fully concur in the recommendations and sug- gestions made by the board. The report is the result of long practical experience com- bined with an extended investigation of the whole subject. The success of the system, so fully and carefully explained, depends, as stated by the board, upon a willing and cheerful compliance with orders; and the clerks will be re- quired to study the system and to become perfectly familiar with its requirements. The recording and index of letters received is similar work, only more elaborate, to the cata- loguing of a library. The " letter received " in the Department is like a volume in a library; the entering and indexing is like the work of cataloguing. The card-index eystem has met with complete success in great libraries; if it fails in its application to Department work it will be the fault of those intrusted with its execution rather than of the system which has stood the test of actual trial. The necessary orders will be issued to carry into effect the recommendations and sug- gestions of the board William C. Endicott, Secretary of War. [Circular.] War Department, Washington, D. C, February 15, 1889. The report of the Board on Business Methods upon the subject of "Correspondence" has been approved and a copy transmitted to the chairman of the select committee ap- pointed under the resolution of the Senate of March 3, 1887, to inquire into and exam- ine the methods of business and work in the Executive Departments, etc. When copies of the report shall have been received from the Public Printer, chiefs of bureaus will require the report to be studied by those employed upon work of the kind treated of in the report, and will put into execution the various recommendations and suggestions in such order as will prevent confusion. As the success of the system in the matter of speed depends to a great extent upon the rapidity with which papers are moved, when ready, in rooms, sections, and divisions, the half-hourly mail messenger serv- ice, required by orders of the 18th ultimo, will be put into operation in all of the di- visions and subdivisions of the Department. Requisitions will be made upon the Public Printer for the necessary blanks and books to carry out the recommendations and suggestions, and estimates will be submitted of the number of Cabinet letter files required in each office. Before orders are given for such letter files, the indexes to letters received for the year 1888 will be carefully stud- ied to determine the proper alphabetical and subject arrangement, as suggested by the board. These orders will be carried into effect as soon as printed copies of the report are re- ceived. William C. Endicott, Secretary of War. [Note.— The regrimental medical records on file in the Adjutant General's office were transferred to the Surgeon General's oflBce to be card indexed, under orders from the Secretary of War, dated February 19, 1889.] Exhibit A. INSTRUCTIONS FOB KEEPING THE RECORDS AND TRANSACTING THE CLERICAL BUSINESS OF THE WAR DEPARTMENT. War Department, Washington, October 1, 1870. The following extracts, from the report of a board appointed to examine into the methods of keeping the records and transacting the clerical businessof the War Depart- ment, are published for the strict observance of the bureaus and offices of the Depart- ment, from and after the 1st day of January next, and no departure from the system herein prescribed will be made without special authority. Application for information upon subjects referred to or omitted in this pamphlet, or for any special modification of its requirements, will be addressed to the chief clerk of the War Department. William W. Belknap, Secretary of War, CLASSIFICATION OF OFFICE BUSINESS. All the clerical business of an executive bureau, or military office, is comprehended within the terms "letters received" and "letters sent;" and all action upon official papers is either of a record or executive character. DEFINITION OF "LETTERS RECEIVED." "Letters received" consist of written or printed communications coming into the bu- reau, whether in the guise of a formal letter, an indorsement upon a letter, a memoran- dum, a numbered or unnumbered circular, general or special order in any way relating to the business of the bureau, an unofficial or informal communication upon official mat- ters, if it be necessary or proper to be recorded, a memorandum made in the office of any verbal communication of which a record should exist, and, generally, of any commu- nication reaching the bureau to which future reference inay become necessary or desirable. DEFINITION OF "LETTERS SENT." "Letters sent" consist of all communications of the foregoing character issued from the bureau. RECEPTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF MAIL MATTER. All communications received by mail or messengers should be opened, read, and pencil- marked for distribution to the proper officials by persons especially designated for the purpose, who should be familiar with the business of the bureaus and the particular duties of each of its officers and principal employes. Such papers as are not of an urgent or special character should be folded, briefed, and recorded as herein described, after which they should be distributed for executive action as indicated by the receiver. Papers requiring immediate action should be briefed and recorded at the first opportunity. The communications should be folded as nearly as possible to a uniform size, the standard being an ordinary-sized letter sheet folded from bottom to top in three equal parts. Whenever a communication covers all sides of the sheet upon which it is written, leaving no room for briefing or indorsing, or where the paper can not be folded to a proper size, a half-sheet of letter-size paper may be fastened to it; but in no case should any loose wrapper be placed around an official paper. Loose wrappers on which briefs, in- dorsements, or office-marks have been placed by officials not belonging t^ the War De- partment should be fastened to the papers upon receipt in the bureau. 139 140 •'briefing" of letters received. A "brief" of every official communication received should be indorsed upon its first or upper fold, exhibiting the place where the letter was written, the date of the com- munication, the name or official designation of the writer, or the title of the Department, bureau, office, court, etc., whence the communication proceeds, and a synopsis of the contents or subject of the letter. Everything of importance should appear in the larief; but prolixity in the description of places, the titles aud offices of persons, and in the summary of contents, should be avoided. For instance, in briefing communications from a large, well-known city, it is unnecessary to add the name of the State; in de- scribing the writer, or a person named, no other title and offices than those immediately concerned in the letter need be given; and dates, names, titles, aud offices, or mere inci- dentals of no importance should be omitted. In cases where the location of a person, office, or institution is permanent and well known, or where location is of no importance whatever, the brief need only exhibit the date, name of writer, aud purport of the letter. Communications from official personages on matters relating to the business of their offices should not be briefed in their individual names, but either by their official titles or the names of the offices of which they are in charge or in which they are serving. The annexed examples will serve to illustrate the proper method of briefing official com- munications. Whenever the amount of business in a bureau is sufficient to warrant such a provision, a certain proportion of its clerical force should be habitually employed in briefing the communications received, thus insuring greater accuracy and expedition than could otherwise be secured. No communication properly briefed should be again briefed in the same or any other office, upon any other fold of the paper; nor should any addition be made to a brief ex- cept to correct errors or supply omissions. Indorsements, reports, or letters attached from time to time to the original commu- nication should not be regarded as requiring any additional briefing. The date of receipt of each communication should be noted in ink near the bottom of the briefing fold. recording of letters received. When a letter received has been briefed it should be entered in a record book kept for the purpose. The forms of the various record books lor letters received are illustrated in the Appendix. The record books for the various descriptions of letters received should be classified as follows: (1) Applications for office, embracing all communications received from or relating to applicants for appointment or employment in the public service. (2) Officers, agents, and employes, embracing all communications received relating in- dividually to persons employed in the public service by commission or appointment, under the direction of the bureau, from their original entry into the service to their final discharge therefrom. (3) Claims, embracing all communications received relating to demands upon the United States for payment for supplies taken or furnished and for services rendered; aud for the restoration of private property taken or used by the Government or its officers. (4) Contracts, embracing all communications received relating to contracts or other agreements for supplies to be furnished, services to be rendered, or work to be performed on the public account. (5) Accounts and returns, embracing all communications received relating to the sums on deposit in the national Treasury to the credit of the bureau, and of the amounts drawn therefrom to carry on the public service, and to the accounts and returns exacted from persons intrusted with or receiving public moneys for distribution or expenditure, or public property for use or issue to others, including the accounts and returns them- selves. (6) General and miscellaneous, embracing all communications received involving the issuance of suitable orders, instructions, and regulations for an efficient and economical administration of the public service; the preparation, procurement, and distribution of suitable official and professional publications; the preparation of yearly estimates of the sums repoiiit- ment in tlie medical start'; referred for remark bv Senate ConiiuitteeoM Claims, Dec. !G, 1870. [Note.— To be indexed under Y, S— "Senate," and C— "Claims Committee of Senate."] MOORE & SKINNER, I^aporle, Minnesota. Petition for additional allowance on contract for improvement of the St. Joe Rapids ; referred by House Com- mittee on Commerce, Alarch 21, 1870. [Two inclosures.] [Note.— To be indexed under M— "Moore & Skinner." S— "Skinner & Moore," and "St. Joe Rapids," H — "House of Representatives," and C — "Commerce Committee."] MISSOURI CAVALRY, Fourth Regi- ment. Information relative to claim for vet- eran bounty ; called for by House Res- olution, July 14. 1870. [Note.— To be .ndexed under M— "Missouri Cavalry," H— "House of Representatives," and R— "Resolu- tions of Congress."] " BOONETOWN WEEKLY," Moore & Barton, proprietors. Account for job printing for the military service in 1863. [One inclosure.] [Note.— To be indexed undername of journal, B, and names of proprietors, M and B.] 150 Class 3. MRS. ELIZABETH JAMTSOX, Rocky Creek, Virginia. Claim for damages to property by United States troops referred by TJiird Auditor for information, Sept. 9, 1.^70, [Note. — To be indexed under J and A— "Auditor, Third."] THOS. J. SINGLETON, Heirs of, Marshville, Louisiana. Attention called to claim for rent of buildings occupied by United States, by Hon. li. J. Sannders, M. C, Feb. 17, 1870. [Note. — To be indexed under name of claimant and presenter of claim.] Class 4. New York, January 10, 1870. GORDON IRON-WORKS COMPANY with Colonel Stuart Thornton, Corps of En- gineers. Contract for :steam-dredge for western rivers. Selma, Alabama, July 23, 1870. Dk. BEVERLY FORD With Surgeon Chas. Johnson, U. S. A. Contract for medical services for the garrison at Selma till December 31, 1870. 151 Class 4. Baltimork, I A2irU 15, 1870. I SUNDRIES to Captain Samuel Wilcox, C. S. Purchases of canned fruit and vege- tables for sales to the Army. Fort Barker, Idaho, May 17, 1870. JOHN TAYLOR & SON with Captain Gillelt M. Noycs, A. Q. M. Contract for transportation of military stores from Fort Barker to Camp Mc- Kelvey, Montana. Washington, June 20, 1870. BROWN & SIMS with Richard Layton, disbursing cle.k. Contract for stationery for next fiscal year. Lawtonville, Florida, March 14, 1870. THOMAS GREENFIELD to Lieutenant Gerald Eeilly, A. C. S. Purchase of anti-scorbutics for the ex- peditionary force employed against In- dians. 152 Class 4. FoET Carter, Nebr., October 10, 1870. GEO. RUSSELL & JAS. S. TOWERS with Lieutenant Sinclair Jaclsov, A. C. S. Contract to purchase hides of beef- cattle slaughtered at the post or in the vicinity. Fort Marion, Kansas, March 14, 1870. RICHARD SALTER & JOHN ROHR with Captain Joseph Simpson, A. Q. M, Contract for lumber, brick, ^nd stone for quartermaster's storehouses. Little Rapids, Wis.. September 19, 1870, RANSOM, Major George H„ Corps of Engineers. Reports delinquency of Hardy & Sad- tier, contractors for blasting work, and recommends that suit be brought on their bond. New York, Augujit 31,1870. STEAM COASTING CO. and PACIFIC TRANSPORTATION CO. Give formal notice that existing agree- ment for transportation of troops and stores will be terminated September 30, 1870. 153 Class 4. Junction City, Kans., May 31, 1870. JOSHUA RIDER AND J. S. HILL. Proposal forsupplyins coal and wood to tne quartenuastoi's deparlment m Kansas. Paris, June 27, 1870. FRAN(;01S BELLOTE. Offers to furnish desiccated vetreta- bles and eoiu'cnt rated meats for the use of the Army. Class b. June 25, 1871. TREASURY DEPARTMENT. Warrant for appropriations of the War Department for the liscal year 1871-72. Received, Q. M. G. O., June 29, 1870. Received, A. G. O., June 27, 1870. Received, War Dep't, June 26, 1870. Nashville, September 1, 1870. SOUTHWEST— Military Division. (Chief Commissary Sub.) Estimate of subsistence funds for fis- cal year 1871 -'72. [Three inclosures.] Received, O. C. G. S., Sept. 5, 1870. 154 Class 5. Fort Johnson, Wyoming, February 8, 1870. RICHARDS, Lieutenant William Gi, (Post Commissary.) Account current for January, 1870, [Seventeen inclosures.] Received, O. C. G, S., February 20, 1870. Newport Barracks, Ky., June 30, 1870. LESLIE, Captain Hamilton, (36th Infantry.) Property return of detachment of re- cruits en route from Newport Barracks to Santa Fe for 2d quarter, 1870. [Nine inclosures. [Received, Q. M. G. O., July 6, 1870.] St. Louis, May 27, 1870. LANGDON, Captain Beverly T., (Medical Storekeeper.) Certificate of deposit for $527.49, on ac- count of sales ot medical *nd hospital property. [One inclosure.] Received, S. G. O., May 30, 1870. Wyandotte, Kansas, February 28, 1870. YOUNG, Grandison TT., (late 1st Lieutenant 29th Infantry.) Incloses receipt of Captain Maxwell Stockton, A. Q. M., for S79.63 deposited in settlement of his accounts with the Gov- ernment. [One inclosure.] Received, Q.M.G.O., March 6,1870. 155 Class 5. May 14, X879. ADJUTANT GENERAL. General Orders No. GO, directing: that property returns, except for provisions, be hereafter rendei-ed (luarterly, instead of monthly. Received, O. C. G. S., May 18, 1870. June 16, 1870. ADJUTANT GENERAL. General Orders No. 73, prescribins: method of accountability for quarter- master's property, for post and garrison use, in charge of the guard. Received, Q. M. G. O., June 18, 1870. Fort Leavenworth, September 30, 1870. DIXON, Lieutenant Thomas Z., R. Q. M., 11th Cavalry. Explanations and additional vouchers for file with his money accounts for July, 1870. [Eleven inclosures.] Pine Bluff, Ark., October 3, 1870. MELVILLE. Robt. Quincy, (late Paymaster of Volunteers). Applies for settlement of his accounts under act of Congress of June 23, 1870. [Twenty-three inclosures.] Received, P. M. G. O., October 13, 1870. Received, A. G. O., October 10, 1870. 156 Class 5. January 27, 1870. TREASURY DEPARTMENT. Reports that remittances have been made to Major Thomas Lincoln, Engi- neers, for $5,600, and James R. Heuiett, engineer agent, for $480.50. Received, Ene;. Bureau, January 29, 1870. New Albany, Ind., February 29, 1870. JENKINS, Captain B.F., Depot Quartermaster. List of quartermaster's property sold by auction on the 24th, 25th, and 26th instant. Received, Q. M. G. O., March 3, 1870. Inventory and Inspcclion report of CoMMissABY Property, for which Lieutenant JOS. G. GOODWIN, 57th Infantry, is responsible. Inspected at Camp Garnett, Ncv., on August 29, 1870. Received. O. C. G. S., September 25, 1870. Sax Antonio, Texas, July 17, 1870. FRONTIER, Department of the. States, in reply to letter of June 29, that a board of survey is now investi- gating the loss and damage of ordnance stores turned over by Captain Thos. Ed- vmrds, Ordnance Corps, to Lieutenant Evan Bradbury, Post Quartermaster at Austin, for transportation to Ivieutenant Duncan McBride, Ordnance Oflicer at Hunter Barracks. 157 Class 6. FOET MUMFORD, KANS.. March 8, 1870. CAVALRY, 12th Regiment. (Commanding Officer.) Reports necessity for the return of some of the detaclied officers of his regiment before active operations be- gin. [XoTE.— To be indexed under C — "Cavah-y, 12th Regiment," and D — " Detached officers of 12th Cavalry."] North Platte City, Nebr., April 14, 1870. PLATTE, Sub-District of. Reports boundaries of Fort JiUiindell Militdry Reservation, and recommends that ii be officially declared. [Two inclosures.] [Note.— To be indexed under B— "■BUiisdell, Fort, Military Reserva- tion," and P — "'Platte, Sul>District."J May 21). 1870. FORT MURRAY, Post of. (Commanding Officer.) Reports conference with ^* Buffalo Horn'''' and other Indian chiefs at that post. [Note.— To be indexed under B— *' Buffalo Horn; " I — "Indian confer- ence at Fort Murray," and M — Mur- ray. Indian conference at Fort."] Boston, October 9, 1870. FORT ANDREW, Post of. (Post Quartermaster.) Requisition for stoves for use of the garrison. [Note. — To be indexed under A — ^''Andrew, Fort;" R — "Requisitions for Q,. M. stores," and S— " Stoves."] 158 Class C. Washington, September 1870. RECORDS OF WAR DEPARTMENT. (Board.) Report and recommendiitioiis con- cerning records and business of War Department and Bureaus. [Note.— To be indexed undfer-B— "Board on Records, &c.;" R—" Rec- ords of War Department," and W— "War Department, Board on Rec- ords, «S:c."] St. Louis, May 18, 1870. TACTICS AND SMALL-ARMS, (Board.) Report on breech-loadiiiK small- arms for infantry, cavalry, and artil- lery. [NOTK.— To be indexed under B — " Board on Small-arms" and "Breech- loading Sjnall-arms;" S — "Small- arms Board," and T — "Tactics and Small-arms Board."] 159 i 1870. n va- 0; re- ed to .379); toap- ■c. 30; 5 <« © r-( -J a. Ji © 1 ;:2 o - • C \^»- Q ' 5 ! ^ ' 5^23 1 -a a at 0? 5 1 1 1 MJ] |o a S « i 0, a c = ii tie ^ ^ . 0"" 2 is g 1 .^ SS iS^SJaglS ? fe fa 5 < •3 ©CO ^ « « -i id a si S ^^1 ia © a id av bT vh -H 2© =,5 o§ CS a a a 8 a o >> ^5 2 Ri goo mm IP o-s'^:s?oii §©« - - «^0 - S 03 as i be 1 n |3I 2i>j-^-S£-J= 0©^ U t^ "a, a OS 3 • • 'o 1:. (;i ; _!, w 1 © •- « . 5 © ^ eS ^ 1 © fc^ c *» ^2^© 5 s 1 « . c i: « r tt, H|g ! Appointm t Ill" > 1^- g c ;S III ««§ 1 c © o-J ■-j^ 2 S2 2 2 .S - - II C3 * a, © s 1 t«' •Sa-S © =?, a 1 >, a ^0" 1 \ o R ^1- o c 1 ^ III 1 111 1 ly i ^ 'ill 1 • a-D r^ a ^4 3 Pi © c 111 1 «^ a .0 o a tf c i 160 !5 3 red Jan. 22 s in claim, . G. report. IH 6J to 9) a at) «g< ..-3 "^ 3 fe H^i-^ -^ s 4) a ^1 4| i •< C i: 1 ^11 1 :.| i 111 1 «M^ . ' S «J 1 W 1 si 1 ■0 4t 41 M 4 -5=ll n i 1 c 3 II 1 % 1 ^-1 i 1^ = 11 ^ c 93 be .a ? ^ % I'll If'. <°fe^ 11 n" III gip 11 a a. 8 o . 1 3 a, -o s OS I2 c a .2 3 "So _0 a 8 -« -• '2 3 e! 3 00 rs i si 11 III -Pi i! £« Is =«-§? ° 1 «-8 .252 •=7 = 2 f 4> .2> 11 abac's ^•2 |o !l «5 -2-3 £ = a3 c3 «2-r 1 -^1 2-i Ill's S.? 1 -^.22 -52=5 "S^SS '5 2 , 1 < 5 K 1 • i.s .. c 2 1 5i = OS «?i l> o 1 1 £ 1 1 c s 11 il II s J a i ills 11 I. 1 'OS* "So' it ill. : ! Date of receipt 1 and file num- ! ber. i 1 1 ^ I a 3 •P - i 1. 161 koti ^'^.'k'i^^'i a^ (L. B„ p. 78), ,July9(L.B..p. eport of P. M. House Military p. 276); received Var, Sept. 9; re- settlement 1763, ^1 ry form, and file- ence made in the d book ; the Au- book, and on all a book of letters 1 03 a 2J eb. 4(L.B.,p.43); . G, for informati the Frontier, A\) Secretary of W ired Feb. 29 (L.B. Mar. 27 ; Chief C 1. to investigate U [ay 16; A. G. fori ayton,63dKy.Yo t. Clayton, June ditor for settlemo ttornevs Mav 3 Claims, See 643 as l§ ll 1 03 ill4 port th r ;sto B,, of \ don n letters received, of the ordina liis book as above, and a refers re those of the letters-receive required to be spread on this the first entry of the cases in O I § < hief Q. M. Dept. West, F ceived back Mar. 18; A from records Army of U; returned April 18; May23(L.B..p.2l8). dditional evidence requ 67); evidence received Southern Dept., April 2 alty; report received M dress of Lieut. Philip Cli May 30; letter to Lieu (L.B., p. 118); Third Au Aug. 19. apers withdrawn by a presentation to Ct. of 1870. eturned to Auditor Apr 2cretary of War with re 246); received back wi General, Sept. 23; copit Committee, Dec. 19. A, General, Aug. 2 (L, back Sept. 3; Secretarv quest for §10,550,25 issue Oct. 15. U < A. « cc >-i o fl-o a-d in a book of set forth in tl trated here a 11 claims not the index to S « 8 A mom allowe or reco mende \a "S-o ^ ^ 8 H \ ^ jsi'A 3 2 c>i o eo l> : i^ aj-o.- CO §§ § ^ s 3 332 = 2 II S uld be e •can sho i-numbe he actio; be inde: ci .& 2; o3 S S § 1 II 1870, Jan. Feb. Mar. Mar. May July 1 !t of claims, sho' ction of the Bui found. The file le Treasury. T book need not : 1 By whom pre- sented or re- ferred. Third Auditor Littleton & Cook, Wash- ington. Thomas L. At- kins & Co. Hon,R.J.Saun- der8,M.C.,and Third Auditor Adjutant-gen- eral of Mo. Second Comp- troller, •a ii 1 le subjec Native a 8 can be tied at tl d. This ture of claim. - 1 >. . : .D- ild- evv inty, on fill- ton- my o lllll Seizure horses. Beef cattle.. Cotton sold Governmei nt of bu igs at N rleans. teran bou mpensati r non-ful ent of c act for Ar ill « § & ^.5o« o^Si s^S »5 ^ d i "-5 08 tDvo'ZM i s c ^ S 1 OS -elatin ns as I book ificate lie boo 73 o M % ^ > o .s * i^ ♦^ 2 K chis Hoc arle tl a A ■^ ||5|.S < ^ g S 1 _l . : c a eCo ph.... Trad rs o valrj rkina o = H2«-« Name of claim Territorial Stag Slaughter, Jose International ing Co. Singleton, heii T.J. Missouri 4th Ca Morton and Pei *S o 11 claims and coi igned to them, 3rs received to tl )ers those of the unications. shoul ifficient. 'jaqumu ^ i So s Iirr^^. 8,JO}ipny 2 : ^ i^ Note. numbers book of I ditor's ni other con received ; File No. g- 1 S ill i 17958 11 162 Contract letters received. Date of receipt and file number. Mar. 14... (74) May27... (75) June 3... (7G) June 29.. (77) July 14... (78) Name of contractor or writer. Bloomington Arms Company. Date and subject of contract or letter. KiKGS Cross, Mass , March 12. Offer to purchase 10,0(:0 Spruigfichl muzzle-loiiding rifles at appraised value. April 10. Slautrbler, James G. Contract for brtf-cntlle at Fort Fosdick with Captain Thomafi L. Wyatt,<^.S. Junk 2. Refers proposal of WHlimn Hdmmer- smilh i£ Co. to attach their patent pun-shit Id to t he fortificat ions of the United States. Omaha, Jnue 24. Reports purchase oi fire exli mjuishers for the (i. M. department at Omaha and Cheyenne from liandall Fire Exlingtiishcr Company. Pi T-JS BIT RG H , July 1 1 . Proposals for furnishing iron hetid- blocks a.ud iron raiiint/t; for the na- tional cemcleries. Engineer Bureau. ... Stansbury. Capt. R. T.,Po8tQ.M. Campbell & Bell. Action. C. O. Springfield Armory remark, March 15; re- turned Mardi 19, and of- ferdcclined March 20 (L. i • B., p. 347). ' ' See page 06, Ccntruct Reg- ister, 1870. ■ Sec pi>ge l.'J7, Contract Reg- ister, 1870. Inspector national ceme- teries remark, July 15: received back July 27; answered July 30 (L. B., p. 466). 1G3 o'-c o ^^ « ^" ^ * ' 5 t: a -^ Z o ^ V -^ = .N'S = § « ='5 O; Oh OS •3 fc. -S .0 — 5 ,• f ■= ■; Ss«« 5 .= Q _S J".* ^ « .5 £? % X S.'o X ? w ^ X eo CO c^^ : C O V t ^- .^ . • ^ OJ O 'O ^' C>) ^ Si? ^5d^ «« o « 2 ^2 13 ao ° -^ ® > a o «i § s > a OS o »3 5 :; 164 3 a c c 5 'f' s.;- a i. = ^- e! r J.-; ^ £g-'5=-;S'^ ■a •2 -s ,~ 5 ^ S iT ii 1 Pk 0-1 s-i*: .S &5 Date transr tal t Treas Depa men ii 1 «• ffi 2 i £ j3 2 3 1, 1 a •|3 S . o ■•a is 2 a° (2; 0^ ; c • i^ •^ ^ u 1 1 il! i ii -< s ^- .1 5 s s o PU ««-8 . . "* o oS^o. Date contri orpii chas :5s 00 3 Place liver forn: or 1 1^ 1 cl in 6 SI -a § oS 08 a • - « hi ^'^ - « ^^1 lal s 'nM S S ^ * .oS tn.i « 3 i " r «• Ci* 3 • o5 5 « S o8.S C , ^•^ o « C3 O 4) 111! © a o^ i cj-^ o ■fe «=- ^ o ,« J »^|£| o o i:<- «- - OJ o o ^ a> o o Jj o«g^S2 *— ii "^ ® "Crs = " « = '='=« 2 7S 3«S— « 165 General and miscellaneous letters received. Date of receipt and file Name of writer. Date and subject of letter. Action. number. SKPTEMIiER 20, 1870, , Sept. 30 XorthwestMilitary Reports on Indians, post traders, Extracts for Interior De- Division, coui- means of transportation, subsist- partment, AV'ar Depart- (5G1) nuindiiij,' oiiicer. ence stores, quarters, need of re- ment, Q, M. Gen'l, C. G. cruits, Arc. in his comn)and, as Sub., Sur}?. Gen., Sup't observed duriny; his recent inspec- Rect'K Service, Oct. 5 (L. tion tour, and submits recommen- H., pp. 219-280). Copy to dations. Secretary of War for House Committee oil Military Aflfairs, Dec. 27. October U, 1870. , Oct, 15 Adjutant-General ... Refers requisition of Captain Sam- Letter to C. O., Allegheny vel Wilkins, Company H, Ninth Arsenal, Oct. flO, and to (502) Artillery, for ordnance stores. October 22, 1870. Captain Wilkins' (L. B., p. 303). Oct. 23 Post-Offiee Depart- Refers for remark petition of ofti- A. G. remark. October 24; ment. cers and men at Fort Graf/son, returned Oct. '20; Q. M. (503) Texas, for increased mail facili- G. report, Oct. 27; letter ties. to P. M. G. Oct. 28. November 1, 1870. , Nov. 10 Cavalry School, Report of trials of Frinjle^s siifetij- Referred to Q. M. G. Nov. comma.idant. bit. 12; returned Nov. 15; let- (504) ter to Pringle Nov. 18 (L. B. 038). 166 Record hoolc — Ldlers sent. Henry, Hon. Thos, J., Louisville. 437 (W. D.) 1870. 683 (W. D.) 1870. Wyoming, Gov'r of. 79 (A. G. O.) 1870. See page 139. TFi7Jfcms,Geo. B., 1st Lieut. 12th Infy. 63,85 (Q.M.G.) 1870. Sec'y of War approved, May 20. See page 435. Engineer Officers. 743 (Eng.) 1870. Cavaln/, C. 0. 12tli Reg't., Fort Richardson, Texas. 407 (Ord.) 1870. See page 296, Vol. 1, 1869. Wau Department, Jujie 10, 1870. Sir : I am directed by the Secretary of War to inform you, in reply to your letter of the 12th instant, ti:at the applica- tion of Mrs. lieheccd Ildrrisou, of lientvillc, for the discharge of Corporal J')yeph Jiioion, Co. M, 27th Infantry, has been duly considered liy the Department, and that tlie same can not be granted without prejudice to the public interests. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Chief Clerk. Indorsement on apj)lication for continuance of Col. Chas. G. Gordon in that Territory. Respectfully referred l^y the Cieneral of the Army to the Conunander of the Mil.l>;v.of tlie West, with authority to grant this application, if deemed compatible witli the inter- ests of the service and regarded as advisable in other re- spects. A.G.O., il/o)c/tl4, 1870. Ass't. A'ift Geii'l. Report: The case of this officer is respectfully submitted to the Quartermaster-General, with the report that it appears * X * * * It is recommended that ***** Q.M.G.O., May IS, 1870. Major and Q. M. 0:-riCE Chief ok Engineers, June 27, 1870. Circular: , It is ordered by the Chief of Engineers thut in future all es<<»i«fes for funds forwarded to this otlice * * * * * Capt. of Eiiy'rs, LVvH Lt. Col. Ordnance Office, August 14, 1870, Sir : The Chief of Ordnance requests * * * * ♦ S}iarp*s breech-load iny Curliirie • • * * * Very respectfully, Major of Ordnance. 167 opfice-marks, indorsements, official addresses, indexes. Illusiraiions of the oJJtce-mny'Jcs upon communications and their inclosures. 746 (Eng.) 1870. (Three inclosures.) FILE WITH 5J9 OF 1869. Ans'd June 2 -, 1870. See letter to June 30, 1870. Copv of this, and answer of June 26, 1870,furnishedto July 18,1870. Submitted personally to the August 27, 1870, and action deferred. See letter to the Sept. 19, 1870. S. 0. 316, par. 3, Oct. 20, 1870. Received, Eng. Bureau, June 21, 1870. III. 746 (Eng.) 1870. Extract, as indicated by red ink brack- ets within, furnished to July 18, 1870. [Note,— Inolosii res should always be numbered in the order of their date, or in the order in which they should be. read.] Illustrations of memorandum— Envelopes and indorsements. ENVELOPE. .(A. G.) 187 Case of., OFFICE MEMORANDA, BRIEFS, AND REPORTS. Not to be taken from the files except for reference, and not to be sent out of the office. Respectfully referred by the Depart- ment Commander to the Commanding- Officer of the District of the Plains, with directions to order a full investigation into the circumstances set forth herein by a competent staff" officer serving in his command, whose report shall be for- warded to these headquarters accompa- nied by these papers. AcVg Asst. Ailjt. Geu'l. H'dq'rs Dept. of the West, Sept. 29, 1870. See report within. Respectfully forwarded to Headquar- rers Military Division of the Northwest. Brig. Geri'l Corn'g. Il'dq'rs Dept. of the West, Oct. 14, 1870. Respectfully returned by the Division Coramimderto the Commanding-Officer of the Department of the West. It is not deemed necessary or proper to apply to Headquarters of the Army, as recom- mended, for authority to establish a per- manent military post at Whitestone Crossing, but suitable detachments of cavalry and infantry should be sent there next spring to remain till the fol- lowingwinferand the post quartermas- ter at Fort Wilson should be directed to forward requisitions for the necessary materials to provide them with tempo- rary quarters. Suitable re)>orts of the operations of these detachments are to be forwarded for the information of these headquarters. H'dq'rs Mil Asst. Ailjt. Geri'l. .Div.Northwest,Oct.28,]870. 168 Official addresses. To the Speaker of the House of Reprasentaiivcs, Washington. To the President of the Senate, Washington. To the Chairman, Committee on Blilitary Affairs, United States Senate. To the Chairman, Joint Select Committee on Ordnance, Washington. To the Clerk of the House of liepresentatires, Washington. To the President of the United States. To the Honorable The Secretary of the Treasury. To the Honorable The Attorney-General. To the Second Comptroller of the Treasury. To the Commissioner of the General Land Office, To the Commissioner of Pensions. To the Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks, Navy Department. To the Chief of the Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department. To the Paymaster General of the Army. To the Commissary General of Subsistence. To the Clerk of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, Washington. To the Assistant Attorney General, United States Court of Claims, Washington. To the Governor of the State of Nevada, Carson City. To the Secretary of State. State of New Jersey, Trenton. To the Superintendent of Public Instruction, State of Illinois, Springfield. To the Clerk of the District Court, Fourth Judicial District, State of Texas, San Antonio. To the Surrogate of the County of Kings, Brooklyn, New York. To the Mayor of the City of Louisv.'llr. 169 To the Treasurer of the Board of Public TT'orAs, Ciucinnati. To the Secretary of the Atlantic Woolen 3Iill.% Westerly, Rhode Island. To the Presidext of the Inter oceanic f>teamship Co., Wilmington, North Carolina. To the Judge-Advocate, General Co n rt-Martia I, Fort Hamilton, New York. To the Recorder of the Board on Tactica, Small Arms, and Equipments, Rock Island, Illinois. To the Collector of Cl'Stoms, Bort of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To the United States Attorney, Northern District of New York, Buffalo. To the Commandant, United Stales Nary Yard, New London, Conn. To the Commanding Officer, Post of Fort Greenlcaf, Florida. To the Depot Quartermaster, Fort Harker, Kansas. To the Post Commissary, Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. To the Assistant Adjutant-General, Headquarters, Department of the West, Fort Leaven'worth, Kansas. To the Chief Commissary of Subsistence, District of the P.'ainft, Fort Gibson, Indian Territory. To the Commanding Officer, Company C. I'Mh Regiment of Cavalrg, Camp Mansfield, M. T. Alphabetical vowel index. Aa. Adams, Capt. Chas. J.— 3, 11, 14, 28, 59, 73, 91, 126e Accounts of Civil Engineers — 7, 43, G9. Abbott, Geo. Wash.— 15, 27, 34. Ahrens, Sam'l D.— 16, 18, 72. Aerial Navigation Co.— 116, 243, 376. Affrey, Surgeon Chas.— 92, 111, 293. Aikenside, Joshua — 142, 234. Aides-de-Camp—m, 236. Amcrson, Col. Albert T.— 83, 171, 216. Allerton, William S. -41, 69, 82. Ae, Ai, 170 Ao. Ahcater, Gen'l Jona.— 26, 249. Appropriations for current fiscal year — 76, 83. Aspodel, Geo. C— 182, 246. Annual Report — 6, 54, 87. Au. Af/ers, Cadet Jackson H.— 46, 126. '■^Avalanche.'''' Steamer — 154. Augustus, Private Julius C. — 35. Austin Arsenal Lot — 112. INDEX LETTERS. Congress House of Representatives United States Senate Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives - . Committee on Military Affairs, United States Senate. President of the United States -- Department of State Department of Justice Solicitor of the Treasury General Laud Office] - Comptrollers of Treasury Auditors of Treasury Bureau of Internal Revenue Navy Department Bureaus Commissary General of Subsistence Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, etc Bureau of Military Justice Supreme Court of the United States United States Minister to Great Britain United States Consul General at Montreal United States Commercial Agent at Port Stanley British Minister to the United States Foreign Consuls at Richmond ^ United States and Mexican Clai ms Commission Commissioners for codifying the laws of the United States . United States Coast Survey United States Internal Revenue Officers Assistant Treasurers of the United States Officers of United States Customs Officers of United States Public Land Service Officers of United States Indian Service Officers of United States Pension Service Headquarters of the Army Chief Quartermaster Department of the West Depot Paymaster at New York Post Commissary at Fort Wayne Board of Engineers on River and I [arbor Improvements .-_ United States Arsenal at San Antonio Chief Signal Officer of the Army Regiments and Companies of Cavalry ,., United States Military Academy Military Reservation of Fort Garland Military Post of Camp McGarry Major Generals Second lieutenants Assistant medical purveyors United States navy-yard at Mare Island United States East India Squadron Officers of United States courts, southern district of Ohio United States attorney, district of Vermont C. H. S. A. M P. S. J. T. L. C. A. I. N. S. P. J. S. G. M. P. B. R. M. C. C. I. T. C. L. I. P. A. "W, N. W. R. S. S. C. M. G. M. M. L. M. M. E. O. V. and H. and S. 171 INDEX LETTERS— Continnea. Postmaster at Fort Wayne Special agents of the Post-Office Department Legislative, executive, and judicial officers of the State of Illinois Officers of city, town, or village of Bentonville Officers of Gordon Iron Works Alfred Bolter, proprietor of the Eagle Mills Benjamin Andrews, publisher of Weekly Review The New Haven Daily Kecord Owners of Steam-ship General Jackson Business firm of Garrett & Burnes Captain Smith, disbursing officer at Portland Captain Brown, commanding Company M 56th Infantry ]V[ajor Jones, in charge of Snake Kiver improvements Lieutenant Kobiusou, in charge of construction of Fort Hale Experimental board on iron gun-carriages Special commission on accouterments, equipments, and intrenching tools Board on revision of forms in supply and staff departments .. F. P. I. B. G. B. A. R. G. G and B. S. B. J. R. G. A, E. and I. P and S. Index words. Abstract frojn record hooh of letters received. — Army, General of: Submits report of com- manding officer Mil. Div. Northwest, of tour of inspection of his command. Indians on Sweetwater discontented and troublesome, and commanding officer Dep'tof theWest gone there on au expedition; post-traders, in some instances, abuse their privileges; allowance of transportation at Fort Berry insufficient; quarters at posts on the ]^>Iue Stone in bad condition; recommendation of commaniiing officer Dep't of the West for temporary increase of clothing allowance, approved; assignment of Major Leonidas Belden as depot quartermaster at Fort Columbia requested, an early return to their posts of all available detached officers recommended. Army, General of. Northicest, Mil. Div, Inspection of Northwest Mil. Div. Indian troubles in Div. of Northwest. West, Dep't of. Sweetwater River, expedition to. Post-traders, abuses of. I'ransportation at Fort Berry. Berry, Fort, transportation at. Quarters at Blue Stone posts. Blue Stone posts, quarters at. Clothing allowance in Div. Northwest. Belden, Major Leonidas. Quartermaster at Fort Columbia depot. Columbia, Fort, quartermaster at depot. Detached officers. Mil. Div. Northwest, return to stations. Abstract. — Military Academy, superintendent of, requests information as to the and proper allowances to Board of Visitors. Military Academy, Board of Visitors' allowances. Allowances of Board of Visitors. Viutors, Board of, allowances of. G>. 172 Abstract. — War Department — Directs that the annual reports be prepared in narrative rather than tabular form; and that the substance of the sub-reports be embodied therein, except where necessary to keep the sub-report separate and entire. War Dejyartinent . Annual Reports. Reports (see "Annual Reports"). Tabular statements to be mainly omitted from annual reports. Sub-reports of bureaus to be generally omitted from annual ]>ureau reports. Alphabetical reference book of decisions and precedents. Accounts.. Bounty . Clothing Accounts Contracts Commulation Deserters Enlistment Funds Guerrillas Graves Disbursing officers; when rendered— 1870: 42,168—1871: 67,329. Army offi- cers' : various rules for settlement— 1870: 42,326,474—1871: 23. (See " Clothing Accounts.") Settlement of suspended and disallowed, in Treasury Department— 1870: 63, 75,131—1871 : 98. 146. (See "Returns.") Deserters'; various questions concerning rights and forfeitures— 1870: 2Gl,57C, 782—1871: 4, 33,87. (See "Pay," "Allowance," Emolument," etc.) Veteran; various questions relating thereto— 18G9: 15,86,193—1870: 231,4,96. (See "Missouri State Militia.") Volunteer; questions of settlement— 1870: 11,23,396—1871: 2,38. Regular; questionsof settlement— 1870: 4.3—1871: 181. How made, attested, reported, approved, etc— 1870: 63, 76—1871 : 41, 99. (See "Beef contracts.") For supplies at military posts; various rules and orders— 1S70: C41, B82, A 164—1871: 331,487. Allowances of enlisted clerks and me.'.sengers— 1870: 639, 817. (See "Clothing," " Fuel," " Quarters," " Rations.") Status of, when restored without trial, or charge removed— 1870: B 58. (See " Bounty " and " Pay.") Apprehended and transported to depot or post; questions of cost— 1870: 11,36, 48, .32.5—1871: 264,487. Of minors; various rules, questions, and decisions — 1870: 78,138. (See "Discharge," "Minors," "Re-enlistment," etc.) Public, in charge of disbursing officers ; rules for keeping and for reporting at stated times, etc.— 1870: 9,100,142—1871: 14,63.75, (See "Money.") Status of, as compared in Various wavs with organized forces— 1870: 162,431- 1871: 123,309. (See "Cemeteries.") MOXEY AND PROPERTY ACCOUNTS, RETURNS, AND CORRESPONDENCE. Letters received — accounts and returns. Date of receipt and file number. Aug. 18. (176) Name of writer. "War Department. Sept. ll..i Truman, Geo. H. l.st lieutenant (177) 49th Infantry, Oet,25....| Auditor, Third. (178) Date and subject of letter. August 17, 1870. Refers copy of opinion of Attorney- General concerning effects of re- cent law upon unexpended bal- ances of former appropriations. FoBT Buxton, Dak., Anoust SI, 1^0. Desires to know amount of suspen- sion on his accounts, and to whom he shall pay a sum sufficient to ad- mit of their settlement. October 24, 1870. Recommends certain modifications of the property return, and in- closes new form proposed by Cap- tain T/iomas Johnson, A. Q,.M. Action. Returned to Secretary of AVar Aug. 20 (L. B., p. 314) ; received back Aug. 24 ; cir- cular to division, depart- ment, and depot quarter- masters Aug. 25 (L. B.,379). Third Auditor, Sept. 14 (L. B., p. 486); returned Sept. 15; returned to writer Sept. 23(L.B.,p.499). Filed with 27 of 1870. Referred to depot quarter- masters. N. Y., Phil'a, and Pittsburgh, Oct. 30, for re- mark ; received back Nov. 27; returned to Third Aud- itor Nov. 29 (L. B.,p.5S2); received back Dec. 3 ; Sec- retary of War, r e c o m - niended. Dec. 5. Sec ii.O. 153 of 1870. o 173 REMARKS ON THE RECORD BOOKS OF MONEY AND PROPERTY ACCOUNTS, AND OF COR- RESPONDENCE RELATING TO ACCOUNTS AND RETURNS. Book 1 is designed to keep a correct account of all moneys coming into the Treasury to the credit of the hureau, either irom regular appropriations or miscellaneous sources, and of all moneys drawn from the Treasury by requisition. An account should he kept with each head of appropriation. A balance struck at any time will show how much is yet in the Treasury subject to draft. An addition of the balances in the Treasury to the balances in possession of disbursing officers at date of last weekly report will show,with sufficient practical correctness, the financial resources of the bureau at any time of the year. Miscellaneous receipts, which revert into the Treasury and are not subject to draft, should not be entered on this ledger, or if entered for any reason, should be off^^et by an entry in the opposing column, so as to balance the account. IJook 2 is designed to exhibit a statement of the estimates of the disbursing officers of the bureau, together with the amounts allowed them. These estimates need not be re- corded in any other book. Book 'S is designed to keep an account of the receipt of the stated reports and returns from the officers responsible Ibr public money or property, and of the disposition of such as are sent out from the bureau; also to show if any particular returns have not been re- ceived in proper season, or if any particular officers have failed to render their returns. Book 4 is designed to keep an open debit and credit account with every officer receiv- ing, rasponsible for.* or expending public moneys. On one side the United States is to 1) ' credited with all sums coming into the possession of the disbursing officer from every t'ource, as well as with all expenditures made by him that are, for the time being, sus- pended or disallowed; on the other side, the United States is to be debited with all moneys spent by him ibr whatever purpose, and with all suspensions or disallowances against him, when subsequently removed l)y refundment or explanation. The account may be balanced or closed at any time. Traus/ers of money between disbursing officer^ and others accountable for money or property should be entered singly, so that the entry in one officer's accounts may be checked when the funds are accounted for or reported by the other. Book 5 is designed to separate the various expenditures of the disbursing officers, so as to sho-.\r at any time what sums spent by them are chargeable to any designated head of appropriation; what has been spent for purposes not pertaining to the bureau, and what expenditures, not yet approved, can not, for the time being, be assigned to any par- ticular appropriation. Book 6 is designed to show the actual expenditures for the several distinct purposes of the bureau during the fiscal year. It is an auxiliary to Book 5. Book 7 is designed to keep an accurate account with other bureaus and appropriations for which moneys have been expended that ought to be refunded. Book 8 is designed to exhibit the sums received from sales of public property, and their distribution or disposition. Book 9 is designed to keep an account of the weekly balances of funds in possession of disbursing officers. In connection with the foregoing books, a book of letters received and of letters sent should be kept for the miscellaneous correspondence relating to money and property ac- countability in general or particular cases. Whena " request" for a remittance to adisbursing officer has been made, a statement thereof should be entered against the appropriation concerned in Book 1 and against the officer concerned in Book 4. When notice has been received that the remittance has left the Treasury, a check-mark should be placed against the two entries. When the disbursing officer takes up the amount on his money account, the check-marks should be crossed. When a disbursing officer reports on his money account a transfer of funds to another officer, an entry of the same should be made in Book 4 on the account of each officer, giving the first officer credit lor the amount and charging it to the receiving officer. When the latter officer takes up the amount, a check-mark should be placed against both entries. AVhen a disbursing officer acknowledges on his account the receipt of money from an- other officer, it should be entered as a credit on the account of the latter in Book 4, and as a charge on the account of the former. When the transferring officers subsequently reports the transfer, a check-mark should be placed against each entry. When an officer makes report of a sale, and does not inclose a draft for the proceeds, the amount should be charged on his account in Book 4. If he afterward forward the proceeds, the charge on his personal account should be offset by arr entry on the opposing side, and a check-mark placed against the several entries in iJooks 4 and 8. If he take up the proceeds on his next accouut-curreut, the check-marks should be made in the same manner. 174 This check system should be used in every recorded transaction affecting or relating* to the responsibility for public money or property, and the foregoing illustrations will, it is thought, sufficiently indicate its utility and mode of operation to officials familiar ■with the subject of money and property accountability. Whenever it appears that the public monej^ has been received or expended by any offi- cer with whom no account exists, his name and the particulars will at once be entered in Book 4, the absence of a check-mark being evidence that he has not yet accounted for the money, and its presence being an assurance that his account for it has been rendered. In like manner the name of an officer not previously accountable for public property will be entered in Book 3, with a check-mark under the name of the month in which a return should be rendered, and in the column assigned to the particular form of return required. Upon receipt of any particular return the check-mark can be crossed. An illustration is given of one month only, but the books should be ruled for the twelve months of the year. 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F. Taylor, A. Q. M do do do do do do « do : : : : j : ■ : i : : : : : : : : : : : do do do Capt. F. Taylor, A. Q. M do do „.. Suspended Account current. •noA i-(MC0-V»drHC^MlO«Cil>iHNC0 -V^OOOffi •gqv ««J<;^» c »- >'! 2 OS iSXi o 8 i s 1 I Incidental expenses. i S§ I 35 11 5 8 §8 aiS il c3 sss 1 I-TN 1 >> : 6 it 51 1 a 1 J 1 '1 1 "3 '='3 1^ 1 ; '"'^ 1 .H-H I |3 'g^ !00 h» a coO '5 -"^5' 2 ilill ia^s 179 ? 11 6 '■jiiaonaBd 12 " •poAiaoaa uaqAV 1 1 a a 8 p 00 e 3 •^an i « 1 — — T3 3 •aSwdinba i \ 8 2 • 1 S « •auunoio 8 to :~ 1 •noi'jBjaod -suWai JO suBacu aaiiK) d 8 . <» S »• i 8 - 1 S -jBnb pun s:>iotJjaBa « 8 S «* g5 & •sasaoq /i,\9\ -niJB puB Xji«a«o « 8 ^ S •83SU9d -X9 x'BluapT''"! . ^ - i o> 'saiiddns ji3[nS3H . 1 8 S 1 1 «» S •spaaoojd ^a^i '^ 1 8 § 1 1 «^ •aiw JO easuadxa u 8 8' o» JO oo •sjdtaoaj ssoj£) «• 8 S ^ g 1 1 2 t i c 1 -ii J" 3 E 1 By whom sold. C^pt. F.Taylor, A. Lt. G. Schneider, 9th Inf. •oit?sjoaiBa 3 "s "S5 I I o 2;a I -4 i ! I; ! ■^ I CO f) 'Sm Us gOSg 8^*i .S2'5 §2-2 SO§ . 3 3 SoT !83? flOfH e DQ t4 5.3 :0 is 180 Exhibit B. DECISIONS OR PRECEDENTS. SAMPLES OF CARD-INDEX. tJaim — Information to prove or found a claim refused. December 9, 1881, Hon. Mr. F. refers to the War Department letter from G., attor- ney -at-law, asking information in regard to service of M., who enlisted in Michigan regi- ment. December 21, 1881, the Secretary of War (by indorsement to F.) states that while no information is furnished to individuals tending to found or prove a claim against the United States, such record as may be on file will be cheerfully fuinished to any Depart- ment before which a case may be pending. The Secretary states that the regulation is of long standing, and its constant observance is considered necessary for the proper pro- tection of the public inteiests. He also refers to the great labor involved in a compliance with the request of G., the number of the regiment not being given, and the names of the Michigan soldiers not being indexed at the Department, and the time required to comply with the request could not be spared, in view of the pressure upon the clerical force engaged in answering inquiries from the Pension Office respecting soldiers whose regiments and companies are known. (11765. W. D. 1881.) Clerk as a witness hefore district court aUowedpay. In case of G., clerk, Surgeon- General's Office, who was granted twenty days' leave of absence without pay, upon being summoned to appear before the United States district court at Yankton, Dak., to testify on behalf of the United States, G. requested upon his return that leave with pay be substituted for leave without pay. The matter was referred to the First Comptroller for decision, who, on January 17, 1884, returned the papers, indorsed " G. is entitled to his salary for the time he was absent within." (5448. A. 1883.) Decision not to he re-opened. The Attorney-General decided that a final decision, upon a knowledge of the facts, by an officer authorized to decide on claims against the Government, is not to be re-opened and reviewed by his successors in office, except for the correction of mistakes, such as erroiG in calculation, etc. (See 14 Opin. Atty. Genl., p. 275.) Executive Departments — General investigation of. In the matter of investigation by committees of the House of Representatives, see the letter of President Jackson to Hon. Henry A. Wise, dated January 26, 1837, published on page 29 of House Report No. 194, Twenty-fourth Congress, second session (vol. 215), a document of 91 pages with an appendix of 154 pages. President Jackson refused the privilege to a committee of the House to make a general investigation of the Executive Departments without specific charges, on the ground, among others, that the use of the books, papers, etc., of the Departments for such purpose would interfere with the discharge of the public duties devolving upon the heads of the different Departments. Executive functions at Washington and elsewhere. In House Ex. Doc. 162, Forty-fourth Congress, first session, is published the message of President Grant of May 4, 1876, in response to the resolution of the House, declining to give the specific information called for. but giving a memorandum of the absence of the President of the United States from the national capital during each of the several administrations, and of public and executive acts performed during the time of such absence. Holidays in District of Columbia. The following are holidavs in the District of Columbia: New Year's Day, Washing- ington's Birthday, Fourth of July, Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Day, Inauguration Day. (See Revised Statutes of District of Columbia, section 993, page 116; see 20 United 181 States Statutes, page 277; see act of June 18, 1888, amending section 993, Eevised Stat- utes of District of Columbia. Volume 22, United'States Statutes, pagel, provides that whenever any day set apart as a legal holiday in the District of Columbia shall fall on the lirst day of the week, commonly called Sunday, then in such event the next succeed- ing day shall be a holiday within the District of Columbia. Minor — When enlistment is void ah initio. (5246. W. D. 1874.) July 11, 1874, upon the application for the discharge of M., a minor, the Secretary of War referred to previous decisions of the Department, in which it was held that the enlistment of a minor was void ab initio when sufficient evidence is furnished that the enlistment was without the consent of the parent or guardian. " When sufficient evidence of the facts above referred to is furnished there can no longer be any justifiable grounds for retaining him in service or for punishing him for oSenses against military law and discipline committed while so held. Not being legally an enlisted man he can not be guilty of desertion, and he should be discharged uncon- ditionally; but this does not relieve him from the liability to answer for civil oflfenses before the proper courts and upon civil process. ' ' Officer as a witness before district court. June 23, 1884, upon the inquiry of Major M. in regard to his pay while attending as a witness before the district court of El Paso, Tex., before which he had been subpoenaed, the following indorsement was placed: Respectfully returned to the commanding-general, Department of Texas, giving au- thority to Major M. to obey the subpoenas within mentioned for a reasonable time, pro- viding his military services can be spared, and this without reduction from his current pay. In reference to the inquiry of Major M., in the last paragraph of the Iburth in- . dorsement, the Secretary of War is of opinion that there is no reason for giving duty-pay to an officer subpoenaed as a witness in a civil suit in which the Government is not con- cerned while the officer is on leave of absence. (2815 C 1884. ) Papers for Court of Claims — Rule. July 23, 1875, the Attorney-General, in a letter to the Secretary of War, states that "immediately on receipt of petitions in cases in the Court of Claims a copy is sent to the proper Department with a report. It often happens that subsequently an order of the court is issued for copies of all, or some of the same papers already furnished this Department by you. In such cases, in order to save labor to your Department, instead of sending to this Department duplicates of the report to the court, it will be sufficient that you inform me of the papers sent to the court by you of which copies have already been furnished to this Department. ' ' Papers — General Court Martial Record. December 7, 1883, the Judge Advocate-CJeneral stated that he had been directed by the Adjutant-General to send a clerk of his bureau to Yankton, Dak., with a record of gen- eral court martial in the case of William S. Kelley, for the purpose of identifying the same before the United States district court at that place, and requested information as to the transportation and other expenses of said clerk. This was returned to the Judge Advocate-General with the following indorsement: " Upon conference with the proper official at the Department of Justice it is learned that the proper method to pursue in the matter within presented is as follows: The Judge Advocate-General should furnish the clerk who may be selected for the purpose with an official letter instructing him to proceed to Yankton and specifying for what purpose. The clerk should keep a careful itemized account of his necessary expenditures and upon his return should present the same properly certified to the Department of Justice, from which he will obtain reimbursement as provided by section 850 of the Revised Stat- utes." Papers — original — not to be sent from DepaHmenl. Upon the request of the clerk of the House Committee on War Claims of April 17, 1876, addressed to the Commissary-General, requesting all papers in the claim of E., the Secre- tary of War declined ' ' to permit these original papers to go from the Department, but copies may be furnished if call is regularly made on the head of the Department." On December 14, 1881, a request was received from the clerk of the Senate Committee on Claims addressed to General M., for the papers in the case of the legal representatives of B, and a similar decision was made by the Secretary of War. (4002 W, D. 1876 and 12068 W. D. 1881.) 182 Papers — Originals or copies not to he furnished from files of Rouse of Representatives unles" consent of the Houhc is first obtained. See House Report No. 1, Forty-sixth Congress, first session, where a sabpcena issued . by a judge- advocate of a general court martial to the file clerk of the House Oi Repre- sentatives directing him to produce certain original papers, the House of Representative55 resolved that before either original or copies of papers could be furnished the consent oi the House must first be obtained. Papers— Original — Sent to committees of Congress. March 18, 1886, ordered that in sending original papers to the committees of Congress the attention of the committee will be invited to the fact that the accompanying papers are originals and pertain to the files of the War Department, and to re(iuest that while they remain in its custody they be kept inaccessible to persons other than members of the committee having the bill in charge, and that when they shall have served the pur- pose for which they are desired they be promptly returned to the Department. Papei'S — Original — Eide as to furnishing. December 1, 1876, the Secretary of War infortucd the Attorney-General by letter that •'The rule ot the Department is not to furnish original papers from its files, except in cases where they are to be used as evidence for. the United fctates, and then only by the hands of a clerk of the Government, to be by him returned lo the files when they are no longer required, and not to pass out of his possession." (11016 W. D. 1876.) Papers — Privileged communications. In case of civil suit for libel, McGhan vs. Clephane, the following questions were sub- mitted to the Attorney-General for decision: (1) Whether the head of a Department is bound in law to produce in court as evidence in private controversies the archives, records, or papers on file in such Department and re- lating to its administration. (2j Whether the paper referred to within, if it be a letter addressed to the Assistant Secretary of War on a matter relating to the administration of said Department and to the public interest and not published by the writer to any other person, is or is nut in the nature of a privileged communication which the head of the Department is or is not bound to produce under this prooess. To which inquiries the Attorney-General replied as follows: "Letters on file with the heads of Departments are privileged communications; un- it ss their publication has been authorized no copies should be taken at private request and the production of the originals can not be compelled in a suit between individuals. It has been ruled that such communications can not be made the foundation of an action tor libel. Then I think the head of a Department is bound not to produce a letter on file in his office. "Such a letter as you describe is a privileged communication." (4595 W. D. 1876.) The above decision was affirmed by Hon. A. B. Olin, justice supreme court, District of Columbia, in the following language: * * * " I have come to the conclusion to deny this application to compel the pro- duction of this paf>er." Pay o/ officers during the Revolutionary war. For schedule of pay and emoluments of ofificers of the Revolutionary war prepared by chief clerk, Paymaster-General's Office, October 24, 1818. See vol. 1, American State Papers, Military Affairs, pages 793-796, inclusive. This table is much more complete than theone published in vol. 3 (fifth series), American Archives, page 1505. (Indorse- ment of P. M. G. of February 18, 1873, on 1276, W. D., 1873.) Promotion of clerks — Grounds far reconmi' ndation to he stated. In the matter of the recommendations of the Surgeon- General for promotion of C. and M. the papers were on June 1, 1882. returned by indorsement to the Surgeon- General: "The Secretary of War directs that in all recommendations for promotion the grounds of such recommendations should be briefly stated." 183 Reports. (1) The President communicates information on the state of the Union to Congress under section 3, Article II of the Constitution. (2) The heads of Departments are required to make annual reports of the expendi- tures of contingent funds under section 193, Kevised Statutes. (3) Section 194 requires an annual report of the names of clerics and other employ^is employed. (4) The time of making annual reports is fixed by section 195, Kevised Statutes. (o) Section 196, Revised Statutes, prescribes the time -when reports of the Depart- ment and reports of the chiefs of bureaus shall be furnished to the Public Printer. (()) Sections 228, 229, 230, 231, and 232, Revised Statutes, prescribe certain reports which shall be made by the Secretary of War. (7) Section 3788, Revised Statutes, provides in what manner the reports shall be printed. Supplies for War Department and bureaus. Extract from War Department indorsement to Quartermaster-General. * * ^ "Such repairs of buildings as do not require immediate attention should be estimated for. "Inasmuch as the appropriation for contingent expenses of the office of the Secretary of War, and the bureaus, buildings, and offices of the War Department must be dis- bursed under the direct supervision of the Secretary of War, the circular of June 28, 1883, will be adhered to, as it was the intention of Congress in making the appropriation for the contingent expenses of the War Department under one head, to centralize the purchase of supplies with a view of securing the lowest prices. In exceptional cases the chiefs of bureaus will be authorized to procure such special supplies as they may desire on report being made showing the reasons therefor. " (3734. A. 1883.) Titles to land — Secretary of War may employ and pay conveyancers to examine. June 13, 1871, the question of the power of the Secretary of War in this connection being submitted to the Attorney-General for decision, Assistant Attorney- General Hill, on June 17, rendered the opinion which was approved by the Acting Attorney-General Bristow. Mr. Hill quotes previous opinions of the Attorney-Generals (11 Ops., 433, and 12 Ops., 410). holding that the Secretary of War had authority to employ and pay counsel for such services; and regarding the claim in question, that of B. for drawing and pro- curing the passage of an act through the Legislature of Connecticut ceding jurisdiction to the United States of the land bought, and examining the title to such land, which serv- ices the district attorney was not obliged to perform, and the Secretary of War was au- thorized to remunerate him for performing such services or else to employ other counsel, and the fee to be paid is a matter under the exclusive control of the Department which employed him. (12 Ops., 401.) Mr. Hill further holds that the act of June 22, 1870, relative to the employment of counsel, does not apply to such peculiar services as the examination of a title to land, such services generally requiring special and peculiar knowledge, etc. After further reference to the law Mr. Hill says, "construing this provision of the sec- tion with the previous one, strengthens my conclusion that the services of a conveyancer are not included within its terms, and that therefore the Secretary of War may, in his discretion, employ conveyancers to examine titles notwithstanding the provisions of this act." Transportation of public property by ^^ private parties. ' ' The post-quartermaster at Fort Monroe reports that the commanding officer of the arsenal there has turned over to him, for shipment to New York, 49,000 pounds of iron skids, which will have to be transported to destination by private parties, and requests an interpretation of the law in this case, and whether General Orders 65, A. G. O., 1884, fourth page, applies to shipments of this character. The Quartermaster-General is of the opinion that the inviting of bids by posters and circular letters would be sufficient advertisement in the meaning of the law for small quantities of freight. In this case the amount is less than 25 tons of freight, and where very considerable quantities are to be transported advertisements in newspapers should be resorted to. This was indorsed as follows: "The Secretary of War concurs in the views of the Quartermaster-General. 184 " For the purpose of this act a corporation or person conducting the business of trans- portation in such manner as to be regarded in law as a 'common carrier' is not a private party. A common carrier may in general be defined as one who undertakes lor hire to carry persons or goods for all who choose to employ him, not one who only does it occa- sionally. The Secretary of War thinks, however, that a private schooner not having an* established route or stated points of departure and arrival should be regarded as a 'pri- vate party ' within the meaning of the act. " (4625 A 1884.) War Department — Building burned. On Saturday evening, November 8, 1800, the War Department building, with the records and files, was consumed by fire. (See Order Book, vol. 1, p. 1, and Miscellaneous Letters, vol. 1, p. 63, and American State Papers, Misc., vol, 1, p. 232.) On Thursday, August 22, 1814. the War and State Department records and files were removed, and it is presumed that the buildings were burned by the British forces on August 24, 1814. (Eeportsof Congress, vol. 1, p. 417.) November 9, 1814, the Secretary of War reported to the Speaker of the House that all the books of record had been saved, and that no papers of any kind were lost except recommendations for appointment in the Army, and letters received more than seven years previous. (Reports to Congress, vol. 1, p. 310, and American State Papers, Misc., vol. 2, p. 250. ) February 14, 1815, the Senate passed a bill making an appropriation of $500,000 for repairing or rebuilding the public buildings in the city of Washington, which was signed by the Speaker of the House on February 15, 1815, and approved by the President on the same day. (See Senate and House Journals, third session, Thirteenth Congress, p. 352 and pp. 652 and 676.) War of rebellion — Date of opening and closing. The following is an extract from letter of the Adjutant-General, dated February 24, 1883, to General C. : * * * "The 15th of April, 1861, is usually held to be the date on which the war opened. The Supreme Court of the United States has decided that the war of the re- bellion closed on August 20, 1866, the date on which the President issued his proclama- tion declaring the insurrection at an end." (517, A. G. O., 1883. See sec. 2, act of June 23, 1870, 16 Stats., p. 167.) In all States except Texas on April 2, 1866 (9 Wal- lace, 56), and in Texas, August 20, 1866 (12 Wallace, 700). War of rebellion — Number of prisoners, Union and Confederate, and deaths of. July 19, 1866, the Secretary of War, in a letter to the Speaker of the House of Repre- sentatives, stated that it appears from the report of the Commissary-General of Pris- oners that 26,436 deaths of rebel prisoners of war are reported, and 22,576 Union sol- diers are reported as having died in Southern prisons. The reports also show that 220,000 rebel prisoners were held in the North, and 126,940 Union prisoners were held in the South. (See House Ex. Doc. 152, first session. Thirty-ninth Congress.) War of rebellion — Strength of Army. A statement of the strength of the Army at various dates is published on page 102, message and documents (Thirty-ninth Congress, first session) War Department, part 3, 1865-'66, being report of the provost-marshal-general. This report shows that the highest number of men borne on the rolls of the Army was 1,000,516, May 1, 1865. (See report of the Adjutant-General on 9876— W. D., 1878.) The total number of men furnished for the Union Army during the war, reduced to a three years' standard, was 2,135,605. Number in rebel service can not be stated with accuracy. (See 10272, W. D., 1878.) 185 INDEX TO DECISIONS OR PRECEDENTS. Advertisements by circulars or posters. {See Transportation. ) Annual reports. {See Reports. ) Appropriation for rebuilding War Department. {See War. ) Army officer as witness before district court. {See Officer,) Army, strength of during late war. {See War.) Building, War Department, burned. {See War.) Bureaus, call addressed to, for original papers. {See Papers, ) Bureaus of War Department. {See Supplies.) Clerks, recommendation for promotion must state grounds. {See Promotion.) Common carriers defined. {See Transportation. ) Congress, original papers to committees of {See Papers.) Contingent fund, War Department, to be expended under direct supervision of the Sec- retary of War. {See Supplies. ) Controversies, production of papers. {See Papers.) Conveyancers may be employed by the Secretary of War to examine titles to land. (/See Titles.) Court of Claims, papers for. {See Papers. ) Court-martial record. {See papers.) Deaths of prisoners. {See War. ) Departments, investigation of {See Executive.) Discharge of minor. (>S'ee Minor.) District ot Columbia. {See Holidays.) Enlistment of minor. (hs, portraits. See Engineering. See Engineering. See Building. See Transportation. See Pictures law........ Piers Piles Plumbing T.nin hnnhs . i Portraits Postage Postage-stamps.postal notes. See Postage. See Postage. Post funds, post-offices, post- masters, post traders, post Postage-stamps Lieuteiuxn cies Post Liquor Post-offices Litters Memorial Day Machines Macaroni Mails Post schools Potatoes Powers of attorney.. Presses, copying Primers See Post. See Subsistence. See Attorney. See Machines. Mantels ManiiaZ . ..... See Ammunition Manual of Strategy. Mares Medals Meats Printing *. Printers. See Printing. Prisoners of war. Printers Prisoners of war Projectiles Measles See Ammunition. Medical Publications Public animals Powder See Transportation. See Ammunition. See Employes. See Transportation. Quartermaster's agents. Quarters. Rank Rations See Army. See Subsistence. Medical attendants- Medical books Rebellion Records ... Rebel Archives Records See Books. See Records. Archives, Confederate Arch- Medical certificates.. Medical supplies Revolutionary war. . Retired-list ives, Rebel Archives. See War. See Army. See Societies. Memoranda Reunions Metals Rifles Rivers and harbors.. Riprap s'ones See Engineering. See Engineering. Mileage Militia Mineral oil Roads See Engineering. Mittens See Buildings. See War. Mitrailleuse Rogue River war. ... Ruben repeating rifles. Rules and regula- tions. lle&rulations Mules Music Muskets See Regulations. Museums Army regulations. Rules and regulations. See Buildings. See Equipments. See Medical. See Fish. See Fish. National Banks ]Vaval Saloons . . Saddles Navalvessels Naval veterans Naval War College... Salve or ointment .. Salmon packing stations. Salmon fishing Salmon cannery Schools Notaries public See Fish. Sohool teachers. Oaken book-shelves . School teachers Senate Sheds See Schools. Officers of the Army. Officers deceased Officers non-com'd. Officers retired Oil Shells Sfe Ammunition. Shoes Shot-guns See Arms. Shot Omniliuses Signal Signal Corps, Signal Serv- Orders Ordnance stores Ilfdnnnri'. Signal corps ..,'. ice, signal stations, signal stores. See Signal. Overseers Signal stations Signal Service Signal stores See Signal. Pay and allowances. Pay See Signal. See Signal. 189 Subject. Subdivision. Subject Subdivision, Signals See Signal. See Transportation. Knights, Reunions. See Army. See Home. Cyclostyle, envelopes, file- boxes, hektographs, ink, pencils. See Law. See Law. See Frauds. See Vessels, See Forage, ^^ee Transportation, Beef, bread, cattle, cows, flour, hams, meats, pota- toes, rations, macaroni, stores, Subsistence De- partment, tobacco, vege- tables, yeast powder. See Subsistence. -See Subsistence, See Arms, See Telegraph. Telegraph operators, tele- grams, telegraphical sig- nal code. Telegraph Opera- tors. \ Telegraphical Sig.- 1 Code. Tobacco Supply ; Tools See Telegraph. See Telegraph. See Subsistence. Sleeping-car accom- modations. Societies Soldiers Stationery Statistics. Statutes, Revised Statjites States and Terri- tories. Transportation Treasury drafts Animals, drayage, horses, journeys, mares, mileage, mules, omnibuses, ponies, public animals, railroads, sleeping-cars, street-cars, wagons. See Accounts. See Music. Stealing Tug-boats... See Vessels See Clothing. Straw Urinals See Buildings, See Medical. Subsistence Vegetables See Subsistence. Vessels Boats, steamers, tug-boafs, wrecks. See Home. See Equipments. See Transportation. Revolutionary, Rogue River War. ; Veterans^ Home Waist belt Wagons 1 Wars SttbsiMcnce depart- ment Water See Employes. See Vessels Targets Wrecks . . Taxes See Medical. Telcpliones . Yeast powder See Subsistence Telegraph.... 190 Exhibit D. SPECIMENS OF CEOSS-EEFEEENCE CAEDS. SIZE, 3} IXCHES WIDE BY 8 INCHES LONG. (1) (2) Tit TITCOMB, G. W. Record card No. 6, 1889. Date. Dec. 29, 1888. Subject : Papers— copy. Page [of book after record cards are bound.] Fis Note.— As the name of the writer is en- tered on the head (or index) line of the record card, which is filed under the sub- ject concerning which he writes, experi- ence may demonstrate that cross-refer- ences for the name of the writer will seldom be necessarv FISK, ARCHIE C Record card No. 6, 1889. Date, Dec. 29, 1888. Subject: Papers — copy. Page [of book after record cards are bound.] Oross-reference caro. Letters-Office of Secretary of War, Cross-reference card. Letters— OfBce of Secretary of War. Spe lei t3) 1889. SPEED, CAPT. FREDK. Record card No, G, 1SS9. Date, Dec. LO, ISSS. Subject: Papers— copy. Page [of book after record cards are bound.] Cross-reference card. Letters— O Alice Secretary ofWar. I 192 SPECIMEN OF EECOED CAED. SIZE, 8 INCHES WIDE BY 10 INCHES LONG Papers. Copy. Titcomb, G. W. Office Secretary of War. Xo. 6. Return to Record Division, room 235, as soon as read. If a copy is desired it must be made at *once, so this card can be returned to the files. Date: Denver, Colo., Dec. 29, 1888. From G. W. Titcomb. Subject : On behalf of Archie C. Fisk, requests copy of cartel for exchang:e of prisoners, Feb, 1865, Vicksburg; and findings of court-martial, case of Capt. Fredk. Speed. Number of inclosures. Received Jan. 3, 1889. Sent to A. G. Jan. 3, 18sa. Acknowledged , 1889. Received back (with one inclo.) Jan. 22, : Bureau office mark, 6140, A. G. O., 1888. Action : Jan. 23, letter to Mr. T. to state purpose for which copy is intended. Feb. 8, reply received, dated Feb. 4, that copy is requested for historical purposes. The blank spaces outside of lines must not be written on ; it is for binding purposesi (5) 193 I UNIVERSITY / Ohi OHIO RIVER R. R. CO. Record card No. 1409, 1887. Date, March 20, 1887. Subject, bridge over Great Kanawha River, Page [of book after record cards are boundj. The 1887. THOMPSON, GEORGE W. Prest. O. R. R. R. Co. Record card No. 1409, 1887 Date. Marcli 20, 1887. Subject, Joridge over Great Kanawha River. Page [of book after record cards are bound]. Cross-reference card. Letters— Office Secretary of War. 17958—13 Cross-reference card. Letters— Office Secretary of War. 194 FACE OF SPECIMEN " EECORD CAED. (7) Bridge. Great Kanawha River. Geo. W. Thompson. Office Secretary of War. No. 1409. 1887. Return to Record Division, room 235, as soon as read. If a copy is desired it must be made at once, so this card can be returned to the files. Date, Parkersburg, W. Va., March 20, 1887. From Ohio River R. R. Co., Geo. W.Thompson, prest. Subject, submits plans and drawings of proposed bridge across Great Kanav.'ha River below "Falls. No. of enclosures 25. Received Mch. 25, 1887. Sent to C. of E. Mch. 25, 1887. Acknowledged , 188 . Received back Mch. 25, 1887. Bureau office mark 1207 Eng. 1887. "HI Action: Mch. 25, C. of E. recommends that board be convened to report on plans and loca- tion. Mch. 26. A pproved. C of E. Mch. 26. Rec'd back Apl. 21. W.D.Apl.27,18S7. The report of the Board of Engineers, the recommendations of Col. Craighill and the Chief of Engineers are approved. The papers are respectfully referred to the Chiet Of Engineers and the Acting Judge Advocate-General to prepare the plans and papers in duplicate for the ap- proval of the Secretary of War. Duplicates of the report of the board and Col. Craighill's letter should be submitted. By order of the acting S. of W.: John Tweed ale, C. C. Rec'd back June 6 from J. A. G. with papers prepared for execution. 195 EEVERSE OF SPECIMEN "KECORD CARD." (8) W.D.June 15. 1887. Resp'y refd to the C. of E. for file in his office. One copy of the witliin instrument being sent to Mr. George W. Thompson, Prest. Oliio River R. R. Co. By order of tlie acting S. of W. : John Tweedale, C. C. 196 [Inclosure No. 2.] [Circular.] War Department, Washington Citi/, February 9, 1889. In the matter of briefing and enteriDg " letters received " andrecording 'letters sent** and indorsements in the respective bureaus and offices of the War Department, atten- tion is invited to the case entitled "Salaries and fees of United States consuls," pub- lished on pages 25 to 37, inclusive, of volume 1 of the Report of the Select Committee of the United States Senate, appointed under Senate resolution of March 3, 1887, to in- quire into and examine the methods of business and work in the Executive Depart- ments, etc. With this case as a sample to be follovs-ed, chiefs of bureaus are requested to have an actual case selected, such as will show the average action or work upon cases in their respective bureaus or offices, then to have a history of the case prepared by the clerk in charge showing in minute detail (including copies of briefs, oflfice marks, indorsements, letters, entries in record and index books, etc.), the action from and including the re- ceipt of the case in the office, through its various courses to and including its final dis- position, in like manner as is shown in the case mentioned. This history having been prepared as required, chiefs of bureaus will cause an inves- tigation of the subject to be made, and having thereupon decided whether any unneces- sary work has been done or any persons have been employed on the work more than were needed, and what possible improvements can be made in the methods adopted, they will apply the appropriate remedy and make report of their action to the Secretary of War, and transmit therewith a copy of the history of each case made up as above directed. By order of the Secretary of War: John Tweedale, • Chief Clerk. [Inclosure No. 3.] [Circular.] War Department, WasJiington City, February 13, 1889. (1) Letters and other papers received at the War Department or any of its bureaus will, unless otherwise directed, be at once sent to the offices to which they pertain with- out instructions, each chief of a bureau being responsible that the mail sent to him is promptly acted upon, and report made to the Secretary of War in cases requiring his action, or to which he should reply. When acted upon by the Secretary, the proper no- tation will be made and the papers sent to the office to which the subject-matter per- tains, unless instructions to the contrary are given; and, generally, only such papers will be filed in the office of the Secretary of War as do not pertain to the business of any of the subordinate bureaus. This rule will also apply to the filing of papers in the bu- reaus and offices of the Department. Only such papers will be filed in a given bureau or office as clearly belong to its business and are within the jurisdiction of the chief thereof. (2) Where there are several record divisions in one bureau, the action on a paper should only be noted on the books of the division to which the business pertains; this to avoid duplication of entries, and to prevent the obliteration of briefs by date and other stamps. (3) Before a paper which is acted upon by the Secretary of War is filed, as directed in paragraph 1, it should be sent to any chief of a bureau who has expressed an opinion or made a recommendation thereon, in order that he may be informed of the action taken. (4) A paper submitted for the action of the Secretary of War will be so prepared that the last indorsement or report shall contain, in the fewest possible words, a summary of the case, unless this appears in some report on the same or an accompanying paper to which reference is made. It should also show the question to be decided, and con- clude with an opinion or recommendation. When necessary, the law, orders, or cus- toms of the service governing in like cases will be stated, and the case made complete in itself, so that reference to previous papers will only be necessary to afford more definite information upon matters already summarized in the report. As papers submitted in person can be orally explained, it will be sufficient, in the majority of such cases, to in- dorse on each an opinion or recommendation, omitting the other requirements of this paragraph. 197 (5) Where it is evident that it will be necessary to send the report of the bureau offi- cer with the reply of the Secretary of War, the report should be separate from the papers or a copy of it submitted. (6) The subject of correspondence will be indicated by the writer in the upper left- hand corner of the first page of the letter or report, the "subject " not to exceed three or four words. (7) Chiefs of bureaus are authorized to decide cases properly within the scope of their authority in their own names. When existing regulations or orders require certain case.s to be submitted to the Secretary of War for his action, but in which there is no difference of opinion, no doubt as to the facts, law, or regulations, where the amount in- volved (I^es not exceed $500, when the decision of the Secretary of War can be distinctly foreseen, or the principles of which have been previously determined, chiefs of bureaus are authorized to decide such cases and sign the decision " By authority of the Secretary of War;" provided any case so decided pertains to the particular class of business over which the chief of the bureau who decides the case has jurisdiction. (8) All cases decided by the Secretary of War, or in which he has given orders, will be signed either by the Secretary or "i>y order of the Secretary of War," and all such cases must be noted or recorded in the office of the Secretary, except orders affecting the j)€rsonnel of the Army (officers and enlisted men) and the movement of troops. (9) Chiefs of bureaus are authorized to correspond with any military officer upon the business of their respective bureaus, forwarding the same, or a copy, through or to any commander who should be informed of the contents thereof. The Secretary of War requests chiefs of bureaus to see that the requirements of this circular are fully complied with. By order of the Secretary of War: John Tweedale, Chief Clerk. [Incloaure No. 4.] WAR DEPARTMENT— ASSIGNMENT OF BUSINESS. Accounts: For advertising and job printing: S. of W. Of bonded Pacific railroads for Army transportation: Q. M. G. Of National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers: S. of W. Of officers in Quartermaster's Department: Q. M. G. Accounts current for subsistence funds: C G. S. Advertising accounts: S. of W. Advertising for subsistence supplies or services: C. G. S. Advertisements: S. of W. ' Animals, public, recovery of lost or sto'en: Q. M. G. Appointment of clerks, messengers, etc. : S. of W. Appointments in Quartermaster's Department, applications for: Q. M. G. Aqueduct (Washington): C. of E. Armory. (^See National Armory.) Army: Claims for quartermaster stores taken for use of, daring the rebellion: Q. M. G. Contingencies: S. of W. Estimates for subsistence of: C. G. S. Mattel's relating to discipline of: I. G. Matters relating to instruction of: I. G. Inspections of personnel or materiel of: I. G. Register, compilation of: A. GJ Subsistence of: C. G. S. Transportation: Q. M. G. Payments to, record of: P. M. G. Arsenals: C. of O. Artificial limbs: S. G. Transportation for invalid pensioners journeying to procure: Q. M. G. Assignment: Ofcommissary sergeants to stations: C. G. S. Of medical officers: S. G. Of officers of (>)u:irterniaster's Department: Q. M. G. Attorneys, registration of to prosecute claims: S. of W. Auditor. (See Second Comptroller, etc j 198 Back pay, claims for. {See ClaimsO Bake-ovens (post and field), providing and repairing of: C. G. S. Balances to credit of disbursing officers standing three years or more, notices of: S. of W. Barracks and quarters, construction, repair, purchase, or hire of: Q. M. G. Blank books, Quartermaster's Department: Q. M. G. Blank forms. Subsistence Department: C. G. S. Blank forms. Inspection Department: I. G. Blanks, distribution to the Army: A. G. Blanks and general orders for Pay Department: P. M. G. Board of Engineers: C. ofE. Boards, retiring: A. G. Boards of Survey: * On quartermasters' stores: Q. M. G. On subsistence supplies: C. G. S. Preliminary to action of an inspector: I. G. Bonds: Drafting of: J. A. G. Official and others given to the United States: J. A. G. {See Paymasters' bonds.) Books: Company and regimental: A. G. Hospital, and medical records: S. G. Books of request for transportation: Q. M. G. Books and blanks, distribution to the Army: A. G. Boots, shoes, etc., manufactured at the military prison: Q. M. G. Bounty and back pay, payment of Treasury certificates for: P. M. G. Bounty and claims: A. G. Bridges: Examination of legal papers relating to erection of: J. A. G. Hire, construction or purchase of: Q. M. G. Over navigable waters: C. ofE. And roads (military): C. ofE. Buildings. {See Public buildings.) Cables. (-SVe Telegraph lines.) * Calls from Department of Justice, answers to: A. G. and J. A. G. Camp, sites for: Q. M. G. Canals: C. ofE. Cantonments, sites for: Q. M. G. Car tickets, issue of: Q. M. G. Cemeteries. {See National cemeteries and post cemeteries. ) Certificates of deposit: S. of \V. Certificates of deposits of funds pertaining to the appropriations for the Quartermaster's Department received from sales to officers and soldiers, sales at auction, and other sources: Q. M. G. Changes of stations of officers of Quartermaster's Department: Q. M. G. Charges and specifications, preparation and revision of: J. A. G. Charts. {See Maps. ) Circulars (see Orders), distribution of, etc. : Q. M. G. Civil departments. (See Departments.) Civil law. {See Military and civil law.) Claims: Furnishing to Second Comptroller, Second Auditor, Adjutant-General, Quarter master-General, and Commissioner of Pensions abstracts of proceedings of courts- martial and other information from the records required in settlement of claims for back pay, bounty, pensions, and witness ffes: J. A. G. Before War Department: S. of W. Disputed, for mileage: P. M. G. For commutation of rations of enlisted men on furlough; traveling; competitors rifle competitions; prisoners of wair, and ordnance sergeants, or others on duty where subsistence in kind is not furnished: C. G. S. For extra-duty pay: Q. M. G. For losses of personal property, act of March 3, 1885: S. of W. For payment of subsistence supplies or property: C. G. S. For private horses: Q. M. G. For quartermaster's stores taken or furnished for use of the U. S. Army during the rebellion, under act of July 4, 1864: Q. M. G. For rail, water, or stage transportation: Q. M. G. 199 Claims — Continued. For re-imbursement of expenses incurred for subsistence of enlisted men: C. G. S. For tolls and telejrrams: Q. M. G. In connection with buildings, structures, repairs, post cemeteries, sites for military posts, camps, cantonments, etc., etc.: Q. M. G. Miscellaneous, arising out of the rebellion: A. G. Miscellaneous, based ou certified accounts known as "regular purchase vouchers:" Q. M. G. Of officers and soldiers to rank, pay, promotion, and other military rights, etc: J. A.G. Pertaining to medical matters: S. G. {See Soldier claims.) Clerks, messengers, etc., apoointment, promotion, reduction, discharge, and transfer of: S. of W. Climatology, matters relating to: C. S. O. Clothing and equipage supplies, procurement and distribution of, and claims connected therewith: Q. M. G. Clothing, issue and distribution of, under special orders of the Secretary of War, as re- quired for the militia of the States and Territories: Q. M. G. Collections by paymasters, record of: P. M. G. Commissary sergeants: Applications and recommendations for appointment of: C. G. S. Assignment of: C. G. S. Reports and records of: C. G. S. Commutation to enlisted men of the line of the Army engaged in the construction and repair of telegraph lines connected with the Signal Service: C. S. O. Commutation of fuel: Q. M. G. Commutation of quarters: (1) Determining whether the officer was on duty and entitled to quarters: A. G. (2) Determining whether public quarters were available: Q. M. G. (3) Payments of commutation of quarters: P. M. G. Commutations of rations: Of enlisted men on Airlough and traveling, claims for: C G. S. Of prisoners of war, claims for payment of: C G. S. Companies, record of payments to: P. M. G. Company record books, supplying of: Q. M. G. Comptroller. {See Second Comptroller, etc., and Claims.) Confederate archives: A. G. Contingencies of the Army: S. of W. Contracting for subsistence supplies or services: C. G. S. Contracts for transportation, preparation, and revision of: Q. M. G. Corps of Engineers: Personnel of officers and employes of the: C. of E. Publications of the: C. of E. Correction of records relating to officers and enlisted men: A. G. Courts of inquiry and courts-martial: (1) Reviewing and reporting upon proceedings of: J. A. G. (2) Publishing findings and sentence of: A. G. (3) Recording, filing, etc., record of proceedings of: J. A. G. (See Records of courts-martial.) Deeds, drafting of: J. A. G, Departments of Justice, answers to calls from: A. G. and J. A. G. Departments: Discontinued geographical, records of: A. G. Transportation of property for the civil, of the Government: Q. M. G. Depositories. {See Government depositories.) Deposits by enlisted men, record of: P. M. G. Deserters, rewards for apprehension of, etc. : Q. M. G. Desertion, removal of charge of: A. G. Detachments, payments to: P. :M. G. Detail of enlisted men of Signal Corps as signalmen: C. S. O. Disbursing officers: Balances to credit of. {See Balances.) Of the Quartermaster's Department, examination of estimates from: Q. M. G. Of the Subsistence Department, estimates from: C. G. S. Discharge, certificates in lieu of: A. G. Discharge of clerks, messengers, etc. : S. of W. 500 Discipline of Army, matters relating to: I. G. Districts, discontinued geographical, records of: A. G. Divisions, discontinued geographical, records of: A. G. Drafts paid, notices of: S. of W. Drainage, structures lor: Q. M. G. Duties and conduct. {See Military duties.) Emergency purchases of subsistence supplies or services: C. G. S. Engineer depot and post at Willets Point: C. of E. Engineer School of Application: C. ofE. Engineer troops: C. ofE. Engineers: Board of: C. of E. Publications of the Corps of: C. of E. Enlisted men: Claims for reimbursement of expenses incurred in subsistence of: C. G. S. Claims for commutation of rations while on furlough, travelling: C. G. S. Commutation to, engaged as repairmen on telegraph lines connected with Signal Service: C. S.O. Detailing, of Signal Corps as signalmen: C. S. O. Enlistment, promotion, transfer, discharge, retirement, certificates of disability, and final statements of deceased soldiers: A. G. Record of deposits by: P. M. G. Record ol payments to, on discharge: P. M. G. Estimates: For appropriations: S. ofW. From disbursing officers for quartermaster's funds: Q. M- G. From disbursing ofi&cers for subsistence funds: C. G. S. Of apnropriations for subsistence of the Army: C. G. S. And bills from Public Printer: S. of W. Expenses: For interments of officers and soldiers: Q. M. G. Incident to pursuit of lost or stolen public animals: Q. M, G. Incurred in subsistence of enlisted men, claims for reimbursement of: C. G. S. Extra duty during the Mexican war and the war of the rebellion: Q. M. G. Extra duty pay, claims lor: Q. M. G. Forms, distribution of, etc. : Q. M. G. Fortifications, surveys for; location, plans, construction, care, repair, modification, super- vision of buildings or works within, or exterior to: C. ofE. Fuel, commutation of fuel for officers and soldiers: Q. M. G. Funds: Estimates received from disbursing officers for quartermaster's: Q. M. G. Estimates received Irom disbursing officers for subsistence: C. G. S. Monthly accounts of receipts and disbursements rendered by paymasters, and for- warded to Second Auditor: P. M. G. Record of, sent to paymasters: P. M. G. Weekly and monthly statement of, for comparison with Treasury records: Q. M. G. and C. G. S. Furlough, claims for commutation of rations of enlisted men on: C. G. S. Garfield Hospital, accounts of: S. of W. General, general courts-martial, and special orders and circulars: A. G. Gettysburgh, monument and memorial tablets of regular Army at: C. of E. Government depositories, notification of changes in: S. of W. Harbor lines, establishment of: C. of E. Horses: Claims for private, turned into regiments: Q. M. G. Claims for, lost by officers and soldiers: Q. M. G. Hospital: Books and medical records: S. G. Corps: S. G. Supplies: S. G. Hospitals, payments to: P. M. G. Hospitals and hospital stewards' quarters: Plans and specifications for: S. G. Report and recommendation upon, and construction, repair, hire, or purchase of-. Q. M. G. Indebted railroads, transportation for Army over: Q. 'M. G. Indebtedness, inquiries as to: S. G. 2,01 Insane soldiers— admission to Government Hospital: A. G. Inspection of South Pass jetties: C. ofE. Inspection reports on subsistence supplies: C. G. S. and I. G. Inspections: 01" colleges, etc., where officers are detailed as professors: I, G. Of money accounts of officers disbursing public- funds: I. G. Of person uel or materiel of the Army, matters relating to: I. G. Instruction of the Army, matters relating to: I. G. lustrumeiits lor military surveys: C. of E. luteriuents of officers and soldiers, expenses of: Q. M. G. Inventory and iiiepection reports of quartermaster's stores: Q. M. G. Investigations, making special report uptm any military subject when called upon by the >Secretary of War or major-general commanding the Army: I. G. Job printing accounts: S. of W. July 4, 1864, act of. {See Quartermaster's stores. ) Jurisdiction over military reservations. {See Military reservations.) Justice, Department of, answers to calls from: A. G. and J. A. G. Kind and quality of articles for rations and sales: C. G. S. and I. G. Laboratory: S. G. Land-grant railroads, transportation accounts of Army over: Q. M. G. Land. {See Military reservations.) Law. {See INIilitary and civil law.) Libraries at military posts supplying newspapers to: Q. M. G. Library of Surgeon-General's Office: S. G. Library ot the War Department: S. ofW. Licenses, drafting of: J. A. G. Lost public animals, recovery of: Q. M. G. Maps and charts, preparation and publication of: C. of E. Medical Museum: S. G. Medical officers: Assignment of: S. G. ^ Reports and returns of: S. G. Medical records and hospital books: S. G. Medical supplies: S. G. Memorial tablets of the regular Army at Gettysburgh, Pa. : C. of E. Meteorological instruments and apparatus, etc. : C. S. O. Meteorology, matters relating to: C. S. O. Mexican war and war of the rebellion, extra dut}'^ during: Q. M. G. Mileage: Disputed claims for: P. M. G. Record of payments of: P. M. G. Military Academy, appointment of cadets, reports of Boards of Visitors, etc. : A. G. Military bridges and roads: C. of E. Military courts. (See Courts of inquiry, etc.) Military duties and conduct, matters relating to proper performance of: I. G. Military posts: Sites for: Q. M. G. Supplying newspapers to libraries at: Q. M. G. Military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kans. : Correspondence and orders: A. G. Manufacture of boots, shoes, barrack chairs, and corn brooms from material purchased under contract by the commandant of the prison, under direction of the Quarter- master-General: Q. M. G. Military prisoners, applications for pardon or mitigation of sentence of: J. A. G. Military reconnoissances: C. ofE. Military reservations (see A. R. 1772): Public lands purchase!, appropriated, or designed for: • Permanent .military lortifications, and laud.s acquired in connection with improve- ments of rivers and harbors: C. ofE. Armories, arsenals, and ordnance depots: C. of O. Barracks, posts, cantonments, or lor other military uses: Q. M. G. Rights of the Government and others on, and relative to extent of jurisdiction over: .1. A. G. Military signaling (by flag, torch, lantern, heliograph, etc.): C. S. O. {See also Signal- ing. ) Military surveys, instruments for: C. of E. Military and civil law, preparing reports relative to: J. A. G. 202 Militia, clothing and equipage for. {See Clothing aud equipage.) Miscellaneous claims arising out of the rebellion: A. G. Money accounts of officers disbursing public lauds, inspection of: J. G. Monroe, Fort, wharf at: C. of E. Monument at Washington's headquarters, Newburgh, N. Y. : C. ofE. Monuments and memorial tablets of regular Army at Gettysburgh, Pa.: C. of E. Movement of troops: A. G. Museum (Medical): S. (r. t ' Muster-rolls of the regular Army and volunteer forces: A.' G. National armory, matters relating to: C. of O. National cemeteries, matters relating to: i}. M. G. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, accounts of: S. of W. Navigable waters: Bridges over: C. of E. Riparian rights of the United States and others in: J. A. G. Newspapers for libraries at military posts: Q. M. G. Non-commissioned staff, record of payments to: P. M. G. Notices of drafts paid: S. of W. Notifications of changes in Government depositories: S. of W. Office of Commissary-General of Subsistence, estimates for: C. G. S. Officers: Appointment, promotion, transfer, details, leaves, resignation, and retirement: A. G. Record of payments to: P. M. G. Record of stoppages against: P. M. G. Officers of Quartermaster Department: Changes of station of: Q. M. G. Returns of: Q. M. G. Officers and soldiers: Expenses for interments of: Q. M. G. Commutation of fuel for: Q. M. G. (>See o/so commutation of quarters.) Orders, general, general courts-martial and special: A. G. Ordnance depots, matters relating to: C. of O. Ordnance sergeants, claims of commutation of rations for: C G. S. Ordnance soldiers, enlistment, promotion, and dis:'harge of: C. of O. Ordnance and ordnance stores for the Army, the militia, colleges, the Executive Depart- ments, or individuals, whether they be applications for proposals to purchase, offers to sell, inventions, or generally auytliing on the subject: C of O. Ovens. (/S'eeBake-ovens.) Pacific railroads, accounts for the transportation of the Army over bonded: Q. M. G. Pay-roll of the employes of the Qurtermaster-General's Office: Q. M. G. Paymaster: Separate accounts with each: P. M. G. Record of collections by: P. M. G. Paymasters' bonds, submitted to the Secretary of War, and, if approved by him, are sent by the Paymaster-General to the Second Comptroller for tile in his office: P. M.G. Payments to the Army, record of: P. M. G. Pensioners, invalid, transportation for, journeying to procure artificial limbs: Q. M. G. Pensions, information relating to: A. G. and S. G. Personal property, claims for losses of— act of March 3, 1885: S. of W. Personnel: Of the Army, conduct and management of: I. G. Of officers of the Quartermaster's Department: Q. M. G. Of officers and employes of the Corps of Enginrers: C. of E. Post cemeteries, care of: Q. M. G. Post quartermaster seargeants, applications for appointment and assignment of, etc. : Q. M. G. Posts. (.See Military posts.) Powder depots, matters relating to: C. ofO. Printed matter, distribution of: Q. M. G. Prison. {See Military Prison.) Prisoners. {See Military prisoners.) Prisoners of war: Claims for commutation of rations of: C. G. S. Records of: A. G. Proceedings of courts-martial, etc. [See Courts of inquiry, etc.) Promotion of clerks, messengers, etc. : S. of W. 203 Property, transportation for the civil departments of the Government: Q. M. G. Public buildings and grounds: C. of E. Public funds. {See Funds. ) Public Printer, estimates and bills from: S. of W. Publications of the Corps of Engineers: C. of E. Quality of articles for rations and for sales: C. G. S. Quartermaster's Department: Certificates of deposits for funds pertaining to appropriations for the: Q. M. G. Examination of accounts of officers in: Q. M. G. Personnel of officers of: Q. M. G. Reimbursement of expenses incurred on account of: Q. M. G. Keturns of officers of: Q. M. G. Quartermaster's stores: Claims for such taken or furnished to the U. S. Army during the rebellion, under _ act of July 4, 1864: Q. M. G. Examination of returns of: Q. M. G. Inventory and inspection reports of such as are no longer fit for use: Q. M. G. Quarters, construction, etc., of: (oard on Business Methods 10 Classes of work falling to, to be stated 79 Heads of, attention of, invited to R. S. 173, 174, and 175 . 87 Separate appropriation for office contingencies for, prior to 1883 82 Bureaus, W. D., to prepare accountable requisitions 72,73 Cabinet files suggested 135 Calls for information from vol. rolls and records. No. of, unanswered July 1, 1888. 42 Calls, No. of, for information from rolls received in A. G. O 36 From records, no record of, kept in P. M. G. O 41 Cameron, Amberg & Co., cabinet letter files manulactured by 135 Card, index record of rolls of volunteer army, Apj). 5 33 When work of, was commenced 33 Method of making, pursued 33 Size of form of, used 33 Contains all the information on the rolls except name of paymaster 33 Completed and underway 33 Avangementof 33 Use made of 33 Printing of, recommended 33 Should be arranged in one alphabetical series for regiment 33 Objections to printing answered 34 Publications already made of military records 34 Of soldiers by States, by W. D., and by Congress 34 Advantages of printing 34 Alphabetical series for state 34 Regimental registers discbntinued, and reasons therefor 34 Discontinuance of reg. registers recommended by Senate select committee 34 Extract from report of Senate committee recommending the system, alpha- betical arrangement by regiment and State, and printing of .34 Number of rolls in A. G. O 35 Of men in vol. army and of cards required 35 Pages in printed copy of 35 Cost of printing and binding __. 35 17958- 11 210 Page. Card, index record of rolls of volunteer army, App. 5 — Continued. Printing of, of l(j4th N. Y. Vols, recommended to test cost and utility 35 Cylinder lor placing rolls on, recommended 35 Kecoramended when full military history is Citlled for 35 And to be in copying ink and press copy sent in answer to call ^ 35 Such cards to be filed and future answers to be made from them 36 Objections because such cards not compared considered 36 Calls for information from rolls received in 1884-5-6 and duplication work in answering such calls 36 Estimate of time required to complete 1 36 Number of clerks required by law to be engaged on rolls, regiments to be carded 36 Number of clerks saved by 36 Table showing average calls answered by one clerk monthly in 1884 to 1887_ 36 Work required in answering x;alls 37 When 20 regimeilts are carded one clerk can be spared for work on 37 Falling off of calls after printing of 37 Number of men now engaged on 37 Number of, which can be completed in a year _ 37 Table showing progress of work on basis given 37 Number of clerks required to complete, in a given time falling off of calls when, are printed and gain thereby 38, 39, 40 Necessity for something to save rolls 41 Time rolls will last 41 180 men should be put on work of 41 Work done on card index in Record and Pension Div. ,S. G.O 41 Transfer of certain records to S. G. O. suggested 41 Pension Record Div., A, G. O., employs 9 men who could be employed in answering calls if they could be answered promptly 41 Record not required if calls answered promptly 41 No record of calls kept in P. M. G. O 41 Automatic dating and numbering stamp 41 Discontinuance of Record and Pension Div. recommended 41 Number of unanswered calls July 1, 1888 42 The work should be brought up to within a week 42 Sample of card. Exhibit A — 42,43 Remarks of A. G. on Report of Board on 43 Does not concur in recommendation for printing and reasons given; time required for reading proof; rolls do not give complete in formation.-. 43 May be erroneous and corrected by other records; might not be accepted by auditing officers as official basis for action 44 The information for settlement of soldier's claim should be furnished of- ficially by W. D. and not taken from printed records 44 The printing of the 164th N. Y. Vols, not advised; one alphabetical series for regiments and States not advised; no special objection to cylinders suggested, but advantages considered doubtful; carding of full mili- tary histories and furnishing press copies in answer to calls not ap- proved; objections to stated 44 Addition to force as suggested advisable 45 Reduction of business in answering calls can not be anticipated •.. 45 Large number of calls in last five m'nths; proposed transfer of records to S. G. O. notapproved 45 Record and Pension Div. necessary if inquiries of members of Congress and others are to be answered 45 Order of S. of W. of January 18, 1889, for printing 300 copies of; of the 164th N. Y. Vols, to test value of printing; how to be distributed, and re- ports to be made as to value of book _. 45 Card Index Record. Sample of '- 42,43 Card Index Record system, advantages of 6 Recommended 133 Compared with present system of keeping the records.-- 133 Arrangement by subjects 124 Form and style of card index 124 In use in Record and Pension Division, S. G. O 125 In lieu of letters-received books, advantages of 119 Should be of same size in each bureau 111 Slight danger of logiug the caidi.^ »• > •••.».•...•..• 184 211 Page. Card index blanks for use of searchers _ __- 132 Card index briefs, adoption of, recommended 121 Objectof 122 Specimen of 121 Card index ot decisions, etc 133 (iSee Decisions.) Card index, samples of (Ex. B.) 180-85 Card-record book ^ 124 Card record. (See Record Card.) Cards. (See Office Mail Cards.) Certificates of deposit, Appendix 3 16 How, arise; issued in duplicate; embrace two classes of public fund 17 Should not be confounded with receipts for funds deposited to credit of an officer 17 Course of business pursued with, traced by steps _ 17 What, must show on face 17 Copy of face of 1 17 Stamp and endorsement on 18 Receipt of, at office of S. of W 18 Record ot in Req. Div 18 Indocket book 18 In record of 19 Sent in to Q. M. G 19 Action on, in Q. M. G. O 19 Entryof, in Q. M. G. O J9 Form of record book of, in Q. M. G. O 20,21 Similar routine of, in other bureaus 21 InofficeofC. G. S 21 InofficeotP. M. G 22 In office of P. M. G. arising under stoppage circular and under paymaster's collections 22 InS. G. O 22 InofficeofC. of O 22 In office of C. of E 23 InSignal Office -. 23 Duplication of work in 23 Recommendations concerning 24 Should be forwarded from Treasury to S. of W. without wrapper, endorse- ment or signature of C. C. ; then sent without entry to bureau to be stamped and entered ; appropriation to be designated in bureau, but no signature required; then forwarded to Treasury Dept. ; should not remain in W. D. more than two days; not to be recorded in letters re- ceived or sent; two record books of, in i^eq. Div. should be discon- tinued; two books of, in Q. M. G. O. to be consolidated 24 Proposed new form of. 25 Numberof, received in office of S. of W. in 1887 24 Defects of Army Regs, concerning 24 Proceeds of sales of Government property. Exhibit A, sections of the A. R. relating to such sales ". 25 Statement of number of, received in Req. Div. in 1887, Exhibit B 20 Paragraphs of A. R. concerning, given, ExhibitC 26 Action of S. and W. and Secretary of Treasury on recommendations of board concerning 28,29,30 Charge book, in connection with keeping record cards 132 Number of lines to page of * 132 Sample of 133 Charging papers withdrawn from files 99,132 Chief clerks to supervise the work of other clerks (Sec. 173, R. S.), shall revise the distribution of work from time to time, and make any monthly re- port of and defects in business methods (Sec. 174, R. S. ) 86 When monthly reports of, received duty of superior officers to take action to remedy defects pointed out (Sec. 175, R. S.) 86 Chief of Ordnance, views of, on correspondence 78 Chiefs of Bureaus. (See Bureaus. ) Chief Signal Officer, recommendations of, relative to keeping the records in Signal Office _ 121 212 Page. Circular to chiefs of bureaus requiring history of a case to ascertain if unnecessary work is done 110 Circular, W. D., April 4, 1888, inviting suggestions to be sent to the Board on Business Methods 10 April 19, 1888, discontinuing letters of request on settlement certificates 15 August 9, 1888, discontinuing separate requests for accountable requisitions. 72 September 11, 1888. discontinuing duplicate requisitions on Public Printer.- 74 Proposed, on administration . 78 Proposed, amended, on administration . 137 July 21, 1884, providing for supply di v., W. D ;_. .84 February 19, 1885, regulations for accounting for supplies furnished supply div 84 April 25, 1845, requiring monthly reports and reports of unauthorized absences of clerks _, -. 80 April 23, 1887, requiring daily reports of work '.__. 87 January 21, 1889, rescinding cir. of April 23, 1887 89 [See Orders.) February 15, 1889, to carry out report of board as to correspondence 138 February 9, 1889, as to tracing of cases to show course of business by chiefs of bureaus 196 February 13, 1889, on administration 196 February 9, 1889, as to assignment of business to the bureaus 206 Classes of work falling to each bureau to be reported 79 Clerks, distribution of labor among I 87 Daily statement of absence of, required to be kept by President Polk 87 Absenceof, to be reported 87 Daily reports from, required __. 87 Definition of 90 Pay of, for overtime 11 Reriarks upon work performed by low-grade and high-grade 109 Remarks upon useful employment of 109 Statement as to non-payments of debts by, required 87 Cockrell, Hon. F. M., chairman senate select committee. {See Senate Select Committee.) Collections of Army Paymasters. (See Army Paymasters' Collections. ) Colored pencil, use of, recommended 118, 130 Commercial houses. {See Corporations. ) Commissary-General of Subsistence, views of, on correspondence - 78 Commission on business methods recommended for Treasury and W. D 10 What, should do, and what action should be taken on report of 10 Committee on Business Methods. (See Commission ; Board on Business Methods. ; Comparison of cards with rolls not necessary 36 Communications, returning of by indorsement . 116 Concl visions of the board on the subject of correspondence 137 Corporation and commercial establishments visited by the Board on Business Methods 116-117 And Government Departments, difference in manner of acting on correspond- ence by, and remarks thereon 116-117 Correspondence, difference in manner of acting on, by corporations and Govern.- ment Departments, with causes of difference and table of coutra.st 116-117 Report on 89-205 Credit requisitions. Appendix No. 6 46 Letter of Secretary of Treasury and recommendation of Treasury board that the W. D. make out itaown, hereafter 46 Prepared in 2d and 3d Auditor's Offices no reason why W. D. should not pre- pare its own _ 46 Consolidated form for, recommended to save labor 46 Explanation of form . 47 Advantages of proposed form of 47 Consolidation of letter of request, accountable requisition, and accountable warrant recommended 47 Letter of request and requisition consolidated in W. D 48 Form of proposed consolidated deposit list, requisition, and warrant. Ex- hibit A 48 Copies of six deposit lists, P:xhihits B, E, H, L, O, and R 50, 53, 56, 59, 62, 65 Copies of six requisitions, Exhibits C, F, I, M, P, and S 51, 54, 57, 60, 63, 66 213 Page. Credit requisitions, Appendix No. 6— Continued. Copies of six warrants, Exhibits D, G, K, N, Q, and T 52, 55, 58, 61, G4, 67 Form of credit req. Q. M. G., Exhibit U _ 68 Form of accountable req., Exhibit V 69 Form of accountable warrant. Exhibit W 70 Form of consolidated request, accountable requisition, and accountable war- rant, Exhibit X . - 71 Letter of S. of W. to Sec. of Treasury as to W. D. making out its own, and enclosing copy of report of board on circular, August 9, 1888, consol- idating, with request for 1 72 Form of consolidated, to be prepared in bureaus __ _ 72 Consolidated form of deposit lists adopted by W. D--_ 73 Cross-reference cards, recommended 123 File-boxes for 131 Kind of paper for 131 Manner of indexing nameson 132 Specimens of 190 Cylinders for rolls, no special objection to, by A. G r 44 Daily reports, Appendix 11 86 Of absences directed by the President to be kept by heads of bureaus 87 Shall not contain statements of work in reply to oral inquiries 87 Work reported under ^ 87 Voluminous character of 88 Chief S. O. invites attention to expense of making, and waste of time 88 Unsatisfactory return of ^...: 88 Objections to, by the C. C, S. G. O 88 Order requiring, too literally construed; recommendation that circular requir- ing, be rescinded 89 W. D, circular, January 21, 1889, rescinding circular requiring 89 Debts, statement of complaints as to non-payment of, by clerks required by the President in 1845 87 Decisions, need of index of — 124 Preserving searches of 134 Or precedents, card index of » 133 Advantages of card index of 133 Books made up of card indexes of 134 Present manner of keeping record of, too slow for time of w^r 137 Proposed card index of 133 Size, style, and copies of card index of 134 Or precedents, list of 180-185 Definition of "Action on papers," "Clerks," "Department," "Important papers," " Information of value, " "Mail," "Letters," "Papers," and "Kecorded" or "Eecording" 90 Delay in handling papers, remedying of. (^ee Taylor. ) "Department." definition of 90 Departments. {See Government Departments. ) Deposit lists, consolidated form for copies of 48 Disbursing officer's receipts not certificates of deposit 17 Drafts of important letters 117 Duplication of entries to be avoided 117-119 Effect of order of February 13 on duplication 118 Duplication of work, Army paymaster's collections 31 To be avoided . 10 Certificates of deposit , i 23 Employes, retired-list for , 12 Salaries of 11,12 Superannuated, letters of Chas. J. Folger and John Sherman, Secretaries of the Treasury, concerning hardship of discharge of 12 Equitable Life Assurance Society, N. Y 116 Exceptions in practice, being table of letters and papers not recorded 92-98 File-boxes for cross-reference cards 131 Cases for record cards 131 Files, manner of keeping record of papers withdrawn from 99, 132 Saving of space in the 135 First Auditor audits account of disbursing clerk W. D. for supply div 85 214 Page. Form of certificate of deposit 17 New, of accountable requisitions 73 Of books of registry of cert, of dep 18, 19, 20,21,22,23 New, of C. of D. proposed 28, 29 Of paymasters' collections 31 Of card-index record of soldier 42 New consolidated, of credit requisitions 48,71 (See Credit Kequisitions, Exhibits A to X.) Of acknowledgments 122, 123 Of card-index brief 121 Of record card 130, 131 Of card-record charge book 133 Of briefs . 144-158 Ofrecord books 159-167 Of indorsements, oflSce marks, official addresses, and indexes 167-172 Of books of money and property accounts, returns, and correspondence 172-179 Of cross-reference cards 190, 191 Of record card 192-195 Freeh, Jacob, clerk Class IV, S. G. O. Appointed on Board on Business Methods. 9 Full military history. (See Military History. ) Government Departments. [See Treasury Dept; War Department.) Departments and corporations, difference in manner of acting on papers by, and remarks thereon __ 116-117 Property. (See Proceeds of. ) Greeley, Edwin S., of New York 116 Half-hourly collection and delivery of mail 108-109 Advantages of, demonstrated 116 Handwriting shall be plain and of good size, and flourishes, etc., forbidden 91 Hoyt, Captain, C. H., in charge of supply div 87 Duties of 84 Recommendation that he be relieved ; 85 Relieved from charge of supply div. January 10, 1889 86 '•Important papers," definition of 90 Indexing, instructions relative to-_- 119 Of names on cross reference cards 132 [See Briefing. ) Index-record cards. (See Record Cards.) Indorsing of letters 1 117 Indorsements, formal, not necessary in certain cases 137 Notations of simple -. 136 "Information of value," definition of 90 Ink, necessity of, that will last indefinitely 117 (See Red Ink.) Inspector General's Department, officer from, to inspect books and accounts of supply division 86 " Instructions for keeping the records," etc. (published October 1, 1870), provis- ions of, in regard to official papers 91 Instructions, etc., relative to record divisions 119 Item of business, tracing of an 100-116 Traced, relative to cert, of deposit 16 To Army paymaster's collections 31 Pension claims of Thos. W. Taylor 101-116 Transfer of the steamer Success 100-109 Laws concerning proceeds of Government property given 25 Legislation necessary to carry out reformed methods should be prepared and sub- mitted to Congress 10 Letter forms. (See Blanks. ) Letters, average numbei received per day in Secretary's Office ._ 132 Definition of 90 Complimentary closing of replies to 135 Drafts of important letters 134 Form and style of replies to 134 Nature of, and action on those requiring immediate attention 135 Returning of, by indorsement 135 Underscoring of, with blue pencil 118 (.See Papers.) 215 Page. Letters— Continued. Eeceived, definition of 91 Number of pages of record of, and lines recorded of, in 1888 126-130 Record card book of -* 130 Table of papers not recorded 93-98 Sent - 91 Definition of 91 Printed forms for 123 Number of pages of record of, in 1888 126-130 Kecord card book of 130 Kecording in permanent books of important 117 Table of letters and papers not recorded 93-98 Lines in charge book, numbering of 132 Lists alpliabetically arranged preferred 136 Mail, definition of 90 First action upon receipt of 118 Half-liourly collection and delivery of ^ 108-109 Advantages of half-hourly collection and delivery demonstrated 108-109 Marking of, with initials of ofhce to which it pertains 118 Mail arrangement in the offices of the Metroplitan Ins. Co 136 Chutes for W. D. building, recommended 136 Diagram of 136 Delivery, half-hourly, recommended 81 Messenger service, Appendix No. 9, automatic system to secure frequent commu- nication between offices recommended 80 Delay in communication at present illustrated 80 Delay of three days in paper passing through six hands 80 Half-hourly mail delivery recommended 80 Method of, described 80 Advantages of system proposed 81 Office mail cards described, and how to be used 81 W. D. orders, January 18, 1889, providing for half-hourly mail service in bureaus and between bureaus and office of S. of W .-_ 81 Method of entering and acting on papers until action thereon is completed, as shown by tracing an actual case 100-116 Methods of Government Departments and corporations, etc 116 Remarks upon old and new methods 137 Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., N. Y., pneumatic tubes in offices of, for con- veyance of mail 136 Village telephone in offices of 136 Military commanders, chiefs of bureaus to correspond with 79 History,, full, carding of, not approved by A. G 44 Records of soldiers, publications made of 34 Records, when full, required, card index should be made 35 Monthly reports, required by act of 1842 86 The President directs that, be transmitted to him 86 "What they shall contain 86 W. D. circular April 25, 184o, requiring the, provided for by law shall be reg- ularly made, and shall include statement of unauthorized absences of clerks 87 Written, of chief clerks not made from December, 1851, to April, 1887 87 Mutual Reserve Fund Life Association, N. Y 116 Names, manner of indexing on cross-reference cards 136 New England Mutual Life Insurance Co., Boston 116 New York Mutual Life Insurance Co 116 Notations of simple indorsements 136 Office mail cards 81 Orders, January 18, 1889, establishing half-hourly messenger service 81 January 10, 1889, relieving Capt. Hoyt from charge of supply div., and as- signing M. R. Thorp 86 Appointing Board on Business Methods 9 Discontinuing record -books of certs, of deposit in req. div 30 Printing of card-index record of 164 N. Y. Vols ^ 45 Establishing half-hourly mail service 81 {See Circulars.) 216 Page. Papers, administrative action on proposed circular 74 Amended circular 78 To be signed by Q. M. G. "by order of the Secretary of War " 76 Views of A. G., Q. M. G., C. G. S., and C. of O. on course of, and action on.__ 77,78 Administrative action on circular issued dircctiuji; how, shall be acted on, what, shall be sent direct to bureaus, how submitted to S. of W., sub- ject to be indicated in upper left-hand corner, when to be signed "by authority " or "by order" of the S. of W., chiefs of bureaus to corre- spond with military commanders 78, 79 Action on, pertaining to several bureaus 13G Awaiting final action 133 Circular to chiefs of bureaus requiring minute history of case to ascertain if unnecessary work is done in handling 110 Definition of " papers, " " action on papers, ' ' and ' ' important papers " 90 Delay in handling, remedying of 90 Description of, which it is recommended be not recorded 99 Keeping record of, withdrawn from files 99 Manner of briefing and recording of 117-119 Method of entering and acting on, as illustrated by actual case 100-109, 110-llG Moving of, by messenger service half-hourly 81 Numbering of 132 Pertaining to several bureaus 136 Reasons for necessity of recording, important 117 What is to be done when, are charged to a person for six days 132 Paymaster's collections, certificates of deposit arising under 22 (See Army Paymaster's Collections. ) Pay to clerks for overtime work . 11 Pechin, Maurice, detailed for duty as clerk on Board on Business Methods 9 Stenographer and clerk to board 12 Penmanship. (See Handwriting. ) Pencil. (See Blue Pencil. ) Pennsylvania Railroad Company 116 Pension record division, A. G. 6., discontinuance of, recommended 41 Recommendation of discontinuance of, not approved by A. G 45 Polk, President, letter of, as to duty of clerks, reports to be made, etc 86 Postal-card of acknowledgment to persons who rarely write to Department, form of. 122 Precedents. (See Card Index of Decisions and Precedents. ) President, The, letter of, to S. of W., April 11, 1815, requesting that the monthly reports required by law be regularly sent to, and directing that daily statements as to services and absences of clerks be kept by heads of bureaus; also a statement of complaints as to non-payment of debts by clerks . ^ 86 Press copy card-index record should be sent in answer to call for information 35 Illegibility of, after lapse of time 117 Filing of, with letter 117 Printing of card-index record of rolls . 34 Rolls of 164thN. Y. Vols 35 Of rolls not approved by A. G 43, 44 Report of Board on Busineas Methods 89 Proceeds of Government property, laws concerning, given 25 Prolixity should be avoided 91 Public Printer, duplicate requisitions on. (See Requisitions on Public Printer. ) . _ Publications made of military records of soldiers by States, W. D., and Congress 34 Q. M. G. letter of August 22, 1873, as to disposition of papers by, and signing by order of the S. of W 75 Authority to, to sign by order of the S. ofW 76 Views of, on correspondence and administration 76, 77 Receipts for funds deposited by a disbursing officer not same as certificates of de- posit 17 Recommendations of the Board on Business Methods 1-1 1 Clerks should be paid for overtime 11 Salaries of clerks should be increased 11 Additional stenographer needed 12 That requests for requisitions on .settlement certificates be discontinued 13 Concerning certificates of deposit 23, 24 Concerning army paymaster's collections ..'. 32 217 Page. Recommendations of the Board on Business Methods — Continued. In regard to card-index record of rolls of vol. army, printing of 33-34 Alphabetical arrangement of ^ 33, 34, 44 Printing of 164th N. Y. Vols 35, 44, 45 Cylinders for rolls 35,44 Card index to be made when full military history called for; press copy of to be sent in answer to call; filing of, and future answers to be made from card-index record 35, 44 180 men should be employed on card-index 41 Transfer of records to S. G. O 41, 4'* Discontinuance of record and pension div., A. G, O 41,45 Automatic dating and numbering stamp 41 Work of answering calls should be brought up to within a week 42 That the W. D. make out its own credit req. ; new form of credit req 46 Consolidated form of deposit lists 48, 49 Duplicate requisitions on Public Printer should be discontinued __, 73 Bureau officers should report amendments required to make A. 11. and orders conform to proposed circular 79 In proposed circular on administration that classes of work falling to bureau be stated 79 To extend authority given to Q. M. G. to sign by order of S. of W. to other bureaus, and to be * ' By authority of the Secretary of War " 79 That the supply dim be placed in charge of a clerk with $10,000 bond and Capt. Hoyt be relieved; that salary of chief of supply div. be $2,400 and the same for other chiefs of divisions SB5 That daily reports of work be discontinued 89 That certain classes of papers mentioned be not recorded __ 99 That searchers be required to keep a memorandum book to ascertain if any papers need not be recorded, to be compiled once a year 99 That acknowledgment of receipt of letters be sent in certain cases 122 That card-index briefs be made of certain cases described 121 That card-index system be adopted 133 Eecord and pension div., A. G. O 42 Discontinuance of, recommended 42 Necessary if inquiries as to claims are to be answered .'__ 45 Eecord books, introductions to, showing purposes for which kept, sample of- 119 Card book of letters received and letters sent , , 124 Cards. Advantages of, enumerated 124 Arrangement by subjects 124 Charge book in connection with 132 Compared with present system of keeping the records 124 File cases for 131 Form and style of ■ 130 How Jong to be withdrawn from files 132 In lieu of letters-received books „ 119 In use in record and pension div. , S. G. O 125 Index of names on 132 Numbering of 132 One clerk to be in charge of 132 Should be of same size in each bureau 134 Slight danger of losing the cards 124-125 Specimens of (Exhibit D) _.„_ 192-194-195 Temporary file of record cards of cases awaiting final action 133 What they combine 124 What is to be recorded on 123 {See Card Index System, Cross Eeference Cards, Decisions, Card Index of, and Card Index Briefs. ) Divisions, consolidation of, and reasons therefor 119 "Eecorded" or " Recording, " definition of 91 Eecord and pension div. of the S. G. O., card-index system in use in 125 Eecording of papers, description of papers which it is recommended be not re- corded 99 Only important papers should be recorded 117 Searchers to keep a memorandum to ascertain what papers need not be re- corded 99,117 17958 15 218 Page. Recording of papers, etc. — Continued. Table of papers not at present recorded: Letters received 92-95 Letters sent .__ ^_-_ 96-98 Papers that do not require recordinj;, as provided in "Instructions for keep- ing the records," etc. (1870) 92 Present system too slow for tim^ of war 118 Table of papers excepted from recordinc; 92-98 Value of system of recording, as shown by actual case 118 Recording of simple indorsements 136 Bed ink ruling on papers to be discontinued ^ 136 Reduction of business by printing of card index record of rolls 36-41 Can not be anticipated bvA. G 45 Regimental register of rolls of vol. army discontinued 34 Regulations of the Army. (See Army Regulations. ) Replies to letters, form of 134 134 Complimentary closing of 134 Report of Board on Business Methods. (See Board on Business Methods.) Of classes of work fallingto each bureau 79 Reports required as to value of printed card index records ofrolls 45 Of bureau officers to S. of W. on papers submitted 74, 79 As to amendments to proposed circular on administration, as to amendments to A. R., and orders to make them conform to proposed circular 79 {See Daily and Monthly Reports.) Requests for requisitions on settlement certificates, report on 13 Considered useless and disuse of, recommended 13 Circular discontinuing 15 (See also Settlement Certificates. ) Requisitions. {See Requests for, on Settlement Certificates, Settlement Requisi- tions, Credit Requisitions.) On settlement certificate, copy of 14 {See also Settlement Certificates. ) On Public Printer, Appendix 7 73 Duplicate, required by W. D. Order of March 28, 1864, considered unneces- sary since bureaus .are in one building, and discontinuance recom- mended 73 W. D. circular discontinuing'duplicate, press copy of, to be retained in bureau . 74 Division, office of S. of W., statement of certs, of deposit received in, in 1887. 24 Retired list for employes of W. D 12 Rolls of vol. army, methods of reproduction of, considered by Senate select com- mittee 34 Number of 35 Necessity for doing something to save 41 Time, willlast 41 No. of calls from 36 Condition of _--. 34,41 Do not give complete information, and may be erroneous 44 Printed card-index record of, might not be accepted as proper evidence 44 {See also Card Index Record of.) Routine in Army paymaster's collections described 31 Rules and regulations, W. D.. June 4, 1888 15 Salaries in W. D., recommendations of S. of W. as to, in letter to Senate com- mittee _. - 6,7 In W. D. inadequate . 11, 12 Ofcbiefsofdivisionsshouldbe$2,400 -- 85 Sample card-index record 42, 43 Search, preservation of result of --- 136 Searchers to keep a memorandum book, recommended - 99 Secretary of Treasury, letter of, on credit requisitions . 46 Letter of, on certificates of deposit 30 Secretary's action, noting record of, in Secretary's Office 136 Senate Select Committee on Business Methods in Departments, letter of chairman of, toS. ofW 9 Extract from report of, as to appointment of commissions in Treasury Dept. and W. D - 10 Recommends Discontinuance of Vol. Army Register 34 Extract of report of, recommending card-index for rolls of vol. army 34 Consider methods of reproduction ofrolls - -— 34 219 Page. Settlement certificates, definitions of-- , — 13 Course of business pursued with 13 Letters for request for requisition on, useless 13 Copy of 14 Copy of request for requisition on 14 Copy ot requisition on 14 Circular discontinuing requests for requisitions on '. 15 Settlement requisition, copy of... 14 {See also Settlement Certificates.) Signal Office, recommendation in regard to transacting business in, but not yet for the other bureaus ... 120 Sloane, W. & J., New York 116 Southern Pacific Railroad Company ___. --- 116 Special cases 117 Staff officers, chiefs of bureaus to correspond with 79 Stationery, method of purchase of, prior to 1882 and after 82 Table showing purchase of 83 Chief clerk in charge of purchase of, up to July 21, 1884 83 Kegulations for accounting for 83 Stenographer, another required in office of S. of W 7 Stenographers, two required in Secretary's Office W. D 12 Stoppage circular, certificates of deposit arising under 22 Stores. {See Corporations.) •Subject, illustration of arrangement by subject in card index 124 Of correspondence to be indicated in upper left-hand corner of paper 79 Subjects, list of, of letters received in 1888' (Exhibit C) 186 Steamer Success, transfer of, showing method of entering and acting on papers. -100-109 Remarks upon manner of disposing of this case 106-109 Success. {See Steamer Success. ) Suggestions invited to be sent to Board on Business Methods J 11 Superannuated employes, retired-list for, recommended 12 Hardship of discharge of, views of Secretary of Treasury in regard to dis- charge of 12 {See also Employes and Clerks. ) Supplies. (*S'ee Supply Division.) Supply division (Appendix 10) 82 Stationery prior to 1882 given to bidder whose total bid for all items was lowest -_- 82 May 22, 1882, samples required, and each item separately passed upon and award made accordingly 82 Separate appropriation for each bureau prior to 1883 82 Miscellaneous supplies then purchased by each bureau without advertise- ment 82 Two appropriations, stationery and miscellaneous supplies by act of March 3, 1883, and put under S. of W -- 82 The method adopted in 1882, for stationery applied then to purchase of mis- cellaneous supplies 82 Tables showing expenditures for miscellaneous supplies, 1884 to 1888, and stationery, 1882 to 1888, showing saving under new system _. 83 C. C. under S. of W. had charge of purchase of mis. supplies and stationery up to July 21, 1884, cause of change of system -- B3 Supply division formed, W. D. circular, July 21, 1884 84 Duties of officer in charge of , 84 Capt. Hoyt, A. A. Q. M., in charge of 84 Accounts of, paid by disbursing clerk W. D 85 Quartermaster's accounts are audited by 3rd And 85 But the accounts of this division go to 1st Aud., who does not audit Q. M. accounts, and to overcome this difficulty circular was issued that after accounts were passed upon by the Q. M. G. they should be filed in office of theS. of W 85 W. D. circular, February 19, 1885, as to accounts of, the reason for assigning Army officer in charge, that he should account under A. R. if Q. M. Dept. fails 85 Recommendation that a clerk be placed in charge under proper bond 85 Salaries of similar clerks in other Departments 85 Salary should be $2,400, and same to other chiefs of divisions. ._ " 85 220 Page. Supply division (Appendix 10) — Continued. W. D. orders, January 10, 1889, relieving Capt. Hoyt in charge of supply div. and assigning M. R. Thorp to charge of 86 Bond of $10,000 required, duties of chief of 86 Books and accounts of, to be examined by officer of the I. G. Department ._ 86 Surgeon-General's Office. Kecord and pension div. of, method of business andi work accomplished in, stated in letter of S. of W 5 Card-index system in record and pension div. of._i. 6 Card-index system in use in 125 Table of letters and papers not required to be recorded. 92-98 Taylor, Thos. W., pension claim of, showing delay which will be remedied by order of January 18, 1839, and circular of February 9, 1889 109-116 Remarks upon this case . 115 Telephone service in offices of Metropolitan Insurance Co., N. Y., advantages of- 136 Temporary file for papers awaiting final action 133 Thorp, M. R., assigned to charge of supply div 86 Tolman, L. W., chief of req. div., appointed on Board of Business Methods 9 Topics, the board decides to consider matters to be inquired into by 10 List of, considered by board and acted upon 11 Transfer of certain records in A. G. O. toS. G. O. suggested 41 Not approved by A. G 45 Treasury Department, more briefings, records, &c., in, than necessary, commis- sion recommended to be appointed in 9 Letters of Secretaries of, concerning discharge of superanuated employes in. 12 Tweedale, John, C. C, W. D., appointed on Board on Business Methods 9 Unanswered mail, ascertaining delay of action on 136 Vacancies, manner of filling 109 Vol. army, number of men in 35 {See Rolls of, and Volunteer Rolls.) Volunteer rolls, card-index record of 137 Wannamaker, John, of Philadelphia - 116 War Department, more briefings, records, &c., in than necessary, commission recomended to be appointed in 9 Rulesand regulations of, June 4, 1888 15 Number of employes in _. II Amount of money disbursed in, annually 11 Superannuated employes in, should be retired 12 Washington City, not a commercial city, affijrds little opportunity for Dept. employes to enter into other business 12 *'Your obedient servant, " omission of 135 / THIS BOOK IS DUE OK THE LAST DATE THIS BOO'^s^I'amPED BELOW AN INITIAL FINK OF 25 CENTS THIS BOOK ON T"%°*JfL°s oN THE FOURTH ^i^V^ir^O^-O ON -E SEVENTH 0*V OVERDUE. ^ MAR 3 1936 n LD 21-100m-8,'34 YC 62V30